Team Tuesdays: Asthmatics
What’s happening, wiffle nation? Anthony here with another Team Tuesday article. Today’s focus: The Asthmatics!
Now, right off the bat - what I see is power hitter and a guy who plays the field with reckless abandon, Jacob Dunkle. He's a former teammate of yours truly and a league veteran (started in fall of 2013), Dunkle brings a competitive spirit and great emotion to a team that has a decent roster, on paper. A great player on both sides of the ball, Dunkle is someone you want on your team.
Next is Paul Hesson, who I believe is one of the most underrated players in the league. Paul (the team's captain) showed us in the 2015 that he can sling the wiffleball with some heat. Unfortunately, ball control issues have plagued him throughout his career. This format fits a player like Paul very well. With slow pitching, Paul’s bat is a little more effective, and he still manages to get a lot of movement out of his pitches in the slow-pitch format. In a fast pitch format, his arm is definitely the asset. When he is on, he’s a very good pitcher who can compete with the best of them. A guy who has something to offer in both formats is a plus…always.
Next up is Josh Smith. What can be said about Josh!? This league is his brainchild and he is an extremely SEASONED veteran of the sport (17 seasons in four leagues). His approach to slow pitch is second to none, his asset being his delivery of the ball. The hitter doesn’t see it until the last possible moment as he hides the ball during the wind-up, which gives Josh the advantage. His bat is not too shabby in a slow pitch format either. Being another former teammate of mine, on what may be the craziest team I’ve been a part of (Make Wiffleball Great Again), I can attest to him being a fun teammate.
Josiah Chapman is yet another veteran picked up by Hesson in the draft. Chapman played sparingly in 2015 with some impressive stats when he was able to play and won the NWLA South Region Rookie of the Year Award. Always a player who has a bat that is at any given time flex, his power can bring a pitcher’s confidence crashing down, making Josiah a tour-de-force on the offensive front. Now, as with 2015, Josiah has not been able to show up to all of the tournaments we have had thus far. When he did show up this season, I didn’t see the same player from 2015. Time off isn’t always a good thing. This is a guy who I feel would be a serious competitor in the league...if he took it seriously. It's important to remember that he didn't win the HWL Rookie of the Year Award in 2015 because of his spotty attendance (teammate Veronica Stanley had just as an impressive season with more games played and took that honor). If this guy is able to show up, Paul has a potential superstar on his hands, how bright he could shine is entirely up to Chapman.
This leaves me with Josh Ross, Shawn Huffman and Scott Taylor. Josh Ross and Scott Taylor played well in their appearances so far. Ross was able to pitch some, giving Paul some relief innings in the April fast pitch tournament. Shawn Huffman, however, is a player that I’m not really familiar with. Paul was very tactful with his picks from the draft so I assume there's something about Huffman that I don't know that made him deserving of a spot on the team that Paul knows. Unfortunately, he has yet to show up. If Huffman wants to finally make a name for himself he only has one (possibly two) tournaments remaining to finally make his appearance.
This article comes days after the Asthmatics finished up with their strongest finish so far this season. They finished the June tournament in third place. That's not bad at all, especially once you consider that half of the team had to leave early to go to work. The final game the Asthmatics played in left Dunkle and Hesson playing alone and falling to the eventual champions, The Thunder Ducks. This team has the right mix to make some noise in the upcoming tournaments, but do they have the commitment and talent to outlast powerhouses like Saved by the Ball and the Thunder Ducks, only time will tell. Teammates like Scotty Taylor and Josh Ross will need to be more dependable and Shawn Huffman needs to finally show up at all in order to give this team the balance it needs to ever hope for a title.
Next up: Wiffle Hit Wonders.
