Pick-a-Card Series 7 (Variety Pack)

Well, 2021 was not the return to form that we were hoping for was it? The immediate and subsequent impact of COVID-19 and it's variants , the resulting shutdown (and it's lingering economic/social/political effects) seem to disturb our daily routines or what has managed to remain of our former routines, hobbies, jobs, lives, etc. COVID-19 has forced many of us into a strange headspace where there is seemingly no sense of normalcy in any sector of our lives, wiffleball included. I was hoping that 2021 would see a possibility for us to find a pathway to get this train back on the tracks but some things have happened that have continued to hinder us, although as I'm sure you all have noticed - the virus hasn't quite retreated as we all had hoped. It's quite the predicament.

Back in March of this year I had shared a new pack of cards with you, the first of such cards in three years. Rather than wait so long until next time, I figured I'd share a little early holiday cheer with you since Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. So, I think that'll be around 35 cards overall of these newer style of cards - collect them all!

Moving on. Let's open this pack up and see what we have here.

Wow! I think you're going to like these!

I am absolutely stunned that I have not had a Jacob Dunkle card in my collection already! I'm proud to have called this guy not only a teammate but a friend. This guy can field anything that comes his way and is what many consider one of the top fielders to have ever played inside the lines in league history. He also is one of the biggest power hitters to ever pick up the bat and has hit some of the furthest long balls I've ever seen with my own eyes. He had a cannon on him as well and could gun down players trying to round third to go home. You would think it would be a talent that would have naturally transitioned him into a pitching role but it never took. Nevertheless, he had a heck of a career and could hit the ball a mile and was one of the best defensive players the league had ever seen.

I was not expecting a Paul Castle card! I've had the pleasure of playing with the guy a handful of times but mostly in non league play. He did participate in the 2017 season with the Wiffle Hit Wonders. The team had the #1 draft pick but things went poorly from there as the cobbled together team had their risky picks fall through as the season progressed. However, the team was doomed as the majority of the roster was MIA each event and the team struggled to field a minimum roster to participate. But I got to know Paul as he collaborated with us on our Greek Wiffology team in the Amy For Africa tournament in Ashland, KY in 2019 where I later saw him on deck with his Wiffle Hit Wonders jersey on when a Wonder Bread truck was sitting in traffic behind him and saw a once in a lifetime photo opportunity that he and I both have laughed about numerous times since.

Oh my! A Kristopher Clark card! He is sadly most known for being Brice Clark's younger brother but he's a phenomenal player in his own right. Kris is a younger guy on the more quiet side but doesn't carry the same amount of power as far as home run hitting ability as Brice but is known more for his consistency as far as carrying averages and ERA/WHIP and steadily improved over the course of his career as well. I came to admire Kris as well because when you're on a team like the Mothmen over three seasons with a lights out roster, it's hard to stand out. Yet he was constantly grinding and when you look at his numbers - you see that he put the work in.

I heard SO MUCH about this guy during the draft show and throughout the 2017 season but I never actually met Shawn Harmon. From what I heard, this guy was a stud. Our team that was assembled to attempt to qualify for the nationals selected him and it wasn't enough to get us to the nationals but that is a long story. Looking at the stats, I see that he played in April of that year but we only kept stats during the fast pitch events, which was only half the season, so he may have played in the other two slow pitch events. But he was on the Thunder Ducks squad, which ultimately finished in second place on the season. If he was nearly as good as what everyone said he was, then I missed out on something special.

Patrick Horton is another player that falls into that Shawn Harmon category. The 2017 season was strange due to it being a draft year and it being split in half between fast and slow pitch events and also I was there like 50% of the season and didn't go with the team to help coach or do the beat reporting for the squad at the regional tournament. So there were some names, such as Horton, that were foreign to me that became part of the new league vernacular. Horton was drafted by the Wiffle Hit Wonders and the team was plagued by player attendance issues that put them at risk of forfeiture throughout the season to where they were desperate to acquire new players during the season despite having the #1 pick in Jeremy Ray at the draft. I never met Horton but also hear he was quite the player and he joined the 2017 HWL regional squad (Saved By The Balls) that went to Wilkes-Barre, PA to attempt to qualify for the national tournament, which ultimately was unsuccessful.

I never thought I'd see the day where we could be trading a Cody Brown card! He was a teammate of mine in the league's final year in 2018 on the Asthmatics. He was a quiet guy but funny and fun to play with. I didn't get to know him incredibly well but I came to know him as a good and dependable teammate. He was a pretty good hitter and a decent pitcher in our rotation. He did become part of the 2018 regional squad that our league sent to the regionals for that national qualifier, and we at long last punched our ticket to nationals for the first time since 2014 with his help!

Many of you are probably wondering if I'll ever release a certain elusive card and it may finally make an appearance this Christmas if you're good boys and girls...