August 1 - It’s not baseball, exactly.
It might be harder.
Hitters frustrated by wind- and spin-aided plastic balls, pitchers inventing those pitches on the fly, and plenty of whacky uniforms and team names will take to the tiny fields at Waters Field in Vienna this Saturday for the 21st annual Northern Virginia Wiffle Ball World Series.
And it's all for a great cause.
The tournament, which benefits brain cancer research in the memory of Brian Bedell through the 2-Young Foundation, will feature 48 teams divided into four divisions. The event's sponsor, the Joe Cassella Foundation, will donate proceeds to Northern Virginia families in need of financial assistance for the care of an ill child.
So, what are the rules, you ask? Each team fields four players - a pitcher, two fielders, and a designated hitter. Games are three innings with a 30-minute time limit, with two outs recorded per inning. Ties are broken by one extra inning, which begins with the bases loaded. Outs are recorded by a strikeout, fly out, or ground ball that is fielded before the ball stops rolling.
Home runs are permitted, bunts are not. Hitters can swing with one hand. There are no base runners, only 'ghost' runners. Sounds to us like John Kruk and David Ortiz got together to draw up the rules.
The tournament will kick-off with team registrations at 8 a.m., an opening ceremony at 9 a.m., and first pitch for opening games at 10 a.m. Participating teams will compete in Little League, Minor League, Major League and Masters League divisions, and fields also will be provided for players ages six-and-under. The championship game pitting the Majors and Masters divisions, with the winner claiming the Bedell-Cassella Cup, will be held at 5 p.m.
Last year’s champion, The Walk-Offs, are just one example of creative team names entered annually in the tournament. Names of past champions also include Delicious Swine (2014), Fast Plastic (2009-10, 2012), Cocky Lambos (1999, 2005), the Vienna Inn Wieners (2008), The Motley Fools (1997), and The Fat Guys (1993-94).
Photo Courtesy/NVWWS
