Countdown to the 2014 Season: Who's Ready?

In just 9 weeks we will be reporting for Spring Training. It seems like forever away but with the Winter Meeting coming up in 3 weeks things will accelerate very quickly and it will be opening day before you know it! Some teams are still in off-season mode and not making audible progress on prepping for the 2014 season but that's not the case for everyone. Six teams have shown promising signs of returning for 2014 but the rest of the teams have some work to do. If your team isn't definitely returning for 2014 yet, get busy preparing! The Winter Meeting will be here before you know it. Reminder: Every team MUST have their captain or a player present for the Winter Meeting.

Team	Latest Report	Returning or Not?
	Captained by Greg Sowards this team is by far one of the most ready teams in the league. He has practiced with Josh Smith and Mike Saxton a couple of times since January 1st and Sowards is even lifting weights. Julie Meadows is also a confirmed returning player. No word yet on Daryl Pullin or Andrew Hankins. It is also unclear if Mike McCoy will return pending his attempt at creating a new team.	Yes
	Maroon $quad has been pumped for the 2014 season since the 2013 season ended. Clagg and Steele representing the league in the NWLA Tournament possibly made the team even more excited to play more wiffleball. The entire roster is confirmed as returning but no one is sure whether or not they will be taking advantage of the 6 player maximum roster.	Yes
	Bag Tag came out strong in Fall Ball and they are the team everyone is watching to possibly come out on top in 2014. The team has had a major setback with the unfortunate loss of a teammate and they have not yet announced their full roster but rest assured - Brandon Woolum will get the job done and field a fierce team.	Yes
	Patrick Rayl and Jacob Dunkle put together quite a team for Fall Ball. They improved dramatically with the addition of Nick Kappra in practices after Fall Ball concluded. The team has not released the names of confirmed returning players yet but based on their interview on the podcast it is expected that the same roster from Fall Ball will be joining us for the 2014 season with the exception of Wade Napier.	Yes
	Well... it's official: the Honey  Badgers are definitely in for the 2014 season. After much speculation, Josh Berletich and Arielle Hord squashed the rumors that they were retiring for good on the latest episode of the podcast. David Dillon and Paul Hesson are confirmed returning players. No word yet on if Kyle Kelley is returning. Currently the team is looking to fill two remaining roster spots. Any free agents can inquire with Josh Berletich.	Yes
	The Wiffle Ballers have been pretty quiet in the off-season. Stephanie Schritter has confirmed the team will be returning but we do not know what the team roster is yet. Hopefully the original roster returns plus two players to prevent an absence of a player or two from hindering their chances at a title.	Yes
	According to the latest information, Brent Thompson has stated that the team is likely to return but he will not be the team's captain. Little else is known about the team's chances of returning. Larry Blake had a knee surgery in the off-season but we don't know his status yet. Hopefully this team can get it together and continue to show the young players how it's done.	Maybe
	This team is definitely up-in-the-air. They had some attendance issues during Fall Ball and never played with the full strength of all five of their players. Some of their team members are orthopedic surgeons with schedules that can get very hectic. One of those surgeons is team captain Jeff Kim so it's uncertain if the team will get it together for this season. They did play the entire fall ball season with seemingly no issues so who knows. We're still awaiting word from them.	Maybe
	No one has any idea of whether or not this team is returning. The latest reports indicate that Trey "Dub" Hathaway is the only one on the team to vocally advocate returning. Thelmer Damron has yet to confirm his return and if he is unable to return then the team is without it's captain. The Pink Penguins were supposed to play in the London Wiffleball Tournament last summer but when Thelmer was unable to go they whole team folded. So the question is if Thelmer cannot return in 2014...will the Pink Penguins continue?	Maybe/Unlikely
	Go Jackie Go was a team that struggled during Fall Ball. They finished in last place and their roster varied for much of that season. They did not appear to be an overly stable team then and we've heard next to nothing on them recently. Todd Scott and Scott Hatfield have accepted invitations to the Winter Meeting but nothing has been indicated a return otherwise. We may not know for sure until February 4th but hopefully they will let us know before then.	Maybe
	Rumors have been circulating that Troy Twisdale and Luke Davis are attempting to revive the Welfare Warriors. There is little to suggest that this is a serious effort. The main concern is them finding players. Jeremy Litton has retired from playing to help the commissioners with media. It's uncertain if Mike Sumner is willing to return and Chris Ramey was traded from the team last year. If Sumner returns the only other practical candidate for an additional teammate is Kevin Hancart from the old league but that would make the entire team (of only 4 probably players) a team entirely of commuters. They were last year though, so they could do it if they were serious enough. The real question: can Twisdale or Davis do what it takes to captain a team?	Who Knows?
	There's a dark horse team out there that formed in the little known Charleston Wiffle League fall ball season. The CWL didn't last but this team seems to have the right stuff to become a solid team in the HWL. Headed up by Ryan Pritt and Nick Scala this team (known as "3 Guys & a Lefty" during fall ball) were unbeatable during the fall ball season in Charleston. Scala says the team is "definitely in" for the 2014 season but they still need to pick a team name and release names of players on the roster. Scala assured us that they will have someone at the Winter Meeting. Hopefully they will hold to that otherwise the entire endeavor in Charleston will have been for nothing.	Maybe

If you are interested in joining the league by starting your own team or joining an existing team as a free agent - email the commissioner at huntingtonwiffle@gmail.com