Hitball's Pundits Spew Online

Executive-Decision Style, and of course pending approvals and subject to change, but the 18th WHC will be held, most likely somewhere in upstate New York, on SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2009. To be followed on SUNDAY, JULY 26 2009 by the 8th WDHC. Questions and comments, as well as anyone interested in hosting (anyone?) are welcome.

- Dan

As we enter (about 50 days ago) 2009, it is time to look for a time and place for the 18th WHC and 8th WDHC. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd like to hear them. Right now as far as dates go, I'm leaning toward July 18-19, July 25-26, or August 8-9. Locations are also in high demand - I'm willing to consider non-Candor locations as well. Let me know what you think!

Also, I found this awesome picture from the 17th WHC that Melinda took:

Does anyone have either:
1. Any other awesome or hilarious hitball pictures? OR 
2. A great caption for this or other hitball pictures?

Post replies here. Also, I want to play some hitball this spring.

- Dan

Despite a slight drop in participants from years past, the 17th World Hitball Championships and 7th World Doubles Hitball Championships were a great success again this year, hosted by the Huizinga household. Many thanks to them for their hospitality, flat field, and nets! Now, on to the results (as always, games are not necessarily listed in the order they were played. 3 Points for a win, 2 for a tie, 1 for a loss, 0 for a forfeit. Tiebreakers: 1. Points, 2. Head-to-head, 3. Goal Difference, 4. Fewest Yellow Cards, 5. Overtime tiebreaker):

Women's Group A	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Samantha Andrews	2	0	0	16	2	+14	6
Marie Guido	1	1	0	9	6	+3	4
Kaeti Stoss	0	2	0	2	19	-17	2

Samantha Andrews 4, Marie Guido 2 (1:1 at halftime)
Samantha Andrews 12, Kaeti Stoss 0 (8:0)
Marie Guido 7, Kaeti Stoss 2 (3:1)

Women's Group B	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Rachel Crofut	2	0	0	12	4	+8	6
Sam Metott	1	1	0	8	8	E	4
Jamie Frank	0	2	0	5	13	-8	2

Sam Metott 5, Jamie Frank 4 (2:3)
Rachel Crofut 8, Jamie Frank 1 (5:0)
Rachel Crofut 4, Sam Metott 3 (1:2)

Semifinals:
Samantha Andrews 5, Sam Metott 3 (3:0)
Rachel Crofut 3, Marie Guido 1 (2:0) **

** - Game ended early due to an injury to Marie.

Final:
Rachel Crofut 7, Samantha Andrews 0 (4:0)

Men's Group C	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
Aaron Crofut	3	0	1	36	26	+10	11
Sean Huizinga	2	1	1	38	24	+14	9
Joe Huizinga	2	1	1	27	25	+2	9
Dan Parks	1	2	1	19	24	-5	7
Brent Waddington	0	4	0	11	32	-21	4

Sean beat Joe on goal difference, +14 to +2.

Sean Huizinga 10, Dan Parks 3 (7:3)
Aaron Crofut 12, Joe Huizinga 8 (7:3)
Sean Huizinga 12, Brent Waddington 3 (7:2)
Dan Parks 6, Aaron Crofut 6 (3:3)
Joe Huizinga 7, Brent Waddington 4 (4:2)
Dan Parks 7, Brent Waddington 2 (4:2)
Aaron Crofut 12, Sean Huizinga 10 (7:5)
Joe Huizinga 6, Dan Parks 3 (2:2)
Aaron Crofut 6, Brent Waddington 2 (3:1)
Joe Huiznga 6, Sean Huizinga 6 (1:3)

Men's Group D	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
Tim White	4	0	0	21	11	+10	12
Ryan Collier	2	1	1	27	21	+6	9
David Nager-Sadoff	1	2	1	19	24	-5	7
Christian Walker	1	2	1	18	21	-3	7
Brian Weisz	0	3	1	11	19	-8	5

David beat Christian head-to-head.

Tim White 5, David Nager-Sadoff 3 (3:2)
Christian Walker 5, Brian Weisz 3 (4:1)
Tim White 7, Christian Walker 3 (4:1)
Ryan Collier 6, Brian Weisz 3 (3:2)
Tim White 5, Ryan Collier 4 (3:3)
David Nager-Sadoff 5, Christian Walker 4 (4:2)
Tim White 4, Brian Weisz 1 (2:0)
Brian Weisz 4, David Nager-Sadoff 4 (2:3)
Ryan Collier 6, Christian Walker 6 (4:3)
Ryan Collier 11, David Nager-sadoff 7 (5:2)

Men's Group E	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
Kris Brown	4	0	0	35	15	+20	12
Bryan Andrews	2	2	0	16	20	-4	8
Andrew Long	2	2	0	15	18	-3	8
Kerrston Harris	1	3	0	18	24	-6	6
Joe Pinzone	1	3	0	17	24	-7	6

Bryan beat Andrew head-to-head. Also, Kerrston beat Joe head-to-head

Kris Brown 10, Joe Pinzone 4 (5:1)
Andrew Long 5, Kerrston Harris 4 (2:2)
Bryan Andrews 3, Kerrston Harris 2 (3:1)
Andrew Long 3, Joe Pinzone 2 (2:1)
Kris Brown 9, Bryan Andrews 3 (5:1)
Kerrston Harris 7, Joe Pinzone 6 (2:4)
Joe Pinzone 5, Bryan Andrews 4 (2:2)
Kris Brown 6, Andrew Long 3 (5:3)
Kris Brown 10, Kerrston Harris 5 (5:2)
Bryan Andrews 6, Andrew Long 4 (2:1)

Men's Group F	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
Brad Andrews	3	0	0	17	10	+7	9
Dan Blake	2	1	0	16	12	+4	7
George Flevares	1	2	0	5	8	-3	5
Micha Elsner	0	3	0	9	17	-8	3

Brad Andrews 5, Micha Elsner 4 (2:2)
Dan Blake 2, George Flevares 1 (1:0)
Brad Andrews 5, George Flevares 1 (3:0)
Dan Blake 9, Micha Elsner 4 (4:1)
George Flevares 3, Micha Elsner 1 (1:0)
Brad Andrews 7, Dan Blake 5 (5:3)

2nd Round:
Sean Huizinga 7, Andrew Long 2 (5:2)
George Flevares 8, Ryan Collier 7 (5:2)
Joe Huizinga 5, Bryan Andrews 3 (3:3)
David Nager-Sadoff 5, Dan Blake 3 (4:2)

Quarterfinals:
Sean Huizinga 12, Brad Andrews 11 (2OT) (4:4, 8:8, 10:10)
Kris Brown 8, George Flevares 2 (6:2)
Joe Huizinga 6, Tim White 3 (4:1)
Aaron Crofut 8, David Nager-Sadoff 7 (5:2)

Semifinals:
Sean Huizinga 4, Kris Brown 3 (3:2)
Joe Huizinga 9, Aaron Crofut 7 (6:4)

Final:
Sean Huizinga 11, Joe Huizinga 7 (6:5)

So, in the singles tournaments, Rachel claims her 4th straight title, and Sean wins the battle of the Huizingas to claim his first posession of the rock. Maybe home-field advantage really exists.

On to the doubles!

Women's Doubles	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
Marauders (Rachel Crofut and Erin Wolcott)	2	0	1	8	1	+7	8
Exthelionesses (Melinda Adelman and Jamie Frank)	1	1	1	3	4	-1	6
Sam to the 2nd Power (Sam Metott and Samantha Andrews)	1	2	0	1	8	-7	5
The New American Gladiators (Kaeti Stoss and Marie Guido)	1	2	0	3	2	+1	5

Sam to the 2nd Power beat The New American Gladiators head-to-head.

The New American Gladiators 3, Exthelionesses 0 (1:0)
Marauders 6, Sam to the 2nd Power 0 (3:0)
Exthelionesses 1, Marauders 1 (1:1)
Sam to the 2nd Power 1, The New American Gladiators 0 (1:0)
Exthelionesses 2, Sam to the 2nd Power 0 (0:0)
Marauders 1, The New American Gladiators 0 (1:0)

Semifinals:
Marauders 3, The New American Gladiators 0 (2:0)
Sam to the 2nd Power 1, Exthelionesses 0 (0:0)

Final:
Marauders 1, Sam to the 2nd Power 0 (1:0)

Mixed Doubles Group A	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
Double Shot (Aaron Crofut and Rachel Crofut)	3	0	0	13	7	+6	9
World's Greatest Hitball Team (Brad Andrews and Samantha Andrews)	2	1	0	10	7	+3	7
Gold Bond© (Dan Parks and Sam Metott)	1	2	0	7	7	E	5
Booze & Hookers (Kaeti Stoss and Brent Waddington)	0	3	0	2	11	-9	3

World's Greatest Hitball Team 2, Gold Bond© 1 (1:0)
Double Shot 3, Booze & Hookers 1 (1:0)
World's Greatest Hitball Team 6, Booze & Hookers 1 (1:1)
Double Shot 5, Gold Bond© 4 (3:2)
Double Shot 5, World's Greatest Hitball Team 2 (3:2)
Gold Bond© 2, Booze & Hookers 0 (2:0)

Mixed Doubles Group B	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
Team Voldemort (Dan Blake and Jamie Frank)	2	0	1	6	3	+3	8
M&T Funk (Marie Guido and Tim White)	1	1	1	4	4	E	6
Nagel Hill Alternates (Micha Elsner and Bethany White)	1	2	0	3	5	-2	5
Knife Light (Bryan Andrews and Erin Wolcott)	1	2	0	3	4	-1	5

Nagel Hill Alternates beat Knife Light head-to-head.

Team Voldemort 2, Nagel Hill Alternates 1 (2:0)
Knife Light 2, M&T Funk 0 (2:0)
Team Voldemort 3, Knife Light 1 (2:1)
M&T Funk 3, Nagel Hill Alternates 1 (1:1)
M&T Funk 1, Team Voldemort 1 (0:1)
Nagel Hill Alternates 1, Knife Light 0 (1:0)

Semifinals:
Double Shot 2, M&T Funk 1 (1:0)
World's Greatest Hitball Team 3, Team Voldemort 2 (3OT) (0:0, 2:2, 2:2, 2:2, 1 minute 6 seconds)

Final:
World's Greatest Hitball Team 2, Double Shot 1 (1:1)

Men's Doubles Group C	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
Sweet Tea is for Fatties (George Flevares and Brad Andrews)	3	0	0	14	7	+7	9
Nagel Hill Posse (Dan Blake and Tim White)	2	1	0	9	4	+5	7
Man Unit (Joe Huizinga and Bryan Andrews)	1	2	0	5	8	-3	5
3-Legged Affair (Micha Elsner and Dan Parks)	0	3	0	5	14	-9	3

Nagel Hill Posse 3, Man Unit 0 (2:0)
Sweet Tea is for Fatties 7, 3-Legged Affair 3 (3:3)
Sweet Tea is for Fatties 3, Nagel Hill Posse 2 (1:0)
Man Unit 3, 3-Legged Affair 1 (2:1)
Sweet Tea is for Fatties 4, Man Unit 2 (2:0)
Nagel Hill Posse 4, 3-Legged Affair 1 (2:1)

Men's Doubles Group D	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts.
4th Reich (Kris Brown and Andrew Long)	3	0	0	10	3	+7	9
The Odd Couple (Aaron Crofut and David Nager-Sadoff)	2	1	0	13	8	+5	7
BUπ∫ex=f(u)n (Christian Walker and Brent Waddington)	1	2	0	1	7	-6	5
Goldfish (Sean Huizinga and Jake Carlucci)	0	3	0	0	6	-6	2

4th Reich 2, BUπ∫e^x=f(u)ⁿd 0 (1:0)
The Odd Couple 5, Goldfish 0 (3:0)
4th Reich 1, Goldfish 0 (0:0)
The Odd Couple 5, BUπ∫e^x=f(u)ⁿd 1 (2:0)
4th Reich 7, The Odd Couple 3 (3:0)
BUπ∫e^x=f(u)ⁿd defeats Goldfish by Forfeit

Semifinals:
Sweet Tea is for Fatties 3, The Odd Couple 2 (2:1)
4th Reich 2, Nagel Hill Posse 1 (2:0)

Final:
Sweet Tea is for Fatties 3, 4th Reich 1 (2:0)

It was a good weekend. Thanks to everyone for coming, to Gordon for bringing his homemade goals and some balls, and congratulations to Rachel, Sean, the Marauders, World's Greatest Hitball Team, and Sweet Tea is for Fatties. Hopefully there will be some more hitball going on before next year. Until then though, goodbye!

- Dan

That's right, July 5 & 6 are rapidly approaching, bringing with them the 17th WHC and 7th WDHC - this year to be held at the Huizinga residence. Also, July 4 will be the 10th anniversary hitball extravaganza, with a replay of the 1st WHC under the original rules on the original field.

As we approach, I'm eager to hear ideas/suggestions for ways to improve the tournament or the game, including rule changes, tournament structure, things to do during the tournament, etc. I have lots of tickets left, so we may run another 50/50 raffle.. that definitely helps offset some of the costs of everything. Also, my personal opinion is that the games should be called a little more tightly - there was only one red card the entirety of last year, which seems like too little to me. I certainly let some things go, but I'm hoping that this year it's called a little tighter.

Also, I'd like to make it so that we can be sure that all refs are of high quality - but I'm not sure how we can finagle that exactly. Anyway, share your ideas!

Hitball's fast approaching. Hooray!

- Dan

Much fuller results will follow, but to summaraize:

16th WHC:
Men's Tournament - Kris Brown defeated Brad Andrews in the final.
Women's Tournament - Rachel Crofut defeated Daron Blake in the final.

6th WDHC:
Men's Tournament - 2 Against Nature (George Flevares and Brad Andrews) defeated 4th Reich (Kris Brown and Andrew Long) in the final.
Women's Tournament - Purptos (Kelsie Engelhard and Daron Blake) defeated Marauders (Rachel Crofut and Erin Wolcott) in the final.
Mixed Tournament - M&T Funk (Marie Guido and Tim White) defeated X (Brad Andrews and Ashley London) in the final.

Overall, things went well and smoothly. Looking forward to next year,

- Dan

Less than 16 hours until the beginning of the 16th World Hitball Championship Tournament. It should be a good one.

Things are set up for the most part at Heather's house (excepting goals and balls), and things will be run very efficiently and, in my opinion, impressively. Group standings will be kept on boards, scoreboards will be there for all fields, and Aaron's suggestion of a 50/50 raffle will come to fruition. Plus, some excellent hitball is expected.

Many, many, many, many, many thanks to Heather, Brad, and Aaron for their tremendous help today in setting everything up - the tournament couldn't happen without you. The same goes to Heather's family for use of their lawn and house, and my family for putting people in beds and things here.

It's hitball time.

- Dan

Hitball is shortly upon us, in the style of the 16th World Hitball Championship and 6th World Doubles Hitball Championship. Both will be held at Heather's house in the village of Candor. Current weather forecasts say a possibility of scattered showers Saturday (I'm not too worried), with a high of 82, and partly cloudy on Sunday the 15th with a high of 76 - almost perfect hitball weather. Bring some sunscreen, though - shade is limited. And bring a friend, too.

On Saturday, people should arrive by 11:00, and gameplay will begin shortly thereafter. We will have some sort of method for signing up to play on fields, to keep things moving along. On Sunday, people should arrive by 10:30, and we'll again begin shortly thereafter. If, on either of these days, you will be attending but can't get there until after the start time, let me (Dan) know, and I'll do my best to work you in.

It's going to be a fun weekend, with up to 50 or so participants total. Also, if anyone has a video camera they would like to bring to help catch some of the action, that would be most appreciated.

If you haven't started training yet, now's a good time - the 16th WHC is just 5 days away.

- Dan

So Blake, Heather, and I watched Blades of Glory while I was in the Roch-cha-cha this week, and it got me thinking about two things:

1) Movies 10 is the best place in the entire world. 50 cents to see a movie? If there was a theater like that anywhere near me I would never go to a real movie theater again. Willseyville needs a place like that.

2) Sports movies are awesome.  It's really hard to make a bad sports movie. Either it's great (Rocky, Hoop Dreams, Bad News Bears, and of course, BASEketball),  hilariously-bad/absurd-and-therefore-entertaining (Rocky IV, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, Mighty Ducks 2, and the immortal Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch), or hilarious simply because it has both Sinbad and Kathy Ireland in it (Necessary Roughness).

So anyway, I was thinking hitball needs a movie. Like all sports movies, it needs a formulaic, predictable plot, a hero, and an over-the-top evil bad guy. Here's some ideas.

Sports Movie Staple: Athlete’s father and/or brother and/or friend and/or mentor and/or dog is/are killed on the order of some sort of organized crime lord/mafia don. The athlete for some reason decides to take part in and win some sort of underground tournament sponsored by the mafia held at their secret island/mountain/space fortress in order to gain revenge.
As Seen In: A high amount of martial arts movies.
Good Guy Possibility: There’s a 99.7% chance Joey will piss off some sort of organized crime syndicate someday, so he’d be a good fit here. Let’s just hope I’m not the friend who gets murdered as a result.
Bad Guy Possibility: There’s a 99.9% chance Joey will actually be in some sort of organized crime syndicate someday, so this is also possible. Plus, Joey would be the type of crime lord who would host an illegal hitball tournament.
Bonus: Hitball needs to be played in a secret fortress someday.
Possible Titles: Hitball Hellstorm; Revenge, Thy Name is Hitball

Sports Movie Staple:  “Based on a True Story” touching, family-friendly crowd-pleaser about a scrappy underdog who overcomes all odds to win the big game and defeat an asshole bad guy in the process.
As Seen In: Miracle, Cinderella Man, Seabiscuit, 60% of all sports movies…
Good Guy Possibility: Tim. Obvious choice. His rise from hitball doormat to World Hitball Champion is the closest thing we have to a touching story.
Bad Guy Possibility: We could embellish Thomas’s (and Collier’s and Aaron‘s) characters to make them much more evil than they were. Actually, we wouldn’t have to embellish that much.
Possible Titles: Tim: Rise to Glory; Tim: Rise to Puberty; Tim: He Used to Suck at Hitball and Eventually Won a World Title (That one is a bit clunky, I’ll admit.)

Sports Movie Staple: People who don’t really like each other join together for a common goal.
As Seen In: White Men Can’t Jump, Blades of Glory
Good Guy Possibility: The Blake siblings. Okay, maybe they like/tolerate each other. But in the movie we can pretend they are estranged or something. My idea for a plot is that they have to win the World Hitball Mixed Doubles Title and the fabulous cash prize that comes with it (this is a movie, remember) to pay for Old Man Blake’s hip operation.
Bad Guy Possibility: If this is a comedy, the current champs Jarrod and Kelly work very well. If this is a drama, me and Twirpy. We hate Old Man Blake. Really. (Not really.)
Possible Title: Quest for the Hip

Sports Movie Staple: Disgraced former champion hits rock bottom; decides to make a comeback, usually under the tutelage of an also-disgraced older former champion.
As Seen In: Rocky III
Good Guy Possibility: Aaron, or possibly Tim. I can see Aaron disgracing himself after he loses in the quarterfinals of the upcoming WHC. Old Man Blake would make a great grizzled tutor.
Bad Guy Possibility: Jarrod, or possibly me. Although Aaron beating me is awfully unrealistic, even for a movie.
Possible Title: Beats me. My creative juices are on empty.


I missed a few other sports movie cliches, most notably “Lovable Group of Losers Joins Together to Pull Shocking Upset,” but I’m tired of writing. Feel free to suggest your own ideas.

- Brad

Some WHC records for most goals scored in a game:

Men's Singles - Thomas Hanno - 17 (vs. Gordon Arsenoff (10), 15th WHC, first round)

Women's Singles - Rachel Crofut - 10 (vs. Heather Hynes (3), 14th WHC, quarterfinals)
                                    Rachel Crofut - 10 (vs. Erin Wolcott (3), 14th WHC, final)
                                    Allison Blake - 10 (vs. Sonia Luddy (1), 15th WHC, first round)

Men's Doubles -  The Mario Brothers (James Kazda and Jarrod Kazda) - 9 (vs. Coal Miners (Justin Siegard and Dan Bucher) (0), 5th WDHC, first round)

Mixed Doubles - Team Win (Beth Riggs and James Kazda) - 9 (vs. T&T (Tim White and Katrina Westerberg) (1), 5th WDHC, first round)

Women's Doubles - Erin Got Bit By a Snake (Daron Blake and Erin Wolcott) - 3 (vs. Are You Down with the G.O.D.? (Marie Guido and Jessica Schulman) (2), 4th WDHC, first round)
                                     Are You Down with the G.O.D.? (Marie Guido and Jessica Schulman) - 3 (vs. Hip Hop in Flip Flops (Ashley Westerberg and Heather Hynes) (1), 4th WDHC, semifinals)
                                     Erin Got Bit By a Snake (Daron Blake and Erin Wolcott) - 3 (vs. Are You Down with the G.O.D.? (Marie Guido and Jessica Schulman) (1), 4th WDHC, final)
                                     Semi-Blonde Ambition (Kaeti Stoss and Samantha Andrews) - 3 (vs. Catatonk Killers (Rachel Crofut and Erin Wolcott) (1), 5th WDHC, first round)
                                     Catatonk Killers (Rachel Crofut and Erin Wolcott) - 3 (vs. Brother Joe (Heather Hynes and Kelly Ballester) (0), 5th WDHC, first round)
                                     Peptos (Kelsie Engelhard and Daron Blake) - 3 (vs. Semi-Blonde Ambition (Kaeti Stoss and Samantha Andrews) (1), 5th WDHC, first round)     
                                    Peptos (Kelsie Engelhard and Daron Blake) - 3 (vs. Hey Zeus! (Marie Guido and Jamie Frank) (0), 5th WDHC, first round)

Also, though people have traditionally stayed at my (Dan's) house on hitball weekend when coming in from out of town, it may get crowded this year. That's not to say that you can't stay there, but if you can make alternate plans for lodging, it might be a better idea. Some ideas:

Within walking distance of the touranment: The Edge of Thyme

20-30 minutes away:
Owego- The Owego Treadway Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Glenmary Inn, Hampton Inn

Ithaca - Holiday Inn, Best Western, La Tourelle, Super 8, Statler Hotel

Those are some options. But there will still be lots of people at my house - that's okay. Fortunately, I have nice parents.

Just over 3 weeks away.

- Dan

At long, long, long, long, long last - results from the 15th WHC and 5th WDHC!

Here are some thoughts (or something resembling them): 

1.  Scoreboards are awesome.  They make life easier when players are not constantly harassing the ref for the score.  This worked pretty well during the 10th Tournament from what I remember.  I don't know if that scoreboard still exists or not, but we would need two more anyway if anyone out there is particularly crafty with wood and nails and such. 

2.  For those not aware, hitball will be held at Heather's house this year.  Really nice lawn, same quality as last year.  Should be good stuff. 

3.  This is just an idea, but how about a 50/50 drawing, winner takes half and we use the other half to get something nice for our hosts who are letting us tear up their back yard? 

Ok, that's my thoughts on a Monday morning.  You should be proud I had any at all. 

~Aaron

First of all, to improve on the quality of refereeing, the scorekeeper has been replaced by the assistant ref, who will position themselves thusly:

Hopefully this will cut down on the number of infractions of carrying the ball over the line, as well as provide better angles for when the ball is out of bounds or in the goal. Also, the Assistant referee, in addition to keeping the score, will note which player on a doubles team scores a goal (or own goal), and if it is assisted. That way, there are fun stats to analyze.

As far as the WHC and WDHC go, I heard a lot from last year that people were playing too many games. As such, it will be my objective this year to have groups no larger than 4. Ideally, all tournaments would have participants that numbered multiples of 4 (8, 12, 16, 20, 24, etc.). In such a case, people and/or teams would be drawn into groups of four, and from there proceed to the single elimination brackets. 4 is a good number for groups because each participant plays 3 games - enough to make it worthwhile and separate the good from the less-than-good, but not so many that people get exhausted. However, if there are weird numbers of people, we may have to include some groups of 3. So I'm wondering, if that happens, what would people prefer?

- Groups of 3 (and/or 4), with high-placing players/teams moving straight to a larger  elimination bracket?

- Groups of 3 (and/or 4), with high-placing players/teams progressing to further groups of 3/4, and then a smaller elimination bracket?

- Some other solution?

Feel free to share your thoughts. Only 33 days until we start - it should be fun.

- Dan

I've been keeping track of this for a while, but here it is again, and this will be updated with each new addition: every person who has played at least one game of hitball.

141 players, and I haven't even met them all. That's good news for the future.

- Dan

Hello, hitball fan. This will be an online forum where some of the top thinkers of hitball will share their memories, theories, predictions, and other hitball-related rants and raves. Hopefully, it's pretty cool.

And with this post comes the announcement that the 16th World Hitball Championships and 6th World Doubles Championships will be held July 14 and 15 at Heather's house in Candor. A good, flat, grassy yard right in the middle of town. The only concern might be a lack of shade - so be prepared. Games will start at approximately noon on each day. More details are sure to follow - stay tuned.

- Dan