Midweek Rundown

• Top-seeded MVP to finish out season against Stoners
• GM group chat gossip
• Fan favorite appointed as GM’s special advisor
• Farm Field…gone?

The Rolling Stoners are getting better at softball, much better. However, even if by some divine intervention, they do win, it does not matter much for either side. Maybe a little. Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, the Stoners will be the 7-seed, avoiding MVP entirely in the first round, meaning the defending champs will, or at the very least, are scheduled to play a group of youngsters still yet to hit their growth spurts. The Cream Team have developed a bit of a rep in their inaugural and likely last season with the DSSL as unpunctual. MVP experienced this firsthand after waiting 45 minutes with little reasoning as to why that was by the Cream Team camp.

This situation is not exclusive to MVP as numerous teams have encountered a similar predicament. The most recent being the rainout Sunday in which the Boys GM was contacted on the Tuesday prior that the Cream Team would not be coming on Sunday and forfeiting the game as a result. Fast-forwarding two weeks later, following the win over the Boys, MVP and all DSSL GMs were contacted by Commissioner, Scott Schmidt, regarding their season records. How this is not something that is tracked and updated on a continual basis is beyond this blogger and will be addressed in winter meetings.

At this point in the season all teams should have at least 8 games played, MVP, however, has a 9th game as do the Stoners. The Boys and Cream were scheduled to play week 1, but could not for whatever reason and elected to use the weekend of the 4th to make up the game. My best guess? The Cream Team had to study for regents exams. Regardless, even though the rest of the league didn’t play in week 8, the Boys and Cream Team honored the forfeit as a game played.

The question then becomes does a forfeit supersede a subsequent rainout? Scott Schmidt decided that it does, giving both the Cream Team and Boys a 9th game through 9 weeks. This did not go over well for a few of the more established teams in the league and when Baga GM, formerly known as King James, was adamant against the game counting, he invited other GMs to chime in. The Bullworms agreed as well and my sneaky suspicion would be had the Commissioner not honored the forfeit which puts the Boys at 6-3, the Boys’ record would revert back to 5-3 alongside the Goblins, Bagas, and the Bullworms.

Interesting.

After thinking long and hard about where MVP were to stand on this, the GM decided this required a fresh perspective. As a result of this situation and some ongoing background noise about a new GM, the current GM decided he’d like to appoint a special advisor on deliberation for such sensitive matters. As a result, effective as of last night, Weslie James has assumed the role of Special Advisor to the GM. She will be paid in candy; let’s hope Ryan gets good dental.

When discussing this situation with Wes and acknowledging MVP had a similar situation earlier this year, not that she would know, Ryan doesn’t come and she’s 4, the duo of Alex and Wes came to this conclusion: MVP would accept the forfeit as a valid game because regardless of the weather, the Boys were never going to get to play on Sunday and that’s really what the league is about. The Cream Team could’ve done what they did to MVP and provide no communication and bank on a rainout, but they did the right thing instead and look where it got them.

Now, we here at MVP do acknowledge it’s easy for the GM to sit upon his Ivory Tower on Madison Ave knowing that regardless of the Commissioner’s ruling, MVP’s status is set in stone. This was merely a principle that, if you join the league, you play and that was not going to be the case for the Boys in week 8.

With tensions a bit high, the Baga GM elected last night as the time to address a couple additional qualms with the league such as “should the 4th of July games count to seeding?” and “the track field is a death trap; let’s use an alternate field.” Both great points and Sunday could be the league’s first opportunity in years to test drive a new field as the MVP/Stoners game has little impact on the rest of the league. The GM encourages all who have read this far, even you Muscles; I’m proud you got here without any help from your children, to vote.

Please cast your ballot for the following:

1. Play on Track Field as scheduled
2. Discuss with Stoners about moving game to: the former girls varsity field at the HS or the field opposite the tennis courts (if yes, which field)
3. Are you playing Michael?

Congratulations to Weslie James on her first job as a human being.