After a near full season hiatus, players from both the Verdasys (Digital Guardian) and Mass Medical softball teams came together to play ball … sort of.

Organized by MMS team captain Raju Datla, players from the two clubs met to play in a pick-up / practice softball game this afternoon. The game was held at a field across the street from the MMS office building.

Curiously enough, the field used was once an active softball field. We think the field was last used in the late 1990's, and was once owned by Polaroid, nicknaming it unofficially "Polaroid Park". Though the grass has been kept by MMS, there is much overgrowth along the edges. Also, there are trees growing on the field itself, with one growing where home plate would be, along with a pair of trees in left field. (Nicked-named "the green monster.")

After tonight's game, the two clubs agreed to try and make this event a weekly occurrence, likely until the end of summer.

At a press conference held at the Black Hat USA conference in Las Vegas, NV, Verdasys, Inc. announced that the company has officially changed its name. Its new name will be "Digital Guardian," and will reflect the company's renewed focus on promoting its flagship product of the same name.

After the conference, a question on many people's minds was, will the Verdasys Softball team follow suite?

"It depends," commented team skipper Andrew Wolan. "If we were to play in a league sometime in the future, then yes I can see the team rebranding itself as 'Digital Guardian Softball'. The 2008-2013 years would be known historically as the 'Verdasys Softball' era, allowing the renamed team to capitalize on its past legacy.

"Of course if the team never reconvenes, then it would make no sense to rebrand it. We would just leave everything as is."

Either way, this website will mention the new company name to help prevent a disconnect between the old and new company names.

Despite disbanding after the end of the 2013 season, the Verdasys Softball team continues to make headlines ... this time at the national level.

Last week, Rachel Bachman of the Wall Street Journal contacted Andy Wolan for an upcoming article on the decline of company softball teams. She came across the Verdasys Softball team website while doing research for the story, and wanted to both get the team's perspective on the subject matter, and discuss the fate of the team.

"The website was a perfect fit for her article," commented Andy Wolan. "It chronicles what we did over the past 6 seasons in heavy detail, and even talks about how the league shrank from a league with 16 teams and a waiting list, to 10 teams, and then finally to it being shut-down."

During the 40 minute phone interview, Wolan discussed the team, the website and the league in detail, while sharing amusing antidotes about the club. Ms. Backman later spoke with Verdasys VP of Marketing Connie Stack, and even the WRCS League commissioner herself.

After a week of follow-up questions and editing, the article was released on July 2. Entitled "The Decline of the Company Softball Team", the article appeared both online and in print. But its appearance in print was particularly interesting.

The article appeared on the front page of the "Personal Journal" section (Section D) and continues on the next page. It was also advertised on the very top of the front page of the paper. (See left.) "The article took precedence over the World Cup," commented team fan "Rob DiB".

As for the article itself, it cites several reason for the decline in company softball teams, such as longer work hours, risk of injury and liability, being overly competitive, and just losing out to other more social-friendly sports. Overall, adult-team registrations are down 56% over the past 20 years, according to the ASA.

Five of the article’s 26 paragraphs were devoted towards the Verdasys team, the company, the website, or the league itself. The team website was noted as being "stuffed with statistical minutiae" and "a recruiting tool for the expanding company". A-WOL was also quoted as calling softball "that little silly thing you talk about on the side (at the office)."

Though the WSJ was given permission to use the team photos, with 5 being selected as candidates for use in the article, none of them survived the final cut by the photo editors. "I truly felt we had a good shot at getting at least one photo published with the article, at least online. But, it didn't happen," commented A-WOL.

The online edition of the article is the same as the print, except it includes a link to the team website. Also included is a video version of the story and a radio interview with Ms. Bachman herself discussing the article. You can access the article online on WSJ.com using the link below. Please note that the article is behind a pay wall.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-decline-of-the-company-softball-team-1404256076

NOTE: due to distribution restrictions by the WSJ, we cannot provide a free readable copy of the article.

Rumors of the league's demise have been circulating for some time, but today that rumor has now become fact.

In a letter addressed to league's teams, the commissioner announced that the town would not coordinate a league for 2014, effectively disbanding the WRCS. Though the letter stated that there were "numerous" reasons for its closure, the lack of "maintenance personnel to properly care for the field", combined with players "looking for greater competition and stricter rule adherence" were the reasons cited.

"I'm surprised that they didn't just ask players to help manage the league and to help maintain the fields," commented team co-captain A-WOL. "But I've suggested that idea once before and it got no traction. I believe the league is closing because the town just doesn't want to deal with it anymore, which I understand."

Anticipating the ax to fall was team co-captain Russ Rick, who was busy during the off-season forming his own league. Russ has invited players from the disenfranchised teams to participate in this league next summer. Since Russ' league will play in Marlborough, MA, which is a good drive away from Waltham, Russ has also started a discussion among some of the teams to form a new league in the greater Waltham area. However, as of this writing nothing formal has been established.

A copy of the commissioner's letter can be found below:

Dear Coaches,

I think that many of you have surmised that the end of Coed Softball was eminent, but I wanted to make an official announcement that we have decided not to continue to coordinate a Coed Softball League next summer.
 
The reasons are numerous.  A few of the most important are that changes in the setup of the Recreation Department mean that we no longer have access to maintenance personnel to properly care for the field.  A large increase in the number of youth programs we offer for Waltham boys and girls during the summer months keeps our staff very busy.  Players these days seem to be looking for greater competition and stricter rule adherence. 
 
The league ran for 25 years, and we feel that it has seen its time.  I hope this gives you ample time to look for other options if your team wants to continue to play.
 
Cordially,
The Commissioner

Inspired by the stories on the Verdasys Softball team website, Harvard Professor Dr. Bhatia has teamed-up with Dr. Chura of the University of Akron to compose a fun essay about baseball and geometry. Using the St. Louis' iconic arch as a model, the duo argues how baseball is a game not of straight lines and right angles, but rather of curved, parabolic lines.

Their essay is entitled "Parabola Power: Field Geometry Helps the Cardinals Win," and has been published on "The Cardinal Nation Blog."

http://thecardinalnationblog.com/2013/10/10/parabola-power-field-geometry-helps-the-cardinals-win/

Come 2014, there will be some big changes to the Verdasys Softball team.

Media Team and Writing Staff to Disband
Andrew Wolan, head of VerdasysSoftball.com, has announced that the 2013 season would be his team’s final year of media coverage. For the past 10 years, Wolan has provided coverage of amateur sporting events from around the North East, with the past 6 years focusing on the Verdasys Softball team. His coverage has produced game summaries, articles, stats, photos, and in recent years video. Many have praised his work as comprising the best team website out on the Internet.

But his commitment to the site has come at a heavy cost. Lost personal time, long weekends, and late nights after game day have become the norm during the season. Though overwhelming, Wolan found it entertaining and enjoyable work in seasons past. But after doing this for 10 years, Wolan feels it’s time to move on and try other things.

Impacted by the decision are the Media Team, (Wolan and Lesson), and the Writing Staff (Wolan and Ms. S.B.) Not impacted by the decision is the team statistics department. Word has it that Wolan will continue to operate this division because he “has a system that makes this easy for [him] to process.”

As for the team website, it will remain up for future generations to enjoy. And if a 2014 edition is created, expect it to be absent of the photos, videos, articles, news headlines and game notes we have grown to love. The only element expected to return, if at all, is the batting statistics.

Player Departures
For varying reason, several players have announced that 2013 will likely be their last season with the team.

-	Former collegiate athlete Jon Anderson has announced that he is retiring from softball. The starting outfielder said he was disgusted at both how the season ended and at how the league conducted itself overall, and wanted to step away from the game. Jon helped solidify the LF position for Verdasys, and was part of the “Basham Brothers” at the plate, hitting 5 HR, driving in 16 runs and scoring 18 runs of his own. He is expected to participate in a “mud run” this fall, and is said to be ogling the photos taken of him during the 2013 season.
-	Kevin McCauley, the team’s starting 3B, has stated that he may retire from the game. The 66-year-old led the team with a .960 battering average (24 for 25) and started at 3B for Verdasys for the past 2 seasons. With his successes, Kevin said he feels there is nothing left for him to prove and wanted to go out on top. He adds that his participation in other sports such as hiking and long distance biking have recently taken a higher priority in his life. However, he said he will wait until next year to decide on whether he would return or retire.
-	Tom Cottam is not expected to return in 2014 after signing with the Florida Alligators softball team. Negotiations between Tom and the team were held in secret during the season, and were finalized after the season had ended. Tom played outfield in his two seasons with Verdasys, and is one of two players to hit an over-the-fence HR in club history.
-	Finally, and perhaps shockingly, Andrew Wolan (A-WOL) has announced that he will be retiring from the game. Not only will he be giving up management and coaching responsibilities for Verdasys Softball, but he will also be stepping away from playing in the game as well. When asked why: “Ms. S.B. and I spoke, and she feels that the game is giving me too much heartache. And she’s right. The game has run its course through my life, and it is time for me to move on.” Andy is expected to continue training and practicing, but more for the exercise than to prepare for a game. Rumor has it that he may play a game or two during the year, but his time as a starter is over.

New League Forming
Unhappy with how the WRCS League is being run, Verdasys team co-captain Russ Rick has decided to start his own league. This new league will play at Marlborough High School, which is about “20 minutes from Waltham.” Russ intends to not only play on a team in this league but will also act as the league commissioner. He is said to be recruiting players from not only Verdasys, but from other WRCS League teams as well. It has yet to be determined if any other Verdasys players will move to this new league, stay with WRCS, or split time between the two leagues.

Mass Medical Merger
Not everyone in the Verdasys Softball team is unhappy with the league or is planning to retire. In fact, some are fine with the status quo. To ensure players impacted by these recent changes will still be able to play in 2014, the Verdasys Softball team has announced that they will be merging with their arch-rival team “Mass Medical Society” for the 2014 season.

Through the deal, the remnants of the Verdasys/Impole Softball team will merge with the MMS team. The number of players expected to cross over will be between 5-8 players. The additional players will help stabilize an MMS roster that has fluctuated in size over the past few seasons.

Details such as sponsorship and team name have yet to be determined. However, existing MMS Team Captain Raju Datla is expected to take over the merged team.

Though A-WOL has stated that he is retiring, Raju has offered to allow A-WOL to manage the Verdasys end of the team, and to participate in the team as well, stating “your team is incomplete without you.” Whether or not A-WOL will play is yet to be determined, but it is unlikely A-WOL will accept any managerial or starting roster roles.

A historically significant bat from Verdasys past is missing, and a player from GSN is the culprit.

In the season opener against GSN, coach A-WOL hit a game-winning 2-run ITP HR to complete the team's incredible come-from-behind win. As you can imagine, the game ball and bat used at that game have a historical significance to the team. Though the game ball was secured after the game, the bat was never located.

So what happened? After A-WOL made the game-winning hit, the bat in question was placed leaning upright against the home-plate fence near Verdasys' dugout. A-WOL confirmed the bat being there prior to the two teams venturing out onto the field for a post-game handshake. After A-WOL returned to the bench and spoke to his team, he went to collect his belonging. At that time, he noticed his bat was missing.

After confirming that no one on his team had the bat, A-WOL tried to flag down players from GSN to see if anyone had the bat, but he was unsuccessful as many players had left. (Their dugout was closer to the parking lot.)

Heather, who was sitting on the home-plate end of the bench, reported observing a male player from GSN taking that bat. She did not say anything to the player because she assumed the player knew what he was doing and that the bat belonged to that person.

In an attempt to reclaim the bat, the team tried reaching out to the GSN upper brass on seven occasions (6/27; 7/10; 7/18; 7/22; 7/27; 8/02; and 8/26). Other than a response to the initial email agreeing to check with the team, no further responses were received.

It should not be hard for a team to recognize an extra bat in their inventory. After all, it is a big piece of aluminum. If not, the photos Verdasys provided should have helped identify it. Someone on GSN has the bat and is too ashamed to admit they have it. Or, they are such a HUGE fan of A-WOL that they want to keep the bat as a personal memento.

"If they wanted the bat that much, they should have told me," said A-WOL. "Not only would I have given them the bat, but I would have also autographed the bat and provided a notarized certificate of authenticity. Without any of that supporting material, the bat loses its value as a collectible."

Teams Stats (Verdasys / Opponent)
Record:	7-2 (0-1 postseason)
Forfeits:	0 / 1
Team batting avg:	0.561
Runs per at-bat:	0.380 (2.63)
Runs scored:	136 / 123
Double plays:	4 / 3
Triple plays:	0 / 0
Outs at home plate:	5 / 2
Outfield Assists:	6 / 1*
1-2-3 innings:	2 / 9

* Opponent stat not well kept

Batting Statistics Leaders (Men - Women)
Most Games Attended:	A-WOL / Jon A. / McCauley / Melissa N. / Russell R. / Steph M. / Tim N. (9)
Most Hits:	McCauley (24), Jon A. (29), Raschi (18)	Steph M. (10), Melissa N. (6)
Most Runs:	Jon A. (18), McCauley (16), Raschi/Claffey (15)	Steph M. (9), Lucy P. (4)
Most RBIs:	Raschi (27), McCauley (18), Jon A. (16)	Lucy P. (4), Lesson (3)
Most SACs:	McCauley / Jon A. / Kelley / A-WOL / Tim N. / Gowtham / Russell R. (1)
Most Doubles:	Raschi / McCauley (8), Claffey (5)	Lucy P. (1)
Most Triples:	Claffey (6), McCauley / Jon A. (4), Cottam (3)	Lucy P. (1)
HR Club:	Raschi (8), Jon A. (5), Claffey / Spears (3), McCauley / Cottam (2), Gowtham / A-WOL (1)
OTF HR Club:	Raschi (4), Cottam (2)
Season-long hit streak:	Jon A./ McCauley (9 GA), Claffey/Spears (7 GA) (7 Game min)

Milestones (Individual):

-	A-WOL hit the team's first game winning hit, which was a walk-off ITP HR. (Game 1.)
-	Claffey hit 6 triples this season, including 3 triples in a single game. Both are new club records.
-	Jon Anderson scored 18 runs this season, which is a new club record.
-	Lucy P. became the second female player in club history to hit a triple. (Colby 2010-Game 7.)
-	McCauley collected 24 base-hits on the season, which ties the club record. (O'Connor 2008.) Ended season going 24-25; a franchise best.
-	Raschi collected 27 RBIs, hit 8 doubles, and hit 8 HRs on the season, which are all new club records. Raschi also set single game club records for HRs hit (3) and RBIs (8).
-	Jay Raschi and Tom Cottom became the first players in club history to hit over-the-fence HRs. Team had a streak of 5 games in which at least 1 OTF HR was hit. Anderson, Claffey and Raschi become the first players in club history to hit 2+ HRs in a game.
-	Stephanie Mulligan ends the season with 10 hits and 9 run scored. Both are new franchise records for a female player.
-	Wiley Spears hit the first grand slam in Verdasys club history. (Game 1.)

Milestones (Team):

-	Team’s defense allowed a franchise low of 1 run in Game 7.
-	Team hit 40 doubles (2B), 22 triples (3B), and 25 HR this season. All amounts are seasonal records for the franchise.
-	In Game 5p, team made 34 hits, including 8 HRs. HR amount is a new single game club record, while hit amount is the club's second highest. (In 2008-Game 6, team collected 39 hits against MMS.)
-	In Game 8, team made three plays at the plate. Single game franchise record.
-	Team handled Tufts their only loss of the season. (Game 6)
-	Team earned best seasonal record in club history. (7-2) Had longest win streak in franchise history of 5 games. Team played and won 2 games in the same week, which is a team first. Team played in its first-ever game in the championship bracket of the playoffs.

Media & Writing Staff Stats:
Number of photos taken: 892
Storage space required for captured videos: 57.4 GB
Number of different cameras used: 8
Number of words written for website: 21,830
Game notes/summary articles written: 11 (143 total since 2004, 70 with Verdasys)

Miscellaneous Stats:
Wall-clouds observed: 1
Rainbows observed: 2
Unique rabbits observed: Ask Rick
Unique ground hogs observed: 2
# of HR balls recovered: 5
# times Russ was distracted by a dog on opposing team: 27
Injuries that required a trip to the hospital (either team): 4 (Yikes! I thought this sport was safe?)
Age difference between oldest and youngest player: 46 (McCauley 66, Spears 20)

Perhaps the team was a bit too pumped-up by coaching staff. Perhaps the game was a bit too hyped by the media. Or, perhaps the team was a bit too nervous and on edge. Whatever the reason, the Verdasys softball team imploded in their semi-final game against Tufts, losing 22-6.

The defining moment of the game occurred during the defensive half of the 1st inning. After throwing a ball to 3B to try and get an advancing baser runner, Lucy mistakenly walks in front of Jay, who is covering 2B. With the batter-runner advancing to 2B, Kevin, who is covering 3B, fires the ball to 2B. With Lucy unexpectedly in the way, she is struck in the right bicep. After the play, Jay tells Lucy to pay attention next time so she does not get hurt. But for whatever reason this harmless exchange becomes a heated exchange.

After arguing for a few minutes, the two players are brought under control by the Verdasys team captains. But after the inning is over, the two continue their heated exchange, which ends with Lucy leaving the game.

“Russ and I were afraid that Lucy might one day rub Jay the wrong way and create an argument,” said team co-captain A-WOL. “But we never thought it would lead to something like this. Perhaps it’s our mistake for not being more proactive?”

After the incident, the team continued playing the game, but not with the same passion and mojo that they had at the start of the game. Many say the argument sucked the energy out of the team, which would explain why the team was only able to score 3 runs in the remaining 6 innings of play.

In the end, the Verdasys Softball team fell to Tufts 22-6. With the loss, the Verdasys Softball team’s playoff run comes to an end as Tufts advances to the finals. This also marks the end of the 2013 season for the team as well. But despite a disappointing ending, coach A-WOL is proud of the team’s accomplishments this season.

“During the off-season, Russ, Kevin and I made it a goal to play in the postseason, and we did. Not only that, we flipped our 2-6-1 record from last season and made it into a 7-2 record. We went against established marquee teams in the league and had great success. In fact, a lot of people back at Verdasys HQ are amazed at what we accomplished this season.”

Playoff Wrap-ups (Updated Aug 29, 2013)
In other playoff news, Decision Resources advanced to the finals after beating the long-ball hitting B&V team in their semi-final game. In the finals, Tufts beat Decision Resources 14-9 to take the 2013 Waltham Recreation Co-Ed Softball League title. Tufts ends the season with a 9-1-1 record, with their only loss coming against the team they nicknamed last year as the “Unfortunate Verdasys Softball Team”.

Coach A-WOL and A-WOOF president “Ms. S.B.” got a chance to play in front of a unique audience once again this afternoon, as the duo participated in a softball game over at Soldiers Field in Harvard. This was the third appearance at the collegiate level for either player. (Their previous two appearances were at Harvard in 2012 and 2011.)

On defense, A-WOL started in left field. For the day, A-WOL dropped two fly-balls, retrieved two balls hit into the outfield, and had an outfield assist at 2B. Batting wise, A-WOL was 1 for 5 (2B, FC), with 2 runs. Ms. S.B. was 1 for 3 (2-K), scoring after collecting a hit in her last at-bat.

The most memorable play came at the end of the game. After a player hit a game winner homerun over the CF fence, A-WOL hopped the fence to retrieve the ball. Little did he know, the ground behind the fence was lower than that in front of the fence. A-WOL landed on the gravel behind the fence, and on his side. A-WOL was uninjured, saying “my fall was broken by the gravel, which was rather soft if that means anything.”

As for the game itself, our players were traded to the Ivy/Oak team, which lost to the Elm/Crimson team by a run in the final inning of play.

Game 9:
The Verdasys Softball team failed to bring their A-game as they dropped their season finale to a somewhat chatty Bay Financial team, 13-14.

Despite not having several regular starters, the Verdasys team got off to a great start, rallying for 6 runs in the first inning, and 3 more by the end of the 3rd inning. The team’s defense kept pace, and limited B.F. to just 3 runs after 4 innings for a 9-3 lead. Jon and Cooles helped retain the lead with multiple plays in LF and SS, respectively.

But for whatever reason, the Verdasys defense collapsed in the 5th. After A-WOL missed a routine fly-out to end the 5th, B.F. rallied for 5 runs in the 5th and again for 6 runs in the 6th to take a 14-9 lead. The Verdasys offense did not help matters, as the B.F. defense kept Verdasys off the boards in the 4th, 5th and 6th innings by retiring 12 Verdasys batters in a row. The Verdasys offense finally would regroup and rally in the 7th, but fell short to fall 13-14.

With the loss, the team snaps a franchise best 5-game winning streak, but ends the season 7-2, which is the best seasonal record in club history.

Chatty Team:
Oddly enough, the main headline out of today’s game was not the action out on the field, but rather the dialog. Apparently, some players on the B.F. bench were in serious discontent with their losing season, and took their frustrations out on Verdasys with questionable comments and dialog during the game.

“Whatever” said team co-captain Russell Rick. “They are having a bad season, and are taking it out on us. Does it make it right? No. But whatever, we’re in the playoff, and they aren’t, so who cares what they think? If they want a reason to complain, try having 5 losing seasons in a row first, and then get back to us. ”

“I wished they said those things in front of one of our video cameras,” commented co-captain A-WOL. “If they had, it would have been AWESOME! I could have used the footage for a WWF-like smack talk segment for the website. Then I could have worn face-paint like the Ultimate Warrior and done a rebuttal. What a waste.”

Playoffs:
The team now sets their sights on the playoffs, with their semifinal game coming up against Tufts on Tuesday, Aug 27th. As you can imagine, the team is pumped to be playing not only in the club’s first-ever appearance in the championship round of the playoffs, but also against 2012 League Champ Tufts. “It’s time to kick this into over drive,” commented starting LF Jon Anderson, who is leading the rallying call in the clubhouse.

You can catch the action live on WSBK / MyTV38 at 5:45pm on game day.

Per league regulation, the Verdasys Softball organization has released the following injury and roster report for the 2013 season, as it stands after Game 8.

Injury Updates:
Russ Rick has been limited to managerial duties after injuring himself in a wrestling match against a snow-mobile, and losing. The injury was a setback to his hopes of returning to the field in full strength for 2013. Russ is hoping to have healed enough by the final week of the 2013 season so that he can participate in the team's season finale.

Lesson (right) will be out for the remainder of the season after injuring her right ankle. She fractured her ankle and tore a ligament after stepping on a stray softball while chasing down a pop-up. The injury occurred during Game 7 warm-ups. She did attend Game 8 to help cheer on the team, and appears to be in good spirits.

Lesson was injured earlier this season after a foul tip hit her in the month, dislodging a previously fractured tooth. She also was apparently struck in the head by the batter’s bat as the player reacted to the incident, leading to a concussion. She has since recovered from those injuries.

Dave Godwin was back on his feet for Game 8 after pulling a leg muscle in Game 6. Dave was out for 2 weeks to recover from the injury. The team will play him cautiously so the injury does not recur.

Kevin, the team's starting 3B, either pulled a muscle or irritated the sciatic nerve during Game 4 or 5 of the season. As a result, he has had trouble bending down to field grounders, has lost velocity in his throws, and lost a step in his reaction time. Despite the physical hindrance, and a knock at his confidence, he has not lost his nerve to play the hot corner, and will remain at 3B.

In what is most likely the most secretive of issues, Kelley has been fighting a season-long bout with pneumonia. Though it has taken him out a game or two this season, he has succeeded in not allowing the illness to ruin his summer. Bill expects to play out the remainder of the season.

A-WOL is expected to make the next game after bruising his right shin in Game 8. Apparently, he ran into the bench while trying to collect his equipment for an upcoming at-bat. (Don't ask.)

A-WOL has also been fighting a pulled glut muscle in the left leg. The injury occurred while throwing a ball to 1B in Game 1; the injury later formed into a knot. Though the injury has not kept A-WOL off the field, it has made it uncomfortable for him to run, and might have reduced his top running speed this season.

Contractions:
Marc Meunier chose not to re-sign with the team after becoming a media celebrity of sorts during the 2012 season. Apparently, his time with the Verdasys Softball created a fan base that bombarded him with fan mail and appearance requests. He said being in the media spotlight was too much to handle and wanted to bow out.

Choosing not to exercise their 2013 option were the Gillespie Siblings. No official explanation was given, but rumor has it that they signed with a secret underground softball league known only as "Softball Club".

The team was unable to re-sign Mark Vitello during the off-season. Calls to his agent were not returned. Likewise, the team was unable to re-sign Calderon for similar reasons. Some suspect that both signed with the aforementioned "Softball Club".

The duo of Matt and Leah announced after the 2012 season that they would not return in 2013. Apparently, they were moving to a location that made commuting to the field too difficult.

Elliott Eno (right), a star outfielder for the team in seasons past, signed a deal with Florida Flounders softball club during the off-season. Elliott expressed interest in playing on both the Verdasys and Florida teams during the 2013 season. (Much like A-WOL did back in 2010.) However, his schedule made such an arrangement impractical.

Roster Additions:
The Verdasys Softball team had a productive off-season, adding numerous players to the roster.

On the men's side, the team acquired sluggers Anderson, Claffey and Raschi . Those players have not only given the team a huge boost in hitting power but in fielding experience as well. In addition, the acquisitions of Godwin, Foresto, Priore, and Spears have filled the voids left by departing players.

On the women’s side of the roster, the additions of Vickie, Lucy P, Genovese, Anderson, and rookie Stephanie Mulligan have not only strengthened the roster, but have given the team some breathing room in case a female player gets hurt or is unable to play. (A need that has arisen a few times already.)

Despite B&V hitting 5 OTF HRs in the game, it was not enough as the Verdasys Softball team edged past the long-ball hitting B&V offense 15-13.

The Verdasys offense got the game off to a great start, knocking in a franchise high 9 runs in the 1st inning. The B&V offense would chip into the lead throughout the game, knocking out 5 OTF HR in the contest. As for the B&V defense, they tightened up, and limited Verdasys to just 6 runs for the remainder of the game.

But the difference maker in the game was the Verdasys defense, who not only looked sharp in the outfield, but also made three plays at the plate to help keep Verdasys on top. The most impressive was a hard throw by Raschi at short to Spears at the home to narrowly tag out a runner at the plate.

“He almost took out my arm with that throw; I’ll be feeling that one tomorrow,” commented Spears. As for the trifecta of plays at the plate, Spears said “there was a lot of action going on between third and home. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

With the win, Verdasys improves their record to 7-1 on the season. To put this record into historical perspective, the team has won as many games in 2013 as they have won in all of their past seasons combined.

Though the league standings have not been released, the win inches the team closer to having home field advantage in the playoffs. The win also puts the team in a strong position to claim the 2013 pennant going into the final week of the regular season.

In other team news, the team’s Over-The-Fence HR streak is stretched to 5 games after Cottam hit a solo shot over the LCF fence in the 4th. Not to be outdone, a B&V outfielder made a leaping attempt at the ball and landed in the saplings behind the fence. He was not able to hang onto the ball, but it was impressive to see the attempt nevertheless.

In each of their past three meetings, the Verdasys Softball team had given up a franchise-high number of runs to Up To Date. But in today’s game, the team allowed a franchise low of just one run to defeat UTD 17-1.

The Verdasys outfielders stepped up their game as they faced a UTD team known for spreading the ball around the outfield. Claffey, Cottam Anderson, Kelly and Foresto went on the attack for Verdasys to tame the unusually wild UTD offense.

Not to be outdone, the UTD defense strut their stuff as well and held Verdasys to a 4-0 score after 3 innings. But thanks to a solid team effort, the Verdasys offense eventually broke free of UTD’s defensive grip, scoring 8 runs in the 4th inning, and 5 runs in the 5th inning, to secure the victory.

With the win, the Verdasys team improves to 6-1 for the season, and has mathematically secured a spot in the playoffs. This will be the team’s first ever appearance in the “championship” bracket.

In other team news, the team’s Over-The-Fence HR streak is stretched to 4 games after Cottam hit a solo shot over the LCF fence in the 3rd. The OTF HR is his first with Verdasys, and he becomes the second player in franchise history to hit an OTF HR.

And finally, Heather will be out for the remainder of the season after injuring her ankle during practice. While chasing an infield pop-fly, she stepped on a stray softball, fracturing her ankle and tearing at least one ligament. The Verdasys Softball team sends their best well wishes and hope for a speedy recovery.

After dodging a passing shower, the Verdasys Softball team cruised past by Milestones with a convincing 25-8 win. The offense collected a whopping 8 HRs in the game, hit by Gowtham, Anderson, Baschi, McCauley, and Claffey. Baschi led the pack with 3 HRs, including a 3-run shot over the right field fence. It was also his third consecutive game with an OTF HR.

The team’s defense stepped and matched the offense’s performance thanks to solid outings by Anderson, Claffey, and Kelly in the outfield, along with strong infield performance by McCauley, Baschi and Spears. In all, the defense gave up 0 or 1 runs per inning over 5 innings of play.

“Our defense is starting to come together nicely,” said starting 3B Kevin McCauley after the game. “We’re communicating on the field and making the plays.”

With the win, the team improved to 5-1 and secures a winning record for the season, which will be a club first. But the team does not intend to stop there. With this win, the team is now in the hunt for a playoff berth, which would be the first ever non-consolation tournament berth for the team.

During Game 6 against Tufts, a localized storm approached the area, and formed what appeared to be a funnel cloud near the field. The cloud formations that the storm produced were beautiful, awe-inspiring, and eerie. Requests have been made to share our accounts of what happened that afternoon, and to share whatever photos and videos were captured.

To keep things simple, the website team has decided to extend our normal coverage of Game 6 by adding a special “Memorable Weather” section to our Game 6 Notes, along with an extended Game Media section for the game. There you will find photos and links to video captured that afternoon, along with a description of what happened weather-wise.

NOTE: new content is being added as time permits.

The magic carpet ride continues for the Verdasys Softball team, as they defeat the 2012 league champions Tufts 12-9. The team’s defense put on a dazzling performance, and held Tufts to 3 scoreless innings. The outing was capped by a nice running catch by Gowtham in RF in the 5th.

“I didn’t see Gowtham’s catch,” said team co-captain A-WOL. “I was busy with the scorebook at the time. Could someone describe to me what happened?”

The difference maker in the game occurred in the 3rd inning. With 2 on, 2 down, and the Verdasys team behind 6-7, Baschi blasted a 3-run OTF HR into CF. This gave the team a lead they would not relinquish, as the team’s defense would limit Tufts to 2 runs over the next 4 frames.

The game was called at the end of the 6th due to an ominous looking storm cloud, which shortly thereafter produced thunder, heavy rain, pea-sized hail and what appeared to be a funnel cloud to the north-west.

A scary moment occurred during the 5th inning. After fielding a grounder to 3B, Cooles fired the ball to 1B. The ball went wide left of Spears, who was unable to get a glove of the ball. The ball ended up striking the Tufts batter-runner in the back of the head in flight.

The player received help from the Verdasys EMT-trained personnel and was conscious throughout the ordeal. The player was able to walk off the field under the player’s own power. After the game, Tufts reported that the player being “ok” and thanked the Verdasys team for their help. There is no further word on the player’s condition. The Verdasys team would like to extend their best wishes and a speedy recovery to the injured player.

After nearly three weeks of indecision, the Verdasys Softball team has claimed a forfeit-win in their Game 2 contest against Softworld.

On game day back on July 1st, severe weather blanketed the area, resulting in passing downpours and even a tornado in neighboring Connecticut. The weather scared off the Softworld bench, and meant forfeiture if the game was not rescheduled. After discussions between Verdasys and Softworld, the two teams agreed to ask the commissioner if the game could be rescheduled, otherwise S.W. agreed take a forfeit. Though the game was not officially postponed, the commissioner agreed to reschedule the game if both teams were in agreement.

Though Verdasys players reiterated their interest in a rescheduled match-up, Softworld was surprisingly mute. After a few failed attempts to reach out to the Softworld team, the Verdasys players felt they had waited long enough and claimed a forfeit-win with the commissioner.

“I can understand if someone doesn’t respond because they are out on vacation, but no response from anyone [on the team] after two weeks is unacceptable,” stated team co-captain Russell Rick.

“If I were given the opportunity to reschedule a game and avoid a forfeit, I would be all over it,” said team co-captain A-WOL. “I really don’t understand why our opponents did not want take advantage of it.”

With the win, the Verdasys team has collected a franchise high of three wins on the season, and improves their record to 3-1.

The Verdasys Softball team powered their way past their arch-rivals, the Mass Medical Society, in a convincing 22-15 win.

The Verdasys team’s offense hit a franchise-best 4 HRs in the game, including 2 over-the-fence HRs by Jay Raschi. Jay’s OTF HRs were the first such HRs in Verdasys Softball history. In addition, the team’s number 2, 3 and 4 hitters went 11-for-12 with 12 runs, 13 RBIs and a whopping 24 total bases.

“It was a great win for the team against our arch-rival,” commented Verdasys team first baseman Wiley Spears. “I’ll be telling my kids about this one. Best of all, it was captured on video!”

With the win, Verdasys improves their lifetime record against MMS to 3-2-1-1. The win also improves the team's record to 2-1, and gives the team their second non-forfeit win of the season, which is a single-season franchise record.

The Verdasys softball team announced in a morning press conference that the team management have received a new batch of team jerseys, and will be handing them out prior to the next game. This purchase was made to both replenish the team’s depleted supply (which became empty at the end of the 2011 season), and to improve the team’s morale and appearance on the field.

The new team jerseys will look identical to the shirts purchased in 2011, which used a bright maroon red color for both the logo on front and the jersey number on back.

Speaking of jersey numbers, the team made a solid effort to ensure that returning players received the same jersey number that they had previously been assigned, while new players were allowed to pick a number up to 99 that had not been assigned to any past player. (Refer to the “Uniform Number Index” page for a list of jersey numbers for players past and present.)

The new t-shirts were modeled at the press conference by team starter Michael Foresto, who was visibly excited by the news. Expect other players to be excited as well, as the team débuts their new t-shirts in Game 4 against arch-rival MMS.

With an ending that will go down as one of the most memorable for Verdasys Softball, the team overcame a late inning 5-run deficit to take the season opener against Game Show Network (GSN) 15-14.

Going into the final frame of play, Verdasys trailed GSN 14-9. Melissa Nolte, Foresto, and Vickie each led the inning off by hitting a single. This loaded the bases for Wiley Spears, who followed with an ITP Grand Slam. His hit narrowed GSN’s lead to a single run. Jon Anderson followed with a single, the team’s fifth consecutive hit of the inning. The next batter was team co-captain A-WOL, who followed with a “walk-off” ITP 2-run HR for the win.

“It was a crazy game to manage due the number of people coming in at the last minute,” said team co-captain Russell Rick. “But we somehow managed to pull a victory together, which is all that matters in the end.”

The victory is the first non-forfeit win for the team in 33 tries, or in nearly 3.5 seasons. Their last conventional win came against former hallway rival RacePoint Group (RPG) in 2009-Game 4.

Could 2013 be the final season for Verdasys Softball? In the past, Team Skipper A-WOL has hinted that the team might have played in its final season due to low enrollment and declining interest. But as luck would have it, the team would become awash with renewed interest the following season to keep it going. However, there is word that the commissioner may have a say on this matter, not just for Verdasys, but for the league itself.

According to an inside source, the commissioner has grown tired of dealing with an ever growing amount of arguments emanating from the league. In addition, some players are playing at a level of competitiveness unfit for a league billed as “amateur, non-competitive”. The end result is a league that has become too much of a hassle for the commissioner to manage.

As a result, the league’s teams are on thin-ice. If problems continue then the commissioner will not continue the league into 2014. It is also said that the commissioner may even pull the plug on the current season. However, this is unlikely given that the teams have already paid their entry fee and that equipment has already been handed out.

Verdasys, Inc is proud to announce that the Verdasys Softball team will be participating in the Waltham Recreational Softball League (WRCS) for the summer 2013 season. And with the new season come some changes, and many new faces.

Strange Faith
During the off-season, Russell Rick, an outfielder for Verdasys, was injured in a wrestling match against a snow mobile. (And lost.) His injuries will require surgery on an arm and knee, and will sideline him for the entire 2013 season.

Aware of his own limitations, Russ asked team skipper Andrew Wolan (A-WOL) for the opportunity to help out with the team in a managerial capacity. A-WOL, who had been pondering about reducing his managerial workload during the offseason, agreed.

Introducing Russell Rick … Again
Effective immediately, Russell Rick will become the new team coach, and a team co-captain. Russ has 15 years of experience as either a team manager or team coach. He also sits on the control board for an area league. Not only will he be in charge of coaching players, but he will also help out in running the team as well.

A-WOL & The Media Team
A-WOL will remain in the top brass as co-captain. He will peel-off most of his managerial work to Russ. Andy will continue to help run the team and will handle various “behind-the-scenes” activities. This will be his 6th consecutive year in a management capacity with the team.

As for the media team, A-WOL says he can no longer continue the level of commitment to the team website as he had given in seasons past. He will continue to collect statistics, take photos & video, and write game notes, but says to expect an overall reduction in content. This will be his 10th consecutive year providing media coverage of a co-ed softball team. (11th season overall.)

New Faces
A team is nothing without its players, and after years of famine the team’s farm system has produced a bountiful harvest. Internally, the team has recruited at least 8 new players, 5 of whom have committed to playing the majority of games. Externally, recruitment was fruitful netting at least 5 more players. There’s also a (not-so) new recruit nick-named “Scouter”, whom I will not get into …

On a sad note, the team says good-bye to numerous players from last season, However, as of this writing, many fan favorites are expected to return, including: Bill Kelly, McCauley, the Noltes, Bowler, Cottam, Yo, Gowtham, and Lesson.