To show their appreciation for all the hard work and dedication shown by their coach, the team decided to give their coach a memorable “thank you”. And so under the disguise as a meeting to discuss a possible signing of Berry Bond, the team held a surprise appreciation party for coach.

On hand were many of the team stakeholders from the 2009 season, including Nicole who mentioned “If it wasn’t for [Andy], Verdasys would not have a team”. As tokens of their appreciation, the team presented A-WOL with a team signed T-shirt with a “Coach A-WOL” graphic on the front, along with an embroidered softball bat and supply carrying bag with “A-WOL” written on the front.

“We got you the bag because we noticed how the bats would roll around in the back of your vehicle” said Muldoon. The surprise party was the brain child of Muldoon, Colby, Nicole and possibly others.

“This [event] is great” said Coach A-WOL, who was caught-off guard by the event.

In a written statement, Coach thanked the team with the following:

I would like to say thanks to Don, Colby, Nicole and everyone else who helped organize the "Surprise Coach Appreciation Party". It is great to know that everyone recognizes and appreciates all the hard work I have put into the team... even if our record was not stellar. :-) I would also like to thank everyone for your tokens of appreciation in the form of a team signed t-shirt and bat bag with my insignia. From now on, whenever the opposing team sees me walk onto a field, they will say "Wow, that A-WOL guy means business."

I guess this also means I can expect on being resigned for the 2010 season. :-)

Thanks again!
Coach A-WOL

Batting stats: (3 game min)
Most games: A-WOL / Mike OConnor / Stella Guseynova (8)

Best Batting Avg (male): Gregorio (0.875), Grimard (0.857)
Best Batting Avg (female): Colby (0.500), Stella (0.400)

Best Slugging % (male): Muldon (2.000), Gregorio (1.750)
Best Slugging % (female): Colby (0.688), Stella (0.400)

Most at bats (male): OConnor (24), A-WOL (20)
Most at bats (female): Colby (16), Stella (15)
Most hits (male): OConnor / Grimard (12)
Most hits (female): Colby (8), Stella (6)

Most runs scored (male): OConner (10), Grimard (6)
Most runs scored (female): Colby(5), Stella (3)
Most RBIs (male): Grimard (8), Muldoon (7)
Most RBIs (female): Colby (4)

Most HR: Grimard / Muldoon (2)
Most 3B (male): A-WOL (3), Smith / Gregorio (1)
Most 3B (female): None
Most 2B (male): Avi (5), Grimard (4)
Most 2B (female): Colby (3)
Most SAC (male): Grimard / Smith / Eno / Muldoon / Morley / Aleksey / Misha (1)
Most SAC (female): Bhavani / Stella (1)

Miscellaneous stats:
Runs per at-bat: 0.272
Falls on field: A-WOL (11)*, Tufts / Smith / OConnor (2), Colby / “Guy in Red Shirt” (1)
Number of words written for website: 35,000
Number of photos taken and processed: 1,405

* = one fall was faked

Scheduled to play a make-up game on a sunny and beautiful Tuesday afternoon were Verdasys and “Up To Date”. Their highly anticipated and well hyped semi-final make-up game was the direct result of their previous playoff game ending in a tie. But as the day wore on, it became increasingly clear that Verdasys would not have enough players to start the game. After attempts to round-up additional players failed, Coach Wolan was forced to do the impossible: forfeit a play-off game.

"It's disappointing" said coach. “It’s one thing if we played and lost. It's another thing if we just don't show-up. … Many people worked hard to get us to where we are today. It's a shame to see the season end like this. "

Perhaps Tuesday was just a bad day for the team. According to an inside source, while the team was only able to round up six players for Tuesday, at least ten were available to play on Wednesday. This led coach Wolan make a plea with the commissioner to move the game to Wednesday. However, the commissioner would not allow it, stating that the change would impact a girl’s softball league scheduled to start the following week.

And so, the forfeit marks the end of the team’s playoff run, along with the team's 2009 season. It is also the first ever forfeit declared by Coach Wolan in his four years as a softball team head coach.

In an afternoon press conference, the team announced that both Verdasys Softball and Up To Date have reached a compromise regarding the make-up playoff game. This agreement was met after some intense negotiations between the team skippers of Up To Date and Verdasys.

If you recall, the semi-final game between these two teams ended in 12-all tie after being called in the 6th inning due to darkness. According to ASA rules, a one inning make-up game was to be played to settle on the winner. This completion game was to be played on Monday, Sept 14 with the championship game pushed out from Monday to Wednesday Sept 16.

After some discussion, both teams agreed that a one-inning make-up was not worth the effort and agreed on a 5-inning make-up game instead. It was also agreed that if the game ended in a tie, the winner would be decided by a coin flip. Finally, both teams agreed to push this make-up game to Tuesday because of a Monday night Patriots game with a 7pm kick-off. The championship game will still held on Wednesday, with Thursday, Sept 17 reserved as a rain date.

Early in the negotiations, team skipper Andy Wolan suggested that the game be declared a “tie”, combine “Up To Date” and Verdasys into one team and have that unified team play against University Office Park in the championship. To avoid a large roster, both teams would pick 5-6 players for representation in this “unified” team. While this idea had strong support from Verdasys, “Up To Date” and commissioner both rejected the idea, stating respected that the idea was “unfair” to the players of Up To Date and to the other team in the championship match.

Not a chance. That’s what the critics said about their team’s chances in their semi-final playoff game against Up To Date. This bold statement was issued after the team announced that many of the team’s star players would not be playing in their playoff game. But the players who did attend silenced the critics, stepping-up to fill the void and playing well both defensively and offensively.

But in the end, the team’s worse enemy was Mother Nature. With the score 12-7 after 5 and a half, Up To Date would rally for 5 runs under the cover of increasing darkness to tie the game 12-all after 6.

But that would be it as both teams agreed to call it a game due to darkness. With the playoff game ending in a tie, it was obvious that a winner would have to be decided on another day. A make-up playoff game date and format will be announced after one is agreed upon with the commissioner.

As the season come to a close, the league’s teams set their sights on the playoffs. Today, the league has announced the structure of this year’s playoffs. The top 4 teams it each division will play in the “Divisional Tournament”. The remaining teams in each division will play in the “Consolation Tournament”. (Or, as Aleksey so affectionately calls it “The Losers Tournament”.) The tournament is single elimination.

This year, the Verdasys Softball team’s record of 2-5 is good enough to qualify the team for the “Middlebrook Division Consolation Tournament”. The team’s first game will be against 3-4 Up To Date. This game will be held on Wednesday Sept 9th. (Raindate Monday Sept 14th.) If the team wins this semi-final show-down, then it’s off to the finals against the winner of Racepoint Group vs. University Office Park on Monday Sept. 14th. (Raindate will be annouced as needed.)

Important Note: the game between Racepoint Group and University Office Park has presidence over Verdasys' playoff game. In other words, if their game is rained-out, then their make-up game will occur on the 9th, pushing Verdasys' game to the 14th.

Fans can catch every Verdasys Softball playoff game on TV38-WSBK.

To view an image of the Middlebrook Division Consolation Tournament playoff bracket, click here.

It would appear that faking falls on the playing field is a problem not limited to softball or the United States. The UEFA, the governing soccer body in Europe, has announced a possible two game ban against Croatian soccer player Eduardo Alves da Silva for faking a fall on the field.

In Wednesday’s Champions League contest between Arsenal and Celtic, Eduardo drew a penalty after falling in the penalty area of the field late in the game. The penalty was awarded because he was tripped-up by the opposition. But according to the UEFA, video evidence reviewed after the game shows Eduardo making a “dive”, IE faking a fall on the field. If their ruling holds, Eduardo will be given a two game suspension.

Arsenal would go on to win the game 3-1 over Celtic, securing a spot in the “Group Stage” in the illustrious and highly profitable Champions League competition. It is that spot which leads some to believe was motivation enough for Eduardo to fake the fall.

Back in Game 5, A-WOL was accused of faking a fall on the field to pad his stats. The play drew criticism from President Obama, who said A-WOL “acted stupidly”, adding that the forged fall “takes away from the on-field acrobatics exhibited by Mike O’Connor during the 2008 season.”

The Ministry of Falling had no comment on either matter, but said it was taking the Eduardo matter seriously.

For more information click here.

No contest. That statement sums up what happened at the long awaited rematch between Verdasys Softball and the 2008 undefeated “Dominican All-star Team”. (AKA “University Office Park”, AKA “Newmark, Knight and Frank”.)

Last year, the Verdasys confronted a KNF team comprised of very talented baseball players, many of whom were playing AAA baseball in the minor leagues. In the game, they put on a fireworks show by hitting balls so far that they were going over the trees in the outfield. The game became a thing of legend for the Verdasys Softball club-house and was spoken about even during the off-season.

There was so much interest in the rematch that the team’s best players agreed to come out in force, with an objective of seeing if they could topple a team that went undefeated during the 2008 regular season. However, it was for not as a passing shower generated a rainbow that seemed to have scared away the team. Regardless, the result is a forfeit and the second win of the season for Verdasys. The win seals the coach’s objective of “double the number of wins or better over 2008”.

In other news, Jerry Buote’s jersey number of “31” was official retired at the game. What better way to honor Jerry than with a win?

Jerry Buote, the team’s starting first baseman, announced in a press release that he would be retiring from the game effective immediately. (Effective Game 8.) It would appear that nagging injuries have taken their toll on Buote; According to the press release, Jerry said that he was retiring due to “old age” and “increasing inability to play within my current physical capabilities.”

(Read press release here.)

“His presence will be missed” said coach Wolan in a phone interview. In the club house Jerry was a positive influence on the team. He helped keep players motivated even in difficult games. Defensively, Jerry was a very solid first baseman. If you made a bad throw to first and Jerry couldn’t field it, odds were that no one was going to field it. As for hitting, we was solid and consistent. Again, we’ll miss him.”

Jerry ends the season with a 0.667 batting average with 4 runs and 3 RBIs. Career wise with Verdasys, Jerry has 0.696 batting average with 8 runs and 8 RBIs in 10 games played.

In addition, the team has voted to retire Buote’s jersey number of “31”. The number will officially be retired at the team’s next game.

Per league regulation, the Verdasys Softball organization has released an injury report on several of its players.

Avi Potluri suffered two injuries in Game 6. The first injured occurs during pre-game warm-up when Avi mis-caught a ball. Apparently, the ball struck the nail on his index finger, causing it to bend back. The next day, Avi reported that the finger was bleeding underneath the nail. (See photo to the right.) In addition, Avi injured a leg muscle during the game while running to third base in the fifth inning. Both injuries have been treated as Avi is expected to play in the team’s next game.

Jerry Buote, the team’s starting first baseman, also injuried a leg muscle during the game. He is expected to be fine in time for the team’s next game.

Ajeet Bhoyar fractured a molar while watching Elliot Eno make a base hit in Game 5. The tooth was not repaired at the time of the report. In addition, the team reports that Ajeet will be sitting out games until the tooth is repaired to prevent further damage.

Nicole is reported to be in better shape after pulling a quad muscle. The injury occurred as she ran to first base in the first inning of Game 6. For several days following the injury, Nicole was observed having noticeable problems walking. The team reports that she will NOT be available for the team’s next game (Game 7), but should be available for the team’s following game (Game 8) more than a week later.

Pritam Gawade, who has never stepped on the softball field, has suffered a wrist injury to his right hand. (See photo to the right.) The injury occurred as he tried to handle a print-out of Game 5’s summary. He is expected to be in good enough shape to elude participation in Game 7.

Game 4 marked the second annual “Battle for South Pod” between hallway rival “Racepoint Group.” Of course, this rivalry would be interesting if it were actually known by the public. What is known, however, is that the Verdasys Softball organization was riding on a 6 game loosing streak, extended by a lose against “Up To Date”.

At game time, the team put together a game-time roster of 19 people, the most team skipper Andy Wolan has ever managed. Whether or not this large roster helped or hurt the team was unclear. What was clear was the productivity of the team's offence, mustering together 14 runs over six innings.

Though Racepoint Group's offense threatened with the long ball for most of the game, both Grimard and Muldoon would step-up to meet the challenge and keep their threat at bay. In fact, the team’s defense would be key to the team’s win, holding Racepoint Group scoreless over three innings, and limiting them to just 2 run over two more innnigs, allowing Verdasys to cruse to a 14-12 win. The win snaps a 6 game loosing streak and allows the team to hit the .500 mark for the first time in the team’s history.

As the country celebrates the 40th anniversary of the lunar moon landings, the writing staff (aka “The Media”) has silently hit a new milestone. After six years in the making, the staff has hit the 80th game summary mark with their release of the Game 03 Summary. “It’s a great accomplishment and an continued example of our devotion to the game” commented head writer Andrew Wolan.

This milestone took six seasons to reach, spanned from 2004 to 2009. During that time, four separate clubs were featured: the Avengers, the Pittsfield Vets, the Hardballers and currently Verdasys Softball. The game summaries have covered everything from rain postponements, to bitter rivalries, to umpless games, to close games and some not-so-close games. In addition, two non-affiliated teams received special game coverage on the site.

While the bulk of the summaries were written by lead writter Andrew Wolan, there have been other contributors. Ryan Molloy and Rick Palma both contributed a game summary in 2004 and 2006, respectively, while an undisclosed source ghost wrote a summary for Andy in 2004.

Besides text, the game summaries have featured photography. For many years the photography core was headed by Wolan. But with additions of Richard Moffitt Michael Efimov in 2008, the photography has been dazzling.

Below are top 6 game summaries hand-picked by the staff:

6)   The Harrison Tragedy ( Audio clip of the tragedy)
5)   The 21 run rally
4)   A-WOL’s incident during practice
3)   A-WOL’s incident on the mound
2)   Cheaters never win
1)   The little engine that could

After two games, the Verdasys softball team is undefeated. Of course, that statement would be great if the team actually played in those games.

The headline so far this season is undoubtedly the weather; while India eagerly awaits the start of their monsoon season, folks in the New England can’t seem to get rid of theirs. For over a month a half, showers have swept through the area on a near daily basis, soaking the ground and postponing games in their wake. It has rained so much that one of the team’s practice fields, Graverson Park, has been declared “unplayable” due to swampy field conditions.

With game three coming up, will the team catch a break or just more rain?

The team has announced that first baseman Darrell Teague has been placed on the injury reserve and will be out for the season. According to the press release, Teague aggravated an old knee injury during pre-season training. It is unclear what exactly caused him to hurt his knee, but many believe it was caused when he ran into some brush chasing down a foul ball. The team physician said that surgery will be required to correct the injury, and that he expects Teague to miss the season while he recovers.

“Darrell’s presence on the field will be missed” said team skipper Andy Wolan. “He was reliable at first and swung a good bat.”

Off the field, Wolan also commented that Darrell was a positive influence in the clubhouse. “He helped keep the team together, especially during rough games.” Perhaps that is the reason why the team later added that Teague will be attending the team’s games to help cheer the team on. Teague ended the 2008 season with a 0.600 batting average and 6 RBIs over 5 games.

They're back! Did you miss them?

Verdasys, Inc. has announced that their softball team, Verdasys Softball, will participate in the 2009 summer softball season. Like in the 2008 season, the team will play in the Waltham Recreational Co-Ed Softball League (WRCS) in Waltham, MA. This will be the team’s second season in the league.

The team also announced that the flamboyant Andrew Wolan (AKA “A-WOL”) will once again take on the role as team manager. Wolan, who lead the team to a 1-7 record, is reported to have signed a new one year deal with the team after negotiations broke down with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. This will be Wolan’s fourth career season as a team manager. (A transcript of the "Q&A" press conference held with Wolan can be found here.

Also returning in the leadership capacity will be Nicole Kelly. Nicole (not to be confused with former team member Kelly Raymond,) will once again be the team's co-manager.

In addition, the team also announced that the critically acclaimed “writing staff” and its photography core will return to cover the team in 2009. This includes locally renowned sports photographer Richard Moffitt. Last season, this staff was credited for creating “one of the best softball team websites on the Internet” whose content “is the envy of most minor league teams.” This will be the staff’s sixth year of coverage of a softball team, and their second of Verdasys Softball. A listing of the staff’s previous work can be found under the Softball Stories section of the site.

As for the softball team itself, many familiar names from the 2008 roster are expected to return. This list includes “brand name” players such as Grimard, Smith, Colby and team hit leader Mike O’Connor. Amongst those not expected to return are several female players, including the team’s starting second basewoman. While their departure will have a negative impact on the team’s roster, the club said that they have been active in recruiting new female players and should be in “good shape” for the 2009.

While these announcements are a relief to fans wondering if the team would return, the question now is why did the team wait until late June to make their intensions known? Did the team get off to a late start? According to an anonymous internal source, no. The team actually got off to an early start this season, recruiting players and even holding practice. Instead, it was the league that got off to a late start. Compared to last year, the league was running as much as a month behind, skipping the usual managerial meeting to kick-off the season. The team felt it would be wise not to make an announcement until the league was able to publish a schedule.