Softball Stories

The same writing staff that brought to you the Verdasys Softball 2010 website has dazzled readers for years with coverage of other amateur co-ed softball teams. (Which also happen to include A-WOL.) In fact, this is the writing staff's seventh season of such coverage. Join us as we take a walk back in time to review the staff's past works and reflect on the evolution of the “softball website” product.

2004: The Corbett Connection
What happens when you mix a company team of outcasts, a handful of external players in need of a team, a rookie coach, a competitive softball league, a budding blogger named Corbett, a cheap digital camera and various "tragically misspelled" game summaries? An active and highly popular website that was the talk of the office. Join us as we follow A-WOL's adventures at the Softball Complex in Pittsfield, MA.

2005: The Prima Donna Mutiney
Hot off a “stellar” 4-8 season, coach A-WOL looks to regroup the team and try their luck in the less competitive Bud Hall League in Dalton, MA. After failing to round-up most of the 2004 cast, coach looks to recent office new hirers for recruits. The fun ensues when an overrated self-proclaimed softball “God” teams up with two team members with coaching ambitions of their own.

2006: Veterinarians, not Veterans
With an uneasy season still fresh on the mind, A-WOL decides to step away from the lead job and focus more on the game. With that, Andy joins a team of animal veterinarians and lets a rookie coach take on the lead roll. Ironically, the team’s only win would come when A-WOL is asked to temporarily take the coaching position. Join the writing staff as they follow A-WOL play not only on a team of Vets, but also as a “softball mercenary” fill-in player for the Bud Hall league.

2007: A Corbett by any other name...
Three solid seasons of softball coverage gains the attention of the commissioner of the Boston West Co-Ed Softball League (BWCS), leading to a gig as “official league photographer.” Meanwhile, a strange series of events leads A-WOL into joining a team lead by a coach named Corbett. (What are the odds?) Follow A-WOL and writing staff as they journey to the opposite end of the state and find themselves in a competitive league consisting of over one hundred teams!

2008: Back as Top (under)Dog
A new team in Waltham in need of a team captain recruits A-WOL to be their leader. The former coach is more than eager to return to the lead roll following a 2-year absence as top dog. But it might be more than he bargains as he learns the ropes of the WRCS, an umpire-free, self-pitch non-competitive co-ed softball league. Join the writing staff as they team up with photography great Richard Moffitt as they follow A-WOL’s continued migration into Eastern Mass... and then into music videos.

2009: Double the Wins or Bust
After a heart-breaking loss in the playoffs, the team returns to the WRCS League to try their luck once again. With Coach A-WOL returning to the helm, he challenges the team to double their wins from the previous season. Many say that it’s not possible, but in the end many instead wonder if the team should have aimed higher. Meanwhile, Aleksey introduces the use of calculators into the great American past time.

2010: Mr. Forfeit / Dr. Victory
One team can't seem to win any games. The other simply can't loose. On one side we have a struggling Verdasys Softball team, where the threat of forfeit loomed over every game. On the other we have the successful 12-time league champions 356ers' ball club. So what could they possibly have in common? They both had A-WOL on their roster. Join the writing staff as they travel between Boston and Delaware to cover two teams that are polar opposites of each other.

2010 (Winter): In Search of Wins
After a winless season with Verdasys, A-WOL ventures back to softball’s roots and joins an indoor league in Danvers, MA. There, A-WOL joins the BSSC, befriends a band of softball nomads and becomes their team captain. It's softball action in a pinball machine as A-WOL tries to lead the team to a winning season. Meanwhile, the photographer’s experiments in videography captures the attention of a prize-wilding commissioner.

2011: Bridge to Somewhere
After successfully steering the team away from certain expulsion, Coach A-WOL returns to the helm to try and make the most of Verdasys' 2010 bridge season. After forming what seems to be a promising roster, A-WOL quickly learns that this season will not be much better than last. And just as coach can’t seem to catch a break, a pair of tropical storms brings chaos towards the end of the season. Follow the team as they try to end their two-year losing streak and catch some post-season luck before the team disbands for good.

2012: Never Say Never
The Verdasys Softball team agrees to reconvene for one last season, once it is learned that the 2012 season will likely be their last opportunity to play. As for the team’s chronic roster situation, it is finally cured once and for all after the club is joined by the well-staffed Impole Softball team. Meanwhile, the media team gets a boast when they’re joined by a budding photographer. Inboxes will be clogged, the season will be lengthen, the Commish will flip-out, and a game will be recorded in HD in this (not so) thrilling season.

2013: That Winning Season
After 5 losing seasons, coach A-WOL and newly appointed co-captain Russ Rick agree to hold nothing back as they pursue Verdasys’ first winning season. Meanwhile, offseason recruiting makes such hopes likely by returning a bountiful harvest of good players, including the team’s first OTF HR hitting player. But the team’s successes are in jeopardy as tension between two players threatens to explode. Win totals will go through the roof, tickets to the tournament will be punched, tempers will explode, the sky will fall, and players will retire in this thrilling series finale.