CWL 2008

CWL Special Feature

'FELLAS VS. RIPPIN' PREVIEW

By 'Stache McCracken
4.13.08

Game 1: Stafford (Goodfellas) vs. J. Catlett (Rippin')
Game 2: M. Catlett (Rippin') vs. McDowell (Goodfellas)

There's no doubt whatsoever what the top series of Opening Day is. None. Zip. Nada.

It's easily the huge Goodfellas versus Str8 Rippin' series. And what a way to open the 2008 season. Whoever made this season's schedule is, in my book, a genius. It takes some serious brass to throw the two teams that many say are the best within the CWL together on the very first day of the season. I'm thinkin' WOW, what a way to kick things off from a fan's perspective. This series could be the beginning of a heated, no-holds-barred, Red Sox/Yankees-esque rivaly, but with wiffleball bats.

This series is a good old fashion pitching versus hitting matchup, for the most part. Goodfellas has the pitching. Str8 Rippin' has the hitting. And as much as I like the thought of it, I don't see it playing out that way in the end. The old adage that good pitching beats good hitting is indeed true, and while Goodfellas has the better arms as a whole, Rippin' is tossing Jake Catlett in game numero uno, the guy the vast majority of the league considers the best overall pitcher.

Yes, Goodfellas will be bringing some good pitching in game one, but so will Str8 Rippin'. And when you go toe-to-toe with good pitching like Bryan Stafford and Jake Catlett on both sides, Rippin' has the edge because they can, on most occasions, out hit The 'Fellas. It's more likely that Str8 Rippin', considering their hitters compared to Goodfellas, will be the team to come up with the big crunch-time hit when the game is on the line. That's not to say it will happen that way, but the odds are in Rippin's favor. Str8 Rippin' being the home team in the opening game could also be huge in that it might just come down to the final at-bat for that big-hit situation to arise.

I do think that game one, the entire series for that matter, will be a game for the ages. A well-pitched, well-played display of wiffleball between the two most experienced teams in the CWL.

As for game two, well, it may not have the hype as the opener, and for good reason, but in no way is game number two going to be a letdown for the die-hard fans. Although the pitching drops off slightly, it's still going to be a fantastic game, and probably the most important of the two. No matter what happens in game one, game two is a must-win for whomever. One team will be going for a sweep, while the other will be playing to even up the series. A sweep will be huge for one team, devastating for the other.

Most everyone knows what Mike McDowell can do from the mound, he proved last season that he can get it done from the hill, but I'm interested in seeing what Matt Catlett, who has dedicated himself to being a top-notch pitcher this season, does in his '08 debut. A solid outing from Catlett will go a long way in giving the rest of the league an idea as to what kind of club Str8 Rippin' is going to be. In Cartwright's absence, at least pitching absence, Catlett has to step up and be the man.

I don't think this game will be a pitching duel like game one, but it's not going to be a game that hits double digits, either. The team that plays better in the field could be the team that wins this game, because balls are going to be put in play more so here than in game one. Str8 Rippin' is, at this point, more susceptible to poor defense due to their physical limitations with Matt Catlett and Josh Cartwright.

I'm also anxious to see how Cartwright looks in his 2008 debut, just a couple months removed from heart surgery, how Matt Catlett handles himself with the knee, how Rippin' plays defense given their limitations, Andy McMahan's intensity (or lack thereof), and how each team will handle their pitching staffs in the instance that relief is needed. Will the pitching be rationed, will each team employ some type of strategy to save pitching, or will it be an all-or-nothing approach?

No matter what happens, though, I believe this is going to be one of many great series this season, it just so happens that this one is the first. It's almost too bad that these two teams are in the same league. If they were each in seperate leagues, I'd almost bet that this was a preview of The Series.