1. (6) This Redhead is Dirty, Dirty, Dirty

Rob Durand and Brian Toth

After winning the first two tourneys, the duo looked awful finishing 9th in '06.  So, to say the least, they were motivated for this year's tourney.  And as always, it was the Redhead wonder who came up with huge hits in clutch moments to win the title.  Perhaps he needs a verbal thrashing before every tourney, not to mention every at bat and pitch.  Or at least Toth should threaten to bring his son on the team.  They were overheard by the scouts saying they won't win again until 2010.

2. (1) Ecuadorian Mountain Llamas 

Ron Pare and Travis Schultz

They learned what it is like to be returning champs and suffered a first round loss to Saving 2nd Base.  But then they did the unthinkable, running the losers bracket and winning six straight games before dropping the 2nd game of the championship.  Pare shut down Dirty, Dirty, Dirty in the first game of the championship, and Schultz pretty much shutdown everyone he faced on his way to winning the best pitcher award for the second straight year. These guys are all ready revved up for next year's tourney.

3. (2) Team SpiderMonkey

Chris Grzegorczyk and Pete Lamerato

One of two teams made up of Harrison teachers to finish in the top four, these guys were outstanding all day long.  They played a great game vs. Dirty, Dirty, Dirty, before losing in extra innings.  Lamerato was diving all over the place and spraying all fields with base hits.  G put forth a solid pitching performance all day, especially when you consider he was playing with a broken wrist.  G also put on a show matching Chris Lake with 29 home runs before losing in extra bats of the HR derby contest.

4. (17) Say Hello To Lumberg For Me

Jeremy Robinson and Dan Gardner

These guys made the biggest jump by any team in the scouting ranks.  To call their performance impressive wouldn't do it justice.  They played outstanding WB in the later half of the day and used it to finish fourth in the tourney.  Both guys threw strikes and made the opponents hit to win.  They were overheard saying this is the best they will ever do, and our scouts might agree with them.  Regardless, an outstanding performance.

5. (8) That's What She Said

Mark Hooks and Craig LeDuc

It should surprise no one that these guys came in 5th place.  This is about where the young lads should finish on a yearly basis.  Unfortunately for them they usually have too much fun the night before, and end up struggling all day.  Not the case this year. These guys also get props for joining Short and Curlies as the first to tap the kegs.  Congrats to Hooks for winning the best defensive player award.  Good luck to both: Hooks is headed out to Vegas for work and "The Duke" is getting married.

6. (3) His Name Was Lola, He Was A Showgirl

Brian Stackpoole and Kevin Stackpoole

7. (7) Wonderboys

Dan Sanborn and Jake Sanborn

D. Sanborn shook-up the lineup just before the tourney, and it seemed to payoff.  The Wonderboys played well all day and lost a tough extra innings game to Lola.  Last year D.S. came in 8th, this year 7th, so look for more improvement in 2008.  If the Wolverines have another stellar run in the College World Series, perhaps that will lead to more motivation for these guys.

8. (10) The Cream and The Clear

Chris Lake and Jeremy Fox

These guys looked to be back in the '05 form with a solid performance securing 8th place.  Laker brought out the heat and both guys' bats were popping.  The big question is will they go forward, or take a step back like they did in '06. Fox continued his dominance in the 50/50 while Laker picked up his second straight home run derby championship.  Now that he has three children, he will have to hold all three kids up if he wins again next year. See the awards page.

9. (11) "We May Not Win, But At Least We'll Swing"

Paul Bursick and Greg Downey

It is at this point that our scouts usually rip on Downey for something, but believe it or not, we can't think of too many things.  He stayed past noon, which is a record, and he must have hit at least 15 home runs.  This was the bro-in-laws third top ten finish in four years.  Bursick was, as always, hustling for every ball.  Just thought of two things: Downey left without saying goodbye to his Florida buddy and still owes $281 for MSU tix. Slacker. 

10. (16) Playing 4 Beer

PTBN, Jeff Gaisor, and Chris Hawsey

The young lads from Indiana put on a show for the crowd most of the day.  They had the best finish for any 1st year team. Gaisor won Mr. Hustle for his 20-something dives into and over the fence. Not to mention the fact he played barefoot on the "soft grass" all day.  The trio is considering starting a tourney in Indiana, so we'll keep you posted if you're ready for a road trip.

11. (12) Saving Second Base

Joel Weir and Morrison Borders

Perhaps the most surprising win of the tourney came from these guys early on.  The tandem upset last year's champs with a 5-4 victory.  Eleventh place is a solid performance for a first year team.  Perhaps this will impact their strategy for '08.   Doubtful.  Congrats on winning the prestigious award for  best team name.

12. (9) Bud and Stud

Eric Horton and Rob Berthold

Berthold suffered the loss of an '06 teammate that won pitcher of the year.  It looked like he may have found the perfect replacement in Horton.  But, as has been the case for 32 years, the inability to consistently find the strike zone hurt Horton.  Big questions surround this team as we head for '08, like will they be together.  Rumors of a kid named Bubba joining with Berthold could have a huge impact on the team.

13. (19) The Coolers

Mark Johnston and Chris Johnston

This was the best outing so far for the J brothers. The picked up two nice wins before bowing out to BAWLS.  Mark J called it and said "as long as we don't play BAWLS on the silver field", and of course, they lost on the silver field.  The little practice the brothers put in paid off and they continued to show improvement.  Huge props once again for camping out both nights and helping clean up on Saturday.  Go to Subway for lunch in Reese, Muth, or Clio to help them out for their effort.

14. (13) We're Kind of A Big Deal

Mike Huey, Michael Pizzuti , and Kevin Timmins

One of the most fired up groups going into the tourney, these cats came ready and represented the " East Side" with pride.  They dropped their first game against Bud and Stud, but then came back strong with two nice wins. These guys only had one complaint, and it was that Curves is only once a year.  This is one of the many teams that should be much improved in '08. Nice picture by the way!

15. (15) Rare Breeds

Bryan Ventrone and Jeremy Ventrone

These guys almost pulled off an early upset, but just fell short losing to Lola by one run.  The brothers seemed to have a great time and had some pop in their bats.  They talked of leaving around 4:00, and were still seen hitting the juice around 6:00ish.  These guys will be a dangerous match up in '08.  Now that they have a year's experience, will they let Locke join the team?

16. (5) Team TrainWreck

Dave Carr, Brent Kozel, and Greg Dye

The expectations were extremely high for TTW this year, and that might have got the best of them.  Even though they finished in 16th place, they still brought home the 2007 Toilet Bowl Championship.  The trophies are on display at Preferred Plus Mortgage.   Kozel enjoyed drinking out of his 40 glass, but then he mysteriously disappeared.  Carr is sure to have these guys back strong in '08.

17. (14) Shake 'N' Bake

Steve James, Greg Larson, and Brian Lemons

The trio came prepared to play and started off dropping a hard fought game before bouncing back with a W against their arch rivals, Short, Fat, and Bald.  Lemons talked of starting a WB tourney in Whitmore Lake, James pulled the Greg Downey disappearing act of this year, and Sic Law was the man, staying late and waiting for the delicious pig.  The Fenton boys should come back strong in '08, especially with the extra motivation they will have from the Lions vs. Cowboys NFC championship showdown.

18. (18) Schrute Bucks

Joe Lafferty, Lauren Williams and Mike Flaherty

Dissension seems to be brewing with this team.  Flaherty referred to LW as Jason Grilli, which is the worst insult any pitcher could ever be given.  Maybe not as bad as John Rocker, but anyway.  It looked like the team was going to start the day with a win, but then The Coolers rallied in the 5th off of Grilli to pull out the W.  Something tells us their could be a team shakeup in the works.

19. (21) The "Legend" and Tonto

Joe Toth and Jim Durand

Ironically enough, the oldest team in the tournament played one of the longest games in the tourney.  The tandem squared off with the Bench Warmers in an epic 8 inning battle, which they finally won.  They were certainly one of the most entertaining teams to watch, with all their grunting and excessive cheering.  On a side note, these were two of the pig cookers in years past...perhaps their playing led to the dysfunctional pig?  Either way, a solid effort for the old-timers.

20. (20) The Bench Warmers

Brian Ballard and Tim Hughes

For first timers, these two put forth a great effort.  They were part of the longest game with the eight inning marathon against The Legend and Tonto.  Now that they have a year of experience under their belts, expect an improved performance in future years.  They both have sons who might be future legends on the WB fields.

21. (4) Short, Fat, and Bald Too

Mike Dennis, Tom Mavis, and Tom Marra

Without a doubt, this was perhaps the most negatively surprising team of the tournament.  Dennis and Mavis picked up Marra with the hopes of improving, but instead they went the other way.  Perhaps it was the karma from their clothing choice of the day.  Or Mavis really wanted to rush down to the open practice at Ford Field and see if Coach Rod has the boys ready to go.

22. (22) The Wolverines by 30

David Toth and Michael Bjorkman

An outstanding effort by this duo to provide Curves with great prizes for the 50/50.  As for WB, well they did give Dirty, Dirty, Dirty an early scare jumping out 4-0 in the first inning.  Perhaps if these guys only had to play 1 or 2 innings, they would be great.  Fatigue seems to hit the team too early and impact their performance.  Something tells our scouts this may have been the last go around for these guys. We'll see.

The Lovely Ladies

We are quick to rip on the scouts when they are off, so to be fair...Amazing job by our scouts for accurately predicting the ladies field. As was the case last year, there was plenty of talk by female fans of joining the '08 field. We will see. Great job to all eight of our ladies from this year.

1. (1) Verlander and Guillen

Jenny Bec and Kristin Toth

After a second straight title, Bec was heard saying it might be time to play in the guys bracket.  Be careful what you ask for.  Both were heard commenting how sore they were the day after. They received a much closer game from TTH's this year, but they still pulled out the championship with a 12-9 win.  Congrats to the Salem Rocks duo for winning it all again.

2. (2) The "Toth Hotties"

Lisa Berthold and Jennifer Bjorkman

The "Hotties" finished second once again, but this year they almost pulled out the W.  They had an early lead on V and G, but couldn't hold on.  Bjorkman was her consistent solid self, and perhaps if Berthold wears tennis shoes and WB gear in '08, they may walk away with the title.  Rumors are swirling of more Toth ladies joining in '08.

3. (3) Short and Curlies

Shaunna Dillard and  Jen Kozyra 

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this team was not their Toilet Bowl championship, but that they were the first to tap the kegs Saturday morning.  We're pretty sure they didn't stop hitting the juice until the sun went down.  Huge props to the duo for wearing red uniforms, which matched nicely with the Curves t-shirts.  Look for bright things in the future from this duo.

4. (4) Aunts R Us

Michelle Stackpoole and Amie Toth 

For their first time playing WB together, these ladies put forth a great effort.  Our scouts witnessed some outstanding plays in the field by the Aunts.  Despite going 0-2, they still earn big points for all their help with the tourney.  Hopefully they will be back in '08 and look to improve upon their performance.