The Wiffleball kingdom

By Mark Unterreiner

Southeast Missourian

Wiffleball is becoming known across the country as the ruination of America's back yards.

Mike and Beth Augustine could tell you about it.

Their son Jeff, on the other hand, would take offense to that conviction.

Since grade school, Jeff Augustine has been slowly but surely transforming what was once a simple back yard into a wiffleball kingdom. Augustine's Sherwood Yards at his parents' house, located at 2130 Sherwood Drive in Cape Girardeau, has undergone several changes since its opening.

Dirt base pits, a pitcher's mound and a batter's box are dug out of the zoysia grass, and 20-foot foul poles stand erected in the left and right field corners. Left field resembles a mix between Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. Sixty-eight feet down the left field line sits an ivy-covered short porch, and the large backside of the house, similar to the Green Monster at Fenway, serves as the rest of the left field wall. A scoreboard is also positioned in left. A new portable wall stands 72 feet from home plate in right field.

"It's almost like the perfect place to play Wiffleball because of the way it's set up," Augustine said. "It's in the back yard, and there's still really no obstructions. And it's got its own little quirks. It's awesome."

Since he started building his field of dreams, Augustine's approach has been rather simple: if it's in the way, move it.

"We might have a tree there one year, and the next year it's gone," he said. "It's just kind of evolved over the years. Our shed used to be over by second base, but that started getting in the way, so we moved the shed. We also cut down some trees here and there, and the next thing you know, you got a place to play Wiffleball."

Augustine became interested in Wiffleball in eighth grade and continued to play through his four years at Notre Dame Regional High School, where he helped the Bulldogs win the 1993 Missouri Class 2A baseball championship his senior year. After graduating, he left to serve in the Army, and when he came back home four years later, his buddies were itching for some more Wiffleball.

"When I came back, one night we were sitting at my apartment just talking about Wiffleball, and someone said we should do a tournament," he said. "So we started one."

And it hasn't stopped. The tournament has grown in popularity over the last seven years, and the eighth annual Wiffleball World Series on Sept. 25 and 26 will be no exception. The event started with six teams from around Southeast Missouri, and now it's a Sherwood Yards record 14-team competition with seven teams from Cape, three from Potosi, Mo., two from Benton, Ill., one from Kentucky and even one from Dallas.

"I'm having to turn people away," he said. "Over the last eight years it's just snowballed, and the next thing you know people are coming from all over the country."

Due to the amount of teams, Augustine will have to resort to another field for the first time. Cameron Yards, another backyard Wiffleball field in Cape, will be used for several losers' bracket games.

"I just can't handle any more at my field," he said. "There's just not enough time in the day to do 14 teams this year."

The double-elimination style tournament will consist of teams made up primarily of men and a few women around the age of 30. An unlimited number of participants can bat on any team, but only five are allowed in the field at a time. Each player receives free food, drink and a T-shirt for competing.

Two umpires will oversee each game, and Augustine said in the World Series' seven-year existence there has never been a disputed call.

"We make it pretty clear before the tournament gets going that the umps are the guys in charge, and don't give them any bull or they'll kick you out," he said. "It's competitive, no doubt, but we're out there to have fun."

Augustine said probably the most special aspects of the tournament is that the money left over from the event is donated to a needy cause. This year, Augustine will give the excess cash to Operation Troops Support, a local group that sends care packages to troops overseas.

"It changes every year, but this one I wanted to do because I'm a vet," he said. "It kind of hits home for me maybe more than other people, but I wanted to find somebody that was local, and this one really caught my eye."

Augustine said he'll start getting down to business on the field about a week before the tournament, which attracts hundreds of players and spectators for more than just competition.

"I'm pretty pumped about the tournament," he said. "It's going to be really good. I've become really good friends with some of these teams that come from Benton and other places, and it's really cool to see them during the Wiffleball World Series.

"Don't get me wrong-- they come to win-- but people come back because it's just a really fun weekend."

Mark Unterreiner is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.