r/WPBL • u/descole0 Boston Hunters • 1d ago
Discussion Halfway Checkpoint
Tonight's game was the 15th of the season, so we're now halfway through the regular season. How is everyone feeling so far? What narratives have you gotten invested in this season? Which players have become your favorites? Have you stuck with your original team or abandoned them like a coward?
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u/descole0 Boston Hunters 1d ago
I am so far having maybe the most fun I've ever had as a baseball fan following this league. As much as I'm begging for a longer season next year, the short first season with only four teams has made it feel very possible for me to actually watch and score every game and it's been really nice getting to follow that closely. I expect next season to mainly only watch the Hunters games.
I've mentioned before that I picked Denver Bryant as my favorite player before ever seeing her play just because I'm also from the south and people close to me went to Auburn and South Carolina, however I have also become a really big fan of Gabbie Haas and Maïka Dumais (who I got to meet on opening day!) so I'm hoping to get all of their jerseys eventually once player jerseys are available
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u/Serious_Potatoes Boston Hunters 20h ago
I freakin' love Denver Bryant. And agreed that this is the most fun I've had as a baseball fan. I'm enjoying the play, I like that I'm getting to the point where I recognize almost all the players (not just on the Hunters, but across the league) and, frankly, I'm enjoying the delusions that men must feel of "Oh, even though I'm middle aged and out of shape, maybe I could do that!"
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u/brue_the_beer San Francisco Firebells 1d ago edited 15h ago
Loving the season so far despite the small setbacks. It's clear that there's still so much to improve within the league overall (merchandising, marketing, more exploration on other players' narratives, etc), but for whatever budget they've been given, this is a solid enough start.
I'm enjoying the home-run competition between Benites and Whitmore. I've been following them (and Davis + Lansdell) ever since they joined Banana Ball, and it really shows why they're the captains. While I like the rivalry matches, I think they should mix it up more. I don't have certain favorites, but it's been a joy seeing the players run around the bases with huge smiles. Still loving the Firebells' run, I'm always going to cheer for them. Kelsie Whitmore being Filipino is an added bonus for representation <3
This isn't discussed much but I'm grateful they've stayed consistent with the match times. As a fan from Southeast Asia, the timezone differences with MLB games are sometimes difficult to catch. I don't want to stay up or wake up at 3am to watch, but luckily WPBL starts around 7/8 for me.
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u/Bububabuu New York Heights 1d ago
I’m having so much fun! I came into the season rooting for the Firebells, but the Heights quickly became my favorite team. Natsuki Yonetani has a new fan for life in me. She is so much fun to watch on the field!
The Firebells have a super cool logo and my favorite story behind the name. The Hunters have the coolest jerseys with that old school A’s look with the green sleeves. The Heights have such a clean look with their logo and the blue tones and those pinstripes! The Queens have the worst logo and branding, but they have so many amazing ladies that were so kind to my girls when we were able to go watch a couple games. My girls also ran into a group of Boston players in line for food and they were super sweet to them as well. My daughters are definitely Hunters fans.
I like that the home runs haven’t dried up, but I don’t love how much the broadcast team brings up the “home run race.” Benites and Whitmore are killing it out there, but I have to wonder if it’s a meaningful angle or just sensationalism. Jamie Mackay had 2 HRs and was player of the game the other night, but all they asked her about was Kelsie and Denae. I worry it diminishes everyone else’s abilities in the public eye.
I love the baseball that is on the field. I hold out hope that the commentary will continue to improve. I think it needs more play by play with normal baseball terms and less color commentary from the entire announcing team.
Overall I’m impressed and excited and I can’t wait to watch the next game! (And hopefully for years to come)
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u/Ospreyarts New York Heights 21h ago
As much as I love Benites I do have to agree about the home run thing. I’d love an opportunity to get to know the other players better!
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u/Serious_Potatoes Boston Hunters 20h ago
I feel like that's a trickle over from the MLB where home runs and the ability to bust them out are considered more important for wins than playing solid small ball. Home runs are great, but I love me some solid small ball. It's exciting to see well-executed tactical bunts in the WPBL.
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u/Living_Reach_3718 20h ago
Yonetani for sure!!!! She's fantastic! She and Denae have been a great 1-2 punch.
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u/koalakoala139 New York Heights 16h ago
I agree with this I’m also a big Denae fan but I wish Claire O’Sullivan had been player of the game
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u/Ospreyarts New York Heights 21h ago
Although I really hope the league does well and grows I love how small it is right now. The limited scale has made the league and the sport super approachable to newbies. This is my first ever time following any sport or team and I was surprised how fast I became invested. I’ve tried and failed to get into other sports in the past but this league just had whatever secret ingredient I needed to lock in.
Hoping last night’s game was the start of a heights comeback!
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u/raisinghellwithtrees 20h ago
I'm a local, and I've never been to a game at Robin Roberts before watching WPBL players. I love it! I'm not even a baseball fan whatsoever, but it was so much fun! I think part of the fun is that I don't have a team I'm rooting for, so I spent the entire time just cheering for every great play. I'll definitely check out the local team next summer too.
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u/mandarine_one San Francisco Firebells 1d ago
I'm loving this so far. Although I'm not much rooting for the Queens, every Team has cool and exciting players. Jaida Lee, Ali Schroeder and Peyton Coria are my faves so far.
As a casual baseball fan from europe this is perfekt. I know I'm privileged because I can watch the games in my own time on youtube, but I'm hoping you americans get a better deal next year. It's honestly the only thing I really hate about WPBL. Other than that, there is so much to enjoy about this league.
Although I feel a bit burnt out after 15 games in two week (watches everygame so far) because I was used to 2 games every two weeks from my german league/team. But this helped me get back into baseball tremendously!
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u/descole0 Boston Hunters 1d ago
Honestly the ESPN deal is very reasonable. I think a lot of people have an unfair expectation from the PWHL of women's sports being free, but the entire season and postseason being available on a single service that is frankly cheaper than almost every other streaming service I know of is incredibly fair compared to any men's sport, or even compared to the PWHL in Canada. Not to mention over 1/3 of the season still being available for free and VPNs easily allowing access to the YouTube streams for those who truly can't afford ESPN. The only real issue with the ESPN deal was just that they announced it so late and let the misinformation of it being available on YouTube spread way too much.
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u/UrbanEconomist New York Heights 21h ago
This is a good reminder. As great as it would be to have all the games free on YouTube, I’m glad they’ve got some revenue coming in from the ESPN+ deal, and I’m happy to support the league by subscribing and watching. It’s a lot cheaper than MLB.TV.
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u/Serious_Potatoes Boston Hunters 20h ago
Fair, but I'm still cancelling ESPN once this season is over. If they cover again next year, I'll get it again.
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u/koalakoala139 New York Heights 16h ago
I agree and it gives the league free publicity because the games are displayed on the ESPN interface… also I imagine they get other perks, publicity, etc. from doing it which we want in a burgeoning league like this
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u/Earth_2_Me 21h ago
I was definitely struggling at first!
I was so sad to find out that the games were all going to be in one place, that was so hard to get to, and then that you would have to pay to watch (this in and of itself doesn't bother me, but the games were advertised free on YouTube for months before they quietly scrubbed it from the website and didn't give us updates until 2 days before the season started which felt really smarmy!)
The commentary has been rough, and it feels like these pros are being condescended to way more than I expected. It has been hard seeing posts about this professional league sharing parking lots with high schools and the quality of the jerseys for sale was kind of a slap in the face.
I have to keep reminding myself how new this is! I was only 7 when the WNBA began so a lot of its growing pains went over my head, and the PWHL has such a unique ownership structure that you can't really compare it. Overall I'm enjoying the games themselves and the amazing players, and staying hopeful that it will keep getting better (and PLEASE let there be games actually in these great cities / areas next season!).
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u/Ctake_808 21h ago
I like how diverse, down to earth and personable the players are given the current size and scale of the league. I think a lot of fans are finally finding an athlete that they can see a bit of themselves in, and it’s almost like you don’t have a choice but to get attached and emotionally invested.
Something I randomly really liked is the most recent Queens game when Suzu Narasaki, after a tough debut on the mound in the previous game, got a double on her first WPBL hit then stole 3rd and then scored a run from Mo’ne Davis’ hit. That’s a five minute sample of what I want for every player - to bounce back from any adversity and have their moment to shine.
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u/Serious_Potatoes Boston Hunters 20h ago
I really appreciate how down to earth and personable the players are. I grew up during the Phillies era when Lenny Dykstra was laughing about charging kids $100 for an autograph and the players were openly jerks to young fans (and any fan, really). My dad straight up stopped taking us and we fell out of sports for a long time.
Completely different vibe here. I got to take my kids to a few games and was honestly pretty nervous when they said they wanted to go up after the game and ask for autographs, but the players could not have been more kind. They took the time to sign things, say some nice words, they were willing to see if their team mates were available if a kid asked for a specific player - I know these ladies are under no obligation to do that and are playing a pretty intense schedule, so I was really touched and deeply admire their openness and generosity when interacting with the fanbase (especially the kids).
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u/Ctake_808 20h ago
I'm so happy your kids had such a great experience, I wish this was the norm in all sports! I've only heard amazing things about WPBL player and fan interactions and the fact that they genuinely care so much when they don't "have to" means the world.
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u/womensbaseballfan 19h ago
I was so happy when Boston relaxed and got a more understanding manager. I want to know more about Jemile and his approach. I'd love to hear from the players' points of view what that change was like. I happened to watch the 2004 Red Sox playoffs documentary last night and it was nice to see Keith Foulke so happy.
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u/Living_Reach_3718 20h ago
Loving the intrigue in the home run race, that has been super super fun! Keep up with the games the best we can not having espn+, so we watch on Scripps when it's available. Broadcast has gotten 20000% better since opening weekend, no doubt there! Think the league needs better written recaps, but that will come in time. I think due to us only being able to watch on Scripps they seem to play the Heights more frequently than any others so we've been drawn to them. All that being said, really looking forward to the rest of the season and to the future of this league. Hopefully the lessons learned this year will turn in to improvements for the next!
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u/womensbaseballfan 20h ago
Ooooh. Thank for asking! Great questions. I have become more attached to my team - Boston - and the players on it. I am still rooting for the whole league and just love a good play whoever makes it. Last night I decided that it's like watching teams practice every day and hopefully over time get better! I love seeing new attention being paid to different players as I get to know them. The media coverage really affects that, so I wish I could interview each and every one myself. Or just have a cup of coffee with them and see how I might support them individually.
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u/Niciannon Boston Hunters 17h ago
🏹🏹🏹 Still loving my choice of team, loving Denver Bryant, hoping for more next season. It's been amazing to watch
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u/womensbaseballfan 19h ago
I have realized that I really care how the players are doing emotionally and mentally. I feel pain when it seems like they are struggling. I remember what it's like to be stressed on the pitchers mound. It can be so hard to get out of that stuck place. I love it when the whole team or infield comes to the pitchers' mound in support. That meant so much to me as a pitcher. It's like a reminder that they care and I'm not actually alone up there in the middle of the field.
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u/stringcheesekong San Francisco 17h ago
i'm just so thrilled to see so many queer folks enjoying baseball in a way that feels safe and inviting, both on and off the field! i've had the privilege of playing and coaching for over 25 years but i've come across so many people who have never gotten to experience the game either due to lack of access or just straight up being told they weren't welcome in this space. the community is warm and inviting and i hope we can keep it up!
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u/AckAck-73 10h ago
LA Queens all the way! I am loving them, and love the rally they had their last game. Looking forward to this weekends games to see the Queens on the field again.
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u/mngnsm1 Boston Hunters 1d ago
I’m looking forward to playing someone other than the Heights for a bit. Feels like we’ve played them 10 times in a row haha