Kevin Haynes is one member of the Wifflepalooza VIII champion Stillwell Angels. They lost one game in round-robin play to the W-III champion Million Dollar Corporation and went undefeated in the single elimination bracket to win the Wifflepalooza VIII championship over GunsOut@HansensPub.

Q: What was the inspiration behind the name The Stillwell Angels?

Well we were first trying to find a Major League player that played for the Reds, Braves, and Tigers (our favorite teams).  When we couldn't find that, we did what any right-thinking person would do: dig through old movies for small bits of trivia that could become a name.  In this case that movie happened to be A League of Their Own, and the name "Stillwell Angels" comes from the character of the annoying little kid that one of the Rockford Peaches keeps in the dugout during games.  He's the kid that is saying "You're gonna lose" before Game 7 of the World Series and then is promptly smacked in the face with a glove by Tom Hank's character (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FUB8SrlQAE).

Q: How was your overall experience at Wifflepalooza?

Our overall experience seriously couldn't have been better - we enjoyed every minute.

Q: Compared to other tournaments you've participated in?

I've played in two other tournaments and Wifflepalooza was by far the best. It had a perfect combination of the right rules and people.

Q: What moments stick out as highly memorable moments to remember about W-VIII?

Our first win was huge - I don't think any of us knew exactly how we were going to stack up against the competition and so starting out with a win against a good team gave us some confidence.  Then of course our back to back to back home runs in the first inning of the championship game is something I'll never forget.

Q: What were your strengths and how did they make you better than your opponent?

Well I think it starts with our pitcher and our defense - keeping other teams off the board was absolutely huge (we won two games 1-0).  And I don't know how our hitting stacked up on the whole against the other teams statistically but I know each of us contributed with the bats at various times throughout the tournament, which was nice because when one of us would hit a bad stretch there was always somebody else to pick that guy up.

Q: How important was the first round bye in the bracket?

The first round bye was an important factor - most importantly, I think, because it kept us from having to play a strong team in the opening round, and of course because it let us get out of the heat for a half hour or so.

Q: Your one loss was to the Million Dollar Corporation. Would you have liked to avenge your loss to them enroute to the finals? Are you looking forward to crossing paths in a rematch at the next Wifflepalooza?

The Biscuits are a very good team with a bright future, but in all honesty when we saw they beat Million Dollar Corporation I think each of us wanted to buy the Biscuits a round of beers.  We just didn't feel very strong against MDC and didn't like the idea of facing them after suffering such a one-sided loss.  I don't know what it is but they just seemed to have our number. On the other hand, the Biscuits played us tight in both games and if it wasn't for a late inning rally they would have beaten us in the playoff game. So, in short, I'm glad for what happened but not thrilled about the idea of facing either team in the future.

Q: Considering the size of the trophy, where will you and your teammates put it?

Right now Dennis has it (he has a bay window he wants to show it off in), but we're going to begin a sort of rotation soon.  My biggest concern about the whole thing on my end is my wife's specific decorating scheme - when I mentioned we'd won a gigantic trophy her response was something like "Oh, that's great - who's going to keep it?" and I'm pretty sure she was hoping I wasn't going to say me.

Q: Will your approach to the next Wifflepalooza be any different than this past event?

I hope we can come out just like we did on Saturday - not too confident and just looking to prove we belong with these teams.  There will definitely be a new comfort  in the general sense, but we've got to make sure we stay aggressive and not take anything for granted.

Q: How does it feel to join the championship ranks of other Wifflepalooza champions?

I might be looked at as ridiculous for saying this, but I think this is the greatest accomplishment of my life.  I know my teammates agree because that's all we talked about on the way home to Cincinnati.

Q: Your victory maintained the Streak of a new champion every event. Do you think you will be able to do what no other team has done and be the first team to win a second title?

I can't make any guarantees except for this: we don't intend to give up the title without a fight.

Q: Anything you would like to see to improve the event and/or your experience?

If perhaps the environment could be engineered to be no hotter than 85 degrees with little humidity that would be fantastic - I almost collapsed from heat stroke out there.  Other than that, though,  I truly can't come up with anything that needs improving - everything was truly fantastic.