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"Welcome to Major League Softball" |
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The Old
Scout's - "Softball Report" |
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Updated:
October 6, 2005 |
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The Old
Scout "2005" All World Team |
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First Base: Jeff Hall - Resmondo/Dan
Smith/Menosse
First Base: BJ Fulk - AM Las Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton
Second Base: Brett Helmer - BellCorp/Backman/Taylor/Easton
Second Base: Rusty Bumgardner -
Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse
Third Base: Denny Crine - AM LasVegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton
Third Base: JD Genter - Team Stucco/TPS
Shortstop: Don Dedonatis Jr. -
Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse
Shortstop: Dal Beggs - Bell Corp/Backman/Taylor/Easton
Middle Infielder: Bryson Baker -
Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse
Middle Infielder: Dennis Rulli - AM Las
Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton
Left Field: Jason Kendrick - Resmondo/Dan
Smith/Menosse
Left Field: Brian Wegman - AM Las Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton
Center Field: Rick Baker - Bell Corp/Backman/Taylor/Easton
Center Field: Scott Striebel -
Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse
Right Field: Brian Rainwater -
Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse
Right Field: Wayne
Habermehl
- AM Las
Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton
Pitcher: Andy Purcell - Resmondo/Dan
Smith/Menosse
Pitcher: Scott Nastally - Bell Corp/Backman/Taylor/Easton
Catcher: Jeff Wallace - Resmondo/Dan
Smith/Menosse
Catcher: Scott Brown - Bell Corp/Backman/Taylor/Easton
EH: JC Phelps - Team Stucco/TPS
EH: Tim Cocco - Bell Corp/Backman/Taylor/Easton
Utility: Chris O'Hara - AM Las Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton
Utility: Tim Mattox - Team Stucco/TPS
Manager of the Year: Randy Cropper - AM
Las Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton
Coach: Gary Jost - Bell Corp/Backman/Taylor/Easton
Coach: Frank Webb - Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse
Sponsor of the Year: All of AM Las
Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton -
(Tony, Benfield, Mike, Roger, Mel, Rooster,
Roger & Kevin)
Defensive Player of the Year: Don
Dedonatis Jr.
Co-Offensive Players of the Year: Brett
Helmer, OB .792; RBI's 180; 89 Homeruns
Jeff Wallace, OB .737; RBI's 254; Homeruns 104
Homerun Frequency: Tommy Thompson - 2.563
2005 Homerun Champion: Jeff Wallace 104
HRS. Jeff has won Homerun Champion three of the
last four years. Jeff Hall won in 2004. Wallace
2002-2003-2005.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
ANDY PURCELL
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Remember these are my picks from watching many
tournaments all year long. If you want to pick your own
"All World Team" feel free to do so.
The Old Scout |
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USSSA MAJOR WORLD SERIES - WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS - DISNEY
WORLD, FL |
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September 21-25, 2005 |
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The ice cream was being served, and Resmondo/Dan
Smith/Menosse got a double dip on route to
the most coveted crown in softball, the USSSA
World Series Championship. I have seen a lot of
USSSA Worlds played, and I can tell you this
was as good as it gets. Resmondo and Bell Corp
went at it like Mohammed Ali and Joe Frazier.
These two gladiators punched each other for 14
innings and left nothing on the field. They
battled to the very end, but Bell came up a
little short and had to settle for runner-up in
this prestigious tournament. "The Sod Boys",
who lost to the "Chimers" in their third game,
got up off the floor and played their best ball
of the season and got back to the first game of
the Championship. "The Sod Boys" were the
visitors in both games won the first one, and
then it was on to the "if" game to decide who
would be the #1 team in 2005. Resmondo/Dan
Smith/Menosse had something to prove not only to
the Bell team, but to the softball world that
they belong as the #1 team, and they did just
that. Make no mistake, the Bell/Backman/Taylor/Easton
team have no reason to hang their heads, as this
team is one hell of a softball team who ranks
right up there with the best of any. The way
the game is today, this is the hardest game to
ever play. The NIT's are all restricted homerun
tournaments except the Smoky. When these two
giants play the A teams, it's 12 homeruns.
These great players have to adjust and be able
to win. The players from the past played
unlimited homerun tournaments on 300' fields and
the scores were very high. I know the bats were
not as good as today's, but they were good
enough hitting .47 & .50 core balls. The
players today play restricted tournaments and
also play on baseball fields using 80' bases,
which makes it a total different game. The day
of the 275 lb. outfielders are over. I can tell
you , if you don't have players that are great
athletes and can play the game, you cannot win
at this level. These teams who participated in
this 2005 World Series, all have people who can
flat-out play the game. The "Sod and Bell"
teams have people who are great athletes and
great players who can play the game both
defensively and offensively, and that is the
only way you can win in "Bigtime Softball"
today. The outfielders for both of these teams
are just unbelievable. Resmondo's Kendrick,
Striebel and Rainwater and Bell's Helmer, Baker
and Hughes ran down balls all day long. These
guys just are simply the best in the world and
can flat-out go get the ball in the biggest
ballpark they played in all season long, 335',
385' & 415'.
These guys are good! The ball used this year
was a very explosive ball, the Dudley 3N .47
core. I believe if this ball was tested it
would of been about .600 compression. I can
tell you there were some long homeruns hit this
weekend. Wallace hit one over the dead center
field fence some 475' away. The scoreboard wall
is 35' high at center. Helmer hit some over the
back wall, which is 60' from the 335' outfield
fence. There were a lot of balls hit off the
centerfield scoreboard for homeruns. The
infielders just didn't have much of a chance to
make plays with that ball. There were about
four pitchers who got hit very hard from hitters
hitting it up the middle. I know this, if
they're going to use these balls, they'll have
to move the bases to 80' and let the pitcher
back off the rubber 3 ft. like some of the other
associations allow. I can tell you we are very
lucky that a pitcher didn't get seriously hurt,
or one of the infielders, that's for sure. I
guarantee you this is going to happen soon with
these bats and these type of balls, no doubt
about it.
This is one hell of a place to play, that's for
sure. I believe this is the greatest place for
the best teams in the world to play. I know
this, it would be a lot better using longer
bases to stop the automatic doubles and balls
being hit straight at the outfielders, giving no
chance to keep the runners at 1st. base and to
keep the double play in force. Something has to
be done. There were some great plays made by
infielders, who just got lucky at times. The
ball was coming so fast at them, that they had
to make the play or get the hell out of the way,
because they didn't have a chance to catch it.
I can tell you Don Dedonatis Jr. and Dal Beggs
made some plays, laying straight out that not
very many players could of made. These two are
the very best at shortstop, that's for sure. I
have to say, that the Resmondo win made their
season a whole lot better. This team started
out playing really good, and it sure looked like
they would win everything. "The Sod" boys
headed to the Dudley looking to win and then to
the Smoky, but they went off track at the
Dudley, and then lost at the Smoky. The next
move was on to the NSA Major Worlds. They only
managed to get the runner-up spot in that one.
The only thing left was the USSSA World Series.
I can tell you the pressure was on the players
and sponsors to win this prestigious
tournament. I know for sure if they didn't win
this one, it would of been the biggest let downs
by a team who was expected to dominate the
softball world in 2005. There's no doubt that
this team from the management to the players
went into this one with one thing on their
minds, and that was to win, and that's exactly
what they did. This is the 19th World Title for
Travis Resmondo at the ripe old age of 31. Dan
Smith and Ed Menosse have also racked up a whole
bunch of World Titles. These three great
sponsors have put together one hell of a
talented team, that's for sure. I can tell you
it took most of the season to get this team to
come together, but it did and it surely paid off
winning the World Championship. Congratulations
to Travis, Dan, Ed, Pat, John, Jerry, Sol, Frank
& Shirl and the players who got it done and
proved to the softball world that you were the
"best team in 2005". The Resmondo team got it
done with one of the games all time great
players, Rusty Bumgardner who just struggled
hitting the ball this weekend. The management
had to sit Rusty for the first time in his
historic career. I'm here to tell you Rusty
remained a total teammate cheering on his team,
and when asked to pinch hit or go in and play
defense, he was there. Rusty you still are a
great player and I hope you come back in 2006
and prove it was just a bad weekend, good luck.
I also want to say that Dennis Turner and
Ed Rosado are two players who were a big part of
the Resmondo team winning this USSSA World
Tournament, and doing a great job when called on
during the season. Second place went to Bell
Corp, who just gave everything they had in this
unbelievable World Tournament. This is one
great softball team, who battled all season long
and won the two biggest NIT's in softball, the
Dudley and the Smoky. I know that management
and the players must be very disappointed about
not winning the NSA or the USSSA, but you guys
have nothing to hang your head about. This team
has some of the best players in the world, and
they all have the heart of a lion, no doubt
about it. I know Woody, Jerry and Bill gave
this team anything they needed to make this team
go. John and Gary gave their all running this
great team. I know watching this team play all
season there wasn't anything missing that would
of made a difference from winning or losing this
weekend. This team played even all season long
against a team that had an all star player in
every position, and it came down to a one inning
game to settle the #1 & #2 teams for the 2005
season. I guarantee you it doesn't get any
closer than this. Congratulations to Woody,
Jerry, Bill, John, Gary, Scotty and to all the
players on a great season, and good luck to all
for next year.
Third place went to Northwest Pipe/3N2/Easton,
who just played very good this whole season. I
know that some people will say "hey they had it
made in this one". I'm here to tell you that
this team beat the teams they needed to beat,
and lost to the two best teams in the world.
They earned that 3rd place finish believe me. I
can tell you this team had a great season
winning the Last Chance and finishing in 3rd
place in the grand daddy of them all.
Congratulations to Larry and his son and to all
the players for a great season, and good luck
next year. Fourth place went to AM/Las Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton
who had to play Resmondo two times and lost to
the best team in 2005. I know it was too bad
the bracket had to come out like it did, but
that is the way the USSSA does it, bracketed by
the points and you guys just got caught up in
it. I know this, you guys have nothing to feel
bad about. You had a great season. I know
winning the three World Championships is nothing
to sneeze about, that's for sure. I will tell
you that this team had some of the best players
in the world on it, and it sure proved it all
season long. Congratulations to Tony, Benfield,
Mike, Roger, Mel, Rooster, Cropper, Mac, Roger &
Kevin on a great season. Congratulations to
all the other great teams who participated in
this years World Tournament.
I want to commend Don Dedonatis on the job he
and his USSSA staff has done making this the
best softball tournament in the world. The Wide
World of Sports Cracker Jack Stadium is the most
beautiful place to play the best teams in the
world. I honestly believe that if this
tournament was played with 80' bases on this
size field, the very good A teams would have a
chance to win. They have no chance on 70'
bases. These good A teams who have great
defense just cannot get out of an inning,
because they can't make many double plays and
you can't stop legit singles from being
doubles. When 260 lb. players can beat out
ground balls and take two on legit singles,
these A teams cannot stop the big innings
period. This is the only association that still
uses 70' bases in bigtime softball. They need
to play with 80' bases on baseball fields,
period. I also want to say the umpiring was
excellent. When you get the best teams, you've
got to have the best umpires and they did. The
USSSA absolutely did their homework getting over
240 D teams, 40 B teams and over 100 B, C & D
Women's teams to go along with the 16 Majors.
It doesn't get any better than this. The crowds
were great all week. Sunday was the biggest
crowd I've ever seen on a Sunday. All I can say
is this was truly a professional event ran by a
professional association. I am just very happy
to be a part of it every year and I hope my
health will let me see many more. I love this
game very much and I can't wait until next year
to see the best games and the best World Series
in the world. Congratulations to Kirby
Investment for winning the Class B USSSA
Worlds. This my friends is one hell of a B team
who can play with any B team in the world. Tim
you are a "Class Act" and I'm privileged to have
met you in Panama City, FL. I can tell all of
softball that the B program in softball is the
future of Bigtime Softball. The players playing
B ball today will be the future of the Major
World Series down the road. I believe that the
good B teams should play in the Major NIT's and
the A Worlds to get better, and get more
experience to get to the top level of Bigtime
Softball. Congratulations to all the B teams
who played in this one. Good luck next year.
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ASA HOOTERS CHAMPIONSHIP -
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK |
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September 23-24, 2005 |
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Long Haul/Miken won this great Class A
National by sweeping Berardi's/TPS in three
games. "The Truckers" have now won two World
Titles, the WSL in 2003 & the ASA Class A. This
team is made up of brothers, brother-in-laws and
cousins with a couple of outsiders. Believe me,
this bunch can play the game. This team started
off slow, but got it rolling in Little Rock and
just won from there on out. Congratulations on
a great season. Good luck next year. Berardi's/TPS
just didn't play well in this one. I can tell
you this team had a great season and have
nothing to hang their heads for.
Congratulations on a great season, and good luck
next year. Jean Shoppe/Worth won the Class B,
but had to go the distance winning the 5th game
to capture the B National. This is another very
good team who needs to step up and play A ball
next year. They can compete with any of the A
teams. Good luck next year.
I want to commend Ron, Kelly and the whole ASA
staff on a great Hooters Championship. I hope
you guys make the right moves and the right
changes to bring back the ASA where it belongs
next year. Do not wait, you need to get it done
now. Good luck. I would like to thank
Softball Central, Gene Smith and Scott for the
great job they did broadcasting the USSSA A. the
ASA Major and the two greatest games to ever
been played in the USSSA Majors. This was a
total professional job done by these two guys,
and I believe a great promotion for Big Time
Softball. Thanks The Old Scout
I will post the Old Scout's 2005 All World Team
and the Player of the Year this week. The Old Scout
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ASA MAJOR - SANFORD, FL |
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September 16 -17, 2005 |
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AM Las Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Shade/Belcher/Easton
wins the ASA Major in Sanford, Fla. “The Gamblers” have
just played unbelievable in all the Worlds they’ve
played in so far. This is one hell of a softball team.
This ball club is very talented with great defense, and
they can hit it as good as any team playing today. This
team has the best young players in the game today, no
doubt about it. Wegman, Justice, Habermehl,
Mathews, O’Hara, Crime, Webber, Adams, Fulk, Rulli and
others that can flat out play the game. This team is
very close to the big two, that’s for sure. I know this,
that it doesn’t matter what they do this week at Mickey
Mouse World, because they’ve already won three World
Championships this season. I believe they are very
capable of winning the USSSA Worlds, we will see.
Brett Helmer was picked up for this one and he was a
force, as he hit 8 homeruns to lead the tournament, and
only hit a mere .800. I can tell you that this win was a
total team effort that’s for sure. Congratulations on
winning this one and good luck at Disney. Second place
went to a very good Armed Forces Team, who played great
in this one. This team is an All Star team made up of
players from the Navy, Air Force, Marines and Army. This
team was put together two weeks ago, and they played for
the first time in this ASA Major. Congratulations on a
great weekend, and good luck to you all. Thank you for
guarding our great country, and God Bless you all. Third
place went to Aubrey’s/Resmondo/TPS, who just did not
play good enough in this one. They really did not hit it
like they can, that’s for sure. They got beat by the
very good Armed Forces Team. Good luck in Disney.
I want to commend Tony Galloway for running this ASA
Major. It would have been very easy to of cancelled this
tournament. I believe it was a nice tournament for only
three teams. There were some very good games in the pool
play and in the double elimination. I also want to
commend Bernie and his umpiring staff on a great job
done and also the great staff at Sanford Memorial
Stadium in keeping this beautiful park in great shape.
It’s one of the best in the country by far. This week is
the Hooters ASA Championship in Oklahoma and the “grand
daddy” of them all the USSSA Worlds at Wide World of
Sports at Disney. Good luck to all the teams.
The Old Scout |
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SPECIAL
REPORT |
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September 19, 2005 |
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I
don't know what is going to happen to the USSSA
program for the upper levels. I know rumors have
been flying around since the USSSA Class A
Worlds. I can tell you there was a proposal put
to the 19 teams who were at the manager's
meeting. The proposal was to put a softball
conference together. Some of the proposal was to
reach an agreement of the number of elite players
to be allowed on a team. I believe this is the
right direction to go if the upper level is to
survive. I believe that if this program is
instituted the game would survive and parity would
come into the game. I believe this is the only
way to go today. I will tell you for this to work
the right elite list must be made. When this list
is completed no player can come off until the next
season. I can tell you if the list is not made
right and some players are left off, the big money
sponsors will grab them up and we will be right
back where we are now. I know this, that if the
right list is made then the big money sponsors
would pick their five elite players and then they
would have to go out and find seven players that
are not on the list to fill their roster. I
believe that this would make these teams have to
get players from the A and B teams or any other
players that can play at this level. By doing
this, it would cut the costs down for all teams
who joined the conference considerably. I believe
by doing this we could have about 8-10 teams who
could afford to play about 6 NIT's in the USSSA,
the Smoky Mountain Classic, and three other
unlimited homerun tournaments on baseball fields.
The six USSSA tournaments could be on the 300'
fields with a limited homerun rule. I would have
two worlds, USSSA and the other association along
with the ASA Major. I hope the USSSA proposal
will become reality, but I doubt that it will ever
get off the ground. You might ask why, and my
answer is I don't think there are enough teams
interested in this program, we will see.
I know that the ASA is going to
propose to have a Major program for 2006, no A or
B, just Major, C & D. I totally agree that they
are right in going this way. I believe if the
USSSA doesn't make the changes, that upper level
softball could be totally dead in three years.
Look at the NIT's this year. Most of them had
about 12 teams in them. I can tell you if the B
& C or local teams did not enter these NIT's we
would have had 5 or 6 team tournaments. The Smoky
had 30 teams in their tournament, 12 A's, 2 Supers
and the rest were B or lower. The Dudley had 32
teams, 12 A's, 3 Supers and the rest B & C's. The
number of teams who traveled to NIT's and World
Tournaments this season were as follows; 12 USSSA
NIT's, 8 ASA NIT's, 4 NSA NIT's, 4 WSL NIT's at
the upper level, making 28 NIT's in all. This
year there will be 11 World Tournaments played. I
want someone to tell me how in hell 14 upper level
teams can play in 28 NIT's and 11 Worlds. This
is one of the big problems in upper level
softball. Too many NIT's, too many Worlds, not
enough teams period. Take a look at the World
Tournaments this year. ISA A-9 teams, NSA Class
A-8 teams, ASA East A-10 teams, ASA West A-11
teams, USSSA A Worlds-19 teams, NSA AA-6 teams,
ASA Major-3 teams, NSA Major-5 teams, USSSA
Super-16 teams. Most of these Worlds are filled
out with B, some C teams along with some locals,
and that's just to get the numbers that we got
this year. I can tell you, if those B & C teams
did not play in these Worlds, the biggest World
Tournament this year would have been 12 upper
level teams. I will say it again one more time,
and I give up on this if nothing is going to be
done. We need to cut down the NIT's in upper
level softball . This is just my opinion
remember, but to save this upper level game the
USSSA should hold no more than 8 NIT's and one
World. The new association should hold 3 NIT's
and the Smoky Mtn. Classic, and that should be all
the tournaments for the upper level teams in 2006,
just my opinion. Obviously, the teams cannot
afford to play anymore than that. I say most of
the A teams play about 8 NIT's, the 2 Super teams
play about 8 or 9, the A teams usually play about
3 Worlds Class A, the USSSA Super and some play
the NSA AA and NSA Major. This year there were
only 3 in the ASA Major. I say the upper level
should be one division, call it Major, Super or A,
but this is it, one division period. I believe
that if this is done, the number of teams in the
NIT's would then go up with the 12 tournaments
that I suggested. Most of the A teams and the two
Super teams would play in at least NIT's out of
the 12 and you could get them all to play in the
two Worlds, and the A teams in the ASA Major. If
we did that in the NIT's we could get at least 8
of the A's, 2 of the Supers, 4 B teams and a
couple of local teams and you would end up with a
16 team NIT, and that my friends is enough.
Remember this, it's only my opinion. I am sure
there are others who also have theirs. Feel free
to voice your positive opinions on the board. I'm
going to give you my elite list that I think would
be the right list, if by any chance the USSSA
would go to the 5 elite players on a team. By
using this list then any other players in the
country who are not on this list could play for
any of the teams in the conference if it goes.
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Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse:
Wallace, Bumgardner, Hall, Krause, Striebel,
Rainwater, Turner, Glidewell, Bryson Baker,
Dedonatis, Purcell, Kendrick, Garris
Bell Corp/Taylor Bros/Backman:
Cocco, Helmer, Joerling, Beggs, Brown, Devine,
Martin, King, Rick Baker, Hughes, Nastally, Davis,
Robin Higginbotham
AM Las Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton:
Crine, Rulli, Lavarico, Wegman, O'Hara, Fulk,
Habermehl, Justice
Team Stucco: JC Phelps,
Mattox, JD Genter, Dykes, Golash
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Quick Roofing/Alabama
Brick/Doc's/Easton: Bisbee, Chilton, Goulet
Aubrey's/TPS:
Boone, Arnold
Berardi's/TPS: Ballard,
Mouchinelli
Team Combat: McCraw,
Howerton
Northwest Pipe: Hille
Barnes Logging/Worth:
Stafford
Jean Shoppe/Worth: Heath
Burns
These are players who did not play
on an upper level team in 2005.
Briggs
Kortokrax
Rose
Rickard
Frizzel
Woldyke
Dubose
Rob Hughes
Ray Cowart
Ronnie James
These are the players that I feel
belong on the Elite list, and this is just my
opinion. Anyone who feels like putting their own
list on the board, feel free to do so. If the
program goes then any of the teams in the
conference could choose any five players from this
list, and then fill their rosters with players
that are not on this list. By doing this I
believe parity will come to upper level softball
and there will be more teams to participate in the
NIT's. I am sure if this program is not put in
place by the USSSA they will find something else
to keep Bigtime Softball going, either way we need
to make changes to survive. Once again it's just
my opinion.
The Old Scout
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WSL/MIKEN SPORTS NORTH AMERICAN
CHAMPIONSHIPS |
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PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL.
SEPT 9-11, 2005 |
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I've got to tell you this was one
of the most competitive Worlds in all divisions
that I have seen in a long time. Starting out
with the A Division Quick Roofing/Alabama
Brick/Doc's/Easton, who were the Class of the
field in this one. The "Quick Boys" just hit it,
hit it with power and played great defense. "The
Brick Boys" have been a very strong team all
season long, and finally got over the hump and won
a World Championship. This was the first World
Championship for sponsor Jeff Quick and sponsor,
manager Doc Barr. Congratulations to Doc and Jeff
on the win and for being two great sponsors over
the years. This was a total team effort for
sure. Great job guys and good luck in the big
one. Second place went to Long Haul/Miken, who
played very good, but could not get it done this
weekend. "The Truckers" beat the "Brick Boys"
last week in the West ASA Class A Tournament. The
"Long Haul Boys" have had a good season and will
head to Oklahoma to play the Hooters ASA A
Championship against Berardi's/TPS. Good job boys
and good luck in Oklahoma. Third place went to
Blue Martini, who had about six Berardi players in
the line-up. "The Martini Boys" lost a very tough
game against the "Brick Boys" and then lost to
Long Haul. This bunch was in every game with
Mooch doing the pitching. When this guy is
pitching it doesn't matter what association he
pitches in, he is going to keep his team in it, I
guarantee you. This young man is as good as it
gets, believe me. Good job guys and good luck in
Oklahoma. Fourth place went to CAI, who played
very good in this one. Great job boys and good
luck down the road.
The B Division had a great field of
teams, and it proved it by the finish. Kirby
Investments won this unbelievable B Division
by outlasting Team Arkansas. The
boys from Destin Beach, FL, a home grown team, put it
all together in this one to capture the WSL B
World. This bunch just scrapped their butt off to
win this one. The "Kirby Boys" can hit it and
pick it, and that was the difference winning.
This bunch just did not quit when they were down,
they found their way to win. Congratulations on
this great victory and good luck in what you do in
2006. Second place went to Team Arkansas, who is
a very good B team who I had seen earlier at the
Busch Classic and they had played well there.
This bunch gave it their all before coming up a
little short in the first game of the
Championship. Great job guys, and good luck the
rest of the season. Third place went to
Tharaldson's Enterprises, who was
another good B team. This gang played very hard
and deserved their third place finish. Good job
guys. Fourth place went to Jean Shoppe/Worth, who
just didn't get it done in this one. Make no
mistake, this is one very talented team, but did
not play to their standards this weekend and it
cost them. Good job and good luck in Oklahoma.
The C Division was another great
tourney. The battle was fierce and Avalon
Softball got the WSL C World title. This is a
very good C team who plays great defense and can
also hit it. Good job guys and good luck. Second
place went to Players Sport Pub who gave it a
great battle, but came up a little short. Good
job boys. Third place went to Triangle Softball,
who is also another one of those very good C
teams. This bunch played very well in this one,
that's for sure. Good luck down the road. Fourth
place went to Bud/Miken/Hummers who had a very
good tournament and a good finish. Good luck
boys.
The D Division was another great
battle and CSC/ALP Services won this one.
This is a very good D team who can play the game.
Great job boys and congratulations in winning this
WSL World. Second place went to Gosnells/Boombah.
This is also a very good D team. Good job boys
and good luck. Third place went to LO2/Lights
Out, who played very good in this one. Good luck
down the road. Fourth place went to Zamora's/All
Out Sports. This bunch gave it their all and
played pretty well.
The Women's Upper Division was a
round robin and then double elimination. Long
Haul/Said Enough/Easton won this very
competitive Women's Upper WSL Championship. "The
Truckers" lost in the round robin to Minnesota
Ice, but came charging out of the double
elimination and beat Ice on route to the
Championship. I said in an earlier softball
report that this is one hell of a women's team,
and they have proven me right. This bunch had one
fall this season and that was the USSSA A Worlds
losing to the Ice, but turned the table in this
one. Congratulations on winning the WSL Open and
good luck. Second place went to
Okaki
Softball, who is a very good team,
who can pick it and hit it. This bunch gave it
all they had, but came up a little short. Good
tournament girls and good luck. Third place went
to Minnesota Ice, who really is a very good team.
"The Ice Girls" just came up a little short in
this one. This team is managed by Scott Brown,
one of the bigtime hitters in softball. Fourth
place went to Minnesota Storm, who's also a very
good team. Great job and good luck.
The Women's Lower Division was won
by Bryant Express, who's a very nice lower
division team. They played very well in getting
this WSL Miken Championship. Good job girls and
good luck. Second place went to
Tharaldson's Enterprises, who also
played very good. Great job girls and good luck.
Third place went to Hilton of PBC. This bunch
also played good. Good luck down the road.
Fourth place went to Warm Trucking. This team
also played well. Good luck girls.
I'm going to write about the WSL
Miken North American Championships. John Daniels
has led the WSL for four years and it has grown
every year since. John has gotten involved with
existing tournaments that have been very
successful events. Tournaments like the MaQuade
in North Dakota, 424 teams this year. College
Station, Texas, 200 teams; The Firemen's in
Bloomington, Minnesota, 164 teams; Corky's in
Minnesota, 100 teams; the Spud Fest, 80 teams and
tournaments in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi,
Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio and many other places
throughout the country. John has held four WSL
World Championships and each year it has gotten
better. John and Miken Sports had the biggest
cash payout and Miken prize package that any
association has ever given out. Every Division
got cash and a Miken package. When I go on my
board and see some idiot posting absolute garbage
about the WSL and the fields at Frank Brown Park
in Panama City I want to puke. Then the idiot
doesn't have the balls to sign his name. Like him
or not, John Daniels has given his all to promote
this great game of softball. His Softball
360° TV
show is a First Class show. The ratings are
unbelievable all over the country. That my friend
is how this game should be promoted. There's no
way that idiot is going to come on my board
anymore and bash John, the WSL or any other
association, sponsor, player, myself or anybody
else. I have given people who come on the board a
chance when they bash and don't sign their name.
I can tell you all now It is OVER!! I will ban
anybody from the board who bashes anyone, That is
It!!!
I want to thank the staff at Frank
Brown Park on a great job, and also the concession
people who worked their butts off. I want to
commend the umpires on a great job in all the
divisions. I want to thank the WSL staff on a
great job on running this great WSL/Miken North
American Championship. Great job!! I want to
tell you that the Class A & B was played on the
325' field using 80' bases, which was absolutely
the way this game should be played. I also
believe the USSSA Class A Worlds was perfect on
the 300' fields because of the ball used, and
that's the way it should be. The 330' fields used
in the NSA Worlds with 80' bases was also
perfect. We have two choices in my opinion to
play this game in 2006; 325' or bigger with 80'
bases or 300' fields with explosive balls and 70'
bases. I say play some on 300' and some on 325'
or bigger and this game will survive. Remember
this is only my opinion.
I also want to say that Don
Dedonatis has also done a great job as the head
man of the USSSA. Don has made this great game
go. Don has kept the upper level going in the
toughest times in the history of the game. Don
has instituted rules that have helped this game,
that's for sure. I know that the USSSA World
Series is no doubt the best of the game. When
teams can play at the Wide World of Sports Complex
and Cracker Jack Stadium, it doesn't get any
classier or better. I believe this tournament is
the best because the best teams play. The field
is the biggest and the best conditions than any
other place we play. The only thing that I
believe is the bases should be 80' in today's
game, just my opinion. The Class A World was the
best because of the ball used and the best teams
were there, period. Don has proposed a new
softball conference for next year and I hope this
happens. I will write a story next week on this
and give you my elite player's list that must be
put in place for this proposed conference to work.
I'm sure there will be others to have lists too.
This weekend the ASA Major is in Sanford, FL.
The Old Scout
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WSL LONG HAUL BOMBERS CHAMPIONSHIP - SEPTEMBER
4, 2005 |
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Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona was the site
for the finals of the 2005 Long Haul Bombers Homerun
Derby. RJ Howerton, the gentle giant from
Team Combat got in the groove early and hammered 11
out of 15 to capture the championship. RJ hit first
and hit some gigantic bombs to left and left center
in this huge ballpark, 335'-380' and 413'. The
Combat was the best for the bats in this one, that's
for sure. Congratulations to RJ and I am sure the
$5,000 prize money will come in handy. Scott Brown
from Bell Corp/Taylor Bros/Backman/Easton finished
as the runner-up. Scott was very consistent all
season long in this homerun derby tour.
Congratulations Scott, and I know you and your wife
will enjoy your all expense paid trip to Mexico.
Briggs, Bumgardner and Helmer were the other
contestants. I know for sure that this Long Haul
Bombers Homerun Tour throughout Major League
baseball stadiums this summer is the best promotion
that Bigtime Softball has ever done. The players
and the game have got the exposure to well over
750,000 baseball fans. Most of these fans have
never seen a softball hit. I can tell you that when
these players after hitting sat for two hours
signing autographs for kids and many adults. I can
also tell you that one of the most asked questions
is "where can we see you guys play"? Talking with
the players they say "everytime they go through the
airports or on the plane people are asking "are you
guys professional athletes"? I personally would
like to thank John Daniels for putting this deal
together and taking this game to the next level. I
also want to say this bigtime promotion could not be
done without these great sponsors, Combat, Easton
Sports, Mizuno, Miken Sports, Louisville Slugger,
Long Haul Trucking, Avis Rent A Car, Best Western
Hotels and others just to mention a few. I know
for sure that next year we will be in more Major
League stadiums across America and put on the
greatest show in bigtime softball. Great job guys
and looking forward to next year.
ASA CLASS "A" EAST - JACKSONVILLE, FL
- SEPTEMBER 3-4, 2005
Berardi's/TPS wins the ASA East and will be
heading to Oklahoma for the Hooters Championship.
Berardi's has now made it the 4th World Championship
for Louisville Slugger in 2005. Team Stucco/TPS has
two, Aubrey's/TPS has one and now Berardi's has
one. There are four World Tournaments left, the
Hooter's Championship, the WSL Championship, the ASA
Major and the "grand daddy" of them all the USSSA
Super Worlds. Berardi's has been very competitive
all season long. This is a very solid A team for
sure. I believe the Hooter's Championship against
Long Haul/Miken will be a very good final. These
two teams are very close tight teams. It should be
very interesting. Congratulations and good luck in
Oklahoma. Second place went to Birdies Old School.
I don't know much about this team, but they must of
played pretty good to get second. Good job boys!
Third place went to Check King/Hit n Run. This
bunch has been pretty competitive throughout the
season. Good job guys! Fourth place went to
Godfather/Worth, who I don't know much about either.
Good job guys! Team Stucco/TPS and Aubrey's/Resmondo/TPS
finished tied for 5th. These two had to play each
other in the first game. I can tell you that
neither one played very well in this one. Just a
bad weekend for both of these very good A teams.
ASA CLASS "A" WEST - McALLEN, TX - SEPTEMBER
3-4, 2005
Long Haul/Miken wins the West and will head
to Oklahoma to the Hooters Championship. Long Haul
and Berardi's will get it on in Oklahoma. I believe
this is a great match up, since these two teams are
pretty evenly matched. I know this, they both can
hit it and they both can catch it. It should be
interesting. Long Haul hasn't played the
competition that Berardi's has this season, but I
guarantee they will be a very tough opponent, we
will see. Second place went to Midwest/Easton, who
is a pretty good A team. This bunch has played
pretty competitive all season long. Good job guys!
Third place went to All Star Plumbing/Miken. I
don't know much about this team, but they played
very well in this one. Fourth place went to Quick
Roofing/Alabama Brick/Doc's/Easton who was the
favorite to win this one, but didn't get it done.
Next Up the WSL/Miken Championships in Panama City
Beach, FL this coming weekend. There are over 130
teams participating in this great event. Good luck
to all the teams.
The Old Scout
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NSA "MAJOR" WORLDS -
Michigan City, IN |
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August 26-28, 2005 |
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AM Las Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade
Rest./Easton wins the 20th NSA Major Worlds. This
is the last NSA Major that will be played. The NSA has
decided to not play the program next year. The
"Gamblers" went 4-0 on route to the Championship. This
is how the championship game went; Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse
jumped out to a 19 run lead going to the bottom of the
4th, needing one run to force the "if" game. The "Sod
Boys" had runners on 1st & 3rd with nobody out. Hall hit
a ground ball to the shortstop, getting them the force
out. Runners are on 1st & 3rd with one out Bumgardner
came to bat needing to hit a deep fly ball, a base hit
or hit it out. The results were a double play, inning
over. The "Gamblers" came to bat in the top of the 5th
and proceeded to erupt for 14 runs to pull within four,
24-20. Resmondo came to bat in the bottom of the 7th.
trailing by 3 with no homeruns left scoring 3 to tie the
game. Resmondo had a chance to win it again with the
bases loaded. Don Dedonatis came to bat, but failed to
push the winning run across and the game went to the top
of the 8th. The "Vegas Boys" got two runners on with 2
outs, game tied and MVP of the tournament Dennis Rulli
hit a homerun to put the "Gamblers" up by 3. The "Sod
Boys" came to bat the bottom of the 8th; Hall hit it out
of the park for the 1st out, and Bumgardner flew out to
right center for the 2nd out. Wallace then doubled,
Krause got a hit with runners on 1st & 3rd with 2 outs
and Baker flew out to end the game.
This was not the best game ever played, but it sure was
one of the most exciting ones right down to the end.
The "Vegas Boys" don't ever quit no matter how many runs
they're down. I have said that this is a very talented
team, who has competed with the two big teams all season
long beating Bell Corp a few times and finally getting
the best of Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse at the right
time. Dennis Rulli was the tournament's MVP and
rightfully so, but I can tell you this was a total team
effort. The "Gamblers" now have won the NSA AA, the NSA
Major which is the first time any team has won both in
the same season. The "Gamblers" also finished runner-up
at the USSSA Class A last weekend losing to Team Stucco
by one run. I know this for sure, the team sponsors,
coaches, players and Easton should be very proud of what
this team has accomplished. Great job
and congratulations on your successful run and good luck
at Mickey Mouse World in a few weeks. I can tell you
that you will be the #1 ranked team in the world going
into the USSSA Super Worlds and you deserve it.
Runner-up in this one was Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse who
just did not get it done. I said in the start of the
season that this maybe the best team ever, and I
believed this bunch could accomplish that. I am here to
tell you that I was way out of line even saying they may
be. I admit I was wrong, and to my critics I say people
do get it wrong, and I did. I still think that this is
a very strong softball team. I don't believe that this
team ever came together to be the very best for whatever
reasons. The ball club has not played good throughout
most of the season. They have played awful the last few
tournaments losing to Northwest Pipe, then this weekend
they lost to Team Combat and Las Vegas/Benfield. This
bunch also lost the two biggest NIT's of the season, the
Dudley and the Smoky. I can tell you some of the best
minds in softball thought that this team would dominate,
but they went the other direction for whatever reason.
This team has some of the best players who have ever
played the game. Remember this, "talent doesn't always
get it done, and if the chemistry isn't right and
everybody isn't on the same page then it becomes very
difficult to win. I honestly believe this team just did
not come together and they are paying the price. I
think when Travis and Dan got together and selected the
players, managers and coaches that they made the right
choices, but for some reason it just hasn't worked.
There is one more World left the grand daddy of them
all, the USSSA Super. I am not sure that if this team
wins this one it will justify the total season. I
guarantee you that this one will be very interesting.
Remember this one is an unlimited homerun tournament,
and we will see what happens. Third place went to
Team Combat/Kleuvers/Snap On, who has been struggling
most of the season. This bunch got it going against
Resmondo Friday night and run-ruled them. I would think
this is definitely the highlight of the season so far
for this team. I believe this is a much better team
than they have showed. Good luck at Disney! Fourth
place went to Bell Corp/Taylor Bros/Backman/Easton.
This team has also been struggling for a few
tournaments. This bunch has played pretty even against
Resmondo most of the season.. Remember they won the
Dudley and the Smoky, the two biggest tournaments of the
season. I believe if they win the USSSA Worlds they
would be the #1 team for 2005, we will see. This team
will have to play a whole lot better if they want to win
at Mickey Mouse World. This ball club has lost to some
much lesser teams this season for whatever reason. Good
luck in the big one.
I finally got to Michigan City and Patriot Park. I can
tell you it sure is one fine complex. I know this that
playing on 330' fields and 80' bases, using a .44 - 525
is absolutely perfect. This is how big time softball
should be played. I also believe using the 16 homerun
rule is perfect for these conditions. This was a small
field of teams, but a very exciting tournament.
I would like to write a little about the job that Jim
Kimmel has done for the NSA in "Bigtime Softball". Jim
has dedicated his time and efforts to keep the upper
division going. Jim came to Daytona Beach a few years
back to see an experimental tournament that I ran. I
used 90' bases and 80' bases on a big baseball field.
After Jim seeing and talking to the players he took the
idea and put it into the NSA Major that year. Jim has
kept it this way right up to the last Major NSA
tournament. There now will be no more. I believe that
80' bases is where the game belongs, giving the lesser
teams a chance to compete on the baseball fields. The
way the equipment is today we need to back up the
infielders and the pitchers, that's for sure. Jim I
give you a lot of credit trying to keep this type of
game going, and believe me I think you did the right
thing, playing on bigger fields and using 80' bases.
Thanks for all the memories from the NSA Majors and good
luck in whatever you do in the future.
I know this for sure, that with the equipment today and
the balls flying at over 100 miles per hour on 300'
fields some of the rules don't make any sense.
Infielders can only take one step one way and one step
the other and hopefully they can make a play, and then
when balls are hit off the chest of an infielder and he
picks it up, but can't make a play on 70' bases there is
something wrong. The restricted homerun tournaments on
300' fields are not the way the game should be played
today. The game is very lucky that a pitcher has not
been killed in restricted homerun tournaments on 300'
fields. I know that playing on the bigger fields, using
80' bases and letting the pitcher pitch 3' back there
has been a whole lot less injuries playing in these
conditions. Playing on 300' fields, 50' pitching mound
and 70' bases is not the answer in today's game. The
game is much better when infielders can turn double
plays, and runners can not get automatic doubles, balls
that are hit in the gaps are not always triples or
inside the park homeruns. I have wrote what I believe
and how this game should be played. I will tell my
critics who don't agree with me that is fine, but I will
not take any bashing from anyone on the board. I don't
mind anyone's opinions, but I promise I will ban anyone
who bashes me or anybody else. Opinions are one thing,
but bashing will not be tolerated anymore on this board.
The Old Scout |
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USSSA CLASS "A" WORLD SERIES |
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WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS - DISNEY WORLD, FL -
AUGUST 20-22
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Team Stucco/K&G/TPS wins the USSSA Class A Worlds.
I've said in the last few softball reports that this
team was the hottest team in the country. I can
tell you now that this team is as good as any team
playing right now. Team Stucco has got everything a
team needs to win. This team is solid at every
position, and has people who can come off the bench
and get it done. This ball club is much different
than last year's USSSA Class A Champion. The
"Stucco Boys" made a lot of changes from last year's
team. I said earlier that the addition of "Big" JC
Phelps would put this team above the rest of the A
teams, and it sure has. JC is hitting the ball just
like he did when he was with some of the best teams
ever to play this game. This team has one great
infield in all positions, Genter at 3B, Maddox at
SS, Blunt in the middle, Huff at 2B and Gulash at
1B. The key to this infield is the pitching of
Johnny Dykes, who can pick it with the best of
them. The Stucco outfield is as good as it gets. I
can also tell you everyone of their players can flat
out hit it. The "Stucco Boys" had to dig deep in
the winners bracket game scoring 6 runs to win over
Barnes Logging. They then had to overcome a 5 run
deficit to win the championship game over AM Las
Vegas. I can tell you if you're going to win a
championship you have to win games like this, and
the Stucco Boys did just that. Congratulations on
winning this great tournament.
This my friends is the first time that a Class A
team has repeated as a Class A World Champion in
USSSA history. I am checking to see if it has
happened in any other association. I will report it
when I find out. Second place went to AM Las
Vegas/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton, who believe me
played their butts off after losing their second
game. I have said this team was caught in a trap,
but the job they did in this one was unbelievable.
This team was built to try and compete with the two
big teams, and they've done pretty good at that. I
can tell you that when this team entered this USSSA
Class A World I knew it was going to be very
difficult to win in this 8 homerun limit
tournament. I'm here to tell you they did
everything possible to try and win this tournament.
They adjusted and hit it backside, hitting the gaps
and hitting their homeruns with runners on base. I
give them a lot of credit for adjusting to this
game. This ball club battled through the brutal
heat playing 8 games and came up just a little short
in the first game of the championship. This was
truly a great team effort for the boys from Las
Vegas. Third place went to Barnes Logging/Worth,
who just came up short of winning this one, I
guarantee you. This Barnes team is a top flight
Class A team, and are a class act from the sponsors
and the players. This Worth team is solid in all
phases of the game. They can hit it and they can
pick it. They have one of the games best pitchers
in Kurt Stafford, who has played on some of the
games best teams over the years. Kurt pitched a
terrific tournament for Barnes, and pitched every
game. This was a total team effort, no doubt about
it. Congratulations on a great tournament and good
luck the rest of the way. Fourth place went to
Berardi's/TPS, who may have been a surprise to some
people, but to me it wasn't a surprise. I believe
this is a very good A team who has a lot of talent
and have proven it over the years. This team has
the best young pitcher in the game. This young man
works harder than any USSSA pitcher that I have seen
in years. He is a lot like Greg Canaday, but does
more antics than Greg used to do. This is one
player that you'll want to see pitch. You won't
believe how hard he works. I won't tell you his
name at this time. Great job boys and good luck.
I have been around softball for 43 years as a
player, coach, manager, fan and reporter, and have
seen more softball games and tournaments than
probably anybody around the game today. I can tell
you that this USSSA Class A Worlds was the most
competitive, well run tournament I've ever seen.
Last years USSSA Class A World was a great
tournament, but not even close to this one, I
guarantee you. The ball used was a .47 core .525
Dudley. This ball was as explosive as any I've seen
in years. The ball flew in the heat of the day as
well as the heat of the night. Some people thought
it was a little too hot. I believe it was perfect
for this 8 homerun limit tournament. This ball made
these teams hit it backside, hit the gaps and hit
homeruns with two or three guys on. Their were a
lot of solos hit, but most of the solos were line
drives just getting over the fence by inches. Here
are some tidbits on the tournament; 1. There were
13 one run games played. 2. Four of the last six
games were decided by one run I'm, it doesn't get
any better than this. Maybe the ball was a little
too much, but I guarantee you anything less we
would of not of seen all the close games played in
this tournament. The ball kept the game close, as
the teams had to hit it down and use their homeruns
smart. I can say this, if they're going to play
this game on 300' fields with homerun limits then
use a hot ball so that these teams will have to hit
it down to save their homeruns for the right time.
This will make for a better game. I believe if you
use the hot ball with the two big teams playing in
300' field tournaments, it would not be good.
The only unlimited homerun tournament left is the
Smoky, and I can tell you the players love it. They
love to be able to swing the bats. I still believe
that this game needs to play some tournaments on
baseball fields using 80' bases and unlimited
homeruns. The manufacturers make the best equipment
ever produced, and the players today to be able to
use it at it's fullest. This year the bats are as
close as they have been in years. Louisville
Slugger, Worth, Easton, Combat, Miken and Mizuno are
the bats of choice. I can tell you they are very
close in competition. I believe this year that the
cheater bats have slowed down a whole lot, and
hopefully these players will not use those bats
anymore. I think of all the bats being just about
the same it makes for a better game and will be a
big part of stopping the cheater bats. I will end
this report by saying I really enjoyed watching this
incredible tournament. This is the way the game
should be, close games and anyone of 7 or 8 teams
having a chance to win. There is no reason that
this game can not have NIT's just like this World,
getting the Top 15-12 A teams playing about 5 NIT's
and a World and have these type of games.
I want to commend Don Dedonatis and Rick Robertson
for running this first Class A World Tournament. I
can tell you that playing in the stadium at Disney
is the way this game should be played. I'm here to
tell you there's no reason why we shouldn't play in
First Class stadiums in NIT's and in the World
Tournaments. I guarantee you this; the sponsors and
players would rather play at places like Wide World
of Sports every weekend. That my friends is the way
this game should be, totally professional with class
teams, class players and class fields and this game
at the upper level will survive believe me.
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NSA Class "AA" WORLDS -
Lexington, KY |
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August 13-14, 2005 |
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AM Las Vegas/Benfield/Reece/Belcher/Shade/Easton
won this NSA AA World, and that's just
what they're supposed to do. I said
before this team is caught in a trap.
When this team plays the Class A teams
and there is a 12 homerun limit it is
difficult for them to win. When they
play the two Super teams they are very
competitive, but don't win too often.
This was a perfect tournament for this
club. This is, as I have said before a
very talented team who have some very
good players who know how to win when it
counts. I think it will be very
interesting next week at the USSSA Class
A Worlds for this bunch, we will see.
Congratulations on winning this one
boys, and good luck the rest of the
way. Finishing in second place was
Quick Roofing/Alabama
Brick/Doc's/Easton, who is a legit Class
A team. I believe this is another team
who will be tough to beat next week.
The "Brick Boys" lost early in this one,
but battled back through the losers
bracket and settled for second. Good
job boys! Third place went to Team
Stucco, who also is a very good Class A
team. This bunch will be a force next
week in the USSSA A Worlds, I guarantee
you. This team has played exceptionally
well the last four or five weeks. I see
no let down. Good job guys in this
one! Fourth place went to another very
good A team, Watanabe/Alpine/TPS, who
has played really well most of the
season. This team can cause a lot of
havoc if you don't play well against
them. They have some veteran players
who've been there before. Keep an eye
on this bunch.
I would like to commend Eddie Ray
Cantrell on running this one.
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ISA CLASS "A" WORLDS -
Auburn, AL |
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August 13-14, 2005 |
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Aubrey's/Resmondo/TPS wins this one, and
I believe they were the best
team entered. This is a very good A
team, who has played well every weekend
all season long. I look for this bunch
to be very tough in next weeks USSSA A
Worlds. The Catalyst bat has
been a great addition for this ball club
in 2005, that's for sure. Great job
guys and good luck the rest of the
season. Second place went to Northwest
Pipe/3N2/Easton, who has played very
well the last few weekends. This team
will be very competitive in the A Worlds
next weekend, I guarantee you. Another
great job this weekend from Larry and
his boys. Good luck next weekend.
Third place went to a B team called
Kirby's, whom I don't know much about,
but they must of played very good to get
third. Good job boys! Fourth place
went to Higgs Properties, a team out of
Florida. I know this bunch came
together a few weeks ago, but don't know
a whole lot about them. Good job boys!
Good job guys to the ISA staff who ran
this tournament.
I'm going to write a little about the
2005 World Tournaments. I will
start out by saying something has to be
done with running these Worlds on the
same dates. There's no reason for any
of these associations to run their
events on the same weekend. I'm here to
tell you it hurts both associations when
they try to run on the same dates, and I
don't care what association does it. I
believe that the world tournaments
should be for the top teams in the Super
and Class A only. I do not believe that
local, B, C or D teams who just can't
compete should be allowed to play. Those
teams who want to play against the
better teams should play some of the
NIT's, not the worlds. I know the
associations want to have as many teams
play as possible, but that should not be
that way in the worlds. I believe if
all the associations would try to get
the best teams into their world's and
not bring in teams that just can't
compete, then you would have a much
better event. I've said before, that
there are just way too many NIT's and
with all the Class A Worlds, the NSA AA,
the ASA Major and the two Supers, it is
impossible for these teams to
participate, not enough money and not
enough teams period. The Class A Worlds
should be no more than 12 teams in the
ISA, NSA, ASA and WSL. The USSSA Class
A & B should be no more than 20 teams.
There should be no ASA Major and no NSA
AA period. The AA and Major can't get
more than four and five teams, and if
the Class A teams don't play there is no
tournament, so why have it? There's no
problem in the lower divisions, C, D &
E
that's for sure. The NSA Class A had
only seven legit A teams, the NSA AA had
one so called AA team and four legit A
teams. The ISA Class A had three A
teams and three B teams. The USSSA
Class A & B next week should have 12-15
legit A teams and about 5 B teams. The
ASA Class A East should have about 10-12
A teams, the West should have about 4-5
A teams. The NSA Super should have the
two Super teams and about 5 A
teams. The USSSA Super should have the
two super teams, 10 A teams and 4 B
teams and maybe 2 more B teams. I think
we need to cut the NIT's way down, no
more NSA AA, and no more ASA Major.
"Big Time Softball" should be Class A &
Super. The only way the game changes is
if the two Super teams break up and they
allow 3 or 4 elite players to play on
the A teams period. Remember this is
just my opinion.
The Old Scout
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USSSA - NIT -
Sterling Heights, MI |
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August 6&7,
2005 |
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Northwest Pipe/3N2/Easton
showed why if you play in a NIT
Super Tournament you have a chance to win.
The "pipe boys" not only won this Last
Chance tourney, they beat the #1 team in the
country twice. I've been going over in my
mind and talked to Hank Bassett and a few
others to see when the last time a Class A
team won a Super NIT with two or more super
teams entered. Here's what I came up with;
the last time was in 1996 in Nashville,
Tenn. in the USSSA NIT Worth Tournament.
Jerry Backman's team called Backstop/Easton
won that tournament by beating Rich Superior
in the finals. Lighthouse/Worth and a
couple other super teams played in that
tournament. This Pipe team is a very
scrappy bunch, who played in a lot of big
time tournaments. I'm one who believes it
helps A teams to play much better when they
play against their own competition. I have
never been a big fan of the restricted
homerun tournaments, but I'm here to tell
you it is the only way that these lesser
teams have any chance of winning against the
big teams or winning a NIT with the super
teams in it, it's that simple on 300'
fields. The 'pipe boys' hit it good all
weekend and played great defense to get this
win. Larry and his boys deserved the
highest credit for this great win. Larry
has been sponsoring teams for many, many
years and he deserves this one. Great job
guys and good luck in the Class A Worlds.
Second place went to Resmondo/Dan Smith/Menosse,
who just didn't get it done in this one. To
all you critics who want to knock me about
saying this "MAYBE" the best team
ever, I say I'm still on the right line.
Remember this, none of the great past teams
had to play restricted homerun tournaments
all season long. The only restrictions in
the past were when they used the six and
four homerun hitters. Remember also that
those past teams didn't use 80' and 90'
bases. I still believe this is one of the
better teams ever and so is the Bell Corp
team. I also believe that 7 or 8 of the A
teams playing today are better than some of
the past A teams, that is just my opinion.
Third place went to Cal's, a B team who just
played great ball this weekend and upset
some of the better teams on route to the
third place finish. This is great for
softball. I'm glad to see teams like this
play well in these big Super NIT's. Good
luck fellas on the rest of the season.
Fourth place went to Team Stucco, who played
in this one short a couple of their best
players. Make no mistake this Stucco team,
who has already won one Class A World, the
NSA, will be setting their sites on the next
one, the USSSA Class A Worlds in two weeks.
Good job guys!!
The season of the NIT's is over, and now
it's time to see who the "best of the
best" are. The USSSA Class A Worlds is
next, the ISA, the NSA AA, ASA East & West,
the WSL/Miken Championships, the NSA Super
and the USSSA Super. We will see where all
the top teams stack up after all these are
played. It should be interesting. I would
like to commend Tony Dedonatis on running,
as usual the excellent NIT in Sterling
Heights. I also want to thank Jim McCarron
for his tremendous effort on posting scores
and highlights all season in all the USSSA
NIT's. Thanks again Jim, a great job and
well appreciated.
The Old Scout
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NSA
CLASS "A" WORLDS - Muncie, IN |
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July 30-31,
2005 |
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The first leg of the Class A Worlds, the NSA
is over, and Team Stucco/TPS was the
winner. I said in earlier reports that this
was the hottest team in the country, and
they sure proved me right. Believe me this
is one hell of a talented team. I know with
the edition of JC Phelps to this roster they
got just what they needed and that is a big
time hitter, who not only hits for power,
but can flat-out base hit it also. This
ballclub has talent in all places. Their
shortstop doesn't get the recognition he
should. This young man can | | | | | | |
