FPFanatic

bglmrh, most people responding have talked about the competition side of travel ball vs. high school. There are only about a dozen or so high schools that can compete with the best "A" 16U and 18U travel teams in the state. These high schools are what I have alluded to as "softball factories" because they have the best coaches and have at least 9 very strong players. Again, 99% of the high schools in the state are not like that as you know. From the competition side, there is no comparison between travel ball and high school ball. College ball is another ball game entirely, with the exception of the weaker programs in the state. College ball is a full time job, these kids study, work out, and work for the better parts of their days. Whatever financial assistance these kids get, they earn it. But as it as been said many times on this board, and much more eloquently than I can put it, high school ball is an institution that goes beyond the sport. It is also a social rite of passage that should be a part of growing up and maturing and learning to be an adult, so high school ball should be for everyone, while travel ball is the next step for the gifted and serious athlete who wants to enjoy better competition and have an opportunity at the college level. One of the good points about fastpitch is that it has a place where all players can compete and have fun, no matter if it is rec league, high school, "B" ball, "A" ball, or college.

You are right, it should be easy to figure it out, especially if you go to eteamz.com and see the announcement there which gives all the info anyway.

Antwan, no problem. It would be good to have Smith Co. there. Last year, Dickson Co. and Davidson Academy were there, just to name two state champions; also, some good teams from Kentucky have played there, also White House, Macon Co., Gallatin, Cookeville, and some Clarksville teams, just to name a few. Like anywhere else, there are some good teams and some not so good teams there, overall its a good way to preview next year's teams a little bit.

In answer to your question, the following was taken from another thread: The Hendersonville Fastpitch League has an all-ages fall leagues held on Saturday and Sunday of each weekend in the Fall. On Saturdays, ages 14-U and down play and then on Sundays, High School teams come from all over to play. Also the Hendersonville Fastpitch Board has a regular fall league that is played on the weekdays. If anyone needs any additional information on either leagues you may contact the Fastpitch League President, Arnie Johnson, at (615)264-2913. Sigh-ups for all leagues begin end of July, early August.

good idea, how do you draw the north-south line?

Certainly, Coach Gary, since your in-laws are from Franklin anyway (lol). Coach Jimmy is one of the best that I have seen period. I would also include yourself and Coach Pat in this group as well, see y'all tonight in Columbia.

Good idea Funman, start with your own SBcoach. He always does a great job with the girls, and proof is that the core group of the Brentwood Blues has been there for years. Next, the XtremeEdge guys always have their teams primed at the end of the season, going back to their first year when they won the NSA World Series in 1999 in Chattanooga to last year when they finished 5th in the nationals. The guys are Bob Hesson, Rick Barr, Joe Fowler, David Steen, Thomas, and all the rest. The Firebirds are always strong and fundamentally sound under the tutelage of Sam Camp. Of course I would be remiss if I did not mention the Challenger Express' own Tim Webb, Mike Newsome, and Emery McCoy, but don't tell them I bragged on them (lol) Some other good midstate teams that I don't have the coaches names are Wild Things, Typhoons, Elite, Drillers. Also, there are some awfully good teams in the Chattanooga area and some from the Memphis area that I don't have the coaches names also.

SB, good luck in Marietta. I'm sure y'all will do a good job representing the midstate with your outstanding pitching staff of Childress, Gore, and Allison and if you get Natalie back to go along with your already powerful batting order, y'all will certainly do a lot of damage. Besides Childress and Gore, who else has signed and where to? Thanks for the nice words about our girls. They all do their jobs and have great teamwork. They are all very hard workers and very intelligent ball players who all played on good teams before but did not get a lot of press or publicity, and they are not concerned about it, since every thing has worked out for them so far, as all the graduating seniors have signed with colleges. We're very happy and fortunate to be part of this group.

SB, thanks, and its always a pleasure to watch your Brentwood Blues on the field. They have extraordinary talent and knowledge of all areas of the game. You do a fantastic job year after year with your girls. Looking forward to seeing and playing y'all again. Where are y'all at this weekend?

Ego: I see you are interested in football and basketball. Since you are responding on the softball board, are you involved also with any high school or travel softball team? If so, go to the Germantown tournament this coming weekend and look up the Challenger Express softball team. Ask for the old FP, I'd like to buy you a soft drink and pick your brain on the Memphis area in case we're lucky enough to go to the Fling next year.

Mike: No, we just need another pitcher to round out the staff. You know on those hot summer days you always need at least three pitchers to get thru those 100 degree days. Tab was fantastic, she had two homers in the tournament, one was a monstrous sky shot that I thought would never come down, it was one of those Babe Ruth or Mark McGuire bombastic types; the other was a line drive shot that cleared the trees and kept going, it must have been at least 230-240 feet on a line. Lori McCoy also hit one out that if it had been moments later would have scattered some horses that were grazing in the pasture behind the fence. Come to the Challenger Express tournament in two weeks and see more of the fireworks.

Congratulations to the 18-U Challenger Express for winning the Inman-Rose Tournament. Good job also to the Brentwood Blues for finishing second and Fire & Ice for finishing third. Also, all teams are welcome to the Challenger Express tournament in Columbia in two weeks. Also, Challenger Express is looking for a pitcher to fill out its pitching staff. Please let us know if you are interested. Contact fppitcher04@hotmail.com.

Ego: Just letting the kids play and have fun should be what it is all about, but adults all too often get in the way. Here you have a situation involving big money, state politics, and adult oneupsmanship, so its a lose-lose for everyone. It will be good for Memphis to have the Fling, then it will be some other city's turn, it needs to go to Nashville, Murfreesboro, Knoxville, Johnson City, even to Coffee Co and Waverly! (lol)

I understand wishful thinking, but did Murfreesboro even submit a bid? It would be a good location if they want it. They do a good job in most of these events such as basketball and football, so they could do a good job with the Fling if they wanted it and if they could beat the big money bids of Nashville and Memphis.

Huggins gets his nominees from coaches who bothered, or cared, to send in nominations as well as boxscores and reports throughout the season.

Memphis this is your chance to show everybody what you got. Right now everyone is lining up and taking potshots but most likely they would do the same to any city that got the Fling even if it were in their backyard. What it comes down to basically is the sectionalism rivalry in the state. You have Midstate vs. East vs. West and vice versa. Nashville does not like Memphis and Memphis does not like Chattanooga and it goes around and around. It will always be this way in the state and sports is certainly no exception.

These Chattanooga problems came down due to their local rift between ASA and NSA. In 18-U, they could not even get scorekeepers, not to mention umpires, because of this feud. The chief umpire was from Knoxville and he was an outstanding college official, but they scrounged up umpires from all over and still ended up short. Chattanooga has become a one horse town and that horse is named NSA. Watch all the ASA tournaments down there to go down the drain if they don't kiss and make up with the NSA. In the mean time, if you want to play ASA you may have to go where it is still strong locally.

All these young ladies deserve the honor, they worked hard for it. Also, their coaches and teammates deserve it as well. As they say, "to the victors, belong the spoils".

ERA and Rukidnme: what they do at the Shelby Co. line is stop everybody and check their weapons, if there too small, they give them bigger ones! (lol) also, they are deputizing John Daly, Jerry Lee Lewis and calling up Elvis for additional security! Hope to see y'all at Mud Island.

After nine years, it was well long enough for a change. Frankly, I'm tired of going to Chattanooga for years and years. Also, some of the parks around Chattanooga and Nashville are not in the safest areas of those towns either. Citizens in those areas get robbed, mugged, raped, and murdered every day in you listen to the news. Around Germantown, Collierville, and Bartlett are some of the nicest places in the state as an article in the Tennessean showed that their per capita income was the highest in the state after Belle Meade. They will do a good job for the next three years, then Nashville has to get their act together to win the next contract. Anyway, as long as the TSSAA is running the tournament, you won't see much of a difference in anything.

ERA, this problem at Chattanooga was caused by them already having scheduled teams in the elimination round so the pool games meant nothing. Some teams decided why play the first game or two when they did not effect the seeding in the elimination rounds. Having these teams pay some sort of retribution sounds warranted. They should be given a loss in their first round game, which would put them in the losers bracket in double elimination. That would show em'.

its been shifted for years with Ezell, Beech, Giles, etc. Mid-state has won the lions share for years and years.

phdwin, we have our practice in the Columbia summer league on Tuesday nights, please call one of the phone numbers listed for more info, looking forward to hearing from you, at this moment we are playing at Liberty Park in the Vipers Tournament in Birmingham, we play again at 5:00 pm on Sunday if you would like to come on down. [Edited by FPFanatic on 5/26/02 10:57A]

The 18U Challenger Express (formerly TE Elite 18U "A") needs players for this Saturday and Sunday to play in the Vipers Tournament in Birmingham, also it could be for the whole summer as well. If your team is not playing this weekend, or if you have not committed to a team we would love to have you. Players that can play any and all positions are welcome, especially those that play 3B and Catcher and all around utility types. Contact Coaches Tim Webb at 931-796-2248, or Mike Newsome at 615-830-2054 or Emery McCoy at 615-478-3550, also James Tucker at 615-415-8922. This is one of the top notch programs with some of the best players, coaches, and parents that you will see anywhere. Most of the players have signed with schools already and for more info please call the above numbers.