dore83

Ok... I don't have a dog in this hunt so to speak. I only have limited knowledge the teams in District 6AAA and I don't know but a very small handful of 6AAA players, none of which I can identify as those being discussed. My youngest daughter is in college and neither her older sister nor my two step-daughters came out of this district. So, no dog... But I do follow fastpitch softball, mostly because fastpitch and youth athletics have been both my hobby and profession for a very, very long time as a player, coach, and instructor at literally every level... travel, high school, and college. 38 years actually. Reading some of the posts in this thread has exhausted my normally excessive supply of duct tape... from taping my head tightly so my brain doesn't explode. I understand the typical complaints about bad calls, lackluster umpiring, questionable coaching, inadequate funding, poor support, etc. in softball. While I don't involve myself in those activities, I don't typically have problems when people post those criticisms on a public forum. Those complaints are aimed at adults, most or all of whom are being paid. What I cannot fathom is adults taking nasty, critical, open shots at teenagers participating in an extracurricular activity at their high school. I've attended literally hundreds of games over the years where one player stood out because she made too many errors or put forth too little effort, or showed too much attitude. I might, maybe, make mention of those things it to my wife, privately, after the game when we were alone in the car. Most of the time, she mentions it first, and my response is normally "I noticed that too," or "I agree." On a few occasions, when my teams were getting ready to play against that player on an opposing team who has demonstrated those tendencies, I might say to my players in the privacy of a pregame, players only meeting "the catcher tends to miss a lot of pitches." or "she is prone to dropping 3rd strikes," or "she doesn't always hustle after balls" to make sure we are prepared and ready to take advantage of those flaws and mistakes. But even with typical teenage immaturity, they fully understand that information is intended exclusively for our huddle as a game strategy to assist our team. I haven't had a single incident in all these years where a player tweeted or posted on a public forum how awful another player was or how we knew a particular player wasn't a very good player. Even immature teenagers understand the difference between a beneficial, private scouting report and an an effort to disparage young ladies. Of course we stress that, but I think their behavior would be the same even if we didn't. Yet I read posts on this public forum which excoriate teenage athletes without a filter or tact. It is apparently not sufficient for some posters to say that a team has one or more players who make too many mistakes or too many errors, or appear to have poor attitudes. They seem hellbent upon pointing out particular teenage athletes in a way that those players are easily recognizable to others who are reading their posts. I don't know Michael Dodgen. Never met him. Never seen him coach. Other than knowing he was the head coach, I've never heard anything about him outside of this thread. He might be the best softball coach in the state, but I have never observed him coach, so I cannot possibly have a legitimate opinion on him as a coach. But I have read in multiple posts that "he is smart, quick thinking, and will fight for his kids," his teams are known for "a lot of grit," and that "he has brought so much to his team in the area of good coaching, smart coaching, good base running, good fundamentals." I also read that "White County is FAR BETTER with Michael Dodgen, SO MUCH BETTER ON DEFENSE, Better Hitting the Ball, Better Hustle, Better ATTITUDE, Better ATTITUDE, BETTER OVERALL than they have been in the last four years." I have no reason to doubt that all those things are accurate and true, and I'm willing to embrace his excellence in coaching. I'm thrilled to see excellence in high school softball coaching. This has nothing to do with him or his abilities. But the very same poster who wrote those things also said (capitalization was from the poster, not me): White County lost a game to "STUPID ERRORS or players who cannot move two steps to get to a ball." "White County had a couple of players who DO NOT LISTEN to their HEAD COACH while running the bases." The coach calling pitches "is as stupid as they come" and "believe me this man does not know the game." (OK, this one was aimed at an adult, and I have to admit that I believe that the vast majority of coaches calling pitches in high school... and even perhaps travel and college... don't have a clue.) The catcher "does not deserve to play that position." "She dropped 11 pitches last night." "she left home open with no one to cover, with no reason" "she cannot FRAME A PITCH" "I checked her laziness..." To these things I can say after years of training and successful experience... "Stupid errors" happen all the time. They even happen in the Women's College World Series with the best D1 players in the country on the best eight collegiate D1 teams in the country. They even happen in Major League Baseball with players making 5, 10, 15, 20 million dollars a year. And it happens i the MLB playoffs and World Series. It's part of the game. Players without the ability to move laterally or judge a fly ball are also commonplace in high school softball. If, as a head coach, I have players who run bases poorly, hesitate when I send them, or run through stop signs in game 1 of a season or game 3 or perhaps even game 10, I spend entire practices (plural) working with them to improve their skills. Those are mistakes which come from poor coaching or a lack of coaching in previous years. We correct it quickly because good base running is a key to winning games and poor base running results in losses. If it's happening in game 15 or 20 or later, I've either failed to teach properly or the player is reluctant to coaching and should not be in the game. If players are making still making base running mistakes in late April, it can only be a result of poor coaching, players who consistently choose not to listen to the coach, or a "one off" mistake. The first falls squarely on the coach. The second also falls squarely on the coach as those players should no longer be allowed to be in the position to ignore the coach's direction. The third is just part of the game. It happens... travel, collegiate, professional. It's a learning experience. i wonder, with all the glowing and supportive things said about the coach, how a casual observer can conclude how a player "does not deserve" to play any position. Why is she playing catcher? Is it for political reasons? Is it because of favoritism? Is it because of seniority? If so, that is completely on the coach and he's not very "smart." Is it because playing her at catcher with a stronger catcher playing first a better option than the stronger catcher catching and another player playing first? That is a coach who is intelligently trying to make his/her team stronger. My oldest daughter was a fireballler with some pretty wicked movement. Her high school catcher really struggled with her. My travel catchers (and her college catchers at a ranked D1 program) handled her well. 41 dropped 3rd strikes in a single high school season. She was a pretty solid travel ball player with a strong bat who played RF on her travel team but caught for her high school team. She was in over her head. As frustrating as 41 dropped strikes (and a gazillion passed balls) were, that was a far better option than catcher #2 with her in the outfield. That's just part of high school ball... or any level of ball actually. If the statement was "she dropped a lot of balls last night" I probably wouldn't have noticed this comment, although criticism being aimed specifically at a teenage, high school player would have still raised a red flag. Who counts dropped pitches? I do, with my OWN players, so I can work with them individually or at practice to help her be more successful. If I'm casually watching a game, I can't imagine actually keeping an accurate count. If not, I'm either making an estimate that is probably exaggerated or incorrect or I'm targeting one player for some reason that has nothing to do with improving her play. If I'm keeping an actual tally mark total, I really, really have some sort of warped agenda. I doesn't matter who the catcher was, she did NOT leave home open "with no reason." There was a reason. Maybe not a good reason, or maybe a mistake, but there was a reason. Did she just mindlessly wander over to the on deck circle and look at the clouds/stars? I'm thinking no. I've never seen that happen in 38 years. Not even once I notice that there is no description as to what happened on the play? Did a run score while she was "wandering off"? Did multiple runs score? Where was the ball? Where exactly did she go when she was leaving the plate open? Was the pitcher behind the plate backing up the play as she should have been on a well coached team and the pitcher doing her job? Was she chasing a poorly thrown ball or a ball that got away? Yes, catchers will "occasionally" go to retrieve their mask or walk to toward the bench to hear instruction from the coach and forget to ask for time but that is a very, very rare mental mistake which normally only happens once at the beginning of their career as a catcher. But if she left the plate for any other reason, there should have been someone else there to cover... probably the pitcher. Who knows what "framing a pitch" means. If you are talking about pulling a pitch out of the left hand batter's box or a ball off the plate back over to the corner, there are only a very small handful of really crappy umpires who are actually fooled by that. You'll get maybe 3-5 extra strikes a season. And since those strikes only come from really crappy umpires, they are already calling mid shin pitches strikes and waist high outside corner pitches balls anyway (or who knows what they are calling), so "framing" doesn't even amount to a net gain or anything close to it. If you are talking about riding corner pitches or lower/upper strike zone pitches so that the glove ends up outside the zone to make them look like balls because of poor receiving skills, that is a skill that's taught by instruction and coaching. Laziness... Why would a coach allow a "lazy" catcher to remain their catcher? Favoritism maybe. Perhaps because the other options at catcher or less skilled or even more lazy. Perhaps because the player the coach would insert into the lineup due to moving someone being utilized at another position to catcher is even more lazy or less skilled at the position they would take? Can/t have it both ways. The coach is either smart enough to see the laziness or lack of ability and replace the player, or he/she doesn't see the lack of effort or skill, or there isn't a better option from a team standpoint, or he/she isn't much of a coach and/or can't develop players. Doesn't really matter. The only people who have the right to call out lazy play are: coach, parents of that player, teammates... and in private. Not on a public forum. And OMG, does a casual observer actually put a stop watch on a catcher to see how long it took her to walk from the circle during a time out to her position behind the plate? Your 33 seconds is either a completely fabricated number, or there were other circumstances, or the coach who you rave about is COMPLETELY CLUELESS. I'm actually inclined to believe that there is some sort of bias toward this particular player from a desire to promote a pitcher and/or another player, I don't know, perhaps the first baseman or another player on the bench to whom you have an interest. I've had outstanding 3B on my team who were being recruited by college teams as a 3B moved to 1B in high school or solid 2B also being recruited by colleges as a middle infielder moved to LF on their high school teams, and I have thought that those decisions were crazy and perhaps even stupid. But to mercilessly bash the player who took their place on a public forum... or any place else... never crossed my mind. I don't know this young lady who is getting bashed on this board. Perhaps she really is a horrible player and should never see the field. If so, that is on the coach... but that coach shouldn't be the next incarnation of Pat Murphy, Tim Walton, or Patti Gasso to the same people ripping the player. I've never seen collegiate players who are getting significant amounts of scholarship money being ripped like this on college forums. I fail to see any legitimate reason for an adult to rip an adolescent publicly like this. Either the coach is clueless (and can't teach, train, control his team, or make capable, responsible decisions on lineups and playing time), which has been countered repetitively by the adult poster, or there is an agenda... a very ugly agenda which is offensive and out of bounds. I can only imagine what the player and her parents are thinking when they read this crap. If someone needs to feel important or special by ripping other people for their inadequacies (most likely in areas/skills in which they could never perform themselves), at least limit it to criticism of adults who are being paid to perform. Bashing kids publicly is NEVER, EVER acceptable. And the level of bashing in this thread passed minor (or random thought) a long time ago. I can only imagine how outraged I would be if I actually knew this kid... or if she was my child. I thought writing would allow me to calm down and lessen the agitation. The reverse turned out to be true. The more I write, the more incensed I've become, so it's time to stop writing. This is a kid. A real, living, breathing child who the coach (who has been praised) has seen fit to place in his lineup. It's high school softball, for crying out loud. It's a freaking game. And youth/school athletics is about building confidence, creating memories, and laying a foundation for success in adult life. It's most certainly NOT about blow hard adults tearing down teenagers, even if those teenagers have flaws and make mistakes.

My thoughts exactly. No weights on college rosters either...although I spent some time playfully teasing one of those players at lessons last night about it because she MIGHT be 5'2" and 106 lbs soaking wet. Of course this thread was started 2 years ago about one player who I couldn't imagine anyone underrated if they had faced her. Certainly was never a secret in travel ball. She was a beast and we all knew it.

Jack City 18U is in need of at least one and perhaps two pitchers to replace those who are returning to college this fall. We will play an exclusive showcase/exposure schedule in both the summer and fall. Please send us a text at 615-473-5314 or email at michael@jackcitysoftball.com if you are interested. Thank you

We've expanded our program to accommodate our players who have already signed and those who are still underclassmen and seeking exposure and scholarships. We have a limited number of spots available. While we will consider all positions, we could use a solid pitcher, with preference for a 97. We will play a full college exposure achedule this summer. Players added will be college prospect level players. You can email at mconnell@jackcitysoftball.com or text 615-473-5314

Spell check??? Thumbing an o for a p and an i for an a on a phone in a lenghty reply, and that's all you've got? That's cute... Just so you don't have to put forth any effort... ART. 4 . . . Wristbands and headwear shall meet the following guidelines: a. Headbands and wristbands shall be white, black, beige or predominant color of theuniform and shall be the same color for each item and all participants. See 3-6 for logo requirements. b. A headband is any item that goes around the entire head. If worn, only one headband is permitted, it must be worn on the forehead/crown, it must be nonabrasive and unadorned, and it must be a maximum of 2 inches. c. If worn, only one wristband is permitted on each wrist, each must be worn on the arm below the elbow, each must be moisture-absorbing, nonabrasive and unadorned, and each must be a maximum of 4 inches. d. Rubber, cloth or elastic bands may be used to control hair. Hard items, including, but not limited to, beads, barrettes and bobby pins, are prohibited. e. Head decorations and headwear, except those specified above, are prohibited.

In a training session for officials many years ago, the individual leading the session told us...umpires and referees can be grouped into one of three classes. Those who do it for the money, those who do it for the power, and those who do it for their passion of the game and participants. He encouraged us to be a part of the last grouo, but expressed that the passion group was, unfortunately, a very small minority. In spite of your false assurances, I long ago lost track of the number of those who are doing it precisely and exclusively for the money. Incidentally, in spite of your claim that they don't make the rules and are there to enforce them...you didn't bother to find out if they were actually enforcing a rule or creating a new one that doesn't exist. Your reply "might" have a little bit of credibility if you did a little google search and quoted an actual rule rather than just being snarky using incorrect assumptions

She will not. She graduated in December and signed with Vol State. She is on the Vol State collegiate team this spring.

Just wanted to thank all the girls who participated in the Free Clinics on Saturday. They put in a lot of hard work and hopefully received a lot of benefit as well. We also want to thank the Lavergne Parks and Recreation Department. They did a great job getting the fields ready for us and supported the Clinics beyond expectations.

Time is running out to register...only 2 days away FREE Fastpitch Clinic Saturday, August 16th at Lavergne Park 9:00 for10u 12:00 for12u and 14u 3:00 for 16u and 18u Signup at www.jackcitysofball.com under camps

Even with very short notice, spots have filled very quickly. Be sure to register soon before the sessions are closed. Thanks

We would like to invite you to participate in the FREE Jack City Fundamentals Clinic on Saturday, August 16, 2014 at Veterans Park in Lavergne, TN. The clinics are completely free, no strings attached. As we have done in the past, we would like to encourage you to bring canned goods to donate for a local food closet in lieu of any participation fees, but that is not required. Saturday, August 16th 10 and Under - 9:00 am until 11:30 am 11U - 14U - 12 noon until 2:30 15U - 18U - 3:00 pm until 5:30 pm There are a limited number of slots available for the clinics, so sign up early. You may do so online at: www.jackcitysoftball.com/camps.asp

Maya Hughes - OF- Oakland Jack City - Purdue Kristen Abell - P, 1B - White County Jack City - Cumberland Emily Bombard - C, SS - Mt Juliet - Blue Mountain Savannah Oliver - OF - Mt Juliet - Austin Peay

Tradertwo...I think you've made an error in your assumption of who gcard86 is. I'm guessing he is the father of one of my students but she plays for her school and not in my spring program. Might not be, but either way it wasn't an ad from me about our program. I appreciate the shout out, but it wasn't generated by me or our program. I'm a Cards fan as my daughter plays for them, so it was a logical guess...just not the right one.

Jack City is pleased to announce the 2012 Spring Development and College Exposure Program. The program is designed for a limited number of elite level players who want to take their game to the highest levels and market their skills to college coaches. Even with virtually no marketing, the response to date has been outstanding. In order to allow all interested players the opportunity to participate in the program, registration will remain open until Friday, September 30, 2011. At that time registration will be closed and the final list of participants will be announced. We would love to take every player who is interested in the Spring Program, but we strongly believe that it is important to keep the number of participants to a minimal number in order to bring the greatest benefit to each participant. The Spring Program was developed as an alternative to high school softball, but WAS NOT designed with the objective or intent to "ruin" high school softball nor was it designed to target or harm any specific school(s). High school softball serves the needs for many players. Some, however, especially those who have a desire to play collegiate softball, feel that reaching the next level requires a more advanced and comprehensive training, development, and exposure program. The Jack City Spring Development and College Exposure Program has been designed specifically for those players. The Spring Program is designed with two primary emphasises - Advance Skill Development and College Exposure. Just as high school ball does not meet the needs of every athlete, the Spring Program is not designed to appeal to every player. We have developed the program to develop and promote elite level athletes who are looking for more than their particular school can provide for them. We have also designed the program to eliminate those things which create tend to be problematic for many players. Advanced Skill Development Emphasis Players will be provided advanced training within a competitive environment designed to allow each participant to maximize her potential on the field. Practice and training sessions will be conducted in a variety of ways, including clinic style practices, individual and small group sessions, specific position skill sessions, situational sessions, film sessions, and controlled scrimmages. Every effort will be made to simulate the environment surrounding the top collegiate programs in the country. Significant effort will be made to develop field presence and knowledge of the game. We have carefully selected a specific, limited number of participants, including a position based break down, to insure that every player is provided with the highest levels of attention, coaching, and training in addition to receiving maximized playing time. There will be enough players to divide into several team units to allow full league play throughout the spring for broadcast games. Opportunities to travel to participate in tournaments will be made available. The frequency of travel will be left to the discretion of each player and parent and taking advantage of travel opportunities is recommended but not required. Additional games with collegiate NAIA and NJCAA teams are being negotiated at this time and are a realistic possibility at this point. A college exposure Play Day at a collegiate complex has already been scheduled, and we are working on hosting one or more tournaments with travel teams coming to Middle Tennessee from other states. College Exposure Emphasis One of the primary purposes of the Spring Program is to provide as much college exposure as possible and to promote participants to college coaches. In a highly competitive environment for limited scholarship dollars, exposure and promotion involves far more than showing up to play at exposure tournaments. Extremely talented players fall through the cracks every year, going unrecruited or underrecruited. Participation in the Spring Program in no way guarantees or implies that any player will receive a college scholarship. No Jack City representative has or will guarantee a scholarship to anyone. However, we do have a strong belief that our knowledge, experience, cultivated relationships with coaches, and past success in effectively promoting college prospects coupled with the comprehensive recruitment program we have incorporated into the Spring Program will greatly improve the opportunities to be recruited and greatly enhance the likelihood of success. On Demand Game Video Broadcasts Games, both local and tournament, will be recorded and broadcast, both streaming and on demand, and will be available online to college coaches 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We already have a significant number of coaches who are currently accessing game videos of several travel teams, and we have successfully increased the list of coaches each month throughout the summer season. Player Skills Videos We will video, edit, and produce an effective Skills Video for each participant. While there is no additional cost for our players, skills video packages typically range from $250 to $800. Skills videos will be sent to college coaches and available for view on each player's Player Profile Web Site Online Player Profile Web Site Each player will have her own personalized Player Profile Web Site. These sites are available for review by college coaches and may be edited updated by players and parents free of charge at any time. Printable and electronic profile sheets will be available for distribution at exposure events and in direct marketing efforts by the staff. Comprehensive Web Site A comprehensive recruiting web site modeling professional sports sites such as Major League Baseball providing player news, accomplishments, statistics, game broadcasts, feature stories, player spotlights, game highlights, weekly coach's webcast shows, and other items designed to promote participants to college coaches has been developed. Exposure Tournaments and Play Days Players will have the opportunity to participate in one or more exposure events with college coaches observing play. An early Play Day on the home field of a Divison I school in a joint effort with their coaching staff has already been scheduled and finalized. Coach's WebCast Regular WebCasts featuring individual players will be broadcast throughout the season and available at any time on demand. The emphasis of the Coach's WebCast will be to highlight specific players and their accomplishments. Video Highlight Reels Extraordinary plays, impressive rallies, clutch performances will be edited into highlight reels designed to catch the attention of college coaches and published regularly on the web site. Direct Promotion to College Coaches Over the years, our success in promoting players has come through direct contact with college coaches - phone calls, email, newsletters, and in-person conversations. We will continue to do all of these things for each participant, including regular updates sent directly to college coaches through "mini-newsletters" to promote our players, allow coaches to become familiar with them, and and to constantly keep our players on the front burners. Recruiting Seminar and Guidance Parents and players will be able to attend recruiting seminars free of charge. Regular guidance and assistance will be provided to all players to enhance their abilities to market themselves properly and effectively to college coaches. Frequently Asked Questions Q: Are you making any guarantees that players will receive college scholarships? A: Absolutely not. We conduct several recruiting seminars every year for parents and players. Within the first few minutes of every seminar, we stress that the only person who can guaranttee a college athletic scholarship is a college coach who provides a player with a National Letter of Intent or formal scholarship offer. We routinely warn players about travel coaches who make guarantees about scholarships in order to recruit players onto their teams. At no time has any Jack City representative made any guarantee about the receipt of a college scholarship for any player, and at no time in the future will any Jack City representative make such a guarantee. Q: Are you doing this to "ruin" high school softball A: Absolutely not. The program is limited to approximately three dozen players. That amounts to a very small fraction of the thousands of players who participate in high school softball across the state. Any one of a dozen recreational leagues throughout middle Tennessee have far more high school eligible players participating in their leagues during the spring season. High school softball is a wonderful experience for many student-athletes and school ball meets their needs and expectations. We fully support high school athletics, especially in those situations, but understand that there is a small percentage of players who need or desire something different than what is currently being offered to them. We are simply offering an alternative to a very small number of players who believe that they need something different than what is currently offered to them. Q: Did you target specific schools for any reason? A: Again, absolutely not. Some of our players attend schools which do not have softball teams. Several of our players chose to leave their teams prior to the conclusion of the 2011 spring season. Many of our players had already chosen not to play for their school teams during the 2011-2012 season for various reasons without knowing that the Spring Program would be made available. Q: Why is this program during the spring instead of summer or fall? A: We seriously considered summer and fall programs. During those seasons, however, players have a plethora of options available to them. There are literally hundreds of travel teams throughout the area and state playing during the summer and fall. Players have the option of playing with teams from other states. Many of those teams make college exposure a high priority. Many of those teams do an outstanding job developing players. While there may be many travel teams which are not very good options, there are more than enough viable alternatives for players seeking something more. Many players are fortunate enough to be zoned to a school with outstanding coaches who do a great job of developing their players and work hard to provide them with recognition. Some, however, are by rule locked into a school program where those aspects are not present. Their options are extremely limited, and they have no control over their situation. They are either forced to participate in a program where they believe their needs as a student-athlete are not being met or take the entire spring off, neither of which are beneficial. The Spring Program provides these players with a viable alternative that doesn't require families to sell their homes and move into another school zone. . Q: Is there a target breakdown of ages/grades? A: Yes. The majority of players selected will be sophomores and juniors. We have set aside a few roster slots for seniors and freshmen, but those slots will be limited to a very small number. Seniors who haven't already signed scholarships are well behind in the recruiting process, and that ground is very difficult to make up. The recruiting work which should have been done during their freshman, sophomore, and junior years will have to be crammed into a short, hectic three month season which comes AFTER the NCAA November signing period. By the spring season there will only be a relatively small number of scholarships that remain open for their graduating class. If we take too many seniors, it will make it difficult to provide the intense effort needed to try to overcome those obstacles. We will also have a special Senior Night for our graduating seniors. Q: When does the program begin? A: The official season will run from February through early May, ending with Senior Night. Initial organizational meetings will take place in early October and players will be provided with various strength and conditioning opportunities at that time. Some players will have the opportunity to participate in a college showcase event in last October. Indoor workouts will be available throughout December and January leading up to the start of the official season. Q: You won't guarantee scholarships. Are there things you will guarantee? A: We are willing to make a number of guarantees: •We will guarantee a consistent and concentrated emphasis upon developing advanced individual skills and a thorough knowledge of the game for EVERY player. We strongly believe that each player who participates and puts forth a reasonable amount of effort will progress significantly throughout the season and become a much better player. Every player will get the same number of repetitions and same amount of attention in practices, games, and pre-game warmup, regardless if they are the strongest or weakest player in the program. •We will guarantee that every available tool will be used to expose your daugther to college coaches and market her aggressively and effectively. Those tools are build into the Spring Program. We strongly believe that our knowledge, experience, cultivated relationships with coaches, and past success in effectively promoting college prospects coupled with the comprehensive recruitment program we have incorporated into the Spring Program will greatly improve the opportunities to be recruited and greatly enhance the likelihood of success. •We will guarantee that EVERY player will be treated with courtesy and respect at all times. Your daughter will never be subjected to obscenities, much less ones aimed at them. She will never experience being grabbed or yanked by her face mask or any other piece of equipment. She will not be subjected to clipboards or other objects being thrown or broken in fits of rage. She won't be yanked in the middle of an inning and forced into a perp walk to the dugout simply because she made an error.When she makes a mistake, she already knows it. She doesn't need to be told she made a mistake orhow bad it hurt the team. She already knows that. She needs to be taught how to avoid making that mistake again. •We will guarantee that we will not try to control anything beyond what happens on the field. We will not attempt to control yuur choice of travel teams. We will not tell you who you can and cannot use as a pitching, catching, or hitting instructor. We will not attempt to change what the instructor you have selected and are paying to develop your skills is teaching you. In fact, we make a point of knowing what various instructors are teaching so we can support that training without confusing players by introducing concepts that run counter to what they are being taught in their weekly lessons. Conducting drills at practice to force rotational hitters to take the knob to the ball, wristing, downward angle swings, and other linear style mechanics is not only counterproductive, it has a devastating impact upon hitters. •We will guarantee that our schedule for practices and games will be more appropriate for high school student-athletes, providing far more time for studying, doing homework, and participating in school, church, and other social activities. Being on the field four or more hours a day, six and seven days a week is counterproductive for most athletes. It brings on fatigue. It increases the chances of serious injuries. It has a negative impact upon school work and grades. It leaves no life outside of softball. We will get on the field, aggressively take care of business without any standing around or wasted time, and go home. Practices will be 90 minutes to two hours, and we will get more done than most do in several weeks of four hour practices combined. Off days during the week will allow them to rest, recover, and have a life. •We will guarantee that politics, daddy ball, and favoritism will not be present within the Spring Program. We have designed the program to provide every player with equal benefits and to eliminate time spent on the bench. If they aren't getting repetitions in practices and playing in games, they won't improve. We have enen set up some checks and balances to eliminate subjective judgment. For example, we have developed a specific formula based upon performance and results to determine the batting order for each game. •We will guarantee that the coaching approach will be entirely focused upon bring about success through training and building your daughter's confidence. We don't believe that "breaking" young athletes down, or humiliatiing and embarrassing them has any value in the development of their athletic abilities. Through years of experience we have learned that confidence brings success... which brings more confidence... which brings more success. Our philosophy is to teach them to do things properly and effectively and provide the support and confidence to allow them believe that they are capable of accomplishing those things. When those things happen, a player's ability to successfully execute is significantly increased. Our goals are simple: 1.Train players so they are ready to be seen by college coaches 2.Use every available tool to allow them to be seen by college coaches 3.Sell their abilities to college coaches 4.Train players so they are able to be successful once they get to college. Register Online Here Or visit the Jack City Web Site

I am a bit biased... and with all due respect to a lot of very fine 3B throughout the state... There is Sarah Beth. And then there is everybody else.

No, it is not true. Girls who have entered college are not eligible to play ASA or Premier, but it doesn't apply to those who have signed but not yet entered college. It appears that no prohibition for 18 year old players who have played college ball has been added to USSSA, NSA, or USFA rule books... so not only can signees play travel ball in those sanctions, so too can college players who meet the age requirements. Where it is coming from? A few exposure and showcase type events have popped up recently which are specifically designed for unsigned and/or uncommitted players (haven't verballed). Signees/Verbals can still play with their travel teams in other events, showcases, etc., but are not allowed to participate in these specific events.

Pendergrast plays SS Also, Racheal Carroll of East Hickman will sign with Bethel University

This whole post was enough to make my head explode, but the baseball/softball comparison necessitates a response since I can't find my roll of duct tape. I gave your questions letters to assist those following along at home. The one thing I have learned in 30+ years of coaching softball and baseball is that if one doesn't correct incorrect information and/or myths, that false knowledge will simply replicate and perpetuate. Given the information in your post, you may be too far gone, but other readers may benefit from the knowledge. A. While it's not worth arguing, although baseball and softball are different sports, they certainly are not "night and day" or anything close. I don't know anybody who has successfully coached both who would tell you differently. B. No they don't "slap bunt" in baseball. But "they" don't "slap bunt" in softball either. They slap [hit] in softball. They bunt in softball. But they don't "slap bunt." By the rules of the game, a "slap bunt" would be an oxymoron. Let me guess, you also think that the player positioned just behind home plate and in front of the umpire is the "hind-catcher" too, don't you? I digress. Just for the record, slapping originated in baseball and was adapted into fastpitch, and there are still slappers in baseball today. Ichiro slaps. Furcal slaps. C. What the crap is "bait and switch?" That's an unethical and potentially illegal marketing ploy. Just think, my teams have been able to win all those championships over the years without even knowing what this phrase means, much less how to use it. Just for kicks, I texted 3 very successful and very experienced softball coaches to see if I was missing something. They hadn't heard of it either. We apparently don't have a copy of the book "Screwed up Softball Terminology: Incorrect, Obscure Phrases Used only by the Untrained." (See slap-bunt, hind-catcher, etc) D. Do they have a courtesy runner in baseball? Sure they do. Many rule books governing travel teams specically allow for courtesy runners and have had the provision for years. I haven't coached travel baseball since 90s and we were using courtesy runners in 18U then. The NFHS baseball rulebook (that is the rulebook that governs high school play) has a provision (2-33-1) allowing courtesy runners to be used, and the majority of states do so. E. Did you think stealing was illegal in fastpitch? Perhaps you mean the whole leading off thing. Ever watched 12U baseball where the smaller field with shorter basepaths are used? Depending upon the organization, the baseball runners can't leave the base until the ball crosses the plate or leaves the pitchers hand... just like softball. Where did you think softball got the rule? Using your logic, 12U baseball is night and day different than 13U baseball too and a coach moving from 12U to 13U would be completely unqualified to make the move. F. If the coaching staff hasn't heard of these questions, they are in good company... right along with virtually every knowledgeable and experienced travel, college, and high school softball coach. Oh my gosh, how have we survived without hearing these ridculous questions? G. Strange you mention a book. I am actually in the middle of writing a book on softball. From your post, my guess is that it would be of great benefit to you. I thought that would help me a bit, but I still need some duct tape to keep my head from exploding.

It's not that big of an issue, but the older (sophomore) team were all wearing yellow bands, which were for 2011 players. I had heard that they were returning JUCO players so the yellow bands were confusing to me. One of our coaches knew their pitcher and said she was a JUCO sophomore and I commented that every player on the field was wearing 2011 yellow bands. Their 3rd baseman overheard our conversation and told me that they were all sophomores at Wallace State. Her explanation for the yellow was that they were out of the others and gave them all yellow. Don't know if that was why they were wearing them or not, but that was her explanation. Although we played the other Shark team on Sunday, I didn't even look to see what color they were wearing.

I know better than posting and am sure I will regret it... but since you are apparently so interested in our team. Why did we go to Clarksville? We were scheduled on Saturday only way back the first weekend in June for a friendly with the Georgia Knockouts Gold (1-1 tie) and the Tennessee Fury Gold (2-1 win). Jim Piercefield was trying add a college exposure aspect to his annual Southeastern Championship and had secured several college coaches to attend. I worked it out with him to come to his event on Sunday only and play a pair of games against the two teams which won their respective divisions in the showcase elimination round. It was intended to provide another known team which could draw the attention of college coaches and to provide us with additional exposure for the girls who weren't signed or committed. We drove up on what would have originally been an off day to play a double header against the best two teams, played, and went home. As far as running into Gold level pitching this weekend and not going well... I guess that would be accurate if 4 innings against one very, very good pitcher who threw as well as I've seen her throw characterizes an entire weekend. Ellen Renfro ate our lunch for 4 innings. Full credit to her as she dropped the hammer us. We lost 1-0 and dropped us to (gasp) the 2 seed. On the weekend, we outscored our opponents 31-11. In our only other loss, we had twice as many hits as our opponent, but uncharastically made 4 very dumb offensive mistakes which ultimately cost us 2-4 runs and the game to be eliminated. While we didn't face juggernauts in our 2 game trip to Clarksville (that wasn't even on our schedule until 4 days before we arrived), virtually all the rest of our games this summer have been against Gold teams and teams with Division I college pitchers, along with a small handful of games against 18A teams who happened to attend the same tournaments, of which almost all had collegiate level pitchers and players as they are still legal in 18A. Again, not sure as to why the interest in and "concern" for our team and players, or why I'm bothering to post, but hopefully that will curb your curosity. I'm pretty certain that they are ready for college ball. I know I'm marking March 3-6, 2011 on my calendar as all four of our 2010 players will be at the same place at the same time as Tennessee Tech hosts Middle Tennessee and Louisville (along with North Carolina State and Belmont) in tournament play. What a great weekend to sit and watch Nina Dever (Middle), Kendall Hooper (TN Tech), Kayla Floyd (TN Tech), and Caralisa Connell (Louisville) take the field to face off against each other. I'm 100% certain that is why I've done this all of these years.

We've been to Hits three times now and Gold Diamond twice over the past 5 years, so we have some ability to compare. FACILITIES: Gold Diamond hands down. Drakes Creek was rapidly approachng the condition of the old Warner Park (pre rennovation) before Drakes Creek was hammered by the flood. We don't have anything in middle Tennessee which comes close to the new Warner Park (or the new Summitt), and a game in Frost Stadium is a nice touch. COLLEGE COACHES: Gold Diamond, again hands down, and the gap is getting bigger. In 2008, there were a few more coaches and a few more Division I coaches at Hits. In 2009, the balance had shifted to Gold Diamond, but the vast majority were spliting time between the two, attending Hits on Thursday and Friday and coming to Gold Diamond for the weekend (or vice versa in a few cases). This year there were very few coaches at Hits. A couple on Wednesday. A few more on Thursday and Friday. Virtual ghost town on Saturday and Sunday. I know of several coaches at Hits who were talking to those in Chattanooga and told them that there weren't enough quality teams to justify leaving and driving to Hendersonville, especially for the Sat/Sun elimination format, so they just stayed at Gold Diamond or went home. The number of coaches in the stands and behind the backstop at each of our games last year at Gold Diamond exceeded the total number of coaches physically in the park at Drakes Creek on any one day this year. CALIBER OF TEAMS: Gold Diamond. In both years at Gold Diamond we were assigned to pools with Gold and collegiate teams with an occasional top 18UA team and the competition was outstanding. I did, however, see some really bad ball in some pools. It is possible to go to Gold Diamond and be disappointed with the caliber of competition or go to Hits and be happy with the caliber of competitong depending upon who is placed in your pool. Hits had some good teams, but nowhere near the depth of higher caliber teams. Quite often when I would walk up to a field and stop to watch, the level of ball was weak enough that I had to ask if it was a 16U or a 18A game as the two were fairly indistinguishable. Twice I really wouldn't have been surprised if I was told it was a pair of 14U teams, and on both occasions, it turned out to be the 18A division. FORMAT: Gold Diamond. I realize that many parents and some players coming up through the weekly hunt for trophies and championships in 10U/12U/14U every weekend (and now HS since they all have started playing tournaments every weekend) have developed a mindset where it isn't real ball if you aren't playing for something (i.e. a trophy or championship), but that is a relatively new trend in travel ball over the last 10 years and it is a difficult midset to break. Collegiate ball basically involves playing 50+ games before ever "playing for something." Their pre and mid season tournaments are round robins without elimination. They play singles and series of games against in and out of conference opponents and the first elimination bracket they see is the conference tournament - and half or more of the teams won't even make it that far because they never learned how to play at peak levels in games which didn't involve trophies so they don't qualify for the tournament. From a exposure and recruiting standpoint, elimination rounds, especially single elimination, is difficult for college coaches and is disadvantageous to players. A perfect example is a coach who left Gold Diamond last year on Friday night to go to Hits on Saturday. He told me that he walked into the park with a list of about 15 players he wanted to watch. Seven of those players had 9:00 games on Saturday morning. He purposely picked the girl on a 5th seed team assuming that they would only play one game before being eliminated. As it turned out, they won, but the teams, all higher seeded, for whom the other 6 girls were playing were all upset in the first round and were on the road back home by 10:30 and he didn't get to see any of them. For some reason, there were a lot of lower seeds advancing this year, especially in the 16U division. The entire weekend is devoted to single elimination play which only encourages college coaches to head toward Gold Diamond. EFFORT TO ATTRACT TEAMS: Gold Diamond hands down. I've gotten 50 or more emails from Gold Diamond over the past 12 months and several phone calls. The only thing I've ever received from Hits over the past 5 years prior to registering was a registration packet in the mail that was sent to teams who had participated the previous year. Hits seems to have that "if you build it they will come" approach attached with the same "we were first" and "we are better" mentality which we've seen out of TN ASA over the past 10 years while the competition is out there hustling. You have to hunt down information on your own, and when you do find it, the information is limited, incomplete and/or outdated. Their web site was down for something like 8 months. EFFORT TO ATTRACT COLLEGE COACHES: Gold Diamond. See "Effort to Attract Teams" above. I know several college coaches who tell me that all they got was a single email announcing the event. I know of at least two who didn't even get that. Five years ago, the first thing I noticed when I walked into the park was that the designated area for college coaches was a small plastic table with two chairs thrown behind the backstops with no cover for shade. I was surprised. Last Wednesday, the first thing I noticed when I walked into the park was that in five years it has apparently not dawned upon ANYONE associated with Hits to provide some shade for the college coaches. On Thursday I watched coaches from Trevecca, TSU, UT Martin and Marshall sit behind our backstop for our 2:15 game in 95 degree weather with no shade, sweating like they had spent a couple of hours in the sauna and they were visably miserable. One coach even resorted to stading virtually the entire game. At first I thought it was because there were not enough chairs at the coaches table (which there weren't) but I think it was so she could position herself under a small patch of shade provided by the small awning over the official scorer's bench. On Friday, I spoke with two coaches who were smart enough to bring their own chairs and sit down the right field line beyond our dugout under the trees just to catch some shade even though it put them at an angle they really didn't like and far too close to parents. Even if they aren't going to hustle to attract coaches, they could at least do some little things to make the coaches' time there more bearable. The success or failure of any exposure tournament is directly related to the attraction and retention of college coaches. With all that said, our experience at Hits this year was enjoyable. The tournament organization once we arrived was good and pain free. Those in charge were pleasant and professional and were always readily available. There weren't any surprises. The fields were not in great condition in general (age, upkeep, and flood) but the gound crews were efficient, drug the fields regularly, and kept them in the best shape possible (although they really needed to be watered). We had solid umpiring crews in all our games with a three man crew in the championship game. Water coolers were checked and replaced constantly, both before and during the games. They had trainers on site throughout the tournament, and they were professional and helpful. Unfortunately we got to know them far too well. The games stayed on schedule. But it was basically a five day, 44 team tournament that had a few college coaches show up during the first three days. Nothing more, nothing less. I didn't see or experience anything which would have caused any team to leave the event disgruntled except perhaps the lack of college coaches, but since most of our girls have signed or verballed, that aspect had a lesser impact upon us. I chose to return to Hits this year after they assured me when I contacted them that they were going to take a different appoach to team recruitment/attraction/selection and make an effort to increase the number of college coaches. I was trying to eliminate a four day weekend of out of town travel for our families that was difficult to justify with a large exposure event so close. Hits started first and had a foothold, but they have failed over the years to do the things necessary to compete and retain their position. They are clearly the 4th of 4 college exposure events in Tennessee. We've been to three of the four multiple times and attended the 4th once. Scenic City 16s run by the Fury is the same format as Gold Diamond and is outstanding. We attended their inaugural event last summer but are too old to participate any more. The Fury puts on a top notch event with outstanding teams at an outstanding facility with the best format and loads the place with coaches. Division I coaches (in the double digits) were at each of our games in addition to coaches from other divisions and they had half the SEC there. Ken Crook also does a very good job with the Tennessee Exposure in Murfreesboro. We've played in his event twice in the fall and once in July and are returning this summer. He brings in almost all of the coaches in Tennessee along with quite a few from out of state. Their format is a little different than Gold Diamond or Scenic City as it has a small elimination bracket, but if you are going to do an elimination bracket, he does it the right way. Only a limited number of teams advance and he doesn't do it until Sunday (not until Sunday afternoon in the fall event which is one day shorter) instead of taking up the entire weekend with meaningless single elimination brackets. There isn't the depth of quality teams as in Scenic City or Gold Diamond, but there are quite a few very, very good teams coming from many states. Even though these three are not as old or established as Hits, they have all rapidly raced right by Hits in every aspect and are leaving Hits far, far behind. All three are well worth your time and money. I'm not convinced that Hits is worth either any more. Unless they take some cues from Crook, Fury, and Gold Diamond and start to do the things to attract, select, and retain teams and college coaches, it appears that the gap will only continue to grow.

Interference applies to the offensive team (runner) and the term also used in rule books to apply to umpires, coaches, and spectators. Obstruction applies only to the defensive team. I often hear the incorrect terminology of "catcher's interference" when the bat hits the catcher's mitt on a swing when it should be "catcher's obstruction" or simply "obstruction." Catcher's interference is what it is called in baseball. From the ASA Rulebook Interference: The act of an offensive player or team member, umpire, or spectator that impedes, hinders or confuses a defensive player attempting to execute a play. Contact is not necessary. Obstruction: The act of a defensive team member: A. Who hinders or impedes a batter from striking at or hitting a pitched ball. B. A fielder, who impedes the progress of a runner or a batter-runner who is legally running the bases unless the fielder is: 1. In possession of the ball 2. In the act of fielding a batted ball NOTE: Contact is not necessary to impede the progress of the runner. There are a lot of other applicable sections and references in the book, and even more in rule suppliments and case book, but this is the actual definition in the book.

I'm having a difficult time following this discussion, even as brief as it is so far. School teams cannot bat 10. They can use 10 players in the lineup by using the DP and Flex as was mentioned, but only 9 can be in the batting order. For some reason, the DP/Flex rules aren't understood by a lot of coaches and even many umpires for that matter. Travel teams playing in ASA championship events (qualifiers, etc.) can only use 9 batters by rule. Other organizations (USFA, NSA, USSSA, etc) allow the use of additional hitters in the batting order, and many teams take advantage of the ability to hit 10 or 11 players in their tournaments, especially in pool play. Additionally, the vast majority of exposure tournaments allow teams to bat their entire roster. In every exposure we've played in over the past 4 years which allows a team to bat their roster, we have done so, and on occasion have used as many as 13 hitters in the lineup. We will often play teams which elect to only hit 9, but we still bat our roster even though it gives the opponents an advantage. And it isn't a case where we were playing "inferior" teams as we played 18U with players 13 to 16 years old during that time period, and it certainly wasn't some sort of casual rec. Not only is NEVER not close to being accurate, we've found that the more serious exposure teams do the same thing we do.

Perhaps. But that wasn't really our primary emphasis or major goal or the way we prepared or the way we made lineup decisions all summer long. While we enjoy winning and enjoy winning championships, getting to watch a whole team of girls (several who have been around for 9-11 years) get tons of scholarship money to play a game they love at the Division I collegiate level is WAY better and far more satisfying than winning ANY championship. We set a game plan, and so far, it is working out and we are very, very happy about that. In 5-6 years when their collegiate careers are over and they walk away with a diploma paid for by playing a game, my guess is that the missing Nat Champ trophy won't even come to mind.

Casey Vincent - P/1B, Coffee County 2011 - has verbally committed to UT Martin. Her verbal is the 7th Division I signing/verbal on the current squad. Congrats Casey!