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Why the difference between baseball & softball?


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I believe if you compare the baseball and softball brackets, you'll see they start with the same number of teams. As for the number of games, they play the same number except when they need to go to double elimination in the finals, as TCA and Columbia did this year.

If time and pitching isn't convincing then try this.

 

Ballparks.

 

How many 400', quadplexes with like conditions exist? You just need to watch softball tournaments to understand. Teams can move from field to field after games and not think twice about it. But it's not a big deal since the next field is on the other side of the concession stand.

 

Softball is a different game. It's never been the same.

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If time and pitching isn't convincing then try this.

 

Ballparks.

 

How many 400', quadplexes with like conditions exist? You just need to watch softball tournaments to understand. Teams can move from field to field after games and not think twice about it. But it's not a big deal since the next field is on the other side of the concession stand.

 

Softball is a different game. It's never been the same.

 

With a daughter that plays softball, I'm well aware of the differences between the pace of play, field dimensions, , pitching staffs, etc. Even still, I'm not convinced this requires a different format for state championship. Keep trying though .. :P

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Prequalifiying statements. Only for discussion sake, do I present the scenario below. I am not saying one team or the other, would, could, or should have been anything other than the way it turned out. You could change the team names and year if it makes you feel better. :P

 

In this year's tournament in AA, Covington lost a game, then battled back to make it to the championship game. USJ didn't lose, and met them at that championship game. At the end of that one game, Covington was the new 2006 state AA champions, even though both teams had the same tournament record, 1 loss. A second elimination game would have given one team a better record at that point. I think maybe this was how it used to work? :P Correct me if I am wrong.

 

A single elimination championship game always leaves the tornamament record open for discussion if one of the teams has a loss and the other team doesn't.

 

Why did the TSSAA change the format for Baseball? Which way is better?

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With a daughter that plays softball, I'm well aware of the differences between the pace of play, field dimensions, , pitching staffs, etc. Even still, I'm not convinced this requires a different format for state championship. Keep trying though .. :P

 

Ball four I'm with you on this one.

I love both sports equally, although I think softball is a little

more fan friendly.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me why the two sports use

different formats in the state tourney.

If you'll compare the brackets from last week in both you won't see

a whole lot of difference in total games played, how many games a team

coming out of the loser's bracket had to play, how many games you played

if you stayed in the winner's bracket, getting all the games in on

time, etc,etc,etc.

Takes more spread out venues, but that's to be expected.

 

Plus the way baseball is played now, the two best teams in the tournament

may be in the same brackets & only one makes the finals.

In softball, the two best teams can be in the same bracket & BOTH can still

make it to the finals.

And while it ain't first, there's still something to be said (as well as a trophy)

for coming in second !!

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...

 

A single elimination championship game always leaves the tornamament record open for discussion if one of the teams has a loss and the other team doesn't.

 

...

 

A good old fashioned double elimination is always better than what USJ had happen to them. It wasn't fair. I think it should be a best of three for the championship. That takes out the "they have one pitcher" argument, for good.

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Plus the way baseball is played now, the two best teams in the tournament

may be in the same brackets & only one makes the finals.

In softball, the two best teams can be in the same bracket & BOTH can still

make it to the finals.

And while it ain't first, there's still something to be said (as well as a trophy)

for coming in second !!

 

 

Well said tgrman! One side of the bracket always gets the claim of being tougher. We all want to finish on top, but truthfully, a second place finish isn't too shabby. :P

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In 2003 USJ went into the championship game undefeated

and lost in 8 innings to Davidson Academy 8-7, DA had

lost earlier in the tournament . At that time the

TSSAA was using the NCAA college world

series format. The NCAA has since changed the

format to double elimination and the TSSAA has not.

Four of the 2005 USJ State Champion players played

for the Bruins in 2003 and entered the 2005 tournament

determined that it would not happen again, and it didn't!

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If time and pitching isn't convincing then try this.

 

Ballparks.

 

How many 400', quadplexes with like conditions exist? You just need to watch softball tournaments to understand. Teams can move from field to field after games and not think twice about it. But it's not a big deal since the next field is on the other side of the concession stand.

 

Softball is a different game. It's never been the same.

 

I agree with you that it's different...I can't stand it. No offense to softball fans.

 

But again, you're playing the same number of games. The only difference is that instead of a 4x2 tournament, you're playing a pure double-elim. You go from having 13 to 15 games to having 14 or 15. A team that wins all the way through would need four games to do it, just like the current format. A team that loses early would need to play seven, compared to six in the current format.

 

And just looking at the softball tournament's schedule, I don't really see a big difference between the two schedules. AAA softball only used one field except for Wednesday morning.

 

And BTW, in this year's softball tournament no team played a doubleheader.

 

In 2003 USJ went into the championship game undefeated

and lost in 8 innings to Davidson Academy 8-7, DA had

lost earlier in the tournament . At that time the

TSSAA was using the NCAA college world

series format. The NCAA has since changed the

format to double elimination and the TSSAA has not.

Four of the 2005 USJ State Champion players played

for the Bruins in 2003 and entered the 2005 tournament

determined that it would not happen again, and it didn't!

 

No, the NCAA has not changed the format to double elimination. It's still 4x2, but with a best of three between the winners, not a single game.

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I hate to disagree, but Covington played 2 maybe 3 dble headers in this years state softball tourny. Also, I have said it before and I'll say it again it's all about money. I played baseball in the four team format back in '99, and it was unbelievable. Speaking on the baseball side of things, I have always thought you had a better quality tourny in that format. IMO the reason they switched to the 8 team tourny was that was the only way Memphis felt they would be able to profit on that sport. Too bad for them they still didn't. Now the tourny seems watered down and drawn out. During the 4 team tourny, a team could not stand the off night on the Wed. night game of regionals. You had to bring it each and every night. They had to have a second pitcher and most of the time a third to get through heck week as we called it. Now, depending on Fri. nights opponent, a team can throw off on Wed. and have their #1 and #2 ready for Fri. I liked the fact that in my high school career, we had a progression in the post season. My Soph. year we lost the Mon. game. My Jr. year we lost the Wed. game. My senior year we won it all. High school baseball just isnt the same without a teams ability to judge next years talent. The new format gives them a false reading on what to look foward too.

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I agree with you that it's different...I can't stand it. No offense to softball fans.

 

But again, you're playing the same number of games. The only difference is that instead of a 4x2 tournament, you're playing a pure double-elim. You go from having 13 to 15 games to having 14 or 15. A team that wins all the way through would need four games to do it, just like the current format. A team that loses early would need to play seven, compared to six in the current format.

 

And just looking at the softball tournament's schedule, I don't really see a big difference between the two schedules. AAA softball only used one field except for Wednesday morning.

 

And BTW, in this year's softball tournament no team played a doubleheader.

No, the NCAA has not changed the format to double elimination. It's still 4x2, but with a best of three between the winners, not a single game.

 

There were several teams that played two in a day with the softball format.

Covington ( twice) and Gibbs come to mind in AA, while Forrest & Trinity

Christian come to mind in A. And the way Soddy had to battle back through

the loser's bracket in AAA, I'd bet they played two on Thursday & Friday.

 

Keeping up with Lewisburg over the years & three state championships, I've

seen several different formats in baseball. First time we ever won it we defeated

Knoxville Gibbs at their place in a best 2 out of 3 back in 1983.

Back to back in the 90's I believe it was a four team format, but I could be

mistaken.

Personally, I think eight teams is the right number. I just think it ought to be

a true double elimination format, leaving no room for any questions.

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I hate to disagree, but Covington played 2 maybe 3 dble headers in this years state softball tourny.

 

There were several teams that played two in a day with the softball format. Covington ( twice) and Gibbs come to mind in AA, while Forrest & Trinity Christian come to mind in A. And the way Soddy had to battle back through the loser's bracket in AAA, I'd bet they played two on Thursday & Friday.

 

Two in a day is not a doubleheader. They all had at least a few hours before they came back out to play again. All I'm saying is that it's not as big a difference in the schedule as several people have said.

 

There were baseball teams that played twice in a day also. And, would you believe it, there were teams that played two on both Wednesday and Thursday. Covington, Franklin, Farragut, CBHS, and MUS all played twice Wednesday and twice again on Thursday. And unlike the current softball format, those were true doubleheaders -- chalk the field and play again.

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Two in a day is not a doubleheader. They all had at least a few hours before they came back out to play again. All I'm saying is that it's not as big a difference in the schedule as several people have said.

 

There were baseball teams that played twice in a day also. And, would you believe it, there were teams that played two on both Wednesday and Thursday. Covington, Franklin, Farragut, CBHS, and MUS all played twice Wednesday and twice again on Thursday. And unlike the current softball format, those were true doubleheaders -- chalk the field and play again.

 

Apparently it was a beautiful day to play two.

Who was it that said that, or something similiar, years ago ?

 

He must have had Spring Fling in mind !!

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