NO SHOW UMPS!

[ERA]

Saturday, at the Snyder Oliver tournament, we had a second pool game scheduled for 10:30 AM on Cook 4. Both teams were prepped and ready but the umps didn't show. 10:45 still no umps. 11:00 still no umps. 11:05 umpires showed up for the game. This was on a field right in the middle of all the action and ASA did not have their act together. This game caused our and the opposing team not to have a break before our next game in that 90+ degree heat. The delay had us moving to another field and playing back to back. To the umpires credit, even though we lost, the officiating was great.

 

We show up for the next game at Vanzant field and start the warm ups for the 1:30 game. At 1:30, no umps. 1:45, no umps. 2:00, no umps. 2:15 one shows and 2:20 the other. The teams had been out in the sun for a long time and were finally moved to the shade while waiting for officials again.

 

Last year the Snyder Oliver had over 120 teams to its credit. This year barely 80 teams show up. Unfortunately, now I know why. The organization is struggling with its base. ASA has alienated many teams from showing up to its tournaments because of the "Elitist Attitude" projected through their rules that handcuff substitution of players. Coupling that with less than adequate planning of field usage, poor officiating distribution and you have bred an air of contempt. $275 entry fees with hotel bills and time off for parents work are not exactly getting the product they paid for showing up for a tournament like this. This rumbling was pursuant through much of the teams I had discussions with.

 

Unlike NSA and other rising upstart organizations, ASA does not allow an EP (extra player) or other team building rules of substitution. ASA rules are great for what they are, top teams competing at top levels, however, they are forgetting their base of "B" teams and the 14&U down to 10&U A and B teams. The rules need to be adjusted to help the general populous build teams with large rosters by allowing substitutions on a more forgiving basis. Parents and coaches are at each other's throats when they go to these ASA tournaments because of little to no playing time that the unrefined players receive. This attitude is reflected throughout this organization in middle Tennessee. It reminds me of a politician who has forgotten his voters. Sooner or later they will vote you out unless you come around.

 

USFP and USFA are two more org's trying to break into Tennessee from Florida. USSSA is causing a stir because they are listening to coaches and parents complaints and making adjustments literally on the fly to accommodate the changing climate of girl’s competitive sports. It's amazing to me that the prophecy of competition has always been the person or team who makes the quickest adjustments will always come out on top. Why is it that the proclaimers never heed their own warnings?

 

The TSSAA got it right by allowing double substitution in their games. This has brought more players into the game that, quite frankly, would never have received a chance. There is Always a diamond in the rough that gets overlooked in sports. Let’s lessen those chances by listening to the very ones who make it happen, the kids.

 

The square look is out. The round and aerodynamic look is in. It's time for the Cadillac of the 80's to go back to engineering for a redesign. The Lexus and Infiniti are here and winning over the competitor’s base.

[mikemcgee]

And that, by golly, is a mouth full. Well said.

 

I did notice there appear to be far fewer teams this year than in most years past. I went down Friday night to Montegue for the 18-A, 18-Gold games. Things went smoothly as far as I could tell. There are seven gold teams and 20 "A" teams, I believe. There doesn't seem to be an 18 "B" division. I don't know. Maybe that's not unusual. Maybe that's just not a popular division.

 

But, it's the younger ages where the dropoff is occuring, and that could spell big trouble for an organization. I noticed there were only three teams in 16-B, which means there are a total of three teams playing "B" ball in the two older divisions. Are the "B" teams starting to disappear from summer ball? That's a question, not a statement. I hope that doesn't happen. That will mean a lot of kids get left out if they can't hook up with one of the more elite teams.

 

By the way, ERA, saw some great performances Friday night. Remember the Currie girl from Pisgah, Ala. that we've been seeing at Border Battle and Bob Jones for the last couple of years? She's a big kid with enormous talent on the mound. Saw her with Huntsville Storm Friday night. She out-battled Jennifer Wright of Ezell and U fo Ala., though both did a great job. Wright was obviously not quite at the very top of her game. Currie also hit a two-run homer for the only runs of the game. Meek finished up and look sharp for the Parker Eagles. They have Wright, Meek, Kelly Swafford and Megan Elliott of East Ridge pitching for them. I think maybe they'll be OK in the long run, don't you? How would you like to have a team that could afford to start a game with Swafford and Elliott in the outfield and Meek on the bench? Sheezz.

 

Seems every team I saw from Georgia had some girl throwing smoke except the Phoenix, which didn't have it's regular pitcher on hand. They still won with an outfielder pitching the game I saw.

 

Frost Falcons were missing one of their pitchers, but I saw a lefty from Soddy Daisy who doesn't even pitch for Soddy. I think she would have been an elite pitcher in our District 8-AAA along with Childress, Jenson and Catalano.

 

Finally got to see the young girl from Hendersonville, Heather (I have a mental block on her last name) pitch for a team from Columbia. What a curve ball. She was wearing a full mask on the mound. I was told she was knocked cold by a hit ball at some point during the season. She seemed to have no fear on the mound, though.

 

Also saw the Nighthawks win in the last game of the night. Herdersonville's Kristen Lucas, a Motlow signee, had a great game with two or three hits and several RBI.

 

Overall, I came away very impressed with the Georgia teams. Big, strong and athletic from top to bottom. I also want to get a look at the Eagles after they've been together for a bit and the pitchers get sharpened up.

 

I still like the Eagles' chances of winning it with their pitching depth. East Cobb out of Atlanta looked super and had a great pitcher, and the Storm with Currie on the mound are as tough as anybody. Unfortunately, it has proven impossible to get any news of the tournament. Even the News-Free Press hasn't had any game coverage. They've had one feature story on a particular team Saturday and Sunday, but no game coverage.

[sbcoach]

Great report on tourney. The Elite organization is falling & just doesn't know it. Their registration & leagues are fading away with supervisors that have been around along time with no one coming to take their place. I think you are hinting that if they don't listen, won't need anyone to take their place. ASA tourneys seem very well unorganized for the most part & rules need to be adjusted.

NSA & others are registering teams at a far greater pace. And you are right that $275 is tooooo much for what you get in return.

[goldball20]

Did you see the Chattanooga Mustangs play any in 18u A, and if you did, what did you think of them and their pitching? There were two nice articles and a picture of them in Monday's paper that you can go to online.(Chattanooga Times-News Free Press)They had 2 practices and a scimmage game for fun before the tournament, also with 3 new players, as Coach Ted Broyles said, they didn't do too badly under the circumstances,plus the girls are really a nice group of young ladies.

[Indian]

I think I read the team that beat them had already played 40 games, in a couple of weeks everyone should be on more equal ground.

[Indian]

The worst from the umps over the weekend wasn't a bad call or mouthing off at a fan or whatever, it was the pair who called each other every name in the book after a game on the way to their car, in front of a team and parents. I don't know what they were mad about exactly, I think one missed a call and the other overruled him maybe. They were 18 year old girls/young women so I'm not going to sit here and say they've never heard the words before, some of them might even talk like that but umpire is supposed to a position of respect and those two certainly lost whatever they had.

[Edited by Indian on 6/3/02 9:52P]

[std]

In my opinion the umpires at the Snyder-Oliver (I guess we should start calling it the Memorial Tournament) just kind of phone in the games. The were very inconsistant on strike zones and showed very little hustle on the field. Most are there for the cash. These girls deserve more than what the are getting.

 

Our ball club is there for a reason. To play ball, improve their skills and try to qualifiy for nationals to gain exposure so they have a shot at the next level. Our girls understand that one of the goals is the next level for our players and we stress tht if the want this to come aboard and we will help them all we can. There is a lot of time and effort put into what we are trying to do. Girl on lat years team was offered aid from one or more schools and 13 out of 14 are doing just that.

 

I wish the quality of officials was up to the level of play. It just is not.

 

Regardless of what you say about rival softball organizations, the college coaches follow the ASA over any other. I would bet there was less than 10% at NSA nationals compared to ASA nationals at the 16 and 18 levels. The better teams try to go the ASA route for this very reason.

[Edited by std on 6/3/02 11:07P]

[ERA]

ASA has the largest college coach following of all the organizations put together (in my opinion). No doubt, the coaches know where the upper echelon players are at. This gives merit to my complaint about ASA's organization. ASA does not need to fall into the comfortable mode and go under. The old heads know what it takes to put on a "college exposure tournament". There is no question about that. Problematically speaking, the underlying infrastructure (B teams and all younger A&B teams) are falling away at an alarming rate. With that much undercut in revenue, the elite teams are in trouble. Costs will skyrocket. When the numbers dwindle as in any commodity, stock falls and another goes to the top. I don't believe there is another organization in our region to put this college coach display out there in such a finely packaged product. My real fear is the start of watering down exposure to coaches by having too many splintered groups vying for it. Up till and maybe through this year, ASA is tops. In the next couple of years, anything goes and we all might be scratching our heads and trying to figure out which tournaments to go to. That, in itself, could be disasterous to the travel world. Your spending could increase by at least double or more trying to catch the eye of a "FEW" coaches rather than a herd. ASA, wake up and smell the MONEY or do you have too much already?

[Guest BraveUlysses]

STD, you hit the nail on the head about the Snyder umpires! I thought home plate was floating & moving for SEVERAL of them. The worst call I saw had a home run ruled a double because the ball "bounced over". This after the field umpire asked the left fielder if it went over or not! She played dumb by saying she couldn't tell. The opposing coach had a good laugh over this one!

 

I'm also tired of the GA teams having a three month head start. Someone suggested it earlier, but while I'm at it, (IMO) the National berths for the top TN teams should be awarded at ASA state after everyone has had a chance to get some games behind them.

 

Not a very good tournament, all in all. Much too important a tournament, which occurrs too early in the season for the TN teams.

[FPFanatic]

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.