Originally Posted by Blind Squirrel
Wade, go ahead and educate the masses about what you know about me from my HeyBucket posts. The short bio is that I'm just another DumbA$$ parent in SoCal, never a softball coach or official of any sort.
From what I've seen, you umps typically segregate yourselves from coaches, players and parents off the field. I know zero about being an ump and I know little more about softball, but that voluntary segregation seems 100% appropriate and correct. It also suggests that you are as unlikely to be privy to much of what is going on between coaches as outsiders are privy to what is going on between umps.
The result as it relates to the posts in this thread, is that much of what is written about this tournament is largely or completely ignorant. IOW, you folks know very little about the specifics of the dynamic from which this tournament originated and it is predictable that you are surprised by some of what has come out so far. OTOH, if you had the relevant knowledge, you would have been surprised by little of this and it would make perfect sense to you (which it obviously doesn't given your posts openly wondering about some things). Many of the statements being made now by you folks have already been shown and will be clearly shown to be 100% wrong by the indisputable actions that actually take place WRT to this tournament. Don't feel bad. My kid played for more than 3 years in 18 Gold before I had a clue about anything that goes on behind the scenes. I still don't know crap about it, but I obviously know more than those that know nothing about it.
I also have to wonder about some of the comments about softball related scholarships that I have read. They do not reflect my experiences with college recruiting a couple of years ago, though admittedly, some things have apparently changed since then. Comments about the numbers of kids getting 25% or less rides versus more than that simply do not make mathematical sense based upon the number of scholarships versus the number of players. Start with the number of scholarships, subtract 4 kids getting a 25% ride and look at the remaining ratio. Factor in the odd kid on the team with full academic money and those with no scholarship money whatsoever. As for the notion that pitchers (and even include SSs and catchers) are about the only ones receiving more than 25% athletic money, again, unsupported by our experiences with major D1 colleges in a variety of conferences and locations. A concrete example: A Big-10 coach told us that they were giving 1 full ride to a pitcher and one full ride to a position player for my kid's graduating class. I doubt that their approach was unique and in fact was consistent with other hard offers received. Don't believe me, then believe your own eyes. How many of the top position players in this past years WCWS were impressive defensively? The kids were obviously recruited for their bats irrespective, at least to some degree, of the position they played.
This notion that these college kids are not paid. Right. Do their scholarships continue if they decide to quit the team? Nope. So what is the $30K tuition per year for, that we don't have to pay for my kid to attend that college? I doubt that it is because they prize her 2.9 GPA. Legal tender is the criteria for determining whether it constitutes payment? If a company pays for your housing costs do you consider that to be part of your compensation package? And BTW, the housing costs my kid will be given are rather generous WRT to the cost of housing at that location.
Finally, the notion that college players should play at 18 Gold Nationals. I'll just say that I don't think it would be fair for HS kids to compete in the classroom against top students with a year of college under their belt. How is softball different? Or maybe you think it is fair, as long as they are the same age.
It's your board. I'm just an uninvited visitor. Frankly, I will read the responses and not likely respond. Like the old Who song says "I don't need to fight to prove I'm right ..." Especially since I may well be wrong on every point.
That would surely be a first and oh so painful. (sarcasm)
Oh BTW Wade, I suggested you go F**K yourself on HeyBucket with the assumption you would take issue with it. My response was going to be to quote your post to SSarge and say I was just "goofing around."
Regards,
John
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