2020, anyone?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by tcannizzo

Study: College athletes are full-time workers
Read the full story:
Study: College athletes are full-time workers - USATODAY.com

Oh, wait a minute, this changes everything............NOT!

BFD, an 18 month old article in the USAToday that does nothing more than state that the student-athlete works outside the team structure voluntarily, just as is done in HS and travel ball, just not to the same extreme unless a private prep school which specializes in a particular sport.

But it still has absolutely NOTHING to do with an 18yo playing on an 18U team.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by tcannizzo

Uh, ASA.



Let's see . . . the National Governing Body of Softball? Oh, you are right, they are nothing more than USSSA, USFA, ISA, LL, Pony, and the LSOTPHFCCSA (that is, the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for Crippled Children's Softball Association)




Nice try with the Pogo comparison. At the 2001 Gold Nationals, in Marietta, GA at the coaches meeting the question was asked, "Should college players be allowed?", It looked like every coach voted NO, as I did not see one hand go up in the affirmative. But we still have the status quo. So much for listening up.

Like Pogo, you are living in a cartoon world, where reality is often imitated, but reality is often denied.

OK, name some names.... WHO are these evil people? ASA is not a monolith (that would be a single massive whole in case you're missing the analogy), but a collection of people organized into differing roles and responsibilities. The people who make and continue to make this incredibly stupid decision to have eligibility to play at 18U be decided by, oh, what... oh, yeah... AGE... are the same people who actually coaching, etc., the JO game. Yet, it keeps being blamed on the big, bad, ASA. I guess that makes it easier to blame slow pitch instead of their own colleagues in JO fastpitch.

Whether or not it is unfair to have college freshmen playing in the same age division as HS seniors is a question for the JO people to work out for themselves.

Oh, that's right, that is who IS making these decisions.

But it is easier to rail against the faceless ASA.

[SethPDX]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

At any rate, we are WAY over stating these college players. The ones playing gold are freshman, usually with little playing time, and most are on a 25% +/- ride. Only a very few elite pitchers and VERY VERY few others are 100% free ride.

This is also true of baseball where a teams get less than 12 scholarships to cover the entire roster. You make a good point and I wonder how many softball players see the full rides being given out in football and basketball and think that's what they will get as well.

Originally Posted by tcannizzo

What? I would be curious to know how many of the Gold coaches in attendance and voting are on the JO Committee. I don't remember her name, but it was the National JO Commissioner at the time, Patty? Cindy?

How does a unanimous vote not get out of Committee?

Well, like you said, that was 8 years ago, so you'd have to go back and track them all down to find out how many of them were on the committee. All I really know about the behind the scenes work of ASA is what I read from Mike and others here, but it seems like this issue was/is a big deal to a lot of coaches. Okay, haven't these coaches been around long enough to know who is in a position to present their concerns to ASA? If so, why didn't enough coaches talk to members of the committee about the changes they would like to see?

Or to use an analogy: If I don't like the quality of my association's training, complaining about it to some buddies is fine, but if I want the quality of training to improve I know which officers I need to give my feedback to. Do the coaches really not know who to talk to in their situation?

[tcannizzo]

OK, you win. Glad to have this all in writing,

[Dutch Alex]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp: So uhh... How 'bout them Olympics?

The olympics are lame.

Well thank you, Wade. You forget that the softball-world is bigger than just the all-mighty-US of A!
Thousands softball-playing girls, outside the USA, have their dreams: Playing ball at the Olympics. Their dream, not the gold, just to play with and against the best at the largest tournament men has ever known. That dream has been struck.

Not only because your mr Easton, apparantly, didn't vote for Softball. It's also 'cause softball suffer from the good name MBL has given to baseball. It's 'cause the belgian frog loves to golf (Rugby7's should be Olympic as well, IMHO).
You may have a national problem with school-softball and the 18G-program. But please that's no reason, nor an answer for shutting the game out from the Olympics. The world is too large, to let your national problem be a global one.

I'm still dreaming about 2020! It would be great if my son could play 7's-rugby with the dutch national team, and his proud dad would be calling games in the softball-tournament! I know, it's not gonna happen. The dream itself is great!

In this "post-Maddoff" period, all we need is money! And in IMHO that is no-problem; we don't have any anymore!

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Dutch Alex

Well thank you, Wade. You forget that the softball-world is bigger than just the all-mighty-US of A!
Thousands softball-playing girls, outside the USA, have their dreams: Playing ball at the Olympics. Their dream, not the gold, just to play with and against the best at the largest tournament men has ever known. That dream has been struck.

Sander,

It isn't the U.S., but California folks who believe the softball world revolves around them.

Don't waste your time. I've been telling people for years that there is a lot of softball in Europe and Asia and they act as if it cannot possibly be. Americans are pretty arrogant and ignorant, at times. If they don't see it on TV or their computer, it does't exist.

Many are still living like an adolescent where parents didn't know crap, but your 12 year old buddy from down the street knew it all 'cause he was cool! Don't believe me? Just watch our political system at work

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by Dutch Alex

Well thank you, Wade. You forget that the softball-world is bigger than just the all-mighty-US of A!
Thousands softball-playing girls, outside the USA, have their dreams: Playing ball at the Olympics. Their dream, not the gold, just to play with and against the best at the largest tournament men has ever known. That dream has been struck.

The olympics have turned themselves into a laughing stock, so convoluted with BS non sport sports like power walking, you cant even find a decent real sport to watch.. now even worse, Golf. Then they get rid of one of the few decent sports in the olympics - softball?!?!?! Probably the top in popularity in terms of a team in the US. (I dont know about Eurupe, its their votes that got rid of it, the idiot Easton only abstained)

The olympics are officially lame.

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by Dutch Alex

Well thank you, Wade. You forget that the softball-world is bigger than just the all-mighty-US of A!
Thousands softball-playing girls, outside the USA, have their dreams: Playing ball at the Olympics. Their dream, not the gold, just to play with and against the best at the largest tournament men has ever known. That dream has been struck.

The olympics have turned themselves into a laughing stock, so convoluted with BS non sport sports like power walking, you cant even find a decent real sport to watch.. now even worse, Golf. Then they get rid of one of the few decent sports in the olympics - softball?!?!?! Probably the top in popularity in terms of a team in the US. (I dont know about its popularity Eurupe which you allude to, especially since its their votes that got rid of it, the idiot Easton only abstained)

The olympics are officially lame.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

The olympics have turned themselves into a laughing stock, so convoluted with BS non sport sports like power walking, you cant even find a decent real sport to watch.. now even worse, Golf. Then they get rid of one of the few decent sports in the olympics - softball?!?!?! Probably the top in popularity in terms of a team in the US. (I dont know about its popularity Eurupe which you allude to, especially since its their votes that got rid of it, the idiot Easton only abstained)

The olympics are officially lame.

Hey, no padding your posts to get to 3,000.

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

Hey, no padding your posts to get to 3,000.

oops.. forgot the

+1

[Dholloway1962]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

I would bet it is OKC's horrible facilities fed by the expense of those horrible conditions and the length of being at those facilities that is fueling this big time. Many have to take nearly two weeks off work to go sit around bored in OKC.

OK, what is so horrible about the facilities in OKC? Also there is tons of things to keep you busy in OKC, the Bricktown area with the Memorial is a two-three day venture to take it all in. Where do you get this information about the horrible facilities and nothing to do? Have you ever been to OKC?

Just curious.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by Dholloway1962

...the Bricktown area with the Memorial is a two-three day venture to take it all in....

Which, by reports, would get you about 1/3 of the way through pool play! Now what?

[Dholloway1962]

Originally Posted by Dakota

Which, by reports, would get you about 1/3 of the way through pool play! Now what?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Dakota

Which, by reports, would get you about 1/3 of the way through pool play! Now what?

I used to think that about OKC, until I stayed there for more than two nights. There is a bundle to do there.

To start, I thought it was a SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT which usually revolves around the games, not entertaining boring people.

Yes, it probably should be shorter and that will probably happen sooner than later.

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by Dholloway1962

OK, what is so horrible about the facilities in OKC? Also there is tons of things to keep you busy in OKC, the Bricktown area with the Memorial is a two-three day venture to take it all in. Where do you get this information about the horrible facilities and nothing to do? Have you ever been to OKC?

Just curious.

Actually, I have been to OKC quite a bit - but not for softball. 10 years ago I used to travel there to work on occasions. It was fairly boring. The Toby Keith bar and grill with the big guitar on the roof was cool.. however, My response was fed by the coaches and other umpires statement about the conditions and lack of facilities in OKC.

Obviously, at this point and time inadequate to host a big tourney.

If its so great, why is the top 20 +/- gold teams, including returning champs, in LA next year?

I would bet it is MOSTLY the expense and conditions of OKC. They'll go be happy with nice weather, great facilities in L.A. while the 18B's are in OKC.

The rest of the stuff just irratates them (like ACE) - but the money and conditions of OKC are obviously not what these coaches are looking for.



Hopefully this is a one year deal though and the ASA Voting bodies wake up on this issue and take action.