Wade,

Is this a done deal? signed, sealed and delivered?

Yep, another boring showcase.

BTW, the OKC area is quite inexpensive

Lets remember also.. these coaches are trying to keep occupied a flock of 18 y/o girls..

Anything us old dudes might enjoy, like some memorial, just wont fly.

They are playing one game and maybe even none in a single day over a period of 9 freakin days. Thats a lot of down time. I guess we can say "well lump it, its a tourney" .. it seems the coaches have developed a response.

The statements about the "conditions and lack of facilities in OKC" is bogus. Plenty of big parks around the metro area to handle this. Boomer Softball complex is close to HOF to just name one. The costs of food, hotel, and entertainment in OKC are minimal.

I would suggest you get to OKC and spend some time there and form your own opinion. Don't take the "coaches and other umpires" word for it.

I have had the pleasure of calling on Field 1 at HOF Stadium on several occassions. There isn't anything like umpiring on that field. The hair on your neck stands up when you walk out there and you look around and think about the people who have played and umpired there before.

This, the 18 Gold, will probably be the only time most of those girls get the chance to play on that field.

Personally, I can't think of a better place, with that much history, to play the 18 Gold.

If they can't take the heat of Oklahoma in August, they don't need to be playing softball!

My opinion doesnt mean squat and if you could read at all, you would see I was repeating the claims of coaches. I would LOVE to call in the stadium and it fact its my goal to do so.

These teams, including the current 18G champs, will NOT be in OKC next year and do not agree with your glowing assessment. More are surely to be announced.


Sorcerer Gold
Gold Coast Hurricanes
Worth Firecrackers
So Cal Choppers
Corona Angels Marty
So Cal Athletics
Valley Breeze
Georgia Elite
East Cobb Bullets
Texas Storm Demarini
So Cal Pumas
Cal Cruisers
AZ Hot Shots Gatti
Wichita Mustangs
Beverly Bandits
So Illinois Force
Texas Impact Gold
Virginia Shamrocks
Texas Glory
OC Batbusters
Texas Eclipse
New Jersey Intensity
New Jersey Inferno
New Jersey Breakers


As to your statement about "they shouldnt be playing softball" - they will be, just not in OKC.

Hopefully, and I'm sure, the voting body does not ALL have the same opinion you do.

Read the names a couple of times if you need too, becuase thats a whos who of gold.

And Holloway, this game isnt about you and the hairs on your neck. its about the players on those teams. You just call.

And where did I say it was about me? Don't think I did, I was just trying to say it is an experience that EVERYONE (players and umpires) should get to experience. I hope you make it there someday Wade, it is a great experience. One of my goals is to get selected to the 18 Gold as well Maybe we can JUST CALL together. Sorry you took my post personal, wasn't meant to be.

Once again, I would like to know what the "gripe" is about the costs in OKC and the facilities in OKC? Sure it's hot here in August but we can't control that. I made the statement about the heat because in late May and early June (WCWS time which is what all these girls are striving for) it is hot too in OKC!!!

I think ASA can and will make the changes to effectively make that league useless, but they gotta listen.

Obviously Gary is feeding off the anger. It only benefits him really to have this tourney under his little "realm". The rest just want a good tourney, and they dont feel like they are getting it in OKC with ASA so they are going to go there next year.

So if ASA adjusts, they'll come back.

There are other tourney orgs in CA doing similar things. They get 100's of teams in these showcases and they have a lot of money and influence to do things.

ASA just needs to not get so bogged down within itself.


I would say ASA should rethink ACE, rethink regs that are having 1,000's of the most popular bats confiscated, 9 day 64 team tourneys on only a few fields, and these other things that are happening that are costing these people real money and they are reacting to it. Charging the college coaches is lame.


Times are tough on the ole wallet, so Gary is striking now.


Plus the college player issue - the college players gotta go.l
Semper Gumby
Always flexible.

Some times you gotta adjust fire.

And I hope to call with you in the Gold in that Stadium too!

What is ACE?

It is a card, four of fifty-two in a deck. Each has a single shape in the center and an "A" in two corners.


Oh, you mean in ASA softball :D

http://www.asasoftball.com/youth/certification.asp

It was originally required of all coaches and dugout personnel were required to take. Then it was required of at least one adult in the dugout.

From what I understand, ASA pretty much backed off it altogether by the end of the year.

A lot of top teams have committed to play in Hannings tournament, but will be interesting to see what really happens. Have already heard talk that some of those top teams are just going to have 2 teams, one that goes to OKC, the other that goes to Hannings. Which tournament gets the A team and which one the B will have to wait and see.

Vienna shamrocks is on that list but they did not even qualify this year. First time in 22 years. So, how do teams get to the Gold tourney? I thought it was by winning or placing in a qualifier. All those team listed by Wade can not qualify every year. Does not seem possible.

The ACE coaches program includes some education aspects, a $5M liability policy, a criminal background check, and was pushed as a response to ASA's insurance carrier suggesting some of these programs as a risk managemnet program.

The teams have had some concern about the cost of registration (which includes insurance); ASA pushed the ACE program to educate and insure the coaches, while protecting the players from predator adults and attempting to hold the costs of registration/insurance. Since it wasn't presented that way, the coaches decided (as they almost always conclude) that ASA did it to make money.

So far as I am aware, there is almost zero positive cash flow from requiring ACE certification of coaches in the youth programs; the cost benefits were to hold the line on future insurance premium increases.

Wade, I won't be logging in as a user on heybucket, although I do read it from time to time, so feel free to pass this perspective to the coaches. IMO, it is a red herring, anyway, as is the college player issue (SPY listed 97 college participants out of more than 1000 overall; 64 teams with 15-20 roster players).

IMO, the positives are really only to the SoCal teams; they can get more teams in, while staying at home. The East Coast (and probably most nonCal) teams will actually pay more to participate in the Premiere; but they are convinced that they need to rebel, that ASA doesn't listen to them, (and mostly, that they won't be accepted into the OTHER showcases they want to be in, like the Champions Cup, if they don't buy into this). Flights into OKC aren't cheap; LAX is certainly better. But I seriously doubt hotels, restaurants, rental cars, and "the other things to do" are cheaper in Huntingdon Beach, CA, than OKC!!

He has a lot of weak arguments..

The fences.. he was whimpering about the humidity early on.

He mr talking point right now. He thinks he will be next king of earth. They are even calling him Mr. Hanning now lol :rolleyes: a month ago he was and always has been "gary".

They are like sheep. Fairly amusing. I got a new term for it.. "the gary messiah" :D

There's a lot of that going around these days...

He was complaining about the fences in OKC? I dont ever remember there being a fence up at any of his tournaments that my duaghter played in.

If a team attends his premier tournament, wonder if they will be required as in his other tournaments to book a certain number of hotel rooms from the approved hotels on his list? By the way, if you dont, no more invitations to his tournaments.