MBB2

Kiddo and I were at a tournament recently and we walked by a field that was 14U I think.  Both teams were named Gold.  One of them was not very good at all and it just stuck with me.  It's not like those teams were well known... far as I know.  Lady Unicorns Gold 14U, something like that. With Hannah heading off to school I don't have a vested interest one way or the other so there really was no agenda with the question.  Lampl has a great group and it was at his events our daughter got her first exposure.  The branding answer makes sense I guess, even if it doesn't apply to the vast majority of organizations doing it.  Marvin Blackmon (full name for full disclosure!)

Woah, there.  I see where this went and understand your enthusiastic reaction but before you get your pitchforks in a frenzy let me clarify that I was NOT thinking of any one group.  Matter of fact there is a similar post by me several months ago on this board asking the exact same question and that was well before any recent announcements.  A quick board search will find it... just sayin. Good point on branding, but wouldn't that mean the top team is, for example, Elite Gold Gold?  Hell, maybe they are for all I know. Ok, go back to sharpening your Internet knives... Marvin

I don't understand using the Gold name at younger levels.  Gold 12U, Gold 10U- matter of fact I saw a Gold 8U looking for players.  Did ASA add another level above Class A for those ages? 

Here is our experience... Daughter started at 4 and played league ball during the spring summer until she was 10, then starting playing year round in Houston.  We logged miles and miles taking her to Florida, Colorado and everywhere in between.  She grew to resent the missed parties, sleepovers and dances. She made first team all district as a sophomore at West Brook and decided that was it. She wanted to have a social life. A year later, with my wife and I both supporting her decision (and hiding our disappointment much as possible), she came to us and talked about getting back into softball. She came to realize the life she thought she would have never really materialized. Because it was her decision, the door was still open in her mind. The bad news is she missed a very important recruiting year.  The good news is all she wanted was a small college that allowed her to be a student first.  She found that with the help of her travel team coach and is now heading off to Central Methodist in Missouri this fall on a softball scholarship.  They are a competitive, ranked program that made the NAIA World Series last year. Players are expected to attend classes, even if that means running across campus in their uniforms between games.  Best of all, CMU streams their games on the internet so fewer travel miles for us! None of this would have happened if we had forced the issue- much as we wanted to do just that. You just never know, but as the song says"if you love them set them free." Best wishes however it works out.

Congratulations to Hannah "Porkchop" Blackmon (2013) as she visited Central Methodist University in Missouri today and brought back her athletic and academic scholarship papers to sign in the coming days at West Brook High School. The Central Methodist Lady Eagles played in the NAIA World Series last year and are currently ranked #18 in the 2013 preseason poll.  CMU's coaching staff extended an offer to Hannah in Colorado earlier this summer, recruiting her as a middle infielder.  Hannah is interested in studying physical therapy and youth ministry. Thanks to Vidor and Spindletop GSA, Beaumont Blast, OOC and Coach Paine at WBHS for the time invested in making Hannah a better player and young lady.  Special shout out to Scott Devore of Texas Shockwave Demarini Gold for being a tireless recruiter.  I encourage all players and parents to give his organization a look. :D --- Proud Dad

Congrats from the Blackmons!  Awesome job, kiddo.

Congrats to a BWB Bruin!

Whoop, from the class of '89!  Congrats and best wishes, future Ag!  ;D

Shaker parents will say the Shockers, and the coaches will remind everyone they did go to ASA Gold Nationals one time last decade.  Crush parents will point to the 40 teams they have playing.  Blast will comment on the Gold National heritage of their organization... or their namesake's organization... or their cousin's... I never get that straight.  ;) All ribbing aside, why can't we just say there are several organizations doing a great job of giving local girls the opportunity to earn college offers?  There are a lot of coaches that give their free time to help girls be good players and better young women.  Robert Armentrout gave my daughter her first batting lesson years ago.  Billy Mitchell gave her a place to play when I refused to drive to Houston anymore.  Kenny Blanda helped coach her in 8U and then years later gave her the first exposure opportunities (in a college way, not a Bo way).  John Harrell gave her extreme motivation about seven years ago when he told her there was no place for her on his team- may be the best thing that ever happened to her, and I don't mean that rudely.  All those folks helped her, and this week she accepted a scholarship offer to live her dream.  She'll be studying sports therapy and youth ministry at Central Methodist University, a Top 25 team that played in the NAIA World Series this past summer.  Far as I'm concerned, they're all great and should be equally congratulated for helping my kid and many others achieve an incredible goal.  I'd vote for all of them but the poll won't let me.

Are her batting mechanics rotational, linear, slapper, torsion-reflexive or the Shoulin adduction theory?  :o Sorry, there are much more qualified folks to offer a serious answer.  Besides, I've spent at least $3,000 on bats the past 13 years and my daughter tells me I don't know anything anymore... I wish she would have told me this about 10 bats ago!

Looks like a good group of teams.  Should be a great time- and I don't have to spend much on gasoline!!! Sorry I'll be out of town Sunday morning and will miss the Shockers/Shockwave matchup at 8am.  The girls are starting to round into team shape and played fairly well last weekend in Longview... which of course means nothing from one minute to the next, much less over a full week.  You'll either see Jeckell or Hyde, that's for sure.

Thought I saw a team list somewhere... must be seeing things.  Guess I could always start umpiring again!  ;D

Shockwave Demarini Gold had two games washed out Saturday at College... not sure if the coach tried to reschedule any of those or not.  Competition was hit and miss.  The three teams they did play did not have strong outings. That said, there was a great turnout by college coaches for a local tournament.  It won't take long for teams to hear that Alabama, LSU and programs of that stature were roaming the fields.

Craig- how is this looking? 

Quick plug for the organization as a whole... My darling knucklehead (DK) plays on the 18U team.  I can tell you in the ASA Gold qualifiers last month and the trip to Colorado this past week, Coach Scott was tireless in his recruiting efforts.  DK has an offer and several more very solid prospects and she only started the recruiting game in late May.  It takes a tremendous amount of time to write letters, send emails, etc... but if your DK puts in the work, the Shockwave organization will be there to help. I'm sure the other organizations in the area do much the same thing, but I wasn't sure if many here knew the current Shockwave organization, so there's my two cents.       

Rest, Ag.  It was a question, not an accusation- you know better than that and you have my number if there's any concern otherwise.  Sorry for the late response.  Been traveling all over the flipping country this summer. Camps, qualifiers and showcases.  Campus visits too, but I'm talking about D2 and NAIA schools in small boondock towns, not prestigious programs in big civilized places mind you.  I think I could have already paid a year's tuition just with what I spent in the past month!  :o Congrats (again) on winning the hardware. 

Congrats on getting the trophy.  What other teams were there? 

Final for 21-5A Baytown Sterling 10-0 La Porte 8-2 North Shore 5-5 West Brook 4-6 Channelview 3-7 PA Memorial 0-10

"Dad, I'm ready to do something else."  It's like death or divorce- something that happens to other people but is never supposed to happen to you... I give her credit for being deliberate.  She made the decision, played in two more tournaments to be sure, then waited another four days after that to be double sure before telling us.  She started 12 years ago so she has spent 3/4 of her life involved with softball.  I guess she deserves time to try something else, as if there is something else.  ;) Good news is I seem to have survived so far.  I gave her a hug and thanked her for all the memories then went outside for a bit.  Something flew into my eye or the pollen has hit early, not sure which.  All I could think about was driving those countless miles across state after state, lugging ice chests, sun screen and bat bags- and I wouldn't have traded it for the world.  I might eventually forget about all the trophies she collected, the batting averages and the excitement of seeing those college coaches watching her for the first time.  I will NEVER forget the smell of those God awful stinky cleats or falling asleep by the hotel washing maching trying to get those stupid freaking white uniforms clean.  Hey, if I'm lucky, sometime in the not-so-soon future there might be a granddaugther that lives nearby.  Oh, how smart will I be the second time around?!  ;D  

[quote name="RangerDad" post="1020332" timestamp="1308804430"] When the teams a consolidate and form super teams in all age groups, what do all the girls do that do not make that team? If your DD does not make that team do you just walk away from the sport? Yes, the talent is watered down, but the young ladies are learning how to compete and learning life lessons along the way! [/quote] Great point, RangerDad, but take it a step further.  Besides the kids with a lesser skillset, what about the kids simply not interested in that level?  Not all kids are interested in playing in college, and not all families assess the overall softball experience (ie, value) against the goals of ASA Nationals, gold teams or won/loss records.  Responsible parents should always act on the best interests of thier kid, not peer pressure or the highly opinionated view of a random poster on an internet forum. The original comments are not unexpected, but are pretty narrow with the derogatory comments about playing with friends, high school teams or daddy's team.  I would assume the OP is a daddy and at one time or another, back in the early days, did much the same thing with his kids. I agree one combined team would be great for the area girls that are interested in those goals, and hopefully some of the "been there and done that" folks would be interested in coming out of hibernation and starting up a program designed for them.  For those kids not interested, there should still be a place for them as well.  

"... really shocked me that the Shockers were the [u]only ones willing[/u] to compete in the A division class." "... ensuring that our daughters are [u]continued to be challenged[/u] and not settling for [u]hollow victories[/u]."  "... [u]at least we dont brag[/u] (self promote) about winning in WEST LAKE...hahaha"    "... no way in your lifetime would I [u]coward down[/u] to take the route of playing in the B division." I have been duly corrected.  Please disregard my use of "self-promotion" and replace it with "self-righteous"- thanks. And good luck to the Shockers and all other teams, wherever you play against whatever competition.   

Promoting another team makes about as much sense as trashing them.  The subject could have easily been posted as to who was playing what level for what reasons without fanning any flames.  Just my 2 cents... and since I have no dog in this race, that's probably overvalued!    ;D

Top 5 reasons I like this post:  ;) 5.  Measuring contests are like train wrecks... you watch despite the horror. 4.  The younger the kids, the better the adult smack thrown around. 3.  There haven't been any Shocker self-promotion posts in at least a week. 2.  High school is over so there might as well be something to discuss. 1.  Danbury is not part of the discussion. Haha, just a bit of light humor.  Pardon the interruption, now back to your regularly scheduled mud slinging.

It's like Jerry Springer and Green Acres smashed together.  ;)

[quote name="SmackDown73" post="799637" timestamp="1273364364"] I am looking for a softball hitting instructor for a girl moving up to 10u this fall.She needs to learn how to bunt, and power.I live in Alvin,so anywhere near would be great.(Angleton,Pearland,ect.) [/quote] I personally can speak of two in the Houston area that taught my daughter in the past.  Not sure if she's doing it after becoming a mom, but Laura Durham was very good out of the Pearland area.  If she's not, maybe daddy Larry still is.  Very good things to say about Laura.  My kid always responded better to a female... or was it just anybody but me?  ;) If you want to drive to BBUSA on the west side, Bob Morse gives a decent batting lesson.  He's pretty hard core though and your kid better show up ready to work with a verbal report of that week's hitting homework.  I sometimes think he's a better team and organization manager than discipline coach (like batting), but he has lots of devoted kids.