UPDATED! 12u Top Team Ranking – Pre ASA Nationals Poll!

[AM Softball]

I love it when an outsider comes onto the California board you all stick together...Then tear each other apart in between..

Yes we merged with Frost Falcons..Our best and their best. A beautiful merger, egos, personal agendas set aside for one goal..Think California could ever do that? I think we know the answer don't we..

Beat us and you can have your three years.lol If you beat us, you were suppose to because you are from CA. We win, either way.lol If we win 3 more years, or until we are back at Nationals in 2010, but I guess for most of the 96 teams Nationals is an every other year kind of thing.....

Look I love our team, and I am just having fun with the die hard CA teams...Not everyone can "boast" a winning record against CA teams across the nation. CA is where it is at, everyone knows that....What you fail to see is my respect for all of the teams that are on Bracketologist top 20....The way CA teams talent, the way they play and coach the game, the dedication and sacrifices to the game of fastpitch, just the pure love for the game. CA is the best...

So I can't wait for the next big tournament results and Bracketologist report!!!

Chris,

Having played and coached across the country:

1. There is little difference in talent now (There are talented players all across the US and it just isn't the same as it was 10 years ago or so)
2. Coaches play the same way in other states as here
3. Other states have players and teams that are dedicated and sacrifice just as much as we do
4. Players across the country love his sport just as much as we do

The ONLY difference: weather

Most of you have heard the song, "It never rains in Southern California" and that is fairly accurate. We get to practice and play 52 weeks out of the year if we choose to and that makes the difference. It is Winter right now and we're having 70-80 degree days!

[AM Softball]

[quote="bracketologist"]Here is my updated poll after the TCS Huntington Beach Classic – I will ask the pollsters and coaches to turn their polls in and will come out with a new 12u poll by the end of the week.

Sorry for dropping teams that did not play down in the pool….. I am confident you will make it up when its your turn to play!

12u Pool Jan 2009

1. Firecrackers -

2. CA Rebels – Rebel parents spent all Saturday and Sunday talking about not playing in the finals because it was to late 8pm on a school night with mid-terms for some players. Once this talk started I knew they would not make it out of the Semi’s. I don’t read to much into the lost to AA Palomino 97 except that the lost was with the staff ace. What I did like is the way they continued to battle back, and even in the last inning continued to play hard and mount a late rally. This shows me that they “will not go quietly into the night at State and Nationals” – which is the ultimate mark of a champion.


quote]

I know this isn't that serious but I hate when the kids are criticized for the coaches decisons so I feel the need to defend the players on the Rebels!

First, the Rebels definitely were not going to play in the final game, based solely on the COACHES decision and it was for good reason but that was not discussed with the parents until Sunday so that statement is inaccurate and false that it was the talk of Saturday.

Also, other teams that finished high, including the winner, talked about flipping a coin for that game so I don't believe that had anything to do with winning or losing. I guess if you'd like to say it was Karma and the Rebels were jinxed, then hopefully Karma comes back on TCS for scheduling outrageous game times and not taking into consideration the reason we were all at the tournament: THE KIDS!

(Sidenote: I'd like to know what time the Championship was finished and how many of those kids stayed home from school Monday. I bet it was quite a few and that is not sending the correct message when education is the gateway to a softball scholarship)

Secondly, the Rebels do not make excuses for their losses; the AA's beat us fair and square but to make statements that they look bad on defense and that the ace pitcher looked bad is the coaches fault and you should blame her and not the kids; the kids were not allowed to pick up a ball from Dec 14th to Jan 17th and that would affect all players, especially the pitchers. What should of happened, was the team should have practiced and not played, which is also the coaches fault, not the players.

The Rebel philosophy is you get two times off a year to rest (Christmas and right after Nationals and we utilize this time regardless of how we look early in the year at a tounament that doesn't mean anything) Some might disagree with this philosophy but if they don't take any time off, they will be burnt out or hurt before they make it to the recruiting stage; I've seen it too many times and so it was a decison made by the coach and suppored by the players and parents. Again, the coaches fault.

Lastly, I cannot disagree more that defense is the priority, especially at the college level, which is they way that the Rebels structure their organization. If you have pitchers that are averaging 8-9 strikeouts a game, the defense is strong already and you have to put bats in the line-up to score runs. Larry Mays (Gordon's Panthers) was very successful and had the same philosophy so I guess that will always be up for debate; the Rebels agree with Larry Mays though.

If you are a good hitter, they will find somewhere for you to play and VERY FEW if any college coaches search for great defenders (except pitchers); they search for the BEST HITTERS and find somewhere for them to play. You can play the best defense in the world but if you don't score a run, you'll never win.

As always on Heybucket, I agree to disagree, but I definitely disagree on this one.

PS. Can you spell check on here cause I know I can't spell for anything??

[Luv_SC]

Am Softball I agree with you about the times being too late. I believe when it came to the final game our manager/ coaches gave the girls the option and they choose to play at least according to my DD. Its hard to make it to the finals and not play I know how important an education is but have no problems with staying late to finish the game.


We got home at about 10:50 that night, a teamate got home at close to midnight, my DD took a shower we had a meal, she was hungry and at that point what was another 20 minutes right. She also went to school on Monday it was not even a question or option to stay home. Luckily she had no test or anything special going on I was tired and so was she but we made it through the day she went to bed at 9Pm Monday night as usual.

We all know what a good team you have and I know several teams mentioned it was there first few weeks back. No need to defend yourself its early on we all lose at some point and if this was May that would be a different story.

[outsider]

I am just curious: If you attend a tourney that is not local( like Fresno) and you make the finals, do you flip a coin to see who wins, allow your DD to skip school on Monday, or do you find a way to get them back in time

[AM Softball]

I am just curious: If you attend a tourney that is not local( like Fresno) and you make the finals, do you flip a coin to see who wins, allow your DD to skip school on Monday, or do you find a way to get them back in time

If it is a big tournament like Fresno, we play and the kids are tired or stay home Monday dependng on their schedule but those tournaments are in April, May, or during the summer, not during finals and this was not one of those tournaments.

It is VERY common in the older divisions...maybe because as you go through travelball, you realize winning at all costs isn't everything...

I remember last year at 12U state, teams forfeited on Friday because their kids could not miss school because of tests (maybe Star tests or something??? I'm not sure)

I just think it is an easy fix and not that much to ask for our children. Limit the teams and make the game times reasonable. I mean they charge $475 in fees, the teams had to pay admission, spent a lot of money on concessions, and had to provide balls too. What is next, we provide umpires too and start at 10 instead of 8. When do you say enough is enough?

I asked all of the players on our team these questions:
What time is your bed time? All were at or before 9:30 except one (who happened to be my daughter and her bedtime was 10) Some were as early as 8:30. Who has end of the semester tests this week? (6 players said yes) We then felt it was best to not play that late and put the education first.

We don't expect everyone to agree with the decision but you should agree the game times are ridiculous

Also, if it was in HB like others said, it would have taken 30 mins off most of our trips so that is also something to take into consideration.

[Comets16]

Outsider that is an easy one.. Play the game regardless of time, drive the kids and wife home after feeding them, carry them to bed if needed, get them up in the morning to shower, take them to school to get the extra sleep over riding bus, then call in to work sick and sleep all day. Wake up in the after noon, read heybucket about the weekend, straighten the house up so wife doesn't have to in after work, pick something up and prepare supper for everyone and then sponge all Monday night, with everyone turning in early to be....Works for us!!!!

Wake up Tuesday and look forward to another weekend of ball!!!

[outsider]

Why would Fresno be any different that TCS Huntington Beach? Neither one qualify for any major tournament.

[AM Softball]

Why would Fresno be any different that TCS Huntington Beach? Neither one qualify for any major tournament.

It really isn't different but our priorities are Nationals, State, (Regionals/Qualifiers if necessary) and Fresno because there are so many great teams there; it is a true "travel trip" for us and is like the mini Nationals of California!

Our kids set goals at the beginning of the year and chose Fresno as a tournament we wanted to do well in (finish in the Gold level and place in the top 10) but you are correct, it doesn't mean anything in the scheme of things.

[outsider]

Coemts16,
Ride a bus???? Is it of the short yellow kind?? LOL

[sballjunkiee]

any teams to look out for in the vegas tournament for patrick day not on the top list?