Anderson Express Invitational - Coming in May

[OnlyTheStrongSurvive]

Hey guys new to this plz help me out. As i read this (because of the number of hits) I see Lethal Wepon say that OK moved to 43' but if a Georgia Impact team comes they will be there? Is this gonna be at 40 or 43' and who is this ga team? Is this the gametime team the won that USFA tournament in panama city in the summer?

Yes it is the Gametime Stars 97 team that Won the USFA tournament in panama city

[LETHAL WEAPON 25]

Hey guys new to this plz help me out. As i read this (because of the number of hits) I see Lethal Wepon say that OK moved to 43' but if a Georgia Impact team comes they will be there? Is this gonna be at 40 or 43' and who is this ga team? Is this the gametime team the won that USFA tournament in panama city in the summer?

Ok, Ill bite.
First, Yes we are the Gametime team that won the USFA tourney in Florida. Really though that means nothing as that was last year. Teams change faces, get better etc.

Second, regarding pitching distance, What i said was Oklahoma has Jr high softball starting in the 7th grade. Since alot of these teams play on High School fields, and alot of the coaches dont want to move the pitching mound back and forth, MOST of the Jr Highs here pitch from 43'. Which means that there are pitchers here as young as 98's throwing from 43' for the school ball season. Also, USSSA is making a strong push in Oklahoma right now by making 2 of the biggest tourney directors here State directors for USSSA. As you may know 14U and up will throw from 43' in Utrip as well as USFA. We are planning a return to Florida so obviously we prefer 43'. I know the general consensus is that if you dont play ASA then your just pretending, but to each his own I guess. We enjoyed the experience in Panama City for USFA and the experience in Orlando for USSSA so for us it is what it is. We just dont feel like we need to chase the ASA carrot for credibility. I guess if people wanna call us pretenders thats their right. They can go keep it real in Midland, Texas for a week in late July. We'll just be pretending in Orlando, Florida playing at probably the premier facility in the country ( Disney/ESPN wide world of sports complex) against some incredibly talented teams from Florida, Georgia, Mississippi etc. Yeah, I can live with that.

Third, I only mentioned Georgia Impact because I know they are a very good team. We had the opportunity to play them in the finals at Hall of Fame (which they won) and they are top notch organization with alot of class. They also finished 2nd at the ASA/USA National last summer. However, there are alot of really good teams signed up for this one. Looking at the list there are several teams who could win this deal. The teams I mentioned previously I mentioned only because it's rare that you get to play those teams due to the logistics. I absolutely was not slighting any of the teams from the DFW area as I believe there are a few teams there who are now as good as anyone in the country. For us though, those guys are alot more accessible(being just a short drive down I35) than say a Tennesee, Georgia, or Alabama team. Thus my point previously.

Kinda long winded but I think I pretty much covered it all.

[texasbob]

LW didn't mean to get you worked up. Just trying to figure out if this tournament will be at 40 or 43 ft. But since we are now on the subject (of the list) who are the front runners in the 14u group? You seem to have a grasp of the teams mentioned. Also reading back I think, that it doesnt matter what weekend and what venue these girls just want to play the game. I am not with Team Anderson, but admire them for trying to put on a tournament with this calibur of teams.

[NachoDaddy]

LW didn't mean to get you worked up. Just trying to figure out if this tournament will be at 40 or 43 ft. But since we are now on the subject (of the list) who are the front runners in the 14u group? You seem to have a grasp of the teams mentioned. Also reading back I think, that it doesnt matter what weekend and what venue these girls just want to play the game. I am not with Team Anderson, but admire them for trying to put on a tournament with this calibur of teams.

My vote goes to Arkansas Heat so far.

[LETHAL WEAPON 25]

LW didn't mean to get you worked up. Just trying to figure out if this tournament will be at 40 or 43 ft. But since we are now on the subject (of the list) who are the front runners in the 14u group? You seem to have a grasp of the teams mentioned. Also reading back I think, that it doesnt matter what weekend and what venue these girls just want to play the game. I am not with Team Anderson, but admire them for trying to put on a tournament with this calibur of teams.

My vote goes to Arkansas Heat so far.

Arkansas Heat is a very good team, and I know Rex will have them ready to play for this. However, They are just 1 of several teams who could win this. I guess if you held a gun to my head and made me pick a favorite, I'd prolly have to say Georgia Impact. I mean they did finish 2nd at ASA/USA Nationals and they won Hall of Fame. I know Ark. Heat played both of those events as did a few of the teams on this list. I mean this tournament is really really loaded, so it will really come down to who has a good weekend, who gets the best draw, and etc. Also, dont forget that although this tournament is highlighted by some very good high profile 97 teams its still a 14U tourney which means 96 teams can play or 97 teams can pick up 96 players so that kinda changes the dynamic a little bit. It would be cool if it was just limited to "TRUE" 97 teams.(teams with no 96's at all) but it really doesnt matter all that much as most of these teams are used to playing against older competition anyway. All that said, it is still shaping up to be a very good tournament.
I'm hoping that the tournament directors will really put some thought into making this a 43' tournament. I mean if you think about it. Most of the good 14U teams are going to be playing a hearty schedule of 16U anyway which is 43'. This tourney is early enough in the year that it wont really affect the teams that are going ASA which is 40', and let's be honest if 43' is a problem for a teams pitchers then that team is probably way outclassed in this spot anyway.
Just my 2 cents.

[runrule00]

Lethal Weapon you make a good point about picking up players or having 96 players. Heard you guys lost your stud pitcher. So does that mean you guys will be picking her up for this weekend or will you bring someones 96 pitcher. Maybe that why you keep pushing for 43 feet.

[LETHAL WEAPON 25]

Lethal Weapon you make a good point about picking up players or having 96 players. Heard you guys lost your stud pitcher. So does that mean you guys will be picking her up for this weekend or will you bring someones 96 pitcher. Maybe that why you keep pushing for 43 feet.

LOL! Nah we'll just win or lose with what we got. Not OUR style to go pick up an older pitcher just to try and win 1 tournament. We have a lot of confidence in our current pitching staff. I think I've pretty much covered why I'm pushing for 43'. If you are a team that hits well then 43' should really appeal to you. It does make it more of a hitters game, so I guess a team that tries to small ball for 1 run an inning would be opposed. You are right though from 43' it really doesn't matter whose in the circle you better be able to hit and play defense.

[rothie]

Looks like the 98 age group is very strong so far. There are a few of the big name Texas teams in this age group that have not signed up and maybe they will. I would like to see a few more out of state teams enter. Oklahoma has some very tough teams as well as Louisiana. So lets get the word out to them and see if they would be interested in the challenge.

[GA_FASTPITCH]

Where is the list of 98's. The Southeast has some super tough teams too. Toughest teams by far would be the 98 Worth Cobras(GA.), 98 Tenn. Fury, 98 Bham ThunderBolts and 98 Bham Mustangs. I TD here in Ga. and I know the Ga. teams couldnt come cause I think its the same weekend as the first ASA Ga. qualifier.......

[rothie]

I was not saying that there were not teams else where that wouldn't be great to have. I just didn't figure on a lot of teams traveling that far to go play on a normal weekend. But if there could be a few from come in that would be great. The better the teams the better the tournament and competition. You can look on fastpitchsoftball.net. It is May 7-8.