Shaw Leads Sorcerer to Indy Championship in Boulder

[QuickStudy]

Phil Mumma's Sorcerer team won the Louisville Slugger Independence Day Tournament in Boulder this weekend with four consecutive come-from-behind victories against 3 ASA Nationals qualified teams and Marty Tyson's Corona Angels.

In the final game, Sorcerer entered Harvard-bound Whitney Shaw to pinch hit with two runners on base. Shaw responded with a 3-run homer, giving Sorcerer a lead that they maintained to the end.

However, the weekend was not all roses for Sorcerer. During an earlier game, with a runner on third and one out, Shaw suffered another tear to her recently repaired ACL when a base-runner blasted into her after Whitney caught a throw and tagged first base for an out.

This calamity raises the obvious question: why are there no safety bases in such a tournament?

Please join me in wishing Whitney a speedy recovery!

Check out the article on Shaw at http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/jul/06/shaw-leads-sorcerer-phil-to-title/

[GoldTBfan]

I met Whitney Shaw a years ago, prior to her committing to Harvard, was very impressed with her maturity and love of the game. She worked hard rehabbing, to get herself back in the lineup, when others might have taken the summer off. What a great kid!

I heard that she is having surgery today to repair her ACL, the best of luck to her.

[jmo]

However, the weekend was not all roses for Sorcerer. During an earlier game, with a runner on third and one out, Shaw suffered another tear to her recently repaired ACL when a base-runner blasted into her after Whitney caught a throw and tagged first base for an out.

One can only wonder exactly what was going on in the mind of the base-runner, when she collided with Shaw whose leg was visibly supported by a metal brace. This calamity also raises the obvious question: why are there no safety bases in such a tournament?

Please join me in wishing Whitney a speedy recovery!

I am sorry to hear about Whitney's knee and I hope for a speedy recovery. The fact that there were no safety bases led to this collision. The base-runner was my daughter who is a slapper and was going full speed. The throw took Whitney over the base and Whitney caught the ball just as my daughter reached the base. She had nowhere to go. My daughter is all of 110 pounds and Whitney is much bigger. I am sorry to hear of her injury.

I do wonder why you would question what was going on in the mind of the runner. Is she suppose to miss the base because Whitney had a metal brace on? The play was bang bang and Whitney actually dropped the ball although they still called the runner out. Their was no ill intent on behalf on my daughter - that I can guarantee you. With my daughter being so small - she would never try and run over someone almost twice her size or deliberately hurt anyone.

Congratulations to the Sorcerers on winning Boulder and best of luck to Whitney!!!

[QuickStudy]

Never in my life have I known a softball player to intentionally injure another, and I am glad to hear that this incident is not an exception.

Yet, there is always an impulse to assess blame in an injury situation. And in this situation, the blame clearly falls on the tournament staff for failing to provide safety bases.

The true hero of this story is Whitney Shaw, whose courage and fortitude under pain and pressure carried her team to victory. Today, Whitney is undergoing surgery. Let us keep her in our hearts and minds.

For the complete story of the Sorcerer victory, check out the web site at http://www.eteamz.com/sorcerer18gold

[Gone in 2.6]

Never in my life have I known a softball player to intentionally injure another, and I am glad to hear that this incident is not an exception.

Yet, there is always an impulse to assess blame in an injury situation. And in this situation, the blame clearly falls on the tournament staff for failing to provide safety bases.

The true hero of this story is Whitney Shaw, whose courage and fortitude under pain and pressure carried her team to victory. Today, Whitney is undergoing surgery. Let us keep her in our hearts and minds.

For the complete story of the Sorcerer victory, check out the web site at http://www.eteamz.com/sorcerer18gold

And yet you chose to post this : "One can only wonder exactly what was going on in the mind of the base-runner, when she collided with Shaw whose leg was visibly supported by a metal brace"

What a ridiculous thing to post. The batter could just as easily have been the one to get injured on this kind of play.

[wadeintothem]

Let me get this right - Sorcerers are at an exposure tournament (THE BIGGEST EXPOSURE TOURNAMENT I MIGHT ADD)and the two games that I watched they had all their signed players on the field and their unsigned players on the bench. Maybe if it wasn't so important to the Sorcerers coaching staff/parents to win at all cost Whitney could have been on the bench where she belonged with the injury and already being signed and this would not have happened. I know their is a lot of bragging going on about winning the tournament but let's here about who you got signed??? Don't forget a lot of the teams that you played did not even bring their signed players or limited them to little playing time unlike Sorcerers. Nationals is right around the corner so maybe it is time to be give it a rest because who knows - you might do as well as you did last year!!! HAHAHA

ouch....

[MIH]

You guys can defend mumma all you want. I know half the team is leaving because they are so sick of his BS.
DHB Hitting- you are always quick to defend sorcerers. You either are with them or with whom I think your with, NorCal Shockers
Bill?

[andy]

Softball is a team sport where two teams compete to see who will win. It is a competition. The current trend to put all the emphasis on showcasing turns it into a individual sport with the attention on me me me me.

Teams have to balance between showcasing their unsigned or uncommitted players and continuing to develop their signed players. After all, when a college selects a recruit, they expect they will continue to get better and actually grow as a player. No college believes the player they select is already ready to compete in college.

Teams need to be successful to attract college coaches and also to fill their teams with new recruits the next year and to also be sure they get into the right showcases and continue to attract coaches. This is not just about this year or this player but about past players and what they did and future playes and what can be done for them.

One attractive part of Boulder is a team can showcase their youngsters and still play their signed girls in elimination. That allows the team to develop towards their goal of winning a national championship and also allows their signed players to get training and reps towards preparing for college. Many college coaches want to see their signed players play before the come to college and are happy to see them play a few innings or at bats. While there, they also may see another players.

There is a balance between the two but at the end of the day, if your DD is good enough and works hard and does all those things she has done since she was 8 until now, she will get signed. It is never about one game or one showcase , it is about a culmination of years of effort and hard work. Playing on a good team with a good balance between showcasing and competing will help the players equally get signed and prepare to be successful in college (not just get a scholarship). It takes time to learn the game at the gold level, despite the athletic skill level.

Play the sport because you love the sport. Focus on your own player or team. Do not focus on what the other player does or does not do or what the other team does. You will not only be more successful but have less stress worrying about things you can not control.

[GoldTBfan]

Play the sport because you love the sport. Focus on your own player or team. Do not focus on what the other player does or does not do or what the other team does. You will not only be more successful but have less stress worrying about things you can not control.

Great post Andy, maybe that's why the Cruisers are so successful.

[arroyo16]

Andy not signed - VERBALLED!