Why has Heybucket gotten so boring?

[anonlooker]

Joe was a one-note bore.

[as the world turns]

What!? he found a new man?!?

[anonlooker]

Joe was a one-note bore.

I heard Joe found religion and is a new man

Yeah, his name is Texas Longballs. Duh.

[Blind Squirrel]

1. I've been removed from the TB scene for awhile as my kids aged out (except for a bit of 23u). But as I recall, the recruiting frenzy diminished significantly at the end of the national tournaments and people are now either looking for a change or taking a breath for any number of reasons. In sum, the relative "boringness" of HB may largely be a function of the time of year.

2. Ben crossed the line. IMO, he crossed it big time and he richly deserved banishment regardless of what he "contributed". The fact that a person with a mind that would do what he did is allowed to reproduce is wrong. He demonstrated quite clearly that his place is NOT within 100 miles of any normal notion of anything close to a civil society. He is the pathetic equivalent of a monkey that throws poo with the exception that the monkey vastly outguns him in intellect. Hey Ben, if you're still around, feel free to try to respond publicly or privately to what I just wrote.

3. Boring? Everyone these days (it sadly, probably even comes up in 12U) seems preoccupied with recruiting. Fair enough I guess. Want some related boring info? People have no idea what often goes on behind the scenes in college softball. Often but certainly NOT EVERYWHERE. Just as TB parents talk with TB parents on other teams, so do college parents. I will never betray anyone's confidence and name schools/coaches but I will say for now that what I have heard and seen the direct results of (players quitting the sport or transferring) in college softball is far harsher than anything I saw/heard in TB over the course of 10 years in more than a couple sports. What got Bobby Knight fired from Indiana pales in comparison to some cases and a nontrivial number of coaches apparently feel they can act with impunity because the public and media don't give a sh*t about college softball. And they're right. My kid is happier and more excited about the upcoming season than ever. This has nothing to do with her. But I remember how I felt when she committed and my thoughts at the time. If I had known then what I know now about what goes on at some big name D1s across this country, my feelings and thoughts would have been very, very different. Happiness and pride would have been significantly mitigated by feelings of concern.

This post is probably way too long and, yes, boring. My apologies. Regardless, I will post more about the potential reality of what the college softball dream sometimes entails in the future. BTW, it is far from all bad in every situation. I'm very much looking forward to the upcoming season but for the love of God, can someone come up with something better than Gametracker? That sh*t is horrible.

Edit: I'll add one specific now. Cuts in scholarship amounts are far more common than I thought when my kid committed. Be forewarned. There are usually very good reasons when a kid quits or transfers. And it aint because of homesickness or what is said in public or on the internet.

Santorum McSquirrel The Angry Anus Human Unipede

[anonlooker]

So Longbore, now you're God's troll?
What a dork!

[3monkeys]

Anal Licker, get your a$$ back to Cali. Guessing SF.

[ontheblack]

Hey Squirrel,

Looking forward to the follow up posts.

[Blind Squirrel]

Wow, I haven't been encouraged to offer my opinion in a long time. Well, its been at least 22 years. I'll try to be more positive this time ...

Not long into my kid's freshman season we were told there was "a book" on her and it described how she should be pitched to. Come conference season it was clear that nearly every coach used the same plan to a significant degree. I also heard about "the book" on a player on another team that my kid considered one of best college hitters in the country. Watched a post season game and sure enough I saw that kid striking out on the exact thing specified in the book. I don't know how common this is in TB but I never heard of it. And if it is happening in one conference it is probably happening elsewhere.

I'm not sure how much my kid worked on the weakness in "the book" on her while she was taking batting lessons during TB, but my guess is it could/should have been more. In retrospect I probably should have been more concerned about identifying weaknesses and having her work on them. Or maybe she is just retarded and it wouldn't have mattered.

Ignorant Squirrel

[ontheblack]

My kid will be glad to hear that as she and I keep a 'book' on TB hitters we expect her to see frequently.

[Fastpitch4Life]

Maybe in the fall, instead of reading all these posts searching for impact players, advertising friendlies and arguing about who's the best 10U or 12U teams, HB could roll out a fantasy football category so that important sports info can be discussed and analyzed, i.e. Welker v. Revis, or should I drop Tony Romo because he's playing like such a dork, etc, etc.

Wow, I guess HB is kind of boring in the fall....