Magic Just Rumors Really???

[Bleacher bug]

If anyone is wondering what that taste in their mouth is, It's the little bit of puke that came up reading LM83's post... In the words of Darter Pull Your Pants Up Your Elitist Attitude Is Showing

OWNB

Obviously you do not know me at all or the values this organization has held for over 30 years. If you did, you would know my favorite saying (which I tell all parents at tryouts) is that the word winning is not in our mission statement.

I turned down over 15 requests from coaches looking to move their teams in the last 12 months. We don't need to recruit teams, they come to us. Again, believe me or not, up to you.

Mike

That is funny!!! Winning means nothing to Magic!!! Yet when it comes to your final choice of coaches who just couldn't wait to put LM on their chest you picked a coaching combo which split's up two of the top teams in 12u and brings them your way???

[Old Darter]

If you all are not upset about losing the coaches, then why all the whining? I would think you would love to see this:

1. Gets a problem out of your hair. You know, that coach that you all CHOSE to have your daughter play for last year.
2. It will obviously be the ruin of the evil empire, Lady Magic.

Must be that you all want to be able to sit around and say "see, told ya so". So quit your bitchin'. Obviously when LM flames in ruins because the Devil himself is now coaching there, you will have that time!

This is getting boring....out.

[noncrazynorcal]

For folks who claim to know so much about LM, y'all know very little.

OWNB

Obviously you do not know me at all or the values this organization has held for over 30 years. If you did, you would know my favorite saying (which I tell all parents at tryouts) is that the word winning is not in our mission statement. Your right, I have an agenda. It's right here.

As the president of LM, I do have firsthand knowledge of all the coaches on this team and have complete confidence in their commitment to this organization. Only time will prove me right or wrong, no one else.

As for a core group, they are the coaches daughters, so yes we do. Otherwise we have made NO commitments to any other players. Do I think there will be players from Heat and Breeze come to try-out? I would expect so, just as you all seem to do. Players will follow coaches they believe in. That does not change the fact that until they show up, they aren't on the roster. Even showing up doesn't guarantee a spot, whether you believe me or not! And just to be clear, all POSITIONS are open. Yes, 3 roster spots are taken, and obviously those players play a position. Doesn't mean they will be the only ones to play that position.

As for recruiting teams at the top of their divisions, you have that backwards. We do not recruit teams at all! I turned down over 15 requests from coaches looking to move their teams in the last 12 months. We don't need to recruit teams, they come to us. Again, believe me or not, up to you.

Checkwriter :

You know the answer to this one, so I am surprised you mention it..

When a team is formed within the LM organization, that team is given a sunset date matching the end of the summer season following the head coaches daughters HS graduation. For Joe and Jim, that was Aug 15th, 2011. They were GRACIOUS ENOUGH, at the boards request, to stay one additional fall and summer season to prevent a gap between their teams sunset and Earl's teams moving to 18G. That occurred this past fall. Once Earl's daughter graduates in 2014, that team will be done at the end of that summer season. Likewise once Sue, Rick and Derek's daughters graduate in 2015, they are done. The same will be true with this 12u team in 2018. If no new teams are added by then, bye bye Lady Magic.

(FYI - Both Jim and Joe remain a part of the Magic family and continue to advise and mentor our players and coaches. We wish them only the most success in any new ventures.)

If any of you would like any further explanation of how we add teams, the criteria required or ANYTHING else about LM, feel free to respond to me directly and I would be happy to tell you! But as for this thread, this will be my last comment. Enjoy your daughters, enjoy the holidays and enjoy the opportunities provided your family which so many others do not have.

Mike

Great PR when you're willing to sign your name to it.

[CheckWriter]

Clarification:

Re-reading my post I can see how it could be taken "personally". Was certainly not meant that way. None of my comments were meant to be LM specific. Just glad the TB drama, IN GENERAL, is over. It is obvious that this drama, in general, starts a bit at 10U, peaks at 12U, is still pretty bad at 14U, falls off dramatically at 16U and is almost non-existent in 18s (what ever flavor of 18s you prefer). Usually it is during 14s that DDs and parents figure out where they belong. The studettes go on to 18s, the average girls play in 16s and, for the also rans, high school ball can be perfect. The parents that remain delusional usually get black listed, end up in some sort of less than ideal daddy ball and entertain the other parents in high school.

When it comes to daddy ball, I have been a pretty consistent defender of the practice in general. There would be no youth sports OF ANY KIND without daddy ball. There is good daddy ball, horrible daddy ball and everything in between. Seen plenty of daddy coaches ride their own DDs unfairly hard. I would consider Jim & Joe's run with their 10U core to be the best of the best of daddy ball as many girls got a lot better at softball along the way.

Had no idea about sunset dates. Seems more like another day on the calendar if you can choose to ignore it, but again, you need to keep the org running. Not sure if they still have their rule, but the Breeze did not allow any girls to be coached by their dads in either 16U or 18U. Know coaches that left with their cores to avoid that one. That always seemed like a good rule to me, unless of course you end up with no coach and no team.

Have had nothing to do with LM for some time now, but we had a good experience while we were there. Can't keep everybody happy in any undertaking but I think a significant fraction were at least satisfied a significant fraction of the time. That's pretty good in TB.

Enjoy your Turkey!

[Sftball Junkie]

Wow!! Miss a few days miss a lot... I am confused here!!!! How did Lady Magic LM83/Darter turn this into a Magic thing? I just went back through to figure out who slammed the Magic and I don't get how you read this to be about you. I don't even think you could say it was about Jamie Lewis. If I read this correct this entire thing was about a coach from the Beeze that some parents felt lied to them for the last year. Seems to my LM83/Darter have made this about them.. Some how Darter even lost all class and started the mud slinging with parents and brought DM and his issues into this. What did he do to get thrown into this? Trust me I can't stand DM or the Breeze as anyone can clearly see from any of my previous post. I Had a lot of respect for the Magic Org which I seem to be losing daily. This is an honest question, maybe you can help let us know why you feel these people were attacking Magic? Maybe that would help everyone talking off the bucket about this understand why one of the most respected Org's in the area would start the mud slinging towards these parents who I am sure are people you don't even know and another Org. Like I said I had a lot of respect for the Org maybe there is a valid reason.

[Turret94]

Mike,
It's funny how you are trying your best to portray the Magic as "above it all" and "holier than thou." Nothing could be farther from the truth. Why dont you start by letting everyone know that you first targeted the Heat when they won the championship this year. You offered the head coaching spot to Cota and when he declined, you went after Raul from the Hype and when he declined, you settled on CM. And you said "the Magic never recruits teams?" Interesting how you went after the top three teams.

The truth is, you guys dont have young 10's and 12's teams because you wait to see what teams develop and then you target them...oh wait..."the Magic never recruits teams."

Truth is you guys are riding on the coat-tails of the one really good team you had and use it to recruit teams.

No magic to it...recruit a good team and build on it...not hard to do.

I give Team California from last year a lot of respect in the way they started from scratch and offered genuine strong coaching. No team recruiting, just coaching...classy.

Gig is up Mike

[LadyMagic83]

Actually, we were not recruiting teams. The amount of inquiries over the last six months told me that if we announced a 12u team, there was a lot of interest from players on other teams. In the last few weeks, as the decision was made to go forward, we needed to solidify a coaching staff (which btw, we did not announce until Fall Ball was over). We notified several of the coaches of teams we thought might be affected out of courtesy. During those conversations, we did extend an offer to one of those coaches who had expressed an interest, but upon learning that he would not be the only head coach, he declined. Believe me or not (though you do not know me, so I don't understand why you wouldn't), up to you. Fact is, I was looking forward to having two teams, then one, then...but more than one LM family wanted a place for their younger daughters to play, and to play for LM. Yes, multiple families, not just JL.

But please, tell me one team who has played under the LM name who WE recruited? Please, I'd love to hear. As for the "one good team" comment, this tells a different story.

Junkie...Isn't the name MAGIC in the title of this thread? THAT makes it about LM, and makes it about me. It is MY integrity being called into question as to WHY LM would have these coaches. So yes, I take it personally. Like it or not, these coaches are now part of the LM family. And what is this organization if not the people in it? It would be nothing but a bunch of old uniforms and equipment sitting in my garage. This thread is FULL of insults against these new family members and their integrity. So yes, I am defending them as THEY now are this organization! And I will defend this organization, and anyone in this organization, until presented with proof as to why I should not, and then I will handle it out of the spotlight of this forum.

I'm sorry you have lost respect. I have done nothing but be open and truthful. If we've lost yours, hopefully we have gained that of others. As for me personally, the only respect that means anything to me is that of those in the LM family (which includes my own family). Have we, have I, made mistakes over the last 30 years? Sure. Haven't you? Will I make more, probably, but I hope those years in this sport keeps them from being too big.

You are all welcome to your opinions, I cannot change them and should have stopped trying several posts ago. if you have more to say to me, please, come talk to me on the 29th. You'll know who I am. I have nothing to hide and am PROUD to discuss this organization and all it has done for the past 3 decades for the girls, and softball, in the Sacramento Area.

Again, believe me or not. Enjoy your holidays.

BTW, why am I the only one signing my name?

MS

[Stealing Home]

Umm - your current 16u team. If memory serves me correct - the staff and many players were pulled from a Hype team. I'm sure it was all was coincidence and had nothing to do with recruiting.

"But please, tell me one team who has played under the LM name who WE recruited? Please, I'd love to hear."

[LadyMagic83]

Umm - your current 16u team. If memory serves me correct - the staff and many players were pulled from a Hype team. I'm sure it was all was coincidence and had nothing to do with recruiting.

"But please, tell me one team who has played under the LM name who WE recruited? Please, I'd love to hear."

Ummm....WRONG!!!!!!! But thank you for walking into that. WE did not RECRUIT that team. In fact, we did EVERYTHING we could to scare them away! At that time we had 1 team left and we were all ready to put LM in hiatus and retire!

Funny, first we are accused of waiting and recruiting teams at the top of 12u, but you mention a B team that was 2-n-Q at Western Nats that year. Seems to me that team has been coached and built over the years. Let's see, I think they were 12th @ PGF this year. So which is it?

But to humor you, the manager of that team - A LADY MAGIC ALUMNI and EXCELLENT ROLE MODEL- requested a Lady Magic team. Our bylaws are written specifically to encourage second generation teams, and here was the first opportunity to make that happen. And I for one am happy we did! There were 65 kids at that first tryout.

(And BTW, there is also a LM Alumni, another EXCELLENT role model who will be coaching this 12u team.)

Got another? Fire and Ice? Go ahead...most people on here know that story, but go ahead. You don't know what you don't know coach. C'mon, any more?

Nevermind. At this point all pertinent and relevant information has been put forth, I will let the rest of this board continue the discussion. I know what I know, and some of what you don't.

Again I sign my name, where's yours?

Mike Saulter

[noncrazynorcal]

Actually, we were not recruiting teams. The amount of inquiries over the last six months told me that if we announced a 12u team, there was a lot of interest from players on other teams. In the last few weeks, as the decision was made to go forward, we needed to solidify a coaching staff (which btw, we did not announce until Fall Ball was over). We notified several of the coaches of teams we thought might be affected out of courtesy. During those conversations, we did extend an offer to one of those coaches who had expressed an interest, but upon learning that he would not be the only head coach, he declined. Believe me or not (though you do not know me, so I don't understand why you wouldn't), up to you. Fact is, I was looking forward to having two teams, then one, then...but more than one LM family wanted a place for their younger daughters to play, and to play for LM. Yes, multiple families, not just JL.

But please, tell me one team who has played under the LM name who WE recruited? Please, I'd love to hear. As for the "one good team" comment, this tells a different story.

Junkie...Isn't the name MAGIC in the title of this thread? THAT makes it about LM, and makes it about me. It is MY integrity being called into question as to WHY LM would have these coaches. So yes, I take it personally. Like it or not, these coaches are now part of the LM family. And what is this organization if not the people in it? It would be nothing but a bunch of old uniforms and equipment sitting in my garage. This thread is FULL of insults against these new family members and their integrity. So yes, I am defending them as THEY now are this organization! And I will defend this organization, and anyone in this organization, until presented with proof as to why I should not, and then I will handle it out of the spotlight of this forum.

I'm sorry you have lost respect. I have done nothing but be open and truthful. If we've lost yours, hopefully we have gained that of others. As for me personally, the only respect that means anything to me is that of those in the LM family (which includes my own family). Have we, have I, made mistakes over the last 30 years? Sure. Haven't you? Will I make more, probably, but I hope those years in this sport keeps them from being too big.

You are all welcome to your opinions, I cannot change them and should have stopped trying several posts ago. if you have more to say to me, please, come talk to me on the 29th. You'll know who I am. I have nothing to hide and am PROUD to discuss this organization and all it has done for the past 3 decades for the girls, and softball, in the Sacramento Area.

Again, believe me or not. Enjoy your holidays.

BTW, why am I the only one signing my name?

MS

Umm - your current 16u team. If memory serves me correct - the staff and many players were pulled from a Hype team. I'm sure it was all was coincidence and had nothing to do with recruiting.

"But please, tell me one team who has played under the LM name who WE recruited? Please, I'd love to hear."

Ummm....WRONG!!!!!!! But thank you for walking into that. WE did not RECRUIT that B team. In fact, we did EVERYTHING we could to scare them away! At that time we had 1 team left and we were all ready to put LM in hiatus and retire!

Funny, first we are accused of waiting and recruiting teams at the top of 12u, but you mention is a B team that was 2-n-Q at Western Nats that year. Which is it?)

But to humor you, the manager of that team - A LADY MAGIC ALUMNI and EXCELLENT ROLE MODEL- requested a Lady Magic team. Our bylaws are written specifically to encourage second generation teams, and here was the first opportunity to make that happen. And I for one am happy we did! There were 65 kids at that first tryout.

(And BTW, there is also a LM Alumni, another EXCELLENT role model who will be coaching this 12u team.)

Got another? Fire and Ice? Go ahead...most people on here know that story, but go ahead. You don't know what you don't know coach.

Again I sign my name, where's yours?

Mike Saulter

You're slowly drifting into no-win territory. No pun intended.

Many readers are likely to appreciate the info, though. Thank you.