Question about Friendlies

[Skarp]

Oh, and don't think I didn't notice your surreptitious attempt to put the brakes on your own argument while simultaneously trying to feign victory. You've come a long way from "You people are frickin amazing....oh, the food isn't healthy...its not a gameday meal....give me a break" to "Geez...all I'm asking is that you buy a pack of sunflower seeds." Nice try.

Nice attempt at a straw argument, Skarp. My argument has never changed. Its about supporting the teams who choose to run these things. Many of them have players who can't afford all the expenses of travel ball and run friendlies so that those young ladies have similar opportunities as those with more affluent parents. I could care less if you, as an individual choose to support a team's snack bar. My messages are for the many people who read these posts and might be unduly influenced by your rather short-sighted argument.

So when you wrote "You people are frickin amazing....oh, the food isn't healthy...its not a gameday meal....give me a break", which "people" were you responding to? Nobody had advocated boycotting the snack bar. They had only said that they thought they needed to bring their own healthy food options. Yet now you write "just buy something...candy....seeds....a drink.....just about anything would do." Are candy, seeds, or a drink supposed to replace the healthy food options they were referring to? If not, who exactly was your original post directed at?

No straw argument here. Your first post cannot be reconciled with your last. Perhaps you would like to take another shot at explaining why we are obligated to support your snack bar whether or not it offers anything we want. Explain again why it isn't your responsibility to provide things we want in order to get our money.

[Skarp]

Skarp,
Not sure if I missed this but how many friendlies in your life have you hosted? Their is no way anyone in their right mind that has done all the work to host a friendly does not think that the other teams should support the snack bar. We host a lot, act like a A$$, leave your dugout a mess and don't support our snack bar and you will never be invited back. The people out there that are the ones saying that you should not have to support a snack bar are the same people who's teams are booted from going back to friendlies.

Cookie,

There is a big difference between a humble suggestion that attendees consider supporting a host's snack bar and Sam's assertion that people are "frickin' amazing" because they decide to bring their own food. I buy snack-bar food all the time, but I do so because I want to, not because I'm obligated to. I'm not. If you host a friendly you have a captive audience of many people. If you can't figure out how to capitalize on that, that's your problem, not mine.

[Sam]

1) Since $400 plus free playing time isn't enough for a host team to expect, how much, exactly, are we supposed to give you? How much do you deserve to make for the day? Be specific please.

A. There is no free playing time. Host teams pay the umpires and for the fields if they are being charged for them. Teams deserve to make it worth their while to put on the event and they will normally make money according to what they choose to put into it.

2) Since we clearly owe you [insert your answer from Question 1], why don't you just charge us that for the friendly and be done with it?

A. Already answered this one.

If you net $400 after expenses, and your team played in the friendly, then you got $400 plus free playing time. And you evaded my question. So again, I ask you. How much are you supposed to make? How much are you owed?

A. Uhhh, if you worked the snack bar, dragged the fields, scheduled the event, scheduled the umpires and cleaned up afterword ....you didn't play for free....you earned the money to pay for the games.

And again I also ask you, if you honestly feel that you are owed that amount, why not just charge it as an up-front fee instead of coming on here and trying to browbeat us into thinking we have some sort of extra obligation to you?

A. You are the only one arguing that anybody is owed money. Its really simple....your team doesn't support snack bars at friendlies and you start finding it hard to find friendlies. If teams charged $80 per game, they wouldn't have many teams playing. You want your cake and eat it too. It doesn't work that way.

The answer is that you can't charge more, because nobody will think it's worth it. It's unfortunate, but other people get to make their own decisions about where and how they spend their money. You veterans will have to console yourself with your superior wisdom...the rest of us will just vote with our wallets.

A. Us veterans will console ourself with the wisdom that teams full of people such as yourself get weeded out fairly quickly.

[Sam]

Oh, and don't think I didn't notice your surreptitious attempt to put the brakes on your own argument while simultaneously trying to feign victory. You've come a long way from "You people are frickin amazing....oh, the food isn't healthy...its not a gameday meal....give me a break" to "Geez...all I'm asking is that you buy a pack of sunflower seeds." Nice try.

Nice attempt at a straw argument, Skarp. My argument has never changed. Its about supporting the teams who choose to run these things. Many of them have players who can't afford all the expenses of travel ball and run friendlies so that those young ladies have similar opportunities as those with more affluent parents. I could care less if you, as an individual choose to support a team's snack bar. My messages are for the many people who read these posts and might be unduly influenced by your rather short-sighted argument.

So when you wrote "You people are frickin amazing....oh, the food isn't healthy...its not a gameday meal....give me a break", which "people" were you responding to? Nobody had advocated boycotting the snack bar. They had only said that they thought they needed to bring their own healthy food options. Yet now you write "just buy something...candy....seeds....a drink.....just about anything would do." Are candy, seeds, or a drink supposed to replace the healthy food options they were referring to? If not, who exactly was your original post directed at?

No straw argument here. Your first post cannot be reconciled with your last. Perhaps you would like to take another shot at explaining why we are obligated to support your snack bar whether or not it offers anything we want. Explain again why it isn't your responsibility to provide things we want in order to get our money.

The two comments you reference aren't even close to being at odds. The fact that I am amazed by people who won't buy a hamburger or a taco....or a bag of seeds because it isn't a healthy game day meal is totally consistent. Your perception of my posts is just that....a perception....caused by your desperate need to show some inconsistency in my argument...an argument which is actually a warning. There is only one outcome if the warning is not heeded. Get used to playing in expensive tournaments or not playing at all. You can argue your point all you wish, but it won't change the fact that I am right.

Now I'm done with you.

[Skarp]

[quote="Sam"]A. You are the only one arguing that anybody is owed money.

Ummm...let's see. My only argument has been that I am not obligated to buy food from your snack bar. Not that I won't, not that people shouldn't...just that I'm not obligated to. That's the proposition that you've been arguing against. So if your argument is that I'm obligated to buy stuff from you whether or not I want it, how is it that you are not arguing that I owe you money? That's precisely what you are arguing.

In truth, you are becoming a bore (as well as a boor, which you've been from the beginning). You're also a bit out of your depth, as evidenced by your propensity to call names and assassinate character rather than just engage in debate. I will continue to respect your opinion when respect is due (and typically it is). Your person...well, that's another matter.

[anonlooker]

okay then!

who's buying the next round?

for a question about friendlies, this topic sure took a 180!

eat drink and be merry, folks.

and play ball!

[softballdad]

Ok. Now the question is who has the best SNACK BAR, PARKING, FIELDS, BATHROOMS, PLAYGROUNDS, and room to practice before games.

[NumeroUno]

Minors Gold, Winchester Park, Big parking lot right next to all 3 fields and a snack bar that will remind you of mamas home made Sunday night dinner. Okay not that good but the food is top notch.

[Skarp]

Minors Gold, Winchester Park, Big parking lot right next to all 3 fields and a snack bar that will remind you of mamas home made Sunday night dinner. Okay not that good but the food is top notch.

I'm holding you to that. See you on the 9th.

Sam and Skarp time to take it the back room!

Moi?? I'm just debating a topic on the merits as I see them. Is that still allowed here?

Sam? Well...Sam's avatar pretty much says it all. Sam's a veteran. Sam expects you to respect his authority. Sam doesn't like to be contradicted. Sam makes it personal when he is. Sam browbeats people into submission and imagines that qualifies as argumentative victory. Well fair warning...Sam should choose his targets more carefully from now on.

[Sam]

A. You are the only one arguing that anybody is owed money.

Ummm...let's see. My only argument has been that I am not obligated to buy food from your snack bar. Not that I won't, not that people shouldn't...just that I'm not obligated to. That's the proposition that you've been arguing against. So if your argument is that I'm obligated to buy stuff from you whether or not I want it, how is it that you are not arguing that I owe you money? That's precisely what you are arguing.

In truth, you are becoming a bore (as well as a boor, which you've been from the beginning). You're also a bit out of your depth, as evidenced by your propensity to call names and assassinate character rather than just engage in debate. I will continue to respect your opinion when respect is due (and typically it is). Your person...well, that's another matter.

So now that you have lost the argument, you resort to outright lying....all the while doing precisely what you wrongly accuse me of....very nice, Skarp. You're better than that aren't you? If you can point to an instance where I have called names and assassinated anyone's character, please do so....or shut up.