- No college athletes (softball college athletes, rugby, golf, swimming, track ok…)
- No adds to the team once regionals have started. Frozen roster. Yes… many of you will disagree. However, I happen to believe that it's a t-e-a-m that goes to nationals and that team… should play with what got them there. I said "Pollyanna" up front.
- Locale must be able to support a tournament with sufficient hotels. The organizers must be able to provide reserved, available rooms at the non-tournament prevailing rate, not the +40-60% jack-up-the-price game. Don't like it? Don't host it.
- The fields should be at 1 (one) location.
- There should be sufficient field support for maintenance throughout play.
- Tourney duration; 5 days. None of this play 1 game a day (or less) for the first 3 days to keep the participants floating the local economy in currency. If you want practice games, go early. If you a vacation, stay late.
- If there is a rain/lightening delay, have the ability to make a decision and then be able to convey it.
- There needs to be a "real" airport within a reasonable distance.
- Expect, plan, schedule 3 games a day or more starting with day 1. Maybe 4 a day.
- Hire competent blues, pay and treat them well.
- Severely limit or eliminate filler teams.
- Qualified teams should be there based on talent, not region, politics, promotion, perceived reputation, etc. If the best 64 or 128 teams in the country are from… northern Idaho, so be it. If they are "the best" then let "the best" compete.
I have cast gasoline upon the waters of opinion. Who's got a match?
