Eastside / Westside / ASA / USSSA

[Larks]

There are two Cabs.

[sqwrl11]

Larks, I hear you on having 2 Cab teams, but that lineup has no business in C. Way too much talent and power. I don't see them playing D, but if they do, I think they will actually hurt themselves instead of helping themselves. All of those guys are perennial B and C players.

[TBI24]

the roster that was posted for cab does not look like a utip d team with b and c players on it. if it is, i hate to see how their b team looks. there you go boys :)

[phatneff]

that cab roster thats what put on here in not a utrip d team!! i would hate to see their b team then!!

What did you just say????

[jramz22]

What kind of English is that guy using? Is he saying that the cab team described above is worthy of a "B" ranking? If he is, he better puff puff pass....cuz he must be smokin that good sh*t!

[CoachRAL]

That Cab team could not compete in the C at all. They are a legit D team. Most C teams in cincinnati cannot compete in the C at the world level. If this cab team is gonig to try and play in the worlds they are right where they belong.

[mikeyb23]

I like the Cab team playing "D". That means I get to see my boys more often! Honestly, I think the first time Jeff hits a few over the fence, and they don't count, he won't like it much. D is going to be pretty crowded this year, C is out of this world competitive, and nobody wants to play "E" because if you're any good at all, you have to play at least "D" in today's society, or risk being made fun of, and playing tournament games at 6 in the morning(To get out of the way before the BIG BOYS show up) Am I right? Oh, and you know Shawn just wants to win some trophies for his trophy case!! SJ! SJ! SJ! SJ! SJ!

[BackstabberSS]

World level? A westside team wanting to play World? Priceless. Kudos to them if they do......Most west siders think the Metro is the World Series and their seasons end with it. LOL!

[Cowboy]

We finished 5th in the ASA "World" last year.
I would consider us a "West Side" team. I know it's not the U-Trip World.
Same difference...Just my opinion.

[shark4]

calm down Caption Harris, don't stay out in the sun to long dork!!!! You can pop off when your team wins something. If you can't win here you can't win at the worlds. Alot more people are going to remember Storm winning the metro than there NIT's. Just go away with your bashing.

[BT44]

Why do you have such a boner for the Westside? You're too new to the area to really know anything about Westsiders besides what you have been told.The Westside is made up of alot of good hard working 'blue collar" types whose families have been there for generations. They take pride in their sports, they love their Church Festivals, they are loyal to their Alma Maters, and they take pride in their neighborhood.We don't marry our Cousins, we have Dentists, and I'm just about sure everybody has indoor plumbing.
In any good size city, over time, the demographics change.Their have been some changes over recent years that are not necessarily for the good, but the core of the Westside is some damn good people!!
We Westsiders do like playing in the Metro, but apparently so do alot of other people.Different Strokes for different folks you know! If it's such a problem just keep doing what you are doing , and don't play in the freaking tournament.
Paradise Sports( a bunch of Westside hicks) plays every year, with one thing in mind...Qualifying for the World.Would I like to win a Metro? Damn right I would! We have played beyond the Metro for as long as I can remember.If we weren't qualified for the World, we played the States and the Nationals for a shot at still getting in to the "Show"
More teams than I can name here, from the Westside, have the same goal. Their are also alot of teams that play league night, and play one tournament a year...The Metro! You know what? Their is not a DAMN THING WRONG WITH THAT!
Harris, you seem to be a bright guy, but at times their is some dumb **** that comes out of your mouth.

[shark4]

Well said Bob.

[BackstabberSS]

LOL!!! Got in late last night from bowling.... Still think that most of what I posted was accurate, but a beer or ten may have provoked it ;) As for a "boner for the westside".... hardly. I just like jabbing at you guys every now and then. I know that there are some decent players over there. Its just beyond me how most of the teams still play ASA even though its dead and don't want to compete on a national scope. To each their own though. There are a couple of teams on the west side that I think would fair pretty well at World, but I guess they have no interest.

[UFreak]

Why do you have such a boner for the Westside? You're too new to the area to really know anything about Westsiders besides what you have been told.The Westside is made up of alot of good hard working 'blue collar" types whose families have been there for generations. They take pride in their sports, they love their Church Festivals, they are loyal to their Alma Maters, and they take pride in their neighborhood.We don't marry our Cousins, we have Dentists, and I'm just about sure everybody has indoor plumbing.
In any good size city, over time, the demographics change.Their have been some changes over recent years that are not necessarily for the good, but the core of the Westside is some damn good people!!
We Westsiders do like playing in the Metro, but apparently so do alot of other people.Different Strokes for different folks you know! If it's such a problem just keep doing what you are doing , and don't play in the freaking tournament.
Paradise Sports( a bunch of Westside hicks) plays every year, with one thing in mind...Qualifying for the World.Would I like to win a Metro? Damn right I would! We have played beyond the Metro for as long as I can remember.If we weren't qualified for the World, we played the States and the Nationals for a shot at still getting in to the "Show"
More teams than I can name here, from the Westside, have the same goal. Their are also alot of teams that play league night, and play one tournament a year...The Metro! You know what? Their is not a DAMN THING WRONG WITH THAT!
Harris, you seem to be a bright guy, but at times their is some dumb **** that comes out of your mouth.

damn!,..no wonder your teams are always "ready" to play!...After reading this post I enlisted in the Marines!...YOU'RE QUITE THE MOTIVATOR!!!!

I'm kidding, I didn't REALLY enlist, but I did punch my Boss in his BIG FAT FACE!....punk bastage!

West Side, East side,...they act like its Rodeo Drive vs. Camden NJ.
Like they never grill out!.....through a shopping cart!

[BT44]

damn!,..no wonder your teams are always "ready" to play!...After reading this post I enlisted in the Marines!...YOU'RE QUITE THE MOTIVATOR!!!!

I'm kidding, I didn't REALLY enlist, but I did punch my Boss in his BIG FAT FACE!....punk bastage!

West Side, East side,...they act like its Rodeo Drive vs. Camden NJ.
Like they never grill out!.....through a shopping cart!


That right there is funny!( Yeah, us hillbillies like Larry the Cable Guy, fitting isn't it)

[BT44]

LOL!!! Got in late last night from bowling.... Still think that most of what I posted was accurate, but a beer or ten may have provoked it ;) As for a "boner for the westside".... hardly. I just like jabbing at you guys every now and then. I know that there are some decent players over there. Its just beyond me how most of the teams still play ASA even though its dead and don't want to compete on a national scope. To each their own though. There are a couple of teams on the west side that I think would fair pretty well at World, but I guess they have no interest.

I disagree. I think the majority of this town is U-trip.Whether it be Westide or Eastside.But if their is any ASA played it's predominantly at Rumpke/Eggleston, which....just happens to be on the Westside. That being said it's primarily league play. Although this year Eggleston is starting up an ASA tournament series.
For me, it's not about the players, it's about the People, you are painting with a broad brush.I just want you to be informed about the people you are taking a "jab" at before you speak. Because you know "We uns do knot tak 2 kinly to dat stuff"

BTW..you might have some Westside in you.....Bowling is soooooooo Westside!!!!! You ever hear of the Hoinke Classic? :)

[Cowboy]

Its just beyond me how most of the teams still play ASA even though its dead and don't want to compete on a national scope. To each their own though. There are a couple of teams on the west side that I think would fair pretty well at World, but I guess they have no interest.

5th at the ASA National/World. SO apparently it's not D-E-A-D. And the friggin trophy I brought home says "National Championship Tournament", so I have to think that would considered the "national scope", as you call it.
I also believe 5th out of 90+ teams is a "pretty fair showing".

[Larks]

Moved from the roster post....good stuff....keep it going.

[BT44]

Sean Tierney is overwhelmed by his hometown's prayers.

Now, the Elder High School teacher asks supporters to pray for a new friend whose bad luck resulted in the surgery that saved Tierney's life.

The 31-year-old Price Hill man underwent a heart transplant Jan. 20 at the Cleveland Clinic. He left the hospital Tuesday, but he'll stay in the Cleveland area for another month or so for follow-up tests.


Students and faculty at Elder rallied around Tierney, and the rest of the West Side followed suit, raising money, holding prayer rallies at the family's church and sending many cards and letters of support.

The new heart is a blessing, Tierney and his wife, Robyn, say, but a bittersweet one.

The donor heart was originally slated to go to Tierney's hospital roommate, but a last-minute glitch meant Tierney received it instead.

It's hard for the Tierneys to celebrate their good luck while their friend, a 34-year-old man named Jonathan, still waits for a new heart and lungs. Tierney was in the hospital for a week, wondering when and if he'd get a new heart.

A metabolic disorder had destroyed the muscle tissue in his heart, causing it to fail.

He and Jonathan got to know each other that week in the long hours they were stuck in their room or getting their daily exercise in the hospital gym.

Jonathan had already had two scheduled transplant surgeries canceled at the last minute.

"He told me how emotionally and physically taxing it was," Tierney said.

Tierney learned Jan. 19 that Jonathan was scheduled for surgery. About 6:30 that evening, a nurse told him he was an alternate to receive a donor heart that had become available.

At about 9:30 p.m., a nurse told him that he would get the heart the next morning.

No one ever told him that it was the heart Jonathan had been slated to get.

"When they told me, 'The heart is waiting for you,' something just clicked in my mind. I knew the first person had to be in the same hospital, as opposed to Columbus or somewhere," Tierney said. "The next day, in the recovery room, Jonathan was there. And my wife had talked to his wife, and she said the surgery didn't go off. There was some kind of complication."

By sheer coincidence, the two men were the same blood type and about the same size, so the heart Jonathan couldn't accept was just right for Tierney.

"Sean said to me, 'I think I stole Jonathan's heart,' and I just started to bawl. It was just like we couldn't even celebrate this," Robyn Tierney said. She is a first-grade teacher at St. Ignatius School in Monfort Heights.

The two men shared a recovery room for a few days, separated only by a curtain, but too weak to speak.

"He had gone through two dry runs without getting the transplant, and then to go through a third one where they'd actually opened up his body, it just made me miserable for him," Tierney said.

They talked a few days later.

"He was great. He said, 'I'm so happy for you and you deserve it,' and all that kind of stuff. But I'm the one who feels he deserves it," Tierney said. "He has a wife. He's thousands of miles away from home and he's been there since August. It feels like I swooped in and stole his opportunity. But in the end, he said something to me, and it's true, that the good news is that someone was able to use the organ. It didn't go to waste."

Tierney is still struggling to accept his good fortune.

"On the one hand, I'm very grateful, and I count myself blessed that I only had to wait a week. But to know that it was at the hands of Jonathan not receiving his transplant just makes me sad," Tierney said Thursday.

"I've battled some feelings of guilt there. It wasn't anything I did to take the heart away, just unfortunate circumstances. Just knowing that his situation continues and he has to continue to endure the hardship makes me sad in my heart, so to speak."

The two men have talked a few times since Tierney's surgery.

Tierney said he's impressed by his friend's good humor and gracious spirit.

So is Robyn Tierney.

"Jonathan said to Sean, 'You have a baby on the way, and this will let you be home for it.' And Sean said, 'You have a wife and a family too!' "

Tierney could come home to Price Hill within a month. He underwent a second biopsy Thursday to see whether his body is accepting his new heart.

So far, everything looks good, although Tierney is having ups and downs getting used to the regimen of anti-rejection drugs he'll take for the rest of his life.

At a January prayer rally at St. Teresa of Avila in Price Hill, the Tierneys' parish, strangers came up to Tierney's parents, Pat and Ruth Tierney, to ask how their son was doing.

"I had no idea who they were. They said they'd heard Sean needed prayers and they wanted to come and pray with us," said Pat Tierney, also of Price Hill.

Robyn Tierney opens cards and letters every day. She usually recognizes the senders' street names and neighborhoods, but not always their names.

"It's just unbelievable," she said. "I never imagined that he had touched so many people who didn't know him personally."

Scott Louis, a math teacher at Elder, is overseeing fundraising efforts at the school. Donations will help cover costs related to the surgery that aren't covered by the Tierneys' health insurance.

Louis expected Elder students and alumni to rally to the cause.

But he's especially impressed that students at rival schools, St. Xavier and Moeller, joined their efforts.

Tierney calls the community support "affirming and humbling."

"We talk about things like community and faith and support, but to actually have that brought to your feet so selflessly has just been so overwhelming," he said. "Now, I need to think about how much more I need to do to show my support and my concern and my love for my family and my community. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about my donor family, but I can't imagine the selflessness they expressed, in their loss, to donate life to someone else. How do you even begin to try to reward that or express your gratitude in an appropriate way?"

How to help

• For a list of fund-raising events benefiting Sean and Robyn Tierney, and updates on Tierney's

[BT44]

Thanks Neff! I wasn't sure if the background music would play or not. :)

BTW...you live West of I-75, by rule, you are a Westsider! And you have alot of Westsider in you, it just hasn't sunk in yet.

[phatneff]

Actually, BT, I was referring to your first post about the west siders. I didn't see this last post about the surgery. After I did, I retracted my comment. I felt really bad that it would have been misconstrued.

[blitz33]

In this area Utrip has pretty much taken over. The Blitz used to be pretty much all ASA with a few NSA and a couple Utrip tourneys on the schedule. Last year we decided to play Utrip. We still did however go to the ASA B Nationals as well as the Utrip B Worlds. This was our 7th time going to the ASA B Nationals and or 1st time to the Utrip B Worlds. We sucked in both. That was a bummer. )-: I for one decided not to devote a whole season to ASA anymore because I didn't think they were putting forth the effort as a organization to keep teams like us involved in their program. Some of the younger people involved with ASA will tell you they get no support from the higher ups within ASA to compete with Utrip. In my opinion ASA still runs a top notch National tournament and the best of 5 Hooters series in Oklahoma City (East Champ vs West Champ) would be awsome to get to play in. It is just throughout the year they really don't give you anything to really play for. ASA is still strong in certain parts of the country so it isn't completely dead. There have been some very good teams that we have played against over the last 7 years at the ASA B Nationals. It in no way would be a small accomplishment to win that tournament. I wouldn't knock a team for playing in that instead of a Utrip world. Kind of depends on how your team is built and what you prefer to play. Trust me teams that play ASA on the local level that call themselves a USSSA C/ASA B team would find out they are really a USSSA C/ASA C team. Eastside/ Westside........who cares ...we are all just softball players. Heck I am just a Indiana hillbilly! lol If I need a good player and a player comes along that can help us...I could care less if he is eastside,westside,NKY...ect. Just my opinion. t

[Larks]

I think the first question any coach has to ask himself is this: Do I have a guy who can pitch USSSA or not. If you dont, you are wasting your time playing USSSA NITs, Nationals and Worlds. When you run into the one or two local teams in your division that really have that pitcher....it's awfully tough to get past those teams in NITs.

So, like we did a couple times the last couple years - we choose ASA since we had a guy who could throw a 12' pitch for a strike and we could hit.

In my opinion, it all starts with pitching.

I agree with the premise that the USSSA program feels like your are always playing for something (points and berths). ASA in my opinion is missing it relative to creating a buzz surrounding the concept of qualifying for a national or world.

[BT44]

You just had to go and get all "intelligent post " on us. I'm in the middle of a rant here, sir!






Oh......that's right. It's your board.

[BT44]

In this area Utrip has pretty much taken over. The Blitz used to be pretty much all ASA with a few NSA and a couple Utrip tourneys on the schedule. Last year we decided to play Utrip. We still did however go to the ASA B Nationals as well as the Utrip B Worlds. This was our 7th time going to the ASA B Nationals and or 1st time to the Utrip B Worlds. We sucked in both. That was a bummer. )-: I for one decided not to devote a whole season to ASA anymore because I didn't think they were putting forth the effort as a organization to keep teams like us involved in their program. Some of the younger people involved with ASA will tell you they get no support from the higher ups within ASA to compete with Utrip. In my opinion ASA still runs a top notch National tournament and the best of 5 Hooters series in Oklahoma City (East Champ vs West Champ) would be awsome to get to play in. It is just throughout the year they really don't give you anything to really play for. ASA is still strong in certain parts of the country so it isn't completely dead. There have been some very good teams that we have played against over the last 7 years at the ASA B Nationals. It in no way would be a small accomplishment to win that tournament. I wouldn't knock a team for playing in that instead of a Utrip world. Kind of depends on how your team is built and what you prefer to play. Trust me teams that play ASA on the local level that call themselves a USSSA C/ASA B team would find out they are really a USSSA C/ASA C team. Eastside/ Westside........who cares ...we are all just softball players. Heck I am just a Indiana hillbilly! lol If I need a good player and a player comes along that can help us...I could care less if he is eastside,westside,NKY...ect. Just my opinion. t

Now tell 'em how many miles you put on your car so you could support the ASA program. You guys should have got Jiffy Lube as a sponsor for all those oil changes you needed over a summer. :)

[BWegman]

Is the Harrison/Ross area considered the West Side? Am I still a Hillbilly WestSider or am I now a Redneck Farmer?

[BT44]

You're still a Westsider.......With a little Hillbilly/Redneck farmer mixed in.It's all good though.

[Ben3123]

Brian,

You went to Taylor thats about as westside as you can get.

[SJACTION LF]

Have you seen EAP's Roster, There playing in the ASA C bash for cash.
They make are team look sick! So I don't see anything wrong with us playing
USSSA D!! Four of are player's havent played in two years. L.O.L To all!!

[BB3]

Larks, I hear you on having 2 Cab teams, but that lineup has no business in C. Way too much talent and power. I don't see them playing D, but if they do, I think they will actually hurt themselves instead of helping themselves. All of those guys are perennial B and C players.

We are a bunch of old guys just playing for fun. Some of the guys haven't even played in a few years. If by some chance we start blowing everyone out at the D level we will move up. I don't thing that will happen. Until then, we are a D team.

[Cowboy]

SJ and BB;

I see team of base hitting and experience right there!!! You guys will definitely show some of these kids the way.

[BackstabberSS]

5th at the ASA National/World. SO apparently it's not D-E-A-D. And the friggin trophy I brought home says "National Championship Tournament", so I have to think that would considered the "national scope", as you call it.
I also believe 5th out of 90+ teams is a "pretty fair showing".


Settle down cowboy... One team out of the whole west side going to a national tourney hardly proves anything.... LOL. Congrats on your finish though!

[cbaker]

Why does everything have to be about going to the Worlds? I am sure that there are plenty of teams all over the country that can compete at that level, but don't go for whatever reason.

BFD, you go to worlds every year, good for you. Don't trash on those that don't do it.

[EXP23]

5th at the ASA National/World. SO apparently it's not D-E-A-D. And the friggin trophy I brought home says "National Championship Tournament", so I have to think that would considered the "national scope", as you call it.
I also believe 5th out of 90+ teams is a "pretty fair showing".

No one is knocking the 5th place showing. By D-E-A-D I think he is referring to the number of teams at each organization's top championship tournament. For instance, ASA C National/World drew about 90 teams. U-Trip D which is supposed to be the equivilent of ASA C consistently draws over 200 teams a year.

Not trying to be a smarta$$, I am just saying what I think he meant by saying ASA is D-E-A-D. Congrats on the 5th place finish though, I would consider that more than a "fair showing".

[YoungGuns]

pg 3 yay

[TBI24]

hey larks you do know with grooms!


I think the first question any coach has to ask himself

is this: Do I have a guy who can pitch USSSA or not. If you dont, you are wasting your time playing USSSA NITs, Nationals and Worlds. When you run into the one or two local teams in your division that really have that pitcher....it's awfully tough to get past those teams in NITs.

So, like we did a couple times the last couple years - we choose ASA since we had a guy who could throw a 12' pitch for a strike and we could hit.

In my opinion, it all starts with pitching.

I agree with the premise that the USSSA program feels like your are always playing for something (points and berths). ASA in my opinion is missing it relative to creating a buzz surrounding the concept of qualifying for a national or world.

[Cowboy]

[QUOTE=EXP23;23472]U-Trip D which is supposed to be the equivilent of ASA C consistently draws over 200 teams a year.

The ASA "C" National is more like a A/B tournament, after you get out of the first round. If you know our team, we are not a ASA "C" team. But, you go the ASA Nationals, it is wise to play down a level to compete for a title. Not saying we could not play in the "B" national, but, you are there to win. The two teams that beat us were NOT ASA "C" teams, by any standard.
I believe this one of the big differences between ASA and U-trip. The classification in U-trip is done fairly and correctly. The teams we played after the first round were B and up. In fact, we played a Dayton team in our second round that was a "B" team.
I don't think U-trip has as big a problem with that as ASA does.

[BREW 11]

Mattel recently announced the release of the improved limited-edition Barbie Dolls for the Greater Cincinnati market:


" Kenwood Barbie"
This princess Barbie is sold only at Kenwood Town Center . She comes with an assortment of Kate Spade Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Honey and a cookie-cutter house. Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version. Kenwood Barbie is easily exchanged, and occasionally mistaken for West Chester Barbie.

" Hyde Park Barbie"
The modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Wind star Minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately.


" Norwood Barbie"
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife,a Chevy with dark tinted windows, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) ..unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you are talking about.


" West Chester Barbie"
This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You won't be able to afford any of them.


" West Side Barbie"
This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR t-shirt and tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Hank Williams Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken's butt when she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.


" Northern Kentucky Barbie"
This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of West Side Barbie's house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top. Also available with a mobile home.




" Northside Barbie"
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks , or combat boots with white socks. She prefers that you call her Willow. She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase two Northside Barbies and the optional Subaru wagon, you get a rainbow flag bumper sticker for free.


" North College Hill Barbie"
This Barbie now comes with a stroller and infant doll. Optional accessories include a GED and bus pass. Gangsta Ken and his 1979 Caddy were available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.


" Vine Street Barbie/Ken"
This versatile doll can be easily converted from Barbie to Ken by simply adding or subtracting the multiple snap-on parts.

[BackstabberSS]

Additions to the Barbies...

SINGLE Hyde Park Barbie: Comes with VW Jetta or convertible VW Cabrio. Head stuck in position with nose in the air. Comes with your choice of sorority tatoo for ankle.

Westside Barbie: Accessories include cigarette and peroxide for hair. KEN doll comes with XXXL jeans that show butt crack, XXXXL Mecca, Fubu, and Sean Jean shirts. Hat only fits crooked and comes with long silver chain.

[sqwrl11]

Harris-Lighten up on the westside boys! Everyone has had good points. I have played in both the USSSA Worlds and the ASA Nationals, and the talent level is way above what we have here. A 5th place finish is outstanding, believe me! There are sandbagging teams in both sanctions, and Harris you are well aware of this. Like Bob said, the westsiders grew up playing ASA because of Rumpke and Eggleston. Eastsiders grow up playing USSSA because of Expressway and Riverstar. Both sanctions are well represented at the National level. Both the east and west sides have great teams, and always will.

Sean and Brian-I have absolutely no problem with you guys playing USSSA D. However, I just thought you guys would hit too many HRs for outs and actually handicap your own team. You have the hitting and definitely the defense. Good luck, and I'll see you in March.

[Larks]

hey larks you do now with grooms!

My point is that if 50 teams register USSSA C in the "Cincinnati" region, 5 of them have a pitcher good enough to get them deep into NITs etc. Thats the major challenge with USSSA.

I think teams sometimes feel they are better suited for ASA because pitching is not as critical other than you need a guy who wont walk people.

Dont get me wrong - I really like the USSSA program. As stated before, you feel like each win is worth something whether you are in a qualifier or NIT. Advancing to state. Advancing to Regional. Etc. It's a great program. My point is teams sometimes choose a different path based on the build of their current roster.

Baker - you make a good point as well. There are hundreds of teams in the area that play. How many play past even the Metro let alone go to world?

Question - how local many teams went to USSSA C world vs. ASA C world last year? I know in the ASA C there was CincySoftball.com, EAP, TPE, Vickers.....any others? How about USSSA? Loveless, TPE/AST, Empire, Design concepts, Pure Romance, Sentry Fire, MAX Softball, East End, House Rules, D & S

Roughly 13 teams out of at least a hundred at this roughly equivilent level?

Maybe going to world is also related to how much money a team has vs. how good they are?

[BackstabberSS]

You do have a point with the money issue Larks.

[cbaker]

Don't get me wrong, I would love to go to a world tourney and play, but lets face it...we don't all have the luxury of having a team that is sponsored enough to make the cost to the player affordable. Money in this game has become a huge issue, and it will continue to get worse.

I also think that the world tourneys don't fit well with many peoples schedules. I personally couldn't go to worlds now because of football commitments, so that alone costs me opportunities to play with certain teams. Consider yourself lucky that you are able to go to those types of tourneys and represent our area well.

[BWegman]

I believe USSSA is on the right path with the Conference idea. It has the potential to help some of the budget issues. The test will be figuring out a way to filter it through all levels.
Shawn Sproles, w/Two-n-Out, is working on a Tri-State USSSA conference. This year will be a “free” trial run. If this year goes well, the next step would be implementing an entry cost and then a program for distributing prize money.

[BackstabberSS]

WESTSIDE!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsVW29C-KlM

[Larks]

LOL - thats hilarious.

[mikeyb23]

That guy in the video is SJ before he gets a shower and puts on his makeup in the morning!! LOL!!

[TBI24]

lol thats funny as hell harris!!

[Stabber21]

Harris, wasn't that guy on our team last year?!?! I think he had shoulder surgery.

[DT04]

Was that Matt Lutz? Lol

[UFreak]

WESTSIDE!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsVW29C-KlM

that was funny!...and here on the West side, that's a regular concern!

[shark4]

For you Harris, that's on the WESTSIDE and home to Bret Wetterich. The leader of the Masters. Classic, a westside hood beating all the county club fags. I love it.