| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| oldschooldad |
Posted - 09/06/2010 : 14:02:33
What tournaments are folks planning to enter this season? There has been alot of talk about possible boycotts and problems with some events and different TDs in the past. Just wondering which events and tourney teams are going to actually enter? Will USSSA events have fewer teams? |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Alter-Ego |
Posted - 10/22/2010 : 11:19:36
quote:
Originally posted by Alter-Ego
dgersh22,
I assume the Slugfest will still be a sanctioned USSSA event, so teams will have to play in the division they are registered with USSSA as, or higher.
I guess I should have read the message above. I think it will be good having the Slugfest as a TC event. |
| itsaboutbb |
Posted - 10/21/2010 : 15:15:03
quote:
Originally posted by dgersh22
In regards to the slugfest and for teams that have never played Triple Crown before_
Will the teams be classed when they sign up are will they be on their honor to chose the correct division? With this being one of the 1st tournaments of the year I can see alot of the higher class AAA teams stepping down to the lower division. I can see the possibility of alot of your teams that you get from leagues such as the Lanier League (Low AAA, AA Teams) not playing in this tourney due to the fact that they will be playing teams out of their division. I myself can't wait for this tournament, because it goes to such a great cause; I just don't want you to lose teams due to poor judgement of teams entering into the wrong division.
This is from Slugfest website. I see many teams not playing in this because of only 2 classifications.
The 2011 Tournament will be a TRIPLE CROWN EVENT. For each age group, this event will be separated into two different classes - Division I and Division II.
The Division I class is designed for any team that wants to compete at the highest level. Many D1 teams are made up of the best players in a city or county. This is Triple Crown's most competitive division. (for example, major and upper AAA teams).
Division II is designed for the experienced middle of the pack travel teams (for example, lower AAA and AA teams). This division is designed for teams that are not designed to compete with elite teams. Examples of teams that enter this division include (but are not limited to) teams that have players from a limited geographic area, small town teams, or new teams. |
| Alter-Ego |
Posted - 10/20/2010 : 15:02:28
dgersh22,
I assume the Slugfest will still be a sanctioned USSSA event, so teams will have to play in the division they are registered with USSSA as, or higher.
As for Triple Crown, there are no classifications, so you are either in, or you are not. The nice thing Tony has done is created a silver and gold elimination brackets so the lower level teams still get their own division after pool play. Honestly, this works better in my mind because it is determined by how teams play, not by what level they signed up at.
Anyway, it will be here before we know it. |
| bmoser |
Posted - 10/19/2010 : 18:07:59
dgersh22:
I thought the teams in our age group registered appropriately last year, so don't see any reason why that wont happen again in '11.
Its fun to see how the LBL and GGBL team stack up against each other. |
| dgersh22 |
Posted - 10/19/2010 : 13:46:52
In regards to the slugfest and for teams that have never played Triple Crown before_
Will the teams be classed when they sign up are will they be on their honor to chose the correct division? With this being one of the 1st tournaments of the year I can see alot of the higher class AAA teams stepping down to the lower division. I can see the possibility of alot of your teams that you get from leagues such as the Lanier League (Low AAA, AA Teams) not playing in this tourney due to the fact that they will be playing teams out of their division. I myself can't wait for this tournament, because it goes to such a great cause; I just don't want you to lose teams due to poor judgement of teams entering into the wrong division. |
| Thunder |
Posted - 10/19/2010 : 10:09:24
The 2011 Slugfest Tournament will be a Triple Crown event.
More details can be found in the Tournaments posting using the link below.
http://www.nwgabaseball.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11906
Please visit the Slugfest Tournament website at www.leaguelineup.com/slugfest |
| Alter-Ego |
Posted - 09/15/2010 : 13:38:36
If we have 2 scheduled, that is twice as many as before.
Florida and SO.CAL have more players playing USSSA and get rewarded for those numbers.
My suspicion on LA is two fold. One is that Mr. Odom is from there and has done a good job of convincing the other board members to let them have two. Second is that they have a harder time drawing teams down there and need the incentive of a SNIT berth to draw. I can't believe it to be the # of registered USSSA players in LA that does it.
To be fair, any company wants to award those who are supporting them the most. Whether we like it or not, GA does not support USSSA as strongly as some of the surrounding states. (FL, LA, AL, etc) It is because we have other well represented organizations here in the state (TC, Nations, etc).
It't the ole' "Chicken or the egg theory": More teams would support USSSA if they offered more service here in the state, and USSSA would provide more service here in the state if more GA teams supported them.
Name your top 3 things that USSSA could fix that would make you play more tournaments with them. |
| baseballpapa |
Posted - 09/15/2010 : 13:20:15
excoach12: Not only can Bubba not answer that question but from my experience no one else in USSSA can either. As much as the Georgia teams support the Atlanta Super NIT it seems like we would get a lot more support than we do.
You might also ask the question if Florida gives such great support why some of the age divisions only had 2 to 3 teams participating in at least a couple of the Super NIT's compared to the Atlanta Super NIT that sells out every age division year in and year out.
And if you are planning on going to the Alabama Super NIT and two berths are announced do not expect two berths to be granted and do not believe for one minute that if the 1st place team in a Super NIT especially in Alabama cannot or does not accept the Elite 32 berth that the 2nd place team will get it. The berth will most likely go to a team in Louisiana where the national director lives just like it did last year.
All most of the teams want is for any organization to treat all teams the same and build your Elite tournament with the best Elite teams that can qualify for the event. |
| Spartan4 |
Posted - 09/10/2010 : 14:41:03
Hahahaha 10BB
I already gave Shannon the vote earlier but your post was too true not to comment on...I know that Shannon puts more time in on the phone trying to attract big out of state teams than ANY other TD. We like playing out of state teams, it is fun and the boys I know like it more than playing the same 5 teams every single weekend. Another thing that I appreciate about Mr. Ivey is how friendly he is, he has two older sons who have done it all and played for some extremely elite teams. Anytime I need advice or have a question about a particular tournament I can ask somebody that I know will give me an honest opinion. |
| Alter-Ego |
Posted - 09/10/2010 : 13:43:08
10BB,
I agree that Shannon is a great TD and will bend over backwards to make sure teams have a great experience.
This goes to my point that the TD's are the face to any organization. |
| 10 BB |
Posted - 09/10/2010 : 11:22:18
rock44melnix;
You said "In the end, I think it's all about good fields/venues, fair pricing that provides for a solid return for your investment, and most importantly, having tournament directors show some effort in being visible, listening and being proactive and responsive."
If this is the case then Shannon Ivey is the TD for you, He will work for 6 months to make one tournament worth all the expectations of one weekends experience and for very little profit. It has been said on this board that TD's are in it for the $$$ it is a business. This is true for alot of TD's but Mr. Ivey is in it for the love of baseball. He himself has traveled all over the WORLD and played in many tournaments with his two sons. He knows what it takes to make him come back and wishes to put that out to every team that competes in his tournaments. He also has contacts from Texas to Florida, Califonia to Tennessee and everywhere in-between. He will help kids that are looking to go the distance in grabbing that dream that some kids so desire. Ivey for President,Governor or something, he's got my vote!!! |
| Alter-Ego |
Posted - 09/10/2010 : 11:04:49
I think what we have are strong variations in how sanctioning organizations have their tournaments run. Tony does all the TC tournaments but Bubba does a small number of the USSSA events. Most of the positive comments for TC are around how well Tony runs the tournaments and draws teams, not about the TC rules and organization itself. Most of the complaints about USSSA are around how the tournaments are ran and not as much about the organization rules or what information they provide. Whether people like it or not, the reputation of an organization is built by the people who are running the tournaments, not by the people in the background. If USSSA wants to improve their image, they need to certify tournament directors and only let those host tournaments. That way they can regulate the perception. Otherwise they will always be subject to ridicule for how a TD represents them. |
| rock44melnix |
Posted - 09/10/2010 : 09:39:06
There are a few things I look for in a signing up for a tournament, location, viability, number of teams, format(including pitching rules, time limits, pool play and bracket play set up), variety of teams (I am not a fan of seeing the same team weekend after weekend), fields/park condition, COST, and sanction.
I have grown to be an unhappy USSSA customer, if it weren't for the work that Bubba does, I don't know that I would do any USSSA events and going into 2011, we just may not do any. We started doing a couple Nations events and have found them to be pretty responsive and proactive which is pretty important in my book. Given the items I look for in a tournament listed above, USSSA has in my view, struggled to match what other sanctions and venues have done.
I love Triple Crown events because they fill with lots of teams (some times too many for a weekend) and because Tony does a great job of being there and being responsive even if he can't meet your requests. I would do a lot more of them if their cost weren't what they were but that is what it is, and we still do 3 or more every year. We did the Slugfest last year for the first time and the two years prior to that, I spent most of the weekends there watching. I was very disappointed last year not because it was USSSA, it was a number of things related to the cost and execution of it. I liked it better when it was an open format, umpiring in the past seemed to be much better than last year, but it just was my overall experience, and maybe it's because we participated v spectated. But, how can you argue with the merits of what the tournament is for...makes you want to be involved in it.
To some degree it is sanction related, but I think it is mostly up to the tournament director and their execution of their tournaments that truly matter and make the difference. An example for me is All Tournament Park, love the park itself, but absolutely do not like how they run tournaments there. It doesn't matter what sanction tournament it is, it's the folks running it. I have experienced them too often where what you sign up for and is promoted is not always the way it is run once it begins.
In the end, I think it's all about good fields/venues, fair pricing that provides for a solid return for your investment, and most importantly, having tournament directors show some effort in being visible, listening and being proactive and responsive. |
| baseballpapa |
Posted - 09/09/2010 : 22:34:37
Baseball Papa also thinks that the Slugfest does not need to be sanctioned by any organization. The Slugfest is the Slugfest and when you announce when it is being played the teams will be there. It has always been one of my favorite events and I know that our team would be there regardless of the sanctioning body.
In years past the USSSA brand meant so much more than it does today. I think that it is obvious from reading the many posts on this forum that USSSA has gotten away from their basic principles and are focused more on the bottom line. What Tony and Triple Crown have done in Georgia should be a lesson to USSSA that quality events and nice venues and communication with the teams is what keeps the ship afloat.
After last year it is my humble opinion that without major changes that USSSA will continue to lose market share and the other organizations such as Triple Crown and Nations will pick up what they lose and continue to grow. |
| Foul Territory |
Posted - 09/09/2010 : 12:59:20
Thunder: Thanks for the quick detailed reply to my post. I certainly respect your responses. You're right about the deadline issue potentially being problematic, I didn't consider that. I do appreciate you being open to teams interest too...it may be time for a change, we'll see.
It's no secret I have issues with USSSA, rating them worst sanctioning body in Georgia with the best web site...lol. A USSSA sanctioning tag most often kills my interest in any event not just the Slugfest.
Any sanctioning body that isn't willing to be part of a charity and offer concessions/discounts is gross, especially one that has cashed checks totalling close to $20,000 in the last four years. Another orgainization step up to continue to make this event a CLASSIC!
Thunder, through this forum your posts will echo a long way, and regardless sanctioning decision many will appreciate your consideration and we all thank you for your charitable acts.
My vote in non-sanctioning hoping all funds go towards the cause!!! |
| Spartan4 |
Posted - 09/09/2010 : 12:56:08
I wouldn't say that TC has better umpires.....but the facilities are much better than anywhere else... |
| baseballready |
Posted - 09/09/2010 : 08:57:36
Regarding cost of Triple Crown vs other sanctions:
Last year Tony offered discounted pricing if your team registered for multiple tournaments by 12/31. Taking advantage of this discount makes his fees more on par with other sanctions and gives early commits to tourneys so they are even more likely to make. Tony posted earlier this Fall that he intends to offer similar discounting this year. |
| in_the_know |
Posted - 09/09/2010 : 01:44:06
Peanutsr
I totally agree without you. To call it blind devotion is to suggest that you have no other experience by which to compare. I believe that we all (especially based on the comments by all the loyalists regarding the various sanctioning bodies on this forum) have MUCH experience with USSSA, USTBA, TC, Nations, AAU, local park, etc., to voice a strong opinion with eyes wide open. The fact that you, and many others, are willing to pay a premium to play in Tony's events speaks volumes to the quality we demand and receive by voting with our $'s.
I guess if your opinion had been to endorse the cheapest sanctioning body out there your devotion wouldn't have been blind??? |
| Thunder |
Posted - 09/08/2010 : 22:47:52
Yes Foul Territory, I am the Slugfest Tournament Director.
You are correct that as a tournament, one of our operating expenses, and one of our largest, are the USSSA fees. These fees include the NIT event/sanction fee and the per team fee. You are in the neighborhood when you estimate $6000 to USSSA. I do not foresee an opportunity that those fees would be waived, in total or even partially.
While your idea of asking teams about a sanctioning preference would be ideal, from a logistics standpoint, its not practical. I say that because we have teams entering the tournament right up to the deadline. As a tournamnet director, I aim to be open with communication and information. I would want teams to know in advance what they are signing up for. I'm not about trying to get teams into the tournament and then trying to hold them hostage.
As a tournament, we have discussed what direction we should go in terms of sanctioning body and affiliation.
Seems like a good opportunity to throw the question out there to see what the opinions are. Would teams play if this was a non-sanctioned event? USSSA event? Triple Crown event? Nations Baseball event?
|
| greglomax |
Posted - 09/08/2010 : 20:51:02
The fact is, if teams felt they did not get at least their money's worth (organization, facilities, umpires, and competition) they would not keep coming back. TC is paying for better facilities and better umps. There is a cost associated with that. 50 - 100 teams per tournament prove that is true. |
| Peanutsr |
Posted - 09/08/2010 : 15:57:47
I am curious as to why , if someone likes playing in Triple Crown tournaments, that you call it "blind devotion". I asked my son which tournaments he liked playing in and he said his favorite by far was Triple Crown. That is just an 11/12 year olds opinion. If those are the tournaments he enjoys most then that is good enough for me.quote:
Originally posted by clg003
Such blind devotion to the most expensive tournaments out there (triple crown?). Why do they need to charge 200 dollars more than other sanctions? USTBA was the hands down favorite of mine until they got a divorce. They were budget minded and well run and provided the baseballs. You just cant beat that.
|
| ATPP |
Posted - 09/08/2010 : 14:33:29
We have hosted several Nations events this fall and really like working with this organization. There website is easy to navigate and schedule and ranking postings are done promptly. We have several more Nations events this fall and plan to run Nations Tournaments at ATPP next year as well. See you at the park. |
| TAZ980002 |
Posted - 09/08/2010 : 11:07:41
I will chime in on Shannon Ivey and the Superior Baseball Events. Great tournaments and Shannon is always there asking for ways to improve his tournaments. |
| Foul Territory |
Posted - 09/08/2010 : 09:41:14
Thunder: I'm assuming you're the tournament director/coordinator for the Slugfest Event?
You mentioned the great contribution the event gives to charity; an awesome selfless effort by the way!!! Why assume over $6,000 in operating expenses to USSSA? Does Georgia USSSA Baseball sanction event for free? It'd be a great gesture and reflection of their commitment to youth baseball in our state if they do that.
I don't think it's necessary to sanction the event through USSSA...most teams participating aren't USSSA diehards. I don't think teams are participating because it's USSSA. No one even refers to it as a USSSA NIT. Most ask are "yall playing in the slugfest this season?"
Please give us forum readers insight to your ties to USSSA. Would you consider sanctioning the event with the sanctioning body the majority of teams want?
One idea is when teams send their entry fee ask them to put the sanctioning body they want in the memo line and post their choice next to their team name on your committed teams page on the web site...majority rules.
I'm sure most would select open/non-sanctioned and rather see all funds possible go to operating expenses and profits to the Miracle League. |
| titans |
Posted - 09/08/2010 : 08:00:19
I agree with Spartan4 about Shannon Ivey. He works the phones real hard trying to get the best teams to his tournaments, and does his best to work around scheduling conflicts. In his tournament last month in Winder, we had the best umpires we have seen in years, and the filds were dragged before every game. Shannon is always on site, and will make the effort to talk to the coaches during the weekend to see if they need anything. We have always had a great experience at his events. |
