scratching my head after this

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

May 6, 2015
2,397
113
State Championship (will omit details to protect the innocent), open (ie one division only). only two A teams coming, one is clearly head and shoulders above rest of teams in tourney. another team is clearly up and coming, but inconsistent, brand new team as of last fall. the latter is picked to play 4 pool games because of uneven number of teams, two sets of back to backs, at satellite locations (no real bathrooms, only port-o-pots, no concensions, dustbowls for fields, no outfield fences). The "favorite" is scheduled to only play 3 pool games saturday, and all at main complex (real bathrooms, concessions, covered dugouts, much nicer playing fields), only 5 games for this division played (out of 20) at main complex.

Pool play complete, "single division tournament" is split into two brackets, B and C both SE. B is bottom 10 (out of 13) teams in tournament. C bracket is top 3, SE, 2v3 winner plays 1.

kicker, I gather TD is somehow affiliated with HC/manager of the clear favorite going in. Even had the gall after the final of C bracket was complete to mention in his proforma congratulatory remarks that "you guys had a tougher road to get here". DUH! (runner up had just played an 8 inning game to beat the 3 seed, great game, of course 2 seed had to rush to pack up into cars to get to championship game at completely different site).

I know I will probably get ripped, beat them on the field, etc., but I call BUSH LEAGUE. "state championship" should have an level playing field, literally, for all teams going in. no one team should be given red carpet treatment.
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
Congrats on making it to the finals! Did the TD know that your team was going to be in the championship game? Sounds like there is no history as it's new team as of fall, but in a State Championship there really should be a blind draw or a blind seeded bracket. What type of "state championship tourney" is this? USA, USSSA, USFA, PGF,??? What Age group. As you begin to age up you will discover that there is a softball Illuminati of coaches and organization that do have history that grant each other "favors" or better draws. DD's team just played in the Texas Gold Cup in the Houston area. The real Gold teams (not the one's that gave themselves Gold status) all play on the main fields. The other teams play on another complex, but have the ability to earn their way to the main complex by winning their the pool bracket. By having history and by winning against stiff competition you will be granted status. For tournaments like Boulder IDT you have to apply and plead your case to even get into the tourney, and then you have to win to earn your way to the "Big Girl" bracket the following year. CO Fireworks and Sparkler have their Power Pools as does Ronald McDonald and Bombers Exposure.
 
May 6, 2015
2,397
113
they probably knew it was probable, but not a given. we have faced them before once, and have both been to same tournaments a couple of other times. very few registered A teams in our state. only two came to states. our is a new team, but have won a few tournaments, and have compiled a pretty good record so far. some head scratching losses too, but they are young (not saying which org, state, or age to keep this rant as confidential as possible) but no matter who made it to the finals, 1st team ranked team out of pool play had a bye directly to final game, and I am certain they were confident they would be the team (they never gave up a run all tournament, they have easily the two most dominant pitchers in this division I have seen) to go right to finals. not saying they are not a good team, or we would have won, but would have liked a level playing field (literally, satellite complex had dips and curves in infields, and changing direction on basepaths was a crap shoot all day, as it was so loose, almost beach like). then it felt like he was rubbing our faces in their advantage with his "tougher road" statement. He knew it was huge advantage to have his entire team rested before the final, with completely fresh pitchers (we used three pitchers in semis, and two in championship game, who had both pitched in semis).

wont even go into his 1B coach calling out safe on close play. not saying it influenced blue, but you never know. really getting sick of base coaches doing this, I think this needs to become an automatic ejection. base coaches coach, let umpires umpire. maybe umpires should start shouting out instructions go baserunneers (go, stay, back)?

just needed to rant really.
 

TMD

Feb 18, 2016
433
43
Having the #1 seed coming out of pool play go directly to the championship game seems really wrong to me. Has your state always run its state championship this way? What's keeping them from just doing a straight SE bracket after pool play with all teams? Top X seeds coming out of pool get a bye ("X" depends on number of teams to ensure an even bracket), but everyone is in the same bracket and all have a theoretical chance to win. If I understand your scenario, only the top 3 after pool play have a chance to win. Just seems wrong to me.
 
May 6, 2015
2,397
113
Having the #1 seed coming out of pool play go directly to the championship game seems really wrong to me. Has your state always run its state championship this way? What's keeping them from just doing a straight SE bracket after pool play with all teams? Top X seeds coming out of pool get a bye ("X" depends on number of teams to ensure an even bracket), but everyone is in the same bracket and all have a theoretical chance to win. If I understand your scenario, only the top 3 after pool play have a chance to win. Just seems wrong to me.

that seems like the way to do it for me. I guess this way two teams get to be "champs". i would even be OK with two brackets, but make them fairly even in terms of numbers (ie 6 and 7 rather than 3 and 10 teams).

no idea how our state has always done it (not that that is ever a good excuse for a way to do things), very new to all this. just seemed wrong to me based on fairness. it really felt like the rest of the teams there were second class (ie relegated to satellite location with far inferior facilities), there only to provide a patsy for the big dog to win to get their championship.
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,481
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top