12U COACHES POLL WEEK #2 (5-8-16) Get Your Votes In!!!

tjsmize3

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Yes there are some hard luck losses in that format,but you see heartbreak losses in finish the inning as well.

We have lost so many games over the past 3 years due to revert back, weather, coaching tactics, #1 pitcher went to Aunt Bessie's funeral, etc... It all comes out in the wash. Everyone knew from the invite that these friendlies were to pit teams wanting to play at a high level against each other. The "friendly" format is for teams to get looks at a lot of different teams over a weekend as opposed to what often happens in a pool/bracket format. It never implied we would hit reverse batting order or have the lefties bat righty. Most teams this weekend played hard, played by the rules, accepted the results and either posted or didn't post the W and Ls. I don't think it's fair to say that because these were friendlies these games didn't mean anything, but on the other hand I do have to agree with Scott. For those that are super focused on the results and the polls, it will all be clear enough by the season's end.
 

Rose

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Ohio Stampede 03

We lost in the semis to WolfPack 04 3-1 at Fury Fastpitch Early Bird in Akron. We went 5-1 on the weekend and outscored our opponents 37-8.

Beat SunDogs 04 10-0
Beat Ohio Attack 11-3
Beat Dirt Dawgs 9-1
Beat Ohio Lightning Blue 6-1
Lost WolfPack 04 3-1

We are in Zanesville this weekend at the Celine Wyatt. Who knew it cost $200 to stay in Zanesville?? There should be some good games played, and we are exciting to play some new teams. Warren's Breast Cancer Shoot-Out should have some good games as well. Good luck to all.
 

Longtoss1

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This is all getting way out of hand. I have thought for years and will continue to think so, that friendlies and scrimmages should not count toward any poll to begin with. They are about getting better and seeing a variety of different teams. This is why preseason games do not count in the NFL, or why spring training games are just that...Spring Training games! This will all work it self out in the coming weeks when the games all matter for something. That being said there were plenty of good teams there and some really good games and that's all....cause in the end they mean nothing except for the betterment of each team. Good luck to all in the coming weeks as its going to be a wild ride.
 

OHsoftball

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It's 12U softball, what really "counts" anyways? What exactly is out of hand? It's fun to be competitive and talk about it on here but in the end none of it matters, none of these kids are getting paid. They may earn a scholarship one day or they may decide to not even play softball in the future. They should be having fun, and if they just so happen to earn that scholarship...that's just a huge bonus.
 
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Vipernation21

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This is all getting way out of hand. I have thought for years and will continue to think so, that friendlies and scrimmages should not count toward any poll to begin with. They are about getting better and seeing a variety of different teams. This is why preseason games do not count in the NFL, or why spring training games are just that...Spring Training games! This will all work it self out in the coming weeks when the games all matter for something. That being said there were plenty of good teams there and some really good games and that's all....cause in the end they mean nothing except for the betterment of each team. Good luck to all in the coming weeks as its going to be a wild ride.

I see what you are saying, but I have a different perspective. In the fall we went and played a high level friendly at the end of the season. It cost us $250 to play four games. We had already won one tournament and finished second in another. We easily could have played a local tournament (For the same price) against some 04 teams, and maybe one or two solid 03 teams to get another trophy, or we travel an hour to Cincinnati to play some of the best teams in the Midwest. We went down to compete and win games. There were two umpires and we played seven innings. All teams got after it and tried to win. To say they shouldn't count is something that I truly do not understand...Why travel and pay $250 then? To work on things? I can stay home and do that locally for free.
 

FastBat

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It's 12U softball, what really "counts" anyways?

I understand what you are saying here and agree. Have the kids get reps, continue to enjoy playing the game, and get a little better every game. That being said, it is fun to win and start to have your hard work and dedication noticed, that's part of the fun too!
 

OHsoftball

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Who said anything about scholarships.........? Lol

I was saying that 12 year olds don't get payed to play, unless one day they get a scholarship... My point is, at 12 it should be fun. You are the one talking about NFL preseason vs 12U Fastpitch preseason lol.
 

Longtoss1

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I see what you are saying, but I have a different perspective. In the fall we went and played a high level friendly at the end of the season. It cost us $250 to play four games. We had already won one tournament and finished second in another. We easily could have played a local tournament (For the same price) against some 04 teams, and maybe one or two solid 03 teams to get another trophy, or we travel an hour to Cincinnati to play some of the best teams in the Midwest. We went down to compete and win games. There were two umpires and we played seven innings. All teams got after it and tried to win. To say they shouldn't count is something that I truly do not understand...Why travel and pay $250 then? To work on things? I can stay home and do that locally for free.

You have a good point to which I guess my answer would be you traveled and payed to play in a friendly cause you wanted to see different teams and and as you said "play some of the best teams in the Midwest." That however still does not belay the fact that this was a friendly....no awards handed out.....not trophies received.....and no bids awarded. These are all just glorified scrimmages which allow teams to see different levels of competition as well as getting to see teams from a different area. These are about fun....trying different things and seeing how you stack up against others before no one has time to do this anymore as the tournament season will be in full swing. I really have no issue here except using them in the polls....which again really mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, only because coaches will do things differently in a lot of cases then they may actually do in say a bracket play elimination game.
 

Longtoss1

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I was saying that 12 year olds don't get payed to play, unless one day they get a scholarship... My point is, at 12 it should be fun. You are the one talking about NFL preseason vs 12U Fastpitch preseason lol.

I was just making a comparison about games that don't count, but since you did not like that one and think it is apple and oranges....All high school football, basketball, and softball/baseball teams scrimmage....I don't think any of the scrimmages go toward any of the state polls for any of the sports. Hopefully this a more apples to apples comparison.
 

Vipernation21

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Thank you for the dialogue. I do respect your stance although I still tend to disagree. Tennessee Mojo was one of the teams in this friendly. I talked to their coach during their game and they had already played an amazing 6 tournaments in the fall. I don't believe they traveled all the way to Ohio to scrimmage or work on things. They came to Ohio to get pushed by some of the best teams in Ohio and kick butt. They were undefeated. I'm sure it was very fun for them.

I've coached high school football for many years. In scrimmages, we can stop after a play and go over a mistake. I can call a play in the huddle without a clock. We keep scores by 1-0. We usually do not even punt, kick off, or do live special teams. In fact, we didn't let our QB get tackled. There is a preview game that simulates a real game, but we always treated that as a real game and tried to win the first half (starters are usually rested in the second half). There are rankings in high school football also. People (coaches) look at these previews (JJ Huddle) in determining rankings. I promise you.

Personally, paid friendlies are nothing like scrimmages. There is no stop in action. There is no coaching on the field. The umpire(s) have ground rules, restrict trips to the mound, and keep coaches in the dugout. At least the elite paid friendlies like this past weekend or the fall.

If we are going to do polls then how can these games not count in determining rankings? I would want to know these results to add to my insight before making my decision, regardless if there was a trophy or not given.
 

flygirlsdad

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Scrimmages do mean something in high school polls as does the prior years performance. Polls in the Cincinnati Enquirer come out before any regular season games are played. There are preseason polls for NCAA. But we all know polls don't matter, scrimmages and friendlies don't matter, winning showcase games certainly doesn't matter. After a while you will realize little matters except that your daughter continues to succeed and grow as a person and player with whatever team she is on and that if she wants to play in college and puts forth the effort there will be room for her somewhere.
 

wolfpack Roby

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Well shit I don't know where I have been all day but this has been a great thread to read. I will say that we had great competition all weekend and went 3-4. We played some very talented teams and learned a lot about ourselves. I agree with the fact that this is a friendly and ALL teams would have played it differently if it was an ASA/USA qualifier. I batted 12 girls all weekend and it may or may not have changed the out come. I think there are 1-3 top teams that are hands down Eliite and 4-8 that will change week from week. Let's be honest it truly doesn't matter. Just go out and enjoy the memories we are making with our kids and our teams. You never know when that may end. I look forward to competing with all elite 12u teams this summer.

Lids Indy dreams Won
Michigan bat buster Won
Wv Diamon Express Won
Sundogs Lost
Thunder elite 03 lost
Lasers lost
Outlaws Pa lost
 

Longtoss1

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Thank you for the dialogue. I do respect your stance although I still tend to disagree. Tennessee Mojo was one of the teams in this friendly. I talked to their coach during their game and they had already played an amazing 6 tournaments in the fall. I don't believe they traveled all the way to Ohio to scrimmage or work on things. They came to Ohio to get pushed by some of the best teams in Ohio and kick butt. They were undefeated. I'm sure it was very fun for them.

I've coached high school football for many years. In scrimmages, we can stop after a play and go over a mistake. I can call a play in the huddle without a clock. We keep scores by 1-0. We usually do not even punt, kick off, or do live special teams. In fact, we didn't let our QB get tackled. There is a preview game that simulates a real game, but we always treated that as a real game and tried to win the first half (starters are usually rested in the second half). There are rankings in high school football also. People (coaches) look at these previews (JJ Huddle) in determining rankings. I promise you.

Personally, paid friendlies are nothing like scrimmages. There is no stop in action. There is no coaching on the field. The umpire(s) have ground rules, restrict trips to the mound, and keep coaches in the dugout. At least the elite paid friendlies like this past weekend or the fall.

If we are going to do polls then how can these games not count in determining rankings? I would want to know these results to add to my insight before making my decision, regardless if there was a trophy or not given.

You are correct in what you say Sean, but as Josh said afterwards if these were ASA/USA bracket games many teams would play them differently then if they were these so called elite friendlies. As he also stated the teams that did these things may or may not have had their outcomes changed but the point is that they played the game differently then they would have if there was something on the line. While this is solely their choice to do so it does possibly skew the results and the outcomes that lie within. Either way it was all a great deal of fun and it will be pleasure competing against many of your teams in the coming months. Good luck to all!
 

tjsmize3

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We went down to compete and win games. There were two umpires and we played seven innings. All teams got after it and tried to win. To say they shouldn't count is something that I truly do not understand...Why travel and pay $250 then? To work on things? I can stay home and do that locally for free.

Why would anyone ever want to take away the opportunity and privilege these girls have when they get the chance to go at it and compete. Speaking strictly as a parent here (and not a coach) some of the greatest life lessons my children have ever learned has been through athletic competition... win or lose. Many people deliberately sacrifice a great deal of time and money to find opportunities for their kids to play against the best. For those who show up not giving it your best, or feeling it somehow doesn't count, that's fine but kindly pay those who came to play the respect of telling them that beforehand and not afterwards. Like Sean, if it was me I would just rather stay at home then and get in some tee work.
 

Longtoss1

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Why would anyone ever want to take away the opportunity and privilege these girls have when they get the chance to go at it and compete. Speaking strictly as a parent here (and not a coach) some of the greatest life lessons my children have ever learned has been through athletic competition... win or lose. Many people deliberately sacrifice a great deal of time and money to find opportunities for their kids to play against the best. For those who show up not giving it your best, or feeling it somehow doesn't count, that's fine but kindly pay those who came to play the respect of telling them that beforehand and not afterwards. Like Sean, if it was me I would just rather stay at home then and get in some tee work.

Oh come on Tom I think we are all getting a little sensitive here.....your actually going to compare tee work to in games reps even if some teams may have played it a bit differently then they would have under other circumstances? It seems to me that many people want to have their opinion as long as others don't disagree with them. I am in no way trying to take anything away from the girls who played these games because they all played hard, as usual we the adults are the problem, especially when we don't agree.
 

tjsmize3

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... if these were ASA/USA bracket games many teams would play them differently then if they were these so called elite friendlies.

Well crap! Guess there goes the entire Breast Cancer tournament next weekend because it's not an ASA/USA qualifier and most (like us) are probably batting 12 ... at least in pool. Guess we'll check back in with results around week 11 when we play our first ASA/USA qualifier. The rest of our season apparently doesn't count.
 

Longtoss1

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Well crap! Guess there goes the entire Breast Cancer tournament next weekend because it's not an ASA/USA qualifier and most (like us) are probably batting 12 ... at least in pool. Guess we'll check back in with results around week 11 when we play our first ASA/USA qualifier. The rest of our season apparently doesn't count.

Again being to sensitive it was just an example...why are not quoting Josh as well I got that from his post so it was not originally my idea...c'mon man.
 

Longtoss1

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Thats just ridiculous to take that there when you know it was just an example it was certainly not meant as a slight to any other tournament that is not an ASA qualifier. This is just turning in to another ludicrous example of why my wife says there should be a show like Dance Moms....except it would be called Softball Dads and the Coaches their Daughters Play For.......and the sequel would be Outfield and Baseline Moms....lets not all take ourselves so seriously.
 

tjsmize3

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Lol... you know I was just busting your chops on the ASA/USA comment brother. You're OK in my book and your DD is truly a great talent. No we don't agree here but I am neither directing my comments at you personally or feeling particularly sensitive about the issue being discussed. I'm just stating my position like the others. I know we agree on much more than we don't.
 

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