12U Coach's Poll - Week of 6/2/08

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1st Place votes in ( )

Rank ?	Team	Pts.
1	Stingrays (4)	82
2	Laser Silver (2)	76
3	Valley Extreme - White (3) ?	73
3	Cincy Doom 95	73
5	Laser Gold	62
6	Ohio ICE (1)	58
7	Emeralds	32
8	Ohio Classics	25
9	Roadrunners (Zanesville)	22
10	Ohio Top Guns	18

Others receiving votes
Buckeye Heat 95 (16), Wild Thangs (4), Miami County Blaze (3), Buckeye Blasters (2), Chain Reaction (2), Pickway County Sting (1), Furies (1)

 

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This weekend the Classics are coming down to play in Wild Thang tourney . Hopefully we will get another shot at them . MD

 

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John Wells Zanesville 12U teams:

Furies PA
Pittsburgh Power
C.O. Blaze
C.O. Vipers
Lancaster Thunder
Roadrunners

 

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I don't know many of the teams in the Zanesville tourney, but the Pittsburgh Power took second to SGS Magic Red in the Pre-season classic in Toledo.

I look forward to the tune up this weekend!

 

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Furies are from western PA, As far as I know they were 24 - 1 going into last weekend. I do not know if they played. So I am assuming that they are still 24 - 1 on the season. They have wins against Valley Extreme White, Ohio Ice and the Roadrunners to speak of. Cental Ohio Blaze won the USFA tournament in Zanesville this past weekend. Roadrunners went 2-1-1 at 14U this past weekend. Don't know much about the others.

 

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Remember a month ago when everyone was ready to bury the Lasers Silver? Congrats to coach Murph her staff and the girls !

 

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The Furies have not beaten Valley Extreme White. They have never played. Both were in the Boardman tournament earlier this year, but never met. I've heard they are a very good team & look forward to these 2 teams playing.
Congratulations to the Lasers Silver. Huge weekend. Beating the top 2 teams in the same tournament is quite an accomplishment. You definitely deserved the big move up the poll. My DD's team played the Lasers Silver in the Spano dome back in Feb. & again in pool play in the Diamond Dogs' tournament last month. Quite an improvement. The Diamond Dog pool play game was a barn burner, decided by 1 run. Everyone was looking forward to the rematch on Sunday, but the rains came, & the Sunday games were cancelled.
As all the teams keep improving from week to week, I look forward to a lot of great ball games this summer. Hopefully we can get most of these top teams together at the same tournament down the road. Wouldn't that be a sweet tourny? Good luck to all.

 

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was in Seattle for a few days, so a little out of touch. Our girls, the Furies, didn't get a chance to play Valley Extreme White this year yet. They were at Boardman but they were not in the same pool and then the Lady Roadrunners got by them in a close game to get to the finals to play our girls, so we didn't get the opportunity to play them, VE White that is. Our girls so far have been fortunate to get by a few of the teams listed in the the rankings in close games, but all of those teams listed are surely capable of taking it to us also. I've seen the Lasers Gold and Stingrays in action at tigertown, VE White at Boardman, our girls tied the Emerald Black in a fall tournament, 2-0-1(all very close, can go either way games) against the Top Guns(was in a winter league though, indoors), and last played the Classics last year in Zanesville. Somehow got by the Ice twice(was dying to say that. no offense Ice, its just rhymes nice, there I go again...) , and caught the Roadrunners at 3:00 am. Know the Doom are very talented if they even kept 1/2 of their 10u roster from 2 years ago. Is Lasers Silver pretty much the Lasers Pink from last year? So I definitely realize all of those teams, including the others listed, are absolutely very, very talented teams that our girls would be lucky to finish .500 against if we played them all alot. Plus our girls got on a roll there for awhile and things have a way of evening out over the entire season, especially when some teams just take a tourney or 2 to get going. Unless you're the Slammers from last year, which our girls are not. The girls got on a 22 game roll and then the offense just evaporated for 3 games in our last tournament. Were lucky to have got by 2 of those teams, but the 3rd team got us. Probably a good thing in the long run.

Just to note, the Pittsburgh Power team that came in second in the Pre Season tourney is the older 12u Power - Kelly team. The younger 12u team, Power Frey, is the one at Zanesville this week. Though younger, they're talented also. We play them first Friday night and we're not counting it as a sure win. They will get a few teams this year for sure.

As these teams in the pool see each other more and more it will all shake out a little more. Its fun watching it change from week to week a little.

 

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So far, I've seen the Lasers Silver, Ohio Ice, Lasers Gold, Ohio Classics, Buckeye Heat 95, Wild Thangs, and the Pickaway County Sting. From what I've seen the Lasers Silver would be at the top with the Ice, but the Lasers Gold and the Buckeye Heat 95 would be up there also. The Wild Thangs looked pretty tough as did the Classics, but definately a step below the Lasers and Heat. I watched the Pickaway County Sting play a tough game against the Classics this past weekend, and I'm convinced that they can play with some of the teams in the top 10. I was very impressed this past weekend with the Lasers Gold and the Classics hitting...WOW! They really hit the crap out of the ball, it was very impressive. The Lasers Gold also have some serious speed at the top of the lineup...great group of girls. It's funny to see teams hitting the ball so well, I'm more used to seeing a dominant pitcher every once in a while, this season it has looked more like the offenses have been dominant. It's been fun so far, I'm looking forward to keeping an eye on these teams.

 

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The 12u division this year is a good one, rcpae is right, the offenses generated this year are amazing. Any of these teams can win on any given day and I think it will be back and forth all season long.

 

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Unfortunately, we'll never know whos the best because not everyone is willing to travel where most of the top teams will see each other. Stingrays by the end of the year will have traveled to northern ohio 3 times ( Massillon, maumee, Fostoria) central ohio- many times, and southern ohio 3 times. I encourage any team that wants to be mentioned as a top 12u team in the state to go to Fostoria for ASA States. Teams will use all kind of excuses as to why they wont go but consider this, Lasers win in Maumee but the competion was a joke! I applaud the Lasers and Doom because if they win they are commited to traveling to ASA Nationals, as well as the Stingrays will go if we can Qualify in Fostoria. These qualifying tourneys should be loaded with all the top teams , so the winners will be tested in eveygame not just 2 games.Hopefully everyone will come to prove that their team is the best. Maybe if everyone shows up then the stingrays will not qualify for nationals, but no one in ohio will have played the schedule that we played to help prepare our team for nationals. If we dont make it ,then we did everything possible to make it, and in the end maybe we just were not good enough. Trying to be objective in this but as it stands right now the Lasers are the only team that probably have played most of the top teams in Ohio so if they continue to win in my book they will clearly be the best team in Ohio ( and I dont care if they lost 1 game to somebody early on ). Change your schedules do whatever you need to do but lets make ASA states The proving ground. Talk is cheap, lets get it on in Fostoria!!!

Lasers, what I said is by no means a shot at you guys. You guys play it on the field not on ofc. Lets be honest though, The team that got your draw had a huge advantage in this tourney. We cant wait to play you guys again and lets hope we can hang with you a little better next time.

 

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^^^ good post ... Geopgraphically being in the southern most part of the state it is tuff to get up north, The Wild Thangs are progressing that way , we expanded our schedule more this year and we plans on more travel year. We play cinci twice and Columbus twice this year, next year I would not be suprised to see the coach go to Akron/Toledo area or Cleveland. We will see the Doom at sluggerfest and who knows who at NSA states. MD

 

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Agree with you - tough to travel given the cost of gas, family schedules for those of us that multiple kids etc.. We have tried to travel around and play the better tourneys, while balancing the fact that many of our girls are from NE Ohio. We have seen some very good teams and look forward to seeing them and others again. We will be in Berliner nxt wkd, Fostoria for States and then Cleveland a few times and the Capitol City Showdown in Columbus. Our goal has always been to make NSA and ASA Nationals - Pony was a bonus but is a conflict I think. It has been very gratifying to see these girls come together but it is early and so many games to go. I am back here after 3 years in Texas and down there everyone that is anyone does go to ASA and USSA states - they get 50 - 75 teams there in most years. I would love to see everyone at these tourneys. As far as the draw goes, I don't necessarily disagree with you but the bottom line is that all three teams had to play each other. We played the Doom and both of us had rest. Sting Rays had a long day before we played them and I have no doubt that it will be a battle in Fostoria! Let's just make sure both of us get to that game - too many tough teams out there to overlook anyone. Good luck!

 

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is the laser pink from last year one of the 12u laser teams this year? or part of it? The gold is an 11 team for the most part, right? If so then they obviously weren't the lasers pink from last year. Just trying to get a gauge on some teams I haven't seen this year and lasers silver is one of them I haven't seen yet and unfortunately doesn't appear that I will.

 

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I sent you a PM on the different colors this year. No pink.

 

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Moe, unfortunately every team can't change their schedule, schedules were made early on to accomodate that particular teams needs. This poll is just for fun and should be taken as just that. I don't know if you will ever determine who is truly a number one, these teams are that close. As for the Lazers being number one in your book, they are a fine team and seem to be getting better each week, I've watched them play. As for them losing one game early on, I beleive Valley Extreme beat them in a close game as did the team from Tallmadge in Pennisala. All the talk seems to be of the Southern teams but don't underestimate some up North. We will be playing in Toledo next weekend, I guess that will be a good chance for us to see some some teams from out of our area.

 

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to be the best.............you must play the best.

 

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to be the best.............you must play the best.

Wrong! To be the best, you must beat the best!!!!!!

 

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[quote author=wylee89 link=1212552439/0#16 date=1212694390]to be the best.............you must play the best.

Wrong! To be the best, you must beat the best!!!!!![/quote]


IF YOU DO NOT PLAY THE BEST..........THEN HOW CAN YOU BEAT THE BEST.

 

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I guess if you beat the best, then you played the best.