OHSAA Softball Tournament and process

Steelers002016

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Did anyone watch all of the Softball games in Akron?

OHSAA does everything like any other government agency. Poorly. I know all the folks up North believe Firestone stadium is a great venue. It's not. Parking is downright stupid. the facility is getting very run down. Temporary fences are just stupid. It's just a home field for the folks up North. The only way this could be considered fair is if all teams traveling more than 1 hour get to stay in hotels on Friday night (free). Some schools left late Friday, drove more than 2 hours, then had to drive or ride more than 2 hours back to Akron. The less money schools have, the harder this is. I would rather see a centralized location. A central location like OSU's Buckeye stadium packed to the limit rather than teams from southern Ohio have to travel to Akron. What happened to the promised renovations? I am sure we are waiting for the some unionized shop from Akron to come in and spend 5 years to do the work. I could go on and on about the bracket process and your meaning nothing really.

And if you are connected enough, a coach can get away with acting like an ass in a game. Up North anyway. Our Regionals and Districts were all played with class. A local coach can leave his third base coaches box and get within 15 feet of home plate. Then scream to speed up a high school pitcher that is taking 11 or 12 seconds to deliver a pitch. High School rules permit 20 seconds. Or you could yell out signals like "up" or "out" from OUTSIDE the Coaches box. Of course the umpire took forever to get control of the coach. There is no respect for the game when the coaches behave this way. Winning has become the only goal. He looked like some Daddy-Ball Summer coach. No names mentioned..................
 

init4all

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The same game where the opposing walked out on the field and gave the strike sign to the ump when he didn't like the call...lol
 

Steelers002016

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The same game where the opposing walked out on the field and gave the strike sign to the ump when he didn't like the call...lol

Funny you have one instance where that coach did something. And it was NOT DIRECTED AT A PLAYER. And if you watch the replay he was right. The umpire was squeezing her. The coach I mentioned was counting out loud and it was directed at a player. CLASSLESS. Players in the dugout were also yelling out numbers. I noticed you didn't defend specifically what I said about the one coach. It is defenseless.

Fox Sports Ohio must be based in Akron. Your own (Akron Springfield graduate) announcer was an absolute moron when talking about the "wristband". She has obviously never seen a modern day College game. It was downright insulting. They couldn't even get the players names correct on Lakewood but managed to get it right on every play for Keystone. Nor did anyone bother to explain the players committed from the "other" team going to Kent State, Miami and other colleges. Teams that beat the Big Ten teams on a regular basis. Up North Y'all love to build each other up. You even get Home field advantage. You said nothing about my other points. OHSAA is a political mess. How about the teams from up north drive 2 to 4 hours both ways 2 days straight and play games. Let's see how you perform????
 

Louuuuu

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Firestone Stadium is used because of it's rich softball history. Akron Racers play there, etc. etc. blah blah blah

I think you're taking it personally that it's "north" and you're "south". No matter where the State Championship is played, somebody is going to complain.
 

init4all

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Dude really!!! I was just stating it was a very heated game on both sides.. And your acting like they are 5 minutes away from Akron.. And no they didn't get their names right either, the one kid I know on that team had her name said 3 different ways all weekend... I don't think it matters where it is someone will have the convenience of not having to travel as far...strike zone was not great on both sides... Sto announcer ,I got laugh out of the whole wrist band thing myself...as far not knowing the info on players that's probably on the coach for not giving it to them..
The numbers I heard those to 2x4 when 8 was up to bat and so on, so I don't think that was anything but basic 3rd grade math...
Let me know if I missed something..:)
 

coachjwb

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I don't think all of us from the "north" are either biased that way or bad announcers! And "init4all" may be right that that they weren't able to get as much info from some coaches than others. I know I've had that issue. On the other hand, maybe the announcer didn't try.

I enjoy going to Firestone personally, though I have not been there for the state playoffs, and I know the question as to why they're in Akron comes up every year. But don't hold all of us northerners in low esteem and think we're homers because of the experience there. And I've seen coaches from all over the country act like asses before! :)

I want to know what they said about the wristbands!
 

init4all

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She thought maybe it was filled with inspirational quotes or maybe its electronic to send the catcher what she wanted to throw...........
 

coachjwb

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Lol ... OK ... I did have one coach who had me put in a "Smile" sign once that I thought was a pretty good way to loosen up a player a little ... but electronic???
 

afstefan

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names were said wrong and sometimes even the wrong player was named. Happened for both teams.. both in the stadium and on TV. It happens.

also most of the girls on all of these teams have played travel ball most of their lives.. a couple hour car ride getting to tournaments is pretty much normal..I know driving to Columbus is from "up north" is a close tournament in my opinion..

sorry you were unhappy with how things were run

even though things didn't go my way I was happy with how the tournaments was run
 

afstefan

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I will give you that it was kind of funny how they had no clue about the pitch calling card on the wrist.. it was pretty obvious how it worked.
 

Louuuuu

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She thought maybe it was filled with inspirational quotes or maybe its electronic to send the catcher what she wanted to throw...........

Dang. I was hoping they said the players must be getting dumber because they "just can't learn" the traditional hand/body signals any more. :rolleyes:

(Nothing personal Jeff. I know you have BMW payments to make...)
 

Run26

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I'm seriously shocked that a Steelers fan would so vehemently complain about something.......no, not really.
 

manitoudan

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I wanted to go watch pretty bad , but the 4 hour drive made it too long a day for me . Just put it somewhere in the middle where its central to the most people. Its a big advantage to be playing in your backyard when your opponent travels 4 hours .
 

Run26

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Also, besides D1, all runner up teams were much closer in proximity to Akron than the championship team. Having it @ OSU would be much better for the fan base but the girls not sleeping in their own beds is overhyped.
 

manitoudan

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Not so sure . If you had choice . 30 min away or 4 hours away , what would you pick ?
 

GeneralsDad

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Just a thought...how about a rotation of sites? North, central, then south. I know the Mason complex rivals most D1 facilities. I will never discount the benefits of sleeping in your own bed and eating at your own table every night, travel ball players or not.
 

sportsdad

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I see where steelers002016 was coming from. Maybe a little too much tone in it, but this thread is under Rants n Raves. Akron does have a rich history but they also keep the big fences out there. I am guessing for Mens slow pitch. The facility is older than dirt and if I remember correctly, it started as a BASEBALL Stadium not Fastpitch. I liked the distance of the fences with the newer bats and it makes the outfield work for it. I see it becoming like baseball in many ways. Shifts and newer strategies like the wristbands etc. Stealing signs has been a part of baseball forever. And it is now a part of Fastpitch. I also thought the woman announcer was a bit goofy and strayed from the game several times. Some of the fun is taken away by the desire by colleges to get verbals in the 8th grade. It's getting crazy. Glad mine is bout done. Was I ranting?
 

coachjwb

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(Nothing personal Jeff. I know you have BMW payments to make...)[/QUOTE]

Lol @ Lou ... if I multiplied my "profit" by 100 or so, I could afford a BMW ... well, maybe a used one ... of course, I'd never have time to drive it though ...
 

Steelers002016

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Sportsdad - You agree? UHM What rich history? Are you kidding me? So Fastpitch was invented in 1999? or was it invented in 1988. I forget. Come on, Fast pitch softball became a very popular sport in the US during the '30s and '40s! Init4all must be must be a sales"person" or politician letting facts stray from the argument. Or are you in the need of a wristband printed in Akron? I know how people hate facts in the age of OBAMA but here goes. A Little on Firestone Stadium and the "rich" history below.

Quick look at Wikipedia:
Firestone Stadium is a baseball and softball stadium located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The stadium was dedicated on July 25, 1925 by Harvey Firestone, the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. It was owned and operated by the Firestone company until it was donated to the City of Akron in 1988. It has a seating capacity of 4,576.
Since 1999, it has served as the home of the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch softball league. The stadium has been the site of the annual Mid-American Conference Softball tournament since 2008, after previously hosting it from 2002 to 2005.

[SUP]Where's the rich history?[/SUP]


Init4all - THIS IS NOT TRAVEL BALL. Why is it you people think everything is travel ball. School pays for these trips. Not mommy and daddy. I challenge you to look at the 2 schools. Go ahead, go online and compare. Lakewood is some tiny rural spread out school. It is rural and its tax base is mostly the residents. I bet the Taj Mahal at Keystone is newer and has a much wider tax base. I personally like the idea of making venues compete for it instead of handing it to Akron every year. Notice nobody said a word about the "unimprovements" that were supposed to occur at the stadium.
 

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