Cincy Select Fastpitch League

I would like to introduce you to a new fastpitch league for 2010. The Cincy Select Fastpitch League (CSL) will be comprised of teams in the greater Cincinnati area. Below are some highlights of what the league has to offer.

You can find further details on the league and how to participate at www.cincyselect.org.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me direct at 513-314-6493 or cincyselect@gmail.com

• Your ASA and USSSA affiliations are included.

• At least 1 direct World Series birth will be given for each age level and classification for ASA and USSSA.

• A great award structure for top finishing teams:
  • League champions receive custom embroidered team jackets of your choice!
  • Other top finishers will receive in store credits for as much as $500 to one of our league affiliated vendors.

• Each team receives an Eteamz PLUS site ($55 value) for schedules, rosters, team pages, photos and a great statistical package.

• Discounted team insurance: 9U-12U $90, 13U-15U $125, 16U+ $160. These are full year policies that cover any related softball activity such as games, tournaments, practices, and fundraising.

• A low league fee of $250.

• Divisions will have a maximum number of teams.

• Post to our message boards if you are looking for players or have an item to sell / want to buy.

• Post your tournament.

This is a great way for your team to participate in a league that also provides tournament style benefits. Over 200 teams will be notified! I encourage you check out the many benefits of the league.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

John Carr
Cincy Select Fastpitch League
www.cincyselect.org
cincyselect@gmail.com

What park is it going to be played in ?

Here's a little more info on the league:

• Coaches have the flexibility to make their own schedule. When and where is up to you.

• Teams may begin their season as early as they desire. League games must be completed by the end of July.

• Teams will be responsible for supplying a field if they want to play a "home" game. However, I do hope to build relationships with parks in the area to assist our teams if they currently do not have a field.

• The home team is responsible for scheduling umpires. Cost of the umpires is split between teams.

• Any umpire can be used as long as they are certified and know the league rules. The CSL will be partnering with several officiating organizations to assist you with this service.

I have contacts for up to 4 USSSA ump's. Not sure if they are ASA certified but I'll find out.

This could be a great oppurtunity assuming teams get on board. I'll throw our name in the hat to start it off. I have fields. Our organizational team meeting is this coming Monday, I'll get an update by age group to see who is in.

In addition to the park, how about how many games?

Please disregard my last post, it didn't go when I sent it. I too would like to say the 14U Southern Ohio Express would particiapte if we get enough teams. I do like the idea of playing on a home and away basis, but if we could get a centralized park that would be great!!

We also have a 10U, 12U and 16U but I have not spoken with those coaches yet. I will over the holidays.

I think the problem with MOST teams is finding a park to play in as most parks are used by rec organization. Next, would be umpires willing to travel for one game . Between the two, it might be a challenge. But, good luck with it.

There should be no issue with umpire organizations recommended by the league. Finding a home field may take some legwork for some teams, but the league will assist those teams in finding a home.

Field availability is out there and we'll work to match up the providers with the teams. Also note that each team has the discretion of how many home games vs away games they would like to play.

Fields are indeed out there. Just whether they are open. Umpires going to do 1 game might be an issue though.... being one for 26 years myself. Some parks take issue if you had to work on the fields to play after an early afternoon rain, etc... some parks won't let you. A lot of self-communication between coaches.. especially if you are the home team. Obviously, most want to play at least half at home.

Now, me, I rather let the other coach take home so he can worry about the diamonds, contacting people if it rains, etc....

I pride myself in thinking outside the box... when it comes to softball. But, I can't see a Clinton Massie team driving to the Westside of Cincinnati to play softball during rush hour traffic or vice versa. I don't see it.

Don't get me wrong.. I like the idea personally. A double header league would be a nice situation. But daylight in the Spring can't take that if the fields have no lights. And if they did have lights... who pays for the usage ? The home team ? So double headers are out.

As for umpires... I have 32 of them in my association and if I asked them to drive to go do one game... They'd hang me at sunrise.

Good luck in your adventure. I like the theory. But, there are many things to consider as a team.

Grab a park in one location say on a Wednesday or Thursday and run all the teams out of one park

Choosing one park to run the league does not benefit everyone. Per your example, a Clinton Massie team would not particpate if we held every game on the westside.

In 8 years of managing select ball I have played "home" games on fields where I do all the work (bases, dragging, lining) to fields where I do none of the work. It comes down to preference. I.e. would you rather have a home field that is closer but requires you to do the prep, or further where you just show up and play? Many select teams have players from various locations in the area so a home location for one family may not be "home" for another.

Playing select ball requires everyone to "make the drive" on occassion. In past years I've had to schedule teams from NKY, Indiana, and Dayton though I personally live north of Cincinnati. Playing 3-ways, 4-ways and even 5-ways at one location is a great method to meet up with certain teams to knock out games on a Saturday or Sunday.

I also have never had a problem with umpires. My assignors take care of it and I'm sure work to give their umpires the shortest driving distance from their home or work.

First, I don't see travel ball select teams playing anything on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.. and probally on Monday and Thursday as well. After a long weekend of tournament play.. Monday is rest day for many. Friday is a travel day for most OR they don't want to wear out a pitcher or pitchers prior to entering an event on the weekend on Friday or Thursday. Especially when Saturday pool play is SO important anymore in single elimination events.

So that leaves Tuesday or Wednesday to play. Thursday a possibility if a tournament don't start on Friday afternoon. Options are there for the teams.

I think the best fit is to find a location in the East and one in the West and one in the North and field the teams there.. But, when leaving it up to the teams to find a home park, so to say, I'd see liability issues if a team doesn't buy site insurance for the location they play their home games at. Team insurance is not enough.. when a spectator gets hurt. That spectator is not insured and locations can be liable if the spectator got hurt based on "conditions" at that home field. It's a sue happy world out there.

Agreed most teams would not want to play Monday after a tourney. However, you are also assuming that every team will play a tournament every weekend all season and I don't believe that is the case.

The policies I offer allow riders to be added at any time if the field owner, tournament or other entitiy requires one. In general, spectators attend "at their own risk". I've seen car windshields cracked from foul balls (my own included) and the owner assumes risk for parking there. Getting hit with a foul ball at a major league game is another example.

Now if the field itself is hazardous in some way, the field owner could be liable for injury I guess, but the team's insurance policies covers all team members and coaches for all related activites... even including fundraisers.

And the field owners want that rider so to say. I carry site insurance personally on a yearly bases as I don't run sanctioned event through USSSA, ASA or any other association.. who provide tournaments with site insurance.

In a world of perfect weather on every Saturday and Sunday... I see a travel team taking off a weekend... but it wouldn't be playing ball. Off is off.

But, with tournaments being rained out over a weekend... that scheduled Saturday league game the following weekend is OFF as I would see teams getting back into a tournament somewhere. And for the other organization like a Clinton Massie or a Lebanon team coming out of the Southern Ohio Girls Fastpitch Association they have been part of for years... scheduling a game with a true Travel team.. who cancels because they are now playing a tournament this weekend because the weekend prior was rained out.... would indeed infuriate some managers.

As for baseball, "select teams" don't play leagues on Saturday or Sunday. They are in a tournament somewhere. "Select teams" are teams that play tournaments on the weekends and a league night during the week. Your version of a "select team" is a team of the local kids and a few pickups here and there to form a team to play in a league somewhere twice a week... including Saturday and Sunday.

As for softball, "travel/select teams" play tournaments on the weekends and play leagues during the week. And if they are off for the weekend and not playing .. what makes you think they are going to play a league game when the parents wanted off a weekend? Tell me one travel ball coach who is going to schedule a league game on a scheduled weekend off from tournaments... just to put himself/herself in harms way of getting a bat over his head by a parent for scheduling a "league" game on an off weekend ????

I like your idea of trying to form a league for the girls and teams... but a Tuesday or Wednesday night league is a best fit when you come on here requesting true "select/travel" teams to play. SOGFA members (rec) are use to playing once during the week and a game on Saturday.

I do not run softball tournaments but I think that if a team wants to get into a tourney at the last minute (say due to the prior weekend being rained out) it (1) may not even be possible and (2) may not make parents too happy to know that there schedule has changed drastically on short notice.

For select baseball, teams DO play league games on weekends. I have managed one of the top teams in the city over these last 8 years and we do not play tourneys every weekend. Too expensive and too much to travel every weekend. We also take a designated weekend off irregardless of any prior rained out games or tourneys. Note also that my select team roster of 18 last year had no more than 2 players from any particular school.

Bottom line is that teams have the flexibility to make their own schedule. Weekdays, weekends... its up to them.

cincyselect said:

I do not run softball tournaments but I think that if a team wants to get into a tourney at the last minute (say due to the prior weekend being rained out) it (1) may not even be possible and (2) may not make parents too happy to know that there schedule has changed drastically on short notice.

For select baseball, teams DO play league games on weekends. I have managed one of the top teams in the city over these last 8 years and we do not play tourneys every weekend. Too expensive and too much to travel every weekend. We also take a designated weekend off irregardless of any prior rained out games or tourneys. Note also that my select team roster of 18 last year had no more than 2 players from any particular school.

Bottom line is that teams have the flexibility to make their own schedule. Weekdays, weekends... its up to them.

Click to expand...

Believe you me if at team wants in a tournament in the State of Ohio bad enough.. the coaches start calling on Monday or Tuesday to get in and if a TD/ or an organization who is running an event on a certain weekend... has openings... you're in !!!!! This is why I don't close mine off until Tuesday night prior to the tournament so teams like that can call and know they have a place to go...

Travel ball parents are very much accustomed to the fact that if the team got rained out this past weekend.. as a coach I am indeed looking for a place to play. If it was out of town event that got rained out the weekend before..... I, as a parent, are REAL happy if my coach found a nearby tournament with no overnight stay or if it is out of town... the money was there for overnight stays the weekend before... it's still there for the following weeeknd. Not an added expense to the parents actually.

I know a guy who runs real select baseball events in the Cincinnati and surrounding areas. Nice guy. I called him and asked his thoughts about it all. He laughed and said some of these quote.. "select baseball teams in the Cincy area" are just teams put together to play a tournament here and there and play leagues during the week.. as no TRUE "select" baseball team would ever play a league during the weekend.

The point I am making is this: No travel girls teams will ever set themselves up for weekend games on a weekend they are off. They are off... plain and simple. Some play three weeeknds a month..off one. Some play two weekends a month.. off two. Some play every weekend ( a Tournament Directors dream ...lol) and weekends off from rainouts is a blessing halfway through the year.

It is true with the "select/travel girls". Chime in managers.. HAVE YOU EVER IN YOUR LIFE EVER PLAYED IN A LEAGUE WITH SCHEDULED LEAGUE GAMES ON A SATURDAY OR SUNDAY and played tournaments as well ?????

These travel teams are spoiled so to say with a league night... a fixed night... during the week to play games. They would rather a park call of the league night in case of rain or call a rain-out number versus doing it themselves. Even the second poster said "central location".

Playing during the week is just practice in a game situation. A coach works different players at different positions or tries out a new pitcher that would not be a pitcher in a tournament situation... as of yet. Little game situation for that "new" pitcher or that "new" shortstop. Or work a girl who hasn't played much in a tournament to give her some game experience to improve herself. They really like double headers as it gives the coach an opportunity to play his regulars and his not so regulars.. giving them both the opportunity to play and sit the bench. But, it takes lights to play a double header during the week.

Teams will do (if I understand this correctly):

1. schedule game date and fields
2. Pay for umpires
3. Home team would furnish the game ball
4. Worry about rainouts.. call opposing coach.. drag and line diamonds (if they aren't lucky enough to have a City Park do it for them)
5. Make angry rec coaches who are led to believe "Scheduled games are scheduled games - you forfeit" mentalities.

Now out of all of that.. what do you do?

1. Provide site insurance as a rider.
2. Give them a website ( Give is an optomistic term here)
3. Sell them insurance.. they already have in place
4. Keep Won and Lost records
5. Give me you game dates and I'll call an assigner and he'll send umpires to you.

Now, here is what the teams can do:

1. Call their buddy down road who is a travel ball coach and schedule practice games themselves (Believe you me-- they all know each other...lol) during the week.
2. Call a park (Expressway or Pastime or Shorty Brewer out of Dayton) and ask them to connect them up with an umpire association they use.
3. Come on the OFC and start a thread ( like many of them do) looking for practice games during the week

or

3. Call a Park like Pastime or call Shorty in Dayton and get in their leagues and not have to worry about anything but showing up with a rain number if it rains that day so the parents can call it themselves. And a better opportunity to play a double header each league night due to these places having lights so they can.... No field prepping worries. No worry about lining the fields or draging the fields, no worry about having bases or pitching rubbers... No nothing - just show up !!

Don't let me forget about the league over in Springdale that is well ran, either. I forget who runs that league.

My point is: Everything you offer.. they could do in the first place themselves ... They would rather get in an established league night ( Tuesday or Wednesday).. play double headers and have no worries or b) schedule games themselves and one or the other find the field to play on.

Believe you me.. this OFC softball community is well connected to one another. They plot which tournaments to go to....lol don't you teams ??? ....lol

Good luck with your adventure. Softball is nothing like baseball.

The league you mentioned in Springdale... if on Springdale Road... is run by Rich from the Hot Shots.

Yes, our network is intense.

Quakerman is calling out the holes in this situation as some of have seen. For ME, I want league play for May and early June for the "trial" as Quaker said... Also DO NOT WANT to take on field prep, rain issues, and such. The call-in number is all my team needs for a league. If coordinating league play in the way this program is laid out I'd probably pass since I'd be doing the work myself anyway.

Tuesday and Wednesday is perfect for our teams for league play. Honestly... we have also been seriously considering playing scrimmages on our own when we want them. Our practices are so much better than dealing with teams that can't play or are not what we expect. Not that we are that good... just other teams have different motivators and agenda's and some of the league play isn't what we need to grow our team properly.

Now if a true "league" is formed that can compete with Pastime's (which at this point we haven't signed up for this coming summer)... and have better fields, better competition...I'm all ears. If it's a planning session and another giant headache I'm not signing up for that. Not many in the fastpitch network I'm apart of would agree I'm sure because we don't have the time.

C'mon guys/gals... chime in...maybe with input this thing will evolve and workout. Otherwise I'm skeptical now.

That's who runs the Springdale leagues. Rich. Been racking my brain. I brought this up for Goshen but there is soooo much rec ball going on there during the week.. that their diamonds are used every day of the week.... or I would have formed one this year for the girls and kept my umpires sharp for the weekends.

I'm not sure who your baseball contact is but I can assure you that not even the top baseball teams in Cincinnati play a tournament every weekend. Heck, Midland is one of the most recognized programs in the United States and the Redskins only played 4 tournaments last year. The Redskins, if you are not familar, have alumni such as Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin.

All of this is really moot IMO. You can play when you want and where you want. I still don't get your recurring point that teams would not want to schedule if they are off. Makes sense to me. If you've been given the weekend off, why would you want to schedule?

As far as "what the league provides"... Teams can get their inurance anywhere. Doesn't have to be through the league. Teams can get umpires from anywhere. Doesn't have to be through the league.

So what are the benefits? (1) Your USSSA & ASA affiliations are covered and we give direct WS bids through the league. (2) You are "guaranteed" to play the other teams in your division / competitive level. I.e. you know the level of competition you will face. (3) We give out some pretty nice awards.

Anyone can pick up the phone and ask to schedule a scrimmage. I believe you still need a field for that. However the opponent may not be one that you really desire to play. The opponent can also easily cancel this game for various reasons leaving you without a game to play.

Play where you want to play. I guarantee if I have Mason HS Varsity field as my home field that teams would rather play me there than at a park.

Play only on Tuesday or Wednesday if you so choose. You have the flexibility but are also guaranteed quality competitio outside of your tournament play.

Sorry but most of us are playing for a ASA/USA berth and I m pretty sure you can not provide that.

Second anyone can call USSSA and get a berth.

And if I have to get umpires and fix the field why do I want to pay you 250.00 for you to keep track of wins and losses

Not trying to burst your bubble but this sounds more like a good rec program