14U poll

[TooOldToCare]

Sorry I got off topic by going to the HS bracket! In its third year now that is different than the 14U that this thread is on. Viability must be insured no doubt. I believe HS has reached that point, 14U still a work in progress!

[bmxbaby]

Wow, this is chalking up to be as good as the Mob Wives! They need a reality show for the bucket. These posts are so evident of not just everyone’s opinions but, also how some of us can be so narrow minded. I say this because here we have parents, coaches, players or whoever they are, basically talking about how unfair these invites are being handed out and that they ought to be given on a more impartial basis. Now most of us can relate and understand that. However, that is not how the real world operates for most of us. Think about those who were passed over for a promotion by that younger, less knowledgeable co-worker, or the kid that was blocked by Sue-Ellen whose Dad was the coach for the position and wouldn’t get pulled out of the games regardless of 100 errors in 1st inning, or the players that despite being better, loyalties and pre-determined commitments prevented them from earning opportunities to compete for other positions. Truth is IMO ,those who believe teams with invites didn’t earn their way could be some of the people who do this or are victims of this everyday, every season. Parents can kick and scream to the coach for playing time, threaten to leave if Sue-Ellen isn’t number one and “network” their way to what they want then turn around and say my kid earned it! I’m just saying you can’t have it both ways. Either you want to earn it or not and let others get a fair chance.

IMO some orgs do have more clout for proving to have integrity with developing players with the principles of a Champion and Athlete. While others need to earn that respect like all the other big orgs did. Every organization needs a leader who can get it done and create opportunities to grow at the show. This is how the real world IS. If the opportunity presents itself, it’s up to the team to win the big one. It takes EVERY player and Coach to get there and win it. Next season one kid leaves, it’s not the same formula, not the same team. It’s the things our daughters as individuals do to maximize their mental and athletic potential, then fuse it together with the best team they can find with the same principles. Ultimately, some are dealt the high road, some the low but it’s only those who show up on the big day prepared that will be victorious, however they got there!

[watchtonsofsoftball]

I dont have a dog in this fight. And your post really has nothing to do with my situation. I'm merely pointing out because an 18G team finished high at PGF doesnt mean that the 14 and 16u teams should get an automatic berth as well. I said before I realize why PGF does this, but it doesnt mean its right and it does give the perception of its who you know, not how well you play. But my biggest peeve is that the teams that benefited from their 18G team doing well using the PGF invite as a way to lure players. OR the fact that they actually believe THEY did something to deserve it. Im not hating on any body but giving out half the invites and letting the other states fight for 30 some odd spots is ridiculous at best. Everyone knows by now that PGF is where to be so let everyone outside the top 10 finishes and EVERY age group EARN their invite just like everyone else. Who would object to this? WIN and your in, lose and your not. The problem with this scenario? Big ORGS do not like it when one of their teams is not in. It looks bad on the ORG. Instead we get an underachieving team in the PGF Nationals while inevitably someone is left out who is more deserving. Oh dont let me forget the HUGE costs in chasing a berth while the invites dont incur a fraction of these costs. Think about the big picture. This isnt about a coach or a player or blah blah blah. So ORG presidents are becoming lobbyists for their teams and thats my biggest problem. AND I'm not speculating on this, I know for a FACT this is happening.

[luv2teachthegame]

GREAT POST WATCHTONS....very valid points brought up there. In any competitive sport, handing out berths/invites that are not based on a specific team's achievements makes for a watered down tournament. Then you take what could be a great PGF tournament and make it a situations where teams get in without accomplishing anything that year.

Not that PGF gives a damn about what we think, but it takes away from what PGF Nationals are supposed to be about....the BEST teams competing at the BEST tournament.

[bmxbaby]

No axe to grind with me. I agree that they are valid points. All I am saying is that softball life is not always what we think it to be.

[2muchparents]

I'm not sure where you got your figures. There are 49 teams in the 14u nationals. Of that 49 less than 10 invites are given out. So the fact that 3 of those teams are from NorCal, you think everybody would be happy that teams from our back yard are being recognized!!! All 3 teams are not riding their older teams coat tails.

[Old Darter]

Instead we get an underachieving team in the PGF Nationals while inevitably someone is left out who is more deserving.

Define under achieving? Where would one of these invite teams need to finish to be considered under-achieving in your mind? I'd like to lnow so that in late August we can look back and see if your predictions are correct. I understand if one goes 2-n-q, but other than that, how low do they have to finish for you to judge they were not competitive enough to play? What position do they need to finish to prove the invite justified? Top 20? Top 30 (better than half the field)?

[watchtonsofsoftball]

There are no predictions so I dont know what there is to look back upon. I'm giving an example of what inevitably will happen. And I guess that 30 some odd invites would be in the 18G division.
As far as what Im determining to be underachieving. We could start with, if you cant qualify on your own, especially in your own area. Judging by last years finishes, you could go 2-2 and finish somewhere between 13-25th. Not overly impressed with a 2-2 finish. I've said before the only thing that seperates 25 and 13 is winning your first game which is a random selection as opposed to seeding. Id say a less than stellar showing would be 20-60th. This also depends on if your team is age pure or not. A young team finishing 20th is much better than an age pure team finishing in the 20s. Its subjective and I'm not singling any teams out, I just dont believe they are going about it the right way. It leaves this new lobbying to get all your teams in to keep the ORG reputation going, rather than the kids keeping that rep going(along with good coaching of course). So any ORG left out of the invites now has to spend thousands of dollars ( 15 kids at $500-1000) to travel and chase a berth if they dont get in the first time around. Its a great perk if your in with the in crowd, sucks if your not. My kid played for big ORG so its not like I have an axe to grind. I think I just see much clearer now. When my kid was playing , I could care less about all of this since we routinely were in the big tourneys. I like that PGF came in to shake things up and I still think its a great thing. Just keep it simple, top 10 finishes get return invite, everyone else is on an equal playing ground. I could ask my dd if you got free invite to big tourney or had to place well at a specific tourney to get in, which would you prefer? Guarantee she wants to earn it and win her way in. It is called competition! In the end everyone should want the very best teams to be in it. Everyone else can play ASA

[Tenshun]

The funny thing is that I think all the teams that were given invites are very good teams (probably top 5 in Norcal) and all probably had a great chance of earning a berth in the Norcal qualifier. Call me old fashioned, but I just think it means more to earn a win the hard way, than it does when something is handed to you.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not casting blame or doubt on these teams. If PGF is handing out invites, I'm sure any team who thought they might be competitive would accept.

Good thing we'll all be able to see who really deserves the invites once the season starts.

[NorCalUmp]

@2much
It's nice to see 3 teams get an invite to premiers hopefully NorCal can get more. But explain to me where 1 of the 3 teams invited is deserving. I can understand LM & Sorcerers, organizations rich in tradition but what has TC Smash accomplished to deserve a berth. You were right on one instance about how the older team hasn't done anything for that org. I also don't want to hear how they placed 5th in Nationals last summer. That was 12s & has nothing to do with 14s. Plus, you add the fact the current smash team is a different team especially without two big bats they lost. Don't get me wrong not hating on TC, glad to see they got a berth, thanks to some big lobbying. I can respect that the powers that be are trying to make a name for the org & establish it as a top notch org. But don't come here & toot your horn like your team has accomplished anything major in recent years. There are other orgs more deserving of a berth over TC. RR Gold Rathcliff & SJ Sting just to name a few. Even OBS Monarchs would've been more deserving if they were able to keep last summers team intact. Even I can see that all the way from Rainbow Fields.

Just saying. Let your team do their talking on the field not by your keyboard striking here in HB.