NEW ASA POLICY ON SELECTING USA SOFTBALL JUNIOR TEAM

[PDad]

When heybucket starts running tourney's next year our motto will be

We are only in it for the Money
anything after that is a bonus

You like it???

Yes! When will you have the t-shirts ready?

[jonriv]

A few thoughts and questions on this quite drawn out post...

1) How was the JNT picked before? Open tryouts? Invite only?

2) Would not a JNT made of any of the top 200 players still be dominate?


3) Would not any of the top 25 TB teams have a chance to beat any JNT team(no matter how it was constituted)? - figuring a team that has played together should be better that a newly put together all-star team


4) Has any thought been given to rewarding the championship team<insert championship> with JNT status(and sponsorship) and have them represent the US? It would make championship play that much more exciting.....

Sorry, Jon, but some of your questions don't make sense.
1) Has to be invite-only. Can you imagine how many non-qualified players would show up if it was open?
2) Don't understand the question. Would they be dominant? Not as dominant as picking a team from the top 50 players. Don't get what you mean.
3) Question doesn't make sense. How could you tell if a top TB team could beat a JNT team, if their best players are ON the JNT team. Are you saying you would intentionally choose a JNT team that doesn't have the best players from the best teams?
4) Why would you reward one specific team from one specific area? Makes no sense. A JNT team should consist of the best players nation-wide. So I certainly hope that no thought has been given to this suggestion.

In general, it sounds like you're saying team chemistry would get you farther than an All-Star group of better overall players. We'll have to agree to disagree on that.

Fredagear- I will try to speak slowly.....

Question One was asking how was it done before the change???

Question two- I was making the point that the top 200 junior players in this country are probably better than the top ten in most others

Quest ion three was somewhat rhetorical, but the assumption being a top team

Question 4- to answer your question, was the JNT actually made from nationwide players, or a bunch of Cali players with some Texas and Arizona for good measure

[PDad]

Question One was asking how was it done before the change???

Much more open - the Selection committee got recommendations from wider range of people.

From press release about 2010 JWNT Selection Camp (http://www.usasoftball.com/news.asp?uid=5633):

The 42 participants were selected by the USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Committee from the USA Softball Junior National Team player pool. The player pool is made up of athletes that have been identified by WNTSC as an elite softball player in the appropriate age group. Athletes that are identified come from observations at the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Junior National Tournaments, recommendations from college coaches, high school coaches and ASA Junior Olympic (JO) Coaches.

From current web site (http://www.usasoftball.com/folders.asp?uid=98):

There are two committees that select players to compete on USA Softball National Teams – Men’s National Team Selection Committee and the Women’s National Team Selection Committee. These committees work tirelessly throughout the year scouting events across the country in search of the top athletes for national team selection. Committee members can be found at ASA tournaments, ASA National Championships, NCAA tournaments, NCAA Women’s College World Series and many other events.

Once committee members identify potential national team players, these individuals are invited to participate in tryout camps and from those camps they are selected to represent the United States in international competitions.

The best way to be noticed by members of the selection committees is to compete in high level ASA tournaments and ASA National Championships if you are not currently playing at the collegiate level.

You asked this question 3 days ago. If you really wanted to know, why didn't you just look it up yourself instead of waiting for someone to feed it to you? Do you need someone to burp you now?

Question two- I was making the point that the top 200 junior players in this country are probably better than the top ten in most others

Edited - original answer based on the more liberal rules of the World Baseball Classic.
International rules allow players with dual citizenship the choice of playing for either country, so top US players not chosen for the USA team could compete for another country against them. Do you really want the best pitcher in the US playing for another country?

Quest ion three was somewhat rhetorical, but the assumption being a top team

It wasn't rhetorical - you suggested up to 25 established teams with lesser talent could beat a team with the best players. I doubt a top-3 team could beat a true JWNT team in a 5+ game series.

Question 4- to answer your question, was the JNT actually made from nationwide players, or a bunch of Cali players with some Texas and Arizona for good measure

Please signal before you make a turn... You went from your ridiculous suggestion of using the winner of a national tournament to attacking the qualifications of the girls that have made the team. If you had bothered to do a little research, you would know that the 42 players at the last selection camp came from 13 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah.

[Trophy Hunter]

Question two- I was making the point that the top 200 junior players in this country are probably better than the top ten in most others

International rules allow players the choice of playing for the country of their citizenship or family heritage, so top US players not chosen for the USA team can compete for another country against them. Do you really want the best pitcher in the US playing for another country?

Curious if you know how many generations does "family heritage" allow for?

[Battle]

Question two- I was making the point that the top 200 junior players in this country are probably better than the top ten in most others

International rules allow players the choice of playing for the country of their citizenship or family heritage, so top US players not chosen for the USA team can compete for another country against them. Do you really want the best pitcher in the US playing for another country?

Curious if you know how many generations does "family heritage" allow for?

I believe it's whatever you can prove.

[Battle]

Do you really want the best pitcher in the US playing for another country?

...doesn't matter as long as the best hitters play for the US. I'm just waiting for someone to bring up how political the selection process is and how the best players don't always get selected. Anyway, carry on...

[Makina]

This is really an unfortunate farce that ASA is now pulling. The big bully on the block is now throwing it's weight around!! Now if they had announced this would affect next year Jr. team then at least it allows players to make a choice.

So this will probably create a free agent system, whereby if your team does not qualify for ASA championship level play, then you just go sign-up with a team that has qualified. What team that aspires to win would not take a top 30 player onto their roster.

If history repeats itself the Big Bully on the Block always gets beaten in the end!! I guess the best 30 players from So Cal will not be invited to the Jr. team for try-outs by the sound of this posting!

[fastpitchdad05]

This is really an unfortunate farce that ASA is now pulling. The big bully on the block is now throwing it's weight around!! Now if they had announced this would affect next year Jr. team then at least it allows players to make a choice.

So this will probably create a free agent system, whereby if your team does not qualify for ASA championship level play, then you just go sign-up with a team that has qualified. What team that aspires to win would not take a top 30 player onto their roster.

If history repeats itself the Big Bully on the Block always gets beaten in the end!! I guess the best 30 players from So Cal will not be invited to the Jr. team for try-outs by the sound of this posting!

Them's fightin' words, mister!

They'll have to get thru their bodyguards...Battle, MTR and texASAyellowrose first!

[Battle]

This is really an unfortunate farce that ASA is now pulling. The big bully on the block is now throwing it's weight around!! Now if they had announced this would affect next year Jr. team then at least it allows players to make a choice.

So this will probably create a free agent system, whereby if your team does not qualify for ASA championship level play, then you just go sign-up with a team that has qualified. What team that aspires to win would not take a top 30 player onto their roster.

If history repeats itself the Big Bully on the Block always gets beaten in the end!! I guess the best 30 players from So Cal will not be invited to the Jr. team for try-outs by the sound of this posting!

Who is ASA "bullying"?

[fastpitchdad05]

This is really an unfortunate farce that ASA is now pulling. The big bully on the block is now throwing it's weight around!! Now if they had announced this would affect next year Jr. team then at least it allows players to make a choice.

So this will probably create a free agent system, whereby if your team does not qualify for ASA championship level play, then you just go sign-up with a team that has qualified. What team that aspires to win would not take a top 30 player onto their roster.

If history repeats itself the Big Bully on the Block always gets beaten in the end!! I guess the best 30 players from So Cal will not be invited to the Jr. team for try-outs by the sound of this posting!

Who is ASA "bullying"?

See! See!