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SPRING
2010
National Pro Fastpitch
A League Of Their Own
Cheri Kempf
NPF Commissioner
Jennie Finch
Monica Abbott
Chicago Bandits
USSSA Pride
Don DeDonatis
President/GM
Craig Stout
CEO
Bill Sokolis
President/CEO
Sarah Fekete
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UNITED STATES SPECIALTY
SPORTS ASSOCIATION
Message from Headquarters
As you know the 2010 spring/
summer season is now upon
us. The winters’ cold and
record snow fall is just a
distant memory now and our
baseball, slow & fast pitch
teams are now chomping
at the bit to get the regular
season rolling.
There are a number of changes
that USSSA has recently made
to enhance the many programs that fall under our umbrella.
Beginning last summer, USSSA baseball increased the number
of teams participating in the Boy’s Elite World Series, nearly
doubling the number of teams competing for a world title,
while also increasing the number of Super NIT qualifying
events, giving our teams more quality events to compete in.
Also, 2009 marked the beginning of the USSSA All-American
Games and the selection of Team USSSA. This year the 16U
USSSA All-American Team (from 2009) will travel to Japan on
August 10th -18th and begin play in the international games
against teams from around the world. The dates for the 2010
USSSA All-American Games are on July 16th – 17th (17U),
Aug. 5th – 6th (16U) and Aug. 12th – 15th (14U & 15U).
New for 2010 will be the USSSA Gold Medal Games, played
at USSSA National Headquarters, the Spring Training Home
of the Houston Astros. Teams from the Dominican Republic,
Italy, Mexico, France and the Bahamas are attending and
several other countries will be competing in the event
6 USSSA TODAY
As many of you are now aware, the USSSA Florida Pride is
our entry in the National Professional Fastpitch league (NPF).
The Pride finished second to the Rockford Thunder during
last years NPF Championship Series and has retooled for the
upcoming 2010 campaign. Joining Monica Abbott, Caitlin
Lowe and Kelly Kretschmen from the 2008 USA Olympic Team
are Jessica Mendoza, Lauren Lappin and Natasha Watley. New
team members also include Katie Burkhart, Tonya Callahan
and Nicole Trimboli. The 2010 USSSA Pride will certainly
compete once again for the NPF title and will prove itself as
one of the best teams ever assembled.
In the slow pitch game, Conference USSSA once again
reflects the overall growth and quality of the USSSA Slow
Pitch Program. For now 35 Teams will compete in 22 conference events which culminates in the USSSA Conference
Championships. Additionally teams are earning points toward
their national ranking points, travel money and room nights
at their respective World Series events. It’s a program unlike
any other.
USSSA Live will return this season, broadcasting live events
streamed in real time on USSSAPride.Com. Be sure to watch
the entire USSSA Pride schedule this season on the web.
Also look for the USSSA Pride vs. the Chicago Bandits live on
ESPN2 June 12th from Lubbock, TX. Game time is tentatively
schedule for 6PM CST.
I look forward to updating you once again in the summer
issue of USSSA Today! I wish you the best of luck and have a
great 2010 season. May the best team win.
CONTENTS
M A G A Z I N E
6028 Rayburn Dr. • Fort Worth,TX 76133
(817) 944-7484 • [email protected]
8
After Olympic dream
turns to nightmare, fastpitch players carve their
own niche
Executive Director, CEO USSSA
Don DeDonatis
Publisher, USSSA Today
Stafford Connor
Managing Editor, USSSA Today
Greg Huchingson
Induction Ceremony
2010 NPF Senior Draft
Results
32
Lebco Graphics
Worth Signs Monica
Abbott to Multi-Year
Endorsement Deal
Greg Huchingson
Van Galeon
Contributing Writers
Nine Earn Ultimate Honor
70 In
New England USSSA
Tom O’Hara
REEDESIGN
Annual New York
68 7th
State USSSA Hall of Fame
18
Communications Director, USSSA
Design / Printing
66 USSSA Golf
2010 Draftees Named
34 NPF
as Finalists of the Lowe’s
Hall of Fame
72
North Texas Winter World
Lives Up To Billing
77
12th Annual Eddie O
Bunn Memorial Returns
to North Carolina USSSA
Robert Boudreaux
Senior Class Award
Mike Cisneros
John DeMagistris
Van Galeon
Gary Godden
Frank Griffin
35
Faces of the NPF - Jessica
Williams
Tommy Hawkins
Brett Helmer
Scott Kuhnen
USSSA 42nd National
38 Meeting
Mike Macenko
Rick Phillips
51
2K10 SUMMIT Presented
by USSSA Midwest &
Southern Divisions
Helmer - SOFTBALL
54 Brett
IS MY GAME
Craig Scriven
Doug Wood
Photographers
Roy Dean
Scott Duffy
Dina T. Kwit
Anderson’s Bat of the
80 Future
Mark Linnemann
Andy Richards
What Does The Doctor
78 Have
To Say?
John Hart
A Cold Day in Phoenix
82 Warms
the Heart
84 USSSA Permian Basin
Michael McNutt
Pete Spatula
USSSA Today is published quarterly. Publishing offices are
located at 6028 Rayburn Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76133. One
year subscription is $25; two year is $40. Reproduction or
use of the contents in whole or in part without prior written
permission of the publisher is prohibited. USSSA Today
welcomes unsolicited articles or photographs, but must be
accompanied with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for
return of unsolicited material.
60 The Essence of Sport
City Shootout Super
86 Twin
NIT
Are You Ready To Play
62 Softball?
88 USSSA Soccer
USSSA TODAY
7
A League of Their Own
By Greg Huchingson
Olympians Natasha Watley (left) and Jennie Finch (right) are commited to the success of the NPF.
“It felt like somebody just punched me in the stomach,”
said Jennie Finch, when she first heard news that softball had
been dropped as an Olympic sport. “It was complete and utter
disappointment, and shock, and heartache all rolled into one.
I have been so blessed from the efforts of those who opened
doors before me, and now it was my turn to carry the torch.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. Tears fill my eyes just
thinking about it now.”
Finch had dreamed of playing in the Olympics
since she was in middle school in La Mirada,
California in the early 1990s. When she was 16,
Finch and her parents went to watch Team USA
play an exhibition game in preparation for the
1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
“I was in awe. These amazing athletes, with
USA across their chests, showed so much pride
and love for the game,” Finch recalled. “I told
my parents that night, ‘That’s what I want to
do.’ I dreamed of wearing the same uniform
some day.”
Jennie Finch with President George W. Bush.
8 USSSA TODAY
The dream came true for Finch, as she played
on USA ’s Gold medal-winning team in the
2004 Olympics in Athens, and the Silver medalwinning team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
But the dream turned into a nightmare on
July 11, 2005 when the International Olympic
Committee voted to drop softball from the
Olympic program beginning in 2012 by just one
vote.
NPF strategy meeting included (left to right) Pride’s Gordon Glennie, Racer’s Craig Stout, Bandits’ Bill Sokolis, Pride’s Don DeDonatis, NPF’s Vice-President of
Development, Gaye Lynn Wilson, NPF Commissioner Cheri Kempf and NPF’s Director of Operations, Erin Statmore.
After Olympic dream turns to nightmare,
fastpitch players carve their own niche
Now, the popular 6-foot-1 pitcher and first-baseman for Team
USA since 2001, is also a member of the Chicago Bandits in
National Pro Fastpitch, a professional sports league for women’s
fastpitch softball. The Bandits are joined in the four-team league
by the Akron Racers, Tennessee Diamonds and USSSA Pride.
with USSSA has been the single biggest game-changer for our
league. If we continue to align with quality organizations like
USSSA, some major things are going to happen within the next
five years.”
Finch agrees that the affiliation with USSSA will help the league.
USSSA Pride? How did the world’s largest multi-sport organization, whose origin is rooted in the adult slow-pitch game, “I am thankful to USSSA and Don DeDonatis for their support
of NPF,” Finch said. “They are so invested and passionate in the
become an owner of a women’s professional sports franchise?
“Luck,” said Cheri Kempf, Commissioner
of the NPF.
“I am very proud of the athletes playing
in our league and want to get them in
front of as many people as possible,”
Kempf said. “I knew about USSSA’s ability
to establish grass-roots programs, so I
set up a meeting with Don DeDonatis to
see if there was a way we could establish a partnership to help each other out.
Before I walked out of his office, he was
interested in getting involved on a much
bigger level than I ever imagined.”
USSSA decided to take over day-to-day
operations of the former Washington
Glory, which had folded their operations.
“It was a very lucky day for us,” Kempf
said. “There’s no doubt that partnering
Natasha Watley is solid defensively and offensively.
USSSA TODAY
9
things they do, it will help this league
grow.”
Bill Sokolis, President & CEO of the
Chicago Bandits, is equally optimistic
about the relationship with USSSA.
“As big of an impact as (the NPF) is
going to make on USSSA, they are going
to make an even bigger impact on our
league,” Sokolis said. “We will ride each
others’ coattails. Don DeDonatis is a
mover and shaker and will be a huge
cog in the wheel of our league. I love
that guy’s energy.”
DeDonatis sees the acquisition of the
team as a way to implement the same
blueprint that has worked so well in
the men’s slow-pitch program into girl’s
fast-pitch.
“We pride ourselves in having the very
best athletes in the world play in our
programs,” DeDonatis said. “We’ve
already got the best in men’s slow-pitch,
and now we will have that in fastpitch.
This will give the young girls in our grass
roots programs, the 10- and 12-year
olds, something to shoot for – improve
your skills, get a college scholarship, and
maybe eventually get a shot at the NPF.
Same as boys have with baseball.”
DeDonatis and Kempf both shy away
from calling the demise of women’s softball as a full medal sport in the Olympics
a big boost for National Pro Fastpitch.
Sokolis is familiar with grass roots softball, having coached his three daughters
in Little League and then in travel ball.
The travel team he founded in Illinois is
still around, and is one of the biggest in
that state.
“Being involved with NPF is going to
help USSSA market their program to
those youth leagues and travel teams
around the country,” Sokolis said.
Olympian and USSSA Pride's OF, Jessica Mendoza.
10 USSSA TODAY
“The reason our sport has grown so
much is not strictly because of the
Olympics,” Kempf said. “(The Olympics)
did raise our public awareness to a
whole different level. But the lure of
college scholarships is what increased
our popularity. I was working as a private
(fastpitch) trainer at the time. Girls
were signing up in droves, not because
they thought they were going to the
Olympics, but because they wanted that
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college scholarship.”
Kempf said she is sad to see women’s
fastpitch gone from the Olympics, but
insists NPF would still be here even if the
Olympics were around.
Sokolis sees NPF as the new level that
young players will aspire to reach.
“The Olympics are out now and we are
the place to be,” Sokolis said. “There is
still a National Team, but that is quite a
different look than the past few years. The
Olympic Team was more demanding in
having control of the players’ schedules.”
DeDonatis points at the opportunity for
many more players to be involved in the
upper level of the sport.
“Before, there was what, 18-25 girls
on the Olympic Team,” DeDonatis
said. “This league provides a place for
so many more girls to play. One of our
new players (former Olympian) Jessica
Mendoza told me, ‘When I was 21, there
were a lot of girls better than me, but
they quit playing because there was no
place for them to go.’ Now there is.”
Finch, who has played in NPF since 2005,
agrees there is room for expansion.
“I am completely in awe of the fact that
I am able to take the field as a professional athlete,” Finch said. “And there
is so much room for growth. We need
a professional softball league to work.
There are so many talented girls across
this country who have dedicated their
lives to this sport. It’s just too great to
not have a platform on the professional
level.”
Sokolis has been involved with NPF
since 2005. He said he now finally sees a
bright future for the league.
“This may sound crazy, but I truly
believe we are better off now with
four teams that have solid ownership
than back when the league had seven
teams,” Sokolis said. “Previously, the
league owned and controlled all the
teams. Now we have individual owners
who can concentrate on improving their
own teams. This is the first time I really
felt this league had a great chance to go
somewhere. I’m glad I stuck it out.”
Sokolis, who is in the construction
12 USSSA TODAY
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business, got into softball as a way of
spending quality time with his three
daughters. He started with them in
Little League, then progressed to travel
ball and has continued all the way up to
the professional level.
“I’m a huge fan of fastpitch softball; it’s
so fast-paced and exciting,” Sokolis said.
“But compared to baseball, the girls
always seemed to get the short end of
the stick. Since I had daughters of my
own, that always ticked me off, so I did
something about it.”
Future Expansion
National Pro Fastpitch has had a turbulent history, with many highs and lows.
Many of those involved feel the league
has solid foundation on which to build a
prosperous future.
“We may only have four teams right
now, but we finally have four really
good owners who are committed to
making this thing go,” said Finch. “I
believe it’s going to work.”
DeDonatis, who has orchestrated
phenomenal growth for USSSA as
an association over the past decade,
believes the league could expand to
as many as 24 teams. Kempf is more
conservative, but does not dispute the
possibility.
The NPF becomes a new addition to the USSSA Sports Hall of Fame Museum.
“Absolutely, 24 is a goal,” Kempf said.
“What Don DeDonatis wants usually
happens. This league has not done a
lot to help itself for many years. A lot
of mistakes have been made. Hopefully,
we’ve got everything lined up now. I
think it is very realistic for us to expand
to 12 teams as soon as 2012.”
NPF is actively seeking stable investors interested in franchise ownership.
DeDonatis pointed to initial interest in
league games to be played this year in
the Lubbock and Round Rock markets in
Texas as possibilities for expansion.
Equipment
Manufacturers
The 2010 NPF College Senior Draft was sponsored by Miken Sports. Pictured is Miken Sports’ Justin Carrier.
14 USSSA TODAY
Sporting goods manufacturers play a
big part in the success of NPF. Kempf
said bats and gloves are supplied by the
major manufacturers in the industry –
Worth, Easton, Louisville Slugger, Wilson
and Mizuno. Teams do not have exclu-
sivity deals, rather players have their
choice of which products they want to
use from the pool of suppliers. Shoes are
provided by Mizuno, Ringor and 3-N-2.
“We are very grateful for the manufacturers who have stepped up to the plate
to help make this league possible,” Kempf
said. She laments, however, that there
are some major manufacturers who have
yet to sign on, and that their absence will
eventually be felt as the popularity of the
league continues to grow.
The Draft
The NPF Senior Draft presented by
Miken was held Feb. 11 at the Hermitage
Key Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. and was
broadcast live on MLB.com. Kempf was
joined at the event by Bill Sokolis of
the Chicago Bandits, Craig Stout and
Joey Arietta of the Akron Racers, Sarah
Fekete of the Tennessee Diamonds, and
Don DeDonatis of the USSSA Pride.
The USSSA Pride had the first pick of the
draft and selected Charlotte Morgan
from the University of Alabama, who has
knocked in more than 50 runs in each of
her three seasons for the Crimson Tide.
The Tennessee Diamonds selected Molly
Johnson of the University of Kentucky
with the No. 2 pick of the draft. USSSA
traded up for the No. 3 pick and chose
catcher Melissa Roth of Louisville, who
recently hit three grand slams in one
week. The final pick of the first round
went to Chicago, who selected pitcher
Nicki Nemitz of the University of
Michigan.
The Season
Each team in the League will play a
50-game regular season schedule with
all teams playing each other a minimum
of 15 games.
The 2010 season will begin on Wednesday,
June 9, with the Akron Racers traveling to NPF’s newest expansion team,
the Tennessee Diamonds. The Chicago
Bandits, 2009 regular season champions, will travel to Lubbock, TX to play
theUSSSA Pride during opening week.
“Texas Tech wanted to promote the
opening of their new stadium, so
we’re going to give them Jennie Finch
versus Monica Abbott, how’s that for
16 USSSA TODAY
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2010 NPF Senior Draft Results
ROUND 1
1 (1)
USSSA Pride
Charlotte Morgan, Utility, Alabama
2 (2)
Tennessee Diamonds
Molly Johnson, Utility, Kentucky
3 (3)
USSSA Pride
Melissa Roth, Catcher, Lousiville
4 (4)
Chicago Bandits
Nikki Nemetz, Pitcher, Michigan
ROUND 2
1 (5)
USSSA Pride
Amber Flores, Utility, Oklahoma
2 (6)
Tennessee Diamonds
Becca Heteniak, Pitcher, Depaul
3 (7)
Akron Racers
Sam Marder, Catcher, Ohio State
4 (8)
Chicago Bandits
Amberly Waits, Shortstop, Louisiana Tech
ROUND 3
1 (9)
USSSA Pride
Francesca Enea, Outfield, Florida
2 (10)
Tennessee Diamonds
Loryn Johnson, Infielder, Texas
3 (11)
Akron Racers
Megan Lagenfeld, Pitcher/1B, UCLA
4 (12)
Chicago Bandits
Neena Bryant, Outfielder, Oregon
ROUND 4
1 (13)
USSSA Pride
Alissa Haber, Outfielder, Stanford
2 (14)
Tennessee Diamonds
Carly Wynn, Outfielder, FSU
3 (15)
Chicago Bandits
Rachel Mitchell, Outfielder, LSU
4 (16)
Chicago Bandtis
Christine Knauer, Shortstop, UNC
ROUND 5
1 (17)
Akron Racers
Liane Horiuchi, Shortstop, Purdue
2 (18)
Tennessee Diamonds
Kristen Wadwell, Pitcher, Louisville
3 (19)
Akron Racers
Kaila Shull, Catcher, UCLA
4 (20)
Chicago Bandits
Angela Findlay, Outfielder, Michigan
2010 NPF Collge Senior Draft brain trust table.
18 USSSA TODAY
Akron Racers’ Preident/GM Joey Arrietta (left) and Bandits’ Bill Sokolis (right) confer prior to the draft.
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USSSA TODAY 19
a matchup,” said DeDonatis. “They’re
talking about drawing 4,000 fans per
night for five nights in a row.”
Chicago and USSSA will also play a fivegame series at Dell Diamond in Round
Rock, Texas (near Austin ), home of the
Round Rock Express, a Class AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros. Ironically,
Finch’s husband, Casey Daigle, pitched
for the Express last season.
Another matchup DeDonatis is eagerly
anticipating is the USSSA Pride playing
the Tennessee Diamonds during the
same week of the Smoky Mountain
Classic, the most popular men’s slowpitch tournament of the year. The
series will be a homecoming of sorts
for Abbott, who starred collegiately at
the University of Tennessee in nearby
Knoxville.
The regular season will finish on Aug. 22
prior to the Championships in Sulphur,
Louisiana on Aug. 26-29.
“There is plenty of NPF action this
summer with 100 games slated for the
2010 season. Once again we expect to
see the best competition in fastpitch
softball between the game’s greatest
players in the world,” said Kempf.
With the first pick in the 2010 Draft, USSSA Pride selected the University of Alabama’s Charlotte Morgan.
The regular season standings will crown
a regular-season champion. The four
teams will then compete in the NPF
Championship Series, to be played
Aug. 26-29 at McMurry Park in Sulphur,
Louisiana. The event will be hosted by,
and with the cooperation of, the Sulphur
Parks and Recreation Department
and the support of the Lake Charles/
Southwest Louisiana Convention &
Visitors Bureau.
“ Sulphur was one of the most enthusiastic stops on the 2008 Bound 4 Beijing
Tour,” said Kempf. “What we want is a
lot of excitement mixed in with a little
bit of crazy, and that’s what we are
going to get.”
Tennessee Diamonds’ Sarah Fekete (left) and Jerry Simmerly (right) brought the Rockford Thunder franchise
to Knoxville.
20 USSSA TODAY
Kempf points to the Field Turf surface
at McMurry Stadium as one of the finest
facitlities for fastpitch softball in the
nation. The cuisine and culture of Creole
Country, plus the casinos at nearby Lake
Charles, will surely add to the festive
atmosphere for the event.
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the NPF Championships will provide
“a Hosting
great economic impact for Calcasieu Parish as
we hope to attract visitors from the state and
region to participate in the promotional events
as well as watch the tournament, said Eric
Zartler, athletic/corporate sales manager for the
Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention &
Visitors Bureau. This area of the state has been known for years
as the Youth Sports Capital of Louisiana and we are thrilled to take
it to the next level by hosting a professional event.
”
“
”
USSSA Pride
When USSSA took over the former
Washington Glory, the team and its
players were facing a lot of uncertainty.
They worked their way through the
2009 season and peaked at the right
time, just before the playoffs. The Pride
made it all the way to the championship
series, before eventually losing to the
Rockford Thunder, two games to one.
Since last year, USSSA has expanded its
role from just managing the Pride to
owning the team.
DeDonatis has assembled an impressive
roster for the 2010 season. Top returning
players are pitcher Monica Abbott and
outfielders Caitlyn Lowe and Kelly
Kretschman. All three are either current
or former members of the USA Olympic/
National Teams.
USSSA has also added the services of
four more Team USA players, including
two of the most decorated players of
all-time – shortstop Natasha Watley
and outfielder Jessica Mendoza. Other
National Team players signed by the
Pride are catcher/shortstop Lauren
Lappin and pitcher Katie Burkhart.
USSSA Pride IF, Tonya Callahan with the new Worth USSSA Pride bat. The bat will be marketed exclusively by
Resmondo Sports.
22 USSSA TODAY
Joining Abbott and Burkhart on the
www.profastpitch.com
2010 SCHEDULE
Date OppOnent
MAY
LOcatiOn
time
31 TeamVenezuelavs.USSSAPride***
Orlando,FL
7:05pm
1
2
3
4
5
6
9
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
24
25
26
27
TennesseeAllStarsvs.TennesseeDiamonds***
TeamVenezuelavs.USSSAPride***
(UCFSoftballComplex)
MilwaukeeAllStarsvs.ChicagoBandits***
ChicagoBanditsvs.USSSAPride
AkronRacersvs.TennesseeDiamonds
(TelevisedbyESPN2)
TeamCanadavs.USSSAPride***
(ESPNWideWorldofSports)
ChicagoBanditsvs.RockfordRiverHawks
(RoadRangerStadium)
USSSAPridevs.TennesseeDiamonds
USSSAPridevs.TennesseeDiamonds(DH)
VirginiaAllStarsvs.ChicagoBandits***
AkronRacersvs.ChicagoBandits
(ReadingClubDay)
AkronRacersvs.ChicagoBandits(KidsDay)
ChicagoBanditsvs.AkronRacers
(CrystlBustosNight)
ChicagoBanditsvs.AkronRacers(CountryNight)
TennesseeDiamondsvs.USSSAPride
ChicagoBanditsvs.AkronRacers(Mascotmania)
(Dads&DaughtersDay/PepsiKid’sDay)
Alcoa,TN
Alcoa,TN
Orlando,FL
7:30pm
7:30pm
7:05pm
Orlando,FL
7:05pm
Alcoa,TN
Orlando,FL
7:30pm
7:05pm
1
2
3
4
JUNE
Milwaukee,WI 7:05pm(CT)
Alcoa,TN
7:30pm
Orlando,FL
12:05pm
Alcoa,TN
Lubbock,TX
Alcoa,TN
Lubbock,TX
Alcoa,TN
Lubbock,TX
Alcoa,TN
Lubbock,TX
1:30pm
7:05pm(CT)
7:30pm
7:05pm(CT)
7:30pm
7:05pm(CT)
7:30pm
TBA(CT)
Alcoa,TN
Lubbock,TX
Alcoa,TN
Orlando,FL
7:30pm
12:05pm(CT)
7:30pm
7:05pm
Orlando,FL
7:05pm
Orlando,FL
7:05pm
Rockford,IL
7:05pm(CT)
Alcoa,TN
Alcoa,TN
Salem,VA
Alcoa,TN
Elgin,IL
7:30pm
2:00,7:30pm
7:05pm
1:30pm
5:05pm(CT)
Elgin,IL
Elgin,IL
Akron,OH
7:05pm(CT)
1:05pm(CT)
7:05pm
Akron,OH
Orlando,FL
7:05pm
7:05pm
Akron,OH
Orlando,FL
7:05pm
7:05pm
Orlando,FL
12:05pm
Akron,OH
2:05pm
USSSAPridevs.AkronRacers
Akron,OH
(SalutetoHeroes;MackenzieVandergeestNight)
TennesseeDiamondsvs.ChicagoBandits
Elgin,IL
USSSAPridevs.AkronRacers(PinkOut)
Akron,OH
Elgin,IL
Akron,OH
(USONight–BobbleheadGiveaway)
TennesseeDiamondsvs.ChicagoBandits(DH)
Elgin,IL
(FireworksNight)
Elgin,IL
USSSAPridevs.AkronRacers(PepsiKid’sDay) Akron,OH
7:05pm
JULY
7:05pm(CT)
7:05pm
7:05pm(CT)
2:05,7:05pm
2:05,7:05pm(CT)
2:05pm
7:35pm
Date OppOnent
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
13
14
15
16
17
18
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
29
30
31
LOcatiOn
Akron,OH
(MardiGrasNight#1)
TeamVenezuelavs.TennesseeDiamonds
Alcoa,TN
(DH)***
TBDvs.ChicagoBandits(Thrillen’sPark)***
Chicago,IL
TeamVenezuelavs.TennesseeAllStars***
Alcoa,TN
Alcoa,TN
Alcoa,TN
Elgin,IL
(BusinessAppreciationNight)
Alcoa,TN
Alcoa,TN
Joliet,IL
(SilverCrossField)
Alcoa,TN
TeamVenezuelavs.TennesseeDiamonds*** Alcoa,TN
Elgin,IL
Alcoa,TN
Alcoa,TN
Elgin,IL
Akron,OH
(SubwayAppreciationNight)
ChicagoBanditsvs.TennesseeDiamonds
Alcoa,TN
USSSAPridevs.AkronRacers(GoGreenNight) Akron,OH
Alcoa,TN
Akron,OH
(MardiGrasNight#2)
Alcoa,TN
USSSAPridevs.AkronRacers(Chick-fil-ANight) Akron,OH
Alcoa,TN
Alcoa,TN
Akron,OH
(PepsiKid’sDay;GirlScoutNight)
Omaha,NE
(CatOstermanExperience)
Omaha,NE
Omaha,NE
Orlando,FL(DISNEY)
Orlando,FL(DISNEY)
Orlando,FL(DISNEY)
ChicagoBanditsvs.AkronRacers(PinkOut)
Akron,OH
Orlando,FL(DISNEY)
Akron,OH
(MardiGrasNight#3)
Akron,OH
(MondayNightInMexico)
TennesseeDiamondsvs.AkronRacers
Akron,OH
(CollegeNight)
Orlando,FL(DISNEY)
Orlando,FL(DISNEY)
Akron,OH
(MardiGrasNight#4)
Akron,OH
(PONYChampionshipDay)
Orlando,FL(DISNEY)
For the rest of the 2010 schedule, please visit www.profastpitch.com/schedule
***ExhibitionGames•AllTimesareEasternTime(unlessnotedCT)andareSubjecttoChange.
ForTickets,LiveGames,LiveStats-www.profastpitch.com–(615)232-2900•TeamListedLastisHomeTeam•FollowUsonFacebookandTwitter
time
7:05pm
6:00,8:00pm
7:05pm(CT)
4:00pm
7:30pm
4:00pm
7:05pm(CT)
7:30pm
4:00pm
7:05pm(CT)
7:30pm
4:00pm
7:05pm(CT)
7:30pm
1:30pm
2:05pm(CT)
4:00pm
7:30pm
7:05pm
4:00pm
7:30pm
7:05pm
7:30pm
7:05pm
7:30pm
7:05pm
7:30pm
1:30pm
7:35pm
7:05pm
7:05pm
2:05pm
7:05pm
7:05pm
7:05pm
7:05pm
12:05pm
7:35pm
7:05pm
7:05pm
7:05pm
7:05pm
7:05pm
7:35pm
TBA
USSSA Pride’s pitcher, Monica Abbott.
USSSA pitching staff are Sarah Pauley,
Desiree Serrano and Charlotte Morgan.
Catchers on the team are Shannon
Doepking, Melissa Roth and Lappin.
Infielders besides Watley are Tonya
Callahan, Kristin Schnake, Jessica
Williams and Amber Foley, while the
outfield will have Francesca Enea to
go along with Mendoza, Lowe and
Kretschman.
The Pride are based in Kissimmee, Fla.
and will play the majority of their home
games at the University of Central
Florida softball field on the camps of
UCF.
Here is a look at the other three teams
in the league:
USSSA Pride players (left to right) Kelly Kretschman, Monica Abbott and Jessica Williams always take time
to sign and encourage young girls to pursue their dreams.
24 USSSA TODAY
Akron Racers
In the 1992 movie “The Babe”, one of
the major storylines was the fact that
legendary slugger Babe Ruth was never
given an opportunity to be the manager
of a Major League team. That will not be
the case with the Babe Ruth of women’s
fastpitch, as legendary slugger Krystal
Bustos is taking over as manager of the
Racers. Bustos retired as a player after
last season.
The Racers play their home games at
Firestone Stadium in Akron. Among
the players on their team are Courtney
Bures,
Claire
Burnum,
Sharonda
McDonald, Micaela Mowatt, Lisa Norris,
Jackie Pasquerella, Trena Peel, Samantha
Ricketts, Kate Robinson, Angela Tincher
and Brittany Well.
Crystl Bustos, retired as a player, will be the 2010 manager for the Akron Racers.
26 USSSA TODAY
Akron Racers’ pitcher, Taryne Mowatt
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Chicago Bandits
The Bandits, who were the 2008 NPF
champions, play their home games
at Judson Field in nearby Elgin, IL. In
addition to the popular Finch, other
players on the roster are Eileen Canney,
Samantha Findlay, Rachel Folden,
Emily Friedman, Vicky Galindo, Ashley
Holcombe, Caitlin Lever, Stacy May,
Amber Patton, Jessica Sallinger and
Kristina Thorson.
Chicago Bandits’ P/IF, Jennie Finch.
Tennessee Diamonds
With Cat Osterman on the mound, the
Rockford Thunder won the 2009 NPF
championship by topping the USSSA
Pride in finals. Following the season,
the team moved to the foothills of the
Smoky Mountains in Blount County
and will be known as the Tennessee
Diamonds.
Tenneessee Diamonds’ pitcher Cat Osterman.
28 USSSA TODAY
Osterman will be joined by her collegiate batterymate at the University of
Texas, catcher Megan Willis. Two of the
duo’s new teammates are from college
rival Texas A&M – first-baseman Megan
Gibson and outfielder Jami Lobpries.
Other players on the roster include
Jamie Davison, Chelsie Mesa, Jenna
Rhodes, Shanel Scott, Samantha Sheeley
and Chelsea Spencer.
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Whether your team wears shin guards or cleats, helmets, a wrestling
singlet or bloomers Wicomico County’s Salisbury, Maryland is the
place for sports. In all, Salisbury oﬀers more than:
15 Indoor Courts
20 Utility Fields
25 Softball/Baseball Fields
4 Indoor Boarded Soccer/Lacrosse/Field Hockey Fields
Wrestling, Track & Field, Equine, Water Sports
& Cheerleading Facilities
come to play
& discover our
hidden treasures
Natural Treasures
History & Historical Sites
Cultural Experiences
Unique Shopping & Savory Cuisine
Festivals & Special Events
Want more information?
Contact Wicomico County Sports Marketing Manager Kate Roth
[email protected] 1.800.332.Tour
Check out our 2010 USSSA Events at:
www.SalisburyChampionships.org
www.WicomicoTourism.org
Cheri Kempf
Kempf is a long-time supporter of the
women’s softball league. She has played
an integral role with the NPF television
broadcasting team for various networks
and worked with the league as a consultant before being named Commissioner.
The hiring of Kempf is one of the strategic moves the NPF has made to build a
strong foundation that will position the
league for long-term success.
“Talk about an ambassador for this
league, Cheri Kempf will be a huge part
of our future success,” Sokolis said. “She
is the only person I know of who talks
about this league more than I do.”
Kempf competed as a pitcher on the
1992 USA National Team that earned a
gold medal in the World Cup in Beijing,
China. In 2002, she wrote an instructional book titled “The Softball Pitching
Edge” that has also been produced in
video form. She has since worked with
ESPN and other networks to broadcast
NPF and college games.
The high ratings of those telecasts and
others involving premier college teams
has encouraged Kempf about the future
of the professional game in this country.
She is particularly optimistic about NPF.
“It’s a product that people enjoy, a
product that captures them,” she said.
“People who have never seen fastpitch softball before can turn on the
TV and see a pitcher throwing the ball
60-70 miles an hour and other women
hitting, running and diving for the ball.
I’m so impressed with how talented
these young women are. I have so
much respect for what they bring to the
game.”
Kempf is responsible for strengthening
game-day operations and enhancing
opportunities and communication with
the players, whom she considers the
league’s strongest asset.
NPF’s Cheri Kempf makes final camera adjustments prior to broadcasting the 2010 College Senior Draft,
sponsored by Miken Sports, live on MLB.com.
30 USSSA TODAY
Among her other duties will include
administering and conducting the
annual NPF Senior Draft, working
with the rules committee to evaluate,
develop, change and administer game
rules, and interpreting and
enforcing the league code of
conduct, rules, policies and
procedures.
Kempf serves as the league’s
official spokesperson, maintains a coaching pool to assist
teams with the acquisition
of elite field managers and
coaches, and oversees player
trades, releases and signings.
National Pro Fastpitch is
headquartered in Nashville.
The league, created to give
elite female fastpitch players
the opportunity to pursue a
professional career in their
chosen sport, has operated
since 1997 under the names
Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF)
and Women’s Pro Softball
League (WPSL). The league
was acquired by team owners
in January of 2005 from the
founders, the Cowles family.
USSSA TODAY 31
Worth Signs Monica Abbott
to Multi-Year Endorsement Deal
Worth Sports® announced that the
company has signed Olympic Medalist
and pitcher for the National Professional
Fastpitch’s Florida Pride, Monica Abbott,
to a multi-year contract. Abbott will
be endorsing the new Worth 5-Tool
product line of training equipment and
designing 2 Monica Abbott signature
fielders gloves.
“Monica is acknowledged as one of
the greatest pitchers in the fastpitch
game. Her unparalleled athletic accomplishments are clearly exemplified
by her statistical records,” said Mike
Thompson, Senior Vice President of
Marketing. “Worth is committed to
being the best at every level of fastpitch
softball. Monica will play a critical role
in the development of Worth products
for youth and amateur players right
up to the highest level of professional
players.”
Abbott was one of the key members
of the USA Women’s National Team
which won the Silver medal at the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games. Before turning
professional as a current member of the
National Pro Fastpitch’s Florida Pride,
Abbott was a collegiate stand out at
the University of Tennessee. Abbott
Monica Abboott with her University of Tennessee collegiate look.
32 USSSA TODAY
was the 2007 USA Softball National
Collegiate Player of the Year and holds
NCAA Division I records in: career victory
record (189), career shutout record
(112), strikeouts (2,440), appearances
(253), and single-season strikeouts (724).
“I am thrilled to be working with the
Worth team to endorse the Worth 5-Tool
Training line and new Monica Abbott
signature fielders gloves,” said Abbott.
“I have worn a Worth glove since I was
a freshman at Tennessee, so I am excited
to have my own signature series to wear
this year.”
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NPF 2010 Draftees Named as Finalists
of the Lowe’s Senior Class Award
Seven of the Ten Finalists were 2010 NPF Draftees
On the heels of the announcement of
the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award,
the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) League
is thrilled that 7 of the 10 finalists were
2010 NPF Draftees. The NPF strives on
the fact that we have a 99% graduation rate with Players who have graduated from their respective Universities.
Throughout the calendar year, The
National Pro Fastpitch and its Players
strive to continue to help in their
surrounding cities through different
community service initiatives.
2010 NPF Draftees Charlotte Morgan,
Molly Johnson, Nikki Nemitz, Becca
Heteniak, Francesca Enea, Megan
Langenfeld, and Alissa Haber were
all selected as finalists for this prestigious award. The Lowe’s Senior CLASS
Award is presented each year to the
outstanding senior NCAA Division I
Student-Athlete of the Year across nine
different sports. The acronym “CLASS”
stands for Celebrating Loyalty and
Achievement for Staying in School™.
The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award celebrates the loyalty of seniors that honor
a four-year commitment to their university. The Senior CLASS Award™ recognizes these student-athletes for great
achievement during competition and in
their community while staying in school.
Charlotte Morgan was the number
one overall Draft pick in the 2010 NPF
College Senior Draft. She was Drafted
to the USSSA Florida Pride. Charlotte
Morgan has been a key impact Player
for the University Alabama’s Offense.
She became the first Player in Alabama
history with three 50 or more RBI
seasons. Morgan has played an important role in the team’s community service
initiative. She has visited numerous local
teams and tournaments to talk about
the importance of school, teamwork,
and sports.
Molly Johnson was the number two
overall Draft pick with the Tennessee
Diamonds. At Kentucky, she became
34 USSSA TODAY
Party to raise funds for Children’s AIDS
Research, and is a pen pal for the EnglishAs-A-Second-Language program.
Francesca Enea was drafted 9th overall
to the USSSA Florida Pride. A two-time
All-American, Enea holds seven offensive records at Florida. As a junior, she
created and organized the Swing for
Cancer event, which gave fans a chance
to watch Florida student-athletes and
coaches try to hit against Florida’s
All-American pitchers, all while raising
money for cancer initiatives.
Charlotte Morgan is the first player in Alabama
history with three 50 or more RBI seasons.
UK’s first All-America selection as a
second team honoree. She is a lifetime
.395 batter, ranking her first in Kentucky
history. Johnson was voted team captain
for two consecutive seasons. Captains
are voted on by teammates, coaches,
and support staff, for athletes who
represent the University academically,
through community service, and on the
field.
Nikki Nemetiz rounded out the first
round of the Draft as the fourth overall
pick with the Chicago Bandits. At
Michigan during her Junior campaign,
she threw a 1.07 ERA in her junior
campaign, with 28 wins, 306 strikeouts, and a .150 opponent average.
Alongside her teammates, Nemitz has
been involved with the American Cancer
Society through the Making Strides
Against Breast Cancer campaign.
Becca Heteniak was the sixth overall pick
in the Draft heading to the Tennessee
Diamonds. Heteniak was named Big East
Conference Pitcher of the Year, Big East
Championship Most Valuable Player,
Big East All-Academic team, and was a
member of the Big East Championship
All-Tournament team with Depaul.She
worked with the Dream Halloween
Megan Langenfeld was Drafted 11th
overall to the Akron Racers. As a junior
she led the Bruins’ pitching with a
1.24 ERA, good for 12th in the nation.
Langenfeld has spent time with pound
dogs at the Bakersfield SPCA.
Alissa Haber was Drafted 13th overall
to the USSSA Florida Pride. Haber is a
three-time All-American and All-Pac-10
selection. At Stanford, she led the
nation in doubles last season with 26.
Haber has organized softball clinics for
youth leagues in the area.
Award winners are determined by a
selection process that includes, NCAA
Division I college coaches in each respective sport, national media, and fans. The
voting process determines the winner in
addition to a Senior CLASS All-America
Team.
Public fan voting via text messaging
and on the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award
web site takes place each year during
the month leading up to the NCAA
Championship. You can vote at http://
www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/soft
ball_2010/ .
The National Pro Fastpitch Season begins
on June 9th. Watch these Draftees and
all other NPF Players throughout the
Season. Visit www.profastpitch.com
for more information on how to catch
a game through live streaming or at a
stadium near you!
Faces of the NPF
Featuring Jessica Williams
by Jessica Williams
It’s tough to put my softball playing
days into words. I have nothing but
wonderful memories of my journey.
I do know I would not be where I am
today without the help of my family,
coaches, and teammates. So I will start
off with my older sister Leslie. She is the
main reason I picked up a bat. She is 2
years and 9 months older than my identical twin sister, Amanda, and me. She
played t-ball when she was 5 years old,
so we were around it at a very young
age. So at the age of 5 years old we
signed up for our first year of softball
and it hasn’t slowed down since. At that
time in Georgia, softball was slow pitch.
Fast pitch would not reach the Atlanta
area until the time of the 1996 Atlanta
Olympics. So for 7 years I played slow
pitch.
I was always one of the smallest, so
from the start my Dad and Mom, Bryan
and Cheryl, encouraged me to never let
anyone out hustle or outwork me. My
dad always stressed fundamentals and
knew it was going to take a great deal
of hard work and dedication to be the
best, something I always wanted. My
twin and I were very competitive with
each other, and that helped in my development as a player. Whether it was
coloring, doing cartwheels, or playing
on the ball field, we always begged
our parents to tell us who did better,
or who was the best. Amanda has been
my number one fan along the way and I
know I could not have accomplished all I
have without her.
Making the transition from slow pitch
to fast pitch was not easy, but all of my
coaches knew the future was in fast
pitch and not slow pitch. Slowly but
surely we all began to develop a passion
for the game. We became a part of the
East Cobb program where I was blessed
to have some wonderful coaches. We
started traveling to some big time tournaments. 14 and under marked our first
ever trip to Nationals in Broken Arrow,
Oklahoma. From 14 to 18U we placed in
the top twenty every year with finishes
in the top ten two different years.
Not only had I wanted to always play
division 1 softball, but I wanted to do
so alongside Amanda, and we both
wanted to receive full athletic scholarships. Shonda Stanton at Marshall
University was able to give us that. Those
marked some of the best years of my
life. I am so thankful for the teammates
I was blessed with. We were able to win
multiple championships and make lifelong friends along the way. I learned so
much about the game, and what it truly
meant to be a student-athlete. I was
fortunate enough to be drafted into the
National Pro Fastpitch league my senior
year. Only 28 seniors were allowed to be
drafted at the time, and Amanda and I
were drafted to the Chicago Bandits.
I am now about to embark on my 5th
year in the National Pro Fastpitch League
and the second with the USSSA Florida
Pride. Throughout my experience in the
league I have had the opportunity to
play alongside Olympians and some of
the best players in the game. This 2010
season will be nothing short of that
with 6 Olympians on our roster. I am
so excited about this once in a lifetime
opportunity. I want to do my best to
contribute to such a wonderful organization. With that said, I am still learning
and having fun playing the game. I am
not sure when I will hang the cleats up
for good, but I do know it will be one of
the hardest days of my life.
I have so much appreciation and love
for this game, and I know that softball
will be a part of my life for a long time.
After spending one season as a coach,
I knew I found something I wanted to
do forever. I had a wonderful collegiate
experience, and I feel every student
athlete should feel that same way. I’m
going to do my best to create a positive
atmosphere that will win championships, and develop champions in life.
The work ethic my parents encouraged
me to have when I first started this game
helped get me where I am today. I hope
that when it is all said and done, and I
look back on my softball career, I will
know that I gave it all to something that
has given me so much! I have been lucky
enough to travel and play in 31 different
states and 2 countries. The game has
brought me friends, wonderful memories I will never forget, and even an
amazing boyfriend. I honestly have
been so blessed throughout my career
and I owe it to God. He is my personal
savior and I am so excited to see what
He has in store for me because I know
my journey is not over; He’s just getting
started!
USSSA TODAY 35
2009 Membership Approaches 225,000 Mark...
USSSA Announces New Sports Facility,
Inducts Ten More Hall Of Famers at
42nd National Meeting
By Mark Linnemann
Temecula, Ca.--The United States
Specialty Sports Association (USSSA)
celebrated approaching the 225,000
member milestone at its 42nd Annual
National Meeting November 15-21
at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in
Temecula, Ca., with the announcement
that the organization would soon be
38 USSSA TODAY
breaking ground on a spectacular new
multi-sports facility in Osceola County,
Fl., and the induction of ten new
members into its Hall of Fame.
The Association also passed three new
rule changes and nine by-law changes.
At its convention, the nation’s largest
multi-sports organization continued
to bask in its partnership with Walt
Disney’s Wide World of Sports and
Major League Baseball, its popular
website, and leading-edge Conference
USSSA program, along with its phenomenal growth. USSSA announced that
it had registered over 223,000 teams,
officials and directors through midNovember, marking an increase of some
13,000 members over the same period
the previous year.
Additionally in 2009, USSSA took ownership of the USSSA Pride, a member of the
National Professional Fastpitch league,
and launched USSSA Today magazine,
USSSA Live video-streaming and USSSA
Slugfest.
USSSA CEO/Executive Director Don
DeDonatis also noted in his keynote
address that 185,000 teams had participated in 34,000 events in 2009.
“Remaining number one” is USSSA’s
biggest challenge, DeDonatis told the
convention delegates. But it can be
done, as long as “we remain determined
to be the best, and remain aggressive
in our efforts and provide the highest
quality programs that have become the
trademark of our success.
“It’s easy to reach one’s goals when they
are so clearly defined and everyone is
committed to achieving that result,”
said DeDonatis.
“We also need to continue to be an
innovative and forward-thinking organization with each sport and director
working in tandem together as one
team. Our goals and long-term success
will rely on such co-operation, remembering that our objectives as an association are one and the same,” said
DeDonatis.
In closing, DeDonatis thanked his staff
at National Headquarters, Board of
Directors, Vice-Presidents and Directors
of all the Association’s sports, and noted
that USSSA had “positioned itself to
continue to expand and grow.
Gerry Turnberg
2009 Hall of Famer
“We evaluate all opportunities and have
the flexibility to make quick decisions
when needed,” DeDonatis said.
“USSSA has continued to raise the bar
and set our standards high. Much is
expected of us and I have no doubt that
we will continue to meet these expectations. Let us move forward today, with
the realization that there is much more
work to do and new challenges that
need to be met. Thank you very much
for your attendance this week and I wish
each of you the very best and strong and
productive meetings in the days ahead,”
said DeDonatis.
Highlighting USSSA’s new programs for
2010 will be a series of new fast pitch
clinics and expanding the reach of
USSSA’s International Baseball program.
Among the rule and by-law changes
passed at its convention, the USSSA
adopted an inning-ending out as a
penalty for home runs in the Men’s E and
Mixed E programs, and will now allow
men’s and women’s teams to bat twelve
instead of just eleven. The Association
also introduced a “Classic Plus” softball,
which is less temperature dependent
than USSSA’s “Classic M” ball.
Also beginning in 2010, teams will
be able to begin appealing their classification as early as December 1st
(formerly January 1st); the deadline to
release players was pushed back to 72
hours prior to a team’s first National
Tournament (formerly August 20th);
teams advancing to World Tournament
play will now be able to release players
to make room for additions; State
Directors and Division Vice-Presidents
were given greater authority to make
exceptions to USSSA by-laws pertaining
to player elibility; and teams with frozen
rosters are now permitted to add six
players (formerly four). One player must
be added prior to May 1st, one by June
1st and one by July 1st).
The USSSA inducted ten new members
into its Hall of Fame. They are Don
Clatterbough (VA), Dennis Rulli (CA) and
Andy Purcell (CA) in the male player category; Meme Vencil Peterson (OH) in the
female player category; Jeff Miller (GA),
John Rechtor (MI) in the manager category; Joey Odom (LA) in the Executive
category; Dale McGregor (WA) in the
umpire category; Gerry Turnbertg in the
special service longevity category; and
Jay Cressione (SC).
Ten new candidates were selected for
induction in 2010. They were Hank Garris
(FL), Howie Krause (OH), John McCraw
(NC) and J. C. Phelps (KY) in the male
player category; Chuck Drewicz (MI) in
the manager category; Cleon Deaner
(VA) in the executive category; Chuck
Beckwell (MI) in the umpire category;
Greg Blackburn, TN (sponsor category);
Craig Ciandella (CA) in the special service
longevity category, and Mike McCarron
(LA) in the special service category.
The ten will be inducted during a Hall
of Fame banquet at the USSSA National
Meeting on November 14-19 at the
Hilton Ocean Walk Resort in Daytona
Beach, Fl.
The 2009 Hall of Fame class: (front row, l to r) Jeff Miller, Meme Venci Thompson, receiving posthumously for Jay Criscione is Larry
Mack, Dennis Rulli, Joey Odom and (back row, l to r) Dale McGregor, Don Clatterbaugh, Andy Purcell, Gerry Turnberg, John Rector.
USSSA TODAY 39
Among the Many Special Convention Highlights....
USSSA Hosted a Fastpitch Clinic
for the Local Southern California Girls
Clinic participants putting Kretschman’s batting tips into motion.
Southern California Fastpitch State Director, Stacy
Fish, with USSSA Pride’s Gordon Glennie.
On hand for the clinic was (l to r) Keri Lounge, Maryland Fastpitch Administrative Manager, Kate M. Roth,
Sports Marketing for Wicomico (MD) Tourism and Alissa Smith, USSSA Fastpitch Director for Camps/Clinics.
Olympian and USSSA Pride player, Kelly Kretschman,
giving key points to becoming a better hitter.
40 USSSA TODAY
USSSA’s Alissa Smith (left) offering a special thanks to InMotionAir’s Sherri Allen Burdeshaw for providing the
inflatables for the clinic,
A group of special needs children received a clinic of their own.
USSSA TODAY 41
Among the Many Special Convention Highlights....
2009 Convention Awards
Rookie Director of the Year Awards:
Baseball: Jason Gross, SC
Fast Pitch: Warren Williamson, AZ
Slow Pitch: Greg Huchingson, TXS
National Headquarters Award of Excellence:
Craig Ciandella, CAS
Dwight Hall Spark Plug of the Year:
Slow Pitch (East): Andy Richards, NC
Slow Pitch (West): Jerry Marinelli, MN
Baseball: Tate Shetterly, CA
Fast Pitch: Bryan Sage, IA
W. B. Hensley Spark Plug Of The Year
Basketball: Kevin Wilson, MN
Complex of the Year Awards:
West Mobile County Park, AL
USSSA Special Media Award:
USSSA Today
2009 Rookie Directors of the Year (l to r) Greg Huchingson, slowpitch (TXS), Jason Gross, baseball (SC) and
Warren Williamson, fastpitch (AZ).
USSSA Official of the Year Award:
Baseball: George Roath, KS
Fast Pitch: Tony Coates, KS
Slow Pitch: Bill Harper, CO
Official of the Year: Don Lombard, KS
Director of the Year Awards
Fast Pitch: Jeremy McDowell, KS
Baseball: Frank Griffin, TX
Basketball: Delaney Rudd, NC
Slow Pitch: Gary Godden, NY
USSSA Award of Merit:
Ken Franzen, IL
Warren Bellm, MN
USSSA Distinguished Service Awards:
Larry Brushett, Mizuno, CA
Don Smith, Select Photographics, MO
Asst. Executive Director’s Award:
Slow Pitch: Roger Wilson, WA
Non-Slow Pitch: Craig Scriven, MO
E. A. Ramsey/CEO Award:
Wendi Brockwell, FL
Stacy Loving, FL
Laurie Timmons, FL
Stacy Loving presented the 2009 National Headquarters Award of Excellence to Craig Ciandella (CAS).
42 USSSA TODAY
Award winners (l to r) Jerry Marinelli,MN, for slowpitch (West), Conrad Foss, VP of Basketball, Delaney Rudd, Basketball Director of the Year, Andy Richards, Spark
Plug of the Year for slowpitch (East) and Bryan Sage, Spark Plug of the Year for fastpitch.
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USSSA TODAY 43
The 2009 USSSA Official of the Year Award winners were (l to r) George Roath, baseball (KS), Tony Coates, fastpitch (KS), Rick Robertson, National Umpire in Chief
(FL), Don Lombard, Official of the Year and Bill Harper, slowpitch (CO).
The USSSA Distinguished Service Award was presented by Don
DeDonatis to Don Smith (MO), Select Photographics.
44 USSSA TODAY
Larry Brushett, Mizuno USA, recipient of the 2009 USSSA Distinguished Service Award.
The search for the 2009 EA Ramsey/CEO Awrds winners
did not have to extend too far; they were found at National
Headquarters: (left to right) Wendi Brockwell, Laurie
Timmons, Don DeDonatis (presenter) and Stacy Loving.
The 2009 Director of the Year for slowpich was awarded to Gary Godden (NY) by Danny Brown,
Assistant Executive Director (left) and Don DeDonatis, Executive Director/CEO (right).
The 2009 Director of the Year forfastpitch was awarded to Jeremy McDowell
(KS) by Danny Brown, Assistant Executive Director (left) and Don DeDonatis,
Executive Director/CEO (right).
46 USSSA TODAY
The 2009 Director of the Year for baseball was presented to Frank Griffin (TX/LA) by
Joey Odom, VP of Baseball (left) and Rick Fortuna, VP of Baseball (right).
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Roger Wilson (WA) left, received the 2009 Assistant Executive Director Award in the
slowpitch category from USSSA Asisstant Director Danny Brown.
The 2009 USSSA Award of Merit was presented to Ken Frazen
(IL) by USSSA Executive Director/CEO Don DeDonatis.
50 USSSA TODAY
Craig Scriven (right) received the 2009 Assistant Executive Director
Award in the non- slowpitch (soccer) category from USSSA Asisstant
Director Jim Swint.
Warren Bellm...Recipient of the USSSA 2009 Award of Merit
2K10 SUMMIT Presented by USSSA
Midwest & Southern Divisions
Summit Concludes with Tour of New Cowboys Stadium
MIDWEST DIVISION K
Midwest Div. Director of the Year: Greg Huchingson
Mel Buttrum Award: Teresa Schrock
Midwest Div. Complex of the Year:
Big League Dreams - Mansfield/League City
Whole Enchilada Tournament of the Year:
25th Annual Rocky Mountain Shootout
Midwest Div. Umpire of the Year: Ben Templeton
Colorado Umpire of the Year: Kevin O’Connor
Kansas Umpire of the Year: Jeff Schrock
New Mexico Umpire of the Year: Clark Evans
Oklahoma Umpire of the Year: Stan Branscum
Texas/North Umpire of the Year: Ken Woolsey
Texas/South Umpire of the Year: Ray Butler
Texas/South Umpire of the Year: Benny Scott
Texas/West Umpire of the Year: Mario Carrillo
Wyoming Umpire of the Year: Mike Quinlivan
SOUTHERN DIVISION
Southern Div. Director of the Year: Neal Swanner
Randy Smith Award: Orlando Patterson
Southern Div. Complex of the Year: VA/Legion Complex
Southern Div. Tournament of the Year: Big Easy Classic NIT
Southern Div. Umpire of the Year: James Morrow
Alabama Umpire of the Year: Bob Gabel
Arkansas Umpire of the Year: (Tony Jude Award) Bobby Harp
Louisiana Umpire of the Year: Marcus Begnaud
Mississippi Umpire of the Year: Melba Kirk
Tennessee Umpire of the Year: Anthony “Corky” Carter
Danny Malone Life Time Achievement Award:
David “Yogi” Rossi
Neal Swanner, LA
Southern Division
Direcor of the Year
Robert Boudreaux
Scott Cameron,CO., accepts the Whole
Enchilada Tournament of the Year award Southern Division VP
for his work with the 25th Annual Rocky
Mountain Shoot Out.
Special Guests From Around the Country and National Headquarters
Rick Robertson, FL
National UIC,
National Headquarters
Wendi Brockwell, FL
USSSA Comptroller,
National Headquarters
Danny Brown, CA
Assistant Executive Director
David Evaul, TX
USSSA Legal Counsel
Bob Holland, MD
Atlantic Coast Division VP
Otis Brumfield, MS
Black American National
Program Director
Midwest Division Blue Ribbon Table (left to right): Ray Butler,South TX co-umpire of the year, Heavy Peanut Dean, Lone Star Softball, Benny Scott, South TX
co- umpire of the year, Craig Anthony, Black American National UIC, Trey Shipman, Big League Dreams-Mansfield,Sports Coordinator receiving the Midwest
Division Complex of the Year, Brandon Morgan, Big League Dreams-Mansfield,Director of Maintenance, Scott Duffy, Lone Star Softball, Bart Adams,USSSA
Lone Star
TODAY 51
Softball and professional women’s softball coach and Greg Huchingson, Lone Star Softball owner and Midwest Division Director of the Year.
2010
Garland Softball Association
GARLAND
Date
Garland
03/13/10
D/E
04/10/10
E
04/24/10
D/E
05/08/10
E
05/29/10
D/E/W
06/05/10
B/C NIT
06/19/10
E/W
07/17/10
E/X
08/07/10
E State
08/21/10
E/X
09/18/10
UPS
10/30/10
D/E
ROWLETT
Date
03/20/10
03/27/10
04/17/10
05/01/10
05/15/10
05/22/10
06/12/10
06/26/10
07/10/10
07/24/10
07/31/10
Rowlett
D/E
D NIT
D/E
D/E
B/C NIT
D/E/X
D/E Women 250
D/E/X Ironman
D/E
D/E Men’s C
C/D/E
C = Men’s C
D = Men’s D
E = Men’s E
Garland
M. G. “Jerry” Carter, Sr.
Softball Complex
550 West Oates Drive
Garland, TX 75043
Tourney Line (972) 613-7729
Danny Malone, Tournament Director
Date
08/14/10
08/28/10
09/11/10
09/18/10
10/02/10
10/09/10
10/23/10
11/06/10
11/13/10
11/20/10
W = Women’s
X = Mixed
Rowlett
Rowlett Community Park
10200 Saint Andrews Lane
Rowlett, TX 75088
Tourney Line (972) 475-9988
Mike DeLatte, Tournament Director
Rowlett
D/E Ironman
D/E Mixed
D/E Ironman 250
D/E/X 250
C/D/E 250
Fall E State
C/D/E 250
D/E/X 250
D/E/X 250
D/E/X Men’s C 250
October 1-3, 2010
Entry Fee: $315 + hit your own USSSA approved ball
Information: [email protected]
Divisions: Men’s Open, D, E,
Women’s: C, D, E
SOFTBALL IS MY GAME
Hello Softballers,
The weather has finally broken, the sun is
out, and you all know what that means;
it’s time for softball. I hope everybody
has gotten enough swings in the cage,
taken enough grounders, and, most
importantly, nursed all those nagging
injuries back to health. We’ve got a long
season ahead of us, and I hope everyone
is ready to roll.
Easton’s Real Skilz events are already in full swing.
If you’re not familiar, Real Skilz is a series of tournaments around the country, in which Easton provides
its products to be used exclusively, and gives out prize
packages throughout the tourney. It’s a great way to
test out that new Easton bat or glove before
you buy it. We’ve already had some
events in California that were
really well received.
I’m sure everyone has had a chance to
play in their share of pickup tournaments in preparation for the season. I
know I have. I’ve been splitting my time
between California and Florida, and
there’s been a lot of great competition.
This is shaping up to be a great softball
season.
Also, Easton has released a
couple of new 1.20 bats –
made for all associations
other than ASA – which just
hit the shelves. The SCN17
Stealth Tri-Zone is perfect
for those of you who love
the long-barreled twopiece bats. My signature
bat – the SCN18 BH Synergy
Tri-Zone – is a one-piece with
a 12-inch barrel. This bat
continues to be one of
Easton’s most popular
year-in and year-out.
Be on the lookout
for
other
new
Easton models to be
released in May.
The USSSA Major Conference schedule
kicks off with the Hall of Fame Classic
the weekend of April 16 in Kissimmee,
Florida. We’re expecting 30-plus teams
to compete in the tournament, which
will take place at the Houston Astros
spring training facility. It’s going to be a
double-NIT format, meaning teams will
be competing in two tournaments simultaneously. Many teams will play as many
as 12 games by the time the weekend’s
over. It should be an excellent way for
teams to test the waters, and find out
who came out in shape and who didn’t.
That will be followed up by the Cactus
Classic in Phoenix, Arizona the next
weekend.
Look for the next Long Haul Bombers
Tour event sometime in early May.
Fellow Team Easton member Brian
Wegman and I will take on teams from
competing manufacturers Worth, Miken
and DeMarini in a home run derby
competition, which will take place at
Major League Baseball stadiums around
the nation. We’ll be releasing the fall
schedule very soon.
54 USSSA TODAY
I’d like to thank all
of you for taking
the time to read my
column,
Brett
Helmer
ule
hed
c
S
e
c
eren
f
n
o
C
Kissimmee
2010
ic
s
s
la
me C
FL
MD
AZ
MO
TX
Fa
Glen Burnie
SSA Hall of
S
U
8
Major
April 15 - 1
Phoenix
ckers Men's
u
h
S
5
2
3
April 2
ic
St. Louis
actus Class
C
5
2
emorial
April 23 Euless
ike Turney M
M
2
IN
y
s
a
d
n
M
e
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e
0
L
3
us
exas
April
b
T
l
m
a
u
lu
n
o
n
C
A
10th
TN
r
jo
le
May 7 - 9
a
il
v
M
h
s
s
a
u
b
N
Colum
GA
May 14 - 16
lassic
ta
C
n
y
a
it
tl
C
A
ic
s
u
M
CA
hootout
May 21 - 23
rd
S
o
c
te
n
ta
o
S
C
h
c
Pea
rial
TX
Davis Memo
e
ik
May 28 - 30
M
l
a
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n
ouston
n
H
2nd A
2
IL
ssic
June 4 - 6
pace City Cla
S
t
l
e
a
li
u
o
n
J
n
A
4th
MN
ational
Center
it
n
v
June 4 - 6
ly
In
k
o
y
it
ro
C
B
y
Wind
r
CT
3
y/Budweise
le
d
u
June 11 - 1
D
l
h Brantford
a
u
rt
n
o
N
An
th
7
2
t
AR
hootou
0
ock
June 18 - 2
Northeast S
R
A
e
J
tl
Y
it
L
/T
h
rt
Wo
lassic
WA
7
sch/Pepsi C
u
June 25 - 2
B
l
a
t
u
n
n
e
n
K
A
31st
TN
July 2 - 5
ville
t Major
a
ry
b
a
m
M
o
C
e
h
T
OH
ati
July 2 - 5
tain Classic
n
n
u
in
o
c
in
M
C
y
k
o
Sm
Major
NC
innati Men's
c
in
July 9 - 11
C
h
l
ig
a
u
le
n
a
n
R
11th A
CO
ootout
July 16 - 18
Carolina Sh
ra
l
a
ro
u
u
n
A
n
A
th
4
MI
Heights
in Shootout
July 23 - 25
g
ta
n
in
u
rl
o
te
M
S
y
k
Roc
FL
nce
July 23 - 25
Kissimmee
rth Last Cha
o
W
s
August 6 - 8
hampionship
C
e
c
n
re
fe
n
3 - 5 Co
September
2010
Conference Teams
Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Phone Masters
Dan Smith/Menosse/Chaney
Jean Shoppe/Down 2 Earth Sports/Easton
GTL Cartel/Worth
Suncoast/RBK
Aubrey’s/TaylorMade/Mizuno
Sinister/Worth/Mojo
ATS/Easton
Blitz/Watanabe/Weller/Minges/Easton
Wood Law/Miken
PIPAC/TCP/EASTON
Darkside/TYJA Sports
Team Combat/Laservision
NW Combat/CJ’s Financial/Trojans
Peak Contracting/TLG
Hub’s Pub
Logo Express
Fence Brokers Inc/Game Time Supply/Worth
A.J.S./Easton/MFAB/Supreme/Mojo
Wisconsin Worth
Delaware Hitmen/Sports 55/Miken/Elite
Team Chub
Dish Network Express
Elite Sports U.S.A./Combat
Art Explosion
Desert Falls/301 Sports/Miken
FamousSports.com/ Easton
EWS/Boombah
Gasit/Fowl Ball Sports/Easton
Gold/RAC/TYJA
SaveSecond/Elite/Combat
Albiocco/Creative Stucco/Worth
O&S
Detroits Own/Bombers/Mizuno
MidWest Swing
FL
CA
KY
WA
FL
VA
MI
AZ
OH
TX
IA
NY
WA
WA
CO
MO
GA
AR
FL
WI
DE
AZ
TX
CA
FL
NV
CA
IL
SC
RI
TX
OH
MN
MI
IN
The Essence
of Sport
Editor’s Note: In this, the second season
of USSSA Today, we continue our series
of articles devoted to sportsmanship.
by Scott Kuhnen
tions for winning go unrealized, switch
dramatically from one style to another,
hoping to jolt the players into new
behaviors.
The essence of sport is sportsmanship.
In a game like softball, which is largely
amateur in nature and certainly less
regulated than professional sports, adult
teams tend to be managed by amateurs.
All too often the managing position is
assumed by an unwitting volunteer or
the person who takes the initiative to
raise team funds. A longstanding adage
about the difference between youth
sports vs. adult sports is the lack of adult
leadership in adult sports.
In all sports endeavors, officials play a huge
role in assuring good sportsmanship. While
we all wish that players and managers had
full control of their emotions, their reactions to adversity, or their actual adverse
behaviors, the simple truth is, all too often,
they don’t. In such cases, game officials are
left to control these situations, whether
they like it or not.
Thus, especially in adult softball, player
behaviors are more difficult to control
and sportsmanship is often an early casualty. When a void exists in sportsmanship,
but game control is still both a legal and
desired ingredient on the part of league
directors, public or private facility owners,
or tournament directors, the game official is the last hope.
It should be obvious, especially in team
sports, that team and player control
is primarily the function of a team’s
manager/coach. Certainly, in softball the
team manager is the designated leader
of the team, its schedule, its tactics, and
its behavior.
The National Association of Sports Officials
(NASO) produced an excellent resource
on sportsmanship for officials in 2004
when it published, “The Official’s Role
in Improving Sportsmanship.” 1 Multiple
contributors, who were also involved in
the 2004 NASO Sports Officiating Summit
in Washington DC< included USSSA’s
Anthony “Corky” Carter.
Scott Kuhnen, Central OH State Director and
sportsmanship proponent
It is often said that teams are a logical
extension of their manager or coach. A
team manager who is feisty is often the
leader of a team that takes a similar
approach. On the other hand, a team
that has as its coach a quiet but efficient
methodical leader might act the same
way on the field. That is, show up, go
about their business of hitting, scoring,
and fielding and play the game in an efficient, matter-of-fact way.
These coaching styles sometimes lead to
success, and sometimes, they don’t. At
the professional level, it is not unusual to
see team owners, seeing their expecta-
This excellent resource examines the
many causes and adverse impacts of poor
sportsmanship on sports at all levels and
makes sound recommendations for how
sports officials can positively influence
participant behaviors to improve sportsmanship in all sports.
The foundation of sports officiating
starts with “pillars” of character in the
officials themselves. Such pillars as 1)
Trustworthiness
(Honesty,
Integrity,
Reliability, Loyalty); 2) Respect (Civility,
Courtesy, and Decency; Dignity and
Autonomy; Tolerance & Acceptance); 3)
Responsibility (Accountability, Pursuit
of Excellence, Self-Restraint); 4) Fairness
(Process, Impartiality, Equity); 5) Caring;
and 6) Citizenship.
Strict adherence to this foundation
allows sports officials to positively influence sportsmanship on and off the field
of play. Officials hold a responsibility to
call all games with impartiality, to assure
that game rules and regulations are met
from the time they arrive at the field
until they leave. They set an example for
participants to emulate when they make
all calls not solely with a firm grasp of the
printed rules and regulations of the sport
but also within the spirit of competition.
Sports officials are expected to assure
a level of civility and respect within
the game. This includes assurance that
cheating will not be permitted; foul
language will not debase the sport and
the participants; and facility owners,
whether public or private, do not assume
added liability through the pursuit of
abusive or violent tactics or behaviors of
players.
Players should come to appreciate that
they can help make or break many
aspects of the sport they purport to enjoy
and love by not allowing sports officials
to assume this burden alone. In point
of fact, while officials do make efforts
to positively influence sportsmanship,
the participants themselves are the real
owners of this attribute. If we concede
that sports officials are the last line of
defense, it should be acknowledged that
players themselves (and their managers/
coaches) are the first line of defense.
Sportsmanship is everyone’s responsibility. The game’s players, team
managers, directors, and officials are in
critical positions to prevent the unfortunate few from disrespecting the game
and their opponents and by insisting on
sportsmanship at every level.
“The Official’s Role in Sportsmanship,” 2005, From Referee Magazine and the National Association of Sports Officials. Edited by Jim Arehart, Referee senior
managing editor. For more information on this publication and NASO, visit http://www.naso.org/
1
60 USSSA TODAY
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• 2010 USSSA HOF inductee
©2010 Reebok. All Rights Reserved. The O-TECHNOLOGY and “O” trademarks
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Are You Ready
To Play Softball?
BIG CAT
STILL PROWLING THE SOFTBALL FIELDS
by Mike Macenko,
National Sales Mgr., Trump Softballs
Hey there Softball fan, yes it is that
time of the year again. If you live in
the Northern parts of the United States
then are just unraveling from a winter
of hibernation. I myself like to kick back
in the wintertime and think about what
I accomplished the season before. So
you have to be excited with the weather
finally breaking. It is April now and in
one month most of your local leagues
will be firing back up. With all of the
new equipment that the manufacturers
keep bringing out year after year I know
you can’t wait to try that new stick that
you might have gotten for Christmas.
At Anaconda Sports we are very excited
about the upcoming year. The X-Rock
balls are selling like wildflowers. We
are actually working very hard to keep
the warehouse filled with the balls.
The most popular ball Trumps Sports is
selling right now is the USSSA Classic M.
The 40 cor 325 compression ball. With
softball bat technology at its highest
point in softball history the Classic M
seems like the right formula for the
right bat.
The bat exclusive we have done with
Worth Sports for the Greg Connell
bat has proved to be a very good business move. We are selling the product
at a great pace and as soon as they
62 USSSA TODAY
come through the door they are being
shipped right back out. . I have swung
this bat a number of times now and it is
a great performing bat for USSSA play.
I still remember when we gave Greg his
2 bats for the USSSA Men’s Major World
Series. He got a chance to put about
100 swings on it before he hit with it
in the home run derby. I have seen a
lot of cool things happen in softball in
my 36 years of being involved with it.
USSSA Hall of Famer Jeff Wallace was
taking his turn hitting in the annual
home run derby that is held at this great
facility. The USSSA World Series is held
at Disney in the baseball stadium. Not
to get off of the path but I wish I could
have the chance to play at that park just
one time. I have seen some really great
games there over the last 10 years. Back
to the Greg Connell bat.
Like I said Jeff Wallace was putting on
a clinic hitting some towering home
runs. I believe you were awarded 6 or
7 swings. I have seen many a home run
go over the Scoreboard in straight away
centerfield. On a big baseball field like
that the weather plays a big part in
the outcomes sometimes. The weather
conditions were good for the derby
event but there just wasn’t that many
balls that were hit a long, long way. So
Jeff’s last swing he sends this bomb right
over the centerfield scoreboard. It was
quite impressive to say the least. It definitely caught the crowd’s attention.
As soon as Jeff was done Rick Robertson
(USSSA Umpire and Chief) announces the
USSSA Conference Home Run Champion
for the year and up steps Greg Connell
with his brand new war club. He took
a couple of warm up swings and said
ok lets go. Greg is not a real big guy
like some of the long ball hitters. I do
know that he has very fast hands and
a tremendous amount of bat speed in
his swing. So I was not surprised when
the first pitch the pitcher threw he hit
it right over the same spot Jeff just got
through going over. I said to myself
WOW! That bat isn’t even broken in
good yet. Before I could catch my breath
the pitcher tosses Greg his next offering
and Greg proceeds to launch this one
over the same spot. I said to myself
WOW! Again. Now it is funny because
he did not hit a home run in his last 4 or
5 swings and did not make the cut but
I said that is ok. Those two were bombs
were impressive enough for me.
Like I said Greg has tremendous bat
speed and that is something you can
always improve on. The Greg Connell
bat can be found at Anaconda Spots
Inc. on line. The web page is at www.
anacondasports.com. The Greg Connell
bat sells for $239.00 and you can contact
me at 330-419-0205 to purchase one
today.
Lastly I just want to say good luck to all
the softball players across this country
from the tiniest of softball players (they
start them before they are age 10 today)
to the Senior Softball division that has
taken the sport by storm the last 5 to
10 years. When I played every time the
new season would roll around I would
take some swings and it was like I never
swung before. When I was younger I
would get frustrated and mad when
I wouldn’t just step up there and start
killing the ball. As I got older I started to
realize hat I just need a little work to get
the kinks out and oil the machine.
The softball bats today are unbelievable
and with the proper break in your bats
will become so hot that players will say,
oh that bat must be shaved. Trust me, all
you have to do is put that extra effort in
it and there is no telling where you can
go. So go out there and play hard every
game and you will be that winner. Have
a great season and make sure you have
fun while doing it. Till next time let’s go
hit some X-Rocks.
GEAR UP FOR YOUR 2010 SEASON WITH ANACONDA SPORTS,
PROUD TO BE AN OFFICIAL WORTH DEALER!
CALL FOR BEST PRICING!
SLOWPITCH
SBT542 Titan 5.4L
SBTR54 Resmondo Titan
SBTNC2 Toxic (ASA)
FASTPITCH
FPTOX -10 Toxic
FPECL -11 Eclipse
(ECLIPSE BAT CHANGES COLOR WHEN EXPOSED TO HEAT)
ANACONDA SPORTS EXCLUSIvE!
SBMGC
GREG CONNELL MAYHEM 120 ADvANCED
(800) 327-0074
April 10-11, 2010
Lone Star Softball Series Qualifier
Softball Tournament
April 24-25, 2010
Dirty Habits I Softball Tournament
May 15-16, 2010
All-Star Series I Softball Tournament
June 12-13, 2010
Dirty Habits II Softball Tournament
June 16-20, 2010
Texas Police Games
Softball Tournament
July 10-11, 2010
Texas Thunder Series II
Softball Tournament
July 31- Aug.1, 2010,
Double Play Series Hispanic Qualifier
Softball Tournament
August 6-8, 2010
USSSA Region III State Class D/E
Co-Rec Softball Tournament
October 9-10, 2010
Texas Thunder Series Finals
Softball Tournament
November 20-21, 2010
Dirty Habits III Finals
Softball Tournament
December 4-5, 2010
Bat Warz II Softball Tournament
December 18-19, 2010
Double Play Series
Softball Tournament
Double Play Series
Softball Tournament
Brownsville Sports Park
956.574.6650 • Fax 956.350.3193
1000 Sports Park Blvd.
Brownsville, Texas 78520
As of the January meeting of the USSSA
Board of Directors, Junior Golf has been
approved as the newest sport in the
USSSA Family.
Robert Boudreaux
USSSAGolf was initiated to provide more
junior golf events, allowing more junior
golfers the opportunity to compete
at their respective age, and competition level. Any boy or girl, 9-18 years
old, who has not yet begun college is
eligible to play on the USSSAGolf Junior
Tour. Categories will include Boys 15-18,
Girls 15-18, Boys 12-14, Girls 12-14, Boys
9-11 and Girls 9-11.
Junior Golfers will be able to join
USSSAGolf anytime during the year and
be immediately eligible to participate
in any upcoming USSSA tournament(s).
New memberships for the upcoming
year will be accepted beginning on
November 1st each year, when the next
year’s upcoming schedule is published
on the USSSA website. Any participant
in a USSSAGolf event must be a USSSA
member golfer.
USSSAGolf will provide one basic membership. This “Standard” Membership cost
will be $50 per golfer. The “Standard”
membership will entitle each golfer a
black, sized, USSSAGolf windshirt, and
66 USSSA TODAY
an individual webpage for the golfer,
where he/she can list their stats for reference or review. The USSSAGolf membership will allow each junior golfer to
utilize the USSSA/ISTS system to enter
any USSSAGolf event across the country,
on any given weekend.
The USSSAGolf Junior Tour will be a
year-round tour. All tournaments will be
two-day, 36 hole events, and all events
will be ranked by the National Junior
Golf Scoreboard. USSSAGolf will also
provide a three day, 54 hole National
Championship, conducted toward the
end of summer, at a golf destination
facility.
As in all other USSSA sports, participants
will be awarded points for their participation, and order of finish, which will
ultimately determine the yearly “Points
Champion” in each age category.
For additional information, or to apply
as a USSSA Junior Golf director, please
contact Robert Boudreaux, [email protected] .
USSSAGolf. A National Junior Golf Tour.
Look for it this summer, at a golf course
near you!
7th Annual New York
State USSSA Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony
Gary Godden (center) adds being inducted into the New York Hall of Fame to his recent National Slowpitch Director
of the Year to round out a banner 2009.
New York State USSSA Hall of Fame
celebrated its 7th annual induction ceremony on March 20th at the Burgundy
Basin Inn in the Town of Pittsford, which
is just outside of Rochester, New York.
The evening was a great success for the
New York USSSA with over 350 attending
the dinner. One of the great parts of the
event was the fact that there were over
35 past inductees that attended the
evening festivities and eleven that are in
the USSSA National Hall of Fame. Seeing
the faces of attendees as they walked
around the banquet hall renewing old
acquaintances made the night magical
as New York State‘s USSSA past was
brought back to life.
The evenings started with Mr. Rick
Robertson, National Slow Pitch UmpireIn-Chief, saying grace, followed by a very
nice dinner. Dinner was followed by Mr.
Robert Holland, USSSA Vice President
of the Atlantic Division, who was the
guest speaker. Mr. Holland expressed
his congratulation to all the inductees
from the National Office and his sincere
thanks to New York State, especially
Bob Reed and Gary Godden for all the
help that they have provided not only to
their state, but to anyone within USSSA
that needed help.
In addition to Rick and Robert, the
68 USSSA TODAY
event was also attended by other
honored guests; Mr. John Pond, Division
Vice President of the Northeast, and a
contingent of directors and umpires
from New England.
The actual Hall of Fame inductions ceremonies were filled with a lot of memories. There were eleven new individual
inductees and two award winners that
were inducted into the Hall of Fame in
2010. Additionally there was one team
that was recognized as the Team of
Distinction. The 2010 inductions started
with the induction of Vivian Case, who
thanked her family, friends and teammates. Vivian stated that she enjoyed
the great friendships that she has made
over her years of playing softball and
was truly thrilled with her induction.
The second induction was that of Gary
Godden, who asked his fellow umpire
and friend Charles “Skip” Waterstreet
to speak on his behave. Skip talked
about why Gary was being inducted
into the hall of fame. Skip then went
on to explain when you call a company
and get the auto attendant you get
different options. One of the options
is to use the corporate directory and in
Gary’s case, you would hit the #4 key to
get the “G”, the #6 key to get the “O”
and the #3 key to get the “D”. He then
proceeded to show the letters, which
read “DOG”, which brought a big laugh
from everyone, he then switched the
letters to “ODG” which again created
laughter, after which he put the letter
together to read “GOD”. Gary thanked
Skip for being a great friend and doing
such a good job with his introduction.
Gary went on to thank his wife first, as
he did not do so at the USSSA National
meeting when he received the Slow
Pitch Director of the Year award, he
also thank the members of the Sports
Officials of the Rochester Area, all
the New York State Umpires and the
Rochester Senior Softball members that
have helped him to get to this position.
The evening also had many fun
moments as presenters remembered
not only the great accomplishment but
also the stories and experiences that
they shared with the inductees. Two of
the inductees, Earl Blackmon and Rich
Klometz played with each other over the
years. During Earl’s introduction Gene
Williams explained that it was because
of Earl’s great talent and speed that the
Pace team was the first to use the five
man infield as Earl was able to cover
so much ground as the center fielder.
Many in attendance stated that Earl was
one of the best athletes that they had
ever seen. As part of Earl’s acceptance
speech, Earl was explaining that he was
a pretty quiet person most of the time,
but did get boisterous once in a while.
He stated that the only thing with
having three outfielders was when the
ball got by the infielders he had to do
a lot of running, so when the infielders
just booted a play, he had a way of
letting them know about it. When Rich
was inducted, he confirmed Earl’s ability
to let everyone including Rich who was
the pitcher know about things.
Rich also talked about the new game
of USSSA which allowed pitchers to
do different things on the mound. He
recounted a time when he was pitching
continued on pg. 87
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Nine Earn Ultimate Honor In New
England USSSA Hall of Fame
John Hart, Brett Helmer, Jon Brandt
John Hart, Patricia Masterson, Mary Lyons
John Hart, Jeff Silveira, Bill McClusky
John Hart, Robin Ramey, Carolyn Iannuccilli
70 USSSA TODAY
Forty One previous Inductees joined
260 people in honoring the nine latest
men and women to receive the ultimate honor of membership into the
New England USSSA Hall of Fame. The
newest members include Male Players ,
Brett Helmer of Cicero, NY; Jeff Silveira
of Raynham, MA; and Joe Starratt of
Brockton, MA. Female Players inducted
were Robin Ramey of East Greenwich,
RI and Michelle Rawcliffe of Barrington,
RI. Tom Delaney of Narragansett, RI was
honored in the Manger/Coach Category.
Brian Cipolla of Cranston, RI was recognized in the Sponsor Category. Patricia
Masterson of No. Easton, MA and Carl
Anderson of Millbury, MA were acknowledged in the Special Category. Divisional
Vice-President John Pond received the
Bob Farrell Award while long time coach
Virginia Cellozzi collected the Betty
Berry Award, each for their lifetime
achievement in the New England USSSA
Program. Recognized for their many
years of top-notch competition in the
Women’s Program was Casey Shell/B.K.’s
Bar from Lynn, MA.
A prodigious homerun hitter and allaround player, Brett Helmer talked
about the many opportunities that the
world of softball has provided for him
and his family. Now representing Easton
Sports, Helmer began his softball experience playing for Connecticut’s Pierce
Construction. Recently, he has played in
Conference USSSA for Bell Corp/Belcher/
TA/Backman as well as Dan SmithMenosse-Benfield-Combat
Recognized as one of New England’s
best all-around players, Jeff Silveira
credits his many accomplishments on
the ball field to his many teammates and
sponsors. A career .750 hitter, Silveira is
adept at any position on the diamond.
Many of his peers were quoted as saying
“he was the one you wanted at the
plate when you needed that clutch hit”.
Among the teams he has represented
are Beloli Heating, Thermco, and Magic.
The pride of Brockton, MA, Joe Starratt
has played for 21 years in the USSSA
Program. He has pitched over 5,000
games while winning more than 4,000.
Fearless on the mound with a quick
glove, Joe has been a New England
mainstay since his days in the military.
Among the many teams he has played
for are Eastern Demolition, Thermco,
Pollock Law, National Gold, and Cabby
Shack.
Robin Ramey has been the cornerstone on every team she has played
on. Despite many serious injuries, she
has been a mainstay at any position
on the field while playing for the RI
Commotion, Foxwoods/United Water,
and Fair Warning. She describes her
present team, Fair Warning, as “more
like a family than a team”. Having been
named to many All-Tournament Teams,
she has competed in all of the USSSA
National Tournaments since 1991.
With a lifetime batting average of close
to .700, Michelle Rawcliffe has played
USSSA softball for the last 19 years and
has also participated in USSSA National
Tournaments since 1991. Having played
on the RI Commotion and Fair Warning
Teams, Michelle values her many trips
to the USSSA Nationals because “it
gives you the spotlight to shine”. One
of her most exciting softball moments
was leading her RI Commotion team to
a 2nd place finish in the 2000 Women’s
“A” National Championship in Cocoa,
Florida.
Tom Delaney has been the long- time
coach of Taylor Bros. Softball, based in
Providence, RI. Over the years, his teams
have played in the USSSA “A” Program
as well as the USSSA “Major” Program.
He has coached at the USSSA World
Series every year since 1997 with teams
including Superior/Taylor, Bell Corp/
Taylor, and Hague/Taylor. A former High
school athletic director and coach, he is
well-known throughout New England
and the USSSA Softball world.
For well over a decade, the TPX Omaha has dominated
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North Texas Winter World
Lives Up To Billing
MANSFIELD – The tournament was billed as the North Texas
Winter World and the weather helped the event live up to
its name. While temperatures hovered around 50 degrees
most of the day on Saturday, Jan. 23, at Big League Dreams in
Mansfield, the 25-plus mph wind made it seem much colder.
And a steady drizzle/rain that hung around until almost dusk
eventually turned the infields into a quagmire. But with 80-plus
teams, many who drove six hours or more to play in the prestigious event, games marched on. The tournament finished on
Sunday with the sun shining, yet the infields were still soggy
from the previous day’s precipitation.
Texas Scorpions, Houston, TX; Men D Champions
The three divisions had different, yet intriguing storylines.
The upper division had more than the typical five- or six-team
brackets that it has had the past couple of years; the middlle
division was the most diverse; and the lower division was dominated by teams from the home-state of a former Southwest
Conference rival.
Of the 16 teams in the Men’s B/C bracket, there were three
teams that have already registered for Conference USSSA. But
the heavy pre-tournament favorite, Wood Law/Miken – who
was the only one of those three teams that played in the
Conference last year, and did very well – did not win first place.
In fact, Wood Lawn/Miken managed only a tie for fifth place,
which is a testament to the strength and depth of upper teams
in North Texas this year.
Absolut Softball, Oklahoma City, OK; Men D- Runner Up
Defensive plays like this one propelled Galveston,TX Woodpeckers placed 4th
Team Eastline into the championship game. in the Men D.
72 USSSA TODAY
SaveSecond.com/Elite/Combat is a new team from Dallas that
joined the Conference just two days before Winter Worlds. It
is a combination of four players who were with Wood Law in
2009 and other players who were on various C teams in North
and East Texas last year. After winning their opening game by
forfeit, manager Tim Barnes’ bunch defeated Color Station
(10-5), Dish Network Express (22-9) and Lethal Assault (10-9) to
advance to the championship game.
Lethal Assault from Keller was the surprise team of the tournament. After placing ninth at USSSA D Worlds last year, Lethal
Assault was bumped to C for this year. In their first appearance of the 2010 season, Lethal Assault won their opening
game over North Texas Hype (22-9). That drew a second
round matchup with heralded Wood Law. But Lethal Assault
matched punches with the heavyweight, and emerged with a
25-19 win. Then, after a 9-8 win over Vivid, Lethal Assault lost
to SaveSecond in the winner’s bracket finals. Manager Jesse
Champion’s squad dropped to the loser’s bracket and defeated
Dish Network Express – the third team in Winter Worlds that
has already joined Conference USSSA – and posted a 17-13 win
to advance to the championship. Lethal Assault even defeated
SaveSecond (19-18) to force an “if necessary” game. But
SaveSecond was too tough to lose for a second time on this
weekend, and emerged with a 23-5 championship win.
SaveSecond.com/Elite/Combat finished the event with a 5-1
record, while Lethal Assault was runnerup at 5-2. Dish Network
Express from Coleman came in third with a 4-2 record while
Mayhem from Rowlett, another team that was bumped from
D to C for the 2010 season, posted a strong fourth place finish
at 4-2. Wood Law/Miken from Dallas and Vivid from Frisco tied
for fifth place, while OK Boom from Elk City, OK and The Core
from Rowlett tied for seventh.
Orange Crush, Bentonville,AR; Men E Champs
Team Eastline, Searcy, AR; Men E- Runner Up
Joey Urbanek of SaveSecond.com/Elite/Combat was named
Most Valuable Player of the division, while Jason Southers
of Lethal Assault was named the Gold Glove winner. Other
members of the All-World Tournament team were Joey
Gillespie, Jeremy Craft, Bradley Clay and L.C. Watson, of
SaveSecond; Daniel Evans, Paul Sciacca and Heath Souders, of
Lethal Assault; Matt McFarlin, Chris Potts and Bobby Mitchell,
of Dish Network Express; and Luis Vasquez and Charlie
Rodriguez, of Mayhem.
The Men’s D division was the biggest bracket with 40 teams,
and included six teams from Oklahoma as well as others
from such distant locations Lake Charles, Louisiana, Lubbock,
Odessa, Beaumont and Galveston. In the end, it was the Texas
Scorpions from Houston that went undefeated through six
games to win first place. The Texas Scorpions were bumped up
from Men’s E to D following a successful season in 2009. One
week prior to participating in the Mansfield Winter World, the
Texas Scorpions went 2-2 and tied for ninth place at the STX
Winter World in League City.
Manager Mike Campos’ team posted wins over the Bad Boys
from Oklahoma (17-1), Webgems from Louisiana (16-3),
BTX Outsiders from Beaumont (8-7), the Woodpeckers from
Galveston (21-6) and Fakeouts from Ft. Worth (9-5) to advance
to the championship game, where they beat Absolut Softball
from Oklahoma City (11-10) to capture the crown.
The Lone Star Softball staff (left to right): Bart Adams, Greg Huchingson, Biscuit
Dean, Scott Duffy and Phillip Wheeler.
Absolut Softball is based in Oklahoma City, but has several
players from North Texas on the team. Manager Chad Casula’s
team was runnerup in the division with a 6-2 record, while the
Fakeouts from Ft. Worth came in third at 4-2 and Woodpeckers
from Galveston came in fourth also at 4-2.
AdvantageSportsProducts.com and the Outlawz, both from
Dallas, tied for fifth place; Turmoil from Oklahoma City and
Elite/Texas Smoke/GKI Travel from Euless tied for seventh; and
CSI from Dallas, Lost Koz from Tulsa, OK, Maui Built/Sagnasty
from Saginaw, and BTX Outsiders from Beaumont all tied for
ninth.
Jorge Gallego of the Texas Scorpions was named MVP of the
division, and Alan Peters of Absolut was the Gold Glove winner.
Others named to the All-World Tournament team were Rene
Rosete Jr., Alex Zozaya, Phillip Melton and Dan Altman, of
the Texas Scorpions; Chance Gomez, Lukus Morgan and Tony
Gomez, of Absolut; Jim O’Quinn, Cody Duncan and Logan
Nelson, of the Fakeouts; and Rob Carroll and Trey Strickland,
of the Woodpeckers.
In safely....under the tag.
74 USSSA TODAY
Absolut Softball turns two.
Arkansas teams dominated the Men’s E Division at Winter
775 N. Hwy. 287
Mansfield, Texas
For Reservations:
817-539-0707
Call For Special Softball Rate
3 miles from Big League Dreams–Mansfield
Worlds by capturing five of the top 6
places in the tournament. Orange Crush
from Bentonville, AR (home of Wal-Mart)
went 5-1 to win first place; Team
Eastline from Searcy, AR came in second
at 7-2; Bat Attack from Fayetteville, AR.
finished third at 3-2; NWA Dirtbags, also
from Fayetteville, came in fourth at 3-2;
and HS Power from Hot Springs, AR tied
for fifth at 5-2.
Orange Crush barely won their opening
game in a 12-11 decision over El Norte/
ATW Bail Bonds. They also had to
rally from a 10-run deficit to defeat
Remember the Titans (15-12) in their
Men’s B/C Final Standings
second game. After that, Orange Crush
crushed Balco Inc. (19-7) and Bat Attack
(23-10) to advance to the championship
game. In-state rival Team Eastline even
beat Orange Crush once (12-9) to force
the “if necessary” game. But Orange
Crush rebounded for a 16-12 win to take
the title.
Balco, Inc. from Ft. Worth was the only
Texas team to crack the Top 5, as they
tied with HS Power for fifth place at
3-2. The Compadres from Euless and
Remember The Titans from Little Elm
tied for seventh place, while Turn 2 from
Rowlett, the Rally Frogs from Corsicana,
the Separators from Tyler, and El Norte/
ATW Bail Bonds from Dallas all tied for
ninth place.
Brandon Hampton of Orange Crush was
named MVP of the division, while Justin
Holloway of Team Eastline won the Gold
Glove honors. Other members of the
All-World Tournament team were Nick
Wade, John Fitzgerald, Greg McMullen
and Justin Spafford, of Orange Crush;
Jason Quast, Mark Seitzer and Danny
Hardcastle, of Team Eastline; Dennis
Osborn, Chad Barber and Ryan Miller,
of Bat Attack; and Jonathan Cathey and
Brian McLain, of NWA Dirtbags.
9T.
Maui Built/Sagnasty (Saginaw)
3-2
32T. Texas Dawgs (Corpus Christi)
0-2
BTX Outsiders (Beaumont)
2-2
32T. Verve Softball (Rowlett)
0-2
1.
SaveSecond.com/Elite (Dallas)
5-1
9T.
2.
Lethal Assault (Keller)
5-2
13T. TWP (Oklahoma City, OK)
3-2
3.
Dish Network Express (Coleman)
4-2
13T. Dem Doods (Killeen)
3-2
1.
Orange Crush (Bentonville, Ark.)
5-1
4.
Mayhem (Rowlett)
4-2
13T. Relentless (Euless)
3-2
2.
Team Eastline (Searcy, Ark.)
7-2
5T.
Vivid (Frisco)
2-2
13T. 214 Softball/Vic’s Roofing (Euless)
2-2
3.
Bat Attack (Fayetteville, Ark.)
3-2
5T.
Wood Law/Miken (Dallas)
3-2
17T. Philly Fakeouts (Burkburnett)
2-2
4.
NWA Dirtbags (Fayetteville, Ark.)
3-2
7T.
OK Boom (Elk City, OK)
2-2
17T. Bad Boys (Oklahoma City, OK)
2-2
5T.
Balco Inc (Ft. Worth)
3-2
7T.
The Core (Rowlett)
2-2
17T. Texas Tuff (Mansfield)
2-2
5T.
HS Power (Hot Springs, Ark.)
3-2
9T.
H&H Softball (Pampa)
1-2
17T. PH Bulldogs (Ft. Worth)
2-2
7T.
Remember The Titans (Little Elm)
3-2
9T.
Color Station (Grand Prairie)
1-2
17T. Webgems (Sulphur, LA)
1-2
7T.
The Compadres (Euless)
3-2
9T.
Famous/A3 Construction (Euless)
1-2
17T. O.A.M. Softball (Crosbyton)
1-2
9T.
Turn 2 (Rowlett)
3-2
9T.
Gomez II Bail Bonds (Lubbock)
1-2
17T. Goodfellas (Euless)
1-2
9T.
Rally Frogs (Corsicana)
3-2
13T. Team Krank (Killeen)
0-2
17T. Bulldogs (Euless)
1-2
9T.
El Norte/ATW Bail Bonds (Dallas)
3-2
13T. North Texas Hype (Grand Prairie)
0-2
24T. Color Station Bandits (Grand Prairie)
1-2
9T.
Separators (Tyler)
2-2
13T. Texas Regulators (Garland)
0-2
24T. Entourage (Waxahachie)
1-2
13T. Don’t Hit It To Me (Bryan)
2-2
No-Show
24T. Tainted Sports (Odessa)
1-2
13T. Maximum Dosage (McKinney)
1-2
24T. Abilene Gametime (Abilene)
1-2
13T. Sanchos (Grand Prairie)
2-2
2-2
16T. Team 55 (Grambling, LA)
Men’s D Final Standings
Men’s E Final Standings
1.
Texas Scorpions (Houston)
6-0
24T. Texas Playboys (Athens)
1-2
13T. D.C. Diablos ( Flower Mound)
2.
Absolut Softball (Oklahoma City, OK)
6-2
24T. Ruthless (Euless)
1-2
17T. ABN (Euless)
3.
Fakeouts (Ft. Worth)
4-2
24T. Texas Legacy (Rowlett)
0-2
17T. EAM Fuel (Tyler)
0-2
4.
Woodpeckers (Galveston)
4-2
24T. Cool Arrows (Lubbock)
0-2
17T. Sinister Softball (Breckenridge)
0-2
5T.
AdvantageSportsProducts.com (Dallas)
5-2
32T. Aftershock Softball (Moore, OK)
0-2
17T. Showtime (Wichita Falls)
0-2
5T.
Outlawz (Dallas)
3-2
32T. Middle’s Open (Mesquite)
0-2
17T. Elite Screen Print (Ft. Worth)
0-2
7T.
Elite/Texas Smoke/GKI (Euless)
5-2
32T. Cen-Tex (Waco)
0-2
17T. Dawgs (Dallas)
0-2
7T.
Turmoil Softball (Oklahoma City, OK)
3-2
32T. I’d Hit It (Euless)
0-2
17T. WLC (Dallas)
0-2
9T.
CSI (Dallas)
4-2
32T. Thrown Together II (Burkburnett)
0-2
17T. Texas Smash (Ft. Worth)
0-2
9T.
Lost Koz (Tulsa, OK)
4-2
32T. No-Conflict (College Station)
0-2
25.
0-2
76 USSSA TODAY
Corsicana Outcasts (Corsicana)
1-2 T
12th Annual Eddie O Bunn Memorial
Returns to North Carolina USSSA
by Andy Richards
North Carolina USSSA regained the
Annual Eddie O Bunn Memorial tournament held in Raleigh, NC at Walnut
Creek. Tournament Director, Johnny
Blizzard, wanted to attract teams to the
tournament by renaming the tournament to the “Eddie O Bunn Six Shooter”
and making the tournament a six game
guarantee. The tournament was first
advertised in the beginning of January
and was full by the end of January. With
only having nine fields at Walnut Creek
and three outside fields, Johnny was
only able to accept the first 48 teams.
Johnny stated, “I had over 70 teams
contact me to get into the tournament,
but I was limited by only having twelve
fields available.” Teams traveled from
Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina and
across North Carolina to play over 196
games in two days.
Four Men’s divisions were played with
eight C teams, sixteen D teams, sixteen
E teams and seven rec. E teams. The
tournament started at 9am on Saturday,
March 20 and ended Sunday evening at
9:30pm. In the Men’s C Division, Team
B&B/Sears/O’Neal Law Firm and Cedar
Creek met in the Winner’s bracket final,
with Team B&B/Sears/O’Neal Law Firm
prevailing. Team East Coast Elite battled
all the way from the loser’s bracket to
win six games on Sunday and win the
Men’s C Division. In the Men’s D division,
Team Carolina Driver and Gameday
Marketing battled to the winner’s
bracket finals, with Team Carolina
Drive winning the Men’s D bracket. In
the Men’s E bracket, seventeen teams
played over 100 games to have Team
N&L Softball win the IF game against
Team C-N-B Softball. In the Men’s Rec. E
division, seven teams battled their way
through the round robin and bracket
play to have Team Rudino’s double dip
Team Triangle Turf Management.
Tournament Director, Johnny Blizzard,
stated “I am very happy with the tournament filling up so quickly and everything ran smoothly for the most part”.
The tournament format was a round
robin with three games in each pool.
Team Carolina Drive; Men D Champions
Team N&L Softball; Men E Champions
Team Rudino’s; Men E Rec
USSSA TODAY 77
Then teams were seeded into bracket
play using a three game guarantee
bracket. Round robin wins received two
cases of Myoplex Protein Shakes, with
the runners up also receiving one case of
Myoplex. Bracket winners received gift
certificates. In between the round robin
play and the bracket play, State Director,
Andy Richards, hosted a Homerun Derby.
With thirty-two participants all swinging
for the fences and the 2009 Worth
Resmondo Titan Bat, Lee Gold from Team
B&B/Sears/O’Neal Law firm came away
with the title. Lee was able to hit seven
home runs on ten swings. Lee stated,
“It is a lot harder to hit homeruns when
you have about one hundred people all
watching you hit”.
North Carolina USSSA will be hosting
another six game guarantee at Walnut
Creek on Memorial Day in May. For
more details, please visit www.northcaro
linausssa.com.
What Does The Doctor Have To Say?
by Dr. Doug Wood,WoodLaw/Miken
Part One:
USSSA
Conference
With Spring just
around the corner
and professional
baseball starting
their cactus and
grapefruit season, softball season is just
around the corner. USSSA Conference
is starting their 5th year under the
auspices of Don Dedonatis, although the
teams have been accumulating “points”
since January 1, 2010. There will be
over 30 teams in Conference USSSA this
year. Resmondo Specialty Tank/Worth
and Dan Smith/Combat will be the 2
Major Teams this year, and they will
be battling each other throughout the
year in the Conference tournaments.
The “A” program will be extremely
competitive this year. With teams like
Wood Law/Miken, Jean Shoppe/Easton,
LaserVision/Combat, Suncoast/Reebok,
TaylorMade/Mizuno,
Northwest
Combat, Combat USA/Elite and GTL
Cartel/Worth returning. These teams
are projected to field strong teams this
year, and these teams will be jockeying
for the top positions in the Conference
Tournaments. A few other “A” team
like the Syndicate and The Scene will
be rounding out the “A” program. The
rest of the Conference are class are
nationally strong “B” and “C” teams to
round out the Conference field which
will make it an exciting year! The first
Conference tournament is at Kissimmee
at the USSSA headquarters and Houston
Astros facility on April 15-18 in a dual
back to back tournament. There are 18
Conference teams and 22 teams total
expected to participate in the Kissimmee
tournament.
78 USSSA TODAY
Part Two: Rule Changes
With the new season, there will be
some rule changes for the benefit of
the game. The USSSA softball sanctioning body has attempted to restrict
the number of home runs allowed per
division, the hardness of a softball, bat
testing, and now penalties for hitting
the middle in an attempt to regulate
the game, improve safety, for the “best
interest of the game;” and for 2010, it is
no exception.
What are some of the rule changes for
2010? In order to protect the players, the
40 core ball is a going to be the standard
ball. It is easier to modify the ball then it
is to modify the bats, or the size of the
fields for that matter. The issue with the
composite bats is more complex. Some
“softball technological engineers” have
been able to improve the bpf of a bat
by “painting” a non-approved bat that
is hotter than the 1.20 bpf to look like
an approved bat, shaving the core of
the bat, and rolling the core of the bat,
all in an effort to improve performance.
Unlike golf, where Phil Mickelson was
criticized for using a legal Ping golf club
that was “grandfather” approved for
play, using an altered bat in softball has
no such courtesy or gross indignation.
The motto “if you are not cheating, your
not competing” and “you can’t bring a
knife to a gunfight” are the mantras
of the day. The question as to how to
regulate the bats? In baseball, high
schools and colleges are going back to
the wood bat. No longer will you hear
the “ping” sound as a baseball is struck
by an aluminum bat. This is not a reality
for softball. The only real solution is
mandatory bat testing at tournaments
and that is becoming more of a reality.
Mandatory bat testing and issuing
penalties are currently implemented
with the Conference teams at major
events; however, it is my understanding
that there will be more bat testing at
some of the local tournaments.
Another issue is softball classification
and “sandbagging.” From a successful
business model there should be a natural
order of distribution, gaussian distribution, or bell-shaped curve. Thus, for a
maximum successful softball program
you would ideally want a majority of
teams in “C” division with stronger
teams in “B” and the weaker teams in
“D.” Major/A should be reserved for the
top players and “E” should be reserved
for novice players. To date, the distribution of teams is skewed such that E
is the most popular program, and the
total number of teams diminishes as the
classification rises. Some new rules are
being implemented to entice teams to
play up such as enacting home run rules
restrictions, and penalties for hitting the
middle. Some of the new rules being
implemented are if you hit a home run
in “D” it is an ending inning out, if you
hit a home run in “E” it is an inning
ending out and offensive ejection.
Also, if a pitcher is hit, it will become
an automatic out; if a pitcher is hit a
second time, the player is ejected and
automatic out; if a player hits a pitcher
a third time, it is a forfeit.
Conclusion
The cherry blossoms and trees are
blooming, daylight saving time is in
effect, and the weather is starting to
warm up which means it is time to play
ball. Good luck to all teams this year and
most of all be safe.
Anderson’s Bat of the Future
Designed to Improve Game Now
By Michael Cisneros
It’s been a common theme in these difficult times for those hoping to appeal
to the public to make promises about
wanting to help the common man. It’s an
attractive premise – after all, the rich can
look after themselves and the poor regularly receive assistance, but what about
those of us in the middle?
As far as that philosophy applies to softball, Steven Anderson, president and bat
designer for Anderson Bat Company, has
done something even President Obama
hasn’t been able to do so far – truly help
the common man in a measurable way.
He has built a bat for the masses.
Anderson’s new NanoTek SP has been
designed from the ground up to help
the average player make the most of his
abilities.
“I knew if I could optimize the bat’s
moment of inertia and increase the
barrel’s elasticity, I could make a bat
that performed better at slower swing
speeds,” said Anderson. “I can’t help King
Kong … that guy is going to be fine no
matter what he swings. But the guy with
a typical swing speed, who plays league a
couple nights a week and a tournament
once a month or so …that’s the guy I can
help.”
The NanoTek SP is the first bat in five
years designed by Anderson exclusively
80 USSSA TODAY
aimed at meeting the USSSA-approved
bat standard. “We were getting a lot of
requests for a bat with 100+ mph performance,” said Jeff Dunn, head of Sales
and Marketing for Anderson. “This bat is
really the culmination of everything we
have learned over the past few years.”
The NanoTek SP is unlike any other
USSSA-approved bat in nearly every way:
it’s weighted in a unique way, it eschews
“trampoline” effect for elasticity, and
it is made not of composite fiber but
of a new blend of aluminum alloy with
just the hitting area transformed with
a proprietary nano-metal LaunchPad
that creates a different kind of hitting
surface. It makes sense really, because
the NanoTek SP came about through a
completely different way of thinking.
“Imagine designing a bat like a racing
car – taking all the weight out of the car
and redistributing it back exactly where
you need it,” said Anderson, an engineer whose career has seen him building
medical lasers, airplanes and now bats.
Anderson actually came up with and
documented the design years before
the materials existed to build it. When
he came up with the original LaunchPad
concept, he tried about 20 different
materials that either didn’t work at all or
worked but broke down too quickly.
“Like Edison
said when asked
how many times
he failed while
inventing the
light bulb, “I
haven’t failed,
I’ve found 10,000
ways that don’t
work and one
that does.”’
Steven Anderson, Anderson That’s kind of
Bat Co. President and Chief
what this thing
Design Engineer
was.
I tried all kinds of stuff – resin-injected
fibers, polyurethane, plastics, rubber,
even glue with a titanium film – that
really didn’t work,” said Anderson. “But I
never gave up. Once I exhausted all available materials I figured it was simply an
idea before its time.”
Fast-forward 10 years to 2009 and the
development of the materials that make
the LaunchPad possible. The NanoTek
“Launch Pad” starts with a thinner than
typical wall in the LaunchPad (hitting)
area using a new zirconium dominant
aluminum alloy. An intermediate layer of
compatible metal, six times thinner than
a human hair, is clad onto and becomes a
part of the aluminum in the launch pad
area. And finally a layer of the proprietary (a non aluminum nano-crystalline
metallic alloy) NanoMetal, approximately the thickness of a human hair, is
metallurgically bonded to and becomes
part of the intermediate layer to create
an enhanced singlewall structure. The
reduced grain size in the NanoMetal,
approximately 25 atoms across, significantly increases the alloy’s strength, hardness and stored elastic energy characteristics. According to the material designers
the NanoMetal is 2.5 times stronger and
3.5 times more elastically resilient than
steel and is similarly stronger than titanium. With the new aluminum alloy of
the shell and (nano-crystalline) Nanotechnology of the LaunchPad, Anderson
could make the walls thin enough and
move the weight where he needed. He
did it first with the Adult Baseball -3 bat
and, after a few adjustments, in 2010
produced the slow pitch model.
“The issue is the ball/bat collision,”
said Anderson. “Both the bat and ball
compress and spring back at different
speeds during the collision. If they
responded at exactly the same speed,
that’s where you get your maximum
performance. When people talk about
‘trampoline,’ it’s really not a trampoline
… it’s more like two springs that need
to respond at the same rate. Since the
ball compresses more and longer than
the bat, you have to adjust the bat, try
and get the bat’s spring rate as close as
possible to the ball’s spring rate. With the
more elastic material we can finally get
closer. Anyone who is designing a bat like
a trampoline is missing the boat.”
The NanoTek SP is not end-loaded like
Anderson’s Rocket Tech nor balanced
like the company’s TechZilla. Rather it
is “barrel-weighted,” a design which
directly assists performance.
Anderson created the bat with a hitting
area independent of the rest of the bat.
After taking the weight out of the end
and the handle, he put it back in around
the barrel, adding mass behind the
point of impact. The more weight that is
involved in the impact, the more energy
is transferred to the ball.
“Moment of Inertia is really just the
amount of energy it takes to rotate
the mass,” said Anderson. “Think of a
figure skater. When they start spinning
with their arms out they go slowly, then
they pull their arms in and start spinning
faster; by moving the weight they are
using the same amount of energy but the
difference is they’ve increased speed …
so when we move the mass to the pivot
point and you rotate the bat to the ball,
the hit transfers the momentum from the
bat to the ball … the more weight that is
involved in that impact, the more energy
is transferred to the ball. You want a bat
with the weight where the ball touches.
“I can make you swing faster and the
barrel responds longer, farther and more
efficiently.”
The NanoTek SP features patented
LaunchPad technology – an inter-molecular improvement to the materials in the
hitting area; a TruFlex end cap which is
the strongest and smartest in the industry;
and a thin handle and ergonomic knob
to help with whip and proper mechanics
through the swing.
But Anderson knows that even as sure as
he is about the NanoTek SP’s design and
performance, there is no single bat that
is right for every hitter. “There’s no Holy
Grail with bats,” he said. “We’re not the
only ones who make a good bat. I think
we make the best, but it’s important to
remember there’s a psychology factor
that goes into it.
“Some guys like the extreme weighting
on the end, but those are usually the big,
monster guys. And there are guys who
have it ingrained that composites are the
thing. But if I can get you to swing this
bat for 1 month, you are not going to
want to give it up.
“We are going to be able to take a guy
who swings in the middle range and
make him faster … we are going to
appeal to a wider spectrum of hitter. For
guys with swing speeds between 65 mph
and 85 mph, this bat is going to respond
better than anything they have used
before.”
One thing to remember about this new
technology, design and material, is that
it is going to feel and sound different
than anything you’ve used before. And
unlike composites, which start stiff, warm
up until they get hot then begin to fall
apart, the metal NanoTek comes out of
the wrapper as hot as it is going to get
and stays there.
“It took me about 300 swings, but this
bat really lights up,” said Anderson. “Not
that it gets hotter, but because it is so
different it takes the hitter a few swings
to get used to it.”
Once they are used to it, Anderson thinks
the NanoTek SP will be impossible to
put down and the player’s game will
rise to the next level – which fits exactly
into the philosophy of Anderson and his
company: Game Improvement by Design
“It’s a fairly holistic approach,” he said.
“By improving the product, it’s improving
your play; by improving your play, it’s
improving the game; by improving the
game, I’m inspired to make better products. It’s a self-renewing cycle.”
USSSA TODAY 81
A Cold Day in Phoenix
Warms the Heart
By Rick Phillips
USSSA Teams
Lena Atkins (left) brought the USSSA community
together to help Lena Redd (right) with her battle
with cancer.
As tournament organizers showed up in
the December ‘09 early morning darkness to prepare for the day’s event, most
were surprised by the ice on the ground
as well as the bitter nip in the cold air.
This however did not dampen their spirit
or hinder their mindset to host an eightteam friendly round robin tournament.
With no field lights available, truck and
car head lights were used for lighting
as the hosts set up awnings, tables, and
grills, as well as chalk the fields. As we
continued our set up you heard one
constant voice; this voice belonged to
Lena Atkins. When Lena founded and
organized every part of this tournament, she was on a mission.
Lena has been part of the USSSA sanctioned North Valley Softball league for
many years, and through those years,
she has participated with many others in
this league and community by stepping
up to the plate to help our own who are
in need. This day is a little different for
Lena, though, because this event was all
82 USSSA TODAY
for her best friend, Yvette Redd. Yvette,
38 years old, is a mother of four and
married to a Phoenix Police Detective.
She had been diagnosed the previous
month with cancer in the lungs, left
hip, right femur, ribs, spine, and bronchial Lymph nodes. With the cost of
doing business with cancer getting
harder to manage, Lena thought of our
league and, presto, the “Tournament of
Warriors” event was born.
Eight calls were made and eight teams
were in, all USSSA registered, with roots
from North Valley Softball. Participating
on this cold December day were Yvette’s
daughter Ashley’s team, the Sugar &
Spikes (Kelly), Desert Kaos ‘95, Hot
Shots ‘96, Hot Shots ‘97, AZ Dynasty,
AZ Legacy ‘95, AZ Legacy ‘96, and the
OutLaws ‘98. The teams donated baskets
with gift cards, wine, money trees, ECT.
These baskets went with the other 50
that Lena and friends raised during a
twenty-day time period. During that
same time, donations started to pour
in. The Preach family donated enough
food for 400 people, 50 cases of water
showed up, Event Tee’s supplied t-shirts
with the tournament logo on it, bouncies for the little kids were brought, and
music and karaoke were playing in the
back ground. USSSA Umpires donated
their time, AZUSSSA Fast Pitch donated
the balls, and cakes and pies came
from every direction for the cake walk.
Numerous 50/50 drawings were held;
in each case, all of the winnings were
donated back to the Redd family.
Long time North Valley Softball member
and now Hot Shots coach, Dan Renyer
who made and donated the tournament banner, said, “These people never
cease to amaze me; I am so proud to
be part of this community.” NVS Board
member , as well as the head cook
Robert Pleger, described the league as
“one big family.”
Towards the end of the day, four court
side Phoenix Suns tickets were raffled
off, and you guessed it, the winner
donated them back to the Redd family.
Looking around, I noticed Yvette with a
dazed look in her eyes. She said that she
felt like she was in a dream and could
not believe the support from this league
and people. I could only tell her that I
could not describe it, yet I knew exactly
how she felt. During the summer of ’07,
as I myself battled cancer, this league
and Yvette, Lena and Dan, as well as
hundreds of others, came together
and did the same thing for me and my
family; they always do the right thing!
It is now February ‘10, after months of
radiation, chemo drip, x-rays, and PET
scans, Yvette received the news that
her Cancer is no longer metabolically
active, presumably dormant. Miracles
do happen on the diamond as well as
in real ife. Yvette and Tim Redd would
like to thank all of the people who came
together one cold day in December to
warm the heart’s of their family.
Tommy Hawkins
Permian Basin USSSA Area Director
See What You Got- Men C
Place State
Team
Team Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
Allowed Avg Runs Avg Allow Avg Diff Max Runs
1
TXW
West Texas Mafia
SPMensC
7
0
0
135
61
19.2
8.71
2
TXW
H & H Softball
SPMensC
8
2
0
161
108
16.1
3
TXW
F.T.P. Frozen
SPMensC
5
2
0
101
63
14.4
4
NM
Raw Dawgs
SPMensC
5
2
0
113
102
5
TXW
Mestizo
SPMensC
5
2
0
120
5
TXW
Escondidos
SPMensD
4
2
0
7
TXW
Texas Fuel frozen
SPMensD
6
2
0
7
TXW
Back 2 Basics
SPMensD
4
2
9
TXW
TNT
SPMensC
5
9
TXW
F.A.M.E
SPMensD
9
TXW
Wildcat Softball
SPMensD
USSSA
Points
10.5
34
75
10.8
5.3
25
55
9
5.42
26
45
16.1
14.5
1.57
35
40
80
17.1
11.4
5.71
23
30
92
57
15.3
9.5
5.83
25
60
99
69
12.3
8.62
3.75
18
50
0
92
45
15.3
7.5
7.83
23
50
2
0
128
60
18.2
8.57
9.71
33
10
5
2
0
106
63
15.1
9
6.14
25
20
4
2
0
80
73
13.3
12.1
1.16
27
20
Team Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
See What You Got- Mixed
Place State
Team
Runs
USSSA
Points
1
TXW
Devils & Angels/F.T.P.
SPMxD
3
0
0
52
32
17.3
10.6
6.66
18
75
2
NM
EZ
SPMxE
3
2
0
67
51
13.4
10.2
3.2
19
110
3
TXW
La Onda
SPMxE
3
2
0
55
38
11
7.6
3.4
17
90
4
TXW
MQN
SPMxE
2
3
0
58
69
11.6
13.8
-2.2
27
80
5
TXW
Daewoo
SPMxD
1
2
0
38
32
12.6
10.6
2
21
30
5
TXW
Silver Bullets
SPMxE
0
3
0
11
59
3.66
19.6
-16
7
60
Team Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
USSSA
Points
See What You Got- Women
Place State
Team
1
TXW
Massizo
SPWomenC
4
0
0
99
49
24.7
12.2
12.5
36
75
2
TXW
Sucias
SPWomenC
4
2
0
114
77
19
12.8
6.16
28
0
3
NM
Asesinas (Clo)
SPWomenC
2
2
0
70
92
17.5
23
-5.5
30
45
4
TXW
Siete
SPWomenD
3
2
0
78
67
15.6
13.4
2.2
22
80
5
TXW
West Texas Fury
SPWomenC
1
2
0
42
51
14
17
-3
18
30
5
TXW
Lady Members
SPWomenE
0
4
0
37
94
9.25
23.5
-14.
16
60
7
TXW
Team Shock
SPWomenE
2
1
0
61
39
20.3
13
7.33
27
50
7
TXW
Down N Dirty
SPWomenD
1
1
0
26
35
13
17.5
-4.5
17
50
9
TXW
LTX Women
SPWomenD
0
3
0
44
67
14.6
22.3
-7.6
17
20
84 USSSA TODAY
Midland Winter Blast - Boys Baseball 14 & under
Place State
Team
Team Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
1
TXW
El Paso ACES
BBboys14Maj
3
1
1
34
15
6.8
3
2
TXW
West Texas Rough Riders
BBboys14AAA
3
1
1
30
3
TXW
Midland Chaos
BBboys14AA
2
2
0
17
18
6
22
4.25
4
TXW
Eagles
BBboys14AAA
2
2
0
22
22
5
TXW
Midland Mustangs
BBboys14AA
0
4
0
13
39
USSSA
Points
3.8
13
75
3.6
2.4
11
55
5.5
-1.2
8
45
5.5
5.5
0
7
40
3.25
9.75
-6.5
5
30
Spring Break Slugfest - Boys Baseball 12 & under
Place State
Team
Team Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
USSSA
Points
1
TXW
Midland Rattlers
BBboys12AAA
5
0
0
41
15
8.2
3
5.2
12
75
2
TXW
TTA 12
BBboys12AAA
4
1
0
42
22
8.4
4.4
4
11
55
3
TXW
Tall City Stars
BBboys12AA
3
1
0
28
12
7
3
4
11
45
3
NM
Lea County Sluggers
BBboys12AA
2
2
0
18
22
4.5
5.5
-1
12
45
4
TXW
West Texas Rough Riders
BBboys12AAA
2
2
0
16
24
4
6
-2
7
40
4
NM
Legacy Baseball
BBboys12AA
1
3
0
7
45
1.75
11.2
-9.5
4
40
4
NM
Carlsbad Drillers
BBboys12AA
1
1
1
27
6
9
2
7
23
40
4
TXW
Rage
BBboys12AA
1
3
0
15
32
3.75
8
-4.2
7
40
5
TXW
Lubbock Cooper Pirates
BBboys12AAA
1
2
0
21
12
7
4
3
16
30
5
TXW
Diamond Kings
BBboys12AA
0
2
1
7
11
2.33
3.66
-1.3
3
30
5
TXW
Hawks
BBboys12AA
0
3
0
8
29
2.66
9.66
-7
5
30
!st Annual Tall City NIT - Boys Baseball 12 & under
Place State
Team
Team Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
USSSA
Points
1
TXW
Shockers
BBboys12AAA
5
0
0
55
17
11
3.4
7.6
20
150
2
TXW
TTA 12
BBboys12AAA
3
1
0
28
21
7
5.25
1.75
15
110
3
TXW
Lubbock Frenship Tiger Black
BBboys12AAA
2
2
0
34
45
8.5
11.2
-2.7
11
90
3
TXW
Midland Rattlers
BBboys12AAA
2
2
0
27
28
6.75
7
-0.2
10
90
4
TXW
West Texas Roughnecks
BBboys12AAA
1
2
0
18
25
6
8.33
-2.3
8
80
4
TXW
Texas Thunder
BBboys12AAA
0
3
0
6
25
2
8.33
-6.3
3
80
4
TXW
DIESEL
BBboys12AAA
0
3
0
15
22
5
7.33
-2.3
5
80
USSSA TODAY 85
Twin City Shootout Super NIT
March 27-28 Shreveport, LA
9 Major Champs/Runner Ups
Place State
Team
Team Class
Wins
Loses
Ties
Runs
Scored
Runs
USSSA
Points
1
TXS
Avenger VI Force Qualified
BBboys9U
5
0
0
31
5
6.2
1
5.2
8
300
2
TXS
LEGENDS
BBboys9U
5
1
0
43
19
7.16
3.16
4
15
225
10 Major Champs/Runner Up
1
TNW
Germantown Giants Qualified
BBboys10Maj
6
0
0
55
21
9.16
3.5
5.66
12
300
2
TXS
Texas Marshals
BBboys10Maj
5
1
0
47
27
7.83
4.5
3.33
14
225
1
TXN
Dallas Tigers-Ingram Qualified
BBboys11Maj
6
0
0
41
16
6.83
2.66
4.16
10
300
2
OK
Oklahoma Rays
BBboys11Maj
5
1
0
38
13
6.33
2.16
4.16
9
225
1
LA
Tanel 360 VooDoo Qualified
BBboys12Maj
4
1
0
27
16
5.4
3.2
2.2
11
300
2
OK
Oklahoma Elite
BBboys12Maj
4
1
0
22
12
4.4
2.4
2
6
225
1
LA
Louisiana Bayou Bandits Qualified
BBboys13Maj
6
0
0
43
14
7.16
2.33
4.83
14
300
2
AR
Fayetteville Cardinals
BBboys13Maj
4
2
0
44
35
7.33
5.83
1.5
15
225
6
0
0
51
16
8.5
2.66
5.83
13
300
5
1
0
46
18
7.66
3
4.66
16
225
1
TXS DIRDIN Dragons Qualified
BBboys14Maj
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New York State Hall of Fame
continued from pg. 68
against Rich’s Superior at the World
Series and he thought made a good pitch.
After the ball was hit he turned around
to see his outfielders just standing and
not moving at all as the ball cleared the
centerfield wall and scoreboard. He said
you learned quickly to change things
up if you wanted to survive. Pat Kehoe
was the sponsor of the Pace teams and
commented that he has had many great
players on his teams over the years and
it would be hard to pick the best players
with a few exceptions and one of these
exceptions would be that of pitcher; as
Rich was the perfect fit for the USSSA
slow pitch game.
Two other umpires were inducted
from Upstate New York, Bob Reed and
Mike Fonak Jr. both of which expressed
thanks to the people that helped them
reach this pinnacle in their umpiring
career, foremost for both was the
thanks for the support from their families and fellow umpires. Bob was also
extremely happy to see the brother of
his best friend when he grew up. Paul
Conley had not seen Bob in almost 30
years, and came to the dinner when he
saw that Bob was being inducted.
Robert Fortier an inductee in the Male
Player category accepted his induction into the Hall of Fame and thanked
everyone that had traveled from Long
Island to be at the induction ceremony.
He stated that he would not forget
this evening as he considered it a great
honor to be inducted to a Hall of Fame
with so many great players.
Jenny Bellavia was represented by her
former coach, Duane McCoy, and her
teammates. Duane commented on
Jenny’s accomplishments as a player and
also thanked both Rochester Softball
and the USSSA New York State for
righting a wrong and having the fortitude to include Jenny in their Hall of
Fames.
The Sponsorship inductee was James
Ferra, owner of Ferra Furniture Repair.
Jim and his family have sponsored
teams for many years. He commented
on the great times that he has had
playing, coaching and traveling with all
the players that have played under his
sponsorship. He considers these players
and their families as friends that have
made the time and money that he has
spent worth every dime. He like all the
inductees also wanted to thank the Hall
of Fame Committee for the unbelievable job that was done on the dinner. “It
is not until you are at the event that you
truly know what it means to everyone.”
Gerry Waldon and Henry “Hank”
Mandara were inducted into the
Executive category. Hank was represented by his sons that expressed their
gratitude to everyone for remembering
their father who just loved the game
of slow pitch. Hank was instrumental
in organizing the Industrial State tournaments all over the Northeast and his
sons remember all the time and energy
that he put into making these events
top notch.
Sid Lovell was inducted into the Hall of
Fame as the Frank and Al Ciaccia Lifetime
Achievement inductee. This award was
very special to Sid as he started out
with the USSSA with the Ciaccia’s over
30 years ago. He was very pleased that
Frank Ciaccia Jr. was there to present
him with his ring and certificate.
Charles “Bo” Bertino was inducted
into the Hall of Fame as the Joe Nucci
Dedication to Excellence inductee.
Bo was very proud that he was being
inducted with his name associated with
Joe Nucci. Joe was his coach when he
hurt his leg pretty badly. He was out of
work and had a long recovery that put
a strain on his family. When Bo was final
able to get out and around, he went to
see Joe and the team at Tut’s bar and
restaurant where they all got together.
When Bo walked in; Joe gave him money
that the players that donated to help
him pay bills. That was the start of what
is now a common practice that players
help other players when they are ill or
down on their luck. Bo has been the
person that over the years has taken the
role of making sure people are aware
that others need help and puts things
together to make sure others received
what he did in his time of need.
The evening ended with the recognition of the Pace Electronics/ TPS Black
American Men’s teams players receiving
certificates acknowledging their accomplishments. The pride and happiness
that was expressed in the faces of each
player as they were called to the podium
was one of the highlights of the night.
Gene Williams and Pat Kehoe, both
members of the New York State and
National USSSA Hall of Fames were in
high spirits as they were able to honor
players that have represented Pace over
the years. Pat also wanted to thank all
the players that have played under his
sponsorship, including the Women’s and
Senior teams that were in attendance.
“The event continues to be a great
success” stated John Pond, Division
Vice President of the Northeast. “I am
always amazed at the unbelievable
job that everyone continues to do to
make these events one of the best that
I have yet to attend. The Hall of Fame is
blessed with a great committee that has
put in a tremendous amount of time.
Congratulations on another triumphant
event.”
The 2011 Hall of Fame will be held
in Syracuse. At the 2010 event, the
following individuals, teams and sponsors were elected for induction into the
NYS USSSA Hall of Fame:
Female Category
Mimi Braunitzer
Robbie Johnson
Male Category
Al Dreschler
Fran Stinziano
Otto Calabria
Umpire Category
Doug Zavondy
John Gianuzzi
Manager Category
Carl Masters
Dan Johnson
Director Category
Larry Maxwell
Sponsor/Special Category
Muxworthy Ski House
City of Syracuse Park & Recreation
Teams
Parsons/McKenna
Al & Frank Ciaccia Lifetime Achievement Award
Fred Prince
Joe Nucci Dedication to Excellence Award
Al Gugielmo
USSSA TODAY 87
USSSA Soccer
National Committee at museum at HQ: Carlos
Chicas, Craig Scriven, Miguel Martinez and Ross
Paule. Not pictured - Randy Bobbitt
This past February USSSA named a
national committee for its soccer
program and these individuals met at
Headquarters to map out the immediate future. “I am very pleased and
excited to have this committee formed”
said National Director Craig Scriven,
“The individuals named have all shown
great promise in their respective areas
and all come with extensive soccer backgrounds.”
The group includes professional experience both on the playing side and exec-
utive in the US and abroad. Ross Paule
(Tennessee) had a distinguished playing
career in the MLS for eight years and
plied his trade with Colorado Rapids,
New York MetroStars and Columbus
Crew. In 2008 Paule joined the USSSA
program as Tennessee’s State Director
and has helped grow the USSSA presence in his state and region. Paule is
joined on the committee by Carlos
Chicas (Arkansas State Director). Chicas
has ties with professional teams in both
Mexico and Guatemala and often represents players as they pursue a career
in the professional game. As a director
with USSSA, he has worked hard to
create a youth program in his home
state and helped communicate USSSA
into the Hispanic community. Paule
and Chicas will focus on the continued
growth of USSSA in the eastern part of
the country.
The western states will be overseen by
Miguel Martinez (Nevada) and Randy
Bobbitt (Colorado). These two individuals are the longest serving State
Directors within USSSA Soccer and have
held their positions since the restructure in 2006. Martinez has created a
very large presence in both Nevada
and California for USSSA and similar to
Carlos Chicas, he has been able to help
the Hispanic communities with their
soccer programs. Martinez works with
USSSA players and Chivas Academy
helping represent these players as they
pursue goals of a professional career.
Bobbitt has worked diligently to make
USSSA the largest sanctioning body of
adult players in the state of Colorado.
Bobbitt also has ties to Colorado Rapids
(MLS) and previously worked as Vice
President of Marketing with the organization.
In naming the above individuals to the
soccer national committee the future of
USSSA Soccer looks to be in good hands
and an exciting future lies ahead.
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to - USSSA - United States Specialty Sports Association

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