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Online now: 2 members: L.L., TABLE SETTER 11; 51 anonymousDetails for audieh
Real name:
Audie Hollis
Location:
Jacksonville, FL
Division:
Men's 60
Messages posted by audieh »Message board home »Start a new discussion
| Oct. 14, 2012 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Is SSUSA trying to go too far? Webbie/Fabe I like your spirit and thinking as I never get mad at a teammate that is trying. None of us try to hit into a double play or over throw first or get thrown out trying to take an extra base. Softball is a game and we try our best, but it is not war or life and death. We try our darn-est to win but if we lose we look forward to the next game. At 60 the body and mind do not react like they did when I was 30 but the element of fun has increased exponentially to the reduction in skill. Several of my kids came to Vegas a few years ago to watch us play. They all agreed that we played like we were 10 years old which offended me at first. Then they explained that I had taught them to get their gloves on the dirt and come up on a ground ball, to always get in front of a hard grounder in the infield, to always hit the cut off man, to listen to the base coaches, to always know the out count. I slowly began to realize that we as a team were guilty of flaws in many of the fundamentals for self preservation and eroding skills BUT we get to come back and play again without injury! So even though I will continue to try and improve I realize that as seniors we all have are limitations and I will not be overly harsh on myself or my teammates! |
| Oct. 8, 2012 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: How many players do you hit in worlds? Dale, we hit as many as we can in the preliminaries. Usually 12 to 13. Then cut it down the further we go until we reach the finals depending on how competitive the tournament is. In Vegas we went down to 10 in the championship game, which was our best 10 defensive players with 3 pinch hitters ready to go in at a moments notice. If you play 13 and they all get 3 at bats then that is taking away 9 swings from your first 9 batters so that the last 3 batters get in. Unless the last 3 hitters are as good as the first 9 it doesn't make much sense. However, it takes a team to win and sometimes it is better to play more sense after all it is a "team". |
| Oct. 7, 2012 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Steve Imlay's Father Passing Steve, I am sadden to hear of the passing of your father. I know he must of been very proud of you and all of your accomplishments. We all say the apple does not fall far from the tree and based on that I am sure he was a very noble man! I'm sure that your dad was like mine in that he taught me all he could and was the one guy I could always count on in this life. God bless you and your family! |
| Oct. 1, 2012 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Cheyenne Park for Worlds Just got home from Vegas and wanted to say what a very well run 60 major plus tournament. Yes, the facilities are sub-par, the bathrooms deplorable, a small trench on Field 4 in left center caused our outfielder to trip 3 times in one game, there is a broken sprinkler in right field on Field 1 leaking, balls are flying on to the highway on Fields 3 and 4 which is dangerous for drivers and players retrieving balls BUT what a great tournament with some of the best people and players I have ever been around. We had great games with several teams including D&K, TurnTwo and GSF. TurnTwo is strong all over with power, defense and speed. GSF has the most power we have seen and all of the teams have a great group of men. We look forward to playing you guys for years to come. Thanks Webbie, Big Ron, Smooth Steve from GSF, and Clatta, Ray Ray, John, etc. for always bringing your "A" game. Tom Hanratty, God bless you as you are in our prayers! |
| Aug. 12, 2012 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Manassas, Va. Webbie, I'm with you 100%. Our team, Hollis Appraisals, is looking forward to Vegas and and playing all comers in the 60 major plus division. If you want to be the best you have to beat the best! As usual we will be short 3 or 4 starters but that is how traveling senior ball is played. Any of the major plus teams are capable of beating the others so let's play and have a great time with GSF, Turn Two and who ever shows! |
| July 25, 2012 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Prayers needed ... Team 1 Sports Get well Sal! We have sent out our prayers as well and have contacted our teammates to do the same! Good guy and a great competitor. |
| July 5, 2012 audieh | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Dalton in July Hollis Appraisals / Rose Enterprise will be there in the 60 major+ and the Hollis Appraisals 50 team will be in the 50s major plus. |
| June 10, 2012 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Moving to Major Plus Well said, Mark! |
| June 7, 2012 audieh | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Rock 'n Reno Challenge Cup 2012 Bobby Davis' wife is doing fine and is home from the hospital. They leave in about 9 days for a trip to Germany to play ball so hopefully she will be well enough to travel. His wife, Susan, makes the best oatmeal cookies I have ever eaten. we have guys that come to tournaments just to get one of her goodies! |
| June 5, 2012 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: On Base Percentage (OBP) HJ and Joe, I base our average on OBP as well. However, I have to protect HR hitters to some degree or they will never see any good pitches. I want players on base and it takes discipline and skill to walk or hit behind runners and stay out of double plays. You can bet my top five batters are the top overall hitters considering on base average, power, etc. |
| June 4, 2012 audieh | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Rock 'n Reno Challenge Cup 2012 Mark, we look forward to seeing the entire GSF team and hopefully some other west coast teams. Should be a great tournament as reportedly there will be at least 6 teams. The SPA is definitely one of the crown jewels to win. Played a FHC tournament this weekend and 3 of our players were inducted into the FHC Hall of Fame; Ed Rose, Roger Tabor and Bobby Davis our pitcher. I ask Bobby why he didn't walk you after you had already hit 3 in a row and he said he didn't believe anybody could hit four straight off of him! I bet he now thinks nobody can hit 5 in a row! haha See ya in Dalton! |
| May 29, 2012 audieh | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Rock 'n Reno Challenge Cup 2012 Mike, I totally agree! Our team felt this was the best run tournament so far this year and the competition was excellent. GSF is a great group of guys and excellent ball players. Master Collision was also another competitive team of fine men. Being from Florida we have never played in snow and sleet at 4,500' but loved the environment, the mountains, Lake Tahoe and that dry air on Sunday and Monday. The balls will definitely fly at altitude! Yes, Bobby Davis is an excellent pitchers and all the guys were excited to hear that GSF is coming to Dalton as that should be a great tournament with at least 6 teams in the 60 major plus division. Be prepared to sweat! haha Just one thing though, leave King Webbie at home! I'm now starting to recruit in 3A! Oh yeah, leave Steve Imlay at home as well. Golden Eagle with the artificial turf, fantastic facilities, surrounding desert scenery, jack rabbits and prairie dogs running around (or whatever they were)was the best place we have ever played. The Miken bat bags were also a very good prize and an excellent product. Again, a well run tournament and I enjoyed seeing some old friends like Brett Kreuger, Pete Graham, etc. |
| May 8, 2012 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Reno 60 & 65 teams The Hollis Appraisals / Rose Enterprise - 60 Major Plus team from Florida will be in Reno. |
| March 19, 2012 audieh | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Giving 5 runs to "inferior" teams The following is something I wrote last year after the ToC. Here are some interesting facts based on the 2011 ToC tournament in Polk County. There were 2 major plus 50 teams and 3 major plus 55 teams. Due to the small number of major plus teams these teams had to play major teams in the round robin. The results were 1, yes I said 1 major plus win, and 9 major wins! The scoring was also skewed with the major plus teams averaging 16.6 runs per game and the major teams averaging 21.2 runs per game. This is a 4.6 run differential per game which would lead me to believe that the major plus teams having to give 5 runs or an extra 11th defender creates an unfair advantage for the major team, or the major teams are just as good as the major plus teams. I have seen these results repeated in other tournaments as well. Based on this limited sampling it would appear that no equalizer is required and the major teams are every bit as good as the major plus teams! However, my personal experiences has shown that the major plus teams are having to play with the major rules of only 5 home runs. This is a major impediment to the major plus teams which are typically built with more home run power. This results in the major plus team hitting home runs for outs and/or power hitters having to purposely hit opposite field or up the middle to keep the ball in the park. Since the major plus players tend to be power hitters and not base hitters this limits their success and gives an advantage to the major teams who are more practiced at hitting for base hits. I believe the senior softball associations should at least analyze this predicament and considered instituting one of the following corrective actions. 1) When major and major plus teams play give the major team the 5 runs but play with the major plus home run limits of 10. 2) When major and major plus teams play give the major team the 5 runs but allow any home runs over the 5 limit be singles and not outs. I believe a tournament or two using one of these two changing would prove some interesting data which could then be used to make changes if they are deemed necessary. If not, it appears based on this limited analysis that the major teams have the advantage. The proof is in the 1 and 9 record exhibited by the major plus teams. |
| Nov. 16, 2011 audieh | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: California/Florida Bordering rules The Florida Half Century which meets once a month somewhere in the state for a 4 game tournament has about 86, 50+ teams and also about 85, 60+ teams. However, only about 10 to 15 of these teams actively play play national tournaments. There are other senior teams in some of the larger cities where they have leagues but just about all of the serious teams are in the FHC. |
| Aug. 1, 2011 audieh | Topic: Players looking to join a team Discussion: Who Needs an Excellent 60+ player for the Heartland Tournament? Give Ed Rose a call as he is looking for a 60s player. 321-223-9640 and tell him Audie Hollis suggested you call. |
| July 23, 2011 audieh | Topic: Bats Discussion: Reebok Bats I helped test the Reebok bats from their first introduction and continue to test their bats to this day. I have absolutely no financial tie to Reebok. However, my brother Curt, is the senior ambassador for Reebok and has been the driving force behind the development of this bats. I have personally swung over 20 test bats with 500 swings each from development bats to current models and just recently finished testing the "next" model. In addition I have provided these bats to at least 10 other major plus players that are bombers here in Florida for their use and input. Average height 6'2", average weight 240 lbs. None of these bats (except for one with about 350 swings) have cracked before 500 swings. Typically, I break an Ultra in less than 100 swings. Reebok has listened to our criticism of the test bats such as not enough pop, too much flexibility in the handle, sweet spot not big enough, etc. and have gone back and re-designed the bats several times until the first batch was manufactured for the market. I am thankful that they listen, they care and are willing to improve their bats. Their desire is to provide a durable bat that has excellent pop. I think they have accomplished this with the present model. I can not speak to those that have bats break prematurely as it just has not happened to those of us testing the bats, and my gosh we have tried to break these bats as quickly as possible so that we could give Reebok the feedback. Perhaps some of these bats were damaged in shipment, etc. I do know this though, Reebok tracks any bad bats and goes back to the actual machine that manufactured the bat to see if it is a result of machine, material or operator error. I will be hitting this afternoon and will let every player that shows up use my 28 oz end load Reebok as well as the "next model" bat because I want to see how many swings it will take to break the bats. Everyone is free to swing whatever bat you desire but I have seen the durability of the Reebok myself and have talked to mashers from all over the country who are having the same experience. Curt has a very select group of bat reps and most are monster hitters and all honest men. OK, enough from me I am off to hit and see if I can break a bat! |
| July 23, 2011 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: 2011 Senior hall of fame congratulations everyone Joe, you hit it right on the head again! Another great group of HoF players and coaches. I have played several years with Bruce Fairchild and he is a great hitter and excellent glove at first, and a good man to boot. Had many battles against Sal and the Connecticut Sportplex team which we considered our "east coast" rivals. A good group and well run by Sal. Congrats to all and well deserved. Continue being leaders in senior softball. Audie Hollis |
| May 3, 2011 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: 5 Tool/Best All-Around 60s - Mike Walker, 55s - Caleb Rabenold, Horace Jefferson, 50s - Mark Martin, Kip Grant. All five have power, speed, good arms, good defense, excellent base runners and are good people to boot! However, there is no doubt there are great players in every area of the country. |
| April 14, 2011 audieh | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: ToC Shirts Arrive - Very Cool Our ToC shirts arrived yesterday and are a very good product. Good job SSUSA as they are something that can be worn everyday! |
