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Online now: 4 members: CSinc, Rangview85, TABLE SETTER 11, marvinknowles80; 115 anonymousDiscussion: Mesquite Tourney
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| March 30, 2009 softball4b Men's 70 1248 posts | Mesquite Tourney This was my first time to travel and play in Mesquite. The tourney was done well, but what was extremely pleasing to me was the people of Mesquite. The hotel and restaurant(s) personnel were extremely pleasant and willing to go the extra mile to make our experience and enjoyable one. The extra hour drive from Vegas was well worth it. |
| March 30, 2009 Lecak Men's 60 1026 posts | That is good to hear. I've always enjoyed Mesquite. We've heard that a 20 field complex is nearing completion and be available next year. Between St George and Mesquite this will become an excellent venue for softball. I hope that everyone can keep this in mind when discussions start about this tourney. I'm sure there will be some disappointment about having to play on the big baseball diamonds hopefully people will look past that and see the big picture. I would guess that Mesquite could host any number of senior events in the future. |
| March 30, 2009 softball4b Men's 70 1248 posts | Come on Joe I saw you hit the fence at about 370 and that was before the wind started blowing out. LOL. No way could we have made it on Sunday if we had been playing on the BB field. We had no legs left infoeld or outfield. |
| March 30, 2009 Lecak Men's 60 1026 posts | How did you guys do? Mike I know a handful of teams were pinned on the big fields, Hunter and Pioneer for most of the tournament. I would guess that no one would list that as a highlight. Your comments about the support from the residents will still ring true and those baseball fields will be a distant memory. Selfishly I would love if Mesquite became a regular stop for Senior softball. |
| March 30, 2009 softball4b Men's 70 1248 posts | Demolition won 5 on Sunday to win the tourney. We looked like a Mash unit. Almost everyone had a bandage somewhere, thank goodness the wind started blowing in, that saved what few legs we had left in the outfield. Truthfully though to a man everyone contributed and gutted it out. Thank goodness for the Acai Juice, sincerely, physically I believe it is rejuvenating me. I played 3rd 5 games on Sunday and except for the ball I attempted to field with my shin, I did not embarrass myself or let my team down defensively. I pray though that Brad does not have to miss again, because a good man knows his limitations and I am best suited to be next to the umpire. |
| March 30, 2009 PSmit 37 posts | Congratulations to Demolition .. Your Team played well, by the way Mike I'll be ordering 10 cases of the Acai juice! I need it .. Paul Smit Doubleplay |
| March 30, 2009 softball4b Men's 70 1248 posts | Thanks. Our teams truly battle and those games are fun to play. I only thougt that ball that hit my shin did not bruise me. When I took off my sock........bingo. |
| March 30, 2009 hitt2 353 posts | Gentlemen I agree with you both this was a well-run tourney.Great job SS-USA staff and Mesquite Tourney directors. The community was also very positive. Had always want to play there having driven pass there 3 yrs in a row on the way to St. George. It was my first time playing on Astor turf outfields was also fun. We played our championship games on the big baseball field. It was a challenge, but my teammates and I were up to it gaining the victory. It was also great putting faces with the names on the MB. This should be a regular stop for SS-USA softball for years to come the new complex sound like it going to be a premier venue. Congratulation to the other winners and to the great competitors which make up senior softball at all levels of play. I was able to see a variety of levels of play and we are all truly blessed to be still playing this game. Hope everyone arrived home safely and continue to have a great season. |
| March 30, 2009 marklawr Men's 55 7 posts | We played in St. George and Mesquite also...great tournament. Saturday afternoon, I was able to get a tour of the new site for the 20 new fields with one of the developers. There's a ton of other projects associated with it (retail, hotels, new soccer fields, vollyball courts, etc.)It sounds amazing. The site is the first exit coming into Mesquite (from LV)...exit left (opposite side of intersate of the casinos)It's on the bluffs/canyons above the Walmart store. The city has a complex of new soccer fields and the location of the "long drive" contest right above it.(all artificial turf) They haven't broken ground yet, and millions of yards of dirt will have to be moved. Joe, I think you're right, if they get it done, I believe that there could be some major tournaments there. Mark OLR Nighthawks |
| March 31, 2009 TGIII Men's 60 106 posts | I would have to second all of the previous e-mails. We played all of our games in St. George. Special recognition should go out to the St. George Park Staff that did such an incredible job maintaining a beautiful complex. The staff would drag and water the fields in between each game. I can see why players enjoy playing in the Huntsman games. A special thank you to David Dowell, serving as the Tournament Director at our complex for once again doing a great job in managing the operation. A final thank you to Terry and Fran for putting on a first class tournament. The Spring Worlds will serve as the spring board for other successful this season. To Geno and Max, congratulations on a well deserved victory over a tough field of teams in a strong division. Kevin |
| March 31, 2009 SALSAKID49 Men's 60 161 posts | We double dipped a great team in the TUCSON BANDITS.... my 3RD time playing in Mesquite... It was fun on Sunday.... ;) |
| March 31, 2009 shortly50 Men's 50 41 posts | I have to agree with everyone & a special thanks to the people at Playoffs they had great food & took very good care of all the teams that went there. I had a great time playing 5 games on Sunday with great teamates. The Tucson Bandits are a class team & we had a great battle. |
| March 31, 2009 FOFO Men's 60 284 posts | I would like to echo TGlll's comments. Couldn't ask for a better place to play than the Canyons complex in St. George. Everything was first class. Bert Cochran Vegas 50's |
| April 1, 2009 boston Men's 60 355 posts | Played in St. George this past weekend in the 50 AAA. I was the leftfielder for the Sportsline Bulls out of El Paso, Tx. Awesome venue for softball. Hats off and a salute to all the teams we played. Gentlemen you played great ball and showed a lot of class. It was a pleasure meeting and competing against you. I hope everyone made it home safe and healthy. I will be looking forward to the next tourney. |
| April 2, 2009 TOMAR77 Men's 65 333 posts | Tournament as usual was well run.I would have to say that the fields we played on were not the quality we would expect in a major tourney. We played on Old Mill Rd. field, infield and outfield were both inferior,at one point in one of our games the ball rolled "under the fence"! The other field we played on was at Hunter park on the BB field,we played our final 3 games there. IMOO, the infield was DANGEROUS! I have never seen so many infield ground ball errors durning the games we played on this field (both teams). Because of the artifical turf the the ball picked up speed like it was shot out of a cannon! Add in that the carpet was uneven and WRINKLED,Especially where the carpet ended at the dirt,this was not a resonably safe infield.Hopefully the addition of the new fields will eliminate the need to use this field. Congrats to the Blackhawks who hit the crap out of the ball winning the Rings. Tomar77 |
| April 2, 2009 surf88 Men's 65 1000 posts | As one of the players on Scrap Iron 60's/Phiten, we had a good time in Mesquite and St. George with the exception of Sunday afternoon winds during the championship game against Game On. Special thanks to the tournament staff and congratulations to Game On for giving us 4 tough games and thankfully, we came out on top. Game On is a class group of guys from Ca. and we'll see them again. Ed Andrews Outfield/1st Base SI 60's/Phiten |
| April 2, 2009 Wick 12 posts | This was my first senior softball full tournament and I had a great time playing in the 60's major division for the So. Cal Braves. I thought the tournament was well run although we came in third on Sunday, thanks to 40 mph winds and playing on a baseball field in the semis! Heck, I even made the All Tournament Team! As a pitcher, I got quite a laugh out of the "pitcher protection rule," a true oxymoron! Since the rule is enforced by the discretion of the umpire, it appears to be a useless rule. In one game, I saw a pitcher dive out of the box to avoid getting hit by the ball and the umpire never called it. Against one team,(maybe Scrap Iron?) we were fielding with two outs in the seventh when a batter ripped a ball at my head, I threw my glove up to avoid getting drilled and hit the ground as the ball caromed off of me. The umpire immediately called the batter out and we win the game, except for the fact that I wasn't in the box! The umpire was contrite and said he made a mistake, but still gave us the game. My question is: how can we make sure pitchers are truly protected when everyone is using Mikens and the like, and hit quite a few up the middle? Does it take someone getting killed to create real change? |
| April 2, 2009 salio2k Men's 60 547 posts | Wick......welcome to senior softball and congratulations on the all-tourney. You might be onto something about those senior bats. Perhaps you could get your team, the Braves, to put away their senior bats and set an example for the rest of senior softball. Other teams would see that those nasty 1.20 bats are not needed and get rid of them. Oh, if you want protection, purchase it. |
| April 3, 2009 Wick 12 posts | Salio, man, that is a great idea. I think we oughta go to wood bats! I mean, we all started with them anyway, didn't we? Heck, after numorous injuries, Over The Line went to wood a few years ago. In fact, how about teams being able to use the other team's bats or even have tournament bats to use?! The problem is that you'd have to pry the Miken and Combats out of everyone's cold, dead hands! Senior softball players aren't pussies, are they?=-) Just addicted to the hot bat! |
| April 3, 2009 softballer Men's 65 594 posts | wick in that one said he moved out of the way right? rule says The PSR is applied only WHEN a batted ball actually STRIKES THE PITCHER (except on the arms - See 'Judgment Call' below). Near misses, balls batted sharply through the pitcher's box or in the vicinity of the pitcher, without striking the pitcher, do NOT result in the automatic application of the PSR. It is NOT our intent to remove the pitcher from the game defensively. The previous requirement that the batted ball be a line drive has been removed. Short hops striking the pitcher are now encompassed by the PSR. Example: The PSR is automatically applied when a sharply batted ball strikes the pitcher's head, neck, torso or legs. Think of the "sheriff's pistol range" armless silhouette target as an illustration. |
| April 3, 2009 SoCal'er 76 posts | softballer part of that judgment call is,'When a batted ball strikes the pitcher in the arm(including glove),wheather or not the ball ultimately strikes any other part of the pitcher's body,AND in the ump's judgment,the pitcher had NO opportunity to make a reasonable defensive play on the ball,the PPR applies. I've seen ump's miss this one. Wick Hitting up the middle isn't going away intentional or not. Suggest you invest in some gear AND pitch from rear of box. I notice you are on the front rubber and you don't back up. Added to that the PPR rule is not complete and everyone knows it. To not let the pitcher back(straight) out of that protective 6' box and still have the rule apply is nuts and why it can't be changed prior to next year is unresonable. |
| April 3, 2009 softballer Men's 65 594 posts | so cal it should say as if it is a shooting target (silhouette no arms On it) |
| April 3, 2009 Wick 12 posts | Sotballer and SoCal'er, I agree with both of you, except for the fact that: The PPR was apparently created out of need and for obvious reasons. But to suggest that umpires are able to properly enforce this issue is certainly compromised when it comes to pitcher safety. When I was actually young, having a batter go after the pitcher was a common occurrence in our tournaments, but pitchers who could throw high had more time to get back were a little safer. Now we have players addicted to the hot bat going up the middle, and the possibility of serious personal injury has increased quite a bit. So, what do we do? How about making the box 12 feet long instead of six? How about throwing a player out of the game if they injure a pitcher, not just calling them out. Think of it as a deterrent that might actually make batters think about it. (You know, just like that law that says you can't talk on the cell phone and drive?!=-) Or maybe just dump the rule until a more enforceable plan is created. What do you guys think? |
| April 4, 2009 the wood Men's 65 1123 posts | Wick, The harsh reality here is that the PPR isn't 'our rule'... it's 'their rule'. By this I mean that it isn't intended for our needs as much as its for SSUSA's needs... liability. We have as much chance being able to design the new Corvette as we do making this rule work for us. The Trojan Horse was thought to be a gift as well... The truth is that the umpires are not close to being on the same page when it comes to applying the rule. Therefore, our public pleas will be 'duly noted' but any real change that occurs will be because of factors other than our needs or feelings. It wasn't that long ago that some folks were surveyed in order to learn that they preferred. Once this was known and understood, SSUSA went a totally different direction from the majority. As it relates to a specific element of your proposal (banishment from the game)... if you don't like the PPR as it now reads, you'll really dislike the arbitrary ejection of a hitter... the key word being 'arbitrary'... I do not like the level of discretion given to umpires on the PPR, I surely wouldn't want to give them more. Think of this... other assns do not have this rule. Are there a lot of controversies there (as it relates to hitting the pitcher)? The antidote for a bad rule is not more rules... your last thought makes the most sense... 'dump the rule'. BW |
| April 4, 2009 Wick 12 posts | Wood, Thanks for the elucidation. I understand the liability issue. . . but still think PPR a rule that is not enforceable and therefore, a moot point. There are hundreds of cities in the US who turned a blind eye to juiced bats (shaving) and act like it doesn't exist, but they are only a lawsuit away from a serious injury and an attorney who sees big money. Rumor has it that there is at least one case moving forward right now in the US. I think negligence can be easy to prove in some instances. Those cities and leagues can correct the problem by renting an ASA bat testing machine that tests bats and then putting stickers on compliant bats. In the case of Senior Softball, that's not going to help with Combats and Mikens everywhere. I say just dump the rule and pitch from the rubber . . . or let only the pitchers decide. I mean, everyone who isn't a pitcher, seems to have a giant asterisk above their head when they speak, because they obviously aren't in the same danger as the pitcher. Since I'm new to this, I love the opportunity to blog the issue, but I sent an email to Senior Softball about it and never even got a response. What does that tell you? |
| April 4, 2009 FOFO Men's 60 284 posts | As a pitcher, I don't like the rule. When I become more worried about getting hit by a batted ball than playing my position, it's time for me to wear protective equipment, or find another position. Pitcher is no place to hide a big slow moving player. I also believe the new home run rules will cause more balls to come up the middle, therefore, when the homeruns are used up, I need to be even more on my toes. Hitting the ball up the middle is part of the game, and I feel no one is doing it with the intent of hurting the pitcher, they are just trying to get a hit to help there team win a ballgame. We have three other pitchers on our team, the feeling is unanomous about their dislike of the rule. DUMP IT! BC Vegas 50's |
