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Online now: 6 members: Andy215, Bump29, SI Ron, TABLE SETTER 11, richiemo, softball4b; 125 anonymousDetails for the wood
Real name:
Bob Woodroof
Location:
San Clemente, CA
Division:
Men's 65
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| Sept. 2, 2013 the wood | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Official Retirement Sparky, has anyone alerted the media yet? BW |
| Aug. 20, 2013 the wood | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: SPA HOF Congratulations to Audie for being inducted into the Senior Softball HOF. I've known Audie for 6 years or so and find him to be one of the really, really good guys. It's never about him, it's always about the game or about his team (as opposed to himself). I've served with him on committees and he was always pleasant, straighforward and knowledgeable. In addition he had a very clear idea of what it was that we were trying to achieve. I can think of no one more deserving. BW |
| Aug. 6, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Eastern National Championships 2013 updates I stand corrected. Perhaps that is why there were no HRs hit (the lower starting point). BW |
| Aug. 5, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Eastern National Championships 2013 updates LL, I was referring to the CalCup last month. We/I weren't @ the West natls. BW |
| Aug. 5, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Eastern National Championships 2013 updates There were zero HRs hit in our division |
| Aug. 5, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Eastern National Championships 2013 updates Swing, when a Stote 44/375 is used in 90 degree heat it is really a 44/285. We played in the Cal Cup last month when it was 95 so we were using a 44/260 ball (in essence). I'm not a ball salesman but, given a choice, I'd prefer a 52/300 over a down graded Stote. But a Rock is a better choice yet. BW |
| Aug. 5, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Eastern National Championships 2013 updates Swing, If your only two choices were a 52/300 and a 44/285, which ball would you prefer to hit? Obviously, we are speaking hypothetically here. Therefore, brands are not important. So which would you prefer? BW |
| Aug. 1, 2013 the wood | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Has the game really been toned down? Tim, I thought that I did spell out the era that I was talking about by saying 30-35 years ago. Since this is now 2013, subtracting 30 and 35 from it would put us in the year 1978 to 1983. More than 'very few' hit HRs during that span. But, as I said, there was a clear distinction between table setters and power hitters. Of the guys now playing senior ball (bear in mind I'm not talking about the 50 division) only a handful were deemed power hitters years ago. I'm guessing that you're 12-13 years younger than me so our areas were different. BW |
| Aug. 1, 2013 the wood | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Has the game really been toned down? 'The truth is that most senior players never hit a HR when they were younger'... based upon my experience, I'd have to agree with this in concept. I always felt that it was a pretty clear distinction between HR hitters and table setters (30-35 years ago). At the risk of splitting hairs, I would substitute the word 'seldom' for 'never' though. Many table setters hit occasional HRs but it wasn't their primary objective. As I read it, Kevin's point is really about the egos of senior players and how hitting HRs feed into that. It amuses me to watch guys who are not power hitters pretend to be one. With 1.2 or 1.21 bats a guy with warning track power can now hit the ball 310'... and he'll waste several At Bats trying to do so. BW |
| July 30, 2013 the wood | Topic: Bats Discussion: need a white combat cent , MM, Who could argue that Cleveland was the capitol of softball at one time? Isn't that where Tom Aldrich, World's Greatest Softball Fan, called home? He must have been, because he had a 'bowling shirt' with that inscription on it. The guy did know everyone and he did know the game. Also, isn't that the home of Hillcrest Tavern? :-) Bob Woodroof |
| July 30, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Major Plus 'All major teams will be allowed 6 Major Plus players' and then eliminate the M+ division? 1) What would be SSUSA's motivation to do this? They had 450 teams (+ -) in LV last fall. The M+ divisions had enough teams to make it attractive for them. The M divisions were loaded with teams... AAA had even more. If you were an SSUSA partner would you mess with the golden goose? 2) The division between M & M+ has been there for 14 years now. Aside from USSSA (and now ISSA), the senior assns have maintained this split. We can all speculate as to why this is so but we can't deny that this is how it's been. 3) ISSA has experimented with the merger of M & M+ but I can't really comment on its effectiveness (we haven't played in any ISSA events since 2003). Before LVSSA and SSUSA merged (and SSWS went away) the top 4 events were the LVSSA, SSUSA, SPA and SSWS National Tourneys (IMO). I'm basing this on the M+ division and the criteria is the group of teams that attended (quantity and quality). ISSA was not one of those events from 2005-2009. It was 10-15 years ago though. One could guess that their motive to merge M/M+ is market share based... or... it could be that they wanted to increase bracket sizes. I'm not in a position to know the real answer. As an aside, SSUSA was the first assn to extend the deadline on 1.2 bats (taking a calculated risk) and this has worked well for them. Many of you were not aware that this occurred in 2004 or so. Coincidently, you can purchase any one of several senior bats from SSUSA's web site. Hmmm! 4) Lastly, the 'behavior of senior players' is such that eliminating M+ will most likely create a chain reaction of events such as the 'roster shuffling' previously mentioned. Again, why would SSUSA risk injuring its cash cow? When I say the behavior of senior players I'm talking about a strong majority but not every player. These are just my feelings but they are based upon what I've observed over the past 16 years. It is my opinion that it would take a catastrophic event ($ driven) for SSUSA to do away with M+. But... if I'm wrong about this (and I've been wrong many times before) one team that would benefit from such a change would be Ruth Realty (any of the Ruth teams currently rated as a M team). If you connect the dots you'll find that Bill Ruth owns part of SSUSA. It was Bill that felt that the FL & CA borders ought to be closed even though there was/is no compelling evidence to support this. As Yogi Berra once said 'you can observe a lot just by watching'. BW |
| July 25, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: LVSSA 2007 Kandi, I tried to reach you but your 'voicemail box was full'. If you wish to speak with me call me on my cell phone, 714 325-1017. Bob Woodroof |
| July 22, 2013 the wood | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: surgery scheduled Good luck to you! BTW, who were the SPA winners? BW |
| July 20, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: LVSSA 2007 No, it wasn't Mark Schaeffer. He never played for Shubin's... just Capitol & Bemco. Skip Young? He hasn't played in 25 years that I know about. The last I heard is that we was working for Ganahl Lumber in Anaheim. Bull plays for the Nighthawks, still in great condition, still a force. I do not know the whereabouts of any of the other guys. Yes, I'd love to have one of the DVDs. My email address is awtgroupsc@aol.com Tell your dad that I said 'hello'. BW |
| July 19, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: LVSSA 2007 Swing: We played in Cal Cup, too, and it was a little cooler than when you played. Still, there were zero HRs in 3 days... not in our games, not in any games that I witnessed. So the Trump Stote ball is no box of chocolates. The make up of the 52/300 ball is such that it doesn't lose its compression as 44/375 balls do. I don't work with Kevin nor do I have any interest in sales of softballs of any type. But I do trust him. I also know Mad Dog to be a straight shooter. The things that are proponents of the 52/300 ball are... injuries are less severe... doesn't lose its compression in higher temps (when compared to 44/375)... it seems to respond to almost all bats in the same way (cheater bats seem to have no advantage)... Obviously, it has its downside, which you and several others have pointed out. Bear in mind that I'm speaking generically, not about a particular brand. How do I feel? I would be OK if we went back to 47/525 and aluminum alloys. I'm ok staying with what we have. I don't really care. But traveling 500 miles to play in 95+ temps, with the Stote balls and having one other team to play won't work. BW |
| July 19, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: LVSSA 2007 KNDKCOOK: I knew your father... played with him here and there. If I recall correctly, he was a catcher in the Pirate organization. We called him 'Opie Taylor' because of his hair cut. Since I'm from Orange County, I mostly played against Kent when he was on the Anaheim Merchants and Rodeo Room. One of his Rodeo Room teammates took up with my ex-wife and I was never able to properly thank him. :-) I had several friends that played for Shubin's. Rick Wheeler and Ron Galvan come to mind as likely guys to have been on the '86 team. I lost touch with Kent so I have no idea if he's still living or not. I knew that he had a bad back. Bob Woodroof (Blinky's, Association, Capitol Insulation, Bemco) |
| July 16, 2013 the wood | Topic: Bats Discussion: GSC bat Jason, I'm a bit confused on the production process. It seems that it was over 2 months ago that the P413 received its approval from Dr. Brandt's office. Then GSC (and a few random players from other teams) used it in Reno. Then you recently mentioned that the production was/is delayed for 'a few finishing touches'. Are these merely cosmetic in nature or are they structural? BW |
| July 3, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Major Plus 'Looking at this from a business standpoint, why would you chance losing teams by combining these 2 divisions, in particular, some Major teams to satisfy the few, which exemplifies the Major Plus teams.' Duke - July 3. Bingo! Until players really understand this they'll continue to offer suggestions/opinions on this matter. While I agree with many things stated on this subject matter, there will be no changes. Senior softball is something that most of us totally enjoy doing but it is a business for the senior associations, whether they're structured as 'for profit' or not. The same goes for the bat makers, shoe makers, uniform makers, etc. We are a revenue source. Period. If M and M+ were combined (something that I favor) there would be many teams disband or attempt to drop into the AAA division. The obvious impact would be less gross revenue for senior associations. We'll be just as wise to discuss how we might change the weather. Interesting dialogue at times but totally unproductive. There are two constants... It is what it is... and it aint changin'. M+ players are similar to the Georgian Colonists whose primary role was to be a buffer from the Native Americans. BW |
| July 1, 2013 the wood | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Just had complete hip replacement. HTG: I had both hips replaced via the 'lateral minimally invasive' procedure. The first was 2 1/2 yrs ago and the second one was a year later. Neither hip causes me any pain today but it does take a long time to regain leg strength and mobility. This may be more about the 'time wasted' than a by product of the surgeries. I do know a guy that had the 'thru the groin' procedure and he said that the post-surgical precautions are much less than what I had. I'm able to play as I did before but I still don't run as well as I'd like... but not due to pain. I'm sure that you'll rehab as vigorously as possible. Hope to see you out there again. BW |
| June 27, 2013 the wood | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Major Plus Beasley, I like the way that think and express yourself (not that you need my approval). I particularly like the 'toothpaste tube' analogy. You used the word 'guts' as it relates to major teams moving up to M+ or not. While it may not be politically correct in today's social climate, I believe that it's a fair word because there are many teams that find more ways to move down than to compete. Not all M teams can compete at the M+ level but plenty could. Regardless if you use 'guts' or some other word, the concept is the same. As a 65 M+ team we experience all of the same problems as you (and Malo) have mentioned plus a couple more. Like you, it's the thrill of playing the best and playing with great people that keeps us going. BW |
