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Details for DaveDowell


Real name:
Dave Dowell

Location:
Sacramento, CA

Division:
Men's 70

Messages posted by DaveDowell »Message board home   »Start a new discussion

Dec. 8, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: General and miscellaneous
Discussion: T.O.C. in january

It will be posted here (Message Board) and on the event Tournament Page of this website. Good luck and Congrats on earning your bid!
Dec. 8, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: General and miscellaneous
Discussion: T.O.C. in january

Nope ... That's a decision that will likely be made at or shortly after the entry deadline of January 2, 2024 ...
Dec. 7, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: Rules of the game
Discussion: Rules question

The instance of a batter runner being hit by a thrown ball is not interference (it's nothing – live ball, play on) unless the runner intentionally makes contact with the thrown ball or otherwise hinders or impedes a fielder's opportunity to field or throw the ball ...
Dec. 7, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: General and miscellaneous
Discussion: Shaved Bat

roster ... A "rolled bat" is an ALTERED BAT ... A "shaved bat" is an ALTERED BAT ... The ONLY difference in those two concepts is the process by which the bat owner converts his bat from a legal bat to an ALTERED bat ... Any other attempt to rationalize this type of activity is still cheating ...
Dec. 3, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: Bats
Discussion: New bat rule clarification.

ju25 ... I missed the "Happy New Year" for this season and gave you erroneous advice. I have been (correctly) advised that our new bat rule, which took effect November 1st, requires ALL bats to have a SSUSA stamp or say "SSUSA approved" on them. So, the old USSSA bats are NOT legal if they do not have a SSUSA stamp. My apologies for the confusion.
Nov. 30, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: Tournaments
Discussion: Spring Worlds

YES
Nov. 29, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: General and miscellaneous
Discussion: TOC

dMON ... All divisions play on Friday through Sunday ... Wednesday and Thursday are other events that make the TOC a full five days if you want it to be ... Congrats on qualifying and Good Luck!
Nov. 29, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: General and miscellaneous
Discussion: TOC

The list is available from the link near the top of the Tournament page of this website ... The link is:

https://seniorsoftball.com/multimedia/2024_toc_qualified_teams_(2023_season)_r9.pdf


Nov. 29, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: Tournaments
Discussion: Spring Worlds

No ... The Men's and Women's 40-Masters and the Women' 50+ and 55+ Senior divisions will be held in Bullhead City ...
Nov. 28, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: General and miscellaneous
Discussion: Appeals Board

Hi Steve. YES, a player may appeal a suspension. Here's what is relevant for such an appeal, in the same order as your questions:

[1] There is no formal written appeal procedure. This is by design to allow the appellant wide latitude in formulating a response that's unrestricted by any specific format. The SSUSA office determines who will hear the appeal and provides them with the "case file", which remains confidential during and after the appeal.
[2] Of the appeals I have seen, all of them have been in a narrative written format addressing any or all of the following: (a) contesting or clarifying the factual accuracy for the alleged conduct resulting in the suspension, (b) disputing the severity of the factual issues alleged, and/or (c) asserting that the "penalty" is not appropriate for the nature or severity of the alleged "offense". We have seen other additional appeal theories, but those three comprise the most frequent avenues of approach.
[3] The suspended individual receives a letter and/or an email informing him of the basis for and the period of proposed suspension. That letter also states and establishes the start of the thirty (30) day period within which an appeal may be made and must be received by SSUSA.
[4] All appeals are heard and decided by a three-person Appeal Board comprised of independent SSUSA National Directors who were not present at the tournament where the basis for the suspension arose. Presuming that your inquiry is from an incident in Phoenix recently, the Appeals Board will not include anyone who worked at the 2023 Winter World Championships.
[5] The Appeal Board does not meet physically, so an appearance by an appellant would be complicated, but it's neither officially "permitted" nor "prohibited". I have been on a few Appeal Boards, and we have always exchanged email correspondence and had phone conversations, as appropriate, in reaching a decision. The Appeals Board provides SSUSA with their written decision at the conclusion of their review, which is then conveyed in writing to the appellant.
[6] There is no specific completion time requirement on the part of the Appeal Board, but resolution as soon as practical, while giving it the highest level of due diligence is important. I have never seen an appeal extend beyond 30 days after the process starts; and
[7] Our only other advice is to stress the importance of meeting the initial 30-day time frame to inform SSUSA and submit the actual appeal to them. Secondary advice would include a suggestion that if your appellant thinks something might be relevant, by all means include it. Third-party statements of relevant and supportable facts are welcome.

Since we do not consider these appeals publicly, I am going to close this thread. You know how to reach us for any follow-up questions. Thank you and good luck.


Nov. 28, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: General and miscellaneous
Discussion: Appeals Board

Steve ... Are you asking about the process for a team rating appeal or a disciplinary action ruling appeal? ... I'll take a swing at it if you can clarify ... Thanks ...
Nov. 20, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: General and miscellaneous
Discussion: Player rating

9 ball ... There are a lot of variables and a few "ifs" in your post ... Please call the Sacramento Home Office today at (916) 326.5303 and ask for an eligibility/roster person ... They'll take care of your questions right away ... Thanks ...
Nov. 20, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: Tournaments
Discussion: Winter Worlds Scheduling Problems

There's also the potential (undesirable) consequence that a team playing four (of the five-games scheduled format) on Friday faces elimination from the tournament in their first game of the day on Saturday ... Playing five in 24 hours and being on the way home as early as 9:30 AM Saturday morning isn't going to be anyone's preferred schedule ... Due to the drop down to a four-game guarantee dictated by the weather, a handful of teams did depart after one game Saturday, but at least it was mid to late afternoon in almost all cases ...


Nov. 19, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: Tournaments
Discussion: Winter Worlds Scheduling Problems

Oh, this is a FRIDAY complaint ... Well, that makes it a bit simpler to explain ... All five parks pushed the theoretical maximum of six teams per diamond after we had to discard the Legacy Park option ... They are 4-field complexes, and we balanced the team loads at C. Chavez (22), D. West (23), Papago (22), R. Mofford (24) and Sahuaro Ranch (21) pretty well ... Then it's just making sure the games demand (which in a 5-game guarantee format equals 3.2± per team) fits the game-slot inventory ...

In your 17-team bracket, it was obvious that only the #1-Seed was going to get Friday evening off ... Unless you were 2-0 with strong runs-allowed numbers, you were going to be playing Friday and should maybe have planned your time away from the park accordingly ... It was also completely by design to have the 50-Majors slotted into the late seeding rounds ... With their 7-team division, the mathematics prevent playing four games at a time, so they were set up three-wide at 2:00 and 3:30 PM, with only the single games in your division filling out those two rounds ... There's another little twist most folks probably don't think about: Those specific games (for teams #2, 4, 5 & 10) were placed there strategically so that no team would be at a disadvantage because they had to play three games in a row if they seeded themselves into a 5:30 PM bracket game ... That protective scheduling is not by accident ...

So that's how and why Friday came together like it did in what we believe was perfectly laid out ... I'd do it again exactly the same way, with or without the assistance of a Computer Science intern with, very likely, exactly zero knowledge or experience in such matters ... Thanks, Bruce, for commenting and providing a context to allow us to explain what we do!


Nov. 19, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: Tournaments
Discussion: Winter Worlds Scheduling Problems

No worries, BruceAZ ... I don't take it personal because the real culprit was Mother Nature ... She's tough to get a response from, and it's unreasonable to blame adverse weather consequences on the tournament staff ... She deprived everyone at Rose Mofford of the first 16 games slots of the day being played before the actual start time at 2:00 PM ... But that still beats the other venue in the NW quadrant of the Valley ... Sahuaro Ranch Park, less than 8 miles away, suffered a complete rainout and ZERO games played ... Today, you can expect it to be sunny, with a high near 74° ... Good luck!! ...


Nov. 18, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: Tournaments
Discussion: WINTER WORLD'S • Adverse Weather Update

UPDATE • Play was canceled at Sahuaro Ranch Park in Glendale and Saturday games/divisions were moved to other facilities for both Saturday and Sunday in the case of Womens's 40-AA and Men's 40-AAA finals ... The revised Master Games Grid (except for Desert West on Saturday) has been posted for the weekend play ... Please contact your Field Director(s) for more specific information ... Thank you!


Nov. 18, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: Tournaments
Discussion: WINTER WORLD'S • Adverse Weather Update

WINTER WORLDS WEATHER DELAY • Substantial overnight rains in the metropolitan Phoenix area have caused delays at all five facilities on Saturday morning ... Contrary to some of the dis-information floating about, there have been NO CANCELLATIONS OF SATURDAY PLAY ... We are currently working on modifications to the bracket schedules and will post them here as they are completed ... Please CONTACT YOUR FIELD DIRECTOR for the most current reliable information ... Thank you!
Nov. 17, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: Tournaments
Discussion: Tourney Results

Truth in advertising advisory: I had nothing to do with it. Stephanie and the on-site Directors deserve ALL the credit for a job well done. Thanks, Louie for speaking up!
Nov. 17, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: General and miscellaneous
Discussion: Downloading New Player Registration Card

Cal ... Please call the Sacramento Home Office at (916) 326-5303 during normal business hours in the Pacific time zone and ask for Shelby ... She can email you a replacement digital card immediately ...
Nov. 17, 2023
DaveDowell
Topic: General and miscellaneous
Discussion: New Ratings Home Landing Page

Manny ... We're going to go ahead and leave those teams in the system so we don't flush all of the player history and applicable ratings data for those players who are still active at older age divisions ... Thanks just the same for the idea ...
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