Two Teams Set a Fine Example

Dec. 1, 2014

For more than two decades there has been a culture in slow-pitch softball of teams striving to play in the lowest skill level possible to ensure that they will win.

That culture is the epitome of bad sportsmanship and fosters an array of bad behavior designed to land teams in a division in which they can beat up on other teams.

So it is indeed heartening when managers and teams embrace the challenge of playing against strong competition.

Of the scores of rating notices SSUSA sent out last month, two teams responded in a very honorable manner:

Ray Kozusko’s Texas Legends team was moved from AAA to Major. His response: “Been expecting this email from you. Even though we lost three games in Las Vegas, we had enough good luck to sneak through and win that sucker. We humbly and proudly accept the new rating of Major.”

Brian Brown’s Boombah Voodoo team was raised from Major to Major-Plus. His response: “We are honored to move up to Major-Plus and look forward to the challenge. We want to play the best ball around and this is the division we want to be in.”

The real quest in sports, whether it is Little League baseball or Senior Softball, is to be the best you can possibly be – and that means competing at the highest possible level so that victory has value.

We congratulate these two teams for their honorable stands and recommend other teams take note.