LL Softball On

[TimothyJ]

Wow, lots of bitterness and resentment here.

I wonder how many of the naysayers have even really experienced what the LL "All-Stars" post-season like.

Typically, although it's only one game per day, each league usually hosts one "home" game in the entire tournament, and the hosting leagues will put out all the stops at their disposal ( night games under lights, national anthem, names announced during at bats, music between innings). In our area, it draws big crowds..not just parents ( younger and older girls come, the boys team comes, etc)

Never experienced anything like it during a travel tournament or HS game. ASA, Pony, etc may very well have the best talent, but none of them have anything approaching the LLWS. ( and it's not just because it's televised)

 

[joemcq51]

When the LL programs are run correctly, they can be very good programs. Problem is that many programs consider the girls as an afterthought. Many LL programs have 10 boys playing for every girl. So guess where most of the resources go? As a supporter of all girls playing softball, at any level, here are some comparisons as I see them. This would be for the competetive player. I don't think it matters to a rec player what association they belong to.

Little League- Poor competition. Especially early on on the tournament process. Usually out of a 4-6 team district, there will be one decent team. I do like the finality of their tournaments. Games are announced and get good newspaper coverage. You have to win to advance or your season is over. Games are not timed. The sectional tournament is a lot like WCWS Super Regionals. Usually two teams in a best of three. All of the tournaments after Sectionals are pool play with a semi and a final. Little League does a nice job of covering travel expenses for a lot of the tournaments for the girls and coaches. Girls actually get to represent their communities.

Travel Ball- Better competitiion. You can pick which tournaments you wish to enter. Usually the better coaches are in TB. Much better job exposing girls to college recruiters. Downside is the heavy travel part. Finding quality teams to play on. Expense to the parents between dues and travel cost is huge. Timed games. However it doesn't take a week and a half to play a 4 team tournament. There is always next weekend.

I actually thought before I started writing this response that I was more of a TB supporter. I think there is a place for both to exist. What I have found is that I am a supporter of girls softball. I could care less what the organization is. I just want the girls to be able to play on a safe field with good coaching and quality competition.

 

[Quake Softball]

Fastest pitch I saw during the game was 54mph, but I guess some might consider that pushing 60. Usually their own DD though... . Several girls were also 13, not sure about the pitchers.

Actually the Sterling pitcher was consistantly hitting 58. So I am not sure which game you were watching.

 

[Quake Softball]

I actually thought before I started writing this response that I was more of a TB supporter. I think there is a place for both to exist. What I have found is that I am a supporter of girls softball. I could care less what the organization is. I just want the girls to be able to play on a safe field with good coaching and quality competition.

I agree 100%

 

[MTR]

Excellent.

Yes, LL might be poor competition now, but where I live you can say the same about some ASA tourneys, too. not because ASA is poor (It definitely is not) but neither ASA or LL is dominant in the area. There is No C, so the B ASA has some C teams in it.

ASA does not have C ball

LL got into softball late, as did ussssa. But that does not mean they can't be or are not successful.

Do you think it is coincidence that LL softball was created the first year the LL rules were, some say forced, amended to allow participation by females? IMO, as it was in 1974 when this occurred, LL softball was introduced to keep the girls off the baseball field. Believe what you may, but I think the GOB of baseball still have a firm hold on Little League and softball is a by-product of keeping their precious game as female-free as possible. AND BEFORE EVERYONE STARTS TELLING ME ABOUT THIS GIRL OR THAT GIRL playing for whatever baseball team, reread the post since I made no assertion that it wasn't happening.

 

[fastpitch]

The Central team is actually a stacked TB team.

Yes. They are the Sterling Steam 98. I don't know if the competition was any good, but playing USSSA they went undefeated in 3 tournaments. A 12UA Tournament (USSSA "A" Illinois State Championship), 12U Open tournament and a 14U Open tournament. They outscored teams 126-18 in 14 games.

https://www.usssa.com/SPORTS/Team3.asp?TeamID=1591388

 

[soupy62]

Love the thread! I am the manager of the central team that has taken up a lot of this thread. My team is for the most part a group of girls that started 5 years ago, from the same town in northwestern IL with the dream of playing in the Little League World Series. We know 100% for sure that we are not going to compete with the elite travel programs, IF we were going to try to do that we would definatly look outside our city limits for players lol. We kept 10 of the 11 girls on that team together and played them hard in ASA and USSSA tournaments for the sole purpose to get them ready for The Stage we would be on if we made it to the Little League World Series. We picked up an 11th player that wasnt on our travel team roster to be within the rules of Little League and had a ball doing it. I have been to ASA/USA Nationals, ASA Northern Nationals, USSSA World Series and ill tell you these kids have never experienced anything close to what we experienced this summer. They are an d will probably always be celebritys in our community, and its impossible to believe the new love and passion these kids have for this sport! We did what we set out to do and now will push hard to play the highest level of competition we can play. I can assure you with 100% of certanty that ever single US team there with the exception of maybe the host team was or had mostly travel ball kids on it.

 

[soupy62]

Quake, the question i have is what is the difference in what we did, any different than what the top ten teams at nationals does? They stack their teams with talent from hours away to make the best team they can because its allowed. I kept a group of girls from a town of 15500 people and psuhed them to win a tournament of teams doing exactly what we are doing. You say you have heard us braggin at tournaments, maybe what you mistake for pride in what these girls have done as bragging. But i have to guess if you were in a spot that could do what we did with these girls you wouldnt have turned it down. And so you know we have never turned down a challange i love to try to find the best teams to play, 2 years ago, hind sight being 20/20 we should have went to ASA/USA Nationals but i honestly thought we would run into some great teams at Northerns. Last year we went to the 11U World Series, Didnt play our best ball but i was OK with placing 13th. I can say with 100% certanty that our 14U year as long as we can qualify we will be at ASA/USA Nationals. With the way you talk i can expect to see you and your teams there. I would love to shake your hand wish you luck, let the girls play and regardless of the outcome shake your hand again! Im the furthest from arragant or a jerk, and im sure if you really knew me would know that. Im sorry if what we did is wrong in your book. But if the way you feel is the way it should be the Little League should shut down their All Star program because what we did is what all the teams at the World Series are doing.

 

[chinamigarden]

Welcome to the forum Soupy.

One of the problems for most LL organizations is that the best players end up leaving for travel. You found a way to keep those players and developed them. Its a testament to you and your LLs organization. Some people are jealous of the attention the LLWS gets and are so convinced that because LL is inferior in their town that it must be inferior as a whole.

Again, welcome to the board I hope to hear more from you on other topics as well.

 

[Quake Softball]

And so you know we have never turned down a challange i love to try to find the best teams to play, 2 years ago, hind sight being 20/20 we should have went to ASA/USA Nationals but i honestly thought we would run into some great teams at Northerns. Last year we went to the 11U World Series, Didnt play our best ball but i was OK with placing 13th.

Look I am in no way trying to take anything away from your kids. They play great softball. The absolutely best team I have seen in our area, period. But that is my point. If you are trying to challenge them then they shouldn't have played in a tournament that they had no chance losing a game except against the Texas team. Send them to TB nationals and finish 13th. 13th is pretty darn good. I hold that in higher regard than winning the LL World Series. What does a bigger sister get out of beating up her little sister? Nothing.

Don't sell your girls short they are really good!!!