Editor’s note:
We’ve bumped this post up to remind fans that the tournament starts Sunday! Most of the teams are traveling today, with the players getting wound up for the competition. Well, everyone but Team USA, sorry to say. They’re on the sidelines for this competition between the rest of the Western Hemisphere. My question is “why aren’t we there?. That team that kept you off the medal stand in 2009? They’re there.
Scroll to read Bob Otto’s comment below.
Update:
Sunday’s Schedule of Games – Septemeber 16, 2012
Editor’s note: The results being reported don’t match the revised schedule released, so appears they have revised the schedule again. Ecuador has been penciled out of a couple games to my knowledge; we’ll update more when we can get additional information.
DOMINGO, SEP 16/2012 (Winners shown in bold, where info available)
8:00 AM 1 GUATEMALA ARGENTINA
10:00 AM INAUGURACION
12:00 PM 2 DOMINICANA BAHAMAS
2:00 PM 3 VENEZUELA BAHAMAS
4:00 PM 4 COLOMBIA ECUADOR
6:00 PM 5 VENEZUELA MEXICO
From Team Canada’s John Stuart ?
Team Canada Fastpitch originally scheduled game vs Ecuador has been changed we now play Guetemala same time. Expect the unexpected !!
There’s a change in the Pan Am schedule, since Cuba and Panama are not going to Medellín. That left 10 teams in the tournament, so they will play a round robin, and a simple page playoff. That wil make the teams play a double header almost every day.
Click here for revised schedule or view below)
Teams
Venezuela
Puerto Rico
Guatemala
Colombia
Canada
Argentina
Mexico
Bahamas
Dominicana
Ecuador
Editor’s note: Anyone seen the USA lately ?
RIC425 says
Why is there no USA team, don’t they need to play to qualify for ISF?
Bob Otto says
The unofficial explanation that I heard is that an agreement was reached between the ISF and Team USA that would allow the U.S. men’s national team a direct pass into the ISF World Championship without having to qualify. I was also told that nothing was guaranteed in writing, but Team USA’s powers-that-be trust that the (apparent) verbal agreement will be honored and decided to forego the Pan Am qualifier. Now won’t there be some embarrassed USA Softball leadership if this (again apparent) verbal agreement is not honored and the team is denied entry into the most exclusive international competition the sport has to offer. And I ask: if this same scenario applied to the USA Women’s National Team, wouldn’t they be competing in the qualifier? Is this about saving money on the men’s side? Or maybe it comes down to a possible reasoning that the male side of U.S. fastpitch just isn’t all that important since the participation numbers are dwindling – and some would say quite rapidly – while the girls’ and women’s side is as popular as ever. Additionally, we know so little about the men’s team outside of press releases about camps, and the national team player pool, and final cut, and of course games scores and results at the ISF championship. Other than that, do you read much about the individual players? Do you read anything from the head coach about the team? It’s as if the team is a secrecy that fastpitch fans are forbidden to know much about. How are we as fastpitch fans supposed to get excited about “our” national men’s fastpitch team when so little information is available.
charlie says
well really there is not much to talk about here in the U.S.??? there are no pitchers ???? they are getting old and the guys that are comming up where are they and who is out there ????? look at argentina the list is good look at Austrailia they look real good Look at New Zealand they look real good look at Canada they are real good …. common thats why they dont talk much about it they dont have nothing to talk about I played when they were good and I know what good is and they dont have it sorry guys I dont wanna offend anyone but its the truth they dont GOT IT !!!!!! (pitching)
diego says
This will be the end of the turner/jones dynasty. Those two guys alone have made the US a laughing stock when it comes to PanAm/ISF etc competition
The players want to play. The honchos say it is money. I believe it is due to turner not being able to get away
from his women’s coaching gig twice in 6 months. Add in the secrecy of who is on the team and you have
a mini- bureaucracy that is running the sr mens program. None of the coaches travelled around to watch players this past summer when they played with their club teams. They put in appearances at the ASA major and the ISC WT, but for the most part the coaches are invisible during the open ball season. They used a 3 day camp to pick players and many guys got picked because of the buddy system(coaches kid for one). A couple guys are back on the team again that have never done anything when on the team in the past and they arent even considered top players in open ball.
Not a great way to run the program, but the only way to change it is to can all the coaches and start over.
Cant get any worse for the US. The players on the team end up looking like dopes and for the most part they
arent.
USA softball/turner will claim MONEY problems, but that isnt the entire picture – only a small part of it.
Herb Wisdom says
50 years and a million dollars spent on the great game of fastpitch softball I beleive qualifies me to express an opinion. All excuses, deals, agreements out the window, the USA should be at this qualifier. The BEST USA players are not on the USA team because they were not at the tryout camp. Remember when the ASA major champion team was the USA rep? Try out camp ? Today its a waste of time. To name a few, Kusser, Beckert, Santos, Doran should be on a committee to pick the players and coach. Now suddenly we have a crop of young pitchers that need to be developed. To name a few, Tony Mancha, Dan Camacho, Peter Zazueta, Joe Hineline, Buddy Armijo, Beau Brooks. These kids fathers were fastpitch players so they grew up at the ball park. All the big teams have their pitchers so how do we develop them. If they don’t pitch against the big boys they won’t get any better. Yes its going to take money but really not a whole lot, enough to sponsor them to tournaments. I suggest we start the “Pitcher Development Fund” I will put up the first dollar and volunteer to chair the venture. Contact me if your interested in helping, lets stop bitching about the game dying and do something about it.
Mike says
I agree, Tony Mancha has already pitched against some of the worlds best to name a few (Folkard, Juan P, Whitten) and he has held his own. We are going to waste his talents and a few others if we dont get on the ball. I dont have that much to offer but I am sure willing to help. How do we get them their opportunity??
jap23 says
There is pitching in the U.S you just have to know where to look.