For those of you who might be wondering, the Stockton tournament for the A/B teams slated for this weekend (March 19-20) has been cancelled, due to rain. [bombersfastball website]
Archive for the ‘Tournaments’ Category
Stockton Tournament Cancelled
Friday, March 18th, 20052005 So Cal ASA Alliance Season Gets Underway in Palm Springs, CA
Friday, March 18th, 2005Fifteen teams will open the 2005 So Cal ASA Alliance season in Palm Springs this weekend, March 19-20, 2005. [For schedule and more click here…]
Vancouver Challenge Men’s Open Fastpitch Tournament-July 29-31
Tuesday, March 8th, 2005Conrad Margolis, fellow barrister and the man behind the Vancouver Grey Sox sends us this press release on the Vancouver Challenge:
The Vancouver Grey Sox and South Hill Sports Association are pleased to officially announce that the 2005 Vancouver Challenge Mens Open FP Tournament will be held July 29 – 31 at South Memorial Park (“The Hill”), in Vancouver. The Hill is centrally located, approximately 15 minutes driving time from downtown Vancouver and from Vancouver International Airport.
TOURNAMENT DETAILS
Vancouver Challenge Dates – July 29 – 31, 2005
Class – Mens Open
Pitching Rule: ISC
Entry Fee: $350 (Cdn Funds)
Number of Games: 4 guaranteed
Number of Teams: 8 teams
Prize Money: $2,800.00 (Cdn Funds) – * based upon 8 teams competing
1st Place: $1,400
2nd Place: $ 700
3rd Place: $ 350
4th Place: $ 350* Note prize money will be adjusted accordingly if fewer than 8 teams.
Entry cheques should be made payable to Vancouver Grey Sox, and mailed c/o Jim Johnson, 4172 King Edward Ave., Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6S 1N3. Information pertaining to host hotel and other accommodation options will be provided upon request.
Four teams are confirmed to date: The Vancouver Grey Sox, Calgary Smokers, Prince George River Kings, and a local squad. Three clubs including one of the ISC’s top-ranked teams have expressed strong interest, and two more have expressed moderate interest. We will likely limit the field to the first 8 teams to submit their entry fees.
For more information on how your team can join this event, please contact the Vancouver Grey Sox organization via email:vancouverchallenge@hotmail.com
Editor’s note: As of the date of this post, the entry fee translates to about $288 U.S.
Got Teams?
Saturday, March 5th, 2005Ralph Trejo Jr. of the So Cal Bombers is inviting teams to Palm Springs, to get some games in next weekend, March 12-13, 2005. See his post at the Fastpitchwest Forum for the details.
Update: 3/7/05: If you are an interested team, Ralph needs to know by tomorrow, March 8 if you want in. (909)-841-0462.
Update: 3/9/05: Sorry folks, this weekend has been cancelled.
So Cal ASA Alliance Kicks Off Season Saturday, March 5
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2005The So Cal ASA Alliance will kick off their 2005 league season this Saturday, March 5, 2005 at Little Lake Park in Santa Fe Springs, California. The Alliance will once again combine the best features of league and tournament play with its “tournament series” format, permitting teams to play in as many or as few tournament weekends as they wish. Points towards ASA “C” national tournament berths are awarded each league weekend, based upon the order of finish. The teams play three games Saturday during the pool play portion of the weekend, which determines seeding for Sundays’ single elimination bracket.
The line-up of teams for the Alliance in 2005 will have a decidedly different look this year. Missing will be two of its top teams, Raymar and Edge, both of whom finished in top 5 in last year’s ASA “C” National Tournament in Hastings, Nebraska, among 70 teams. Under ASA rules, these two teams are “bumped up” to the next classification, e.g. the “B” division. Raymar will compete in the So Cal ASA A/B league and vie for a spot in the ASA “B” Nationals, while the Edge team has dispersed among other Alliance “C” teams. (players from a top 5 team may stay in the “C” division, provided there are no more than four on the same team. ).
Raymar will lose two of its players to Alliance teams, pitcher Tommy Obregon, who heads over o the Panteras, joining up with two of Edge players, the Sepulveda brothers, sons of the legendary Greg Sepulveda, who played for the Lakewood/Lancaster Chameleons, 1983 ISC World Champions. Damian Guerrero will take his big bat from Raymar, over to the Long Beach Black Sox.
A four man nucleus from the Edge have merged with San Diego Fastpitch to form “Prime Time Fastpitch”. The Edge (formerly Kanakas) and San Diego have been perennial contenders for the Alliane crown. San Diego ace Dan Zupp, one of the few pitchers to beat the Edge last year, will now have some as teammates.
Ron Kirby’s El Segundo Rounders will be the top returning Alliance finisher, having won the league in 2003 and finished second in 2004. The Rounders add Mike “Spanky” Thomas, from last year’s Fresno River Rats to replace retiring shortstop Danny Roberts. In 2004, the Edge team edged out the Rounders for the top spot in the Alliance standings. The Rounders closed strong, winning three league weekends down the stretch, but came up just a point shy of league champions, the Edge.
Back for their second Alliance season will be the Long Beach Black Sox, headed up by player-manager, and former pro-baseballer, Fred Hanker. Hanker’s squad made their mark in their inaugural season, proving their ability to compete with, and beat any of the Alliance teams. The Sox capped their 2004 season by winning the Cal Cup title in Fresno, in August, and look to carry over that momentum into the 2005 campaign.
Past accomplishments mean little at this point, though, as all teams start the new season with a clean slate. With the winter rains hopefully behind them, the teams appear anxious for the Alliance season to get underway.
The schedule of games is posted at the So Cal ASA website.
So Cal Bombers top Rainey in First 2005 Matchup
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2005The So Cal Bombers came up winners in the first matchup against Team Rainey in the Panteras Valentines Tournament in Norwalk, California on February 25-26, 2005. The two teams are generally regarded as the top two teams in California. Team Rainey has been the California area representative at the ISC World Tournament the last two years, and was ranked in the top 20 teams in the world, all of last year, but the Bombers have bolstered their roster for 2005, and appear ready to challenge for the top spot. Stay tuned, as this rivalry is just beginning.
So Cal Season Gets Underway in Norwalk, CA
Saturday, February 26th, 2005After a one week delay due to rain, the Southern California fastball season gets underway in Norwalk, California today, at Holyfield Park, 12500 Excelsior Drive, Norwalk, CA. The field of teams is down to 12 from the original 20, with a number of teams unable to make the rescheduled date. The format has changed as a result, with the double elimination bracket being replaced by a 3 game round robin, followed by a single elimination bracket which gets started late Saturday afternoon, and continues on to Sunday.
The field of teams includes the two teams that can arguably raise the claim to being the best team in Southern, if not all of California, Team Rainey and the So Cal Bombers. The two teams faced each other in last year’s final at the Norwalk Tournament, with Team Rainey coming away with the championship trophy.
Team Rainey is the reigning ISC California Area champion, having represented the southland at the ISC World Tournament for the past two years in a row. Team Rainey played the most ambitious schedule for any California team in more than a decade last year, playing a number of top 10 teams, and notching some upsets, including an impressive 9-2 win over Victoria Travelers Inn at the Rose Cup tournament in Portland, OR.
As many of our readers know, the roster has undergone some big changes, with a number of former Rainey players moving over to the So Cal Bombers, including the 1-2 pitching tandem of Travis Price and Tony Peeples, and starters Jason Porto, Nate Devine and Mike Butler.
But with Captain Dan’s shuttering its operation after many years, Team Rainey has reloaded, signing former Dan team members Dwayne Fowler, Neil Sauerheber, and skipper Don Didion. In addition, Rainey has signed British Columbian ace, Bricklen Anderson, who was among the best pitchers on the west coast last year, along with Tony Hunhoff and Sonny Perkins, and looks to be in good shape, despite the loss of Price and Peeples.
The roster changes will make for a great rivalry between the two teams, who are scheduled to play each other today in the round robin portion of the tournament at 3:30pm PST. Tomorrow’s championship game in the single elimination bracket is set for 1:45pm.
Decatur Shootout Looking for One More (Major) Team
Friday, February 25th, 2005The Decatur Shootout will expand from a field of 12 teams to 16 if they can get one more major team to commit. So Cal’s own, Team Rainey travelled to the tournament last year and came away with the consolation bracket title. Here is the latest from Doug Gray, Decatur Sports Foundation president:
The 2005 Decatur ShootOut is looking for one more men’s major team to participate in this year’s ShootOut June 17th – 19th in Decatur, IL at the Borg Warner Sports Complex. We have a very strong field of 12 teams set but also have 3 very interested teams on waiting list and have decided that if we can get one additional team to commit we will expand the field to 16. Tournament has cash payouts to top finishers, pool play with top 4 advancing to championship play and finishers 5-8 advance to consolation playoff, Entry fee $500, all teams should expect to play Friday night. Interested teams should contact us immediately as we would like to have scheduling information out very soon.
All housing for the tournament is being handled by Laurie Crook with All Sport Accomodations (www.all-sport.net) and she may be reached at 847-697-7440 or laurie@all-sport.net and she can also assist teams with travel plans.
Contacts for entry or additional information are Doug Gray 217-423-1951 or 217-429-0788 or rdgray@insightb.com and Lynne Durham 217-433-2507 or lynnee@one-eleven.net
Long Beach’s Kevin Castillo among those selected for USA Jr. Men’s Team
Saturday, September 18th, 2004Kevin Castillo (son of Paul Castillo) of Long Beach, California was among the players making the final cut for the USA Jr. Men’s team that will travel to Prince Edward Island, Canada next summer to represent the United States. Paul is a member of the baseball team at Long Beach Poly High School, the same school that produced the great Tony Gwynn, and has learned the game of fastpitch from his father Paul, a longtime player from the Long Beach area, nicknamed “the guru” by his former teammates on the El Segundo Rounders. Also among the players selected were a few more with “fastpitch genes”, Curtis Leavitt (son of 1981 ISC World Champion Camarillo Kings catcher Jerry Leavitt) B.J. Hunhoff (nephew of pitcher Tony Hunhoff), and Nick Santos, son of Pueblo Bandit catcher, Jerry Santos and nephew of Pueblo Bandits field manager and sponsor, Chris Santos. Nick Santos and B.J. Hunhoff are alternates for 2005, but only 15 years old and will still be still eligible for the next cycle in 2009.
Fastpitchwest congratulates these young players who will proudly wear “USA” across their chests and wish them well in the international competition. What a great opportunity for these young players. If you wish to learn a bit more about the members of the team, be sure to visit our “USA Jr. Men” team pages, complete with photos:
The USA Jr. Men’s team issued the following press release yesterday:
Oklahoma City, OK—USA Softball has announced the roster for its 2005 Junior Men’s National Team that will represent the United States at the 2005 ISF Junior Men’s World Championship in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada, June 22-July 1. These players were selected after a year long process that involved tryouts, various training camps and evaluation at the ASA National Championships.
The 17 players selected for the 2005 Junior Men’s National Team are:
Matt Bezzant (Cedar Hills, UT); Drew Bode (Prairie de Chien, WI); Mike Bowden (Aurora, IL); Kevin Castillo (Long Beach, CA); Kyle Davis (Sioux Falls, SD); Bobby Donley (Templeton, CA); Brandon Huerta (Atascadero, CA); John Kelly (Chester, IA); Sean Krohse (Sioux Falls, SD); Curtis Leavitt (Acton, CA); Jason Loe (Sioux Falls, SD); Brian Malakowsky (Wells, MN); Andy Mathews (Cameron, WI); Bobby Olson (Amboy, MN); Evan O’Reilly (San Luis Obispo, CA); Zach Warne (Sioux Falls, SD) and Riley White (Lehi, UT)
Alternates are Camden Decker (Aurora, IL), B.J. Hunhoff (Harrisburg, SD) and Nick Santos (Pueblo, CO).
The coaches selected to lead this team are head coach Tim Lyon (South Jordan, UT), assistant coach Gary Mullican (Aliso Viejo, CA) and assistant coach Scott Standerfer (Charleston, IL).
The USA Junior Men’s National Team will attempt to win its first medal at a World Championship since 1985. Despite winning silver medals at the first two (1981 and 1985) ISF Junior Men’s World Championships, the USA Junior Men have been unable to reach the medal stand in the last four World Championships finishing a disappointing eighth in 2001 in Sydney, Australia with a record of 2-7.
“I am excited at the opportunity to build the USA Junior Men’s program back to where it belongs, at the top of the top,†said head coach Tim Lyon. “We have worked extremely hard to put together the best possible team to represent the U.S. at next year’s World Championship.â€
The Junior Men’s World Championship, which is held every four years and is comprised of teams whose players are 19-years-old or younger, represents the highest level of international competition for junior men’s fast pitch softball.
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. As the National Governing Body, the ASA is responsible for identifying, selecting and training male and female athletes to compete in World, Pan American and Olympic competitions. In addition to those duties, the ASA conducts the only recognized National Championship competitions in the United States.
Behind the Scenes in a Big Way
Saturday, August 21st, 2004For the past several years, Southern California’s own, David Blackburn has been working behind the scenes at the ISC World Tournament, to bring the games right to our doorstep, wherever in the world that may be. David heads up the Streaming Audio (and perhaps soon, video), delivering live men’s fastpitch/fastball via live stream on the internet.
The pilot program for the ISC World Tournament was tested in the summer of 2001 Best of the West Tournament in Palmdale California, and then put into place for the first time at the 2001 ISC World Tournament, allowing those who could not make the trip to the World Tournment to follow all the action. I had the privilege of sitting in on some of those “beta test” broadcasts from Palmdale, and seeing David’s work on the program first hand.
The growth and popularity of the live audio broadcast program has been remarkable, with audiences now numbering over 10,000 listeners for the World Tournament each year. Post-game interviews broadcast after the games have introduced us to countless players and rising stars of the game, bringing us an up-close look at the tournament, and giving us that “almost-sitting-in-the-ballpark” feel.
Now in its fourth year, the David’s ISC crew, headed up by play by play announcer Ron Chambers and color man Ferdi Nielsen has been broadcasting games all week, including each and every game in the “Sweet Sixteen” playoff round. (In fact, I am listening to the 10am Saturday game between Calgary and Circle Tap as I type this story) David is on the air at times, but always “on” behind the scenes, tending to the production, arranging for sponsors to finance the program and all of the little details in between.
The ISC World broadcasts have become such a fixture at the tournament that it’s hard to remember the day when we didn’t have them. This year in Fargo, North Dakota, the ISC audio broadcast program was expanded to add 18 games from the intermediate level tournament, the ISC-II headed up by new ISC-II commissioner Blair Setford (which I was fortunate to be a part of).
Today (Saturday August 21, 2004) marks another step towards eventual live video broadcasts of the ISC World Tournament, as David coordinates a cable television broadcast of the championship game from Fargo, broadcast to homes in North Dakota and parts of Canada, and testing of streaming broadcast technology for use in future tournaments.
For all of the fastpitch/fastball fans around the world, we say “thanks” for your efforts Dave, exposing the great sport of men’s fastpitch to thousands more and giving the loyal fans our requisite dose live……
Below are the details for the TV broadcast (in case your local pub has satellite capability). Click the title of this story above to visit the “Sportjuice.com” page, which contains “click to listen links” for today’s final games, including the championship game on at 6:30 p.m. central time.
They are doing some testing of streaming video, so you may also want to click the video link on that page to see what they are up to. At last check, I was hearing that they had not yet
resolved some technical issues to do the video stream, but you never know.
Where David Blackburn and streaming media are involved, the future is just a day away.
Men’s Fastball Fans:
If you would like to watch the 2004 ISC World Tournament on live satellite Television at your local Sports Bar, here is what you need to do…
Tell the bartender, or the person who controls the satellite dish that you want to watch
IA – 6 / K 11
Specifics:
Satellite name is IA-6 [Intelsat Americas 6] *This is the
satellite formerly named Telstar 6*
· This is a KU Analog satellite
· Transponder 11This is the information that Sports Bars will need to show patrons the championship game for free.
On Saturday night August 21, at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time, The ISC
World Championship game will be also broadcast live on ABC Television in North and South
Dakota, and to over one million homes in Manitoba Canada, on Cable TV.For the first time in the ISC’s 4 year history of streaming fastball games, we will also be experimentingwith streaming video of the Championship via Sportsjuice.com.
More details on that, as plans are finalized. We still have some final technical details to sort out.Stay tuned, and enjoy all of this ISC Men’s fastball action.
Dave Blackburn
ISC Commissioner
Streaming and Broadcasting
310-266-7803
mailto:daveb@virtvent.com