The ASA announced the host cities for the 2012 ASA Nationals, at their recent meetings in Shreveport, LA.
TOURNAMENT NAME START DATE STOP DATE
LOCATION
Men’s Major 8/2/2012 8/5/2012 TBA Monday, November 15
Men’s Class Open 8/30/2012 9/2/2012 North Mankato, MN
Men’s Class B 8/30/2012 9/2/2012 North Mankato, MN
Men’s Class C East 8/30/2012 9/2/2012 Salem, VA
Men’s Class C West 8/30/2012 9/2/2012 North Mankato, MN
Men’s 23-Under 8/3/2012 8/5/2012 TBA Monday, November 15
Men’s Masters 40-Over 8/24/2012 8/26/2012 TBA Monday, November 15
Men’s Masters 50-Over 9/6/2012 9/9/2012 TBA Monday, November 15
Men’s Senior 60-Over 9/21/2012 9/23/2012 Prescott, AZ
Editor’s note: Class “A” is now called “Open”, the 50+ is now “Masters” instead of Seniors, and they’ve added a 60+ “Seniors” division. Unless I missed an earlier announcement, this is new for 2012. Regular readers will recall my objection to calling 50+ “seniors”, especially in this day and age, when athletes are competing longer. Good moves on the latter two (50+ and 60+). What’s behind the change of “A” to “Open”?
The one I find most puzzling though, is the “C” division. They split this “national” tournament into two divisions a couple of years ago. This year the “C” (half) East national is in Salem Virginia. OK. But the “C” (half) national West is in Mankato Minnesota.
Don’t get me wrong — Mankato Minnesota is a great fastball town — and will be hosting the men’s open and B the national tournaments in 2012. I have not have the pleasure of going to Mankato yet, but I’m old enough to remember the Happy Chef teams, and have heard great things from the NAFA teams that play there. But last time I looked Mankato Minnesota is in the central time zone, two hours, in two time zones away from the West Coast. Minnesota West?
Mankato is EAST of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, and California.
In 2009, the first year that they split the “C” division, the Eastern half was in Decatur Illinois, while the Western half was in Hastings Nebraska. Or was it the other way around? No matter – both were in the central time zone, just as is the case in 2012. When they split up the “C” division 2009, the most common reason I heard was to save teams the travel expense of going cross-country. That may well be working out for class “C” teams in the central and eastern time zone, but how about those out west?
It’s not as if the West Coast hasn’t supported the ASA “C” Nationals. When Prescott Arizona hosted the “C” (half) national in 2008, roughly half of the 50 teams, give or take, came from California, and more from the western region. An even larger number when Stockton California hosted the tournament in 2005. Ah well. I do understand that host cities are hard to come by, especially good ones like Mankato. This year’s “C” East and West are a bit more balanced, Ohio for the East and Tuscon Arizona for the West.
Miss the list for 2011? They’re listed after the jump.
2011 Host Cities for ASA Nationals
TOURNAMENT NAME START DATE STOP DATE LOCATION
Men’s Major 8/4/2011 8/7/2011 South Bend, IN
Men’s Class Open 9/1/2011 9/5/2011 www.asasoftball.com
Men’s Class B 9/1/2011 9/5/2011 Fresno, CA
Men’s Class C East 9/1/2011 9/5/2011 Massillon, OH
Men’s Class C West 9/1/2011 9/5/2011 Tucson., AZ
Men’s 23-Under 8/4/2011 8/7/2011 North Mankato, MN
Men’s Masters 40-Over 9/8/2011 9/11/2011 Salem, OR
Men’s Masters 45-Over 9/8/2011 9/11/2011 Salem, OR
Men’s Senior 50-Over 9/8/2011 9/11/2011 Salem, OR