The Earliest Commitment

Stormy Kotzelnick. This is the name of the youngest softball athlete to commit "verbally" to a college.

(Photo from IndyStar: Photo provided by John Kotzelnick)

Following up on my earlier post of early commitments, this story from the Indianapolis Star popped up in my news feed. It immediately drew my attention. What is is about an 8th grader that catches a Division I, collegiate softball program's attention?

Most girls this age haven't even developed into the body that they will most likely be playing with in college (although there are some early developers). But even so, there are so many other factors that are changing: hormones, emotions, mental toughness, preferences.

Right now, an 8th grader might love to go to Alabama to play softball for them. But would a Southern Cali-raised girl enjoy the new environment that Alabama has to offer? Humidity, RAIN, culture, etc. She could change her mind by the time she's in 10th grade, then again in 12th.

But what are verbal commitments? They are just that. A non-binding agreement (since it's technically not allowed) where the school and or player can change their mind at any time. So why is it such a big deal? Why do people place so much hype on VERBAL COMMITMENTS? Because unfortunately, parents want to show-off. Yes, PARENTS. I mean when your neighbor says their son got a full ride scholarship to UCLA, you just want to throw something back at them, and "my 13-year old daughter verbally committed to Washington" does fill that need.

Well I just wanted to throw this up so you can think about it. Write some comments if you feel so inclined!

Softball Infographic

Everybody loves infographics. Fun, vibrant colors paired with awesome information is a grand slam in my books. Make sure to check out the very bottom where it lists the difference between baseball and softball. I know there are much more, but this is a good start to defining each sport's difference from each other.

From http://www.infographs.org/2014/05/history-softball-infographic/#

Annoying softball parents lead to...

...you guessed it! Annoying softball players!

Annoying softball parents. You know the kind. Always yelling at blue for making calls against their kid. Always hounding the coaches saying their kid deserves more field time. Always making excuses for why their daughter gives the coaching staff an attitude. Always enabling their child to be a brat and kick and scream until they get what they want... to get what they feel they are entitled to.

Truth is, we will never rid the planet of these annoying parents. And sadly, they exist no matter where you live, no matter what sport your child plays! So how do we deal with them?

Here are some possible ways:
1. Ignore them. They will talk and complain, but you have the option of turning that channel off and not letting their negativity and aggressiveness penetrate your thought bubbles.
2. Confront them. Go ahead! Walk right up to them and say, "Your kid is not Babe Ruth and your acting a fool isn't going to help them succeed!"
3. Shoot them cold, cold, dirty, mean looks until it makes them so uncomfortable they shut the heck up or leave the team (you don't really need that bad mojo anyways right?).
4. You leave the team (but that's completely unnecessary because you're not the one being a hot pile of poo).

It sucks that parents act this way. And what sucks even more is that their kids will probably grow up to be lazy, unemployable beings that will probably end up being arrested for failing to comply with police commands. Someone has to say it!

So just remember, coaches have a reason for sitting your daughter during this game. There is a higher strategy and plan. As long as the girls are having fun and are working hard to get that field time, then you're good to go.

Do you have a good story about an annoying softball parent you've witnessed? Share it in the comments!

Friendly Friendlies?

Friendlies. What are their purpose? Do teams play friendlies to practice for tournaments? Are they to practice scenarios? Do we use friendlies to try players at positions they normally wouldn't play? OR do you treat them like regular games and just try to blow everyone out of the water?

I've always been curious about friendlies. By name, you'd think they were played to help better the skills of every player, to just in one position, but in all positions. I thought you use friendlies to teach them more of the strategic parts of the game and also work on plays like faking throws to get an out and delayed steals. 

But it seems like coaches have another thing on their minds. Let's play like it's a tournament and beat everyone, every time! I've seen coaches go crazy as-if it was the championship game of a national tournament! It should always be about improving the skills of everyone on the team. 

Versatility is key. If an athlete can play multiple positions, that makes her more valuable. She can play outfield, she can play infield ... she can hit, she can bunt... she can run, she can hook slide. Friendlies should be used to help make girls more rounded softball players.

But that's just me, a regular ol' softball mom talking. I am not the President of Travel softball and can't mandate things. But it'd be interesting to know what others thought about friendlies...

The problem with early commitments

It seems as though girls are verbally committing to colleges earlier and earlier. And it's not just happening in softball, but in other sports as well. What are the pros in doing this? What are the cons?

There are a few articles that have already been written on this subject that you can read up on:
What You Need To Know About Verbal Commitments
Softball players making college choices before their first high school games
Recruiting, commitment process begins early for softball stars
NCAA softball coaches troubled by recruits committing at younger ages
The Early Recruiting Dilemma (Part 1)
The Early Recruiting Dilemma (Part 2)
Early commits: Pros and cons of latest prep trend

Don't get me wrong, how great is it when your not-yet-freshman has already been offered a scholarship to play softball at a great institution? Oh the stories you can offer to friends and family about how your super star is going to ______ and she hasn't even graduated high school or taken her SATs yet! Oh the many social media posts bragging about such a feat.

But is it really in your child's best interest? Sometimes, girls have not yet developed into the body that they will have in college. There are ever-changing and evolving skills that they can pick-up or lose. There are, knock on wood, injuries that could be game changers. What if the coaching staff at that institution changes over and the new staff will not honor the original offer from 4-5 years ago that the previous staff made? What if little Janey changes her mind and decides she doesn't want to leave sunny Southern California and live in the middle of Oklahoma?

It's really a decision that shouldn't be taken lightly. Many times girls haven't even matured enough to know what they want in 8-9th grade. I guess it all depends on the girl, the family, the coach, the institution and the other miscellaneous circumstances around the situation. But be forewarned, if you accept an offer early because you can't wait to brag and tell everyone and their moms about it, it's probably not the right decision.

Play to ... lose?

You always play to win, right? What if the team you were on played to win, most of the time? Would you be OK with that? Would you be OK with it if it meant advancing your daughter’s team to the championship game?

There is some controversy now about a team throwing a game on purpose to position themselves more favorably in the Softball Little League World Series. I think it’s wrong and the coaches should be penalized. And at this age, I’m sure the girls on the team, especially their four hottest hitters who were benched during the game in question, knew about the plans the coach had laid out for that fateful game.

Unfortunately, we’ve come across some teams that “throw” games on purpose to either position themselves better, or to totally screw another team out of a good position. No matter what any organization or association says, this issue has to be dealt with. What kind of message does this teach to the girls? Try your best all the time except for when it can benefit you better for losing. Say what?

What do you think about this? 

Tryouts, tryouts, tryouts

'Tis the season for sotball tryouts.

There's this neat site called HeyBucket where people post about everything and anything. There are also times when topics can get heated! And while entertaining, it's sad that some parents operate in such a fashion to intimidate other parents, put kids down and basically be an @$$.

Before Fall season starts up, many teams and girls are making changes. In southern California, many girls move to travel ball after a successful first-year 12u season in rec. Coming from a smaller group of 10u travel teams, it's amazing how many MORE 12u travel teams there are in SoCal! Just look at how many topics are in the "Looking for players board!

Line after line of this team looking for this and that and we're great and we're better than all the rest when really... they are all the same. What makes an organization better than another? Is it because they've got hotshots and heads of PGF "running" the organization and "mentoring" their teams? Let's be real. Bruce Richardson and Tony Rico are not coming to every practice. They are not going to "mentor" your team in the true sense that mentoring is. Extending a successful organization name out to others is profitable. The teams pay $ to use the name and claim to be a part of an organization. The $ rolls up to the top and funds the main 18u team, and puts $ in the big dog's pockets. Many organizations even pay their coaches! 

And that's fine and dandy and all, if you like that kind of thing. 

I'd love to see some statistics on how many travel teams a girl goes through in the span of her softball career. I'd like to see the stats on how many travel coaches are paid. How many players are flown in from other cities/state to play for a travel team (granted this is more popular in 16u and 18u, it's absolutely mind boggling for 10u and 12u). I'd like to see the win/loss ration of teams that pay their coaches to teams with volunteer coaches.

Until then we do the best we can "for our girls". After all, it is them that are playing. It is the girls that we sacrifice our Saturdays and Sundays for. 

Which softball association is better?

Photo credit: Diamond Sports Hotshots Facebook page

First off, congratulations to the Diamond Sports Hotshots of Texas for their Inaugural PGF 10u National Championship win! They came back from the loser's bracket to meet the team that put them there in the championship game. Then they put on a great show of athleticism and perseverance to win it all. 

I enjoyed that the final games were streamed live on YouTube. Excellent move by PGF. After work I was able to relax at home and watch the game. My daughter was also watching it on YouTube from where she was that day. While we weren't rooting for any particular team to win, we were so enveloped in the game.

I'm curious to see the views and stats on the live video feed. I think interest in softball is growing and hard numbers like this will prove it. Maybe next year a sports network like ESPN will pick it up. Visibility is what softball needs to grow and thrive. It just makes sense, sports with the most airtime will get the most interest among young athletes. Kudos to PGF for trying to increase visibility of this great sport.

Now a lot of talk has been going on about which softball association is better; ASA, PGF, USSSA, USFA, Triple Crown Sports. That's an interesting discussion that won't find an answer anytime soon, but it's great to hear arguments for all sides. I particularly like one argument that says it changes depending on when you look at it. This year a majority of people think it's PGF. A few years back it was ASA. I think it also depends on age division. It will be great to see who keeps pushing to make their tournaments better each year. It's an exciting time for this sport!

Teams are moving up in division, holding tryouts for new athletes, and starting their fall seasons with friendlies. Although a week or two break is needed, this mom can't wait for the next season to start! My daughter's team is moving up to 12s which I hear is a whole new beast. I'm excited to take it all in and enjoy this time! As long as my daughter is enjoying playing this sport that she loves so dearly, I'm happy.

PGF Scores on www.pointstreak.com

If you haven't already, check out www.pointstreak.com! When you get there, select SOFTBALL at the top. Then click on the PGF LOGO.

I've got it locked on the 10u division scores. It's easy to click on teams to see roster/stats. You can click on the game in-progress and keep up with play-by-plays. It's pretty awesome. There may be compatibility issues on mobile, but the full web version is pretty darn cool.

I just wish they had updated bracket/schedules so we can have a nice visual on things. But it's OK, I made my own. 

Day 2 of bracket play is getting intense! Some upsets, some surprise performances ... it's interesting to see how this is playing out. 

PGF Scores

If you're like me, looking for PGF Nationals scores, look no further! Go to www.pointstreak.com.

PGF 10u Bracket Schedule

Random drawing for bracket schedule is complete!

First Inaugural 10u PGF National Championships

The PGF National Championship tournament starts tomorrow! For the first time this year, PGF has invited select teams from around the country to complete in a 10u tournament. The caliber of talent that is descending upon southern California is undeniable. 

But what say you of the choices of teams? I can only speculate on teams from SoCal as those are who I've been most exposed to. Politics come into play here. Have the best SoCal travel teams really been invited? Or have favors been claimed to get their teams in this landmark tournament?

Something that comes into play here is the rule that only two teams from each "organization" were invited. But who scouted the teams on each organization to determine which two teams were the top ones? How does a rec ball select team get invited to this travel tournament when they played rec all Spring? I'm just glad that from 12s on up, you have to work to get a berth to next year's Nationals. it should be like that everywhere.

Lots of talk about a Texas team taking the whole thing. Diamond Sports Hotshots are coming in with lots of momentum after their sweep of the Triple Crown World Series in Utah last week. No doubt, talent is hot in Texas, but with lots of teams not appearing in PGF, I'm sure pickups were fast and furious before the dealine.

I'm always rooting for the underdog, whoever that is in this tournament, but we shall see! Can't wait for pool play (which don't have any bearing on your bracket position) to begin tomorrow!

PGF 10u Pool Schedule
PGF 10u Bracket

Welcome to the wonderful world of softball

You'd think because I got started in the social media craze early that I'd have a rather established blog already. False. It made me less and less inclined to keep one up. But alas, I've found a subject matter that I am neither an expert nor a complete noob in: being a softball mom.

With all the reality TV shows out there, you'd think there would be one about the crazy life that is softball for a young girl and her family. But none currently exists. So I am here to shed light on and keep you entertained about the cut-throat life of softball...at least here in SoCal.

Hope you enjoy what you read. I will not be sugar coating anything, but rather telling things just as they are. At times you may find my stories inflated and unreal. Boy is that just the beginning.

Glad to have you along for the ride!