Hot Times Classic Fallout

C'mon SP, you know better than that. Delivering a message is one thing, acting on it is another. It's not what people say, it's what they do that ultimately defines them. Good luck to you Bro, and watch out for flying softballs to the head.

 

This one seems a little different; I think some things will change. I'd be willing to bet teams will be allowed team coolers. That's good for the kids. Some teams will put more thought into where they play; that's good for the kids and the parents. Some people will be more careful what they say to innocent volunteers; that's good for everyone.

 

Alright I was at the tournament.Each team was allowed 1 team cooler which was tagged to identify it.People started sneaking coolers in,justifying it by complaining about the high gate.You pay $9.00 per day or $30.00 for a pass for the whole tourney.That is a little steep,but it is what it is.Folks started getting caught with "illegal" coolers so they stopped letting coolers in.You could however leave them at the gate.This meant that when the girls needed water parents actually had to get up off their butts and walk a whole 50-80 yards and fetch some water.This went on for 1 whole afternoon,the next day they improved their tracking and the cooler problem went away.I was one of the buttheads who gave these nice ladies some guff and had to apologize the next day for it.Embarrassed myself.They were very nice and friendly even after I was such a butthole.The fields were dragged and relined at least once Sun and I think they did one heckuva job keeping them playable considering all the rain that fell.Umpiring was pretty good and they did the best they could to get all the games in.Met the head of the Bandits Org.,really nice guy and bent over backwards to accommodate the teams.He was there first thing and did not leave until it was over,I know because we were there till the end.The heat sucked,the gnats really sucked and the rain sucked.The gate was high and the area around the fields was muddy.I think I only saw maybe 4 college coaches the whole time,but you know what,I had a blast.The ladies at the gate smiled and were friendly,even after people(including myself)were rude to them.The grounds keepers busted their butts and did the best they could to provide good fields to play on.I got to see some great softball,including a 10 inning affair my DD threw her butt off in,pitching a doozy and we pulled out a victory.She will be going off to school after next year and for 4 days I had her all to myself(how many more of those do I have left?).I HAD A BALL!!!!For those of you who had nothing but a negative experience,stay at home next year and quit screwing it up for everyone else!

 

Here is a beef that I have about the Hot Times. On a softer than normal field from the rain, and after playing several games on each field the entire day, would you think that they might just drag the field and re-line it for the Championship game?? What do you think they actually did? That's right. Nothing. Seemed like all they wanted to do was get the whole thing over with, stuff the money in their pockets and go home.

I think their will be a few teams drop out of this tournament for next year. Seems like the coaching turnout is dwindling at this event year, after year.

Were there any other worthy showcase events in the southeast or mid-atlantic this past weekend?

 

I saw at least 15 college coaches, just an estimate, maybe 20.

 

I would like to say thank you

I think one thing lacking in this thread is a big thank you to Ken Bailey, Nick (sorry, never caught the last name), and the Greenwood Park people.

KEN and NICK provide a great opportunity for my dd to play competitive ball (though she didn't play as much as I would like, but what parent doesn't think that). Gentlemen, you helped promote my daughter (and all the daughters out there) to quite a few college scouts. I appreciate all the hard work you put into it (it takes a lot of time behind the scenes and before the tournament to do what you did). I want you to know that I do appreciate it.

Thanks to the other teams out there. You played great ball! I know I will be seeing a lot of you ladies in the future on a college field.

Thanks to Greenwood for allowing us to use your fields. I hope that this experience didn't bum you out too much, and you let us come again!

Hope to see you all next year!!

 

I don't want to cause a riot, but lets not treat all the volunteers as angels. Some were not all that pleasent. Some were rude (as were parents). Some were nasty (as were parents). One volunteer had his front windshield shattered and was blaming a coach whose teams were using wiffle balls. Don't say the police were not called, because they were. I talked with an undercover officer and another uniformed officer. They were there to have there presence felt. Mostly everyone here is venting there frustration on how the tournament did'nt go so well. Its known as criticsm. Some can say, "well if you did not like it don't come back". The smart thing to say is "Well we will try and improve on it next year". You don't have to call people names on this board if you don't like what they are saying. Be courteous and they will do the same to you.

 

Cost...

Cost to play in the Hot Times Showcase: $640.00

Cost for water and drinks in your cooler that you didn’t get to take in: $20.00

Cost for each parent to see their daughter play each day: $9.00

Cost to sit in the blazing sun, smell the stench of sewage, use disgusting bathrooms, swat flies and gnats and step on fire ant mounds: PRICELESS