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The
Fastpitch Bulletin - Volume 7, Number 2 -- October 14, 2007
It's a
hump-back liner into right field!
Hello Everyone
- Things are moving along and being updated at the Fastpitch Chronicle.
If you haven't been on the website lately I hope you click on this link
http://www.fastpitchchronicle.com and take a look at our handy work. My
daughter and I have been working on a more cosmetic look to the website
(actually she does most of the work). It's an attempt to get things a bit
easier to use and follow from one page of the site to the next and an attempt
to offer other things that are softball related as well (The Google ads
along the right side).
Actually,
there are some pretty nifty things contained in those Google ads that are
softball related. All it takes to check all that stuff out is a click on
them and there they are.
One new
twist my daughter added to the site keeps you on The Fastpitch Chronicle
site when you link to another page or site from the FPC site. It's in the
background on your desktop so that we don't lose you or you don't lose us
when you go to another site (except for the Google ads).
At the
bottom of the home page is a link to Scoreimages, LLC which is a photography
site that contains a lot of great pictures from last spring and the past
summer. Take a look at the pictures there and let your players and their
parents know about the site. There are some great shots with some incredible
facial expressions etc. just go to http://www.scoreimages.photoreflect.com
and click on the "more" icon at the bottom of the album page to
get to the softball pictures from 2007. Look them over.
I was able
to get a look at the WIAA coaches advisory group's proposals that the organization
will be taking a look at and deciding upon. The Sports Advisory Committee
will act on the proposals on Monday the 15th of October (Tomorrow as I type
this and probably today as you read it).
1)
Recommend that of the 20 contests allowed, two contests may be designated
as multi-games between another school or schools, which will count as one
of the maximum total contests provided that no members of any team are dismissed
from academic classes in order to play or travel. Effective 2008-2009
2)
Recommend the following changes in the seeding languages: 1) If after two
votes in the appeal process a time remains, a coin flip shall be used to
determine the outcome; 2) that if no team receives a majority of the votes
tallied, the original vote shall stand
3)
Recommend that three umpires be selected to work the sectional championship
games.
4)
Recommend that, effective with the 2009 season, the Division 1 sectional
be seeded in its entirety.
5)
Recommend that effective in the 2009 season, the right for a higher seed
to host any regional game will be determined by the outfield fence being
at 185 to 235 feet (as per NFHS 1-1-3a-1). If the higher seed does not have
a field meeting the requirement, the lower seed will host. If neither team
has a field that complies, the higher seed will host the game.
I don't
have a clue as to whether you knew this stuff or not. I didn't until I got
it from a friend. Now you all know it and that's a good thing.
#1 means
that a trip to a Friday or Saturday tourney like the Poynette Jamboree,
Portage Optimists Invite, the Slugfest, or any date where two or more games
are played counts as one of the 20. You could play three games in one day
and it will count as one toward your maximum of 20. I think it's a good
deal.
I'm not
in Division 1 so I have no concrete feelings about the Division 1 sectionals
being seeded in their entirety. As for using three umpires, my thoughts
are that there are four people at the sectional anyway so they might as
well use three or all four. Honestly, in my humble opinion, if two umpires
can handle a regular season game or a sectional semi-final well, they can
also handle a sectional or state tournament game with two. But, using three
does reward more umpires and that is probably a good way to keep good umpires
in the game.
Remember,
Metal Cleats are legal in NFHS play beginning this school year (the 2008
season).
Here is
an interesting bit of news or information from Williams Bay High School.
Greetings
Bob---I was wondering if anyone out there knows of a student-athlete that
won two State Championships in the same school year in two different sports.
I realize that there may be many kids who won multiple events in swimming
or individual and team wrestling, or track, etc. I ask, because, with the
State Tennis Tournament this weekend, I started thinking about Championships
and during the 2006 - 2007 school year Caroline Starck from Williams Bay
won the D2 individual State Tennis Championship and in the spring was a
All-State selection at shortstop while helping the Bulldogs win the D4 State
Softball Championship. I thought this might be a nice question to pose to
the forum of Bulletin readers.
Jeff Kuespert
Williams Bay Softball
Any others?
People
who run or are in charge of summer fastpitch tournaments should be aware
of the fact that the Fastpitch Chronicle offers a free tournament listing.
In return for the free listing I only ask (insist really) that you also
e-mail me the results after the tournament has been played. Check that out
on The Fastpitch Chronicle website.
Also be
sure to check out the Coaches Honor Roll Page for Wisconsin High School
softball coaches. The only way I can keep that thing updated is by having
people send me the new information. Just e-mail it to me and I'll get it
on there immediately.
If you
have announcements or other information you'd like included in future Bulletins,
just e-mail them to me. I'll get them included or if you have topics you'd
like to know more about or read about, send those requests my way as well.
Have a great week and ----
Keep it Rising!
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin, Volume 7, Number 3 - October 16, 2007
Let er Rip!
Hello
Everyone - It's Tuesday night and there are several announcements I promised
to get out soon so here is the third go at the 7th year of Fastpitch Bulletins
from The Fastpitch Chronicle publisher.
Steve
Krupke, highly successful coach and good friend, at Brodhead High School
sent me an e-mail today as he is looking for one game on for the 2008 season.
If you are interested in a solid opponent that is well drilled, well schooled
and in general well coached in all aspects of the game - send Steve an e-mail
at krup3@yahoo.com and get going on finding a date that you both can play
on.
In
the area of kids that played on a state championship team or won a state
title in the same school year, here is a response from Sevastopol High School.
Hi Bob, Cathy Kaye was part of the State Champion Cross Country and Softball
teams. (Sevastopol). Thanks Tim Newton
So
there you have it. Also, it should be noted that Caroline from Williams
Bay successfully defended her State Singles Title and know has Back-to-Back
State Tennis Championships to go along with the State Softball Championship.
Also,
there are special Fastpitch Chronicle award certificates available (free)
to players who throw perfect games, no hitters, are involved in triple plays
etc. All you have to do to get one is forward the necessary information
to me and I'll get the certificate to you. But, you might have to keep at
me when the season is high gear. If you have kids that did that last season
and still want them to have a certificate, this is the slow season so get
the stuff to me and I'll get those done.
2008
Season Previews - Yes, Yes, I know it's early or seems early but if we get
started now, it will be an easier task for me to get things on the website
so people have some great reading. Start submitting your team preview right
away and I'll start getting things posted. You can always e-mail back to
me and change things a bit if you need to. Conference previews would be
good too.
I
had a great chat on Monday with Roger Plachta of UW-Superior. Roger and
I have known each other for quite a few years as we competed against each
other in Men's Major level fastpitch softball. In the past few years we've
tightened that friendship even more and have some great conversation sessions
about players, coaches, the state of the game etc. It was great chatting
with him on Monday.
I
read an interesting article today in a coaching management magazine about
the NFHS decision to allow girls to finally start wearing metal cleats.
I enjoyed the NFHS staff member's comments about how they, for years, allowed
boys to wear metal but never allowed girls too. That staff member talked
about the very issues I and others had been raising for many years.
As
most of you know, my next safety and better health equipment campaign is
mouthguards. If we get our players wearing them it will stave off the day
when all defensive players must also wear protective face masks. There are
already facemasks being marketed for defensive players.
If
you're new to the Fastpitch Bulletins or just got hooked up with us last
year. You should be aware of the fact that there is plethora of information
archived on The Fastpitch Chronicle website. For instance, if you go to
the features section from the home page, it will take you to the commentary
page. All of the Fastpitch Bulletins starting at Volume 4 are there. I wish
I would have saved Volumes 1 through 3 but I didn't have the foresight to
do so. I didn't have any clue that so many people who soon be reading the
stuff. We're over three million hits in the past three years and nearly
another million since April of this year. We'll be over four million by
season's end in June. The number of people on these direct e-mail bulletins
has tripled in the past two years.
Some
of the e-mail addresses on the lists are no longer valid and I have to delete
them as they come back to the inbox here. Each Bulletin is sorted according
to list number or letter actually. There is an A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H or
J at included in the subject line of y9ur Bulletin. It looks like this The
Fastpitch Bulletin, Volume 7, Number 3 - A 10/16/07. That means you are
on list A. If you are getting more than one copy at the same address and
don't want that to happen, just e-mail the Bulletin back to me with a note
instructing me to remove one of them on list A or whatever list you want
it removed from. If you no longer want to get any copies, do the same thing
and I'll remove you from our lineup and roster.
Be
sure to check out the ads by our sponsors on the webpage and check out the
stuff on those Google ads too, those clicks by you will help support the
efforts on this end.
Teams
like Kenosha Bradford, Rice Lake, Denmark, Portage, Randolph, Pacelli, Black
River Falls, Dodgeland, Prescott, Luxemburg-Casco, Adams-Friendship, Mineral
Point and Lodi should look at those great pictures on scoreimages. There
are some great shots of your players there. Also, schools such as Oakfield,
Verona, McFarland, Monroe, Oakfield, Horicon, and Racine St. Catherines'
should look at those pictures.
Have
a great day!
Keep it Rising!
Bob
The
Fastpitch Bulletin #4 for November 1, 2007
Say Hey Willie, Tell Ty Cobb and Joe Dimaggio
Hello Everyone - It's the first of November and there a couple
of reasons for tonight's bulletin.
I got a message from Clintonville High School today asking
me to put out a bulletin as they are seeking a head softball coach. If you
live in that part of the state or are interested in living in that part
of the state and coaching fastpitch softball at Clintonville then get in
touch with ----
From: Lynette Edwards <LEdwards@clintonville.k12.wi.us>
To: faspich1@aol.com
Sent: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 12:50 pm
Subject: Coaching position available
Attached please find a notice for a Girls Varsity Softball
Coaching position that our school district has available.
Bob, if you could provide this information on your website/mailing list
we would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you,
Lynette Edwards
Clintonville Public School District
715.823.7215 x 2605
ledwards@clintonville.k12.wi.us
So there you have it from Clintonville High School. As far
as me providing some help via the Fastpitch Chronicle website and the Bulletin
lists - as Ronald Reagan would say "Well, that's what I'm all about!"
The website and the bulletins are in place for people like
Lynette Edwards and people like you to take advantage of.
I'm in the process of adding more people to the bulletin lists.
But if you miss something or think you might have missed something just
keep checking in on the commentary page of the Fastpitch Chronicle website.
There are few things I am wondering about when it comes to
content on the Fastpitch Chronicle website.
I wonder just how many coaches are interested in posting their
up-to-date team stats on a website. Drop me an e-mail and let me know your
thoughts on that.
I wonder how many people are interested in being able to see
complete team rosters in fastpitch softball. Let me know what your thoughts
are on that issue.
If you haven't heard -- all of the proposals listed in Bulletin
#2 passed the Board of Control back in October. If you can't remember what
the proposals were just go to The Fastpitch Chronicle website and read the
Bulletin #2 - I have typed them there and they are archived.
That's about it for tonight.
Keep it Rising folks!
Bob Tomlinson
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin #5 for November 5, 2007
Low and Inside!
Hello Again Everyone.
I spent the entire weekend in St. Paul and Bloomington along with about
85-90 other fastpitch softball folks at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association
Coaches College Class at the College of St. Catherine's in St. Paul.
John Tschida, Kirk Walker and Connie Clark were the instructors and it was
a great way to spend a fall weekend. About 20 hours of classroom work where
the crux of the class was analysis of pitching, hitting and the short game.
That included some excellent video, still slides and other things as well
as some great drills from all of the instructors.
It was tough to always keep in mind that the class was about analysis and
that there are other classed devoted to some things that were surely going
through people's mind as they were mine.
For me, it was encouraging to know that the hitting technique that I have
been teaching forever is the same stuff that they covered in St. Paul. I've
never waivered on what I thought great hitters in had in common.
Wisconsin folks that took advantage of the class included:
Jared Faherty, who by the way was named head coach at Chippewa Falls last
Tuesday.
John Ruffolo of Kenosha Bradford
Todd Breuer of Weyauwega-Fremont
Marc Baehnman of Weyauwega-Fremont (he won a T-shirt in one of the drawings)
Jody Gabriel of the UW-River Falls
Rebecca Albrecht of Hudson
Kello Kerkow of St. Croix Falls
Tamra Kielty of Elkhorn
Bob Meixner from Mondovi and head of the Batgirls
Pam Latterell of UW-River Falls
Melissa Petersen of St. Croix Falls
Terry Wagner of Cedarburg
Steve Wammer of Northland College (Ashland)
It was also a pleasure to meet and speak with Stephanie Winter
of the University of Michigan. Stephanie played on that great Michigan team
that won the Women's College World Series and is now a student coach there,
looking to get into coaching after earning her undergraduate degree in the
spring. Good luck Stephanie.
It was also a pleasure to meet and talk to Vickie Sax of Colgate. She is
really eager and will be watching the Fastpitch Chronicle website pretty
closely.
Here are a couple of announcements I promised people I'd make.
Cedarburg is seeking one team to fill out there great invite on the last
Saturday of April in 2008. Contact Terry Wagner at wag5792@aol.com
Bob, Don't know if you do this but Wilmot Union is looking for teams for
varsity games on Saturday April 26th and Saturday May 3rd. Contact movrichr@wilmoths.k12.wi.us.
Thanks,,Bob Movrich - Head softball coach - Wilmot Union
That's about it for tonight. It's late!
Keep it Rising (and dropping)
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin, Volume 7, Number 6 for December 12, 2007
Let er Rip Again!
I'm back
in the fastpitch world. Actually I never left it but my computer here at
home left the world completely. The motherboard went south for the winter
and took everything with it. I've been nursing things along with a borrowed
laptop but did not have all the e-mail lists etc. that I need to stay in
touch with all of you.
Thanks
to my cousin and some great internet shopping, I'm back in the internet
world just in time for the December break that is coming up in a week.
There
are some interesting fastpitch events taking place over the December break
that might interest fastpitch folks. In the Fox Valley there is an indoor
fastpitch tournament over the break. I'll have some information on The Fastpitch
Chronicle website when I get it located in my long list of e-mails I have
to read here yet.
There
is also an interesting coaches clinic in Barneveld on Friday night the 28th
and on Saturday morning the 29th. Lindsay Gardner, a player for the Rockford
Thunder of the women's pro league and a collegiate coach at St. Edwards
in Texas will be conducting the clinic.
Here is
the Press Release and announcement about the clinic. Space has filled up
pretty fast, therefore, if you are interested in attending, be sure to contact
Susan Wood right away.
A player
for the Rockford Thunder and coach for St. Edward’s University, Lindsay
Gardner will be hosting a clinic in SW Wisconsin and will cover softball
skills including: fielding mechanics, throwing, defensive footwork, and
communication, hitting mechanics, bunting, base running and offensive strategies.
Players will get a chance to learn from one of the game’s best second
basemen. Coaches will get a packet with drills and suggestions on how to
teach their girls the fundamentals of softball.
In Lindsay’s 14 years as a softball player, she has rounded many awards
such as ASA All-American, ASA 18U Gold Champion with the Katy Cruisers,
4 year starter with The University of Texas and still hold records for hits
in a season (83), batting average (.421), career hits and batting average,
hits in a game (4) and longest hitting streak (16 games). She was named
Big 12 Freshman of the Year and NCAA All-American in 2000. She has played
the last 4 years with the Rockford Thunder (formerly Texas Thunder) of the
National Pro Fastpitch league. She was the first ever NPF player of the
week and NPF Defensive Player of the Year. Prior to the pro league, Gardner
played with the USA National team (Elite and Red) for 3 years where she
ended her USA career playing 2nd base and left field while finishing in
the top 5 in batting average for the elite team.
Dates/Times:
12/28 - Coach's Clinic - 7:30pm 9:00pm at Barneveld School in Barneveld
WI.
12/29 - Coach's Clinic - 8:00am (repeat of Friday) at Barneveld School in
Barneveld, WI
12/29 - Players Clinic - 9:30 - 1:00 at Barneveld School
12/29 - Players Clinic Session 2 - 2:00 - 6:00 at Barneveld School
12/30 - Players Clinic - 12:00 - 4:00 at Mineral Point High School in Mineral
Point WI.
Open to:
Softball players ages 17 and under up to the first 50 players who register.
Cost:
Coach’s Clinic: $30
Player’s Clinic Both days: $75
Player’s Clinic Day 1 Only: $50
Player’s Clinic Day 2 Only” $30
**YOU MUST RSVP WITH SUSAN WOOD AT THIS PHONE NUMBER: 608-574-0739 ESPECIALLY
IF YOU ARE PAYING AT THE CLINIC AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION
For those
of you who were worried about me and e-mailed wondering what had happened,
I appreciate the concern and thoughts.
The WFSCA
clinic dates have been set. They are February 16-17 so check out the information
on the wfsca website. High School Coaches need to be thinking about getting
their registration taken care of and their dues paid for 2008.
Speaking
of the WFSCA, I have learned that there will be and have been some changes
in the leadership and that there are at least two vacancies on the Board
of Directors. I would expect and announcement about those things in the
near future from the Executives who run the organization. You can always
catch up and stay abreast of what is happening with the WFSCA by going to
that website.
That's
about it for now. If you have more information that you'd like to have me
share with the readers of these Bulletins, just e-mail to me and I'll get
on it.
Keep it
Rising!
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin, Volume 7, Number 8 - 12/22/07
She's rounding third and heading for home!
Hello again everyone - It's Saturday night. The weather is
miserable with rain, fog, and the forecast calling for snow. The Badger
men's basketball team is on The Big Ten Network and I do not have that so
I thought I'd zip out a Bulletin with a few announcements that are pertinent.
The WFSCA website at wfsca.org has now been updated and the
information for the 2008 clinic and registration forms are posted therein.
Take a look at the page and topics and I think you'll agree that Cindy Suess
has a done another nice great job of getting top notch speakers to come
to the clinic. The topics include: Hitting Drills by Greg Riddoch; Throwing
Mechanics by Pam Newton; How to Develop and Implement the Speed Game by
Susan Mayberry; the Seven Mental Hitting Stations by Greg Riddoch; Baserunning
by Pam Newton; Non Pitchers Coaching Pitching by Susan Mayberry; Hitting
Flaws and Correcting them by Greg Riddoch; Playing Middle Infield by Pam
Newton; Outfield Drills by Susan Mayberry; Motivating and Team Morale by
Susan Mayberry and Pam Newton and Three Things That Will Make You a Better
Coach Immediately. There will also be a WFSCA District Rep Meeting time
with members as well as a WIAA Softball Sport Meeting.
The cost of a yearly membership in the WFSCA is $30. The cost
of the WFSCA clinic is $80 for both days and that includes the membership.
Matt Bellerive, head coach at Pepin sent me an announcement
to pass along. Due to the withdrawal of a longtime participant in the Pepin
Tournament, he has one opening for a team looking for two games against
good competition on May 10th. The three teams on the docket right now include
Pepin, Arcadia and St. Charles, Minnesota. Your club could round out a nice
field. Contact Matt at mattselectric@centurytel.net and get into that excellent
event if you are looking for games.
There is a great clinic in two weeks in the Fox Valley area
at Player's Choice. The clinic is co-sponsored by Cardinal Youth Sports
of Kimberly and Player's Choice. Check that out on the Cardinal Youth website.
You should also keep in mind that all Bulletins are posted
on the Features page of The Fastpitch Chronicle website. Every Bulletin
published since the 2004-2005 season and beyond have been posted there for
your enjoyment.
Have a great Holiday Season -- and
Keep it Rising!
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The Fastpitch Bulletin - Volume 7, Number
9, December 31, 2007
There's a slide into second and the umpire screams ----
Happy New Year!!
Hello Again Everyone and Happy New Year to all of you.
There is some year-end information that you should be aware
of and that is the purpose of any of these Bulletins - to inform you of
the "goings-on" or happenings in the game in the state.
The WFSCA website now contains the biographies or profiles
of the three speakers that Cindy Suess has lined up for every one to listen
to and learn from at the WFSCA Annual Clinic in Stevens Point on February
16-17.
Greg Riddoch, Pam Newton and Susan Mayberry promise to provide
some great information for every person that attends the clinic.
The WFSCA website also contains the registration forms that
you need to register for the clinic. Print it out and mail it in. Keep in
mind that the $80 fee includes the $30 WFSCA annual membership fee. If you
can't attend the clinic then just print out the form and fill in the membership
portion and mail it Jane Briehl, WFSCA secretary. Keep in mind that there
is a deadline for memberships to be paid in order for a coach and the players
at that coach's school to qualify for WFSCA post season awards and honors
such as the All Star series, the all district and all state teams. Don't
forget and don't delay. Get on board right away.
There are also clinics that are being held at many places
in the state between now and the beginning of the season. Check out some
of that information as well.
There will be a youth coaches (any coach for that matter)
clinic at Belleville High School on March 2nd. The topics include"
Planning Effective Practices; Pitching Mechanics, Hitting and Bunting Strategies;
Outfield Fundamentals, Infield Fundamentals, and a Coaches General Question
and Answer session.
There are three high school coaches whom have agreed to be
presenters of the above topics. The day promises to be a great one. For
information on that clinic contact David Ace, 608-424-6882 or coachesclinic@hotmail.com
for more information.
Once Again
Happy New Year and -- as always
Keep it Rising!
Bob Tomlinson
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin, Volume 7, Number 10 for 2/6/07
Hello Everyone - It's been a while since a Bulletin has been
sent out. There is no school in Poynette or the Madison area today so I
am taking some time to type one up and get it out to you.
The WFSCA clinic is a week from Saturday and Sunday so don't
forget about that. If you can't make it to the clinic, then be sure to send
in your WFSCA dues to Jane Briehl.
There are several other clinics around the state for players
and coaches in February as well. UW-Oshkosh will host a clinic this Sunday
at Oshkosh North for players in grades 9-12. The cost is $60 per athlete.
It is for pitchers and catchers. On February 23-24th UW-Oshkosh will host
a Hitting, Infield and Outfield Clinic at the college. Contact Cindy Suess
for more information. Those clinics are great ways to get things going for
your players prior to the season starting. Contact her at syessc@uwosh.edu
and take it from there.
There is a clinic in McFarland this weekend where the UW-Eau
Claire staff and team will be doing the instructing. Contact Jim Wickert
for information about that one. - jwick16060@aol.com will get you in touch
with him.
Matt Bellerive, Head Coach at Pepin has been in contact with
me. He is sick of winter as most of us are. He is announcing a summer fastpitch
tournament for adult women. You can contact Matt at mattselectric@centurytel.net
to get more information.
Schools that are planning on playing in the Poynette Jamboree
in 2008 should take note that I will post a list soon in a bulletin. I know
there are some teams that may not have received a contract yet from our
AD. Let me know right away if you are one of those teams. The Jamboree will
expand this year to another great venue - that being Portage. We see the
Jamboree as being a much bigger event starting in 2009 when everyone's schedule
expands to more games. Therefore, we are making the expansion already. Thanks
to Portage Athletic Director Jim Langkamp and Head Coaches Amy Ziehn and
Dave Mills in Portage for being receptive to the new expansion.
Have a great day and as always
Keep it Rising!
Bob Tomlinson
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin - Number 12, for 2/24/08
Let er Rip! or Take two and hit to right!
Hello Everyone,
If you are receiving this bulletin and no longer want to get
it, just e-mail it back to me and I'll remove your name from our roster
and starting lineup.
The season officially gets under way on March 10. Those of
us with games scheduled in March in Wisconsin are wondering what the chances
are of playing them in March in Wisconsin. Those of us south of Highway
10 will find out quickly what the coaches and players north of Highway 10
experience nearly every year. OK, maybe Highway 10 is a bit too far South,
Perhaps you would rather use Highway 29, or Highway 8. At any rate, there
is so much snow in Columbia County that brightly colored softballs will
be important, as will snorkels, fins and masks.
I'm putting together a separate e-mail list of high school
coaches that I can use to contact everyone immediately using e-mail. Most
but not all of us have e-mail. But I'd be that every high school team in
Wisconsin has at least one person whom we can contact via that list.
I have many of your e-mail addresses already. I have contacted
athletic directors in order to update my list. If you fail to get an e-mail
from me just to coaches in the next couple of weeks, get back to me.
I'm trying to put together some feature stories on former
Wisconsin High School players now playing in the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA and
other post high school associations. If you have a player that fits that
bill, e-mail the information on that player so I can update people on their
whereabouts etc. I think people will be interested in how our Wisconsin
players are doing at the collegiate level.
If you have players on your roster that have signed a national
letter of intent to play softball at the collegiate level please forward
that information to me as well. I'll do some up to date stuff on them as
well. If you have a current player who has not signed a NOL but is planning
on playing at the collegiate level, keep me closely informed so I can keep
the people in the state up to date.
You can start sending me pre-season previews on your teams
too. Get started on that. And those of you who enjoy getting your conference
some recognition can send conference previews in as well.
I'm a week behind the past seven years on that sort of news
because I have been busy and I have been working on another project as well.
There are going to be some pleasant surprises in terms of
newspaper coverage this year as well according to one of my prep sports
writing friends. That annoucement will come to you via a note from him and
them very soon.
Remember, metal cleats are legal this season. Many of the
high school coaches in the country are going to have to think hard about
how they have taught players to cover bases on plays at those bases where
kids will be sliding toward them. Having your kids kneel down in front of
those bases to make sure them have the base blocked is going to result in
some yelling and screaming! Teach them how to correctly cover the bags to
apply tags!
Coaches, players and fans should also read the rule book and
bone up on the other new rules and all the old ones.
If you have not joined the WFSCA yet, don't forget to do that.
Go to the coaches association website and print out the membership form
and send it to Jane Briehl at River Valley High School.
That's about it for tonight. I look forward to receiving the
information that I have requested in tonight's Bulletin.
Keep it Rising!
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin, Volume 7, Number 13 for 3/2/07
Take Two and Hit to Right!
Hello Everyone - It's Sunday night, March 2, 2008 and the
weather forecast for the next week doesn't look like the kind of report
that will cause snow to disappear very fast anywhere in the Badger state.
The season begins in eight days so get those indoor drills
out and get them ready to go. Make sure your schedule is complete and in
order, be sure to get all the necessary player information that you need
and be sure to get your pre-season preview into The Fastpitch Chronicle
soon (this week). People who have been doing conference previews are encouraged
to get going on those as well and get them forwarded to me here at The Fastpitch
Chronicle.
I have been working valiantly to get an e-mail list of just
high school coaches in Wisconsin so we can news and ideas out quickly and
keep dialogue flowing smoothly. I have e-mailed every high school athletic
director listed in the WIAA directory and asked them to e-mail me their
head coach and all assistant coaches contact e-mails so I can get that completed.
I have heard back from some but the percentage is not very high.
Many of you are coaches. If you are a high school coach, please
send me an e-mail so I make sure to get your e-mail on that separate coaches
list. There are way too many e-mail addresses on the bulletin lists for
me to go through and glean the ones out that are coaches. Conference reps
could even send me the list like the Central Wisconsin Conference did. That
was awesome.
The Bulletins serve many purposes including making announcements
for the readers who get them. Here is an announcement from Kimberly. Do
not respond to me here at the Fastpitch Chronicle - respond to the information
listed below.
The Kimberly Cardinals are looking for a 16U player maybe
two. An infielder and possibly a pitcher. If interested please contact Jim
Eastman at 920-419-2841 or email jimeastman@yahoo.com
I will be doing pre-season, statewide rankings during the
upcoming week. All rankers from last year are encouraged to get on board
again this year. Send me your pre-season rankings this week. I'd like to
have them out there by Sunday night of next week.
Another new twist I'd like to start is a list of the top players
in the state that people can track. It won't be a ranked list like some
other sports do - just a list of players whose coaches believe they are
one of the state's best. Coaches at small schools should not shy away from
sending me that information. Many of the state's finest players can be found
at the Division 2-3 and 4 levels. Players from schools in those divisions
of play have proven time and time again that they are capable of handling
themselves at all levels of intercollegiate play.
Also remember to submit your game summaries, highlights etc.
to me as well. Keep in mind that I issue certificates for players involved
in completing a triple play, pitchers who throw seven-inning no-hitters,
seven-inning perfect games, strike out a lot ion a game or to any player
who hits more than one automatic home run in a game. I will also continue
to mention outstanding performances by your players in the Fastpitch Bulletins.
More and more collegiate coaches are now on the bulletin list too so they
will read that information.
And speaking of players who are interested in playing fastpitch
at the collegiate level. Within the next week I will have an annoucement
about an exposure camp that will take place righ here in Wisconsin on August
21 and 22. The camp will be open to 192 players with just 50 being from
Wisconsin. Coaches with players who are top notch prospects will want to
watch This week's bulletins closely.
I have nothing to do with the exposure camp other than making
the annoucement. A good fastpitch friend asked me to help them out. That's
what The Fastpitch Chronicle as all about and that's what it is for.
We'll be offering some other new twists this season as well
that many coaches will take advantage of. Those things will be announced
in the near future.
That's about it for tonight.
Until the next Bulletin is in your in-box
Keep it Rising!
Bob Tomlinson
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin - Volume 7, Number 14 - 3/4/07
It's a "seeing-eye" single!
Hello Again Everyone - I've been working diligently here tonight
for more than 3 hours as many athletic directors and coaches have forwarded
their coaches e-mails to me. I am putting together a separate Bulletin list
just for coaches in Wisconsin. The easiest lists came from people like Tim
Whitford in Winneconne who simply sent me the list of coaches from the EVC
and Tim Treder at Shoreland Lutheran and Craig Neuroth of Barneveld whom
also sent me the e-mails for all the head coaches in their conferences.
I received some other great e-mails as well with information
about former Wisconsin high school fastpitch players who are now playing
collegiate softball and players who are still in high school who have signed
National Letters of intent or who are intent on playing fastpitch in college
but have not signed or decided yet. I will be using that information in
upcoming Bulletins.
Down in Union Grove, the defending WIAA Division 2 state champions,
a new coach head coach has taken the helm. He is Ryan Boylen. He sent me
a great pre-season preview on the Broncos and a look at the conference down
there. I have posted that preview on the 2008 Preview page. Just go to The
Fastpitch Chronicle website and click on Wisconsin High School news and
then click on the line that links you to the 2008 Pre-season previews. Ryan
included some information about a couple of Bronco grads who are playing
college softball. Pitcher Kristyn Hansen is a walk on pitcher at the University
of Wisconsin and catcher Sam Howe is playing at UW-Green Bay.
There are also a couple of other previews there including
one on Turner High School of the Rock Valley.
I started working on my rules examination today. Those are
always a good time for me. I really do enjoy reading through the questions
and figuring out the correct answers. I think we could write a very interesting
test ourselves just by using crazy and zany things that happen all spring
during games. All you have to do to read about crazy and zany plays and
rulings is go back and read old bulletins. They are full of hilarious situations
and crazy plays and rulings.
It will be interesting this spring with the new rule changes
that will go into effect.
Look for the pre-season rankings to be posted by Sunday night
on The Fastpitch Chronicle website. Our rankers are busily trying to figure
things out and they are having to do it without those profiles we usually
have posted by this time.
I'll be taking a look and reporting on the college fastpitch
scene a bit more this year than in years past. Those teams have their own
websites to keep up with them but sometimes a short clip is in order.
Hey - beg for warm weather!
Have a great day ---- and as always
Keep it Rising!
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin - Volume 7, Number 15 3/5/07
More Softball! More Fastpitch!!
Hello again everyone. If More Softball or More Fastpitch is
what you are thirsty for or just plain looking for, tonight's Bulletin will
literally suit the bill for you.
See, today I have added the More Fastpitch season preview
in the preview page of The Fastpitch Chronicle. That's right, you can read
all about More Softball because head coach Terry Benter submitted his preseason
outlook of Thomas More Softball today. I have posted that outlook on the
site along with some other great outlooks submitted by other coaches and
conference reps. So, if more softball or more fastpitch is what you are
looking for, The Fastpitch Chronicle has more of that than any other source
of fastpitch news in the state.
For more than seven years The Fastpitch Chronicle has been
the #1 source for high school fastpitch information. The Fastpitch Chronicle
is fueled by the people in the state that simply love the game and want
to read more and get more information out there. It's fueled by people like
you who want to promote the game and move it along on the high school sports
spectrum.
Today I posted a conference outlook for the Midwest Classic
Conference Classic Division and it's a great one. Written by one of the
coaches in the conference, the outlook is in depth and well written. Check
it out!
I also posted a preseason outlook for Pepin High School. Another
well written team outlook that you won't want to miss. Pepin is in the Dunn-St.
Croix Conference so just click on that conference link at the top of the
page read all about one of the state's premier programs. And check out their
website too and especially that picture of the banner hanging on the Pepin
outfield fence.
Park Falls, is a member of the Lumberjack conference and their
pre-season outlook is also posted on the site. It's an in depth look at
the Cardinals as they prepare for the upcoming season.
Division 3 Defending State Champion Sevastopol has a new look
in their coaching staff and that staff has sumbitted a great pre-season
outlook. A member of the Packerland Conference, you can easily find that
summary on the website.
Turner of the Rock Valley is the first team from that conference
to submit a pre-season outlook. Read through their preview and learn about
who they have returning and what their expectations are.
For an in depth look at the Southern Lakes Conference you
won't want to miss the preview that got submitted today by their conference
rep. It's a great piece and one you won't want to miss out on. Just click
on Southern Lakes or you can scroll down through the entire list of conferernces
on the pages.
The Heart O'North Conference preview is also posted on the
site tonight. I'ts another great look at the conference in the Northwestern
part of the state. Teams from the HON should think about adding to the information
that has been submitted so people can get to know your program and the players
in it better.
I'm still working on the new coaches mailing list. I have
received a lot of the e-mails I need to the best job possible but many athletic
directors have not returned my pleas for their help. Several coaches in
the state have stepped up to the plate and e-mailed the list of head coaches
and their e-mail addresses. I really like that. Special thanks goes out
to those of you that have done that. I am looking to get all the assistant
coached on the list too so forward those and I'll add them in.
Rankings are being submitted this week but it's tought to
rank teams when people don't submit information for the rankers to sift
through. The first rankings are simply pre-season and serve for conversation
anyway. I'm sure we'll miss a team or two or three but we'll catch up to
you and especially if you are diligent in reporting your scores and your
game summaries.
Take a look at the WFSCA website and check to see if you or
the coach at your school is a member of that organization. If you or they
are not by the end of March, the players at your school will not be eligible
for WFSCA post season recognition. If they don't get WFSCA post season recognition
they won't get any beyond all conference.
I'll be at the Kohl Center tomorrow night watching the first
place Badgers try to nail down at least a tie for the Big 10 title. Ohio
State's victory over Purdue tonight (80-77) sets up a great final week for
Wisconsin. On Saturday I have tickets for the game at Northwestern where
the Badgers just might be trying to nail down an undisputed conference title
and a top seed for the Big 10 tourney. (Enough about basketball but I won't
have time to type a bulletin tomorrow night).
Here is a rule question for you just to get you in the groove
for umpiring, scoring and coaching. It's a simple play with a simple ruling.
With R1 on second and R2 on first and less than two outs, B1 hits pop up
that is just behind the second sacker. The second sacker and the rightfielder
both call for the ball right after the base umpie calls "Infield Fly,
Batter is out." The ball is then caught by the rightfielder and not
the second sacker. Is the batter out if an outfielder catches a ball that
is called an infield fly by the umpie?
Remember, a new rule this season states that the batter must
be ready to bat within 10 seconds of the time the pitcher gets the ball
back.
Metal cleats are legal - work hard on teaching good base coverage
technique to protect your fielders.
And thanks to Terry Benter I own one of the greatest fastpitch
softball team jackets in the world. What fastpitch fanatic wouldn't want
a jacket that says "More Softball" embroidered across the front.
It's late - Have a great day!
And of course ---
Keep it Rising!
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin for March 6, 2008
Hey,
Get it Done!
Those
preseason outlooks on your teams and your conferences are what I am talking
about. Many coaches are getting it done. Take a look at the newly posted
previews on the preview page of The Fastpitch Chronicle website. Today I
added previews on: Oak Creek, the Eastern Wisconsin Conference, the Eastern
Valley Conference; Elk Mound of the Dunn-St. Croix Conference; Thorp of
the Cloverblet Conference; Hurley of the Indianhead Conference; Athens of
the Marawood Conference; The Marawood Conference outlook Brodhead of the
Rock Valley Conference; Randolph of the Trailways North Conference.
It
doesn't take very long to type up a preview and hit send.
Here
is some news about a few former Wisconsin High School fastpitch standouts
who are still standing out at the next level. I have more than what I will
list here tonight so just keep reading the Bulletins!
Former
Elk Mound standout Sara Severtson (now a freshman at UW-Stout) started at
third base in the Blue Devils' first two games on February 22nd vs Northwestern
College. She went 1-2 in game one with a triple and an RBI and was 1-3 in
game two with a double and a run scored. Stout won the first game 5-1 and
lost the second game 2-1. She was a four-year starter at Elk Mound and a
three-time All Dunn-St. Croix selection at second base, third base and pitcher.
Kate
Ricchio of Race Case is playing for the Unversity of Toledo. She started
in centerfield as a freshman and put up very good numbers.
Alisa
Koch, current Racine Case pitcher, has signed a NLI with the University
of Minnesota. Koch is the WFSCA Division 1 Player of the Year.
Kristin
Nelson of Mauston (daughter of Head Coach Dawn Nelson) is playing at Platteville
where she is a middle infielder (2B).
Keely
Toporek of Gilman has signed a NLI to play at UM-Crookston. She is a shortstop
at Gilman, coached by Brian Phelps.
In
the next Bulletin I'll update you on 2007 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the
Year Stephanie Schmikla, former Brodhead standouts Ronessa Stampfli and
Kate Earlywine; Kristen Fossel of Oak Creek and more.
I'll
also update you on the plans of some other current Wisconsin standouts like
Lexi Johnson of Madison Memorial and Jessica Steele of Kettle Moraine Lutheran.
I'm
going to start up a list of the top players in Wisconsin. It will not be
a rank order like a couple of the other sports do, just a list of kids that
are good players that people might want to go watch play. Just send me the
player's name, school, position, year in school and why you think she'd
be fun to go watch play. I'll compile the list so people can pick and choose
what games and players they want to see play.
Rankings
are coming in. Rankers should get those to me by 5 PM Friday. I'll post
them Sunday night on the site.
Answer
to Infield Fly Rule question form last Bulletin. Several people e-mailed
me their answers. Once an umpire calls it an infield the fly the batter
is out regardless of what position catches it. It doesnt' even have to be
caught. If an outfielder catches it, it's still an out!
Here's
tonight's play and rule question for you.
Batter
hits ball in the hole between short and third and sprints toward first base.
Throw from shortstop is on the way but the batter-runner passes first base
before the throw gets to the first sacker who has her foot on the base.
Batter-runner did not touch either color of the base and was clearly a step
past the base when the first sacker caught the ball.
What
is the call and how is that supposed to be handled?
I'll
have the answer for you in the next bulletin.
Scoring
in high school softball is a nightmare too many times. Here is a scoring
situation for you.
Game
is in the bottom of the seventh inning and is knotted at 1-1 with less than
two outs. Home team has a runner at second base. Batter hits high towering
shot to deep right field that has a chance of going over the fence. The
runner at second base goes back to the base to tag and remains there until
she sees the ball bounce off the fence, still in play. The Batter is right
on top of the other runner as they head for third. Runner from second touches
home plate and batter-runner stayed at third base as the ball was being
thrown in by the rightfielder for a play at the plate.
How
do you score the hit by the batter? Double? Triple?
Answer
in next bulletin!
For
more great scoring situations and more great plays and blown calls be sure
to go back to the Bulletins from the previous years and read them. Most
of the zany plays that are written about in those bulletins actually happened
at Wisconsin high school softball games.
I'll
go back and rehash some of those plays and calls from time to time because
there is so much turnover among our high school coaches from year to year.
They never get old (only us old fossil and dinosaur coaches do).
Did
you know?
That
former Johnson Creek Head Coach Del Schneeberger is now the Head Softball
Coach at Madison Area Technical College? Or that longtime Mondovi Head Coach
Archie Tate retired? Or that former Badger Catcher and MATC Head Coach Boo
Gillette is now the pitching/catching coach at Purdue? Or that there are
some personnell changes on the WFSCA Board of Directors? Check that out
at wfsca.org and be informed.
Hey,
it's late. Take two and hit to right and as always
Keep
it Rising
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin Volume 7, Number 17 3/10/08
Day #1 - Practice #1
Hello Again Everybody - Have you mailed in your WFSCA dues
yet? You only have until the end of March or thereabouts to get that done
and still get your kids some post-season recognition. Get it done!
There are more schools in Division 4 in 2008 than there were
in 2007. Twelve more to be exact and to get that way there is one less school
in Division 1, one less in Division 2 and 10 less in Division 3. It's a
better balance.
I was looking at the regional pools in all four divisions
and the sectional sites as well. There are going to be some Division 4 schools
making some long trips to get to those sectional sites. I'd make the trip
to those sites if I had to drive all night and all day to get there. Just
to play in the sectional is a treat.
I have marked my pre-season predictions for the sectionals.
I won't share them with you though. I have them in a sealed container though
and I have shared those predictions with a few close fastpitch friends.
There are more and more team and conference previews on the
2008 Preview page of The Fastpitch Chronicle now but not anywhere close
to as many as there should be. There should be a team preview for every
school that sponsors softball. Get the word to the coaches in your conference
and urge them to get me an outlook before the games begin.
I was going to rank the four divisions last night but the
rankers just simply found it too tough to actually put a number on them.
We have the top teams that we know of in each division listed on the rankings
page of the website. Take a look at them and if you think your team or a
team in your conference should be on that list - just e-mail to me. I'll
pass the word along to our great group of rankers and they will consider
that team.
Here is another short list of former Wisconsin high school
standouts and where they are playing this spring: Katie Sutter of Barneveld
is plahing at UW-Platteville, Carrie Franson, Poynette and Malory Gill of
Beloit Memorial at Valparaiso, Molly Bjelland of Grantsburg and Callie Givens
of Greendale at Winona State, Ainsley Klar of Aquinas at UW-Eau Claire,
Brittany Schmitt of Colby at Northland College, Jill Janke of Black River
Falls at UW-Eau Claire, Kaity Acker of Middleton at UW-Eau Claire, Casey
Lesigang of Seymour at UW-Eau Claire, Rachel Haines of Pepin at St. Cloud
State, Amanda Wilhelm of LaCrosse Central at Winona State, Ashley Hammerbeck
of DC Everest at UW-River Falls, Katie Fichter of Baraboo at UW-Stout, Mindy
Rudiger of Menomonie at UW-River Falls, Michelle Butkus of Medford at UW
Eau Claire, Sara Baumgartner of Arcadia at UW-Eau Claire, Rosie Weyer of
Loyal at UW Lacrosse, Amy Gahl of Parkview at UW-Whitewater, Stephanie Schmikla
of McFarland and katie Hendrickson of Verona at Concordia in St. Paul, Kate
Earleywine of Brodhead at Loras College, Ronessa Stampfli of Brodhead at
UW-Oshkosh.
Earleywine was a second team all conference pitcher last spring
as a freshman and set the Loras College strikeout record with 208 which
was 70 more than the previous record.
Stampfli is a first team Division 3 All American pitcher as
a junior and the WIAC Pitcher of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2007. She hold
the career record for strike outs with 757 and she has a year to play yet.
Her ERA of 0.92 over 527 is pretty impressive.
Schmikla recently pitched in Concordia's openers at the Husky
Dome in St. Cloud. She had thrown 31 innings with an ERA of 1.83 and a record
of 2-2. Seh beat St. Cloud State and Mercyhurst where she tossed a 3-0 shutout.
Here is a short list of current high school standouts across
the state that would be worth watching: Ashley Meinen of McDonell in Chippewa
Falls. She has 446 strikeouts in three years of work and allowed 30 walks
in 350 innings; Jessica Freagon of McDonell, a lefthanded hitter that has
power, hits for average and can really run; Stephanie Kohn of Bonduel who
is a tremendous base runner and base stealer and is great in the field;
Tierney Planasch a junior pitcher at Dodgeland who can really pitch and
is a treat to watch; Brittany Kreig of Hudson who has signed a National
Letter of Intent at St. Cloud State; Lydia Free, a sophomore pitcher at
Watertown Luther Preo who was the Pitcher of the Year as a freshman in the
Capitol North last spring.
If you have a player or players that should be on our long
list of fine players in the state, just e-mail me some information about
them and I'll highlight them in a Bulletin and add them to the Outstanding
Player page of The Fastpithc Chronicle website.
If you have a player or players who have signed a NLI or committed
to a school to play collegiate softball, send me that information too.
Hey, it's late and I am bushed from practices today and have
6:40 am batting practice in Poynette tomorrow. Send those team profiles
to me tomorrow. Get it done!
Have a great Day #2, Practice #2 and until tomorrow night
--
Keep it Rising!
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin - Volume 7, Number 18 3/11/08
Just a
bit outside!
Hello Everyone
- I've received a great number of e-mails from people across the state that
include names of former Wisconsin High School softball players now playing
at the next level. Many are playing on the teams in the WIAC so - to make
things easier for my fingers here on this keyboard and easier for those
of you interested in looking at the names of the Wisconsin players on those
rosters - here are links to all nine rosters
http://www.uwec.edu/Athletics/soft/0708/index.htm
http://perth.uwlax.edu/Athletics/wsoftball/roster/
http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/WSoftball/Roster.html
http://www.uwplatt.edu/athletics/softball/2008/roster.html
http://www.uwrf.edu/sports/softball.roster.php
http://athletics.uwsp.edu/roster.asp?path=softball
http://www.uwstout.edu/athletics/softball/sbroster.htm
http://www.uwsuper.edu/athletics/womens/softball/roster.asp
http://www.uwwsports.com/roster.asp?path=softball
I tried
all the links and they worked for me. Take a look at them.
In addition
to those nine teams there are other players from Wisconsin playing on teams
not in the WIAC and in other states --- like
Sara Stalker
of Hudson who is a freshman at St. Cloud State. She is playing third base
and is off to a great start, batting .300 in 23 games.
I've also
added some team profiles to the 2008 Preseason page - look for Osseo-Fairchild,
Prentice, Sheboygan South and Winnebago Lutheran Academy previews in their
respective conferences which are Cloverbelt West, Marawood, Fox River Classic
and Wisconsin Flyway.
I have
also added some information about the Baraboo Thunder Summer Program on
the sites page of the Fastpitch Chronicle website. I also added information
about a summer tournament in Baraboo and one in Lancaster so check that
out.
I had a
great conversation tonight with my long-time friend Steve Schmikla. Steve
was the coach at McFarland and is one of just a short list of Wisconsin
coaches to win more than 400 high school varsity games.
You can
check out all the great information on the Coaches Honor Roll Page of The
Fastpitch Chronicle website. I have updated some stuff there too like adding
the fact that Don Bjelland has coached Grantsburg to seven conference titles
in the Lakeland West, and have moved Jack Miller of Greenfield up into the
250 win list. If you or a coach you know should have their information added
to or updated on the Honor Roll page, just e-mail me that information. The
only way to keep it updated is by people keeping me informed. I don't have
the time or the expertise to set up a spreadsheet of all the coaches in
the state.
Speaking
of all the coaches in the state. I've been trying to put together a separate
e-mail list of high school coaches in Wisconsin. I contacted every athletic
director in the state whose school has a softball team and asked them to
send me the e-mail addresses of their head coaches and the rest of their
staff. The response has been palty at best. I'm at about 30% return. So,
get the word out and e-mail me your address if you have not done so. Conference
reps to the WFSCA Board could easily e-mail me the e-mail contacts of the
head coaches in their conference. I will also try conference commissioners.
That's
that for tonight.
Have a great day! And ---
Keep it Rising!
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin Volume 7, Number 19 3/12/08
A
broken bat single!
Hello
Again Everyone - It was in interesting day for this fastpitch junkie. Lots
of great e-mails from many of you, more e-mail addresses to add to the mailing
lists, a good indoor practice both this morning and this afternoon and some
time with my grandchildren Graham and Anne E. this evening.
It's
already 10:20 as I begin this bulletin so it might be a short one.
I
have added season previews for Kimberly (State's Top Ranked Team), Algoma
of the Packerland, Oakfield of the Trailways North, DeSoto of the Ridge
and Valley and tried to load up a preview of the Eastern Valley but keep
getting a message about a new version of Word or something like that and
when I try to fix that, I get bumped off the internet.
Two
players off the 2004 Weyauwega-Fremont team that took second place are now
playing at St. Norbert College in DePere. They are Mara Resch, a pitcher
in her fourth year and Brieanne Oehlke in her second year and both are doing
fine and enjoying the sport. That according to my sources in W-F. Here is
a link to their website:
http://www.snc.edu/athletics/softball
I
have also added information about a summer tournament in Waunakee. Check
that out on the summer directory page of The Fastpitch Chronicle website.
I'll
list summer tournaments as long as the directors promise, without fail to
send a tournament summary. No summary, no free advertising next year. Simple
plan!
Here
is another little tidbit of information. One of the biggest differences
between baseball and fastpitch softball is that a softball pitcher must
deliver the ball underhand whereas a baseball pitcher can deliver it any
way they choose. Another big difference is the fact that in baseball there
is what is known as a "pitcher's mound." From Merriam Webster's
Desk Dictionary (right here on my desk) the definition for mound is: an
artificial bank or hill of earth or stones 2. knoll 3. Heap, 4. Pile
Fastpitch
softball pitchers are never "on the mound" . At least they shouldn't
be. Sportswriters and fastpitch broadcasters who use the phrase "on
the mound" show their lack of understanding of the game. There are
things that truly define our game and the lack of a mound is one of the
most defining differences.
When
I receive articles, previews etc. I try to read them all and I usually change
"on the mound" to "in the circle." Baseball and slowpitch
softball do not have a circle around the pitcher's plate. It's a rule unique
to fastpitch.
Of
course, I'm old enough to remember when there was not a circle around the
pitcher's plate. In those days the pitchers had to "look the runners"
back to their bases before delivering the next pitch. If the pitcher failed
to "look back" the runner, that runner could in effect, lead off.
That caused many a bruhhaha. I know the umpire from Minnesota that wrote
the pitcher's circle rule.
Don't
fret if you inadvertently send me something where you type "on the
mound", "on the knoll", "on the hill", or "on
the pile". I'll probably just edit it and change it to "in the
circle" and thus make it sound like a real fastpitch story.
I
was talking to a friend the other day about the early days of girls' high
school fastpitch in Wisconsin. Heavy metal bats, wooden bats, first basemen's
mitts for catchers, tiny, thin fastpitch softball masks on catchers, required
breast cups on chest protectors, no throat protectors, no face masks on
helmets, no helmets on catchers, no double first bases, no outfield fences,
no windmill pitchers, scores in the 20s for the winners and losers, games
that lasted in excess of 2 hours, umpires without masks, games where umpires
failed to show up and a coach had to umpire (that happened to me once -
we lost - poor umpiring I guess).
I've
been to every state tournament since 1980 so I've seen the game evolve.
Some of the changes have been amazing and marvelous, yet many have not been
so amazing nor marvelous. I've seen a state tournament played on grass infields
with 300' fences finally get moved to a state of the art fastpitch facility.
I've seen sectional tournament sites without fences and now they must have
a fence. I'd like to see all regional games on facilities with fastpitch
distance fences.
I've
finally seen metal cleats become legal and I'm now requiring every kid in
our program to wear a mouthguard all the time. Our third sacker bit through
her lower lip last season when sliding clumisily into the ground in front
of second base and the impact forced her lower teeth through her lip. She
was a mess but luckily her teeth were not injured.
Hey,
it's late, I've rambled here a bit but there are times when young coaches
need to learn some historical stuff. My time on the planet has taught me
that it is impossible to understand where you are in the world today if
you don't understand how you got to where you are.
This
is my 30th year of coaching girls' fastpitch, 29th as Head Coach at Poynette.
There are a few other dinsosaurs out there but not many. From time to time
it's the responsibility of the dinosaurs to teach the young ones the importance
of understanding how things got to be the way they are. The younger ones
then can gain a better appreciation for the way things are today.
Tomorrow
night's bulletin will include a story about a former Pacelli player who
recently signed a contract to play in the professional fastpitch league
with Rockford.
Keep
sending me those player updates and our list of players on this year's high
school teams in Wisconsin that are worth the trip to watch. If you already
sent me some information and I have not yet highlighted it, jack me up a
bit and send me another e-mail.
Have
a great day
Keep it Rising!
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin Volume 7, Number 20 3/13/08
Put
me in coach, I'm ready today -- look at me, I can play centerfield!
Hello
Again Everyone - Thanks to all the other dinosaurs that e-mailed me today.
I think we perhaps should start up our own fossil club within the sport
before we go the way of the dinosaurs.
As
I page through the WIAA Directory of schools I see far more teams being
coached by X than there are dinosaurs and fossils. The turnover rate is
amazing in girls' softball. About the time I get close to a complete list
of head coaches I get an e-mail from somebody who tells me to take them
off the mailing list because they are no longer coaching.
Enough
about huge reptiles and imprints in sedimentary rock for tonight.
I
got the Eastern Valley Conference preview posted and believe me when I tell
you it's a dandy. Also you can check out the Stanley-Boyd preview (Cloverbelt
Conference); and Homestead (North Shore Conference).
As
we get closer and closer to the first games that will get played I cringe
at the thought of all those scorebooks and the stuff that gets entered in
them. So, to give people a better idea on what's what in scoring I'll start
giving you situations that take place and have you score them.
Play
#1 - Runner at first takes off for second on a steal attempt. An illegal
pitch gets called and the runner reaches second after the pitch. Score that!
Play
#2 Runners on first and second with no outs. It's a "sure bunt"
situation. Batter bunts towards first sacker who fields the ball who throws
to second who throws back to first for a double play (very rare play in
high school girls' softball -- also very rare even in world class men's
fastpitch softball). How does your scorekeeper handle that one? Score it!
Play
#3 - Batter takes a swing and strikes the catcher's glove/mitt and misses
the ball. Umpire awards batter first base. Score that!
Player
updates: Lauren Pockl of Green Bay Preble is a junior at Minnesota, playing
third base. She hit around .230 last season.
The
Petrowiak sisters from Grafton are playing at UW-LaCrosse this year. Their
father, Mike was a teacher in the Poynette school district for a number
of years.
Answer
to Play #1 - A delayed dead ball should be called when the pitch becomes
illegal. The runner is entitled to a stolen base if the scorekeeper figures
the runner would have reached base safely had the pitch not been illegal.
The pitch, of course is a ball.
A
couple of players worth watching are Madeline Dugolenski, catcher and Elyse
Rylander, an infielder and utility player at Poynette. Both are seniors,
tough outs and great competitors.
Answer to Play #2 - The runner at first and the batter are retired and scored
"3-4-3" and the runner at second advances to third on a fielder's
choice -- not a sacrifice! Remember there are no RBI awarded when the batter
hits into a double play either.
Remember
that anyone playing catch with a person who is pitching, trying to pitch,
appears to be trying to pitch or just plain throwing a softball underhand
should/must be wearing a helmet and mask.
Answer
to Play #3 - Batter is awarded first base and the catcher is charged with
an error but the plate appearance does not count as an official at bat on
the batter's game record. It's treated like a base on balls, being hit by
a pitch, a sacrifice bunt, or sacrifice fly. A few years ago, in a Bulletin
I wrote about that very play being scored incorrectly at the ISC Men's World
Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa. When the mistake was corrected, a different
player won the batting title and I won a steak dinner from the Sports Editor
of the Sioux City Journal who swore up and down that the plate appearance
did count as a time at bat.
How
often do you read the rulebook. I listened to Bo Ryan's press conference
from Monday of this week. They were talking about knowing the rules. He
said, "Never play a game of any kind where you don't know the rules."
Those that know me, know that I do read the rule book at least once each
week. I read at least one section per day during the season. I have always
figured I owed it to the player in my program to know them inside and out.
I
promised an update on a former Pacelli player who recently signed a contract
with Rockford of the Pro fastpitch league. I'll get that in the next bulletin.
If I click out of this e-mail form right now to get to the link, I'll lose
all this typing I've done so far.
Have
a great night - get the profiles and previews in.
Keep
it Rising!
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin Volume 7, Number 21 3/16/08
It's a
slap single in the hole between short and third!
Hello Again
Everyone - By the time you read this, some of the high school teams in Wisconsin
will already arrived at warmer places to get their seasons underway. Florida
seems to be a top spot for quite a few Wisconsin teams. I know Monroe is
there as a few of the girls off their state championship basketball team
told the reporters they were "Going to Disney World" after the
title game.
I hope
those schools remember to send reports to us here at the Fastpitch Chronicle
so we can do a good job of posting them and helping out our rankers as well.
The Pre-Season
rankings have been posted for several days now on The Fastpitch Chronicle
site so take a close look at those. Keep in mind they are pre-season only
and were really tough for the rankers as many teams did not send in team
previews.
There are
438 WIAA softball teams this year. Some of those teams are co-op teams so
there are about 450-455 Wisconsin schools that take part in the WIAA softball
program.
I have
been trying to put together a separate Bulletin E-mail list for coaches.
That way I can desseminate information quickly statewide to coaches when
they need information. I have also included the e-mail addresses of assistant
coaches.
I e-mailed directly to every athletic director in the state that is listed
in the WIAA Directory. I still have to get the e-mail addresses of about
150-160 coaches though. Many athletic directors did not return the e-mail
information.
I have
now e-mailed all the conference commisioners and asked them to forward the
e-mail addresses of their head softball coach. It will be interesting to
see how that return goes.
And speaking
of coaching lists be sure to check out the WFSCA website and see if they
have received your membership dues. The deadline is just two weeks away.
I received
and posted Assumption's season preview. You can check that out on the Marawood
Conference area of the 2008 Pre-Season Preview pages.
The weather
seems to be breaking a bit here and the snow is actually disappearing from
many of the outfields in the Madison area. Most infields are still very
snow-covered. We have many bare spots on our varsity outfield but there
is 4-5 inches of snow on the dirt infield and it's frozen up pretty hard.
Hey - take
a look at the bottom of the 2008 Preview page where I have listed the schools
whose head coach e-mails I need on my coach's list. Some of those e-mails
are included in these bulletins but my bulletin lists do not list your name
nor your school, only your e-mail address. If your school is on there, don't
get upset with me, just e-mail back to me and tell me what school and I'll
add you to the list I am accumulating. Also, if you are a head coach, send
me the e-mail addresses of your assistants.
I will
not be sharing those lists with anyone. They will be for Bulletin mailings
and coaching announcements only.
Keep it
Rising!
Bob
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin Volume 7, Number 22 3/17/08
A
new day has dawned! There’s new grass on the field. So, Say Hey Willie,
Tell Ty Cobb and Joe Dimaggio ----
And
every fastpitch person you know.
Hello
Everyone – Today marks a new path for The Fastpitch Chronicle and
the way we cover fastpitch in Wisconsin. After hashing things out with the
Wisconsin Sports Network, I chose to enter into an agreement therein whereby
The Fastpitch Chronicle will really “Fuel the Wisconsin Sports Network
Softball website or Power the Wisconsin Sports Network Softball website”
. That means that I will be the content provider for the newsy stuff on
the site. I’ll be doing the same kind of things I have been doing
for eight years with the Fastpitch Chronicle. I’ll even be doing more
things to generate more interest in the game and the people in it. Look
for more feature stories on coaches, fans, players, etc.
The
website was launched late this afternoon. You can see the the site by going
to http://www.wissports.net and read
the press release and then browse around on the site. I’ll be adding
more and more content daily.
As
for game scores once the season starts, things will remain the way they
have been. If you want people to read the same kinds of reports that you
have provided throughout the years here at the Fastpitch Chronicle, just
keep doing what you have been doing. The only change will be that the information
will be hosted by The Wisconsin Sports Network. WSN has people who will
try to glean scores from statewide sources but you could help them out by
simply e-mailing the score of your game to info@wissports.net and they’ll
do the rest.
If
you’d like to keep your team stats online, the WSN offers you that
free of charge just like they do for football and basketball. They will
also be adding baseball and a running website too.
The
pages will be organized according to teams and by conferences. The stuff
you are accustomed to on The Fastpitch Chronicle site will still be there.
Things like the Coaches Honor Roll, Scores by week and then broken down
by the day.
I’ll
be posting links to articles about fastpitch in Wisconsin newspapers so
I’ll still need the great contributors that have been onboard previously
to e-mail me the links to those articles as I will not be posting the article
itself.
The
Fastpitch Bulletins, originally called Nightly Bulletins will continue as
interest in those is amazing. The same types of issues, stories, rules,
scoring information and stuff will be included. The only difference is that
you’ll get a bulletin in your inbox from me with a link to the article
on the WSN site. All you’ll have to do is click on the link and you’ll
be taken right to the latest bulletin and like on the Fastpitch Chronicle
site, all the previous bulletins will be there in chronological order.
I
encourage you to tell your fastpitch friends, the players on your team,
the parents of the players on your team and all the fans of your team about
the site and how to get there. Or have them e-mail me their e-mail address
and I’ll add their names to the ever-growing list of people who get
the bulletins.
The
WSN site has direct links to the Fastpitch Chronicle and we’ve added
a direct link to the Wisconsin Fastpitch Coaches Association site at http://www.wfsca.org
as well. That should get the WFSCA site more traffic than ever.
I’m
at about 75% of the way of getting every head coach's e-mail (the head coaches
that have e-mail that is). I’m trying valiantly to get to 100%. Check
out the list of schools I still need to hear from at the bottom of the 2008
Preview Page on The Fastpitch Chronicle website.
On
to more normal Fastpitch Bulletin information.
Check
out this website and the great pictures on it. It’s the Pepin Softball
team site at www.ladylakerfastpitch.com
and thanks to Coach Matt Bellerive for promoting The Fastpitch Chronicle
with his team and fans up there.
Here
is a player update from Iola-Scandinavia. Ashley Draeger is playing for
Concordia University in Wisconsin this season. She was a third-team WFSCA
all state pitcher last year.
Rachel
Mathias of Ripon is playing at UW-River Falls.
You’ve
undoubtedly noticed that the first Fastpitch Chronicle rankings are now
posted. They were not easy for the rankers. They will change.
Some
players worth watching this season include:
Katie Boyle of Thomas More in Milwaukee. She’s a junior pitcher who
has fanned 285, walked 34 and has an ERA of 1.9 in two years of work in
the Woodland Conference. She was a first-team all conference selection last
year.
There
are teams in Florida this week. It has not been customary for Wisconsin
team that travel to warmer climates to play to report their scores but I
encourage you to do so. Those games count on your season record.
Here
is one game situation for you to sort out tonight. This one can happen at
any game. Bases loaded with one out. Batters hits ground ball toward shortstop.
The batted ball hits the runner going to third and prevents the shortstop
from making a play. What is the call? Can two runners be called out and
does the run score?
I
look forward to serving your fastpitch interest in the future and think
that we can move the game even farther into the public limelight. I urge
you to forward your game summaries and scores to me and WSN. The Fastpitch
Chronicle site will remain up for a while but in time all pages will be
linked directly to WSN web pages.
Here
is the answer to the situation described above.
The run does not score since each runner has to return to the base they
occupied at the time of the interference. The runner who was hit is out
and the batter is awarded first base.
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin Volume 7, Number 23 3/18/07
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin Volume 7, Number 24 3/19/08
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The
Fastpitch Bulletin Volume 7, Number 25 3/22/08
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