Eddie Feigner dead at the age of 81
From the Sports Illustrated web Site
The softball world lost the largest personality in the history of the sport.
Dave Blackburn
310-266-7803
daveb@virtvent.com
Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Softball legend Feigner dead at 81
Friday, February 9th, 2007Al’s Fastball
Thursday, February 8th, 2007
Many of our readers are familiar with Al’s Fastball, which we affectionately refer to as “The Holy Grail” of Men’s Fastball.
Al’s Fastball is operated by Al Doran, in Ontario, Canada. (Al also doubles as the ISC Fastpitch webmaster).
The website provides a wealth of information on men’s fastball all over the world, and his emails go out daily to more than 1,500 fastball fans every day — including me. From time to time, we are asked for information on how to sign up for his mailing list, so we’re posting this link:
Click here for information on how to get onto the email mailing list for Al’s Fastball.
Mailing list subscribers can submit emails for posting to Al’s, but be sure to read the guidelines posted on the page linked above.
At the AAU tournament recently, a friend of mine was chatting with Al Doran and I. My friend told Al that his site was the first place he goes for fastball news every morning, then looked at me, as if he had hurt my feelings. I told him “don’t worry – it’s the first place I go too” 🙂 Al’s Fastball is a good part of the inspiration for Fastpitchwest – to help provide some news on what is happening “out West”. We heartily recommend Al’s Fastball – the website, and the mailing list to all of our readers.
For the convenience of our readers (and the editor), Fastpitchwest provides two easy links to get to Al’s Fastball:
1. Main Menu – the first menu button on our front page will take you directly to Al’s Fastball, the website.
2. Quick Link Bar – you’ll find a “Quick Link” to Al’s Fastball Archive on the far right hand side of that little grey bar at the bottom of nearly every page at Fastpitchwest. (except this blog) We are proud to host the back-up archive for copies of the emails that Al sends out, in chronological order.
8th Annual Red Rock Tournament – May 5-6, 2007 at St. George, Utah
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007Editor’s note: This post on Red Rock from earlier in the week has been revised, and therefore, bumped to the top for today’s date, February 7, 2007. Two main items added below.
1) a list of teams entered in the tournament so far and a heads up to teams that the 16 slots are filling up fast — and has been full the last four years. (Don’t be the 17th team that gets turned away – act now while there is still time to get in). Be on the radio — not home listening to the games.
2) If you’re booking rooms for the Crystal Inn, note that there are two different numbers to call — one if you’re booking only one or two rooms, and a direct line if you’re booking more than two rooms.
Click photo above for panoramic shot of the beautiful Canyons Complex. (if it does not “shrink to fit” in your browser, right mouse click, then choose “view image”. )
TOURNAMENT DATES: May 5 and 6, 2007
ENTRY FEE: $375 US
PITCHING RULE: ISC
ENTRY DEADLINE: March 1, 2007
FORMAT: Round Robin into single elimination.
GAMES GUARANTEED: Four
ENTRY CHECKS
Payable to:
Roy Stout
P.O. Box 812
Lake Hughes, CA 93532
We are looking for a 16 team tournament again this year as there were 16 teams in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
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Teams that are confirmed or that we are currently processing:
Gremlins/Broken Bow
So Cal Bombers
California Lumberkings
Larry Miller Hogs
Houston Aces
Team Minnesota
Santa Rosa
Many other teams have requested further information this week. (Feb. 7). We anticipate filling the tournament for the fifth straight year. (more…)
ISC Introduces New Roster & Team Registration Process
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
August 6, 2007 Final Deadline for ISC/ISCII Rosters
In a continuing effort to streamline our overall operation and at the same time, reduce both expense and volunteer requirements for tournament hosts, beginning in 2007 the ISC will implement a new team roster and team registration process at the World Tournament and ISC II Tournament of Champions.
The former 3-part roster form is being eliminated and replaced with a single copy form that is available on line or will be email attached to those requesting it. The new form is currently displayed at www.iscfastpitch.com. Click on Rules & Forms in the left margin of front page. You can save this form, to your computer, from the web site display.
For both World Tournament and ISC II teams, the roster form must be submitted three times per season; May 1, July 15 and the Monday preceding the start of the ISC World Tournament. In 2007, this final date is August 6.
The May 1 date is a “preliminary” roster and a mandatory PRAWN declaration date for those teams having PRAWN players. May 1 will also continue being the due date for Out of Region (formerly Out of Area) player forms.
July 15 is the deadline for rosters to be in the hands of the championship tournaments host for use in the printed tournament program.
August 6 will be the final deadline for rosters used in the 2007 World Tournament and ISC II Tournament of Champions.
All rosters are to be emailed to the appropriate Statisticians whose addresses appear on the roster form itself.
The overall process involves each team “saving” their first roster on their computer. Then as subsequent due dates arrive, only changes need to be made to the saved form.
This process will eliminate the need for the former Team Registration ordeal on the Friday morning preceding the start of the World Tournament. The mandatory team manager meeting will still be held at 12 noon on the beginning Friday. Outside the manager meeting room, tables will be set up for distribution of materials for each team. Player and immediate family member tournament passes will be distributed based on the August 6 roster submission. This distribution process will begin around 10 AM and continue until after the manager meeting concludes. ISC personnel, Umpires, Hall of Fame inductees and others requiring credentials will also pick up outside the manager meeting room.
The Statisticians will also be available during this distribution process, to make any last minute roster changes.
For ISC II, the above process will be used but the manager meeting and credentials distribution will take place preceding the start of the ISC II Tournament of Champions. Time and location will be announced later.
To download a copy of the new roster form, click here.
(It’s an Excel file, so choose “save” to save to your computer’s hard drive, or “open” if you want to open it.)
If you don’t have Excel (which is part of Microsoft Office) and don’t want to $pring for it, try the open source freebie, “Open Office”.
Click here to visit the official ISC website page with for Rules and Forms. You’ll find the new 2007 Roster under “Forms”, right at the top.
For those wanting the new roster form via email attachment, email any of the following and request one.
iscken@comcast.net
iscstat@hotmail.com
stats4u@iscfastpitch.com
jbob99@allstream.net
blairjs@rogers.com
hdewild@milwpc.com
tschaaf@kimberly.k12.wi.us
The ISC extends thanks to Bret Baughman, ISC Historian and Assistant Statistician, for his efforts in developing much of the new procedure and roster form.
Are You Getting Blitzed?
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
Feedblitzed, that is. Feeblitz is a free service that will email you a list of new posts to this blog, the “Morning Brief”, right around midnight. Never more than one email per day, and only when new items are added. It’s a great way to stay up on all the latest in the world of Men’s Fastball, and eliminate the surfing back and forth to see if there’s something new.
We’ve posted a sample online, so you can see what it looks like before you sign up. Note the clickable links that can take you right to the post if you want to read the entire piece. It’s like RSS, but simpler, because it comes right to your email inbox.
To sign up, click this link. (then enter your email and click the sign-up button)
And if you’re a fan of the ISC II, there is a similar list for our ISC II blog, “The Deuce”.
So Cal Bombers
Monday, February 5th, 2007From Cesar Rodriguez, Bombers Coach and Webmaster:
The So Cal Bombers have a new domain name for 2007, www.socalbombers.com.
Be sure to drop by and pay them a visit.
Maddy’s 2007 AAU Photos – Gallery 5
Friday, February 2nd, 2007Here’s Gallery 5, the half-way mark in our “gallery-a-day” AAU photo posting-fest.
Click the camera to view first five galleries of photos from the 2007 AAU International Tournament, held January 18-21, 2007. Maddy has prepped about 300 photos, so we’ll be posting a gallery every day over the next week or so. If you don’t see the team you’re looking for, check back often, to see the additional galleries.
After clicking the camera icon above, click the menu button on left for Gallery 5, or to jump directly to Gallery 5, click here.
ISC Introduces New Softball for 2007
Thursday, February 1st, 2007ISC Introduces New Softball for 2007 and New Worth Retailer for US
For the past several years many players, administrators and fans have expressed concern about the safety of today’s hi-tech bats and balls. As everyone knows, the game has experienced numerous incidents where serious injuries have occurred due to players being hit with a batted or thrown ball.
In recent years, we have attended many meetings and seminars, with manufacturers and testing groups about bat/ball technology and how it can be harnessed to provide maximum safety for players. Frankly, not much has come from these gatherings and that is primarily due to the differences between what is wanted for slowpitch, compared with what is wanted and needed for fastball or fastpitch. Remember, slowpitch accounts for far more ball sales than fastpitch. Also remember, men’s fastpitch is the only segment of softball still using white balls. We are a very small part of the overall softball sales market.
In 2006, based on a motion from the ISC Player Rep Committee, the Board of Directors passed a motion to have ISC proceed with locating and/or developing a safer ball.
In numerous discussions with both pitchers and hitters, the consensus was having the Worth K-Master cover on a cork center ball. Until recently, the technology to accomplish this was not available. Now the technology is available and Worth has worked with us to develop a new ball.
Beginning with the 2007 season, the official ISC ball for both the ISC World Tournament and the ISC II Tournament of Champions will be the newly created Worth K-Master120 Fastpitch Cork, model C120WISC.
(more…)
Maddy’s 2007 AAU Photos – Gallery 3
Wednesday, January 31st, 2007Click the camera to view first three galleries of photos from the 2007 AAU International Tournament, held January 18-21, 2007. Maddy has prepped about 300 photos, so we’ll be posting a gallery every day for the next ten days. If you don’t see the team you’re looking for, check back often, to see the additional galleries.
After clicking the camera icon above, click the menu button on left for Gallery 3, or to jump directly to Gallery 3, click here.
USA Jr. Men Win Exhibition Match vs. San Diego, 1-0
Friday, January 26th, 2007Mitch Mendenhall helped organize a San Diego area team to face the USA Junior men’s team (15-18 year olds) last night in Chula Vista, CA (near San Diego). Mitch provides this report:
“Last night’s nine inning exhibition game with the Junior Olympic Team ended up with the Junior Olympic Team winning 1-0. I think the bats were a little rusty for everyone. It has been since November since most of us have even picked up a ball or bat. There were a couple of hard throwing pitchers for the Junior Olympic Team. I believe B J Hunhoff was clocked in the mid seventies. It’s great to see some young pitchers with that kind of talent. “
The USA Jr. Men are in Chula Vista, CA for a training camp which will continue over the weekend, including two more exhibition games between the USA Jr. Men and the San Diego area team. Pitching for San Diego over the weekend will be 24 year old Anthony Martinez, who pitched his Young Bucks squad to a 23 and under National title last year, along with Mitch Mendenhall and Dan Zupp. Coaches Tim Lyon, Scott Standerfer and Gary Mullican will be on hand at the camp, as will Fastpitchwest. Look for an update on Monday, along with “Maddy’s Monday Night Photos”. Saturday’s games are at 10am and 2pm, and open to the public — but be sure to contact the Olympic Training facility (or Fastpitchwest) ahead of time, in order to gain access to the training facility.