[Alsfastball] ISC - Power Pool Concept Scores A Hit – But Not With Everyone

[Al Doran]

Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 21:52:58 -0500
To: "Al's Fastball List" <fastball at pmihrm.com>
From: Bret Baughman <stats4u at iscfastpitch.com>


Power Pool Concept Scores A Hit – But Not With Everyone

“I didn’t like the idea at first”

“Initially I was shocked”

“Don’t mind it as much as when I first saw it”

“I still like the double elimination better”

Those are some of the comments heard around the 
park in Eau Claire from fans and players as they 
shared their feelings about the “power pool” 
concept for the round robin portion of the 2005 ISC World Tournament.




Jerry Stangl 73 year old retired postal employee 
from Coon Rapids, Iowa, has been coming with his 
wife to the World Tourney for over 35 years.


“We plan our vacation around it.” Says 
Stangl.  And how does he feel about the latest wrinkle in the format?

“I didn’t like the idea at first, but having seen 
it in action I like it a lot better. It gave the 
non-power teams a better chance of making the 
playoffs” says Stangl. “I still like the old 
style (double elimination) better, but with the 
new format you get a chance to watch some better games early.”

Phil Reimer of Landmark, (“the fastball hotbed of 
Manitoba”) calls the power pool format “fine – it 
has cut down on the number of mercy games” Reimer 
is watching his first World Tournament. He 
questions whether there are “too many teams”

Carl Lind of Crystal Falls, Michigan, has been 
coming to the tournament for 15 years. His 
reactions: “I was shocked when I saw the change to the power pools”

But Lind continues, “I take my hat off to the 
I.S.C. They are doing their best to save the 
game. They are trying valiantly so we really 
shouldn’t be shocked at seeing major changes come.”

Lind admits he “comes late to the tournament” 
since the ISC has gone to pool play. He sums up 
his feelings with, “You are doing your best to 
save the game – now if we could only get the owners to go along.”

Certainly not everyone agrees with the power 
pools – or with round robin play in general.

“I’ve always liked double elimination better.” 
Says Leo Lowe of Garretson, S. Dak., who has been 
coming to the I.S.C. since Saskatoon in 1987.

“I like it, but I still like double elimination 
better.” says Bruce Simpson of Alleston Ontario, 
who has seen 24 World Tourneys.

Simpson adds “I don’t mind sitting here watching 
good teams play and I’d rather see teams fairly 
well matched than watch one team beat the bejebbers out of another.”

Guy Greenwall and Bob Goulden who played for the 
Edmonton Express agree that “the power pool gives 
a sense of fairness. It sets up some upset 
possibilities and makes pool play more 
competitive with better matchups.” Goulden 
observed that, “I didn’t mind it as much as when 
I first saw it. I thought it was a bad idea, but 
now that I’ve seen it, I think it is better than I had expected it to be.”

The power pool concept is likely to be continued 
when the 2006 edition of the ISC World Tournament 
is contested in Kitchener next August.

August 19, 2005

Gordon Wise
ISC Information Director



Bret Baughman
ISC Historian and Asst. Statistician
Fax: 319-396-4247
Email: stats4u at iscfastpitch.com
Check out all the latest ISC News at:
http://www.iscfastpitch.com
The History of the ISC World Tournament can be found at:
http://www.iscfastpitch.com/webstartme/history.htm


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