[Alsfastball] Power Pool Concept Scores a Hit - - But Not With Everyone

[Al Doran]

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, a 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 
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 much better 
games early."

PHIL REIMER of Landmark, Manitoba (He claims it is "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 reaction:  "I was shocked when I saw the change to the power 
pools."

But Lind continues, "I take my hat off to the ISC.  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 that he "comes later 
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 of the teams 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, 
South Dakota, who has been coming to the ISC 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 bejeebers 
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 
match-ups."  Goulden observed that "I didn't mind it as much as when I 
first found out about 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 (placing the top 10 teams all in two pools and 
guaranteeing each of them a place in the playoffs) is likely to be 
continued when the 2006 edition of the ISC World Tournament is contested in 
Kitchener in August.

August 27, 2005

Gordon Wise
ISC Information Officer
<http://www.iscfastpitch.com/>www.iscfastpitch.com
<mailto:sgwise at woh.rr.com>sgwise at woh.rr.com

  Als Fastball List
*Email: fastball at pmihrm.com
http://www.alsfastball.com/
http://www.ISCfastball.com/
NEWS: http://fastpitchwest.com/alsfastball
eScribe is down, and may be out