Dudley/Budweiser Major NIT

Remondo Softball made it 5-5 IN Conference play by winning the Dudley. Travis has now won the Dudley and there are no other tournaments left to win in bigtime softball for Travis. The sod man has won at every level that he has sponsored a team. Travis has won all the worlds in all associations many times. Travis Resmondo has been one of the truly great sponsors in the history of the game. I personally can tell you I have known Travis for about 15 years and I know what kind of man this guy is. Travis is a very hard working man who starts work at 5:00 am and ends at 7:00 pm everyday. Travis started out with a little landscaping business that his grandfather ran, and built it into one of the biggest sod and landscaping business in the southeast. Travis was not handed anything. He has worked for everything he has got, I guarantee you. I can also tell you that Travis has worked very, very hard at softball putting together the best teams. Make no mistake Travis Resmondo knows the game of softball and calls most of the shots that are made by his team. Travis is very loyal to his players and his players are very loyal to him. Travis’s sponsored teams are a very close nit bunch of guys who care about each other and when you say team, Resmondo is all about team. There were quotes when Travis had his first super team that he would not be in the game very long. Some said he might make the year. I guess they were all wrong. Travis, Jerome & I were in his living room in Lake Wales, Fla. when he just had a little old A team when he said to us “you know what boys, I’m going to win the A Worlds this year, and my goal in softball is to have the best team ever.” I’m here to tell you he won the A World that year and he sure has put together maybe the best team ever. It’s just my opinion along with many others. I have said for the last two years that the Resmondo team is getting old and they are, but it hasn’t stopped this well-oiled machine from being the best. I believe that Travis might get two more years out of this bunch at best and that will be it. I better get back to the tournament.

The “sod boys” pretty much had it their way in this one. Resmondo had a tough game against Aubrey’s, but squeaked out a win and then rolled through the rest of the NIT. Resmondo’s record now stands at 29-1, which includes 25 run-ruled games. I’m here to tell you all, this is one powerful softball team. I would of liked to of seen this team play with no homerun rule. I know that it’s a whole lot different game today with the restricted homerun rule. Some of the great teams from the past never had to adjust and keep the ball in the park like they do today. Resmondo has the most powerful team in softball, homerun wise. In the championship game this past weekend the sod boys unloaded a 19 run inning in the top of the first against Combat and only hit a grand slam homerun, the rest were scored by base hits. That my friends is how you adjust in bigtime softball today and that is why Resmondo is the best. Congratulations on your win. The sod boys will take a couple of weeks off before heading to Little Rock where all the good teams will be trying to stop the Resmondo express, we will see.

Second place went to Team Combat/Benfield/Reece/Dalsanders, who has played pretty good the last few tournaments. I think they will give Bell Corp all they want to see who is the second best team in the land. The “Combat boys” are hitting it good, but will need to catch it a lot better if they expect to move up. The Combat-Bell game was a terrific game. Combat squeaked out the 43-42 win to get into the finals. “The bat boys” came up short against Resmondo and settled for second place. Congratulations on a very good Dudley and good luck in Little Rock.

Third place went to Bell Corp/TIA/Belcher/Backman. “The Chimers” just came out flat in it’s second game and a very good A team, The Mattingly/Scene took advantage to beat Bell. The chimers then set sail on trying to get back through the finals, but ran out of gas. Bell played nine games in this one, and built up some pretty good stats, but could not finish any better than third. Congratulations on a valiant effort trying to get back to the finals. Good luck in San Diego and Little Rock.

Fourth place goes to KME/TRIQ/Chaneys/Easton who played very good in this one. This is a very good A team, who I think can be a force at the Class A Worlds. This team has players who know how to win, and I look at this team to have a good chance, we will see. Congratulations on a great finish in the Dudley and good luck down the road.

I know this, that coming to the Dudley is a real treat for a softball junkie like me. This is a great event. The atmosphere is absolutely fantastic. The food is great and the softball doesn’t get any better. Warren is a First Class person, and the tournament is run first class all the way. Congratulations Warren, Jerry and your whole Minnesota USSSA staff on another great Dudley and good luck in the future.