Mike Turney Memorial

Resmondo/Specialty Tank/Worth wins this Conference Mike Turney Memorial Gateway Classic NIT in St. Louis. The old sod boys put it all together this past weekend except for one game. Resmondo lost to Bud Light/TPS in the winner’s bracket final game. Bud Light had beat Dan Smith/Menossee/Combat in an earlier game. The Smith boys got beat by Resmondo in the loser’s bracket final and that sent them to the house. Resmondo then went to work on Bud Light and double-dipped the TPS team to get the win.

I still think that Resmondo is too old to keep it going all season without some changes, we will see. I also believe that Dan Smith has got a few players who are on the end of their careers too. I think that the top four class A teams this season have a better chance to beat the top super teams because of age. This season in the four NIT’s played the big three have been beat by A teams. My friends it’s going to happen quite a lot in 2009, I guarantee you. Congratulations to Resmondo on winning this tournament and good luck in your next one.

Bud Light/TPS gets the runner-up spot in this one. The Bud boys beat the #1 team Dan Smith and the #3 team Resmondo coming into this NIT. This Class A team has some very good players who can play the game. I had said in an earlier report that Jean Shoppe, GTL,Taylor Made & Bud Light would be the class of the A division in 2009. I believe these four teams have a chance of beating the big three if they don’t play up to their standards. I also believe the Bud Light team is getting a little extra help in 2009 by swinging the new Louisville Slugger TPS bat. I can tell you it’s been awhile since Louisville has made a top notch bat, but this new one is right there with the best of them. Congratulations on a very good tournament and good luck the rest of the season.

Dan Smith/Menosse/Combat just did not get it done this weekend and had to settle for third place. I thought seeing them play the first weekend in Kissimme that this team might be special, but this week proved me wrong. I still think they have the best offense in the game, but with Nastally hurt and some of the players getting older this team will not be as good as I thought. I do believe that when the three big teams get it on it’s going to be a terrific battle to see which one is the best in 2009. Congratulations to Smith and good luck in your next one.

Fencebrokers, who finished in fourth place this past weekend played pretty good. Congratulations on a very good weekend and good luck the rest of the season. I would like to congratulate the people involved in running this Mike Turney Memorial in St. Louis. You guys did a terrific job and good luck in the future.

I have said for the last few years that I thought they should break up the super teams and put two or three elite players on a roster and any other players in the country to fill up the rosters. I still think this should be done in 2010. I know if it’s not done the game will fix itself in about three years. There are about twenty players who are 40 or more in age left in the game who will not be in the game in three years. Fifteen of these players have been the best players in the game the last 12-20 years. I can tell you all that they have only a few years left. What’s going to level the field? Over the last ten seasons only eight players who have come into the game have super star talent. I know for sure when these twenty players leave the game bigtime softball will level out. The only way it will stay the same is if more very good baseball players who played college or pro ball come into the game in the next three years and work very hard at the game. I say the game will level out and we will have 16-20 very good A teams, and that my friends is how it should be period, we will see it’s just my opinion.