USSSA Major World Series

Resmondo Softball won this prestigious tournament and finished off the most spectacular bigtime softball season the game has ever seen. Resmondo Softball set the best season record of all time in NIT’s and the world series with a record of 60-3. Resmondo played 11 tournaments in 2007, with 7 of those tournaments played on 300′ fields playing with the restricted homerun rules. One tournament, the Smoky was played on a semi baseball field with dimensions of 315′ down the lines, 350′ to center. Resmondo lost that tournament and lost the only game of the season to powerhouse Bell Corp that weekend. The other three tournaments Resmondo played in 2007 were the first tournament of the year a baseball field 330′, 390′, 410′. They also played the conference championship on that same field. Resmondo finished off the season playing at Cracker Jack Stadium at Disney’s Wild World of Sports 330′, 385′ & 400′. Resmondo showed the softball world they could play restricted homerun tournaments and unlimited homerun tournaments and go 60-3 in these conditions. Resmondo was led by MVP, Brian Rainwater who has come into his own and fast becoming one of the games best all around players. This young man from Georgia who was a college all american baseball player at Georgia, is showing the world of softball why he was selected as a college all american outfielder. Brian has learned to hit the softball and now may become one of the games feared hitters with his tremendous power and his ability to use the whole field. There’s no doubt in my mind he is a super star of the game. Resmondo got a total team effort, as they have all year in winning this world championship. Congratulations to the winningest team in one season at the top level.

Second place went to Team Combat/Dalsanders, who lost their first game of the tournament and came charging out of the losers bracket to get back to the finals. The Combat boys played extremely well coming back through, as they played a whole bunch of games to get back to the finals. This Combat team have struggled a whole lot throughout the season losing to teams they shouldn’t of lost too. I will write in the report later why I think this happens. Congratulations to Combat on a great weekend and a hell of a run to get back to the finals.

Third place went to Bell Corp who played pretty good until Saturday night when Resmondo sent them to the losers bracket. The Bell boys came out Sunday morning needing to beat Combat to get back to the finals, but that wasn’t to be, as Bell fell to Combat and were headed to the house. I know this, it was a long season for Bell Corp with the injury to Scott Nastally. They struggled throughout the season. Bell Corp in 2007 just did not have enough to be competitive against Resmondo and I will tell you why later in this report. Congratulations to Bell Corp on their season. Woody Bell has announced that he is retiring from the game for good. There’s no finer guy and lady than Woody & Pat Bell who have given their heart and soul to the game they love, Bigtime Softball. I wish Woody & Pat the best and enjoy the rest of your lives.

Fourth place went to GTL. This softball team from the west coast has played extremely well in the Conference Championship and now in the USSSA Worlds. I’m here to tell you this is one very good Class A softball team who can play against any of the good A teams in the country. Congratulations on the job you’ve done in the last couple of weeks and I hope to see you guys back in 2008. I would like to congratulate the rest of the teams who participated in the 2007 USSSA World Series.

I would like to commend Don Dedonatis Sr. and his USSSA staff on running another great USSSA World Series. There’s no doubt in my mind this is the showcase of softball. It is totally a first class operation from start to finish playing in the greatest venue the world of softball has ever played in, Disney’s Wide World of Sports. The only problem that I saw all weekend was the ball was just a little too good. I talked to a lot of the managers and players and they had the same opinion I had. Other than that it was another great USSSA Worlds.

I would like to comment a little on the state of the game ending the 2007 season and entering into the 2008 season. Back four or five years ago I asked the NSA to come down to Florida and look at an experimental tournament and they did. What I wanted to do in that tournament and did was play on the big baseball fields using 80′ & 90′ bases We had some of the greatest players participate in this experimental tournament and the NSA put this into play that year. When I proposed this experimental tournament I was thinking how much the game of slow pitch softball needed a change. The equipment was getting much better, the bats and the balls were explosive. The 300′ fields could not contain the players of today, nor the equipment of today. The game needed to be played on bigger fields with longer bases. The game then needed to change how the players played the game. The game being played on the big fields with longer bases all of a sudden needed athletes who could run, field, throw, base hit, use the whole field and especially play defense. The game did change and some of the teams realized that they had to make player changes to win. The world championships were going to be decided on baseball fields with longer bases. Travis Resmondo was the first one to realize he could not win having four and five catchers and additional hitters in his lineup. He knew he could not win with those type of players. Travis and his management put together a team made up of three centerfielders, four shortstops, a first baseman with great power and the ability to catch pretty good. He had the game’s greatest pitcher ever in Andy Purcell, and he had the game’s greatest overall hitter in Wallace. That is why that team was 60-3 and the greatest team to ever play the game, and that’s my opinion.

The second best team in softball in 2007 was Bell Corp. You might ask why could they not beat Resmondo? I’m going to tell you why, as I stated earlier you cannot and you will not win when you have four or five catchers and additional hitters in your lineup. That my friend is what Bell Corp had in their lineup. It didn’t matter how many homeruns Fulk, Helmer, Hall, Cocco, Cornell or Wegman hit. What mattered they did not catch the ball, and that is the reason why they could not beat Resmondo. Team Combat was in the same position. They had a bunch of homerun hitters, but four or five catchers and additional hitters would not let them win, period. In the 2008 season Dan Smith will return and take over the Combat team. I was looking at their tentative roster and sure enough I see the four catcher additional hitter situation, and that my friends is going to be right where the 2007 Bell Corp and Combat teams were. They cannot and will not win using those players. I’ll end all this with my opinion; to build a team for 2008 you better find three centerfielders who can go get the ball, no more 250-260 lb. outfielders, you must have four shortstops in the infield who have a lot of range, and not have infielders who only can one step right or one step left. You will not win. You also better have a great pitcher who is not afraid to throw the ball over the middle of the plate instead of everything inside, or you won’t win. You better have one of the game’s greatest hitters in your lineup or you won’t win. That’s my opinion on how you should build a team in 2008. Remember this is only MY OPINION. I will not allow any bashing about my report. If you have your opinions, feel free to write them yourself. If you come on and bash myself or anyone else’s opinions you will be banned from here.

Congratulations to all the teams, players and sponsors on a great 2007 season. I hope you all will be returning in 2008 with better teams, think about what I wrote. Until next time the Old Scout who is going to rest for awhile. It’s been a great season. Looking forward to what 2008 will bring!