Chat Room highlites from 02/29/2012 about the upcoming season

Chat room highlites from 2/29/2012.  Listed from the end of the chat down to the beginning but could probably be read either way.

We found out some team schedules, discussed pitching, and all time great players among other things.  Helmer, Cooper, Scobee and many others showed up and answered our barage of questions.  Thanks!

Note: all schedules listed are unofficial.

BH44: Coop, will you answer my emails tonight?
(ha, coop doesn't answer Helmers emails either, now I don't feel so bad…just kidding)

Discussing the Helmer leg kick as his key to success:
Izzy: I'm working on the bh44 leg kick. It must work the guy hits 800 every year
BH44: Please no one try the leg kick! it is the worst swing in softball
DW: Really, you win the batting title with the biggest leg kick in the game and you say it is bad?
BH44: not much of a secret buddy, i weigh 600lbs and kick my leg to the moon. kinda tough to hide
Scobee: Kinda looks like you are trying to get your underwear out of your ass with that big step/leg kick. You ain't kidding anybody.

CB is getting more ink

BH44: Jimmy Powers is easily one of the top 5-10 hitters all time
BH44: Dirk Androff = my pick for greatest hitter ever

DW: BH, what is more fun a good conf event or LH tour event?
BH44: hitting on an MLB field with a bunch of people watching is pretty damn fun!  But playing in a great tournament like the Smokies is as good as it gets for softball guys

Coop: We told brownie to win the HR title .. We don't want him to run.. He might just do it
Also Combat is back on the Long Haul tour with Scott Brown and Johnny McCraw as hitters.  Combat won the tour both years they have participated.

TPS has Tim Cocco and Lee Powers hitting the tour for them.  Or possibly Chris Greinert.

'A' World is at the Fortune Road complex.  Managers and Sponsors voted 55% to 45% actually to have it at Fortune.  Close vote, we'll see how it goes.

Consensus that Connell is set up to win the Home Run title and can only be unseated if another team plays more games than Resmondo

DW: Wondering if the Cincy Bash 4 Cash has a score tower area to broadcast from?

Some pitching talk centered around Andy Purcell and why he is the best.  Answer was basically he doesn't give in even when he needs a strike, sets his defense and pitches to it, and he is the best defender in the middle, and arguably the best hitting pitcher in the game.
Derek Warren got a nod as an underrated pitcher and Geno Buck has improved his USSSA pitching and is an imposing presence on the mound.  A case was made for Andy being the greatest pitcher ever.  Ted Larsen, Gary Jost (I think they were talking about Jost), Rick Weiterman, and Paul Drilling were given props as great pitchers of the past.  Bubba Defer also getting a mention.

DW: to BH44: "What is the one thing you need to happen to get Resmondo down and control the #1 seed all year?"
Coop: Andy to take up fishing
WT52: Or Salas to be passed out so Andy has to play 3b
cali: better passed out than beating people up
BH44: That would really help!  We (Laser Vision) really need to pitch well and catch what were supposed to.  I think we can hit with anybody.

Laser Vision schedule:
 Vegas
 HOF Dual
 KC
 Indiana
 Nashville
 Chicago
 Dudley
 Smokies
 Cincy
 Detroit

Greg Gotses is the Combat rep in Dallas.

Coop: Helmie how come I got all the rusty blame when u picked the team?
BH44: Probably because it's the only thing left that i didnt get blamed for this year and someone feels bad for me?
BH44: Coop, will you sponsor us?
BH44: I had to ask
Coop: I don't see Seattle (on your schedule) … Sorry had too

Branden Blake of Taylormade got some mentions as a good young player and hustles.

Shoppe Schedule:
 HOF Dual
 Indiana
 Nashville
 Detroit
 Smoky are the only ones I know for sure.  Haven't got the official schedule yet

That Harvey guy was at Boones.  He absolutely murders the ball.  Rumored to be going back to pro baseball.

Coop: Looking forward to Casey Rogowski … 6 lefties and expect 7 by disney
BH44: i love lefties
Coop: Fat ones can hit
WT52: All bout the 240' rf @mWS
BH44: it's at least 260
Coop: 260 with wind blowing out
BH44: greatest field ever made (Cracker Jack Stadium)
BH44: smoke and Mirrors for the last 20 years buddy (thats funny)
Scobee: Smoke, mirrors and….BUFFETS!!!

Corey Boothes nickname is the "Hagerstown bomber"?

Scobee wants to rub oil on the dancers at the tanning salon

BH44: Mike Dills role will be stone cold hitter, because thats what he is

Combat schedule:
 Vegas
 HOF Dual
 Phoenix
 Nashville
 Seattle Dual
 Dudley
 Smoky
 Maryland
 Detroit

Line Drive schedule:
 Vegas
 Hof Dual
 Atlanta
 Indiana
 Chicago
 Cincy
 Detroit
 and couple others

Missed question: "dw u have any bats left"
– answer – yes, email me dw@softballcenter.com for the list

Drew does 5am spin class!

Drew: Man I do that all day…..lol this new bat stuff is a crock. Bats are just as hot.  The lines pop up after hitting with them twice so major issues to address.  Nothing will be different.  Bats are just as HOT.

Upper softball lost the runner up team in the rankings each of the last 3 years? Long Haul, Dan Smith, and GTL…ouch

Drew: Crown Royal sent me a W2.

BH44: Scobee I can't believe you told them about the ice cream machine! (in Scobee's interview) is nothing sacred..
Scobee: BH44, you were the only one at the table that could lift the machine.

Kal: R&M very tough and underated

Wayne Habermehl and Hank Garris names have not been mentioned with any teams for 2012.

Eric Byrum is D2E's starting pitcher and hit 9 bombs at the Boone's.

This chat is brought to you by Down2EarthSports.com for all your softball and baseball needs.

D2E again does not have one single player classed above B.

West Coast Doerflinger, FBI, and The Scene are all on the bump bubble, maybe Line Drive as well

We think the Shoppe infield is: Powers, Chente, TMack, Moon, Thompson

A missed question:  "Dw what do u know about BWW/Buzini?"
– answer – very good 'B' team out of Mississippi with a veteran leader at pitcher and some great outfielders.  Top 10 'B' team.

TM50 was a no show in the chat.

Westshore Pizza is doing 7 or 8 conf events and a c schedule

I (DW) kept asking if anyone had the Canadian roster for Border Battle and it turns out I posted it back in December:
  1. Tim Bentley (Chatham, ON)
  2. Alain Blais (Maple, ON)
  3. Dave Boldt (St. Thomas, ON)
  4. Todd Cadenhead (Vaughan, ON)
  5. Claude Chiasson (Ste-Julie, QC)
  6. Jeff Falardeau (Welland, ON)
  7. Olivier Forrest (St-Leonard-d’Aston, QC)
  8. Francois Henry (St-Hyacinthe, QC)
  9. Jason Gallichen (Langley, BC)
 10. Jeff Gare (London, ON)
 11. James Kelly (Amherstburg, ON)
 12. Chris Parr (Chilliwack, BC)
 13. Brad Rankin (Orillia, ON)
 14. Ryan Wood (Barrie, ON)
 15. Jeff Zanolli (Taber, AB)
 16. Luc Chauvette (Trois-Rivières, QC) – Veteran

Brian Higginbotham is back in the United States and cannot play for Team Canada

DW: Kevin Gillot (pitcher) was picked up by Suncoast…newsflash

DW: I think the top free agent is Sal Formosa.  R&M or Shoppe would be a good fit, really any team would be a good fit.

Drew: Interviewing Purcell after he loses a game might…..might…..top ray ray's broadcast in Texas. Lol

DW played softball since he was 14 but was never any good.  Organized and was a backup on a few D/C- teams in the 90's.

Westshore Whit made an appearance, hot off of dominating the offseason tournaments.

Ray Ray and Helmer haven't filled out their interview.

What does resmondo do if purcell gets hurt?
– answer – he doesn't get hurt but none of us know what would happen if he did.  Consensus was that Purcell should wear a helmet!

Someone asked what happened to Tyler Beuerlein?
– answer – he is with "4 The Fallen" a Conference 'B' team this year

D2E rednecks will be hitting the strip in Vegas a few days before the tournament…rookie move.  Add days after Vegas, not before…lol

West Coast Doerflinger schedule:
 Vegas
 HOF Dual
 Phoenix
 Seattle Dual
 SoCal (B NIT)
 A Worlds
 Conference Championship
 B Worlds
 Major World Series
 IF we had another sponsor step up we would attend either The Smoky or Chicago.

Perry Hensley retired.  Ouch.  Much too young for that.

Resmondo is the consensus #1 Major team and 454 is the consensus #1 'A' team, although the Major World Series champ has had Bryson Baker on it for the last 6 years.

Texas Miken is playing local B and national C

DW doesn't have any money to sponsor a conference team, unfortunately.

West Coast Doerflinger: Our official roster: Eli, JG, JB, Cal, Sena, Amar, Lopez, Nieto, Julio, Junior, Munson, Grissom, Hill, Shimels, Mario

I missed this question during the chat "DW, how much do you spend on this softball hobby per year? just curious"
– answer is I have sponsors that pay my $6,500 travel bill although it wasn't always 100% paid until recently.  Website and broadcasting costs are around 5k plus a bunch of camera and computer equipment I bought which can be spread over a number of years.  Plus I bought theoldscout.com which I'm still trying to pay myself back for with advertising.

Matt Kainer's dad is Ken Scobee and Matt owns or works at a tanning place with hot chicks.

No one came up with any good questions for the TM50 interview.