Wednesday March 27th, 2024
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Brian Floyd

 

Brian Floyd

USSSA Playing History

Major Watch List

2011 Interview

Why do you like the game of softball?
I love the game of softball because it gives me the opportunity to compete.   After baseball, I wanted to try to stay in competitive sports and softball gave me that opportunity.   Also, if it wasn't for the guys I have had the chance to play with over the years and still continue to play with I probably wouldn't still be in the game.

Who is the best softball player you have ever seen?
There are so many great players I have had the opportunity to play against and watch play.   I haven't been around the upper levels for very long so all of the players I would name would be more recent players.   No disrespect to any of the former or current greats.

If I was to name a few, I would say Andy is by far the best pitcher I have ever seen.  

Junior is the best defensive player I have ever seen.
Rusty is one of the most complete players, for a big man he is extremely athletic.  

Wegman is one of the best all around players I have seen.
Connell has some of the quickest hands I have ever seen.  

I also admire the way Dal and Kendo play the game.   They seem like hard nosed players and great teammates.

If I was to name the best player I have ever had the opportunity to play with I would have to say Kevin Rye.

What position do you play?
Primarily First Base.   Can mix in at Second Base or Middle if we are desperate.

Where do you call home?
Born and raised in Norfolk, VA.   I currently reside in Spotsylvania, VA.

What do you do for a living?
I am a Mechanical Design Engineer for General Dynamics Land Systems.

Did you play sports in High School / College / Pro?
I played high school baseball, football, and basketball.   I played college baseball at Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC from '93-97.

What is your softball background as a player?
I have been playing softball since the day I arrived home from college.   This season will be my 15th season of softball.   I have played E ball all the way up to A ball.   2011 will be my 5th season in the Conference.   One of the first tournaments I ever won was the 1999 Virginia NSA E State.   Lost our 1st game and went on to win 9 in a row to capture the crown.   We played the E State on fields with no fences.   Good times.

How did you get your start in softball and how did you get to the upper level?
I got my start in softball with a life-long buddy of mine named Tommy Posilero.   He had a local team in Norfolk, VA.   He gave me my start.   I played with Tommy for many years.
I had always had the desire to play at the highest level I could.   Unfortunately, VA didn't have any A or B ball around.   I was very fortunate to meet Travis Taylor who has allowed us the opportunity to play at the "B" and then eventually the "A" level for the past 7 years.   I remember the first time I went to Travis about playing at the B level.   He said "Hell no, you will get killed."   It took some convincing and eventually he was all in.   Big Thanks To Travis for all he has done for TaylorMade over the years!   Also, big thanks to Rocky Parker from Aubrey's who came on board and has allowed us to continue playing at this level and to Mizuno USA who has been a tremendously loyal sponsor for going on 5 seasons.   Big Thanks to every sponsor who has given our team the opportunity to play the game we love!

Who are you managing/sponsoring in 2011?
I am playing for Aubrey's/TaylorMade/Mizuno in 2011.   During the season, I actually don't do any team management on the field.   I leave that to the coaches.   My role is player acquisition, attaining sponsorship, booking travel, etc.   Once the season starts I transition to just a player.   I do continue to help sponsor the team, but my money is minuscule compared to our primary sponsors.

What does your roster look like?
We will be releasing our roster to Softball Center soon.   We have the core of our guys coming back.   We have lost a couple guys that had been with us for sometime and added a couple quality guys.

What is your teams goal for 2011?
Just like any other "A" team, our goal is to win the USSSA "A" World Championship.

Where do you look for talent?
We look for talent all over the place.   Obviously, you start looking for talent inside the Conference.   We also look for local up and coming players.   Most of our players come to us by recommendation from our own players.   We have never been afraid of taking a chance on a good young player.

What is more important, talent or attitude?
I don't think one is more important than the other.   You can have all the talent in the world and have a .02 cent head on your shoulders.   You can also have the best attitude in the world and not have very much athletic ability.   I believe the two go hand in hand.

How do you evaluate players?
We have a slogan we live by when evaluating players.   We always say that "not only do you have to be a good player, you also have to be a good dude."   This is the closest many of us will ever get to the professional level.   We want young, hungry players who can represent our sponsors with class.   We look for guys who are young, talented both defensively and offensively, mentally strong, and can handle themselves like a professional on and off the field.   Sometimes you get lucky and find that guy and sometimes you miss.

What is your favorite sports team?
The Washington Redskins and the New York Mets.   Not to much to cheer about lately.

What is your favorite sport other than softball?
Football and Baseball

Do you have any superstitions and if so, what are they?
No superstitions.

What is your most memorable softball moment?
I have many memorable moments.   Probably the most memorable season was the TaylorMade team of 2008.   Had a great run for a B team and had some great teammates.

Is slowpitch softball a sport or a game?
Definitely a sport.   I saw on one of the player interviews where someone said that upper level softball requires training and practice.   Any sport that requires
you to train is a sport.   I couldn't agree more.

What is the best improvement upper level softball could make to bring in more sponsors?
I believe one of the primary reasons that softball is seeing a reduction in sponsorship is the costs.   The easy answer is to reduce costs.
How you go about doing that I don't have an answer for.

What is your favorite non-World tournament?
The Smoky Mountain Classic

What can be done to improve the Conference Championships?
I like what the Conference has done as far as making the tournament more meaningful by making the tournament matter in terms of the Major World seeding.
The banquet is awesome.   Always enjoy that. I'm not really sure what you can do.

Is the game better or worse with homerun limits and why?
I personally like the game better with HR limits.   I believe what separates the elite level players from the rest is the ability to get a hit when the HR's are gone.   With today's equipment most anyone can get up there and free swing and have the chance for some level of success.   The ability to get a base hit with the game on the line is what makes someone a great hitter, not how far they can hit it.

Who was the best team in softball history?
The best team I have ever seen was the Resmondo team of 2007. I believe they went 60-3.

 

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