Check Out the New Link for The Softball Channel. Lots of Cool Stuff and Info!!

The Syracuse Renegades took the top spot in the 12U Division of our Lady Luck Series! Congratulations to all of the Players & Coaches.

Congratulations to The Lancaster/Depew Heat for this past weekends victory in the 1st 14U Cayuga Lady Luck Tournament Series. They defeated the #1 seed Lady Express 9-1 in the Championship Game Sunday afternoon at our 93rd Street facility. Lindsay Amendola was chosen the game M.V.P for her work in the circle,keeping the batters of balance for most of the game!

Friday Nights games were iffy to start but our grounds crew worked well under pressure in the afternoon mist to make the scheduled games happen. Saturday went well as the weather became more cooperative and Sunday was just excellent!!

Thanks to all the volenteers that worked the concessions to make this tournament a success. Also thank you to all teams that attended
and a big thank you to our Softball Tournament director Jay Mosher for all of his hard work to ensure this tournament was a great success!!

The 10U Cayuga Gamblers captured the Crown at the recently held Mel Ott Extravaganza at the Mel Ott Complex in Amherst. It is the first
tournament championship for Cayuga in our young career and a great accomplishment for the team !! Congratulations to all the young girls and Coach Jason & Bob !

Cayuga Gamblers 12U captured the crown at this years Brockport Tourney
this past weekend! What a weekend, going 5 and 0!! Congratulations to all the players & coaches. Great Job!!!

Congratulations to Hamburg Gold 16U! They captured the hardware at this past weekends Lady Luck Series 2006 16U tournament. And what a weekend with Friday night rain and then near record temperatures, hovering around 90 degrees all weekend. Galassi's Elite finished 2nd! A big thank you goes out to the grounds crew at NFHS for making sure all games got off after a ton of rain fell on Friday eve! A small delay on Saturday morning but then all games played in full.
Plans are already happening for next years tourney !!

This past weekend was very eventful for all of the Cayuga Gamblers teams with a group trip to Zanesville,Ohio. All teams did well playing 7 or 8 games in 3 days. But it was the 16U White team capturing the Bronze division title. Congratulations to the players and coaches including Pigpen who all rallied on Sunday to capture the division!!

12U Champs - Fall Frenzy
Amherst Lightning Rizzo style took the Championship this past weekend in the 12U Division. All the teams played tough, with some outstanding plays and catches in many of the pool play and elimination games. Congrats to the Lightning and Good Luck in 2007 to all participating teams!!

The WNY Sting captured the Championship Trophy of the Fall Frenzy 14U Division held recently at Cayuga's 93rd Street facility. The weekend was filled with all sorts of weather. Cold, Wind and Rain all had a shot at the Cayuga Grounds crew but with all hands ready to go, all games were played. The Championship Game pitted WNY Sting vs Cayuga Gamblers with the Sting coming out victorious.

The 14U Gamblers Gold placed 2nd in the Teddy Bear Tournament in Niagara Falls, Canada this past weekend. In their pool play the Gamblers defeated teams from Niagara Falls, Ontario 10-3, Barrie 14-0, and Kitchener Klassics 13-0. In the semi finals, the Gamblers fought back from a four run deficit to defeat the Ancaster Blizzard in a game that was decided by the international tiebreaker rule. In the final game against Stratford, the game swung back and forth with some great defense by both teams but Cayuga came up one run short losing 4-3. Overall a great weekend, with nice facilities, diamonds and great weather!

This article was posted lately on one of the other softball websites and i thought it would fit here with our zero tolerence policy. It goes as follows:

Hey, PARENTS: TIME TO REMEMBER THEY'RE JUST KIDS

(Reprinted with permission of The Buffalo News)

By: BUCKEY GLEASON

A few weeks ago, Sarah Nagro ejected one player, two coaches from the same team and one spectator while working as an umpire in the Ponytail Softball League for girls 7 to 9 at Shoshone Park. Apparently, the player was tossed for being a poor sport.

The coaches were issued the heave-ho for swearing in front of the kids. The spectator was Nagro's father, Joe, who attempted to stop the argument between the coaches and Sarah." I just threw them all out," the 16-year-old said Thursday. "If I didn't throw out my father, it wouldn't have been fair. They would have thought I was favoring him. It's still not settled." Last year, a parent challenged an opposing manager to a fistfight after a game at Lakeshore Little League in Hamburg.

In another incident, a parent was admonished after an R-rated tirade directed toward his 11-year-old son during a game. Among the encouraging things the father said to the boy was,
"You suck." It's not just softball and baseball.

A soccer coach for 12-year-old girls in Clarence recently sent e-mails to his team, chastising members for their commitment even though they had not allowed a goal all season. Because
parents were arguing in the stands, cops have been called to football and hockey games played by kids who won't shave for three years.

One knucklehead painted his face for his son's game at Leisure Rinks. The kid was 8.

The incidents and places change, but the same problems persist. Kids really are trying to be kids, but adults aren't giving them a chance. Instead, the moronic antics of some have made sports miserable for the well-intentioned majority.

One solution came from Jupiter, Fla., where, before kids could play in one of the town's leagues, parents were required to watch a video about sportsmanship and, essentially, promise not to act like jerks in the presence of children. If you're one of these people, you need help. Before calling a psychiatrist, follow my easy How to Act Normal list. The only equipment required is a muzzle.

1. Stop living through your kids. So maybe you were a weak athlete. Get over it. Anyway, you're raising your kids, not Rick Barry's. You should be thrilled if your kids are still playing sports in high school. They would be in the minority.

2. Stop screaming at your child from the bleachers. The kid has a difficult enough time concentrating on belt-high fastballs and uncontested lay-ups. Your hollering embarrasses two people -- and they're related.

3. Stop screaming at the coach. You don't leave work early a few days a week, attend coaches' meetings, break up wrestling matches during practice, lug the equipment from the car and make 15 phone calls when the game is canceled. Saying "thank you" is a start.

4. Stop screaming at the officials. Most are young enough to count their facial hair. They're paid a few bucks a game and do a better job than you would if the positions were reversed. Anyway, your kid will not understand why you were screaming. He will understand that you were whining, giving him permission to do the same.

5. "Two-four-six-eight, who do we appreciate" is fine. "Two-four-six-nine, we will beat you any time" sounds particularly asinine coming from a parent.

6. Attend games AND practices. Youth sports are not synonymous with baby-sitting. Do not drop off your kid two hours before batting practice and make the coach wait in the parking lot afterward until you decide to show up. Youth sports are about learning fundamentals, teamwork, sportsmanship and eating candy. They're not after-dinner day care with a scoreboard.

7. Form a relationship with the coach. Doing so will not guarantee your kid is first-line center in hockey, batting cleanup in baseball or playing quarterback in football. It will help you understand the coach's philosophy about playing time, positions and safety. And you just might learn something.

8. If you're a coach, stop worrying about the pennant race between Doc's Corner Store and State Farm Insurance. Forget won-loss records until it matters -- in high school. Spread the playing time as equally as possible. High-fives are fine. High-fives to the forehead are not. Follow Rule No. 4.

9. If you're an official, get off the power trip. You're umpping the Grasshopper League, not the American League. Don't abuse your authority over everyone just because you can.

10. Have fun. That's why your daughter signed up.

We all laugh at cartoons like this one here, but at ballparks across the country, the fact is this is becoming more and more a problem. The CYAA has put in place a zero tolerence policy that can now be downloaded or read from our handouts section. The league will enforce it so as to keep the game fun for the players, after all why are we at the diamond ?

CONFESSIONS OF A TRAVEL SOFTBALL PARENT

I used to have a regular life. Actually, many of my friends say that sentence should say, "I used to have a life". It really doesn't seem that long ago. Then I became a travel softball parent.

I used to think that anything over $40 was an exorbitant price for a softball bat. Now the contents of my daughters equipment bag are worth more than everything in the house - including clothes,jewelry,watches and my laptop computer.

I used to be one of the leaders in my field of work. I still am. You have to keep a good paycheck coming in if you want to support a travel softball habit.

I used to think a double header was a long day at the ball field. Now after two games we're just getting warmed up.

I used to look for fancy restaurants that served seafood and prime rib. Now I'm a connoisseur of nachos and hot dogs and my kids rate a city by the quality of a tournaments snack bar!

Sunflower seeds used to be something I would see in a store and wonder who would eat those things? Now I don't feel comfortable leaving the house with out a bag in my pocket!!

My lawn used to be like a carpet. It was green,mowed,trimmed,fertilized,and watered. Now I have two bare spots 40 feet apart and dents in my garage door from fastballs that got away!

My car used to draw admiring looks and comments. It was cleaned and waxed and shinned with Armour All. Now it only draws attention when it is covered in GO TEAM shoe polish.

I used to have a garage. Now I have a indoor batting area.

We used to sit and talk for hours. We still do - however, now its to keep the driver awake when we're headed home late on Sunday evening after a tournament.

My summer casual wardrobe used to made up of color-coordinated polo shirts,cool cottons in bright colors,and the occasional "aloha" shirts. Now I have closet full of T-shirts that have tournament names on the front and competing teams on the back.

We used to spend our summer vacation relaxing on the beach or visiting family. Now we hit the road with 20 of our clsest friends in a caravan that could rival some small town parades.

I used to be concerned that I would fall into the trap of living my life through my kid. Now I know that I am privilaged to live with my kid, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Yes, I am a Travel Softball Parent, what could be better !!!!