NOVEMBER 19
UPDATE
COMMITMENTS
Carley McNary, SS/3/OF, Fire n Ice / Team New
Erin Frank, C, Hotshots Gold, signed with
Miranda Egan 1st /OF
Stacy Cullington, American Pastime, to UMass
Amanda Hickman, American Pastime, to UOP
Kathyrn Mirras, shortstop, New York Breakers, to Univ of Virginia
Vanessa Basil, 1st,OF, Miami Stingrays, to NOVA Southeastern UniversityJennifer Nacienceno - P - CA Fresno Force, to Temple University
Alyson Slattery, NY Panthers, signed with
Maggie Simkiss, OF,1st,
Candice McWherter OF, Neosho CC, signed with
Heather Collins 1B/C, Dot's Diamonds, signed with
Jynifer Nordorf, So Cal Vipers Gold, signed with
Katelyn Valenzuela , 2B,
Rachel Foster, NJ Breakers, signed with
Kristine Knuth, 1st,OF, NY Panthers/NJ Pride, to
UMBC SIGNINGS
Effective
Effective fall 2004:
C/Util Kali Shirk from Pegasus/Pennsbury Gems
C/2B Stevie Shore from Miami Valley Express of Ohio
P Katie Jo Passero from the Rochester Lady Lions
SS/Util Dana Shepherd from Maryland Central Storm
Stefanie Norman,
Allison Cantrell, Coastal
Jamie West, UNC-Charlotte
Jamie Fitzpatrick,
LSU's class features six high school athletes, including
local product Quinlan Duhon of
UNLV REBELS
SIGNINGS
Shannon Crisp, Danielle Martinez, Brittany Meade, Marissa
Nichols and Caitlyn Paus.
Correction
Joanna Gail is with San Diego Thunder Gold; committed to
Correction:
Tiffany Pagano, who has signed a national letter of intent with Loyola Marymount, is apparently not the first female athlete to receive a full ride at LMU, although that was the impression given to her parents, which they conveyed to SPY with justifiable pride. SPY has since been told by other sources that Krystal Kehr was the first full ride, and another pitcher, Samantha Lavino, also received a full ride in the same year. We do not know what mix, if any, of athletic vs academic money was involved. We regret that the incident occurred, not just because SPY winces every time it reports data in error, but, because we saw Tiffany – who joined the Davis Batbusters this fall after pitching for Matt Giordano’s OC Athletics -- pitch quite effectively this past weekend – and her signing should be a celebration, not be a matter of controversy. We have every reason to believe the Paganos did not deliberately mislead SPY – they believed what they heard from coaches.
But, some other email we received this weekend reminds SPY it has long-planned to amend its policy on parent advisories, especially with regard to released players on whom SPY does not have coach confirmation, and, to renew our long-time policy of not commenting on whether rides are full or partial, etc. (We have also learned – again -- not to print rumors of “signings” when the respondent or informant is not a principal in the matter.)
PARENT PRESS
RELEASES
(It seems like I have
to write this editorial about once a year.)
The great majority of emails SPY receives from parents are brief and, importantly, accurate, and therefore indispensable, whether the subject is commitments or games, etc.
However infrequent, there have been some “releases” whose inaccuracies have caused embarrassment to SPY but, worse, to other people. In most instances, the errant statements have concerned releases for players leaving a school.
Some mistakes are unintentional; but some appear to be deliberate. With hind sight, always inexpensive, some “release letters” (and other comments) seem to be “get even with coach” comments. We deep-six most, but some have slipped through.
One misleading parent statement, which SPY minimized in length but left in an inaccuracy, caused great agony for Fresno State coach Margie Wright, a great player who became the most successful coach in D-1 ranks in terms of victories. The inaccuracy was compounded by the anti-Margie miscreants who submitted messages to web sites despite not having a factual basis for their comments. A few are hard-core haters: they have lambasted Margie, Yvette Girouard, Catherine Osterman, Michelle Gromacki and, after Junior World, Monica Abbott. These critics do nothing to promote the sport.
But, I would boil a few parents in the same large pot. If you daughter did not get a full release, ie, she can not play for another D-1 school, or, does not actually have a release, then I want to know the actual stipulation, if not necessarily the circumstances – and from now on, I want to hear it from the college coach. Four such incorrect “release” statements from parents has become the SPY limit. Don’t involve SPY in whatever dispute you have with a coach.
SPY also has a responsibility. We cannot get independent confirmation of every memo, and, frankly, SPY could not function without its vast army of respondents who provide valuable information on commitments, games, tournaments, etc.
Still, certain kinds of stories need checking and experience has confirmed that SPY should have double-checked each of the four stories on released players with the coaches involved. Send it. I will read it, but, if a release is involved, I will check it, and, if it disparages a coach or player, I will delete it. (Readers would be surprised how much scurrilous information is included in the hundreds of emails we receive – every day.)
Probably 99% of the emails SPY receives on commitments are one-liners, in the same format which SPY has used for more than three years to report commitments. A very few parents send additional information on their daughter’s honors, accomplishments in the classroom and on the field. College press releases sometimes herald players like the Second Coming. I don’t use such information mostly because I don’t have the time or room or information to display for every player who commits. But, I do read them in their entirety. SPY has thousands of readers who are very knowledgable about softball, and, on the few occasions when I have added incorrect information to that one line, I have never gone more than 24 hours before someone corrects it. Believe me, I share your pride in your daughters’ college choices, just as I am proud as you are when a player excels on the field, and quite often will pen a note to the parents on the commitment.
And, I am especially grateful to the parents, like the Paganos, who discover that some information they provided to SPY may not be wholly accurate, and call our attention to the problem.
SPY will continue to accept commitment notices and other information from parents. And, sometimes, there will be unintentional mistakes – mine and yours. Just do not knowingly make false claims. One parent, perhaps unwittingly, just made such a claim about precedent. Another tried to tell me a player who is second string is one of the most sought-after players in the country. Others tell me about all the top schools who wanted their daughter when I know they just received the standard letter that the top schools will send to about 500 prospective recruits. A few travel ball coaches also garnish; one asked me to look at a catcher who can’t make the throwdown, has a weak stick and is slow on the base path – but, the coach said, a nice personality. As Joe Friday used to say, just the facts.
Finally, give SPY complete data: name, position(s) played, travel team, and school to which she has committed. And, if your daughter has switched teams for the fall and next season, also list the team for whom she played when the college coach recruited her. I know a few hundred players but don’t assume I know all of this data for every player.
Assume that I am like my 7-year old grandson.
The computer age! Last night
at dinner, his father asked why he had forgotten a homework assignment.
Without skipping a beat, Eric said he had accidentally bonked his head on
the desk and it deleted his memory.
THOSE GREAT GOLD
PHOTOS
We are pleased that so many readers enjoyed the 15 pages of
photos of Batbusters, Shamrocks, Firecrackers, Gordon’s Panthers, Pastime,
Lite, Lightning and other players at the 2003 ASA Gold Nationals.
They are indeed great photos. However,
other than those photos labeled as SPY photos, we can’t take credit.
The many pages of thumbnails were posted by Dr. Ben Wilson of
FACEMASKS
Many readers have asked why the effective date for
requiring face masks is 2005, rather than 2004.
SPY was told in
facemask. However, NOCSAE is in the process of approving facemasks and
hopefully by the spring of 2004 that will be finalized. Then the manufacturers
can start making them and we should be set to go by
TOURNAMENT
CORRECTION
Gordon’s Panthers 4,
OC Athletics 0. Katie
Cotta was two walks away from a perfect game.
Her no-hitter was aided by an Anna Beardman triple.
Elizabeth (Liz) Vega was the loser.
(SPY did not have an OCA roster and asked a bystander; wrong move)
PENNSBURY
TOURNAMENT
Applications are being accepted for the 24th Annual
Pennsbury "Art Coleman Memorial" Tournament on
NAVAJO Wisdom
When
NASA was preparing for the Apollo Project, it took the astronauts to a Navajo
reservation in
One of the astronauts said that they were practicing for a trip to the moon. When
his son relayed this comment the Navajo elder got all excited and asked if
it would be possible to give to the astronauts a message to deliver to the moon.
Recognizing a promotional opportunity when he saw one, a NASA official accompanying
the astronauts said, "Why certainly!" and told an underling to get
a tape recorder. The Navajo elder's comments into the microphone were brief.
The NASA official asked the son if he would translate what his father had said.
The son listened to the recording and laughed uproariously. But he refused to
translate. So the NASA people took the tape to a nearby Navajo village and
played it for other members of the tribe. They too laughed long and loudly but
also refused to translate the elder's message to the moon.
Finally, an official government translator was summoned. After he finally
stopped laughing the translator relayed the message:
"Watch out for these a……s, they have come to steal your
land."
End