May 2, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Carson City IMO, moving the dates back by 30 days would trigger a new set of problems. Life gets in the way for older players- work, family, injury and bad diagnosis. The roster you think you have 30 days ahead of a tourney RARELY looks the same on game day. On this park complaint issue, you're suggesting that SSUSA doesn't listen or care. -People complained about Shadow Mountain, and it has been pulled from the rotation. -People complained about Sunset 5 and 6 and they were pulled from the rotation -People complained about Shadow Rock and it might now be the best facility in the Vegas inventory. SSUSA does hear your concerns and conveys those sentiments to its partners. Not all things can be fixed overnight. Putting on events requires 5,000 different planning and coordination activities that people just don't understand. Item 5,001 shouldn't be mapping out drive distances from KOA locations to a ballpark that you might be playing at once every 3 seasons. |
April 25, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Carson City INCORRECT- Posting of field locations has nothing to do with money (which, by the way is an extremely tired argument made by too many uninformed folks). Here's the deal- A significant number of teams enter the tournament in the final week before registration closes and those late arriving entries impact decisions as to who plays where. SSUSA used to post TENTATIVE park locations but was often criticized by folks that weren't familiar with that term. These days, they wait until registration closes before reviewing the list and posting any field assignment decisions. |
April 24, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Maryland Classic field assignments I do have two womens 40 teams (Queen Bs, Cherry Bomb) looking to play. If another team wants to jump in, I'm happy to include a 1 day (Sun) womens bracket. |
April 24, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Maryland Classic field assignments Schedules for the Maryland Classic should be released on Friday. Here are the (tentative) field assignments for those that want to book rooms. BACHMAN SPORTS COMPLEX (Sat, Sun) 50 Major, 50 Major Plus, 55 Major Plus (8) 55 Major / 50 AAA (7) 60 Major, 60 AAA, 60 AA, 55 AAA (4) CARROLL COUNTY SPORTS COMPLEX (Sat, Sun) 40 Major / Major + (7) 40 AAA (6) CARROLL COUNTY SPORTS COMPLEX (Mon, Tue) 65 Major, 65 AAA, 79 AAA (5) Tim |
April 21, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Maryland Classic Team list Short answer- Team list will be posted in a few hours. Long answer- There was a "wait list" for the MD Classic because it has become so popular. Just this morning, I was able to confirm some additional field space at Bachman Sports Complex in Glen Burnie. Teams from the wait list are being contacted now to confirm their IN / OUT status. If there are any additional teams wanting to get in, there is now room for you- email me no later than TUES (4/22) at 2pm. PotomacSports1@gmail.com Tim |
April 17, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Need help on a ruling for when a bases loaded walk occurs As a trainer, I instruct umpires to carefully watch the batter-runner and each baserunner when a 5th run scenario occurs. They should know how many outs there are and what the call is if one or the other fails to advance to the next base. I saw the proper technique applied more than a few times at BLD last week. So on behalf of umpires that take pride in their work, I take exception to the idea that umps will encourage runners to take a shortcut "most of the time." |
April 17, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: teams and schedule Joe- The team list will be posted shortly. I asked the staff to delay it's release until all teams added from the wait list had paid their entry fees. All of managers received an email to this effect on Sat / Sun but I guess the word did not trickle down. Schedules- They are in process, along with the 4 other tournaments in 3 states that I'm currently working on. For the York, PA tournament the S1 schedule (65, 70, 75s) will play out on Thurs, Fri. The 40-60s schedule will be extremely (EXTREMELY) full. We'll use 8 diamonds on SAT, SUN with games from 8am - 8pm daily. If you're wondering about a start time, I shared this info with managers, too- Too many teams to accept special start time requests. All teams entering should expect to play at 8am daily. Tim McElroy |
April 15, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Infield fly rule Chiming in here with my 2 cents- Before we get people screaming for the IFR to be called every time a ball is popped up or lands intouched on the infield, let's remember something- -Ordinary effort in a 75s game isn't the same as ordinary effort in a 50s game. -Ordinary effort on a windy day (i.e. VA Beach 2 weeks ago) isn't the same as ordinary effort on a calm, overcast day. Dave referenced the scenario where a defender tries to get a cheap double (or triple) play. The Infield Fly (1.41) and Intentional Drop (1.37) rules are in the book for a reason, and are both umpire judgment calls. Carry on.... |
April 7, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Tidewater Classic- thank you! All, Thank you so much for continuing to support the Tidewater Classic in VA Beach this past weekend. With 76 teams, this was our best turnout yet. The schedule was packed and the competition was good. The winds on Championship Thursday and Sunday were something else. Absolutely unreal... Thanks to all teams for braving the dust storms. To the staff who was on site by 645am, and left after 10pm each night. I thank you. Umpires- we were shorthanded due to some late call outs and you worked your butts off and picked up extra games. I thank you as well. RESULTS... the file has been sent to our staff in CA, and should be posted for all to see shortly after they get to the office today. Teams im the east- There is always room for improvement and we will continue to look for ways to do that. That said, this program is absolutely ROLLING right now. Events are filling up well in advance. If you plan to attend an SSUSA tournament in this mid-Atlantic region, don't wait to enter. Me... I'm headed west today for the Southwest Championships. HAVE A GREAT DAY ! |
April 4, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Avoiding collision at the scoring line Potentially, but ultimately this call comes down to the umpire's judgement. Sometimes the throw is a little off line, leaving room for the runner to continue on his normal path. Sometimes the runner is way off, causing the defender to vacate home plate and move into the traditional runners area. And, sometimes the throw is so far off like that it hits the backstop and ricochets right back toward home plate. Also keep in mind that your vantage point (dugout, etc) is likely different than the umpire, who is standing inside the diamond. |
April 4, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: VA Beach Thanks Richie. The dust storm was beyond our control, but she was a beaute... Same deal today. |
April 1, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Veags KOA I can't speak to the quality or cost but every year there are a handful of players that stay at Sam's Town RV right off of Boulder Hwy. It is pretty central to most of the ballparks. Good luck. |
March 27, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Gulf Coast Swing Tournament- NOT MOVED I've received 3 different calls today from teams asking if the tournament on April 25-27 had been moved to Naples- It has NOT been moved. There are teams entered, and we still plan to play at Lee Health Sports Complex (aka, The Twins Facility) in Ft. Myers. If there are changes (and none are expected), I'll update the tournament page and reach out to the managers that have already registered a team to play. REG deadline is April 13th, but please don't wait until the last minute to get in. If you know you're coming, send me an email. LODGING LINKS for the Gulf Coast Swing are included on the tourney page. There are some pretty reasonable deals for that weekend. Thank you, Tim |
March 26, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Tidewater Classic - Schedule (55 Major) The grid is correct, the bracket is not- 12:30- Game 16 (winner final) 2:00- Game 17 (3rd place) 3:30 - Game 18 (Championship) 5:00- Game 19 (If Necessary) Good catch- I'll get the bracket corrected. |
March 22, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: GREAT JOB - Scores Rather than give your post the 2-word response that it deserves, I'm going to shut this nonsene down before it gathers any steam amongst the message board complaint team- There were no updates posted yesterday because one of our key directors was involved in a serious car accident on the way to the ballpark. While this might seem hard for some to comprehend, their health- and the residual re-shuffling of resources across multiple tournament venues take priority over score reporting. If you are looking for additional updates on the matter (scoring or otherwise), it will likely NOT happen this weekend. |
March 19, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Score updates Jeff, Results from the following 2025 tournaments have been posted- Winter Nationals Winer Worlds Tournament of Champions Top Gun Winter Classic Gold Glove Spectacular Spring Training Classic Aloha Bowl STPA Sacramento Spectacular Music City Classic The Spring National wrapped up on SUN. Paperwork is on the way back to the CA office. The onsite directors don't have system access, and were unable to post the results. Spring Worlds... Results from Day 1 are posted. Day 2 is still happening. I freely acknowledge that score reporting has been an ongoing issue for us. We aren't perfect but are making an effort to fix that, and some other things. |
March 16, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: MUSIC CITY TOURNAMENT After 3+ inches of rain we were fortunate to get this one in. Turf infields were out savior. Thanks to all for your patience. Congrats to the top finishers in these age groups 70 Major.... Columbus LXX 65 Major... Midwest Driving School 65 AAA... The Power 60 Major.... Claremont Properties 60 AAA... Team Illinois 55 AAA... Peacemakers 50 Major Plus... MP / Primetime 50 Major.... 615 Honored 50 AAA... Old Dirt 40 Major.... BBQ 40s / Suncoast 40 AAA... Torgi Trucking Safe travels! |
March 15, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: MUSIC CITY TOURNAMENT The following message went to managers just a few minutes ago. Managers, No SAT play at Cane Ridge. We are planning to resume on SUN. If your team is dropping out, please let me know by 3pm today. This will allow me to make revisions to the master schedule and communicate those changes to all by 6pm tonight. Tim Again... stay safe! |
March 15, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: MUSIC CITY TOURNAMENT All Saturday games are canceled due to lightning, and tornadic conditions. We will resume play on Sunday. I will continue to communicate with managers via the text threads as necessary. Be safe today, everyone. Tim |
Feb. 27, 2025 TimMcElroy | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Fraudulent Credit Card Transactions DISCLAIMER- I don't work in the office and have no knowledge of whether or not the SSUSA office has any information on this matter. To me, this isn't a "message board" issue. It sounds like the type of matter that should be handled directly with SSUSA. 916-326-5303 Info@SeniorSoftball.com Suggestion: If you feel that your card has been compromised in some manner, contact SSUSA directly. Be prepared to discuss specifics. That would include your name, card number, amount and date of original transaction. You should also be prepared to provide specifics on any [potentially] fraudulent transaction(s) that followed. |