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This page will feature rankings and issues of the D division from Ray DeWorth's eyes. Check back regularly, as there will be ongoing updates.
Posted on 11/15/2003
Hello everyone, it has been a minute since Ray has showed his face hasnt it? Well lately I have had a case of the late season burnout and had to actualy get away from the pc for a while just to refresh myself for the work in the off season. That doesnt mean that I havent been paying attention to what is going on because I have. Well now it is mid November and I am ready for the offseason speculations and happenings. I will be offering a new format of interviews throughout the offseason to those interested. I will be based on facts concerning yourself and your team but also it will have some fun, off the wall, topics and questions also. I am looking forward to it more than ever and I think you guys will enjoy it also. It wont be the same old questions if you know what I mean. So yes for those of you who thought Ray DeWorth was finsihed or gone, I am sorry because this old boy is refreshed and ready to roll. Also I want to thank each and everyone of you that have took the time to be interviewed last season. I feel that the interviews were a success and I am looking forward to some more. Now with the new interviews, this means those who I already interviewed can be interviewed again for the questions will all be relatively different than the last interview. These interviews will be called "Say that again!!!" So I think these should be fun and educating as well. If those of you have any ideas on new questions or topics I could add the interviews feel free to shoot me your ideas via email and I will look them over. Always looking to get better. Well anyways here we go on my final 2003 wrap up.
This wrap up is with the old western theme The Good, the bad and the ugly. Now the good means the best of the bunch, the Bad means well theyre not bad, but not that good either and the UGLY means well you know what that means. So dont get your feelings hurt if your bad or ugly because youre not ever as bad or ugly as it really seems. You have obviously done enough to be mentioned. So I do believe I hear the whistling starting you know, the Good , the Bad and the ugly theme whistle? If ya know what I mean, cool , if not........the hell with it here we go.
THE GOOD
#1 Tina's Softball
In my last post I had questioned the heart and the lack of attitude this team possessed so far in the 03 season. I had questioned these because I had thought with the level of talent on this team that they should of been playing much better and finishing much better than they had so far during the year. Dont get me wrong they had played pretty exceptional at times during the season, but of late they looked to be just going through the motions to me. Sadly just shortly after losing a teammate tragically in an accident, something came together for this squad. Personally I thought that was the final nail in the coffin because of such a tragic loss, it is almost quite impossible to focus on the job at hand. Instead this team rallied around each other and I feel the inspiration of Dave "Boat ' Spare was in their dugout. Suddenly all the heart determination and attitude I had accused this squad of not having was there only 10x more. No one was going to beat these guys that weekend and I mean no one. I dont know who deserves the credit for getting these guys to play but they should receive the red badge of honor because all Tina's did was win Nationals the very next day after Boats death and then finish 42 positions higher in the worlds then the next closest local D team. (Saints). With a respectable 33rd out of 171 teams finish in Worlds and a big Nationals championship not counting a 3rd at state, this team proved no one was better at the end of the year, when it counted. So on my behalf I want to say that in all of my years of softball I had not been more prouder of an NKY team than I was of Tina's. You guys are champions in my book, and although Dave will be missed you know that he might of not been in your dugout those last couple of tournies, but he was in the field. He was in the heart of every player who wore a Tina's jersey. Just goes to show, Dave had the heart of a champion without a doubt. Tina's just proved it even more by being champions on the field. Good luck in 04 Champs.
# 2 Come gets' em
Now all who reads these DeWorth posts know that I was on this teams jock all year. I loved the way they played together and I thought they had the attitude it took to do something really special late in the year. Then this squad showed everybody how mature it was and showed that they didnt have what it takes when it counted. The biggest thing they showed was they didnt seem to care either. They had cost themselves a possible state title by having guys not show up when it counted in the state. Even with the dissapointing losses in state they still finished 4th. That goes to show how well they were playing before they decided partying was more important than winning a state title. Then HELLO?????? where were you in Nationals? Oh yeah theyre you are in 59th place. Then came Texas. Yeah I mean Worlds. It was only the biggest tournament of the year. Come gets em finished 1-2 and in 104th position. Hey worlds is a tough tourney man I dont expect NKY's finest D team to win it. But I do expect them to show up!!!! They had to phorfeit their final game because some of their players was stuck in traffic. How lame. Everybody who is everybody knows that you have to be at the park waaaaaaay before gametime at a tournament like Worlds. The coach of this team should be flat out embarrassed. Evidently they thought it was just another league nite at Huddy. Now I dont know the specifics on what happened and maybe there was an legitimate excuse for this blunder. But probably not. This team showed all year they had the capabilities of imploding and they did. Now you are probably asking yourself if I am slamming them so hard why are they worthy of a #2 ranking om my part. Because after all is said they still won tournies and were just flat better than anyone else prior to this letdown. Maybe this is their way at staying in D who knows. If they dont move up to C then they will never be looked at seriously again. I am so upset at the wasted opportunity these guys just let slip buy. I am tired of talking about Come Gets em.
#3 DINO'S SPORTS BAR
To me this team is blue collar as they come. They played consistent all year, never playing horrible for a stretch but never playing great either. Just steady. They kept chopping wood. The highlight of the year was winning state. But they had their nose in pretty much everything this past year. Although a 0-2 finish in Worlds was a little discouraging, you can expect Tim Thompson to be on the lookout this off season for a couple of players to make his team even better in 04.
The Bad
#4 Saints
I know I said in one of my posts earlier in the year, that I wasnt going to include these guys in this because I had hardly seen them play. Well now I have seen enough to know that this squad is pretty good. To my knowledge they have had some fairly decent finishes in N.I.T's this year but never really brought the hardware home. That is the reason I have them in the "Bad" section of my theme here. Now are they bad? Absolutely not. What stands out to me is they play really well together and I like the fact that they are on the tad "cocky side". I think all good teams have that type of confidence. (Come getsem, Nasty Boys). Although from what I hear around the league this guy isnt the most well liked fella around but from what I see he gets it done. I am talking about their leadoff hitter who seems to be a perfect picture of what this team is about. He comes off cocky and that makes people dislike him. But the kid can play. Usually when teams dont like ya is because they cant beat ya. It should be a breakout year for these guys in 2004.
#5 Jeff Wyler
Another team that has all the talent but just couldnt seem to get over that hump. A real good finish or two in NIT's and a meager 18th place finish in state is what this team can hang theyre hat on going into the off season. I have heard alot of rumors that this team will not be back in 04. Again that is just rumors I have heard. Personally I hope they keep theyre core because this team is as good as any team on here when they are on.
#6 Two "N' Out
I have heard rumors of this team picking up a couple quality players going into the offseason. That would be a nice start. Two and out are almost there but not quite. After a blistering start early they came back to earth the rest of the year. Although playing solid, they just lacked that extra UUMMPHH to get them to the next level. This could be a breakout year for them if they stay in D. With a little tinkering and consistent play I think Two and Out will have what it takes to get to Worlds in 04.
# 7 Nu Way Drywall
I dont really know much about this squad except that they are a pretty good softball team. They fall along the same lines as the other middle pack teams in my post. Those teams that were pretty good but failed to qualify for Worlds. They have a pretty decent resume though. They have an 8th place finish in a NIT at Rivershore, was runner up to Dino's at state and won an early spring tournament at Huddy. I think this team has a tremendous upside and should be taken very seriously in 2004.
THE UGLY
#8 Shakeys Pub
Now time for the Ugly. That is how most of their finishes looked like in big tournaments. 50th place in the nationals and a respectable 15th at state. The reason I have them as Ugly is because they just under achieved so much for the talent that they had on that squad. They had some top notch talent, but under achieved on a consistent basis. Now I know they are overhauling in the off season and plan to come back in 04, with more of a passion to win. If they find the will to win......watch out.
# 9 Team Extreme/Pro- Onsight
Team Extreme is a team that has alot of talent but hardly any results. Other than a 17th place finish in a NIT at Expressway and a repectable 11th place finish at state this team stuck basically to qualifiers. Do they have enough talent to compete in a D division. Without a freaking doubt. Talent is not the question. My question is do they have enough want too or heart to be other than a respectable league night team that can either place in the top 10 of a big tournament, or more likely stay the team that plays with the Base Bandits inning for inning everytime they play them, but just phone it in when it counts???? One word.........Underachievers.
#10 Riverhawks
These guys did most of theyre damage in tournament early in the season with spring qualifiers. They did well in tournaments with little or no competition. I am not slamming them it is just facts. Theyre best finish of the year in my opinion came July 19th with an impressive 2nd place finish in a qualifier. Theyre were some real good teams in that tournament, so to finish runner up to Come gets em that weekend was impressive. But other finishes include a 23rd place out of 32 teams in a NIT at Armco, a respectable 12th at state and a disapointing 45th at Nationals. The jury is still out on these fellas. I have heard that this team wont be together in 04 also. But that is just a rumor. They did good enough in 03 to get mentioned........barely.
TEAMS TO KEEP AN EYE ON IN 2004
Our Place Too.......every year theyre is speculation that this team is going to mix it up in D. But when August gets here people have an "extreme" time finding them. In 2003 they had some problems keeping a full roster. They lost Tony Beureis to the Saints and they lost theyre leader going into the season General Fernbach to.....well everybody. But this year could be different. They have made a name change and have a new lease on life with the solid additions of Bobby Shoemaker and Randy Lee formerly of the Nasty Boys. So if these types of players keep findng theyre way on to this roster it might mean more than speculation in 2004.
NASTY BOYS/BLUE 2........UH OH, not another Nasty team. If this team resembles anything like the Big Nasties. Watch out. And with the players that they supposably have going into the season, it looks like they will resemble just that. Joe Barnes is the Bill Parcells of softball. Not everybody likes him but he wins every year. He is a bonafide winner. If he has his hands on this team in any way, which he probably will, then you can expect nothing short of a winner here. A team consisting of mostly former Nasties and maybe a couple "big additions" of which I heard, this wont be the only team left blue when it is said and done.
HAMILTONS........Just the fact that they will be back in D makes them a major force. I have questions with this team though. They majorly disapointed in C this year. And with the talent they have there is no way that should of happened. They hardly had a full team in some of theyre tournaments they played in. That is no excuse. I think the problems start with the namesake. Randy Hamilton heart wasnt in it last year from what I was told. Is this true???? I dont know. But what I do know it is pretty weak and a major step back for this team for this team to go back to D. Especially now. In C theyre is no Bandits, Nasties, or J-Law. So why step back now. But never the less if they are playing D they will have to be reckoned with.
TEAMS THAT SHOULD MOVE TO C
Come Gets Em.....no way are they a D team. I dont care if they break up in sepearate parts and say that they are a new team like they seem to do every year. Team Bring it, Come gets em, who cares. It is the same team. If this squad isnt playing C this year then maybe Chuck Fischer is theyre coach or something??
Tina's........best of the bunch. They could probably add a little more home run pop, but they are no D team
Dino's..............State champs......enough said. State wasnt the only tournament they fared well in. Theyre is nothing left for them in D.
TEAMS WHO SHOULD WAIT ONE MORE YEAR
SAINTS........They could play well in C but theyre best shot is in D. I cant wait for a Saints vs Nasty match up. That should be fun. As much smack these teams talk??? And they back it up also!!!!!! Let her rip.
TWO AND OUT.......I know this team is playing C next year. I think it is a mistake. If they dont wise up Sproles will have alot of problems on his hand next year. When the ship starts sinking will Sproles be able to keep everybody on too help fill the holes? C is a different animal. I have a saying, that "if you cant compete with the best teams in C then why move up" ? They are a good team but they will not hang with the likes of the Storm or NKY Softball. You guys are a real good D team and may be wasting an opportunity to do something special in D in 2004. With Tinas and company gone you should fare real well in D. Dont miss your chance because you feel you should move up because everybody else is. Those teams went to Worlds and they won something in 03. Two and Out had its moments but didnt achieve anything but a little respect. My advice is stay in D and play up every now and then to see if you belong in C before you make the mistake of finding out different causing yourself a long year. Dont let your chance slip by.
2003 1ST ANNUAL RAY DEWORTH
AWARDS
Team of the year.............Tinas
Runner up......................Dinos
Player of the year...........Brian Maley
There is nothing he cant do. He has all the tools and was by far the best player in D last year.
Runner Up......................Paul DeMoss
Coach of the year.......Timmy Thompson
what he did with Dino's in 2003 was just flat out brilliant. Congrats Timmy.
Runner Up...............Mark Knue
I hope you enjoyed this and until the interviews start back up have a good holiday season. Ray |
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