top tier vs. illinois sparks?

Yes, the Sparks (coached by Pappas and Forkin - Red) and Top Tier will be playing today @ St Rita - 6pm.
This is more of a scrimmage format for both teams.
Pitchers will be getting their work in (throwing 1 or 2 innings each) and everyone in the lineup bats.
A lot of players will be missing from both teams due to college orientation and other committments.
It will be great for both teams to get their rep's in and get ready for their weekend tourneys.

Top Tiers 18u team will be playing the Sparks 17u
in the Volunteer Invitational- a 10 team 5 game invitational being put on at Logan College and SIU-Carbondale by Diamond Sports Promotions

You can keep up with all of the scores this season while the tourneys are going on by going to the website diamondsportspromotions.com and clicking on tourney results...

started out this season at siu and Logan with the Bullets winning the championship of the Southern Illiinois Invitational
headed for St Louis for this weekends 26 team tourney

Just curious I have not been able to get over to watch these two teams. I understand it is a scrimmage type atmosphere but are their any results? I am sure there are still many very talented players involved on both sides. Interesting Woodly weren't the 18U Sparks originally scheduled to play at your SIU tournament against Top Tier? Wonder why they pulled out? I am sure they have a good excuse. Has to drive tournament directors crazy when you go through all the hardwork of setting a schedule to have teams withdraw. Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk....

yes indeed it must drive tournament directors crazy...I wonder why top tier did the same thing and pulled out of SIU fun in the sun last year after they lost a game??? but dont worry im sure it was a good reason.

Simple solution for teams whose coaches pull teams out of tournaments and leave other kids/coaches hanging....

Don't invite that coach and his team to the next tournament.

Tell them to choke on their entry fee.

What Sparks 18U tean backed out??? There are a couple this year?? Anyone know?

rededs10,

Top Tier went 3-0 in the SIU tournament last year (Get your facts straight,) and then had to leave the tournament to drive to Georgia on time for the WWBA tournament.

I now know why I haven't been to the message boards lately. I really hope that one day everyone will wake up and realize that this should be all about the kids. This one upsmanship is getting tired. To set the record straight, the Forkin/Pappas Sparks team has played three weekday games so far vs Top Tier (Top Tier has won two of three). The wonderful thing about these games is that we were tuning up pitchers, showcasing unsigned guys (Hudson did a great job against us, and I believe that Evansville signed him), and letting everybody hit.

As I coached first base, I really enjoyed the conversations between our runners and the Top Tier first basemen. They all talked about their college choices, and wished each other luck and congratulated each other. There was absolutely no Sparks/Top Tier rivalry to be seen. Coach Tolan, Burch, and McMurray do a fine job of teaching within the game, just as I know that our staff of Forkin, Newsome, and Vucsko do.

As far as dropping out of Van Horn's tournament, I know that it wasn't the Forkin team, and I would bet that there was confusion because of the Sparks/Orioles merger (heck, I still get confused as to whether we are the Red or Black 18U team). I have gotten to know and admire Bill Copp over the past two years. He is a fierce competitor, a great teacher, and he lives for the days that his teams go up against the very best competition. He doesn't pull out of tournaments. I hope that my youngest son is one day lucky enough to play for him.

Rather than go on about all of this, I would like to say that I hope that ten years from now, we can still talk about a Top Tier/Sparks rivalry. If that is the case, that means that both organizations will still be helping kids reach that next level. After all, isn't that what this is all about.



.

Yup.

well said gus21

as for the glove~ I was at the SIU tourny and watched tier lose their first game of the tournament, i know they had another tournament to go to also, illinois orioles also lost a game in that tournament but they did not leave. They made a commitment to the tournament and stayed.

rededs
I would love to know which game you witnessed. Top Tier went 3-0 while playing with wood bats.

As far as the weekday games, I play for the Top Tier 18 year old team and the game against the Sparks Red team are great to get at bats against higher level pitching. In the three games, both teams have been missing players to different conflicts, but it is a great way to stay in playing shape during the week and prepare for weekend tournaments.

Maybe you guys are talking about two different tournaments? Here's a link to a post that was made after last year's Fun in the Sun tourny at SIU:

Fun in the Sun

Pretty clearly states that Top Tier won three and then left the tournament early to go to Georgia.

Gus21, EXCELLENT POST!

didnt top tier get no hit at parkland last fall by the McHenry County Hurricanes?

I don't recall.

well who do you think has a better team?

Does it really make a difference who is better? They both are great!

which hurricane team do you play for?

Well I have been busy getting tourneys filled for kids who want to get seen by some college coaches while this forum is going on talking about the Sparks 18u team pulling out of the tourney at Logan and Siu that i am running on June 28th

lets set the record straight.....NO ONE PULLED OUT OF ANYTHING....Coaches want to see the unsigned kids...the 17 year olds more then the 18s....Bill Copp has several 17 year old kids and I asked him where the other 17 year old team was going.... He was going to send them to another tourney....When i talked with Jerry Halstead of Logan and the coaching staffs at siu they asked if there was anyway i could get the other 17 year old group to play in this particular tourney....

Bill adn I discussed the situation and he said he would move his 18s to the other tourney and put both 17 year old groups in this Volunteer Classic....to accomodate the RECRUITERS....

NO ONE FROM THE SPARKS ORGANIZATION BAILED OUT of anything....It was the college recruiters who want to see the younger kids--- the Pro Scouts want to see the 18s too but this is a tune up to go to Perfect Game....

MAYBE IT IS BETTER OFF WITH ALL THE HYPE about these two programs that they DO NOT EVER MEET ON THE FIELD.. i HAVE SEEN a few good teams already this summer and I am sure they could topple the Tier and te Sparks teams if they ever met in a series...

it is for the kids.....let them have fun and keep the BS down..no one is dodging anyone; the reputations of both programs are excellent...what is troublemsome is sometimes the adults "stir" up the coals....leading to "tempers" which spoils the whole set up for the recruiters and kids..

Woodly, Come on talk about keeping the BS down? I totally agree the recruiters are looking at the 2008 as most of the 2007's are already committed. I have a problem when a tournament director goes out of his way to placate a specific program. If it is 17's the recruiters want to see, were the Top Tier, Mchenry, Pirates and all other programs with a 17u team also granted the same phone call to bring their younger team as you say the recruiters want. After all as you say it is all about the kids or is that the kids you chose. I don't by it for a minute a recruiter would call about just one specific program and only want to see those 17u. Tournament directors should always take the high road and remain impartial when dealing with travel ball, if they want to continue to attract the top teams and talent. When a tournament director starts making decisions based on personal likes, dislikes or favortism he will find more and more good teams avoiding his tournaments. JMHO

I don't buy that last post for one second. Tournament directors should be looking to draw the best competition they can. By bringing in the best competition it draws the recruiters and the scouts....that is good for ALL the teams and ALL the kids.

NEWSFLASH! Politics or favoritism plays a role in MANY big tournaments across this nation. Just go play the game.

Ive heard nothing but good things about Woodly's tournaments . Must be doing something right.

quote:

Originally posted by HighHeat28:
Woodly, Come on talk about keeping the BS down? I totally agree the recruiters are looking at the 2008 as most of the 2007's are already committed. I have a problem when a tournament director goes out of his way to placate a specific program. If it is 17's the recruiters want to see, were the Top Tier, Mchenry, Pirates and all other programs with a 17u team also granted the same phone call to bring their younger team as you say the recruiters want. After all as you say it is all about the kids or is that the kids you chose. I don't by it for a minute a recruiter would call about just one specific program and only want to see those 17u. Tournament directors should always take the high road and remain impartial when dealing with travel ball, if they want to continue to attract the top teams and talent. When a tournament director starts making decisions based on personal likes, dislikes or favortism he will find more and more good teams avoiding his tournaments. JMHO

well High Heat we will try to keep HONESTY out of my posts for now on as you refer to it as BS..just defending a team who has been accused of something which they did not do if it involves a event we are hosting..
You would be amazed of how many teams are in our events-- 187 total teams....and we seem to be able to retain those teams year in and year out...We are not the best in the business; but we try to get a little better each year.. We definitely want teams who have talent available to the people who are coming to the tourneys...or those people won't be coming back... but our events are available to ALL TRAVEL TEAMS.. The Sparks 18s had very few people available...We were asked our preference...in this particular tourney which was specifically designed for some of the better teams not available for the Fun in the Sun...We have Tiers 17s in other events
and they were not available for this tourney...McHenry 18s were asked to play in this one as well as there 17s but they were not available for this weeks tourney either....The Pirates DO NOT HAVE 18S in their program...
the only preference in MOST OF OUR EVENTS we have is that the teams have players who want to be seen, behave in a ADULT manner on the field and off the field and have a good reputation... This tourney was a "special" event..one that we had never put on before as we always had an open date due to holidays ...we put this one on specifically due to request of the recruiters trying to build this tourney into a Recruiters dream before the Fun in the Sun....
on the positive side....we found some good young players from Cape Girardeau Mo, Ozark Mo and we have some names that we were not aware of in the past to follow their careers....We also saw some players who had signed already who were excellent players --Despite some theatrics and adult driven controversies....The kids had fun , recruiters all thanked me and we have 5 games left with no problems with the kids at all....who this event is for...

Woodly, I miss those tourneys man...they were fun and we sure didn't

quote:

behave in a ADULT manner on the field and or off the field

but we were respectible and had a heck of a good time at each of your tourneys, i'll be back in about 6 more years with my little guy I hope....that is if your still around...lay off the smokes and order me a t-shirt already....miss ya....sweaty

quote:

Originally posted by sweaty:
Woodly, I miss those tourneys man...they were fun and we sure didn't

quote:

behave in a ADULT manner on the field and or off the field

but we were respectible and had a heck of a good time at each of your tourneys, i'll be back in about 6 more years with my little guy I hope....that is if your still around...lay off the smokes and order me a t-shirt already....miss ya....sweaty

sWEATY ...MISS THE GANG...your crew certainly knew how to have fun with me...off the field...White Sox 17u back at fun in the sun....i am still down here in Carbondale awaiting the arrival of 24 teams...free t shirts for kids, 1 free meal for kids and a night paid for by Diamond sports for recruiters, coaches, and staff at the Holiday Inn
banquet room..... then to Illinois State for 44 teams...
busy....teams are plentiful in our events and alot of repeat business..New blood arriving each day...hope to be around for awhile...but yes; still smoking those cigs.....

We finally had an opportunity to play a meaningful game against each other. The 18 Top Tier vs the 18 Illinois Sparks in the championship game at NIU. Chimmer vs Stroud. Each squad's best against each other. The outcome did not determine which team was the best.....it simply determined which team was the best on that given day. Our boys were determined to show that they could compete with anybody. We have never been given credit for just how good we are when fully armed. If McFarland, Stroud, McConologue, Vucsko, and Newsome are allowed to step up to the mound, it is very to difficult to defeat this team. Scouts have overlooked McConolgue especially, as he has gone undefeated against the best competition in the Midwest. He should be deciding between offers from various schools, rather than trying to figure out why he is being overlooked. I feel that I have not done my best to get him exposed, and I am willing to talk to any coach in need of a 2007 arm. Please help me out, because I feel that I am failing to place McConologue in the right situation. I would appreciate any input to help Danny get a better situation. Thank you.

gus21.

Compliments from our high school team North Central who learned a lot playing against the Illinois Sparks last week. Our kids learned some valuable things that should help them as they get ready to play other travel teams this week in Indianapolis.
Not bad for a bunch of 16 and 17 yr olds huh? My son especially enjoyed the game as he went 3 for 4 with that HR over LCF early to tie that game up and two singles later in the game. Enjoyed it very much ...will keep an eye on your 17u as we are part hosts for the Best of the Best Wood Bat Tournament in Indianapolis

quote:

Originally posted by it could be it might be it is:
...will keep an eye on your 17u as we are part hosts for the Best of the Best Wood Bat Tournament in Indianapolis

That will be our 16U Black team at the Best of the Best this weekend.

Travel once again bringing the best out of people

quote:

McConologue

quote:

Scouts have overlooked McConolgue especially, as he has gone undefeated against the best competition in the Midwest

I hear that Dan will be joining us here at UofC in the fall. I only met him very quickly on his recruiting visit, but he seems like a nice kid with a baseball attitude. Looking forward to pitching with him this year.