The Baltimore Buzz is seeking 2 player/pitchers for the 14U Elite 24 in Orlando for August 2-10, 2008. If interested please contact Steve Marvel at bdmarvel@aol.com

What age is that, 14u?

yes 14U

Got it! Thanks. Coach Steve left a message for you.

How many of the players who got you there are you throwing under the bus?

I think that the tournie is named the Elite 24, not 24 players needed, only 2.

Adding 2 pitchers to a roster for a week long tournament is not throwing your players under the bus. When you get later into the tournament, you will be happy to have the extra arms so that you can rest the ones that got you there. No way do you want a kid throwing too much for just a tourney. We were there last year, played against a 13 who threw 130+ pitches one afternoon and 40 hours later threw again in the championship. Think they could of used some extra arms??

All,

Thanks for the interest. We have filled our needed roster spots. We had 12 players but 2 were very committed to HS football which left us with 10. We don't throw people under the bus here. The Buzz is a top quality team with 12 top quality players who have played together for quite a while. It is very unfortunate that 2 kids couldn't make it. As everyone knows, showing up to the E24 with 10 players would be a physically demanding task for the kids. We do not nor have we ever over pitched or put a players health or future in danger for a win. We were all looking forward to playing as 1 team with our original 12. We first attempted to pick up local talent to fill our roster spots but prior commitments to other teams during the dates needed prohibited most of the players from joining. We did manage to pick up 1 player who has been interested in playing with us for quite a while but we just didn't have a spot. We picked up another player from NY who we have seen a number of times and is a good fit but not a pitcher. The 3rd player we picked up is a pitcher (the 9th roster pitcher on the squad) and an infielder. We have always carried 7-10 pitchers of varying skill level on our squad so that we would never over use any 1 pitcher. Being from Baltimore, we are not exposed to the oppressive heat that can be seen in Orlando this time of the year. We felt as though adding to our 10 players would be a wise decision. We have not stacked our deck, we have not gone out to abuse or overuse players, and we certainly did not increase our chances to win games. We have strengthened our players in that they can have more rest periods as needed and we have provided opportunities to 3 players, who may not have otherwise been able to play in such a fine tournament, to enjoy the experience of playing at Disney and against some of America's (and Puerto Rico's) top talents. Thank you all for your interest but we have filled our roster spots and we have 13 dedicated young men who will be giving it there all.

Feel free to debate the under the bus thing as much as you would like though. It’s kind of funny!

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Neary:
Feel free to debate the under the bus thing as much as you would like though. It’s kind of funny!

Don't think it isn't done. The original post didn't explain the situation very well. How would you feel as a kid if you started all season, helped your team get to the Elite 24, then be told you're on the bench due to a new stud just signed up? Don't anyone compare this to MLB pennant races. We're talking about kids.

RJM,

I agree. Every team does it, too.

I do, however, understand the need to pick up pitching. We played back to back tourneys of the World Wood bat and Battle in the South. We played 14 games in 9 days. We carry 14 kids, of which 10 pitch. At the end of the 9th day, our arms were dragging.

Yep, I agree. We've been in that situation. I know my son pitched against Redbird's team and he was dragging before he even got on the mound. Lots of games in just a few days. Always a good idea to pick up extra pitching.

On the flip side, picking up 1 or 2 players isn't so bad but picking up several is a bummer for the kids that got you there. When they are young, they don't quite understand why they are good enough sometimes but not at some of the bigger venues. I also think it is hard on the regular kids that still get the playing time to watching their teammates sitting when they have been a unit for a long time.

If your going to play in these tourneys you have to have a lot of arms. As long as they are not picking up posistion players to replace the guys that have been with them all year I dont see a problem at all.

Solid elite player(s) available to Elite 24 teams...live locally