GREATER CHARLOTTE HOT STOVE LEAGUE TO HONOR THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF CHARLOTTE BASEBALL

GREATER CHARLOTTE HOT STOVE LEAGUE TO HONOR THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF CHARLOTTE BASEBALL

…Former Major League All Star Bryan Harvey and top Boston Red Sox prospect David Mailman among those set to be honored at the 2nd Annual Dinner

The baseball term “hot stove” is affiliated with the time of year when those associated with America’s past time, whether it is players, managers, front office personnel and fans, discuss the summer game during the winter months. Even before the Boston Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1920, folks sat around the hot stove to debate and discuss the significance of their team’s transactions.

Even though air conditioning and furnaces have replaced the iron stove as sources of heat, the term hot stove is still quite common in baseball vernacular. A place it is used frequently is to reference baseball banquets that take place during the off-season. The banquets are held to celebrate the game of baseball and to reward those in the game that contribute to its success.

On January 24, 2009 the 2ND Annual Greater Charlotte Area Hot Stove League Dinner, hosted by Carolinas Baseball Center and The South Charlotte Sports Report will be held at the 25,000 square foot Carolinas Baseball Center. This first class evening of entertainment will celebrate the growth of youth baseball and softball in the Greater Charlotte Community. Headlining the special night will be a keynote speech by former Major League All-Star relief pitcher and UNCC baseball alumnus Bryan Harvey.

The Bandys High School graduate played from 1987 to 1995 for the California Angels and the Florida Marlins. He was elected to the All-Star team for the American League in 1991 and for the National League in 1993. He led the American League in saves in 1991 with 46. Harvey was named Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News.

Providence High School Class of 2007 graduate David Mailman will also be honored. Mailman was a 7th round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox and has what many scouts have described as a “picture perfect swing.” He has become one of the Red Sox top-rated prospects and is expected to one day take to the field at Fenway Park.

In addition to the speech by Harvey, guests will be treated to a social hour and autograph session with 10-20 current or former major and minor league baseball players from the Charlotte area, a sit down dinner, vendor displays and one of the largest silent auction of sports memorabilia in the area. The evening will also include the presentation of awards to the top youth baseball and softball players in the area. Last year’s winners included; Richie Shaffer (Providence), Constance Orr (Butler, UNC-Chapel Hill), Chase Arnold (Holy Trinity Catholic) and Erin Kayton (Marvin Ridge.)

Two new awards have been added for 2009. The first one is the Team of the Year. This award is open to every baseball and softball team in the area, from the Tee Ball Level up to 18U Teams. The winning team will demonstrate success on and off the field of play. The second award is the York, SC Baseball Player of the Year Award.

We are very proud to announce our charity partner for the 2009 Greater Charlotte Area Hot Stove League Dinner. The Miracle League of Charlotte. The Miracle League of Charlotte, a chapter of The Miracle League, will provide physically and mentally challenged children a safe and spirited program in which they can hit, run, and catch on a baseball field – just like other kids. It will offer a unique and memorable opportunity these children would not otherwise have.

The 2008 inaugural event was a sellout and a second straight sellout is expected. A limited number of individual tickets and corporate tables for the dinner are available now. Once those tickets are gone, no additional tickets or tables will be made available. Individual tickets are available for $95 per person and $75 for baseball and softball players under 18. Corporate tables are also available for $950. Each corporate table will include eight seats and the guests of the table will be joined by a current or former major or minor league baseball player.

Three levels of event sponsorship are also available for this unique event dedicated to the growth of youth baseball and softball in the area. Grand Slam, Perfect Game and Home Run Packages are open for sponsorship. Each package includes many unique benefits for corporations interested in marketing to the baseball and softball communities in the greater Charlotte area.

Nomination forms are now available online at www.hotstovedinner.com for the top area high school and youth baseball and softball players of the year awards. In 2009 a special award will be added for Team of the Year. Nominations will be accepted until December 31, 2008

For more information on the 2nd Annual Greater Charlotte Area Hot Stove League Dinner, please call Tripp Roakes @ 704-906-5466 or visit www.hotstovedinner.com

BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY AT WWW.HOTSTOVEDINNER.COM

South Charlotte Sports Basketball Tryout Boot Camp

Friends

I wanted to share this new and exciting basketball camp with you

When I heard about the 125 kids that tried to earn a spot on a local Middle School roster last winter, I knew that I had to come up with something to help kids through the emotional rollercoaster of tryouts. So many of these kids had all the tools needed to earn a position, but somehow became lost in the pack of players.

I have worked real hard to develop a first class basketball event that will focus on preparing 6th-9th graders for the School Tryout Process. My goal is to provide a simulated basketball tryout to give your child every advantage possible for the school tryout. This two day event (October 18 and 19) will feature many of the coaches that work at the school your child attends, giving them a chance to become more familiar with the kids. I am also very excited to say that Ardrey Kell Head Coach Mike Craft is helping me with the overall leadership of the camp. Mike is one of the top teachers of basketball in this area and has been a huge help to The South Charlotte Sports Report and our basketball programming.

This camp, held at Community House Middle School will focus on 4 key elements of the basketball tryout process:

Gaining a Psychological Advantage during the tryout.

Developing the Physical Conditioning necessary for a successful tryout

Applying the proper basketball fundamentals in each tryout drill

Catching the coaches eye when the court is crowded with other players.

We cannot guarantee that our camp will earn your son or daughter a place on their school team, but we can guarantee that if your child will accept the teachings of the camp and apply what they learn during this camp, they will enter tryouts with an advantage other players may not have.

This camp, open to boys and girls will operate under the same commitment to first class instruction that the community has come to expect from The South Charlotte Sports Report.

Please be kind enough to pass this around to others that may be interested. Don't wait to long to register at http://southcharlottesports.com/news/2008/bballbootcamp.html

We have a limited # of positions open in this camp and I didn't want any of you guys to miss out.

Thanks so much for your support,

Tripp Roakes

Sign Up at http://southcharlottesports.com/news/2008/bballbootcamp.html

For those that receive this that may not have a child in these grades, please keep an eye out for our next youth camp to be held before basketball season.

ZICO PASUT HEADED FOR PIRATE COUNTRY

Ardrey Kell High School tight end Zico Pasut has been in the stands for East Carolina's two season opening wins over nationally ranked Virgina Tech and West Virginia. Those two wins propelled East Carolina to # 14 in the country and led Zico to cast his lot with the Pirates next season. The multi talented tight end made an official commitment to East Carolina on Wednesday night, choosing the Pirates over Virgina Tech and West Virgina.

The Pirates have to be excited about landing the rugged football player. The offense run by Skip Holtz at East Carolina should make good use of Zico's pass catching abilities.

The South Charlotte Sports Report congratulates Zico Pasut on achieving this level of success and choosing the East Carolina Pirates!

NOT ENOUGH JERSEYS FOR AREA KIDS

NOT ENOUGH JERSEYS FOR AREA KIDS

Last season I penned a column about the number of kids trying out for middle school athletic teams versus the actual number of positions available. The response I received was overwhelming to say the least. As schools were jammed full with kids, no one thought about how we could provide equal opportunities to these very athletic and ambitious student-athletes. Some Charlotte Mecklenburg Middle Schools witnessed 130-150 7th and 8th graders attempt to earn a position on the school football team. Basketball teams offered 15 positions for the 100-120 kids that tried out. Baseball followed with similar turnouts. A lot of very talented kids were left without a fair opportunity to compete for their school.

Let’s compare two Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Middle Schools and the opportunities they provide. School A, located in another part of Charlotte had 700 Middle School Students and a maximum roster of 45 football players. School B, located in South Charlotte has been jammed full to the point of needing trailers to handle 1800 plus students. Number of football opportunities for School B…. 45. So with nearly three times as many students, they offer only 45 opportunities to play football and wear the colors of their school with pride.

I sent an inquiry to Vicki Hamilton, CMS Athletic Director and a very talented one at that. I wanted to find out if CMS thought this was a problem or if anything was being done and why things were so different between CMS and Union County School. Vicki’s reply included some of the CMS rules and regulations as well as the comment that “there is no plan at this time to budget to expand middle school athletics to create a 7th grade and separate 8th grade team in 13 sports offerings.”
Probably not what a lot of current Middle School parents would like to hear. Especially the ones that dealt with very upset children this week that were cut from the football team.

Since I mentioned Union County, I believe it’s very important to commend them on the approach they have taken to middle school athletics. Every sport except for basketball and basketball cheerleading is operated by very strong booster clubs. These booster clubs work hard to provide more opportunities for their students. For instance, Weddington Middle School has a 6th, 7th and 8th grade Football Team. They begin practice on August 1 versus September 3rd for CMS. They play big games on Saturday afternoons and never have to worry about darkness cutting their games in half like CMS Middle Schools run into for the last two games of the season. The Union County Schools also have a playoff system and treat the season as something special. Kudos to the Weddington and Marvin Ridge Booster Clubs.

It’s also important to point out that budget should not be something that prevents the schools from providing more opportunities. The kids already pay a large activity fee to participate and I know the power of parents in South Charlotte. If they need to raise money to make something happen they will, at no extra cost to the school system. If the wonderful folks out at Weddington and Marvin Ridge can make this happen, why can’t the families of South Charlotte Middle Schools?

Maybe it is time for some “outside the box” thinking. I would like to see CMS follow the Union County method of letting the Middle School Athletic Programs be run by Booster Clubs. It would be one less thing for CMS to worry about and they can take the money they spend on the programs and use if for something else, maybe even start to build another much needed middle school in South Charlotte.

We are leaving too many kids on the sidelines by sending them to middle schools with 1800 kids and 140 kids trying to earn one of 45 positions on a football team. If CMS can’t address the problem, then maybe it’s time for someone else to come in with a plan that will create competitive opportunities for these student-athletes. The South Charlotte Sports Report is always open to new programming ideas and joint ventures. If you have a plan we can work on, give me a call or send an email to Tripp@southcharlottesports.com

It’s important to note that I don’t intend for this column to be against CMS as I am a proud CMS Parent and Supporter, but the size of the school district and overcrowding of the schools has created some problems and this is one that probably doesn’t get a lot of attention downtown at the main office. That’s understandable with all the eligibility problems and paperwork they have faced the last year. Vicki and her staff are good people, they work a ton of hours each week to stay on top of all the high school and middle school programs and maybe deep down they realize the problem, but know the time and resources aren’t there to fix it.

It kind of scares me to know exactly how talented my five year old will have to be when he gets to middle school. By then, there will probably be 2500 kids at his school, with 40 trailers parked around the football field like a campground with 250 kids trying to earn a spot on the football team.

The South Charlotte Sports Report operates under the goal of creating opportunities for the youth in the community. We have a lot of smart folks in South Charlotte; maybe one of them will come up with the right idea and give me a call. Let’s work together to find more opportunities for the kids.

CHARLOTTE LATIN STAYS ON TOP OF SUPER SEVEN FOOTBALL POLL

SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT

SUPER SEVEN POLL

August 30, 2008

RANK LAST WEEK TEAM Comments

1 Charlotte Latin A lot of “experts” have written off Latin
Bad Move, The Hawks are still loaded with talent.

1A Butler A 49-7 win over North Meck for the Dawgs!

3 South Meck The South Meck running game is unstoppable with Spencer Shuey and Tim Palmer.

4 Catholic Big 21-20 win over Myers Park. Joe Felts runs, and runs and runs his way to victory.

5 Christian 28-0 shutout of Augusta Christian. Schedule will toughen up as the year goes.

6 Ardrey Kell An off week was just what the Knights needed to work on their offense.

7 Providence Will not stay winless for long.

Marvin Ridge vs Country Day

Word to the wise........ If you want to get a good seat for the Marvin Ridge vs Country Day game out in Marvin Friday night, GO EARLY!


Word has it the Mavericks are planning for a big turnout

The South Charlotte Sports Report will be there on the scene!

Arrest made in School Bus Prank

I read this morning that the 26 year old prankster has been arrested for getting on the school bus yesterday, Thats very good news. Next move should be to discipline the DJ known as Brutha Fred since he says it was his idea.

Yes Fred, it was an idea that went to far.......