2009 STATE MEETINGS
January 17 - GA - Duluth @ Bunten Road Park
January 17 - VA - Lynchburg @ Holiday Inn Select
January 31 - NC - Southern Pines @ Days Inn
February 7 - TX - Longview @ LeTourneau University
February 14 - SC - Irmo @ Irmo Middle School
February 14 - AL - Auburn @ Dixon Conference Center
February 21 - AR - Searcy @ TBA
February 21 - FL - Panama City @ Boardwalk Resort
February 21 - MS - Hattiesburg @ Holiday Inn Hotel&Suites
February 28 - LA - Alexandria @ Belton Ave. Comm. Center
March 7 - TN - Dickson @ Dickson High School
Executive Committee Reinforces Rules
The Dixie Softball, Inc. Executive Committee met in Sumter, SC on November 14 & 15, 2008, to discuss clarification of rules and policies, draw for pairings at the 2009 World Series and to view the facilities in Sumter. Sumter will be hosting all 5 of the DSI World Series in 2009.
1. With approval of a survey sent out to the DSI Board of Directors the committee decided that all teams will have to list and play 12 players on their Tournament Team Affidavits. Exception to this rule will be that any team not able to field 12 players, any age division, must have permission for less than 12 players and the permission must be in writing signed by both the district and state director. This writtem permission must accompany the Tournament Team Affidavit at all times. Permission to have less than 12 players will be strictly for legitimate reasons.
2. Any person warming up a pitcher, including adults, within the confines of the playing facility MUST wear a catcher's helmet, faceguard and throat protector. This protection should be worn at all times when a person is warming up a pitcher. PENALTY: Any team caught breaking this ruling will have their manager/head coach removed from the game and shall NOT be allowd within the confines of the playing field and dugout areas.
3. Players will be allowed to wear uniforms colors of their choosing but the pitcher will not be allowed to wear a long sleeve on her pitching arm that blends in with the color of the softball. DSI recommends that uniforms not blend in with the color of the softball for safety reasons.
4. World Series Host teams will have their Tournament Team Affidavits checked before the end of their state tournament.
5. E-mailed photographs of tournament teams will be allowed.
2009 Rule and Policy Changes
The following are the rule and policy changes passed by the Dixie Softball National Board of Directors at their annual meeting held in Alexandria, Louisiana on July 31 and August 1, 2008, at the Best Western Suites & Inn Centre that will go into effect for the 2009 Dixie Softball season:
1. Beginning with the 2010 elections each state must be in compliance with the one (1) national director per state policy. In 2011, all states will be in compliance with the stated national director policy.
2. A state shall be eligible for a national director beginning at three hundred (300) teams within a state.
3. January 1 will be the birthday eligibility cutoff date. Example: If a girl is 9 years of age on December 31 she will be considered as league age 9. If a girl is 9 years of age on January 1 she will be considered as league age 8.
4. April 30 will be deadline for mailing out ballots for election of National and State directors.
5. April 30 will be postmark deadline for rule/policy changes to be mailed to the Vice President.
6. May 1 will be the postmark deadline for Hall of Fame nominations.
7. May 1 will be the postmark deadline for player releases to be sent to district and state directors.
8. May 15 will be postmark deadline for mailing ballots to President and Vice President in National and State Directors elections.
9. A league shall not enter an age division team into Dixie Softball tournament play that cannot fulfill its obligation to the full spectrum of Dixie Softball tournament play. Any age division from a league not fulfilling the complete Dixie Softball tournament schedule they are eligible for shall cause their league (all age divisions) to not be eligible for Dixie Softball tournament play the following season.
EXAMPLE: A league's Ponytails team wins their Dixie Softball district tournament and does not participate in the state tournament. That league shall not be eligible for Dixie Softball tournament play the following
season.
10. Released players shall be release to the nearest Dixie Softball league. For a player to by-pass the nearest Dixie Softball league she must have the approval of the district and state directors.
11. Leagues shall first try to schedule games with existing Dixie Softball leagues before they schedule any games with other softball associations. Games played against other softball associations shall not count as official
Dixie Softball games unless the games were first approved by the district and state directors.
12. Beginning in 2009, fees to register as an umpire shall be $25.00.
13. No one shall serve on the Dixie Softball, Inc. Board of Directors who is an official with a baseball program that operates in more than one (1) state.
14. National mileage fee shall not exceed .45 per mile.
15. Page 84, Article V, Section (B), # (1): This rule shal be a Local League Option.
16. (Tournament play only) Any manager/coach paticipating with a team/tournament from another softball organization or independent team/organization shall NOT be allowed to join or rejoin their Dixie Softball tournament team for the remainder of the current Dixie Softball season if they missed any portion of a Dixie Softball tournament (game, opening ceremonies, etc.) due to participating for or with activities of the team/tournament from another softball organization or independent team/organization. PENALTY: Removal of coach from further Dixie Softball tournament play for current season. NOTE: If the manager/coach is allowed to continue in a manager/coach position the team shall be removed immediately from further Dixie Softball tournament play for the current season.
2008 DIXIE SOFTBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
PLAYERS:
MICHELLE ARMSTRONG (Hueytown, AL); NATALIE BUNN (Hueytown, AL); DARLENE CAMEAUX (Jefferson Parish, LA); ALANA ELLENBURG (78 West, AL); WENDY HUNT (Amherst, VA); LANA IBIETA (St. Bernard, LA); CHERYL JORDAN (Zephyrhills, FL); LEE ANNE "BEANIE" KETCHAM (Vestavia Hills, AL); MICHELE MARTIN (West Pasco, FL); LORRAINE "LES" STUEDEMAN (Vestavia Hills, AL); VANN STUEDEMAN (Vestavia Hills, AL)
LEAGUES:
MUSCLE SHOALS, AL; GREENE COUNTY, GA; PLAQUEMINES PARISH NORTH & SOUTH, LA; CARTHAGE, MS; PLESANT HILL, SC; HOPKINS COUNTY, TX; CLARKSVILLE, VA; BOAZ, AL
COACHES:
LARRY GILLIAM (Chester County, TN), MARY HILL (78 West, AL); DONALD LEGG (Hartselle, AL); TED BELASIC (Zephyrhills, FL); KELLI BARNETT (TX); KIM RICHARDS (TX); D. D. EDWARDS (Alexandria, LA)
ADMINISTRATORS:
PAT BELINOWSKI (Ladonia, TX); WAYNE BISHOP (Pleasant Grove, AL); EUGENE GRINDER (Lewis County, TN); SYLVESTER GUERRA (Lufkin, TX); DALE WOODING (Crewe-Burkeville, VA); GEORGE DESMOND (River Bend, AL); LEO HAMRICK (Centreville, AL); CHARLES McCAIN (Fultondale, AL); JAMES "JIM" SWIFT (Hoover, AL); GREG PEPPERS (SC)
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS
PHIL BOLLINGER (West Pasco, FL/Waynesville, NC); JODY WHITE (Alexandria, LA); SHIRLEY BISHOP (Pleasant Grove, AL)
UMPIRES:
TOMMY LACY (Pleasant Grove, AL); DAVID HATLEY (West Stanly, NC); MARTY PHILPOT, (Mena, AR); LOU ISAACSON, (Birmingham, AL)
APPROVED SUPPLIERS:
LARRY'S PHOTOGRAPHY out of North Carolina
DIXIE LOSES ANOTHER GREAT ONE IN SOUTH CAROLINA
It is with sad hearts that Dixie Softball announces the death of another of he longtime leaders from South Carolina. Greg Peppers, District 7 Director for over 15 years, died Sunday, August 24, after a hard fought battle against cancer.
Greg served his district well and really enjoyed serving the girls of his district. He was devoted to the fact that all the girls should have a chance to enjoy the game of softball and have fun doing it.
Greg received the Gordon L. Hobbs National Dixie Softball Spirit Award in 2008. He also was inducted into the Dixie Softball Hall of Fame this year.
Greg was at the South Carolina state tournament in Sumter this past July when the knowledge and seriousness of his illness became evident. When Obie Evans, Dixie Softball's national president, talked with Greg and asked Greg why he had not told him about his illness. Greg told Obie that since "Mr. George", the late South Carolina state director who died of cancer on June 13, 2008, "was having his problem he (Greg) did not want to bring a heavier load to Dixie Softball". His concern for someone else before himself is one of the things that made Greg a good man.
Greg was proud of being a part of Dixie Softball. He will be missed. Dixie Softball sends out its prayers and thoughts to Greg's wife, Regina, and his family.
KIDS’ TRAVEL BASEBALL TEAMS GOING FARTHER, GET YOUNGER
Note: The below article was written by Jay Reeves of The Associated Press and appeared in The Birmingham News on Wednesday, August 13, 2008. The bold italicized comments are mine. I am Obie Evans.
For more than 15 years I have been writing about the dangers of travel ball to community-based youth recreational programs and to the health and welfare of the young players. I wrote some of the articles while others were written by different writers and, as in this case, I sometimes add my comments. While reading this article and my comments please keep in mind that my main concern is that the child will continue playing baseball or softball and have fun doing it and do not injure themselves while playing the game. Too many children burn out on the game of ball or they are injured to the point they cannot compete in the game in which they once had a great future. I welcome stories of the children, negative and positive, which participated in travel ball and either dropped out of ball altogether or went on to become players in colleges at the top level. I am talking the level of Auburn University, U. C. L. A., Texas A & M, Penn State and the like. Travel team coaches/organizations often make college scholarships a faux promise to travel ball parents and players. Let me hear from those with a story. Send your story to: DSI, 1101 Skelton Drive, Birmingham, AL 35224.
One inning at a time, Brady Kemp is getting closer to his dream of playing for the Atlanta Braves. He has endured numbing road trips to no-name ballparks and crashed in small-town motels after late games.
A seasoned veteran, Brady is 8. He’s been playing ball since he was 3.
Once, mainly for middle and high school players, traveling baseball teams are luring younger and younger players. Teams rove the nation like big leaguers so kids still learning to read can play the best competition in the nicest parks for the biggest trophies.
It’s August: Is the tournament this weekend in Cooperstown, N. Y., or Orlando, FL?
Sadly, parents are forcing youth baseball and softball organizations to create organized tournament play for younger and younger children. It took Dixie Softball 21 years before it offered 10 and under teams a state tournament and a World Series. However, it was only 5 years later that Dixie Softball offered 8 and under teams a state tournament and a World Series. I question the best competition remark because travel teams have become so diluted that the teams, in a lot of cases, are no better than the community-based teams. As Jimmy Durante used to say, “Everyone is trying to get in on the act”, and this lessens the quality of travel ball teams.
The trend troubles some parents and coaches. They worry about spending thousands annually so youngsters can play in baseball tournaments run by national organizations pulling in millions of dollars. One nonprofit’s CEO took in $400,000 in a year.
They also fear elementary-age kids getting burned out on the game or, worse, getting hurt from being overworked at a tender age. For neighborhood recreational leagues, meanwhile, travel teams can cause a talent drain.
Families in the travel-ball grind admit it can be physically and financially taxing. Just try keeping 7-year-olds occupied during a rain delay a state away from home or buying airplane tickets and insurance for an entire youth team.
Those who are concerned about the negative effects of travel ball to a community, the player and the player’s family have a right to be concerned. I have many times written about the questionable mental attitude of some parents who are willing to pay thousands of dollars on their child in hopes of enhancing the child’s ability to gain a possible athletic scholarship or making a major league professional ball team. What they need to do is to put the thousands of dollars they will spend on travel ball in a savings account earning interest and use this money to send their child to college. This why over the years I have developed an endearing term for travel ball people that I use that questions such mental attitudes.
“What I get irritated about is they have tournaments on Mother’s or Father’s Day,” said Rick Deloney of Montgomery, Al., whose 12-year-old son made a travel team when he was 9.
Duh!!! No one is putting a gun to his head. Mother’s and Father’s Day fall on Sunday. A question I have is what about all the other Sundays the child misses going to church while playing travel ball? In Dixie Softball a child may be asked to play on one and at the most, two, Sundays. We prefer not to play on Sundays but there are times when circumstances dictate Sunday play. Whenever Dixie Softball plays on Sunday religious services are offered.
To a person, parents say they do it all for their children.
Their kids may not ever make it to the Little League World Series, which starts Thursday in Williamsport, Pa., but they don’t really need to. There are dozens of tournaments every summer that the promoters bill as a “World Series” of some sort.
I have found that the parents usually do it for their own egos. The 8-year-old boy would be just as happy playing at home as he would with a travel team. I know kids. Kids should not control the situation but sadly parents are not taking charge of their children. Yes, a lot of “World Series” are not what I consider a legitimate World Series. The term “World Series” has become synonymous with the final championship that an organization has. Some organizations seem to have a “World Series” every weekend. This dilutes the meaning of a true World Series. In my area I attended the “World Series” of a baseball organization that had only one or two teams that were from outside the Birmingham, Al. area and those two teams came from other cities within Alabama. In a number of travel ball “World Series” teams do not have to earn their way to the “Series”. They only have to pay an entrance fee. Come one, come all. As P. T. Barnum is quoted as saying “There is a sucker born every minute.”
Brady Kemp’s mom said she wouldn’t trade anything for the experience she and her husband had running a team for players 8 and under that played 30 games this year. They didn’t leave their home state of Mississippi, but they might next year.
“I may sound crazy saying I’m doing this so my son can play high school ball and then college ball and maybe move on from there, but we’re devoted to our kids,” said A’Leece Kemp of Brandon, Miss.
Brady dreams of playing for the Braves, and Kemp said she is going to help him make it if he can.
“Not only are kids getting into it earlier, but there’s a huge market with pitching, hitting, speed and agility lessons. And everybody’s swinging a Worth Prodigy lithium bat that costs $200,” she said.
In my experience, as I said earlier, the parents usually do it to satisfy their own ego. When someone comes to you and tells you your child is too good to play community recreational ball it really strokes a parent’s ego whether it is true or not. For a FEE their child can play on a travel team and get a scholarship. Unlike Brady, I dreamed of playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. I wish Brady well and if he makes it to the Major Leagues I hope it is as a Cardinal. I have found that a child can take a $60 Worth bat and get as many hits with it as they can with the $200 Worth bat. Crazy, crazy, crazy! Devotion for a child means that you will do what is best for the child in all aspects of life and not just through a baseball or softball team. I would suspect that this child will play fall ball and not diversify in sports which would make the child a more rounded person and place him in a more wholesome atmosphere. Mrs. Kemp may not realize it but if she wants to start traveling outside her home area she better have a lot of money and time to be spent away from home. The number of games will increase 3 to 4 and possibly 5 times the number of 30. I wrote over 15 years ago about a 9 and under softball team that had played around 150 ballgames. That is so wrong and scary. A photo showing Brady, his father, his mother and his sister sitting in a ball field dugout accompanied this article. The sister, sitting on the proverbial travel team ball bucket, appears to be entering her teens or is a young teenager. What about her life? Will she miss out on being a cheerleader, dance classes, parties where boys will be at or the chance to play on her own ball team?
It is virtually impossible to say how many youths play on traveling teams in the U. S., since such squads typically don’t belong to any league.
Travel teams usually hold tryouts to find the best players for a limited number of slots, and kids sometimes are recruited from other cities or states. By contrast, recreational leagues generally take all comers and often have rules limiting rosters to residents of a specific area.
Give me community-based recreational sports programs anytime. Travel ball hurts community-based sports programs as it takes away the better players and parents who could help in the community program. With the playing ability of travel ball players being diluted due to the over saturation of travel teams, players who a few years ago would be laughed at for even thinking of wanting to play on a travel ball team are now playing travel ball. This hurts both the player with less ability and the community-based programs because both need the player to be involved with the community-based program. Usually the parents have to pay a tryout fee of hundreds of dollars to the travel team, which in some cases is not refundable whether the child makes the team or not. Rules governing where a child comes from are good for they allow the children in an area to have the opportunity to play ball. I will use my area as an example of why boundary rules are good. Would it be fair for a player from Hueytown who could play on her age group team in Hueytown to play at Pleasant Grove instead? This would not be fair to the Pleasant Grove player who has to sit on the bench while a player from a neighboring program gets to play? Of course not! The player from Hueytown should play on a team in Hueytown. This is fair to both programs.
The growth of Little League Baseball, Inc. has leveled off in recent years, with about 2.2 million baseball and softball players in the United States. Chief executive Steve Keener attributes that mainly to video games and soccer rather than players leaving for travel teams.
Some of the clubs at the Little League World Series this week will also compete elsewhere as travel teams, Keener said, and there is no rule against it.
“In the last 10 years or so we have seen a noticeable difference in the number of younger kids, 8 and 9 years old, playing travel ball,” Keener said.
I know Steve Keener and he is a good man. I served on a youth sports panel with him in the Spring of 2007 which was held in Washington D. C. concerning the “Effects of travel teams on youth sports”. At that time, Steve and I both agreed that forcing sports programs to allow dual participation was wrong. Forcing dual participation has allowed programs like Dixie Softball and Little League to be subject to travel teams infiltrating our programs. If it was left up to me there would be no travel team players allowed to play in Dixie Softball but Pandora’s box has been opened and trying to shut it is almost impossible. Dixie Softball will continue to try and write its rules so that as many travel teams as possible will be discouraged from playing Dixie Softball. Yes, I believe video games and what I call “that communist plot soccer” has taken its toll on youth baseball and softball but I also believe that travel ball has hurt community-based ball programs because I have seen way too many community-based ball programs destroyed when the germ of travel ball has been planted within these community-based programs.
Sally S. Johnson, a spokeswoman for the National Council of Youth Sports, said travel teams pulling in the best young players have helped create room for less-skilled players in recreational leagues, but they have also upset the mix between natural-born shortstops and benchwarmers.
“To a certain extent, it’s been going on quite some time. But it is younger and younger, and I’m not so sure that’s good,” she said.
Sally Johnson I know as well and consider as a good friend. I served on the executive board of the National Council of Youth Sports for awhile. She is devoted to the youth sports of America. Her remark about travel ball players making room for the less-skilled player is partially true. What is happening is that the travel ball players are not only playing in weekend travel ball tournaments but they are playing in community-based ball programs like Dixie as well. This knocks out the less-experienced players from playing more and sadly, the travel ball players are making the community-based all-star team and keeping the less-skilled players from getting to experience tournament play. In some cases community based programs are tailoring their regular season schedule so that there will be no Friday or weekend play for the community program so players can play travel ball. Eventually this hurts the community-based programs. Some players have chosen to play for their community-based tournament team only as long as it does not interfere with their travel ball team. Dixie Softball is trying to address this issue by making the penalty harder for teams that put their travel ball obligation before their Dixie Softball obligation. One cannot serve two masters. Dixie Softball offers a program that guarantees that a child will play in every game she attends as a player and we expect that child to be protected from players and coaches who allegiance is with another softball program. If someone wants to play in another softball program I implore them to do so and leave Dixie Softball to those who want to have fun playing softball. One of the bad things about travel ball is that a child is not guaranteed to play in every game. So sad for after all, these are children we are talking about.
Medical experts are worried about too much baseball putting a strain on the developing bodies of young players.
A coach who helped bring travel baseball to Texas two decades ago, Bruce Lambin, said unscrupulous adults will ride a young pitcher as long as they can if it means winning a tournament. “There is no way you can protect those kids’ arms,” he said.
Mr. Lambin is wrong. There is a way to protect the kids. Do not let them play travel ball where there is no control over how many innings a pitcher pitches in or how many pitches the pitcher has thrown. Programs like Dixie Softball and Dixie Youth Baseball as well as Little League Baseball have rules that govern innings or pitches pitched. The safety of the children has always been the utmost tconcern for these programs. Not so with travel ball. Travel ball sometimes means a team will play three, four, or more games in a day. In travel softball there is no limit to how many innings one pitcher can pitch. I can’t speak for travel baseball too much on this issue but I do know that a player may pitch out his allotted innings in the community-based programs, which is there to protect the pitcher’s arm. The same pitcher goes and plays travel ball that same weekend and the coach of the travel team pitches the pitcher knowing that the child has already thrown enough innings that week for his young arm. Mr. Lambin was right when he said that as long as the player is able to make the coach look good the coach does not worry about the player. You can rest assured that if the pitcher gets hurt it will not take the coach too long to recruit another set of parents and stroke their egos and have a new pitcher to put in harm’s way. More than likely the new pitcher will come from another travel team that the coach’s team just recently played against. There is no loyalty in travel ball.
Some teams are connected with for-profit companies that operate training facilities complete with indoor batting cages, pitching mounds and playing fields. Others are classified as nonprofit organizations under federal law, but tax forms available online show many bring in tens of thousands of dollars annually.
Deloney’s son plays on an Alabama-based United States Specialty Sports Association, or USSSA, a nonprofit organization that is a leader in the youth sports industry.
Tax records show USSSA brought in $5.4 million in 2005 and its chief executive, Donald Dedonatis, received $401,000 in compensation. Dedonatis and other USSSA executives did not return messages seeking comment.
I have met Mr. Dedonatis. He may be making over $400,000 a year but I can guarantee you that it has not gone to his head. Are his expenses paid by USSSA or does he have to pay them from his salary? Years ago Little League Baseball changed from a nonprofit to a for-profit program. It may be that USSSA and other youth sports programs with paid employees may want to file a for-profit tax status but that is their choice. When a program files a for-profit tax status it doesn’t lessen the desire to serve the children but it means they are being honest about the funds they are receiving and it does open up avenues for more fund raising. Dixie Softball has no paid employees. All district, state and national officials in Dixie Softball work on a volunteer basis. Funds raised by Dixie Softball are used to promote its program leaving very little in what could be called “profit”. One thing the parents of travel ball teams need to do is “follow the money”. Coaches and/or promoters of travel ball teams/tournaments have been known to quit their jobs because they find that a lot of money can be made in travel ball. Travel teams, unlike Dixie Softball teams, pay an entrance fee to play in tournaments. Sometimes the teams have to pay for the umpires and furnish balls for the game. Parents, especially fathers, are giving up a golden opportunity of making memories with their child by handing over the teaching of their child how to play ball to someone else. The backyard experience I had with my daughter teaching her how to catch, throw and hit a ball are some of the fondest memories I have. Did not cost me one penny. What I got in return is, as they say, PRICELESS! In 1968, when I started a girls softball program, which later became known as Dixie Softball, the thought of making money off the children was never a thought. It still isn’t. There may come a day that the numbers become so great that someone may have to be hired to handle the administrative matters of Dixie Softball but I believe the other officials, including the President of Dixie Softball, should be volunteers. When one volunteers there is passion and love of a program. When money becomes an issue it attracts those who are driven by the profit aspect of the program. The children deserve the best and those driven by the love of money are not what the children deserve. I plead with parents to not destroy their community program for the selfish goal of stroking their ego. STAY AT HOME, SAVE MONEY, HAVE FUN!! Nothing is wrong with that. Hey, who knows, you might get to know who your neighbors are.
2008 WORLD SERIES RESULTS
(Go to World Series icon on the left column for scores)
2009 WORLD SERIES SITES
DARLINGS - SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
ANGELS - SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
PONYTAILS - SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
BELLES - SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
DEBS - SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
2010 WORLD SERIES SITES
DARLINGS - DENISON, TEXAS
ANGELS - VANCLEAVE, MISSISSIPPI
PONYTAILS - COLUMBIA COUNTY, GEORGIA
BELLES - COLUMBIA COUNTY, GEORGIA
DEBS - VANCLEAVE, MISSISSIPPI
2008 DIXIE SOFTBALL, INC. NATIONAL AWARDS
GORDON L. HOBBS SPIRIT AWARD
GEORGE D. MATTHEWS, SR. - SOUTH CAROLINA STATE DIRECTOR
GREG PEPPERS - SOUTH CAROLINA DISTRICT 7 DIRECTOR
McADORY, ALABAMA DIXIE SOFTBALL
CAROL M. WARNER AWARD
NORTH CAROLINA DIXIE SOFTBALL
YVONNE L. BRIGHT LEADERSHIP AWARD
JIM WILLIAMS - TENNESSEE STATE DIRECTOR
SERVICE AWARDS
5 YEARS
MIKEY SHEA - MISSISSIPPI NATIONAL DIRECTOR (2008)
DAN STEWART - GEORGIA STATE DIRECTOR (2008)
KEN ARD - ALABAMA NATIONAL DIRECTOR (2009)
RON HUDSON - NORTH CAROLINA STATE DIRECTOR (2009)
10 YEARS
WAYNE BISHOP - ALABAMA NATIONAL DIRECTOR (2008)
GEORGE MATTHEWS - SOUTH CAROLINA STATE DIRECTOR (2008)
LELAND GASTON - MISSISSIPPI STATE DIRECTOR (2009)
SHARON LAFITTE - TEXAS NATIONAL DIRECTOR (2009)
FRANK PERKINS - VIRGINIA STATE DIRECTOR (2009)
15 YEARS
ARNOLD KING - DARLINGS COMMISSIONER (2008)
PRESTON LEONARD - VICE PRESIDENT/NORTH CAROLINA NATIONAL DIRECTOR (2008)
20 YEARS
ZACK BLACK - ANGELS COMMISSIONER/VIRGINIA NATIONAL DIRECTOR (2008)
25 YEARS
RICHARD MURPHY - PONYTAILS COMMISSIONER (2008)
2009 DIXIE SOFTBALL, INC. ELECTIONS
ALL ODD NUMBERED DISTRICT DIRECTORS
WAYNE BISHOP - ALABAMA NATIONAL DIRECTOR (1-year term)
CLARENCE JORDAN - FLORIDA NATIONAL DIRECTOR
DAVID MIZELL - LOUISIANA STATE DIRECTOR
LELAND GASTON - MISSISSIPPI STATE DIRECTOR
RON HUDSON - NORTH CAROLINA STATE DIRECTOR
JIM WILLIAMS - TENNESSEE STATE DIRECTOR
FRANK PERKINS - VIRGINIA STATE DIRECTOR
GEORGE D. MATTHEWS, Sr.
August 19, 1932 - June 13, 2008
Dixie Softball, Inc., is saddened to announce the death of George D. Matthews, Sr.. George was serving as the South Carolina state director. He died Friday, June 13, 2008. He had fought a battle against liver cancer. All of Dixie Softball extends its condolences to George’s wife, Louise, and the rest of his family.
George became South Carolina’s state director in late 1999 replacing Charles Mathis who, for health reasons, could no longer serve as state director. “George served in that capacity for 10 years. Before becoming state director he had served a number of years as a district director.
Perhaps no one in Dixie Softball history made the impact that George did for his home state and the national program. Under George’s leadership, South Carolina added 76 Dixie Softball leagues being an average of gaining almost 8 leagues each year that he was state director. There is an award “The Carol Warner Dixie Softball Award” given each year to the state that promotes Dixie Softball the best for a current year combined with actual growth in leagues. The state of South Carolina won that award 4 times (1999, 2000, 2002 and 2007) while George was state director. An achievement that is unequaled in Dixie Softball history. In 2005, George was inducted into the Dixie Softball Hall of Fame. This was the quickest any Dixie Softball national officer had been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Dixie Softball, Inc. National Board of Directors had voted this year (2008) to name one of its annually awarded scholarships in George’s honor. The first George Matthews Dixie Softball Scholarship Award was presented to Caitlin Elizabeth Lane of Riegelwood, North Carolina. George was made aware of this award before his death. The South Carolina Dixie Softball Board of Directors had voted in 2008 that beginning with the 2008 State Tournaments the championship award for all age groups (Darlings, Angels, Ponytails, Belles and Debs) would be named the George Matthews South Carolina State Championship Award. Sadly, George did not know about this award for it was going to be a surprise for him at the opening ceremonies of the South Carolina state tournaments to begin on July 11 in Sumter. Other awards George was going to receive in 2008 that he knew nothing about were: the Gordon L. Hobbs Dixie Softball Spirit Award given annually by Dixie Softball, Inc. to the person or persons exhibiting the true meaning of Dixie Softball (George truly did this by maintaining his state director’s duties though seriously ill and practically up to his untimely death) and the Yvonne L. Bright Leadership Award given annually to the person or persons who make exemplary decisions with only the concerns of applying the rules and policies of Dixie Softball in a fair and equal manner to all parties involved. You could always be sure that George Matthews did just that. George had previously won this award in 2003 and 2006.
When people were notified of George’s death usually the first comments made was: he was a good man. Yes, George was a good man and a fair man. A man who loved children and always made sure the children came first before he made any decision in Dixie Softball rulings. We all must one day reach the end of our lives and when that times comes if what people say about us is “they were a good person” we have reached one of life’s greatest goals. George achieved that goal and surpassed it.
On a personal note if I may: Before Keri and I married we were attending the 2000 Dixie Belles World Series being played in Lawrenceville, Virginia and hosted by the Brunswick County league. People were encouraging me to marry Keri but I was jokingly telling them that Keri needed to come up with a $10,000 dowry before we could be married. Keri and others put together a bucket that was called “Keri Kan” and went into the crowd to collect money for her dowry. George Matthews was the first person to put something in the can. That something was a $100 bill. Now all along it was intended that the money raised would be donated to the Dixie Softball Scholarship fund and when I found out that George had put in such a generous amount I went to him and told him that the money raised was not for Keri and I but would be going to the scholarship fund he said to leave the money there. Keri still has that can and the can was right. The can said Keri Kan and she could. We got married in 2001.
George also told Keri that the secret to a good marriage is “pear preserves and hot biscuits”. He would send us some pear preserves from a pear tree he had but sadly the tree died. Keri, to this day, keeps pear preserves in the icebox. This morning, the day after George’s death, Keri, Dixie Softball's Vice President, Preston Leonard (who happened to be a guest at our home while he and I went over some Dixie Softball business), and I ate some good ole hot biscuits and pear preserves. God bless you George. We love you and are going to miss you.
HENSON NAMED INTERIM STATE DIRECTOR
Upon the untimely death of George Matthews, Ralph Henson, currently serving as South Carolina's national director, has been chosen to serve as interim state director for South Carolina for the remainder of the 2008 season.
At a proper time, Mr. Henson, will select a state director. Whomever is selected will serve as state director for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons and will stand for election in 2011.
ERRORS IN 2008 DIXIE SOFTBALL
RULE BOOK
Please make note of the following errors and corrections in the 2008 Dixie Softball Rule Book:
1. Page 92, section I, article (D), 1st sentence:
The rule presently reads: Leagues forfeiting games in tournament competition (any division) shall not be granted tournament privileges the following year for its entire league.
NOTE: The rule should read: Leagues forfeiting games in tournament competition shall not be granted tournament privileges the following year in the age division that the forfeit occurred.
2. Page 98, section VII, 4th NOTE, 2nd sentence:
The rule presently reads: Penalty for assisting a batter/baserunner or baserunner (umpire’s judgment) shall be a one (1) strike call on the next batter.
NOTE: The rule should read: PENALTY: A warning will be issued to the coach-pitcher and there shall be a (1) strike call on the next batter. Any subsequent violation shall result in the violating coach-pitcher being removed from the game and not being allowed to return to that game as a coach-pitcher.
3. Page 98, Section VII, Article (D):
The rule presently reads: A DIXIE ANGELS pitcher shall not pitch in consecutive games played by her team in the same tournament if she has pitched in two (2) or more innings of the previous game.
NOTE: The rule should read: A DIXIE ANGELS pitcher shall not pitch in consecutive games played by her team in the same tournament if she has pitched in three (3) or more innings of the previous game.
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Dixie and YouthSportsUSA announce a major upgrade:
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- Check out the Upcoming Events Calendar. Here
2006 Scholarship Winners Announced
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2007 WORLD SERIES BIDS
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CLARIFICATION OF DARLINGS RULES
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Dangerous Games
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DIXIE SOFTBALL RULE/POLICY CHANGES FOR 2006
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DIXIE SOFTBALL SPECIAL AWARDS PRESENTED
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