Lonestar Superdraft in December

Mikaka

Mikaka

My Dixie Wrecked
Lonestar Superdraft at BLD in December

Has anyone heard about this yet?

I'm assuming the majority of people around here (in Texas, not on SBF) don't even know what a superdraft is. I've talked about the one I've been playing in for 5+ years up in Illinois (and it is THE largest, anywhere), and people look at me like I'm speaking a different language when I explain what it is and how it works.

I only ask because when I contacted BLD at the end of last year, and into the first month or two of 2013 (after they bounced me around their email list), asking about putting my own on, they said they probably wouldn't consider it because they assumed it wouldn't bring in enough people. They said ask again in October when they plan dates out for the following year. But what do you see on the schedule for this year? A superdraft. I noticed it on the schedule back around May/June-ish. And I'm about 98% positive that was not on their schedule prior to my inquiry.

I'm just throwing some feelers out there, seeing who even knows what a superdraft is, and who's intending on signing up for it. I'm going to talk to them again in October for next year (and trust me, since I know how to run one, mine won't be scheduled for December). Based on how theirs goes, I'll know how mine should go.
 
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txbullets

txbullets

The OG JayZ
I always wanted to go to one. When I started looking into the big SPF one it died down a lot. But to answer your question yes I know what one is.
 
kgvv

kgvv

Addicted to Softballfans
FWIW it was on Lonestar's schedule before june. Sounds like a good idea, but being in december will likely kill it. Maybe soon after worlds would have been better timing. But you know what it is all about with Huch.
 
Crush17er

Crush17er

Addicted to Softballfans
just wait for the AZ Superdraft... Gets bigger and bigger every yr... like 1 in 5 ppl win a raffle prize...
 
Crush17er

Crush17er

Addicted to Softballfans
here is the phx superdraft description...... What - SuperDraft Style - think of when you were a kid and you had to choose up teams from everyone that wanted to play. We're going back to basics, we're playing to just play. No NIT Berth, no roster checks, nothing, just play the game and make some new friends.
 
GrandCherokee

GrandCherokee

Addicted to Softballfans
Mikaka, years ago I played in the one in Normal. I think it was 2009. Lots of fun. I'm sure you can infer but I do know what a superdraft is and how it works.
 
L

Luda1468

Addicted to Softballfans
Crush17er said:
here is the phx superdraft description...... What - SuperDraft Style - think of when you were a kid and you had to choose up teams from everyone that wanted to play. We're going back to basics, we're playing to just play. No NIT Berth, no roster checks, nothing, just play the game and make some new friends.
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Arizona Superdraft is awesome best tournament I've ever played in. He also forgot to add all profits go to local charities last year it was the Phoenix children's hospital. They have a toy drive where you can bring in some toys for some less fortunate kids I can't see spending money on a tournament going to a better place. No attitudes, good people, softball, and helping a charity out can't get much better than that.
 
Mikaka

Mikaka

My Dixie Wrecked
The one I've always been a part of (and played in) is the one in Bloomington/Normal, IL, the Swinging Bunt, held at the end of April every year.

A superdraft is just like a fantasy draft, but instead of pros, it's guys like us. You sign up, give your position(s), rate yourself, then you get an overall (and position) ranking. When you sign up, you indicate if you want to volunteer to be a captain. Captains are picked, a draft date is set, then you draft your team.

The one in December is probably going to blow, just because of the weather. I intend on planning mine for October, just after Worlds. The October tournies this year are just "ehhh" tournies, nothing big/important, so I assume the ones next year will be too. Any other month takes away from other big tournies everywhere else. Plus, October is when they hold the Swinging Bunt Lite, so a dual/duel tournament is in the works.

After talking to Jeff at BLD, he was apprehensive about the number of people that would sign up. He said they routinely bring in 30-40 teams a weekend for their events. Makes sense. The Bunt, as it stands now, is capped at 24 teams. But that's due to only having 4 fields. We cap the signups at 288 people. We had about 50+ people on the wait list, and this was only after ONE day of sign ups. One day. Not days, or weeks, one day. Signups went live at 8am, and was full before noon. We capped it at that number of people to get 12 people per team, 24 teams, in order to keep the schedule doable for a 6 game guarantee on four fields. We even held a homerun derby.

Lessen the game guarantee, increase the fields, you can get more teams.

The sheer quantity of ball players in STX (and surrounding states) alone just blows away what Illinois has, hell, probably in the whole state, not just in that area (though there are players that come in from Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee, but they only make up a fraction of the total amount). While the Illinois tournament has gotten bigger since it's inauguration, the fields are situated in the middle of no where, and it's ran at the end of April (though I do think some of the appeal is that it's located right near a college campus, so many of us go out to the college bars at night); so not really conducive (location, weather) to getting people, but it does. Year after year.

I'm not saying I can bring in 360+ people on my first go around, but I can assure you this one in December won't. What I have also noticed - besides people that may look at the Lonestar Softball site - no one knows about it. No one's been discussing it. Maybe certain softball circles know about it and talk about it, but the ones I run in, it hasn't even been brought up. For our superdraft we hold in Illinois (which, again, is held at the end of April/beginning of May, not great weather yet), people have been talking about it since at least December of the previous year, people have booked their hotel rooms already, bought their plane tickets to fly in, rented their RVs. People know about it. They're anticipating it. They're talking about it.

And the best part is, Huch isn't getting a dime. This isn't going to be a sanctioned tournament. This is for charity. And we have connections everywhere.
 
Mikaka

Mikaka

My Dixie Wrecked
Mine's tentatively not until next October. The one in December isn't mine, I'm not running it.
 
Mikaka

Mikaka

My Dixie Wrecked
VF500Racer said:
Hit me up when it happen, I'll help or get U some softball peeps ;)
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Gotta get BLD to approve it first. They said they hold charity events at their complexes "all the time," so it shouldn't be too hard to sway them. I just have to wait until October to inquire again.
 
firemanbutch

firemanbutch

~Brag Post~ ;)
Luda1468 said:
Arizona Superdraft is awesome best tournament I've ever played in. He also forgot to add all profits go to local charities last year it was the Phoenix children's hospital. They have a toy drive where you can bring in some toys for some less fortunate kids I can't see spending money on a tournament going to a better place. No attitudes, good people, softball, and helping a charity out can't get much better than that.
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I wouldn't say NO attitudes....lol. That umpire last year was a bit ridiculous. But other than that, yes, this a great tournament to play in. One of my favorites by far. I've played the last two years.
 
VF500Racer

VF500Racer

Addicted to Softballfans
Mikaka said:
Gotta get BLD to approve it first. They said they hold charity events at their complexes "all the time," so it shouldn't be too hard to sway them. I just have to wait until October to inquire again.
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I think you will be better off doing this in Richardson, Farmer's Branch, Carrollton, Lewisville or even Denton...
 
Mikaka

Mikaka

My Dixie Wrecked
VF500Racer said:
I think you will be better off doing this in Richardson, Farmer's Branch, Carrollton, Lewisville or even Denton...
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You seem to be confusing Dallas and Houston. You just hang out in South Oklahoma, I'll handle my business down here.
 
VF500Racer

VF500Racer

Addicted to Softballfans
Haha, that's further north across the wrong border
but I got your point ;)
Sorry, I thought U meant BLD Mansfield.
 
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L

LOB07

Coach
I've played in the Swinging Bunt the last four years and have been a captain 3 times. This is by far one of my favorite tournaments each year, number one because of the money we raise, but also its just plain fun. Play a few games then go out drinking with everyone! Probably moving to Dallas soon, and I will 100% participate in this. BTW as a captain in the 2013 tournament I picked 24th out of 24 teams and my team won the championship, so anything can happen.
 
Mikaka

Mikaka

My Dixie Wrecked
Bringing this bad boy back up. As of right now, MY superdraft tournament didn't get selected for next year's tournament schedule.

BUT, seeing as how THIS tournament is just over three weeks away, has anyone heard anything about it? Anyone talking about it? Is there a sign up somewhere? Have captains been selected? There's nothing on the Lonestar website about it besides it being in the tournament list.

Not to toot my own horn here, if this plays out how I'm expecting it to, it's going to be a disaster. Zero planning. Zero exposure. Zero promotion. Zero turnout. Trainwreck City, population Huch.

Three failed tourneys in a one-month span. Damn.

I'm going to email Huch, see if he has an info (or lack thereof) about it.

TOOT TOOT
 
SmokeDK42

SmokeDK42

Addicted to Softballfans
So then i can rate myself as an allstar EH? I enjoy drinking beer, hitting missles, and yelling oooooo real loud. Not real interested in playing the field unless its catcher or first base...;-)
 
Mikaka

Mikaka

My Dixie Wrecked
From Huch:

"Wanted to try a "Superdraft" tournament, which is a successful format in other states. Players sign up individually, rather than as a team, then captains select the players through a draft process. Was not able to get momentum."

...shocking....
 
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