SOFTBALL: Alverno hoping to win second championship since 2004

If you are a D1 quality player and are interested in being recruited then you are better off getting involved in the top OC, SFV, or Inland Empire programs. If you just want to play all year and improve your skills then the programs you are talking about are fine.

But atleast they are in them!

Cal Rage and Strike Force do go out and play the best in ASA exposure tournaments and get spanked by the good teams. That is why Strike force does well in 18A and Rage does well in AFA. To do well in ASA Gold you really need to get out of this area, because not enough people in the area see the benefits of it, at least not enough to run a successful organization.

If you really want your daughter to play on a good travel ball team you have to leave the area and go down to OC or SFV.

Russo is the worst coach in the area. He never had travel team experience. Maybe in his dreams. He does run the score up religiously on all those poor Horizon league teams. He nearly ruined his pitchers career (Escamilia)throwing her three games a week with no rest. He plays no one. He can't watch an 18 gold practice because he and his staff could never duplicate half the practice. He has no business coaching let alone being an athletic director. If it were not for all the donations back to his school in equiptment and food from his family owned restaurant, he would never be coaching anywhere. I heard he does not get paid for coaching softball. Another one of his freebies to the school. It's a shame that he can't see all the harm he is doing to those poor girls. He needs to smell the coffe and retire, fade into the family business. Its obvious he already eats three to six meals a day at the family restraunt.

He is by the worst coach in the area.

A lot of high blood pressure for a game that the American Medical Association should recommend as a cure for sleep disorders....but the good news is the season is finally over!!!!

My point is that everyone here in the San Gabriel Valley thinks they know softball, the play eachothers so called travel teams and get kicks out of beating up on eachother. Cal Rage and Strike Force are teams that Have local players but yet go and play the best. You know the Cal Ladyhawks from Rosemead are doing that too. They have some good ball players and after talking to one of the Parents their kids are from Schurr(Montebello) Duarte High, Rosemead, Eagle Rock and Garfield and they are out there playing teams Like Pastime and Corona Angels, not like the typical teams from the area that rather Win big than lose small. And their coaches are so laid back, you can tell they take that JUST PLAY approach. We need more teams like that representing the SGV

SHLMAO, Ouch!!!!! Anon 4:53 that hurt. You win, I can't take the pressure anymore, my nerves are shot,it's all my fault, my daughter is going to be a failure, someone please save her!!!! lol....to be continued I'm sure.

Me thinks Anon hit a raw nerve with TCsftblfn. Talk about a guy who is easy to rattle - I wonder how his daughter is going to hanle the pressures of life with those genes and Daddy not around after high school to cover for her. Good luck.

Duh? Hello? TCsoftblfn? What a genius!!!! Of course it hits home.

Enough already, obviously I hit a home run on ya bubba, hit the nail right on the head, etc.

Thanks once again for enlightening me on a subject that I was totally unaware of, that being the time restrictions 12 AM to 8:10 AM to post on this blog.

Nice play on bringing in your twin at 8:10 this morning to drum up some sorry support to defend you, that’s classic. Here’s a hint for ya, next time make sure not to include the same verb age “Karma” so as to throw us off your scent partner, lol.

Let me reiterate to you once again, no one wants to hear from a disgruntled Little League parent with his or her base less, fact less explanations on why our children due to “Karma” will be such failures and yours will be governing our country right out of high school.

I just feel sorry for you that you find solace in posting on this blog with such malice by attacking high school players and calling out by name high school coaches. Really now, who is truly acting like the child here.

Due us all a favor and take the advice of Mr. Jim Rome, “Have a take, don’t suck” his words not mine.

I will let you, your twin or whoever else is going to jump on the “Karma” bandwagon to have the “last word” I’ve said what needed to be said………

I’m Out!!!!!!!

TCsftblfn,
First get a life -12:02 is just a little late to be posting on a girls high school softball blog.
Second Anon 10:23 is absolutely right.
Third given your mature response and over the top reaction my guess is the post hit a little too close to home and the comment applys to the situation at TC - don't know for sure but given the other posts and your childish response it seems to be the case.
It is going to hit you hard when Karma catches up with you.

Anon 10:23 what segment of Dr. Phil did you see that nonsense on bubba? Keep your own personal assessment of why youth sports are being destroyed to yourself. No one wants to read about a disgruntled parent trying to get some sympathy on this blog. Fred started this site for us to be able to write about the accomplishments of our respected high school programs but most importantly be able to agree to disagree not to come on here and post fact less statements that slander players or coaches.

Didn’t your momma ever teach you when you were growing up that “if you don’t have anything nice to say, keep your trap shut!!!!”

Pasadenapreps, thanks for the advise but I’m having way too much fun and besides someone has to step up to the chalk line and comfort individuals like Anon 10:23.

I don't know about the TC situation but coaches at the pre high school level have on many occasion ruin the fun of playing softball and baseball for that matter by pushing their kid (who may be best player) out in front and that sense of entitlement the kid gets carrys through to High School and the kid may get away with it there especially when the dad is the coach (which in my view should never be the case at the HS level) - but on many occasions and more often than not when that kid gets out into the real world they get crushed and the kids who got less attention and hung in their and had to make it without "Daddy" turn out to be the much better and more successful in society. Unfortunately certain kids believe the nonsense these knucklehead coaches put forth and bail on sports which is sad. But Karma eventually catches up with these coaches either to them directly or through their kid.

Hey Anonymous get a clue! A majority of the "big name" softball programs won't even consider playing Alverno because they have everything to lose and nothing to gain. If they win they were supposed to. If they lose they lost to the little school with 280 girls so they don't even return calls when Alverno's looking for games. As far as Russo being a lousy coach he has years of high level travel ball experience and makes girls with very little playing experience into very productive players.

TCsoftblfn...come on now "check yourself." The season is over, TC had a fine season. Don't let the jerks get to you.

Hey Anon 4:19 what makes you the expert in saying what happened to the TC little league program. You are probably some digruntled parent who's kid was a medicore player in little league and had to find someone to blame. So what do you do, you go out and try to become some kind of manager somewhere, probably destroying up and coming softball players with your lack of knowledge and understanding of the game. You should be ashamed of yourself coming on here and slinging mud at people. You undoubtly must live in a glass house, right? and you call yourself a coach yea right,,,what a loser....... I'm sure Bob E would have no problem having a nice chat with you face to face if you got the nads....

Ok honestly, everyone that has written about Ellingsworth and Russo being good coaches, how can you say that? Russo has Escamilla and with out her would be absolutely Pitiful. He plays against weak teams and runs up the scores. leaves Escamilla in when up 15-0 everytime. I am sorry but I dont run my team like that. Ellingsworth has a lot of enemies and its because he and his daughter act like they are the pride of TC. Why do you think that So many kids left the TC little league program, Real coaching persist of having the athelete play for you because they want to and not because they have to, Polish the athlete with drills, and the performance will show on the field. It's not let me get the best players and act like a total ass because you are beating up on a weak poor excuse for a rec ball team!

Alverno lost at Duarte because it was early in the year not because of any one player/pitcher... Look what happened to that team that beat Alverno at Duarte! The early win was a fluke.

Look what happened to Monrovia with their high level of travel ballers? Its not the travel ball nor the coach (has Medina ever played ball?) it's the group of girls that commit and gel together. TC was a good example of that...Some talent, hard work and a lot of fun... With all that talent monrovia had this past year did they really get along? Did the girls have any fun? I can't say for sure but the 4 games I saw this year it didn't appear there was a good time being had?

The Monrovia boys are a fine example of what good chemistry can do .

When its all said and done what are these girls going to remember the most? And why will they have their daughters playing sports?

Not fair to pick on Coach Russo!!!

Most high school coaches would learn a ton by attending a "true" travel ball practice. Likewise, there is a very definite distinction between "true" travel ball teams and all the other "so-called" travel ball teams. Most travel ball teams out there these days (especially in the Pasadena area) are basically just extensions of Rec. League All-stars and high school summer teams. If you want to see "true" travel ball, go observe one of the 18-Gold teams that typically are one of the 64 teams at the ASA 18U-Gold Championships in Oklahoma in August. There are a number of these teams from Southern California.

Coach Russo is certainly a good high school coach and to his credit (unlike most of his high school contemporaries) he is very committed to his high school team and he can be seen observing other teams during the coarse of the year. One problem is if a high school coach tried to run their high school teams like an 18U-Gold travel team the bulk of high school players would be unwilling to make that commitment ... and they couldn't hack it.

Not to get into the Ellingsworth at TC debate again, but he is a good example of a very good high school coach (and guess what, he has many years of experience and exposure to high level travel ball).

That being said, it be nice if high school coaching was better. There is plenty of room for significant improvement!!! There are far more notables in high school coaching that are truly terrible, and very few notables that are good high school coaches. For shame you high school administrators and AD's ... your are cheating our kids by your ineffective management of the area high school softball programs.

I completely agree, Russo honestly is not a good coach and he thrives on beating weak teams like Bishop Conaty Loretto and Sacred Heart of Jesus. He needs to challenge his team more! How are you gonna be the best when you dont play against the best. Can Someone take Russo to a travel ball Friednly and show him what softball is about!

I completely agree, Russo honestly is not a good coach and he thrives on beating weak teams like Bishop Conaty Loretto and Sacred Heart of Jesus. He needs to challenge his team more! How are you gonna be the best when you dont play against the best. Can Someone take Russo to a travel ball Friednly and show him what softball is about!

Congratulations on a good season Alverno.

Adding a few regular season games which would offer more competition may offer worthwhile experience for the playoffs which would lead to the real prize ... a CIF championship, especially with your very good pitcher. Also, it would be nice to see that very good pitcher challenged more during the regular season. I don't think that Alverno was truly challenged by a good pitcher since their Duarte Tournament loss at the begining of the season.

lost 3-1

Did Alverno win?