The South Asian Softball League was established in 2005. With the first pitching being thrown in Plainview park. Over those 14 seasons, we have amassed a lot of stats, a lot of history and a lot of bragging rights. We pride ourselves on being a community first and foremost. But, don’t let the bbq’s and community events fool you. We have some real competitors out there. Success is measured in championships. We are in it to win it.
To win you need a combination of
- Matchups
- Timing
- Luck
But first and foremost you need the TALENT. Without the horses, you aren’t going to win the race. In a big spot who do you want up at bat? There is a reason that you want Denen or Pavy up with the bases loaded. They deliver.
We have all heard stories of players leaving teams, of friendships being strained because old friends left teams to join new powerhouses. We started thinking about what players were offered to leave their current team and join a different one.
We asked some of our top players what they have been offered in the past. We guaranteed their anonymity in order for them to be completely forthcoming with us. What we learned really surprised us.
One major takeaway is that our guys take the South Asian Softball League very seriously and they want to win.
Here are some of the things that were offered to the players to leave their team.
- Most of the players interviewed for this story mentioned that they were offered to play for free. Teams come at me and tell me that I can play for free is what we were told again and again.
- Transportation to and from the games. Someone was offered to pick and drop them to the games if transportation was going to be an issue.
- Free Drinks – after the game they could get drinks for free.
- Any position that they wanted to play was theirs. If they wanted to play a position that they had never played before, the incumbent player was going to be bumped in favor of them if they switched teams.
- Most of the top players were told to pick their teammates. Go through the roster and if they didn’t like someone. Let the team captain know. That player would be off the team. That was the guarantee that they were given.
- In addition, they were told if there was any player in the league that they wanted to play with. Let them know they will be on the team. One of the players contacted for this story said it was almost like it was a guarantee that the player that I wanted on this team would be on this team.
- Any bat that you want you can have. You pick the bat that you want and we will buy it for you. In fact one player said he was offered $500 to play on this team, pay no league fees, and get any bat that he wanted.
- Players talked about gift baskets being sent to their house in order to entice to join a different team.
- Free food at Bakhtair restaurant
- Free oil changes for their automobile
Crazy? Keep reading. It gets crazier.
Here are some things that you couldn’t imagine that some of the top players have been offered.
- One player interviewed was told that when a work conflict occurred and he couldn’t make a game. He was asked what he would make in a given work day. If he missed work he would be compensated that amount to play in the game. (Wasn’t clear if it was a big game or a playoff game)
- Join our team and we will give you a free trip to Las Vegas
- Free hotel/motel stays
- A car – if you joined the team you would be given a car a BMW to be exact to join the team
- A few of them mentioned being offered a job. They were asked. What do you do for a living? If you join the team I can get you a high paying job.
- One player was asked how much he pays for his house mortgage per month. Was told that if you join the team you will have your mortgage paid for 3 months.
Lastly, one of the players was offered an introduction to a girl. A potential matchmaking if they joined the team……!
Yup, these are our GM’s and Captains in the league. Competition is fiercer than we could have ever imagined. Apparently, there are no limits to what some of the teams will do to win a championship.
Hearing some of these things made this writer speechless. Just shows the lengths that people are going to win the South Asian Softball League Championship. With the advent of two distinct leagues and championships what will happen? Will the cap affect this? Not sure, but you can’t take away the human element of competition from the league. I am sure that this article is going to elicit quite a response from some of the players. Can the SASL do anything about this? Should they do anything about this? We welcome you to chime in the comments section of the article.
