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Post by Voll Player on Mar 3, 2003 11:16:05 GMT -5
Last year our beloved NCAA foisted an inferior Spalding ball on the Final Four participants. My recollection is of universal dislike of that ball. It's still early and there is still time to react and head of any such nonsense. What surprise does Big Brother have up his sleeve for this year's finals?
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Post by VBCrusin on Mar 3, 2003 12:17:58 GMT -5
Hey Voll Player,
I forgot about that lousy Spalding ball. I spoke to some of the Pep & UH players, and they said there was a big difference (like a limited-flight softball). I hope the NCAA DOESN'T require that it be used in the Finals.
Does anyone know whether that is the case, or was that an East/MidWest ball? You could definitely see and hear a difference when it was hit.
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Heinrich Schliemann III
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Post by Heinrich Schliemann III on Mar 3, 2003 13:54:43 GMT -5
EIVA, MIVA and MPSF all use the same ball. The only time the Spalding is used is in the Final Four. My grandfather found the ruins of the ancient city of Troy!
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Post by Voll Player on Mar 3, 2003 14:18:53 GMT -5
Let's not let this fiasco happen again.
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Post by CashMoney on Mar 3, 2003 14:33:21 GMT -5
Its called a sponsorship people!!! You think they are just going to all of the sudden change balls from Molten's during the regular season and playoffs and then use Spalding's in the final four? Unless you have some pull with Molten and can get their cheap asses to sponsor the NCAA, then Spalding's it is. Its all about the Benjamins yo!!!
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Post by Insider on Mar 3, 2003 15:26:38 GMT -5
The Molten ball being used is a horrible rock. Besides, the contract Molten has isn't that beneficial to the teams. They give the league a little $$$ and the teams a few balls. The Spalding ball is actually closer to the Mikasa ball used in international play. It's just that most of the guys get used to the Molten and don't like the switch at the very end. I don't blame 'em for that. I'd rather see the Mikasa of Spalding balls used instead of the Fred Flintstone model.
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Post by Insider on Mar 3, 2003 15:28:17 GMT -5
The Molten ball being used is a horrible rock. Besides, the contract Molten has isn't that beneficial to the teams. They give the league a little $$$ and the teams a few balls. The Spalding ball is actually closer to the Mikasa ball used in international play. It's just that most of the guys get used to the Molten and don't like the switch at the very end. I don't blame 'em for that. I'd rather see the Mikasa of Spalding balls used instead of the Fred Flintstone model. Make that Mikasa OR Spalding... |
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Post by WaveRider on Mar 3, 2003 15:53:38 GMT -5
Like it or not the NCAA is a SLAVE to its Sponsors. For instance, at tournaments even the water bottles used have to be under contract (i.e. if Coca Cola is the sponsor the you can count on water being Dasani... or however you spell it). If NCAA and Spalding have their deal (which I believe they do)... there is no point in even contemplating the idea that a different ball could be used... the NCAA sold its soul a long time ago!
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Post by Mr Spec on Mar 3, 2003 15:59:00 GMT -5
Then use the good balls and paint Spalding on them. Consistency is key. What other sport changes the spec on their balls for the all important championship series? They all have the same spec. Even baseballs are made by different companies but they all feel the same to the players, because they have the same spec.
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Post by WaveRider on Mar 3, 2003 16:10:13 GMT -5
Good call Mr. Spec... I'll meet you before the Final Four... you bring the paint, I'll bring the brushes.
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Post by Psychopotamus on Mar 3, 2003 16:20:28 GMT -5
Maybe Molten would pay for that... sounds like a good marketing campaign to me:
"The balls so good they want to take credit for them"
Uh, yeah, I'll get back to work.
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Post by Mr Spec on Mar 3, 2003 18:00:46 GMT -5
Maybe Molten would pay for that... sounds like a good marketing campaign to me: "The balls so good they want to take credit for them" Uh, yeah, I'll get back to work. Can you imagine that as a marketing ploy!! The buzz marketing on that once it leaked out (and it WOULD leak out) would be invaluable. |
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Post by Beachy on Mar 3, 2003 18:20:44 GMT -5
Mr. Spec must follow So Cal football. A championship football team painted over the emblem of the official ball for the same reasons....they had played with a different ball all season and then CIF mandates they use another....Spalding, come to think of it. That school is being censored.
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Post by BearClause on Mar 3, 2003 22:30:26 GMT -5
The problem is the rules allow the use of any ball that meets the physical characteristics outlined in the rules. In the women's game, Spalding seems to rule, although I've seen Baden, Mikasa (the softer model), and Nike. I've tried playing with a Molten Pro-Touch. It was great to hit, but there was no way I wanted one of those suckers coming at me. At a clinic I went to, the first thing the coaches did was pull the Moltens out of the cart.
You should see the variety in men's basketball with several different brands and materials. The NCAA has responded to protests and won't use leather basketballs in the tournament - so I think Rawlings (official tournament supplier) developed a higher-quality synthetic leather ball. The majority of teams are using synthetic leather basketballs.
So does anyone know if the NCAA has extended the use of non-leather balls to other NCAA tournaments?
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