Bill Pinella has a go at trying to explain what it means to win a State Cup in California: "Semi-State Cup, or Half-State Cup, or Partial-State Cup, or even
Sorta-State Cup or the State Cup That Is Only Half-Full would be more to the point." California, understandably because of its gigantic size, is split between north and south, but there are also
different governing bodies and various divisions at the same age group, such as the Governors State Cup, the Presidents State Cup and National Cup.
Read the whole story at U-T San Diego »
Has the proliferation of leagues, academies, tournaments, and cups improved the development of the top 25% skilled players, or just the top 25% big/tall/fast players? Or has it just spewed more trophies in all directions so everyone can feel special? Not mentioned are the Presidents Cup, Association Cup and several other very popular cups that suck parent and refereeing resources so hundreds of families can drive 4 hours to BFE. Meanwhile, quality coaching is very difficult to find and it never seems to be anywhere nearby.