The greater Palm Springs area welcomed the police softball back to the desert for the annual West Conference Championships this past weekend. The two-day tournament was condensed down to ensure teams got the most amount of games over the shortest duration of time possible. Friday evening kicked off the round robin and there were no huge surprises.

The 4th Annual West Coast United Reno/Sparks tournament was held this year on May 12th and 13th. The Golden Eagle Complex was perfect as usual and the weather cooperated. Once again money was raised the help Nik Jackson (Mark Jackson’s son) with his ongoing battle with Hodgkin Lymphoma. Thanks to Brett Helmer, Big Tone and Tyson Becker for assisting with our prize packages.

The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was great. the fields were in the best shape in years, and competition was fierce. In the end the final two teams, North Florida and the Shamrocks were left standing. North Florida was undefeated and Shamrocks had to double dip them to win the title. In the first game, Shamrocks pulled out a tough victory, they played great all day, and North Florida didn't want to have to play them twice.

Once again we kicked off 2017 on the East Coast with the Brian Aselton Memorial Tournament in Kissimmee Florida. I have to start by saying, many teams came up to me over the weekend thanking me for having this tournament but in all reality , I cant express how fortunate I feel to be able to host this long running event. That cold wet Saturday evening shift back in 01/23/99 when Brian's life was so tragically taken from us 18 years ago, still seems like yesterday. So I am the one that needs to be thanking each and every one of you who participated, and in turn helps me to be able to keep Brian's name alive.

2017 snapshot season preview. The following bullet points will contain information gleaned from the Stool Pigeon along with official team announcements. If your team is not mentioned it is because we did not receive any updates during the off-season, which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. Here are the top stories and some commentary leading into the 2017 season:

The 12th Annual Police Softball World Series was held at the Big League Dreams facility in Las Vegas, Nevada on the 2nd weekend of October, 2016. The theme of the event was the “changing of the guard” as several established teams were feeling the heat of the young guns breathing down their necks all season. The youth movement was far more prevalent this year than in the past so of course, ps.com decided to market that angle. It was no longer about East vs. West, as the cyber-friendships created by social media killed that rivalry. What it didn’t kill was the inevitable changing of the guard. Older, established teams were classified as being Legends of the Old Guard, while the newer teams were simply referred to as the New World Order.

Last Year Vaughan Garrett of Garrett Metal Detectors wanted to start an award that recognized a police officer who made a significant and positive contribution to his community. Garrett Metal Detectors has been a long-time supporter of Police Softball so it was only natural when they approached PoliceSoftball.com with their idea of creating the OPOC/Outstanding Police Officer of the Community Award.

Matt is a defending World Series Champion and one of the fastest rising stars in this game. He is an absolute blast to watch as he gives you 100% effort in all aspects of the game. He is the type of player who can play multiple positions and can beat you with his bat, arm or legs.

Stephen Bautista, formerly of HardCor, is one of the hidden gems on the west coast. Playing left field for the #4 ranked team in the West Conference, West Coast United, he has always hit with great power and this year he has became an even bigger threat by harnessing that power and using his homeruns when needed.

Every year PoliceSoftball.com names its' Yearly Award Winners which is sponsored by the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association (SCDSA). SCDSA has sponsored these awards for over a decade and we are very thankful for their support over the years.

We would like to announce the following players as our 2016 inductees into the Police Softball Hall of Fame. These player/managers have all gave so much to our sport and this award puts an exclamation point on an amazing career.We would like to thank the very difficult work by our HOF Committees and their chairmen Anthony Costanzo and Dennis Leonard. Without the hard work by these people, this program would suffer greatly.We would like to invite all Hall of Fame Members to come out to the field on thursday night at the World Series and welcome these new members into your very exclusive club. Congratulations gentlemen!