BASA PROFILE

Thomas "Nut" Favors & Owens "Q" Walker

Webmaster: What’s up fellas?

Owens: Not a lot at the moment, just chilling.

Nut: NOTHIN’ MUCH

Webmaster: You have to be very pleased with the way things are going for you guys,  from your winning ways to landing a major, high profile sponsor?

Owens: Yes in deed.  I must say I could not be any happier or prouder at this moment about the year.  This is by far the best year we have had under any name.  KnowING that Jermaine Dupri is onboard, it is that much bigger and better.

Nut: YES, YOU ARE RIGHT. THE SPONSORSHIP HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.

WEBMASTER: WITH 2 DIFFERENT COACHES, HOW DO YOU KEEP FROM CLASHING?

BOTH: WITH THE SAME GOAL IN MIND ITS EASY. AND SOMETIMES YOU NEED THAT BALANCE. ITS SORT OF LIKE A MARRIAGE. We do have a third coach on board this year, his name is Ray Faigan.  Ray has been a great asset to our team.  Ray has many years of experience playing and coaching the game.  After years of trying to get Ray to come on board he finally decided to and it has been great for all of us.  I just want to say HATS off to Ray Faigan the other coach behind the So So Def Recording Softball Team.

Webmaster: There is a lot of talk about you guys being a Competitive team, what is youR response to that?

Owens: I don’t see us as a competitive team.  I think that we are a very good Super Rec team.  We win a lot of close games.  We are not just blowing away the competition.  We built this team to win with 5 homeruns or less.  Believe it of not we play just as good in a 0 – 3 homerun tournament.  We believe in small ball not the long ball.

Nut: ACCORDING TO THE BYLAWS OF B.A.S.A WE ARE SUPER REC, REGARDLESS OF HOW SUCCESSFUL WE ARE. WHEN WE EXCEED WHAT B.A.S.A DEEMS A SUPER REC TEAM, THEN WE SHOULDN’T BE PENALIZE FOR BEING SUCCESSFUL.

Webmaster: From both a numbers and a talent level standpoint, does it not make more sense to combine the Super Rec and Competitive divisions, rather than the Super Rec and Rec divisions.

Owens: I think that something has to be done to neutralize teams in the competitive division.  As it stands, the teams with the most money to spend in that division is usually the dominant team, there are a few exceptions.  It is very expensive to have a team in that division.  I say don’t combine them, but in smaller tournaments develop a better equalizer system. 

Nut: SORT OF. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH REC. THEY HAVE THE NUMBERS TO SUSTAIN THEIR DIVISION. COMPETITIVE IS A SINKING SHIP AND I DON’T WANT TO BE ON THAT BOAT.

Webmaster: In either case, do you think the lower classified team should be awarded runs prior to the start of a game.

Owens: Yes I do.  In order for a tournament to be a true equalizer I feel that the lower class team should be awarded runs at the start of the game.

Nut: YES

Webmaster: The Rec teams make up the majority of entries every week, if the divisions were permanently separated, how many entries in the Super Rec division would it take to make it worth attending?

Owens: 12 to 16 teams to travel. 

Nut:10 TEAMS LOCALLY,12 TO 16 TEAMS TO TRAVEL.

Webmaster: You have been bumped up to competitive before and did not fair very well, how big of a leap is IT to the competitive division?

Owens: Well webmaster, I would have to disagree with you there.  When we played the competitive division we added players to our roster to give us the pop needed to compete and we never finished lower than 4th place, including the World Tournament.   You build your team according to the level of competition and the guidelines set by the association.

Webmaster:  I stand corrected.

Webmaster: As you know Graystone and BBQ were moved up and now are hardly seen on the circuit, what can be done to save the competitive division, and yet keep the lower divisions competitive from a talent standpoint.

Owens: I think if we improved the equalizer rules and decrease the number of major players allowed on a team to 1, this would help.  Whenever a lower class team can enter a tournament (equalizer) feeling like they have a chance to win they are more likely to play. 

Nut: IF SAVING IT, IS AN OPTION. MAKE THEM PLAY EQUALIZERS. SPOT SUPER REC 6 RUNS AND PLAY. OR ABOLISH COMPETITIVE. ITS NOT A MONEY MAKER, MOST BUSINESS CUT THEIR LOSES. LET NO MORE THAN 2 PLAYERS PLAY ON A SUPER REC TEAM AND WATCH FOR BALANCE  IN THAT DIVISION.

Webmaster: If SO SO DEF gets moved up for next year, how does this change the team’s outlook.

Owens: If things do not change in that division we will be forced to A)  play in other associations until a tournament makes on the circuit that we can play in or B) ….. Well option B is a Secret, we will have to wait on that one. 

Webmaster: The only two teams that have even won a game against you this year, have combined, could this be a combination that derails the road to the championship.

Owens: I would not say derail our road to the championship, maybe an obstacle to clear.  You have two very good teams coming together for a common cause, but no one knows how well they will play together.  The formula to winning takes more than a bunch of SuperStars playing together.  If they jell, they have a good chance.  Their leader, Head, has been a 4 year recruiting project for me.  He won his only World Ring with us (RaggDoll at the time).  But do not worry Air Mac, Head is very loyal and has no intentions of going anywhere else.

Nut: WE DON’T PUT THAT MUCH EMPHASIS ON ONE TEAM. A WIN IS A WIN, REGARDLESS IF ITS CLASS-ACT/CRUNCHBERRIES,AIR-MAC,HARDKNOCKS ETC.

Webmaster: The talent on SO SO DEF is very deep, it has even been suggested you could make two teams out of your roster and both finish in the top 10 at worlds, how do you keep everyone happy.

Owens: Sometimes its not as hard as it seems because everyone with us understOOd from the beginning that this team is about winning.  Winning comes before any particular player and we are able to play and win with any line up we put on the field.  Every player understands that its his responsibility to come prepared or expect bench time. 

Nut: GIVE THE CREDIT TO THE PLAYERS. YOU CANT MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY. BUT AS A COACH IT’S A GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE.

Webmaster: The stormettes, what are they called now and what does their support mean to the team?

Owens: They are called the So So Def Fan Club.  Their support means a lot.  Its amazing how they can get us going when we are down and they are always willing to do what ever is needed to help us.  Lucretia Dobbs a/k/a MamaDobbs is the SoS oDef Fan Club organizer and we really appreciate her and all she does.

Nut: SUPPORT IS ALWAYS A PLUS.

Webmaster: Jermain Dupri watched from the dugout as you captured yet another tournament title, what were his thoughts on everything?

Owens: Jermain Dupri “JD” is really Cool. I think he got caught up in the hype and really appreciated the show we put on for him. 

Webmaster: Give us your thoughts on BASA and it’s present state.

Owens: There is nothing like BASA anywhere.  BASA is truly a family affair.  I love being apart of this family and I look forward to each tournament.  I think that BASA is moving in the right direction and they have some good things coming up in the future.

Webmaster: That is about it, time for your shout outs.

Owens: I want to shout out to my wife, Carmen, she has been a very understanding wife when it comes to me and my obsession for softball, my daughter Shannon, my son Quintin, all my So So Def players/team mates, Jermaine Dupri and staff, SoSo Def fan club,  SuperSonics, Enough Said, Just Us, Raging Storm, Air Mac, School of Hard Knocks, Champs, New Crew, Georgia Dogs, MGA. 

Nut: SO SO DEF FAMILY, MY WIFE AND 4 KIDS, STORMETTES, SUPERSONICS, ENOUGH SAID, JUST US. ALL GA MEN'S TEAMS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO(AIR-MAC, HARDKNOCKS, PRIMETIME, SOUTH GA MAGIC, ETC)THE B.A.S.A FAMILY…