The TPT Blog

Pack your digital camera!  This year our host resort The Marriott Buttes has a unique feature between the two pools - a large window that can be viewed from a lowered walkway.  TPT thought it might be fun to capitalize on this photo opportunity by hosting a photography competition. The rules are simple: we are looking for the most unique shot taken through the window during our four-day event.  We will show the shots at the final night awards banquet and announce the winners.  The top prize wins a $200 credit toward TPT ‘09.

The fine print: all shots must be taken with a digital camera so files can be gathered from camera discs; all shots become the property of The Players Tournament (TPT) and can be used to promote TPT and/or printed in the dayplanner; the prize is not transferable, but can be shared between players on one or more teams; all digital photos are due no later than noon on Saturday, October 4th.

Thanks to Shane of our Manchester Madness team for hooking us up with Enterprise Rent-A-Car on a discount for our TPT group. Use special group discount code ‘50C0387’ and pin ‘TPT’ and receive a 5% discount on all market rates. The Enterprise minivan and SUV rates are very competitive and we suggest booking early if you are getting a team vehicle. Book online at www.enterprise.com or call direct to 602-225-0588.  Or better yet, click the link on the right and go direct to the Enterprise / TPT discount page.

THIS TOURNAMENT GOES TO ELEVEN!  “This Is Spinal Tap” is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only is Rob Reiner’s 1984 classic mockumentary funny after repeated viewings, but the movie’s characters — an aimless heavy metal band — continue to pop up years later. They reunited last year for a short film screened at the Tribeca Film Festival as part of an initiative to raise awareness about global warming. Now, Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest, who went to make mockumentaries his specialty) is at — of all places — Stonehenge. In a spoof interview, Tufnel explains the iconic British site’s mysteries in videos posted at http://www.StonehengeDecoded.com. It’s part of a promotion for an upcoming series on the National Geographic Channel.  Click on the ‘Links’ on the right for the link to Nigel’s commentary.

We just couldn’t resist a quick shot of our TPT Photographer Chris Henstra showing off his stylish ride back from Baseball Spring Training this year.

Players - Check out this video showing the Gilbert Big League Dreams. There are some great shots of the fields as well as the clubhouse. Copy this link to your browser or click the LINKS ‘BLD Video’ over on the top right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COJMgNZbZqo

Clink the link at the right (TPT ‘07 Photo Gallery) to check out our new website: www.tptpics.smugmug.com.  We’ve got more than 3,000 photos from the 2007 event categorized for your viewing and ordering pleasure.  Big thanks to event photographers Chris Henstra and Donna Clarke for such amazing work in San Jose.  We hope you enjoy it, check back as we’ll be posting more photos in the next few weeks.

We are already working with sponsors for the TPT Survival Bags. Anyone who has a client that might be interested in product donations, or including marketing materials in the bags, can contact Carroll for more information. Helping us find product donations can cut the cost of player or team fees.

We toured the new Big League Dreams facility in Gilbert, Arizona (Phoenix) in December of 07, just one month before they were due to open. After having seen several of the other BLD parks, we expected the new location to be status quo - but how wrong we were. The new facility, with eight big league replica fields, is above and beyond anywhere we’ve previously played, and anywhere we’ve seen in the country. We think you are going to love it!!

The eight replica fields include: Fenway Park, The Polo Grounds, Wrigley Field, Angel Stadium, Sportsman’s Park, Ebbets Field, Bank One Ballpark and Yankee Stadium.

Covered dugouts, cooling misters in the stands, batting cages, an air-conditioned clubhouse with food and drinks, plus an indoor soccer stadium are but a few of the amenities the park offers.

Amazingly manicured outfields.

A cool panorama!

A shot from the air showing all eight fields.

So in November we hit the road to Phoenix, Arizona to check out the final few hotel options. We usually start with a dozen or more hotel options, but looking at the location, size, pricing, nightlife and a fabulous pool, we’d narrowed down the choices to three resorts. All three had great, although different, pools, but one was a clear front-runner choice for TPT 11. Take a look and see what you think, and mark your calendars for October 1-5, 2008!

The resort above is the closest resort to the new Big League Dreams that could work for our group, and it had a great jacuzzi, but it was only a 3-star property. It was also located in a newer part of town, and lacked the southwest-feel we were looking for in a Phoenix destination.

This second option above had a GREAT pool and a casino next door. And while the casino was a interesting addition, it was the only nightlife on offer. In the end, we had to rule this one out due to the drive time to BLD, potentially up to an hour with traffic.

The third option, and ultimately our final choice for the host resort for TPT 11, has a great two-sided pool, multiple nightlife options, an outdoor bar overlooking the pools, three hillside jacuzzis, and was one of the closest 4-star resorts to the new Big League Dreams.

There is a mini lazy river joining the two pools, and a unique feature we think many of our players will enjoy. In the middle of the lazy river is a ‘window’ so you can view the swimmers as they pass from pool to pool. We suspect there will some interesting photo-opportunities over the course of our five-day event.

Players might also enjoy the slide - open only during daytime hours!!

The resort also has multiple jacuzzis set into the hillside with view of Phoenix.

But the thing that really sealed the deal for this resort were the many great bar and nightlife options. Pictured here is a bar that sits above and between the two sides of the pool. Where’s Waldo? See if you can spot the tournament organizer. Tequila on the Rocks is another favorite spot. Open every evening, it’s an indoor bar with music and a dance floor. We expect this to be the hot spot every night of the event. Check out more details for the 2008 TPT Host Resort at www.ButtesMarriottResort.com.