When I think of the name Mansfield I think of a small town just south of Shreveport, LA where I was raised. Possibly the most recognizable person from Mansfield is former MLB Pitcher Vida Blue. Some of you youngsters may not be familiar with Vida but trust me, back in the day he could bring it!
Jayne Mansfield was a Motion Picture Actress in the 50's and 60's and I couldn't tell you much about her. Well I could but I choose to just move on to the next topic...lol.
Mansfield, TX is a suburban city not far from Arlington and as far as I'm concerned is most notable for a softball and baseball complex named Big League Dreams. BLD has several MLB replica fields but more importantly it has an indoor soccer pavilion. That is where my interest is because that is the location for this week's TCL's Signature Series Event.
Texas Cornhole League has fired up it's 10th season with many leagues and tournaments already in the books. This weekends event will be the first of four Signature tournaments held throughout the season and this one will be a good one folks!
Many of us took some time off from throwing bags following TCL's 9th Conference/State Tournament this past June in Abilene while others continued to work on their games and attended various events across the state. Each year the TCL experiences tremendous growth with new players catching the fever of the sport of cornhole. With this being the 10th season of cornhole for TCL, it appears to be more of the same with many leagues across Texas welcoming a slew of new players. I used to go to a tournament and feel like I knew most of the people there but not anymore. On top of all the new players, there are several very talented up and comers! One look at the current point standings validates this as there are many new names in the mix.
The usual top players like Brandon Gregor, Eddie Grinderslev, Daniel Vinson, Josh Groce and Stuart Foster, just to name a few will all be in Mansfield gunning for the top prize. There will also be several up and coming players who will have their eyes set on making their presence known. Some of those players are Grant Upchurch, Edgar Cardenas, Kaleb Batson and Blake Holly. All of these guys have been throwing very well and will definitely be forces to be reckoned with this coming weekend. There have also been some impressive performances from the ladies here of late as Jesusa Rodrigues, Brittney Arrington, Amy Valdez and Isabella Surprenant have been on fire. There are others who also are playing really well and I'm certain we will see them this weekend.
There will be many strong Doubles teams present with Groce and Batson, Gregor and Vinson and Grinderslev and Kenneth Johnston who are some of the bluebloods and usually finish near the top. Looking at the results from the State Tourney in June there are several teams who can make some noise including Mark Rubio and Eli Gonzalez and Peyton Welch and Tristan Janca who made great runs in Abilene and will also be tough to beat this week. Earnest Herrera and Grant Upchurch are teaming up for the first time and they will be a hard out for anyone.
There are so many others that have improved so much and will make this event extremely competitive. Each year the depth of talent just gets deeper and deeper and this year is no exception.
Like I mentioned earlier, this weekend will be awesome with many outstanding players in attendance. Safe travels everyone and we look forward to seeing you all soon!
Until next time, "throw 'em straight"!
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