So what you're telling me is that State cares more about Quantity over Quality. I don't necessarily agree with that, but what do I know. I'll throw out two scenarios for you though, and want to see how you feel if your team is the one that is affected by the outcome in a hypothetical way. Scenario one and I'll use last year's Greenwood team. We were an ok team and hypothetically we are the host team for the tournament, as Sumter would be when the tournament goes back there (as we know that Sumter isn't always one of the top 8 teams, just like Greenwood isn't either). We get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, but we are still guaranteed a spot at the state tournament. Now your team has to play a one game playoff with another team and loses, and misses out on the state tournament because of the guaranteed spot for the host team. Is that fair to you all, even though you are one of the top 8 teams in the state, to have to miss out because an ok host team gets a guaranteed spot? Second Scenario, and this happen 2 years ago. Host team (Sumter) gets in a bench clearing brawl with another playoff team, which breaks the code of sportmanship, and neither team gets tossed out of the playoffs because they are the host. Instead they both get a slap on the wrist by having to each forfeit a game and have to now play a best of 3 series. Is that fair that if it's anyone else, in a clear code of sportsmanship that they would more than likely be done for the playoffs? Also for your quantity over quality. Is it good for American legion baseball to have the extra teams in the playoffs, if they're going to forfeit away the series and pretty much give a team an automatic bye to the next round? And a hefty run differential as a tiebreaker for state seedings? I'm just curious what your opinions are on all of this, I personally am not in favor of a host team. That's one of the reason I'm in favor of the new format, as it gets the best 4 teams in the state matched up. We could do the best 8 teams in the same manner, but if a team doesn't have the pitching then they don't have it. It doesn't matter whether it is the State, Regional, or National tournament. In my honest opinion, the coaches just have to be wise in how they use their pitching, and know how to work the system to get the best outcome out of it for the argument that the new format doesn't get us ready for regional tournament play.