The tournament began early Saturday morning with a quick opening ceremony and some words of wisdom from Terry himself. At one point during the ceremony Terry asked ps.com founders Del Pickney and Jeff Blair to step to center stage where he presented both of them with some nice plaques to thank them for revitalizing the way brother officers can connect through the website. Immediately following the ceremony it was time to PLAY BALL and teams came out of the gate banging. All teams played 3 round robin games for seeding purposes and the top teams in each bracket advanced to the championship division playoffs while the lower seeds were placed in the competitive division playoffs. Based on the bracket pairings it was clear that some very talented teams would end up in the competitive division so for teams wanting to play up, they would have to bring their “A” games even during the round robin.

The most impressive bracket performers were the Ohio Lawmen who were a perfect 3-0 with a 60+ run differential. Other bracket winners with perfect records included; Team Texas, Michigan Lawmen, NYPD Blues, Minnesota Lawmen, and the SoCal Alliance. Two bracket winners with 3-0 records who posted what could be considered “upsets” were the Maryland State Police who defeated the new and improved South Florida Lawmen for the top bracket seeding and Team Jersey who posted a gutsy win over Jacksonville PSC. Although having a top seed was important, everyone knew it meant nothing once the playoffs began.

There were many great playoff games and see-saw battles throughout the weekend. Some of the more epic battles included the SoCal Alliance and NYPD Blues going back and forth all game but the Alliance managed to hang on for a tough win. Another great battle was the South Florida Lawmen and Maryland State Police rematch. This time South Florida would win, but the game could have gone either way. Whatever the case, MSP made a strong statement that their 2009 season was an aberration and that this year they would be back in 2008 form when they won the Dayton National Championship and finished 4th in the World Series. NYPD Blues jumped out to a huge lead over Team Texas but Texas continued to chip away at the lead. When the dust settled the Blues would not be denied and walked off the field the victors 25-24. One of the most impressive performances took place during the SoCal and Ohio undefeated game. Ohio was chasing 10 in the bottom of the 7th when newbie Dusty Bowling hit a clutch 2 out 3 run homerun to tie the game and force extra innings. Ohio went on to win in the bottom of the 8th. Other epic battles were seen between Minnesota, Michigan, SoCal, Team Jersey and the Shamrocks. The Virginia Lawmen impressed a lot of people with an impressive 9th place finish to tie them with heavyweights such as Jacksonville PSC, MSP and Team Texas.

In the final undefeated game, the South Florida Lawmen emerged victorious against the Ohio Lawmen. In the loser bracket Ohio quickly expelled SoCal to set up an Ohio vs South Florida rematch in the SHIP. Several players from Jacksonville, SoCal, Minnesota, Michigan, Virginia etc. returned to the field to watch the game. The Minnesota team showed great hospitality by offering up coolers full of drinks to all those in attendance in what was truly a celebration of the brotherhood of law enforcement softball. South Florida and Ohio treated the crowd to an outstanding game but there could only be one winner. On this day, the South Florida Lawmen stood alone in the victors circle. Many in cop softball had wondered if the 2010 South Florida team would ever live up to their potential. They opened the season with a championship in the Brian Aselton season kick-off and although it was an impressive win, some wondered if they could do the same in a mega-tournament such as Virginia Beach. Nobody is wondering anymore. Based on the performance this weekend it appears there is a changing of the guard and South Florida is manning the point.

In the competitive division, Metro Detoits Finest took the honors by smashing their way through the playoffs. The up & coming Road Dogs gave them a battle in the championship but Detroit had too much firepower. The PG Stars impressed many in attendance and proved they could hang with anyone on the ciruit when they are firing on all cylinders. And it appears Chicago Metro might live up to their potential this season because 3rd place in this group is an impressive accomplishment. One fan in attendance commented, "It was clear that the top 4 finishers could easily compete in the championship bracket, they separated themselves from the rest of the pack."

Results for the Championship Division

1. South Florida Lawmen
2. Ohio Lawmen
3. So Cal Alliance / Easton
4. Michigan Lawmen
5. NYPD Blues
5 Minnesota Lawmen
7. Team Jersey
7. Shamrock Enforcers (Jersey)
9. Va Lawmen / Paramount Builders
9. Jacksonville PSC
9. Maryland State Police
9. Team Texas
13. Suffolk County NY
13. Greene County Enforcers Ohio
13. Baltimore
13. MidWest Coppers (Kansas City)
17. Tri State Lawmen
17. Charles County MD
17. Montgomery County Young Guns (MD)
17. Steele City Enforcers (PA)
17. Capital City Lawmen (MD)
17. Motor City Blues (MICH)


MVP - Mike Ogliaruso South Florida
MVP - Dusty Bowling Ohio
MVP - Mike Snyder So Cal
MVP - Mike Panacki Mich

All Tournament Selections
Chris Villano South Florida
Alain Cruz South Florida
Jimmy Black South Florida
Brandon West South Florida
John Scollo South Florida
Dave Adams Ohio
Jake Negray Ohio
Rob Menke Ohio
Brian Key Ohio
Mitch Brouilette SoCal
Alfonso Trujillo SoCal
Derick Ward Michigan
John Zintak Michigan

Competitive Division

1. Metro Detroit's Finest (Mich)
2. Road Dogs (PA/WVA)
3. Chicago Metro
4. Prince Georges County Stars (PG Stars)
5. Va Beach Gringo's
5. Bridgeport (Conn)
7. Lancaster Va
7. Brooklyns Missfits
9. Norfolk Naval Police
9. Hampton Roads Regional Jail

MVP - Bill Beehill Metro Detroits Finest
MVP - Vic Ortanlano Road Dogs

All Tournament Selections
Ryan Wohfield Detroits Finest
Eric Oke Detroits Finest
Kevin Conway Road Dogs