[cksportsfan]

Its time to bring the state tournament to Eastern Kentucky. We have had it al lover the state and its eastern Kentucky's chance!!!! Prestonsburg has the fields and in between Paintsville, Pikeville and Prestonsburg we have the hotels. I'm sure we can find a corporate sponsor.

Have to have a four-field complex, since the first four rounds (first two rounds of winners bracket, first two rounds of losers bracket) feature four games at the same time per round.

And I don't think Prestonsburg is allowed to count Pikeville's hotels. IIRC, for the bidding process, hotels have to be within 25 miles.

Plus, the KHSAA -- for team sports at least -- likes having events in places that are easy to get to. Interstate runs right thru Louisville. BG Parkway to Lexington (plus an interstate). BG has I-65. Owensboro has WK parkway. Hopkinsville has a parkway. Elizabethtown has parkway and interstate.

Prestonsburg? Paintsville? Pikeville? No major roads according to yahoo maps.

I'm from E'town. I'm NOT -- repeat, NOT -- for E'town hosting state softball until its gets two issues resolved (press box for KHSAA/stats/media and parking is a concern). But E'town is a beautiful park. Easy to get to. Plenty of hotels and restaurants.

The 3 Ps -- Prestonsburg, Paintsville, Pikeville -- would be a darkhorse. Because of roads. Because of facilities. Because of hotels. Because very few teams would actually be close to the complex (kills fan support). Take your pic.

If it is in E'town, you have three teams within an hour -- region 5, region 6 and region 7. Several more within two hours.

I read somewhere that more than half the tournament teams would be less than 2 hours (and no more than 3) from the Elizabethtown Sports Park.

That's why the E.S.P. has instantly become huge on the travel ball circuit. Yes, big cities should have nice parks, but it is quite easy to get to E'town from Indy, Nashville, St. Louis (less than 5 hours), Louisville, Lexington, Cincy. Heck Huntsville Alabama is less than 5 hours and Atlanta is like 6.