ERA

More blowouts than I have ever seen too. I would like to give a shout out to Coffee Co. and Lincoln Co.. Considering the scores and the information I am getting, Coffee and Lincoln very much deserved to be there as much as Lawrence Co.. Yes, the brackets are set up by regions and I'm not arguing about the brackets but I want others to take notice of those teams records and performance. They had to go through one of the roughest region brackets in the state. All three were there till the end. There were many years when I was involved with this game where my team came up short and probably could have placed in the top three in the state had they won that key game in sectionals. We never got a shout out by others but I knew how important it is for the girls to hear it. Good Job Shout out to Coffee Lawrence and Lincoln counties!

Riverdale 9 Brighton 1 Final

OVERHOLT2323, you are a very observant person. My hat's off to you. I'm not trying to make friends to form a bandwagon like our little provocateur, just giving kudos when it's deserved.

My two posts were for study purposes only. First, you can dish it out but can't take it. Secondly, you didn't realize the "double meaning" of my last post which is based simply on how well you read for comprehension. I won't give it away but take a look at your spelling for once and noticeably, you did not respond to my important issue. You dodged it. It speaks for itself. Sorry, I maybe should have spelled it out a little more... no pun intended and probably overestimated your debate skills. Not saying mine is better, just an observation. So, how does it feel to be the guinea pig in the terrarium for once? I've made my point, have fun, poke back as you usually do and be sure to call out more programs hoping the TSSAA is actually reading your posts. Isn't it funny how a couple of programs despised you on the boards and now you've fallen in favor? Just wondering......Good day

Judging by your sentence structure, or lack thereof, I'm assuming you may be from a mountainous area where schools couldn't be built. Let's see... "A letter to parents who have princess". Do you see anything wrong with this sentence? Or how about "Recorder Holder"? Do you notice a pattern? The examples are too numerous to mention but hey, I'm really a witty guy that laughs a lot.... at people like you "I krak miself up!".... in your words.... Seriously, you have wit and a lot of things to offer. Just stop with the cracks at the kids. Chew on the coaches, teachers, parents and programs all you want. There are some people in some towns that never learned that lesson. The problem is, those people can never ever shake that image. People just don't forget when you take shots at their kids. Forever is longer than YOU live. Because when you're gone, those that were affected by your comments will still remember the damage done robbing them of good memories. Leading a group of redneck bandwagon character assassins is probably not how you want to be known or remembered by..... but, then again, I don't know you personally. So, be smart and take the high road on the kids. Like I said, I can see how much talking talent you have...... turn it for the good, for a change, make a kid happy and not warped by some preposterous statement just to entertain the adults. In the case of the latter, might I suggest the Plus Boards?

Noitall I agree with you 100% about all the princesses,bad/redneck parks,parents who constantly gripe about why their DD is riding the wooden pony or ain't playing in the position that they are best at & blah,blah,blah......But hey it is State Tournament time why don't you stop with all the propaganda nonsense garbage and tell everyone somthing with some substance! Use all of that "knowledge" you have & let all know who the "LOSERS" are going to be.... Cause that is truly what you do best! Substance? Can you be serious? Maybe you mean substance abuse. Any story with substance has not been authored by him. Being funny is one thing, doing at the cost of high school kids is another. Posts dripping with bitterness and cut downs are the norm. Lifting kids up with stories of example is not. His act is for the PLUS BOARDS, not the boards for the kids and families, but you know, when you're not smart enough to realize your tearing down ways and most everyone around you does, you've become the one they are laughing at .

Dang! I know Terry probably practices the 1st - 3rd rundown as much as Riverdale does. I'm shocked they don't make that play. But, as it is with all teams, kids are kids and pressure makes errors and errors in judgment. Can happen to any team but I know to lose the game to that play has to hurt a lot. Sounded like a great game. Congratulations to Riverdale and another congratulations for Coffee making such a huge run this year. They proved they were the real deal and worthy to be at the state. ERA

Cleverness is not one of your skill-sets. Doing your best to tear down other schools programs than your own under the guise of compliments dripping with sarcasm while trying to blow whistles to the TSSAA is childish to say the least. Obviously, you must be from my town and out of your league..... just look it up on my profile and the picture will be as clear as red.....pitiful.

Our prayers are with Leslie and family. Such a tragic event.

They got it right as I knew they would... DNJ article Riverdale

Quote from the Beech coach in today's Tennessean: In the school of class and gentlemen-ship, no matter what you are thinking, when the time comes for you to comment about the team that just beat you, you ALWAYS tip your hat and say the better team won when you are the coach. Speculations of who is the better team should come from fan opinions plain and simple. Showing class is a hard thing to do but it is expected from the coaches. The comment by the coach suggests Riverdale was lucky. LUCKY? The stats above speak for themselves. Let's just say that comments like those above from the coach were directly responsible for the end result at the fling. Everybody wants respect and when you are not getting it, some people have the will to fight for it. Riverdale earned everyone's respect that mattered yesterday when they hammered Beech in the ground. Riverdale adjusted at the plate and the pitcher didn't know how to adjust to it plain and simple. Pitchers have a bad habit of not wanting to change what they are doing when they have been told how great they are over and over. They want to do it all themselves by trying to strike everybody out rather than pitch for grounders or pop ups and placing the ball where it won't get hammered. Pitchers that are still learning will make the needed adjustments as long as someone is there they will listen to which brings to memory one of the best ever to win a championship that never got respect. Her name was Erin Haggard from Dickson county. Not a lot of speed but adequate and she used her brain and skills to defeat the best teams, not just athletic ability. To me, that is a David and Goliath situation I find much more admirable. So let's be fair here and give Riverdale their due. This team played as a team when it counted with each one of them looking over thier shoulder at their teammates showing support. After all, it's not about one player but the whole team and that's where championships come from.

Oh they were rated during the season but nobody gave them a chance going up against Soddy while the Tennessean had already gift wrapped the trophy and was handing it to Beech in an article this past week. The DNJ believed they had a shot to get to the dance but the sophomore pitcher wasn't getting any press to speak of while Kat for Beech was the marked queen and rightly so but the nod given to Beech was unbelievable even by redneck standards. Siegel had handed Riverdale a few losses this year and everyone jumped on that bandwagon to put Riverdale in the ditch. Siegel did a great job this year and hats off to the coach. She's brought them to a level to compete on the highest level for sure. Accolades were there for Riverdale but anyone who was deeply involved in the game heard the whispers as well as the taunts and the media bought in as well. So, based on your post, it's obvious what bias you have and just how juvenile your thought processes are but that's ok, this is a high school website only most of the kids on here have a lot more class... /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> Cheer up, crow is good with bar b que sauce.. i've had some myself over the years. You learn to eat anything when you are force fed.

Uh, yeah! That same set of guidelines I laid out in my post was the same set laid out at Riverdale. Phenomenal fundraising, parents boots on the ground and not missing a beat to give the girls what they need ALL WHILE BUILDING A STADIUM AND HITTING CENTER. Yes, they won state today as a matter of fact and I know what I'm talking about. Have a good day. Is it still raining? /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />

Good post. The best team won and proved it not to be a fluke. Truth is hard for some to digest and sometimes won't face it. I've been in those shoes but, I've never stopped posting.

Riverdale's best game was today. They did it the hard way coming out of the losers bracket. They had the MO! Their bats got sharper by the game which was very similar to their summer team coming out of the losers bracket to win the championship. If there ever was a Cinderella story, this one is it. Nobody in the press or other teams gave them a chance and the girls were motivated to prove everyone wrong. The lineup produced as if they were on a mission. The inspiration came from the coaches and they let their game do the talking while under the lead of sophomore pitcher Samantha Hoadwanic. Stories like these come once in a lifetime if ever for most folks and this story brings back the memory of the 1980 Olympic hockey team. Nobody gave them a chance either especially after getting shellacked by Russia in a tournament a week before Lake Placid 7-2. Guts and determination were at the core of this win and I hope this championship shows all the softball girls out there that even when the chips are down you can dig your way out if you want it bad enough. My hat is off to these kids because there was no STAR player to speak of but just a bunch of talented girls that came together as a team and took it to their competition when it counted. Congratulations Warriors! Words cannot describe what you have just accomplished and the media will be making several attempts to explain what just happened themselves. Maybe they'll get it right today... /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> Oh yeah, almost forgot... Pound that drum as loud and often as you please.

Beat'em like a drum! /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> Go Warriors!

Riverdale was 40-5 going into the Siegel game if I remember correctly and they have played the big teams from the midstate. Siegel has built their teams to beat Riverdale and they have to play each other at least twice and find themselves matching up in tournaments as well. They know each other just about as much as you or I know our own siblings and this same profiled matchup bodes well for Blackman, Oakland and others. It's absolutely ludicrous to say Riverdale winning is a shocker. It is well publicized that Soddy beats the midstate teams consistently but just like the profile mentioned earlier, teams prepare themselves against their greatest adversary that eventually brings success through hard work and preparation. This was going to happen sooner or later and knowing how hard the greater part of this district prepares for games like this, it is no real surprise but always exciting when that first victory happens. Look for more of the same over the next few years. This is what the game is all about. You might look to MrKnowItAll for consolement. /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

My oldest pitched 5 games for sure in a tournament that went into the wee hours of the morning but it may have been six. My youngest was near or equal to the same. This was several years ago and at my age, it all runs together. Many times I've seen teams with one real pitcher and the second one would be merely a thrower. I believe it was Knox Karns that we played in the state and they had one pitcher only and rode her to the bitter end. Also, back then another very popular midstate team had one that was very good and her name was Mandy Miles. They rode her back all season long. That kid was totally burned out by the end of her career. It was quite the norm back then and still continues I'm sure. You know as well as I do that there are times that school teams rise up from nowhere when they get a good pitcher and I'm sure the TSSAA rules accordingly.

You guys need to look deeper. Like I've said before, TSSAA isn't interested in any kind of a change to the format. If they were, it would be something that would make them more money only. Nothing else. But seriously, they do look after the small schools. Smaller schools are fortunate to have one pitcher. Scheduling more games, in the same amount of time barring rain, injury or unforseen events with a small school that has just one pitcher could and would be devastating. A day of rest is what everyone believes to be required. Adding more games could possibly knock the balance of fairness to the larger schools that can develop more pitchers.

Like you, many have proposed playoff brackets that make sense but you are wasting your time. It is the TSSAA and they have never changed a rule I'm aware of because of public outcry. Basically, they are PC driven (political correctness) as noted by the sissifying of girls softball. You and I will be old and gray before "CHANGE" comes to Tennessee softball. Wait, I'm already there. That means they are responsible for sure. /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

THE CHATTANOOGAN

Pitcher sophomore Samantha Hoadwanic for Riverdale. The team gave it all and left it on the field. From what I heard on the phone, team effort all the way. Great job and great job parents for making this happen by your involvement and dedication to support the program as much as you did. Coach Breeden, coach Weaver and coach Catalano congratulations on a job well done.

Ahem.... better give up your day job. Can that check be cashed today or should they wait till Monday. Remember this name..... Warriors! /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

Listen, let me be clear. The story I told in a previous post pointed to the obvious problem area and if you thought I was pointing at the coach, you've totally misread it. The Parents are the pivotal machine to make big things happen for programs. It is the parents that raise the much needed funds and put in the TIME it takes to get top programs going. What we had back then was a very passionate bunch of as opposite of personalities as you could possibly imagine but they were ALL focused on one thing when it came to the game and that was to make big things happen at just about all costs. The ball club capabilities of travel and facilities is directly proportional to the hard work of the parents. The second thing I'm pointing out is a ball clubs success (success is good records against very good teams). The TOOLS have to be in place and that means more parents have to get involved in the underlying feeder programs and I mean they have to work at it. The coaching has to be very good and the concessions, field and gate work has to go without a hitch. Anything other than that is a distraction. Distractions take focus off of the goals. The coaches are only capable of doing so much. Coach Floyd invested as much time as anyone for many years. The baton needs to be passed down to more parents. Drive by parents won't get you there. Boots on the ground armed with knowledge, expertise and the willingness to be involved and make things happen is what every coach needs. The question is, do you have what you need?

Must have been one heckuva ballgame. /cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="B)" border="0" alt="cool.gif" />