ERA

Now that's moderating. Great job!

I would suggest that from this point on, everyone ignore any posts by QueenBee. Smith County doesn't deserve the bad press that she is giving them by association. Smith County, we really think you are good. Don't get caught up in her web. It will take you down. Walk on your own two feet and be proud of yourselves.

I have sat here and read thread after ugly thread. I have to say you are too negative to be a moderator. A moderator should be like an umpire. You watch and govern the game, making the calls and seeing to it that everyone is abiding by the rules while trying to stay invisible to the game. It is ok to have opinions but when you are in a leadership position, you have to lead by example and not just talk the talk but walk the walk. This goes for everyone in a leadership role including a moderator. I remember last year, you began a long thread about things that were said in the restroom at the Cookeville tournament by some lady raiders. You know, you went off the deep end about it and had to post what was supposedly said by Coffee's players behind closed doors. That to me was disgusting. They may have said it, but you don't post that on a message board. If you have a problem, call the school. Don't use smear tactics in a public forum. In fact, your whole spewing of evil and ire on players with generalizations and accusations are totally disgusting. It's one thing to have a problem with somebody, but to spew and intertwine "your truths" with hatred and bitterness shows everyone just how small you are. I think you are bitter and carrying your team of Smith County down in the gutter with you. Watching your team Saturday, I was impressed with your team and the Coach to say that they are probably a good bunch of girls and your coach seems like a great guy too. The pitcher I have respect for. Even with the wheels coming off against Coffee County, she never shook. She kept her head and even had a little smile on her face when the coach came out to check on her after about four hits in a row. That was when I knew she had what it takes to be great. She didn't let it get to her which is quite the opposite of what you show me. Smith County deserves better than the negativity that you seem to keep around them. The apparent attacks and misuse of your moderator position is giving your team a bad rap. They deserve better. In fact, I would bet that they would never have been at that Chatt game nor had any animosity toward Coffee had you not turned this in an "us against them" duel. It is threads like yours that causes these nasty rivalries that I despise. To me, you don't belong here. I would suggest that you take a sabbatical and study how to lead. This definitely is not the way to have a good debate. Your threads lead to hatred much like the Liberals of politics motto.... "If you can't make yourself better, then just tear everyone else down around you".

Don't fall into the trap of measuring respect for your team by a message board. Your team deserves better. What matters is if they respect themselves and are respected amongst their own school, families and friends. Taking measure by those that do not have to account for their views on a message board is a lack of respect for your own team.

Goodpasture will still be tough without their ace.They are the most disciplined batting team I've seen. You still have to keep the team from scoring. With the bats and speed, their number 2/1 pitcher just has to pick it up a notch to continue to win. Remember, there is a lot of talk about the ace and her prowess, don't forget they still put multiple runs on the board and sport a top notch defense. There are eight great players behind Danielle and you still have to beat them. Any one of the remaining eight can score multiple times. There are no holes. Any one of them would start on a Class A travel team in their respective positions. How many teams can do that? Throughout the past, many state champs have sent girls to D1 colleges but never all starting nine that I can remember. This team can do that.

The majority of the runs were JV runs in the Boone game. Breeden emptied the bench. Great job by the JV. Who has Mt. Juliet beaten?

Pisgah beat Grissom 5 to 0. Grissom was outclassed. Pisgah is in the stratosphere of elite teams.

Smith Co. won. They played an excellent game. http://www.eteamz.com/ccladyraiders/index.cfm?subsite=1153482

This is the link to the schedules... http://www.coacht.com/schedules/schedule.cfm?SportID=5&id=89&SeasonID=10

Well, as everyone knows, I take care of the website for Coffee. It has been down for two weeks (the Thursday before the Tournament)due to Charter Cable not responding for repairs. Today, it is back up after having to act like a ?#$% to get something done. I apologize for not having any stats, pictures or other info about the Worth tournament posted. That was due to the lack of internet communication and the slow response of Charter. I hope everyone enjoyed the tourny and hope to have another next year, hopefully at the same town. Again, my apologies as I know many people have asked about the website. http://www.eteamz.com/ccladyraiders/

http://www.eteamz.com/ccladyraiders/ I would like to remind everyone that all the information about the games are on the website. We believe there will be a Very Good showing of college coaches in our tournament. We hope for the hardcore fans to show up and get some great ball games in. We have maps of the area and maps of sponsoring restaurants available to print off from the website. If anyone needs more info just hop on our site's message board and we'll help all we can. The latest word we have in Manchester is that just about all 1355 rooms are filled in Manchester this weekend. If you still need a room, better hurry.

It's a great talent for someone to be able to smash the ball for multibase hits when they come to the plate especially 4 to 6 times out of 10. Baserunners do not have to think very much under such a barrage of balls being hit across or even out of the field of play. Bunts, slaps, drag bunts and fake bunt hit aways are whole team executions that are much more difficult to employ. You are not just relying on the execution at the plate but also on the runners, depending on which base they are on, to read the bunt, the fielder, the throw, the next base coverage and the play after the play. With multi runners it even gets more complex. Small ball relies much more on the ability of the team as a whole to execute than the big hit. It takes a team with utmost discipline to accomplish it. A team with this weapon in their arsenal can easily switch to plan B if the long ball is not working and take a team out of their game. I'm a strong believer in having every weapon available at your finger tips when gone to war. You are never sure what is going to work so when it's not, you have a contingency. Any coaching staff with a good small ball plan in their pocket is a staff that gives their team every opportunity to win. It's a magnificent thing to watch when done right.

Thanks RC.

I believe you that something was probably written on the dugout, however, such issues should be taken care of with a phone call to the administration and not spread all over this board. Some boys may have defaced the dugout, now the girls are guilty by association. My oldest daughter said that someone had wrote "loosers" on the end of "Coffee's" dugout in mud on the end where only our girls would see it before the game started. That implies someone from Tullahoma did this. That is why this forum is not the place for this. Good Grief. [Edited by ERA on 3-29-03 11:40A]

All bets are off when these two match up. Proud of both teams and the jobs they did. Hope all enjoyed the atmosphere at our park. How 'bout those Dexter Burgers?

Beech played a great game. I can see why they are ranked at the top. Great players from one through nine. No holes in that lineup. They apply constant pressure. Best of all, their players were good sports and that is coming from Coffee's players. Very classy team of girls. Great job Coffee. Still a long way to go. Many more battles to fight. Whatever it was you found this past weekend, cherish it. This is the most "team" I've seen out of Coffee in a long time.

I agree with you. The game at the plate has changed. Rotational mechanics has collided with D1 ball. Not many teach it around the midstate. Eric Brewer near Franklin has had this hybrid swing for fastpitch the last few years. The ones that buy into it and stay with it have had a ton of success. Check out the travel teams this summer. There is now a distinct difference in techniques being taught. I noticed some of the better high school programs had it four years ago before I knew it was being taught. Lipscomb was my first experience in seeing the rotational swing being implemented. There was no contact swings on that club and it was very obvious. This secret has now permeated through the ranks. Check out Macon Co. I know this club was a bottom feeder when it came to offense. They went to the hybrid swing and are now Lighting Up The Scoreboard. The key is buying into it. I can't tell you how many people have bad mouthed that swing especially in my own town. I'm afraid the obvious speaks for itself. You just have to be disciplined at the plate to use it. Without discipline, you will fail everytime.

Ms. Dropball, Thanks for the acknowledgements. It was a tough battle in several games. I was most pleased with how the girls are playing as a unit. No individuals on this team. It's all about team. I take my hat off to the seniors. Leadership was the key for the weekend. This has been the turn around Coffee has needed. Please tell Mr. Dropball hello and how much we enjoyed your company at the games. http://www.eteamz.com/ccladyraiders/

You guys are killing me.....

1. Tullahoma 2. Coffee 3. Shelbyville 4. Lincoln 5. Columbia 6. Franklin 7. Lawrence

Can't say because I haven't seen her yet. Rhodes, to me, is college material. She has movement on the ball in three different directions. The ball is always coming out of the same slot. Her curve is a backdoor style which makes it harder to pick up. Movement and disguise with good speed makes her top D1 prime choice. The pitching coaches will just have to tweak a little but very little at best. Even though she has great speed, she doesn't try to blow it by you all the time and depends on movement to give a different look. That is what makes greatness. Even with speed, she is disciplined enough to throw breaking balls in different directions to make a complete pitcher that could throw a double header against the same team and you never could figure what the next pitch is going to be.

mynameis, where would you put Shelbyville?

Hi Mike, Falon took a ball from a bad bounce to the pitching thumb on the first batter of the Goodpasture game. She shook it off and maintained control until the 4th when it stiffened and couldn't grip the ball. After the game, we went to Baptist for xrays. They came back negative. Just trauma to the ligaments and blood vessels. We are taking it a day at a time. The note says two weeks but I see it as day to day. Thanks for the concerns. We hope to have her back soon. Right now, we're trying to recover from the 3AM emergency room visit physically and monetarily. We just paid for another doctors' Porsche I believe!!!!!! By the way, thanks STD for the prognosis on Falons' condition after the game. It soothed some frazzled nerves, namely mine. [Edited by ERA on 3-16-03 12:38P]

I'm very familiar with the relationship between hotels and tournaments. Some are good and the rest are up and down the charts. With that said, my belief is hotels should be prepared to take a more active role in tournament planning, scheduling and park development. Tournaments are the primordial feeder to business of the hotel chains. While the volunteers put together some of the finest tournaments in the state, the hotel chains rake in the money as the default benefactor without the overall commitment back into the programs. There needs to be a direct correlation between investment dollars and benefactors. Communities have the Chamber of Commerce and the Hotel board to voice these concerns. I would like to see a more proactive stance out of these chains to help make the tournaments a much greater success. [Edited by ERA on 3-16-03 11:43A]

Two great weekends in a row at Hendersonville's Drakes Creek Park! Sounds like a story from the Twilight Zone doesn't it? It's hard to believe yet very deserving for the faithful at Hendersonville. Many years of hard work and dedication have made this tournament one of the finest in the state, weather permitting. Drakes Creek Park has turned into one of the finest places to play ball. The trees for shade, separation between fields and the fine food are tops. It's great to see the new parks being built around the state. However, they need to take a page out of Hendersonville's book. It's the window dressing that counts. Trees, no concrete between fields, plenty of grass and warmup areas make it favorable for parents, the elderly, small children and teams. That sells more tickets and makes the program more successful. You guys do it right. Keep doing it. Maybe the rest will follow. This tournament deserves all the accolades. Chick has outdone himself along with all the staff. Congrats for what I think has been the best tournament in a long time.