ERA

They should work as one. It is best if they get along well. That makes working together a breeze. If there are differences between them, that is where the coach takes charge and tells them to leave it off the field. That is also where parents are responsible in teaching their children how to handle business relationships amongst their peers much like us old adults at work. You may have differences but never upstage your pitcher in front of the team and pitchers should always communicate to their catchers while listening to the catchers opinions. It's easier said than done. Just keep working at it.

Thanks Beech for a great tournament. Drakes Creek Park was in great condition. ERA

Can anyone post it?

I believe all good athletic programs recruit. Like someone else said on this thread, the program recruits itself. If you are a winner, people that want to win will migrate to it if they have the means. It's within the rules and if thats' the end result, so be it. If they are not coming to your school, you must not have the kind of program that attracts the athletes. Let's not call names and get ugly. Indian was trying to be a gentleman and offered offline answers. Personally, I wouldn't go there. If you have knowledge of an illegality, the TSSAA will be more than happy to hear from you. Let's get this thread back to the great topic of who is the best coached team in Chattanooga!

It was a very successful tournament. Lots of games played on excellent field conditions. Thanks to Lincoln County and all the Nashville and Chattanooga teams for showing. A special thanks to the fans of all teams. I believe everyone had a great time. Also, a very special thanks to our parks department to give us the field time on such short notice. [Edited by ERA on 3-2-03 12:06P]

Just wondering how everyone is coping with the weather!

I guess those new breaking pitches, rise and curve, are working out real well...lol!!! Great Job Melissa. Not surprised at all. You got the good stuff!

bgmrlh, you're right on about the length. The circles I run in stress the length the most but leave off the weight. Like I said, not all of the information is on this post but it should give an idea of the pitfalls they may find themselves in after spending $300 for a bat and can't swing it. At that point, the parent says you better grow into it. I believe between our posts, a good general rule of thumb can be established for those that just don't know. Thanks for your input!

Thanks cornpup, but actually this is stuff I jot down over time and use it to explain the mechanics to batters. This problem of picking up the heaviest bat because you saw your number four hitter using it just doesn't fly with me. These kinds of mistakes are made all the time and it's time to address it. I'll do better than that. Let me give an example. A few years ago, we were midway through a summer season when I began to notice that the girls on the team were not hitting as well as this one girl in particular. I began to study the differences because I knew the others were even more talented than the girl who was hitting the most. I discovered that the lighter bat was the reason for success. She was swinging a 20.5 oz while the others were swinging 22 and 23 oz bats. I began to video tape the batters and would do my homework. When you stop the film down frame by frame, you see the rest of the team starting their swings long before the girl that was getting all the hits off of the same pitchers. Some of the girls dropped bat weights and the hits exploded on the team. This is a fact. The trick was that at first I couldn't see it in their swings but now I can spot it immediately. It's just training yourself to know what to look for and it's not that I'm better at it than anyone else. Details will make the difference. Overdoing it will also kill you I know but it's dang hard enough to hit a ball moving all over the place much less trying to hit it with a telephone pole...lol! By the way cornpup, my wife read your post and she said ditto!!!lol! [Edited by ERA on 2-23-03 8:55P]

Pitch Selection Pitch selection is directly linked to bat selection. ˜How˜s that?˜ you say. Well, let˜s break down a few things that the batter is doing during the pitch. As the pitch comes in to the batter, she has milliseconds to make up her mind if it is a strike or ball, fast or change, drop or rise, curve or screw ball. These things are determined strictly within the confines of the batters mental and athletic prowess. Just a few milliseconds either way in the decision process determines if the batter is successful or not. To explain the link, let˜s exaggerate the situation. If the batter were holding a ten pound sledge hammer in her hands and had to make those same decisions mentioned above, when do you think she would start her swing? Exactly, she would start either before the ball was released from the pitchers˜ hand or during the release so the sledge would be going through the zone as the ball enters it. She would not have time to establish what the pitch was much less determine a strike or ball. If the batter were holding a broom stick in her hands and had to make this decision, the ball could practically be above the front of the plate before starting the swing and still get the broom stick through and make contact. She could tell you that it was an inside curveball and make solid contact because she had more than enough time to read the pitch. A too heavy bat will not give the player the decision time it takes to read the pitch. You will find the swing trying to start too early. The swing may also wind up with a hitch in it (cocking of the bat backwards up and behind the head before going forwards to gain momentum). This is usually seen in slow-pitch and can cause more problems than you could solve. Some players may have that great eye to hand instinct and can still manipulate it through the zone but most can˜t. Give your player all the extra milliseconds they can possibly have to recognize the different pitches so that they may be successful but not get too light of a bat that they are cheating themselves out of extra bases. It˜s a very delicate balance that you have to chase through their whole careers. They are constantly growing in height, size and weight which gives cause to always pay attention to their swing and adjust as you see fit. This, still, is even more complex than these few paragraphs offer. Give your kid the best chance to succeed by allowing her the time to make the right decisions.

Bat Selection Bats to ball players are like shoes. Some fit and some don˜t. They come in all different shapes, weights and sizes not to mention materials. The players˜ preference is not always the correct choice when selecting a bat but should be taken into account when bat size and weight are decided upon by their coach/parent/batting coach. Not too many years ago, the choices were few and the decision process was much easier to make. You could either swing it or you couldn˜t. Today, the complexities involved can be insurmountable to anyone. Information overload best describes what most experience if they try to analyze what is best for them. Below are SOME of the things I use when judging bat types and sizes. 1. I usually look at the player and see how she is built. Does she have strong legs, shoulders and arms? This establishes strength needed to swing a heavier bat with greater action off of the bat surface to get that long ball out of the infield consistently. 2. Can they swing the bat and drive it through the zone without ˜looping˜ the swing or dropping the hands (shown by swinging under the ball or always popping it up)? It is imperative that the swing is right. If looping occurs and is not corrected soon, it will take more time to un-train. The one step forward, two steps backward problem. 3. The grip can be too large or too small. This usually is not determined by the size of the hand but by the feel to the batter. Some prefer large diameter grips even though they may have small hands and the same can be said about the larger handed players preferring the small grip. 4. How the weight is distributed across the length of the bat plays a very important part in the selection process. If your player has strong wrists with a strong upper body and can whip a heavier bat with great control through the zone, the ˜End Loaded˜ bats are the supreme choice for this type of player. These bats are usually in the Minus 8-9 category. This represents the length (33 inches) minus the weight (24 oz) for the length to weight ratio. They typically are shorter in length, heavier around the ˜Sweet Spot˜ area but have more pop characteristics upon contact where the ˜End Loaded" term was derived. However, if the player is more of a slight build or has small angular features with weaker wrists, the bat of choice should have a more balanced approach. This is usually a bat described under the old technological term of ˜Bottle Bat˜. This bat has a long barrel with a larger sweet spot usually of thin wall and a minus ratio of (Minus 10-12) such as 33 in. length and 23-21oz.weight. 5. Selections are also different for how trained the batter is. A big strong player with little experience may want the heavy bat but my suggestion would be first to train with something light to make sure the hands are going through the zone properly with tons of repetition. Once the mechanics have been established in muscle memory, the heavier bat can be applied. 6. Can they keep the hands inside for the proper swing of an inside pitch? You may hear someone refer to hitting the ball out front on an inside pitch but to the players˜ mind it is usually interpreted to swing earlier with a ˜too early˜ result. That usually causes them to pull the ball foul over the third base dugout or miss the ball entirely. This is caused by not keeping the hands inside. The barrel continues to loop around and pulls the ball out. Keeping the hands inside with proper technique will drive that inside strike to left or left center field. I mention this for one reason. A too heavy bat for the player will not allow for that kind of bat control. That is why the lighter bats are so important. The long ball is great but pure form and total bat control will take you where you want to go. The above is just a short synopsis covering a much larger scope of the problems involved. I hope these things I have shared help those that are struggling with their decisions about which bat to use. Just don˜t fall into the trap of ˜Bigger is Better˜. It may be for a select few but not everyone. Get the bat that best helps you make solid contact wherever the ball may be pitched in the ˜Strike Zone˜!

It's not the fans, it's just a few teenage boys that had it explained to them last year after their outbursts that it won't be tolerated. We love our fans to be loud but we don't want to be rude. Some have trouble distinguishing between the two but maybe that's taken care of now. Rudeness runs rampid at several fields across the state (unnamed) but we strongly push for that not to happen at Coffee County. We strongly believe in putting on a great atmosphere and try to make it something people will remember with the great speaker system, bleachers and new scoreboard. The rude thing is not what we want to be remembered for. We hope for all to enjoy themselves at Coffee County and take home an experience to remember in the "Great" column for years to come.

It is simply too big a risk on certain teams to risk injury to a pitcher from a collision. In high school, the motives are to win and play as many of your kids as you can. In summer ball it's the best of the best in their best position. Say that three times.... Summer ball will go with the athletes in any position at most any time typically because they can recruit a pitching staff and not have the worries of no replacements. You can't exactly go out and pick up a pitcher in high school tommorrow to fill an injury spot. There is no telling how many pitchers have fallen out due to injury from other positions. It happens a lot in college.

2002 State Champion, Erin Haggard pitches a perfect game in her second ever start at Birmingham Southern. http://www.bscsports.net/softball/2003%20News/sb2-11.htm

Thanks STD, great answers to a question that I believe gets overlooked at times on some teams and how could I forget the 2000 state game!!! Coffee has had a great tradition of center and right fielders. When I first saw your summer team practices, that was the first time I had seen as much emphasis on technique and skill level in the outfield as Breeden and Floyd if not more. That is definitely on of your strong suits. I noticed the outfield was special to you. All coaches should feel that way since it is the last line of defense and yet the difference in ball games when it is on the line.

What skills do you look for to play left field? Do they differ from right field? Do you find the requirements related to style of pitching?

The evolutionary shift from spring to fall will happen when softball becomes the most important sport to the majority of girl athletes and not until then. Moving it to fall makes pefect sense to the ones that love this game but as long as the other sports carry the majority of discord, it can't happen. Everyone wants what's best for their situation. This crops up each year because of the "weather situation" in Tennessee. No sport should have to go through this major rescheduling challenge each and every season. It wears thin on everyone's patience when expectations run so high. My guess is the ones that have the most at stake are the tournament directors and the fundraisers that are a part of it. One bad night of rain and the whole weekend of fundraising can be wiped out. The dollar will have the ultimate call on this decision in my opinion. Right now, the districts through the state tournament are typically sitting in the window of clear weather on our calendars and are usually never impacted monetarily by inclimate weather. You certainly can't expect the governing body to make such a change when they suffer the least impact, climatically speaking. With that in mind, the ones screaming the loudest are the weekend tournament planners with tons of planning and money at stake. So, we are right back where the conversation left off last year.....Pray to the Sun Gods, Sell umbrellas for fundraising and for gosh sakes...Buy A Tarp!

Now if I remember right, as "The Big Guy" tells it, there was this set of twins that played agaist you and one could not hit inside pitches and the other could not hit outside pitches. You were near the end of the game and the suggestion came from you to pitch the one that "Could" hit inside an inside pitch because she wouldn't expect it and the last thing I remember was "The Big Guy" laughing so hard every time he tells this story that he can never finish it.......! That's all I know, but I assure you, he already knows about this thread and you just might be hearing from him again...lol...to remind you about it in case you might not have all the facts right!

STD, you're right. Two seasons ago, I remember facing a team with their number four batter at the plate. She was a very big and strong girl with tremendous bat speed. The first time we pitched everything away from her and got out with a bloop single. The next time I thought I would be cute and give her an inside fast ball to freeze her because I genuinely thought she would be surprised to see that pitch and at worst, pull a long foul ball. To my surprise, she parked it over the twelve foot high left field fence. My pitcher stood on the mound looking at me in amazement like "you big dummy, I knew better than that!" I was schooled dearly and have been paying for that ever since with story after story wherever I go. We won the game but I lost the dignity battle for awhile....lol. Never underestimate a ballplayer and for heavens sake, don't get cute! By the way dropball, how about telling us the story about the twins and the pitch call between you and "The Big Guy"...lol!!! [Edited by ERA on 2-9-03 1:46P]

Yes, soapbox derby is what I said. They have their rules where the kids do the work and not the parents. Also pinewood derbies fall under the same category for putting the parents in the back seat while the kids do the same work but on smaller cars. If the rules were meant for the "catchers only" to call pitches then the rules would obviously state it. I have to agree that it is a case by case decision. This summer, we broke in a new senior catcher that had caught in her early career but not for the past couple of years. We started the season with the coach (me) calling and after each inning and game, I would discuss what I was doing and when I was doing it to the catcher. Two tournaments later, we had the catcher calling the games with great success. She understood that if I saw she was guessing wrong, I would break in and call to try to get them out of a jam and then give the call back to her. Normally I wouldn't have done this. This catcher is a great kid with great skills and very hyper and quick. I felt that she needed to call in order to help her focus on the game and become a bigger part of the game. During the last two tournaments of the fall season, she had picked off numerous runners on 1st, 2nd and 3rd without any instruction from the coaching staff. I am a true believer in letting the girls play with what they bring to the game. This time it worked out. My instincts were correct or lucky, you make the call but it was very rewarding watching this kid bury herself in taking charge and commanding the game. There may be some ego involved in calling pitches because I know I pride myself in the type calls I make especially in pressure situations. I think it requires a touch of it to be competitive enough to do a good job. Kids pick up on the attitude of winning and it's a good thing if not overdone. I know that at Coffee County, our coach is such a strategist, that he has the pitch, the shift and the play called at the same time. If you are going to call them, then it helps to have the "D" positioned for the call. He does a great job. Like Raiderone said, he talks to them before, during and after the game to stay on the same page of success.

Ami Bush-CF Sara Clapsaddle-RF Katie McCormick-C Brittany Toombs-SS Krystle Turner-2B Keep your eye on this senior class. Should be fun.

By the way coach, how's your daughter enjoying MS? She was and is a fireballer! What are her dominant pitches right now?

Given the fact that the site of the "Spring Fling" was put out for bids, what were the criteria for winning the tournament? Most likely, there is a multi-faceted contract with contingencies if obligations are not met. Yet, I find it interesting that the winning community can't fulfill it's contractual obligations of hosting such a large event with all that Memphis brokered and brought to the table. It is disturbing to know you can keep the tournament with this amount of advanced notice of not being able to meet your contract. It's one thing to move it out of town and bring it to an in-state suburb but it's another, in my opinion, to take it and our tax dollars across the border. Can this be right? It certainly looks bad but I am interested to know what the TSSAA and the second place bidder, ˜Chattanooga˜ is thinking right now. 1. Should Memphis get to keep this event with this much notice of not being able to fulfill obligations? 2. Should the second place bidder be allowed the option to take the tournament with such monies at stake? 3. What is the official position of the TSSAA about this unfortunate circumstance?

Does this mean that all the tax revenue from the players to the families to everyone involved staying in the hotels, eating and drinking will be lining the pockets of Missippians? How does that get explained away? When tournaments are held in our county, the most highly touted advantage is the revenue from the hotels to the restaurants. I would love to hear this explanation!

You have to look strongly at the example the college ranks are showing. Certain colleges are noted for their emphasis on football, others basketball and others baseball etc. You find great basketball coaches not picking a school that's known for football prowess because the money and underlying support structure would be a struggle and would wind up as a bottom feeder program. The same can be said for the high school programs. No school will admit that one sport supercedes another yet it is a fact of life when dividing resources and traditions. What you will find are kids and coaches making choices of schools that best fits their needs rather than trying to change the system at collegiate level. That choice isn't simple in high school level athletics but it is clear warning that trying to change attitude in a system starts from the top and the top is not a place for contention when it comes to making decisions. They will make those choices only if it benefits whatever purpose they hold in highest regard. [Edited by ERA on 2-6-03 5:06P]