BlackJack54

BTMom over on the Big 9 thread has a good idea too. She mentioned a Tiki Hut somewhere and it's got to be 5 o'clock there. Either one, count me in!

I'll make my predictions as well madman101: Play-In Game Volunteer 5 Central 1 Round 1: Science Hill 14, Volunteer 0 DB 7, South 3 Boone 6, East 4 THS 10, Crockett 4

Sorry about the Jackson kid. When we played them, it looked like a lot of kids were hanging on the fence. Guess he's got his stars already chosen. Stars are short-lived but character is for a lifetime.

My goodness---ole Gordon Zollman. Yes, you are right there. He WAS a role model for sure. I knew him back in the day. Cline was a young 'un in my book but he always gave 110% on the field. He did his job and did it well. Got the college boys there to give 'em a look. He tried to keep his personal life to himself but some of the parents in that area like to "do a little digging" sometime to stir things up if you know what I mean. I see your point and I understand it well. You've caused me to stop think but I still believe he was an outstanding coach. And I sure agree, especially after conferring with the heart-breakin BTMom, A is not any kind of role model. Pretty hypocritical on a lot of issues. Evidently the community down there is finding out about him.

Sage! Now there's a word I will claim as my own! hahhaha I see it's just an "S" with age to follow. Probably a story there somewhere. Ah yes...it is the journey and when mama and I had our kids, we asked the same questions as you. Is it fun? Like you, if the answer was no, we moved on. Life is too short to be saddled with someone seeking their own fame (in coaching not fortune though) and identity with whoever they can promote. In our day, we never cursed at the kids, we never talked down to them, never told them they stunk ( a term which I detest) and never belittled any player. I read a post yesterday and was responding before it was mysteriously removed. In essence, it asked why so many coaches feel the need to drop the F-bomb or use the Lord's name in vain which goes against all positive teachings at all!!!!! I feel it shows immaturity and lack of professionalism and since I'm an old coaching sage, I can say that. 60+ to be exact. Now that REALLY shows my age. But as you say, scholarships, further education, and fun on the ride is what counts. Not your ace, your upcoming star or raging at parents. Many guys cut their own throat by dissing parents. Just tell them you don't want to discuss playing time, don't threaten and try to be a human. Shaking head here again. Perhaps you and I should open a School for Positive Coaches.

This is a very perceptive post bbfan09. I too have witnessed some of the local tourneys and see some of our young men playing better in the summer. As BTMom pointed out, her son had pitching talent and it was not nurtured but overlooked. The pitching coach at her son's school is most ineffective and has a chip on his shoulder. Not to mention the baggage he carries. Won't go there though. A lot of the coaches today look for kids who already have mature talent and use that up. They don't want to "teach" anything; they just want to win. In my area Dave Rutherford was probably one of the best teaching coaches around. He took what he saw as promising talent and honed their skills. He did not apply high pressure as many do today. A lot of the young men are given one chance and if they don't perform, like BTMom said, they are set up to fail and usually end up quitting. Others can make error after error and remain on the field. I also think some travel coaches make the whole experience fun. The team seems to bond better and they play hard for men they respect. The East Coach is an example. He respects his young men and they respect him. He is fair. Kids look for fairness and respect it. If they don't get it, just as BTMom said, they find another sport to excel in. I think the motivation is there, but the respect, the fun and the fairness arent.

I suppose I'll show my age too, BTMom, but I am familiar with the Cline Era and that was a class act. As others on this board have stated I too see a move up of younger kids to the varsity level too soon. If the younger ones were left to be successful on JV, they wouldn't be sitting the bench on varisty or taking jr and sr positions. Coaches know that will kill the heart of a team quicker than anything. That being said, if you intelligently bring up some younger ones to gain a little experience every now and again that would make the team stronger. I know some teams work that way. I have heard of your son in football and hear that great things are coming from him this year. My neighbor up here works at eastman and has relatives going to south. From what I'm told, that coach A does not nurture his players. He tends to set one or two up as his "stars" and then sets some others up for failure. Many of his good kids quit because they don't want to put up with the daily cussings or unfairness he displays. My neighbor thinks he played for Mr. Cline but evidenlty he missed some of the most valuable lessons. I'd say the football coach DID get the best end of that deal. Many people forget, the kids are what's important and we always tried to get scholarships for ours. Ritz does that as does Krantz. That's what it's all about--being good role models for these young men.

etathelte, I'd like to know what your take on the Big 9 Conference Tourney coming up is? Who do you see as a winner?

Gabby, I think you're on to something with your post. The key word here is "pipeline". A coach has to have a pipeline of pitchers coming in the ranks or he's sunk like a rock on down the road. Some coaches know this and try to work with the middle school levels to see what's coming for them. Others pick one or two good pitchers, elevate them for success and then work that same plan every two years. Science Hill definitley has a good travel program for younger toppers and then their feeder programs are good too. Boone works the young guys in and respects their older pitchers on the team. Krantz definitely has a good pitcher in Harmon but he just doesn't have much else to work with as Roberts and Hyden graduate. DB is strong and Ritz has been to the State before with success. Volunteer is working to strengthen their pitching staff in the next couple of years and East will have to do the same. South has their ace and maybe one or two more but that's it. They seem to use up what they have and hope more comes along. Short-sited coaching there. My money is on DB or the Hill. I love my Pats but this might not be their year. If not, I really like either DB or SH. Both quality programs, good coaching, and careful treatment of their thoroughbreds. Strong work ethic and desire to win. Boone might be the sleeper here. Just my opinion. BBfan09, you state a good point too. The kids in the area are great players and the lack of success in some cases comes with coaching. For example, 3 DB guys signed yesterday for their college years. Now that staff looks our for their boys even AFTER graduation. Other coaches tell their kids at the beginning of each year that their job is NOT to get scholarships so if they want one good luck they're on their own! That shows us the difference in the maturity of coaching staffs.

Now this is a good post right here! I think you should go to the high schools BT Mom and give some of these people lessons. That Tiki Bar sounds pretty good and so does that retirement. I'm just shaking my head of some of the stunts parents pull. Some of them should take a test before they have kids. But then I too think some coaches should take a test before they coach. Some of these yahoooos don't know their you know whats from a hole in the ground. Anymore if you're looking for a good coach it's a crap shoot. No pun intended on the crap part.

I think your assessment of the entire situation is right on. Too many parents want to be "friends" with their kids but the adults need to grow up and be the parent! You brought a chuckle to this old coach's heart about Prom night. I see the same things are still happening. Lucky is right! I predict that the Hill will come out with a vengance and it might very well be Boone in the mix with them. Boone has Dishner who is a scrappy player and will rise up to expectations when called upon. The 3rd baseman is a slugger too. Connells, enough said. This would be a game to see for sure. DB has Harvey who can pitch with the best of them and TN has Krebbs who can go it with anyone too. It just depends on how deep the pitching is and if the Coach has shown confidence in them.

NETfan, That is about the best summary I've seen of the competition. Fair, concise, and very very accurate. Ran into Coach Sells the other day at a local restaurant, and he said you gotta have at least 3 good arms to get far at all. I agree SH has those arms if they aren't turning up drinks with umbrellas in them! Hope they lock the "adult" up in that situation. I agree with the "on" bats as well. If Boone can stay hot with their sticks, they will do well. They are a much improved improved ball club. Krebbs is outstanding and so is Archer but they can't do it alone. TN High has been hitting well and will provide support for their ace, but South seems to be moving backwards. If it goes as you say, the TN High/Boone game would be a good one and the SH/South game would be a blow-out with SH mopping up. The key in that one is how many kids are benched at SH and how downtrodden the south players are. When we played them the starters stood with their heads hung down as the "fearless leader" ranted at them. How do you see Central in the mix? Could their talent of Roberts and Hyden pull anything off? I agree Dez can do the job, but he will need help too.

Looks like it's coming down to the wire now with the teams that have improved on the season taking the lead. I heard about the post-prom party but sure didn't know any baseball players were involved. That's an unfortunate incident for the Hill. We'll see what the Coach is made of now regarding suspensions, school rules, and team politics. I hear he's a "by the book" kind of guy. TN High with their win over South last night seems ready for the tourney. Volunteer might be a sleeper that everybody overlooked. That Hudson kid is a real team leader! If the Hill players are suspended, looks to me like Boone, TN High, and DB will be on top. The first round will be interesting for sure with all the aces on the mound. Ritz is a strategy man as is Coach Payne. These 2 will be hard to beat as play continues. Coach Hoover at Boone (not the ill-tempered brother at south) has a real heart for the game and can get his kids motivated! "Big A" as someone called him (wonder what the A stands for as if we didn't know) might as well take up his uniforms and call it a day. Dropping the F bomb and cursing a blue streak at the kids won't motivate them. Hated to see the tall lanky kid leave the team. There was some talent if he'd been given a real chance. I predict some upsets right off the bat. If Central could get all their talent playing as a team, they might have a shot. My Patriots have to come to the park to play ball and if Coach B can get them fired up, they can be on to round 2!

DCHS, I'll have to agree with respecting their competitiveness. Point taken. And a good one. I think there is a lot of talent on the team especially with some of the young pitchers . The #21 pitcher is stong and #45 is a hoss for sure. Look like good football men to me. The tall lanky kid was supposed to be called on alot but has seen little action my neighbor from eastman tells me. You just hate to see talent not being honed to its fullest and I'm not sure the capability is there. Now the older man who coaches, the neighbor tells me, is a dynamite at coaching, just his hands are tied by the head honcho. The pitching coach? We wont' go there. Lot of baggage. But this thread is about the Big 9 and I think DB, Crockett, Science Hill, and TN High are off and running. Central is scrappy and has some standouts like the Roberts kid. He's a player! East....Gaby and company are good too. Boone could be in the running if the Connells can play to their potential and Dishner is hitting. Coach R says it's about the pitchers and those top teams have the best for sure.

No one knows if East will make a state run or not, but I look at the development of a team from the beginning of a season until the end of a season. Most of the teams in the Big 9 are improving and getting stronger. TN High has a great coaching staff who promotes team effort by individual growth. Coach Payne, whom I've known for a long time, raises the bar high for his youngsters. Coach Ritz, just inducted into the hall of fame, is an outstanding coach as well. DB had a great game against our Pats last night with young Mr. Harvey coming in for the save. He's a good talented kid with much potential. Might be VA Tech bound? Those kids have really improved. Even though I'm a Pat fan, like I've said before, you have to recognize talent when you see it. Loughry is very talented too. The Hill continues to get stronger and I predict WILL make a state bid this year. It's pitching, pitching and more pitching. What I hear, and have seen, is that the boys from south continue to make mistake after mistake and remain in their position without growing or learning. Their ace is an outstanding athlete and just signed a college scholarship but the young man has to have help. East is young and is making improvements. To take a power like DB to 11 innings shows me growth and love of the game. You just gotta figure out why your team is not improving and adjust. Coach Carter is a class act and did a great job up here. Community loved him. And evidently, he's doing an outstanding job with football at south too. Maybe HE oughta be coaching baseball there too.

Hey ET, Just got a call from my brother-in-law down in Greenville and they played south down there tonight. His boy is on the team. The south circus moved to the infield tonight. The 3rd baseman missed a ball and when his cousin the coach got on him, he beaned the ball back to the pitcher. Unfortunately it only made it half way and bounced towards Greenville's dugout scoring one run and advancing the runners on base! south's playing and coaching went downhill from there. Greenville pulled out a win by 2 runs. Errors in play and coaching are going to kill south in tourney play. East needs to keep practices focused and on task and they will go far.

Funny, right from an East fan whose team won 15-3 on Monday. I don't hate south there Vol, just stating the obvious. DB is a talented team as is East and they've both been underrated this year. The pitcher from South is an ace and will go far but you gotta have 3 good strong pitchers for tourney time. You know ole Yadier there is working with some of our East boys and Gaby is on his list too so all the talent ain't in Colonial Heights. You folks there at south tend to be a little closed-minded whereas Yadier sees ALL the talent in the area. He can tell you or you can ask Dave Rutherford about East High too. Close to that scout's heart too. I just think south's coach is countin on one kid way too much.

Bunt? BUnt? They couldn't even hit the ball! I can't remember how many strike outs Harvey had but he was great on the mound. He definitely had control. He was large and in charge! Do you think those 9 are all richardson has? Seemed like a gaggle hanging the fence. Can't any of those guys hit the ball? Ritz has a tradition over in that area for sure. I'd like to see that crockett game. Where they playing?

Me and a buddy made the 45 minute drive over to JF Johnson last night as my interest in the Indians is peaking as tourney time draws near. That Harvey kid is impressive. Talk about handcuffing south! For South, same kids, same mistakes and same strikeouts. Duh. Harvey is poised, under control, and in my book runs the show as soon as he steps on the mound. The 2nd baseman is tough and a good hitter too. I agree that this team is the one to watch. They seem to have continually improved all season. I still say don't write off the Tribe even though I'm a Patriot fan, you gotta recognize talent where it is. Good baseball again Coach Ritz.

Yadier, My condolences to your wife and sorry you've had problems. I did know someone was helping Smith and Gaby but didn't know who. You've done a good job with them. Bud Smith, now there's a class act for sure! All that being said, I still say that Coach B did the better job on Monday with his kids. Predicting the number of innings that your team will beat another team just fires the other team up. Maybe I shoulda said thanks to the south coach for firing up the Pats. Anyway, this one is in the books and it's on to conference now.

Would like to see some opinions on the coaching skills in the Big 9. Who is the best on strategy? Who uses his players to the fullest? Who's doing the best job so far?

Right. Uh huh.

I DID mention that Hunter did a good job on the mound and DID mention Tyler's fantastic job. Guess you forgot to read that part. I did not mention said kid's playing ability but I doubt the "relationship" holds him more accountable as evidenlty he HAS been a starter all year. My friend etathlete was simply stating his opinion of said coach not the REAL Coach who in this case is Coach B at East. I am an East fan and always be. Lots of ties there my man. Check all posts before you say something about someone's class.

etathlete, you nailed it right there brother. I wasn't aware of the political situation there but now I see. DB certainly doesn't need any help from "daddys." So is that why the Richardson kid from DB transferred to South? Notice I didn't mention the Richardson kid at EAST who seems to be adding a lot to the program there! I'd heard some rumors about distancing daddy's but didn't know who is was. Now I know. That's pathetic. I thought daddy ball ended in rec ball.

If you're writing people off the list, I'd say write off Central and South because they're weak and can't compete. They have no pitching. The Hill, DB, Boone, Crocket.....there are your winners. Hope your pencils have erasers.