fpjunkie

Michelle Kinney from St. Benedict currently plays for Mississippi State.

I am not at all familiar with the Mt. Juliet situation, so I cannot comment specifically about that team or coach. However, in any sport and at any level, there has to be some common sense. My daughter plays in the SEC, and she missed a practice this year to attend the funeral of a close friend. A teammate missed a conference double header to attend the funeral of her grandfather. Neither was disciplined, in fact both attended with the permission of the coach. There is a difference between being a strict disciplinarian and being a control freak. Thankfully, most of the coaches whom we have dealt with through the years have been the former.

The pitcher is required to start with her hands separated, then bring them together, I believe for between 1 second and 10 seconds. I believe that approx. 10 years ago, it was required that the ball be in the bare hand while they were separated, and this was referred to as presenting the ball. The rule for at least the past 8 years has been that the ball can be in either the glove hand or the bare hand, thus the pitcher no longer is required to "present" the ball, although some people still use that terminology.

What is the purpose in this? Just curious. It doesn't sound like a real good idea to me.

I know that Vanderbilt does not have a great deal of unused space on campus, but that alone should not rule out softball. Many schools (including the University of Tennessee) play softball in off-campus facilities. The strong community interest in fastpitch would not only give Vanderbilt a big advantage in recruiting, but I believe that softball would also enjoy much more community support than volleyball or swimming. I don't know if they have tried to make arrangements to play off-campus, but if not, it would certainly make a lot of sense!

How does this poll work? I guess I'm not too smart, but I can't figure it out. I clicked on the box to see the poll results, and I not only got the results, but a message that I had already voted. Is there some way I can find out whom I voted for? If so, is there some way to cancel it if I don't agree with myself?

Does anyone know why there was not a gold bracket? It is bad enough having to beat Georgia teams for the Tennessee at-large berth, but quite a few excellent Tennessee A teams were eliminated by Georgia gold teams. In addition, the 18U's were played at Red Bank which were terrible fields for this level of competition. I heard that there were only 75 teams entered, all ages. No wonder. This tournament has really gone down. If not for the at-large berths, I bet there would have been even less entries. Maybe it is time to look at another way of awarding the Tennessee at-large berths!

One of Mississippi State's top players, a sophomore this past season, was home schooled. I also know of a home schooled player who signed this year with TSU.

fanniemaye - Every team has approximately 15 teen aged girls, all with different levels of development, maturity, confidence, tact, etc. I agree that the statement you quoted is not what I would hope to hear from someone on my team, but if you were in the right place at the right time, I imagine you could hear statements as bad, if not a lot worse, from virtually every team in the state. Someone who mutters a statement like that after a game does not concern me nearly as much as someone who would post a statement like that on a public forum. What are you hoping to accomplish? We have played Hickman County 6 times over the past two years, and they have always conducted themselves in an admirable manner both on and off of the field. When it comes to class, it looks like you should take some lessons from them. Hickman County - Good luck in State!!!

You are right, there are wide variances in the way people keep stats. Unfortunately, these stats are often used to determine post season awards. I have spoken with parents on other teams who tell me that their players get credited with base hits every time they have a sacrifice, walk, fielders choice, etc. No wonder some of the batting averages are so high. Sometimes when I see a line summary in the paper called in by one of our opponents, I wonder if they were watching the same game. Keeping score is complicated when you have a well-trained, unbiased scorekeeper. In nearly all high school games, you have a parent who is usually not particularly well trained and, no matter how hard he/she tries, is certainly not unbiased. I try to follow the guidelines set out by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (www.nfca.org). I reread them at least twice a year and carry a copy with the scorebook. My daughter is a pitcher. When there is a close call and she is pitching, I ask myself how I would score it if she had been hitting. If she is hitting, I ask myself how I would score it if she was pitching. If I am still not sure, I ask several people around me for their opinions. I still admit, however, that I am not totally objective. I don't believe that any parent can be. It would be nice if TSSAA would print out some guidelines and maybe even have an annual seminar. Although you are never going to have totally consistent approaches to scorekeeping from school to school, I believe that you could come a whole lot closer with a little bit of training.

According to article in today's City Paper, Herald gave up 6 hits and struck out 11 for Ezell, while Cunningham gave up 3 hits and struck out 10 for Davidson. Natalie Brock reached first on a fielder's choice and scored from first on a fly ball by Ashley McCool off of the center fielder's glove. I don't think the article said if it was a hit or an error, but I got the impression from reading it that it was an error.

You can give an error to any player, including the pitcher. In this case, it might actually be two errors. You said she badly bobbled the ball and then overthrew first base. Was the throw in time to get the runner out? If so, then it would only be one error. However, if the runner had it beat, then there would be one error on the bobble which allowed her to reach first, then a second error on the throw which allowed her to reach second. The error would not be on the first baseman unless the throw should have been caught with ordinary effort (or unless the pitcher's father was keeping score.)

Congratulations to Centennial for a great win! Centennial now moves on to play Hickman County in the finals. These two teams were the number 3 and 5 seeds going into the tournament. I think that speaks volumes about the level of competition in 11AAA. Even the teams that finished near the bottom showed marked signs of improvement this year, so hopefully this level of competition will continue to improve. Does anyone know when the championship will be played? Best of luck to Centennial and Hickman County as you move into regionals and beyond. I know you will both represent our district well.

Does anyone know the results from last nights games in 11AAA?

sbcoach - I don't see how you can bring Hickman County into this. If you reread the original post, it is clearly intended to fire up Brentwood. How can that benefit Hickman County? I read everything on here regarding 11AAA, and I cannot recall Hickman County ever talking any trash about Brentwood. Hickman County has never shown me anything but class, and they have already assured themselves of a regional berth. What motivation could they possibly have to stir things up between Centennial and Brentwood. (And how many Hickman County fans do you think know or care how many seniors are on Brentwood's team?) If you read the posts following the original, you will see that it did exactly what it was intended to do, fire up Brentwood. After trying to get them mad in the first part of the post, the remainder is basically a pep talk. In fact, if you reread the entire post and imagine the Brentwood coach giving it as a speech after a hard loss, it would be a pretty effective postgame speech. It is just unfortunate that it was given on a public forum. I certainly am not implying that it was posted by a Brentwood coach, they all have way too much class for that. Probably a frustrated fan who thought that the coach didn't come down hard enough on them after the game. Regardless, it shouldn't be allowed to tarnish the image of Brentwood or Centennial's softball program, and it certainly should not reflect in any way on Hickman County.

Everybody needs to go back and look a little closer at the post from cougar4life. Notice that this is his first and only post. Also notice that he just became a member today. Then note that his screen name is clearly intended to label him as someone from Centennial. How many times have you seen posts on this board from Centennial? Brentwood people post all of the time. Reread the post. It is clearly intended to make Centennial look cocky and to fire up Brentwood. I would be very surprised if you ever hear from this poster again! I doubt very seriously if cougar4life is a player or someone officially connected with either Brentwood or Centennial softball. He sounds like an out of control fan, probably a student, trying to stir something up. Both Brentwood and Centennial deserve better than this. Both schools have worked hard for years to develop reputations for being competitive on the field and showing good sportsmanship both on and off of the field. Neither deserves to have that reputation smeared by this kind of juvenile prank on a public forum. Regardless of which school he attends, cougar4life owes both schools an apology. I won't be holding my breath waiting for it though. I just urge the readers of this board not to allow his ill-advised post to influence your opinions of either of these excellent programs.

Okay, I'm now thoroughly confused. Is this stuff written somewhere? If there are 2 teams left in the winners bracket, but they are not the #1 and #2 seeds, do those two teams advance, or do you revert to the regular season? I can think of good arguments for both, but I would hope there is something predetermined in writing so that it does not come down to an individual's decision which will be sure to make one of the teams mad. (We encountered a similar situation a few years ago in travel ball where a national berth was awarded to a local team which had already been eliminated from the tournament.) Is there a written rule which covers this?

The way I read it, the regular season winner (Beech) is the host and the tournament director is from Lavergne.

I was just wading through all of the mudslinging that has been posted on this board recently and wishing that adults would try to be more positive and set a better example for our teenagers, when lo and behold, this post appeared. Not only is it a very kind post about someone that the writer barely knows and has never played on a team with, but it also happens to be about my daughter! Thank you so much for sharing your kind thoughts. I showed your post to Sara, and she was deeply touched. (Sara stopped reading this board long ago because of all the negative posts, but I am hooked, although I seldom post anymore because I got tired of being dragged through the mud everytime someone disagreed with what I had to say.) Congratulations on your win yesterday. Hickman County has been a formidable opponent for us for the past two years. Even though we had won the last 4 games, the scores were 2-1, 2-0, 1-0, and 1-0. With games like that, you know it is only a matter of time until the tables are turned, and you certainly turned them yesterday. I have been impressed with Tarrah's development over the past two years. If she continues to improve, I am sure she will have (probably already does have) plenty of younger girls looking up to her. I just wish you would ask her not to focus so much on Sara the next time we play. In our last three meetings (all pitched by Tarrah), Sara has not had a hit. I have gained a great respect for the Hickman County program over the past two years. Not only do you play very competitive ball, but both the parents and players demonstrate exemplary sportsmanship. I wish I had a good mark to give, but I don't. Maybe somebody can help me out here. Thanks again for the kind words, and good luck in the remainder of the season.

Friday 3:00 Grace Baptist v. Friendship Goodpasture v. Antioch Harpeth Hall v. McGavock 4:30 Overton v. Station Camp Soddy Daisy v. FRA Antioch v. Clarksville High McGavock v. Giles County 6:00 Centennial v. Grace Baptist Hume Fogg v. Page Redbank v. Goodpasture Hillsboro v. Harpeth Hall 7:30 Station Camp v. Harpeth High Friendship v. White House Clarksville High v. Redbank Giles County v. Hillsboro 9:00 Harpeth High v. Overton White House v. Centennial Page v. Soddy Daisy FRA v. Hume Fogg Saturday 8:00 Harpeth High v. Boyd Buchanon McGavock v. Hillsboro Goodpasture v. Clarksville High 9:30 Boyd Buchanon v. Overton Hume Fogg v. Soddy Daisy White House v. Grace Baptist Antioch v. Red Bank 11:00 Station Camp v. Boyd Buchanon FRA v. Page Friendship v. Centennial Harpeth Hall v. Giles County 12:30 Single Elimination begins 6:30 Championship Game

Eddie Feigner is "The King". The following is an excerpt from an article written last May by David Schoenfield of ESPN about the greatest pitches of all time. Eddie Feigner's fastball Eddie who? OK, we're cheating. Feigner was a fastpitch softball pitcher -- but, hey, we never said we were sticking to baseball. Feigner was once timed at 104 mph ... and remember, he's pitching closer to home plate. In a two-inning exhibition in 1967, he fanned Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Brooks Robinson, Maury Wills, Harmon Killebrew and Roberto Clemente. He's nearing 80, but "The King" still tours with his "Court."

Club K will be featured tonight on WSMV Channel 4's Inside Sports at 10:30 p.m.

I don't know him personally, but based on his past posts, I know that Catchman is an instructor. I also know that STD is one of the most respected coaches in the state. Catchman may have been frustrated at times with coaches, but I have to agree with STD on this one. Since my daughter began lessons at Club K approx. 9 years ago, she has played for at least 12 different head coaches (rec, travel, middle, and high school) and many more assistants. In addition, I have observed many other coaches in action, and have talked with parents and players who have played for many other coaches. My daughter has never played for a coach who did not seem to appreciate the instruction she has received and the many hours she has spent trying to become a better player. That does not mean that her coaches have never tried to help her. No matter how good the instructors at Club K may be, they do not go with the girls onto the field for practice or games. All players slip into bad habits occasionally, and she has had coaches offer suggestions. On the few occasions where the coach's instruction has seemed to contradict her private instruction, she (or I) has spoken with either the coach, the instructor, or both, and resolved the situation. The secret is not challenging, but respecting the coach and acknowledging that he/she is in charge of the team. We have never experienced a coach who used profanity or otherwise acted inappropriately around the girls. I have read posts on this board from players or parents who weren't crazy about their coaches for various reasons, but rarely do you read of one complaining about the kinds of things that Catchman alleges. I'm sure there are a few out there somewhere, but the coaches that are out there in large numbers are the ones who spend countless hours for love of the game, love of the girls, and little or no money. To all of these coaches, I say a big "THANK YOU!" [Edited by fpjunkie on 3-11-03 1:33A]

Did I miss something? Were some posts deleted? Who are all the "Tyree haters" out there? Who has been bashing Allison Tyree? Surely you are not referring to the post by Tnthrow. He says, "She is a pretty good pitcher but I just don't think she's quite as good as everyone says that she is." He then goes on to wish her and her team good luck. While this may not be glowing praise, I certainly don't consider it bashing or hateful. The strand asks the question, "how good will brentwood high be?" The person who started the strand asked for opinions and Tnthrow gave his. It may not have been what the original poster wanted to hear, but at least he gave it in a civil manner. Brentwood always fields a very competitive team. However, they have not been to the state tournament in at least 4 years, including Kacey Ellis's senior year. Last year they graduated 4 seniors, at least three of whom have gone on to play college softball. There have been a lot of posts recently talking about Brentwood as state contenders. While I believe that they have the ability to beat any given team on any given day, I have to agree with Tnthrow that they will have a hard uphill battle if they are going to win a state championship. I think Allison Tyree is an excellent pitcher with a great atitude. I think Brentwood will field a very competitive team as they always do. I also think that they will come up short of a state title. Just my opinion. In 3 1/2 months we will know who was right and who was wrong. In the meantime, good luck to Allison, to Brentwood, and to all of the other teams who set their goals high and work hard to meet them. [Edited by fpjunkie on 2-5-03 9:22A]

FPFanatic - I am disappointed in you. I have come to expect this kind of negative post from CORNPUP. Since his tirade on the Female Sports strand where he personally attacked you and me for daring to disagree with him, he has put down the Beech Play Day, 2Shooter4, the entire Firebirds team, and District 12-AAA. However, you have developed a reputation for fairness and being positive, and it shocks me to see you posting something like this about an entire team, especially when you don't back it up. I have had dealings with the Firebirds off and on for approximately 5 years, including extensive dealings over the past 5 months. If there are parents or players who are miserable, they certainly have strange ways of showing it. I can certainly understand that the Firebirds (like any other team) are not right for everybody. However, the chemistry on the current team is excellent and they all seem to be very excited about the prospects for the coming year. (I also can't recall seeing or hearing on this board or anywhere else that they were bashing or putting down other teams, as you stated.) I believe that this board exists to promote youth sports, but negative posts often have just the opposite effect. There is always room for disagreement without attacking whole teams (or districts, tournaments, or individuals.) I hope that you will continue to make thoughtful, positive posts as you have in the past, rather than turning to negative posts like this one.