bizazz

Slyder, I don't know you, but there's no reason you can't stay in the community. My son just finished his sophomore year in college and I still can't stay away from here.

There's a difference between fan behavior and behavior in the dugout. I wasn't at the game, but some of the things Baseballscout writes about belong in the softball dugout - not baseball dugout. And I don't think he was implying that the behavior had that much to do with the outcome of the game. If fans are out of line they should receive their criticism as well. A couple of years ago I was very critical of the behavior exhibited by some SD fans when they were playing Farragut in the 4AAA championship game. At that time my comments were directed squarely at the fans. The SD players stayed above all that and exhibited class on the field that night. Heckling by fans is a part of baseball, although I think it should be limited at the high school level. I can tell you that rock shaking and chants is not tolerated at the college level. It's an invitation to experience a couple of high and tight fastballs. Once again, there's nothing wrong with enthusiasm. But there's a right way and a wrong way.

Leave the softball cheering and chants to the softball teams. JMHO Nothing wrong with chatter.

4AAA has been one of the toughest districts around for several years. The district may not be as strong as in the past because Farragut is down a bit. This is the best that 3AAA has been in awhile. I'm still not sure it's as tough as district 4 though.

That's the way District 4 tiebreakers have been settled in the past (coin flip).

I remember Farragut finishing second to Bearden in either 2000 or 2001, but the Ads won the tournament, and they hosted a pool that year. It won't be the same not seeing any district games there. There's still the chance at hosting a regional game though.

Sounds like a real mess. Question: Was the batter standing in the batters box when the catcher made the throw?

Try Dr. Ivy at Knox Orthopedic. My son had elbow trouble and the end of last season and Dr. Ivy seems to know what he's doing. He'll give you an honest assessment of what you're looking at and your options. He's willing to try agressive therapy first, and surgery second. My son ended up with nothing more than a bad case of tendonitis, but he had to go through an MRI to determine that. He took the summer off, rehabbed, and was throwing again in the fall. Btw he's pitched about 66 innings in college this spring.

There's alway hope LC. Dugout, when was the last time Farragut did not host a part of the District tournament? SD is obviously the favorite. I think the other region slot is up for grabs between WB, Bearden, and Farragut.

Have the district 3AAA and 4AAA tournament schedules been set yet? I'd like to catch a couple of games.

LC, would you agree that it takes more than talent though? Somehow that talent has to mesh together into a team. Similar to LC, West had 7 or 8 players from its 04 and 03 classes playing college ball. However the best they managed in 4AAA was 4th place in both 2002 and 2003. West was plagued by poor defense at critical times, and the inability to advance baserunners.

Would you be talking A, AA, or AAA?

Grad, you are correct. I didn't mean to imply that the Jugs was "wrong". In order to be able to compare pitchers, however, you have to know which brand of gun is being used. Hitting 90 with a Stalker is obviously more rare than with a Jugs.

Farragut has no chance of winning the district for the first time in what seems forever. However - don't count them out in the tournament. I think the last time Farragut failed to win the district was around 2001 when they finished runnerup to Bearden. However Farragut won the tournament. At least that's how I remember it. It could've been the other way around. My memory's not what it used to be.

If the standings are correct over at PrepExtra, SD still has a commanding lead in the district. There's still some jostling between Bearden, WB, Farragut, and maybe Maryville for the higher tournament seeds. In years when Farragut was dominating it was always better to get into the 2-3-6-7 bracket. If Farragut stays #4 that could be an interesting bracket, with SD.

RebelGuy, I do not know you, but feel your pain. Losing will test the true character of a team. Once teams get used to losing it's like they have to learn how to win again. When you're losing, every mistake makes you think "here we go again". Instead of playing to win, players are uptight and "play not to lose". It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Team unity suffers because the guys that care (like yourself) butt heads with guys that don't. Your comment about executing and making routine plays is dead on. A lot more games are lost because players cannot (or do not) execute fundamental baseball as opposed to games being won because a player makes a spectacular play. Hang in there. Baseball is different than other sports because it's a team game, but relies heavily on individual performance. Nobody is laying down a block or setting a pick. You are out there by yourself - with your job to do. You can show leadership and encourage your teammates, but all you can do is do your job to the best of your abililites.

Wow. Congrats to the Bulldogs. Who pitched for both teams? I guess nobody in Knoxville is invincible - yet.

I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, if you are a RHP it takes a lot to get a pro scout to look at you if you're not throwing low-mid 90s. If as many guys are throwing 90 as is implied in this thread, I sure don't see it at the college level. It does make a difference whether a Jugs or Stalker is being used. The Stalker tends to read a couple of mph slower. Also, are we talking about "cruising speed" or top end speed? I know of a few guys that got clocked in the low 90s in high school. They, of course, had a lot of interest from recruiters. But, it still comes down to an ability to pitch - not just throw. Once you get to college or pro ball, just being able to throw hard is not enough.

I'd agree. I haven't a lot of HS ball the past couple of years, but remember WB teams doing a lot of the "little things" when my son's team faced them.

Striper you are correct. I don't care what kind of talent you have, if a team's made two consecutive trips to the Spring Fling, then there's some coaching involved. Never ceases to amaze me how many "experts" we have on these message boards.

I have also heard - Dr. Andrews. Last summer we were afraid my son might be facing Tommy John surgery. He was experiencing a lot of pain in his elbow. Fortunately the MRI revealed a strained UCL rather than a tear. He took the summer off and did physical therapy. He's doing fine with it this spring. Based on my reading, you're looking at two years for a full recovery. You can pitch again in a year, but you won't have "it" back for another year. I think the recovery rate is pretty good if the player works hard enough. He went to Dr. Ivey at Knoxville Orthopedic. Dr. Ivey seemed to be very competent in terms of diagnosing the problem.

Lenoir City appears to be going through an adjustment period in their step up to 4AAA.

USJ is hardly a typical AA team.

Thanks, I had forgotten that the News-Sentinel has finally started doing this. Several years too late - but better late than never.

Since nobody bothers to post schedules on CoachT anymore, does anyone have the District 3-AAA standings?