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Thanks for the vote blue! Hey- the ump behind the plate took a foul ball off the hand...kept going, but it got him.... is he ok?

I'm sorry, it sounded as if you were questioning whether Coach Pharr is bright enough to choose pitchers and influence the matchups in the games. Could you clear up something for me? Tell me upon which you base your comment...is it the fact that Coach Pharr only has 3 state champoinships and 3 runners-up with another top 3 finish? All of that in the last 8 years by the way. Or is it the many times that his "bright" decisions allowed Halls to beat Farragut? I realize that either would substantiate your brilliant comment and I just wondered which you used for a basis! Having said that, I look forward to a great game whenever the weather permits and whoever pitches for the two teams. They are both playing well and the game should be yet another good high school matchup!

OK- I've tried to ignore this, but I can't... I doubt that Mike Hamilton is telling his coaches that they have to get all the local talent to come to Tennessee. He wants talent- period! 3 juniors from UT were drafted in the top 40 spots this year! I'd say that's a pretty talented set of recruits! As for your list...none of those players went to Vandy either. So Tim Corbin must have done a poor job of recruiting? No! The needs of the players and their families didn't match up with the needs of the universities! They obviously were able to find schools they liked and situations they liked (some after more than one attempt at a school by the way) at universities that needed the talent they could provide. Perhaps they even got some scholarship compensation! None of that says that UT did a poor job by not getting those players! Oh- since the original topic was Farragut baseball....I understand that they didn't really lose many seniors this year and have a good stock of talent coming back! Many of the returning players played in last year's state championship and will bring that talent and experience back for junior and senior years that show a great deal of promise!

First off, you must think you might be able to or you wouldn't ask the question! That's a good thing!!! Don't stop thinking it and don't stop working at it. As for playing and what you need to shoot... It sounds like you need to get to some other courses so you'll learn how to play more than just your usual one. It takes different skills to play different courses well. You need to work on all aspects of your game! It's tough to call out a score you need to shoot because courses vary so much. But you should try to be at or around par for sure! Measure yourself against local competition. Play in tournaments against juniors and against adults so you can see where you stack up. Once you are competitive locally, try to find tougher competition and play against them. (But don't forget that the course is who you really need to play! If you can leave the course feeling like you got about the best score you could, then it's a successful day!) Good luck! Keep working!

I don't intend to defend or attack anyone here, but I get frustrated when people post on topics about which they don't really have direct knowledge. The names on the above list did not attend UT. The comment implies that UT showed no interest or they weren't able to get these players. A player and his family may choose (or rule out) a school for a variety of reasons. The first name here, Catapano, has family ties in NC. He was given a chance to play for a program that had finished 2nd in last year's CWS and attend an excellent university. Why he didn't choose UT, I can't say, but he had plenty of reason to go to UNC. Brett Basham wanted to play right away and UT had an All-American/Team USA catcher ahead of him for 2 yrs. So Brett elected to go to a school where he had a better chance of playing right away. Throw in the limited number of scholarships for baseball, and it makes a more interesting puzzle for who goes where and why. I'm not saying that UT/Delmonico does things in a perfect way, but to imply that they "lost" or "didn't want" these players is certainly not fair as a blanket statement. As for DBMOM's comment...Tony started the year as SS and switched to 2B. At no time this year did he act as DH. His hitting did improve as the year went on. As for the roster, UT historically carries a small roster. There are 27 names on this year's roster (one of the 27 was red-shirted for surgery purposes). Of the 27 names 17 are actually from Tennessee. That's probably a pretty high percentage compared to other SEC schools. (By comparison, Vandy has 37 players on their roster with only 11 coming from Tennessee.) Ultimately, Coach Delmonico is gone, so it doesn't matter, but it would be nice if we try to keep things factual rather than speculate about issues from a distance.

I don't plan to jump into this whole "who has scholarships and why" thing, but I had to point out one thing...Andy Simunic is a fine baseball player and he's doing a great job as a walk-on at UT. However, he hasn't taken the starting position at 3rd from Cody Brown!!! Cody has been hurt all season and playing with a bad shoulder which will require surgery once the season ends. Simunic is capable of playing the position and doing so allows UT to slide Chad Maddox into right and try to get his bat to produce. So if Cody is hurting, Simunic fills in, but he hasn't taken over the starting position at 3rd base. Now don't get me wrong...Simunic WILL be in that starting lineup somewhere and he deserves it, but Cody Brown will be the starting 3rd baseman unless his injury dictates something else.

Just spoke with someone at the field. The Farragut vs Collierville game was not played (if and/or when it will be played remains to be seen). The Farragut vs North Cobb game scheduled for 5:30 is set to start as scheduled. At this point it looks like remaining games as scheduled tonight and Coach Pharr will try to juggle the schedule to get all games in if possible. Coach Pharr will look at the schedules after the Farragut vs North Cobb game to see how he can best work it out, so I'm sure someone will have a revised schedule later this evening.

I waited quite awhile to post this because your closing shot here is just what others were saying about DB! You got beat by a TEAM! Rob pitched a fair game by his standards and DB could muster just 3 hits! You tried to imply that Farragut had only one pitcher and they couldn't win at state since Rob could only pitch a couple of games.....Now that the smoke has cleared and the proof is there, the Admirals used 7 different pitchers at the spring fling to give up 6 runs in 6 games! To imply that they didn't have pitching was an unfounded shot and I'm quite glad you were proven wrong! My impulse when I first read your post was to tell you to ask Vandy about the two losses they had to farragut when Rob wasn't pitching...Not only did you sell the 06 team short, you are probably underesimating a staff that will grow and prove to be just as strong next year (albeit less a Division 1 signee!) Good luck to DB, but don't look back 'cause the Admirals will always be there!

You are so correct HV! The Admiral faithful certainly owe a debt of gratitude to the folks at Union Cumberland Presbyterian Church and WUCP! They have faithfully worked "their end" while Ralph was steadfast in his continued support of Farragut Baseball. We are extremely fortunate to have a person like Ralph to provide the many services he does and thanks to Susie for sharing his time!

You heard it here first...Farragut has more pitching than people give them credit for! Freshman Jordan Cooper pitched a great game in the first one and gave up 3 hits (i think) before Lawson Cheek closed out the last inning. Then Cheek went 6 innings in the second game before Shane Glarrow pitched 3-up-3 down in the seventh to seal the deal! Those bats I spoke of came alive and Collierville saw the real Admirals this evening. Thanks for all the support from the east and keep the faith! Catapano on the hill tomorrow night and, of course, Ralph will be on WUCP 106.1 as well as www.wucplp.com! GO ADMIRALS! One more game!

Thanks for the words Bizzazz... he did hmself proud and gave the team a chance to win. Gave up a home run on an 0-2 curve that hung... (as you know, the further you go, the more you pay for those mistakes!) one of only two hard hit balls.... Very proud of him and ready to see the bats come alive and get this thing going in the right direction. Go Ads!

Now Rebelguy....dont get ahead of yourself...don't jump over us quite yet! It's not beyond the realm of possibility that our Ads could beat Collierville twice this evening and step on. Its a tall task of course, but not impossible! Collierville is a good club, but we held them to 5 hits. If our bats wake up, Farragut has more pitching than people give thm credit for. It should be a good evening and you and Vandy need to be pulling for us so we'll represent you well. Remember- the FIRST game starts at 4:00 Central and you can listen on www.wucplp.com! GO ADMIRALS!

Farragut deserves alot of credit for working hard all year and continuing to improve. The kids stuck to it and got the outcome they deserve... a 6th straight trip to the Spring Fling! Catapano didn't seem to have his best stuff tonight...Can you really say that about a guy that just held a good-hitting team like D-B to just 3 hits???? Yes, you can. I think Rob would agree that he wasn't as sharp as he can be! So what did he do? He dug down inside and found the will and the way to keep the bats quiet. A really gutsy performance by a great pitcher and player!

R2R - Hope to see you there if it gets to round 5! Just don't bring Eddie Turpin with you because he sure ruined an otherwise great high school baseball game! In fact- if he hadn't blown it, you would have already missed Round 5!

Since you asked...I didn't need that process of elimination. You made yourself quite obvious on CoachT last year and really didn't make a very good impression with some of your posts! IMO. However, this year you've played hard, acted like a senior leader and should have made yourself proud. Capped off tonight by an All-District Award! As for your actions on CoachT this year they've been informative, supportive of all, and enjoyable to read. I noted quite a difference on and off the field. I wanted to acknowledge that and congratulate you! Good luck young man!

vandy- you've grown alot in two years! Super post! Very good ball game by you and yours! I recall at least two hits by that catcher of yours...be proud of your efforts and thanks for some class out of South Doyle!!!

Bizzazz- you missed a great ballgame last night! Both Catapano and Bell pitched great and it was a really good game to watch! Being the old-timer that you are, you know that the loser's bracket is no picnic! However, there are still some arms to be used and it might be interesting to see how Bearden does against some of those unknown arms! You might see some of the future pitchers start to be exposed tonight. Should be fun to watch. Come on out and pull up a seat (weather permitting!)

Bizzazz- A few things to bring you up to speed since you have a few more days of House Arrest! SD is a good team this year! Farragut is still searching for the right mix. They have a good group of athletes, but it ain't quite clicking yet. You can tell it's under there, but pulling it out is the problem. Hopefully we will find the combination and the kids will perform! They are capable, but it will take their best to get it done! We've had a string of injuries to key players and we've had to mix and match the lineup some! Come see me in about 12 days and I'll answer some of your questions for you!

Bizzazz- good to hear from you! It takes a truly perceptive baseball mind (or maybe it's the "pitcher's dad" thing) to see a box score and a couple of posts and come up with such an astute evaluation. Whatever it is, you're spot on! Give Bearden credit...they came to play. They went with the pitches an awful lot. Most of the damage was done in right field, some with power!! Farragut just couldn't come up with the clutch hits when they needed them! Left a total of 14 runners on base, 10 in the last 4 innings! The opportunities were there, we just couldn't take advantage of them. There should be some good games coming up! Come on out and see us...we'll cook up some hotdogs and burgers for you!

LCBORN- although I think I understand the point you're trying to make... I must disagree! Tony D will affect D4AAA this year by his absence! Losing the senior year of a kid good enough to skip it and jump into the starting lineup of a D1 program like UT will have an impact! What a difference it would make to Farragut to have his glove, arm, and bat in the lineup! So it's not the direct impact your were speaking of, but it certainly is an indirect impact!!!

Now that's a sign that baseball season is approaching! Howdy, Statement! Good to hear from you. I'm sure VT could use a good walk-on 3rd baseman!!!! You should suit up...

I already spend too much time here when the season is underway! I don't need the extra distraction when it should be offseason!

dheat- I have to agree with the assessments that you and bizzazz have posted. Halls and South Doyle do have potential to have good seasons. Bearden is a good-hitting team with pitching concerns. With the last 10 years as proof, Farragut has to be respected and considered the front-runner until proven otherwise... Despite prior posts, Tony D is quite a ballplayer and we will miss out on the benefits of his senior year!!! That leaves a big hoLe at short, on the mound, and at the plate. It remains to be seen who Coach Pharr finds to fill those holes. However, he's done so successfully in the past. Time will tell. As for pre-season games... In our area, one of the best chances to see teams early is to attand the "Jamboree" at Oak Ridge on March 11. It covers several of the teams such as Oak Ridge, Bearden, Loudon, Lenoir City, Powell,Karns,Farragut, Catholic, Clinton, Anderson County, Webb, West, Fulton, South Doyle, Carter, Sevier County, Jefferson County, Gibbs... There will be various match-ups with 5-inning games. I believe each team gets to play twice.

Papa- NO- Knox County Schools aren't in session today! However, the Powell @ Farragut game is a GO as of noon. (At least according to Coach Dodgen.)

You are correct! Game time 2:00 PM Saturday at John Heatherly Field in Farragut.