hard_ball1

LOVE IT! so, i'm just wondering...what happened to all those middle tennessee people? where did they go?? nothing to say? UC's team won the Eastman tournament this year...a tournament of how many teams?? teams from knox and beyond? In 2002, how did UC's team do in that tournament?? This year the Devils finished runner-up in the AIT in South Carolina, the tournament you mentioned...a tournament of how many teams, how many high ranking teams from how many states...how many nationally ranked teams?? And my memory fails me byrd, how did UC do in that tournament in 2002? Catching the trend? Both teams were dominant. Nobody expected either team to hang with the "big dogs," and yet, day in and day out those who underestimated the girls from the little podunk, redneck town of Erwin were proven wrong. VERY few people outside of Erwin thought the Devils could pull off such a David vs. Goliath upset. But they did. I tip my hat (were I wearing one) to -Kara Woods. Girl is a work horse and has the demeanor of a true champion. -Whit for being the work horse's work horse. does that kid ever get tired?? -teeny-tiny Mikayla...the kid didn't quit and will continue to refuse to. the epitomy of perserverance. -little Whitney Webb. that kid has the heart of somone three times her size...what coaches look for in great players -big Al G. that goofy freshman grew into a powerhouse and a dominating force in the outfield... -hello Haley Tittle, introducing your freshman of the year ladies and gentlemen. Enough said. -Lindsey Allen...your sleeper. your underdog (and everybody loves an underdog)...does exactly what a number 9 is supposed to do, she produces (and i'd know...i make my home there) -my EmilEE...the hardest thing for a player to do sometimes is adapt to a new role on their team. she moved from the top of the lineup to help the production of the bottom. i think these past two weeks can hush up any doubters (especially em herself!) BELIEVE -Stix. she wears that number well....she continues the tradition of athletes wearing #11 who give their all and respect the game. Raby is the epitomy of "lead by example" What more could you ask of a senior?? (i'm proud of you, kid) -the bench. it's a long season and sometimes girls don't get to play. when teams travel to unwelcoming opposing schools a good bench is the 10th player. every player on the field should personally thank you girls for staying behind them. -Grady, Bob, and Coach Lisa. I love you. Enough said. tomorrow...WIN ONE FOR THE GIPPER.

i thought unicoi didn't play anybody????? good thing because I would certainly hate to see David defeat Goliath /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> I could not be more proud of MY GIRLS!!

thank goodness someone agrees. it's really a shame...once upon a time people from other schools in the conference would blast unicoi, talk of how unworthy the team was...now the team's parents feel the need to belittle the girls publicly. it's hard enough growing up as a teenager, especially an athlete who ALREADY probably puts tons more pressure on themself than anyone else ever could. at the end of the day, what's important is that the girls, ALL high school athletes, come away with lessons and values to better them as people, along with (good) lasting memories that they can carry with them through their lives. i love the game of softball. and it's just that...a game. sometimes things will go your way and sometimes it won't. let the girls play to ENJOY it. yes, i understand unicoi has a tradition of winning which carries with it enormous expectations...but that does not mean that we, as mere spectators to THEIR game, should try to take away the joy in the game. it isn't fair to them...and makes watching games miserable. and as for the grinning, i can tell you that girls, and all athletes, handle things differently. as a coach, i would take a player who messes up, laughs a little in attempt to SHAKE IT OFF in order to keep playing their game over one who goes all mental when they mess up and the proceeds to not be able to stick their finger in their ear the rest of the game. a grin after a silly mistake, which may not even be a mistake since unicoi has ALWAYS played their first baseman behind the bag unless there is a runner on, is no huge issue. the game was WON. isn't that what is most important anyway? to the players...if you're reading this, play softball. play it because you love it. and even if you don't love it, play with a love for your teammates. at the end of all this, they're the ones who will make this journey special. and by all means, if spectators continue to feel the need to belittle any of you on here, it may be best to not even be reading these threads. i'm willing to bet that the creators of this site never intended this message board to be utilized in such a way, a means of talking poorly about KIDS for the world to see. i agree...it is a shame, truly. i'm done with this. i'll defend the girls through heck and back...but to see parents act so poorly is disheartening, so hard ball is out for a while. take care. JUST PLAY BALL, BLUE. have...FUN. (it is possible, i promise)

It saddens me that the topic which sparked my curiosity most was locked before I could respond. No worries, though, my friends. It's amazing how someone seemingly so far removed from a people still manages to hear about its controversies. People amaze me, even still. Is it necessary to blast student athletes publicly? There is a reason the names of juveniles are not given in the media for such things. All that has been done is shed a very dark light over a county known for its high caliber athletic program, high school, and citizens. And for what? What progress has been made here? Were you so curious to find out why the program has been stalled, you could have more than likely asked any third person you share oxygen with for the answer, but instead, an athletic department and probably even a specific team has been tainted. Clearly you are affiliated with both...so you are included in the institutions in which you have blasted. Coaches and school officials always have what's best for their student athletes in mind, and in most cases, anything that goes on that could be detrimental to the overall well-being of a team, school, and county will eventually come out in the wash (especially when girls are involved). And usually, those people who do not get caught are victims of a type of cancer commonly known as gossip (again, sadly mostly when girls are involved). As adults, I feel we should aim to give kids the benefit of the doubt even when rumors overwhelm us. It is not our job to condemn, but instead, to teach...by word and example. And most of all, let us look first in our own lives, the lives of our families, and strive to take responsibility for and aim to perfect our own shortcomings. I've said enough...I'll leave you with two quotes from easily one of the greatest coaches and leaders of all time, Vince Lombardi, from Lombardi Jr's book on his father leadership and coaching philosophies... first he says that..."Emotional maturity is a preface for a sense of values. The immature person exaggerates what is not important." and finally..."If I had to do things all over again, I think I would pray for more patience, and maybe understanding..." -let's not allow ourselves the experience that feeling, especially as adults in our relationships to kids, teenagers.

seriously...that was an amazing game. i don't think anyone expected unicoi to even be able to play with gibbs, but the devils showed up and made a game out of it. i think a lot of people seriously underestimated the lady devils this year. i'm so proud of those girls. SO PROUD! there's nobody better in my heart.

i know where i'd like to see her. /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

True, true. Maybe if people would stop all the talking they do they could concentrate on the things that ACTUALLY win games.

"Yeah, they won the double header, but its not like EHS didn't put up a good fight... They had them beat in both games until the Umpiring definately screwed them over both games... You guys don't even know, were you guys even there or did you guys just hear about EHS gettin beat and you just had to say something... Like oohh, wow! surprising, EHS got beat ... Well, don't let it come to too much of a surprise when EHS gets a deep run in the tournament and unicoi is sitting at home wishing they could be... OHHHH SUUUNNNN... WOOOO!! unicoi beat Sullivan North.. Mannnnn, I'm sure that was a reallll hard game( not degrading Sullivan North) but thats nothing to be proud of... EHS beat HV today as well 12-0.. EHS plays again as well Monday at the lady devil diamond. Good Luck to EHS, Hope they go over and show who really deserves to win.. " man...that made me chuckle. so it's been a while...but some things never change. it seems there are people around who love to sling it to unicoi when they get beat...they love to talk trash (whether it's done on coacht or not, we're not dumb...we ALL know it happens), but when these "trash-talkers" don't, oh what's the phrase....put their money where their mouth is...and THEY get beat, heaven forbid anything, trash talk or not, be mentioned about their loss. let's not live in double standards, friends. i hope to make the game tomorrow, wish i could have made it to more this season...but...growing up is just something we all have to deal with. good luck unicoi! -and please, let's all be civil-

Good luck tonight ladies. Wish I could be there... Keep playing hard...remember the tradition!

If it's the short blonde....which I believe it is....she took a foul ball off the side of her head 4 years ago while umpiring behind the plate during, again, the NFS Tournament in Unicoi. As I recall, after the first incident, she began wearing a full cather's mask behind the plate. Was this not the case Saturday night? Glad to hear things are going better in Unicoi. Keep up the hard work ladies...AND STAY TOGETHER! What's the schedule like this week?

Keep in mind, three years ago the Devils were beaten in the conference for the first time in ten years by Happy Valley. That same year they went to the state tournament. Anything can happen if you believe. And being a senior does not automatically qualify a person to be a "leader." Leadership does not come with age; it comes with passion, determination, and responsibility. I have personally been a member of a team without any seniors, only 3 juniors...and the leader on that team was a sophomore. It's about who decides to step up. If a senior doesn't want to, maybe it's time an underclassman did. Did the Devils play today? Is there a game Thursday? Time/Place? And...has the schedule for this weekend been decided? I want to try to make it over to catch a game or two if I can get away from the stupid races quickly enough.

Be sure to keep this thread updated. There are some of us who can't make it to the games but want to know how the girls are doing....I won't be able to make it to many games because, well, I'm going to be otherwise detained. Glad to hear the tradition seems to be continuing. I look for you ladies to keep it up. Remember who you play for, remember what that "Devil" means on your jersey, and leave EVERYTHING YOU HAVE out on that field...if not for yourselves, then for those come and gone. I believe in you ladies. My heart is with you each time you break it down and hit the field, before every home game in the fieldhouse (you know what I'm talking about), my heart is ALWAYS with you devils.

LOVE THIS GAME! Love it for what it is, and do not take a single day of your high school career for granted.

when is this game...or has it already been played? sorry...i've been out of the loop somewhat.

What can I possibly say about the past four years? Better yet, how can I find the right words to accurately describe what these years have meant to me when everything I think of only seems to fall short? I have loved every second of these four years. Even though I would become frustrated at times, we all know there was never a place on Earth that I would have rather been. Nothing can ever replace the Lady Devils softball program, at least not in my heart. Four years ago I had a coach that saw something in me, and for whatever reason, he gave me a chance. Because he gave me an oppurtunity to play, I somehow fell in love with this game. My life was changed forever. Basically, I want to thank my teammates, the parents who believed in me, the coaches, and everyone else who came to support not only me, but the team as a whole. You have all become like family to me, and I will never forget each of you. For those of you who did, I want to especially thank you who stood up for us on these message boards. There were few things that bothered me more than to see someone blast the program publically on here. Sometimes people don't realize that they may not know exactly what they are talking about, and yet they continue to say things without true knowledge of the circumstance. We are all human, I realize. Sometimes I just wish people would think before they speak. I suppose that society, as a whole, would be better off if we did that. This season I tried my best to lead this team in a way that they would learn to respect the game, the players, and everything else that goes with it. This season I realized more than ever how quickly it goes by. As an underclassman, you don't really see things the way a senior does. It's different when you are looking at the end...as it is right in front of you. We should all learn to take nothing for granted. Anything could happen at any given moment. You never know when your last day playing, or even living, could be. I hope and pray I was able to pass these ideas on to the other members of the Lady Devils. If for nothing else, I hope they remember me for taking nothing for granted, not a single second, and then try to do the same themselves. No matter what the case may be, Devils, DON'T GIVE UP. DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP! We had a good run this year. I don't regret a single thing. We may have fallen short of our goal this season, but that is overshadowed by so many good things. Players and fans, try to remember those moments...the Williamsport, PA game in Summerville, SC...the come-from-behind win over Johnson County...the 2-0 victory over Elizabethton on senior night (one I won't soon forget)...defeating Johnson County after they beat us 1-0 two days before...beating Elizabethton twice in one day...coming from behind in the 8th inning for that second victory...and carrying on the tradition of not only coming out on top of the conference, but also being district and regional champions. I will never forget any of it. Thank you all...blue devils and those I have played against for four years...for the memories. -11