StudCantrell

Tucker's Gap!! I have been down that road many times. Let me be the devil's advocate, Riverdale finishes the regular season with a 14-0 district record in one of the most competitve districts in the state. Let's say that 7-AAA doesn't give an automatic berth into the region and Riverdale goes two-and-out in the district tournament. Do they still deserve to go to the region? I think they deserve to go. Does a team with a 10-20 overall record and 3-9 district record deserve to be in the regon. I don't think so. A third place team out of a tough district can be a very dangerous team. Take 9-AAA for example, Beech, Mt. Juliet, and Hendersonville are three very good teams. Plus a third place team could be a team that got off to a slow start, had a key injury, that really came on at the end of the season. Nobody would want to face them in the region. You worry about the teams that don't finish in the top three, look at it this way. Those teams have a chance to finish their season out with a win. That is is something that can make you feel good going into the off season. For a graduating senior, that will be something he will never forget. Winning his last high school baseball game. Also, what a motivational tool a coach could use to motivate his team for the next season. It should give those players and coaches extra incentive to finish in the top three spots and qualify for the region. IMHO, the regular season should mean more. Under the current format, it just boils down to is how you did during the district tournament.

That's exactly what I am talking about Mr. Limbaugh. My plan, puts more importance on the regular season. The game in March is just as important as the game in late April. It was decided on the field. You finish in the top three, you are in the region. Imagine if each MLB division having a tournament to decide who goes to the playoffs. The regular season wouldn't mean that much. That is the way our current system with the TSSAA is. That is why MLB has each division winner and a wild-card qualifying for the playoffs. The team that finished one game out of the playoffs would look back to the game they should have won in April. It doesn't matter whether it is the regular season or after they're eliminated from the tournament, it hits you like a ton of bricks either way when you, as a player, realize that you'll never suit up again. I like your plan, it has a lot of good ideas. I like mine too. That what makes America the great country that it is.

What about this plan? Do away with the district tournament. The regular season champion is not rewarded with winning the season title anymore with the exception of hosting district tourney. Some districts do reward their champion an automatic berth into the region but not many. Here is my proposal: 1. Take the top three teams from each district according to the regular season standings and have a six-team double eliminaton regional tourney. Use the same format that the NCAA used when they had six-team regionals. Alternate host sites like we do now for the region. Odd district champions host in odd years, even district winners in even years. This would take place the week where we now play the district tournaments. The winner and runner-up of the region tourney would qualify for the sectional. The way the TSSAA loves money, this would be a big money-maker. Plus, the excitement of a pennant race during the regular season would be great, just like the good old days. 2. Sectional Series: Match-ups would be the same as they are now. The biggest change would be that they are the best two-out of-three series. The winner of each series would qualify for the state tournament. This would take place during the week we now have the region and sectionals. 3. The state tournament formant would stay like it has been. With this post season format, the "one pitcher" wonder teams would have a harder time advancing. The teams with the best pitching staff would emerge.

I will give yall two perspectives, one from a playing aspect and the other from a coaching aspect. I was on the bench for four years t the college level and was an assistant coach for 4 years at the college level. I have 13 years coaching experience at the high school level. I believe I can give everybody a good idea about both levels. 1.) As a player you will see a big diffence in the talent, speed, and the maturity of the game. A lot of high school studs are hardly challenged in HS, knowing that there is no one on the bench to replace them and don't work hard enough to prepare for college ball. When they get to college they will see that everybody is as good or better than they are. They are not used to this type of competition and it takes a long time to adust to that. Many don't make the adjustment of all and quit. Baseball is a full time job in college. I remember getting up at 5 am for practice, going back to the dorm at 7 am to shower, eat breakfast, and make it in time for my 8 am class. After classes, have a three-hr. practice or go to games. Get back to dorm late, do homework, study for test, go to bed. Repeat it the next day. It's a produce or sit on the bench deal in college. Where in high school, depth is not as deep and some players are kept in the line-up longer than they would be in college. In college, the speed is incredible , the challenge of competing, and being mature enough to handle all the adversity what separates it for high school. Mom and Dad are not on campus with you, you have to deal with adversity on your own and lean on your teammates to help. My Dad told me when I left for college, "This is the beginning. You are about to become a man. You're on your own. Don't quit when things are looking bad. Remember what your going to college for." 2.) From a coaching point of view, coaches recruit players that fit their style of play. High school coaches coach the players that goes to school there. The players are easier to coach at the college level. They are so athletic and understand what you are explaining to them, you don't spend as much time on some things where in HS you might have to spend an entire practice on one thing. It is more repitition in HS. Again the players in college are recruited to fit your system so practices are not as agaonizing as HS practices can be. Players at both levels work hard and the rewards that goes with coaching them are priceless. 3.) The biggest thing that separates HS and college ball is parents. I can only remember one instance in my 8 years of college ball where a parent tried to interfere. Needless to say, that player and his parents didn't last too much longer in our program. Parents rarely go against the grain in college. They help us in fund raising but not as much as they do in HS. College parents realize that baseball is paying a part of their son's education and are grateful that their son is getting a chance to be a part of someting. Most of the times, if a player or parent is not happy, they simply transfer to another school. Parents don't go to the university president , AD, or the board of trust. They say good-bye and transfer to another school in hopes of finding what they want. Also, parents of college players rarely questioned the coach's decisons on the field or the way they do things. Mainly because they have to be good to coach at the college level and have the background to be a college coach. Most parents don't have the baseball background of the college coach and are less inclined to challenge him. 4.) HS parents are a differnent story. They are so much more involved in the program, example being booster clubs. A lot believe if they raise the most money, their son should be an everday player regardless of his talent level. Most fathers have played high school ball and coached summer ball (little league, legion, etc.) and they feel like they know more that the HS coach. They tend to forget that the HS coach in most cases played college ball, learning from a good college coach. Some HS coaches have played in some form a little pro ball and yet some Dads feel like they can coach better than the HS coach. I once had a parent tell me that this so-and-so kid was just an average Babe Ruth player. Well, that so-and-so player wound up being named All-District twice and played two years of juco ball. It's a good thing I didn't listen to that parent. HS parents don't think twice about going to the dugout during the game to criticize the coach. "Why aint my boy playing?"Or after a big win, the coach cannot celebrate the win for five minutes without a parent raising stink about something. YOU NEVER SEE THAT IN COLLEGE BALL!!!! Parents are not scared to go to the principal, AD, school board member, or the director of schools. I'm not talking about all the parents, for the most they are great. If it wasn't for their efforts, a lot of high schools wouldn't have a baseball program. I hope that helped yall in knowing the diffences in HS and College Ball!

I once had a coach that had a confrontation with a parent. The coach asks the parent, "Sir, I hear your the best mechanic in town?" The parent replied, "I think I'm pretty good." The coach responded, "Well sir, how would you like it if I came by your shop and tell you how to rebuild that engine. You wouldn't like it, would you?" The parent was silenced, he didn't know what to say. The coach finished up with, "Let me do my job and I will let you do yours." The parent left the room and was not heard from again. The point of this story is. Let the coaches coach. If the parents think that they can do better, go to college get an education degree in a field that you can teach, pass three praxis tests, get hired and be evaluated until you get tenured (if you last that long), put up with kids in a classroom (you can't discipline them like you can your kids at home) for a seven-hour school day, practice for at least two-to-three hours after school, make sure that you stay until all your kids have gotten their rides home (can't leave them alone for liability reasons). That means you leave home at 7 am and don't get home until 7 or 8 pm. Not much time with the wife and kids huh (sometimes coaches go two days without seing their families). Not to mention game nights where you might not get home until after midnight. Football coaches travels on Saturday to exchange films and watches films with the whole staff on Sundays. Basically a seven day a week job for very little pay and very little appreciation. Plus, put up with all of the constructive criticism from the "coffee shop" coaches. PARENTS, you sure that you can do the job or feel like your better off with your higher paying job after reading this. If you think you can coach, more power to you and good luck. Otherwise, take into consideration that coaches spend more time with your children than their own and they are trying their best. Support the coaches.

I'll add another fact unity teacher. In the 14 seasons of Lincoln County baseball prior to Coach Slone, there was only one winning season. In Coach Slone's 11 seasons, he lead the Falcons to 8 winning seasons. People have gotten on the boards and saying that Tate is building a winning program. HA! A winning program was already built when he took over. What is LC's record now, 6-10? Coach Slone got the program to respectability. They use to never beat Marshall Co., Tullahoma, Hazel Green, and Franklin Co but Coach Slone lead LC to many victories against those teams and look at the thanks he got. A big knife in the back! He had injury problems and the talent dropped off in his last two years at LC. That is gonna happen in high school athletics. The bottom line the talents of Jason Coble, Josh Reese, Jeremy Poole, Noah Repasky, Drew Boggs, Matt Whitehead, Matt Edwards, John Whaley, Jim Bob Cooter, and Brad Meeks are not around in Fayetteville. That is the problem in Lincoln Co. The players they got now are good kids and play hard but they are not in the league with those guys. Plus unityteacher, I don't think Coach Clariday was ever jealous of Coach Slone, they are best friends. Slone brought Clariday to LC and together they accomplished a lot. I think that Coach Slone will have the same results at Lebanon pretty soon.

Definitely, Long Gone featuring my Tampico Stogies. How can yall forget Jamie Weeks and Joe Louis Brown. Also, me and Miss Dixie Lee Boxx are doing just fine. Stud (Remember Cantrell's Rule)

nope, just it seemed like that many....

Melton went 1-for-1, 3 RBI's, walk, sac-fly, and 29 "Like a Wildfar" 's.

If Grundy beats McMinn Central and Howard beats Sequoyah, 1. Walker Valley, 2. Grundy County, 3. Howard, 4. McMinn Central. Stud (The pride of Popular Bluff, Missouri)

What happend to the good 'ol dropkick. That worked in "The Longest Yard" Maybe they should bring it back. Just in case a holder gets hurt and can't replace him. That would definitely add some strategy to the play. Stud (Always remember Cantrell's Rule).