The Sports Guy

You're absolutely right about Brad Beason! He is only a junior this year, but he has had 2 very good seasons already. Beason is not as big as some of the others, but he is solid, quick, and tough.

Congratulations to the Pigeon Forge Tigers, District 2AA Champs! Good luck to all 4 District 2 teams in Region 1AA tournament. Congratulations to the All-District team too! Excellent choices!

Campbell Co. vs Cumberland Gap boys game for Tuesday 2/14/06 has been cancelled.

I didn't see Allen's name on the list, so that probably needs to be reported to TSSAA too. Where did Allen end up signing? The last time I saw his father, he said it was narrowed down to LMU or Maryville College, but I didn't see his name on either roster. Tyler Sauceman from South Greene is on Maryville College's roster, and Javon Crockett from Cumberland Gap walked on at LMU, but has left the team to focus on academics. Are there any more District 2AA players in college that we can follow?

Amen! When do those over protected kids learn the harsher side of life? Do you wait until the words "You're Fired" offer up their first taste of humiliation? Or maybe we could wait until the Judge humiliates them by sending them to prison. Positive enforcement is always proper for positive behavior. If anyone tries to tell me that positive enforcement is also always proper for negative behavior, I will scream "HOGWASH" at the top of my lungs. If my statements seem too far from reality, take your class on a field trip to the local couthouse during any typical day. You will see a lot of young people between 16 & 25 that haven't responded very well to positive enforcement, and are facing a reality check. How humiliating is that?

I agree whole heartly! Anytime a player or student is trying to do his/her best, and is following a strict set of rules, he deserves 100% support from the coach or teacher. When he is not performing due to lack of effort, intervention is necessary. How do you go about getting his attention? It depends on the personality of the kid. I am a self confident person. I was as a child. A teacher or coach could get all over me, and it wouldn't hurt my precious little feelings. It would just make me angry enough to become determined to "show him". I have seen boys and girls go into despair over comments that seemed perfectly routine to me. Don't assume that another person is being humiliated because you wouldn't want to be approaced in such a manner. For us thick skinned variety, it's harder to humiliate us than you can imagine, if you are one who carries you feelings next to the surface. Some kids need a slight nudge, while others require a swift kick in the pants. Coaches and teachers have to try to determine which is needed, and administer as required. Sometimes you will be wrong, so I suppose you should start with a nudge, and progress until desired results are accomplished. What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger! Tough love is not nearly as devastating as apathy and abandonment.

I just looked up 3-point buckets made in a single game, and Richard Brown is tied at 6th with his 11 last night. It needs to be submitted to TSSAA. Would you believe that the record is 24 3s made in a single game? That's 72 points by one player from behind the arc. That must qualify for a Guiness record! It certainly belongs in Ripley's book.

Congratulations on a BIG win for the Tigers. I wonder if Richard will realize what he did when he wakes up. Great defensive effort by PF, that turned into a lot of easy looks at the other end. They boxed out extremely well, and held the Panthers to one shot on most trips. It was not a good night for CG.

Hey tigerball12! We will have the game on the internet tonight for all in PF that are interested. We broadcast on WLMU 91.3 FM, with a simulcast on http://radio.lmunet.edu. You can also link to us at http://www.913thegap.com. Just click on the broadcast tower in the upper right corner. If you're at the game, come up to the crows nest and say howdy. I'm the old fat guy wearing the light blue Panther cap.

I agree! Coach Hoese does a very good job with the Rebels! In District 2AA, I really like Sherrill King at Cumberland Gap, and Coach Jessie at Union Co. is doing very well in his first season.

Excellent point Onaroll! All of us make mistakes. All of us are biased in many ways. Most of us don't get the public scrutiny in our daily lives that referees get. Could our referees do a better job? Sure they could! Good referees are always trying to get better. Are there referees out there that aren't ready for Varsity games? Sure there are! BUT, try playing without an officiating team of some description. There would be no games. Anyone who is interested in making the game better should be willing to participate in some way. I'm 56, overweight, out of shape, and my eyesight is not as clear as it used to be, so I do play by play for local radio stations. This way I don't make calls on the floor for everyone in the stands to disagree with. Instead, I call the players by the wrong names while straining to see their numerals, and nobody at home knows how badly I'm calling the game.

Come on shotdoc. You substituted Impressed for Surprised. I AM impressed with the Panthers, but not very surprised by anyone on the roster except for Tyler Brim. In my opinion, Tyler has gone from being the best point guard in the district, to the best 2 guard. That's not always an easy transition, and Tyler has exceded my expectations.

I just think the league is more balanced than some might think. My biggest surprises are that Claiborne & Rutledge haven't won more, and that Union Co. has accomplished what they have done. Congratulations to the Patriots for their success thus far. I anticipated that the standing right now would be: 1- Claiborne 2- Cumberland Gap 3- Pigeon Forge 4- Rutledge 5- Union Co. 6- Gatlinburg-Pittman I guess that shows just how much I know. The first round byes are still up for grabs. We will just have to see who takes care of business in the next couple of weeks.

Congratulations to Pigeon Forge on the win last night over Cumberland Gap! It's really going to be exciting down the stretch. Good luck with your road trip next week. Claiborne and Cumberland Gap are tough places to play. The Panthers are still undefeated at home.

Man oh man! This is a subject that has so many different situations involved, that it will be discussed until the Lord comes. A Coach is a teacher, a leader, a friend, a father or mother figure, a shoulder to cry on when a kid is down, and a team member to high 5 when things are good. Everyone everywhere expects their coach to become the winningest coach in world history. Guess what! There are no ties in basketball! For every coach, player, and fan that enjoys a win, there is another that deals with a loss. It's how you let wins and losses affect you that sets you apart. Is the winning coach always a better coach? I will let you ponder that question and draw your own conclusions. I have seen so many coaches, at every level of the game, that become so obsessed with winning, that they forget all about the teaching and character building. I have seen many others than can win or lose with class. When you add in 12 to 15 players that are sure they should be starting, (as long as they don't have to play defense or work on conditioning) and 20 to 30 parents that are convinced they could do a better job (if they weren't so busy elsewhere), I am left wondering what kind of person wants that kind of public responsibility & scrutiny in their job. In my opinion. it takes a very special person to be a good coach. They are KINGS win their players respond and win, but they are DOGS when their talent pool is not as good as the competition. Coaches have to be self confident enough, and insightful enough, to ride the ups and downs without losing sight of who they are as individuals. I wish you well young man! If you have a problem with your coach, try talking with him about it. You might discover that he is human too, with worries and concerns just like yours. He might even have a solution, if you and your teammates are willing to listen. It might not make you go undefeated the rest of the season, but it just might make you understand, appreciate, and enjoy the game more.