DiamondDad

Guys lets give up on the talks of umpires having anything to do with keeping track of the pitch counts in that game or previous games. Here's how this will go - close play anywhere that goes against the home team. It extends the inning, runs score and HT loses the lead. Now at the end of that half inning you really want the guy who made that call to walk over to the dugout of the team seeing red to talk about pitch counts? That's just one problematic situation of many. Dugouts/official scorers will track it just like they tracked post-season innings pitched rules in the past. If there's an issue, it'll be handled after the game by the people imposing the rules in the first place.

I think we're also going to see longer games due to this rule. If a kid is right at 24 pitches with 2 outs, we're going to see some pitching changes in a lot of spots so he can go again tomorrow. I think you see a lot of kids on the (team imposed) pitch count fence and coaches want them to dig a little and get that last batter to finish an inning, we won't see as much of that any more if those 5 -7 pitches impact when he can get back out there again.

I keep waiting on this rule to be challenged. Some newer studies are coming out claiming that a traditional steel mask performs best on a direct hit from a foul or pitched ball over a hockey style mask or titanium traditional mask. While the hokey style does offer better protection from side and rear impact, how often to do you see those happen verses a thrown or batted ball hitting the front of the mask? With our understanding and concern of concussions increasing yearly, how long will it be before some family presents one of theses studies to TSSAA or NFHS granting a waiver or insisting on their player be allowed to wear a traditional mask?

I have a theory, and only a theory. While football expands classes and makes playoffs more and more abundant to make more money, I think the smaller, non-revenue sports are kept smaller to save money. Ask an AD or coach what their biggest expense in-season is, and a majority of them will tell you buses. In baseball, because that's what I know, if you make more 'A's you spread teams out more which means longer bus rides which means the budget goes up in a non-revenue sport. I'll hang up and listen to your comments off air.

Guys lets also keep in mind that if a coach has an issue with the field they have the opportunity to bring it up at the plate meeting. Once the plate meeting breaks then the coaches have consented to play on the field and they lose the right to take issue with something like the batters box. I realize these aren't coaches replying to the thread, just a group of dads and fans who have something new to complain about. But if you think you're team is put at a disadvantage some how by there not being a batters box, then talk to your coach about it. I'm sure he'll love to sit at length and listen to you complain about him not doing his job by bring it up at the plate meeting.

Just to be clear, and I think it's usually a bit misunderstood, the foot has to be completely outside of the box and not at all touching the line. I think most assume that it's if any part of the foot is crossing the line then they're out of the box and that's just not true. Also contact has to be made for it to be an out. When i was coaching when my kids where coming up, I inquired to the umpire about a kid being out of the box on a pitch that was a good bit outside. He asked me, "do you want me to watch his feet or watch the ball and swing?" I said both and we had a laugh but in thinking about it, I would assume that's a pretty tough call on most of the guys back there. It's gotta be pretty egregious I bet.

You start that and then 15 mins before game time a team realizes that they're out of chalk/paint, what do you do then? Force a team to forfeit? Wait til someone goes to a hardware store putting you back 30-45 mins at a minimum with a JV game to follow? It'll happen. I agree teams SHOULD have boxes, but if you say you can't start a game without them then you're in for trouble in some of the lesser funded areas.

In high school baseball balks are immediately dead. In all other levels balks are live and play continues if the pitcher throws the ball. So I'm pretty sure the protocol is to call "Time!" declare a balk and then award the bases in high school. On plays at first, the plate umpire watches to make sure the fielder has a foot on the bag or if he pulls the foot early. He also watches for sweep tags on throws up the line. So it sounds like a basic appeal - I wasn't there though. This is exactly the problem. You have a large majority of fans/dads thinking they know protocols and rules more than the guys who get paid to know them, and the worse part is they're not quiet about it. Why's it ok to yell insults at another human? Maybe at the pro level, but high school? It's pretty simple - this is HS baseball. The games are rarely played to perfection by the players. They're rarely coached to perfection by the coaches. Yet the umpires are expected to call the game to perfection. You can't hold the umpires to a higher standard than you hold the coaches and players and then get upset when they don't live up. Watching my kid grow up, you could usually tell if the umpire was ready to handle the level of ball they're calling. If they are, and they get in the right position and administer rules correctly, what more can you ask of them? If they were perfect, or close to it, they wouldn't be calling high school baseball in east Tn.

Did I hear that game went 10 innings? Wow. What happened there?

Traditionally I would agree that OR and Clinton were good for a big upset. I just don't think either of them have the players to pull that off this year. Also in the past you had Fronning and Taylor coaching those squads. Noting against the current coaches at OR or Clinton, but I just don't think they're on that level.

So after a week and some change, hows it looking? Seems like the district is pretty clumped up at the top and clumped at the bottom and not a lot in between. Karns, Powell, Halls, and maybe AC seem to be the early favorites, in that order. Karns is just a solid ball club who does a lot to put pressure on the other team and doesn't beat themselves. Powell seems strong but streaky and Halls and AC seem to be too heavily dependent on who's throwing to take the top spot as of now. Then on the bottom you have Clinton, Oak Ridge, Central, and CC. Clinton looks to be in panic mode early with their HC being restricted and then dumped in consecutive games. OR, Central and CC just don't have the horses to compete with the upper tier. I think Gibbs is the biggest question mark. Which half of the district will they end up seems to be a coin flip.

Well lets hear it - with scrimmages and Play Dates going on all over the state this past weekend, how were the boys in blue? Did they do a decent job where you were or did they have to cancel baseball all together because they were so inept as a few of you have implied in previous posts?

This is why there aren't as many good umpires as you guys would like to see. I've coached, been a fan and umpired baseball at all levels from coach pitch to HS. Fans think they can literally say anything they want to an umpire and the ump can't say anything back so they abuse the situation and verbally abuse the umpre. This is flawed logic in my opinion. How many times have you heard personal insults hurled at an umpire because a group of fans didn't like a call? "You're horrible!" "You're an idiot!" "Moron!!" are just some of the phrases I've heard on a weekly basis. Someone screams that at you enough, are you not going to say anything back? At some point you stop being an umpire and start being a man. When was the last time an umpire screamed at a fan or coach that they're the worst fan or coach they've ever seen? "Do unto others.." right? I would LOVE to see the reaction of a coach that's been riding an ump all night, if that same ump yell "What are you thinking?!?!" when the coach made a bone head move. Or if the ump got to chastised a fan for thinking the 3-1 move is a balk (still legal in HS ball) while screaming "Go back to umpire school, dummy!" I know there are 3 people that get to yell insults at me with out repercussions, and even that has it's limits - my wife, boss, and mother. If you don't fit into those categories then watch what you call me. Why do people think just because they're an official of a high school sporting event that they aren't afforded the same human courtesy we should give all people?

Ok now that we know they have one, are they any good? How's the coaching? What about below that? I know for a fact a lot of coaches look closely at an area's feeder system before they take any job in that system.

I'm sure that's technically true. I'm also sure that if an umpire called a ball that bounced a strike against your kid or even team, you and your side of the crowd would erupt. How many MLB games have you see when the catcher sets up way outside and P zips it in but since the catcher had to swipe at it to catch the ball, the ump balls it? I know I see it once a game. Again, if you know the difference between high level baseball and rec ball, you know the difference between "sticking" pitches and framing or holding the ball in a spot longer than you should. Catchers HAVE to stick boarder line pitches to get them called. That's indisputable. I wasn't at the game and I have no vested interest in any of this, but I HATE it when people get on here or anywhere else to blame an umpire on a loss. You call a man a "homer," and you're basically calling a man a cheater. Maybe he had an off game (which happens to everyone in life...just umpires aren't allowed for it to happen to them), maybe he's just no go, I don't know and I don't care, but if you lose by 4-5 runs, it wasn't the umpires fault.

The feeder program question wasn't to make a point or defend, I was really asking. What is the quality of their middle school and youth programs? I see what you're saying, but a HS coach can't do a whole lot of overseeing less he wants TSSAA knocking at the door.

Total outsider here - but isn't it quite possible the home plate ump had an off night? Haven't you ever had one? It kills me that the kids botch plays all over the yard, coaches make bad decisions through the course of the game, but if the ump misses a call or two it's all the umpires fault when your team loses. I do know this, umpires could not give two craps about who wins and loses a contest. To think otherwise is pure insanity. There's also no such thing as "homers" as TSSSA makes sure that umpires don't work games where they have ties to either team. If the umpire wanted the catcher to stick pitches, then that's what the catcher needed to do. Anyone that knows anything about baseball knows that the catcher plays a huge role in getting borderline pitches called balls or strikes. If the catcher sticks it, he gives the ump a better look at the pitch and also lets the ump know he thought it was a strike. If he lets the pitch take his glove with it, then the opposite is true. It really irks me when parents/players/coaches try to blame the outcome of the game on an umpire. If you got beat, you got beat - own it. Be accountable and stop making excuses.

That Campbell County loss had to sting. Has Powell ever lost to CC in baseball? I can't remember it. Seems like the talent level is WAY down this year. You could say they're young, but it seems more like talent to me. New head coach seems to be trying to clean the program up from an attitude standpoint though, so that's gotta be encouraging.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they go to Regionals last year or the year before? A lot of times it starts with feeder programs. Does Oak Ridge even have a middle school program? Are they any good? Young travel ball teams in the area? ect.

Blame "Travel Ball" on the current lack of hometown pride. I feel like travel ball has turned kids into the equivalent of mercenaries and nothing more. Kids play on a new team every season or even week if the parents don't like the coach. I don't know these kids who left to go play in the private sector, but I would bet "christian-based" values didn't have as much to with the decision as baseball. Even then, if you're concerned about your kid being the best player they can be, would you rather face HVA, Powell, Halls, FHS, ect or Midway, Harriman, and Tellico Plains? I guess going 10-0 in a district where your biggest foe is Rockwood is a lot more fun than grinding it out in AAA ball. Less competition equals better stats, I guess. It's a shame. I remember when the saying was, "to be the man, you have to beat the man." Makes no sense to me at all, but then again my kid what taught hometown pride and couldn't wait to dawn his towns colors. I'm afraid that's a dying trait now-a-days.

Oak Ridge and HVA?!? How the heck-o did that happen?!? Anybody that was there have any details? I literally can't believe that neither Halls or Powell made it out. What a crazy tournament it's been.

Hahaha there's only sooo much "Powell is awesome" talk I can take before I can't take it anymore! I keed. But seriously, It should be a toss up between AC and Powell and I just subscribe to the old adage that good pitching beats good hitting. However, if Inman plays his rotation right, it's hard to bet against Ownby in a elimination game. I saw him go pitch for pitch against Phifer and looked just as good. Problem was that was all Powell had to throw. I don't know who else AC has besides those big 3, but how much more do they need? Any word on what schools Williams is looking at? We all know the favorites - AC Powell and Halls. Who's the sleeper? There's always one in this district.

Just to try and switch gears from the 'Powell fest' that this board has turned into, I'll give me take on the district. Pretty simple - this district can be easially divided into 3 groups: Top Tier 1) A.C. - 2 lefties will set them apart 2) Powell - will be able to pitch with most teams and out hit just about all 3) Halls - is Halls and they'll be able to swing it Mediocre 4) Oak Ridge - Strong soph class but that's all they have. They'll get more than they should out of what they have 5) Hardin Valley - keeps getting better and won't be surprised if they move to the top third in years to come 6) Karns - lost more than they could replace Cellar 7) Central - Loses too many talented players to Powell and Halls. Lovett will right the ship 8) Clinton - Good coach, no talent 9) C.C. - *same as Clinton. Losing Williams to AC is a killer That should give everyone something to talk about. I don't mean to offend anyone so don't take it that way, just my opinion on things.

Does anyone know the coaches for the Oak Ridge middle school team? I saw them play over the weekend and I was very impressed; VERY well coached team. They seem to teach old school baseball and I like it. Do they coach travel ball in the Summer? If so, I'd like to get my middle son in touch with them.

Does anyone know the coaches for the Oak Ridge middle school team? I saw them play over the weekend and I was very impressed; very well coached team. They seem to teach old school baseball and I like it. Do they coach travel ball in the Summer? If so, I'd like to get my middle son in touch with them.