BlessedHope

Over the years, especially in A and AA, look at the scores in the State Tournament.

 

For over a decade I have been trying to get the baseball post-season changed in Tennessee.  TBCA has voted on and agreed with my plan.

 

Our current system requires a team to do 3 things.  1) Get out of the district.   2) Win a game on Monday  3) Win a game on Friday.

 

What has happened over the years?  Teams have gotten to the state tournament by doing those 3 things.  A lot of teams have accomplished that because they have 1 big arm.

 

He pitches in district tournament. 

 

He pitches on Monday. 

He pitches of Friday on 3 days rest.

He pitches on Tuesday in Spring Fling on 3 days rest.

If his team makes the Finals on Friday he pitches again on 2 days rest.

 

After the district tournament is over, in 12 days he will make 4 starts - perhaps throw 400+ pitches.

I have seen it several times over the past 20 years....

 

Once that arm has pitched on Tuesday in the state tournament, a lot of teams run out of pitching pretty quick and a lot of ugly baseball takes place. Before the new bat rules, some scores were really bad. Scores like 26-0 and 19-0...

 

Baseball is a TEAM sport.  One of the measurements of a baseball team is its depth at pitching. Teams that have depth are penalized by losing 1 game to a team with 1 big arm.  Baseball is not a 1-and-done sport.

 

Plan is pretty simple.  Take this year's 7AAA and 8AAA teams.

 

This is an ODD year so 7AAA winner hosts.

 

Regional start this Friday (tomorrow)  at Riverdale - district tournaments new deadline is Tuesday....

 

4:00 Smyrna vs Lawrence Co

6:30 Columbia vs Riverdale

 

Saturday

 

10:00 Loser vs Loser

12:30 Winner vs Winner - winner of this game advances to Sectional as host team

  3:00 Winner of 10:00 vs loser of 12:30  - winner of this game advances to Sectional as visiting team

 

Next Friday - Sectionals - best 2 out of 3

 

Winner of regional hosts runner-up of adjoining regional - single game Friday, 2 games Saturday if neccessary

 

This schedule gives pitchers rest between region and sectionals.

 

This requires teams to have more than just 1 great pitcher to reach Murfreesboro and Spring Fling...

This is why Mr. Limbaugh is so well respected across the state.  I completely agree the proposal above.  This would show which PROGRAM is best in all classifications.  My guess is the majority of coaches would agree as well.  If the objective of the Spring Fling is to truly decide the best team then let the teams duke it out in a 3-game series to get there.  This benefits the teams with the deepest rotations, as well as, the pitchers who are the horses from probable injury.  Tommy John comes about in 2 ways: 1.) being total mileage of the arm gives out without proper rest and rehab and 2.) poor mechanics.  This plan save the kids from themselves, and show who the better team is all around.

The problem is a real one.  There is no way for the TSSAA to sanction pitch counts, innings, days rest, etc...  This issue can only be solved by protection through proper offseason programs and set rotations during school ball.  Proper programs can implement long toss programs, mechanics programs, and proper weight lifting programs (for pitchers).  Coaches can help prevent injury in season by limiting pitch counts on days where you are the better team on the schedule.  Percentage of certain pitches should be taken into account.  Days where your "stud" can overpower and get outs with fastball then you should stay above the 80% mark with the pitch in a certain game.  The introduction of the slider and emphasis on the curveball in highschool baseball has started to deteriorate arms at a rapid pace.  Kids want to learn the curveball and slider before proper mechanics are learned for a fastball and the best pitch that nobody knows about...the CHANGEUP.  This can be tied back to 10-12 and 13-15 age kids who love the strikout more than the groundout.  Groundouts save pitch counts   Strikeouts are sexy, but in the end inflate pitch counts to an astonishing number. 

Just my two cents here.  I could be very wrong.

Don't get too caught up in a Sheffield only team. Yes he's the most dominant player in the state, but Coach White has them ready to roll at the plate as well. They mix things up constantly squeezing, sacrificing to move runners and make you make mistakes. It takes a very well coached ball club to not make mistakes against him. This ought to be a great matchup.

There isn't any wrong with playing single a teams like Summertown, because they play like a well organized ball club. But the problem is that we aren't either a single a or double a team. The teams in our district just happen to also be triple a teams. Look at the teams Tullahoma and Columbia play, and they don't go 2 and out in the district. Playing time isn't an issue with me, on the other hand, winning baseball games is.

It's the golden rule

Dads want there kids to play,..

Dads want there kids to play all the time and win...

U sound just like every other daddy on here complaining about a coach. The coaches could be a lot. And I mean a lot worse. If u don't think so just look around.

These are bold claims. I don't feel like you had an adequate sample size for judging on this topic at all.

Wow you are fired up about this. Let's take a moment to correctly preform proper syntax and spelling. Now that that is over. There is always more than one way to skin a cat, but these coaches are taking the knife and cutting the cat right in half. No pitchers that throw over 80? There were 4 pitchers that threw over 80. Two district starters had sub 2 ERA's if I looked at that correctly. Mind you this is without a pitching coach so thank you to the travel coaches for helping us there.

Mike James is a great guy, but you are completely incorrect assuming he was a fantastic coach. Maybe he did make it to regions 3 years in a row, but look at all the talent he had that he wasted. He was a terrible coach.

He could've been much better. In game he would not be out coached. In practice he was limited to coaching an entire team with every intricacy alone. From what I heard he had little if any of a supporting cast in assistants throughout his years.

Mike James was/is a fantastic coach. Made it to regions 3 straight years. That's tough to do in this district.

I am guessing you do not live in Lawrenceburg. This is the topic that is hottest around the entire community. That is impressive considering the primary elections are tomorrow. I do not care who plays and where. I'm sickened by the product on the field. The baseball program needs a coach to build a program for years to come. Not take baseball as job between the football season.

No. Somebody needed to take a step forward. Lawrence County averaged exactly 10.5 strikeouts per game in district play in a 21 out game. I'm not even a parent of a child on the team. I'm a Lawrence County baseball fan. The team had roughly 35 more strikeouts than hits this season. The math isn't that hard. I don't believe in putting the blame on the players. Kids need to be guided. Burleson in Summertown is a leader that works his butt off to get the players ready. That's a true coach.

I have stayed publicly silent all year hoping things at Lawrence County would turn around, but they never did. These kids had never known how to lose. This is a team filled with talent. More talent than a lot of teams in the state. A rival coach in the district said this. He also said y'all are terrible. The coaches continue to put it all on the players. There is no way the coaches can look in the mirror and say I have done everything I can to get this team prepared. Without knowing the exact statistics, but I am going to do the season stats through the teams GameChanger I will say that the Team ERA was below 2 in district, but we gave up many runs due to multiple errors each game in district play. As a team we struck out more times than had hits in my pre statistical information. There needs to be an immediate change in the Lawrence County baseball program. These coaches have lost the respect of the team and community. Unfortunately it is time to hang them up.

After looking at the 8-AAA tournament bracket I believe that this tournament could be won from the losers bracket. Starting pitching is deep in the district but bullpens are weak throughout.

Y'all have a great program that works hard the entire year long. Congrats. The hardwork really paid off for y'all.

Thank you but after what we have been looking like and the carousel the coach has the kids on odds are we will not finish well at all. Y'all have the best chance for success

Lawrence County gave up 11 unearned runs to Summertown tonight in a 15-0 loss. Didn't get a hit all night. Hard to call yourself a prepared team in late April giving up that many unearned runs and that many defensive errors.

11 of Summertowns 15 runs were unearned if that gives the story of the game. Worst defensive game by a AAA school I have ever seen in my life. Props to Summertown. Well coached well prepared. I hope y'all go all the way.

Lawrence Co. 9-1 over Franklin Co. The two starters for LC in this series did extremely well this week. Defense played well except for a few errors.

Lawrence County on top of Franklin Co. 7-1. Wright threw a CG. Good game by LawCo. FC struggled in the field mightily.

Heard y'all put on another excellent tourney davidlimbaugh. Rain just couldn't stay away. Hopefully LC will play it more in the future.

It's like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde baseball team with Lawrence County.

Great game and series by the Tullahoma staff. Pound the strike zone and mix pitches well.

Sheffield didn't have 21 K's. He did have 16 which takes Lawrence County's total against T'Town to 31 in two games.

I saw where Lawrence County struck out 15 times without facing Sheffield. He may have 21 tomorrow.

I with smokinote on that. Geographically it puts you past the 7AAA boro schools. What happened to Binns?

Lawrence Co. swept Lincoln Co. 10-4 and 11-4.  Lawrence County hit lights out on both days and pitched very well.  Lincoln Co. will come around in time and be a very very tough team to beat.  Any other 8AAA people out here?

District is starting a bit early this year due to the addition of Coffee Co. (who does belong in this district).  Wondering what the story was from last nights action between Tullahoma vs. Columbia.