tigerman

I'll add a fourth thing to that list---score more points than Creek Wood does.

Why ?????????

Big Country and other Sycamore fans. I was wrong. You guys were a lot better than I ever thought you'd be. Lohin is a very good QB at this level & Carrigan ran hard all night. I'd love to know what those guys rushed for. True, turnovers killed MC in the first half, but in the second half the Tigers couldn't make a defensive stop when they had to. Best team won tonight, plain & simple. Tough loss for Marshall County. Better regroup or this could turn into a very tough season. What a difference a week makes.

You will see Don'ta & we will see a Tiger win. And it's really not going to be close. While you're watching Don'ta get an eyefull of #4 and #22 as well. With Don'ta you can blink, with the other two you'd better not.

BC, I like you man, and there was a time I would agree with that statement. But things are changing in Lewisburg and the defense is showing some signs of returning the good ole days. I'm as anxious as anyone to see if they can put forth another good effort this week. Sure, they'll still have some breakdowns, but if they don't get left on the field for long periods of time you'll see they've made big strides. They were the bright spot last week, not the offense. Spring Hill had dangerous talented skill players. Holding them to 17 points was not shabby. If our offense hadn't hit a funk in the 3rd quarter I'm not sure they even get 17. We'll know more about 10 o'clock tomorrow night won't we ?

True, but a one quarter blitz doen't necessarily mean you're the best team, but it can win you a football game. There is a difference between being the winner and being the best team. But you know what ? I'd rather be the winner any day ! And that's exactly what Sycamore has been the last three years. I'm hoping tomorrow night the Tigers can be the best team on the field and also the winner. No fourth quarter meltdowns this year.

First prediction I've seen that I agree with. This one isn't going to be close. Tigers have too many weapons.

I think those who watched the last three games do give Sycamore respect.. they've come up with the W's. But in none of those games did I think the best team won. Marshall County had total fourth quarter meltdowns in '03 & '04 to turn wins into losses & last year a pretty inept offensive effort doomed the Tigers against a team they were more talented than. I give Sycamore & their coaches through the years a lot of credit. They get the most out of their talent & utilize their players to the best of their abilities. No way do I see Marshall County losing this game, especially if they can get their OFFENSE cranked up. But I thought there was now way we'd lose the last three years either !!! That's why we play the games on the field..not on paper.

I don't know who's a hater & who's not, but there's no time for haters. Tigers have got a tough road ahead & need everyone on the same page. There's work to do, but this could be a really special year.

Marshall County played McNairy Central. Both teams had 3 touchdowns, Marsall County had 2 two point conversion plays. Tigers really didn't look all that good, of course it poured the entire ballgame so that didn't help the smoothness of either team. Regardless, the Tigers have a whole lot of improving to do.

I'm hearing broken collarbone.....ouch.

Spring scrimmages are just that..spring scrimmages. It don't count until the fall. But (there's always a but isn't there ?), Lewisburg beat DeKalb in a spring scrimmage about 60-12 or something close to it. I'm sure both teams were without their full rosters & depending on who was missing could have had an impact on their team. But in Lewisburg, if we score 60 and give up only 12 this year...well, that's improvement !!

Bingo....here's what you've won..................

Apparently it was a beautiful day to play two. Who was it that said that, or something similiar, years ago ? He must have had Spring Fling in mind !!

There were several teams that played two in a day with the softball format. Covington ( twice) and Gibbs come to mind in AA, while Forrest & Trinity Christian come to mind in A. And the way Soddy had to battle back through the loser's bracket in AAA, I'd bet they played two on Thursday & Friday. Keeping up with Lewisburg over the years & three state championships, I've seen several different formats in baseball. First time we ever won it we defeated Knoxville Gibbs at their place in a best 2 out of 3 back in 1983. Back to back in the 90's I believe it was a four team format, but I could be mistaken. Personally, I think eight teams is the right number. I just think it ought to be a true double elimination format, leaving no room for any questions.

Ball four I'm with you on this one. I love both sports equally, although I think softball is a little more fan friendly. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me why the two sports use different formats in the state tourney. If you'll compare the brackets from last week in both you won't see a whole lot of difference in total games played, how many games a team coming out of the loser's bracket had to play, how many games you played if you stayed in the winner's bracket, getting all the games in on time, etc,etc,etc. Takes more spread out venues, but that's to be expected. Plus the way baseball is played now, the two best teams in the tournament may be in the same brackets & only one makes the finals. In softball, the two best teams can be in the same bracket & BOTH can still make it to the finals. And while it ain't first, there's still something to be said (as well as a trophy) for coming in second !!

A+++++++++++++

I think on any given day, all of the teams there except for Haywood could have been playing on the final day for the championship. And Haywood's day is coming since they were so young. Just look at the scores, Alcoa loses twice 1-0 & is the first team sent home. Greenbrier loses twice 1-0, Gibbs lsoes 1-0 & 2-0. All it takes in any of those games is for one break to go their way & it's a whole new ballgame. That's why I saw one bad call or giving a good hitter an "extra" strike can be the difference in a tight ballgame. Not making excuses or being a sore loser, just stating facts. And I've been around this game longer than some of you have been alive. It was a great tourney with great competition. I tip my hat to Goodpasture for winning the championship, I say congratulations to a gutty Covington squad for battling out of a tough losers bracket to make it all the way back to the championship & I salute all the teams who made it to Murfreesboro. As for my favorite team, the Lewisburg Tigerettes, thanks for a tremendous four year ride. So many thrills, so many memories. A special group who made Lewisburg proud.

Do what ??

Well if you compare this year's Class A softball & baseball brackets guess what. For baseball today finals is game 13, while the championship softball game will be game 14. Whole lot of difference there, huh ? What's more this could have been game 14 or 15 for baseball today had either McKenzie or Chapel Hill had lost in their bracket. I agree pitching can become a huge issue but stay out of the loser's bracket & your #1's can usually come back & pitch 2 games in the tourney. My point is simple...Chapel Hill and McKenzie have proven to be hands down the best in their class in this tournament. Had they gotten a bad draw & been in the same bracket, only one makes it to the finals in this format. In a true eight team, double elimination tournament, they could have been in the same side of the bracket & both still made it to the finals. Don't you want the two best teams in the Finals ?

If the home plate umpire hadn't choked on his strike zone you wouldn't have been. Blew a third strike call with two outs that led to the floodgates opening in the bottom of the sixth. That's softball though, some nights you get the calls, some nights you don't. Last night we got the calls. Tonight we didn't. It was a good game between two good teams that was a battle from the first pitch to the last. Great atmosphere as well. Tough loss for the Tigerettes, so tough I think Covington takes them tomorrow morning & plays Goodpasture for the title tomorrow night. There honestly isn't a nickel's worth of difference between the top seven teams in this tourney. So many one run games. It all comes down to who gets,or makes, their breaks. It's been a really competitive tournament.

Wrong.

I'm not suggesting that we know who the best teams are before the tournament starts & do some sort of seeding system because as anybody who follows baseball knows, NOBODY really knows that. That's why we have a tournament. But I might be inclined to have a double elimination tourney patterned after the softball format. That way all eight teams are in the mix. Things might play out the same regardless, but I think this would be a fairer way. I know the depth of a pitching staff really comes into play, but it does that anyway. The solution to that...stay out of the loser's bracket !!

I bet he pitches for the championship Friday !!

I don't like it. Not really a fair way to determine the best teams. A fluke draw could leave two, three or even the tourney's best four teams in the same bracket. That's just one of the quirks in this setup.