Stonewall

You would think with all of the jawing that goes on either for or against D-B during football and basketball that this board would have been buzzing for the last 3 weeks about the Indians baseball team. They are 29 and 4, 16 and 0 in the conference, and a favorite to threaten for a state title. However......nothing. It doesn't bother me mind you as I grow tired of the same juvenile rants from both sides. I think what this really shows is just how important this part of the state considers football to be. The Indians just finished a year long sweep of football, basketball, and baseball in the Big Nine. Threads are several hundred deep when the football team is 10 and 0. It's kind of interesting to note this don't you think?

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Dobyns-Bennett's field. It was the Rookie League home for the New York Mets for many years, so it's a park that has major league dimensions. No cheap ones there. It takes a bomb to hit one out. The surface is attractive and it has to be the only park with stands as enormous. Also, I'll bet it's the only park where fans by the hundreds can sit under a nice concrete roof and stay out of the rain.

The best thing about that prediction is that there's no year on it. So, you're right. At some point, some year, yes, Science Hill will beat D-B....book it!

Now if I start hearing in about 2 months that your baseball team is a threat to win the state I'm going to be talking to myself (more than I do now).

Congratulations from us up here D-B way. How great must it be to be you tonight? Dang.....are the girls pretty there too?! Great Job!!

Wow! I know I'm behind the times on this, but I just read the article on Tricitiessports.com about the officiating. It's very hard for me to not hate most High School officials because the majority that I see aren't professional. I see them every year with that cocky swagger, jerking their heads around to glare at a coach who questioned them like, "did you dare just question my judgement?" All I will say about Coach Morgan's comments is that in the 8 or so years that he has been the coach, I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER read of him criticizing an official in the paper. Several times I have picked up the paper and been disappointed because not only did he not rip poor officiating, he didn't even mention it. That should give us a pretty good idea just how bad it was at Powell the other night.

Not sure of your intentions there, but don't let two years erase your memory from several great ones before that. D-B may/may not beat a Maryville or Riverdale on a given night, but they have shown they can play with anyone. 3 semi-final games in 6 years aren't Red Rebel numbers, but they aren't chopped liver either.

As I said earlier, I love our kids and my gas budget shows that. I live and die for our victories and my posts probably convey that. Our kids compete and play hard. If we could have a Throp in every class from now on it would only carry on what makes D-B so special. Ditto for Sensabaugh, Burton, Pappas, etc. I just look at what made Science Hill a State Championship team in the 90's. I can't remember all of the names, but I know they had some SEC players. Our dominant football teams enjoyed atheletes like Gaines (NFL draft pick), Powell (starter at safety at Memphis), Graves (Marshall signee), McMillan (2 National Titles at Georgia Southern), Adonis Johnson (best TB ever according to Clark), McMillan (Air Force), Ghee (Orange Bowl w/Wake Forrest), and a bunch of criminals that were unbelievably athletic. One of the D-B coaches told me that both William Miller and Tylee Henry had scholarships at D-I schools right up until graduation when their misdeeds caught up with them. Their behavior doesn't change the fact that they were great players. I just hate to see Charlie get trashed as a guy who had "a bumper crop" of athletes. It makes it seem as he mismanaged a stable of thoroughbreds and that just isn't true. Guess what? In middle school and AAU type teams, the coaching is suspect at best and there are usually just 1 or 2 of them. Varsity sports sort all of that out and the kids are actually coached. Nobody really cares which 8th graders beat who.

"They had a bumper crop"??? I don't care to debate the coaching issue with you, but if you think D-B has a bumper crop of athletes in this Senior class then you really, honestly, don't know what great athletes are. Coty Sensabaugh slid into a D-I football offer on the day before signing day. I'm personally very glad for him, but he's it! The rest of the kids are good, solid high school players that have had their last days of glory unless they are on their way to Tusculum or Emory & Henry. The sheer athleticism of the team's at the school this year can't even get on the same page as the athletes we had from around the mid-nineties until about 2002. Don't take my word for it, count the D-I players. Count the guys like William Miller and Tylee Henry who though criminal, were infinitely more athletic than the guys we have now. This isn't meant as a slam on our kids because I love 'em and I spend a bunch of money driving to watch 'em play. But to say that Charlie had a "bumper crop"? Please.....Memphis maybe, not Kingsport.

I'm not sure what "it's not yours...yet!" means. As for your thoughts on the post season, I'm much more concerned about beating the Hill tomorrow night because of the ramifications of history. Yeah, we beat 'em twice this year, but I remain consistent about what post season play means. If they beat us, they are the Region Champs, not us. The only way then to one-up them would be to win our sub-state game on the road and have them lose at home. Or, have us tear it up at the state tournament (which is highly unlikely). I don't know who has won regular season or district tournament titles over the last 5 years. What I do know is that D-B is carrying a pretty good rep right now because we are making a regualar appearance in the sub-state/state tourney and the once dominant Science Hill is not. That's important to a D-B fan.

Exactly as I told you last week Cap. I said then that if Tennessee High was still playing and D-B was at home, then I would readily admit that the Vikes had the better year. That's because I've watched this too long and I really had a feeling of what was coming. I believe my exact quote was "by the way, we aren't afraid of that Greeneville team that Science Hill beat by 29 points". By the way, that District Championship trophy you are referring to is sitting in the activities office at Dobyns-Bennett.....I've seen it. You have a tourney trophy that meant you were good at home for 3 days and an overtime. Enjoy it, be proud of it, but don't kid yourself. In "5 or 10 years" people will remember Sub-state teams and State Tourney teams......fact!

"we had to play a guy on Sensabaugh that couldn't guard me"......wow! That might be one of the most classless things that I've ever heard in a post-game interview. Imagine being that kid, or that kids parents. Coty had ONE point and I'm sure that heart broken kid at least took a little solace in how he played Coty.....until he read the paper in class this A.M. That's awful and that Coach should be on the carpet this morning for it!

A good announcer can really make a game on the radio. Since I wanted to attend the game tonight I obviously didn't hear the radio broadcast. However, no matter how bad Rader may/may not be, he can't possibly sink below Overbay. It's like he's auditioning for Hee Haw or something.

Hmmmm, D-B wins and we hear..................crickets!

I've said it before, but man I love saying it again. Greeneville experienced tonight what about 10 generations of fans have gone through. Another big game and D-B finds a way. What a great win!! We may not win another game but I'm really proud of these guys. As I told Cap last week when he was woofing about the District Title (anyone remember that now?), you measure High School basketball success by who is playing the longest. Am I correct that Charlie Morgan has now taken D-B to the Region Final 4 times out of the last 5 years?

Uh, Barb, I need to get to gloatin' about the Indians, but come on now. 90,000 fans, touching the Rock, opponents like Florida State and Miami, and NFL athletes running around. Compared to.....Black Saturday and 20,000 people? Western Carolina? Elon? I really respect Appalachian State, but it's not the big show. Don't look for the College Gameday tent there anytime soon.

CAP......I really don't have to say anything do I?

Right on Barb! You obviously know your football. Playing at Appy is in NO WAY as good as playing at Clemson....very astute on your part.

Good point Waco. I think we are just content in this regard to be the biggest bullies on our block. We are afterall the winningest High School basketball team in history. So, while we're waiting (hoping) for a great run of athletes that would actually enable us to win a state title, we want to enjoy continuing the misery of those around here who hate and envy us so much.

I won't correct you at all. Read my post. Anyone who wants to talk smack about how great their basketball team is had better be playing when everone else around here isn't. As you said, "It's all about the tournament."

"Basketball is the only thng that Mr. Stonewall takes any pride in"....??? You must not be around during football season. "So he is having a serious problem with denial". What, pray tell, am I denying? D-B IS the undisputed Champion of the Big 9 in the regular season. You remember, the one where you had to play for 3 months on everyone elses floor and win it? Tennessee High IS the Champion of the District Tournament. You remember, the one where you have to be the hot team for 3 days of basketball. You did it, congratulations. Now, let's see who walks out of the Region. If D-B gets beat and Tennessee High is still playing, I'll say it right here....they had the better year. If not, and D-B is still playing and Tennessee High isn't, D-B had the better year. By the way, we're not afraid of that Greeneville team that Science Hll beat by 29 points. You played a hard fought game IN YOUR BUILDING and won in overtime. Good job, now we'll see how it shakes out next week. Don't battle wits with me son. I let you off easy this time. That's funny right there! I don't care who you are, that's funny!

Round 1 to the Tribe (3 months of regular season play and a District Championship). Round 2 to Tennessee High (Tournament Championship). Round 3 = ???. This is exactly where we were this time last year D-B fans as Sullivan Central (remember them?) was crowing all over this board. One week later we were still playing and no one else in our area was. NEXT week will settle the bragging rights for who has done what this week. Represent or shut up......from D-B onward,,,,,just win baby! On a side note for D-B fans over 35 years old, you all are keenly aware of how hated we are all over East Tennessee, but particularly in Johnson City. Well, I had to listen to the game tonight on WJCW and Paul Overbay was doing the play-by-play. Friends, he couldn't have been more aroused if he were watching a porn film! It was like 40 years of D-B hatred was bubbling over. When the Indians sent the game into overtime I thought he was going to go straight Anna Nicole on us, no joke. Then when Tennessee High won it in overtime he was screaming in jubilation. Oddly, it gave me kind of a warm feeling knowing that we still get to people like that. Anyway, if you're an Indian, you know what I mean.

I guess it's a pet peeve. I can't help but notice how the "regular season title" thing in the local media is always touted. I don't know if it's because that's all they have to cheer about or what. Anyway, I thought surely that would go away now and rightfully so. No chance...I guess it just irks me to suspect biased coverage and then to actually see it. As I said, pet peeve.

Dobyns-Bennett is the undisputed Champion of the Big 9 Conference and the undisputed #1 seed. The Toppers' hold on the most useless of any of the 3 major sports titles (regular season basketball champ), is gone......unless you read local media outlets like the JC Press or Tricitiessports.com. They are gushing with stories about how the Toppers didn't "want to see the streak end tonight" with their victory over Sullivan East. News flash!!!! It ended!! As I said, I consider the regular season basketball title the least valuable of any of the 3 major sports because it carries the least reward. If you are gone by the Region semis, no one cares about that title. (except in Johnson City apparently) By next week this thread will be obsolete. But, for now, to the media in the Tricities....get over it!! The Toppers are in 2nd!

I'm going to start another thread on this, but D-B didn't "share" anything! They whipped Science Hill twice and they are the undisputed Champions of the Big 9 and the #1 seed. Basketball is the only thing that Johnson City takes any pride in, so their media is having a serious problem with denial!