ClearTheMechanism

The Falcons played well enough to win. But hats off to Columbia, they hit the ball well. Both teams hit the ball well. This game went back and fourth all night. The Falcons biggest problem in their losses have been lack of timely hitting. Lincoln Co. has left a ton of runners on base in all of their losses. And to be honest, even in their losses, I don't think anyone has out hit the Falcons. Pitching is more solid this year, but everyone can have an off night. But to answer your question, nothing is "wrong" with the Falcons. They have faced many tough teams, and have come up short in a few of them. Over the past few years, the Falcons have tended to have slow starts, but they ended their seasons strong. And the Falcons are facing quality opponents (Beech, Columbia...). Lincoln Co. will be fine. It's the third week of the season. Things will come together.

Pride, what are you talking about? Those shoes won't be hard to fill because they were pretty small! Most of this team were the starters from last year. The leadership is there! Douglas, Oxley, King, Boggs, Black, Gaskill...this was the team last year. Now true, the Falcons will miss Heath Sharp behind the plate. He had a cannon for an arm and a great bat. LC will definately miss his leadership. And Adam Curtis will be missed also. He was always pumping the team up and contributed quite a lot. Stout was a decent pitcher, and Gardner was an average pitcher at best, but I wouldn't say neither of them are what you would call a leader or earned key player status. No, I don't think the Falcons will miss any leadership. Lincoln Co. should be in a position to do well this year, and I don't believe that there is leadership issue with this team. I understand that there is better team chemistry than has been there in many years. From what hear, this team is in better shape than it has been in a long time.

The district this year will probably be more evenly matched than it has in recent past. Tullahoma always has a good program, and Shelbyville will be tough this year. Lincoln Co. will have 90% of their team back from last years District Runner-Up team, and will be a team to watch. Columbia always finishes well in the district, and they are always a team to keep an eye on. Don't know about Franklin Co., Lawrence Co., and Coffee Co., but none of these teams can be discounted either. I know these guys were down last year, but that means nothing now. I believe this is going to be a great year for 8AAA across the boards. I look forward to watching all the teams in the district play, and wish all the teams good luck in the '06 season.

tdluna, I have some comments on this post. First of all, the Falcon seniors are great kids, no doubt. But it hasn't been the seniors getting it done for the Falcons, it's been the underclassmen. Stout had a solid performance in the district tourney on the mound vs. Lawrence Co., and Sharp has been hitting the ball and is a great catcher, hands down, but other than those two, the only other production I have seen has come from the juniors and sophomores. Derek Douglas (a junior) has been on fire, both on the mound, in the field, and at the plate. Eric Oxley (another junior) has been hitting well all season, and has played well in right field. Matt King (junior again), is normally on base every game, and has played very solid in centerfield as of late. D.J. Boggs (if you guess a junior, you win the prize) has been hitting the ball solid since he has been in the lineup. Shamichael Black (sophomore) has been outstanding in the field and hitting the ball. Cody Gaskill (sophomore) has gotten some timely hits and is solid overall on defense. So let's give credit where credit is due. And I'm not knocking anyone on the Falcons. All the players are great kids. But it's not the seniors stepping up, it's the juniors and sophomores. And Sharp has been solid behind the plate all season. just keep rollin' Falcons! thumb

Did the best pitcher in the state play in the first L.C.-Soddy game???

First of all, I am not a Tate and have no affiliations with a Tate. I am strictly a long time Falcon supporter who felt a change was due for the baseball program. And I hope that Lebanon has success. As I stated above, the program is a class act, and I wish no ill will to the Lebanon baseball team. Good luck, Devils! Now let's get to the heart of the issue. I've coached kids in ball and had kids playing ball, and I always made sure that good sportsmanship was first and foremost with them. What your coach did was inexcusable from that standpoint. You're right, WJBDEVILS, baseball is a man's sport and talking is done on the field, and that includes after the game. And running into the dugout after a game and refusing to shake players' hands THAT YOU ONCE COACHED does not show me a man. And if you're going to do something like that, you should be ready for repercussions. I'm sure if Slone would have won the game he would have been the first in line to shake hands. And you can say any success that Tate has will be attributed to Slone for the next 3 years, but Slone didn't win with these boys, so that statement isn't exactly accurate either. What Slone did was wrong, and he never should have scheduled to play Lincoln Co. if he wasn't ready to face the music in the event the game didn't go his way. And playing for some coach or playing pro ball doesn't make you a good coach, it just means you know the game. WJBDEVILS, you can call me names and describe parts of my anatomy all you want. Your opinion of me makes no difference whatsoever. I'm not going to address your comments towards me. You need to back your coach and I respect that. But I did notice that your name wasn't put on your post either. Kinda like the pot calling the kettle black, huh? Well, enough of that. Keep rolling, Lincoln Co., and good luck Lebanon.

This was a great game. It was a battle to the end. But during this game I witnessed the poorest show of sportsmanship I believe I have ever seen in all of my years of watching sports. After the game, as the teams were lining up to shake hands, Lebanon's coach Tracy Slone went directly into their dugout and would not shake Lincoln Co.s players' or coaches' hands. This might not seem that bad to some folks, but Slone coached at Lincoln Co. for over 10 years, and he coached practically all of the players currently on the Falcons. However he feels about L.C.'s adminstration, athletic program, or new coach, he at least owed it to the players to shake their hands and tell them good game. Those kids had nothing to do with what happen with his removal, and I think it really showed the world Tracy Slone's true colors...NO CLASS! And it is my understanding that Lebanon actually called Coach Tate to schedule the game this season, which wasn't the brightest move I have ever seen. This is a great reflection of sportsmanship that the coach is demonstrating to his players. You should be proud of yourself, Slone. But I'm sure you are...You really showed Lincoln Co., didn't you. And just remember, if we played you 100 times and you won 95 of them, you may have won those battles, but we won the war, because you are gone from Lincoln Co. Coach Tate is doing a great job this year, and he will make L.C. baseball a winning program. You mark my words on that. All I can say to you Slone is good riddance. Not this will matter much to Lebanon, but your players and parents are a class act. I hope that your coach doesn't rub off on you.

Lincoln Co. got down early in the game, trailing 4 - 0 after 2 or 3 innings. Franklin Co. was hitting LC pretty good. Lincoln Co. just kept gnawing away, when they scored 7 or 8 runs in the bottom of the 6th inning to win the game 10 - 6. Franklin Co.'s starter just gave out, in my opinion. But the Rebels played solid defense, and made some great plays in the field. Pitching just gave out. It was an extremely exciting game to watch.

tdluna, pretty good post. However, I disagree on a few points. One, Lincoln Co's defense has hurt at times, but it's normally been one inning or so per game that the errors hurt. Biggest problem the Falcons had was twofold: starting pitching was getting hit hard early, and L.C.'s bats weren't producing, especially the middle part of the order. Right now, starting pitching has been much improved, and hitting has picked up a lot. I agree that the Falcons won't win the district, but I believe they will finish higher than fourth. That's my opinion. Lincoln Co. is showing themselves that they can win, and can come from behind to do it, and I think they like the feeling. This team was never taught to be a winner, but Coach Tate is doing a great job in trying to instill this in the players. And I believe that Tate is closer to the top of the district than you think. The younger players on the team basically played for Coach Tate on the JV when Tate was the Asst Coach. And the upcoming players do have some talent (including the incoming freshman for next year). Look for Coach Tate to make a run for the district sooner than later. thumb

The district is a lot tighter than most people probably thought it would be.

Guru, you are right. Lincoln Co. does have the talent, and they have been in each game they have played until the "inning" that they basically fall apart. The big hitters on the team haven't been getting it done, and they can't seem to get timely hits when they need them. Gardner has done well on the mound, but finding the #2 pitcher has been challenging. And in my opinion (and you know what they say about opinions), either one or more of the seniors need to step up and be the leader. There are a bunch of great kids on that team, but no one has come out and become the leader. Many of the underclassmen that have gotten to play and have made an impact on the team, getting hits and making the defensive plays. And I don't know if the seniors just don't have the heart, don't care, or don't know how to step up and get the team pumped up. In what I have seen, some of the players (and not just seniors) are too interested in "me" than the team. And overall, I think the team chemistry is good. Until the Falcons get away from "when are we going to fall apart this time", and play ball to win, things probably aren't going to change. I want to see the seniors get it turned around, and I want to stop seeing heads hanging when the errors happen. Coach Tate has done a great job with the team, and has tried different things and players to see what will work. But until Lincoln Co. believes they are a good team and play baseball like they love it, it could be a long season. Players need to work to become winners and become great ball players, not just have Mom and Dad tell them they're great. I know of a lot of those kids that have sweated blood for that team, but some of the players think they are better than they really are, and as a result, they don't have much of a work ethic. And you can see it at times. When Lincoln Co. becomes a "team" in every sense of the word, they will get things turned around and get the baseball program where they want it to be. Sorry for the sermon. thumb

Gardner had a pitch count in the mid 70's going into the 6th or 7th (can't remember which) Most runs were scored in the 7th inning off of base hits, when Gardner was getting tired. He probably finished up at around 100 pitches. Was it too many pitches...don't know. He looked strong until the 7th, when he fell off. I think Coach Tate did the right thing by leaving him in.

Lincoln Co. beat Lawrence Co. at home last night 10 - 5. The difference in the game was pitching. Gardner got the complete game win for the Falcons. Lawrence Co. doesn't look too strong this year. Are they in a proverbial "rebuilding year"?

yankeesalltheway, have you seen any other 8AAA teams yet? I'm curious to know how the district looks as a whole.

It was an advantage for the Rebels??? That makes no sense. Both teams were playing in the same conditions. Sounds like Franklin Co. just opened up a can on Coffee Co. Keep it up, Fanklin Co.!

Was wondering how teams faired in the first week of district play?

Are you talking regular season or tournament?

Now, now. Is name calling necessary. And you obviously missed the intent of my last post. I have no idea who will win the district right now. Based on recent history, it would be Tullahoma or Coffee Co. But right now, Columbia, Franklin Co., Lawrence Co., Lincoln Co., and Shelbyville are all legitimate contenders. But it's obvious to me, based on your rather impressive vocabulary, that you would like for me to tell you that I think Coffee Co. will win the district. So that's my prediction.

Obviously another Coffee fan (DUH!). I've been reading on here that the District 8AAA championship goes through Coffee Co. Granted Coffee is the defending champs and will have to be knocked off, but hearing all this in preseason is ridiculous. That's why you play the games! I wish Coffee good luck in the upcoming season, but don't count your proverbial chickens. There is alot of baseball to be played before May. And Pedo 29, thanks for your enlightening comments.

What's the matter, redraiderfan? Havin' a hard time backin' up the smack you were talkin' earlier?

Who knows. The season hasn't even started yet.

Lincoln Co. has the potential to have quite a few All-District players, but right now no one is really standing out in the preseason. Heath Sharp is hitting the well and doing a good job behind the plate. And Bradley Stout is always solid at third for the Falcons. Gardner is pitching well but needs more at bats. One thing I have observed is that Lincoln Co. is playing better as a team right now than I have seen them play in the past. The chemistry seems to be pretty good. Maybe the past years coaching change will get the Falcons over the hump and back towards the top of the district.

Slone knows baseball. No doubt about that. And he had slightly less than a 500 record at Lincoln County in his 10 or so years there. From what I've heard he didn't motivate the players well at all. It's possible he may have gotten too comfortable and complacent at Lincoln County. Good luck, Lebanon, in the 05 season.