big red big blue

if Baylor is as opportunistic as they were against MBA, they have a great shot to win. If they can force MUS to make mistakes and take advantage of them, they'll be right there in the 4th quarter.

It's a fair argument. Years ago, when the TSSAA was established, I'm sure no one envisioned how important interscholastic sports would become. There were a small number of private schools and athletics were probably indistinguishable from private-public. It wasn't very resource-intensive. Really it has only happened in the last 20+ years that private schools have really tapped into the inherent advantages in ernest that they enjoy over public schools (building massive weight rooms, buying lots of expensive equipment, hiring highly qualified coaches, etc.), and created this gulf. Bottom line: privates need publics more than publics need privates. If they vote overwhelmingly again for a complete split and RC goes with the committee results against the wishes of the majority, I'm sure there will be pressure for public schools to leave the TSSAA and form their own league. The unfortunate part is that the DII decision when passed in such a knee-jerk manner in '97 allowed "open season" to be declared on the private schools. It's doubtful there will ever be meaningful debate on the issues and a discussion for how both groups can work together to come up with a fair outcome. The private schools of all classes need to make a compelling argument for why the publics are better off with them than without them...

I think anyone can beat anyone at this point. The quality of ball in our league is really that good.....MUS, despite the earlier loss to CBHS, really seems to have separated themselves from the pack this year. BA appears to be peaking offensively, putting up 38 points. Should be three great games left. I'll go with MUS over BA for the title...

my hat is off to Baylor. These guys made the critical plays in the second half they had to to win the game...the killer sequence happened when Baylor tied the game at 7, intercepted MBA, and then when for the kill with the 35-yard pass to the MBA 1, and scored on the next play. In a span of less than a minute they took control of the game...then iced it with a fg when MBA still had some life. MBA's defense was effective all year but the offense just lacked any sort of punch, especially in the passing game... all in all, as Rollredroll stated, the kids did a good job rebounding from the Byrnes debacle and put together a nice season. Still disappointing to lose a home play-off game. Hard for anyone in the Super 7 to beat a team in successive weeks.

unless my memory is failing me, we haven't beaten anyone by a score like 28-7 this entire season...we aren't very dynamic on offense. Sounds like it was a close game last week until Swett blocked ANOTHER punt resulting in a td. I suspect this will be a close game... only in Tennessee do two teams play each other in successive weeks. Gotta love the braintrust running our league.

I thought that as well (that the shotgun was strange)...why not just pound it in? Anyways, this thing is wide open at this point...

Sounds like MBA got the win in 2OT, 28-21, with the game ending with McCallie failing to get in on 4th and goal from the 1. Any reaction from the game?

I just find it humorous that some one could say "don't recruit because it's unethical." You could say "don't recruit because it makes us mad," and that would make sense. But how do you make the leap to "unethical." Even if we are all guilty of their worst suspicions (college football style recruiting), at worst all we've done (hypothetical again because I don't think we're really doing it) is just explaining to a family other options than public schools. We can't make them come, we can't guarantee them financial aid, and we can't guarantee that they will make it in school...I'd say it's far more unethical to DENY qualified applicants who wouldn't normally be exposed to it the opportunity to hear a pitch from MBA, BA, CPA, FRHS, etc. but the original point of the post was to ask, hypothetically, what is keeping us from doing whatever we want, following the USSC's ruling that the TSSAA is a state actor that cannot impose rules that impede free speech? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts...

well, it isn't unethical for us to recruit any athlete, any more than it is unethical for us to recruit any student, musician, artist, debator, actor, etc., provided they are subject to the same admissions criteria as anyone else is...we should be out seeking the best students all over town. We will not compromise our admissions standards for anyone. If we become some sort of football factory that churns out inept grads who were admitted just because of their football skills, then we will be unethical...I won't hold my breath... that 1999 MBA team would cause people fits. They were, in many cases, from "non-traditional" MBA backgrounds...then all the star players went on to be stars in the Ivy League....I guess we are a football factory....

Is it unethical for us to recruit smart kids or just athletes?

jmo, but the point here is that FRHS needs to re-sell itself to its natural constituency: kids playing in the parochial leagues. I know that folks at Ryan get upset when talented catholic kids (academically and/or athletically) choose to go to MBA, BA, etc...The "recruiting" effort he's talking about is convincing catholic families that they can have the catholic experience without missing much in the way of academics, and/or athletics at FRHS... as for "recruiting" vs. "undue influence," what does it all mean, now that the USSC has ruled that the TSSAA is in fact a state agent and cannot impose rules that restrict free speech? Do we have to follow any rules at all? The NCAA's rules are based on voluntary membership in an intercollegiate athletics association (what we thought the TSSAA was). By my accounts, any restraint the private schools exercise is simply by choice. No recruiting rules can hold up to 1st amendment scrutiny. Esp. things like the hypothetical coach going to a pee wee game and talking to parents. Probably even buying a new car for a 6th grade prospect would be "legal." the rule was "undue influence" with the BA case, and it still is "undue influence." How have things changed, if at all?

regretably for you, he is right. As soon as they aren't required to play private schools, the public schools won't do it. just look at the public schools in metro nashville we at MBA used to compete with...decades of rivalries with Hillwood, Hillsboro, Pearl (which became Pearl-Cohn), Overton, etc. just tossed out the window, even though they all voted as a block against the original split in '97. Someone on another thread suggested that there is an unspoken rule among Nashville publics that they won't play the Nashville privates...not to mention that any local midstate school we seek a game with pretty much says no. So, that is what you can look forward to, with or without a private-only league. so, you can probably expect to be scheduling games like we do with teams from FL, KY, and SC in order to fill your regular season schedule, in addition to playing in Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, etc. and don't hold your breath waiting for "leadership" from the TSSAA. In short, yes, eventually we will have to form our own association, with our own rules and our own shared resources. The TSSAA won't be doing anything for you anyways (as they don't for us now, except accepting our dues) so you won't miss them when they're gone...trust me, we can form a bunch better alternative than what exists now. you are right on with regard to everything else you've written. Most of all, we would help each other out with shared resources, etc. There has never been a cohesive private school organization in the south anywhere largely because, unlike spots on the east coast, there isn't an underlying commonality like the Catholic faith....this would push our league into one like the parochial leagues on the east coast. I've said it before, a lot of powerful people would really channel their resources and energy into making private school football the best in the state...I welcome it, honestly.

the bottom line I see here is that the private schools affected by this, if they want something different, need to come up with their own alternative proposal. I haven't seen anyone come up with something better. The public schools are the ones that need convincing. To steal from many others' ideas, the ideal proposal would somehow "multiply" private schools based on their: --enrollment --athletic budget --number of coaches --percentage of students that plays sports --attendance --some sort of variable that is a relative measure of facilities and equipment. As in, square footage of weight room, locker rooms, and practice facilities (do they compete with every other school program for practice filed time?). Number of tackling dummies and sleds. Age of helmets, shoulder pads, etc. Certain things should be capped (and I think are) such as available practice time. A multiplier should capture quantifiable variables like these things. What is clear is that the pre-multiplier status quo is dead. there are many things that no multiplier will ever be able to capture. When my mom worked in metro, her school had several great athletes who competed in summer baseball and basketball leagues but wouldn't come out for school sports because they had after school jobs. When the coaches tried to get them to come out, it was a catch-22: they only would give up their jobs if the football team were good and competitive, but the only way for the football team to be good and competitive was to get people like that on the field. It was maddening. These are things that, by and large, private schools don't face as much of.

I don't know how they will ever determine whether the multiplier is "working." This whole process and the way it was implemented (against the wishes of a majority of public schools who wanted a complete split) is geared against the privates from the get-go. If a really bad multiplied-private school team upsets a really good public school team, regardless of the reasons why, I'm sure the first thing we will hear is, "you see? we told you! the multiplier isn't working. a bad private school team just beat a good public school team. They need to be split completely!" If the privates win, it will also be "the multiplier isn't working!" The only way people will be satisfied with it is if the privates become doormats. But, if the answer is "yes" to either of your questions, then the reason for the multiplier isn't to figure out a way to create an equal the footing for publics and privates, but to engineer results. I would like to think that a lot of thought went into the 1.8 number, and that it was the number chosen becuase some investigation that determined that it would best capture all the inherent advantages a private school has over a public school. If the process was simply "let's try 1.8 and see if we get a 50-50 win split," then it is doomed from the beginning, which in reality is probably what they want anyways. it also begs the question, if that implication is true--that a 50/50 split is the desired outcome--shouldn't that apply to every region, everywhere in the state, with or without private and public schools? Shouldn't the next step then be to engineer these same results all over the state?

here's a suggestion: why don't you and USA just quit responding to him? It is pretty clear that the only point of his postings is to get a rise out of you, and you oblige him every single time he posts this silly stuff. With this response you have given silverballs incentive to post again tomorrow.

you have absolutely got to be kidding me... again, the TSSAA shows again that it is, bar none, the most incompetent organization of any kind anywhere in America... this is a football game between two JV teams, willing and able to compete with one another. Why does the TSSAA need to get involved at all? The only logical reason I could see for their getting involved in any competition between two willing participants who happen to live in different states is how it might affect tie-breakers come play-off time. But this is jv football, with no sort of post-season at all. So why not just let them live and let live? Again, as I have written on the public-private board, another reason why we private schools have no need to be a part of this organization as I can't discern any value we get in return for our membership...

interesting...thanks.

can you fill in the blanks, MBA v. Coach Flatt? 1995--BA win 1996--BA win Tom Moore years....???? 2002--BA win reg season, MBA win clinic Bowl 2003--BA win reg season MBA win Clinic Bowl 2004--MBA win reg season

nice win...always good to get a win in this series...

The TSSAA really should be embarassed when they look at facts like that, but it is my impression that they are an organization without any sort of shame. They are truly one of the most incompetent organizations of any kind anywhere in America. The current "leadership" has presided over the most disastrous ten-year period imaginable, and yet as long as they continue to be shills for the loudest cry-babies, their positions are safe and people like those you have described will continue to experience that sort of nonsense. It is my supreme disappointment that we, in the private school world, continue to be a part of this organization. as for the LAX travel issue, point made; however, one could just as easily substitute basketball, baseball, wrestling, etc., or any sanctioned sport that traditionally doesn't play once a week, Friday games.

I know this is off-topic, but you have raised a point that really makes my blood boil. It is borderline criminal that the TSSAA would have such little concern for the safety and well-being of the dIIAAA students and parents (not talking the team) by having them travel like this. I went to an MBA-MUS lax game a few years back on a THURSDAY NIGHT!!!! You are telling me that kids and parents are supposed to travel 8 hours, to and from Memphis, in the middle of the week? And still be functioning students? You are exactly right about how fortunate everyone in DII-AAA is that no such accident has happened.

wasn't that game one of those bizarro, non-region games, that didn't even count towards regional records?

I don't think we can run it 40+ times against BA the way we did Ryan...execution in the passing game must be better for MBA to win this one.

I would love to see the new clinic bowl become a showcase for big-time, non-traditional rivals from all over the state (Riverdale, MBA, BA, Maryville, Brentwood HS, Germantown, etc.). Not the same teams every year, because then it wouldn't be special. Also, if someone like Maryville came and played in Nashville, it would give middle tennesseans a chance to see them play. It would be a huge event for TN HS football...maybe bigger than the BC bowl.

some things never change...