Sonny Gray

[Solomon]

It would work until someone like NIKE added a second all-star game. Then we would be having this discussion all over again.

 

Baseball is an easy fix. Play the games before school starts. Ohter sports, as this becomes more common, will be more difficult to deal with.

 

 

No one has added a second major national bball all star game for seniors yet. I see no reason they would add one as juniors. As far as basketball goes, most of your Nike, Reebok, and Adidas of the world focus on the AAU portion of it. I don't think there will be more than one. Plus, I don't think many would argue that one all-star showcase is enough, especially after your junior year.

 

Two problems with your baseball argument -

 

1. No unified school start/end system. You would never get that to work unless you played in July. That leads to point 2.

 

2. A lot of MLB scouts are at this game. You can't forget the July 31 trade deadline in MLB where every scout an organization employs is out scouting for potential trades. Probably a reason the game is played in August, to guarantee scouts be there.

[CoachT]

No one has added a second major national bball all star game for seniors yet. I see no reason they would add one as juniors. As far as basketball goes, most of your Nike, Reebok, and Adidas of the world focus on the AAU portion of it. I don't think there will be more than one. Plus, I don't think many would argue that one all-star showcase is enough, especially after your junior year.

 

Two problems with your baseball argument -

 

1. No unified school start/end system. You would never get that to work unless you played in July. That leads to point 2.

 

2. A lot of MLB scouts are at this game. You can't forget the July 31 trade deadline in MLB where every scout an organization employs is out scouting for potential trades. Probably a reason the game is played in August, to guarantee scouts be there.

 

Then play it in June to mid-July. The scouts can tear themselves away for a day or two.

[CoachT]

I will try to find out from the TSSAA why this rule was made in the first place. It has been in the book for a long time.

[cbg]

I will try to find out from the TSSAA why this rule was made in the first place. It has been in the book for a long time.

 

 

Did you ever find out why the rule was put in place? I have been told it was because kids were playing "church league basketball" and the coaches did not want their star player to get injuried. Why would the coach just not tell the player to stay away from "church league" basketball? But then again a kid can become injuried in practice or a "pick-up" game during lunch.

[lawdog]

Let me first say I do not know Sonny Gray nor am I from Smyrna; however, I think this it is a travesty that he is not going to be allowed to play. I have also emailed the TSSAA and got the simple response that "they were enforcing a rule put in place by member schools." My response was as follows:

 

Though I understand that there is a rule in place in regard to this issue, there are exceptions to every rule. What is so inexcusable in my mind is that Sonny Gray, who by the way I do not know or have never met, is 1 of the top 38 rising senior baseball players in the country. As the TSSAA is supposed to be an organization that represents the high school athlete in Tennessee, I would think this would be a place where an exception would be granted. Sonny Gray is on the cover of the most recent Baseball America and has an article in the issue about him, http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high...res/264605.html. He is the only player of the 38 who has an individual article written about him. What a great honor and what a way to showcase high school baseball in Tennessee. Again, I believe that every situation is different and exceptions can be made to every rule. Here that is certainly the case rather than showing an injudicious attitude and simply denying this great player a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

Again, we are dealing with a player who Baseball America chose to single out of the 38 and write a feature article on, simply impressive. However, the TSSAA has again shown its sometimes bull headed way in making a decision to rob a young man of a once in a lifetime opportunity. The TSSAA is beginning to more and more remind me of the NCAA. Instead of looking out for the athletes, they find reasons to knock the athlete down and in this instance ruin any future opportunity for any high school baseball player in Tennessee. A sad, sad state of affiars

[utcgolf]

Check this out:

 

http://www.aflacallamerican.com/

 

Way to go Sonny!!!

[P.A.Lin-Z]

The purpose of the rule (which was passed by your school and mine, by the way, and is enforced by the TSSAA) is to keep athletes from having to choose between playing for their school or an all-star team. If that volleyball player in the example missed four days of the seasonKey word here "season" if it were in the baseball season I could understand, and her team loses two district matches while she is gone which would kill their seeding in the tournament, then that is not a choice that a player should have to make and that her coach and teammates should have to deal with. It kills team morale. Since states around the country do not have corresponding seasons it is possible for those things to happen. Therefore, in order to assure that this never happens, the rule was put in place. Section 23 (a). No student shall be permitted to participate in an all-star game unless it is sanctioned by the TSSAA and unless he/she has completed high school eligibility in that sport.

 

If a tournament is going to invite juniors then it is up to that tournament to check the rules of the states' involved before they invite anyone.

[larry]

Key word here "season" if it were in the baseball season I could understand

 

So could I. But it is football season, which makes it worse. At least if it was baseball season he would be playing the sport that was actually in season.

 

The fact that he is an All-American is great but the rules are made for every student. You can't make an exception for Sonny that you wouldn't make for anyone else. Right now he belongs on the football field, or working out in the gym, with his teammates. Now, if it was summer or baseball season...

[Gerry Bertier]

Let me first say I do not know Sonny Gray nor am I from Smyrna; however, I think this it is a travesty that he is not going to be allowed to play. I have also emailed the TSSAA and got the simple response that "they were enforcing a rule put in place by member schools." My response was as follows:

 

Though I understand that there is a rule in place in regard to this issue, there are exceptions to every rule. What is so inexcusable in my mind is that Sonny Gray, who by the way I do not know or have never met, is 1 of the top 38 rising senior baseball players in the country. As the TSSAA is supposed to be an organization that represents the high school athlete in Tennessee, I would think this would be a place where an exception would be granted. Sonny Gray is on the cover of the most recent Baseball America and has an article in the issue about him, http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high...res/264605.html. He is the only player of the 38 who has an individual article written about him. What a great honor and what a way to showcase high school baseball in Tennessee. Again, I believe that every situation is different and exceptions can be made to every rule. Here that is certainly the case rather than showing an injudicious attitude and simply denying this great player a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

Again, we are dealing with a player who Baseball America chose to single out of the 38 and write a feature article on, simply impressive. However, the TSSAA has again shown its sometimes bull headed way in making a decision to rob a young man of a once in a lifetime opportunity. The TSSAA is beginning to more and more remind me of the NCAA. Instead of looking out for the athletes, they find reasons to knock the athlete down and in this instance ruin any future opportunity for any high school baseball player in Tennessee. A sad, sad state of affiars

 

 

Couldn't of said it better myself.

[P.A.Lin-Z]

Let me first say I do not know Sonny Gray nor am I from Smyrna; however, I think this it is a travesty that he is not going to be allowed to play. I have also emailed the TSSAA and got the simple response that "they were enforcing a rule put in place by member schools." My response was as follows:

 

Though I understand that there is a rule in place in regard to this issue, there are exceptions to every rule. What is so inexcusable in my mind is that Sonny Gray, who by the way I do not know or have never met, is 1 of the top 38 rising senior baseball players in the country. As the TSSAA is supposed to be an organization that represents the high school athlete in Tennessee, I would think this would be a place where an exception would be granted. Sonny Gray is on the cover of the most recent Baseball America and has an article in the issue about him, http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high...res/264605.html. He is the only player of the 38 who has an individual article written about him. What a great honor and what a way to showcase high school baseball in Tennessee. Again, I believe that every situation is different and exceptions can be made to every rule. Here that is certainly the case rather than showing an injudicious attitude and simply denying this great player a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

Again, we are dealing with a player who Baseball America chose to single out of the 38 and write a feature article on, simply impressive. However, the TSSAA has again shown its sometimes bull headed way in making a decision to rob a young man of a once in a lifetime opportunity. The TSSAA is beginning to more and more remind me of the NCAA. Instead of looking out for the athletes, they find reasons to knock the athlete down and in this instance ruin any future opportunity for any high school baseball player in Tennessee. A sad, sad state of affiars

 

Absolutely!!!!!! An opportunity of a lifetime.....there's no telling when that will come again to this state.

IT'S NICE TO KNOW THAT THE ALMIGHTY tssaa IS WATCHING OUT FOR OUR KIDS WELL BEING.

[CoachT]

I imagine that Sonny has gotten more attention than the other players from the people at AFLAC, including the pro scouts, because of the publicity this has generated. He got to pitch three innings in game conditions with every scout in attendance.

 

This issue does need to be addressed now, though, and if schools (through their TSSAA Board of Control members) keep this rule in place then at least we will get a fresh explanation as to why.

[cbg]

So could I. But it is football season, which makes it worse. At least if it was baseball season he would be playing the sport that was actually in season.

 

The fact that he is an All-American is great but the rules are made for every student. You can't make an exception for Sonny that you wouldn't make for anyone else. Right now he belongs on the football field, or working out in the gym, with his teammates. Now, if it was summer or baseball season...

 

 

Since when is early August not baseball season? Let's not forget they are playing the Connie Mack world series in Farmington, NM to over 8000 fans per game at the present time and the Little League World Series has not even started. Just because Tennessee high school football has started practice does not mean that it is not baseball season.