Did you Know???

[Guest Flex]

Congratulations to Jason Patterson on winning his first state championship. Tremendous coach, great person. But did the fans of Tennessee baseball know that Lexington's two best players (Sweat and Maness) are not from Lexington. Sweat transferred from Jackson South Side and Maness came from Chester Co. Coach Patterson had nothing to do with this, it was Coach Odle's (now at North Side) doing in the past. But nonetheless, just thought those who didn't know, should.

[bd4vols]

Look Flex...whoever you are....and I'm sure you aren't man enough to say who you are....people have tried to stir up crap about this for a while and there is nothing there. Sweat moved because he was unhappy at South Side, not because he was offered anything under the table to move. His dad wanted his two boys to be in a better place and situation than in Jackson. Brandon Maness came to Lexington because he played travel ball with some Lexington kids and because some of his relatives (namely Dustin Page) was already at the school. He lives about as close to Lexington as Henderson so he decided to come here. Don't try to diminish Lexington's Championship because we earned it. Our boys fought too hard and played too hard to have someone like you try to destroy it with rumor and innuendo. You need to get your facts straight before you start trying to stir something up that you know little about.

 

Sincerely,

 

Brad Davis

Lexington High School Assistant Coach

[Mayer23]

Yeh for real, thats pretty low to bring up nonsense like that after a team wins a state title. I"m sure they werent offered anything, but if someone was offered something and went to a school, the person stil has to work hard and perform, so they are the best team in the state and deserve the title no matter what. Congrats to Lexington!

[VolunteerGeneral]

Flex...what is your point? It doesn`t matter if they came from Brazil or Canada or wherever. The fact is the attend Lexington and receive their education there. Therefore they can play there.

 

Now if you`d said they were attending Southside and Chester County but were playing baseball at Lexington then you`d have some news there bud.

[Guest Flex]

I apologize and did not mean to diminish the hard work those boys have put in. Congratulations to them and Coach Patterson. I'm also not saying they were offered anything to go to Lex. It is just amusing that these sorts of problems happen alot to North Side's coach and Lexington's old coach Terry Odle, (currently North Side's assistant.) I'm sure the folks at South Side and Chester County had a hard time pulling for the Tigers. I know I would if one of my best players was recruited away and "encouraged" to attend another school. Just think about it, how would you feel if the shoe was on the other foot? It happened to me a few yrs. ago. I wish there was some way to stop all of this transferring and recruiting but I don't think it will ever end.

[Mayer23]

Why should it end? A kid should be able to play baseball where he wants to.

[Guest Flex]

Your post shows your level of maturity and wisdom. Do you not realize what high school athletics are all about? Teaching kids to work together and become disciplined. But most importantly, at least in my opinion, LOYALTY. We have become a "me-first" society. Coaches breaking the rules that are set-up to govern their sports so all will have a fair opportunity to compete. Anything to win, even if it means lying, cheating, misrepresenting, etc... Maybe the Lexington deal was on the up-and-up. However, I would have liked to been a fly on the wall when Coach Odle was talking to Sweat's and Maness' daddys.

[webcoach]

Flex, From what I've gathered from this thread these families made the mature chose. Chose and Competition are very hard concepts for liberal thinking individuals to understand. Parents get one chance with there children. We have to do what we believe is right for our children, all of the time. It sounds as if the parents of these two young men that transferred to Lexington HS made the wise chose.

 

Athletes that aren't somewhat selfish aren't usually very good. Guys that are selfish will focus on their skills more and they usually are leaders on the teams. So the "Me-First" cry is a bit whiney. Ones "loyalty" should not be given to a coach or a neighborhood school just because a kid is ZONED to that school by the STATE of Tennessee. A baseball program (good or bad) is a reflection of its leaders and if a family looks at that program and the program does not fit there needs then they would be irresponsible as parents not to do the best for there son's or daughter's.

 

If everything was up-and-up on the situation then the coaches of the programs that these two boys left need to look at themselves and improve so this don't occur again. Usually good players will not leave good programs but on the other hand good players will leave poor programs. The freedom to chose programs what is at issue here and that's what makes competition interesting.

[Mayer23]

Thank you Webcoach good post

[Guest Flex]

Web Coach, very good post. I agree with all of your thoughts except we must take into consideration what the school's coaches are doing to get these athletes to transfer. I agree that parents should do the best for their child, but if the program they are suppose to play for does things the right way (work hard and are disciplined) then the parents are not teaching their child about loyalty and responsibility. Instead, they are teaching their child to cash those things in for a little self-gratification. But, like you said, if their previous program is in shambles and has bad leadership, I would not blame the parents for leaving.....if the child was not recruited.

[bd4vols]

Flex...There were no "meetings" on any player ever coming to Lexington....and to think that even starting this thread shows how little concern you have about the hard work and dedication that these boys put in to win the state championship. They weren't recruited by anyone to go anywhere and I don't know who told you this. If you need to know the real story call Dennis Maness or Steve Sweat and I'm sure that they'll fill in all the missing details or holes in your story. Terry Odle didn't promise these guys anything. In fact, we were very suprised when Steve Sweat contacted the school about coming here. I knew that stuff would be said about it and I'm sure Steve did too, but they wanted to make the move because, like I said earlier, they didn't like the way things were going at Jackson South Side. Brandon enrolled here as a freshman and will be graduating from here. Students come to Lexington HS from all of the surrounding counties, but you never hear anything being said about them. Maybe you need to give the teachers here a little credit. Maybe we are turning out a well-educated kid. Maybe parents want to see their kids get a good education. AND if they moved here because of Terry Odle, then why didn't they move to North Side last year when Odle left here to go there. Your line has no merit and you need to just keep your thoughts to yourself.

 

Sincerely,

 

Brad Davis

Lexington High School Baseball

[andy4186]

Maness played on a lexington travel team when he was 13 and 14. and sweat wanted to go somewhere where he thought he had a chance to win a state championship. looks like it paid off. congratulations to lexington they had a heck of a team. and congratulations to coach patterson he deserves every bit of it.