The "is he athletic" comment is interesting. As you probably know (maybe from your son) being athletic is not a requirement for baseball. It certainly helps but overall it comes in behind baseball skill.

 

Very true

While I do not fully agree with everything straight shooter said I do agree with the base of his comment. I am a huge fan of 9th region baseball as I played in northern kentucky, and at NKU. I think that there are great teams year in and year out, but Highlands has seemed to drop in stature the past couple of years. After reading this forum and the posts that have been put on here I looked up the stats on KHSAA. Here is what I found.

 

2005 - Rob McCoy 6-13 season record, 2-1 District

2006 - Mike Johnson 11-14 season record, 2-2 District

2007 - Mike Johnson 22-14 season record, 5-1 District

2008 - Mike Johnson 17-14 season record, 4-3 District

2009 - Jeremy Baioni 15-20 season record, 4-3 District

2010 - Jeremy Baioni 13-24 season record, 3-2 District

2011 - Jeremy Baioni 6-28 season record, 1-2 District

 

I believe that stats are a huge part of baseball and while they are not the only thing, you can tell that these stats don't lie. The baseball program has been in a downward slide for a couple of years. This is not a bash on the program or the coach I am just simply stating facts. I know that people in fort thomas are loyal to their coach and team so I am sure that I will get bashed for this, but sometimes you have to realize that your team is not getting better and promises of future teams can only take you so far. I heard that the junior knothole baseball for Highlands and New Cath was goint to be great ten years ago, what happened to that and why does it seem like New Cath is either getting better or staying consistant and Highlands is getting worse? With all of the great atheletes that HHS has at their school their should never be a time where they finish last in their district and third to last in their region.

While I do not fully agree with everything straight shooter said I do agree with the base of his comment. I am a huge fan of 9th region baseball as I played in northern kentucky, and at NKU. I think that there are great teams year in and year out, but Highlands has seemed to drop in stature the past couple of years. After reading this forum and the posts that have been put on here I looked up the stats on KHSAA. Here is what I found.

 

2005 - Rob McCoy 6-13 season record, 2-1 District

2006 - Mike Johnson 11-14 season record, 2-2 District

2007 - Mike Johnson 22-14 season record, 5-1 District

2008 - Mike Johnson 17-14 season record, 4-3 District

2009 - Jeremy Baioni 15-20 season record, 4-3 District

2010 - Jeremy Baioni 13-24 season record, 3-2 District

2011 - Jeremy Baioni 6-28 season record, 1-2 District

 

I believe that stats are a huge part of baseball and while they are not the only thing, you can tell that these stats don't lie. The baseball program has been in a downward slide for a couple of years. This is not a bash on the program or the coach I am just simply stating facts. I know that people in fort thomas are loyal to their coach and team so I am sure that I will get bashed for this, but sometimes you have to realize that your team is not getting better and promises of future teams can only take you so far. I heard that the junior knothole baseball for Highlands and New Cath was goint to be great ten years ago, what happened to that and why does it seem like New Cath is either getting better or staying consistant and Highlands is getting worse? With all of the great atheletes that HHS has at their school their should never be a time where they finish last in their district and third to last in their region.

 

In Highlands' defense this year, they did play a very tough schedule, which no doubt heavily contributed to their final record. Not sure how it compares to previous years, but they played the following teams: NCC (2x), Holy Cross (2x), Ryle (2x), Boone (2x), CCH (3x), Conner (3x), Beechwood (1x), Brossart (1x), PRP (1x), and Dixie (2x). That being said, pretty hard to justify losses to Walton, Scott, Newport, and Carroll Cty.

In Highlands' defense this year, they did play a very tough schedule, which no doubt heavily contributed to their final record. Not sure how it compares to previous years, but they played the following teams: NCC (2x), Holy Cross (2x), Ryle (2x), Boone (2x), CCH (3x), Conner (3x), Beechwood (1x), Brossart (1x), PRP (1x), and Dixie (2x). That being said, pretty hard to justify losses to Walton, Scott, Newport, and Carroll Cty.

 

The only two teams that are out of the 9th region in that conversation is Brossart and PRP. While I will agree with you that PRP is a very tough team, all of the others Highlands has played in the past with regularity and should be able to be competitive with consistantly. I realize that this year had a lot of young players but if you are playing your best players what has happened in the past years? Either the talent has gotten better everywhere else, or the talent is not playing at highlands which I find hard to believe since everyone has nothing but great things to say about coach baioni.

The only two teams that are out of the 9th region in that conversation is Brossart and PRP. While I will agree with you that PRP is a very tough team, all of the others Highlands has played in the past with regularity and should be able to be competitive with consistantly. I realize that this year had a lot of young players but if you are playing your best players what has happened in the past years? Either the talent has gotten better everywhere else, or the talent is not playing at highlands which I find hard to believe since everyone has nothing but great things to say about coach baioni.

 

There is no doubt that, overall, the talent at the private & public schools in both Boone & Kenton counties has gotten better over that past few years. You have to look at what youth programs are feeding the schools. The Southwest Ohio League has exploded in popularity over the past 6 or 8 years, and the majority of the NKY kids playing in that league feed Boone Cty, Dixie, Cov Cath, Ryle, Conner and Cooper High Schools (and probably a few others). If I had to make a guess, I'd say that at least 75% of those schools varsity rosters played at least their last 3 years of youth ball in the SWOL. It's really only been in the past year or two that ANY kids from Ft. Thomas have played in the SWOL, and at least half of them didn't play their first year in that league UNTIL they were in high school. This is a major difference between the varsity rosters of Highlands & other area schools, and leaves Highlands at a significant disadvantage.

 

When you look at the records of previous Highlands coaches, keep in mind that back then a much higher % of the competition's players came out of Knothole, the same league that has been Highlands major feeder to this day. It won't be until '13 that a significant portion of Highlands' varsity roster will have a decent amount of SWOL experience.

So, I guess I am just confused because I do not have a kid in high school yet, and I played knothole growing up until I got into high school. Are you telling me that knothole has gone that far down that anyone who plays in that system now cannot be competitive? Plus, you are saying that the previous coaching had nothing to do with what their records indicated, but that the competition was not as good as it is now? So, if a school in Kenton or boone county fell to the level of a 2011 HHS that it would be the coaching, but not in ft thomas because it is the feeder program?

The real truth here is that it has nothing to do with SWOL, Knothole, USSSA or whatever league you want to say. The fact is that over the last decade kids have not stuck with the baseball program from the time they were frosh up through their senior year. This is for many reasons IMO, the biggest of which appears to be spring break. You also have kids that have played multiple sports (football, basketball, baseball and/or soccer) in their early years and then feel the need to specialize in only one in high school. Guess which one is the first to go?

 

The whole SWOL and USSSA thing is a bit overated in my opinion. There are Knothole type teams out there that can compete with these teams on a night in and night out basis. It is not always about what league you play in rather it has a lot to do with what type of instruction you have been given in those early years. I know that there was a Knothole team made up of the current senior class that was very good and you can count on one hand how many of them stayed in the program. The key is getting some of these kids to stay the course and you will see the record improve.

I love JB's commitment to the program and the younger kids coming out. Jpa pretty much summed it up in his post.

 

I certainly won't disagree with statements that football is the primary sport at Highlands and has made some kids decide to forgoe baseball. It is what it is and will never change. I just am amazed at how well JB has sparked the interest at a younger age and has washed his hands with the Spring Breakers. That my friends shows he is committed to building a program over time and not trying to have a great win/loss record yearly.

 

No matter how much interest coach Baioni can generate in Jr High and Frosh level---14 & 15 yr olds cannot physically compete with 17-18 yr olds. And as long as there is a Spring Break at HHS, 'Birds baseball will never have the opportunity to be as good as it could be because most of the upperclassman--17 & 18 yr old athletes--are going to choose beaches over baseball tournaments in TN. I feel sorry for Coach Baioni--and I'm glad that he's sticking to his guns over the issue of Spring Break. Unfortunately, neither he nor anyone else will deprive Cake Nation of their Spring Break. And don't get me wrong--I've been a part of the 41075 zip code migration to FL for many years---it's a great time. But if you have a baseball guy in the family, they'll be sorely disappointed come Jr/Sr year when their pals ditch the baseball program in order to go south in April.

I believe that you can overcome Spring Break. That is a crutch used by people to say why Highlands has fallen off. The truth of the matter is that this year's team doesn't have Eric Glaser, Kyle Pfetzer pitching w/ either Matt Mason or Chris Hamblen catching. Marc Spears isn't leading off and leading the region in steals. All of their best baseball players aren't playing baseball. Missing a week of games in the middle of the season is not a deal breaker. If memory serves me correctly, they did the same thing in '96 and '97. The issue is talent that chooses to play, and be dedicated to, baseball. It is coming up. This year's group of Frosh and 8th graders will hopefully right the ship for the Birds.

I have noticed that this spring break conversation comes up a lot in threads dealing with the birds. Is there no compromise? Can you not go to Myrtle Beach or somewhere out west? I figure if people are willing to drive 14 hours to go to Florida, wouldn't they drive somewhere else? It just seems to me that TN was a good idea at first but maybe it is a little bland for a spring break trip. If you are going to go somewhere why not make it a trip that the boys will be excited about? Maybe that will keep the older kids in baseball. Besides I don't think that they have gone to FL in atleast 10 years. I am fairly certain they didn't go anywhere when they were 22-14 in 2007. What was the difference there? Was it a fluke, or where they just stacked with talent? I am just trying to figure out in 5 years what has happened and I am sorry but Spring break is not the answer because spring break has only changed for the better (the kids are actually going somewhere now).

 

On the second point is there nothing that HHS can do to keep the kids in baseball? Obviously it didn't work when the team turned around from a 6-13 season to a 22-14 season in just two years. What would keep these kids playing baseball at highlands? I understand the fact that most players don't play three sports anymore. I get that, but why is it so accepted that baseball is obviously the first to go? This obviously isn't happeneing at other schools in the 9th region. What is the difference?

Mexitucky, This is what I am talking about. For the past 6 years people have been talking about building the program and that it is coming up with underclassmen. I thought that it might have been true when they did so well in 2007, and then they might not have been as good, but they were still pretty good in 2008. After that they have been in a decline and the talk of dedication comes up again. What happened to the dedication that was there in 07 and 08? What made it leave HHS?

Edited May 25, 201115 yr by Bronx Cheer
missed word

The real truth here is that it has nothing to do with SWOL, Knothole, USSSA or whatever league you want to say. The fact is that over the last decade kids have not stuck with the baseball program from the time they were frosh up through their senior year. This is for many reasons IMO, the biggest of which appears to be spring break. You also have kids that have played multiple sports (football, basketball, baseball and/or soccer) in their early years and then feel the need to specialize in only one in high school. Guess which one is the first to go?

 

The whole SWOL and USSSA thing is a bit overated in my opinion. There are Knothole type teams out there that can compete with these teams on a night in and night out basis. It is not always about what league you play in rather it has a lot to do with what type of instruction you have been given in those early years. I know that there was a Knothole team made up of the current senior class that was very good and you can count on one hand how many of them stayed in the program. The key is getting some of these kids to stay the course and you will see the record improve.

 

You will find very, very few Knothole teams that could consistently compete with the National League teams in SWOL. There may be a couple out there, but they are few and far between. The quality of play in Knothole - and I guess I'll just speak to Boone County Knothole - is poor overall.

I have noticed that this spring break conversation comes up a lot in threads dealing with the birds. Is there no compromise? Can you not go to Myrtle Beach or somewhere out west? I figure if people are willing to drive 14 hours to go to Florida, wouldn't they drive somewhere else? It just seems to me that TN was a good idea at first but maybe it is a little bland for a spring break trip. If you are going to go somewhere why not make it a trip that the boys will be excited about? Maybe that will keep the older kids in baseball. Besides I don't think that they have gone to FL in atleast 10 years. I am fairly certain they didn't go anywhere when they were 22-14 in 2007. What was the difference there? Was it a fluke, or where they just stacked with talent? I am just trying to figure out in 5 years what has happened and I am sorry but Spring break is not the answer because spring break has only changed for the better (the kids are actually going somewhere now).

 

On the second point is there nothing that HHS can do to keep the kids in baseball? Obviously it didn't work when the team turned around from a 6-13 season to a 22-14 season in just two years. What would keep these kids playing baseball at highlands? I understand the fact that most players don't play three sports anymore. I get that, but why is it so accepted that baseball is obviously the first to go? This obviously isn't happeneing at other schools in the 9th region. What is the difference?

 

Your post brought up a thought. Why doesn't Baioni take the Bluebird baseball team to Florida on Spring Break? If all the kids are headed there anyway, pick a destination the team wants to travel to, find a tournament or some opponent there, and play 3 games. That keeps everyone happy and keeps quality players in the program. Of course, that is assuming the Spring Break excuse truly is the reason for some talented players dropping baseball.

Your post brought up a thought. Why doesn't Baioni take the Bluebird baseball team to Florida on Spring Break? If all the kids are headed there anyway, pick a destination the team wants to travel to, find a tournament or some opponent there, and play 3 games. That keeps everyone happy and keeps quality players in the program. Of course, that is assuming the Spring Break excuse truly is the reason for some talented players dropping baseball.

 

Admistration won't allow for a baseball trip to Florida..

You will find very, very few Knothole teams that could consistently compete with the National League teams in SWOL. There may be a couple out there, but they are few and far between. The quality of play in Knothole - and I guess I'll just speak to Boone County Knothole - is poor overall.

 

You are talking about National League teams in SWOL. How many of those teams are from Northern Kentucky? What about the American and Continental League teams. Many of the teams in those leagues are glorified Knothole teams. Nowhere did I say that all Knothole teams could compete, but I do know of a few that would be more than competitive in the SWOL especially in the American and Continental Leagues and could compete against some of the lower end National League teams. They just choose to not want to play all of the games and travel all over the area to play.