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

 

You beat me to it RB. They tried this a few years ago and the results were not good. Very little if any chance that this could occur in the future.

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

 

You beat me to it RB. They tried this a few years ago and the results were not good. Very little if any chance that this could occur in the future.

 

I figured it had to be something. That was too easy and logical an idea. That's a shame. I could see that being a great trip with a lot of Birds fans who have traveled south coming out to games. Think how much fun that could be!

I am sure that it would be fun to go to FL and play baseball but I am sure that it would be like most spring break trips with way too much party and not enough baseball.

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.

 

I am one of those that think the SWOL gave up the right to call itself "select" when they started opening up to so many American League and Continental league teams. However, with that being said these "glorified knothole teams" still have the opportunity to schedule National League teams and compete against them in sanctioned tournament play which raises the level of the competition that they play above the level of knothole. The fact that they are willing to play more games gives them the opportunity to develop deeper pitching staffs to be able to compete versus a typical knothole pitching staff. Even with all of the issues with the SWOL it is still significantly better than Knothole as far as developing baseball players.

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.

 

Actually, that is what you said. I would consider most Knothole teams to be equivalent to SWOL Continental teams, with an occasional Knothole team on the American level, and very, very few Knothole teams capable of meaningfully competing at the National level. And there are quite a few NKY teams playing at the National level if you check the SWOL website. You simply can't tell me that playing at this level of competition is not beneficial to these kids and helps them better prepare for high school play. Not absolute across the board, but in general.

 

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.

Ok, so I am going to play devil’s advocate here. Don’t get too mad at me, but….

 

The general consensus on this thread is that the problem with HHS baseball is not the administration, coaches, or player’s talent. It is not spring break either. The problem with highlands baseball is the fact that highlands baseball is ten years behind the rest of northern Kentucky when it comes to its feeder programs. That everyone else in northern Kentucky knew about the SWOL program except the parents that had kids going into HHS? Because this obviously hasn’t hurt the program of New Cath who has kids that live in Ft Thomas, or Bellevue who are just down the street.

 

Well, if Mr. Mark Twain was correct when he said that he wants to be in Cincinnati when the world ends because it is ten years behind the rest of the country, I want to be in Highlands because then I will get an extra ten years on top of that.

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.

 

Guys like Glaser and Hamblen are unique in their athletic ability---those guys come along every now and then....for any team. Guys like that can carry a team well into a regional tournament. I can't imagine that any program can expect to have that caliber of player very often, so I question if its fair to point at them to support an argument of whether or not the "talented" players choose to play or not. Even if HHS did not have to deal with the Spring Break issue, your not going to have an Eric Glaser-type player on your roster year in and year out.

Ok, so I am going to play devil’s advocate here. Don’t get too mad at me, but….

 

The general consensus on this thread is that the problem with HHS baseball is not the administration, coaches, or player’s talent. It is not spring break either. The problem with highlands baseball is the fact that highlands baseball is ten years behind the rest of northern Kentucky when it comes to its feeder programs. That everyone else in northern Kentucky knew about the SWOL program except the parents that had kids going into HHS? Because this obviously hasn’t hurt the program of New Cath who has kids that live in Ft Thomas, or Bellevue who are just down the street.

 

Well, if Mr. Mark Twain was correct when he said that he wants to be in Cincinnati when the world ends because it is ten years behind the rest of the country, I want to be in Highlands because then I will get an extra ten years on top of that.

 

Attempting to ferret out some substance among the sarcasm .

 

This "general consensus" will start to be tested this year. The Fort Thomas Bulldogs (16U, American League South) and the Fort Thomas Wildcats (14U, American Gold Southeast) will be competing in SWOL this summer. The Wildcats are almost exclusively HHS players w/ an HHS Coach. The Bulldogs are predominantly HHS players w/ an HHS Coach, although there are Campbell County, NCC, Scott and possibly other players sprinkled in as well.

 

Not sure if this move has migrated to the lower ages yet or if they are all still playing Knothole. Not sure if it is critically important at those ages either. We shall see.

jpa, i know that I am new on here but you will find that there is always some substance to my sarcasm

jpa, i know that I am new on here but you will find that there is always some substance to my sarcasm

 

You are on here hating because you didn't get the HHS job a few years ago. Get over it and move on.

You are on here hating because you didn't get the HHS job a few years ago. Get over it and move on.

 

Raiderbird, I can assure you that I don't know what you are talking about. I never went for any HHS job. This is the problem with people at HHS. You can't take any criticism. I am simply saying that something at HHS is wrong. I have never once said anything negative about the coaching or administration. If you are happy with mediocrity, and what has become below medicrioty then great. Have fun being the laughing stock of the 9th region, but I am tired of my district being dragged through the mudd because we (NCC) are the only good team year in and year out.

 

Also, I think it would be best to look up rule five on your free time.

Edited May 26, 201115 yr by Bronx Cheer
missed word

Raiderbird, I can assure you that I don't know what you are talking about. I never went for any HHS job. This is the problem with people at HHS. You can't take any criticism. I am simply saying that something at HHS is wrong. I have never once said anything negative about the coaching or administration. If you are happy with mediocrity, and what has become below medicrioty then great. Have fun being the laughing stock of the 9th region, but I am tired of my district being dragged through the mudd because we (NCC) are the only good team year in and year out.

 

Also, I think it would be best to look up rule five on your free time.

 

I didn't tell anyone who you are. I KNOW who you are.. Mark it down in two years the Birds will be a contender in the 9th region.

The only problem with HHS is there is such a focus on football (which is fine if that's what they want) that kids want to make sure they succeed on the football field and if they play baseball they are not getting the extra training, etc that the football only players are getting. If there are football/ baseball players that are in this talented 7th, 8th, 9th grade classes expect some of them to give up baseball like many have done in the past. Just a fact and nothing to be ashamed of if the kid is happy, as that's all that should really matter. I'm sure there is enough talent walking the halls to be competitive on the diamond.

I didn't tell anyone who you are. I KNOW who you are.. Mark it down in two years the Birds will be a contender in the 9th region.

 

I tell you what, since you "know" who I am, in two years when the birds are contenders in the 9th, you come on down to my house and I will buy a nice bottle of Dom for you.

Ok, so I am going to play devil’s advocate here. Don’t get too mad at me, but….

 

The general consensus on this thread is that the problem with HHS baseball is not the administration, coaches, or player’s talent. It is not spring break either. The problem with highlands baseball is the fact that highlands baseball is ten years behind the rest of northern Kentucky when it comes to its feeder programs. That everyone else in northern Kentucky knew about the SWOL program except the parents that had kids going into HHS? Because this obviously hasn’t hurt the program of New Cath who has kids that live in Ft Thomas, or Bellevue who are just down the street.

 

Well, if Mr. Mark Twain was correct when he said that he wants to be in Cincinnati when the world ends because it is ten years behind the rest of the country, I want to be in Highlands because then I will get an extra ten years on top of that.

 

I'm so tired of these discussions I can't believe I'm replying again, but here I go.

 

There is no consensus that any one thing or item is "the problem" with Highlands baseball. The consensus is that most of the things mentioned in this and other previous threads all add up to the current status of the program. Spring break, feeder system, talented kids not continuing to play baseball, increased talent levels in other counties, no Brett Hamblin-type kids in the program at the moment, and other factors all contribute to the disappointing finishes of the past couple years.

 

I also believe that consensus exists between those people actually involved with the program, that the program as a whole, under the current coaching staff, has made fairly significant strides forward that will bear fruit in the not so distant future.

 

A well known football coach made a statement that received quite a bit of attention during the rebuilding years of his program, "that we're a winning team waiting for it to happen." I think you could make that statement about Highlands baseball. They're doing the things that winning programs do, but it will take some time before winning with regularity becomes the norm.