I guess I should repost. I agree with you Q, and VOR when it comes to your thoughts about the past 2-3 years. But, if you look at the past fifteen to twenty years your theory doesn't hold as much water. Look I know Dale came in sometime in the mid 90's, don't know exactly when and we will say that is when HHS' domination in football really started to pick up. Well, the baseball team, and I think basketball team was good through atleast 2000. I know Schlarman had some good teams with basketball, but the slide of baseball was bad in the early part of the 2000's, and then picked back up for a couple of years but is now back to the slide again. If the football program was hogging all of the talent, why did it start in the 2000's? Why not the mid 90's when Dale started to bring trophies into the school?

Wow! I don't like the looks of where this thread is heading. Major blame game. IMO, it's all about the competition these kids are playing as they grow up. The younger groups are going to have to expand outside Knothole baseball. When they do that for a few years, and it will take more than just a couple, then I think you will see improvement in the quality of product on the field. Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings but it is what it is. Just look around to all the other programs and see where there younger kids are playing.

Wow! I don't like the looks of where this thread is heading. Major blame game. IMO, it's all about the competition these kids are playing as they grow up. The younger groups are going to have to expand outside Knothole baseball. When they do that for a few years, and it will take more than just a couple, then I think you will see improvement in the quality of product on the field. Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings but it is what it is. Just look around to all the other programs and see where there younger kids are playing.

 

That is fine to expand outside of Knothole if baseball is the first choice which unfortunately for many kids in Ft. Thomas we know that it is not. Playing 60 or 80 games as a 10, 11 or 12 year old leads to nothing more than burnout and/or injury in my book. This thread reminds me so much of the basketball thread started months ago on here. There is no problem with how the programs are being run and who is running them. Hopefully some of these younger kids develop a love for multiple sports and stick to playing several of them throughout their high school years. I do agree with Q on one thing, play as many sports as you can and do as many things in high school that you like because you cannot bring those years back once you are gone.

I guess I should repost. I agree with you Q, and VOR when it comes to your thoughts about the past 2-3 years. But, if you look at the past fifteen to twenty years your theory doesn't hold as much water. Look I know Dale came in sometime in the mid 90's, don't know exactly when and we will say that is when HHS' domination in football really started to pick up. Well, the baseball team, and I think basketball team was good through atleast 2000. I know Schlarman had some good teams with basketball, but the slide of baseball was bad in the early part of the 2000's, and then picked back up for a couple of years but is now back to the slide again. If the football program was hogging all of the talent, why did it start in the 2000's? Why not the mid 90's when Dale started to bring trophies into the school?

 

I am not close enough to Highlands programs to be sure about this. But it seems to me it is different at Highlands now in football than it was even 3 or 4 years ago. The Bluebirds have gone to a different level IMO. They are now playing straight up two platoon football and I don't think that was true 3 or 4 years ago. That has opened more playing opportunities, caused more competition for positions and perhaps caused some players who may have played other sports to focus all their energy on football. I think the numbers in football are different now than they were 3 or 4 years ago and those numbers may be affecting other sports. This isn't to point the finger or blame anyone. I think the Highlands football program has gone to an even higher level right now and is better than it has ever been with the two platoon play. They are separating themselves from their competition like St. X and Trinity have and, honestly, it is fun for me to watch this evolve and see how good they have become. But I wonder, I am not saying this is true, but I wonder if this has caused a talent drain on the other sports as more kids focus on football. And with that, I think this may need to become its own thread so look for a new thread to discuss this topic.

I am not close enough to Highlands programs to be sure about this. But it seems to me it is different at Highlands now in football than it was even 3 or 4 years ago. The Bluebirds have gone to a different level IMO. They are now playing straight up two platoon football and I don't think that was true 3 or 4 years ago. That has opened more playing opportunities, caused more competition for positions and perhaps caused some players who may have played other sports to focus all their energy on football. I think the numbers in football are different now than they were 3 or 4 years ago and those numbers may be affecting other sports. This isn't to point the finger or blame anyone. I think the Highlands football program has gone to an even higher level right now and is better than it has ever been with the two platoon play. They are separating themselves from their competition like St. X and Trinity have and, honestly, it is fun for me to watch this evolve and see how good they have become. But I wonder, I am not saying this is true, but I wonder if this has caused a talent drain on the other sports as more kids focus on football. And with that, I think this may need to become its own thread so look for a new thread to discuss this topic.

 

Never really thought about it but you might have something there VOR..

That is fine to expand outside of Knothole if baseball is the first choice which unfortunately for many kids in Ft. Thomas we know that it is not. Playing 60 or 80 games as a 10, 11 or 12 year old leads to nothing more than burnout and/or injury in my book. This thread reminds me so much of the basketball thread started months ago on here. There is no problem with how the programs are being run and who is running them. Hopefully some of these younger kids develop a love for multiple sports and stick to playing several of them throughout their high school years. I do agree with Q on one thing, play as many sports as you can and do as many things in high school that you like because you cannot bring those years back once you are gone.

 

We'll never settle the specialization vs. multiple sport argument on this blog, and I agree with those on both sides that have said we as parents need to let our kids decide for themselves, and then back their decision.

 

As for the bolded above, truer words may have never been spoken on this site. We all have regrets about decisions we've made in the past & wish we could do certain things over again, but that's what life is - a series of decisions. Help your kids decide what is most important to them, and then help them make it happen.

I thought Highlands always played straight up platoon football. I know when I played against them in the early 80s they did. My junior year, their entire offense were seniors and the entire Defense were juniors. There may have been one or two guys going both ways, but by in large that was the way it was. The next year, the defense returned and now was all seniors and they had a new crop on offense that was all juniors.. Hard to beat that when you have 9 of the 11 positions filled with kids going both ways. By the end of the third quarter, you are worn out and they are still fresh. And it sure as heck doesn't help when they are better than you to begin with. ha ha

I thought Highlands always played straight up platoon football. I know when I played against them in the early 80s they did. My junior year, their entire offense were seniors and the entire Defense were juniors. There may have been one or two guys going both ways, but by in large that was the way it was. The next year, the defense returned and now was all seniors and they had a new crop on offense that was all juniors.. Hard to beat that when you have 9 of the 11 positions filled with kids going both ways. By the end of the third quarter, you are worn out and they are still fresh. And it sure as heck doesn't help when they are better than you to begin with. ha ha

 

I have a new thread on this started now in the football forum.

That is fine to expand outside of Knothole if baseball is the first choice which unfortunately for many kids in Ft. Thomas we know that it is not. Playing 60 or 80 games as a 10, 11 or 12 year old leads to nothing more than burnout and/or injury in my book. This thread reminds me so much of the basketball thread started months ago on here. There is no problem with how the programs are being run and who is running them. Hopefully some of these younger kids develop a love for multiple sports and stick to playing several of them throughout their high school years. I do agree with Q on one thing, play as many sports as you can and do as many things in high school that you like because you cannot bring those years back once you are gone.

 

You do not have to play 60 or 80 games in SWOL. That is totally by choice. I know I don't have to explain that to you. I agree with the burn out issue. A select team in SWOL can play 30 - 40 games. But those 30-40 games are against arguably the better teams in Greater Cincy week in and week out.

 

My son's Knothole team has played in the so called "upper" division the last couple years and won City. As great of an accomplishment that was, or perceived, (sorry, but I'm tired of all the sugar coating and the Rah Rah that is going on), there were teams in the "upper" division that didn't belong playing baseball period. We didn't see a good team until we played in the city tourney and of course your team. HAHAHA!!! You will agree Knothole just isn't what it once was way back when we played. If the teams continue to play Knothole, then they will continue to be mediocre at the High School level. It is nice to see the new Jr. program in Ft Thomas moving in this direction. Thank goodness they have moved on. We will see soon enough just how good the future of HHS baseball really is.

 

Oh, and all the others that drinking the sugar free kool aid, just stop it already. Stop blaming everybody else. Figure out a way to make yourself better. Play better competition as youngsters for starters!:irked:

 

Well, LN, I told myself I would stay out of it too, but enough is enough.

It may be "pie-in-the-sky," but if we are measuring success in High School athletics only with Wins & Losses, we've already lost. I'm confident if you asked Flynn, Baioni or Mueller whether they would prefer a sub-.500 record with quality young men trying their best and doing things the right way OR a state championship team full of knuckleheads you wouldn't feel comfortable leaving your teenage daughter alone in a room with, they will all pick the former.

 

Thankfully, we don't have to pick one or the other and we can have state championship teams with quality young men trying their best and doing things the right way.

tbg excellent points about the level of competion. What you see day in and day out is what makes you better as a player. The level of teams in select leagues SWOL or Greater Cincinnati Select league plus the freedom to be able to play in tournaments against select leagues from all over helps develop players. There are knothole teams that are an exception just like there are supposed "select" teams that are an exception being really bad. The problem is if you are the really good exception in knothole.....................you are not being tested especially during your regular season.

 

Now my main point is this.................the best way to develop a program in all other sports is to have a feeder program. But how many schools have a baseball feeder program due to the loyalties in knothole or a player's select team which of course are all coached by dads in the lower age levels. Coach Baioni has been able to start something most programs will never be able to touch. That being putting teams together that can function as feeder teams coached by who he has picked. Now granted a couple players on each team are not future Bluebirds (yet) but if you do not see how this is going to start having baseball taught correctly the way he wants it which in turn starts to become a huge advantage. And if you look even at younger ages the majority of his 13 year old players play on two teams that he has strong knowledge of and my guess is some lines of communcation with. Further down the line he coaches two youth teams that his son's play for and again he is getting "his way" taught at the earliest age possible. The bottom line is this....with the time to do this Coach Baioni has made sure through coaching teams, holding clinics, fall leagues for younger players, starting feeder teams and communicating with coaches that have players that are in his pipeline that he is setting up players for success in his program which will turn that program around. :thumb:

Playing better competition is great but if the kids choose to not play once they get to Frosh year it means nothing. Bottom line if kids who spend several months focusing on football can help you but don't play then the baseball program suffers.

 

You do not have to play 60 or 80 games in SWOL. That is totally by choice. I know I don't have to explain that to you. I agree with the burn out issue. A select team in SWOL can play 30 - 40 games. But those 30-40 games are against arguably the better teams in Greater Cincy week in and week out.

 

My son's Knothole team has played in the so called "upper" division the last couple years and won City. As great of an accomplishment that was, or perceived, (sorry, but I'm tired of all the sugar coating and the Rah Rah that is going on), there were teams in the "upper" division that didn't belong playing baseball period. We didn't see a good team until we played in the city tourney and of course your team. HAHAHA!!! You will agree Knothole just isn't what it once was way back when we played. If the teams continue to play Knothole, then they will continue to be mediocre at the High School level. It is nice to see the new Jr. program in Ft Thomas moving in this direction. Thank goodness they have moved on. We will see soon enough just how good the future of HHS baseball really is.

 

Oh, and all the others that drinking the sugar free kool aid, just stop it already. Stop blaming everybody else. Figure out a way to make yourself better. Play better competition as youngsters for starters!:irked:

 

Well, LN, I told myself I would stay out of it too, but enough is enough.

As a former knothole coach / hhs coach / st henry coach would say "yous guys are playing like a dang D team" LOL. Ill bet Tommy Mo is rolling over in his grave and would have a few words for this thread. Just saying........

Bump!!!

Didn't want to start a new thread yet, but I'm hearing some positive news coming out of Ft Thomas. Word is that Jeremy has gotten the blessing of anyone that really matters in Ft Thomas of taking his 2012 squad to Myrtle Beach for "Spring Break". Kinda like "Spring Training". The Cal Ripken experience. Don't know a whole lot about it, but it appears to be a very well ran program. These kind of things can only help the program head in the right direction. Kudos to Jeremy, the Principal, and School Board members for getting this done!