You know---- I mentioned these above teams except for Whitley Co on 12-09-05, and if memory serves me correctly Whitley Co,and Middlesboro split wins and losses last year.

 

I have even put a question out there about the Harlan Co teams. If anyone knows when they may be combined?? As this would definitely strengthen them in the 13th region.

 

Now as for it being all about Middlesboro-- Whats wrong with us having PRIDE in our team? And if there is another team or coach that has accomplished as much as Coach Bill Powell and Middlesboro well lets talk about them. This man has earned the respect he gets.

you know, we can sit here and argue about this stuff all winter and get nowhere. Lets just wait til spring arrives and let the bats speak for themselves. I dont remember seeing anyone talking about or dogging Coach Powell. He has had some great teams with "great players", that carried him through the tournaments. As far as the 13th goes Rockcastle has pretty much dominated it lately, wouldnt you agree. Except for last year when I thought they should have won it again. If coach Bussel had it to do over I'm sure he would not have thrown his 2 at Whitley instead of his 1, it cost him another region title in my book.

I can see a slip. I was not impressed with their middle school program last year and that is the future. They had some pretty good kids but they were not what I have seen in the past. They were dominated by Whitley and if I remember correctly Corbin beat them too and they struggled with a very subpar Williamsburg team. So I can see a serious slip in the future.

 

Coach Powell is a excellant coach but as the assistant can he really impose his will on the team. Will it cause problems with the head coach. That cannot be a good situation when a former coach comes back as an assistant, he will consantly looking over his shoulder.

 

Certainly MIddlesboro has had some great teams and players, but what have you done for me lately? 22 years? Hey some of the kids playing today can't tell you what a record player is and you expect them to know what happened 22 years ago?

 

The big dogs in the region this year will be teams on the upswing.....not on the down hill side of the glory.

 

 

First of all, Middlesboro's Middle School taem will never be full strength because their best talent is always playing up to JV ball. Middlesboro doesn't have the luxury of choosins from 800 boys for their team, they have to choose from about 230 which means some of the younger boys are asked to step up some times. Jeremy Skidmore, Brian Powell, Harold Brooks, Justin Stewart, Vince Powell, Blake Allen, Brad Cawood, Andrew Breeding, Trevor Hoskins, and Mark Comparoni to name a few. Most of the time, the guys that are going to make the biggest impact on the high school team are the ones that don't even get to play for our middle school teams.

 

As far as Coach Powell, I think you are taking it a little far with that "imposing his will" bit. Coach Powell isn't trying to take over the team. Coach Sowders asked him to come back, not because he needed to be saved, but because he likes having Coach Powell out there with him. They have coached together for about 9 years and Coach Sowders playde under Coach Powell for 4 more. These guys are great friends and they simply both want to win. Coach Powell has specific responsibilities and that is heading up the pitching staff. I'm sure Sowders will give him free reign in that department. Also, I think Powell sort of humbles these boys that had problems last year because he is a little bit older and wiser. Not that Sowders couldn't control them this year, because I thihnk he could, but I've heard it from these boys' mouths that things are a little different when Coach Powell is around. He is a very moral man and quite bluntly, players feel guilty when they aren't busting their tails. I know, I've been there.

 

 

What have you done for me lately? What is all this 22 years ago nonsens?? Here is what Middlesboro has done for you lately:

 

1998 Middlesboro wins Regional Championship

-Get beat by Boyd County 5-6 in extra innings in the Sectionals. Boyd County ended up going to the State Championship.

 

1999 Middlesboro wins Regional Championship

-Middlesboro wins Sectional Championship

-Middlesboro makes "Final Four" appearence

 

2000 Rockcastle wins Regional Championship

-Get beat in Sectionals 15-0 by Boyd County.

 

2001 Rockcastle wins Regional Championship

-Get beat in Sectionals by Hazard

 

2002 Middlesboro wins Regional Championship

-Middlesboro wins Sectional Championship (beating defending state champions Boyd County)

-Middlesboro makes "Final Four" appearance

 

2003 Rockcastle wins Regional Championship

-Gets beat in Sectionals 12-2 by Male

 

2004 Rockcastle wins Regional Championship

-Gets beat in Sectionals 2-1 by Ashlan Paul Blazer

 

2005 Corbin wins Regional Championship

-Gets beat in Sectionals 13-2 by Boyd County

 

 

So in the last 8 years they have won over a third of the regional championships, 3. And if you will notice, they won the sectional tournament two of those years as well. And this was when it was an actual tournament with 4 teams and not just a little round robin with two teams, which is basically the first round of sectionals and you get to play your second round in Applebee's. Anyways, Middlesboro is the only team in the 13th to go on and win a sectional championship and they did that twice. Which means, two bids to the true Final Four, something none of the other regional teams have done in a long time.

 

Like I said, Middlesboro has made 4 of these appearences in about 22 years. Each was with a different group of kids which means they have continually been dominant.

 

Now you want to talk about all these other teams that supposedly on the upswing but my answer to that is I only give respect to those who have earned it. No other teams besides Middlesboro, Rockcastle, and Corbin even know what it feels like to still be playing when all the other teams are sitting at the house.

 

When is the last time Whitley, Bell County, or any of these other "big dogs" have won a regional tournament?? You would think that getting sent to the house early every year would give these boys some motivation to get out there are work for a championship but appearently not. The true "big dogs" continue to win the titles. And that isn't going to change anytime soon.

 

Middlesboro, Corbin, and Rockcastle own this region.

What about the new additions to the region? Do you baseball experts see them influencing anything?

From earlier in the thread...

"I don't know too much about South Laurel I will be honest. However they went 5-6 last year against 13th region opponents with their wins coming from mostly the weaker ones (Lynn Camp, Jackson County). They did beat Whitley early on by 2 but Whitley came back at the end of the season and 10 runned them. I think SL will be about middle of the pack this year with Clay and Bell."

 

I see NL being in the top 5.

 

 

And by the way, on my last post, I of course meant the 13th has been owned by Rock, Middlesboro, and Corbin, and that Corbin and Middlesboro will continue to be the top contenders.

From earlier in the thread...

"I don't know too much about South Laurel I will be honest. However they went 5-6 last year against 13th region opponents with their wins coming from mostly the weaker ones (Lynn Camp, Jackson County). They did beat Whitley early on by 2 but Whitley came back at the end of the season and 10 runned them. I think SL will be about middle of the pack this year with Clay and Bell."

 

I see NL being in the top 5.

 

 

And by the way, on my last post, I of course meant the 13th has been owned by Rock, Middlesboro, and Corbin, and that Corbin and Middlesboro will continue to be the top contenders.

While these teams are pretty solid, Corbin probably more than Middlesboro, it could be a year where someone could slip in.

First of all, Middlesboro's Middle School taem will never be full strength because their best talent is always playing up to JV ball. Middlesboro doesn't have the luxury of choosins from 800 boys for their team, they have to choose from about 230 which means some of the younger boys are asked to step up some times. Jeremy Skidmore, Brian Powell, Harold Brooks, Justin Stewart, Vince Powell, Blake Allen, Brad Cawood, Andrew Breeding, Trevor Hoskins, and Mark Comparoni to name a few. Most of the time, the guys that are going to make the biggest impact on the high school team are the ones that don't even get to play for our middle school teams.

 

As far as Coach Powell, I think you are taking it a little far with that "imposing his will" bit. Coach Powell isn't trying to take over the team. Coach Sowders asked him to come back, not because he needed to be saved, but because he likes having Coach Powell out there with him. They have coached together for about 9 years and Coach Sowders playde under Coach Powell for 4 more. These guys are great friends and they simply both want to win. Coach Powell has specific responsibilities and that is heading up the pitching staff. I'm sure Sowders will give him free reign in that department. Also, I think Powell sort of humbles these boys that had problems last year because he is a little bit older and wiser. Not that Sowders couldn't control them this year, because I thihnk he could, but I've heard it from these boys' mouths that things are a little different when Coach Powell is around. He is a very moral man and quite bluntly, players feel guilty when they aren't busting their tails. I know, I've been there.

 

 

What have you done for me lately? What is all this 22 years ago nonsens?? Here is what Middlesboro has done for you lately:

 

1998 Middlesboro wins Regional Championship

-Get beat by Boyd County 5-6 in extra innings in the Sectionals. Boyd County ended up going to the State Championship.

 

1999 Middlesboro wins Regional Championship

-Middlesboro wins Sectional Championship

-Middlesboro makes "Final Four" appearence

 

2000 Rockcastle wins Regional Championship

-Get beat in Sectionals 15-0 by Boyd County.

 

2001 Rockcastle wins Regional Championship

-Get beat in Sectionals by Hazard

 

2002 Middlesboro wins Regional Championship

-Middlesboro wins Sectional Championship (beating defending state champions Boyd County)

-Middlesboro makes "Final Four" appearance

 

2003 Rockcastle wins Regional Championship

-Gets beat in Sectionals 12-2 by Male

 

2004 Rockcastle wins Regional Championship

-Gets beat in Sectionals 2-1 by Ashlan Paul Blazer

 

2005 Corbin wins Regional Championship

-Gets beat in Sectionals 13-2 by Boyd County

 

 

So in the last 8 years they have won over a third of the regional championships, 3. And if you will notice, they won the sectional tournament two of those years as well. And this was when it was an actual tournament with 4 teams and not just a little round robin with two teams, which is basically the first round of sectionals and you get to play your second round in Applebee's. Anyways, Middlesboro is the only team in the 13th to go on and win a sectional championship and they did that twice. Which means, two bids to the true Final Four, something none of the other regional teams have done in a long time.

 

Like I said, Middlesboro has made 4 of these appearences in about 22 years. Each was with a different group of kids which means they have continually been dominant.

 

Now you want to talk about all these other teams that supposedly on the upswing but my answer to that is I only give respect to those who have earned it. No other teams besides Middlesboro, Rockcastle, and Corbin even know what it feels like to still be playing when all the other teams are sitting at the house.

 

When is the last time Whitley, Bell County, or any of these other "big dogs" have won a regional tournament?? You would think that getting sent to the house early every year would give these boys some motivation to get out there are work for a championship but appearently not. The true "big dogs" continue to win the titles. And that isn't going to change anytime soon.

 

Middlesboro, Corbin, and Rockcastle own this region.

I dont think that whitley has had a coach in the past that could help get them there. But i believe M'boro was at the house early last year. I like M'boro baseball and enjoy watching them play, most of the time, but they have had a couple of rough seasons. Even 2004 was a disappointing year with all those seniors and everyone expected them to be in the state tournament. I think and this is just my opinion they feel like they can just walk on the field and teams are going to roll over because it is M'boro. This isnt so anymore, teams are getting better with the addition of new coaches in the 13th.

Corbin will be pretty good by tournament time, whether they can win the region again will depend upon how far their solid piitching staff will take them plus how much their younger players improve. I believe that the regions best teams will look something like this:

1. South Laurel

2. Middlesboro

3. Corbin

4. North Laurel

5. Bell Co.

6. Whitley Co.

7. Clay Co.

8. Cumberland

9. Barbourville

10.Harlan

Corbin will be pretty good by tournament time, whether they can win the region again will depend upon how far their solid piitching staff will take them plus how much their younger players improve. I believe that the regions best teams will look something like this:

1. South Laurel

2. Middlesboro

3. Corbin

4. North Laurel

5. Bell Co.

6. Whitley Co.

7. Clay Co.

8. Cumberland

9. Barbourville

10.Harlan

 

Looks to me like you are sandbagging a bit...

 

Whiltey loses two serious players and bring back the core of their team, plus their new coach has them moving in the right direction. I don't see South coming in and being #1 in baseball but maybe four or five.....There is no way Bell will be that high...way too young, but they could be a team that may not win it but has a say in who does....

 

Like I said earlier Corbin will be Corbin and people should not fool themselves into believing any thing different.

 

Whitley's middle school does not have 800 boys to chose from, only about 350....split about evenly between 7th and 8th grades and remember these are country boys who work farms and don't play alot of baseball till they get to high school.

 

About Coch Powell imposing his will....I would not want to be the head coach with all that glory and all those wins looking over my shoulder. A head coach is a head coach, and he will see things differently than the other guy. No two people see things the same, will he be able to remain silent?

 

Just because Whitley has not won in the past does not mean that they can't or won't win now. John Smith is an excellant coach and the only thing concering Whitley fans right now is if they can keep him, he is a darn fine coach. In his first year, he was district runner up, and region runner up, of course evryone will question Rocks decision to use their pitchers the way they did but the point is they did and Whiltey won, so all the ifs and buts are a moot point. Give Coach Smith two more years and he will solidify the program at Whitley as one of the tops in the region year in and year out.

Looks to me like you are sandbagging a bit...

 

Whiltey loses two serious players and bring back the core of their team, plus their new coach has them moving in the right direction. I don't see South coming in and being #1 in baseball but maybe four or five.....There is no way Bell will be that high...way too young, but they could be a team that may not win it but has a say in who does....

 

Like I said earlier Corbin will be Corbin and people should not fool themselves into believing any thing different.

 

Whitley's middle school does not have 800 boys to chose from, only about 350....split about evenly between 7th and 8th grades and remember these are country boys who work farms and don't play alot of baseball till they get to high school.

 

About Coch Powell imposing his will....I would not want to be the head coach with all that glory and all those wins looking over my shoulder. A head coach is a head coach, and he will see things differently than the other guy. No two people see things the same, will he be able to remain silent?

 

Just because Whitley has not won in the past does not mean that they can't or won't win now. John Smith is an excellant coach and the only thing concering Whitley fans right now is if they can keep him, he is a darn fine coach. In his first year, he was district runner up, and region runner up, of course evryone will question Rocks decision to use their pitchers the way they did but the point is they did and Whiltey won, so all the ifs and buts are a moot point. Give Coach Smith two more years and he will solidify the program at Whitley as one of the tops in the region year in and year out.

 

There are so many things I can say in response to your post. Where do I even begin. First of all, I agree Smith is a great coach, but Greer was a good coach as well and they had some good players too, but still didn't advance.

 

Secondly, I didn't say their middle school team had 800 to choose from, I said there high school does. And where exactly do you think Middlesboro is located? Whitley is no more in the country than Middlesboro. Middlesboro has several farm boys.

 

And about Coach Powell imposing his will, didn't I clear this up earlier?? He won't be imposing his will at all. Do you think having Jim Boheim as an assistant coach for the olympics will hurt them this year?? Absolutely not. Not every coach is as egotistical as you think, especially not Coach Powell. He simply wants to help in whatever way he can. And I hope he doesn't remain silent or that would waste his years of experience. Having Powell back on the staff is only a plus.

 

About Coach Smith, yeah he is a good coach. Who do you think taught him everything he knows about baseball though?? Not only did Coach Powell coach him but he was head coach of him and was a mentor to him for several years. Don't think the Smith has anything over this staff. He is a great coach though,I will take nothing away from that.

 

 

The Fan, what team were you watching exactly in 2004?? Middlesboro made it to the regional championship that year and was upset by Rock. Yes it was an upset because Middlesboro had already beaten them once that season. Not only that, but they finished the season ranked 11th in the state. Not once did they drop out of the top 25. They went from 15th, to 14th, to 12th, to 11th. Apparantly the coaches of the Kentucky High Schools knew a little more about this team than you. Heck, they ended the year with a .407 team batting average.

 

"Corbin will be Corbin and people should not fool themselves into believing any different."??? Because of 1 regional championship in about 10 years?? How come you think they will automatically be a contender every year while Middlesboro has been far more successful.

 

Get real. I can't wait for the season to start. That outta shut some of these people up.

1. Corbin

2. North

3. South

4. Bell co.

5. Whitley co.

 

You can take it to the bank, that 1,3,or 5 will not even make it to the region in "06" because they are in the same district.

There are so many things I can say in response to your post. Where do I even begin. First of all, I agree Smith is a great coach, but Greer was a good coach as well and they had some good players too, but still didn't advance.

 

Secondly, I didn't say their middle school team had 800 to choose from, I said there high school does. And where exactly do you think Middlesboro is located? Whitley is no more in the country than Middlesboro. Middlesboro has several farm boys.

 

And about Coach Powell imposing his will, didn't I clear this up earlier?? He won't be imposing his will at all. Do you think having Jim Boheim as an assistant coach for the olympics will hurt them this year?? Absolutely not. Not every coach is as egotistical as you think, especially not Coach Powell. He simply wants to help in whatever way he can. And I hope he doesn't remain silent or that would waste his years of experience. Having Powell back on the staff is only a plus.

 

About Coach Smith, yeah he is a good coach. Who do you think taught him everything he knows about baseball though?? Not only did Coach Powell coach him but he was head coach of him and was a mentor to him for several years. Don't think the Smith has anything over this staff. He is a great coach though,I will take nothing away from that.

 

 

The Fan, what team were you watching exactly in 2004?? Middlesboro made it to the regional championship that year and was upset by Rock. Yes it was an upset because Middlesboro had already beaten them once that season. Not only that, but they finished the season ranked 11th in the state. Not once did they drop out of the top 25. They went from 15th, to 14th, to 12th, to 11th. Apparantly the coaches of the Kentucky High Schools knew a little more about this team than you. Heck, they ended the year with a .407 team batting average.

 

"Corbin will be Corbin and people should not fool themselves into believing any different."??? Because of 1 regional championship in about 10 years?? How come you think they will automatically be a contender every year while Middlesboro has been far more successful.

 

Get real. I can't wait for the season to start. That outta shut some of these people up.

After an earlier post i did some checking around. If this John Smith is indeed the same John Smith that played at M'boro that is coaching at Whitley co., I know for a fact that he learned most of his baseball form his Father. I played summer baseball with the John Smith that played at M'boro and his father was always around and always talking with the team. I would have to say he gathered all of his knowledge from his father. Plus he was always studying the game and I would say he still does. Someone please let me know if we are talking about the same John Smith. As far as coaching under Coach Powell that was probably just a stepping stone for him to get his own Coaching Job. Coach Powell may be a great coach, but dont give credit to someone for teaching someone if you know nothing about it. But someone please let me know if we are talking about the same John Smith, I would like to get in touch with him. He would have been a great player no matter who coached him!!

Corbin will be pretty good by tournament time, whether they can win the region again will depend upon how far their solid piitching staff will take them plus how much their younger players improve. I believe that the regions best teams will look something like this:

1. South Laurel

2. Middlesboro

3. Corbin

4. North Laurel

5. Bell Co.

6. Whitley Co.

7. Clay Co.

8. Cumberland

9. Barbourville

10.Harlan

 

Barbourville?

 

By the way, I commend the MHS people for dominating this thread. It's actually nice to see someone take baseball so seriously.

Barbourville?

 

By the way, I commend the MHS people for dominating this thread. It's actually nice to see someone take baseball so seriously.

 

It was just a guess. I was thinking that they were pretty good last year, but I could be wrong, and it seems like they have 2 good pitchers coming back(maybe Worley(is he still at B'ville?) & Crawford).

How good will Knox Central be? What kind of numbers will they have?

 

I agree with you on the M'boro fans, they are passionate about their baseball and I enjoy their posts.

KC was young last year and again this year. I know Coach Melton is optomistic but I'm not sure how their numbers will be.

BHS I believe does return a lot of their starters and have picked up a few good young players. I may be wrong, but I believe Barbourville has the personel to win if they would put forth the same effort into their baseball program as they do Dinky's team.

Looks to me like you are sandbagging a bit...

 

Whiltey loses two serious players and bring back the core of their team, plus their new coach has them moving in the right direction. I don't see South coming in and being #1 in baseball but maybe four or five.....There is no way Bell will be that high...way too young, but they could be a team that may not win it but has a say in who does....

 

Corbin lost 7 starters and their #1 and #3 pitchers. They have 4-5 good pitchers coming back and the infield should be solid, but the outfield will consist of players without any varsity experience at all and the quality depth that Corbin has had the luxury of possessing the past few years may not be there this year either.

 

South's talent level will surprise a lot of people in the 13th region. I expect them and Middlesboro to be the best two teams this year.