Under the Lights

I can see Ashland and maybe Hoptown, but Owensboro has had every bit as much success as Bowling Green in recent memory. I won't put them in the same breath as Highlands (very few are), maybe in the same sentence with CovCath (longer history, certainly behind in titles), but definately on the same ground as Bowling Green. If I'm not mistaken the 'Boro has more titles than BG and certainly has made it to the "big dance" more times. In fact you'd find that the Hoptown/BG/Owensboro rivalry is a quite spirited one, if you ever make it out to our end of the state. A lot of people overlook the storied, rich history of Owensboro football.

It's even harder to argue when you get rung up on a pitch a foot outside. Baseball is baseball and generally everyone has a pretty good idea of what is going on. You may make your point by trying to injure the umpire, but if he is wise to what your doing you'll be throwing into a Dixie cup for the rest of the game. The problem is that there are way too many people that see this as "OK" or even remotely acceptable. And that is exactly why it happens, because people condone it. As far as I'm concerned throwing a hard object 90+ MPH at someone's head intentionally is definately some form of assault (definately intent to injure, hurt, or maim.....possibly to kill?). It's all fun and games until someone dies......

:thumb: Anyone that really honestly believes that this was unintentional just doesn't watch or know much baseball. It's kind of like when you see a balk, you may not know exactly what the pitcher did, but you know it was a balk. I have never seen a catcher stick his glove out to his left as a pitch was coming in and then drop and block without moving his feet. If these kids were 11 I could see it, but not at this age or ability level.

Not to mention that you'd think that the coach or players involved from the offending team would come out and publicly deny it if they had some sort of alibi to go by. I can tell you one thing, this kid better bring a tree trunk to the plate if he ever expects a to get a hit next year. I'm sure the other umpires won't take too kindly to this

Somehow I don't think the "experienced" umpires are choosing not to do Beechwood and Holy Cross because they are small schools. In fact, I'd bet that they would want to do those two teams. As far as the Dayton, Bellevue, etc. games I totally agree with you. I really don't think it has anything to do with "small school vs. big school", I think it is "good baseball teams vs. "traditionally" bad baseball teams". If Conner was terrible I don't think the experienced umpires would want to do their games. Are umpires not allowed to choose not to do a certain team? How is that any different than coaches "scratching" an umpire? Choosing not to do all of the so called "bad" teams is wrong. But keeping an umpire off a game where he and a coach have had problems in the past is the right thing to do. Maybe if the coach didn't have so many problems with the umpires he would get better "quality".

As usual, someone, at least knows something other than Beechwood lost..........

The All "A" from my understanding is a tournament that has the same amount of bearing as any other regular season game on the postseason. IMO it probably falls somewhere below a district seeding game and above a normal regular season game. I have a suggestion for you: Go umpire. Learn the rules, mechanics, etc. Maybe then you'd learn that the plate umpire was, in fact, in the correct position to make the call. Or that any comment that is directed specifically at the umpire with the word "you" should lead to an ejection. Or that having "rabbit ears" is usually a product of consistent whining and complaining from the bench. I umpired for 30+ years, it is a thankless job, full of people who know everything despite not really knowing anything.

:thumb: How about working on BUNTING?!?! IMO there is nothing wrong with, when a runner walks gets a hit, etc. trying to bunt him over to 2nd, and then to 3rd, etc. If they are having trouble fielding and executing the out due to the bunt then you, as the coach, can always tell your guys to "ease up" down the line and focus on the placement of the bunt. 58-0 is uncalled for if anything that came from the mound could be reached with the bat.

I would agree that the camps are not the most effective tool for getting exposure. As far as your son, that may actually be a correct time and not a faulty "first movement button person". It's not actually a person at all. It is very likely that your son had an early movement and his clock started, while the other runner did not. Thus, he would have a slower time despite "winning" the race. The only reason they run athletes against one another is to speed up the process and to give them someone to compete with while running. Electronic timing is entirely different than hand times......it takes a little while to "learn" the system. Hard to do at a camp....

I just can't understand how one person's generosity can be so badly misconstrued. I don't care where it is, anybody that wants to open their wallet to help a school should be allowed to do so. I cannot believe that I am reading that the KIDS would be better off if we turned back these types of donations. The primary reason so many of these donations have gone private, versus being public gifts to school boards, is because of all the red tape in trying to GIVE AWAY your money. I say bravo, how many people would do the same given the chance? What, exactly, is wrong with wanting to give back to your community? I understand that in many rural areas the odds are against something like this happening. First, the odds are against it happening just about EVERYWHERE!! How many places get million dollar gifts comparatively? Second, if your school does not have these advantages I ask why? Have they exhausted all available avenues to ascertain said advantages? (now that's a lot of A's:D) Are they busting their hump to try to make it happen? Sponsorships can come from anywhere these days, we certainly aren't limited to the communities that we live in. All it takes is a little hard work. But it is easier to complain.......

That these guys aren't perfect? Sure, I'll confirm that. I'll also confirm that most people that complain about officiating haven't ever sat in on a meeting that details the rules of the game. I personally love how on one hand you have "let the kids decide the game" and on the other you have "that should be a foul". Thankless job. I don't care if it is consistently bad, or consistently good, or consistently green, as long as it is as consistent as possible I can live with it.

As a player, I was always taught to adjust to how the game was being called, as no two humans have the same set of eyes and they all see things differently. Of course my coach always said to "never blame the refs for a loss", so I guess I come from a different breed.

Oh I think that is EXACTLY what you are getting here, you just choose not to see it. If you want perfect officiating, or guys that have the ability to perfect their craft year round, then pay them like the guys that are able to do so. Surely you realize that this isn't a "job" for 99% of these guys, it is a hobby. Not to mention if they get REALLY good, guess what, they aren't sticking around to call high school basketball games. So you are perpetually training new guys or guys that, in most cases, aren't able to do college games for one reason or another. So yeah, I think your getting EXACTLY what you are paying for.....

Ok, so statistically, what are the odds that 4 of the top 6 teams in the state are from Lexington? Very slim. Beechwood beat LCA last year and yet they didn't even make it out of their own region. Lexington has some fine baseball teams, especially this year, but I don't think there are 4 teams in Lexington that are 20+ places better than ALL the teams from NKY. History of NKY vs. Lexington schools would support that.

Not a lot of love? That's the understatement of the year...... So Louisville has 6 teams in the top 15 in the state and Lexington has 5 of the top 15? Shows you what preseason polls are worth...... Glad to see WKY baseball get some love though, but they still have to prove it on the diamond. :thumb:

I have no idea either about the coach. I would never blame a kid for wanting to pursue a scholarship. I just don't think it is fair to say that it is the coach's fault that the kids aren't dedicated, when it is the kids(or usually the parents) that are choosing to do something else. It is awful hard for a 13-17 year old kid to respect his coach when parents and community members are constantly (publicly) questioning his decisions and telling kids that he is wrong. First support.........then success.

What does that have to do with dedication? Yes, all of those schools have more students than Owen Co. Which is why it is amazing that despite having less of an opportunity to play than the kids at smaller schools, they are more dedicated.

How many problems do you think Highlands has with summer baseball? St. X.? Trinity? If I'm not mistaken all three of those schools have produced some pretty good baseball talent. It is a matter of dedication, and obviously the athletes at Owen seem to be dedicated to baseball, not football. You fault the coach for not setting up the workout to accomodate the baseball kids. First, that is a very slippery slope. If we are scheduling practice time around the demands of the kids how long will it be before the inmates are running the asylum? Second, flip it around. How many of the kids sought out alternative times where they could come in and lift/run? I know that many of the very successful programs I mentioned earlier do this. The real answer is that for most, it is just an excuse......the easy way out if you will. And when given an easily accessible easy way out 95% of teenagers will take it........

Multi-Cultural Education Multiple Intelligences Theory Change in Standards due to NCLB .....off the top of my head

It's not the content, its the BS factor. For instance, in certain parts of Ohio teachers have had to transfer every single lesson plan that they use for their class over to a computer format(I think Powerpoint?). I'm sure in a year or two the standards or the format will change again, and the whole process has to repeated. This doesn't even address the changing of overall policies like NCLB or state mandated testing.

I would imagine some sort of certification. There are a ton of different groups that offer a ton of different types of certifications. Everything from a personal traininer certification to a full blown medical degree in physiology and human movement. I'm quite sure that the 25+ years of coaching football and conditioning don't hurt in that department as well. As far as coach Ray, I don't care to get into it.........but I've always known that some of the Catholic schools have a little "flexibility" in the pay that they provide their coaches.

Honestly, CentreRocks......GOOD teachers do. However, what they aren't telling you is that MOST teachers don't put in these kinds of hours.

I think what your advocating is GOOD teachers, just like others are advocating GOOD coaches. Good coaches and teachers put in tremendous amounts of time working with kids. Both are worth their weight in gold and I certainly wouldn't place one over the other. It is not a competition, it is about helping kids. Whether your a coach or teacher, if you are good at your profession you put in a ton of hours.

Yes, weightroom coordinator. All created because of today's society. I'm amazed at the number of people that scream foul, etc. about football coaches not having proper instruction on weight lifting techniques but at the same time they balk at the idea of a weight room coordinator. Not to mention that many schools have begun to offer weight training as part of their overall health and physical education curriculum. I would imagine you'd want someone "highly qualified" to lead that area of study. Lynn Ray was never paid a lot by Covington Catholic high school. That's not to say that he never made more than 7K, he just never got all that money directly from the HS. I'd imagine St. X. and Trinity's coaches are paid in much the same manner.

If Owen wants a successful program then I suggest that everyone support whomever they choose to hire, regardless of their feelings on the candidate. Support leads to success, not the other way around. I'm sure this is a dumb question, but I don't know. How many high schools are in Owen Co. and how close is it to schools like Williamstown, Grant, Walton, etc?