BufordT

We all know that the real development in ALL sports, except football, is done in the summer on the AAU circuit now. Any kid that has any amount of talent is playing AAU ball. Kids like Gray are playing for elite AAU teams and traveling all summer playing against the best in their area of the nation. So to say that allowing the kid to play up in high school is best for him doesn't make sense to me. Use the summer to play against elite competition. If it was really about the kid facing good competition wouldn't he be pitching at the varsity level? Wouldn't that make him better in the end according to your rationale? My point is that there is no SCHOOL PRIDE when you allow a kid to do this. All I would like is for all students, and they are students first since this is a school activity correct, to have to represent THEIR school before they can represent another school. Is it fair to the freshman at Male that got cut to lose a spot on THEIR SCHOOL team to a kid who doesn't attend that SCHOOL? If you want to play up do it in the summer. Play for your school first, since it is a SCHOOL sport.

And no, I mean the radar that I can watch online from 7:30 in the morning until 3:00 when I have to get on a bus. Anyone could have seen yesterday that it was going to rain when the cold front came through. When a storm front has moved across three states, you can pretty much count on it to keep coming.

You should be able to do it when you watch a storm front come from Missouri, across Illinois, across WKY, and there is no way to miss it. With gas being $4 a gallon for diesel and only getting pricier, small schools can't afford to waste $300 (at the least). With budget cuts and lean times coming we all need to use some common sense, or does that not have a place in athletics? Err on the side of good judgement the worst you lose is one ballgame out of 32. Err on the other side you do like we did and lose money you can't afford to lose. Two or three years ago you could do this but money concerns now make wasted trips not worth it. Just one opinion though.

Drove an hour and a half yesterday for no reason. Called the school we were going to play and told them it was going to pour the rain between 4:30-5:00 and we wouldn't be able to play. "The sun's shining here and we're ready to go." Yes, but dopplar radar shows a LONG line of storms coming your way that we are not going to miss. We don't want to waste $200-300 to turn around and drive home. "Well I guess it would be a forfeit then coach, that's all I can tell you." So we go, get there, the sky is black and it's starting to rain. Everyone hurries to take the field. Wind is blowing so hard that the second batter hits a popup in the IF that CHANGES DIRECTION and starts going backwards while in the air. Home coach says we need to keep playing. Finally in the bottom of two the umps take us off. Home coach makes us sit for an hour before he'll agree that we can't play. WHY ARE COACHES SO IGNORANT? (including me) Has anyone cancelled games before the rain gets there? Just wondering b.c I've been told that we don't do that here in KY.

Yeah, heard from the Male players that they did pitch Gray. He's an 8th grader at JCTMS who doesn't play for his school, instead he plays for a high school. I think this STINKS!!! JCPS needs to adopt a rule that if a kid isn't playing for the school he is enrolled at then he shouldn't be allowed to play at another school. What's to say this kid won't end up at Ballard or Manual next year. Anyone else think that kids should have to play for their school first, then they can play for someone else? No play for your school, no play for another school. Good or bad?

Who pitched for Male, Linville?

Male's field is very nice, but nothing extraordinary. They practice in the parking lot instead of on the field in order to take care of it. They'll take a little practice now and then in RF, but the majority is on blacktop. Driskell says if you can field it on blacktop then fielding in dirt should be easy. They hit in their cages instead of live on the field. That's why it's nice.

Did you say a 6th grader is now playing shortstop for Owen Co.?

So which one is it, you or your son, that plays second or short for X? LOL

Anyone have any idea of what Freeman's stats are so far for the year? Every time I see a post about Estill it seems like he's 2-3 or 4-4 with a bomb and ribbies. Gotta see this kid play.

1988 Estill Co. team still the only team from Irvine to defeat the 'Breds. Been a lot of talk that this is the best Estill team ever. While this team is good the '88 team did some special things, like beating Harrison and PRP at PRP. Should have beaten Tates Creek and Kevin Jarvis & Mike Harris, if not for the RF losing 2 flyballs in the brutal sun in the first inning allowing 2 runs to score in a 2-1 loss. Good luck Engineers, make us proud, but remember your elders boys. :-) Go Blue!!!

I wasn't aware so many people didn't know how earned and unearned runs are determined. It's easy. The pitcher is supposed to get three outs. If his defense doesn't get him those outs as they occur the official scorer keeps track as if they do. Once the pitcher has done his job and gotten his three outs, real or not (error), then he is off the hook for earned runs and all runs scored after this are declared unearned. You can give up ten HR's after getting your three "outs" and all ten runs are unearned.

Trick question. We beat them back in 1988 in the regular season, then lost to them in the regional finals. Just wanted to know if they had done it anytime recently; obviously not. Just checking. Best of luck to coaches Wood, Tate, Freeman, and the boys.

Has Estill Co. ever beaten Harrison Co.?

Jester, I was going to say, "Imagine if these boys had some good coaches" but you beat me to it. We all know how it goes, players win games and coaches lose them. Comes with the job. Great job Camels.

Welcome to Breathitt County brother!!!

If you have guy scoring 8 runs and others getting six hits it sounds like there wasn't much substituting going on by AC's coach. A lot of kids work on switch hitting so that really isn't limiting them, especially if the pitcher is throwing basically BP type pitches. How do you leave any starters in after the first inning and say you did everything you could do to hold down the score. Sounds like he realized he looks like a jerk, but they are still bragging about all the state records set. A starter bats and scores 8 times and you say you did all you could to hold down the score? Ridiculous!!

Lafayette had some real good teams back in the late '80's and early '90's. If you want to talk dominating pitchers start with Jed Durough of Lafayetter. He basically won the state championship for Lafayette in '88 and '89. Pitched all but two games both years. I believe their coach, Don Chandler who works for the Yankees now, using him so much is the reason we have the state pitching limits now. This was a few years before Austin Kearns came through there but they were just as dominating. Anyone remember these teams and Durough?

If the kids that are PLAYING are complaining, not the reserves, then I have been way off base, and I'll apologize. I am very adamant in my support of my colleagues and yes, we are a fraternity. Trust me, if coaches don't support each other then we'll have no support. That is why I am so quick to jump to defend a coach I don't even know. Glad that you agree that a parent will always be upset no matter what a coach does. At least you are seeing the whole picture. Like I stated, if the coach isn't supporting his ENTIRE program then he is in the wrong. Sounds like Campbell Co. has some issues that go way beyond their coaches. I wish you all the best, and more importantly the kids the best. Hopefully if I ever reach the point where I lose my passion for working with kids I'll step aside before something like this happens. It's just hard for me to imagine a coach that would give less than their best to their kids. If the coach has been missing EVERY YEAR then why is this year a problem? Or is this a sentiment that has been building over many years? I do agree wholeheartedly that if the kids are trying to practice and the coach is being laissez-faire then there are problems. But I'll try to defend the guy again, this year HAS SUCKED B.C OF THE RAIN!!! My team has played 2 games but been rained out 9 times, ten if you want to count tomorrow. I know that's why I'm so cranky! :-) Good luck to Campbell Co. this year.

I don't know the guy at all. I've never even heard of Campbell Co. other than to know they are named the Camels and they are close to Cincy. What I have a problem with is parents who think that a HIGH SCHOOL coach should dedicate his life to a HIGH SCHOOL team. Is it really THAT important? What, other than bragging rights, do you get from HIGH SCHOOL sports? And don't say a scholarship b.c those are few and far between if you look at percentages of student athletes receiving them. As far as the coach taking off to attend the State Tournament, that's a little sketchy I agree, but it seems like he's been doing it for years so why is it now a problem? Is it b.c he is playing the "wrong kids," or is it b.c it is hurting the program? If it was hurting the program wouldn't the administration, the coach's boss, take care of it? Does your administration just not care? There is your real problem, why not go to the principal and ask why something isn't being done? I bet I know, because it's only a small number, or one, parent who is upset with this habit. And let me check, we live in KENTUCKY where basketball is number one, sorry but that's fact. Now about supporting your program. If this coach isn't supporting his freshman and JV teams then he needs to reevaluate. Your youngsters are your lifeline, and if you aren't taking care of them then you need to worry about your future. These, in my mind, would be legitimate reasons to question a coach and I have questioned a couple of my colleagues on this very subject. One of them doesn't miss freshman or JV games anymore, and the other one moved on. What I can't condone is a parent who is mad that their child isn't playing getting on a website and trying to undermine their coach and team. No matter how much we want to say these comments effect the coach we all know better. The ones who read this stuff and take it to heart are the kids and that's who needs to be supported. Go Camels, keep your head up, and SUPPORT YOUR COACH!! TEAMS ARE FAMILIES!!! Families may argue, but they always support each other. I'm guessing SilverShadow would also complain if the coach was practicing too long or too much and their child wasn't playing. There is a reason little leagues are starting to ban some parents from attending games, or instilling a silent rule. No matter what a coach does, he always has a parent mad at him, and the mad parent is always right. Isn't this correct parents?

As a taxpayer you have an ax to grind with any public employee who is getting paid and hardly shows up? I'll address this first. How long does your beloved baseball season last? I'm guessing five months, Jan.-May or early June with some success, if you count preseason conditioning, and since this is such a serious program I am positive you have preseason conditioning, maybe year round weight training even. To me that makes missing five or six days in the "season" not sound like "hardly showing up." While I do question the timing, I am guessing this program, like most in the state, has a rather good idea of who will be making their teams. Tryouts are very overrated, and usually only two or three spots are determined at tryouts and those kids ride the bench most of the time. If your school is having to have real tryouts every year then you aren't getting good players and your program is struggling. I don't think that's the case here, or is it? As far as early season games, they are highy overrated. Whoever said in May and June, "Man, if we had only peaked back in March we might have done something this year." I believe the idea is to bring your team along during the year and have them peaking come tournament time, or would you rather be burning out at the end of the year? Now let me address your snide comment of "Typical tenured justification." Sounds like you are stereotyping me so let's try this stereotype out and see if it fits any one else: A parent has a child on a school sports team. The kid, while being a good student and kid, isn't as gifted athletically as some of his rivals/teammates. Good kid shows up every day, works hard, does the right thing, but no matter what he does he isn't good enough to be a starter or a factor on his school team. Meanwhile, a couple of better "players", who may not work as hard as the good kid, get special treatment IN THE EYES OF THE GOOD KIDS PARENT. Meanwhile, only the coach sees all that has gone into who is playing and who isn't, and being a good coach, he/she wants to win games, WHICH IS THE BOTTOM LINE. Good kids parent, at no fault to the kid, starts whinning and complaining b.c their good kid isn't getting to play but the "bad" kids are. THIS ISN'T FAIR!!! whaaaaaa!!! Let's complain about the coach and see if we can get someone in here who will reward my good kid, not the best players. No other parent will care if we are losing, just so long as the "good kids" are getting to play. The principal won't care about losing, the kids won't care about losing, the community won't care about losing, no one will care about losing because MY KID IS GETTING TO PLAY!!! Am I getting close? SilverShadow, you wouldn't be one of these types of parents would you? I didn't think so b.c that type of behavior is more destructive to a team and comraderie than any absence by a coach. Our state motto says it best, "United we stand, divided we fall." Are you uniteing your team or dividing it? Does it really matter to you so long as your child get's to play. Oh yeah, and when can we know your name so we can tell Campbell Co. that you are interested in coaching their team next year? I'm sure they'll be thrilled. I know no parents will ever complain about your coaching style. hahahahahahahaha Now that's funny, parent's never complaining about their kids coach. hahahahahahaha Whew, that's funny!!!! Good luck to Campbell County's kids and team. Too bad some people are trying to tear you all down instead of building you up. Believe in your coach. I've never met him or heard about him till now but I'm sure he isn't out to hurt any child.

Isn't the sky falling in Campbell Co.??? :-)

SilverShadow, I'm not sure how much they get paid in Campbell Co. but head coaches in Louisville TOP out around 5K and start at 2200. Want to figure out an hourly rate for the job? Your quote was if someone's getting paid to do a job they should do it, right? How much time does a coach making 5K to coach, but making 50K to teach, dedicate to coaching related to teaching? Should he/she dedicate more time to TEACHING than coaching since it pays more and is their primary job? What about personal or family time? Oh yeah, coaches don't get that do they? We'll take personal time out of the equation and let's look at a teacher/coaches day. 8 hours in the classroom, that leaves 16 for all else. Let's say they practice three hours a day, that leaves 13. AS A TEACHER FIRST, they need to put in at least two hours a day preping and grading. We're down to 11. I'm going to give the TEACHER/coach a break and say they get an hour to commute each day. Down to 10 hours. Uh oh, we need to sleep about six hours a night so we're down to 4. Let me guess what you want your coach to do with those four hours that are left. We know they don't need to eat, bathe, wash clothes, take care of their home/family/etc. My point is coaches don't have to dedicate their lives to their program for it to be successful. Believe it or not, your child's high school athletic career is not the most important thing in the world. Have you ever gotten on a message board and complained about your child's teachers? Isn't your child's education a little more important than his/her athletic ability? What about the TEACHER/coaches' other student's? Do they deserve the best out of their TEACHER, even if he has to neglect his sacred team for an hour or two here or there? Championships aren't won in a week or two, they are won in the offseason and when no one else is working or watching. Here's a tip, instead of spending time on a message board complaining about your coach take the time to go in the back yard and work on their footwork, or conditioning, or reading a pitcher, or flipping your glove instead of craddling it, or going to the cage and working on opposite field, or......there is so much POSITIVE you can do but you all want to focus on the negative. Sounds like the kids that worked alone have figured it out. Man, and to think they could have stayed at home on the computer and dogged their coach. Dang, that would have made them winners!!!!! Get off your coach and support your program.

As Kurt Angle would say, oh it's true, it's dang true!! Not much mention of them in the state records though. Their coach, Don Williams, is a legend at Madison Central. His program used to be the best around. It didn't hurt that he had several of the Cruse kids come through his program and all of them were good to great baseball players. At least one played at EKU, and the real good pitcher in '82 was drafted and went to the minors. Think his arm blew out though. I'll see if I can dig up anything else about them. Not being a fan of Harrison Co I can't give them credit for being the best ever. I respect the crap out of them but can't like them. :-)

Madison Central's team went 43-0 if I remember the sign in Madison Co. correctly. They had a pitcher, last name Cruse, that was practically unhittable at the high school level. I believe he may have gone undefeated for the last two or three years of high school. I remember they starting playing their games on the radio and talking about them being ranked number one in the nation. The sign claimed them to be undefeated state and national champions. That would have to be the best of all-time in my opinion.