ft bronc

TOG: Let it roll off you brother. I'm a huge Birds fan & supporter, and I see nothing wrong with what you posted. You were rightfully complimentary of Coach Baioni & the all the great work he and others have done since taking over the program less than two years ago. You were correct - someone from Highlands should have stepped up to the mic. But my thinking is that the concession ladies probably didn't think it was that big of a deal at the time - they're just trying to do their jobs & get all the bases covered. I know you take some c*ap on here, but the bottom line for me is you put in a lot of time & effort to post some great information that the rest of us (Cov Cath friend or foe) otherwise wouldn't have access to. To the people who are annoyed by your "bias," I say step up to the plate & post your own game summaries.

I agree that they'll probably loose a few, but by and large I believe the program is well along in the process of "turning the corner" and will keep a much higher percentage of kids than in the past. Most of these kids are fired up about playing ball for Highlands and I don't see that changing overnight - although kids can be fickle as we all know. A couple kids who were seniors last year really broke the myth that you can't play both sports, as each kid was a starter & major contributor to both the state champion football team and the district champion baseball team. I'm sure it took some extra effort, but it can & has been done successfully.

I honestly haven't seen much of the Varsity this season as I've been spending the majority of my time at the frosh & jv games, but I'll tell you this, from grades 7 - 9 there are a lot of good players who are committed to the baseball program. I've also got a lot of confidence in the coaching staff & like the way they've been handling the kids. There's plenty of work still to be done, but IMO the next 4 or 5 years look bright for Highlands baseball. :thumb:

Wasn't someone on here recently talking about how Hempel doesn't actually have speed?

Unless there are some major injuries or surprises, the 2 HHS x Ryle games should determine the top team in NKY. Now if they split....:confused:

Another nice showing by the Frosh Birds. Let's keep it up boys! :thumb:

We'll see twice to be more precise.

Do you mean the entire field, or entire infield?

The Bird kids all looked good for their first outing. Hector Molina had the big hit of the day, dead center about 275' (they were playing on the football field so pretty eazy to tell!). They'll have their ups and downs this year as all but the 4 or 5 true freshman are new to Highlands baseball, but judging by what I saw last night they've got a real nice base to work from.

Better alert the Emergency Rooms!

Haven't heard from any Conner people. I know they've got some nice kids out there.

Get to the root of what drives the boys to have that kind of dedication and then you'll really have something.

I saw Isler has thrown a couple innings in relief so far for UC. Any CC peeps have details on how he's doing?

Nobody's taking your bait Clyde. Must be a secret?

I love both football and baseball, but I do not like either of them out of season. IMO, it's been driven by adults overemphasizing their kid's athletic achievement over other pursuits, and has created a "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality. I'm as guilty as the next guy. I swore I'd never let my kid play two sports at the same time, but to help him keep up with the kids who focused solely on baseball, I let him play fall ball the past two years. The spring football situation is the same way. If nobody had spring practice, everybody would be in the same boat, and the best teams would still win. While adding spring football has no doubt raised the level of football being played in the state of KY, there's also no doubt it's lead to kids dropping spring sports - even when coaches cooperate. Whatever sport is "coolest" at the time will win, and right now that's football.

Mac was a very effective QB for the red team as a 7th grader. You never know how kids will develop as they move through high school, but IMO, right now he's got the type of athletic ability to basically play any spot on the field.

I agree that Drew did a very nice job at QB this season, but Franzen will definitely give him a run if he decides to go to Highlands. Anyone know if he's decided?

There were a couple very good 8th grade QB's in the FTJFL this past season. One is definitely going to HHS, the other has not yet decided (as far as I know).

We could end all of these arguments by simply allowing all kids to make 1 unjustified transfer during their high school career. Adults are allowed to change jobs freely. Why shouldn't kids be allowed to do the same? IMO, forcing kids to stay at schools that just aren't working out for them is bad for the kids, the schools and the communities. They're not adults. They shouldn't be penalized for one bad decision or situation out of their control (coaching changes, etc). Also IMO, the effect of this rule change would generally be minimal. Sure every once in a while a team somewhere might get overly stacked because of it, but most kids hate disruption & wouldn't take advantage of it.

Amen brother. I love living here for a variety of reasons & don't think I'll ever leave, but spring in the Midwest sucks - unless you like cold, gray and damp.

Highlands has been able to get in two nights of gym tryouts so far, and will have pitchers & catchers today.

I believe they had roughly 25 7th, 8th & 9th graders at the first official night of tryouts last night. This will be an interesting season - not only the first HHS frosh team in years (if not ever), but kids are coming from all over the place baseball background-wise. Like somebody said somewhere on this site, it's going to take some years, but I truly believe the coach & his staff have this program moving in the right direction and will turn it into something the community and kids can be proud of. :thumb:

If you're insinuating what I think you are, then this thread has wandered way off from where I intended it to go. :ohbrother:

Kumba-freaking-ya! Thanks for the posts LN. :thumb: Your concerns are exactly what I was trying to get at, but was starting to think that nobody would bring up. I have no idea if my son will even be good enough to play at the small college level, but I do know this - his life has revolved around sports since he discovered Sports Center at age 2, and I can easily see him making the decision to play at a small school if given the chance, passing up better academic opportunities at other schools where he couldn't play. Just been thinking about it lately, and started this thread to get other opinions.

I'm not saying this was the case, but suppose Mitchell was being treated horribly by Cov Cath for no apparent reason at all - say the coaches just didn't like him. And say his parents decided to transfer him to HHS for a better high school football experience. Which high road should HHS have taken - the one you state that they recognize the Mitchells were trying to "work the system", or the other, that no kid should loose out on a decent high school football career due to a personal problem with the coaches? I'm not saying this was the case with Mike at CC. I truely have no idea why he transfered. I'm just merely trying to point out that the "high road" is often in the eye of the beholder.