Ring Master

Great day for the Bluegrass teams. Chiefs got a nice win against the Thawks behind a gem by Dunn and the Lions have a nice win against the ATY 16u. Hibbard pitched a complete game. Lions got a 5-3 win against the KY Colonels on Tues w/ a complete game by Dahms. The Lions have started the season w/ some hot bats.

Actually, My son has played with this kid , no relation. I'm sorry if you are the father of the Conner player who balked or sorry if you are the coach . I guess we will have different opinions of how long he paused for and definition of a balk. As for the base path issues you have, just let it go and enjoy your win.Too many thread gets thrashed because their kid didn't the credit the parent thinks he deserved. Move on and enjoy the day w/o rain. Believe me I have seen calls I didn't like , voiced a little opinion at games and moved on. I don't need to make a case for anything from this game, I'm already thinking about great games on Monday.

While we are on the pitching of this game. I was at both nights of this game and would of loved to see Boone's starter on that mound w/o shoulder issues and able to perform at the level Boone has seen him all year. The player left the game in the 3rd inning w/ medical issues. I was told last night, he has been shutdown from throwing . A hard blow to Boone. He kept the Cougars scoreless for 3 innings and was nowhere near 100%. If this player was 100%, I feel Boone would be celebrating a repeat district title. Kid has a bright future. Hopefully a minor setback and he is back at it soon. It was nice to see him honored on the All Tourney team w/ such a great group of players.

You can always tell what side a BGP user is from. Yes, the pitcher from Boone pushed the balk rule to the limit. Fans and players who really don't know the rule, hear the coach start yelling balk, well that must meant a balk. Truth is, the pitcher only needs to pause for a very,very, little time, this pitcher has always pushed the definition to the limit. This has kept very few runners advancing on him. I know a base coach would loved to see a lot longer time. It would make it so much easier to get his runner to the next base. A good ump knows the rule, so even if you have a yelling player, fan or coach, a good ump isn't going to call a balk just because a team needs a run and is yelling a balk. I have watched many games in this area and the Conner coach at first base,IMO, is got a history of yelling balk. Normally, It seems to be a mental punch at the pitcher instead of a real balk. About the Boone Coaches yelling quit balking, No they were yelling to pause longer, to keep the players, fans and coaches from using the balk talk to generate runs. I commend the umps for knowing the rule and doing a nice job.I know the Boone fans could get on here and complain about the 3 or 4 plays called on the base path that were thought to be bad calls against the Rebels, but the game is over, Conner won this battle. Great game by both teams and good luck next week.

Saturday AM I believe.

I didn't make the game, but I thought it would be a Ross/Bellew match up. I heard Downs got the start. Was Bellew hurt? Was Downs a better match for Conner?

Purnell had a good game against Cooper with a diving play at short to steal a base hit and a triple to score 2 runs which later proved to be the winning runs.

A nice crowd tonight to see a great game. Trey Ganns was humming again tonight. Just like their last meeting,Dunn kept the Rebels in check until the fourth inning. Boone had several hits, one of them being a shot to left center by Purnell which scored two runs and Stanley followed w/ a hit to score Purnell. That turned out to be all the Rebels needed. Ganns finished strong and led his team to the win. Congrats to Cooper on a great season.

Most JV squads are Sophomores and Freshman and sometimes an 8th grader or two. Is there many schools in NKY w/ Juniors on JV. I could see maybe a large county school w/ a lot of kids maybe have a Jr or two, but I wouldn't think smaller schools would have any Jr on their JV squad.

Good research Footmaster. These kids look like they are getting it done. I have watched several of the BW kids and they can hit the ball. My son played last summer w/ Purnell. I have seen some nice defensive games at SS for him and when he gets on the mound, he gets it done. I try to follow the kids I know. I'm not sure of Purnell's Batting avg, but I know he has 3 wins and a couple of saves against some quality teams. He has wins against district Cooper and Conner and saves against Ryle and Harrison Co. He has been the closer behind Ganns this season and has proved to be a good combo for Boone. I haven't got a chance to see Sloan or Heppler, but their stats say they also have been going strong. Where do all of these sophomores play summer ball. I know the 3 BW kids play for Midland and Purnell plays for the Bluegrass. Nice to know who they play for in the summer. Always ready to watch some summer ball. Hate to hear about Combs, he has always been fun to watch, esp when he was younger and he looked like a man playing with kids.

I was at the Boone/Cooper game, Dunn and Ganns both had good games. Both hit well, but I feel Dunn was relieved at the right time, Boone's bats were starting to figure him out. Ganns was just a little stronger that evening. I know the game thread really didn't talk about the game, but I thought both teams had great relief behind their aces. When the aces are very close in match up, the relievers are the difference in the game most of the time.

Rain is about 1:30 minutes from NKY, so I think you will see a lot of games washed out.

Congrats to James!