cowboy

Do you know beans about what you are saying?

Everyone is an Ashland guy, right?

I'm assuming that when you are part of the Swift clique you can screw up time and time and time again and still keep your job. It's all part of that Tomcat tradition, I guess. You'll probably manage to survive this one too.

You didn't do your homework on this one bubby.

uh huh!!

Perhaps it's the one that I know waaaay more about than anyone else involved in this conversation. Did you ever think about that? You ever think that perhaps maybe, just maybe, I am a member of the coaching community and I do have a valid observation and first hand knowledge about the subject? Maybe I played with/for and perhaps coached with one or more of the above? Some of you armchair and sideline experts sure can be entertaining. You don't know any of the parties involved, spindoc doesn't want to let his participation in the selecting process blow up in his face , and baseballinmyblood just wants to argue, just so he can argue about something. What an awesome trio of knowledge I'm going up against here. haha I have said time and again that there is no ill will towards Lemaster, because he has a distinguished resume for the most part, is a morally righteous human being, and I personally do like the guy. But until you personally get a taste of his cohort, don't refute anything someone else says (that knows what they are talking about) about someone that you don't have a clue about. Get a taste of what he has to offer and then see if you will have any more smart remarks directed back at me. Yeah, you be sure not to listen to what someone from his alma mater knows and is trying to warn you about!! I have also been reading some of your comments in the Jim Matney thread. Hilarious. You don't know the first thing about Johnson Central and Jim Matney , (other than he routinely kicks Ashland Paul Blazer around like a rag doll) but you go on and on like you are the consummate expert on everything about him, how he should schedule, and the Johnson Central program in general. I know full well why Paintsville quit playing JC and why we opted out of the Apple Bowl, yet you experts want to bring up why we should resume playing that kamikaze game. Joe has done a tremendous job with our program but we would still get slaughtered after one quarter against that high octane offense. If you were as much of an expert on JC football as you want to let on, you would know that Johnson Central has annihilated Cabel Midland for the last 2 years in pre season scrimmages. Very similar to what the golden eagles do to your beloved Tomcats year after year. :sssh:Yet you suggest that they should play Cabell Midland. You just don't have a clue. Do you and baseballinmyblood take "I know everything about everything" lessons together or something? Or perhaps you both are professors at the local community college and spread that self proclaimed wealth of knowledge around for a nominal fee? haha And by all means please please respond with another smart alec comeback so you can continue to keep this "silly" thread alive.

Do you personally know any of the subjects being discussed? Perhaps if you had the first tiddly toot of an idea who is coming with him, you might be speaking in a slightly different tone. In fact I guarantee you would. Or as I previously mentioned, if you are unhappy with the direction of the subject matter it might just fade away into the sunset if you and baseballinmyblood would just let it. Not trying to be smart, but just a suggestion, don't gripe about the subject matter if you are one of the individuals helping to fan the flames.

Coaching Little League? DO WHAT??? Uh, he was coaching Little League when he took the Ashland job and priorly solicited to everyone else. Was he not? That is a way beyond ridiculous comeback. Do you not realize how stupid that sounds? Pikeville cant be confirmed because you didn't talk to anyone (at least anyone relevant) about it. Right? lol And of course they didn't hit up on Boyd Co. either did they?...lol Made up?? Hardly. Of course, it appears you are one of those guys will argue with someone else that says something you don't want to hear, just for the sake of arguing. The guilty party behind making all of this appear silly is you. Let it die, and it will probably just fade away into the sunset. I certainly wouldn't let it obsess me the way it has apparently done you.

The SS for Harrison was also named Martin and the pitcher from Lawrence Co. was Michaels.

:thumb:

Apparently you don't. Lemaster is not under attack to begin with. Nobody is attempting tarnish anything. It is the baggage in tow that is really the subject of stating that Ashland obviously did not do their homework very well. I offered situations where they shopped themselves to, as have other. You said it never happened. You said Paintsville would have jumped all over the chance to get him. Well that job has come open twice in the last 7 or 8 years, and once prior to Adkins coming back out of retirement. Didn't happen there, I assure you. Either you personally don't know all of the facts yourself, or it is you doing the fabricating. Either way you seem to be ultra sensitive over anyone questioning things or posting actual facts. Why is that?

The Pikeville job wasn't open either, but that sure didn't seem to stop a solicitation there as well.

You on the selection committee? Is that the reason for the sensitivity?

So, you're not one of those guys who wants to hear the whole story?

Shhh, you'll cause someone to pull their head out of the sand.

It was never a secret.

Ask folks in Pikeville if a solicitation did not take place. You probably wont get anyone to actually open up and admit it though. And Paintsville will not welcome with open arms either, that could have taken place twice now. Charlie Adkins in not around to confirm why he came back to coach the Tigers after he retired the first time either. No fabrications sir, I can assure you that. Like I said not knocking Johnnie as a person, a coach, his morals, or ethics (the weekend practice thing is factual tough) . The full blown loony bird in tow is the subject matter, and is something that the Ashland faithful will have to find out on their own. It's just amazing at the lengths that Johnnie has taken to take care of him over the years. Really amazing. It has indeed been a real deal killer though, up until the Ashland situation. By the way, not an Ashland supporter (that'll be the day), but someone who may very well know way more than you think I do. Former experiences with the parties involved can speak volumes, sir. Have a good day, and good luck to the Tomcats.

After thinking about it, I don't think that Ratliff ever did play basketball at UNC-Greenville. I think he signed but didn't play.

Hmmm, sure does sound like someone has a biased interest here, lol. You left out the part while at Pikeville College, he would routinely call practice on a Saturday or a Sunday, and while the whole team would sit around waiting for coach to show up, he never would. No phone calls to say hey, something came up, cant be there. Nothing. I stated that Johnnie had a lot he could offer a program, but you are 100% WRONG about the bolded quote. Ratliff daily embarrasses the Lemaster family, whether it be from his infidelity scandals or his association with any sports program he gets involved in. Riding on his coat tails for a while now? That is sure an understatement. Since you seem to be knowledgeable about him, lets just be honest and tell the truth. Ratliff couldn't get a job in a gas station cleaning the bathrooms in his hometown of Paintsville without Johnnie getting it for him. Why? Because he doesn't have sense enough to figure out which end of the mop to use, is why. He is that disliked in Johnson County and especially at Paintsville High School. You did fail to address why they have shopped themselves all up and down the river for that package deal, that nobody would take them up on. The deal is to get Craig a job, and to center everything around the grandson and promote him, and that is 100% fact. Nobody wanted him in their program, not even Paintsville High School. He quit there mid season this year, because the staff didn't feel like he had anything relevant to offer other than pick the balls up after practice. Come on now, lets tell the whole story. Mention the name Craig Ratliff in Paintsville , Kentucky and see what kind of a reaction you get. You'll get a lot of snickers, rolled eyes, and rolling on the floor laughter.The guy is a 100% bona fide nut case that nobody wants around, period. When the subject of great baseball pitchers comes up at Paintsville High School, the name Craig Ratliff is never mentioned. What Craig had going for him was that he was a 6'8" right hander who he had a father in law with enough contacts that someone gave him a shot. You cannot teach 6' 8", right? However, his tenure was short in that. He went to D1 NC-Greenville to play basketball, not baseball, after that. Couldn't cut it at that either, messed his knee up and then transferred to "NAIA" Pikeville College to play baseball again and failed miserably at that once again. You are building his resume up just a "tad" more than what it actually was. No, lets go one up on that , you are completely blowing that way, way, way out of proportion. lol And special treatment "IS" what it's all about. The grandson wasn't even on the Paintsville High School VARSITY ROSTER this year, and we are talking about a program very small in numbers that routinely has middle school players on their roster. The Ratliff family has a very long history of going from school to school to school when they don't get that "special" treatment. That's why Craig ended up himself at Paintsville via Johnson Central. Why his brother went from JC to Paintsville and then back to JC. And the sister, well now that's a whole comedy routine in it's self with her trying to find a place for her son to play. JC to Pikeville, then to Paintsville, and then back to JC, where he played one season and then quit everything by his sophomore season. In closing yes, I think Johnnie is a very good human being and he does again have a lot to offer, but it is the baggage that he has in tow with him that may very well make Ashland Paul Blazer rue the day that they made this hire.

Thank you Mr. Easton for the welcome. If Lemaster is there you can guarantee that Ratliff will be there as well/and of course the grandson. They have shopped themselves to every school up and down the Big Sandy River for over a year now, with the promises of a grandson package deal. It's really not much of a secret in eastern Kentucky at all. However, there has been one anchor around the neck to the whole deal. I explained in detail on a post that never made it to the board for some reason, so I guess it must have been too ?????, or something, I don't know, so I'll not duplicate the contents of the post. But anyways guess what that anchor was?? Anybody in eastern Kentucky can verify that it was a real deal killer. Also Mr. Easton, Lemaster has been one of the crown jewels of eastern Kentucky as far as being a very rare player in making the big leagues a career, however his coaching resume at UPike was less than sterling because Pikeville was generally among the cellar dwellers in the Mid South. I believe it was in 2002 or 2003 that the baseball program was shut down about mid year because there was not enough players to even field a team. Personally, I think that Johnnie Lemaster is a great guy with a lot to offer a program, but nepotism kills the whole deal. If the son in law does show up, everyone will know exactly why.

No axe to grind at all. However there are reasons why he and his son in law ended up in Ashland. Many Ashland faithful will be perplexed later on as to why the Paul Blazer administration did not do more homework on this hire. Also, thank you for the nice welcome.

I posted a rather lengthy explanation of the whole coaching/assistant coaching scenario yesterday as it involved the son in law...Don't know why it has not shown up.

You obviously do not know much about his coaching history or of his objective in coaching at Ashland..