Frank The Tank

Its true, over the last 25 years, Cumberland has had some great teams. However, I think Middlesboro's baseball tradition during that time is much better.

Wasn't at the game but I think thats a great win for Middlesboro. Thats 2 good wins against Corbin and Bell co. And I would think that it feels good to bounce back after giving a game away at Williamsburg. It's still early in the season, but up to this point it seems like the 13th region is as wide open as it's been in a while. Good luck to the Jackets the rest of the way.

Thank you cumberland. We've all heard about williamsburg. I would like to hear about Cumberland's team. Who pitched? who are some of the better players for Cumberland? Good luck against Lynn Camp in the all A region final.

:laugh: WOW! I suppose he was the "glue" that held together Whitley Co too?

As ugly as the M'boro - KC game was, the Corbin - Dunbar was a great game to watch. Congrats to the hounds.

Anyone know the starting times?

Is it going to be called the downtown arena or is there a major sponsor buying the naming rights?

Here is a good article on Ron Polk that may clear some things up. Not all. By Mark Schlabach June 7 2007 http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2895944 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- In more than three decades as a college baseball coach, Mississippi State's Ron Polk has never been a fan of the NCAA. Ron Polk's recruiting strategy will have to change when the new rules go into effect. Polk has criticized college sports' governing body for reducing the number of scholarships available for his sport, eliminating coaching positions and reducing the number of games baseball teams can play each spring. Fresh off an upset of national seed Florida State, and as the Bulldogs prepare to host Clemson in an NCAA super regional at Polk-Dement Stadium this weekend, Polk is once again fuming about the NCAA. And this time, Polk might have a legitimate beef. "I've been on their case forever," Polk said. "I think Title IX was the greatest thing ever for college sports because I think women were really being discriminated against. I've got no problem with that, and I don't think anyone else does. Women's sports were underfunded and didn't have the facilities and good coaching staffs. "I just say, 'Where's Title X?' Our boys, our families and our coaches are being discriminated against in terms of scholarships." The NCAA Board of Directors in April approved multiple rules changes that Polk and other coaches believe will forever change the face of their sport. Already hampered by having only 11.7 scholarships to award to more than 30 players each season, the NCAA has approved legislation that will dictate how those scholarships are awarded. College baseball has always had the short end of the stick in terms of scholarships. Division I-A football teams receive 85 scholarships, and men's and women's basketball teams have 13 scholarships. Women's equestrian can dole out 15 scholarships, and women's crew teams can award 20 scholarships. In the past, Polk was able to fraction the 11.7 scholarships to nearly three dozen players. His team has 34 scholarship players this season, with half of those players receiving less than 33-percent funding for tuition, housing and books. One player receives 74 percent of a full scholarship, and the next highest is 54 percent. Several players receive only 4 percent, which Polk describes as "books scholarships" because they pay for nothing more than required texts for classes. Under the new rules, which will go in effect for the 2008-09 academic year, baseball rosters will be capped at 35 players, with only 30 players being eligible to receive financial aid. Starting in 2009-10, only 27 players can receive financial aid, each of whom must receive at least one-third of a full scholarship. South Carolina, another NCAA super regional participant, has 22 of 36 players receiving less than one-third of a full scholarship this season, coach Ray Tanner said. "They're giving us chump change, and now they're telling us how to spend the chump change," Polk said. The new college baseball rules also include legislation that is targeted at increasing player retention and graduation rates for college baseball. In the past, baseball players could transfer from one school to another without penalty. Football, basketball and men's hockey players have to sit out one season at their new school if they transfer. Under the new rules, baseball players also will face that one-year penalty if they leave. Polk believes baseball players have been more likely to transfer because they can get better scholarships at other schools. "Am I supposed to tell a kid who's getting a 4 percent scholarship that he can't leave?" Polk asked. Why are our boys playing for 10 percent scholarships and 4 percent scholarships when other athletes are getting full scholarships? Baseball has always been hammered by the NCAA. This is another crisis. Ron Polk Under the new rules, players also must be academically eligible during fall semester to play the following spring, which will require more players to attend summer school. Most college baseball players don't attend summer school because they can't afford it, Polk said. If a player receives only a 4 percent scholarship during the school year, he receives the same financial aid during summer school. Scholarship athletes in basketball and football attend summer school because their scholarships will cover all the costs. "A lot of our kids opt not to go to summer school because they can't afford it," Polk said. "Fortunately, there are NCAA-sanctioned summer baseball leagues at Cape Cod and Alaska and all over the place. They can play summer baseball and get jobs to save money." The rules changes are the results of the NCAA's new Academic Performance Rates, which measure each student's progress toward obtaining an academic degree. Teams failing to score 925 in the APR -- equivalent to a 50 percent graduation rate -- can lose scholarships. Last month, the NCAA released a list of 112 programs that were subject to penalties because of poor APR scores. One-quarter of the programs on the list were baseball teams. "It's criminal to say our kids are not good students," Polk said. "That's not true." Most college baseball coaches agree that they need to do a better job of retaining and graduating their players. But decreasing the size of scholarships isn't the way to achieve that goal, Polk said. Polk believes the new rules will do more harm that good. Because of the new rules, Polk said college baseball teams won't be able to lure top high school players to their schools anymore. "How am I going to be able to convince a kid to come to college, instead of going pro, when I can only give him a 33 percent scholarship?" Polk said. Polk said teams also will encourage juniors to enter the major league draft, instead of returning to school for their senior seasons, so coaches can open up roster spots for the following season. And teams will be less likely to retain injured players, because coaches won't want to risk spending a scholarship on a player who might not be able to play. "Why are our boys playing for 10 percent scholarships and 4 percent scholarships when other athletes are getting full scholarships?" Polk asked. "Baseball has always been hammered by the NCAA. This is another crisis."

Glad to hear this. Actually Bell co has good facilities except for the field and a concession stand. Maybe this will light a fire under the school to the south of Bell co to upgrade their field. They need it desperately.

] My top 5. 1. north laurel - champs till someone knocks em off 2. south laurel - good hitting team but no pitching 3. Bell Co. - new coach and a lot of experienced talent. 4. Corbin- lots of experience. Has to find some pitching 5. Whitley- young team last year. has to find some offense. Also throw knox co. in the mix. Good season last year...fell off towards the end of the season. Something else to think about is the new harlan school. Not playing in 2008 but in 2009 should be a contender. With the right coach and the right mix of players from evarts, cumberland, and cawood....they could make a run.

Friend of mine's team went there 3 years ago. I was asking him and his dad about the experience. At the time they were a 15 year old team playing up in a 16yo usssa tournament. They had good and bad things to say. They were one of the first teams to play on the field turf infield. A severe thunderstorm had moved in and rained everything out friday night, but they were able to play on saturday and sunday. Here are their pro's and cons. Pros 1. liked the idea of fieldturf infields 2. Good location in nicholasville. Not far from lexington. Hotels and Restaurants within proximity 3. Competition was good but they were playing up in age group 4. Paperwork and contact with tournament director was good 5. Nice park comparable with others that they had been at in TN. and other parts of the country Cons 1. Fieldturf infields were nice but the outfields were terrible. 2. Had to pitch on portable mounds, which are fine for younger ages but not 15/16 year olds with steel cleats. They had a delay in one game because a portable mound actually had fiberglass pieces breaking off and had to be replaced. 3. Foul balls were a problem. Still a mystery. They had played at fields closer together but had never had the foul ball problem that they had there. 4. My friends dad went on and on about this one. The park doesn't allow TEAM COOLERS. He said they had played in parks all over the country and to this day MSC was the only one who would not allow a team cooler. Big blowup over this one. It was a july tournament...right around 100 degrees. He wound up setting the cooler just outside the entrance gate.

I would agree with most of that. Big question is at QB. Hunter is a good football player. Can he adjust and can he stay healthy? Line is very experienced. On defense, if we don't adjust it doesn't matter how good the offense is. Get rid of the all or nothing defense. Also I've heard the new principal has informed all the coaches that the minimum gpa will be ENFORCED this year. How will that effect the TEAM? Farr didn't play in half the games last year and when he did he wasn't effective. Who will hunter throw it to? Will Gilbert make the adjustment to WR after being told he was going to be the starting QB? How will that affect the TEAM? New coaches on board, how will they do? I think David Kelly will do wonders for the running backs, question is will roark use them effectively or try to prove hunter can throw the ball. I can't wait to see bowling get to play a full season at RB. He looked really good last year. Had a big TD at breathitt co and had a long run in the Belfry game. All in all middlesboro should have a good team. Definitely the best line they've had in a while. Personally I think it will be tough to beat corbin in district this year. They look strong. But time will tell. The corbin game definitely will be the biggest game on the schedule.

. There was a rumor floating around during the 13th region tournament that John Smith would be the new head coach for Bell co. in 2008. However, haven't heard anything since. Would be a big lift for Bell, they probably will have the most talented team in the district next year. Does anyone know about the new harlan school? Isn't that school opening this fall?

First off I didn't say anything derogatory towards North Laurel did I? I believe I quoted anamail and was responding to a statement he made. Would it have been a different game with Pittman on the mound...I believe so but we'll never know as I stated. So how is that taking away from north laurel? Second..no you don't know the situation at Mboro, so why make a statement? But to answer your question....baseball season cuts into time to play poker. Lastly, you're right, it doesn't make sense..but thats exactly what was going on. Anamail will tell you, as well as any Jacket fan or player will tell you, the best 9 were not on the field for middlesboro. 1. 3 positions, (LF, 1B, 3B) were being played by starters who had little or no experience or practice time at those positions. 2. Started a freshman pitcher who had pitched a total of 15 innings all year while we could have started 2 seniors or a junior. And then when the kid finally settles down in the 2nd inning he gets pulled. The senior who replaced him pitches 3 good innings, we get the lead, then he walks the leadoff batter and gets pulled. Then the senior that replaced him walks 3 in a row and gets left in. Tolliver never gets a chance to pitch. I could go on and on...but it would be a novel. We seniors made a legacy with the South Laurel game, no one can take that away. But we still think that the team was held back by the coaches and always will. Guess it doesn't matter now because the season is over and it's time to move on. So I wasn't taking anything away from North Laurel. Congratulations. Anamail and I are simply venting frustrations from the season. And we have a lot to vent.

I'll agree with you that it would have been a different story with pittman on the mound in the championship game. But we'll never know. I'll even agree with you that he had valid reasons for quitting, but I sure would have more respect for him if he would have stuck it out with the rest of us. Do you honestly think pittman was the only one that felt like he was done wrong by the middlesboro coaches? Hell no. Some would say they were trying to throw the season with the lineups they were sending out there starting with the first game of the district. Remember breeding sitting out against cawood? What about the head coach shoving the the starting pitcher at practice right before the district title game against harlan? What about a senior coming back after a 2 week academic suspension and starting even though the coaches told everyone for that 2 weeks that they wouldn't let him come back and start? How about leaving the head coaches nephew at the leadoff spot even though he wasn't producing? #6 at catcher and he gets to hit? Plenty of reasons to go around for everyone to quit. Im just saying...I don't blame him..but I wish he would have just stuck it out with the rest of the team. And I love tolliver, great kid. The hits he had against SL were classic, but lets remember those were his only hits of the regional AND district tournaments. So to say he is the best hitter on the team is COMPLETELY wrong. He was in a slump for the last month of the season and was fighting for the strikeout lead. Not to mention he was good for 4 errors a game at third. Then they throw him to the wolves and play him at first during regionals even though he had never played 1st and had no practice time at that position. Meanwhile A.J. Jones sits on the bench the whole regional after hitting the only homerun at the district tournament. 2007 will go down as the season that could have been. The most talented Middlesboro baseball team in 10 years. But we'll never know how far they could have went not because of underachieving players but by 2 coaches who openly made moves to divide this team and put players in position to fail. My hats off to this team for making it to the regional final even though the 2 head coaches were trying to hold them back. Kenny warm up the Bulldozer it won't be long now!!