kissinger

Anyone know if Central and Western played this weekend? I notice its the only game without a score.

This rule actually began more than thirty years ago and was pushed by the local parks departments who didn't want their leagues dominated by high school team players, therefore eliminating the local gym rat from playing. And it has just seemed to hang on.

Not true. The KHSAA (which is the collective group of member schools) voted to restrict ALL team sports last year, by more than a 2/3 margin. The Kentucky Board of Education didn't approve it. There shouldn't be a restriction, and through the checks and balances of the regulatory process, there aren't. And its only a matter of time before there aren't restrictions in basketball either.

Yes it would be closed. It would be stated once again that there is no guarantee to a scholarship, and it is not a protected property right (as it has been many times in many jurisdictions) and the plaintiffs would be thrown out on their ears. The softball situation is a bit different as the state legislature mandated that change, not the courts. There was pending legal action, but that did not direct anything. The curious thing to me as a long time observer of this rule, is that Kentucky schools DO KNOW this rule (high schools). They know (or surmise) that fall basketball allowances in this particular state would probably have an impact on participation in volleyball on the girls side, and football (especially at the non varsity level) on the boys side, and don't like that. And the even more curious thing is that if this is such an issue, why has no school in the last many many years proposed the simplest fix, a rule change that would ease the restriction. Maybe the schools like the rule.

There have been some recent changes in this regard. I was sent a notice out that they are going to allow certain things in order to be more on par with the boys spring opportunities. I would make sure I had my facts straight.

ABSOLUTELY! These type of things in order to be successful, must be places where they are WANTED. As much as Lexington was convenient, Lexington did little more than simply have a large stadium in terms of hosting the Ky-TN games. In many events, they are simply too lethargic and don't care. And I lived there a long time so it is not regional egg throwing. They just don't seem to care (nor does Louisville) about these events and these communities that care, and show it by putting up financial support, etc., should get the events.

A better link might be http://www.khsaa.org/football/alignment.pdf And I wouldn't get too hung up (as some do) on "EAST" and "WEST". It is simply dividing the state in half by district numbers and the one thing no one control is where pockets of schools are (or a single school is) built. Starting out numbering West to East it could be that in some classes, a whole lot of schools are in the East and will leave them in the "west" on this type of thing so that the number of districts are balanced. We just should get hung up on the small stuff.

Manners and decorum are extremely important to us old offensive linemen

If you don't like the charges, you have an option. Go back home. Otherwise, most schools have to acknowledge that local boards no longer subsidize the costs of athletics at all, and charging at every available opportunity is needed. And yes, it is needed. Costs of uniforms, officials, protective gear, maintenance of facilities, those are not free and normally, not paid by local boards. So you are encouraged to exercise your freedom of choice whenever you wish and simply turn around and leave.

There was not, nor never has been in last many years, any statewide cancellation. It seems like the folks that cover the practices for some of those schools from a sports medicine standpoint, took a misconstrued rumor from a superintendent and then called all of the other trainers and had them cancel. No directive was ever issued this week from the Governor or the KHSAA about practices. Use the heat index system as written, prescribed and reminded by KHSAA last week via email to all of us, and that is excellent protection. Simply put, this one was caused by a well-intentioned but overly involved trainer taking 2 and 2, adding it up, and getting 17. From what I hear, this over involvement may be extended to other sports now and causing issues. Some of the hottest places in this state right now are in gyms where the A/C isn't turned on (i.e. volleyball). Take the readings every thirty minutes as prescribed. Our folks insist on it, and it works.

Properly monitored per the rule as I read it, if it is 95 degrees heat index, it will be difficult to play the game, period. 95-99 all of the players not in the game must remove equipment. this heat index program doesn't just apply to practice. So if this weather were to continue, there would be some postponed games.

It's not about making contact with the helmet. Its about INITIATING contact with the helmet. And frankly, the heck with ESPN and others who have shown those highlight hits over and over, but fail to mention the recovery time for injured athletes, etc. By the time the stinger leaves the player, they have moved on to someone else's hit. I have a real feeling that this will be hit very very hard by all states, including Kentucky and that officials who don't want to call those fouls, will have much shorter seasons.

Old Raider is right. The glove simply cannot contain white or grey, even in the manufacturer's lettering / logo. That flash of bright color is viewed by the national rulesmakers as potentially distracting to the batter and an unfair advantage. Color of the glove body not as relevant as eliminating white and grey. From what I know.

Believe I heard announced 1A, 3A, 5A on Friday, 2A, 4A, 6A on Saturday. U of L is long finished by then.

Sorry RP, but Southern Indiana has its own Diocese and has no middle schools (at this time) in the Louisville diocese.

THat proposal went away with the adoption of Proposal 2 since it created a contradiction. Unless this student's middle school is in the Diocese of Louisville when this rule is fully implemented, a Southern indiana kid appears to be out of luck going to X or T. But, interestingly, they could play for Holy Cross since they are less than 300 kids and most of Southern Indiana is within 30 miles. This particular student, from what I can tell, won't be effected as it doesn't go into effect until the 7th grade class of 2008-2009, but students in like situations in the future will have to 1) enter a Diocese of Louisville middle school in grade 7 or 2) choose another school other than any non-public with more than 300 students.

Scouts are really good at detecting pitches, who can throw a change up, who can field. They don't know stats. I talked to someone today who helped write the NFHS stats manual (yes there is a publication), and its the same at all levels. Like cshs tried to tell us all, E-2, everything that happened after the third out should have been made is unearned. Great dialogue. Gets us fired up about baseball.

Isn't in there that i can find either.

Absolutely. i can almost hear brer rabbit saying "don't throw me in that briar patch".

"was" is the operative word. I hate to try to put a little "logic" into this discussion, but I don't know that the KHSAA had any choice. With only 17 schools playing this year (per their list), that's 6% of the schools. The threshold established in the 80s was that 15% need to keep playing in order to have a championship. That was lost long ago. What was a "state" championship, became a "northern Kentucky" championship. So what appears to me will happen is that next year (2008) and beyond, slow pitch goes right in line with Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse and Bowling as activities which certainly can be sponsored by schools, but not a state wide championship. Field hockey, offered primarily only in Louisville, remains a viable alternative, but the just don't have a state champion, nor should they when it is played in just one area. Same thing for ice hockey (Louisville and Lexington, primarily private schools); Lacrosse (primarily in Lexington) and Bowling (primarily Northern Kentucky and the Ashland area). Those activities are not statewide, and are best left to local areas to handle local area championships. Unfortunately, we can blame KHSAA or whomever, but when the legislature, who can't agree on a budget (the one thing they are constitutionally bound to do) or a mechanism to fund retirement for those of us in the teachers retirement systems, gets involved in athletics, it is little wonder that disarray occurs.

Prowling around their web site, looks like Rusty Parks (Woodford County) is a past winner, and two KY Cross Country Coaches (Tony Rowe of Daviess County and Tom Williams of Bardstown) are past winners since 2001. Good company and congratulations to Mike.

Yep, somewhere Don Imus is smiling because that's even an option .....

It was probably a flashback to his college days. I was at Georgetown one day when he played against Hanover. Between the two teams, 1500 yards in passing, I think the final was 61-55 or something like that. It was like an arena game outdoors.

Get some cheese for that whine, that is old news, and its been discussed ad nauseum. Short of cancelling contracts for 20 schools, it was about all that can be done. Complete a couple of key plays and your moniker would be about two time defending champions, not 2005.

Just because it isn't easily understood, doesn't make it garbage. Nor does your disagreement. And if applied literally as written (there really does not appear to be much room for interpretation), it effects all equally, so legal challenges while they sound great when preaching, may not be all that successful. The Association is made up of its member schools. Not the KHSAA staff, not state department, not any of those groups. Nor a vocal group of BGPers. But rather, one rep from each school. So they get the priviledge of making the rules for this priviledge called athletics (an extra curricular, voluntary activity by the way). As to what will happen in the future, look into your crystal ball. Though mine is fuzzy, what I see if the non public schools deciding the hell with it, forming their own group. Not waiting to be voted out, but simply taking their group and forming another one. And taking the best and brightest with them, leaving many public areas with the lowest common denominator. I sincerely hope I am wrong, but I can't help but think that. And for heavens sakes, don't give anyone this crap about rules not being enforced or a single specific case in Northern Kentucky or Bullitt County. Just consider how many different ways this particular rule is effecting schools in your area, due to the many types of schools. Take that and apply it to a statewide basis and you see the task of trying to make a single, simple sets of rules that can apply equally and fairly to all. It just doesn't work. The current rules, even rigidly enforced with a band of investigators and lawyers, still have created a division in the member schools of the KHSAA because it (the set of rules, with hard line standards and requirements for written documenation, etc.) has allowed the non publics to grow and prosper at a time when the publics fight an internal and external test score and funding battle. And the gap will only widen, whatever the effect of this proposal, as even key public school representatives can't seem to agree on a unified strategy for improving the basic education system. Sorry, feet got stuck on the soapbox.