cometscoach

S3 I could not agree more with what you say. I have coached for several years but more to the point I am a Certified Orthopedic Specialist in physical therapy. Once a muscle reaches failure (fatigue) every pitch is 3x as hard on the surrounding tissue. Therefore at that point each pitch should actually count as 3. My concern however with your limitation suggestion is that it penalizes players that have made the extra efforts to succeed. i.e. players like Brandon Alpin who is a 9th grader and pitched a 9 inning win against North Bullitt in the first game of district play (108 pitches) and will be returning tonight in the regional semi-finals against PRP. Although Brandon is an exception he has conditioned all year, trained vigorously on technique, and has taken excellent care of his arm. Does this mean he will not suffer an injury (no), but he is as prepared as most seniors.

No suprise here. These two guys lead the Ky Comets staff for several years and are without a doubt two of the best freshman pitchers in the state. Add to this group Tyler Wright and Keaton Hall who both were named to their all-district team as freshman and you will have four Comets helping to lead their team in the post season.

The jury is still out. The entire medical community is not represented by one M.D. Tom House who has done probably the most research in this area thinks many kids do not throw nearly enough. He claims that back "in the day" when kids played baseball outside and in the neighborhood everyday that their were much less injuries. Although I do not agree with that I have been a physical therapist for 18 years and rarely see kids with overuse injuries.

I have coached many AAU games where the team we were playing was very underclassed. Realistically we may have been able to win some of them 50-0. You will never convince me that in a game with teams mismatched by so much you can not control the score. Here are some pointers for teams that find themselves in such a situation. 1) Take only one base at a time (i.e. runner on first only goes to second even if ball is hit to fence) 2) Do not steal or advance on past balls 3) Ask your batters to swing at any reasonable pitch. No they should not strike out on purpuse but should swing at anything within reach. 4) Bring in a pitcher that has little or no experience and give him a chance to feel the thrill of being on the mound. There are other classy things that can be done, but I am hard pressed to think anyone could win by 43 runs and be making a reasonable attempt to control the score.

Depends on how disciplined and mature your hitters are and the situation in the game. I find most hitters are not disciplined. I love to coach against a team eager to hit the first pitch because more often than not we know that and will make them reach. Different strokes for different folks but the best hitters I see at a higher level are very selective when it comes to hitting the first pitch.

Bethlehem has had major losses. They will be a .500 team this year but will be a threat around play-off time. They have a very talented young group of running backs and will have a senior in the backfield named Blake Stanley who will play at the next level. Blake has more tools than Billy Jackson but will be running behind a very small line. Defensively they will be solid but have to replace linebacker group of Billy Jackson, Kent Simpson. No one ready to step in at that level yet. Look for Bethlehem to be strong in 09 and 10.

100% certain. The runs are unearned and you can take that to the bank.

For those who are curious. The distance from the front steps of Bethlehem to the center of these cities (as the crow flies) are as follows: Radcliff - 26 miles E-town - 24 miles Lebanon -20 miles Hodgenville -23 miles Looks like it was certainly helpful to Bethlehem when the proposal was changed from 20 to 30 miles. I wonder who made that suggestion.

Unfortunately in a school of less than 300 students, presumably 150 males you need your freshman to fill a varsity roster. I understand there are small schools recruiting athletes in order to field very competitive teams. However; I can assure you that Bethlehem does not fall into that category.

As I said it is not well thought through and is subject to alot of debate.

I think that is certainly open for debate as the Propasal reads that the Non-public territory of a school with less than 300 students may be expanded to any student whose resident is less than 20 miles from the schools front door. (now based on earlier posts 30 miles) This may be a mute point as Bethlehem enrollement should go over 300 next year. I bring the point up to show how poorly the proposal has been thought through. Very few students at Bethlehem come from public middle schools so that should not be a factor. Additionally 30 miles as the crow flies covers a very large distance and very few if any of the current students would not fall in this range. (Including Billy Jackson and other Radcliff players)

Your money will not come from the Radcliff students. It will come from St. Catherine, and St. Gregory 7th and 8th graders who traditionally go to Nelson Co. and will be penalized one year for the shift. Bethlehem traditionally gets only a few of these students so the majority will be penalized. Ironically, students from Bloomfield, Bardstown, and OKH will be allowed to come to Bethlehem without a penalty since they are within the 30 mile radius.

That is correct

I am definitely for banning metal bats. There are many benifits to taking this action. One problem that has not been mentioned in the thread but has in others is the decline in numbers for area baseball programs. I have coached AAU for the past several years and it has become very obvious that the kids that are on the top of the pack are usually the kids that can afford to travel, buy expensive bats, take lessons etc. We lose many of the best atheletes because they can not afford to play. A ban on metal bats would certainly help in this area. Remember back in the day when every team had a bat bag. Now every player has their own bat. Surely someone on this site knows a congressman that could get this bill introduced in Frankfort.

You are right. He is a great player and possibly one of the best freshman in the state. What are they gunning him at now?

No, you just can not start before then.

Bethlehem started practice today. Numbers were really good. I have heard up to 35 players with several members of the baseball team missing. (35 does not sound like much but they played the entire season with 22 last year) Unfortunately out of 35 players there were no Billy Jacksons.

A couple of freshman not mention but in that same crop of travelers are at Male. Ryan Messex was very strong catcher and bat for the Comets, and Cameron Mason for the Metro Bats is one of the more talented players in that group.

My daughter lettered in 3 sports last year at a 6A high school. Her sports include volleyball, softball, and basketball. During that time she has also maintained 3.5 and been involved in community activities. Since I do not think she will ever make a living in the WNBA I am glad she has had an opportunity to participate in each sport.

I am the former coach of an AAU team called the Ky Comets. Over the past 5 summers our team has played around 300 games. Although the team no longer exist here are some of the products of our hard work. Brandon Alphin - Brandon is a freshman pitcher/middle infielder who will be playing at Bullitt East. Brandon will be touching the 80's this year with his fastball and will be a very effective JV pitcher. He could possibly see the mound in varsity games. More likely however he will compete for the starting 2B position. Matt Bowles - Matt is also a freshman pitcher/middle infielder who will be playing at Bullitt East. His bio is nearly identical to Brandon's. These two have worked together as middle infielders for 6 years but will compete for a position a 2B this year. Casey Robinson - Casey is a freshman at Bethlehem high school. He will play middle infield and probably lead-off for the JV. It looks like his speed (delivered a 4.7 40 time at indoor facility) may find him a way into the varsity line up. Currently he is playing 3rd base at that level. Casey will be a top freshman in the 5th region Keaton Hall - Keaton is a freshman at Bardstown high school. As an 8th grader last year Keaton anchored 3rd base and saw extensive pitching action on the varsity level. Keaton will be one of Bardstown's top hitters this year and will be one of the stongest freshmen in the 5th region. Tyler Wright - Tyler is a freshman at Marion Co high school. Last year as an 8th grader Tyler saw alot of varsity action on the mound. He will return this year as one of Marion Co's top pitchers and is sure to be one of the strongest freshmen in the 5th region. Zack McCarty, Justin Jones, and Caleb Vogelsang are all sophomores and will see considerable varsity action. These are some of the top kids in their age group and should all see varsity action. They are used to playing winning baseball and will be huge assets to their respective team.

Washington County

Samantha Drake F Nelson Co. High School best in 5th region

It was Bear Bryant that said. "It is not as much about the X's and O's as it is the Jimmies and Joes." That being said it takes a good coach to find the Jimmies and Joes and provide them with the nurture they need to succeed.

What if their son is on the high school team. Can they continue to coach that team during the dead period?

Our access to inside practice facilities are limited. My typical rule is we are outside if it is over 35 degrees. What are your guidlines?