MIF04

There's no such thing as 'on the average' when it comes to baseball.  Do you really think a 5A school would've lit up Homer Bailey because he pitched for a 3A school?  Not gonna happen...I do understand that 'overall' you find more talent in 5A due to the numbers involved (i.e., better chance of finding 1 good player from a group of 1,000 rather than 100).  You also find more depth in 5A, again due to the numbers.  But...in 1 game...I'll take Homer Bailey and I wouldn't care if it was 1A or 5A.  Talent is talent...no matter where you find it. 

Plus...I wouldn't be calling out BH too much.  Not with that pitching staff they got coming back...

I think a lot of teams could compete locally with WB...heck, it happened during the year.  Ozen and BH beat them, and PNG played them into extra innings.  Central was pesky and only Vidor got rolled by WB.   

On the other hand, if the point is that WB was the best/most talented team in the area, I agree with that (certainly as it regards their 1-9 lineup).  They were just that good this year.  Will they be that good next year? Probably not...they lost a lot of talent due to graduation (#1 pitcher, 1B, 2B, SS, LF, CF). 

WB was a very good team in 2007 but they weren't the only team.  LCM had a great run.  BH did the same.  And, of course, there's that team up from Jasper...

What I do think is that this thread would be better served discussing the options/likelihood of an ALL-SETX tournament.  The issues read like a good novel (money, politics, etc....okay, no sex, but you can't have everything).   

A first 'good' move would be to have the local coaches meet and agree in principle to do it.  That would involve some local coaches losing their own tournament (and revenue) to schedule this as 1 of their 3 per year. 

Second would be to select someone (not a local coach) to oversee the administration of the event.  That would include finding a sponsor, lining up dates, etc.  You would have to determine how to split the tourney proceeds (charity, to the schools, etc.).  YMBL might be a good choice.  Involving TASO another good choice.  Let the hosting schools keep the concessions and give the gate to charity, scholarship fund, etc.

There are a lot of moving parts.  It would take a tremendous amount of work but (like a lot of things) it would be worth it...at least for the local baseball fans.

Congrats to Jeff on this.  O/W is a quality JUCO in Florida who develops a lot of top line talent for top D-1 schools, MLB draft, etc.  Heckuva deal...

West Brook plays as many local teams in non-district as anyone.  They can't do anything about the UIL and where they get classified in 21-5A.

First, the Bruins usually get everyone's 'best shot' when they play a local team.  And that benefits them to have better pitchers thrown against them, etc.  Second, WB can throw their other pitchers back at them.  In a sense, it is a great equalizer.  Moreover, I just think its good for the local teams to play one another.  And I don't buy in to the '5A is better than 4A is better than 3A' as it applies to individual teams.  I do think 21-5A (top to bottom, year in and year out) is a tougher district than the local 4A or 3A districts although those districts have put out a number of good teams.  For example, no body (in any classification) wanted to face BH with Hales or New Caney with Dean (or Huffman with Listi).  Good baseball is good baseball...no matter where it is played.

I am still on the bandwagon for an area wide tournament.  Divide SE Texas into 'sub regions' for pool play.  Then bracket the pool winners in the championship bracket, 2nd place in the silver bracket, etc.  Spread the games out across the area at 4-6 venues with the finals rotating from school to school each year.  Pay the umpires off the top then give the rest of the $ to a local charity/worthwhile cause.  Maybe give some of the $ to TASO (like off season event) and even the umps work free.  Probably whistling in the dark...

Ronnie Bay (832-541-6770) or Curtis Pounds (281-924-0774).  Ronnie also coaches 1 of the Houston Heat teams so I really don't know if he or Curtis is 'running' the organization.  Most of their games are at North Shore HS.  Never had a bad experience there in terms of how they ran it, etc.

Triple Play puts on tournaments thru out the year which are open to 'all comers'.  Actually a good way to get some games in between the 'bigger' events.

While I like the Staff at LU, I have never really understood their recruiting. Maybe they just didn't want to compete with the big schools. Their recruiting skills are lacking for local talent.(IMO)

Generally, this is 'on point'....

No, Mike runs Kyle Chapman out of Houston.  Great program.  They have both a league and select teams.  Aaron Thompson (grew up here, moved to Houston, drafted 1st round) played for him in the summers.  Really good program and really a good guy.

MIF04 is correct, some do hit at the next level, but as 643 has mentioned very few.

The kid from Lufkin, Brandon Belt could swing it in high school. He chose the San Jac route, ended up with a great year at the plate plus quality innings on the mound. From what I hear, he's on his way to UT this year and bringing his bat with him.   

Great example with Belt.  He absolutely tore it up with San Jac.  Although drafted again, he has apparently told UT he will be there come August.

Pitchers dont hit in college for the liability factor, the only one I know of was the Houston kid that went to the Angels and was a major player in them winning the series. I was told by a Padres scout that was a requirement of his attending Grayson Jr College that he hit when he pitched. I personally know of a cpl of big league players that quit pitching to hit, the latest is Adam LaRoach with Pitt. He pitched his first yr in JUCO.

Looking at the last 4 drafts...here are some regional pitchers who did hit in college:

2007 - Joe Savery @ Rice

2006 - Brad Lincoln @ UH

2005 - Brian Bogusevice @ Tulane

2004 - Huston Street @ UT

All 1st rounders, all played 'both' ways.  If you are  legit both ways, you'll play both ways in college.

WB was a team full of very good individual talent in 07, but could not seem to pull together and make a good run in the playoffs. This is one of the best teams WB has seen, or will see in the future for that matter for a long time. Their premature exit from the playoffs could have been blamed on many things this year, but the simple fact of the matter is that WB didn't play as a team, but rather as a group of individuals, and when you do that no matter how good you are you will not win in the end. WB proved that this year, and the NY Yankees do their very best to disprove this theory every year for the past five seasons, and you see where it has gotten them.

Could not disagree more.  True, it was a very good group of individual talent but they played well as a team and was a close group of kids.  They won their district (ahead of Kingwood who made it to reg finals...heck, they won 25 games.  True, we had hoped for a deeper run but they lost a playoff series to Pearland when WB's #1 pitcher couldn't pitch because he was ill and we wound up (in both losses) 1 big hit away.

I am not sure where you come up with the idea they were not " a team "....

The Benefits for West Brook are

A:we can see just how good WB really is

B:we can figure out how the entire starting lineup made first team all district

C:we can figure out how the entire lineup made the SETXsuperduper team

1:we can see future all americans

2:we all can get autographs

3:the beaumont enterprise would have to cover the tournament, thus the bruins would be covered....but on page 5...

A.  All you had to do was come to a game or two to see how good they were (and they were very good in 2007).

B. and C.  Because their lineup had the best individual players.

1.  I don't know about future All Americans but 1 was aleady named a HS All American.

2.  I'll help you get an autograph if you really want one.

3.  Would be nice to get ANY coverage for WB.

****

The real advantages would be to have a true SE Texas tournament with all of the local talent in 1 event at 1 time.  On any given day, at any given year...our best team might be a 5A, 4A, 3A, etc.  The point of the tournament would not be to establish SE Texas superiority...it would be to give each team 4 or 5 games and the local fans a venue to see all the teams.  It would be a heckuva event.

Just curious.....What summer team did / does Fazio play for ? 

Oh, by the way,  10,000 students apply to get into Rice University per year.

They accept only 800 !   Nice Job Anthony.

Houston team (the name escapes me right now).  They were in Georgia last week.  I'll have to look them up.

Thanks.  I figured that was it (from pers experience, no less).  Great deal for Anthony.

This is a wonderful accomplishment for Anthony.  Rice is a top tier program and this is quite an honor.

If they do not give living expenses (approx 1/2) then it is really 50%...at least per NCAA and their 11.7 schollies.  Either was, a great deal for Anthony.  Congrats to him and his Mom and Dad.

I think playing in a local event (which supposedly 'playing down') has some other benefits.  I have always thought a preseason tourney with ALL the local teams would be tremendous...including 3A, 4A and 5A.  Can you imagine the action on this board alone????  Plus, I don't buy in that they'd be playing down...there are some really good teams (classification be damned).

Here is a list from some of the schools:

West Brook - Castolenia was the best I ever saw there.  Not overpowering but a pure winner...and took the ball anytime he could get it. 

Pt. Arthur - McElroy or X Hernandez.  Tough call either way.

Orange - John Patterson from WOS (and, although I never saw him, they say his Dad was pretty good as well).  Beau Hale from LCM was dominant (I never saw Perkins who supposedly was pretty good.  Clayton Ehlert, although not the velocity that Hale had, was very good and very much a 'refuse to lose' guy).

PNG - I haven't decided.  A lot of good arms have come through down there.

Nederland - Sullivan.

Bridge City - Did not see Fletcher.  Angelle of the ones I saw. 

OF - Granger.

Lumberton - Bucholtz.

i disagree, buchholz was completely untouchable.

Bucholz was a good HS pitcher but he wasn't even recruited as a pitcher.  He went to McNeese as a position player then transferred to Angelina as a 2 way guy.  The rest, as they say, is history but he was not an 'untouchable' HS pitcher.

The tournament has been re-seeded (top 10 pools are championship bracket, remaining pools are not). 

The SE Texas Sun Devils won their pool, made the top 10, and won their 1st game today in the championship round 9-1.  Bobby Armstrong, Johnny Dishon and Logan Williams all with HRs.  Jeff Stringer threw the CG win.  The Sun Devils remain undefeated for the tournament.

The Big Timers did not win their pool, and were seeded in the 'consolation' bracket.  They did win their game today.

Play continues tomorrow with both the championship bracket and consolation bracket teams playing 2 games each.

We went out to see Phillip Meeks pitch for the--Big Timers- and he did a good job!

The tall boy that went from West Brook to pitch for Cathedral and has a scholarship to Lamar started the game.  He was a little wild but throwing about 93 mph; so they put Phillip Meeks in after they had already scored 4 runs and there were NO OUTS.  Meeks promptly got the three outs.  He looked good today.

Interestingly Matt Hicks(BC) was playing 3rd base having newly joined this Select team.

There was 4 boys from Barbe Lake Charles, one from Wharton, two from Beaumont Central plus other assorted HSs. 

There was some good BB being played out at the Lamar diamond today.  The team they were playing was a composite mostly from the Fort Bend area 5-As.

1.  Glad Meeks did well.

2.  Matt -- get out of there.

3.  Lamar either (a) didn't throw much scholarship or ( regrets what they did throw at the kid from Cathedral.  There is a damn good reason he left West Brook...

I would love to make these tryouts but i dont have transportation. Next week I am going to A Perfect Game with the Big Tymers in Georgia, and hopefully that will work for me. Thank you for the advice

P -- are you guys entered?  The PG web site for the tourney says it is full and Big Timers is not listed.  Just checking...

If he's with Big Timers a scholarship should be in the bag, right?

And...I really don't think you can say that.  Seriously....

Actually, the particular perfect game event in East Cobb is the biggest college scouting even of the year.  There will be D-1 coaches from nearly (if not all) programs including a large number from Texas.  Louisiana schools will be there in numbers as well.  If you want to get seen, that this is the tournament to go to.

We have been going there for 4 years and have probably 15-20 kids (2006 and 2007 HS grads) that have now gotten scholarships.  Exposure is the name of the game.  Period.

Tryout camps are also a good idea, especially for some of the Texas jucos.  I appreciate that he pitched at Lamar but, honestly, Lamar has seen him for 2 years.  If they were going to offer him, they probably would have by now. 

Congrats to Jake...and to all the other guys.  A job well done...