MIF04

Without commenting specifically about BC's coaches:

Sometimes the smartest thing you say....is nothing. How many times do you see someone 'overcoach' when all he needs to do is let his kids play? That is the benefit of talent, sure....but it takes a smart coach to do that.

With that being said, let's wait a couple of years before deciding whether Bryant is 'crazy like a fox' or just 'crazy', okay????

This a great kid and great player (good family, too and they run one good restuarant up there, too)!!!!

Well, some of that "look at me" MAY be going on at PNG. Hard to tell. Of course, baseball is a team game which is made up of a series of individual confrontations (otherwise called an 'at bat'). The 'game within the game' is individual and baseball (more than all sports) relies on individual statistics passed on from 1 generation to the next . There is some 'ego', some 'greediness' involved with any great hitter.

With that being said, the desire for individual success should not DISTRACT from the team goal of winning. If that's going on at PNG, then that is too bad. It is a great program and has a bunch of great kids in it. Personally, I wish the Indians good luck throughout the remainder of the season.

"We're mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore"

Way to go, Kyle!!!!

I understand that there is a difference amongst D1 programs. Texas is a different level than Sam Houston, for example (other than they both wear orange). Still, a player at any D1 school is still a pretty fair country ballplayer.

As far as Dishon, he is a definite D1 player (although more as an athlete than anything). I love his speed (it is a 'plus' tool) and his arm is upwards to 90 from the OF. Personally, his offense is the part of his game which gives him the most difficulty as far as the next level. His athleticism probably overcomes this. By the way, he as already got 'the' letter which states the D1 program is prepared to offer him a 'full ride' to play baseball. For those of you who understand the realities of the 11.7 scholarship rule, that is remarkable. That school is currently ranked #1 in the nation. And has a long history of success at a national level. I think he fits the description of a 'legitimate D1 prospect'.

At times, he may be overrated simply because his 'plus' talents overcome his 'above average' talents. That is particularly true when he plays at a 3A school. Still, a great, great talent....

Thanks, Coach...and good luck this season. Take care of Keko for us !!!!

For what its worth, all of their opponents are 5A schools except for St. Joseph's which is a TAPPS school (but successful at that).

I would love an area wide tournament played over 3-4 teams with everyone agreeing to appear, etc. (that way you don't get any of the "we don't want to play them since we see them later in district). An organization could sponsor it and use a # of the fields in the area with the finals out at Lamar. Give a small % to the schools and expenses but the majority to a pre-selected charity or charities (Red Cross, Rita victims, TASO, etc.).

TRY THIS:

Play 4 brackets of 4 teams each . Divide the brackets by geography or to split out district foes, or with 1 5A, 1 4A, etc. The winners play a 4 team bracket on Sat. at Lamar (incl a 3rd place game). Do the same bracket for the 2nd place, 3rd place and 4th place finishers at 3 HS fields.

You get 5 games in 3 days. If you stretch it to 4 days, you'd only need 2 fields and have huge crowds. The hard part? Getting the coaches to agree, picking the committee to select the teams (someone's gonna get made) and finding a place to park.

A guy can dream can't he???????????

I posted this under the Top Ten but will re-post here to answer SHS84:

Calhoun is a very good player and was listed as OF on 2nd team. There are just a lot of good players in SE Texas, incl. other OF. There was a time when Calhoun was probably the best player in his age group (he was a legend in LL circles). I'm not sure that is true anymore but he still is very, very good. He's also hurt right now. Still very good player and probably the most important player to the Tigers offensively.

Although it may not be the 'tape measure' job some have mentioned above, the longest HR I ever saw was the first one my son ever hit out at West End Little League -- probably went all of 210 feet. But it was the longest 210 feet I ever saw and certaintly the 'best' !!!!

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS/RESPONSES:

1. I keep waiting for BEARS or LCMBASEBALL to weigh in on the hypothetical BC-LCM "Orange County Shoot-Out" game. Maybe something for them to do while 'in between' games at the tourney this weekend....

2. Based on the early season, I'd have to say that Nederland has moved ahead of PNG...however, I am not ready to put Vidor (or anyone else) ahead of PNG for the other play-off spot.

3. I think that Calhoun is very good and he was listed on 2nd team. There was a time when he might've been the best player in his age group. I'm not sure that's true anymore but he's still very good. There's just a lot of very good players (incl. OF) out there.

4. The catcher from PNG is Carnahan and he is performing well. He is hitting close to .375 and playing well behind the dish. He is a soph and, on a senior-heavy team like PNG, it is tough to lead an older group. That is the advantage of having Buchanan back.

5. HJ is, at best, inconsistent. Their ace got hit pretty hard by LCM this week and I think they'll have 1 heck of a time sliding into the 3rd spot in their district.

As always, more to follow and more to cuss/discuss !!!!

What a great NAME for a catcher !!!!

Solid win for LCM. Get it rolling? I think they've been rolling, and have played a pretty tough schedule. You gotta still like these guys.

I think I have mentioned several times on this board that I should have given some more detail to the McFarland kid. The other kids are good players but, honestly, I can't list every kid that plays for every varsity program in SE Texas. With that being said, Nederland does seem to have a wealth of talent coming up in their '08 class while most programs seem to be losing a lot of talent after this and next year. Could be some serious changes to the 'baseball power structure' by then....

West Brook's schedule for Victoria ISD Tourney this weekend:

THURSDAY:

1:30 p.m. vs. Laredo LBJ @ Senior Campus

FRIDAY:

4:30 p.m. vs. St. Joseph's @ Riverside Park

7:30 p.m. vs. Victoria Memorial @ RIverside Park

SATURDAY:

10:30 a.m. vs. Edinburg @ Senior Campus

7:30 p.m. -- Championship Game @ Riverside Park (only post-pool game. there are no 3rd place games, etc.).

I know very little about these teams but, by the morning.....

HO HO HO....

Its just what I love...watching good players (and we have a wealth of them) play good baseball!!!!

What do you mean 'look at me' types? A new one to me....

Blake should play the week of Spring Break (incl LCM game) provided his arm is healthy. It continues to be problemsome for him. On the other hand, the NDNs need the help right now....

Some good news for PNG? Another preseason favorite in 4A was Angleton with UT signee Taylor Hammock. Their record, I believe, is now 2-10.

Thanks for the score. How 'bout some info as to (1) how the team is doing and (2) what players are doing well? Thanks.

Just to name a few:

JASPER -- Parsons (LHP) and Hart (SS)

SILSBEE -- McDonald (RHP)

BRIDGE CITY -- Jackson ©

PNG -- Carnahan © and Harrington (Util)

NED -- McFarland

HJ -- Roebuck (INF)

OZEN -- Gardiner (RHP/INF) and LOTT (LHP)

WB -- Lycan (3B) and Wallace ©

Word is that the Dishon kid is fast' date=' great arm, and excellent athete. Many say he is legite D 1 and probably high draft pick...[/quote']

The description of Dishon is accurate. He is probably the fastest baseball player in the area, an wonderful athlete and a high-caliber arm from CF. He is still refining his pitching. His weakness is his offensive game which (right now) relies very much on his speed (and won't play nearly as well at higher levels) and the occassional power surge he shows (i.e. 2 HR @ Kelly Tournament). He is a legitimate D1 (and D1 at a major baseball school) and may get looks for the draft. Whether he is a 'high draft pick' is a stretch but he's still got over a year to develop baseball-wise. Very good athlete.

There are a lot of really good players throughout SE Texas...and sometimes 'we' miss 'em. The McFarland kid is one. Another who quietly does a superb job is Hart, the kid up in Jasper (he's a soph, I believe). He gets somewhat overshadowed by Alvis but he was All District (don't know if he was 1st or 2nd team) and (I believe) newcomer of the year. He got thrown into the fire by being moved from OF and SS and has responded very well for Bulldogs. These are just a ton of really good, young players coming up in our ranks. These are just a couple but they are worth watching anytime you see either of the Bulldogs (Nederland or Jasper) play.

Congrats to David (and Mike & Ellen). A most deserving choice !!!!

Serna pitched the LC Barbe game. He had it won 6-3 with 2 outs in the 7th when an error opened the floodgates. He pitched very well against a nationally ranked team.

I guess I'd support a WB vs. BC game -- but WB would never do it. Why would Coach Walton do it?

In a 1 game 'play off', I do disagree that BC necessarily wins. From a position standpoint, the only kid at BC who starts at WB is probably Dishon. Conversely, you take any of the WB position players (other than the OF who plays when Serna pitches) and they all start at BC. THe only close call there is at C where Jackson MAY have the edge over Wallace (w very talented sophs).

Granted, Angelle is a very good pitcher and, with an 'on' night, he gives anyone fits. By the same token, WB sees pitching this good and better all season long (actually, they already have). Once they get to District, they see Ojala and Touchton (both major D1 signees who, quite frankly, have more velocity and as much command as Angelle) from Kingwood and Berry (Rice) and Corrigan (UH) from Humble. Then, you get Dempsay from Sterling (88-90 and 1st Team All District and All Houston). The upshot is that WB won't be intimidated by velocity that is topping at 86 or 87 mph.

Then, in your 1 game playoff, you still have to hit Serna. Given that BC couldn't hit a LH who was throwing 80 in Nederland, I would think a LH who sits at 85-86 and has a breaking pitch nearly as good as Angelle's best will cause some issues...especially given BC's very inconsistent offense.

Would I bet the farm on this? No...but beating up on Buna 3 or 4 times in the preseason ain't the same thing. Remember -- it was BC who backed out of the LCM tourney to go play at Kelly (and avoiding LCM, Jasper and HF). I'll take West Brook in the 1 game. And, yes....I would bet the farm on a 2 out of 3 format.

I mean that's just my opinion. I know most (if not all) of the kids on both teams. They're good players. It would be a heckuva game (the greatest game never to occur?). Personally, I'd rather see BC-LCM and see who gets to be "King of Orange County". When someone suggest that, I'll make that prediction, too.

Good luck this week to all.