Is it Talent or Coaching ????

[Will11]

I believe that area coaches have enjoyed the luxury of having some of the best talent in the state. We might sit back and ask why hasn't anyone brought home a State Championship in a long time ???

[MIF04]

I think the answer lies in the fact that Texas in general (and the area that covers Region III) is one of the most competitive baseball areas in the country. You can have very good talent and very good coaching and still not win state. Two years ago, PNG made it to Austin and, last year, BC went. Woodville won State last year. I think this area always does very well in playoffs....its just a tough row to hoe, so to speak.

With that being said, there is no doubt that some teams win with talent despite the coaching (and maybe vice versa -- sometimes good coaching makes up for a lack of talent). Without naming names, it does happen.

[Guest airitout123]

I am a very, very strong believer that coaching is the key element in the success of any program. Does it help to have great athletes? Of course. However, good coaching can be vital to the success of any program.

[Will11]

I think having such a talent base can cause a coach to become complacent.

I watched my cousin and his TJ team bring home the trophy. I have not seen that combination of talent and coaching since. I have called games in every district and all divisions.

[MIF04]

I gotta disagree. There have been some outstanding teams (coaches and players) over the recent past. Woodville, for example, brought back the trophy. Others have done very well. I am sure some complacency occurs but programs do not succeed year in and year out if that's the case. I'm not really sure who you're referring to but obviously you have someone in mind....

[SilsbeeD]

i think it goes by this 75 percent of your success is the athletes and 25 percent is the coaching. I am a firm beleiver that you have to have athletes to win.

[BCBBall]

How about

1. TALENT

2. Coaching

3. Luck, of the draw or brackets, coin flip, injuries during regular season or playoffs, how the ball bounces at a critical time in the game, and matchups at a certain time in a game. I'm sure I have left a phase out that someone can add.

[LHS90]

I strongly agree with BCBBall. There are several factors that make a team successful. I have seen teams stacked with talent and couldn't win it all, then I have seen a less talented team with good coaching and timely plays get the job done

[thebaseballpyschologist]

Here's an iilustration for you all, if you take a great coach and give him the Bad News Bears, how good do you think they are going to be? It has to be a combination of the two. It can't be one or the other. Or look at it this way, you take an average coach or a football coach and give him a great group of athletes that know what to do and get it done, then they have a playoff bound team easily. But a combination of the two, there's no telling how far they can go. That's just my perspective.

[Guest bigred99]

Bridge City has had some of the best coaches ie. Chuck Young, Sam Moore and now Billy Bryant. They have also some of the best talent as the Div 1 players have been coming out of BC for years. So what is it, talent or coaching? I believe it's a great youth program with talent being 60% and coaching 40%.

[espn2]

"Not even a good coach wins without good players, but a bad coach could loose with good players."

Phil Jackson

[ESPN]

AMEN!

[Will11]

Ken Loeffler: "There are only two kinds of coaches -- those who have been fired, and those who will be fired."

Blanton Collier: "You can accomplish anything you want as long as you don't care who gets the credit for it."

Casey Stengel: "Most games are lost, not won."

[SilsbeeD]

i like that quote espn2

[gpd65]

For example, Jay Stone is a great coach! I played for him as a soph when he coached JV at PNG. I played all through high school and 2 years at JUCO and he is by far the best coach I ever had. This season he is loaded with talent but some key players are the "look at me" type and as we all know, it is hard to build team unity with that kind of attitude. If this team can come together, look out!!!

[MIF04]

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

[gpd65]

Kids that are only concerned about themselves, ie: Hey college recruiters, look at my high batting avg, look how many homeruns I can hit, look at my powerful arm, slick fielding, and speed. PS, please disregard my teams 0 and 20 record, everyone else on the team doesn't have my talent. In other words, just "Look At Me!!

[GeauxTigers]

It is pure talent until games are close (2-1, 1-0, 3-1) type games. Coaches are able to strategize and use their expertise very easier in those games. Did anyone see the USA 2 Mexico 0 game? Buck Martinez was able to use his talents along with his unstoppable staff.

[MIF04]

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.

[SETXBaseball]

Bridge City coaches dont do a damn thing i went to a BC game i didnt hear one word out of the coach except he said twice finish your pitch??

The bridge city kids just come out and compete there coaches dont have to do anything

[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????