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Baseball Journal

Jesse said:
HA. Yep. Saw it coming. IMO, Dusty didn't in the way he managed that game. I'm just a podunk redneck ball player who never made it, but I do feel he is mostly to blame for this failure. I will point the finger at Rolen, BP, Votto, and Bruce also. Just a pitiful 3 game stretch.
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IMO, the players are the ones that have gotta get it done. What was the stat on the number of base runners the Reds left stranded in the series? How many costly errors did they have? While I agree, Dusty could have done better managing the series, I blame most of it on the guys on the field...
 
There's no doubt the players play the game, but the managers can win games their players are losing by making strategic moves that spurn on the players. I just think Dusty misses a few of those moves in this series. But yes, several players are also to blame here. Dead bats killed a team that lived on them all season.
 
Fluteman said:
IMO, the players are the ones that have gotta get it done. What was the stat on the number of base runners the Reds left stranded in the series? How many costly errors did they have? While I agree, Dusty could have done better managing the series, I blame most of it on the guys on the field...
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I think they said on the post game radio show that the Reds stranded 30+ over the five game series. Dusty needs to go and not just for health reasons!!!!!
 
Jesse said:
HA. Yep. Saw it coming. IMO, Dusty didn't in the way he managed that game. I'm just a podunk redneck ball player who never made it, but I do feel he is mostly to blame for this failure. I will point the finger at Rolen, BP, Votto, and Bruce also. Just a pitiful 3 game stretch.
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Hate to keep referring to my Buccos, but the same crap used to happen to their big guns during the NLCS. Bonds and Bonilla never did shit during their couple tries in the post season.

While I agree Dusty has choked in big games (just ask Cubs fans), the players still need to produce. Leyland had a couple of great teams in Pittsburgh and, in the end, the high profile guys choked.
I didn't watch the Reds series, but it seems the same happened to them. Maybe I'm wrong.

That's baseball though... if the big guns don't produce it's tough to win unless your pitching is lights out. If the pitching is lights out, a managerial decsion on the offensive side may help. Maybe that was the case in the Homer Bailey loss? Again, I didn't watch so I don't know. Just speculating.
 
Never TOO early to be thinking baseball...

Our off season weight training and conditioning begins Monday. We will also have about 10 open gyms srinkled in there when the basketball teams are on the road and we can actually get gym time.

My All-state SS has been all over the place for showcases and partcipated in the Buckeye Elite showcase in July. He has the opportunity to be a preferred walk on at Michigan state and Marshall, but is holding out hope for some money. He is waiting on an offer from Tiffin for a baseball/football package (he's our QB). He is also visiting Sinclair Community College in Dayton this weekend. It is a JUCO and could be a great stepping stone to a D1 program or even more... who knows.
As soon as he puts some muscle on this kid will be unreal. He runs like a deer and can jump out of a building. If only had a little more pop in his bat. He legged out 7 triples this past season for us and hit 3 triples in one game at the Buckeye Showcase. That's crazy!

Hopefully something pans out for him.

So, anyway... our season will be here before you know it and the prep starts Monday.
 
Sounds good Mike! I'm making a few contacts next week to see if I can coach JV this year. It'll be tough with a newborn, but I think I can swing it. In reality, I may push it back to next season as my second cousin will be a freshman and his mom is one of our baby sitters. Regardless, I have an offer to coach 9-10 year old kid pitch this season and may just do that. Only issue being the guys I'm helping are not the best coaches in the world and I tend to disagree with a lot of decisions they make. I made a suggestion this summer that ultimately resulted in us winning the first tournament we entered and the head dude took credit for it. Kinda rubbed me the wrong way.

I'm ready to play ball!!!
 
Good luck with the JV job, and I will see you on the field this spring if your coaching the kid pitch team and be ready for a real azz whoopin HA.
 
On Saturday morning I received a phone call from a good friend that my former HS baseball coach had passed away earlier that morning of a sudden heart attack at the age of 65. I spent alot of time with this man. I was fortunate to start for him at SS as a freshman and experience playing for some great teams under his leadership. We appeared in two regional finals and set a valley record for wins my sophomore year in 1990 going 26-1, our only loss was our last game in Canton's Munson Stadium against a hot Austintown Fitch team. In the paper for the preseason preview he sarcastically predicted "we will be lucky to win 4 games this year". That was his demeanor. Never let your head get too big and in the way of what needs accomplished. So, even though we knew we had a great team ready to go, he tried to keep us grounded and task oriented.

He also served as an assistant for our Steubenville Post 33 Legion team for my four years there and we won the state title my 15 year old year in 1989 and finished runner up in the Great Lakes Regional in Ilinois.

I couldn't even get away from him in the fall as he was also my QB coach in football. There were times I wanted to kill him. He was very demanding and as a Kid, I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now.

We had some very talented players on that 1990 baseball team. 5 of the seniors that year went on to D1 schools to play (The Citadel, Mercer, Wright State, Ball State, Akron, and Penn State), but it took him to hold us all together and keep us all level headed.

Heck, I even got to work with him for my first 10 years as a teacher since he was our Phys Ed teacher at the junior high. We ate lunch together everyday for those 10 years until he retired 3 years ago.

It's funny how we forget to thank those who have an important impact in our life until it is too late. Actually, it's not funny at all... it's pretty damn sad. I never thanked him properly. For that, I am ashamed, but I think he knows the important impact he had on my life and many other athletes he encountered.

Here is a local news tribute to him. I thought you guys might want to see it since I'm sure you have at least one coach in your life that has a tremendous impact on who you are today as well. Enjoy...
http://www.wtov9.com/videos/news/reflections-on-the-local-sports-contributions-of/vpLHb/
 
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Sorry to hear of his passing Mike. Sounds like he was the kind of guy we'd all have liked to have played for. I know the coaches that had the biggest impact on me were the ones I didn't care for at the time. Funny how that works out. Just a couple of weeks ago I had the chance to thank someone for what they did for me while I was an impressionable young kid. It was rather impromptu, but you could tell they really appreciated it. There are many more folks I/we could do that for...
 
Well I have 3 practices under my belt and things are starting to take shape. The head coach hasn't done a whole lot to integrate me so far and that doesn't sit real well with me. It'll take me some time to get to know the kids and for them to learn what I expect of them. I was pretty timid the first few practices, but decided last night I was there to do a job and I was going to do it regardless of what was thought of me. We had a guy come in and help on Tuesday that I about smacked upside the head, but refrained because I didn't know how he fit in to the whole scheme. After talking to another guy who helps last night, I will no longer refrain from telling that guy to STFU...
 
I believe all but one of my past coaches are all dead. Looking back, they did play a good part in my life.

This year I'm making a switch from coaching softball back to Tball. My son turns 5 in April and is looking forward to playing. We signed up last week.

I'll probably follow him while coaching as far as he takes me.
 
Practice in the gym sucks. This weather sucks. Since Feb 25 we have been outside 4 times. This is the worst early season I can remember for awhile.

This year starts my 13th season as the head coach at Indian Creek and I don't remember being trapped in the gym for so long.
 
cotty16 said:
Practice in the gym sucks. This weather sucks. Since Feb 25 we have been outside 4 times. This is the worst early season I can remember for awhile.

This year starts my 13th season as the head coach at Indian Creek and I don't remember being trapped in the gym for so long.
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Feel your pain dude. Our scrimmage last night was the 3rd time we have been out all year. We still don't have our whole team because of our basketball team. It's been miserable to say the least...
 
Tonight was my first official game as head coach for the JV. We won 12-3 in 7. Gave up a couple cheap ones late that prevented a mercy. Overall, we looked pretty good. We open league play tomorrow at home against a consistently tough opponent in Gallia. Hope we can pull it off!
 
Tonight begins my summer fun. Our first practice. I'm head coach for co-ed Tball for 4-6 year olds with one assistant mother. I have 9 boys and 4 girls.

Rule#1: Pay Attention

Oh, my daughter begins her softball practices tonight.

Let the fun begin.
 
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We are currently 1-1. We lost our opener to Richmond Edison. They are a great baseball school and have been to the regionals the last two seasons and have a few state berths under their belt. We were right with them going into thhe bottom of the 6th only down 1-0... then the wheels fell off.

We bounced back yesterday against Brooke, WV and host Edison again today in our final matchup before we possibly see them in the secitonals.
 
My wife got us great tickets for the Reds game last night. Got some cool pics TOO!
The pitch that Brandon Phillips went yard last night with his 3 run homer.
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Game winning pitch Joey Votto hit his RBI single on to bring in Choo for the 5-4 win over the Angels.
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Sorry for interrupting your thread but just thought I'd share since its still baseball.lol
 
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