[dawgbyte02]

Big congrats to The Paintsville Tigers and especially their Senior class. The Tigers had a job to do and did it. Best wishes to the players and fans of Lawrence County baseball. Sometimes a task is made more difficult when one fails to utilize all that is available, in lieu of egocentric preference and presentation.

Ego's play a big part in many endeavors sometimes causing much unnecessary grief and pain to all connected.

[dawgbyte02]

Charlie .. it seems that a some point you have seen some of things I mentioned earlier in the season. LC needs to utilize many valuable players and expand their coaching horizons.. look at changes in coaching philosophies..if it doesnt work give someone else a chance...dont just ride one pitcher till you break him..etc, encourage more players to come out to be a part of the team .. you never know the best players may be on your bench or walking the halls of your school...versus forcing them to leave. LC did well this year to have such a young team, but they need to work hard to be like the winning teams of the past.

Awesome Job to Noah Lambert and Brock Turner being chosen to all district team. Brock is an 8th grade who just recently turned 14..

Feltner philosophy is one dimensional, all about baseball all the time, Keeton philosophy was about understanding and communicating there is more to life than baseball. He encouraged all kids to play no matter ability. Keeton was and is a life coach. Feltner is just a good baseball coach.

[dawgbyte02]

I sure hope that Mr. Hustle wasn't implying that one player can prevent a loosing season? That is absurd, in my opinion. Not taking anything away from the kid, who played a good game, but I know of at least 4 other LC players who were just as capable of giving the same performance were they playing that position. LC has many talented players in their program. Unfortunately, due to many factors within the program this year, we didn't see many of them play to their full ability. I am hopeful that this year has taught many lessons, as it was a rebuilding year, and that is always tough on all involved.

And to say they are the worst Dawg team in 10 years? Didn't expect to hear that from you since your son was a part of it for most of the season. I feel a more accurate description would be they are the first of Coach Feltner's Dawg team, a young team with a young head coach, and all involved have a lot to learn. Last years seniors were the last of Coach Keeton's players & the end of his presence, so to speak, on the field. There is now a new Top Dawg and this is his dawg team. To compare Coach Keeton's dawgs with Coach Feltner's dawgs is unfair to the players. LC baseball is starting over & there will be up and downs along the way. This season started out on an up. I watched a few games early on & was impressed. Sadly, they ended on a down. This group of young men are some of the among the best LC has to offer, on and off the field. The dawgs will work hard during the off season & I look forward to next season.

Congrats to Paintsville on a game well played.

There several very good baseball players not playing for some reason. Some are playing on summer travel teams but not for their high school. Seems a bit odd.

[ballfan87]

Dear Charlie Hustle,

I have tried to be ignore your negative comments towards the LC coaching staff and players because I do sympathize with your situation. However, it seems that you are just going to continue with no end in sight. I do not feel that this forum should be used as a means of attacking anyone personally, especially a kid. Kids should be exempt from attacks by adults. We need to remember we were all kids once and they all make mistakes. Our job as adults is to teach them how to behave instead of setting a bad example. I had congratulated Ethan in an earlier thread and was hoping that his dismissal from the team would not be discussed any further on here. However, it seems that it not going to be the case. You have put other players, current and former, into this situation when they had nothing to do with it. You have also shown disrespect to the very team your son was once part of and you sang praises to on here. If you have a beef with the coaches, take it up with them. The players have nothing to do with this and do not deserve any of this. No one is above making a mistake, least of all a teenager. I am sure that Ethan, as well as others who have made mistakes, regret it. No one should hold a grudge against them. I know that myself and the parents that I have talked to have no hard feelings toward Ethan. You should not have any towards any of his teammates either Not too long ago, you were cheering them all on, remember? As for the coaches, agree or disagree for you are entitled, but show them some respect too. Not long ago you were the one who chose them to coach your son.

There were actually 3 players who had a curfew violation and all 3 received the same punishment, which was in no way harsh, so I am not sure what your point is here? Are you implying that the other 2 should be dismissed from the team? This is not the reason for your son's dismissal. Curfew violations have happened in the past and have always been met with running as a form of punishment.

Also, the incident as to you are referring from last year was followed up on by the LC coaching staff. The gesture to which you refer was actually a gesture used several years ago by professional wrestlers & was aimed at one particular person, not any females, with whom the player has a long relationship with. In hindsight, the player did realize that it was very poor judgement and was not thinking as to how it could be disrespectful to the females present as they were not the intended recipient of the gesture. The coaches deemed that although inappropriate, the intent was not what it appeared to be. FYI---The player was disciplined by the coaching staff. I believe it was you that said there is always 2 sides to every story. Maybe one should get all the facts before making a assumption. Players are always disciplined when doing wrong. Not sure why you have chosen to bring up this situation in comparison to leaving a game and going to a prom. Again I want to stress that I do not in any way condone the gesture that was made however after hearing all the facts, understand that the intent was not to violate any team rules.

With regards to leaving a game to attend a prom, that was viewed a direct and intentional violation of a team rule after receiving a warning as to the consequences of that action. He was told before the first game, which started at noon, that he needed to stay for the second game, which was starting at 3. The prom was not until later that night and the game would be over in time for him to attend. The LC coaching staff understands there are times when a player must be absent, but a social function has never been an excused absence for any player. This was determined to be a well thought out action with a clear intent to violate a team rule. It was not simply that he went to the prom, but that he deliberately disobeyed a direct order from his coach. Please understand that my intent isn't to make him look bad and if I were the coach, I would have issued a one or two game suspension instead of a dismissal. However, I am not the coach & it is not my place to criticize the decisions that he makes for his team. It is also not my place to criticize a player for their actions as that is to be left up to coaches and parents.


There have been many players who have been disciplined for various reasons within the program. Some have had to sit out a game, while others have had to run. The discipline is decided on a case by case basis as all situations are not the same. Also, bringing up the actions of one player a year ago as a means to excuse or lessen the actions of another player this year is something one would expect from a teenager. Also, trying to imply that other players should be dismissed from the team as well is in poor taste. It is up to the coaches to make all decisions for the team.

As I stated before, these are Coach Feltner's dawgs. It is his job to coach the team and decide what he feels is best for his team. It is my job as a fan, to support the team.

Again, I would like to congratulate Ethan on his signing and say that I wish him nothing but the best in his future.

You seem to know what is going on.. I was just wondering.. wasn't the game in question one that was rescheduled due to rain as a double header? So if had just been the scheduled game there would have been no conflict of interest. Spring sports are always much harder for both coaches and players.. this is the time of year when there are trips, dances, competitions going on. This year was extremely unusual for LC since school dismissed almost a month early due to the fact no extensions due to snow days.

[justfacts]

There several very good baseball players not playing for some reason. Some are playing on summer travel teams but not for their high school. Seems a bit odd.

I was not aware of this, but I agree it does seem odd.

[lchsalumnus]

There several very good baseball players not playing for some reason. Some are playing on summer travel teams but not for their high school. Seems a bit odd.

people keep saying this but nobody mentions who these players are. i am not aware of any player that is not allowed to play baseball. in fact i was told that a kid who quit this year has been welcomed back to the team for summer ball. would coaches that some claim have an ego allow this?

if players at the high school want to play believe me they will be allowed. but if they only want to start feb. 15th then that can't happen. they should play summer ball and if not playing another sport should be with the team during the winter lifting and working on fundamentals. they shouldn't expect to be allowed to miss.

and to the person who said that coach keaton allowed his players to have fun while feltner is all about baseball. are you kidding me? do you honestly think that the 2008 team made it to the state champ game because they had "fun"? they made it because both keaton and feltner put long hours in EVERY DAY and so did the players. they didn't miss for "fun" activities.

[justfacts]

You seem to know what is going on.. I was just wondering.. wasn't the game in question one that was rescheduled due to rain as a double header? So if had just been the scheduled game there would have been no conflict of interest. Spring sports are always much harder for both coaches and players.. this is the time of year when there are trips, dances, competitions going on. This year was extremely unusual for LC since school dismissed almost a month early due to the fact no extensions due to snow days.

I do not know all that is going on, but having close friends and a relative as team parents, I do know many details concerning the team. The info I have is that this was a scheduled game from early in the season.

Again, this is a sad situation. At the risk of turning this site into something similar to topix, maybe we should just put an end to this thread. The season is over and the events that took place can't be undone. Let's just wish them all the best.

[lchsalumnus]

I do not know all that is going on, but having close friends and a relative as team parents, I do know many details concerning the team. The info I have is that this was a scheduled game from early in the season.

Again, this is a sad situation. At the risk of turning this site into something similar to topix, maybe we should just put an end to this thread. The season is over and the events that took place can't be undone. Let's just wish them all the best.

i agree. i too know a lot of information. i promised not to reveal it on any message board and will keep that promise. i will only say that this kids dismissal was NOT a result of only one action (ex. paintsville prom). there were other items on the list that numbered in the DOZENS that he and the coaches had to discuss prior to practices or games this past season. he was warned several times. he made his decision. so did his parents. they should have expected consequences.

the ashland game was a regular game not a makeup. that is also correct.

in closing, mr. hustle sent me a private message months ago praising the lawrence coaching staff during this season. now he suddenly thinks they did a lousy job? i wonder why?:dontthink

[dawgbyte02]

people keep saying this but nobody mentions who these players are. i am not aware of any player that is not allowed to play baseball. in fact i was told that a kid who quit this year has been welcomed back to the team for summer ball. would coaches that some claim have an ego allow this?

if players at the high school want to play believe me they will be allowed. but if they only want to start feb. 15th then that can't happen. they should play summer ball and if not playing another sport should be with the team during the winter lifting and working on fundamentals. they shouldn't expect to be allowed to miss.

and to the person who said that coach keaton allowed his players to have fun while feltner is all about baseball. are you kidding me? do you honestly think that the 2008 team made it to the state champ game because they had "fun"? they made it because both keaton and feltner put long hours in EVERY DAY and so did the players. they didn't miss for "fun" activities.

Therein lies the problem as this staff frowns upon anyone doing anything but all baseball all the time. Most kids do not have that kind of dedication. I think many capable athletes sit out LC baseball because they perceive that unless they give 100% year round they will not play. The most successful high school athletic programs have atheletes that are involved in multiple sports and are encouraged by those coaches to be involved in all that high school has to offer. To do otherwise is a disservice to the youth and in the long run the community.

[lchsalumnus]

Therein lies the problem as this staff frowns upon anyone doing anything but all baseball all the time. Most kids do not have that kind of dedication. I think many capable athletes sit out LC baseball because they perceive that unless they give 100% year round they will not play. The most successful high school athletic programs have atheletes that are involved in multiple sports and are encouraged by those coaches to be involved in all that high school has to offer. To do otherwise is a disservice to the youth and in the long run the community.

so you are indeed saying that a kid should choose NOT to play summer ball, even though they have no other sport going on at that time? or that if they are not playing football, they shouldn't have to show up to workouts for baseball? or if they are not playing basketball, they shouldn't have to show up to workouts for baseball? is that what you are saying?

i spoke with a couple of parents and players and they said the coaches ENCOURAGED them to play football or basketball. trust me it isn't 100% year round, unless you don't play another sport then it is, but it is 100% during the season, which includes the summer up until football practice begins.

again, name the players that are playing travel ball like you stated? this was said months ago by another poster but they too would not reveal who and what team. it is easy to say "they play".

and one last thing dawgbyte, why is it a bad thing that the baseball coaches put in the hours and work they do with these players? i would think people would like and respect people who sacrifice their own time to better the kids. i know that if i had a kid playing for this coaching staff, i would thank them for putting in the time and effort. i would not try to tear down the program that has been extremely successful and the things that have made them successful.

[mr.charlie hustle]

You have certainly taken a great deal of time and put forth a great deal of effort in your discussions in this matter. For this you must be commended. However there are two matters that have been confused and that have been lost in the Dialog with the other poster. (1)There appears to be a "Disparity Of Sentencing" with respect to how the staff deals with discipline. In this case it was a dismissal for missing a game a shot that was in essence called by the players mother reported by tex to the coach. A factor I am sure that was not well recieved by a coach(M/F Coach/Parent). School had been graduated for several days and a decision in this matter was made by the coach regarding a baseball matter (missing game). The issue of a missed curfew in Fla. was adjudicated at the time. To do that over would be double jepardy and a coach would not do that. The coach made the decision and at this time he won. The Disparity: (Call vs. No Call). The Crotch shake was viewed by LCHS moms and Pikeville moms and grandmothers as well. It was of cource a coaching Call/No Call.A coaching call none the less. Both deals are done and I absoluute refuse to discuss the Sinero #2 but I assure you that it makes the a Prom and The Shake look like a walk down first baseline.

[lchsalumnus]

You have certainly taken a great deal of time and put forth a great deal of effort in your discussions in this matter. For this you must be commended. However there are two matters that have been confused and that have been lost in the Dialog with the other poster. (1)There appears to be a "Disparity Of Sentencing" with respect to how the staff deals with discipline. In this case it was a dismissal for missing a game a shot that was in essence called by the players mother reported by tex to the coach. A factor I am sure that was not well recieved by a coach(M/F Coach/Parent). School had been graduated for several days and a decision in this matter was made by the coach regarding a baseball matter (missing game). The issue of a missed curfew in Fla. was adjudicated at the time. To do that over would be double jepardy and a coach would not do that. The coach made the decision and at this time he won. The Disparity: (Call vs. No Call). The Crotch shake was viewed by LCHS moms and Pikeville moms and grandmothers as well. It was of cource a coaching Call/No Call.A coaching call none the less. Both deals are done and I absoluute refuse to discuss the Sinero #2 but I assure you that it makes the a Prom and The Shake look like a walk down first baseline.

charlie it is over. move on. the decision was made. you think it was wrong. i think it was dead on. you don't walk away from your team. no matter what. your kid did. thus he must not have wanted to be part of this team in the first place this year.

[mr.charlie hustle]

You have certainly taken a great deal of time and put forth a great deal of effort in your discussions in this matter. For this you must be commended. However there are two matters that have been confused and that have been lost in the Dialog with the other poster. (1)There appears to be a "Disparity Of Sentencing" with respect to how the staff deals with discipline. In this case it was a dismissal for missing a game a shot that was in essence called by the players mother reported by tex to the coach. A factor I am sure that was not well recieved by a coach(M/F Coach/Parent). School had been graduated for several days and a decision in this matter was made by the coach regarding a baseball matter (missing game). The issue of a missed curfew in Fla. was adjudicated at the time. To do that over would be double jepardy and a coach would not do that. The coach made the decision and at this time he won. The Disparity: (Call vs. No Call). The Crotch shake was viewed by LCHS moms and Pikeville moms and grandmothers as well. It was of cource a coaching Call/No Call.A coaching call none the less. Both deals are done and I absoluute refuse to discuss the Sinero #2 but I assure you that it makes the a Prom and The Shake look like a walk down first baseline.

The second factor I must address is with regard to responsibility. I must take total responsibility for this matter as I made a very terrible mistake two years ago. Against some very good advice I moved the kid to Lawrence and further left him there until he graduated. That was a very poor decision that I made with what I thought was good advice and one I will have to live with the rest of my life. My extreme apology goes out to my son old #1,#5,17 and most of #15. The father should never make this mistake. (NFR)

[lchsalumnus]

The second factor I must address is with regard to responsibility. I must take total responsibility for this matter as I made a very terrible mistake two years ago. Against some very good advice I moved the kid to Lawrence and further left him there until he graduated. That was a very poor decision that I made with what I thought was good advice and one I will have to live with the rest of my life. My extreme apology goes out to my son old #1,#5,17 and most of #15. The father should never make this mistake. (NFR)

again, you weren't apologizing or admitting moving him to lchs was wrong last year when they made the state tournament were you? it wasn't until he BROKE TEAM RULES and was dismissed. now it was a "mistake" to come to lawrence. charlie you are truly a parent without reasoning skills.

[lchsalumnus]

and charlie let me add that if you truly feel this way, then move on. it does not good to try to slam a coaching staff and team that opened up their arms and homes for your kid when he came here. good luck to your boy in the future. i hope he succeeds in life. it is now OVER.

[mr.charlie hustle]

again, you weren't apologizing or admitting moving him to lchs was wrong last year when they made the state tournament were you? it wasn't until he BROKE TEAM RULES and was dismissed. now it was a "mistake" to come to lawrence. charlie you are truly a parent without reasoning skills.

In this case you are certainly correct.And we made the proper apology.

[mr.charlie hustle]

and charlie let me add that if you truly feel this way, then move on. it does not good to try to slam a coaching staff and team that opened up their arms and homes for your kid when he came here. good luck to your boy in the future. i hope he succeeds in life. it is now OVER.

Probably the most astute post you have or ever will make:biggrin:. You are dead right on. A second apology for posting when I said that I would not.

[dawgbyte02]

so you are indeed saying that a kid should choose NOT to play summer ball, even though they have no other sport going on at that time? or that if they are not playing football, they shouldn't have to show up to workouts for baseball? or if they are not playing basketball, they shouldn't have to show up to workouts for baseball? is that what you are saying?

i spoke with a couple of parents and players and they said the coaches ENCOURAGED them to play football or basketball. trust me it isn't 100% year round, unless you don't play another sport then it is, but it is 100% during the season, which includes the summer up until football practice begins.

again, name the players that are playing travel ball like you stated? this was said months ago by another poster but they too would not reveal who and what team. it is easy to say "they play".

and one last thing dawgbyte, why is it a bad thing that the baseball coaches put in the hours and work they do with these players? i would think people would like and respect people who sacrifice their own time to better the kids. i know that if i had a kid playing for this coaching staff, i would thank them for putting in the time and effort. i would not try to tear down the program that has been extremely successful and the things that have made them successful.

KHSAA rules state the season runs from Feb 15th until your team is eliminated in playoffs. Some kids would like to go on vacation, go fishing, visit their grandparents, take a summer mathematics course, play golf or do nothing. Some play baseball and many play at a much higher level than the high school summer teams offer. And I never said it was bad that coaches put in hours. My thing is if we spent 500.00 on a laptop instead of sports equipment and spent 2-3 hours a day after school on academic extracurricular activities this society as a whole would be better. Students are graduating that have no idea how to balance a check book, do not understand credit, have no idea how to prepare for a job interview, have very few life skills, a great many don't have valid drivers license and precious few go on to college. I see it everyday in job interviews. The best hires are college educated, usually married and usually former military or older folks. In the business world nobody cares if you played high school or college sports. Way to much emphasis is placed on sports and not near enough placed on true education. After all that is why they go to school, not as some believe to play sports. There is much more to life than sports.

[lchsalumnus]

KHSAA rules state the season runs from Feb 15th until your team is eliminated in playoffs. Some kids would like to go on vacation, go fishing, visit their grandparents, take a summer mathematics course, play golf or do nothing. Some play baseball and many play at a much higher level than the high school summer teams offer. And I never said it was bad that coaches put in hours. My thing is if we spent 500.00 on a laptop instead of sports equipment and spent 2-3 hours a day after school on academic extracurricular activities this society as a whole would be better. Students are graduating that have no idea how to balance a check book, do not understand credit, have no idea how to prepare for a job interview, have very few life skills, a great many don't have valid drivers license and precious few go on to college. I see it everyday in job interviews. The best hires are college educated, usually married and usually former military or older folks. In the business world nobody cares if you played high school or college sports. Way to much emphasis is placed on sports and not near enough placed on true education. After all that is why they go to school, not as some believe to play sports. There is much more to life than sports.

i know from experience that if a kid plans a vacation during the summer, he can go. so that crosses out that claim by you. and here you go with the claims of some playing travel ball. who, where? sorry i just don't buy that claim. i'm around louisa and never heard anything other than those playing ball for the high school team or the exception of a shepherd or blevins who played at midland in cincy. there were a few that played during the dead period for other teams but came back once that 2-week period was over.

also, you must not have been told about the new ruled pass last summer that allows all coaches to work with their players in the offseason. there is no such thing as "out of season" anymore. so again that crosses out that claim by you.

as for the world not caring about sports. who cares what the world thinks? if you want to play sports then you should strive to be your best. not every baseball player on the team goes to college to play ball. but there have been plenty that have the past 4-8 years that may not have went to college and received an education if they didn't put in the time and effort needed.

i don't get you at all. if you don't like spending time on sports out-of-season, then don't have your kids play. have them focus on academics. nothing wrong with that either. have them come out feb 15th and if they are good enough they will play. fact is the best players play, period! just those that put in the extra time in the offseason usually become the better players.

[Bob Seger]

KHSAA rules state the season runs from Feb 15th until your team is eliminated in playoffs. Some kids would like to go on vacation, go fishing, visit their grandparents, take a summer mathematics course, play golf or do nothing. Some play baseball and many play at a much higher level than the high school summer teams offer. And I never said it was bad that coaches put in hours. My thing is if we spent 500.00 on a laptop instead of sports equipment and spent 2-3 hours a day after school on academic extracurricular activities this society as a whole would be better. Students are graduating that have no idea how to balance a check book, do not understand credit, have no idea how to prepare for a job interview, have very few life skills, a great many don't have valid drivers license and precious few go on to college. I see it everyday in job interviews. The best hires are college educated, usually married and usually former military or older folks. In the business world nobody cares if you played high school or college sports. Way to much emphasis is placed on sports and not near enough placed on true education. After all that is why they go to school, not as some believe to play sports. There is much more to life than sports.

I believe that sports are very important. I believe that it teaches kids a lot of life lessons (if they'll pay attention). I love the competetiveness, I love the discipline it teaches, I love the comradery, and I love them learning to seek a goal, work hard, work harder and then work even harder yet, and strive to acheive it as a team and to personally strive to be the best you can personally be.. I was fortunate to have two sons receive college athletic scholarships as well, and I loved every minute of watching them play.

So dawgbyte with all that said, I still completely agree with every word you said. There is still way more to life than sports. Many of those examples are what you mentioned. The part about job interviews, job skills, and the such is something also that you hit the nail right on the head with. Anyone that is in your position (as I am as well) can tell you just how pathetic the options are for perspective employers.


Really , it all comes down to putting all things in their proper perspective and priority and having the common sense to distinguish what each are..I was able to talk to in my opinion the greatest player to ever play at Lawrence Co. just this week and also I can say that he may be one of the finest young men and human beings that I ever ever had the pleasure of being around (but I can say that about his whole family too) to go on top of that, and it just came to me that he is the perfect example to describe what I am talking about. Lawrence Co. is very fortunate to have Stevie Blevins on staff as a perfect example to your kids of what to strive to acheive for in life and as an example of how to go about acheiving those things the right way. I can assure you that he did go about it the right way too, because our families traveled what seemed like all over the world together for several summers and I saw it first hand....Class is the best word I can think of to describe him. Naw, I found a better term...First Class....... So dawgbyte it can both work hand in hand. Granted it's not always easy, but again always remember these words, "discipline, perspective, and priority".

[TheChosen one]

Whats happened to the powerhouse in Louisa? Just a down year or has the program declined? I remember them beings studs year in and out.

[Ike Cooter]

Would ya like to hear the real reason Cootie?
:biggrin:Bet you would Bubba. Charlie Adkins started the Dynasty. Old Hustle played a long time before that. Hook really put the peg in the hole with you.You might check Grambling Football maybe one. One that is.

I don't see in your post where you gave a reason why you moved your son to LC. Everyone knows it was to play with the best in the region and have an opportunity to win the region. Well it happened for him last year and at no time last season were you negative at all. The stats you threw out in a previous post doesn't mean crap if the kid breaks rules and gets dismissed. The same will happen in college if he chooses to do the same. In athletics, if a coach chooses pride and dignity over wins, he will not allow any player no matter how good they are to break team rules or be disrespectful.

No idea what Adkins has to do with this thread at all. And as far as Hook putting a peg in a hole on me, well you two are one and the same. You love to get on here and throw around stats and pretend to have the knowledge and all the answers. But the real reason you guys get on here is to make excuses for every error, strikeout, loss, walk or whatever else you can come up with for another team beating the team your child plays for. I made 1 comment during basketball season that the Tigers wasn't getting any production from the point guard position and the guy freaked out and send me a PM talking about how his son wasn't allowed to shoot, pass or dribble. And how the coaches hated him and all they used him for was defense.

My advice to you and any other individual on this site, if you can't handle others saying negative things (not bashing, bad mouthing, embarrassing ect.) simple made and error, made a bad pass, struck out, missed a shot, had a turnover ect. then you shouldn't get on here and read what others have to say. Everyone has a right to their opinion and to express it on a public forum. You don't always have to get defensive or make an excuse for your child just because you don' like what they say. I truly don't think anyone gets on here intentionally to hurt a child.

I don't have a problem with either of you Hustle or Hook so don't feel the need to respond or defend once again!! I actually enjoy reading the stuff you guys post most of the time. :igiveup:

[lchsalumnus]

Whats happened to the powerhouse in Louisa? Just a down year or has the program declined? I remember them beings studs year in and out.

no decline. just a year of inexperience. that's what happens when you graduate a bunch of seniors the previous year. they will be back very quickly and for a while. a load of middle school players who can flat out play are coming up and being mixed in with the group this past year that got a ton of experience for the first time.

[dawgbyte02]

I believe that sports are very important. I believe that it teaches kids a lot of life lessons (if they'll pay attention). I love the competetiveness, I love the discipline it teaches, I love the comradery, and I love them learning to seek a goal, work hard, work harder and then work even harder yet, and strive to acheive it as a team and to personally strive to be the best you can personally be.. I was fortunate to have two sons receive college athletic scholarships as well, and I loved every minute of watching them play.

So dawgbyte with all that said, I still completely agree with every word you said. There is still way more to life than sports. Many of those examples are what you mentioned. The part about job interviews, job skills, and the such is something also that you hit the nail right on the head with. Anyone that is in your position (as I am as well) can tell you just how pathetic the options are for perspective employers.


Really , it all comes down to putting all things in their proper perspective and priority and having the common sense to distinguish what each are..I was able to talk to in my opinion the greatest player to ever play at Lawrence Co. just this week and also I can say that he may be one of the finest young men and human beings that I ever ever had the pleasure of being around (but I can say that about his whole family too) to go on top of that, and it just came to me that he is the perfect example to describe what I am talking about. Lawrence Co. is very fortunate to have Stevie Blevins on staff as a perfect example to your kids of what to strive to acheive for in life and as an example of how to go about acheiving those things the right way. I can assure you that he did go about it the right way too, because our families traveled what seemed like all over the world together for several summers and I saw it first hand....Class is the best word I can think of to describe him. Naw, I found a better term...First Class....... So dawgbyte it can both work hand in hand. Granted it's not always easy, but again always remember these words, "discipline, perspective, and priority".

Very well said. I to believe that sports, band, cheer, FFA and any number of other extracurricular activities are good for the body, mind and soul. As you are aware it should always be about the TOTAL education of our young people. I to have had the pleasure of watching mine on the college level. And if I had one piece of advice to parents of athletes as Seeger says keep it in perspective because it is not about the sport it's about the education, whether in high school or college.
You are absolutely right about Stevie Blevins, class act.