[Sportsnutt]

This crazy!! Why can't a bad call be over ruled?? And why didn't the coach ask the girls to tell the truth!?? The coach is a disgrace... Umps make bad calls but give them the opportunity to make it right... Someone should have made this right...Videos should be allowed... Especially when it can determine the final outcome...This reminds me of when Rowan Co got screwed at the boys state basketball tourney...the big screen showed his foot on the line... Yet it was counted as a 3... Rowan lost.. Why are people afraid to do the right thing... Yeah you want to win but win... Don't ever cheat!! J Central won this game...This will be something those girls that saw the ball go over the fence should feel real bad about... The coach is not fit to coach!!! Especially at a Christian College! Shame on Ashland!

[Strikeout King]

Who thinks it's time for instant replay in high school?

[Greyhound]

Trying to sugar coat a horrible call. The fence did play into the call because the center fielder moved the fence when she fell into it. And the umpire from third base made a call that it bounced over.

Khsaa should give Fairchild credit for the home run and give pierce and the lady eagles the win on their record and take away the loss.

It doesn't change the outcome of the tournament but a junior slugger, a freshman pitcher, and the lady eagles get some retribution.

[Sportsnutt]

Yes why not?? Instant replay!! No discussin it on here and Ashland loses!

[Diogenes]

At least the KHSAA publicly and quickly admitted it was a mistake. Kudos to them for that instead of standing behind the officials who were in the wrong and compounding the error.

[Diogenes]

And agreed with above, why would you play a state tournament on a field with collapsible, temporary fencing? Are you going to tell me there's no more suitable softball complex in the state for this? It appears the Ashland player kicking the fence sideways and disrupting it could possibly have contributed to the officials' error? I doubt a player would do that on purpose trying to steal the call - that would require a lightning-fast cunning and a devious soul - but I suspect it could have been a factor in the call.

[Sportsnutt]

I by no means meant that the Ashland players did anything to cheat... They jus did not stop the adults from stealing the game...
They know what happened... And I do think the athletes should have stepped up and told the truth...all teams work hard to get there and regardless of the ignorant coach... The athletes should have stopped the wrong call! Yeah it may have been hard but I bet it would make them feel better than they do now. So--Do unto others as you would have others do unto you!

[Sportsnutt]

Regardless of the place, fence, time or umps etc... Tell the truth... Yeah coach it was a homerun.

[Jarons]

Article from Ashland Daily Independent
http://www.dailyindependent.com/localspo...ontroversy
Probably the worst call I have ever seen. Clearly a home run.

[Eagle84]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm would this be an excuse? I thought just the people from LC made excuses and complained about the Umps or Refs. I watched the replay and it is a horrible call and I really hate it for JC.

NO KyRock in this incident it is a reason backed up with evidence not an excuse. See the difference excuse are back up with "what if call" like the coach from Ashland made to compare to this call and fans like lchsalumnus.. use to justify their teams losses.

[BLEEDBLUE90]

Bottom line is KHSAA never should have had those umpires on the field!!

[RAMDAD50]

In a sports crazy society where adults lean over fences and cuss refs we think are kids should step up and make the right call and be honest.Please ,We as adults lead by example and we teach them all the wrong moves.Dont put this on the kids,that is just sad.It was a bad call but all on the umps,leave the kids out of it and keep going after the Ashland coach,the ump,the KHSSA,and anybody els u can put the blame on but leave the kids be.

[Greyhound]

Agreed keep the blame on adults Ashland's players did nothing wrong. But as far as Dave's comment about strikes goes Pierce struck out every player she walked but it was not called that way. This is just a lame excuse to attempt and cover a poor move by miller.

Think about how Miller handles things before letting your kids get lessons at his facility and padding his pocket.

[bucslover68]

Terrible way to lose no doubt and not fair to JC at all, but why hasn't the protest or non-protest issue been addressed ...Was there a formal protest of the game results before the umpires left the field? If it was I have not seen that said so anywhere. As a coach you have to know the rules of formal protests of things that may happen during the game that may have affected the outcome. Once you allow the umpires to leave the field, you don't have much of a leg to stand on...The KHSAA clearly hints at this during their response...If a formal protest was filed I would like to know what KHSAA said.

[Greyhound]

Jc asked for a protest and was told by khsaa officials that there are no protests in khsaa softball. Thy said that protests only happened in little
League.

Khsaa made sure they covered
Themselves by saying it was only visible in had slow
Motion which is not true, but as long as they can muddy the truth up a little to keep it off them then everything is good.

[Eagle Eye]

Agreed keep the blame on adults Ashland's players did nothing wrong. But as far as Dave's comment about strikes goes Pierce struck out every player she walked but it was not called that way. This is just a lame excuse to attempt and cover a poor move by miller.

Think about how Miller handles things before letting your kids get lessons at his facility and padding his pocket.

I wouldn't let any of my kids take lessons from this coach and I will never send my kids to Kentucky Christian with him a part of their program.....Last time I checked he needs to get his facts straight.... 3-1 and ball four a foot outside does not mean across the center of the plate at the knees.... If it had been there it would have been back to back :lmao:

[walterwhite]

This is the worst championship venue of all the KHSAA sanctioned sports. There is no reason for playing the tournament at a slow-pitch facility with temporary fences and an infield that is out of proportion. You will never see this happen in the other sports. The biggest joke is that the KHSAA sent "committees" around to each high school to see if their facilities met the criteria to host regional play. Many schools were determined to have inadequate facilities and therefore not placed in the regional rotation, yet the state tournament is played at a facility that is not set up for fast pitch. The KHSAA has and will continue to be a joke. They are literally concerned with nothing but the "bottom dollar".

[Luther Rackley]

It was reported that the home plate umpire gave the home run signal but the third base umpire gave the deadfall, ground rule double sign. Can this be substantiated? If true , Coach Miller apparently told the third base umpire to confer with the home plate umpire and the call was reversed.

[Sportsnutt]

I'm sorry, I disagree...this sport is played by kids...it is their responsibility to play fair even when adults are teaching them the wrong things by accepting a flat out lie! The players saw it! All I know is, had that been my daughter, when asked if it went out and she said yes, I would have made the protest myself...someone, again should just step up and do the right thing...yeah the umps blew it...maybe they didnt see it...but no one from Ashland had the decency to even speak up!...they all seen it....Adults like Ashland's coach should not be leading the players in the way they are and I still would expect, no DEMAND that my child step up and do the right thing!! When my child played little league, I had a coach ask him if the ball hit him, my child said no, but the coach talked to him and kept insisting it did...I spoke up, well actually yelled, it did not hit him!! He just told you!! I got several bad looks, from our own fans but I did not care...my child told the truth...to me, I guess that's what this is about more so than the terrible call...JMO :igiveup:

[EKY]

Is there a law that says a school team has to participate in the KHSAA. Maybe teams should just start getting together and playing pick up, if there is a problem (KHSAA), why not eliminate the problem and go back to just having fun playing a "game". I remember a time in the not so distant past when there was many traveling teams, especially baseball that included high school players, many recruited right off those teams by pro scouts to come and try out for their teams.

[Loon]

Just a few observations. One, It wasn't the third base umpires call. With three umpires and a ball hit to RIGHT CENTER, it's the first base umpires call. Two, (and this is for Sportsnutt) the outfielders KNEW the ball cleared the fence. Why didn't they tell their coach it was a home run. By keeping their mouths shut, they lied and cheated....... This seems to be the mind set of many high school athletes. Win at any and all cost......

[Pulp Fiction]

We've all been to games where calls were missed.

We've all seen calls that changed the outcome of the game.

Referees/Umpires are human... and they will make mistakes.


HOWEVER..... I know FOR A FACT, once a the Referee/Umpire has made a call, you are taught to NOT change it. It might be the worst call in the history of sports... but you always stand firm on your call.

[Olderthandirt]

I've read through the comments posted and there are several I agree with 1) Why is the State Tournament played on a modified field. You can't tell me that there isn't a better field in the entire state to play on. I blame that on the KHSAA. 2) The third base umpire should have been the last person to make the call, the home rum was to right-center, the farthest point from them. One of the umpires on the right side of the field should have ran towards the right-center area to make sure he they knew what the saw. I blame the umpires for that, lazy actions and just poor quality of officiating a game at that level. 3) Even a bad umpire that was to lazy to run in the direction of the HR should have saw the immediate reactions of the outfields, especially the right-fielder of toss he glove down, and dropping down as if she is crying. She wouldn't be crying or showing emotion for a ground rule double. Again, poor observation from the umpiring crew. 4) Arguing a call is a coaches job, but at the same time is arguing a call when your obviously wrong the right thing to do? Then blame his right to argue and comparing it to a missed ball/strike call. I mean come on coach...this was and IS a walk off home run. I blame this on the Ashland Administration for allowing this to happen. 5) Kentucky Christian hired this guy? Hey coach WWJD?
All in all it was a great game from both teams. Both played hard and honestly both deserved to win, but in the end the wrong team advanced. Who do you truly hold accountable, I think that the biggest flaw was playing a STATE TOURNMENT game on a made up field. Poor quality of umpiring is a factor, but the KHSAA bids these sights out if I'm not mistaken so rather than give the tournament to the highest bidder, what about giving it to the best complex.
JCHS you did well and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Hopefully the KHSAA will kick their own a$$ and learn from this situation, and maybe these umpires will actually try to get themselves in the right position the next time out and learn the proper way to call a game, or better yet quit umpiring altogether.

[Pulp Fiction]

During the 7th inning of game 14 of the Worth/KHSAA State Softball Tournament (a consolation bracket elimination contest) a judgement call was made by the umpiring crew which in hindsight, and upon postgame review by the KHSAA staff, was in error. The situation occurred when Johnson Central’s Rachelle Fairchild hit an apparent game-winning home run, but following a brief conference, the crew of officials declared that the hit was a ground rule double instead of the game-winning home run.

“Following today’s game between Ashland Blazer and Johnson Central, KHSAA staff reviewed news footage of the at-bat which was ruled a ground rule double in the seventh inning. With the benefit of slow motion, high definition video, it is clear that the ball left the park on the fly, and a home run should have been ruled,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “Unfortunately, our umpires don’t have technical access to slow motion, high definition video during a contest (or any other type of video), nor are they permitted within the bylaws or playing rules to review these situations; and left to the judgement of the naked eye, they clearly erred.”

“While NFHS playing rules do not permit the review of video, I felt it important to make a determination so as to help identify areas of emphasis for training in the future, ” noted Darren Bilberry, KHSAA Assistant Commissioner with primary responsibility for softball. “Under both the NFHS playing rules, and KHSAA Bylaw 21, protests or appeals of judgement calls are not permitted once the contest has ended, and the judgement of the official, right or wrong, must prevail. On review, clearly the ball left the park, and a fielder attempting to make a play then displaced the fence afterwards. The fence was not a factor in the play, it was simply an error in judgement.”

“Assessments and evaluations of the officiating crews are made following each set of games at the state tournament, and the official’s involved in the Ashland Blazer-Johnson Central game were not retained to officiate additional games,” added Bilberry. “In reviewing the play in question, we felt that had they properly rotated per the NFHS three-person coverage, they would have been in better position to be able to accurately make the correct call.”

“At the amateur level, there is always an element of human judgement and performance, whether that’s a coach in his/her decision about playing time or strategy, player execution of game strategy and coach directives, or the judgement of an official. Interestingly, I had a conversation with a couple of individuals before leaving the park about a coach’s decision to pitch to a very good hitter earlier in the tournament in a situation that resulted in that player getting a game-winning hit. The human element simply can never be removed from amateur sports. We put a great deal of time, energy and resources into recruiting and training the independent contractors that serve as umpires and other officials, in an effort to help make them consistent and allow for their advancement and expansion of knowledge. In addition, our staff and hundreds of workers and volunteers devote countless hours and resources to making the participation experience optimum for all players, coaches, officials and fans. It is a shame that some of the participant’s memories of this unique experience may be permanently marred by this incident. We will continue to strive to help our officials improve to help the participation experience of the students, ” Tackett concluded.

http://khsaa.org/060614-statement-on-end...ball-game/

This is the biggest load of bull crap........ When the Commissioner and Asst. Commissioner over Softball both acknowledge and admit that there was an error by the umpires.


The bolded can be summed up by a few words....

"Our umpires suck and made one of the worst calls in the history of the KHSAA. JC won the game. But we aren't gonna change the call cause we don't want to make Ashland mad."

[Pulp Fiction]

At the least... The KHSAA should issue an apology to the JC softball team. Coach Hurt was ejected.... but if he was issued a fine or a suspension for any games/activities next season, those should be removed as well.

Secondly, the KHSAA should credit JC with the Win and Ashland should receive the Loss. JC's pitcher should be credited with the win, and Fairchild should be given the game-winning home run,


But at the end of the day.... there is nothing that anybody can do to make this right. If Ashland is supposed to be the one of the most tradition rich schools in the state, the A.D., Principal or whoever the rep. was there at the contest for their school SHOULD HAVE STEPPED UP.... told their coach to stop the protest and accept the defeat. But as we all know... that didn't happen.

[Greyhound]

Khsaa state softball tournament. A double elimination tournament unless your Ashland then you get to lose three times before your out.

[American Dream]

Eagle Eye if the rest of your family cries like you do I don't think they will be asked to go many places.

[Bob Seger]

Eagle Eye if the rest of your family cries like you do I don't think they will be asked to go many places.

Well now lookie here...Now here comes one of the ASH Land snot slingers crawling out of the woodwork, gloating again after they pull off another one of their legendary scams....There aint no fan base anywhere that boohoos as much as the Tomcat gang, so looks like we got a Mr.Pot and Mr. Kettle story goin on here with this "cat".. I'll just bet that your other account name is NotsoBADCAT. Hmmmmmmmm? How 'bout it? .:popcorn:




.You've got bout as much class as your coach, I see.:eyeroll:

[Pulp Fiction]

By the way American Dream I hope your not making fun of our legendary member Stardust.... cause everybody knows Dusty Rhodes is knows as the "American Dream"

Sign back in under your NotSoBadCat account......

[Pulp Fiction]

I hope Ashland hangs a banner on their Softball Complex for their accomplishment this season.....

[COLOR="DarkRed"]2014 16th Regional Champions
2-2 record at the State Tournament* [/COLOR]