Sectional Draw
February 22, 2012
The time for the sectional draw for the boys has occurred. Many people would like to see a seeded tournament like the NCAA does. I doubt if the IHSAA will go to this. Their sentiment has always been to let the ping pong balls fall where they may. When the two best teams play the first game of the sectional it does take the crowds out of the rest of the games. Of course, if you are not one of these teams you love this kind of draw. I think a change to the seeded tournament would take as long as the change to a multiclass took. I have my own pros and cons on this idea. When I coached I would have like the seeded draw but as a fan I like the open draw. In the Greensburg sectional none of the schools want to draw Greensburg right out of the gate. Of, course one of the schools will get this draw and will have to make the best of it.
Track Rules
February 21, 2012
Recently the topic of silly sports rules came up. I think the most nit picking rules are related to track uniforms. First, it was the size of the manufacturing logos. They had to be less than 4 by 4 inches. This was in response to the pro runners who were sponsored by the big sporting companies and the uniforms were used as advertising tools. The big one today is the color of the uniform itself. It must be one color only. This would not be that bad except this includes the threading. If you wear a blue uniform then the thread to hold it together must be blue as well. It cannot even be white. What you wear under it must be one color as well. There are no tie-dyed t-shirts allowed. The four runners in a relay must have the same exact uniform from top to bottom. This includes headbands if you are young ladies. By the way, the only hair adornment allowed are cloth ties. You are not allowed to wear anything made of metal which includes ear wear. Girls like to turn down the tops of their trunks which is a violation of uniform wear as well. I guess the rule group has to have something to do.
Old Hurdles
February 20, 2012
Last week I talked
about the Track and Field Hall of Fame. The Hall
would like to feature the progression of hurdles
through the years. What they have not found yet are
the old wooden hurdles. These hurdles were made of
wood entirely which included the base. If any of you
out there know where one of these exists please give
me a call at 812-934-4874 and I will get in touch
with the Hall of Fame directors. These old hurdles
would surprise the kids running hurdles these days
because they were 42 inches high. I guess in the old
days there were no low hurdles like we had for
years. These hurdles also would not fold down like
we used for years. Today, of course, hurdles slide
up and down and few have wood at all in them.
Remember, if you know of one of these hurdles, call
me and I will get it to the Hall.
Marshall Goss and
Bill Welch
February 17,
2012
Marshall and Bill are both retired collegiate track
coaches.
Marshall last coached at IU and Bill at Rose Hulman.
They now run the Indiana Track Hall of Fame
in Terre Haute, Indiana.
I recently talked to both gentlemen at the
State Track Clinic in Indianapolis.
Between the two, they know more about the
history of track in Indiana than probably the rest
of us combined.
Marshall especially is a legend in story
telling.
For the past 10 years he has scoured the files and
old newspapers to find everything there ever was
printed about track in Indiana.
One of his favorite stories is the young Gary
runner who was late for the state track meet in
Indianapolis.
The story goes he heard the call for the 100
yard dash as he was getting off the bus.
He sprinted to the gate and was stopped by a
very strict gate keeper.
His argument got him nowhere so he finally
had to distract the man and dart onto the field with
the gate keeper right behind him.
He pulled off
his sweats, threw them to the side, and jumped into
the starting blocks.
He somehow won the race but was quite
embarrassed because when he looked down he had
pulled off more than his sweats.
He is the only state champ to have crossed
the finish line in his top only.
Marshall and Bill swear this is the gospel
truth.
This is just a sample of the entertainment you will
receive if you visit the Track and Field Hall of
Fame.
Matt Latos
February 16, 2012
The Reds obtained this
tall, talented young starter in a 4 for 1 trade.
They gave up Yonder Alonso and Valquez and
two more minor leaguers.
The Alexandria, Virginia, native is a 24-year
old extremely tall, hard throwing pitcher.
In two years in the majors with San Diego he
was 27 and 29 with a 3.37 ERA.
He averages one strike out per inning.
He is the 9th best pitcher in the
National League for allowing base hits per inning.
Another upside of Matt is the fact that he
makes only a little over $400,000 per year.
His first season in the majors was a good one
as he won 14 games and lost 10.
Last year he slipped to 9 and 15.
Every scout in the major leagues says he is
the best young talent available this year as a free
agent.
One thing for sure, he cuts his hair, stays mentally
in the game, and is very consistent.
We all know Valquez was none of these.
The player I hated to see go was Yonder
Alonso.
It is hard to find a young hitter with the talent
this young man showed.
Sean Marshall
February 15, 2012
The Cincinnati Reds obtained Sean Marshall from the
Chicago Cubs for Travis Wood, Dave Sappelt, and 2
other minor leaguers.
This trade was done strictly to try to win at
all costs this season.
Marshall is 4 years older than Wood and is
known as a set-up man.
Both pitchers are left handers; however, Wood
is a starter.
His record as a Red has been 11 and 10 with a
4.18 ERA.
Marshall last year gave up only 1 home run
and was 6 and 6 with a 2.06 ERA.
He also had 6 saves and 34 holds which topped
the major leagues.
The reason that I question this trade is
because Marshall will be a free agent at the end of
this year and could bolt the Reds.
If he does this, the Reds would have given up
4 players for a one-year pitcher.
Travis Wood is a highly touted young lefty
and Seppelt is a skilled outfielder.
The Cubs who battle the Reds each year in the
Central Division are building for a long sustained
run which is why they want young talent who can play
for the Cubs for years.
The Reds believe they have the ingredients
for a division championship this year.
We will have to wait and see.
Mr. Cub
February 14,
2012
Ernie Banks was and still is known
as Mr. Cub.
Along with his friend Ron Santo, the two
infielders will become Hall of Fame partners this
summer.
No two players were better liked by Cub fans.
Ernie was born in Dallas, Texas
on 1-31-31 and is now 81 years old.
He played for the Cubs from 1953-1971 which
was 19 seasons.
He became a Hall of Famer in 1977 getting 321
out of 383 voters.
For his 19 seasons, Mr. Cub, batted .274, had
a slugging percentage of .500 and hit 512 home runs.
His best year was 47 home runs and drove in
147 runs one season.
Not bad for a skinny shortstop.
He was a 2-time MVP and 11 time All-Star.
He is best known for his saying of: Let us
play two games.
Today Ernie works for the Cubs as a promoter
and can still be seen at many Cub functions.
Greg Wehr
February 13, 2012
We were all shocked when we heard that Greg and
Candy Wehr died in a plane crash.
Greg played basketball for Paul Ehrman and I
in the 1970s and was a farmer in the
Versailles
area. He
and his wife were quite active in the community and
in their church.
They will be sorely missed.
They had been visiting two of their daughters
in the Chicago area.
Greg took up flying a few years back and
really enjoyed it.
Candy taught school in the South Ripley
system for many years.
Our condolences go out to their family and to
the relatives and friends they left behind.
It is sad when anyone dies before their time
but doubly sad when you know them so well.
More Classes
February
10, 2012
I guess my article yesterday on
class basketball raised a few eyebrows. I have been
in negotiation sessions with the IHSAA in both track
and cross country in the past. I have an idea on how
they think and vote. They are not old stuff shirts
as many believe. For the biggest majority of the
time they have the welfare of the kids at heart.
They are also well aware that an athletic program
must pay its own way. If money were no problem they
would approve most ideas advanced by the different
sports. We all know that money is a problem. For
many years in the late 1980s and early 1990s there
was a very concerted push by principals and athletic
directors of small schools to change the system.
They finally put it to a vote and those schools won.
To change it back to one class, I know it will take
much more than a simple majority. I would love to
see a one class basketball tourney, but I would like
classes in all other sports. I think this would be
fair and put the money maker, basketball, back in
the spotlight. I do not think I will see either in
my lifetime. Wheels of change move slowly and
probably should or we might have more trouble than
we want. Do not give up. The IHSAA will listen and,
like in the late 1980s, if the noise is loud enough
change will occur
Class Basketball
February 9, 2012
I guess the fate of class basketball is back in the
hands of the IHSAA.
This is where it should be with most of the
people I talked to.
They still want a one class playoff but they
do not want the government of Indiana to decide
that. Bobby Cox and the IHSAA say they will take up
this subject again.
There are many who do not want it changed
back.
Those are the schools that have won one of the class
championships.
Small schools still have a majority if it
comes to an all school vote.
Those are the principals who lobbied to get
the change in the 1st place.
Most of the big schools do not really care.
They are going to win no matter.
So the crux of change lies with the schools
in the middle.
How will they vote if it comes to that.
Truly, I think if basketball went back to one
tournament the rest of the sports would not make
much noise.
Football will not change and the rest of the
sports cannot draw enough public support to sway a
vote.
The big push has to be in money, because no matter
how we argue, the factor that will sway change the
quickest is the bottom dollar.
It always does.
It is quite obvious the one class tournament
was a cash cow and it would be again.
How much of one is the big question.
Tom Harmon
February 8, 2012
Tom Harmon was a Michigan Wolverine football player.
He was born in Rensselaer, IN. on 9-28-19. He was
the father of 3 kids, one of which is Mark, better
known as Jethro Gibbs of NCIS. Mark played football
at UCLA, I believe. Mark is married to Pam Dawber,
also in the motion picture business. Tom won the
Heisman Trophy while at Michigan. This was in 1940
where he is best known as a halfback but as was
common in those days he also played defensive back.
He became a member of the College Hall of Fame in
1954. Tom played some pro football with the LA Rams.
Tom was a very good football player and his son is a
very good actor. Mark was not a bad football player
either.
Free Throws
February 7, 2012
All of us know about the poor free throw shooting
that has at times plagued the Batesville Bulldogs
and many other teams from high school to the pros.
Free throw shooting is a matter of two simple
techniques. I say simple with tongue in cheek, of
course. The first is rhythm. This comes from
practice. The second is concentration. The biggest
factor that causes all the problems is body control.
It could be your mind, your form, your strength. All
of these still go back to the two factors. You must
be able to convince yourself you can hit the free
throw each time you go up to shoot one. You will do
this if you line up the same each time, hold the
ball the same, and release it the same way each
time. Remember, this is concentration. Oh yes, there
is that small thing about mind over matter. You have
to clear your head of all the distractions which is
what gets most high school kids in trouble. With one
second to go and the score tied the goal is still
where it always was and so the free throw simply
must be shot the same way as it would be at practice
with the gym empty. There is the rub. Can you
concentrate and will your body work under pressure?
If you watch most missed free throws, I will bet one
of the above lining up items is off. The hand is off
center, or the arm is lower, or the release is late.
Concentrate and relax. Simple! Right !!!!
Anderson College
February 6, 2012
Anderson College is struggling in womens basketball
this season mainly due to a lack in size. Amy
Wuestefeld, who is only a few inches over 5 foot is
one of their leading rebounders as well as scorer
and assist leader. The junior from Batesville is in
her third season and also is their top softball
player in the spring. Sister Ashley is rehabbing
from a foot injury and may not be available again
this season. She will try to decide if it would be
best to rehab and wait for softball. They are the
daughters of Gene and Nikki Wuestefeld. Both girls
were three sport stars at Batesville High School.
Bud Selig
February 3, 2012
I
read where Bud Selig might be given a new contract
as Baseball Commissioner. This is one job you can
have until you die if you do not tee off too many
owners. Bud has done some things I like. The
proposal to move Houston to the American League is
one I like. It evens out the two leagues and makes
the divisions more equal. I like the expanded
playoff idea as long as games are not played in
November. One thing I would like to see go is the
designated hitter. A pitcher is supposed to bat and
it keeps the manager in the game. I do not suppose
we will ever see balanced teams again with free
agency and little control on big market spending. I
do not want to see cookie cutter stadiums that
cropped up in the leagues several years ago. There
will always be a place for Fenwick and Wrigley. Now
if we can keep the Yankees out of the playoffs I
will be happy.
Girls Tourney
February 2, 2012
As the girls start their tourney be sure to go out
and support your favorite team. South Ripley has had
quite a successful campaign and should have a good
chance to go far in the tourney. The EIAC has
several good teams as does the Batesville Sectional.
I am sure Donna Cheathum would like to win another
state title with her Warriorettes from Scottsburg.
Columbus East with Coach Danny Brown is always a
possibility. Schools like Ben Davis and other Indy
schools will always be a force in the tourney. No
matter who you root for just go and back the girls.
They will certainly appreciate it. Go Bulldogs,
Indians, Raiders, Eagles, Pirates, Trojans,
Wildcats, Chargers. Cougars, Twisters, Knights, and
Tigers. I hope I did not miss an area team.
Ed Roth
February 1, 2012
Ed
Roth coached both basketball and baseball at BHS in
my years at high school. In those days a school
usually had only 2 or 3 coaches so everyone coached
at least two sports. Just for good measure Ed also
coached the summer Legion team. This was also common
in those days. If you played baseball you did not
have a state tourney so you just played games for
the Legion team as soon as the high school games
ended. Ed is retired now and lives in the New Albany
area. I have not seen Ed for a few years so I need
to take a trip down that way soon and see how he is
doing. Very few people forget their high school
coaches especially those who coached basketball in
Indiana. That is why it was good to see Herman
Grinstead and Bob Meyer be elected to the Ripley
County Hall of Fame. Even the ones who were not so
successful on the floor still influenced their
players in many other ways.
Miami Dolphins
January 31, 2012
As we near the Super Bowl Game
the image of the undefeated Dolphins comes to mind.
This group led by Bob Griese and shouldered by Larry
Csonka, the last true fullback in pro football was
quite a group of athletes who went on to be quite a
group of business men as well. Their coach was Don
Schula who still can be seen on TV hawking one
product or another or running his restaurants in
Florida. Nick Buonacanti is best known today as the
dad who started a foundation for his paralyzed son
but led a great defensive squad. Larry Little went
on to coach his alma mater and was the anchor on the
offensive line. Paul Warfield was the target of many
of the passes from Bob Griese. If you want to find
Csonka today you will have to go to Alaska and join
some kind of outdoor adventure. All of these men
have had a great career out of football as well as
on the field. Bob Griese just retired after years of
broadcasting sporting events.
Old Coaches
January 30, 2012
At the recent
Ripley County Tourney I ran into two old coaches I
knew from my days as a coach. Kevin Mack is now an
assistant coach of the South Ripley Lady Raiders.
Kevin, I recall, was one of those players every
coach liked to have on his team. He gave you every
ounce of effort he had in his body. He would dive
for loose balls, pester the kid he was guarding, and
get rebounds he should not have had a chance at. In
other words he was a keeper. The other coach I ran
into was Rick Weales. Rick coached for many years at
Switzerland County. He is now helping his father in
law at Rising Sun. His father in law is Noel Bostic,
who coached at South Ripley a few years ago. It was
fun to run into two old friends.
Joe Paterno
January 27, 2012
I am not going to dwell on whether Joe did the right amount of reporting in the alleged sex offense case but talk about Joe the person. Joe is in his mid 80s and should be at home enjoying an off season from football instead of preparing a defense against his part in the scandal. We may never know how much he knew and who he actually told. What bothers me is a man spends 60 yeas working with kids and when he is near retirement something that occurred supposedly by one of his assistants is going to consume all his time. Plus Joe is battling cancer and we all know the strain that puts on your system. We all do a great job of second guessing and hindsight is perfect. What Joe did for most of those 60 years should be what he is known for and not the years an assistant was doing who knows what. Sexual abuse is abominable and needs immediate eradication from society, do not get me wrong, but I wonder what each of us would of done if a friend was supposedly doing what this coach was doing. Obviously Joe did not do enough but I hope he still can have some peace in the years he has left.
Andy Koors
January 26, 2012
Many people have commented on how well Andy describes a high school basketball game. It is very enjoyable to hear him describe what is going on during a local game. Along with his color man Jack Smith, the two teachers have developed a smooth repartee on WRBI. I had the pleasure of working with Andy for a few years when I could still traverse the bleacher at ball games. I think we did pretty well except for the time the station crew forgot to push the switch and we did a whole game without being on the air. When you do a game on radio you have to paint a picture of the game you see so that it can be visualized in the eye of the listener. TV is easy to do because the audience gets to see the action and all the announcer has to do is add to the flavor. One thing that none of us seem to do enough is give the score of the game for radio. This is an art that only a few seem to conquer because if you do it too often you bore people and if you go very long without giving it the home person is hollering for the score. Tune in Andy and Jack for the next high school game. I think you will enjoy it.
Revolving Doors
January 25, 2012
When a sport season ends the revolving door starts. Just as soon as the World Series ended the great free agent race started. Reaching for the millions sets off each winter season of baseball talks. From the managers, thru the coaching staff, and down to the players on the field the race is on to sign the biggest names. Now we are in the speculations of which football coaches and players will make the big moves. Is Jay Gruden or Mike Zimmer on their way to coaching head jobs? Where will Ocho Stinko play next season? All of us would like to make more money but what a headache it creates for the front office in trying to keep a high quality team on the field. The $24 million dollar question is where will Payton Manning be next year? We will just have to wait and see if the Colts think he can still play or will they trade him for some of the parts they need to fix a sinking ship. Payton is good but the Colts have too many holes for him to be able to fill them all. Stay tuned for the next big trade.
Reds Caravan
January 24, 2012
The Reds will be in town next week for their annual caravan stop. I have had the pleasure of being a part of this most of the past few years. I have been very impressed with the Reds organization in emceeing this event. The players they send are well groomed and for the most part quite articulate. This is a refreshing trend from some of the antics you watch on some sideline antics on TV. The Reds usually send 3-4 players, at least one announcer, and a front office executive or two. Manager Baker accompanies the trek if you are lucky enough to get that bus in your town. The last few years this has been open to the public hosted by the Sherman House. Watch the media here in town and see if you can go. It is a chance to get up close and personal with some major leaguers. Players like Homer Bailey, Brandon Phillips, Mike Leake, and Yonder Alonzo have been in town. Stop by the Sherman House if you can and enjoy the Reds.
Dyar Miller
January 23, 2012
Dyar was recently named
the bullpen coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. The
Cardinals coaching staff was reshuffled when Tony La
Russa retired and his long time pitching coach, Dave
Duncan, took a leave of absence. Derek Lilliquest
moved from bullpen coach to pitching coach thus
creating the opening for Dyar to step in. Dyar
Miller grew up in New Point and pitched in the major
leagues mainly with the Mets. He has been a long
time minor league coach with the Cardinals most
recently working in Tennessee. Dyar lives in the
Indianapolis area during the off season and still
has many friends in the area. You can usually see
him a few times during the winter hanging out at the
Diner in New Point. We wish Dyar the best of luck in
his new job and hope he stays with the big club for
the remainder of his career. I would like to thank
Ace Moorman for alerting me to this story.
The Unsung
January 20, 2012
After watching all those bowl games I got to thinking about all those people who toil in anonymity. It takes two or three students to carry the communication equipment to the coaches on the sidelines. Then there are all those training people like Madie Lamppert of Oldenburg who is a trainer for Purdue. You only see them if a player gets hurt and you see they walk out on the field. Then there are the squads of equipment people who have to take care of all the stuff it takes to outfit a football team of about 90 guys. All that equipment has to be in place before a game and then cleaned and put away after a game. If anything breaks during a game it has to be fixed on the spot, and if it belongs to a star player it needs to be done in record time. Then there are the slew of people who have to make all those traveling arrangements required for a Bowl game. Unfortunately, most of them do not see any of those millions a large bowl game brings to the university and their conference. I have not mentioned the sports drinks, the towels, the extra spikes or shoes and the list goes on and on. Just to make it interesting every once in awhile you get knocked down by a player being tackled on the sideline while you are doing one of these jobs. These people do get to go to a lot of neat places, however.
The Colts
January 19, 2012
The Colts fallout from their disastrous season is already underway. Both the vice-president of operations and the general manager are gone. In March they will have to come to terms with the manning contract if they do not do so sooner. If they are going to select Andrew Luck in the draft they must decide if they can have Manning and his contract on the same team. First, it is the cost of Manning, and the second is his age along with his health. At $20+ million a season they must be sure he can play. They also now know what they have without him. The team was left to go down in some areas but the ability of Manning kept them winning. When he could not play, the rest of the team was really sub par. Now they must start over and restock the team and decide who is going to lead it on and off the field. The coach, so far, is still there but he is on thin ice as well. If you want a challenge, turn in your resume to the Colts and see if you can get the job. After all the only way is up after last season.
FCA
January 18, 2012
I am involved in starting an FCA Chapter at Batesville High School. Along with the school personnel, I hope to create a club that will allow young kids an opportunity to participate in a worthwhile alternative to all the other temptations that are out and about these days. The FCA does not advocate any particular religion but just a Christian look at things. With all the temptations facing a teen each day it is nice to have a backup in place to go and think about a possible better solution. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes offers simply thoughts about biblical passages and how they might apply to ones daily life. Too often peer pressure is the driving force in how a kid might act and we hope to give them another possibility in coping with a situation. As I said earlier we do not push anyone toward a certain church just to look at the Christian way of doing things. Listen for more information on FCA.
Conference Jumping
January 17, 2012
All of us are quite informed about the constant movement of schools into larger conferences especially for the purpose of playing football. Most of these moves are for BCS reasons. If you are in a BCS conference you have a chance to play in a large Bowl game and/or play for the National Championship. The bigger the conference you can get in the better payoff you can get. They are predicting the possibility of having 4 super conferences in a few years to dominate the bowl championships. Some of these bowls pay several million dollars which is split between the school playing the game and the conference they are in. The other big factor in conference jumping is how big the TV contract this conference has is. The BTN is one of the biggest and best pay for its schools. If you can get into the Big East you have the New York TV market to reap benefits from. We have not seen the last of these moves and as long as the money is out there it will not stop. Why else would a school in California join the Big East Conference? It certainly is not to reduce travel costs. Sine football is the big money maker it is that sport that is causing most of these moves. I can guarantee the moves are not made for tennis and cross country. Stay tuned for the next move.
Green Bay Packers
January 16, 2012
Well the Packers will not match the Miami Dolphins and go thru the season undefeated but they are on quite a run. Their path to the Super Bowl has a few ambushes in the way. San Francisco is one of those traps along the way. We will have to wait and see how this plays out but QB Rodgers is on a roll and is surrounded by a very strong array of talent. If they survive their division they will have the likes of Pittsburgh. Baltimore and New England waiting in the wings to knock them off. Earlier in the NFL season I called Cincinnati the Bungles but I have to eat my words. The young talent they have stepped up and got them in the playoffs. If they keep up the work ethic they showed this year we should enjoy a good run with these guys. The best move the Bengals made was to part with No. 85. This improved the attitude of the team 100%. It took the Patriots half the season to get him to contribute anything to their team. It will be fun to see who gets to Indianapolis and the Super Bowl.
Bowl Season
January 13, 2012
Now that we have survived the Bowl Season we can look forward to the rest of the NCAA basketball season and the high school seasons. The Big Ten took a beating again but did win more games than they were supposed too. The age old theory that the Big Ten is too slow will be debated again. I am one who believes that the Big Ten can improve their image by changing their recruiting areas. Purdue has finally got some speed and used it to win a bowl game. Speed seems to be centered in the Southern tier of states not in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Of course, the whole conference will have to make a change because they seem to dwell on 325 pound lineman and 350 pound defensive players. Teams like Oregon have reduced the line size somewhat and still seem to be able to hold their own. It will be interesting to see if Urban Meyer goes back to Florida and recruits those speed guys he used while at Florida. We will have to wait and see.
Green Bay Packers
January 12, 2012
Well the Packers will not match the Miami Dolphins and go thru the season undefeated but they are on quite a run. Their path to the Super Bowl has a few ambushes in the way. San Francisco is one of those traps along the way. We will have to wait and see how this plays out but QB Rodgers is on a roll and is surrounded by a very strong array of talent. If they survive their division they will have the likes of Pittsburgh. Baltimore and New England waiting in the wings to knock them off. Earlier in the NFL season I called Cincinnati the Bungles but I have to eat my words. The young talent they have stepped up and got them in the playoffs. If they keep up the work ethic they showed this year we should enjoy a good run with these guys. The best move the Bengals made was to part with No. 85. This improved the attitude of the team 100%. It took the Patriots half the season to get him to contribute anything to their team. It will be fun to see who gets to Indianapolis and the Super Bowl.
Stephanie White
January 11, 2012
Stephanie White graduated from Seegar High School in 1995 where she was Miss Indiana Basketball. She was also named the Gatorade Athlete of the Year in 1995. She went on to Purdue University and led the Boilers to an NCAA National Championship in 1999. That year she also won the Female Athlete of the Year award and National Collegiate Athlete of the Year award. Stephanie did not stop here; she also won the Wade Trophy that year. For good measure Stephanie was the Indiana NCAA Player of the Year and the Big Ten Player of the Year. She played in the WNBA for 6 years and retired in 2004. She now can be seen as a TV game analyzer and Big Ten Network broadcaster. This is a pretty good resume for a girl who played basketball at a 1A high school.
Emily Huntington
January 10, 2012
I only knew this young lady through her accomplishments in athletics but after reading her obituary it is quite obvious that this was a very talented young lady. JCD, in recent history, have produced some very accomplished young student-athletes and Emily was following in those footsteps. If any good is to come of this tragedy I hope it is that other teens in this area learn to put those phones and other devices away when they get behind the wheel of a car. Most teens feel they are invincible but as we so frequently find out this is not true. When you get in a car put the phone in your pocket and please buckle up. All of us want to see you on the field of sport and not in a funeral home.
Chris Giesting
January 9, 2012
I just learned that Chris Giesting of Notre Dame was named the Big East track athlete of the week. In his 1st collegiate meet Chris ran a 47 second 400 meter dash and anchored their 1600 meter relay team. This is quite a fast time considering that indoor tracks have very sharp turns and hard surfaces. Chris should do quite well in college and is hoping to some day run in the Olympics. I would not bet against this young man accomplishing this goal. He is quite a young man both on the track and in the classroom. Keep up the good work Chris.
County Tourney
January 6, 2012
Make sure you come out and cheer your favorite team at the Tourney Finals tonight at JCD and tomorrow at BHS. The girls final will follow the consolation game which starts at 6:00 p.m. The boys will follow the same format tomorrow night. Between games the HOF class of 2012 will be introduced. Last year a very small crowd showed up to cheer the kids on. Let us fill both gyms this year for the Ripley County Tourney finals. It is a bargain and a great way to spend a winter evening. The kids work hard and deserve the support and you will see a great brand of basketball.
Conventions
January 5, 2012
When a high school organizations sets out to hold a clinic they have to find a convention center to hold it in. Since high schools are not large enough to afford one of the big downtown centers they use hotel facilities. The cost of the center depends on how many rooms you can fill for the clinic. That number is usually about 60 rooms. If you do not meet this number the cost of the clinic rooms goes to double cost. So if a convention room costs $2000 a day it goes to $4000 and so on up as the room numbers go down. In order to afford this high school groups have to fill the rooms. Another catch is you have to use thir food services which are usually highly inflated like $2.00 per cup of coffee. That is why a high school sporting group needs to have their coaches stay at the hotel with the convention rooms and not at an Econo hotel down the street.
Lin Dunn
January 4, 2012
Lin Dunn was Purdue University's Women's Basketball Coach from 1987-1996. It was during the 1994 season that Purdue reached the Final Four with Cindy Lamping as one of her starters. Lin has compiled over 500 wins in her career. Her collegiate record is 447-257. The remaining total comes from her coaching at the women's professional level. Lin was the first coach of the Seattle Storm of the WNBA. She also acted as their general manager. She is now the coach of the Indiana Fever and has that program at or near the top of the Women's League. Lin graduated in 1969 from the University of Tennessee at Martin. Lin learned a lot of her coaching from Pat Summit who, of course, is the Dean of Women's Basketball Coaches. If you ever met Coach Dunn, you will not have forgotten her. She is one of those people who makes an impression no matter where she goes and that is the main reason she has been a winner no matter where she has gone.n everyone.
Summer Olympics
January 3, 2012
This year's Summer Olympics will be held in London, England, and run from July 27 through August 12. It is hard to believe that 4 years have already gone by since the last Olympics in China. To refresh your memory, this is how the major countries did in those Olympics.
|
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
| USA
|
36 |
38 |
34 |
110 |
|
China |
51 |
21 |
28
|
100
|
| Russia |
23 |
21 |
28 |
72 |
| Germany
|
19 |
13 |
15 |
47 |
| Australia
|
14 |
15 |
17 |
46 |
As you can see, China is now our big competitor other than Russia. It will be interesting to see if the USA can hold off China this year. We will have to wait and see.
2012 Ripley County Hall of Famer
January 2, 2012
This year's class for the Ripley County Hall of Fame has been selected. The class includes the following 7 entrants. They are: Arnold Droge, Milan class of 1949; Shelly Erhardt Dreyer, Batesville class of 1985; Eugene Freyer, Sunman class of 1967; David Giltner, Milan class of 1947; Herman Grinstead, Coach at Osgood, Milan, and Versailles High Schools; Ronnie Jenks, Osgood class of 1957; and Robert Meyer, Coach at South Ripley High School. This group will be introduced at the finals of the Boys' County Tournament on Saturday night, January 7. They will be formally inducted on the first Saturday of April at the BullPen in Osgood. Congratulations to the class of 2012.
Sport Unions
December
30, 2011
As the NBA tries to
salvage their season the greed for money still rules
supreme.
It was so good to see baseball remember their past
and settle the new contract ASAP.
They had to struggle for quite a few seasons
to recover from the debacle of the 1994 strike.
Pro Football got their act together just in
time this summer to make the whole season possible.
I know it is hard for us commoners to
understand how a person cannot live on a mere 4
million a year.
I know careers in pro basketball are short at
best so you need to make as much as you can in a few
years but giving up a season sure does not seem the
way to get that money.
Parts of the problem are agents but most of
the problem is ego and that is just as big for the
owners as it is for the players.
In these economic times the price of a ticket
may soon be out of ever ones range and a contract
might just be a formality if no one can afford to go
to a game anyway.
Bowl Season
December 29, 2011
In the next
week or so you can watch at least one bowl game each
day. On and around the 1st of January you can OD on
college football. Most of these games will be
entertaining and competitive. I still think a 6-6
team should not get a bowl bid even if it means
schools like IU and PU would seldom get a chance to
play in one. Bowl games should be for conference
champs and the runner-ups. The few independents left
who have great records should get the rest of the
bids. You can see how money is the key to all
college sports when you see what is happening with
all the conference jumping going on. Bowl games
bring in big bucks even if it is a bowl no one heard
of. If you do not get to play on TV your university
has to really scramble to make their budget. So if a
city can support a bowl game someone will play in
it. Go have fun and watch as many as your wife will
let you see.
FCA
December 28, 2011
I hope
to help start an FCA chapter at Batesville High
School right after the 1st of the year. The
Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been around for
quite awhile now and is a great chance for high
school kids to focus on the spiritual areas of their
lives. Today there is so much pressure on them to do
what the crowd is doing that they often stray into
areas that lead to problems that are hard to shake.
The FCA tries to give them another way to express
themselves with their peers that will usually lead
to good things rather than the bad ones. I hope we
can do this and get a good representation of the
school population to take part in this organization.
Watch for more information as time goes on. Most
kids are good and just need a way to show it. I hope
FCA does this for them
Christmas Practice
Decemer 27, 2011
I was trying to remember how much I
practiced during the Christmas break the other day.
I know we got the days before and right after
Christmas off. We did not play in the County Tourney
in those days so we did not have those games right
after New Years. I know we went back to practice
before New Years Day but it seems we got a pretty
good break. Of course in those days there was not
the pressure to play the game 51 weeks of the year
like they do now. It is good that the 4 remaining
schools are now playing in the tourney and I hope
that with all the emphasis put on class basketball
that the 4 county schools keep playing each other on
a regular basis. I hope Batesville and Milan can get
back to playing a regular season game soon.
Manager Go Round
December 26, 2011
When I am writing this, these managers have already been changed for 2012. The big one was Terry Francona of Boston being forced out. Mike Quade was gone as soon as the Cubs got a new GM. He was replaced with Dale Sveum. Tony LaRussa of the Cards called it quits after winning the Series and was replaced by Mike Matheny. The White Sox were glad to part ways with Ozzie Guillen who went to the Marlins. The Florida team parted ways with Jack McKeon who is used to being replaced as a manager. Bob Geren of the Oakland Athletics was replaced by Bob Melvin. Jim Riggleman and John McLaren both were terminated by the Nationals and will be replaced by the ever available Davey Johnson. If you do not win in Pro Sports you know you are gone. That old adage of-It is easier to replace one manager rather than 25 players- still holds true. Stay tuned for more revolving doors.
Rudy Chapa
December 23, 2011
Rudy Chapa was born in Hammond, Indiana in 1957. He was the son of a Mexican-American couple and had quite a high school career in running. Rudy won 2 straight cross country titles in 1974 and 1975. In 1974 he tied with his teammate Carey Pinkowski for the title and won it himself in 1975. While still in high school he set a national record in the 10 K with a time of 28:32. With teammates Carey Pinkowski and Tim Keough he set a record that is still on the books. All three ran 2 miles under 9 minutes. After high school he enrolled at Oregon University where he was a 6-time NCAA All-American in track and cross country. In 1977 he was the National Cross Country Champion and in 1978 Rudy was the 5000 M Champion. After graduation he joined Nike and in 1999 formed his own company. SPARQ . The initials stand for speed, power, agility, reaction, and quickness. It is a sports equipment and media company.
Mike Krzyzewski
December 22, 2011
Coach K as he is called has been at Duke for a long time but what a run he has made it. He has been Coach of the year in the ACC 5 times. Mike has won the National Championship in 3 straight decades with wins in 1991, 1992, 2001, and 2010. Last month he became the all-time winningest coach in Division I basketball. He passed his old mentor Bobby Knight. He has been in 11 Final Fours which is the most by any coach. You can add 77 tourney wins, 99 tourney games played, 13 ACC Tournament Championships, and 12 ACC League Championships to this most ever list. Mike has also been the National Coach of the Year 5 times. For the most part Coach K has done this in a very clean manner. With the academic status of Duke these accomplishments are even more impressive. Will he add to any of these awards before this year is over? I would not bet against it.
Trophies
December 21, 2011
The other day I watched a TV show where every member of a baseball league was given a trophy. When did this practice start? Trophies are supposed to be given to the winners of something. I am not opposed to given certificates to all players and a trophy to the winners. Kids below the age of 8 should not even play in games where score is kept. When this age kid is finished with a season give them something like a ribbon of participation or a treat. They are just having fun playing. When you keep score then give awards to the winners after the season. If you keep score you are telling the players that winning is the goal. Where in real life are you awarded for just showing up? I saw a kid playing with the grass in the outfield all during the game and when it was over he was given a trophy. I think part of our apathy today is brought about by giving out awards just for showing up. Reward kids for performing whether it is a sport or school but do not reward them for just showing up for something. I know I am just an old fuddy-duddy but that is how I feel.
'Helmet to Helmet
December 20, 2011
Hit
By now I am sure you have heard this phrase. The referees in football have been instructed to crack down on this practice. It has been quite evident that concussions are on the rise in all sports but especially football. I am not opposed to this rule but I wonder how hard it is for players to avoid these kinds of hits when going full speed in a game. Some are really obvious if the player is stood up by another player and the offender comes in late and nails the runner. I think this should be an ejection as well as the penalty. The hard ones to call are the initial hits that occur when a receiver and a defensive back are both going for the ball. I wonder when football will become so violent that people call for its banishment. When 300 pounders run the 40 yard dash under 5 seconds you are going to have violent hits. Defensive backs now weigh well over 200 pounds and run the 40 under 4.5 seconds. Put your physics to work and figure what force this size body will inflict on a 200 pound back running at full speed. Football players are well protected with their uniforms so think how the head of an athlete must be damaged when athletes collide in sports where there is no more protection than the body itself.
Christmas Season
December 19, 2011
Obviously we are in the Christmas season in all phases of society and sports are no exception. The bowl games will get underway in earnest right after Christmas Day and Holiday tourneys will spring up in basketball as well as conference challenges. The Big Ten gets under way next week with multiple teams striving to be the league champ. Ohio State is the prohibitive favorite but we know the Big Ten has a way to upset the apple cart every year or so. UC is back on the prowl and X is good as usual. Kentucky just keeps reloading with McDonald all-Americans. These are all fun to watch on TV but I like the thought that as soon as the Holidays are over we will have the Ripley County Tourney. I hope we fill the gyms this year. The boys play at Batesville and the girls play at JCD. The price is right and the games will be good. Put that down on your calendar as soon as your last Christmas/New Years Party is over. You will not be disappointed and you will have money left over to do other things which I doubt you have if you go to very many college or pro games.
Joe Walter
December 16, 2011
Joe Walter played 13 seasons with the Bengals and was a starting right tackle for 136 straight games before suffering a serious knee injury. Joe was an all pro caliper player but is now better known for his charity work. It is so good to see the good part of pro sports for a change. Joe can be seen on Cincinnati TV all the time asking people to donate to Goodwill. The 300 ponder with the full beard is quite an imposing figure but is said to be a real teddy bear. If he is not working at his job with Goodwill he can also be found arranging charity events for the Special Olympics. Like so many pro athletes the Texas native now makes his home in the greater Cincinnati area where he starred for the local pro team. If you have a chance to meet one of these former athletes doing this type of work shake their hand and tell them thanks. After all, Joe made enough money he could be sitting back rather than busting his chops raising money for those in need. Good work Joe.
Athlete Behavior
December 15, 2011
Yesterday I wrote about Magic Johnson. Magic had his pro career was cut short by HIV. Unlike many athletes magic was quick to admit his discretions and went immediately about making amends and changing his behavior. Today Magic is still very healthy and is a much respected businessman. It is too bad that this happens to pro athletes and most could learn a lot by talking to Magic and do what he did. I know the pro leagues are working hard to teach their young men on what lies ahead for them as they suddenly have all this money. Obviously it still needs some upgrading. The Bengals are having a great year but they still have some bad actors to corral apparently. The total lack of control we once witnessed from some of these athletes seems to waning and we all hope it continues in that direction. As long as owners throw out this much money some of these guys will be tempted beyond their self control.
Magic and Larry
December 14, 2011
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are evidently coming to Broadway. Fran Kimser and Tony Ponturo, the producers of Lombardi are working with the two stars to develop a play based on their careers. It is supposed to be ready by March of 2012. Their story starts with the 1979 NCAA title game between Indiana State and Michigan State and continued with their pro careers with the Lakers and Celtics. Magic won the NCAA match up and the two exchanged NBA titles throughout the 1980s. The two long time friends are reportedly helping with the production. Skeptics wonder where they will get two 6’9’ actors to play their parts. Magic is described as big city, fun loving, charismatic, and energetic while Larry is known as fiercely competitive, uncompromisingly honest, small town, and serious. Both men where double-double performers in the pros and both are Hall of Famers. Larry entered in 1998 and Magic in 2002.
Cincinnati High School Football
December 13, 2011
Yesterday I talked about Roger Staubach and he was a part of a great high school football environment. The greater Cincinnati area has a long history of not only producing great high school champions but also placing a boat load of players in major college programs. You can start with Moeller and go on from there. Now you can add Colerain, Elder LaSalle, Princeton, Anderson, Winton Woods and on and on. As you can see these are not all private schools like power houses in other major cities. The power schools are also prevalent across the river in northern Kentucky. It has also spread to Southeastern Indiana where Lawrenceburg and East Central have won state championships. Like most things in sports certain sports seem to prosper in certain areas. I think the reason for this is a coach or coaches get a dynasty started and the other schools around him have to improve to survive. In Indiana this is true of basketball
.
Roger Staubach
December 12, 2011
Roger Staubach was born
in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1942 in the Silverton area
and played for Purcell High School. He went to the
USNA after graduation and led the Midshipmen for 3
sterling years. He even led the team into the Cotton
Bowl. He then starred for the Dallas Cowboys from
1969-1979. Tom Landry called him the best total
package quarterback he had ever seen. I am sure
today you could get an argument from the likes of
Bret Farve or Peyton Manning fans. He was selected
to 6 Pro Bowl teams and led the Cowboys to a Super
Bowl championship. In 1981 he was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame. He has been married
for 43 years to his grade school sweetheart and has
1 son and 4 daughters and 13 grand children. After
his football career he started his own real estate
business and ran it until retiring a few years ago.
He is best remembered as being a true gentleman off
and on the field.
Field of Dreams
December 9, 2011
I saw that the Field of Dreams in Iowa was sold last
month.
It, of course, was the movie of the same name and
was getting to look quite shabby.
It will now be a large sport complex with
that field being the center of attraction.
When I was a kid it was very common to stand
in some field and dream of being a baseball player
in the big leagues.
As we know most of us had no chance of doing
it but it was a good dream for a 9 year old in that
era. I
wonder today if a kid goes to the family room and
swings a bat on Wii and dreams of being the next
Joey Votto?
These games are fun but I doubt if they
prepare you for big league stardom.
I know you see very few of them actually
playing ball except in little league or a similar
league.
It is rare to see any kids playing ball on there
own.
Except for a swimming pool on a hot day it is hard
to see any kids outside in the summer and instead of
a bat in their hand, if they are actually out, you
will see a phone or similar tech device.
Basketball Arenas
December 8, 2011
The advent of sports for money era has brought us the giant basketball venues. Some of the arenas used for the NCAA tournament now hold over 50,000 people. I remember when the IHSAA went to the downtown arenas in Indy for the state tourney and getting a seat in the last row of one of those built for everything buildings. Damon Bailey was playing for Bedford and every seat was taken. When a goal was scored you could of course see it right away but had to wait for the sound to reach you in the top row. When the game was going up and down the floor, I swear the next goal was scored before the sound of the last one reached my ears. Some of the new ones are also so steep that you have to be in top shape just to reach the upper sections. With class basketball in Indiana you could play most of the finals in normal high school gyms and be lucky to fill them. That is what makes the attendance at some of our local gyms so amazing these days. Last year at the County tourney you could have played the boys and girls on the same night and the same gym and still had room for 500 people to come in. Let us hope that more people come to the Tourney this year.
Uniforms
December 7, 2011
I was reading a magazine article on the early days of girls basketball the other day and came across a picture of the two teams involved in the article. The one girls team wore the shorts that came down to the halfway point of the thigh. They were similar to gym shorts of about 1970. The other team had skirts on. They were slightly below the knee and quite heavy looking. Can you imagine a young lady today playing a basketball game in a skirt? At least the uniform on the men have stayed basically similar with just the length of the short changing along with some additional cloth on the shorts. Of course, the tops for the ladies were just a blouse and not the normal basketball top. Thank heavens the play of the ladies has improved even more than the uniforms. The big surprise of all of this was the picture was supposed to be 1972 and yes it was in the USA. The advancement in sport bras has also added to the comfort level of the uniforms for ladies.
Another Old-Timer
December 6, 2011
Art Schlichter was born in Bloomingsburg, OH in 1960 were he starred for Miami Trace High School. He then went to Ohio State and starred as their quarterback under Woody Hayes. He threw the famous interception against Clemson that led to Woody tackling the player and of course Woody lost his job because of his actions. That is not what he will be remembered for, however. His lust for gambling started early at Scioto Downs race track in Columbus and never really ended completely as you will see later. He did play well enough at Ohio State to be in the top six in the Heisman voting 3 years in a row. He was drafted by the Colts but gambling and jail kept him from ever reaching any resemblance of stardom. He was sentenced to jail in September of this year for ticket fraud that could keep him in prison for ten years. He has been in and out of jail for most of his adult life all because of his addiction to gambling. Any money he ever earned usually wound up in some form of betting scandal. What a waste of talent for a farm boy from Ohio.
Do You Remember?
December 5, 2011
Do you remember Joe Bellino? He was born in Winchester, MA in 1938 were he was a high school star at the local high school. While there his team won 55 straight football games. He entered the USNA and won the Heisman Trophy there in 1960. He was listed as a halfback but did everything for the Midshipmen including punting. After graduating he played Pro football for the Boston Patriots of the AFL. This team eventually became the New England Patriots. This is the same team that the current N. Decatur football coach once played for. That would be Jim Louder although Jim played after Joe. After his playing days Joe spent 28 years as a Navy officer. He then became a successful businessman in the Boston area. He is now retired and lives with his wife in Bedford, MA. Joe got all his power for running from his enormous calves. Today he would have been overlooked because he was so small in stature.
Concession
December 1, 2011
Stands
It is nice to see the parents running the concession stands at a ball game these days. It allows the school personnel to concentrate on managing the game situation and the crowd. It is a rotating system so the same people are not always missing the game and it makes money to help the athletic program keep abreast with costs. Each sport is expected to take their turn so you do not have to have the parents of the current sport having to work while their son or daughters are playing a game. It also keeps the cost down so the public does not have to pay a high price for the item they want to eat or drink. This is one of the duties of Bertha Hazelwood. These people take some of the load off Mark Ferguson who now has the whole athletic program under his supervision with no assistant athletic director like a lot of schools do. I think it takes about 25 people to run a major sporting event at the school. Most of these people get little or no compensation. I know a lot of them now donate their time rather than take money away from the athletes. Thank you guys.
Uniforms
November 30, 2011
Basketball uniforms are something else. There is so much fabric in the trunks that you could make a tent out of one of them. The ladies will wear these on the basketball court but wear the shortest possible skirts in their regular wear. Some of the smaller male players have trunks so long that they have trouble moving on the court. A couple of years ago a young Bulldog dressed with the varsity a couple of times and the only uniform left was a large size. He spent all his time in warm-up having one hand hold up the trunks so the crowd did not see too much of him. Can you imagine how much fabric it took to make the uniform for Shaq? I believe you could cover a tennis court with it in case of rain. Of course these uniforms are no more ridiculous than the old ones that barely cover anything. How about a happy medium? Give the gals a decent top that fits their body style and trunks for the guys that do not reach the ankles. Would this make more sense?
Compensation
November 29, 2011
Do you understand compensation? A month ago the Cubs and Red Sox were locked in contract talks about what the Cubs would owe the Sox if Theo Epstein became the president of the Cubs. What does an administrator have to do with players on the field? I guess we might see in the future teams talking about trading club house personnel. It seems to me if management people want to change teams this should not involve the players on the field. I think it should involve money and let the players out of it. I did not know that competitive balance on the field also pertained to the board room. I wonder what Marty Brenneman is worth on the baseball market even if he is getting older. How about Marty to the Cardinals for Albert? Maybe Epstein will change the attitude of the Cubs like he did with the Red Sox. It would make the central Division even more competitive.
Baseball Franchise
November 28, 2011
I was wondering why each baseball franchise has a certain way of doing things. In some cases it means winning every year and to others it means losing year after year. When you look at Cincinnati, I think you will see a team trying to hit a home run each time at bat. This has led to a player like Drew Stubbs leading the league in strikeouts. This tendency is a product of a small ballpark that allows cheap home runs but it produces batters with upper cut swings. If the pitchers do their job they will keep the ball out of the wheelhouse of the batter and this leads to pop ups and strikeouts. In the case of the Cubs you get .300+ hitters going to .200 hitters when they go to the Cubs. I find no real reason for this unless it is the constant aura of losing seasons. I thing Albert Pujols could go there and suddenly become a .250 hitter.
Dunbar and Bultman
November 25, 2011
When I was in high school a favorite stop was the Dunbar and Bultman Restaurant. We could buy milk in glass bottles. I think a quart of milk cost about a quarter. It was not unusual for me to drink a couple of quarts of chocolate milk after a sporting event. As you know if you are my age nothing was colder or tasted better than chilled milk in a glass container. We were usually given $2.00 to spend by the athletic department so in those days we could buy a sandwich, fries, and our drinks with the $2 bucks. This is now The Grub Company and still a good place to eat. With the economic situation today most athletic teams need a restaurant to treat them or the kids have to pay their own way. I am glad I got all those meals payed for by Batesville High School. We ate a lot of post basketball game meals at the Sherman House and since it was Friday night we ate a lot of fish, peas and mashed potatoes. Do not get me wrong, they were good.
Thanksgiving Day
November 24, 2011
Thanksgiving Day
Before, during, or after your turkey dinner I would imagine most of you will watch at least one football game. The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have been as big a part of Thanksgiving as turkey and the trimmings. At one time that game was about it for the day but now we have more options. Of course, John Madden added to the tradition with his awarding of turkeys or turkey parts as part of the game. Even after John retired the tradition goes on. I have never been a big part of watching these games nor do I spent much time with the parades, either. Sally and I usually spend part of the day changing the decorations on the family graves and since some of them are not local it takes a good part of our day. We do enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving meal, however. I get enough games in on other days so I do not miss seeing the games on Thanksgiving. Go ahead and watch to your fullest desires and do not let me spoil your day. As I mentioned in an earlier article, most winter athletes will spend part of their day practicing.
Fantasy Sports
November 23, 2011
Up
Today the number of fantasy leagues keep growing. I have never got involved in any of these but I can see how they can be fun to do. If you like sports,
this gets you involved on a more intimate level. You can act as a general manager, a coach, or a fan. When you watch a game you now have a personal interest in it. A lot of people like to deal with stats and this is all about statistics. I know I see a player perform and wish he played for my favorite team. If you are part of these leagues you can try to acquire these players for your team. All athletic teams have to deal with the unexpected things like injuries to key players and the task of trying to replace them. You deal with the same types of things in these leagues. This makes every game played mean something and helps the sport junkie find ways to while away the time. I have seen people get so involved in these activities that they almost think it is real. I imagine there are a few wives out there who have another view of this topic.
Walt Maher
November 22, 2011
Walt Maher died a few weeks ago at the age of 81. It seems like just yesterday that he was doing sports for Cincinnati TV. Walt actually retired in 1997 after suffering a mild stroke. The Maysville native started broadcasting in the early 1960s and quickly became a favorite of the local TV watchers. He was truly one of the good guys and rarely went off on anyone no matter what they might have done. He tried to see the good in people and choose to report that. Walt and Joe Nuxhall were two of a kind. Too many reporters today want to dwell on sensationalism and fail to show the nice side of sports. Walt would make you feel at home and tried to get all sides of a story together to make it a go. He seldom failed to get this done. For over thirty years he was the face and voice of Cincinnati sports. He will be missed by all who knew him. If you want to be a sportscaster it would do you well to study the work of Walt Maher.
Vacations
November 21, 2011
This week most families will be doing
something special for Thanksgiving. This will lead
to the age old problem of – what will my son or
daughter do about their practice time? - during the
school break. For the coach this is a no brainer.
They need their whole team at practice because they
have a game coming up and do not have a break. For
the parent they want the whole family together. For
the kid they probably would rather be at practice
rather than visiting a relative. The only exception
might be a trip to some exotic spot. I know most
parents plan ahead and know they need to stay home
so their kids can practice. The coach needs all
their athletes to make the practice meaningful. When
I coached I told my kids at the beginning of a
season when we would practice and informed them what
I expected of them and made sure the parents knew
this as well. I know family time is precious but in
the eyes of the coach, the bottom line is if you won
or lost and not how you practiced. If you have this
situation as a parent, please see the coach early so
a solution can be reached. Do not wait until
Wednesday to tell the coach.
Grandparents
November 18, 2011
It is so nice that many schools are giving passes to the senior citizens of their district. What a help to a person on a fixed income. Not only can those with grandkids playing now but to all older citizens the games can be seen without using too much of that precious nest egg. This is really a big help when these kids are younger because they are so proud when grandpa and grandma get to see them play. Since kids start today at 4 or 5, these are a lot of games to go see before the kid reaches 18. It also makes it possible for larger families to spread out the costs of going to games. It also helps to fill up gymnasiums which make it a great environment for the kids to play in. This also makes these people much more likely to not only help with fundraisers but also be able to contribute a little more to them. It is a win-win for everyone. Thanks to these schools systems.
Recruiting
November 17, 2011
I know everyone knows how competitive college recruiting is. Did you know that some basketball prospects are being hounded as early as the 7th grade? People tell me that in the inner cities college coaches can be seen at jr.-hi games looking at the Afro American youth. They know that to get these blue chippers you have to be known to them very early. Because of some of these kids home life it is very tempting for them to seek help for their families in many ways. The basketball floor is the best and most lucrative and safest way out of poverty. In some individual sports like tennis and swimming this recruiting of all races of youth may start even earlier. I know college athletics is big business but to the average youth their childhood is more important than a basketball or football program. I wish there was a way to keep recruiters at bay until a kid was at least 16. I know this is a dream world but what a burden to put on a young kid and his parents. It has become the norm today because if you do not put these good athletes out there where they get seen you will not get the monetary help that is out there. At $20,000-50,000 a college this is big time pressure.
Another Dunker Story
November 16, 2011
Bill Dunker was easy to poke fun at. Most of the time Bill was the one who got it started. He liked to see what kind of rise he could get out of people. He could dish it as just as well as he could take it but one thing was sacred to Bill. You had better not make fun of baseball or its players. Bill was at a Reds game in the 70s when the Big Red Machine was in its prime. I heard that one of those at the game with Bill starting to get on Pete Rose. As the story goes the guy was trying to see how Bill would react if he started to call Pete fat and slow. In a short, few seconds Bill proceeded to list all of the accomplishments of Pete and in a voice for all in that section to hear informed the rowdy fan that Pete was the best player in baseball and he better not forget it. The fan said he spent the rest of the game being very quiet and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible.
Keith Jackson
November 15, 2011
Keith Jackson is 82 years old and living in Sherman Oaks, California. The well known retired sportscaster will always be remembered for calling the Rose Bowl games. He was born on a Georgia farm so many of his famous analogies are home grown. His final game was the 2006 Rose Bowl but BTN got him to help with The Big Ten Icons last year. He graduated from Washington State University in 1954 with a communications degree. He did some form of broadcasting from 1952-2006. In his heyday he could be found doing the top football game of the week somewhere on TV usually with ABC. He had a boat load of down-home sayings he liked to throw into his broadcast. Three of his most famous where: Whoa Nellie, That Guy is a Hus-horse, and The Big Uglies-linemen. He was once doing an NCAA basketball game in one of those large domed arenas. Sometime in the second half he asked his color man how much hay he thought they could put in this barn? There was and still is only one Keith Jackson. I will always remember his broadcasts.
;
Terry Tucker
November 14, 2011
Terry Tucker needs your prayers. Terry has kidney problems and is looking for a new kidney. Terry was a star basketball player at Jac-Cen-Del. I remember a game in the sectional at Greensburg in which Terry hit every shot imaginable. One was late in the game and I swear he was 35 feet from the basket.
Terry is the son of Ray Tucker and both are members of the Ripley County Hall of Fame. Terry has a daughter who was an Indiana high school pole vault champion at Lawrence Central and is now doing it quite well in college. Keep Terry in your prayers as he fights to get his health back. The Tuckers are good people and will really appreciate your concern.
Number One
November 11, 2011
I thought it would be appropriate to do something today with a letter one in it. A lot of people will be doing something today because they believe this set of numbers is magic in some way or another. I will not be one of them. I would like to add my thoughts on what is the no. 1 high school sport. If you talk about money brought in it would be basketball. If you talk about participation you might get an argument between track and football. Football would win in boys only but track probably wins in total numbers. If you think of fan involvement at games it probably is basketball again. Then there is the sport that can be a lifetime sport and tennis and golf come to the front. If you want to stay in shape take up running and swimming. That puts them close to the top. If you like individual participation you have a wide variety of sports to choose from. You have individual winners in many sports like wrestling, swimming, track, tennis, cross country, and so on. I guess I did not settle which is no.1 is but simply show that whatever you choose there is a way to make it no. 1 for someone. Go out and enjoy a good game this weekend.
Dr. Jerry Punch
November 10, 2011
If you are a fan of NASCAR you are very familiar with Jerry Punch. He has been a part of NASCAR since the 1980s. He was born in 1953 and started out as an ER doctor. When he was younger he dabbled with local sport broadcasting and it eventually lead to his career with auto racing. He began as a pit reporter for races. He then moved into the booth and did several years as a commentator, announcer, and the like. As NASCAR changed its broadcast alignment he went back to the pit reporting. He was credited with saving the life of Rusty Wallace, a fellow reporter, when Rusty was still racing. He was in the pits and got to Rusty before any other medical personnel. Jerry also does college football games and can be seen on some of the lesser known games. He also does local sports in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Punch is well versed in auto racing and is a well known part of the racing scene. He still keeps up to date with medicine and is a good asset in the pits at races. He is right there and can add instant medical help. By the way, he is a pretty good reporter as well. TV broadcasting must pay pretty well to keep him in it rather than a regular practice.
Old Gym Floors
November 9, 2011
How many of you played basketball on the overlapping gym floors? I did. The gyms were smaller so the center line overlapped. In order to get a full sized half court for offense they had to extent the center line into the back court. This led to the extra lines in the center of the gym. This made for some unusual calls in games that still used these floors after most gyms were large enough to eliminate this situation. Kids would look down and see a line so they would panic and through a ball back thinking they were crossing the center. Referees had to remember this extra line and sometimes led to a weird look on their faces as they almost blew their whistle for an over and back and then realized that the real line was a few feet back up the court. The real weird sights were the out of bound lines developed because the wall was right up against the playing floor. This line was usually dotted so you knew were you could stand to make the throw in. Some of these, like Batesville, use these gyms for some lower grade games. Add volleyball lines and these gyms looked like a maze.
Busy Times
November 8, 2011
Most sport seasons overlap these days. This time of the year is no different. The regular seasons of college football teams are rapidly winding down. The lucky ones will have a conference playoff game and a bowl game. I hope your favorite team gets one. Basketball in high school is just around the corner. Girls begin first and then the boys a couple weeks later. Swimming and wrestling are about to get underway and will go through the heart of winter. Pro basketball, football, and hockey are all going on. If you live in a city with large enough enrollments you will also have gymnastics. Just so your athlete is not sitting around the out of season sporting teams are in off-season conditioning or in a club playing schedule. Who says there is nothing to do?
Moores Hill Buddies
November 7, 2011
Recently I had breakfast with some friends of Glen Butte and I. All three played for Glen at Moores Hill High School. Ken McIntosh went on to coach and be an administrator in schools in S.E. Indiana and other locations. He was at Rising Sun when he retired. He played baseball and basketball under Glen. Steve and Larry Bolin both were history teachers and coaches in their teaching careers. Steve went to Florida and did most of his work their. His son won a state basketball title while in high school in that state. He now runs a golf cart rental on the Gulf Coast in Western Florida. Larry spent most of his career in the Three Rivers School system in western Cincinnati but also did some school work at East Central. Larry and his wife Sandy have been friends of Sally and I for years. It was good to see all of them.
Swimming
November 4, 2011
Just like basketball, swimming season is upon us. Batesville returns a great program under the direction of T. J. Greene. The squads will again have to scramble for pool locations to practice but this will only make them more dedicated to doing well. Bryce Timonera is back for his junior year and should be poised to make another run at a state title. It is amazing the number of superb athletes Batesville has developed in the past few years. It is a tribute to the kids of this area and to their families who support them. Also, Batesville has provided the school environment that keeps these great athletes competing in out town. The next time someone is bashing public education remind them of Batesville schools and the job they are doing. Good luck to Bryce and the rest of our swimmers on their quest to dethrone E. Central.
High School Basketball
November 3, 2011
Before we know it high school basketball will be
back in full swing. The girls teams will get
underway in a few days and the boys will follow that
up a couple of weeks later. Batesville returns a lot
of letter winners from last year and has a great
nucleus to build on. The Batesville boys graduated
some great seniors but also return some potent
offensive players to build a team on. Greensburg has
a slew of veterans returning to the boys squad and
will be a contender for another EIAC title. Franklin
County has a good nucleus returning on the girls
team. Watch for Lawrenceburg girls making a comeback
with Bill Snyder at the helm this year. As usual
East Central will be in the mix for both the boys
and the girls. The county teams will do some
rebuilding but S. Ripley has a strong contingent of
lady Raiders returning. Never count out a Scott
Smith or David Bradshaw team despite huge graduation
holes to fill. Milan is building again but should be
better this year. All I know is I am looking forward
to the seasons.
Michael Vick
November 2, 2011
I am certainly glad the Michael Vick has straightened out his life. What I think is wrong with our society today is that he signed recently for 100 million dollars to play for the next 6 years. This, of course, is not breaking any laws but at the same time several million Americans are out of work and are losing everything. What is wrong with a society that allows this type of inequality? Congress sits and argues about who is to blame but does nothing to correct it. Each day more people are losing their homes yet pro basketball and pro football both went on strike because they were upset making the piddly million dollar salaries.
I am trying to do my part. I have not attended a pro game in years. I refuse to pay 60 -100+ dollars for any seat at a pro game. If we want to do the right thing, athletes, movie stars, other entertainers and the like need to come back to reality until all Americans can join in the bonanza. The owners and the production companies and TV are out of reality. No one can blame a person for making all he can. We will continue to gripe, however, until we are making the same amount. Thanks for listening to my gripe of the day.
Referees
November 1, 2011
As a former basketball coach, I used to get on referees just like all the coaches did. In fact, for a time I was pretty aggressive with my comments. The real art on dealing with referees is being able to get your point across without aggravating them. One of the best referees to deal with was Steve Welmer from Columbus, Indiana. You could talk to Steve, bring up your concern, and not get him mad. This allowed you to change the flow of a game in a legal and not adversary way. If a coach constantly rags on an official, they really hurt the team. The official, like any human being, simply gets tired of it. Even if he is not trying, his calls start going the other way. The hardest referring job, I believe, is trying to umpire a pro tennis match. This is one job where you could not pay me enough to sit in that chair. First of all, most pro athletes are prima donnas and believe the world owes them a living. Secondly, the calls you have to make are always on the edge of controversy. It takes pretty good eyes to see a 150 mph serve stay in or be out. Most of you have seen the abuse that these umpires take. In most other sports the decisions are usually less questionable. In fact, with all the instant replays we now have a lot of officials get a chance to change their call. Believe me; any official earns his pay no matter how bad you think they might be.
World Series
October 31, 2011
Who are the teams that lead the all-time World Series participations and titles? The Yankees are the 1st to come to mind for everybody. They have won 27 championships in 40 appearances. The Cardinals are next with 11 and then I was surprised at the next team. The Oakland Athletics have won 9 titles. The Boston Red Sox come in next with 7 titles followed by The Dodgers and giants with 6 each. Our Cincinnati Reds follow with 5 titles and are joined by Pittsburgh with 5 also. I believe 21 cities have had at least 1 title. The San Francisco Giants are defending champions but will not be a factor this year. Everyone, of course, knows the tale of the Cubs with their 100 year absence from the World Series scene. They do have 2 previous titles to show for their efforts.
Streaks
October 28, 2011
The Batesville High School volleyball team has quite a streak going in the Ripley County Meet. This year they won their 11th straight title and I believe most of these have been straight set wins the last few years. The very inexperienced varsity team is not as dominant as they have been for the last few years but they are better than average and on any given night they can play with the best of them. Under the leadership of Kateri Paul and Jody Thomas this young team will be quite a force later this year and certainly next year. With only a couple of senior letter winners they have to rely on a lot of sophomores to man key positions. Just like most of the fall sports at BHS they are trying to stay strong despite a shortened list of seniors. The streak is a great accomplishment girls.
TV and Sports
October 27, 2011
We now have high school games being televised on ESPN and some other outlets. These games are always set up to fit a TV schedule. It does not matter what night of the week this falls on or how far some schools are asked to travel. You cannot blame the athletic programs from agreeing to do so because they need the revenue to survive but what is lost in this is the fact that school is the last thought of the promoters. The fact that a Florida school might travel to New York to play a Wednesday night game is of little consequence. This means that these kids probably miss two days of school. A lot of these kids on these elite teams can ill afford missing any school. Years later when there playing days are over I wonder how they will get a job? It is bad enough for a team to travel a few miles on a school night but going several states away leaves a lot to be desired. If we go to the continuous school calendars these games can be scheduled during the break weeks but that will probably not be considered if it does not meet the TV schedule. I hope school officials take a long look at their situation before they agree to too many of these games.
High School Football
October 26, 2011
Have you gone to a high school football game at Batesville lately? If you have not I would certainly recommend you doing so. First of all, it is a very inexpensive way to spend a Friday night. You will be entertained by kids playing the game for fun and not for business. Secondly, you can watch people all enjoying the game in a different way. The parents are tense and hope their son does well and stays healthy. The other adults are there to enjoy a good high school contest. The high school students love to stand in the end zone and cheer their buddies up close and personal. The group that has the most fun are the rest of the younger kids who go. Most of them probably could not tell you who won or lost but they know they had a good time. The grade schoolers play their own game outside the fence on the grassy areas. The junior high students just go to be with their friends and talk. They are in their own world and are just being young teens. The final groups are the fence leaners who want to be close to the action and most of us are the experts at the game. As far as I know we have not made a wrong call in years. Just go out and see a game. You should have a good time doing so.
Track and Cross Country HOF
October 25, 2011
This fall the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches are opening a new Hall of Fame in Terre Haute, Indiana. It will be located in the visitors center just of I-70 on the East side of the city. You can get to it by getting off at Exit 11. It is in a brand new building and will house pictures of most of the inductees to the Hall plus other pictures showing the history of the sports from the beginning. This is a project started by former IU track coach Marshall Goss and ISU cross country coach Welch. Marshall Goss has spent years gathering stories on the history of the sports since the late 1800s here in Indian. They hope to gather and display old uniforms, equipment, and paraphernalia from the sport. If you have any items you can contribute to this cause get them to me or Coach Cotherman at East Central. The next time you get to Terre Haute stop in and see what they have on display so far.
All Out
October 24, 2011
I suppose most of you were like me last Friday night. I was glued to the radio as Batesville battled back time after time and went down to the wire in battling Greensburg. I suppose you could pick out one play and say that is what caused the young Dogs to lose. I beg to differ. The Batesville Bulldogs played above their ability level most of the game. Look for Greensburg to go on and win the sectional now. When you can hold the Pirates run game to so many small runs with an occasional longer one it was quite an improvement over the 1st game. Football is seldom a game of a few feet but with a foot here or there Batesville would still be practicing. Give the team their due in playing to this level with so few letter winners from previous years. I am looking forward to next year. I hope you are too.
Dan Uggla
October 21, 2011
Dan Uggla is a second baseman for the Atlanta Braves. He was traded to the Braves during the off season and signed a big contract with the Braves. When the season started Dan had his game go south on him and for most of the 1st three months he found his average down around 100. All of a sudden he started to hit and before he knew what happened he was in the middle of a 33 game hitting streak. During this streak he batted well over 300 and now has over 30 home runs. The Braves were in position to land a wild card berth and get in the playoffs. Dan went from a huge goat with his new team to the top of the heap. It just shows that if you are a proven major leaguer you have to stick with them because at some point in time their talent will come to the forefront and they will excel. For you Brave fans Uggla will be back next year.
Non Traditional Sports
October 20, 2011
The other day a couple of young men went to the city council and asked again to get a skate board park area. I am not very versed in this area of sports but I know a lot of kids like to improve their skills and have fun creating different skills on these boards. Some kids simply do not fit in the traditional team sports and need some outlet for their energy. It is often thought by some folks that do not understand this sport activity that the young people that participate here are not athletes but something less desirable. In many cases this is far from the real facts. We have been bombarded with enough info these days to know that kids are hard to put in specific slots all the time. I hope the city is able to get a park soon so these kids have a place to hone their skills just like the traditional sports have their fields to do the same. Look at the X games on TV and you will see there is a place for these activities as well as for baseball and basketball.
Junior High Sports
October 19, 2011
Some schools keep cutting Junior High sports as cost cutting measures. This is not the way I would go as an administrator. It is at this time of development that kids need structured things to do as often as possible. It is also the time that kids make huge changes in their physical body make up and the path of many young kids change. It will really hurt the athlete if he has to sit out these years because of school cuts. There are enough other fat cows in most schools to get the budget under control. Many schools have stock piled administrative type positions to their top echelons and a lot of these have proven to be unnecessary and high cost additions to the budget. If a person has a job created for him to simply prolong his career this is wrong in my opinion. This has been proven to exist in some of the very large school systems in many states around the United States. I will say that this is not the case in any of our local school systems as most of them are at bare minimum levels. It has happened at Columbus in the past few years but I believe they have fixed the problem now.
IHSAA
October 18, 2011
The IHSAA has a new leader in Bobby Cox. All the coaching associations are hoping to get some of their pet projects on the agenda for a vote by the board. The cross country people would like to see some changes in the state series as well as a possible class format. Track is always trying to upgrade the state series especially in the handling of the state entries. As it stands several entry forms are due at the IHSAA at the same time in the spring. Even though all of these are now computerized it still requires athletic programs to handle several important documents at the same time which always increases the chance of error. No one wants one of their star athletes left off an entry form or put in the wrong spot. Secretaries are also very busy in the spring and this just piles more work and stress on them. I know Mr. Cox would like to get this changed as well so let us hope it happens. One thing that slows this process down is the controls put in the system to keep every organization from trying to get their agendas passed all in the same year. Each sport has a schedule they are required to follow.
New Coaches
October 17, 2011
Tim Behlmer is the new head coach at E. Central but certainly not a new coach in terms of experience. Tim is back at the helm after stepping down a few years ago, I believe because of illness in his family. He stayed on the staff as a line and strength coach. The Trojans are off to a good start and should be in position to make another run in the state tourney. At S. Dearborn Coach Lowe will step down at the end of this season because he is now an administrator in the S. Dearborn system. He was given permission to finish this season and has shown they can play with some of the teams in the EIAC. It will be interesting to see who takes the helm of the Knights next year. One of the assistants for the Knights is former BHS player Chris Nobbe. I do not know if Chris has any desires to be a head coach in football. He is a head track coach.
Spike
October 14, 2011
I coached a student named Spike. Spike liked to
mooch food off of anybody. I do not think Spike had a
lot of extra food at his home so he was always hungry.
One particular day the guys got tired of his taking
their food so they set him up with what looked like a
chocolate bar. The chocolate bar turned out to be a
popular medicine for irregular bowel movements. He of
course grabbed the bar and devoured it. Needless to say
a few hours later he spent a lot of time in the
restroom. This did not stop Spike from mooching however.
Sometime later, he found a can of beets in the cafeteria
and got the can opened somehow. He proceeded to eat all
the beets in the can and it was a rather large can.
Several hours later I was told that Spike was visiting
the school nurse. Beets have a tendency to display their
color on another daily body function. He thought he had
a real problem until the nurse found out what his diet
earlier that day was. She explained the process to him
and he finally relaxed. Some of his buddies had
convinced him he was dying. I believe this might have
cured him of mooching at least for awhile but there was
no excuse for the bullying to which he was subjected. I
am glad the schools are now working to eliminate this
type of thing.
Baseballs
October, 13,
2011
As kids we used to have to be quite
inventive in keeping our baseballs round and fit to
play. You would start out the season with a new ball if
you were lucky. It did not stay that way very long
because I lived on a farm so we had to create ball
diamonds. This sometimes included gravel and asphalt or
concrete surfaces. Obviously the balls got scuffed and
then torn. The first thing we did was find the
electricians tape. It was black so the white baseball
now became black. After two or three retapings the size
of the ball started to change as did the shape. It did,
however, help throw a nasty curveball. I remember using
a ball so long it was more tape than the original ball.
The other victim of these black baseballs was the bats
we used. The black from the tape came off on the bat and
as the summer grew on the bats turned black as well. If
you were good at it you could get a ball through a whole
summer. The other option was going to an adult game and
hoping to find a ball that rolled into the weeds and was
left behind. We usually got two or three balls each year
like this. Today—I suppose--if anybody does this they
use duct tape.
Batesville Youth Baseball
October 12, 2011
I hope you went to the Dinner
Theatre production for the baseball complex a couple of
weeks back. The complex is quite an undertaking for this
ambitious group of people. Some of the complex is now
done and will be in use soon. I understand it will be
quite a show place when it is all done but not anything
extravagant. Much volunteer work and donations from a
lot of groups and individuals is making this possible.
The Batesville Lions have long had this as their main
project for the community as have other groups. The
ultimate goal is to have a facility that will allow
Batesville to host district and other tournaments which
will not only benefit our youth but will bring a lot of
people to town. This will then generate a lot of
business to help pay these merchants back for all their
support. It is good we have people like Melanie Dreyer,
Mike Robertson and Linda Casablanca heading up this
project. I wish I knew all the other people helping out
with this cause. Keep up the good work.
Coaches Corner
October 11,
2011
I was asked how long I have been doing
Coaches Corner. I started back in the early 1980s and
except for a short time when my health prevented me from
doing it; I have been at it since. It started at
McDonald on Saturday morning, moved to the WRBI station,
migrated to what is now the Batesville Wing Restaurant,
then The Petro Truck Stop, and now Isons Family Pizza.
It is so fortunate we have people like Cecil Ison and
the Cummings to help out the athletic programs in our
area. It is impossible for high schools to fund their
own way these days with the way athletic equipment costs
keep going up. The merchants in the Batesville and
surrounding area keep stepping up for the youth of the
community. I hope we are able to keep Coaches Corner
going for a long time. The kids of the area need to get
the acclamations we are able to provide. Thanks to WRBI
and our sponsors for keeping it going. Also, thanks to
the coaches for taking the time to be on the show.
Rivals
October 10, 2011
The other day, a group of us were talking about the
SLS and BMS basketball rivalry. I would bet that few
middle schools can match the fan base these two
neighborhood schools can produce. I wonder how full the
high school gym would be if they played the game there?
The other part of this rivalry that stands out is the
way each fan group handles the outcome of the game. I
have not witnessed any bitterness between the groups of
fans. This is a testament to the quality of parents of
the kids from the two schools. There is a lot of good
natured kidding but that is as far as it goes. It would
be nice if adult crowds at other sporting events around
the United States could act this way. A lot of people
hope that OA and BHS could go back to scheduling events
again. The problem that developed 20 years ago was
precipitated by an outsider to this community and it was
unfortunate how fans reacted to that incident.
Fortunately, recent tournament contests between the
schools have gone very smoothly as they did before that
unfortunate night.
Pat Summit
October 7, 2011
Pat is the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols and
recently revealed she is in the early stages of
Alzheimer’s. It was and still is a sad story. She has
won more basketball games than any other coach in NCAA
history. I hope with the advances in modern medicine
they can slow the process down to a crawl. Whether you
like her or not no one deserves a fate like this. When
the sport needed a leader she stood up and took the
early lead. She was the first to use men in practice to
strengthen her ladies so they could take the rigors of a
long grueling season. When people questioned the
authenticity of the ladies game she stood her ground and
got the same treatment for her team as did the men. Now
the coaches are compensated on a near equal basis and
the game has found its way to TV as well. I know there
is still a gap at most levels but thanks to women like
Pat it is not as wide as it once was. Hang in there
Coach and keep the faith.
Coach
October 6, 2011
The word is used a lot today, but what does it mean
to one who did this for a career? When you cannot
remember the name of a colleague you will call him
coach. You can not go wrong then. But aside from this
when you hear it from a former athlete it warms the
cockles of your heart. This is the time you do not want
to hear your name because the word coach is so endearing
when it comes from a former athlete. All of us got mad
at a kid a time or two but you know they forgave you
when later they call you coach. It does not matter if
you coached them last year or last decade or 50 years
ago it is nice to hear. Recently when Willis Dunker
passed away each of the eulogists called him coach. To
them he was not Dunk or Willis but Coach Even if called
them kid when they played he still is their coach. In
the heat of battle you may get mad at one of them but
later when all cools down a good coach will call that
player over and in a nice quit setting explain what
should have been done and if the coach is worth his salt
he will also tell the player the he makes mistakes just
like his player did. That is why we love the kids we
coach and why most of them like us as well.
Seventy-Two
October 5, 2011
The
number 72 is just an ordinary number unless you turned
this on your birthday. That is what happens to me today.
First of all, I should be very happy that the Lord let
me get to that age. The next thing I should be grateful
for is the memories I have of those 72 years. If it were
not for them I would not be able to write these stories
for WRBI. One of the amazing things you get to
experience is all the changes that take place in this
amount of time. I will sit in front of my wide screen TV
some time today and watch a sporting event in brilliant
color. I remember in about 1952 watching my first TV
show on a small black and white TV. I was amazed at what
I was seeing. Now I complain if the color on a set is a
bit off. The doctor in 1939 had to depend on a few basic
instruments and his hands to tell what was wrong inside
your body. Today they can go cell by cell with scans and
pin point the cell or cells causing the trouble. Today,
I am really thankful for the years and I hope to see a
few more before my time is up. I have a great family and
a group of friends that make each day worthwhile.
ACLU
October 4, 2011
ACLU, this is the new name for Purdue University.
Dr. Jim Freeland told me this at a ball game not too
long ago. If you root for Purdue you know how true this
is. They have had at least one major player go down with
a torn ACL way too often recently. I would think they
would start looking at their training program. Some
injuries will always happen but their frequency at
Purdue is getting alarming. I was told that every soccer
player on the female side had at least one ACL surgery.
This seems extreme. Rob Hummell and Rob Henry were the
last major stars to go down with this injury. I would at
least take a long look at the drills I was doing and how
I did my weight training if I coached one of their
teams. You can not blame it all on one factor but
something surely needs to be corrected. I believe they
have gone by the law of averages on these injuries. Let
us hope that they have seen their last ACL news for
awhile.
What happened to Baseball?
October 3, 2011
When I watch a game on TV today I
wonder how I was ever able to play the game. I did not
have gloves to bat with. I just had to hold the bat with
my bare hands and I did not have gloves to slide into a
base with. How did I ever do it? My left elbow was not
padded when I went up to bat and I did not wear a guard
on my lower leg to void off a foul ball. I had to shade
my eyes with my glove to catch a ball in the bright sun.
How did I do it? I did not have a sleeve to keep
circulation in my throwing arm and my socks showed when
I put my uniform on. I must have been a sight. All I had
was me and a wool uniform. As I remember I was still
able to play the game and I was not real bad at it, as I
still recall. I guess we have raised a generation of
wimps today. Oh well, I will watch the playoffs anyway
even if the players have all that stuff on.
More about Signs
September
30, 2011
Yesterday I talked about signs in
baseball. What you see on TV or at a game are decoys.
The sign might be the first thing a coach does or it
might be the last thing. You can always be sure that
most of what he is doing has no value at all. That is
simply for the other team who is trying to figure out
the signs. I love to see the reaction on some faces when
they get the sign. It is almost like I cannot believe
you want me to do that. As long as some people are with
a team, they still have to call some players over and
whisper in their ear as to what they are to do. How many
times do you hear an announcer say he missed the sign
again when a player gets thrown out by 10 feet trying to
steal a base? This usually means the batter or runner
missed the steal sign or the hit and run sign. Some of
the goings on, of course, are just part of the ruse when
signs are given. The player knows exactly whet he is
supposed to do but acts confused in an attempt to
confuse the other team. After all of this I know you are
thinking is the game of baseball that complicated. In
some cases it is but for most of the time a lot of it is
for show. If you get bored at the next three hour game I
gave you something to do to pass the time.
Baseball Signs
September 29, 2011
Watch a base coach in baseball today and watch how many
signs he gives to a batter or base runner. Not only is
there a sign for what they want the batter or runner to
do but there are the indicators, the fake signs, and the
combination signs. You may have to go thru something
like seeing skin on skin for a steal but probable there
were at least two decoys signs in the mix as well. I
remember players who had a hard time picking up signs so
one time the coach got frustrated trying to get a batter
to bunt so he finally just holler to him to bunt the
ball. He gave up trying to hide the sign. Touching the
nose, swiping the ear, brushing a sleeve, or turning the
head have all been indicators in games I played in. Of
course, the other team would try to steal the signs so
you had to change them not only from game to game but in
some instances from inning to inning. The catcher of
course uses a finger count for the pitcher. A simple set
is one for a fast ball, two for a curve, and three for a
change up. Then they get more complicated. You have to
point the fingers for direction, or wiggle them for
speed or who knows what all. It is no wonder that at
times the catcher and pitcher cannot seem to get
together on a pitch or a batter misses a sign. I still
like the time a coach got frustrated and said just hit
the ball dummy.
Baseball Gloves
September
28, 2011
How many of you are old enough to
remember when you left your ball glove in the field when
you went to the dugout to bat? I do. If you were an
infielder you threw your glove on the outfield grass
behind your position. The outfielder would either throw
them behind where they played or some took them to the
closest foul line and left them. That practice led to
some interesting plays in some games when a ball would
strike a glove and take a weird bounce or some fielder
would trip over one of them. Gloves in those days were
much smaller so the chance of one of them causing a lot
of trouble was slim. Even the major leaguers did this at
one time. Also, these gloves were very stiff and did not
allow the great advantage they give to a fielder today.
A major league outfielder should never drop a ball
anymore with the size glove they use. If you get a
chance look at the glove Joe Morgan used and you will be
amazed at what a job he was able to do with such a small
glove.
Dave Cook
September 27,
2011
Dave is the announcer for Franklin Co.
basketball games. At one time he was involved with
coaching at Brookville as well. He also did the stat
book for the football team and may still do so. He is
the ultimate volunteer. He has run the 4 H Fair in
Franklin County for over 20 years and is the president
of The Franklin County Community Foundation. Dave is a
member of the Brookville Chamber as well as being on
more boards than I can list here. He is a terrific emcee
and whenever someone has a benefit they go find Dave and
have him run it. Every school and every community needs
one of these people. Take a look at your school or town
and I know you can find one. Bill Hirsch comes to mind
as well. In Greensburg it is Bill Wenning. Recently Dave
had to emcee the benefit and dedication of a fair
building in Brookville for a member of the Kerr family
killed in a farm accident. He said it was the hardest
job he ever had to do. The boy was only in his early
teens. Keep up the good work Dave.
Pep
Sessions
September 26, 2011
I wonder
how many schools still have
regular pep sessions. I know Batesville stopped these
many years ago. On some really special occasions they
might have one but it would be very rare. I know there
is a great push to beef up education and there is
nothing wrong with that but an occasional pep session
used to be fun. Along with the emphasis on school work
we also have the blasé attitude of the modern student.
Most of the kids would just sit and talk or more likely
text rather than cheer. That is why it is still nice to
go to Batesville games and still see kids cheering for
their team. In most large schools now especially in the
big cities no one even goes to the games much less
cheer. I still remember the skits and all the work that
went into the cheers at the occasional big pep sessions.
I doubt if they cost too much loss of education.
Old Times
September 23, 2011
The other day after a
volleyball game I ran into an old friend from my
Whitewater teaching days. I thoroughly enjoyed my three
years teaching the Elkhorns of Franklin County. The
school was small and the people involved were all basic,
good families to work with and their kids were hard
workers and very cooperative. I needed this school after
working a couple years at a school with an
administration out of the book of horrors. Working with
Jim Helms and Jim Glasscock as fellow coaches we enjoyed
tremendous success. We had a group of athletes who were
not only good at their sport but great kids to work
with. All of them came from normal families who gave
them great support at home. I still keep in touch with
many of them and I always enjoy contests with Franklin
County because I get to see a lot of them there. I then
came to Batesville and enjoyed working with the same
kind of families. Sometimes a guy just gets lucky. For
many years I really looked forward to going to work each
day. Thanks, folks!!!!
Jeff,
Jerry and Jerry
September 22, 2011
It is so
nice to be able to enjoy the high school football season
on WRBI radio. Jerry Walsh and Jeff Miller are starting
their 1st full season of doing Batesville football
games. Both have nice voices and are well versed in
football. Jerry Stenger is doing the E. Central games on
WRBIRADIO.Com. Jerry is a long time broadcaster for WRBI
having done games with yours truly many moons ago. It is
very fortunate for a local radio station to have this
quality of men willing to spend their Friday nights in
the broadcast booth. When you have stability behind the
mike you know you can tune in each week and get a good
feel of the game. It takes a lot more preparation to do
these games than just show up on Friday night. Since all
three have regular jobs besides broadcasting they have
to spend part of each week boning up for the game. Of
course, all three get a lot of help from the Cazman. It
is always fun for me to get Jerry Stenger and Caz
together on Coaches Corner and talk football. Keep up
the good work, guys.
Good
Health
September 21, 2011
Two former athletic
directors at East central are recovering from summer
surgeries. Paul Ehrman is doing well in his recuperation
from a serious motorcycle accident. Paul and Karen were
participating in the buddy Riley Charity run in May when
their cycle skidded on St. Marys Road. Both Paul and
Karen were seriously injured. Paul is now walking with a
walker and well on his way to full recover. Paul stated
that his motorcycle days were officially over. David
Jarvis had two surgeries this past spring and summer and
is doing much better as he starts his retirement. David
had an Achilles repaired and while this was being done
they discovered further problems internally. David lost
a lot of weight but is reported now on the road to
recovery. I do not think this is the way he planned for
his retirement to go but we wish both of these athletic
directors full recovery and an enjoyable fall. Both men
do super jobs for East Central.
When to
Quit?
September 20, 2011
When do you call off the troops if you are coaching
in a one sided football game? This question comes up a
lot. My thought today is that you put in the reserves
when you feel it is a fail-proof lead and let them play.
I do not like the policy of putting in the reserves and
then not letting them play a regular game. I believe you
put them in and they run the regular offense but you do
not call any razzle dazzle stuff. If you are a passing
team you still pass a little but no home run stuff or
halfback option passes. I do not like the coach who
sends the kids in and then will only allow them to run a
simple dive or the quarterback sneaks each play and then
punts. These kids deserve to play. They practice just as
hard as the starters. Of course, when you are inside a
minute you take the knee and go home. Other sporting
events dictate different tactics depending on the sport.
In track it is hard not to run hard or in soccer you can
stall but it would get very boring for your young kids.
In one on one sports like tennis this is impossible
since you send out a set line up. I quess my whole point
is to say that I hate embarrassing the other team by
laying down late which to me as a coach is saying you
are so bad we have to quit for you to even stand a
chance.
Bert
Blyeven
September 19, 2011
Aalbert Blijleven
or Bert Blyeven was born on 4-6-51 in the Netherlands.
He is the first player from the Netherlands ever to be
inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. This occurred
this year and it was his 14th attempt to get in. No one
can figure out why it took so long for what all baseball
experts call the best curve ball pitcher who ever played
the game. He played most of his career for the Minnesota
Twins. He was a two-time All Star and a two-time World
Series Champ. He pitched a no-hitter in 1977. For his
career he had over 3,000 strike outs and 50+ shut outs.
He won 287 games and lost 250 with a 3.31 ERA. He
pitched in 692 games with all but 7 as a starter. Bert
pitched 242 complete games with 60 of them being shut
outs. He only allowed 4,632 hits in the 4,970 innings
that he pitched. Despite all of these statistics I just
gave you, the sports writers took 14 years to decide he
might have been a pretty good pitcher. Maybe they have
something against the Dutch. He is now retired and
living with his wife in the Minneapolis area.
Erin
Andrews
September 16, 2011
Erin was born in
Lewiston, Maine but grew up in Tampa, Florida where her
dad was an investigative reporter. She was a 2000 grad
of UF as a telecommunications major. At Florida she was
a member of ZTA sorority and a Dazzler team member for
their basketball games. This would later be a good intro
to Dancing With The Stars. She started work with FSN.
Later she went to the Sunshine Network, and then TBS and
Turner South. In 2004 she hit the big time with ESPN.
She first appeared as a sideline reporter for college
football and then moved up to Saturday Nite Prime Time
football. Erin has done Big Ten basketball reporting and
major league baseball. In 2010 she was promoted to
college game day for ESPNU and now also appears on GMA.
She is by most accounts, the sexiest sideline reporter
on TV. Of course, one man took this to extreme and was
arrested for taping her unknowingly in her hotel room.
He has since been convicted of this incident. Erin
should be known for good reporting because she is
certainly more than just a pretty face.
Joe
Paterno
September 15, 2011
Joe Paterno is coaching in his 47th year at Penn State.
He had a record of 401-135-3 when this season started.
At the age of 84 he is a modern wonder on the sidelines.
He is paid $1,030,000 annually. Not a bad gig for a
normally retired person. He is the 1st coach to reach
400 football victories and is the only one to do so. He
has been at Penn State continuously since 1966. Joe is
one of 3 active coaches already in the hall of fame. The
other two are Chris Ault and John Gagliardi. He also has
more bowl victories than any other coach. Joe coached 5
undefeated teams so far in his career and was the Coach
of the Year in 2005. The question keeps coming up as to
his value at this time in his career. Is he still the
leader of Penn State or is he just a figure head and his
assistants are doing the job and he is getting the
credit? No matter how you see this, Joe can certainly
coach and still seems to be able to recruit kids to come
to his school. I am afraid one of these days he will be
found dead in his office but maybe that is how he wants
to go.
College Football
September 14,
2011
Ohio State just reloaded even
if all the shells are not yet in their gun. Notre Dame
found out they are not on top just yet and it may take
awhile. The SEC is loaded again so what else is new. As
usual a MAC school upset a Big Ten school. Some day they
may figure out these schools are pretty good. I sure
hope we do not see any more wholesale conference
jumping. It is bad enough how money affects college
sports already and if the big schools keep jumping to
the major conferences we will have the same mismatch
here that is so prevalent in pro sports. The Big Ten
held out as long as they could, I suppose, but finally
joined the others and now have a playoff to add to the
coiffures. I wish I knew the answer to how to pay for
sports so the kids got to play them and we got to see
them without financing the house to go see them.
Mark Ferguson
September 13, 2011
It is rumored that Mark
might be thinking of retiring after this school year. I
would not put a whole lot of money on this happening
just yet. Mark has been the athletic director at
Batesville since the 1990s. Before that he was an
English teacher and wrestling coach at BHS. He had a
state champ in Mike Daily. Mark has taken a good
athletic program and turned it into an even better one
and will be a hard man to replace if this is his last
year. Because of budget cuts he also has to handle all
the programs in the Batesville School System not just
the high school. All programs at Batesville have grown
under the leadership of Mark and have reached new
heights in many areas. He has found ways to keep the
programs at high levels despite a huge cut in funding
due to the recession. Except for the salaries of coaches
all other funding must be raised by the sport programs
and this now involves many combined efforts by the
sport, its parents, and the general public. Also, you
now have at least 17 high school programs to fund and
many more in the lower levels. When you see Mark at a
game, tell him thanks.
Fall Sports
September 12, 2011
Well, fall sports are underway at
all the local high schools. East Central and Franklin
County are off and running in football with the outcome
of their game may be the deciding factor in the EIAC
championship this year. Batesville Girl Soccer is one of
the states bests and has a veteran cast to take them
into the tournament. OA has a great team in cross
country vying for a sectional title in the Ladies
Division. In fall golf both BHS and Franklin County are
trying to win an EIAC title. Batesville won a sectional
last fall. It does not matter if your team is number one
right now, however, get out there and support them.
Please so not complain if you have to pay to see them.
They need the support in money as well as in cheers.
Tom Meyer
September 9, 2011
Tom is the current
girls golf coach at BHS. For several years he was also
the boys golf coach. Tom played golf while at Batesville
High School and at one time held the school record. He
set it at a meet at the Dearborn County Golf Course. If
you have ever played this course you know it is hilly
and has narrow fairways. I asked Tom how he was able to
shoot a low 40 score on this tough course. Tom said he
played a good round but was a bit lucky as well. He said
he knew how to use the cart paths to his advantage. He
might have called it luck but I think he really was good
enough to play some balls off the asphalt for a longer
drive. If you can do this and keep the ball in play you
are not lucky, you are good. I would imagine Tom got a
few good golf tips from his dad who still is a pretty
good golfer as well as his other coaches.
Bob Cousy
September 8, 2011
Last month Bob Cousy turned 83.
That is hard to fathom. Bob was born in New York City
and played college ball at Holy Cross. At Holy Cross he
was a 3-time All-American and twice led the Crusaders to
the NCAA tournament. The years were 1948 and 1950. The
Boston Celtics obtained him when he refused to sign with
the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. Bob led them to 6 NBA titles
and was a 13-time All-Star. He was named to 12 1st or
2nd team NBA squads. He led the league in assists his
first eight seasons. His style of play speeded up the
NBA and brought about what has since become a high
scoring style that is slowed down only by physical play
on defense. Bob was the NBA most valuable player in
1957. He wore the number 14. In his later years he
coached the Cincinnati Royals and will always be
remembered here as the guy who got rid of Oscar
Robertson. He did not like his style of play so Oscar
was sent to Milwaukee. Despite this move he was named to
the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.
A Great Streak
September 7, 2011
When I interviewed T.J Greene for
Coaches Corner, I realized that T.J. had just retired
from the Batesville Summer Swim Program with quite a
streak intact. The swim team has won 91 straight meets
and under T.J they never lost the conference swim meet.
In coaching the High School team at Batesville his boys
have finished 2nd for 6 consecutive years in the EIAC
Meet. The girls finished 3rd last year which was their
highest finish ever. Good job Coach Greene!!!!
Alex Grimsley
September 6, 2011
Alex is trying to
decide were to continue his basketball career. Alex
starred at BHS along with Colt Ryan for 3 years. Colt is
a starting guard at Evansville and will start his 3rd
year this fall. Alex was going to play for Linc Darner
in Florida but that did not work out. Linc is a native
Hoosier and played his college career at Purdue. He has
7 or 8 Hoosiers on his Florida team. Alex needs to find
a place to use his basketball talents. Alex is a small
forward but jumps very well and is quick for his size.
Unfortunately at Kent State he got in a program that
seemed to like huge muscular players and power
basketball. Alex, I think, would fit well at Evansville
or Indiana State. Let us hope he gets a chance to use
his skills. His younger brother Quinn should be
competing for a position on the Bulldog varsity this
winter.
Champions
September 5, 2011
Congratulations to three area teams. First to the Lady
Bulldog and Lady Indian volleyball teams for being named
academic team winners for the last volleyball season.
These were state honors so again girls you did your
schools proud both on the floor and in the classroom.
The other champion team was the St. Leon Legion baseball
team under the tutelage of Jake Stenger. The veteran
Stenger led his team to the state runner-up position.
Jake has been in this business for over 50 years. Again,
S.E. Indiana has some great teams to be proud of. I know
several of the kids on these teams will be playing at
the next level so you can continue to follow them.
The
Non Star
September 2, 2011
Every coach can
remember an athlete that was the last one that made the
team. What you hope is that this kid turns out to be the
diamond in the ruff for you. Everybody remembers
Hoosiers and the kid who made the winning free throws in
a crucial game. Of course, this was Hollywood and it
added to the storyline. What I remember about these kids
are the little things they added that seldom ever showed
in a scorebook. The hard work in practice to make the
starters better is what the coach remembers. The few
precious minutes you got them in some games at the end.
The basket they made even if it was in a blowout. But
what I remember most about almost every one of them was
the part they played in the team chemistry. They did not
have the egos that had to be fed. They just liked to be
a part of it all. They were the kids that gave just the
right pats on the back even when things were not going
well. The times you meet them now and they call you
coach. That is what I remember and what made the
decision right.
Twins
September 1, 2011
I saw
Keith Moenter the other day and I thought of some of the
twins I coached. I already mentioned the Dierckman twins
in an earlier article. Keith and his twin brother Kurt
played basketball for me in the late 1970s. At the same
time the Kurtz twins played basketball for me. Later the
Mack twins ran cross country for me. Tom and Tim were
both very good runners and almost got us a sectional
championship. Ron and Rick Galle played basketball and
baseball at Batesville but were too young for me to
coach. I did coach three of their brothers, however. At
the present time there are two sets of triplets at BHS.
The Dickey family has sophomores as well as the
Westerfeld family. Ginny was the track MVP this past
year and both of her siblings lettered in track as well.
Sometimes good things come in multiple packets.
Bengals
August 31, 2011
We are about to embark onto another
venture called the Bungal Express. It will not matter
much who is on their roster, who the quarterback is, or
how well the line plays. What will be the main factor is
who is in jail, who is lazy and plays if he feels like
it, or what excuse Coach Lewis gives for the latest
failure. Until a winning attitude prevails from the top
man to the last player we will have to put up with some
level of mediocrity. I have said many times that until
Mike Brown spends money on scouting and club management
it will stay the same. We also know that this will not
happen as long as he owns the team and makes money. I
think I will watch baseball and NASCAR until basketball
starts. Of course, there are the Colts and whoever the
network puts on TV to watch.
High School Football
August 30, 2011
As we get going into another high
school football season it is again fun to stand along
the fence and watch a game. With my disability it is too
hard to get in the stands so I park my cart along the
fence. As you know all the experts stand there as well.
We have not made a bad call yet this year. If you do not
believe me just ask any of the others. I am kidding, of
course. Batesville has such a beautiful setting for
their field that I always look forward to this early
season games. Fortunately the high school season is
usually winding down before the cold weather hits. One
of the other perks of Batesville football is the covered
stands that keep fans dry if weather does not cooperate.
Come out and enjoy the next home game.
Neal Ploeger
August 29, 2011
Neal is a student at Hanover College
and plays football for them. He is a graduate of N.
Decatur High School where he played for the Chargers.
Neal spent the summer interning at MMCH in the cardiac
rehab program. His work here this summer is a
requirement for his degree at Hanover. If his work this
summer is a barometer of his knowledge he should make a
super worker in whatever field of exercise he chooses to
go in. He is very personable, knowledgeable, and gifted
in the work he did here this summer. Neal is another
example of the youth of this area and their ability to
use the education they received in a local high school
and Indiana college. Good luck Neal in your senior year
at Hanover.
Chain Crew
August 26, 2011
For several
years I was on the chain crew for BHS football games.
For a coach of another sport this is the way to watch a
football game. If you were not quick on the draw you
became part of some plays. The hardest part of this job
was not the physical work but the agony of those games
when your team came up a few points short of winning.
The fun part was hearing the entire grand stand coaching
comments during the games. I heard plenty of them when I
was coaching basketball but these comments on the
football sideline were not directed at me. It was hard
to not comment back once in a while. One of the funniest
happened when Mel Siefert was BHS quarterback and a
leather lung fan yelled to the coach to get a player who
could run in as the quarterback. The next play Mel ran
for an 80 yard touchdown leaving all the defenders in
his wake. This put a temporary stop to this grand stand
coach. Mel also had the 200m record in track at BHS. So
much for grandstand coaches!
Bob Flodder
August 25,
2011
Bob is now in his eighties but was quite a
baseball manger in the old Tri-County league. In the
Fifties and Sixties every town had a team in this area
and rivalries were heated. Bob managed Oldenburg and him
and Bob Fischer had quite a run of successful teams. I
kept score for several of these Oldenburg teams because
I like to be around baseball but arthritis, or maybe
ability, cut my career short. Bob was very laid back and
like Sparky Anderson seemed to get the best out of his
players. I do not remember Bob playing because of our
age difference but I bet he was a good one. I am sure if
Urb Huser were still with us you could get some real
debates going on whose teams were the best. All I know,
it made for some great Sunday afternoon games and I
still miss them. It seemed like 2-1 was a high scoring
game when these teams played.
John Harmeyer
August
24, 2011
John is quite a story in running. When he
was small a pediatrician told him he should fix his
crooked legs because he believed John would not be able
to play sports if he did not fix his legs. The Harmeyer
Family made the decision to just see how John
progressed. That was quite a wise decision because John
was an All-American runner at Ball State. Before this
however he did quite well at BHS running in the top ten
at the state cross country meet. When he finished he
told me he remembered hearing the time 2:00 when he hit
the half mile mark and saying that he still had over 2.5
miles to go. Before that he had only once ran that time
in a track meet for the half mile. It did not deter him
as he finished 7th. John set several records while at
BHS which have been surpassed as athletes continue to
get better each generation. John got a degree in
business and is still living in Batesville. His family
is just about to hit BHS so we will see if any of them
follow John in running.
Cecil Franke
August 23, 2011
Cecil went to JCD High School and then Ball State
University. He was the state 3200m champ his senior year
in high school. Cecil was a self made runner. He was
bigger than most champion runners so he had to work
harder to keep up the high level he ran at. Along with
John Harmeyer of Batesville the two made quite a splash
at Ball State. Cecil became a collegiate coach in Kansas
and began a career in marathon running. He is now a
track coach at Centerville High School in Indiana and
doing quite well. I think the toll of many road races
has slowed Cecil down a little but I still would not
challenge him to a race. Cecil along with the Hughes
brothers made JCD a force in CC for awhile. Cecil is
another one of a long line of CC runners who are also
great people..
Dierckman
August 22, 2011
Cross
Country at BHS really started to hit the big time when
the sons of Elmer and Rosemary Dierckman got to high
school. Roger was the first and was very good but Dennis
made it all the way to the state so people started to
take notice of our program. Dennis wore glasses and had
trouble following courses if he did not walk the course
ahead of time. One time we were late arriving at
Jeffersonville so Dennis just followed a Bloomington
South runner until the last turn and then out sprinted
him for the win. Dennis was followed by the twins Bill
and Bob who liked to fool people as to which were which.
I always felt bad if I called one by the wrong name. I
stopped doing that after I heard Rosemary call out to
one and he shouted back I am the other one. These four
brothers were just the start of many family traditions
in Batesville Cross Country. Not only were they good
runners but they were excellent students.
Dynasties
August 19, 2011
When Heritage Hills and Sheridan take
to the field this fall, two of the best football
programs will be trying to add another title to their
resume. Sheridan completely dominated the early years of
the IHSAA playoff series. They have 9 1A State Titles
under Coach Larry Wright. In #3A Chartard under the
leadership of Vince Lorenzano have won 8 titles. In 5A
Warren Central has 7 titles, most of them under the
tutelage of KevinWright. There are several other schools
that have multiple titles. The following come to mind:
Roncalli, Ritter, Evensville Mater Dei, Ben Davis,
Carmel, Lafayette Central Catholic, Hobart, and the list
goes on. If you add all sports to the mix, Lafayette CC
can be called a dynasty and Ben Davis can also be put in
this category. These two schools are the opposite ends
of the enrollment scale. Ben Davis has been tops in
total enrollment several times while Lafayette CC is one
of the smallest in the state. Of course for many years
CC could recruit because it is a parochial school.
Congratulations to all of these programs.
Sports
Heaven
August 18, 2011
This is the time of the
year when most ladies try to avoid the TV and their
husbands take over the family room. The baseball season
is drawing toward its pennant fever time, college
football is just around the corner, and pro football is
playing pre-season games. NASCAR is still going strong
as is golf and all high school sports are ready to go
full tilt. A think that most people would tell you that
a fall weekend at a college football game is about as
good as sports can get. From tail gating to pep bands to
big time rivalries it is as good as it gets. With wide
screen flat TVs in HD it is a lot of fun to sit down and
watch several football games on a Saturday. The only
things I do not like are the week night college games
that keep players and students away from school work
during the week. With conference TV networks you can
almost get any college game you want no matter where you
live. It is much better than having to watch Notre Dame
or Texas every Saturday.
Dick Meador
August 17,
2011
I recently ran into the legendary Lawrenceburg
coach and discovered he is recovering from a hip injury.
Except for thinner hair Dick still looks like he could
get on the field and demonstrate how football should be
played. After leaving coaching, he went into the fitness
business and ran a successful gym in Lawrenceburg. Dick
is now retired and enjoying his grand children. Dick can
been seeing enjoying breakfast with several other very
successful coaches in the Lawrenceburg-Aurora area. They
include Bill Slayback, Paul Kinghorn, and Wayne
Daugherty. I am sure the feats of their athletes
continue to grow in stature as the years go by. Dick and
Bill are in the Indiana hall of fame for their coaching
achievements.
Family Tradition
August 16, 2011
As I go through the fall rosters of athletes, I keep
running into second and third generations of athletes,
Peyton Stonefield will be a mainstay on the EC Football
team as was his father Don. Mike and Bryan Hoeing will
show up on several BHS rosters this year as did their
mother Donna. The John Nobbe family has had numerous
sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, and even
great grand sons and grand daughters play at BHS, EC and
North Decatur. With the mobile society we now live in it
is harder to keep up with where these multiple
generation families run. The Galle Family of Oldenburg
now is in their next generation as David and Bill
Wanstrath have kids starring in their respective
schools. Bill has a daughter at OA and David has a son
at Columbus East. The Bill Amberger family is well
represented with girls playing volleyball, basketball,
and softball at BHS. This is just a small sample of
these multi-generational athletic families. I will list
some others in upcoming articles.
Practice Begins
August 15, 2011
This used to be the day all IHSAA
sanctioned fall sport practices began. Most started at 8
a.m. on this day so the parking lots at high schools
looked like a regular school day. One thing that always
stood in the way of some athletes was that this was also
the first day of squirrel hunting season. I am, of
course, talking about the days of old because I doubt if
few kids think of this today. The number of farm boys is
dwindling so rapidly that this tradition is going by the
wayside. Also, in later years the state fair was in
session at this time but again this number is so low it
does not affect very many athletes either. The other
thing that has changed is practice goes on all year long
so there is no real first day of practice but only a
more rigid practice time starts. We old geysers just
have to sit back and reminisce about how it used to be.
We went with black-white TV and the GTO.
New
Conference
August 11, 2011
When the EIAC expands
to 8 teams in a couple of years each of the 8 schools
will have to revamp their schedules. Since most games
and officials assigned to them are set several years in
advance this will create a lot of scrambling by the ADs
in these schools. I know some of the schools will not
play all the other schools in football but I would
suspect each will try to match up at least once in
basketball. Rushville and Connersville appear on several
of the current EIAC schedules now so that will help.
Lawrenceburg is the smallest and E, Central will be the
largest. The enrollments will vary between the 500 and
1500 numbers but the majority number of schools is much
closer in enrollment. Gymnastics is probably the only
sport that all 8 schools will not take part in. Swimming
is limited in a few of the schools but they do field at
least a partial team. It will create some other problems
that are yet to be envisioned. These will only appear as
you start the new league.
Coaches Corner
August 10,
2011
It is hard to believe that I will be starting a
new season of Coaches Corner in a few days. The 15th of
August is next Monday so we will be back in the saddle.
I am sure Ryan Langferman and Eric Heppner are close to
forming their starting eleven for the new season so I
will see who made the grade for the Indians and
Bulldogs. Both programs have had lone runs of success so
it is always good to talk to them on the 1st show each
year. This is one 3A-1A match up that is never a rout.
The Indians can hold their own against just about
everyone in this area. I believe a few years ago they
still played 4A E. Central and gave them a battle. This
is a great rivalry and even in a numbers sport it
continues to be so. I am looking forward to a new season
of Coaches Corner and this battle in the second week of
football.
Ball Diamonds
August 9, 2011
Have you
noticed the fancy outfield patterns on ball fields as
you see them on TV? The guys who mow the grass take
special pride in developing patterns in the grass so
they show up well on the TV screen. The most common
pattern is the squares they create by mowing in opposite
directions each other time they mow. Since they mow with
the commercial mowers they show up as giant squares in
the outfield and in the infield as well. The hardest
pattern to mow has to be the concentric circles some
clubs have on their fields. The mower operator sure
cannot be distracted while he is on the mower or you
would have a real sight on your TV screen. Of course,
clubs like to outdo each other so now we are starting to
see multi-colored patterns on some of the fields. Team
logos are painted in the grass. Some of us particular
home owners like to do this to our own lawns.
Tony
and Angie Dulin
August 8, 2011
I ran into Tony and
Angie at a restaurant recently and it brought back a lot
of good memories about his and her careers as a track
star and basketball stars at BHS. Tony was an excellent
high jumper and pole vaulter as well as a runner. Tony
then went on to S. Carolina U. and became a decathlete.
During his collegiate career Tony became one of the top
performers of this event in the college ranks. Tony and
his family now reside in the Austin Texas area. In a few
years look for the two of them to become great athletes
in their own rite. Angie was an excellent basketball
player while at BHS, also. She played that sport in
college as well. It was sure good to talk to them.
College Football
August 5, 2011
It will not be
long before we can root for our favorite college team.
IU is geared up to start a new era and it looks like
they have a good recruiter at the helm. Purdue managed
to go through spring practice without maiming half of
the team. Notre Dame is loaded they say so we should
have a lot to root for this fall. To add to the mix
everyone in the Midwest is waiting to see if Ohio State
can survive the NCAA sanctions. It has been a long time
since IU and Purdue wound up in the top half of the Big
Ten standings so let us hope this is about to happen
again. One thing I hope does not happen though is for
these two universities to lower their standards and get
themselves in hot water. I can live with a few less wins
if it means we do not have to put up with NCAA
investigations. IU is still trying to get basketball
back after the phone call scandal of a few years ago.
Some say it is impossible to win big without cheating. I
still hang on to the hope this is not true.
Dog Days
August 4, 2011
Since we are talking about heat and
high school sports I decided to look up the origin of
Dog Days of Summer. It seems that in ancient times the
Chinese and the Native Americans put a lot of credence
into the stars. Canis Major and Canis Minor are the dog
stars. These constellations are most prominent in summer
especially the big Dog Star called Sirius. It lines
itself with the rise and fall each day of the sun in
July and early August. The ancient people believed this
created extra heat because the sun is also a star in
that text. This is why they thought the days were
becoming so much hotter at this time of the year. We
know now that these dog stars as they are called do not
add to the heat of these days. It is, of course, the
tilt of the sun at this time of the year that produces
the heat. With the shift of the equinoxes thru time the
Dog Days now are said to be from July 3rd to August
11th. It does make for good conversation over the
morning coffee though.
Football Traditions
August 3,
2011
Anyone who played high school football fondly
remembers two-a-days. For most programs this means a
morning session and a late afternoon session. Some high
school coaches push this to the extreme. The morning
sessions run almost to noon and the afternoon ones start
up a few hours later. It is rumored that in some
football factory programs the kids do not leave the
school grounds. There are classroom sessions in between.
I love high school football but I am not sure I could
have coached it. At Batesville the practice schedules
must be altered because most of the staff are non school
personnel. They do not get out of their regular jobs
until mid afternoon so at Batesville the two-a-day
schedule is all one practice in the evening. It seems to
work quite well because Batesville keeps having winning
seasons. It just goes to prove that if you have the kids
and the right coaches any system will work.
Anniversary
August 2, 2011
This is my wedding anniversary. Thirty
nine years ago Sally and I had two weeks between summer
school and the start of fall practice to get married and
get in a honeymoon. I was fortunate that she was willing
to adjust to this small window of time. Year round
practice was not in vogue then yet so you started
practice on August 15th. Today with the demand for 51
week seasons we might have had to elope. As it was we
were married on a Wednesday afternoon. Fortunately we
both came from relatively small families so there were
not a lot of relatives involved. We had a nice small
wedding, a quiet reception, and a lovely honeymoon trip.
By the way, Batesville had a great cross country season
that fall. All worked out well.
New Year
August 1,
2011
As the month of August rolls around we will
soon start another school year. Hope springs eternal
whenever a new year starts so I am sure most high school
coaches are looking forward to their new season. With
the prospect of normal August weather, I am sure most
kids are not as anxious to begin practice. Fortunately,
the high school athletic organizations have some
excellent heat precaution plans in place. Football and
soccer are two sports that need extreme caution as the
August practices start. Soon schools will be on a
continuous calendar so most activities will go through
some kind of schedule revision but that is yet to be
seen. I would imagine there will at least be a shift in
some sport schedules. I think most people favor more
school in June and less school in August. I know I do.
