MIF04

We have had the pleasure of coaching and working iwth 4 of the 6 (Serna, Rowell, Riley and Hearn). They are all well-deserving and we are very proud of them.

The only one that I "know" has been 90 or above is Fazio. I do not dispute any of the BH guys (and trust Eagle 07 on this); however, I saw Hales all summer as well as Thamm and Silva this fall and did not see 90 out of them (although Silva can throw hard...just haven't seen a gun reading on Thamm or Silva). I have not seen Kelley at all. Hales may well be at 90 (he was upper 80s all summer) and has the frame (tall and lanky) to project to that. For my money, he's the best pitcher in the area coming into '08. I do not think Harrington is a 90 guy...my observations have been 86-87 tops. Hicks is about the same, velocity-wise. I have not seen Lott from Ozen at 90. I have seen him and he was always around 85. Granted, he is a big tall kid but (to answer this thread's question) he was not at or near 90. Besides my own observations, I also try to keep up with legitimate reported velocities through various tryout camps, showcases, etc. I do know that the Haley kid (who has transferred to Central Heights and is Rice signee) has been tracked at 92-93 and that Cervenka (Baytown and Texas signee) is a 90-plus guy. Cervenka's teammate in Baytown (Marshall) has also touched 90. I know we don't usually include Baytown...but it is right across the highway from BH.

The Hicks kid is documented over the summer topping/touching 87. He does not pitch at that velocity but, on at least 1 pitch, can hit 87. He is a max effort kid with some questionable arm action. It is effective now because it does product some spin on the ball but one can question how well a player with his build will hold up/progress. He projects better as an infielder IMO.

I am not sure about the "not mention one black kid". I also recognize Coop's follow up post that ADMIN did not do the team last year. For the record, 8 black kids were on last year's preseason team and at least that many were named to the final team. ADMIN did have significant input (via PM) and he has now been pulled from the shadows into the light...he gets to do the team and it should be great. Personally, I look forward to it.

Here's the only comparison that counts: Bridge City 14 WOS 6

The last 2 issues of Baseball America have been pretty good to SE Texas: First, Jay Bruce was on the cover and, today, Clay Buchholz was on the cover. Not too shabby at all...

Unbelievable...saw only 3 pitchers since 1900 threw no-no in 1st or 2nd start. Congrats to Clay. Simply outstanding.

Clay B gets 1st major league win in major league debut vs. Angels. Great day, great memory...just couldn't get any better. Congrats.......

Great job advancing. Keep up the good work....

First, and since I was the one who made the off-handed comment that Clay 'found' another 5 mph while at Angelina...that was not meant to imply or insinuate anything untoward on his part. Whether it be better mechanics, a better off-season progam, etc....my comment was that he went from one level of velocity to another, and nothing more. To those who took it any other way, I apologize. Second...at some point in this rambling thread, someone started the 'whose the best HS player period?" and that quickly became the Clay vs. Jay debate. I believe (and its just my humble opinion) that Bruce was better when each of them came out of HS. I may have a different opinion had the question been who is the best SE Texas player TODAY (then again I might not have a different opinion). The point is, from my perspective, that Jay was the better player by the time he graduated from HS compared to Clay (at the time he graduated). BTW...OL Gabe makes a great point. Another Clay (Clayton Ehlert from LCM) was a great pitcher all 4 years @ LCM. Not only was he physically talented, he was just hard as nails mentally. A gamer in every sense. Again, my apologies to anyone who misconstrued my comments about Clay. He is having a great year and looks to have a great career. Ditto for Jay Bruce.

Good article. Now....he needs to hurry up and get to Houston. They need the help !!!!

Considering the source, thanks for the compliment. To be excluded from the rarified air that 'donkey' breathes may be the highlight of my month. Again, thank you...thank you...thank you.

Congrats to Mid County Babe Ruth....ho-hum....another WS appearance !!!!

WB '04 team went 2 rounds deep in 5A playoffs. The '05 team went 3 rounds. The '06 didn't. The 07 won district and went 2 rounds. And, they did that playing in maybe the toughtest 5A district in the Region.

Not to dog Bucholtz b/c he is really doing well in the Red Sox organization but there is a lot of 'selective memory' here. Not only did McNeese pass on him as a pitcher...so did everyone else. Angelina wanted him as a position player as well. For some reason, he showed up in Lufkin with 5 more MPH on his fastball and went from there. And, again as a HS player, he wasn't near the player Bruce was. People forget Bruce threw 90+ off the hill in HS...which would have been the most Clay ever touched back then. With that said, both have progressed well once they entered the prof ranks. Clay is one of (if not the) #1 pitching prospect in the Red Sox organ while Jay is prob #1 position player prospect in Reds (he's also ranked 1 or 2 ovrerall). Lot of proud folks in SE Tx on these 2 alone. BTW, Aaron Thompson (a 1 time Bmt kid) was not the #5 pick...but he was a 1st rounder)

Congrats...keep going and move on up to WS !!!!

Couldn't have said it better myself....

In my view, you can never have too much baseball; however, PA is no longer a baseball town. Their HS team is not good (they've won 2 district games in their entire existence) and their youth programs are virtually non-existent. It is difficult to see PA drawing many baseball player (or baseball fans) down there. I would suggest (if they choose to go forward with baseball) that they use (or build) a facility in Mid-County and try to draw from the entire Golden Triangle. Using a HS field would be very difficult...not just for game scheduling but for practice time, indoor hitting facility, etc. Again, I'd love to see it. I just think its a tough sell...

Jay Bruce was (and still is) a great player, and a better guy. I think even he will tell you that he wouldn't have necessarily destroyed Homer Bailey. And, he might even remind you that WB only made the playoffs 2 of his 4 years (and never won district). You missed the point...again. And you are doing a disservice to the players and fans from WB who love and respect the game throughout SE Texas. WB has a great run of talent over the past few years. A lot of good baseball players have come out of there. I hope that continues for the Bruins. Just accept that...and be happy with it. They won district this year. They had one of the best everyday lineups I've seen come through this area. But, they weren't the '27 Yankees. Just a very talented team. Be glad for that and hope that lightning strikes again next year....

Shockingly...that doesn't bother me too much. But, do your own list. The position is open for 2008....

Ozen and BH beat them this year. PNG lost in 8 innings. I maintain that WB was the best team last year in the area but its not like WB shows up, game over....I think that disrespects a lot of other good programs in the area.

Correct. He verbals to A&M. Congrats to Ross and his family. Well deserved.

Gimme a break....the LCM deal was a scrimmage (which means zero). And I'm a WB fan. I think they were the class of the area this year. But a game or scrimmage in Feb really means very little....

Just trying to get the thread back on track. And...I am supposed to be retired here....

Geez, fellas... I'll take a shot at answering the subject matter of this thread: PRESEASON TOP 10: 1. Barbers Hill -- best returning pitching staff in the area (maybe the State) 2. LCM -- returns a ton of talent 3. WB -- lost a lot but the barn ain't entirely empty 4. PNG -- Indians go as far as Harrington can carry them 5. Jasper -- lot of returning for 3A state champs 6. BC -- young nucleus powers talent rich program 7. Vidor -- builds on 07's success 8. Buna -- returns core of last year's district champs 9. OF -- surprise pick? Lot of young talent over there... 10. HF -- makes 21-3A a horse race...again Argue over that instead of how hates/loves WB and why. And, last time I checked...the 2007 season was over.