MIF04

Here is a brief preview of this week’s playoff series: BEAUMONT WEST BROOK VS. PASADENA MEMORIAL 21-5A champion West Brook Bruins play a 3 game series against 22-5A 4th place finisher, Pasadena Memorial. The teams met once earlier in the Houston Christian Tournament with the Bruins winning 13-6. Don’t put too much stock in this early season game, though, and remember that Memorial led this game going into the 4th. The Bruins’ offense has been relentless. That shouldn’t change here. FAVORITE: West Brook PREDICTION: West Brook in 2. PORT NECHES-GROVES VS. HUFFMAN A great match up pitting 22-4A runner-up PNG against 21-4A third place finisher Huffman. The Eagles are very tough with Michael Listi on the mound (i.e., 1-0 win over Barbers Hill) but will definitely miss their #2 starter, Heath Arnold (lost for the remainder of the season). The Indians' duo of Harrington and Flores are every bit as dominant (i.e., Harrington’s 1-0 win over the same Barbers Hill squad). This should be a very competitive series. FAVORITE: Port Neches Groves PREDICTION: Port Neches Groves in 3. VIDOR VS. BARBERS HILL Vidor comes into this 3 game series, running on fumes after an exhausting 4 game week including the Saturday playoff win vs. Nederland. If Taylor Robiceaux can muster another mound masterpiece then Vidor will be tough; otherwise, the Eagles pitching of Hales and Thamm (for starters) is as good a rotation as any 4A school in the Region…provided they can get their offense back on track. FAVORITE: Barbers Hill PREDICTION: Barbers Hill in 2. BRIDGE CITY VS. SPLENDORA After finishing 2nd in 21-3A, the Cardinals lose the coin flip and get a 1 game series with Splendora. While this magnifies the pressure, BC has played nothing but pressure games the past few weeks. This should bode well for them here. FAVORITE: Bridge City PREDICTION: Bridge City. HARDIN-JEFFERSON VS. LIBERTY The Hawks are 21-3A’s 3rd place team but ride into the playoffs on a crest of momentum, fueled by their 1-0 nail biter over Silsbee in the district playoff game. The Panthers of Liberty won the coin flip and elected to play Hardin-Jefferson. We think that was a bad call. FAVORITE: Liberty PREDICTION: Hardin-Jefferson in 2. SMALL SCHOOL: Nacagdoches Central Heights is the favorite over Anahuac and look for them to win this series in 2. Kountze may be the 2nd place finisher but Hemphill is battle-tested. Hemphill wins in 3. Colmesneil gets the playoffs underway with Groveton. Colmesneil in 2 games. Evadale looks to bounce back from their disappointing 2nd place finish and, behind Landis and Drake, will close out Normangee in 2 games. Sabine Pass draws the defending 1A state champion, Anderson-Shiro. Anderson-Shiro in 3.

One game format is dangerous, especially for the 'favorite'. Remember, BC went 1 game 3 years ago against another 'underdog' (Columbus) and lost early.

Policy behind it is so that you don't have kids disappointed (or parents) while that team is still in playoffs. Coaches have been adamant about it over the years for that reason.

If needed, game 3 of West Brook/Pasadena Memorial series will be Sat. at noon at Barbers Hill.

Lot of nominees: High Island -- district title and 1st playoff appearance since 1998 Jasper -- district title in most competitive district in area LCM -- 1 returning starter? another district title West Brook -- 1st district title since 1995 in one of most competitive districts in state Thats for starters...

Pasadena Memorial vs. West Brook at West Brook -- Thurs. at 630 pm West Brook vs. Pasadena Memorial at Pasa Memorial -- Fri at 400 pm Game 3 TBA (most likely Sat at Barbers Hill)

Having played there for the past 3 years, and seen playoff games there, Lee's field is one of the very best playing surfaces in the region. The folks over there do a superb job and give an A+ effort when they host a playoff game.

Congrats to Vidor Pirates and Coach Kyle Green on making history today. Best of luck to them in the playoffs.

west brook plays 3 game series with pasa memorial on thurs, fri & sat. it is home and home. they are flipping for home field advantage..

West Brook will play either Pasadena Memorial or Pasadena Dobie (they have a 1 game playoff for 3rd/4th in that district).

What a night Friday was...fun for some, not so much fun for others. Let's start with the fun: LCM, whom many thought wouldn't even make the playoffs, defeated Vidor in convincing fashion to win District 22-4A. PNG did the same to clinch 2nd place. A very fun night for the Bears-n-Indians. It may have been an even funner night for the Nederland Bulldogs who (once given up for dead) have clawed their way back into a 1-game playoff for that district's final playoff spot. If you think those guys had fun, how do you think the bus ride back to Jasper was for the Bulldogs after their 10-8 win over BC gave them the 21-3A title? Probably not as fun as it was out in Sour Lake when word of Silsbee's loss gave the Hawks new life with a 1 game playoff set for Monday. For a different kind of fun, try this. Tomorrow (Sat), the Evadale Rebels and High Island Cardinals match up for the 25-1A district title in Lumberton. How exciting that will be for both teams, especially since they're both playoff bound anyway. Or the fun West Brook had, playing a game in Channelview...knowing the district title was already theirs. On the not so funny side, Vidor endured a brutal week (3 games already) only to lose 2 out of 3 and drop into a tie with Nederland for 3rd place. The last loss was 10-0. They get no rest as their playoff game is Sat at 1 p.m. Want to make it even less fun for the Pirates? The game is in Nederland. The same is true for the Silsbee Tigers. Once the favorite to win 21-3A, they were spanked 11-4 by HF and now face a 1-gamer with the Hawks of HJ. Even less fun...Silsbee threw their ace and lost. So, what does all this "fun" mean? That there are 3 more games left in our regular season and they ALL mean something. Evadale vs. High Island for a district crown. The tradition-rich program of Nederland vs. Vidor as the Pirates try to secure their 1st playoff appearance in school history. The proud Silsbee Tigers trying to hold on to their once-promising season while Hardin Jefferson brings the swagger of a challenger who thinks he might just win. What a night. What a next few days we have ahead of us. Go to all of these games you can. Post all you want on the board. Root for your team. Be positive but be competitive. I guess, all in all, this really is fun...

brook leads 8-5 going to 7th.

4-1 brook after 3.

brook leads 2-1 after 2.

I think it is more 'parity' than it is 'weakness'. Years ago, very few schools emphasized baseball as a 'major' sport. SE Texas was football country, period. Not to say that football still isn't king...but there is greater import in the 'other' sports. That commitment includes upgrades in facilities, coaches, etc. More athletes are playing just one sport (i.e., baseball). Think about it...there aren't as many multi-sports guys as there have been in years past (Granted, you have people such as Mosely, Dishon, Thomas, etc....but those are the exception, not the rule). The proliferation of select ball, individualized training for players, etc. leads to an increase in the talent base. More kids play baseball year round, more kids get lessons and, therefore, you get more players with a higher level of talent. The down side of this is that you see more and more local leagues vanishing but that is, quite simply, the trade-off for increased talent. All in all, our area produces a lot of very talented athletes and, as a consequence, a lot of very talented and competitive baseball teams. Take 21-3A...that district was previously dominated by BC but, with the UIL, it is one of the most competitive districts in the State. One very talented team (probably HJ) will be left home come playoff time. Put them in nearly any other district and they're a playoff team. I also personally think that HF would be a playoff team (for example, put them over in 22-3A and they're in). Some proof is in the puddin' ... how will we fare in the playoffs? I don't know that is the ultimate test but it should give us some idea. Some of it depends on matchups (does anyone really want New Caney in a 1 game playoff?) but, as is tradition, I expect SE Texas to represent itself well in the coming weeks. Now, with all that being said...look at the other side of the coin (i.e., are we weaker this year?). Generally, no. There is always this analysis, though...BC is pretty #@%$ this year but is there best team? Probably not. Probably not as good as the teams the past 2 years that made it to Austin. That is true with most teams in the area. I don't think LCM is their best team ever (indeed, last year's team was one of the most talented teams we have ever producted). I don't think this makes these teams necessarily weaker...I just think it means these schools churn out good teams year after year and it is a razor thin line between how good any team may be year to year. In sum, I don't necessarily vote for either. I think 'stronger' or 'competitive' may be better words. Granted, I'm a big fan of SE Texas baseball...but, as they say, JMO.

What's another name for a donkey?

West Brook will not have a bye. 5A takes 4 teams so even district winners have to play a 1st round.

This edition of our mid-week Random Thoughts comes to you with the known and the unknown...who is in, who is out? who are champs? who is not? What we know: West Brook Bruins are 21-5A outright district champs. That is the first time since 1997 that WB has done this so congrats to them. Over in 21-4A, New Caney, BH and Huffman have clinced playoff spots. New Caney has clinched at least a tie for 1st place in that district. LCM and PNG have clinched playoff spots in 22-4A as LCM has clinched at least a tie for first place. In 21-3A, Jasper and Bridge City have clinched playoff spots. What we don't know (which, as you may suspect, is quite a bit): Let's start with 22-4A. The week started with LCM holding a 1 game lead over PNG and Vidor. Nederland and Dayton were 3 games back but, more importantly, 2 games out of the 3rd and last playoff spot. With Dayton and Vidor having 3 games on tap for this final week, a lot could happen. The week opened with Dayton's 8-5 win over Vidor on Monday. That allowed Dayton and Nederland to creep within 1 game of Vidor...except for the fact that Dayton and Nederland were set to play on Tuesday, with the loser being eliminated. Beau Helmke and the 'Dogs removed that doubt with a convincing 6-1 win over Dayton. Vidor righted their ship with a 7-3 win over potential spoiler Ozen while both LCM and PNG won. Where is 22-4A? LCM is on top at 11-2 followed by PNG at 10-3, Vidor at 9-4 and Nederland at 8-5. Everyone else is eliminated. LCM and PNG are 'in' the playoffs. If Vidor beats LCM (or Nederland loses to Lumberton), the Pirates are in (and we have the potential of a 2-way tie for first with LCM and PNG). If LCM defeats Vidor, then LCM is district champions, PNG is 2nd and (assuming Nederland defeats Lumberton) we have a tie for the 3rd and final playoff spot between Vidor and Nederland with a 1 game playoff on Saturday. There are less moving parts in 21-3A where Johnny Dishon's 'shot heard around the world' (or at least all the way to Sour Lake) gave BC a 4-2 win over HJ. That win guaranteed playoff spots for the Cardinals and Jasper. Those 2 teams play Friday night to determine the district champion. Silsbee sits in 3rd place, a game up on HJ. HJ needs HF to defeat Silsbee (and the Hawks need to defeat WOS) to force a 1 game playoff for that district's final playoff spot. What is not clear (yet) in 21-3A is who will be the 2nd place rep vs. 3rd place rep if there is a tie between Silsbee and the loser of the BC-Jasper game. Coin flip? Play off? One of the many things we do not know yet. In other news, congratulations to High Island as the Cardinals upset previously undefeated Evaldale 3-0. It has been a superb year for HI. Also, congrats are in order for our local teams ranked state wide in the Texas High School Coaches poll: LCM is #9, BC is #7 and Buna is #9. Can't wait for Friday....

If they used the tournament format, they would draw for opponents and (my guess) play at a neutral site. My suggestion would be at Beaumont West Brook on Saturday with games at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Jasper gets the 1 p.m. game because it has the longest distance.

Would it be round robin or would it be this format: A vs. B C vs. D Winner of A/B plays winner of C/D for 1st and 2nd place Lose of A/B plays loser of C/D for 3rd place. I know this format was used a few years ago in 21-5A to break a 4 way basketball tie.

The BC-HJ games decides this district. If BC wins, HJ is done. If HJ wins...its either a 4 way tie or (dum de dum dum)...BC is done. For that reason, I would think everyone other than HJ would be big BC fans on Tuesday.

After last night's games: 1. West Brook 10-2 2. Atastocita 9-3 3. Kingwood 8-4 4. Baytown Sterling 7-4 5. Baytown Lee 6-6 6. Channelview 5-6 Sterling and CV play tonite at 630.

Very workmanlike performance by Bruins last night (although Memorial's CF must've dropped 4 or 5 easy fly balls). Thad Lycan had 3 hits and 4 RBI to lead WB. Aaron Bender threw 3 solid innings to get the win.

This week's Random Thoughts is the by-product of a smaller 'early week' scheduled courtesy of TAKS testing. The pencils are put away now and it is time to get back to business... The game of the week...so far...was West Brook's 7-4 win over Baytown Sterling, giving the Bruins a 1 game lead in 21-5A with 3 games to go. At the very least, the Bruins have virtually locked up a playoff spot. Josiah Svoboda threw 6 solid innings (along with David Murphy's 3 strikeout 7th) and Tim Ferguson hit a 2 run game-changing HR to lead the Bruins. They travel to Pt. Arthur on Friday night. Barbers Hill bounced back from the New Caney loss with a 10-2 win over Smiley. The Eagles were only able to muster 5 hits but rode Kendall Tham's pitching for the win. Coach Stalbaum and the Eagles travel to Huffman to tussle with third place Huffman later this week. In 3A, Earl Thomas hit his 5th HR of the season to lead the Mustangs to a 5-4 win over Orangefield. WOS travels to BC on Friday while OF hosts red hot HJ. The big game, however, will take place up north as 21-3A co-leaders (along with BC) Silsbee and Jasper get after it on Friday night. Shouldn't be an empty seat in Jasper that night. Woodville hung on to edge Hemphill 5-4 while down in 1A, Evadale kept its 25-1A record perfect with a 15-3 romp over Hull-Daisetta. High Island needs a win over Spurger this week to clinch their first playoff spot in what seems like forever while Sabine Pass and Evadale hook it up on Friday. The road isn't any easier for SP as they also host High Island. Oh yeah...isn't there something going on this week in 22-4A? Of the 8 games being played Friday and Saturday, only one (Ozen @ Lumberton) does NOT involve a play-off contender. Friday night gives us: Vidor @ Central, Dayton @ LCM, Lumberton @ PNG and Nederland @ Ozen. Go home. Get some sleep. Saturday brings us: Central @ Dayton, LCM @ Nederland and PNG @ Vidor. All big, big games... Think the old board won't be buzzin' by Sunday? Think those ties in the Top 10 won't be broken? Whew...what a weekend this is gonna be.

I would love to have the cell phone concession for the next ten days or so while everyone calls everyone else for score updates. It is gonna be crazy...good crazy, but crazy nonetheless.