bobcatfan

Since no one has yet to post a top 10 list, i will get the arguments started with one. 1A-3A 1. Silsbee 2. HJ 3. Kountze 4. Orangefield 5. Newton 6. Big Sandy 7. Jasper 8. Spurger 9. Hull Daisetta 10. East Chambers Some of these teams got hit by graduation and lost some important pieces like Big Sandy, Spurger, Hull Daisetta, and East Chambers, but i expect all those teams to be in the playoff hunt this year. Some of these teams i know less about than others so I wasnt exactly sure where to put them but obviously they have a chance to move up after the season starts.

OK, the summer league is over or close to over for most teams. So people have had a chance to see what most of the schools got playing for this year. Not to mention theres been a lot of talk about whos graduated and whos coming back so most people have an idea of what players are coming back for the teams. I dont know when the SETXsports preseason polls come out, but lets hear your preseason top 10. You can do a 1A-3A, and/or a 4A/5A if you'd like since thats how SETX does it. So lets hear some opinions and see some peoples top 10 teams for next year....

I agree with Master T, Bluedove, until HF does something on the court and shows they are a competitive team in this district, then there isnt really a reason to talk about them. Maybe there will be some day but thats just how it is now. To answer your question Master T about Orangefield, they will be pretty good again next year. Their 2 biggest losses were Jeremy Granger and Jared Helton, but much like HJ and Silsbee, they still have a lot coming back. In fact, this year they have a chance to be better. They had a strong JV team last year, and some of those guys will step in and fill roles on varsity to give them a deeper bench than last year. I heard from one of the players that OF played Silsbee once in summer league and played them close till the end but lost. I also heard in summer league they have beaten Nederland, LCM, Kelly, Vidor, and Legacy (sometimes without all the varsity there too). I know a group of these kids has been playing in summer league and weekend tournaments, along with open gym. I know HJ and Silsbee get a lot of hype on this board, but i think Orangefield will give them a run for their money again next year like they did in some games last year.

Yeah, i'll agree with you whsalum, the top 6 do have a great shot. Some of these teams i know more about than others, like i dont know much about New Waverly and how much they lost to graduation, but i do know they are moving from region 4 to region 3 this year, and i'm not sure how tough region 4 is compared to 3. But i know region 3 will be tough, so they will have a tough road. Goodrich is always loaded, but again i dont know how much they lost and how good region 4 is. If i had to narrow it down to a couple, i'd say 2 teams, Cayuga and Slocum, have a great shot. Cayuga is loaded again, they were the favorite last year and should be the favorite in a region that i think is a little down from last year. I saw them in a tournament this summer, they are big and very athletic for a 1A team. Slocum didnt lose much to graduation and are playing very good in summer league, they've won a couple tournaments with 2A and 3A teams in it. They will benefit from moving down to div 2, and keep in mind they beat last years champ, Laneville, in their own gym, in a regular season game.

Every year we have this debate over who should make it over who should and shouldnt make the all star team. You want to see the right players who deserve to go, make the team, but that just doesnt happen every year. So here is my list of players who were snubbed and players who dont deserve to be on the team, along with my comments. NL- mistakes Kosuke Fukudome- This is the problem with fan vote, and having international players, they all vote their own players no matter if they deserve it or not. Fukudome is fine player, but based on his year, has no business being on the roster, or starting for that matter. Give me Lee, Bay, or Burrell instead. Brian Wilson- The Giants closer who has a good save total, but a mid 4 era. Lincecum is already representing the Giants, so Wilson isnt necessary to have on the team. Cole Hamels is much more deserving. Carlos Marmol- This guy is a dominant pitcher who replaced Kerry Wood on the all star team and i can understand why he was chosen, but he has struggled over the last month and has an ERA in the 4's now. Again another guy who is taking up a spot that should be for Cole Hamels. Miguel Tejada- As an astros fan i hate to put him down, but the fact is that he's had one good month, April, and has been average at best the rest of the way. With 2 shortstops already on the team there was no need for him. Jose Reyes has actually outplayed him to this point in the season and is more deserving, or of course Tejada's teammate Carlos Lee over him. Corey Hart- I like to see a small market guy make the team and i like Hart as a player, but the fact is, the fans got it wrong in the final fan vote. Burrell and Lee were on the ballot and shouldve been voted in. David Wright- He was named a replacement for the injured outfielder Alfonso Soriano. So why replace an outfielder with a 3rd basemen when theres already two 3rd basemen on the team? Lee/Burrell/Bay have all had better years and shouldve been Sorianos replacement. Matt Holliday being named starter over Nate Mclouth- You probably wouldnt think of this when it was called out, but Mclouth shouldve been named the starter over Holliday for 2 reasons. First, Mclouth has had a better year and more deserving to start and would be a great story to be named the starter. Secondly, hes the only center fielder on the all star team, so one of the outfielders will be playing out of position when Mclouth isnt on the field, plus Mclouth is superior defensively to Holliday, since Holliday isnt known for his defense. AL- mistakes Jason Varitek- This is one of the worst all star selections ever. Varitek is barely over the mendoza line and is on the all star team. Given this is a weak year for catchers in the AL, but there were already 2 other catchers on the team (Mauer, Navarro) so Varitek was not needed and AJ Pierzynski was more deserving with a near 300 average and more RBI's. George Sherrill over John Danks- Sherrill has an impressive save total this year, but his 4 era is not that impressive. Also, the AL is full of closers and relievers so Sherrill is not needed. Danks has had a nice breakout season with a sub 3 era/whip and nice K/BB totals and much more deserving. Carlos Quentin starting over Ichiro- Quentin has had a great season this year and should probably start, but we know the Japanese will vote Ichiro on the team whether he deserves to start or not Dustin Pedroia/ Derek Jeter starting over Ian Kinsler/ Michael Young at 2B/SS- This is east coast bias showing itself in the voting. If fans took one look at the stats and voted based on best player and not favorite player, Kinsler and Young shouldve won easily. If there was any competition at shortstop at all this year, you could say Jeter doesnt deserve to be on the team, because his stats this year are far from all star calibur. [Hidden Content]

[Hidden Content] I posted this on Eastexsports and i was curious to get yalls opinion on the subject. You can go to Eastexsports now and vote on the poll. If you like East Texas basketball, go to Eastexsports to talk hoops, because the basketball forum is one of the most popular forums on the message board, especially when it gets close to basketball season. East Texas has a lot of good teams this year with a shot at going to state. Heres a list of the teams i put on the poll that you can vote on: Laneville (1A div 2, region 3) Slocum (1A div 2, region 3) Goodrich (1A div 2, region 4) Cayuga (1A div 1, region 3) Big Sandy (1A div 1, region 3) New Waverly (2A, region 3) Jefferson (2A, region 3) Sabine (2A, region 3) Edgewood (2A, region 2) Pittsburg (3A, region 2) Crockett (3A, region 3) Madisonville (3A, region 3) Whitehouse (4A, region 2) Jacksonville (4A, region 2) If you are wondering why teams like Kountze, HJ, and Silsbee arent on this list, its because these teams are under SETXsports and this poll was posted on Eastexsports, which covers all teams north of the SETX area. So what do yall think, who has the best chance to go to state on this list (or you go name someone else i didnt list if you think otherwise). I think several teams on here have a great chance, but if i have to make a choice i'll go with 2. Cayuga is loaded again this year and i dont think 1A region 3 isnt near as tough as it was last year. Cayuga was the favorite to come out of the region last year and had a disappointing loss in the regional semis, but i think they make it this year. One of Cayugas opponents last year was Slocum in 1A div 1. Slocum was expected to be one of the favorites for 1a div 1 in region 3, but with realignment, they moved down to 1A div 2. I dont think 1A div 2 will be near as tough as div 1, with Slocum's main competitor in their region being in their own district (Laneville, last years state champ), so I like Slocums chances. But thats my opinion, i would like to hear everyone elses.....

Best team: in person, 1983 Dangerfield, on film, 1976 Beaumont Hebert Best game: in person, 1992 Silsbee vs. Nederland, on film, Plano vs Tyler John Tyler. Best player: in person Michael Bishop, playoff game against LCM, never left the field. He played qb, safety, was the punter and kicker and returned kickoffs and punts, he simply beat LCM by himself. On film, Eric Dickerson. I agree with you AggiesAreWe, my cousin played linebacker for LCM, so i watched a lot of their games that year, including the playoff game against Willis. LCM's defense was really good that year, they had even shut out WOS that year. But they could not stop Bishop, he was all over the place. Just when it seemed they would have him sacked or stopped for a loss he would get loose every time and gain some yards. He was just unstoppable. I thought after watching that game that Willis could beat any team in the playoffs because of Bishop.

[Hidden Content] Wow, i think this a good deal for the Cubs. Rich Harden is one of those guys that is not talked about as one of the best pitchers in the league because he's always injured. But when this guys on, he is easily one of the top 5 pitchers in the league, he throws some serious heat. I think the Cubs got their 1-2 punch for the playoffs of Zambrano-Harden, which i think easily rivals Sheets-Sabathia and Webb-Haren. If Harden stays healthy (and re-signs with the Cubs), this deal will turn out to be a steal for them.

[Hidden Content] Here is all the football schedules for every team in east texas. Feel free to go to the eastexsports forum and post your thoughts/predictions for next season for your favorite east texas team.

So what you are saying is, 6 of his 9 championships couldve been won by anyone that wouldve been in that position. You are basically making the argument for those everywhere that think that Phil Jackson is overrated.

I was just wondering what everyone thoughts of Phil Jackson are. I know you have to have players to win championships, but Phil Jackson has coached 3 of arguably the best players ever in NBA history (Jordan, Shaq, and Kobe). Many think hes just a guy whos always been in a good situation, and thats why hes won so much, and others would say it was because of him they won. I would say he deserves some of the credit, but he would never win a championship without those 3 players i mentioned. I just wonder if another guy like Poppovich, Pat Riley, Larry Brown or some of the other great coaches of past and present couldve done the same if put in his same situation. What do yall think?

[Hidden Content] I understand Hank Steinbrenners frustration since Wang is out now for 6+ weeks because he was doing something he doesnt normally do. Unfortunately, the world doesnt revolve around Steinbrenner though (despite what he thinks). Baseball is an athletic sport, if your pitcher gets hurt running the bases, thats unfortunate, because everyone has to bat, run the bases, and play the field in the national league. Its part of baseball, deal with it. Personally, i have no problem with the current system. They could keep it the same. But if they decided to make the league all uniform by either making a full time DH in both leagues or make the pitcher hit in both leagues, i think i'd go with making the pitchers hit. I just think DH's should have to play the field, and i like the strategy around making the pitchers hit. Thats probably the one part of me that is "old school" when it comes to my opinions on baseball.

I agree Tiger90, based on the past, OF is most known for pole vaulting because of the past success, although the coach who was behind all the success of pole vaulting program is no longer there. And just until recently, OF made the playoffs in baseball almost every year, i think maybe every year in the 90's. So i'd say also OF was known for baseball besides pole vaulting. But present day i might go with basketball. The boys basketball team has made the playoffs 2 times in the last 4 years and the girls basketball makes the playoffs every year. With the little dribblers program being around a while now and more kids playing bball now and expectations are now high for the boys basketball team, i might be inclined to say present day and future could be basketball. Do you agree with me Tiger90 (and anyone else)?

I think the fans got it right for the most part, there are a few bad ones though. Tejada is in a close race with Hanley, if he beats out Hanley i think it'd be ok because he is having a great season. I think the outfield is all wrong though. Fukudome is having a fine season but nothing near top outfielder status, i suspect the japanese vote has him there. Griffey's numbers arent that good, hes only there because of popularity. I think the top 3 outfielders in the NL are Nate Mclouth, Ryan Ludwick, and either Soriano or Braun. Do yall agree?

I thought this would be an interesting topic to discuss. I could've posted this in any of the high school forums but i thought the most people would read it here. When i hear people talk about other schools, they'll say, that school is a baseball school or football school, or whatever sport they are known for. So i got to thinking, what is other peoples perceptions of all the schools in the area. When you think of a certain school, what sport comes to mind? You can answer that based on tradition, success, or something else and whether its based on the past or present day or whatever criteria you like. I am most familiar with 21-3A so i was gonna list those schools and leave my school blank. Post whatever schools or districts you like or are familiar with. Look at my answers, maybe i'm wrong about a few, so post your own opinions on what you think what sport those schools are known for.... 21-3A WOS- football HJ- basketball, golf Silsbee- basketball, football Kirbyville- football, tennis HF- football BC- baseball Jasper- baseball, football OF-

Yes there is. In fact, 2 teams from east texas played for the 1A division 2 state championship this year, Goodrich and Laneville (Laneville won). The closest district to southeast texas that is 1A div 2, is district 25 with Brookeland, Goodrich, Leggett, Chireno, Chester, Groveton Centerville, and Apple Springs. I think the better question is, if there is a division 2 for 1A, and 2 divisions in every classification for football, why isnt there 2 divisions for every class in basketball?

I was at the Slocum Shootout this weekend, and it turned out to be a pretty good tournament with a lot of good competitive games. It appeared that most teams brought their full varsity squads for the most part, although i came up to watch Orangefield, and they only were able to bring 6 kids, and only 2 had varsity experience this year (Zach Hayes, Casey Sparks). The teams played pool play first which was a total of 3 games each, which then seeded them for a single elimination tournament. Here were the teams that came to the tournament: Pool A: Huntington, Slocum, New Summerfield, Orangefield Pool B: Sabine, Central Heights, Grapeland, Cayuga Pool play scores (in chronological order of time they played) Friday Slocum 55 New Summerfield 29 Cayuga 61 Grapeland 38 Huntington 44 New Summerfield 12 Sabine 54 Central Heights 40 Orangefield 43 Huntington 41 Slocum 52 Orangefield 43 Saturday Sabine 59 Grapeland 45 Cayuga 62 Central Heights 37 Cayuga 49 Sabine 45 Grapeland 47 Central Heights 41 Slocum 47 Huntington 36 Orangefield 57 New Summerfield 41 Tournament scores: First round Slocum 57 Central Heights 40 Sabine 55 Huntington 45 Orangefield 48 Grapeland 44 Cayuga 66 New Summerfield 38 Semifinals Slocum 49 Sabine 43 Cayuga 54 Orangefield 41 Unfortunately the championship game between Slocum and Cayuga was cancelled midway through the game. It was a very intense and close ball game but was called off due to the unruly out of control fans. This is an intense rivalry between 2 schools and unfortunately the fans spoiled the game. I have a few thoughts on some of the teams i saw in the tournament: Slocum- They had a very good showing in this tournament, i was very impressed with them. And since moved down to 1A div2 with realignment, i expect them to be one of the early season favorites to come out of their region. Cayuga- Once again i was very impressed with this 1A team. They are very athletic, especially for a 1A team. If they were in this area, i think they'd one of the most athletic teams in any classification. I talked to a couple coaches there that said they should be the odds on favorites to go to state and wondered how they didnt do it this year. I wouldnt be surprised to see them open up ranked #1 in TABC next season. Huntington- I thought they brought a pretty solid team to the tournament. They just got Coach Bartlett from Broaddus for next season and i think he will make them a very competitive team in their district. Orangefield- Played pretty good despite only bringing 6, being half JV and half varsity players. They beat a good Huntington team and played Slocum very close. It wouldve been pretty interesting to see what they wouldve done in this tournament had they brought everyone.

Should MLB implement instant replay in todays game? That has been a hot topic in recent years and now in the past few weeks. Several calls have been made that instant replay couldve fixed, but baseball is still stuck in the past. I think instant replay can work in baseball. If they only use it for home run calls and fair/foul calls (not balls and strikes and plays on the bases), i think it would work and work very well and efficient. For those who vote or so no, please post on here the possible downsides to doing it because i dont see any... Getting the call right, yeah, they'd get it right almost every time with instant replay versus using their judgment looking at a split second play from 100-200 feet away. Time? I think it'd actually be quicker. It would take 30 seconds or less under the hood to see if some of those home runs are legit. In the time they spend getting together and figuring out the call, they couldve already used instant replay and got the call right, and it would actually be quicker. I would like to hear the baseball purists on the board who vote no, because i'm having a hard time finding a reason not to use instant replay.

The Slocum Shootout will be held may 23-24 at Slocum High School. It will be pool play and then teams will be seeded for a single elimination tournament. Here are the teams scheduled to appear in the tournament: Pool A: Slocum Orangefield Huntington New Summerfield Pool B: Cayuga Central Heights Sabine Grapeland There will be games starting after school friday and then games all day saturday, with the championship game being played saturday night at 8:30. It should be a good event, there are some good teams in this tournament that should make for some great competition. I think any of about 4-5 teams have a real shot of winning the tournament. Slocum lost a heartbreaker (up 6 pts with 20 seconds left in regulation) to Big Sandy in the 1A playoffs in OT last year. Huntington was very competitive in probably the toughest 3A district in the state. Orangefield made the playoffs in a tough 3A district. Cayuga was ranked #1 in the state for a while and was upset by Spurger in the regional semis last year. Sabine made it to the 2nd round of the 3A playoffs. Grapeland made the playoffs in 1A last year. So a lot of good competitive teams in the tournament. Who do yall think will win it though? Lets hear some predictions...

Hey Dr Hoops, I saw Brookeland play a couple times last year and they had a pretty good team. To answer your question Evolution, Brookeland came in 2nd in district in 1A div 2 and got to the 3rd round of the playoffs. In my opinion, Brookeland had 3 impact players, 2 guards and a post. If they lost 2 or 3 of these players to graduation, the young players will have some big shoes to fill. I dont know anything about Goodrich going into next year, but they beat Brookeland pretty handily twice in district last year, and unless they lost a lot of players should be the team to beat in this district. If you reply to this thread Dr Hoops, tell us who Brookeland lost and if you know what Goodrich has returning next year. Brookeland is actually considered part of the Eastexsports region although they are talked about on here also. I help out with Eastexsports, if you could post over there you could possibly get some responses from people in east texas, and i would like to get some more basketball talk going on that site.

I dont know if i've ever seen a player have as good of a stretch as Lance Berkman has the past week or so. He seems locked in on every pitch and can drive almost everything they throw at him in the gap. A couple days ago, he had gone 21 for his last 25 at bats getting on base, which is incredible. He's really on fire right now, but for the first month and a half as a whole, hes having a great season, and has easily been one of the top 3 or 5 hitters in baseball. You know he's already setting himself up to be one of the greatest astros ever, but today i read a blog that asked whether Berkman was working toward the Hall of Fame. Here is an excerpt from Rob Neyer's blog today: "Have you ever thought of Lance Berkman as a Hall of Famer? I haven't. Should we think of him as a Hall of Famer now, just because of six brilliant weeks? We shouldn't. But Richard Justice argues that Berkman may wind up knocking on the doors of Cooperstown, and now that I'm actually looking at Berkman's career before these last six weeks, and he might have already been on track for the Coop (Cooperstown-baseball hall of fame). Funny what you can learn when you look stuff up." Here is the link for Richard Justice's article if you want to read: [Hidden Content] Just thought i'd get yalls opinions about Berkmans season to this point and have you ever thought about him as a potential hall of famer at the pace he's going right now. I know it hadnt crossed my mind, but now that Neyer considers it, maybe we should too...

Wow, this is getting ridiculous. I think barring a complete turnaround or 5 more mph on Zitos fastball, this is easily already the worst contract in baseball history. I think its pretty funny. Zito is supposed to be the ace, and in reality he's probably their 5th starter behind Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, and Correia, based on his stats. So what do you think, how many games will he lose this year?

I guess you are replying to my comments about Jeter. I never said Jeter didnt have any intangibles, i know it came across that way in one of my posts. My points about his intangibles were that if he had such great intangibles and leadership on the team with the highest payroll and most talent, why havent the Yankees won since 2000. But most importantly, Jeter's intangibles cant overcome the fact that Jeter is a bad defensive shortstop, he doesnt hit for power and he doesnt have the speed anymore (and hes getting old). When you compare him to a Hanley Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins, or even Jose Reyes, who are now superior players compared to him, it would not be wise to pick Jeter for now or the future over them. The whole captain thing is a little overrated, i mean i dont see anyone taking Jason Varitek as their catcher, who's been the captain and a pretty good catcher for the world champion, popular franchise, Red Sox. Yet i dont see him on anyones list for catcher. So captain or no captain, hes not making my team.

The whole Manny thing is way overblown, because he plays for a big market and everything he says and does is magnified and aired on ESPN. As far as i've heard, he's still liked by his teammates unlike a Barry Bonds. He's known as a guy with a happy go lucky attitude and a little bit of a space cadet. Really thats not a bad attitude to have when the media is always on them, and he never lets them get to him, which is good. I would trade Carlos Lee for Manny Ramirez in a heartbeat, and i'd bet the astros would too. Maybe i'll start a new thread on this....

I agree Jeter would be an excellent #2 hitter in a lineup, he always hits for a good average. But why wouldnt you want Hanley Ramirez(go check his stats) there, who will hit for the same average, hit twice as many home runs and steal 50 bases (and hes almost 10 years younger!). You recalled 2 highlight plays Jeter made several years ago. I find it hard to believe you can judge a players defense based on 2 plays hes made (several years ago too) in his career when they play 162 games a year. Yes those were 2 good plays, although that doesnt change the fact that Jeter is terrible defensively, rated one of the worst shortstops in baseball last year. The fact is, Jeter is just not an elite shortstop anymore... I am a big astros fan and watch Carlos Lee alot. As a fan of the astros i am concerned what will happen to Lee when he gets up there in age and is even less in shape. He is already lazy and hes a below average outfielder, and he'll probably need to play first or DH in 3-4 years when hes still being paid by the astros. There arent many left fielders worse than him right now, and he's no better than Manny Ramirez in the field. Offensively, he's definitely no Manny Ramirez, check out the difference in stats and maybe you will change your mind. Manny Ramirez G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS 1998 CLE 150 571 108 168 35 2 45 145 76 121 5 3 .294 .377 .599 .976 1999 CLE 147 522 131 174 34 3 44 165 96 131 2 4 .333 .442 .663 1.105 2000 CLE 118 439 92 154 34 2 38 122 86 117 1 1 .351 .457 .697 1.154 2001 BOS 142 529 93 162 33 2 41 125 81 147 0 1 .306 .405 .609 1.014 2002 BOS 120 436 84 152 31 0 33 107 73 85 0 0 .349 .450 .647 1.097 2003 BOS 154 569 117 185 36 1 37 104 97 94 3 1 .325 .427 .587 1.014 2004 BOS 152 568 108 175 44 0 43 130 82 124 2 4 .308 .397 .613 1.009 2005 BOS 152 554 112 162 30 1 45 144 80 119 1 0 .292 .388 .594 .982 2006 BOS 130 449 79 144 27 1 35 102 100 102 0 1 .321 .439 .619 1.058 2007 BOS 133 483 84 143 33 1 20 88 71 92 0 0 .296 .388 .493 .881 Carlos Lee G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS 1999 CWS 127 492 66 144 32 2 16 84 13 72 4 2 .293 .312 .463 .775 2000 CWS 152 572 107 172 29 2 24 92 38 94 13 4 .301 .345 .484 .829 2001 CWS 150 558 75 150 33 3 24 84 38 85 17 7 .269 .321 .468 .789 2002 CWS 140 492 82 130 26 2 26 80 75 73 1 4 .264 .359 .484 .843 2003 CWS 158 623 100 181 35 1 31 113 37 91 18 4 .291 .331 .499 .830 2004 CWS 153 591 103 180 37 0 31 99 54 86 11 5 .305 .366 .525 .891 2005 MIL 162 618 85 164 41 0 32 114 57 87 13 4 .265 .324 .487 .811 2006 MIL 102 388 60 111 18 0 28 81 38 39 12 2 .286 .347 .549 .896 2006 TEX 59 236 42 76 19 1 9 35 20 26 7 0 .322 .369 .525 .895 2007 HOU 162 627 93 190 43 1 32 119 53 63 10 5 .303 .354 .528 .882 As you can see its not even close. The 5 best seasons between the 2 of them all belong to Manny Ramirez. Actually, Carlos Lee's best year is not better than any of Manny Ramirez's years from 98-07, and Manny only played 120 and 130 games in a couple of those years, ouch. I agree that Beckett might be the best big game pitcher right now, but as i stated in my last post, he's only pitched 200 innings twice in his career in his 6 full seasons. I agree that in the clutch hes probably the choice, but dont you want your pitcher to pitch a full season too? And wouldnt you like to go into the season knowing your pitcher will give you 220-230+ innings, and not worry about a couple DL stints? Give me a pitcher who can pitch in a full regular season and the postseason. Right now Josh Beckett is far from proving that at this point.