1989NDN

Question for the baseball experts. 7-6, Blue Jays leading the Astros in the top of the 9th. Houston's Jeremy Pena leads off with a double. Joey Loperfido up to bat. Loperfido does NOT make any attempt to bunt Pena over to 3rd base! What was Joe Espada thinking? Instead, Loperfido strikes out. Three swing for the fences misses. I went nuts yelling at the TV and reiterating my call to fire the incompetent Espada and his entire staff. One out. Trey Cabbage up to bat. Again, Espada fails to have Cabbage show bunt, much less successfully bunt Pena over to 3rd base. Cabbage strikes out on three consecutive fast balls. Altuve up to bat. Flies out to CF. Isn't the right move to have Loperfido bunt Pena over to 3rd base? Put Pena 90-feet from the tie. If Pena is standing on 3rd with one out, then anything can happen. Pass ball, score; sac-fly, score; or put the ball in play, score. Nope. Not Espada. That idiot has Loperfido and Cabbage swing and miss. My colleagues at work say, that's old baseball. Not the right play now. What is this old baseball vs. new baseball. Isn't the right play to ALWAYS bunt, move the runner to 3rd, and play for the tie? Espada consistently makes the wrong move. Espada and Josh Miller are incompetent with the Astros pitching staff. They never go with feel or instinct. Frustrating. That's a discussion for another day. What's the right play for the 9th inning...bunt or swing for the fences?

Will Michelle Obama replace President Biden on the Democratic ticket? Obama/Harris 2024?

Welcome to the Tribe, Coach Erickson. Go Indians!

That will not happen. I doubt the United States Supreme Court wants any part of this mess. Should the Court intervene, half the country would celebrate and the other half would riot. President Trump will have to work his way through the NY appellate process, and I have no idea if he will find friend or foe in that process. If the trial court committed error, reversible error, I'm guessing President Trump's legal team will argue it. Whether the NY appellate courts agree or disagree with those arguments, we will see. Who would have ever thought 25 or 50 years ago that our constitutional republic would be in such shambles? That's directed to both Dems and Repubs. They all share in the causation of this fiasco. Meanwhile, John Q. Public and Sally Taxpayer suffer. SMH.

What are the rules for pitching in HS playoff baseball? In a three game series can Nederland pitch their ace in games 1 and 3? If so, why can't Nederland beat Friendswood or anyone else in a three game series? Throw the ace in game 1 and get the W. Next man up in game 2 and see what happens. If there is a game 3, throw the ace again and roll the dice. Is there an innings limitation for pitching in HS baseball? I'm not saying ruin the kid's arm or future D-1 career, but ride him as far as possible in the playoffs. Just need the bats to get hot.

+1...the talent swings back and forth. It's been that way since 1950? 1925? The great seasons happen when you get a good group of kids and combine them with a great coach, e.g., Ethridge, Neumann, and Joseph. Just enjoy the ride. If it's not your turn, tip your cap to your neighbor and eventually the pendulum will swing back to your side.

+1

That's even better geographically and financially for the districts involved. You need to contact the UIL and volunteer to serve on the realignment committee. The current committee is like you said, dumb or blind, or both.

DISTRICT 9 Barbers Hill, Baytown Sterling, Beaumont United, Beaumont Westbrook, Crosby, Galveston Ball, La Porte, Port Arthur Memorial. DISTRICT 10 Galena Park, Houston Spring Woods, Houston Austin, Houston Madison, Houston Milby, Houston Sharpstown, Houston Sterling, Houston Waltrip, and Houston Westbury. DISTRICT 11 Angleton, Fort Bend Kempner, Friendswood, Kingwood Park, Lufkin, New Caney Porter, and Pasadena. What's wrong with these district set-ups? Two nine-team districts and one seven team district. I agree with Austin85...why have Lufkin pass up KP and NCP on Highway 59 to play in District 9? The drive to/from Angleton and Lufkin would not be fun, but it's doable.

Would you swap Angleton for Crosby and Galveston Ball for Galena Park? Any others?

Ever seen? PA Lincoln's James Gamble says hello. Coach Gamble had two All-Americans...Earl Evans (1973) and Anthony Allen (1986). I think both won the Mr. Texas basketball award or whatever it was called in the seventies and eighties. Evans went to UNLV and Allen to Georgetown. Neither one had the NBA career that Boutte's Kendrick Perkins had, though. Toss up between Coach Gamble and Coach Boutte, but I'm a slight lean for Coach Gamble...I'm old.

Is Coach Rich the candidate that Todd Dodge, Don Clayton, and Kevin Barbay recommended? Do any of the Ned fans have the applicant list that you can post? Good luck to Ned. It's good times and good vibes when a program gets to hit the reset button and get the kids excited to compete. Go Indians. Peace. P.S. Did anyone over at NISD tell Coach Rich about Reagan's seven year expectation? (joking)

+1. I watched the YouTube video (not live) where Dave Campbell's Greg Tepper interviewed UIL Deputy Director Jamey Harrison, and Harrison stated that the UIL contacted ISDs and ADs to accommodate as many school needs and wish lists as possible. I had the exact same thought. No one called PN-G or Lufkin. And, did anyone at the UIL stop and think, something about Region 2 doesn't look right? Which one of these is not like the others? Crazy. But, it is what it is. Line up and go play. Go Indians.

PN-G often gets made fun of because of its core values of Honor, Pride, and Tradition, but those things matter. As I get older and farther away from my time in the PN-GISD, I am more and more thankful for the generations of PN-G administrators, teachers, staff, and alumni that created all the great traditions and Indian Spirit culture that still mean the same thing in 2024 like they did in 1925. What outanup said was 100% correct. If you are a student at PN-G and you cannot find a group or activity to join, then you don't want one. That makes this alum feel proud and I would feel that way if our football team was 16-0 or 0-10. PN-GISD, alums, and the leaders in the cities of Port Neches and Groves want the kids to be involved from K-12...Honor, Pride, and Tradition meant something in 1925, it still means something today, and it will carry you a long way in life. Here's to Nederland finding the right coach, re-energizing the ISD, and the kids enjoying success. I still gotta finish with Go Indians.

If that happens, Steve DeRouen, Larry Neumann, Monte Barrow, and 3/4 of the town of Nederland will have heart attacks. That would answer the question about Todd Dodge having no role in the recommendation of candidates. Nederland could save money on moving expenses for the new coach...just hire Vidor's old coach, Jeff Matthews. I would be shocked if Nederland went Slot-T.

Did NISD hire Todd Dodge to recommend a candidate, is TD recommending someone as a freebie, or will NISD conduct the search and make the hire with its own hiring committee and no input from TD? Amazing that the image below inside of AT&T, two years in a row, will force a resignation in NISD.

Outsider's point of view, I think Coach Morgan and his staff do a good job at PAM, but I do think that jab was funny. I like your sense of humor. PAM fans and Cowboys fans share some frustrations. Lots of talent, high, very high, expectations, and disappointing playoff losses. Tip of the cap to pakronos...funny post.

Reagan - you have to know this question is coming, if what you heard from a player's mother is true, is Nederland getting an elite coach?

My eyeball test, yes. Larry Neumann and Delbert Spell were excellent high school football coaches at Nederland High School. Elite in my eyes...I saw them take average high school players, coach and motivate them to play above their abilities, and create some salty teams. Just my 0.02 cents.

Not to hijack the thread, but on the subject of RBs...we will miss #33. Not the biggest and not the fastest, but he had patience, good vision, he was fearless, and his ball security was top notch. He was fast enough when it counted and he had the heart of a champion. For next year, #15 will be the bruiser, and some people at the LH semifinal game say there is a SOPH and a FR that will open some eyes this spring and next year. Supposedly, the SOPH runs north/south and is not afraid to put his head down and the FR is the speedster. I'm not a local, but was told our JV finished second to FBM and the FR team was either first or second? Any truth to the chatter at the LH game? Thanks...back to your thread about Chief Jeff Joseph leaving the Tribe. I think he wants to stay a few more years at PN-G. JJ, McDaniel, McCrary, Feller, et al. have two or three more years of big runs at PN-G if they want it. 4/5 of the OL returns, 2/3 of the DL returns, the QB is back, and a few other playmakers on both sides will be back. It's a good time to be a PN-G fan (says Captain Obvious). Go Indians. Peace.

Watching SOC on YouTube. The RB #21 Green is quick and elusive. Yikes. Not the biggest guy, but he can take a pop and bounce off tacklers. PN-G has seen some good RBs this season, but I don't think the Indians have seen anyone with his combination of quickness, vision, and the ability to slip away from tacklers. The SOC QB #18 reminds me of PN-G's #9...cool under pressure and making the right reads and throws. #18 can sling it. SOC defense is fast at all three levels, but I think PN-G's OL will be able to create some running lanes. The game will come down to PN-G stopping the run and PN-G winning some one-on-one battles in the passing game when SOC loads the box. Stopping the run is easier said than done. SOC has some DUDES on the OL and #21 zips right through their lanes. They are playing well. Glad PN-G has a shot to play the last 5A-DII game of the year and taking a shot at the defending champs. We've got a shot...what more can you ask for? Should be a good game. Tip of the cap to SOC coaching staff...they lost 11 scholarship kids from last season and they are back at the top, in the state championship. Impressive. P.S. One more thing. No turnovers this year. The Indians need to hold on to the ball. No safeties this year.

If they clear out the lower bowl following each game, will our GA-tickets get us back in for the second and third games? My group was planning to stay and watch all three games on Saturday. Thanks.

No offense to Duncanville, North Shore, Westlake, SLC, Aledo, or any other 6A or 5A team, but Desoto is the best team in the entire State of Texas and probably the country. Give me Desoto vs. the field and I am taking Desoto.

In 2024, Region III may run through Huntsville. At times, they played 9 JRs and SOPHs on defense. They have size, quickness, and they were physical. The Hornets practice tackling and it shows. They don’t arm tackle. Plus, Huntsville will return their QB and RB. They will be tough next season. All that said, PN-G handed out hits of their own last Friday. It’s hard to run the ball when there are 9 defenders within 5 yards of the LOS. When PN-G gets the lead, the coaches will squeeze the clock. Second halves may not look pretty, but the formula works. I’ll take 26 wins over the last two seasons and there’s a good shot we can rack up 28 wins in our last 32 games. Sign me up for more ugly second halves.

Good point. I wonder if the UIL is losing ticket sales? Honest question. I don't know. It would seem logical that streaming and TV options cut into ticket sales. I'm sure someone, somewhere, is crunching the numbers. I'm thankful to attend in-person, but I'm also thankful that the streaming and TV options exist for the times when I can't attend, which is most of the time thanks to work, kids, grandkids, and my wife giving me a never-ending list of things to do.