Bridge City and LCM

[BCBBall]

Did either team play yesterday in a scrimmage? If so how did they do?

[KFDM COOP]

BC Beat Lumberton and LC-M beat Jasper..

[MIF04]

Without dredging up the reasons this won't happen, I sure wish BC and LCM were playing this year. I think an Angelle-Ehlert matchup would be worth the price of two admissions!!!!

[KFDM COOP]

Yes it would!!

[Guest bigred99]

Elhert and Angelle both Aggies next year.

I think it would be a closer game than last year against these two teams.

We have to rebuild a little and it looks like on paper LCM is really hitting the ball.

[BCBBall]

Anyone who knows this situation knows that Grif and the SE Tx. coaches have promoted Ellert more than Angel. Angel a lefty throws in the upper 80's has won more big games. Ellert has just been promoted like Montgomery's Hearn or how ever he spells his name. Grif is just like Hearn's dad and promotes all the time to get his players on the big teams. Coach Hearn had a sophmore pitcher make all state above Ellert last year. Coaching politics. Just wait until Angel gets to A and M. They will find out who is the best.

[Baseball1215]

For your information BCBBall its Ehlert, Angelle, and Heard. All of these guys have proven they can win on the big stage, just happens Angelle got to Austin. The "battle of the Bears" will definitely be a good one and could be the decider of who goes to Austin. A&M has 3 quality guys coming next year and I believe the best is yet to come out of Ehlert....just my opinion

[BCBBall]

Please excuse the spelling. EHLERT, HEARD, ANGELLE. Angelle is a lefty which we all know USUALLY has an advantage, based on baseball talk. We all know that Griff and Heard promote their players better than any coaches in the area. Last year All State, EHLERT, HEARD and was it Stone? or Montgomery's Soph. pitcher what ever his name. I'm sure some of you spellers can tell me the name. Point is many of these players will really shake out talent wise when they ge to college. These three we will see at A and M next year. Just don't take anything away from ANGELLE he did get his team to Austin last year as did HEARD. Looks like Grif will have that chance this year if he can get the Bears thru his region.

[hector]

BCBBALL,

1. You are not from BC

2. You are from LCM...gotcha

[MIF04]

Without getting too much into 'which coach promotes better than the other', both Angelle and Ehlert are well-known in baseball circles and have been much promoted thru their summer ball. When compared, they are viewed (or ranked) very similarly:

1. Baseball America (the so-called bible of baseball) ranked them (in Feb. 2006 listing) as #224 (Ehlert) and #231 (Angelle) in their national Class of 2006 Top 400. There is not enough difference between 224 and 231 to spit over. The difference may be that Ehlert is also highly regarded as an OF, not just a P.

2. Incidentally, they are not the highest ranked area player. Zach Harwood (#101) from PNG is. Also on the list is Cody Mire (PNG) at #364.

3. Heard (from Montgomery) is not ranked in the Top 400.

4. Ehlert and Angelle are ranked 19 and 20 by Texas Baseball News.

5. Both will enroll at A & M but not as the Aggies' highest ranked player. That distinction goes to Clayton Kershaw (LHP from Highland Park) who is ranked #31. Kershaw is the real deal and the only thing keeping him out of the Aggie starting rotation next season will be the MLB draft.

6. Both Ehlert and Angelle were invited to Area Code Tryouts and made the 'finals' but neither made the final team. This event is run by MLB baseball/scouts.

These Baseball America rankings are highly regarded within baseball circles. Not that I agree with all of them (I don't) but they demonstrate that both Ehlert and Angelle have had a significant amount of exposure (promotion) by someone. Granted, I think Bryant is open to some criticism (BC has MLB scouts calling administration because they can't get info from the Head Baseball Coach) but so is Griff. But someone has spent a considerable amount of time getting the word out about these kids. Of course, that really wasn't that hard -- they're both very good players and both outstanding young men.

[bigred75]

I do not see anything wrong with promoting your players. That is what gets them scholarships. In my opinion there needs to be more of that. Too often kids who could have gone to college for free or who may have received some kind of funding get overlooked. Why?? Because they did not have a coach or someone in the community pushing for them. Nothing negative comes from a coach making a little noise about a player. :mp I think its a good thing.

[pngbbfan]

With all that being said, LC-M and PN-G should be a good game (worth 2 admissions or more) no matter who the Indians put on the mound to face Ehlert and the Bears staff.

Indians go off to Houston Friday to scrimmage 2 more 5A teams. Sterling and Clear Brook should be a good test

[MIF04]

Sterling and Clear Brook should be good tests for the Indians. Clear Brook has looked very impressive in their scrimmages so far and Sterling boasts a very good and deep pitching staff (Dempsay, Fuqua, Cervenka). Good luck to the NDNs.

[BCBBall]

Hector just read your reply. Explain what you mean by gotcha. Sorry ,I did not get it.

[BCBBall]

MIF04

How did the Area Code Texas team selected do? Is this the best in TX vs other states?

[MIF04]

Don't really know how the Area Code team did. It is 'sponsored' by Texas Rangers and consists of players from this region in the country. The significance is not how the team did....its who made it. Once you make it, and go to the games in Calif, you are on the 'fast track'.

Getting invited is a big deal, and making the final scrimmage is a really big deal. SE Tx had 4 players make that group. Unfortunately, none made the team.

[BCBBall]

If the team had done good maybe they made good selections. Point being maybe Angelle and Ehlert were left off because of politics. Maybe someone else was as you say put on the fast track and should not have made the team. This area has some really good players that played with SE Texas Sun Devils or they were just a really good team. Dishon And Buchannan. sp? I feel Angelle and Ehlert are worthy candidates. We will see how each does this season. Then the draft comes.

[swampdude]

Coaches are often criticised for not promoting their players to college coaches. Trust me, college coaches only listen to coaches who have the credentials and reputation for recommending top-notch candidates. Those candidates come around rarely but coaches are expected to promote their players every year. See the conflict here? Parents expect their kid to be regarded as top-notch, even when it isn't an accurate assessment. There is often a large difference between a good high school baseball player and a good college prospect. It is a no win situation. I did coach football with a guy who promoted every kid on his team including the managers and trainers! Parents loved him! College coaches ignored him, as his reputation was well known by them. He burned bridges from J.C.s to 4 year schools. I listened as college recruiters laughed about his well-meaning promotion of players. High school coaches must have a solid reputation with colleges in order to have any sway with them.

[MIF04]

AREA CODE:

The players from this area who were invited were Angelle (BC), Dishon (BC), Dugas (LCM), Ehlert (LCM), Ferguson (WB), Harwood (PNG), Mire (PNG) and Schnieder (LCM). These invites were issued through MLB scouting. Of this group, the following were invited back for the 'finals', a game played at UT: Angelle, Dishon, Ehlert, and Ferguson. None of those 4 made the final roster.

I don't think I can quarrell with the fact that none of them didn't make the team, but I probably couldn't quarrell with the fact had any of them made it. It was an event with very talented players and the final roster had very talented players.

I will comment that I do not think Angelle or Ehlert were 'left off' the roster for political reasons (nor do I think Dishon or Ferguson were 'left off' for political reasons, either -- they were 2007s and a year young, although 2 other 2007s from Houston did make the team). I also think that any of the 4 would have acquitted themselves quite well had they made it. I admit that I didn't agree with all of the roster selections but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good process.

Area Code is a matter of exposure, not wins/losses. All of the kids there got increased exposure to a great number of colleges and MLB scouts. It was, and remains, a great opportunity.