Diamond teams try to make headway

2010-04-03 / Sports

By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

Things haven’t really went according to plan for either of the Kilgore High School diamond teams so far in the District 14-4A schedule. At press time Friday afternoon for this edition of the News Herald, both KHS squads were 0-2, and making Friday early-evening starts at Whitehouse.

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Yes the Baseball team is

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2010-04-16 10:12.

Yes the Baseball team is trying to make headway, as a matter of fact, they are trying to do it all by themselves. They have NO coaching. The coaches give No support, confidence, or actual coaching. All they know how to do this year is criticize, and make bad choices of playing positions, and make pitchers pitch well into the 100 pitch count, rather than pulling a obviosly struggling pitcher and putting in someone that has actually warmed up. Hopefully KISD will wake up and make some changes so our boys actually have a chance next year!

I'm so tired of hearing all

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2010-04-17 23:45.

I'm so tired of hearing all this complaining! I've been to several games, and first I would like to know exactly who you think should be playing instead of the 9 that are on the field. Are you really saying that the coach is keeping all his talent on the bench? And for what reason? He likes to lose? Grow up, everyone knows that you are a parent, and that your kid must not be getting game time, which is the WHOLE reason you are on here complaining! It's time for you to take initiative and if you want your son to get more game time, then have him work harder, get him private lessons or whatever. The games I have been to weren't lost because of who was on the field, or even coaching decisions. The games were lost because Kilgore didn't hit the ball when they needed to. Sure there were some errors, and some pitching problems, but no more than any other team in this district that I have seen play. Kilgore just doesn't seem to be hitting the ball as well.

Yes, it is very hard for

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2010-04-05 22:07.

Yes, it is very hard for Kilgore High School to have a summer team nowadays. Any summer team in Kilgore now has to be a "traveling team" since they no longer have a home field to play or practice on. This not only adds to the expense of summer ball due to traveling out of town every weekend, but it also takes away practice time from the boys, since there is not really another place for them to take fielding, practice pitching, or even a good batting cage for them to hit on. The next disadvantage is the condition of the field and facilities they leave. They do not take lovingly care of the complex as do the people who recognize Driller for the value it is.

A high school baseball coach

Submitted by Donny Heimer (not verified) on Sat, 2010-04-03 14:36.

A high school baseball coach is very much at the mercy of the youth baseball program. (Not my opinion...look at the emphasis and effort placed on the youth program just down the road at Carthage. Their legacy of High School play-off appearances and State High School Championships speaks volumes. It is not a fluke or a coinsidence...the formula works) Kudos to Coach Val and Coach Blackstone for bringing in a very valuable addition to the coaching staff, Coach Loper and creating more slots for player developement. Their is not a baseball fairy fluttering over the gate at Driller Park that sprinkles magic baseball dust on the freshmen when they walk through gate for the first time. They either have talent and know the game and its fundementals or they don't. A high school coaching staff has only 4 years to take them from the level they are when they walk through the gate... to the last game of their Senior season. His goal is not to win every game but to take a group of young men and incrementally, continuously mold and improve them throughout each season, and hope someone helps them to continuously improve in the off season. The summer baseball program has been severly hampered by the arrival of the PUMP JACKS. Their is only "1" field large enough for High School players to practice and play and thats Driller Park. When the PUMP JACKS arrive, they take the keys from our youth and a complex whose facilities/amenities have been built and largely improved by the generousity of Kilgore Companies, Merchants, and the sweat of hordes of volunteer workers over many years, for the advancement of Kilgore Baseball is... no more. They take over and run our Kilgore players out of the batting cages and out the gate. (Nice covered and lighted batting cages built with local private dollars and volunteer labor) It doesnt take a rocket scientist to see that obviously, this is not good for Kilgore High School Baseball. I would like to see the accounting and understand what the positive effects are for the Kilgore economy. (If someone has that would they please post it for all to see) The only noticeable addition I have seen to the ballpark is a portable building ticket booth that we dont use and the beer garden deck that it took them 2 years to complete. We dont use that for High School baseball either. Who is reaping the benefits and who is paying the cost. I think the answer to that is painfully obvious also. It appears we have sold our local High School Baseball program out so we can bring in some outside college players, drink a beer while we watch them and make WhataBurger a couple of extra bucks. This is just one frustrated persons opinion who has been there and done that and it left a bad taste in my mouth. If I am missing something and anyone can justify or enlighten me as to what value the PUMP JACKS add to Kilgore I and many others, including our young Kilgore players are all ears.

I could not agree more. As a

Submitted by SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL (not verified) on Tue, 2010-04-06 09:29.

I could not agree more. As a former head baseball coach at the High School level, I am fully aware of the importance of summer baseball programs. Unfortunately, I have witnessed very little participation and commitment to playing the level of baseball that is necessary to become a good High School player. Whether it is not having facilities to play on in the summer or just simply the lack of interest in baseball, it is definitely disturbing. I can count on one hand the number of kids playing "higher level" baseball that will be entering High School or eighth grade next year. That blows my mind and simply just will not cut it if you plan on having "any" success in High School. If this trend does not drastically change soon, the fans of Kilgore High School Baseball have very little to look forward to. When you have kids trying out for(and actually making) the baseball program who have never played baseball or haven't played in years, what does that say for the direction of the baseball program in Kilgore? I feel that Kilgore has a chance for some success next year and the year after that, but past that Coach Blackstone will have the toughest job around - that is if he would even want to remain in Kilgore.