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Allinfun posted:
joemktg posted:

Madison is who we thought they were.

I am a big fan of Madison, and they are very, very deep offensively, I am still not a buyer as far as a tournament run in June due to pitching depth and catcher play.  They are very good, but beatable.  Ha, even if  only by Fairfax thus far.  

I'm not sure you can question their pitching depth after they just won 5 games in 4 days against very good competition. Their catcher seems perfectly capable although I have only caught a couple of their games thus far. Like you said on any given day any team can be beaten...

I'd be happy to be wrong, and I might be.  (They have 4 shutouts and 3 games where they gave up just 1 run, so something is right on the hill)  Nielsen (.52 ERA) holding Wando to 1 run on 4 hits is impressive, Kopka is good (.71 ERA) and very dependable, and having Novak available if needed is a bonus not many have.   Freck can be good on the bump too, and he hasn't even thrown, and Howat and Hecht have done well in their roles....maybe that counts as depth?!  Catchers went 2/10 for the tournament, and are adequate defensively, I just think they are a weak link on a very good team.  They do get help from their pitching staff as they are excellent at holding runners.  We will see in June.

***What is the deal with Madison and PBR?  PBR doesn't even have them in "others receiving votes" category in their top 10.  PBR loses some credibility there. ***   

joemktg posted:
Batty67 posted:

Madison always seems to be deep in talent and always seems to be very good. That's testament to the coaching and culture--long-term success breeds longer-term success. But I do I suspect their demographics help a LOT too (particularly fundraising)...

Same demos as Oakton.

Without really knowing the guy well I feel that Coach Pudge seems to know how to leverage every opportunity at his disposal ... it gives his teams an edge over most other programs, even those that share or even surpass the demographics at his school.

Last edited by Rough Diamond
joemktg posted:
Batty67 posted:

Madison always seems to be deep in talent and always seems to be very good. That's testament to the coaching and culture--long-term success breeds longer-term success. But I do I suspect their demographics help a LOT too (particularly fundraising)...

Same demos as Oakton.

Okay. Oakton usually has a good or better program too.

I'd love to be seeing more of Oakton....they seem like they are coming together.  3 quality pitchers (at least), Lingbach is hitting, others are stepping up, they all seem to be buying in.  That team is one to watch.....I said at the beginning of the year they could implode or be special--they look like they are taking the special route.  

If you have ever dealt with a difficult to control mother-in-law then you might understand the difficulty in dealing with some of the Madison parents.  And winning 18-0 a high school fan has to let anything but unsafe play go quietly-sorry you and your players had to deal with insults.  Given that, I'll say in the relative privacy and anonymity of this forum that the Hayfield team can invite talk from some at times.  Dugout chirps at the left side of the infield and 3b coach throughout the game, on field the normal friendly back and forth is more of a football pretend tough guy talk, and the players display a teen attempt at macho that shows they have yet to be taught to play the game the right way.  For example, a player getting HBP on an 0-2 curveball and yapping at the pitcher and acting tough guy offended when he is a light hitter anyway should not be tolerated.  Players talking AT opposing coaches should not be tolerated.  At Hayfield it looks like those things are tolerated-even encouraged.   Yes, they are teenagers trying to figure it out, and hopefully coaches corrected issues in private and I am completely wrong, but I've seen a few Hayfield games and got the feeling that isn't the case.  If you want the pulse of a team get away from the bleachers.  Go stand unobtrusively at the far end of the dugout and listen.    

Of course, Hayfield is not perfect, no team is. And some of that starts at the top. I've spoken with many really experienced HS baseball parents from other power teams and I've heard time and again for years that they set the standard for offensive parents. In fact, one of those good friends texted me, and I quote "Oh. There are obnoxious parents and then there are Madison parents."

Let's take this offline and focus on positive baseball.

Last edited by Batty67

In my experience Madison fans are good, with the exception of a small few.   Unfortunately those few are loud and tend to sit right close to the opposing fans, so their gaffes are what people remember, and that colors the whole program.  Focus on the kids and you will see what the Madison program really teaches.  

The Madison team has been playing extremely well-hitting the snot out of the ball up and down the lineup.  Guys who waited their turn to play are showing up big, and the pitching has been super.  Hayfield has a lot of ability, but as a team they seem to show up some nights and others not so much.  Hopefully they play well consistently down the stretch!     

I am going to refrain a bit because I have spoken on this latest side topic in the past but feel free to search my previous posts. Will only add that while I think dealing with the chatter and other distractions are part of the game, I still maintain that attempting to humiliate the other team and pass it off as being a "fan" is definitely bush. Teenagers are not exempt but at least it's understandable... parents and coaches get no pass on this from me, whatsoever. Just my 2 cents ... I can make change.

Last edited by Rough Diamond

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