The IHSA just confirmed that boys baseball will have 4 classes for the 2008 season.
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What a joke!
Why not have 450 classes so every kid could say he was on a state championship team?
Why not have 450 classes so every kid could say he was on a state championship team?
Personally, I like the idea of 3 classes but not four. I've noted that on here before. I think one's perspective changes depending upon your perspective from a standpoint of competition as well as enrollment. At least, that is the IHSA's stance. We've never run from anyone and take on anyone in our area regardless of enrollment. We are 1,300. We have to play in regionals against teams 2,300+ each year. The difference of 1000 kids is significant. Yet, we've always know our plight and worked to overcome it. We will be in the AAA Class. I view that class as the "Private School Class."
As a coach, I have no say in who we play or the number of classes. In short, it doesn't matter. We have to work to be the best team we can be and then take on whom ever we need to one game at a time. Nothing for us will really change.
As a coach, I have no say in who we play or the number of classes. In short, it doesn't matter. We have to work to be the best team we can be and then take on whom ever we need to one game at a time. Nothing for us will really change.
Beenthere, on one hand I can see your point on this. On the other, you have to look at the players' perspective, which is all that really matters.
It's easy for someone who is from a mega-school with 3000 plus kids to say that we should maintain the David vs Goliath thing and let those small schools compete with the big guys. If only David would win more often that could work just fine. The reality is that it doesn't and a school like either Lincoln-Way beating a small school and telling them it's good for them is kind of like beating up the kid next door who is 2 or 3 years younger than you are.
Keep in mind that not only are some of these schools smaller in terms of possible players, but also can't compete with staff or facilities.
Nothing wrong with picking on ssomeone your own size.
Just another perspective.
It's easy for someone who is from a mega-school with 3000 plus kids to say that we should maintain the David vs Goliath thing and let those small schools compete with the big guys. If only David would win more often that could work just fine. The reality is that it doesn't and a school like either Lincoln-Way beating a small school and telling them it's good for them is kind of like beating up the kid next door who is 2 or 3 years younger than you are.
Keep in mind that not only are some of these schools smaller in terms of possible players, but also can't compete with staff or facilities.
Nothing wrong with picking on ssomeone your own size.
Just another perspective.
I apologize, I just deleted someone's posts when trying to quote it. I was interrupted by a student and so, I closed out. Then I realized that in doing so, I deleted the post. Again, I apologize. I'm sure whomever it is will post again. Oh, I was quoting the line about "sissy". That should clarify who's post I acidently deleted. Again, I apologize!
This has very little bearing on me personally since I will graduate this spring, but it is something I'll hear about for quite awhile. I think going to more classes makes sense. Right now I would say that our school ranks within the 10 smallest AA schools in the state at roughly 960. (Don't quote me on that, just a guess)
How is it fair for us to have to go play O'fallon, for instance, in a playoff situation when in 1-2 years I'm told they could have 4 THOUSAND in their high school?
Now, I agree to an extent with CoachB, we play small schools, we play private schools, and we play big schools. Triad is the biggest in our conference at 1300. The smallest school in the conference I believe is Mascoutah or us in the 900-960 range. We play a couple schools that have 200-300 in their school and then we play schools with way over the 1300 Triad puts up. We play Edwardsville (and took them into an 11th inning loss last year) and we play O'fallon (lost 14-11 with our power hitter up with two men on).
Baseball is baseball is baseball. But I think the playing field (no pun intended in this case) needs to be leveled out some.
Oh, and BTW CoachB, nice going
If you'd be teaching instead of sitting at the machine you wouldn't have that problem
How is it fair for us to have to go play O'fallon, for instance, in a playoff situation when in 1-2 years I'm told they could have 4 THOUSAND in their high school?
Now, I agree to an extent with CoachB, we play small schools, we play private schools, and we play big schools. Triad is the biggest in our conference at 1300. The smallest school in the conference I believe is Mascoutah or us in the 900-960 range. We play a couple schools that have 200-300 in their school and then we play schools with way over the 1300 Triad puts up. We play Edwardsville (and took them into an 11th inning loss last year) and we play O'fallon (lost 14-11 with our power hitter up with two men on).
Baseball is baseball is baseball. But I think the playing field (no pun intended in this case) needs to be leveled out some.
Oh, and BTW CoachB, nice going
If you'd be teaching instead of sitting at the machine you wouldn't have that problemquote:Originally posted by Bulldog 19:
Oh, and BTW CoachB, nice going
I start at 6:30 in the morning. I was off work then!
Oh, and I have a student teacher for one more week!
You history teachers and your student teachers; must be nice 
Dad had one my freshman year for a semester.
Dad had one my freshman year for a semester.
I think Texas has 7 classes, dont quote me on it though. I think that there should be 2 more games added on to the end of this: have AA champion play the A champion and the AAA champion play the AAAA.
What, is baseball becoming the next football? Hell, if the idea is for evryone to win why dont we just run right out and join a s****r league.
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned this reason:
More Classes=More state tournament series=More money for IHSA
More Classes=More state tournament series=More money for IHSA
Is it explained on the IHSA website yet? I coulnd't find it. But then again, I ain't too smart.
This is an article from the Northwest Herald yesterday:
The IHSA cleared its final hurdle for expansion Monday when it rejected proposals to put the plan to a binding vote of the 750-plus member schools.
The plan …#8220; which calls for four classes in five sports and three in five other sports …#8220; was approved last January by a 7-2 vote of the IHSA board of directors. Several principals hoping to preserve the two-class system sought to ask the IHSA for a vote of the entire membership, but that was voted down decisively Monday.
The 2007-08 school year will start with some of the most significant changes in IHSA history, with four classes for volleyball, boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball, and three for boys golf, boys and girls cross country and boys and girls track. All other sports will remain with their current classes.
“Until today, we weren’t really 100 percent sure the class expansion was going to take place, but now we are and we’re ready to move forward,” IHSA executive director Marty Hickman told The Associated Press.
Illinois is the sixth-largest state in number of schools, but was one of only five states with one or two classes for sports. The others …#8220; Delaware, Kentucky, Hawaii and North Dakota …#8220; are much smaller states. All the states larger than Illinois have at least four classes.
Opponents of the change argue that state titles now will mean less since more champions will be crowned. Altering the tradition-rich boys basketball state tournament was particularly controversial.
“If this is what’s best for the entire state then we’ve got to be team players,” said Alton principal Phil Trapani, who submitted one of the proposals asking for a referendum vote. “I don’t think that it is. I think we’ve fixed something that wasn’t broken. ... I hope I’m wrong.”
There was similar opposition when the IHSA moved to two classes from one in boys basketball in 1972. Eventually, people came around to enjoying the two state tournaments. Hickman hopes the same will be true in a few years with four classes.
“I think people will look back and go, ’You know, this isn’t such a bad thing after all,’ ” Hickman said.
The IHSA thought schools had the opportunity last fall to be heard on the subject of expansion with a survey.
The proposal calls for the IHSA to make the smallest 33.3 percent of the member schools Class 1A, with the next three classes moving up in increments of 22.2 percent each.
The IHSA cleared its final hurdle for expansion Monday when it rejected proposals to put the plan to a binding vote of the 750-plus member schools.
The plan …#8220; which calls for four classes in five sports and three in five other sports …#8220; was approved last January by a 7-2 vote of the IHSA board of directors. Several principals hoping to preserve the two-class system sought to ask the IHSA for a vote of the entire membership, but that was voted down decisively Monday.
The 2007-08 school year will start with some of the most significant changes in IHSA history, with four classes for volleyball, boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball, and three for boys golf, boys and girls cross country and boys and girls track. All other sports will remain with their current classes.
“Until today, we weren’t really 100 percent sure the class expansion was going to take place, but now we are and we’re ready to move forward,” IHSA executive director Marty Hickman told The Associated Press.
Illinois is the sixth-largest state in number of schools, but was one of only five states with one or two classes for sports. The others …#8220; Delaware, Kentucky, Hawaii and North Dakota …#8220; are much smaller states. All the states larger than Illinois have at least four classes.
Opponents of the change argue that state titles now will mean less since more champions will be crowned. Altering the tradition-rich boys basketball state tournament was particularly controversial.
“If this is what’s best for the entire state then we’ve got to be team players,” said Alton principal Phil Trapani, who submitted one of the proposals asking for a referendum vote. “I don’t think that it is. I think we’ve fixed something that wasn’t broken. ... I hope I’m wrong.”
There was similar opposition when the IHSA moved to two classes from one in boys basketball in 1972. Eventually, people came around to enjoying the two state tournaments. Hickman hopes the same will be true in a few years with four classes.
“I think people will look back and go, ’You know, this isn’t such a bad thing after all,’ ” Hickman said.
The IHSA thought schools had the opportunity last fall to be heard on the subject of expansion with a survey.
The proposal calls for the IHSA to make the smallest 33.3 percent of the member schools Class 1A, with the next three classes moving up in increments of 22.2 percent each.
Bulldog,
More money is not a given. When Indiana expanded their class system, net revenues went down significantly. This was due to the higher costs of having to administer more tournaments with nearly identical previous gate proceeds.
More money is not a given. When Indiana expanded their class system, net revenues went down significantly. This was due to the higher costs of having to administer more tournaments with nearly identical previous gate proceeds.
CPLZ, not to disagree, and in the long run you may be right, but as the classes now stand, one team from the south gets to go north. In reality, there isn't hardly any interest from this part of the state to attend the tournament. If the classes are expanded and new sites chosen, you would see more people attending. It would still be a big draw in the largest class since mostly Chicago schools would be involved in going "down state." I've never understand that phrase since it's in your neck of the woods. In short the large draws from Chicago area schools would still be a given. The South would actually become more active in state championship series since more teams from the south would have a chance to win. Thus more people attending. Of course, I could be wrong. I was wrong once. I thought I was wrong.
I don't undrstand why people are against leveling the playing field. My son's school will still play the big boys, our enrollment is 2,200. But it is tough playing Stevenson and New Trier with 4,000 students. Why should schools with low attendence and probably less resources be forced to compete unfairly? The are divisions in college and as the article sais in almost every other state. It makes sense. I would like the people who write on the board to give the size of their school along with their opinion. I bet few of them are over 2,000 students.
I meant few that argue with the new divisions are from small schools.
I think it is great idea to add more classes. We are a big school (north of I-80)and it isn't going to diminish anything up here. If it brings more tournament games for more kids (and I am guessing it would affect you guys south of I-80 more than us), I don't see how that could ever be a bad thing. I lived in AZ and I think they are up to 6 classes in baseball now. Works OK there!
Coach B, Since the tourney left Springfield the phrase that is more common is making it "to state" no longer downstate.
Genevea is still downstate for us!
Nobody is playing at Geneva any longer, Joliet won the Bid
quote:Reply
Since my dad was a head coach I've been going to state baseball championships. Peoria, Springfield, etc. Unless a "Southern" team was in the state championship game in Peoria/Springfield those games were not well attended. Since the state tournament has come up North, attendance has been better. I believe this was the thought of the committee when they decided to change the location. I did, however, really enjoy going down South to watch the state final games.
the way i see things is, the best team will win no matter the size of the school. Ex. 2005,2004 wilmington wildcats team played against big schools including JCA(900 students), Lokport, New Trier, and I believe a few others and they did just fine and held their own. the unique thing about ihsa baseball is that not everyone wins every year unlike football and that is just fine with me. this will just start all the arguments people make for football about the same schools winning every year. i believe that three classes would be acceptable because i do not see a school thathas an enrollment of 300 competing with a school of 900. four classes spreads the competition out to much. but that is just my opinion
styles, please enlighten us as to how a school of 300 playing a school of 900 is any different than a school of 900 playing a school of 4,000..
I agree with you there's a little bit of an advantage there for the school of 900 when playing a school of 300. But isn't there an equal advantage for the school of 4,000 over that school of 900?
That's why 4 classes are needed. Otherwise, that school of 900 probably still gets stuck playing those schools of 2-3,000 or more.
I agree with you there's a little bit of an advantage there for the school of 900 when playing a school of 300. But isn't there an equal advantage for the school of 4,000 over that school of 900?
That's why 4 classes are needed. Otherwise, that school of 900 probably still gets stuck playing those schools of 2-3,000 or more.