Beach District 3-21-07

What actually happened on the play discussed above?

i feel compelled to make a few statements as well. coach spedden is a first class person and coach who i consider a friend and mentor. several times i have sought his advice regarding difficult coaching decisions and he has given me support and counsel.

i would believe that if poll of coaches (hs or college), coach spedden would be on a very short list of THE MOST RESPECTED COACHES IN THE STATE. PERIOD. ENOUGH SAID.

these annonymous character assassinations are hurtful to the game of baseball and more importantly put the entire region a bad light...

coach spedden, i have so much more to say to you and others who post on this board but i will leave it with this---
1. thanks for being an outstanding teacher and coach to hundreds of young men over the years (in the classroom and on the field)

2. thanks for being a friend and mentor to me over the years

3. if i had a son playing baseball in hs, i would without a doubt want him to play for you. period.

4. best of luck against everyone in the district except for when you play the Kempsville Chiefs. HA

Just for clarification, I never said anything bad about Coach Spedden. I have the utmost respect for him and his players. Hopefully we can forget about this one time thing and any mistakes made and get back to what we all love. Baseball

the kid that sat down (*******) has no respect for the game. granted he is a good ball player. that was down right disrespectful. who sits down in a baseball game? on the field! cant wait to see those two teams meet again. should be a good one. oh yeah good job coach banks. NOT.

***edited by redbird5***

Note to poster: We do not call out and slam players by name on this board.

I think we all need to take a step back and put things into perspective. It is very easy for us as fans to second-guess coaches and players for decisions that turned out badly. I was as upset as anyone about the way the game ended and replayed those final moments over in my head many times last night trying to decide what should’ve been done (as I’m sure ALL the coaches and many of the players did as well). Bottom line is the players and coaches did not have that luxury and never do. They have to make decisions instantaneously and more often then not make the correct ones. There is really NO need for any of us to beat up on coaches or players for decisions made in the “heat of battle”…Lord knows they beat THEMSELVES up enough. J

We, in the Beach District, are very lucky to have a dedicated group of coaches that rival the best in the state and the quality of baseball is reflected by that fact.

I have no dog in this hunt, but I spend alot of time reading most of the posts concerning Tidewater, and do have a dog elsewhere who has played with many of these players on one team or another-so......
I just can't understand why some people seem so intent on being negitive on this board. What kind of role models do we present to our kids when in defeat, we lash out visciously at our opponents to find flaws in them as the reason for our defeat instead of giving credit where credit is due and looking to ourselves to see where we could improve to do better next time? And the character assasination practiced on this board by some is shamefull and disgusting!
I don't know Coach Spedden, but I can't believe that he is guilty of the charges leveled at him. I do know D.J. Fitzgerald, my son has played with him for a couple of years in AAU, and I know his parents. He is a good kid and comes from a good family. It's not about "repect for the game" . That is poppy ****! It's about making a good judgement under pressure, which it may seem DJ did not do. That happens in sports at every level. Be that as it may- I, for one believe that this is not a forum for personal attacks. Show some class!

I'm going to raise a different question, and that's the ethics of trick plays designed to fool the opposition. Hidden ball tricks, running off the field with less than two outs/with outfielders creeping behind the runners, etc, and other tricks are plays that I've seen run by some high school teams to fool/surprise the opposition. Clearly fake punts are a staple in football and no one questions the ethics of these plays or the coaches who call them. My question is there any place in high school baseball for such trickery?

Would everyone feel differently had the runner purposefully fallen down? Many colleges have this play...it's called the "Oh $h!t" play...as in the runner falling down and saying that to himself. Trick plays are meant to catch the opposing team off guard and have a place in baseball. Usually the team who falls for it is upset and takes an ethical high road. Get over it...you fell for it and you lost. Go over more scenarios in practice to prepare for it.

Ever see the HS basketball play where one of the players got on his hands and knees and barked like a dog to distract the other team? Dads weren't barking after that and neither should you.

Coach Spedden, congrats on finding a legal way to win a game (and having the guts to call it).

Here is my take on this thread. It started out as a recap of a game then progressed to more negativity and character assassination. Neither of which is the intent of this forum. Opinions and facts are good, but we should all try to keep in the context of the game and its players. Besides, I saw no mention of the cajones it took to call that play with 2 outs and a 1-2 count !
That said, the "trick" plays are a key part of the game from its inception many years ago. The tradition of "getting over" on another team with offensive or defensive plays is thread throughout the history of the game with many examples at all levels of competition. In addition, during the season it adds a spice to practice by throwing in one or two of these to keep the spark going when the monotony sets in of fungos and BP reps. The game is fun and we as fans should realize that the team that executes the "trick" play has smiles while the team that is "tricked" is frowning. The next day the roles could be reversed. The nature and the purity of the game.

First and foremost I have known many players who have played for Spedden both past and present. He holds his players to a high standard. Players have told me that they have been benched for behavior both on and off the field. I do not know Coach Spedden but have observed him coaching for quite some time.
That being said, I took his advice from his post and did make a contact. I never mentioned who the team was, only the situation.
The response from this well-respected coach was
a. If the first base coach did tell the player to sit down in the basepath; he would no longer be on my staff.
b. If the player sat on the basepath without being told by the first base coach; he would no longer be on my team.

Obviously at the highschool level neither of these will happen, but I am sure Mr. R was probably taping the whole game and the tape would give the answer.
After watching Ocean Lakes for all of these years, I just have this to say:
Coach Spedden, why did you call your player out on this website and why did the pitcher just not pitch to the batter?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by coachspedden:

What a shame that adults have chosen to malign a kid. Baseball is a GAME. Good decisions and bad decisions are made as rapidly and under as much scrutiny as bad calls and good calls.

It's a GAME. To judge a HIGH SCHOOL student is childish, foolish and shows just how much time some of you have.

Ocean Lakes won and Cox lost. That's all it boils down too. There is no need to second guess or continue to debate a decision that lasted a few seconds. You had to be there and you had to hear the conversation that transpired between the coach and the player to be able to accurately discuss the event.

GOOD COACH. GOOD PLAYER. TWO GOOD BASEBALL FAMILIES.

Let this rest and move one. Cox High School has been criticized in the VPilot by some other parents for trick plays, mounting excessive points for a victory, rude and arrogant fans in some of their sports programs. Does this mean that every parent is as rude as the parents who have made such disparaging comments about a kid who has worked hard for years to play at this level and does it well? No. Folks, it's a game. It's over! How about use this board for positive comments.

1VBBaseballFan- Nice post...up until the last (very unecessary) paragraph. What was that about? Trick plays? Excessive points? Care to share the details? As for rude an arrogant parents. There is no need to categorize an entire group of parents based upon the actions of one or two. EVERY program has had, at one time or another, an over the top parent that crosses the line. I suggest you edit your post lest YOU be accused of being one yourself.

I did edit the message. I certainly did not intend to offend but I will not apologize for it. You obviously got the exact point I was trying to make. Bottom line is the actions of one or two people should not lead to the negative comments that have been posted. It's clear an upset parent/fan started this and some other parents/fans jumped on board. Others took the high road. This kid this time, whose kid next time...it's strategy, it's split second decisions...it's baseball.

Get over it. It's one game, folks. May the better playing team win next time.

Missed the game but i did read where Drew Lovering pitched 2 hit ball the last 5 innings of the game for OL . "Pretty Work Drew"

I played for Coach Spedden at Green Run and at Ocean Lakes, and I will tell you besides my father, there is not a man I respect more in this world. He is a man of upmost character and taught me more about personal acountability than anyone. Not to mention he is an excellent baseball coach who has given his life to baseball in the beach district. I also played for Coach COnroy when he was on Coach Speddens staff, so I know both men. I believe Coach Conroy does not hold any ill will towards Coach Spedden, and if he does'nt than nobody else should.

cox fans always hate on OL...

as for Banks...i guess people hate him because he gets too much exposure for kids around the area...

good to hear drew lovering is pitching well...

umwdad...see ya soon.