Beach Tourney

PA did win yesterday 7 - 3. The seniors did some hitting yesterday with the two junior leaders, Zach Smith and Tyler Pitt adding some offense. Hudson went the distance. Interesting decision for Kellam. Will they throw Difulgo on three days rest?

Bottom half of that bracket looks interesting-- it seems there has ALWAYS BEEN an upset in that half of the bracket. I believe kemps v kellam was a very good game several years ago in the 2 v7 game under the lights with some kid hitting a walk off for the knights. This will be a toss up this year IMO

FC v LHS-- everything points to FC but it is a one game deal and LHS is on their home turf for this one.

PA v OL-- PA season was not what many expected (experts in the VP?) and they have had limited success in DT over the years overall and OL never seems to lose first round game (this should be toss up too)

Cox v THS-- Topping should get the rock and will give the Lions a boost with their first appearance in DT in quite some time but over all Cox is just too good.

I am predicting FC v OL in championship game

I do not know what else Kellam has behind Jeff D...but I would have to take my chances with my number two against Kempsville.

I know what they say, you have to win the first one to get to the second one, but in this case.......I think I would.....plus you have the option of seeing who your opponent will be in the next round should you come out on top in your game....so if FC wins....I use my #2....if Landstown wins, I use Jeff D.

It is all about match-ups and taking chances at this point!

When does the tourney start?

Saturday at 1000 - LHS.

quote:

Originally posted by saipanwarrior:
I do not know what else Kellam has behind Jeff D...but I would have to take my chances with my number two against Kempsville.

I know what they say, you have to win the first one to get to the second one, but in this case.......I think I would.....plus you have the option of seeing who your opponent will be in the next round should you come out on top in your game....so if FC wins....I use my #2....if Landstown wins, I use Jeff D.

It is all about match-ups and taking chances at this point!

Very good point. I'm hearing Landstown will be the first game since they are hosting. If Curry is on the mound for the Eagles and on his game, they could very well upset the Patriots. It will benefit Kellam to know that result ahead of time and plan their pitching accordingly. Fc wins and I think they have no choice but to save Difulgo for the Patriots...or hope for enough rain to give him some rest between the quarterfinal and semi

quote:

Originally posted by saipanwarrior:
I do not know what else Kellam has behind Jeff D...but I would have to take my chances with my number two against Kempsville.

I know what they say, you have to win the first one to get to the second one, but in this case.......I think I would.....plus you have the option of seeing who your opponent will be in the next round should you come out on top in your game....so if FC wins....I use my #2....if Landstown wins, I use Jeff D.

It is all about match-ups and taking chances at this point!

#3 vs 7 on the high school schedule is last game at 7pm...
FC and Landstown are last to play...Kellam wont know the winner until late Sat nite

sorry 3 vs 6 plays at 7 pm according to sched.
not 3 vs 7.... Anyways FC plays at 7pm

You are correct about the schedule. 1 vs 8 is supposed to be first, but as I said, I've heard that since they are hosting, Landstown may play 1st. At this point, it is just a rumour though.

Just had another thought though. Landstown may prefer the 7pm game because it will be under the lights and they are the only ones who get to practice under those lights on a regular basis if they desire.

Landstown has Prom on Saturday so their game has been moved to 10:00 a.m.

Well I guess we will find that out when the kids get home from practice...we are always the last to know

Landstown person said on Monday that the games would be different because of Prom. Prom has effected many games in the past as well.
Billy, I have seen Kellam throw 5 different guys this year. Not sure why Pitcher was left in the game against Kempsville, I will be very surprised if he is on the mound Saturday. They have 2 other guys that are very capable of winning. Personally, I would love to see that Bowman from FC throw in the tournament.
Grasscutter, painful game at the BUD tonight. Hopefully things will go better in the next 2.

I see First Colonial winning the Beach playoffs.

I agree with FC in the finals. Cox is more hype then play. It's like hearing about the Yankees. They have the top spot in the books, but I think their luck will run out.

Kellam should get by the first round.

OL and Kemps will give it a good run for the money.

PA as mentioned doesn't normally do well in post season.

Tallwood and Landstown will have to have everyone working in sync in order to advance.

1943, did ODU just need to win one or was it two this weekend to take second place? How many times has it come down to this? Jake M. is really uping his ante this season and especially here at the end. That a boy.

Does anyone have the schedules firmed for tomorrow since the changes have been made? I here FC & Landstown at 10:00. What about the others?

PA & OL definitely at 4:00.

quote:

Originally posted by wgarlick:
I see First Colonial winning the Beach playoffs.

FC 5-3 TODAY

best play of the game ...matter fact the season.Derrick Short robs a Landstown player of a 2 or 3 homerun!! Caught it beyond the fence. Way to go!!!

Cox over Tallwood
PA over OL 3-0
Kempsville over Kellam 4-3
Great games today!

I'm sure the word has gotten around that not only did PA win, but Greg Tomchick tossed a no hitter in the process. He did an unbelievable job of pounding the zone and mixing his pitches up.

I heard the Kemps Kellam game had a wild finish. Anyone have any details?

No Kellam/Kemp box score in paper. Does anyone know the details?

Grasscutter,

Kemps vs Kellam, best game all day. Kemps was winning the game the from start to finish. Kemps pitcher controlled game with a large % of first pitch strikes. Kellam had some hits, but the kid kept control and even recovered(and adjusted) after a called balk. Great job!
Have to give Kellam an E-10 on this one! Was very surprised to see the pitcher on the mound. He stuggled at their last meeting and even though he pitched better, he never had control. Fell behind most batters and when he took the mound, Kempsville had no doubts in their minds that they could hit him. Along with the "field changes", that decision was very confusing. As soon as the Difulgo kid got in, the bats for Kemps quieted down dramatically.

Last play of the game was a judgement call for the umpires. Kilmon hit ball to second, ball was caught (this is where question lies), then Harrington was doubled up at third. End of game.
Umpires vacate field through "underground tunnel."
Kellam parents go nuts, some Kellam players display tantrum on field (hope all the scouts there did not witness that) and Kempsville parents continue to celebrate the game that they were winning from the beginning!
Kemps gets win-Kellam gets poor sportsmanship!
Kudos to Kempsville fans who really came prepared. They kept that team up the entire time. Great job.
Good to see you at ODU and congrats to Tomchick!
Bowman kid looked pretty good for FC too.

Zach Smith went the distance for the Chiefs and was impressive. He definitely was not afraid to challenge the hitters. Peterson started for the Knights and did a pretty good job before yielding to Jeff Difulgo in the 5th. Unfotunately for the Knights they looked a bit sloppy in the pregame infield/outfield and it carried over to the game. Costly fielding miscues coupled with timely hits by the Chiefs led to an early 4-1 lead for Kempsville. 4 runs proved to be just enough for Smith as the Knights got to within 1 in the bottom of the 7th and had Patrick Harrington on 3rd with one out. Ryan Kilmon proceeded to smoke a low line drive that I think just about everyone thought had tied the game on contact, but the Kempsville 2b had other ideas. He made a great diving catch and doubled off the runner at 3rd to end the game.

Well, there were four very good games yesterday then. And emotions do run high at these gatherings don't they? Pity about the bad sportsmanship.

There were a number of scouts at Landstown yesterday. Most of what we all were looking for was attitude and mental approach. We already know who can play. Word to the wise....you never know who is watching.

Guess I was at a different game. At the game I watched, the ball went to second. Must look like short from the parking lot.

Lynn Metheny

Kellam vs. Kempsville

Not sure if everyone saw it but during the last play the homeplate umpire was calling the ball "safe" that was hit by Kellam and the field ump was signaling a catch. Kellam player on third was looking towards home and saw the arms out "safe" call and continued to the plate. Ultimately getting doubled up. At the very least the umpires should have gotten together and even if they decided to keep the call a double play it would have looked better than hurrying off the field. I was there and that is what I saw. No excuses, Kempsville pitched well and were definately up for the game.

quote:

Originally posted by 1943 yankees:
Guess I was at a different game. At the game I watched, the ball went to second. Must look like short from the parking lot.

Lynn Metheny

1943- Terribly sorry for the mistake, I've corrected my post

Did anyone see the FC/Landstown game? The third base umpire made just as bad of a call as in the Kellam/Kempsville game, which I watched in disbelief. I completely understand that there are judgement calls and we all make bad judgements, but in these types of games you have to get it right and the judgement has to be 100% accurate, if not, the kids suffer. The call in our game against Landstown was a big one, favoring us and the call in the Kellam/Kempsville game was terrible.

1943 I agree with you 100%, there was an underground tunnel at Landstown because in both games the officials were faster getting off the field to their cars than getting into position!

In my opinion, the quality of umpiring this year is at it's lowest point. I don't know how the coaches do it year after year without ejections. Great job coaches! If anyone recalls our game at Kellam this year, what a call???

I personally feel sorry for the other two teams that had some bad calls directed against them yesterday at the tournament.

WB

Mr. Taylor,

Don't understand why you would correct your post, you made it appear you were there for the play, and you obviously were not. Correcting it does not change that, perhaps you should have just began with, "someone told me".

The fans down at our end could not see the umpire at home, so there was tremendous confusion. You are absolutely right, the umpires should have had a conversation.
When there are three umpires, which ump makes the call on the catch? The ump at third called Harrington out at third. He obviously thought there was a catch, or did the ump at first call Kilmon out on the catch? Maybe, the VP will find out and report it on Monday!

Ejections for the high school coach mean they also have to pay a fine on top of the other consequences, guess that helps.
The umps at the next level make just as many mistakes. Maybe with the slow economy more people will look into being an umpire for a little extra cash.

1943.. I would have to agree with you. Go ODU, Go FC!

quote:

Originally posted by 1943 yankees:
Mr. Taylor,

Don't understand why you would correct your post, you made it appear you were there for the play, and you obviously were not. Correcting it does not change that, perhaps you should have just began with, "someone told me".

The fans down at our end could not see the umpire at home, so there was tremendous confusion. You are absolutely right, the umpires should have had a conversation.
When there are three umpires, which ump makes the call on the catch? The ump at third called Harrington out at third. He obviously thought there was a catch, or did the ump at first call Kilmon out on the catch? Maybe, the VP will find out and report it on Monday!

Wow... .I did see the play, but it was from the left field corner. Why the attempt to discredit? Someone asked a question about the game and I attempted as honestly as I could to answer their question. Your response was posted 1 minute before mine and if I had seen it, I would not have bothered.

As for the rest of the above post, I'm not sure why you are addressing me there. I made no mention of any controversial umpire calls. From my vantage point, I saw that there was some upset players on the field following the play, but had no idea what their issues were. After over 12 hours at Landstown yesterday, I WAS on my way to the parking lot after the final out was made.

WOW again. Whats wrong with correcting a post?? Also, the umpire behind the plate should be in control of the game instead of running away from it! Either way nothing changes and baseball goes on. Bottom line is the umpires made a mistake by not addressing the two different calls on the play and players and coaches rely on those calls to make decisions in the heat of the game. Kellam Baseball has been through a lot this year and the players have worked hard to overcome them. The horse has been beaten enough and it is time to move on. Say what you want about the sportmanship but Kellam has great fans, coaches and great players that really do care about the team and baseball and how they carry themselves on and off the field. Emotions get the best of all of us sometimes.

Yesterday in the beach tournament the umps made several bad calls, In the Landstown game it definitly cost the the game. the biggest was when one of the FC players without a doubt swung at a pitch which would have been strike three and Landstown would have been out of the inning with a 3-2 lead going into the seventh, but know the Ump was sleeping and it gave FC another chance In which they capitilized on the bad call scoring 3 runs, their was several bad calls earlier but that was the biggest. FC has a very talented team and does not need to be given help from the umps, the umps should let the kids decide the game.

I rarely post, but after reading today's statements about the Kellam game yesterday I felt I would share my thoughts.

From what I have read, it seems that the Knights baseball team did not show the composure at the end of their game yesterday that is normally the standard of Kellam Baseball. This is disappointing because High School Sports are about building and practicing the skills we will need in the real world. Its not everyday you get the opportunity to display the self control and discipline required in highly stressful situations.

Second, someone made the comment about "with the slow economy maybe more people will get into umpiring to make some extra cash". Ladies and gentlemen, the men you see on the field at the varsity level have worked more games, more years than most people realize to be where they are. Most varsity umpires here in Hampton Roads have worked baseball for at least 5-6 years before even reaching the regular season varsity level. And in those 5-6 years, some have worked 6 days a week for 8-10 months out of the year to prepare themselves to reach that level. The retention rate is usually 50% at best for those in the first 3 seasons. Those just getting into umpiring for the extra cash are not the ones you'll see working a varsity level play-off game I can promise you that.

Lastly, whenever I read about a "questionable" call it is almost always in reference to a judgement call versus a rule. Anytime there is a "questionable call" 50% will say "great job, that was the right call" and 50% will say "Are you kidding me? You blew that one blue!". The only individuals that will sit down and subjectively examine the call will be the 2 or 3 umpires that worked the game. Are calls blown? Yes. Are more calls correct over the span of the game? Yes. by a large %.

I urge everyone to remember the goal of interscholastic sports - to develop and support the high school students as we prepare them for the real game of life.

And the feeling of these posts were the umpires did not show any composure at the end of the game either. I have a lot of respect for umpiring and still believe that bad calls can cost a team a game. It is obvious that there was more than one bad call in more than one game. These opinions were made by not just ho hum fans of baseball but from experienced coaches as well. I am ok with the "judgement calls" but when you are umping in a playoff game and as you say "there is a 50% retention rate" for umps you WILL get bad calls that cost a team a season! Most kids these days playing for high school also play year round and the parents spend time and tons of money to see their kids play at this "next" level. Don't forget that a lot of these kids live for this game and put their hearts in every play and call. 50% retention rate for good umpiring is a terrible rate.

Also, why single out the Kellam game? There were other games that day with bad calls as well. But if we are at a 50% retention rate I can see why.

You can complain alot of calls the umps made that day, but in the playoffs you can have a no #2 seed have the game come down to the last out of the game.
The hitting was not there in the top half of the game and the last out is a little too late to try and wake up the bats.