What are the Central Region Games of Interest this Week?

BaseabllIsLife5 would want you to include Deep Run v. Tucker!

That one doesn't show on published schedules because it's a rain makeup from last week.

Tonight, 6 p.m., at Deep Run.

I didnt see any James River games listed...who do they have this week?

For some weird reason, they have no games this week.

Thats odd.. a they doing a Spring Break tournament?

One year I think they taveled out of state to play ?

Not sure of the details but I heard something about a trip to South Carolina.

Looks like the original schedule had them scheduled today against Huguenot, which as it turns out has no team this year. Not sure why Thursday is open but that explains Tuesday at least.

Didnt James River go play on the West Coast the year they won the first State Championship?

Actually it was the year of the 2nd state title, in 2008. In 2007 they went up to Cooperstown and played on the HOF field, which sounds fun --and it was, if you overlooked the fact that it was snowing when the first pitch was thrown!

The CA trip was also fun, but I can't say that I would recommend anyone spending that kind of money on 4 HS baseball games ever again. Better to go down to SC or FL and just charter a bus. Also I hear there are tourneys developing at the USA Baseball complex in Cary, NC, which to me would give you all you could want in competition without so much expense.

quote:

Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
Looks like the original schedule had them scheduled today against Huguenot, which as it turns out has no team this year. .

MidloDad, if Huguenot and George Wythe are like last year, they only have one team, and they play the James River JV team, (according to the published schedule.)

There's a note in this morning's RTD that explains the schedule gaps.

Apparently all the Chesterfield teams were limited to 18 games this season (10% cut) as a budget move. Which surprises me, because I thought baseball teams were funded by booster groups, not by the school system. But maybe there are other expenses (security or such) that they're looking to trim?

Anyway, this affects all the Dominion teams and some in the Central as well.

It goes so far that James River has a spring break tourney in SC where they have the prospect of a 5th game, and if they make it to that game, they have to cancel their only remaining non-district game, a May 16 date with Benedictine.

Athletic departments of schools fund all sports. (Buses, umps/officials, uniforms,etc)The county delegates money to all the high schools to help pay for these things. So, the county lowered the money given to the schools because of the budget crisis causing the AD's to drop games....

quote:

Which surprises me, because I thought baseball teams were funded by booster groups, not by the school system.

Some schools can only dream of baseball booster clubs.....

I know JRHS has an Athletics Booster Club and that baseball gets some money. Plus, the Boosters' account is used to funnel all they do through team-specific fund raising, which at JR has become a pretty serious commitment. They've done Christmas tree sales, a silent auction event, capital campaigns, you name it.

Someone has to organize it, but it isn't as hard as you think. Basically JR got started on it and found out it wasn't so hard after all.

Kind of surprised the county didn't just cut their budgets and let them make their own decisions school by school, as opposed to mandating a cut in games. But there was probably one of those "we don't want some schools to have it better than others" things going on there.

There are some schools that want to start a booster club but the principal and AD will not allow it. What is allowed by one school is not allowed by another and it's not fair. But, that's life....

Papelbon - Thanks for clarifying. I'd heard that from several folks in our County. I agree it is not fair, but not much can be done if the Principal and AD are not supporting it. I guess I would want to know "why" they wouldn't want to give their students the advantage that other County students receive.

MidloDad - I'm hearing about this trend in college athletics too. Many schools are requiring their individual programs to be 100% self funded. In other words, they're not getting anything from the colleges operating budget.

I see on JR' schedule they have one game listed as a"benefit game" wich probably does not count toward the 18 games? Some teams did this in football to get an extra game.

I would assume to make it all fair they had to limit how many games you can play - so schools without resourcs dont miss out.

Did they reduce the number of games for other spring sports? S****r,Tennis,etc?

What is the cost of a high school game? I would say umpires are $160-$180 a game. Tranportation for the visiting team- a dozen baseballs - maybe some houly paid staff onsite. Could be $750 or so a game with those costs?

If the principal told me he didn't want a booster club, my response would be, "That's very interesting, but it's really not your decision." Because it isn't. I don't know where people get off acting like they have more authority than they have, but if people roll over all the time I guess they can get away with it.

The chief advantage of declining public money is that you then don't have to answer to anyone but yourself. That's why so many are finding it's easier to raise it themselves than to have to live by begging and then putting up with the silly strings attached to the meager funds provided.

I also suspect the "fairness" cry was behind the 18-game limit being county wide. Of course, it makes absolutely no sense. Fairness is supplying them all with the same amount of money. If one figures out a way to make it go further, all within VHSL rules, kudos to them. But I guess Diana Moon Glampers is in charge.

I hope they don't mind if JR takes a spring break trip while some others don't. Someone probably was made to feel bad by that, so it's amazing the Rapids were allowed to schedule that trip.

I beg to differ on this issue about what the Principal and AD wants goes. If you accept that than maybe. It is amazing what people think is so just because they do not bother to find out. Yes, I agree, life is not fair. However, you make it a lot less fair for yourself when you make assumptions and accept those assumptions as the truth.

Not sure which side you're differing with.

To clarify.....

I don't begrudge any school any booster money they've earned for their programs. Anything additional boosters make they deserve as long as they play within the rules. I think every school should be allowed to do it especially those programs that have historically been average or below average. Currently, I know of two booster clubs in the Dominion district that benefit their high school baseball teams. I'm fairly certain they are solely for baseball but not 100% sure. Strangley enough, they are also the two strongest & most successful programs in the County over the last 10 years.

Midlo - Please clarify how a booster club can operate without the blessing of an AD or Principal. Is there not some money transferred at some point in time to the school? I would think cooperation between the two groups (school and boosters) would have to be something positive. Essentially, you are trying to get the two groups to work together for the benefit of the kids.

i think all booster clubs operate for all sports then allocate money where needed.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
Not sure which side you're differing with.[/QUOTE
Actually, I was agreeing with your point that the Principal and AD do not alwatys have the final word. Having experience with the school system, I do not find that they generally do. There is an "illusion" of authority that most are satisfied with.

Well, the coaches have to answer to the AD and principal. Baseball coaches can't push those two people around. Now, if parents and community start pushing the issue, then maybe something can change. But, the coaches have their hands tied.

My point is, I've never seen a principal and an AD actually stand in the way of school parents trying to raise money for athletic programs. Obviously it's optimal if everyone is on the same page. In fact the worst things I've ever seen is when the AD raids the booster funds, or tries to finagle to solve his budget woes out of booster funds, as opposed to obstructing their existence or their activities.

But any private group of individuals can organize as they see fit, to raise money as they see fit. They can even charter as 501(c)(3) with the IRS if they want to, and they don't need the permission of the principal or the AD to do that. The principal runs the school, but he has no authority over what parents do or do not do outside of the school.

The most the principal can do is order the baseball coach not to accept any money from outside groups. Good luck filling the coaching position if you take it that far. I just cannot imagine that happening. No public official I've ever known turns down money.

There's an old saying in politics, "Never give a bureaucrat a chance to say, 'No'." The corollary is, "Better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission." If you know the principal is cool to the idea, just go ahead without him. I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that when it comes time to pass out the money, they'll begrudgingly become converts.

I will say that I have served on a boosters group's board of directors in the past, and there were times when the principal and AD came to our meetings and took it upon themselves to lay out their positions. As long as it's just them letting the board know how they feel, that's fine. But when they went so far as to try to direct how the group operated, to dictate how funds would be handled, or generally to treat the board like it existed only to raise money for them to spend as they saw fit, the board politely but firmly reminded them of the fact that they were in reality an independent body and that they were not going to cede their autonomy.

Sometimes you get moms and dads who are not interested in butting heads with authority figures. But you don't have to get nasty, you just have to politely say, no thanks. You may not part as friends but it does work quite effectively.

Gotcha. Thanks.