Darrell,
The few years I've been on this site I also haven't seen too much going on with the Illinois Forum... My quest has been to assist my 2018 with the recruiting process and most items were in other forums.
And given the chilly weather I haven't been in baseball mode...I'll check back in later. - I'm in Lake County.
To be honest, the Chicago-land schools had a big contingent on here and we threw around a lot of discussions like who was headed South for a Spring trip, what teams were the teams to beat, what players were ones to follow, etc. In the South, myself and others answered those same questions. Besides a good north/south discussion, Chicago land had great discussions on conferences and often who was scheduled on the bump when such and such school played. I coach HS Baseball then and so, I always ran into Chicago land schools in tournaments. We often played Tinley Park Andrew, Oak Forest, ... at some point in the season and back then, more than a few HS coaches were on this site and followed some of these clashes. My teams were pretty good back in the day. Naturally, draft day was also pretty special. I made a lot of friends back then and understand that many of them have moved on since their sons stopped playing. Still, there is a lot of room for getting this forum back on track and reading about baseball from the State of Illinois.
Take care,
Darrell
I find myself looking at the active topics along the right-hand side of the page more than the forums from which they come. I will take a look at the Illinois forum now, though!
Great news! Hopefully others will as well. I'll do my best to provide updates on the St. Louis Metro East where I live. I know that my HS is going to have a couple of players who are pretty good. I don't know how good they can be as the program has had its ups and downs recently.
We're in the NW Suburbs of Chicago playing in the Mid-Suburban League. After winning 3 straight MSL championships we went through a bit of a "rebuilding" year last year, but I think we'll be a good team this spring. Son is a junior playing his second full season at varsity.
itsrosy posted:Hello Coach Butler! What a great New Years surprise to hear from you and all the others from our once flourishing Illinois forum. But, time marches on. I’m marching with a brand new knee; I’m now on the wrong side of 70 but life is good. My Cubs won a WS and I was alive to see a couple of games in person. Darrell, your little girl is a grown up beautiful young lady. Our son Jordan is now finishing his 3rd year of med school, but still finds time to always talk Baseball with his Dad. That’s a gift I treasure with all my heart. Hope all of you have a great 2018.
> On Jan 17, 2018, at 10:36 PM, HS Baseball Web <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
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It is great to hear from you again. Time sure flew. I also have to have some major work done. My right knee and right hip have to be replaced. In fact, I can barely walk at times now. Your son in Med School has to make you so proud. That is the tough road and he'll do well! Being a Cardinal Fan, it was tough seeing the Cubs win the World Series and yet, I'm a National League Fan and so, rooted for them. History was made and it was special. I'm glad that you got to see it.
I'm going to try to be consistent in posting in the Illinois Forum and see if I can get some activity here again. We know from my area that Edwardsville and O'Fallon will be good again. They just reload. Still, there are other programs on the rise and we'll see how they do.
CoachB maybe you can give some insight...we are going down to Edwardsville mid March for a PBR Kick-Off event. We play Edwardsville and STL Marquette...one game I believe at Edwardsville HS and the other at Tom Pile fields. Anybody know how those fields are? Turf I believe? Any good shops or food places we can check out?
Still here. But please, no old folks medical talk. Sounds too much like a holiday gathering. 
One good change for us this year, we are actually headed "south" for some spring break games. Looking forward to the final year. Will be rough as our team doesn't have much depth -- not even sure we have enough to field a quality 9. A few seniors have already quit due to last year's nonsense. One is on the fence. At the end, we may have only 3 seniors. No pitching. No development. Should be "fun."
James G posted:CoachB maybe you can give some insight...we are going down to Edwardsville mid March for a PBR Kick-Off event. We play Edwardsville and STL Marquette...one game I believe at Edwardsville HS and the other at Tom Pile fields. Anybody know how those fields are? Turf I believe? Any good shops or food places we can check out?
Tom Pile Field is Edwardsville's main field. It is at the HS. They also have a Turf field that serves as their JV Field. These fields are separated by a parking lot but in the same complex. Edwardsville is always really good. They have a stud on their team that, I believe, is a sophomore this year. Drake Westcott is one of the top players in his graduating year in the nation and is already committed to Louisville. St. Louis Marquette is also a fine program. There are food places all over so it would depend upon the type of food you want. Near the field you will find a Quiznos, McDonalds, Wendy's, and then some better places. While it can get pricey, the wife and I love Bella Milano. It is right around the corner from the high school. Edwardsville is an upscale place so you can find food at any price point you like.
Side note - As many of you know, for 12 years, I was one of Tom Pile's assistant coaches there. We won a couple of state championships and had a state runner up. During that time, one team went 40-0 and another team(s) had a run of 64 wins in a row. I've spent hours on that mound and filed. My daughter just agreed to join the Edwardsville High School Softball Coaching Staff.
Golfman25 posted:Still here. But please, no old folks medical talk. Sounds too much like a holiday gathering.
One good change for us this year, we are actually headed "south" for some spring break games. Looking forward to the final year. Will be rough as our team doesn't have much depth -- not even sure we have enough to field a quality 9. A few seniors have already quit due to last year's nonsense. One is on the fence. At the end, we may have only 3 seniors. No pitching. No development. Should be "fun."
Wow, sounds really tough. Hopefully you will have a surprise player step up.
itsrosy posted:Darrell, sorry to hear about your knee and hip problem. For Cindy and I 2017 wasn’t too easy either. Wife got new R hip in April and L hip in October. So I was her caregiver and then she became mine in December. It either brings couples closer, or paves the way for an old folks divorce.❤️⚾️We’re good. I’m smiling knowing that I’m speaking with you.
> On Jan 19, 2018, at 11:46 AM, HS Baseball Web <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
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Bruce, I just read your response. I laughed at the thought of my wife being my "caregiver." She is more apt to say that I got what I deserved to get up and get stuff myself. LOL On a side note, this has been one of the worst weeks I have had walking. I seem to have great weeks and one or two bad days. Have never had a bad week. Don't care to have another one. LOL
78 and sunny here today in the southeast! Cannot imagine my son going North....even though I grew up in central IN. It is such a huge advantage for us down here to be a couple of hours from Lake Point, etc.... our HS season kicks off Monday.
Golfman, when you said that your son was headed south, where to?
James G posted:CoachB maybe you can give some insight...we are going down to Edwardsville mid March for a PBR Kick-Off event. We play Edwardsville and STL Marquette...one game I believe at Edwardsville HS and the other at Tom Pile fields. Anybody know how those fields are? Turf I believe? Any good shops or food places we can check out?
Having done a couple of tournaments in that area, outside of the convenient places right by the HS that CoachB mentioned, we and several other families liked Peel Wood Fired Pizza.
CoachB25 posted:Golfman, when you said that your son was headed south, where to?
I think Marion, Murphysburo?
Golfman25 posted:CoachB25 posted:Golfman, when you said that your son was headed south, where to?
I think Marion, Murphysburo?
This would be Carbondale/SIUC territory.
uncoach posted:Golfman25 posted:CoachB25 posted:Golfman, when you said that your son was headed south, where to?
I think Marion, Murphysburo?
This would be Carbondale/SIUC territory.
That would be south.
uncoach posted:James G posted:CoachB maybe you can give some insight...we are going down to Edwardsville mid March for a PBR Kick-Off event. We play Edwardsville and STL Marquette...one game I believe at Edwardsville HS and the other at Tom Pile fields. Anybody know how those fields are? Turf I believe? Any good shops or food places we can check out?
Having done a couple of tournaments in that area, outside of the convenient places right by the HS that CoachB mentioned, we and several other families liked Peel Wood Fired Pizza.
This is an excellent recommendation. I forgot to add that if you all are from Chicago, you won't probably like IMO's Pizza next to the sports complex. The crust is thin-thin and not close to Chicago style pizza. Peel's is wood fired and taste great. There is a McAlister's Deli that is always busy and it is less than a mile southwest of the sports complex. I like it a lot. Bulls and Bears can be pricey but it is really good. It is more of a grill and bar atmosphere. The wings are expensive but they are also a pound or more.
Golfman, Marion has always had outstanding baseball teams. I haven't ever run into Murphysburo.
