Posted by Wait at Baseball postulating at 5 Jul 1:27 AM:

They are saving their pitchers for league. They pitched a kid on JV. No need to freak out.

Posted by And Lost Again at Baseball postulating at 5 Jul 1:16 AM:

..and lost to the Hawaiin team again tonight.

Posted by chiefs20167 at Chiefs trade Armstrong to Prince George at 4 Jul 11:50 AM:

Best of luck to Army!!! He was a great addition here for the Chiefs and will be missed.

Posted by Vic Wallace at No stopping Minnerly at 4 Jul 10:02 AM:

Steve:
I've been off the blog for some time. Now that I saw the 1st Football Game since Sprng Ball, I am ready for "FOOTBALL".

If you didn't see the East/West All Stars yoou missed a hell of a game. What a hot day to be at a football game at Central Valley High. The 7 Athletes playing in the game that is coming in to play Football for EWU, all performed very well.

Bryan Kawaski, GP, Grant Williams, Rodgers,Evan Cook,Nick Stewart, Immanual Saterwhite, all played for the East Allstars, Cameron WR played for the West.

Neal Gmeiner stated Minnerly will be the MVP, after Munoz came out of the game with an injury.

I don't want to take up the blog, however, we will have a great bunch of young men coming in to play Football for us. The game was outstanding, and was worth the sitting in the hot sun, felt better after the sun set with the little wind blowing. Go Eags. Vic

Posted by Nice Try at Baseball postulating at 3 Jul 9:44 PM:

Nice Try. The Bandits have got whooped on by a lot of non-Spokane legion teams. I followed the box scores in the paper. That is false.

Posted by You at Baseball postulating at 3 Jul 3:18 PM:

They are 22-1.

Posted by SpokaneTrojan at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 3 Jul 1:09 PM:

Pac-10
1. Southern Cal
2. ASU
3. UCLA
4. Oregon
5. Cal
6. OSU
7. WSU
8. Arizona
9. UW
10.Stanford
USC talent & speed, esp on defense is still better than everyone else's. They will lose at least one game in conference this season and kick #@* in a BCS Bowl game, again.
Regarding TR's belief that Erickson is a better game coach and Carroll a better practice coach. TR, look at Carroll's record the last 6 years, including his 6 straight BCS Bowl games. You either didn't check his record or your clueless about the Pac-10 since Pete came to SC. I especially like how your Erickson "outcoached" Carroll last year in the big matchup on "Thursday Nite", remember that butt whipping?

Posted by curious at Get your baseball Jones at 3 Jul 10:46 AM:

Out of curiousity are there any club teams from outside the Spokane area in this tournament? Is every team this tournament a sanctioned legion team?

Posted by likesdahockeyeh at Chiefs trade Armstrong to Prince George at 3 Jul 9:33 AM:

Even though he only has one more year left in the league, I'd say Prince George got a heck of a deal by only giving up a fourth round draft pick for one of the top goalies from last season. Congrats to the Cougars for that deal.

Posted by likesdahockeyeh at Chiefs trade Armstrong to Prince George at 3 Jul 9:00 AM:

Best wishes for Army. The Chiefs couldn't have done as good as they did without him. He is a solid goalie and will help the Cougars. He helped make Tik into the goalie he is. I'm glad he will get a chance for a significant amount of playing time in his last WHL season.

It wouldn't hurt to see him smile every now and then. That was the only thing that bugged me about him especially when he'd get a standing ovation or a 3-stars award, you hardly ever see him crack a smile.

Posted by intheknow at Peterson update at 3 Jul 3:45 AM:

Shull is actually 6-1 (Spokane Dodgers)

Posted by So Far at Peterson update at 2 Jul 11:57 PM:

Dream6 update as of 7/2/08:

Peterson BA .292 (GCL Red Sox)
Cunningham BA .267 (GCL Pirates)
Brett .154 (Spokane Riverhawks)
Shellhorn 6-1 (Spokane Dodgers)
Kittredge 4-1 (Spokane Dodgers)
Shull 4-1 (Spokane Dodgers)

Overall pretty solid!

Posted by Da Bandits at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 9:13 PM:

How are the Bandits doing this Summer?

Posted by mrmr at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 7:39 PM:

ARE not OR in the wannabe part. Oh yeah and some commas in there too but hey was on a roleo.

Posted by mrmr at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 7:36 PM:

Can we please get a blog going on the OK city Okies replacing the Sups. That is atleast a realistic news worth item not bashing a high school athlete and his coaches or some dads who are just trying to look out for thier kids. You guys that are bashing Petes or Gil or Jeff or just a bunch of wannabes whos dad didn't put enough interest in them or were cut off your pony team and played tuba in the band. Not that there is anything wrong with tuba in the band but come on as someone who is involved in sports but doesn't have kids lets celebrate what we have here as being the what the 2nd 3rd biggest city in WA. Just enjoy.

Posted by mario at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 6:15 PM:

Sinceyouasked:

If your statements about the WV coaching staff are accurate then yes, they did act inappropriately. I still think that a compromise could have been reached if the parents, administration team and coaching staff had sat down and discussed their concerns. I am still not in agreement that quitting was the best solution. We all have to figure out a way to communicate and get along with bosses, coaches, parents, friends etc. You can't just quit when things don't go your way. Giving up your senior year of hoops is a lot to give up. You never get that back. I am sure there are 2 sides to this story and I am willing to bet that both sides have some things that they could have done better. I'll bet that both sides have some guilt in this saga.

Posted by sinceyouasked at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 5:02 PM:

to WOW! why are you so angry? are you one of the coaches wives? or are you one of the parents who has turned a blind eye to what is going on at west valley? is that your true character to hurl insults?

as i said before, the kid acted like the adult and adults are acting like kids........ all you need to do is read the responses to figure that one out.

Posted by sincesouasked at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 4:58 PM:

mario you bring up a very good point. i can sum it up in a few words. turning a blind eye

the oversight is severely lacking. their is not a written or signed coaches code of conduct. that is more than a minor oversight. the AD knows what is going on. blind eye and protecting his replacement as AD shortly.

up until recently west valley has struggled in sports. boys basketball was one of the most successful program during the down years. when a school is desperate for success the end sometimes justifies the means. too many people within the district have bought into that concept and tolerated this outlandish behavior. it is a step in the right direction by the administration removing one of the coaches from the staff for the upcoming school season. the school has no jurisdiction over the summer programs.

i would hope you have the same level of concern for the conduct of the coaches as you do peterson leaving the abusive environment.

Posted by mario at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 4:39 PM:

Sinceyouasked:

If your story is accurate, where was the AD and administration? If things got as bad as you say they were, why didn't the admin team do anything about it? I am an impartial observer of this story and don't pretend to know the facts. Something seems a little strange about this story. If the WV coaching staff was really that abusive wouldn't have parents complained to the administration? Just curious. Honestly, it is not any of my business and we can drop this whole story. I just think there has to be a little more to this fiasco. Maybe, it is time for a different subject.

Posted by Role Model at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 4:28 PM:

Interesting that the Tri-Cities Legion teams are also their high school teams. This certainly shows success when you look at their state run records. Spokane needs to build up their Legion program in the same way, and our high school teams will benefit. A formula for success for follow.

Posted by Good_Life at Shock back on top in poll at 2 Jul 4:18 PM:

Nice work Shock. Back on top of the league where you belong!

Posted by WOW! at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 3:36 PM:

Mario...his kids couldn't make C Squad. Nuff said.

Posted by sincesouasked at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 3:18 PM:

mario...since you asked why peterson quit the team let me fill you in. many times i was within earshot of the locker room and team huddles when i heard a spewing of disrespectful profanities come from the wv coaches mouths towards the team and players. the f-bomb was typically the word of choice and it was used repeatedly...the coaches were yelling... i'm not talking raising voices i'm talking YELLING and SCREAMING at those boys. it was at its worse in the locker room. it was so over the line i was appalled and shocked! it was embarrassing. there is no way i would have my child play in that environment. bryan took a stand and did the right thing. the conduct by the coaches was downright abusive. the coaches conduct is well known around the school. we aren't talking the gray area here. bryan tried to work out the issues with the coaches before the season even started. he essentially put the coaches on notice for their poor behavior before the season even started. that was a condition of him playing because he told them last year he wasnt coming back and the coaches talked him into coming back. when the coaches crossed that line this season bryan left the team. it took guts. the child called out the adults for poor behavior. he did the right thing. bryan and several of his teammates even met with the coach to try to resolve the problem before bryan left. the players who were in that meeting know exactly why bryan left the team. that meeting went nowhere. bryan is better off having left that miserable abusive environment. it has gone on for too long and something needs to be done about it. the conduct was so out of line i cant even begin to describe it. you would be appalled. after bryan left the team... very respectfully... many of the coaches attakced his character and labeled him a quitter to his teammates and student body. i have firsthand knowledge of this. i know bryan and he is not a quittter. he left an abusive environment. this has been brought to the attention of the west valley administration.

look at the insults directed at bryan on this blog. many are also judgmental and abusive to bryan. there is too much hate towards bryan because he left the team for the right reasons. i have not met a finer young man. im proud of bryan for taking a stand...someone needed to and it happened to be a kid. the kid acted like the adult and the adults acted like the kids!

Posted by Turf War at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 2:29 PM:

It is a Turf War. Not unlike two competing businesses desperately trying to undermine one another. When it crosses the line to a "boycott" by all the legion teams or somehow trying to take away fields one could argue anti-trust issues. In that regard, legion should be very careful. Competition needs to be fair.

Sammy's analysis was very good. Is there a reason select ball is doing so well in the Seattle area? I suspect it is because kids are attracted to a competitive schedule playing with the best players.

Posted by Phil J at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 2 Jul 1:51 PM:

I am in total agreement with the logo on the helmets.

Posted by ECoug01 at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 2 Jul 1:19 PM:

1. ASU 9-3
2. UCLA 9-3
3. SC 9-3
4. WAZZU 8-5
5. CAL 7-5
6. Oregon 6-6
7. AZ 6-6
8. UW 5-7
9. Stanford 4-8
10. Oregon State 4-8

Pac 10 standings
1. ASU 7-2
2. UCLA 7-2
3. SC 7-2
4. WAZZU 5-4
5. Cal 4-5
6. Oregon 4-5
7. UW 4-5
8. AZ 3-6
9. Stanford 2-7
10. Oregon State 2-7

A few injuries and all this could change. Only SC, UCLA, ASU are above the rest. After that its a crap shoot.

SC - The pro team of the college ranks. They just put more bullets in the chamber. The rest of the pac will have a chance to nip at their heels this time.

ASU - Most returning talent in league. Will be good but choke on big games (SC, Georgia) etc..

UCLA - Good D, QB injuries?, the weasel will find a way. Plus Norm Chow is great coordinator.

Cal - QB situation good.

Oregon - Young QB but talent still there.

Wazzu - Cupboard not as bare as people believe. D young last year will be better. SR Rogers steps up.

Arizona - Who knows with Stoops complete guess here. His ranting and complaining will get them a win or two over the rest of the mediocre teams.

Oregon State - Lost a ton on defense which won them games. RB gone. QB situation mediocre. Rebuilding year.

Stanford - Young team still learning the ropes under Jim.

UW - Locker will keep them in games and win a few. D still has a long ways to go. Go Cougs..

Wulff has picked cougar script for home games and logo on road helmets. I don't like it I think with the best logo in college atheltics you should keep it prominent on the helmets. Its great brand recognition and completely unique. Cougar script is too ordinary. There is no doubt who it is when you see the WSU logo vs. Cougars on a helmet.

Posted by sammy at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 11:56 AM:

The Tri-cities legion programs play games vs the Dodgers over the summer. Something Spokane legion refuses to do. My observation is TC's legion seeks playing the best competition. Spokane legion does not because they mostly refuse to play the select teams. TC's legion has a very competitive and open philosophy, one that has served the TC's area well.

Spokane legion has a closed and somewhat recreational philosophy. For the most part it has not served the Spokane area well (referring to being competitive outside Spokane) and that is one reason select baseball is strongly emerging in Spokane. Spokane is going through a tug of war between select and legion. Legion is pulling many strings behind the scenes to undermine select ball in Spokane. Not sharing playing fields, refusing to play select teams are a couple examples.

Yakima has a strong legion program and they also play many select teams over the summer. Western WA is primarily select baseball. Spokane is somewhere in between TC's and Seattle. Definitely a transition going on in Spokane baseball. TC's legion has found a good formula for success. I don't see that formula working in Spokane with a few exceptions (U-Hi).

Posted by Gil Peckham at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 11:50 AM:

Rob good point. Yakima runs their Legion program the same way. Difference is you don't have 20 Jr teams. There is only one 16-u select team in town if you take those 16 players, really only 14 because two kids are from CDA you don't make any difference in the caliber of play at the AA level. Also Blackham probably plays for the Northstars in that case, Awbry for the Cannons and probably Mitch Peterson with the Cannons. Legion still needs to change the model to make it more competitive.

Posted by Rob E at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 11:35 AM:

Hot Topic...nice. In reading these posts, there have been a few comments on the relationship between select/legion teams and high school success. In the Tri-Cities we don't have much, if any select teams, but have multiple very strong legion programs. There is no set rule, but for the most part, Southridge kids play for the Bandits, Kennewick kids play for the Phantoms, Kamiakin kids play Dusters, and Richland and Pasco kids play for Titans, etc. I'm sure I'm missing some here. The point is, with all of the high school kids playing legion, and not splintering off, I don't think it's just a coincedence that Kennewick, Southridge, Richland and Kamiakin have all won or been in the state high school finals over the past 7 years. It seems to me, that the select teams are probably hurting the high school programs, as it divides the talent up over the summer, instead of kids playing together and getting more refined as a team.

Posted by More Opportunity at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 10:46 AM:

Oregon and Seattle University are both adding D1 baseball programs. The NCAA allows 35 roster spots giving 70 more northwest players an opportunity to play D1 baseball. Should the Dodger program continue it will help many of our local players advance to upper level college baseball. Some of the players destined for D2 or JC will now be landing at the D1 level. That leaves more spots open on those D2 and JC teams. The net trickle down effect will benefit 70 nw players. It is a good time to be a hs baseball player.

I gotta agree with Dilluted. Two quality teams per age group in the 16U and 18U age bracket is probably the right number. This should also reach down to the 14U and even 12U. The talent level gets diluted after that.

Last point...... Select teams will primarily be a feeder system for hs draft selections and D1 schools. The Dodgers program has validated that point. Those select (or club) players not going pro or D1 will most certainly land at a D2, D3 or JC school. Legion will primarily be a feeder system for D3 and JC schools. Legion also provides those players not playing past high school one last chance to play with their friends. Both programs have an important role in the development of our players. Mike Padden, leader of the legion program, needs to be more accomodating to the select programs. Rather than fight them, work with them. Padden is very anti-select. Too bad, this is a big miss.

Posted by whos kidding who at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 10:21 AM:

Which one of you actually played on the WV Basketball team and knows what went down........none of you!!! Bryan wasn't made the #1 shooter for WV, they wanted him to work on his defense, something he lacked his JR year, thus he quit. If you have ever seen his dad in the crowd, he keeps his own stats (even corrects the stat people when he feels necessary) and when things weren't going down the way he (Mike) wanted them to, quit time came. Talk to the kids from WV BB, you may be surprised about their take on the coaches and Bryan as a teammate!!!!

Posted by mrmr at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 9:41 AM:

WOW, what an idiotic comment. Anyway as someone who calls John and Mike friends and has heard the whole story from both and a couple other people that were with in ear shot of what happened. I think Brian did the right thing by just stepping away. Lifes to short and sports is even a shorter and less important part of it, I think we forget that somethimes on here. Brian has a good head on his shoulder and just didn't quit in a hissey he took the stance that he believed was right and went with it, that is something that I am sure as an adult he will learn from and make him a better man which is what it is all about. Good luck to Brian and good luck to the Eags.

Posted by WOW! at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 8:49 AM:

There have been some 50+ games this summer and guess what? John Graham has been an active part of the bench at each game!

Pointer...you know as much about John Graham as you know about hygiene!

Posted by Jason at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 8:22 AM:

I would have taken Mario's stance at one point, but as the other poster said, sometimes there is more to the story than what you see here. There are some coaches that play such heavy mind games with these athletes, that at some point the health is too important to risk. Many coaches love the power that they receive from their position and abuse it terribly.

Posted by Gil Peckham at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 7:54 AM:

Couple of things. Diluted is pretty much correct. I think you can support a couple of select teams at 18-u and 16-u. More than that you probably run the risk of watering down the product. I had a conversation with Jeff Simmelink the other day and it sounded to me like he is going to have a Dodger team next year. On the Peterson thing,I agree with Mario I don't like kids quitting in the middle of a season, but knowing Bryan and what went on WV had ample warning that this might happen. Bryan is a team guy and he handled the situation in the right way. I know Mario would like someone to tell the whole story but I think that is better left for Bryan or Mike to tell if they choose to. I think that they probably will stay above the whole thing and have put it behind them.

Posted by Mario at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 6:43 AM:

First of all, it is a little ironic that you want my real name posted when you don't have the guts to post your name. A little hypocritcal isn't it?? I don't have anything personal against Peterson. Don't even know the kid or his family. You missed my point because your are being a little emotional. I have a problem with ANYBODY who quits in midseason and leaves his teamates and coaches out to dry. Maybe, that is too tough for you to figure out. You still haven't enlightend me with the facts of the case. Have some guts to explain the problem or quit complaining about it. Once again, I have no problem with Peterson as a person. My only problem is with quitters. Since you refuse to come forward with the facts I will continue with my stance that it is unacceptable to quit on your teamates.

Posted by Tino? at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 6:42 AM:

Jeff's brother Derek has a son that is 12 and Derek and Tim Rypien run the 12 yr old Dodgers. They are stacked with talent they have won 1 tourney and placed 2nd in the other. That age group is a whos who Rypien,Simmilink,Mactolf's boy,Mcclary( dad played at GU), and Mackin. The Dodger program will go on after this bunch leaves, don't be surpised to see Uncle Jeff in the mix.

Posted by SeaCoug at Looking back at the draft at 2 Jul 1:01 AM:

Morrison isn't a 2 he's a 3.

Posted by Tino at Baseball postulating at 2 Jul 12:13 AM:

Dodgers is on the high road right now compared to Legion. However, I don't see it holding it up in 5 years. Is Simmelink going to keep coaching and all those dads now that their sons have grown up? I don't think the talent will stay and they will slowly disappear.

Wait and see.

Posted by clarify at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 11:34 PM:

Peterson made the right choice in leaving the basketball team not because of his future in baseball but because he took a stand for what he thought was right against "the establishment". Good for him, it took guts and maturity.

And it is just Jon Graham, his stepson is Lupfer Graham. For what its worth Jon is really a nice guy but some people just arent cut out to be placed in competitive situations when not actually playing. He made some mistakes and hopefully has learned from them. Enough said..

Posted by Interested Observer at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 11:14 PM:

mario...post your real name and give equal bashing time to every player who left a team. Otherwise it is clear you have something personal against Peterson. He wasn't the only player to leave a team last season...there were many others. Why are you only pointing out Peterson? We all know why. It's obvious. This is personal for you isn't it... What is your point in singling out one player from all of Spokane? I could name several players from my kids school alone who left one of the teams.

Jayme Niles is still the head coach. The assistant coach Jon Lupfer-Graham is no longer on the coaching staff.

Posted by Dilluted at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 10:44 PM:

Let's do the math. In Washington State in 2008 there were 16 kids drafted out of high school. Six of them were from Spokane! There were about 50 Division I commits and perhaps 200 small-college commits. There are also about 40 select-level teams in Washington (not counting legion teams for the sake of argument).

The top 15 select-level teams (those that are seriously scouted by D1's and pros) usually have 3-4 kids that have commited D1, and roughly one kid that is drafted. Since Spokane's population is roughly 8% that of the state, if you take 50 D1 commits *.08 = 4 guys. 16 draft picks *.08 = 1 guy (rounding).

Analysis:
The Dodgers got 'em all, with the exception of Billy Moon and Tyler Olson. The Dodgers got all 6 draft picks (an unusually high number) and 10 guys signed or committed D1. Sorry, but there are no other D1 prospects in Spokane for 2009. And no one except Partridge will be drafted from the 2009 class. And he's a Dodger. What all this means is the best the Monster Dogs and White Brothers can do is help a kid get into a small college. Any legion program can do that as well. In the long-run no more than two select teams would be viable.

Posted by Poor Fields at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 7:49 PM:

Apparently the field boycott against the Dodgers is not working. They played nine innings at Avista Stadium tonight. (And won.)

Posted by mario at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 6:11 PM:

Interested observer:

I guess if you know so much about what happened why don't you fill everybody in on what happened. I really don't know what happened. I just have a problem with somebody who ups and quits after a few games. Maybe in your world it is ok to QUIT. Not in mine. I wasn't aware that Jamie Nilles is not coaching at West Valley. When did they get a new coach. I am not pretending to be an insider at West Valley. Just have a problem with a kid who takes his ball and goes home after a few games. How about enlightening me on what happened and maybe I will change my tune. Not until then.

Posted by Interested Observer at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 4:05 PM:

mario...explain to us why there is a new basketball coach at West Valley. Why is he gone? Did his conduct have anything to do with Peterson leaving the team - absolutely yes. I was at one time involved in the boys basketball program at West Valley. Not anymore because of what I witnessed from the coaching staff. Before you slam Peterson you might want to fill everyone in on the rest of this story. The West Valley coaches even got in on the "slam Peterson" campaign. There is way more to this than you are letting on. Best to leave this one alone, it's a dirty story. I don't think you want his dad exposing what happened.

Let's stick to baseball.

Posted by mario at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 3:09 PM:

My only problem with Peterson was that he QUIT on his teamates and coaches in the middle of the season. He should not have even went out for basketball if he was so worried about his pro career. Can't fault him for wanting to go pro in baseball. That is pretty cool. Quitting in midseason is NOT cool and showed a lot of disrespect to his team and coaches. I am not sure how you can even argue with me on this point.

Posted by share at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 3:08 PM:

Bubba, I agree. If you are good they will find you. But my comment wasn't about talent of players. If you choose to play something other than legion, be prepared to play on other fields. Can't have your cake and eat it too. And I don't want my neighbor using my garage. And I did say "garage" not "garbage". You were close though Bad Attitude.

Posted by Get Real 2 at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 2:30 PM:

Ditto to Get Real's comments. That is a stupid slam on Peterson. Anyone who knows anything about him knew his future was in baseball and that some team was willing to pay some big $$$'s for him to play pro ball. It is a no brainer to pass up basketball no matter what the reason. If he was my kid he would have never seen the basketball court in high school. Your slam is about your own personal jealousy. Be happy for the kid, he is a good person.

Posted by Get Real at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 2:07 PM:

To the guy who slammed Peterson. Dude, Peterson was in a situation where he thought he would be drafted high (money rounds). Should he risk a torn ACL when that's not his chosen sport anyway? Just ask Luke Clift or Jarek Cunningham what can happen. Bryan did what was right for his future.

Posted by share has bad attitude at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 2:07 PM:

Share is a legion guy with a bad attitude. The legion agenda gets exposed once again. He equates select ball to garbage. Basketball teams share facilities with select teams (AAU). So should baseball teams.

We have yet to hear a good argument from the legion contingent, just sour grapes like "Share".

Posted by Bubba at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 1:56 PM:

But if your neighbor helped pay for your garage, shouldn't he get to use it too.
I don't really think it matters who you play for, if the kid is good enough the scouts or coaches will find him.

Posted by share at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 1:30 PM:

We can all share the road, but I shouldn't have to share my garage.

If you are playing for your high school team with legion, you get to use that field. If you left for select, well, go find another field.

Posted by Melissa Hart at Devoted GU fan passes away at 1 Jul 1:15 PM:

I attend the same parish as Emma and I don't think I've ever seen her without a great big smile. Her smile can cheer you up when you're feeling down. She was such an amazing person. When I was in Youth Group, her daughter was the director and we all went to a girl's basketball game. After the game was over, we were all getting ready to leave when suddenly we were informed that we were invited to the private party for the Zags. Emma was invited so she then got all of us in and what an amazing experience it was. She had such a big heart that she was so kind to give us this opportunity because she wanted all of us to meet the team and just have fun. I will miss her and will always remember her. I do know that she will be cheering and yelling as she watches the games from heaven. She is our #1 Zag fan.

Posted by nealg at East-West football at 1 Jul 12:49 PM:

In past years the Review has listed the schools where the players are headed which makes it interesting in reading about and attending the game.

Posted by Betty at Devoted GU fan passes away at 1 Jul 12:06 PM:

I didn't know her, but I admired her. She lived and embraced her passion as a GU fan, wholeheartedly with unbridled and unadulterated energy, at leaset for someone in their 70's and 80's. I'll miss seeing her in the stands.

Posted by hoopsguy at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 12:01 PM:

being a hoops guy i follow area hs hoops mostly gsl. dont know the reason peterson left the team tho heard the assistant coach is gone. know enough about that guy to guess that had something to do with why peterson left the team. the few games i saw peterson was the best player on the court. team was better with him but team still did ok after he left. why the anger... the topic is baseball...

Posted by Gil Peckham at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 11:48 AM:

Yes, but makes a great point in that AA Legion has slipped over the years in quality, one only has to look at the scores. You are correct in that most the best Jr.s to be are playing AA. I don't think they are helping themselves but I think at CV and LC they made the choice to keep the core of those teams playing together. Nothing wrong with that. I suspect most those guys will play AAA next year or select. Legion needs to rethink their model on AA baseball to make it a more competitve product. Not sure how you do that but I am sure ther are plenty out there with some ideas.

Posted by whos kidding who at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 11:28 AM:

Sorry, because the team WASN'T designed around him.......my bad

Posted by whos kidding who at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 11:27 AM:

Peterson was not a three sport star....he quit his team in basketball as a senior, because the team was designed around him. Chances are, if things don't go well in the farm club, he may quit there too!!!!

Posted by Mike Vlahovich at East-West football at 1 Jul 11:12 AM:

Tickets can be purchased at the stadium. I believe they are all $7 - I'll check and update - but if your child plays youth football the first 200 can get in free - Mike V.

Posted by Share Fields at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 10:54 AM:

Great points by all. I like the example of SUV's and sedans. Regardless of which car you drive we all share the same roads. Can't we do the same with ball fields.

Legion's actions are like this. Buy a truck (legion) - drive on the public roads. Buy an SUV (select) and you need to find a different roadway to drive on. There is no good reason why legion is taking this stance on the playing fields. They have become the "Baseball Field Nazis"...SHARE, SHARE, SHARE - it's the right thing to do.

Posted by yes you can at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 10:43 AM:

But you CAN compare legion to select, people do it all the time, it's not hard. We have all learned from these blogs that people have different values. Legion & select are just two different vehicles for doing the same thing, in this case playing baseball. Comparing them to each other is much like driving cars. Just because an SUV meets my needs, doesn't mean that if someone purchases a sedan it is wrong or a bad car it is what works for them. What needs to be worked on is the perception that people have of each. I have heard them compared as you would compare Calculus & AP Calculus. They are both still math classes, but the students who have excelled in math & want to go into math fields take the AP route, and the students who have not scored as high, don't want to focus on math or have a math based career take Calculus. Needless to say, some of the brightest students aren't in AP classes & that's ok, it doesn't make it wrong for the students who are. People need to work on being more open minded and not be so inclined to trash something that so far has been a great thing for our region. I thought diversity was a good thing?

Posted by Monique at East-West football at 1 Jul 10:29 AM:

Can we buy our tickets at the stadium the day of the game or do they need to be prepurchased? Are they $7.00 for all youth and Adults?

Posted by Yes, but.... at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 10:03 AM:

Many Paths... to clarify, my point was being made to "yes" about his comment "all the best jrs to be are playing legion" (with a couple exceptions). Those jrs to be (2010 class) are all playing AA this summer. AA continues to decline in overall competitiveness each year. It is a level well below varsity and above jv. None of those 2010 players are playing AAA (above varsity level) this season. Those jrs to be are playing a lot of games in AA but they are not personally challenging themselves at a higher level during the summer than they are in the spring. In others words they are "dropping down" or "opting down". It was not a knock on Shellhorn or any of the other fine players from the 2008 class who played AA their soph year. As you mentioned there are many paths to success.

General question to all: Why does legion appear to despise the select programs? Legion leadership has specifically told schools to not let select teams play in their tournaments or to use their practice fields. I can somewhat understand not allowing select teams into legion tournaments. I fail to understand why legion bans select teams from hs fields. Households with kids who play select pay the same taxes as kids who play legion. Those taxes pay for hs facilities. Why does legion have the self appointed power to ban select teams from publicly funded schoools? This is ridiculous and overstepping legal bounds! Would someone from legion clarify this. On the surface it appears legion has a very vindictive attitude towards select programs. Legion banning select teams from practicing or playng on a hs field is outrageously over the line.... Legion - Why do this and what gives your legion program the right to ban select teams from hs fields???

Posted by roughrider at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 8:02 AM:

you can't compare legion teams to "select" teams. Legion has to follow national rules when comes to what players are eligible for the team. Any select team, can get any player, any location, at any time. So, to say that the lums do not have the depth that the dodgers have is exactly right, no fault of the lums. The dodgers are a great program!! But, when you pick from all of eastern washington and north idaho compared to legion teams who pick from maybe 100 players who tryout? Have some common sense people. Again, the dodgers are a great program, but you can't compare the two.

Posted by Select Baseball Analysis at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 12:24 AM:

The Dodgers are in a class all by themselves. Just ask the Coeur D'Alene Lumberman, who they 10-runned this past weekend to win another tournament championship. This is not to detract from the Lums, but frankly they ran out of pitching and the Dodgers did not. The Dodgers are special because the have the best talent in the area and have great depth to their lineup. Six of the Dodger players were drafted. I'm not sure there is another travel team in Washington that can say that. Surely they have the best pitching: Their ace is Shellhorn, then Shull, Kittredge, Nelson, Partridge and Fowler. The Dodgers rate an "A".

The Oakley Monster Dogs and Coeur D'Alene Lumbermen (legion) are the next two best teams. Solid pitching and bats, just nowhere near the depth of the Dodgers. These two teams rate a "B+".

The White Brothers are trying to build something, but just don't have the talent to compete against anything but average AAA Legion teams. Rate them a "C+". Next year I see them moving up to the Monster Dog level.

Legion needs to get a reality check and start scheduling these teams in competition. Not playing these teams implies they are afraid of the competition. I don't think this is true, but parents want their kids playing against the best, so it hurts recruitment.

Posted by Many Paths at Baseball postulating at 1 Jul 12:06 AM:

Not all of those kids played multiple sports. Shellhorn, Shull and Kittredge, notably, concentrated solely on baseball to great success. Others like Peterson were 3-sport stars. Brett played multiple sports as well but was really only good at one.

Baseball is the one sport that most demands specialization as it is in many ways more art than sport. I can take a great athlete in baseball and turn him into a wide receiver but good luck doing the reverse. Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports. The top players these days play nearly 100 games a year. If the season were shortened and kids "required" to play only 30-40 they would be beat out by kids from California and Texas that play year-round.

And don't forget Fall baseball. All seven of the 2008 D1 prospects (Kittredge, Peterson, Cunningham, Shellhorn, Shull and Brett) played for Baseball Northwest in the fall, and most of them went to Arizona in October, the Mariner Cup, the Area Code games or similar events, and on their Fall scout team.

To "yes, but.." True.. Kittredge and Peterson played AAA their sophomore seasons while Shellhorn, Shull and Cunningham played AA. Shellhorn was invited to AAA that year but turned it down. I'm not sure of your point because although they played AA that year both Cunningham and Shellhorn played Fall select baseball along with the others. Shellhorn was on BBNW's scout team and played select ball many years before then. The point being they all played great competition which is why they turned out to be pretty good.

Posted by 206Coug at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 30 Jun 11:00 PM:

Kudos to Diana Pickler and Bernard Lagat also. Go Olympic Cougs!

Posted by 206Coug at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 30 Jun 10:58 PM:

Kudos to Jeshua! He is not only an outstanding member of the track and football teams, but also a solid student. I've seen him wear a Cougar athletics academic excellence jacket.

Posted by hmmm at Baseball postulating at 30 Jun 10:07 PM:

Again the question arises as to the benefit of select sports to the individual versus the perceived importance of developing the school based teams. I will tell you the problem, in my opinion there are way too many baseball games played. How can a player support his school team when his select team is gone every weekend during the spring and summer.

Take basketball for instance, there are a lot of kids in our backyard that can balance school camps and tournaments as well as elect to play with a select team during the summer. That is because the open recruiting period for hoops is during the last two weeks of July. So the schools set up their internal things during June and all are happy. A win win of sorts.

So if you ask me there should be a push for baseball to shorten up their off season play. With that I believe that more kids that have the ability to contribute would choose to play. As it stands now it is the worst sport to play as your "second" sport due to the time commitment.

Posted by team players wanted at Baseball postulating at 30 Jun 9:38 PM:

If, as Mike and many of us hope, a Spokane team can someday become a state high school semifinalist more than occasionally, we need to build up our high school teams and play as a team together through the summers. There is something to be said for knowing how to play as a team; to know tendencies of your teammates; their strengths and weakness; how to compliment each other; how to help each other improve and grow.

If you are out for "I" then our school teams suffer, and we may never have that more than occasional state qualifying team. Some players are doing well for themselves now, but did they ever really do anything for their high school teams? We should ask their teammates, not their parents.

Posted by willietwo at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 30 Jun 9:14 PM:

My pac 10 picks:

1. USC, still the best pro team in L.A.
2. ASU, can't diss Denny
3. UCLA, slick Rick's ability to motivate (& cheat) will offset QB problems (but the Cougs still own the baby bears)
4. Oregon, NW Chanps
5. OSU, NW Champ runner-up
6. CAL, could be a lot worse if they haven't recoverd from last year's melt down
7. WSU, Cougs always exceed expectations when picked 7th
8. Arizona, talent can't overcome Stoops' bad coaching
9. Trees, another year and Harbaugh will have them ahead of Arizona
10. UW, I root for two teams, the Cougs, and whoever is playing the Dawgs

WSU Bowl Projection: I'm taking no chances, I've already got my tickets for Hawaii thanksgiving weekend.

Go Cougs!

Posted by Che Sunday at Mr. Irrelevant checks in at 30 Jun 8:21 PM:

Goodluck Mike. There was another vandal, Sam Merriman who played the same position for the vandals and went on to be a Seahawk. Regardless of where you were drafted, I believe you will be another great vandal in the NFL. You are the reason I will be watching the Rams this season.
Take care.

Posted by Yes, but.... at Baseball postulating at 30 Jun 8:17 PM:

Yes.....You are correct listing the players who played legion the summer after their soph season. It should be noted that Kittredge and Petersen played at the AAA level, not the AA level during that season. Brett played select ball all the way through. The players you listed above are all playing AA this summer.

Posted by Gil Peckham at Baseball postulating at 30 Jun 8:17 PM:

Hey Skipper I don't coach, never said the Rattlers were great just said we were solid. Once again you won't sign your name and I keep wondering why you don't want a bunch of Spokane kids to do well.

Posted by homer at Baseball postulating at 30 Jun 7:42 PM:

It is more of who is running the legion program that dictates it's quality. If you schedule some of the best teams in the area and travel to tournaments that feature some of the best teams in the region or in the U.S. then the players will benefit greatly. For instance, look at the CDA Lumbermen who just competed in the 48 team tournament in Omaha. They placed third and not doubtedly the players were scouted by dozens of college and pro scouts. Legion definately serves a good purpose as long as there is quality personell running the teams and program.

Posted by yes at Baseball postulating at 30 Jun 5:58 PM:

Before there is all these postings of select baseball please realize the facts. Shellhorn,Shull,Peterson,Cunningham, and Kittridge all played legion the year going into their 11th grade year. Yes, all played select as younger kids. The time to make the move to select looks like the JR summer. With the exception of Awberry and Blackhum all the best jrs to be are playing legion. Schrader,Mack,Poland,Arlt,Simon,Santos,Rapose,Borgman,and Little are all playing legion.

Posted by Skipper at Baseball postulating at 30 Jun 5:53 PM:

Please don't post Gil. I don't care how great of coach you are and how good the Rattlers are!

Posted by Big Coug at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 30 Jun 5:25 PM:

Go Cougs!

Posted by I will bite at Baseball postulating at 30 Jun 5:07 PM:

Spokane needs more club teams. There is enough talent in the eastern WA/north ID area to support 3-4 high quality teams in the age brackets of 18U, 16U, 15U and 14U. Four teams would create a league to support a 15 game schedule. With more teams it would be much easier to draw teams to play tournaments locally - a boon to baseball and our economy.

Legion has its place and is for those plyers/hs programs more local and school team focused. Let's face it, if you desire to play at the highest leveal against the best players then club sports is where the action is. It also substantially increases your chances of playing college or pro ball if that is your ultimate goal.

Posted by Rob E at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 30 Jun 10:36 AM:

I wonder how the Times will cover this recurring theme Ty Willy has going, of pulling kids' scholarships? Not saying the last two weren't warranted, but he's done this to numerous players under his watch.

Posted by My Man at Shock clinch Western Division title at 30 Jun 10:04 AM:

"Championship teams win at home" My man Jackson, Mr. Jackson if your nasty. Coach Shack is 24-6 since coming on board. Bring back the cup Coach!!

Spokane Shock-The most electrifying game in sports and entertainment!!

Posted by Good_Life at Shock clinch Western Division title at 30 Jun 9:51 AM:

Three years, three division championships - nuff said! Nice work Coach Shack!

Posted by Hey Guys at Peterson update at 29 Jun 10:04 PM:

Hey guys, minor leagues is a long, tough road. It is WAY too early to measure success although I wish both of these boys the best. Kittredge, Shellhorn and Shull had a good weekend, winning another Dodger championship. All three are still talking to their scouts.

Posted by Willietwo at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 29 Jun 9:50 PM:

Lighten up on the Times' eggheads (i.e., the editors).

Their editorial was nothing more than a statement of the obvious, well after the fact -- not unlike a day late and a dollar short.

The appropriate response is: So, what's your point?

Go Cougs!

Posted by Gil Peckham at Peterson update at 29 Jun 7:23 PM:

Great to see both Peterson and Cunningham making the most of their chance in Pro ball. Hey not trying to brag, but this is for radar gun, another tournament championship for the Rattlers. Yakima Brent Edwards Memorial Tourney.

Posted by Rob E at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 29 Jun 4:36 PM:

Here goes...
1. USC...still more talent than anyone
2. ASU...will lose to SC and one other team they should beat
3. OSU...by default, Mike Riley has consistently been doing more with less
4. Cal...Some talent remains, but on the downslide from thier near BCS days
5. Arizona...Tuitama is experienced and has weapons, enough so that even Stoops won't be able to mismanage this unit.
6. Oregon...they lost a lot, but I'm not sure what of.
7. Stanford...the up and comer, Harbaugh won't have the most talent, but he's already got them to buy in.
8. Washington State...A lot of holes, not a lot of depth, but a clear direction, and an offense the rest of the league isn't prepared for will keep to Cougs off the bottom.
9. UCLA...Their down two QB's and fall camp hasn't started. Health and softness has been a huge problem for UCLA, and Slick Rick has never been known for the toughness of his squads. An excellent set of coordinators could make this prediction look real bad.
10. Washington...Locker is going to have to do it alone, and while he's capable of doing so, I think he'll take too many shots to be effective all season long. A shame, as a Coug I've really enjoyed Ty Willy as coach and this will be the last season of that.

Posted by Greg at Taylor switching jobs at Lake City at 29 Jun 3:29 PM:

Yes, a summertime activity.

Posted by TR at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 29 Jun 12:26 PM:

Good articles, thanks for the links.

As for the Pac-10 picks, I'd go:

1. Arizona State
2. USC
3. Cal
4. Oregon
5. Oregon State
6. UCLA
7. WSU
8. UW
9. Stanford
10. Arizona

Rationale: USC is breaking in a new QB, ASU is returning perhaps the league's top QB. (I did not check where the ASU-USC matchup will be this year.) I think Erickson is a great game-day coach, better than Carroll there. I think Carroll is a better practice coach.

Cal has enough coming back to place third, depends again on how Longshore and/or Riley play at QB.

Oregon could fall based on breaking in a new QB. They recruited well. They'll lose yet another Civil War game in Corvallis this year; Riley is a better coach than Bellotti. Riley wins with much less money and facilities.

I think UCLA is nothing special, both injured QB's are middling.

I think WSU is capable of getting 7th if Rogers is a capable QB.

I don't UW is any great shakes, though Locker is great. WSU will win the Apple Cup in Pullman.

Stanford is improving under Harbaugh. I've yet to be impressed by anything coming from the Mike Stoops era in Tucson.

Posted by coug0105 at Tracking down WSU's Olympic hopes at 29 Jun 11:21 AM:

Jeshua Anderson !! What a class act!!

Where are the stories in the Seattle Times about this young man? Must be to positive for the Times to print.

Dianna Pickler, you make us proud.

Posted by More Stats at Peterson update at 29 Jun 9:41 AM:

More stats...source is the Minor League website...amazing what these two Spokane kids are doing!...

In the 16 team gulf league Peterson is among the league leaders in all the major categories...
Batting avg 13th
On base pct 4th
Slugging pct 28th
OPS - On base plus slugging 12th

When Jarek gets enough at bats he will also show up in the league leaders.

Posted by Update? at Peterson update at 29 Jun 9:23 AM:

Any update on the signability of Brett, Shellhorn, Shull and Kittredge?

Cunningham and Peterson have quickly adapted to wood bats and pro pitching. Their early strong performance indicates they will be successful. They aren't overmatched in the Gulf Coast League where the ball parks are pitchers parks.

Posted by Bryan's turn at Peterson update at 29 Jun 8:27 AM:

Bryan's now
2008 Batting Statistics
Club (League) Class AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF GIDP OBP SLG OPS
Red Sox (GCL) R .353 5 17 3 6 0 1 0 4 4 3 1 0 0 0 1 .500 .471 .971
Minor League Totals .353 5 17 3 6 0 1 0 4 4 3 1 0 0 0 1 .500 .471 .971

Posted by here u go at Peterson update at 29 Jun 8:25 AM:

Jarek's stats after 4 games
Statistics
Club (League) Class AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SH SF GIDP OBP SLG OPS
Pirates (GCL) R .500 3 8 3 4 1 1 1 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 .667 1.250 1.917
Minor League Totals .500 3 8 3 4 1 1 1 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 .667 1.250 1.917

Posted by ForgotBrett at Peterson update at 29 Jun 8:19 AM:

2008 Pitching Statistics
Club (League) Class W L ERA G GS CG SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WP BB/9 SO/9 AVG WHIP
Royals (AZL) R 1 0 4.50 2 0 0 1 2.0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 4.50 0.00 .143 1.00
Minor League Totals 1 0 4.50 2 0 0 1 2.0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 4.50 0.00 .143 1.00

Brett Richardson's debut NC kid! With KC Royals





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Posted by GoJarek at Peterson update at 29 Jun 8:09 AM:

Looks like Jarek is off and running 4 for 8, 3 of his first 4 hits are for extras including his first HR. Also, Bryan is off to a nice start. They both should excell in this league lots of young (17 -19yrs old) Latin Americans and HS kids. Mike, Mike, Barbara, and Robin congrats.
Oh boy the way the league that they are starting at the HR king will have 6-7 in most years a very difficult parks to hit HR's makes Jarek's power more special wood bat,HS kid, day games(Florida's humidity). Special>>>

Posted by LCHS Fan at Taylor switching jobs at Lake City at 28 Jun 10:47 PM:

Greg Lee....do you umpire softball?

Posted by cougarbaseball at News and notes from baseball, basketball and beyond at 28 Jun 9:15 PM:

Speaking of Cougar baseball and its recruits, ALL THREE first-team all-state pitchers this year are LHP's going to Washington State: Rusty Shellhorn, Adam Conley and Derek Jones. Cougar baseball is on the rise.

Posted by BrianS from Portland at Morgan heads to Western at 28 Jun 8:32 PM:

Good luck, Cole. We'll be rooting for you.

Posted by Tom R. at Looking back at the draft at 28 Jun 6:21 AM:

Vince, Do you know how players drafted in round two are paid? Do they get a nice expense account while they are trying to get a contract? How does it work?