Pound baseball

**imported_Coach** · August 23rd, 2006, 04:05 PM

congrats to chris wilson on getting the job. i thought, or at least was under the impression, that j.w. salyers would take over at pound when brian sturgill left.

**Unchained** · August 23rd, 2006, 05:30 PM

You couldn't pay JW enough to come back to Pound. Way too much drama over there, and his program at Castlewood is solid (good baseball tradition/community-has total support and control to do what he needs to). Pound is like Clintwood: It's where baseball coaches go to be buried [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

The_Sage · August 23rd, 2006, 06:19 PM

From what I hear Pound has a good solid youth program,, has been run by the same guy for 20+ years,,, but there hasn't been any support from administration for several years... always in attendance at football and basketball,,, but non-existent for baseball. Pound needs to hire a Bassball Principle,,,ha,,, and i'm sure the new principle didn't play baseball.

**imported_juggernaut28** · August 23rd, 2006, 07:41 PM

J.W. wanted to come to Pound before he went to castlewood. I don't know about the parents running Brian off, I think Brian did that himself. Before Brian came to Pound, Pound had quite a few boys coming out to play. Then when Brian came the numbers in baseball just starting dropping. There is two sides to every story. The one's who supported Brian will always say the parents ran him off. Seems like that is the case every time at Pound any way from what I hear on here. But in all honesty Brian could have had more players but he wouldn't work with them as far as them playing two sports.
I thought Pound had a pretty decent program as far as baseball was concerned when Brian came. I just think Brian's way of coaching and the way he had planned things just didn't go the way he expected and therefore he was hit with not many wanting to come out and play for him. J.W. is happy where he is at now, he has started a great program why would he want to leave it now? That is what Pound needs, is someone who wants to help the program grow. Someone who really cares about the sport and all the kids playing. I think coaching should be someone who wants to encourage kids to come out and play. You can't act like Brian did and expect kids to want to play for him.

**Unchained** · August 23rd, 2006, 07:52 PM

JW didn't "start" a great program at Castlewood. That program has been solid for decades. How about all of the other coaches before Brian? What happened to all of them? From what the folks from Pound tell me, they will never field quality athletic programs until somebody puts the reins on the parents. It happens at Wise too-feel you all's pain.

**imported_juggernaut28** · August 23rd, 2006, 08:35 PM

I don't know how good or bad Castlewood was before J.W. went there to be coach. I am just going by what J.W. told me this past season. As far as Pound goes I can't say how many coaches have supposedly been run off. I don't know. But I do know that Brian hurt himself in some things that he done. I don't know either about if parents were trying to run him off, maybe they were I wasn't up there to see or hear any of that going on. My knowledge of Brian is there were several players that could have played baseball and he had an attitude that he didn't need them, he had the players he needed to win with. What kind of attitude is that? Pound already had a solid group of boys that had played since they were old enough to play when Brian stepped in. I am not trying to bash Brian in any way, it is just there is alot of talk on here that the parents ran Brian off when there is more truth to it then what is being told on here. I don't know the past of castlewood, but I do think that with J.W. they will have a good future to look forward too. Any team can have great talent playing for them, but along with that talent there needs to be some kind of coach that can do something with it.
Now I don't think it is the parent's place to tell the coaches in any way what to do. I agree with an earlier post that said the parents need to stay home. But in any sport at any school there will always be some parents who want to try and help "coach" cause their son?daughter is playing. I don't agree with that either. Cause admit it or not, what parent isn't going to favor their child at times? There needs to be a coach to stand up and change these situations with the schools principal's support. Cause without the changes then the same old stuff will happen no matter who comes in to coach.

**Unchained** · August 23rd, 2006, 08:42 PM

Castlewood's baseball program would have won state a few times in the 80's and 90's were it not for JJK. We always felt pretty good about our chances once we got past them. Maybe the best high school baseball game I have seen was the 1998 Regions at Norton when we beat them 1-0 (went on to cruise to stste title)on Spenilla's HR (if I remember right). That pitcher was tough (forgetting his name at moment). Funny thing was that Spenilla's dad built that program at Castlewood if I am not mistaken.

Only thing I can honestly say about Sturgill is that I thought it was a crock that he'd get mad and not speak to the Coalfield when he lost. I've seen Wyrick mad and disgusted after a JJK loss, but still understanding that that's part of the deal when you coach.

**1inStripes** · August 23rd, 2006, 08:57 PM

That is probably the best high school game I have ever watched Indian Dad. Thad Patrick was Castlewood's pitcher that night.

Castlewood was very good throughout the 80s and 90s, but come around 00 they stunk till JW got there. CW, and SP have always had a really good feeder system though, and that helps out a lot.

**IAmThadPatrick** · May 22nd, 2012, 12:30 PM

Excellent point man. I mean of course Kelly has THE most storied baseball tradition maybe in all of VA. But Castlewood's history of good baseball teams goes all the way back to it's origin. From it's first season in 1950 up until I believe 2003, the program had never had a losing record. When VA held it's first Group A state title game in 1971 Castlewood won it with it's worst team in around 5 seasons. They were state runners-up 3 times in the mid 70's and once again in 85 before winning their second title in 86. (those were the Spinella years 80-85 before leaving for CVC in 86 handing off a championship team to Dan Glass for the 86 season) In the early 90's Castlewood battled some great Glenvar teams in Region C and PV in state semis. So yeah the couple of seasons before J.W. were embarrassing. So is the current situationsince he's been gone.

**imported_Coach** · August 24th, 2006, 08:25 AM

[ QUOTE ]
J.W. is happy where he is at now, he has started a great program why would he want to leave it now? That is what Pound needs, is someone who wants to help the program grow. Someone who really cares about the sport and all the kids playing.

[/ QUOTE ]

i don't know the situation in pound and their baseball program, but Salyers' wife told me that he turned down the Tazewell job over the summer. he must be pretty happy at castlewood. i just kinda assumed that he would want to coach at the school he attended.