With All Of Life's Uncertainties

**Unchained** · April 18th, 2009, 07:17 AM

It's good to know that beating the Raiders on the diamond is still a given. What is Shupe now vs Wyrick 2-27? (know he's only won twice). It wasn't easy,but the result is still the same as it is,ever was,will be.... 3-2 JJK as Zak fans 13. When Shupe went to Norton folks sounded like Christ was coming (promised a state title within 3 years). I still can't help but chuckle.

**Golic** · April 18th, 2009, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by Unchained

It's good to know that beating the Raiders on the diamond is still a given. What is Shupe now vs Wyrick 2-27? (know he's only won twice). It wasn't easy,but the result is still the same as it is,ever was,will be.... 3-2 JJK as Zak fans 13. When Shupe went to Norton folks sounded like Christ was coming (promised a state title within 3 years). I still can't help but chuckle.

Shupe has brought a level of respectablity to the program in Norton. Have they won that state title he promised? No. But are they a bottom feeder in the district? No. While I think Wyrick has done a fine job at Kelly, I think Shupe would have been just as successful, if not more so, had he stayed at Wise.

**Unchained** · April 18th, 2009, 02:47 PM

Shupe had so much more to work with when he was at JJK than Wyrick has had/has now. Drive out and watch some Little League there if you doubt it. When I played Little League baseball,we had 12 fully loaded teams. Now we struggle to field 4. When Dave took the reins at JJK the cupboard was completely bare. What he has managed to do here is truly remarkable.

**Golic** · April 18th, 2009, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by Unchained

Shupe had so much more to work with when he was at JJK than Wyrick has had/has now. Drive out and watch some Little League there if you doubt it. When I played Little League baseball,we had 12 fully loaded teams. Now we struggle to field 4. When Dave took the reins at JJK the cupboard was completely bare. What he has managed to do here is truly remarkable.

The team Wyrick won with last year had been playing together for years. It is because of this that Wise Little League is in such the shape that it is in. No one wanted to play Little League in Wise because they put all of the good players on the same team and ruined it for the rest. Now there is a struggle trying to get kids to come out and play baseball again in Wise LL. Of course they have 8 T-Balls teams in Wise now (each with about 12 kids per team), so lets hope that is a sign of good things to come.

**basketballguy** · April 18th, 2009, 11:45 PM

hmm golic seems like you are sour with the team. Well let's clear this up for everyone since the group that won state seemed to ruin wise LL for years to come. When these kids were 9 they played little league and the entire little league went into a draft. There were four teams at that point all head coaches were dad's i do believe. After the draft one team was stacked wit about six 9 year olds and played 12 year olds in coeburn and wise. The all star team was then chosen by who played the best that season. It was apparent who was the 12 that would play because those 12 kids practiced nearly year-round since they were 9. When they were 12 Cody Bentley transferred to wise and when that group was freshmen Justin Wilson transferred. Also they received Chris Strougth their senior season.

I suppose the kids who didn't want to play didn't want to work to get better. By the end of regular season most of the kids didnt want to play anymore except the 12 kids playing allstars. So to say that those group of kids ruined Wise LL is crazy. They were long gone and the program still couldnt get back on its feet. I believe it was the sorry parents who never pushed their child to do any better and gave them a bag of chips and said its ok honey you can play video games instead of playing baseball.

**starbuck** · April 19th, 2009, 08:54 AM

I don't have much of a horse in this race because I for one don't like baseball one bit. It could go the way of hockey and soccer for all I care but little league should be "fun" for all kids not a win at all cost situation. when you get to the JV level I can see things changing to the best play and if that isn't you then try harder. I never was the most gifted player on my football team, never a natural and I had to learn to work hard for every bit of playing time I got while some were naturally blessed. my daughter is playing t-ball this year and if it is a "win at all cost" thing and making 5 year olds feel awful then that is wrong.

**yankeebaseball** · April 26th, 2009, 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by Unchained

Shupe had so much more to work with when he was at JJK than Wyrick has had/has now. Drive out and watch some Little League there if you doubt it. When I played Little League baseball,we had 12 fully loaded teams. Now we struggle to field 4. When Dave took the reins at JJK the cupboard was completely bare. What he has managed to do here is truly remarkable.

thats just not true. shupe didnt want to wait on the kids he had to develop. Burton had kids that were winning on the levels before HS. He basically thought with any coaching he could maybe steal a title at Burton and give the finger to JJK. Saying the cupboard was bare is just false. Longworth, Stinson, Bates etc. Finished up in 2002 (GC had their run in between,producing high quality teams with the great run of athletes they had in all sports) Bentley/Kopp etc was a fresh in 2005 and the team they had now were all fresh in 06. Shupe saw a window in between (with other factors granted). Kelly would be where they are now with Shupe or Wyrek. Everyone knew as the 02 team ended that Bentley, Dotson etc. were waiting in the wings.

**7teen** · April 19th, 2009, 10:46 PM

I am fairly certain that there are more kids in Wise T-Ball than are in the rest of the Wise LL program combined. 8 teams with 10-15 kids per team.

In 10 years you'll be seeing plenty of these kids donning the Wise County (whatever geographical direction they name the new school) Uniforms. #17 for the Reds can rake it! And he's only 4!

hahaha

**7teen** · April 19th, 2009, 10:50 PM

To comment on the program as a whole, I feel one thing that really hurt the program (aside from the other things already mentioned which I agree with ALL of them) is the field(s) itself. When Wise LL was played on the current Girls SB field for Kelly, there were teams galore. People could drive through Wise and see games going on all the time.

Now while the fields at the airport are nice and offer more things, not having the league play IN or NEAR town I think hurts it as well.

I spent plenty of days and nights at the field either playing games, practicing, playing cup ball, etc...

**imported_Sportsfan** · April 21st, 2009, 01:21 PM

One thing with the numbers in T-ball, is the girls. They will move on to softball once they play a year or two of T-ball. Thankfully my child is out of Little League now, and I do hope things get better. The biggest problems that I saw all the years that he played, were dad's that had to make their son's all stars, no matter how the child played, and a lot of petty jealousy. The last several years that my son played, he had the same team mates. The older ones of course moved on, so they would have to split up the younger kids for each team. That is just the way they decided to do it, to try to make it more fair, and I think the kids enjoyed having the same team mates. It doesn't matter anyway, at some point they will all be playing together on the same team, and only those who work hard enough will get to play. Oh, and whoever was upset about the working hard bit for 9-12 year olds, they either did their jobs and got to play post season or they didn't. Who in their right mind would load a team full of kids that would rather play in the grass and dirt, then pay attention and play the game. They may be young, and little, but they still work hard, they love to win, and hate to lose, and I don't care if it's Little League, or college ball, there is still a job to be done. If a player doesn't do their job, then they may cause their team to lose. That's part of being on a team, everyone has their part to play, and sometimes even the best players can not make up for other's mistakes.