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Thinking globally, acting locally.
It’s a conundrum that in a way describes the dilemma facing Grundy principal Leslie Horne, who is making the biggest decisions the Buchanan County school’s athletic department has ever faced.
No one loves Grundy more than Horne, a star basketball player in the mid-1980s who took a very credible turn as the school’s girls basketball coach a decade later, guiding the Golden Wave to a couple of Group AA quarterfinals.
But Horne is realistic enough to know there are no easy solutions facing a school with shrinking enrollment.
“I’m trying desperately to do the right thing for all involved,” she said late Monday afternoon. “There is no right answer for everyone.”
For at least two more years, Horne’s version of the right thing is to have a school with Group A-sized enrollment compete in the AA Southwest District.
Some in the community felt a little jilted by Horne’s decision. They wanted to see Grundy go down to the Group A ranks and play in the Black Diamond District, which is where the Virginia High School League had assigned it for the 2008-09 school year.
Sure, the Golden Wave’s struggling sports – football, baseball, volleyball – might be able to win a little more. But playing the likes of Haysi and Honaker as opposed to playing Richlands and Tazewell is no contest financially.
If you don’t believe me, just go to a Richlands road game sometime and watch the home team’s athletic director smile as Blue Tornado fans pack the stands and fill the cash box.
Then there’s wrestling – the sport at which Grundy always excels. No other BDD school even offers it, and while the Golden Wave will never have problems filling out a schedule because of the program’s continued dominance, Horne didn’t see a need to punish the fans.
“We have such a following in wrestling,” she said. “If we did this, you’d never see the kids on the mat [locally] until you got into a regional tournament.”
What’s more, Horne is willing to play a hunch that the VHSL might finally think about an option it should have considered a long, long time ago – reclassification.
“The [Redistricting & Realignment] committee is willing to explore five classifications for the first time,” she said. “I find that positive.
“I think going [Group A] right now is premature with all the positive things I’m getting from the state principals’ meeting. They’re willing to go forward and if we go [Group A] now, we may miss out on that.”
One other factor Horne certainly considered was what might happen in two years in Tazewell County. Enrollments are shrinking there, even with the likelihood that Pocahontas will close its doors this spring, which would send some students to Graham and a few to Tazewell.
In two years, it’s possible Graham and Tazewell could be small enough to play in Group A. And if those two go down, you can bet Richlands will invoke the “Lee precedent” and ask to join their county neighbors.
Horne knows all this could turn out not so well. But her instincts, as well as her desire to keep as many kids participating in sports as she can, leads her to believe she’s on the right path.
“We know our numbers are indicative of a change,” Horne summed up, “but we’re hoping some of our buddies might have to do it, too.”
If that does happen, the conundrum will have come to life. 

Posted by Bucky Dent
High School Sports
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Brent Musburger and Orel Hershier called today’s season-opener between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on ESPN.

And I have to say, it was great to hear Musburger call a baseball game.

I grew up with Musburger. His voice, for better or worse, dominated and defined my view of sports as a kid. I loved his enthusiasm. His ability to get lost in the moment. His tendency to overexaggerate, overemphasize and turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. I loved it all. And I still do.

I know it’s probably not in vogue to praise Musburger. But you know what? I don’t care. I really don’t. Nowadays, I long for the era of Musburger (and the soft-spoken Dick Enberg, who I recently heard for the first time in a good while, when he called the NCAA Tournament).

And that’s not nostalgia speaking. It’s more of a comment on what was and what is.

Good, professional, polished and respectful sports announcers are a dying breed. Musburger and Enberg represent a fading era. They always seemed in awe of the sports, teams and athletes they were covering. They respected history. They put events and actions in perspective. They held reverence for greatness.

Now? It’s all one-hundred-words-a-minute schills, oozing at the mouth just to hear themselves speak. Ruined by a 24/7 world, they churn out nonsense in loud, un-humanlike voices. Real, true analysis and insight is out the window. Enter: mind-numbing rants and a ceaseless stream of facts.

As a result, I normally have the “mute” button somewhere near my fingertips every time I watch a sporting event on TV nowadays. But today, while watching the Brewers and Cubs battle it out in the rain for 10 innings, I never once even thought about quieting Musburger. He was the announcer, and I was the listener. Yeah, he botched a few words and spellings. Yeah, he missed some things. But he sounded like he cared. And he spoke with a voice filled with respect, reverence and authority. And when Chicago’s Kosuke Fukudome launched his thrilling game-tying three-run home run in the ninth, Musburger was the only one I wanted to hear call the shot.

Posted by Brian T. Smith
High School Sports Baseball

God, I love baseball.

Ryan Zimmerman’s walk-off home run for the Washington Nationals Sunday evening.

Kosuke Fukudome’s game-tying three-run blast in the the bottom of the ninth for the Chicago Cubs this afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Unbelievable. And what amazing fun.

Posted by Brian T. Smith
High School Sports Baseball

This is scary.

What’s also scary? Living in the modern world without Major League Baseball. From November to April, we’re expected to go on pretending like everything is normal. No box scores. No day/night splits. No minor league callups. No home runs, bunts or 5-4-3 double plays. Well, you know what? I’m not going to pretend. Making it through yet another gloomy, boring winter without the aid of professional baseball is a frickin’ drag. This said, we made it. I made it. You made it. We (somehow) did it. And, now, baseball is back. April is around the corner. The sun is starting to stick around. And I’m psyched. It should be a great year for the game. (Actually, if you love baseball, it’s always a great year for the game. Even when the world around baseball is exploding, or the game is plagued with scandals and media-induced drama, baseball is still baseball. There’s a field. A diamond. Grass. Dirt. Gloves. Bats. A baseball. Talented players and worn-out coaches. Ah, I love it.)

OK. Enough moping. Onto the races.

Oh, yeah. One quick thing. Remember, kids: Don’t play fantasy baseball. It’s bad for you. Really. It is. And so are sabermetrics. Like drugs, both will ruin your life.

All right. Play ball!

American League East
Or, as I like to call it, the United States of America. You’ve got your rich snobs (the New York Yankees). Your rich but tolerable people (the Boston Red Sox). Your middle class (the Toronto Blue Jays - yeah, they’re in Toronto. So what?). Your working class (the Tampa Bay Rays). And the utterly disenfranchised (the Baltimore Orioles). It’s all there. One big beautiful melting pot. Just like our forefathers intended.

Boston - Heading into April, the Red Sox possess one of the most potent and versatile rosters in recent memory. Factor in that Manny Ramirez is in a contract year - who knew Ramirez remembered how to report to camp in shape? - the Red Sox are coming off their second World Series title in four years, and Boston’s youth movement is a year older, and Red Sox Nation is about to get totally annoying.

Toronto - If Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett can stay healthy, the Blue Jays could hang with the Red Sox until mid-September and take the American League wild card. If not, remember Toronto: you’ll always have George Bell.

New York - The Yanks keep forgetting you have to good pitching to win at baseball. Trust me, Hank; it helps.

Tampa - Contending for my favorite team to watch that won’t hit the 75-win mark, the Rays are doing things right. Starting pitchers Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza have the potential to be a potent 1-2-3 attack. Meanwhile, Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton have Vince Coleman/Willie McGee written all over them. Watch the Rays. And believe.

Baltimore - Eh. I’d rather devour Season 3 of “The Wire” for the fifth time than watch an Orioles game. Will someone please remind Peter Angelos the objective of playing a game is to win?  I feel bad for Nick Markakis. Only Andy McPhail could save this franchise. Maybe he eventually will.

Predicted order of finish:
1.) Boston Red Sox
2.) Toronto Blue Jays
3.) New York Yankees
4.) Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
5.) Baltimore Orioles

American League Central
Or, as I like to call it, the best, most-awesome frickin’ division in all of baseball. Man. How good is Detroit? How good is Cleveland? How interesting is Kansas City? All three are better and more worth your time than most crappy modern novels. Anyone want to buy me the “Extra Innings” package?

Cleveland - Grady Sizemore is everything a baseball player should be. So is C.C. Sabathia. Eric Wedge might be the best manager in the game. And Cleveland should have won the A.L. last year. If the bottom of the Indians’ starting rotation can support Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, it’s going to be a long year for the rest of the American League.

Detroit - I’ve been thinking Detroit is a cool city for years. You’ve got the Pistons, you’ve got the Tigers, you’ve got Motown …Yeah. See? That’s a lot of cool stuff. The Tigers are going to destroy teams this year. I don’t know how else to put it. Unless Curtis Granderson gets hurt (oops). Or Kenny Rogers gets old (eh … ). Or Dontrelle Willis continues his slide. Or their bullpen falls apart. Or …

Chicago - I wish Ozzie Guillen managed that other team in Chicago.

Kansas City - My other favorite team to watch that won’t hit the 75-win mark.

Minnesota - Dear fans of the Twins and Timberwolves: I’m really sorry your pro baseball and basketball teams now totally suck.

Predicted order of finish:
1.) Cleveland Indians
2.) Detroit Tigers
3.) Chicago White Sox
4.) Kansas City Royals
5.) Minnesota Twins

American League West
Otherwise known as the most boring and pointless division in baseball. Let’s see. The Angels will be good, but not good enough. Ichiro Suzuki will carry the Mariners, while Richie Sexton will wonder how in the world he’s still getting payed to play baseball. The Rangers won’t have any pitching. And the A’s will undertake a youth movement dictated by the fact that Bud Selig is convinced everything in baseball is A-OK. All right. Moving on …

Predicted order of finish:
1.) The not really in Los Angeles Angels
2.) Seattle Mariners
3.) Texas Rangers
4.) Oakland Athletics

p.s. Need more proof that the A.L. West is a laugher? There’s only four teams. What a joke!

Boom of the Year: Rich Harden

Bust of the Year: Nick Swisher

American League MVP: Magglio Ordonez

American League Cy Young: Fausto Carmona

American League Wild Card: Detroit Tigers

American League Champion: Cleveland Indians

--

National League East
The home of real baseball. The Mets, Phillies and Braves all look playoff-worthy. The Nationals are on the rise. And the Marlins are the best Triple-A club in the game. I wish people like John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, David Wright, Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Martinez, Bobby Cox, Ryan Howard and Chipper Jones would stay in the game forever. The N.L. East has more drama than Hollywood on a daily basis.

Atlanta - Smoltz, Glavine and Tim Hudson give the Braves a major edge in a pitching-weak division. Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur and Mark Teixeira are fearsome. The Braves’ bullpen is improving. And Cox is the best manager in the game. Break out the tomahawks.

New York - Another team in New York that can’t seem to remember you need pitching to win. Interesting.

Philadelphia - Some serious answers (Howard, Rollins, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels), but way too many questions. Break out the batteries.

Washington - My third-favorite team to watch that won’t hit the 75-win mark.

Florida - Choose your own adventure: Someone gives you free tickets to either a Marlins or Dolphins game, but you can only go to one. Which path do you decide to take?

Predicted order of finish:
1.) Atlanta Braves
2.) New York Mets
3.) Philadelphia Phillies
4.) Washington Nationals
5.) Florida Marlins

National League Central
How come the N.L. Central has six teams and the A.L. West only has four? Oh, yeah. Right. Because they play real baseball in the N.L. Central.

The Cubs look good, but they also looked good at the start of the 2007 season. The Brewers are a year older and have the most raw talent. And don’t be surprised if the Reds make a strong run, then fade.

Milwaukee - Brewers fans deserve a trip to the playoffs, and they should get one this year.

Chicago - Still way too many questions for a team that possesses some of the best players in the game. How do you not make it to the World Series with Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Marmol and Ted Lilly on your roster? You’re the Cubs.

Cincinnati - The talent is there. Their first two starters are top-notch. And Dusty Baker was the right choice. The Reds might be the best kept secret in MLB.

St. Louis - If I was the general manager of the Cardinals, and I had Albert Pujols on my team, I’d figure something out - quick.

Houston - The curse of The Rocket.

Pittsburgh - The Steelers should be pretty good next season.

Predicted order of finish:
1.) Milwaukee Brewers
2.) Chicago Cubs
3.) Cincinnati Reds
4.) St. Louis Cardinals
5.) Houston Astros
6.) Pittsburgh Pirates

National League West
Where pitching rules and hitting is but a dream.

San Diego - Kevin Towers is the best GM in baseball. And how come everyone’s jumped on the Brandon Webb-Dan Haren bandwagon, but ignored the two-headed monster that is Chris Young and Jake Peavy? Throw in the greatest pitcher of the modern era (Greg Maddux) and a strong farm system, and I’ll take the Pads while the D’Backs, Dodgers and Rockies cancel each other out.

Arizona - Yeah, their rotation is impressive. But it also helps to have hitting.

Los Angeles - A sleeper. If everything comes together, the Dodgers could surprise. If not, L.A.’s favorite team could be a mess.

Colorado - One and done for the Rocks.

San Francisco - There’s a reason everyone’s picking the Giants to finish last.

Predicted order of finish:
1.) San Diego Padres
2.) Arizona Diamondbacks
3.) Los Angeles Dodgers
4.) Colorado Rockies
5.) San Francisco Giants

Boom of the Year: Alfonso Soriano

Bust of the Year: Carlos Delgado

National League MVP: Mark Teixeira

National League Cy Young: Carlos Zambrano

National League Wild Card: Chicago Cubs

National League Champion: Milwaukee Brewers

--

World Series Champion: Cleveland Indians

Posted by Brian T. Smith
High School Sports Baseball

There are times when I’m embarrassed to call myself a sports writer.

Usually, it’s when ESPN is running something completely ridiculous like “Who’s sexier: Tom Brady, Tiger Woods or Lebron James?”

Or when ESPN devotes half a day discussing the minute details of how the Boston Red Sox decided not to go to Japan, and then changed their minds.

Or when ESPN devotes a whole day discussing “bracketology.”

Or when I’m covering a high school game, and fans constantly berate refs/players/coaches with all the class of a second-grader.

Or when …

Well, actually, it’s quite often.

Sports are a wonderful microcosm of the modern world. There are things I love. There are things I like. There are things I tolerate. And there are things so ridiculous, short-sighted and self-involved that I wonder how we ever made it past the 20th Century.

Which brings me to Terrelle Pryor.

I’ve never met Pryor. Probably never will. But the fact that I even know his name is scary.

Pryor’s every move has been documented, covered and dissected in the past year.

Is Pryor going to sign? When’s he going to do it? Who’s he like more, “University of Ohio State” or Michigan? Did you hear that he got into a fight?

How about this one: who cares?

Really, who cares?

If you’re Pryor, you care. If you’re a friend of Pryor, related to him, played ball with him or coached him, you care. And if you’re a Buckeye follower, well, congratulations.

But the rest of the world? ESPN? Sports writers, The Associated Press and the national media?

Are you kidding me?

Sadly, no.

This is where we’re at.

End times, kids.

We’re not even two months removed from the sad story of Kevin Hart, Pryor has yet to even play a down of collegiate football, but your average hardcore sports fan now knows more about Pryor than hat’s going on in Iraq, the state of their own local government, or why the national economy is in the tank.

A blow-by-blow breakdown of Pryor’s “career” and Wednesday’s press conference still ranks in ESPN’s top-10 stories, a day after Pryor made his announcement.

And judging by Pryor’s quotes, he’s got the act down.

(People wonder why modern athletes are so jaded. Well, if you had two major press conferences and had fielded thousands of questions from the media before you graduated high school, you might be, too.)

It’s all Pryor, all the time.

Granted, his numbers look great.

Pryor could be the next Vince Young.

But he could also be the next Michael Vick, Todd Marinovich, Maurice Clarett …

I have nothing against Pryor. I wish him the best.

Hate the game, not the player … I get it.

But we’re part of the game. We subscribe to it and contribute to it and keep it alive.

And, right now, the game is broken.

From the proliferation of high school recruiting sites to signing day-mania; from an obsession with meaningless stats to an unhealthy obsession with kids who aren’t even old enough to even vote—we’ve created a monster.
Pryor’s not a savior. He’s not a god. He’s not even a college star, yet.

He’s a kid.

Good luck, Terrelle Pryor.

I hope you make it.

Posted by Brian T. Smith
College Sports High School Sports Football