If I were Portsmouth......

[fbbacker]

Look Maltese, I don't have a source, I don't have a clue. This is just what I have seen, a "perception." I am not from here but I have been to enough games, heard enough rumors and talked to enough people to know how the local folks feel about Portsmouth fans and sports. And if you would have read my statement, I was asking someone to please explain it to me. I don't know. I really don't care quite honestly. This a forum to discuss various topics about HS sports and I was giving my opinion on why I, me, myself thought that Portsmouth had not been voted into the SOC. This is my opinion, my thoughts. This is not a rumor I'm starting. My opinion. That's it. I have no source. If you don't care for my opinion, I'm sorry. Do I need a source to post about a topic?

Apparently talking about Portsmouth HS sports with you strikes a cord and is a sore subject.

[Westfan]

I said in the past, their should be a concern that Portsmouth "potentially" could become a very big school playing in a small school conference, similar to what they are facing now in their league against Logan. What would concern me is consolodation of schools. I could see a point, with the economic situation the way it is, where the state of Ohio could make Portsmouth, East, New Boston, and Clay combine in some way (either some or all). Because of the lack of jobs and the younger folks moving away to find work, enrollments are going down and probably will continue to. Their may come a point where the State may say it isn't economically feasible to keep all of these schools open and make them combine into 1 or 2 schools. They have did this alot in West Virginia. If this were to happen I'm sure Portsmouth would stay in some sort. Their enrollment would increase significantly, and they would have a decisive advantage. This very well could happen.

[TheMalteseFalcon]

Look Maltese, I don't have a source, 1.) I don't have a clue. This is just what I have seen, a "perception." I am not from here but I have been to enough games, 2.) heard enough rumors and talked to enough people 3.) to know how the local folks feel about Portsmouth fans and sports. And if you would have read my statement, I was asking someone to please explain it to me. I don't know. I really don't care quite honestly. This a forum to discuss various topics about HS sports and ,4.) I was giving my opinion on why I me, myself thought that Portsmouth had not been voted into the SOC. This is my opinion, my thoughts. 5.( This is not a rumor I'm starting. My opinion. That's it. I have no source. 6.) If you don't care for my opinion, I'm sorry. 7.) Do I need a source to post about a topic?

8.)Apparently talking about Portsmouth HS sports with you strikes a cord and is a sore subject.

1.) You got that right.... and neither does the guy that started this thread. That being the case, why do you find it necessary to degrade an entire conference and the towns they represent ON A PUBLIC FORUM when your "opinion" is based entirely on RUMORS..??. (see #2 above.)

2.) So, admittedly, you are basing your "opinion" on rumors you've heard and NOT on the actions of "the Portsmouth fans or sports". I have VERY good friends that live in Portsmouth... some are sports fans and some aren't, but I have NEVER heard one of them belittle their team, coach, or league, and especially on a public forum. I'll take those kinds of "bad people" ANY DAY over rumor mongers.

3.) You may know a FEW local folks that say those kinds of things but they are rare and maybe you just got tangled up with the wrong kinda folks when you came here from wherever the hell you came from.

4.) Based on rumors and hearsay and RUMORS... again, see #2 above.

5.) It may not be a rumor you are starting but it is one you are sadly and wrongly perpetuating.

6.) No, I don't care for "opinions" that are based on rumors and hearsay... especially derogatory opinions that are hurtful towards several communities, You are totally putting down one community (Portsmouth) and insinuating that all the SOC county communities feel the same way towards the Portsmouth folks. That is sad and VERY (unnecessarily) divisive.

7.) I believe if I were going to spout such garbage about people, schools, towns, communities, coaches and a conference, I would CERTAINLY have something to back it up with. !!

8.) I have not one penny invested in Portsmouth but I DO have a lot of respect for a lot of people there and also for the SOC and the communities and coaches they represent. Portsmouth has a great heritage (sports and community) that dates back long before you were even born.


What you are essentially saying here (in fact flat out saying) is that Portsmouth people are a bunch of hoods and thieving thugs and the SOC and their communities and especially their voting coaches are biased, racist, elitist, arrogant jerks.....and that ain't good.

[TrojanBuff]

What you are essentially saying here (in fact flat out saying) is that Portsmouth people are a bunch of hoods and thieving thugs and the SOC and their communities and especially their voting coaches are biased, racist, elitist, arrogant jerks.....and that ain't good.

TheMalteseFalcon - Then why not make the SOC vote public? Then, those coaches who vote NO for Portsmouth to be in the SOC can explain why it is they do not want Portsmouth in.

Also, your comment earlier tried to make "Portsmouth people" look like "a bunch of hoods and thieving thugs".

it is chickensh#! though to allow a silent vote..........I wish they would have to state out loud yes or no.......then you could see who stands where..............

Why would it benefit you to know that...so you could go toilet paper the school... or what?

[Ptown Playmaker]

"I don't represent the whole city of Portsmouth"..........that are alot of people that are happy with the SEOAL.......I am happy we are in a league....I wish it were local and involve schools close to our size........as a poster said before, it is very tough on alot of people who work all week and come 5:00pm on Friday, rush home to pick up the family, then drive 1-2 hours plus for a game........closer tavel would make it easier for those indivuals to attend more games. I have an opinion and the last time I checked, I am allowed to express it...........I also quit "toilet papering" 25 to 30 years ago.........I can't afford to buy it and use in that manner I agree with pmow3........I believe both sides would benefit from us joining

[PTrojan59]

Myself i don't care what league we're in, id just like to see us finish near the top. But the SOC is local and Portsmouth has had some great games with some teams in the Soc so i wouldnt mind being in it.

[TheMalteseFalcon]

I believe both sides would benefit from us joining

And I have not disagreed with or opposed that thought one single time on here. I certainly wouldn't be offended if the Trojans became a part of the SOC but I leave that call to the (elitist ) voting coaches of the SOC..... and I would hazard a guess that they have thoroughly discussed that situation very deeply many times and have reached a consensus that they can live with... for WHATEVER reason.

What I DO disagree with very strongly (which you don't seem capable of picking up on) is the insinuation that those biased, racist, elitist SOC coaches don't want "those Portsmouth people" in because they are a bunch of uncivilized savages and all they will do is "cause trouble". That is unmitigated bullcrap and has been demonstrated on here that it is ALL based on rumors !! Why don't ONE of you rumor mongers PROVE what you are saying rather than just throwing it out there and causing hard feelings simply because you "heard" it someplace?? That isn't very responsible is it?
I asked before (and nobody has responded), if it is a secret vote, how do you know that ALL of the SOC coaches didn't vote against letting them in ?? Come to think of it, they ALL might as well vote against it since they are ALL being painted with the same biased, elitist brush anyway.

[TheMalteseFalcon]

Also, your comment earlier tried to make "Portsmouth people" look like "a bunch of hoods and thieving thugs".

it is chickensh#! though to allow a silent vote..........I wish they would have to state out loud yes or no.......then you could see who stands where..............

Why would it benefit you to know that...so you could go toilet paper the school... or what?

If you can equate my asking a single individual (tongue-in-cheek) if he would go toilet paper a school with trying to make Portsmouth people look like a bunch of hoods and thieving thugs... ... you have lived a very sheltered life ...

[Mikenmike]

portsmouth sucks! why would the soc want them in?

[TheMalteseFalcon]

portsmouth sucks! why would the soc want them in?

Nice beginning for your (shortlived) posting career, Mikey.

[Mikenmike]

[fbbacker]

Maltese-my first post on this topic was this:

I just have to add that I have thought and I still think that it is absolutely ridiculous to NOT let Portsmouth in the league. People need to grow up, realize that the fans and kids in Portsmouth are not that bad and that it can be a win-win situation for all. When ADULT coaches vote the KIDS from PHS out of the league they are punishing the kids just for being from Portsmouth. This whole thing is about perception of how a kid or fan from Portsmouth MIGHT behave at a sporting event. And that is just downright sad.

Then TrojanBuff wrote about that comment:

Maybe the best post I've read regarding this situation. It is sad when adults in general treat the kids from Portsmouth (or any school) like this. That is why the vote should be made public. The ‘reasonable fans’ of SOC schools want Portsmouth in, so let these fans see if there AD is indeed voting for Portsmouth to be in the SOC or not. If school XYZ votes for Portsmouth to not be in the SOC, why would they still want to play Portsmouth? Also, if a school does not play Portsmouth, there is no risk in letting them in.

There will be some fans, like TheMalteseFalcon, who bash Portsmouth every chance she gets but the majority of sports fans know Portsmouth in the SOC would make for some fun matchups, week in and week out. I know I would enjoy playing local teams every week. The buzz around town would be exciting. Portsmouth would be competitive in the SOC but definitely would not dominate any sport. If anything, outside one or two sports, Portsmouth would be in the middle of the pack for most sports.

Then there was my last post. How you got from my last post and this post that you think about what I said is "What you are essentially saying here (in fact flat out saying) is that Portsmouth people are a bunch of hoods and thieving thugs and the SOC and their communities and especially their voting coaches are biased, racist, elitist, arrogant jerks.....and that ain't good" is absolutely ridiculous. I'M TAKING UP FOR PORTSMOUTH!!!!! I work there!! You are trying to make something out of nothing, and THAT ain't good!

We at the Burg want Portsmouth in the SOC. What school do you support? Do you want them in? Doesn't sound like it!!!

[TheMalteseFalcon]

I am not from here but I have been to enough games, heard enough rumors and talked to enough people to know how the local folks feel about Portsmouth fans and sports. .

If you are perpetuating these "rumors" that you "hear" (and you are) then I stand by my post.

As you said before, you "don't have a clue" as to what goes on in those voting meetings or why they are not voted in so why do you listen to others that don't have a clue either? You have listened to the clueless rumors and have based your "opinion" on them. Going around and debasing the SOC communities and coaches on unsubstantiated rumors ain't too bright is it? It certainly isn't too helpful for the relations between Portsmouth and the county schools do you think?

Please answer my question (one of them at least) :
How do you know that they don't ALL vote to not let them in????

[TheMalteseFalcon]

Do you want them in?

Try reading my posts sometime for a change.

I said earlier:

"I certainly wouldn't be offended if the Trojans became a part of the SOC but I leave that call to the (elitist ) voting coaches of the SOC..... and I would hazard a guess that they have thoroughly discussed that situation very deeply many times and have reached a consensus that they can live with... for WHATEVER reason.".

Am I going to fight to get Portsmouth in? NO.
Am I going to fight to keep them out? NO
Would I be offended if they got in? NO
Would I be offended if they are kept out? NO

As I said before, I leave those decisions to the voting coaches that get paid to make them.... but meanwhile, I don't go making up and passing around vicious rumors as to WHY they make the decisions they do. They are adult professional head coaches representing their schools and communities..... and I TRUST them to do the right thing.
Got it this time???

[TheMalteseFalcon]

. What school do you support?

I support ALL the local teams. If memory serves me right I saw 17 different teams play last year and wasn't overjoyed OR dissappointed in seeing any one of them win OR lose. I just enjoy watching the kids play the game.

BY the way, I don't have a single kid that goes to ANY Scioto County school (including Portsmouth). In fact, I don't even have a kid OR PARENT that even lives in Scioto County.

[Portsmouth98]

Well, there's only two things I know for certain. In overhearing fans comments after games and from some of the stuff I hear at work, there's still some schools that have a lot of fans who do not appreciate Portsmouths' ethnic diversity. I also know from spending 2 years at Votech in the late 90's and hearing from my girlfriend who graduated from an SOC school in 2001, other schools expect trouble (brought in extra teachers, officers, etc) when they played Portsmouth. I'm not saying I thought we were more troublesome, I'm not saying we weren't, but for some reason the perception at County Schools was that we are. I don't know if refusing to play these schools would make anything better, it would probably hurt more than it helped, but there really isn't a logical reason in any other sense to keep us out. They have an unbalanced number of teams, we would be centrally located, we would be 3rd or 4th in enrollment every year out of the 6 current soc 2 teams, we travel well locally,and we wouldn't dominate any sport.

[TheMalteseFalcon]

Well, there's only two things I know for certain. In overhearing fans comments after games and from some of the stuff I hear at work, there's still some schools that have a lot of fans who do not appreciate Portsmouths' ethnic diversity. I also know from spending 2 years at Votech in the late 90's and hearing from my girlfriend who graduated from an SOC school in 2001, other schools expect trouble (brought in extra teachers, officers, etc) when they played Portsmouth. I'm not saying I thought we were more troublesome, I'm not saying we weren't, but for some reason the perception at County Schools was that we are. I don't know if refusing to play these schools would make anything better, it would probably hurt more than it helped, but there really isn't a logical reason in any other sense to keep us out. They have an unbalanced number of teams, we would be centrally located, we would be 3rd or 4th in enrollment every year out of the 6 current soc 2 teams, we travel well locally,and we wouldn't dominate any sport.

Other than the fact that I, for the life of me, can't understand where some of you folks are hearing this stuff, I get around to a lot of games and I have NEVER heard any of this talk. Maybe it's just loudmouth teens trying to act macho or something ...I dunno. Maybe I just hang with the wrong crowds. ... but anyway, other than that, that is the most sensible post I've seen on this subject, P-98. I still don't believe it's as big and mainstream of a problem as some make it out to be though or Wheelersburg and West wouldn't even play them.
My guess is that most of the rest of the SOC schools believe they couldn't compete with Portsmouth on a year to year basis and that may be the reason they won't vote them in. JMO.

[Portsmouth98]

I dunno either, I went through 3 school districts and a vocational school, and I never really thought Portsmouth had that many unique problems. I guess the worst part really was that so many students walked home, which presented problems after school with the occasional fight, but more so with people getting together for illicit behavior. As far as inside the school building, there wasn't really a big difference. I'd say for us to get in, they'd have to scrap their current classification system and go to three divisions, and bring in some more teams. Maybe keep the 3 w schools plus some newcomers, then have a middle division with valley,minford,northwest,oak hill, etc. As you can see, it would get messy, but in the end, it would probably be better for all involved if it could be worked out correctly. It's not really fair to the likes of northwest to say, you're going to lose 5 games every year because you have 220 some boys from grades 10-12.

[SPAMONY]

heres a thought..... The SOC 2 is just fine the way it is sending 2 or 3 teams to the playoffs. why would the SOC 2 coaches want to do anything to possibly disrupt that????

[pmow3]

Malteses Falcon wrote "you "don't have a clue" as to what goes on in those voting meetings or why they are not voted in so why do you listen to others that don't have a clue either? "
Also:::
"Try reading my posts sometime for a change.
I said earlier
"I certainly wouldn't be offended if the Trojans became a part of the SOC but I leave that call to the (elitist ) voting coaches of the SOC..... and I would hazard a guess that they have thoroughly discussed that situation very deeply many times and have reached a consensus that they can live with... for WHATEVER reason.".

I don't believe every coach votes on this. I am assuming it is the athletic directors that vote. For me, this has become a conversation I didn't intend it to be. I put this out to show the money saved by going to 3 divisions in the first place with Portsmouth and 2 other local teams involved. I think it would create a fever pitch of SOC football and all other sports for that matter.
In our economic times, you do things that make since, not just sit there and whine about how nothing's wrong and let's just stay the course. This course sucks! Save money on gas for the majority of these teams and split this thing up in 3 divisions and have fun watching 3 division championships be decided in Week 10 of the season. All of them played within 40 miles of each other. I think it would be cool.
The SOC2 wouldn't suffer, Spamony, in a 3 division format. Alot of the schedules would change very little, except it would give flexibility to teams that play other teams 50 or 100 miles away when there are teams the same size in their own backyard. Burg would make it anyway in most years. West would as well. Minford wouldn't be complaining about playing in the middle div. of a realigned SOC. They would still be able to play the big boys if they choose and get plenty of points if they're good enough.
But I know it would take changing a good bit of minds in this area. And that is a shame. But I will say it has been an interesting conversation. And thanks to everyone who responded. It takes that kind of communication to solve problems sometimes. So everyone from Maltese falcon to Ptown Playmaker, thanks for the input.