Your original comment implied that I knew nothing Bc good athletes playing baseball. You pointed out Lane. I rebuttalled and of coarse there are athletes that can play both sports.Nope no news flash, that is pretty common actually to allow some crossover with kids who wanna do both. Best example I can think of is Pierce Mowery last year who was All-Ohio in baseball and All-Ohio in track for Zane Trace, as I recall the relay team he was a part of went to Jesse Owens for the state meet, and now lol he plays college basketball. So nope, no news flash.
You answered you own statement. Those two sports pay the bills at almost all schools. High school and College.In your mind apparently there are two main sports football and basketball, and if it isn't fall or winter then it is the "off-season". And if it is the spring off-season then somehow track is the great "training mechanism" for your two "main sports". A lot of people do think those are the two main boys sports I can see that, .
doubleplay!! You are absolutely correct on this! In Logan There was no travel ball other then Legion ball. The Rec program was/is a joke. Unfortunately the little Johnnie superstar wasn't getting the field time, parents started yelling and the the good Dads/coaches quit coaching. That was in the 70's 80's. A few year ago, like in Jackson some of the dads formed a real travel team. So maybe in the years to come Logan baseball will be relevant again.I think the reason schools are either "football" schools or "basketball" schools or "baseball" schools has a lot to do with the investment in the youth years in either of those sports and Varsity level coaching. This is anecdotal evidence but consider thisJackson has had a strong youth and middle school football program for 20+ years. The pee-wee program was started by a gentleman that passed away a few years ago by the name of Jim Humphreys. He ran it like the Marine Corps and demanded excellence from coaches, players, and parents. It was consistent in its teachings, fundamentals, and always financed well with equipment and schedules and in the course of those 20+ years probably had 2,000 kids pass through it. The Middle School has had consistency in its staff as well with several coaches being there for years. That fed into the JV and Varsity and those programs are equally stable and supported and Jackson has been very successful with 600+ wins. Coaching consistency with Coach Hall who now is Jackson's all time winning-est coach simply reinforces that every kid knows the routine, accepts that to see the field you are going to have to work hard.
Ten or so years ago a group of dad's, coaches, and administrators who like baseball got together and formed multiple travel ball programs. The first groups graduated last year, but we now have 1-2 travel baseball teams for ages 8 through 14 and I am pretty sure that effort ten or so years ago that has now carried on with different but just as committed dad's/coaches/administrators is one of the reasons we have been successful in baseball. The other major factor is we have had coaching consistency by someone who invests a lot of time into the kids/program over the last 4+ years. Coach McGraw in the last 4 years has probably won 80 ball games, and at current pace could be the winning-est baseball coach in Jackson history
There are a few things that are hurting Logan's baseball program. One of the biggest factors has been the roulette wheel of coaches we've had in recent yrs since Coach Janey retired from coaching baseball. Hope the current coach is in for the long haul. A poor feeder program etc..... So when these kids that are discouraged with the experience in Rec ball or the kids that never played baseball get to 7th grade they find another way to be a student athlete in the track program. And fortunately for Logan, Coach Fraunfelter was one hell of a track coach and the kids gravitated to him and his staff.So my opinion is Track is not why Logan is not good at baseball. My bet is there is not a lot of youth baseball being played at a competitive level and your coaching staff for baseball may revolve some (no idea on that maybe he has been there 20 years I have no idea). Doubt Track is the culprit though.
