[Panther Thunder]

2011 Regular Season Poll - May 26, 2011


1. Lexington Catholic
2. St. Xavier
3. Madison Central
4. Central Hardin
5. Eastern
Lafayette
7. Tates Creek
8. Male
9. Pleasure Ridge Park
10. Paul Laurence Dunbar
11. Apollo
12. Bryan Station
13. Hopkinsville
14. Ballard
15. Danville
16. Covington Catholic
17. Warren Central
18. Clay County
19. Pikeville
20. Christian Academy
21. Daviess County
Lawrence County
23. Bishop Brossart
Warren East
25. Woodford County

Others Receiving Votes - Union County, Beechwood, Butler, Somerset, Bowling Green, Henderson County, West Jessamine, Mercer County, Collins, Butler County, Henry Clay, Ryle

[Bob Seger]

2011 Regular Season Poll - May 26, 2011


1. Lexington Catholic
2. St. Xavier
3. Madison Central
4. Central Hardin
5. Eastern
Lafayette
7. Tates Creek
8. Male
9. Pleasure Ridge Park
10. Paul Laurence Dunbar
11. Apollo
12. Bryan Station
13. Hopkinsville
14. Ballard
15. Danville
16. Covington Catholic
17. Warren Central
18. Clay County
19. Pikeville
20. Christian Academy
21. Daviess County
Lawrence County
23. Bishop Brossart
Warren East
25. Woodford County

Others Receiving Votes - Union County, Beechwood, Butler, Somerset, Bowling Green, Henderson County, West Jessamine, Mercer County, Collins, Butler County, Henry Clay, Ryle

Here's an interesting and perhaps a little sobering thought.

9 out the top 10 teams are from the 6th, 7th, and 11th regions, and they account for 11 out of the top 15. Actualy PRP is the only team out of the 6th. It's pretty much the 7th and the 11th.

[PHSForever]

Shows the power of the media. Once all is said and done, only 2 (maybe 3 if PRP holds on) of those teams will still be alive for the state tourney.

[PHSForever]

Eastern beat Male, Tates Creek knocked off Bryan Station

[Bob Seger]

Shows the power of the media. Once all is said and done, only 2 (maybe 3 if PRP holds on) of those teams will still be alive for the state tourney.

Is it the power of the media or do they honestly belong where they are ranked? This is the coaches poll, not the media poll, and I realize where this subject can lead. I also realize that several will get knocked off early, because there can only be representaive per region. If it was set up the way the NCAA basketball tournament is set up , would there be multiple teams out of some of these regions participating in the state tournament, beacuse they are honestly the top teams? With the way the post season is set up, a lot of the very best teams never get to play in the state tournament. There can be a very good arguement sometimes that perhaps 3 out of 4 teams in the final four may not be anywhere close to being in the top 5 or maybe even top 10 teams in the state. I could see where some teams that make it say to the final four (for sure in the final 16) in some years would probably never even be able to make it out of the district if they were playing in particularly the 7th or 11th regions.

These are questions on my part, not so much statements.

[PHSForever]

Is it the power of the media or do they honestly belong where they are ranked? This is the coaches poll, not the media poll, and I realize where this subject can lead. I also realize that several will get knocked off early, because there can only be representaive per region. If it was set up the way the NCAA basketball tournament is set up , would there be multiple teams out of some of these regions participating in the state tournament, beacuse they are honestly the top teams? With the way the post season is set up, a lot of the very best teams never get to play in the state tournament. There can be a very good arguement sometimes that perhaps 3 out of 4 teams in the final four may not be anywhere close to being in the top 5 or maybe even top 10 teams in the state. I could see where some teams that make it say to the final four (for sure in the final 16) in some years would probably never even be able to make it out of the district if they were playing in particularly the 7th or 11th regions.

These are questions on my part, not so much statements.

I'm just saying that the media exposure leads to coaches being influenced. For example, look at Harrison County. Not quite as strong as the past, but they went from being in the top 10 to not even receiving votes after being bombed by Brossart and another team back to back games. The media writeup on those games was pretty stiff, so I think coaches are reading the paper for teams they don't follow very closely, and that influences their vote. And the same could be said about the Sweet 16, yeah, some of the better teams may not make it there either, but that's the way the ball rolls. Pikeville-Shelby Valley regional tournament game is a perfect example. Pikeville beat Valley 3 times in the regular season, then loses in regional, and Valley, with a losing record, represented the 15th, promptly getting stomped by the eventual state champs and barely having more points than turnovers. Play that game (PHS-SV) 20 times this year, Pikeville wins 19, they just lost one at the wrong time. Same for baseball.

[dd734]

I'm just saying that the media exposure leads to coaches being influenced. For example, look at Harrison County. Not quite as strong as the past, but they went from being in the top 10 to not even receiving votes after being bombed by Brossart and another team back to back games. The media writeup on those games was pretty stiff, so I think coaches are reading the paper for teams they don't follow very closely, and that influences their vote. And the same could be said about the Sweet 16, yeah, some of the better teams may not make it there either, but that's the way the ball rolls. Pikeville-Shelby Valley regional tournament game is a perfect example. Pikeville beat Valley 3 times in the regular season, then loses in regional, and Valley, with a losing record, represented the 15th, promptly getting stomped by the eventual state champs and barely having more points than turnovers. Play that game (PHS-SV) 20 times this year, Pikeville wins 19, they just lost one at the wrong time. Same for baseball.

Brossart is a solid team, however if anyone put any clout in the thrashing Brossart put on Harrison during regular season. That was a huge mistake. Does anyone take time to look at the line ups. Harrison didn't put much out there for Brossart to see. Classic Mac baseball. Brossart lost to Campbell County in the district, then today Brossart was eliminated by Harrison County in the first round of the 10th Region Tourny 6 -1. Brossart, ranked 23rd in this weeks pole, defeated in the district by an unranked team, then had their year brought to a close by a team they run ruled a few weeks back.

[Bob Seger]

I'm just saying that the media exposure leads to coaches being influenced. For example, look at Harrison County. Not quite as strong as the past, but they went from being in the top 10 to not even receiving votes after being bombed by Brossart and another team back to back games. The media writeup on those games was pretty stiff, so I think coaches are reading the paper for teams they don't follow very closely, and that influences their vote. And the same could be said about the Sweet 16, yeah, some of the better teams may not make it there either, but that's the way the ball rolls. Pikeville-Shelby Valley regional tournament game is a perfect example. Pikeville beat Valley 3 times in the regular season, then loses in regional, and Valley, with a losing record, represented the 15th, promptly getting stomped by the eventual state champs and barely having more points than turnovers. Play that game (PHS-SV) 20 times this year, Pikeville wins 19, they just lost one at the wrong time. Same for baseball.

Harrison County was ranked as high as they were initially based on tradition and from their state championship from the previous year. I dont know that there was so much media write up on the Harrison Co/ Bishop-Brossert games as there was "talk up" and "score recognition" from such websites such as BGR and BGP. I dont care what they may tell you just about all coaches read the content of these sites to some degree. It doesn't matter what poll or sport it is, any team that is a state or national champion from a previous year (or did exceptionally well) always is given the benefit of a doubt in the intial poll for the following year. They are always given the chance to dwindle into obscurity. It happened to Johnson Central in the opening poll in 2005 with an intial #12 ranking after the '04 final 4 run in which they entered the 57th district tournament only one game over .500 that year. 2005 was the very first year that the KHSBCA started publishing a ranking system.

The sad thing is that there is really not much baseball exposure by the media, especially from the Lexington Herald. If it were not for Mike Fields it will be almost nil coverage from the press. Just so I can make this a little close to home for yourself, there is a longtime Pikeville supporter (who regularly posts on this board and IMO has been more responsible for Pikeville High School baseball's success than any single individual in recent years) who actually made a call to the editor of the Lexington Herald just a couple of years ago asking why there was not a lot of story lines about Kentucky High School baseball in their paper. This was at a time when Pikeville and LCH were battling it out in the All A. The answer was bunt and simple. To paraphrase it went along the lines of this, "we report on what we feel the majority of our readers are interested in". So obviously they feel that highschool baseball is not high on the priority list of reader interest. The puzzling thing is that there was a Lexington school that was involved and there was really nothing more than a short paragraph of the game that basicly told the score and mentioned the winning and losing pitcher. It was pathetic that no more coverage was given to a state wide tournament was given than that. If there is such a thing as "the power of the media" in regards to promoting baseball in the state perhaps it could be with the Courier Journal. IDK, because I dont read their paper very much at all. I know they post scores, but from memory I dont think there is not a lot of write ups there either unless it is on one of their own local players or teams. I do think that the KHSBCA is the main (and perhaps sole) intity that does try to promote baseball in the state. To me that is the only true proven outlet for player and team exposure. Like I said, this is the poll they create, as you will not find an AP poll, or anything similar such as a Cantrall or Litkenhouse in regards to baseball. If it were not for them you would find absolutely nothing. I think for the most part their poll is greatly flawed when it drops down to the bottom 15 teams, but I feel for the most part they get the top 10 pretty much correct especially by season's end. My whole point is that I think there is a lot of creedence in that with 9 of the top 10 teams, they are all coming from a region whose major population base has a city that begins with the letter "L" , regardless of whether they make it to Applebees/Whitaker field at the end or not. I agree with you in that a lot of them wont make it to the state tournament, but IMO, their top 10 is pretty much legit when the regular season comes to a close. Take many of the final four teams and oput then in a 3 game series with a lot of the other top 10 teams that never make it to the state tournament and the results I think will be conclusive.

[dd734]

To be fair to Harrison County, they did loose their ace pitcher to a season ending injury early in the year.

[Bob Seger]

Harrison County was ranked as high as they were initially based on tradition and from their state championship from the previous year. I dont know that there was so much media write up on the Harrison Co/ Bishop-Brossert games as there was "talk up" and "score recognition" from such websites such as BGR and BGP. I dont care what they may tell you just about all coaches read the content of these sites to some degree. It doesn't matter what poll or sport it is, any team that is a state or national champion from a previous year (or did exceptionally well) always is given the benefit of a doubt in the intial poll for the following year. They are always given the chance to dwindle into obscurity. It happened to Johnson Central in the opening poll in 2005 with an intial #12 ranking after the '04 final 4 run in which they entered the 57th district tournament only one game over .500 that year. 2005 was the very first year that the KHSBCA started publishing a ranking system.

The sad thing is that there is really not much baseball exposure by the media, especially from the Lexington Herald. If it were not for Mike Fields it will be almost nil coverage from the press. Just so I can make this a little close to home for yourself, there is a longtime Pikeville supporter (who regularly posts on this board and IMO has been more responsible for Pikeville High School baseball's success than any single individual in recent years) who actually made a call to the editor of the Lexington Herald just a couple of years ago asking why there was not a lot of story lines about Kentucky High School baseball in their paper. This was at a time when Pikeville and LCH were battling it out in the All A. The answer was bunt and simple. To paraphrase it went along the lines of this, "we report on what we feel the majority of our readers are interested in". So obviously they feel that highschool baseball is not high on the priority list of reader interest. The puzzling thing is that there was a Lexington school that was involved and there was really nothing more than a short paragraph of the game that basicly told the score and mentioned the winning and losing pitcher. It was pathetic that no more coverage was given to a state wide tournament was given than that. If there is such a thing as "the power of the media" in regards to promoting baseball in the state perhaps it could be with the Courier Journal. IDK, because I dont read their paper very much at all. I know they post scores, but from memory I dont think there is not a lot of write ups there either unless it is on one of their own local players or teams. I do think that the KHSBCA is the main (and perhaps sole) intity that does try to promote baseball in the state. To me that is the only true proven outlet for player and team exposure. Like I said, this is the poll they create, as you will not find an AP poll, or anything similar such as a Cantrall or Litkenhouse in regards to baseball. If it were not for them you would find absolutely nothing. I think for the most part their poll is greatly flawed when it drops down to the bottom 15 teams, but I feel for the most part they get the top 10 pretty much correct especially by season's end. My whole point is that I think there is a lot of creedence in that with 9 of the top 10 teams, they are all coming from a region whose major population base has a city that begins with the letter "L" , regardless of whether they make it to Applebees/Whitaker field at the end or not. I agree with you in that a lot of them wont make it to the state tournament, but IMO, their top 10 is pretty much legit when the regular season comes to a close. Take many of the final four teams and oput then in a 3 game series with a lot of the other top 10 teams that never make it to the state tournament and the results I think will be conclusive.

That should be LCA.

[PHSForever]

To be fair to Harrison County, they did loose their ace pitcher to a season ending injury early in the year.

Good point.