"Upon Further Review" by Jim Sacco

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The Sports Desk: 4/30/08

TNV Sports columnist and blogger Jim Sacco joins sports editor Robert Sisk to talk about Southern Valley District baseball.

Berrang’s back … and another thing (a few, actually)

Once or twice throughout her 12-year soccer career, Waynesboro senior Kristin Berrang admitted she may have longed to be injured, you know, so she wouldn’t have to do the work. Sitting on the sidelines and being another coach on the bench is easier than running up and down a pitch for over an hour and a half. You don’t sweat and you’re never sore after coaching.

“I think, long ago, I wished that,” Berrang said Tuesday before she took the field against Stuarts Draft. “Probably because I was lazy. But once you get injured and you’re not able to play and do something you love, you figure out how much it’s not fun to be on the sidelines.”

So that’s why she was so happy. Happy enough to smile the whole time, and flail her arms around as she talked about finally, after three months of healing from a broken ankle that sidelined her the week before the Group AA indoor track meet, being back on the pitch. She’s a player, not a coach, and while screaming “man on, man on” from the sidelines might be all fine and dandy for Robin Hersey, it’s not for a girl he named captain during her sophomore season.

“To have to watch from the sidelines, it’s not the first thing I want to do,” she said.

But she saw the game in a whole new light, she saw how the young Little Giant team worked together and what their weak spots were. Always the student (a University of Virginia bound student at that, a decision made on Tuesday with dad, Chris, no doubt emptying his checking account to pay for it, we’re guessing, sometime today), Berrang noted those weak points and made an effort, when she returned, to erase them.

Her first match back was last week against Turner Ashby. But in the cold and wind Tuesday, you would have thought it was her first game ever. Berrang excitedly lifted her right leg to point out the broken bone and made no bones about it—she was happy to be back.

In her second game back, she notched three assists against Wilson Memorial. At home against Draft on Tuesday, Berrang hooked up with Taylor Sayre twice.

“It was really nice to get those three assists,” she said. She’s right, it’s always good to come back and help the team.

All Hersey could say was the obvious when asked if it was good to have Berrang back.

“It sure is,” he said.

He’s right and Berrang is happy.

“You figure out how much it’s not fun to be on the sidelines,” she said. “And I just figured out how much I do love the game.”

Just watch out for her flailing arms, they’ll take your head off, man.

And another thing: Last week Berrang was named the Virginia High School League Group AA Female Athlete of the Year. (Why are we just hearing about this WHS? Seriously.) It takes into account grades—she pulls a GPA above 4 (gee, what’s that like, please. Somebody tell us, we never sniffed a 3 in high school)—community and school service. We’d list everything Berrang does but, well, we don’t have all day to type.

All we can say is, good on you Kristin Berrang. Good on you.

Miss her yet, Waynesboro? Don’t worry, you will.

Falling behind to Broadway: Not good.

Waynesboro baseball coming back to pick up an 8-5 win: That’s swagger.

Seriously, if there’s a hotter RBI producer than Josh Craig in the Southern Valley District right now, e-mail me and let me know.

Waiting ... waiting ... waiting ...

Yeah, thought so.

Just what the doctor ordered: To say it’s been a roller-coaster season for Josh Podgorski and his Cougars would be an understatement (though not good enough to warrant an entry into the 2008 Understatement of the Year contest). That’s why Tuesday’s 6-5 extra-inning win over R.E. Lee was big for Stuarts Draft.

Remember, this is a team that had lost three extra-inning affairs, two of them on walk-off homers. So when R.E. Lee tied the game up in top half of the seventh, don’t blame any Cougars (or Podgorski for that matter) if they started shooting each other “here-we-go-again” looks in the dugout.

But Seth Via’s bloop single to score Mickie Holbert in the bottom of the eight put the kaibash on that.

“Team character comes into play when you are trailing late into a ball game and when things are not going the way you want,” Podgorski said. “It was nice to see our kids show some character and determination to fight back and tie the game and then win it.”

Did somebody ship some swagger down the Target Turnpike? Just asking.

Real quick like: Somebody pat Kalee Robinson on the back when you see her in the halls of Waynesboro this week. The freshman midfielder turned into a goalkeeper to fill in for another freshman net minder—the injured Kate Garber. According to Hersey, she did a great job.

Seriously, did you pat her yet?

Monday, April 28, 2008

The Daily Pooch Punt 4/28/08: JV Hornets are good too, folks

Sure, by playing Riverheads to a draw and losing to Buffalo Gap 1-0, the Wilson Memorial girls soccer team is raising eyebrows.

So leave it to the Green Hornet girls JV team to raise expectations. While the varsity girls are taking their lumps on the steady climb to respectability, it’s the JV team, along with the young guns on the varsity, that have people in Fishersville excited about what is to come on the pitch.

After its win over Waynesboro on Friday, the JV team sits with an 8-0 record and, despite the anticipation of losing a few players to the varsity team in the coming year, that team looks to reload as well in 2009.

The reason? Travel teams like Augusta FC.

“I think if you look at the type of player we’re getting from travel clubs like Augusta FC, the quality of players is improving every year,”
said JV coach Todd O’Brien through his noticeable Wisconsin accent. “You don’t have to worry about the technical things as much, you can start working on the tactical.

“The more you can focus on the tactical over the technical, the better off you’re going to be.”

Technically, O’Brien is right.

But all Augusta County schools along with the two cities should be reaping the benefits of Augusta FC. The Hornets are starting to see it already.

Because, and let’s face it, what’s going on here is what everybody expected to happen when the youth-soccer explosion started. The Hornets, and other teams, are starting to see soccer players, not athletes playing soccer. This is a good thing and it’s finally happening.

And another thing: Jim Critzer wanted the world to know that wrapping swagger is pretty easy.

“It’s called No. 12,” he said.

That’s Jeremy Hahn, the Waynesboro southpaw that no-hit R.E. Lee on Friday in a 12-1 mercy-rule shortened game. (Of course, these kind of games were once called “slaughter-rule wins” but, you know, you can’t use “slaughter” when referring to anything involving kids. Never mind the fact you can totally screw them out of a big fan base by not scheduling basketball games the right way, but, I’m sorry, let me digress.) Hahn, who has enough swagger for the whole Little Giants team, needed just 75 pitches and struck out five to earn his first career no-no.

“I felt amazing today,” Hahn said.

Really? Ladies and gentlemen let us present to you another entry into the 2008 Understatement of the Year Award.

Hahn, much like all pitchers, knew who to thank for the win. You know, like Will Freeman, who’s been quiet at the plate all season long, but made a diving catch on a slicing fly to right field. And, oh, how about the run support there, Hahn? Of course he thanked them too.

“Eric Hall was huge,” he said.

Hall sure was, slapping an RBI single in the Giants’ three-run third that sealed the deal for the Little Giants, kept them undefeated in the Southern Valley with a 5-0 record and pushed their overall mark to 10-3.

Hmmm, the last guy to pick up his first career no-no in a Giants uniform was Jake Peeling. It happened last year, and we all know what the Little Giants did last year, right?

Of course, Critzer isn’t going to rest on his team. Always the critic, the Tabasco-laced ball coach still sees need for improvement and, once again, it’s the bottom of the order, Nos. 6, 7 and 8 to be exact.

“They are doing things,” he said, “but we need more consistency on offense.”

Good news for Giantdom, the players don’t seem to be resting on anything either.

“We just got to stay focused now,” Hall said. “This win doesn’t mean anything if we lose the next two.”

True dat. True dat.

Don’t look now, but Critzer was thoroughly impressed with R.E. Lee freshman hurler Taylor Davis, who got some innings in against the Little Giants. Critzer, who is pretty high on his own freshman hurler, Drew DeMoss, is just as high on Davis.

“He’s going to be a force in the Valley,” Critzer said.

Yes, Taylor Davis, your table will soon be ready, with battles against DeMoss just around the corner.

OK, so Buffalo Gap baseball goes out and gets a big Shenandoah and rivalry win over Riverheads, you know, because these two schools love beating each other in everything. Forensics, quiz bowl, tiddlywinks, chess, checkers, Future Farming of America, everything folks. And I’m reading the story about the Bison’s 3-2 win over the Gladiators and I’m saying the Gap names out loud as I read. Come on, join me.

Ryan Sheridan.

Boone Jones.

Travis Morris.

Josh Wenger.

You know, a few guys who won a state title in football. Of course, then you look at their skipper, Chad Coffey who, well, all he did was go out in his first year and coach the Bison girls basketball team to a Group A, Division 1 state title. And the whole time I’m thinking, “gee, why not?”

Even in the loss, Riverheads pitcher Cody Montgomery “Burns” pitched, pardon the pun (again), excellent.

Pooch Punt Delay

Sacco is working night side tonight and Tuesday, the Monday and Tuesday edition of the Daily Pooch Punt will be posted around 4 p.m.

Thanks.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

The Daily Pooch Punt 4/24/08: HOW DO YOU WRAP SWAGGER?

So Jeremy Hahn has himself a rough second inning. He walks two Cougars and, after a fielder’s choice, it’s suddenly bases loaded with nobody out for the Little Giants’ ace southpaw. Now you’re wondering if the senior could find the strike zone if he had Google Earth downloaded to his glove.

But, hey man, this is a big game, like all Southern Valley District contests are (duh, of course), and Hahn is doing everything he can to become that big-time pitcher the Giants are going to need if they hope to get a sniff of a deep postseason run. So, what does he do? Well, he turns it around and strikes out the next three batters.

No runs that inning for the Cougars.

No runs that inning for the Cougars.

Yep, Happy Birthday Jim Critzer.

“[Hahn] wasn’t throwing a lot of strikes,” Critzer said. “But he did a heck of a job getting out of that second inning.”

(Sniff, sniff) I smell some much-needed swagger.

That was all for The Swag Man (Hahn) after his get-out-of-a-jam second and in comes Joseph Lucas who, once again, shuts down the Cougar bats, strikes out five and proves that when it comes to quality lefties, the Little Giants have the market cornered and sure as heck don’t look like they’re going to sell anytime soon.

The result: An 8-1 Little Giants’ win and the season sweep of the Cougars.

Somebody tell me what the heck has gotten into Josh Craig? Really? Seriously, the Giants’ big dog (or Hammy as the team calls him) drives in three key runs and finished the night 3-for-4.  The past two years everybody clad in a purple and gold shirt (or jersey, or jacket, or hoodie) has been waiting for Craig to come into his own at the plate. It’s pretty safe to say that, yeah, he’s here.

Josh Craig, you know your table is ready.

“The team was relaxed and they guaranteed me a win today,” Critzer said.

Like we said, Happy Birthday Jim Critzer.

Hey, how about Eric Hall? Both teams’ bats were pretty hush-hush for the first two innings until Waynesboro started to go the work in the top half of the second. (Well, the Giants did score one run in the first.) After a Lucas single, Hall waits for walk, showing a good batting eye, to set up Thompson’s sac-fly that turned into a run scoring error on the Cougar outfield. Guess who drove in Thompson and Hall with a single to make the score 4-0?

Hey, Josh Craig, you sitting at the table yet? Make room for Eric Hall, you know, the kid that slapped that first-inning RBI double. The guy you drove in with a single. Remember, one your three RBI?

And another thing: “On the way here, on the bus, we were all pumped up to play Draft. We wanted to shut them down,” Hahn said.

Happy Birthday, Jim Critzer.

A question for you: How does one wrap and put a bow on swagger? Hey, I’m just asking.

This isn’t the pits: When it comes to the long jump at Waynesboro, you’re usually only hearing two names — Will Walter and Tim Brown. So where the heck did Kevin Jackson come from?

The freshman (yes, I just said typed “freshman” ) held the mark to beat for the most of the day during Waynesboro’s lone home quad-meet Wednesday with Stuarts Draft, Rockbridge and Grace Christian.

Holding onto the top spot until the end (Walter, of course, eventually won the thing): Lots of hard work.

Being humble, and smart, enough to say it’s all thanks to hard work: Classy.

For a freshman, eliciting this quote from Walter, “First off, I don’t know what Kevin came out of. He’s in the ninth grade, but he killed it today.”: Priceless.

Kevin Jackson, welcome to the big-boys club. Enjoy your stay.

One last thing: Driving through Greenville (is that place a town too?) last night, I saw the sky lit up just east of U.S. 11. Getting closer I could make out what it was. Yep, Greenville (town or no? Clue me in) has lighted baseball fields.

Wake up, Waynesboro!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

The Daily Pooch Punt 4/23/08: Wake up, Waynesboro

Does the city of Waynesboro have something against lights? Seriously, someone answer this question for me.

And let’s keep the answers serious, OK. Leave the smart-aleck stuff to me. I want to know why it is that a town (is it even a town?) like Fort Defiance (a town? Really?) can have lighted tennis courts for its high school but Waynesboro, with the nicest soccer pitch and track in the area, can’t slap a couple of lights up a few feet away (where the tennis courts are located) so the Little Giants tennis teams don’t have to stop matches on account of darkness.

Just a thought. Waynesboro is a city (a city, albeit, that likes to shuffle its kids under a rug and pretend like they’re not here. And you know it’s true. Don’t send me any e-mails that say “Oh, look at our YMCA” or “But gee-whiz Sacco, we got ourselves a Boys and Girls Club.” Nah, keep that to yourselves because I actually, you know, have to talk to high school kids for things we call “articles” and “columns” and “all-local blogs that don’t talk about the NBDL and other national topics I learn about by watching ESPN and rehashing the opinions as my own when there’s countless stuff to blog on right under my nose.” And what these kids talk about is, most of them, they can’t wait to get the heck out of here because there’s nothing for them to do. … wait … why am I still writing in parenthesis?) OK, fixed it.

Back to what I was saying, you know if Waynesboro cared one iota about its kids it would give them something to do, it would give them lighted ball fields, aging residents of this town wouldn’t call the cops when a few kids are playing football in an alley (I’ve heard the calls go out over the scanner folks, so don’t e-mail me and tell me I’m making this up) or the police wouldn’t be forced to hassle skateboarders who are, well, just skateboarding. (Trust me, when I was in high school, skateboarding was the least “illegal” thing I did.)

But, alas, we all get old don’t we. We all lose touch with what it was like to be stuck in a small town with nothing to do. Thankfully, the folks out in Fort Defiance (really? Is it a town, yes or no?) never forgot. And have themselves some lighted tennis courts. Good on you, Indian nation. Good on you.

And another thing: But it’s OK for the City of Waynesboro to bend over backwards for big-box stores on the West End. You know, big-box stores that have helped create an even bigger stormwater problem with all those black-top parking lots. So, yeah, there you kids. Waynesboro would rather cause more problems for itself than give you anything to do. Wow what a slap in the face.

But, really, shouldn’t you kids be used to getting slapped in the face? I mean the Southern Valley DoeStink administrators have made a habit of it all year long.

Pressure, pressure and more pressure led to three goals for Stuarts Draft girls soccer and a shutout win over Rockbridge.

Yep, pressure.

Looks like 3-0 wins were the sign of the night Tuesday since, you know, Riverheads’ boys went out and did the same thing in their match against Parry McCluer.

Another Southern Valley District win for Waynesboro softball was just what the doctor ordered.

So were Brittnie Siron’s eight strike outs.

So was Kayla Bartley’s 3-for-4 day.

So was Heather Sutton’s home run.

So was Brenda Price scoring two runs.

So is Friday’s game against R.E. Lee.

Really, Fort Defiance has lighted tennis courts? City of Waynesboro, your plane in boarding and these kids can’t wait for it to take off.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Daily Pooch Punt 4/22/08: I can see it now, “Respect the Hornet” T-shirts

Thanks to Derek McDaniel, baseball fans at Wilson Memorial should have themselves a new calling card, a slogan if you will — Respect the Hornet.

If his players don’t want to represent the school, and the team, the way he — a Wilson graduate and former star under Bo Bowers — wants them to, then it’s pretty simple, they just won’t play. (Good on McDaniel, good on him.)

This thing could really catch on, right? I mean, if they really wanted to make money, someone in Fishersville would be pressing out “Respect the Hornet” T-shirts and selling them for 10 bucks a pop at home games. (Heck, you could use the money for something in the athletic department, I’m sure.)

Wouldn’t other schools want to jump in on this money-making idea? I mean, if we’ve learned anything from the Virginia High School League, it’s that money is good, even if it waters down that state championship trophy the kids work so hard for. But I guess some other schools will want a unique slogan (I couldn’t imagine Stuarts Draft players walking around with “Respect The Hornet” T-shirts on. So, let me take it upon myself to offer some suggestions to those other schools who might want to cash in on this.

Respect the Southern Valley District Schedule Makers: You know, because they try so hard to screw up the basketball season.

Respect the Snub: Every time Waynesboro girls basketball team takes the court next year against a Southern Valley District opponent, they should remember that their coach — you know, Secrett Stubblefield — didn’t get coach of the year because she didn’t show up for a meeting. Yeah, good thing they don’t award the Oscars like the good-old boys in the Southern Valley DoesStink awards, well, awards.

Respect the Weather: Really, are we ever going to get this second Waynesboro against Stuarts Draft baseball game in? I’m just asking.

Respect Group AA: You know, the boneheads that decided to follow Group A into splitting basketball divisions.

Respect the Other Sports: Something all Group AA and Group A administrators need to be wearing. Why? Yeah, thanks for making all the other sports not named basketball and football feel really good about themselves. I mean, if you’re going to split your group into divisions in those two sports, why not the others? Wait, we know, cha-ching. So there you go Mr. And Mrs. Young Soccer Player (or Tennis Player, or Track Runner, or Cross Country runner, or Baseball Players, or Softball Player … ) you don’t make the schools any money, so you get treated differently. Way to set a good example you supposed “adults” that run high schools. Way to set a good example.

Respect Swoope: You know, because after two state titles in two seasons at Buffalo Gap, you just gots to, right?

Respect These Cougars: Because when two pals who have played baseball together their whole lives decide to attend the same colleg where they’ll keep playing baaseball together, that’s a great thing for everybody involved.

Respect the Socks: See Christina Fenske.

You got any ideas? Send them my way or slap ‘em down in the comments section. 

Monday, April 21, 2008

The Daily Pooch Punt 4/21/08: RESPECT THE HORNET

Want to know why good things are going to happen at Wilson Memorial when it comes to baseball? Sure you do.

Two words.

Derek McDaniel.

Need more proof than that? Then go ahead and read how McDaniel’s biggest struggle this season is getting players to respect the school name on the uniform they wear on the field. Go ahead, read it, soak it in then come back. We’ll leave the light on for you.

(You reading.)

(You reading.)

(You reading.)

OK, you all done? Good.

Just like when McDaniel took over the football program and this slaw-jawed sports columnist and blogger told you it was not a question of “if” Wilson would be back in the Shenandoah District mix, but “when,” the same holds true for baseball. Here’s a guy that knows the value of the Green and White, having played for it in Fishersville and, let’s be honest here, was a blown-out arm away from getting a taste of the Majors. Now, in form that you can only get from a coach that played the same sport at the same high school, McDaniel’s new refrain is simple: RESPECT THE HORNET.

Thankfully, it seems like the kids are getting the idea.

“I didn’t start because I was tardy for my class again,” said Alex Fisher. “It was hard at first to get used to the way the coach disciplines us, but I think the discipline has really helped me and the team do better.”

Good on the Hornets getting the idea and great on McDaniel for, well, just being Derek McDaniel.

And another thing: The bottom line here is if you want to play high school sports you immediately put yourself under a microscope. It’s good practice for those who want to take athletics to the next level where the microscope gets even more powerful. Sorry folks, but yes, life choices sometimes do take place on your field of dreams, no matter how big it is or where the lines are painted.

Yes, we like: All Fort Defiance softball coach Max Hill does is make sure the Indians, a team that is so hungry for some statewide recognition you can hear their tummies rumbling all the way in New Hope, signed a tough out-of-district and out-of-region opponent that, and you never know here, the Indians may see sometime down the road if all goes right for them. And all they do is go out and beat William Monroe 3-0.

“I’m proud of them,” Hill said of his girls. “As young as those girls are, maybe they’re better than I thought.”

These girls are better than Max Hill thinks? That’s scary.

Oh, and please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks Southern Valley soccer should look at what Fort softball did Saturday and take notes. Seriously, we can all sit back and wonder why you could fill a thimble with the teams that made it out or regionals, but we know why. The old Valley teams would only play each other twice and that was it. End of regular season. Now that the districts have split, well, you’d never know it since the Southern Valley and Massanutten are still, for reasons known only to the gods, way too high on playing each other.

Hey, if you want to see where you stand in the state, you have to play teams outside your district and region. Good on Hill. Not so much for Southern Valley soccer. Let’s hope that changes next year (along with a slew of other issues in the Southern Valley.)

One last thing: I gotta agree with Waynesboro coach Jim Critzer on this one. Joseph Lucas will, from this day on, be re-ferred as “Joseph Lucas.”

That it all.

Friday, April 18, 2008

The Daily Pooch Punt: 4/18/08

Call Fort Defiance’s Derek Uhler athletic. That was pretty evident Thursday as the Indian goalkeeper made some great diving stops at Stuarts Draft.

Call him one heck of a goalkeeper, which he obviously is.

Actually, you can go ahead and call him whatever the heck you want to be honest (you know, given that whole “free speech” thing and such). But there’s one thing you don’t want to call Uhler — scared.

Because if there’s one thing out there that soccer fans should know (and you probably do already) it’s that Stuarts Draft is big, much bigger (and talented for that matter) than its 1-2 Southern Valley record shows. And Uhler, despite constant attacks from the bigger Cougars, never backed down and got the shutout he wanted.

“They’re bigger than I’m used to,” he said. “But I wanted the shutout.”

See, now would we lie to you?

And another thing: Let’s talk about little about Draft boys soccer, a team with enough seniors to fill up a Thursday night bowling league that, for some reason or another, can’t pick up more than one Southern Valley win three matches into the season. Maybe coach Chris Loomis was right and knew something the rest of us didn’t when he told us to keep our Umbros on when you look at his team’s potential and that the Cougars hadn’t won anything yet. The bottom line is, and let’s be honest here, if the Cougars want to prove they can match up with the best in the district, they have to beat Waynesboro. The next time Waynesboro and Draft lock up is April 29 and, as Waynesboro coach Bill Meicke said after his team beat the Cougars 4-1 on April 7, “Next time, we have to play them at their place.”

Sure, the smaller field may cause problems for a Little Giants squad used to playing matches on its expansive and palatial pitch (the Cougars don’t have a separate soccer field like Waynesboro, they have to kick it old school, so to speak, on the football field), but we may be expecting more of the same in the second match.

When Stuarts Draft lost to the Little Giants in baseball Tuesday, two-out hits were the issue — the Cougars couldn’t get any. In their 12-0 loss to Fort Defiance on Thursday, just getting a hit was a problem Yep, Daniel “Righty” Wright tossed a five-inning no-hitter and, with the loss, this Southern Valley District baseball race is down to just two horses — Fort and Waynesboro — unless Josh Podgorski, a good baseball mind, can figure out what is wrong. Which, at this point, appears to be hitting, hitting and more hitting. Oh, and defense too.

Daniel “Righty” Wright, your table is ready.

Say What?

After playing for Waynesboro baseball for 4 years, I never felt more of a rivalry then I did when we matched up with TA. It was always TA vs. Waynesboro and thats how it was. 5-4 with Jake Peeling on the mound last year, what a hell of a game.
-- Anonymous

Last’s year’s game as Waynes-boro was a hell of a game, you’re right. You see, “James” (a previous poster who laughed at the notion that Turner Ashby and Waynes-boro were rivals), it doesn’t matter how many times a team loses to another, if they want to beat each other and, while they respect each other, don’t like the other team, then it’s called a rivalry.

Oh, speaking of “James.”

jim sacco you are probably one of the worst sports writers i have witnessed.
-- James

Then you don’t get out much. Actually, there are a lot of other things I’m much worse at. I still haven’t finished Final Fantasy VIII and that came out, what, like 8 years ago? I also leave the toilet seat up which probably makes me the worst husband in the world. So yeah, thanks for playing, “James.”

Finally: Wow. If this ever happens in Augusta County or the two cities, I will lose all faith in humanity and sports and “James” can have my blog.

That is all.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Daily Pooch Punt: 4/17/08

Don’t look now, but the Waynesboro baseball team has a freshman that can pitch.

His name? Drew DeMoss.

The result? A 10-5 win over Wilson Memorial in his first career start Wednesday at the KC.

And another thing: All DeMoss did was strikeout five in five innings of work (we’ll let you average that out, chief) backed by 2-for-4 days from the Thompson Twins – Jay Thompson and Terrell Thompson.

Hey, look who’s hitting: One day after Eric Hall slapped three hits, Derek Hall joined the mix Wednesday with a 3-for-3 day which, and let’s be honest here, is huge for the Little Giants one day after their No. 6, 7 and 8 hitters were mowed down by Stuarts Draft’s Cameron Cook. (The trio combined for an 0-9 day, all strikeouts, in Waynesboro’s 8-3 win over the Cougars on Tuesday.)

“We had a lot of kids looking tonight,” Critzer said Tuesday. “We need to be swinging the bat.”

You see, we’re not kidding when we sound that familiar refrain: What Jim Critzer wants from his team, Jim Critzer gets.

Telling you folks, this kid is gonna be special at VMI: R.E. Lee’s Rajah Jenkins finishes the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.84 seconds, that’s the best time by a Leeman in 12 years. He’s going to be playing football for the Keydets next year. Look for him to be returning kicks and, in four years, being a local version of Devin Hester.

Finally: Every Monday we’re opening up the Daily Pooch Punt Mail Bag. E-mail local sports questions to jsacco@newsvirginian.com and include your real name and hometown. This is on you, people.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The Sports Desk: 4/16/08

Watch as TNV Sports Blogger Jim Sacco and Interim Sports Editor Robert Sisk chat it up about Shenandoah and Southern Valley softball.

Then Sports Writer Corine Gatti joins the mix and talks about high school track.

The Daily Pooch Punt: 4/16/08

Josh Podgorski wasn’t kidding when he told us on Monday that the key to Tuesday’s baseball game between his Stuarts Draft Cougars and Waynesboro would be two-out hits.

He said it. He knew. Then he watched it happen at the KC during his team’s 8-3 loss to the Little Giants. The problem was those two-out hits didn’t come from his Cougars.

In back-to-back innings, two-out hits got the best of Draft and its ace Cameron Cook, none bigger in the bottom of the fifth when Josh Craig’s RBI single gave the Giants a 4-2 lead after two outs. Jeremy Hahn followed with a two-RBI double that rolled all the way to the wall in center.

It was much of the same in the sixth when two straight singles by Joseph “No, Not James” Lucas and Terrell Thompson (both after two outs) set up Eric Hall’s RBI poke into the outfield.

You do the math: Five runs in two innings all after two outs. That usually equals a loss.

After back-to-back walks issued by Cook in the fifth, the Cougar hurler mowed down Jay Thompson with runners on first and second, a rare feat (I mean Thompson is the Southern Valley’s best hitter and all) and things looked up. Another out in that inning and the Cougars are only down 3-2 against a Little Giant defense that decided to revert back to early-season form. (That’s not a good thing, by the way.) I mean this is good, right? Then Josh Craig gets all high and mighty, breaks out of his slump and rockets a shot to left.

“Jay, he’s been carrying us all year,” Craig said, “and when I saw him go down I said ‘OK, I can’t let the team down.’ ” He didn’t, which is why he was excited enough to pump his fist toward the dugout as he stood on first base. His teammates, packed up against the fence, yelling and pointing at him, were grateful he didn’t let them down.

Oh, and Hahn was thinking the same thing before he roped his two-out (there it is again), two-RBI double to the wall in center. At least, Craig said Hahn said it as well.

Things probably could have started off better for Lucas who took a Zac Marion shot off the thigh to open the game, hit a batter in the second and then committed a throwing gaffe (after walking and hitting back-to-back batters in the third) that gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Then he freezes Ricky Dimitt with that looping curve ball of his to end the third and all seems right on his mound.

Hey look, the Cougars got a two-out hit. A two-out inside-the-park homer, for that matter. It just happened in the seventh with Draft down 8-2. But hey, at least Marion got a two-out hit.

Sure, Terrell Thompson proved Tuesday (and probably all year, for that matter) that he’s arguably the best leadoff man in the Southern Valley, but Marion sure looks the part too. All he did was start the game off with that hit off ( and we mean “off” ) Lucas, get hit by a pitch (and eventually score), rope an RBI single and cap his day with that old fashioned homer. Can’t remember the last time two leadoff guys like that were on the same diamond at the same time.

Eric Hall, bring your 3-for-3, three-RBI day down here. Your table is ready.

Even with the win and even with an undefeated district record after the first cycle, Waynesboro skipper Jim Critzer is adamant that his team still needs to improve. He wants to see crisper fielding (though Stevie Moreland’s play at third base Tuesday garnered a “Some Major League stuff,” quote from Critzer) and, once again, wants to see more hitting.

“I’m not kidding,” Critzer said. “There are a few things we have to get better at. There’s a lot of potential in this ball club.”

Problem No. 1 right now is getting his No. 6, 7 and 8 hitters to do something. Anything really. The group went 0-9 against Cook on Tuesday, all were strikeouts.

“We had a lot of kids looking tonight,” Critzer said. “We need to be swinging the bat.”

Then, finally, after looking at the scoreboard and seeing that his team won, Critzer, who brushed off the contest as just another game, admitted that it was a big one.

“Of course it is,” he said. “That’s a good ball club over there, guys. That’s a real good ball club.”

Cameron Cook is good, folks. He paints the plate with fastballs and struck out 10 Little Giants. The problem was defense on Tuesday. “Any pitcher, good or bad, if you don’t play defense behind them, eventually a team is going to start rocking them,” Podgorski said. He’s right.

Critzer, despite the calls for improvement, looks like this team has taken 20 years off of him. Plain and simple, the veteran coach is excited. “These kids,” he said, “they want to win. They’re winners. Of course I’m excited, we got a good group.”

So Cody Montgomery hits the mound for Riverheads and strikes out nine Wilson Memorial batters earning the headline “Montgomery burns Wilson.” Excellent.

Shenandoah softball shirt idea: “Summer Ramsey, please stop striking us out.” Someone has got to figure out how to put a “K” somewhere in her name. Seriously, someone get on this. So let it be written, so let it done.

Finally: Take a quick break, sit down with your coffee and remember 32 people who went to school a year ago today and, for reasons known only to the gods and an idiot with a gun, never came home.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Daily Pooch Punt: 4/15/08

What happened to sports? What happened to wanting to drag your competition in the dirt, kick them while they’re down then, after the final out, final buzzer or final whistle, walking over to shake their hands, let them know they got you this time (if you lost) and next time, their butts are yours?

What happened to all of that? Where has it gone? Has the white-washing of all things competitive gone this far? Must everything be vanilla? Guess we don’t trust our kids like we trusted ourselves back in the day. We knew we weren’t going to punch someone in the face in the handshake line after a football game. Can we not expect the same of our kids?

Then, when all seems lost and high school sports appears on the cusp of becoming a home-economics class, a coach drops a line your way that makes you nod your head, sigh in relief and say to yourself under your breath, “Yes, someone still gets it.”

That’s why Stuarts Draft baseball coach Josh Podgorski’s line during a phone interview Monday night is going to highlighted here in a second folks. “I want the boys to enjoy high school sports,” he said. “And you’re going to have your rivals.”

Not the first coach to blurt that out, but just the latest in a thankful resurgence of school-color-lust rivalry that made the recent crop of young coaches so exciting. Don’t get us wrong, it’s not an age thing. Heck, I know plenty of grandmothers who are as feisty as a Blue Jay at a bird feeder (and just as maligned), but in coaching there was a bridge of nicey-nice coaches over the crevasse from the kick-butt old guard (think Jim Critzer, Steve Isaacs and the like) to the fiery new guard (Secrett Stubblefield, Jeremy Hartman and, of course, Podgorski).

There’s no smack talk in Podgorski’s quote, just a simple, truthful observance from a guy who’s around kids most of the time (he helps with the football team too) and knows how they work. Give them an end goal and let them get there. If it means beating your buddy in a different jersey, so be it because, and let’s be honest here, your buddy wants to do the same.

It’s the second straight season that this new guard of coaches have provided the lines. Pick anything that came out of Stubblefield’s mouth during Waynesboro’s girls basketball team’s run to the Group AA championship game. Or take a look at Jeremy Hartman, the R.E. Lee girls coach that not only appreciated the fun rivalry he had with Stubblefield and the Giants, but provided his own zinger after his team, in much the same situation as Stuart Draft baseball is in, lost it’s first go-round with the Little Giants.

“You know that they say,” he said, watching his girls walk out of the locker room in tears that early in the season. “Familiarity breeds contempt and that’s what this is.”

Hartman easily won the quote of 2007 contest with his line. Podgorski’s is the early favorite for 2008.

And another thing: OK, let’s talk about this game tonight. Podgorski, not one to keep secrets (and also no dummy either) is well aware that everybody is expecting him to throw ace Cameron Cook off the mound. So he plans on doing so.

Now who Critzer puts on the hump is another story. The veteran ball coach (from the fiery old guard, not that nicey-nice crop) wouldn’t clue us in, opting to say it’s going to be a left-hander. That points the finger squarely at Joseph Lucas and Jeremy Hahn. I got to think Critzer is going with Hahn. The senior is a savvy veteran who’s pitched in the big games before and while this isn’t some win-or-go-home contest, it’s big game.

Hahn also has that swagger that Critzer’s been looking for this season, cut from the same pitching cloth as Jake Peeling before he left for Virginia Tech. The kind of swagger you need in a big rivalry game, like tonight.

Zac Marion, your table is ready. (Though he sets it pretty well for Mickie Holbert.)

Jay Thompson, your table is looking ready too.

Heck, the tables are set for the Little Giants against the Cougars tonight at the KC. And everybody seems to know it.

You know, because like Podgorski said, Waynesboro is Stuarts Draft’s rivals.

And you always want to beat your rivals.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Daily Pooch Punt: 4/10/08

You can start counting down now if you just happen to be a fan of Southern Valley District baseball. The magic number is five, that’s how many days are left until Stuart Draft brings Cameron Cook to the KC where the Cougars will take on the Little Giants.

So, why make such a big deal about a game this early in the season? Well, for starters, this isn’t your big brother’s (or sister’s, for that matter) old Valley District. This is the five-team Southern Valley, where every game puts you a step closer to that coveted regular-season title and automatic bid to Region III. And, from what we’ve seen so far, these two teams (heck, let’s toss Fort Defiance in the mix as well) should be tops in the district. A win Tuesday puts a team in the proverbial driver’s seat. A loss, well, let’s just say it’s not fun being the passenger in a scorching hot playoff race.

Of course, we’re just taking an educated guess when we say that Cook will be tossing from the bump for Josh Podgorski’s Cougars. With a team ERA that was floating somewhere around the 7.00 mark last week (there’s nothing lucky about that No. 7, folks. But you know that) Cook will have to be throwing if the Cougars want to gain the early advantage.

Zac Marion getting a hold of a few shots wouldn’t hurt either.

Who’s Jim Critzer gonna throw? He’s got his pick of Jeremy Hahn (the Giants’ big arm that, after giving up three runs in the first Tuesday against Harrisonburg, calmed down to scatter three hits over the other six for the 10-3 win) or Joseph Lucas. You know Lucas, the kid who pitched the team to a 1-0 win over Fort Defiance and is no longer known as James’ Little Brother.

Terrell Thompson, sure your table is ready. But you got to set your teammates’ first, you know, since you’re Waynesboro’s leadoff man and all. (Oh, and your batting average is hovering around .600 which, let’s be honest here, is exactly what you’re looking for from a leadoff hitter.)

While we can all talk about Tuesday’s big game at the KC, the Little Giants have a tall task ahead of them come Friday when they head up to Bridgewater to take on Those Big Bad Knights From Turner Ashby. (Yep, initial caps for a reason, folks.) It don’t matter how much malarkey you e-mail my way about Turner Ashby, how this game doesn’t mean anything and all that jazz. The bottom line is, and you can print this in black or blue ink (not pencil, folks), if you want the world to take you seriously as a state baseball contender (and you gotta believe that, after their Final Four trip last season, the Little Giants think they can head back) you have to beat Turner Ashby. Lock. The. Thread. Next. Question. Please.

Remember when the Giants almost did that last year? Turning a 4-0 deficit to a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning? With Jake Peeling on the mound? In front a home crowd? Then the bottom fell out, Turner Ashby went all Turner Ashby on Waynesboro and the next thing you know it’s the 12th inning, Waynesboro is down by one at 7-6, and can’t push the game-tying run across. Remember all that?

“What else can you ask for?” said Critzer after that loss. “They threw the kitchen sink, didn’t they?”

Or how about what TA coach Richie Anderson said? “Like everyone thought it would be, it was classic high school baseball game.”

He’s right. It was. That’s why we still write about it, you still talk about it and the Giants still remember it.

Note to Waynesboro fans: Sure, the game Friday is at Turner Ashby, but if you go, you might want to think twice about putting on the same post-game show you did last year at the KC. You know, when you were so upset at a couple of questionable interference calls, the police had to escort the umpires away from the field. Please, don’t turn a classy baseball game between kids into a classless post-game cage match featuring “adults.” Hey, I’m just saying.

And another thing: Wilson Memorial runner Michael Barnes and his Riverheads counterpart Jonathan Pendleton can win you over in a heartbeat and it doesn’t matter what you think of the track. (And judging by the amount of people who go to track meets, we’re pretty sure we know what you think of it). The two battled it out in the 1,600-meter run Wednesday in Fishersville. Pendleton managed to snag a 10-second lead over Barnes. Then all he did was find Barnes right after finishing the race to thank him for the fun challenge.

“Barnes is a great kid to run against,” Pendleton said. “He pushes you real hard.”

Maybe you should like track a little more.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

The Sports Desk: 4/9/08

After the “oopsie” Sports Desk host Jim Sacco and TNV Sports Writer Corine Gatti chat about soccer and softball.

Then it’s time for interim sports editor Robert Sisk to join Sacco as the two talk about Southern Valley District baseball: