Monday May 23 Predictions/Scores

[VAD1]

So the senior players on Heights' baseball team opted to go on their senior trip instead of playing in a district playoff game? Are you kidding me? I find this hard to believe. No juniors on the team? Regardless, this might shed some light on the Highlanders failure to realize much success in boys sports over the last decade. Questionable commitment!

~PA

Agreed, but I doubt if the blame should go to the student-athletes in this case. Why on earth would CH schedule a class trip on the date of district playoffs? Playoff dates are posted an entire year in advance so these types of situations can be avoided. This is simply poor communication on the part of CH decision makers. By decision makers I mean class trip coordinators, not the athletic department. Basically they made the kids have to choose, which is the last thing you should make kids do when they take part in multiple activities. Did the rain force this as a make-up date? Again, poor planning by CH's non-athletic decision makers. This is exactly why CH stinks - because the people making decisions put up roadblocks for the athletic teams. CH needs all the help they can get, but instead the decision makers remove the Football coach for trying to promote himself and then schedule a field trip on the day of a playoff game.

[costanza]

I completely disagree that the district playoffs are scheduled one year in advance. In fact, in most sports it is very unpredictable when games will be scheduled, even from one round to the next. This district is bad with that, where others have it mapped out consistently each year. They may have known a few weeks ago with baseball, but by then, I am sure the class trip was set in stone.

[VAD1]

Costanza - maybe you're right about district 6. As for district 5, the committee meets before the end of the school year and puts out the following year's dates one year in advance (D5 already has the 2012 dates for all sports posted on their website).

[Harry Dunn]

Maybe nobody at Cambria Heights thought the baseball team would be any good. Can't ever rule out that possibility.

[biffpocoroba]

From what I understand, there was a considerable, unrefundable financial commitment involved in the trip. Also heard that Cambria Heights asked P-O to move the game to Sunday and they declined. Not trying to refute the original point about how committed CH athletes (and parents) are, just adding some more variables to the discussion. I also find it interesting that two newspaper reporters covered the game and neither mentioned the situation.

[retiredcoach]

I agree with all the points addressed, and I certainly am not trying to pass the buck, but that is horrible scheduling on the part of the advisors, horrible! Spring sports are always the ones who take the lumps, because they haver to deal with musicals, which are important, class trips, senior workshops, etc......there needs to be some forethought that goes into planning these events, instead of just saying well someone....athletics will compromise. Think things thru a little better and do not place student athletes in these situations where they have to makes this decision......It happened to me as a coach, and the people that planned and decided the senior trip was to take place in league champioships time and district playoff time, ultimately determined the outcome of our hard played season. And these people have no vested interest in the programs they destroy....never saw a one of them supporting the baseball team by coming to any of their games....

[Footballfan4]

P-O should have tried to move the game to sunday so it would be "may the best team win"