COLUMN: Water Valley’s matchup against Leflore County in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs had no feel of desperation or competition to it.
Instead of two teams matching skills that were ultimately decided by one great play like Lafayette’s series with Kosciusko, the Blue Devils easily defeated the completely over matched Tigers in a doubleheader that was as lacking of a championship caliber atmosphere as you could ever imagine.
It almost took as long for Leflore County to drive up to Blue Devil Field for the games than the actual contests lasted. The games were more like practice sessions than a playoff contest and while WVHS coach Kary Bridges said publicly there were some positives gained, the reality is there was little to take away from the series moving forward other than two one-sided wins.
This matchup made it obvious, yet again, that baseball teams from the Mississippi Delta just can’t compete with teams from the rest of the state. I know that’s not earth-shattering information to anyone who has gone to one of these series, but the real key is making sure that another doubleheader like Monday’s doesn’t happen in the future.
The couple of coaches I talked to about this next idea won’t go on the record and say what they have told me a few times in the past, but the idea of eliminating Delta teams from the MHSAA playoffs makes a lot of sense.
With gas prices as high as they have ever been and school budgets shrinking, having a team like Leflore County get on a bus and travel for a game they had no chance of winning, three days after the series should have started, but didn’t because of a disagreement over a final region game, makes absolutely no sense. It’s a waste of money, time, effort and resources that could be better served at other positions.
Leflore County isn’t the only team that had no chance of winning a playoff game in the first round. If you checked the results in the Scoreboard section, you noticed that Delta teams could barely score a run let alone enough to earn a win over much superior teams from places like Itawamaba AHS or New Albany or Mooreville.
The reality of the situation is the MHSAA needs to set up a separate championship tournament for all the Delta schools to play in. It could be for all classes and involve a number of other teams that didn’t make the playoffs this year. The competition level would be much more comparable, the atmosphere would be better for the players to be involved in and much more cost efficient, which is really the biggest reason for turning to this type of tournament.
Instead of a Delta team not giving a team like Water Valley or Lafayette or Oxford a competitive series, our local teams would be better prepared for a longer run in the playoffs with a better first-round opponent. In essence, the competition level would transfer better. All the bad pitching and poor fundamentals that a Delta team brings to the table would be eliminated.
If this idea sounds too good to be true, it is only if we don’t let the MHSAA know about it. Parents and school administrators here locally, as well as other places, need to let the MHSAA understand that these types of first-round series don’t do either side any good. The need for change is now. (April 27, 2011, Page 8)
Mr. Davis, this column is a bit disappointing. Yes, the schools in the Delta are lacking in the talents that are displayed by the schools in NE mississippi, but to single these kids out further and create a “Delta” state championship sends a terrible message. Case in point, there is no doubt that basketball in MHSAA is played better (as a collective whole) in the Jackson Public Schools than anywhere else in the state. Going on your suggestions, should the MHSAA create a separate category the areas of the state that arent producing state baskeball championships?
The Delta schools have tremendous problems– understaffing, underfunding, no fundamentals being put in place at early ages–but segregating these schools from the rest of the Magnolia state does nothing to solve these problems. If anything, we need to continue to push for MAEP to be fully funded so that these teenagers have a chance at competing against their peers in all aspects of life, not just sports.
Dear C Washington,
I appreciate you reading my column and giving feedback. There are some good points in your responses. I think the thing to remember here is I have been waiting 12 years to write that column. That’s how long I’ve worked full time at the EAGLE and how long I’ve been watching Delta baseball teams play against the schools we cover. Nothing has changed. Nothing has improved. I’ve been patient. The bottom line is if the administrations don’t care, so why should the rest of us? And why should the schools that I cover be penalized for that apathy. That’s why I wrote what I wrote. Another thing I didn’t put in my story was Leflore County showing up seven minutes before the start of the game. That’s typical of the teams that come and play LHS or OHS. They are either late or show up just before the start of the game ultimately making everything else delayed. There is a general disregard for organization and structure to the game and how it’s played. They don’t do that in the other sports, so why do it baseball? The answer is they don’t care about the sport and know they can’t win. Otherwise they would do a better job with their teams because they do have athletic ability. Because there is a major lack of caring, my belief is they need to be eliminated from the process altogether. These schools have had time to improve and alas, they have not. Time to move on.
While I definitely understand the frustration, I don’t completely agree with your format. If I’m not mistaken, Cleveland finished runner-up in 3A in 03 or 04. Cleveland is smack in the middle of the Delta. Also, I think they won the state championship in the early 2000′s. How would they be treated in this “Delta playoff” scenario? I understand what you are saying about 95% of the Delta teams, but there are a rare few that can play. What would be done about them? Tough situation, but segregating the entire Delta region is probably not the answer.