One Player, One Spot
May 30, 2008 @ 11:31 a.m. by jlongBy: J. Long
I don’t know if you noticed, but a couple of all-league teams have players listed at multiple positions.
Erroneous (in my Vince Vaughn voice). Erroneous, I say.
How can you have one guy on a team at multiple positions? Logan Watkins is a great player, but seriously, he’s one of the first-team pitchers and the first-team shortstop. Not picking on Logan, because he was just one of several kids that was on an all-league team at multiple positions.
Aren’t there enough talented players out there for a guy to only have one spot?
I was telling K-State reporter Jeff Martin this, and he said that if he was a player, he’d want to play an inning at ever position so that he can try to lock up all the infield spots. Brilliant idea. How would that look when you go on a recruiting visit and you tell the coach I was the all-league infield? Not a position, but the entire infield. Yes, I know it sounds absurd, but that’s no more unreasonable than being on the team as a pitcher and outfielder. So if this team played against another all-league team and Logan was pitching would he have to be responsible for fielding the shortstop position?
The worst part about this is that there’s probably a kid that was on the verge of being on the team, but was left off so one kid could be at two positions. That’s just not right.
May 30th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Fact is, Logan Watkins was one of the leagues best pitchers and the best shortstop. I’ve seen it a number of times. I don’t mind it at all, if he is good enough then give it to him.
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May 30th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Logan is just that good of a player. He would play shortstop most of the game and then come in and close it out if needed and when he did pitch he was unhittable. I do rememeber Darren Dreifort who could have been all MVC as DH and a pitcher. Pitchers don’t pitch every game so I don’t think it is that strange for someone to make it as a infielder and a pitcher but it would be strange if someone made it at two fielding spots. I don’t think it is a knock on other players but just showing how good Logan is. If you would have watched him pitch the semifinal game at state you would see why he is all-league pitcher. At the same time without him in the field the other two games it would have been tough for Goddard. He made a couple of great plays at SS in the championship game.
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May 30th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Okay, I understand your point (not really). Why is Logan the best shortstop in the AV-CTL Div. 1, AND one of the best pitchers. Shame on him, he should really go and just play one position, forget that the team needs him. If a player is the best at two positions, put him in at two positons. It’s more sad that a player that plays shortstop every single game can’t lock up a first team nod. And its not a coincidence, Logan was first team AV-CTL as a quarterback AND as a defensive back for football.
And I don’t think its as simple as J-Mart said it is. You can’t just play every position, you have to be god as those positions. Quit hating on Goddard and their mad talent.
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May 30th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
This is not about Logan Watkins. Logan is a great player and deserving of all the honors he’s gotten.
This is about building a team. When you build a team you pick one player for a position. You can’t have 14 first team spots and only 12 players. Make a choice, put him at that spot and let that be that.
Its obvious that some of these guys are the best players in the league, but once you pick them for a spot they should be locked into that spot. They shouldn’t be able to dominate the rosters. You shouldn’t be able to be a first team pitcher and then be on the honorable mention list.
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May 30th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Back in the day when The Eagle ran the All-City meetings (pre-All-Metro), one of the rules that the coaches had was that a player was only at one position. He could be nominated at multiple positions as a safeguard to make sure the true studs got on the team, but if he made first team at a second position, he was taken out of the equation.
Jonathan and I talked about this issue this morning and are in agreement about it — and agree that this is not a Logan Watkins issue or a Ben French. Why not spread it around?
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May 30th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I like the selection. It shows that the coaches are looking at it on a position by position basis. Who is the best shortstop in the Ark Valley, Logan Watkins. Who are the top pitchers, Logan Watkins is among the top 3. Change the rules if it isn’t “fair or right”.
We bring up Logan Watkins because the blog mentioned him specifically.
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May 30th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
See now you eagle people are talking in circles. You are asking to spread it around to get more people recognition but in other blogs you both talk about how crazy it is that so many people make all league in some aspect and it is not about appeasing everyone. You talk about how making all-league should mean something and not be something pity party. If these kids are the best in the league at mutiple positions then the should be recognized accordingly. You can’t say spread it around and then get mad with everyone who gets one at bat in the city makes honorable mention. Long just thought it was funny that there was co-coaches of the year and co-mvps but wants to get more people recognition even if they were not as good as a Logan Watkins at that position.
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May 30th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Why do they have all league by position except for the outfielders? It should be by the position they play.
Did you notice in the AVCTL Divison 1 that Salina South had 3 first team players and they only won 1 game in the league!!
The way the all league teams are decided, is ridiculous.
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May 31st, 2008 at 1:07 am
So if they picked a person for only one spot how would they pick which position to put him at? If Logan got the same number of votes for all-league pitcher and all-league shortstop where do you put him? I still don’t get why when your trying to honor the best players in the leauge you would want to put the 2nd best player at his position on first team.
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May 31st, 2008 at 4:17 am
If he was that good at two positions, why wasn’t Watkins selected to the Utility position? Or does AVCTL I have a Utility position? Up here in Russell, Jake Brown was the best pitcher and shortstop in the North Central Activities Association, and he was slotted in the Utility position rather than taking a spot from one of the three infielders (for some weird reason, the NCAA picked a first baseman and three infielders, rather than an infielder at each position) or two pitchers.
In my former home state of Louisiana, there are FIVE utility positions on the all-state team, four pitchers, three outfielders, one catcher, and one infielder at each position on the all-state teams. The all-state teams there are picked by a panel of 12 sportswriters. The all-district teams (no leagues in La.; all teams are assigned to districts for all sports every two years by the LHSAA) are picked by the coaches, and all-metro teams are picked by the sports staff of the daily newspaper in that area. To be on an all-metro or all-state team, you must be a first team all-district selection, a rule which goes for football and basketball as well. On all levels, a player is eligible for selection at one position only; once he is voted on the team, he is taken off the board for all other positions.
Football is a totally different animal, and players who are good enough deserve to be picked on both offense and defense on their own merits. Nobody in the Mid-Continent League complained when seven Smith Center players, Ellis’ Daniel Gottschalk and Trego’s Taylor Dirks were picked to the first team on both offense and defense.
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May 31st, 2008 at 6:25 pm
jlong, as I told Joanna, only write wonderful things about Goddard, and for heaven’s sake, don’t use them as an example for anything, unless it too, is wonderful. I agree, 1 position and your done, even if you are the best at all 9.
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May 31st, 2008 at 7:06 pm
goddard sucks
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May 31st, 2008 at 9:48 pm
With that well put comeback, that person must be a Maize graduate.
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June 1st, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Wrong again, brainiac. Goddard Class of 2005. Goddard athletes did everything to make my life misterable through their cocky attitudes and continual harrassment. I have no love for Goddard.
Wouldn’t surprise me if loganismyhero is actually Logan Watkins himself posting. Goddard was all about self-promotion.
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June 1st, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Sad
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June 1st, 2008 at 10:29 pm
i am not Logan but it is too bad they made you life “misterable” instead of miserable. Maybe you should have paid more attention in class.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 11:08 am
Speak for yourself, “they made YOU life misterable”. Thanks for the spellcheck, Logan.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
jlong:
Seems to me that the problem some are having is with the pitching position. High school is not the pros where you rarely ever see a pitcher playing any other position. In high school and in some college, you do. I would have a problem if a player was playing two positions such as 2nd base and shortstop and the coach nominated him for both. Since high school rules limit the amount of pitching a player can do it is only reasonable that the player contribute to the team in other ways and not be penalized for doing so.
And juicyJ: if your life was made miserable I suspect it was because you allowed it to be. Want to blame someone? Look in the mirror.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Oh, that’s right, commish. Only in Goddard do you bring all your misfortune on yourself.
That’s the same logic a rape victim hears in court…she brought it on herself.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
juicyJ:
Don’t even go there with that weak “same logic” crap especially with something as serious as rape victims. You hate Goddard? Fine. Sorry you had a bad experience. Get over it. For every one of you there are hundreds who had a wonderful experience at Goddard and other quality districts around and in Wichita. Can’t please everybody in this world. Some (like you) were probably going to be unhappy no matter where you went to school.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 7:06 am
Hey, your feelings about being bullied by Goddard athletes are likely shared by people from many schools and all ages, including myself.
I had a horrible experience in high school, and have been out for many years.
The athletes and especially rich kids (boys AND girls) were cruel.
I didn’t do anything to deserve the treatment from those bullies.
Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty. You didn’t do anything wrong. Neither did I.
Those kids at my high school were so mean to me, I almost dropped out of high school. I’m sure other people did drop out because of this. I’m sure it happens every day, somewhere, to someone.
At least the school districts are being held accountable to stop the bullying these days. At least they are making an effort.
About the spellcheck and errors, everyone writes in a hurry and misses those things occasionally. So what?
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