It seems that I write this type of column every year, and I'm hoping the coaches in Northern Nevada might come to their senses one day and change the way all-league teams are selected.
The all-Sierra League baseball and softball teams were released earlier this week. Again, it's not who made it, but who didn't.
The baseball coaches selected 51 players, including pitcher and player of the year, first team, second team and honorable mention. That's an average of a little more than seven players per team. Honorable mention included 15 players.
Softball was a tad better, honoring 40 players from its six-team league. Still this is way too many.
Are coaches unable to make tough decisions? I doubt that. Coaches make tough decisions every time they step on the field, and choosing all-league teams should be no different.
For its first team, the coaches chose five baseball pitchers, and added six more for the second team. What would be wrong with limiting it to two or three per team. Softball had four on the first team and one on the second team, which is a little better.
All-league teams aren't set up for everybody to make it, and that's a good thing. It should be an honor to be all-league, and at least the past three years in Northern Nevada, it's a given that if you start you will probably make first or second team or honorable mention.
What in the world is wrong with having one player at each position, including utility and DH for the top two teams and honorable mention? That would knock it down to 33 right there for baseball and softball.
Somehow I think that the coaches get to throw who they want on that honorable mention list, and that's not right.
Come on guys and gals. Change your voting bylaws if you have to. Make a selection to the all-Sierra something to be proud of. Make it worth something.
I know there are many people out there that say you should reward as many people as possible. That's fine for youth league, which has gone as far as having an all-star team for nearly every age level. This is high school sports and should be treated as such.
And, while we are on the subject of all-Sierra League selections, I think the softball coaches missed the boat when Carson's Dacey Hassey was only a second-team selection.
The Carson sophomore made the all-league team as a freshman last season, and I know that she didn't get worse. Hassey is arguably one of the best defensive catchers in the Sierra League. She does a tremendous job of receiving the ball, which tells you that she has had some coaching over the years.
Kudos to the coaches for the selection of Lauren Hoppe of Douglas. I don't know of any player who has improved more in the last two years. Hoppe has only played competitive summer softball for three years, and has gotten better each year. It's not everyday that a freshman can start on one of the best teams in the region, if not the state.
HELP TO NEVADA HOOPS
I recently received a letter from a gentleman in Gardnerville concerning my recent story regarding the University of Nevada's trip to Italy, which began two days ago.
The gentleman wanted to know who was footing the bill. He must have missed that part of my story that indicated a Nevada booster had forked over a huge sum of money and that through fund-raising the rest has been raised.
He said that basketball players were rarely seen in the classroom and wondered if any other department at UNR get sponsored. All I can tell this person is that Nevada got tremendous exposure the last two seasons because of its basketball team. I don't know that I've heard much about the strength of other UNR programs on a national scale.
Two of Nevada's former hoop stars, Garry Hill-Thomas and Kevinn Pinkney graduated in four years and a semester. That's not bad. I know plenty of non-athletes that take five or more years to graduate.
Please sir don't throw stones. All I can tell you is that athletic director Cary Groth and head coach Mark Fox stress academics.
Darrell Moody can be reached at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281
