Friday, April 10, 2009

TVL's WPIAL baseball rankings

One of the more difficult tasks in high school sports is repeating as a district or state champion in baseball. So many variables – bad hops, weather, mediocre pitching having a career day – can come into play.

Maybe that's what makes ranking baseball teams a trying, difficult process. There isn't a sport where good teams have more head-scratching losses.

At the Varsity Letters, we love a challenge. So, for the first time and with a nice portion of the season to use as judgment, we're unveiling our first WPIAL baseball rankings.

Class AAAA
1. Seneca Valley 5-0
2. North Allegheny 6-1
3. Pine-Richland 8-1
4. Bethel Park 3-2
5. Canon-McMillan 5-3

Class AAA
1. Trinity 5-0
2. Hopewell 8-1
3. Blackhawk 6-1
4. South Park 4-1
5. Moon 2-1

Class AA
1. Seton-La Salle 5-0
2. North Catholic 4-1
3. Shady Side Academy 7-1
4. Ford City 5-0
5. Shenango 5-1

Class A
1. Carmichaels 6-0
2. Serra Catholic 6-1
3. Neshannock 5-2
4. Chartiers-Houston 5-2
5. Rochester 2-3

131 comments:

Anonymous said...

does it bother anyone else that serra is consistantly ranked in the top 5 in football, basketball and baseball in single A? But they're not recruiting right?...right?

Anonymous said...

Get over it!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Go TRINITY!!!

Anonymous said...

Catholics are obviously better athletes and God roots for them. They don't recruit.

Anonymous said...

Either TJ should be ranked in AAA or Canon-Mac should be unranked in AAAA. Take your pick after TJ's 7-3 drubbing of the Big Macs.

Anonymous said...

Actually Canon Mac is 4-4 they are counting a win in a game where they had a 1 run lead in the 4th and it got suspended because of daylight!

Anonymous said...

Canon-Mac is still a force to be reckoned with. The offense has been inconsistent, the defense has been atrocious, and the pitching has been up and down. BUT if the team can just make the routine plays defensively, get some clutch hitting, and throw strikes on the bump, they could easily be in contention for the title. Their record is 5-4 now, but if they get hot LOOK OUT! This team could be 14-4 in no time. Go Big Macs! Take us to the promise land Frank Robinson errr Zebrasky!

Anonymous said...

If any teams pitches, play defense and hits can win. Unfortunately I don't see any major turn around.

Anonymous said...

TJ should not be ranked.. There(0-3)(3-4) on the season there in last place in there section... its just that CM baseball is that bad this year... Just like basketball, they had all the hype, and again they wont succeed..

Anonymous said...

Canon-mac needs a complete overhaul. They lost game #4 in their 20th game last year. They are way ahead of that pace this year. Are we destined to return to the Henson era? I think so unfortunately. Lots of
Good coaches are no longer around and it's killing the development if the team. I mean 6 errors against hempfield and 5 against bethel is just unbearable.

Let's get back a real staff.

Anonymous said...

This team is going all the way haters! Go ahead and jump off the bandwagon, you'll regret it.

Anonymous said...

Its not coaching when a team has 6 errors, its the players... CM is just not that great this year

Anonymous said...

South Park is a force to be reckoned with. They have precise pitching with the sophomore lefty Kucenic and senior Harrison. Senay is coming off an injury and the dangerous South Park team is just waiting for him.

Anonymous said...

two years that they have had teams in the top 5 serra has stunk for the last 10 years b-4 08

Anonymous said...

Trinity is a joke. They have an upcoming game against South Park, which will show everyone who South Park is. Take this into account, South Park has an off game and beats Yough 9-2, Trinity and Yough play their hearts out and Trinity ends up winning by a balk, that is awful. Also the worst part about it, Trinity was actually happy winning that way. That's not the way the ranked 1 in AAA is supposed to play.

Anonymous said...

South Park is a pretender...Trinity may 10 run them

Anonymous said...

what makes you think that South Park is a pretender?

Anonymous said...

Trinity was not happy about that win.. They were actually upset because they left the whole game on Schraders pitching and didnt hit the crap out of the ball like they usually do... South Park is a good team but dont be supprised if trinity has a good game and smacks them around a little bit...

Anonymous said...

I don't know Senay is pitching tomorrow and there are some big bats in South Parks lineup. Do you know is Schrader or Frey is starting?

Anonymous said...

WASH HIGH BASEBALL

Anonymous said...

They wont kno whos starting till game time...

Anonymous said...

prob frey will start against south park since schrader just threw a complete game thursday so who knows what will happen.. its a huge section game. i bet trinity wishes they didnt have to waste schrader against yough.. but they messeed around and he pulled them through

Anonymous said...

Schrader would be fine to throw against South Park... But it really dosnt matter which one they throw there both really good.. Even that bukowski could throw if they needed him trinity has tons of options...

Anonymous said...

yaa they really need this win tomorrow against SP

Anonymous said...

Tomorrow's prediction today:

Canon-Mac 14

Upper St. Clair 3

(5 innings)

The march to the 2009 state title picks up momentum!

Anonymous said...

Big week for Canon-Mac and their section as a whole. Since there are only 10 games this year, 30% of the section will be determined this week (and after this week 40% of the games will have been played--weather permitting). An 0-3 week for any of the teams could easily end their season. Canon-Mac, Mt. Lebanon, and Upper St. Clair are really in a difficult spot with each being 0-1. The good news for C-M is that they play USC and then Mt. Lebo this week. If they win both of those games, I'd imagine that they would be almost a lock for the playoffs. We'll see how it all turns out.

Anonymous said...

does anyone know who the pitching match up for trinity and sp.. frey and schrader vs....???

Anonymous said...

cm doesnt have a chance to win the state championship. get over it!

Anonymous said...

Frey will be starting for Trinity. Senay will be starting for South Park.

Anonymous said...

I hear that Senay can't throw a full game because of his wrist injury. Does SP have anyone else?

Anonymous said...

is anyone else sick of hearing about CM or is it just me??

Anonymous said...

It's just you

Anonymous said...

I think South Park has former canon-mac coach Jordan Abromovitz's brother to pitch. He's a soph. LHP and is pretty good from what I hear.

Anonymous said...

I don't know about that Canon-Mac vs USC prediction. In the last 3 games the Big Macs have made 15 errors and already have more errors in 9 games than they made in 27 last season!

Thomas Jefferson started a kid that hadn't pitched yet this season on the hill and he shut down C-M for 4 innings before being relieved. They also played without their best player (Tyler Wehner) who has been suspended.

Yes it was a Saturday, non-section game, but the defense for C-M has been so bad that every team they play has a chance to win against them. It seems that putting the ball in play is almost a free pass to get on base.

Hopefully this trend will chance. But if it doesn't, it's going to be a long season in Big Mac land.

Anonymous said...

CM will not win a state championship this year, anyone who thinks otherwise does not know much about baseball.

Anonymous said...

The matchup today between Trinity and South Park is going to be a showdown. There should be a lefty righty showdown.. with Shrader and Frey, Senay and that lefty soph. all four have great stuff.

Anonymous said...

Trinity gave up 8 runs against South Park today! What happened to this "unhittable" pitching staff? Could it be that the Hiller nation has overrated their own kind? I think the answer is a big YES!

With that said, Trinity is an excellent club, but they are far from being ELITE. I'll take my chances with Blackhawk or Hopewell against the Hillers.

Anonymous said...

hillers pitched bukowski today and a freshmen and schrader and frey didnt pitch and they still won 16-8

Anonymous said...

They gave up 8 runs with there 3rd pitcher (bukowski) and there 5th pitcher (a freshman) you obvisouly dont have a clue what happened in that game...Trinity had 12 runs in one inning and they won 16-8... And when Frey came in the end to close it, they couldnt touch him...
Get your facts straight before you start running your mouth about there UNHITTABLE pitching staff..

Anonymous said...

Trinity a joke?? Wow more like South Park being a joke. What type of team makes 5 errors in one inning let alone a game. They rely to much on that senay kid. Trinity does not have anyone half the talent of him and they play a lot better than south park. south park needs to come together as a team not relying on a single person. South Park is the real joke. do not be suprised if they lose every game out.

Anonymous said...

I love how the south park arguement went from winning to giving up eight wins. There are no morale victories a loss is a loss move on.

Anonymous said...

I hope MIKE can make it to one of the cm games and put it in the paper so we don`t have to hear them cry about why noone goes to there games.Mike you should just keep writing about trinity throw in McGuffy girls(keep those thirty people happy)and maybe a little wash high ball.keep up the good job reporting all those scores

Anonymous said...

Trinity gave up 2 earned runs against SP. So there is your pitching staff. Don't get me wrong SP is a very good hitting team. Oh yes Senay almost got one past the pitcher, but don't get me wrong he is a great player. You can tell by the number of scouts that came to watch him. Why did he come out in the 5th?

Anonymous said...

I think Carmichaels is the best team in the area regardless of classification. I'd love to see them matchup with Trinity. That game would be an all-time classic!

Anonymous said...

Carmichaels dosnt play any1 and wouldnt be able to handle trinitys pitching...

Anonymous said...

That may be true, but maybe Trinity couldn't handle the Mikes pitching as well.

Anonymous said...

CM won't win their section let alone the state championship. After watching the Trinity, Bethel, TJ & USC games Pierpoint is their only quality pitcher, the defense is terrible, and you can run all day on the catcher. On top of all that the coaching is horrendous and that is being kind. Now we know why the previous coached quit.

Anonymous said...

Peters township fo life!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes we do know why the previous coach quit: he fought constantly with his players and needed his assistants to ease the damage. When Barna left for TJ, the previous coach had to quit because Barna would smooth over him yelling at the players.

Anonymous said...

LOL......the previous CM coach yelled them all the way to a State Championship. Just another reason why they WILL NOT WIN this year........MENTALLY WEAK!!!!

Anonymous said...

Attention CM Faithful: just let the previous staff make fools of themselves and do not respond to their childish and egotistical posts. A true "great" coaches would stand behind their team and continue to root for them and not wish they do poorly just to feed their own ego. It's not worth it. Let's hope they will eventually go away and leave us alone!

Anonymous said...

CM "faithful" let's be fair and appreciative of the former coaching staff. The DID put rings on our fingers and the ONLY STATE CHAMPIONSHIP banner other than wrestling that hangs in our gym. That is IMMORTAL!!!!

Anonymous said...

The only previous staff member that has posted on here is Jordan A. So I'm not sure how the whole previous staff is making fools of themselves or looking for an ego boost? I'm not even sure how Jordan A is looking for an ego boost. Some of the players regularly talk to the old coaches and they have wished them nothing but the best. I highly doubt they want to see "their" players lose or perform poorly.

Anonymous said...

So you judge good coaching on the basis of weither or not they yell? Heck, then I guess Guy montecalvo, Bill Cherpek, Jim Render, Joe Maize, and Ron Foust are just horrible coaches! They all yell at times!
Let me guess, your baby sat the bench but you were under the impression that your little All-Star was gonna be the next Barry Bonds. Well listen up all you parents who think your kids are elite athletes.....
LOOK IN THE MIRROR, IF YOU SEE A NON-SCHOLARSHIP, FORMER BENCH WARMER STARING BACK AT YOU, YOUR KID PROBABLY WILL BE AS WELL!!!
Something about apples and trees. Yet everyone thinks they have the next A-Rod!!

Anonymous said...

Anon,

The old coach had confrontations with STAR players and bench warmers as well. His yelling was not just limited to the worst players on the team. He was an equal opportunity offender and some of the guys that he offended are or will be scholarship D-1 and D-2 baseball players.

Yes the team had great success but the coach had overstayed his welcome. He could no longer communicate his message to the team because they didn't believe a single word of his message. Think about it, during the offseason he had one assistant leave to pursue another coaching opportunity and another one just simply leave. They knew that the head coach was poisoning a ball club ripe with talent.

Anonymous said...

Since it is rare that Frank "the mime" Zebrasky even opens his mouth during a game I think it is safe that the sensitive ears of the CM baseball team will not hear him yell. Enjoy your quiet and non-playoff season. Peter's, Bethel, & Mt.Lebo will finish 1,2,3

Anonymous said...

Ripe with talent.....what a JOKE!!!
They have 1 quality pitcher, a huge hole behind the plate, poor defense and a silent coach that makes no adjustments. The former coach after 2 years and 1 State Championship "wore out his welcome." Get serious. If your little boy can't handle yelling then quit playing sports. If he is a D-1 or D-2 player I guarentee he will get yelled at. Get serious do you realize how pathetic you make these kids appear. You have embarrassed your kids enough with this STUPID argument so just STOP!

Anonymous said...

Guy Montecalvo 2 AA WPIAL Championships & 1 AA PIAA Championship at Wash High.

Tim McConnell 3 WPIAL Championship & 1 PIAA Championship

Jim Render 6 AAAA WPIAL Championships & 2 PIAA Championships.

Gary Goga 1 AAAA WPIAL Championship

and now we hear Steve Bucci 1 AAAA PIAA Championship.

What do they have in common....they all YELL, they all WIN.

CM Baseball parents....SHUT UP!!

Anonymous said...

Stupid parents just need to stop with there irrational claims, they make themselves not to mention the whole team look idiotic.

Anonymous said...

Well if Zebrasky makes no adjustments what do you have to say about Bucci? It always appeared to me that Bucci just sat on his hands all game and had his assistants do all the work. Maybe the issue is not Zebrasky, but the quality of his assistants. As far as I'm concerned, Zebrasky and Bucci are virtually the same. They both are inept as coaches, but at least Bucci had the common sense to go out and get assistants that could get the job done. If you think about it, Barna called the offensive strategy, Jordan A instructed the hitters and coached 1st, and Miller called the pitches and handled the defensive alignment/strategy. All that was left was for Bucci to yell at his umpires, get in the faces of his star players, and sulk like a little baby when things didn't go his way. You'd have to give Bucci the nod over Zebrasky, but make no mistake about it, where C-M really hurts is that they brought in 2 weak assistant coaches to replace 3 great ones.

Anonymous said...

The mark of any successful Manager is to surround himself with quality people, instruct them as to what he wants to be done, then let them do it. Lie players, coaches too have roles & responsibilities. Bucci assembled a quality staff, let them do their job and won a State Championship. As someone earlier said the only non-wrestling PIAA Championship in school history. He also has won EVERYWHERE he has coached. To be fair any "fair minded" person will give him the credit he deserves. Nobody can take the banner offf the wall and like it or not Steve Bucci was the Head Coach.

Anonymous said...

Its not the coaches.. its the talent get over it and stop crying

Anonymous said...

Bucci & Zebrasky virtually the same. That is an insane statement to make. Bucci has been a Head Coach and has won at EVERY stop. This is Zebrasky's first try as a Head Coach and he has accomplished NOTHING. The arguments that people are making against Steve Bucci are simply dumb. He yelled at the players, he over stayed his welcome (after 2 years), he didn't do anything but yell at players & umpires, etc.....If the assisstants were so terrific then why did the CM A.D. select his Defensive Coordinator to be the Head Coach. Bottom line, Steve Bucci won a State Championship in 2years, does anyone really think that Frank will do the same?

Anonymous said...

it's the talent......right on.

This team has a little but not enough. If they do luck out and make the playoffs they will be 1 and done.

Anonymous said...

The AD selected his D-coordinator to be head coach because only 1 assistant applied to be the head coach. If Tmills would have applied he would've gotten the job and they might not have interviewed any other candidates. Barna also would've gotten the job if he applied. He had proven himself capable as a former college and pro manager and everyone knows he was instrumental in the state title.

Face it, Steve Bucci just isn't the commodity that he thinks he is.

Anonymous said...

Guess what there is going to be a new STATE CHAMP this year and who ever it is I'm glad it will be someone other than Bucci and crew so that we can finally MOVE ON!

Anonymous said...

When Bucci decides(after this season) to coach again he will have many opportunities to choose from. You simply cannot argue with his resume and accomplishments. Try as you may to minimize them but you can't, he has won everywhere and won BIG at CM.....that cannot be debated. CM mommie & daddies of your sensitive little darlings realize this...EVERYTIME that you look up to the wall of the CM gym and see the 2008 PIAA State Championship Baseball banner you MUST live with the fact that Steve Bucci was the Head Coach. His memory will hang forever in your gym. No yelling required.

Anonymous said...

Face it, Steve Bucci just isn't the commodity that he thinks he is.

Outside of CM the reputation of Coach Bucci is steller. The reputation of the CM school district is another matter. Why can't they keep a baseball coach more than 2-3 years? Parents look in the mirror and point the finger of blame at what you see. Players should play, Coaches should coach and parents should mind their business and Shut Up. Bucci WILL get another job whenever he decides to come back, winning a State Championship will always make him a commodity. CM it is your school district that is not a commodity.

Anonymous said...

Wow bucci and his family must be all over the blog today. Those are the only ones dumb enough to try to defend him and his coaching resume. The guy will have a very tough time finding a job because his reputation will always be a negative. He is a whiny baby as evidenced by his (or someone very close to him) post at 4:13pm. We here in C-burg have heard Bucci and his family use the same lame-brain expressions such as "sensitive little darlings" and preference for the terms mommy and daddy over mother/father, mom/dad, mama/papa.

Post your name to your thoughts if you think you are the greatest coach in the world.

Anonymous said...

Those are the only ones dumb enough to try to defend him and his coaching resume.

Dear C-burger, all of you that have criticized Bucci have gone after his personality, handling of players, etc... you simply cannot argue with his results as a coach so defending his "resume" is easy. If you do not like him as a person that is your choice but to say his resume can't be defended is simply STUPID. He won at South Park and other stops prior to CM and insult all you want but when you look at the picture after they won the state championship he was in the middle and was the Head Coach. That needs no defense....a simple thank you will do. Also do not Assume......you know what they say, well you are from C-burg so you probably don't

VCTMbrian said...

Anons,
Wow...



Jokes. I am embarrassed.

Anonymous said...

Steve Bucci and probably his wife and kid are the only people on the planet that think Steve Bucci is even a good coach. I love how he walks around town acting all high and mighty because the team he happened to coach won a title. The real truth is that if Steve Bucci would have decided to stay home for every game and practice, the Big Macs would still have won a state title. To the Bucci poster that capitalizes key words all day: name one thing Bucci did to contribute to a win? It was the 20 players and 3 assistant coaches that made it happen, not Bucci. That is why no one is missing him, no one is building a statue of him, and no one is naming the field after him. So go ahead Steveareno and think you are the greatest. You are the one that has to look at your reflection and when you do that the truth that you are a fraud is going to eat you up.

mike_kovak said...

Enough with the needless bashing.

Move on.

There are many people who believe Steve Bucci is a good coach. There are many people who believe that Frank Zebrasky is a quality coach who deserved the opportunity to be a head coach.

And there is a growing number of people who believe that Canon-McMillan baseball is the most needlessly over-analyzed team in the southwest corner of Pennsylvania.

Anonymous said...

Anon - 7:14PM not only does your knowledge of baseball comfortably fit on the head of a pin your ignorance & stupidity is overwhelming.

"It was the 20 players and 3 assistant coaches that made it happen, not Bucci."

Who hired the 3 coaches? Why has he won at every school he's coached? What other team in the past 40+ years has won a State Championship. Did Mike Tomlin & Bill Cowher relay on Dick LeBeau to win Super Bowls....of course they did that doesn't minimize who was in charge. Your comment is both juvenile & stupid.

For the record I am not Mr.Bucci and do not live in C-burg.

VCTMbrian said...

Anyone who bashes Bucci is a joke. I promise.

Anonymous said...

Way too much negativity in here. Support these athletes and their teams. Quit with all of the bashing and name calling. Cach Zebrasky knows the game and what he's doing so why continue crying about what some don't have?

Mish and Chips said...

This is embarrassing.

I promise that not all Canonsburgers are like this. But sadly, the numbers seem to be on the rise.

Anonymous said...

i agree with mish. there are a couple of moronic CM-ers that are ruining the reputation of everyone else in the town. the kids on the team know that they would have won no matter who was the coach. having mills and juice definitely helped the pitching and hitting and having bucci helped as well but not as much as the others. they would have won without bucci but he was along for the ride.

National Champ 2003... said...

My word CM’ers give it a rest. Bashing catchers, players, coaching decisions its
all very childish. Let the kids play and the coaches coach.

Anonymous said...

Mish & Chips and National Champ 2003....you are so right but unfortunately parental interference did not start at CM it has just spread like a bad rash. The practice of parents running successful coaches out of town began about 15 years ago when North Allegheny's parent forced their highly successful baseball coach Greg Maneotis to resign others to follow were Joe Degregorio former successful basketball coach at Upper St.Clair but those parents continued and tried to get both Dan Holzer & Jim Render their successful basketball and football coaches fired but public outcry won that war, they were successful at getting the girls soccer coach fired after multiple WPIAL Championships. North Hills parents tried to get their legendary football coach Jack McCurry fired but that failed. Char Valley parents tried to get the super successful Tim McConnel fired and failed but parents were again successful recently in Penn Hills when they had their successful football coach fired.....unfortunately he re-appeared at Shaler where he beat the Big Macs in a playoff game last year. So you see sadly this terrible past-time of parental interference is not new, just harmful.

Anonymous said...

Anon 12:01PM, well said.

Parents should be seen and not heard unless they are rooting for the entire TEAM and that includes the players and the coaches.

Anonymous said...

I think the big problem for people from the MAC is that when Bucci resigned he was quoted in the papers as saying how much he loved working there, loved the people associated with the program, and loved working with the kids. He also indicated how he was still going to support the team.

Well he has yet to show up for a game or return phone calls from players seeking out his advice for summer leagues and colleges. When you go out of your way to praise a district and say how you are going to support them and then you don't follow through it is bound to rub people the wrong way.

I don't know if there was more to his resignation than he led on. Either way, I think the people of CM will always be hurt by the coach that seemingly abandoned them not only as a coach but as a supporter.

Anonymous said...

The last Anonymous that is a very selfish post. Did you ever think that by staying away Coach Bucci does not want to be a distraction. Did you ever think that by not returning calls he does not want to diminish the new coaches influence, (if he is so hated and the new coach so aware why is he being called by former players). Did you ever think that with a new child and his job he may be busy and that is truly why he did resign. Nothing you have said justifies the venomous postings that have appeared. Be grateful you had him for 2 years and he was instrumental whether it was through the staff he assembled or his coaching that resulted in the state championship last year. I live in Peters Twp. and do not Coach Bucci but am sick of all the selfish CM whining.

dj sanchez said...

Mish and chips i agree with you completely.

There are a number of idiotic parents in the CM district that make all of us look like a bunch of imbasiles. All of the parents should shut the hell up and let the kids play. If you dont like something deal with it but dont take it out on players, coaches, ADs and anyone else out there. If you are unhappy about your kids playing time maybe you should have him practice during the summer and offseason.

And for those people who are happy that Bucci left because now more kids get to play are moronic. Varsity baseball teams are not feel-good teams. They want to win and will play the best suited players for that team.

Anonymous said...

I would HATE be on CM's team.. All this parent crap dosnt happen at my school... thank god!!!
Can you stop complaining its not going to help any1 and its not going to change anything... The best way to be successful, is to forget the past and look towards the future.. And if this stuff dosnt stop, CM's future, well there wont be one...

Anonymous said...

As a first time reader of this blog, I must say it appears that this Coach bucci and all his supports should just enjoy their state championship. They have it, they own it, no one can take it away from them and give the new coaching staff and this team a break. Quietly watch and support the team. That's what other local teams that won championships did for defending teams. If CM does have winning seasons the next couple of years it would appear to most people that Bucci had a strong "program" in place when he had his sudden departure.

Anonymous said...

I'm not so sure that Canon-Mac is in the dumper. They are 1-2 in section and if they win their next two (Baldwin and Peters), they might be in first place! Matt Pierpont is a star. Mike Hull is a monster. Steve Roach is a gamer. Phil Staab is a beast. DJ Michalski is a mantis (complement). Brad Strimel is a Mon-Star. Jim Boris is a freakin' stud.

That right there is a hell of a core. I really like this group. Hard-nosed, powerful, and studly. They look like a football team and play like the 2008 Phillies. So come on boys, make me look good!

--Open the haters eyes, show them something!

--Coach ManFree

Anonymous said...

Yea Canon-Mac is tied for the 3rd playoff spot! In fact, every team in the section would be playoff bound if the season ended today. So there's still time to maneuver around and we still have 7 games left for each team.

How about the PT Indians? 3-0 and the biggest surprise in the Wpial. Joe Maize is a great coach and he's proving it. I remember a quote from Steve Bucci last year in which he said that Joe Maize is a winner because he's a great coach, handles his players well, and understands game strategy better than major league managers! Coach Maize should be on anybody's short list for Wpial coach of the year at the 1/3 (approx) pole.

Anonymous said...

Peters is legit! Should be fun to watch them play in the "Border Brawl" with Canon-Mac on Monday night over at Peterswood. This game (in its brief history) has made legends: Muransky's no hitter, JJ's playoff clinching win, Nick The Stud Merich with great performances, Chris Dittmar's shutout in the state quarterfinals.

I know other rivalries have more history and I'm not going to argue that at all. But I think in the last two years you'd be hard-pressed to find a more competitive, drama-filled series than the Indians and the Big Macs.

Right now it's Peters up 4-3 in the series, but C-M leads 1-0 in playoff games. I know some of the names have changed but I think Washington County as a whole will be psyched up for this game!

Anonymous said...

Coach ManFree:

Pitching & Defense wins championships. CM has only 1 quality pitcher (Pierpoint) and their defense is pathetic. The have 1 section victory and Pierpoint was the pitcher he cannot pitch all of the next 7 games. They may sneek in and finish 3rd but won't last in the playoffs beyond 1 game.

Anonymous said...

Steve Bucci is/was a great coach. He brought tremendous success to the Canon-Mac program and I for one appreciate his efforts! So if you are reading this: Thank you very much Steve Bucci your efforts are much appreciated by the community.

Anonymous said...

Canon Mac and PT is probably the greatest rivalry in section 4 AAAA. Last year the teams split 2-2 but CM picked up the win when it really mattered in the playoffs behind Dittmar pitching the game of his life. It will be interesting to see what happens this year, as I believe both teams lost a trememdous amount of talent. This game is not about Pierpont, Hull, and the other studs, but the role players. Let's see who steps up in this big game, which has serious playoff implications already early in the section season. Best of luck to both teams, and as always, it will be settled on the field, not between debating parents arguing on this blog.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the previous post, let the players do the talking on the field. As far as Bucci goes, lets not forget about the drive his players had and their goal of being champions. But, in the end, Bucci got the job done. Enough said!

Anonymous said...

Bucci was definitely a great coach. No one can doubt that. Sure people might say he wasn't the absolute best coach ever, but that title can only be applied to one person so it's not really relevant.

Having Bucci as a head coach and wanting to "do better" is like dating Gisele and saying "man i'd love to take a run at Heidi Klum." Be happy with what you've got! The point is that the gap between Bucci and the best coach ever is not much and he did win the ultimate title (PIAA).

Sure the relationship between Bucci and the administration was rocky at best, but I don't think we should blame Bucci for that. The administrators at C-M are a bunch of self-centered people that tend to only support their "own kind." Just look at the people who get hired there. Most are C-M grads, related to board members, teachers in the district that get hired to coach athletics, or all of the above.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:55AM.....your title from this point forward is "The Truth".

Anonymous said...

Bucci is the best thing to happen to Canonsburg since Perry Como. They should retire his jersey, name the baseball field after him, and entice him to move into the district!

It is really sick what a small group of people keep trying to do to him. He led the team to back-to-back playoff appearances (something I don't think has ever happened) and ushered in an era of serious baseball playing at canon-mac. Unfortunately it seems that some people either A) don't want a winning team or B) are jealous that they didn't have anything to do with the turnaround. Just look at the team now... They are falling apart at the seams and the head coach takes his cues from Cahill. Instead of bashing bucci we should be bashing this phony known as Cahill. Why? Because Bucci got results and
Cahill is pretty much just there as an ego play.

Steve Bucci is A success. He breeds success. His teams are successful. I'll leave the blog with this: if he is such a horrible coach, how come two of his assistants were former players of his? Wouldn't they recognize his horribleness? Also wouldn't his grandpa (barna) not want to coach with him if he was that bad?

Anonymous said...

Has anyone else noticed that the TVL WPIAL Softball rankings were posted the same day as baseball yet there is 1 comment on that and before this 96 comments here with the majority dealing with the CM Civil War regarding their former coach. Can't everyone just give it a rest and Mike haven't you had enough of this. It seems that those following Softball have their priorities straight.

Anonymous said...

Ask new breed, Muransky, brancazio, mish, romano, kretz, zofchak, Douglas, dittmar, spartz, hayden, wiegel, lauterbach, murphy, pierpont, staab, strimel, baker, parisse, totterdale, roach, boris, toward, michalski, veydt, Lombardo, perino,almasy, hoffman, etc who the best coach they've ever had is and they'll all say Bucci. Those are the only opinions that matter!

Sgt Major CM Red Team... said...

Who knew about the great Canonsburg Civil War...great post.
Peter v CM on Monday under the lights should be a good game. Look
for Matty P to be on the mound for the Macs.

Team 1 Redeems said...

All I got to say is team one was the greastest team to ever play at Mcdowell. Zof and his ridiculously slow double plays won championships!

VCTMbrian said...

Team 1 for life.

I like the comment about CM softball having their priorities straight, ha. I'm pretty sure they've had more than their share of drama over the past few years. Those parents didn't fight on a blog, they fought in the stands. But let's stay away from that whole saga.

I say we blame the radiation dump for the wackiness. I hear a lawsuit coming...

Anonymous said...

I hear that there's a new church going up on Pike street called St. Bucci. Also I heard that he is running for president in 2012. He may be sighted at the next olympics also. I feel so blessed to have been in his presence!!! Thank you for making the world a better place.
Amen

Buddy said...

You're so witty, anon. Not only are you witty, but you are also very ballsy. Click the bubble above anonymous from now on.

Anonymous said...

Bucci had 35 wins in 2 years at Canon-Mac. He was an awesome coach. Get over it, he won and whomever the negative people wanted didn't.

Bucci brought so much exposure to our town, and we were finally viewed in a positive light instead of being called "backwoods hicks." Steve Bucci kept us, at least for a moment, from being a big fat joke in SW PA.

I'll never forget when Bucci brought home the gold with his crew. Our community for one night united around Bucci and that team of champions. Race tensions ceased to exist and everyone was just looked at as people! Bucci is a hero in my eyes, you don't have to share that opinion, but showing him no respect is inexcusible.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with the positive comments made about Steve Bucci. All he ever wanted to do is teach kids the game of baseball and hopefully lead them to success on the field. In those 2 missions he has succeed immensely! Those that have participated in his Smear campaign are simply misinformed and should be ashamed of their comments. I don't know if he, his wife sharon, or his son read this blog (as has been suggested in previous posts), but if they do please know that there are plenty of supporters for you!

Anonymous said...

If his son reads this blog, i will buy him a pony for his birthday.

Anonymous said...

One of the above blogs........There is a nepotism policy concerning school board members......No one related to school board members can be hired.

Anonymous said...

How is Marella Kazos Vice Principal then when she is a cousin of the Pihakis'?

Anonymous said...

Wait whoops. They are not actually related. Just close families.

Anonymous said...

Why is it that there are so many schools listed on this baseball ranking blog, but most of the comments are by CM?

Dre Bigs said...

Because stupid parents have no other way to post their ridiculous claims. I'm sorry that little Johnny doesn't play, get over it. All I ask if that if you post on this blog make a reasonable post and don't make yourself, the CM baseball progam, and the area look bad. O wait I forgot you can't make yourself look bad because you post as anonymous so just the latter two, great. Bucci did something positive for this community and whether you like him or not it is fact. On the other hand the people that post on hear(most of them) make the people of the CM school district look terrible. And I know this is getting a little long, but one more thing, I find it sad that for the most part the only people that don't hide behind the anonymous tag are players.

Anonymous said...

Red Team Sargemajor,,,,,your tag is hysterical.

Anonymous said...

Earlier posts: Did we all forget that during bucci's first year he lost 6 of the final eight games and backed into the playoffs after the first round?

Anonymous said...

Sargent Major, we need to send the CM baseball parents to Gitmo for some Waterboarding.

Anonymous said...

Earlier Posts.......crawl back into your den of stupidity. I have 1 simple question, in the 50 years of baseball prior to Coach Bucci how many State Championships did you win. For that matter except for wrestling how many other sports have won a State Championship at CM. Backed in, walked in, who cares, they made the playoffs. If losing in the first round is so terrible why not complain about your AA Football coach.....he is the most overrated & over hyped coach in the school. What has he won, not even a section championship.....Dan Pallante at least won a section title. Coach AA former Wash High has won nothing and they take 4 teams from each section to his playoffs. If you are taking shots at a CM coach aim your arrow at the right target. In 2 years Coach Bucci won a State Title in 6 years the football coach has done less than Pallante.

Anonymous said...

CM baseball parents have you noticed that while you are bashing Coach Bucci and making complete fools of yourselves the players (your sons) are defending him. Stop post and communicate with your children. If this lack of communication wasn't so pathetic & sad it would funny but it is not. Your kids(the players) not only want you to stop making fools of THEIR team, school & community but they are publicly disagreeing with you. As an outsider of the CM community and a parent I feel and hear the pain of your children.....why can't you. Stop this childish, stupid, selfishness and go talk to your kids. To the CM players, except for this coming Monday night I wish you guys the very best, you do not deserve what you parents are putting you through. Hang in there and stay focused on the rest of the season.

Anonymous said...

Seriously Bucci was at cm for two years and did win a state champion ship congrats. Remember in his first year he lost 6 of his final 8 games and was booted after his first play off game. This yeas coaching staff has the team at .500 after five section games with an opportunity to meet or exceed any prior years accomplishments. last years history, root for this years team to bring it....

Anonymous said...

How do you "exceed" a State Championship. That is the most you can accomplish you moron. They are 2-2 with 6 games left.....let the season play out you CM jerk.

Anonymous said...

Seems to me that it took bucci almost 15 years to take a AAAA school to the state champinship.

Anonymous said...

Anon who has his/her facts wrong,


Bucci won a playoff game vs Fox Chapel in his first yr at CM...

Anonymous said...

"Seems to me that it took bucci almost 15 years to take a AAAA school to the state champinship."

Regarding the above post ..... it seems to me that you are an uninformed idiot.
A. So what, many coaches never win a State Championship.

B. You are wrong because most of his coaching career was spent at smaller schools like South Park and I believe CM was his first AAAA school, so it really only took 2 years.

C. The AAAA classification in Baseball has not been around for 15years.


So to you and the other uninformed, ungrateful, morons Bucci Bashers....I guess it is true that the empty barrels make the most noise because all of you are empty headedd jerks.

Anonymous said...

I'm just a kid from Trinity that plays baseball and sum people were talkin about this blog so I decided to see it....wow! I feel sorry for the CM players.

Last year you won the state, this year your coach quit cause ofa new kid he just had and your parents hate him cause he yelled at you to much, he was dumb--guess what dumb coaches dont win state champs, he dont go to your games anymore, and he dont call you even though he aint your coach anymore. The players like and respected him, no player posted cause he yelled, some players said he was the best coach they ever had. There was other dumb stuff about how he make playoffs. Most coaches that win a state are like gods at school but all your parents rippin him about stupid stuff. The person that posted sayin she feels bad is right. Your parents are messed up and need to stop all the haten on the old coach. Our wrestling coach just for the same reason and nobody haten on him at Trinity.

Anonymous said...

To CM baseball parents from an outsider:

2008 CM wins state championship.
2009 Coach Bucci resigns.
2009 The season goes on........

why can't you. Enough already. Leave the guy and his family alone and move on! Your prolonged activity is both disgraceful and an embarrassment to your children and entire school district. Enough is enough ..... stop your extremely boorish behavior because you are accomplishing nothing positive.

Anonymous said...

sure bucci was an above average coach, and his assistant coaches were excellent (minus barna), but the truth is that shelia gallagher could have been the head coach last year with equal results.

Anonymous said...

I think they should make a movie about this. So much DRAMA. If you count all the posts you will notice that there are more "Bucci is God" posts than bashing. Most people just want them to quit bashing on the team and making everything about them. If they want respect maybe they can show some. They are the ADULTS and should be able to take a little criticism. Not everyone is going to like you and everyone has a right to their own opinion.

Anonymous said...

I thought any blogs having a "certain coach's name" was going to be deleted.

1 vote for Dre's Post are to long said...

Playoffs,,Playoffs, backing into playoffs, that’s hysterical comment. The riggers of a 15 game, 3 days a week, 5 weeks straight against the likes Peters, USC, Mt Lebo, BP and you make the playoffs in this section, is an awesome
accomplishments. In addition it prepares you well for the post season. Its no coincidence that this section has been very visible in the State and WPIAL hampionship title game. I’ll take Coach B's 7-2 PLAY OFF record and back into the playoffs any day. Who knows,
one day that might even be the catalyst to a state championship.

VCTMbrian said...

Ban anon posting. Or ban retard posting. For the love of all that is holy.

Anonymous said...

Anons 1:52 & 10:53 it is your stupidity that creates a response. This is not criticism, they are insults. He won a State Championship....why do you want to criticize him. As 1 vote for Dre said his playoff record at CM (Crass & Mean) was 7-2 with a State Title. All you do with your mean spirited insults of Bucci is make yourselves look uninformed & stupid.

Anonymous said...

I suggest that any comment that mentions Bucci be removed for the sake of everyone who reads this blog.

Anonymous said...

The entire blog should be removed and a ban on any blog that mentions CM baseball again. This entire event has been an example of humanity at it's very worst. There were many teams mentioned in the rankings and of the 130 prior comments 98 related to this CM disgrace. The ranking were about a kids H.S.baseball team not curing cancer. The entire CM baseball community is a disgrace and I am glad that I am not a resident of this insane community.