November 2009 Archives

Congrats Timothy Christian, Lake Zurich, New Trier and Lyons - you won a "Do What's Right" banner from the IHSA.

But do me a favor and please write return to sender in CAPS on the box with GAC in CAPS.

Until the folks at Pee-Wee's Playhouse learn to DWR - nice one IHSA first-year PR guru Matt Troha - Walgreen's should tell the IHSA and moneyball Marty Hickman to take a hike.

Tournament games on small fields, with no lights and horrible layout.

Yes, IHSA - DWR.

(P.S. GAC doesn't mean Girls Athletic Conference. It means 'Get A Clue.')

Tonight in Elmhurst, folks attending the annual Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association (IHSSCA) Awards Banquet will hear about how Lincoln-Way East coach Brian Papa has done the following:

*Head coach boys - 29 years
*More than 400 wins
*Led Sandburg to IHSA title in 1993 and Lincoln-Way to second place finishes in 1999 and 2000
*Six-time sectional coach of the year
*IHSSCA soccer person of the year
*IHSSCA vice president - 1998-present

But what half of the people in the audience and even those sitting at the head table with him will never truly understand is the impact he's had on soccer in the South Suburbs.

Brian Papa is soccer in the South Suburbs.

I've always said one thing I hate about blogs and message boards are the gutless adults who hide behind their computer. If you have a comment, stand up and stand behind it.

But blogs and message boards have allowed the goons of the world to be heard.

It's going to be very interesting once this case is final to see how the world changes. It took another big, positive step in the right direction today.

The Second Annual Pepsi Showdown College Showcase will take place Wednesday, Dec. 30 at the Sports Zone in Melrose Park. This has been cleared by the IHSA.

The event is for boys and girls players who would like to play at the next level.

Underclassmen boys (freshmen, sophomores and juniors) - 8-11 a.m.
Senior boys - 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Underclassmen girls (freshmen, sophomores and juniors) - 2-5 p.m.
Senior girls - 5-8 p.m.

Coaches - high school or club - who have players that may be interested, please forward the following information to info@pepsishowdown.us so an invite may be sent by end of week:

Name, position, year, school, email address.

From Rivals.com

Girls in a Rhode Island high school soccer game were involved in an all-out brawl that would make even their male counterparts blush. And it surfaced after a video of a New Mexico women's soccer player became an Internet sensation for its stunning examples of poor sportsmanship, if not on-field violence.

Former St. Ignatius girls soccer coach Aaron Carpenter, who is now coaching in Denver, led the state in goals scored while at Andrew in 1988.

When opposing teams played against Lake Forest this season, there was one player they worried about.

Just look at this photo of Sun-Times All-Area Player Harry Shipp, and you'll know who they focused on.

The fall of the Chicago Magic is compared by some to the sinking of the Titanic.

So which club is now the top dog in the Chicagoland area?

Those who post a response without a real name could be answering to a judge...

BY LISA DONOVAN Cook County Reporter

A suburban elected leader might find out who posted those anonymous -- and reportedly nasty -- comments about her teenage son on a newspaper Web Site, thanks to a Cook County judge's ruling Tuesday.

Experts and attorneys are keeping a close eye on this modern-day First Amendment case in which Buffalo Grove Trustee Lisa Stone filed legal papers asking the Daily Herald's publishers for the identity of the commenter known as "Hipcheck16."

The petition could lead to a defamation lawsuit.

In his six-page written ruling, Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Lawrence said the poster's name and address can be turned over to Buffalo Grove Trustee Lisa Stone, her attorneys and staff as well as law enforcement, but to no one else.

"John Doe," as the poster is called, has argued his identity is protected by free speech.

Call me nuts, but still - I want throw this out there.

Who are some candidates for the 2010 Sun-Times Player of the Year Award?

One player I'm really interested to see next year is Lyons' Horacio Sanchez. The junior forward finished the season as the team's leading goal scorer (14 goals, seven assists). He scored or had an assist in every game during the Lions' run to the Class 3A title.

There's no doubt Sanchez had a lot of good players around him that opposing teams had to focus on. So the question he'll answer next season is this: Was he coming into his own or did he just benefit from having other stars around him?

Time will tell.

But who else should people keep an eye on?

As one parent said to me this year, it's all about marketing.

And yes, the world is all about marketing - as is the IHSA Tournament.

If you were to believe the scoreboard at North Central College this weekend, you would believe the best high school soccer is played there for the IHSA Finals. I turned to one reporter and one coach on Saturday and said, "How do they say that?"

It's not.

Coaches know it, players know it, common sense parents know and other members of the media know. We talk about it all the time, have for years actually. As I help with the ESPNRISE.com rankings each week, we talk about it. The problem is some people are still living in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s when they think the IHSA Tournament is the best.

And the time has finally come to bust that marketing bubble.

The 2009 boys soccer season is now over.

Some closing thoughts:

1. As always, the Sun-Times All-Area Team and Player of the Year Awards are based on the regular season. It only states that in the story EVERY year.

2. Why doesn't the IHSA host the Class 2A and 3A title games back-to-back on the final Saturday - as in 5 and 7 p.m.?

Here are the final 2009 rankings...

There's a saying in life that it's not how hard you punch - it's how hard of a punch you can take and keep moving forward.

I have always believed in that saying.

I think that stands true for the Lake Zurich boys soccer team this season. After getting off to a slow start in the Barrington Tournament, the Bears are now within two games of capturing the Class 3A title.

The final weekend of the season is now upon us, and it's the easiest weekend of the year to do rankings.

All games are done for most teams, records are final and you know who goes where. If Lyons and Lake Zurich play one another this weekend, that would be the only game to make a difference in the final rankings. The Lions beat the Bears 1-0 in the Pepsi Showdown quarterfinals earlier this year. Lake Zurich began the season No. 2 and Lyons was No. 5 I believe.

Neuqua Valley, which finished the season with just one loss, is this year's No. 1. Lyons handed the Wildcats their lone defeat on Tuesday, but Neuqua Valley won the season series 2-1.

As someone pointed out to me on Wednesday, it was nice to see two Pepsi Showdown teams in the Class 1A title game. St. Viator is in Class 2A, and Class 3A features three teams from the Pepsi Showdown.

So who should it be?

When the girl and I were at Wembley Stadium last month to watch the England National Team play its final World Cup qualifier, I thought about this again - does the IHSA really need three classes or is it just for extra revenue?

Prior to last Friday, if I was asked this question I would've said no...only two classes are needed. But after watching Friday's Class 1A semifinals between four private schools, which were competitive and the best Class 1A semifinals in recent years, I can see where three classes make sense.

When you look at it, Class 1A is giving most teams, who never have a shot to win the IHSA tournament, a chance to extend their seasons. In Class 2A and 3A, you are still getting good teams (not the best teams) to the quarters and semifinals - just as if this was the old Class A and AA.

So should there be three classes? I don't know.

St. Viator (2A) coach Mike Taylor thinks there should be two classes.

Gibault (1A) coach Jim Corsi thinks there should be one class.

What do you think?

A couple thoughts on this first Monday of November....

Did the IHSA put Providence in a competitive disadvantage on Saturday?

Let's think about this - the IHSA is supposed to be about the students and for the students. I mean, really, at the end of the day, your tax dollars pay the bright people at Pee-Wee's Playhouse to make these great decisions.

So again, Providence is placed in a sectional 245 miles away - a short four-hour drive. Sorry, I just type that, laugh and say, did someone seriously get away with approving this decision? And these people are in charge of things?