FHSFan1

Nice job junhun, right after I talk about how thoughtful many of the posts have been in this thread you offer your 2 cents. I am sure I will regret this, but what on earth are you taking about? Certainly, I have never said that any FHS kids are underserving of any awards. What I have said is that more than the 3 FHS kids who were recognized were deserving of being recognized. There's a BIG difference, and its not really a subtle difference. You should have gotten it.

Actually, SS, you were done before you started. In fact, anyone who reviews this thread will see that many (not all) of the posts on this thread have been quite thoughtful, and it has, at least, given TASCO something to think about. Eagle, I agree with the principle behind what you say, but I disagree with your unspoken presumption that any of the FHS players who made the All-Tourney team were not deserving, or that any Boyd players who did not make the team were deserving. But, if you feel strongly about it, you should say so rather than accusing me of something that is not true.

And who made you the decider (to quote GB) of what is wasted effort and where my effort would be better served. Frankly, I think that my posts on this topic have reached far more people (including Dual who has far more influence than ANY other TASCO member) and caused more thoughtful consideration of this issue than simply talking to our HS coaches. And, what makes you so sure that I have not done so anyway?

Dual, I have tried to avoid comparing players, but I kind of have to when others have challenged my generally stated proposition that some of the best and most deserving players were not given an opportunity to be considered. Frankly, I know of no other way to explain my position, and your real complaint should be with those people whose challenges require such an explanation. SS, you are wrong -- as usual. I have not personally attacked anyone except for you and opus types who have attacked me. The FHS coaches are both TASCO members -- which should have been obvious to anyone who knows what they are talking about since FHS kids were on the teams. And, I think a forum like this does lots more to effect change than talking to a lone coach.

Opus (a name that fits you perfectly btw), it is you who show your ignorance (and jealousy) every time you post. There is no possibly about it. A number of the best players in the Region who were deserving to be All-Region (including the very best player in the region) did not even get the chance to be considered -- that is the point. And, yes, the system is imperfect -- which is also my point. Where I come from, imperfections get fixed, not accepted as something with which to learn to live. Bnm, you really need to read the prior posts before you comment. My point is not that the FHS girls did not get votes . . . it is that only 3 of them were allowed to be nominated; which left a number of the best players in the region without the opportunity to be considered. And, talking to the coach will not help because she will still be limited to three nominations unless TASCO changes this stupid rule. And, you are wrong. First, all players do NOT work their butts off. That's just a stupid statement. Second, many of the players who were selected on the Region 3 4A All-Region team are NOT the best players on the region -- they were chosen because the rule about which I am complaining kept many of the best players in the region from even being considered. That's a fact, and I am sorry if the truth does not suit you. How about you show some concern for those girls who did not get the chance?

So, Cesar, when your arguments are shown to be lacking in logic and reasoning, you resort to personal attacks? And, fairly lame ones at that! To think that I had such high hopes for you. In fact, I (and, I think, plenty of others) have seen and read more than enough this past year to be able to form educated opinions about who are the best players in the region. I understand that you may not have educated yourself enough to form such an opinion, but don't paint everyone with that broad a brush -- we don't all work on the loading dock with you (so to speak) and don't operate under your limitations. You seem to have difficulty understanding that my complaint is with a system that arbitrarily limits to 3 the number of nominees from a given team. If a coach thinks he or she has more than 3 desrving players, let the coach nominate more than 3 players and let the market decide who gets selected. As others have pointed out, there are other flaws in the system. Oddly enough, your point that there may be other serving nominees out there on teams other than FHS actually supports my argument that nominations should not be limited (by number per team, based upon the "member" status of the coach, or other reasons). It also underscores my personal opinion that a number of this year's better, more deserving, players were left off of this year's All-Region. I have identifed several players from FHS, and one from Whitehouse, who I think were deserving based upon my having watched them play, and comparing their play to that of the players who were nominated and selected, and the play of other players from the best teams in the region this past year.

Cesar, you have no idea what you are talking about, and you really need to improve your reading comprehension. With the exception of the girl from Lumberton, I watched every girl on the Region III team play at least two games this past year, and some of them I watched more frequently than that. There are at least 3, and probably as many as 5, FHS players who did not even get a chance to be nominated (because of the arbitrary limit) who were far better players than several girls who were actually chosen. That's a fact. AH (forward), SB (midfield) and BH (defender) of FHS were all deserving for sure, and IMO, so were DM (midfield) and CR (defender). And, too hot, I think you are wrong about #6 from Whitehouse. She's a heck of a good player.

Cesar (and Catsfan), you can consider it "interesting" all you want, and offer statistics, but there really is no reasonable dispute that that there were far more than 3 players from FHS this year who who were among the top 27 players in the Region (or, really, the top 8 at their position). They beat every top team in the Region by overwhelming margins on both the scoreboard and on the field, and their players consistently won the individual battles at every point on the field (forward, midfield, defender) against the very players who have been selected in their stead as All-Region players. And, since it is the system that mandates that only 3 players from FHS (or Whitehouse) can be nominated, the system is flawed. That is not to say that there are not other problems -- such as coaches of great teams not nominating anyone. #6 parent, I was not aware of your daughter's injury, but she looked to be back in great form by the time the playoffs rolled around. Her play against LC was outstanding -- our girls watched and identified her as the catalyst for the Whitehouse offense. My daughter's good friend drew the assignment of marking #6 during the regional final, and reported afterward that your daughter was fast, skilled, surprisngly strong, and really nice.

The system IS flawed because it arbitrarily limits to 3 the number of players who can make All-Region from one team. A coach who truly believes that he or she has more than 3 deserving players cannot nominate them. And, as illustrated by the case this year of FHS girls (and other teams, #6 from Whitehouse strikes me as someone who surely deserved to be on the All-Region team in lieu of several of the chosen forwards, but she was not even nominated because of the arbitrary limit), it is certainly possible, if not likely, that the best teams will have more than 3 players who deserve to be nominated and even selected. Any system for nominating and selecting an All-Anything team that operates to arbitrarily exclude from consideration players who deserve, because of their on the field performance, to be on the team, and that allows undeserving players (YES, there are a number of undeserving players -- as discussed in my earlier post; which no one has seen fit to refute) is seriously flawed. Catsfan, what is ridiculous is to try to justify such a seriously flawed system by arguing that coaches who are called upon to vote are too apathetic, or haven't eduacted themselves, or might have balk at having to read 5 or more pages. If the TASCO members are ALL that lame, then don't do it at all. I happen to think that there are plenty of coaches who are not that lame. And, wouldn't it be better to get votes from only those coaches who are truly committed and have taken the time to inform themselves before casting a vote? From what I have been told, the real reason for this flawed system is found in the rule that only coaches who are TASCO members may nominate and vote on players. By limiting to 3 the number of players who can be nominated from any one team, TASCO ensures that a greater number of teams have representatives on the All-Region teams (even if the players from those fringe teams are less deserving than players from the stronger teams who were not nominated because of the 3 player nomination limit). The "carrot" of being able to nominate and get players voted into the slots that are quasi-reserved for fringe players increases the pressure on those coaches to join TASCO, and to PAY their annual dues to TASCO. If that is how it works, then the whole process is nothing but a marketing ploy, as opposed to a true all-star selection, and will never be changed because it generates membership revenue for TASCO. That is almost like selling the "All-Region" spots.

To Eagle 88 -- Yes, use unlimited nominations. Why would that not work. Sure, it's still subjective, and jealousy (sp?) might come into play in the voting, but at least all deserving players are given a chance. And, I am not trying to validate my feelings -- I am complaining about a system that causes players who worked their butts off every day to become the best, and deserve to be given a chance to be recognized for it, not even having a chance. To Dual -- Yes, I am very familiar with the Brenham players who have been ODP selections in the past. They are certainly great soccer players. However, AH (also an ODP player) is a better player than BS. And, certainly AH was a better player than BS during the HS season -- which is what the All-Region team is about. And, I may be wrong, but it is my understanding that KB does not play defender on either her Club team or when she has particpiated in ODP. She does (about half the time) in HS, and is certainly a great soccer player, and I am not saying that she would have been dropped from the All-Region team if the FHS defenders had been eligible. However, I stand by my comment that the FHS defenders were more deserving than her -- the recogniton is for HS play, and the FHS defenders had better HS performances than she did.

Wildcats, Yes, lesser players. And why is that rude if its true? Why should the deserving FHS kids get cheated out of being recognized. If a team is good enough to put 5, 7, 9 or 11 players on the All-Region squad, why shouldn't that happen? A look at the Region III 4A girls list shows just what a joke it is. At forward, the best player in the whole region (AH) is not listed, but TWO players from Lamar Cansolidated (who managed zero goals, and maybe 5 shots against the same Whitehouse team that AH scored 3 or 4 goals against) are lsited, and so is some some kid from Lumberton. Yes, I would say that they are lesser players! At midfielder, not one of the FHS girls (SB, KK, DM) who controlled the middle of the field against EVERY team in the region is on the list. But there are TWO players from Angleton, there is one player from Dickinson (who played all of 4 or 5 games all year --at forward!), and there are 4-5 other girls who all have one thing in common -- they each spent a whole game running after and unsuccessfully trying to stop the FHS midfielders. Yes, I would say the whole list are lesser players. At defender, FHS's sweeper is on the list, but the truth is that she barely had to touch the ball all year because FHS's marking backs (BH and CR) gave up zero goals during district play (the 2 goals against were on a midfield shot and a PK), and so shut down the forwards from Foster, Lindale, Whitehouse, Brenham and the other Region III playoof teams they played that the topic of conversation on this board was how few shots on goal those teams got off against FHS. And yet, neither of those FHS defenders is on the list, while players from Dickinson, Santa Fe, Angleton, Brenham, Whitehouse, Lindale, and Foster made it? Yes, I would say the phrase lesser players fits in that case. And, to Dual, you are a coach. Surely your team this year must have had more than three players who you considered to be deserving of nomination. I understand that it is an old rule, but what purpose does it serve?

Why is it limited to 3 nominations per team? The FHS girls were by far the most dominant 4A team in Region III, and probably 8 of their players rightly deserved to be on the All-Region team. But because of the arbitrary limit of 3 nominations, 5 of those deserving girls didn't even get nominated, and had to see lesser players get voted All-Region. More than half of the Region III girls All-Region 4A team wouldn't even start on the FHS team! That makes it a joke! Dual, your system is broken and needs to be fixed.

Knowing the coach as I do, that is quite probably true. Frankly, it is all the more amazing that the team does so well when you consider that she is the coach.

I hate to say it but this whole post-season award thing is the biggest joke around. For example, the Friendswood girls beat Foster, Lindale, and Whitehouse by a combined score of 17-1 in the final 3 rounds of the Region III Championships. In those 3 games combined -- against 3 of the best offensive teams in the Region -- the Friendswood midfielders and marking backs allowed less than 15 shots on goal total, and not one of those FHS midifielders or marking backs makes the All-Region team? That's a joke! Ask the Lindale and Whitehouse forwards who are the best defenders in the Region. Ask the Lindale and Whitehouse midfielders who are the best midfielders in the region. Also in the Foster, Lindale, and Whitehouse games, AH of FHS scored 8 goals and had about 4 assists. She is by far the best player in the region, and yet she does not make the All-Region team? That's a joke!

You are welcome oreofan, and thanks for the words of encouragement. The girls will need to play at the top of their game, and get a few lucky bounces, this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed! With the realignment for next year, I will probably not be a frequent poster on this forum anymore. Hold down the cheers (I mean it House Mose!). Anyway, you have great teams, and great fans over in your part of the State. Good luck to Whitehouse and Lindale next year. I expect to see one of those teams at State next year. It's been fun! GO LADY MUSTANGS!!!!!!