The right-side is delerious!

[Wolfreak]

I mean REALLY... some of the best 4A baseball (and fastpitch!) in the state exists on the left coast, brought to you courtesy the Wesco, SPSL, GSHL, and Narrows leagues!

It's a no-brainer, Inland Empire and Columbia Valley peeps, and you can at least check out the Narrows League at the link below!



2006 Narrows League Baseball & Fastpitch

 

[iceice7]

so which two teams have won the 4A state championship the past two years? and what side of the state are they from? thats what i thought. the tri-cities has without a doubt some of the best baseball in washington, make that the northwest and yes, they are on the right side of the state.

 

[Wolfreak]

LOL-- I KNEW for a fact that would be the very first response to my post... what do I win????

 

[shs_go_suns]

Well, I will have to say, when I first read your post, that was the first thing that crossed my mind too, but I held my tongue. I am sorry to admit it, but historically, you are correct about the left-side dominance. Over the last 15 years, an east-side team has only won the big trophy 4 times, and has only been in the championship game 3 more times that they lost. That is 7 out of 30 teams that have come from the east side that have even made it to the game, let alone win. I'm no mathmatician, but 23% is not a good percentage. However, I will say that there are some teams from the east-side that have stepped up in recent years (namely Richland and Southridge), and us desert-dwellers are trying to assert ourselves as teams to be reckoned with. Southridge will be tough again this year, But Richland has lost alot of players to be able to compete like they have in the recent past. Look for some teams like Kamiakin to suprise a few people, but not sure they could hold up in the post season. My prediction is that Southridge will win the region, but after that, history might run its course, again.

 

[Wolfreak]

Funny thing is-- the original post assumed no doubt for you right-siders.

I firmly believe some Huge-9ers will be there come title time (The Suns come to mind, first of all).

 

[cuttinthird]

I am not going to argue who is better right or left. The one thing I will say is that some leagues/regions get screwed by the wiaa. Take the big 9 for example. You have to fight your way through the district tourney to get to the final 16 and you have to play your own league in the first round. Then you have a 50/50 chance of playing the only other team from the east side. So with in two games the wiaa has eliminated all east side teams. One has a possibility of coming through to the final four. Other areas in the state get sent all over. It would be nice to make it to playoffs and get to play someone new. The wiaa does this to the 3a MVL as well. Such a shame only 1 team from the east has a chance to get to the final four. I know that the wiaa does change this every once in a while but it should be a perminate change. Take a look at the wiaa bracket and see how others are separated. I think this happens in football as well.
http://www.wiaa.com/brackets/tourney.asp?ID=3050600

 

[shs_go_suns]

Sadly enough, this will never change. I agree with the fact that it is too bad that some of the best teams have to fight eachother just to have a chance to play for the title. The problem, is the number of schools on the west side compared to the east. Out of 100 teams that compete at the 4A level, 75 of them come from the wet side of the Cascades. If you look at the 4A bracket, the west side districts recieve 13 of the 16 seeds to state. I think the east side could legitimately argue for one more seed to state, which would give them 4 seeds, an equal ratio to the number of teams competing. Will this happen? I highly doubt it, but theoretically, they have a pretty solid argument. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Wolfreak]

Yep...

...I agree the whole seeding thing needs revisiting, but I also think the WIAA has done the best possible with regards to east/west slots, in terms of "fairness". The lay of the land in this state has the hugest slice of populace on the left coast, so that automatically disables the eastern half.

What about separate east/west districts/regionals/semis so it's always guaranteed a team from the east and a team from the west in the title game? That would be impossible to manage in any sport, but what a fantastic thing if that could happen!

 

[shs_go_suns]

Re: Yep...

I also thought about seperate regionals and then having the two winners face eachother for the trophy. Indeed, it would be ridiculous to manage, but would make for some good watchin! And that would only fuel, the already present, East vs. West battle. What fun! haha

 

[DAWGTHIS]

Re: Yep...

I may be wrong here, so please inform me if I am. One question, are we talking about the Big9 and MVL only? There has been no mention of Spokane, Walla Walla, Pullman...Way over there east side towns and I don't know how they get berths (honest question, I don't know) I know there are a lot of A and AA schools over there but I would like to know if those 3A and 4A schools fall in to the same category as the schools you are discussing above.

By all accounts and admission by a coach of a solid eastside 3A program. Your regular season is rendered basically useless as pretty much everybody gets in to the playoffs (NHL or NBA style...you must really suck ass not to get in) That, in my opinion, is the worst part of the whole deal. Every game matters in most of the leagues on the west side because there are only 4 or 5 district berths...per league...Heck, because of the mixed up classifications and bi-district playoffs, good teams stay home in lieu of lesser teams simply because of "fairness"...It will be interesting to see how the classification shake-up really affects things. At least the WIAA is doing something...We can all agree that they are reactive as opposed to proactive regarding these issues but hopefully they get it ironed out.

 

[shs_go_suns]

Re: Yep...

Well, most of what was discussed here was referring to 4A teams, and because of the new classifications going into effect, really only pretains to this year. The east side of the state, in the 4A rankings, has only 2 leagues, the GSL (Greater Spokane League) and the Big 9. This includes those Walla Walla and Spokane teams you were referring to.
I am not nearly as well versed in the ways of 3A ball, so I don't really know how there playoffs are set up, and how they divide up district births. But what I can tell you about the 4A is like what i said in a previous post. The entire east side of the state gets only 3 of the 16 births to the state tourney. Sure, alot of teams from the east might make districts, but just making districts normally isn't a goal a team sets at the beginning of the year. They want state births. Now, all these teams are fighting for those three spots, because the east side #4 team sits at home while the west side #13 team gets the chance to dance. I'm not implying that this is unfair, that's just the way things go. It's true that lots of sub-par teams make districs in the east, simply because they need to fill all the spots, and have a smaller pool to take from. But when it comes to what really matters, State, things are fairly even and most parties are satisfied.
I too am anxious to see how the new classifications will shake things up and am excited to see a new level of competition. Hopefully the WIAA has it right this time and it will create a more even playing field for everyone.

 

[DAWGTHIS]

Re: Yep...

Thanks. I see what you mean about the numbers game. I am a west sider, and I have always thought it funny that a perceived rivalry exists. The reality is, it is a little brother syndrome more than anything. I don't think that the folks over here really care too much about what goes on over yonder.
I will say this: Over the years I have played and coached ball I have gotten the opportunity to go east many times. I appreciate the way most of the east side teams go about their business. It seems that there is a more deep-rooted passion for the game all around than on the west side.
I really don't care too much where the good ball is being played, just so long as guys are still playing the game the right way...Thanks for the good info on 4A playoffs...