barondawg77

Now I know why the Tazewell coaching staff has such a hard time building a program. This is not little league football anymore. Your kid had time to grow in the game just as the other kids did. This is about winning now, not making each and every kid feel special. Those days are over, do you think that when your kid gets in the real world that their boss or etc. is going to treat them like a child? Each player is working for the same success, no matter if your the starting QB or the back up kicker. You both work toward the same thing, SUCCESS! Have you ever though to yourself, maybe just maybe my kid isn't much of a football player. Its impressive that they are sticking it out and not being a quitter like 90% of this messed up world today.
Oh yeah, get over yourself. This is life now. get off your equality high horse.

http://www.wvva.com/story/30244763/2015/10/12/parents-and-players-express-opinions-on-head-coach-at-tazewell-co-board-of-education-meeting
 
I'm flabbergasted.
 
Whining to the school board, at a public hearing, because your little Johnny isn't getting the playing time you think he deserves? Crying because you're ignorant about the game of football and can't see how a 20-point game is not out of reach in the 4th quarter?
 
I know this is WVVA, so take it with a block of salt. I do not know about what details of the coach's "personal life" are, but considering the school board didn't terminate him, it seems petty and slight.
 
Look, Tazewell, I want to want good things for your football team. Your kids deserve it. Your embattled coach deserves it. Many of your rational fans deserve it. But if people in your community whine and moan to this level, and are so brazen to put their names behind it...it makes me question whether or not Tazewell has what it takes to warrant a good football team.
 
You lost to Richlands...again...and part of that is the parent-sanctioned playing musical chairs with the coaching staff. Build a bridge and get over it. Give the man a chance to build something. For one of the few times since my youth, your team isn't horrible. In fact, even the kids are buying in, which has been a huge problem in the past.
 
/Rant.

I hear ya Falconman. I'm tired of hearing it too! All the "Union's so great", "Union's on a roll", "Union's undefeated", "Union would make Falcon salad croissants, with white wine, out of AHS if they ever played", is getting pretty old.
 
On behalf of all Union Fans everywhere, especially those in Camelot, let me apologize for all the positive publicity that Union has received. It has really been unfair to all non Union fans. Union is just trying to play the best ball that Union can, and Union doesn't mean to step on any toes. Union wishes AHS all the best of luck that Union can. Union certainly hopes that AHS has a successful season, and Union wants all the AHS kids to stay healthy and do their best. If Union does play AHS in the future, Union will do their best to be good sports and Union fans will be sure to visit the concession stands and all the fine eating establishments in Abingdon.
 
To sum up, Union is sorry.

Tazewell 27
Marion 7
Final
 
Great job dogs!

Some people on this board have never been inside a locker room before...

This just in from the BHC...
 
Dateline September 24, 2015
 
In a move that can only be described as inevitable, the Virginia High School football team has decided to forfeit their game this Friday versus Richlands.  In reports just received from the VHS staff, they decided to forfeit the game after discovering that "99%" of the SWVASPORTS followers deemed this contest as not winnable; a frivolous exercise in futility.   
 
This move was not well received by the Bearcat players however.  Reports from the locker room indicated that the actual players believe that games are won or lost on the field, not on message boards.  Apparently, many "grownups" have decided otherwise. 
 
"Earlier in the week it was a toss up among our staff if we should play or not", said an unnamed staff member.  "But then we heard that Richland players had posted message board comments in their lockers.  Well, OH NELLIE, we knew then that all bets were off". 
 
Other reports indicated that while VHS does have very capable athletes and a stable coaching staff, that the VHSL sent a letter to VHS warning that a trip to Richlands would void their insurance, cause infertility, and may well be the beginning of the long expected "end of days".  VHSL spokesperson Mary Tornadoski denied that a letter had been sent specifically to VHS with these warnings.  She explained that the letter was sent to all VHSL participants who may have the unfortunate luck to be scheduled against Richlands.
 
The U.S. Postal Service confirmed that the letter sent to Union High School had been undeliverable, "marked as return to sender". They had no further comment about the matter a this time.
 
Rumors abound concerning this situation.  One report surfaced just moments ago that the players have found a bus driver, a large contingent of supporters, and plan on making the pilgrimage north.  Another report is that they have taken a page from the Richlands playbook and have posted online comments in their lockers, just in case their is any truth to that old myth.
 
Please follow BHC for breaking details.

I just hope there are fifty less flags thrown in this game versus the opener down there.

Thanks Frito Gonzales. I know it must not be an easy thing to do. I know the days are coming when we at Richlands will see the same humbling thing you saw on the field last night. I will do my best to state the obvious about us when that day comes. I have many family members from Tazewell so I will not engage in some of the old arguments. I certainly understand there frustrations. Stu Bean is a very good family member of mine and a great man that loves his family and his Bulldogs. We have talked about the issue of transfers in great detail....So I do understand and wish it was different.
 
Richlands just happens to have a great team with a field full of athletes this year. Those of us in the football community have known since 2011 this would be a year we could be excited about because of the level of talent we were watching come up since midgets. Last year was a surprise but this one was expected. I'm not naïve.....without a doubt the transfers has made us better but we has fans cannot do anything about that.and have discussed this over and over and once again I understand the hate and frustration from some.
 
I don't think Graham is as bad as it looked last night. They for sure have some talent on the field and I have know doubt that team will win several games. Like I have stated many times....I pull for Tazewell County first and will be pulling for the GMen to win games!

Would like to see the Dogs get the win against GC.   Hopefully playing in front of the home crowd will be just what they need.........Good luck dogs !

Harlan (Ind.) (KY) 41 Thomas Walker 28 -final

of a Tolsia player from the Tolsia-Wayne game last night...talk about a physical game.  Tolsia won, 49-34.
 

The complexities of this entire issue are well captured by the fact that this discussion is centering on Hurley.  There are at least a couple of families with deep roots in Buchanan County who:
 
1.  Had several members fight on behalf of the Union, and
2.  Identified themselves as Republicans well before the liberal/conservative realignment of parties within Virginia.
 
I'm married into one of those families and I'm pretty sure that Hurley legend Smiley Ratliff met the second criterion.
 
And as prickly as those relationships could have been over the span of the last 150+ years, I don't recall hearing tales of any blood feuds resulting from Civil War allegiances or dissonance over Hurley's choice of a nickname.  "USA Today" might have done better to probe farther south for an example to serve its apparent editorial purposes in this case.

Graham seems to have been pretty consistently competitive throughout its history. 
 
However, the numbers for Tazewell and Richlands are pretty heavily skewed (in opposite directions) by their respective results since 2000.  Actually, until the 1990s Richlands had a demonstrated pattern of under performance with occasional flashes of success.  The program's winning percentage from 1960 to 1989 was pretty poor.  And with the possible exception of the 1930s (with the caveat that records from that era are still largely incomplete), the ten seasons inclusive of 1980 through 1989 comprised the worst decade in terms of winning percentage in the history of the program.
 
These truly are "the good old days" for Richlands football.  Blues fans should relish them.

Pretty sure that an 8th grader playing on varsity during his 8th grade year will not be eligible during his 12th grade year.

So parsons I will take your baited statements and build on them. First of all I fought for my country, which by your reasoning I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably haven't. If you did then thank you for your service. Secondly I have a strong Native American pedigree, so with your reasoning I should  have a big gripe with the U.S. government since between the years of roughly 1776-1900 my people were wiped out mostly, ever hear of the trail of tears? So to take your reasoning, every soldier from those years which includes the Union army 1861-1865 are all murders, they treated my people way worse than the southern soldiers did slaves.
This reasoning has zero logic, neither Sheldon Cooper nor Spock could stand on it. I don't run around telling them to take the American flag down because it could offend me because all those years ago those horrible things happened. There is a reason only those folks in high places Generals and such were hung after WWII. Did they hang every German who fought in the war? No or course not only those responsible you know the ones in charge. Look I have friends from Iraq, Iran, Colombia, Russia from working in the DC area. As a matter of fact the nicest person I've ever met is a Muslim from Iraq, she talks the talk and walks the walk, alot of my Christian friends could learn how to treat people from her. She knows I was in the military during the Iraq conflicts and still treated me like family. 
Like I said before, you support the troops. Will history judge me as an oil hungry killer who went to the Middle East to kill people for oil, because they never found those weapons of mass destruction, am I to blame for that, was I able to say "no dude count me out on this one until you find proof". I will go ahead and answer that H_LL no.
I joined the military voluntarily with the intent to defend my family and country once you're in you don't have any say so. If you refuse to do what you are told they put you in prison or just shoot you. I don't own any oil companies, oil wells, heck I'm not even sure I have a can of oil in the garage. Just like 95% of the southern soldiers didn't own slaves, most of those folks either joined thinking they were doing the right thing to defend their families or were drafted and had no choice. They got bad or at least misleading info much like I did. 
I'm not ready to judge every rebel or German, or Russian ,or Muslim as evil because some have done bad things.
 
The Two main reasons that the Civil War was started and this really is a fact is. 
1. The north wanted to charge tariffs on the south's cotton to ship it to the factories in the north for the making of textiles. The south threatened to ship directly to England as a away       around this. So greed for #1
2. The south wanted the slave vote to be 3/5 ths of a white vote for election purposes, and the north wanted it to be 2/5 ths of a white vote. Which just so happened to tip the election     process one way or the other. So power of the nation for #2 
 
Myself and UVAobserver have both quoted Lincoln for you in a pretty damning light.
 
Oh and here is another fact for you African Americans could only be cooks on U.S. Naval vessels even up after WWII. So I guess all U.S. Sailors are evil also.
 
If you have served our great country I would be floored.  

Great post.
 
I think the entire quote, in context, is even more damning:
 
“I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races – that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied everything.â€
 
Not exactly a modern-day Moses.
 
Lincoln historically talked out of both sides of his mouth on race and slavery. He HAD to, in order to cobble together the remnants of the Whig party to make a reasonable challenge to the Democrats, who had held power for nearly two decades.
 
And it wasn't just Lincoln.
 
"The question before us is, whether [people of African ancestry]...compose a portion of this people, and are constituent members of this sovereignty? We think they are not, and that they are not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word 'citizens' in the Constitution, and can therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which that instrument provides for and secures to citizens of the United States."
 
Republican William Seward, 1858
 
It just goes on.
 
Slavery was commonly thought of as economic issue first, moral issue second. There was enough of a switch in that opinion by 1860 to split the Democratic Party, flip the election to Lincoln, which guided South Carolina's hand to secede.
 
------------------------------------------
 
As an aside, judging from the tenor of your post, it appears like Parsons made another inflammatory post, despite some on-point material therein. It's getting pathological, almost psychopathic, the need to post ONLY when he *thinks* he has some intellectual or philosophical high ground. It's not becoming of a reasonable person to continue to act in such a strange manner.
 
I expect him to post again to get the last word in, per the usual.

The southern states desire to retain the institution of salavery came from their belief that it was their right to keep slavery legal, I.e. states rights. It's all in how you cut it.
 
Personally I(and MANY others) identify with the 90% of the CSA military that went to war to protect their homes from an invading army (I will admit that's painting things broadly).

I've found it hard over the years to discuss the Civil War.  On the one hand, there's literally limitless amounts of information that need to be absorbed for someone to give a well-reasoned take on the subject.  On the other hand, it deserves the most sincere amount of reverence in each and every detail.  In short, it's often too monumental a task and too easy to be incomplete.
 
In discussing the Civil War, as with other historical events that did not happen in our lifetime, we have to look through the lens of history.  We have some contemporary accounts of the War to guide our perceptions, but the victors write the history, and for me it leaves much to be desired in terms of a holistic account.  Despite the existence of a few octogenarians who may be able to relate stories told by their octogenarian grandparents/great-grandparents, 99% of those people who have heard firsthand accounts are long since gone.  So we're left to infer what has happened.
 
To say that "the Civil War was all about slavery" is far too narrow a generalization.  There existed, from revolutionary times, a stark cultural divide between the industrial North and the agrarian South.  The North in part relied on workers paid no more than life's bare necessities by powerful monopolists, while the South in part relied in on slaves given no more than life's bare necessities by powerful plantation owners.  Before the age of government entitlement, the only meaningful differences between the Northern lower class and the Southern slaves was personal liberty.  How much personal liberty can exist when the only other alternative of work is death?  The South empowered formal ownership of human beings, while the North empowered virtual ownership of its lower class.  But that literal ownership served as the flash point for browbeating the South.  
 
And when I say "browbeating the South", keep in mind that barely half of southern landowners (read: by no means all men) owned slaves, and of those who did, 90% owned 3 or fewer.  More often than not, the landowners were in the field toiling every bit as hard as their slaves.  The image of a plantation owner looking like Harlan Sanders, sipping mint juleps at a house that looks like J.R. Ewing's, while his children beat his slaves mercilessly is fanciful dreaming for 99% of southern landowners (again read: by no means all men).  
 
Slavery was evil.  Pure evil.  Human beings are not property.  But by the same token, perspective should be kept.
 
The northern federal government actively undermined the south for the 70 years that preceded the Civil War.  It's not coincidental that the North retained the commercial industry while expecting the South to provide its food.  It allowed the North to dominate trade (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.), while the South had little more than a port in Charleston.  It's not coincidental that the Missouri Compromise was allowed to be drawn at a level that was 2/3 south of the current U.S. territories.  It's not coincidental that the federal government displaced the Indian nations to a territory in the South, and refused to grant it statehood despite repeated requests.  It's not coincidental that the federal government started ushering through northern states in the 1850s like it was going out of style.  It was far less than overt, and the South decided to form a separate Union.
 
As for the flag itself, the ONLY flag that bears a reasonable resemblance to the modern "Confederate Flag" is the rectangular Second Confederate Navy Jack, which was based on the Army of Northern Virginia battle flag.  All other flags were amalgamations of designs, most of which ended up looking humorously like the U.S. flag.  I would love...LOVE...to take a random cross-section of 10 inner-city residents, show them the Bonnie Blue flag, and ask them what it stands for.  How many of them would guess anything to do with the Confederacy?  2?  1?  Probably 0.  That was the original "Confederate Flag", the first battle flag.
 
Needless to say, the ignorance of the Civil War is stupendous.  Not unforgivable, but stupendous.  But the number of people who act like experts when history clearly tells opposite is staggering and disappointing.  Many of them fall into the SJW crowd.

As a VHS fan, I apologize to the Tazewell players, coaches, parents, and fans for this annoying inconvenience. It really bothers me that we continue to do this to visiting teams. This happened to Tazewell another time two years ago. And it seems that I recall it happening to Graham a few years ago as well. This could possibly have been avoided through proper coordination between VHS's AD and the Bristol Pirates. However, it is ultimately the Bristol Pirates that determine their own schedule. In addition, no member of the Bristol City Government or School Board is going to risk antagonizing a paying tenant by pressing the issue too much. I do not think that the 1-hour delay is motivated by a desire to increase attendance by allowing spectators from the Pirate's game time to walk over to Gene Malcolm. But rather it is due to the fact that visiting football teams use the same locker room as the visiting baseball teams. Visiting football teams also tend to use the baseball field for some drills and pre-warm-up activities. Also 50kw is correct that foul balls do often land in the north end of the football field. As for why the game was not moved to Saturday, I assume that the Tazewell AD preferred that his football team lose an hour of recovery time to the following week's opponent (Graham?) than to lose almost an entire day. Once again I am very sorry about this delay. And I wish both teams a safe and competitive game.

Bulldogs were down 6 to 8 at the half and come back to win 30 to 8!

If we can get #7 to the outside no one will catch him!

I've watched a "real team" win the NCAA championship just last year, which goes along with the 7 others our "real teams" have won.  And naturally, the World Cup gets some viewing time.  
 
I'd still rather read COBOL than watch it.

Personally I like the change. I dont post over on vapreps but come playoff time im curious about the teams from the rest of the state. Until late october I really dont care whats happening over on the Coast, or up in nova, or in Central VA. So I kinda like having the SWVA region all grouped together. I get to click on 1 thing and get all my regional football news.

I don't and haven't taken any of the attacks personally. 
 
 
   
From time to time, I appear on a High School Sports talk show on Saturday mornings on ESPN radio in Tidewater and, on that show, routinely chastise Tidewater administrators for their complaints and have said several times that "maybe they should call the AD's living out West" about how to handle budgets and traveling. I am roundly criticized on this side of the state for my stance on this issue and have publicly debated it several times in print, on radio and face-to-face with admins.
 
When one Tidewater AD complained in the newspaper that his "small town" buses could not make it past Richmond, I suggested on the radio that he should call people out West to inquire about where they buy their Super Buses that drive over mountains.
 
I'll leave the politics alone, as you said, not my area of concern.
 
We've not been good about covering that part of the state. We are trying to change that. Criticizing/Yelling at me is fine but it is not a part of a solution which, I assume, is the higher goal here. 
 
It is for me.

Buchanan County has roughly 890 high school students 9-12 spread out over 4 high schools. There are very few counties this side of Lynchburg that have 4 schools in their county! The ones that do are pushing anywhere from 2500 to over 3000 students in 9-12.  Politics in Buchanan County continue to hold our students back. Every year, one of the county teams folds a sport in the spring due to lack of numbers, this to the blind eyes of the ones who can do something about it. Instead they have fought over a elementary school of 70 students, trying to re-open it! SMH….. No SMDH!!!!