EDIT: Area youth baseball success goes national

There are many times when we'd all like to be cloned so we could do multiple things at one times. Last week was one of those times in my life as I had parents, fans and readers wanting me to cover three different World Series events and a state tournament in different parts of the country. Unfortunately, I can only be at one place at a time.

There were a few complaints last week aired about me not covering more of the three teams from Center and one from Carthage who participated in World Series and state tournament events involving Center and Panola County Dixie teams. I knew going into the national events that there were be dissatisfied fans, players, coaches and parents.

When the Dixie (13-14 YO) Boys All-Stars earned a right to go to the World Series in Beaufort, South Carolina, and the Dixie (13 YO) Junior Boys All-Stars earned the right to go to Seneca, South Carolina, after winning their respective state tournament events in Center, Shelby County was abuzz at their success. Then, to top it off, the Center 8U Coach Pitch team earned a right later in the month to compete in the Dixie Coach Pitch World Series in Cleveland, Mississippi and the Panola County T-Ball team advanced to the state finals near Longview. I also later found out that a Panola County 8U Machine Pitch team moved to the World Series in Mississippi as well.

Originally I was actually scheduled to be on vacation during the time of the teams' trips to their respective World Series and state championships. As a self-employed sports writer who writes for multiple newspapers, there really isn't a good time to take off, so I chose to take off at the end of the youth baseball season and prior to football and volleyball training camps getting started.

Like most people that work hard, I think everyone deserves a vacation each year. When I began this sports marketing business on my own more than two years ago upon creating my PineyWoodsSports.com website, I decided that I needed to get away from work each summer for a week or two or risk getting burned out as I often work seven days a week and sometimes more than 90 hours a week in the sports community. This is in addition to helping care for a father that is now in a nursing home full-time and a mother who has numerous health problems and needs my help as well.

But when Center was hosting four state baseball tournaments in the middle of July I decided to delay my vacation and support the local teams as they fought to be the best in Texas. Yes, like many of you, I braved the 100-plus degree temperatures during the day. But then I had to go home and work most nights until past 4 a.m. working on photos and stories and posting scores from the day's activities.

When the state tournaments were over my chance for a vacation time was dwindling, so I decided to take a week prior to the World Series events and get away. Not wanting to see the teams from Center and one from Carthage get no coverage past their state tournaments, I did what any sports writer would do when trying to plan the World Series and state coverage ahead: I decided to start by covering the team that I thought had the best chance to go the furthest and make arrangements to receive information from the other teams.

I know to those of you who were fans of the Junior Boys and the Coach Pitch team and the T-Ball squad from Carthage, this might not seem fair, but with the success of the Center Junior Boys in 2010 and 11 of the 12 players returning this year, this was the option I chose.

In addition, with expenses for travel and lodging what they are, it was going to cost over $1,000 for the week I spend somewhere covering one of the events so I wanted to make sure I got the best option for my bucks.

I decided to change my vacation plans and spend a week in Beaufort, S.C., prior to the World Series to keep my expenses as far down as I could. But, at the same time, I felt that I should at least get to choose which area of the country I also get to spend my vacation.

It would have been great if the Dixie Junior Boys and Dixie Boys World Series events would have been closer, but it just wasn't geographically possible to cover two teams that play at almost the same time and are 4.5 (driving) hours apart.

I want to thank the coaches and parents who did report scores and stats to me from the events I didn't attend in person. I made it a point to try to contact them at the end of each day after covering the games in Beaufort and write stories on each. If I received cooperation and stories, those stories were written and published on my website and in the corresponding newspapers.

If I couldn't attend your team's event, I do apologize. But, obviously, I'm only one person and can only be in one place at a time. I know these young men are important to you and I believe they all received good coverage when they played in Center earlier last month.

I commend the teams for their hard work and success this season and for the three Center squads advancing to the World Series events. I congratulate the Carthage T-Ball squad winning the Texas state championship and the 8U Matchine Pitch team for placing second at its World Series. You all deserve a much-deserved pat on the back.

For parents and supporters who attended the respective events across the state and country and followed these teams, I commend you as well for your diligence and unending support. I'm sure it was appreciated.

I guess the opinions of those voice for their 'non-coverage' can be looked upon as a positive thing. If only one team had advanced past the tournaments in Center or non had made it, there wouldn't be those tough decisions to make for covering so many successful squads.

I truly hope that the success of this area's teams continues and if faced with multiple teams going again that others will continue to help as I try to be in more places at one time. Who knows, maybe we'll be cloning by then and our problems will be solved.

(This is a weekly column written by John Krueger, owner and editor of PineyWoodsSports.com and sports writer for the newspapers in Carthage, Center and Timpson. If you wish to contact John, his email address is pineywoodssports@yahoo.com.)