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Letter to the editor

Todays Letters: An insider's view of baseball team

By Letter to the Editor
Published January 15, 2008

Re: Principal abused power with coach, story, Jan. 10

I believe there needs to be clarification and additional information provided for this article.

I had the privilege of coaching the Countryside High School baseball team the final 13 games of this past 2007 season. While I do not have "professional" coaching experience, I do have 15 years of experience as an assistant baseball coach at both the University of South Florida (9) and at St. Petersburg College (6).

It might also be noted that I accepted the temporary Countryside position without county coaching payment and with my personal challenge of providing the team in general and the seniors in particular with the best possible experience in completing their season.

There are three points to the article that need clarification. First, regarding the incident of the meeting in the classroom with the coach, it is my understanding that this occurred in a previous year and not this past baseball season.

Secondly, in reference to the incident of the student athlete and the volunteer assistant coach, to my knowledge there was not a school administrator or school employee who witnessed the event and it is my further understanding that this may be part of the criteria in decisions pertaining to school discipline.

From an athletic standpoint, the student athlete was suspended for that evening's game and before my recommendation of permanent dismissal could be addressed by appropriate personnel, he decided to terminate his role with the team the next morning.

On the third point and on a more positive note, please allow me to close with the fact that the Countryside baseball team was 8-5 the last 13 games and finished the season with not only a winning record of 14-13 but also with the second most wins in the previous nine years at the school.

In addition, the senior-dominated lineup set further Countryside history with a successful run to the championship game of the prestigious Dunedin Spring Tournament along with making it to the semifinal round of the Class 6A District 7 Florida State Baseball Tournament.

In fairness to senior Nick Schlereth, please note that he hit .314 in that final 13-game span, and this included hitting .400 and being named to the All Tournament Team in the Dunedin Spring Tourney.

And no one other than our coaching staff provided me with any input or suggestions in making game lineups during my brief tenure.

Best of luck to the 2008 Cougar baseball team!

Jeff Davis,Clearwater

Re: Principal abused power with coach, story, Jan. 10

Interests clashed on baseball team

I just finished reading the article about Countryside High School principal Gary Schlereth receiving a letter of caution in his file in regards to his handling of the baseball issue and his son.

Nowhere in the article does it mention that the coach was a part-timer due to his duties running his sandwich shops, his work for ESPN and his work for a minor league baseball team.

His assistant coaches were parents with vested interests as their sons were on the team and even included the coach's 18-year-old son.

How was he going to help improve the principal's son's performance when he was not there? How were the assistants going to help him improve when he was competing against their kids for playing time?

Maybe Principal Schlereth went to see coach Richard Ranick for a different reason and it evolved into the baseball issue.

Why did those coaches and parents exclude certain members of the team from the final banquet to celebrate the season? Maybe those are the questions that should be asked and not why the principal's actions are being questioned by unhappy and sore losers after the first investigation absolved him of wrongdoing.

Peter Serbanos, Clearwater

Re: Two areas unfit for a marriage, letter by Richard Marshner, Jan. 10

Attitudes differ on move to form city

As a longtime resident of Palm Harbor, I resent Mr. Marshner's implications that somehow the residents of Palm Harbor are "recipients" of East Lake's "cash cow" tax revenues and that possible incorporation with Palm Harbor "would be devastating" to upscale East Lake.

However, my prejudices are probably just as wrong as Mr. Marshner's are, since for years I have thought statements coming from the East Lake area about the rest of the county were typically snobbish and snooty!

Henry Russell, Palm Harbor

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You may submit a letter to the editor for possible publication through our Web site at www.tampabay.com/letters, or by faxing it to (727) 445-4119, or by mailing it to Letters, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. You must include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

[Last modified January 14, 2008, 22:01:50]