Posted By: Dave Stogner (24/06/2009 7:52:30 AM)
Comment: Editor: Thank you for selecting Eric Branch as your "employee of the month". He is a wonderful writer. I think his story of the Analy basketball team winning the NCS championship, is one of the best sport stories I have ever read! Congratulations Eric. Dave Stogner

Posted By: http:// (17/06/2009 1:55:31 PM)
Comment: Nadolski is a boss. To get drafted, he wasn't just dealing with sonoma county high school ball players. he's dealing with the rest of the country of high schoolers and college athletes. it is pretty impressive

Posted By: capegir (16/06/2009 10:40:07 AM)
Comment: THE THOMSON EXCUSE - What on earth does Thomson's ERA have to do with the fact you blew this story?!? The guy was drafted highest of anyone in the area, and you missed it. People aren't drafted on the basis of their ERA; you can't be so ignorant of pro scouting as to believe that. Your job wasn't to PREDICT who WOUULD BE drafted by referring to their stats, it was to REPORT who HAD BEEN drafted. All you had to do was watch draft tracker on mlb.com. The more excuses you make, the less professional you appear.

Response: Dear capegir: Nice to hear from you on the blog after our phone conversation. I wasn't using Thomson's ERA as an excuse, only to provide some context as to why he wasn't on our radar. The mention of his ERA, in other words, is an attempt to explain how this happened, but in no way is it an attempt to excuse it. Not sure you were looking for a response, but there it is. Feel free to call again if you'd like to discuss further. Regards, Eric Branch

Posted By: A fan (15/06/2009 5:08:56 PM)
Comment: Let me set the record straight. Matt is going to SDSU, did not get 2 "F"'s and did well in his grades!! Just can't believe people would talk about a 17 yr old they don't even know!! Be happy for this kid!!

Posted By: fred4945 (15/06/2009 4:12:35 PM)
Comment: WHOA! Where do these posters get off attacking a high school kid for his alleged academic problems? That's a 17 year-old's private information. You have NO BUSINESS airing unsubstantiated allegations about his grades in public. Even if these personal allegations were correct -- and there's no evidence to support them -- why condemn a kid over it? Look, every kid matures in a different way. Some mature physically first, some mentally first, and very few emotionally first. If the Nadolski kid did need to improve his grades, Santa Rosa Jr. College has an outstanding academic record and one of the nation's best baseball programs. It's a great place for a kid to gain some maturity. He'd have 2 more chances to get drafted; and most junior college graduates get better scholarships than most high school graduates, anyway. As to the suggestion he turn pro, most kids who aren't yet ready for the challenges of major college athletics, CERTAINLY are not ready for the challenges of trying to make the majors as a low draft choice. Matt Nadolski, don't let self-appointed critics get you down. And, if you have some things to grow up about, congratulations: that's why you're a teenager. Make your adjustments and work even harder. Great dreams are worth fighting for.

Posted By: http:// (15/06/2009 9:52:54 AM)
Comment: Matt is not really college material. He'd be better off going pro and making money instead of flunking out in a year!!

Posted By: harsh (14/06/2009 10:13:17 PM)
Comment: i am pretty sure matt will not be attending sdsu as a result of his two failed classes in the spring semester

Posted By: Non sub (12/06/2009 8:21:14 PM)
Comment: sorry for sounding like a whinner. I just feel there are so many athletes out there that get unnoticed and the same faces keep comming up. Congrates to the two Casa players. They deserve the coverage.

Posted By: A non subscriber to PD (12/06/2009 10:10:28 AM)
Comment: Are you kidding me. Matt thomson from elmo gets drafted in the 12th round, and you people write about 2 kids from Casa that got draft after everyone went to bed. Who cares about getting drafted this late, any one can get drafted this late. There are kids who did'nt even start on their college teams that got drafted this late. How can you so called sports writers keep forgetting the rest of the county. Matt is a fine pitcher that has made our county proud and you forget him because of to Casa players who have done nothing warrent it. Who are you guys protecting over there at Casa. And what does the rest of the county need to do to get their kind of coverage in your paper. You should be ashamed.

Response: Dear Non subscriber: We dropped the ball. No excuses. I can assure you it had nothing to do with where Matt went to high school. I think he dropped off our radar -- he had a 5.98 ERA at USD this past season -- and, again, we dropped the ball. We'll have a story in Saturday's paper. Thanks for your post. -- Eric Branch