It's time for the second installment of The Mind 's Mailbag, the only mailbag where most readers don't actually send questions...their comments are just chosen from previous blogs to give me a chance to give some thoughts. You're free to also send (dave.mcconnell@hsstm.com) or post comments should you feel so inclined, we do get a kick out of reading your feedback.

Before we get started, if you haven't been to our homepage this week, there's some stuff hopefully worth reading. I gave a local breakdown of the boys hoops tournament draw, which you can read by clicking here. My esteemed college, Brian Moore of the famous Moore Musings, recapped the girls hoops regionals and you can read that by clicking here. Mr. Moore will also be attending the National Football Foundation banquet this Saturday, and you can see what that's all about by clicking here.

Now to the good stuff.

Posted by "The Rock" on my most recent blog, talking about the wrestling state finals: "Who are you, The Rock? Do you love the (WWE)? Mano-a-mano? It's more about skill than it is intensity, though some might disagree. (Kyle) Ulrey has been fantastic this year, you obviously know about Chico (Adams) and your homeboy Moore should know about this (Ethan Raley) kid from (Indian Creek). An undefeated season is very hard to come by. Best of luck to these guys and in all seriousness, thanks for turning a "Spotlight" on wrestling lately. The Star rarely does (oh, unless HSSTM puts a kid on the cover, then they scramble to mimic y'all)."

The Mind: Let me give out the very first award for "Best Comment Posted to Date." Well done, on so many different levels. I do realize that wrestling is often misunderstood as a sport when the only mainstream exposure is through mindless entertainment like the WWE. Although Mr. Moore would make a case otherwise (just ask him). As you say, it's just as much about strategy and technical skill as it is strength. I saw Raley's first match on Friday night at the state finals and noticed how he seemed to have this "cool confidence" about him...and that, I guess, was proven with his state title. Lastly, and not that I need to dive into much detail, but you're not the only HSSTM reader that noticed the same thing about the "coverage."

Posted by Jason J., also on my last blog: "I'm not lying...I don't miss you."

The Mind: Thanks, Jason, for giving me a good laugh. Sarcasm breeds sarcasm, I suppose.

Posted by Bryan D., on my blog following the Carmel-LN boys hoops game: "How many teams have gone undefeated in boys basketball only to lose in the tournament? Many. Shelbyville just had it happen a couple years ago. My point is simple: Carmel would be better off to lose before the tournament...you can't play every game with that much emotion and continue to win."

The Mind: Ugh...this is an age-old debate that just won't go away, on the high school level or any other level. I guess it's somewhat of a moot point now that the Greyhounds fell on the road to Warren Central last week, but do you honestly think that loss gives them a better chance in the tournament? I think your argument is flawed in the sense that a game in early February has absolutely zero affect on what happens, say, in the second round of sectionals. Had the Patriots lost in the regular season, would they have won the Super Bowl? Maybe, but I just don't see how you can directly correlate the two scenarios and have that be your single argument of why or why not a team has success in the postseason. Two years ago, I covered the Lebanon girls basketball team when they went 20-0 in the regular season and finished 23-1 after a loss in the regional semifinals. I'm quite sure that had they lost a game along the way, it would have changed nothing in that regional game. To quote the notoriously quotable Herm Edwards, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, "Hello! You play to win the game." That brings me to my other point, which is the fact that you can't consciously, as a coach, player or fan, think that losing is ever the best option in any game. Win or lose, it's all about how the team responds afterwards...it's all about work ethic, coaching and motivation throughout the season.

That's all for now, folks. Keep reading, keep spreading the good word and enjoy this exciting time of year with the countless state tournaments hitting full stride.