WRAL-TV's Tom Suiter Says Goodbye.

With the entire WRAL-TV family standing behind him, Rocky Mount native Tom Suiter gave his last 6 p.m. sportscast tonight on Channel 5.

Rocky Mount native and North Carolina Governor Mike Easley presented Tom with North Carolina's highest Honor "The Long Leaf Pine".

The Governor reminisced about having played on the same Little League team in Rocky Mount as Tom was 12 and the Governor was only 10.

Normally on Thursday's it the time when Tom goes to an area high schools and presents the "Extra Effort Award," but tonight Bob Holiday was doing the presenting and Tom Suiter was this week's winner.

Thanks Tom!

Tonight the NEW 6 football coaches voted for the all conference team. Each coach has his turn at telling the other coaches who he would like to see win from his team and why. I don't know if it has ever happened before at any level, but B. W .Holt nominated all 22 of his starters on offense and defense.

I will let Charles Alston give you the names on the Rocky Mount high website. but I will tell you this. Including the kicker and kicker returner, that makes 24 players on the All-Conference team. I am proud to say 14 Gryphons made the team. Despite having 14, there are some major disappointments, too.

Tonight in high school basketball, Goldsboro shot down the Gryphon boys 89-87. The Gryphons hardly led at all in the game. When they got close, the Cougars would get a working margin, but the Gryphons almost pulled it out in the last 12 seconds - missing two wide open shots to tie and the final shot to win it. With 53 seconds, to play Rocky Mount trailed 88-80.

I didn't hear his final totals, but Tashawn Mabry may have passed Buck Williams for second place on the all-time Rocky Mount high scoring list. He needed 31 and he was close if he didn't break it

They will go into the GlaxoSmithKline Invitational Tournament next week in Raleigh on a two-game losing streak.

Since the football players have joined the basketball team, they have already lost more games than during the entire football season 0-2.

It is a different story for the Lady Gryphons as they smashed the Lady Cougars 68-43. Tonight was my first look at the basketball team this year and to me this is the best group Pam Gainey has had in a couple of years.

Tonight in Chapel Hill Tyler Hansbrough broke Rocky Mount's Phil Ford's all-time scoring record. at Carolina.

I know both Duke and Carolina will hate this comparison but Hansbrough is a lot like Christian Laettner was for Duke. They were made for college basketball. I suspect Hansbrough will play several years Laettner play 14 years and averaged about 15 per game in the pros.

Laettner may be the best ACC basketball player of all-time when you consider the NCAA Championships he was a part of, but as a pro, he was just average and I suspect Hansbrough is headed for the same type pro career.

Well we already know that N.C. State might be better than last year in basketball as they beat ECU last night in Raleigh. ESPN had picked that game as one of the three possible upsets in college basketball last night, but the Pack wins. I think it is great the experts feel State is good enough to be considered an upset if they lose.

I know he played long before TV became part of Pro football but Sammy Baugh maybe the greatest pro football player ever in the NFL died last night at th age of 94.

Despite having retired from football in 1951, Baugh still holds the all time best punting average.

One season he lead the league in punting, passing and interceptions. They just don't make them like him any more.