Cameron Ramsey throughout his teenage years has been a utility player for most of his career whether it was during the Babe Ruth run to the world series or during his career at Rocky Mount High.
Never having been a regular starter in high school Cameron recently tried out for the brand new Wake Technical College baseball team and next year as a freshman will be on the team. Tonight Matt Bryan has seen something in Cameron and inserted him into the starting lineup in right field and Cameron responded with the game of his life.
Down 1-0 in the second inning Ramsey lead off the second and hit a blast that cleared the left center field wall to tie the game at 1-1. In the fourth Cameron walked and eventually score to tie the game at 3-3. The fifth inning saw Ramsey collected a double and scored and he followed that with a RBI single in the seventh.
For the night Ramsey was three for three with a home run,double two rbi's and two runs scored.
Collins Cuthrell went three for five collecting two rbi's. Xavier Macklin gave Post 58 their second home run of the night, he also got two hits in the game. Ben Fish was two for four and as usual another RBI. TJ Taylor opened the game for Post 58 by doubling but never scored.
Brandon Denton started on the mound was rocked for six hits in his first two plus innings and settled down and did not give up another hit through his six innings pitched. Bill Clark pitch the last three innings for Post 58.
Coleman Pitt takes a one game to none lead in the best three out of five series against Pitt County Post 39. This is the ninth straight game Post 58 has hit double figure scoring and they now have twenty two home runs in eleven games played. They are now 9-2 on the season
Post 39 collected nine hits but could only garner three runs.
Game two is Wednesday night at Pitt Community College in Winterville.. Game three will be back at Northern Nash Thursday Night.
Final Post 58 -10 Post 39-3
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
What's The Deal With The Horns
I tried my best to watch as much of the Federation Cup Championship yesterday and it was really interesting when it looked as if the U S was going to win in the first half.
Try as I might I had a hard time focusing on the play with those horns blowing in the back ground. Apparently fans were given Kazoos upon entering and most of them blared the whole game.
Camera's showed them at least once and they looked like Clarinets. they looked like a concert band that was going to play after the match. It was very distracting trying to watch the game and hearing a swarm of bees in the back ground.
I think the U S team gave a good effort but you know Brazil scored a goal that was never given to them so the second half was all Brazil. The best team won.
The American legion playoffs have moved up to Tuesday night at Northern Nash. There is a conflict with the field with Babe Ruth or Jr Legion I don't know which but the game will start soon as possible.
The first round of the playoffs have always been two out of three during the first round. It will be a three out of five and Post 39 is our opponent.
If the series goes five games Post 58 will host Tuesday-Thursday Saturday. I hope it is over by Saturday that being the 4th . Post 39 is the team with the Rose high players on it.
Has any body noticed this but me. Major league baseball use to be on the cable on every channel every night. You could get the Braves, Cubs and white Sox, some times the Orioles and then whatever the networks were carrying.
Now there is just the WGN carrying the Cubs and White Sox. Then the network games on specific days. What happened to progress. This time of year baseball should be on some channel that we can get on cable every day.
Try as I might I had a hard time focusing on the play with those horns blowing in the back ground. Apparently fans were given Kazoos upon entering and most of them blared the whole game.
Camera's showed them at least once and they looked like Clarinets. they looked like a concert band that was going to play after the match. It was very distracting trying to watch the game and hearing a swarm of bees in the back ground.
I think the U S team gave a good effort but you know Brazil scored a goal that was never given to them so the second half was all Brazil. The best team won.
The American legion playoffs have moved up to Tuesday night at Northern Nash. There is a conflict with the field with Babe Ruth or Jr Legion I don't know which but the game will start soon as possible.
The first round of the playoffs have always been two out of three during the first round. It will be a three out of five and Post 39 is our opponent.
If the series goes five games Post 58 will host Tuesday-Thursday Saturday. I hope it is over by Saturday that being the 4th . Post 39 is the team with the Rose high players on it.
Has any body noticed this but me. Major league baseball use to be on the cable on every channel every night. You could get the Braves, Cubs and white Sox, some times the Orioles and then whatever the networks were carrying.
Now there is just the WGN carrying the Cubs and White Sox. Then the network games on specific days. What happened to progress. This time of year baseball should be on some channel that we can get on cable every day.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Durham Tops Tennis
This mornings Rocky Mount Telegram sports section features Rocky Mount High's Alex Durham as the tennis player of the year.
There is a board of education meeting Monday night and pending approval there will be a new football coach at Rocky Mount. If you looked at the list that Charles Alston put out a couple of weeks ago if rumors are true that name is on the list.
Coleman Pitt Post 58 begins the Legion playoffs Wednesday night at Northern Nash. They are the #1 seed in the division. I don't think you will see any more 26-1 scores the rest of this year.
News out of Raleigh of Nate Irving the best defensive player N C State football team had last year was involved in an auto accident last night and broke his leg and has a collapsed lung. That's all we need is to lose Irvin for the whole season.
Tom O'Brian is going into his third year and recruiting is coming on. N C State is close to being where all Wolfpack fans want. However when you lose your best player that can only hurt gains made in the first two years.
I ride by the football stadium two and three times a day. I have been noticing some work being done on the field. It is hard to believe but Hurricane Floyd's flooding of the field effects are still haunting the football stadium even now ten years later.
I don't watch soccer much, but this afternoon I will take notice of the Federation Cup finals featuring the USA and Brazil. If the U S could win it might be a landmark day in the history of American soccer.
Way back in the 60's when they first put soccer on TV in the summer to fill time slots I can remember the players would fake injuries just so they could have commercials. That has been one of the reasons soccer has been so slow to develop in America. TV didn't know how to make money off of it because of no time outs.
All they need to do is like college basketball is take a time out on the first dead ball under thirty five minutes and so forth.
Being a dial flipper during commercials has any one else ever noticed that regardless of what sport it is when you flip the dial all other channels are also doing commercials.
There is a board of education meeting Monday night and pending approval there will be a new football coach at Rocky Mount. If you looked at the list that Charles Alston put out a couple of weeks ago if rumors are true that name is on the list.
Coleman Pitt Post 58 begins the Legion playoffs Wednesday night at Northern Nash. They are the #1 seed in the division. I don't think you will see any more 26-1 scores the rest of this year.
News out of Raleigh of Nate Irving the best defensive player N C State football team had last year was involved in an auto accident last night and broke his leg and has a collapsed lung. That's all we need is to lose Irvin for the whole season.
Tom O'Brian is going into his third year and recruiting is coming on. N C State is close to being where all Wolfpack fans want. However when you lose your best player that can only hurt gains made in the first two years.
I ride by the football stadium two and three times a day. I have been noticing some work being done on the field. It is hard to believe but Hurricane Floyd's flooding of the field effects are still haunting the football stadium even now ten years later.
I don't watch soccer much, but this afternoon I will take notice of the Federation Cup finals featuring the USA and Brazil. If the U S could win it might be a landmark day in the history of American soccer.
Way back in the 60's when they first put soccer on TV in the summer to fill time slots I can remember the players would fake injuries just so they could have commercials. That has been one of the reasons soccer has been so slow to develop in America. TV didn't know how to make money off of it because of no time outs.
All they need to do is like college basketball is take a time out on the first dead ball under thirty five minutes and so forth.
Being a dial flipper during commercials has any one else ever noticed that regardless of what sport it is when you flip the dial all other channels are also doing commercials.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Peppers The NBA And Soccer
When the news broke that Julius Peppers wanted to be traded a couple of months ago I questioned what in the world was Peppers thinking. Well all is well in Panther land now as Peppers has signed a one year deal worth $16 million. Julius Peppers will be a Carolina Panther for at least one more year.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are doing everything they can to convince LeBron James that he needs to stay in Cleveland. Next season is Lebron's last year of his contract and rumors are flying that the New York Knicks will land him next year. As long as the Knicks have the ownership they have now, why would anybody want to play for the Knicks? Money?
Despite the Shaq trade going to Cleveland, I think the best move of the week was Orlando landing Vince Carter. Orlando gave up a lot but they desperately need a person that can score when you need to score.
Eight players with North Carolina ties were drafted Thursday in the NBA Draft. The Charlotte Bobcats went for Gerald Henderson of Duke. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player in NBA history. His decision making on the quality of other players he's strictly New York Knick management material.
I guess having a father who played in the NBA helped both Stephan Curry and Gerald Henderson. neither is ready for the NBA and I don't see where either will ever be as good as their dads.
I don't care what sport you are when ever you draft a player as a 1st round pick you should be expecting that those players will play for you ten years or more. i think this years draft demonstrates why there are so many foreigners are being drafted. American players come to the NBA too early, they are not fundamentally ready as well their skills are not developed yet.
Foreign players by the time the NBA scouts watch them they are developed, having good shooting skills are are far more developed than American players. Even though foreign players are not athletic generally they are far more superior in fundamentals.
There are a lot of people who don't understand why soccer has not taken off in the United States. I think the answer is simple. We have never had a generation of mothers and fathers that played soccer.
I grew up in football, basketball, and baseball so when my kids played soccer they were coached by the only guy who had a kid on the field that had ever played soccer. No longer is soccer a game where the guy coaching the team has no idea which end of the ball you kick.
Sunday American soccer can take a 1980 step like the hockey team had in the 1980 Olympics. I don't even know the name of the tournament that they are in now but already they have been beaten by Brazil 3-nil.
You know in 1980 before the Olympics the Russians beat the USA 8-0. If somehow the USA beats Brazil Sunday soccer just might be the most popular sport in America in twenty years.
You say it will never happen. Who would have thought the largest auto company in America is Nissan twenty years ago.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are doing everything they can to convince LeBron James that he needs to stay in Cleveland. Next season is Lebron's last year of his contract and rumors are flying that the New York Knicks will land him next year. As long as the Knicks have the ownership they have now, why would anybody want to play for the Knicks? Money?
Despite the Shaq trade going to Cleveland, I think the best move of the week was Orlando landing Vince Carter. Orlando gave up a lot but they desperately need a person that can score when you need to score.
Eight players with North Carolina ties were drafted Thursday in the NBA Draft. The Charlotte Bobcats went for Gerald Henderson of Duke. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player in NBA history. His decision making on the quality of other players he's strictly New York Knick management material.
I guess having a father who played in the NBA helped both Stephan Curry and Gerald Henderson. neither is ready for the NBA and I don't see where either will ever be as good as their dads.
I don't care what sport you are when ever you draft a player as a 1st round pick you should be expecting that those players will play for you ten years or more. i think this years draft demonstrates why there are so many foreigners are being drafted. American players come to the NBA too early, they are not fundamentally ready as well their skills are not developed yet.
Foreign players by the time the NBA scouts watch them they are developed, having good shooting skills are are far more developed than American players. Even though foreign players are not athletic generally they are far more superior in fundamentals.
There are a lot of people who don't understand why soccer has not taken off in the United States. I think the answer is simple. We have never had a generation of mothers and fathers that played soccer.
I grew up in football, basketball, and baseball so when my kids played soccer they were coached by the only guy who had a kid on the field that had ever played soccer. No longer is soccer a game where the guy coaching the team has no idea which end of the ball you kick.
Sunday American soccer can take a 1980 step like the hockey team had in the 1980 Olympics. I don't even know the name of the tournament that they are in now but already they have been beaten by Brazil 3-nil.
You know in 1980 before the Olympics the Russians beat the USA 8-0. If somehow the USA beats Brazil Sunday soccer just might be the most popular sport in America in twenty years.
You say it will never happen. Who would have thought the largest auto company in America is Nissan twenty years ago.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Post 58 Clinches Title
Coleman Pitt Post 58 needed tonight's win to take home first place in eastern division of American Legion Baseball. It took no more than the third batter of the game to get the ball rolling.
Xavier Macklin who has spent the last month playing for the Wilson Tobs joined Post 58 today which is the last day until playoff rosters are turned in. Macklin first at bat he sent a line drive down the left field line which was ruled fair and a home run gave post 58 a 2-0 lead over Tarboro Post 316. Leading off the third inning Macklin launched a drive that cleared the scoreboard at Northern Nash. Batting again in the third X hit a majestic fly ball high and deep in the left center gap that was caught by the center fielder leaning on the wall.
Tarboro pitching walked 11 batters and Post 316 defense committed six errors. This put ducks on the pond every inning and Coleman Pitt Post 58 slams Tarboro Post 316 26-1 in seven innings.
Macklin went three for five with four RBI's. Ben Fish was 2-4 with a homer and three RBI's and reach base six times.. Tyler Clark had two hits and a RBI. Mike Smith did not play the first half of the game but still collected two singles in four at bats. Gabe Brown had a triple and a single with a run batted in. Mike Williams had only one hit but it left the park giving him two rbi's. Collins Cuthrell,and Alex Pearce had singles.
Tonight closes out the regular season for Post 58. They finish at 8-2 overall and 7-1 in division play. Having started late due to the Northern Nash playoff run and coach Matt Bryan assisting coaching Eastern Wayne in the State championships Post 58 made their opposition pay as they tried to score runs for the games they didn't play. Post 58 scored 129 run in eight division games a whopping 16.2 runs per game. In the ten regular season games Coleman Pitt hit twenty home runs.
Brandon Denton pitched the first three innings by design as coach Matt Bryan had decided to give everyone a chance tonight to pitch an he almost did. Bill Clark pitched the fourth and fifth. T J Taylor the sixth and Alex Pearce got two outs in the seventh when Ben Fish came on to get the save HA HA. He struck out the only batter he face in pitching for the first time since he was in high school.
This is a really good Legion team that can go far in the playoffs. I would have no problem at all saying if this team had Tyler Joyner and Hobbs Johnson pitching they would be odds on favorites to win the state American Legion title.
Even without them they are going to go farther than any Post 58 team in quite a while. But when they finally lose out it will be because they don't have enough pitching against some team that is going to shut down our hitting.
Playoffs start Wednesday night at Northern Nash. It will be a two out of three first round.
Come watch this team play. They are fun to watch!
Xavier Macklin who has spent the last month playing for the Wilson Tobs joined Post 58 today which is the last day until playoff rosters are turned in. Macklin first at bat he sent a line drive down the left field line which was ruled fair and a home run gave post 58 a 2-0 lead over Tarboro Post 316. Leading off the third inning Macklin launched a drive that cleared the scoreboard at Northern Nash. Batting again in the third X hit a majestic fly ball high and deep in the left center gap that was caught by the center fielder leaning on the wall.
Tarboro pitching walked 11 batters and Post 316 defense committed six errors. This put ducks on the pond every inning and Coleman Pitt Post 58 slams Tarboro Post 316 26-1 in seven innings.
Macklin went three for five with four RBI's. Ben Fish was 2-4 with a homer and three RBI's and reach base six times.. Tyler Clark had two hits and a RBI. Mike Smith did not play the first half of the game but still collected two singles in four at bats. Gabe Brown had a triple and a single with a run batted in. Mike Williams had only one hit but it left the park giving him two rbi's. Collins Cuthrell,and Alex Pearce had singles.
Tonight closes out the regular season for Post 58. They finish at 8-2 overall and 7-1 in division play. Having started late due to the Northern Nash playoff run and coach Matt Bryan assisting coaching Eastern Wayne in the State championships Post 58 made their opposition pay as they tried to score runs for the games they didn't play. Post 58 scored 129 run in eight division games a whopping 16.2 runs per game. In the ten regular season games Coleman Pitt hit twenty home runs.
Brandon Denton pitched the first three innings by design as coach Matt Bryan had decided to give everyone a chance tonight to pitch an he almost did. Bill Clark pitched the fourth and fifth. T J Taylor the sixth and Alex Pearce got two outs in the seventh when Ben Fish came on to get the save HA HA. He struck out the only batter he face in pitching for the first time since he was in high school.
This is a really good Legion team that can go far in the playoffs. I would have no problem at all saying if this team had Tyler Joyner and Hobbs Johnson pitching they would be odds on favorites to win the state American Legion title.
Even without them they are going to go farther than any Post 58 team in quite a while. But when they finally lose out it will be because they don't have enough pitching against some team that is going to shut down our hitting.
Playoffs start Wednesday night at Northern Nash. It will be a two out of three first round.
Come watch this team play. They are fun to watch!
Legion Ball and NBA Draft Tonight
Tonight Coleman Pitt Post 58 American Legion team will go for the regular season title in the eastern division. A victory would give Post 58 home field advantage during the 1st round of the playoffs. The first round is a two out of three and if today all games were in the books we will start with Greenville Post 160. However that might change by weeks end.
Game time is 7.00pm at Northern Nash and Tarboro is the tonight’s opponent. Last week Post 58 beat Tarboro 28-3 at Tarboro.
1st round of the playoffs start July 1st at home and July 3rd will also be a home game if needed. The first round has to be finished by July 4th so hopefully no baseball on the fourth unless rain intercedes.
The second round is a three out of five would start July 6th.
Tonight is also the NBA Draft. Here are my thoughts on some of the locals.
Tyler Hansbrough- North Carolina… I don’t believe Tyler will ever be an all star in the NBA. I do think that fifteen years from now when he announces his retirement you will say. He was a good NBA player.
Ty Lawson- North Carolina… Ty is the mystery man in this draft. I doubt whether he will last any longer than his three year contract. Can’t play defense, too short.
Gerald Henderson- Duke.. I’m still trying to figure out why he is going pro early. Not a great shooter, not a great ball handler, Sounds like an NBA first rounder to me. Will play along time in Europe.
Courtney Fells- N C State… I think Fells has the NBA game. Maybe not an all star but a serviceable player. He may not be drafted but will make somebody’s team.
Wayne Ellington-North Carolina… Maybe best Carolina player for the NBA this year he will be an all star.
Danny Green-North Carolina… will probably start out in Europe But I think he will make it some day in the NBA.
Jeff Teague-Wake Forest… Is a super star waiting to happen in about three years? He is leaving two years early.
James Johnson Wake Forest…. His style is the NBA Style. Will be a very good NBA player for a long time.
Stephan Curry- Davidson…. There are guys cut out to be college players and some molded for the NBA. Great college player, but at six feet two inches he will need to be a point guard. Ball handling is not part of his game. He will be in the NBA at least for three years because he will be a high pick. He will get a lot of money for little results in the NBA.
I have no crystal ball to gaze into so who knows what the results will be.
Game time is 7.00pm at Northern Nash and Tarboro is the tonight’s opponent. Last week Post 58 beat Tarboro 28-3 at Tarboro.
1st round of the playoffs start July 1st at home and July 3rd will also be a home game if needed. The first round has to be finished by July 4th so hopefully no baseball on the fourth unless rain intercedes.
The second round is a three out of five would start July 6th.
Tonight is also the NBA Draft. Here are my thoughts on some of the locals.
Tyler Hansbrough- North Carolina… I don’t believe Tyler will ever be an all star in the NBA. I do think that fifteen years from now when he announces his retirement you will say. He was a good NBA player.
Ty Lawson- North Carolina… Ty is the mystery man in this draft. I doubt whether he will last any longer than his three year contract. Can’t play defense, too short.
Gerald Henderson- Duke.. I’m still trying to figure out why he is going pro early. Not a great shooter, not a great ball handler, Sounds like an NBA first rounder to me. Will play along time in Europe.
Courtney Fells- N C State… I think Fells has the NBA game. Maybe not an all star but a serviceable player. He may not be drafted but will make somebody’s team.
Wayne Ellington-North Carolina… Maybe best Carolina player for the NBA this year he will be an all star.
Danny Green-North Carolina… will probably start out in Europe But I think he will make it some day in the NBA.
Jeff Teague-Wake Forest… Is a super star waiting to happen in about three years? He is leaving two years early.
James Johnson Wake Forest…. His style is the NBA Style. Will be a very good NBA player for a long time.
Stephan Curry- Davidson…. There are guys cut out to be college players and some molded for the NBA. Great college player, but at six feet two inches he will need to be a point guard. Ball handling is not part of his game. He will be in the NBA at least for three years because he will be a high pick. He will get a lot of money for little results in the NBA.
I have no crystal ball to gaze into so who knows what the results will be.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Blogging
During my first English class in college, our teacher asked for everyone to write an essay about themselves and, of course, not only does the teacher know something about you, but about your writing skills also.
One of the last comments I made about myself was that I someday wanted to write a book. The teacher was Dot Powell who knew me in high school and her comment to me was I could do anything that I motivated myself to do.
I still haven't written that, but this daily blog is about as close as I will ever get to doing so.
Several people have asked me who is going to be the next football coach at Rocky Mount. I have no idea. I have seen the names .
I did know a week before it was released that Kent Cox was going to be named the new head baseball coach. I was asked not to say anything until after June 16, and I didn't.
If you look at all the bloggers out in this world blogging, not many have facts, but they write as if they do.
That is even evident just reading comments on the newspaper's website. Even when in the booth doing a game live, I have never, especially high school sports, tried to blame a player when he made a mistake. The pros - I don't mind eating them alive when they deserve it.
I have heard all the names, but like you, I have no idea who did well in the interviews. I have two names that I would like to see as the new Rocky Mount football coach.
We send our kids to school there everyday. Yet, I keep seeing all these comments in the paper about how the people making the decisions are not qualified to make those decisions.
Please let all that are involved in hiring the new coach do their job. If you look at who they hired in baseball and football the last time around, they did a pretty good job.
One of the last comments I made about myself was that I someday wanted to write a book. The teacher was Dot Powell who knew me in high school and her comment to me was I could do anything that I motivated myself to do.
I still haven't written that, but this daily blog is about as close as I will ever get to doing so.
Several people have asked me who is going to be the next football coach at Rocky Mount. I have no idea. I have seen the names .
I did know a week before it was released that Kent Cox was going to be named the new head baseball coach. I was asked not to say anything until after June 16, and I didn't.
If you look at all the bloggers out in this world blogging, not many have facts, but they write as if they do.
That is even evident just reading comments on the newspaper's website. Even when in the booth doing a game live, I have never, especially high school sports, tried to blame a player when he made a mistake. The pros - I don't mind eating them alive when they deserve it.
I have heard all the names, but like you, I have no idea who did well in the interviews. I have two names that I would like to see as the new Rocky Mount football coach.
We send our kids to school there everyday. Yet, I keep seeing all these comments in the paper about how the people making the decisions are not qualified to make those decisions.
Please let all that are involved in hiring the new coach do their job. If you look at who they hired in baseball and football the last time around, they did a pretty good job.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Rumors
Now that the deadline has passed in the search for the new football coach at Rocky Mount, rumors are flying about who is in and who is out.
I will tell you right now I have not talked to anyone in the decision-making process, so I know about as much as you know. I have my guess, but I am going to hold that for a day or two.
Rocky Mount had so much success under B.W. Holt that everyone forgets that before he came, the Gryphons were average, but not by any means down at the bottom of their luck. B.W. departs and everyone thinks the world is going to end.
Back during basketball season, I sat with him during a game and we talked about next year's prospects and I made the comment that I thought 8-2 would be a nice year after having lost his entire O-line.
He looked at me as if I was crazy and said, "Give me some credit. These guys in the weight room are working their butts off. Don't give me two losses before I ever hit the field."
I suspect we will hear Friday or Monday who the new man is.
Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open. I had a feeling watching him Sunday afternoon that he was very consistent. Chalk one up for the ACC as Glover played at Clemson.
Phil Mickelson once again managed to miss putts that I could make and finishes second for a record fifth time. I hope that David Duval is back and that this was not just a good week for him.
The NBA Draft is Thursday and I have no desire whatsoever to watch it. Luckily, I'll be doing PA for the Legion game at Northern Nash against Tarboro.
I am sorry to see this morning that Ed McMahon has died. Having been a Johnny Carson fan, Ed made a great living laughing at Johnny's jokes.
The one thing that I do hold against Ed, though, is he never came to my door with a $1 million check.
I will tell you right now I have not talked to anyone in the decision-making process, so I know about as much as you know. I have my guess, but I am going to hold that for a day or two.
Rocky Mount had so much success under B.W. Holt that everyone forgets that before he came, the Gryphons were average, but not by any means down at the bottom of their luck. B.W. departs and everyone thinks the world is going to end.
Back during basketball season, I sat with him during a game and we talked about next year's prospects and I made the comment that I thought 8-2 would be a nice year after having lost his entire O-line.
He looked at me as if I was crazy and said, "Give me some credit. These guys in the weight room are working their butts off. Don't give me two losses before I ever hit the field."
I suspect we will hear Friday or Monday who the new man is.
Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open. I had a feeling watching him Sunday afternoon that he was very consistent. Chalk one up for the ACC as Glover played at Clemson.
Phil Mickelson once again managed to miss putts that I could make and finishes second for a record fifth time. I hope that David Duval is back and that this was not just a good week for him.
The NBA Draft is Thursday and I have no desire whatsoever to watch it. Luckily, I'll be doing PA for the Legion game at Northern Nash against Tarboro.
I am sorry to see this morning that Ed McMahon has died. Having been a Johnny Carson fan, Ed made a great living laughing at Johnny's jokes.
The one thing that I do hold against Ed, though, is he never came to my door with a $1 million check.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Legion Finish Six days In A Row
Sunday night, Coleman-Pitt Post 58 ran out to a 10-2 lead by the middle of the sixth inning. In the ninth inning, Edenton got a two-run homer to edge Post 58 11-10.
Ahoskie was in town at Northern Nash tonight and Post 58's first hitting slump of the season pushed into the fourth inning before the bats got going.
Including the last three innings last night and the first three tonight, Post 58 had gone six innings without scoring. For a team that had scored at least 10 runs in its last six games, six innings was a long slump.
Nick Hahula got the start for Post 58 and right away, Ahoskie pushed three runs across the plate in the first.
In the fourth inning Mike Williams reached on an error, A Grant Johnson hit, a hit batter in Mike Smith and with the bases loaded, Alex Pearce coaxed a walk to plate Coleman-Pitt's first run. The walk led to an RBI-single by T.J. Taylor and a throwing error plated two more runs. Ben Fish got an RBI-single and before the fourth was over and six runs had crossed the plate.
Hahula would not survive the fifth inning as he was relieved by Gabe Brown, who gave up a three- run homer and he failed to last the inning as Ahoskie took the lead 9-6.
Post 58 scratched one back in the fifth to cut the lead to 9-7. Bill Clark came on in relief and managed to hold Ahoskie at nine runs.
The highlight of the a four-run sixth inning was a Williams two-run homer that landed on the softball field and gave Post 58 an 11-9 advantage.
Williams also came on in relief in the seventh, but in the eighth, Ahoskie pushed across two runs after an error got the ball rolling for Post 102. In the ninth, Williams got Ahoskie out with no runs and that set up the bottom of the ninth's heroics.
Williams stepped to the plate as the lead-off batter and he sent his second straight ball over the fence as Coleman-Pitt Post 58 survived another donnybrook - beating Ahoskie 12-11.
You could really tell that playing six straight days had pushed Post 58's pitching to the limit. With the win, Post 58 is now 7-2 and 6-1 in division play. It can win the regular season eastern division first place with a victory over Tarboro Thursday night at Northern Nash.
Williams was not only the hitting hero getting the walk-off home run, but he was also the winning pitcher.
Williams was 2-for-5 with two homers and three RBI. Tyler Clark, Ben Fish and Grant Johnson all had two hits. Taylor and Collins Cuthrell contributed hits.
Ahoskie outhit Post 58 14-10, but walks and errors did not help their cause.
Through all seven division games, Post 58 has scored 15 on Edenton, 28 on Tarboro, 12 on Wilson, 11 on Ahoskie, 14 on Wilson in its second meeting, 10 last night in the loss to Edenton and 12 again tonight. Post 58 has plated 102 runs in seven games for a 14.5 per game average!
This team is certainly entertaining. It can clinch home-field advantage with a victory over Tarboro Thursday. Area 1 first-round playoffs start July 1.
Ahoskie was in town at Northern Nash tonight and Post 58's first hitting slump of the season pushed into the fourth inning before the bats got going.
Including the last three innings last night and the first three tonight, Post 58 had gone six innings without scoring. For a team that had scored at least 10 runs in its last six games, six innings was a long slump.
Nick Hahula got the start for Post 58 and right away, Ahoskie pushed three runs across the plate in the first.
In the fourth inning Mike Williams reached on an error, A Grant Johnson hit, a hit batter in Mike Smith and with the bases loaded, Alex Pearce coaxed a walk to plate Coleman-Pitt's first run. The walk led to an RBI-single by T.J. Taylor and a throwing error plated two more runs. Ben Fish got an RBI-single and before the fourth was over and six runs had crossed the plate.
Hahula would not survive the fifth inning as he was relieved by Gabe Brown, who gave up a three- run homer and he failed to last the inning as Ahoskie took the lead 9-6.
Post 58 scratched one back in the fifth to cut the lead to 9-7. Bill Clark came on in relief and managed to hold Ahoskie at nine runs.
The highlight of the a four-run sixth inning was a Williams two-run homer that landed on the softball field and gave Post 58 an 11-9 advantage.
Williams also came on in relief in the seventh, but in the eighth, Ahoskie pushed across two runs after an error got the ball rolling for Post 102. In the ninth, Williams got Ahoskie out with no runs and that set up the bottom of the ninth's heroics.
Williams stepped to the plate as the lead-off batter and he sent his second straight ball over the fence as Coleman-Pitt Post 58 survived another donnybrook - beating Ahoskie 12-11.
You could really tell that playing six straight days had pushed Post 58's pitching to the limit. With the win, Post 58 is now 7-2 and 6-1 in division play. It can win the regular season eastern division first place with a victory over Tarboro Thursday night at Northern Nash.
Williams was not only the hitting hero getting the walk-off home run, but he was also the winning pitcher.
Williams was 2-for-5 with two homers and three RBI. Tyler Clark, Ben Fish and Grant Johnson all had two hits. Taylor and Collins Cuthrell contributed hits.
Ahoskie outhit Post 58 14-10, but walks and errors did not help their cause.
Through all seven division games, Post 58 has scored 15 on Edenton, 28 on Tarboro, 12 on Wilson, 11 on Ahoskie, 14 on Wilson in its second meeting, 10 last night in the loss to Edenton and 12 again tonight. Post 58 has plated 102 runs in seven games for a 14.5 per game average!
This team is certainly entertaining. It can clinch home-field advantage with a victory over Tarboro Thursday. Area 1 first-round playoffs start July 1.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Gryphon Population Grows
This has been a pretty good week for Kent and Emily Cox.
Early in the week, the announcement came that Kent had been named the new head baseball coach at Rocky Mount. Friday, the news got even better in the Cox household as Caleb Patrick Cox was born - their first son. I heard this morning in church that Kent had Caleb in the batting cage yesterday.
Congratulations to Emily and Kent!
There have been so many rumors about Rocky Mount football before B.W. Holt resigned. One of those rumors was that Chad Smith would would be an assistant on the staff again next year. Holt's resignation kind of blew the doors off that rumor and I see through the Gryphon Grapevine that Smith is returning to near his home in Pickens, S.C.
Chad maybe was not ready to be a head coach of a program that was as down as Northern Nash's was at the time he took over, but Chad is a football coach and he will get another chance at some point.
Right now, Post 58's players are coming off an outstanding five-game stretch. All five have been conference games and in all five, they have scored at least 11 runs and as many as 28.
Since Thursday, Post 58 has hit more than 10 home runs - including a shot Saturday night by Tyler Clark that cleared the score board at Fleming Stadium. Anyone who has ever seen a game at Fleming knows that is a poke.
Tonight they are in Edenton playing Post 40. If they can win tonight ,they have a conference game at home Monday against Ahoskie and another Thursday against Tarboro.
A victory would clinch first place in the regular season for Post 58 if they win in Edenton Sunday. Two victories would give them first place when the playoffs start.
They are now 7-1 on the season and 5-0 in conference.
If there was one good thing about all the rain at the U.S. Open Golf Championship, I got to watch golf until dark both Saturday and Sunday. There should be a new champion of American golf around 2 p.m. Monday.
I really like that the U.S. Open Men's and Women's Championships will be at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014 in back-to-back weeks. But, if I am a woman player, I would not like the idea because several players come early the week before to practice and if the men are there, they will not get practice at he course.
Early in the week, the announcement came that Kent had been named the new head baseball coach at Rocky Mount. Friday, the news got even better in the Cox household as Caleb Patrick Cox was born - their first son. I heard this morning in church that Kent had Caleb in the batting cage yesterday.
Congratulations to Emily and Kent!
There have been so many rumors about Rocky Mount football before B.W. Holt resigned. One of those rumors was that Chad Smith would would be an assistant on the staff again next year. Holt's resignation kind of blew the doors off that rumor and I see through the Gryphon Grapevine that Smith is returning to near his home in Pickens, S.C.
Chad maybe was not ready to be a head coach of a program that was as down as Northern Nash's was at the time he took over, but Chad is a football coach and he will get another chance at some point.
Right now, Post 58's players are coming off an outstanding five-game stretch. All five have been conference games and in all five, they have scored at least 11 runs and as many as 28.
Since Thursday, Post 58 has hit more than 10 home runs - including a shot Saturday night by Tyler Clark that cleared the score board at Fleming Stadium. Anyone who has ever seen a game at Fleming knows that is a poke.
Tonight they are in Edenton playing Post 40. If they can win tonight ,they have a conference game at home Monday against Ahoskie and another Thursday against Tarboro.
A victory would clinch first place in the regular season for Post 58 if they win in Edenton Sunday. Two victories would give them first place when the playoffs start.
They are now 7-1 on the season and 5-0 in conference.
If there was one good thing about all the rain at the U.S. Open Golf Championship, I got to watch golf until dark both Saturday and Sunday. There should be a new champion of American golf around 2 p.m. Monday.
I really like that the U.S. Open Men's and Women's Championships will be at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014 in back-to-back weeks. But, if I am a woman player, I would not like the idea because several players come early the week before to practice and if the men are there, they will not get practice at he course.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Legion Baseball
I have been involved with Coleman-Pitt Post 58 baseball now for four years. I have volunteered as the PA man during that time.
From about 1961 through 1965, I was bat boy for the Ahoskie American Legion team and our trips to Rocky Mount to play at the old Municipal stadium was like going to a major league game for me as a 10-year-old.
Legion baseball has been in existence in Rocky Mount for 60 years. In those 60years, Legion baseball has been among the best in the state.
Legion is now not the only game in town during the summer. Travel leagues, select leagues, Impact Baseball leagues and Babe Ruth are all sucking the All-Star talent from what use to be Legion players.
The past several years Post 58 has not had a home base to play home games. It would really help attendance if everyone knew where the games were going to be. You always have to check the schedule to see where to go for a home game, but also to see where the game is going to be play. Even the Rocky Mount Sports Complex is not a good fit for Legion.
But, today I am not moaning about what could be if the Brian Goodwins and Hobbs Johnsons of the county were on this team. This story today is going a little deeper than what you might know of.
Our Legionnaires are dying out. Post 58 is made up mostly of World War II veterans. In August, that war will have been over 64 years. Post 58 is getting smaller in numbers which means less people in the Post to support baseball.
Today, the players are pretty much financing themselves to play Legion ball.
Joe Bell, who is not even a Legionnaire, has taken it upon himself last year and this to try to keep Legion Ball alive. Joe has sold ads for a small program that you can get at the games.
Thursday night there were about 40 people - just about all mamas and papas there to see the game. The gate receipts just could pay for the umpires. The lights and grounds crew were paid. We will just say they were paid out of someone’s pocket.
Legion baseball in Rocky Mount has been too good over the years to see it die the slow death that it is doing now.
This year’s team is really good. They may have a chance to go far in the state playoffs. If they make it to the state championships this year, they will played at ECU's Clark-LeClair Stadium.
They only have two regular season home games left this year Monday and Thursday night at Northern Nash. Then maybe several home playoff games.
Come see this team play. Legion ball may die in Nash County unless a person or organization takes an interest in keeping it alive. It will take more than Bell and and a couple of Legionnaires to keep Legion Ball alive in Rocky Mount.
From about 1961 through 1965, I was bat boy for the Ahoskie American Legion team and our trips to Rocky Mount to play at the old Municipal stadium was like going to a major league game for me as a 10-year-old.
Legion baseball has been in existence in Rocky Mount for 60 years. In those 60years, Legion baseball has been among the best in the state.
Legion is now not the only game in town during the summer. Travel leagues, select leagues, Impact Baseball leagues and Babe Ruth are all sucking the All-Star talent from what use to be Legion players.
The past several years Post 58 has not had a home base to play home games. It would really help attendance if everyone knew where the games were going to be. You always have to check the schedule to see where to go for a home game, but also to see where the game is going to be play. Even the Rocky Mount Sports Complex is not a good fit for Legion.
But, today I am not moaning about what could be if the Brian Goodwins and Hobbs Johnsons of the county were on this team. This story today is going a little deeper than what you might know of.
Our Legionnaires are dying out. Post 58 is made up mostly of World War II veterans. In August, that war will have been over 64 years. Post 58 is getting smaller in numbers which means less people in the Post to support baseball.
Today, the players are pretty much financing themselves to play Legion ball.
Joe Bell, who is not even a Legionnaire, has taken it upon himself last year and this to try to keep Legion Ball alive. Joe has sold ads for a small program that you can get at the games.
Thursday night there were about 40 people - just about all mamas and papas there to see the game. The gate receipts just could pay for the umpires. The lights and grounds crew were paid. We will just say they were paid out of someone’s pocket.
Legion baseball in Rocky Mount has been too good over the years to see it die the slow death that it is doing now.
This year’s team is really good. They may have a chance to go far in the state playoffs. If they make it to the state championships this year, they will played at ECU's Clark-LeClair Stadium.
They only have two regular season home games left this year Monday and Thursday night at Northern Nash. Then maybe several home playoff games.
Come see this team play. Legion ball may die in Nash County unless a person or organization takes an interest in keeping it alive. It will take more than Bell and and a couple of Legionnaires to keep Legion Ball alive in Rocky Mount.
Long Night
Last night I arrived at Northern Nash's baseball field to do the PA for Post 58 American Legion team and a 13 year of Babe Ruth game is in progress. My first thought is 'am I at the right field?'. The score board was saying the first inning.
It turns out it was where I was suppose to be, the score board was on for the Legion game. The Babe Ruth game got over a little after seven and by the time each team took infield and raked the infield it was 7.45.
Wilson Post 13 was undefeated in conference play as well as Post 58 and Post 58 starting pitcher Brandon Denton gives up a single and a home run to the first two batters and I am saying to myself 'brother this will be a long night'. Denton recovered pitched eight innings allowing just seven hits striking out seven and did not allow another run in leading Coleman Pitt Post 58 to a 12-2 victory over Wilson Post 13.
Even though they started late Post 58 is in sole possession of first place with a 3-0 conference mark and now 5-1 overall.
Ben Fish led the hitting attack going three for four driving home three runs and had a homer. Collins Cuthrell had three RBI's and two hits and also sent one over the fence. Tyler Clark had two hits and two RBI's. Also getting two hits was Alex Pearce who's double in the eighth inning sent the score to the ten run rule.
Mike Williams, Grant Johnson and Gabe Brown all reach base getting hits as Post 58 has put up forty runs in the last two nights and in their last three games all conference games have pushed 55 runs across the plate.
So by ending the game in the eighth inning the long night winds up finishing about when the nine inning game would have finished.
Post 58 can't sit on their laurels long as starting tonight they have four straight nights of conference games traveling to Ahoskie, Wilson and Edenton on the road and then a Monday night home game with Ahoskie.
The team with the best pitching in the college world series got two inning of terrible pitching giving up four runs in the sixth and eight in the seventh in losing to Arizona State 12-5.
Carolina is eliminated from the College World Series.
Heard last night at the Legion game talking to Northern's baseball coach Eddie Loesner that Tyler Joyner will not sign and play pro baseball. He is already in Summer school at ECU.
I had heard the rumor but now I know that Mike Williams will play at Pitt Community this fall.
It turns out it was where I was suppose to be, the score board was on for the Legion game. The Babe Ruth game got over a little after seven and by the time each team took infield and raked the infield it was 7.45.
Wilson Post 13 was undefeated in conference play as well as Post 58 and Post 58 starting pitcher Brandon Denton gives up a single and a home run to the first two batters and I am saying to myself 'brother this will be a long night'. Denton recovered pitched eight innings allowing just seven hits striking out seven and did not allow another run in leading Coleman Pitt Post 58 to a 12-2 victory over Wilson Post 13.
Even though they started late Post 58 is in sole possession of first place with a 3-0 conference mark and now 5-1 overall.
Ben Fish led the hitting attack going three for four driving home three runs and had a homer. Collins Cuthrell had three RBI's and two hits and also sent one over the fence. Tyler Clark had two hits and two RBI's. Also getting two hits was Alex Pearce who's double in the eighth inning sent the score to the ten run rule.
Mike Williams, Grant Johnson and Gabe Brown all reach base getting hits as Post 58 has put up forty runs in the last two nights and in their last three games all conference games have pushed 55 runs across the plate.
So by ending the game in the eighth inning the long night winds up finishing about when the nine inning game would have finished.
Post 58 can't sit on their laurels long as starting tonight they have four straight nights of conference games traveling to Ahoskie, Wilson and Edenton on the road and then a Monday night home game with Ahoskie.
The team with the best pitching in the college world series got two inning of terrible pitching giving up four runs in the sixth and eight in the seventh in losing to Arizona State 12-5.
Carolina is eliminated from the College World Series.
Heard last night at the Legion game talking to Northern's baseball coach Eddie Loesner that Tyler Joyner will not sign and play pro baseball. He is already in Summer school at ECU.
I had heard the rumor but now I know that Mike Williams will play at Pitt Community this fall.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Now There Are Five
Virginia did everything you could ask a team except win the game Wednesday as they are eliminated from the College World Series 4-3 in twelve innings.
The Cavaliers leading 3-1 had two outs and nobody on base and two strikes in the ninth inning failed to close the deal on Arkansas. Virginia proceeded to get two men on base with less than two outs in the ninth, tenth and eleventh inning and failed to score what could have been the winning run.
Tonight North Carolina goes into their second elimination game and it is against the team that beat them Sunday in Arizona State. Game time is 7.00pm.
Because of the aluminum bat in college baseball, college baseball is not dominated by pitching. In this college world series North Carolina had a pitched game by Alex White of allowing only one run through nine innings and Virginia gave up one run through eight and two thirds innings but lost. That is very unusual for College baseball. Most of the time if you give up only one you win easily.
The rumors abound about Phil Jackson retiring as the L A Lakers coach and the name of Coach K is popping up as his replacement. In 2004 coach K turned down the job to stay at Duke and during that five years since nothing much has changed for Coach K to want to be in LA, however there is a new reason in LA to have coach K and that's Kobe Bryant. Remember last summer Kobe was a member of the Olympic team coached by K and Kobe has said he likes K's style a lot.
We will see.
Tonight Coleman Pitt Post 58 will try to play another home game, this time at Northern Nash. Wilson will be here to provide the action. Rain is in the forecast. I haven't heard yet the results of last night's game in Tarboro. My guess is it got rained out which would be the third time that Tarboro and Coleman Pitt have been washed out.
Just receive word from Joe bell that Post 58 indeed did play last night at whipped up on Tarboro 28-3. That's right 28-3 in seven innings.
There use to be a time that if you were the top baseball player in the area legion ball was what you did in the summer. Today with select leagues, Babe Ruth and others the legion team is watered down from what it could be.
This years legion team is good but just imagine if every good player from our area was on the team we might have a Legion State championship team.
I'll be there tonight doing PA weather permitting.
The Cavaliers leading 3-1 had two outs and nobody on base and two strikes in the ninth inning failed to close the deal on Arkansas. Virginia proceeded to get two men on base with less than two outs in the ninth, tenth and eleventh inning and failed to score what could have been the winning run.
Tonight North Carolina goes into their second elimination game and it is against the team that beat them Sunday in Arizona State. Game time is 7.00pm.
Because of the aluminum bat in college baseball, college baseball is not dominated by pitching. In this college world series North Carolina had a pitched game by Alex White of allowing only one run through nine innings and Virginia gave up one run through eight and two thirds innings but lost. That is very unusual for College baseball. Most of the time if you give up only one you win easily.
The rumors abound about Phil Jackson retiring as the L A Lakers coach and the name of Coach K is popping up as his replacement. In 2004 coach K turned down the job to stay at Duke and during that five years since nothing much has changed for Coach K to want to be in LA, however there is a new reason in LA to have coach K and that's Kobe Bryant. Remember last summer Kobe was a member of the Olympic team coached by K and Kobe has said he likes K's style a lot.
We will see.
Tonight Coleman Pitt Post 58 will try to play another home game, this time at Northern Nash. Wilson will be here to provide the action. Rain is in the forecast. I haven't heard yet the results of last night's game in Tarboro. My guess is it got rained out which would be the third time that Tarboro and Coleman Pitt have been washed out.
Just receive word from Joe bell that Post 58 indeed did play last night at whipped up on Tarboro 28-3. That's right 28-3 in seven innings.
There use to be a time that if you were the top baseball player in the area legion ball was what you did in the summer. Today with select leagues, Babe Ruth and others the legion team is watered down from what it could be.
This years legion team is good but just imagine if every good player from our area was on the team we might have a Legion State championship team.
I'll be there tonight doing PA weather permitting.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Cox Named New Baseball Coach
Kent Cox JV Baseball coach at Rocky Mount for the past ten years has been named as the new baseball coach at Rocky Mount High School.
Cox a graduate of Tarboro High school lead the Babe Ruth team in 2004 that finished 3rd in the World Series that was played in Wilson at Fleming stadium. Kent has also been for the past six years the JV football defensive coordinator during the Baby Gryphons run where they lost less than ten games in that stretch.
Cox will take over for Pat Smith who retired at the end of the school year who has taken the Gryphons to the state title in 2008.
Kent’s family consist of wife Emily, daughter and a new little Gryphon expected to arrive this Friday.
North Carolina survived the first elimination game in the college world series by beating Southern Mississippi 11-4. Dustin Ackley needed three hits to become the all time hit leader in world series history got five in leading the Heels to another day of baseball Thursday night. They will play Arizona State who blew a 6-0 lead and lost to Texas 10-6.
Southern Mississippi getting knocked out leaves six fighting for the National Championship.
Sammy Sosa's name has now come out as being a steroid users in 2003. I think we all knew that he used. It's time to release all the names of the 2004 testing done by major league baseball that failed. The test in 2004 showed that 10% of the players were using drugs and brought on the MLB drug testing policy that they use today.
I think we need to know just so the player who didn't have a fair shake at the Hall of Fame with lesser numbers over those who did.
Cox a graduate of Tarboro High school lead the Babe Ruth team in 2004 that finished 3rd in the World Series that was played in Wilson at Fleming stadium. Kent has also been for the past six years the JV football defensive coordinator during the Baby Gryphons run where they lost less than ten games in that stretch.
Cox will take over for Pat Smith who retired at the end of the school year who has taken the Gryphons to the state title in 2008.
Kent’s family consist of wife Emily, daughter and a new little Gryphon expected to arrive this Friday.
North Carolina survived the first elimination game in the college world series by beating Southern Mississippi 11-4. Dustin Ackley needed three hits to become the all time hit leader in world series history got five in leading the Heels to another day of baseball Thursday night. They will play Arizona State who blew a 6-0 lead and lost to Texas 10-6.
Southern Mississippi getting knocked out leaves six fighting for the National Championship.
Sammy Sosa's name has now come out as being a steroid users in 2003. I think we all knew that he used. It's time to release all the names of the 2004 testing done by major league baseball that failed. The test in 2004 showed that 10% of the players were using drugs and brought on the MLB drug testing policy that they use today.
I think we need to know just so the player who didn't have a fair shake at the Hall of Fame with lesser numbers over those who did.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Elimination Day
The University of North Carolina Tar Heel baseball team faces elimination for the first time this year in the NCAA playoffs. Carolina swept through their Regional and then took out ECU in two straight in the super regional.
This afternoon they meet Southern Mississippi a team that had Texas on the ropes in their first college world series game but walked in three runs in the eighth and ninth inning to lose by one run.
Virginia survived their first elimination game beating Cal State Fullerton 7-5. Now there are seven left in Omaha. They play Arkansas Wednesday.
Hertford County has named their new football coach. He is Scott Privott. Scott played on the last Ahoskie High school team before it became Hertford County. Scott was on the team while I was there doing radio and after graduation from college came back home and has been in the program either with the JV's or the Varsity line ever since.
He replaces Diego Hasty who lost his PE job as part of the cut back in teachers but was asked to stay on as football coach but didn't.
Plaxico Buress has had his discharging a fire arms charge in New York City moved to September. Seems to me he would have wanted to settle up as soon as possible in case he gets jail time. Delaying it not only will effect this season but now maybe even next year also depending on whether he gets jail time
I hear that Walker Gurley the Eastern Wayne shortstop who was drafted last week in the major league draft is planning to sign and play pro ball. He may sign sometime this week. His teammate John Wooten is heading to Greenville and ECU along with Tyler Joyner of Northern. Those players drafted last week are still in contact with the teams that drafted them. Those teams have until mid August to try to Entice those players drafted to sign pro over going to college baseball.
In most cases those that sign to play pro ball will do so over the next couple of weeks in order to play in the rookie leagues or in the A level this summer.
This afternoon they meet Southern Mississippi a team that had Texas on the ropes in their first college world series game but walked in three runs in the eighth and ninth inning to lose by one run.
Virginia survived their first elimination game beating Cal State Fullerton 7-5. Now there are seven left in Omaha. They play Arkansas Wednesday.
Hertford County has named their new football coach. He is Scott Privott. Scott played on the last Ahoskie High school team before it became Hertford County. Scott was on the team while I was there doing radio and after graduation from college came back home and has been in the program either with the JV's or the Varsity line ever since.
He replaces Diego Hasty who lost his PE job as part of the cut back in teachers but was asked to stay on as football coach but didn't.
Plaxico Buress has had his discharging a fire arms charge in New York City moved to September. Seems to me he would have wanted to settle up as soon as possible in case he gets jail time. Delaying it not only will effect this season but now maybe even next year also depending on whether he gets jail time
I hear that Walker Gurley the Eastern Wayne shortstop who was drafted last week in the major league draft is planning to sign and play pro ball. He may sign sometime this week. His teammate John Wooten is heading to Greenville and ECU along with Tyler Joyner of Northern. Those players drafted last week are still in contact with the teams that drafted them. Those teams have until mid August to try to Entice those players drafted to sign pro over going to college baseball.
In most cases those that sign to play pro ball will do so over the next couple of weeks in order to play in the rookie leagues or in the A level this summer.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Comings and Goings
John Thompson head basketball coach at N C Wesleyan has a new job title. He is now Vice President of Athletics. John will still be the basketball coach at NCW
Speaking of Wesleyan I heard at the Legion game Sunday that Brian Allen former Southern Nash baseball stand out who for the last two years has played at Pitt CC will finish his last two years of college at Wesleyan. He joins Chad Womble former Rocky Mount grad and Tyler Clark Northern Nash catcher who will join the Fighting Bishops next season.
Already in the fold for Charlie Long are several Northern Nash players Daniel Moore and Andrew Webb and others as Charlie is beginings to keep local high school talent in Rocky Mount.
The LA Lakers won their 15th NBA title last night beating a Orlando team that looked like they didn't want to go to LA and lose so they decided to end it last night.
La has won enough titles that you would think that the general public would not have to tear a city a part. More than twenty five people were arrested setting bon fires and general car destruction. Funny that the cars set a fire to are never the people's cars setting the fires.
Phil Jackson won his tenth NBA title as a coach. I can't decide whether Jackson is a good coach or lucky. He won six titles with Michael Jordon, three with Shaq and now one with Kobe. He passes Red Aurabach who won nine titles with Bill Russell. Russell was and still is the greatest defensive player in the history of basketball.
One thing you can say for Red and Phil. They didn't get in the great players way.
Norrth Carolina plays Southern Mississippi at 2.00pm Tuesday in the losers bracket game at the college world series. Southern Mississippi had Texas on the ropes until SMU relief pitching walked in three runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
Speaking of Wesleyan I heard at the Legion game Sunday that Brian Allen former Southern Nash baseball stand out who for the last two years has played at Pitt CC will finish his last two years of college at Wesleyan. He joins Chad Womble former Rocky Mount grad and Tyler Clark Northern Nash catcher who will join the Fighting Bishops next season.
Already in the fold for Charlie Long are several Northern Nash players Daniel Moore and Andrew Webb and others as Charlie is beginings to keep local high school talent in Rocky Mount.
The LA Lakers won their 15th NBA title last night beating a Orlando team that looked like they didn't want to go to LA and lose so they decided to end it last night.
La has won enough titles that you would think that the general public would not have to tear a city a part. More than twenty five people were arrested setting bon fires and general car destruction. Funny that the cars set a fire to are never the people's cars setting the fires.
Phil Jackson won his tenth NBA title as a coach. I can't decide whether Jackson is a good coach or lucky. He won six titles with Michael Jordon, three with Shaq and now one with Kobe. He passes Red Aurabach who won nine titles with Bill Russell. Russell was and still is the greatest defensive player in the history of basketball.
One thing you can say for Red and Phil. They didn't get in the great players way.
Norrth Carolina plays Southern Mississippi at 2.00pm Tuesday in the losers bracket game at the college world series. Southern Mississippi had Texas on the ropes until SMU relief pitching walked in three runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Heels fall Into Losers Bracket
D H Conley's Alex White may have saved his best two starts of his career, might wind up being his last two starts for the Tar Heels. White pitched nine innings of seven hit ball striking out twelve Sun Devils which tied his record set just last weekend but when he left the game having pitched nine inning the score was tied 1-1.
A miss play in the field and a three run homer in the tenth send Carolina to the losers bracket after a 5-2 loss to Arizona State. Now in the losers bracket Alex White may not get the chance to pitch again for the Tar Heels unless his team mates fight through and don't lose again until it Alex's turn to pitch again maybe Friday.
Carolina plays Tuesday at 2.0opm in the losers bracket game at 2.00pm.
Coleman Pitt Post 58 opened their conference play this afternoon at Bauer Field on the campus of N C Wesleyan and took out Edenton Post 40 15-6.
After having played a double header in Cary yesterday and splitting the two games Post 58 brought their hit bats to the game today pounding out 18 hits lead by Mike Williams who had four hits in six trips and three rbi's. Tyler Clark and Alex Pearce had two hits each with Clark collecting a rbi and Pearce two ribbies.
Nick Hahula pitched the first four innings giving up two runs on six hits. Bill Clark came in the fifth gave up four runs but settled down and pitched three shutout inning after that to get the win.. Mike Williams closed out the ninth for Post 58.
Post 58 is now 3-2 and 1-0 in conference play. Their next game is Wednesday night at Tarboro. Their next home game is Thursday at Northern Nash against Wilson Post 13.
Heard today at the Legion game that Cameron Ramsey tried out for Wake Tech who will field their first ever baseball team next year and made the team.
There is a possibility tha Xavier Macklin will play Legion before the season is over. Right now he is on the Wilson Tobs team.
Tyler Joyner was named New-6 baseball player of the year.
Ben Fish, Collins Cuthrell, Hobbs Johnson and Brian Goodwin made all conference from Rocky Mount.
A miss play in the field and a three run homer in the tenth send Carolina to the losers bracket after a 5-2 loss to Arizona State. Now in the losers bracket Alex White may not get the chance to pitch again for the Tar Heels unless his team mates fight through and don't lose again until it Alex's turn to pitch again maybe Friday.
Carolina plays Tuesday at 2.0opm in the losers bracket game at 2.00pm.
Coleman Pitt Post 58 opened their conference play this afternoon at Bauer Field on the campus of N C Wesleyan and took out Edenton Post 40 15-6.
After having played a double header in Cary yesterday and splitting the two games Post 58 brought their hit bats to the game today pounding out 18 hits lead by Mike Williams who had four hits in six trips and three rbi's. Tyler Clark and Alex Pearce had two hits each with Clark collecting a rbi and Pearce two ribbies.
Nick Hahula pitched the first four innings giving up two runs on six hits. Bill Clark came in the fifth gave up four runs but settled down and pitched three shutout inning after that to get the win.. Mike Williams closed out the ninth for Post 58.
Post 58 is now 3-2 and 1-0 in conference play. Their next game is Wednesday night at Tarboro. Their next home game is Thursday at Northern Nash against Wilson Post 13.
Heard today at the Legion game that Cameron Ramsey tried out for Wake Tech who will field their first ever baseball team next year and made the team.
There is a possibility tha Xavier Macklin will play Legion before the season is over. Right now he is on the Wilson Tobs team.
Tyler Joyner was named New-6 baseball player of the year.
Ben Fish, Collins Cuthrell, Hobbs Johnson and Brian Goodwin made all conference from Rocky Mount.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
All Star Results
I don't know a lot about the NC/SC all star baseball classic but here is what I know.
Rain forced the Thursday night game to be stopped in the sixth inning with the Sandlappers leading 8-3. The game which was played at Coastal Carolina, however the game was finished in Myrtle Beach on Friday at 2.00pm and no further scoring occurred and the final was 8-3.
The second game in the series was played at the conclusion of the first game and the results are better for the Tar Heels as they are lead by Eastern Wayne's John Wooten who goes 2-4 and drives in three runs as the stars from North Carolina win game two 9-2.
Nash Counties three players in both game Tyler Joyner, Ben Fish and Brian Goodwin returned home in order to graduate today from high school.
The Tar River Children's Chorus sang the National Anthem at the Mudcats game Friday night so you know where I was. Mudcats had a no- hitter going into the 7th inning but they won 4-0. Afterwards was fireworks night and I hope the 4th Of July fireworks at the sports complex by the city of Rocky Mount will be half as good as these were.
To my surprise the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in Detroit last night 2-1. I was pulling for the Pens but I really thought Detroit would win last night.
The University of Virginia plays in their first ever college world series game tonight against LSU. I think most experts favor LSU to win the world series.
Carolina begins at 2.00pm Sunday against Arizona State.
Coleman Pitt Post 58 plays their first home game of the season Sunday afternoon at Bauer field at NC Wesleyan College. The senior legion team is off to a 1-1 record so far this season. I'll be doing the PA. Come on out
Rain forced the Thursday night game to be stopped in the sixth inning with the Sandlappers leading 8-3. The game which was played at Coastal Carolina, however the game was finished in Myrtle Beach on Friday at 2.00pm and no further scoring occurred and the final was 8-3.
The second game in the series was played at the conclusion of the first game and the results are better for the Tar Heels as they are lead by Eastern Wayne's John Wooten who goes 2-4 and drives in three runs as the stars from North Carolina win game two 9-2.
Nash Counties three players in both game Tyler Joyner, Ben Fish and Brian Goodwin returned home in order to graduate today from high school.
The Tar River Children's Chorus sang the National Anthem at the Mudcats game Friday night so you know where I was. Mudcats had a no- hitter going into the 7th inning but they won 4-0. Afterwards was fireworks night and I hope the 4th Of July fireworks at the sports complex by the city of Rocky Mount will be half as good as these were.
To my surprise the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in Detroit last night 2-1. I was pulling for the Pens but I really thought Detroit would win last night.
The University of Virginia plays in their first ever college world series game tonight against LSU. I think most experts favor LSU to win the world series.
Carolina begins at 2.00pm Sunday against Arizona State.
Coleman Pitt Post 58 plays their first home game of the season Sunday afternoon at Bauer field at NC Wesleyan College. The senior legion team is off to a 1-1 record so far this season. I'll be doing the PA. Come on out
Friday, June 12, 2009
Loose Ends
This week has been mainly the baseball draft so now is a good time to catch up on items left dangling.
I will be so glad for today to pass. Today is the day that television goes to all digital broadcasting. I think every station in the world has had something on their station about the change over every day for two years. Please don't delay it again like they did in February. Enough already.
My cousin Lauren Doughtie who at Christmas time in her final year of golf at N C State had planned after graduation to try to make both the amateur public Links and US Amateur before turning pro. Last week Lauren decided to start her career on the Futures tour in Iowa and cash her first check as a pro. A whopping $925.
The futures tour plays 17 events during the year and since she qualified last fall she had retained her college eligibility but in order to stay qualified for next year she must finish in the top 100 on tour or go back to qualifying school. The Iowa tournament is the 7th event of the year so she had already missed one third of the season.
When we look at what she made last week she is 122nd in money earnings so she is off to a good start after having shot 74-74-70 in her first tournament. It is not like the futures tour is going to make any body a millionaire as last weeks winner made $11,000. If they develop on the futures tour the millions wait on the LPGA tour.
American Legion Post 58 won their first game of the season last night at they beat Kinston 6-2. Dillon Cockrell got the win pitching six strong innings. Nash Central's T J Taylor and Northern's Mike Williams lead the attack with two hits each.
Looks like LA can now coast to the NBA Championship after taking a three one lead in the NBA playoffs. It could easily be three /one Orlando but it's not.
Tonight is the seventh game of the Stanley Cup . So far the home ice has won every game.
UNC is in Omaha Nebraska as they make their fourth straight trip to the college world series. Carolina starts in their bracket Sunday at 2.00pm against Arizona State.
I will be so glad for today to pass. Today is the day that television goes to all digital broadcasting. I think every station in the world has had something on their station about the change over every day for two years. Please don't delay it again like they did in February. Enough already.
My cousin Lauren Doughtie who at Christmas time in her final year of golf at N C State had planned after graduation to try to make both the amateur public Links and US Amateur before turning pro. Last week Lauren decided to start her career on the Futures tour in Iowa and cash her first check as a pro. A whopping $925.
The futures tour plays 17 events during the year and since she qualified last fall she had retained her college eligibility but in order to stay qualified for next year she must finish in the top 100 on tour or go back to qualifying school. The Iowa tournament is the 7th event of the year so she had already missed one third of the season.
When we look at what she made last week she is 122nd in money earnings so she is off to a good start after having shot 74-74-70 in her first tournament. It is not like the futures tour is going to make any body a millionaire as last weeks winner made $11,000. If they develop on the futures tour the millions wait on the LPGA tour.
American Legion Post 58 won their first game of the season last night at they beat Kinston 6-2. Dillon Cockrell got the win pitching six strong innings. Nash Central's T J Taylor and Northern's Mike Williams lead the attack with two hits each.
Looks like LA can now coast to the NBA Championship after taking a three one lead in the NBA playoffs. It could easily be three /one Orlando but it's not.
Tonight is the seventh game of the Stanley Cup . So far the home ice has won every game.
UNC is in Omaha Nebraska as they make their fourth straight trip to the college world series. Carolina starts in their bracket Sunday at 2.00pm against Arizona State.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Joyner Drafted By Indians
Tyler Joyner Northern Nash's top pitcher of all time was taken in the 50th round by the Cleveland Indians the same team that picked Alex White of Carolina.
Joyner joins Brian Goodwin as with ideas to ponder even though both seem headed for Joyner to Greenville and ECU and Goodwin to Carolina.
If you look at the pitchers who were drafted Tyler doesn't fit the first rounders mold. Six feet three and two hundred twenty five pounds.
But neither does a Mike Hampton. Tyler at five feet eleven is not what a scout looks for until they see him pitch. Three years from now Tyler very well could be the Alex White in waiting.
Chad Womble who has spent the last two seasons in Darlington South Carolina will spend the next two with Charlie Long at N C Wesleyan. Womble graduated from RMHS in 2007.
The Nash County American Legion will try again tonight to get a game in . They have only played once so far this year and rained out Tuesday in Tarboro. They are in Kinston tonight.
If you can make it to Myrtle Beach today and Friday the North Carolina/ South Carolina baseball all star games are going on.
Tyler Joyner, Ben Fish and Brian Goodwin are representing Nash County.
Joyner joins Brian Goodwin as with ideas to ponder even though both seem headed for Joyner to Greenville and ECU and Goodwin to Carolina.
If you look at the pitchers who were drafted Tyler doesn't fit the first rounders mold. Six feet three and two hundred twenty five pounds.
But neither does a Mike Hampton. Tyler at five feet eleven is not what a scout looks for until they see him pitch. Three years from now Tyler very well could be the Alex White in waiting.
Chad Womble who has spent the last two seasons in Darlington South Carolina will spend the next two with Charlie Long at N C Wesleyan. Womble graduated from RMHS in 2007.
The Nash County American Legion will try again tonight to get a game in . They have only played once so far this year and rained out Tuesday in Tarboro. They are in Kinston tonight.
If you can make it to Myrtle Beach today and Friday the North Carolina/ South Carolina baseball all star games are going on.
Tyler Joyner, Ben Fish and Brian Goodwin are representing Nash County.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Now The Temptation
The Chicago White Sox picked Brian Goodwin in the 17th round of the second day of the MLB draft.
I have had one of those days today. My step mother had back surgery yesterday at Pitt Memorial in Greenville. Unable to watch any of the second round of the draft today I had not heard that Brian was picked by the Pale Sox.
I had my computer on MLB.com and when I arrived home about 6.00pm I could hear talking and this is no lie. The first recognizable thing I heard when I got into range on my computer was a recap of the White Sox day two draft and Brian Goodwin was a 5 star player who could have easily gone on day one but whether he could be signed or go to college was the big issue. Being a five star player the only question is how well he will hit in the majors. MLB compared him to Kenny Lofton who played for nearly 20 years in the majors.
If you remember just three years ago D H Conley's Alex White had made it known all spring in High school that unless someone gave him a million dollars he was going to Carolina. He was drafted in the 14th round. He also went to Carolina and was the 15th pick in the entire draft yesterday.
Brian Goodwin, Ben Fish and Tyler Joyner are in Myrtle Beach for two days of all star games Thursday and Friday between North Carolina and South Carolina.. John Wooten of Eastern Wayne and the son of former Rocky Mount High star Sonny Wooten is also playing for North Carolina.
Brian,Ben and Tyler will be back home Saturday morning to graduate fro Rocky Mount and Northern Nash.
The New-6 has had a policy of depending on where you finished in the league determined how many players could make all conference. The all conference softball team has been announced and Laura Alford has made the first team. Cary Mosher is second team and Clytesia Garner is honorable mention.
Hope to have news tomorrow about Chad Womble former Gryphon pitcher. Stay tuned
I have had one of those days today. My step mother had back surgery yesterday at Pitt Memorial in Greenville. Unable to watch any of the second round of the draft today I had not heard that Brian was picked by the Pale Sox.
I had my computer on MLB.com and when I arrived home about 6.00pm I could hear talking and this is no lie. The first recognizable thing I heard when I got into range on my computer was a recap of the White Sox day two draft and Brian Goodwin was a 5 star player who could have easily gone on day one but whether he could be signed or go to college was the big issue. Being a five star player the only question is how well he will hit in the majors. MLB compared him to Kenny Lofton who played for nearly 20 years in the majors.
If you remember just three years ago D H Conley's Alex White had made it known all spring in High school that unless someone gave him a million dollars he was going to Carolina. He was drafted in the 14th round. He also went to Carolina and was the 15th pick in the entire draft yesterday.
Brian Goodwin, Ben Fish and Tyler Joyner are in Myrtle Beach for two days of all star games Thursday and Friday between North Carolina and South Carolina.. John Wooten of Eastern Wayne and the son of former Rocky Mount High star Sonny Wooten is also playing for North Carolina.
Brian,Ben and Tyler will be back home Saturday morning to graduate fro Rocky Mount and Northern Nash.
The New-6 has had a policy of depending on where you finished in the league determined how many players could make all conference. The all conference softball team has been announced and Laura Alford has made the first team. Cary Mosher is second team and Clytesia Garner is honorable mention.
Hope to have news tomorrow about Chad Womble former Gryphon pitcher. Stay tuned
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
MLB Draft Day One Is Over
The first three rounds of the major league draft is over and no local names were called.
For all of us who pull for for either Northern Nash or Rocky Mount we all wanted to hear their names called.
I have heard all spring that the Joyner family were sending vibes to scouts that they wanted to send Tyler to college and were not that interested in signing and playing minor league baseball at this time. Tyler has committed to the Nash County American Legion team this summer before Billy Godwin gets him in the fall at ECU.
I think even the Goodwin family had told scouts that Brian would have to be a high, high pick in order to sway him from Mike Fox and Chapel Hill.
When Charles Alston sent out the e-mail that Brian had decided to play select baseball this summer in Ohio I kind of thought that the Goodwin's after hearing what scouts were telling them where they thought Brian might go in the draft that they put out the word that they would spend the next three years in Chapel Hill.
I suspect we will hear their names called before the week is over since there are 50 rounds of players picked. 1600 players will get drafted by end of the day Thursday.
Major league teams don't have many quality picks and when family's send out messages that we are not interested most teams look in the direction of those that are. By the time the 10th round rolls around teams will start taking shots in the dark just to see if they can lure players to pro ball.
Round four starts at Noon on Wednesday.
The Tar Heels of North Carolina had three player drafted. As expected Dustin Ackley went as the second player taken to Seattle and D H Conley's Alex White was the fifteenth player taken. Carolina was the only school with two players taken in the first round. Kyle Seager was taken in the third round. As it turned out they were the only college players taken from any North Carolina College.
There was one thing very obvious in the draft. If you were six three and could throw ninty miles and hour or faster you got drafted. The ninty fifth pick in the draft was the first pitcher less than six feet three. Almost half of the draft were pitchers.
For all of us who pull for for either Northern Nash or Rocky Mount we all wanted to hear their names called.
I have heard all spring that the Joyner family were sending vibes to scouts that they wanted to send Tyler to college and were not that interested in signing and playing minor league baseball at this time. Tyler has committed to the Nash County American Legion team this summer before Billy Godwin gets him in the fall at ECU.
I think even the Goodwin family had told scouts that Brian would have to be a high, high pick in order to sway him from Mike Fox and Chapel Hill.
When Charles Alston sent out the e-mail that Brian had decided to play select baseball this summer in Ohio I kind of thought that the Goodwin's after hearing what scouts were telling them where they thought Brian might go in the draft that they put out the word that they would spend the next three years in Chapel Hill.
I suspect we will hear their names called before the week is over since there are 50 rounds of players picked. 1600 players will get drafted by end of the day Thursday.
Major league teams don't have many quality picks and when family's send out messages that we are not interested most teams look in the direction of those that are. By the time the 10th round rolls around teams will start taking shots in the dark just to see if they can lure players to pro ball.
Round four starts at Noon on Wednesday.
The Tar Heels of North Carolina had three player drafted. As expected Dustin Ackley went as the second player taken to Seattle and D H Conley's Alex White was the fifteenth player taken. Carolina was the only school with two players taken in the first round. Kyle Seager was taken in the third round. As it turned out they were the only college players taken from any North Carolina College.
There was one thing very obvious in the draft. If you were six three and could throw ninty miles and hour or faster you got drafted. The ninty fifth pick in the draft was the first pitcher less than six feet three. Almost half of the draft were pitchers.
MLB Draft Starts Today
I think it is 6.00pm tonight the major league baseball draft begins. If either Brian Goodwin or Tyler Joyner go in the first round I will come back on this blog and announce where they were taken.
The preliminary draft experts are not showing Brian in the first round. As long as it takes to complete the first round and if neither player is drafted tonight then It will be late Wednesday before I know myself. I am limited on line during working hours.
It is my guess Brian will go about round two or three and Tyler may be in the top five rounds.
You know both have invites to play college ball next year so not going high in the draft as everyone thinks is not the end of the world for either.
If something pops I will post as soon as I know.
Carolina plays Sunday in the college world series. They are matched up with Arizona State the team that beat Clemson two straight in the super regional.
Virginia plays Saturday against LSU. Both Carolina and Virginia are in different brackets so they will not play each other unless the both make the championship series two out of three next weekend.
The Nash County American legion game for tonight at Northern Nash has been moved to Tarboro. The new Legion team started Saturday at New Bern and lost 14-4. When we look at the roster I think they have a good team it is sometimes a matter playing together and it falls into place. We will see. First home game is scheduled for 3.00pm Sunday afternoon at Wesyelan's Bauer Field.
Game time is 7.00pm tonight at Northern Nash. They also play at Northern Wednesday night and have another home game Sunday afternoon at NC Wesleyan
The preliminary draft experts are not showing Brian in the first round. As long as it takes to complete the first round and if neither player is drafted tonight then It will be late Wednesday before I know myself. I am limited on line during working hours.
It is my guess Brian will go about round two or three and Tyler may be in the top five rounds.
You know both have invites to play college ball next year so not going high in the draft as everyone thinks is not the end of the world for either.
If something pops I will post as soon as I know.
Carolina plays Sunday in the college world series. They are matched up with Arizona State the team that beat Clemson two straight in the super regional.
Virginia plays Saturday against LSU. Both Carolina and Virginia are in different brackets so they will not play each other unless the both make the championship series two out of three next weekend.
The Nash County American legion game for tonight at Northern Nash has been moved to Tarboro. The new Legion team started Saturday at New Bern and lost 14-4. When we look at the roster I think they have a good team it is sometimes a matter playing together and it falls into place. We will see. First home game is scheduled for 3.00pm Sunday afternoon at Wesyelan's Bauer Field.
Game time is 7.00pm tonight at Northern Nash. They also play at Northern Wednesday night and have another home game Sunday afternoon at NC Wesleyan
Monday, June 8, 2009
End Of An Era
Tuesday, June 9 is draft day for Major League Baseball. For the first time in a long while Nash County will be interested in what transpires. There is a possibility at least two area players may be taken. Perhaps one even in the first round.
Despite being from different teams, Rocky Mount's Brian Goodwin and Northern's Tyler Joyner have been teammates from way back. If you look at one team that they were teammates on, you will see that the entire team may be the best collection of amateur baseball talent ever assembled representing Nash County.
Back in 2004 and 2005, almost the entire team went to the Babe Ruth World Series two years in a row. But due to time constraints, will focus on the 2005 team that played for the Babe Ruth World Championship in Quincy, Mass.
Xavier Macklin – Nash Central grad. A rising sophomore at North Carolina A&T. He was voted to the MEAC All-Conference baseball team as a freshman. He very well could get drafted after his junior year. Travis Ward, the head coach of those Nash County teams, commented: ‘You had the Rocky Mount guys and then the Northern guys and then "X" kinda galvanized everyone. His smile and personality kept us all happy. He was our No. 3 pitcher and won many big ball games in his two years. He and Brian together in the outfield were something to watch.’
Tyler Clark - Starting catcher for Northern Nash for four years. Will play college ball at N.C. Wesleyan. Ward called him "the most complete player on the Babe Ruth team."
Mike Williams – Northern third baseman for three years. Ward called Mike the emotional leader. He will play at UNC-Pembroke next year
Ben Fish - Three-year starter at catcher for Rocky Mount. All-time RBI leader in Gryphon history (81). Ward called Ben a warrior, “Ben was a quiet guy by nature, but I tried to help him see that he could also be the leader we needed and ultimately at RMHS needed.”
Dillon Cockrell - Four-year starter at shortstop for Rocky Mount. Played more games for the Gryphons than any other player in history (106). When called upon, he was 9-0 in his career as a pitcher. In Quincy, his relief performance in extra innings propelled the Nash County team to the championship game.
Tyler Joyner - Won 30 games in his career at Northern. He has a baseball scholarship to ECU in back pocket. Maybe the best left-handed pitcher from this area since the 60s and Tarboro’s Mike Caldwell.. Travis says, “you always knew you had a chance to win when Tyler took to the hill. His desire to dominate hitters is his best strength."
Brian Goodwin - Will play for Mike Fox at Carolina next year? Nearly a career .400 hitter at Rocky Mount. MVP of State 3-A Championship in 2008. Ward called Brian, "the most talented player he has ever been around."
Gabe Brown - Was starting second basemen much of his career at Rocky Mount. I hear he plans to walk on next year. Was the leading hitter for much of the Babe Ruth run.
Cameron Ramsey - Backup utility player at Rocky Mount. I hear he will also try walking on next season. Ward: ‘he loved the game more than anyone that we had. He ate, drank and lived the game of baseball. He has a problem with asthma and anyone who has ever played for me will tell you that I demand lots of running, but Cambo never stopped. There were many days where he could hardly breathe and would be in tears, but he refused to stop running. Great, great kid and teammate.’
Parker Stallings - Travis Ward on Stallings: “Parker was very valuable to our pitching staff. He was used mainly in middle relief, but normally threw the ball over the plate and gave our defense a chance."
Hunter Browning - Got the winning hit an RBI in the regional final in Tennessee.
Hunter Perry - Ward called him the “Rev”. Defensive specialist.
Travis Ward, Jammy Mitchell and Greg Clark were the luckiest coaches of them all. They had them all on one team. They won the Babe Ruth State Championship in Rocky Mount. Then they took the Southeast Regional in Greenville, Tn. and finished second in the Babe Ruth World Series in Quincy.
Said Ward, "We had been through so much in the regional and then faced Tri-Valley (Cal.) drained us of whatever we had left in the tank. Tri-Valley had knocked us out the year before. There is no doubt our kids put all they had into beating them, but it was a great game going back and forth and was played so well and then the extra innings."
The extra innings depleted Nash County's pitching for the championship game the next day against Jefferson Parish, La.
Northern twice played in the NCHSAA 3-A eastern regional series (2007, 2009) and Rocky Mount won the NCHSAA 3-A state title in 2008. With this talent, they won or shared four conference titles between them.
Seven of the 12 will be playing baseball next season either in college on scholarship or the minors.
If they had of all played at one high school, there very well could have been three state championships in a row for Nash County.
It is the greatest team ever from Nash County.
Despite being from different teams, Rocky Mount's Brian Goodwin and Northern's Tyler Joyner have been teammates from way back. If you look at one team that they were teammates on, you will see that the entire team may be the best collection of amateur baseball talent ever assembled representing Nash County.
Back in 2004 and 2005, almost the entire team went to the Babe Ruth World Series two years in a row. But due to time constraints, will focus on the 2005 team that played for the Babe Ruth World Championship in Quincy, Mass.
Xavier Macklin – Nash Central grad. A rising sophomore at North Carolina A&T. He was voted to the MEAC All-Conference baseball team as a freshman. He very well could get drafted after his junior year. Travis Ward, the head coach of those Nash County teams, commented: ‘You had the Rocky Mount guys and then the Northern guys and then "X" kinda galvanized everyone. His smile and personality kept us all happy. He was our No. 3 pitcher and won many big ball games in his two years. He and Brian together in the outfield were something to watch.’
Tyler Clark - Starting catcher for Northern Nash for four years. Will play college ball at N.C. Wesleyan. Ward called him "the most complete player on the Babe Ruth team."
Mike Williams – Northern third baseman for three years. Ward called Mike the emotional leader. He will play at UNC-Pembroke next year
Ben Fish - Three-year starter at catcher for Rocky Mount. All-time RBI leader in Gryphon history (81). Ward called Ben a warrior, “Ben was a quiet guy by nature, but I tried to help him see that he could also be the leader we needed and ultimately at RMHS needed.”
Dillon Cockrell - Four-year starter at shortstop for Rocky Mount. Played more games for the Gryphons than any other player in history (106). When called upon, he was 9-0 in his career as a pitcher. In Quincy, his relief performance in extra innings propelled the Nash County team to the championship game.
Tyler Joyner - Won 30 games in his career at Northern. He has a baseball scholarship to ECU in back pocket. Maybe the best left-handed pitcher from this area since the 60s and Tarboro’s Mike Caldwell.. Travis says, “you always knew you had a chance to win when Tyler took to the hill. His desire to dominate hitters is his best strength."
Brian Goodwin - Will play for Mike Fox at Carolina next year? Nearly a career .400 hitter at Rocky Mount. MVP of State 3-A Championship in 2008. Ward called Brian, "the most talented player he has ever been around."
Gabe Brown - Was starting second basemen much of his career at Rocky Mount. I hear he plans to walk on next year. Was the leading hitter for much of the Babe Ruth run.
Cameron Ramsey - Backup utility player at Rocky Mount. I hear he will also try walking on next season. Ward: ‘he loved the game more than anyone that we had. He ate, drank and lived the game of baseball. He has a problem with asthma and anyone who has ever played for me will tell you that I demand lots of running, but Cambo never stopped. There were many days where he could hardly breathe and would be in tears, but he refused to stop running. Great, great kid and teammate.’
Parker Stallings - Travis Ward on Stallings: “Parker was very valuable to our pitching staff. He was used mainly in middle relief, but normally threw the ball over the plate and gave our defense a chance."
Hunter Browning - Got the winning hit an RBI in the regional final in Tennessee.
Hunter Perry - Ward called him the “Rev”. Defensive specialist.
Travis Ward, Jammy Mitchell and Greg Clark were the luckiest coaches of them all. They had them all on one team. They won the Babe Ruth State Championship in Rocky Mount. Then they took the Southeast Regional in Greenville, Tn. and finished second in the Babe Ruth World Series in Quincy.
Said Ward, "We had been through so much in the regional and then faced Tri-Valley (Cal.) drained us of whatever we had left in the tank. Tri-Valley had knocked us out the year before. There is no doubt our kids put all they had into beating them, but it was a great game going back and forth and was played so well and then the extra innings."
The extra innings depleted Nash County's pitching for the championship game the next day against Jefferson Parish, La.
Northern twice played in the NCHSAA 3-A eastern regional series (2007, 2009) and Rocky Mount won the NCHSAA 3-A state title in 2008. With this talent, they won or shared four conference titles between them.
Seven of the 12 will be playing baseball next season either in college on scholarship or the minors.
If they had of all played at one high school, there very well could have been three state championships in a row for Nash County.
It is the greatest team ever from Nash County.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Can you spell O-M-A-H-A!
North Carolina's baseball team is headed to the College World Series for the fourth year in a row.
The East Carolina Pirates were beaten twice this weekend by pitchers that could have easily chosen the Pirates over the Heels.
Saturday, Alex White, a D.H. Conley product from Pitt County, held the Pirate bats to one run. Today, Adam Warren, a senior form New Bern High School,held the bats down until the game was all but over. Carolina won the second game 9-3 to sweep ECU and win the Super regional two games to none.
The College World Series starts Saturday, June 13 and the Virginia Cavaliers will be joining their fellow ACC members theTar Heels in Nebraska. UVA beat Ole' Miss today in the third game of their Super Regional 5-1 in Oxford, Miss. Virginia will be the ninth team since the NCAA went to the super regional format to play on the road in the regional and super regional and make it to the World Series.
In the three-game series for Virginia, its pitchers gave up eight runs and in the two-game series for North Carolina's pitchers, they gave up just four.
If you look back to my Thursday blog, I predicted that the Pirates would not have enough pitching to beat the Heels. Carolina scored 19 runs in the two games.
Shifting to Rocky Mount ... The girls All-Conference team has been announced in soccer and RM's midfielder Kelsey Benson, goalie Holly Campbell and defender Michelle Karr made the first team. Lauren Campbell and Alllison Raper made second -team all-conference. Baseball's all-league team will be announced this week.
Don't forget my Monday blog will highhlight what I consider to be the greatest team ever in Nash County. I hope to have it up by 7 a.m.
The East Carolina Pirates were beaten twice this weekend by pitchers that could have easily chosen the Pirates over the Heels.
Saturday, Alex White, a D.H. Conley product from Pitt County, held the Pirate bats to one run. Today, Adam Warren, a senior form New Bern High School,held the bats down until the game was all but over. Carolina won the second game 9-3 to sweep ECU and win the Super regional two games to none.
The College World Series starts Saturday, June 13 and the Virginia Cavaliers will be joining their fellow ACC members theTar Heels in Nebraska. UVA beat Ole' Miss today in the third game of their Super Regional 5-1 in Oxford, Miss. Virginia will be the ninth team since the NCAA went to the super regional format to play on the road in the regional and super regional and make it to the World Series.
In the three-game series for Virginia, its pitchers gave up eight runs and in the two-game series for North Carolina's pitchers, they gave up just four.
If you look back to my Thursday blog, I predicted that the Pirates would not have enough pitching to beat the Heels. Carolina scored 19 runs in the two games.
Shifting to Rocky Mount ... The girls All-Conference team has been announced in soccer and RM's midfielder Kelsey Benson, goalie Holly Campbell and defender Michelle Karr made the first team. Lauren Campbell and Alllison Raper made second -team all-conference. Baseball's all-league team will be announced this week.
Don't forget my Monday blog will highhlight what I consider to be the greatest team ever in Nash County. I hope to have it up by 7 a.m.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
White Too Much For The Pirates
Maybe pitching for the last time in front of the Carolina faithful in Chapel Hill, Greenville Native Alex White pitched maybe his best game ever as he lead the Tarheels of North Carolina to a 10-1 rout of the Pirates of ECU.
White struck out his twelfth batter his career high as the first out of the ninth inning and in a classy move by Mike Fox went to the mound and removed White from the game. Fox left White standing on the mound alone waiting for his replacement where the Carolina crowd plus Greenville supporters could applaud White as he walked off the mound for possibly the last time.
Tuesday is Major league draft day and White as a Junior is expected to be drafted in the first round.
ECU and Carolina play game two at noon Sunday and a Carolina victory will send the Heels to the College World Series for the third year in a row. If the Pirates win game three will be Monday but the time of the game is up in the air at this point depending on how many other regionals will need to be played also on Monday.
There will be no world Series for Florida State as the ACC regular season champs lose twice in a row to Arkansas a Southeastern Conference team that failed to win half of their conference games during the regular season.
Virginia is still alive and will play game three of their series Sunday after beating Mississippi 4-3 Saturday after losing 3-2 Friday.
Eastern Wayne on Saturday managed to survive in the 3-A baseball Championship at Mudcat stadium. They won game two 3-0 and in the second game of today's championship doubleheader they lose the second game 8-7.
Got a call from Joe Bell and Nash County American Legion starts their home schedule Tuesday night at Northern Nash.
I would like to let you know my Monday blog will feature the greatest baseball team in Nash County history. Check Monday and see if you agree.
TODAY IS JUNE 6TH AND MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT DATE OF WORLD WAR TWO OCCURRED SIXTY FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY D-DAY. NOT ONLY A THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO FOUGHT THEN BUT A HEART FELT THANK YOU TO ALL THAT HAVE SERVED IN ORDER FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME TO BE ABLE TO BABBLE ON BLOGS LIKE THIS TODAY.
White struck out his twelfth batter his career high as the first out of the ninth inning and in a classy move by Mike Fox went to the mound and removed White from the game. Fox left White standing on the mound alone waiting for his replacement where the Carolina crowd plus Greenville supporters could applaud White as he walked off the mound for possibly the last time.
Tuesday is Major league draft day and White as a Junior is expected to be drafted in the first round.
ECU and Carolina play game two at noon Sunday and a Carolina victory will send the Heels to the College World Series for the third year in a row. If the Pirates win game three will be Monday but the time of the game is up in the air at this point depending on how many other regionals will need to be played also on Monday.
There will be no world Series for Florida State as the ACC regular season champs lose twice in a row to Arkansas a Southeastern Conference team that failed to win half of their conference games during the regular season.
Virginia is still alive and will play game three of their series Sunday after beating Mississippi 4-3 Saturday after losing 3-2 Friday.
Eastern Wayne on Saturday managed to survive in the 3-A baseball Championship at Mudcat stadium. They won game two 3-0 and in the second game of today's championship doubleheader they lose the second game 8-7.
Got a call from Joe Bell and Nash County American Legion starts their home schedule Tuesday night at Northern Nash.
I would like to let you know my Monday blog will feature the greatest baseball team in Nash County history. Check Monday and see if you agree.
TODAY IS JUNE 6TH AND MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT DATE OF WORLD WAR TWO OCCURRED SIXTY FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY D-DAY. NOT ONLY A THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO FOUGHT THEN BUT A HEART FELT THANK YOU TO ALL THAT HAVE SERVED IN ORDER FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME TO BE ABLE TO BABBLE ON BLOGS LIKE THIS TODAY.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Full Circle
Randy Johnson won his first Major league game in 1988 pitching for the Montreal Expos. Yesterday he won his 300th game beating the Washington team that use to be the Expos.
In his career Johnson has beaten every team in major league baseball that's all thirty teams at least once.
While Johnson was recording number 300 Tom Glavine was cut by the Braves. Glavine who has won 305 major league games now must wait and see if anyone will pick him up. I think it is time for Tom to pack up and go home.
Last night was a perfect example of why I hate the NBA. Orlando made twenty three shots in forty eight minutes of basketball. These guys all get paid millions of dollars. I think the first rule in order to make the sums of money they are paid is be able to shoot... If that doesn't work try shooting a layup.
NBA commissioner David Stern had a face to face meeting with Lebron James yesterday and the result is that Stern has decided to change his mind and fined James $25,000 for missing the game six post game interview with the media last Saturday night. I reallly don't know why it took almost a week for the fine.
Crosby and Maulkin played hockey last night like they did against the Hurricanes. Each had a goal and an assist as the Penguins tied the Stanley Cup finals at two games each.
College basketball has decided to eliminate the charge under the basket rule like the NBA has. I like that idea. However the college ranks will not draw a dotted line on the floor like the NBA does so there will be controversy over where the charge took place on every call.
Charles Alston sent out an e-mail yesterday stating that Mike Gainey had posted the football job on the North Carolina High School Athletic Association website with a deadline for applications as June 19th with hopes of a new coach by July one.
Now let me start using my old brain here and see what I make of this. Sounds to me as if either no one on the old coaching staff has applied for the job or no one will be promoted from the ranks to get the job. Why post a job if you can fill it from within your house?
We live in times where breaking even is money in the bank. There is a report on WRAL.COM that states North Carolina baseball will lose over a half million dollars this year. Hidden in the same story is where North Carolina's Women's basketball lost near 2 million.
I am sure every major school has difficulty in their minor sports getting close to break even. In our society today with all the layoffs I think image would serve college sports by playing closer to home instead of traveling for a weekend tournament in Hawaii. There is nothing wrong with Carolina playing North Carolina Central at home over traveling to New York to play in Madison Square Garden.
In his career Johnson has beaten every team in major league baseball that's all thirty teams at least once.
While Johnson was recording number 300 Tom Glavine was cut by the Braves. Glavine who has won 305 major league games now must wait and see if anyone will pick him up. I think it is time for Tom to pack up and go home.
Last night was a perfect example of why I hate the NBA. Orlando made twenty three shots in forty eight minutes of basketball. These guys all get paid millions of dollars. I think the first rule in order to make the sums of money they are paid is be able to shoot... If that doesn't work try shooting a layup.
NBA commissioner David Stern had a face to face meeting with Lebron James yesterday and the result is that Stern has decided to change his mind and fined James $25,000 for missing the game six post game interview with the media last Saturday night. I reallly don't know why it took almost a week for the fine.
Crosby and Maulkin played hockey last night like they did against the Hurricanes. Each had a goal and an assist as the Penguins tied the Stanley Cup finals at two games each.
College basketball has decided to eliminate the charge under the basket rule like the NBA has. I like that idea. However the college ranks will not draw a dotted line on the floor like the NBA does so there will be controversy over where the charge took place on every call.
Charles Alston sent out an e-mail yesterday stating that Mike Gainey had posted the football job on the North Carolina High School Athletic Association website with a deadline for applications as June 19th with hopes of a new coach by July one.
Now let me start using my old brain here and see what I make of this. Sounds to me as if either no one on the old coaching staff has applied for the job or no one will be promoted from the ranks to get the job. Why post a job if you can fill it from within your house?
We live in times where breaking even is money in the bank. There is a report on WRAL.COM that states North Carolina baseball will lose over a half million dollars this year. Hidden in the same story is where North Carolina's Women's basketball lost near 2 million.
I am sure every major school has difficulty in their minor sports getting close to break even. In our society today with all the layoffs I think image would serve college sports by playing closer to home instead of traveling for a weekend tournament in Hawaii. There is nothing wrong with Carolina playing North Carolina Central at home over traveling to New York to play in Madison Square Garden.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
No Major Crisis So Far Today
The day has started and so far no major crisis to upset the world as I know it. I'm not talking about world events but I'm talking about my life as I live it every day.
I'm more worried about whether the next coach likes to be interviewed than whether we make world peace with the Arab world.
So far today there is peace in my world no major crisis.
The North Carolina-ECU super regional is starting at 12.00 noon Saturday. The first game is on ESPN-U and the second an if needed third will be at noon Sunday and Monday on ESPN-2.
I have mentioned this several times but I need to close the book on him this year. Xavier Macklin the former Nash Central baseball star was voted to the MEAC all conference team as a freshman. X-man hit 361 on the season, he lead the league in Home Runs 11, rbi's 46 and in total bases 129. Remember he was only a freshman this year.
Matt Hill the sophomore golfer for N C State who won the NCAA championship last week became only the second golfer in NCAA history to win his conference championship, the regional in which he played and then the national Championship. The only other golfer ever to do that? Tiger Woods.
Getting back to NCAA baseball coverage. All four ACC teams that are alive can be seen on some sort of TV this weekend on the ESPN network of channels. Starting at noon Friday ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and even on your computer ESPN-360. There will be some sort of game on starting at noon Friday until about midnight Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Then Monday if the third games are needed until all series are over.
Regardless of which one it is there will be a North Carolina team in the College World Series which will make next weekend interesting.
I honestly don't think ECU has the pitching to beat Carolina.
I'm more worried about whether the next coach likes to be interviewed than whether we make world peace with the Arab world.
So far today there is peace in my world no major crisis.
The North Carolina-ECU super regional is starting at 12.00 noon Saturday. The first game is on ESPN-U and the second an if needed third will be at noon Sunday and Monday on ESPN-2.
I have mentioned this several times but I need to close the book on him this year. Xavier Macklin the former Nash Central baseball star was voted to the MEAC all conference team as a freshman. X-man hit 361 on the season, he lead the league in Home Runs 11, rbi's 46 and in total bases 129. Remember he was only a freshman this year.
Matt Hill the sophomore golfer for N C State who won the NCAA championship last week became only the second golfer in NCAA history to win his conference championship, the regional in which he played and then the national Championship. The only other golfer ever to do that? Tiger Woods.
Getting back to NCAA baseball coverage. All four ACC teams that are alive can be seen on some sort of TV this weekend on the ESPN network of channels. Starting at noon Friday ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and even on your computer ESPN-360. There will be some sort of game on starting at noon Friday until about midnight Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Then Monday if the third games are needed until all series are over.
Regardless of which one it is there will be a North Carolina team in the College World Series which will make next weekend interesting.
I honestly don't think ECU has the pitching to beat Carolina.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Life Moves On
The Gryphon community is numb this morning with both Pat Smith and B.W. Holt both deciding that retirement is in their best interest.
As bad as all of us feel, both of them know what is best for their lives is more important than whether Rocky Mount continues to win ball games.
The Gryphon sports programs will continue and who knows whoever takes over both programs may be the next Smith and Holt of North Carolina high schools sports.
Whomever replaces them needs to be disciplinarians. Rocky Mount High School is an inner city school. In their time here as coaches, has either one of them had a player in trouble with the law? If they have, I have never heard about it.
All of this tells me is our students will respond when they are challenged to be the best they can be. They excepted nothing less than the best from each player. Those players responded. I only wish that the county administration would use their example and require all students to live the way our baseball and football players have.
I understand that 10 percent of those in school have no business being there because they don't want to be there. That 10 percent has the administration dropping standards for the other 90 percent.
Smith and Holt never dropped their standard and it showed in the classroom and ball field.
Other schools in the area are rejoicing today because they think the bottom has fallen out and Rocky Mount will automatically fall off the face of the Earth.
That will not happen if discipline will be one of the main requirements of the new coaches.
I see that Mike Mosley, basketball coach and athletic director at Nash Central, has annnounced that he is retiring. Big changes are happening at Rocky Mount, Nash Central and at Fike. We still may have more surprises coming across the county before the end of school.
Brian Goodwin, Ben Fish and Tyler Joyner will represent Nash County in the North Carolina/South Carolina All-Star baseball game being played June 12 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Roman Kelley, former Gryphon quarterback, will be roaming the sidelines next football season as head coach at South Brunswick High School in Southport. I wonder where daddy George Kelley will be on Friday night's this fall as he is principal at West Brunswick in Shallotte. He might get to see him at least once when South and West play each other.
As bad as all of us feel, both of them know what is best for their lives is more important than whether Rocky Mount continues to win ball games.
The Gryphon sports programs will continue and who knows whoever takes over both programs may be the next Smith and Holt of North Carolina high schools sports.
Whomever replaces them needs to be disciplinarians. Rocky Mount High School is an inner city school. In their time here as coaches, has either one of them had a player in trouble with the law? If they have, I have never heard about it.
All of this tells me is our students will respond when they are challenged to be the best they can be. They excepted nothing less than the best from each player. Those players responded. I only wish that the county administration would use their example and require all students to live the way our baseball and football players have.
I understand that 10 percent of those in school have no business being there because they don't want to be there. That 10 percent has the administration dropping standards for the other 90 percent.
Smith and Holt never dropped their standard and it showed in the classroom and ball field.
Other schools in the area are rejoicing today because they think the bottom has fallen out and Rocky Mount will automatically fall off the face of the Earth.
That will not happen if discipline will be one of the main requirements of the new coaches.
I see that Mike Mosley, basketball coach and athletic director at Nash Central, has annnounced that he is retiring. Big changes are happening at Rocky Mount, Nash Central and at Fike. We still may have more surprises coming across the county before the end of school.
Brian Goodwin, Ben Fish and Tyler Joyner will represent Nash County in the North Carolina/South Carolina All-Star baseball game being played June 12 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Roman Kelley, former Gryphon quarterback, will be roaming the sidelines next football season as head coach at South Brunswick High School in Southport. I wonder where daddy George Kelley will be on Friday night's this fall as he is principal at West Brunswick in Shallotte. He might get to see him at least once when South and West play each other.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Another Tree Falls At Rocky Mount.
The rumors have been stirring and today the old oak tree was cut down as B W Holt resigned as head football ending a six year run that brought Rocky Mount football from mediocre to one of the best programs in the state.
Within the span of a week Rocky Mount will now have to replace both of their highly successful baseball and football coaches.
Holt's arrival in the city on the rise occurred in 2003 because of problems with the previous announce new head coach when complications arose over his resume'. In the middle of July Holt arrives not knowing one player and had to get ready for his first practice with a team that he had never seen.
Yet they won their first five games and finished his first campaign with an 8-3 record.
Year number two brought a stunning undefeated regular season and unset victories over Rose and New Bern on the road. The New Bern game I still consider my second most exciting game of all time that I ever did behind the mike on radio which resulted in a two point conversion in overtime to win at New Bern 35-34.
The New-6 conference during the next four years saw only two conference defeats in that span, three conference championships and three trips to the Eastern Regional finals.
A six year record of 71-12. Four conference championships and a playoff record 14-6. Those are Babe Ruth numbers .
When all the said and done is over I think The baseball program will be filled from within the program but football is a different beast all together. Those remaining football coaches none have head coaching experience and with the level Holt has the Gryphon program there is not a coach in North Carolina that would not want the job just based on football.
However with all the cuts being made within the county the number of assistants jobs available as well as what you might consider the gravy part of the job may not be there for an outsider to leave what he already has.
Regardless of who ever replaces B W Holt he will leave the well full of fresh water. I would suspect that Rocky Mount will be the preseason favorite to win the New Big East 3-A next year.
After Holt stayed at Starmount for 19 seasons he left the well over flowing and the next coach was able to win the state title.
The well is no where close to dry at Rocky Mount and you can thank B W Holt for that.
Within the span of a week Rocky Mount will now have to replace both of their highly successful baseball and football coaches.
Holt's arrival in the city on the rise occurred in 2003 because of problems with the previous announce new head coach when complications arose over his resume'. In the middle of July Holt arrives not knowing one player and had to get ready for his first practice with a team that he had never seen.
Yet they won their first five games and finished his first campaign with an 8-3 record.
Year number two brought a stunning undefeated regular season and unset victories over Rose and New Bern on the road. The New Bern game I still consider my second most exciting game of all time that I ever did behind the mike on radio which resulted in a two point conversion in overtime to win at New Bern 35-34.
The New-6 conference during the next four years saw only two conference defeats in that span, three conference championships and three trips to the Eastern Regional finals.
A six year record of 71-12. Four conference championships and a playoff record 14-6. Those are Babe Ruth numbers .
When all the said and done is over I think The baseball program will be filled from within the program but football is a different beast all together. Those remaining football coaches none have head coaching experience and with the level Holt has the Gryphon program there is not a coach in North Carolina that would not want the job just based on football.
However with all the cuts being made within the county the number of assistants jobs available as well as what you might consider the gravy part of the job may not be there for an outsider to leave what he already has.
Regardless of who ever replaces B W Holt he will leave the well full of fresh water. I would suspect that Rocky Mount will be the preseason favorite to win the New Big East 3-A next year.
After Holt stayed at Starmount for 19 seasons he left the well over flowing and the next coach was able to win the state title.
The well is no where close to dry at Rocky Mount and you can thank B W Holt for that.
ECU Rallies,Headed To Chapel Hill
Down six to zip in the fifth inning the ECU Pirates fought their way back and in the bottom of the ninth inning got a three run homer to tie and send the game into overtime. Wasting little time the Pirates scratched a run home in the tenth inning to dispense of South Carolina 10-9 and earn a shot in the Super regional against UNC-Chapel Hill.
ECU played the Gamecocks three times in three days. South Carolina sent ECU to the losers bracket having beaten the Pirates 12-2 in Saturday's winner's bracket game. ECU won twice on Sunday beating Binghamton first in the losers bracket elimination game and then hung on for dear life in beating South Carolina in their second game on Sunday 10-8 after having a big lead almost disappear.
ECU and UNC begin their Super regional in Chapel Hill on Friday night. This is the first Super for ECU since 2004 and North Carolina's fourth in a row.
Lost by most of us when we heard of the Pat Smith resignation at RMHS was he is the second coach there that needs to be replace. Debbie Webb retired at Christmas as the girl's volley ball coach. She has been replace by Tabitha Wilcox who will lead the lady spikers next season.
Wilcox has been the volley ball coach at Edwards has coached all of the existing volley ball players except for this year rising senior class.
My daughter Morgan having been a volley ball player at Edwards as a seventh grader, I had a chance to watch Tab coach and she made all players serve over handed in order to play. This cost her some wins due to the fact they didn't always get the overhanded serves over while other teams underhanded it across the net. Once those players got to high school they were well ahead of other teams in their ability to play volley ball.
I think Tab will keep the tradition going for the Gryphons in Volley ball.
All of the hoop-la over Lebron not shaking hands is a big effort by the news media to keep something in the news. hardly any pro players shake hands after game in any sport.
If you think back the NFL coaches use to wave across the field at each other until the NFL made it mandatory that they shake hands. Now all you get is a slight hand touch in most cases.
Where the reel issue I have with LeBron James is his missing the news conference. The NBA is not going to fine him but they should have hit him with about a $50,000 fine. It was too late at night for me to sit up and watch the press conferences on ESPN- News but I enjoy the after game interviews during the NFL season especially Philip Rivers and San Diego. He didn't let the news media down but the fans who wanted to hear from him.
Lebron's news conference explanation to me on Sunday why he didn't shake hands is up their with the Allen Iverson's interview "but this is practice" which showed Iverson as shelfish, and above everyone else. Iverson was never thought of as the super star after that like he thought he was.
ECU played the Gamecocks three times in three days. South Carolina sent ECU to the losers bracket having beaten the Pirates 12-2 in Saturday's winner's bracket game. ECU won twice on Sunday beating Binghamton first in the losers bracket elimination game and then hung on for dear life in beating South Carolina in their second game on Sunday 10-8 after having a big lead almost disappear.
ECU and UNC begin their Super regional in Chapel Hill on Friday night. This is the first Super for ECU since 2004 and North Carolina's fourth in a row.
Lost by most of us when we heard of the Pat Smith resignation at RMHS was he is the second coach there that needs to be replace. Debbie Webb retired at Christmas as the girl's volley ball coach. She has been replace by Tabitha Wilcox who will lead the lady spikers next season.
Wilcox has been the volley ball coach at Edwards has coached all of the existing volley ball players except for this year rising senior class.
My daughter Morgan having been a volley ball player at Edwards as a seventh grader, I had a chance to watch Tab coach and she made all players serve over handed in order to play. This cost her some wins due to the fact they didn't always get the overhanded serves over while other teams underhanded it across the net. Once those players got to high school they were well ahead of other teams in their ability to play volley ball.
I think Tab will keep the tradition going for the Gryphons in Volley ball.
All of the hoop-la over Lebron not shaking hands is a big effort by the news media to keep something in the news. hardly any pro players shake hands after game in any sport.
If you think back the NFL coaches use to wave across the field at each other until the NFL made it mandatory that they shake hands. Now all you get is a slight hand touch in most cases.
Where the reel issue I have with LeBron James is his missing the news conference. The NBA is not going to fine him but they should have hit him with about a $50,000 fine. It was too late at night for me to sit up and watch the press conferences on ESPN- News but I enjoy the after game interviews during the NFL season especially Philip Rivers and San Diego. He didn't let the news media down but the fans who wanted to hear from him.
Lebron's news conference explanation to me on Sunday why he didn't shake hands is up their with the Allen Iverson's interview "but this is practice" which showed Iverson as shelfish, and above everyone else. Iverson was never thought of as the super star after that like he thought he was.
Monday, June 1, 2009
I'm Rooting for Mike Fox
This Wolfpacker is one guy who would really like to see Mike Fox win a national championship with Carolina baseball.
My son Brooks went to Mike's baseball camp while he was at North Carolina Wesleyan and the final Friday parents are invited to come watch your kids play. Brooks was on what looked like the best team after they had played one game. You played three inning games with a Wesleyan pitcher and catcher and you got one swing when you batted.
During the second game the best player on Brook's team slapped a teammate while they were batting right in front of Mike and all the parents that were there. Mike grabbed that young man by the collar and I am saying to myself "oh no Mike may killed him in front of all us parents".
Mike took the young man over to the bleachers where the parents were sitting and told him sternly "you sit hear don't move and don't open your mouth" until I tell you you can'.
With their best player missing Brook's team did not win that tournament that day. When the games were over Mike went over to the young man and explained to him how his selfishness has hurt his teammates and Mike made the player apologize to all the players and parents in attendance.
Right then and there I became a Mike Fox Fan. He never got angry with the young man but showed him the value of getting along with your teammates.
Carolina breezed through their regional and await either East Carolina or South Carolina. The Heels have almost won the world series in each of the last two years but didn't. I sure would love for Mike Fox get a national championship.
I tried to watch the Florida State /Ohio State baseball game in order to watch the crawler to see how Carolina and ECU were doing. Florida State scored 21 runs before Ohio State could get eight outs. Looked like a little league game. The final score was FSU 37 Ohio State 6. A football score.
The ACC is doing very well with only Boston College and Miami eliminated so far. Their biggest problem for BC was losing the 25 inning game Saturday which took seven hours to play and then playing in the loser bracket game first thing Sunday. Miami lost to Florida twice over the weekend.
Carolina, Virginia, and Florida State swept their regional. Clemson,Georgia Tech will play today trying to make the Super regional. The conference is 15-6 so far in all games.
Of all the ACC schools who played this weekend Virginia sure has the whole country talking. They beat the best pitcher in the country Friday and dominated the rest of the weekend.
ECU held on last night and will play South Carolina again tonight with the winner playing Carolina this weekend.
My son Brooks went to Mike's baseball camp while he was at North Carolina Wesleyan and the final Friday parents are invited to come watch your kids play. Brooks was on what looked like the best team after they had played one game. You played three inning games with a Wesleyan pitcher and catcher and you got one swing when you batted.
During the second game the best player on Brook's team slapped a teammate while they were batting right in front of Mike and all the parents that were there. Mike grabbed that young man by the collar and I am saying to myself "oh no Mike may killed him in front of all us parents".
Mike took the young man over to the bleachers where the parents were sitting and told him sternly "you sit hear don't move and don't open your mouth" until I tell you you can'.
With their best player missing Brook's team did not win that tournament that day. When the games were over Mike went over to the young man and explained to him how his selfishness has hurt his teammates and Mike made the player apologize to all the players and parents in attendance.
Right then and there I became a Mike Fox Fan. He never got angry with the young man but showed him the value of getting along with your teammates.
Carolina breezed through their regional and await either East Carolina or South Carolina. The Heels have almost won the world series in each of the last two years but didn't. I sure would love for Mike Fox get a national championship.
I tried to watch the Florida State /Ohio State baseball game in order to watch the crawler to see how Carolina and ECU were doing. Florida State scored 21 runs before Ohio State could get eight outs. Looked like a little league game. The final score was FSU 37 Ohio State 6. A football score.
The ACC is doing very well with only Boston College and Miami eliminated so far. Their biggest problem for BC was losing the 25 inning game Saturday which took seven hours to play and then playing in the loser bracket game first thing Sunday. Miami lost to Florida twice over the weekend.
Carolina, Virginia, and Florida State swept their regional. Clemson,Georgia Tech will play today trying to make the Super regional. The conference is 15-6 so far in all games.
Of all the ACC schools who played this weekend Virginia sure has the whole country talking. They beat the best pitcher in the country Friday and dominated the rest of the weekend.
ECU held on last night and will play South Carolina again tonight with the winner playing Carolina this weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
