Triple Crown Border Wars Four

We all complain about how our tax dollars are spent and the reason why most of the time is you can’t see for ourselves what we get for those dollars. This weekend if you happen to go by the sports complex and since it has been open something is going on there every weekend and this weekend is a doozy.

120 little league teams will be converging on Rocky Mount. . One hundred twenty teams! There are so many teams in this weekends event that every field in the sports complex plus Stith Talbert Park and Grover Lucas fields are being used .

Every motel is filled up all the way to Wilson. Talked to Joel Dunn who is in charge of the sports complex and he told me that this weekend is the biggest tournament that the complex has hosted. 45 teams are from out of state including Virginia , Maryland and Illinois. Let’s just say for conversation that 100 teams will be staying the night. That’s 4,000 people here for two days eating, sleeping and buying from local merchants.

Let’s see if we can play a guessing game. If 2.8 people come with every player and those 2.8 people eat and buy $100 worth of food. That works out to At least $150,000 just from the 100 teams eating for two days.. That does not include the other 20 who probably go home each night and come back the next day.

All of those people staying will probably go to a movie or the mall and just say spend $20.00 on entertainment or shopping. That’s another $30,000 taxable monies. Have you checked the price of motels lately? Four people per room at $50.00 per night and you have 1000 rooms booked there’s another $50,000 taxable money. My guess would be I am very conservative on the spending. There is potential for at least $230,000 spent money coming to Rocky Mount this weekend.

I think the city has done a great job of having something going on at the complex on weekends from April through October. I know certain tournaments draw better than others but just think if the average weekend for 26 weekends brings in $150,000. That’s 3.9 Million dollars per year income for our area just from the sports complex.

All of this that we are talking about is weekends. Monday through Friday all the fields have softball and and regular season baseball going on. Last fall the soccer portion was opened that added to the draw of people using the complex.

Last Friday night when the Relay For Life was going on at the football stadium and all the sports complex had their games going people had to park all the way to the YMCA. Don’t try to tell me you can’t have fun unless drugs and alcohol are involved. About 10,000 people who were either at the ball games or the Relay can tell you different.

There is one job that I would want no part of this weekend. Who is going to be the person that keeps up with the brackets as each game is played and what field the winner and loser plays on next?


It surly seems the money spent on the sports complex is paying for itself, both money wise and enjoyment.

Gryphons Grab Title.

Two nights in a row in the two biggest games of the year Rocky Mount used the home run bats in the first inning and from that point on put it in the hands of the pitching staff to do the rest.

Collins Cuthrell two run homer in the first spotted Rocky Mount to a 2-0 lead and Benton Moss took care of the rest shutting out Fike 4-0 in Wilson. Moss struck out fifteen in getting the complete game win for the Gryphons.

The victory gives the Gryphons the conference crown as they now have a two game lead with two to play and the only team with two losses is Hunt who the Gryphons beat twice this year. There will be at least one playoff home game for the Gryphons this year as the #one seed.

Riding by the soccer field at Nash Central I saw with 28 minutes left that the Lady Gryphon soccer team was leading leading Nash Central 3-1 and I never heard a final.

Got home and asked Morgan the softball score and she didn't want to talk about it so I guess the Lady Gryphons remain winless.

I did the Northern Nash- Nash Central softball game tonight for TV and if there is one draw back doing games of the week and not covering one team all the time is you don't get a chance to know the players that you cover.

Northern behind the outstanding pitching of Betsy Braswell out dueled Ashley Bone of Central as Northern beat Nash Central 3-0.

Tonight was senior night for Ashley Bone and the seniors at Nash Central and Ashley was very emotional during the pregame ceremony. I think it effected her in the first inning and Northern scored three times and with Braswell's pitching never looked back.

Ran into Chuck Braswell after the game and we picked up on a conversation about Brian and the great year he is having for Campbell University and found out that Betsy the Northern Pitcher is his daughter. She was outstanding on the mound tonight and I asked the question was she getting any college offers. Betsy as a junior has made three visits to date and still has a year to get more offers. If she continues to pitch the way she did tonight there is no telling where her offers may wind up coming from.

Looked up Brian Braswell's latest stats and heading into this weekend, he is hitting 310 on the season. He has started 31 of the 37 games he has played and knocked in 26 runs. Chuck told me tonight that his entire family has their fingers and toes crossed that Brian playing his first season healthy since he has been at Campbell can attract some teams to draft him.

It would be a dream enough to get one of your children to go to college on a sports scholarship but the possibility of two would be outstanding for the Braswells.

Rocky Mount's Ben Fish Brian's backup had batted 13 times on the season with three hits and three rbi's.

Only Needed One Hit

Tonight's Big East battle for first place was a classic hitting team versus a pitching team. Hunt's lone conference lost was nearly three weeks ago when the Gryphons beat Hunt 7-3 at their place.

Matthew Berry Open the bottom of the first for the Gryphons reaching first base on a throwing error by the third basemen. Spencer Bell singles and Collins Cuthrell coaxed a walk from starting pitcher Ches Lamn. Thomas Berry came up with the bases loaded and when he got back to the dugout the Gryphons had four runs on the board after Berry deposited a Lamn pitch on the other side of the right center outfield wall.

If four Rbi's were not enough T Berry singled and drove in run number five in the third and even came to bat with two runners on and if he could have rapped another home run would have set a Gryphon record for rbi's in a game at eight, but he grounded out to second.

Thomas was the hitting star going two for three and five rbi's.Spencer Bell collect two hits and scored two of the five rbi's Berry had. Benton Moss was also two for three and Matt Berry and Collins Cuthrell each had a hit.

Hobbs Johnson threw over a hundred pitches as Hunt coaxed three base on balls and Johnson plunked two others. When it counted Hunt could get only two hits and the only base runner to reach third got there on Johnson's best fast ball of the night that cleared the head of Matthew Berry at first on a pick off attempt that the runner reached third on the over throw. Johnson still struck out eleven and the most important stat no one crossed the plate.

Gryphons 5 Warriors 0

Gryphons take control of Big East baseball race with three games to go and a two game lead. There is no time for celebrations as the Gryphons are right back at it Thursday with a conference game at Fike. The Gryphons win number 18 on the season and are now 7-0 in conference play.

Lady Gryphon soccer met arch rival Northern Nash tonight at Northern and two goals by Casey Cooke and Syndey Browder powered Rocky Mount over Northern 2-0. The ladies finish up the regular season Thursday at Nash Central and a victory would clinch the regular season championship for the Lady Gryphons.

Lady Gryphon softball falls to Hunt in another double digit loss. The ladies are still looking for their first win of the season.

I will be at Nash Central Thursday covering softball as Nash Central host Northern Nash.

Forecasted Out

If you remember back during football season during the week of the tropical storm, the forecast for three days was for the storm to move into our area on a Friday Morning. I think every school in eastern North Carolina played on that Thursday to beat the storm except for Northern Vance. If you recall Rocky Mount was the team that was suppose to play Northern Vance.

Today the weather forecast has called for scattered thunder showers with the potential of some being severe. Hunt and Rocky Mount got together and since the Hunt and the Rocky Mount baseball game could be for the championship, at least as of today it is for the lead they decided to reschedule for Wednesday night. Softball has been changed to Wednesday also.

I have no problem when games are changed because of potential safety reasons. I am in front of my computer now and if the game was going on it would probably be in the first inning. Unfortunately the sun is still shining. Looks like the judgement missed on this one but I say better safe than sorry.

This however is not good for me as Wednesday night is my groups night to cook supper at church and I am one of the bottle washers. We are usually finished just about 7.00pm which means I hope Wes can PA Wednesday night cause the first inning will be going by the time I'm there.

This forces Rocky Mount to play Hunt Wednesday and Fike at Fike Thursday. Talk about two vital games. If the Gryphons win both games they will clinch first place because they would have beaten Hunt twice and would own the tie breaker.

Lady Gryphon soccer has become a juggernaut. Monday they beat Southern 9-0. They will finish the regular season with back to back matches on Wednesday and Thursday. Northern and Nash Central. Next week is the Big East soccer tournament at Hunt. I would guess that the ladies will get a home game in the playoffs and the question comes up will they be forced to moved their home game away from school like the boys did in the playoffs last year because of the lights.

The tennis team is competing in the conference tournament this week at Barton College. I think this is the team week and next week the individuals take their shot.

The Charlotte Bobcats were swept by the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The good news is they were in every game and the Bobcats were very competitive this year. One more good player and they just might be a player in the NBA playoffs next year.

Academy Tops Faith

I was behind the microphone for the RMA-Faith baseball game played tonight at RMA. RMA's Fletcher Hunter went the distance for the Eagles in posting a 5-3 win over their arch rivals in Rocky Mount the Faith Christian Warriors.

RMA collected seven hits off Faith starter Zach Whichard who took the loss for the Patriots. Adam Bayless lead the way with two hits but the big blow was a two rbi double by Fredrick Frobose. Lucas Bayless collected a hit along with Brady Jackson, Colt Brake and Aston Love .

The three hits for Faith belonged to Christian Davis, and Nathan Everette. Ben Barnes doubled for the third hit. RMA and Faith win on their home field this season playing each other.

Rocky Mount girls soccer was suppose to play Southern Nash this afternoon and I don't know whether it was rained out or not. Baseball did cancel it's game with Louisburg which was a makeup from one rained out way back. Coach Kent Cox told me tonight with both Hunt and Fike the two biggest conference games of the year coming up this week he felt like he needed all his pitching available if needed in these two conference games. I don't fault him there. Will Matthew Berry be back to play against Hunt tomorrow night? A doctors appointment Tuesday will tell if he is well enough to get his bat back in the lineup.

Four N C State football players have been arrested on campus for smoking dope. I don't know how you feel about it but I don't care who you are, if you get a free ride to go to school whether it's a academic or athletic scholarship and you violate the law representing who ever then I think first of all they should be kicked out of school much less still be on the football field. This goes right along with the NFL discipline of Ben Roethlisberger, when you are on scholarship you should be held to a higher standard.

I'm not really sure whether Ben Roethlisberger thinks he did any thing wrong in getting his suspension. In his statement today he says he accepts the penalty but he did not commit a crime. I don't think he sees that when you have one of your employees lead a drunk college girl to a bathroom, then you follow her and get your employee to prevent anyone else from going into that bathroom and you don't see anything wrong with that. He'll be in jail within two years if he doesn't realize that picture is not quite right, cause he will do it again.

Oh by the way did you know that his body guard who is a Pittsburgh policeman was fired as a policeman for his actions during this fiasco. But Roethlisberger doesn't see he did anything wrong. Oh Brother!

ESPN Picks Mabry All American

This past week ESPN put Tashawn Mabry on their Rise All American team. That means he is seen as one of the fifty best basketball players in the country. Still Mabry has yet to make an announcement on his future in college. Rumors abound that N C State may be calling now that Mays has announced he is leaving Raleigh to go play elsewhere.

Just yesterday two of Rocky Mount's best football players this century went undrafted in the NFL. Any athlete that decides in life that they want to be a professional athlete had better realize that being a professional is just short of winning the MEGA lottery. You put a lot of time in it and very few see the pot of gold.

This week the tennis team starts the conference tournament which will be played at Barton college. Soccer has it's final week of regular season and they head down the home stretch in the lead. Baseball has it's biggest week of the year. They have a non-conference game Monday and then Host Hunt Tuesday and a trip to Fike Thursday. Hunt and Fike if they win both could give then a two game lead with two games to go. One loss and every pitch will be important next week.

I love sports, I guess it is the competition I don't really know. I can watch a pee wee game and as long as both sides are equal I can enjoy watching it. I enjoy watching baseball as much as any sport because you can carry on a conversation while the game is going on with out yelling at the person you are talking to.

I really enjoy college baseball but college baseball has got to make a decision for the betterment of the game. They either have to go back to wooden bats or shorten the games to seven innings. College hitters are so strong a pop up off the handle can fly over the fence. The hitters have such an advantage that there are very few college games that the loser doesn't get ten runs.

Wooden bats are a major cost as many as get broken during a year. I think a lot of arm troubles that pitchers have can be traced to pitching too much during the year without time off to rest arms. I think travel leagues can be blamed for that. Colleges leave their starting pitchers in way to long because first off they are the best pitchers they have, but in three games series by the third game every one is out of pitchers and you get 18-13 games.

I don't know if you know this or not but North Carolina is the only American legion state that still plays nine inning games. Why? Aluminum bats wear pitchers out and teams don't have enough pitchers to play three or four games a week like legion does. If you were there during the legion season last year we beat Wilson one game 32-5 mainly because the fences are too close for legion players.

Free Agents

The baseball draft last June two Nash county players Tyler Joyner and Brian Goodwin chose to wait and play division one college baseball. Today during the third day of the NFL draft two former Rocky Mount High stars in football waited for the phone to ring but the calls never came.

Terrell Hudgins and Stephan Virgil did not have long to wait as their phones did ring but it was after the draft was over. Both having starred at Rocky Mount High school and both played their college ball rather close to each other. Hudgins in Elon and Virgil in Blacksburg Virginia.

Terrell Hudgins is heading to Dallas to try to make the Dallas Cowboys and Virgil will be heading north to make the Buffalo Bills. Hudgins the all time FCS pass catcher will try to make the Cowboys who have as their quarterback the second best rated active quarterback in the NFL in Tony Romo. Virgil will try to intercept passes in a division that has Tom Brady as one of the quarterbacks he will face.

Both will be in rookie camps next weekend going through the first faze of trying to make it in the NFL. Free agents don't have the luxury of making the team because of their salary. They must earn their way on the team and even a slight injury could cause them to be cut at a moments notice.

Good luck to both!

The Nash County Relay For Life raised $278,000 as of the closing ceremonies this afternoon. That is not close to the goal of $330,000 but last year after the closing ceremonies they had raised just over $290,000 and by the end of August had pushed the total to $325,000. I think by the end of August they will go over $300,000 for the second year in a row. Not bad considering economic conditions in our area.

Don't have any good news to pass to you about Cousin Lauren. This week the Futures Tour is in Brownsville Texas and Lauren shot 76-76 and failed to make the cut. She is well traveled if nothing else. The four events on the Futures tour so far this year have started in Florida, then moved to Baja Mexico, back to Florida and now this week in Brownsville Texas which is on the Gulf of Mexico across the river from Mexico. I guess one thing the futures tour tries to do is make sure they are up to date in geography.

Relay Night

Have spent the last several hours at the football stadium taking part in the Nash County Relay For Life. Another good crowd on hand this year as the Relay tries to reach their goal of $330,000. If you haven't been there today the relay will be wide open until about noon Saturday. Come join the fun.

Nash Central gave the Gryphons all they wanted last night in baseball but in the end the Gryphons have too much pitching for most every team in our area. If the Gryphons go deep into the playoffs they must do a better job of hitting good pitching. If you remember in the second round last year the defense had a bad night and no timely hitting what so ever and the season was over. Give the Gryphon pitchers five runs and they will go far. Score just one or two in a couple of games and somebody else will advance.

Thank goodness the NCAA came to their senses and will only expand to 68 teams. That means that first Tuesday and Wednesday will now be a double header play in game and the four winners will take on all the #1 seeds.

You have to hand it to Roger Goddell the commissioner of the NFL. Four to six games is fair for Ben Roethlisberger. Goddell has told the NFL players they must stand up to a higher standard.

Back in 1970 as a rising senior in high school when I went to work for the radio station in Ahoskie each employee was given a license plate that said the station call letters WRCS. There were only like ten altogether but living in Ahoskie which was then about the size of Nashville you knew everyone and they knew you.

So the day they gave me my license plate it was like I was somebody now. I was told if there was any problem related to me embarrassing the radio station not only would I lose the license plate but my job. I was an ambassador for the station. That was my first lesson in life in marketing.

Saturday may be a big day for Stephan Virgil and Terrell Hudgins. The NFL draft starts again at noon Saturday an my guess is both will hear their name. You know back at the end of football season on this blog we named both as the top two players of the decade for Rocky Mount.

Take What They Will Give

Nash Central and Rocky Mount have played each other in fourteen innings of baseball this year. Thirteen of those innings the combined score is RMHS 4 and Nash Central 3. The seventh inning at their place was the seven run inning that blew a 1-1 game wide open.

Nash Central's three pitchers of Jordan Taylor, T J Taylor and Trellis Ashley held the Gryphon bats to just three hits. Those same three pitchers walked eight and hit a batter and all three of Rocky Mount's hits drove in a runner who had walked. Those three runs were good enough with Benton Moss on the hill for the Gryphons but it was not easy.

Moss gave up four hits including a solo home run by T J Taylor but when the game was over he had walked just one batter and struckout fifteen following up on his sixteen strikeout performance last Thursday.

The Bulldogs scored in the first after the second batter Jalen Hendricks doubles, stole third and scores on a throwing error to give the Bulldogs a 1-0. The Gryphons tied it in the bottom of the second on a base on balls to Hobbs Johnson a perfect sac bunt by Benton Moss an a rbi single by Tayloer Clontz. The Gryphons made it 2-1 in the third on a base on balls to Collins Cuthrell and an rbi single by Hobbs Johnson. The fourth inning is the same story a walk to Taylor Clontz and he scores a rbi single to Michael Whitehead. T J Taylor's solo homer in the sixth made it interesting but Moss struck out the side in the seventh.

Rocky Mount is 6-0 in conference play and 16-2 overall. Nash Central is 2-4 and 11-6 overall. Hunt beat Northern Nash 15-1 and Fike edged Southern Nash 8-6 in other conference action. Tuesday night the Gryphons host Hunt in what will be for the lead in the Big East as Hunt's only conference loss is to the Gryphons.

Softball loses again 15-0 to Nash Central. Sometimes weather messes up the schedule and Girls soccer played Fike for the second time in six days Wednesday at Fike and the Lady Gryphons have a strangle hold on the Big East Beating Fike 3-1. They have only lost once all year.

Budget Crunch

We all know that we are in maybe the worse economic period since the great depression. Unemployment continues to hover above ten per cent with no end in sight. Governor Perdue just gave the General Assembly the budget request for 2010-2011 and slashes are across the board.

When the big pair of scissors starts slashing in Nash County very little if any will be to run the sports programs at our high schools. If they already don't they will have to make a profit or there will be no sport. It is coming to that sooner than later. I see the days are near that athletes will have to pay for everything in order to play.

It is sad to see that it may come to that but the best way to slow down the soon to be short falls is attend sporting events of our local teams. We all know that the higher the price to get in the more people will stay home which like raising taxes leads to a short fall sooner than later.

Rocky Mount has both soccer, baseball and tennis could go deep into the playoffs. Some of the gate receipts do come back to home after being split with the NCHSAA and the other teams. In a way it is kind of funny that we want to teach to be good sports. It sure would help our schools if we had several teams to go deep into the playoffs and you are there to watch them every step of the way.

In a way sports help with the crime rate. Our kids stay out of trouble when they are worried about the next game instead of standing on the street corner. They also do better in school when when they play sports over those than don't. It would be a shame to have to trim any sport because we can't afford it. We can't afford not to have sports.

Baseball and Softball are home Thursday hosting Nash Central. Thursday would be a good day to watch any of our teams as they have less than three weeks to go in the regular season.

The conference track and field championships are Monday with Nash Central and Northern as the favorites. This would be a chance to see all of our athletes on the field at the same time.

Thursday I will be at the softball field covering the game for TV. I am sure it will be summer by the time this game hits the air.

Three Shut Outs in a Row.

Rocky Mount High School completed the first cycle though the conference race becoming the only team to go undefeated blanking Northern Nash 8-0.

The Gryphons got timely hitting ten in all, help from the Knights in the field three errors causing five unearned runs and of course pitching. Hobbs Johnson didn't seem to have good stuff but when you look at the score sheet two hits, eight strikeouts and zero base on balls in six inning pitched. Comfortably a head by eight Kent Cox used Jeremy Trevathan in the seventh inning who kept the shutout in tact which is now three straight zero scores against Northern, Southern and Fike.

The Gryphons score in the third when Spencer Bell reach on a Knight error. Michael Whitehead singles and Bell scored on a single by Collins Cuthrell. Both Whitehead and Cuthrell scored on a double play try by Northern but they failed to get two outs and it was three to nothing.

Two runs runs scored in the fourth after Brandon Amerson singled Spencer Bell walked and both scored on a fly ball that was not caught in the outfield.

Thomas Berry got Rocky Mount first earned run off Brandon Denton when he sent a homer toward the Armory in the fifth. Brandon Amerson got his second hit of the night to drive in run number seven still in the fifth.

Collins Cuthrell open the bottom of the sixth with a single and came home on a Parker Helms double. Cuthrell had three hits in the game leading the Gryphons.

Fuller Weatherly had a double but never got farther than second and Andrew Smith had a single for the only two Northern hits.

The JV Gryphons won their first game of the year 5-3 over Northern, and softball lost to Northern by more than ten runs.

Rocky Mount starts the second trip around the conference Thursday hosting Nash Central

Sweet Revenge

The Lady Gryphon soccer team has one conference loss heading into Monday's match with Hunt. That lost was at Hunt by a 2-1 score. Another big crowd was on hand as the Lady Gryphons shut out the Lady warriors by a 3-0 score.

This game was knotted 0-0 at the half. Twenty five minutes left it was still nil-nil. Syndey Browder out raced the Hunt goalie to a ball that was loose in front of the Hunt goal with 21.18 left in the game and kicked the loose shot in for the first goal of the game. Any time that a tight match gets a big shot one way or the other Rocky Mount's spirits rose while Hunt's dipped and it did not take long before a corner kick was guided into the net by Casey Cooke and the Lady Gryphons lead 2-0. Alison Raper put the icing on the cake for the Ladies giving the Lady Gryhons a 3-0 victory.

I told you on Saturday that when I left the Fike game they were leading 2-0 and won 2-1. Two straight school days the Lady Gryphons beat Fike and Hunt.

Across the street at the softball field Beddingfield beat softball 15-1.

Tuesday and Thursday baseball and softball are home this week. They only have Northern and Nash Central on the docket. I think coach Eddie Loesner of Northern will not be there as he has one more game to serve after being tossed out of a game last week. Coaches get two games suspension when they get tossed.

I will be on the PA Tuesday as Wes has already called to tell me he will not be there . Thursday I will be taping the softball game for TV.

Yesterday during my updates of local players who are playing college I told you of Gabe Brown playing for Lenoir Community College. I found out today that Lenoir has two Gabe Browns playing on the team. Can you imagine that two people named Gabe would even be on the same team much less have the same last name. The Gabe hitting 417 is from New Bern. I will try to get an update on Rocky Mount's Gabe Brown as early as possible.

North Carolina has been to the college world series it seems every year this decade. They were swept by Miami over the weekend and unless they have a complete turn a round North Carolina will not even make the ACC tournament this year.

Carolina is three games behind the eighth place team in the league and you have to finish eighth to make the ACC tournament. They have four series left this year and they are Virginia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest and Clemson. Carolina needs to win nine out of twelve games and hope. They need pitching and they don't grow on trees during the season.

Injury Bug

There is nothing that changes the dynamics of sports more than injuries. Championship teams can look average when an injury effects them. Average teams can look as if they have never practiced when injuries hit. Some teams can over come an injury, others fall by the wayside.

Rocky Mount baseball has their third player injured this season that has missed time due to injury. The first two played a direct part in our loss of the Easter tournament in Four Oaks. Two players sat healing injuries in a non conference game in order to be healthy when conference played started after Easter.

Most of you read in the "Telegram" that Matthew Berry did not play against Southern due to having rolled his ankle in practice last week. The injury is more than a day to day injury. The Gryphon lead off hitter and first baseman is out for a while.

It is my opinion that this team can go far in the playoffs if they score five runs every game. Losing his bat puts in jeopardy this team ability to score five runs per game. Defensively this team can make the adjustments but who is going to step forward and get us two hits a game in his offensive place?

Brian Goodwin has been in an offensive slump for the Tar heels and with it the Heels are slumping too. Brian still is hitting 294 and has driven in thirty eight runs. He has a total of 18 extra base hits.

Ben Fish has seen action in fifteen games for the Campbell Fighting Camels and batted twelve times and has three hits and three runs knocked in.

Finally have found some info on Gabe Brown at Lenoir Community College. Gabe is hitting a whopping 417 with thirty hits in seventy at bats. He has also pitched ten plus innings for the Lancers and his era is over six.

Xavier Macklin his hitting 313 for North Carolina A&T where he has hit seven homers and driven in thirty two.

Alex Pearce has played in thirty games at UNC Pembroke and started twenty five where he is hitting about 220 and driven in sixteen runs.

I can not find any stats on Cameron Ramsey at Wake Tech. Rob Ramsey told me he umpired a game at WT and Cameron was starting in left fied and got a hit in the game while he was there. Wake Tech is in their first year of baseball and are yet not up to date with all of the electronic stats of other programs.

Zach and Patrick Barnes are playing at Lenoir and both have batted in seven games or so. Zach is hitting 333 and Patrick 250.

Since the last time I told you about our locals at Pitt C C there is no new stats to show. Zack Woodley, Jim Leggett and Mike Williams are all members of a nationally ranked team who going into this week end was 29-7 on the year.

Brian Braswell is having a solid senior year at Campbell and has started twenty six of Campbell's thirty four games. he hitting 315 and has knocked in nineteen runs.

The NC Wesleyan local contingent is being lead by Andrew Webb. Webby is turning into a solid pitcher with a 5-2 record and era of 2.83. Brian Allen is hitting over 300 for the Bishops. Tyler Clark a solid freshman year hitting over 300 and has started thirty games. Daniel Moore hitting over 300. Chad Womble has pitched over twenty five innings and Eric Mull has seen action in eight games hitting 167.

Any time that you might have an update on any of our local players feel free to let me know.

Prom Night

What a beautiful morning to put up the windows and smell mother nature. If there seems to be an extra smell of perfume or Cologne in the air it might have something to do with the prom being tonight for the seniors at Rocky Mount High.

I didn't get to stay around to the end but girls soccer was leading 2-0 with 28 minutes to go yesterday in their match with Fike. Monday there is a revenge match with Hunt at home 5.00pm.

Softball is running out of chances to find victory this year. Monday they play their final non conference game at home with Beddingfield. Tuesday they are home to Northern.

Tuesday baseball is home to Northern and then Thursday home to Nash Central. There are just three week left in the regular season for baseball and softball.

Next week I will be doing three broadcast for the Stretchlon Sports Show. Thursday I will be at Rocky Mount softball where Nash Central brings their one loss team to play Rocky Mount. The following Monday April 26Th I will be at Rocky Mount Academy for the Faith-Rocky Mount Academy baseball game. Then that Thursday the 29Th I'll be at Nash Central when Northern Nash and The Bulldogs play softball. Right now Nash Central looks like the best softball team in the area as well as may be having the best player in Ashley Bone.

A couple of days ago I asked this trivia question to let you simmer on it for a few days and see if you might know this one. There are only eight jerseys that are actually retired at Carolina in Basketball. If you look up towards the rafters, you cannot see the ceiling for all the jerseys hanging there but only eight are retired. Jack Cobb last played in 1926. What was his number?

He didn't have a number. Back in those days their jersey's only had North Carolina on the front. Have you ever wondered why Babe Ruth wore three and Lou Gehrig had four. It was where they hit in the lineup. Babe hit third , Lou hit fourth. I wonder what number a relief pitcher had?

Wachovia Cup?

Officially we are two thirds of the way through with the Wachovia standings now that the winter sports numbers have been posted. The Athletic program at Rocky Mount has a sizable lead heading into spring sports. It certainly seems that the Gryphons are front runners and once they get the lead they don't coast to the finish line but try to pull away even further.

Baseball is in the conference lead, after five conference matches tennis is undefeated, and girls soccer has only lost one conference match. Track and field it is hard to tell where we are among conference foes but about the middle seems about right. Softball is the only sport down on their luck.

Girls soccer yesterday beat Nash Central 11-0. They have a match today at 5.00pm at home with Fike . Monday they have the rematch with Hunt the only team to beat the Lady Gryphons in conference.

The NCAA coaches have asked for and received three rules changes, oddly enough the best one will not go into effect until 2011. The coaches have asked for a penalty of no touchdown any time a player taunts while still on the playing field before scoring. Pointing their fingers as they run, swan dive into the end zone and of course high stepping. I think this is a great rule change.

During my playing days in the Roman times of the 1960's you never saw any one dance after a tackle, any thing that made just one player stand out. Why did you never see that? First off your coach would have killed you and when you got home your father would have dug you out of the grave and killed you again.

Billy"Whiteshoes" Johnson was the first so called show boater with his Charleston Dance and pound the ball in the ground after a touchdown. No one had ever done that before and it caught the NFL off guard as to what to do to his performance. They did nothing so others started. By the 1990 the Redskins Smurfs were performing in the end zone as a group.

What happens in the NFL is going to college and what happens in college is coming to high schools. Thank the lord that high schools put a stop on the show boating before it ever got off the ground.

I think the first time a touchdown is scored and a team loses a game because of a taunting penalty that will be the end of taunting. Players will fall in line. It would be nice if the NFL had the same rule. Most all actions on the field on Saturday were seen on Sunday first and it will be harder to stop if they keep seeing it on Sunday.

Why should there ever be taunting in football. Every play you have and opportunity to knock someone on their butt. Since I use to be one of the guys that was always on his butt I knew who was the best on that play and most of everyone in the stands knew too.

A Players Dream Game

Hunt High School's starting catcher Kyle Pittman had a game of a life time Tuesday night against Southern Nash. Pittman hit two grand slams in one inning which is only the sixth time that has ever been done in North Carolina High school baseball history.

Oddly enough the fifth player in North Carolina high school history was in the Southern Nash Dugout watching Pittman and his feat. Ricky Howard while as a senior did it for Southern earlier this decade. Howard is now an assistant for the Firebirds.

Eight runs batted in, in one game WOW, what a feat but Pittman also had a double during his dream game. What more could Pittman possibly do?, maybe hit a two run homer in has last at bat to give him ten rbi's in one game which is one run short of the state record.

I guess the question to ask Pittman is what did he have to eat before the game that caused this to happen? It may not have been anything he ate but Tom Suiter and the Extra Effort Award team from WRAL-TV earlier in the afternoon had been at Hunt recording Kyle Pittman as the Extra Effort award winner.

Talk about pumping a player up. Glad Hunt didn't play the Gryphons that night.

Lady Gryphon softball lost number fifteen on the year tonight at Southern Nash.

Varsity baseball won at Southern Nash 7-0. Benton Moss pitched your basic complete game shutout striking out sixteen. We need to get Charles Alston to search the baseball record book and see what the record is for strikeouts in back to back games in Gryphon history. Hobbs Johnson struck out only 13 Tuesday. (Trying to be funny there) The two conference games this week the defense other than the pitchers and Thomas Berry were only involved in 13 defensive outs. The pitching did the rest.

This is victory #15 for the Gryphons and they play at home Tuesday night against Northern

Time To Drop The Hammer

NFL commissioner Roger Goddell has a major decision to make in regards to Ben Roethlisberger. The two met Tuesday in Goddell's office in New York.

Goddell has been heavy with the big stick when it has come to players and their actions when ever it has been and embarrassment to the NFL. Somewhere along the way those players have always been guilty in a court of law and their punishment was based on that guilt.

The district attorney in Georgia in Roethlisberger latest entanglement has all but said he is guilty but getting a guilty verdict in a court would be hard. Big Ben has been in the league six years and has now acted stupid three times. Twice on sexual charges which in neither case have there been any charges. He almost killed himself after his rookie year on a motor cycle. To say the least to be one of the 100 million dollar quarterbacks, the face of the NFL Ben has to be the stupidest.

In order for Goddell to keep the players approving his method of suspending players when ever they don't act as if they are professional players he must come down hard on Big Ben. Four games seems to me to be about right.

The saving grace for Goddell just might be the Rooney family the owners of the Steelers. It sure seems as if they are headed toward suspending Ben which could take the pressure off Goddell. Roethlisberger needs time away from the game and learn to realize that the NFL has given him more than he has given the NFL.

Got home last night from the game to see the last hour of the baseball movie the Rookie. Sometimes movies get better the more you watch them and you come to realize that this movie is a lot like what you have been through.

If you haven't seen the movie it is about Jim Morris who as a teenager tried to make it in minor league baseball until arm trouble ended his career. He becomes a high school coach and as the years pass tells his team he will try out again if they will win their conference title and they do. His arm had healed and during the try out as a 35 year old threw twelve pitches in a row at 98 miles and hour. The Tampa Devil Rays signed him up.

What I really like about this movie is the way the entire town becomes a part of watching him try to make it. I can relate to this as a ten year old bat boy of the Ahoskie American Legion team in 1962 and 1963 as Jimmy Hunter signed right out of high school and went to the major leagues. Jimmy was from Hertford but because he played legion in Ahoskie there is no one that lived in Ahoskie at the time that will not tell you he wasn't from Ahoskie.

When ever Kansas City came to Baltimore car loads of people from both Hertford and Ahoskie went to see their boy play. Morris got credit for playing two years in the bigs which was a dream comes true for everyone pulling for him.

I have another trivia question to let you bend you mind over. The dean Dome is full of jerseys hanging in the rafters. Only eight however are officially retired. Can you tell me what number Jack Cobb wore ?

Soccer And Baseball Are Impressive.

You wonder coming out of any time off whether you have lost the big MO but Girls soccer and Varsity baseball come up Big the first time out after the Easter break.

The best defense is a good offense and that was the the Lady Gryphons soccer team formula today in downing Northern Nash 4-1. The ball stay in the offensive zone it seemed like the entire day and the Lady Gryphons attacked at will. Alison Raper and Kelsey Benson scored two goals a piece in leading the Lady Gryphons to their Tenth win in twelve outings. I didn't keep up with the shot totals but the Ladies had to have somewhere close to twenty and by not allowing the Lady Knights much in their offensive end I doubt whether they got more than five shots and one went in.

I did today game's for the Stretchlon Sports show and left there and went right straight to the baseball field where on arriving the Gryphons were taking infield but due to his new work schedule Wes Bradshaw was not in the house to do his PA thing. John Whitehead and Brian Clontz put the speakers up and by the time all the wires were hooked up it was time for the first pitch and I filled in for Wes on PA.

William Prince took the mound for Fike and Hobbs Johnson toed the rubber for the Gryphons and at games end both teams had collect five hits.

One of the Gryphons three left the park in the bottom of the second at Benton Moss hit a line drive to straight a way center field to get the Gryphons on the board. The third inning started with a single by Matthew Berry followed by two walks and then a bloop single by Hobbs Johnson to right which plated two runs.

Prince pitched a complete game for Fike allowing three hits, struck out six and walked four but the night belonged to Hobbs Johnson. Hobbs allowed two hits walked a single batter and fanned thirteen Golden Demons in winning his sixth game on the season. The Golden Demons only had one batter to reach second base and he stayed there.

The Gryphons are now 14-2 and head to Southern Nash Thursday Night to take on the Firebirds.

Down the street all is not bad news from softball. Fike beat the Varsity 11-1 in five innings but the JV Lady Gryphons trailed 12-2 and stormed back to win the first game of the year for any Gryphon softball team 14-13.

When you are champions special things come your way. Last night the city council of Rocky Mount honored the state champion basketball team and after it was over Hardees fed the team any and all they wanted. I understand that they really worked on those thick burgers.

Drive Time

Now that the Easter vacation is out of the way it's time to get serious with high school sports. Just about everyone is through with non conference games except for a rain out here and there that will be made up in the next couple of weeks.

Gryphon basketball floundered coming out of the exam break and any floundering by baseball will be noticed quickly as the Gryphons host Fike Tuesday night and both teams are tied for the lead at 2-0. Northern Nash and Nash Central collide as the Bulldogs find themselves tied for last with Southern Nash and Northern is 1-1 tied with Hunt who plays Southern Nash.

I ran into Steve Berry heading out of the grocery store this afternoon and asked him Thomas's conditions. He said Thomas is a ok and will play against Fike. Hobbs Johnson should be at full strength.

Softball plays the same schedule in conference softball and they are home Tuesday night against Fike. The Lady Gryphons are still looking for their first victory.

I will be at the Northern Rocky Mount soccer game at 5.00pm covering girls soccer for TV and will then drift over to the baseball game.

I don't know whether you had an opportunity to see the special Relay For Life show that we taped Sunday afternoon on WHIG-TV. We actually taped for next Monday night's show but Herb Greenberg decided to go live and we will replay it again next Monday night at 6.00pm.

My guest on the Relay Show was Amanda Griffin Rocky Mount's 2010 Junior Miss. Amanda a rising senior at Northern Nash was on the show to tell us about winning the Junior Miss but also to tell us of her fight with cancer in the seventh grade. Her mother and father told of the family's fight and the support they received from the community. I can tell you this Amanda will represent us well in the State Jr. Miss in February.

She will also be on the soccer field at Rocky Mount Tuesday afternoon. Northern and Rocky Mount collide.

The answer to the trivia question I asked a couple of days ago - Who played in the first college football game on ESPN. The answer NC State and ECU. ECU won 26-22. It marked the first game of Tom Reed at N C State and State with less than two minutes to go was inside the ECU twenty five yard line but through some fumbles by the coaching staff managed to run only four plays and marked the beginning of the end for Tom Reed.

Tiger Gets The Spotlight Phil Wins Green Jacket

There was a five year period in my life that I played gold five days a week. I was a member at Beechwood Country Club in Ahoskie which had a handicap rating 69.something. My handicap was 17 so I could shoot 85-90 regularly. Every now and then whenever I got into one of those moods when I didn't play well and decide I was never going to play again when ever I came back that first day I always played great. It didn't take long and old habits took over.

I think Tiger Woods had that problem this weekend. He has not played competitive golf for five months and his first two rounds were like he never left. Saturday things started coming back. Shots started flying all over the place and when the ball was all over so was the new and improved Tiger. No longer was he cool and collected but that fiery Tiger who threw clubs and even on Saturday had a cursing outburst.

I have never been a believer that if you have a problem a severe problem whether its drugs, alcohol or you know Tiger's problem that you can be cured in thirty days at any institution. Tiger's score was much better than his playing Saturday and Sunday.

His interview after he finished his round today I actually felt sorry for him. He never once gave any other player credit for their efforts only I did this , I did that. Never did he say he was glad to be back Tiger went home alone and after his Sunday round I don't see anything new about Tiger.

Today was almost good against evil. Phil who's wife continues fighting cancer was there at the finished to show the world what happens when there is more than just golf. He celebrated with his family and Tiger went home mad. He has a long way to go.

The Master no doubt is like no other. Several years ago Jack Nicklaus the man who owns the most green jackets said he never wanted to become the honorary starter. Thursday at age 70 he joined Arnold Palmer at 80 to hit the first shots at the Masters. The second biggest crowd of the week was there to watch it.

Tiger and Phil are as close to being Jack and Arnold as modern golf can get. If I am around then I would love to be there when it is there turn to be the honorary starters.

I have good news to report on Cousin Lauren Doughtie. She finished 28th in Daytona on Sunday an picked up a check of $750 dollars. Her first loot this season. She shot 2 under for the weekend. It is her best score since turning pro in June of last summer.

Heels versus Pack

I found myself in a dilemma watching the State-Carolina baseball game on the Internet Friday night. I wanted Brian Goodwin to have a good game for the Heels but I wanted State to win

Brian did have a good game collecting two hits, scored two runs and had three RBI's. Carolina beat the Pack by a 14-7 score but neither side seems to be very good. Between them they committed eight errors and Pack pitchers walk twelve batters. I hope both sides play better tomorrow night. I pulled up the Carolina game tracker to watch this one and saw that you could see the game live on the internet for free as all three games will be this weekend.

Today is moving day in the golf world. All eyes are on Tiger but look out for Phil. He's tied with Tiger. I just have a feeling a guy named Choi is going to win. He's been solid and nobody is paying attention to him with all eyes on Tiger.

Today is the last game of the season for the Carolina Hurricanes. Thursday it was announced that the RBC Center will host the NHL All Star game in February. I wonder whether my press pass for this blog can get me in to that game? The Hurricanes have won twenty of their last thirty one games and are out of the playoffs.

You know we are right in the middle of the high school baseball season but when that is over it will be time for Legion Baseball. Talking with Joe Bell who is going to be the man to keep Legion ball alive in the area again this year, he told me Hank Jones has committed to coach Nash County this year. Looks like the games will return to Rocky Mount 's Gryphon stadium.If we can get all the good pitchers to play legion in this area there is no reason why Nash County can't make another deep into the state playoffs.

Cousin Lauren Doughtie is back at the Futures tour event in Daytona Beach this week trying to make the cut and get her first pay check of the year. Yesterday's first round she shot a 71 which is one under par and finds herself six shot out of the lead. She needs to shoot 72 or better today to make the cut. A 75 might make the cut but she really needs some positive scores to turn her season around.

This is the third Futures Tournament of the year. The first event of the year was near Miami. Then two weeks ago they played in Baja Mexico and now back to Florida. That's a whole lot of expense traveling for a player who hasn't made the cut yet. Her father Mike is on her bag this week trying to bring her good luck. I hope to get to see her play in August as there is an event in Richmond.

Carolina's Blue-White football game will be live on one of the ESPN networks this afternoon. ESPN is pushing Carolina hard this spring as they are matched up against LSU on ESPN as the first Telecast of college football this fall.

Speaking of ESPN and college football does anybody remember the first college football game on ESPN way back in 1982. I'll give you today to think about that one.

Tiger's Back

I grew up in the country and I had a golf course around my house. I dug holes all over my yard which I put cans in the bottom of the hole. This worked great until it rained an the cans would pop out of the hole. I had plastic golf balls the ones that looked liked golf balls not the ones that had holes in them.

I would have to hit over my house, around a tree with a trusty seven iron. During my golfing days to hit a ball more than 240 yards it had to be in the middle of July and dry to get all the roll I could. It seemed I was always just off the green, hardly ever putting for birdie. Put that seven iron in my hand I always had a chance to chip it in.

I have only played golf maybe five times since I moved to Rocky Mount in 1995. The last time I played was 2003. It just happened to be in a best ball tournament with the company I was working for. I never help my team on any shot off the tee but on two holes I chipped one in and the other hung on the lip.

My point this morning is this Tiger Woods is back in his element the golf course. He happens to be playing the golf course suited for his game at Augusta. He can kill it off the tee and putt for eagles on all the par five's.

Yesterday a sixty year old man beat Tiger. TV was going crazy last night about Tiger shooting 68 his lowest score ever on the first day of the Masters. Take away two eagles and Tiger was par on the day. My point this morning is this Tiger will be killing the ball off the tee as long as he cares to play professional golf. His length will keep him in this tournament because he will have a chance to make a birdie on all the par fives.

It was the rest of his game that was average yesterday. He missed an eight foot eagle putt which his scored might have made him the leader. It's the other parts of golf putting, chipping, where the shots pile up quickly. he played well enough yesterday to shoot 64 but had a 68.

Tiger is going to be on the leader board all weekend. If I was CBS or ESPN and since I only have four minutes per hour for commercials and the price of a commercial on network TV is based on how many people watch that event don't you think I would make it seemed like Tiger was the leader knowing the world will watch if Tiger is in the hunt.

Tom Watson who says that he can't play Augusta beat Tiger yesterday. Fred Couples a senior tour player beat him. Thirty three golfers broke par yesterday. If there was ever a conspiracy theory, do you suppose the people at Augusta laid the course out as easy as possible hoping Tiger would shoot well.

I think they did and Tiger responded. I don't think the rest of his game is good enough to win over four days but I'll be watching to see. CBS is counting you will be watching too.

Bobcats Clinch Playoff Spot

It took six years as the doormat of the NBA, but the Charlotte Bobcats victory last night gave them two things that they have never had before - a winning season and a playoff spot. It looks like they will finish seventh in the NBA's Eastern Conference.

Less than three years after taking over the Demon Deacons with the death of Skip Prosser, Wake Forest has fired Dino Gaudio as their basketball coach. It seemed that Wake was a fast-starting team every year and limped home in February and March. Wake Forest joins Boston College and Clemson in looking for new coaches.

As Gomer Pyle would say, "surprise, surprise, surprise." John Wall declared for the NBA Draft last night and so did four other Kentucky Wildcats. It is possible that all five could go in the first round of the NBA draft.

Now that they are gone, the one-and-done players only help their schools if they win the championship. I would hope the NBA and the NCAA could come to some agreement like it has with Major League Baseball. Take'm right our of high school or leave them alone until after their junior year. Can you honestly say John Wall is better today for staying in college for one year over going pro right out of high school?

Three local teams are in the semifinals of the Tarboro Baseball Classic. The homestanding Tarboro Vikings, Rocky Mount Academy and Nash Central. I do like having a tournament where the private schools compete with the public schools. Baseball is one sport where it doesn't matter what size school you are if you have good pitchers, you are in every game.

Alex Pearce, the former Nash Central Bulldog who as a sophomore at UNC-Pembroke, has won the starting catcher's job hit his first college home run last weekend for the Braves. Alex has played in 27 games and started 22 for the 26-9 Braves, who are in the Top 20 in their division.

Xavier Macklin continues his torrid pace for the Aggies of N.C. A&T. X has hit seven home runs and driven in 30 runs and is still hitting .343. Overall, the Aggies are 12-16, but are 6-0 in the MEAC play.

Brian Goodwin is having a solid season in Chapel Hill. Brian has started all 31 games for the Tar Heels collecting 35 hits and driving in 33 runs, which is the team high. His average is right now .310.

Tomorrow, we will look at more locals and their baseball years at their respective colleges.

College Basketball Kings

We have had a day to absorb the National championship won by Duke. I think both teams played well but the third team in the game the refs, where did they find these NFL referees?

It is hard to find beauty during a tackling drill. Somewhere over the years physical play under the basket has come to mean tackle, push, shove and throw out of the way to get to the basket. Even the very last play of the game in order to get Butler’s man free for the mid court shot Kyle Singler was blocked by a pulling left guard on the Butler football team. .

This game would have been better off letting the player’s call fouls themselves like on the play ground. I just don’t enjoy watching a shooter drive to the basket like he’s running off left tackle at the goal line. That’s just not basketball. The end result was Duke was the best football team on the court.

Just think, the NCAA wants to expand and make this a 96 team tournament. I am not in favor of any expansion where any team gets a bye. If they follow through with this new format being tossed around then the top 32 teams will not play the first day. If that happens you are going to see a #1 seed lose to a 16 seed or even lower than that for the first time. The top teams will have a half to get use to the tournament atmosphere while everyone else is already use to it.

Does any body think that Carolina was worthy of playing for the national title. They finished 16-16 in the regular season and yet in a 96 team tournament they would be in. Whether it’s football or basketball if your next loss gives you a losing season you don’t deserve to be in a bowl game or a baseball or basketball playoff.

Everyone wrote off the ACC this year as a bad year and yet they are the national championship conference and sent Carolina to the final game of the NIT. The league went 10-5 in this years tournament which is 667 winning percentage. The ACC is the winningest in tournament history at 64% so this year they were as good as any year.

The ACC has won five out of the last ten tournaments and lost the final game in two others, and won eight of the last nineteen. Since 1981 the ACC has sent Virginia, Georgia Tech, Maryland, N C State, Carolina and Duke to the final four. Twenty three times in the past thirty years there has been an ACC team in the final four. Four different ACC teams have played for the title in the past tens years.

Duke has gotten this National title celebration down pat. I have not heard of any unruly celebrations or people being injured trying to prove they were superman jumping over any fire. No cars turned over in celebration. No arrest that I have heard of. The Duke students and fans acted like they had a good time celebrating instead of finding a reason to cause damage.

Duke is the seventy first NCAA national champion. Eleven times now the Nationals title flags have flown in the Research Triangle. North Carolina has been in the final four eighteen times. Duke has made fifteen trips and N C State three times danced until midnight. There is no doubt where the center of the college basketball universe is.

Tobacco Road Rules!!!!!

Comets Top Gryphons

Hobbs Johnson had a visit to the doctor earlier today and was cleared to play in tonight championship game between the Gryphons and the Comets of Clayton High school. Johnson had some puffiness around his knee after being helped off the field in yesterdays win. Coach Kent Cox chose to hold Hobbs out of the outfield and instead played Brandon Amerson in right field. Thomas Berry already out of action made two big Gryphon bats out of tonight's lineup. Everyone is hopeful that Berry will be back in the lineup next Tuesday when conference games resume.

Gryphon starting pitcher Benton Moss sailed along with a 2-0 lead until the fifth inning when Clayton struck for five runs to take the lead. Rocky Mount got one back and went to the bottom of the seventh down 7-3 after Clayton scored twice in the seventh without a hit. The Gryphons fought coming up with two runs and had the bases loaded when the final out was made to go down in the Championship game by a 7-5 score.

Matthew Berry, Michael Whitehead ans Hobbs Johnson make the all tournament team

Benton Moss loses for the first time this year and only the second time in his varsity career. Jason Creasy an N C State commit gets the win for the Comets who take home the South Johnston Baseball tournament championship.

This ends the non-conference portion of the Gryphon's schedule as all that is left now is the eight conference games and any playoff games.

Tuesday's conference home opener the Gryphons will carry a 13-2 record over all and 2-0 in conference play

Gryphons Will Play For Title

There was a brief moment at South Johnston High school that those Gryphon fans in attendance saw the entire season flash in front of their eyes. Hobbs Johnson while rounding second base tripped and clutched his lower leg. Was this Tournament going to haunt the Gryphons? Saturday Thomas Berry went down with an injury and did not play and today were we losing Hobbs to injury. Helped to the dugout Johnson came back out and pitch as if nothing had happened and the Gryphon nation can breathe again.

Spencer Bell had three hits including a three run homer to pace the Gryphons to a 8-2 victory over West Johnson and have advanced to the finals to meet either Clayton or Harnett Central at 7.30 Tuesday night. Bell who has put his name at the front of the list as possible MVP's of this tournament after he got three hits on Saturday.

The Gryphons pounded at 14 hits including two from JV Catcher Collin Watson who was called up to catch while Thomas Berry is sidelined with his injury. Hobbs Johnson got the win on the mound for the once beaten Gryphons in 2010.

Saturday Northern Nash won their opening game in the baseball tournament that they are in Kinston as they beat West Craven 4-3 to advance to today's semi finals. Nash Central starts play in Tarboro's tournament Wednesday.

Tonight Duke goes for their fourth National Championship. It is funny the way styles match up or don't match up. I predicted in my pool that Kentucky with a run and gun game could beat Duke. I don't see any way Butler's style has a shot in this one unless three Duke player foul out early. But, we do have to remember 1983 and 1985 N C State and Villanova didn't have a chance. They do have banners flying in their building today and I think Butler is better than either of those two teams. I just don't see they match up at all with Duke.

I have seen Tiger's press conference a couple of times in replay. I don't see that cocky, you can't beat me guy that he use to be. That was the edge Tiger had on every one else. I think in the future he will win tournaments but the guy that wins three out of five tournaments is still attached to that light pole in his front yard. I will be interested to see if he makes the cut. If you don't think Tiger can still draw a crowd what maybe 10,000 followed his practice round. As Allen Iverson would sayPRACTICE round. If he shoots 68 Thursday he'll have 25,000 following him Friday.

Mabry Named "Telegram" Play of Year

The sports staff of the Rocky Mount Telegram released their all area team Sunday and Rocky Mount took the top two awards as Tashawn Mabry was named player of the year and Mike Gainey the area coach of the year.

Joining Mabry on the first team were team mates Detrail Jenkins and Billy Young. Nash Central's Dominque Holloway and North Edgecombe's Montrezl Harrell are also on the first team. Harrell is destined to be the next big basketball recruit from this area as he makes the team as a sophomore.

Darius McKnight of the Gryphons made the second team.

Baseball continues the Easter Tournament in Four Oaks as they play in the semi finals at 4.30 Monday afternoon. Coach Kent Cox by virtue of pitching his #3 starter Saturday can use either Benton Moss or Hobbs Johnson in Monday's game and both if necessary to try to get to Tuesday finals.

Sandra Bullock has been the headlines for the past couple of weeks due to her separation from hubby Jesse James. You can forget hearing about Bullock for the next week for sure as Tiger Woods comes out of hiding to play golf this week at the Masters. He has a new conference at 2.00pm Monday and then he tries to win the Master later in the week.

College baseball this past weekend N C State beat Virginia the #1 team in the country two out of three. Yes, Virginia #1 in the nation and fourth in the ACC. Go figure.... This upcoming weekend State and Carolina play in Chapel Hill. If the ACC tournament stated today State would be in and Carolina would not make it. Who ever would have figured the best team in Chapel Hill was the football team.

Duke goes after the National championship in basketball Monday night against Butler. Yes Butler the school that Hickory high in the movie Hoosiers won the title. Now Butler goes six miles up the road to play for the national title in a football dome. Yes, the goal is the same height in the dome as it is in Butler's arena.

Monday night is the seventy first national championship game in NCAA history. This will mark the twenty first time a team from the Triangle has played in the championship game. Extended it out even further thirty four times a team from North Carolina has been in the final four. Twice we sent two teams in one year. 1977 when UNC Charlotte was robbed by and lost to in the Semi

to Marquette. Then Carolina lost in the finals. The second time was 1991 when Carolina and Duke both made it to the final four. Carolina lost in the semi's and Duke beat Nevada Las Vegas for the title. Monday night's Duke victory will be the 11th title for Tobacco road.

Duke 68 Butler 56

Duke Takes On Hickory For NCAA Title

If you watch the first game Saturday and then watched West Virginia's first trip up the court in the second game against Duke, Duke showed you why they will win it all Monday night. Both Michigan State and Butler played defense inside the three point line. Neither has the kind of offense to rebound and run.

West Virginia won the opening tap and Duke picked them up face to face man to man all over the court and in doing so pushed West Virginia away from the basket. West Virginia one of the three half court teams in the final four never got offensive rhythm as Duke picked up full court about half the game and the other half met them at mid court. Even down late in the game West Virginia never tried to go full court against Duke because like Butler and Michigan State they can't.

Yes Duke shot lights out making more threes than West Virginia attempted. Duke also had twenty assist in the game and West Virginia made only nineteen baskets the entire game. Duke had a whole week to get ready for this half court game but you say they only have two to prepare for Butler. I say they have already practiced against Butler because they look just like West Virginia just wear different numbers.

Singler, Schyer and Smith played the way they have all year but Duke can Thank Greg Zoubek for their shot at the title Monday night. Since he has started in the middle for Duke they have been the best team in the country. Zoubek has become the Tim Stoddard that State had in 74. He has been the big cop in the middle. I can think of at least three rebounds that he tossed outside for threes.

Duke takes down the state of West Virginia 78-57

There was a moment with about four minutes to play when West Virginia best player hurt his knee. It seemed like an eternity that he laid on the court in pain. Coach Bob Huggins knelt down over the player and seemed to be calming him by praying with him. On this the day that our Lord rose again I don't know that I can finish today any better than to express when we all have needs the most we call on him for help because it was on this day that he arose after dying for our sins. Amen

Have a happy Easter Sunday!!!!!

Baseball Advances

Today's game to me gives us a good picture of the future of Gryphon baseball this season. Two conference wins under their belt the Gryphons took to the field this morning at South Johnston High school and opened their Easter tournament.

Standing in their way was Smithfield Selma who has two division one recruits,one heading to State and one to Chapel Hill. The Carolina recruit was on the mound today Tate Parris. Parker Helms pitched the first 4 and a third innings and left trailing 3-2 but only one run had been earned. Jeremy Trevathan came it to finished up and that meant 4 and two thirds innings as this game go extra.

Down 5-3 in the top of the seventh the Gryphons took a 7-5 lead on a Hobbs Johnson grand slam homer. The Spartans would not die and came up with two in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to overtime without a clock.

Matthew Berry gave the Gryphons the lead again only to see SSS tie it up in the eighth. Parker Helms sacrifice fly in the ninth scored Collins Cuthrell and Trevathan held on to give the Gryphons victory 9-8.

The Gryphons pounded out 11 hits in this Topsy turvy affair. Jeremy Trevathan gets the win.

Next action for the Gryphons is Monday afternoon at 4.30 as they play the winner of West Johnston-Cardinal Gibbons game.

One injury to report Thomas Berry legging out a double pulled up lame and had to be taken out of the game. That could really be big if Thomas is out for an extended time as he is the clean up hitter.

Lady Gryphon softball team playing at Glover Park in Nashville today in the Easter Softball Bash

lost to Halifax Academy 13-1

Tournament Weekend

This weekend if you were planning a nice comfortable weekend sitting back and watching basketball then you must not have a child that plays sports that has any thing to do with batting a ball. Nashville will be hosting the Spring Bash where almost all of our local teams including jv's softball teams will be playing. That tournament is Saturday and Monday.

All Big East conference baseball teams will be in a tournament by the end of next week except Southern Nash. Rocky Mount for the first time in many a day will not host their own tournament but instead will be in Four Oaks starting Saturday in the South Johnston Easter tournament.

Baseball plays at 11.00am in Four Oaks and Softball plays at 2.00pm in Nashville at Glover Park.

I need to give you an update on Cousin Lauren Doughtie in her quest to make it on the Futures in Women's golf. The first tournament of the year Lauren shot a 70 opening day and was one shot out of the lead. Then round two and a 84 and she failed to make the cut. Last weekend the tour went from Florida to Baja Mexico and Lauren shot 81 and a 73 to miss the cut again.

Life in the minors regardless of what sport is not fun when you are struggling to grab hold. Golf unless you have a sponsor is every penny comes out of your own Pocket. The Futures tour returns to Florida next weekend and Lauren will on Monday try to be a Monday qualifier. She needs a big payday to make it for a few more tournaments. Futures golf the winner pockets about $15,000. Right now Lauren needs a few tournaments just to play on Sunday and get the minimum check of $579 for finishing seventieth.

Sometimes in life you are such a good athlete that they have a hard time finding a place for you because you are really good at everything you do but.... That is what Russell Wilson is finding out about baseball at N C State. The State football quarterback the last two years loves baseball and wants his life after college to include baseball.

This spring he was in the running at shortstop. They found out over the winter that he has good stuff to be a pitcher and have been trying to work him in. He has been a backup outfielder and right now is hitting over 350. Wednesday was the starting pitcher for N C State in their 7-3 win over Old Dominion. He pitched into the fourth inning giving up three runs.

Spring football practice is on going right now in Raleigh and Wilson is sticking with baseball. Whether he is back on the football team or in the minor leagues will depend on the next thirty games of college baseball. Pro teams draft based on potential so many times. The question for Russell Wilson is at what position is that potential the greatest. A major leaguer or pro quarterback. I wish I had of had that problem.

Gryphons Top Hunt

Gryphon baseball use six strong innings of four hit eight strikeout baseball from Benton Moss to lead the way in a 7-3 victory over Hunt. Hunt scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the seventh off Jeremy Trevathan and Spenser Bell.

Bell got the Gryphons on the board in the second with an rbi single. Collins Cuthrell hit a solo shot for the Gryphons to extend the lead to 2-0. Thomas Berry hit a three run homer in the bottom of the fifth which proved to to be all the Gryphons would need in making the score 5-0. Two more runs crossed the plate before Kent Cox turned to his relievers in the seventh leading 7-0. Every starter had a hit except for Michael Whitehead and he scored twice. Taylor Clontz started in left field other than that the lineup was normal in picking up win #11 against a lone loss.

The next action for the Gryphons is Saturday at 11.00am in the South Johnston baseball tournament. They will play Smithfield Selma and I would assume since the pitching was the way it was tonight Parker Helms will get the call Saturday to pitch.

Gryphons are now 2-0. Hunt drops to 1-1 as they beat Northern last night 11-1 for their first conference win. Fike on Wednesday beat Nash Central 2-0.

Softball lost 12-2 at Hunt which is loss #13 and that is no April Fools.

I hope you were able to see the picture in the paper of the ground breaking ceremony of the new Rocky Mount High. Who has control of those shovels once a ground breaking has finished. You don't find gold plated shovels on the shelf at the hardware store. Every time there is a ground breaking ceremony those shovels appear. There must be someone with them in their garage somewhere.

North Carolina has lost the NIT championship to Dayton 79-68. The Tar Heels set an NCAA record this year with their 17 losses. It is the most losses in a season by the defending NCAA champion ever.

Listening to sport talk radio this afternoon most Carolina fans thought that with a NIT win and a Duke lost they would be the only local champion in the area. Boy Dayton shot that idea down.

Duke doesn't play until Saturday night at like 8.47. The weather forecast looks like a great day to be outside and then hit the recliner after supper and pull Duke through.