Rail Hawks game

Had a chance to see my first professional soccer match last night as my family attended the soccer game between the Carolina Rail Hawks and Rochester New York. The reason we were there our eight year old grand daughter Madison, who is a really good soccer player in CASL league in Wake County won an award in her age group the Sportsmanship Award. CASL gave away the awards at half time of the soccer match.

These guys that play for the Rail Hawks are excellent soccer players. I saw last night first hand what I saw watching the World Cup. The higher the level of soccer the better defense they play regardless of how good a player is handling the ball. Soccer is exploding in America but for it to pass the NFL they have got to figure a way to get more scoring. Why in the world can't they stop the clock when a player is injured. The extra time without the clock is ridiculous.

The game was played at the Wake Med Soccer Field in Cary which use to be called SAS Soccer Park which is a nice facility which holds about 7,000. Last night was really CASL night and there were probably 2,000 kids there in their uniforms. If you don’t think soccer is big, CASL has 8,000 kids playing soccer in Wake County.

Yesterday the football coaches voted for who they think is going to win the Big East football title. The coaches picked Southern Nash, Hunt, Rocky Mount, Northern Nash Nash Central and Fike in that order. One vote either way and first could have been picked fourth the vote was that close.

I understand while the coaches met behind close doors transfers was one of the topics of discussions.

Rocky Mount girls Volley ball kicks off their season tonight at Beddingfield. Yesterday they handled both Faith Christian and Rocky Mount Academy in scrimmages.

The Stretchlon Sports Show will kick off the fall sports by taping the Nash County Volley ball tournament being held this year at Northern Nash. It is set for Aug 21st. We will tape all four games.

Carolina has announced that the players who are in question by the NCAA will not play until the NCAA gives them the ok to do so. They don’t want to have to give games back should they play this year and then the NCAA rules they are ineligible. Carolina is playing it safe. I think that is a wise choice in this matter.

I listen to 99.9 the fan in Raleigh a lot. They have interviewed the guy who broke the story on Carolina and he said yesterday on 99.9 that Carolina may have had an ineligible player last year. Holy Cow! When all this eligibility stuff first came up and Carolina said they were asked by the NCAA not to talk about it, now we know why if last year is in the question. Carolina may have to give up all their wins from last season. If you are a State fan and looking for anyway to get a winning season from last year, sorry, State beat Carolina so Carolina will not have to give that one back if these stories are true.

I have talked about this before but how in the world can Tiger Woods be 119th on the PGA tour money list this year and still number one in the world. They have got to look at how the rankings take the past two years.

Phil Nicholson announced earlier this week that he has arthritis which you know has to effect your golf game. That may be why he has not shot past Tiger to the #1 ranking. Steve Stricker if he should win the PGA Championship could go to #1.

If you look at the Major League baseball stats it sure looks to me like Josh Hamilton of Raleigh is a shew in as MVP of the American league. Talk about a made for movie but his life since high school is what movies are made for. Top of the world, falling into a bottomless pit and then getting back to the top. Even though they gave up a five run lead with Cliff Lee on the mound last night to the Yankees, the Texas Rangers are good. They took two of three from the Yankees this week