Let The Playoffs Begin

D H Conley is a very familiar face to Rocky Mount fans having been in the Big East 4-A with them. It is going to seem like old home week as two of our Gryphons teams Host Conley this week. Soccer host Conley at 5.00pm Wednesday as they Begin what they hope is a long journey in the playoffs, one lost and a sudden end can end the season.

Baseball is waiting until Friday night to host Conley at Gryphon Stadium. I am not sure what coach Kent Cox has in mind for his pitching rotation this week with only one game but it would not surprise me to see both Johnson and Moss get innings in. Especially if we were to fall behind early, you can't afford to get too far behind once the playoffs get here.

Fike High school finished tenth in the State championships in golf which finished up Tuesday.

Coach Mike Gainey gets one more game coaching Tashawn Mabry. That will happen in the annual East-West all Star game held July 19th in Greensboro all part of clinic week for high school coaches. Gainey will have three state champions as part of his roster as two players from Kinston the 2-A state champs will take part. Reggie Bulluck and Dory Hines. Gainey will also coach Fike's Jerrel Williams in the game. Since Christmas Mike Gainey sure has lived the life winning the 3-A state championship and follow that up being on display in front of his peers in Greensboro in July.

Can someone please explain to me how the World golfing rankings work? Tiger Woods has had only one top ten finish in the last five months and yet remains the #1 golfer in the world. second in the rankings is Phil Mickelson,then he is followed by Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood and Jim Furyk.

N C State and Carolina have two weekends of ACC regular season baseball to decide which one makes the ACC tournament and which one stays home. Carolina play Virginia while State plays Florida State. Then next weekend State gets Duke and Carolina gets surprising Virginia Tech. State has to win one more game than Carolina since the Tar Heels won two of three from the Pack in March.

All this college conference expansion talk - it would not shock me at all to Florida State jump to the Southeastern. If the ACC loses some who will they get back. I realize they are not sports powers but here is two I would like just for the prestige. Army and Navy. Syracuse and Connecticut are more likely. I bet the ACC has 16 team by 2012.

Does any body remember why the ACC was born. The original members of the ACC thought the Southern Conference was too big. Isn't it funny that as humans we keep right on repeating history!

We All Could Use Some Humbie Pie

Athletics at Rocky Mount High School have been blessed over the years. This athletic season is coming to a close and Rocky Mount is on the verge of winning the Wachovia Cup as the top athletic program in the Big East conference. This has been a very good year to say the least.

Softball has not had the pleasure of putting up banners or ordering rings from state titles. Softball may have found out quicker than most athletes at RMHS, glory doesn’t shine all the time.

Athletics teaches endurance as much as any thing else. Every play is not a touch down. Every bat does not bring a hit. Endurance is tested when you lose every day. Why am I here? This is not fun! Why do I continue to do this?

Losing is a dose of reality. We as American have been indoctrinated that winning is every thing. Every game that has ever been played there was a winner and there was also a loser. Winning is 50/50 in every game. Victory covers up the mistakes that almost cost you the game while losing exposes them.

Years from now when each of these girls looks back on this softball season they will be proud that they stayed to the end, they endured. Once the season started only one player quit that didn’t finish what they started.

That’s remarkable to think that they didn’t jump ship when it seemed to be sinking. They all went down with the ship. They bailed as hard as they could until the end. They may think this ridiculous now but when they are 50 they will look back with pride that they endured.

Coach Tara McDonald has done a good job of keeping them together as the losses mounted. Talent was lacking but sprit was high till the end. These players have improved. The feeder program coming to Rocky Mount high is poor in training softball players. The Nashville rec league has a much better softball program that Rocky Mounts and it shows.

If you are a 300 hitter and improve you are way ahead of the girl trying to learn how to stand in the batters box. Rocky Mount softball talent problems will not be cured over night.

I hope coach McDonald comes back next year. She deserves a chance to see this program grow. I think she has shown that she has coaching ability to keep this team together.

This team will be able to say they stuck together. Together to the bitter end, because of that their future lives will be better for it.

THEY ENDURED!