You Should Have Been

I have seen a lot of baseball games in my life whether I was there in person or watch it on TV but last Night the  Benton Moss performance for Rocky Mount night was as good as you would think it can get..  17 of the 21 outs failed to get out of the batters box.  Gryphon History there have been two others to strike out 19 in a game.

Carter Harrell struck out 19 in a playoff game in 2001 against Orange County High school.  Donnie Bobbitt struck out 19 in 1986 when the Gryphons played Southern Nash which I think was a non conference game back then.  After seeing the 17 last night it is hard to believe adding two more to the total.

The Gryphons have two more conference games this week and both will be against the teams that also won opening night.  Hunt edged Northern and Fike beat Southern.  Should either game get rained out you can expect a makeup game Saturday night at Gryphon Stadium if needed.

One of the things growing up was hearing stories from your grand parents would tell but sometimes you had heard them before,and as I get to that age when I have some good stories I might tell one that you already have heard.

You may have seen this story in the past that I have told about the greatest pitching performance that I was there to watch.  It was 1964 and as an 11 year I was in the crowd the night Jimmy Hunter and his teammates from Perquimans High came to Ahoskie.  Four players from Hertford or Perquimans County had played Legion ball in Ahoskie the previous two summers.  Jimmy Hunter who went on to the Baseball Hall Of Fame.  Freddie and Francis Coombs both went to NC State.  Freddie made All American in Football and both he and Francis were members of the 1968 N C State College World Series team.The fourth member was Gene Nixon who played third base.

That previous Christmas Holiday Hunter had a hunting accident and shot off one  his toes of his foot and had close to 100 shotgun pellets lodged in his foot.  Despite that they had a special  shoe made which had no top but basically his baseball shoe was taped on over his injuries.  That night Hunter pitched a no hitter against Ahoskie.  Since the previous Summer was the Summer that Ahoskie won their only Legion league championship and played for the State Title in Legion ball Jimmy was our boy in Ahoskie.

Much like around here after all our schools send players to play legion you look at guys like Andrew Webb from Northern or B J Taylor from  Central differently after they have played for yourside.  Every one in Ahoskie knew and loved Jimmy Hunter and to see his career in baseball all most end before it ever began.  So to watch him dominate practically with only one shoe the crowd openly cheered every out in the seventh inning and  gave him a standing ovation after they whipped our butts.

I got some news at the ball game last night that I need to pass on.  I noticed that the Chicago Rage who played on the NFL Network a couple of weeks ago, I never saw Terrell Hudgins on the sidelines.  Yesterday his dad Darius was security at the game and he told me that Terrell had left camp.  Terrell has been disappointed at the quality of training being provided and felt that if he is to ever make it in the NFL that Arena football was not the place.  The Rage have placed Terrell on the left camp list.  He is home in Rocky Mount.