Tuesday, July 12, 2011

That Thing Called Momentum

Coleman Pitt Post 58 has just completed a very successful season going 17-7.  They fell short of the last two Legion teams having made it all the way to the State Tournament.  The makeup of this team like no other was and area all star team having four players from Tarboro, two from Roanoke Rapids, two from Faith Christian, and one from  Rocky Mount Academy.  There were those from the three public schools from Rocky Mount which over the years is the core of Legion Baseball.

The first five games were used to find out who we had and where they are best suited to play for CP 58.  Hank Jones was in his second year as coach and like last year he got "Baseball" Britt Johnson as his #1 assistant.  Pat Smith gave this team a wealth of knowledge as a behind the scenes coach  and two former local high schoolers and former Legion players Ben Fish and Tyler Clark were the relate to the players coaches.

The past two seasons when CP 58 did climb all the way to the State Tournaments you can see when our division was stronger than the Southern as we battled Wilson twice for the Area One East Title.  That did not happen this year as the Southern won three playoff rounds and we were promoted to the second round by a forfeit from New Bern.

The season unfolded and this years scheduling provided for a week off for high school graduation and as it turned out that was really good break plus it gave the players a chance to concentrate on graduation and a few days away to go to the beach.  Once back from the vacation CP 58 continue it's good play and wrapped up the #1 seed in the division.

The regular season ended but there was hope that Wilson was going to host a invitational at Fleming in Wilson before the playoffs started and it never materialized.  Opening night of the playoffs and New Bern is a no show twice and CP 58 is faced with 11 days of no games in the middle of the playoffs.  While others played CP 58 practiced but they still didn't get any game action.

Round two and a hot Wayne County team will meet up with a CP 58 team that is eager but rusty.  Ever how slight the rust might have been it was enough for WC to win the opener after another day lost  on a rain out 7-5.  Game two goes all the way to the bottom of the ninth before WC wins and sweeps CP 58 two games to none.

Note WC beat Pitt Co 18-9 Monday in the third round opening game.

That word momentum in the dictionary states that it is the product of a mass and velocity.  A group of players who play at their ultimate play with such velocity that they are hard to stop.  But from a stand still mass is hard to start and once the week off and New Bern doing CP 58 no favors by not showing up, CP 58 found themselves trying to get going again while another mass Wayne County shot right by them.

It happens all the time in sports that on a certain day or for that matter in life.  On that day someone else is better.  Big MO left Coleman Pitt Post 58 at the wrong time.







No comments: