Before I start talking about tonight's game I must tell you of an anniversary that just past for me. I don't remember the exact date but I do remember that it was on a Saturday before Memorial day 1961. My Father as a Legionnaire in Ahoskie was helping drive Post 102 players to their first game of the year in Benson.
Eight years old at the time I rode the hump in the front seat with four players and my dad driving. Once in Benson the team went in a dressing room not at the ball park to dress and while waiting for the players to come out load up and drive to the ball park, Albert Vaughn the Legion Coach for Post 102 ask me if I wanted to drag the bats. I had no idea what drag the bats meant but he quickly explained to be "to be the bat boy" 'Yes Sir' I said and that started a five year run as Post 102 bat boy.
The top of the ninth came and trailing 4-1 I started packing up the catcher's equipment since we were bout to lose the game. Coach Vaughn who was coaching third and our dugout was on third base line walked over to me and said "unpack the equipment, never give up on a game until it is over". You can best better bet that I have never given up on any game since until the last out was made or the clock expired.
Ironically tonight as close as possible to my 50th anniversary of that day Post 102 is in Rocky Mount and Thomas Berry was in a zone all batters want to be in. His first at bat he hit a solo home run to dead center field that tied the game in the first at one. The second time around Berry hit blast that went under the scoreboard at Nash Central that gave Post 58 a 4-2 lead.
The third at bat Berry hit a shot that landed about two feet from clearing the fence for his third homer but he settled for a double. His last at bat was a simple line drive base hit to right. Berry's four hits led the way as Post 58 pounds Ahoskie Post 102 15-3 in seven innings.
Khalil Macklin supplied three hits while Fuller Weatherly and Lucas Bayless had two hits each. Rocky Mount's 14 hits all together came from singles by John Naylor, Jeremy Lucas and Tyler Wooten.
Chase Johnson got the complete game for Post 58 going seven innings and allowing 6 hits and struck out eight batters. Any time regardless of the length of the game getting a complete game saves your pitching staff as Post 58 has four games in the next five days. They will not be back home until Tuesday night when they host North Raleigh.
Tonight's win gets Post 58 above five hundred for the first time this year at 4-3 but as far as Area Standings they are 2-0 in the East Area. having beaten Ahoskie twice this week.
Got a chance to see some old friends especially Ken Dilday the fire chief in Ahoskie. His Grandmother and my Grandfather Doughtie married each other when they were both over 65. Ever since the Dildays and Doughties have been like family.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Bernie Capps
There are just some people who do their job so well that nobody notices them until there is a need. Each one of us goes to sporting events and referees and umpires go unnoticed until they do something we don’t agree with.
There are others who stay in the background at sporting events that are only noticed when an accident happens and that is the Athletic Trainer. The only time you even think about them is when a player is down or you are worried about whether a player will be able to play the next game.
Rocky Mount for decades now has had the best athletic trainer in the State of North Carolina in Bernie Capps. Long before the State made schools have certified trainers Rocky Mount had one in Bernie. There are not many people alive that are in the Hall Of Fame but Bernie Capps has been in the Trainer’s Hall for years.
Bernie has been in the training room at Rocky Mount for 39 years in which it was his job, but he was in the training room long before that in high school. Bernie knew early on in life that athletic training was his life’s work. A student trainer in high school at Rocky Mount High School he was at practice after school when the only trainer was the coach and a doctor would be on the sidelines Friday nights.
Bernie is so good at his job other schools call him for help. He is famous for getting a player a Doctors appointment today when those schools have been told there is no availability to see your athlete.
There is simply no way of counting the number of Gryphon victories that Rocky Mount High school has had because a player was healthy enough to perform after treatment from Bernie. We are not just talking football but every sport whether it’s basketball, baseball or any sport where Bernie could work his magic. Bernie has been on the sidelines for nine of the Gryphons State Championships. The others occurred while he was in college.
Bernie has been the Athletic Trainer at Rocky Mount for so long that today’s kids grand parents use to sit on Bernie’s training table. Time creeps up on all of us and the last couple of years Bernie can’t quite get to the ten yard line like he once did to check on an injured player.
The last day of school will be Bernie’s last as Athletic Trainer at Rocky Mount High school. He is hanging up his tape. This brings up a good point. I wonder how many rolls of tape he has used over the years. There is no way for any of us who have ever gotten Bernie to do any thing for us to show our appreciation.
A couple of years ago our daughter Morgan started bruising for no reason that we can find. She was helping Bernie with student training. It had nothing to do with being an athlete but Bernie did all he could to help find the cause. It didn’t matter to Bernie whether she was an athlete or not she needed help and he tried and did just as much for us as Duke or UNC Hospitals were able to do.
That’s the way Bernie has been. If Raymond Cobb called and needed help Bernie was there. If you remember I think it was year before last when Hertford County’s quarterback got hurt the last game of the season. Bernie had him in front of a doctor that next morning trying to help get him ready for the playoffs.
You see Bernie just wasn’t the Gryphons Trainer but anybody who needed help trainer. Rocky Mount will have a body sitting in Bernie’s chair next year but they will sorely miss what he has given to us all.
Bernie Capps is to the Athletic Trainers version of John Wooten, “Bear” Bryant, Dean Smith or Coach K. Don’t you know Duke Dreads the day that Coach K leaves? It is a sad day to think that Bernie will not be in that office next to the practice field next fall.
Thank you Bernie Capps for your loyalty to all of us.
There are others who stay in the background at sporting events that are only noticed when an accident happens and that is the Athletic Trainer. The only time you even think about them is when a player is down or you are worried about whether a player will be able to play the next game.
Rocky Mount for decades now has had the best athletic trainer in the State of North Carolina in Bernie Capps. Long before the State made schools have certified trainers Rocky Mount had one in Bernie. There are not many people alive that are in the Hall Of Fame but Bernie Capps has been in the Trainer’s Hall for years.
Bernie has been in the training room at Rocky Mount for 39 years in which it was his job, but he was in the training room long before that in high school. Bernie knew early on in life that athletic training was his life’s work. A student trainer in high school at Rocky Mount High School he was at practice after school when the only trainer was the coach and a doctor would be on the sidelines Friday nights.
Bernie is so good at his job other schools call him for help. He is famous for getting a player a Doctors appointment today when those schools have been told there is no availability to see your athlete.
There is simply no way of counting the number of Gryphon victories that Rocky Mount High school has had because a player was healthy enough to perform after treatment from Bernie. We are not just talking football but every sport whether it’s basketball, baseball or any sport where Bernie could work his magic. Bernie has been on the sidelines for nine of the Gryphons State Championships. The others occurred while he was in college.
Bernie has been the Athletic Trainer at Rocky Mount for so long that today’s kids grand parents use to sit on Bernie’s training table. Time creeps up on all of us and the last couple of years Bernie can’t quite get to the ten yard line like he once did to check on an injured player.
The last day of school will be Bernie’s last as Athletic Trainer at Rocky Mount High school. He is hanging up his tape. This brings up a good point. I wonder how many rolls of tape he has used over the years. There is no way for any of us who have ever gotten Bernie to do any thing for us to show our appreciation.
A couple of years ago our daughter Morgan started bruising for no reason that we can find. She was helping Bernie with student training. It had nothing to do with being an athlete but Bernie did all he could to help find the cause. It didn’t matter to Bernie whether she was an athlete or not she needed help and he tried and did just as much for us as Duke or UNC Hospitals were able to do.
That’s the way Bernie has been. If Raymond Cobb called and needed help Bernie was there. If you remember I think it was year before last when Hertford County’s quarterback got hurt the last game of the season. Bernie had him in front of a doctor that next morning trying to help get him ready for the playoffs.
You see Bernie just wasn’t the Gryphons Trainer but anybody who needed help trainer. Rocky Mount will have a body sitting in Bernie’s chair next year but they will sorely miss what he has given to us all.
Bernie Capps is to the Athletic Trainers version of John Wooten, “Bear” Bryant, Dean Smith or Coach K. Don’t you know Duke Dreads the day that Coach K leaves? It is a sad day to think that Bernie will not be in that office next to the practice field next fall.
Thank you Bernie Capps for your loyalty to all of us.
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