Private School Dilemna

The big news last week from the NCHSAA was that the Board Of Directors voted to do away with the POD System.  All the schools within the association will vote on that in the spring.  A couple of other items were talked about and adopted waiting for a spring vote and they are related to the dominance of private school have during the playoffs.

  No private school student can play sports at that school unless they live within the county in which the school is in or no more than 25 miles away.  Any Private school who has appeared in the regional of any sport in six of the last eight years would have to jump up in classification if they have met this standard.  That would move Cardinal Gibbons Volleyball who has played in the 3-A State Championship game every year they have been in the public playoffs will have to play in the 4-A playoffs next year.  The NCHSAA is desperately making these changes to keep the entire body of public schools from asking another vote to try to vote out private schools.  85% of the voting schools last year voted to oust Private school but just enough obstained from voting to keep from getting the required number to pass on any vote.

Speaking of private schools the seven Catholic Basketball playing schools of the Big East agree in principle today to withdraw from the Big East.  Every one of them play less than D-1 football so they are not concerned about football playoff money as other schools are and will go their own way.

Josh Hamilton now plays for the LA Angels  after agreeing to a new Contract for five years worth 125 million.  I hope the Angels don't have a bad weather year next year with all the salaries they have to pay for their free agents.  Now that the New York Yankeees are in the save mode  the Angels are now the most over paid team in the world.

Funeral Arrangements have been finalized for Charles Alston.  The Visitation is set for noon Saturday at Pope Funeral Home on 325 Nash Street in down town Rocky Mount.  The Funeral service will follow at 1pm.