Sunday Home Opener

If you have been involved with Legion baseball as long as I have you know that non-conference games get cancelled, changed, put off  or moved in a moments notice.  The season starts Saturday with Post 58 on the road.  If you have a printed schedule that you have received in the last 72 hours tear it up because it has changed since then.

Sunday night Post 58 will open it's season at home.   The old schedule the first home game was not until the first week of June.  Opening pitch at the Rocky Mount American Legion field will be Sunday at 6pm.  Hold your breath the schedule could change before then.

North Carolina and N C State are on a collision course to meet Saturday night at 7pm with a winner take all for the right to play Sunday for the ACC Baseball Championship.  In order for that to happen both must win today.  State plays at 11am against Miami and I plan on being there for that one and Carolina and Benton Moss play at 7pm against Clemson.  Even though Clemson and Miami have one loss neither have been eliminated as of yet.  We know for sure Both State and Carolina win today one of them will play Sunday.

Virginia Tech is in the drivers seat in the other bracket after they beat Florida ST 3-2 Thursday night. FSU and Virginia are out as the best Virginia can do is 2-1 and tie VT but VT beat UVA so they get the tie breaker.  So if GT beats VT then they play Sunday.

Any body that keeps up with high school football in North Carolina knows the name Jack Holley.  Holley is the all time wins leader in North Carolina football coaches with 412.  He coached 44 years and in that 44 years lost only 96 games.  Holley died earlier this week at the age of 74.

There is something about football that for those that played and endured the pain, sweat and agony you go through a practice just to be able to set foot on a football field on a Friday night.  Those coaches that you think while you are enduring that the coach is the devil.  Not to far in your life away from football you realize that what that coach was doing for you was not helping you wins games but was preparing you for life.

Hearing from all those players that played for Jack Holley I can tell you that they like me would run through a wall for him as I would for my high school coach.  Holley had that ability not only to win  but teach life lessons along the way.  The way you have to prepare for a football game is completely different than any other sport.  I played all three of the major sports in high school and I was better in baseball than football.  What I learned on the practice field  of football about getting knocked  down and and getting back up for the next play can't be taught in any other sport.

There are coaches who have the touch. Jack Holley had it.  The world is a better place because he left a legacy of life.   His funeral will be at the Wallace Rose Hill High football Stadium where many of Holley's victories occurred.  Many a Friday night that stadium has been run over with people. Why do you think it is being held at the stadium.  There is no funeral home can can handle the crowd that will be there.  Most of them there will be there to honor the man that made them men.