SE Regional Babe Ruth U13 Tournament Underway

Nobody said that winning any tournament would be easy and Nash County opened the Babe Ruth SE Regional 13U Tournament this morning in Union City Tennessee with a rousing 14-13 victory over Tallahassee Florida. There are 10 teams in two brackets and Nash County is in the American bracket and during pool play they will play four games in three days.  That will put Nash County right back on the field for the second game of the day Thursday night against Glen Allen Virginia who will be playing their first  game.  The top two teams from each bracket will then play a single elimination tournament with one from the American playing #2 from the National Bracket and the two winners play for the title.

Friday morning at 9am Nash County plays Gaffney SC so they will have played three games in basically 24 hours and will have a single game Saturday morning against Lexington TN.  Most of the time in pool play you will need to win at least three games to qualify for the semi final round an accomplishment that Nash County did in 2004-2005-2006 when all three years Nash County made the World Series,  Should there be a three way tie along the way and one of the tie breakers is the team that gives up the least runs.  Even though Nash County won their first game 13 is a big number if a three way tie happens.

High school football practices are on going all around North Carolina and there is no area more thrilled than the folks at Northern Nash.  Randy Raper now as the new coach hope abounds that he will be the answer to turn the program around.  Part of turning a program around sometimes is as simple as to change things up and Friday night when the Knights finish practice at 9pm they are going to feed the team  and they will then return to the practice field where Northern will have their brand of midnight madness.  They will practice from 11pm until 12:01.

August 15th all four Nash County football teams will be taking part in a football jamboree at Nash Central.  They hope to make this an annual event with each school hosting every four years. Right now Bertie, D H Conley and SE Halifax have committed to play in the jamboree.  It starts at 6pm and the cost is $6 per person.

Our First Lustrum Together

Five years ago today the late Charles Alston set this blog up for me because I had no idea how to do it and I still don't know anything about the inner workings of the machinery of this blog other than how to publish. Sometimes I get very frustrated how slow  this thing is on some days.  I can type three words and it takes 30 seconds to pop up on the screen, then the next day it works like a charm. I had been up to then giving my opinions about once a week on the Gryphon Grapevine.  I thought that I would find something to talk about about once a week.

Since then 1825 days have past and that once a week has turn into 1970 blogs or about 1.1 per day. Before the week is out more than 160,000 times you the reader have come to me.  Over the five year period that is about 87 per day but over the last six months you all have been here about 150 times per day.  From the bottom of my heart I thank you for the privilege you have given me to talk to you on a daily basis about anything sports related mostly that I might have information on.  

Lets begin our second Lustrum:

Wilmington won the State American Legion Baseball title in Wilson beating Kernersville 3-2.

The Southeast Regional Babe Ruth 13U baseball Tournament starts today in Union City Tn.  I don't know what time Nash County plays but if you google  Southeast Regional Babe Ruth Baseball you might find a score card on all of the age groups all over the south that are playing in all age groups .  You might be able to follow the Nash County game inning by inning when ever they play.

Today is the first official day of high school football practice.  If you have been by any high school football field since Monday then you know they have been doing something on football fields but it is not called practice.

For you people who can't wait for the NFL there is a game Sunday night.  Dallas plays in the Hall of Fame game.  I think the kickoff is 8pm but don't hold me to that.  I just don't care too much about  preseason games until the fourth game when the starters play more than half the game.  Even then you can't judge how your team is going to be until about the third week of the regular season.

Glad to see that NC Wesleyan has finally gotten back home to the Sports Complex to play their home football games.  Since they will be the only team using the field for the time being it can truly be home to the Fighting Bishops.  I have a suggestion for the Down East Viking Classic.  Why don't some year NCW play Elizabeth City State in a game there.