Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Weather At It Again

Since about the middle of January I don't think we have had a week that the weather hasn't help postpone, delay or in some cases cancel games all together.  Hunt and Southern Nash didn't play but once in basketball during the regular season.  Even a big gate game like Nash Central at Northern Nash was lost the last week of basketball season because they ran out of days before the conference tournament started.

Gates receipts are the life blood of high school athletic and crowds have been down in basketball because of the weather and even now cold weather and rain has caused all the teams of the Big East base base to lose several games already during the non-conference.  Just ten more days before conference starts and these non conference games is when you give everyone a shot to see if they can get playing time  because you want by the first conference game have a lineup established.

So far Northern Nash at 4-2 has the best overall record.  Fike stands 4-3 and both NN And Fike are the only two teams with winning records. Hunt is 2-4, Nash Central 1-3, Rocky Mount 1-4 and Southern Nash 1-5.

Have some very sad news to pass along as long time athletic trainer at Nash Central Mike Caffey has died. I think Mike came to the Bulldogs the very first year of the school and he retired last year.  You know the press box at the football stadium and at the baseball field is a rather heafty long walk up hill both ways and Mike many times gave me a ride on his golf cart.  His funeral will be Thursday night at 7pm at Northside Community Church.

Great start for the ACC in all the  playoffs.  Pack cruises against Xavier and gets ACC off to a 1-0 start in the NCAA tournament winning 74-59.  Florida State and Clemson win in the NIT.  Davidson led most of their NIT game at Missouri but lost a close one.  ECU trying to repeat in the tournament they won last year lost to Wright ST 74-59 so they will not repeat.

TV Guide For NCAA Basketball

The NCAA tournament starts just a little early this year as for the first time a Triangle team will have a team in the first four games as NC State plays Tuesday in Dayton as they meet Cincinnati based Xavier at 9:10 pm and the network carrying the game is Tru-TV the home of Lizard Lick Towing.

Should the Pack win Tuesday night they will hop a plane and fly right over Raleigh heading to Orlando Thursday night as they play the number five seed University of St Louis.  If the Pack is there TV time is  7:20pm and you will have to switch networks as this game will be on TNT.  It is obvious if the Pack loses Tuesday not many people will care much about that game other than which winner from that games helps you advance in your brackets.

Friday at Noon time the Duke Blue Devils begin play at PNC in Raleigh as they take on Mercer.  Virginia the other ACC team in Raleigh doesn't play until late Friday night in PNC.  I would suspect splitting the two ACC will insure a full house Friday afternoon and the Virginia crowd will fill the house Friday night.

North Carolina starts their action Friday night playing Providence  in San Antonio Texas game time is 7:20 and the Tar Heels will be on TNT.  The Tar Heels are the sixth seed and Providence is 11th so the Tar Heels will be favored in this one.

The final Triangle team to hit the Hard Court is the Eagles of North Carolina Central. They will play Iowa St. and if you can make it to midnight Friday and if you stayed up to the last game Thursday night their starting time is scheduled for 9:50 and that is of course if all three of the other games in that regional don't go overtime or take extra time to run it to later than that.

If the weather improves today the Gryphons are scheduled to play Corinth Holders at 4pm.  These two played for the Gryphons their opening game and Holders won 7-2.  Former Gryphon  Adam Weaver is the coach there but the weather has to improve  fast.

Friday Nash Central traveled to Ahoskie and took on Hertford County and after the game Nash Central collected the same amount of hits in the game as they had on the bus going to the game none. Hertford County won the game 11-1 with a no hitter.

I do want to tell you some bad news and good news about Rocky Mount Legion season that is not that  far from starting. Learned last week that Hank Jones has decided that he has more important thing to do this summer as his oldest daughter will be on a travel league team  and like all dads will be heading to the games following her and it will conflict greatly with Legion.  Hate to see you go Hank but I think you have made the right choice.  Have fun watching your girls grow up.