Golden Spikes Nominee

Former Rocky Mount Gryphon, Barton college and now Senior redshirt third baseman for UNC Pembroke Collins Cuthrell has made the top 60 cut for the Golden Spikes Award as the best Amateur baseball player in America.

58 nominees are from division 1 baseball as Cuthrell is the only DII player on the list.  There is also one JUCO player in the top 60.  May 27 will but the first round of cuts from the top 60 and the winner will be announced June 23rd.

So far this year the Braves third baseman has hit 458 collecting 19 home runs driven in 55 rbi and added 17 doubles to his resume'.  He has struck out a only  21 times in over 165 plate appearances.  Just last summer Collins help with Post 58 Legion team here in Rocky Mount and as a graduate of Barton had one year of eligibility left so he is in Grad school at UNCP.

Thursday night started the minor league baseball season and I could not find Brian Goodwin on any roster.  One big issue for minor league players the teams are not required to let everyone know when a player is on the disabled list like in the majors.  Rumors all spring were that Brian is still hurting from his surgery last summer and is on the disabled  list even though there isn't one in the minors.

Hobbs Johnson has been promoted to AA Biloxi in the Southern league.  The former Gryphon just two summers ago pitched for Carolina in the College World Series is right now ranked as the 23rd prospect for the Milwaukee Brewers organization.  Should get his first start of the year this weekend.

Two former Gryphons who have sons in minor league baseball began their season Thursday.  Bill Merfifield  who's son Whit was a member of the national Champions South Carolina has risen to triple AAA Omaha for the Kansas City Royals went 2-5 and drive in a run in his opening game playing left field.  Sonny Wooten's off spring John Wooten who played for Eastern Wayne if you remember they played Northern Nash in the East Regional.  He also played at ECU and will start out the year as first baseman for Potomac. He went 1-4 with a double and RBI.

Another Legend Gone

The older I get in life it almost seemed to be a daily occurrence that someone in the sports world leaves this good earth that I had many days of pleasure being around.  Jim Garrison who coached football at Chowan College for 43 years and won 182 games in Junior College which at the time of his retirement was third all time in JUCO football and was Athletic Director passed this past week at the age of 82.

Garrison coached 19 players who would play NFL football.  I am sure if you looked at the list of players many  you would know and you would say I didn't know they went to Chowan. Twice Chowan played in the East Bowl which was called the Little Rose Bowl of Junior College.  Playing in the East Bowl amounted to be the best Junior College team east of the Mississippi River. They won it once.

Garrison is a member of five Halls of Fame including the North Carolina Sports Hall.  He leaves his wife of 57 years Joyce and three surviving children.  His funeral will be this Saturday on the football stadium that bares his name.

The news media is bonkers over Tiger Woods playing in the Masters.  Woods who shot and opening round  73 which I think is a very respectable round for a player who has been out of action for three months because of injury.

There is one thing that gets under my craw however.  The audacity of a player injured to think he can stay out of action injured and show up for a major and think he's in shape to play championship golf.  Wouldn't he been better served to have played last weekend just to get the feel of tournament golf again?

One of the reasons wins are few and far between for Tiger now is his putting.   He thinks he can show up at one of the hardest golf courses to putt and shoot a score than will keep him in the tournament for the weekend.  I can see this as Tigers' future.  Every now and then he will have a hot putter and shoot a 66 and the media will declare Tiger back as good as ever. It might happen today who knows but then if it does happen shoot two more 73's over the weekend.  When you have lost the putting touch you may find it every now and then but on those hot days you will not know how you did it other than the ball kept going in the hole.

You know for every Arnold Palmer there comes a Jack Nicklaus.  Every Jack there is a Tom Watson to replace him.  For Tiger there is a Jordan Spieth.  Move over Tiger the new Palmer has arrived.