A Great One Gone

There are plenty of you out there that do not remember that women's basketball used to be played with six players and two always stayed down on the defensive end of the court all the time so in essence only two girls ever had to go up and down the full court for a full game.  I am assuming that the reason for that is women were not suppose to be as physical as men  so they were limited in how much running they did.

The mid 1970's saw Title IX come of age and women's sports especially in colleges had to have the same privileges as men's sports.  All across America Colleges and universities looked for Women's coaches in all sports that were now having to be funded just like men.  This state Kay Yow took over the basketball team at N C State and the Wolfpack women dominated basketball in this state for several years until the ACC picked it up for women.

The national scene Tennessee went after  a young whipper snapper coach by the name of Pat Head to become their basketball coach.  Nationally Pat Head quickly took Tennessee to dominance in women's basketball.  If you use a comparison to men she was John Wooten of this young age of now women's basketball.  She was the best recruiter, best on court coach and she demanded excellence at all times and she got it from her players.  Her 38 years she won 1098 games losing only 208.  Tennessee won eight national championships.

Ours lives are struck down by two words if we hear them from a doctor.  Cancer and Alzheimer's.  Every case our first thoughts are death.  The treatment of cancer has lead to a survivor rate of more than 50% chance where at this point in the stages Dementia the life expectancy is seven years.  Pat Head Summit first noticed strange things with her memory in 2009 and retired from coaching by 2012.  The all time winningest division one basketball coach is gone.

I don't even think at this point in research there is enough information to say what causes Dementia but any family that has to live through those seven years know the pain of a person who doesn't even know who you are some days.  Just earlier this year Dean Smith went through the same process.  Pat Head Summit was knocked down still in the prime of her life.  Let's all pray that time is coming when we will know what causes such diseases and a cure and preventative options  can be found.

The first pitch in the double header at Legion Field tonight between Garner and Rocky Mount is scheduled for 5:00pm.  If you think of high school games then a seven inning game normally last one hour  and forty five minutes.  That would conclude by 7pm game one is over and around 7:30 game two could start finishing up by say 9:15-9:30.  That is a much better finish time than 10:30 for old folks like me who have to get up early and go to work tomorrow before sunrise.

We know many things dictate the pace of a game.  Base on balls by pitchers, rain delays.  Let us hope as important as these two games are in the standings of Area One Western division that we get quality pitching and may the best team win.  Hope we don't get into rain delays pushing us to midnight.  Had enough of that during the Raleigh Regional.

Former Rocky Mount High baseball player an a member of the 2008 State Championship baseball  team Brian Goodwin was named to the International League All Star team along with teammate Trea Turner.  The game is July 13th at Charlotte and of course on TV.

From the category of bad news Hobbs Johnson was released by the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday.  This season they were trying to make him into a short reliever and was not progressing to the satisfaction of the Brewers.