Monday The 13th

I know the calendar says today is Monday July second but after the events that have happened within the last few hours  it would be hard to tell Hank Jones and Coleman Pitt Post 58 that is not the 13th.   First item on the agenda P58  found out that  Albemarle the team that P58 beat twice last night has played the entire season with an eneligible player so they have had to forfeit any wins they had this season.  That doesn't help P58 one bit since P58 swept Albemarle in three games.

Tonight P58 was set to host Windsor in the final conference game of the year and about 6.20 or so the coach for Windsor tells Hank Jones that two players who were suppose to be here are not coming and Windsor only has 7 players.  The good news is P58 gets a win.  The bad news is Post 58 lost one of the last three gates of the year since up to this point most of P58 schedule had been on the road and they were finishing this week with three home games before the playoffs.  Despite no game guess who got paid but the umpires who never finished getting dressed.  P58 is in the hole on this one.

Bad news for Andy Morris rising junior at Rocky Mount who had been brought up to catch today.  He was in the starting lineup as Hank Jones was letting several players rest who were effected by the heat Friday night at Wilson.  Morris will probably be in the lineup again tomorrow night when P58 host P39 in a non conference game.  More bad news, the Thursday game set with Eastern Wayne  has been cancelled since EW has had several games rained out in the past week and needs Thursday to play conference makeup games so Thursdays game is gone.  The final game of the regular season is Tuesday night at 7PM against Pitt County.

P 58 needed both the Pitt County and Eastern Wayne games this week to get the feel of how the playoffs will be starting on the 12th .  This point in the season wins and losses are not as important as getting into the playoff mode and being prepared for the level of competition that will start next week.

The forfeit puts P58 at 13-1 in conference play and 17-5 overall on the season.  Albemarle's forfeiting the season has thrown the playoff picture into a loop as Windsor and Ahoskie still play each other three times this week.  Once Thursday and a double header Friday the team that wins two out of three will be the #4 seed from the Eastern Division Joining Rocky Mount , Wilson and Edenton in the playoffs.

This time of year a thunder storm can get a ball game ended in a minute but on a beautiful night like tonight there no ball game at Gryphon Stadium.

Post 58 Is Rolling

Thunder off in the distance Post 58 traveled to Northeastern High School Sunday night to play a double header baseball  games in which Post 58 could lose both and still have first place to themselves when the night was over.  Whether the excessive heat from Friday's game against Post 13 and some of the heat was not weather related it was decided before Rocky Mount ever left to go to the game that Sunday night's game would only be five inning affairs.

Game one of the DH saw Chase Johnson take the hill for Post 58 and after three innings Albemarle lead 2-1.  If there is one thing that Post 58 has done this summer is hit the ball and the second time around the order P58 did just that scoring nine runs in the fourth and win game one by a score of 10-2.

So far this summer P58 has just about dominated every game they have been in in the middle and late innings.  Why would that be and the best way to answer that is I don't see too many teams that P58 has played in conference play have all that much depth on the mound.  Every team has at least one guy who can go five innings but those last four innings who do you put out there against a team that hits average pitching like batting practice.

Looking at the future I would think there will be several teams as the playoffs progress that will be able to hold P58 to five runs.  Then the pressure will be on the P58 pitchers to keep them in the game.  There have been moments where the pitching has been great and then moments that we are glad the offense can score ten runs  or more a game.  I don't think our conference has done P58 any favors this year getting Rocky Mount ready for the playoffs that begin July 12 at home that night.

Now for  game two.  If the thought is true that most teams in our league don't have quality pitching that can get past five innings then we need to look at game two being the 6th,7th, 8th 9th and 10th inning of one game.  The result Post 58 15-0.

Overall now P58 is 17-5 and 12-1 in league play and they get a chance Monday night at home to meet the only team to beat them in conference play in Windsor.  Tuesday they again play home hosting P39 Pitt County who makes the return trip to Rocky Mount after the opening night rain out in the 3rd inning way back in May.  The last regular season game is Thursday against Wayne County and then there is a week off to rest.

So TV Has The Say

If you were interested in the golf this afternoon on TV you got a chance to see Professional Golf played the way it use to be before all the pros made it to the big time.  Just them an the golf course no throng of people watching.  Last night's super storm in Washington DC made a mess of the Congressional Country Club where this week's pro tour stop is played.  Several trees and limbs were down and for public safety they decided to not let any paying customers on the course only the players and a few others.

Tees times were delayed to after lunch so TV gave us only up to 6PM on CBS.  Normally when they over run their time slot Golf Channel would pick up the coverage till dark but today they had the LPGA on so TV wasn't able to have control like they want during any event.  The man upstairs was in charge today.

Anybody remember that we had a mild winter and a cool spring?  I believe all the weird weather is over and it is summer time now.  Thank goodness my air condition still works.

Sunday is July first which means we are one month from High School Football practice.

I have heard from somebody that knows somebody else and the word is Moving day for the new Rocky Mount High School is July 16th.

Post 58 won their 15th game of the season last night in the sweltering heat in Wilson 16-12 over  Post 13.  Where has all the pitching gone.  Didn't see a lot in the Big East and Legion pitching has been hard to find.  Post 58 has given up 26 runs in the last two games and yet they are 15-5 and 10-1 on the season.  The good news is they seem to be able to score every inning  some way some how.

Carolina got four players drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft while Duke had two.  I thought the ACC was down this year.

Post 58 will travel to Elizabeth City to Northeastern High School where they will play a double header with Albemarle  Sunday at 5PM.  They are home Monday for their last conference game of the season and play Windsor the only team to beat them in conference play.  Once again home Tuesday with Pitt County and Thursday against Wayne County.  Playoffs starts July 12th and Post 58 the #1 seed from the Area one Eastern Division will play the #4 from the western division whom ever that might be.

Hot,Heated And Treated

If you go to enough baseball games I don't care how many you have ever been to every now and then you come home  and say "I've never seen that at a baseball game before".  Tonight Post 58 traveled to Wilson Post 13 to meet for the final time during the regular season.  Post 58 already has clinched first after P13 split a double header earlier this week so tonight night's game has no bearing what so ever on the out come of the standings other than the fact Rocky Mount and Wilson are playing and Wilson wants to keep P58 from sweeping P13 during the regular season.

Even at 7PM the thermostat sat at 98 degrees and by the games end  it was still over 90.  I can't remember if ever I have seen a game end after dark and the temp still in the 90's.  Whether it was the heat, but tempers flared and at one point Wilson's catcher is tossed from the game.  As the game  continued the umpire behind the plate went the ground and had to have medical attention.  Don Johnson came out of the stands to umpire the bases while the umpire on the bases went behind the plate.  Can this game get any weirder or what?

Now for the game, Rocky Mount opened the first by scoring three times and P 13 got two back in the bottom of the first. P 58 got another in the second but Wilson plated four in the bottom of the second to lead 4-6.  Rocky Mount scores twice in the third to tie the game at 6 all after three.  P 13 finally kept P58 off the score board in the fourth but added three more themselves in the bottom of the fourth to lead 9-6.  Rocky Mount hits P13 with a five spot in the fifth to retake the lead 11-9.  P13 gets one more in the sixth to cut the Coleman Pitt lead to 11-10.  Wilson scores twice in the seventh to retake the lead 12-11 and then the ump went down.

Rocky Mount scores twice in the eighth and  and Jordan Taylor who is now pitching for P58 holds P 13 scoreless with the score now 13-12 Rocky Mount.  P 58 adds three more in the ninth and Taylor finishes off Wilson with the final score of 16-12.

John Spears was the umpire behind the plate   tonight and as far as we know at this hour  is waiting to be carried home to New Bern as suffering from dehydration.  We pray that everything will be fine. The game ended near 11pm and the game ending temperature was 94 degrees.  All those who stuck to the end tonight were able to go home and tell others "you will not believe the game I saw tonight".

Big Time Revenge

Last night Johnston County got their revenge on Post 58 for knocking JC from the ranks of the unbeatens on Tuesday night.  Johnston County beat P 58 14-2 in from of the home folks in Rocky Mount.  Like Tuesday night don't make too much out out of losing by double digits in front of the home folks.

The lost stopped a eight game winning streak. P58 is now 14-5 on the season and this was their first lost this season in Rocky Mount.  The next three playing days will tell all about this season.  Friday a single game at P13 in Wilson.  Sunday a double header in Elizabeth City and the final conference game of the season with Windsor at home.  Monday night we should have some idea who we begin the playoffs with even thought P 58 has two more home games next week.

North Carolina State has named it first Hall of Fame class of ten and it is rather obvious that basketball is king in Raleigh.  Everett Case the father of ACC basketball as we know it today heads the class along with David Thompson just maybe if their was a first team all College team he would surely be the small forward on that team.

Jim Valvano and Kay Yow basketball coaches along with Genia Beasley a player for Yow make up half the first ten.  Football is represented by Roman Gabriel who was the #1 draft pick of both the LA Rams and Oakland Raiders and even was voted MVP of the NFL in the late 60's.  Outland Trophy winner Jim Richter and Ted Brown State's all time leading rusher are in the first class.  Julie Shea who was in her day was the best long distance runner in the country and Tab Ramos a long time soccer Player make the first ten.

Big Road Win

Regular season in Legion Baseball is totally getting prepared for the playoffs.  There have been days where they played five games in four days and the test there is to see who can pitch against Legion hitters and vise versa who can hit legion pitching.

You have to remember Legion is basically the all star high school players from every area that plays legion.  It is hard sometime to wonder why would they lose to one team and turn around and beat another the next night.  The one thing I really like about baseball is the pitcher on the mound makes it  a different ga
me every night.

Last night Post 58 traveled to Selma and played Johnston County at Smithfield High School.  Going into last night JC had not lost all season.  It was predetermined that they would only play a seven inning game and of course in a non conference game why wear you pitchers out when there are more important conference games to play as July 5th approaches.

Jeremy Lucas got the start last night and Lucas went the  distance as Post 58 put four runs on the board and Lucas and his defensive teammates held JC to only one run and P58 knocks Johnston County from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 4-1 win.  Johnston County gets a chance for revenge as they play Post 58 in Rocky Mount tonight at 7PM.

P58 is riding a eight game winning streak as they are now 14-4 on the season and heading to Wilson Friday night are 9-1 in conference play. Those who are interested in seeing playoff potential caliber  baseball tonight will be a good one and of course traveling Friday night to Fleming Stadium in Wilson which is rea

lly a good place to watch baseball.

Hudgins Signs With Queens

Tia Hudgins who just in May was named the top female athlete at Rocky Mount High School signed  with Queens College in Charlotte on Monday to continue to play basketball.  She will join former Gryphon team mate Dyonna Battle.

Hudgins who played four years of varsity basketball for Pam Gainey who at only five feet seven  will probably have a new role once she hits the college hardwood.  Tia only and average outside shooter will probably have to play guard in college and while playing for the Gryphons used her jumping ability to secure rebounds and put rebounds back in the basket.

Her four years of playing Rocky Mount basketball the Gryphons won 85% of their games. She scored over 1,250 points and she is probably a better volleyball player  at 5'7" her game at the net with her jumping ability made her one of the best VB players at Rocky Mount in the last ten years but at the college level that's no where near tall enough.   If you never saw her play and only looked at her stats you would assume she is at least six feet tall  but those that did know she has the heart of a champion.

I hear that Khalil Macklin did not make the U18 USA baseball team.  You know Khalil is probably the youngest player invited to the Baseball USA Complex in Cary and he did so well he has already been invited back to try out next year.  Even then Macklin will be one of the youngest players as he is only a rising Junior at Nash Central.  Most of the team members picked graduated high school  this spring.  Getting this much attention this early by the time he graduates in two years he will have a real chance to be a top ten pick in the MLB baseball draft of 2014.  Thank Goodness he will be back in uniform soon for Coleman Pitt Post 58.

Post 58 will be in action tonight at they play Johnston County  at Smithfield Selma High School.  This game had been scheduled for the second game of the season but got shifted to tonight along the way.  P58  record has jumped to 13-4 but these next two games Wednesday  at home to Johnston County don't mean half as much as the game Friday at Wilson.  I doubt if any pitcher  pitches more than a couple of inning in each of the next two.

It's update time for Brian Goodwin as he continues to play for Hagerstown Md in A ball for the Washington Nationals.  Brian missed almost a month when he pulled a groin about a week into the season and the Nationals because they prize Brian so highly kept him on the side lines well after he was healed just to make sure he had no lingering effects from the injury.

Brian is hitting 316 in 37 games played of the 70 that Hagerstown has played.  He has hit 6 home runs and driven in 30 runs in 37 games.  Stolen 11 bases  and has ten doubles.  He is listed on the Washington Nationals website as their 7th top prospect in the minors.  Remember now he is 7th and playing A ball.  Doubt he will stay in Hagerstown much longer.