Loose Ends

This week has been mainly the baseball draft so now is a good time to catch up on items left dangling.

I will be so glad for today to pass. Today is the day that television goes to all digital broadcasting. I think every station in the world has had something on their station about the change over every day for two years. Please don't delay it again like they did in February. Enough already.

My cousin Lauren Doughtie who at Christmas time in her final year of golf at N C State had planned after graduation to try to make both the amateur public Links and US Amateur before turning pro. Last week Lauren decided to start her career on the Futures tour in Iowa and cash her first check as a pro. A whopping $925.

The futures tour plays 17 events during the year and since she qualified last fall she had retained her college eligibility but in order to stay qualified for next year she must finish in the top 100 on tour or go back to qualifying school. The Iowa tournament is the 7th event of the year so she had already missed one third of the season.

When we look at what she made last week she is 122nd in money earnings so she is off to a good start after having shot 74-74-70 in her first tournament. It is not like the futures tour is going to make any body a millionaire as last weeks winner made $11,000. If they develop on the futures tour the millions wait on the LPGA tour.

American Legion Post 58 won their first game of the season last night at they beat Kinston 6-2. Dillon Cockrell got the win pitching six strong innings. Nash Central's T J Taylor and Northern's Mike Williams lead the attack with two hits each.

Looks like LA can now coast to the NBA Championship after taking a three one lead in the NBA playoffs. It could easily be three /one Orlando but it's not.

Tonight is the seventh game of the Stanley Cup . So far the home ice has won every game.

UNC is in Omaha Nebraska as they make their fourth straight trip to the college world series. Carolina starts in their bracket Sunday at 2.00pm against Arizona State.

Joyner Drafted By Indians

Tyler Joyner Northern Nash's top pitcher of all time was taken in the 50th round by the Cleveland Indians the same team that picked Alex White of Carolina.

Joyner joins Brian Goodwin as with ideas to ponder even though both seem headed for Joyner to Greenville and ECU and Goodwin to Carolina.

If you look at the pitchers who were drafted Tyler doesn't fit the first rounders mold. Six feet three and two hundred twenty five pounds.

But neither does a Mike Hampton. Tyler at five feet eleven is not what a scout looks for until they see him pitch. Three years from now Tyler very well could be the Alex White in waiting.

Chad Womble who has spent the last two seasons in Darlington South Carolina will spend the next two with Charlie Long at N C Wesleyan. Womble graduated from RMHS in 2007.

The Nash County American Legion will try again tonight to get a game in . They have only played once so far this year and rained out Tuesday in Tarboro. They are in Kinston tonight.

If you can make it to Myrtle Beach today and Friday the North Carolina/ South Carolina baseball all star games are going on.

Tyler Joyner, Ben Fish and Brian Goodwin are representing Nash County.

Now The Temptation

The Chicago White Sox picked Brian Goodwin in the 17th round of the second day of the MLB draft.

I have had one of those days today. My step mother had back surgery yesterday at Pitt Memorial in Greenville. Unable to watch any of the second round of the draft today I had not heard that Brian was picked by the Pale Sox.

I had my computer on MLB.com and when I arrived home about 6.00pm I could hear talking and this is no lie. The first recognizable thing I heard when I got into range on my computer was a recap of the White Sox day two draft and Brian Goodwin was a 5 star player who could have easily gone on day one but whether he could be signed or go to college was the big issue. Being a five star player the only question is how well he will hit in the majors. MLB compared him to Kenny Lofton who played for nearly 20 years in the majors.

If you remember just three years ago D H Conley's Alex White had made it known all spring in High school that unless someone gave him a million dollars he was going to Carolina. He was drafted in the 14th round. He also went to Carolina and was the 15th pick in the entire draft yesterday.

Brian Goodwin, Ben Fish and Tyler Joyner are in Myrtle Beach for two days of all star games Thursday and Friday between North Carolina and South Carolina.. John Wooten of Eastern Wayne and the son of former Rocky Mount High star Sonny Wooten is also playing for North Carolina.

Brian,Ben and Tyler will be back home Saturday morning to graduate fro Rocky Mount and Northern Nash.

The New-6 has had a policy of depending on where you finished in the league determined how many players could make all conference. The all conference softball team has been announced and Laura Alford has made the first team. Cary Mosher is second team and Clytesia Garner is honorable mention.

Hope to have news tomorrow about Chad Womble former Gryphon pitcher. Stay tuned

MLB Draft Day One Is Over

The first three rounds of the major league draft is over and no local names were called.

For all of us who pull for for either Northern Nash or Rocky Mount we all wanted to hear their names called.

I have heard all spring that the Joyner family were sending vibes to scouts that they wanted to send Tyler to college and were not that interested in signing and playing minor league baseball at this time. Tyler has committed to the Nash County American Legion team this summer before Billy Godwin gets him in the fall at ECU.

I think even the Goodwin family had told scouts that Brian would have to be a high, high pick in order to sway him from Mike Fox and Chapel Hill.

When Charles Alston sent out the e-mail that Brian had decided to play select baseball this summer in Ohio I kind of thought that the Goodwin's after hearing what scouts were telling them where they thought Brian might go in the draft that they put out the word that they would spend the next three years in Chapel Hill.

I suspect we will hear their names called before the week is over since there are 50 rounds of players picked. 1600 players will get drafted by end of the day Thursday.

Major league teams don't have many quality picks and when family's send out messages that we are not interested most teams look in the direction of those that are. By the time the 10th round rolls around teams will start taking shots in the dark just to see if they can lure players to pro ball.

Round four starts at Noon on Wednesday.

The Tar Heels of North Carolina had three player drafted. As expected Dustin Ackley went as the second player taken to Seattle and D H Conley's Alex White was the fifteenth player taken. Carolina was the only school with two players taken in the first round. Kyle Seager was taken in the third round. As it turned out they were the only college players taken from any North Carolina College.

There was one thing very obvious in the draft. If you were six three and could throw ninty miles and hour or faster you got drafted. The ninty fifth pick in the draft was the first pitcher less than six feet three. Almost half of the draft were pitchers.

MLB Draft Starts Today

I think it is 6.00pm tonight the major league baseball draft begins. If either Brian Goodwin or Tyler Joyner go in the first round I will come back on this blog and announce where they were taken.

The preliminary draft experts are not showing Brian in the first round. As long as it takes to complete the first round and if neither player is drafted tonight then It will be late Wednesday before I know myself. I am limited on line during working hours.

It is my guess Brian will go about round two or three and Tyler may be in the top five rounds.

You know both have invites to play college ball next year so not going high in the draft as everyone thinks is not the end of the world for either.

If something pops I will post as soon as I know.

Carolina plays Sunday in the college world series. They are matched up with Arizona State the team that beat Clemson two straight in the super regional.

Virginia plays Saturday against LSU. Both Carolina and Virginia are in different brackets so they will not play each other unless the both make the championship series two out of three next weekend.

The Nash County American legion game for tonight at Northern Nash has been moved to Tarboro. The new Legion team started Saturday at New Bern and lost 14-4. When we look at the roster I think they have a good team it is sometimes a matter playing together and it falls into place. We will see. First home game is scheduled for 3.00pm Sunday afternoon at Wesyelan's Bauer Field.

Game time is 7.00pm tonight at Northern Nash. They also play at Northern Wednesday night and have another home game Sunday afternoon at NC Wesleyan

End Of An Era

Tuesday, June 9 is draft day for Major League Baseball. For the first time in a long while Nash County will be interested in what transpires. There is a possibility at least two area players may be taken. Perhaps one even in the first round.

Despite being from different teams, Rocky Mount's Brian Goodwin and Northern's Tyler Joyner have been teammates from way back. If you look at one team that they were teammates on, you will see that the entire team may be the best collection of amateur baseball talent ever assembled representing Nash County.

Back in 2004 and 2005, almost the entire team went to the Babe Ruth World Series two years in a row. But due to time constraints, will focus on the 2005 team that played for the Babe Ruth World Championship in Quincy, Mass.

Xavier Macklin – Nash Central grad. A rising sophomore at North Carolina A&T. He was voted to the MEAC All-Conference baseball team as a freshman. He very well could get drafted after his junior year. Travis Ward, the head coach of those Nash County teams, commented: ‘You had the Rocky Mount guys and then the Northern guys and then "X" kinda galvanized everyone. His smile and personality kept us all happy. He was our No. 3 pitcher and won many big ball games in his two years. He and Brian together in the outfield were something to watch.’

Tyler Clark - Starting catcher for Northern Nash for four years. Will play college ball at N.C. Wesleyan. Ward called him "the most complete player on the Babe Ruth team."

Mike Williams – Northern third baseman for three years. Ward called Mike the emotional leader. He will play at UNC-Pembroke next year

Ben Fish - Three-year starter at catcher for Rocky Mount. All-time RBI leader in Gryphon history (81). Ward called Ben a warrior, “Ben was a quiet guy by nature, but I tried to help him see that he could also be the leader we needed and ultimately at RMHS needed.”

Dillon Cockrell - Four-year starter at shortstop for Rocky Mount. Played more games for the Gryphons than any other player in history (106). When called upon, he was 9-0 in his career as a pitcher. In Quincy, his relief performance in extra innings propelled the Nash County team to the championship game.

Tyler Joyner - Won 30 games in his career at Northern. He has a baseball scholarship to ECU in back pocket. Maybe the best left-handed pitcher from this area since the 60s and Tarboro’s Mike Caldwell.. Travis says, “you always knew you had a chance to win when Tyler took to the hill. His desire to dominate hitters is his best strength."

Brian Goodwin - Will play for Mike Fox at Carolina next year? Nearly a career .400 hitter at Rocky Mount. MVP of State 3-A Championship in 2008. Ward called Brian, "the most talented player he has ever been around."

Gabe Brown - Was starting second basemen much of his career at Rocky Mount. I hear he plans to walk on next year. Was the leading hitter for much of the Babe Ruth run.

Cameron Ramsey - Backup utility player at Rocky Mount. I hear he will also try walking on next season. Ward: ‘he loved the game more than anyone that we had. He ate, drank and lived the game of baseball. He has a problem with asthma and anyone who has ever played for me will tell you that I demand lots of running, but Cambo never stopped. There were many days where he could hardly breathe and would be in tears, but he refused to stop running. Great, great kid and teammate.’

Parker Stallings - Travis Ward on Stallings: “Parker was very valuable to our pitching staff. He was used mainly in middle relief, but normally threw the ball over the plate and gave our defense a chance."

Hunter Browning - Got the winning hit an RBI in the regional final in Tennessee.

Hunter Perry - Ward called him the “Rev”. Defensive specialist.

Travis Ward, Jammy Mitchell and Greg Clark were the luckiest coaches of them all. They had them all on one team. They won the Babe Ruth State Championship in Rocky Mount. Then they took the Southeast Regional in Greenville, Tn. and finished second in the Babe Ruth World Series in Quincy.

Said Ward, "We had been through so much in the regional and then faced Tri-Valley (Cal.) drained us of whatever we had left in the tank. Tri-Valley had knocked us out the year before. There is no doubt our kids put all they had into beating them, but it was a great game going back and forth and was played so well and then the extra innings."

The extra innings depleted Nash County's pitching for the championship game the next day against Jefferson Parish, La.

Northern twice played in the NCHSAA 3-A eastern regional series (2007, 2009) and Rocky Mount won the NCHSAA 3-A state title in 2008. With this talent, they won or shared four conference titles between them.

Seven of the 12 will be playing baseball next season either in college on scholarship or the minors.

If they had of all played at one high school, there very well could have been three state championships in a row for Nash County.

It is the greatest team ever from Nash County.

Can you spell O-M-A-H-A!

North Carolina's baseball team is headed to the College World Series for the fourth year in a row.

The East Carolina Pirates were beaten twice this weekend by pitchers that could have easily chosen the Pirates over the Heels.

Saturday, Alex White, a D.H. Conley product from Pitt County, held the Pirate bats to one run. Today, Adam Warren, a senior form New Bern High School,held the bats down until the game was all but over. Carolina won the second game 9-3 to sweep ECU and win the Super regional two games to none.

The College World Series starts Saturday, June 13 and the Virginia Cavaliers will be joining their fellow ACC members theTar Heels in Nebraska. UVA beat Ole' Miss today in the third game of their Super Regional 5-1 in Oxford, Miss. Virginia will be the ninth team since the NCAA went to the super regional format to play on the road in the regional and super regional and make it to the World Series.

In the three-game series for Virginia, its pitchers gave up eight runs and in the two-game series for North Carolina's pitchers, they gave up just four.

If you look back to my Thursday blog, I predicted that the Pirates would not have enough pitching to beat the Heels. Carolina scored 19 runs in the two games.

Shifting to Rocky Mount ... The girls All-Conference team has been announced in soccer and RM's midfielder Kelsey Benson, goalie Holly Campbell and defender Michelle Karr made the first team. Lauren Campbell and Alllison Raper made second -team all-conference. Baseball's all-league team will be announced this week.

Don't forget my Monday blog will highhlight what I consider to be the greatest team ever in Nash County. I hope to have it up by 7 a.m.