Thankful To Be Home

Rocky Mount did everything possible to play a vital Big East Conference baseball game today by moving the game up from 7pm to 4 but that didn't work either.  By the time the game reached one out in the bottom of the second rain started and Rod Ramsey the home plate umpire wary of off in the distance rumbling of thunder the Firebirds managed to get the Gryphons out.  Ramsey put a halt to play and within ten minutes the game is postponed even though the rain wasn't a down pour we all knew it was coming.

The weather forecast is for the same tomorrow and possible even Thursday.  A game at Northern on Friday.  There is a baseball tournament at Rocky Mount high this weekend as well as Legion Field.  The game will be resumed at 5pm Monday.

Last night Hunt beat Southern Nash 10-0 so as of this writing Northern stands at 6-2. Fike and Hunt are 5-3 and Rocky Mount and Nash Central are 4-4.

Walked in the door at home just about 5pm and wife Pat is on the phone with daughter Morgan on the way home from Campbell as she had her final exam today at 3pm. She is driving up I-95 and runs up on that storm that hit Kenly.  It rained so hard she stopped twice the first at the rest stop at Selma.  Once the sun came out she starts up 95 and runs into the backside of that same storm and pulls off at Kenly at about the time the tornado hits just a mile back down 95.  In a panic I advised her to get to the nearest business which turns out to be McDonalds and watch the weather and if she sees a funnel cloud head to bathroom. Don't worry mom and dad are on the way. The manager when he heard a tornado had hit close by he put all his employees in the bathrooms along with one scared customer.



Here we go Pat and I listening to the radio, they are talking the storm is heading right down 95 so we decide to take 301. Just about Halifax Road and 301 it starts pouring rain and by the time we went by Firestone part of the road is cover with water.  There was talk that hail was falling north of Wilson so we decided to park under an over pass just in case the ice would not damage the car.  About 15 minutes  we move forward and at times rain was heavy on top of what had already fallen.

Once we get into Wilson traffic is heavy because there are many areas at corners of streets are under water and any low spots were covered.  We made it up to near what use to be the Purina grain bins where the railroad underpass is located and of course that under pass is down in a valley.  Looking ahead a car was under the underpass and the top of the car was all you could see. It is time for a detour.

It took about and hour treading many intersections under water to get over on highway 42.  We had decided by this time we need to make our way to 95.  By this time the rain is sporadic and once we cleared the hospital traffic there was a flow out to 95.  By now the sun is shining but looking down 95 is the blackest cloud we had seen all Day and it is near Kenly

Finally just as we arrive at the McDonalds it starts raining again but by now a panicked child is smothered with hugs from a happy mother glad to see her baby.  The ride home was rather simple but you talk about a tired dog  papa was glad to be home from an hour forty five minute trip to Kenly and a thirty minute ride home.

The Weather Will Be A Factor

The Rocky Mount High baseball and softball games have been moved up to 4pm trying to beat the oncoming rains and severe weather. Northern Nash's games have been also mvoed up. The entire high school basketball season was dotted with snow and ice and by the time the last week of the season arrived teams just didn't have enough days to get in a full schedule.  The conference champions The Hunt Warriors missed out out by one game getting all their conference games in.

Fast forward three months and baseball enters the last  week of the season in much better shape than basketball as the only Hunt and Southern Nash gamed rainout Last Friday being only game on the schedule being behind, but then there is the weather forecast.  I haven't seen at this time the results of the Warrior-Firebird Monday night.

Both Tuesday's games and any make  up game lost on Tuesday due to the weather that would be played on Wednesday just might be in jeopardy because the forecast 90 per cent chance of rain both days which could push the Tuesday games all the way to Thursday and set up a Thursday/Friday back to back days this week to finish the season.

I don't want to even comment on the comments supposedly spoken by the LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling.  I see there is only one answer for the NBA.  A league that has 70 per cent of their players are black has to somehow or other force him to sell the team.   Here is the problem.  How can you punish a 82 year old man that when he bought the team for 20 million and make him sell the team when the team is worth 600 million?

Are you going to force him just turn over the team to us (NBA) for nothing?  Should the players just boycott the next game.  The Clippers were one of the favorites to win the west division and for the players to just lose on purpose takes playoff money out of their pocket.

Last night was the last game ever by the Charlotte Bobcats.  Today is the first day of the return of the Hornets.  Bring out all of that teal you have in your closet.

Down The Stretch Neck And Neck

The final week of Big East baseball starts tonight with the rainout makeup game between Hunt and Southern Nash.  After tonight all Big East teams will be down to two games each to finish the regular season.

I say regular season because I just found out Sunday that next week the Big East will have a conference tournament.  The only thing that hasn't been decided yet as exactly how are they going to do the tournament?  It has been discussed that one plays six, two plays five and three meets four with the top team left standing get a bye in the second.  All first round games would be Monday.

If they do try this new formula and all three top seeds win then one would get a bye in the second round and two and three would play Tuesday.  The winner would play  the top seed  Thursday.  There is of course the old system one and two get a bye and three plays six and four plays five.  What ever way they decide it will start Monday May 5th.

The big question is who will make the top three spots and will make the playoffs?  Northern as they say has control of their own destiny.  If they beat both Fike and Rocky Mount they are the champs of the regular season.  Hunt becomes the first team that is still in the running for the title that must beat Southern Nash this week.   Any team including Rocky Mount Tuesday and Nash Central Friday that would lose to the winless Firebirds would eliminate themselves from any chance of still tying for the title but they would hurt their playoff hopes of finishing in the top three.

So for Nash Central and Rocky Mount both needing plenty of outside help but they have got to win both of their games this week to stay alive for the playoffs.  The best scenario for all three Rocky Mount teams getting the top three spots would be for Northern to beat Fike at home Tuesday.  Nash Central knock off Hunt Tuesday and it wouldn't matter who won the Fike-Hunt game Friday because the loser would have five losses.  The final straw to get all three in would be Rocky Mount beating Northern Friday.

The way this season has unfolded here is about how this playoff picture will be decided. I can see Northern and one of the Wilson County schools who start the week with three losses.  One of them will not lose  this week and there will be a three way tie for third and the third spot will be decided by next week's tournament.

The ACC Tournament Needs Pack And Heels

There is all kinds of talk about the flat bat being used in college baseball that they need to make a bat next year that puts more ump in a hit ball.  Regardless of what bat is being used this year if the ACC wants another year of record breaking crowds North Carolina needs to hang on to a top ten spot and somehow or other the Pack  needs to pass a couple and hope nobody behind  passes them in the final month of the season.

The talk at the beginning of the season was that NC State was now a baseball school.  You know the way WolfPack  fans are if they somehow they make the ACC Tournament then there will be that we are getting hot at the right time and will flock to Greensboro.  Rodon just might pitch the Tuesday game should Pack make it just because they will need to make the top eight to get three more games.

Carolina is within the top eight but still might  have to play the Tuesday play in day. Their problem they have no wiggle room with Florida  State and Miami to go in weekend series.   They could still fall below 10th.  Do you think that even if the Heels make the tournament they are going to flock to Greensboro to watch a team that is floundering.  You know in the last ten years the Tar Heels have been almost automatic for Omaha but this team looks as far from Greensboro as Omaha.

I don't think it makes much difference what kind of bat they have if  you can't even get a single when you have runners on.  Carlos Rodon is 2-5 for the Pack in eight conference starts. He has average over eight innings pitched in each of those games and completed three of the eight.

Benton Moss for Carolina has had more run support but has had just as much trouble for the Heels holding leads.  Saturday Moss goes seven innings  and had a 5-4 lead when he left but for a change the Heels added to the lead and won 6-4. It makes Benton record at 3-2 on the season.

Carolina is now 12-11 in conference play and it looks as if it will take 14 wins to make top ten and 17 wins to not have to play on Tuesday in the 7-10/ 8/9 games.  State is 9-15 and is at this point they can't lose another with any hope of evening making the top ten or watch the playoffs from the beach for the summer.

It would not hurt if both the Pack and Heels get to Greensboro but one thing the ACC can't afford is neither make the tournament.

Northern Holds All The Cards

One week to go and Northern Nash was able to play two games in a week without losing a conference game.  There have not many weeks anybody else has been able to say that.  I have not seen any evidence that Hunt-Southern Nash got there game in last night so Hunt is faced with playing three conference games between now and by the end of Friday night.

Northern still has Fike to play a team they beat at Fike 7-3.  Nash Central and Rocky Mount must win their games Tuesday but both those teams with four losses need Fike to win to leave them any chance of somehow remaining alive to get into a combo of ties for first.

Northern at 6-2 but Fike 5-3  and right now Hunt with three losses at 4-3.  What both the Bulldogs and Gryphons need is Fike to beat Northern, Nash Central beat Hunt, Hunt beat Fike Friday and Rocky Mount beat the Knights Friday.  All of this is reasonable as long as everyone who plays Southern Nash beats them.  You know if all these scenarios happen then there is a real mess with a five way tie with the top five all being 6-4.

Northern can put a stop to the what if's if they beat Fike Tuesday.  That would only leave them to watch out for Hunt who could still tie at the top but remember they will have three games to play.  If Northern beats Fike then Rocky Mount and Nash Central are closer to getting playoff spots as long as they win.  That word win has been big trouble for everyone in this conference this year.

Jackson Willis of Nash Central won the Big East Tennis title beating Rocky Mount's Kevin Ramirez 7-6-6-2.

The Northern doubles team of Tremel Davis and Matt Outlaw beat the Fike doubles team of Thomas Smith and Reid Harrison 6-0-6-2.

Hunt High boys and girls swim teams won the NCHSAA Scholars-Athletes team award for having the highest GPA averages in the entire state.  The boys swim team had a GPA of  3.634 while the girls were a little higher with a 3.770.

The Pack has done it again.  They are shutout by the other teams best pitcher when the Pack's best pitcher Carlos Rodon gives up one run.  Carolina sneaks one out against Virginia Tech.  The Heels have won just enough to make ACC Tournament while the Pack has lost enough to be out.

Strangle Hold

This topsy turvey Big East has five teams who have a shot at the title. Going into tonight's game at Nash Central Northern Nash got the lead by virtue of Fike's loss on Wednesday and should they lose tonight we are back in a who wants it.  Tonight Northern Nash wants no part of a tie with anybody and used a seven run fifth inning and now have a strangle hold on first after a 9-4 victory over the Bulldogs.

The Knights started their ace Derrick Carter who gets the win as he pitches four plus innings but was rocked in the fourth by three straight hits but by this time the Knights had already scored seven in the top of the fifth.  Tyler Barrett came in and put out the fire and secured the victory and first place for the Knights.

Northern scored one in the second but The Bulldogs scored one in their half of the second.  The Knights took the lead for good on three straight hits in the fourth and the third was an RBI double by Alex Cooke.

Northern ended all suspense in the fifth plating seven runs on four hits but the Bulldog pitchers added to their troubles walking in two runs and the defense committed two errors.  Northern collected ten hits on the night with Chad Nelms, Jacob Green and Tyler Barrett getting two a piece.  Chad Haggerty, Derrick Carter,Nick Vester  and Alex Cooke all had a hit.

The Bulldogs collected eight hits and if the score had of been different Kyle Taylor with three hits just might had  of been the hero.  David Sutton, Tyler King, Zack Denton, Noah Strock and Patrick Horne reach base with hits

Northern heads home with two home games next week  at least a one game lead with a 6-2 record.  Fike at 5-3 gets their shot at Northern Tuesday night so there is still  plenty of hope for all five of the top teams in the Big East.

Up And Out Of The Coffin

Ten days into the Big East Conference season Rocky Mount stood 0-3 and tied for last with Southern Nash. Tonight Rocky Mount travels to Fike and the last time these two met it went extra innings before Fike applied one of those first  three losses.  Rocky Mount scores four in the first two innings and never trails as they Knock Fike out of a tie with Northern Nash winning at Fike  11-6

Tuesday the Gryphons knocked off Hunt who had beaten the Gryphons the first time around and tonight's win get the a Gryphons to 4-4 while it knocks Fike down to 5-3.  The Big East games Tuesday saw Fike beat Nash Central 10-3 and Northern got by Southern 5-3.  As of tonight Northern Nash is in first with a 5-2 record, Fike is 5-3, Hunt is 4-3, Nash  Central stands 4-3 Rocky Mount 4-4 and Southern is 0-7.

Friday night Nash Central travels to Northern and the Bulldogs will be in a must win situation as they trail Northern by one game with three to play and a loss to Northern  would put them down two with two to play.  Hunt plays Southern Friday and you would figure this is a must win for Hunt. The second time around the Firebirds are playing everyone much better than during the first cycle.

Rocky Mount having won four of their last five have played themselves right into the playoff picture. How close is Big East baseball this year? Five teams have won at least half of their games and only Southern has a losing record.

Dante Battle has announced that he has signed with Wallace State in Alabama and will play Junior College Basketball his first two seasons. This will leave him options to play D1 basketball after Juco.

Looked on the ECU Women's basketball web page today that J''Kyra Brown after averaging 5.8 points per game was named The Lady Pirates offensive player of the year.  Then this afternoon saw on J's twitter account that she has asked for and has been given her release from the basketball team at ECU.  Boy talk about a shocker.  Way back even as a sophomore at Rocky Mount J pretty much told all the recruiters that she was going to ECU no need to try to recruit her.

Saw on FaceBook earlier this week that Tia Hudgins has a leg problem  and will no longer play basketball for Queens University. Tia had a really nice freshman year having to learn the guard position after playing small forward at Rocky Mount.

Finally tonight looked up the Lander Division 2 baseball page and former Gryphon Thomas Berry leads the nation in walks on the season in D2 having walked 45 times in 46 games.  He is also hitting 331 on the year for the Bearcats.  You also might remember that Baseball Britt Johnson is the assistant  for Lander and they stand 40-6 on the season and are ranked 2nd in the nation.  Wouldn't 't be great if Lander makes it to the D2 World Series in Cary.