A Star Is Born

I hope you recorded  Monday's The Price is Right.  If you did you had a chance if you looked quick to see Pat and myself appear on camera nine times.  Just as soon as the show  started we were on camera as the camera zoomed across the audience.  In total we get nine shots on camera for maybe a total of 15 seconds. Once I got into the groove I was a high fiving fool as contestants ran by me heading to the stage.

The telephone has not stopped ringing from talent scouts that saw me that see potential in me in either TV or the movies.  I have been offered jobs as extras  as they see me as the guy walking by as the stars walk down the street.  I have been offered a free all expense paid trip to Nashville (NC) in my first movie appearance.

I didn't see it but the Virginia Tech Wake Forest game has to be the lowest scoring double overtime game since the NCAA went to overtime games.  I would like to know who endured the entire game from start to finish? No touchdowns during the game and two field goals for Wake in both overtimes and they win 6-3.  Isn't this the Virginia Tech team that beat Ohio State supposedly a team close to making the top four and the college football playoffs?

We have in the Doughtie house hold  a Gardner Webb women's college basketball schedule signed by Alexus Hill back up point guard of the Bulldogs.  I bet you don't have one.  Saturday Morgan traveled with the Hill family to GW and watched Alexus score eight points and hand out six assists as the backup point guard.  Hill's college career is off to a great start.  The starting guard is a senior and it is obvious Alexus is being groomed for that starting job next year.

Tonight high school basketball gets going for real.  Rocky Mount is at Winterville South Central.
Nash Central travels to  Warren County  Southern Nash is at Corinth Holders, Northern travels to DH Conley.

Last Wednesday dropped by Bernie Capps' house as B W Holt  was leaving to head home for Christmas in Tennessee.  If you wonder the power of any coach and his ability to get the masses  to be on his side you should have seen some of those there to celebrate with coach the RMA football title.    Holt not only gets the job done on the field but he has that ability to gets support from those of the community who become faithful to him.  What makes him so love by those around him?  He demands from his players their best, those who are faithful to him he returns their faith with the shirt of his back if needed.

The Propaganda Game

We live in a world where every car dealer is the number one.  Number one in what is some times never discussed.  Our government leaders tell us that they are going to Washington,Raleigh or Nashville  to do the will of the people.  Propaganda is in every part of our life and since this is a sports blog. We will talk today about the propaganda of this college playoff system.

Florida State remains  the only undefeated team and if you watch them play there is no way that they could possibly beat any really good team because they play in the ACC which is rated tied for fourth in the big five which ties them for last in the power conferences.

FSU is in the RPI number one.  How can that be that they are rated so high in such a sorry conference as the ACC?  Just maybe the ACC is not such a disaster as others think.  Last season the ACC captured every major award as far best player awards from Heisman to blockers the ACC won them all including the football championship.

Looking at the current top six in this race to be in the final four for the playoffs not one of them is rated in the top fifty in strength of schedule.  Number one is Auburn and number two is Mississippi  and both are not in the top ten and don't have any chance of making final four.

So how do we come up with this do called power rating?  Alabama is one Oregon two Florida State three and Mississippi State Four.  Here is a major question to throw in the hat.  How much does ABC/ESPN the TV Rights  holders have input on this matter? Why do we have a weekly show announcing the top four because ESPN gets ratings every time someone watches?  Don't you think they want the best TV ratings matchups over the top four teams  or the very best teams playing.

I think you will see about four or five years this four team playoff.  Since there are five so called super conferences and many want-a-be conferences that want to make the top four eight teams seems to be the perfect playoff. The five conference champions and three at large teams.  Eight teams takes three games where 16 takes four weeks and that would put a team playing 16 or 17 games.  That's way too many when injury losses are factored in.

If you listen to the propaganda the SEC  should have four teams in playoffs.  Is there anybody in the country better than Baylor or TCU?  You know when the final four is determined there will be plenty
of hollering they should have made it.  You get it in basketball and baseball and and there are way more teams than four in their playoffs.  If you want to make the final four prove it on the field and have your propaganda machine  pushing your team.

Not Average Big East Year In Football

Every since all four Nash County Schools have been together in one conference with both Fike and Hunt and some of the time with Southwest Edgecombe you could just about count on the Big East having a team play in the Eastern Finals.  Not this year however.

Due to the fact that is has in the past been hard to go undefeated and sometimes a loss could drop you from first to fourth but still someone made it to the fourth game. This year like all of the past we thought we would have someone back there again this year but sorry no cigar for the Big East.

Why did we not have a eastern final team?  Just might be this year we got caught with other teams having some of their best teams ever.  Eastern Wayne is pretty dog gone good and do play in that 3-A/4-A league. Both Northern and Southern Guilford are having banner years.

Both Southern Nash and Rocky Mount found out that regardless of how good you might be give the other team a ball on the ground to recover  that is a highway to disaster.  Plain and simple this wasn't the Big East year.

It is mighty hard to begin basketball when football is not yet over.  Rocky Mount postponed it game with Rose since both were still in football playoffs.  Northern is the only team that played this week and the boys lost by 20 to East Wake  and the girls won 50-46 over East Wake.  Even this week is disrupted by Thanksgiving break.   Long for the days in both high school and college when the official first game was not played until December 1st.

Mike Gainey while he had Dante Battle for four years yearned for the day when Dante was going to become a monster and every shot was a rim rattling dunk.  Dante's personality just wasn't a look at me and see what I just did kind of guy.  Now Dante is at Wallace State playing Junior college basketball and if you have access to Dante's Facebook page he has a video of his first college dunk.  Wallace State doesn't do a very good job of updating their scores or stats.  As of November 5th they were 2-1 and when you click on stats nothing happens.

Duke football has hit hard times and I think when you look at Duke the first thing I see is how were they winning?  To me they were winning because of coaching but coaching has a hard time over coming poor quarterback play and the last few games  Duke has not had much good play.  How many other teams have the same problem.

State and Carolina will close out their football season Saturday in Kenan and I have looked back a long ways trying to see if this game has ever been the last game of the season for either before?  I don't think they have ever played past thanksgiving ever.  The News and Observer had a article in their Saturday paper whether Carolina should pass on the Bowl games this year considering that the NCAA is back investigating the latest findings.

Seems like it has been forever but get ready to record the Price Is Right Monday.  Back in September the 3rd. Pat and I were at a Taping and it will be shown Monday.  We might get 15 seconds of face time whenever the cameras were rolling.  Whenever they show from the stage  the audience we are on the second row on the left side.  I'm on the end of the row.  Hope our 15 seconds of fame doesn't get preempted from some type of national emergency and CBS cuts away.

Hard Night For The Locals

I felt in my picks this week that this was simply not a very good match up for most of our local teams and picked five of six to lose and only Tarboro to win.  I came very close to being right which in this case I didn't want to happen but it has.

Rocky Mount needed to stop Reggie Gallaspy the N C State recruit and it they couldn't needed to keep pace by not letting South Guilford stop them.  Tonight Rocky Mount has fumble twice inside the red zone and another time the ball has been lost by fumble and Southern Guilford has had their way.  Reggie Gallaspy has played like a Division one recruit and Rocky Mount tumbles in Greensboro   Southern Guilford 36- Rocky Mount 18.  It was 36-12 at the half so when the Gryphons held on to the ball it was a ball game.

Looks like the Tarboro Vikings are back.  Last week they put 61 on the board in an easy clock runner.  It took longer to run the clock but Louisburg just could not hang with the Vikings as they have put up more than 60 for the second week in a row.  Tarboro Torches Louisburg 63-15.

Eastern Wayne has paid a visit to Southern Nash and is on the way home heading to the third round as they beat Southern Nash 24-17.  The Firebirds fumble on the goal line once and EW had a scoop six on a fumble. 

North Edgecombe traveled to Chocowinity to take on Southside and these two teams thought they were playing basketball I think.  Final Southside 56- North Edgecombe 40.  The Warriors are the first Edgecombe County team to fall out of the playoffs.

As it turns out the only game I missed tonight was the SouthWest Edgecombe victory  in Jacksonville.  The Cougars live to play on Thanksgiving Friday with a 36-12 victory over Northside.

 Fike has bitten the losing dust along with everyone else in the Big East. It was a game for a quarter and a half then it was all  North Guilford.  Final North Guilford 58 Fike 28

Cardinal Gibbons has petitioned the NCHSAA requesting a move next year to one of the 4-A leagues in Raleigh.  I guess they figure that if they don't the rank and file in the NCHSAA will throw them out of the public school playoffs.  Don't feel to sorry for Cardinal Gibbons they are the third largest 3-A school in the state following Chapel Hill  second and Southern Durham first.

Florida State Just Might Go Unbeaten Now Until Playoffs.

Had a 4-3 week last week in my college picks and thought for a while that picking Miami was a solid pick. Doesn't seem until the playoffs there is anybody left that can handle the Noles.  BC is up next. So far this college football season  79-28 on the pronosdication.

Has Florida State played a conference game on the road this year?  Seems every week they are home and BC gets a crack at the Florida State winning streak this weekend.  The Noles need to kill somebody from the opening kickoff and it is either BC or next week against Florida.  It is about time the Seminoles rolled   42-20.

Wake Forest is home to Virginia Tech who has just as hard a time scoring as Wake does.  Winner of this game will have to scramble to score 20.  Tech 23-Wake Forest 13.

Georgia State at Clemson: The Tigers are hurting all over the place both in the won-loss column and players on the field.  Should have enough horses to win this one.  Clemson 38- Georgia State  18

Syracuse at Pitt;  Should be a high scoring game for the winner and I expect that to be Pitt 41-27.

Louisville heads to Notre Dame.  Ever since the loss to Florida state the Irish had fell on hard times.  The Cardinals just might take this one.  Louisville 33 ND28.

Here is an interesting game.  Miami at Virginia.  The big question here is will Miami be flat after falling to FSU?  Virginia is good at home.    Miami survives  35-31

Tulane Green Wave head to Greenville to meet the Pirates and if there is one team that needs a win it is ECU.  Speculation three weeks ago was they were going to play on new years day but now seem destined for a bowl on the Gulf Coast, what a bummer.  Pirates need to rock somebody.  ECU 45 Tulane 24.

Have been to warm Mytrle Beach Thursday as Campbell played for the first time since Morgan has been at CU in the Big South Volleyball Tournament this year at Coastal Carolina.  Loss for the third time this year to a really good Radford team.  Now that the season is over I calculated that CU a Volleyball had traveled 5,400 miles this year and the Doughtie's went 4900 miles watching the Lady Camels.  What kept it so close was we drove round trip from Rocky Mount to Campbell every home weekend. Got only one more year to go.  It sure has been fun so far.

Pace Picks Up In Second Round

Ok, we have gotten rid of all the teams that should not have made the playoffs and we head on to the second round.  Six teams from our area are still alive and there is a real good chance five of the six finish football this week if they don't play great football on Friday night. Have had two weeks in a row of great guessing going 13-1 in high school games and was 6-1 last week.  Stand on the year at 77-21

The only team playing this Friday carrying a favorite label is Tarboro in the 1-AA bracket.  They are conference champs and are the three seed going up against Louisburg a second place squad in their league and are sixth.  Louisburg has scored 48 or more points in five straight games so Chris Lee has them humming on offense.  When you consider the teams played in the non conference play Jeff Craddock has his Vikings right where he wants them.  Just maybe around the state other folks are looking past Tarboro because they haven't beaten everybody his year.  The Vikings play another Thanksgiving Friday 34-27 over Louisburg.

North Edgecombe is the five seed and must travel to the four seed Southside.  Both teams are 9-3 and this game is a tossup and when ever any game is a tossup you have better pick the home team.  North Edgecombe will have to play at a superior level to win this one on the road.  Southside 26 North Edgecombe 18.

The 2-AA bracket has two other teams with 9-3 records as SouthWest Edgecombe travels to Jacksonville to play Northside.  Northside has won seven straight games  and here we go with another game that if I was laying odds Northside is about a three and a half point favorite.  Once again a road game in a close one take the home team.  Northside 34 SWE 27

Fike host Northern Guilford  and both teams are 11-1.  Both have one loss and both were second in their conference.  Fike's lone loss was a shootout with Southern Nash 42-35 while Northern lost in a shootout 32-28 to unbeaten Eastern Alamance.  I think Fike had a better team last year that the way this squad turned out even though they lost only once.  Northern Guilford in a tossup game takes this one and I am going against in a tossup picking the home team.

Southern Nash and Eastern Wayne  meet in Stanhope. EW 9-2 and Southern 9-3.  Here is how I look at this one.  Rose crushed Rocky Mount in non conference play and Eastern Wayne beat Rose by 40.  EW two losses are to New Bern and who beats New Bern and D H Conley 4-A school on the road.  Eastern Wayne wins at Firebird country  35-26.

Rocky Mount's second round game is about 30 miles further down I-85 over last week's game.  They face the top 3-A tem in the east bracket.  Rocky Mount proved last week they are capable.  Southern has score at least 35 in every game this year.    Rocky Mount will have to slow them down to stay in this one.  If you look back I have gotten Rocky Mount's game wrong more than any other team this year.  Gryphon fans shout because there is hope I'm picking Southern 35-28.

If these predictions hold true only Tarboro will be left next week.  Need all our locals teams to pick it up and keep this area alive in every level of the playoffs.  Pulling for all of our teams!!!!!

There is a small matter of a football game tonight in Durham as Carolina travels Duke.  Duke lost last week and still clings to first in the division.  Carolina needs one of their last two games to get to six wins.  Duke has the best coaching staff in the ACC.  The amount of points that Carolina gives up you wonder about their coaching this far into the Fedora era at Carolina..  Carolina can put points on the board but Duke has shown they can when they need to. I think Carolina will out score Duke 44-30.

Many Upsets Spoil NFL Week

Had a good week on the NFL picks in the games that were tossup games. Terrible on the highly favored team winning.  Went 7-7 on the week running my total to 99-60.  I'm like a gambler that is behind I need to bet more to catch up so here we go this week.

Thursday night Chiefs @ Raiders:  I doubt the Raiders go 0-16 and now that the season is beginning to disappear if they are going to win one it needs to be soon.  Perfect game for upset.  Chiefs now tied for first with Broncs in AFC West and on the road on Thursday.  Not a good recipe for the favorite.  I think Raiders defense is decent they just can't score..  After all that setup talk I'll take the Chiefs 23-14.

Browns at Falcons:  ok, finally happened as the Browns fell off the wagon.  Falcons are now in position to win NFC South.  I think they can.  Falcons 27- Browns 21.

Titans at Eagles:  Eagles got drubbed last week but not this one but it will be close.  Eagles 27- Titans 17.

Lions at Patriots:   Where did the Pats become so good.  Still don't see them winning Super Bowl but got to give them credit.  They have beaten all the leaders in AFC divisions.  Lions lose in Boston 34-24.

Packers at Vikes:  Does it seem to you like the Packers are winning just a little bit too easy right now.  Ride the horse that brung you as long as it last.  Packers 38 Vikes 21.

Jags at Colts.  Indy can score points but against other good teams give up tooo many.  No problem this week Indy 37- Jacksonville 16.

Bengals at Texans:  Might be game of the week, I think home team prevails and J J Watts is held scoreless Houston 24 Cincinnati 20.

Jets at Bills:  Jets don't have to worry about and o fer season so they can lose this one.  Bills 24 Jets 16.

Bucs at the Bears:  This is a game of which team for each one of these teams show up.  The Bucs can beat anybody and lose to the nobodies.  Jay Cutler you never know about him. I'll take DA Bears  27-23.

Cardinals at Seahawks:  If Seahawks make the playoffs they have to win this game.. This one could go down to the last play.  Hawks 20- Arizona 17.

Rams at Chargers:  I told you last week the Rams were going to be good next year and they thump Denver but that was home.  Chargers need this one because they have the toughest schedules won/loss percentage in their remaining four games.  Chargers 23- Rams 17.

Dolphins at Broncos:  Are the Broncs hurt as bad as they played Sunday if they are  the Fish could get them.  I think Denver's loss from a perfect storm in St Louis.  Denver 30 Miami 21.

Skins at 49's:  Skins started playing the blame game which can only lead to more losses.  9'ers still in playoff hunt.  SF 28 Skins 20

Cowboys at Giants:  In this series this is the game the Giants win.  Cowboys have been pretty proud of themselves and Eli was awful last week.  Giants 23- Boys 21

Ravens at Saints on Monday Night football:  I keep expecting for the Saints to start streaking but I don't think it happens this year.  Raven D keeps them in playoff hunt.  A loss and Saints might still be in first.