Baseball Ramblings

I realize this was a Northern Nash player, but I met Mike Tyson, former second baseman for the St Louis Cardinals, during the summer of 2007.

I met him when he came home for his father's 80th birthday party (Wayne Tyson) at Sunset Avenue Baptist Church.

What is all this leading to?

Coaches in the minor leagues hope to work their way up just like players do.

I am happy to report today that Torre Tyson, son of Mike and grandson of Wayne, who this past summer was the manager of the Charleston Riverdogs, was called up to be a part of the Yankee coaching staff this September - just like several players were called up.

Torre, who is named after Joe Torre who played with Mike in St Louis, may be the next manager for the Yankees. The way the Steinbrenners go through managers, it may be sooner rather than later since it doesn't look like the Yankees will make the playoffs.

Even though Torre was born in St. Louis, there is a Rocky Mount connection.

Remember Joey Devine, the N.C. State fireball relief pitcher who was drafted by the Atlanta Braves and made history by being the first pitcher to give up two grand slams in his first two appearances. Well, don't look now, but Devine won his sixth game of the season Sunday and in 36th relief appearances for the Oakland A's. He has an ERA of .066, one of the tops in the league.

Now that the era of the juice ball is over is there a better home run hitter that Ryan Howard of the Phillies?

Looks like Tampa Bay and Milwaukee are running out of gas toward the end here in their bids to bring the little guys in baseball back to prominence.

If you think Rocky Mount should be a big favorite Friday, Hertford County is coming to town averaging 50 points per game which includes a big win over Winston-Salem Parkland.

There could be a 100 points scored Friday!

Winning Is Not That Easy

It is really easy to assume that you can pick out the wins on your schedule before the season starts. Rocky Mount High School is in the midst of its greatest six-year football winning period in history.

It hasn't been that long ago that Rocky Mount was in a 20-year period of being average and sometimes that was at best average.

A roll like the Gryphons are on now you easily forget that you have to earn every victory.

Just take a look today in the NFL. The odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl, the San Diego Chargers, find themselves 0-2 and they have scored 62 points in the first two games.

It looks like Philip Rivers is back in Raleigh quarterbacking the N.C. State Wolfpack where in order to win they had to score 50 most games.

In New York, everyone wrote off the Patriots and gave Brett Favre a victory today because Tom Brady was out for the season. What we all saw was Tom Brady is not the world's most valuable player like we thought. The Patriots can win with a quarterback who doesn't make mistakes because they still have one of the best defenses in the NFL.

We can all see why now why the Green Bay Packers wanted to ship Favre to retirement because No.12 Aaron Rogers is pretty good.

Indianapolis has been awful on offense in both its games and yet, it is1-1 and today it found a way to win or Minnesota found a way to lose - you make the call.

Anyone notice that the Carolina Panthers play better on the road than at home. Why is that? Today was their first home-opening win in five years.

You know the best team in the NFL right now might be the Tennessee Titans as long as Kerry Collins is the quarterback

The worst team in the NFL might the Tennessee Titans with Vince Young at QB.

I wish I was kidding about that, but I'm not.

Turning to college football:

Carolina is off to a 2-0 start and has a home game Saturday against Virginia Tech. I think the Tar Heels will win but hold on Tar Heel fans you haven't played anybody, yet.

In three games, the N C State offense has scored in one game and the N.C. State defense has scored in two games. Maybe they should trade sides and see what the defensive players can do on offense.

Duke won its second game of the season. You have got to give it to Coach Cutcliffe. He talks a lot different than anyone in Durham since Spurrier left.

All of you fans that said that the fans running out on the field at ECU last Saturday was just college kids having fun, there is a letter in the mail asking all Pirate club fans to pay for all that fun. Conference USA fined ECU for unsportsmanlike conduct.

ECU is 3-0 on the season. In order to protect the N C State goal post this Saturday, I'm predicting the Wolfpack this Saturday. Don't ask me why, but I really do like those goal post in Raleigh.

Finally, I will finish up with this:

Referees have a hard job, but today there was a game-changing play made when the head referee blew his whistle on what he thought was an incomplete pass, when in fact Jay Cutler had fumbled the ball.

The ruling was I made a mistake and because I made a mistake, here's what we have to do. Instead of the Chargers getting the ball and a victory, the Broncos get two more plays and a win.

I'm sitting, I mean standing in my living room hollering 'not again' at the Charger defense which has taken two fourth quarter winning drives away from Rivers in the first eight days of the season.

But you know what, I can live with the call because that's the rule. I hate that rule, but too bad.

I'll go to work tomorrow and have to abide by rules that I don't like sometimes, but they are the rules. What choice do we have? Have no rules and live in chaos or follow the rules.

Level Headed

There was no mad dash around the field by the players after Rocky Mount's stunning victory over Rose.

The stunning part was how dominating the effort was.

Coach B.W.Holt had told the team all week that this Rose team was beatable and that they must respect them or they could still beat the Gryphons.

Pregame chatter by the Rose coaches was that if we were as good as advertised, Rocky Mount would win.

You always listen to that kind of talk as if they are setting you up for a surprise. No surprise. The Gryphons were as good as advertised.

Regardless of what sport or business you are in, assistant coaches or management always talks the talk of the company line.

In the locker room after the game, the chatter was we did what we had to do. We can still improve.

One of those impressive things about this team so far this year has been when they needed four yards for a first down, they got six. If they needed 15, they got 18.

This team is playing as if they have blinders on. They see the finish line and they are doing what is necessary to cross the line first.

What I saw was a team after the game that knows last night was just one game - it meant nothing other than another win. It did not guarantee a playoff spot or even a top-seeding for winning.

Next week is much more important in that regard because Hertford County is a road block to winning the State Championship. That is of course if we both wind up in the 3-A or 3-AA bracket together.

Last Friday, Sept. 5, the 10th day of the school year, was the day in which the daily attendance is sent to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. The NCHSAA will later get those numbers and schools will be lined up from biggest to smallest. The halfway point in each classification will be drawn and the top half will be AA and the lower half A.

If you remember, we were only three schools before the break line between A and AA last year, so it is going to be close either way again this year.

The Hertford County game will be the fourth game of the season and the Gryphons have not played a game yet against a team with a loss.

The Gryphon defense has been dominate. This is a senior-laden group and are playing as if it has been their before.

I think they call that experienced.

I think it is hard to imagine, but if last year's team would line up against this year's team, it would be a two-touchdown game for this year's squad.

We were 14-1 last year. Now that is scary!

We have had a difficult time over the past few years making it the whole season with one quarterback.

If Collins Cuthrell stays healthy, this offense may break last year's record-breaking year by a landslide.

Thursday night at the JV game, while talking with Holt, we were talking about our backs and he made the statement,."we don't have a great back in the bunch, but we got a whole lot of good ones."

I would advise everyone to tell your neighbors Friday night's game against the Bears of Hertford County could very well be the eastern state championship preview. Get there early..

The main thing is .... Be there!!!!!!

Sky High!

I thought all along this week that Rocky Mount would beat Rose, but never in my wildest dreams did I think we would kick them this bad.

Now let me see if I can tell you the keys to the game:

1. Kicking game - It's hard for a struggling offense to do anything when it starts on the 20 all night.

2. Defense - It is unbelievable how good the RM defense is. In three games, teams are averaging two yards per attempt rushing the ball against them.

3. If you can't run, then you need to pass and the Gryphons held Rose to five yards per attempt.

4. The best thing Rose had was its defense and yet, the Gryphons had 454 yards total for the game.

5. Running game - Steady even after Alston went out with sprained ankle on the first offensive play.

6. Passing game - We got a cool customer at QB. Collins Cuthrell makes good decisions when not to throw and can throw deep and even when on the run.

7. We got a receiver that can get open. Keith Strickland came up just short of a school record for receiving yards in a game with 202 yards on six catches. Mike Mason holds the record with 204 against Havelock in 2001.

8. If we get inside of your 30, we going to score some way or the other. Nick Hahula set a record tonight becoming the first Gryphon kicker to kick three field goals in one game.

9. So far this season, no one has beaten us on the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball.

10. This team is having fun.

Rose was shut out tonight for the first time in over 11 years - 148 games, which was tied (with Reidsville) for the longest active streak in the state.

Here is what I see so far for these Gryphons. Coach Holt has them focused. They are workmanlike going full tilt on every play both offense and defense

Gryphons 36--------Rose 000000000000000000000000

Next week's foe Hertford County crushed Northern Nash 62-20. At least Northern got 20.

Nash Central keeps rolling along 9-0 over Hunt.

Beddingfield shut out Southern Nash 20-0

SouthWest Edgecombe battered Farmville Central 53-6

Tarboro stayed undefeated rolling North Edgecombe 57-16

Fike clobbered Eastern Wayne 44-0

Sorry to have to report that Nash Central has been bitten by the same eligibility rule that Rocky Mount discovered last week.

Unfortunately for them, it was unaware of the rule until the Rocky Mount question came up and it will have to give back two hard-earned victories.

Northern Nash also has lost a football player and soccer player from the same rule. In their case, no wins are effected and in soccer, the player had not played during any of their victories.

Now let's try to be level headed as much as possible. This Rose team is probably a good football team. Line this year's team up against the last 10 Rose teams and this one is the worst.

But when you have only beaten a team five times in the last 23 tries, this 36-0 pasting sure is sweet!

Post game Thursday

Just walked in the door from one of the best JV football games that I have ever seen.

I was thinking tonight might be the end of the winning streak for the Baby Gryphons against Greenville Rose, but it didn't happen.

Rose tried a two-point conversion with about three minutes left, but the little Gryphons stopped it and hung on for a 30-28 victory.

Each team had a 200-yard rusher and both quarterbacks passed for at least 100 yards. Neither team could stop the other until the last two-point attempt.

That makes 24 straight win for the JV Gryphons.

I sat down in my recliner to watch some of the Carolina-Rutgers game and what is up with this Duke blue mess?

I realize that Carolina gets all of their uniforms from Duke after those Dark Blue Uniforms fade into light blue.

What happened? Duke send some new pants to Chapel Hill to thank Carolina for the ball that Carolina sent them by parachute opening night?

Come on Butch Davis. Those dark blue pants with the light blue stripe are about as ugly as Greenville Rose's kelly green and light blue.

I take that back, Rose's kelly green and baby blue wins the ugliest award by a long shot.

Somebody needs to remind Butch Davis his team plays in Chapel Hill, not Durham.

I see that the ECU-Tulane game is still on in New Orleans for Saturday.

The Houston Texans' Sunday NFL game has already been moved to Monday night in Houston.

Several college games for Saturday have had their dates changes to avoid Hurricane Ike.

The National League pennant race is really messed up now. The Cubs at Houston Friday and Saturday's game have already been postponed to allow every to run for cover from Ike.

After tonight's JV game. I am really fired up for tomorrow night.

If you think Rose High School l is too far to go to support the varsity football team, you can listen to Wes and me - starting at 7 p.m.

We will give you all the Gryphon propaganda that we can muster!

The AM1390 pregame starts at 7. Kickoff is anytime they want as long as we are on the air. 7.30 is OK with me.

Reality Check Time

I am not a big fan of taking a week off after non-conference play before opening the conference schedule.

Now the Gryphons will not have an open week due to the lack of TVs in Vance County where nobody knew a storm was coming.

Instead, our open week has come before what has to be the biggest game of the regular season for the Rocky Mount High football team.

Two impressive victories have come and gone and it seems like a month ago since we played Hunt.

This game will not make or break the Gryphons, but it will go a long way telling us how good this team could be.

Last year's game with Rose was much like the Carolina Panthers -San Diego Chargers game this past Sunday.

Nobody thought that Carolina had a chance, but in the end, everyone found out Carolina is a lot better than any one thought.

Who would have thought that Rocky Mount had a chance and yet, the Gryphons won 17-7 last season.

Friday night will give us some idea whether we are really a deep playoff team or a pretender.

We do not have to win the game, but if it goes down to the final seconds and the winner is not decided until then, then this will tell me this Gryphon team will be OK come playoff time, barring major injuries.

If Rose dominates from the get-go and and we are never a threat to win, then we are nowhere near as good as we think we are.

If when all the smoke clears and the Gryphons get on the bus to come home with a victory, then this really could be a special team.

It has worked out that the last two times when we have beaten Rose, we have a 20-0 regular season record - last year and in 2004 combined.

What does that tell me? Rocky Mount has to be pretty good to beat Rose - anytime.

I hope the Gryphon faithful come out in droves Friday night.

Barring more rain, the JVs play Thursday night and their 23-game winning streak will be put to the ultimate test.

We are experiencing the good old days right now with the level of quality football that B.W Holt has brought to Rocky Mount.

Don't miss out - see ya at both games ...

Storming the field

What a great day in East Carolina football history. The Pirates nail two top 25 teams in two straight weeks to start a season. That had never been done in Pirate history.

Here it is mid-week and the athletic departments finds themselves trying to figure out what went a muck after the game.

The first hint was the interview with Coach Holtz following the game on ESPN. The lone state trooper assigned to guard coach Holtz could not hold back the throng of eager Pirate fans who had stormed the field and who wanted to be on-camera.

The one of the ESPN experts back in Bristol, Ct. made a comment that went something like "that poor cop didn't have a chance against that mob."

If they only knew that all those poor cops were being over run everywhere on the field.

Regardless of whether it is N.C. State tearing down a goal post or ECU celebrating a major upset, fans are warned during the game that they are not allowed on the field.

I know it is the "college thing" to do to run to mid-court or sprint to the 50-yard line just to say you were there, but once there, what can you do. Get hurt is all!

My only time to try to enjoy Times Square on New Year's Eve, I found myself jammed up against 300,000 people and none of them I knew. We were shoulder-to-shoulder and I think I was the only sober person there.

I thought 'You know, if I fall down I will be trampled to death and nobody will know who I am.'
It was certainly not what I thought it would be.

All that running around - several people were knocked down and scuffles broke out among the security there.

Today, those who were trespassing want to file charges against the security people for doing their job.

I hear that there are pictures of officers using force against several of the rowdies, but, of course, nothing of what they did to incite the officers. Not even that they were trespassing while this was going on.

What has happened to our society? We now punish those during their job while the guilty run free to run on another basketball court or football stadium next month.

If we are not going to let security secure the area, then don't have any next home game - just let them tear up the field.

You know, it got so bad Saturday that Coach Holtz made his players leave and go to the locker room until order was restored and then he let them go back out to sing with the band.

If the home team felt threatened, how do you think the West Virginia players felt?

I guess you have heard of the game in which the University of Washington quarterback ,who scored on the last play of the game, threw the ball straight up in the air about 10 feet and got flagged with a celebration penalty.

The only problem was his touchdown made the score 28-27 and Washington needed the extra point to send the game into overtime.

It became a 27-yard extra point, which it was blocked.

All the expert commentators were furious with the referee who threw the flag. They forgot to tell you that it was the poor blocking when the extra point was blocked.

We have become a society of lets blame anyone except the guilty.

Paul Harvey, my favorite newsman, says that "self-government will not work without self-discipline."

Friday night when you head to Rose High School, there will be a reason that you go through a metal detector before you can enter. If it wasn't checked someone would bring a gun.

I realize some of the officers panicked, but they were there in the mob.

The rest of us were in the stands where we were suppose to be or at home safe in front of the TV.
None of us know what they felt and I have a hard time blaming them if they delivered a bloody nose or two.