Bus Rumors

The Rocky Mount Gryphons' first appearance in the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament in 31 years has ended with a 64-55 defeat at the hands of Middle Creek. Their efforts in this tournament will give them a sixth-place finish.

I have sources riding back on one of the Wolfpack buses coming back from the Papa John's Bowl game that tells me the buzz this morning was a report that Russell Wilson tore a tendon in his knee which will require surgery and he will not play baseball this spring.

The Carolina Panthers are the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs and yet their first game, which will not be played until January 10, is the prime time Saturday night telecast. Funny that the networks would not feature the Giants, the No. 1 seed or Tennessee, the AFC's No. 1 seed.

The prime time Saturday night game this week is the Chargers-Colts match up. I totally agree with this on on Saturday night. Right now, the hottest teams in the NFL will be featured.

If you have any thoughts of getting a Panther playoff ticket 7,000 go on sale Thursday morning with the other 65,000 going to season ticket holders.

The four NFL playoff games this week are tough to call.

Atlanta, which is the NFC's Cinderella, travels to Arizona. Arizona has taken the last couple of weeks off resting starters and I never like teams that do that. I don't know why, but I think Atlanta will win one playoff game.

The other Cinderella, Miami, is hosting Baltimore. I just don't know if Miami can score enough on the Ravens' defense to win.

The Philadelphia/Minnesota game is a roll of the dice. Since the game is inside, I'll take Philly. After the hurting that the Eagles laid on Dallas, I just don't see them bowing out easily.

Just maybe the best rivalry in football right now is the Colts-Chargers when it comes to playoff time. Just maybe the top two in the MVP voting may be going against each other in Peyton Manning ,who will win the award and Philip Rivers, who has been the best quarterback all year.

This game is a tough one to call because you never know which Charger team will show up. It's probably against my better judgement, but I'm taking the Chargers.

Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons has been named Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL. ECU's Chris Johnson finishes a distant second in the voting.

I am in a bowl guessing game on WRAL.com. I am 7-7 so far and I am in the upper 30 percentile in accuracy. I still have a shot to win despite how poorly as I have started out.

In most years I hit about 60 percent on NFL games just picking winners, about 80 percent picking college games and about 90 percent picking high school games.

There are still 20 bowls games to be played and I still have a shot at 80 percent, but I need to get about everyone left right.

Tuesday Quarterback

There are times when you think a team is destined for victory and then there are times when you don't think victory is possible.

Things don't seem as bad tonight as on Friday as Word of God has laid a licking on St. Raymond's by 20 in the Glaxo semis. The 26-point loss Rocky Mount took on Friday is easier to take after the Gryphons brought down one of the favorites for the NCHSAA 4-A baskletball title this season.

I am really pleased that the Gryphons, after being embarrassed Friday night by Word of God in their Glaxo opener, came back today and pulled one out in overtime over North Mecklenburg, 66-62, this afternoon.

Junior forward Tashawn Mabry scored 29 for the Gryphons, but the difference was a Tevin Jones 3-pointer late in the overtime which secured the victory.

They will now play for fifth place at 12:40 Tuesday afternoon against Middle Creek.

If there was ever a game that reflected your entire season the the Papa Johns Bowl was it today for N.C. State. When healthy, Russell Wilson made the Wolfpack one of the better teams in the country, without him, one of the worst.

Behind Wilson, State cruised out to a 17-6 lead at the half. But Wolfpack fans were stunned to hear that Wilson had strained his knee late in the first half and did not return for the second half.

Like the past season had been without Wilson, the Wolfpack quarterbacks had trouble telling which team was theirs as they threw three interceptions after Wilson had gone the whole season, when healthy, throwing only one all year.

Rutgers took down the Pack, 29-23.

Whenever a two-sport star gets hurt in one, it jeopardizes the other. Wilson, who will be the second baseman on the State baseball team this year, has pro potential in baseball. The question will now arise - will he play football next season?

An entire football season may hinge on his answer for the Wolfpack.

Both the N.C. State men and women won yesterday in basketball, but for the second game in a row, Kay Yow of the N.C. State women was unable to sit on the bench for the Wolfpack ladies.

Yow's fight against breast cancer continues, but the marathon fight is taking its toll on one of the great ladies in college basketball.

I have had the priviledge to attend every one of the 'Hoops for Hope" basketball games since they started several years ago. The State women play a game each season with the proceeds going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure cancer research in honor of Kay Yow. This year's game is Feb. 15 and Virginia will be the Pack's opponent.

The coaches are falling like flies in the NFL. Eric Mangini of the Jets, who couldn't get in the playoffs with Brett Farve, is in the unemployment line today. It was expected that Detroit and Cleveland would get new coaches and they are looking.

Bill Cowher, who has fullfilled his contract obligation with the Pittsburgh Steelers by not coaching the last two years, is rumored to be heading to the Jets.

Monday Quarterback

The Gryphon boys basketball team hits the hardwood this afternoon in Raleigh and will try to work themselves into a higher finish in the Glaxo Basketball tournament.

They will meet 4-A North Mecklenberg which gave New York City's St. Raymond's a run for its money. Tip time is scheduled for 2:20 p.m.

The Gryphons have not won (0-2) since the football players joined the team. Their biggest issue is turnovers having produced 30 against Word of God on Friday night. This team does not have the ball handlers to play the helter skelter offense that Mike Gainey wants to run.

Carolina finishes the 2008 part of the basketball schedule undefeated after waxing Rutgers by 22. January 11 seems to loom big right now as that is the date the Heels travel to Wake Forest to take on the undefeated Deacs.

If you take the Rocky Mount Telegram then of course you know that over the last couple of days they have featured Nick Hahula and Chris Pittman. The reason: the Telegram named Hahula the Twin County Offensive Player of the Year and Pittman the Defensive Player of the Year.

At 3 p.m. today on ESPN2, the Wolfpack plays Rutgers in the Papa John's Bowl . As of tonight, there have been 12 bowl games and I have worked myself up to even at 6-6.

Yesterday I went over the NFL's final day and went 13-3. My only three misses were New Orleans, Jets and Tampa Bay. All three were at home and needed wins to make the playoffs.

I expect before the week is out Brett Farve will pull out of the Pro Bowl. He was complaining of an injured shoulder. That will open up the door for the NFL's No. 1 passer to make the Pro Bowl - Phillip Rivers. Rivers is the only quarterback in the NFL that has a quarterback rating over 100 for the season.

He set a Charger record with 33 touchdown passes in a season with two tosses against the Broncos and set an NFL record with winning his 14th game in a row in December.

Don't look now but the NFL has gone back to running the ball and having quarterbacks who don't make mistakes. Exiting from playoffs contention were the two biggest gunslingers in Brett Farve and Tony Romo. Both gave it away a lot in the clutch Sunday.

The NFL has already moved the Charger-Colts game to PRIME TIME Sunday night at 8 on NBC.

Rumors are flying around the NFL that Tom Brady still needs more knee surgery and may miss the 2009 season if surgery happens. Too bad for one of the NFL's poster boys.

NFL's final Sunday

Today is the final day of the regular season of the NFL. What can any of us expect?

The 1 pm Games:

St Louis @ Atlanta. Atlanta is in the catbird seat. They have clinched at least the 5th seed but if Carolina loses and the Falcons win they get the bye and the #2 seed. Regardless Atlanta is best story in the NFL this year just beating out Miami.

New England @ Buffalo. New England is in an unusual position. Even if they win they may not get in. Expect Belicheck to pour it on if they get a chance.

Kansas City @Cincinnati. Cincy finishes the year on three game win streak.

Chicago @ Houston. Chicago has to win and hope Minnesota loses to get in. If only the hurricane had not hit Houston the week before the season they may have been making playoff reservations but not having a home game the first month they never recovered. Houston wins.

Giants @Minnesota. Last year the Giants gave an all out effort in the last game against New England they still lost ,but they found the formula to win the super bowl. Not this year however. Minnesota wins after the Giants pull 1st team in second half.

Carolina @ New Orleans. Carolina needs to win to get bye or lose and Atlanta win and they get 5th. Carolina plays next week on the road.

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh. Who starts today at quarterback for the Browns? Steelers coast home .

Oakland @ Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay needs a win and a lot of help. Tampa wins but I don't they won't play again this season.

Tennessee @ Indianapolis. This is the Giants/New England game of last year the last week of season. Indy wins but still they only win a trip back to San Diego.

Detroit @ Green Bay. I have this funny feeling that the lions will win.

The 4 pm games:

Jaksonville @ Baltimore. The Ravens need to win and hope. The ravens win.

Seattle @ Arizona.. Arizona clinched the NFC West and quit for the rest of season. I'll take Seattle.

Washington @ San Francisco. Mike Singletary has made a difference in Frisco.

Miami @ the Jets. The way Farve has finished the season only proves he should have retire last year but somehow Jets win.

Dallas @ Philadelphia. All the Dallas talk has been revived this week after they were finished this week. Philly sticks a fork in the Cowboys.

The Sunday Night game:

Denver @ San Diego. After trailing by three with three to play San Diego has come too far to lose now. Chargers by 20.

After yesterdays bowl games I am up to 5-6.

Mixed Emotions

I picked West Virginia to win its bowl game with North Carolina.

I wanted Carolina to win for the ACC. What we got in the middle was a terrific football game marred by a Shaun Draughn (Tarboro native) fumble, or was it.

There was a review and according to replay there was a fumble and I agree there was a fumble but one question I must ask is what has happened to forward progress?

Draughn was clearing at the point he could not go any further, in fact, when they started pushing him back it almost looked as if the way he was tangled up that he might be hurt. Where was the whistle to stop the play? Draughn's fumble is clearly a yard or more behind where he last made any movement on his part forward.

I could not hear a whistle even after West Virginia recovered the ball.

This game started out as if both teams left their defenses home. The score should have been 21-21 all at the end of the first quarter, but Carolina called a timeout and their score came off the board on the last play of the quarter.

That timeout is the difference in the game, not the fumble which happened in the fourth quarter.

WRAL-TV ran a story on Hakeem Hicks returning home to Charlotte (Independence grad) to play in this game, which probably was his last for Carolina. He should be a high draft pick in the NFL Draft.
West Virginia,in the first half, didn't have anybody to stay with Hicks.

You have to say one thing for Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Regardless of who you are, you are within driving distance to this game. They have had very good success selling tickets to this venue.

West Virginia beats the Heels, 31-30.

If you are wondering who the Gryphons will play Monday in the Glaxo Tournament, it's North Mecklenberg. It lost to St. Raymond's of New York City 58-51 and it took a big fourth quarter for St Raymond's to win.

Rocky Mount-North Mecklenberg (first-ever meeting) is set for Monday at 2.20 p.m. in Holliday Gym at Broughton High School.

We will look at the wacky last week of the NFL regular season before the kickoffs Sunday.

Glaxo Day No. 1 for Gryphons

Let's start off tonight by asking a trivia question.

What team won the first Glaxo tournament ever in 1972?

What team finished second the second year of the tournament in 1973?

Who was the first MVP of the first Glaxo tournament when he scored 97 points?

The first-ever winner of the Glaxo tournament was the Rocky Mount Gryphons. The runner-up in 1973 was the Rocky Mount Gryphons - losing a chance at back-to-back victories when they lost to Kinston. The leading scorer in that first tournament was Rocky Mount's Phil Ford, who scored 97 points on his way to the MVP. In 1973, Ford followed up by scoring 96 points and the Gryphons finished second.

Over the years, Phil Ford's scoring binge is still good for a place in the top 10 of all-time tournament scoring.

Ford averaged 32.2 points per game in six games way back when and tonight, the 2008 Gryphons could have used some of that 32-point average as they could just muster 31 points through three quarters.

Scoring only 31, the Gryphons found themselves down by 14 points at 45-31. Things never improved for the Gryphons as they loss the opening game at the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament in Holliday gym at Broughton High School in Raleigh, 67-41.

The Gryphons could manage only to score 14 points in the first quarter which was the high water mark for any quarter tonight.

The Gryphons will play at 2.20 p.m. on Monday as their next action in the GSK. They will face North Mecklenberg.

Xavier Nixon, one of the three linemen who got 18 votes in leading the way during the voting for the Associated Press All-State Football Team, was named today as North Carolina's Player of the year. He becomes only the third linemen in the history of the voting to win the honor.

RMHS' Whit Barnes, who also received 18 votes on the All-State team failed to receive a vote for the Player of the Year voting. Barnes plans on signing with Wake Forest on signing day in February.

No Ball On Christmas

It is really nice to have a football game in the background with the sound down while you eat Grandma's dinner or lunch on Christmas day.

34 bowls games to get through you would think at least one could be on Christmas day. If I have to endure the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving at least give me Eastern Michigan and Florida Atlantic on Christmas day.

Like I said the NBA is no ball on Christmas. I just can't take the four corners of the NBA. Four guys go stand in the corner and one guy goes one on one. That's just too much while I'm eating turkey.

If it was June I might try to watch but please not the NBA on a full stomach.

There is only one bowl game on Friday but Saturday is college football all day starting with Carolina.

So far I am 3-4 in my bowl picks.

Sunday the NFL will play their final regular season game.

All of the possibilities in the NFL that needs to be for Saturday.

I picked up the News and Observer this morning and saw that Whit Barnes and Nick Hahula make th Associated Press All State Football team.

Oddly enough Whit was tied with the most votes received with two other linemen. In the voting they beat out the glamour positions quarterback and backs. Whit received votes from 18 of the 20 AP writers who cast ballots.

Nick makes the team as the place kicker receiving 7 votes as the voting for the kicking positions was really spread out.

Tonight is probably the mosted talked about Rocky Mount Gryphon basketball game ever as they open play Glaxo Smith Kline basketball tournament in Raleigh. They draw the defending champions of the the tournament or should I say one of the tournaments as there is actually three going on. A girls four team bracket and two eight team tournaments.

Don't ask me why they do it that way. It not my tournament. The Gryphons play at 9.00pm Friday night against Word of God.

The Gryphons don't play Saturday but would finish the tournament regardless with a game on Monday and Tuesday.

There is no live broadcast of the game but 99.9 the Fan will have live reports from Broughton all during the tournament and as soon as I know a final score I will blog Friday night.