Time To Start Next Sport

The sporting life is a circle of never ending events. College basketball is heading down the front stretch and baseball awaits to crank up the major league season on Sunday. If you are a sports fan sports is never ending.

Hockey and pro basketball are still three months from being over.

Those of you that are convince that Tyler Hansbrough is going to be a good pro yesterday should give you warning. Hansbrough was taken to the wood shed by Blake Griffin who I don't think should turn pro yet either. Griffin needs some outside game.

Those Carolina hurricanes are really doing it right now. Any team when they are together can win when it looks as if it isn't their day. Saturday night the Canes beat Marten Broudeau and the New Jersey devils when it looked as if the puck was not going in the net for the Canes. they won in regulation. They are the hottest team in the NHL right now.

Tuesday night starts conference baseball. Rocky Mount travels to Northern Nash and I would be shocked if Tyler Joyner and Hobbs Johnson were not the starters. They may be the best two pitchers in the league. Joyner has signed with ECU and Johnson is hoping to call Chapel Hill home in two years.

You know it is a big game when Richard Sarmiento e-mails to find out if I am available on Tuesday. This will be taped for the Stretchlon Sports show.

I would also like to pass along a congratulation at Richard and Patricia Sarmeinto as Richard was telling me that Mark made the Dean's list at UNC-Wilmington. Mark is already a Junior. seems like just yesterday he was running around the Babe Ruth field and Northern Nash.

I understand the Carolina semi final game against Vilanova is the second game on Saturday. That means Connecticut and Michigan State will tip at about 4.40pm and carolina will follow.

Heels Headed to Detroit City

Who would have expected Tyler Hansbrough to only attempt four shots in the game to get North Carolina the final four? Who would have expected Carolina to whip Oklahoma with ease with Hansbrough scoring only eight points.

Oklahoma may have had the best player on the court but North Carolina had the next nine best players and for the fourth time in this NCAA tournament Carolina played the second half trying to get the game over.

Only the LSU game was in doubt at the half . The Radford, Gonzaga and Oklahoma games were in Carolina's control at the half. The reason Ty Lawson. His big toe is a forgotten issue now.

Carolina draws Vilanova Saturday, while Michigan State will meet Connecticut in the other semi final.

Michigan State really upset my apple cart as going into today I already had Vilanova in the final four in my bracket Louisville and Carolina picked today. That would have given me three in the final four.


Of all the games Saturday and Sunday Louisville was my most confident pick. When you get down to the elite eight all of the lucky teams have lost and are watching on tv. Michigan State played well and Louisville didn't bring their A game and they will watch on tv next weekend.

This time of year I don't care how good you are you had better play at your best or the other team will.

Two #1 seeds made it to Detroit, a number 2 and a number 3 seed. That means that the worst team there was ranked no worst than 12th when the tournament started.

I think over the years the NCAA and their RPI and strength of schedule has it figured out on who should be ranked where.

You know coaches are not the only people where when the legend leaves the next guy has big shoes to fill. Billy Packer leaving CBS after last basketball season meant their had to be a new color man beside Jim Nantz as the #1 announce team for CBS and NCAA tournament basketball. It is my opinion that Clark Kellogg should had stayed back in New York at CBS basketball central and stayed with Gumbel between the games with his opinion.

BY far the best play by play guy CBS deploys to the games is Gus Johnson. Gus is by far the most excited while doing a game and he always seems to get the games that go down to the wire.

When the NCAA tournament is over Johnson is the radio voice of the New York Knicks

Washed Out Again

Better be glad that Hunt High school is joining the Big East 3-A conference next year or Rocky Mount may never play them in baseball.

For the second week in a row Hunt has to make up a conference game this time with Southern Wayne so the Gryphons and the Warriors will not play today either.

Last Saturday their game at Hunt was called because of a middle of the week rain out for Hunt of a conference game with Eastern Wayne.

The Saturday before that the Gryphons were washed out of a game at Riverside.

We have now reached the point in the season where you don't want any three game weeks because two of them will always be conference games.

Considering just two years ago we were in a major drought in this area high school baseball has had a tough go this spring getting on the field. Right now Rocky Mount has been washed out four times with only the Rose games on the schedule at the end of the season. There was one game scheduled for a Wednesday that got pushed back to a Thursday because of rain.

I think Ty Lawson Toe is ok. Carolina came out pushing early and Gonzaga could run with the Tarheels the first 100 yards but this was a mile race and Carolina moves on with Ease 98-77. The game really wasn't that close.

Up next OKlahoma and Jeff Capel. That's right Duke's Jeff Capel. The Capel that made the mid court shot I think in 95 to sent a Duke-Carolina game into overtime in which Carolina won.

In my brackets I was 4-4 last night and 2-4 Thursday. Of the seven games left in the NCAA Tournament I can still get six correct so for all of you ahead of me in any bracket games look out I'm in your review mirror.

Regardless of brackets here's my picks for today and tomorrow.

Vilanova and Pittsburgh. I have liked Nova for about a month now. Their play against Duke didn't make me think other wise. I also have them in my bracket in the final four.

Connecticut and Missouri. I sure would love the Tigers to win but I just can't see it. U Conn moves on. I had Memphis in my Brackets.

Louisville and Michigan State. I see Michigan State being a lot like Duke. They have played better than they really are. Louisville exposed the Spartans. I have Louisville in my Brackets.

North Carolina and Oklahoma. Oklahoma needs this to be a half court game. I don't think it will be and Carolina can win a half court game too against the Sooners. I have Carolina in my bracket.

It's Up To Carolina

Stayed up to the clock hit double zero's in the Duke game. Nova was a faster team not allowing Duke open opportunities. Duke loses by twenty which seems like all the ACC teams have done when they lost.

You have to give it up for the Big East. They can still get four teams into the final four.

The Tarheels have their hands full but I think they will advance tonight. Gonzaga when we first heard of them were giant killers but since they have become one of those giants themselves they have found it hard being the hunted or being the hunter.

Baseball at Rocky Mount high school is getting ready to get down to the serious part, conference play next week. Brian Goodwin has been getting a lot of attention for his play on the field and has already committed to Carolina and rightfully so.

I am glad to see another one of the Babe Ruth players is getting rewarded for his good play as Charles Alston sent out the e-mail that "Joesph" Ben Fish has declared to play at Campbell.

There is a story behind the "Joesph". While I was doing PA for a Rocky Mount JV football game when Ben was a freshman the program had him listed as Joesph Fish. Ben made a tackle and I announce Joesph Fish on the tackle. It didn't take long for Mama Ashley to let me know that was Ben not Joesph. Today sometimes when I see her after games I'll say Joesph did good tonight.

Ben has been the starting catcher for Rocky Mount since his sophomore year and like Brian Goodwin he is part of the Babe Ruth teams that played in the world series once in Wilson and In Quincy Massachusetts. He has play ball all over the eastern United States.

Dillion Cockrell and Gabe Brown were also on those teams and this senior class is the last of all those talented player who have represented us well making it to two Babe Ruth world series and so far one State baseball championship.

Do you realize that Pat Smith in his six years at Rocky Mount has had only two catchers. JT Tyndall and Ben Fish.

Weather permitting Hunt comes to Gryphon Stadium at 1.00pm Saturday.

By the way if anyone has information on any team that they would like for me to talk about e-mail me at tdoughtie@gsmtransportation.com and I will gladly spread the news on any Gryphon team that I have accurate reliable information on. The more information I have on say softball or tennis the less you have to hear my old stories from out of the past to fill out the space.

Nitty Griddy Time

Tonight Duke represents the ACC against a Big East. Five teams still alive the Big East still could put four teams in the final four which no league has ever done. The Big East had three teams once but no one has ever had four.

I am a N C State fan but whenever any ACC team is playing I pull for the ACC. I especially pull when ever Carolina or Duke plays and I will be pulling hard for both tonight and tomorrow.

I'm in a catch 22 in regards to my NCAA Brackets. I picked Vilanova in the brackets last week and in order for me to finish high in any pool I need this game. Heck with the brackets GO DUKE.

I don't know whether he will get any votes for coach of the year but Larry Brown is doing a great job with the Bobcats. They have ten games to play and find themselves 2.5 games out of the last playoff spot. One thing that this Bobcat team is doing is losing close. Last night they lost by two. That's a far cry from the team that averaged losing by twenty last year.

Remember Larry Brown was Allen Iverson's coach when he made his famous "but this is Practice" statement. Brown plain and simply is a good teacher of basketball and I think next year the Bobcats will make the playoffs for the first time in their brief history.

The Hurricanes have six games to play and are pushing Philadelphia for fourth spot. One problem the Canes have is everyone who trails them have seven or eight games to play so if any team behind them get hot they can get more points that what the Canes can.

I heard on ESPN that Torry Holt will be paying a visit to the Carolina Panthers in the next few days as he tries to find an NFL team to latch on to since he was released by St. Louis. Wouldn't he be a great offensive weapon for the Panthers.

I can close my eyes and see Holt returning that punt his Senior year at N C State which lead to NC State beating Florida State for the first time.

If the weather holds off Gryphon Baseball finishes their non-conference tuneups Saturday against Hunt high school at 1.00pm. If the non-conference games played by everybody so far can be used as a barometer. The top two teams in the NEW-6 will be squaring off against each other at Northern Nash.

Career doubles Leader.

Going into tonight's baseball game at Tarboro Brian Goodwin was tied for the Rocky Mount career doubles all time lead. He needed one to take over the top spot.

To make sure just in case the record book was off Brian went 4-4 with four doubles to claim the top spot in the careers doubles at Rocky Mount High school. The four doubles is a record for any Gryphon in any Rocky Mount game.

So why not set two records in one night.

Parker Helms aided the Gryphon offense hitting his first varsity home run as the Gryphons top Tarboro 7-1 tonight in an Endowment game.

Not to be outdone by the offense Gryphon starting pitcher Hobbs Johnson struck out the first six Vikings he faced and 14 in the game as he pitches six and 1/3 innings allowing three hits and an earned run.

Nick Hahula came in in the 7th to record the last two outs of the game.

Rocky Mount has now won four straight and stand at 6-1 overall with a Saturday afternoon non-conference game slated for 1pm at Gryphon stadium against Hunt.

Congratulations to NC Wesleyan coach Charlie Long as over the weekend he won his career 300th game as coach at NCW.

How in the world does a #1 seeded Duke womens team play a #9 seed on the #9 seeds home court? It happened to Duke's women last night as they lost at Michigan State.

The ACC women are taking a beating in the NCAA tournament just like the guys. Maryland is the only ACC team to make it to the sweet 16.

The Carolina Hurricanes won their 9th home game in a row tonight and are now just a couple of points out of 4th place with six games to go.

If the season ended tonight they would start the playoffs in Philadelphia. The Canes are acting like the Stanley Cup champion team of 06.

Ever since Eric Cole was traded back to Raleigh everything has fallen into place for the canes and they are red hot.

Get ready for late night basketball as Duke play at 10pm Thursday and Carolina at 10pm Friday. Hopefully Duke will play Saturday and Carolina Sunday in the Elite eight.

Who Wins From Here?

Despite what your brackets might say, who is going to win this weekend in the Sweet 16?

The Midwest: Arizona vs. Louisville - I think Arizona is one of those teams that won a good opening game and the luck of a second round playing a team higher seeded than they were. You can't blame 'Zona for that. However, this is a low seed this weekend, The 'VILLE moves on.

The Sweet 16 is always where the matchups begin. Kansas and Michigan State is a good one. State has quietly been steady all year. They last to play one more day. Spartans advance.

The West: Purdue vs. Connecticut. Purdue moves up to the big boys. The Huskies take down the Boilermakers

If there is one game this weekend that will be a dud this is it. Memphis will handle Missouri with ease, at least by double digits.

The South: Oklahoma vs. Syracuse - This is another intriguing game. I hate the Orangemen and their zone defense and just because of that, I am taking the Sooners. North Carolina vs. Gonzaga - After seeing Lawson play the way he played in the second half Saturday, Carolina gives me every reason to feel like they will play for the title. If that is the case, the Zags go down.

The East: Pittsburgh vs. Xavier. When I watch Pittsburgh play, they look to me to be the biggest team in the country. N.C. State's next coach Sean Miller is going to pull the upset of the tournament. I like Xavier. Villanova vs. Duke - This is the game of the Sweet 16. I think you could take all the players in this game and let someone picks sides and they would still be equal. In my bracket, I picked 'Nova, but I like Coach K to win one more.

There is good news and bad news at N.C. State. Trevor Ferguson and Brandon Costner will graduate this spring and summer, respectively. The bad news is they still have eligibility left. After J.J.Hickson came in last year, Costner pretty much quit then anyway. There is a hot rumor floating that Lagand is going to transfer. If that happens, that would be seven players off this year's team not coming back.

Gryphon baseball is at Tarboro Wednesday at 7 p.m. (weather permitting) and then home Saturday at 1 p.m. Then next Tuesday, Tyler Joyner and Northern awaits.