Time For Bobby To Retire

If your team is Florida State, the last five years have to be painful. Bobby Bowden who left West Virginia in the 70's and built the Seminoles into for a fifteen year stretch the best program in college football.

What three or four years ago it was announced that Jimbo Fisher was the head coach in waiting. Since then Bowden has just been a figure head and Florida State is no longer a top five football program. Bowden gets credit for the wins trying to stay close to Joe Paterno at Penn State. Already this year the Seminoles are 0-2 against other Florida teams and haven't played Florida yet.

I know we have a long way to go in the high school football season but the Tarboro and Southwest Edgecombe game probably needs to be moved to Rocky Mount to hold the crowd that will be there for that one. I think every person who can walk from Edgecombe County will watch that one.

There was a time in college football where the haves would beat the have nots by a 65-10 score. If you look at the scores this year the field has leveled off somewhat. No longer does a Troy show up at a Alabama just for a $300,000 pay day but they expect to win.

You can credit the 85 scholarship limit for that. No longer can the Alabama's horde all the good players just so Auburn can't get them.

Even though they lost today, I sure do like the way Mike Singletary has the 49's playing.

Monday night football will feature the Carolina Panthers against Dallas. One big problem the TV schedule people have is they can only guess how well teams are going to do. After winning 12 games last year Carolina lost their nose guard the first week of the preseason and their season has only gotten worst.

Under John Fox it does seem the Panthers have come up big when they were at their worse. Fox needs to get it turned around, Bill Cowher is sitting in Raleigh.

Another Football Saturday

Got a chance to watch Norfolk State play on ESPN-U Saturday night and the starting left tackle is Kendall Noble. Noble now a sophomore has grown just a little since leaving Rocky Mount High. He stands at 6 feet four inches tall and weights two hundred ninety five pounds. Two more years Kendall may be playing in the NFL.

Terrell Hudgins needed fourteen receptions today to tie as the all time pass catcher in the Football Championship Series. He got twelve catches for one hundred thirty eight yards. He needs just three at Furman next Saturday. If you can find it that game will be on Sports South. Elon won 28-14 over Georgia Southern.

Stephan Virgil returned back to action today for Virginia Tech as he had six assisted tackles. He was part of the Hokie defense that took JaCory Harris out of the running for the Heisman Trophy for Miami. Tech 31 Miami 7.

Everyone has been calling N C State the best team in the FCS after two weeks of scoring one hundred points against Division two team. Today N C State made steps that they haven't made since Philip Rivers left Raleigh six years ago. Pittsburgh is the preseason favorite to win the Big East but clearly in the fourth quarter the Wolfpack dominated the Panthers to win 38-31.

North Carolina's dreams of an undefeated season ended on Georgia Tech's first drive of the game. Carolina rushed for seventeen yards for the day and were never in this one. Tech 24-Carolina 7.

Wake Forest fumbles on the five yard line in overtime and loses to Boston College 27-24. What a heart breaking way to lose on a first down from the five.

Duke and North Carolina Central played for the first time ever and for the first half it was a very competitive game. However the second half was all Duke as they beat the Eagles 49-14. Get out the record book. When was the last time Duke put 49 on any body?

ECU had a struggle but they win against Central Florida 19-14. Good news for ECU fans. Notre Dame pulled a win out of their butt tonight against Purdue which for the time being has saved Charlie Weis's job at Notre Dame at least for another week. If the Pirates have a winning season they will have a hard time holding on to Skip Holtz.

Over the past thirty games in Major league baseball the Atlanta Braves have the best record. Another win today and with a week to go the Braves are now just two and a half games out of the wild card spot in the National league.

College Record Could Fall Saturday

It 's not out of the realm of possibility that Saturday afternoon Former Rocky Mount High star Terrell Hudgins could become the all time leader in reception in the FCS history.

Hudgins needs fourteen catches to break the record. It will not be easy as Elon host Georgia Southern on Saturday. Good luck Terrell! If he stays healthy next week for sure.

Since I stayed home tonight with no game on the docket I did a lot of web surfing and I ran across something of interest. Brian Goodwin Freshman baseball player at North Carolina will be wearing #27 for the Tar Heels. To me 27 is a great number as Jim Catfish Hunter wore that number for nines years when he played for the A's. He wore #29 while he was with the Yankees because Mickey Rivers already had 27.

Now lets get Down to what Friday nights are all about.

The clash of the unbeatens in Pinetops saw Southwest Edgecombe host Kinston as the Eastern Plains Conference schedule began. Like last week against Rocky Mount the Cougars jump to an early 14-0 lead and run the clock out from there. SWE 28- Kinston 13

The other Eastern Plains unbeaten Tarboro hit the road but like the Big East a road game is not very far away. Tarboro made a stop on Highway 11 at North Pitt and stayed just long enough to wipe out the Panthers 49-7. Since losing their starting quarterback the Vikings have hardly noticed.

The southern most portion of the Big East Hunt traveled to C B Aycock and after winning their first three game the Warriors seemed like a super year was under way. C B Aycock stays unbeaten as they clip Hunt 13-7. Hunt drops to 3-1 on the ledger. In Wilson Fike who I can't figure out at all beats Eastern Wayne 23-14 to secure their second win of the season.

Nash Central hoping to win their second game in a row took on Bunn but Nash Central needed twenty to win the game. They could only muster 13. Bunn 19 Bulldogs 13.

Northern Nash outscored Southern Vance in the second half 2-0, The Knights only problem is they were down 22-14 at the half. Twice in the fourth quarter Northern was intercepted deep in SV territory. Close but no cigar for Northern 22-16 at Southern Vance.

Next Friday night Rose comes to Rocky Mount and tonight they were beaten at Scotland County 29-19.

I don't know if this makes any Gryphon fans feel any better but both teams to beat Rocky Mount remained undefeated SWE and Hertford County a 49-7 winner over Elizabeth City. Northeastern

Girls Fall Sports

So far this school year the girls have held up their end of the bargain in athletic achievement at Rocky Mount high school.

Volley ball knocked off Nash Central for the third time this year 3-0 to win their 6th conference game without a loss. The wins are coming so fast I think last night was #13 on the year.

Tennis has had two matches this week and in a total of eighteen games not one of our girls has lost. Yesterday girls tennis took down Nash central 9-0.

Cross country girls finished third in a Wednesday meet at Nash Central. I have noticed that all conference teams are running in at least one event each week against all conference members. I like that better than just going up head to head each week against just one other team. The more runners in any event gives everyone a good idea of how they are doing stacked up against better competition.

For the first time this year boys soccer tasted defeat. Wednesday night Drew Nick the Gryphons head soccer coach returned to his old coaching grounds and ran into an inspired Hunt team still made up of players who played for him two years ago. Gryphons go down 3-1.

The football team is off tonight. I have heard a lot of talk about people traveling tonight to Southwest Edgecombe to see the biggest game in the area.

Kinston at Southwest Edgecombe. The Eastern Plains has three teams in the top Five in the 2-A polls. Tonight starts their conference play and one of the giants will be behind after tonight. Kinston brings in a all round offense to take on the smash mouth Cougars. This is a giant of a game. SWE is limping around a little bit after the Rocky Mount game last week. I going to take SWE in this one but this may go to the wire. I would not be surprised if Kinston wins. SWE 22 Kinston 20.

Tarboro when compared to Kinston and Southwest has a much easier first game. They will take down North Pitt 28-6.

Eastern Wayne travels to Fike. Fike goes down again 34-20. C B Aycock plays at Hunt tonight and at this point I am not really sure if Hunt is as good as I thought they would be. I am sticking with Hunt but I am nervous about this one . Hunt 24 Aycock 20.

Nash Central found the win column for the first time last week. Sometimes finding out how to win is all any team needs to change their entire season. Will Bunn be a victim tonight? I doubt it, Bunn 26 Nash Central 18.

Northern continues to look for a win. The Knights are in a four year slide where they always find a way to lose. Mickey Crouch is doing all he can to change the direction of the program. The biggest problem for Northern this year is lack of numbers on the field. They are giving all they have each Friday Night, but with small numbers of players the bruises and injuries take their toll as the season goes on both mentally and physically. Northern will have to wait another week for a victory. Southern Vance 26 Northern 10.

Sickness is Spreading

Flu like symptoms are spreading through the county and Rocky Mount is not immune. Several coaches and players from various teams have been hit this week with the bug. I would not go as far to say it's the Swine Flu,but a lesser fever and severe cold.

Bobby Cox has announced that 2010 will be his last year as manager of the Atlanta Braves. There was a time when we could all watch every Atlanta games on the cable every night.

Sometimes timing plays a big part in what you watch or root for. Having spent two summers growing up on the Legion fields in Ahoskie when Jimmy Hunter played for Post 102, naturally every time the A's played on tv or were on the East Coast where you could pick up their games on radio I rooted hard for Jimmy.

Hunter retired in 1979 from baseball and it just so happened that the cable system in September of 1979 started carrying the Atlanta Braves. With my man retired I picked up and started rooting for Dale Murphy.

Bobby Cox has been the Braves manager for like 22 of the 31 years since then.

The American economy is really in the toilet. When a Russian comes to New York and buys the majority ownership in a NBA team the New Jersey Nets you know times are bad. I don't know how to pronounce the guys name but he is investing 160 million American dollars or 330 Billion Rubles.

Only two games have been played in the NFL season so far which means you can't tell a thing about how the season is going. Injuries play such a big part. Baltimore seems to be everyone's pick to be the best right now. I don't know if I would go out on the limb yet about the Ravens. Their defense has given up at least 20 in both games.

I wish I had confidence in New Orleans at the rate they are scoring right now. I just don't see that continuing all season.

Don't be surprised if after Sunday the Detroit Lions have their first win of the season. The Redskins just might be their first victim.

Gryphons VS Knights

Tuesday saw Tennis and Volleyball collide with Northern Nash and the blue and gold came out on top.

The girls Tennis team sweep past the Ladys of Northern Nash. So far this tennis season the only conference lost that the Lady Gryphons have suffered was at the hands of tennis powerhouse Fike. The victory over Northern now gets the Lady Gryphons to 9-3 on the season.

The Volley ball team has played half of their conference schedule and after playing everyone once remains undefeated in conference action. Overall on the season the Volley ball team has been beaten only once and that was to South Central .

Had a chance to speak to Debbie Webb after last Thursday's match. The former Volley ball coach is keeping a close eye out even though she is now in the Grand Mother business full time.

I don't know how many of you have watched the Durham Bulls any at all this year on the cable. Last night the Bulls won the Triple A championship beating Memphis in a one game winner take all for the title. They won on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eleventh.

This weekend Duke and North Carolina Central will play a football game against each other for the first time in history. Talk about a win win situation for both teams. Now that Central has stepped up to Division one football, this should be a annual event for the city of Durham. The Down East Classic of Durham.

Plaxico Burress started his jail time yesterday which should last about twenty months. Burress probably should have shot someone else instead of himself and he might have got less jail time.

The new rage in the NFL is the Wildcat offense. Can someone please explain to me what is so complicated about snapping the ball to a running back and he takes off and runs. Maybe the high price coaches of the NFL are not as great as advertised. Any high school coach can figure out how to stop it.

What Ever Happened To Ground Can't Cause Fumble

Rules are put in regardless of whether it's football or safety at work for everyone's betterment. Sometimes what seems like a good rule doesn't turn out to be that way.

The NFL has for several years had a rule that a receiver had to maintain a hold of the ball all the way to the ground on an out of bounds play even after you hit the ground. This year they have made that rule for all catches, inbounds or not.

There are not many plays when receivers don't hold on to the ball once they are slammed to the ground. The ball pops out a lot after contact with the ground. Talk about disrupting the game. Just about every pass play where the receiver is knocked to the ground will have to be reviewed to see if he held on.

The NFL needs to scrap this rule quick.

Last night the Gryphon soccer team opened conference play with a 4-0 shutout of Nash Central. My recollection was that the soccer team lost a lot of seniors last year and were not suppose to be this good this year.

Tonight Volley ball has a match with a team from just down the road Northern Nash. If they win they will have made it through the first round of conference play going undefeated. Varsity plays at 5.30 or just after the JV match at 4.30pm.

North Carolina is 3-0 so far this football season. They jump into the ACC fires this weekend playing Georgia Tech. Tech had their lunch handed to them last Thursday night against Miami. You can bet they will come out inspired. This is a really good test to see how good Carolina really is.

N C State is not getting much love after two weeks of FCS competition. Pittsburgh and the Big East comes to Raleigh Saturday and if the Wolfpack can manage a win you will need to start paying attention to the Wolfpack. But they must win.