History This Week

Rocky Mount High School is out of school for most of the week but sports continues.
Tuesday Basketball gets their first game at home in nearly a month. It's not that being away from home has been bad since both the boys and girls are 4-0 and the Nash Holiday Tournament champions since they played home.

Fike will be in the house Tuesday and first place will be on the line against the Golden Demons. There is a possibility that Tashawn Mabrey could become the all time scoring leader Tuesday night breaking Phil Ford's record.

Friday night the Gryphons hit the road again traveling to Southern Nash.

I am coming off my worse weekend ever picking playoff football games. I was 0-4. It was very apparent to me the motivated home teams are hard to beat. Three of the four won while San Diego played as if they were the team that had rust and had not played their starters in a month.

It only proves one thing, Indy deliberately losing their chance to go undefeated to rest players worked. Dallas's win last weekend got rubbed in their face in the fourth quarter when Brett Favre threw his fourth touchdown in the last two minutes with a meaningless touchdown.

There has been a lot of talk in the NFL about adding to regular season games. I don't see that as being a good solution. Here is my NFL Proposal keeping regular season at 16 games.

1. Expand playoffs to 16 teams
2. First weekend of playoffs only eight teams play. The other eight are off.
3. Next weekend those that were off play and the first weekend winners are then off.
4. Third weekend all winners of week one and two play
5. Fourth weekend is conference championship weekend
6. Super Bowl

This eliminates byes. All teams must win four games to be champion. This adds one weekend to playoffs. Keeps regular season the same and all players salaries stay same. Playoff money comes from a playoff pot already any way. This would mean three straight playoff weeks of Saturday/Sunday doubleheaders. Actually the season is expanded one week players salaries can stay same but NFL gets another weekend of playoff money from TV and the only teams that wind up playing one more game is the two teams in Super Bowl.

Virginia Leads ACC

Was it not just last week that we were talking Virginia and North Carolina State playing for last place in ACC basketball? As they say in news talk the early returns are in and Virginia is the only undefeated team in the ACC after only three games.

Saturday's NFL playoff games proved one thing. Motivated divisional champions are hard to beat at home. Arizona and Baltimore scored seventeen points between them and were never in either game. Arizona game up 90 point in their two playoff games an NFL record. Baltimore's effort shows you how far New England has fallen.

New Orleans and Indianapolis wait to see who they will host next week in the conference championship games.

I have not had anything to say so far about Mark McGuire and his admitting he used steroids while breaking Roger Maris Home run record. Not much to say other than I thought so. I find it hard to believe that St Louis will still let him be their hitting coach starting this year.

Gilbert Arenas plead guilty this week to a Felony charge on guns. I have a feeling his NBA career should be over. If you or I brought a gun to work we would be fired in a second.

The Carolina Hurricanes lost again Saturday to solidify they lead as the worst team in hockey. They have been playing better of late but are so far back the season is just about over for them.

While the Hurricanes go down the Bobcats are heading upwards. Saturday night they beat the Suns to even their record at 19-19. It is the first time in the teams Bobcat franchise history to be 500 during any season at any time.

One of the best moves that East Carolina has ever made in sports was the hiring of Terry Holland to be athletic director. I sure did enjoy listening to Holland talk about Skip Holtz and the football future of the Pirates this week. The Pirates sure do have a skipper in charge heading in the right direction in Greenville.

Gryphons Sweep Hunt

Friday night in Wilson the Rocky Mount Gryphons got the backside of the 2010 basketball schedule going with a double header victory.

The Girls didn't score many but Pam Gainey's defense did the job and held the Lady Warriors to less than the Gryphons as Rocky Mount beat Hunt 34-28. The girls are 2-0 and now 9-2 on this season.

The boys welcomed back Tashawn Mabrey who had not played since Christmas and the news is good for the boys. Rocky Mount wins 68-60. The boys also find themselves at 2-0 in conference play but hit double digits with victories as they win their tenth game in eleven tries.

Don't look now but if the NBA playoffs ended today the Charlotte Bobcats would be in the playoffs for the first time in the franchise's history. Friday night the Bobcats won their sixth straight home game beating Tim Duncan and the Spurs. The Bobcats are 18-19 on the season and seventh in the eastern conference.

The NFL is front and center on Saturday and Sunday. Last weekend I was three out of four on my picks.I was set to go four for four until Green Bay made the fumble in over time instead of going down field and scoring like they were suppose to do.

Dallas is at Minnesota today. I just don't know whether I can trust Dallas or not. Other than San Diego the Cowboys are hot but I just have a feeling that Brett Favre is due a three interception game and Dallas wins 30-27.

Tonight the Ravens travel to Indianapolis and despite not being able to pass the ball I think Baltimore wins. I just don't like Indy shutting the season down the way they did. Baltimore 17- INDY 16

Sunday is the calculator game. I think Arizona is going to out score New Orleans 38-35.

The winningest team in the NFL the last six years is the Colts. They have won 77 games. Next is New England at 73 followed by San Diego with 67 wins. Pittsburgh and the Giants are tied with 65 wins.

Four of those teams have won Super Bowls in the last five years. San Diego is the only team on that list that hasn't won. In the history of the NFL no team that made the playoffs five of six years hasn't won the title all the way back even before the Super Bowl. San Diego this year has made the playoffs five of six years. San Diego is the greatest scoring team in any five year period in NFL history. History will continue San Diego wins the Super Bowl and Sunday night beat the Jets 27-7.

Holtz Bolts Pirates

I am not one of these people that believes that the world is going to end for all the ECU football players now that Skip Holtz has moved to Tampa and South Florida after all any athlete who is getting a free education just because they run fast or catch a ball is living out a dream.

Whether it is Holtz,Kiffin, or Pete Carroll they have all live up to the requirements of their contract. If they hadn't lawsuits would be flying all over the place. I find them to be no different from me or you that if someone called and offered more money,more opportunity I'd jump too. We live in a society that people leave their jobs everyday for $10 a week more down the road.

What I feel in Skip Holtz case is to the naked eye South Florida doesn't look like a step up when in fact it is. They are in the Big East a conference that ECU would jump at in a minute if they were invited.

A major decision in athletics at ECU in the near future is non qualifying athletes. Southern Mississippi a member with ECU in Conference USA has for years tried to get other members of the conference including ECU to quit accepting players that don't meet academic standards after high school graduation.

This point is a major sticking point on why Carolina and NC State hate to play ECU in football. ECU accepts players that Carolina and State can't get in school. This is also a major reason ECU is in Conference USA and nothing better. This is why Skip Holtz is not being offered jobs like Tennessee because he hasn't proved he can win without the non-qualifiers.

Terry Holland has done a terrific job in Greenville as Athletic Director. I am sure ECU can bring in a coach who can continue the winning as Holtz has done.

Tonight high school sports cranks up again after the EOC break. The Gryphons jump in the frying pan taking on Hunt at Hunt. The Warriors and Gryphons are tied with Fike as the only undefeated team at 1-0 in conference play. A win by either side helps get a leg up in the early conference standings.

Back to college football for a minute. Rumors are flying that David Cutcliffe of Duke is on Tennessee's list as a possible coach. I know this would be bad for the Blue Devils but to me he seems perfect for Tennessee. If Tennessee says no to Cutcliffe, hey ECU Cutcliffe would look good in Purple! I doubt that Tennessee will not take him however.

Must Have Been The Bus Crash

Yesterday the UNC Basketball bus on the way to their shoot around at Clemson was involved in a fender bender. Last night while playing their conference basketball game at Clemson the Tar Heels were involved in a crash which involved the entire team.

I don't believe I have ever seen Carolina out of a game from the get go like last night. They had twenty six turnovers which ties for the most in Chapel Hill during the Roy Williams era.

Luckily for Carolina their 54 game home winning streak again Clemson in Chapel Hill is not in jeopardy because Clemson doesn't come to Chapel Hill this year. The way I saw it last night there are several more conferences losses heading the Tar Heel way this year as long as their point guards are inconsistent and their big men up front play like stick men.

Is it possible Carolina will not make the NCAA tournament this year? Despite this Carolina team not being the Carolina team that we see most of the time the Clemson fans stormed the court anyway.

Duke beat Boston College last night in the fashion they beat most teams in Durham. Looks as if Duke is the best in the ACC this year but I don't see any team from the ACC making the final four.

Looking nationally the two best teams Texas and Kentucky both have Chris Paul like guards running the show for them.

Lane Kiffin had not even arrived in LA yesterday before Tennessee football fans were hollering foul. Seems Vol fans are claiming Kiffin and his coaches were on the phone with Tennessee recruits trying to get them to switch from their Tennessee commitment.

Does any body see Lane Kiffin in college football to be what John Calipari is in college basketball? Everywhere he goes he leaves the school in turmoil and NCAA trouble but comes out smelling like a rose every time.

Exam week

This area is slow this week with high school sports because this week is exam week or to be politically correct EOC week. In my day they were called exams but we don't want to put to much pressure on our children so let's call them something that doesn't sound as hard. Our kids must make a grade point average of 81 after the EOC's or they must retake their exams or excuse me EOC's again on Friday.

There is celebration in our household as Morgan made 92 on Biology on Monday in which I had to review material that I have not had since the Ice Age. I wasn't much help in the 94 she made Tuesday in English.

Friday sports returns and the Gryphons will travel to Hunt. If we can go by non-conference portion as an indicator Hunt looks like the team that if we can sweep them Friday the Gryphons will have a leg up on everyone in basketball.

This past Saturday the Big East held the duels in wrestling. Like in tennis this is the team championship part of wrestling and Northern Nash won the conference championship whipping the Gryphons for the title. Later on the individual championships will be held.

Last night N C State found someone in the ACC worse than them as the Wolfpack won 88-81. Yesterday I talked about point guard play and I kept up last night with the number of passes made in the first half. The Wolfpack made 108 passes outside the three point line in the first half resulting in fifteen points. They made eleven passes that started outside the three point line and went across the line resulting in twelve points. The remaining eleven first half points occurred from steals and no passes or shots taken with no pass involved. Eleven times they went inside and scored twelve points. Basketball is an easier game when you get close to the basket over passing outside the three point line and never attacking the basket.

Wake beat Maryland at home in OT 89-87. Carolina has a real test tonight with a a visit to Clemson.

Looks like Skip is leaving ECU as Holtz was rumored to have interviewed yesterday for the South Florida job. Hold the phone, with Pete Carroll leaving Southern Cal and Lane Kiffin leaving Tennessee for Southern Cal the coaching carousel is in the works and if I was Holtz I would wait a week or two to see where the dominoes fall over the next week. Who knows the Notre dame job may be open again.

Depressing Days in Wolfpack Country

The battle for last place in ACC basketball Virginia beat N C State in Raleigh. Now if this is suppose to be last place battle and you can't beat Virginia at home then you must assume State can't beat anybody.

If you watched the game Saturday they put a graphic on the screen which pretty much was the last straw for me with Sidney Lowe. His first three years he was 15-33 in conference play. They are now 0-2 in his fourth year.

Lowe who has won about 53% of all his games will never get past this year unless this team pulls a Herb Sendeck and almost wins the ACC Tournament. By the way, folks in Raleigh pretty much ran Sendeck out of town at a winning percentage of almost 60%.

The basketball team has not won the conference since 1987, football 1979. You must know that Wolfpack fans have to be the most loyal in the world. The football stadium is filled every game with sixty thousand and sometimes basketball will put nineteen thousand in the house. I doubt there will be a basketball sellout for the remainder of this year as long as Lowe is there. That's the way as fans you protest when things are not going well, you don't go to the games.

I find it hard to believe that Lowe and Towe two glorious point guards from past Wolfpack national champions can't find a point guard. I judge point guards from their first pass once they get into the offensive end of the court.

State doesn't have any players of All american caliber, but they have some really good ones who when they are given the ball when they are ready to score can put it in the hole. A Tyler Hansbourough for Carolina could not bring the ball down the court and score. He had to rely on a point guard to get him the ball when he was open.

Seems as if every year is look who we have coming next year. This year was next year, last year.

Carolina has a point guard problem this year and Carolina fans are pulling their hair out. Point guards are what make any basketball teams go.

Sidney Lowe to have been a great point guard on a national championship team should know what one looks like and you would think know how to teach to be a point guard.

Then there is always look what we got coming next year.