Washington Meets Brian Goodwin

The big question last Wednesday night during the Brian Goodwin celebration in Don and Ashley Fish's  back yard was when and where  will the Nationals send Brian. Slyvester Goodwin told me that Washington wanted to bring their top three picks into Washington today and meet the press.  If that schedule is on then the Goodwin clan is in Washington this morning. It is so late in the minor league season as the regular season ends at the end of the month that Brian may wait until Winter ball or a rookie instructional  league this winter in Florida.

Former Goodwin teammate in Babe Ruth Baseball Xavier Macklin has hit the proverbial Wall while playing for Vermont in the New York Penn Rookie League.  You see in college they normally play a Wednesday game and then Fri-Sat-Sun.  Pro baseball players get one day off every three weeks unless there is a rain out and then you are probably at the ball park when it gets rained out.  X has  leveled off at around 235 and after finishing second in D-1 in home runs he has yet to yank one in the NY-P League.

Most Monday night high school football  games don't get much of a crowd but I bet there will be a great crowd tonight at Nash Central.  Two time defending State 2-A champs the Tarboro Vikings kick off their season against the Bulldogs of Nash Central.  This is a tough start for either one of these teams.  What ever happened to finding a easy one for opening night.  Northern Nash will kick off their season hosting Beddingfield.  Both games wills start at seven.

Just a final follow up on the Renegades the little league team that played last week in Cooperstown New York.  If you go on line the MLB folks rated  every team  from one right on up to the 104th position of all the teams that took part last week.  The Renegades finish sixth.  They played 9 games in five days  and finished 7-2 for the week.  The team that knocked them out in the quarter finals lost to Cherry Hills New Jersey in the championship game.

Not For Long

There is footage on NFL Network films of a coach while fussing with a referee shouts to the Ref that if he continues to make bad calls that he was making he would not last in the NFL.  He says to him do you know what the NFL stands for?   Not For Long and with these kind of calls you are not going to last in the NFL.

Tarboro's Shaun Draughn had significant playing time Friday night for the Washington Redskins as he had 8 carries  but for only 14 yards.  The good news is Shaun is getting a good look from the Skins.  The bad news he has only 16 yards in 10 carries in the preseason.   The news is worse for Former Gryphon Travis Cobb as he was cut by the Chicago Bears in midweek.

Cam Newton's first start at quarterback for the Panthers was another so so performance.  The first two games he has been outplayed by Jimmy Clausen.  I know all of the National Networks  are pushing hard to make Cam Newton a star but he is not ready and I doubt he will be this year.

I know all of the Rocky Mount Gryphon fans who went to the game Friday night have a lot of reasons to be  happy today and after the way the defense played. It certainly doesn't look like there is any drop off after last year. It was the defense that kept the Gryphons in every game  season. The D did a good job of containing a very mobile Wildcat quarterback.   The offense is improved but the new single wing still needs some work.  It always seems as if Rocky Mount has a horse in the back field and Mason Hines looks like a Thoroughbred.

Quote of the night: The Bunn PA announcer heard saying during first quarter time out while it was still pouring rain.  "This tropical depression which we are now having was spawned  on the warm waters of Lake Royale ".

Two of the biggest games on opening Friday night were washed out and put off to Monday.  I am not of a fan of Monday night high school football and I don't think much of having to play on Saturday but what happens if a rain storm hits Monday and you play Tuesday. Least with Saturday night if you get washed out there  then you can fall back to Monday.  This is the time of year when kids improve the most on the practice field after they have been knocked down by somebody else in a game.  Monday would normally be that day of practice if you played Friday or Saturday.