One of the fastest growing sports in America right now is Triathlons. It has taken off to the degree that the NCAA is looking to possibly sanctioning Triathlons as an official NCAA sport. Whether it becomes an official sport or not is yet to be known. NC State like many colleges has a triathlon program which at this stage is considered a Club Sport. North Carolina and Duke both have decided that should the NCAA sanction Triathlons that they are already laying the foundation to ease into a varsity program should college sports head that way.
Today North Carolina State became the third ACC school to take that step into a growing sport. Brooks Doughtie has been asked to create the training program for the athletes that are now in the N C State Triathlon Club. He will also create a budget, find training facilities and have N C State ready when ever the day comes to move forward into a varsity sport.
Brooks is a 2004 graduate of N C State and over the past several years has developed his coaching into Elite Status in triathlons. Elite means he can work with the top athletes in the world and just today one of his Junior athletes won an event in Martinsville Virginia. He just returned home to Raleigh after spending a week at the U S Training Center in Colorado Springs Colorado.
Brooks is a 2000 graduate of Rocky Mount High School where he ran cross country, tennis and track for the Gryphons. During his stay at N C State he was on the Mountain Bike team ( a club team) and between his cross country running and riding of bicycles it didn't take long to realize that he could coach others better than he could do it himself.
There is no doubt that everyone in the Doughtie family is hoping that as time passes and if this does proceed into becoming a varsity sport at N C State that Debbie Yow would not have to look far to find the N C State's first varsity coach.
Two people with Nash County connections will be inducted into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame Saturday night. Tom Suiter who grew up within site of Rocky Mount High School even though he didn't go to school there and Rosalie Bardin who's coaching career was spent at Southern Nash will be inducted into the Hall Of Fame Surday night at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill.
Suiter who joined WRAL-TV Sports in 1981 and is state wide famous for Football Friday. Even in retirement Suiter still comes back on Friday nights to cover practically every football game in eastern North Carolina. Bardin coaching career covered basketball Volleyball and Softball where she coached a state championship team. Bardin finished out her Education career as Principal when she was an award winner there too.
Russell Weinstein the head football coach at Roanoke Rapids High school has been named the region 1 winner of the Homer Thompson Sportsmanship award. Weinstein spent many years as assistant football coach at Tarboro and Northern Nash. He will pick up his plaque in a ceremony on May 3rd.
Football is in the air as Saturday is purple day at ECU as spring football concludes. Carolina will also be having their Blue/white game and in Winston Salem the Demon Deacon's will have a game.
Brian Goodwin is off to a great start playing for Hagerstown the A level of the Washington Nationals. The five games that Goodwin has played he is hitting 375 with two home runs and eight rbi. 140 games are played by minor league players and if Brian could keep up that pace he would drive in 224 rbi and hit 56 home runs. Unfortunately while beating out a infield single Monday night Brian pulled a muscle and is on the seven day injured list.
Jeremy Johnson and Will Edwards combined for a three hit shutout as Rocky Mount downed Northern Nash 6-0 as both teams started the back cycle in Conference play. Rocky Mount has won two conference games in a row and both were at the expense of Northern Nash.
Rocky Mount produce three runs in the second and again in the fifth to score all the runs they would need. The second the three runs came on an hit by Ben Yates who reached second on a sac bunt by Andy Morris and he scored on an error at second base. A walk and then a harmless fly ball to right field right at dusk when no Northern Players could find the ball fell for a hit and two rbi for Spencer Ramsey.
The Gryphons scored three more in the fifth when a hit by Will Edwards and a walk Put two men on and the pitcher Jeremy Johnson help his own cause getting and hit and two rbi and he later scored on a wild pitch. Johnson pitch six innings of two hit ball striking out nine and he walked two and hit two batters. Edwards pitched the seventh to preserve the shutout for the Gryphons.
Freshman Derrick Carter pitched better for Northern that his results as Northern had three errors and a costly ball to hit the ground which should have been the third out of the second inning. Carter struck out eight but was removed with no one out in the fifth. Northern had 11 runners reach base but only two made it as far as third. David Wiliams and Braxton Bowden had doubles for the Knights. Derrick carter got the lone single on the night for the Knights.
Both Rocky Mount and Northern are 2-4 in conference play after tonight and there are two weeks to go in the regular season. Rocky Mount will play home Tuesday against Nash Central while Northern Tangles with Hunt. The Nash Central Rocky Mount game could be a biggie for the Gryphons . If they beat Nash Central that would give the Bulldogs two losses and Rocky Mount would be threatening third place if they defend the home turf.
There is just two more full weeks left in the High school baseball season and it cranks back up Thursday night when the Gryphons travel to Northern Nash. Yes the last conference games these two played it was against each other and yes the schedule is screwy this year but it is Northern and Rocky Mount Thursday night at Northern.
Hunt is in the lead after the first go round in conference action and Nash Central has only one conference loss heading to their game with Southern Nash Thursday. Northern and Southern are tied for third with 2-3 mark and Fike and Rocky Mount bring up the rear at 1-4. You would think third to last could change if any body in the bottom group gets hot here near the end of the season. Rocky Mount with a 5-12 would be guaranteed a losing season if they lose at Northern Thursday.
Hobbs Johnson got the start tonight in Chapel Hill and gave up one run and one hit and struck out six batters and pitch into the fourth inning before he was pulled from the game. Under normal baseball rules the starting pitcher has to go five innings but apparently Mike Fox announce that he didn't plan on pitching Hobbs five innings and he was credited with the win. It is allowed under NCAA rules to let a starter pitch less than five innings and be the winner as long as it is announced before the game of the coaches intentions. If he keeps pitching this well he is going to get more and more appearances. Because he did not go five innings as the starting pitcher he can not get credit for the win.
Bomb shell in Raleigh as the Pack will lose one of their big men and at this point it is not C J Leslie. Deshawn Painter the sixth man for the Pack is being given his release. All of the Websites that deal with the Wolfpack are saying someone in his family has health issues and Painter wants to move back home to be near family. If that is truly the reason you can't blame him for that. I would suspect since State is granting him his release that is probably the reason.
Thursday Northern/ Rocky Mount game is being taped for the All New Sports show and will be replayed Sujday Night at 8.pm on WHIG.
This is the final season of baseball at what is now known as Gryphon Stadium or when it was the old ball park Municipal Stadium. It has been the home field of Five State Championship teams. It was also one of the Parks used for footage in the movie Bull Durham. When the lights are cut off after the last high school game this season it will no longer be the home of the Gryphons. Rocky Mount has a proud tradition in baseball and there is no better way than to have a fund raiser and bring back all of those from the past that want to get one last swing at the old ball park.
Saturday night May 19th is the date. Details are still being put together whether it will be the alumni against the Varsity or what. Make plans to play if you can or come watch and support Gryphon Baseball. They are setting up an e-mail address for players who wish to come to play or just walk out on the field one last time. As soon as we can get that to you we will. Should be a night of fun.
Heard through the Grapevine that Hobbs Johnson will be the starting pitcher on Tuesday night when Carolina host UNC-Asheville at the Bosh. This will be Hobbs first varsity start since arriving at Carolina last year. He is 1-0 on the season in 11 relief appearances. His ERA is 1.10. and when you have those kind of numbers it's time to get a bigger chance.
Our life is wrapped up in twitter, e-mail, Face Book, You Tube you name it and the world can know about it in an instant. Ozzie Guillen the Manager of the Miami Marlins did an interview recently where he said he admired Fidel Castro. We all have a right to say any thing as long as we don't cross the line and slander someone.
Guillen hasn't done any of that but being the manager of the Miami Marlins who they think 80% of the people who go to the games of the Marlins regularly are of Cuban decent. If fact the new stadium in which the Marlins play is in the section of Miami is called Little Cuba. Guillen has always even when he was the manager of the White Sox would say about anything that came to his lips came out his mouth. Miami is populated with those that fled Cuba when Castro took over the country in the 50's.
What he said really has not crossed the line but if those that support the team decide I'm not going to a game as long as he is the coach then his days are numbered as the Miami Coach. Money talks and nobody walks and if the stands stand empty the next several weeks when Ozzie gets back from his five game team sanctioned suspension then he will have to go. We all get in trouble sometimes for speaking before thinking and Ozzie Guillen will survive if the stands stay full and the Marlins win. If they start out slow this year that would be an easy canning job of a coach that spoke too soon.
North Carolina pitcher Benton Moss was the losing pitcher in Sunday 4-0 shutout by Miami over the Tar Heels. Benton's record is now 2-2 for Carolina and both of his losses have come when Carolina failed to him him any run support. A couple of weeks ago they loss 1-0 to Maryland and now were beaten 4-0 yesterday. Moss pitched into the seventh inning and when he left the Heels trailed 2-0.
If you look at the North Carolina stat sheet Benton recorded another nine k's yesterday and allowed only four hits. His last three starts his ERA has gone down because most of the runs that Moss has given up have occurred after the third out should have been made and and error has caused most of his pain. His ERA has dropped to 1.83 which is the best of the weekend starters.
Not to be forgotten is Hobbs Johnson who is finding himself putting together a fine season in the bullpen for the Tar Heels. He came into yesterday's game behind Benton and that was his 11 appearance of the season. He has pitched 16 innings which gives him over an inning every outing and some more on top of that. His ERA has drooped to 1.10.
Sophomore Hobbs Johnson and freshman Benton Moss are doing their part pitching for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Moss has struck out more batter than anyone else and Hobbs has the second lowest ERA on the team with anyone who has made more than one appearance. Two Gryphons making an impact in Chapel hill.
Seek and ye shall find. I asked about did any one know the where a bouts of Xavier Macklin as I had not seen him on any Oakland A's roster. Thanks for those of you who helped me find the answer. X is still in Arizona working out and will be assigned back to the Vermont River Monsters when the short season begins in June.
We live in a me society. We get so wrapped up in me we forget sometimes there are other people who lives are more important than ours and what they do is important to them just like what I do is important to me. We are proud any time someone important to us does something well. For me listening to Morgan sing the National Anthem at a standing room only basketball game will bring a tear to my eye when she does well.
Just a couple of weeks ago after Rocky Mount had just won the State Basketball Championship I noticed Tabias Hilliard was crying like a baby waiting to go out on the court and receive his State Champions metal. He had reached a goal that in his young life had been a dream of his and he was now at the mountain top.
Even without Tiger Woods today the Masters had another great event. It doesn't matter what profession you are in if you get paid big money to do what you do well the money doesn't matter when that moment arrives that you are called the champion. Bubba Watson has been close in the past but this afternoon he executed the shot of his life from out of the bushes that enabled him to win the Masters. He cried like a baby as his caddie came to hug him. His friends on tour were there to help him wipe away the tears. His wife back home with their six week old child could only send a picture by Internet.
We all have goals in life and when ever we hit one of them if we have truly committed ourselves to that goal there is no reason not to shed a tear of joy when that moment arrives. I have liked Bubba since he has been on tour but after watching his unashamed joy in victory today he has moved up on my like list.
I think this is a good example of commitment. If we were as committed to what we do every day as much as Bubba was today our lives would be so much better. We will never achieve what we want until we give it every thing we have. Once we commit everything then the joy will come pouring out when we achieve our goal.
I have done 1,200 broadcast on radio and TV of sporting events I have been a PA man for at least 652 events including 4 years North Carolina Wesleyan sports and 14 years for Gryphon baseball. Did post 58 Legion baseball a total of 11 years. Last five years Gryphon football and basketball but have done Gryphon Jv football as far back as 2003. Have done NASCAR TV shows and relay for life shows on WHIG TV. Have four children Stephanie, Brooks, Amy and Morgan. Wife Pat and I are working on our 33 years of marriage together
