Legion Road To Wilson Starts Tonight

                                                             URGENT        
 The playoff series for Post 58 against  Edenton Post 40 is over before it starts.  Post 40 has forfeited the series to Rocky Mount after they did not have enough players to make the trip tonight to Rocky Mount.  Rocky Mount advances to round two which will start Wednesday night at Rocky Mount.

Those kids that started back in mid May hoping to play Legion ball will finally get to do what all of them want, play in the State Tournament in Wilson on July 21st.  Coleman Pitt Post 58 the top seed from Area One East will open at home against Edenton Post 40 a team they tried to play a doubleheader with last Saturday only to have eight players show up for Post 40.

Coleman Pitt opens against a team in their own conference that they have not played due to all the weather misery Eastern North Carolina has endured this summer.  The first level of the playoffs will be three sets of two out of three games with those from Area One East.  It will take six wins to advance to play the Area One West winner.  All of the weather problems that Legion ball has had this season Post 58 will have to win as many games in the next ten days that they won on the field all year. Yes, Post 58 won six games the old fashion way they earned them.

Game time is 7pm at Legion Field.  Should Post 58 earn victories to make it to the State Tournament that will be held at Fleming Stadium in Wilson starting July 21-27.  Wilson Post 13 as the host team is automatically is in the field so they do not have to win to get in.  But they could keep somebody else from getting in.

Under the category of bombshell from left field:  The Boston Celtic announced that they have hired Brad Stevens the up and coming college coach from Butler University.  Stevens in less than ten years has taken Butler from not even being considered a mid major to one of the powerhouse mid majors in college basketball.  Of all the coaches in waiting to take over the shoes of Coach K as the best college coach in America Stevens 36 leaves that for still the best known franchise in the NBA.

All the hub bub is over.  Dwight Howard tweeted last night that he has decided to play for the Houston Rockets.  Howard the ring leader  for those teenagers that the NBA gives millions of dollars to that never grow up.  He is part of the generation  of people we have in this world now that every thing was given to him and has never had to really make a decision on what his family was going to eat tonight.  He is another of those reasons that I don't watch the NBA anymore.

City Of Rocky Mount And Baseball

There is not many weekends that pass if you ride by the Sports Complex it looks like 10,000 people are there for some type of sporting event.  If you recall not so long ago a couple of years I think the City hosted the Tar Heel State Championships in all age groups in which the Tar Heel Association sponsors.  It was the first time ever that all divisions were able to play at the same place  the same weekend. If you recall I think everyone who came from every where was extremely please with the outcome except for one thing.  The entire tournament was played in 100 plus degree weather.  If you recall it was 95 after dark that week.

Starting Tuesday July 9th the Tar Heel District Tournament will be held at the Sports Complex and once again all age groups will be here in Rocky Mount.  The age groups are 7/8, 9/10 11/12 and 13/14 year old.  There is a very good chance that Rocky Mount teams representing the Rocky Mount Recreation Department could win more than one division.  If that happens the State Championships are not that far down the road as Williamston will be hosting this year.

During the just completed Little League season Lynn Driver held a ceremony at the Little League Tournament championships adding the latest State Champion to the Walk of Champions as you walk in from the parking lot.  One of our little league teams won a State Championship last year and their plaque now hangs with the many others. 

Next week for five days the future ball players of tomorrow will be strutting their stuff at the Sports Complex.  This is the same complex where Hobbs Johnson use to play or Xavier Macklin or Benton Moss.  If you want to see fun baseball.  This has become the normal operation of the sports complex as just about every weekend  stars of the future perform right here in Rocky Mount.  If you are one of those who likes to say I remember seeing him or her play right out there in Rocky Mount.  The future is today and everyday at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex.

Area One Legion Throws In The Towel

Time was running out and there were to many games to make up and all eight teams of Area One American Legion Baseball decided Wednesday that as of end of play Wednesday the regular season would be over.  Then it preceded to rain everyone out Wednesday night.  Regardless of how many games you have played that will be your record for the regular season.

The original schedule called for the top four teams to play three out of five games against each other but the vote Wednesday was all eight teams will take part in the playoffs with 1/8-2/7-3/6-4/5 meeting in the first round which will start Saturday night instead of Sunday.  Under this format Coleman Pitt Post 58 will be seeded #1 and will play Edenton Post 40 at home Saturday night at 7:00pm.  Game Two will be Sunday in Edenton and game three if needed back in Rocky Mount Monday night.

I would be in favor next year of Albemarle, Edenton, Windsor and Ahoskie  if all come back to play Legion to be in a league.  Rocky Mount, Wilson, Greenville, Kinston and Wayne County be in another and at the end of the year the top two teams from each division play each other and the winners advance.

The extensive travel involved for say Wayne County to go to Albemarle and having to leave so early in the afternoon and the way the weather has been this year there has been lots of travel only to turn around and go back home to come play another day.  The cost of putting a team on the field each summer the least of the cost should be travel but this summer of rain travel and umpires never getting on the field is killing  the viability of Legion Baseball.

The way the playoffs are now set up you will have at least one more chance to see Coleman Pitt Post 58 play this season.  Post 58 history over the years  of making long runs in the playoffs that is where with building crowds the Legion can get back some of the losses taken in the pocketbook so they need your support starting Saturday night at Legion Field at 7:00pm.

The weather forecast after tomorrow looks as if we might be able to play three or four days in a row without concern for rain.  I think everyone around here needs a day off from the rain.

Face Lift At Northern Nash

Life will be different for students who go to school at Northern Nash when they report for the first day of school in late August.  The paint scrapers were out between Thanksgiving and Christmas getting all the old paint off and then Athletic Director Dan Richwalski dropped a bombshell when he announced that Northern had hired former Hunt football coach Randy Raper to take over the football program.  Raper a graduate of Hunt and after college returned to Hunt where he has spent his entire life in the football program and we all know that Hunt over the last 25 years is one of the top football 3-A programs in the East.

Then late in basketball season Dam Richwalski stepped down as Athletic Director and Patricia Haggerty was named the interim AD while Northern looked for the full time Athletic Director.  By the end of baseball season Eddie Loesner had resigned as baseball coach.

Since the end of baseball season the new coats of paint are apparent throughout Northern.  Michael (Chip) Hodges has been bumped up to the Central office and has been replaced as Principal by Chad Thompson who comes to Northern from Red Oak.

Patricia Haggerty is not longer the interim AD but has been hire full time.  Coach Haggerty has been within the athletic program for a long time at Northern  and having worked with her both through coaching and as AD she is a good choice for the job.

Late last week the last opening of the big three sports at any high school was named when former assistant baseball coach Leonard Allen who of late has been the baseball coach at Bunn High school was named to replace Loesner.  Allen who has never  moved from the area and commuted to Bunn every day was an assistant baseball coach under former Northern Coach Al Carter. 

Those who have business at Northern Nash as a student, spectator or media person will find there is a new green every where the next time you visit Northern Nash.

If This Legion Season Was A Movie

If this Legion season was a movie would it be classified as a sports movie or a horror flick?  The rainy trend continues as tonight's two games with Albemarle is rained out again.  Remember that Albemarle was suppose to come play Post 58 about three weeks ago and was a no show.  The arrangement was made to play a double header with them and we were in the eighth inning of the first game of a seven inning double header when we were washed away about two weeks ago.

Wednesday Post 58 travels to Kinston to play a game there that was rained out the first week once we started playing conference game.  Friday they travel to Wayne County to make up a game washed out last Friday.  The regular season ends Saturday and there are still teams with six games left to play.  We only have four to play so it is still doable for us but it will totally depend on Albemarle's schedule whether they have games on tap for either Thursday or Saturday when we are free.  I just don't see how with this mess everyone is going to get all the games in and if they play some teams with 12 or 13 games played and others with 14 somebody is going to get left out by percentages which is not good for who ever get dropped from the playoffs.  By the way the weather forecast for Wednesday is a repeat of today.

I have a suggestion.  Let's just play a double elimination tournament based on games play and percentage determine seeding on games played through Saturday. 1/8, 2/7, 3/6 45 play Sunday night.  Monday play winners bracket and loser bracket.  After Monday two teams are out.  There will be two undefeated team left.  Let the four teams with one loss play another night to get the two winners and then take those four teams and play a two out of three.  The way the playoffs are set up this year it will take six wins to win the Area One East so this  system will take seven.  Just a thought!

There are many Proud  Gryphon fans who like to keep up with those players who have moved on and there are not many who are Gryphon graduates with the opportunities  that have come the way of Benton Moss.  He is attending the University of North Carolina on the highest academic scholarship offered by the University.  His summer of his freshman year he spent in the Rocky Mountains, last summer he went to Africa which is all part of the enrichment of the scholarship.  This summer Benton once again has gone to a foreign country where he is learning the trade of baseball.  He is interning for the New York Yankees in the Bronx NY.  If Benton chooses to play pro baseball after graduation and there is a good chance he might.  We just might see one day that he is the president of a major sports franchise or president of the United States.  He can probably make more money in sports.

Brian Goodwin as of Monday night was hitting 252 in Scranton Pa but as we have talked recently he needs to cut down on strike outs.  He has played 78 games and struck out 82 times.  This is a major improvement for at one time it was about 1.25 per game.  He has ten doubles, seven triples and six home runs.

Nash Central's Xavier Macklin has played four games in Vermont and has four hits and of those four three are doubles.  He's hitting 308.  If X can stay healthy he is going to start moving up.

As of Monday night Hobbs Johnson was not yet listed on the roster of Helena Montana.  I'll keep looking.

Yes There There Was a Ball Game Tonight

The full seven inning game with Albemarle Post 84 plus the end of the game now in the 8th inning has been rained out tonight.  As of right now I do not know of the possible make up date either Thursday or Saturday are only dates open.  Play offs start Sunday night.  Right now the top four spots are still up for grabs so every game will have to be made up to get the proper seeding. 

If there was ever any question as to whether the old Rocky Mount High School field and now Legion Field is a quality baseball facility the answer is yes. When all other fields in Eastern North Carolina are under water there was a top notch nine inning game played there tonight.  The result is not in favor of Coleman Pitt Post 58 but tonight's game is the best game I have seen played all spring and summer. Kinston wins 3-1.

This being the last week of the regular season all conference games need to be finished by Saturday night Kinston field was unplayable by noon today so in order to have any chance of Kinston finishing all their games they need to play seven by Saturday night  Our trip to Kinston tonight was moved to Rocky Mount  and we will go there Wednesday night.

Coleman Pitt score one in the first on a hit by David Williams and and rbi single by Adam Bayless but Kinston starting pitcher Garrett Blackbunn decided that was going to be it for the night for Post 58.  It isn't like P58 didn't have chances as they could muster but five hits but five base on balls and two errors kept P 58 pecking away but never again did they cross home.

P 58 pitcher Jeremy Johnson  pitched even better the first five  innings but Post 43 struck for one in the sixth on three hits.  The game was tied 1-1 and Johnson had two outs in the eighth when P58 defense gave the game away.  A throwing error on a tough play got the first runner on.  Then a fly ball drops for a hit after P58 outfielder never saw the ball off the bat.  Even then no one had scored until another ball heading to the gap was run down but dropped after hitting squarely in the glove. Two runs cross the plate which would be the ball game.

P58 had chances in the 8th and 9th but Blackbunn wouldn't let anyone score.  Blackbunn went nine innings gave up five hits, five walks and one earned run. Only one P58 batter struck out on the night.  Jeremy Johnson went seven and two thirds innings giving up five hits, hit one batter and struck out 10 P 43 batters.  Johnson defensive mates let him down after maybe the best pitching performance of his career.

P 58 has little  time to rest as they play Albemarle Tuesday night at home in what now is the last regular season game at home.  Post 58 plays at Kinston Wednesday and at Wayne County Friday night.  Tonight drops P58 to 8-2 in conference and Kinston is up to 5-3.  Rocky Mount still has one less loss with four left to play while Kinston has six games left to play this week and there is no doubt Wednesday's match with Rocky Mount  just could be for first place.

Kinston takes down Post 58 3-1 and Post 58 will finish up the extra inning game with Albemarle starting at 5:30  Tuesday and play a seven inning game immediately after play another one.

The 2013 NBA Draft

The rains we have already had today the field in Kinston is unplayable for tonight so the game has been moved to Rocky Mount.  Now we all can see rain falling here and in spots it has been heavy so the only hope to keep on a schedule is to flip flop games.  So tonight P 58 is home to Kinston.  I will keep you updated whether the game can be play at Legion Field in Rocky Mount.  Will need some sunshine this afternoon.


Is there anyone who  knows how much money pro sports really makes?  I watch more of the NBA   draft from about pick 15 until the end of the first round than I have watched NBA basketball during the 2013 season.  That thing done out on the basketball court they call basketball makes me sick to watch so I don't watch it.

I am amazed at how they just throw money out to players who can't play basketball.  The word potential will get a person six feet five a million dollars just because somebody thinks he might be taught how to play basketball.  This is pro basketball in order to be a pro you are already suppose to know more than an eighth grader about how to play.  One of those basketball analyst reading off the traits of one of those first round picks had a list longer of what he couldn't do than what he could.  This is basketball and if on my negatives they have the word can't shoot. Please leave him alone.  If at 19 years old a player who has spent all of his life on a play ground playing ball he will never learn how to shoot.

NBA owners are stupid enough to pay a million or more to try to teach him.  I guess all those jerseys and TV money the owners are rolling in they are embarrassed to keep it all to themselves.  There will be a point in time that people will get fed up with paying $200 a ticket  or when the game comes on TV they watch soccer or Lacrosse instead.  and the TV ratings dry up so goes the money.  You may laugh about soccer or LaCrosse but here is a prediction.  Raleigh is less that 15 years away from a major soccer franchise but no where near a Pro basketball team.  There is going to be a stadium in Raleigh that will hold 40,000 soccer fans soon.

What little bit of the NBA finals that I watch LeBron James did about all he could do.  His line in one game was 18 points 11 rebounds and 11 assists.  The experts were whining about how bad he played.  James reminds me of Wilt Chamberlain.  He was a monster at over seven feet and no one could handle him except Bill Russell.  If it were not for Bill Russell Wilt would have been the greatest basketball player in the history of the world but Bill won titles and Wilt got a couple.

LeBron plays guard and when he take off going to the basket it's like a bull in a china shop.  He is not that good a passer only average shooter from beyond 20 feet but I will give him credit for one thing, he makes everybody on his team better.  LeBron is so big he has no grace at all on the court.  Magic was his size but he could pass, shoot and one thing he could do is play center if need be.  What makes James so much better than everyone is  his huge size over anyone who is going to guard him.  Big men can't stay up with him and he beats small men to death.

I don't have a lot of respect for coaches like Doc Rivers.  Rivers wanted out of Boston because he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding program.  What does that tell me?  He's not much of a coach is he.  How many championships did he coach until Boston management brought in a team that could win it once?  I don't know many coaches that the satisfaction of coaching is seeing players get better regardless of winning a championship or not.  I think Rivers likes that money that goes with being a winning coach.  I kind of hope now that Chris Paul jumps ship in LA and leaves Rivers with a rebuilding team.  Serves him right.