But It Is Only One Game

Last night's game at Northern is just the first game. Both teams now must regroup and and focus on the next game.

Northern Follows Rocky Mount with a trip to Fike while Rocky Mount must forget and get ready for a home game Thursday.

Northern girls won the softball game with Rocky Mount up the hill beyond left Field from the baseball field. 7-3 was the final.

Leaving the game last night there was a mob of people in the parking lot. The baseball game had a hugh crowd, I didn't see how many were at the softball game but both games got over at about the same time and the parking lot was jammed leaving. To top that off the Northern Track and field team was returning from a meet and they were unloading their activity bus in the parking lot.

If only the Charlotte Bobcats were in the same division as the LA Lakers. Last night the Bobcats kept their hopes alive for a playoff spot by beating LA for the 6th time in the last seven meeting.
The Bobcats trail the Bulls by one game for the final eastern division playoff spot.

Heard on ESPN that the Carolina Panthers my try to get Jay Cutler from the Broncos. Looks as though Denver is feed up with Cutler' s cry baby ways and are ready to unload him. If I was Denver I would ship him off to Detroit where he will have to run for his life to survive.

I just don't get these rich athletes. Denver had the second best offense in the league last year. Where can Cutler go that is better than that, that would want him. He is not in a position to tell them where he wants to go so he is at their mercy.

Plaxico Burress is holding out a plea deal to not have to serve time for shooting himself in a bar in New York City. The Governor and the Mayor of New York have publicly stated he needed to go to jail and whenever a government official says something like that you can bet the prosecutor is listening.

Michael Vick just can't get out of his own way. I need to study up on the details but it has something to do with selling pensions. Next we will find out he is selling guns to the Contras.

I doubt you will see Vick or Burress on an NFL field any time soon.

Plenty Of Pitching

I don't think too many people thought before tonight's game that with Tyler Joyner and Hobbs Johnson pitching that there would be too many runs scored, and there weren't.

Tyler Joyner needed four strikeouts to reach three hundred for his career at Northern. He had that after the first four Gryphons struck out. In all Joyner struck out 15 Gryphons and eight of the first nine batters were strike out victims.

Junior Hobbs Johnson found out early if he wanted to win this game he had to be just as good as Joyner.

Johnson gave three singles, all three never left the infield. The difference in the pitchers tonight was that Johnson while striking out 12 only hit one batter and no Base on Balls while Joyner had four free passes and one of them came home to score the first run.

Goose eggs were across the score board until Carter Varnell walked to leadoff the 6th inning. Brian Goodwin also walked to put men on first and second with no outs. A double steal attempt came up roses for the Gryphons as Tyler Clarks throw to gun down Varnell sail into left field with Varnell scoring.

Nursing a 1-0 lead Johnson Hit the leadoff batter in the bottom of the 6th Tanner Smith. Steven Moore the Knights centerfielder had attempted two bunts to try to get Smith to second but had failed to do so, he slapped a hot grounder to third baseman Collins Cuthrell who was still playing up in case of a bunt with two strikes. Cuthrell made a diving backhand grab got to his feet and made a throw to second to get Smith for the first out. If that ball gets out of the infield it was heading for the wall and a run. It was not to be as Collins made the defensive play of the game.

Hobbs Johnson knew he still needed more runs to be safe belted a Joyner pitch off the right field wall for a double. Two batters later Parker Helms knocked him in from second to give the Gryphons all they would need and more

Johnson pitch a perfect 7th inning in completing his first game as a Gryphon and goes to 4-0 on the season. Johnson line was seven inning 0 runs, three hits, one hit batter and twelve strikeouts. No knight runner got past second base.

Tyler Joyner is the hard luck loser for Northern. His line was 7 innings, three hits, two runs, one unearned fifteen strikeouts and four base on balls

Michael Whitehead, Hobbs Johnson and Parker Helms got the only three hits the Gryphons could muster.

Tonight the little things went right for the Gryphons as pitching and defense get the defending State champs off on the right foot in their quest to repeat as state champions.

Gryphons 2 Northern 0

Time To Start Next Sport

The sporting life is a circle of never ending events. College basketball is heading down the front stretch and baseball awaits to crank up the major league season on Sunday. If you are a sports fan sports is never ending.

Hockey and pro basketball are still three months from being over.

Those of you that are convince that Tyler Hansbrough is going to be a good pro yesterday should give you warning. Hansbrough was taken to the wood shed by Blake Griffin who I don't think should turn pro yet either. Griffin needs some outside game.

Those Carolina hurricanes are really doing it right now. Any team when they are together can win when it looks as if it isn't their day. Saturday night the Canes beat Marten Broudeau and the New Jersey devils when it looked as if the puck was not going in the net for the Canes. they won in regulation. They are the hottest team in the NHL right now.

Tuesday night starts conference baseball. Rocky Mount travels to Northern Nash and I would be shocked if Tyler Joyner and Hobbs Johnson were not the starters. They may be the best two pitchers in the league. Joyner has signed with ECU and Johnson is hoping to call Chapel Hill home in two years.

You know it is a big game when Richard Sarmiento e-mails to find out if I am available on Tuesday. This will be taped for the Stretchlon Sports show.

I would also like to pass along a congratulation at Richard and Patricia Sarmeinto as Richard was telling me that Mark made the Dean's list at UNC-Wilmington. Mark is already a Junior. seems like just yesterday he was running around the Babe Ruth field and Northern Nash.

I understand the Carolina semi final game against Vilanova is the second game on Saturday. That means Connecticut and Michigan State will tip at about 4.40pm and carolina will follow.

Heels Headed to Detroit City

Who would have expected Tyler Hansbrough to only attempt four shots in the game to get North Carolina the final four? Who would have expected Carolina to whip Oklahoma with ease with Hansbrough scoring only eight points.

Oklahoma may have had the best player on the court but North Carolina had the next nine best players and for the fourth time in this NCAA tournament Carolina played the second half trying to get the game over.

Only the LSU game was in doubt at the half . The Radford, Gonzaga and Oklahoma games were in Carolina's control at the half. The reason Ty Lawson. His big toe is a forgotten issue now.

Carolina draws Vilanova Saturday, while Michigan State will meet Connecticut in the other semi final.

Michigan State really upset my apple cart as going into today I already had Vilanova in the final four in my bracket Louisville and Carolina picked today. That would have given me three in the final four.


Of all the games Saturday and Sunday Louisville was my most confident pick. When you get down to the elite eight all of the lucky teams have lost and are watching on tv. Michigan State played well and Louisville didn't bring their A game and they will watch on tv next weekend.

This time of year I don't care how good you are you had better play at your best or the other team will.

Two #1 seeds made it to Detroit, a number 2 and a number 3 seed. That means that the worst team there was ranked no worst than 12th when the tournament started.

I think over the years the NCAA and their RPI and strength of schedule has it figured out on who should be ranked where.

You know coaches are not the only people where when the legend leaves the next guy has big shoes to fill. Billy Packer leaving CBS after last basketball season meant their had to be a new color man beside Jim Nantz as the #1 announce team for CBS and NCAA tournament basketball. It is my opinion that Clark Kellogg should had stayed back in New York at CBS basketball central and stayed with Gumbel between the games with his opinion.

BY far the best play by play guy CBS deploys to the games is Gus Johnson. Gus is by far the most excited while doing a game and he always seems to get the games that go down to the wire.

When the NCAA tournament is over Johnson is the radio voice of the New York Knicks

Washed Out Again

Better be glad that Hunt High school is joining the Big East 3-A conference next year or Rocky Mount may never play them in baseball.

For the second week in a row Hunt has to make up a conference game this time with Southern Wayne so the Gryphons and the Warriors will not play today either.

Last Saturday their game at Hunt was called because of a middle of the week rain out for Hunt of a conference game with Eastern Wayne.

The Saturday before that the Gryphons were washed out of a game at Riverside.

We have now reached the point in the season where you don't want any three game weeks because two of them will always be conference games.

Considering just two years ago we were in a major drought in this area high school baseball has had a tough go this spring getting on the field. Right now Rocky Mount has been washed out four times with only the Rose games on the schedule at the end of the season. There was one game scheduled for a Wednesday that got pushed back to a Thursday because of rain.

I think Ty Lawson Toe is ok. Carolina came out pushing early and Gonzaga could run with the Tarheels the first 100 yards but this was a mile race and Carolina moves on with Ease 98-77. The game really wasn't that close.

Up next OKlahoma and Jeff Capel. That's right Duke's Jeff Capel. The Capel that made the mid court shot I think in 95 to sent a Duke-Carolina game into overtime in which Carolina won.

In my brackets I was 4-4 last night and 2-4 Thursday. Of the seven games left in the NCAA Tournament I can still get six correct so for all of you ahead of me in any bracket games look out I'm in your review mirror.

Regardless of brackets here's my picks for today and tomorrow.

Vilanova and Pittsburgh. I have liked Nova for about a month now. Their play against Duke didn't make me think other wise. I also have them in my bracket in the final four.

Connecticut and Missouri. I sure would love the Tigers to win but I just can't see it. U Conn moves on. I had Memphis in my Brackets.

Louisville and Michigan State. I see Michigan State being a lot like Duke. They have played better than they really are. Louisville exposed the Spartans. I have Louisville in my Brackets.

North Carolina and Oklahoma. Oklahoma needs this to be a half court game. I don't think it will be and Carolina can win a half court game too against the Sooners. I have Carolina in my bracket.

It's Up To Carolina

Stayed up to the clock hit double zero's in the Duke game. Nova was a faster team not allowing Duke open opportunities. Duke loses by twenty which seems like all the ACC teams have done when they lost.

You have to give it up for the Big East. They can still get four teams into the final four.

The Tarheels have their hands full but I think they will advance tonight. Gonzaga when we first heard of them were giant killers but since they have become one of those giants themselves they have found it hard being the hunted or being the hunter.

Baseball at Rocky Mount high school is getting ready to get down to the serious part, conference play next week. Brian Goodwin has been getting a lot of attention for his play on the field and has already committed to Carolina and rightfully so.

I am glad to see another one of the Babe Ruth players is getting rewarded for his good play as Charles Alston sent out the e-mail that "Joesph" Ben Fish has declared to play at Campbell.

There is a story behind the "Joesph". While I was doing PA for a Rocky Mount JV football game when Ben was a freshman the program had him listed as Joesph Fish. Ben made a tackle and I announce Joesph Fish on the tackle. It didn't take long for Mama Ashley to let me know that was Ben not Joesph. Today sometimes when I see her after games I'll say Joesph did good tonight.

Ben has been the starting catcher for Rocky Mount since his sophomore year and like Brian Goodwin he is part of the Babe Ruth teams that played in the world series once in Wilson and In Quincy Massachusetts. He has play ball all over the eastern United States.

Dillion Cockrell and Gabe Brown were also on those teams and this senior class is the last of all those talented player who have represented us well making it to two Babe Ruth world series and so far one State baseball championship.

Do you realize that Pat Smith in his six years at Rocky Mount has had only two catchers. JT Tyndall and Ben Fish.

Weather permitting Hunt comes to Gryphon Stadium at 1.00pm Saturday.

By the way if anyone has information on any team that they would like for me to talk about e-mail me at tdoughtie@gsmtransportation.com and I will gladly spread the news on any Gryphon team that I have accurate reliable information on. The more information I have on say softball or tennis the less you have to hear my old stories from out of the past to fill out the space.

Nitty Griddy Time

Tonight Duke represents the ACC against a Big East. Five teams still alive the Big East still could put four teams in the final four which no league has ever done. The Big East had three teams once but no one has ever had four.

I am a N C State fan but whenever any ACC team is playing I pull for the ACC. I especially pull when ever Carolina or Duke plays and I will be pulling hard for both tonight and tomorrow.

I'm in a catch 22 in regards to my NCAA Brackets. I picked Vilanova in the brackets last week and in order for me to finish high in any pool I need this game. Heck with the brackets GO DUKE.

I don't know whether he will get any votes for coach of the year but Larry Brown is doing a great job with the Bobcats. They have ten games to play and find themselves 2.5 games out of the last playoff spot. One thing that this Bobcat team is doing is losing close. Last night they lost by two. That's a far cry from the team that averaged losing by twenty last year.

Remember Larry Brown was Allen Iverson's coach when he made his famous "but this is Practice" statement. Brown plain and simply is a good teacher of basketball and I think next year the Bobcats will make the playoffs for the first time in their brief history.

The Hurricanes have six games to play and are pushing Philadelphia for fourth spot. One problem the Canes have is everyone who trails them have seven or eight games to play so if any team behind them get hot they can get more points that what the Canes can.

I heard on ESPN that Torry Holt will be paying a visit to the Carolina Panthers in the next few days as he tries to find an NFL team to latch on to since he was released by St. Louis. Wouldn't he be a great offensive weapon for the Panthers.

I can close my eyes and see Holt returning that punt his Senior year at N C State which lead to NC State beating Florida State for the first time.

If the weather holds off Gryphon Baseball finishes their non-conference tuneups Saturday against Hunt high school at 1.00pm. If the non-conference games played by everybody so far can be used as a barometer. The top two teams in the NEW-6 will be squaring off against each other at Northern Nash.