Bad weather?

The temperature right now is keeping buses on time this morning and once again faith in the weather forecast that we will be dumped on today in the form of rain. If this becomes a missed forecast and school gets out early basketball will be in jeopardy and the dilemma of where and when this game gets moved to.

If the weather cooperates the Gryphons play at Fike tonight. The girls game is a battle for first place since Fike has but one loss. When you are going to play 40% of your conference schedule in eight days every game is important because losses are harder to get over without practice time to correct problems.

Coach K was worried about last nights game with Georgia Tech and asked the students to be unreal with the atmosphere in Cameron Indoor. I couldn't tell any difference in the students last night because they are always unreal. If you have never had the pleasure to be at a Duke game it is worth it to go. I wish I knew how they entire student body is so choreographed with their chants. You must have to take a class in order to be allowed to go sit in the student section at Duke. The students are always a factor at a Duke game.

Carolina loses another one last night but as a Wolfpack fan everyone needs to take it out on Carolina this year. If the Tar heels find someone who thinks they are a point guard they have the inside people to dominant next year. I have said this many times Big people can't score unless someone gets them the ball. Carolina has scoring guards who think they are point guards, a bad combination.

This Sunday is Super Bowl and I think this game is more a toss up than the experts are telling everyone. I'm holding off on my pick until Sunday and we see what the final injury report shows.

Sunday also marks the 37th year in a row that the ACC has had a basketball game as part of the Super Bowl ten hours of pregame hype. Can you Remember the very first Sunday game?

David Thompson tipped a missed shot in at the buzzer at Maryland in 1973 and the Wolfpack beat the Terps 85-84 as State was on their way to an undefeated season.

What A Difference A Year Makes

Last year at this time Gryphon football players were signing the dotted lines to college scholarships. Only seven local players inked contracts to college yesterday and none were Gryphons.

Monster offensive lineman Tacoby Cofield of the State Champion Tarboro Vikings lead the way signing on with Duke. Six Southern Nash players reaped the rewards of the Firebirds making it all the way to the eastern Finals.

Finally school is back in and after being out three days and last night Morgan's Face Book page was swirling on whether there was school today or any delays. I think the school system decisions to be out three days was exactly what was necessary. The only place that I have seen that stated school was back today was on the Nash Rocky Mount website. We got a call late yesterday from the telephone notification system which I think is a great idea but the only thing they stated was a meeting schedule for Thursday night had been cancelled. Not one mention whether as to say school was on or not.

Next week will be a three game final week of the regular season for Big East basketball. Friday night the Gryphons travel to Fike for this week's regular game.
Next week the Gryphons play home Tuesday to Southern Nash, Wednesday Hunt is at our place making up the game missed this past Tuesday. Friday will bring on a trip to Northern Nash to put a capper on the regular season.

The boys have a two game lead and the girls are one ahead and these next four games in eight days could turn the whole season around if either Gryphon team loses momentum from the lack of practice during the snow days.

I have to finish up on this note this morning. Did you see Virginia last night use those electronic dog collar devices on the N C State guards. I may have been the only person to notice them but Virginia had dog collars attached to each State player. You know what I'm talking about the invisible fence that when your dog gets to close to leaving your yard an electric shock pulsates in the dog neck making the dog stay away from the street.

Virginia used those devices on any N C State player who came near the three point line last night and made them back up staying away and not crossing the three point line. It must have been inserted in the ball too because State very seldom even passed the ball across the three point line.

State has two of the greatest guards in the history of the Wolfpack sitting on the bench coaching but N C State has the worse guard play of any team in the league.

Schools Out One More Day

If I don't have a ball game to go to on any day after work, you can bet I am watching The Young and the Restless at 4.00pm every day that I can. Just a little past four the info came across the screen that Nash Rocky Mount was a no go again on Wednesday. A few minutes later the telephone call came from RMHS that school was out for one more day but additional information about when the three makeup days will be made up.

You can bet school will be back to normal on Thursday ( maybe a two hour delay) when ever they announce the makeup days even before the latest weather closings are over. The school system relies heavily on the weather forecast and they were right over night last night. It did not freeze as I got in my truck this morning I could hear the dripping off my roof.

This weather this week has pushed basketball into a squeeze. One game is missing right now and when do you make it up? Last Friday's game was pushed up when the weather forecast called for the snow that school is out for now. Once the announcement is made today on Go or no go for school Thursday. Unlike last week's game being pushed up school was in session.

Both the boys and girls are having great years in basketball and I would hate to see them play Thursday without any practice this week. My guess would be Saturday would be the earliest that the Hunt game would be made up or next week will be a three game week. Friday night's game at Fike will go on as scheduled that is of course assuming school will be back to normal then.

I want to change gears completely right now. You may have heard all the controversy going on right now involving Tim Tebow and the commercial that will run in Sunday's Super Bowl involving Tebow's mother talking about abortions.If you believe in anything in the Bible then you know the Bible is against abortions.

Every game that Tim Tebow has ever played he has had a bible verse in his eye shading. I have never thought that Tebow had much potential in the NFL as a quarterback. After last week's Senior Bowl performance he will be lucky to get drafted by any body in the NFL.

I consider myself a Christian and like Tebow am against abortions. The other side is coming out of the wood work to claim that the ad should not run. But, I don't see the other side spending the 3 million dollars to defend their message.

When Tebow graduates college he will have no guarantee that he will have a job. I wish my faith was as strong as Tebow's to make a stand for what I think is right regardless of the consequences.

Who knows the next Billy Graham might be Tim Tebow.

Weather Messing with High school Sports

It is hard to decide when to make up a make up game when you don't know when you are going back to school. Tonight's home game with Hunt in basketball is off until at least both Wilson and Nash County schools get back into school. My guess is Thursday night but don't hold me to that.

I don't know how I missed this but former Rocky Mount High player Stephan Virgil played in the East West Allstar Game January 23rd. The Virginia Tech senior will now wait on the NFL draft in April.

Last night I was on WHIG-TV as the Nash County Relay For Life began their annual preview show which will run until the week after this year's relay which is on the weekend of April 23rd and 24th. Last night's show featured a non relay event the Jim Clack Foundation.

This weekend the Former Blackbird's foundation which has just recently been founded will have their inaugural event. It is being called The Jim Clack Foundation's Super Sunday Kickin Cancer football Party. It will be held at the Gateway Center starting at 4.00pm and will last until after the Super Bowl game is over.

The Foundation's goal it to help raise funds to train mentors to help with a cancer Patience's comfort,compassion and answers to anyone with Cancer. The event is free and everyone is invited to come by and stay a while. Clack's two Super Bowl Rings will be on display at the event. The Foundation's headquarters will be here in Rocky Mount.

Julius Pepper's agent is claiming that the former Southern Nash Firebird will be on the open market this year, as to this point the Carolina Panthers have not made an offer for Peppers to return next year to Charlotte. Peppers made more than a million dollars per game last year playing for the Panthers. Good luck to him trying to get more from any NFL team the year before a labor dispute.

It is February and the RPI ratings in college basketball are now beginning to mean something about whether your team makes the NCAA tournament or not. Duke is the only ACC team in top 20 and they are fifth in the RPI. Wake is 23, followed by Georgia Tech at 25. Clemsom is 37,Maryland 50, Virginia Tech 70, North carolina 76, Miami 86, Virginia 90, Boston College 93 and rounding out the ACC in RPI ratings N C State at 107.

This is for you ECU fans that claim I don't pay enough attention to the Pirates. They are 207 in the RPI. You Carolina fans that think the Tar heels have it tough. UCLA the winningest team as far as NCAA titles are 10-11 this year and are 126 in the RPI.

Stretch Run In Basketball

There are two weeks to go in the regular season of high school basketball. I watched most of the replay of the Gryphon-Knight's game on WHIG-TV Sunday night. Any time that I have been to a game and seen it, whenever I watch the replay I like watching off the ball at who is doing what. Rocky Mount is a really good basketball team.

The weather may be the biggest obstacle that the Gryphons face this week. They have momentum and are playing really well and can't afford to get out is sync by not playing for several days.

Tashawn Mabry has been invited to play in the All Star Classic basketball game which will be played in Myrtle Beach the weekend after the State basketball championships. The All Stars from North Carolina play the All Stars from South Carolina.

Speaking of all Star games, but I have a really hard time getting into the Pro Bowl. I like it being played the week before the Super Bowl and half time with Peyton Manning and Drew Brees talking about their match up in the Super Bowl was the best part.

Carolina lost their third home game in conference Sunday night to Virginia. The last time they were this bad they fired the coach. I feel for you Heels fans as I know you are not as use to being mediocre as State fans have become accustomed to.

I don't care how good of inside game you have if the guards can't get the ball inside the big guys can't score. State and Carolina both have poor point guards and they would be just as bad if each team traded guards.

I know this question is tilted in Carolina's favor a lot, but when was the last time Carolina and State neither one made the NCAA tournament. I don't think it has happened since the NCAA went away from just one team going to the NCAA tournament. I'm trying to use the old noggin here but maybe 1973?

Be safe if you have to get on the highways Monday Morning!

Northern Boys Game Tonight On TV

It has been the history of the "Stretchlon Sports Show" to pre-empt regularly schedule games when ever something of major importance occurs. Normally there is a live show like after Tarboro High won the state football title this past season.

Games recorded two or three weeks ago will be shelved for another week as the SPS will show Tashawn Mabry record breaking night this past Tuesday night when he passed Phil Ford on the all time Rocky Mount High scoring list. It will air at 8.00pm tonight on WHIG-TV.

The game with Hertford County was cancelled Saturday due to the weather. Right now if I was a betting man Tuesday night's home games against Hunt are in Jeopardy since I doubt whether the roads will be clear to go to school by Tuesday.

Hold the phone on giving up on the Carolina Hurricanes for this season just yet. Saturday night they won their fourth straight game to move them within eleven points of eighth place in the east which would put them in the playoffs. In simple terms they are 5.5 games behind eighth with 27 games to go. It is not impossible to do.

The Charlotte Bobcats are in Sacramento as I write this on early Sunday morning are trying to win their eighth game in the last eleven games. This will moved them up to sixth in the eastern division and two games over 500. I sure wished one of the Raleigh stations carry some of their games like we get the Hurricanes.

Georgetown shot 71% for the game today but only beat Duke by twelve. That's the good news for Duke. Every game they have lost this year they have been dominated inside. Another sore spot for Duke is their team speed is not very good.

When was the last time Duke and Carolina played each other in basketball that at least one wasn't in the top ten. Duke was eighth but lost Saturday and they will probably be just out of the top ten. If Carolina beats Virginia tonight they will probably return to the top twenty five.

Records Are Made To Be Broken

If you say the name Phil Ford today any where in America to a basketball fan they can tell you who he is. They may not be able to tell you what he did while at Rocky Mount High,but from Carolina to the NBA this country knows of Phil Ford.

Back in his day at Rocky Mount Gyms filled just to watch him play. Coaches swooned at the thought of Phil Ford playing at their college. It was of course Senior High back then so Ford could only wear the blue and gold for three years. To say the least the name Phil Ford carries legendary status in Rocky Mount as well as across the country.

Tuesday night Tashawn Mabry broke the Rocky Mount scoring record which was held by Phil Ford. Much like Roger Maris breaking Babe Ruth's home run record no one wanted to see it happen. Maris broke the record in a 162 game season while Babe Ruth hit his 60 homers in 154 games. Mabrey a Gryphon senior is playing his fourth year of varsity.

It took 36 years for someone to come along and break the scoring record. It had to happen sometime and now is as good as any. Despite Phil Ford's legend in Rocky Mount, he never won a state title. Rocky Mount has won two over the years but Phil Ford was not part of either. That also means that Tashawn Mabry hasn't been a part of one either.

If Mabry could lead this year's Gryphon team to a state title then he would not only up Phil Ford in scoring but in championships too.

The past three years the Gryphon basketball team has been they will go as far as Mabry leads them. When this year started there was not much talk of this team being any better than the last three. You see the past three teams have been pass the ball to Tashawn and stand and watch him.

This years team however as this year has progressed has shown that they are a talented bunch who can play basketball better than they watch. This team is about nine deep of very good basketball players. No longer is it how far will Tashawn carry us but, now it's how far will he lead us.

36 years from now the legend of Tashawn Mabry may totally depend on how far this team goes when the playoffs begin. Records are made to be broken and Tashawn Mabry now holds the scoring record at Rocky Mount High and it is still growing. His legend may only be beginning.