Weird, Just Plain Weird

Back in the late 80's Jack Buck did the call of the the home run by Kirk Gibson of the LA Dodgers who hit the pitch hit home run to beat the A's in the World Series. "I can't believe what I just saw" was the call and tonight I have just watched a JV game that everyone went home saying to themselves I can't believe what I just saw.

Rocky Mount JV's beat Broughton in triple overtime as J T Smith threw a pass to Chi-Ali Bunn and then added on the two point conversion and held off Broughton who's two point conversion fell harmlessly to the ground.

Michael Hines intercepted a pass eight yards deep in the enzone and everyone hollering for him to down the ball, Hines avoided a tackle at the one and broke another at the three and preceded to rumble 108 yards for a score to put Rocky Mount up 7-0. The very next drive Broughton punted and Mark Shaw pick up the pigskin and rambled 60 yards and the Gryphons lead 14-0.

Ahead 22-14 at the half the only second half score for Rocky Mount was a J T Smith hooked up with Chi-Ali Bunn on a 85 yard pass . Broughton scored with eight seconds left but the winning extra point hit the right upright after a high snap from center and the triple overtime started tied 28-28.

The first overtime Rocky Mount lost ten yards and then Broughton did no better. Each team was stopped on the one on their second try before both teams scored and Broughton missed the two point attempt just to try to get it to a fourth overtime.

Take away the three big plays and Broughton dominates this one but every play counts and the Baby Gryphons steal one at home 36-34

The reason this game was played on Wednesday is East Duplin does not have a jv team so the Gryphons played the Broughton jv's because the Broughton varsity is playing Thursday this week because of the holiday weekend.

Yes, as of this hour Thursday looks worse for the game with East Duplin so the game is still on for Friday night at 7.30. If we are lucky Hurricane Earl it will be long gone by Friday night.

Lady Gryphon Volleyball beat Southern Vance 3-0. 25-14,25-22 and 25-22 tonight at the gym. Thursday they travel to South Johnston and Friday they go to Southern Vance. Volly Ball is now 5-1 on the season.

Girls tennis lost their first match of the season Wednesday losing to Eastern Wayne 6-3.

Here Comes Another Hurricane

Two years ago the warning signs were issued of an impending hurricane and the folks at Northern Vance decided to wait until the last minute and at the last minute had to postpone our game at their place until later in September.

Once again this Friday the Gryphons are scheduled to play a non-conference game on the road and warnings are every where of impending bad weather for Friday. Let's hope the game is moved to Thursday to prevent another such fiasco. Our biggest problem with this game is it is in Duplin County, on the coast and they may get rain out of this storm even if it stays off the coast while we might not get any rain at all in Nash County.

Right now Thursday may not even be available depending on how far ahead of the storm the rains are. I am not sure of why but the JV home opener is tonight. Playing on Wednesday has nothing to do with the storm as this game was changed last week before any one knew anything about this storm.

The soccer team seems to have recovered from their opening day loss at home to Roanoke Rapids. Tuesday the soccer team beat D H Conley in Greenville 4-3. Matt Williams scored twice along with a goal each from Andrew Morales and Lee McAvoy. The Gryphons are now 3-1-1 on the season.

Volley Ball has a home match tonight against Southern Vance. JV's play at 4.30 and the varsity pretty quickly after that.

I really like the idea of the NFL dropping two pre seasons games and adding two regular season games. The only problem I have is 18 games just does not work as well as 16 in scheduling.

The way it is now all teams play every one in their division twice for six of their games. They also play another division in their conference which adds four more. They play another division in in the other conference. Then you play the other teams in your conference that you tied with last year. In other words since you already play one division in you conference every team in that division you play the teams you are tied with in the other divisions. All third place teams play each other.

Under this format I could count on the Carolina Panthers playing their Southern division teams Atlanta, New Orleans and Tampa every year. Every three years they would play every other team in their conference and every four years play every division in the AFC.

When they go to 18, how are they going to divide it up where everyone is playing the same teams. As it is now all teams in a division play the same others teams in other conferences and divisions.

Look what money does to the world.

Terrell Hudgins Cut By The Cowboys

Tuesday morning when NFL football teams release the list of players that they have cut the name of Terrell Hudgins will appear on the Dallas List. I was on the Dallas Site tonight and his name is no longer listed on the roster.

We all knew that going to Dallas a team full of high priced wide receivers was a gamble. Even if he showed the Boys coaches that he was better than most they could not afford to cut a player that they would still have to pay if they cut him. Terrell as a free agent had no such deal. Officially as of Tuesday he will be looking for any one who needs a wide receiver or will he?

There is speculation by those official bloggers listed on the Dallas website that Terrell has made an impression with Dallas for next year when two of their high priced receivers are gone. Knowing they can't keep him this year with all the high priced receivers they have, they have hidden him the last two weeks so other team won't notice him and grab him starting Tuesday.

If Terrell Signs to be on the taxi squad he will be one of the players that practices with the team during the week running the plays of next weeks opponent. According to the 2010 collective bargaining agreement as a taxi squad player he would make $5,200 a week. If someone got injured he could be moved to the roster to replace that player while he is injured. Here is the real kicker of being on any teams taxi squad. Any NFL team can sign you and take you away from the team that you are on the taxi squad. If they do that they have to put you on their active roster making the NFL minimum salary $430,000.

Any NFL team is in a pickle if they have a player they like but don't have room for him this year. If you cut him any team can go after him and even if you put him on the taxi squad they can steal him. Bottom line as of Tuesday Dallas will cut Terrell Hudgins.

I think this is rather interesting. What is the taxi squad and how did it come about? It all started back in the 40's when Paul Brown was coach of the Cleveland Browns. When ever he had a player that he liked but could not keep him on the roster he would go to the owner of the Browns who at that time was Art McBride. He owned a taxi cab service in Cleveland. He would tell MCBride that he had a player that he didn't want George Halas of the Chicago Bears to get so McBride would hire that player to drive a cab at the same price he would have gotten if he was on the Brown's team. When ever a player got injured Brown would would call McBride and say send me a player from the taxi squad.

You know Terrell and his agent are calling any and everybody looking a job. By weeks end Terrell could be out of work, hooked on with another team or on any body's taxi squad.

Cross Country Competes

Saturday the cross country team traveled to Wendell to take part in the Wendell Invitational where 15 teams (13) 4-A schools ran in this event. Rocky Mount and Nash Central were the only 3-A teams in the event. Rocky Mount's boys finished 6th in the boys race while the girls finished 7th.

Sophomore James Bond lead the Gryphon boys finishing 12th with a time 17:23. Just behind him in 14th position was another sophomore Mason Holt with a 17.30 time. Both of these sophomores are right now running times that by conference championship time could get them all conference honors if they can make the top ten at the conference championships. The mid 17 minute mark most years will get you all conference. Keep it up guys. Junior Daniel Hannon with a time of 18:57 finished in 22nd position.

The girls were lead by freshman Kaitlyn Jacob who finished 16th at 21:56. Sophomore Nefertiti Thigpen came home 20th in a time of 22:25 and Senior ZiKeena Parker was 22nd running the 3.1 miles in 22.31.

August 31st is the first cut day in the NFL. All teams have to be down to 75 players Tuesday and to 53 by Saturday night. Saw the second half of the Dallas game Saturday night after coming home from the football game and never saw Terrell Hudgins on the field.

Preseason football is no indication at all of how the season will go but Dallas's first team looks awful. Brett Farve looks old for Minnesota.

College football kicks off this weekend and for Carolina fans what seemed like a season of hope of and outside chance to get into a BCS bowl game has turned to a question of who will be on the field against LSU. Six defensive starters have been relegated to the scout squad pending the outcome of their eligibility. If the NCAA proceeds like they normally do then there will be no decision on their status this week which it looks like Carolina will sit the players in question until a verdict.

There has been no decision handed down in the ECU scandal that I have heard of that happened last spring , so why should Carolina fans think the NCAA will do something for them this week?

Middle Of The Pack

Did any body remember the interview Tiger Woods did at least ten years ago after I think he had won the Master that he said on that day he didn't play well and he only had his "C" game. He probably shot 69 and I'm thinking that was his "C" game. MAN!

Today Tiger has an "A" game once in a while. In fact he looked like the old Tiger Thursday in shooting his best round of the year a 65. He has followed that up with a 73 and 72. Tiger can no longer count on an average day shooting 68. He has always hit it long and far and some of that time into a lot of trouble where he could one putt and save a hole. He no longer can do that.

The Rocky Mount Gryphon football team went through a period when they could blow people out with their "C" game. That no longer is the case. Sitting in the stands last night and not being behind the mic I can watch the whole field instead of having to follow the ball every second. What I saw early last night was Northern Durham was the team full of athletes. They were bigger, and stronger and just as fast as we were. Just those three areas alone they were winners in two categories and tied in the other.

What I see for Tiger Woods is also what I see in the Gryphons. Tiger is playing ok golf but there are thirty people out there playing better than he is. We are use to seeing him dominate so there must be something wrong with him. It is there are others now better than him.

Gryphon fans are use to the Gryphons dominating so what's wrong. There is just other teams out there that are just as good or better. The Gryphons are average in talent and that means they will have games when they look like they can beat the world and the next can't get out of their own way.

Northern Nash got their own dose of the real world as they were humbled by Cary. The last couple of years even when Northern could not score their defense kept them in games. They don't have the defense that they have had. The offense is improving but like Rocky Mount will look great one game and ugly the next.

Nash Central made a nice recovery from last weeks lost to Tarboro which a week later doesn't look that bad now. Nash Central may have the best athletes in the city. Like the Knights and the Gryphons the Bulldogs have to play well all the time. When ever any of them stumble there will be someone to run past them.

Average means you are in the middle. I see all three of our area high schools as average in football which will give us some very good football games when they meet.

Average simply means this they are are going to be in the middle of the pack.

Northern Durham Clobbers Gryphons

A once proud football program who has not won in over a year on a football field will ride back to Durham tonight no longer a losing program. Northern Durham dominates Rocky Mount 39-14.

The Gryphons took the opening kickoff and were sailing down the field until a helmet tackle on the ball caused a Gryphon fumble and Northern preceded to march down the field running and passing to take a 7-0 lead.

Rocky Mount responded with their best drive of the night to tie the game on a 22 yard pass from Tevin Taylor to Damien Srtickland. Fernando Alfaro extra point tied the score with 3.24 to play in the first quarter. That is as close as Rocky Mount would come to see the lead. Northern Scored again before the end of the quarter and added one more score in the second to lead 20-7 at the half

Like last week against Bertie the Knights dominated the first half but instead of 13-0 Rocky Mount they trailed by 13. Rocky Mount came out of the third quarter and on their first drive drove the field and it was capped off by a 14 yard td run by Rodquez Greene to make it 20-14.

In every game there is a turning point and tonight moving down field and under extreme pressure looking as if they might take the lead Rocky Mount threw away a ball when it looked as if the quarter back might be sacked but instead the ball was intercepted and returned 52 yard for a Northern touchdown.

Still twice more Rocky Mount has a first down at the Northern 21 and again a first down at the 18 but failed to score. Northern Durham smelling victory took advantage of four Gryphon interceptions two of them in the fourth quarter and Northern Durham looking like Northern Durham of the past whips the Gryphons 39-14.

The news is much better in soccer as Rocky Mount took on Jacksonville the team that knocked them out of the third round of the playoffs last year and played the Cardinals straight up and to 0-0 tie. Coach Drew Nix played a defensive game keeping more people on defense to hold down the powerful Jacksonville team and it worked shutting out the Cardinals. The sacrifice you make with more on defense is you get very few offensive chances. All in all Gryphon soccer plays one of the big boys in North Carolina High School soccer to a draw.

Gryphon Football Moved To Saturday 6.00pm

Last year during the opening comments of the season on the radio a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightening struck Near Durham County Stadium and before our broadcast is off and running the game was moved to Saturday.

Fast forward to tonight at 5.30 the thunder and lightening starts and the game is moved even before I can get to the stadium. Are we going through with Northern Durham what we go through with SouthWest Edgecombe? We can only play ND on Saturday much like it seems we can only play SWE on Monday's. Last year the Monday streak was broken.

Remember 6.00pm Saturday night and yes this being one of only four home regular season games the Gryphons need every dollar that they can get into the gate.

Soccer has made up ground on their opening day lost that occurred to Roanoke Rapids. Earlier this week they got revenge on RR winning there 5-1 and last night they beat Knightdale 5-1. Saturday morning they take part in one of the best soccer events held in the state each year at Wilson in the Brittany. Jacksonville the team that knocked the Gryphons out of the third round of the playoffs last year will be their foe and this has the makings of an outstanding game.

Volley Ball beat RR last night 3-1 to go to 4-1 on the young season. Tennis has yet to lose in two matches and have won 16 of the 18 games played. I think it is too early to get too excited about how good tennis might be but they just might be real good. Cross Country runs Saturday morning in an event in Wendell.

The fallout that is happening at North Carolina over players having people write papers that they turn in gives me no excitement at all that Carolina will now go in the dumpster in football. I hope you don't think it doesn't go on every where and even at your school you support. In fact ECU baseball in the middle of the year last season lost several players over the same issue.

Our society is such that if there is a profit to be made then someone will, whether it's the person who sells the papers or the person who benefits from not having to spend time to write the paper.