Multi Sport Athletes And their Decisions

We have all heard on the news lately about Russell Wilson the N C State quarterback who had signed a pro baseball contract but can't give up either.  Wilson is a better football player than baseball player but his future will not be in pro football.  Unless he starts dedicating more time to baseball he might not do that much longer.

I would suspect his love is football but there  is more opportunity in baseball.  A chance to have a better life through the money baseball could bring him and has so far.  His problem is his size for football.  If  you look at the NFL quarterbacks there are none as small as him under six feet. His love for that game and the income that another is providing  puts him in a position where he can't get better in either because he is not dedicating the time to say baseball to get better.

Coaches and teams start pulling if you want to be a better quarterback play football.  Baseball is saying you are floundering in the minors if you want to make it to the majors start playing baseball full time. He is struggling to decide what is best for his life.

Russell Wilson is not a once in a while problem.  Every hall way of any school in this area coaches are asking players if you want to play football for us practice  it 365 days  a year, Basketball, baseball, soccer, track.  There is no doubt that if you are good in football and play basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring that come next football season the only improvement you would have made is in height and weight..  Those that only dedicate to one sport will have left you behind while you while you played other sports.

We have seen this spring what doing one sport does to the body when you do the same thing six and seven days a week.  Your body need rest and recuperation time.  Why are there so many pitchers with arm trouble today can be traced back to having  played ball in the spring, summer and fall and their arms are worn out.

I personally don't believe that weight lifting should be done until the body is through growing.  I can't see a 14 year old lifting weights and then over night grows two inches and all that lifting has to start over to accomodate the new tissue.  Seems to me to be wasted time while still growing.

Athletes who are talented in more than one sport have to make decisions at some point in their life.  Is this something that might be my life's work?  Am I good enough to even think about doing this in college?  When I leave high school  am I through as an athlete or will I become a two night a week softball player.  Everyone has goals in life, as a high schoolers it is hard to imagine beyond getting past Chemistry much less what am I going to do in life.

The hard cold facts are this, not many ever get paid to play sports.  I believe since there are not  many who will even play sports in college  you should do any  sports as your talent will allow you to make the team with in high school.  Who knows you may find out that cross country was more for me in my life than I ever thought it could be.  You will never know if you don't try it.

This Could Really Be an Intriquing Week

Rocky Mount will head toward C B Aycock on Tuesday night for the second round of the State Playoffs.They were on the road last year and fell in the second round 3-2 at West Brunswick.  They will meet up with the regular season champions of the Eastern Carolina Conference.  They lost to Eastern Wayne in the conference tournament so the top two in the Big East square off against the top two in the ECC.  Eastern Wayne plays Tuesday at Hunt.

Nash Central won their opening round game in an upset and have the good fortune of playing at home after North Lenoir was a surprise winner at West Brunswick.  It takes plenty of talent to win any kind of State Title and it never hurts to get luck on your side along the way.

If everyone were  to tell the truth I think everyone that supports Gryphon baseball is tickled with a 17-8 record.Everyone thought that with this extremely young team that their best chance to win would be when Benton Moss was on the mound but we were all afraid that they  might not score enough runs to win even when he pitched.

The main lineup all year has had a senior  catcher playing first  because of a shoulder injury, A freshman at Second, sophomore at short. a senior  first baseman moved to third, a first time varsity player in left, a sophomore in center, a senior in right, a junior  catcher needing to play because the senior catcher isn't healthy enough.  The ace on the mound in a senior but no other pitcher with any varsity experience and this team has won 17 games.

If the truth be told I think the folks at Nash Central are disappointed with with a 19-6 record.  That opening conference game when they came to Gryphon Stadium with only one loss they had nothing but conference championship on their mind and losing 10-1 at Rocky Mount was a shocker for them.  They finished third and had to work hard to accomplish that by winning three games the last week of the season.

Should Rocky Mount beat Aycock and Nash Central out score North Lenoir on Tuesday they would collide with each other in round three at Rocky Mount.  The Bulldogs had to face Benton Moss twice during the regular season.  If it comes to pass that the Bulldogs and Gryphons do go face to face in round three they just might not have to see him this time around.  Sure would seem that luck is falling the Bulldog way.

Should Rocky Mount not even make it to Thursday and the Bulldogs do they will escape not having to face him any way.  There is one thing for sure.  Rocky Mount didn't win 17 games with Benton Moss on the mound for every game.  The game will be in Rocky Mount but regardless of who pitches there ain't enough seats in Gryphon Stadium for that one.