Butch Davis Out At UNC

I know as a Carolina fan this is one of those times when it feels like the world is falling in on top of you.  More than a year now there has been an NCAA investigation into all kinds of wrong doing in Chapel Hill.  One of the big problems during all of this  troubled times has been the bill of goods that Carolina fans have been sold and and each and every Carolina fan from Joe likes Carolina but does not give any financial support, to  I give what I can to support my school and even throughout the UNC Board of Governors and Trustees.  They all have fallen for the We are Carolina and we don't do that.

Washington has sold itself as the only way to improve life is let government do it.  Slavery still exist today in this country.  No it's not the cotton farmers but the US Government who sponsors slavery in the form of a monthly check. If all you have in life is your government check you have been sold a bill of goods that the government can save you when  when they have put a chain around your neck.  Even the government thinks they are the answer because they now believe the bill of goods they have been selling.

Carolina fans have been sold on the bill of goods that their integrity was beyond reproach and there  was no way that they could do any thing wrong.  All along the Athletic Director  Baddour had been saying that they were investigating deep into what was going on.  It took a blog called Pack Pride( supporters of N C State ) to show the NCAA that Carolina was covering up more than investigating including the honor code at Carolina.

I think it is time for a complete over haul of the NCAA.  I am not in favor of players being paid any more than what they receive now in a full scholarship.  My fear is if they pay  players $200 a week there will still be somebody getting $1000 from some supporter.

I am in favor of a ten page rule book instead of 6,000 pages of rules.  If you are caught cheating you give back every dime  your school made from cheating. and you don't play at all in that sport next year. Lose any rewards from cheating championships and so forth.  Coaches who cheat  need to find work in professional sports not college.  Ban them for life.

The bottom line is this, Carolina sold itself to everyone as being a clean institution beyond reproach.  All of the ABC (Anybody but Carolina) fans out there were sick of Carolina fans before the scandal and having to listen to all this but we couldn't possibly do that  here the last year has only made the ABC folks  cry for joy at what is happening now.

I don't cry for joy because  regardless of who you pull for there is somebody at your place getting $100 in a hand shake some where.  I think Butch Davis is only the first on the dominoes to fall in Chapel Hill.  Carolina thought they had the fire under control until Pack Pride's uncovering  of the cover up of the  cheating  in academia as well as the player perks.

The firing of Butch Davis is a token to the NCAA trying to show that Carolina is doing the right thing.  Sorry the right thing would have been to dismiss him before last year but you were caught up in that "We Don't do that kind of stuff at Carolina." I am afraid that Carolina in the know people know the NCAA is coming with a sledge hammer and this was a token to only bring a hammer.  Davis is only the first to go.  Carolina will have to clean house if they are serious  about  Academic integrity.  The AD must go and I suspect some of the Academic heads will roll too.

I am in no way an ABC person but Carolina people like to think of themselves as the pride of the UNC system. I would like to remind them that the greatest person in the history of UNC  System William Friday graduated from State College not Chapel Hill.  I know he has a law degree from Chapel Hill but he got his education in Raleigh.

Suiter Joins NCHSAA Hall Of Fame

Former Rocky Mount resident and TV High School football guru Tom Suiter will be joining the next class of inductees into the North Carolina High School Athletic Associations Hall Of Fame.  Suiter who brought high school football highlights to the forefront every Friday night at 11.30 on WRAL-TV joined the WRAL sports staff on June 2, 1971.  I graduated from high school on June 4th 1971.  That was a long time ago and Suiter recently in 2008 retired as sports anchor on channel five and has continued doing the football.  It seems that you never retire with Capitol Broadcasting as not only does Suiter continue the high school football show but he is heard weekly on 99.9 the fan radio during football season.

Nash County had a big day during the announcements of the latest  inductees into the Hall as long time coach and administrator Rosalie Bardin from Southern Nash will also be inducted with the next class.  Bardin coached just about every sport there is in women's sports at Southern.  Her last ten years at Southern Nash she served as principal until her retirement in 2010.   She won more than 440 game as softball coach and that covers slow pitch and the women's conversion to fast pitch.

Cherryville only needed one game to end the 2011 State American Legion baseball tournament in Morehead City.  They beat Wayne County in the 1.00pm game Tuesday 9-1 to complete the tournament undefeated.  They will now head to Sumpter South Carolina for the Legion SouthEast  Regional where their first game is August 4th.

 The Rocky Mount Midget and Senior Little League teams head to Hickory today where they will compete in  the State Tournament in Babe Ruth Baseball.  Sam Toler is the coach for the Senior 11/12 year old team and Johnny Ramsey is heading up the Midget 9/10 year olds.  Both tournaments are double elimination.

Yesterday started the frenzy of free agent signings by NFL players who want to make and NFL team by making a roster but not being drafted by a team.  Tarboro and UNC football player Shaun Draughn is the first local player to sign as he will try to make the Washington Redskins.  I have heard nothing as of this writing on Terrell Hudgins or Stephan Virgil having signed with anyone.

The new NFL CBA agreement each team has $75,000 dollars that they can give to unsigned free agents to bring them in to camp.  That's all  unsigned free agents on the team.  If a player is good enough to make that teams roster then he would be signed to an NFL minimum contract.  Hope Shaun can hook on with the Redskins and Terrell and Stephan's phones are ringing today to get them into a teams camp.

Wayne County Makes it to Legion Finals

If there is one thing that Rocky Mount can carry away from this years State Tournament is the team that knocked them out in two very close games in the playoffs was at least the second best team in the state.

Monday's play started with four team left and three of those teams had one loss.  After much confusion the brackets were switched up and Wayne Co met Wilmington in the afternoon game and Wayne County wins to wait and see what happens later in the day.   The unbeaten team Cherryville beat Rowan Co so heading into today's action the unbeaten team Cherryville plays Wayne Co at 1.00pm and Wayne Co must win at 1.00 and if that happens they play Cherryville again at 7 tonight.

If you go to the North Carolina  American Legion home page then click on the tournament updates there is a radio station in Cherryville that will be broadcasting the games live.   Good Luck Wayne County.

Floundering for most of the year on Futures tour Cousin Lauren Doughtie had only made about six thousand dollars but her second place finish Sunday she got her biggest payday of her life garnering ten thousand dollars which jumped her from 105th on the money list to 25th.  In order to qualify for the Futures Tour in 2012 she needs to finish in the top 90.  That will allow her to tell the tournaments I will be there to play without having to show up every Monday and qualify for that weeks tournament.  She will not have to worry about not making the top 90 now even if she didn't play again this year.   The Futures Tour season is  two thirds of the way over any way.

Today NFL players can start showing up at their team facilities to get physicals.  First pre season games are the first full weekend in August.

Future Tour Golf And The Internet

It was pure agony sitting in front of a computer screen on a Sunday afternoon and every twenty minutes or so watch a score card of Cousin Lauren Doughtie or focus on the leader board that had very little information and then up pops another hole and score.

Lauren Doughtie who at best now in her third year on the Futures Tour, she joined mid summer 2009 after graduating from State can best be described as a not so promising future in golf.  Her best finish in a tournament was 24th and her pay check that day was a whopping $500.

Something happened to her game back in late May and she won the qualifying tournament in Pinehurst to Qualify for the U S Open.  Two rounds in the 80's and her stop didn't last long at the Open.  But it seems to me that just qualifying has given her more MO  JO  as last week in her first Futures Tour event since the U S Open she shot 141 the  first two rounds until a 78 sent her falling into the pack.

Her first two rounds this week at the International in Concord New Hampshire she opened with a 71 which was good for at tie  for 15th after round one.  Her best professional round to date on Saturday 67 moved her up to tie for 5th two shots out of the lead .

The first nine on Sunday she was 2 under but four shots back as Lauren made the turn at nine.  Birdies at 11-12 and 14 and Lauren Doughtie's name shoots to the top of leader board as the  leader falters but  another player birdies 12 and 14 and passes Lauren.   Oh My God this is pure agony watching a golf match on the internet by score card.  This is not live streaming only watch every time they up date score card.  Hole 16 Lauren birdies again and is tied for the lead after 16.  Jessica Shepley( a six year Futures Tournament Veteran) the girl she is tied with is one hole behind Lauren and fails to birdie 16.  Both par 17.

Please call an ambulance I am about to have a heart attack this thing is going to the wire. Lauren pars 18 and is in the club house tied for the lead as Jessica Shepley  hits her second shot on the green ten feet from the hole.  One putt and she wins two putts and a playoff.  Shepley birdies to win and an arrow shoots through my heart.  Lauren finishes second.

Golf is an individual sport where all you can do is your best.  Lauren Doughtie has just had her best tournament as a pro and will finish second.  She shot her best score as a pro  on Saturday shooting 67.  Sunday she  shot a bogie free 66.  You can't play much better than that.  Her best finish until Sunday was 24th and now a second. She had a tournament where she didn't falter and  charged to the finish. Sure sounds like the future is brighter.  Just maybe this week was get over the hump week  and start being in contention every week.  Just maybe qualifying for the U S Open boosted her morale  and has given her another level mentally.  The last two weeks she sure is playing some golf.  We do have to get her on a tour that she can be on TV.  This watching on the internet is a killer.

Way to go Lauren!

Legion Tournament is down to four.  Cherryville is the only undefeated team left plays Wayne Co at seven tonight while Wilmington plays Rowan Co this afternoon.