Face Lift At Northern Nash

Life will be different for students who go to school at Northern Nash when they report for the first day of school in late August.  The paint scrapers were out between Thanksgiving and Christmas getting all the old paint off and then Athletic Director Dan Richwalski dropped a bombshell when he announced that Northern had hired former Hunt football coach Randy Raper to take over the football program.  Raper a graduate of Hunt and after college returned to Hunt where he has spent his entire life in the football program and we all know that Hunt over the last 25 years is one of the top football 3-A programs in the East.

Then late in basketball season Dam Richwalski stepped down as Athletic Director and Patricia Haggerty was named the interim AD while Northern looked for the full time Athletic Director.  By the end of baseball season Eddie Loesner had resigned as baseball coach.

Since the end of baseball season the new coats of paint are apparent throughout Northern.  Michael (Chip) Hodges has been bumped up to the Central office and has been replaced as Principal by Chad Thompson who comes to Northern from Red Oak.

Patricia Haggerty is not longer the interim AD but has been hire full time.  Coach Haggerty has been within the athletic program for a long time at Northern  and having worked with her both through coaching and as AD she is a good choice for the job.

Late last week the last opening of the big three sports at any high school was named when former assistant baseball coach Leonard Allen who of late has been the baseball coach at Bunn High school was named to replace Loesner.  Allen who has never  moved from the area and commuted to Bunn every day was an assistant baseball coach under former Northern Coach Al Carter. 

Those who have business at Northern Nash as a student, spectator or media person will find there is a new green every where the next time you visit Northern Nash.

If This Legion Season Was A Movie

If this Legion season was a movie would it be classified as a sports movie or a horror flick?  The rainy trend continues as tonight's two games with Albemarle is rained out again.  Remember that Albemarle was suppose to come play Post 58 about three weeks ago and was a no show.  The arrangement was made to play a double header with them and we were in the eighth inning of the first game of a seven inning double header when we were washed away about two weeks ago.

Wednesday Post 58 travels to Kinston to play a game there that was rained out the first week once we started playing conference game.  Friday they travel to Wayne County to make up a game washed out last Friday.  The regular season ends Saturday and there are still teams with six games left to play.  We only have four to play so it is still doable for us but it will totally depend on Albemarle's schedule whether they have games on tap for either Thursday or Saturday when we are free.  I just don't see how with this mess everyone is going to get all the games in and if they play some teams with 12 or 13 games played and others with 14 somebody is going to get left out by percentages which is not good for who ever get dropped from the playoffs.  By the way the weather forecast for Wednesday is a repeat of today.

I have a suggestion.  Let's just play a double elimination tournament based on games play and percentage determine seeding on games played through Saturday. 1/8, 2/7, 3/6 45 play Sunday night.  Monday play winners bracket and loser bracket.  After Monday two teams are out.  There will be two undefeated team left.  Let the four teams with one loss play another night to get the two winners and then take those four teams and play a two out of three.  The way the playoffs are set up this year it will take six wins to win the Area One East so this  system will take seven.  Just a thought!

There are many Proud  Gryphon fans who like to keep up with those players who have moved on and there are not many who are Gryphon graduates with the opportunities  that have come the way of Benton Moss.  He is attending the University of North Carolina on the highest academic scholarship offered by the University.  His summer of his freshman year he spent in the Rocky Mountains, last summer he went to Africa which is all part of the enrichment of the scholarship.  This summer Benton once again has gone to a foreign country where he is learning the trade of baseball.  He is interning for the New York Yankees in the Bronx NY.  If Benton chooses to play pro baseball after graduation and there is a good chance he might.  We just might see one day that he is the president of a major sports franchise or president of the United States.  He can probably make more money in sports.

Brian Goodwin as of Monday night was hitting 252 in Scranton Pa but as we have talked recently he needs to cut down on strike outs.  He has played 78 games and struck out 82 times.  This is a major improvement for at one time it was about 1.25 per game.  He has ten doubles, seven triples and six home runs.

Nash Central's Xavier Macklin has played four games in Vermont and has four hits and of those four three are doubles.  He's hitting 308.  If X can stay healthy he is going to start moving up.

As of Monday night Hobbs Johnson was not yet listed on the roster of Helena Montana.  I'll keep looking.

Yes There There Was a Ball Game Tonight

The full seven inning game with Albemarle Post 84 plus the end of the game now in the 8th inning has been rained out tonight.  As of right now I do not know of the possible make up date either Thursday or Saturday are only dates open.  Play offs start Sunday night.  Right now the top four spots are still up for grabs so every game will have to be made up to get the proper seeding. 

If there was ever any question as to whether the old Rocky Mount High School field and now Legion Field is a quality baseball facility the answer is yes. When all other fields in Eastern North Carolina are under water there was a top notch nine inning game played there tonight.  The result is not in favor of Coleman Pitt Post 58 but tonight's game is the best game I have seen played all spring and summer. Kinston wins 3-1.

This being the last week of the regular season all conference games need to be finished by Saturday night Kinston field was unplayable by noon today so in order to have any chance of Kinston finishing all their games they need to play seven by Saturday night  Our trip to Kinston tonight was moved to Rocky Mount  and we will go there Wednesday night.

Coleman Pitt score one in the first on a hit by David Williams and and rbi single by Adam Bayless but Kinston starting pitcher Garrett Blackbunn decided that was going to be it for the night for Post 58.  It isn't like P58 didn't have chances as they could muster but five hits but five base on balls and two errors kept P 58 pecking away but never again did they cross home.

P 58 pitcher Jeremy Johnson  pitched even better the first five  innings but Post 43 struck for one in the sixth on three hits.  The game was tied 1-1 and Johnson had two outs in the eighth when P58 defense gave the game away.  A throwing error on a tough play got the first runner on.  Then a fly ball drops for a hit after P58 outfielder never saw the ball off the bat.  Even then no one had scored until another ball heading to the gap was run down but dropped after hitting squarely in the glove. Two runs cross the plate which would be the ball game.

P58 had chances in the 8th and 9th but Blackbunn wouldn't let anyone score.  Blackbunn went nine innings gave up five hits, five walks and one earned run. Only one P58 batter struck out on the night.  Jeremy Johnson went seven and two thirds innings giving up five hits, hit one batter and struck out 10 P 43 batters.  Johnson defensive mates let him down after maybe the best pitching performance of his career.

P 58 has little  time to rest as they play Albemarle Tuesday night at home in what now is the last regular season game at home.  Post 58 plays at Kinston Wednesday and at Wayne County Friday night.  Tonight drops P58 to 8-2 in conference and Kinston is up to 5-3.  Rocky Mount still has one less loss with four left to play while Kinston has six games left to play this week and there is no doubt Wednesday's match with Rocky Mount  just could be for first place.

Kinston takes down Post 58 3-1 and Post 58 will finish up the extra inning game with Albemarle starting at 5:30  Tuesday and play a seven inning game immediately after play another one.

The 2013 NBA Draft

The rains we have already had today the field in Kinston is unplayable for tonight so the game has been moved to Rocky Mount.  Now we all can see rain falling here and in spots it has been heavy so the only hope to keep on a schedule is to flip flop games.  So tonight P 58 is home to Kinston.  I will keep you updated whether the game can be play at Legion Field in Rocky Mount.  Will need some sunshine this afternoon.


Is there anyone who  knows how much money pro sports really makes?  I watch more of the NBA   draft from about pick 15 until the end of the first round than I have watched NBA basketball during the 2013 season.  That thing done out on the basketball court they call basketball makes me sick to watch so I don't watch it.

I am amazed at how they just throw money out to players who can't play basketball.  The word potential will get a person six feet five a million dollars just because somebody thinks he might be taught how to play basketball.  This is pro basketball in order to be a pro you are already suppose to know more than an eighth grader about how to play.  One of those basketball analyst reading off the traits of one of those first round picks had a list longer of what he couldn't do than what he could.  This is basketball and if on my negatives they have the word can't shoot. Please leave him alone.  If at 19 years old a player who has spent all of his life on a play ground playing ball he will never learn how to shoot.

NBA owners are stupid enough to pay a million or more to try to teach him.  I guess all those jerseys and TV money the owners are rolling in they are embarrassed to keep it all to themselves.  There will be a point in time that people will get fed up with paying $200 a ticket  or when the game comes on TV they watch soccer or Lacrosse instead.  and the TV ratings dry up so goes the money.  You may laugh about soccer or LaCrosse but here is a prediction.  Raleigh is less that 15 years away from a major soccer franchise but no where near a Pro basketball team.  There is going to be a stadium in Raleigh that will hold 40,000 soccer fans soon.

What little bit of the NBA finals that I watch LeBron James did about all he could do.  His line in one game was 18 points 11 rebounds and 11 assists.  The experts were whining about how bad he played.  James reminds me of Wilt Chamberlain.  He was a monster at over seven feet and no one could handle him except Bill Russell.  If it were not for Bill Russell Wilt would have been the greatest basketball player in the history of the world but Bill won titles and Wilt got a couple.

LeBron plays guard and when he take off going to the basket it's like a bull in a china shop.  He is not that good a passer only average shooter from beyond 20 feet but I will give him credit for one thing, he makes everybody on his team better.  LeBron is so big he has no grace at all on the court.  Magic was his size but he could pass, shoot and one thing he could do is play center if need be.  What makes James so much better than everyone is  his huge size over anyone who is going to guard him.  Big men can't stay up with him and he beats small men to death.

I don't have a lot of respect for coaches like Doc Rivers.  Rivers wanted out of Boston because he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding program.  What does that tell me?  He's not much of a coach is he.  How many championships did he coach until Boston management brought in a team that could win it once?  I don't know many coaches that the satisfaction of coaching is seeing players get better regardless of winning a championship or not.  I think Rivers likes that money that goes with being a winning coach.  I kind of hope now that Chris Paul jumps ship in LA and leaves Rivers with a rebuilding team.  Serves him right.

Post 58 Giving It All They Got

This is the eighth year that I have been behind the PA mic doing Coleman Pitt Post 58 baseball.  If you look at every player on this team there is not a super star among them.  In fact of all eight teams that I have seen this one is probably the least talented of the bunch.  Why then is this team 8-1 and close to three games in front of second place with a week to go in the regular season?

I think the talk among coaches is this year's league is this is the least talent in the  conference that they have seen in a long time and some of that may be because there are two new teams Albemarle and Windsor in the league who at this point  are average at very best. It just happens that this year being a down year for Rocky Mount is also a down year for everyone else and we just might be the best still. 

Post 58 has the best pitching in the league. Derrick Carter Northern's Nash rising junior is a super pitcher in waiting.  By his senior year he will probably be the pitcher that all the colleges are after from this area.  He is however only a rising junior and growth is still in his future. Jeremy Johnson Rocky Mount High pitcher who is headed to High Point University gives P58 two pitchers who on a bad night can give you six innings.  From what I have seen nobody else has any pitching any where close to those two.  When you add Chase Roupp, Spenser Ramsey, Pascal Ammons P 58 has the best pitching staff in the league.

Adam Bayless is the first baseman and frankly he has surprised me at how good he is.  Good glove at First and a better hitter than I thought.  David Williams and Andy Morris have shared second but they are both play any where players.  Both catch and short stop if need be.  Brock Waynic is a natural shortstop.  Spenser Ramsey had been solid at 3rd.  Linwood Jones the speedster in the outfield and on the bases.  When you add Jeremy Johnson in center when he is not pitching not many balls hit in the air are not caught by Jones or Johnson. Andrew Weatherly looks like an eighth grader who plays like Lou Brock with a rifle arm.  Abel Hernandez has been solid behind the plate but injury prone.

Adam Bayless is the only hitter they have that can threaten the fence but this team plays a lot like UCLA the team that just won the NCAA World Series.  Good pitching, timely hitting and solid defence.  The problem I see for this team in the playoffs  is that you are only as good as you competition will let you be.  Every team in order to continually get better need the challenge of tied in the eighth inning and who is going to make the play to win. Our division was like that last year and the trend is not good.  That doesn't mean it won't trend back up.

Their record at this point is not impressive 8-5 but one habit that Hank Jones likes to do is he

loves playing the teams he thinks will give us an opportunity to play great competition early on.  His problem was with so many players from the local private schools he forget their graduation weekend  and played the three toughest games all year that weekend.  He doesn't care if he loses to the Cherryville's or Garners what he wants to see is who he has that wants to give him the effort it takes to win.

Once he knows who he can count on and started sticking to a lineup this team has been hard to beat.  There is still two more opportunities to see this team Tuesday and Wednesday night.  Tuesday starts at 5:30 and Wednesday 7pm.  If you want to see what  a team looks like that plays as a  team here is your chance.  All the rain outs this team has had this year the Legion needs some good gates to keep up with expenses.  If Legion is alive in the future and the future is next year and beyond they need warm bodies who support those  who have been willing to give up their summer to represent us as Rocky Mount American Legion Team.

Coleman Pitt Takes Two

I have good news and then there is bad news and I guess you want the good news first.  Coleman Pitt Post 58 won a double header from Edenton Post 40 by forfeit.  The two teams were scheduled to play two at 5pm today but I received a text around lunch from Joe Bell that if Edenton could get here they were going to try to play at 4pm.

I arrived at the field around 3pm and the word then from coach Bob Jordan of Edenton was  that he thought he would have his team here by 3:50 or so.  So we are on the let's play as soon as we can to beat any possible rain that might be coming.  4:00pm arrived Edenton has eight players and one should be here but he is not answering text. Since the official start time on the published schedule is 5pm Ricky Crumpler the umpire in charge of the first game informed Edenton that if they didn't have nine to put on the field at 5pm he would have to forfeit the first game.  If they thought that player was coming they could get some extra time for the second game but if Jordan felt he was not coming might as well at 5pm call both games and that is what has happened.

The past two seasons both Windsor and Elizabeth City have formed teams  and even though they are 30 miles from Edenton  their pool of players is the same.  So three teams in that area are trying to field three teams from a pool that is just big enough for two teams.  So all three teams instead of having 17 on each squad only have 12.  When you are down to only 12 an injury depletes you to 11 and then  three decide to go to the beach and you don't have but eight.  Even Rocky Mount had a no show player on Saturday but when you have 14 players there ready to play missing one is easy to absorb.

Here is where as a person who knows all the coaches because most have coached their teams forever like Bob Jordan or Wilson's Rusty Dail who has  coached Wilson for 25 years these guys put their heart and soul into it every year only to see players more interested in going to the beach.  You wonder how long these guys will put up with the changing world of disinterest from young people today.

Now the bad news, Post 58 jumps to 8-1 in conference play but think about this.  The last eight days they have only played five innings of baseball and here we are a week from the playoffs needing playing time but weather and forfeits are not making Hank Jones  and Pat Smith job easy getting this team prepared for the playoffs.

Post 58 travels to Kinston Monday night in what now might be a clinching night if P58 can win.  They are home for a double header Tuesday that starts at 5:30 against Elizabeth City.  They will finish the game tied in the eighth inning which is in  extra innings of a seven inning double header rained out a week ago and then a seven inning game will start.

One of the strangest season I have ever seen in any sport took another turn today in Rocky Mount's favor as Edenton gives two to Rocky Mount

Another Gully Washer

 Post 58 will see if starting early does the trick again this afternoon as the doubleheader scheduled with Edenton will start at 4pm instead of 5.

Once again tonight Coleman Pitt Post 58 starts a game but it never makes it all the way to the ninth inning.  It didn't need too as Coleman Pitt finally caught a break with the weather and got just enough game in and at the time the bottom fell out was leading in the bottom of the fifth inning and that was enough to call BALL GAME to complete a victory for Post 58.

It took some good planning between Hank Jones P 58 coach and Athletic director Joe Bell to get Wilson to come early as they moved the game up one hour at 6pm and if they had not done that another rain out.  The rains came at about 7:15 or so and that at best may be would have made the top of the second if the game was not moved up.

Hank Jones sent Northern Nash Pitcher Derrick Carter to the mound and both the first and second inning Wilson loaded the bases but they managed only a single run in the first on a ground out by Casey Flora to take a 1-0 lead.  The bottom of  the second  P58 struck for three runs after Brock Waynic singled, he was wiped out on a fielders choice by Spenser Ramsey.  Andrew Weatherly laid down a bunt that he beat the throw to first but a wild throw sent Ramsey to third and Weatherly to second.  Jeremy Johnson, David Williams and Adam Bayless all had back to back to back hits and each collected and rbi.

As the clouds started moving in Carter got Post 13 out in the top of the fifth and while batting in the bottom of the fifth P58 score three times again as Andy Morris lead off with a hit.  Linwood Jones beat out an infield single and once again a wild throw sent Morris home and Jones to third.  Andrew Weatherly and Jeremy Johnson got back to back hits that lead to a 6-1 lead and Wilson was ready to make a pitching change when the clouds finally brought a clap of thunder and the field was cleared and about five minutes later the rains game and that was that.

The umpires were in the visitors dugout while the heavy rains came down and I am sure in about 15 minutes there was enough water to call the game but nobody was brave enough to run over in the pouring rain and challenge the lightening to get to the P58 dugout.  When the rained slacked up  a dash by the umpires over to the home dugout and five seconds later the signal game over.

Four plus inning  P58 got two hits each from Jeremy Johnson, David Williams,Adam Bayless and Andrew Weatherly.  Joining the hit parade was Brock Waynic, Linwood Jones and Andy Morris.  Derrick Carter allowed 6 hits in five  innings but one of the big items the defense didn't have a miscue while Wilson had three.  Carter beats Wilson for the second time this year as after the second inning he settled down and made quick work of Wilson on a night when ten minutes could have lead to another lost game with the weather .

Post 58 is now 6-1 in league play and for the first time this year go over 500 on the season at 6-5.  P 58 plays a double header Saturday at Legion field starting at 5pm against Edenton who is another one of those teams right at 500 in the league and if they could knock off P58 twice they would help their playoff cause tremendously.  As bad as the weather forecast is for the next few nights Hank and Joe are hoping to move the games up from five pm so if the games are moved up check here and I'll let you know.