Who Has The Right Answer?

I asked this question to Lynn Driver of the City of Rocky Mount Recreation  Department many years ago.  Why is Rocky Mount in the Tar Heel Little League Association instead of the Little League Association where the team could go to Williamsport Pa to the Little league World Series?  His answer was very simple and over the years I have forgotten exactly what he told me but this is the jest of it.  The city decided because of cost to send teams to Regional tournaments and maybe even to Williamsport  it was better to be involved in a program where the State Championship was the last stop.

The local Babe Ruth Association has just sent a team to Union City Tennessee and Union City is in the eastern half of the great State of Tennessee. This was the Southeast Regional of 13 year old Babe Ruth. They held fund raisers in order to help get the team there.  If they had of won that tournament the Babe Ruth World Series this year is being played in Williston North Dakota.  If they had to raise money to send the team to Tennessee, what kind of funding would have been needed to send a team across the country?

I don't see that there is a right  or wrong answer to this question of which one is the right way to go.  Both are working and it is as easy to see as the end of you nose that Rocky Mount/Nash County does well in what ever baseball event they are taking part in having won Little League state titles  the last two years and the Babe Ruth has won four Eastern State Championships in the last ten years and three Southeast Regional  championships.

Any family that commits to follow their children  in any sport now days is committing their life to that sport.  Those players good enough to make all star teams have practically been playing ball every day since March.  I would suspect the all Stars players have played some with their regular seasons and now all stars fifty games and that doesn't include practice.

The further you go in playoffs the farther the games get away from home.  This year the little league Championships were in Williamston so in some cases that was seven straight days driving there.  The just recent completed Babe Ruth Regional required in Union City required motel rooms for just the players and coaches at least five days and that doesn't include family.  Just suppose they had of won and were heading to Williston North Dakota 1900 miles away.  Williston boarders Montana and a good rock throw from Canada.

Somehow or other  the city's decision was a right one and the local Babe Ruth is also right.  I guess this is a great example of how great our country really is.  We are able to make decisions on what we want to do in life.  Some times different decisions work together for the betterment of all of us that enjoy watching sports.

Judgement Day

If all the reports are true then Major League baseball will bust all of the drug users in the latest scandal rocking baseball. If all of the reports are true 12 have signed off on their suspensions and will take the medicine being given them  by Major League baseball.  Only Alex Rodriquez seems to be the only holdout denying all allegations.

Those of you who can remember this  sounds  a whole lot like Pete Rose and even Ryan Braun.  We are a country of innocent until proven guilty in the court system but this is a business telling their employees they are out of work because you didn't follow company policy, so all that legal stuff is out the window.  If 12 of the 13 names are guilty and taking their punishment then why would Rodriquez be the innocent one of the bunch getting frame?  Of all the players at this point in the high price player world of sports he has made more than anybody else.  Do you suppose I could get my money back every time during his career that I paid a ticket to see him play since he was cheating right in front of my eyes.

Drugs to help you hit the ball farther is to me worse than gambling and there is no way under the sun baseball could survive if gambling was allowed to exist.  It is time all sports teams and franchises and leagues got together with all unions involved and said this is it and all came together to wipe cheating out from all sports.

We have had so much Babe Ruth and American Legion going on the past few weeks I have never said one thing about the P J Hairston drama in Chapel Hill.  Once the NCAA puts a value on all the free vehicles he seems to use from people that don't like Carolina I would guess they will sit him down for a few games when basketball cranks up in November.

However I do feel that Carolina has a more serious problem to deal with in Hairston.  He is either the dumbest  or the most arrogant player to ever go to school at Carolina.  After having all those marijuana and gun charges dropped three days later gets caught driving 93 in a 65 MPH zone in a car he doesn't own.   He is a danger to all of us when on the highway and it seems he has no vehicle of his own only ones given to him.  I just don't see how Roy Williams can afford to allow him to play this year regardless of what the NCAA rules. Hairston needs to learn about life from the sidelines when something you cherish is taken away because of your stupidity.  If something isn't done to help this young man he will be a trouble maker the rest of his life.

Finally today I want to thank everyone  as Sunday turned out to be the third biggest hit day on this blog as people followed what little bit of info I had on the 13U team as the day unfolded.  It is obvious when something of major importance sports wise goes on in our area people want to know what is happening in supporting our teams and players and I am glad that some times I can be that  information. I can't do it alone and I am thankful for everyone who knew anything kept feeding me what they knew so I could pass it on to you.

OUT SLUGGED

I am sure for the rest of their lives the bottom of the fifth inning will haunt the the 13U Nash County Babe Ruth team.  Nash County scored two in the top of the first, five more in the second to lead 7-0.  Lawrenceberg scored one in the bottom of second and two in the third.  Nash Co got one in the fourth while Lawrenceberg got two more in the fourth. Nash got one more in the fifth but in the bottom of the fifth the Tennesseeans score ten times to break the hearts of Nash County. Just for good measure Tennessee added two more in the bottom of the 6th.  Nash County scored twice in the top of the 7th but fall in the finals.

Lawrenceberg Tennessee 17 Nash Co North carolina 11

 Nash County finishes the Babe Ruth playoffs having gone 11-1.

Nash County will play Sarasota Fl sometime today in the semi finals of the Southeast Regional 13U Babe Ruth Tournament in Union City Tennessee.  All games were completed by the time they cut the lights off Saturday night except for two games and both of those games have an impact on the semi finals.  Glen Allen Virginia has two  games left to play in the Tournament.   Those two games they have left are with the Gaffney SC who has already been eliminated and Tallahassee FL.  Either Tallahassee or Glen Allen will play Lawrenceberg TN sometime today.** Tournament officials decided to complete all necessary games on Saturday so it was well after midnight before Tallahassee beat  Glen Allen to win the #2 seed in the American bracket behind Nash County.

Both semi final games are starting at 11am CDT or noon Eastern.  Nash County is playing Sarasota Fl and Lawrenceberg TN is playing Tallahassee FL.  Once both games are completed the two winners will play one hour after the completion of the last game.  

NASH County has advanced to the Southeast Regional final beating Sarasota FL 4-3.  Waiting on the finish of the Lawrenceberg TN /Tallahassee FL game.  The two winners will play one hour after the completion of the game in progress.

Lawrenceberg TN has beaten Tallahassee FL 10-4 and will now play Nash County for the SE Regional 13U Babe Ruth Championship.  Both teams are 5-0 in the tournament so the winner of this game will be the best from the SE Region.  First pitch is scheduled for 3.20pm.

U13 Advances

Even before they take the field to play their final game  in pool play at the Southeast Regional Babe Ruth 13u Tournament Nash County has advanced by virtue of the results from other games in the bracket Friday night.  This morning Nash County plays Lexington Tennessee and there was  still a possible three way tie scenario that should Lexington beat Nash County  this morning that despite being 3-1 in pool play NC could have been sent home with the three way tie breaker.

That scenario was solved for Nash County last night when Lexington had to forfeit it's game to to Tallahassee Florida giving them two losses and the other two teams with one loss Tallahassee and Glen Allen Virginia play each other in the final game of pool play tonight at 7.00 so one of them will have two losses and since Nash County owns any tie breaker with either team they will be the top seed from the American Bracket when the single elimin
ation portion of the Regional begins Sunday.

I have no idea at this point why Lexington had to forfeit and whether that forfeit will effect whether they can play Nash county this morning or not.  Check back around 1pm as by then I should have the results of this mornings games.  It has been raining all morning in Union City.  Nash County final pool game will not start until 4pm.

Nash County  has completed pool play going undefeated winning 12-0 over Lexingon TN.  Due to rain that right now has the second set of four games to be play in progress at just after 8pm don't know how this will effect the semi finals schedule to be play Sunday afternoon.

Both Gaffney SC and Tallahassee FL the two teams that will be fighting to get the #2 seed in the American bracket behind Nash County will not play each other until the last game of the tournament.  If would suspect that  game will not play until Sunday and tournament officials would have to decide  whether to put the championship game off until Monday.  I doubt they would want any team to have to  play three times Sunday and if Gaffney or Tallahassee winner made it to the championship game that could happen.

The National League bracket Lawrenceberg TN will be the top seed and they will play the Gaffney /Tallahassee winner.Nash County looks as they will play Sarasota FL who still has a game to play but it is against the host team who had been beaten rather easily in all their games so far.

Who Are Those Guys?

Butch Cassidy asked Sundance "Who are those guys?" referring to Joe Leflores  and his band of sheriffs chasing after Butch and Sundance for their never give up chasing the those famous outlaws.  Today that same question just might be floating around Union City Tennessee as Nash County has brought the bats to the Southeast Regional Babe Ruth 13U tournament.

Last night in their second game of the day Nash County outscored Glen Allen Virginia 13-11 to go 2-0 in pool play.  This morning playing their third game in less than 26 hours Nash County took no prisoners in beating Gaffney SC 26-6 to stand 3-0 in the American Bracket.  53 runs in three games.  What is even more amazing is that the Champs of Eastern North Carolina have given up 30 runs in three games and are undefeated.

They will play their final pool play game Saturday morning at 9am against Lexington Tn who at this writing was the only other team in the American Bracket still undefeated but they stand at 1-0.  They are playing Glen Allen Virginia Friday night and if they win that game then the 9am Saturday will probably be for the #1 seed in Sunday's semi final single elimination tournament. Should Nash County finish 1st or 2nd  both the semi finals and finals will be played Sunday.   Lexington has another game Saturday afternoon to finish off their four games.

Moving on UP.... Hobbs Johnson has been promoted from the rookie league in Helena Montana to the upper A team of the Milwaukee Brewers in Appleton Wisc.  As soon as he shows up the Brewers waste little time in deciding whether they are going to pitch him or not.  He pitched 2 innings Thursday night what has now become his routine as it surly seems he is destined to be a middle relief pitched.

Not a bad outing at all as he gave up two hits but struck out four batters and did not allow a run.  In his five professional outings in the minor leagues Rocky Mount Gryphon and North Carolina Tar Heel pitcher has pitched 10 innings and given up one run that is an ERA of .90.  Since it is now so late in the baseball season look for Hobbs to start next spring at AA.

SE Regional Babe Ruth U13 Tournament Underway

Nobody said that winning any tournament would be easy and Nash County opened the Babe Ruth SE Regional 13U Tournament this morning in Union City Tennessee with a rousing 14-13 victory over Tallahassee Florida. There are 10 teams in two brackets and Nash County is in the American bracket and during pool play they will play four games in three days.  That will put Nash County right back on the field for the second game of the day Thursday night against Glen Allen Virginia who will be playing their first  game.  The top two teams from each bracket will then play a single elimination tournament with one from the American playing #2 from the National Bracket and the two winners play for the title.

Friday morning at 9am Nash County plays Gaffney SC so they will have played three games in basically 24 hours and will have a single game Saturday morning against Lexington TN.  Most of the time in pool play you will need to win at least three games to qualify for the semi final round an accomplishment that Nash County did in 2004-2005-2006 when all three years Nash County made the World Series,  Should there be a three way tie along the way and one of the tie breakers is the team that gives up the least runs.  Even though Nash County won their first game 13 is a big number if a three way tie happens.

High school football practices are on going all around North Carolina and there is no area more thrilled than the folks at Northern Nash.  Randy Raper now as the new coach hope abounds that he will be the answer to turn the program around.  Part of turning a program around sometimes is as simple as to change things up and Friday night when the Knights finish practice at 9pm they are going to feed the team  and they will then return to the practice field where Northern will have their brand of midnight madness.  They will practice from 11pm until 12:01.

August 15th all four Nash County football teams will be taking part in a football jamboree at Nash Central.  They hope to make this an annual event with each school hosting every four years. Right now Bertie, D H Conley and SE Halifax have committed to play in the jamboree.  It starts at 6pm and the cost is $6 per person.

Our First Lustrum Together

Five years ago today the late Charles Alston set this blog up for me because I had no idea how to do it and I still don't know anything about the inner workings of the machinery of this blog other than how to publish. Sometimes I get very frustrated how slow  this thing is on some days.  I can type three words and it takes 30 seconds to pop up on the screen, then the next day it works like a charm. I had been up to then giving my opinions about once a week on the Gryphon Grapevine.  I thought that I would find something to talk about about once a week.

Since then 1825 days have past and that once a week has turn into 1970 blogs or about 1.1 per day. Before the week is out more than 160,000 times you the reader have come to me.  Over the five year period that is about 87 per day but over the last six months you all have been here about 150 times per day.  From the bottom of my heart I thank you for the privilege you have given me to talk to you on a daily basis about anything sports related mostly that I might have information on.  

Lets begin our second Lustrum:

Wilmington won the State American Legion Baseball title in Wilson beating Kernersville 3-2.

The Southeast Regional Babe Ruth 13U baseball Tournament starts today in Union City Tn.  I don't know what time Nash County plays but if you google  Southeast Regional Babe Ruth Baseball you might find a score card on all of the age groups all over the south that are playing in all age groups .  You might be able to follow the Nash County game inning by inning when ever they play.

Today is the first official day of high school football practice.  If you have been by any high school football field since Monday then you know they have been doing something on football fields but it is not called practice.

For you people who can't wait for the NFL there is a game Sunday night.  Dallas plays in the Hall of Fame game.  I think the kickoff is 8pm but don't hold me to that.  I just don't care too much about  preseason games until the fourth game when the starters play more than half the game.  Even then you can't judge how your team is going to be until about the third week of the regular season.

Glad to see that NC Wesleyan has finally gotten back home to the Sports Complex to play their home football games.  Since they will be the only team using the field for the time being it can truly be home to the Fighting Bishops.  I have a suggestion for the Down East Viking Classic.  Why don't some year NCW play Elizabeth City State in a game there.