Gryphons Fall In Wilson

Day three of the 1st annual Golden Leaf baseball Tournament came to a close today for the Rocky Mount Gryphons.  The first game of the day the Gryphons faced off against 4-A Ragsdale who coming into this week had lost only three times all year.  The Gryphons fail to score and lose 7-0.

The Gryphons drop to 5-10 on the season and now with only four games left in conference  their hopes for the playoffs now totally depend on as of now fifth place in the Big East they must win probably all four games to climb to third. They have Hunt, Southern Nash, Fike and Northern Nash left on their schedule.  The Southern game will be the only one they will be favored in.  However, the way this conference season has gone anything is possible.

UNC held their year end Rammy's  which is the all sports banquet. Gryphon Benton Moss who as a Morehead winner as well as varsity pitcher was voted the athlete most likely to become famous in something other than the sport he plays.

His career in Chapel Hill has produced 17 wins while losing 5 times.  There is the possibility that after his junior year he just might be drafted this year in the baseball draft.  As a Business Major and his high grade point average  any one who has been around him can see he has many talents other than baseball.  During this years Rammys Benton played his guitar and sang  as part of the student entertainment.

Brian Goodwin has started swinging a better bat after his first week where he was averaging 100.  He has worked his average up 229.    His rate of strikeouts per at bats his improved as he is making better contact and making contact with his speed means hits.

Hobbs Johnson's second start for Brevard Fl was no where near as good as his first start of the season.
Hobbs goes five innings giving up five runs and he takes the loss for the first time in the upper A ball.  His record now stands at 1-1 and his ERA ballooned to 4.77.

Former North Edgecombe basketball player Montrezl Harrell announced this week that he will return to Louisville to play his junior  year for Rick Pitino.  I surely believe that NBA teams have more money than they have basketball sense.  Throwing millions to players who hardly can make free throws and in some cases can't even play basketball all that well they are just big and tall.

Sports only last for some only to about the age of 35 and most who don't stick around to get a degree especially business degrees have a hard time holding on to their money and most is gone by the time they retire from basketball.  Harrell' decision to come back for his third year of college gets him that much closer to staying in school to get that degree.

Never Got Inside

The North Carolina State-North Carolina baseball game, a game six months ago figured that two top teams in the country would be squaring off but on a rainy night neither team looks like a return to Omaha is possible.  It was as if neither one wanted to play because at this point the loser will be hovering just above 500 on the season and the other not much better.

Finally just after 7:30 it was official the game was postponed until April 30th.  By then they will either be playing better or bumbling along as they have all season. Both need to get in gear down the stretch if they think they can be an impact in the playoffs.

It is hard to believe there are people in this world that hate this country enough that they would harm anyone who calls themselves an American.  Tuesday almost in the same spot where bombs were placed last year during the running of the Boston Marathon two other back packs have been found and at this writing one has been exploded by the Boston bomb squad.  One man has been arrested.

What have we done to the world that makes them hate us so much?  Tuesday was the one year anniversary of last years bombings.  Luckily this year the Marathon is next Monday  which puts doubts whether it should be run.

I say we as Americans still need to go to where ever we want to go.  We can not cower down and not go and run in the marathon.  We need to go stand at that finish line and say see I am here.  You as haters of our great country can't scare us into a closet to hide.

The Rocky Mount Gryphons game at Fleming Stadium in Wilson was rained out Tuesday against SW Guilford.  Their third game of the tournament against Ragsdale will be played at 9:00 am Wednesday morning.  The rained out game with SW Guilford will not be made up.

Well Worth Watching

If I am at a sporting event at night most of the time just after that game I come home and write my blog and I will hit publish so it will appear as soon as possible.  This blog I wrote about 9pm last night but did  not publish it until early this morning. Sunday night right after the Masters I wrote that Monday article at 9pm.  I spoke about being part of Arnie's Army.  10pm Sunday night the Golf Channel ran the hour special of a three hour documentary about Arnie.  I have to say it is well worth trying to record all three as it was in just the first hour one of the best features I have ever seen on any body. I know any thing positive about a hero is on you will like it a lot better than one that has criticism of them.

I am sure that after winning the Masters on Sunday that Bubba Watson had interviews well past 10pm  Sunday night.  Augusta Georgia is not the Capitol of eating establishments.  I know in New York City  the world is just waking up at ten at night. By ten Augusta is beginning to roll up the streets.  So where does Bubba go out to dinner to celebrate his second Masters?  The Waffle House.  Can you see Phil or Tiger going to a Waffle House.  Really helps with the image of being a good old boy.

Monday the summer Olympic world heard the news that Michael Phelps is coming out of retirement and will try two win more swimming metals in his already record holdings of Olympic Metals.  You know I would suspect money has a lot to do with his return.  The world can be rough on people who only know how to swim.  To me Michael Phelps  and Tiger Woods are a lot a like.   Both think they can lay off for periods of time and be just as good as before when events they  show up to perform.  The more time you take off the harder is each time to reach the level you once were.

The Rocky Mount Gryphons baseball team has three games lined up this week and these three might be the  toughest three all season.  Monday night at Fleming Stadium  the Gryphons played  Pinecrest of 4-A and after five innings the Gryphons were holding their own trailing 3-1.  This teams doesn't have enough pitching depth to play three rather good 4-A schools in three straight days.  The sixth and seventh the Gryphons gave up seven runs losing 10-1.  Tonight they play SouthWest Guilford.  Going in to last night games SWG was 7-7 on the season.   This game could be the best chance they have all week.

The Passion Of Dedication

Everyone in life has goals they would like to reach.  Some of us  never get to reach goals that those who are special can obtain.  Having been able to go to Augusta Georgia this past week for a practice round and see the beauty of one of the hollowed grounds of golf was a goal for me.  Bubba Watson reached another goal and you can just see in his emotions after winning his second green jacket and crying probably more than he did after his first win.  His goal was to win where I just wanted to be there.

Listening to his news conference this man has more in life than being a golf winner.  It was very refreshing to watch the final two talking on the practice tee even warming up side by side. The putting green continued the conversation between the two and even after they teed off they walked the fairways in conversation. Bubba is one of us a player who has never had any formal teaching of the game just one of those guys that says let's go hit it and see where it goes.

Now looking at Jordan Spieth this kid looks as if he could be the next Tiger.    How many players have you ever seen that was part  of the final group that would explode and shoot 78  but Spieth shot par a score that not many beat on the final day. You know the best thing in his life might be that he didn't win.  A major win at such and early age  might smothered him and yet as he gets up on Monday he sees how close he came.

There were those who said without a Tiger that the TV ratings would be down.  I think everyone has forgotten that Tiger withdrew last year after the controversy over his drop after hitting a ball in the water.  We will see today how the ratings are but if this tournament this year needed Bubba in contention, a 20 year old phenom to make for good golfing TV.

The front nine with both charging in putts topping each other's to make TV as good as anyone could asked for.  I think the turning point was the drive Bubba made I think it was number eight when he out drove Jordan by about 75 yards.  It was like Bubba said son I'm tired of playing around.  From that point on Spieth just could match Bubba.

TV coverage of the Masters began while I was seven or eight years old and with TV there was a golfer from Wake Forest College who tried to make every shot.  I was a member of Arnie's Army from my living room and quite frankly hated Jack Nicklaus coming along and dethroning the King.  Wednesday watching the big three play the par 3 tournament you can see there are not many shots left on a golf  course for the King. 84 years old his hips seem to be about hit their last shots.  If there is one thing I can say from being at the Masters this week.  I was as close as ten feet from the man that put golf on TV and kept it there.  He sat on the veranda in front of the club house.

Do you remember the Seniors got started because Arnie turned fifty and TV wanted Arnie's Army. When Tiger turns fifty will TV change  like it did for Arnie?

Wolfpack Retire 16

Russell Wilson the Super Bowl winning quarterback came back home from the place where he was asked to leave but he did it after he graduated college and took up baseball until baseball did the same thing the Pack did ask him to decide on football or baseball.

His number 16 hangs on the south end of the west grand stand opposite to 17 the number Philip Rivers wore which hangs at the north end of the west grand stand.   His number will however stay as official number to be worn by future Wolfpack players.

Former Gryphon Benton Moss has had a few more runs scored for him this year but his earn run average is the highest of his three year career at North Carolina.  After a no decision Saturday Benton's record this season stands at 2-1.

This Tuesday North Carolina and North Carolina State play at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.  This will be the only time the two will meet this season.  This is of course results of expanding the ACC to 15 teams.  Both at this point in the season are not yet shew ins to make the ACC tournament.  Last year the ACC tournament set all sorts of attendance record because of the outstanding seasons both the Tar Heels and Wolfpack had.   If one or both fail to make the field don't expect any attendance
Records this year.

This week is Easter week break for most schools in the area so many are playing in tournaments.  Rocky Mount is playing at Fleming Stadium in Wilson and they couldn't pick a harder three games.  They play three 4-A schools SEGuilford, Pinecrest and Ragsdale.

Rodon Breaks Wolfpack Strikeout Record

The Greatest strikeout pitcher in NC State History broke Terry Harvey's record last night and like what has happened all year the Pack fails to score a run and are shutout by Duke 2-0. Rodon on the year falls to 2-6 and his ERA hovers near two runs per game.

Last year Carlos Rodon pitched against Duke, Carolina in the ACC Tournament, against Cuba in the Summer and yesterday against Duke again all at the DBAP in Durham.  He has allowed only 15 hits and struck out 52 in just 32 innings pitched.  The last five games that Rodon has pitched for the Pack the Wolfpack offense has scored one run.  His three year strikeout total now stands at 391 and the three year ACC record is 397.  He is sixth all time in ACC history.

Rumors are flying that Hank Jones is having a hard time giving up Legion coaching and just might come back again this year.  It surely would be good for Legion baseball if Hank can work it out to follow his daughter in travel league softball and keep coaching Legion.   The success RMA had during the high school baseball season  last year kept Hank occupied with playoffs  and he was unable to scout at all the local high school games as he would like.  RMA is not having the type season this year that they had last year.

Having gone to the Masters  for the Tuesday  practice round and riding in a car and being around the old ball coach BW Holt for about 36 hours not only do you get to hear a football clinic as you ride and talk but you hear information in which coach is proud of.  His six years as head coach of the Rocky Mount Gryphons 29 players received athletic scholarships and after graduations coming up in May 21 will have graduated from college.  It is hard not to love a man who can tell you where every player he has ever coached what they are doing years after they left his football nest.

The NHL hockey season ends Sunday and the playoffs start mid week and the Carolina Hurricanes will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year.  Seems so long ago 2006 and the Stanley Cup Champions Carolina Hurricanes.

 Still another week to go in the NBA season  and the Charlotte Bobcats will make the playoffs and are right now sitting in 6th spots which if they finish there will avoid Indy and Miami in the first round.  Bring on the Hornets and the teal Jerseys.

I have not  said anything this week about U Conn winning both NCAA titles in basketball.  The only good thing in the whole deal is the one and done Kentucky Wildcats didn't win it.  It is no surprise to me that TJ Warren will enter the draft.  If the NBA draft on potential then the big center from Kansas will be the number one pick.

Trio Make All State

Two Big East women and one male from Nash county have made the NCPreps.Com All State basketball Team. Alexus Hill from Northern Nash and Ni'ya Styles from Nash Central represent the gals. The boys have Dante Battle from the Rocky Mount Gryphons as an all state selection. Joining Battle on the boys all state team is Quan Hunt from Hunt giving Wilson County a member on the all state team. If you have not heard by now Derrick Carter was in control last night for Northern Nash and the Knights knock off the top team in the Big East Hunt. Fike for some reason has had more trouble than anyone else in the league with Southern Nash and won by a 3-1. The first time they played they beat Southern only 2-0. In no other conference game this year has Southern held any other team to less than ten runs. Nash Central's win over Rocky Mount put the standings into a four way tie for first place with four conference games to play. Hunt 4-2 still has Rocky Mount, Nash Central, Southern and Fike to play. Northern Nash 4-2 has remaining on their schedule Fike, Southern, Nash Central and Rocky Mount. Nash Central 4-2 is still looking at Hunt, Southern, Northern Nash and Fike. Fike 4-2 still faces Rocky Mount,Northern, Nash Central and Northern. The combination of games left to play seems to me Fike has the hardest schedule left as they are the only one left that doesn't play Southern which for any team trying to win a conference championship you can't lose to them. Northern would seem to have the easiest since they already have Hunt out of the way having beaten them twice. This year to me is the poorest year of conference baseball I have witnessed since the formation of Northern and Rocky Mount dropping from 4-A and forming the NEW and Big East conference. There is not a great defensive team in the bunch. Up to last night Hunt was the only one that had shown any consistant hitting and now Northern's pitching has trottled them twice. Just about every team in the league has shown poor defense at some point and poor defense with lack of hitting can kill a great pitching performance in a heart beat. This weekend is the big weekend of spring championships for the teams playing in USA-South with NC Wesleyan serving as the host school along with the city of Rocky Mount. In the past Rocky Mount has served at Northgreen as the host for the ACC golf championship. it is quite an honor to be the host for anything and lack of support from the local community will be the quickest way to have some other town snatch it way from Rocky Mount. You know the sports complex less than ten years ago was the best complex anywhere and now you will find those type facilities everywhere. They say if you will built it they will come. If you don't come support NC Wesleyan's efforts to be the host school for this USA-South event somebody else has built it and they will go.