We Live In Different Times

There use to be every high school team played 10 games in football and you signed contracts with teams where you knew you would have five home and away games.  Today that eleventh game has caused some unusual schedules to be the norm.

Rocky Mount this season has only four home varsity football games and seven on the road and at one point will have five straight road games.  They open at home on August 22nd against South Granville and then play six of next seven on the road with their last three non conference games at Rose, at SouthWest Edgecombe, at Triton, then the first two conference games at Nash Central and at Hunt.  Those five road games could determine the season for the Gryphons.

Last year Randy Raper began his coaching career at Northern Nash not knowing where his home stadium was until Midseason so it is reversed this season as Northern doesn't have a road game until the fall.  They start off with four home games Corinith Holders 8-22, Northeastern 8-29,Tarboro 9-5 and Warren Co 9-12.  Northern has a really good chance to get the season rolling before they get on a bus this season.

Southern Nash starts on the road in their first three games. At SouthWest Edgecombe 8-22, at Beddingfield 8-29 and at Bunn 9-5.  Even being on the road first three the Firebirds could be undefeated hosting Tarboro in their 6th non conference game on October 3rd.

Nash Central spent the entire football season last year trying to win once.  They are the only team in the area that has a top 20 prospect in Houshun Gaines the six feet four inch defensive end  is rated number 17 as the top college prospect list according to Rivals. Com.  They start at Tarboro on 8-22 and follow that with games with Kinston, Rose, Hertford Co, Beddingfield and Hillside.  If they can't win at least once in their non conference schedule who can they beat when the conference starts?

Just 15 days to go until football begins.

Bridgers Retires At South Johnson

Mickey Bridgers the head  Lady's softball coach at South  Johnston has retired. The name should be familiar to those in this area as Bridgers was the head coach of the 1987 Lady Knights of Northern Nash as they won the state championship at that time was slow pitch softball.  Bridgers coach South Johnson to the state finals in fast pitch in 2010 and closed out his coaching career this past season taking South Johnson to the finals again.

Diego Hasty the head football coach at Kipp Pride die last week of a heart attack.  Hasty a Northampton County High grad coach at Hertford County, Northampton, Northampton West and Pride.  During the Late 80's I use to do a morning oldies show on the radio station in Murfreesboro and each week during football season Hasty then at Northampton East would come on the  air with me and talk football during the season. He was 60 years old.

Thanksgiving  day last year I interviewed Tom Suitor the Rocky Mount Native who has just been inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and as his football show on WRAL 's "Football Friday" was nearing it's last show of the season and nearing the age of 65  didn't know whether he would return to "Football Friday" but if you have seen the advertising  is returning for another year.

The NFL just had their first preseason game of the year Sunday night and From here until Febuary  there will be an NFL game on every weekend.  College football is in full practice  and so is high school.  Thursday night August 14th there will be a jamboree at Rocky Mount high school and all four Nash County High Schools will be in  action.  Several teams from around the area will compete against the Nash County schools as every team in the area prepares for the first week of the high school football season on August 22nd.

The Cross Roads Of Life

We often face decisions in life that we take detours  to get to the other side of what we think is our path in life.  Sometimes we regret when we look back wishing we hadn't 't made the decision we did. It didn't lead to where we thought we wanted go.  So every career decision takes some  risk  as you go forward in what you hope is your right path in life.

I have been very fortunate in life that three adult children Stephanie, Brooks and Amy all seem very secure in their lives.  Morgan still in college has a purpose but at this point not sure on her life's path. Brooks at this point has his eyes set on college coaching in Triathlon.  The recent decision by the NCAA to start varsity sports in Tri has open opportunity for many.  However NC State the team he would love to coach at this time has no desire or budget to add more varsity sports.

It will be about 2016 before many colleges and universities if they choose to start Tri programs start funding the programs.  So if your desire in life is to be named a coach in 2016 or whenever the right job calls you need to get you feet wet at someplace that has Tri now.  Most of the schools that already have Tri are Division III schools.

Brooks has a very  good job coaching professional Tri athletes and if he moves to a college this fall he will be able to continue with the professional.  Where he may  have to give up some would be his junior program which has produced a national champion because most are still in high school and as a college coach at a university may be a conflict of interest already training athletes you are trying to recruit to your college

Decisions in life to get to the goal you want. Sometimes you have to step sideways to move forward. We may have announcement soon.

The injury to Paul George has brought back a major debate between pro teams who's athlete go play for their country.  Since the 1992 Olympics Michael Jordan and the dream have stomped all comers and we as people of the USA can  pump our chest out at how we slam teams with our professionals. The injury to George will set the Indiana Pacer back for at least a year. Will this cause pro teams to deny their players access to being on Olympic teams.  You must remember many players come from many foreign countries and if the NBA pulls their players we just might have to go back to amateurs. I don 't see where that is such a bad idea.

The latest injury to Tiger Woods probably will mean he will miss out on the PGA tournament next week which is another major which he will not win and now Tiger has not won a major in six years now.  Even if Tiger was healthy Tiger has lost the ability to make that ten foot putt which in his heyday was automatic.  He has always been off the fairway  but that one putt on the green had him dominating golf.  Tiger can't save his game with the putter any more.  Even though he has a desire to pass  Jack Nicklaus should he ever get healthy again can you see Tiger at 44 years old fighting every week trying to just make the cut.   I don 't think so.

Need Two Wins Today

Nash County's 14u Babe  Ruth team  dream of winning the Southeast Regional did not come to pass today as they lost their semi final game to Lawrenceburg Tn the western state champions of Tennessee by a score of 7-6.  The other semi Key West Fl beat Fernadina Beach Fl and then Lawrenceburg Tn beat Key West to win the Regional and earn a trip to the Babe Ruth World Series in Ocala Fl.

During the Regional Nash County went 3-2 and their only two losses were to the champion and the runner up.  I don 't care what sport it is people don 't realize how hard it is to win any sports tournament.  NFL, NCAA, Babe Ruth and this group now 14 have won two state titles and shown that they can play with any team at any time.  If you recall last year the only loss this group suffered was the Regional championship game but that one loss knocked them out then.   This group of players headed by Coach Lee Gold has done us proud.  Great job guys!!!!!

The Nash County Babe Ruth 14u team plays Lawrenceburg Tn at 11:30 this morning in the semi final round of the Southeast Regional in Newton NC.  Lawrenceburg is the top seed in the National bracket of the regional.  After ten teams  played four pool play games the top two from each bracket now square off for the regional title.

Lawrenceburg won the National bracket with Fernadina Beach Fl drawing the second seed.  Fernadina Beach plays the top seed from the American bracket in which Nash County was in Key West Fl.  The two winners will square off the the Southeast Regional title and winning a trip to Ocala Fl in the 14u Babe Ruth World Series later this afternoon.

One Step To Semi's

Nash County 14u Babe Ruth All Stars have advanced to the semi finals of the Southeast Regional Sunday after they beat Monroe Al 8-3 to survive after losing the opening game in their  American Pool and fought back with three straight wins.  They now wait for rest of tonight's Regional action to finish to see if they play Fernadina Beach Fl or Lawrenceburg Tn.


Last year the Nash County Babe Ruth 13u team lost the Southeast title game to knock them out of the World Series.  Almost to a player everyone now as 14 year olds are back hoping to at least go one step further than last year and make the. Babe  Ruth World Series in Ocala Fl.

Their first game this week was a lost to what now looks like the best team in the American bracket Key West Fl 5-2.  A 12-2 win over Union County NC on Thursday gave Nash County hope that they could still reach their dream.

This morning forced into playing two games weather permitting after Friday was washed out Nash County beat McLean-Great Falls Virginia this morning in the first game of the day winning 3-2.  This victory which now makes Nash County 2-1 in pool play allows them to play tonight's 9pm game against Monroe Al a win and we are in.  Depending on how every one else does in their two games today it is possible that 2-2 and win the tie breakers is still possible to make the semi's but a straight up win and they are in.

They play at 9 tonight, I'll know around 11pm if there is good news or not.

All Day Rainout

Schedule Change:  Babe Ruth officials in an effort to finish the 14u  Southeast Regional by Sunday have decided to double up everyone on Saturday  and play two games each.  Nash County will now play McLean-Great Falls Virginia at 9am Saturday and then play their 4th and final round Robin game at 9:00pm Saturday night against Monroe County Al.

The third day of the 14u Babe Ruth baseball Tournament in Newton NC was rained out.  The rains that started here around noon had already drenched the ball field in Newton even before the first game could get started at 9am this morning.

So after two days of play in the four days of round Robin play Nash County stands 1-1 along with a Union County NC and Monroe County Al.  The team in trouble is McLean-Great Falls VA who in two games has two losses and given up 32 runs and The  tie breaker  in Babe Ruth is runs allowed so even if Virginia won their last two games they have given up way too many runs compared to everyone else.

The team right now sitting pretty in the American bracket is Key West Florida who has beaten Nash County 5-2 and Monroe Al 6-1.  That's two of the teams chasing Key West and they hold the tie breaker against either at this point.  The first game Saturday morning for Key West is against McLean-Great Falls and we all expect a Key West win and that would make they 3-0  with Union County being game four for them Sunday.

Nash County plays McLean -Great Falls at 7pm Saturday night and that would be Virginia's second game of the day and quite possibly already eliminated from the semi final round  might  be thinking about going home Sunday and a great chance for Nash County to go to 2-1.  If Nash County wins that game that sets up a good situation for Nash County.

Saturday weather permitting Monroe Alabama will meet Union County.  Since both are 1-1 one will have two losses after Saturday and that opens up that with a win over McLean-Great Falls by Nash County Saturday then their game Sunday against Monroe will be at least for Nash County a win and they make the semi's.

Union County still plays Key West on Sunday and and for the best results for Nash  County it would be better at this point for Key West to go 4-0 in the bracket. The Key here is Nash County owns the tie breaker with Union County.  If it becomes a 3 way tie and it comes down to runs allowed. As of right now Key West has given up only three runs, Nash County 10 and both Monroe and Union have given up 12.

Right now looking on a day of rain in Newton Nash County is in a good spot if they keep winning.  Hope they can play Saturday.

News Better Today

The Nash County 14U Babe Ruth team won their Thursday afternoon game over Union  County 12-5 to keep their hopes alive in their quest to make the top two in their bracket in order to try to win the Babe Ruth Southeast Regional in Newton NC.

The good news is Union County won their opener yesterday 21-0 so this is a big win in case it gets down to tie breakers to make the top two.  Nash County plays game three in their bracket of the four games they will play in their round Robin bracket Friday as they play at 7pm and play the team on the  losing end of that 0-21 game with Union County McLean-Great Falls VA

If you go by any high school just about any day since school ended in June except for last week when the coaches clinic was in session you will find some team working out waiting for August 1st to roll around and teams could actually say football practice is official.  Now that football practice will be underway for real Friday that doesn't leave much time before the Big East will have their media day which this year will be on August 11th at Fike High School.  Breakfast will be served and each coach will get a few minutes to speak to interested media from around the conference starting at 9am.

The coaches will take a vote among themselves to see who they think will win the football title and I think from what I  think everyone has coming back Fike will probably be the front runner.  We should have learned by now that Hunt regardless of how good they are will be hard to knock too far from the top.  Northern Nash would love to be at the top and there is plenty of talk from Rocky Mount that you had better look out for them.  How can you forget Southern Nash.  Sure does look like one loss on any week could drop any team from the top to near the bottom because as always it looks like the Big East is as always the Big East.  The only team not mentioned so far is Nash Central.  I don't see much difference there this year.  I know they would love to win a conference game this year and if they do they will really make the team they beat suffer in the standings.

Friday marks the beginning of year seven of this blog.  The late Charles Alston set me up and even after six years I only know how to get to the blank page to write what ever I write down.  I am of course of the age that I was past 40 before I ever sat down in front of a computer so I am not savy at all with  FaceBook, Twitter and the likes.  I do see that as a nation we are losing the personal contact with each other as people as people sit at dinner texting back and forth instead of having conversations eye to eye either each other.

Despite all the negatives of this instance world we live in I thank you for your efforts each day when you actually have to search to find me.  I can tell you when ever some sports team in the area is doing well readership picks up over a day when not much is happening or the results were bad and nobody wants to hear about the bad.  We hope that every sport that is in the future we have a team in the area doing well even deep in the playoffs.  You have shown you you want to hear that news.