A Special Day

There are two days of religious holidays every year that Christians celebrate.  Christmas Day the day Christ Jesus was born and then Easter Sunday the day Jesus rose from the grave. 

When Adam ate from the tree life from the urging from Eve, God condemned man with sin.  Those of you that know me and say he is a sinner just like I am that is true.  We have inherited sin in our life an it doesn't matter how perfect I try to be there is no way I can be.  The one thing that saves me is that I have confessed  to Jesus to be my Lord and savior and through his grace when I ask for forgiveness of the sins I have committed he will forgive me.

Why do we celebrate Christmas?  The reason is Jesus was born to a virgin and because of that virgin birth he did not inherit the sin given to all people going all the way back to Adam and Eve.  Jesus lived a sinless life and those people who believed in him while he lived thought he was going to become the king of the nation.  They never realized that he was king of eternity.

Once Jesus was sent to the cross to die those who thought he was going to be king of a nation were disappointed when their dreams were dashed.  That Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb and found an empty grave that marked that Jesus had risen from the grave which made him like no other man that had ever lived and died.  Jesus had lived on earth, died on earth and with his resurrection took control of this earth and all eternity.

So why then with so much power is there so much sin all over this world?  He has the power to make us all sin free.  He also has the power to only listen to those who believe in him.  Jesus wants us to hold nothing in this world higher than him.  He wants us to tell him how much we love him and when we do he will forgive our sins when we ask him too.

Our world is a dangerous place to live in and I guess it is no different than it has ever been throughout time.  I trust that Jesus will take me some day to be with him in heaven.  Those of you who think this world we live in is great and nothing could be better than this.  I have to ask where will you be in a hundred years.  You still have a chance to be in heaven  but only if you confess.

Today is the day we mark as the day Jesus took control of eternity.  How much eternity do you have left?

Gryphons Back In The Hunt

A  disappointing 0-2  start and both games at home is not the ideal way to begin in conference season.  Top that off and you did not score a run in either loss.  That is not very good at all but the Gryphons hit the road Tuesday and with plenty of help from the Fike defense they were able to plate eight runs in beating Fike 8-4 while getting only two hits.  Thursday at home the Gryphons collected seven hits but it took 12 innings to get those in winning a thrilling 6-5 twelve inning affair with Southern Nash.

Plain and simple this Gryphon team has more sophomores in the lineup than seniors and to this point are not very good hitting the ball.  To say the least the defense does not rank very high either but that third segment to this team pitching has been much better than expected. Senior  Blake Helms has been effective in all of his conference starts.  Sophomore David Harrison has provided at second quality arm.  Thursday night the Gryphons found that Liki Whitaker pitched better in his four plus innings than the score shows because of the defense behind him.  Who would have thought that Junior Shortstop Forest Bell who is expected to throw only in desperation could give Kent Cox eight innings of relief and kept the Gryphons in the game until  the big hit in the 12th.

Easter break finds almost everyone playing in Wilson as baseball is every where there over the next few days.  Rocky Mount back in the Big East race is tied with preseason favorite Northern Nash at 2-2 which is a tie for third.

Rocky Mount plays three times weather permitting Saturday-Monday -Tuesday.  They begin this afternoon at Hunt playing SW Guilford at 5pm.  Monday once again at Hunt but this time it's Person County in game two.  They will playing at Fleming Stadium Tuesday at 12:30 against Southern Wayne.

Northern Nash starts at Noon today playing Southern Wayne at Barton College.  Monday at 3:pm they get their turn at Fleming Stadium as they meet up with Eastern Wayne.  They finish up their Easter tournament season Tuesday at 9:30 at Fike High.

Southern Nash has three meetings due on Saturday is Arendell Parrott Academy at noon.  Monday they take to the field against Oakwood from Greenville  at 12:30 and finish Tuesday against Person County.

Nash Central has only two games scheduled playing Roxboro Community at 3:00pm today and Tuesday C B Aycock at Noon.

Everyone gets rest of the Easter holiday break off before returning to Big East play on the 14th.  That game will end the first time again with Rocky Mount and Northern Nash meeting.  Nash Central and Southern Nash and Fike and Hunt square off.  Then the second cycle starts and it is two weeks before the end of the season.

Got Their Monies Worth

Tonight Southern Nash paid a visit to Rocky Mount sporting and 0-3 record and would face a 1-2 Gryphon team.  Both playing their third conference game of the week and since each has one really good pitcher and they have already pitched this week we might be in for a 16-15 type game but what we got was much more than anyone expected.

First of all let me tell you about the starting pitcher for Southern.  Leroy Edwards while warming up I thought he was a left handed but noticed he threw the ball right handed.  Leroy has a handicap  of only having a partial left hand.  He holds his glove with his left hand throws the ball right handed and quickly switches his glove to the right hand and if he catches a ball on a play then must switch back to his other hand to throw to ball.  He does it so smoothly I doubt many people even noticed. Later when taken out of the game played a splendid first base.  It is a pleasure to see a player who has a handicap play with great heart and passion.

The Gryphons started Liki Whitaker who last season was the number two pitcher on JVs and has tossed very little so far this season.  His teammates did him no favors in the first creating three errors while Southern could get only one hit and one run.  Rocky Mount got three runs on three hits and Southern contributed an error to give  Rocky Mount a 3-1 first inning lead.

Firebird Kendall Parker's double in the third tie the game at three.  The top of the fifth Southern took a five three lead when Kent Cox brought in Short stop Forest Bell and Bell proceeded to give up only three hits and strike out 12 over the next eight innings.  The Gryphons tied the game in the bottom of the sixth at five and had chances to take the lead.  Todd Brewer countered with two outs in the sixth with his ace Lucas Overman who pitched the rest of the way for Southern.  The rest of the way would
be with two outs in the bottom of the 12th.

There was a point when complete control was lost by the umpiring crew.  Rocky Mount had a runner on first with one out and Josh Carter batting and everyone hollering foul ball when Gryphon base runner Battle Shannon was called out stealing.  Southern ran off the field thinking three outs and Kent Cox arguing about a foul ball.  The umpires had no idea how many outs there were  and had to consult a score book to see that the third batter of the inning was at bat.

Rocky Mount started the bottom of the 12th with two easy outs but Blake Helms managed a walk after he had two strikes and the final batter of the game Channing a Green stepped to the plate and the left handed batter lashed a double deep in the left field corner and there was never any doubt that Blake Helms rounding second was heading home with the winning run.  6-5 Rocky Mount with two outs in the bottom of the 12th.

Rocky Mount jumps to 2-2 and Southern drops to 0-4.  There is nobody in this league that will want to play the much improved Firebirds and Rocky Mount found out they have more pitching than they thought.

Baseball Not Acting Like Football And Basketball

Football season and basketball season in the Big East was every week there was a new leader and some weeks every body was either leading or tied for last.  Baseball with all the calamity of the weather that has occurred so far this spring is not sending the same signals as the others sports have.






Nash Central finds themselves 2-0 and in first place.  The way their first week has played out they have used the same pitcher winning against Rocky Mount and Northern Nash but what have they got when they have to play three in a week and that is coming?






Hunt after dropping their opener to Northern Nash has responded with two shut out wins over Southern Nash and Rocky Mount and stand at 2-1 in the league.




Fike is 2-1 with wins over Southern Nash and Northern Nash and a home loss to Rocky Mount.






Northern Nash whitewashed Hunt and beat Southern but fell to Nash Central and Fike  to stand at 2-2 in the standings. Northern's three straight games this week are concerning to Northern coach Leonard Allen as his team has looked tired all week.









Rocky Mount finally crossed home plate in a conference game against Fike  but were shutout twice  to Hunt and Nash Central stand at 1-2.






Southern Nash is 0-3 losing to Fike , Northern and Hunt.




So far this season there is no bottom of the standings is as good as the top.  I think what we are seeing is all this weather this spring has teams playing games instead of practicing and practice is where you get into playing shape.  Next week is Easter break and by the time everyone  returns to conference play on April 14 we hope the weather is more in the 60's every day and teams will have had time to practice.  The final six conference games will go by quickly as the regular season ends May 1.

Score And Win

One night after being shutout for the second night in a row the Rocky Mount Gryphons plate five runs in the fifth inning and sting Fike 8-4 to win their first conference game of the year.  The Gryphons got but a single hit in the fifth but once taking the lead added two more by games in.

Fike had taken a 4-1 lead into the top of the fifth when the bottom fell out for them as far as they were concerned.  Blake Helms went the distance scattering 10 hits  while the Gryphons could get only three.  The Gryphons got a much needed win getting out of an 0-2 record and now Fike drops to 1-1 in  the Big East.  Next game for the Gryphons is Thursday night as they host Southern Nash at 7pm.

Received a news flash from Pembroke tonight while stealing second base in a game Collins Cuthrell pulled a hamstring muscle and depending on the severity of the injury his quest to lead the DII baseball in home runs is in jeopardy. We will keep you updated.

Brian Goodwin will begin the 2015 baseball season in Syracuse the same place he ended last season on the injured list.  Because of his injuries he has fallen to the 14th prospect on the Nationals prospects list.  The National's roster is loaded with talent and don't be surprised to see Brian be trade bait sometime during the season.

Hobbs Johnson looks as if he will start in the upper A level Manatees  in Florida again this year.  If he pitches early as well as he pitched toward the end of the season last year he will move to double A soon?

Carlos Rodon the NC State pitching star will start his first full year in AAA Charlotte.  The White Sox decision was send  him to AAA to develop all of his pitches and be a starting pitcher.  There were thoughts leaving him on the big club being a relief pitcher but Rodon''s long range  plans is for him to be  a starter.

No Run Gryphons Shutout Again

The opening two conference games of the year for the Rocky Mount Gryphons have been at home.  Last week they lost 2-0 to Nash Central and tonight a 0-0 game in the fifth inning turns into a six nothing Hunt win.

Sophomore David Harrison got the Gryphon start and through four innings you can't blame the pitching for the Gryphons two losses.  Four innings tonight and seven against Nash central  eleven innings in conference play and the Gryphons had given up just two runs and one of those was unearned.

The Hunt fifth started with two easy  outs and the dreaded base on balls put a runner on first. The Warriors pitcher Jacob Williamson hits a ball in the gap between Center and left field which Gryphon centerfielder Channing Green cuts it off from going all the way to the wall.  He then throws to his cutoff man shortstop Forest Bell who throws a strike to home where the ball is waiting on the runner who was rounding third and heading home. The play at the plate the ball is dropped by the catcher and Hunt has their first run with Williamson advancing to third on the throw home.  The next batter a slow grounder is hit at shortstop Forest Bell and his throw to first is a one hopper which got by first baseman Wesley Drake and the second Hunt run scored.

The only real threat all night for the Gryphons happened in the sixth after one out Forest Bell and Tyler Brown got back to back singles but Williamson struck out a batter and a lazy fly ball to center to end the inning.  Hunt added four runs in the seventh on four base on balls  and a single and double and Williamson completed the 6-0 shutout with a three up and three down in the seventh.

Hunt could only collect five hits but they were timely to go along with miscues by Rocky Mount.  Rocky Mount also had five hits but none got a runners past second base.  Hunt is now 1-1 while Rocky Mount drops to 0-2 in conference play.  Since this was last Friday nights rainout makeup the Gryphons get on the bus and travel to Fike Tuesday and host Southern Nash Thursday this week in conference play.

So far this year in two conference games the pitching has been better than expect from Blake Helms and David Harrison.  The hitting and run scoring  when you have not scored in two games is awful.  If you can't score runs then the defense has to be perfect and every little mistake by the defense is compounded when a run scores just one run and you are in trouble.

Tarleton State where former Gryphon TaShaun Mabry was playing basketball made it all the way to the semi finals of DII basketball where they lost last Thursday to Indiana of Pennsylvania 72-68.  Indiana lost the championship game Saturday.  Tarleton was 31-4 on the season and it was only the second time in school history to make it to the final four of DII.  Mabry on the season averaged 12.4 points per game.

K Ties Final Four Record

Thirty six years of coaching  Coach K has taken a Duke team to the Final Four eleven times.  This Saturday it will be twelve.  Fourteen times K has taken a Duke team to the Regional finals and after Sunday's win over Gonzaga he has won twelve times.  Now this is teams playing for the right to go to final four not opening round wins.

If there is one thing they proved this weekend they showed they can win when teams wrap up Okafor. Okafor has proven that he likes it when his teammates help him out because the teams are occupied with the Duke big man it is up to the outside guys to step up and Duke has four outside guys as good as anybody left  in the tournament. Okafor did not sulk not being the star of the show.

Duke had too many athletes for both the taller Utah and Gonzaga.  Neither team could guard the Duke shooters outside and when they drove to the basket couldn't keep in front of the Duke man driving.  Against Michigan State there will be no European front like and this will be a game of two closely matched teams. 

If Duke advances and plays Wisconsin they two have the European style big men who shoot threes but will have a hard time with Duke's quickness.  If Duke advances and plays Kentucky the key to who wins that one will be Okafor staying on the court and not in foul trouble.  Yes, Kentucky has big men and are lot more athletic than Wisconsin but Notre dame showed their ACC partner make  threes and share the ball late Duke just might win it all again.

Has Montrezl Harrell played his last college basketball game for Louisvile?  The Cardinals being knocked out of the NCAA final four by Michigan State 76-70 in overtime.  Harrell had a really great first half but  wasn't very effective in the second half.  Louisville is one of the worse outside shooting teams that made the tournament and outside shooting was their second half down fall.

Having been recognized during Louisville's senior night as Coach Pitino expects him to go pro now as a junior.  I think his pro career would be greatly  increased  if he came back and got stronger.  He needs to improve outside shooting and free throws.  Don't care what pro sport it is they all draft on potential and Montrezl's apex is unlimited. He has a chance to be a great pro and he will be in the top five picks and that is lottery winning kind of money and I think I would turn pro too!  But in the NBA every big man is six feet ten or more and weights 300 pounds.  Montrezl will not be able to rely on dunks in the NBA.  He will need at least a 15 foot shot to open up the middle.

Our weekly Collins Cuthrell update and do we have information for you this week.  Cuthrell hit a homer on Saturday which was his 17th and it broke the UNC Pembroke season record.  Sunday he hit another to go to 18 on the year.  The NCAA stats are not updated until Monday so it is no way at this point to know if he is first or second in the nation in D II home runs.

Benton Moss started out the season winning his first two games for UNC  and then missed three weeks with a sprained elbow.  His last two starts both have come in conference play and Sunday Mossed pitched Carolina to their only win of the weekend over Miami 10-3. Moss for the year is now 4-0 and has won 23 in his career at Carolina.

Gryphon baseball will try once again to play baseball Monday night.  Hunt will be in the house at 7pm for a conference game.  Both teams lost their openers last week and the loser will be in dire straits with two more conference games rest of the week.  Rocky Mount plays Tuesday at Fike and have Southern Nash home Friday.