Return To Conference Baseball Forecast Rain

What did you expect between basketball and snow and early season baseball rain why would you think that last week's Easter break where not one game was delayed by rain would hold up once conference baseball returned.  Hunt and Fike seeing the weather forecast moved their  Tuesday game to last night at Fike and in essence they played for first place in the conference standings.

Hunt 3-2 7-6 was at Fike 3-1 8-5 trying to beat the Tuesday rain. Junior right hander Brandon Winstead for Fike pitched a no hitter as Fike takes over first place in the Big East dropping Hunt to 3-2 after the first round of conference play while Fike edges ahead of Nash Central 2-1  who maybe plays tonight

Tonight weather willing Rocky Mount 2-2 and 7-6 will travel to Northern Nash 2-2 and 6-7.  I suspect Helms  and Carter  will toe the rubber for each team and since both teams have shown most of the spring so far I bet this will be a 2-1 game unless defense makes the gap wider.

Nash Central 2-1 and 3-8 visits Southern Nash 0-4 and  4-9.  Both the Bulldogs and the Firebirds have one stopper on the pitching staff so I see no reason why not put your best out there against a rival.

They begin the second trip with each team playing each other for the second time starting Friday.  Friday night May 1st which is 17 days away will be the last regular season game of the season.  Didn't they just play their first games of the season last week?

The ACC baseball has a month to go before the tournament in Durham.  If the ACC tournament started today Louisville would be first 16-2, Miami 14-4, Florida State. 11-7, the next five teams would be Carolina, Clemson, Wake Forest and Notre Dame  and Georgia Tech at 9-9.

State at 8-9 is not in neither is Virginia who finished second at College World Series  is 7-12.  Not one North Carolina team can say they will make it right now and could you imagine the ACC tournament in Durham  and not one NC school in it.  It could happen.  Can you see 500 showing up for the championship game featuring Louisville and Miami?

Golf's New Era

Jordan Spieth has played eight rounds of golf at Augusta National.  As he walked off the green after each round he was in no worse position than fifth.  That occurred after the final round last year playing in the final group with Bubba Watson last year shot and even parr 72.  Today he walks off as a winner of a major golf tournament and all the world lies in front of him.

Every step he took today he either matched or broke Tiger's records. He could be the next dominating player in  golf.  Who knows he may be a Johnny Miller.  The greatest golfer in the world for five years and wakes up one morning and can't putt any more.  Many things can happen to Spieth in his future but boy wouldn't you love his start in pro golf.

UNC Pembroke has ten games to go in their regular season and Collins Cuthrell is four home runs from the all time Brave's record.  He hit another one Sunday giving him 22 on the season.  I know many players would love to have the day he had Sunday going 4-5 a homer and four RBI.  By the way he is hitting 459 on the season.  I know Pembroke is not an easy drive to see him play but Barton will be hosting UNCP Wednesday. The working man will have a hard time getting to Wilson for two 3pm games.

Hobbs Johnson got his first start of the season pitching only 2.3innings.  He gave up an earned run but his rub was he walked four batters and didn't last long.  His team this season is the Biloxi Shockers.  They think they will have to play their first 54 games the road as Biloxi is a new team in AA baseball and their new home is not ready and may not be until June before they can play in the new stadium.  They will play so called home games in Mobile and Huntsville until their stadium is ready.

State managed to get one win in Chapel Hill as Benton Moss could not throw a strike and Mike Fox pulled him in the third trailing 1-0. The one run he gave up happened in the third after Moss loaded the bases on three walks.  If you watch the game on line on WATCH ESPN the umpire for most of the game was a coin flipper behind the plate.  He flipped a coin after every pitch and decided whether it was a ball or strike.  Benton didn't help much as he was about as wild as I  have ever witnessed.

Spring Has Sprung

It is now official, Spring is here.  It is so because the Masters has been going on three days and the birds are chirping and the yellow pollen has my white car looking green.  Having been to Augusta last year and seeing what a mountainous course Augusta National really is  HD TV is the only way to watch this tournament.

State and Carolina have played two games this weekend in baseball with the Tar Heels winning 2-1 and 3-2.  Quite frankly I don't believe you could take the best players off each  team and really be that good.   Neither team can hit the ball.  Don't believe either is headed to Omaha this year.

College football teams put the wraps on spring football Saturday.  Duke has just won the college basketball national championship  and with Carolina baseball not being as good as the past this thought has run through my mind.

Football was so so last season, many Carolina basketball fans want to run Roy out of town and baseball is average at best.  All of this talk about building a new basketball arena or remodeling the Dean Dome I read in the News and Observer where Bubba Cunningham  says that all talk of a basketball arena is on the back burner right now.

We are now pushing four years all this academic fraud mess has been going on in Chapel Hill.  Many Tar Heel fans are disgusted with the way things are going right now.  Might remember the new end zone seats in Kenan had some bait and switch  antics during their sale.  The Carolina  faithful who were part of the 28 million cash paid to build the Dean Dome are in no mood to now fork over 50 million to renovate the Dome.

So the money people are not as willing to donate when a cloud hangs over athletics while the NCAA looms and now after Syracuse Heel fans are really nervous.  On top of all that have athletes as well said no to the Tar Heels?  All of you Carolina fans keep telling me Roy is not getting the big name players any more.  Is it Roy or is it the Carolina  reputation has been damaged not only with the people who support the Heels or even prospective athletes shying away from Chapel Hill because of storm clouds  which need to dissipate soon.

If you love the Heels you had better hope the NCAA rules as soon as possible and get rid of the storm cloud hanging around so the University can get back to being the University of the people because it is not now.

Golden Spikes Nominee

Former Rocky Mount Gryphon, Barton college and now Senior redshirt third baseman for UNC Pembroke Collins Cuthrell has made the top 60 cut for the Golden Spikes Award as the best Amateur baseball player in America.

58 nominees are from division 1 baseball as Cuthrell is the only DII player on the list.  There is also one JUCO player in the top 60.  May 27 will but the first round of cuts from the top 60 and the winner will be announced June 23rd.

So far this year the Braves third baseman has hit 458 collecting 19 home runs driven in 55 rbi and added 17 doubles to his resume'.  He has struck out a only  21 times in over 165 plate appearances.  Just last summer Collins help with Post 58 Legion team here in Rocky Mount and as a graduate of Barton had one year of eligibility left so he is in Grad school at UNCP.

Thursday night started the minor league baseball season and I could not find Brian Goodwin on any roster.  One big issue for minor league players the teams are not required to let everyone know when a player is on the disabled list like in the majors.  Rumors all spring were that Brian is still hurting from his surgery last summer and is on the disabled  list even though there isn't one in the minors.

Hobbs Johnson has been promoted to AA Biloxi in the Southern league.  The former Gryphon just two summers ago pitched for Carolina in the College World Series is right now ranked as the 23rd prospect for the Milwaukee Brewers organization.  Should get his first start of the year this weekend.

Two former Gryphons who have sons in minor league baseball began their season Thursday.  Bill Merfifield  who's son Whit was a member of the national Champions South Carolina has risen to triple AAA Omaha for the Kansas City Royals went 2-5 and drive in a run in his opening game playing left field.  Sonny Wooten's off spring John Wooten who played for Eastern Wayne if you remember they played Northern Nash in the East Regional.  He also played at ECU and will start out the year as first baseman for Potomac. He went 1-4 with a double and RBI.

Another Legend Gone

The older I get in life it almost seemed to be a daily occurrence that someone in the sports world leaves this good earth that I had many days of pleasure being around.  Jim Garrison who coached football at Chowan College for 43 years and won 182 games in Junior College which at the time of his retirement was third all time in JUCO football and was Athletic Director passed this past week at the age of 82.

Garrison coached 19 players who would play NFL football.  I am sure if you looked at the list of players many  you would know and you would say I didn't know they went to Chowan. Twice Chowan played in the East Bowl which was called the Little Rose Bowl of Junior College.  Playing in the East Bowl amounted to be the best Junior College team east of the Mississippi River. They won it once.

Garrison is a member of five Halls of Fame including the North Carolina Sports Hall.  He leaves his wife of 57 years Joyce and three surviving children.  His funeral will be this Saturday on the football stadium that bares his name.

The news media is bonkers over Tiger Woods playing in the Masters.  Woods who shot and opening round  73 which I think is a very respectable round for a player who has been out of action for three months because of injury.

There is one thing that gets under my craw however.  The audacity of a player injured to think he can stay out of action injured and show up for a major and think he's in shape to play championship golf.  Wouldn't he been better served to have played last weekend just to get the feel of tournament golf again?

One of the reasons wins are few and far between for Tiger now is his putting.   He thinks he can show up at one of the hardest golf courses to putt and shoot a score than will keep him in the tournament for the weekend.  I can see this as Tigers' future.  Every now and then he will have a hot putter and shoot a 66 and the media will declare Tiger back as good as ever. It might happen today who knows but then if it does happen shoot two more 73's over the weekend.  When you have lost the putting touch you may find it every now and then but on those hot days you will not know how you did it other than the ball kept going in the hole.

You know for every Arnold Palmer there comes a Jack Nicklaus.  Every Jack there is a Tom Watson to replace him.  For Tiger there is a Jordan Spieth.  Move over Tiger the new Palmer has arrived.

Is There Truth in Auriemma's Words

The head basketball coach of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team Geno Auriemma says that college basketball the way it is played today is unwatchable.  I agree with him.  He says that in men's basketball there only  a few teams who can really win the title every year.  He also tells that women's basketball isn't any better either.  I do think that the reason women's basketball is unwatchable is completely different than the men's game.

You know I have told you numerous times that UVA  style of basketball was not going to win anything during the playoffs and it didn't.  Men's basketball has been taken over by players who have grown up in AAU basketball where they play three or four games on their team every weekend and the object is to win by outscoring the other team.  So the only true basketball skills being displayed in AAU is putting the ball in the hole and most of the time that is the team with the tallest player or  three point shooters.

No one teaches in AAU.  So college basketball players arrive knowing nothing about a bounce pass all they know is the lop pass for a dunk.  College basketball players have grown up in the era of the three point shots so you either shoot threes or dunk.  Then you throw in a coach who thinks that holding the ball until the 35 second clock runs out helps keep the ball away from the other team and is satisfied with a 48-45 score.

Today's college basketball players dribble too much because they can't pass to another player because they think he is covered because they don't know how. Why do you think free throw shooting is so bad these days.  It is only  thirteen  feet nine inches from the foul line to the front of the rim and it only counts one point.  Three point shots make ESPN  highlights. 

If you look at the state of women's basketball it is where the men's game was in the 1960's.  UCLA won year after year because they were the only team west of the Mississippi who was any good.  All the teams in the east had to beat each other up  just to  get  a chance to play UCLA.

The women's playoffs  the first two rounds are played on the home court of the top seeds.  Now how is Sisters of the Poor going to beat Tennessee on their home court?  Can you imagine Duke getting two home playoff games against Lehigh and then the regional being in Greensboro.  That's what is happening in the women's game.  The Connecticut's of the world are winning by 50 in the playoffs and that is unwatchable.

We all know why the women's game is played on the home courts of the top teams.  It is to sell tickets to get people to sit in the stands and watch the game.  The women's game to this point can not draw a crowd if Notre Dame plays Texas in Greensboro in a regional.  They have to have local teams there to draw a crowd.  Doesn't the men's game do the same?  You bet they do!  Just not severe as the women's game has to do.

There is no doubt basketball is not as good as it could be and one reason is TV.  In order to get you to watch they only show the thrilling plays.  They don't show the basic play that helped win the game because doing your job every day is boring.  TV needs Ratings and highlights.  Football highlights are the 85 yard run for the touchdown.  When ESPN shows the highlights do they show the blocker who opened the big hole?

Geno is right but he should add the NBA to unwatchable too. San Antonio is about the only team that plays the game the way it should be played and if I recall they are the defending champions.  Playing the game the way it should be played wins, it's just doesn't make the ESPN highlights.

Duke won the title by pressing on defense most of the time making Wisconsin work to just get the ball up the court.  When they got  a rebound they were off to the races trying to run Wisconsin in the ground.  It worked as the last four minutes Wisconsin shooting fell of the map.  Give me a game where everyone is moving all the time  over I'll go stand in the corner throw it to me for a three when the clock is about to run out.

People love stats and get confused sometimes what they mean.  But in winning six games Duke gave up 57 points a game.  Those are stats Virginia would love to have.  Yet, Duke averaged 74 points per game holding the other teams to 57 in fast paced games.   Kentucky score 64 in their game to Wisconsin but lost.  Michigan State score 61 against Duke and lost by 20.   Wisconsin score 63 in the national championship game and lost.

There was not a team in the final eight who held their foes to 50 as their goal.  Their goal was to outscore the other side and nobody made the elite eight holding the ball on offense.  All four in the Final four averaged 70 points per game to make it to the final four.  The way you win in basketball is score when we have it and try to keep them from scoring when they have it.  Too many coaches have that idea mixed up.

The Hotbed Of College Basketball

There is no doubt the state of North Carolina leads the way when it comes to great college basketball programs.  Duke won the 76th NCAA national championship.  39 times a team from North Carolina has made it to the final four.  Twice two got there the same year.  Charlotte and Carolina did it once and Duke and Carolina went the same year.  Carolina has been 18 times while Duke jumps to 16 trips. State three, Wake Forest once and Charlotte once have all been to the Big Dance. THE ACC has sent Virginia, Maryland and Georgia Tech each have gone twice giving the ACC 44 trips from the conference in 76 years.  Make that 43 trips cause State went in 1946 as a member of the Southern Conference.

 I thought the  game was officiated better than the Wisconsin/Kentucky  game and yes after Duke got the lead they did miss an out of bounds on Winstead under the Duke basket.  Look one of Okafors four fouls one time he had all ball so with Duke having two players in foul trouble I can't see coach Ryan complaining about the calls.  I think he should ask himself why didn't he perch Kaminski in the low post once Okafor was out of the game.  Instead he stayed outside the three point line and Duke could control him a lot better there than under the basket.

All of this talk about Kentucky being the school of one and done it is the Duke Blue Devils who had the best freshman class.  I suspect all three of the starters will go pro but look, Kaminski dominated Okafor almost all night. Kaminski if he was a pro this year  would be the worse starting center in the NBA.  I know a NBA team will take Okafor on prospect of the future but he is not ready.  He needs one more year.  Justise Winstead and Tyus Jones both had a great last six weeks but six weeks will not prove you are NBA ready.  I hope Winstead and Jones don't go pro to never to be heard from again.

More than 28 million watched the telecast which was the highest rated championship game since 1997.  Can you imagine how many might have watched if Kentucky and Duke had of been the game.  You know Duke has become the Dallas Cowboys of college basketball.  People watch just to see them lose and the other half watch to admire their great program.  In Dallas case they watch to see how many times Jerry Jones will be on TV.

I guess it has something to do with getting used to winning titles as I would like to thank the Duke students for not trying to burn down the city of Durham.  I have heard of no arrest made but I know several wood benches that dot the Duke campus are missing today.  I don't know how something close by didn't catch on fire as big as that Bonfire was.

Tuesday completed the Easter baseball action in Wilson and the Rocky Mount Gryphons get out of town with a win.  They beat Southern Wayne 11-0 behind the complete game pitching by Blake Helms.  Boy has he been good this year or what?  Ragsdale beat Nash Central 12-2 and the Bulldogs  lose three times in the event.  Northern Nash lost for the first time to Ragsdale 4-1 to finish 2-1 over the break.