Time To End Professional Teams White House Visits

I Can remember President Nixon way back in 1972 offering George Allen then the coach of the Washington Redskins a play to run in a game.  This past week the  England Patriots showed up at the White House and only about half the team showed up.  Why?  More than ever before it is because most of those who didn't were protesting the President.  Some where in our country we have loss respect for any and every thing.

I remember during the election of 1964 Lady Byrd Johnson took a train ride from Norfolk Virginia had a whistle stop in Ahoskie.  I was too young to know a democrat from a republican but what and event the President's wife is coming to our town.   The train came in to Rocky Mount.

In 1999 after Hurricane Flyod I was near enough to the Tar River to see Marine one fly over with  President Clinton aboard. The excitement that is the President in that chopper.

We have become a nation of everything is given to us not earned and especially athletes they are paid  outrageous sums of money and most can't read.

I goggled to see when the first athletic teams were invited to the White House and believe it or not 1865.  They were professional baseball champions.

No longer is there respect for the office.  It might be because many have disrespected the office themselves.  Nixon resigned,Clinton tried to explain the definition of It.  Many have left office leaving this country in worse shape than when they went in.

I would have No problem if White House visits were limited to amateurs.  With all the riots occurring on college campuses today just maybe it is time to find something better to get to meet our President.  One of the purposes of having championship teams visit to White House it gives the presidents a photo opp to be seen with winners.

I am more impressed watching a war hero who helped save his platoon or a private citizen who gives tirelessly to his community be honored than watch those whiney athletes  who don't understand what an honor it is to meet the president regardless of who it is.

Player Review

Spring time is baseball time and every sport the Nash county area sends plenty of players in most all sports on to college ball and some times more. Let's take a look at this spring's flock of players.

Brian Goodwin Syracuse Chiefs AAA International League part of Washington Nationals.  Failed to stick with Nationals out of spring training. Thus far in 37 at bats hitting 189.  Until a player hits 100 at bats an average can move up or down 30 points in one game.

Benton Moss Port Charlotte Stone Crabs Upper A of the Tampa Bay Rays. Listed on the 7 day disabled list back injury.  Team has already played more than 7 days. May be May before off injury list.  Injury has stopped his advancement to AA.

Cody Smith Rocky Mount Chowan College Junior.  a 3-1 record on the year.  1.64 ERA in 22 innings.  Appeared in just 5 games starting 4.

Will Edwards Rocky Mount Chowan College junior.  Pitched in 12 games starting 8 with 0-5 record.  7.78 ERA

Jarrett Mobley SouthWest Edgecombe Freshman UNC Pembroke.  Hitting 328.  Played in 39 games starting 32.  44 hits in 132 at bats with four home runs.  Has 33 RBI on year.

Alex Pearce Nash Central and Collins Cuthrell Rocky Mount both on coaching staff at UNC Pembroke and have helped the Braves to 31-11 record.

Jeremy Johnson Rocky Mount High Point senior. Had pitched 25.2 innings with a 2.20 ERA.  Has appeared in 10 games starting one.

Garrison Vick Nash Central NC Wesleyan freshman.. Played in 22 games for the Bishops. ,batting 286 scored one run drove in one.

Luke Mills Faith Christian freshman NC Wesleyan. Pitched 5.1 innings with three strikeouts.

Noah Schrock  Nash Central NC Wesleyan freshman.. pitched in 15 of Bishops 40 games. 1-0.  16.2 innings pitched. ERS 1.08

As always I know there are plenty not mentioned here today.. Help me out remind me of who they are and where they play.

Looks Like Tar Heels Primed For World Series Run

Last college baseball season the North Carolina Tar Heels had a below 500 conference record but their strength of schedule was 19.  When it came time to pick the 64 teams for the NCAA playoffs the Tar Heels stayed home.  Their 19th ranking was the lowest ever to not make the playoff field.

Mike Fox and his Tar Heels are putting together a season that there is no doubt the Heels will be in this years tournament unless they have a total collapse over the last month.  They stand 29-8 and third in the RPI.  Their strength of schedule is even better than last year at this point eighth.

That eighth is a magic number in baseball.  The top eight selections in the tournament get to host a regional and if you win the regional would be a super regional host.

NC State is playing the part that Carolina had last year.  They were rated in pre-season as high as sixth to 14th..They this year have not had the pitching that baseball America called the best Wolfpack pitching staff in history.  Early on their hitting was sparce but that lately has improved.   The pitching seems to be coming around but  a 20-17 record is far from assured an invite to the NCAA tournament.

Their RPI is good at 39 and their strength of schedule is 11.   Their remaining conference games are BC, Virginia Tech, Pitt and they finish with a toughie in Clemson.  If they are to put a push for the NCAA the next three conference series are winnable.

ECU record is very similar to the Pack's. 20-18 overall 81 in the RPI and SOS is 39.   They need to get going if they plan on having the type run in the NCAA's last year.

The ACC is loaded with power house teams with 5 in the top 25 in the polls.  Louisville who will be hosting the ACC tournament is 31-5, Clemson 31-7, Virginia 31-9, Wake Forest 28-11 and Florida State 24-15.

Carolina had their streak where they went to the College World Series five of six years.  They have missed the last two.   They have a real shot atm going back to Omaha.

Review Nash County Action In Bright Leaf

All four public high schools plus two of Rocky Mount's   private institutions took part in the Bright Leaf Baseball tournament in Wilson.  Since none of those game were conference games they are not vital in conference standing for the playoff but seedings in the state playoffs could be effected.  Let's review what we saw.

Nash Central. 3-0:: Just might have found what everyone expected they would be in pre-season. Scored 32 runs giving up just 7. They might be trouble for everyone the rest of season.  They stand 13-8

Faith Christian 3-0::  Showed they have the pitching to play in any league giving up only one run in three games. Scored19 in the tournament.  Will be a major disappointment if they don't place in state finals.   15-3

Southern Nash.  1-2::  Scored 18 runs in two games and gave up 19 in three. Hopefully experience will help them in the push for a playoff spot.  12-8

Northern Nash. 1-2:: Northern has had hard time scoring runs this season but crossed the plate 20 times while allowing 18.  Their game against Cardinal Gibbons was probably best game they have played all year.5-14

Rocky Mount Academy. 1-2:: Held their ground against CB Aycock a quality 3A school.  Had trouble scoring against the 3-A schools.   Might be good competition for stretch run. 10-7

Rocky Mount 1-2::  Disappointing final game.  Scored 21 in one game and three in their two losses.  Have two game lead in conference play for second place.  Need to win one of two next week to clinch second 12-6.


Last night WHIG TV recorded the first little league game of the season.The Pizza Inn Marlins coached by Glenn Perry beat the Wesley Men's Yankees coached by Sam Toler 13-7.

Clint Williams aka Duce. Will be on the camera most games while I'll be doing the talking.  We will tape every Wednesday and what ever game will be shown the following Sunday night at 8pm.  Next week's game will be the Breakfast Optimist Diamondbacks and Chambliss and Rabil Braves

Gryphons Stung At Bright Leaf

It is not often during spring time where a three day tournament doesn't run into some kind of difficulty with rain.  As far as all teams that played in the Bright Leaf Tournament in Wilson all six Nash County teams playing finished their games on time.

Rocky Mount's final game in the Bright Leaf was against North Johnston.  Ben Seracki took to the hill for Rocky Mount pitching 5 and two thirds innings giving up 7 runs eight hits.  Joernest Petway pitched the final one and  two thirds innings.  He stopped the bleeding in the sixth but in the 7th walked three, hit a batter and gave up two hits scoring four runs.

Rocky Mount collected six hits on the day and the only run scored when the leadoff batter Josh Pittman led off with a hit and eventually scored on a David Harrison fielders choice.

Zack Keeter had two hits, Logan Pearce a single, a pitch hit single by Victor Ward and a double by Spencer Ramsey.  Rocky Mount falls to 12-6 on the season.  North Johnston's pitcher Garrett Littleton pitched six innings giving up 5 hits. Two pitchers finished off the game. North Johnston goes to 15-3 on the season.

Rocky  Mount returns to action next Tuesday as they travel to Southern Nash in a key conference game in a battle for second place..

FOR ALL TEAMS A WEEK OFF !

Other Scores:
Nash Central 11 Southern Wayne 1
CB Aycock 5 Rocky Mount Academy 1
Eastern Wayne 9 Northern Nash 2
Faith Christian 3 Southern Nash 0

Day Two of The Bright Leaf

Easter tournament baseball gives each team the opportunity to play competition that they might face in the playoffs.  Rocky Mount had one of those such games today as they met CB Aycock 12-5 while the Gryphons were 12-4.

The Falcons started Cody Whaley 4-1 on the year making his eighth start with and ERA of.068 facing David Harrison who has yielded less than a run per game so talking about playoff tensions this game had it.

Neither team did anything until the third.  The first batter bunted causing Harrison  to throw wildly to first and if you have ever seen a game at Fleming Stadium they have 500 acres of foul territory and the runner made it to third.

The next batter hit a grounder to third toward short. The Gryphons came home and the man was safe and runner on first.  A hit batter put runners first and second. A sac bunt moves the runs over.  A wild pitch and passed ball plates two more runs in and 3-0 Aycock lead.

Rocky Mount countered in the bottom of fourth. Isaiah Stewart walked and back to back hits by Josh Pittman and Spencer Ramsey loaded the bases.  A grounder hit to  short scored a Gryphons run on a bobbled ball.  Bases loaded one out an a wild pitch scores another run. 3-2 after 5 innings.

A double play ends the Gryphons 6th.  A single and two outs bring up David Harrison who is intentionally walked. A slow roller loads the bases when it is miss played by the second baseman.  A strike out end the game 3-2 CB Aycock.

Rocky Mount out hit the Falcons 7-3. David Harrison went the distance going over 105 pitches on the last batter of the game.  Whaley pitched 6 innings giving up 6 hits 6 strikeouts  and one walk.  He got help in the 7th from Jordan Gay who gave up one hit an one intentional walk and struck out one. Plenty of opportunities but not enough timely hits for the Gryphons.

Other scores
Nash Central 8 Northern Eastern Wayne 4
Rosewood 10 Southern Nash 9
Cardinal Gibbons 7 Northern Nash 6
Faith Christian  9. Raleigh Home School 1
RMA 9 Wilson Christian Academy 7

RV wins 900th..

Many Rocky Mount and Northern Nash fans have been part of many of the 900 wins  recorded by Greenville Rose coach Ron Vincent who Saturday his Rose Rampants beat Bunn 9-6 .  RV has been a high school coach for 47 years. He has spent the last 44 at Rose where he has won 6 state baseball titles and 868 wins at Rose.

900 is the all time North Carolina record by 166 games 734.  No doubt the 868 is the all time record at one school.  He began coaching in 1974 and I had the privilege to do his 600th win on the radio in a Victory over Rocky Mount I think It was 2003.  Keep on trucking RV!

Sorry For The Delay

Spent the weekend in Rocky Hock NC on the Beautiful Chowan River without Any wi fi.  Rocky Hock Baptist Church had a Easter play Sunday morning.   Here is the local results from the Bright Leif Tournament on Saturday.

Rocky Mount 21- Eastern Wayne 3
Nash Central 13 Oakwood 2
Northern Nash 12 Rocky Mount Academy 2
Southern Nash 9 North Johnston 6
Faith Christian 7 Arendell Parrott Academy 0

Former Gryphon pitcher Jeremy Johnson now a senior pitcher for the Panthers of High Point has been used mostly out of the pen during his college career.  He has been a left handed specialty pitcher pitching to one left handed batter in key moments of games.

He has been hampered by elbow problems and has missed  playing time while injured.  Earlier this year he went 5 and 1/3 innings of relief against Army which has been the longest outing of his career.

Thursday night's game against UNC Asheville expected starter for the Panthers could not go and Johnson was called on in an emergency.  Johnson pitched a complete game four hitter the first complete game by a Panther pitcher in two years.  He struck out five and walked two in the Panther's 5-2 win.  WAY TO GO JEREMY!!!

Sunday is maybe the most important anniversary in the history of the world.   It is a day in which any person who professes Jesus as our Savior celebrates his rising after dying on the cross.

He died on the cross to accept all the sins of those that believe.  Every person sins every day but unless you ask for forgiveness through Jesus he will not hear.  Jesus said the only way to heaven is through him.  Have you asked him for forgiveness?

Have Joyous and safe Easter.