Thursday, June 26, 2008

Live from Shelby vs. Cherryville

Set up for the first time in the revamped and roomy pressbox at Veterans Field and Keeter Stadium. We're about 20 minutes from game time ... Shelby Post 82 has already taken infield and Cherryville Post 100 has just started its infield warmups.

I'll have updates every half inning during tonight's Area IV West Division game. Post 82 enters the game at 14-11 overall and 8-4 in league play. Post 100 is 20-1 overall and 13-0 in the division.

Starting lineups
Cherryville
1. Al Benson, CF
2. Aaron Haynes, DH
3. Jake Watts, RF
4. Nate Wright, 1B
5. Seth Freeman, C
6. Korey Martin, LF
7. Tripp McSwain, SS
8. Drew Reynolds, 2B
9. Tyler Buff, 3B
Starting pitcher - Cory Parks

Shelby
1. Seth Canipe, CF
2. Brett Wease, SS
3. Kyle Kendrick, C
4. Adam McFarland, 3B
5. Brett Mabry, 1B
6. Julian Ridings, DH
7. Jacob Tisdale, RF
8. Corey Cline, 2B
9. Jordan Robinson, LF
Starting pitcher - Adam Izokovic

Top 1st
Al Benson reaches on an infield single, moves to 2nd on a ground, then steals 3rd with two outs. Izokovic leaves him stranded by getting a flyout by Wright.
Shelby 0, Cherryville 0

Bottom 1st
Seth Canipe reaches on an error to start the inning, then gets caught stealing for the first out. Kyle Kendrick reaches on a hit by pitch with two outs before the inning ends on a flyout by Adam McFarland.
Shelby 0, Cherryville 0

Top 2nd
Izokovic gets a strikeout to start the 2nd, then Korey Martin walks. The inning ends on a 5-3-6 double play as Martin tried to go from first to third on a slow roller to 3rd.
Shelby 0, Cherryville 0

Bottom 2nd - Rain delay at 7:40 p.m.; Rain stops around 8 p.m. and it looks as if they are going to try to get the field ready to play. I understand there is a new irrigation system here at the field and the field actually held up pretty well considering the amount of rain that just came through ... only a few puddles in the infield.
Jordan Robinson singles home Julian Ridings, who posted a one-out single a right to reach, to make it 1-0. Seth Canipe walked to load the bases with two outs before the heavy rain started.

UPDATE at 8:47 p.m. - The Post 82 coaches continue to work on the field and it looks as if we're just a few minutes away from resuming play.

Bottom 2nd continued - Lefthander Phillip Russ is on in relief for Cherryville with two outs and the bases loaded. Brett Wease is at the plate for Post 82. Game resumes at 8:54 p.m. Russ gets Wease to pop up in foul territory to end the threat.
Shelby 1, Cherryville 0


Top 3rd - Izokovic pitches around an infield single by Drew Reynolds and a hit-by-pitch to Aaron Haynes to keep Post 100 off the scoreboard.
Note: Kudos to P.A. announcer Joseph Tallent for the Dixie Chicken by Little Feet between innings ... one of my favorite songs of all-time.
Shelby 1, Cherryville 0

Bottom 3rd - Post 82 goes down 1-2-3 in the 3rd. Nice play by Jake Watts in right on a long flyball by Brett Mabry to end the inning
Note: Tallent blasted Cherry Pie by Warrant after the 3rd. It's hit-or-miss in the pressbox sometimes, just like on the field.
Shelby 1, Cherryville 0

Top 4th - Korey Martin reaches on a two-out walk, but no damage by Cherryville as Izokovic continues his consistent effort in his 3rd start of the season.
Shelby 1, Cherryville 0

Bottom 4th - Shelby goes up 2-0 as Corey Cline, who doubled, scored on an error on a long flyball hit by Jordan Robinson. Russ records 2 strikeouts in the inning.
Shelby 2, Cherryville 0

Top 5th - Al Benson singles with two outs then Izokovic gets a pop up to end the inning. Post 100 has no stranded 5 in 5 innings, including 3 in scoring position.
Shelby 2, Cherryville 0

Bottom 5th - Adam McFarland singles with two outs for Post 82's fourth hit of the night. Russ gets a flyout to center to end the inning. Shelby has also stranded 5 through 5, including 2 in scoring position.
Shelby 2, Cherryville 0

Top 6th - Tripp McSwain's 2-out single to center off Izokovic brings home Jake Watts and Seth Freeman to tie the game. Watts and Freeman both singled and advanced to 2nd and 3rd on steals.
Shelby 2, Cherryville 2

Bottom 6th - Corey Cline singles with two outs but Russ ends the inning with a pop up to the infield.
Shelby 2, Cherryville 2

Top 7th - Aaron Haynes doubles with one out, but Izokovic keeps the score at 2-2. Corey Cline makes a diving play at 2nd to end the inning.
Shelby 2, Cherryville 2

Bottom 7th - Seth Canipe is cut down at the plate for the 2nd out as Cherryville leftfielder Korey Martin fires to catcher Seth Freeman after a single by Kyle Kendrick. Canipe also singled and moved to 2nd on a sacrifice fly by Brett Wease. Adam McFarland grounded out for the final out.
Shelby 2, Cherryville 2
Note: Got a chance to interview former Post 82 standout Tyler Trice between innings. Trice recently signed with the Colorado Rockies.
Trice, who went to the College World Series three-straight times during his collegiate career with the Tar Heels, was a 21st-round selection in the recent major league draft and will report to the Rockies' Class A affiliate in Pasco, Wash., on Monday June 30.
Look for a story on Trice in Saturday's edition of The Star and online at www.shelbystar.com.

Top 8th - Seth Freeman is hit by a pitch, then caught stealing on a throw from Kendrick to Cline for the first out. McSwain adds a 1-out single in the inning, then Izokovic gets Drew Reynolds to ground out to end the frame.
Shelby 2, Cherryville 2

Bottom 8th - Brett Mabry reached on an error then moved to 2nd on a sacrifice bunt by Julian Ridings. Pitching change for Post 100. Seth Freeman to the mound from catcher to face Post 82 pinch-hitter James Gold. Aaron Haynes moves behind the plate for Cherryville.
Shelby gets runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out after a pair of Post 100 errors. Corey Cline hits a sharp liner to shortstop Tripp McSwain, who gloves it, then tags 3rd to double off Brett Mabry for the final out.
Shelby 2, Cherryville 2

Top 9th - Izokovic pitches around a leadoff 2B by Benson and keeps the score at 2-2.
Shelby 2, Cherryville 2

Bottom 9th - Seth Canipe walks, then moves to 2nd on a sacrifice bunt, then alertly races to 3rd when Cherryville holds on to the ball in the infield with nobody covering the bag. Canipe scores on an infield error on a pop up to win the game for Post 82.
Final score, Shelby 3, Cherryville 2

Blogging from Shelby vs. Cherryville (6/26)

I'll have a live blog tonight from Shelby Post 82's home opener against Cherryville Post 100 at the revamped Veterans Field and Keeter Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m., but I should be over there a little earlier to talk to a few fans about the stadium upgrades, first game back in the new park, etc.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Celtics' capped the 2007-2008 NBA season with a 131-92 triumph over the L.A. Lakers in game 6 of the NBA Finals. For many, the end of the pro basketball season is long overdue ... it means baseball is in full swing and football is not too far around the corner.

But I'm not an NBA hater. It's not my favorite pro league, still I enjoy the following "the association" and get into the six-month long playoffs. OK, so they only last three months but it feels like six.

Here's a few quick notes from this season and a glance ahead at next year.

- You can cross off the names Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce of the list of best players in the league yet to win a title. Here's a short list of players that remain on that list heading into next year: LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd.
I left off some of the younger players like Chris Paul and Deron Williams because I figure they'll have plenty more chances and there's not as much sense of urgency.

- Speaking of Paul and Williams, those two may be my two favorite players to watch in the league after the season's they put together. New Orleans' Paul (21.1 points, 11.6 assists) and Utah's Williams (18.8 points, 10.5 points) should be fixtures in the Western Conference for years to come.

- It'll be interesting to see how Greg Oden performs in this first year in the NBA after missing what would have been his rookie season due to a knee injury. Portland has invested a lot in the 7-footer from Ohio State. If Oden plays to his potential, the Blazers should be an up-and-coming team with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge coming off solid seasons.

- Larry Brown should be a good coaching fit for the Charlotte Bobcats. In Brown's last 2 stops (Detroit and New York), there was intense pressure to win immediately. The veteran coach won't be under that same kind of pressure in the Queen City. Brown's main jobs with the Cats will be to teach and make the young franchise respectable. Getting a few more fans in the seats at Time Warner Cable Arena wouldn't hurt either. I think a playoff berth in 2 years or so is not out of the question.

- A shot in the dark at the 16 playoff teams next year: Western Conference - Phoenix; L.A. Lakers; San Antonio; Dallas; New Orleans; Utah; Houston; Portland. Eastern Conference - Boston, Detroit, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, New Jersey, Cleveland, Washington.

I like Phoenix over Boston in 7 to win it all in 2009 under first-year coach Terry Porter. Nash and Co. have to get their rings sometime.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

" ... We've lost our quarterback."

I stayed up kind of late after work Friday night. In this business, that's a pretty regular occurrence ... get out of the office around midnight, then I usually need at least a couple of hours to wind down.
I'm always hoping for a late game on TV, and last night I was lucky enough to see a good portion of the Braves' much-needed win over the L.A. Angels.

Not too long after Atlanta's Jeff Bennett recorded the final out, I switched over to another of my favorite pastimes ... political coverage. I'm a junkie for the stuff around election seasons. As far as TV news goes, I'm an NBC/MSNBC fan. I've generally always liked that network's stable of reporters better than the alternatives. But last night something big was missing. On Sunday mornings, something big will be missing ... NBC News Washington Bureau Chief and host of Meet the Press Tim Russert, who passed away due to a massive heart attack on Friday.

I can't say I've always planned my Sunday mornings around Meet the Press, but when I catch it I usually watch. Russert's interview style was a big reason for that. You always knew he was going to ask the hard, tough questions, but you never got the feeling he was out to get who he was interviewing. To paraphrase a few of his colleagues last night, he just wanted the truth. You could hear and see the sadness of Chris Matthews, Tom Brokaw, Andrea Mitchell, Keith Olberman, etc. last night. But it was interesting and heart-warming to hear some of the war stories about being out on the campaign trail and in the newsroom. NBC News is big time, but they have to work together as a team just like any news entity.

You've also got to admire his deep-rooted sense of family. I'm planning on picking up, "Big Russ and Me," Russert's book focused on his relationship with his father, soon. I'm not from Buffalo, but I always appreciated Russert's love for the Buffalo Bills. I'm a Bills fan too ... for some reason.

On this blog, I guess it's appropriate to stay with the sports theme ...

Olberman called Russert, "a player/coach." When Matthews was finishing up his segment in the early hours of Saturday morning he said, "I believe we've lost our quarterback."

Saturday, June 7, 2008

A good day to chill

The best way to beat the heat on a scorching summer day? Easy ... cool off at the pool (or body of water of your choice and convenience). Preferably with beach music in the background.

The second best option is to prop your feet up and take in some quality sports on TV, obviously in the comforts of an air-conditioned environment.
Some days are better than others for sports on the tube. Sunday, June 8 is shaping up to be a winner.
From racing to soccer, there's a little something for every fan this Sunday. I'm a little surprised there's no Arena Football wedged in for all eight fans of the "50-yard indoor war." Do they still call it that?

Here's my Top 5 events for the day on Sunday. Below is the full Sunday TV list.
5) Pocono 500, TNT, 2 p.m. - Surely Kyle Busch can't win again, right? He wrecked his car during practice Saturday and will start at the back of the field with a backup car on Sunday. Busch is attempting to become the first driver in NASCAR history to race in all three national series at three different race tracks on the same weekend. He practiced and qualified the Cup car at Pocono on Friday, then flew to Texas Motor Speedway, where he finished second in the Truck Series race. Busch then competed in the Nationwide race in Nashville on Saturday. The younger Busch catches a lot of heat, but what he's doing this weekend is nothing short of impressive.

4) French Open men's championship, NBC, 9 a.m. - It's Federer vs. Nadal for the third straight year at Roland Garros. Either Federer gets an elusive win on clay and completes the career Grand Slam, or Nadal wins his fourth straight in Paris to equal Bjorn Borg's mark. Either way, you'll get some sort of history with your breakfast.

3) Wall-to-wall MLB baseball, 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. (see full schedule below) - I'll be most interested in the Phillies and Braves at 1:30 p.m. on both TBS and SportSouth. Take your pick, Chip Carey and Ron Darling or Buck Martinez (TBS) or Jon Sciambi and Joe Simpson (SportSouth). Both crews are solid, but the edge goes to TBS because they have a Carey. The Braves need rookie pitcher and Sunday's starter Jorge Campillo (2-0) to put together a strong season as the pitching staff is already injury-riddled in June.

2) NBA Finals, Lakers vs. Celtics, game 2, ABC, 9 p.m. - Let me get this straight ... The first game was Thursday, the series stayed in Boston and we don't get game 2 until Sunday night? I enjoy the NBA Playoffs, but dragging this process out over the course of two months for the sake of every game being on TV is ridiculous. Solution - At least the first round (and I think the conference semifinals), need to go back to best-of-five. As for Sunday's game, I'd be real surprised if Paul Pierce (knee injury) doesn't go, but if he doesn't or isn't at full strength, that doesn't necessarily translate into an easy Lakers' victory. I do look for L.A. to pull even as the series shifts to L.A. When is that game, next Sunday?

1) Wall-to-wall College baseball, 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. (see full schedule below) - College baseball, especially the postseason, is the most underrated televised event in sports. All of the teams at this point of the season are full of talent - some bound for pro baseball careers and some not. Either way, you can't beat young athletes giving it their all for a chance at a berth in the College World Series.


Auto racing
Formula One, Canadian Grand Prix, FOX, 1 p.m.
NASCAR, Sprint Cup, Pocono 500, TNT, 2 p.m.
NHRA, Route 66 Nationals, ESPN2, 5 p.m.

College baseball
Super Regionals
Coastal Carolina vs. North Carolina at Cary, ESPN, 1 p.m.
UC Irvine at LSU, ESPN, 4 p.m.
Texas A&M at Rice, ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Fresno State at Arizona State, ESPN2, 10 p.m.

Pro baseball
Cincinnati at Florida, FoxSportsSouth, 1 p.m.
Philadelphia at Atlanta, TBS and SportSouth, 1:30 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at L.A. Dodgers, ESPN, 8 p.m.

NBA Playoffs
Finals, L.A. Lakers at Boston, ABC, 9 p.m.

Pro golf
European PGA, Bank Austria GolfOpen, TGC, 8 a.m.
PGA Tour, St. Jude Championship, CBS, 3 p.m.
LPGA, McDonald’s Championship, TGC, 4 p.m.

Pro tennis
French Open, men’s championship, NBC, 9 a.m.

Soccer
UEFA Euro 2008, Austria vs. Croatia, ESPN2, 11:50 a.m.
UEFA Euro 2008, Germany vs. Poland, ESPN2, 2:30 p.m.
Men’s teams, U.S. vs. Argentina, ESPN Classic, 7:30 P.M.

Track and field
Prefontaine Classic, NBC, 4 p.m.