Game number one was delayed nearly an hour when the umpires failed to show but the game finally got going at around 1pm and it was worth the wait, at least if you talk to the Dudley contingency. There is a new breed of of Colt ‘Cat in town and it is called “Dudley Baseball”, as the Panthers defeated the top-seeded NWG#1 team 10-7 to move on to this evening’s finals.

Dudley#1 was down 4-0, 5-2, 5-3, 6-4, 6-5, they tied it at 6-6, then went down again 7-6 before bouncing back with a huge top of the 7th inning to claim the win 10-7. Dudley kept NWG#1 off of the board in the seventh and ended the contest with big-time double play. Dudley’s sponsor APCO R&B Air had to be stoked about this win and the New Cats will meet the Old Cats in the championship tonight at 7pm at War Memorial Stadium.

Dudley got excellent pitching and very timely hitting with Jabirl Shabazz coming up with a key hit to the tie the game for the first of the day at 6-6. The Dudley fan-base continued to to tell NWG#1 not to pitch to Ray Crawford II, but NWG did and they paid the price as RC II went to left and right with run-scoring hits. The entire Dudley team is playing so well and they seem to be on a mission to win that Colt tournament title.

The Old Breed of ‘Cat may have something to say about that as Jamestown topped Grimsley 10-6 in the second of the doubleheader on Friday at WMS. Grimsley jumped on top first going ahead 1-0 in the first inning and Jamestown came roaring back as Tigers are known to do and the Ragsdale boys went in front 3-1 after two innings. Grimsley tied at 3-3 after three, but then Jamestown regained the lead at 4-3 in the top of the fourth. That was the curtain-closer for me as I had to get up the street to the Greensboro Grasshopper game but I got the call from Donnie Stowe that Jamestown prevailed 10-6 over Grimsley.

I gave out the game reports on the radio during the Hoppers’ game and plan on doing the same thing tonight for the Colt finals. That means the Colts are getting some good pub out of this deal. Internet, radio, and Ustream TV coverage on our Web TV broadcast sent to Parts Unknown around the world. Everyone, everywhere, can hear the news if they want to.

In that game two on Friday, Grimsley went with pitcher DJ Russ and he had his ups and downs and that describes the way he likes to pitch. Throw a curve across the plate with it breaking down. Grimsley started George Carter in right field and he had some problems out there and later moved him to first base. Jamestown has some great hitters and they do one thing well that will help you as the games go on, “they put the ball in play”. With Walt Sparks, DeSean Anderson, Joe Bright, and the Jamestown starting pitcher Bennett Hixon leading the way, the Tigers are in the finals.

The championship game is set for tonight at 7pm at War Memorial Stadium with the New Breed of ‘Cat, the Dudley Baseball Panthers, taking on the Old Breed of Cat, the Jamestown(Ragsdale) Tigers for the COLT TITLE.

Again we hope to be sending along updates on this game during the Grasshoppers-Delmarva Shorebirds contest, with communication from our contact man Donnie Stowe permitting.

Good Luck tonight to the ‘Cats.

GREENSBORO – Greensboro gave all 10,034 fans in attendance two fireworks shows to cheer about Friday as the Hoppers ended a seven-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the visiting Delmarva Shorebirds.

Mike Stanton set of the first fire-cracker with his league-leading, 21st home run of the season in the second inning, but his efforts were quickly erased when Delmarva put up two runs in the top of the third.

Greensboro responded with a run in the home-half of the third to even things up before the skies opened and the rain began.

It continued to rain throughout the remainder of the game, but the Hoppers didn’t allow a little moisture to ruin a perfectly fine Fourth of July.

The Hoppers reclaimed the lead in the sixth inning on another Greensboro blast. Bryan Petersen hit his fourth home run in as many games; it was his 16th of the season in a Hoppers uniform.

With the third-largest crowd in Hoppers history huddled on the concourse, Delmarva again pulled even with Greensboro in the top of the eighth inning before the final in-game display went off.

Greensboro put two runners on base with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning and manager Edwin Rodriguez elected to pinch hit Hunter Mense in place of Tyler Belcher. Mense delivered just what Rodriguez, the fans and the Hoppers needed on the first pitch he saw with a two-run double that put Greensboro on top for good.

Corey Madden came in to pitch the ninth and picked up his second save of the season after striking out two batters and getting the final batter of the game to pop out to Ozzie Martinez at shortstop.

Madden’s inning of work on the mound was just part of the much-needed performance from the Hoppers pitching staff. Kyle Kaminska made his first start since allowing 12 runs on 13 hits in his June 28 outing against Kannapolis; he clearly left that outing in the past as he struck out a career-high, nine batters in six innings.

Kaminska’s only two allowed runs came in the third inning as he gave up a two-run home run to Ryan Adams; he gave up just five hits on the night before giving way to Steven Cishek, A.J. Battisto and Madden. Battisto earned the win to improve to 6-1 on the season.

Greensboro and Delmarva will continue their four-game series Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. game that will see RHP Alex Sanabia (2-2, 5.45) square off against RHP Robert Neigebauer (0-0, 4.00). Saturday’s game will also include a post-game fireworks show.

Postgame Quick Stats
Win – A.J. Battisto (6-1); Loss – Brian Parker (5-3); Save – Corey Madden (2)
Time –2:36; Attendance – 10,034

*****from Justin Stottlemyre Hoppers’ media assistant*****

Now for the Grasshoppers losing streak… Baseball players are often called very superstitious. From the Grandstand, we have thought about what has gone on since the Hoppers won their last game. That was Wednesday, June 24 - a day game against the West Virginia Power. Something that one of the folks in the Grandstand noticed was that a person not with the team was High-Fiving the team after the game. You can see that around 2 Hours 48 Minutes into the video.

Anybody have any other ideas?

NEW YORK - Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and his wife have split less than three months after the birth of the couple’s second daughter, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

The story on the newspaper’s Web site comes amid reports linking Rodriguez to Madonna. Rodriguez refused to address the topic on three occasions Tuesday, once saying “no” when asked if he had any comment.

The Daily News reported Wednesday night, citing an anonymous source, that Rodriguez and wife Cynthia had separated after having “problems” for about three months.

Cynthia Rodriguez’s mother, Evangeline Scurtis, also denied a gossip Web site report that her daughter had gone on a romantic getaway with rocker Lenny Kravitz in Paris.
*****from YahooSports*****

Hey, I don’t want to write him off for 2009. But he will be 42 next season, coming off shoulder surgery. Even players as tough as he is eventually find an obstacle they can’t overcome. He’ll probably try rehab and see how that goes before making a final decision.

But if his career turns out to be over, a question arises: Should Curt Schilling be elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame?

The reason I bring this up is because Schilling pitched in Greensboro in 1987, going 8-15 with a bad team, posting a 3.82 ERA and leading the South Atlantic League with 179 strikeouts in 189 innings.

Only one player who has worn a Greensboro uniform through the years has ever been named to the Hall of Fame – Johnny Mize. Now, when Mariano Rivera retires, he’s a lock. And I like Derek Jeter’s chances.

But Schilling is an interesting case. There’s a five-year waiting period after a player retires before his name goes on the ballot. And Schilling’s stats will be thoroughly dissected in that time. So let’s have some fun and start here.

Schilling’s record is 216-146, a winning percentage of .597 with a career ERA of 3.46. He ranks 14th on the all-time strikeout list with 3,116. His 216 wins are tied for 79th all-time. He won 20 games three times but doesn’t have a Cy Young Award. His post-season numbers are sterling – 11-2 overall, 4-1 in the World Series with a 2.06 ERA.

There are merits in that record. But I think you have to put his career in perspective, first with some retired starting pitchers and then with his contemporaries.

There are four retired guys who aren’t in the Hall of Fame that many people think should be – Bert Blyleven, Tommy John, Jim Kaat and Jack Morris. None of them ever won a Cy Young.

Blyleven compiled a record of 287-250 (.534 percentage) with a 3.31 ERA and ranks fifth on the strikeout list with 3,701. He won 20 games once. His postseason record was 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the World Series.

John went 288-231 (.555) with a 3.34 ERA and won 20 games three times. His postseason record is 4-1 overall, 2-1 in the World Series. He missed the 1975 season after the ligament replacement surgery that now bears his name. He was 124-106 (.539) before the surgery and 164-125 (.567) after.

Kaat piled up a 283-237 mark (.544) with a 3.45 ERA. He won 20 games three times and went 1-3 in the postseason and 1-2 in the World Series.

Morris is a personal favorite of mine. He went 254-186 (.577) with a 3.90 ERA. In the postseason he was 7-4, including 4-2 in the World Series. He won two games in the 1984 Series with the Tigers, both complete games, and two more in 1991 with Minnesota against the Braves. His Game 7 effort of 10 shutout innings to beat the Braves is the best postseason game I’ve ever seen pitched (I remember, but didn’t see, Don Larsen’s perfect game).

Now let’s look at some current players. To me, Greg Maddux (350-220, .614, 3.12 ERA), Tom Glavine (305-202, .602, 3.53 ERA) and Randy Johnson (288-156, .649, 3.23 ERA, second all-time in strikeouts) are first-ballot selections. As for Roger Clemens, his numbers are off the charts but it’s an understatement to say there’s a lot to sort out before the final decision is made.

Three other current pitchers are certainly in the discussion – Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Mike Mussina.

Martinez probably should go in the same class as Maddux, Glavine and Johnson. His record of 211-94 has produced a .692 percentage with a 2.84 ERA. He has won 20 games twice and has collected three Cy Youngs. He’s 6-2 overall in postseason, 1-2 in the World Series.

Smoltz, who will also try to come back from surgery next season, is 210-147 (.588) with a 3.26 ERA. In addition, he has 154 saves, years that kept his win total down. He ranks 16th all-time in strikeouts with 3,011. He won 20 games once and has one Cy Young Award. He’s 12-12 in postseason overall with a 2.65 ERA, 1-4 in the World Series with a 2.47 ERA.

So, how does Schilling stack up against these candidates?

I’m not taking one side or the other right now. I can be persuaded either way. If you would like to weigh in with an opinion, send it to me at billonbaseball@gmail.com

ALUMNI NEWS: Last week was tough for former Greensboro folks who were coaching in the majors. When the Mets fired Willie Randolph, they also axed first base coach Tom Nieto, who managed the Bats in 1997 and ’98. Exactly how the Mets will benefit from a new first base coach remains to be seen, but Nieto apparently was a “Randolph man” and had to go.

Then the Blue Jays gave the pink slip to manager John Gibbons and three coaches, including hitting coach Gary Denbo, who managed the Hornets in 1989 and 1993.

Bill Hass has watched and covered minor league baseball in Greensboro since 1979.
*****Above article from Bill Hass, read more from Bill at gsohoppers.com*****

-In related news (you knew it wouldn’t end there), Hulk appeared on the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show to discuss Linda filing the motion. “I think he’s basically giving her bad advice on purpose to keep this war going,” Hogan said regarding Linda’s lawyer. “Basically, this motion, there’s no basis. Since November, I’ve been working out in L.A. on ‘American Gladiators.’”
*****from prowrestling.net*****

Grimsley will face Jamestown(Ragsdale) on Friday in the COLT tournament semifinals. Jamestown gave Western Guilford the early part of game number two on Wednesday night but in the end, Jamestown took the game back over and they will face Grimsley on Friday at 2pm at War Memorial Stadium. Jamestown was up on WG 9-4 entering the top of the 7th inning when I pulled out of the park last night.

Western Guilford led 4-1 before everything became unglued for the Hornets. Western was right in the middle of an upset bid before Jamestown made some key plays and got some hits and there was an aborted pick-off play at third that killed WG and kept Jamestown in the game. Once Jamestown tied the game at 4-4 the Tigers were on a roll and they totally took over the ball game.

The word coming out of War Memorial Stadium is that South Carolina is after Jamestown CF DeSean Anderson. The Gamecocks are ready to offer a nice deal to Anderson but after baseball season he still has to quarterback the Ragsdale football team this fall. Anderson is a great athlete, probably one of the best in our area.

Coach Woods has done super job coachng Western Guilford. WG is missing 4 players who are playing travel ball(Macon Smith and Neen Marrero with Scott Bankhead and the NC Baseball Academy) but again Woods really has done a solid job of keeping his Hornets together.

Speaking of together, we saw a lot of the locals at last night’s games including, “The Legend of Pleasant Graden”, Charlie Pannell. We also ran into Kevan, Sharon, and Megan Moore; Rick Carter, Randy Carter, Larry Farrer, James Russ, Ray Crawford, Don Stowe, Donnie Stowe, and quite a few other local baseball fans.

Looking ahead to Friday and the Fourth of July semifinals we have Northwest Guilford#1 vs. Dudley#1 at 12 noon and then Grimsley faces Jamestown at 2pm in the second game of doubleheader COLT semi action at War Memorial Stadium. NWG#1 comes in ranked number one and Dudley will be primed for the upset and in game number two, we have a Jamestown team loaded with talent facing a Grimsley bunch led by Coach Alan Ashkinazy, that looked very confident in their pitching during the 10-0 smackdown of Northern on Wednesday afternoon.

Again that’s NWG#1 vs. Dudley#1 at 12 noon on Friday and
Jamestown vs. Grimsley at 2pm…..Both games at War Memorial Stadium…..

2008 Tournament Field Beginning to Take Shape

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Two-time winner Davis Love III leads the latest group of PGA TOUR golfers who have committed to play in the 2008 Wyndham Championship, it was announced today. David Toms, Tim Clark, Carl Pettersson, Lucas Glover and Jerry Kelly have also made plans to play at Sedgefield Country Club during the week of Aug, 11-17, 2008.

These players join defending champion Brandt Snedeker and U.S. Open runner up and two time winner Rocco Mediate in the field.

“We are clearly pleased to announce these early commitments,” tournament director Mark Brazil said. “During my trip to the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club this week, there was a lot of excitement among the players about our move to Sedgefield and the opportunity to play a Donald Ross-designed golf course. We are confident that our field will be substantially improved over what we’ve had the last couple of years.”

Love won the Piedmont Triad’s PGA TOUR event in 1992 and 2006, and he is third on the tournament’s all-time money list with $1,294,850. He and Raymond Floyd are the only North Carolina natives who have won the Piedmont Triad’s PGA TOUR event.

Clark is currently 37th in the Official World Golf Rankings, and he will make his fifth Wyndham Championship appearance in August. The NC State alumnus finished sixth in 2005; it was his best tournament here. Kelly will make his 12th Wyndham Championship appearance; he is 17th on the tournament’s all time money winner’s list with $553,540.

Toms will make his 10th appearance; he tied for fourth in 2004. Toms made a special trip to the region late last year to play the course at Sedgefield Country Club and provide valuable feedback as the decision to move the tournament was being made.

Carl Pettersson, who attended Grimsley High School before going to NC State University, is the player representative on the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation Board, the body which oversees the Wyndham Championship. Pettersson’s appearance will be his sixth consecutive visit to the tournament; the Raleigh resident finished fifth in 2007. Pettersson and Clark were roommates at NC State University. Glover will make his fifth consecutive Wyndham Championship appearance this year; the Clemson University alumnus finished 20th last year and sixth in 2006.

The 2008 Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 11-17 in Greensboro, N.C. Tickets are available online at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide and Premier Partners, AIG, BB&T Cadillac, Harris Teeter, and VF Corporation for their continued support. Additional tournament information is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570. For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

*****from Rob Goodman, Wyndam media rep with 3-G Sports*****
Also contributing to this release was Jim Modlin of GREENSBOROSPORTS.COM