The Greensboro Grasshoppers found a way to win on Sunday at First Horizon Park and boy are the fans happy and even better than that the West Virginia Power has finally left town. The Power have the Hoppers number so far in 2006 winning 7 of 10 game against our Hometown Heroes. The Grasshoppers got it going on Sunday afternoon but they didn’t play long ball like they have done in previous games at FHP.
Sunday was all about small ball and the Hoppers were glad to get the win any way they could. West Virginia’s Lorenzo Cain had us praying for rain after he took the Hoppers deep on Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday, Avi Rasowsky and the rest of the Hoppers pitching staff shut down Cain and he was fairly plain in his own domain. Cain went 0-4 on Sunday and the only real threat the Power put up was the two-run homerun by Darren Ford.
Rasowsky again pitched brilliantly in his spot start and the Hoppers could have used an insurance run but still hung on to get the 4-3 victory. The one run margain seemed larger but relievers Jason Iehl and Blake Jones made it seem like the Hoppers were playing strong with their good work out of the bullpen. Jones got the save his 6th of the young season and Iehl got a hold for keeping the game right where it needed to be for 2 and two thirds innings. Rafael Galbizo was not effective fron the pen, walking 3 batters and lasting only a third of an inning.
The Hoppers saw Jon Fulton score on a wild pitch and Jeff Van Houten (not to be confused with Jeff Van Carlton of the N&R) drive in two runs with a single to give the Hoppers a 3 run third inning and at that stage of the game a 3-0 lead. Greensboro added one more run in the 4th and went on to win the Sunday contest 4-3.
The Grasshoppers have a big week with Hickory planned to start the month of May and you may get tired of seeing the Crawdads and the Power before the first-half comes to a close. Get out to FHP this week on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday and support the Hoppers versus Hickory.
I got to see the end of the Nextel Cup Aaron’s Rents 499 and a half which was delayed to Monday because of rain. Jimmie Johnson got the win but it was anybody’s race right up to the finish. Brian Vickers jumped in front and then Tony Stewart made a charge, and Jeff Gordan was on the verge of taking over but then Johnson grabbed control and took the checkered flag. This was one of the best finishes I have ever seen and with the big track at Talledaga there was room for just everybody to have a chance to win it. I thought I saw old LUGNUT Brown down in the pits trying to get out on the track at the end. NASCAR is kind of crazy but with the super speedways you can get it in gear and do some real racing. We need more bigger tracks and newer tracks and to heck with the old venues that cause the drivers to be all bunched up and then have to gear it down on the backstretch and let it loose on the sides. If you want some of the old timey racing take your family over to Bowman Gray Stadium on a Saturday night or head down to the Carraway Racetrack in Asheboro.
We hear they have a good time at Ace Speedway on Friday nights over in Alamance County and Piedmont Dragway heats up on Thursday nights and on into the Weekend. Last but not least there’s 311 Speedway, “The Daytona of Dirt”, up in Madison. It’s that time of the year and the Gladson brothers(Roger and Steve) say “Let’s Go To The Races”.
Hey Lugnut, Bowman Gray is real racing, all Nextel Cup races are the same now, at BG they beat and bang and usually have a good fight between the drivers, BG is much better entertainment on a saturday night than the Grasshoppers, BG 50 plus years and still going strong.