The Front Row with MARK NELKE October 14, 2010

I'm not sure which was more sad - watching Bobby Cox say good-bye the other night after two decades as manager of the Atlanta Braves, or watching a struggling Braves team lacking in professional hitters lose to the Giants in the first round of the playoffs.

With Chipper Jones and Martin Prado out of the lineup with injuries, it was left for Brian McCann to shoulder the offensive load for the Braves. And once he was removed for a pinch-runner late in Game 4 ... well, you can only count on errors and wild pitches for so long.

Somebody threw a pitch where Rick Ankiel was swinging in Game 2, and where Eric Hinske was swinging in Game 3, but other than that, and what McCann was able to do, Atlanta was helpless trying to hit San Francisco pitching.

The at-bats took on a familiar ring - watch a pitch down the middle for strike one, then flail at the next two out of the strike zone and stomp off to the dugout, muttering.

Hopefully the Giants can stand up to the Phillies in the NLCS; if not, Philly will roll into its third consecutive World Series led by a seemingly endless lineup of people who all are capable of getting the big hit.

The defending champion Yankees are probably happy not to have to go through the Rays to get back to the Series. I mean, Cliff Lee can't pitch every game in the ALCS for Texas, can he?

Or can he?

n North Idaho College men's basketball coach Jared Phay - who with his wife Tamara is expecting their second child in November - says he can tell what his opponents are thinking by how they recruit.

Case in point - his lightning quick sophomore point guard, Michael Hale the III, the Cardinals' only full-time returning starter.

"CSI signed six point guards," Phay said. "And other schools are recruiting with the thought of, 'How are we going to stop Michael Hale?'"

NIC has an intersquad scrimmage scheduled for tonight at 7, followed by exhibitions Oct. 19 at home vs. the Spokane All-Stars, and Nov. 30 at the Big Bend jamboree in Moses Lake.

The Cardinals’ official season opener is Nov. 2 vs. Salish Kootenai.

Phay said the Scenic West Athletic Conference should be its typical meatgrinder. The winner of the Region 18 men’s tournament — this season CSI will host the men’s and women’s regional tourneys at Twin Falls — goes to a play-in game in Arizona for a berth to nationals.

“If they would let three or four of us go, I think we could all place in the top 10 at nationals,” Phay said.

There was a time when the state-qualifying cross country meets for local high schools were tentatively scheduled for Ramsey Park in Coeur d’Alene.

Somewhere along the line those plans fell through, and the 3A District 1-2 meet wound up at Silverwood Theme Park — site of the popular Silverwood Coaster Cross in September.

Well, those plans soon fell through, and now the meet — as of Tuesday — is scheduled for Twin Lakes Elementary in Rathdrum. That school is just off Highway 41, just south of Twin Lakes Village Golf Course.

The meet is scheduled for Oct. 21.

Also on that day, the 5A and 4A Region 1 meets have found a home — at Hells Gate State Park in Lewiston. The 2As and 1As are also scheduled for there as well.

At least for now.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via e-mail at mnelke@cdapress.com.