By MONTE DUTTON

Being away on my great basketball road trip spared me an inglorious period back home.
It was sorrowful in Johnson City, Tenn., too. (I can’t say those three words without thinking of “Wagon Wheel.”) I was moved by Presbyterian’s effort in its overtime loss to Radford. With the Blue Hose, if something bad can happen, it will happen. It is said that all good things must end (my friend). What about bad things?
For once, that could be said about all of Laurens County. Things were tough all over.

Laurens, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A baseball and the state runner-up last spring, opened its season again by playing in the Georgetown Classic. The Raiders have fallen to T.L. Hanna, 12-1; to Chapin, 10-0; and to James Island, 11-1.
That’s what prestigious early-seasons tournaments are for. Laurens will learn from the experience.
Clinton, ranked third in Class 2A, is playing in Greenwood at Emerald’s tournament. The Red Devils have fallen South Aiken, 5-3, defeated Silver Bluff, 13-3, and fallen to the host Vikings, 5-2. They were to play the Thoroughbreds again on Saturday.

In its annual softball tournament, Clinton has beaten Abbeville, 22-5, but lost to Blacksburg, 11-2, and to Greenwood, 12-7.
In the same tournament, Laurens has beaten Greenwood, 24-7, and Abbeville, 18-3, but lost to Whitmire, 7-5.
Thus far, Thornwell Charter baseball has beaten Berea, 14-9, and Greenville Tech Charter, 7-1, but fallen to Carolina Academy, 10-0.
Driving from Asheville to Johnson City, and then back, gave me a chance to look at the wreckage still being cleaned up in Erwin, Tenn., where the wood piles reminded me a little of what happened when Mount Saint Helens swept away everything in its way when it erupted. That was one disaster that made Helena pale in comparison, but it also reminded me of lumber being floated down rivers by loggers in the Great Northwest.

Driving through the mountains is always pleasant. I like to make the music fit the scenery. I listened mostly to 96.3 The Possum in Tennessee – Saturday morning was the Tim White Bluegrass Show – and WNCW 88.7 in North Carolina. The Spindale station can be heard in upstate S.C., and plays all kinds of music – bluegrass, folk alt- country and rock – that happens to be great. My favorite was Grandpa Jones’ satirical take on daylight savings time.
I’m tired but happy. I arrived at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, where the media parking was easy to get close to but hard to find. In the two weeks of training for this trip, I learned to walk but not far.

Back in the NASCAR years, I was an astute traveler. This is no longer the case. I thought I left my phone charger at Freedom Hall. Turns out it was under the suitcase in the motel room. I pulled the aforementioned suitcase out with me at checkout, only to discover I didn’t have my truck keys. They were inside the suitcase in the sweatpants I wore to the motel office for 7 a.m. coffee. Although the nice woman said I could have late checkout, I got done with a heap of writing at 10:30. I went to Starbucks, there to partially charge the phone and guzzle too much coffee for a leisurely bluegrass across the mountains.

Chattanooga, the top seed, looks completely in charge. Mercer was never out of it but never in it. I’m sitting at my media seat, resting for the next walk. VMI’s getting ready to play UNC Greensboro. The Spartans are getting ready to lose in the first round for the fourth straight year.
I’ve never been to the ACC or SEC tournaments, but the Southern Conference tournament is about as enjoyable as it was 40 years ago, when it was also in Asheville, which is perfect because no matter who’s strong and who’s walk, there are always teams who will bring a crowd to Asheville. What used to be the Asheville Civic Center is the right size. For that matter, Freedom Hall is a good venue for the Big South, but I don’t think there will ever be enough drawing power, no matter where it’s held, to bring the crowd that gathers in Asheville.

Words can ill express my appreciation for the assistance I’ve been getting from lifelong friends and acquaintances in regard to my recent health struggles. I am deeply touched at the concern of people I’ve known for most of my life.
The coming months will bring more change, and I don’t know yet what shape it will take.
From time to time, I have thought it a shame that people don’t often know what others think of them while they are alive. I’ve had a rough go of it recently, but I know that uothers respect, appreciate and support me.

Thanks for reading my stories, overlooking my flaws and indulging our differences.
My books, most of them fiction, are available at Amazon and on other bookseller sites. I’ve written two novels about stock-car racing, Lightning in a Bottle, and the sequel, Life Gets Complicated, both about fictional young driver Barrie Jarman.
Thanks for putting up with me.