August 9, 2012
WILDCATS ON THE AIR
Central HS Football broadcasts return to the airwaves for the 7th consecutive year as a Jon Fine (Sports) Production. This will be our 3rd year broadcasting the games on WPFC, 1550AM. You can also catch us on the net at JonFineProductions.com and at Central Now app. First broadcast is Friday, August 31, when the Wildcats play host to Istrouma HS. All broadcasts start at 6pm. Josh Ward and Scott Osborne (noted weekly author of The Wizardry Of Os in this newsletter) return for their fifth year calling CHS Football. They’ll be joined by Dr. Les Bueche and Victoria Eskola. We’ll have more information for you in next week’s JonFineProductions.com Newsletter.
PRESS RELEASE
A RECORD 7 GUESTS APPEAR THURSDAY ON THE DRU NETTLES SHOW (COX 4, THURSDAYS, 6PM—7PM, WITH REPLAYS FRIDAYS, 10:30AM—11:30AM). A JON FINE PRODUCTION, THE DRU NETTLES SHOW IS HOSTED BY DENHAM SPRINGS HS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR/HEAD FOOTBALL COACH DRU NETTLES AND JON FINE.
SENIOR FOOTBALL PLAYER STERLING SUGGS, A STANDOUT WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END MAKES AN APPEARANCE. SUGGS LOOKS TO BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE JACKETS OFFENSE THIS YEAR.
HIS POSITION COACH, TRACE SATCHER, JOINS HIM ON THE PROGRAM. SATCHER, A VETERAN DENHAM SPRINGS ASSISTANT, COACHES BOTH TIGHT ENDS AND FULLBACKS FOR THE JACKETS.
NORTHWESTERN LOUISIANA FRESHMAN NATALIE LANDRY WILL TALK ABOUT HER DAYS AS A STAR ATHLETE AT DENHAM SPRINGS. LANDRY WILL BE PLAYING SOFTBALL FOR THE LADY DEMONS.
SPRINGFIELD HS HEAD COACH RYAN SERPAS IS INTERVIEWED AS THE DRU NETTLES SHOW BEGINS ITS WEEKLY LOOK AT OTHER LIVINGSTON PARISH FOOTBALL SCHOOLS.
THE LIVINGSTON PARISH NEWS SPORTSWRITER SERIES CONTINUES AS VETERAN SCRIBE AL TIRCUIT COMES ON THE SHOW TO DISCUSS TULANE’S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PROSPECTS.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL IS THE TOPIC WITH LAGUNA BEACH VOLLEYBALL OWNER SHANE LACOMBE.
THE SPONSOR OF THE WEEK IS BENCAZ DENTAL CARE, REPRESENTED BY MISHAUX RAMIREZ.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE DRU NETTLES SHOW, JACKETS FANS ARE URGED TO VISIT JONFINEPRODUCTIONS. COM OR LIKE THEDRUNETTLES SHOW ON FACEBOOK.
NEW DIGS
Central Speaks Radio Hour with Dave Freneaux on THE CENTRAL STORY will be now be housed at Zoe’s Pizza Buffet, each Wednesday, 5:30pm—6:30pm
This will be our second program emanating from Zoe’s. The Sid Edwards Show also originates (Coach Sid and Steve Johnson don’t know the meaning of emanating) from this outstanding establishment.)
Owner Blake Andrews is a former sports talk personality in Baton Rouge before getting into something legitimate! Thanks, Blake!!
RETURN OF THE REF
After a 3 week hiatus, we are glad to report that Dennis Dearie did not cause any international incidents. Hopefully, he’ll provoke some thoughts from readers as Hey Ref returns to JonFineProductions.com. Welcome back Dennis!
BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
MONDAY—FRIDAY: 5:30PM—6:30PM: THE CENTRAL STORY Internet: JonFineProductions.com Radio: WPFC, 1550AM, BR App: Central Now App
Thursday, Aug 9: The Sid Edwards Show (from Zoe’s Pizza Buffet) Sid Edwards, Steve Johnson
Friday, Aug 10: KandiLand (from Romero’s Food Mart—Joor & Lovett) Kandi Jones
Monday, Aug 13: From Me And My House (from The Jambalaya Shoppe) Steve Johnson
Tuesday, Aug 14: The Central Chamber C-4 Power Hour (from Café’ Delphi Greek & Lebanese Restaurant) Ron Erickson/Matt Price
Wednesday, August 15: Central Speaks Radio Hour (from Zoe’s Pizza Buffet) Dave Freneaux
THURSDAY, August 9: 6PM—7PM: The Dru Nettles Show Television: Cox 4, Baton Rouge
Dru Nettles, Jon Fine
FRIDAY, August 10: 10:30AM—11:30AM: replay of Thursday night’s The Dru Nettles Show
SportsRadio—1310-KEZM-Lake Charles Programming of Interest
Tuesday, August 14: 8AM—9AM: The Locker Room Radio: KEZM, 1310AM, LC Internet: KEZMOnLine.com John Goodman (featuring Jon Fine as a weekly interview a little before 8:10AM)
Thursday, 8AM—9AM: Sports On The Bayou Radio: KEZM, 1310AM, LC Internet: KEZMOnLine.com Richard Dow
Friday, 8AM—9AM: The Locker Room
WE THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR UTMOST TO PATRONIZE SPONSORS OF OUR PROGRAMMING. THIS HELPS US TREMENDOUSLY IN SUSTAINING OUR WEEKLY LINE-UP AND WILL ASSIST US IN ADDING MORE PROGRAMS IN THE FUTURE. KINDLY MAKE AN EFFORT TO LET SPONSORS KNOW YOU HEARD THEIR BUSINESS METNIONED ON OUR BROADCAST(S).
AFTER HOURS
Late-Night Musings From A Former LSU Beat Writer
By Carl Dubois, Sports Editor, (McMinnville, Oregon) News-Register
THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY, Ore. — The week had nowhere to go but down, in my mind, after such an interesting Sunday night. The Olympics continued to entertain. The Mars rover, Curiosity, landed successfully, setting off celebrations by space geeks everywhere. But hey, there’s an NFL angle here too. Tell me I’m not the only one here old enough to want a comment from Otis Sistrunk, the most distinguished alum of the University of Mars.
The New Orleans Saints got to sniff the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the weekend of Willie Roaf’s induction, and then the Saints won 17-10 against the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game. Drew Brees looked sharp, and we got to see what a New Orleans team looks like without Sean Payton’s direction. Curiosity was the word of the night, for me.
And just when you thought it was safe to simply think about football and the game between the lines, we had to sort out reports about Jonathan Vilma and his lawsuit against the NFL, and whether this was true or that was true, and whether the NFL is afraid to have some of its dirty laundry aired if the suit ever came to trial, and on and on it goes. Somehow, it seemed simpler to root for the Saints when success was simply a fantasy, perhaps a phantom. With one Super Bowl championship to its name in the 45 years since its inaugural season of 1967, the New Orleans franchise was less complicated when a.500 record was cause for optimism. Hey, can the Saints have a winning season next year? There’s a chance. Let’s see who they draft.
Oh. The draft. Right. Never mind.
As long-suffering fans go, it’s not on par with pre-2004 Boston Red Sox or the Chicago Cubs of, well, just about any time, but it had the same wait-til-next-year quality with its unique gumbo-bowl mix of seasoning. The closer you get to excellence, the more complex the dynamic, and the more some people are willing to compromise about lines they previously might not have been willing to cross. When you can sniff the prize, you just might do anything to attain it. When you’re so far from it that FedEx can’t ever guarantee that absolutely, positively it could get it there overnight, well, then maybe you don’t even see those lines you’ve never crossed before.
There’s plenty of hypocrisy within the NFL and its league office, and there’s plenty enough to go around across the league, including the fan base. There are double standards everywhere, so it’s hard for me to take too seriously the hard-line stances of almost anybody with a passion for this whole bounty investigation, regardless of what side they’re on. If you look long enough, you will find some connection between something you love and something you’d work very hard to oppose. Heck, I think at one time there was a corporate link between a popular cream-filled snack and the missiles made to carry thermonuclear devices, and there might still be. So you can’t be too wedded to ideals, lest you discover all the cross-pollination out there and end up sitting alone on an ice floe, praying for peace and hoping for wisdom. And when the team trades away or loses your favorite player, well, what happens to loyalties and allegiances?
There is something to be said for what coaches will tell you when a player leaves camp and goes home, done with the game or finished with the team. “We’ll worry about the ones who are here,” coaches say. Full season, half season, or no season for any of your favorite players, is it still your team? Do you go ahead and root for the ones who are still there? You know, I do think the game is simpler, perhaps even more fun, when you open up the program, check out the roster, see who’s there and take the game and its players on their own terms. Watch it unfold as it exists in front of you. That said, it might not be as interesting. And I can’t think of a more interesting season in Saints history than the one that got under way Sunday with the first preseason game.
See you next week.
THE WIZARDRY OF OS
The Olympics only happen once every four years, so I was thinking I better write something about them before I miss my chance.
I love the Olympics, always have. Unfortunately, as I get older, I don't get to watch as much as I did in the past. So maybe it is due to my new perspective that I have a complaint.
When did scoring and knowing how well someone did in an event get to be so complicated? Gymnastics, equestrian, and diving are just a few sports that I feel I should have taken a 2 hour seminar to understand how the scoring is done. The problem is my lack of understanding takes away from the emotion because I can’t tell on my own how well someone did in an event.
Consequently, I find that my favorite sports to watch are the ones where the winner is decided by who finished first, or who scored more goals. I love the world record line in swimming and am wondering why that hasn't been added to track.
Overall, the Olympics are great. We get to see more than we ever had in the past and live, yet people still complain. I know I just complained a bit, but it is just to simplify the scoring. All in all, it is a great event.
You know I couldn't end without mentioning the week’s drama between Vilma and the NFL. I have a new title for all that is happening. I think it should be called “ironygate.”
The NFL is denying they have offered a settlement to Vila, which apparently is a matter of semantics. The funny thing is that Goodell doesn’t care about semantics when the Saints are defending themselves, but the NFL can issue their denial because of semantics.
The only reason the NFL could even be considering the settlement is to protect Goodell from the legal process and to protect the image of the league. Once again, I find this hilarious since the NFL had no problem leaking information and smearing Jonathan Vilma.
Furthermore, the NFL’s process is in direct conflict of our judicial process. In the NFL, you are presumed guilty and must prove your innocence (basically impossible). In the NFL, you do not have the opportunity to see all the evidence being used against you which makes it impossible to prove the evidence is untrue.
I have no idea what I would do if I was in Jonathan Vilma’s shoes. Nevertheless, I am enjoying the fact that for once in this process, he appears to have the NFL on their heels.
HEY REF
If anyone noticed, this column has been missing for the last few weeks. As hard as retirement is I too needed a vacation. I spent two very HOT weeks visiting Israel and let me tell you that BS about it being a “dry” heat is just that; BS!!! Each morning our tour director tried to assure us it was only 42 to 45 that particular day.
I asked him to translate that to Fahrenheit and it came to between 110 – 115 degrees. On the day we visited the Dead Sea it was a brisk 122!! It was by every account the greatest two weeks I’ve ever spent anywhere traveling and can’t wait to go back. Anyone considering a vacation out of the country should make Israel top of their list. But this isn’t the place people look to for help in picking out a place to enjoy away from all their troubles so let me try and get back into the swing of things.
After being gone for three weeks I‘ve been trying to locate an issue that I could get the biggest “bang for my buck” so to speak but so much is going on right now in the sporting world I’m finding it very difficult to accomplish. One issue that shouldn’t be an issue except for it’s an election season is the fact that American citizens have to pay taxes on gifts, awards and/or things that have a monitory possibility.
Specifically speaking I’m talking about medals won by athletes in the Olympic Games. Certain politicians are trying to make this an issue as they campaign for our votes. I’m one of those that can’t stand to pay taxes at all but it is a necessary evil. I’ve been a supporter of Public TV and whenever there’s a drive to raise funds they offer certain “rewards” for making a donation. For those not aware of this fact the “reward” you receive from LPB IS taxable!
I still can’t figure that one out. Here you have a non-profit organization trying to raise those non-profit funds and the donators have to pay taxes on a Thank You Gift. WHAT? Am I kidding, oh, no, just make a $500.00 donation and see if you don’t receive a notice that the CD of Oldies they send you as their way of saying “Thanks” doesn’t come with a “By The Way” notice. Death and taxes are a way of life in this country.
I keep seeing and hearing all these great American Patriots claim “Freedom isn’t free” and I can’t agree more but every time I turn around there’s another group of people trying to skip out on their duty to pay for the freedoms they so very much enjoy. We’re not the only country fighting to get all of their citizens to “pay” for the benefits people want to enjoy.
While in Israel I learned that “all” males have to serve their country with 3 years of military duty, females two years. I say “all” but that’s not entirely true because the “ULTRA” Jews don’t do any military duty. This is a very sticky issue right now in Israel. The vast majorities of Jews do their civic duty and serve either the three or two years without hesitation. It’s the “cost” of living as a free Jew they’ll tell you. But there are many that don’t spend a day in service to the country and just want everyone else to put their lives on the line for them to live as a free Jew.
Also during my visit we learned of a bus of Israeli tourists that was bombed with more than sixteen being killed. It’s a sad thing to hear about but to be in the country when that type of loss of life it’s devastating. To see many young 18 to 20 year olds, males and females, carrying M-16’s over their shoulders in the stores and streets just to insure they can live in peace? I can only say “Americans stop your crying, be glad to live where you do as you do, the way of the world is very cruel”.
Getting back to the athletes in America, they shouldn’t even attempt to cry about the taxes on the medals. And I don’t think many of them do rather I believe it’s our political system trying to put up a smoke-screen of an issue to cloud our attention onto those matters we as a nation should be addressing. Just to make it to the Olympics takes a great deal of sacrifice I will give them that.
But if we all stop sending the money needed to continue living the way we’ve come to enjoy and don’t stop whining when it comes to paying the taxes needed for this one of a kind of nation and it’s freedoms then we’ll all soon be forced to speak Chinese or Russian. Then we’ll see how many will whine at a government that doesn’t allow you to do anything except what the “Party” tells you to do.
So, in getting back to the good ‘ole USA and seeing how some live in faraway countries in the conditions which they do, I’m happy to contribute, after all if freedom isn’t free then who’s to pay for it?
Till next week… …
JON IS PROUD TO WORK AS A MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE FOR SPORTSRADIO-1310-KEZM-LAKE CHARLES, IN ESTABLSHING THE “DOLLAR A HOLLER” MARKETING PROGRAM AND HELPING SELL SULPHUR HS FOOTBALL BROADCASTS.