January 3, 2013
HAPPY NEW YEAR
THE CENTRAL STORY returned to the airwaves on Wednesday, 1/2. We now resume our 5 day a week schedule (after taking time off the last 2 weeks for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day/New Year’s Eve/ New Year’s Day) See our line-up below.
HAPPY DRU YEAR
Last Thursday, 12/27, we concluded our first season of The Dru Nettles Show. See Press Release below.
BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
MONDAY—FRIDAY: 5:30PM—6:30PM THE CENTRAL STORY JonFineProductions.com
WPFC, 1550AM, BR
App: Central Now App
Thursday, Jan 3: The Sid Edwards Show (from Zoe’s Pizza Buffet)
Sid Edwards, Steve Johnson
Friday, Jan 4: KandiLand (from Romero’s Food Mart—Joor & Lovett location)
Kandi Jones
Monday, Jan 7: As For Me and My House (from Jambalaya Bistro)
Steve Johnson
Tuesday, Jan 8: The Central Business Report (from Café’ Delphi Greek & Lebanese Restaurant) Matt Price
Wednesday, Jan 9: Central Speaks Radio Hour (from Zoe’s Pizza Buffet) Dave Freneaux
SportsRadio—1310-KEZM-Lake Charles Programming of Interest
Thursday, Dec 27: 8AM—9AM: Sports On The Bayou Radio: KEZM, 1310AM, LC
KEZMOnLine.com
Richard Dow
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 MENTIONED ON OUR BROADCAST(S).
PRESS RELEASE
THE DRU NETTLES SHOW
“I think 26 weeks of Jon Fine is about all I can take!”
And, with those words from Denham Springs HS Athletic Director/Head Football coach Dru Nettles about his weekly television show co-host/Producer, the first season of The Dru Nettles Show came to a conclusion last Thursday, December 27.
For his part, Fine was excited about the show. “In a certain sense, we made history. I don’t believe that a 26 week television high school coaches’ show of this magnitude has ever been done previously in this area. And, with Coach Nettles’ enthusiastic presence each week, it made our program real unique for the high school level.”
Fine said he received good feedback. “We had a lot of positive comments. The Denham Springs—Livingston Parish area had nice things to say about the program. The folks at Cox 4 were effusive with praise. Even my mom enjoyed the show… although it did hurt my feelings when she said Coach was a lot better looking than me!”
Fine said there were a lot of components to the show’s success. “Without our great sponsors, none of this is possible. A lot of Denham businesses “stepped up” and supported a concept. We pre-sold the program before the very first show and were able to generate a terrific business response. Whether it’s been our Jackets football broadcasts, Coach Nettles radio show, and now, our television program we’ve always been able to attract a great business community backing for our sports broadcasts. I’m greatly appreciative.”
Fine lauded Cox 4’s contributions. “This was my first sustained television venture, so there was a learning curve. The people at Cox 4 made it real easy. Jason Furrate, Eric Coleman, Lori Finta, all of our camera operators, and others behind the scene really allowed the program to thrive, technically.”
Others were instrumental in the program. “From the only principle/pal Denham Springs abides by—Kelly Jones--and our academic segment… to Coach (Josh) Neal providing us with weekly video during the season. Fight On Coach Neal… to The Livingston Parish News with great coverage and a regular rotation of quality sportswriter guests… to WBRZ Productions… to our great guests… to Gerald Snead, Jerome Cambre and then Chris Ledoux assisting during the show… to Big Mike’s furnishing delicious spreads for people working on the program… to our great viewers, several who helped spread the word through TheDruNettlesShow Facebook page… to, again, Coach Nettles and Cox 4
Heck, with all this help, even I couldn’t screw this up!”
Season Two? Fine anticipates that happening in July 2013. “One thing I’ve learned in 30 years or so of being a sportscaster is that the only predictable thing is the unpredictable. Having said that, we really hope to return to Cox 4 for the second season of the program. The game plan is to be on the first week of July, with the same time slot (Thursdays, 6pm-7pm).”
Fine said that he will update viewers of the program via The Livingston Parish News sports section “if they should be so gracious to continue to provide us with their great coverage”, Facebook page TheDruNettlesShow.com, and The Dru Nettles Show page on JonFineProductions.com.
Fine’s closing comments were of their usual profound depth. “Dru, Dru, Dru, Dru, Dru, Dru… … ”
THE WIZARDRY OF OS
I am writing this article at 10:40 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. If this sounds pathetic to you, I would agree because I am pathetic right now. I cannot imagine a more disgusting end to my 2012 LSU and Saints football watching than what I watched the last two days.
It was easier when I was a kid. I knew LSU and the Saints weren’t very talented. Times have changed and this entire calendar year has been tough to handle.
For the record, I can pout with the best of them, so to spare you from that, I will drown you in numbers that symbolize my (and many other fans of these teams) frustrations.
Starting with the Saints, we all know Steve Smith has torched the Saints over the years. While it is difficult to watch, my brain can handle it because Steve Smith is one of the best receivers in the NFL over the last 10 years.
What my brain and heart can’t handle is watching Deangelo Williams. Just look at the numbers from Williams in his last 8 games against the Saints compared to his career stats without those 8 games. When you are done reading, I dare you to think of any word other than “incredible.”
8 games 128 carries 926 yards 7.23 ypc 115.75 ypg 7 TDs
88 games 1041 carries 3858 yards 3.7 ypc 43.85 ypg 36 TDs
Now for LSU, let’s look at the fourth quarter stats from the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
LSU had 1 yard and 0 first downs. Clemson had 169 yards and 12 first downs.
Those numbers can’t help but send my brain back to the other Bowl game LSU played in 2012. Last week I wrote that I can’t see this offense being one of the best in years till I see evidence on the field. I am certainly no closer to believing the offense will be any better next year.
The fact is that the offense has been the Achilles heel of this program since 2007, and there is no reason to think that is going to change any time soon. The burden placed on the special teams and defense to win games against the quality competition LSU plays each year is immense. Here are the numbers:
Year Total Defense Rank by Yards Scoring Defense Rank Final Record
2012 7 11 10-3
2011 2 2 13-1
2010 12 11 11-2
2009 26 11 9-4
2008 32 56 8-5
My hope for 2013 is that the defense can handle what is expected to be a loss of 7 starters, and still finish as a top 10 defense. If not, the prospects for 2013 are precarious, especially considering the difficulty of the schedule.
In closing, I have never been one for New Year’s Resolutions, but here is one I can easily keep. After the last two days of watching the Tigers and Saints play football, I am not going to watch either team play again for 7 months. While I know that statement is silly, the next one is not and is the truth. For once, I am not going to miss watching.
By the way, Happy New Year.
HEY REF
By Dennnis Dearie,
Veteran Louisiana High School Referee
Yes, Virginia, you must play a full sixty minutes of intense, mistake proof football in order to walk away with a victory. I dislike, well; really, I hate the football polls because they serve no purpose except to rank possible bowl game opponents. Don’t look for anything to improve the situation in 2013 when the “NEW” playoff format takes over most of the college game.
So many have for so many years cried foul when the new rankings come out at the beginning of each week during the season. But you can “bet the farm” there will be much loader protests when the FINAL poll comes out and only four teams will play for all the marbles.
For whatever reason the football world feels we must have a champion crowned on the field. This argument as I’ve written many times is, well; way beyond me. Which, I can tell you isn’t really a hard thing to do. But I’ll take the “old” way of allowing fans to debate their way of crowning a champion any day as to the continued flawed plans that will most certainly repeat every two or three years.
My number one reason above all is the shear fact that football is an extremely dangerous game to play. Why should anyone ask these young 19 – 20 year olds to suit up for an extra game or two? Is your life that empty? It has to be that you’ve got to see just one more game, a game where these athletes are risking their health, their futures and their careers.
If we can’t crown a champ after 12 or 13 games then we to scrub the idea of crowning a champ all together. You can’t tell me we need to risk life and limb just so we can say our team is number one. Tell the kid and his family that his knee so badly injured on the last play of game 14, 15 or 16 is well worth all the pain he’ll endure for the next 45 or 50 years. Its total asinine, don’t you think? How can we say we’ve got a true champ based on the outcome of one more game?
Why not play the best out of three? Not good enough, course not. Let’s play the best of five, seven or nine. Thinking like that makes me wonder if this idea of a champ being a true champ after just one more game won’t last and we’ll be watching a playoff in the middle of June. Why not keep playing until all of the players across the field have been carted off and they cannot field a team of eleven.
We should return to the thought that college campuses are for educating our youth and the supposed future leaders of our country. But we don’t want to go there; athletes are only as good (or needed) as their eligibility! BANG, did I hit a nerve? Yu bet your butt I did. Kids are being run out of school as soon as they can’t wear a uniform. And that’s the worst thing in all this madness.
Now that we are getting into “round ball” the ugliness of making onto a roster really shows its face. I’ve written about this horrible behavior many times and I will continue until it’s totally abolished. “What am I talking about”? The NCAA won’t enforce a rule to keep kids in school after a new coach takes over because they don’t like to “interfere”! What a crock! If a coach doesn’t want a kid that’s in school on a scholarship that’s too bad.
Once a kid enters school, no matter the number of coaching changes that institution owes it to the athlete and his family to complete the education side of those awarded scholarships. No ands, ifs or buts! Many of the kids playing major college sports can’t afford books much less tuition.
And that’s where I’d like to start off a new year, by getting schools to educate their athletes a full four years. If the player falls behind then get him/her a tutor and hold up your end of the bargain. It doesn’t do anybody any good to rush for 2,000 yards if he can’t even spell the name of the school on his diploma.
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.
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