March 21, 2013
A FINE MESS
After conducting a galaxy-wide search, considering any and every candidate interested in calling play-by-play for Live Oak HS Baseball and Walker HS Baseball radio broadcasts, Jon Fine Productions weighed only the most stringent of criteria: the shortest, fattest, silliest person… who would work for free would be hired. The best (and only) qualified person to fit these dubious standards? Jon Fine!… Having the ignominious distinction of joining Jon on the air will be Chris Ledoux (on Walker HS broadcasts) and Robbie Harrison (on Live Oak games)
Broadcasts will be heard on Comedy, 1210, Baton Rouge and on the net at JonFineProductions.com
As some last minute details are being worked out, the full schedule of 8 broadcasts will appear in next week’s newsletter.
SWEETNESS
Last week’s trivia question, commemorating JonFineProductions.com Newsletter’s subscription base surpassing 1,800 people: In the history of the NFL, 1,800 yards has been surpassed by a running back (rushing yardage) 18 times. One of them was a former Tiger. Can you name him?… The late, great one-time Jackson State Tiger Walter Payton
Correctly answering the question was E. A. from Walker.
CENTRAL GUESTS
Steve Johnson’s “The Steve Johnson Show” on THE CENTRAL STORY (tonight, 5:30pm—6:30pm, broadcasting live from Zoe’s Pizza Buffet, on WPFC, 1550AM, BR and on the Net at JonFineProductions.com) will feature guests including former CHS assistant football coach Richard Day, CHS Powerlifting Coach Ken Hilton with state champion Caleb Clark, and CHS Tennis Coach Carmen Evans. Coach Day was a coach on Central’s state championship team
Monday night, it is “Destined To Win” with Steve Johnson and Dr. Rocky Bezet (The Rock Church), broadcasting live from The Jambalaya Bistro
Tuesday night’s program, Matt Price’s “The Central Business Report”, also from The Jambalaya Bistro, will have a plethora of Central’s finest business people, including a representative from Dr. David Prudhomme—Central Oaks Dental Care, Doug Davis from Davis & Son’s Collision & Towing, Seth Finley of The Jambalaya Bistro, Brandon Kelley with E-Federal Credit Union and Ronald Erickson with Central Lawn Pro
THE CENTRAL STORY’s nightly lineup also includes “Looking Forward” with Brockwell Bone (Wednesdays, Zoe’s Pizza Buffet) and KandiLand with Kandi Jones and Friends--TJ Johnson, Aaron Moak and Philip Ziegler—(Fridays, Romero’s Food Mart—Joor & Lovett location).
BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
MONDAY—FRIDAY: 5:30PM—6:30PM THE CENTRAL STORY JonFineProductions.com
WPFC, 1550AM, BR
JonFineProductions.com
Thursday, March 21: The Steve Johnson Show (from Zoe’s Pizza Buffet)
Steve Johnson
Friday, March 22: KandiLand (from Romero’s Food Mart—Joor & Lovett location)
Kandi Jones, with TJ Johnson, Aaron Moak and Philip Ziegler
Monday, March 25: Destined To Win (from The Jambalaya Bistro)
Steve Johnson and Dr. Rocky Bezet (The Rock Church)
Tuesday, March 26: The Central Business Report (from The Jambalaya Bistro) Matt Price
Wednesday, March 27: Looking Forward (from Zoe’s Pizza Buffet)
Brockwell Bone
SportsRadio—1310-KEZM-Lake Charles Programming of Interest
Monday, March 25: 3PM—5PM: Bayou Blitz with Alex Hickey and Miguel Gauthreaux
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).
THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Assistant Basketball Coach/Head Swimming Coach at Central High School
The SEC is bad in basketball. I heard that over and over this weekend on TV and saw the results in the NCAA and NIT brackets.
Does anyone know why the SEC is bad? I am sure some will blame football, but the South's love affair with football hasn't hurt the SEC in baseball. College athletics are not like high school where overlapping sports share players. The SEC basketball teams get their players and the SEC football teams have their own players.
Others will say that the SEC athletic administrations are not committed to winning basketball. But is that true? Where is the evidence? Let's look at facilities. Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Auburn, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina have new or legendary arenas. Many other schools have been recently renovated their arenas. Most schools in the SEC now have separate practice facilities for basketball as well.
Is the problem that SEC schools don't invest in coaches? Everyone knows Calipari and Donovan are elite coaches. Frank Martin, Mike Anderson, and Andy Kennedy all had success in other power conferences. In addition, the coaching salaries are comparable to the other conferences.
The region is not short on quality basketball players. Yet, the SEC recruiting classes outside of Kentucky and Florida are consistently ranked outside of the top 20. I don't know why that is such a problem considering the success the SEC is having overall as a conference, but I have a theory.
The SEC coaches are guilty of bad scheduling. As a result, recruits don't see the SEC playing elite competition in front of excited crowds like they did when LSU was playing Georgetown in the Superdome and Arkansas was playing UNLV and Tark the Shark. SEC coaches are trying so hard to get to 20 wins by scheduling 12 automatic wins out of conference that they rarely play against quality opponents. The SEC football coaches and baseball coaches can get away with this because the conference schedule is so brutal and interesting. The same is not true in basketball.
Instead, maybe the SEC basketball coaches need to push their programs beyond mediocrity in scheduling. Schedule interesting games and see if that draws the interest of fans and recruits. Another result of improved scheduling may be that the selection committee will give SEC teams the benefit of the doubt come selection time.
I don’t know who has the answer to what will turn around the SEC in basketball, and it may not be me. What I am sure of is that was has been happening in recent history is not working, and there is no excuse for these results in a conference like the SEC.
HEY REF
I’ve always heard an old saying that goes something like “if you can build a better mouse trap, the world will beat a path to your door”. Well, as I’m waiting for word from the LHSAA’s meeting on splitting up the football playoffs I wonder how many principals thought this was going to be (an forgive the cliché’) “A walk in the park”?
Seems some put the cart in front of the horse, OH, SH*T another cliché’!!! I apologize but sometimes when you try to do the right thing you just create a lot of extra work for yourself but in this case I’m throwing my full support behind the principals that voted to split the “haves and have nots”…
One thing this writer will always do is tell it like it is and if you’re offended well nothing I can do if the truth hurts. “What’s this dividing of public and private (select) schools and why is it causing such an uproar” some are asking. To better define what the schools and the vast majority of principals are attempting is to put those schools that can recruit in divisions together and away from the public schools that have to accept the students in their attendance zones, no matter what.
The pattern that’s developed in all the football finals is that those that recruit can and are winning it all. This past December FOUR of FIVE State Titles went to PRIVATE SCHOOLS. This pattern was going to win out since so much of our world depends on wining that big money schools would load up their rosters with the biggest, strongest and fastest athletes money could buy. And that in a nut shell is what’s going on in Louisiana High School Football.
The ONLY public school that’s been able to run with the big dogs is West Monroe. They also recruit although the LHSAA turns their back on this since in all actuality it’s the athletic association, a private group so they can’t be regulated by the long arm of the Association, that’s behind brining in the big dogs to hunt for the Rebels.
The private schools love taking home the gold so to speak but the time has come for them to earn it. I keep hearing parents telling their children that the best things in life are the things we work for and earn. So it’s time to put up Mr. and Mrs. Private School. You throw dollars at the athletic programs to build a winning program yet you play against teams that can’t give you a decent quarter much less a complete game!!!
I know this for a fact since I spent almost 20 years on the field working many of the so called contests that turn out to be nothing more than glorified scrimmages for some schools like John Curtis, Evangel, Rummel and so on. Sure coaches like the challenge of meeting such powerhouses but the kids are completely blown away when they go toe to toe with these semi-collegiate varsity teams.
Some public schools will have their biggest kid somewhere around 5’ 8” and 180lbs. Then the private school has an army of kids 6’5” and 340lbs. It happens and I see many kids getting hurt while attempting to tackle these brutes. But the tide is turning in the favor of placing these contests more on a level field if you will.
And just for the record the LHSAA is strictly voluntary, you don’t have to join. But the big problem is you can’t play another school that’s a member so you’re sh*t out of luck trying to fill a 10 week football schedule. Also, the schools took a vote on the splitting up and it was passed with well over 200 schools voting “yes” and a limited number just over 100 saying “no”.
The vote was by the member schools so private schools are upset and want to take this matter to court. What they should be doing is teaching their students a very good civics lesson on how Democracy worked in the outcome of the vote taken in this highly charged matter. Seems they are more content on showing everyone that “if you don’t get your way, SUE ‘em”! And just how freaking tired are we of everybody suing everybody over the tinniest of things? I know I am but maybe the kids will see how the spoiled people operate in the real world!!!
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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