July 3, 2013
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!
1 MONTH AWAY: The Dru Nettles Show, Cox 4 Television, Thursday, August 1 (6pm—7pm) with a replay on Friday, August 2 (8:30am—9:30am).
--One commercial sponsorship remaining! Done on a first-come, first-served basis. Thank you Denham Springs/Livingston Parish businesses!!
8 WEEKS AWAY: Denham Springs HS Football radio broadcasts
Plaquemine HS Football radio broadcasts
St. John HS Football radio broadcasts
--While not counting his money, big-time DSHS fan Wiley Pope can now listen to Jackets away games once again!
--Special shout-out in memory of Plaquemine’s the late “Duane from Plaquemine”. Duane Alleman was a terrific caller to SportsTalk (the predecessor of SportsGumbo), our Baton Rouge sports-talk show (at times syndicated in other Louisiana cities). “Hey, Hey, Hey”--borrowed from What’s Happening, a television show back in the day--was our standard introduction to Duane’s frequent phone calls.
CONTRACTING, MERGING
As we take 3 days off (July 3—5), for the 4th of July Holiday, come Monday, July 8, The Central Story will move to a 2 day a week program. Destined To Win, with Pastor Rocky Bezet of The Rock Church, will air Mondays. The newly created The Central Sports & Business Report, with Steve Johnson and Matt Price, will air Thursdays. Both programs will air 5:30pm—6:30pm on WPFC, 1550AM and on the Net at JonFineProductions.com. Steve & Matt’s show will be broadcast live from Me’Pa’s Diner, Sullivan Road—next to Chase Bank, in Central.
The move to a 2 day a week program is strictly a business decision. This is not a reflection on the caliber of KandiLand (with Kandi Jones and friends TJ Johnson, Aaron Moak and Philip Ziegler) nor Looking Forward (with Brockwell Bone). They had real good shows. I thank them for their time and efforts.
We look forward to a 2 night a week program that we anticipate will do real well, continuing to provide City of Central listeners and supporters with a quality Central program.
A very special thank you to our terrific sponsors. At this point, with about 75% contacted, we have not had one single defection.
Somewhere down the road, we hope to have a comprehensive elaboration/elucidation.
BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
MONDAYS & THURSDAYS: 5:30PM—6:30PM THE CENTRAL STORY
WPFC, 1550AM, BR
JonFineProductions.com
Monday, July 8: Destined To Win
Pastor Rocky Bezet, Pastor, The Rock Church
Thursday, July 11: The Central Sports & Business Report… with Steve Johnson & Matt Price… broadcast live from Me’Pa’s Diner—Sullivan Road, Next to Chase Bank, in Central.
SportsRadio—1310-KEZM-Lake Charles Programming of Interest (also heard on KEZMOnLine.com)
Monday, July 8: 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
As it turns out, I was not the only person high on Anthony Bennett since the Cavaliers selected him with the first pick of the draft last week (I wrote last week that the Pelicans should draft him sixth thinking he would be available). At the same time, I am flabbergasted that Trey Burke lasted to the ninth pick. I still think he will have the most immediate impact of all rookies, though.
As for the Pelicans, I don't see how anyone can find fault in what they did. In a draft with so few impact players, the Pelicans added an All-Star. Not a future All-Star or a potential All-Star. An actual All-Star who is young and not overpaid. Jrue Holiday is a great addition to the team.
As I said last week when referring to the possibility of selecting Trey Burke, the Pelicans must now move a guard from their roster to fill other needs. The news this week is the Pelicans have offered Tyreke Evans who is a restricted free agent. The plan seems to be to use their abundance of small guards to add a small forward.
While the plan makes some sense, there are many questions. What position would Evans play? If they get Evans, they will be adding someone who can create and attack the basket, but would be a little undersized to defend as a small forward. Also, the word is that he doesn't want to play that position. If it ends up being a sign and trade with Gordon, then Evans would play the two guard and the Pelicans would still be looking for a small forward.
All that being said, the Kings could match the offer which brings me back to me wondering what needs they will actually be able to fill. When they drafted Noel it was the smart thing to do because he was the best trade bait in falling from one to six. The Pelicans obviously used Noel to gain the best player they could instead of using Noel to get the best player at a need position they could. That philosophy fits with most teams draft concepts.
Yet, in making that choice, the Pelicans must fill their needs in free agency. They are still lacking perimeter shooters, a quality athletic small forward, and an inside scorer. I think Pelican fans could see a big jump in the win column if the Pelicans are able to attract two of those three needs.
HEY REF
I really do like the July 4th holiday for many reasons. Not just because there’s so much going on in the sporting world at this time of year but because we need to take time off for a reality check. I say that simply because far too many of us seem in dire need of a life. Along with it being our nation’s birthday if but on paper only we need to stop and give “Thanks” for the sacrifices made just a couple hundred years by real Americans.
I won’t use this column to deliver a civics lesson to the masses although I feel we are way past due for some serious soul searching. Today’s lesson will be a simple one; thanking God I was born in the U. S. A. For all that is wrong with our country we’re still in the top 10 as most desired places to call HOME. That says a lot but it sure isn’t something to be bragging about since it wasn’t too terribly long ago we were a constant and consistent number one.
With that said and over with it’s with a very sad heart that I must report some very troubling news as far as I’m concerned. One of our “own”, MLB Umpire Brian Runge has fallen into the pits as a drug abuser. The AP has confirmed through confidential sources that can only speak on the ‘ole condition of anonymity since MLB hasn’t come out publicly and given a direct reason for his termination.
I received a call on this story after a fan of last week’s “Hey Ref” column wanted to ask me if I’d be surprised now that an umpire was let go (fired) due supposedly to drug use. Staying true to form I answered the ONLY way anyone with integrity could answer and that was with a resounding “Hell no I’m not surprised one bit”. And of course the voice on the other end of the phone just couldn’t help himself by saying “Hey Ref, what are you gonna say now”?
This is the darkest side of modern day professional sports when those that are supposedly beyond approach are themselves involved with drug use and/or abuse. I hate to see this type of thing happening to a fine family such as the Runges. After all the Runge family is MLB’s first and only three generation family of umpires.
His grandfather Ed called American League games from 1954-70 and worked the World Series on three separate occasions. Brian’s father, Paul, a National Leaguer had a career that ran from 1973-97. And true to form Paul was selected to call four different World Series Classics.
I can say without a doubt this isn’t NEWS to the powers that be in any facet of the sporting world. Drugs inhabit every walk of modern life. There are few and far between the number of families that haven’t been touched by the scourge of illegal drug abuse. To compound our problems in today’s society the newest plague ravaging the American way of life is the out of control, skyrocketing occurrences of prescription drug abuse.
Now please don’t think for a moment that I believe we should cut any umpire, referee or official any slack since we see players and owners going through re-hab services and then continuing their lives as though nothing is a miss. On the contraire; we should come down extra hard on those individuals since they are where “THE BUCK STOPS HERE”!
If we are to declare the Fourth of July as Independence Day maybe now, at least in the Sporting World, shouldn’t we all stand up united as one and say we must declare at the very least our games on all levels to be free of drugs!!
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 AND BARBE HS BASEBALL PLAYOFF BROADCASTS.