July 11, 2013
3 WEEKS AWAY: The Dru Nettles Show, Cox 4 Television, Thursday, August 1 (6pm—7pm) with a replay on Friday, August 2 (10:30am—11:30am).
--Sponsorship signage on Jon’s belly being considered. Will Dru approve?
7 WEEKS AWAY: Denham Springs HS Football radio broadcasts
Plaquemine HS Football radio broadcasts
St. John HS Football radio broadcasts
--Big Mike O’Neal to fill in for Brian Abels (away on business) on color commentary for first Denham Springs (Jamboree) broadcast. With Big Mike and play-by-play announcer Jon Fine working together, the FCC and local authorities will be alerted
Sport-N-Center to sponsor the pre-game show on Denham broadcasts this year. Great year-in year-out sponsor of our broadcasts and community citizen. Thanks Stacy Phipps.
-- St. Johns/Plaquemine Play-by-Play announcer JB Barker already making a big positive impact with sponsors and prospective sponsors. Jon not kicked out of any places (yet) because of affiliation with JB
Jon, of his own volition, almost kicked out of curt non-sponsoring business
Stacy, how about a 2nd location in Plaquemine?
--Business Alert
This heat is having an intoxicating impact on Jon. Never one to use restraint to begin with, come 4pm on, after a long day of selling out in the sun, Jon becomes delirious and, thus, will not take responsibility for anything that comes out of his mouth. Businesses subjected to Jon’s late afternoon inane rhetoric, your understanding is much appreciated!
SHOW DEBUT!
The Central Sports & Business Report (a combination of prior The Central Story programs The Steve Johnson Show and The Central Business Report) comes to The Central Story tonight (Thursday, a lucky 7/11). Steve Johnson and Matt Price co-host, and they have a terrific line-up of guests scheduled to appear.
Steve will talk with Central HS Defensive Coordinator Ken Hilton, Offensive Coordinator David Simoneaux, plus Wildcats players Demitir Colomb and Braylen Mattox. Matt will be joined by Central businessman Gerald Reid and Larry Boudreaux of www. CousinBoudreaux.com… Features include The Leader Report—discussing upcoming events in Central and the debut of the Cajun Joke of The Week (from Larry Boudreaux)
We’ll be broadcasting live from Me’ Pa’s Diner, Sullivan Road, next to Chase Bank.
Monday night on The Central Story, it’s Destined to Win, with Rocky Bezet, Pastor, The Rock Church.
The Central Story airs Monday and Thursday nights, 5:30pm—6:30pm, on WPFC, 1550AM, Baton Rouge and on the Net at JonFineProductions.com
Positioning statement of The Central Story.—No strings attached.
LOYAL SPONSORS
Still awaiting word on 3 or 4 more
But, at this writing, we have retained 20 of 21 sponsors
We don’t have Central’s muckety-muck (the biggest reason why we have had to contract), but we have wonderfully supportive true Central businesses that recognize the value of our programming. THANK YOU.
OMISSION FROM LAST WEEK
Thank you, Billy Thompson, for the contributions you made on Wednesday nights on THE CENTRAL STORY.
BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
MONDAYS & THURSDAYS: 5:30PM—6:30PM The Central Story
WPFC, 1550AM, BR
JonFineProductions.com
Thursday, July 11: The Central Sports & Business Report… with Steve Johnson & Matt Price… broadcasting live from Me’Pa’s Diner—Sullivan Road, Next to Chase Bank, in Central.
Monday, July 15: Destined To Win
Pastor Rocky Bezet, Pastor, The Rock Church
SportsRadio—1310-KEZM-Lake Charles Programming of Interest (also heard on KEZMOnLine.com)
Monday, July 15: 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 I was heading out of town to visit family, wondering what to write about in the middle of summer, I reflected on the last year of local sports with an eye toward this coming year.
This time last year, Sean Payton's suspension and Drew Brees' contract dominated the headlines. We all were hoping the Saints could overcome these unprecedented circumstances, but they could not. I am relieved that this off season appears to moving along smoothly. The hope is that the first "normal" off season in two years and a defensive overhaul will lead to a special season.
The next big news was Tyrann Matthieu's suspension, early season injuries to Alfred Blue, Chris Faulk, and then the loss of Alex Hurst. Once again, we hoped these unfortunate circumstances wouldn't keep LSU from living up to its preseason potential, but it did. After losing an unprecedented number of juniors to the NFL and another high profile player getting suspended (Hill) we are all hoping a new offensive coordinator and consistently high ranked recruiting classes can keep LSU in the Top 10.
As the Hornets, now Pelicans, began the year, we knew it was going to be a tough year. What I wanted to see was flashes of what the future may hold with young talent like Austin Rivers, Anthony Davis, and Eric Gordon. For the most part, injuries to all three kept that from happening. Instead, Vasquez and Anderson had better years than expected. I am not expecting the playoffs this year, but progressing into a playoff contending team seems realistic.
Most people expected very little out of the LSU basketball team this year, and after the first two weeks of SEC play, baseball season couldn't start soon enough. But the Tigers figured a few things out including how to close out games and finished the season much better than expected. That finish, an excellent recruiting class, and the return of Hickey and Bryant have raised the expectation to making the NCAA Tournament this year.
The LSU baseball team was expected to be very good and return to Omaha. The best start in school history turned into the best regular season in school history, which
led to the highest hopes as LSU returned to Omaha. Next year the story will be whether a team loaded with talented sophomores and freshman, anchored by Aaron Nola, can return to the CWS.
As someone who grew up in the 80s and 90s with no NBA franchise, struggling LSU and Saints football, I know better than to look down on this past year. Nevertheless, I can't help but look forward to next year with more optimism than this last year.
It is hard to imagine LSU football or the Saints having to overcome more adversity than they did last year. The Pelicans and LSU basketball should be much improved. Meanwhile, LSU baseball should be in the mix for the CWS, which as we learned this year, means they will be in position to compete for a national championship.
As always, there will be plenty of twists and turns along the way. Yet, the best news as a fan is always that the whole cycle will be starting again in less than a month with fall practice.
HEY REF
There are a few important things I need to spend time on this week but before I can get to them I’ve got to address a new story breaking in the NFL. In all fairness to those that continue to deny there was anything to the so-called “Bounty Gate” orchestrated by former New Orleans defensive coach Gregg Williams please explain to me the newest charges filed against him and former LSU player Robert Royal!
To continue denying of the “pay for pain” system didn’t exist in the Saint’s organization is well beyond me. I’ve written on more than one occasion that after seeing and reading testimony from players and coaches that I’m convinced. I know learning the facts just doesn’t sit well with certain fans of certain teams but I love having all the facts BEFORE I shoot myself in the foot.
While watching the NFL Championship game between New Orleans and Minnesota in which Viking quarterback Brett Favre took an unmerciful beating I was convinced that something was “up” because the dirty play was just too evident from the opening kickoff. Favre was quoted after the game that on at least five occasions the referee apologized to him for NOT CALLING the late/dirty hits. I’ve also written that Williams got off too easy with only a one year suspension then re-instatement and I stand by that quote today. If Goodell had any balls he would’ve stripped the Saints of their lone Super Bowl Title. There is absolutely no room for that type of play and or coaching in any league whatsoever.
In this sue-happy society we live in today just about every player that was injured by a questionable hit while Williams was employed by the opposition will try and do their best to make a Federal Case out of said injury. Williams is a massive liability to each and every organization that hires him. So with that said I feel no sympathy for the Tennessee Titans, his current employer, or any other team in the future that may pick him up after another failed season and/or firing.
Even if Barrett Green, the player that filed this latest suit seeking over $10 million in lost wages, isn’t successful in getting a jury to hear his case there’ll be nothing to stop any and all former players to bring similar cases against Williams and every former team he has coached in his career. The floodgates are just now being breached and I doubt there won’t be a rush of former NFL players wanting to jump on this bandwagon no matter if their claims are frivolous or not.
With that out of the way I’d like to use the rest of my space to cover a MAJOR rule change for the upcoming High School Football Season. I refer to it as the “Toast” rule in which the covering official in his judgment feels a player INTENTIONALLY commits pass interference an EXTRA 15 yards will be tacked onto the original 15 yards for P. I. in effect walking off 30 YARDS!!!
Coaches are asking all kinds of questions and putting forth so many instances where they feel the interference was INTENTIONAL that it’s causing unneeded stress for the officials trying to understand the rule change and its ramifications. The National Federation, the organization charged with making High School rules, has for decades tried their best to make officiating H. S. games easier on its officials that in this case I believe they GOOFED.
I think their belief in making such a bold change is to stop what I call the “toast defense”. In my 20 plus years of working these games I’ve only ONCE called the interference INTENTIONAL and only marked off the prescribed 15 yards. It happened many years ago in a game between Capital and Broadmoor. As the Broadmoor receiver made a quick “out ‘n up” and ran past the cornerback, the defender’s eyes looked bigger than a dinner plate.
The offensive player had beaten him by two steps and had nothing between him and the goal line so I knew we had a potential long pass that should be good for 6 points. As I’m watching the ball head toward my receiver I notice the defender look down at his opponent’s feet. With all he had he kicked the open receiver’s legs from under him and the pass landed about five feet from both of them.
The defender knew he was “burnt” so the only option he had was to kick at the feet or grab the wide out. After I threw my flag and made sure we didn’t have any punches thrown I asked the defender “WHY”? His answer “coach would rather give up the penalty then a touchdown”.
So, that was as honest an answer as I’ve gotten from a guilty player in my entire career. And of course I get Coach Bates yelling at me as we walked off for halftime saying it was “accidental that the feet got tangled up”. You might be right during the second half but I didn’t lose one bit of asleep that night.
So I must inform all officials and coaches that this new rule is meant to discourage INTENTIONAL acts to gain an upper hand against their opponents plus it’s for the safety of all players not to attempt this type of action during a game. We as officials are not mind readers so coaches before you try and influence a call by claiming “that was intentional” remember “what goes around; comes around”.
We’re not looking to penalize any team more yardage, we’re out there to insure both teams play by the rules without going outside of the INTENT of the rules to gain an advantage. I hope to cover more of the changes next week because another MAJOR change now doesn’t include an AUTOMATIC FIRST DOWN.
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.