November 7, 2013
ON THE AIR!: Denham Springs HS Football radio broadcasts
Plaquemine HS Football radio broadcasts
St. John HS Football radio broadcasts
GAME CHANGE
This week, we will be broadcasting the St. John HS—Ascension Christian HS game on 1550AM and JonFineProductions.com. Next week, we will have Plaquemine’s first-round playoff game.
DRU
Tonight’s The Dru Nettles Show will feature DSHS Assistant Coach Daniel Deselles, student Crhis Bolin (representative FCA) with Scooter Keen of Quick N Handy Cleaners as Sponsor of The Week.
THE CENTRAL STORY
Tonight on The Central Sports & Business Report, Steve Johnson and Matt Price will be joined by CHS JV Coach Matt Edwards and Wildcats defensive players Jeremy Jackson, Blake Lansing, Lane Courville, plus OL Josh Bragg..
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.
THE BULL IS COMING
The Livingston Parish Rotary Bull debuts in next week’s newsletter.
BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
Thursday, November 7: 5:30pm—6:30pm: The Central Sports & Business Report (on The Central Story)… with Steve Johnson and Matt Price… broadcasting live from Me’ Pa’s Diner in Central
WPFC, 1550AM, BR
Internet: JonFineProductions.com
Thursday, November 7s: 6:00pm—7:00pm: The Dru Nettles Show… with Dru Nettles & Jon Fine
Cox 4 Television, Baton Rouge (replays on Friday, October 18, 10:30am—11:30am and Saturday, October 19, 12:30pm—1:30pm)
Friday, November 8: 6:00pm: HS Football: Denham Springs HS vs Walkker HS
Jon Fine, Brian Abels, Chris Ledoux
Comedy-1210-Baton Rouge.. JonFineProductions.com
Friday, November 9”s: 6:00 pm: HS Football: St. John HS vs Ascension Christian HS
J. B. Barker, Brian “Baco” Romero
WPFC, 1550AM, BatonRouge.. JonFineProductions.com
Monday, November 11: 5:30pm—6:30pm: Destined To Win (on The Central Story)
Pastor Rocky Bezet, Pastor, The Rock Church
WPFC, 1550AM, BR
Internet: JonFineProductions.com
SportsRadio—1310-KEZM-Lake Charles Programming of Interest (also heard on KEZMOnLine.com)
Friday, November 1: 6:45PM: Sulphur HS at Barbe HS
Bruce Merchant, Clopha Boudreaux
Saturday, November 2: 9AM—10AM: All Things Football with Scott Holtzman
Monday, November 4: 8AM—10AM: The Locker Room with John Goodman and Jim Gazzolo
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 and Head Swimming Coach at Central High School
The “next man up” philosophy is great in sports, but the next man must step up for it to work. On Sunday, the Saints did not get the next man to step up and it cost them a victory. The fact is that the 53 man roster gets tested in the NFL in a 16 game season. The Saints roster failed that test Sunday.
The Chris Ivory angle may be fun and interesting, but any criticism on the Saints for trading the wrong running back is from people living in a fantasy world. In order to make a trade, the other team has to see value in the player. The NFL general managers are watching the same game that Saints fans are and those general managers didn’t want Mark Ingram, they wanted Chris Ivory.
Regardless of who was running the football, the biggest issue in the run defense is the big plays the Saints continue to surrender. Big plays in the run game are usually surrendered by poor tackling, poor alignment, or poor discipline. At this point, the Saints seem to be most guilty of the last two issues. The good news is that those issues are correctable. But considering the upcoming schedule, those corrections must be made quickly.
Unfortunately, the Saints enter the most challenging portion of their schedule while missing many key components on offense. For all the talk about the defense against the Jets, the offense is where the Saints are suppose to win games. The offense had their chances and did not get the job done.
As it stands, the Saints are not getting the performance necessary from the middle of the offensive line to be the dominant offense we are accustom to seeing. Instead of being extraordinary, the offense was good the first 7 weeks by taking care of the ball and producing at the right time. On Sunday, the turnovers cost the Saints and dropped passes as key times kept the Saints from gaining first downs and led to turnovers.
Speaking of offenses, LSU’s must play their best game of the year for the Tigers to upset Alabama. Anyone that doesn’t understand that a win by LSU this Saturday would be a tremendous upset is not being honest with themselves.
Saturday should be LSU’s third loss of the year. Alabama is better. Offensively, the teams are mirror images. Good, but not great offensive lines. Both teams have excellent receivers and running backs, and very good senior quarterbacks. Both teams have good special teams.
The difference is obvious. Despite their poor performance at A&M, the Tide has a very strong defense. LSU does not. The only team LSU has looked strong against defensively for four quarters is Florida, and we now know how inept the Gators are on offense. Many people will say the LSU defense is not good against the spread this year, but is better against a more traditional offense. Did they watch the Georgia game?
Despite all that, the Tigers have an excellent chance to pull the upset. Here are the keys to the upset. First, win the turnover margin by two or more. That will mean taking chances on defense to disrupt. Second, LSU must get explosive plays on offense. That is how A&M scored so many on Alabama and it has been how LSU’s offense has been the most effective. Third, LSU needs to do something it has been unable to do recently and that is win a close game at the end. The offense will need to put together a dramatic drive late and the defense will have to get the key stop.
HEY REF
This is the final week of the 2013 regular high school football season. Some district races have been settled and some won't be decided until late Friday night. And now what we've all been waiting for, playoff seedlings, those won't be finished until sometime Sunday afternoon. At least those at the LHSAA hope they can get things finalized by then.
Playoff brackets this year will be expanded to 9 championships after member principals voted earlier this year to split schools into two separate divisions; Select and Non-Select. It's going to be one of those "wait-n-see" what happens next experiments.
I feel many principals voted for the new format due in large part to their school's inability to compete with the private schools. And I have to agree with them that the old playoff format of just five championships was being dominated by PRIVATE schools.
The private/select schools were able and in fact were, and are still, recruiting players/students. These student-athletes had but one thing required of them and that was to excel in the sport they were brought in to play. Public schools confined to attendance zones were soon unable to compete.
Some might like to take me to task on that assertion but they know the truth and that truth was confirmed year after year in the Superdome as more and more champions being crowned were those schools charging tuition and had the ability to recruit the best players these schools could afford.
The new playoff system like so many experiments will have flaws and schools must learn from those flaws to improve the playoffs as a whole. Some schools will no doubt find nothing but what's not right while some will confess they love the new system.
Whatever side you align yourself one thing's for sure, there will be changes made to improve the system. Some want to scrap the new brackets before we get a chance to try it out. I'll keep my opinion till the end of the season. But one thing is a certain; the have-nots will attempt to alter any system put in place in an effort to "level" the playing field.
I just hope mistakes and errors will be minimal and any changes made will be those that make it better for the players and fans. The LHSAA will becrossing their collective fingers hoping they did the right thing. Whatever comes from the new system time will only tell.
I have to hand it to those principals that voted for a change and I must remind those principals that voted "NO" the majority want this change. I can only sit back and hope the kids are the real winners in this expanded playoff system. After all aren't the changes being made for them?
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.