April 10, 2014
NEW CENTRAL LEADER ON RADIO
Newly elected Central Mayor Junior Shelton joins Steve Johnson on The Central Sports & Business Report tonight, 5:30pm—6:30pm, broadcasting live from Johnny’s Pizza House, Wax Road, in Central, on WPFC, 1550AM, Baton Rouge and on the Internet at JonFineProductions.com. Other guests on the program include CHS assistant softball coach David Dykes, along with players Amanda Biggs and Ragan Laborde.
BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
Thursday, April 10: 5:30pm—6:30pm… with Steve Johnson … broadcasting live from Johnny’s Pizza House in Central
WPFC, 1550AM, BR
Internet: JonFineProductions.com
SportsRadio 1310 Radio, Lake Charles Programming of Interest (also heard on KEZMOnLine.com:
Saturday, April 12: 9AM—10AM: All Things Football with Scott Holtzman
Monday, April 14: 8AM—10AM: The Locker Room with John Goodman and Jim Gazzolo
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Assistant Basketball Coach and Head Swimming Coach at Central High
Some people just cannot be satisfied. Around every championship these days, it seems that someone feels the obligation to let everyone know they think the current method of crowning a champion stinks.
Those people have begged for a playoff in college football for years. "It should be decided on the field. Not by computers or polls" they say. Then we have a grand tournament in college basketball and they say, "This tournament makes the regular season meaningless. This method is bad."
This comment is made because UConn won it all as a seven seed. We have not seen this accomplishment in 25 years, but it is still a huge problem to these people. The same system pitted two undefeated teams against each other in women's basketball. But, somehow the system stinks.
Without giving a better option that has all benefits and no negatives (like they desire), these individuals will not accept what coaches and many other have come to accept. As long as the requirements are clear ahead of time so everyone can plan, and applied to all then almost any method is a good method. There is no such thing as an absolute best team. Injuries, bad days, bad luck, and exceptional performances make nothing absolute in sports and that includes champions. Each system must balance the regular season, and yet provide an opportunity for performance to determine post season success.
Those that look down on the different methods want every regular season game to matter and the post season to crown the absolutely, undisputed best team at the end the champion… and oh by the way, they want a Cinderella every once in a while too. While they are at it, we might as well ask that everyone has a flying pony. Their standards are impractical, and they disregard the positives.
The college football season acts as a pseudo playoff in itself. While one game does not automatically end a team's season, the teams at the top can usually only afford a loss or two. In the end, two really good teams (now four) are going to play. It doesn't mean team the best is going to win it all, though.
Basketball is a sport where one game does not determine the best team. The NBA plays the best of seven for a reason. While the sport is not designed for every game of the regular season to matter as much as football, the regular season does matter. Earning a higher seed does make the road to the championship easier, but it does not and should not guarantee anything. The champion must earn their reward by advancing through a difficult tournament format. UConn's men did that and are deserving champions in a format that everyone agreed to ahead of time. The Huskies are the champion of the Tournament, not the regular season which is fine by me.
Every team knows these facts as they begin the year. That makes both systems good, and it makes each champion truly great and well deserving. We should spend a lot more time in trying to figure out why anyone thinks burning a couch or breaking windows is a good way to celebrate winning a championship or show frustration to losing a championship.
HEY REF
And he said “What”? Alabama football coach Nick Saban wants to have his cake and eat it too
In a recent interview he was asked for his insight on the NCAA’s attempt to slow down those teams that employ the “HURRY UP” offense. His answer was a bit confusing because he thinks the risk of injury is too great by allowing teams to snap the ball before defenses can substitute.
He along with some of the biggest names in the game feel the risk of injury is too great by having some teams run more plays than they’d normally run if there were no “HURRY UP” offenses. He and many likeminded coaches feel running six to eight “extra” plays a game will be detrimental to their player’s health and want to outlaw the use of any “HURRY UP” style of play.
They feel not being able to pull some defenders off the field after 3 or 4 plays constitutes a risk to injury. Again and again they claim their sole opposition is because of the risk for injury that increases because of players being exposed to more plays. These coaches claim the risk of injury is their number one reason for opposing the “HURRY UP” offenses we see at almost every game.
If the rules committee doesn’t outlaw the “HURRY UP” then they want a rule where those offenses will have to give defenses time to substitute and therefore not allowing a new play until a ten second delay is afforded to the opposition once the ball is made “ready” by the referee. Well we don’t have to worry about that because the rules committee has thrown out that idea or at least till next season.
My reason to bring up this fantasy, that coaches are concerned about player’s health, is that those opposed to the “HURRY UP” are talking out of both sides of their mouths. These very same coaches are supporting a playoff to determine a National Champion. If player safety and health were true concerns of these coaches then they’d have squashed any hint of a playoff.
Exposing these players to extra games is a much greater threat to their health and safety. The only driving force for a playoff system is M-O-N-E-Y! Bowl games were a way of rewarding those teams that had good seasons. Players were treated to some extra attention and comfort by traveling to so called vacation resorts and the like. That was until the powers at the NCAA figured a way to generate billions of dollars with minimal cost to them.
With the mega dollars coming from T. V. and sponsorships the pie got very large very fast. Everyone was called to the table except the ones working to generate those dollars. And again I bring up the fact the guys in thousand dollar suits and eating at only the finest restaurants are keeping the vast majority of the pie for themselves.
Now the players want to unionize to get their piece of the pie. If they are successful the presidents, chancellors and coaches know it’ll only be a matter of time before they’ll be forced to cut the pie into smaller pieces so everyone gets a taste. But we know these money grubbing worms will do whatever it takes to insure their piece doesn’t get any smaller. So if players do get paid look for higher and higher prices across the board because we know who’ll fund the player salaries that’ll be coming down the road. Oh, yes, Virginia you’re correct, the fans will have to pay for those salaries.
I guess I get upset when I hear B. S. coming from these very rich guys that they care. Because they don’t! All they care about is how much of the pie will wind up on their plates. And Little Nicky will just have to worry about his players running an extra few plays each game this coming season. The NCAA Rules Committee has dropped all proposals that would have slowed down any “HURRY UP” offenses.
The simplest way for me to tell Little Nicky what I think of his concerns is this “Don’t pee on my back and tell me it’s raining”!!!
Till next week…
The Rotary Club of Livingston Parish
Rotary Bull
By Ivy Graham
“Service Above Self”
Please visit our website at www.rotaryclublp.org.
This week’s meeting:
• This week’s meeting will be held at Big Mike’s. Fellowship begins at 11:30. The meeting is from 12:00-1:00. This week’s guest speaker is Dr. Dennis. Want to know why your sinuses go crazy in the spring? More importantly, want to know how to avoid or prevent the pollen attack on your nose? Better get to this meeting on Friday!
Last week’s meeting:
• Our club has a brag jar. Better bring your dollars folks!
• Supply list for animal shelter was distributed.
• Supply lists for the veteran’s house were distributed.
Upcoming Events/Projects:
• No Meeting on April 18th
• District Assembly May 17th
• Choices
Note from the President:
• April is Rotary Magazine month. You know that publication you get in the mail each month. The same one you read cover to cover begging for more Rotary news
Yea, THAT magazine!
Guest Speakers and General Membership Meeting Dates:
• Apr 25 – Guest Speaker, Hospice
• May 9 – Guest Speaker, Randy Rogers
• May 23 – Guest Speaker, Layton Ricks
• June 13 – Guest Speaker, Bobby Fletcher
• July 11 – Guest Speaker, Casie McMurray
• July 25 – Guest Speaker, Public Service Commissioner
• Aug 8 – Guest Speaker, Livingston Parish Arts Council
Brags:
• Jonathan Whitman thanked each and every member for their participation in club projects over the past year. Through our joint efforts our club has been able to accomplish great things!
• Leesha Gleber was challenged to come up with an even bigger project next year. Will she accept this challenge? Who knows!?
• Abigail showed off her husband this past week. She also invited everyone to attend the Art Council’s fundraiser on 4/24/14. Please see Abigail for more details.
• Marcel Dupre’ continues to support our club’s efforts to obtain a new banner. Thanks for the donations!
• Mr. Joshi has renamed his hotel. The Western Inn is now Carom Inn.
• Keith Stark has made an investment in new technology. Look out world! He is HD, locked and loaded!
Members:
• Get your information turned in to Abigail for the website!
• Work on your SWOT analysis and give your results to Jonathan.
• Your quarterly dues will be emailed. Keep a lookout! AND Please kindly and timely submit your payment to Lisa Casas.
• Shirts for sale only $7.00 for members. These things are selling like hotcakes!
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.