July 10, 2014
4 WEEKS AWAY
The Dru Nettles Show returns for its 3rd year on Thursday, August 7. Hosted by Denham Springs HS Athletic Director/Head Football coach Dru Nettles, with Jon Fine, the weekly show will air on Cox 4 Television-Baton Rouge on Thursday nights, 6pm-7pm, with replays Friday mornings at 10:30am. Also, there is a strong possibility of a second replay on Saturdays
Denham Springs HS Football radio broadcasts return for their 20th season (out of 21 years… hiccup year of 2012!) on 1210AM and on the net at JonFineProductions.com. First broadcast is Friday, September 5, when the Jackets play host to Woodlawn HS. With Brian Abels on color, Jon Fine handles play-by-play.
CENTRAL’S WEEKLY SPORTS SHOW
The Central Sports & Business Report airs 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. Host Steve Johnson will be joined by CHS assistant football coach Aaron Clark and CHS senior football players Jace Bragg, Blaze Courville, Cameron Hooper and Micah Venable.
BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
Thursday, July 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, July 12: 9AM—10AM: All Things Football with Scott Holtzman
Monday, July 14: 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
Here we go again. The middle of the summer. It is not quite time to talk about football season in my book, and there is not anything happening to my sports teams that I have a passionate desire to talk about.
So I have decided to answer some of the pressing national sporting questions (as if I have the answers) that are asked at this time of the year.
Will Tiger Woods win a major this year? No way. Not only that, Tiger is not going to pass Jack Nicklaus. He may win another major or two, but he will only be able to scrape another two majors out at most. I predict he will win just one more major. An incredible career for sure.
Will Alabama win the national championship? No, so you can breathe a sigh of relief since that is all LSU fans care about. In years when LSU is not set up to win it all, Tiger fans just ask, please don't let it be Alabama. And you know I am right. I don't know who will win it, but I am also betting against FSU even though they are certainly in the discussion. Who will win it all?? I didn't ask that question this time.
Who will win the World Cup? This may not be your question, since it isn't going to be the U. S. Nevertheless, the answer is Germany. They have been to the semifinals the last four World Cups and this is their time.
Is Johnny Manziel the next Ryan Leaf? No, because the teams that drafted early were smart enough to pass on him. Ryan Leaf went second overall, so these two aren't in the same bust discussion. Think about the fact that if Cleveland didn't have two first round picks Manziel would likely have fallen out of the first round completely. The Browns fell in love with the idea of energizing the fan base. He will certainly make some highlight plays, and have some big games early in his career. Nevertheless, he is going to be a train wreck over the long haul.
Will the "Big Three" come back to the Heat? No. Bosh will leave. LeBron and Wade will stay. Just call it a hunch.
Can LSU football make it through the whole summer without a major off the field incident? I know I said answers to national questions, but this is my article, so I can cheat. Anyway, the answer is yes the Tigers can make it. Will they???
HEY REF
And the winner is? Envelope please, Jimmy Graham of course who else? Stephen Burbank the arbitrator charged with settling the dispute between the Saints and its future Hall of Fame tight end made his ruling known last Wednesday. Burbank ruled in favor of the New Orleans franchise simply because it is the right decision after all is said and done.
This, the ruling, isn’t a setback in any sense of the word as to whether Graham will rake in millions of dollars because he most definitely will. For those that are calling last week’s ruling a loss for Graham all I can say is you mustn’t be looking at the big picture. If Graham had been successful in having himself and his position redefined then the floodgates would’ve been opened wider than the break in the levees caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Every player would then seek to change his status and want the league to pay them even more simply because the way his talents are used in certain styles of offenses. Talk about a circus that would then be played out on every field in the NFL. You may think this is off the wall but just think for a second had the arbitrator ruled in Graham’s favor. Go ahead; take another second or two…
Graham wanted all those extra millions because he lined up just six feet wider on many plays which he felt made him a wide receiver. He of course is not a wide-out in any way, shape or form. The position he thought he was playing calls for him to sprint some 50-60 yards downfield in less than 3 seconds to catch the ‘ole “Hail Mary” or “bomb”. Mr. Graham is a mountain of a man at 6’7” tall and weighs in the neighborhood of some 270lbs.
Just exactly what ramifications could we see? On Sunday afternoons in a world where millions of dollars would be at stake based solely on your defined position it is very possible that some players seeing those millions of extra bucks coming their way if they’d just split out another 6 feet or so. Oh, come on Ref; that’s ridiculous you say? I’m sorry but it’s not because that’s what Graham was claiming.
The reasoning behind his claims were just that; six feet wider than normal. In this modern game of multiple formations, motions, stunts and angles of attack that every NFL team deploys players, just the same as fans, are being made to multi-task. We’ve all heard it in our work places and every employer that I know of expects all of his employees to multi-task or they better be ready to join the unemployment line.
Under the CBA with its players the NFL has what’s known as a franchise tag. Simply put it (the tag) allows each team the right to keep only one free agent it feels is necessary to keep it competitive. Under the terms the position of a “tagged” tight end is only $7 million as opposed to just $12 million for a wide receiver. Without my calculator I believe we’re talking a difference of some $5 million, give or take a few hundred thou.
I don’t for one second think poor little Jimmy will play for a mere $7 million. In the end Graham will sign a long term contract with a minimum of perhaps a $5-$8 million dollar signing bonus. It’s become a very over used way around sticky little things as terms of the CBA, salary cap and so on. After all is said and done almost everybody wins with Graham’s defeat because he’ll get his millions and the NFL will have dodged one of the biggest bullets it’s had to face since the last player’s strike.
Which of course leaves us with the only loser in all this; Saints’ fans. Because whenever salaries increase the monies have to come from somewhere. You either cut costs; i.e. expenses (most of the time jobs) or profit. No way on God’s green earth will Tom Benson cut his salary or want a loss of profits. So, the fans will pay more for the honor of watching a game inside the Dome.
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 will be Casie McMurray. Yes, we all know and love Casie for her fun and vibrate “Hot Denham” and her always entertaining stories! Now she will be speaking at Rotary. This could be the best guest speaker our club may have all year. Do you want to say you missed this meeting? I bet not!
Last week’s meeting:
• Last week we did not meet so that our members could celebrate this country’s independence with their families. Week before we swore in our new officers. We showed our gratitude to the past year and look forward to the amazing opportunities we have before us! Rock on Rotary!
• Our club has a brag jar. Better bring your dollars folks!
• Supply list for animal shelter was distributed. We need a builder!!!
Upcoming Events/Projects:
• Currently selling wine tasting tickets. Sell! Sell! Sell!
• Ronnie Millsap concert 7/11
• Wine Tasting 7/25
Note from the President:
• July is Rotary Grants month. How does a club get a grant? Could this club get a grant? How many different types of grants does rotary offer? Hummmm
So many questions, so much to learn!
Guest Speakers and General Membership Meeting Dates:
• July 18 – Isabel Casas, Ryla attendee
• July 25 – Guest Speaker, Public Service Commissioner
• Aug 8 – Guest Speaker, Livingston Parish Arts Council
• Sept 12 – Carl Herrick, Sandler Training (pending)
• Oct 10 – Patrick Beauchamp, Estate Planner (pending)
Brags:
• The truth… my sheet of notes is with all of the other Rotary stuff that is now packed up and in a closet at my house… not at all convenient for the drafting of this Bull. However, I can recap some general points from our last meeting…
• THIS IS THE MOST AWESOME CLUB IN DISTRICT 6200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How was that? Pretty freakin’ accurate, I know!
Members:
• Your quarterly dues have been distributed. 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 ESTABLISHING THE “DOLLAR A HOLLER” MARKETING PROGRAM AND HELPING SELL SULPHUR HS FOOTBALL BROADCASTS AND BARBE HS BASEBALL PLAYOFF BROADCASTS.