September 11, 2014
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Our thoughts and prayers are extended to those that lost loved ones and/or were adversely affected by the tragedy of 9/11/01.
ROUGH START
A public apology to our great sponsors, listeners and Denham Springs HS for the technical issues that marred last week’s Denham Springs HS Football broadcast. Since the broadcasts are a Jon Fine Production, I take full responsibility. Hopefully, with some adjustments that have been made outside of our domain, we’ll be able to provide you with better broadcasts for you the rest of the year.
THE DRU NETTLES SHOW
Former Denham Springs HS football player/coach/athletic director/principal Butch Wax headlines the guests appearing on this week’s The Dru Nettles Show. Wax is both a Louisiana High School Athletics Association and the Denham Springs HS Athletic Hall of Fame member.
The Dru Nettles Show airs tonight, 6pm—7pm, on Cox 4 Television, Baton Rouge. Replays are on Fridays, 11am and Saturdays at 1pm. The program is hosted by Denham Springs HS Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Dru Nettles and yours truly, Jon Fine.
In addition to Butch Wax, other guests on the program include Senior Football players, Matt Evans and Tyler O’Donoghue, and DSHS assistant coach (Fight On) Josh Neal. The Sponsor of The Week is Livingston Waste, represented by owner Jack Fridge, a former Yellow Jackets basketball player. There will also be an academic segment and highlights of the Woodlawn game.
For more information on The Dru Nettles Show, please visit The Dru Nettles Show page on JonFineProductions.com.
SPORTSCENTRAL
Join Hosts Sid Edwards and Steve Johnson on SportsCentral, tonight, 5pm—6pm, on WUBR, 910AM (CBS Sports Radio) Baton Rouge… on the net at PelicanSportsTV.com… and the Tune In App: search WUBR… from Coach’s. Tonight’s guests include CHS assistant coach Brian Hargroder and players Terrell Chatman, John Hodges and Daelon Richardson.
BATON ROUGE AREA BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
Thursday, September 11: 5pm—6pm: SportsCentral… with Sid Edwards and Steve Johnson
WUBR, 910AM (CBS Sports Radio) Baton Rouge
PelicanSportsTV.com
App: search WUBR… from Coach’s
Thursday, September 11: 6pm—7pm: The Dru Nettles Show… with Dru Nettles and Jon Fine
Cox 4 Television
Baton Rouge… note new replay times: Friday, September 12 at 11am and Saturday, September 13 at 1 pm
Friday, September 12: 6pm: Denham Springs HS at Salmen HS
Jon Fine, Brian Abels, Nathan Landry
Fox Sports Radio, 1210AM, Baton Rouge… and on the net at JonFineProductions.com
SportsRadio 1310 Radio, Lake Charles Programming of Interest (also heard on KEZMOnLine.com):
Friday, September 12: 6:45pm: Sulphur HS at Holy Cross HS
Bruce Merchant, Clopha Boudreaux
Saturday, September 13: 9AM—10AM: All Things Football with Scott Holtzman
Monday, September 15: 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
I can scratch off staying at the gym and working out as a superstition for the Saints. 6 miles (combination walk and run), tired legs, and the Saints still lost in overtime.
Most of what I am going to say about the Saints is going to be things I was going to say whether they won or lost. Starting with the bad, the Saints better hope Stanley-Jean Batiste turns into the Terron Armstead of this year. Remember how bad the offensive line looked last year with Charles Brown? That’s the secondary right now.
It wasn’t all Patrick Robinson’s fault, but can you remember the last time he looked good in a regular season game? Me either.
Vaccarro played very poorly. He did not make one impact play to help the cause and had many missed tackles. Byrd made the big strip on Julio Jones, but did not make the overall impact Saints fans hoped. Nevertheless, I am optimistic Vaccarro and Byrd will play better because they have visual evidence of playing better in the past. I don’t think we can say that about Robinson.
I am sure by the time you read this, the defensive line will be called out for its lack of production and it should. The Falcons were basically down to their third string left tackle and the Saints still managed just one sack and one hurry.
Meanwhile, the turning point of the game in my book was the last 20 seconds of the first half. A few weeks ago I mentioned my bewilderment that in those obvious passing situations NFL defensive coordinators make it so easy for offenses to get receivers matched on linebackers in the middle of the field. It continues to happen. That field goal was huge because the Falcons got the ball first to start the second half.
Obviously, all three turnovers in the game were huge and poorly timed for the offenses. They all led to points. The Falcons forced one more than the Saints and won by one score. Imagine that.
So where is the good news? The offense is stacked which is not news. The only thing missing were the explosive plays. Still, the ability to run behind Armstead is a great sign especially for scoring in the red zone. Cooks brings the ability to design creative plays that keeps the defense guessing. The offense just needs more chances, which requires the defense stopping the opponent from time to time or forcing turnovers… broken record.
On the college football side, the playoff picture is already coming into focus. Oregon would have to be better than a 50/50 favorite to be the Pac10 representative. Stanford is their biggest challenger (not USC, sorry Trojans) and already has a conference loss. The rest of the conference does not look very strong.
Florida State has always been the safest best to be in the top 4. Oklahoma’s biggest challenge will come from Baylor, but one of those teams look to be a safe as well.
Where did all this clarity come from? The fact that the Big10 is done. Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, and Wisconsin’s non conference losses have doomed the credibility of that league. The SEC will have one team for sure (99% sure).
Can LSU be one of those teams? I still don’t think so, but they have definitely peeked my interest this week. Forget the opponent. Here is why, despite the opponent, LSU should be on the national radar.
The defense is extremely deep. They should not wear down against A&M, Ole Miss, and Auburn.
The secondary is very good. It will be hard for offensive coordinators to find a favorable matchup.
The quality of the secondary allows Chavis to blitz from all areas.
Chavis has speed rush blitz toys to play with like Dwayne Thomas and Deoin Jones similar to when he had Brooks and Matthieu.
Offensively, life just got harder on defensive coordinators. No longer can they just prepare for a couple of formations and know where the quarterback will be when they design their game plan. Cam Cameron is willing to spread the field to run without a fullback. That also gets more skilled weapons on the field.
The depth of the team and the quality of this freshman class should make for scary good special teams? Remember when Jarvis Landry was a backup receiver and special teams monster? The quality of the roster has LSU back on that level with guys like Jamal Adams running around salivating for a chance to get on the field and make game changing plays.
As a result, LSU is competing against themselves to get better. That competitiveness was shown in the 4th quarter against Sam Houston. If that continues it will decrease the likelihood of playing down to an opponent, and increase the likelihood of the team improving throughout the season.
HEY REF
Round ‘N round she goes and nobody knows where she, well… Now that week one is in the books so to speak let me get to a friend’s question. The first thing we must remember in watching what goes on during a high school game on Friday night IS in many ways completely different than either Saturday or Sunday afternoons.
There are times when the exact play will happen on all three days and the same penalty will be called yet the officials will enforce the penalty differently. Sometimes the NFL will award a first down for something but college and high school will only walk off yardage.
I got a call last week and was greeted with “your boys really blew a big one last night” (Friday). I said “really, well it’s to be expected since it is the first game (and we do make mistakes each week) where it counts towards a possible playoff berth so please explain what you say”.
“We punt and their receiver fumbled the ball then our guys pick it up and run for a touchdown but the refs blew the whistle and wouldn’t give us the touchdown. Our kid’s knee never came close to the ground so there’s no way he was down by contact or any other way”. So I asked if that was the entire play and the answer was “YES”, they blew it and it could’ve cost us the game”.
Well, if the returner did in fact FUMBLE the ball and your kid picked it up and ran into the endzone without being tackled or down by contact then I’ve got to agree OUR GUYS BLEW THE CALL!!! I hope I haven’t shocked anyone by writing the refs blew the call because there’s one thing that will never happen here and that is not call ‘em right down the middle; only getting the call correct matters here at “Hey Ref”.
But I had to ask a couple questions before I could say the stripes blew a possible touchdown scoring play. I asked my friend a simple few questions to get as close to what really happened before I called “MY GUYS”. First I asked did the return man signal for a fair-catch and the answer was “no”. O. K. then tell me how far did your guy run with the ball before he fumbled and the answer was “HE DIDN’T CATCH THE PUNT; IT BOUNCED OFF HIS HANDS”. O. K. so I asked my friend to tell me what happened next and he says the ball went rolling toward the endzone at about the 25 yard line where his player picked it up and ran for a touchdown when all of a sudden the whistle blows and we’re screwed out of six points.
So now I’ve got the ‘ole “smoking gun” here my friend. In high school the term for what the returner did was he “MUFFED” the punt and not “FUMBLED” it. I told him to pay attention real close here; a player cannot FUMBLE until he gains POSSESSTION. Also, in high school a KICK remains a KICK until POSSESSION is made by anyone. The rule further states “The kicking team can NEVER advance their KICK that has gone beyond the line of scrimmage”.
I explained to him that according to rule the ball was in fact STILL A KICK since no player had established possession and therefore the kicking team couldn’t advance their own kick. And that the refs were correct in blowing the whistle as soon as possession was made by the kickers and it would be the kicking team’s ball first down.
I was afraid to ask if the officials did give the ball to the kicking team and of course they did. The home team booed the call and just couldn’t understand why they didn’t get that touchdown. And of course he ended the conversation “That ain’t how they do it on Sundays”. So, I had to hang up the phone by telling him “You’re right, that ain’t how it’s done on Sundays”… …
It will happen during the season where I’ll get a call (or two or three) and “My Guys” will blow one because we’re human and we do make mistakes and blow a few. But I know the vast majority of calls will be correct for a game played on a Friday night and certainly not how it’s done on a Sunday… …
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.
The Rotary Club of Livingston Parish
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 Carl Herrick with Sandler Training. Carl is a fellow Rotarian, entrepreneur, family man, and all around good guy. You are in for a real treat this Friday. Expect to laugh, learn, and grow. I know… these things never happen together! Get to the meeting to experience it for yourself!
Last week’s meeting:
• Last week Layton Ricks shared with us the exciting events and projects happening in our parish. He spoke about zoning, growth, Juban Crossing, industrial interest and growth, as well as salutes to the fun and festivals held around the parish. However, the single most important thing he said was the repairs to the bridge on Wax Road will begin before the end of the year. Woo Hoo!!
• Our club has a brag jar. Better bring your dollars folks!
• Animal Shelter project creeps forward.
Proposed Members (any names in this section have asked to be a member of our club. If any member has an opinion regarding accepting or denying the application of the names below please notify leadership.)
Upcoming Events/Projects:
• Nothing
We better get planning!
Note from the President:
• September is New Generations month. We spend this month infecting the minds of our youth… you like rotary; you love rotary; you want to be a Rotarian!!! And the cycle continues
Guest Speakers and General Membership Meeting Dates:
• Sept 19 – Guest Speaker, Marcel Dupre, Rotary Youth Exchange
• Oct 10 – District Governor, Ms. Proctor
• Nov 14 - Patrick Beauchamp, Farm Bureau
Brags:
• Leesha Gleber thanked Marshall Denton for the kind notes he sends to us in the community.
• Marshall Jerry Denton thanked Alex Theriot for speaking last week and for sending him his first note and inspiring him to send notes to others.
• Keith Stark encouraged all to support his campaign.
• Jack Whitehead and Bill Lee thanked the club for allowing them to visit.
• Marcel Dupre is interested in opening an office in Denham Springs; because we are just so cool!
• Most important news…
Abigail DePino is having a baby boy!!! We all look forward to meeting him in January
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 BARBE HS BASEBALL AND SOUTH LAKE CHARLES PLAYOFF BROADCASTS
AND AS A MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE/ CONSULTANT FOR SPORTSCENTRAL ON WUBR,910AM (CBS SPORTS RADIO), BATON ROUGE.