August 27, 2015
YEAR # 21
Denham Springs HS Football games will air in 2015 on Fox Sports Radio, 1210AM, Baton Rouge. For more information, please see next week’s JonFineProductions.com Newsletter and/or check out Sam Muffoletta’s article in the 9/3 Livingston Parish News.
NO TV SHOW
Regretfully, we will not have The Dru Nettles Show this season. We’ve had a tremendous positive response to the show for the 3 seasons the show aired on Cox 4 Television, Baton Rouge. Viewers deserve an explanation. It follows.
This was a decision made, exclusively, by me (Jon Fine). The overriding factor was that I did not do a good enough job in selling enough advertising time throughout the years to the Big Boys, to project that 2 major productions would be viable in 2015. To have a 4 hour radio broadcast of high school football games on a Clear Channel station AND a weekly prime-time television 1 hour high school coaches show on a prominent local channel on stations in the 80th largest market in the country—for a community that is a suburb of the 80th largest market, it takes an enormous amount of big business support. Jon Fine Productions has not done a good enough job in generating this support, on a per capital basis, from the largest businesses in Denham Springs. I apologize to viewers of the program.
It came down to a choice of doing the radio play-by-play or the television show. Personally, I enjoy doing the television show a lot more than the radio play-by-play, largely attributable to external factors. DSHS chose for us to produce the radio broadcasts… which is the right decision… my personal enjoyment aside.
A very special thank you to Jason Furrate, Eric Coleman and their wonderful staff at Cox 4. You are as professional and as nice a group of people as I have ever worked with in broadcasting. You have restored my faith in mankind!!… A special Thank You to Coach Nettles. Except for in late Oct/early Nov of each of our 3 seasons, when my juvenility started to wear on Coach Nettles, we enjoyed a real good working relationship.
JIM SPRING FOR PRESIDENT 2016
DSHS Hall of Fame Ticket Sales Underway Ticket sales are underway through August 31 at the school office for the Class of 2015 DSHS Athletic Hall of Fame induction banquet set for September 3 at Forrest Grove Plantation in Denham Springs. This marks the fifth year that Yellow Jacket sports greats have been honored at this popular community event. Tickets must be purchased in advance for $50 per person that includes a catered meal and a fun evening of nostalgia. The following sports icons will be celebrated this year: Harvey Armstrong, Teresa Babin Fontaine, Sammy Dixon Hannaman, Bradley Harris, Kenny Loup, Tasmin Mitchell, Rene Moseley Severio, and Roy Zachary. All proceeds are used to support the full spectrum of DSHS athletics. For additional info, contact Jim Spring at (225) 588-0366
1968 LSU FOOTBALL GUIDE TONITE
ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides, our EBay store, sells media guides and programs. Please visit JonFineProductions.com and click on icon to get to the store. Check out a full array of New Orleans Saints media guides and LSU media guides and programs.
SPORTSCENTRAL
SportsCentral airs tonight! See program information just below.
BATON ROUGE AREA BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
Thursday, August 27: 5pm—6pm: SportsCentral… with Sid Edwards and Steve Johnson
Radio Amour 91.9… from Coach’s
SportsRadio 1310 Radio, Lake Charles Programming of Interest (also heard on KEZMOnLine.com):
Saturday, August 29: 9AM—10AM: All Things Football with Scott Holtzman
Monday, August 31: 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
I wasn't about to write about the Saints last week. Preseason games barely count for anything, but they really don't count when your Hall of Fame starting quarterback does not play.
That being said, I caution Saints fans from getting overly excited by their performance against the Patriots just as the performance against the Ravens shouldn't have been too big of a deal. The difference between winning and losing a regular season NFL game is determined over the course of a full 60 minute game. As great as the Saints looked on their first two drives, there were three quarters of that game yet to be played. Injuries, turnovers, and a number of factors would have played into determining the winner in a real game.
What I do take from the game is more confirmation that we will see an improved product over last year. That confirmation comes from more visual evidence that Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis not only evaluated the entire organization, but included themselves in that evaluation. Many leaders of teams will look closely at their players and staff, but won't examine themselves.
Obviously, the Saints changed personnel, some of their coaching staff, and members of the organization involved with talent evaluation. What is less obvious, but equally important was watching the Saints run their offense to start the game. In recent years, the Saints have talked about tempo. Yet, watching them play, the Saints have been getting to the line of scrimmage with around 8-12 seconds left on the play clock. Many times Brees was making his audibles and getting the ball snapped as time expired.
I love seeing the Saints get to the line of scrimmage earlier for many reasons. The top reason is that doesn't happen by accident. That is a result of concentrated, detailed effort by Payton to run the offense in a different manner that allows for better tempo.
On the defensive side, moving coaches from the field to the press box in order to find the best method of operation is another example of what I am talking about. Furthermore, they are smart enough to continue to evaluate the success of their new ideas and strategies.
We will have plenty of time to evaluate the performance on the field. Brees looks like a new man now that he is healthy. The Saints look like they hit the jackpot with Anthony, Davidson, and Kikaha in the draft. At the same time there are some depth issues at certain positions, and I am concerned a little about Lelito at guard.
The regular season games will be the final evaluation as to the success of Payton and Loomis' overhaul. Yet from my seat, I am comfortable knowing and being able to see the honest and detailed attempt to improve.
HEY REF
Before we get to what matters, this first week of the 2015 high school football season, I’d like to take a quick look at a situation I found myself in last week. Readers of this column are very much aware that this official has never and will never try to pass myself off as a “know it all”. After 20 plus seasons I’m the first to admit that I’m still learning. That’s the way I was “raised” back in ’79 when I first started wearing stripes on Friday nights.
No matter how many years you’ve been WORKING football it’s those first couple weeks of each and every new season while officials are meeting to discuss “What’s New” that the anxiety level is beyond “MAX”. I found myself in just such a situation since this is the year the LHSAA is changing its Rules Test every official must take and pass in order to work varsity games.
In the beginning we used the phrase “brain fart” when a rule stumped us no matter how long we looked, searched and studied. I’d spent more time than I want to admit searching high and low trying to find an answer. I feared this brain fart would turn out to be terminal since I was unable to find anything that satisfied me so I reached out to the so called rules guru. I told him I just had the biggest brain-fart of my life. I knew the answer to my question would be a simple one or there might’ve been a slight chance of a rule change that I’m not aware of.
The answer to my simple question was very easily found but the reaction and statement I received from this guru burned me to my core. If you’ve done this job more than once then no doubt you’ve also suffered one of these brain farts while preparing for your test. I’ll just simply file his answer away and if I get a game with you then you’d better be at the pinnacle of your career cause the slightest hick-up I’ll remind you how high a pedestal you’ve put yourself on and it’s a hard fall from that altitude.
Once again I’ve been allowed inside the world of why officials suck on Friday night. Too many officials feel they alone are God’s gift to the game. They’d rather intimidate and embarrass a fellow official in the hopes of making themselves look good and not do the right thing. They shouldn’t “slap” a fellow official in the face when someone has reached out to them. After all I’m aware of just one person that’s walked on water!!
There’s a right way to help fellow officials see the forest even though they can’t get around all the trees in front of them. I guess he feels good after a game when he’s made all the right calls but his crew screwed up all night. Sorry but my “Old School” way of making sure every member of my crew is certain of the very rules we’re charged with enforcing has a clear understanding of each and every rule. The “Old School” train of thought is “We get it right as a crew and we get it wrong as a crew”. No member is above any other member; we’re there to make sure neither team gets an advantage by going outside the intent of the rules. It makes for a better game when each member of the crew respects each other. It’s sad and bad for the game when some officials feel contempt for others in the crew.
AND NOW TO THIS WEEK’S VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE
Coaches
Coaches
Coaches
If you’ve never heard or read a single column of “Hey Ref” then this should be your first! I want to make it very plain now before the 2015 football season begins this year as never before the officials working your Friday night games (and all others) will be concentrating on the elimination of personal fouls and unnecessary late hits.
It’s not just in high school games but every level of play the need for making the game safer is paramount. The National Federation has always taken player safety as the number one goal in any rewriting of their rules. From the opening kickoff our priority will be to curb any hint of excessive aggression and it will not be just against quarterbacks.
High school officials and the L. H. S. A. A. have been meeting for the past six months making sure that when we blow the whistle to start play every one is on the same page. But I can only hope that our coaches understand there will be no grey area when it comes to “targeting” an opposing player.
Last Monday night at our weekly meeting the vast majority of time was spent reviewing films of illegal hits and exactly what the officials are being instructed to do and what we must do when we see it. So not only will teams be walking back fifteen yards but anything that can be ruled as an intentional act to PUNISH an opponent will be met with an immediate ejection.
This means ANYTHING to ANY PLAYER that is meant to punish will be rigorously enforced. So please coaches do everybody a favor and get rid of any player that refuses to abide by these strict guidelines. You’ll be doing your school a huge favor because there will be times this fall where I’ll hear coaches say “Hey Ref; that sure was close”. And I won’t argue with any coach that says that because he’ll be correct.
The buzz word in football these days is TARGETING. Many officials and I do include myself along with them in that we won’t take this targeting thing as a rule change. In our world we’ll let a hold go without calling it (if it doesn’t influence the play or its outcome), we’ll let a guy slide if he’s just inside the neutral zone again influencing the outcome of the play is major when we work a game because the kids aren’t professional players.
But what I won’t let go is anything I feel is a cheap shot no matter if the whistle hasn’t been blown. Yes, I’m well aware that there are coaches out there telling their players to keep going hard until you hear a whistle. Some coaches feel it’s part of the game to play hard and that is a part of the game that’s always been there.
To this very day I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when I see a kid not get up. The hit doesn’t have to be a hard one to injure someone so we’re paying very close attention when the time comes for everyone to get up and into their respectable huddles. The hardest thing about working football games is when I’ve got to look at a 16 year old’s parents when they are carried off the field.
Any idea how hard it is to look a parent in the eyes if you didn’t flag someone that took a cheap shot at their son and now he’s being carted off the field? Of course not, you’ve got to be in our collective shoes to feel that disgusting, gut wrenching pain. And I feel too many “fans” forget that these are just 15 to 17 year old kids playing a game that shouldn’t put them in a wheelchair for life.
So, coaches, parents and players help the zebras out; tell your kids to hold up on any shot to your opponent cause it may just be one of yours that doesn’t get to come home right after the final whistle. I’ll close for now because this week there isn’t another issue in “Hey Ref’s” world more important than making crystal clear to all the coaches, players and parents that we’ll be calling TARGETING on those types of plays that you feel are close, borderline and “cheap”. Of course you’ll be correct but you should know by the time we get to the stadium that keeping players as safe as humanly possible is at the forefront of every one of those “hated” refs!
Till next week…
DENHAM SPRINGS HS FOOTBALL RADIO BROADCASTS, ON FOX SPORTS RADIO, 1210AM, BATON ROUGE, IS A JON FINE PRODUCTION. STILL IN ITS FORMATIVE STAGES, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT MEDIA GUIDES, IS OUR FLEDGLING EBAY STORE.
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