June 9, 2016
PRECOCIOUS
He may not know what this word means… but, he is it!! Congratulations to former Denham Springs HS Basketball player Jack Fridge, who, this week, is being honored in Las Vegas. Jack is the President of Denham Springs based Livingston Waste/Express Waste Solutions, and has been named the youngest recipient of the 40 under 40 award. Forty Waste industry executives, who are all under 40, have been named to this prestigious list. At 24, Jack is the youngest of the group!! Over the past 2 years, his company has expanded from 282 customers to more than 20,000!! Keep up the good work, Jack!!!
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SPORTSCENTRAL
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Thursday, June 9: 5pm—6pm: SportsCentral
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Assistant Basketball Coach and Head Swimming Coach at Central High School
Twenty-four hours prior to me writing this article, everyone who watches and covers LSU baseball were ultra-confident in the LSU baseball team and pitching staff. Then Rice hammered seemingly every pitcher not named Lange, Poche, or Newman and we got very anxious. Let’s try to put it all in perspective.
Rice got hot at the right time, and once again proved that baseball stats are almost meaningless in the post season. A pitcher with an ERA over 5.00 can shut an opponent down for 5 innings in one appearance. A batter can hit.260 for a season, but then hit over.500 in a regional. Naturally, a pitcher or batter can have great numbers all season and go into a slump in the post season.
You don’t see things like that happen in basketball. Most of the time 80% free throw shooters shoot 80% in the playoffs, and 40% three point shooters shoot around 40%. Golfers who shoot 73 during the season, shoot between a 70 and 75 in the post season. But, baseball is different.
Why? A good question with many answers. Baseball has so many variables. Some guys struggle all season because the season is long and they are not able to lock in for 56 games, but they can for a weekend. For other guys, the pressure of post season baseball is too much and they get outside their comfort zone which is bad news for a baseball player who had plenty of down time to think about their struggles.
Then there are the Chad Jones’, Jake Latz’s who come on late because of injury or some event early in the season that prevented them from being ready early in the season. Another reason would be a coaching adjustment, such as Michael Papierski dropping his switch hitting and just hitting right handed.
I could continue, but you get the idea. Stop looking at the stats to try to figure out what is going to happen in post season baseball.
The next question becomes whether we should feel confident or nervous heading into the Super Regional? Yes.
You have to be confident in the grit and ability to win close games. Alex Lange and Jared Poche are going to give LSU a chance, and Newman has been great. Outside of one game against Rice, the pitching staff has been great for the last 3 weeks.
But, there are many causes for concern. Duplantis has really struggled and looks a bit lost at the plate. LSU is without a consistent force in the cleanup spot. The Tigers still struggle to move runners, get the timely hit, and get runners in from third with less than two outs. The batters also seem to have a very tough time against lesser known pitchers. A week ago, we thought Latz, Gilbert, or Smith would be a quality 3rd or 4th starter. That is back in question. Finally, when will Poche be ready to go again, and how effective will he be when he does start in the Super Regional?
I don’t know what will happen this weekend, but let me give you my feeling from watching this team play this year. I think we are going to see LSU play better this weekend. I think there was greater pressure last weekend. I think the draft will be half over by the time LSU plays its first game. I think Poche and Lange are locked in, and I think the other pitchers were due a shaky performance and they got that over with against Rice. The games will be close and nerve racking, just how this team likes it.
BY DENNIS DEARIE
VETERAN LOUISIANA HS REFEREE
Just when you think things can’t get any lower comes a sick story from Louisville, Kentucky. Seems years ago Muhammad Ali started getting things confirmed for his tribute after he died. Ali insisted those tickets for his memorial service be FREE but as is just about everything in these sick times many of those that were successful in getting tickets have “offered” these tickets at a substance full price.
The service is scheduled for this Friday at the KFC’s Yum! Center and tickets were handed out on a first come first served basis. The line for tickets started forming Tuesday and you can guess the line of fans went around the block. Many of those that did get tickets were jumping for joy since there was a limit of just four tickets per individual. In less than an hour all 15,000 seats were filled and many people were turned away.
Ali’s family spokesman Bob Gunnell became extremely upset at all the people trying to make a buck even though Ali demanded the service be free to the public. He said he was made sick by the profiteering by many of those that almost immediately put their tickets up for sale on many social media outlets. He is quoted saying “I’m personally disgusted and amazed that someone would try to profit off of Muhammad Ali’s memorial service.
He made a personal appeal to all those buying tickets would stop those efforts by not purchasing any tickets. “Muhammad Ali wanted this to be a free event, an event that was open to all” Gunnell said and he is disgusted and denounced those trying to profit off the champ’s death. Some of the cheapest tickets for sale were listed at $50.00 but some have said there are those wanting more than $500.00 a seat.
“The Greatest wanted his funeral to be accessible to everyone instead of the money hungry spectacle that will be taking place Friday”. In trying to accommodate as many ordinary fans to be able to be present at his services the tickets for the memorial service are separate from his funeral services. But again, Ali wanted and demanded both be free to the general public.
Now, I can’t in any way possible be able to put a “spin” on this story. It doesn’t surprise me that people are trying to make a quick buck at the expense to many of Ali’s fans. It’s a sad example of the world we live in today. Nothing seems to be off limits in today’s world. That ole saying of “Money talks and BS walks” is the perfect label to put on this sad story. Ali was the greatest and for these so called fans to try and make money off his death are about as low as low can get.
Many years ago I remember an interview Howard Cosell did with Ali soon after he won back the heavyweight title. “Howard, Howard, now everybody will have to admit I’m the greatest”! After a short hesitation Howard replied that there would still be people that don’t consider him to be the greatest”. His answer to that statement has been engraved in the back of my memory banks; Ali smiled and said “Well if they won’t agree I’m the greatest fighter of all time they sure can’t deny that I’m the greatest promoter of all time”.
But in Hey Ref’s world Ali was both. Growing up I heard my grandfather once say “It ain’t bragging if you can do what you said you could do”! Ali was a showman, he was the ringmaster, he was the ticket taker, he sold refreshments, and he parked your car. Simply said Ali was everything. He could go toe to toe with Joe Frazier; he could knockout bigger and stronger fighters such as Sonny Liston then Rope-a-dope George Forman.
I knew plenty of people bought tickets to his fights just to see someone shut him up but he’d bark even louder as he stood over fighters. I wish I could remember the fighter’s name but this one guy refused to call him Ali in all the prefight hype. So, after just one round Ali had the guy beat but he refused to knock him out. He repeatedly would hold him up until he regained his “legs” then would pound him harder and all the while he’d ask him “What’s my name, what’s my name”?
The whole boxing world learned his name that night. Ali later said “it” (the fight) was the only time he fought mad/pissed off. One other quote I remember was after the first Frazier fight after his trainer Angelo Dundee told him he was doing great and that Smok’n Joe hadn’t hit him all night. He looked at him and said “Keep an eye on that ref cause somebody is kicking my butt”.
Ali was the GREATEST, hands down, no debate needed. You might not like his mouth but his feet and fists were second to none. The world lost a huge talent in Ali and to those that couldn’t stand him let me ask one question; “Compared to today’s athletes would you rather a natural talent like Ali or one “made” by the TV Networks”? I’ll tale one Ali to a million of what’s called an athlete in today’s sporting world!!!
Till next week…
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