October 27, 2016
FOR THE CAUSE
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THE SCHEDULE
SPORTSGUMBO—DENHAM SPRINGS (MONDAY—FRIDAY, 7AM—8AM, ON FAMILY RADIO, 91.9FM, BATON ROUGE AND ON THE NET AT SPORTSGUMBO. NET. THE PROGRAM IS HOSTED AND PRODUCED BY JON FINE.:
UPCOMING LINE-UP:
FRIDAY: Denham Springs HS Football Defensive Coordinator Mark Carroll
Maria Abarca, Maria’s Mexican Restaurant
MONDAY: Denham Springs HS Athletic Hall of Famer Butch Wax
TUESDAY: John Curtis Head Football Coach JT Curtis
DSHS Cross Country athlete (to be determined)
WEDNESDAY: Philadelphia Sportscaster Paul Jolovitz
THURSDAY: Albany HS Football coach Blane Westmoreland
Albany HS Football Sr. Player Cheyenne LaBruzza (Tennessee commitment)
Former Alabama Football Player Wes Neighbors
DSHS Volleyball player (to be determined)
North Oaks Health Minute
PLUS UPDATES FROM DSHS CROSS COUNTRY COACH SARAH BATTY AND DSHS ASST VOLLEYBALL COACH KEVIN DORHAUER
GET ARRESTED
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SPORTSCENTRAL
Central’s weekly show airs tonight. Please see information just below.
BATON ROUGE AREA BROADCASTING SCHEDULE:
MONDAY—FRIDAY: 7am—8am: SPORTSGUMBO—Denham Springs, Family Radio, 91.9 FM, Baton Rouge… … … or on the net at JonFineProductions.com
Jon Fine
THURSDAY: 5pm—6pm: SportsCentral
Family Radio, 91.9 FM, Baton Rouge… Les Bueche, Sid Edwards, Frank Fresina
SPORTSRADIO, 1310 AM PROGRAMMING OF INTEREST:
Sulphur HS Football Radio Broadcasts (also heard on KEZMOnLine.com)
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Assistant Basketball Coach and Head Swimming Coach at Central High
Let’s get the Saints out of the way first.
Many Saints fans are starting to voice their displeasure with Sean Payton. I understand the frustration with having a Hall of Fame quarterback that is still a great player and you can’t put a decent defense on the field to win games. That being said, the Saints continue to play without their best linebacker (Ellerbe), top draft pick who should be their best interior lineman (Rankins), and now their top 3 cornerbacks (Breaux, Williams, and now Moore). In addition, the Saints were down to one healthy reserve offensive lineman in the Kansas City game.
Yet, the Saints were a fumble and tipped interception for a TD away from winning at Kansas City. Seattle can barely get a first down at Arizona. Atlanta is going for it on fourth down in their own territory in overtime. The Saints certainly have issues, but so does everyone else not names the Patriots.
Now it is time to talk about this year’s Game of the Century, #1 Alabama at #2 LSU. Calm down, I have not hit my head. I just wanted to make the point that we would have been headed for that scenario if LSU had any offense (much less the one it has now) against Wisconsin and Auburn.
Back to reality, and I am going to drag you down to reality with me. Alabama is just too good for LSU this year.
LSU’s offensive tackles are playing OK, but they won’t be a match for Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson even if Weathersby plays. The lack of time will keep Etling from being able to have the time to throw downfield.
It would be nice to think that LSU can run the ball against Alabama with Fournette and Guice, but let’s be realistic. Nobody runs on Alabama.
If you are thinking LSU can win a low scoring affair with the Crimson Tide, think again. Lane Kiffin will find a way to do just enough because LSU has a few weaknesses on defense to exploit.
For one, there is yardage to be made running directly at LSU. Second, Jackson is good for 1-3 penalties a game on sideline routes. Also, if Bama can get Toliver on the field, they have seen that he cannot find the ball when it is in the air. Stewart and Ridley are plenty good enough to make plays against Jackson and Toliver. Tre White can’t cover both.
Have I gotten you worked up yet? Good! That was my intention. Now make sure to read next week so I can tell you how I think LSU will try to overcome those deficiencies and Beat Bama!
HEY REF
BY DENNIS DEARIE,
VETERAN LOUISIANA HIGH SCHOOL REFEREE
This week will be one of the shortest columns in Hey Ref’s brief history because I’ll be addressing a few thoughts and opinions that came out of last week’s space. Error number one has to be the opinion that one former official called to tell me I was very, very wrong in wanting to include coaches at the weekly official’s meeting. But being that this is my column and until someone else takes over for me I’ll continue to write about those ideas I feel need implementing in order to improve the product high school officials bring onto the field on Friday nights.
To call me and say that coaches have no place or right to include themselves at our weekly “get togethers” just shows the height of ignorance some of my fellow officials bring with them either in private meetings or on the playing field. I was so upset that he would take time out of his hectic day, his words not mine, and in a roundabout way call me ignorant still burns me where the sun don’t shine. So I’m doing what I told him I’d do and see if other officials and/or coaches want to weigh-in on my idea to invite those coaches that wanted to attend a meeting so they can communicate with “HIS” his officials away from all the pressure of game time.
I use the term “HIS” officials simply because at the end of the day we work for the coaches. We owe it to them, the schools and above all else the players to explore any and all avenues of becoming better at what we do. When I was forced, due to severe health issues, to take nearly twelve years off from officiating the entire time I wondered if and how much things would change. I can tell you things are very different.
For one thing the uniform changed to mimic the new pajama pants first worn by NFL officials. The first time I saw a crew wearing pajamas on the field I just blamed it on the airlines for losing the crew’s luggage. When I found out that was the new attire I just couldn’t make sense of it. So I just filed the new threads under “a lazy man’s way of getting to the game on time”. But the uniform change was by far the least thing that’s changed in the official’s locker room.
At the beginning of my referee career it was all about working together as a team and we were taught that there were actually three teams on the field. But I find a great divide among officials. I’ve tried figuring it out but I’m unable to put my finger on it and make sense of it all. Then another “new” issue was the requirement to wear only one style and manufacturer of shoes. The reason was too many guys were showing up on the field in un-shined shoes. My solution was including a can of polish with the annual dues with the instructions if you didn’t have your shoes clean and shined then you wouldn’t work another game until you did.
Another uniform change came just two years later when by decree by the LHSAA the officials were forced to purchase new shirts with wider stripes like the ones worn by NCAA officials. And again to me it was nothing more than another waste of time, money and what I’ve labeled “symbolism over substance”. I know we’ve all heard that wisdom about putting lipstick on a pig and still having a pig. Here too no matter what it looks like if it smells like sh*t, looks like sh*t and feels like sh*t then you’ve got nothing but sh*t.
But what I see now on Friday nights has to be the icing on the cake. The officials are wearing earphones and microphones. I’m told the reason for this is so the crew will be better able to communicate with each other on the field during the game. And to go one better I was told the on-field officials can also talk directly to the officials in the press box working the game clocks. WHAT? If the guys in the press box paid attention to the game and not playing with their cell phones or stop texting girlfriends there would be no need for radios. This isn’t the NFL and we aren’t playing the Super Bowl for 15 weeks. I just see this whole thing as another waste of money. And don’t forget the time needed to figure out how to work them.
And of course the biggest symbolism over, etc., etc. is the wearing of pink in October for breast cancer awareness. A noble cause I do agree with but wasting time and money on pink whistles, shoe strings, towels, penalty flags, etc. again is nothing more than another example of symbolism over… So, I offered this to replace the wearing of pink whatever’s; as an association each member would donate $25.00 to the cause. We would then present one of those huge advertising checks you see on the publisher’s clearing house commercials for whatever we collect and donate the dollars at halftime of a game chosen at random. But that idea didn’t fly either.
Just think if each of the ten associations state wide would do this then the money collected would be of a greater help than some refs blowing a pretty pink whistle or wearing a pair of pink shoe strings. I’ll let you decide what’s of greater need by those women dealing with breast cancer.
I take pride in knowing that I helped make the Baton Rouge Association the best in the state for many years. I don’t find that same dedication to being the best anymore. My ideas aren’t the only ones out there. I do agree they might not be the best either. But what I do know is that all this getting pretty shoes and shirts that match the SEC and the NFL has done ZERO to improve the quality of the officials calling high school games or any games on any level for that matter. To get better you must commit yourself and experiment with every resource available.
So, here we are where I began and I ask all coaches and officials that really care about HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL to let me know what they feel is needed to make the games better.
Till next week… …
Jon Fine Wreaking Havoc at:
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