March 5, 2020
LSU, SAINTS AND MUCH MORE
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DENHAM SPRINGS HS TRACK
The Denham Springs HS Track team is doing some great things. They need some assistance. Please see 2 press releases below. Your time and consideration of helping them out is greatly appreciated.
DSHS HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS: The Denham Springs High School Athletic Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for the tenth class of inductees through March 31. Hall of Fame nomination guidelines for the Class of 2020 are available to the public on the DSHS website at www.denhamspringshs.org or by picking up a copy at the school office. For more information, contact Jim Spring at jimspring53@hotmail.com or (225) 588 0366
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
THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Baseball is a stupid, frustrating sport. That’s how I would feel if I was AJ Labas. That’s how I feel as a LSU baseball fan right now.
I know LSU’s hitters need to alter their approach at the plate, strikeout less, foul off more two strike pitches, make the pitcher work, and all the other things anyone can see by watching the games.
In football, coaches can alternate quarterbacks, spread the formation, get matchups with motion, and try some trick plays to generate offense. But, if the offensive line can’t block the defensive line you are not going to move the ball consistently.
In basketball, you can offensive rebound, try to score in transition, design plays to get better matchups, or change the lineup to go small. If that last idea doesn’t work and you have the personnel, you can try a bigger lineup. But, if the other team is pressuring your team into turnovers, you are not going to score.
In baseball, there are few coaching options to generate offense when the pitchers are throwing strikes, and the batted balls aren’t finding green grass. It is frustrating to watch and more frustrating to coach and play. Baseball players can’t help but know their batting average, and I am sure the coaches are working hard mentally to get the focus on the process and not the results.
I don’t know if this team can turn it around offensively. I do know that LSU baseball is judged on their performance at the end of the season. Plenty of LSU teams have gotten off to great starts, only to falter in the postseason and Tiger fans do not take that well. So, there is time to turn things around.
As a fan, I want to believe the offense has nowhere to go but up (of course it could just stay this bad, but who wants to think of that?). Right now, it doesn’t matter who gets on base or who can get hits. Someone has to get the job done and make pitchers work.
When it is all said and done though, I think the lineup will settle somewhere close to what we saw this weekend with the bottom of the lineup made up of LSU’s most speedy players. Just because it didn’t work the third weekend of the year, doesn’t mean it won’t work in May and June.
Call me crazy, but I am almost more concerned with the pitching from the bullpen than I am the offense. The reason is that the strength of a team must be the best performers on the team. The LSU football team almost lost to Auburn when the offense didn’t perform. When the defense didn’t perform against Ole Miss, the Tigers still won comfortably.
If the offense improves a little, but the bullpen gives up leads like they did against Baylor, an improved offense won’t make a difference in winning and losing games. Hopefully, the offense can grind out some production and the bullpen can throw strikes consistently. If that happens, baseball will still be a dumb, frustrating sport. But at least LSU will be winning.
HEY REF
I just want to give everybody a “heads-up” about a bill that’ll be debated in the 2020 Louisiana Legislature’s regular session. With all the problems our people and state face day after day at least one member of the legislature, Jefferson parish’s Senator Pat Connick, feels his time in Baton Rouge will be better spent if we take up time debating the stone cold fact that the NCAA continues running what I call a modern day slave trade by refusing to allow players to be paid a salary. Present NCAA law denies players from getting paid from their likeness in video games, any autographs they do, and on and on. Players that accept a link of boudin are breaking NCAA laws but coaches can make mega MILLIONS. Now that’s what I call fair!
Presently more than 30 states are taking up the subject of forcing the NCAA to start paying players. This writer has always been in favor of paying the players but former LSU President and now head man at the NCAA Mark Emmert steadfastly refuses to even debate the subject. He’s been “on the record” opposed to paying players because of all things he says if players start receiving a salary then that’ll change the player’s designation from being an amateur to a professional player. I’m sorry Mark but if you start telling the truth the simple reason is there’ll be less of the pie for you and all those greedy individuals enjoying cold champagne in your luxury boxes. It’s a very sad day when you realize the vast majority of football and basketball players in the NCAA are from poor families and many of these families can’t afford to buy the textbooks needed to earn a degree. But getting a degree is way in the back of many players and their families. Most want to go pro and I don’t have an issue with that at all since many have sacrificed everything to be in a position to get onto a professional roster. Anyone that says these kids are amateurs don’t have an I. Q. above one!
I’m glad more and more states are taking up this fight to get players a livable salary because this charade has gone on for far too long. So, I’ll get off my soapbox and let my words do my talking. From the very first day I began writing this weekly column I’ve been 1,000% in favor of players getting paid for all their sacrifices and hard work. What follows is one of my favorite “Best of” columns and my reasons for players being paid hasn’t changed. It makes me sick knowing the NCAA will fight to the end and keep courts busy in their attempt to keep the ones that deserve the money from getting a fair and just piece of a multi-BILLION dollar industry. But on the bright side it’s good to see more and more states getting “on-board” and people wanting to enter this fight so one day we might see an end to the travesty that is the NCAA, a modern day slave industry! Without further delay, enjoy one of the best Hey Ref columns to date;
If ever there was a poll that just can’t be believed and should be investigated is the one published by the NCAA with the headline that states “that a majority of fans don’t favor paying athletes”. While I find this statement untrue I just had to stop everything I was doing to read for myself what information was disclosed in this so called poll of sport’s fans?
The whole article was very short but what I found “funny” was nowhere in it did it give out the numbers of fans questioned, their ages, demographics, etc., etc., etc. And it never released any details on the so called anti pay for the student-athletes. Well, that term went the way of T-Rex because there ain’t no such thing around anymore. They should be referred to as to what they actually are and that is “university employees”.
If you’ve read this column on any regularity you’ll know this writer’s stance on paying “employees”. From now on I’ll never write student-athlete since they are extinct. Getting back to the poll results it shows that 67 percent, up 12 points (I guess they mean percent) actually believe that universities break NCAA rules.
The increase it is thought stems from two highly publicized cases; Harvard and Miami. In the Harvard case which sounds just too funny to be true but they report the school issued academic sanctions against approximately 60 students for a cheating scandal on the final exam in a class on of all things: CONGRESS!
Now come on, this has to be made up. Maybe the students started studying the way our Congress works and decided stealing, lying and cheating is the way to get what you want. Not what you earn but what you want and isn’t that the way not only our lawmakers are perceived but how the vast majority get ahead?
Oh, sure, I can hear it now, how can I write something like that. Let me just put a couple names out there you might recognizes; Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Lance Armstrong. All three swore on the Bible they didn’t do drugs, didn’t lie, didn’t steal but all are liars. Armstrong was proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law. The court of common sense decided the case of the other two athletes.
But the article didn’t say anything about the Miami case and I find that odd since the Hurricanes are known for going way outside the lines of the law and the rules. I guess maybe they didn’t have room for “old” news? So, as I finished the short column not a single word on the so called vote on not paying employees.
I mean the whole reason for a headline is to get the reader to notice something they may want to read about. As in my case, I just wanted to see how many ignorant people there were that answered “no” to this question. In this day and time it really shouldn’t surprise me, I mean the working people of this country can’t stand to see another worker to get ahead. Big business was very successful in their “Divide and conquer” war against those that have to punch a clock to make a living.
The NCAA is rewarded in BILLIONS of dollars by keeping the vast majority of the money that is generated by all the “FREE LABOR” these men and women generate. But let me ask a simple question “Why are they called student athletes in the first place? The scam run by both the NCAA and the “tax free” non-profit NFL is downright absurd. Most of the players working on the football field are from poor families and neither employer educates their employees the mundane task of balancing a checkbook.
Don’t start about all the sports that never make a profit and are supported by basketball and football. The ONLY and I do mean ONLY reason those sports are still on the books is because so many students still play those sports and the families of these kids are the reason Deans keep footing the bills. Mom and Dad still have some clout or maybe I should say “You don’t bite the hand that feeds you” so it’s sort of a tradeoff.
But to not pay the employees that generate BILLIONS of dollars is not right, never will be right and should be abolished ASAP if not sooner. Pay those that make it all possible! For those universities that think they can generate these sums of dollars on their own without these young EMPLOYEES all I can say is go ahead and try. And every one of them that believe they can make it without paying their athletes all I can say is this; they’re be extinct along with the dinosaurs!!
Till next week… …
2020 Livingston Parish Track & Field Championship
The 2020 Livingston Parish Track & Field Championship will take place on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at Walker High School. The event will be hosted by Denham Springs High School, which is responsible for providing trophies, ribbons, a timing system, food for workers and coaches, and overall management of the meet. We are looking for sponsors to help offset the costs of these expenses. This meet will feature all nine high schools from across the parish. Family, friends, school officials, and local media will be in attendance. This is a great opportunity for businesses and individuals to advertise and show support for local high school athletics.
We have three ways for sponsors to contribute. First, a sponsor can donate a minimum of $50 and they will be recognized in the printed meet program. Second, a sponsor can donate a minimum of $125 and they will be recognized in the meet program and have a banner displayed during the track meet. Lastly, an individual event can be sponsored. There are 19 different events that will take place for both boys and girls. With an event sponsorship, the sponsor will be recognized during the announcement of the results and awards, have a banner displayed at the track meet, and recognition in the printed program. The cost of sponsoring an event is $250.
In order to have banners printed in time for the event, donations are due Friday, March 20. Donations must be in the form of cash or check, with checks made out to “Denham Springs High School” and “LP Track Meet” written in the memo line. Donations can be made in person or mailed to: Attn: Track and Field Team Denham Springs High School 1000 N Range Ave Denham Springs, LA 70726
Graphics and recognition information can be sent to Andy McLean. For this and any other questions or concerns, please email philip.mclean@lpsb.org or call (225) 485-7323.
2020 DSHS Track & Field Spring Fundraiser
The Denham Springs High School Track and Field team is asking for financial support to assist with some maintenance and repairs. The team is currently trying to raise $10,000 to cover the costs for the following: • Replace the covers for the pole vault and high jump pits with a heavy-duty weather cover in order to keep the pits dry and usable. • Add sand to the pit for long and triple jump, which meets national guidelines. • Purchase a heavy-duty weather cover for the sand pit, which will keep the sand dry and usable for practices. • Replace the net for the discus cage. • Grade the shot put area with the appropriate sand and gravel. • Purchase additional hurdles. • Purchase poles and a sliding pole vault box for pole vault. • Purchase additional training equipment for throws, jumps, and sprints.
Donations must be in the form of cash or check, with checks made out to “Denham Springs High School” and “Track Fundraiser” written in the memo line. Donations can be made in person or mailed to:
Attn: Track and Field Team Denham Springs High School 1000 N Range Ave Denham Springs, LA 70726
Thank you for your support of the student-athletes and track and field program. For any questions or concerns, please contact Head Coach Andy McLean at philip.mclean@lpsb.org (email) or call (225) 485-7323 (cell).
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