July 2, 2020
TODAY’S COLUMNS: Scott takes issue with the NFL?
Dennis needs help
Jon tries to help the world
Please scroll down below.
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO ONE AND ALL AS WE TRY TO MAKE OUR WAY SAFELY THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.
WE STAND WITH THOSE THAT ARE PEACEFULLY PROTESTING AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY AND RACISM.
LSU, SAINTS AND MUCH MORE
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HULLABALOO HOORAY
A message from the Great Jim Springs:
Dear Friends... We are writing to request your kind assistance. Kathy and I moved back home twelve years ago to be with our aging mothers in the latter years of their lives, Kathy's in Arkansas, mine here in Denham Springs. They have both passed away now, taking with them the anchors that kept us tethered to our Southern roots. As much as we love being home, we love Kathy's children and grandchildren more...and they live in Washington state where Kathy and I first met. Our beautiful home, built with Jack Hartman-integrity, is for sale as of today! We wish to sell it ourselves, and that's where you might assist us by helping spread the word. The biggest challenge of For Sale by Owner is marketing and visibility--getting the news out. Thank you.
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
There are many things that I don’t understand these days, but the NFL may have just taken the title belt for the worst explanation of a new policy.
They are blocking off the first 6-8 rows and field level suites to slow the spread of coronavirus. But, attendance will be a state by state, county by county decision.
Those two sentences are a word salad that assumes NFL fans are idiots. Attendance will be determined state by state, but not the first 6-8 rows or field suites. They want to slow the spread of coronavirus close to the field, but not in other parts of the stadium. I could go on with the ridiculous nature of the explanation, but that is a waste of time.
What is the harm in stating the real reason? By covering the first 6-8 rows the NFL can generate more revenue with advertising on the tarps than selling the seats. Many people won’t like that reason. Especially anyone who will be losing their seats. But, at least it makes sense.
By not simply going with this reason they make fans mad twice. First, I feel bad for those losing their seats. Second, I hate the NFL thinking anyone would read their statement and think, “At least the NFL is being responsible.” It is not about the fans or the safety of the players, it is all about the money and that’s all it ever is with the NFL.
This whole situation is why I love Sean Payton. Since bountygate and especially since the pandemic, he is living life and riding high. When the NFL told teams to make sure the virtual draft footage should only show products of NFL sponsors, Payton’s coffee table was loaded with products made by non sponsors.
After the draft, Payton told the world that he drafted Tommy Stephens from Mississippi State because Carolina was going to get him as an undrafted free agent. The whole interaction may have been against the rules, but Payton didn’t care. He has been suspended for a year for something every other team in the NFL was doing and has lived to tell about it. So he is just going to roll with it and I applaud him for it.
Staying with the NFL, the Patriots and Cam Newton are getting a lot of buzz this week. The move has widely been praised on both sides and I don’t disagree. Neither side has anything to lose.
Regarding the football side of the move, the transition will be tough for the Patriots and Newton for a number of reasons.
On the Patriots side, they are built for a quarterback who sits in one spot and gets rid of the football quickly. While changing to fit a new quarterback wouldn’t be that difficult in a normal off season, we clearly aren’t in a normal off season. Furthermore, we are pretty far along in the process to bring in a quarterback whose best attributes are the complete opposite of the quarterback the Patriots had built around for the last 20 years.
On Cam Newton’s side, he is once again going to be on a team that does not have much talent around him. In Carolina when he was healthy, Newton could use his tremendous ability to make plays. The Panthers offense was at its best with Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart alongside Newton, and the passing game played off the running game. The Patriots roster, as of now, is simply not built to take advantage of Newton’s strengths.
The Patriots could still make it work somehow to sneak in the playoffs. The defense is still good, while the Jets and Dolphins are not playoff teams in their division. Regardless, this roster with either Newton or Stidham at quarterback is not a roster that can compete with the Chiefs and I still think the Bills are the favorites to win the division.
HEY REF
I was driving home this afternoon and thought it odd to see a couple fireworks stands up and open for business. I just thought it odd they’d be open this early. Then reality smacked me between the eyes, Hey Ref it’s JULY! In all its glory and 95 degree days July is coming in hot and heavy. Just where has half a year gone? I don’t remember buying my wife any candy for Valentines’ day.
I couldn’t remember who won March Madness. Time isn’t slowing down at all and if I didn’t know any better I’d swear it’s actually speeding up. If this were a normal year then I’d be sitting down with my football rulebook as I’m getting ready for a new season. But we all know this isn’t anywhere close to a normal year. When will things get back to being normal? Is this the new normal? I pray it isn’t.
With all the hate dominating our daily lives I’m afraid this once great nation will cease to exist unless we rid ourselves of hate. We can’t continue the hate. We can’t allow the hate to dominate. With that said I’ll get off my soapbox and turn my attention to something new, something that hasn’t been tried.
HEY REF NEEDS YOUR HELP
The people that bring you “Hey Ref” are trying something totally different, something you’ve never seen and it can only be successful with your help.
We hope to bring you, the local high school sports fan, something different. But we’ll need a lot of help if we are to be successful in this experiment. When I say different it’s because we won’t know what we’ll have week in and week out. My idea sounds simple enough; we’re inviting coaches, officials, principals and others the chance to address those things they feel need our attention.
Right now there’s no sure answer to the question on everybody’s mind; will we or won’t we have a high school football season in 2020? And of course everybody thinks they have the answer. The answer to this question depends on who you ask. I’ve had the opportunity to talk with a few local football coaches and the only thing for sure is nobody knows what’s gonna happen in the fall.
So, I’m asking all coaches, principals and officials for their help in getting the word out; “Hey Ref” needs your help! Just contact me anytime 225-921-8895, dennismdearie@cox.net.
Till next week… …
FINE IDEAS
Are we prolonging the inevitable? As each day passes, with more athletes testing positive for Covid-19, the spike in cases throughout the country/world, the absence of widespread societal precautionary measures being taken and no vaccine imminent, it seems that we are destined to see sports take a redshirt for the rest of 2020. Maybe further. Indefinitely?
The NBA has the best plan. Teams will be sequestered in Orlando. Testing will be done daily. If someone in a 35 person team party (players, coaches, support staff) leaves the “Bubble”, they must be quarantined for 10 days upon return.
The problem is that the bubble can burst when it applies to Disney personnel, who will not be required to stay inside the NBA campus and will not be tested upon return from the outside world. And, the outside world—Orlando—has seen a tremendous recent spike in cases. Now, there will be precautions taken to limit contact between NBA players and Disney employees to only essential interaction. Yet, this is far from a full-proof method. As Disney employees who live in a “hot spot” return to Disney, sans testing, with even minimal interaction with the NBA parties, this is a major prescription for trouble.
With Baseball and Football—their exact safety plans not yet revealed—there will seemingly be so many moving parts that are outside the sports control, the question will not be if there will be athletes/coaches/support personnel testing positive, but how many. And, will it be widespread? How will it not? As imperfect as a bubble might be, it would be the best solution for Baseball and Football. But, the logistics of these sports would preclude an NBA like bubble approach to countering the virus.
As has been pointed out by many columnists, sports problems are a reflection of society’s problems. We need to get the Pandemic eradicated or under control for any type of sports to operate safely and on a sustained basis. And, this issue transcends the fun and game world of sports.—It is a society issue.
So what has to happen? I will propose an admittedly impractical remedy. First of all moderate Democrats and Republicans band together and jointly address this issue and try to, paradoxically, depoliticize this matter. Perhaps a tradeoff could be made between reasonable Democrats and Republicans—yes, reasonable Democrats and Republicans is probably an oxymoron.
Here it is: Open up society in exchange for Mandatory Face Masks/Social Distancing. Democrats would get society’s wearing masks/socially distancing on a full-fledged basis. Republicans get the opening up of society—the return to business pre-Pandemic. Those that are at higher risk must still be more cautious. The rest can live a more “normal existence”—but with strict mask wearing/social distancing/vigilant hygiene.
In this scenario, with everyone being Pandemic-conscious in their behavior, we see the bad Covid numbers drop precipitously. There would still be inherent risk in playing sports/attending sporting events, but it would be vastly reduced.
How long would this plan take to be enacted and yield the results necessary to safely resume sports? The longer we dally around with sports in 2020, the longer it takes to attack the root core of the problem—which is society’s issue in how we are, en masse, attempting to counter the Pandemic.
Is all of this practical? Given our polarized country, probably not.
So, assuming such a plan is not enacted—a pretty safe bet, how can we have sports? Wear a mask. Practice Social Distancing.
Otherwise, sports will redshirt in 2020. And, 2021 and further will be jeopardized until a vaccine is discovered and the population is inoculated.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that a recent poll indicated that roughly 50% of our population said they would opt not to be inoculated when one is found.
Let me qualify this… the alleged bounty on US soldiers offered by Russian Czar Vladimir Putin to the Taliban is no laughing matter. Let me preface it, again… this is a serious life and death matter. Yet, New Orleans Saints fans have to wonder if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is suspending Putin for the 2020 NFL Season. Will such punishment be meted out to NY Jets Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams, just for old-time sake?
Aubrey Huff needs a lobotomy.
So, former Auburn great Cam Newton is now the Quarterback of the New England Patriots. His backup should be former Auburn star Jarrett Stidham. Can Toomer’s Corner II in Foxborough be next?—No wonder why people in New England were hoarding toilet paper. Wonder if Nick Saban—Bill Belichick’s #1 protégé-- will still be rooting for the Patriots? Or, is there a chance that the Patriots QB room is the catalyst for Alabama and Auburn to reconcile with one another… and all that ails the world? Can we all work together?
First Alabama-Auburn, then Ohio State--Michigan, Red Sox-Yankees, Sonny & Cher (oops… Sonny did die a while back)…
Republicans-Democrats?
I miss Yogi Berra and Al McGuire. Let’s enjoy Dick Vitale while we have him. It would be awesome to hear him, once again, say Awesome, Baby. I hope it is soon.
Scott Osborne was recently named assistant Basketball Coach at Central HS. We wish Scott all the best of luck and—assuming Central has about 34 games--we hope the Wildcats go 32-2. Central does play Denham Springs twice this season—once in the regular season… the second presumably in the State Championship Game.
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