August 13, 2020
TODAY’S COLUMNS:
Scott offers a post-mortem on the New Orleans Pelicans
Dennis give his thoughts on referees working HS Football in 2020…
Jon discusses the fate of college football--2020
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.
JACKETS IMMORTALITY
The Denham Springs HS Athletic Hall of Fame has announced its 2020 class… Congratulations go out to Lisa Dugas, Clint Earnhart, Brother Bob Ingalls, Katie Roux Prescott and Lathan Sutton… Please scroll down below for more detailed information.
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. The Address is 650 Pine Street, DSLA, and my cell is (225) 588-0366. Or you can email me at JimSpring53@hotmail.com. You can also see the house at fsbobr.com (ID# 569639) or at Zillow.com. Thank you.
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
I probably should write about college football, but I need to write about the Pelicans and the disaster of what happened in The Bubble.
The Bubble that was arranged to include the Pelicans to try and force them and Zion into the playoffs. If the Pelicans are good at anything, though, it is throwing away opportunities.
I love the hire of David Griffin and Trajon Langdon. I am still optimistic about the future of the Pelicans. None of that changes the fact that the product they put on the court was way below expectations. Not just my expectations. The expectations that David Griffin told everyone we should have.
The injury to Zion and him leaving The Bubble before the restart didn’t help. The team is still very young. The team was on a roll when the season was abruptly postponed. Those are reasons why I am optimistic. It still doesn’t excuse the record.
Josh Hart, JJ Reddick, Derrick Favors, Jrue Holiday, and E’Twaun Moore have been in the league long enough to overcome some of the youth (that is very talented). What this team couldn’t overcome was sloppiness, poor decision making, and an inability to close games… because of the sloppiness and poor decision making.
Where do the Pels go from here? I am trying not to be a prisoner of the moment. I want to make an evaluation from the entire season. Still, the games in Orlando were basically playoff games and as a result I put more stock in those games.
I like Lonzo Ball, but I don’t like his role on the team. I am happy he improved his shooting in the non coronavirus season, but he should not have more three point attempts than two point attempts in a game. He settles too often. With his size and ball handling he should live in the paint setting up teammates. Instead, the Pelicans offense late in the game comes down to isolation with Holiday, Ingram, or Zion. When the help comes and the ball is kicked out, Lonzo is left shooting threes at the end of the shot clock. And that is a win for the defense on every scouting report.
Holiday and Ingram are very good and skilled basketball players who regularly vomit the ball to the other team. It isn’t out of the ordinary for players who handle the ball frequently to lead the team in turnovers. The Pelicans play at a fast pace. That being said, there are many games where the Pelicans have 1.5 times or more turnovers than the opponent. That is awful and inexcusable with the skill level of this team. It happens because too often the team is watching Holiday or Ingram dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble. And when they don’t beat their defender the defense is in position to receive a turnover.
Then there is the defense that often caused me to get ill and turn the channel. In my opinion, this is the area where the youth is most to blame. Young players often get wrapped up in their offensive success or failure and carry that to the defensive end. In baseball, you will see it when a player strikes out in a big situation. That same player boots a ground ball the next inning because they are thinking of the bad at bat.
In basketball, you don’t have the half inning to get over it. Young NBA players are used to defending off their athleticism. But, in the NBA, players have to be mentally locked in and on the same page with their teammates to get stops.
As I said in the beginning, I will still continue to believe in the program the Pelicans are building. Not every championship program starts like the Saints under Payton and go to the NFC Championship in year one.
I am encouraged by the off the court improvements and organizational improvements that are necessary in a quality organization. Those improvements didn’t change the fact that what we saw on the court was still a team that did all the things that prevent basketball teams from winning games, regardless of the talent.
HEY REF
I’ve got a lot to get to so let’s dive right in. Unless you’re living under a rock you’re very much aware the Big 10 and PAC-12 have just announced they’re canceling their entire 2020 football seasons. With that news it leaves the remaining three conferences of the power 5, the ACC, SEC and Big 12 still holding on as they try to find a way to play football in the fall. Hundreds of thousands of fans are holding on and praying to a higher power that maybe somehow things will change just enough to play football in the spring. And who knows by the time this column is delivered one, two or all of the remaining conferences may have also decided to put an end to the 2020 football season.
Yesterday I watched as NBC News reported that a normal college football season generates anywhere between $7 to $10 BILLION dollars. I say that ain’t too bad for free labor. Not playing football is going to cost many athletic directors, coaches, schools, business owners, hotels, car rental companies, etc. a huge chunk of cash. I changed channels and there was a story about the amount of money a certain grocery store was going to lose if they weren’t able to cater football tailgate parties. Another story reported on a small hotel that always hired extra workers during football season to clean rooms and keep fresh sheets on all the beds. Another “major” story making headlines was the countless number of restaurants that wouldn’t need all the extra workers if there wouldn’t be any games.
So last week I decided to try and find a story, any story concerning the availability of on-field game officials. But as hard as I tried I didn’t find even a hint on the status of referees. There was a quick mention, by our own Robin Fambrough, where she mentioned the LHSAA was going to do everything possible to protect the officials. But she didn’t offer a clue as to what that would entail. I wish there would’ve been more in her story to explain what the LHSAA considers doing everything possible.
As my “visits” with coaches and fellow officials continued this week I asked each one what they’d consider steps needed to protect officials. Of course I got the standard “have everybody wear masks” and make sure everyone stays at least 6 feet apart and so on. One official said coaches and other people on the sidelines should be at least ten feet behind the team benches. The best idea came from a coach I respect a lot when he suggested to have both teams on the same sideline. I could go for that one but if we did that I said we’d have to be sure the chains were on the opposite sideline because of the overcrowding on that one side.
In the past few days I’ve received emails, text messages and even a couple letters that try to outline what the LHSAA and the LHSOA considers steps needed to protect the officials. There’s absolutely nothing new in anything I’ve seen and/or read. But at the end of the day THERE’S NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO INSURE THE OFFICIALS ARE PROTECTED FROM THIS VIRUS. You might want to ask me how I can write something that bold and you’ve got the right to ask. And my answer to you and anyone else is this; during my 30 year career as an electrician I worked re-fueling outages at nuclear powerhouses.
Hot “Nukes” (operating) must shutdown every 18 months for routine and needed maintenance. Every shutdown I worked my projects called for me and my tool buddy to “suit-up” whenever entering a hot area. A “hot” area contained radioactive materials along with contaminated air, steam, water, dust and other things. To protect us from any of these items we dressed out in PC’s (Protective Clothing). It entailed wearing a full length plastic suit, gloves, goggles, eye wear, a respirator and your “Zoomie” register. The seams on your gloves, foot coverings, and hood had two laps of tape that should keep water/dust from entering your suit. Your register would beep when you picked up a REM. According to your age the NRC dictated the amount of radiation you could absorb.
There’s no way we can wear anything close to this type of protection to do our job of working football games. And since we can’t the only thing that’s a sure bet is if you step on that field to work a high school game you’re risking your health, your life and those of your family and loved ones. No matter what we’re told or all the promises the LHSAA/LHSOA makes by telling us “We’re doing everything to protect you” the cold hard facts are they can’t protect any official, player or coach. All they can offer each one of us is a check.
I want all those officials thinking of working football games this fall to consider this; as officials we’ve got to carry mega dollar insurance in case of a lawsuit brought against us and/or the crew of officials by parents or schools. The crew of officials is responsible for everything that takes place on the field so if you accept an assignment and a player or players become infected what’s to keep a parent from suing you and/or the entire crew? After all by walking onto the field and blowing your whistle you’re “telling” the teams, players and their parents “ALL’s WELL”! Don’t say it can’t happen because just ten or fifteen years ago did you think you’d have to carry insurance and worry about lawsuits calling a high school football game? Of course you didn’t and don’t try to convince yourself it can’t happen (getting sued). Each official must really take that into consideration.
Do you feel like gambling with your health? Do you feel like gambling with your wife’s health? Do you feel like gambling with your children’s health? We share a ride to/from each game so consider one of your crew members has been infected and on the ride back home the entire crew becomes infected. But nobody knows for two or three weeks down the road. So during that three week span you visited your grandparents and other friends. So, another three weeks roll on by and suddenly people all around you become sick. Twenty of your friends and family just tested and all are positive for the virus. What will you do? What can you do? About all you can do is pray everyone you’ve infected hasn’t infected anyone else. Don’t say it can’t or won’t happen because it’s happening everyday everywhere.
Life is a gamble, I know but common sense dictates shutting down any behavior that could cause infections to continue to climb higher and higher. I can only hope my fellow officials will stand up, united and decide their lives, their family’s lives, their children’s lives and the lives of their friends are worth much more.
Till next week…
FINE IDEAS
Someone who’s writing you’re familiar with is guilty of plagiarism.
“Players are not going to catch coronavirus on the football field… … players are a lot safer with us than they are running around at home” Alabama coach Nick Saban has made these statements recently. There are several who share Saban’s perspective. They are either rationalizing, justifying or are plain misinformed. And, that is why the Big 10 and the Pac-12 have cancelled football, with the SEC, Big 12 and ACC likely to follow sometime in the near future. They realize they cannot protect their players and fear the legal consequences.
The only way for sports in the US to possibly thrive—affording a true chance of safety to its athletes-- is through an NBA-like Bubble—with great early results but the jury is still out-- or for Covid rates to be drastically reduced in society. The finances of college football and the nature of the game itself mitigate against any sort of 100 percent Bubble atmosphere. And, the American public has shown very little inclination to take pandemic precautions seriously, en masse, so there is little likelihood that the coronavirus numbers will move far enough in the right direction to assure safety.
Playing football is at the very core a full-contact sport that is a perfect mechanism to transmit the coronavirus. You have players, in extremely close proximity to each other, breathing, spitting and sweating—with fluid droplets galore being emitted from its participants.
But, if all the players are not infected with the coronavirus, then there is no risk, right? That is correct. But, there is no way to be certain that this is the case. Three tests a week, as is (was?) the plan for college football does not prevent against false negatives, which some estimate is the rate in 20 percent to 40 percent of tests. Plus, there is a timing issue.—One can test negative, and then become infected sometime before the kickoff. Either way, if there is 1 player who is actually positive to play—unless they are a punter or kicker-- this would likely cause a widespread infection on both teams.
The structure of college football is certainly a positive to the well-being of its athletes. And, although a true Bubble is not feasible, one thing schools could do is create a Bubble like Dorm situation—resurrecting the old football dorms of yesteryear. Yet, it would still be impossible to prevent things like late night pizza/beverage indulgences or visits to/from college coeds and other infringements on covid protocols. And, unless classes were taken virtually, you’d invariably have interactions with classmates that could be dangerous. Yet, even with these covid prevention-busting scenarios, Saban and company are correct that probably the odds of getting infected are greater for the players at home than on their campus… for 6 days of the week. This is omitting the actual 3 hours+ of play each week on the 7th day—game day, which makes having football a lot more deleterious to the interests of the student-athletes than just staying at home.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that groups of players from the Big 10 and the Pac-12 issued demands to its universities last week that included guaranteed player safety and the 2 leagues cancelled their seasons this week. With players speaking up for their safety and the college presidents cognizant of the fact that there is no way to coming close to guaranteeing the players’ godspeed, the prudent thing for them to do was to cancel their seasons.—If they didn’t think so, the schools’ legal department certainly guided them in this direction. The recent revelation that Covid could cause myocarditis—inflammation of the heart muscle—further contributed to school’s unwillingness to play football in 2020,
I’d imagine that we will see the ACC, Big 12 and SEC follow suit and cancel its seasons. This will be due to the same fundamental reason that prompted the Big 10 and Pac-12 to take their actions. Playing football, inherently, is as dangerous an activity as there is to spread the coronavirus. And, there is no possible way to come close to guaranteeing that all of the players, staff, support people and others on the field are truly illness-free. So, somewhere during its season, what is almost guaranteed is that there will be a football game related outbreak of the coronavirus.
College Football players are not compensated for their efforts. (Yes, they receive scholarships, but this is almost an incidental benefit to way too many players at big-time programs.). Most schools have gone away from having its players sign a waiver releasing schools from any liability for players becoming Covid-positive, but many wonder whether such waivers would be legally binding anyway. So, the legal danger of a coronavirus outbreak is as big a factor as any/perhaps the biggest factor in the 2 conferences cancelling the football season, with the other 3 likely to follow. If you don’t believe me than give schools’ attorneys a truth serum and ask them what they think.
The shame of it is that all of this could have been avoided. Several foreign countries are enjoying sports, with fans in the stands and with their teams not having to live in bubbles. How? They took the coronavirus seriously at its outset, masked up, socially distanced themselves, shut down certain parts of society for a sufficient period of time and now they can enjoy things like sports or seeing a play or safely going out to dinner. They’re still practicing proper pandemic procedures punctually (Editor’s Note: “punctually” added for further alliteration purposes), but the incidence of coronavirus and spread have been largely nullified. Had we acted responsibly, we could be in that situation in the US (and not be the laughingstock of much of the rest of the world). But, if Yogi was alive, he’d probably say something like the past is the past.
The person who is guilty of plagiarism is about to be me. And, I am plagiarizing myself. So, at the risk of being overly repetitive… …
Moving forward, do you want to see college football in 2021? It is real simple.
WEAR A MASK, SOCIALLY DISTANCE AND WASH YOUR HANDS. CONSISTENTLY. VIGILANTLY. Try to convince your resistant knucklehead friends do the same. Otherwise, you might not get to see your favorite college team play football in 2021. Your buddies might not be around to see sports in 2021. Heck, you might not even be alive.
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DENHAM SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL
ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
Class of 2020
Lisa Dugas (Athlete)
Her lofty achievements as the ultimate student-athlete place Lisa Dugas in rarified air as a three-time Class 5A All State softball great (1990, 1991, 1992) and a four-time All District choice as well. This premier athlete was a two-time All District basketball star (MVP once), plus an All Parish pick in 1992. She was a track and field Parish Champion in the long jump (twice) and with the 400-meter relay team. She was also selected to the Class 5A Academic All State hoops team. Dugas is the only female in school history to play in the LHSAA All Star Game in two sports—softball and basketball—making her one of our most versatile female athletes ever. Her celebrated sports career vaulted her on to play basketball and softball at Belhaven College, earning multiple honors in both sports and, as a senior, selected as Miss Belhaven. She proudly joins her father, Tony Dugas, in the Hall of Fame.
Clint Earnhart (Athlete)
Clint Earnhart was heralded as the Class 5A All State catcher after leading DSHS to a state runner-up finish in baseball in 1994, while also being selected to the elite All State Tournament Team. Lauded as the District Golden Glove winner as a senior, he was a four-time All District choice—an exceptional honor for an underclassman at that position. As the state’s premier high school catcher, he was invited to participate in the LHSAA All Star Baseball Game before accepting an athletic scholarship to play at LSU in 1994. A three-year letterman for the Tigers, he played a pivotal role in LSU capturing the SEC title in 1997 en route to the College World Series (CWS) and a National Championship. In his first appearance at bat in Alex Box Stadium, Earnhart blasted a memorable home run that foreshadowed even bigger moments in two trips to Omaha where he hit three homers in CWS play.
Bob Ingalls (Supporter)
Longtime ministerial and religious leader, Bob Ingalls is regarded as one of the Yellow Jackets’ most loyal and devoted supporters. He has served as DSHS athletic chaplain since 1975, some 45 years, with no end in sight. Known affectionately as Brother Bob by scores of students, athletes, coaches, and educators whose lives he has impacted, he has been a regular fixture at courtside, around dugouts, and along sidelines for nearly five decades. He prays with Yellow Jacket teams before and after games, serving as a positive influence on campus and at athletic venues. In 1992 Ingalls launched a 20-year career with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes whose ministry reached over 4,000 students and coaches annually in a three-parish area. He joins a small circle of Hall of Fame supporters who have freely devoted years of their lives as unsung stalwarts of the DSHS athletic program.
Katie Roux Prescott (Athlete)
By any yardstick Katie Roux was the student-athlete ideal, a respected campus leader and a gifted star in multiple sports. Though honored as the Class 5A All State shortstop in softball (2009), her sterling prep career was not defined by that notable achievement. One of the most versatile female athletes in school history, she was a four-year letter winner in three sports, a three-sport All District choice (basketball, softball, volleyball), and a four-time All District shortstop also named to the Baton Rouge All Metro Team. As a junior she was District MVP in volleyball and landed in the elite LHSAA All Star Softball Game as a senior. A DSHS honor graduate, she became an NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete at McNeese State where she was a four-year softball starter, two-time Golden Glove recipient at shortstop, and a Southland Conference All Tournament Team pick in 2012.
Lathan Sutton (Athlete)
Lathan Sutton is the last bona fide star from the golden era of boys’ basketball at DSHS to be honored by the Hall of Fame. During the late 1940s the Yellow Jackets reigned supreme in Louisiana basketball with Class B state championships in 1948 and 1950 and a runner up finish in 1949. Sutton played a prominent role on all three of those high profile teams. One of three brothers to earn All State honors at the school, they forged a great family tradition in Yellow Jacket athletics. Sutton’s athletic talent was not limited to basketball alone, as he was selected as halfback on the Area All Star six-man football team drawn from nine Class B schools in the greater Baton Rouge locale. Lathan Sutton joins his older brother, A. E. Sutton, in the Hall of Fame as both were All State basketball stars during that championship stretch.
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