October 22, 2021
THAT SCHOOL ON HIGHWAY 16 NORTH
The Denham Springs HS Football team entertains Live Oak HS tonight (October 22)… Kickoff is 7pm
You can catch all the action on Family Radio, 91.9 FM, Baton Rouge and on the Internet at JonFineProductions.com
Sport N Center Yellow Jackets Warmup airs at 6pm
Mario Jerez provides play-by-play, Mitch Covington is the color commentator, and yours truly, Jon Fine, assists with Sport N Center Yellow Jackets Warmup, North Oaks Health Systems Half-Time Report and Ralph Sellers Chevrolet Post-Game Show.
Guests on Broadcast
Jon Fine will interview North Oaks Health Systems Sports Performance Supervisor Akeem Robinson on Sport-N-Center Yellow Jackets Warmup, DSHS Football great (and owner of Bond-Wroten Eye Clinic) Dr Hunter Bond on North Oaks Health Systems Half-Time Report and Denham Springs Athletics Association President Laura Dunlap on the Ralph Sellers Chevrolet Post-Game Show.
THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
Someone was heard saying that LSU Trainer Jack Marucci should be the new LSU Football coach. After all, TDP gave credit to Marucci for the new blocking schemes and running plays that the Tigers employed in a record setting running day vs Florida… Also, a suggestion was made that Ed Orgeron might want to go to Haiti on an altruistic venture. 17 missionaries from the US are being held hostage in Haiti and the goons holding them are demanding one million dollars for each of their releases. What better way is there for Coach O to spend his $17 million buyout from LSU?
2 JACKETS FURTHER IMMORTALIZED
Denham Springs all-time great basketball player Tasmin Mitchell and Jackets all-time tennis great Jana Garrison-Orillion are being inducted into the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame
Both are already in the Denham Springs HS Athletics Hall of Fame as is Jana’s dad, Sid Garrison, who was inducted this year.
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TODAY’S COLUMNS:
Scott offers some perspective on LSU Football
Dennis lets off some steam
Please scroll down below.
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
By Scott Osborne
Let’s settle some things on the record.
Starting with your memories. Keep the good ones. LSU football used to go into the tank after losing to Alabama. The offense was brutal to watch. LSU could not recruit a quarterback to play in that style of offense. Press conferences were treated like Spy Game. Les Miles told everyone to enjoy Columbus Day as a day separate from St. Patrick’s Day as that was a different day entirely. Really? Really.
The quality of football immediately improved Orgeron’s interim year. The next year was better and ended on a high note even though the secondary was a mess for the bowl game. Then the stars aligned and 2019 was a brilliant season.
2019 was better than the season when LSU lost in overtime twice and still won the BCS title. Not to put down that season, but 2019 was better and it required everyone. That season would not have happened without Joe Brady or Joe Burrow, but a team that special required everyone. That includes Edwards-Helaire, Steve Ensminger, Dave Aranda, Lloyd Cushenberry, Ed Orgeron, and so many others.
In this era of college football, you are not an elite team without elite play at quarterback. It is not a coincidence that Clemson’s run began with Deshaun Watson and has fallen off track this year with a 5 star quarterback that is not playing well.
The best coaches find a way to get excellent quarterbacks each year or adjust their systems to make the quarterbacks look good. LSU was done last year when Brennan got hurt and had to play true freshman quarterbacks. Hats off to Coach Ensminger for adjusting enough for Max Johnson to play the way he did and squeak out two wins to end the year.
This year, Coach Peetz has taken a long time to figure out what Johnson is as a quarterback. LSU would have been a better offense from the beginning with Brennan. That being said, it has taken Peetz half the year to figure out much of the talent on offense, and I think we all have a higher expectation of what we will see going forward.
Consequently, for those who question whether LSU is better off now than when Orgeron took over I have two words, “C’mon man.” LSU has three quarterbacks on the roster better than any quarterback since Matt Flynn not named Mettenberger. Offensive players want to come to LSU because of the offensive reputation and just just the fact that it is LSU.
Scott Woodward has handled the situation brilliantly. The timing was right. Orgeron has handled this week like a pro. Already, the news has gone from gloom and doom over the program to the inevitable hope that comes with a coaching change at a school like LSU who will pay whatever money is necessary to attract the next head coach.
Tiger fans should be hopeful and thankful. Orgeron did progress the LSU football program. Woodward made a strong move before things got too bad. Hopefully, the team can scratch out some more victories along the way without many of the players who we all expected to be key factors in what we had hoped would have been a more successful season.
I encourage everyone again to ignore the waste of time that comes with speculation over the next coach. The top five names off everyone’s list are not coming to LSU. I know Woodward pulled a rabbit out of his hate with Jimbo Fisher going to A&M, but Jimbo abandoned a sinking ship at FSU. That situation was unique.
For now, just be patient and try to enjoy the season. The real coaching scoop will not happen for another 4-5 weeks. I will go ahead and say that LSU could do a lot worse than Billy Napier from ULL, though.
As for Ed, he has had the opportunity to live the dream and he will be fine. Feel bad for the new assistant coaches. They will be coaching for their next job and many will likely be moving again after what will be less than a year in Baton Rouge.
Finally, do not stress over the recruiting. LSU already has a great haul of in state commitments that will come to LSU. Thanks to the leadership and proactive decisions of Scott Woodward, LSU will have a staff in place by the early signing date and will sign an excellent class.
We spend January through August waiting for the football season, and if you are like me, you only enjoyed 25% of the minutes leading up to the Florida game. Last year was a throw away season without fans in the stands, and LSU finishing 5-5. With the events of this week, it feels like a fresh start. Hopefully, everyone involved with the program will feel the weight of unfulfilled expectations lifted and we can all enjoy the rest of the season.
HEY REF
I hate repeating myself over and over. For the life of me I’m confused when an official will tell me they don’t understand what I’m trying to say when I guarantee “THIS WRITER WILL NEVER REVEAL HIS SOURCES”! Am I confusing some people with that quote? I hate using cliché’s but it appears I should so here it is “Loose lips sink ships”. I don’t understand how anyone would/could think that I’d be dropping the names of anyone that contributes facts or their thoughts/feelings on any chosen subject in the world of officiating football for the LHSAA to this writer. So I hope by the time you finish absorbing these carefully pieced together words that I’ve convinced everyone that I’d NEVER print their names nor reveal just who they are, etc. If I sound as though I’m letting off some steam let me assure you that I am.
One such case from the summer I’d talked with three officials that are sick of what’s going on inside their chosen associations. So I set a day and time for all of us to meet in order to try and help them find a way to correct these problems. But when I told all of them that the four of us would meet for lunch to try and find ways of correcting problems and the correct way to address the LHSAA with said grievances they all started shaking in their boots. Then the scope of how bad things have gotten for many football officials as they all decided that they’d only meet with me one on one. Even though these officials are just about ready to walk away from officiating and they all share the very same concerns they don’t trust fellow members. I was shocked at the lack of trust among officials which has caused me to now know just how bad things are! As I was trying to compute this situation it’s become very clear that things are a lot worse than I’d thought.
So, with that done here comes some steam. I don’t understand how some officials will make a statement how they feel on certain issues, situations and subjects before the first meeting of a new season then flip-flop once organized meetings take place. Once again summer 2021 brought out much unhappiness within the ranks. Once again some officials said they wanted some changes made then called me to voice their displeasure at how things aren’t being discussed among their members. Simply put they fear reprisals that are certain to come from those on top of the mountain at LHSAA headquarters on Old Hammond Hwy. It’s very sad to see so many football officials sitting on their hands during the entire season but will bring up their grievances on January 1 of a new year.
I’ve written many times about the huge displeasure statewide among the membership when the subject of the Louisiana High School Official’s Association (LHSOA) is front and center. Many feel they were sold a bunch of promises that haven’t panned out. And of course the one thing everyone agrees upon is the camp attendance requirement. The only advice I can share with the unhappy ones is to set formal meetings in the off-season to discuss their grievances. Form a committee with a minimum of three members from each association to bring those grievances to light among all the associations statewide and notify LHSAA’s executive Ed Bonine that you want a “sit-down”.
And whatever you do bypass the Louisiana High School Officials Association (LHSOA) as they don’t represent you, it’s an association run by the LHSAA. In my opinion IT IS NOT NEEDED! It’s a waste of our money and time. And what I’ve been told is that many want to see them go away. They (LHSOA) claim they’re in existence to help educate the officials, etc., etc., etc. I find that very hard to believe because of the circus that was called the mandatory attendance yearly camp in New Orleans just a few years ago. I was told the LHSOA promised to all its officials that if they attended this “training camp” then they wouldn’t be made to take the yearly rules test. I find it unbelievable and obscene to say on one hand you’re teaching individuals to become better officials yet on the other hand you give them “an out” to keep from taking a yearly rules test. I’d really appreciate anyone from the LHSAA and/or LHSOA to confirm that promise was not only made but was carried out. So, coaches, schools and principals let me ask you “Does that make sense to anybody”. If so I’ve got some ocean front property I’d like to sell you in New Mexico.
In closing I’m going to pass along a couple of things I learned attending official’s camps at UCLA
One night I was lucky enough to sit across the table from former NFL Referee Ed Hochuli. I asked him what he looks for in someone that wants to be in his crew. Without any hesitation he said “I looked for individuals that can take book sense and turn it into common sense on the field”. He continued “It does nobody any good to score 100 on a test yet can’t use that knowledge and apply it to game situations”.
At another camp at UCLA I had lunch sitting next to “Red” Cashion who passed away on Feb. 11, 2019 and asked him;
“HOW CAN YOU TELL AN OFFICIAL IS WORKING HARD TO BECOME A BETTER OFFICIAL”?
He quickly told me “that’s easy, if his rulebook looks like it was just printed then it tells me one thing HE AIN’T USING IT”! Then he added “if a guy’s rulebook looks like its a few hundred years old it means it’s being used often and he’s the type of official I want to help get better”. You’d always know if Red was working the game you’re watching because he let the world know when it’s “FIRRSSTT DOWNNNNNN”.
And so it was when I started working high school games in 1979 you had to be different to make your mark and standout. Coaches expected you to work hard and go that extra mile. Of course it’s not like that anymore where they want and expect officials to be like robots. I’m “OLD SCHOOL” in that I never take a down off so to speak. If the ball goes away from me I try to watch for the cheap stuff. And if you’ve read my column more than once you understand I don’t allow that to go on and try to nip it in the bud. Too many guys read their mechanic’s manual and will only do what’s in black and white. And the biggest question we all must ask ourselves as a CREW do we get the call right or do we turn away and tell the coach “That’s not my call”!
And so that’s the way it is, till next week…
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