October 29, 2021
JACKETS TAKE ON WILDCATS
The Denham Springs HS Football team visits Walker HS tonight (October 29)… 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 Livingston Parish News Sports Editor Rob DeArmond on Sport-N-Center Yellow Jackets Warmup
DSHS Track/Cross Country coach Andy MacLean comes on North Oaks Health Systems Half-Time Report.
THE MAYOR OF WATSON
Our thoughts, wishes and prayers go out to the family of Robbie Harrison as well as to the Watson community. Robbie died yesterday… He was a real nice person, had a great sense of humor and also had a line of wisdom (will be our euphemism). Robbie was the Live Oak representative on THE High School Sports (Radio) Show we produced and was an announcer on Live Oak Internet Broadcasts on the SportsGumbo. Net Broadcasting Network The Harrison Law Firm has been a perennial sponsor of our DSHS Football radio broadcasts
He was one of a kind. (As he’d often say to people)—Robbie, “You’re a good man Charlie Brown”
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
Last week’s Denham Springs vs Live Oak broadcast was cut off at the beginning oF the second quarter and did not return. We fell victim to the massive power outage that Cox had throughout South Louisiana. Sorry bout that.
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TODAY’S COLUMNS:
Scott assesses the New Orleans Saings
Dennis analyzes a big problem with LHSAA officiating
Please scroll down below.
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Saints fans have been waiting for week 7 of the season for the return of possibly their most irreplaceable offensive and defensive players.
Defensive tackle is a position with little depth and no star power outside of David Onyemata. Through six games, not one defensive tackle has a sack. To be clear, the defensive tackles have done an excellent job against the run. Regardless, Onyemata´s ability to rush the passer and collapse the pocket from the inside is badly needed as the Saints face Tom Brady and the other top quarterbacks on the schedule.
With the lack of depth at running back and the number of touches Alvin Kamara is getting, he is the player the Saints can least afford to lose on offense. The other player in that category has caught 37 passes in the last 365 days. It appeared that even the most conservative estimates had Michael Thomas returning this week, and that does not appear to be the case.
After watching the Saints receivers drop dimes from Winston against Seattle and fail to get open the rest of the night, it is clear that this offense will struggle mightily without Thomas, Hill, and Harris. In order to move the ball with any consistency against the Bucs, someone is going to have to return.
With Devin White, Levonte David, and the attention Tampa Bay will give Kamara, the Saints are going to have to find offense from someone else. With the injuries to the secondary of the Bucs, the place to attack is on the outside, but the Saints have no weapons on the outside (and that is the nicest I can phrase that sentiment).
The reality is the Saints are going to have to find some explosive plays to even have a chance against Tampa Bay. I believe the defense can keep the game competitive. Lattimore defends Mike Evans better than anyone in the league. The Saints should be able to handle Fournette and the Tampa run game. Of course Brady is Brady, so Tampa Bay will score.
Can the Saints score over 20 points in this game? I cannot see the Saints stringing together 5 first downs to score. This is a game where they need a defensive or special teams score, or something close to it. Payton will have to steal a possession with a fake kick. Even if those things happen, the Saints will need a long touchdown or explosive play just to set up a touchdown. The problem is I have no idea how that play can occur with the lineup that played at Seattle.
The good news is that while there are 5 teams ahead of the Saints in the playoff race who look great (Green Bay, Dallas, Tampa, Arizona, LA Rams), New Orleans is the only other team over.500 in the NFC. That makes the Saints second home game of the year anything but a must win, which is a good thing as nothing is in the Saints favor going into the game. A win would be a true upset.
HEY REF
Well, here we are just a week away from game 10 of the high school football season and the journey to the Dome. This week is no week for me to celebrate because there are so, so many problems facing the on-field game officials in south Louisiana. And it’s time we stop this train wreck and demand the man sitting on his thrown on Old Hammond Highway, Mr. Eddie Bonine, stop the continued decline in the quality of football officials that’s supposed to be taken care of by Lee Sanders and get serious about fixing the problem. First off, denying there’s a problem is the first problem to overcome.
Before I go any further let me tell everyone a little about myself, if you don’t already know. First off I was raised in the 60’s by my Sicilian Grandmother and she had two rules; (1) You don’t lie and (2) You don’t steal. And I will not disgrace her memory by writing anything other than the truth. It’s no secret to Mr. Lee Sanders, some area football coaches and officials that for the last couple of years I’ve been sitting down with them to get their take on the present day situation and/or lack of quality with officials charged to work high school football games in this area. I’ve written and published some of my findings in this space over the last year since I didn’t work football in 2020 because of COVID.
To show how “old school” I am what follows is what my grandmother would call a “PIOSON PEN LETTER”. I’m addressing this open letter to Mr. Bonine and Mr. Sanders hoping they understand there are major problems that need attending to. But if things go as they’ve gone in the recent past all I’ll hear about is they have no time to sit down with officials to discuss these problems. Other officials have told me time and time again trying to get an audience with Mr. Bonine is harder that getting one with the Pope! And to the coaches and officials that took time out of their busy lives let me just say it’s a promise delivered. Well, maybe in a small way for now but as I promised everyone no names will be revealed or discussed and I’ll do everything I can to try and get an audience with Mr. Bonine, that is if he’s serious about starting to fix these problems because what’s in place is a travesty of justice to the coaches, officials, schools, programs, players and parents.
I will for now just tell of one instance that should’ve been reversed and the Assignment Secretary in Baton Rouge, Marlon Harrison, FIRED AND REPLACED! An almost 20 year official was returning to the Baton Rouge Association after having to take off more than 10 years due to severe health problems. Upon his return he sat in the seat he’d occupied for nearly all those 20 years. But he noticed a major change/problem as he sat quietly while trying to hear the debate on the floor. He saw officials playing video games on laptops while others were texting away on cell phones and 90% of those seated at LSU’s Williams Hall 103 were not even paying attention and the sounds made it impossible to hear from where he’d sat for nearly 20 years. So, he raised his hand and complained that the noise level was so high those around couldn’t hear what was being said.
He remembered back in his day (he started in 1979) that there was nobody talking except the person that had the floor and everyone knew what was being said. He thought the President of the association at the time, Marlon Harrison, would quiet the crowd but he was wrong. Instead of getting all the laptops turned “off” and cell phones put away Marlon Harrison told this official “the way to correct the problem he should come sit on the front row”. This official had never met Marlon Harrison before this meeting and when Marlon Harrison told him to come sit on the front row as a fix for the problem this official stood up and said “NO!, TO FIX THIS PROBLEM EVERYBODY NEEDS TO SHUT TH F*K UP SO WE ALL CAN HEAR”!
Mr. Harrison then asked this official to leave the meeting which he did to keep order. He came back the next week, apologized for using a curse word but “NOT THE MESSAGE”! That first instance among the two men charted a course that doomed a 20 year official’s career in the Baton Rouge Association because he wasn’t aware of how this president would hold a grudge and keep him from being able to work with his “old” crew. He wasn’t allowed to work games with other members he’d worked with in those 20 years since the assignment secretary, B. J. Andrews, would be replaced. At the last meeting of the season this official was nominated by his “old” white hat to be president of the Baton Rouge Association but knowing the bylaws wouldn’t allow it since only MEMBERS could run for office and since the membership hadn’t voted him in as a new official he declined to run.
The following year this official and members of his former crew met with Marlon Harrison who has now taken over the job of assigning games and made the first request that they be allowed to work together again since this would be their final year to work football games in the Baton Rouge area. They were shocked and surprised that the request was denied by Marlon Harrison stating that the official had no seniority in the association. The referee informed Marlon Harrison that his former crewmate had 20 years in the Baton Rouge Association but Harrison refused to budge.
The crew wasn’t asking to work all 5A games, District title games but just the opportunity to just work together one last year. This crew would have had more than 125 to 150 years’ experience combined. But again Harrison refused. There wasn’t a coach alive that would say they didn’t want a crew with that much experience to work their games but Harrison steadfastly refused. So, he was sending crews to games with a lot less experience and the coaches were upset. Harrison should’ve been terminated for gross negligence and dereliction of duty and not performing his job the best way possible that would benefit the schools, games, coaches, programs, players and parents. Yet to this day Harrison remains a very large clog in getting the best possible crews to work Friday night games in the Baton Rouge area. He runs the Baton Rouge Association like Stalin. I meet former Baton Rouge officials all the time that’ve jumped ship, refused to continue working football and all the blame rests with one person MARLON HARRISON! You don’t have to believe me, just ask the coaches and they’ll tell you. They too have asked for Harrison’s removal and are shocked that those living in the glass castle on Old Hammond Highway turn a blind eye and allow Harrison to play “god” with their programs!
They too are dismayed at how Harrison holds onto power with the LHSAA. Baton Rouge officials have told me that Harrison is doing FREE LEGAL WORK FOR THE LHSAA and should be investigated. They’ve also told me that Harrison was not re-hired for this last contract yet King Eddie stepped in and demanded Harrison be brought back which he was. I know rumors are hard to believe but when more than 15 people tell the same story there might be some truth to it. And as far as that official that didn’t get to work with his old crew mates and the story I just wrote about, it isn’t RUMOR! Its FACT cause that official is ME!
Till next week…
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