1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Wednesday. “Rocky Long Ready for Rocky-ball…SDSU football”

Rocky Long…season opener vs Stanford…Long (64-29) as SDSU head coach…..Aztecs beat Stanford last year….Long’s comments about the Aztecs with season opening Friday night at Palo Alto.

..Focus kids same whether open Stanford or 1-AA school
..Stanford is ‘opportunity game’ to win non-conference
..Take 54true freshman on trip-will plan on playing them 4-games this year-new NCAA freshman redshirt year rule
..RB-Jordan Bird….DT-Keshawn Banks….WR-Kobe Smith will be part of freshman group travelling

..SDSU-Stanford…Similar philosophies-run ball-keep defense off field
..David Shaw believes like me..run ball is key to success.
..Reason ranked 13th in country….that coach-his players
..Bryce Love one of best running backs in country
..Bryce Love-great power-vision-understands defenses-great burst in open field

..Defense cannot be out numbered at line of scrimmage
..You cannot take great running back out of game
..Outweighed by 30-pounds per man-must make line scrimmage our favor

..Stanford had only 44-snaps in game last year vs SDSU
..We must control line of scrimmage to run the ball again like last year
..Concerns about Aztecs-we are inexperienced-they are not
..Last 2-years-we had veteran-matured team..now we are young
..Concerned immaturity of football team on road

..Expect Juwaan Washington have great year with veteran OL infront of him
..Still concerned about finding playmakers at WR
..Real challenge how many committ to line line of scrimmage…to stop Love

..Question can we hold up 1-on-1 in coverage vs WRs.
..Stanford has 6’7 tight end and two big WR’s-can we cover them

..Aztecs team been in big games…lots stadiums with big crowds..play on road not factor
..Hardest time to make team concentrate is 1st week of school-things to get done
..Stanford doesn’t start classes till end of month.

..KJ Costello- better thrower than Keller Chryst…Stanford better on offense now
..Christian Chapman-QB-experience keeps you out of bad plays-reads coverages
..Give him credit he deserves..judges on how many games win-not if he throws for 6,000-yards

..Find out by week four of season-what we do best….what is identify of our team
..David Shaw-as good as a coach in country…
..Stanford great things to offer..tough things to overcome-has done great job

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“Mourning the Passing of Special People”

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John McCain has left us after a lifetime of patriotism.

He knew me, I met him just a couple of times, but as a long time observer of his life and accomplishments, I came away so impressed.

Who he was, what he did, what he did stood for.

I spent 7-years working in Phoenix when we crossed paths. He was a huge Suns-NBA fan, then became a lifetime Diamondbacks supporter, and liked Coyotes hockey.

I could never convince him to become an Arizona State Sun Devil fan-and give up support of his Arizona Wildcats, and he could never do the same to me.

I followed his every move, his philosophies, his political fights, his winds and losses, and his never-ending support of the victims of ‘our war’, in Viet Nam.

We know his life story, the maverick of a pilot, the pioneer politician, and the statesman he became late in life.

I will say this.

No one man I have ever known personally, has faced life and death, with the courage he exhibited, from Viet Nam, to Washington, to his final days in Arizona.

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Ron Newman has left us too, after an illustrious career coaching futbol, in a country mad with love of the other game of football.

He was a free spirit, and an intellect all in one. He could wisecrack with you, and dress you down if he heard or read something he did to agree with.

In a country that has come to love Team USA and World Cup soccer, he was here selling the sport decades before it became fashionable to chant USA-USA.

He was a student of the game, and became the catalyst for the growth and style of the indoor game. Stevie Zungul, Brian Quinn, Julie Vee became superstars based on his knowledge of how to run the indoor game.

An Englishman who came to America and fell in love with life and his job in the US.

A special guy, who came to San Diego at a special time.

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Hockey teams are opening their training camps, but hockey has not forgotten what happened last spring.

No not the Washington Caps winning the Stanley Cup, but the tragedy that affected all in Saskatchewan, the horrid bus crash taking the lives of 16-members of the Humboldt Broncos on their way to a playoff game.

The hockey tradition of each player having a day with the Stanley Cup is really special. And so the Capitals Chandler Stevenson did something special in his home province.

He took the Cup home to Saskatoon, and drove it to the tiny farming community of Humboldt, where he put it on display for all hockey fans to come and see.

It’s part of the healing of that fractured community, aided by 31M raised by the NHL for the victims and families. The Cup, in that arena, as Humboldt opened its training camp with 78-players on hand, hoping to replace, but never forget those lost in the crash.

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In the sports media, you cross paths with leaders from all backgrounds. What we experienced in the last 48-hours was emotionally moving. Really good people, who did really good things. They will be missed.

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“NFL-Here-There-Everywhere-Weekend #3”

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Weekend 3-is complete in the NFL preseason. Here’s what I see-what I think.

CHARGERS…Philip Rivers and his offense won’t play again till the season opener against the Chiefs…they haven’t played hardly at all in preseason. I’d question whether they have solved all their issues on offense. No tight ends to throw to?. Limited cameo appearances by WR-Mike Williams?. Can they stop the run upfront? Will their cornerbacks be healthy and holdup? And who’s the field goal kicker?

RAIDERS…No Khalil Mack in camp yet as this contract extension hassle continues. Oakland has loaded up with veteran free agents on defense, Dominick Rogers-Cromartie the latest, so they will be much more competitive. Kolton Miller has really played well at left tackle. Jon Gruden has given limited exposure to his playmakers, Derek Carr, Marshawn Lynch, Doug Martin and Amari Cooper, so opening day will be fun to watch.

CHIEFS…Patrick Mahomes threw for 198-yards this weekend, his best outing of the summer in what promises to be an explosive KC offense. There are so many new moving parts on defense, only opening day will show how good they might or might not be.

BRONCOS…Case Keenum is getting better week by week and the offensive line looks to be getting healthy, so the defense get more help immediately. Shall be interesting to see which running back becomes the lead guy.

BUFFALO…A real disaster for rookie QB-Josh Allen in his debut start. 5-sacks, turnovers,(6-12) passing and then he got hurt. AJ Mccarran, it’s your job, behind a bad offensive line, which has gotten both QBs hurt in preseason.

RAVENS…They had this extra preseason game, so that means more snaps and critique time for Robert Griffin and Lamar Jackson in the battle for QB spots on the roster. This weekend, their best outing of preseason (243APY), though I don’t know Jon Harbaugh wants those guys running as much as they did.

JETS…They haven’t named Sam Darnold the starting QB yet, but they should. Teddy Bridgewater is still there amidst trade rumors. Veteran Josh McCown has hardly played.

RAMS….Protect the stars, don’t get anybody hurt, so none of the LA starters have been in an August game, and won’t be next weekend. Wonder if the NFL thinks that’s fair to the fans paying top dollar ticket prices in August.

BROWNS….Baker Mayfield has come back down to earth after that snazzy debut, and Tyrod Taylor is a veteran and trustworthy. But the Cleveland OL seems leaky, so Mayfield may be in the lineup sooner than anyone wants if Taylor continues to take hits.

WASHINGTON…Adrian Peterson had two big games last year before he got hurt, and had a pretty good outing with the Redskins in his debut over the weekend. He says he still has gas left in the tank. We will find out shortly.

CAROLINA….Cam Newton is throwing better, running less, and seems to be buying into all the things Norv Turner wants done in terms of decision making.with the offense.

49ers…Tough guy running back Alfred Morris ran for (84) in his first game, and should add power to the San Francisco offense. Odd Jimmy Garoppolo had a bad (9-19) game over the weekend.

DALLAS…That was pretty awful for Cowboys fans watching this home game. The Cowboys, not playing their starters, turned it over 5-times early, trailed 24-0, have offensive line problems with injuries, and are (0-3) a week before the season starts. Jason Garrett-what say you?

EAGLES…I don’t like this tidbit. Doctors have not cleared QB-Carson Wentz for contact work yet, and we are 2-weeks out from opening day for the Super Bowl champion. That’s not a lot of quality practice time to get Wentz ready, especially if he does not play in an exhibition game

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“Scarlet & Gray-Stained”

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They may be happy in Columbus this weekend because Urban Meyer still has his coaching job.

Around the country, he’s lost his credibility, and the Buckeyes are being mocked.

The aftermath of the 12-hour meeting, and then the Board of Trustees decision to suspend Meyer for just 3-games, for his so-called coverup of the domestic abuse scandals that spanned 9-years with his assistant coach Zach Smith, fired a month ago finally.

The reaction across the nation was harsh with the Ohio State decision.
..Meyer-kept his job-lost his respect
..OSU puts winning over integrity.
..Coverup worse than the crime
..More concerned over his text messages than a battered wife
..Memory loss-sure-forgetting right-vs-wrong

The report told a lot. The Trustees end decision didn’t go far enough considering all the information out there.

Meyer brought Zach Smith with him as an assistant from Florida. Smith had domestic anger incidents with his wife in Gainesville, yet was hired in Columbus.

The head coach forgot to inform Ohio State about what the assistant coach had gotten himself into while with the Gators.

Courtney Smith, the battered ex-wife, had confided in Meyer’s wife what was going on at their home over the years, and yet the head coach said he never had a conversation with his wife about what Smith’s wife had revealed.

Tired of reports that the assistant was involved with drugs, frequented strip bars, overspent his budget, was involved with pain killers and alcohol, and missed recruiting appointments, his life having gone off track, Meyer ordered him into drug rehab. Then the coach failed again to tell his AD what had befallen Smith.

Reports Smith had a sexual affair with a staff secretary. He had sexually explicit photos in his office. He had sex toys shipped into his Buckeye office. And yet he kept his job on Meyer’s staff.

For a coach who could cite you all the key plays when his Florida Gators played Alabama over the years, he had trouble remembering times-people-places-event when it came to the seedy things his tight end coach was involved in.

Meyer never apologized for what he knew-when he knew-what was happening to Courtney Smith. He would only say he was sad for ‘all in this situation’….the situation he allowed to go on and on.

And of course there is history in Meyer’s coaching background. Convicted murdered Aaron Hernandez, Patriots, ex Gators star, registered gang member now in prison. He played for and was left to run the streets by that head coach. Guess who recruited him, the since fired Smith. How’d all that work out?

And of course we find out now Meyer deleted years of text messages when the scandal just broke weeks ago. Then compounded all the wrong doing by lying, or not being fully truthful, at the Big 10-Media Days earlier this month as the story broke.

A critical media asks the question, how running back Todd Gurley could get a 4-game suspension for selling equipment at Georgia; how Terrell Pryor would get docked 5-games for selling autographs at OSU; how North Carolina players got 2-to-4 games for selling shoes….but Urban Meyer gets just 3-games for something much more serious in nature.

The score sheet reads his tight end coach choked his pregnant wife, hit her, threatened her, abused her, had police answer 9-different 911-calls just outside Columbus to their house, and the head coach let him keep his job.

And Meyer gets just 3-games suspension.

Urban Meyer may be (73-9) at Ohio State, but he comes off as a chronic liar, He comes off as an ultimate sleaze ball.-

He may still have his job. He no longer has much respect as a person, and you have to question his ability to lead the men he now recruits and coaches going forward.

Memory loss? No. Loss of credibility? Yes, for the coach and the university leadership.

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“Baseball on Radio-A Tradition-Some Places”

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If you grew up as a baseball fan, once upon a time, you listened to baseball on radio.

That was the vehicle that delivered ‘America’s pastime’ to fans across the country.

Oh there was TV, the old CBS Game of the Week, but back in the day, teams didn’t televise every game. There was no such thing as ESPN, Fox, TBS, or the MLB Network.

Regardless of where you are from, you remember baseball on radio.

Mel Allen, Red Barber, Phil Rizzuto with the Yankees. Al Helfter and Lon Simmons with the old New York Giants. Vin Scully, Connie Desmond and more with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

As time and baseball evolved, more and more great names broadcast games. Jack Buck and Harry Caray on KMOX in St-Louis-Cardinals country. Waite Hoyt on WLW-Cincinnati. By Saam with the Phillies. Bob Prince on KDKA in Pittsburgh.

Ernie Harrell in Detroit, Bob Neal and Jim Grainey in Cleveland, Arch McDonald in Washington were the voices of summer, not just in their cities, but across the country via those 50,000-watt radio station signals.

In this day and age, there are still great voices on radio, from Jon Miller in San Francisco, to Marty Brenneman in Cincinnati, John Sterling of the Yankees and more.

Of course TV has changed everything. Games on TV, on cable, on Direct TV everywhere, the MLB Network..

It’s interesting to see what baseball on radio has become.

In some cities, where tradition carries the day, the radio ratings remain very strong. even on flagship stations whose teams are in last place. But there are some stunning numbers too, you’d never expect.

Some of it has to do with teams leaving legendary stations. Some going to FM-signals. Some linked to News-Talk stations, others on all sports stations.

Talkers Magazine just released a composite look at radio ratings for the baseball season.

Once upon a time, Padres baseball on radio was a tradition. For decades upon decades, the games were on 760-KFMB, and revenue and ratings were good. But then as TV took over, radio suffered, and stations stopped wanting to pay big rights fees for radio games, when games on TV became the preferred medium.

The Padres left KFMB and went to KOGO radio for a multiple year contract. They then jumped to Might 1090, another big signal, but the product on the field was so bad, the station hemorrhaged money.

The Padres moved to an FM signal, The Fan 97.3, with a signal that doesn’t even cover the county. They got a payday for less coverage, but now no one is listening.

The Padres have the 2nd worst radio ratings in MLB, with only the Miami Marlins worse. Marlins baseball on radio has virtually no history, tradition or following.

Though there has been no continuity in flagship stations over the last decade plus, Ted Leitner and newcomer Jessie Agler have been together for three years.

Were all the changes, the dismissal of Dave Campbell, the passing of Jerry Coleman, the retirement of Bob Chandler, the constant shifts of color analysts, the reason it all changed? Or is it strictly lots of bad baseball, and a network presentation on the TV side from Fox Sports San Diego.

The highest radio ratings according to Talkers Magazine belong to one of the worst teams in baseball. The Cincinnati Reds, in last place since opening day, have the only double digit ratings in MLB. Tradition has a lot to do with the success of WLW.

Milwaukee, in a pennant race, has propelled WTMJ’s ratings to the second best in baseball, its the legendary KMOX-Cardinals signal out of St Louis, ranking them third.

The biggest markets, with the biggest spending teams, don’t have high ratings.
The Yankees are mid pack on the big sports station WFAN. The Dodgers have the third worst ratings in baseball on 570-KLAC, with a first place team. Go explain that.

.Maybe it’s the team, maybe it’s the signal of the station, maybe it’s games on television all the time.

The out of town scoreboard ranks them this way:

(BEST)… Neilsen ratings….6-Plus Audience….Flagship stations

(10.4) Reds
( 7.8) Brewers
( 7.4) Cardinals
( 6.4) Indians
( 5.8) Pirates
( 5.3) Rockies
( 5.2) Phillies
( 4.7) Yankees
( 4.7) Tigers
( 4.4) Twins
( 4.3) Orioles
( 4.2) Red Sox

(WORST)

(0.3) Marlins
(0.8) Padres
(1.1) Dodgers
(1.3) Astros
(1.5) A’s

Do you listen to baseball on radio? If so, why? If not, why not?

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