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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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“College Coaching-Power & Money”

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It never ends in college sports does it?

Not the games, the excitement, the football playoffs nor March Madness.

Talking about the scandals that go on and on and on.

The Ohio State Board of Trustees is meeting all day Wednesday, reviewing the probe of Coach Urban Meyer, and his handling of the domestic abuse cases involving former Buckeyes assistant coach Zach Smith, since fired.

Meyer’s knowledge of the scandal, his inertia in dealing with the scandal, and his truths-vs-half truths in describing what he knew and when, will all be part of a likely suspension.

Meanwhile at Maryland. everyone is waiting for axe to fall on Terps football coach DJ Durkin, under probe for a toxic culture of abuse directed at his players over the last two years.

Everything in College Park is wrapped around the early spring death of a young offensive lineman in so-called volunteer workouts, a fatality that has led to the firing of the training staff.

These are not isolated incidents.

Ole Miss is reeling under the scandals involving bonus payments to Rebel football players. Hugh Freeze will likely never coach again.

At Baylor, the mountain of evidence of sexual assault on campus, tolerated by coach Art Briles, has led to the end of his coaching career, and a terrible stain on the program..

Penn State’s iconic Joe Paterno died a month after being removed, for not taking action against assistant Jerry Sandusky, now imprisoned for sexual assault of youths, found guilty of 45-acts of crime.

Butch Davis was outsed at North Carolina in a payoff scandal to players, and now the Tar Heels are embroiled in a campus-wide academic scandal of fraudulant classes offered to student athletes.

Jim Tressel was removed when his players were implicated in selling sports equipment and a tatoo ring.

Bobby Petrino was fired at Arkansas in the wake of lies and coverups with a mistress.

And Louisville’s Rick Pitino was ousted in a sex party scandal run by an assistant coach, and a possible UL link to a slush fund payoffs to recruits. All this years after Pitino was implicated in his own mistress sex scandal.

Most all of the modern day scandals have ended,or will end careers.

Oddly Tressel returned to Ohio State as Assistant to the President, and is now the esteemed President of Youngstown State. He was one of the few found innocent of any wrongdoing, except guilty of ‘he should have known syndrome’.

Brings to mind what happened to Steve Fisher decades ago at Michigan.

Once upon a time, the NCAA handed down the death penalty to SMU’s football program, but it never seemed to curb the troubles off the field with coaches-players-boosters.

Not so anymore.

The old joke about the old SWC-Southwest Conference…SWC stands for ‘Someone Will Cheat’.

Or the SEC-power laden and rich…referred to ‘Sure-Everyone-Cheats’.

Power & Money change some coaches. Just look at the laundry list of .troubled programs and the coaches that lead them.

Maybe the correct phrase in college athletics, ‘Power & Money—Corrupt’.

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“NFL-Decision Makers-Dummies”

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How do all these rich people continue to do well, when time and time again they make bad decisions, mistakes.

Pick a crisis in the NFL right now, and it likely was born out of the leadership of different factions in the NFL.

The latest, the emergency conference call that will take place on Wednesday morning in New York, involving the Competition Committee.

Back in March, they decided to upgrade, change, put teeth into the helmet rule.

Two years ago they put into place significant penalties for people who hit others with the crown of their helmet. It was an attempt to control the concussion crisis in the NFL.

Lead with the crown of the helmet, hit the other guys helmet, you get a 15-yard penalty, and possibly an ejection.

The rule worked, with helmet hits, and helmet hits on defenseless penalties lowered.

They added flags for blowing up ‘defenseless’ receivers but the gray area of trying to dislodge the ball has been confused with unloading on players.

This summer they changed the kick off return rules for the second time in two years, trying to take the concussions out of that aspect of the game. No running starts for kick cover teams, no wedge blocks, limits on outside gunners etc.

But then this spring, the NFL took another step, saying if you hit an opponent’s helmet with any portion of the helmet, crown-front-or side, it’s a major penalty.

Still despite best efforts, NFL was alarmed for in 2017, concussions went up to 291-last year.

The first weekend of the NFL pre-season, a record 275 penalties worth (2,371-yards) were called. Included were 37-helmet penalties. The outcry was amazing that there were too many blown calls. Replays showed 17 of the flags should have never been thrown.

Upon further review, the NFL refs have their hands full. They’re throwing flags now on any type of helmet-to-helmet hit, some intentional, a bunch accidental.

The game is so fast, with players body angles changing in flights, even incidental contact is drawing a flag.

Coaches are wondering what is the true rule? Players are screaming what is a legal tackle? NFL refs wonder, is it impossible to police?

Running backs leading sweeps put their head down, resulting in helmet contact with a defender, nets a flag. Defenders trying to stop those backs, get flagged too for helmet hits.

Defenders diving for players to make tackles, who make helmet to helmet contact, draw a flag, in in the open field..

The game is so fast, that the theory of making tackles with a proper posture, cannot be executed, much less policed properly.

Don’t lead with your head, but if you are diving to make a shoulder tackle, your head is out front of you. If the ball carriers move or dips, heads collide.

Don’t use your helmet as a weapon. so far there are still players doing that, but not as often. Now the great debate is ‘intent-vs-accident’.

Now the committee will reconvene. Do they streamline the call, and mandate flags only for crown of helmet hits? Do they make it a judgmental call, citing incidental contact? Do they allow instant replay ‘a ref in the booth’ to order a review? Does it lead to more game stoppages and delays?

The NFL keeps doing things that lead to big debates, and questions about credibility.

Once they solve this helmet rule, just 2-weeks before the start of the season, a mess they created, they’ll have to get back to the National Anthem debate, and we know who created that mess?

The NFL had to re-define the ‘what is a catch’ rule, especially since decisions really impacted playoff teams.

Hits on quarterbacks, blows to the knees, pancakes hits on guys in the pocket, have all been put into place, with controversial results, and still a lot of subjectivity and uncertainty.

NFL owners, rich people, and the smart people on the competition committee, are really under fire.

No solution in sight yet, but changes likely coming, before we start the season right after Labor Day weekend.

NFL decision makers sure come off as dummies overtime they make a decision on rules don’t they?

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“NFL Games-What I Saw-What I Think”

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FIGHT FOR LA….It does not involve the Chargers…its’ Rams-vs-Raiders to see who has the most fans in Los Angeles. The Coliseum had 59,000 for the Saturday night Rams-Raiders games…and a lot of Silver & Black…the Stub Hub Center had 23,000 at most, a lot of empty seats and plenty of Seahawks fans.

CHARGERS…LA’s defense gave up 115-yards in first two possessions when it was 1’s-vs-1’s in the preseason game with Seattle. The Bolts gave up big plays of 23-29-34-45-52 to the Seahawks and QB-Russell Wilson…Bolts took took 14-more penalties…that’s 29-in two games so far.

CHARGERS..Mike Williams spectacular TD catch in the end zone was highlite video stuff….if he stays healthy, he and Keenan Allen should be something special going forward with Tyrell Williams and the new usage of RB-Melvin Gordon and Austin Eckeler as receivers too.

CHARGERS..Not much production out of the tight end spot…likely the Bolts make a move on Antonio Gates to get him in for the final two weeks of camp.

CHARGERS….Travis Benjamin meet JJ Jones, the rookie returner, who now has 3-big kick returns in 2-preseason outings including the 72Y-TD runback of a punt. So far-so good.

CHARGERS…Geno Smith has won the backup QB job. Can throw the ball down the field, can run, and seems much more accurate…still to be seen when they fire real bullets…can he play without turning the vball over…he didn’t do that well in regular season action with the Jets.

CHARGERS…Who is Detrez Newsome…tough guy running back who likely makes roster on developmental squad….runs hard-catches balls-seems productive…but so did young Res Branden Oliver and Kenneth Farrow and both are gone.

CHARGERS….Jaylen Watkins-Michael Davis, both vying for spots on the roster-played really poorly in Seahawks games…giving up big plays..taking penalties too…then Watkins got hurt-knee rolled up on….

CHARGERS….Keep an eye on DE-Issac Rochelle-he had 2-QB sacks and was in on 2-tackles for loss vs Seattle….Might be starter when Corey Liuget suspension takes effect opening day….LB-Uchenna Nwosu 2-more solo tackles-fighting to take OLB starting job.

RAMS…Haven’t played their starters in a game yet…maybe weekend 3-you do have to give them reps don’t you?

RAIDERS….That was awful early wasn’t it? The Raiders had 58-yards in total offense in the first half playing against the Rams-no one played well….of course Jon Gruden didn’t play his starters either….See what next weekend brings.

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San Diego Sports Scene-Questions Worth Asking”

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Just some random thoughts off the top of my head.

CHARGERS….It’s been 18-months since the team moved, and in that time, I have seen exactly 1-fan wearing Chargers gear, a tee shirt, anywhere in public. No jerseys, no hoodies, no pennants…nothing. Has a divorce of a team and its fans ever been so pronounced?

CHARGES….Big sports store in North County Fair, still has tons of Chargers jerseys hanging from the rafters, all at 75% off the sale price.

CHARGERS….Philip Rivers is closer to retirement than ever, and no closer to going to a Super Bowl. In LA they keep writing about all the promise the team has this year, because they won 9-of-12 at the end of last season. But none in the media up there, or even here in San Diego wants to write they finished strong by beating non playoff teams, had the 3rd easiest schedule in the league, and won only 3-games against playoff teams. And this year’s schedule is tougher. How come no one writes that?

CHARGERS….If special teams is so critical to a team, how come John Spanos-Tom Tedesco-Anthony Lynn cannot find a quality field goal kicker, either in free agency or the draft. Special teams have been poor for years and no one does anything about it.

PADRES….This is what you get when you force feed pitching prospects at the major league level….good one outing-don’t get out alive the next outing. Th learning curve will continue to be steep but I think the kid arms, Luchessi, Lauer, Kennedy, Nix, have had more good innings than bad ones, so you keep giving them the ball to start. Have to keep sending them out there sink-or-swim?

PADRES….Wish I could be optimistic about the other two young arms, both on the DL. Danelson Lamet could miss half of next year with that forearm surgery. And Luis Perdomo got to a plateau, and never got off it last season, and has regressed since then, and now is hurt.

PADRES…He’s gifted, having learned to play 5-different positions over a couple of teams and that speaks volumes about Will Myers, though staying healthy has been an issue, and staying hot has been a challenge. Good player, but not great player yet?

PADRES….Logan Allen and Cal Quantrill are the next two young arms to be brought up, as soon as the rosters go to 40-players on September 1st. The last month of the season will be like Cactus League exhibition games.

AZTECS….I wonder, with the new lease SDSU has, and the promise to help the city find events to fill open dates at SDCCU Stadium, if San Diego State should consider starting a Stadium division within their Athletic Department. Hire people to specialize in helping market and book events at the Stadium. I wonder if the Holiday Bowl, or the Sports Council should get involved. It seems the Padres and Petco Park have taken a lot of the events that used to go to the old ‘Q’. SDSU needs more people-more resources doesn’t it, to execute this?

TOREROS…A real challenge for USD to figure how to get its football team on people’s radar. Yes it might be Division 1-non scholarship, and yes it’s had great success in postseason of late, but how do you expect it to grow in stature, when you don’t even schedule a media day for the 5-TV stations or 3-sportstalk radio stations to go to?

UCSD…A messy ending to a nice coaching career for Bryce McManus, who won 7-NCAA titles in Division II-III for the Tritons. Fired for a minor violation, holding pizza parties for his women’s soccer team. A travesty, axing his job, for a rinky-dink violation. Repay the money, freeze his salary, but fire him, that’s over-reacting. Isn’t it?

GULLS…..A unique hiring. Andy Zilch becomes the team’s broadcaster. He came after spending a couple of years as the broadcaster for the AHL-Utica Comets. Already here, the first voice of the then Mohawk Valley Comets, yours truly, from back in the day in the 1970’s in the Eastern Hockey League.

DELMAR….They did a great job the first time, now they get to do it again. Del Mar becomes part of the horse racing rotation for the Breeders Cup. It comes back here in 2021. Congrats to the great leadership of Joe Harper and the Thoroughbred Club. You ever sampled summer horse racing there?

HOLIDAY BOWL….A feather in the cap to their leadership. Notre Dame-Navy this fall, headed to a likely sellout of more than 60,000 for its October game at SDCCU. You going?

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