Back Up And Punt

Well, less than a week into the blog and we've already had to make a change.

You no doubt notice the different look to the blog. Well, that's because I found out that by using AOL as my blog source, readers couldn't offer their comments to each entry without an AOL screen name.

So, I've switched to Google. Here you should be able to comment at any time with no trouble.

You'll also notice that all the previous blog entries have been copy/pasted here, so it's all back under one roof...so to speak.

Anyway, more later. But now feel free to comment away.
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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
7:06:37 PM EDT Feeling Quiet Hearing For What It's Worth
Checking In
Not much to add today. My head still hurts from this morning's Mike Vick/David Stern conversation.

Couple the NFL and NBA problems with baseball's steroids issue, and has there ever been a more dreary time for professional sports fans? Sometimes it's depressing just turning on the TV or opening up the ol' laptop.

Ah, but perhaps there's help on the horizon.

I've been working the past couple of days helping get our high school football package ready to go. If anything can lift my spirits, it's traveling around the Upstate every Friday night to meet wonderful folks at every stop. Everywhere we go, high school football fans and administrators have been nothing but great to Tom Van Hoy and me, and believe me when I tell you that such hospitality means a great deal to us.

This year we begin on Aug. 17 when Easley hosts Pickens. The rest of the schedule looks like this:
AUG. 24 J.L. MANN AT GREENVILLE
AUG. 31 HANNAH AT DANIEL
SEPT. 7 DANIEL AT WESTSIDE
SEPT. 14 PICKENS AT GREENVILLE
SEPT. 21 WEST OAK AT PENDLETON
SEPT. 28 GREENVILLE AT SENECA
OCT. 5 BEREA AT GREENVILLE
OCT. 12 WREN AT WESTSIDE
OCT. 19 SENECA AT PICKENS
OCT. 26 TBA

Hope to see you on sight this fall. When we come to your school, make it a point to stop by the booth and say hello.
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Monday, July 23, 2007
3:51:20 PM EDT Feeling Frustrated Edit Entry Delete Entry
Here and There
A few different thoughts today:

First, an apology.

During the show today while trying to do two things at once I wasn't paying attention and - rather than read off my pre-prepared notes that were stuck somewhere in my computer bag (great place for them, eh?) - I tried to wing my ACC picks by reading the schools off the top of the league's website.

The schools are listed in two, six-team columns at the top of the page. The only problem is they're in alphabetical order - not broken down by division. So when I started picking, I was putting teams in the wrong division and generally making a mess of the whole segment.
Eventually it dawned on me that I was making a mistake (I knew Georgia Tech was in the Coastal Division), and I got it all corrected and ultimately made the picks in their correct spots.

But it sounded amateurish, at best. It was horrible radio and happened simply because I wasn't paying attention. You deserve better.

And for that, I'm sorry.

***
I'm not the big NBA fan I used to be, but I still check the standings and watch the highlights in season. One day my Celtics will rise again. I firmly believe that.

Of course, when they do it could be in a much different-looking league. The NBA is at a crossroads, boys and girls. The league's integrity, the very foundation on which it's built and survives, is now under assault because of the FBI investigation into referee Tim Donaghy.

Donaghy apparently is being investigated for gambling on and possible point-shaving of games in which he worked. Word is that his gambling debts ran so high that he found himself at the mercy of low-level mobsters.

Then there was the report today that not only is Donaghy planning to cooperate with authorities, but he very well could be naming names of others - players and officials - who may be involved in similar activities.

The problem this presents to the NBA is enormous, obviously. Already a league with a credibility problem, if it turns out that the allegations are true then David Stern has a public relations monster even he can't make go away.

But I'm more intrigued by the mob aspect of the case, to be honest.

If Donaghy is indeed planning to cooperate with the Feds, and if he was involved with mobsters of any level, then naming names could end up being very bad for his health. I've already heard the jokes this morning about Donaghy being fitted for cement shoes, or being made an offer he can't refuse.

But all kidding aside, the mafia doesn't take kindly to those who snitch. And depending on exactly what Donaghy knows and who he plans to name, it might be better for him just to keep his mouth shut and take whatever punishment comes his way. Remember, he's already had to call the police because of phone calls to his home threatening his life.

The mafia has long a long memory, and an even longer reach. And if the next whistle Donaghy blows proves to be on his benefactors, it could very well be the last.

Jail is one thing. Ending up Gator bait in some lonely Florida swamp is something else.

Would you put your trust into our government's witness protection program?

***
RIP Charles Harper.
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Quick Hit - July 22, 2007
Watching my Reds' bullpen continue to self-destruct in the eighth inning, game after nauseating game, is getting ridiculous.

Some of the guys down there are easier to score on than the "ladies" working in a Parisian House of Instant Happiness.

Recently fired manager Jerry Narron may be the luckiest of all of us who follow the team.

At least he doesn't have to watch the nightly beatings anymore.
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10:15:47 AM EDT July 22, 2007
The Great White North
Over the past few years I've become a big fan of the Canadian Football League.

In fact, this will be the fourth season I've tried to catch every television broadcast, live or delayed, on the Fox Sports package on my DirecTV. It's gotten to the point where now I am beginning to recognize/remember most of the star players in the league and even some of the marginal guys.

Of course, it's not as difficult as you might think considering that the eight teams currently playing in the CFL have rosters innundated with players from major colleges here in the States.

Imports, as they are called, have found a way to keep their careers alive while making decent money after being either cut or ignored by the NFL.

The ACC and SEC are very well represented north of the border, which is no surprise considering the amount of overall talent the two leagues turn out every season.

But it might surprise you that only two former Clemson players and two former South Carolina players currently have jobs in Canada.

For the Tigers, Rahim Abdullah is still whaling away on the defensive line in Edmonton - his second tour of duty with the Eskimos. Meanwhile, quarterback Will Proctor is on the practice squad in Montreal.

Likewise, USC has one active player (Cory Jenkins, linebacker in Winnepeg) and one player on a practice roster (Jamacia Jackson, linebacker at Hamilton).

Furman is also represented - wideout Brian Bratton is on the active roster in Montreal.

The CFL is a fun brand of football to watch. Sure, there are differences in the rules (three downs, 12 players on the field, etc.), but in the end it's still football. The games can be high scoring at times, and running out the clock to protect a lead is much more difficult with only three downs at your disposal.

If you have satellite or digital TV, and therefore get all the Fox regional sports stations, give the league a try sometime.

Chances are, you'll be surprised at the familiar names scrolling across your television screen.
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First Inning - July 21, 2007
Well, after months of debate here I am - dragged kicking and screaming - into the world of blogging.

What do I hope to accomplish with this blog? Nothing more than yet another way to allow listeners of my show to further connect with their appreciative host. I'll try to be witty, funny, engaging - in short all the things that seem to be lacking from my daily talk show...LOL.

But seriously folks, this blog will be a chance for me to expand on ideas and opinions that three hours on the air every day isn't enough to get across. It will be a place to rant and rave; a place to ask questions and seek answers;

A place where the only limitations are the ones I decide - which will be few, I can promise.

You might follow me live at a Clemson sporting event, get notes from one of our great baseball road trips, or catch me simply in a thoughtful, quiet mood at home.

Whatever the situation, I hope you enjoy this new venture. And as always, if you have any comments, please send them to me via email at:

dan@wccpfm.com

Or you can comment in the area designated below.

So, without further delay, to quote the late, great Jackie Gleason:

"Away we goooooo..."