As much as I dislike the Braves on a personal level, you have to give it up to John Schuerholz and Co. for making themselves the clear winner at this year's trading deadline.
The deal to bring Mark Teixeira from Texas to Atlanta was finally approved Tuesday, which then led to the Braves shipping struggling starter Kyle Davies to Kansas City for relief help in the person of Octavio Dotel.
Sure, Atlanta gave up a number of prospects in the Teixeira deal, but the Braves are in a "win now" mode, and adding Texiera's established bat to the lineup is a coup.
But don't underestimate the addition of Ron Mahay. Mahay, coming to Atlanta with Teixeira, is a lefty having a very good season out of the Texas bullpen. Most importantly, he's been lights out against the Mets lefthanded hitters he has faced in his career.
So after years of being thwarted on deadline by payroll restrictions, Schuerholz may have made moves today reminicent of the addition of Fred McGriff on deadline day all those years ago.
Only time will tell.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Life of a Talk Show Host
As far as jobs go, I'm lucky. I get to do what many of you would love to do on a daily basis - get paid for talking about sports.
My daily talk show - along with the Clemson and high school play-by-play, plus other network duties all rolled into one - is easily the best job I've ever had. It's the most fun, the most fulfilling, the most rewarding.
It can also be the most frustrating.
There is an extreme lack of understanding on the part of Joe Public about our business, and one area where it comes up usually has to do with a show's popularity. In a market such as ours, at a station such as The Drive - one whose daytime hours are filled mostly with local talk shows - the average listener tends to believe that a show's popularity is determined by the number of phone calls it gets on a daily basis.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Market research shows that very likely less than five percent of our listeners actually call shows on WCCP. The number could even be smaller than that.
The percentages may go up or down a few points depending on the size of the market, but it's usually that way for any sports talk station such as ours.
I could give you specifics, actual numbers, but to do so I'd be violating FCC rules. Our station doesn't subscribe to Arbitron - the ratings company which big companies in this industry use as their Bible for everything from formatting stations to hiring/firing employees.
It's also the service which large advertising agencies use to determine which stations in a particular market will get what percentage of ad money available.
But because they try to hold small stations like ours hostage from a pricing standpoint, we don't subscribe to their service.
In many ways it's liberating because we can actually make common sense decisions about what does and doesn't work for WCCP. And despite message board outcry to the contrary, what we have on the air right now is working.
Our revenues have skyrocketed in the last three years, thanks in large part to a great sales manager. Our relationship with Clemson as its flagship station has never been stronger. We just completed a huge internal upgrade of our studio and offices...
In short, things have never been better at WCCP and continue to move ahead day by day, week by week and month by month.
The downside to telling Arbitron to take a hike is twofold - One, it means our sales folks have to work even harder with ad agencies to get in on the action with the large regional and national corporations.
And two, it means we aren't allowed to speak about what our ratings numbers actually are in the market in our target category - Men ages 25-54.
I know what the numbers are. I've seen them for the station overall, and for my time slot in general. I know for a fact where my three-hours are rated in the Greenville-Spartanburg market, which is the 59th largest media market in the country.
If I were allowed to post those numbers, you would get a better understanding of how my show stacks up daily in a non-drive time slot, as well as how we fare in every other daypart in the market. The numbers, overwhelmingly positive, would surprise most people. Especially if they remember what this station used to pull in the rankings.
But I can't. The FCC says so.
Ratings are subjective anyway. It all depends on who (listeners) gets the survey from Arbitron, when they get it and how many of them get it.
When you're in the position of WCCP, yes ratings are important to a certain extent. But the bottom line is, well, the bottom line. And I can promise you that if a show was causing the station to lose money and/or advertisers, the plug would be pulled before you can say guest host.
No, happily our focus gets to be on trying to do what's best for our listeners and ourselves - in that order.
And while three or four people can drive a seemingly endless thread on a discussion board that rips into our station and hosts, the overwhelming majority of the feedback we get is positive.
Having said that, I welcome legitimate, well-thought out constructive criticism of what I do. You can do it here, via email or whatever your communication tool of choice.
Just remember, regardless of what you may believe, we are constantly trying to find ways to make our shows - our station - better for our audience.
As for the calls?
Heavy, slow. Regulars, newbies. It doesn't matter. Folks will always find something to complain about. It comes with the territory.
And yet, when I said it before I truly meant it.
I love my job. I hope that comes through in my work.
My daily talk show - along with the Clemson and high school play-by-play, plus other network duties all rolled into one - is easily the best job I've ever had. It's the most fun, the most fulfilling, the most rewarding.
It can also be the most frustrating.
There is an extreme lack of understanding on the part of Joe Public about our business, and one area where it comes up usually has to do with a show's popularity. In a market such as ours, at a station such as The Drive - one whose daytime hours are filled mostly with local talk shows - the average listener tends to believe that a show's popularity is determined by the number of phone calls it gets on a daily basis.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Market research shows that very likely less than five percent of our listeners actually call shows on WCCP. The number could even be smaller than that.
The percentages may go up or down a few points depending on the size of the market, but it's usually that way for any sports talk station such as ours.
I could give you specifics, actual numbers, but to do so I'd be violating FCC rules. Our station doesn't subscribe to Arbitron - the ratings company which big companies in this industry use as their Bible for everything from formatting stations to hiring/firing employees.
It's also the service which large advertising agencies use to determine which stations in a particular market will get what percentage of ad money available.
But because they try to hold small stations like ours hostage from a pricing standpoint, we don't subscribe to their service.
In many ways it's liberating because we can actually make common sense decisions about what does and doesn't work for WCCP. And despite message board outcry to the contrary, what we have on the air right now is working.
Our revenues have skyrocketed in the last three years, thanks in large part to a great sales manager. Our relationship with Clemson as its flagship station has never been stronger. We just completed a huge internal upgrade of our studio and offices...
In short, things have never been better at WCCP and continue to move ahead day by day, week by week and month by month.
The downside to telling Arbitron to take a hike is twofold - One, it means our sales folks have to work even harder with ad agencies to get in on the action with the large regional and national corporations.
And two, it means we aren't allowed to speak about what our ratings numbers actually are in the market in our target category - Men ages 25-54.
I know what the numbers are. I've seen them for the station overall, and for my time slot in general. I know for a fact where my three-hours are rated in the Greenville-Spartanburg market, which is the 59th largest media market in the country.
If I were allowed to post those numbers, you would get a better understanding of how my show stacks up daily in a non-drive time slot, as well as how we fare in every other daypart in the market. The numbers, overwhelmingly positive, would surprise most people. Especially if they remember what this station used to pull in the rankings.
But I can't. The FCC says so.
Ratings are subjective anyway. It all depends on who (listeners) gets the survey from Arbitron, when they get it and how many of them get it.
When you're in the position of WCCP, yes ratings are important to a certain extent. But the bottom line is, well, the bottom line. And I can promise you that if a show was causing the station to lose money and/or advertisers, the plug would be pulled before you can say guest host.
No, happily our focus gets to be on trying to do what's best for our listeners and ourselves - in that order.
And while three or four people can drive a seemingly endless thread on a discussion board that rips into our station and hosts, the overwhelming majority of the feedback we get is positive.
Having said that, I welcome legitimate, well-thought out constructive criticism of what I do. You can do it here, via email or whatever your communication tool of choice.
Just remember, regardless of what you may believe, we are constantly trying to find ways to make our shows - our station - better for our audience.
As for the calls?
Heavy, slow. Regulars, newbies. It doesn't matter. Folks will always find something to complain about. It comes with the territory.
And yet, when I said it before I truly meant it.
I love my job. I hope that comes through in my work.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Friday Afternoon Follies
A few things leftover from a dark week to be a sports fan:
- Furman alum Brian Bratton returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown Thursday night to help Montreal defeat Toronto, 26-13, in Canadian Football League action;
- Braves fans may be interested to know that as Friday afternoon wore on some of the national know-it-alls were reporting that Texas' asking price for Mark Teixeira could be coming down. Atlanta has apparently offered Jarrod Saltalamacchia and two other top prospects for the former Georgia Tech star, while the Rangers are also mulling offers from a number of other clubs.
Something to remember where Teixeira is concerned. If the Braves have decided to let Andruw Jones walk at the end of the year, they'll have some extra money to toss around. Teixeira, a free agent after 2008, would be worth a long-term investment seeing as how he's just 27 years old.
The roadblock? Both Jones and Teixeira share the same agent - Scott Boras.
So whatever the Braves do, it's not going to be easy.
- High school football practice began across the Upstate today. Be sure to check in to Cruise Control over the next couple of weeks as we have a number of prep coaches on the air discussing their teams.
- Be sure to check out TigerNet (www.thetigernet.com) in the coming days for transcriptions of interviews recently conducted on Cruise Control with Clemson head football coach Tommy Bowden and his assistants - Brad Scott, Dabo Swinney and Billy Napier.
The audio of the interviews can still be heard on The Drive's website - www.wccpfm.com.
- Furman alum Brian Bratton returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown Thursday night to help Montreal defeat Toronto, 26-13, in Canadian Football League action;
- Braves fans may be interested to know that as Friday afternoon wore on some of the national know-it-alls were reporting that Texas' asking price for Mark Teixeira could be coming down. Atlanta has apparently offered Jarrod Saltalamacchia and two other top prospects for the former Georgia Tech star, while the Rangers are also mulling offers from a number of other clubs.
Something to remember where Teixeira is concerned. If the Braves have decided to let Andruw Jones walk at the end of the year, they'll have some extra money to toss around. Teixeira, a free agent after 2008, would be worth a long-term investment seeing as how he's just 27 years old.
The roadblock? Both Jones and Teixeira share the same agent - Scott Boras.
So whatever the Braves do, it's not going to be easy.
- High school football practice began across the Upstate today. Be sure to check in to Cruise Control over the next couple of weeks as we have a number of prep coaches on the air discussing their teams.
- Be sure to check out TigerNet (www.thetigernet.com) in the coming days for transcriptions of interviews recently conducted on Cruise Control with Clemson head football coach Tommy Bowden and his assistants - Brad Scott, Dabo Swinney and Billy Napier.
The audio of the interviews can still be heard on The Drive's website - www.wccpfm.com.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The Hot Seat And Other Musings
As surely as the swallows return to Capistrano, Tommy Bowden finds himself back on the proverbial hot seat as the 2007 college football season creeps up on us.
Whether it's self-inflicted, media-inflicted or a bit of both (like this year) Bowden has been through the process enough times to know the routine. He handles his media interviews with his customary humor, not letting on publicly how much the external pressure matches the pressure he puts squarely on himself.
Should Bowden stay? Should he go?
There are arguments to be made for both sides. Each has been hashed and rehashed to the point that there's no need to revisit them here.
What I do find amusing, however, is the fan who says, "Well, if you fire Tommy, who you gonna get?"
I laugh because the insinuation is that Bowden is only here because no one else wanted the job, and if you fire him there's no way any big name coach would ever be interested in coming to Clemson.
We all know that the exact opposite is true. Most of us do, anyway. If this job did open up, the list of established coaches and up-and-coming hotshot assistants interested in the job would be long and impressive.
All you have to do is look inside the same athletic department to the basketball office. When Larry Shyatt was under the gun some years ago, many of his defenders would ask the same question. Who you gonna get?
Well, Terry Don Phillips got Oliver Purnell. Worked out pretty well, didn't it?
Bottom line here is that there will always be someone high profile out there for a job at a school like Clemson in a conference like the ACC.
Trouble is, the job isn't open. And Bowden doesn't appear quite ready to simply hand over the reigns just yet.
***
Watching the NFL Network this afternoon, and they were running through one of their Top 10 lists - this time the Top 10 quarterback-to-wideout passing combinations.
How good for how long was Jerry Rice?
So good for so long that he was on the list twice - at No. 3 with Joe Montana and at No. 2 with Steve Young.
That, friends, is a Hall of Famer.
***
If you're in Anderson Friday morning, stop by Fairway Ford Mazda on Clemson Blvd. and say hello.
I'll be doing the show live from there, 9 a.m.-Noon, as always. Breakfast from Spinx, Drive gear, free racing tickets to Anderson Motor Speedway...and a chance to meet the legendary Tom Ponder in person.
Does it get any better than that?
***
3:45 p.m.
My jovial mood just darkened considerably. It's just been reported that Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser has died of a heart attack.
He was 56 years old.
Prosser was a guest on my show a few years back, and as we were coming in from commercial break Cobb Oxford, my co-host, had us play a Linda Ronstadt tune as the bumper music.
Trying to be cute, I opened the interview by apologizing to Proctor for my partner's poor taste in music. Skip's first words were, "No, no. I'm a Stone Pony guy."
The interview was off and running from there. But that's how he was with the media, and that's why you'd have to look far and wide to find someone who didn't like Skip Prosser.
Our thoughts and prayers to Prosser's immediate family as well as his Wake Forest family.
Great coach. Better man.
Horrible loss.
Whether it's self-inflicted, media-inflicted or a bit of both (like this year) Bowden has been through the process enough times to know the routine. He handles his media interviews with his customary humor, not letting on publicly how much the external pressure matches the pressure he puts squarely on himself.
Should Bowden stay? Should he go?
There are arguments to be made for both sides. Each has been hashed and rehashed to the point that there's no need to revisit them here.
What I do find amusing, however, is the fan who says, "Well, if you fire Tommy, who you gonna get?"
I laugh because the insinuation is that Bowden is only here because no one else wanted the job, and if you fire him there's no way any big name coach would ever be interested in coming to Clemson.
We all know that the exact opposite is true. Most of us do, anyway. If this job did open up, the list of established coaches and up-and-coming hotshot assistants interested in the job would be long and impressive.
All you have to do is look inside the same athletic department to the basketball office. When Larry Shyatt was under the gun some years ago, many of his defenders would ask the same question. Who you gonna get?
Well, Terry Don Phillips got Oliver Purnell. Worked out pretty well, didn't it?
Bottom line here is that there will always be someone high profile out there for a job at a school like Clemson in a conference like the ACC.
Trouble is, the job isn't open. And Bowden doesn't appear quite ready to simply hand over the reigns just yet.
***
Watching the NFL Network this afternoon, and they were running through one of their Top 10 lists - this time the Top 10 quarterback-to-wideout passing combinations.
How good for how long was Jerry Rice?
So good for so long that he was on the list twice - at No. 3 with Joe Montana and at No. 2 with Steve Young.
That, friends, is a Hall of Famer.
***
If you're in Anderson Friday morning, stop by Fairway Ford Mazda on Clemson Blvd. and say hello.
I'll be doing the show live from there, 9 a.m.-Noon, as always. Breakfast from Spinx, Drive gear, free racing tickets to Anderson Motor Speedway...and a chance to meet the legendary Tom Ponder in person.
Does it get any better than that?
***
3:45 p.m.
My jovial mood just darkened considerably. It's just been reported that Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser has died of a heart attack.
He was 56 years old.
Prosser was a guest on my show a few years back, and as we were coming in from commercial break Cobb Oxford, my co-host, had us play a Linda Ronstadt tune as the bumper music.
Trying to be cute, I opened the interview by apologizing to Proctor for my partner's poor taste in music. Skip's first words were, "No, no. I'm a Stone Pony guy."
The interview was off and running from there. But that's how he was with the media, and that's why you'd have to look far and wide to find someone who didn't like Skip Prosser.
Our thoughts and prayers to Prosser's immediate family as well as his Wake Forest family.
Great coach. Better man.
Horrible loss.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
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.
------------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------------------------
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.
-------------------------------
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.
----------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------
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..."
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.
------------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------------------------
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..."
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