Sixteen years for Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket. Thanks to all at the station for making me laugh and talk the sport. It has become a welcome and comforting part of my life, much like that favorite shirt that has holes in it but you never want to get rid of.
Thanks to the Little Ticket I frequently bombard my 4th graders with drops, of which they have no clue of what they mean--though they frequently laugh. When I call on students I do the familiar "Let's go toooooooooooooooo (insert name) in Crazy Fort Worth (or some other place)." The kids get a kick out of it. They know that a Batphone, a phrase coined by the Great Mike Ryhner, is a cellphone. When I tell them to "mill about smartly" when they enter the classroom they know what that is. They know what "angst, flotsam, and jetsom" are thanks to Mike Rhyner. They laugh when I do, as Gordo once did, the fake Randy Galloway, "Alright, okay. Let's roll through some calls!"
Thanks to the Ticket making me laugh everyday as I take the long drive to and from work. I love my job as a teacher but let's face it, it is a made to order stress machine. What is an easier way to drive into work than to crack up listening to Fake Jerry and Fake Wade on the Dunham and Miller morning show with the Great Gordo (www.gordonkeith.com). I'm up every morning at 5:30 a.m. with those boys tuning in to hear the Dance Remix version of Rich Philllips (quack) doing the first Ticket Ticker.
Going home I look forward to the introduction of Corby with his dolphin laugh. I must admit when you joined The Hardline I saw you as abrasive, polarizing, and over the top but alas you have grown on me. I treasure hearing What is on Mike's Mind and E-News.
The Ticket has evolved--Greggo was missed at first but not anymore. The old Greggo was great but he left the show mentally long before he physically did. Rocco and Skip Bayless left (thank goodness), replaced by Norm and BAD radio. The show I miss the most during the school year is Norm as I am in class. Yes, he is a human drop machine and gets angry at callers but, he is THE best.
So Little Ticket, keep going strong. As the Chris Arnold once said, "I can't give you a B+ but I can give you an A-."
G.I. Joe supports the Grand Prairie Airhogs
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Why Jerry Jones should thank the media
Jerry thank the media? Yes, Jerry should thank the media--specifically the Dallas media (radio/print/TV) for their constant coverage of his Dallas Cowboys. The constant scrutiny by the media, fed by fans' high expectations, has pushed Jerry Jones to continue to tear down and rebuild his franchise to where it is today.
For today the Cowboys are poised on the edge of a possible Super Bowl. After handing the Philadelphia Eagles a crushing 34-14 defeat tonight there is no doubt who is the hottest team in the NFC. Jerry's team is where it is today because of the media, the fans, and yes, even Jerry himself.
Jerry wants to win. We, the fans may not have always agreed with all the decisions he has made through the years but we have to agree he will do whatever it takes to put a product out on the field. Jerry has his faults: loyalty to players that will make him overpay even after a player has reached his performance peak, inability to live with strong-willed coaches (Jimmy Johnson and Bill Barcells), and a stubbornness in which he thinks he is right all the time.
Since the firing of the great Tom Landry, the rise of the Cowboys to win three Super Bowls in the 1990s expecations have been high in Dallas. Getting to the playoffs and the Super Bowl are an expectation. The media has not let Jerry forget that. It has been 10 years since a Cowboys playoff victory. Fans are fed up with the fact that the luster on the Cowboys star has faded. Where are Troy Aikman, Emmitt, Smith, and Michael Irvin? Where is that next great quarterback to follow Staubach and Aikman?
The medias' questions kept the pressure and limelight on Jerry. Now make no mistake, Jerry needs the media. The Cowboys were recently rated as the most valuable sports franchise. Jerry loves the attention and limelight be it good or bad. Attention brings more fans and coverage. More coverage means sponsors have been eager to line up and pay Jerry. The Cowboys are a leader in merchandise revenue and with the new stadium (Death Star) are making a ton of revenue.
Jerry tonight looks like a genius by keeping Wade Phillips and not firing him after last years' disappointing 9-7 season. He ignored the media and kept him. He fired Brian Stewart, last year's defensive coordinator and proclaimed Wade as head coach and defensive coordinator. That move, in and of itself, had huge consequences. The Cowboys whipped the seemingly invincible New Orleans Saints on the road and finished the regular season with two consecutive shutouts. Tonight's playoff victory showed a dominant defense and potent offense.
Without the media one could argue Jerry would still have the will to win but he could have been content in just sitting back and making money. The soon to be impoded Texas Stadium was a huge moneymaker. The building of the new stadium--its size and location attracted huge attention. The constant coverage has garnered him an opportunity to gain more fans. People come from out of town just to visit and tour the stadium. They spend money in the pro shop and spread word of Jerry's World to friends and family back home. The media coverage has allowed Jerry to showcase the new stadium on national TV on both Sunday and Monday night. Now he is hosting college and NBA basketball games, a Super Bowl, Big 12 football championship, and even a rodeo.
In the coming days Jerry will hold many a press conference where he will be heralded as perhaps a football genius. The media will heap praise but by the end of the week they will again ask the question, "What next?" Minnesota looms next week and Jerry knows it. The more they win the more he and his Cowboys will bask in the spotlight.
For today the Cowboys are poised on the edge of a possible Super Bowl. After handing the Philadelphia Eagles a crushing 34-14 defeat tonight there is no doubt who is the hottest team in the NFC. Jerry's team is where it is today because of the media, the fans, and yes, even Jerry himself.
Jerry wants to win. We, the fans may not have always agreed with all the decisions he has made through the years but we have to agree he will do whatever it takes to put a product out on the field. Jerry has his faults: loyalty to players that will make him overpay even after a player has reached his performance peak, inability to live with strong-willed coaches (Jimmy Johnson and Bill Barcells), and a stubbornness in which he thinks he is right all the time.
Since the firing of the great Tom Landry, the rise of the Cowboys to win three Super Bowls in the 1990s expecations have been high in Dallas. Getting to the playoffs and the Super Bowl are an expectation. The media has not let Jerry forget that. It has been 10 years since a Cowboys playoff victory. Fans are fed up with the fact that the luster on the Cowboys star has faded. Where are Troy Aikman, Emmitt, Smith, and Michael Irvin? Where is that next great quarterback to follow Staubach and Aikman?
The medias' questions kept the pressure and limelight on Jerry. Now make no mistake, Jerry needs the media. The Cowboys were recently rated as the most valuable sports franchise. Jerry loves the attention and limelight be it good or bad. Attention brings more fans and coverage. More coverage means sponsors have been eager to line up and pay Jerry. The Cowboys are a leader in merchandise revenue and with the new stadium (Death Star) are making a ton of revenue.
Jerry tonight looks like a genius by keeping Wade Phillips and not firing him after last years' disappointing 9-7 season. He ignored the media and kept him. He fired Brian Stewart, last year's defensive coordinator and proclaimed Wade as head coach and defensive coordinator. That move, in and of itself, had huge consequences. The Cowboys whipped the seemingly invincible New Orleans Saints on the road and finished the regular season with two consecutive shutouts. Tonight's playoff victory showed a dominant defense and potent offense.
Without the media one could argue Jerry would still have the will to win but he could have been content in just sitting back and making money. The soon to be impoded Texas Stadium was a huge moneymaker. The building of the new stadium--its size and location attracted huge attention. The constant coverage has garnered him an opportunity to gain more fans. People come from out of town just to visit and tour the stadium. They spend money in the pro shop and spread word of Jerry's World to friends and family back home. The media coverage has allowed Jerry to showcase the new stadium on national TV on both Sunday and Monday night. Now he is hosting college and NBA basketball games, a Super Bowl, Big 12 football championship, and even a rodeo.
In the coming days Jerry will hold many a press conference where he will be heralded as perhaps a football genius. The media will heap praise but by the end of the week they will again ask the question, "What next?" Minnesota looms next week and Jerry knows it. The more they win the more he and his Cowboys will bask in the spotlight.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Why the NFL makes me crazy...
Ok, it's playoff time and the next month or so will be filled with lots of action and for the most part, competitive games. So, why does the NFL make me crazy?
Simply put, they have a great thing going and I have a sinking feeling they are about to ruin it. For those who may not know the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL owners and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) will end at the conclusion of this season. The owners have chosen to opt out two years early. So the 2010 season could be the last one before the owners lock out the players the following year meaning no football in 2011.
Now I'm no student of the Ouija board, Tarot cards, or Viking ruins, but I can see the storm clouds brewing. Both sides want more money. Owners want their piece of the revenue pie, especially owners like Jerry Jones who have footed the bill for huge new stadiums. They need to pay off their debt. Players, on the other hand, want their piece of the pie. The average length of an NFL player's career is about 3 years. Their aim is to make the most money they can while they physically can.
So here we have two sides that are "negotiating" but are pretty firm in their positions. Are they really that stubborn to take this to the point of a lockout? Yes, I think they are. It's like the Cold War between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. in the 1950s and 1960s. We put missiles in Europe and the Soviets in Cuba. We deployed missiles on the land, sea, and air and the Soviets responded by building missiles that could carry more nuclear warheads. It makes me crazy because both the players and the owners are not looking at the big picture. Both want to make money. Why not compromise for the good of the league, themselves, and the fans.
What do I see when I look at the big picture? I see the NFL taking in more revenue than the NBA and NHL combined. Over six billion dollars a year. I can remember as a child being so made and fed up at both players and teams during the NFL lockout some 20 years ago. All I cared about was football.
I also see the common man during an economic recession and at war who cannot possibly have empathy for either side if there is no football. Both sides are making millions while many hard working Americans are scraping to get by in their everyday life.
Lockouts may not drive away loyal fans (haven't baseball fans returned after lockouts and strikes?) but when fans are not watching games, they are not watching TV ads. Sponsors will not be happy. Stadiums will sit empty and both players and owners will have to dip into their bank accounts. Bills will still have to be paid by all.
Fans might look elsewhere for their sports such as in the NBA or MLB but let's be honest--in this century there are other things to do. Fans have movies, music, video games, and other entertainment at their fingertips to keep them occupied. The NFL does not have as much leverage as they might think over the attention and the dollar that the fan holds. Movie revenues are up, video game consoles are more popular than ever, satellite TV and cable provide a vast array of entertainment options.
Where might the NFL fan seek out their need for blood and violence? There is the quickly growing arena of mixed martial arts, dominated by the UFC. There are the blockbuster movies like Transformers that come out during the summer. Boxing, though still a niche sport, does attract good revenue for high profile fights during pay-per-views.
What else makes me crazy? If there is a lockout and no football in 2011 I along with countless other millions of fans will be back. Yes, I'll be mad and ticked off at both sides but I'll still sit down each Sunday and Monday to view games. It's my way to decompress from the grind of work. It's America's home-grown sport. We own it, we made it, and yes, most of the world could care less about it.
So, owners and players, sit down, talk, compromise. Save all of us a lot of angst and agree. Agree to disagree but agree to play the game.
Simply put, they have a great thing going and I have a sinking feeling they are about to ruin it. For those who may not know the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL owners and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) will end at the conclusion of this season. The owners have chosen to opt out two years early. So the 2010 season could be the last one before the owners lock out the players the following year meaning no football in 2011.
Now I'm no student of the Ouija board, Tarot cards, or Viking ruins, but I can see the storm clouds brewing. Both sides want more money. Owners want their piece of the revenue pie, especially owners like Jerry Jones who have footed the bill for huge new stadiums. They need to pay off their debt. Players, on the other hand, want their piece of the pie. The average length of an NFL player's career is about 3 years. Their aim is to make the most money they can while they physically can.
So here we have two sides that are "negotiating" but are pretty firm in their positions. Are they really that stubborn to take this to the point of a lockout? Yes, I think they are. It's like the Cold War between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. in the 1950s and 1960s. We put missiles in Europe and the Soviets in Cuba. We deployed missiles on the land, sea, and air and the Soviets responded by building missiles that could carry more nuclear warheads. It makes me crazy because both the players and the owners are not looking at the big picture. Both want to make money. Why not compromise for the good of the league, themselves, and the fans.
What do I see when I look at the big picture? I see the NFL taking in more revenue than the NBA and NHL combined. Over six billion dollars a year. I can remember as a child being so made and fed up at both players and teams during the NFL lockout some 20 years ago. All I cared about was football.
I also see the common man during an economic recession and at war who cannot possibly have empathy for either side if there is no football. Both sides are making millions while many hard working Americans are scraping to get by in their everyday life.
Lockouts may not drive away loyal fans (haven't baseball fans returned after lockouts and strikes?) but when fans are not watching games, they are not watching TV ads. Sponsors will not be happy. Stadiums will sit empty and both players and owners will have to dip into their bank accounts. Bills will still have to be paid by all.
Fans might look elsewhere for their sports such as in the NBA or MLB but let's be honest--in this century there are other things to do. Fans have movies, music, video games, and other entertainment at their fingertips to keep them occupied. The NFL does not have as much leverage as they might think over the attention and the dollar that the fan holds. Movie revenues are up, video game consoles are more popular than ever, satellite TV and cable provide a vast array of entertainment options.
Where might the NFL fan seek out their need for blood and violence? There is the quickly growing arena of mixed martial arts, dominated by the UFC. There are the blockbuster movies like Transformers that come out during the summer. Boxing, though still a niche sport, does attract good revenue for high profile fights during pay-per-views.
What else makes me crazy? If there is a lockout and no football in 2011 I along with countless other millions of fans will be back. Yes, I'll be mad and ticked off at both sides but I'll still sit down each Sunday and Monday to view games. It's my way to decompress from the grind of work. It's America's home-grown sport. We own it, we made it, and yes, most of the world could care less about it.
So, owners and players, sit down, talk, compromise. Save all of us a lot of angst and agree. Agree to disagree but agree to play the game.
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