RD THOUGHTS - OCTOBER 16, 2006
FRIDAY THE 13TH - LAS VEGAS STYLE
I have some time to post this, so let's get right to it.
Week 8 of the high school football season in Southern Nevada produced quite some unusual events, thanks to Mother Nature, and a corrupt group of refs.
Now ma'am, the facts...
* Ten games of the fourteen played were interrupted due to thunderstorms. Five of which were called off and another suspended due to the lightning storms. Three of these games were discontinued after two periods of play, and two others were stopped during or after the 3rd quarter.
* One game in Boulder City was postponed because of a "tornado watch". While it is true that the severe threat of weather existed, there never was a tornado watch, but to be safe, they rescheduled the game until the next good weather day, which was on Saturday.
* Of these games stopped due to severe weather, one delay lasted 1 hour and 43 minutes. That game was in Henderson at Foothill High School, off the I-215 and College.
* All of this wacky weather reminds me of a pre-season game in Chicago that was stopped due to lightning about 12 years ago. Red "First Dooowwwnnnn" Cashion did the right thing and called the game because a nearby lightning bolt hit just outside of Soldier Field. I miss Red; he was perhaps one of the best refs in the league, very much on par with Johnny Grier, Jerry Markbright, the late Pat Haggerty and a few others. Like baseball ump Dutch Rennert, he was a colorful guy, and truly loved what he did.
* The loveable losers, aka The Clark Chargers, were not lucky on Friday the 13th. They lost their 39th game in a row, a 59-0 beating at the hands of Bishop Gorman, their former rivals from the old Sunset Division. Of these seven defeats, Clark have been outscored 278 to 38, on average a ratio of four touchdowns to one field goal. They have already been eliminated from post-season play. Can you imagine going to a high school where your football team has not won a single game since 2002? I don't know what is worse; going through all four high school years with your football team having goose eggs in the win column, or not graduating from high school at all. The Chargers once upon a time were a major force in the old Sunset Division, but have fallen on hard times in recent years. Well, Hollywood High School can relate to that; they had a losing skid of some 62 games, before defeating Toxic Junior High...aka Belmont High School here in L.A.
* The old Sunrise Division schools have fallen on hard times...except one. Las Vegas High is 6 and 2 so far this year, and is in position to be the top seed in the Northeast Division of the Sunrise Conference. The other teams...Eldorado, Rancho, Western and Basic are a combined 6 and 22. The Sundevils and Rams are winless so far this season, with three weeks to go.
* The game between North Las Vegas-Cheyenne and Desert Pines had some bizarre moments. The "corrupt" referees literally forgot what down it was during one series, giving the team in possession of the ball a "fifth down", and wouldn't you know, they got the first down. I use the term "corrupt" loosely because I have seen some badly-officiated games up north before moving out here to SoCal in 2000. And to top that off, there was one play that resulted in a safety after a 25-yard loss.
* Green Valley and Basic...the two oldest high schools in the City of Henderson...had a bizarre play of its own. On 3rd down and 13 from just outside their own goal line, Basic's RB L.J. Marquez was about to be sacked in the end zone, and he threw a desperation pass to avoid a safety. The end result: a 5-yard interception return by John Poindexter for a touchdown. If it was me, I would've just taken the hit in the end zone for the safety. Giving up 2 points is not as bad as giving up 7. You get a free kick from the 20; let the defense do their job and hope for a three-and-out and get the ball back. Basic could've won the game either 3-2 or 7-2; but lost 7-0 as a result of the interception return. The San Diego Chargers had a similar occurrence when QB Phillip Rivers threw a pass to avoid a sack in the end zone. He got hit with an intentional grounding penalty, and the 49ers got two points. Free kick; three and out; ball back to San Diego; touchdown scored shortly thereafter. Giving up a safety in football is not always a bad thing. If you fumble and the ball goes in the end zone, get it before the other team does.
* I am not a fan of the new clock rules in college football. I want to make that point loud and clear, and I'm sure all of the other people who are fans of college football or involved in it feel the same way.
* This past weekend saw one of the ugliest football brawls in recent history. A typical disgusting display, as the late Johnny Most would put it. The Miami Hurricanes and the Florida International team got into a lengthy fight, which started when the Hurricanes scored a touchdown in the 3rd quarter, and resulted in gestures against the opposition. Following the extra point try, both teams left the sidelines and began fighting; one of which hit another with a football helmet. In all, 31 players were suspended one game (13 from Miami, 18 from FIU), and three of them have been kicked out of the team for the rest of the year. Lamar Thomas, the TV color analyst for Miami, was fired on the spot for uttering this insensitive commentary during the melee.
"Now, that's what I'm talking about. You come into our house, you should get your behind kicked. You don't come into the (Orange Bowl) playing that stuff. You're across the ocean over there. You're across the city. You can't come over to our place talking noise like that. You'll get your butt beat. I was about to go down the elevator to get in that thing...
"Why don't they just meet outside in the tunnel after the ball game and get it on some more? You don't come into the OB, baby. We've had a down couple years but you don't come in here talking smack. Not in our house."
Dude, this is not the way to act as a broadcaster. I've seen it all, and I've heard it all now, but Thomas went way too far, and he is no longer employed.
* This Friday is rivalry week for several schools in the high school ranks. Eldorado and Chaparral will battle it out for the famed Merlin Olsen cleat. It is their 34th meeting between these two schools, with Chaparral leading the series 25-8. Eldorado had a four-game winning streak against the Cowboys at one point. Both of these teams have not played well this season, Chap is 2 and 5, and Eldorado is 0 and 6. This one could go either way. The "bone" game between Rancho and Las Vegas, two of the Valley's oldest schools, will also be played this week. In L.A. the annual battle for the Victory Bell between Belmont and Marshall will also be played. I'm picking the Barristers to win; they have a really good team.
More to come soon. Till then, reach for the stars and be safe wherever you may be.
I have some time to post this, so let's get right to it.
Week 8 of the high school football season in Southern Nevada produced quite some unusual events, thanks to Mother Nature, and a corrupt group of refs.
Now ma'am, the facts...
* Ten games of the fourteen played were interrupted due to thunderstorms. Five of which were called off and another suspended due to the lightning storms. Three of these games were discontinued after two periods of play, and two others were stopped during or after the 3rd quarter.
* One game in Boulder City was postponed because of a "tornado watch". While it is true that the severe threat of weather existed, there never was a tornado watch, but to be safe, they rescheduled the game until the next good weather day, which was on Saturday.
* Of these games stopped due to severe weather, one delay lasted 1 hour and 43 minutes. That game was in Henderson at Foothill High School, off the I-215 and College.
* All of this wacky weather reminds me of a pre-season game in Chicago that was stopped due to lightning about 12 years ago. Red "First Dooowwwnnnn" Cashion did the right thing and called the game because a nearby lightning bolt hit just outside of Soldier Field. I miss Red; he was perhaps one of the best refs in the league, very much on par with Johnny Grier, Jerry Markbright, the late Pat Haggerty and a few others. Like baseball ump Dutch Rennert, he was a colorful guy, and truly loved what he did.
* The loveable losers, aka The Clark Chargers, were not lucky on Friday the 13th. They lost their 39th game in a row, a 59-0 beating at the hands of Bishop Gorman, their former rivals from the old Sunset Division. Of these seven defeats, Clark have been outscored 278 to 38, on average a ratio of four touchdowns to one field goal. They have already been eliminated from post-season play. Can you imagine going to a high school where your football team has not won a single game since 2002? I don't know what is worse; going through all four high school years with your football team having goose eggs in the win column, or not graduating from high school at all. The Chargers once upon a time were a major force in the old Sunset Division, but have fallen on hard times in recent years. Well, Hollywood High School can relate to that; they had a losing skid of some 62 games, before defeating Toxic Junior High...aka Belmont High School here in L.A.
* The old Sunrise Division schools have fallen on hard times...except one. Las Vegas High is 6 and 2 so far this year, and is in position to be the top seed in the Northeast Division of the Sunrise Conference. The other teams...Eldorado, Rancho, Western and Basic are a combined 6 and 22. The Sundevils and Rams are winless so far this season, with three weeks to go.
* The game between North Las Vegas-Cheyenne and Desert Pines had some bizarre moments. The "corrupt" referees literally forgot what down it was during one series, giving the team in possession of the ball a "fifth down", and wouldn't you know, they got the first down. I use the term "corrupt" loosely because I have seen some badly-officiated games up north before moving out here to SoCal in 2000. And to top that off, there was one play that resulted in a safety after a 25-yard loss.
* Green Valley and Basic...the two oldest high schools in the City of Henderson...had a bizarre play of its own. On 3rd down and 13 from just outside their own goal line, Basic's RB L.J. Marquez was about to be sacked in the end zone, and he threw a desperation pass to avoid a safety. The end result: a 5-yard interception return by John Poindexter for a touchdown. If it was me, I would've just taken the hit in the end zone for the safety. Giving up 2 points is not as bad as giving up 7. You get a free kick from the 20; let the defense do their job and hope for a three-and-out and get the ball back. Basic could've won the game either 3-2 or 7-2; but lost 7-0 as a result of the interception return. The San Diego Chargers had a similar occurrence when QB Phillip Rivers threw a pass to avoid a sack in the end zone. He got hit with an intentional grounding penalty, and the 49ers got two points. Free kick; three and out; ball back to San Diego; touchdown scored shortly thereafter. Giving up a safety in football is not always a bad thing. If you fumble and the ball goes in the end zone, get it before the other team does.
* I am not a fan of the new clock rules in college football. I want to make that point loud and clear, and I'm sure all of the other people who are fans of college football or involved in it feel the same way.
* This past weekend saw one of the ugliest football brawls in recent history. A typical disgusting display, as the late Johnny Most would put it. The Miami Hurricanes and the Florida International team got into a lengthy fight, which started when the Hurricanes scored a touchdown in the 3rd quarter, and resulted in gestures against the opposition. Following the extra point try, both teams left the sidelines and began fighting; one of which hit another with a football helmet. In all, 31 players were suspended one game (13 from Miami, 18 from FIU), and three of them have been kicked out of the team for the rest of the year. Lamar Thomas, the TV color analyst for Miami, was fired on the spot for uttering this insensitive commentary during the melee.
"Now, that's what I'm talking about. You come into our house, you should get your behind kicked. You don't come into the (Orange Bowl) playing that stuff. You're across the ocean over there. You're across the city. You can't come over to our place talking noise like that. You'll get your butt beat. I was about to go down the elevator to get in that thing...
"Why don't they just meet outside in the tunnel after the ball game and get it on some more? You don't come into the OB, baby. We've had a down couple years but you don't come in here talking smack. Not in our house."
Dude, this is not the way to act as a broadcaster. I've seen it all, and I've heard it all now, but Thomas went way too far, and he is no longer employed.
* This Friday is rivalry week for several schools in the high school ranks. Eldorado and Chaparral will battle it out for the famed Merlin Olsen cleat. It is their 34th meeting between these two schools, with Chaparral leading the series 25-8. Eldorado had a four-game winning streak against the Cowboys at one point. Both of these teams have not played well this season, Chap is 2 and 5, and Eldorado is 0 and 6. This one could go either way. The "bone" game between Rancho and Las Vegas, two of the Valley's oldest schools, will also be played this week. In L.A. the annual battle for the Victory Bell between Belmont and Marshall will also be played. I'm picking the Barristers to win; they have a really good team.
More to come soon. Till then, reach for the stars and be safe wherever you may be.
posted by Robert @ 8:56 PM
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