Back to the Blog

Catching up on a few things over the last week.

First the Olympics, some observations from the first week of action:
1) USA, USA, USA!
2) Shaun White is why I love watching the Olympics. I watch snowboarding once every four years but a guy like White makes me and anyone else who watches it every four years an expert because we all knew he was the absolute best guy to hit the halfpipe and there was no maybe about it. I love to watch the person who is the BEST IN THE WORLD at something do that something that he is the BEST IN THE WORLD at doing. In snowboarding, Shaun White is obviously that guy.
3) Best Week Ever...Evan Lysecek, he captures the men's figure skating gold medal and then scores a perfect ten (see photo)! Seriously, Lysecek and Nastia Luikin, imagine what that DNA could do in the hands of cold war era Soviet Scientists.
4) Great win by the United States over Canada in Hockey, but tap the breaks on comparisons to the Miracle On Ice...one is a nice win over a seemingly superior squad in a preliminary round game...the other is perhaps the defining sports moment for any human being's lifetime if said human was born prior to 1975. I have a good, not a great memory but the Miracle on Ice is a "Where were you Moment" for me...9 about to be ten years old, the house on Harrison Street in Amarillo, Texas, sitting in front of the television with my best friend Jason Mask, and yes Al, I believe.

Elsewhere...went to Conway, Arkansas this weekend for Southland Conference Basketball. The conference tournament is just a couple of weeks away and there is still much to be decided. Sam Houston State suffered their first conference loss, falling in OT to UTSA, should those two teams meet again in the tournament it will be a war. Stephen F. Austin lost to Southeastern Louisiana which puts the Lions just one game behind the Lumberjacks in the East division. In Conway, UTA put the clamps on UCA defensively and waltzed away with a 71-47 victory...UTA is lacking in size, but they get after it on defense and they do have the silky smooth Marquez Haynes leading the way...they could be dangerous in Katy. Darkhorses include Northwestern State who has now won three in a row, and how about McNeese, defeating A&M Corpus Christi...just goes to show you that in the Southland, any team can win on any given night.

One last thing, a shout-out to the absolutely great Sports Information Directors that work in the Southland Conference. Broadcasters who work in the SLC could not do what we do without the help of those guys. Thanks.

Just The Facts

Last night I had the honor of speaking at Hank Dickenson's Sports Broadcasting class at the University of North Texas...this is the class I took under Bill Mercer that set me on the path of becoming a play-by-play announcer...it's always great to see those future broadcasters and offer advice and encouragement to the next generation...the following is something that I have developed over the years that has helped my play-by-play and helped me to work with partners who were not experienced broadcasters...I shared this with the class last night.

The “Just the Facts” Approach to Play-by-Play

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

-Ruyard Kipling (Just So Stories, 1902)

In journalism and in police reporting there is a maxim known as “The Maxim of the five W’s (and one H)”. Play-by-play is as much about story telling as anything, so by answering these six questions, you should be able to tell a complete story. I have found this maxim useful as a play-by-play announcer and in working with color commentators who were not experienced broadcasters.

Play-by-Play
1) Who? Player identification. Who has the ball? Who made the tackle? Who is open downfield? Who applies to any player that is involved in the action. Also “Who won the game?

2) What? The Action. What is the person who has the ball doing with it? What are those around him doing? What are the circumstances surrounding the game? What does a win mean? A loss? Most important what: What is the Score?

3) When? Time Elements. How much time is left in the quarter, or the game? Time left on the play clock, the shot clock, etc. In baseball, the inning, the count, the outs left.

4) Where? Location. (Painting the Picture) Where applies to the location of the action on the field of play. Yard line, Left or Right sideline, Left or Right hash mark. Basketball: 3 point line, Left or Right wing or elbow. Baseball: shallow center field or deep center field, etc.

“Smith (who) takes the snap (what), looks downfield (where), flings it (what) down the right sideline (where), Johnson (who) makes a diving catch (what) at the 25 yard line (where). First down Mean Green with 2:30 left in the first quarter (when).

Analysis

5) Why? Question of Strategy (Motive). Why applies to the decisions made in the game and also applies to the success or failure of those decisions. What did they go for it on fourth down? Why did it work? Why didn’t it work?

6) How? Execution. How is the x’s and o’s. How did the receiver gain separation from the defensive back? How did the double team force the point guard to turn the ball over?

The New World Order

High School Football districts are now set for the next two years. As usual there were winners and losers in aftermath of the UIL Realignment which took place on Monday. My take on some of the highlights.

1) The Little Southwest Conference is back...I am glad to see this. Abilene, Abilene Cooper, Midland, Midland Lee, Odessa and Odessa Permian back together in a six team district. Cooper moving up to 5A made it possible. This district makes sense from a travel and a rivalry standpoint. Defending State Champ Abilene should have some stronger competition that what they faced the last two years in Tarrant County.

2) 8-5A is a monster...take Allen, Plano, Plano East, Plano West, Hebron, Flower Mound Marcus and Flower Mound and throw them in the same district? Some good teams will be sitting on the sidelines come playoff time in this district.

3) Welcome to 5A Denton Guyer...the 4A power now really has a chance to prove they belong with the big boys as they enter a district with Southlake Carroll and Coppell among others. Coach John Walsh has some solid returning talent but this could be a tall order.

4) No rest for DeSoto...the Eagles were hoping to be put back in a DFW district but that was not the case as they will again have to travel to Tyler and now to Longview as the Lobos jump back into 5A.

5) Gas up the Bus Stephenville...it could have been worse, but the Yellowjackets will have some long road trips as they are in a district with the Waco ISD and San Angelo Lakeview. On the plus side, they don't have Everman or Aledo in their district.

6) 16-3A another monster...now with Carthage, Gilmer and Henderson in the same district, it is possible that 16-3A will be one of those rare districts that produces two state champions in the same year.

7)Things get tougher for defending champ Pilot Point as they move up into class 3A, they are joined by Aubrey at the next level as well.

Now the waiting game begins as we count down to Week Zero...among the first matchups of the year that I will be watching for will be Cedar Hill vs. Allen in the Tom Landry Classic, Denton Guyer vs. Waxahachie and Carroll vs. Copperas Cove. Is it wrong of me to already be counting down the days? Probably. But I am what I am and I LOVE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL!