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Anti-Gay Dallas TV Host Will Address Storming Off Set For The First Time On ... Fox News
Amy Kushnir, the "outraged" co-host of Dallas' morning TV show The Broadcast, is shocking zero people by giving her first interview to Fox News since storming off set in protest of Michael Sam.
Steve Kemble of Dallas-area radio station KVIL broke the news moments ago in a live broadcast.
"Amy is hurting right now," Kemble said. "She feels her comments were very misunderstood, and she is looking forward to explaining them further in hopes that people will better understand her viewpoint."
Head to KVIL's website to listen to the report.
Kushnir did not appear on today's episode of The Broadcast, giving credence to the report that she's on her way to New York for her Fox News martyring.
In other Kushnir news, He Said Magazine uncovered this photo taken during a recent episode of the morning show. Yes, those are male strippers carrying Kushnir on set for a 9 a.m. broadcast. Guess she has no problem with young children "being forced to watch" this, right?
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I think it's interesting that the gays are being called the Bullies. After centuries of gay bashing, being treated as second class citizens, being laughed at, beaten and even being killed for what comes naturally, finally the gays are having the nerve to stand up and say it isn't right. And for THAT the gays are the bullies. I would say the shoe is on the other foot for a change. How does it feel?
Don't believe all the HYPE you hear about gay men. I live in a very densely gay populated area in South Florida. Oh and before you attack, and call me a repressed gay man, for living here, I'll have you know: I was here long before they took over!
Here are the facts on gay men:
1. Many are bi-polar.
2. Many are drug addicts and/or alcoholics.
3. Many are out of shape, dumpy, average looking guys.
4. Many are angry and provoke fights with straights and other gays. Cops are constantly being called for gay fighting.
5. Many are unemployed and or homeless.
6. A lot of the gay men will hit on anything with a clock, including straight men, married men, etc With no regard to these men's wives, families or relationships.
So please DON'T believe all the hype you hear about gay men and their perfect, exemplary lives!!!
It's a myth, and propaganda spread by the gay community to convince the rest of us that all is well in their world, when it really isn't!
Bipolar, alcoholic, dumpy, unemployed and out of shape. You do realize that the same can be said for a lot of straight people too, don't you? Do you somehow think that these traits are somehow exclusive to gay people?
By the way, if you really dislike gays so much why did you come to a website geared to news and articles about gay people and the issues affecting them?
I have a couple of questions for the gays.
Why so much arrogance amongst the gays? (especially towards normal/straight people)
Why does everything you stand for have to be bigger, better, more, etc than the rest of the general population?
And finally, why so MEAN? The nasty posts I see on here from the gays is mind boggling! They want THEIR opinion and no one else to have theirs! RIDICULOUS!!!
I am a gay male who has lived monogamously with my partner for 20 years (50% of straight marriages can't even manage that) and guess what - none of the families in our neighborhood have collapsed due to the fact that we want to spend the rest of our lives together.
If you feel that your 'traditional' family is under threat then i suggest you look a little closer to home for the problem.
The traditional family is perfectly safe. I do understand however, that there's possibly no way to convince you otherwise. Once indoctrinated, very few can get to the point where they can see any reality beyond what they've been taught. On an optimistic note, if some of the Phelps family can do it, so can you!
You all had to see this coming. You can only ride high with any issue for so long without a backlash. Now the straight's are done with having their opinions stamped for this over dramatized gay agenda.
Now, the gays will slowly move to the back again, as the conservative's ease back to the front.
Omg that would like um make you like just as bad as like them like right?! Dipshit. Greet hate with hate? Please explain to me how gays are tolerant?? I feel like I opened a butt plug of hate for yall to come swooping in like im the intolerant one... hopefully you can find some fucking mirrors on the way to actually see your no better then the rest.
Yeah, you know you're probably right. We should stop being so hateful.
We need to stop yelling at the kids in school who like football, yelling "Hetero!" and "Breeder!" and taunting them. We really should stop telling straight people that their relationships aren't real and refusing to bake their wedding cakes or photograph their weddings. For too long the gay community has been preaching about about how disgusting and perverted heterosexuals are and how the thought of a man putting his penis in a vagina makes us physically ill.
And I'm ashamed to think of all the many times we homosexuals have stalked straight men outside their bars just for the thrill of harassing them and beating them up, all the time telling them how disgusting they are, calling them names and telling them they're going to hell for sleeping with women. It's also shameful how the police and politicians ignored so much of that.
Who knows how many straight men and women have been denied jobs because they are too "butch" or "fem" to fit into the company. It's shameful that we discriminate against straight people on the pretense that they might make people around them uncomfortable.
Yeah, we really need to work on that.
Amen! At the end of the day, all AMERICANS (gay and straight alike) should be asking: Which is a greater evil and which is a greater threat to our formerly free society, to believe that homosexual behavior is sinful and same-sex marriage ought not to be sanctioned or to ban the expression of such thoughts?
That's easy: Neither is a threat.
The greatest threat to the entire world is religion. So much hate, so much vitriol, so much intolerance, so much ignorance, so much manipulation, so many wars, so many deaths, so many hurt...all because of a few books written thousands of years ago. So sad.
...or you can dodge the question and shift blame to another topic altogether, while failing to recognize your own personal responsibility to the original question... you fit in well with this thread! "Neither is a threat" - the fact that this blog exists and has warranted so many responses paints a different picture, as it seems many homosexuals feel threatened by individuals who present a differing viewpoint.
Despite your attempt to frame it that way, it's not an either/or question. Neither is a threat to a free society is simply the most accurate response.
Since you seem so concerned about threats to society, I brought up the biggest threat to all societies...religious intolerance. Doesn't matter which religion you pick, but when the "viewpoint" is everyone else must live their lives according to my religion, real shit happens.
Jarred - Again seeking to leave religion out of the conversation as it is off topic relative to the question at hand, my interpretation of your viewpoint based on your first two sentences that actually address the question reads, "The belief that homosexual behavior is sinful is not a threat to a free society. Furthermore, banning the expression of individual thought is not a threat to a free society." Do I have that right?
My concern is that you, and others, do not recognize the underlying, foundational, principally-based issue with the later part of the statement that is so glaringly obvious to myself. This does not stem from selfishly motivated desires or ambitions, religious or otherwise, but rather something our founding fathers recognized as vital and necessary for a free country and, in the pursuit of happiness and/or 'equal rights', the homosexual agenda seemingly squanders what was established as best for all - the ability to express your thoughts.
"The belief that homosexual behavior is sinful is not a threat to a free society. Furthermore, banning the expression of individual thought is not a threat to a free society." Do I have that right?
Yes, you do have that right. Simply believing is not a threat. It's trying to enforce your beliefs onto others that creates the threat. It is religion that describes it as a "sin", so I don't see how we can have a reasoned discussion while excluding the basis for it all. Not to mention the irony that you view homosexuality as a threat to society, when it's actually religion that makes you consider it a threat in the first place.
Being "obvious" to you doesn't make it factual. Here's a fact about what the Constitution states: "...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Thank you, Jarred. I wish your recognition of the point made, and admission of its accuracy, would have preceded your two prior comments. That said, in light of your epiphany, I again ask which is the greater threat as framed in the original question? Can you answer it; can you recognize it is an either/or question? I am trying to help you, and others, see that inherent hypocrisy of your pursuit to be all-loving, and all-inclusive, along with the recognition that the very nature of your actions fails to identify the active threat, and greater consequence for society as a whole.
Yes, a lot of homosexuals DO feel threatened by that different viewpoint. Why? Because that viewpoint is trying to suppress equal rights on the basis of religion; moreover, that viewpoint is constantly telling gays that they are going to hell, they are disgusting, they are wrong, etc. Have you ever gone out dancing or or out for a drink with someone you've been with for 20 years (but can't marry because of religious bigots) only to find groups of religious protesters outside with life sized crosses and signs held by people with megaphones telling you that you are going to hell? Going to hell for something you cannot change? Going to hell for being with, loving, and building a life together with someone you love?
No, you haven't. You haven't experienced that. So you cannot begin to understand why gays feel threatened by viewpoints from people like you and many other conservative bigots out there who cannot find more important issues to contend with besides worrying about two people of the same sex loving each other.
Thank you, Joey. As you seemingly lack the ability to separate issues just as Jarred, let me ask you the original question, without interjecting any other off-topic notions : Which is a greater evil and which is a greater threat to our formerly free society, to believe that homosexual behavior is sinful and same-sex marriage ought not to be sanctioned or to ban the expression of such thoughts? Notice this does not beg the question of what motivates individual thought and freedom (as you and many others are quick to blame 'religion', plenty of non-religious individuals cite issue with homosexuality on various grounds), but rather it simply recognizes the underlying foundation of our formerly free society... something I feel the 'homosexual agenda' if you will, and pursuit of 'equal rights' seems to squander in its pursuit of personal/collective desire. It is concerning that more Americans are willing to put selfish feelings/emotion (even as a part of a collective whole, or totalitarian mob mentality) ahead of the most basic of freedoms - the expression of thought. After all, it is the cognitive ability of conscious thought that distinguishes the human species from all others and with this comes the responsibility to choose... in the most significant of cases, to choose right from wrong. Again, I think all Americans should be challenged to question their individual responsibility to promoting what is greatest for all.
JJ -- your argument is intelligently worded, but it is ridiculously flawed. No one who is pushing for equal rights is wishing to silence people's thoughts. This news anchor has a right to say what she feels and thinks. The beautiful part of our FREE country, because I DO still find it to be free, is that people who disagree with her are entitled to voice their opinions in return.
The news anchor has a right to her opinion, as do you... And I have the right my expression of thought that you are both bigots. These are the same rights of speech and thought that Americans have shared for quite some time. That hasn't changed... It's just that people like her and you are on the other side of history. You know, very similar to the side where people used similar arguments regarding equal rights for African Americans.
Thank you for working to stay on topic, Joey. I really do appreciate constructive commentary!
Regarding the statement that "no one who is pushing for equal rights is wishing to silence people's thoughts"... Miami Dolphins player Don Jones, as but one relative example, has been fined and suspended by the Miami Dolphins because he posted two tweets either critical of or making fun of Michael Sam from his personal twitter account. Jones will be allowed to rejoin the team only after he completes "educational training." You may deny that those pushing for equal rights wish to control thought — just as they send another "homophobe" to sensitivity training - not to teach him to treat all people well but to re-educate him on the issues they deem important. Don't fool yourself. You are not simply demanding that we treat all of our fellow men and women with respect; you are insisting that we all march in lock step with your view of the moral propriety of such relationships... it is this blatant move toward totalitarianism and dangerous groupthink that concerns me as I reflect on our society as a whole.
If she is really hurting and feels she is misunderstood then why doesn't she go to CNN and speak with Anderson Cooper instead if that right wing nut jobs on Fox News. I am sure she would find pempathy from Ann Coulter. What she said is wrong!!! As a tax paying gay man I find he'd comments insensitive and very damaging to society.
Because if she does it on fox she's not sorry but if she does it on Anderson Cooper show then she must be sorry? Explain to me if im understanding your logic? Your mad because she publicly stated someone ( and has more pull then you with anything) shouldn't do something and then everyone bashes her she says sorry and no one believes it because you all believe what you THINK she meant. Explain to me the tolerance part? Noticed I said tolerance, thats a huge difference between acceptance.
Explain to me how your life is any worse.... explain to me how that one straight kid is abused By his dad because his dads an alcoholic. Explain to me how the victims of rape don't know what YOU are going through? No one knows your life as much as you know what its like to be me. I dont know you or claim to know you, but I sure as fuck am not going to support a cause that ask for equality through special rights.... shut up with this "you dont know what its like to...." shit. Its life we all have issues and you dont know anyone so to compare yourself to them shows how low you are. So ya youre right I dont know what its like to be a shitty person. Carry on.
Amy Kushnir re that Broadcast. Didn't like the NSPN coverage stating "When parents do not have a choice about whether or not they want their children to see this, it is wrong...I don't call it a moment of celebration...It's being pushed in faces. I don't want to see that"
Yet Amy Kushnir apparently doesn't have a problem with kids seeing heterosexual couples showing public displays of affection. If we were to go back far enough this would have been about an Afro Amrecain couple showing a display of affection. Apart from having double standards, it also shows just how narrow minded Kushnir is and how narrow minded she would like children of the future to be. Kushnir put this televised moment of a Same sex Couple celebrating with a show of affection down to NSPN as a News Making opportunity, discounting all the hetrosexual moments of public affection NSPN has also aired. At the end of the day it shows just how unprofessional Kushnir is as a host of a talk panel Really this is a Person that is trying to sensor on behalf of others, 'for their own good' out of small minded point of view.
This is all nonsense! Instinct Magazine post a picture and most all the comments are against each other's post and very few ever have anything to do with the article or picture they posted! It is beyond me, the comments made always contain negative views against the LGBT society. Instinct Magazine is a GAY Magazine. Why would you even open it and read it if you don't believe it is right? Example someone that doesn't believe in drinking or that chooses not to drink alcohol isn't going to frequent a liquor store. How is this any different?
As for the comments left on this article and what I see/hear in everyday life is when it comes to the LGBT ppl - most, but definitely not all, Christians are so fast to put down, criticize, ridicule, pass judgment and even hate the LGBT people. What is also beyond me, is this one simple thing: God teaches his people (Christians) to Love others AS I have Loved YOU. God also teaches that there is BUT one Judge of all people and that is GOD. So for each of you that call yourself a Christian and want to bestow on the LGBT's your own judgments, your criticizing of who they are as an individual, and your ridiculing - HOW do you believe that is of Christian behavior? Its NOT! You will not find in God's word (The Bible) that it is okay for you to treat those you disagree with in this manner. If anyone is passing judgment against anyone else including all LGBT, or any other non-loving behavior, maybe it is time you revisit and spend time studying how God has taught his people to live, while on this earth! We are to LOVE all people - NOT just those that have the same belief or practices as we do! God's word also teaches that we are to forgive others BEFORE we can be forgiven!
As for me - I am a Christian and I am a Gay man! If you are a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender you are just that! You may chose to not to practice it or act on it but your still the same individual. Just as an alcoholic is always an alcoholic! You may chose to continue to drink or you may be an alcoholic in recovery - yet your still and alcoholic, same holds true for every other type of addict! To indicate that all LGBT people have HIV is no different than saying all heterosexual people have every type of STD there is know to mankind including HIV. Again that is YOU placing Judgment on someone else. That type of behavior is NOT Christ like!
You go gurl! Preach it sista! Although I could not get past the "This is all nonsense!" as I had to run and get tissue to wipe all the spit from mine eyes.Why is it that gay guys lisp so much or talk in high shrilly voices?
Oh hun, Your = possession / Your're = You are... Just use YUR, will confuse and amaze the gays YAY ME
Look Bitches and yes you heard me right, you faggots are all going to hell soon!!! You, yourselves are the BIGGEST hypocrites, liars, rumormonger, back stabbers, sexual predators, cheaters and liars. ALWAYS talking shit behind each other's back and trying to out-do each other, thinking you have the "prettiest" house, BF, car, job and shoes, pretentious sodomites!
I was gay for a MISERABLE 4 yrs and all you lonely asses ever did was go to your little clubs, get shit-faced drunk and hit up on guys, for what "LOVE"? Liars so you could get in bed and pack their fudge!
Advise: Go find you an Island somewhere and decorate it and get married and have kids, oh wait, that would be UNNATURAL! Let's see how long your Aids asses would last! Snap, snap and twirl, you hoes just got read, see, i can even talk the talk, Abomination and misfits to Humanity
I am sure this will NOT get published, I have just exposed the GOD awful truth about the Reality you sodomites live in! Do it! I dare your pansy ass, I welcome the KATY and BITCHY girl responses from you easily offended pers!!
Why are you so hateful? Is it because you are les attractive then what most of us find attractive? Sad to say you are still Gay, and it kills you that you can't get rid of the feelings.While most Adolescent Gay men do go to the clubs and shit faced drunk, have you ever thought the same thing happens in the heterosexual community, I.e Spring Break and any Friday or Saturday night at any College or University. Doesn't sound good coming from a well established Gay man does it? The Heterosexuals in this world have been on a non stop course to try to drive us out but as with anything else, we will survive. Lets not throw stones. You made the claim that you were a gay for four miserable years, and my thought is that you are just jealous that you didn't get your "Fudge" packed. My Advice to you is: Go back to school and re-learn how to compose a sentence properly, and learn how to spell, and stop living your delusional lie that you were Gay for 4 Miserable years. Stop referring to We established Gay men as anything other than Established, and try to find out why your Mother ever had you rather than abort you. She should have watermeloned you, As far as the term of Watermeloned, look it up
It's hilarious that you have seemed to acquire all types of stereotypes, and slang. However, I call BULLSHIT on your 4 "grueling" years of "being gay". Sounds like you read some Ex-gay Therapy Nonsense, and are trying to imply it's possible. Lmao. You attempt at trolling and manipulation is embarrassing. I'd bet money you're an older white male, mid 40's or up, that has seen comedy skits of gays being portrayed as such when that was the common go-to, as if all gay men are feminine. That little bit of info, shows exactly how educated you are. Not to mention the AIDs comment. Or the fact you tried to integrate the bible into your comment. FYI- Sodomite did not have the same meaning when the bible was written in Greek amd Hebrew. A Sodomite was simply a resident of Sodom, and nothing else. In case you didn't know, the bible wasn't written in English. Dumb Fuck.
Must suck. Having such a pathetic life. How does it feel to be Irrelevant? ;-*
Go educate yourself.
Is this the comedy segment? That was hilarious! I'm glad it was posted and wasn't removed.
First, using God's name in vain this way is not going to help get you entry into hell. It's kind of a sin to do that mister! It's the same in both Deuteronomy and Exodus. There's nothing there about gay sex.
Second, yeah. A lot of gay bars are depressing disgusting places. And so are many straight bars. All the stuff you said about the gay behavior are no different than among straights. Including the butt sex!
Third, you seem very disturbed and confused. But it makes for good comedy!
(Used this way, it's spelled "advice" btw. You "advise" someone of something, but you give "advice.")
So my "advice" to you is that you chill the eff out.
Wow! Your tone is wrong on so many levels. You have no right using that potty mouth of yours with anyone--not with your parents, your friends, society, strangers, or anyone else.
You have clearly drunk the cool-aid, however, because someone has brainwashed you into thinking that all these problems are gay-specific. Most sexual predators are straight. Heterosexuals get AIDS too.
And don't use that term "sodomite" unless you know a thing or two about where it originated. If you believe in the story of Sodom and Gomorra, God destroyed the cities because not even 10 righteous people were found, including children. If you believe it, God didn't destroy the cities for a sexual sin, or 10 righteous people would have been found. All you're doing is perpetuating the stereotype that has been going on for thousands of years and proving your ignorance in the process.
And, I'm sure you do that in the name of God. The bible says that God said "you cannot love God who you have not seen if you cannot love your fellow man who you have seen." It also says the greatest attribute a person can have is LOVE. Try it.
It shows your ignorance and sense of self loathing that you even attempt to comment on this issue. You have the audacity to stereotype everyone in the same category because you chose to experiment for 4 years. I have lived 37 years and have been with a total of 4 guys in my life. There are decent gay men out there that have respect for themselves and others. Clearly you don't have respect for anyone not even yourself. You dare to include the Name of God in your miserable excuse for commentary. It is clear that you are a weak minded individual and poor excuse for a human being. Instead of an island why don't you find the nearest therapist and discuss your issues with him or her and get the clarity that you need.
GURL, seems I need to introduce you to Matt McLaughlin below us, he's right you do need it, only 4 men, that is just NOT right for an upstanding (no pun intended) gay gurl!!! Should be 2 per week, Right Girls??
Then have coffee with Joel above us, he and you can convolute the Bible's teachings and make it fit to your Id driven needs; to be with and have sex with a man. Guess you two have re-written scripture to fit your deviant life style.
You were gay for four years? No, you were trying out what it was like to be gay for four years. If you are truly attracted to mostly men, you are gay. If you are attracted to both sexes, you are bi. If you are truly attracted to mostly women, you are straight. You can deny those thoughts and "make a go of it", but you aren't "gay for four years".
As for your experience while making a go with it, it's quite obvious you've never hung around women for much time. They do THOSE EXACT SAME THINGS! That said, I know tons of gay men, and most of them are mature and don't do those kinds of things, so I'm guessing it was the crowd you choose to hang with that turned you so ugly (although I'm pretty sure you were ugly before they got ahold of you).
It's ok, I'm glad you "chose" to be straight now. We don't want you on our team. I guess you'll have a better chance and having a girlfriend now that you probably didn't get any attention from guys while you were gay. Also, I find it ironic that you just described every straight person, guy or girl that you will ever meet.
I don't know if you know this but Straight guys gossip more than gay guys do. Good luck with your new found life! <3. By the way, you seem to be scared to be who you are since you choose to use a fake name to post on a gay website. You are pathetic and I hope you find a cure for stupidity some day.
I'm so sorry to hear that your 4 years of being gay were so terrible. It's no wonder you sound so very angry. If you do a quick google search you should be able to find a psychotherapist in your area who can help you with that. I believe with the right combination of talking therapy and medication you might one day stop being such an asshole.


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2013 Big Ten Softball Tournament Home Page
Tournament Bracket l Purchase Tickets l Bowlin Stadium l Visitor Guide
The University of Nebraska hosts the 2013 Big Ten Softball Tournament May 9-12 at Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln. All 12 schools participate in the Big Ten Tournament, with the top four seeds receiving a first-round bye. The tournament is single-elimination, with 11 total games being played. The Big Ten Network will televise both semifinals on Saturday, as well as Sunday's championship game. A free video stream of all games on Thursday and Friday will be provided by Huskers.com.
More information on the tournament, including ticket and stadium information can be found at the bottom of this page.
Participating Teams
Iowa l Illinois l Indiana l Michigan l Michigan State l Minnesota l Nebraska l Northwestern
Ohio State l Penn State l Purdue l Wisconsin l Big Ten Conference l Big Ten Network
|2013 Big Ten Softball Tournament Schedule
|Thursday, May 9 (all times Central)
|Game 1:
|No. 5 Northwestern 6, No. 12 Indiana 3
|Box Score
|Game 2:
|No. 8 Ohio State 8, No. 9 Iowa 4
|Box Score
|Game 3:
|No. 11 Penn State 5, No. 6 Illinois 2
|Box Score
|Game 4:
|No. 10 Purdue 8, No. 7 Michigan St. 5
|Box Score
|Friday, May 10 (all times Central)
|Game 5:
|No. 4 Wisconsin 3, No. 5 Northwestern 0
|Box Score
|Game 6:
|No. 1 Michigan 3, No. 8 Ohio State 2
|Box Score
| Photos
|Game 7:
|No. 3 Minnesota 4, No. 11 Penn St. 0
|Box Score
| Photos
|Game 8:
|No. 2 Nebraska 3, No. 10 Purdue 2
|Box Score
| Photos
|Saturday, May 11 (all times Central)
|Game 9:
|No. 4 Wisconsin 9, No. 1 Michigan 3
|Box Score
|Game 10:
|No. 3 Minnesota 1, No. 2 Nebraska 0
| Box Score
|Sunday, May 12 (all times Central)
|Game 11:
|No. 4 Wisconsin 9, No. 3 Minnesota 3
| Box Score
Ticket Information (Seating Chart)
**Everyone must have a ticket for the 2013 Big Ten Softball Tournament, regardless of age**
All-Session Tickets: All-session tickets are no longer available. They were only available through Wednesday, May 8.
Single-Day Tickets: For fans missing the deadline for all-session tickets or chosing not to purchase all-session tickets, single-day tickets will be sold based on availability. Fans will need to buy a new ticket for every day of the tournament (not every game) they plan on attending.
A $10 reserved single-day ticket will guarantee the fan the same seat for every game that day in either section 100, 101 or 102. A $7 general admission single-day ticket will allow a fan admission into every game that day with first-come, first-serve seating in the metal bleachers on the first-base concourse and the grass berms behind both dugouts and down both foul lines.
Single-day tickets, if available, cannot be purchased until Thursday, May 9 and are available in person at the Bowlin Stadium ticket office during each day of the tournament, online at Huskers.com, at the main Nebraska Ticket Office or by calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED. The ticket office will open 60 minutes prior to the first game of the day.
- Adult: $10 reserved / $7 general admission
- Seniors (60 & older): $5 general admission only
- Youth (6 & under): $5 general admission only
Disabled Ticket Seating: If you require disabled seating, please let the ticket office know when purchasing your tickets.
Player Pass-List: The pass-list gate entrance is located down the right-field line. Individuals on the pass list will be guaranteed reserved seating near their team's dugout during their team's game, and they may sit in general admission for the other games that day.
Note: Individuals must show I.D. in order to pick up pass-list tickets.
Will Call: Will-call tickets will be available for pick up at the Bowlin Stadium Ticket Office, located at the main entrance to the stadium, behind home plate. Will-call tickets may be picked up beginning 60 minutes prior to the first game of the day.
Gates Opening Time: Gates will open and fans will be allowed into Bowlin Stadium 60 minutes prior to the first game of the day. The Bowlin Stadium ticket office will also open 60 minutes prior to the first game of the day. Once the gates are open, they will remain open all day until shortly following the final game of the day.
Stadium Re-entry: Re-entry will be allowed into Bowlin Stadium, but the patron must obtain a wristbrand prior to leaving the facility in order to be allowed back in without purchasing a new ticket. Please note that leaving the stadium and then re-entering does not guarantee a fan his/her same seat, unless that fan has purchased a reserved ticket.
Parking/Disabled Parking: Parking is free and readily available at Bowlin Stadium. Disabled parking stalls are located by the main entrance to Bowlin Stadium and are designated as disabled stalls. Patrons must have a state-issued hang tag or license plate. Improperly parked vehicles or those found in a restricted area will be towed at owner's expense.
Prohibited Items: The following is a list of items prohibited inside Bowlin Stadium:
- Coolers, large bags
- Small bags/backpacks are allowed, but will be checked prior to entering the stadium
- Video cameras
- Noise makers
- Umbrellas
- Glass bottles and cans
- Lawn chairs
- Banners/flags on poles
- Outside food or drink
- Alcoholic beverages or controlled substances
- Limited use of cameras and portable radios is permitted. Flash photography is prohibited. Game action may not be filmed. Consideration of other spectators is expected.
- With the passage of a concealed weapons law in the state of Nebraska, fans are reminded that all concealed weapons are not allowed on the UNL campus and are prohibited at all collegiate athletic events.
- At the discretion of game management, other items may be prohibited.
Assistive Listening System Equipment: Assistive Listening System Equipment is available for checkout inside the Bowlin Stadium press box, located on the concourse behind home plate. A valid I.D. is required for deposit.
No Smoking Policy: Smoking is NOT permitted inside Bowlin Stadium. Fans may leave the stadium to smoke, but must ask for a wristband in order to re-enter the stadium.
Restrooms: Restrooms are located by the metal bleacher seating on the first-base concourse.
Important Telephone Numbers: Below are important telephone numbers for fans attending the 2013 Big Ten Softball Tournament:
- University of Nebraska Campus Police: (402) 472-2222
- In-Game Secruity Assistance: (402) 472-FANS
- Lincoln Police Department: (402) 441-7237
- Nebraska Softball Office: (402) 472-8801
- Nebraska Ticket Office: (800) 8-BIG-RED (824-4733)
- Nebraska Events Office/Lost & Found: (402) 472-1003


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Social Responsibility
We are committed to long-term relationships with our suppliers. It is our practice to assist noncompliant suppliers to become compliant with the J.Crew Code of Vendor Conduct. We provide our suppliers with the tools they need to improve working conditions, including training and in-factory consultations.
We terminate a business relationship only as a last resort if a critical issue of noncompliance is identified or when a supplier is unwilling to meet our requirements despite our efforts to help them become compliant.
We regularly conduct Responsible Sourcing training seminars for our suppliers. These seminars focus on the J.Crew Code of Vendor Conduct, program requirements and other relevant topics, including working hours and overtime, health and safety and management systems. Since 2005, we have conducted six seminars and have provided training to over 400 supplier representatives. Our most recent seminar was held in Shenzhen, China, in May 2012. We also conduct regular training for J.Crew associates who work with suppliers, covering program requirements and how to best support the company's responsible sourcing efforts.
J.CREW REsponsible sourcing
J.Crew is committed to a standard of excellence in every aspect of our business, including legal, ethical and responsible conduct in all of our operations. We expect these same commitments to be shared by all factories, subcontractors, suppliers and agents who are affiliated with the manufacturing of J.Crew goods (suppliers). In addition, suppliers are also expected to share our commitment to quality...
monitoring SUPPLIER
While it's relatively simple to communicate our expectations to our suppliers, it is more complicated to verify compliance throughout our supply chain. Therefore, we carefully select and rely on independent external firms to conduct both announced and unannounced inspections of manufacturing facilities and to advise our program.
The suppliers who manufacture our products are regularly inspected... READ MORE →


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From Melissa Myozen Blacker's Facebook post: "On the night of December 2nd, in a secret ceremony held late in the night during the December Rohatsu sesshin at Boundless Way Temple, I gave my student James Myosan Cordova denbo, or full Dharma transmission. The ancient traditional ...Read More »
The Natural Practice
It is nearly midnight on a Sunday night. The sky is filled with dark clouds and there are a few rain...
My (Ex-)Cancer Ango – 12 – Alive! (A New Year Message)
I will pause (but not quite stop) this "Cancer Ango" now as the doctors tell me that I a...
My Cancer Ango – 11 – Is Tenpyozan Monastery A Discriminatory Institution?
This will be the last post, for now, on the question of discrimination in Zen Buddhism, and whether ...
My Cancer Ango – 10 – Cancer is Nirvana
Hey Guys, Well, looks like I will be going home this week, in time for the New Year. I do not get my...
My Cancer Ango – 9 – "Angos of Hard Knocks"
Hi All, The following "Talk from the Hospital Bed" is a little longer, but I think you w...
My Cancer Ango – 8 – What's A "Real" Zen Retreat?
Hi All, Thank you again for all the continued good feelings and wisdom. Doctors seem to think that I...
My Cancer Ango – 7 – Back to the Living
Finally able to be in touch, a hard week.. Please turn up your volume a bit, as his voice is still v...
My Cancer Ango – 6 – Just Sitting
Dear All, They take me downstairs in a few hours. Nothing more to say, nothing more in need of doing...
My Cancer Ango – 5 – Flowing
Well, packing for the hospital in the morning, as the great Cancer Ango takes me to the operating ro...
Pain and Suffering Part Two
With palms together, Good Evening All, Its a chilly 34 degrees this evening here in southern New Mex...
Pain and Suffering, Part One
It is the morning of December 7th, a day that Roosevelt said would "live in infamy." The...
My Cancer Ango – 4 – I'm Scared
Sometimes, like tonight, I get really scared. Cancer is scary. Some folks will say that being scared...
My Cancer Ango – 3 – Dukkha
Hey Everyone, This cancer and my upcoming surgery puts me face to face with Dukkha, "Suffering...
My Cancer Ango – 2 – In the Waiting Room, Shikantaza, Metta, Tonglen
Hey Guys, A lot of waiting in waiting rooms this past month, waiting for the big pronouncements from...
My Cancer Ango – I – Rohatsu Begins
Dear Sangha and Friends, A few weeks ago, I was diagnosed with esophogial cancer. The doctors are op...
James Myosan Cordova becomes Melissa Myozen Blacker's dharma successor
Painting Peace, Kazuaki Tanahashi film screening in San Rafael Nov. 20
Leonard Cohen, musician and Zen practitioner, dies at 82
SIT-A-LONG with JUNDO: ENGAGED PATIENCE ( PLUS SPECIAL ZAZENKAI with BRAD WARNER)
SIT-A-LONG with JUNDO: Engaged Ethics (& Zenathon for Treeleaf's 10th Anniversary)
Jogye Order to increase their age limit for monastic ordination
Sydney Musai Walter Interview
Sydney Musai Walter is a Zen priest with the White Plum Asanga of the late Taizan Maezumi-roshi and a Dharma heir of Alfred Jitsudo Ancheta (himself one of Maezumi's twelve successors). In 2004 Musai-roshi received denkai (priest ordination) from Dennis Genpo Merzel, with whom he ...Read More »
Caitriona Reed Interview
Ruben L.F. Habito Interview
James Ishmael Ford Interview
Ryuten Paul Rosenblum Interview
Myozen Melissa Blacker Interview
Myo Denis Lahey Interview
Bernie Glassman interview
Perle Besserman interview
The Natural Practice
It is nearly midnight on a Sunday night. The sky is filled with dark clouds and there are a few raindrops falling to earth. I know this because I often practice zazen, as I just did, outside in the open air. Such practice reminds me of the Buddha and ...Read More »
My (Ex-)Cancer Ango – 12 – Alive! (A New Year Message)
My Cancer Ango – 11 – Is Tenpyozan Monastery A Discriminatory Institution?
My Cancer Ango – 10 – Cancer is Nirvana
My Cancer Ango – 9 – "Angos of Hard Knocks"
SIT-A-LONG with JUNDO: Rohatsu, Retreat and Family
This week we celebrate ROHATSU, remembering the Enlightenment of the Buddha who sat under the Bodhi Tree, realizing the end of his long search as he saw the light of the Morning Star. If you cannot travel to a Rohatsu Retreat, we invite you ...Read More »
Dharmapants by Koun Franz
Treeleaf Sangha "Homeleaving" Priest Ordination, Held Simultaneously in Mexico, Canada, US and Japan
My first visit to a Zen center
New Year Greeting 2013 by Ruben L.F. Habito
Zen in America website and trailer launch
WEBSITE: http://zeninamerica.com/ Hi friends! I've been having a blast doing this documentary so far, finding myself wanting to see it someday as much as anyone else. As you can see from the trailer, it's not just teachers I'm talking with — I want this film ...Read More »
Souls of Zen – Buddhism, Ancestors, and the 2011 Tsunami in Japan, a new documentary film
Zen Furnace – Documentary to be featured at the 2011 Louisville International Film Festival
Abraxas no Matsuri, a film by Director Naoki Kato (w/ Trailer)
The Zen Mind – Emptymind Films
Kyogen Carlson: A Brief Remembering of a Zen Master
The following piece, by James Ishmael Ford, originally appeared at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2014/09/kyogen-carlson-a-brief-remembering-of-a-zen-master.html I was shocked to learn that Kyogen Carlson suffered a massive heart attack and died today. Kyogen was, I wrote "is" at first, and had to correct myself, one of the senior Zen teachers ...Read More »
Susan Jion Postal: Beloved Teacher Darlene Cohen
My Colleague Myogen Steve Stücky and Why I Love Zen
Rohatsu Sesshin at Zuioji
Honoring our Ancestors


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Filling in details for a broad set of goals ranging from balancing the budget to solving sheriff's department building needs is the next step in the Lenawee County Commission's strategic planning process.
Goals were set and prioritized at a special meeting of commissioners and department leaders last month. On Wednesday, the commission voted to assign specific goals to committees and agencies.
Assignments were recommended during a human services committee session Wednesday morning, led by commissioner K.Z. Bolton, D-Adrian.
Planning for repair or replacement of the sheriff's department building sparked the only debate at the Wednesday afternoon commission session.
Top-ranked goals are greater use of technology to improve efficiency, balancing the budget without spending reserve funds and creating new revenue and job growth.
Criminal justice committee chairman David Stimpson, R-Tecumseh, objected to a recommendation to create a special committee to draw up a list of options for the sheriff's department building. The planning assignment was instead given to his committee. Its recommendations are to be passed on to the physical resources committee.
Sheriff Jack Welsh has complained about working conditions for his staff in the deteriorating 60-year-old building. Maintenance and upkeep have been minimal due to expectations of eventually replacing it with a new building.
Architects that designed the new county jail that opened in 2005 advised that renovating the portion of the old building used for sheriff's offices was impractical and would cost more than a new building.
The sheriff's department building issue has to be looked at to continue moving the strategic plan in a positive direction, said commissioner Chris Wittenbach, R-Clinton.
"In regards to the sheriff's department, maybe there isn't a lot that can be done, maybe there is," Wittenbach said. But the issue has been put off too long without any decisions being made.
The technology goal was assigned to the information technology committee where Wittenbach is chairman.
A $1.5 million computer system upgrade for county agencies was started this year. Wittenbach said an evaluation process is needed to make sure the new technology is helping agencies deal with staff reductions and to operate more efficiently.
Balancing the county budget was assigned to the personnel/ways and means committee, made up of all nine commissioners. They are to work with the administrator's office on costs savings.
Administrator Martin Marshall said the technology and cost savings goals are interwoven.
"You didn't just get votes for computers and software and technology, you got votes for evaluating how we do our procedures," Marshall said.
Wittenbach said outsiders may be needed to help come up with ideas for change.
Marshall said departments are under pressure to keep up with their normal workload and training during the technology upgrade.
"Sometimes just the daily grind makes it hard to recognize the changes that need to be made," he said.
Personnel/ways and means was also assigned the goal of creating new revenue. The job creation portion of that goal was assigned to the Lenawee Economic Development Corp.
A total of 19 goals were identified during the October planning session.
Budget, buildings on county strategic planning agenda
Filling in details for a broad set of goals ranging from balancing the budget to solving sheriff's department building needs is the next step in the Lenawee County Commission's strategic planning process.


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Hosted by TASFACA (member of Fedration of Futsal USA)
Celebrating 78 years of Futsal
Mission statement :
To re-establish the FIFUSA style of futsal in the World, now known as AMF and UEFS, and to create a culture that will see futsal accepted as a serious sport by the public and the media.
To cement its ties with the AMF (The World Futsal Association) and UEFS (European Union de Futsal) and be represented at all major competitions and become a major force on the world scene.
The European Union of Futsal (UEFS) is a sporting international association for Futsal in Europe, founded in 1988.
UEFS is the continental governing body for Europe, affiliated to World Futsal Association (AMF). The current president is Valeriy Akhumyan.
Actually UEFS (futsal) and UEFA (football) are discussing for the European futsal management. UEFS is a specific governing body for the futsal and UEFA has the futsal as a committee beside football. UEFS has been organizing European Championships since some years before UEFA organizes their own ones.
UEFS stages the European Championship biennally.


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Red Hat has gone public with the beta release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6.5. With predictable labels like "better scalability and manageability", there is also some real meat on the bones for those prepared to chew deeper.
Specifically, RHEL 6.5 will be designed to simplify the operation of mission-critical SAP applications by automating the optimal configuration of common SAP deployments.
Scalability at the administrative level is increased by changes made to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5 beta kernel. Kernel dump files on large systems can now scale to multiple terabytes of data, and a new compression algorithm (LZO) speeds the creation of dump files, leading to reduced down time during crash dump generation and faster troubleshooting. An enhancement to the perf tool's tracing and testing commands also provides additional infrastructure event monitoring capabilities.
Networking enhancements included better analysis of multicast traffic by inspecting Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) data to list router ports and groups with active subscribers.
"The storage additions to the beta version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5 deliver improved scalability, performance, and ease of use. Enterprise storage customers benefit from improved control and recovery in iSCSI and Fibre Channel Storage Area Network (SAN) environments. The performance and high-availability features of Multipath IO are available to a broader set of devices and multipath device automatic naming enhancements provide shorter, more convenient device names," said the company.
NOTE: The beta version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5 also supports Intel's NVM Express driver, the industry standard specification for accessing PCI Express bus-based SSDs. In addition, FUSE-based file systems, like GlusterFS, can now use asynchronous IO for improved performance.
The maximum memory for Red Hat guests has increased to four terabytes, allowing guests to run large-scale workloads, and dynamic hot-add functionality for virtual CPUs enables customers to add compute resources to installed guests on-the-fly, reducing downtime.


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These Vapur bottles are lightweight and flexible. The bottle stands upright when it's full and collapses flat and can even be rolled up, when it's empty so it takes up very little space. It comes with a carabiner ring so you can clip it to backpacks, lunch bags, purses, whatever. The Vapur bottle also has a spot to personalize it with your name (not that it'll stop your kids from swiping your bottle... ahem, JACKSON!) Actually, I can't complain that Jax took my bottle because he brought it with him to St. Louis last weekend and saved the day with it. When we were walking around the zoo, Brooklyn started whining that she was thirsty. Instead of having to spend like $5 on bottled water or pop, Jackson pulled the bottle out of his pocket and ran to the drinking fountain. Voila! We were all spared from Brooklyn's whining and didn't have to take out a loan to buy everyone drinks (because parents of more than one know that you can't just get one kid a drink, oh no.)
Bottles cost $8.95 for one or $29.95 for a family four-pack. And since you can keep refilling this with tap water, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying bottled water every week.
These bottles are durable, dishwasher safe, freezable, BPA-free (BPA is a toxic chemical found in many plastic containers that can leach into the container and be ingested by humans), come in bright blue, green, or pink colors, and hold 16 ounces of fluid!
Additionally, the environmental benefit of using the Vapur is huge. Reusable bottles help reduce the estimated 60 million disposable water bottles that end up in landfills every day in America alone, according to the Container Recycling Institute. The Vapur is also manufactured in the U.S. and ships flat, resulting in a carbon footprint that is significantly less than other plastic bottles.
Now I've got 3 Vapur bottles for 3 random winners! Leave me a comment with how you'd use these bottles or what feature you like most about them and I'll choose the random winners on Friday. Good luck!
I did receive one free Vapur bottle to test out before writing my review, but was not paid for this post.
***** Edited to answer some of your questions *****
I admit we've only had this bottle for about 2 weeks, so I can't honestly say that it lasts forever. I don't know. It might, it might not. The way I look at it, even if it only lasts 6 months before needing to be replaced, I'll still be saving a ton of money on bottled water.
Also, several of you have asked how easy it is to clean. It's top rack dishwasher safe. So far, I haven't had any problems cleaning it. Of course, we just put water in it so it's not especially dirty or anything, but it's been coming out clean with no problems.
To the person who mentioned using these in airports, what a fantastic idea! I didn't even think of that! You can take the rolled up bottle with you through airport security and fill it with water on the other side, saving yourself a $5 bottle of water!
And finally, you can buy them HERE.


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Date: Aug 19, 2017 | Time: 7:00 pm
Ben Gleib at the Funny Bone Comedy Club in Westport Plaza, Thursday, August 17th through Saturday, August 19th, multiple shows on some nights. Performance times vary each day. See website to purchase tickets.
For More Information:
Funny Bone Comedy Club | 314-469-6692 | Website
The Funny Bone Comedy Club has a reputation of being one of the most successful comedy clubs in the nation. That is due to the fact that some of the nation's top comedians come to St. Louis to perform in the Funny Bone's intimate setting. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office.
Directions: The Funny Bone is located in Maryland Heights in Westport Plaza. Take Dorsett Road, just east of I-270 to south onto Investment Drive. Enter the roundabout and take first right onto Progress Parkway. Proceed to Westport Plaza Drive and cross over to the Plaza which is straight ahead.


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Here's an excerpt from the letter:
The Prevention Through Affordable Access Act (H.R. 4054 / S. 2347) -- legislation that would make a no-cost, technical fix to the DRA and restore safety-net and university clinics' ability to access low-cost contraceptives -- has 170 cosponsors in the House, and 35 in the Senate. This legislation would not cost either the federal government or state Medicaid agencies anything. It would merely allow drug manufacturers to offer deeply discounted prices to safety-net health care providers. If you have not done so already, please co-sponsor the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act and tell congressional leadership that this problem must be resolved immediately.And the link to PP again, just in case you didn't click on it the first time.


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KLYC 1260 radio to sign off Friday
(N-R Staff) McMinnville's local radio station, KLYC 1260 AM, will cease broadcasting on Friday, March 22 at 1 p.m. — 12:60 p.m. in symbolic station parlance.
The station has broadcast since 1949, when it was founded by brothers Jack and Phil Bladine, co-owners of the Telephone-Register. After a series of interim owners, it was purchased by Larry and Laurel "Stella" Bohnsack in 1990.
Last August, veteran California broadcaster Dick Mason moved to McMinnville and executed a local marketing agreement with Bohnsack Strategies that allowed him to assume control of the station with an intent to purchase, subject to FCC approval. However, due to antiquated equipment, the station has been unable to meet FCC certification standards, preventing the deal from closing.
Mason gave up on it last week and pulled out of the deal. In response, Stella Bohnsack, sole owner since her husband's death, announced Monday that the station would be ceasing operations at the end of the week.
"The talented and dedicated on-air staff, especially Eve Fuller and Lars Patrick, have given 1260 radio its personality and community focus," Bohnsack said. "I'm also grateful for the loyal listeners who have tuned to 1260 on a regular basis."
She added: "It has been a privilege to serve Yamhill County for over 22 years."
See the article in Tuesday's News-Register for details on how the sale fell apart.


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Glasgow City Mission: Pioneer of the Urban Rescue MovementBy Graeme Clark, Former Executive Director, Glasgow City Mission
Glasgow City Mission was the world's first rescue mission. Established in 1826, it was an interdenominational lay movement. The mission, founded at a time of great poverty and distress in Glasgow, practiced and proclaimed the gospel among the city's poorest. The mission also devised creative partnerships with churches and civic agencies to provide spiritual and practical care for youth, offenders, and the sick and needy.
The latter part of the twentieth century saw a decline in the mission's fortunes as it became increasingly tied to quasi-church tradition. By 1992, the decline was potentially terminal.
In the early 1990s, Glasgow City Mission was revitalized. A new strategy document was adopted in 1992, taking the original vision and applying it to modern city issues, leading to:
- A biblical/theological approach to urban needs
- New leadership with professional and management skills
- New standards of quality in care and administration
- Training at all levels of the organization
- Development of a healthy new public image
This recovery of values and practices led to great improvements. Resources and income increased fourfold, and the mission's workers had a renewed commitment to the ministry.
The mission's caring work is now regarded by many as exemplary. People's lives are being transformed, and public and charitable resources are being better directed to meet the needs of the neediest.
We believe God led us to that point. With a continuing commitment to change, mission leaders pursued establishing a multi-disciplinary care center in Glasgow's city center, adding new staff members, establishing a residential crisis care center, and increasing the emphasis on our educational role.
The church faces a crisis of confidence within Europe. Our experience in Glasgow suggests that a revitalized city mission motivates and encourages local churches to reach their cities effectively with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This article was first published in the Summer 1995 issue of City Voices and adapted for www.agrm.org. Used with permission of International Urban Associates.


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Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Cardinals Top Ten Prospects
Cardinals Top Prospect Oscar Taveras
The Cardinals system is stocked with talent, especially on the pitching side. Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly played big roles on last year's team, and Trevor Rosenthal and Shelby Miller both were key contributors in the fall. There are several more talented pitchers in the system. Oscar Taveras and Kolten Wong look to be impact position players when they reach the big leagues. To make this list, a player has to have rookie eligibility for 2013.
1) Oscar Taveras, RF, 20 years old
Taveras is possibly the best Cardinals hitting prospect since Albert Pujols. He will most likely open the season in Triple A Memphis next year, but if any outfielder goes down I would expect Taveras to get the call. A left handed hitter, Taveras hit a league high .321, slugged .572, with 23 home runs, and 94 RBIs, and led the Texas League with 37 doubles. In 2011, he hit .386 with a .444 on base pct., and .584 slugging pct. in Single A West Palm Beach. Taveras has also improved his defense and baserunning, and plays some center field. Taveras was the Cardinals minor league player of the year in 2012.
2) Shelby Miller, RHP, 22 years old
The Cardinals #1 pick in 2009 had a up and down season. Miller had a miserable first half, and was encouraged to throw more of his secondary pitches in the second half. After having a ERA well above 6 after the first half, Miller turned it on in his last 10 starts. He pitched 59.1 innings, had a ERA of 2.88 during that span, struck out 70, and only walked 7. Miller also dominated the Reds on the season finale. Miller had excelled in Single A and Double A, and last year's struggles might be the best thing that could of happened to him. He now knows he can't just rely on his heater to get batters out. Miller will be competing for a rotation spot in spring training.
3) Trevor Rosenthal, RHP, 22 years old
Rosenthal was drafted the same year as Miller was, and had been overlooked until last year. He opened eyes during spring training, hitting 100 mph on the radar gun. Rosenthal also had an outstanding year in the minors, and was promoted to the big leagues over Miller in August. Rosenthal pitched out of the bullpen and had a 2.78 ERA in 22.2 innings with 25 strikeouts. In the postseason, he was lights out. He pitched 8.2 innings, with 15 strikeouts, and had 0.00 ERA and 0.46 WHIP. Rosenthal has the ability to be a bigtime starter in the big leagues, but may open next season out of the bullpen.
4) Kolten Wong, 2B, 22 years old
Wong was a big part of a team that won the Texas League championship last year. In his first full minor league season, Wong batted .287 with a .348 on base pct., hit 9 home runs, drove in 52, and stole 21 bases. The 2011 first round pick is also good defensively. With light hitting Daniel Descalso as last year's primary second baseman, Wong will be given every chance to win the position this spring.
5) Carlos Martinez, RHP, 21 years old
Yet another flamethrower in the minors, Martinez pitched on two different levels last year and was part of the Springfield Cardinals Texas League championship. Martinez missed some time due to injury, but had a 2.93 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 104.1 innings pitched. He can also reach speeds up to 100 mph. In a few years, the Cardinals could future a rotation of young guns like Martinez, Rosenthal, and Miller.
6) Michael Wacha, RHP, 21 years old
The Cardinals spent their first round pick last year on Wacha from Texas A & M. Wacha pitched well in limited action last year in the minors. He had a 0.86 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, 40 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched. He made 2 starts, but pitched 9 games out of the bullpen. Was projected as a number 3 starter coming out of college.
7) Matt Adams, 1B, 24 years old
Adams has crushed minor league pitching at every level, and has the best pure power of any hitter in the system. He hit .329 in Memphis last year and hit 18 home runs in only 276 at bats. In 2011, Adams hit 32 home runs and 101 RBIs. Adams wasn't as successful in a midseason callup last year. He hit .244 with 2 home runs in 91 at bats in the majors. Adams is also a man without a position since Allen Craig is now the Cardinals everyday first baseman. Matt Carpenter has also proven he could fill in if needed. I think Adams will eventually hit better in the big leagues his second time around. But since Adams is limited to first base, I could see the Cardinals using him as trade bait.
8) Anthony Garcia, OF, 20 years old
In Single A Quad Cities, Garcia was their best hitter. He hit .280, had a OBP of .359, hit 19 home runs, and 74 RBIs. Garcia bats right handed, and is a corner outfielder. After Taveras, he is their best outfield prospect.
9) Seth Maness, RHP, 24 years old
Maness doesn't get a lot of hype, but he's put up better results than more hyped pitchers in the Cardinals system. Drafted in 2011, Maness started out in Single A, but pitched his way up to Double A Springfield. Maness was 14-4, with a 2.97 ERA in 169.2 innings pitched. He doesn't have as much raw talent as other pitchers, but he has outstanding command; only walking 10 batters all of last year. I'm not sure how high his ceiling is, but he could be a solid innings eater in the big leagues.
10) Tyrell Jenkins, RHP, 20 years old
The most dissapointing of the Cardinals top pitching prospects, Jenkins has struggled with command and had some injuries. Jenkins is a strikeout pitcher, but posted a 5.14 ERA in Single A Quad Cities last year. The raw talent is there and youth is on his side, but Jenkins will have to improve. It will probably be at a few seasons before he's ready for the big leagues.
Other Top Prospects
Greg Garcia, SS, 23 years old
Overshadowed by teammate and fellow Hawaiian Kolten Wong, Garcia is his double play partner. In Springfield last year, Garcia hit .284, with a .408 OBP, 10 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 10 steals. Possibly passed Ryan Jackson as the Cardinals best SS prospect, although Jackson is better with the glove.
Carson Kelly, 3B, 18 years old
The Cardinals drafted three third baseman in the high rounds last year, with Kelly being the youngest and having the highest ceiling. Has bigtime power, and hit 9 home runs in 213 at bats in Rookie League last year. Kelly needs a lot of work on patience at the plate, though. He was only 17 when he was drafted, and will have plenty of time to refine his skills in the minors.
Patrick Wisdom, 3B, 21 years old
The most refined of the three third base draft picks of 2012 and has the best glove. Wisdom is patient at the plate and has some power.
Tyler Lyons, LHP, 24 years old
Lyons has good command, doesn't allow a lot of walks, and has strikeout ability. However, his ERA was a little north of 4 last year. Lyons is the Cardinals most ready left handed starter, though.
Kevin Siegrist, LHP, 23 years old
Siegrist is also a lefty, and made it up to Double A Springfield last year. In 2011, Siegrist had an outstanding season in two different Single A teams. He had a 2.26 ERA, and went 8-4 in 107.1 innings pitched.
Ryan Jackson, SS, 24 years old
Pete Kozma, SS, 24 years old
Jackson was the Cardinals highest rated SS coming into last year, but was leapfrogged by Pete Kozma last year. With Rafael Furcal's status uncertain coming into the year, Jackson and Kozma are next in line. Kozma hit well down the stretch and in the playoffs, but made costly errors in the NLCS. Kozma also has a career .236 average in 5 plus minor league seasons. Jackson didn't fare well in his limited opportunities after his callup. Both of these players will turn 25 in the spring, and I'm skeptical if either will be good enough to be regular big league shortstops. For now, the Cardinals will make due with one or both of these guys in Furcal's absence. Even if Furcal is healthy, he will need to be spotted more than he was last year.
Starlin Rodriguez, 2B, 23 years old
Rodriguez is a switch hitting second baseman who played for Single A West Palm Beach last year. Rodriguez has a similar skill set to Wong, good on base skills, some pop, good on the basepaths. Rodriguez has a solid glove, but not as good as Wong's. With the Cardinals revolving door at second base at the major league level, it's good to have two good 2B prospects. The Cardinals haven't had a solid second base prospect since Adam Kennedy in the late 90's.
Adron Chambers, OF, 26 years old
Despite playing parts of two seasons in the majors and the postseason both of those years, Chambers is still a rookie. With Skip Schumaker gone, Chambers will be given a chance to be the Card's fourth outfielder next year. Chambers hit .319 in the big leagues last year, but hasn't had that kind of success in the big leagues. He is one of the fastest players in the organization, and hopefully he don't flop like Tyler Greene. The Cardinals could use some more guys who can steal bases on the major league roster.
Sam Freeman, LHP, 25 years old
Freeman pitched well in the minors last year, splitting time in Springfield and Memphis. Freeman had a 1.89 ERA, 1.14 WHIP in 47.2 innings pitched. He also pitched 20 innings with the Cardinals last year, but wasn't as successful. He had a 5.40 ERA in the big leagues. Newly signed Randy Choate will be the second lefty next year after Marc Rzepczynski. Freeman most likely will start the season off in Triple A, but will be first in line if they need another lefty in St. Louis.
Carlos Martinez pitching in the Futures Game
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Thursday, February 21, 2008
Was That "Larry The Cable Guy" On NASCAR Now?
That loud noise you may have heard shortly after 6PM Eastern Time on Thursday was hard to miss. It's a little bit loud when the earth stops turning for just a moment.
In the ESPN studios over the years viewers have seen everyone from Rush Limbaugh to Barry Melrose and his world famous mullet. Big names like Dick Vitale, Peter Gammons and Steve Young are no big deal to see walking the ESPN hallways.
Back in my day, LSU coach Dale Brown brought his basketball team to see the place after they played a NCAA tournament game. One of his players was a hilarious big guy named Shaquille. All of these names have one thing in common, they were in the building because of sports.
Thursday's NASCAR Now on ESPN was going to be different. Viewers knew that right away because there was someone other than Ryan Burr was in the Connecticut studio. For some reason that has yet to cross my mind, "Larry the cable guy" stopped by the program to promote his movie and talk a little NASCAR.
After a fun little on-camera tease, the planet Earth screeched to a halt as "Larry" leaned into the ESPN cameras and told the faithful to simply "Git-R-Done." This was a moment in NASCAR Now history that will certainly be remembered. Why? I am not so sure.
I imagined one group of people immediately calling everyone in the house to the TV because "Larry the cable guy" was on NASCAR Now. They probably got out the cell phone and called some friends to let them in on it.
A quite different group was sitting there with a dumbfounded look on their faces and repeating over-and-over again the same question. "Who the heck is that and where are his sleeves?"
All traces of good old Larry were quickly gone as Burr launched into a straight-laced and informative show. Lead Reporter Marty Smith was up first to update NASCAR news and lead into the story of young driver Brad Coleman.
Smith's lead-in really worked well for a liveshot with Coleman from the track with cars roaring by in the background. This young man is one of the best examples of what the NASCAR regional series can produce. Now racing in the Nationwide Series, Coleman is a well-spoken and intelligent driver with a good outlook on the sport and a bright future.
As I mentioned yesterday, one spot where NASCAR Now still comes up short is using the studio anchor to interview NASCAR guests. Why not allow someone in the sport fulltime like Marty Smith to handle the interview? Burr reads a good scripted question and is a solid show host, but putting the host in the analyst or "Insider" role is just tough.
Smith was available and could solve one very simple problem. Burr cannot follow-up on a guest's answer when there is a need to deviate from the script. Sometimes, it is very clear that a big follow-up question is just sitting there, and because Burr is still learning the sport it does not get asked. This is not a tough problem to solve.
DJ Copp has been fun since NASCAR Now brought him on the air last season. This pit crew member is simply an unassuming man who gets across a lot of quality information in plain and simple form. His update on the pit crews and the COT including the new NASCAR rules was right on target. What a good find for this show. It would be nice to see him create a feature for NASCAR Countdown relating to the Nationwide Series sometime.
Boris Said appeared again to update the new qualifying rule for the "Go or Go Homers" outside of the top 35. This was a timely reminder that this process is going to begin at California and was a smart move. Said is wonderful with his frank comments, and his talk about Toyota set a good tone. Burr is still learning, and his attempts to follow-up and "pin down" Said for his exact words did not work well.
Suddenly, "Larry" was back and his Viagra joke sent the show to commercial break on a very different note. Everyone knew one thing for sure, this next segment was going to be interesting.
Watching "Larry the cable guy" in the perfectly clean and high-tech HD studio of ESPN2 talking about the one and only Dick Trickle...great.
Watching Ryan Burr pretending he knew who Dick Trickle was....better.
Watching Burr squirm while "Larry" talked about everything from kissing Jenny McCarthy to digestive issues caused by sausage overload...priceless.
What Burr and Boris Said talked about in the final segment did not matter. It was a nice confirmation of NASCAR's "birthday" and success, but no one is going to remember. There was only one thing that viewers will be talking about.
I ended the show not quite so sure why "Larry" had stopped by, but it left a picture in my mind. Burr was on one side of the studio in his buttoned-up suit in "perfect" ESPN mode. His guest was on the other side in a baseball hat, a sleeveless University of Nebraska T-shirt and blue jeans.
Up to this point in the TV series, the most exciting wardrobe malfunction had been Brad Daugherty not bringing a suit to the big Monday "roundtable" show. Heaven help us, Brad is wearing khaki! Allen Bestwick made the most of it.
You have to give NASCAR Now credit, they are trying all kinds of things to re-define these mid-week shows. It certainly would be nice, however, if they could break the "dead serious" ESPN mode and have some fun.
Once Burr started interviewing "Larry" about NASCAR, it was clear that some well-timed follow-up questions could have resulted in some more interesting NASCAR answers. Ask him about the Daytona 500, ask him about Tony Stewart, ask him about Toyota. He seemed to be very well informed on the sport and it showed.
NASCAR fans did not care about Brad's wardrobe malfunction, and they do not care that "Larry" is wearing a baseball hat indoors. What they want is more information and content, and less talking heads from all over the nation.
Marty Smith, Boris Said and "Larry" together would have made for one of the all-time best segments in NASCAR Now history. Simply by letting Burr toss-out a topic and then stand back, it could have been hilarious.
Instead, suits and nervous laughter prevailed as the script ruled the show once again. I have the feeling that NASCAR Now is just about ready to break-out of its shell during the week, and continuing to try new things is the right call.
"Larry" might be a fun guest to follow-up with, as he seemed to be a longtime fan and certainly someone that many of us enjoy watching. This season, NASCAR Now is simply full of surprises. I'll be back on Friday.
The Daly Planet welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the easy instructions. There is nothing to join, and we do not want your email address. We just want to know what you thought of the Thursday version of NASCAR Now on ESPN2.
34 comments:
- Newracefan said...
All I can say is interesting show. Marty interviewing Larry might have taken this show to a whole different level (I can hear the Dick Trickle stories now) but..... Perhaps a little Nascar=Redneck sterotyping was taking place and the movie people thought a Nascar based show was a good place to promote Larry's movie. Although he can make me laugh at times it won't work here I'm more Bill Engvall than Larry the Cable Guy.
- February 21, 2008 at 9:32 PM
- Matt said...
Anyone think NASCAR is "pushing" southern icons onto NASCAR TV to show that NASCAR cares about it's core fans? Thats the first thing I thought of.
- February 21, 2008 at 9:57 PM
- SonicAD said...
You completely missed Boris Said dropping the b-word at the end of the show!
- February 21, 2008 at 10:03 PM
- Daly Planet Editor said...
I thought about it too, but I still can't really figure it out. Maybe someone will stop by who really knows and let us in on it.
Somethings are better left unsaid. At least he used it in the right context. Boris being Boris.
- February 21, 2008 at 10:30 PM
- Anonymous said...
My first thought about Larry was that ESPN is reverting to stereotypical NASCAR imagery.
My second thought is "so what"!
I like that NN has learned to have fun.
- February 21, 2008 at 10:46 PM
- Anonymous said...
I only watched bits and pieces, but I did catch the Boris B-word and cringed. Then with Larry, I was a little confused since he wasn't promoting a movie about Nascar - let alone about racing, but I finally made the connection because he was the voice in another movie with racing connections (Cars). But, I must say, I more than cringed at his sausage story and his Mark Martin reference. That schitck might work with a live audience that's paid to see Larry, but not on a national show presenting Nascar news.
I liked the Brad Coleman interview, he kind of reminded me of the Carl Edwards of a couple of years ago - "I can't believe I'm actually doing this!" and I thought he presented himself well. Since I don't know why he left JGR, or if I knew I've forgotten, it would have been nice for Nascar Now to remind me. Was it because Kyle Bush was moving over to JGR or other reasons? There are several new, young drivers out there that I don't know yet. Heck, I'm still having trouble with David Regan and Ragen Smith! These guys need more air time for me to get to know them and this seemed like an opportune day for NN to introduce me to the newer faces of Nascar.
I also liked the DJ Copp segment. He was well prepared and his segment was very professional and smooth.
What I would have liked to see coverage of the teams arriving at the track. I was curious to see who arrived prepared to race this weekend since I've seen several articles that some teams that went to Daytona simply cannot afford to go out west.
All in all, it was an OK show, not spectacular, and in my opinion, they missed a couple of interesting stories that could have been told and instead chose to promote a film that has nothing to do with Nascar.
- February 21, 2008 at 11:09 PM
- Anonymous said...
Larry's been everywhere this week and last!
@anon 11:09--yup Mater! Like tuh-mater without the "tuh"
Yes DJ is awesome! I really love him and the segments! I was so happy they brought him back!
I really like Brad! Nice young Texan :)
- February 21, 2008 at 11:52 PM
- Anonymous said...
Matt said...
Anyone think NASCAR is "pushing" southern icons onto NASCAR TV to show that NASCAR cares about it's core fans? Thats the first thing I thought of.
February 21, 2008 9:57 PM
Yeah, they're making it pretty obvious with their new "Our NASCAR" (meaning the longtime fans) marketing theme, the new country-oriented TV themes and all that. I believe they've got country performers (Josh Gracin, Little Big Town, etc.) lined up as anthem singers for the next few Nationwide races, not sure about Cup races.
One of the speedway managers mentioned recently that he and NASCAR has been discussing the music to be played at the track. It was the Las Vegas track, so maybe they were getting too modern with the music and they want to pull it back now. So Larry the Cable Guy on NASCAR NOW probably fits in that overall "core fan appeal" campaign too.
To be fair, that's what fans said they wanted so that's what they're giving them. So maybe it'll work out for the best and be fun.
Last time NASCAR went to Fontana they had Mike Helton, Jeff Gordon, and Lesa France Kennedy at a party with Paris Hilton in Los Angeles. You notice you're not hearing a peep of "Hollywood" out of Fontana this week. Or Daytona last week. Arnold Schwarzenegger and all those folks were at the NBA All-Star Game last Sunday; the biggest "celebrity" at Daytona (other than the musicians involved in prerace) was Jimmie Johnson's friend Nick Lachey. So things have changed drastically since last season.
- February 22, 2008 at 12:49 AM
- elena said...
I liked most of tonight's show. The show starts off with a teaser that lets us know what the show will be about. It's supposed to keep viewers from changing the channel. It is widely used throughout the industry. Of course it can work the other way too, the viewer might not like what's in store and change the channel. As part of the teaser, they had Larry the Cable Guy announce the show. Twice.
Ryan sure manages the clock very well. All TV shows have to be divided into segments and commercials. He does a very good job of not having to rush through a segment in order to get the commercials in.
Marty Smith was good at answering all the questions. I'm glad that the state of the CA race market is good. Marty informed us that the ticket sales are up from last year and Pepsico has signed a multi-year contract to sponsor some races. I was also glad to hear Mr. Helton had urged Robby Gordon to appeal his penalties.
The Brad Coleman interview was good. Ryan asked questions that Brad could answer comfortably. He is a nice young man. ESPN interviewed him while in Daytona and he said he had left Gibbs because they only wanted him part time and he wanted to race full time. He still has good relations with them. The drivers are in CA and Marty was in still in Charlotte so he would not have been able to interview Brad.
I'm not sure about the comment about "watching" Ryan pretend to know who Dick Trickle is. The camera never shows Ryan during that entire segment of the conversation. I read the comment on this column before I saw NN so I was looking for that "look." It was not there. I have to say that for all the comments about Ryan still learning, he is a professional. He is a college graduate; he has been the sports director at 2 different TV stations. Dick T is very well known even to those that don't follow racing, so I cannot imagine Ryan never having heard of him. His career has been in sports.
Larry is a funny guy, and I know that ESPN is a cable channel, but the program comes at a time when kids are watching, so I don't think his jokes were family-friendly. If ESPN gets enough complaints, Larry won't be back.
The show continues to be good.
- February 22, 2008 at 1:18 AM
- SophiaZ123 said...
I missed it..whatever did Boris say???????
Can you tell me what it rhymes with??
I thought Ryan handled Larry ok but PUHLEASE, on a family NASCAR show, i thought the coarse, crude humor about the bathroom humor and viagra in poor taste. but I don't like most of the modern dreck that passes for comedy in movies today so. I can laugh at a good dirty joke but there is such a thing as time and place and discernment...and tonight, well, it was none practiced.
Ryan Burr seems like a classy young man, I wonder how he REALLY felt about the humor but he was a better sport than I would have been.
I still can't believe I missed Boris saying a bad word? 6pm is a tough time to pay attention to a show being the dinner hour and I forgot to check for the repeat.
- February 22, 2008 at 1:56 AM
- Daly Planet Editor said...
With TV technology, Marty or any other reporter can be at any location and interview any guest on this show.
"Watching" Ryan Burr on the Dick Trickle issue is taking things a bit literally, don't you think?
I have been a Ryan supporter since day one, when others were not. He is going to learn this season, but that does not mean fans should not get the best from interviews on this show.
It should be interesting to see what the network chooses to do on Tues - Thurs with NASCAR Now.
- February 22, 2008 at 6:13 AM
- Karen said...
SophiaZ123 said...
I missed it..whatever did Boris say???????
Can you tell me what it rhymes with??
Rhymes with witch.
- February 22, 2008 at 8:08 AM
- glenc1 said...
Who said? Boris Said. And what he said only made me wonder if you're supposed to say that on ESPN, but it didn't bother me, that's just Boris being himself, which is what they hired him to do. Totally agree on the awkwardness of Ryan pinning his words down, but that kind of on air relationship needs time.
I really enjoyed both the Brad Coleman and DJ Copp segments--in fact, I thought DJ had been kinda awkward in the past and he seemed quite comfortable here, and Brad is looking quite natural in front of the cameras as well.
And yesterday I asked for a follow-up on Robby--ask and ye shall receive, for there it was! Thanks to Marty for that, professional as always even with a last minute call.
As for Larry--not a big fan of the interview, but Ryan did his best to tie it into racing, and I don't have a problem with them giving it a shot. (Made me think, what's next, Jessica Simpson cause she was in the Dukes movie?) I get that he was pushing a new film, but it has nothing to do with racing.
- February 22, 2008 at 8:38 AM
- elena said...
"Watching" Ryan Burr on the Dick Trickle issue is taking things a bit literally, don't you think?
Watching Ryan Burr pretending he knew who Dick Trickle was....better."
JD, This is what you wrote. What on earth did you mean? I think saying that Ryan pretending was a slight and that Ryan is uninformed and does not know something that is rather common knowledge to anyone who follows sports in general.
As far as getting Boris to give his prediction, it's very, very, common. I watch lots of sports, and the analysts are always asked for their predidctions, no matter if it's footbal, basketball, baseball,etc. It is done on HBO, ESPN, ABC, NBC, FOX, etc. It's done with the pros and with collegiate sports. The problem was with Boris who does not want to be wrong. I prefer Brad and others who don't stand on the fence and give their predidctions. If they have you on film making the worng prediction, so be it.
I happen to think Ryan is doing a good job. I think he did a great job in the Brad interview. My opinion is that that there was no need to have Marty do it. I think NN is doing well this year. I'm not sold on Nicole and glad she has not been used that much.
- February 22, 2008 at 9:10 AM
- JHD said...
Considering the Viagra joke and the reference to bowel issues, who cares what Boris said? That's fairly tame in comparison.
The thing about the interviews - since we have all this technology, I guess I don't care as much who interviews whom, just as long as drivers, crew chiefs, etc. get interviewed in the first place.
- February 22, 2008 at 9:42 AM
- elena said...
"Marty Smith, Boris Said and "Larry" together would have made for one of the all-time best segments in NASCAR Now history."
I just don't see Marty as having the timing of a comedian. I think it would be a little risky to let Larry go on and on. I'm not sure how many people want him back, much less think he would be the best ever.
Two nights ago Dario Franchitti was on the Craig Ferguson show. Now that was really hilarious. I'm sorry they did not put the tape on youtube, because most people would have enjoyed it. It was all clean too. Craig gave Dario a hard time for not being ashamed of coming in 33 in the 500. Also for working and living in the US (has lived in TN for 8 years) and not becoming a citizen. (Craig just became a citizen). The whole piece had Dario cracking up and just showed what a good sport he is. At the height of the jokes, Craig thanked Dario for coming by and they went to commercial. When the show returned, it was time for another guest. The Dario piece could have gone on and on, but the show is divided into segments and that is followed, no matter what.
- February 22, 2008 at 9:44 AM
- Curtis Turner said...
I only wish AB could have been apart of it.... It was TV history in the making...What kind of history? I don't know but it will go down as... "Hey do you remebr the time..."
"Oh Lordy Luke they done gone a wrecked the General Lee"
- February 22, 2008 at 9:47 AM
- Anonymous said...
I believe they've got country performers (Josh Gracin, Little Big Town, etc.) lined up as anthem singers for the next few Nationwide races, not sure about Cup races.
I know Cali has ZZ Top for its Sprint Cup pre-race show Sunday (and Little Big Town for the Nationwide anthem, as you said.)
The Cali Cup anthem is to be sung by a woman who won the Doritos Super Bowl contest and had a commercial of her singing in the Super Bowl.
The Cup anthem for LVMS is by someone who sings in a show in LV, Carol Linnea Johnson. Pretty anonymous anthem choices for two big races if you ask me, but I guess most people don't care about who is singing the anthem as long as it's good.
The prerace show at LVMS is Blue Man Group.
I think NASCAR is going "middle of the road" as much as Southern to try not to offend anybody. Probably a little of both.
Fine with me, as long the middle of the road/Southern people are not interviewed in the booth during actual racing or taking up time that could be devoted to NASCAR news on the other NASCAR shows.
- February 22, 2008 at 10:05 AM
- Anonymous said...
ESPN has sunk to a new low by playing to the "only southern rednecks and country boys watch racing" stereotype.
How does Larry the Cable Guy have anything to do with NASCAR racing? So he's doing a non NASCAR themed movie, so WHAT?
The producers of NN need to go back and watch old rpm2night productions, they knew how to cover racing.
- February 22, 2008 at 10:07 AM
- Anonymous said...
JD, Larry has been on tour and have seen him elsewhere on this tour. It was nice to hear and see a lighter side.
Kingston, NY
- February 22, 2008 at 10:30 AM
- glenc1 said...
just generally on the 'predictions' issue on telecasts like this--even Raceday, which makes a big point of it--any predictions at this stage of the season are more like absurd speculation...perhaps it's just me, but I have no real interest in hearing them from anyone and find it rather ridiculous that it's even asked, much less 'pressed', common as it may be (as silly as the 'points as of now' part of race coverage, one of my pet peeves.) They ask because some sports director expects them to, but I find it as pointless as fantasy teams--and if all you get is bragging rights later, I still don't care who said it and/or why, although I suppose some find it appealing to rack up the scores later. If it's September, or even July, then the prediction become more based on reality. The beauty of sports is its unpredictability. No one expected Appalachain State to beat Michigan, and no one predicted in August that the Giants would win the Superbowl. Watching it unfold is like seeing a new landscape when you go around a curve--I'd rather just watch it than have someone tell me what they think it's going to look like in 500 miles.
- February 22, 2008 at 10:46 AM
- FastChaz said...
Great review of the NASCAR Now show from yesterday. You guys do a good job keeping us on top of the NASCAR media.
Agree with the posting comments. Larry was a super addition to the show. A breath of fresh air...if you will.
Two additional observations:
1. Boris Said has lost all credibility, not only as a stock car driver, but as a broadcaster. First, the "B" word on an early evening racing show in front of my two young sons was not appreciated. Seondly, he made a number of errant comments but "There are crew members who were just sweeping floors making more money than corporate America CEO's" was probably not appreciated by NASCAR, nor is it even close to true. Comments like that from non-performing guys who make more money than the average hard working American upset people like myself who have to pay an arm and a leg for tickets. I am sure he is a nice guy but I think he has been inhaling too much exhaust from the rear of the field.
2. Kudos to the Brad Coleman Kid. I have seen him on TV a number of times and he is really amazing both in a race car and in front of the camera...and at just 19 years old! This is the kind of segment I want to see more of on NASCAR Now and other shows because Coleman is the kind of role model I want my sons to aspire to be like. NASCAR should package him up and sell him so more kids can get interested in the sport.
Keep up the great work.
- February 22, 2008 at 11:42 AM
- Anonymous said...
Larry was also on the Colin Cowherd show (I believe it was that show)on ESPN radio yesterday afternoon. Apparently he was making the rounds of the ESPN studios all day.
- February 22, 2008 at 12:05 PM
- Anonymous said...
"As I mentioned yesterday, one spot where NASCAR Now still comes up short is using the studio anchor to interview NASCAR guests. Why not allow someone in the sport fulltime like Marty Smith to handle the interview? Burr reads a good scripted question and is a solid show host, but putting the host in the analyst or "Insider" role is just tough. "
But the studio host, especially someone new like Ryan, is placed in a tough position. How can learn the sport and how to banter back and forth if he doesn't do it on a regular basis? I'm sure a lot of other NASCAR folks who we think are great now initially struggled at first if they came from a news or stick and ball background. They didn't do it with us critiquing every move they made each night, so mistakes weren't magnified.
And if you have Marty Smith handling the news, weekend reports from the track AND studio-type satellite interviews, you might as well have him host the show. I know some people would say that's fine with them. But if I were a studio host I would insist on doing what a studio host does, otherwise there's no point in having them there; they're not just there to direct traffic, they want some input too.
(I for one am not in favor of Marty as host; his accent and some of his colloquial slang is fine in small doses but he'd have to get rid of it completely for me to accept him as an ESPN or SPEED host.)
- February 22, 2008 at 12:47 PM
- Brrrn Rubber said...
Kudos to the Brad Coleman Kid. I have seen him on TV a number of times and he is really amazing both in a race car and in front of the camera...and at just 19 years old!
February 22, 2008 11:42 AM
I agree that Brad Coleman is amazing in front of the camera and a pretty good driver. But I just want to point out to all the people noting how well-spoken and what a nice young man he is: on the other side of that, people in general (and probably many of the same people praising nice young men)complain that JGordon/Johnson are too vanilla and NASCAR needs to get away from that.
Guess what? If you listen to the interviews of Coleman, Landon Cassill, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Colin Braun - all the 19-22 years old who will be on your TV screens this year and next - they sound just like Gordon and Johnson. Because that's how they got sponsors; that's how they were trained for the past few years to get noticed.
So later this year I really don't want to hear about boring drivers getting featured and boring vanilla driver interviews when everyone is praising them for being so well spoken. There are a number of drivers who aren't so well spoken and are languishing because of it.
Best example, in Roush's televised Gong show a couple years back, the current Roush drivers and race personnel thought the best pick for talent was Danny O'Quinn followed by Erik Darnell. The Roush marketing people thought David Ragan was the best for their purposes, followed by Erik Darnell (who they thought was not as good on TV as Ragan); they thought O'Quinn was too overweight and too thick of a Southern accent to get sponsors.
Darnell won the Gong show. But two+ years later, Ragan (who immediately got all the best Roush rides over Darnell) is in Cup, Darnell is still in trucks, and O'Quinn is nowhere. There's a lesson in there...TV is all that matters these days!
- February 22, 2008 at 1:23 PM
- Anonymous said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- February 22, 2008 at 1:32 PM
- Anonymous said...
Larry is COOL!!!
- February 22, 2008 at 1:32 PM
- Anonymous said...
Larry was on FIRST TAKE this morning, with the same clothes on? WOW!!!!!!!!!!
- February 22, 2008 at 1:35 PM
- Anonymous said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- February 22, 2008 at 1:36 PM
- Anonymous said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- February 22, 2008 at 2:14 PM
- elena said...
brrn rubber, you have a very good point about these new drivers being trained. Kasey K was interviewed during Speed week and stated that he is more comfortable being interviewed now because they have trainers come in and train them to speak to the media. He said they have helped him over the seasons to get better.
Just because you are trained, that should not take your personality away. Ned Jarrett talked about being trained so he could improve and be part of the media.
Some just have vanilla personalities. As a matter of fact, JJ in Ben Maller's column, states that he has hired a PR org to help him bring out his personality. He was not trained to be the way he is, that's just him. The original article is in the San Diego Union.
- February 22, 2008 at 3:06 PM
- Anonymous said...
Nice writeup, JD. I have to admit I still don't watch NN after being so disgusted with the show last year. Based on your article I'm sorry I missed it.
If I had known Larry the Cable Guy was going to be on, I probably would have tuned in just to see the interaction with the host.
However, I do have mixed feelings about a nascar "news" show doing cross promotions with guest interviews. Doing this during Monday Night Football and race broadcasts is bad enough; now Espn is starting to do the same in their news shows?
Please tell me it ain't so. Between meaningless pick segments and mindless speculation about "this vs that" the hard news is almost nonexistent.
- February 22, 2008 at 3:46 PM
- Kristin said...
I thought Larry was hilarious as usual, and it kinda broke up the show a little bit. This is exactly the kind of comedian that NASCAR needs for the awards banquet!
- February 22, 2008 at 5:36 PM
- darbar said...
I recently read an article talking about the Hollywoodization of Nascar, and of sports in general. Personally, I don't understand it. Just because some Hollywood type likes Nascar, doesn't make it racing news. If you follow that logic, then why not interview the lawmmower salesman at Home Depot and get his feelings on racing? How about the Nascar-loving waitress at Stuckey's? Their opinions on Nascar have just as relevance as Larry the Cable Guy. ESPN, and Nascar for that matter, seems to have developed a loving relationship with Hollywood as evidenced by the revolving door of actors who grace the stage of First Take and who get creditials for the inner sanctum of the Nascar pits. We all know that they're there to shill for their latest project, but ESPN legitimizes this by asking the actor about their favorite sport, as if they're some sort of expert. Sorry Nascar, but seeing B list Hollywood-ites does not lend any credibility to your sport. And putting on some redneck comedian isn't going to bring back the core fans you've already lost. The only way to do that is to get racing back to what it was before Brian France ruined a lot of what was great about Nascar. But that discussion is for another time.
- February 22, 2008 at 8:19 PM