Friday Night Kickoff

OK. Random Football Ranting

First off, the schedules for 2009 High School Football season are pretty much finished, I am currently working on the WSJM football website as you read this.  But getting the final schedules for the 31 area teams is a little bit of work with the schedules seemingly changing from week to week.  Not to mention Lake Michigan Catholic's "home" games still have to find a "home" field as Dickinson Stadium in St. Joe is unavailable for two of the four LMC home games in 2009.   LMC's four home games are 9/3 vs. Cassopolis, 9/25 vs. Centreville, 10/16 vs. New Buffalo, and 10/23 vs. White Pigeon.  The two games in October can't be played at Dickinson Stadium in St. Joe as the Bears have home games against Lakeshore and Portage Northern.  But after looking at the schedule of LMC, Lakeshore, St. Joe and Watervliet.  Here's what should happen...

LMC's game's on 9/3 vs. Cassopolis and 9/25 vs. Centreville should be played at St. Joe, the Bears are at Harper Creek and Benton Harbor respectively.  The Lakers 10/16 game vs. New Buffalo should be at Lakeshore and the 10/23 game should be at Watervliet.  LMC usually has a game every year in Watervliet because of the catholic school in Watervliet.  But a lot of this could be avoided if LMC wasn't so opposed to be playing on Saturday.  Now when I say Saturday, I'm not talking about Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.  I am talking Saturday Night at 7:30 at Dickinson Stadium in St. Joe.   Dickinson has always been LMC's "Home" stadium, but the new administration at LMC is somewhat opposed to playing Saturday games.

Think about it.  Yes there is College football to deal with on Saturday, but not Saturday night, the area teams have already played by then, Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State are all usually done by 6 pm.  Plus when you are the only game in the area on Saturday night, you will have a ton of people from the area who will show up to watch the game.  For some reason LMC doesn't see that, they are trying to play all of their games on Friday night, but when you think of the problems of waiting for St. Joe, Lakeshore, Watervliet, even Benton Harbor to finalize their schedule every year to find a place to play your games has to be a unnecessary headache for the LMC football program.   Did I mention the added gate and concession income?

Another benefit would be exposure, when you are the only high school game in the area, you'll get the only high school coverage in Sunday's paper, plus maybe  even a few football games would be aired on the airwaves of WSJM AM-1400 The News and Talk of Michigan's Great Southwest!!!! (Cheap plug I know).

Maybe I'm not privy to the real reason as to why the Lakers still continue to roam from home to home to home each season.  Oh, did I mention playoff games??

Michigan Lutheran Football goes varsity... mostly.

In 2008, the Michigan Lutheran football program played for the first time since 1984.  The Titans played a JV schedule of 6 or so games a year ago.  Well this year the Titans will be playing for keeps at the Titans will be playing 5 varsity games. Two games against River Valley, and games against Wyoming Lee, Covert, and LaLumiere,  There are also two JV contests against the White Pigeon and Centreville JV team.  Now the Titans aren't playoff eligible just yet, but the Titans new football team will most likely get that chance in 2010 when the current Red Arrow/St. Joe Valley football agreement ends, as well as the addition of River Valley to the Red Arrow in 2010.  The Titans will be most likely be the sixth team in the new Red Arrow.

MHSAA to look at using instant replay in basketball

The MHSAA announced that the board is looking at allowing the use of instant replay to review potential game winning buzzer beating shots at the end of the fourth quarter and overtime games at the MHSAA finals.  Here is the story that I saw on the news wire here at the station this morning...

"Michigan is likely to get instant replay starting next season for last-second shots in high school basketball championship games.  Michigan High School Athletic Association spokesman John Johnson says a committee would have to approve the change, but replay technology exists and could be used in semifinals and finals.  A rule change by the National Federation of State High School Associations allows replay for review of a shot attempt at the end of the fourth quarter or overtime. It would be used only when the last-second shot would affect the outcome of the game.  The change was prompted by controversial finishes in 2008 championship games in Michigan, Ohio and South Carolina."

All I can say is... How about football too?  I can think of a few St. Joe playoff games where it would have helped the Bears.

NHL

Now this isn't high school sports but I really have a lot to say in the matter.  That is the situation with the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes.  In case you don't know, the Coyotes are in financial ruins, owner Jerry Moyes has filed for bankruptcy, the NHL said no they're not because the NHL is in control of the team.  Well in the bickering on who controls the team, Canadian billionaire Jim Balsille who makes a big chunk of change from those Blackberry devices, made a conditional offer to buy the team IF they would allow the team to be moved to Hamilton, Ontario. 

If you need a history lesson, the Phoenix Coyotes are the previously relocated Winnipeg Jets who moved to the desert 12 years ago.  They Coyotes haven't made the playoffs... well for a while, and a majority of the fans showing up for their home games are actually relocated, vacationing, or visiting fans of the opponent that night (as in Detroit and Chicago).

Now a few things that bug me are the (we'll say) "Brass" by Balsille who is making his third attempt at buying and moving an NHL team to his backyard.   Hamilton may be in Canada, and Southern Ontario may have a plentiful hockey rich fan base. But there are also three other NHL teams nearby.  Detroit, Buffalo, and Toronto.  Buffalo would have their territory infringed on by the Hamilton team. 

Also, take a look at these two photos from the Arizona Republic.

These are from the "Save The Coyotes" rally held last week, a whopping 200 people showed up to "Save The Coyotes."  If you look at some of the signs, it says "OUR NHL TEAM," or "OUR COYOTES."

OUR TEAM???
OUR TEAM???
OUR TEAM???

That's not your team... Technically it was WINNIPEG'S TEAM!!!  The Winnipeg Jets team was basically stolen from the fans of a real hockey market and moved to Phoenix.   The lure of Phoenix was supposed to be a new arena and greater profits.   Well they did get the new arena... 8 years later.  And the team has LOST  money every year since moving to Phoenix.   If anybody deserves to get the Coyotes... It's Winnipeg.  NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly told a Coyotes lawyer that he would rather Winnipeg get the team back instead of Hamilton.  I've been to the arena in Hamilton.  Copps Coliseum does have the capacity to host an NHL team, but the arena is nothing like the new modern facilities that teams nowadays enjoy.   Copps Coliseum is 30 years old, around the same age as Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.   If you're going to move for greener pastures.  I would rather have a new arena than a remodeled 30 year old facility.

And to the 200 or so fans that showed up to "Save the Coyotes."  No matter how many people you get to sign petitions, wearing T-shirts, making calls, will ever matter.  If you need a lesson, all you have to do is ask the 35,000 fans that did the exact same thing you are trying to do for the exact same NHL franchise.  The Winnipeg Jets held a rally in 1995 for the same reason and 35,000 supporters tried to entice the team to stay... It didn't work.

So to the 16 and two thirds dozen "Save to Coyotes" supporters.  Give us a break.  Let's end the biggest mistake the NHL has made and allow this team to fade into hockey oblivion, like the California Golden Seals, Minnesota North Stars, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Flames, Hartford Whalers, Cleveland Barons, and Kansas City Scouts.  Add the Coyotes to the list... please.  Give us back the Jets.

That's all for now..

LET'S GO RED WINGS