I guess by now if you’re reading this blog you probably saw the previous one and the picture of my ‘Cudda, I am here to tell you that I had the greatest time fishing off the coast of Florida during my holiday. Despite my friend Boomer’s concerns over my choice to use Capt’ Taco as my guide I was able to realize some personal goals, catching some King Fish, a Barracuda, and my first bill fish a smallish swordfish. Didn’t get my Marlin though, it remains my biggest non-work related goal in life. For the record Capt’ Taco is itching to get on the show and give it to Boom, stay tuned.
Really enjoyed taking calls this afternoon on “Olympic Fever”, I have said it before open phones can either be my favourite part or least favourite part of my job, today I thought the call were awesome. The Olympics are a different animal some just love them and some just despise them there is very little middle ground it seems when it comes to the Summer Games in Canada. I openly admit I don’t have the fever going in, I am concerned about the hypocrisy of not spending a second talking about these events for 3 years and 11 months and then analysing them to death for a month, but with that said you know and I know that I will be into by the time they finish.
Looking forward to having Jungle Jim Hunter aboard for the duration of the games, he is a passionate advocate of the Olympic athlete and I have no doubt in my mind that he will shed some light on some of the lesser talked about stories of these games.
Funny, due to rodeo and summer holidays I was away from the Stampeders for about a month, I was shocked how much of a divide there appears to be between the local media and the Head Coach/GM. Let me point out a couple of things here I don’t believe it is the job of any coach to endear himself to the media, not do I believe the media has to throw its support behind the local leader, but man a third of the way through the season there is a clear division. Hufnagel doesn’t have much of a relationship with those covering the team nor does he care, that’s his right, but it can make getting your message out a lot more difficult. Myself I have enjoyed my conversations with John, but honestly I haven’t talked to him one on one since after week 1.
As far as the Stampeders go, it seems like the same old same old to me. The same problems like discipline creeping in, and lots of talk about how it will be fixed, but…. The Stamps remind me of the Flames, at the end of the previous season it was clearly the coach’s fault, so you change the coach and nothing changes. Now what? Some veteran players have to start carrying this team on their backs, Burris, Reynolds, and Lewis for instance.
It has been a busier then expected off season for the local hockey heroes, as the Flames looked like they might have a quiet off season after they bowed out of the play offs, have right up until a week ago or so have retooled the team.
I missed the prospect camp for the 2nd year in a row, I wish I hadn’t, it is always a good time to check out the progress of the youngsters. While I didn’t see him everything I have heard about camp leads me to believe that Backlund could press to make the team this season. Sutter has told us in a prior interview that he only wants last years first pick playing Calgary as a top 6 forward, it sounds like he could do just that.
I know everybody has their player to watch heading into the fall, keep your eye on Brandon Prust the 3rd year pro agitator has as good a shot as anybody to make this team.
The Flames still have some moves to make, while they need to shed cap before the start of the season, there are going to be only 2 ways for that to happen via trade or by demoting NHL players to the minors. The 3 players who were waived through the league at the end of June would be candidates for the latter.
Does the Flames schedule look a little odd to you, I don’t remember being around a hockey club that has as many weekends off as the Flames do this year. The Flames just don’t play a lot of Saturday games this season they play a lot of Tuesdays but not a lot of Hockey Night in Canada games it seems. I am not sure it’s a good thing or a bad thing but it is odd.
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I was interested by the caller on Thursday who reiterated your point about amateur athletics only showing up every 4 years. Your reply about the radio station is responsible to ownership and maximising profit, while reality in this day and age, and I don’t hold it against you, loses the bigger picture. The transition to a sporting monoculture driven by money ignores the leadership role opportunity that sports radio can take in combatting juvenile obesity. Part of the issue of youth inactivity is that many kids aren’t turned on by the existing sports available. You turn kids on by showing them activities and then reinforcing that by giving them heroes to emulate. If, as one possibility, sports radio were to celebrate the accomplishments of our athletes in some of these other sports, we create heroes, we motivate kids to get off their butts and emulate those heroes because they say “hey, there is a future in this sport”. You can’t tell me that there is not a time slot available in the Fan960’s lineup where the downside risk to a review of amateur athletics at all levels (local, provincial and national) is limited and possible upside could well be in the cards.
- DanFollowing the corporate dollar is frankly a cop-out. Taking some leadership on amateur athletics takes courage and could well pay valuable dividends. DN
Dan, as a frequent listener to the Fan960, I have to disagree with you regarding the time dedicated to the coverage of amatuer sports on the Fan radio station. I think it devotes an adequate amount of time to ‘the cause.’ Suggesting that by giving amatuer sports more air time could increase the audience is ridiculous for obvious reasons. The main one being over weight 6 year olds don’t listen to A.M. radio anymore. I did, but that was 32 years ago. No PS3, no Hi-Def. It was either A.M. or F.M. I believe it is the job of the parents to teach THEIR children the advantages of a healthy lifestyle. It’s easier than it sounds. Quite frankly I think that the parents are guilty of becoming LAZY…Yes, yes I know that many parents don’t have enough time to spend with their own kids due to work obligations, and need to blame their little pork-chops lack of energy etc on someone/something else. The Fan is a business, not some fat camp, and thus should be run as a business. Meaning, appeal to the masses. Go Flames Go….. We miss you Maher.
- AnthonyThanks! Really interesting. I wish i could spend my time on writing articles…just have no time for it.
- John ReedIn response to Dan - the Fan960 is a business… a business is about making making money, nothing more. High ratings = increased profit. If the general public isn’t interested in listing to amature athletics talk, then there is no dollar value in putting it on the air. If on the other hand a sponsor stepped up because they truely believed it SHOULD be on the air, and made it monitarily worthwhile for the FAN to put this topic on air then it would make sense. It all comes down to the mighty dollar.
- DustinInteresting Rob. I was listening to your show on Friday when you asked a guest (apologies, I don’t recall exactly who) “is it radio’s responsibility to create heroes of amatuer athletes in these unknown sports”. Now I am paraphrasing as I can’t recall the exact words, however, I believe you miss the bigger point. I would not consider it a “responsibility” per se for radio to provide in-depth coverage of amateur athletics. The radio station and it’s employees are responsible for maximising profits for the owners. Hence, I don’t blame you for your “corporate style” response. I also recognise that it is your job to create controversy and may have slanted your comments to accomplish that end. You used a similar response to the caller on Thursday I believe. I believe, however , a less dramatic middle ground can be considered which may have long term positive results for all concerned.
I do believe that there is an opportunity (the word I used in the above response to your blog post) here. The key is opportunity, to cover amateur athletics, give the athletes some exposure they do not otherwise get, in the process creating interest and perhaps, by celebrating accomplishments, creating heroes, for our children to emulate. In the process of dedicating some low risk time during the broadcast week to such a subject, you may find a source of incremental revenue as listenership is broadened in an otherwise underutilised timeslot.
It doesn’t need to take time out of the high profile hours (drive in, drive home, etc), but other hours during the week.
I am guessing if you offered Jungle Jim Hunter an opportunity to dedicate an hour per week of amateur athletics stories, he’d be all over it. And he projects the kind of dynamic and enthusiasm to capture listeners attention.
I was incredibly heartened a few months ago when the morning show highlighted a couple of the women from the two man (person/ladies/etc) womens Bobsleigh team ahead of a weekend competition. While the perspective of the morning team is a little riske, the ladies were not put off, and frankly I appreciated learning something about the personalities and sport I previously didn’t know.
I love the Flames coverage and am a regular attendee of games. However, I was also a HUGE fan back in the 70’s of the old ABC “Wide World of Sports”. On that show, I was able to see sports otherwise out of the current mainstream. Weight lifting (the great Vladislav Alexiev, wow), rowing, downhill skiing (which CBC covers, thankfully), volleyball, badminton, squash, and many other sports that do not get a lot of highlights.
I suggest it as an opportunity, NOT a responsibility. In the process, the Fan becomes less of a hockey/football station and one that can claim to be a more complete sports station.
Anyway, just a thought. Not all thoughts are good ones, but it’s a thought.
Thanks, by the way, for at least giving us the prime time drive home coverage of the Olympics. I enjoy the show.
- Dan Noble