The Perversion of Football

The word “football” invokes many powerful images.  Think back to watching NFL films, the voice of John Facenda narrating the action—breathing life into the games of old.  The “voice of god” set to images of big burly men with dirt stained, tattered uniforms crashing into each other as the diminutive backs would cut in and out seeking breathing room, while the trenches filled up with blood and sweat.  On numerous occasions Facenda would make references and allusions to the gladiators of ancient Rome.  These images helped foster an appreciation for the game of football and engendered an affinity for the sport in my life that has not wavered, but recently it felt something had changed.

Recently, a new trend has set upon the football world—the spread offense.  This disease first took hold on the high school and collegiate levels, as a means for less athletic teams to compete with teams with more speed, size and strength. Now even athletic teams like Michigan and Florida have abandoned their proud football past and caved into the latest fad.

The spread offense annoys me. In effect, it transforms the game into a glorified version of seven-on-seven, awarding finesse over athleticism.

The spread brand of football is void of physicality.  In essence, the team that runs the spread says via their actions that they don’t have the athletes to match-up man-to-man so they must resort to “spreading” men out in order to find a hole.  Think back to the “great teams” of yesteryear.  They lined up with the mentality “you know what we are going to do, now try and stop us.”

Isn’t that what makes football great?  The battle in the trenches, running backs fighting for yardage, and quick, aggressive defenses swarming to the ball.

This doesn’t even take into account the limitations the spread place on your play calling ability.  The spread works fine within the 20’s, but deep inside the red zone or deep inside your own territory, where a power running game is beneficial, the spread is actually a liability. Nothing irks me more than to see a team drive the ball to their opponent’s 3 yard line, only to line up in a shot gun formation. Some college quarterbacks play their entire career without ever taken a snap from under center and then wonder why NFL teams skip over them in spite of gaudy statistics.

A pure form of football features a sort of fluidity that is not found with the spread attack.  Players awkwardly stand in formation as the coach signals in the play.  The quarterback anxiously reads the defense trying to spot some weakness to exploit.  The ball is moved horizontally and instead of harmony, dissonance radiates.

Perhaps John Facenda is best remembered for his description of the 1967 “Ice Bowl” at the “frozen tundra of Lambeau Field,” which makes one wonder could a “spread attack” have accomplished the comeback Bart Starr engineered?  Even as a die-hard Cowboy’s fan born 11 years after it was played, I acknowledge that the “Ice Bowl” embodies everything that is great and pure about our game of football and sadly I fear that game has been taken over by the disease we now know as the “spread offense”, destroying all the images that made this game great.

Five college football questions the other guys are afraid to ask…

We at Geoausch.Com feel that “sports experts” do not exist! However, every blogger, every writer, every loud mouth radio guy feels like they can accurately pick the winner of every FBS conference and accurately predict the winner of every game on the 2009 schedule. We’re not that generic. Sure, we could predict Texas to win the national championship and for Colt McCoy to win the Heisman, but if those scenarios were to come to fruition it wouldn’t make us experts, nor would it make us original. Instead, I thought it would be interesting to examine five questions I haven’t seen asked about the upcoming college football season.

1. Will teams finally figure out Florida the third time through? Everyone, from USA Today to the Cass County Sun predicts that Florida will repeat as national champions. This seems like a logical decision, especially with Tim Tebow leading the offensive attack for a third straight year. However, what people have failed to discuss is the gimmicky nature of the Florida offensive scheme. The reason gimmick offenses work is that they keep the defense guessing. The Wishbone was successful because the defense had three different backs to constantly key on, eventually defensive coordinators developed schemes to shut the offense down and teams stopped using it.  I think after three years of watching Tebow run this offense, defensive coordinators SEC will figure out a way to shut down the Florida attack. I don’t think the Gators will have a losing season, but is a 3 loss season out of the question?

2. Will anyone emerge to join the Heisman race? Please? It’s hard not like Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow, all three are upstanding young men with bright futures. However, it’s getting really old to see the same three faces on the cover of every magazine and college football website.

West Virginia running back, Noel Devine, was more visible in the media as a high school phenom than he has been in college. He put up solid numbers last year and could run his way into Heisman talk by season’s end, especially considering that he will be the Mountaineers primary offensive threat this season.

A lot of attention was placed on the bevy of quarterbacks in the Big XII last season: Graham Harrell, Chase Daniel, McCoy and Bradford wowed viewers and pundits from coast-to-coast.  With so many great quarterbacks in one conference, it’s no wonder that Kansas’ Todd Reesing slipped under the radar for most of the season. While McCoy and Bradord are back for another season, Harrell and Daniel have moved on, clearing room on the big stage for Reesing to show he belongs with the big boys.

Another Big XII offensive firecracker who should make a splash on the nation stage is Oklahoma State receiver, Dez Bryant. The Cowboys could probably win a couple of the other BCS conferences, but in the Big XII they are the third best team in their division. However, they feature an explosive offense and Bryant is the leader. He could be this year’s  Michael Crabtree.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention at least one defensive player. They don’t get much better than USC safety, Taylor Mays. Mays led the Trojans last year with 53 tackles and should be even better this year. The Trojan defense will depend on Mays to be a leader for some of their youth and if this defense puts up some numbers, Mays deserves to be in the talks for player of the year.

3. Will Rich Rodriguez or Charlie Weis be fired first? Notre Dame and Michigan are both learning that finesse football isn’t as valuable as it once was. Scandals have rocked the Michigan program and Notre Dame simply lacks athletes. As a result, neither fan base is too happy with their current coaching situation and both coaches enter the season on the hot seat.  The Irish have a relatively easy schedule this season and anything less than a 9 win season will probably result in Weiss’ early dismissal. If the Irish struggle early, lose a couple early, Weiss might not be around for the USC game in October.

Michigan opens with a favorable schedule early, but there is no room for hiccups. If they lose more than one game to another team from Michigan, Rodriguez is gone. Other wise, Rodriguez should make it to at least November and needs a 9 win season himself to save his job.

4. Will Texas A&M win a conference game this season? Throughout the 80’s and 90’s the Aggies were a perennial Top 10 team and for a short period of time were the premier college football program in the state. The last decade has been one of mediocrity for the Aggies and this year things could hit an all time low. Entering the season, the Aggies will be favored to win only one conference game, a Halloween home game against Iowa State. If the Aggies lose that one, there is not another favorable game on their schedule. If that happens, look for Mike Sherman to join Charlie Weis and Rich Rodriguez in the unemployment lines.

5. Will this be the season that the Big XII passes the SEC? Several experts feel that the Big XII may be a better conference than the SEC, from top to bottom, this season. Big XII fans have felt this for years, even though head-to-head results (see last year’s bowl games) seem to prove otherwise. It comes down to the age old adage, “offense wins games, but defense wins championship.” Simply put, they do not play defense like they do in the SEC anywhere else in the country. Combine that with explosive athleticism and you have the recipe for the best college football conference in the land. The Big XII is good, but at the end of the season, SEC will still be the king.

This cheered me up…

Today was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. It’s the type of day when you search for any sort of news story that will bring a smile to your face. I stumbled upon this story on the Tyler Morning Telegraph’s website. Initially, I was struck by the by-line that mentioned something about a homeowner holding a robber at gun point with his pants around his ankles. Once I got into the story, I learned that it was actually members of Earl Campbell’s family. I applaud the Campbell family for their heroic stand against this criminal low life.

What’s your problem with Jerry?

First, I’d like to apologize to my loyal readers. I’m using August as a vacation of sorts, to regroup and reset my blog. I’ll have some very exciting news to share regarding a new blog I’m launching within the next few weeks, so stayed tune.

Until then, football season is upon us and we need to talk some football. A couple of quick questions I thought about over my lunch break:

1.) I’m a life long Dallas Cowboys fan. I was 11 years old when Jerry Jones bought this team and fired my childhood hero, Tom Landry. During the past 20 years, I’ve experienced the highest highs and lowest lows with my team. Through it all, I’ve remembered not to give Jerry too much credit for the glory days and not to throw too much blame his way for the lean years.

I realize that Jerry’s personality rubs some people the wrong way, but I also realize that many of those same personality traits are traits necessary to building a winner. Jerry wants to win and will spare no cost in the attempt to reach his ultimate goal.

Why then do so many Cowboys fans despise Jerry so much? Do they not realize that the Cowboys owner wants to win more than any other owner in the NFL?

Does he make some bone headed decisions? Yes, but we all make mistakes.

2.) There is a small, but vocal, contingency of Rangers fans out there who complain about the amount of attention being placed on the Rangers wild card chase compared to Cowboys preseason action. They seem to be offended that more people want to watch a Cowboys preseason game than a Rangers regular season game.  At this point, “baseball hubris” kicks in.

“Baseball hubris” is a trait possessed by some hardcore baseball fans who feel that baseball is the only true sports and all others should be ignored. They’ll berate the other leagues and belittle the fans of sports.  

I love baseball, but I don’t get “baseball hubris”. I think football, basketball and golf all have something to offer as well.  In the professional ranks, my love for the Cowboys has never caused me to hate the Rangers or Mavericks. In fact, I find that my love for these teams compliment one another.

Why is it that some Rangers fans HATE the Cowboys (and the NFL) so much?

Vacation Talk

Stephanie and I returned from our Florida vacation yesterday.  After a rough two hour flight, we stepped off the plane and walked out into the welcoming heat of Dallas, Texas.  I missed a few things: Rangers baseball, Mexican food, and the comfort of our own bed, but the vacation provided much needed relief in our lives.

This was my first vacation in over five years, so it was a major adjustment. It began like any other hectic day, waking up at 4:30 AM on Thursday morning to catch a 6:45 AM flight out of Love Field.  I learned that not only would we have to switch planes in Tampa, but also we had to make a stop in New Orleans before even making it to Tampa.  Stress set it in. However, by the time we landed in Tampa, got a Nathan’s hot dog, I began to remember what vacation is all about. We finally arrived in Jacksonville later that afternoon and I learned a lot over the next few days.

Beach side is not always the best side For approximately $300, we got three nights at an ultra hip  boutique hotel (and 3 day car rental).  Situated in a brand new mixed-use development, the hotel featured a post-modern design and furnishings, was centrally located to the major thoroughfares and attractions and all of the usual amenities. Everything in the hotel, from the laundry bags to the key cards, from the “Do Not Disturb” sign to the lounge menus were written in haiku and our room featured a serene view of a scenic lake.

Our other friends, lured by the prospects of beach front lodging, opted for rooms at a more expensive            establishment. Their rooms lacked the character and charm that our rooms had and none of them had actual views of the ocean from their room. Sure, they had easy access to the beach, but they were well removed from the venues of our other festivities. None of their hotel’s literature was written in haiku.

In my opinion, we spent less and got more out of our hotel.

Not until you get away for a while, do you realize just how fast-paced Dallas can be! Dallas has a reputation for being a laid back city. However, after visiting Jacksonville, I wonder if this reputation is really accurate.

For one, Jacksonville is much easier to get around.  We saw virtually no traffic while in Jacksonville and the roads are “user friendly”. Noticeably absent are the congested freeways, mix-masters and annoying toll roads that make driving in Dallas such a hassle. U.S. Highway 1 is a major road in the Jacksonville area. It runs the complete length of Florida and connects Jacksonville with the tourist haven of St. Augustine.  In Dallas, a highway like this would consist of six lanes, entrance and exit ramps, with strip malls and gas stations dotting the side of the road. Although U.S. 1 is four lanes and divided by a media, the 20 mile stretch in between Jacksonville and St. Augustine looks more Louisiana State Highway 1 in between the Texas border and Shreveport with its pine trees and bayous.

In Dallas, everyone wants to be a star; it’s the land of the $30,000 millionaire. People live well above their means to have designer lifestyles complete with the right face, clothes, cars and home. I didn’t really seen any of that in Jacksonville. People were happy with that they had and didn’t try to be someone they were not. It was very refreshing.

Jacksonville residents love their tattoos A lot of people have tattoos, which can be concealed rather easily for day-to-day activities. However, residents in Jacksonville aren’t content with a single tat on their bicep, small of their back, or ankle. Jacksonville residents, both male and female, love the look of the full sleeve and the 3/4 sleeve tat. Apparently, it is acceptable in the Jacksonville business community, because you see them on people of all walks of life.

How the hell did Jacksonville host a Super Bowl? Their airport is about the size of Love Field. As I mentioned earlier, there are few major highways that run through Jacksonville. From what I could tell, most of the lodging is beach based and located well away from Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.  From my understanding, cruise ships were brought in to serve as extra “hotel rooms” for Super Bowl visitors.

The NFL usually chooses cities with a night life to host Super Bowls. Things start to shut down in Jacksonville around 10 PM EST. Seriously, the bar in our hotel had last call at 10:00 PM on the dot. Most restaurants start shutting down around 9 PM or 10 PM as well. How they were ever able to service the teams, fans and media, I will never know.  I’m still amazed that Jacksonville has a NFL team, let alone ever hosted a Super Bowl.

—————-
Now playing: Ernest Tubb – Waltz across Texas (Album)
via FoxyTunes

The NFC East bubble

Greetings from Jacksonville, Florida.  This is my first vacation in almost 6 years and I am enjoying myself thoroughly. We had a weird flight schedule that took us through New Orleans, Tampa and finally on in to Jacksonville. Along the way, I had the opportunity to pick up several local newspapers and scope our their training camp coverage for their local pro teams.

In Tampa, I picked up a copy of both the St. Petersburg Time and The Tampa Tribune. One thing that caught my eye was a blurb for Buccaneer fans wanting to attend practices.  It mentioned that the Buc’s practice facility could accomodate up to 4,000 fans.  Seriously? The Cowboys travel out of town and pull in three times as many fans at their training camp work outs.

Tonight, I watched the Jacksonville news, expecting to find some great coverage of Jaguars’ camp. Instead, the Jacksonville news seemed to be more fascinated with the University of Florida’s first practice.  Texans love college football, but unless you live in Austin, College Station or Lubbock, the Cowboys will always get more coverage than Texas’ big 3 college programs.

I began to wonder if the Cowboys were the only NFL team to draw such excitement with their training camp program, but then I remembered the crowds I have seen at Redskins’ camp, at Giants’ camp and at Eagles’ camp. I began to wonder if my football world exists inside and NFC East bubble, a land where college football is fine, but the NFL reigns supreme.

The AFC and NFC South divisions seemed to be composed of regions where college football takes priority over the professional game. It’s so weird! It reminded me of a recent conversation I heard on a Dallas sports talk radio program. SEC fans have a great product in their football programs. No one can dispute the quality of athletes and coaches within the conference. However, fans of SEC programs often treat these programs as equals, both in importance and talent, than their NFL counterparts. In a sense, they act as if college football is all they have. The Gators get the special segments, beat reporters, etc. While the Jaguars and Buccaneers get whatever is left over.While I’m sure Florida will have no problem selling out all of their home games, the Jaguars struggle selling out just one of their home games.

We do things a bit different in Texas. Yes, Colt McCoy is a household name. Depending on where you are raised, you grow up wanting to play for Tech, UT or A&M.  Going to a game at Kyle Field (especially in 1990’s), can be just as energizing as going to a game at “The Swamp.” There are more D-1, or FBS, level schools in the state of Texas than in any other state.  Texans earn more D-1 football scholarships than athletes from any other state. We get college football and we love it.

However, we realize the quality of the NFL game, both on a technical and athletic level, is greater than that of the collegiate game.  Do Floridians not understand that? Why is so little interest in Jaguar and Buccaneer football?

NFL Blackouts a reality?

In preparation of an upcoming trip to Jacksonville, I visited the website for their local newspaper, The Florida Times-Union, to get a feel for the city. I feel that you can learn a lot about a city from reading its newspapers, especially the sports section.  With only one professional sports franchise, I expected much of the jock talk to center on the Jacksonville Jaguars training camp, but wasn’t too surprised to find that the top story involved Univeristy of Florida’s decision to make Urban Meyer the highest paid coach in the NCAA.

As I scrolled down through the sports section, I came across a few Jaguars related stories, but nothing like the coverage the Dallas media gives our beloved Cowboys.  The title of one column really caught my eye, “Jaguars can’t avoid 2009 blackouts,” by Gene Frenette. It had been a good 20 years since I had heard the term “blackout” used in conjunction with a NFL game. Though my Cowboys have not been immune from “blackouts” in their history, it’s been a couple of decades since they were a reality in “Big D.” I never considered that in some markets, especially in today’s economic climate, “blackouts” are still a reality and in some case, like Detroit and apparently Jacksonville, they are the norm.

Needless to say, I was shocked to read Mr. Frenette’s column. Based on his work, it appears that not just one or two games, but all Jacksonville home games are in danger of being “blacked out” for the 2009 season. While it might be humane act of kindness for the NFL to prevent Detroit Lions’ fans from witnessing their team play, the Jaguars field a fairly competitive team in one of the most exciting conferences in the NFL. To think that their team cannot sell tickets baffles me, almost as much as Jacksonville being awarded a NFL franchise baffled me in 1993.

I wonder if this says more about Jacksonville being a small market team (they’ve consistently polled near the bottom in popularity surveys conducted about the NFL) or the current state of our economy? Will other NFL franchises struggle to sell out games and face “blackout” restrictions as well? Is the NFL “blackout” policay fair?

I’m interested to hear what you guys have to say about these or any other “blackout” related issues.

105.3 The (Irrelevant) Fan

In the past, I’ve offered my analysis of both ESPN 103.3 and The Ticket. In all fairness, I think it’s time that I offer my assessment of the newest sports talk radio station in Dallas, 105.3 The Fan. I first became aware of The Fan flipping through the stations shortly before the start of baseball season. I heard the familiar voices of Ben & Skin, made famous by their weekend show on The Ticket, and thought I would give it a chance. Though their show lacked some of the comedy from their Ticket days, I still thought the station had potential to serve as an alternative on days when The Ticket was involved in shameless self promotions (i.e. Girls Night Out, Ticket Stock, The Great Game, etc.).

Over the next few months, I had the opportunity to catch some of the other shows, but never found a show that really engaged me. Based on the latest numbers, not many people have. The Ticket continues to dominate the male 25-54 demographic, ESPN is a distant second and The Fan brings up the rear of sports talk radio. Ironically, the Kevin Scott-Greg Hill experiment was the only Fan program not to finish dead last in head-to-head time slot competition with the other two stations, yet The Fan still decided to part ways with them.

They weren’t the only casualty, just ask Ben and Skin.  Ben and Skin pulled horrible numbers, but that says less about their appeal and more about the appeal of The Hardline. Look at it this way, a large part of Ben and Skins audience are loyal listeners to The Hardline and when given a choice between the two, the old reliable will win out. It would have been interesting to see what the numbers might have been if The Fan had decided to move the Ben & Skin time slot, say up against Norm Hitzges.  Instead, they canceled the show out right.

Why is The Fan in such bad shape and what can they do?

In addition to simply recycling on-air talent thrown away by other stations, The Fan takes their name too seriously. Sure, obnoxious, self-absorbed, know-it all hosts drive listeners away. Most people desire a radio program that engages the listener, not a program where the host spouts his opinions for 3 hours. The secret to good radio is knowing how to engage your audience without using the phone, text or e-mail as a crutch. These mediums should be used to supplement the programming, but never be the main focus of a program or a station.

The Fan throws out several, unrelated, inane topics to their audience over the course of a segment.  The on-air personality rarely issues an opinion and as such never develops their on-air persona. We learn more about “Gary in Garland” or “Joe in Prosper” than we do about the actual hosts. Contrast that with the personalities on The Ticket, loyal P1’s can you tell you everything about their favorite hosts. Vanilla hosts create vanilla programming, which in turn will drive down the ratings. In essence this is what plagues The Fan.

The station is not going anywhere. They have deep pockets and just signed contracts to carry both the Rangers and Cowboys, still they will continue to struggle with ratings as long as they continue down this path. What can they do to fix the problem?

First, address their identity problem. What type of radio station do they want to be?  From the outside looking in, it appears that they experimented with two different philosophies–the ESPN way and The Ticket way–bringing in personalities from each discipline. Kevin Scott and Ben & Skin got the ax, while Sean Salisbury and Newy Scruggs remain, so it appears that they have opted for generic sports talk, yet their hosts still engage in “man talk”, which can either be awkward or just plain terrible radio.

My best advice to program director at The Fan–talk to David Smoak. As we reported earlier this week, Smoak resigned as sports director and talk host at KTBB radio in Tyler. He brings close to 20 years of on-air experience and is well connected in the Dallas community.  Start him in the Noon-3 slot, against BaD Radio and Michael Irvin. Smoaky’s style would appeal more to the Irvin audience, but he might be able to steal a few from BaD Radio occasionally. No one is going to displace Dunham & Miller in morning drive (I still don’t understand the show) and The Hardline and GAC will be 1 & 2 as long as Galloway is still working. The noon-3 slot is the weakest point, relatively speaking, for both stations and is where The Fan should attack first. They can then build around that time slot.

—————-
Now playing: Pearl Jam – In My Tree
via FoxyTunes

The professional athlete as a fan…

A local talk radio program conducted an interview with Quinton Ross this morning. Now that he is officially a Dallas Maverick, Ross has the opportunity to do something very few athletes get to do–play ball in the same city for high school, colleges and the pros. Udonis Haslem is the only current athlete whose name I can think of off the top of my head, but I’m sure Miami, L.A. and Houston have had a few in the past.

I began to think about what it means for an athlete to play professionally for his hometown. Does it mean anything at all? Is there any emotional attachment between a pro-athlete and their hometown team or does a professional athlete automatically shed all childhood allegiances?

For better or worse, I am emotionally invested in the Cowboys, Mavericks and Rangers. I’ve followed these teams my entire life. As a kid, I collected the trading cards, autographs, the Starting Lineup action figures, and any other type of memorabilia you can possibly imagine associated with the guys on my team.

Throughout the years, Ive devoted my time to watching their games in person and/or on TV. Consider the fact that since 1990, I have missed only two Cowboys’ games (1.) a December 28, 2003 game against the New Orleans Saints 2.) a September 30, 2001 game against the Philadelphia Eagles). Similarly, I saw all 82 Dallas Maverick regular season games, either in person or on TV, in 2006-2007 and I have missed only 24 Mavericks regular season games since the 2005-2006 season.

As I grow older, I find that my devotion to these teams grows only stronger.  I invest countless hours each year to reading about my teams, writing about my teams, talking about my teams and listening to others talk about my teams. For what? So I can impress friends at a cocktail party by naming every Cowboys’ kicker since 1985? No, I do it out of love, love of and for my teams.

I was about a .230 hitter in youth league baseball (although I knew how to work a walk and had a .800% OBP one summer) and at 6 feet, 160 pounds, I was a back-up center and defensive tackle on my high school’s JV football team before I decided to quit.  Needless to say, I knew from an early age that professional sports were not part of my future.

Not only do I lack the set of physical skills necessary to be a pro-athlete, I lack the mindset as well.  You see, even if I had Tom Brady’s skill set and contract, I could not bring myself to, either directly or indirectly, compete with the Dallas Cowboys.

How does a professional athlete deal with this emotional schism? Let’s say a kid grows up in New England, idolizing the Sox. He’s a five tool player and he gets drafted in first round right out of high school and singed to a million dollar contract. The only catch is that the team that drafted and signed him is the New York Yankees.

I’m sure situations like this must arise in the professional sports world and when they do, I’m interested to find out how the athletes deal with it.

I realize that many professional athletes may grow up as a fan of a particular player or sport and not necessarily loyal to their local team, but I know there are some athletes with passions like mine. Would a multi-million dollar contract and the promise of a championship give me the motivation necessary to temporarily set these this emotional investment aside? I tend to think not.

—————-
Now playing: David Paich, Don Henley & Jeff Porcaro – New York Minute
via FoxyTunes

Smoaky resigns from KTBB

Our East Texas bureau reports that David Smoak has resigned as “Sports Director and Talk Host at KTBB radio.” A trip to Smoaky.com confrimed this report.  It appears that Smoak will continue to maintain his site, a haven of heated discussions on all-things sports, especially high school football.

Texans love their high school football and the Piney Woods house some of the sports’ most passionate fans. Smoaky understands this passion and he developed a successful media strategy that provided East Texans with informative and entertaining coverage of high school football for over 20 years.  While media personalities in larger markets look down their nose at high school football, Smoaky devoted a majority of his to time to the it, earning him the reputation of being one of the state’s foremost experts on the sport.

Growing up in East Texas, I have fond memories of watching David Smoak as the sports anchor for a local television station. His high school football scoreboard was a must see every Friday night. As a college student in Tyler, I rediscovered how great Smoaky was when I found his sports talk radio program on the AM side of the dial.  Later on, I would have the opportunity to work with Smoaky on several different occassions while working for TexasPrepXtra.com. He was willing to do whatever it took to help young, aspiring journlists get the experience they needed.

It remains to be seen whether or not this signals the end of Smoaky’s career.  I’ve found a couple of different statements regarding his move on his website and both of them are deliberately worded, leading me to believe there some contractual issues yet to be answered. I tend to believe that Smoaky will continue doing what he loves, covering sports. I’m just no sure in what capacity.

If this does signal the end of his media career, it’s a sad day for East Texas sports fans. Smoaky’s work went far beyond high school football. He was the first local reporter in East Texas to begin live coverage from Cowboys’ training camp.  When Smoaky traveled to camp, he always brought along a huge smoaker and would provide food for the entire media contingent. Through his food and his professionalism, Smoaky developed many contacts throughout the state, friends who would often drop in on his program. No other media program has his connections and they will find it hard to book the types of guests his fans have grown accustomed to.

Heres to a very short stint off the air for David Smoak! East Texas sports fans need him.