Sports Writer to Be

Here's my pregame for Friday Night Lights tonight: you can hear the show starting at six on WKXL Concord 1450 am, or WKBR Manchester 1250 am. www.fridaynightlights.net

Basketball night in the Queen City, and a game that shouldn't really be close, it's the Keene Blackbirds making the trip to Manchester to face the number one team in the state and a team that has gotten its fair share of national attention, of course we're talking about Trinity High School. Let's cut right to the chase, the Blackbirds do not have much to look forward to tonight except the long bus ride home back to Keene. The starting five of Keene which only includes two seniors, Joe Vita and Kevin Shaw, should be no match for West-Virgina bound Luke Bonner, Trinity's seven-foot senior. This game should be a blowout, but let's just get that out of the way right now and focus on some positives for this Keene ballclub. They come into the game at only two-and-six BUT their last game was a win at home on Primary night against Manchester Memorial. They won convincingly, fifty-nine to thirty-seven in a game the Keene Sentinel said was the Blackbird's finest game of the season. Vita had twenty-one points and Shaw added ten, and reportedly, the student section at the game began a chant of "BRING ON BONNER" as the clock winded down. So definitely, the team and the student body knows what they're up against tonight at Trinity. To which Kevin Shaw told the Sentinel "BRING 'Em ON!" Perhaps he was caught up in the excitement of the New Hampshire Primary and a certain senator from Massachusetts who also did well that night. Coach Phil Hebert, who knows how young his team is, told the Sentinel that after tonight's game in Manchester, "we’ll start to play some teams we can be more competitive with.” So the Keene Blackbirds are looking past tonight, to put a few more wins on the board and maybe squeak into the playoffs as a low seed, which would be a huge accomplishment for this team. They will have to be almost perfect down the stretch, as their next three games have them hosting Goffstown, at Concord and back home to face Exeter. Who knows, maybe a strong showing tonight will give them the confidence and momentum they need to turn the season around and catch a few of those teams off-guard.

As for Trinity, what more can be said? They're undefeated, sit atop the Class L standings with Bishop Geurtin, and wouldn't it be great if both were undefeated when they play on March 2d, they might have to consider having that game at the Verizon, or what the heck, let's just play the game at the Fleet Center. They have received the national attention and have a relatively easy schedule leading up to their game against Guertin. That said, tonight will be a good chance to asses exactly where this team stands going into the "dog days of February" as they prepare for their last four games, all big ones against Alvirne, Salem, Guertin, Pinkerton and of course the state tournament, where they should be the odds-on favorite to win it all. Will they be caught off-guard? These ho-hum games will test this team's focus, and while I expect the Pioneers to dispatch Keene rather easily tonight, you never know in Class L. Hopefully we'll have a chance to talk to head coach Frank Alosa tonight after the game, and catch up with him about where his team stands close to the mid-point of this season.

Keene-Trinity tonight in the Pioneer gym in Manchester. Reporting Live from Manchester, this is John Doyle for Friday Night Lights, High School Basketball in Action

Email to Valdez, sent minutes ago:

. . . As for HS basketball, I am covering Keene-Trinity tonight, a game that won't even be funny. 2 weeks ago, Keene lost to Central, at home, by 40, and that was after Trinity gave Central their only loss by 27 the week before. It won't be pretty. But hopefully I will get out of there early. The Trinity coach, Frank Alosa, is a real *****(colorful character)***** and I am not looking forward to interviewing him after the game. Plus, Marisol and I face a bitch of a moving day tomorrow and could use tonight just to get some stuff ready. BUT, these are the sacrifices I must make, and while I am sure my producer would understand if I had told him I just couldn't do a game this week, he has supported me pretty well so far and I want to let him know he can count on me anytime he needs someone to cover a game. The only problem is that it's in Manchester, 45 minutes away. Oh well. You know, I was thinking, if Henry T ever wanted to change the focus of his station, he should consider abandoning doing play-by-play in favor of the format our show has adopted, which is a "Game Night" type of format. We have two studio hosts and about eight to ten correspondents, such as myself, who go to the games, give four to eight updates per game and interview the coaches afterwards. Henry T might consider doing that at KDEF, that way he can cover more games, interview more coaches, and word would naturally spread about the show. It seems like everywhere I go, people know about the show and always compliment it in my presence. I will give you the link to listen to it one of these nights, but I don't think it will be available until next week.

As for who is number one in NM, it's hard to say and frankly a little meaningless. Unlike NH, where ranking is determined by standings. In NH as of this morning, your top five are Bishop Guertin of Nashua and Trinity of Manchester tied for first, followed by Merrimack (last year's champs), and Manchester Central and Salem tied for fourth. Six through ten are Dover, Manchester West, Alvirne of Hudson, Nashua and Exeter. Memorial is #14 and Keene is #16. In last place is Timberlane and frankly, they won't win until they are bumped down a class after next season.

Last week, in preparation for the Super Bowl, Boston.com (the greatest regional portal on the internet) ran a "Tedy Bruschi Haiku" contest. Here are my entries:

It's amazing how
Quickly he makes me forget
About the Red Sox

And

From Arizona
Land of sun, cacti and heat
He's one of us now

Valdez didn't care for the Haikus at all, and he responded in this fashion:

Here is my entry. It is not a haiku but then again this is America where we
write poems not Laotian stuff.

Number 54 for the silver and blue
If ever a jackass I knew
He is an illerate oaf
who got blasted by Willie Roaf
He and Tom Brady
are jackasses

There is my poetry. Not bad if I say so myself.

This is from the Albuquerque Journal's "Sports Speak Up" from Friday, January 9, 2004 (with a psudeonym, of course)

IN RESPONSE TO Scorpions owner Doug Frank's comments in Thursday's Journal, he says he believes ticket prices would be more if Albuquerque were to replace the Scorpions with a team from the American Hockey League. How is that, Doug? It took about three minutes of research on the Internet to prove you wrong on this one. The Scorpions' ticket prices range from $11 (cheapest) to $36 (most expensive). Of the three AHL franchises in the West, only the Houston Areos offered a ticket price higher than the Scorpions. The Aeros' best seats go for $55. Their cheapest ticket is $8, lower than the Scorpions.
-- Greg, Albuquerque

I also mentioned the ticket prices in San Antonio and Salt Lake City, both cheaper than New Mexico.

This part was edited:
So, if Albuquerque does open a new arena with an AHL team, not only will the hockey be better, but ticket prices will be cheaper.

Tuesday and Wednesday were active days on the 610 message board for me. These comments came in the wake of the University of New Mexico Lobos' 2-point win over BYU on ESPN late monday/early Tuesday.

*****

Memo to the doofus PA announcer at the Lobo games: dude, the crowd does not come to the games to hear YOU. Ever heard of letting the game sell itself? The 'Bos played their *sses off last night, and the crowd would have been just as pumped without your GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRATUITOUS GRATING ANNOUNCEMENTS! I can assure you that NO ONE goes to the Pit thinking, "gee, I don't really care how the Lobos do tonight on the floor, but if the announcer is "pumped up" enough, I might just cheer!" Give it up, dude, you suck.

*****

Wasn't at the Pit but watched the game on ESPN. Great win last night for the Lobos, but that PA announcer made me sick. The guy is a bonafide a$shole. And glad to see the band learned a few new songs. "Hey Baby" and "Land of 1,000 Dances"--never heard those ones before, guys!

*****

Also glad to see that UNM has whored out the floor of the Pit to advertisers. Good thing, because I wasn't aware that Verizon Wireless existed. And a Bank of Albuquerque ad is a little unneccesary for a national broadcast.

*****

Some jerk wrote:

Wow. Lobos beat the Cougars. Impressive, because you know what a powerhouse BYU is.

To which I replied:

Okay, so since BYU was on their schedule, were they supposed to take a bye? No, seriously, you want to make fun of UNM for beating BYU, then seriously, consider the logic of what you are saying. BYU shows up at the Pit last night, and the fans are supposed to expect that Texas or Arizona was going to come down the ramp, because, in your opinion, they're "powerhouses?" What are you saying, really. BYU was on the f*cking schedule. They beat BYU. I'm not supposed to be happy about it? Please, explain this one to me, because I am at a loss. Was another team supposed to be there? I looked at the schedule and said, oh, there's BYU on the schedule. And when I showed up at the Pit, VOILA, there were the Cougars taking warmups. But they're not a "powerhouse" so I guess the Lobos shouldn't have beaten them or something, according to the pompous blowhard with the last comment.

To which the jackass replied:

Maybe another game against the powerhouse known as NM Highlands? Oh, but they're on the schedule too.

Then after a little research, I replied:

Yeah, and Kansas had Fort Hayes State on their schedule. But you know what? When the Jayhawks beat a conference opponent on national TV, the fans don't feel a need to apologize for it. I swear, I'm taking down names and in a couple more seasons when the Lobos are back among the nation's elite, none of you will be allowed on the bandwagon. I WILL REMEMBER.

This is a post to the 610 Message Board yesterday . . .

I think it's time to open up a SERIOUS discussion on where this Lobo men's basketball team is going. What amazes me is that there are so few in the media or in the public eye who are afraid to tell it like it is about Rudy Davalos. No more skirting around the subject. Let's get this out of the way: YES, he has overseen many good things that the athletic department should be proud of during his tenure: expanding the stadium, brining women's hoops from the brink of extinction, something about the minor programs, etc. But he is a mean SOB, conducts himself with negativity and surliness AT ALL TIMES, blames others for his mistakes, and has made it clear that he cares for the bottom line far more than he cares for the joy athletics can bring to a student body. I would love for Rudy to have a few sworn enemies in the media, not just people who kiss his *ss. Constant softball questions to Rudy make me question abilities as true journalists.

Here we go, first official sports post, from an email I wrote to my friend Valdez in New Mexico (a knowledgable and sophisticated sports fan but not a huge Patriots fan) about next week's Super Bowl

Patriots are bad for the N-F-L. I mean, who needs another
Super Bowl blowout? This one is going to be over in the first quarter and
all those casual fans, like your friend who roots for La Cueva, who are
rooting for the Charlotte Panthers (or whoever those a-holes in Charlotte, a
"Yahoo" sports town if there ever was one) will be crying in their tobacco
soup or whatever it is they eat out there. Seriously, I would like to hear
what our friend from North Carolina has to say about next Sunday's matchup. I know for a fact that during the 1997 Super Bowl, she claimed to be a Packers fan because, and I quote, "I have always admired their ownership structure."

Give me a freaking break, sh*t like that makes me wanna puke. In order to
"admire" the "ownership structure" of the Packers, she would have to have an
in-depth knowledge of every NFL team's "ownership structure." And I just
know she would deny it if I ever ran into her, and that she's rooting like
crazy for Charlotte this week and claiming she's been a Pannthers fan all
along.

Just thinking about that week gives me fits, when the Patriots played the
Packers in SB XXXI (the first of three Super Bowls the Patriots have played
in, three more than the Miami Dolphins, the Chicago Bears, the Kansas City
Chiefs, the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Miami Dolphins
combined, since 1997.) People like Tad and that Christina,
coming out of the woodwork as Packer fans when neither of them lived in
Wisconsin. Actually, Christina did, but nevertheless. And Doug, who was
a pretty good guy, but he still put a pound of cheese in my RA mailbox just
days after the big game. Hardee-har-har, Douggie! What team did that guy
follow? Whoever he followed, they ain't in the Super Bowl, I can tell you
that much! I also think it's funny that Green Bay calls itself "TitleTown."
That's funny. I think the SF 49ers have more "titles" than Green Bay. And
Pittsburgh. And Dallas. And New England has now been to AS MANY Super
Bowls as the Packers, so I guess, in a way, Foxboro, Massachusetts, it
"TitleTown." Give me a freaking break.

As for Carolina, you gotta at least respect any team that took a chance on,
and still has on its roster, "He Hate Me," the most memorable
person/thing/aspect of the despicable "XFL." But that's not going to get
them a title! And it makes me sick to think that all the no-life,
no-nothing-about-football fans in New Mexico (especially UNM RAs, because
you just know there's another generation of Annoying, front-running fans gracing the halls of the New Mexico dorms) are rooting for the Panthers because they're the "underdog." Again, give me a freaking break!

Every year someone asks me to predict the outcome of the Super Bowl, or to
express a preference of one team over another. My only wish that there be a
"good game." I don't care who wins or loses, just that there's a "good
game." I am almost always let down.

Not this year. Not this f*cking year. This year I wish for a horrible
game. I wish that the fans in Dallas, New York, Denver, Washington,
Baltimore, and most recently Tampa Bay, who all "celebrated" while their
team tortured real sports fans with a blowout, boring victory, get to suffer
this year. Because this year it's OUR turn. It's our turn here in New
England to go crazy while the Patriots pummel the Panthers, and this time
it's the REST of the nation that has to moan, "Oh, the Super Bowl is SOOOOOO BOOOOOORRRRIING! The NFL should DO something about this!" Screw that!

This year it's the Patriots turn to inflict boredom and malaise upon all
true sports fans! Don't like it? TOUGH! We've had to deal with it for
years! The only thing I want to be worried about at the halftime kickoff is
how many chicken wings will I be able to stuff into my bloated stomach. And
right now, the over/under for THAT is about 22.

Thanks for logging in. My name is John Doyle. Currently I am a correspondent for "Friday Night Lights: High School Sports in Action," a radio show which covers high school football and basketball in the state of New Hampshire, as well as working at a day job. I have also worked sparingly as a correspondent for Foster's Daily Democrat newspaper in Dover, NH.

Before moving to New Hampshire, the state where I grew up, I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I attended the University of New Mexico and graduated from there in 1998. I also met my current wife there.

The year 2000 was when I started working in radio. I worked at KUNM-FM for two and a half years. I was their morning drive host for the summer of 2001. I also worked part-time for KKOB-AM radio. In 2002, my main job was as producer and sports update anchor for "The Afternoon Show" on KNML-AM, known as "Sportsradio 610 The Sports Animal." I also hosted "The High School Football Show" during the fall of 2002. I also produced and hosted, on occasion, the University of New Mexico Football post-game highlight show. In December of 2002 I was let go by "The Sports Animal" after an unfortunate incident with the company car. But we won't go there. I moved back to New Hampshire shortly after that.

This blog was created as a way to express my opinions on sports. You will read my takes on various aspects on the sports world: some mainstream, such as the New England Patriots, the Red Sox, the sorry state of the NBA and NHL, the University of New Hampshire hockey team, and many obscure, such as New Hampshire and New Mexico High School football and basketball, the University of New Mexico Lobos, and the University of New Hampshire Basketball team. I hope someday to get a full-time job as a sportswriter somewhere, and someday move up to the position of columnist. This 'blog will be a good opportunity for me to publish my thoughts until that day comes.

Mostly, I will base my blog entries on emails I write to my friends who share similar views and have similar interests. I also contribute quite frequently to the Sports Animal message board as well as "Sports Speak Up" in the Albuquerque Journal (under a psuedonym, of course). I write numerous letters to sportswriters and talk-show hosts, and I will share those as well. (It's a great feeling when your former employer reads your sports takes on the air not knowing that it's your take he's lauding!)

For the first couple of weeks, my 'blog my have numerous posts from emails and clips that I have archived. All entries were written by me unless specifically noted.