Changing With The Times

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

During my 41 years working in the Media, the majority of the work I’ve done is in Sports. I’ve covered four Super Bowl Games in addition to being at many championship contests.

I’ve also written about Muhammad Ali, Tom Lasorda, Sugar Ray Leonard, former Detroit Tigers Hall of Fame Broadcaster Ernie Harwell along with many others.

My writing mentor is Tony DeMarco, while George Eichorn and I have done lots of projects on and off the air.

In the past two years, I’ve had the great pleasure of being introduced to Internet Radio with Peter Wein. I’ve seen the numerous shows he’s had on the weinetwork.com as he possesses tremendous versatility to choose from.

In the past year, Wein’s wife Harriett passed away and he suffered a major stroke for which he’s still recovering from.

My career in the Media has given me the opportunity to work in both print and broadcasting.

Thanks to Jeff Adelman, who is a personal injury attorney that is in my Coral Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce Referral Group, with Wein’s departure, he introduced me to Podcasting.

It’s been quite a transition from my old radio days. Many years ago, all I had to do was line-up the guests, prepare the content and we had lots of call ins.

There is another individual that has helped me get through this learning curve! I met Rudy Reyes on LinkedIn and he’s guided me with equipment. He’s taught me a lot about Social Media.

Rudy and I have a show on the World Sports And News (WSAN) Network.

We have seven different shows on WSAN Network.

The main ones include The Sports Exchange, 108 Stitches...Baseball Talk, The South Florida Tribune Podcast and the newest one is ‘No Limits’.

While all of our main programming has focused on Sports, things are drastically changing.

The South Florida Tribune Podcast is designed for our local market. We’ve made great progress developing it the past few weeks.

Before my wife and I left town for Memorial Day, we needed a strong national show.

With the help of my wife, two other guests which include Jacksonville Jaguars writer David Levin and former MLB pitcher Mark Littell, ‘No Limits’ was born.

In life, we have to adapt to it’s numerous changes.

The South Florida Tribune Podcast and No Limits will serve that purpose.

I will no longer be just a sports guy. I’ll be multi dimensional. We’ll have versatility on the local and national levels.

No Limits will live up to it’s name!

While we don’t talk about politics or religion on the South Florida Tribune and we won’t on the air, there will be no shortage of guests on these broadcasts!

The business model will be greatly enhanced because of the versatility.

There will be more ways to get involved as we create a Media Package.

First things first as this versatility will create more followers.

I’m excited about the direction, but there is a lot more work to do during these changing times. I’m very thankful for the people that have helped us grow and kudos to Rick Curti, Ron Renzy, David Levin, George Eichorn, and Mel Farr Jr. as they continue to help us on this growing journey.

The bottom line is that if we don’t accept todays changes then we’ll simply let the times pass us by. In other words, we’ll miss the bus.

That’s not going to happen with us.

For more updates, go to www.southfloridatribune.com. Also, please like the South Florida Tribune Page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

If you want to reach me, then drop me an e-mail at southfloridatribune@gmail.com.

Just Like Old Times

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
WASHINGTOWN, TOWNSHIP, MI

As much as I've always enjoyed watching the movie "Back To The Future," on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, it was neat revisiting an old, but new show.

This seemed like a movie "Back To The Past."

This radio show took place at the Old Stone Bar And Grill, in Washington Township, a suburb of Metro Detroit.

There was an old face in the past who shared center stage with me and his name is George Eichorn.

Back in the early 1980's, Eichorn and I used to have a Radio Talk Show called The Sports Exchange.

We did a show in Garden City, MI at WCAR AM that aired from 7-9 PM Sunday Nights. Back then, there were no primetime NFL Football Games.

We moved to Mount Clemens, MI., and shifted to WBRB AM.

The Sports Exchange became a six hour show on Saturday Night from 6-12 Midnight.

We did segments on trainers, sports movies and much, much more.

In those days, we relied on The Associated Press and United Press International, plus the sports ticker which gave us score updates.

Both shows were a blast in their own ways as we took call ins and did live and pre-recorded interviews.

We enjoyed the Magazine Style Format which I've implemented here.

We spent 12 hours in the studio preparing the show then doing it.

We had lots of carry out meals and ordered pizza frequently for the Saturday broadcast.

As we move the clock forward, I took the lessons I learned back then and last year worked out a deal with Peter Wein of the weinetwork.com in September of 2019.

I'm the Founder and CEO of The South Florida Tribune.

We created the relationship with the intent to grow both brands.

We've done just that. Our show hits between 10-12,000 listeners.

The South Florida Tribune has been growing steadily.

Wein has been a tremendous partner.

I write the show and I enjoy the challenge of booking guests and then we have fun entertaining our followers.

It's great to have young talent and the veteran athletes, media members, etc... work together and bring fresh ideas to the program.

Over the years, I've been accustomed to terrestrial radio.

I have to admit that Wein's network on internet radio appears to be the new trend. Plus, it's not regulated by The Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

There is a lot more promoting on Social Media and many more news sources to get your information.

For this broadcast, Wein produced the broadcast from our Delray Beach, FL., Studio. The show was also seen on Facebook Live.

For Eichorn and I, it was like old times telling stories of our early years working together.

Eichorn is a frequent guest on this show and serves as the Sports Editor of The South Florida Tribune.

For this show, the guest line-up consisted of Rick Curti, Anthony Wood, Xavier McKnight and Chris Roberts.

When Eichorn and I were working together, Wood and McKnight weren't alive. These guys are 23-years old. These youngsters have promising careers ahead of them.

Roberts at 70-years old, is an iconic broadcaster in Los Angeles calling UCLA Basketball, Football and Baseball.

He is currently the President of The Southern California Sports Broadcasters, an organization for which I'm a part of.

Chris has become a new mentor for me and a great friend that I met this year on Linkedin.

He's always there when I need advice or a guest.

You talk about a great addition to my life, Roberts is it! I'm looking forward to eventually meeting Roberts in person in LA, and am proud to be the first East Coast Member of his organization.

Eichorn is Executive Director of Detroit Sports Media. I belong to this group as well. It was great introducing these two guys.

The comradery on this show amongst us was excellent as you had three guys that have over 130 years in Sports Media together.

We all admitted that perhaps this industry has passed us by to some extent considering how much it's influenced by Social Media and Technology.

Yet, each of us kind of laughed about it.

When it was all said and done, and the show was over, the feedback I received from friends and family was incredible!

But this night was about reminiscing about old memories then creating new ones.

This remote will be the beginning of more and Candy Ebling did an outstanding job with the technical side at the restaurant.

All the people that participated were MVP's.

I'm just thankful that Eichorn and I had a chance to relive this experience one more time, 40 years later.

But this was one night that will go down as completely unforgettable!

We learned a lot and created lots of new memories.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Detroit Sports Perspective

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

I'll never forget the time when my longtime colleague and close friend George Eichorn asked me to write a few paragraphs about all of the Detroit teams when they were struggling in the late 1970's for the Detroit Monitor.

This happened to be the first time that I was published.

I impressed My Lakeland High School English Teacher Mrs. Ann Nozewski, who wanted every student to make an attempt to do this.

Fortunately, my second time getting published was a short story on the US Not Boycotting The 1980 Olympics, which President Jimmy Carter wanted us to Boycott The Olympics.

That would later backfire as the Soviet Union Boycotted the Olympics in 1984 at Los Angeles which I attended.

Nevertheless, lets move the clock forward to 2019 and while Nozewski certainly provided the impetus for me to get published, 40 years later, I'm still going strong!

Back in the 1970's all of the Detroit Teams were struggling.

Here in 2019, they are once again.

But at least during that time period there have been some championships along the way.

The Tigers 1984 Season produced a World Series Championship along with three Hall Of Famers. Those include Manager Sparky Anderson, Shortstop Alan Trammell and Pitcher Jack Morris.

The Pistons won three World Championships which has produced Hall of Famers and retired jerseys in the rafters. In the Bad Boys era of the late 1980's, those included Coach Chuck Daly, Guards Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and forward Dennis Rodman. Dumars was an executive when the Pistons won another title in 2004.

The Detroit Red Wings made it to the playoffs 25-straight years and won four Stanley Cup Titles.

The rafters are getting crowded with more retired numbers in addition to the championship banners. Two Hall of Famers and former Captains are Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom.

And the Lions....they've won one playoff game and Barry Sanders made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

I enjoyed covering Barry from my Pontiac Silverdome Press Box vantage point watching him rise to being the third leading rusher in NFL History.

There was a period of time that I covered all 16 games at home and on the road.

To this day, I'm convinced that if Fontes was not fired and replaced by Bobby Ross, Sanders would be the all-time leading rusher as Barry viewed Wayne as a father figure.

Whether Calvin Johnson gets there remains to be seen.

The fans are waiting for QB Matthew Stafford to be surrounded by a good supporting cast that will at least get him a playoff win.

It's an eyesore when Sanders and Johnson retire in their prime because of the losing culture.

Unfortunately for Lions fans, they're one of two members in the 0-16 club and haven't won a championship since 1957.

Time will tell whether the Patriot Midwest Way anchored by Coach Matt Patricia and President/GM Bob Quinn can duplicate itself in a football starved town which is looking for any kind of success it can get.

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Now the present:

1. The Detroit Red Wings--living in South Florida, the Panthers made a coaching hire I hoped the Red Wings would have made in the Motor City by landing veteran coach Joel Queeneville.

The former Windsor Spitfires coach is second all-time in regular season wins with 890 and 118 more in the playoffs, plus three Stanley Cup Championships with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Red Wings future just became much brighter when they hired Steve Yzerman as Executive Vice President and General Manager on 4-19-2019, Good Friday. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets made the obvious happen by sweeping Tampa Bay 4-0 in their opening round series.

Yzerman had successful stints as being an Executive Director for Team Canada and The Tampa Bay Lightning. 

There is no reason to think he won't be able to get the Red Wings on the right track in time.

Yzerman will have former GM Ken Holland by his side as he was named Senior Vice President as a major resource.

Holland does has a proven track record guiding the club to Stanley Cup Championships.
I hope his patience is rewarded as he extended Coach Jeff Blashill by two additional seasons.

I think it's smart that Yzerman will honor the Blashill extension.

He worked well with another young coach in Tampa Bay. That being Jon Cooper who led the Lightning to the President's Trophy.

There is no reason to think Yzerman won't work well with Blashill.

But the key to any turnaround while Detroit is in a massive rebuild, the Red Wings must continue to hit on their draft choices.

I respect them for not tanking in an effort to get the No.1 pick in the NHL Draft as they ended up sixth.

I'll continue to invest in the Center Ice Package hoping the younger players ultimately start maturing. But let's face reality, the 2019-2020 season will be the most pivotal one in the direction of this proud Original Six Franchise which owns 11 Stanley Cup Championships.

2. The Detroit Tigers--also owned by the Illitch family are also in rebuild mode.

We get the MLB Package and while the Tigers are trying to develop from within, they're slowly freeing up money from undesirable contracts.

For a team that has made it to the World Series twice under retired Skipper Jim Leyland only to come up short, can another veteran Manager Ron Gardenhire see this project through and reap from the benefits in the next couple of years?

Time will tell as to what comes up from the farm.

But like the Red Wings, patience is something Owner Chris Illitch doesn't seem to lack as he remains loyal to his key front office people.

The one thing about baseball is teams can turn their losing fortunes around in three years and go from worst to first quite quickly as we've found out from the success of the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs that ultimately led them to World Series Championships.

Just build a good young core of players and lock them up to long term contracts. Then keep building their farm systems.

The Tampa Bay Rays seem to make a lot out of nothing because of strong player development then find solid veterans to blend in.

3. The Detroit Pistons--had the distinction as the first team to play a playoff game in Little Caesars Arena (LCA).

During the regular season, the Pistons were swept 4-0 to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The same held true in the playoffs as Milwaukee won all four contests in the playoffs, all by double digits.

As a result, Detroit now owns the longest playoff losing streak in NBA History with 14.

Despite Griffin playing in two games, it never mattered, and after the season was over he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Milwaukee is considered favorites to win their first NBA Title since 1974.

But getting rid of Stan Van Gundy was a positive step last season. He trades the team's top draft choice to the LA Clippers who had a 48-34 mark in the Western Conference. Like the Clippers, the Pistons are the eight seed but compile a 41-41 mark.

Had Blake Griffin been healthy towards the end of the regular season, they wouldn't have drawn the match-up they ended up with.

Nevertheless, I do believe that Dwane Casey was a coaching upgrade over Van Gundy.

But until the Pistons get financial flexibility and start hitting on their draft choices, it wouldn't matter if they are playing downtown at LCA or the Palace Of Auburn Hills, the fans won't fill the stadium until they're convinced they're a legitimate entertainment option.

4. The Detroit Lions--There isn't much to say about this franchise except that I hope they don't waste away the career of another star player.

Contrary to what people say about Stafford, I do believe he's the best QB the Lions have had since Bobby Layne. He's the all-time leading passer in franchise history with 38,526 yards and 237 TD passes.

The team was relevant when Wayne Fontes was the head coach.

Does anybody remember the last QB to win a playoff game?

Erik Kramer.

He eventually left to play for the Chicago Bears.

In 1987, Jerry Vainisi was the Vice President of Player Personnel and when he departed to create and head the football operations of the World League of American Football (NFL Europe), the Lions haven't been relevant since in the front office.

He was a key contributor in the Lions success which produced a 38-6 win over the Dallas Cowboys as Detroit reached it's lone NFC Championship Game only to get clobbered on the road to the Washington Redskins 41-10.

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Unfortunately, I can't offer a guess as to who will break through and will create Metro Detroit's next championship wave of success.

If I was so smart, I would be working in the front offices of these teams.

So I'll hang out at the beach in sunny Florida and still cover these squads when they come here, when I'm in Metro Detroit, or if they play in a place I travel to get answers like the rest of us.

I do watch the Lions at Duffy's Sports Bar in South Florida.

In the meantime, I'll pull out my Rubik's Cube and try to conquer that puzzle.

But in the spirit of Mrs Anne Nozewski wherever you are, at least more people have heard about me because of my lengthy tenure in the media, my additional platforms, along with people trying to google my name.

Once upon a time at the beginning there was the Detroit Monitor. Now I've created an online publication, https://southfloridatribune.com/.

Now, I still have Eichorn around and there is Cyber Space which enables me to write on numerous platforms.

Stay Tuned.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com.

My Social Media:
Twitter--Scoop33333
Instagram--southfloridatribune
Facebook--Sports Exchange and South Florida Tribune Pages.

Bucket List 2019

BY SCOTT MORGNROTH

As the year winds down, it's time to reflect and plan ahead.

During a recent visit with former College Basketball Coach Mike Jarvis at Dunkin Donuts in Deerfield Beach, FL., we had the time to talk about old times when we worked together as I was covering the FAU Owls.

We also talked about plans for promoting his upcoming book, "The Seven C's of Leadership" which I'll get into details at a later date.

As I work towards completing my comeback in radio and building my online Publication "The South Florida Tribune" as well as other future endeavors, I looked to Jarvis for guidance as I've tended to do in the past.

We talked about what events I'd like to write and talk about in the future?

Whether I pull them off is another story, but I'm certainly going to try to work on some of these this year.

The QB that gets this process started is my longtime brother from another mother and esteemed colleague George Eichorn.

What will it take to get to some of these places and events?

For one, good health, and manipulate the finances to make these happen.

In order to keep peace with my spouse, I have a feeling that on occasion, I might have to ride solo so she doesn't get upset with me so we can make our annual trips to Michigan and Wisconsin.

So here we go.

1. I've always had a burning desire to cover the Rolex 24 Hour Race in Daytona Beach, FL. That race takes place from January 26-27. To cover an event for 24 hours especially with the adrenaline rush associated with Motor Sports would be neat. This is very attainable. A few hours up I-95 North gets the job done.

2. On the Sports Exchange, we had NHRA Driver and Owner Lex Joon on the program, and we discussed the possibility of me getting involved with The Gator Nationals. This year is the 50th Anniversary of the event and it takes place from March 14-17, at the Gainesville Raceway. Lex and I talked about me getting involved in one of the NHRA Hot Rods. Very attainable! A four hour drive up I-75 North does the trick.

3. I've been talking about this one for the past few years. I've always wanted to see The Jacksonville Jaguars play an NFL Game at Wembley Stadium in England. My Great Friend Dan Edwards (in the photo) has always told me if I can get there, he'll accommodate us. We had this conversation recently and I told him that we need goals and things to shoot for in life. He's just waiting for me to let him know.

Besides, my wife would like to tour Wimbledon and explore the history of this historic area. Since I've never been overseas, this would be a great place to start.

4. In 2018, we hit eight Spring Training Venues in Arizona. There are two remaining. The Cubs have a new facility in Mesa while the San Francisco Giants play in Scottsdale. We need to finish this plus see the Milwaukee Brewers renovations in Phoenix and what would a trip to that area be like without seeing My Great Friend, Tim Mead with the Anaheim Angels in Tempe.

5. Why would I want to cover this next event, The CFL's Grey Cup? The major motivation is since I've covered four Super Bowls, a USFL Championship, this will give me an opportunity to cover North America with Pro Football Championships. We've had some CFL guests on the Sports Exchange, now it's time to meet a few.

6. Finally, there are a handful of Spring Training venues left in Florida. But since it's in state, a car trip or weekend is all it takes to get this done.

There are other events I'd like to hit as well.

I'd like to see a game at Fenway Park in Boston and attend the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. There are lots of new stadiums in all sports around the country, in addition to motor sports race tracks I'd like to hit on the trail, but for now, this is a good starting point.

Tell me what you think.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com. He's a member of Detroit Sports Media.

His radio show The Sports Exchange can be heard on the weinetwork.com with Peter Wein from 5-7 pm Tuesdays and Thursday. He's also the Founder and CEO of The South Florida Tribune.

Ebling's Editorial Elevation

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I'm very proud to announce that Candice Ebling has joined me on the editorial staff.

She will make her writing debut covering the NHL All-Star Weekend from January 27-28 in Tampa. This is a move which I've been considering for quite some time.

During my five-year association with Ebling, she's done an outstanding job as our photographer working extensively with the NFL, NHL, NBA, College Football Games, MLB as well as other assignments.

I marvel at her creativity when she's taken photos and some of her action pictures have been off the charts.

What impresses me about Ebling is her attention to detail and despite being 5-foot-3, she finds a way to overcome this and get what she needs to in order to overcome her height challenges.

When we're not at sporting events, her knowledge of sports amazes me. We can have stimulating conversations that last hours and even days on certain subjects. Some will go on for weeks.

When we'd go out to dinner with my parents, she would hold a conversation with my father real well and even educated him on certain topics.

My father's body language and voice inflections indicated that he was impressed at how knowledgeable Candy is in sports.

One of the most recent things she would talk about were head injuries in the NFL regarding Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) which is a neurodegenerative disease found in people who have had multiple head injuries.

She's had other interesting conversations with him about other sports and while my mother feels left out watching the banter go back and forth, she still is amazed that Ebling is as knowledgeable about sports.

Ebling will have a variety of assignments on this platform.

I've worked with numerous women in sports through my 39 years in Sports Media, and Ebling could hold her own with many of them.

We'll be incorporating a debate feature called Point-Counter-Point where we'll take sides on given issues.

During my years in the media in radio and newspapers, my longtime colleague George Eichorn and I had a lot of fun with this concept.

There is no doubt Candy will do well with this as well as other columns that she decides to write.

She defines the word Photo-Journalist and will continue to take photos for us.

When she learned of this decision, she quipped with me and said "You're having me cover a sport that I know the least about."

She's done an outstanding job when Eichorn and I have thrown her into the NHL fire and she acclimated quite well.

Being from the Milwaukee, WI., area, she's followed the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks as well as the University of Wisconsin and Marquette University.

She never knew much about the NHL until she began hanging around me.

When she informed her father, two sisters and brother of this move, they were excited. But they've known her as a photographer and not a writer.

They definitely were excited for her and wondered if she felt comfortable writing. She was honest and said not really, but embraced the challenge of learning a new craft.

There is no doubt that Candy has the creativity to do well with being a writer and with her knowledge and passion, this move to elevate her to Editorial Status is undoubtedly overdue and a nobrainer!

Ebling, who has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and Finance from The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, will find Sports Media a far cry from what she learned in college.

But to get through college, she had to take an English Class and write papers to graduate.

Now what better way to break in on the editorial side than on the NHL's Big Stage at the end of the month?

But she'll do fine and I look forward to helping mentor her as she continues her acceleration into some more big events in the future.

She won't need a lot of mentoring as long as she combines her creativity, knowledge and passion into words.

I'm excited in helping her begin this journey and I hope all of you appreciate what she'll bring to the table.

Up in heaven, her mother is looking down on her and is very proud of Candy in discovering she has a skill she never knew she had and is smiling.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of Detroit Sports Media.

Inspired By NBC's Ed Olczyk

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

There are certain individuals that I get inspired by in different ways and NBC Hockey Broadcaster Ed Olczyk definitely struck a chord with me due to his recent battles with Colon Cancer.

Olczyk was diagnosed with Colon Cancer on August 8, 2017.

He turned 51 on August 16, 2017.

Not the type of news you want to hear before your birthday.

But the Chicago native whose nickname is "Edzo" has been through a lot of adversity, but I admire the courage he's demonstrated in handling his Cancer diagnosis.

Olczyk had to recover from a 5 1/2 hour surgery to remove a tumor and a section of his colon before he could begin his chemotherapy.

Olczyk has undergone three chemotherapy treatments and has nine to go.

Five weeks after starting a 24-week chemotherapy regimen for Colon Cancer, Olczyk returned for an NBC Broadcast of a Wednesday Night Rivalry Game between the Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues in Missouri. He was paired with his Hall of Fame Partner Mike "Doc" Emrick.

I was inspired by his words on the broadcast and that I wanted to use his courage in a positive way.

This year has caused me to deal with numerous health challenges.

I've had to deal with a Misdiagnosis of Parkinson's Disease, thus causing me to take medication which I shouldn't have been taking.

All of this was caused by tremors, mini seizures, and I'm still dealing with this right now.

In February, I was hospitalized a week due to Staph Infection, and as a Newlywed, it wasn't fun spending My first Valentine's Day in a hospital. I can think of more romantic places than that.

My Diabetes was getting worse as My A1C rating climbed, but thankfully, I've regained control of the situation by dropping a lot of weight due to an extensive exercise adjustment and a major overhaul of my diet.

As the year progressed, My Doctor decreased that medication.

I am feeling much better than I have in a long time. I'm still continuing to lose weight and admit that it's fun being thin again!

My goal is to get below 200 pounds and I'm confident I can attain that pretty soon. I've reached the low 200's. Since February, I've lost over 60 pounds.

But the challenges continued as I had to deal with Prostate Surgery in June.

From there, I would be told that I'd have to have a Pacemaker in My Body to correct some Major Internal Problems. This would turn out to be a two-part procedure, and of all the years that I've been operated on, this undoubtedly turned out to be one of the most demanding surgeries!

There was a small issue before I could be cleared for the Pacemaker to be installed.

During Pre-Operation Clearance, there was a Blockage In My Heart and I had to see a Cardiologist at the University of Miami days before this operation would be performed.

Ironically, I was cleared before the Prostate Surgery, but there were blockages and abnormalities that took place in just a 90-day span.

The doctor did clear me for The Pacemaker, but he did tell me to have my regular physician look into this when I have my yearly physical which is going to take place in a few weeks.

Throughout the year, I've drawn from the gracious moral support from my wife, family and friends as they've been tremendous in their encouragement.

I was very moved by My Friends on Facebook who also offered their prayers, get well wishes and support.

My Pacemaker Surgery took place on October 24, 2017 at the University of Miami Hospital.

There was one minor issue as My Health Insurance was in Pending Status, thus it delayed the operation by a five hours.

What's even crazier was the fact that my wife and I had to wait in the admissions waiting room for five hours, and this place was like a freezer.

But we stuck it out and did what we had to do.

Time will tell about the impact of this operation.

I do know that I won't be able to have any more MRI's, and going through Security Checks at Airports as well as Sporting Events will be much different.

My recovery time figures to take several months, however, I'm not going to worry about this because Cancer and Heart Patients don't have it easy.

I do face the probability that My body does Reject The Pacemaker and is prone to Infections, but I understood that going into the surgery and accepted that risk.

Former Detroit Red Wings Announcer Dave Strader died recently because of Cancer and Olczyk, a person that I would like to meet one day, are individuals that continue to inspire me.


As I said, I'm blessed with the support system I have.

What I do know is that I was under Excellent Medical Care as the University of Miami is one of the Best Hospitals in the country, thus I had Zero Anxiety.

Four days after my surgery, the Detroit Red Wings visited the Florida Panthers on Saturday, October 28 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL.

In my mind, this was a game I wanted to cover, but the only way I could do this was to take it slowly for three days leading to the contest as well as afterwards.

The day of the contest, I rested all day before we took off for the game. I got a ride home from my photographer afterwards.

The Red Wings only play the Panthers twice a year down in South Florida, unless they were to meet in the playoffs, which hasn't occurred yet.

I'm thankful that I have a lot of great friends that I get to see when they come to South Florida.

Detroit Sports Media President Trevor Thompson, Red Wings Radio Play-By-Play Announcer Ken Kal and his Color Analyst Paul Woods are extremely genuine colleagues.

Dana Wakiji, Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News, Helene St. James and Mike Lewis of the Panthers PR Department, are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

Thompson kept telling me to get my work done by the second period and leave early to get some rest. But I have a policy that I don't leave sporting events early.

As it turns out, the Red Wings defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 in a shootout and snapped a six game losing streak. These two teams always play great games in this venue.

The Red Wings took their Florida momentum back to Detroit and defeated the Arizona Coyotes 5-3 Tuesday Night and now have won two contests in a row.

When I got home, I sent Thompson a text message and told him that I look forward to seeing him at the Detroit Sports Media Christmas Party on December 8, 2017.

He told me when I go to Little Caesars Arena that I better expect to do a lot of walking. I told him when I started working out to lose weight, I walked 73 miles in one week, and put together multiple weeks of 30-40 miles in this Florida Humidity.

As I've told my longtime colleague George Eichorn, it's a whole lot easier to walk when you can go to the beach and listen to the sounds of the ocean. Deerfield Beach is great with it's boardwalk.

But I respect Thompson as a friend and colleague but have to admit that I lost count of how many times he told me to get some rest. But I knew he cared about me and this came from his heart.

I told him and Kal, that I use the Timex Watch Theory when it takes a Licking and keeps on Ticking, however, I've modified it to a point where I take a Licking and keep on Talking.

But as I summarize all of this, Olczyk's passion for Hockey is the same as I have for Sports, and until the time comes when I'm dead, if I pace myself properly and listen to those individuals close to me, I'll be fine.

In the meantime, Olczyk Inspired me and I look forward to the day that our paths cross.

Right now, My next challenge is covering some NFL Games the rest of the Fall and you can rest assure the travel time will be much greater than the 20 minute trek I took from the BB&T Center to My House in Deerfield Beach, FL via The Sawgrass Expressway.

And of course I look forward to seeing Thompson and Company back home in Detroit during early December. It's been years since I've been to a Christmas Party and I'm pleased that the timing works out this time.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a Member of Detroit Sports Media.

Patriotic NFL Moments

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
JACKSONVILLE, FL

I have covered an NFL Game on Veterans Day on Monday Night, November 11, 1996 when the San Diego Chargers hosted the Detroit Lions, and it was an incredible experience.

San Diego won the contest 27-21 at Jack Murphy Stadium.

Considering that the game was held in a Military Town like San Diego, this made it even more special with all the festivities.

On September 11, 2016, at EverBankField, this marked the 15th anniversary of this infamous day.

Do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001?

I lived in Chandler, AZ and was travelling to My Lawyer Harry Cawood's Office as I had a meeting pertaining to a divorce.

Cawood asked me if I heard about the attacks. I told him no and he said do you watch the news?

I said, I normally do but not when I'm driving as was the case to his office in Mesa, AZ.

Now it's time to fast forward the clock to this football game.

From the moment Candice Ebling and I drove to this game, there were American Flags all over the parking lots inside and outside EverBankField.

There was a lot of emotion on this day.

Everybody has their opinions about San Francisco 49'ers QB Colin Kaepernick's protest by sitting and kneeling during the National Anthem.

Personally, I have a problem with what Kaepernick is doing and all the other people that are following him. He seems to be drawing attention to himself.

But that's for another day for me to discuss more extensively.

What stood out at the Green Bay Packers vs Jacksonville Jaguars Game?

It was a 90 degree day. The temperature on the field was a 110 degrees and the humidity was 55%.

Ebling must have sweat off a few pounds and worked diligently to prevent herself from dehydration as she roamed the sidelines taking pictures for us.

But watching The American Flag Cover The Football Field was an unforgettable sight and brought chills down my spine.

Going into the contest, the Jaguars were 2-0 on September 11, but that changed with Green Bay winning a thrilling 27-23 decision which was capped by a huge Packers defensive play with 23 seconds left in regulation time.

What also stood out were the feelings of Green Bay Coach Mike McCarthy and Jacksonville's Gus Bradley.

McCarthy described the pregame ceremony as "It was as emotional anthem I have seen in a long time. I thought the tribute was phenomenal just to see public safety, and the military, and everybody locking arms. I thought it was special, unique and obviously should be the focus of what today is all about."

During the Jaguars post-game press conference, when I asked Bradley what kind of emotions was the team playing on the anniversary of September 11, his body language and voice inflections said it all.

"Well I think it hits you when you're standing there at The National Anthem, " he said. "We brought it up, we talked about it during the week, and just how special the game is because you take the time to remember what so many people have done for us to have these freedoms.

"It's unbelievable and this is a Military City, those too, it was an unbelievable environment."

McCarthy and Bradley are leaders of men.

But I'm sure they'll tell you that their jobs don't compare to all the Commanding Officers and Generals which lead our country on the Battlefields, as they protect our freedom.

Back on October 24, 1971, I watched the only player in NFL history to die on the field at Tiger Stadium in Detroit as Lions Wide Receiver Chuck Hughes suffered a fatal heart attack against the Chicago Bears. He was 28 years old and I was only eight at the time and had nightmares that night. This was my first experience with death.

I would later find out that future friends and colleagues George Eichorn and Gus Pantelides were at this game on an autumn afternoon where the crowd was silent for the duration of the contest.

Why did I bring Hughes name up?

We have one player that passed away, where there have been countless of military people that have lost their lives.

Don't think every coach on the planet especially in College and NFL Football remind their players to appreciate their freedom so they can enjoy the game. For college players, they get to pursue their NFL dream whereas with NFL Players, they get paid quite well for the game they love.

We know McCarthy and Bradley delivered this passionate message to their squads.

I'm glad that I've attended games in a pair of Military Cities, where the colors, Red, White and Blue, in addition to the Stars and Stripes, had POWERFUL MEANINGS.

Nothing I've experienced in 38 years in Sports Media will top covering four Super Bowls, including one in Jacksonville.

However, two games on Veterans Day and September 11, rank up there as Incredible Memories.

How ironic is it that both of My Games Occurred on the 11th day of the month, nearly 20-years apart.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

Lions Make It Interesting Nationally

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Whether the Detroit Lions win or lose when they're on National Television, they generally make things very exciting.

It remains to be seen if they'll get any National TV Appearances in 2016 beyond their annual Thanksgiving Game.

In last years playoffs on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, while the Lions were leading 20-17 in the fourth quarter, a pass interference call that gave Detroit a first down well into Dallas territory was picked up without explanation by referee Pete Morelli.

That turned into a huge benefit for the Cowboys, as the Lions shanked a punt on the next play and the Cowboys took advantage of their good field position to march down the field and score the go-ahead touchdown to take a 24-20 lead.

In week four of the 2015 season, Detroit was featured on Monday Night Football hitting the road to face the Seattle Seahawks.

On October 5, the Lions lost 13-10 as Kam Chancellor forced a fumble punching the ball out of Calvin Johnson's hands. The ball went into the end zone and K.J. Wright guided the ball over the back line for a touchback. The Lions 91-yard drive with the go ahead touchdown was not meant to be and Seattle took the ball at the 20-yard line.

The NFL admitted that Wright should have been called for an illegal bat for hitting the ball out of the end zone, NFL VP of Officiating Dean Blandino told the NFL Network. The penalty would have given the ball back to Detroit at the Seattle 1-yard line.

The Seahawks got an early season gift.

The Lions bad luck continued on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at Ford Field.

Once again, the officials played a big role in deciding the outcome of this contest.

With six seconds left to go in the fourth quarter, Devin Taylor committed a costly face mask penalty that gave Aaron Rodgers one last shot as his team trailed 23-21. Taylor barely touched Rodgers and it didn't appear to be a face mask from the numerous replays I saw.

Nonetheless, this set Green Bay with an un-timed down and Rodgers connected with Richard Rodgers for a 61-yard touchdown which gave the Packers a 27-23 win.

What a climactic ending to a good football game.

Now did the Lions lose solely on this play?

No.

Green Bay scored on their final two possessions erasing a 23-14 deficit.  The Packers outscored
Detroit 13-3 in the fourth quarter. Rogers ran for a 17-yard touchdown, in addition to the Hail Mary Pass otherwise known as "The Motor City Miracle."

At the 5:44 mark in the third quarter, Matthew Stafford was at the Detroit 12-yard line, lost a fumble and it was recovered by Packers Jake Ryan at the 12. Three plays later, Rodgers connected with Davante Adams for an 8-yard touchdown.

A Lions 20-0 halftime lead was reduced to 20-14 in the third quarter.

As my colleague George Eichorn and I stood in the photo room after the controversial face mask penalty occurred, I told him that I had a feeling the Detroit Lions were in trouble. I've covered lots of football games at the Pro, Collegiate and High School Levels and have seen a lot of crazy things transpire especially late in games.

For 60 minutes, Detroit didn't trail in this contest. But when a future Hall of Fame QB gets a chance to beat you, that's a sign of trouble.

Eichorn gave me a strange look as I walked across the room with bad vibes. Then Rodgers went to work to hit Richard Rodgers thus ending Detroit's hope of sweeping the Packers in a season series since 1991.

By dropping to 4-8, Detroit's slim playoff hopes took a hit while Green Bay (8-4) is in first place in the NFC North/Norris Division.

There is no question that Coach Jim Caldwell wasn't looking forward to this post-game press conference. He would get second guessed until he was blue in the face.

Lions VP of Communications Bill Keenist and Media Relations Director Matt Barnhardt did their best to minimize the damage as they have all-year in a tough season which had high hopes.

In the short time I've known Caldwell, he seems like a real nice guy. The Lions were 1-7 but haven't quit on him.

But Caldwell isn't stupid and knows he's coaching in an organization which hasn't won an NFL Championship since December 29, 1957. There are four teams that have never appeared in a Super Bowl and Detroit is one of them and has only one playoff win in that time period, ironically against the Dallas Cowboys at the Pontiac Silverdome.

On this night, I was battling a cold and decided to take a low-keyed approach.

I had only one question, but another media member asked it.

ESPN Analyst Ron Jaworski wondered about the same thing on Wednesday, December 10, 2015 appearing on Pardon The Interruption.

Why wasn't Calvin Johnson in the end zone to guard against the Hail Mary?

"Because in that situation, we have a couple different things we can do," Caldwell said. "That was one where you're kind of looking for more of that pass back and forth kind of thing because of the range. He ran around there so long, moved up, gave himself a chance to get into the end zone. We had plenty of guys back there, we had plenty of guys. We just didn't make the play, they did."

Caldwell was asked the question, what was it like to go from a certain victory to a tough loss?

"There's no certain victory," he said. "Until that clock ticks zero, there's no such thing as a certain victory. I never feel that way. When it's over with, it's over, that's why I never smile during the course of games for the most part until it's over, and that's a perfect example."

Stafford would put up solid numbers by going 23-35, 220 yards and two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He rushed for 22 yards and was sacked three times.

Johnson had three receptions for 44 yards, one touchdown (17-yards) and was targeted eight times.

Johnson now has 15 career touchdown receptions against the Packers, which are the most by any player against Green Bay. He surpassed the previous high of 14 set by WR Randy Moss. He has played the Packers 16 times in his career, and has caught 90 passes for 1,409 yards (88.1 yds/g) with 15 touchdowns.

Stafford was asked about the catch Richard Rodgers made.

"It was a great play, you know, a tough way to lose one," he said. "The team played really tough, played really hard. Our defense played really good most of the game, so it's the NFL. Plays happen like that. It's not an easy pill to swallow."

Stafford was asked if he watched the final play?

"No I tried not to. I kind of peaked and saw the Jumbotron, and it looked like he was in pretty good position to make a catch, so I saw it at the very end."

During the course of the week, I've noticed Caldwell and his defensive coordinator Teryl Austin have shunned questions about Calvin Johnson/Hail Mary Pass. I don't blame them at this point as they prepare for the St. Louis Rams on Sunday in Missouri.

But it didn't take long for another face mask penalty to come into question in Arizona's 23-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings Thursday Night in Arizona.

There was no face mask penalty called as Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater was grabbed.

NFL Network Announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms indicated that this was more deliberate than what happened to Aaron Rodgers. This non-call could cost Minnesota a division title.

As I breakdown some of the junk posted on social media I gag when I hear for the Lions to ever get rid of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson; that would be completely absurd!!!

Stafford, 27, is the franchises all-time leader with 24,878 yards with 153 touchdowns and 97 interceptions.

Who would the Lions get to replace him? If you draft a young signal caller, there is still a major learning curve.

Unfortunately, Detroit has had three offensive coordinators in almost three years in Scott Linehan, Joe Lombardi and Jim Bob Cooter. There needs to be some stability in this area or this is a recipe for disaster.

Anybody thinking of firing Jim Caldwell right now needs to have a brain transplant.

He deserves to finish out the season and it appears that Martha Ford Firestone is smart enough to understand that. She realizes that it's best for the new general manager to decide if he continues.

It's not like Caldwell took a "Dumb Pill" after leading the Lions to an 11-5 mark last year and into the playoffs.

President Tom Lewand mishandled the salary cap with Ndamukung Suh while GM Martin Mayhew let Nick Fairley leave for nothing. Now Fairley is contributing for the St. Louis Rams.

This doesn't fall on the coaches shoulders. You coach the players you're dealt.

I admired her bold move by terminating Lewand and Mayhew on November 5. Shortly thereafter, Caldwell dismissed three coaches to shake things up.

I will be curious to see how the rest of the season plays out, but Mrs. Ford has earned my respect because her style is much different than her late husband William Clay Ford.

At 90-years old, she doesn't have a passive bone in her body.

If the Lions have to make major upgrades during the off-season, they have to draft a top-flight running back out of college. The 2016 Draft has lots of good prospects in this class.

They need to balance the offense because the running game has been a major problem all year.

It wouldn't hurt to have a couple impact defensive players.

But what a bizarre week in Detroit.

On Wednesday, the Pistons lost to the Memphis Grizzlies as Matt Barnes knocked down a half court shot with 1.1 seconds to play as Detroit lost 93-92, 30 miles north on I-75 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. A victory over Memphis would have been Detroit's sixth straight at the friendly confines. That streak ended at five.

Fortunately for the Pistons, they play 82 games where the Lions play 16.

Regardless, Pistons Coach Stan Van Gundy and Lions Coach Jim Caldwell probably have the late Yankees Hall of Fame Catcher Yogi Berra on their minds.

Berra's famous one-liner is "It's not over until it's over." This has to be engraved in both coaches' heads.

There is lots of intrigue for both teams. We'll just see which teams rebounds the best after these crushing and heart-breaking defeats.

I'll also be curious to see what happens the next time the Lions appear on National Television.

You can rest assure that while the Lions were losers against Dallas, Seattle and Green Bay, each network that they were on, had to do well with the ratings with all three games decided late in the fourth quarter.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

Back To The Future

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING
DAYTONA BEACH, FL

The first time I saw the movie "Back To The Future" was back in the 1980's when my long-time colleague George Eichorn and I watched it in a cinema in Southfield, MI.

When I made the decision to cover the Detroit Lions vs Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday August 28th, I was curious about who was playing the following night in Florida State League (FSL) action, Advanced Class A Professional Baseball in Daytona Beach.

As it turned out, the Daytona Tortugas were hosting the Tampa Yankees at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

This game brought back some fond memories from my past.

The Tortugas are the Advanced Class A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Yankees are the Advanced Class A Affiliate of the New York Yankees.

What made this real special for me is I was a beat writer for both organizations from 1982-86. There were a lot of great memories at Fort Lauderdale Stadium and Al Lopez Field. I worked with the Yankees from 1982-84, then with the Reds from 1985-1986.

It was a pleasure working with future major league players, coaches, managers and trainers.

Fort Lauderdale Manager Stump Merrill was fantastic.

My best memory of Merrill, though it didn't feel that way at the time, was when my tape recorder stopped working during a 40 minute interview.

Thanks to My Photographer Ken Rotberg, who used his tape recorder to track players, I used his recorder, and Merrill was nice enough to do the interview all over again.

He said to me, "I'm here to develop young players. I'm glad that I can help a young reporter." He patted me on the back and said, "Hang in there Scott, you're doing fine and I appreciate you promoting the team. I enjoy working with you and please keep it up."

I got to know the Fort Lauderdale Yankees really well and the most notable prank they played on me was letting me wear one of their hats, only for it to be filled with shaving cream. I was stunned to say the least.

During the season, I had an unforgettable interview with late Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner. He was very cooperative, but if you asked a certain question about his managerial revolving door, he'd abruptly end the interview. Early in the conversation, we talked about some interesting topics, then I saved the managers question for last, which saw the interview come to an end.

I don't feel bad about this because weeks later, Ted Koppel of ABC News Nightline, did the same thing and Steinbrenner ended the interview quickly on National TV.

All in all, I learned a lot from the Steinbrenner experience.

The players that stood out in my tenure with the Yankees included, DH Pete Dalena, Infielder Todd Demeter, Pitcher Tim Birtsas (Pontiac, MI), Catcher Scott Bradley, Pitcher Bob Tewksbury, Infielder Rex Hudler, Pitchers Jose Rijo, Jim Deshaies, Rey Fontenot, Eric Plunk and Infielder Orestes Destrade.

Rijo, ironically played for both the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds. He won a World Series in 1990 for the Reds and was a key contributor on that squad.

During the 1982 season, Hudler went on to rip Steinbrenner in the Fort Lauderdale News/Sun Sentinel about his ways of handling the Yankees farm system while The Boss was in town. Hudler went on to have a solid carer in the major leagues. There were many players in this group that made it to the majors.

I'll never forget Pete Dalena, who played for the 1983 team.

My Hallandale Digest Editor Dan Bluesten didn't think Dalena could make the majors by being a DH. I asked Merrill about this and he said that Dalena would go as far as his bat would take him.

Two days after I wrote the Dalena article, he was promoted to Class AA Nashville, then eventually played for the Cleveland Indians in 1989.

There were many instances Bluesten questioned my gut feelings on story ideas and he was proven wrong several times.

It didn't hurt that My Mentor Tony DeMarco always taught me to trust my instincts. Whether DeMarco ever gets into the writers wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame remains to be seen, but he's in My Hall of Fame as a Mentor and a Friend.

Merrill would eventually manage the Yankees in the Major Leagues and Steinbrenner always found a role for him in the organization.

Players such as Brian Butterfield and Chuck Hernandez have been coaches in the major leagues. Hernandez, a former Yankees left-hander had one of the best moves to first base that I've ever seen.

Hernandez, who was a pitching coach under former Tigers Manager Jim Leyland, told me during an interview in Lakeland, FL., that he had to have a good move because he had troubles getting hitters out, and had no difficulty joking about it.

Merrill went on to win two titles with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees in three years while I was covering the team. One of these titles was against the Tampa Reds.

It was an incredible three-year run covering the New York Yankees in Spring Training as well as the FSL Yankees.

Two of the nicest people I worked with in the Press Box were Doug and his wife Dee Pett. Doug was the PA Announcer and Official Scorekeeper while Dee assisted him. They are both former Metro Detroiters.

When the Miami Marlins came up I-95 to Fort Lauderale, two incredible people that became friends were executives and media personalities, Larry Bluestein and the late Sonny Hirsch.

In 1985-86, I covered the Tampa Tarpons for the Tampa Tribune.

The Manager of the Tarpons was Marc Bombard. He's worked with the Reds when I was in Tampa and has moved to other organizations.

During my tenure with the Tarpons, his two teams were real competitive.

In 1986, he guided the Tarpons to the FSL Playoffs. I joked with Bombard that we were rivals and now we're teammates.

He laughed when I told him you need to win a championship while I'm here. He said, "We'll try Scotty," smiling.

We had a good two-year run and the two players who stood out were left-hander Chris Hammond and Catcher Joe Oliver.

In my only year with Hammond in 1986, he posted a 3-2 record with a 2.81 ERA.

The thing that Hammond will best be remembered for was when I wanted to interview him, he turned me down. He said that he doesn't talk to the media. I told him "OK and I hope you're as good as Phillies legend Steve Carlton. You're Just a Minor Leaguer that is Just a Prospect with no guarantees to make it to the Major Leagues, who could use the publicity to promote yourself."

Hammond was a member of the 1990 Cincinnati Reds Championship team, but wasn't on the post-season roster because Manager Lou Piniella lacked confidence in him.

His ride to the majors was attributed to the fact that he was a left-handed pitcher. Left-handers are always in demand and Ray Fontenot took the Southpaw route to get to the majors.

As for Hammond, he was a mediocre pitcher, who had a 66-62 record with a 4.14 ERA. He was a journeyman pitcher that played for seven teams.

One of the nicest players I ever worked with was Tarpons 1985 Catcher Joe Oliver. He had a .269 average in 112 games, with seven home runs and 62 RBI.

Oliver would play for the Reds from 1989-1994 and was also a member of the 1990 World Series Championship Team. He would play two stints with the Reds.

Joe's other baseball stops were with the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

In case you were wondering, I never fell for any shaving cream pranks with the Tarpons. I got just a little smarter to let it happen again.

To this day, Joe and I remain good friends. He lives in Orlando, FL.

My employer the Tampa Tribune gave me lots of flexibility with the Tarpons.

My Executive Sports Editor Joe DiSalvo was great to work with. Joe allowed me to also free-lance write for RedsVue Magazine in Cincinnati. He allowed me to use their computer system to send stories, plus allow his Editor Rick Nelson to proof read them before I sent them.

One of my fondest memories of Nelson is when I covered the FSL All-Star Game in Osceola, FL in 1986. This was a new stadium for the Houston Astros.

The Tribune allowed me to use a company computer. I typed my story into it but the phone lines wouldn't allow me to send it after four attempts.

Nelson would get me a 25 minute extension, and I dictated two stories to Rick and made it with two minutes to spare. Rick did an excellent job typing the story which was approximately 25-30 inches under extreme pressure. We would joke around about this the following week, but it wasn't fun at the time.

The stories look real good when I saw them in the paper. This pressure situation was good for me.

RedsVue Editor Mark Schmetzer was also a great guy to work with. In addition to the Tarpons, he utilized me during Spring Training as well as Fantasy Camps.

Schmetzer got me credentialed for a three-game series at Riverfront Stadium against the LA Dodgers.

Schmetzer and I also remain good friends.

Former Tarpons Official Scorekeeper Bill Campbell and his wife Cathy were tremendous folks to work with.

So now "We're Back To The Future" in 2015 at a very Historical Ballpark.

I saw one familiar face for Daytona Beach. He was a USF Alumnus and also worked for a year as a pitching coach for FAU when I worked with the Owls. His name is Tony Fassas. I will be writing on him at a later date.

But Jackie Robinson Ballpark is a must see if you're a baseball junkie. It has a Museum throughout the park with a lot of commemorative photos, plaques and a Statue Outside.

This is a real neat place.

I was impressed by the way the Daytona Beach Community has embraced this team.

The fans were also great to us. It was just as fun before the game as it was during the contest just taking pictures with Jackie Robinson's historical breakthroughs which changed MLB forever.

As for the game, it was 0-0 and Rained Out after four innings.

But that didn't matter to me. The score meant absolutely nothing!

Seeing the history about Jackie Robinson was fantastic.

More importantly, the two organizations that were facing each other meant everything.

I met so many great people during my five years covering both that I can proudly say I was covering these people at the beginning of their careers.

The Hallandale Digest and Tampa Tribune were my employers throughout college.

Not only did I enjoy working in baseball, but I was getting paid to do it.

It doesn't get any better than that.

This night was a collection of a memorable past that brought me "Back To The Future" even though I'm not Michael J Fox.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

National Sports Shorts

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

DeFlate Gate: I have no idea as to why I'm giving this subject any attention therefore, I must be absolutely crazy.

ESPN along with the other Major Sports Networks, plus Social Media have saturated us with this absurd non story.

I'll keep my comments Short and Sweet.

First of all the New England Patriots hammered the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 in Massachusetts in the AFC Championship Game.

Running back LeGarrette Blount ran for three touchdowns to lead the Patriots. As far as I'm concerned, Blount could have used a "Nerf Football" and then we wouldn't have to listen to the DeFlate Gate Garbage. The bottom line is the Colts got their rear-ends kicked, It's that plain and simple. End of story.

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Super Bowl Prediction: My colleague George Eichorn asked for one two days ago and now I'll go on record as to what I think will happen Sunday as the defending champions Seattle Seahawks (12-4) look to defend their title against the New England Patriots (12-4) in the battle of No. 1 seeds in Glendale, AZ.

Blount tends to come up with clutch performances in big games and this one will be no exception. This guy is a powerful wrecking machine and has some good acceleration when he finds space. The Pittsburgh Steelers signed him in the off-season and he was let go because he was annoyed that he didn't have a bigger role in their running attack. The Patriots were smart enough to snap him up quickly.

I look for former U-M QB Tim Brady to get another ring and Tight End Rob Gronkowski at 6-6 is one tall target who is too tough to defend. Between Blount and Gronkowski, this is one potent-powerful one-two punch which will cause havoc for the Seattle defense. Seattle's defense has allowed 11 TD's to tight ends.

Brady is playing in his sixth Super Bowl and is 3-2. If he wins his fourth title, he ties legends Joe Montana (San Francisco) and Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh) for the most in Super Bowl history.

Brady's only losses were in dramatic fashion to the
New York Giants.

I do look for a two point play of some kind in this contest.

My Final Score has New England winning 33-27 as the Patriots take the Lombardi Trophy back to the East Coast. Since Seattle Running Back Marshawn Lynch doesn't like to talk to the media, now he'll have a reason to stay silent while former New England Coach and current Seahawks boss Pete Carroll loses to his former employer.

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John Fox to the Chicago Bears may be the only way to fix Jay Cutler and he brings Adam Gase in as his offensive coordinator from the Denver Broncos. It was four years ago that Fox actually won a playoff game with former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow as his signal caller reaching the playoffs with an 8-8 record.

I actually thought that former Denver Broncos Coach Mike Shanahan had a chance to get the Bears job until Fox unexpectedly became available.

I had a friendly prediction with a good friend named Robert Schultz, who is a Chicago native that now resides in the Dallas suburb of Hurst, TX. Schultz was quick to joke around that I was wrong but I quickly rebuttled that I just chose the wrong former Denver coach. We shared laughs on this though Shanahan is one guy who had previously worked with Cutler and former Broncos Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall.

If Gase is able to get any production from these two players and does turn Cutler around, there is no doubt he'll get a head coaching job for the 2016 season.

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The early returns on QB Johnny Manziel have BUST written on them right now. It's a shame that Manziel hasn't grown up yet and he's more hype than substance. He prefers to party rather than study. The Cleveland Browns spent a late first round pick for a fraternity brat that likes to go to night clubs and makes more headlines off the field than on the field.

Manziel has a good arm and his mobility demonstrates there is some talent. It's just too bad that he doesn't appreciate the opportunity he has.

I've always admired the attitude of Tebow and wish that he had more of an opportunity to play in the NFL. While Tebow's mechanics remain his biggest downfall, you can't teach work ethic, maturity and character issues with Tim. I just wish Tim had played football in the Canadian Football League to continue to use this as a stepping stone to return to the NFL. Even New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft was hoping he'd make the team two years ago. But it wasn't meant to be as he truly enjoyed Tebow's character, attitude, personality and work ethic.

But back to Manziel. At the rate he's going, he'll be out of the league in three years as new QB prospects get developed in college. Hopefully Manziel is smart enough to realize that if a nice guy like Tebow can get railroaded out of the NFL, he won't be too far behind.

The words more trouble than your worth are common in the NFL because you're paid to produce in this league. If you don't do your job then someone else will be more than happy to take it from you.

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Milwaukee Bucks Coach Jason Kidd is looking like a genius for leaving the Brooklyn Nets after one season. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov has put his 80% majority interest up for sale. It looks like the Russian Billionaire has lost interest in his toy which is losing millions of dollars a year. The Nets are 18-27 as of this post and are out of the playoffs. The team is evaluating Coach Lionel Hollins.

Meanwhile, Kidd has the Bucks in playoff contention and are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 23-22 mark. They lost their franchise rookie Small Forward Jabari Parker to a season ending injury but keep plugging in other players. Guard Brandon Knight is having a fine season.

The team just signed veteran Power Forward Kenyon Martin to provide veteran leadership. Kidd's former teammate with the New Jersey Nets was a big part of helping them reach the 2002 and 2003 Finals.

Center Larry Sanders is currently serving a 10-game suspension because of drug use and has missed other games due to personal problems. I'd be very surprised if Sanders is still on the roster and the Bucks buy out the rest of his contract.

Whatever happens, the Bucks are on House Money since they had a franchise worst 15 wins last season. What a difference a new coach and philosophy makes. It will be interesting to see what happens the remainder of the season. The team knows it needs to get a new stadium built by 2017 or risk the possibility of losing it to another market.

Winning will cure a lot of this and as Kidd continues to mature as a coach since he's only in his second year, thus the upside seems endless for both the Bucks and Kidd.

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A Hockey Game I didn't watch was this years NHL All-Star Game Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.

Team Toews defeats Team Foligno 17-12 Sunday as the 29 goals were the events most in the 60-year All-Star Game which has changed formats numerous of times.

When a game has a fake fight and no defense, this is absurd!

The previous high was a 26-goal burst in North America's 14-12 win over the World in 2001.

I'm glad I watched the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-98 win over Oklahoma City on ABC. Cleveland's LeBron James and OKC's Kevin Durant were definitely worth watching.

The NHL All-Star Game was on NBC Sports Network and I can't imagine that the ratings were that great. I don't mind watching superstars demonstrate their talent, but when the game comes across as fake entertainment then it leaves a lot to be desired about it's validity.

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Addition by subtraction is something that I hate to discuss when it comes to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

A couple weeks ago the latest residents to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame are Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Craig Biggio and John Smoltz. All of these players have earned their place in Cooperstown, NY because of their Excellent Careers.

The subtraction parts comes at the expense of Mr. Cub Ernie Banks, who died on January 23, 2015 just seven days shy of his 84th birthday. He was the greatest Cub of all-time and smacked 512 home runs. He was the first Cub to ever have his number retired. His No.14 was retired in 1982 and Banks has a statue outside of Wrigley Field that was erected in 2008.

Banks played all 19 of his seasons with the Cubs from 1953-1971 at first base and shortstop. He was an 11-time All-Star and was a first ballot Hall of Fame selection in 1977.

This guy gets a Gold Medal for positive attitude because during his career the Cubs never reached the post-season. His teams finished below .500 in all but six seasons.

Banks was named to Baseball's All-Century Team in 1999.

So when we watch this year's induction ceremony July 26, 2015, it's too bad that Banks won't be there to greet the four newest inductees. But at least he was alive to see the four players who are the latest of the greatest to reach immortality in the Great American Past-Time.

He'll be watching these ceremonies in Heaven and he'll never be forgotten. Rest In Peace Ernie as you join many of the greatest deceased Hall of Famers in Heaven.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Basketball Thoughts

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

On December 5, 2014, My father celebrated his 74th birthday.

On this same day, The US Postal Service released The Wilt Chamberlain Forever Stamp. It was dedicated in a halftime ceremony during the Philadelphia 76'ers 103-91 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The stamps are just over two inches tall.

Chamberlain died in 1999 at the age of 63. Chamberlain has two NBA records which are amazing that still stand. He never fouled out in 1,205 regular season and playoff games.

He also holds the rebounding record with 23,924 and is the only NBA player to ever score 100 points in a game.

There are two stamps. One has Chamberlain in a Philadelphia Warriors uniform while the other is in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. Chamberlain scored 31,419 points in his career, but the record was broken in 1984 by Lakers Center Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Chamberlain starred in the NBA from 1959-1973 when he played for the Philadelphia (later San Francisco) Warriors, 76'ers and Lakers.

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Speaking of the Lakers, it was interesting to hear the reaction of Coach Byron Scott's answer to a question following a 118-111 loss On October 31, 2014, to the LA Clippers as to whether this was a true rivalry. At the time, the Clippers improved to 2-0 while the Lakers dropped to 0-3.

Scott responded, "It's just another game. The Lakers biggest rivalry has been the Boston Celtics. They've got 17 Championship Banners while we have 16. That's a rivalry."

I couldn't agree more. The Clippers have Never won a Conference Title and Never appeared in the NBA Finals. The only two division titles were in 2013 and 2014. This dates back to when the franchise was founded as the Buffalo Braves (1970-78), San Diego Clippers (1978-84) and LA Clippers (1984-Present).

Ironically, Scott was drafted fourth overall by the San Diego Clippers, who traded his rights to the Lakers in October of 1983 as part of a multi-player deal that send Norm Nixon a couple hours south near the Mexican Border. Scott went on to win three NBA titles with the Lakers.

Meanwhile, the Clippers have been one of the worst run franchises under former disgraced Owner Donald Sterling. As of this post, the Clippers are in second place in the Western Conference Pacific Division with a 15-5 mark. The Lakers are last with a 5-16 record and are in a transition period. I do believe they'll eventually turn things around.

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Finally, ESPN recently extended Dick Vitale's contract three years until 2017.

The 75-year old Hall of Fame Broadcaster will no longer do the networks prime-time contest on Saturday Nights.

I'm sure Vitale will have no problem with this since he can fly back to the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport early without having to take Red Eye Flights.

His routine on Sundays is to go to church, sign autographs at The Broken Egg Restaurant in Lakewood Ranch's Sarasota location. This is just minutes from his home.

He raises money through the " Jimmy V Foundation" for Cancer Research which is named after his late friend Jim Valvano.

Give me some of your Energy Dickie V, I can use it these days. I hope I live to 75 let alone have your energy at that age.

My colleague George Eichorn and I have a history with Dick that dates back to our days of working together at WXYZ Radio in
Detroit.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33.com.