Profile, Mel Farr Jr.

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

On tonight's edition of the Sports Exchange, we welcome back Mel Farr Jr.

Farr is a former running back for the LA Rams from 1989-1990.

He also played for the Denver Broncos in 1988.

His father Mel Farr Sr. was a running back for the Detroit Lions in the 1970's.

After Farr Jr. retired from football, he worked with his dad in the car business.

He's been a tremendous asset to the Sports Exchange by coming on the program multiple times.

Tonight, Mel will be promoting http//www.georgiashowcase.org/students.

I encourage you to read up on this to understand what this event is about that will take place on Saturday, March 23, 2019.

We also have a press release on The South Florida Tribune that you can read as well.

I've interviewed thousands of prominent figures over my 40 years in the industry, and try to do my very best to begin and nurture those relationships.

While it would be neat to bring many of our guests on the show on more than one occasion, unfortunately it doesn't work out that way which is fine because we're grateful of the time these individuals give us.

Then there are others like Mel, who are very kind and generous with their time, that are readily available, even on short notice.

Potential sponsors enjoy interacting with him as well.

Mel is definitely involved with his kids lives, and resides in The Metropolitan Atlanta Area.

It will be neat when I return to Atlanta, GA., which is conveniently off I-75, to have the chance to finally meet him in our travels back and forth to Detroit.

I have some other good friends in the Atlanta Area, and it would be nice for those people to meet Mel as well, and who knows, they too can become friends.

But there is nothing better then to get to know an individual then finally meet that person.

On tonight's show alongside of my co-host Peter Wein, our guests will include Jack Stern and Rick Curti.

In the studio Rick Tobin will be talking with Mel during our second hour.

Tobin will be in the studio for the entire broadcast.

So join us tonight at 5 ET on the weinetwork.com in what figures to be an excellent group of people that are not only here to entertain, but to inform you on the latest in sports, but the causes they promote and the businesses they represent.

We continue to look forward to Mel participating in future shows and enjoy his desire to help the Sports Exchange become a nice show to listen to, in addition to becoming a part of The South Florida Tribune for years to come.

When the time comes, and there are other shows, you can rest assured that Mel will be invited to be on those programs.

I'm very proud to call Mel a colleague, in addition to becoming a great friend!

Thanks to LinkedIn, which is a valuable tool for professionals to promote their businesses, you can meet class acts like Mel Farr Jr!

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

He is a Co-Host of the Sports Exchange on the weinetwork.com as well as the Founder/CEO of The South Florida Tribune.

Here is the link below.

southfloridatribune.com

Final Takes On Super Bowl LIII

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As Atlanta, GA. goes back to normal and their tourists depart from The Super Bowl, I want to take the time to write a brief story on what turned out to be the lowest scoring game in the history of this mega contest.

Here are some key things that stood out during the past week.

* During the Super Bowl Icons Story, I want to make a correction on Jerry Green's age. The majority of the facts on the internet are accurate.

I found out from my colleagues back in Detroit, Green's age is 90, not 89.

Nevertheless, it's still impressive that he's covered all 53 games and I hope he covers many more.

It's my responsibility to get these facts correct otherwise own it and that's what I'm doing.

I'm glad that I had the opportunity to recognize a legendary colleague and a truly great friend!

With all of the history Jerry has witnessed over the years, now he can say he's watched the lowest game in Super Bowl history as the New England Patriots topped the Los Angeles Rams 13-3.

QB Tom Brady and Coach Bill Belichick guided the Patriots to their sixth title in franchise history. Congratulations to the New England Patriots and kudos to Jerry Green.

* Wide receiver Josh Gordon now has a championship ring and there are reports that he could be reinstated during the off-season. I believe that with all the suspensions he's received under the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy he should be permanently banned from the league.

But, Josh is with the right team and if any organization can rehabilitate him, it's New England. He's a talented player in his prime and there is no better QB that he can flourish with than Brady. I do have a heart for the kid, so it's hard to not root for him.

* On Tuesday's Edition of the Sports Exchange, I tried so hard to get Mel Farr Jr. to go out on the limb to give us a score. He didn't and said he was rooting for Brady because it's hard to root against greatness.

Mel did give us an over/under and it was 45.

I thought about him during the game as he must have known something that all of us didn't.

Kudos to you Mel, who is in the photo.

* In the past few years, I've worked diligently to stay away from watching the hype for all the Super Bowl coverage because I don't care for too much conversation for just "A Football Game."

Before I got sick with diabetes, I used to fast on Yum Kippur because it was something I was committed to and it was the right thing to do.

During the week, I attended to my business with the Sports Exchange, networking to find sponsors for the program and trying to recruit writers for the South Florida Tribune, in addition to writing content.

The weekend saw me watch the Detroit Red Wings defeat the Ottawa Senators 2-0 along with watching crime shows with my wife Candy. I even watched reruns of Gilligan's Island.

* This is probably been mentioned often but the New England Area gets the best of Los Angeles for the second time within six months.

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series and now the Patriots topped the Rams last night. In light of history, it's time for another Boston/New England Tea Party.

So what's ahead in sports?

There will be no drop off with football as the Alliance of American Football kicks off this week. There are a lot of big NFL names that are backing this league.

Games will be televised on the NFL Network and CBS Sports Networks. The league will play games into April and is basically a developmental league for the NFL. I'll talk more about this in the coming months.

I'm looking forward to covering another Red Wings Game in Sunrise, FL, The NHRA Gatornationals in March as well as Spring Training here in the Grapefruit League.

I'll announce more assignments as the year progresses.

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

He's a member of Detroit Sports Media.

He's the Founder of The South Florida Tribune and co-hosts the Sports Exchange on weinetwork.com with Peter Wein on Tuesday's and Thursdays from 5-7 pm ET.

Tribune Profile, Coach Mike Jarvis

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I've met a lot of coaches in Sports Media throughout the years.

There are some that I've maintained good friendships with.

Those include former FAU Coaches Howard Schnellenberger (Football), Kevin Cooney (Baseball), and Mike Jarvis (Men's Basketball).

Another coach that has been a big help is former University of South Florida Head Baseball Coach Eddie Cardieri.

The only situations I believe in are win-win.

If these guests come on the Sports Exchange at least once or possibly more and they're selling a book, I will promote them with my various media platforms.

The Tribune profile goes beyond selling a book. We can talk about what they're doing now and promote that or any cause they wish.

That's now the case with Coach Jarvis.

I once met Jarvis at the Festival Flea Market in Pompano Beach, FL.

In 2008, we would finally get a chance to work together as I covered the FAU Owls Men's Basketball Team for the Deerfield Beach Observer.

I've been friends with Jarvis for around 12 years.

When he appeared on the Sports Exchange, he provided answers to the simpler and tough questions.

He just released a book called "The Seven C's Of Leadership."

It's about Fulfilling Your God Given Call To Inspire, Influence & Serve.

It's written by Coach Jarvis and Chad Bonham.

It can be ordered at www.coachmikejarvis.com.

Look for Jarvis' occasional appearances on the Sports Exchange.

He's a class act who had a very successful career as a head coach in Men's College Basketball which spanned over 25 years.

In addition to his book, he serves as an adjunct professor for the South Florida Bible College in Deerfield Beach, FL.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com. He's a co-host with Peter Wein on the Sports Exchange Radio Program, which can be found at www.weinetwork.com and Founder of The South Florida Tribune. He's also a member of Detroit Sports Media.

National Drama League (NDL)

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Within the next 48 hours, there will be a new champion in the NFL.

While there have been many storylines during Super Bowl Week, including which sport Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray will play, baseball or football, there is one sport which is producing too much drama.

You guessed it, the NBA.

When I lived in Metro Detroit, it was great covering the Pistons during the "Bad Boys Era" championship run.

They played good old fashioned Blue Collar Basketball, led by Coach Chuck Daly, who handled his locker-room masterfully.

Nowadays, I really struggle to find motivation to go to NBA Games.

When the Pistons played The Miami Heat and Orlando Magic in the playoffs during the early part of the decade, you never heard of players making public trade demands or networking with others to try to form super teams.

Hearing Anthony Davis attempt to force his way out of New Orleans, and now Boston's Kyrie Irving potentially seeking an exit strategy is a bunch of nonsense.

Then again, it was Irving who demanded to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lebron James to lead his own team and hasn't won anything on his own with Boston.

These players are so darn stupid that once upon a time the NBA Finals used to be played in Tape Delay at 11:30 pm ET following the local news on CBS.

The league was practically broke!

When Magic Johnson and Larry Bird joined the NBA in the fall of 1979, this leagues' fortunes began heading in a positive direction.

After Johnson and Bird, the emergence of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing began to make the league more interesting when you blend them with holdovers Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Julius Erving.

Former Commissioner David Stern did a tremendous job adding a salary cap and striving for competitive balance. He was a genius with marketing the league, leading it to a billion dollar industry.

The reality of today's NBA can be broken down in the following ways.

1. It's become a jump shooters, three point shooting league with the rules designed to de-emphasize physical play, holding and hand checking. If I want to watch a bunch of overpaid millennials take jump shots, I would go to the community basketball courts and do it myself.

I have no problem with the NBA All-Star Game being an offensive showcase because it's always been that way.

There is no question the league has the best athletes of the four major sports.

But to emphasize offense when in reality defense really wins championships goes beyond my yesteryear thinking.

2. There are a lot of players that I couldn't stomach in the league. Former Chicago Bulls forward Scottie Pippen was at the top until LeBron James overtook him.

First of all, James had to leave Cleveland to piggyback with Dwayne Wade to win a pair of titles with the Heat.

His "The Decision" Show was the worst piece of PR I've ever seen!

To compound that, he gets on a stage with Wade and Chris Bosh to talk about how many titles they would win estimating way more than the two they won.

The trio already had a bullseye on them.

I think James' biggest accomplishment was ending Cleveland's half century title drought and winning one for the Cavaliers.

The only negative about this, is it came with Tyron Lue as the coach, not David Blatt, who was run out of town by James, despite taking the team to an NBA Finals.

Blatt was a defensive minded coach and James didn't like it. Blatt has been a legendary coach overseas.

Now I hear James is having issues with Los Angeles Lakers Coach Luke Walton.

If LeBron has issues with Walton then he should be a players coach like Celtics Hall of Famer Bill Russell was. Then he has himself to blame if things go wrong. Don't hold your breath on James being a head coach.

If Walton were to get terminated, he'd get hired with the snap of a finger and his phone would be ringing off the hook.

Could James have played in the good old days where if you drive the lane you get leveled?

I'd say he would be an excellent player because he's such a great physical specimen.

But he would take a beating and would really need to recharge at the end of the season because of the pounding he would take.

Although James has three NBA Titles and has made numerous finals appearances, his legacy in the world of social media goes beyond his accomplishments on and off the floor.

While I respect his charitable work, I don't give a damn about his social or political views! His responsibility is to play basketball.

There is no question he's done well with his endorsement opportunities and in preparing for his post basketball career.

3. I'm glad that the NBA put a stop on players missing games to rest on back to back nights which deprived fans for seeing a superstar on a given day. The problem became so bad that the players were missing nationally televised games.

4. A coaches job description is to coach and not talk about politics and social issues. If you want to do this then run for political office when you're done coaching. Other coaches and athletes have had great careers outside of sports.

I could careless about what Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr and Stan Van Gundy have to say!

What the NBA needs are more stories like the one that is developing at the All-Star Game on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, NC.

Miami Heat Guard Dwyane Wade and Dallas Mavericks big man Dirk Nowitzki were added to the team as "special team roster additions."

Both are playing in their final seasons and it's an opportunity to pay tribute to their careers.

This is what the league needs!

It doesn't need, where will the most selfish non defensive player Carmelo Anthony land?

Who cares about where these kids fathers want there kids to play or where they won't play.

Today's players make an excellent living and should appreciate those who grew the game before them. They should understand the great history the NBA has!

Not use their greed and idiotic attitudes to tarnish the league.

But once again, as I struggle to decide to go back and see an NBA game these days, which is sad because I've so many great memories with this sport, it's tough to get motivated with the millennials that don't appreciate how far the league has come which allows them to make a great living.

On December 27, 2018, former NBA player Roy Hinson appeared on the Sports Exchange.

We had a blast going down memory lane talking about the good old days compared to where the league is now.

There might be that rare instance when I invite an NBA guest on. 

And I mean rare only because it's our responsibility to cover all sports.

When the time comes and the drama goes away, then I'll watch more games on TV and attend more contests.

The league has to get me motivated again.


Perhaps, the only possibility is covering an occasional Detroit Pistons Game against the Miami Heat, by which time I would catch up with some old colleagues.

But unfortunately, the NDL isn't the game I was fortunate to cover throughout my Sports Media career.

All I can do at the present time is just read the news and nod my head.

Occasionally, I will listen to TNT's Charles Barkley because he generally says what's on my mind. Kudos to Barkley.

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

He's a member of Detroit Sports Media, Co-host of the Sports Exchange with Peter Wein on the weinetwork.com which airs 5-7 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays and Founder of The South Florida Tribune.

Super Bowl Icons

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

While the main story-line heading into Sunday's 53rd Super Bowl is former Michigan QB Tom Brady appearing in his ninth championship game; there is another man who is one of three writers that's covered all of these contests.

His name is Jerry Green, a long-time columnist of the Detroit News. Green is age 89 and is a very good friend of mine. Green has been a colleague of mine in Metro Detroit for years and is a journalism icon back home.

When I was growing up in Detroit, Green and the late Joe Falls were the best one-two punches when it came to credible columnists whom informed readers and provided credible opinions. These guys did things the right way and I'm very proud of the fact that I know and knew both of them!

Falls was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Green was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

While I've had the great privilege of covering four Super Bowls and am very proud of that, I hope Green can reach at least 60.

In sports there are many records that will never be broken, Green is doing something more special that unless you're in Sports Media, you'll never really appreciate what Jerry has really accomplished.

The players make the news, but without great journalists like Green writing the news, nobody would know the news. I'm looking forward to updating this in a year when Jerry reaches No.54.

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The most interesting part of Sunday's Pro Bowl was watching Jalen Ramsey catching a touchdown pass in the final minute of the game. I have to wonder whether the Jags might consider using Ramsey as a wide receiver in periodic situations.

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Speaking of the Pro Bowl, the AFC won it's third straight All-Star Game 26-7, all at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL.

New York Jets Safety Jamal Adams and Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes won Co MVP Honors. Each of them got a luxury vehicle.

Meanwhile, the AFC players earned $67,000 for the win which is $8,000 more than the guys who lose in the Super Bowl on Sunday in Atlanta, GA. The Pro Bowl losers earned $39,000.

Nonetheless, not a bad days work if you can get it.

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Finally, New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon remains at an inpatient drug treatment facility in Florida after he was suspended in December for multiple violations of his reinstatement under the NFL's Substance Abuse Policy, a source told NESN's Doug Kyed.

Kyed adds that Gorden's suspension was triggered by diluted drug test samples. It's his fifth since 2012 and his third indefinite ban.

The Patriots are reportedly paying for the receivers treatment.

If New England defeats the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, Gordon would receive a Championship Ring. He caught 40-68 targets with the Patriots for 720 yards and three touchdowns over 11 games after being acquired from the Cleveland Browns.

Have to wonder what former Miami Dolphins QB Dan Marino is thinking that Gordon could get a championship ring, and he was shutout in the jewelry department.

MY SUPER BOWL PREDICTION:

While I'd like to see the Rams win the Super Bowl, I have to agree with recent Sports Exchange Guest Mel Farr Jr.

It's tough to bet against greatness as in Tom Brady.

The Patriots will not lose two Super Bowls in a row.

New England will defeat the Rams 33-28. Tom Brady gets it done again and makes the Michigan Wolverines alumni base very proud.

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

He is a Co-host of the Sports Exchange with Peter Wein which airs Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 pm on the weinetwork.com and is Founder of The South Florida Tribune.

Interesting Intrastate Florida Rivalry

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

There is one thing the NFL doesn't like to do and that's realign divisions to create new rivalries unless it really has to.

If the league did, there would be one match-up that would occur more often than it does.

The Miami Dolphins would face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Prior to their game December 23, 2018 game at Hard Rock Stadium, the teams had only met eight times since Jacksonville joined the league in 1995.

This game was only the third time these squads ever met in Miami.

These teams are less than 350 miles away off I-95.

The first time these two teams met in Miami was on December 3, 2006 when Jacksonville left South Florida with a 24-10 win.

These squads met again in Miami on December 16, 2012.

The Dolphins swam away with a 24-3 win.

Jacksonville finished the campaign 2-14 and Head Coach Mike Mularkey was terminated after one season.

I attended this game.

But for a series with very few moments, there have been some interesting results and connections.

First of all, prior to this game, these teams were 4-4 including the playoffs with Miami owning a 4-3 edge in the regular season.

There last meeting occurred on September 20, 2015 as the Jaguars won 23-20 in North Florida.

But the Jags have owned this series when it mattered the most.

Jacksonville thrashed Miami in the Division Playoffs 62-7 on January 15, 2000 in what turned out to be the last game ever for Dolphins Coach Jimmy Johnson and QB Dan Marino.



This game was played in Jacksonville.

The QB who defeated the Dolphins was Jay Fiedler, who ironically has the same birthday as myself on December 29. He was born in 1971 while I started breathing in 1962.

After that win over Miami, he proceeded to sign with the Dolphins inking a three-year deal worth $3.8 Million.

He replaced Dan Marino as the starter leading Miami to three 10 plus wins with the team in four years. He had two 11-5 seasons in 2000 and 2001.

During his time with Miami, he led the Dolphins to an AFC East Title along with two post-season appearances.

Fiedler is the last Dolphins QB to win a playoff game as Miami defeated the Indianapolis Colts 23-17 in overtime on December 30, 2000 at Joe Robbie Stadium.

Fiedler would later be inducted into The National Jewish Museum Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

What would or wouldn't we see on this day?

We wouldn't see Dolphins future Hall of Fame running back Frank Gore, who was placed on injured reserve.

What we would see was a defensive game as both teams were tied 7-7 entering the third quarter until Jacksonville ultimately was led by QB Blake Bortles and it's highly touted defense to win 17-7.

The Jags scored a defensive touchdown as Telvin Smith Sr. intercepted a Ryan Tannehill pass 33-yards to pay dirt.

The loss dropped the Dolphins to 7-8 and they were officially eliminated from the playoffs.

As it turned out, this was the last home game for Miami Coach Adam Gase, who was fired on December 30, 2018 following an embarrassing 42-17 road loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 17. The Dolphins finished the regular season 7-9.

So here we have it, another game in Miami, and two coaches would be fired on that Black Monday named Mularkey and Gase in their respective years, 2012 and 2018.

It appears that both starting QB's will be looking for new homes in 2019.

There has been talk that the Jaguars are ready to move on from Blake Bortles while the Dolphins have seen enough of Ryan Tannehill.

I'll be curious to see when these teams meet again, but you can rest assure for a rivalry that has seen so little, it's seen a lot!

The Jaguars now own the All-Time Series 5-4.

Jacksonville is 2-0 in games when they punched the Dolphins in the gut.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.
He's a member of Detroit Sports Media.
He's the Founder and CEO of South Florida Tribune.
He's the Host of The Sports Exchange on the weinetwork.com which airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 pm with Peter Wein.

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.