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.

Pure Ley The Best

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

In late June, I attended The National Sports Media Association (NSMA) Awards Banquet and Seminar in Winston Salem, NC.

I met a lot of great people during the course of those few days.

But there was one that stood out.

He's an individual that represents everything that I stand for when I think of great media colleagues.

He was an original sports anchor in 1979 at ESPN when the network was a pioneer in becoming a specialized programming entity.

His name is Bob Ley.

Our paths crossed when Ley was inducted into the NSMA Hall of Fame Monday, June 24th.

I met Ley the night before in the banquet hall of BB&T Field, the home of Wake Forest University Football.

Bob and I spoke for 15 minutes before dinner.

I told him how much I respected his professionalism on the air.

He's an old school person that never sensationalized and believed in getting the facts right.

He's a person of high integrity that was great with every assignment he had.

Whether it was Sports Center, Outside The Lines, E-60, etc..., he delivered with professional poise.

We talked about the changes in this industry compared to when we began many years ago.

Bob has adapted to the changes as his network has grown from being a small one to the mega empire it's become.

Back in 1979, podcasts and digital technology wasn't imaginable.

I told Bob that I only watch a few shows at ESPN and that I get turned off by the loud debate shows, and I repeat loud ones, that some of their on-air talent demonstrates.

I mentioned to him that you don't have to mention any of the names that I'm talking about. I'll do it for you.

I told him the only shows I watch are those that I can learn from to not only make myself better, but to enhance the projects I'm working on.

We saw eye to eye on many things but I told him "that the day I stop learning will be the day I stop breathing." He definitely agreed with me and felt the same way.

I told him that he should enjoy the ride at ESPN for however long it may be, just like I'm doing.

We never know when it will end.

We'll collect the stories and memories to relate to others.

On this night, the 64-year old Ley and the 56-year old Morganroth would shake hands, exchange hugs and take a memorable photo.

NCAA legend Bucky Waters introduced us.

The following night, I congratulated him again and he thanked me. I told him, "thank-you for making me a better professional."

Thirty-six hours later, Ley announced his retirement from ESPN.

He decided that his NSMA Hall Of Fame Honor was his way of going out on top.

We happened to be at DeMara's Pizza Restaurant near Georgetown, SC.

Candy and I actually watched a special edition of Outside The Lines with Ley and Jeremy Schaap in the restuarant.

For some reason, I wasn't surprised by this announcement because of our time together.

For me to share this photo on Facebook for friends to see was special.

Although Ley's iconic career at ESPN is over, I see him spending more time with his family and eventually moving into a professor's role to mentor the next generation.

It wouldn't surprise me to see him get a call from another major network.

In my mind, his timing was perfect.

On that Monday Night, he had three ESPN colleagues to see his incredible honor.

His induction speech was excellent and emotional.

Who knows if our paths will ever cross again.

But the memories with Ley this weekend were Pure Ley The Best!

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

He's the Founder and CEO of The South Florida Tribune.

Wild Bill Winters-Tribune Profile

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Sometimes fate works in mysterious ways.

This time it worked well in landing one of The Sports Exchange's Best Guests.

I got a Facebook Friend Request from Bill Winters and accepted it.

We started chatting and then we started talking on the phone.

I practically burned out my battery on the first conversation and enjoyed every minute of it.

The 64-year old offensive lineman was born in Asbury Park, NJ on July 22, 1954.

Winters had an interesting rise into Pro Football.

He's played in the NFL, CFL and the USFL.

His stops include the Washington Redskins, NY Giants, Montreal Alouettes, BC Lions, Tampa Bay Bandits, San Antonio Gunslingers and Portland Breakers.

With Montreal, Winters played in the 66th Grey Cup.

His Pro Football career spanned from 1976-1985

Winters was an undrafted free agent who played at Princeton in the Ivy League.

On Thursday's edition of The Sports Exchange on https://www.weinetwork.com/, I had one of my occasional rants.

I was furious that with all of the indigent announcers that are on network television, why is Winters not on National TV?

Bill deserves to be on these broadcasts.

If I were a play-by-play announcer, Winters would be my color analyst!

My mouth when it comes to promoting makes me admire the work of Boxing Promoter Don King, who was brilliant when it came to talking about his fighters.

Nevertheless, from our standpoint, the local business guests that are in the studio rave about Winters Football knowledge.

My aspiring journalists are ecstatic when they can learn from Bill and are thrilled to be on the line with him asking questions.

In addition to his experience on the field, he has an eye when it comes to judging talent and more importantly, when he comes on the air, Winters is extremely prepared by doing his homework.

As I create the foundation for the Sports Exchange, I'm working diligently to find dependable experts in every sport.

Thus far, Winters has risen to the occasion and is willing to grow with us. He understands what he has to gain right now is exposure and I've guaranteed him, he'll get plenty of it!

When I need a guest on short notice, I generally turn to Winters. He also does his best to promote on social media.

If you're looking for an Old School Football Mind, Winters is it!

What I have created is an excellent friendship with him and I was adamant that if he's loyal to me, I expect to add him on all my media platforms.

The only thing left for Bill and I is the eventual face-to-face meeting as we'll take our fair share of photos together, talk football, future broadcasting plans and about life.

We'll continue to enjoy the ride we're going to have with each other for years to come.

Meanwhile, thanks to Social Media and in this case Facebook, this friendship is a blessing!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at Scottbm33@gmail.com.

Twitter: Scoop33333
Instagram: southfloridatribune

Jacksonville's Hidden Gems?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
JACKSONVILLE, FL

If common logic had anything to do with the draft process, there would be no such thing as busts in any draft, especially the NFL Draft.

But that's not the case and I'm not going in that direction.

In the last article, I summarized all of the Jaguars draft choices.

Top pick DE Josh Allen seems like a good prospect.

Jacksonville traded up with the Oakland Raiders in the second round, 35th overall, to select Jawaan Taylor, who played for the Florida Gators.

This seems like an excellent move as the tackle should be able to protect free agent QB Nick Foles.

At 312 pounds, Taylor could be my body guard.

After these two picks, the intrigue starts.

As I took the five hour trek back home on I-95 South, the three picks which standout in my mind are TE Josh Oliver (San Jose State) who was selected in round three.

Fifth rounder RB RyQuell Armstead (Temple), should bolster Jacksonville's running back position.

QB Gardner Minshew III (Washington State) was selected in the sixth round, 178th overall.

Instead of throwing out zillions of statistics and attempting to convince you this prospect is good, I'll let the key individuals explain the thought process behind the selection.

Let's start with Oliver, who played with multiple QB's last season at San Jose State. For the Spartans, he caught 56 passes for 709 yards, and four TD's. He averaged 12.7 yards per catch and his longest reception was 70 yards.

Oliver was third nationally among FBS tight ends and led the team with 56 receptions.

Thirty eight of his 56 receptions resulted in a first down.

His 709 receiving yards was fifth nationally among FBS tight ends.

At 6-5, 249 pounds, he's a tall target for Foles.

General Manager Dave Caldwell said that Oliver "is an extremely athletic guy with a lot of production. I know it was really frustrating for him because he really wanted to win. I think he made the most of it, but it was impressive how he kept his head up and kept playing hard and playing at a high level."

Executive VP of Football Operations Tom Coughlin was also pleased with Oliver.

"We've been talking about a tight end forever and not done anything about it," Coughlin said. "Josh Oliver is a guy that can run. He's a run after the catch guy. People knock him a little bit for blocking, but I think as a move guy and as a detached guy, motion guy in the backfield, I think he can handle all of those types of runs. The screen blocking, etc. He can reach (block) and put his hat on the outside and make people run with him and that kind of thing."

In the 2017 Draft, Jacksonville selected RB Leonard Fournette in the first round, fourth overall out of LSU.

In an effort to shore up their running game, the Jags added Alfred Blue (formerly of the Houston Texans) then drafted RyQuell Armstead in the fifth round, 140th overall. Now the Jags have a solid running back room.

He's 5-11, 220 pounds.

These are the types of selections that make scouting and personnel departments look like geniuses. As I found out during these two days, the evaluation process of a player can have as many as 10 people involved.

There are coaches, scouts, player personnel as well as the executive brass looking at film, attending the scouting combine, College All-Star Games, etc...

I also found out that the wonderlic timed test which determines IQ is somewhat important, but during the evaluation process, talent evaluators acknowledge that players learn visually as well.

These individuals admit that they'd be nervous about taking such a test. Yet, as I mentioned, it's still part of this process.

Nonetheless, the deeper into the draft, this is what leads to Super Bowl contenders.

I left Jacksonville turning my head on a few players and Armstead could cause defensive coordinators tons of headaches.

Armstead had 210 carries for 1,098 yards and 13 touchdowns.

He became the 11th player in Temple History to eclipse that plateau.

He was 10th in the nation in rushing TD's with 13 and averaged 115.8 per-game.

Jaguars Assistant Director of Player Personnel Andy Dengler talked about the guy who played up I-95 North in Philadelphia.

"He's really fast, you can see it on tape," Dengler said. "He ran a 4.45, 22 reps on the bench. He's been a really productive player at Temple. He'll provide a lot of good depth for us. Explosive and he's good in pass protection as well."

Coughlin said he received positive vibes from former Temple Coach Matt Rhule who is now the head man at Baylor University.

"Matt Rhule texted me right away when we took him and said, 'Yes, sir. He's a winner.' We're excited about that. A guy who is tough and has the ability to make that one cut and get to the goal line. He will be 222-223 pounds when he gets here. Runs very well."

In the 2000 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots drafted Michigan QB Tom Brady in the sixth round, 199th overall. Brady is 6-4, 225 pounds and he's a classic example that you don't need to draft a franchise QB in the first round.

I want to make one thing very clear.

I'm not putting the pressure on Minshew III to live up to what Brady accomplished.

But Minshew was selected 178th overall and in the sixth round.

Period.

In 2018, he threw for 4,779 yards, 38 touchdowns and just nine interceptions for Washington State Head Coach Mike Leach, an offensive mastermind.

He finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

While I won't put too much pressure on Minshew III, that didn't stop Coughlin from gleaming about this guy especially his intelligence.

"When we interviewed him in Indianapolis, he came in and said, 'Yeah, I know I'm too short, too slow and my arm is not good enough. But I just went to Washington State and won 11 games.' Not bad. As a matter of fact, he probably should have won 12 because they got beat by USC along the first part of the year, and had a chance to drive the ball at the end of the game and win, and they weren't able to do that. He is a really interesting kid."

Coughlin continued to rave about Minshew III as he talked about the impressiveness to process information.

"Wow. Can you imagine that? He is headed for Alabama and as you guys have noted, he's thinking of his first step into coaching," Coughlin said. He goes out to Washington State in the summer. He has nothing else going for him, he doesn't know anything about anything. He studies, he's in the weight room.

"What he is, is a gym rat. He's hanging around, he's doing this and that. You watch him play and it looks like he's been there forever. As I said, the real thing about this guy is the competitiveness. He's very smart, he's very sharp. He loves the game, he loves the study part of the game. He'll be a great guy in the classroom with the coaches. He will suck up all that information up and then based on what we have seen, he will go onto the practice field and carry it with him.

"Some guys can't do that, or don't do it as fast. They don't process. They're not as quick. I think this guy will be quick. Now does he have to learn some things? Yeah, because he's going to be up under center. He's not going to stand back there in the shotgun the whole time. If you were to tell me that you don't think the guy can throw play-action passes from the tackle box, I don't believe that.

"I think he can do that and do it well. We're excited about the competition that will now take place with those three young guys that play behind Nick (Foles). It will be a great situation for us."

For a guy that has two Super Bowl Championships with the New York Giants pairing with Eli Manning, Coughlin knows what he's talking about.

On Friday Night, Caldwell was pleased with what the Jaguars accomplished with his first three picks.

"We wanted to come out of our first three picks with a pass rusher, an offensive tackle and a tight end and then a linebacker with our next one," he said. "So we felt like we checked the box on all four of those and we're happy with how that happened. Our last pick was Quincy Williams out of Murray State."

I asked Coughlin if there were any guys they drafted that he was surprised that they fell to the team. "The first guy. Then we took the first guy, the second guy (laughs)."

As for Coach Doug Marrone, the evaluation process really begins.

After the seven players were drafted, Jacksonville went on to sign 21 undrafted free agents on Sunday.

The parking lot at TIAA Stadium will be busy over the next several months as rookie mini-camps, mini-camps, off-season training activities, training camp and pre-season games will take place.

Jacksonville finished the 2018 season with a 5-11 mark and failed to reach the playoffs, amid high expectations following an AFC Championship Appearance which left them short of making the Super Bowl.

To say that the 2019 season is pivotal would be mildly stating the obvious.

Owner Shad Khan has been patient and has invested money to put a winner on the field.

The NFL Draft reminds me of Spring Training as everybody is happy that they have a new season and lease on life.

I'm glad this is over because now it's time to evaluate players and get to the nitty gritty.

During my 40 years of covering sports, I've covered them on all levels.

From collegiate sports, to the minor leagues, etc...I've always been intrigued by the process.

But it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you can't teach hard work and gauge or measure what's in a person's heart.

Yes, players better be talented as well but don't overlook the other intangibles.

We'll find out in time whether this cat will prowl it's way back into the playoffs with a newly revamped roster.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottbm33@gmail.com.

Old And New Draft Memories

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
JACKSONVILLE, FL

The first drafts I covered were back in 1982-83 when I was a writer for the Hallandale Digest.

As a young student learning on the job, I have to admit that working with Miami Dolphins Coach Don Shula was quite intimidating.

But as I got to know Shula, especially during training camp, I became more comfortable and he eventually warmed up to me.

I also used to cover the NFL Draft on a regular basis at the Pontiac Silverdome as a writer for the Detroit Monitor covering the Lions during the 1990's.

I'd spend all day Saturday and Sunday going through tons of player notes on paper, talking to assistant coaches and of course the head coach had his meeting with us after each pick.

I learned a lot about football talking to these coaches.

My work bag was filled when I left the stadium and I didn't even own a laptop computer at that time.

The Lions PR People Bill Keenist, Mike Murray, James Petrylka Sr. (whose is picture with me on the right) made sure we had everything we needed.


These three guys were like a Dream Team and I've maintained these friendships throughout the years!

The two head coaches I worked with were Wayne Fontes and Bobby Ross.

The one draft that stood out was in 1993.

The Lions traded their first round pick, to the New Orleans Saints for Pro Bowl Pass Rusher Pat Swilling. This pick was the eighth overall.

On the surface, the trade looked good for the Lions as Fontes raved about how happy he was that he could give opposing QB's nightmares.

Fontes was smoking his cigar because he had his marquee pass rusher.

Detroit would go to the playoffs in both of Swilling's two seasons only to lose to the Green Bay Packers twice. He went to one Pro Bowl for the Lions.

But the Saints would make out like bandits.

They selected offensive tackle Willie Roaf out of Louisiana Tech.

Roaf would play for the Saints from 1993-2001.

During his nine seasons, he made seven Pro Bowls. He was inducted into the Saints Hall Of Fame and Ring Of Honor.

After Roaf left New Orleans, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs and added four more Pro Bowls from 2002-2005.

Roaf was elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame on February 4, 2012.

There were 12 rounds over two days.

Teams had 15 minutes in the first round and 10 minutes in the second and third then five minutes for the rest of the draft.

I would spend an average of about 15-18 hours at the Pontiac Silverdome on Saturday and Sunday.

The Lions fed us real well!

As I cover my first draft in 2000's, so many things have changed.

The Draft is in PrimeTime on Thursday and Friday then it wraps up on Saturday. The draft is only seven rounds.

It also rotates to a different city each year and draws hundreds of thousands of people which is a boon for the local economy. This year's host Nashville had over 600,000 people attend the event.

This year's draft was watched by a record 47.5 Million viewers.

ABC aired the coverage for the first time in primetime.

The ratings increased by 5% from 2018.

Ironically, the Lions had the eighth overall pick in this draft, but this time they kept it.

It turned out to be Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson.

But now I'm in a new stadium. It's called TIAA Bank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Once upon a time, it was called The Gator Bowl, the home of the Florida/Georgia Football Game border war as well an annual Bowl Games.

It's changed names a couple times since I've covered games writing about the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The main PR People are Dan Edwards, Tad Dickman, Amanda Holt and Andy Esworthy.

There are no completed round-by-round draft sheets or bios of every player.

This place is practically paperless and everything is found online, just a finger click away.

If you want up to the minute updates then go to the internet where you can find anything you want, who, what, when, where and why, all within minutes.

Everything is always on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc... not the case in the 1990's.

There were no sign of assistant coaches.

The main individuals handling the press conferences were Coach Doug Marrone and GM David Caldwell.

Tom Coughlin had a press conference at the end of the draft.

I didn't know a single beat writer by name although I recognized the faces when I saw them covering the team during previous regular seasons.

Yet, they and all the other media members were all pleasant to work with.

I feel like I'm one of the elder statesmen in the room which is kind of neat.

I was unable to cover the First Night on Thursday because Peter Wein and I were broadcasting 'The Sports Exchange' on the https://www.weinetwork.com/.

But I've always believed that Super Bowls are won beyond the first round.

Days Two and Three dictate more as teams attempt to find their hidden gems.


On Friday, the Jags introduced Defensive End Josh Allen, their first round pick to the media.

Allen was selected out of Kentucky with the seventh overall selection.

I asked Allen did his selection bolster Kentucky's credibility when Kentucky is considered a basketball school?

"I did everything I could to change the program," Allen said. "I just did my part. This just came with the success. Kentucky is on the right track. We won 10 games. Hopefully we will win the same or more next year. I wish them nothing but the best, but I left my footprint on my teammates.

"Hopefully, they understood what I did, what I sacrificed and hopefully they can do the same thing and become a great team."

Allen is only the second Wildcat ever drafted by the Jaguars, and the first since Jacksonville selected safety Marlon McCree in 2001 in the seventh round.





The Jags struck again by nabbing another SEC player. This one was two hours down the road and played in Gainesville, FL.

Jacksonville traded up with the Oakland Raiders in the second round to land offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor from the Florida Gators.

He declared for the NFL Draft following the season.

He played in all 13 games and started 12 at right tackle. Florida's offensive line allowed just 18 sacks over the course of the entire season, which ranked 20th in the country and third among SEC teams.

As for Caldwell, since he began his tenure as the Jaguars GM in 2013, Jacksonville has selected a player from the SEC in the first round in five of his seven drafts.

After Taylor, Jacksonville landed TE Josh Oliver in the third round out of San Jose State.
Jacksonville's final pick in the third round was linebacker Quincy Williams out of Murray State.

The small schools finished out the second night.

On day three, Jacksonville didn't have a selection in the fourth round.

But with the second pick overall in the fifth round, running back Ryquell Armstead gets to make the trek down I-95 South as the Temple product will start his career in Northern Florida.

Last year QB Nick Foles played in Philadelphia for the Eagles and now Armstead will follow Foles to town.

Armstead is 5-11, 215 pounds that could be a good combination back as a receiver and a runner.

The later the draft the more interesting it became.

Round No.6 enabled Jacksonville to land QB Gardner Minshew II of Washington State.

The 6-2, 220 pound signal caller finished fifth in 2018 Heisman Trophy voting....won 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (nation's top senior or fourth year junior QB). He was named finalist for Walter Camp Player of the Year and Davey O'Brien Award (nation's top quarterback).

He was set up for success by playing for Washington State Head Coach and offensive mastermind Mike Leach.

In 2018, he was second in the country in passing yards (4,779), and total offense (376.8), fourth in TD Passes (38) and third in completion percentage (70.7%), each are Pac 12 bests.

He also set Pac-12 Conference and WSU single season records in passing yards (4,779) and completions (468). Add to the fact that he amassed 38 TD's and was the only player in the country with six 400-yard games and 11 300-yard games and you have a potential steal at the end of the draft! He only threw nine interceptions.

Jacksonville's seventh round and final selection in the draft produced defensive tackle Dontavius Russell out of Auburn.

When it was all said and done, Jacksonville selected four players from Power Five Conference Schools. Three came elsewhere.

Before this weekend, the team made changes to upgrade their roster and went into the draft looking for ways to give newly acquired QB Nick Foles some help to get themselves back into the playoff picture.


Time will tell which of these players make an impact.

But of these picks, I will admit, the ones that intrigue me the most are Armstead and Minshew II.

It doesn't matter when you're covering a draft, the theme is consistent.

These guys are just prospects!

Nobody knows how they're going to turn out until you see them on the field, study film and actually find out how much talent they really have.

Throughout the weekend, I continued to learn more from the individuals made available at the press conferences.

They all bring something to the table.

But when I turn back the clock back to the 1990's and work in this millennium, I'm amazed at how much the news cycle has indeed changed.

Therefore, in the end, it was an opportunity to think about the old and now new memories.

As always, the Jaguars PR Staff treated me great this weekend! I can't ask for much more than that.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottbm33@gmail.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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

Faith Day At The Ballpark

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL

Happy Palm Sunday Everybody from the Sunshine State filled with Palm Trees.


I've seen a lot of promotional days throughout the years covering baseball as well as other sports, but this one is different.

I've seen Bat, Glove, Ball Day, etc... but Not Faith Day, until today.

Today Candy Ebling and I took our act on the road to begin our first trip to see the Florida State League as we expect to see all 12 teams home games.

This road trip was 185 miles from our home in Deerfield Beach, FL which took close to three hours.

During the 2019 Season, we'll be providing material for the South Florida Tribune and interviews for the Sports Exchange which airs on Tuesday and Thursday from 5-7 ET  on the weinetwork.com.

Today's column is the first of those 12 stops and we'll also be covering the FSL All-Star Game from June 14-16.

There will be a future interview with retiring FSL President Ken Carson on a future edition of the Sports Exchange.

At the end of the season, we'll issue a Final Grade for each club that will be based on the environment as well as the Media Relations Department's ability to deliver human interest stories in an effort to see how well they promote their ballclub.

I'll be doing my best to notify FSL Media Relations Directors hoping to get return communication in an attempt to make our job easier when we get to the ballpark to avoid an unsatisfactory outcome.

Throughout the years I've always enjoyed covering the Advanced A Florida State League because  teams top prospects perform in the same ballpark which houses the Major League Club.

During the 1980's, I covered the Fort Lauderdale Yankees and The Tampa Tarpons (Reds).

In  addition to producing players, the FSL also produces managers and coaches, many of whom have been former MLB Players or have had lengthy Minor League Careers who didn't reach the Big Leagues.

There are many great players and managers that ultimately made it to the Major Leagues one way or the other and there are too many to mention.

At any rate, today's game is different as the game started at 10:30 am. Today's early start reminds me of our time in Hawaii when we were at my nieces wedding, and baseball games on the East Coast would start as early as 8 am.

Get them over early and you have the rest of the day for yourself.

John Vittas, who is the Broadcasting & Media Relations Manager for the Charlotte Stone Crabs said, "It's our second year partnering with Awaken Church, who hosts a non-denominational church service from 8:40-9:40 am at the ballpark.

"Members of their congregation are encouraged to stay at the stadium following the service to enjoy the baseball game."

This is a very smart concept.

The attendance of the game was 1,974.

Todays festivities at Charlotte Sports Park included free admission and free parking.

This makes it more affordable for the fans as they'll have money to buy souvenirs at the gift store.

The Stone Crabs offer their community Free Sunday's presented by King Plastic Corporation this season.

Prior to all Sunday games, fans are permitted to play catch on the field before the game, creating their own "Field of Dreams."

As for the game itself, one of the few teams which actually uses the name of it's parent club is the Palm Beach Cardinals.

The Stone Crabs lost 5-3 to the Cardinals.

The loss was the fifth in a row for the Stone Crabs. They dropped to 3-8.

After the contest, I was hoping to speak to Pitching Coach Steve "Doc" Watson and Coach Ivan Ochoa and General Manager Jeff Cook, but none of those conversations transpired.

The game was three hours and ended at 1:32 pm ET.

You can hear my entire interview with John Vittas on a future edition of the Sports Exchange.

For updates on this and future stories, you can like the South Florida Tribune and Sports Exchange Pages on Facebook.

On Twitter, look for Scoop33333 and on Instagram, Follow southfloridatribune and look for my name.

Meanwhile, Happy Easter and Passover to Everyone.

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