Hello all. It's been awhile since I've been on here and active, but after the radio station I was hoping to work for this fall decided that they would not be covering football, I thought I would offer my services to any school, radio or TV station for this fall's football season, at a minimum, if they were looking for a broadcaster. Distance is not really an issue, as I'm willing and able to relocate and travel within the Commonwealth. Please feel free to share this with anyone you know that is looking for broadcasting help, as well as the link to my website/audio samples. Best of luck to all SWVA teams this fall.
#6 Alleghany (4-6) @ #3 Magna Vista (7-3)
#7 Tunstall (3-7) @ #2 Lord Botetourt (8-2)
#5 Abingdon (6-4) @ #4 Northside (4-6)
#8 Cave Spring (2-8) @ #1 Staunton River (10-0)
If true, will be the third-straight season of an Abingdon/Northside matchup in the playoffs. Abingdon won the 2015 tilt at Northside, Northside surprised with an upset at Abingdon a year ago.
Sorry to hear about your breakup in your personal life, sometimes we don't understand why things happen the way they do, but they can lead us down a different road that we can't see now, but may be better for us in the long run.
Good luck with your new job and move !
Thanks man. I appreciate it. Trying to make the best of the situation. Don't want to give up on it, but for now at least, this is a chance for a new start.
I'm not posting this here for any kind of emotional goodbye or anything-- I can honestly say I discovered this site far too late in my time as the PBP voice of Falcons sports (unfortunately) to get to know many of you very well. I appreciated the discussion and the camaraderie (and even the disagreement) on here. As for my time broadcasting on WABN, I want to thank all of you who may have tuned in, even for just a moment. As Vin Scully recently said in his retiring remarks, I always felt like I needed you more than you needed me, and I think that was certainly the way it was in my case.
I still plan on being a member on the site and checking in from time-to-time, but at least part of the reason that I decided to step down was because I have taken a new job that will force me to relocate elsewhere in The Commonwealth. That in addition to going through a grueling breakup with the woman that I intend(ed) to marry has sapped me of most of my energy and enthusiasm for broadcasting at the moment, and I don't want to cheat the listeners by not being 100% on air, because it's not fair to them.
Also, thank you to WABN, Rusty Cury, Cody Jennings, Pam Holmes, Mike Cox and to my broadcasting partner and color commentator in Ginger Largen. Without her expertise and familiarity with this current generation of Falcons sports, I would have been totally lost (as an Abingdon-to-Norfolk-to-Alexandria-back-to-Abingdon-to-Blacksburg-back-to-Abingdon again transplant after college and during graduate school). Also thank you to all of our sponsors, because without you, we wouldn't have been on the air.
For myself, I have to say that being able to return to the high school where I graduated to become the voice for the teams I once played on, on a very personal level, was special for me. And I certainly hope that sentiment came across on our broadcasts. And of course, with the recent successes of Falcon sports coinciding with my time in the booth, I have to say I enjoyed this stop in my broadcasting career (if you could call it that) more than any other. It was an exciting adventure and I will cherish it always. But now I have to embark on a new adventure, and I don't know if broadcasting will be part of that adventure, at least initially. But I encourage anyone who wants to keep in touch (through Twitter or other social media, or if you would like my number or e-mail, please feel free to message me on here), and I will try to do the same and update you on my path--especially if it includes broadcasting. Thank you all again and keep up your passion in enjoying the fruits of what Southwest Virginia sports continue to produce.
And before I'm asked was I really putting Northside ahead of Graham or Richlands, I was not. Blacksburg was the best team the Falcons played this year. Not taking anything away from Graham. The Bruins have a sophomore quarterback with poise beyond his years. They're going to be good the next few seasons at least.
Very surprised by the Graham/Richlands score. Of the teams Abingdon played this year, I would have put them 2 and 3 respectively with a big differential between the two (granted I'm going off of two games and just reports I heard from trusted sources). For one, Graham seriously outcoached Abingdon in their matchup, and Meade was dominant. It sounds like tonight he had that really big play early on and then not much after that. For Richlands, I saw the potential, but as we have discussed here before, they're not as good as 2015 Richlands because they couldn't run the ball. Sounds like they've done some serious work on that and it's paying off. Congrats to both teams on their wonderful seasons and to Richlands for keeping their season going to the state semis. Sounds like they wanted it more tonight.
Agreed with that. I usually try to do just that, but there's just so much out there to read that doesn't get the plaudits its writers deserve. So I went Adrian Wojnarowski, Jon Bois and Spencer Hall (of SB Nation and SB Nation's EDSBS). Internet only guys should get the rightful pub too, and Bois in particular is the best writer you've never heard of (and if you have, kudos to you). I find myself laughing so hard that I cry in his pieces.
Mendenhall did a fantastic job at BYU, the results aren't showing yet but if given time I'm sure he will have UVA competitive.
Do you think Sturgill projects as a QB at the P5 level?
I don't know. My eyes tell me yes, but I want to be sure I'm not looking through rose-colored glasses. A lot of what makes the difference at that level to distinguish it from DII or DIII is intelligence, confidence and know how, and thankfully for Jake, he's got those things going for him. Am I saying he's going to go there and start day-1 (or at all)? Absolutely not. But the kid is not going to be stumped by anything you throw at him, and I think he truly believes in himself/his teammates believe in him that he'll/they'll succeed on the play.
It's pretty hard to project the competition he's seen in this area to that level and get any kind of accurate read. I do think he's the best football player that Abingdon has ever produced and that he CAN play on that level, it's just a question of the right offer comes and it's the right fit.
For what it's worth, I have a friend who was a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he reviewed his tape and numbers and thought they were excellent. He told me that nothing in his footwork or mechanics suggest that he can't play DI football. His only concern? It looked too easy for him, so he wondered about the competition. Also, as Abingdon fans know, the season that Jake put on tape in 2015 was far superior to his 2016 campaign. Not that it was a bad season by any means, just not transcendent like 2015.
Ended up going with Teel, Bitter and Cody Elliott of the News Virginian (and omitted Mark Robertson who's doing a BANG UP job for the News Advance. The first thing I do to scout all of my Lynchburg/Roanoke area teams is to put in a call to Mark and see if he's seen them, so my apologies on this Mark). As for sportscaster, I went with Pete Michaud of the Norfolk Tides/Admirals, Josh Floyd of the E&H Radio Network and Kevin Burke of the Salem Red Sox. Thanks for the suggestions!
Verducci has won it the last 3 years running, so I wouldn't be opposed to some new blood, but yeah, he's good.
FWIW, here's where I'm likely leaning so far for National Sportscaster: Vin Scully, SportsNet LA, KLAC, Gary Cohen, SNY, WPIX, WABC
I've also seriously considered Kevin Burkhardt, FOX, Kevin Harlan, CBS, TNT, Jessica Mendoza, ESPN and John Smoltz, ESPN for the third spot, but will still take any suggestions on that. Also, the latter two are color commentators, which are frowned upon in this vote, but I have found that the work that these two have done is so exemplary it merits consideration.
Hey guys, as is the case every year, I'm allowed to cast 3 votes for the following categories for the NSMA (National Sports Media Association, formerly the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association) Awards. I think I know who I'm voting for, but any suggestions (or reminders for a particularly great piece or body of work, and please list them if there is something that needs to be included as a seminal moment in sportscasting/sportswriting) are welcome. Also, just in case someone were to be kind enough to ask me to nominate myself, that is not allowed, and I'm sure there are much more deserving candidates as well. The deadline is 5 PM ET today, so I'll check back before then.
State Sportscaster (VA) State Sportswriter (VA) National Sportscaster National Sportswriter
I'd love to see comprehensive stats from all local teams, its so hard to find total stats. I'd love to see Asbury's total pass yards, or Colliers total yardage and TDs. I'd love to see Cameron Fannon's yardage and YPC and how many total TDs Mitchell has and his yards per touch. I'd also love to see defensive stats like sacks of TFLs, but that's almost impossible to find accurately at the HS level. Its tough to do at the NAIA level keeping from a box, I'd hate to see someone try and do it at the HS level on the field without a computer.
Amen, in this area especially (but in HS in general as well), they're hard to find with any regularity.
I will be talking with the Abingdon AD tomorrow and will try to get a handle on the final stats for this year's team, how it impacts career stats and consequently school records. I'll be posting them in here once I finally have them. If any of you have complete (or incomplete stats from any of the last 5 seasons), please let me know and feel free to message me if it's something you don't want to let everyone see.
I left with with about 5:00 to go in game and of course turned on the radio. I heard some people in the background once or twice but I couldn't make out what they were saying....albeit, I knew they were Northside people because it sounded celebratory. I've been in the press box a number of times so I figured you guys were next to some NS staff. I agree wholeheartedly, terribly unprofessional to be that way in a press box.
Glad you didn't hear it because occasionally it was profane. Not that the content of what was being yelled really matters (save for the FCC), but it's not professional for that to enter into a broadcast. Our board operator was hearing it verbatim during breaks, so I guess that's what we were afraid was going out across the air.
Abingdon and Northside tied 7-7. 6:19 remaining till halftime.
The best thing about this (or worst thing) is that the Northside coaches were right next to our box and screaming and celebrating all night long so loud that it went out over our air. Most unprofessional staff we've had up in the box, where you're not supposed to root (and I know coaches will scream on bad plays or throw stuff or clap and say "all right" when something good happens, but these guys went fan boy to a level I've never heard).
From the time Northside got outside on this play, and keep in mind the guy was still about 10-yards from scoring, one of the coaches starting screaming "STRIKE UP THE BAND BABY! THAT'S IT! STRIKE UP THE BAND!" incessantly until the PAT was kicked. This kind of thing happened on several occasions, and we apologize that this kind of stuff went out over our air all night long. Nothing but respect for the way Northside played and coached. Their gameplan was excellent and Abingdon didn't respond. But sometime sooner than later (assuming it's not been addressed already) they're going to be told they can't act that way in a press box. It's beyond unprofessional.
Roanoke Times has the same disease all the press has . See earlier post about Bristol. Can't embarrass our local teams and predict that they are gonna get their butts kicked.
Exactly. It's pretty comical sometimes, and knowing that's what they do, I just have a good laugh about it. No disrespect to Northside, and maybe they even win or beat Abingdon by a lot (everything is possible in sports), but knowing what they do coming in, it's a nice little chuckle when I see their score predictions involving non-Timesland teams.
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Football Broadcasts?
in SWVA Football
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Unfortunately Abingdon's broadcast on WABN is no more.