Started feeling sore and sluggish on Monday afternoon.
Not sure what I caught, but I have some kind of bug.
I was dead to rights during our show on Monday, took some medicine, seemed to kick it by early Tuesday morning but woke up Tuesday morning and still sore and just no energy.
I had to get to my weekly meeting at China Spring to discuss our next broadcast with Coach Bell and Company and one of the assistants gave me some medicine that seemed to do the trick.
But, about two hours later, the pain returned.
I've never had migraine headaches, but I've had them for the past two days.
Somehow survived today's show and Butch even gave me a little "remedy" to try, but I came back to my place and worked on our Brownwood broadcast.
Fell asleep a couple of hours ago, but now I'm wired.
Frustrating, I'm tired, grumpy, but now I can't sleep.
I'm about to sqig some NyQuil, that always helps.
I hope it works, because I have a pretty quiet day tomorrow---might try and sleep in.
I am the biggest baby when it comes to being sick, but aren't most men?
My wife called late tonight but I was out cold, now I'm up and working on this silly blog.
Oh well, hopefully feel better in the morning.
Smoaky
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Cowboys, BU, split right down the middle...
We heard from a couple of Cowboys analysts today, Brad Sham, "Voice of the Cowboys," and Jennifer Floyd-Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Both had their take on this week at Valley Ranch following 27-20 Bears.
I also recorded a 4:00+ segment with Coach Briles on their disappointing performance at TCU in Fort Worth.
There were two specific questions I wanted to ask to some of his answers over the weekend.
Coach Briles mentioned his team playing hard, but being basically overwhelmed from the beginning. Believe me, no one is more upset about it than he is...but TCU just came out and sent missiles at TCU's defense. Coach Briles also said he didn't understand why TCU came out with "something to prove."
I didn't expect anything less, but honestly, I also thought BU would come out breathing fire.
Game, set, match.
TCU is much better right now, more talent, established program and if you play them you better bring a lot of emotion because the 'Frogs always play with a chip on their shoulder.
Thanks to all of the calls, from Austin to south Dallas and the email messages too---we had a couple on the line at the end and wish we could have gotten to them too.
We'll be back at it tomorrow from 3pm-6pm, Butch is back, he was out today with a funeral in Stephenville. Butch and I spoke at length on Sunday afternoon about the Baylor game and he'll have plenty in the holster on Tuesday.
I thought what was soreness from walking more and more at night, has turned out to be some kind of bug, so it's NyQuil for me in about 2-3 hours. I have too much to do to be sick, but I might lose that battle tonight.
Just heard from Brownwood AD/Football Coach Bob Shipley, he's sending me my game broadcast information on his program tomorrow, I'll work on that tomorrow night.
We're not at Don Carlos for the next 2-3 weeks, trying to find a better setup within their restaurant, back at their place sometime in October.
Have a great week...
Smoaky
Both had their take on this week at Valley Ranch following 27-20 Bears.
I also recorded a 4:00+ segment with Coach Briles on their disappointing performance at TCU in Fort Worth.
There were two specific questions I wanted to ask to some of his answers over the weekend.
Coach Briles mentioned his team playing hard, but being basically overwhelmed from the beginning. Believe me, no one is more upset about it than he is...but TCU just came out and sent missiles at TCU's defense. Coach Briles also said he didn't understand why TCU came out with "something to prove."
I didn't expect anything less, but honestly, I also thought BU would come out breathing fire.
Game, set, match.
TCU is much better right now, more talent, established program and if you play them you better bring a lot of emotion because the 'Frogs always play with a chip on their shoulder.
Thanks to all of the calls, from Austin to south Dallas and the email messages too---we had a couple on the line at the end and wish we could have gotten to them too.
We'll be back at it tomorrow from 3pm-6pm, Butch is back, he was out today with a funeral in Stephenville. Butch and I spoke at length on Sunday afternoon about the Baylor game and he'll have plenty in the holster on Tuesday.
I thought what was soreness from walking more and more at night, has turned out to be some kind of bug, so it's NyQuil for me in about 2-3 hours. I have too much to do to be sick, but I might lose that battle tonight.
Just heard from Brownwood AD/Football Coach Bob Shipley, he's sending me my game broadcast information on his program tomorrow, I'll work on that tomorrow night.
We're not at Don Carlos for the next 2-3 weeks, trying to find a better setup within their restaurant, back at their place sometime in October.
Have a great week...
Smoaky
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wrapping a week of BU-TCU, Cowboys-Bears, and Family
I spent the weekend covering high school, college and pro football, but the weekend was wonderful because I spent time with our daughter Jennifer and my wife Cindy in Plano...oh yea, and Jennifer's dog, Oreo...an incredibly smart and lovable Border Collie.
The only thing missing was Craig, our son, who stayed back in Tyler to get his final weekend of R&R with the team he covers, Whitehouse, having a bye week. I'm hoping he'll come in for a BU game, perhaps Kansas to get a feel for a conference game and tailgate. If not, I'll run back to Tyler for a day or two this weekend or next.
Jennifer is a Tech grad and she wasn't too thrilled with the loss to Texas on Saturday night. First thing she said following the loss, "Great, now all my UT friends will be hammering me on Facebook this week." Oh well...
Our broadcast on Friday between China Spring and McGregor went well, but we're still not able to get the best audio for the broadcast. China Spring's stadium, Cougar Stadium doesn't have any access to a phone line and it's not the best setup for us. I sure hope that changes sometime soon. The campus is very nice, so is the stadium, but the distance between their buildings and the stadium don't allow the phone company to get a line from A-Z. We're using a couple of technical options, but still not what I want.
China Spring will get their best test of the season this Friday at #1 Brownwood.
I've already sent a request for all the broadcast information we need to their head coach Bob Shipley.
I drove to Fort Worth to watch Baylor @ TCU at Amon Carter Stadium on Saturday.
Major disappointment.
You could tell from the opening snap it was going to be a long afternoon for the Bears defense, TCU QB Andy Dalton was precise and riddled the BU secondary. It was almost as if Dalton knew Baylor's CB's would be playing off their receivers and it was easy pass and catch for most of the night. TCU also has a nice running game with Wesley and Tucker and they just did basically what they wanted on offense.
TCU is well-known for their aggressive defense, and Saturday didn't change anything.
BU QB Robert Griffin III missed some opportunities but he was running for his life from the first snap.
Tough loss for the Bears who like their fan base were expecting much more---so this could be Art Briles' toughest coaching week of the season. Coming off the disappointing showing and a road trip to a dangerous Rice team in Houston.
Speaking of the Bears, Lovie Smith's Bears haven't been very good for the past three seasons---following their trip to the Super Bowl.
But, Lovie, who I'm proud to say is a great friend of mine, changed his coaching staff, brought in offensive genius Mike Martz, and another former head coach, Mike Tice, and another one in Rod Marinelli.
Think about that---Smith, Martz, Tice and Marinelli all on the same staff.
I'm not sure if the Bears can sustain their 2-0 start and especially their new-found offense, but they've made me a believer. Turnover-prone QB Jay Cutler looks like Kurt Warner through two weeks.
Bears defense, which has been crushed with injuries in recent years is healthy with Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Charles Tillman running around making plays left and right.
Lovie Smith was a guest on our show last Thursday...he's as complete a true gentleman that you can find...along with my father.
Cowboys are 0-2 and 0-2 in the NFL usually means no playoff team. It's happened before, but I believe there was a stat of 18-teams starting 0-2 in the past twenty years and making the post-season.
Cowboys last started 0-2 in 2001, they finished 5-11. If this Cowboys team finishes 5-11 or worse than 9-7 or 10-6, there will be a lot of heads rolling by Christmas.
And, yes---I do remember the 1993 Cowboys starting 0-2 during an Emmitt Smith holdout. He came back, Cowboys got on a roll and won Super Bowl XXVIII. But, as much as some people keep talking about the talent of this years team, it doesn't compare to '93, but not many do.
As I've said on the Monday following a Cowboys loss, "we don't deserve to get a paycheck today," it will be like taking candy from a baby...Cowboys loss, 0-2 start, and BU coming off their disastrous loss in Fort Worth.
Butch Henry will be out on Monday at a funeral, Paul Catalina and I will co-host the show.
My advice to him, "let 'em vent..." and we will starting at 3:00pm on Monday.
Let's have a great week.
David Smoak
smoaky@1660espn.com
The only thing missing was Craig, our son, who stayed back in Tyler to get his final weekend of R&R with the team he covers, Whitehouse, having a bye week. I'm hoping he'll come in for a BU game, perhaps Kansas to get a feel for a conference game and tailgate. If not, I'll run back to Tyler for a day or two this weekend or next.
Jennifer is a Tech grad and she wasn't too thrilled with the loss to Texas on Saturday night. First thing she said following the loss, "Great, now all my UT friends will be hammering me on Facebook this week." Oh well...
Our broadcast on Friday between China Spring and McGregor went well, but we're still not able to get the best audio for the broadcast. China Spring's stadium, Cougar Stadium doesn't have any access to a phone line and it's not the best setup for us. I sure hope that changes sometime soon. The campus is very nice, so is the stadium, but the distance between their buildings and the stadium don't allow the phone company to get a line from A-Z. We're using a couple of technical options, but still not what I want.
China Spring will get their best test of the season this Friday at #1 Brownwood.
I've already sent a request for all the broadcast information we need to their head coach Bob Shipley.
I drove to Fort Worth to watch Baylor @ TCU at Amon Carter Stadium on Saturday.
Major disappointment.
You could tell from the opening snap it was going to be a long afternoon for the Bears defense, TCU QB Andy Dalton was precise and riddled the BU secondary. It was almost as if Dalton knew Baylor's CB's would be playing off their receivers and it was easy pass and catch for most of the night. TCU also has a nice running game with Wesley and Tucker and they just did basically what they wanted on offense.
TCU is well-known for their aggressive defense, and Saturday didn't change anything.
BU QB Robert Griffin III missed some opportunities but he was running for his life from the first snap.
Tough loss for the Bears who like their fan base were expecting much more---so this could be Art Briles' toughest coaching week of the season. Coming off the disappointing showing and a road trip to a dangerous Rice team in Houston.
Speaking of the Bears, Lovie Smith's Bears haven't been very good for the past three seasons---following their trip to the Super Bowl.
But, Lovie, who I'm proud to say is a great friend of mine, changed his coaching staff, brought in offensive genius Mike Martz, and another former head coach, Mike Tice, and another one in Rod Marinelli.
Think about that---Smith, Martz, Tice and Marinelli all on the same staff.
I'm not sure if the Bears can sustain their 2-0 start and especially their new-found offense, but they've made me a believer. Turnover-prone QB Jay Cutler looks like Kurt Warner through two weeks.
Bears defense, which has been crushed with injuries in recent years is healthy with Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Charles Tillman running around making plays left and right.
Lovie Smith was a guest on our show last Thursday...he's as complete a true gentleman that you can find...along with my father.
Cowboys are 0-2 and 0-2 in the NFL usually means no playoff team. It's happened before, but I believe there was a stat of 18-teams starting 0-2 in the past twenty years and making the post-season.
Cowboys last started 0-2 in 2001, they finished 5-11. If this Cowboys team finishes 5-11 or worse than 9-7 or 10-6, there will be a lot of heads rolling by Christmas.
And, yes---I do remember the 1993 Cowboys starting 0-2 during an Emmitt Smith holdout. He came back, Cowboys got on a roll and won Super Bowl XXVIII. But, as much as some people keep talking about the talent of this years team, it doesn't compare to '93, but not many do.
As I've said on the Monday following a Cowboys loss, "we don't deserve to get a paycheck today," it will be like taking candy from a baby...Cowboys loss, 0-2 start, and BU coming off their disastrous loss in Fort Worth.
Butch Henry will be out on Monday at a funeral, Paul Catalina and I will co-host the show.
My advice to him, "let 'em vent..." and we will starting at 3:00pm on Monday.
Let's have a great week.
David Smoak
smoaky@1660espn.com
Friday, September 17, 2010
Tragedy brings everything back to reality...
As we wrapped-up our China Spring 26-0 shutout win against McGregor, word started to spread throughout the state on the death of West Orange-Stark quarterback Reggie Garrett.
Garrett, a star quarterback just threw his second touchdown pass of the night against Jasper and then collapsed and later died at a local hospital.
As you can imagine, the balloon of Texas high school football just popped.
Unimaginable, and why?
There's never a good reason, but the big man upstairs knows why.
Garrett was a tremendous player and somehow, someway, West Orange-Stark continued on and beat rival Jasper, 27-6. Jasper had to be shaken as well, as was anyone else at the stadium.
The collapse itself had to be frightening, the news of his death just made everything tonight irrelevant around high school football in Texas.
It brings all of us back to reality, scores, highlights, stars, touchdowns and tackles, and then you wonder why?
I'd like to wish the entire West Orange-Stark family our prayers and especially to the Garrett family.
He was beloved in the southeast Texas community and he will be missed.
David Smoak
Garrett, a star quarterback just threw his second touchdown pass of the night against Jasper and then collapsed and later died at a local hospital.
As you can imagine, the balloon of Texas high school football just popped.
Unimaginable, and why?
There's never a good reason, but the big man upstairs knows why.
Garrett was a tremendous player and somehow, someway, West Orange-Stark continued on and beat rival Jasper, 27-6. Jasper had to be shaken as well, as was anyone else at the stadium.
The collapse itself had to be frightening, the news of his death just made everything tonight irrelevant around high school football in Texas.
It brings all of us back to reality, scores, highlights, stars, touchdowns and tackles, and then you wonder why?
I'd like to wish the entire West Orange-Stark family our prayers and especially to the Garrett family.
He was beloved in the southeast Texas community and he will be missed.
David Smoak
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Thank you Central Texas...
I'd like to thank everyone who has contacted me by email or in person since I arrived on June 22nd.
I've tried to do everything possible to listen and read the suggestions and opinions.
I'd been to Waco and the Central Texas area many times, but never more than a day or two for a football game or basketball tournament. I cannot believe how much I didn't know about Waco/Temple/Killeen/Fort Hood and Belton. I've mentioned on several occasions how many great local restaurants they have here---and how giving the people are---and I see something every day that makes me realize how special this area really is...and the hospitality has been overwhelming.
I know some of my programming decisions or show formatting ideas have not always been met with approval...but other than one or two who get really frustrated and angry, others have approached our changes with an "open-mind."
Thank you again to those who've welcomed me with open arms, and even to those who haven't.
Earlier this week, I received some negative feedback from an anonymous blogger and anyone who says criticism doesn't bother them is lying. I didn't like a couple of comments about a member of our staff and responded by protecting one of my own (Paul Catalina). Well, I over-reacted, and after thinking it through, pulled all of my comments and his/hers. I asked for their real name and an email address so I could contact them, I tried to send an email but it was kicked-back. Oh well, maybe I'll get a real email address to communicate with him/her sometime soon. I won't apologize for protecting Paul...I've got his back.
I'd like to stop for a few minutes and mention a lot of people behind our success throughout our company.
We have such a great group of people at our radio stations, Dustin Drew, Beth Richards and Jessica Goodlett at Mix92.9FM. Dustin has been supportive in every way, and remains patient every time I ask him to show me "again" how to use the printer, issues with the Internet and even a few technical tips. I honestly don't think there's anything within the walls of the station that Dustin can't fix or solve, and although this is a volatile profession, he just ticks along. He's also a darn good cook and is always working up something in our kitchen at the station.
Beth has gone overboard on helping us with 1660espn.com and does a lot of the work outside of her normal hours. Of course, in our business, what is "normal?" It doesn't matter when I text or email her something about our website, she's on it. Like Dustin, she has to be up very early for their morning drive shift--but somehow, Beth gets it done, updating the website's homepage, our podcast link and more than you can imagine.
Jessica hosts Mix's afternoon/evening drive and we've added her to the mix on 1660ESPN, she's doing some morning Sportscenter updates and she's a nice addition to what we're doing. I'll never forget the look on her face when I handed her season credentials to Baylor athletics, it was something she wanted, but wasn't expecting. She deserves them and as the season progresses, she'll add quite a bit to our show.
I've mentioned our sales staff on multiple occasions including an entry earlier today but Bill, Becky, Terry, Rich, Linda and Kisha are busting their tails---and I mean every-single-day...but I'd like to focus on the others this time around.
Butch Henry, when I first spoke with John McClain, Steve Fallon and others about the opportunity at 1660ESPN Radio, they immediately mentioned Butch Henry. He's been covering and coaching sports and entertaining people in Central Texas for decades. I've heard all about his Little League coaching success, including the team back in the 70's that came so close to Williamsport, Pa...but fell a game short. What a thrill that must have been for "Coach Henry" and the team. He knows everyone, knows everything about Central Texas, and knows the family tree of basically every local player, coach, program, athlete and fan. I've tried to suck out everything from his library of knowledge, while also soaking in his wisdom. We have changed some things up within the show, and although Butch and I have talked about some of them, I appreciate his support throughout these first 2 1/2 months. Butch and I had a really good talk on Wednesday afternoon and I tried to soak in every minute.
Paul Catalina, a huge Red Sox and FSU fan has helped me in more ways than I can imagine, he's involved in our programming, a lot of technical work especially on appearances and game broadcasts. The first week I was here, he did some stand up comedy at a local club--he was funny and I know he's looking for his next opportunity. There is no way I could have helped institute some of our goals without Paul taking on more and more responsibilities. He's been a God-send.
Then there's Zach Burke, a 22-year old who is ready to spread his wings. He's brilliant with his production of commercials, billboards and open and close productions. Like Paul, he's a huge sports fan and I think can recite every NFL team's starting lineup and even the backups. I used to be able to do that, but I've lost too many brain cells to keep up. Zach is also on the air as a producer for our 2pm-3pm show with host John Morris, "Voice of the Bears." He's co-hosting our Friday night scoreboard show and also voices some Sportscenter updates. Zach's confidence continues to rise every day---it's fun to see him develop a swagger. Now, if he'll just learn to close his office/production room door so he can get more work done. Everyone loves to hang around Zach's door asking for this and that and then this and that again.
Jason Barringer is a young man who is all-Texas A&M...and he's willing and able to learn everything-radio. I heard some of his work with A&M baseball as a student. I can see him one day being a play-by-play broadcaster for a minor or major league team. I've tried to spend some additional time with Jason, he's fearless and one night when I asked Zach and Jason not to close out our scoreboard blog until we dug for every score (there are about 100+ scores), I felt terrible when I received an email from him at 3:00am on a Saturday telling me he'd scoured everything but couldn't find a few scores.
I sent him an email and asked him why he was up so late. I think his response must have been, "You're apparently doing the same thing, why are you up this late?"
Tony Loomer is our Utility Infielder for everything-M&M Broadcasting. He answers the phone, fixed the copy machine, knows everyone's extension, does all the handy work around the office and does a nice job producing a lot of our shows. Tony is old school, and this week when I asked him for some upbeat music for some bumps...he responded, "Oh, don't worry I've got a lot of music to choose from..." I think he's dug deep into the great late-60's and 70's for some good stuff.
Edward Graham (along with Dustin Drew) were the first one's to take me to dinner when I arrived in Waco. "Graham-Man" is full of energy and he's brought a ton of it to our stations and building. He's always on the go, thinking about promotions and he's done a tremendous job with 104.9The Beat. Today, before our appearance at Cricket's, Graham-Man, voice-tracked some of his afternoon shift and walked over to Cricket's to help us setup the remote, table, banners, speakers and everything else. It didn't go unnoticed, he's contagious and has given me an energy boost with his personality.
We just hired two Interns, Regan and Jordan, both are students at Baylor University and they also bring a tremendous amount of energy to all three stations. They are fearless and wanting to learn everything-radio. Just last week at Cricket's, both grabbed our wireless microphone and went up to some of the patrons and customers and asked questions about Baylor football...they are our "Fountain of Youth." Regan is from Austin Westlake, Jordan from Highland Park...and they are going to be future leaders of our great country.
And, there's Casey, she started as our promotions director two weeks ago. She'd never been in radio and she's learning something new everyday. She's also fearless, gathering goodies, and freebies for our appearances on Mix, The Beat and 1660ESPN.
Like Regan and Jordan, Casey comes ready to work, and leaves tired because she's always moving around helping promote our stations.
And, finally...there's our owner, Gary Moss. I know, you're rolling your eyes...here's the suck-up time. Nope, not with Gary...he doesn't want that or expect it. He is involved in so many things technical I can't name them all. He's always working on improving our towers, signals and frequencies. He's told me of some near future goals and they are exciting and will take what we do to another level and then some. He's tough, demands a lot, but nothing that's not unfair or unexpected.
We have a chance to do some great things and Gary is always thinking of something else that will make us sound better and reach more people.
David Smoak
smoaky@1660espn.com
I've tried to do everything possible to listen and read the suggestions and opinions.
I'd been to Waco and the Central Texas area many times, but never more than a day or two for a football game or basketball tournament. I cannot believe how much I didn't know about Waco/Temple/Killeen/Fort Hood and Belton. I've mentioned on several occasions how many great local restaurants they have here---and how giving the people are---and I see something every day that makes me realize how special this area really is...and the hospitality has been overwhelming.
I know some of my programming decisions or show formatting ideas have not always been met with approval...but other than one or two who get really frustrated and angry, others have approached our changes with an "open-mind."
Thank you again to those who've welcomed me with open arms, and even to those who haven't.
Earlier this week, I received some negative feedback from an anonymous blogger and anyone who says criticism doesn't bother them is lying. I didn't like a couple of comments about a member of our staff and responded by protecting one of my own (Paul Catalina). Well, I over-reacted, and after thinking it through, pulled all of my comments and his/hers. I asked for their real name and an email address so I could contact them, I tried to send an email but it was kicked-back. Oh well, maybe I'll get a real email address to communicate with him/her sometime soon. I won't apologize for protecting Paul...I've got his back.
I'd like to stop for a few minutes and mention a lot of people behind our success throughout our company.
We have such a great group of people at our radio stations, Dustin Drew, Beth Richards and Jessica Goodlett at Mix92.9FM. Dustin has been supportive in every way, and remains patient every time I ask him to show me "again" how to use the printer, issues with the Internet and even a few technical tips. I honestly don't think there's anything within the walls of the station that Dustin can't fix or solve, and although this is a volatile profession, he just ticks along. He's also a darn good cook and is always working up something in our kitchen at the station.
Beth has gone overboard on helping us with 1660espn.com and does a lot of the work outside of her normal hours. Of course, in our business, what is "normal?" It doesn't matter when I text or email her something about our website, she's on it. Like Dustin, she has to be up very early for their morning drive shift--but somehow, Beth gets it done, updating the website's homepage, our podcast link and more than you can imagine.
Jessica hosts Mix's afternoon/evening drive and we've added her to the mix on 1660ESPN, she's doing some morning Sportscenter updates and she's a nice addition to what we're doing. I'll never forget the look on her face when I handed her season credentials to Baylor athletics, it was something she wanted, but wasn't expecting. She deserves them and as the season progresses, she'll add quite a bit to our show.
I've mentioned our sales staff on multiple occasions including an entry earlier today but Bill, Becky, Terry, Rich, Linda and Kisha are busting their tails---and I mean every-single-day...but I'd like to focus on the others this time around.
Butch Henry, when I first spoke with John McClain, Steve Fallon and others about the opportunity at 1660ESPN Radio, they immediately mentioned Butch Henry. He's been covering and coaching sports and entertaining people in Central Texas for decades. I've heard all about his Little League coaching success, including the team back in the 70's that came so close to Williamsport, Pa...but fell a game short. What a thrill that must have been for "Coach Henry" and the team. He knows everyone, knows everything about Central Texas, and knows the family tree of basically every local player, coach, program, athlete and fan. I've tried to suck out everything from his library of knowledge, while also soaking in his wisdom. We have changed some things up within the show, and although Butch and I have talked about some of them, I appreciate his support throughout these first 2 1/2 months. Butch and I had a really good talk on Wednesday afternoon and I tried to soak in every minute.
Paul Catalina, a huge Red Sox and FSU fan has helped me in more ways than I can imagine, he's involved in our programming, a lot of technical work especially on appearances and game broadcasts. The first week I was here, he did some stand up comedy at a local club--he was funny and I know he's looking for his next opportunity. There is no way I could have helped institute some of our goals without Paul taking on more and more responsibilities. He's been a God-send.
Then there's Zach Burke, a 22-year old who is ready to spread his wings. He's brilliant with his production of commercials, billboards and open and close productions. Like Paul, he's a huge sports fan and I think can recite every NFL team's starting lineup and even the backups. I used to be able to do that, but I've lost too many brain cells to keep up. Zach is also on the air as a producer for our 2pm-3pm show with host John Morris, "Voice of the Bears." He's co-hosting our Friday night scoreboard show and also voices some Sportscenter updates. Zach's confidence continues to rise every day---it's fun to see him develop a swagger. Now, if he'll just learn to close his office/production room door so he can get more work done. Everyone loves to hang around Zach's door asking for this and that and then this and that again.
Jason Barringer is a young man who is all-Texas A&M...and he's willing and able to learn everything-radio. I heard some of his work with A&M baseball as a student. I can see him one day being a play-by-play broadcaster for a minor or major league team. I've tried to spend some additional time with Jason, he's fearless and one night when I asked Zach and Jason not to close out our scoreboard blog until we dug for every score (there are about 100+ scores), I felt terrible when I received an email from him at 3:00am on a Saturday telling me he'd scoured everything but couldn't find a few scores.
I sent him an email and asked him why he was up so late. I think his response must have been, "You're apparently doing the same thing, why are you up this late?"
Tony Loomer is our Utility Infielder for everything-M&M Broadcasting. He answers the phone, fixed the copy machine, knows everyone's extension, does all the handy work around the office and does a nice job producing a lot of our shows. Tony is old school, and this week when I asked him for some upbeat music for some bumps...he responded, "Oh, don't worry I've got a lot of music to choose from..." I think he's dug deep into the great late-60's and 70's for some good stuff.
Edward Graham (along with Dustin Drew) were the first one's to take me to dinner when I arrived in Waco. "Graham-Man" is full of energy and he's brought a ton of it to our stations and building. He's always on the go, thinking about promotions and he's done a tremendous job with 104.9The Beat. Today, before our appearance at Cricket's, Graham-Man, voice-tracked some of his afternoon shift and walked over to Cricket's to help us setup the remote, table, banners, speakers and everything else. It didn't go unnoticed, he's contagious and has given me an energy boost with his personality.
We just hired two Interns, Regan and Jordan, both are students at Baylor University and they also bring a tremendous amount of energy to all three stations. They are fearless and wanting to learn everything-radio. Just last week at Cricket's, both grabbed our wireless microphone and went up to some of the patrons and customers and asked questions about Baylor football...they are our "Fountain of Youth." Regan is from Austin Westlake, Jordan from Highland Park...and they are going to be future leaders of our great country.
And, there's Casey, she started as our promotions director two weeks ago. She'd never been in radio and she's learning something new everyday. She's also fearless, gathering goodies, and freebies for our appearances on Mix, The Beat and 1660ESPN.
Like Regan and Jordan, Casey comes ready to work, and leaves tired because she's always moving around helping promote our stations.
And, finally...there's our owner, Gary Moss. I know, you're rolling your eyes...here's the suck-up time. Nope, not with Gary...he doesn't want that or expect it. He is involved in so many things technical I can't name them all. He's always working on improving our towers, signals and frequencies. He's told me of some near future goals and they are exciting and will take what we do to another level and then some. He's tough, demands a lot, but nothing that's not unfair or unexpected.
We have a chance to do some great things and Gary is always thinking of something else that will make us sound better and reach more people.
David Smoak
smoaky@1660espn.com
An update on "Mom"
I spoke with my dad earlier today, and my mother continues to gain a little strength each day.
She remains in the rehab wing after becoming ill earlier this month.
My dad said they've run a bunch of tests and the doctors feel they have quite a bit of information and narrowing down what else has been causing her weakness.
She might remain in the rehab wing for another couple of weeks, but we're so fortunate she's through what we hope is the tough part.
She's an amazingly strong woman and I can't wait to see her very soon.
I can't list all the great things she's done---it would take a million pages, but I will always remember her voice whenever my brothers and I were in competition, Little League, Pop Warner, Junior High, High School, anything--she was there and always knew how to keep us focused and motivated.
Love you mom!
David
She remains in the rehab wing after becoming ill earlier this month.
My dad said they've run a bunch of tests and the doctors feel they have quite a bit of information and narrowing down what else has been causing her weakness.
She might remain in the rehab wing for another couple of weeks, but we're so fortunate she's through what we hope is the tough part.
She's an amazingly strong woman and I can't wait to see her very soon.
I can't list all the great things she's done---it would take a million pages, but I will always remember her voice whenever my brothers and I were in competition, Little League, Pop Warner, Junior High, High School, anything--she was there and always knew how to keep us focused and motivated.
Love you mom!
David
Special thanks to...
Van Goodall, Casey, Regan and Jordan, and Edward Graham from 104.9TheBeat for setting us up with a great location and backdrop at Cricket's Grill and Draft House----signs, live audience mic and prizes.
Thanks everyone!
For those who haven't dropped by on Wednesday's, we're here at Cricket's from 3:00pm-6:00pm and if you get on our live audience mic, you win a free appetizer.
We have t-shirts, prizes and even Baylor football tickets.
David Smoak
Thanks everyone!
For those who haven't dropped by on Wednesday's, we're here at Cricket's from 3:00pm-6:00pm and if you get on our live audience mic, you win a free appetizer.
We have t-shirts, prizes and even Baylor football tickets.
David Smoak
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