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Here we go again.....Unfortunately a coach in the CAA told me that a member of the CAA has stated that the CAA won't have divisions in basketball...Why not? Here we go again...Common sense doesn't work in the CAA....We have 12 schools in the CAA for men and women's basketball...Isn't it time to have two six-team divisions?
It makes too much sense for the CAA to approve divisions....There are two excuses that they like to use and neither one holds water.
1. Nobody can agree on which 6 teams go in which division
2. That would mean two games against your 5 teams in your division and one game against the 6 in the other division...ONLY 16 games, CAA now has 18 conference games. Well, you can play two additional games but I say NO...CAN'T OUR COACHES FIND TWO MORE NON-CONFERENCE BASKETBALL GAMES? Might be more enjoyable for the fans of these CAA teams to see new opponents but have MORE IMPORTANT RIVALS WITHIN THE CAA BY HAVING DIVISIONS....This makes too much sense for the CAA..
It is just silly to have a non-balanced basketball schedule...I hear from basketball coaches all season who say the unbalanced current schedule isn't fair. You know what, they are right!!! It isn't fair at all and divisions would lead to more intense rivals, more important games. EVERY SPORT THAT HAS GONE TO DIVISIONS HAS HAD MORE SUCCESS THAN PREVIOUSLY, BUT IT MAKES TOO MUCH SENSE FOR THE CAA TEAMS TO DO THIS......GIVE ME A BREAK....
Division I.....Old Dominion, William and Mary, George Mason, VCU, James Madison,
and UNC-Wilmington.....These are the older of the 6 CAA teams..The 6 CAA teams that held together after American, East Carolina and Richmond decided to leave the CAA and put the CAA in a very tough position.
Division II....Northeastern, Hofstra, Drexel, Towson, Delaware and Georgia State, the six newer teams to the CAA....Georgia State is out of the way, however all the schools can fly to Atlanta with no problem.
The CAA tournament will make more sense as well with cross over play....It makes too much sense for this to happen. Afterall, CAA officials are already saying it won't happen...Don't the schools get to vote or does the CAA tell the schools how to vote.....
It makes too much sense for this to happen in the CAA.
12/4/09
Well, two CAA schools have dropped football in a 10-day period..First it was Northeastern and then Hofstra.....The Northeastern decision was not a surprise however it was a bit of a surprise that Hofstra dropped football...This can be a sign of the times...Division I-AA football programs lose money...Very few make any money at all....
On December 3, 2009, ODU President John Broderick said on my radio show that it was fair to say that ODU may have only broken even in football in 2009...Remember, ODU sold out every game..Yet, they may not have made money..You just can't make money in Division I-AA. You don't have the huge Bowl money and TV money that the Div I-A schools get every year...They also have much larger stadium and can make a ton of money financially...Not so in Division I-AA football.
Nevertheless, football is great for the school....My only concern now is that other Division I-AA programs could fold, including some in the CAA....Northeastern NEVER should have been put in the CAA and Hofstra now would just as soon leave the CAA..It would be in the best interest of the CAA if Northeastern and Hofstra would both leave the CAA for all-sports.
TRADE? Why not? Wouldn't it make sense for the CAA and the Atlantic 10 to make a trade? Northeastern and Hofstra are a much better fit in the Atlantic 10....Tom Yeager should contact the A-10 and see if there would be interest in a deal...What deal? How about Northeastern and Hofstra to the A-10 and Richmond and Charlotte to the CAA for all sports? It probably won't happen. Why not? Well, it makes too much sense.....Richmond knows it should never have left the CAA for the A-10 and Charlotte is much better suited for the CAA than the A-10...
Obviously, all parties must agree but I am certain that they likely would agree to such a move....Who will make the first step? Is there any common sense here? It is time for Tom Yeager to make the first move....Believe me, this would be a win-win for both the Atlantic 10 and the CAA....This would be a huge help for both conferences....
It all began on Monday, October 5, 2009...A new beginning in Hampton Roads for "sportstalk" radio....I am proud to be part of the NEW CONCEPT FOR HAMPTON ROADS, just like I was proud to be part of what we began on September 15, 1986. Yes, it was back in 1986, at our studios in Todds Lane in Hampton when the TONY MERCURIO SHOW started....It was a gamble, a huge gamble...I remember that the people at WGH-AM wanted to do sports and do a sportstalk show.
Dave Rosenfield of the Tides suggested that WGH-AM hire Tony Mercurio to do the show. A gamble indeed because there had never been a weekday sportstalk show in our area (or our state) that was successful....But, when we started in 1986, it began a run that still continues...Yes, Dave Rosenfield got it rolling with the people from WGH-AM back on September 15, 1986.br>
The show continued and grew in popularity....Then on May 30, 1992, WGH-AM became the first all-sports radio station in Virginia...People thought we were crazy but we knew exactly what we were doing...As a matter of fact, we were one of the first all-sports radio station in the entire country....This was another important move for sports and WGH-AM 1310..
The next move was to become the second radio station the the USA to join up with the ESPN RADIO NETWORK...That took place on February 1, 1999....Yes, Mike Golic and Tony Bruno were the morning team on ESPN RADIO and WGH-AM 1310 was the second station to be part of their radio network....So, ESPN Radio 1310 was born on February 1, 1999.....The move was historic and significant for Hampton Roads. It marked the start of a long and lasting relationship with ESPN Radio.
This relationship continued on ESPN RADIO 1310 until negotiations began to move in a different step with ESPN RADIO------A STEP TO FM.........Finally, it began on October 5, 2009, the BIRTH OF ESPN RADIO 94.1 FM...A move that continues to move us forward as the most powerful ESPN FM radio station in the mid-atlantic....How proud we are to make this move...Basically, everything has remained the same except for now we are on FM.....
For the record, the fastest growing format on the FM dial is SPORTS....Many radio stations are moving sports to the FM....Better and clearer signals that don't cut power at night and don't go directional at night....So, ESPN Radio 94.1 FM was born on October 5, 2009...WOW, we are heard in about half of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This is a new CONCEPT and who knows what will be next for sportstalk radio here in our land....
Sportstalk creates controversy. Everybody has an opinion. There is no right or wrong. However, since I have been doing my show for 23 years, I guess I can use this tool for my opinions. There are several things that need to be changed-and I hope soon.
1. GET RID OF ALUMINUM BATS NOW!!! This is long overdue, especially when it comes to College Baseball....There is no reason for College Baseball to continue to use aluminum bats...They can be dangerous, I would NEVER want to be a pitcher, a third baseman or a first baseman...It is dangerous playing with aluminum bats PERIOD....I am tired of hearing about costs...COP OUT...COP OUT...COP OUT...COP OUT.
Scouts see these kids in College, they see all of these homeruns being hit with these worthless aluminum bats...Then these kids get to the Minor Leagues and don't hit home runs...The ball doesn't zoom off the wooden bats like they do aluminum bats. Hey COLLEGE BASEBALL, WAKE UP AND GET RID OF THESE WORTHLESS ALUMINUM BATS.
2. CAA NEEDS DIVISIONAL PLAY!!! The league, which has a couple of teams too many, needs to adopt DIVISIONS....They do it for football and it is long overdue for men and women's basketball...The travel in the CAA doesn't make a lot of sense, that would be corrected by divisional play...Some coaches say, that might mean two more out of conference games...SO WHAT? You afraid to work and schedule teams outside of the CAA? GET WITH IT CAA, GO TO DIVISIONAL PLAY FOR BASKETBALL-LIKE FOOTBALL...
MORE TO COME...SOON.
The passing of Towny Townsend was a huge loss, not just for the local baseball community, but for all of the area....He was a leader and certainly a creator.
Towny lived 54 glorious years...He was a baseball player, but above all, a baseball man. Very few accomplished what Towny did. Very few moved the baseball game forward in our area than Towny Townsend.
Towny told me years ago that he wanted to start AAU baseball in Hampton Roads. He told me that he loved what Boo Williams had done for AAU basketball...Towny wanted to make AAU baseball similar to what Boo Williams did
for AAU basketball in our area....He started AAU baseball and that is another reason why he was so loved by his former players..Great players....Great leaders. Great people..Helped learn the "total package" by Towny Townsend.
Towny was a guest of mine for 20 years on the "Tony Mercurio Show"..He will be sorely missed...He will never be forgotten in Hampton Roads....A true hero for the baseball community and for the entire area..
This Tony's Tale is our first on the web page. There are a lot of topics but lets start by saluting Jack Buck, who died Tuesday night in St. Louis. Buck, the legendary broadcaster, did Cardinals baseball for 47 years. He also did the first
Super Bowl on TV and many Super Bowls on the radio. To put it simply, Jack Buck did everything.
So, why am I writing about Jack Buck? Jack Buck, along with Haray Caray were the two main reasons why I got into radio. Growing up in St. Louis, it was an honor to listen to Jack Buck, Harry Caray and Joe Garagiola call the games on KMOX Radio in the mid 1950's.
Buck was a figurehead but I got to talk to him in person twice. Once, while I was still learning the art at Central Missouri State University and the other in the late 1970's. He first told me that it is important to please people while doing sports
radio play-by-play. However, it isn't important to please people when hosting a sports call-in show. In other words, hosting a sports call-in show must be contraversial to succeed. I always remembered that from Buck.
Later, I met Buck in 1977. My father had always told me that he often played cards with Buck at Norwood Country Club in St. Louis. I wasn't sure if I fully believed my dad on that, but in 1977, I found out that my father WAS telling the truth.
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I saw Buck in St. Louis, and he asked me my name. I told him and he said, "I think I might know your father, is he in the produce business." Well, that almost floored me. Buck then said he played cards with my dad often at Norwood Country Club. That was something. My dad use to say that Buck always had a roll of hundred dollar bills and
was always the one who would pay for the drinks, etc., at the club. So here is to Jack Buck, he touched all of us in St. Louis and he was a major reason I got into radio back in 1967. Thanks Jack.
We are proud to announce the HAMPTON ROADS SPORTS HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE..
These men and women represent the entire Hampton Roads area.....
Jack Ankerson - Hampton Roads Sports Authority. Sports legend
Scott Cash - Sports Director of WVEC-TV 13
Ducky Davis - Longtime Norfolk resident. LA Dodgers baseball scout.
Vicki Friedman - Writer for the Virginian Pilot
Mike Holtzclaw - Sports historian. Writer for the Daily Press
Tony Mercurio - Sports Director of ESPN Radio 94.1.
Bob Molinaro - Sportswriter for the Virginian Pilot
Chris Perry - Sports Writer for the Flagship newspaper..
Joanne Renn - Athletic Director of Virginia Wesleyan College
John Rhamstine - City of Norfolk
Dave Rosenfield - Tides and Admirals
Debbie Taylor - Women's basketball coach William and Mary
Jan Trombly - Former ODU sports standout...Jan's Gym
Manny Upton - College referee, former NSU standout.
Dominic Velardi - Longtime resident of Newport News, sports historian
Boo Williams - AAU basketball guru
Jennifer Williams - Writer for the Daily Press
Ken Young - owner of the Tides and Admirals.
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