The Anchor’s Desk: Video of Garrett Jones-Delwyn Young Catch Proves MLB Needs Better Replay

Monday night in San Francisco, Delwyn Young and Pirates teammate Garrett Jones teamed up for an incredible play. The Giants’ Randy Winn flied to shallow right. The ball hit Jones in the leg, but he was able to kick it up in the air, allowing Young to lay out and make a bare hand snag. 

It truly was a  “did you see that” moment! 

Unfortunately, the umpires didn’t see it.

They ruled the ball hit the ground.

If you haven’t seen the replay yet, here it is below, found via Detroit4Lyfe.com. (The play happens at the 0:23 mark.)

Video: Incredible Catch by Delwyn Young off Garret Jones’ Leg

What’s that? A replay?  Oh yeah, something we have at our disposal but are ignoring.  Why are we not using replay again?

Too bad for the Pirates duo.  The catch of the year. The blooper of the year. The “oh wait, there’s no instant replay so it’s just another cool play” of the year.  Damn.  This “highlight to end all highlights” lost some luster just because baseball wants to dip its toes in the replay pool before jumping all the way in.

Currently baseball uses replay to verify home run calls. Plus, it’s up to the umpires to check.  On the other end of the replay spectrum is the NFL, the new American pastime. The NFL uses every camera angle available on all sorts of calls. Just get it right, that’s what counts.

Baseball is already too long, you say?  How about we go halfway.  Don’t add any replay unless a red flag is thrown. Yeah that’s right, a flag. Minnesota skipper Rod Gardenhire wants to borrow a page from the NFL rulebook and give each manager a challenge flag.

Works for me.  If we had that in place, maybe the Pirates would have had their one moment in the sun this year (they of course lost the game by the way). Fans just want the call right.

Please comment on the current baseball replay system below.

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Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans.  He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk: Random Thoughts After Watching the All-Star Game and President Barack Obama’s First Pitch

The Prez delivers (barely),
The Host Does Not,
And a Team To Watch in the Second Half.

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After a loooong pre-game show which at times was boring to everyone not from St. Louis, we were all ready to play some ball. However, there were some fun moments I made mental notes of while waiting out the 45-minute pre-game.

– I liked watching the player intros from the reserves that are truly happy to be there and might never be back. Not Jeter or Pujols, who get to do this every year, but guys who are just cracking into the limelight. My old buddy Zack Duke of Pittsburgh didn’t even get to play Tuesday night, so taking off his hat and smiling was his only big moment. Go Waco Midway Panthers! Although I must say Duke and the other reserves gotta feel like second-class citizens after getting introduced completely separate from the starters.

– I’ll always like looking at Sheryl Crow, who still looks hot despite being 47. Oh and she sings too.

– The wide stadium shots showed off the cool Arch and Courthouse design in the outfield grass. And there was some weird new MLB marketing things on banners I didn’t really pay attention to.

– And there’s the First Fan, President Barack Obama, who just gets cooler and cooler, even when he’s dorky. Before the game, he was shown joking around with Pujols and Prince Fielder. “Hey Albert what happened with the derby?” he teased. “In your home park, huh?”

Even though he’s the President, it’s awesome that he has the stones to tease the hulking Pujols and do it in a way that makes Pujols like him even more. In fact, Pujols bailed out Obama once it was time for the first pitch. Obama had said he was trying not to bounce it, and that’s exactly what would have happened if Pujols had not reached way in and scooped it up centimeters before it hit the dirt. (Here’s why you didn’t see the pitch live.)

Obama’s take on how he did: “I did not play organized baseball when I was a kid and so, you know, I think some of these natural moves aren’t so natural to me,” he said.

Here is the video of President Obama throwing out the first pitch at last night’s All Star game in St. Louis:

– Now to Pujols….After checking out in Round Two of the Derby on Monday, the King Cardinal looked to do a bit more in the “real” game. And once Obama left the stage, it was Pujols’ for the taking. I guess he didn’t get the memo.

His fielding error in the first inning allowed the A.L. to score a run. He made some nice plays in the field after that, but he did go 0-3 and his team did lose by that one run. He said he wasn’t affected by all the attention he was receiving

“I won’t use the word ’stress,’” Pujols said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I wish it could be like this for the rest of my career. I enjoy it. I was so happy for (Ryan Franklin) and Yadi (Molina). And having it here, in our city, I knew our fans were going to receive us with open arms.”

Pujols is still the man, don’t get me wrong. He’s the best hitter in baseball and his career All-Star numbers are still great: 6 for 17 (.353) with three RBIs in eight All-Star Games (seven appearances and six starts).

Still, the experience of serving as centerpiece for the two-day festival left a lasting impression on the two-time NL MVP, who received the loudest and longest applause during pre-game introductions.

“It was almost getting to the point where I got a little bit emotional yesterday and today the way the fans received me, Franklin and Yadi,” Pujols said. “It was pretty special.”

It would have been even more special had he done more to help the NL win its first ASG in 13 tries! So home field advantage in the World Series will be with the AL once again. So as we start the second half, which team will represent the Junior Circuit in October? New York? Boston? How about Seattle?

Zuh?

Okay, the M’s won’t win it all, but they may be in the postseason conversation, which is amazing.

The Ms are being called this year’s Rays. After a 100 loss-season, new skipper Don Wakamatsu has them 4 games over .500, just 4 games behind the Angels in a weak AL West division. They have gotten good pitching surprises from closer David Aardsma (22 saves) and starter Jarrod Washburn (2.96 ERA). Eric Bedard has been good and is finally healthy. Russ Branyan (who?) is having a bounce-back year and should have been an All-Star with his 22 HRs, 49 RBI, and .280 BA.

The M’s that were All-Stars are Wakamatsu, who was in St. Louis as a bench coach, pitcher “King” Felix Hernandez, and 9-time All-Star Ichiro in the outfield. Ichiro went 1-3, Hernandez pitched a perfect sixth inning, and Wakamatsu’s team won.

Not a bad night, even if it belonged to a guy on the losing team.

* – Barack Obama / Albert Pujols photo credit: Chris Lee / St. Louis Post-Dispatch

* – Don Wakamatsu photo credit: AP via SeattlePI.com

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Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as Dallas Sports Fans.

He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk: The Gradual Sexification of Sports News

The economy sucks. Newspapers are shutting down. Local news stations need to earn back viewers. Mainstream sports websites have new competitors and independent blog sites to compete with.

It’s time to make a desperate ploy, fellow media members. Time to turn to an age-old method to get attention: Super-hot chicks.

This has been creeping up on us for a while. Us men used to keep our two favorite things –women and sports–separate. The SI Swimsuit edition was a completely separate issue that came once a year. It was fun, and had nothing to do with sports. The lines weren’t blurred. Then our local sports pages started getting sprinkled in with car ads sporting hot bods and mini skirts.

Sex sells.

Fox’s Best Damn Sports Show Period will dedicate an entire episode to a Hooters beauty pageant. I’m not saying I wouldn’t watch, but if I want sports, give me sports for crying out loud! Call it what it is.
Mainstream sports websites like www.cbs.sportsline.com, and especially www.si.com, dedicate plenty of room to the hotties. Features like “Which celeb chick is hotter?” or “Vote on which athlete looks better half-naked” have become Internet staples that come as a side dish to our sports information consumption. It’s become a part of the equation.

The sports sites are starting to become man-sites. The message is: “Guys, we give you tons of reasons to come to our site! Get your sports and your women all in one place.” The lines have definitely blurred.

Since the internet is the future, are we going down this road and never looking back?

Right now, the major shows and websites are still trying to walk that fragile line of subtlety. Just a small bit of the hot babes sprinkled in with the sports info. I say, why pretend to make it subtle? If sex sells, and you are using that to get readers and viewers, why not go all the way? Why not give us more chicks with our sports…WAY more.

That’s the future anyways, right?

I say don’t stop. This could save the local sportscast, which has been disappearing from some newscasts. Fellow sports anchors like myself could sprinkle in still shots of Baywatch and Maxim babes in between each highlight.

Here’s how my Mariners highlights could look and sound like:

–ANCHOR ON CAMERA—
Good evening, The Ms at home tonight…

(–TAKE VIDEO–)
To the first inning, Ichiro homers. 1-0 Mariners! What a great play! And now we take a look at Pamela Anderson. (cut to still shot of her in red bathing suit)

Moving on to the third inning, Beltre strikes out again. Hey, Yasmine Bleeth sure looked hot in 2001! (cut to a still shot of her)

Eighth inning, the Ms put the game away. Ichiro a double! A run scores! He’s the only guy on this team who isn’t terrible! Here’s someone not terrible…Megan Fox! (cut to hot Fox picture)……”

Think more viewers would turn in? If our brains have been preconditioned the last few years to expect babes and sports together…my plan is crazy enough to work.

Sports pages could have an article about a game, and the accompanying picture wouldn’t be from the game, but a sexy shot of Eliza Dushku. The caption would read “This hot babe had nothing to do with the Packers game, but she’s nice to look at!” That might put a jolt into the dying newspaper industry, right?

I’m gonna go cry now about the state of journalism…right after I google some Megan Fox pics.

* – Megan Fox photo credit: Maxim

[Editor's Note: Thank you for writing this article Scott.  It provided the perfect excuse to include a picture of Megan Fox, thus making Midwest Sports Fans one of the last sports blogs to feature its first picture of Fox. Also Scott, please don't take offense that we replaced your headshot on the front page.  You're great and all, but I guarantee the Fox pic drives more click-throughs to the article...thus proving your point I guess.]

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Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as Dallas Sports Fans.

He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk with Scott Reister: Never Too Early For Fantasy Football Talk

As unpredictable as the NFL is (Cards NFC Champs?), your Fantasy Football Draft may be even crazier. A year ago, Matt Forte was about as well known as you were when it came to NFL running backs. Now, he’s a first round FFL pick, possibly two overall.

Take a look at a recent mock draft by some so-called “experts.”

http://fantasynews.cbssports.com/fantasyfootball/story/11789125

What the $#%@?

It seems crazy to have guys like Steve Slaton, DeAngelo Williams and Chris Johnson going in Round One, but believe it or not, those guys had the best stats in 2008.

A bunch of little known dudes (others include Tim Hightower, Le’Ron McClain) delivered huge points, while name-brand stars (Tomlinson, Gore) fizzled and “F-ed” you over.

What have we learned? Find out who the super-fast rookies are, see if they are healthy and atop the depth chart, and pull the trigger.

More and more, random wild-card players are taking over fantasy football, meaning you have to do more research before your draft, and watch the waiver-wire like a hawk.

Hell, Forte wasn’t even drafted in most leagues last year and now the CHI RB is projected to go #2 overall. Looking at mock drafts this year, I notice they look NOTHING like they did last year. The exception is Adrian Peterson going in the top 2. This year he is number one and about the closest “sure thing” you’ll get.

The other first rounders that won’t screw you over include ATL RB Michael Turner (great offense w/ Matt Ryan) and ARI WR Larry Fitzgerald (once the top RBs are off the board). Tom Brady is a risky pick in Round One, and no other QB needs to go that high.

When it’s your turn to make a pick, and you’re deciding between an older guy who is the safer choice, and a younger guy like Beanie Wells or Ray Rice…go young! The NFL stands for Not For Long, just ask Shawn Alexander.

Playing it safe won’t win your league. So pick young, fast, and use that waiver wire. Today’s nobodies will win your league for you and end up atop next year’s mocks.

Note:
QBs and Kickers are the two positions where this logic doesn’t apply. Experience is good here. With QBs, always go for the highest number of TD passes. It’s way more important than yards.

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans. He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk: Brutal Fouls, Confusing Whistles, and High Ratings in Just Another NBA Postseason

Explain this to me: After hitting a game-winner, Boston’s Glen Davis grazes a 12-year-old fan courtside, and ends up apologizing to the kid’s over-sensitive father. You have GOT to be kidding. Those very fans spent that last two weeks cheering as punches are thrown, blood flies, and bodies crash to the floor. And you’re upset because your kid was bumped?

The players get more than bumped. They get hammered…worse and worse as this glorious month of May rolls on. When the coaches say it’s gonna be a real fight, that’s no longer just an expression.

It seems like every game has an over/under of six total teeth lost, eight stitches, one ejection, and three flagrants. And like a wreck on the side of the road, you have to look.

“I’m sure people are just loving it,” Rockets forward Luis Scola told the Houston Chronicle. “When I win I love it, too.”

Broadcasting and Cable Magazine reports that Game 7 of the Boston-Chicago series was watched by 6.9 million total viewers on TNT, making it the most-watched round one game in cable television history. Overall, TNT earned a 2.3 rating for 24 first round games, a 10% increase from last year. The network earned an increase of 11% in households from year-to-year (2.6 million compared to 2.3 million) and a 14% increase in total viewers (3.4 million compared to 2.9 million).

Turns out when you mix great basketball with MMA, you’ve got some good ratings.

These are arguably the best athletes on the planet, and like Russell Crowe in Gladiator, they are out for blood. Over the course of a series, it gets worse and worse as the players keep paying each other back. Guys drive to the basket and brace for impact. Not a game goes by where you don’t see a jaw-dropping, atom-smashing foul.

Boston’s Rajon Rondo punching Brad Miller in the face in Round One. L.A.’s Derek Fisher decking Scola in Round Two (see slow motion replay below). Shane Battier getting bloodied. Dwight Howard elbowing Philly’s Samuel Dalembert in the face. Rondo being a jerk every time he plays defense.

If I were Kirk Hinrich, I’d want to kick his a** too.

Just watch the videos below to see some some of the flagrance:

“When you get to the crucial stage of the season — the playoffs — everything gets more intense,” said Scola. “That’s why you’ve been fighting for a whole year. It all comes down to a couple of games, and you have to play as hard as you can.”

Hard = Violent.

While the death-match atmosphere and high stakes are good for ratings, it is a nightmare for officials. If play is tougher in the postseason, are there a different set of rules? Do you let more things go? How does Dallas’ Antoine Wright’s attempted foul on Denver’s Carmelo Anhtony in Game 3 NOT get called? And how to differentiate between a flagrant-1 and flagrant-2?

Believe it or not, this year’s playoffs may be tame compared to last year’s playoffs, or a typical regular season in the 80’s. Nowadays, new rules encourage more scoring and less contact, but somehow it all goes out the window once the Best-of-Sevens start. To win, you need some beasts down low to give out (and take) the punishment, good FT shooting, and some strong-willed leaders to rise above the insanity. Do all that, and you may come out alive…assuming you don’t end up in a body bag first.

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans. He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk with Scott Reister: The Absurity of the NFL Draft

The lengths that NFL Personnel men go to evaluate talent is mind-boggling. Entire staffs study year-round to figure out who the next Tony Romo is. And that’s not the half of it. One of this year’s prospects gave me an insider’s view of the combine and draft process.

Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly, projected to go in the mid-to-late rounds, went through all the drills at the combine, but the hardest part may have been the medical exam.

“You get in a room and you’re practically naked,” he said. “You have multiple doctors hanging on each limb looking at you.”

The funny thing is, Reilly was perfectly healthy. “Imagine the guys that had injuries,” he said. It’s the NFL’s version of the old board game Operation: How many doctors and trainers can all get their hands on a player at once? That’s pretty much what it is.

I can see why a team would want to make sure their investment is healthy. I can see why they test the 40 yard dash, and do interviews, and look at height and weight. What I can’t see is why they don’t put more stock in actual performance. Actual stats from college. Do those matter anymore?

Looking at draft websites, they don’t even mention stats next to each players name, they just mention their time in the shuttle and cone drills, plus their broad jump.

Has a guy stayed healthy and produced every time he’s played? He’ll probably do better than the guy who you’ve never heard of before Mel Kiper Jr. mentioned his quick feet and “upside.”

Everyone always talks about the draft being an inexact science. Memo to G.M.s: make it an exact science by taking the players with the best stats. Compare the stats with the few tangibles that matter and you might fare better.

Don’t draft on hype or upside alone. That’s why the Oakland Raiders are stuck paying JaMarcus Russell $60 million dollars after seeing him play one season at LSU. That’s why someone will pay KSU QB Josh Freeman a ton of money and draft him in the top half of the first round this weekend. Freeman wasn’t one of the best five QBs in the Big 12, let alone the country. But he’s tall and strong and had a few good games this year. If ESPN says he’ll be good, then we must believe it. Huh?

Something to chew on: UT coach Mack Brown once told me on signing day that he takes the top high school players who have produced. Some prep players have a lot of hype, but Brown always signs the players who have won, have big stats, and who look great on film. Those are high school players. Why that logic isn’t applied on the next level up is beyond me.

Sure there will be some hits and misses, but there’d be far fewer misses if you put less stock in combine nonsense and relied more on the main question: Who was better in college?

The NBA is far worse when it comes to hype-drafting. How many great college players get left waiting by the phone each year, watching no-name European teenagers and skinny freshmen take their spot?

This weekend at the NFL Draft, I’ll be hoping my favorite teams prescribe to logic and past results, and ignore that dangerous hyped-up word “potential.” More often that not, a player who is drafted on potential alone is a “potential” bust.

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans. He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk: Friday Night Lights Gets an “A” for Accuracy

A quarterback named Street. Another named McCoy. Someone named Landry. Sound like Texas football yet? These subliminal messages, plus a realer-than-you think small-town setting, make Friday Night Lights a very believable (and excellent) prime-time sports soap opera.

(Editor’s Note: FYI…follow this link to watch Friday Night Lights episodes free online. Follow this one if you are interested in purchasing Friday Night Lights DVDs or the book.)

NBC’s hit show, filmed in Austin, is based on the best-selling book by the same name, written by H.G. Bissinger in 1990. The book was a social commentary on high school football in West Texas. The culture turned 16, 17, and 18-year-olds into untouchable community icons. The book revealed the sheer magnitude of a high school football game in Texas, and with it, the sheer pressure of carrying the hopes and dreams of an entire town.

While painting a glamorous picture of Friday night glory in front of 10,000 fans, the book was simultaneously very critical of the way Odessa placed these young men on such a high pedestal. While students who excelled in the arts, music, or academia were nobodies, the star football players were hailed as homecoming kings. It may happen everywhere in America, but in West Texas it happens to the extreme. Bissinger wrote of football players coming drunk to class, extreme racism, and misplaced priorities. The book illustrates the dark side of such a football utopia.

NBC’s Show does a fantastic job capturing that mood. The show’s creators said, okay, what if we create a high school just like Odessa’s Permian High, and base the characters on the book as well? The storylines can be endless…and juicy. The TV show blends the right amount of football with the pressurized side dramas that go on behind the scenes. It strikes that balance in a very real way, giving us believable stories and loveable characters.

Unlike the forgettable 2004 movie Friday Night Lights, also based on the book, NBC’s weekly show makes this formula work. The storylines and conflicts the characters face mirror what really happened to the 1988 Permian Panthers that Bissinger wrote about.

The fictional Dillon Panthers (same mascot as Permian) are all that matter in this small Texas town. There’s a new coach, Eric Taylor, who faces weekly pressure of getting fired if he loses on Friday nights. After losses, real-life Permian Panthers coach Gary Gaines would find FOR SALE signs on his front lawn. That scene has been repeated in the show. Taylor, like Gaines, has to deal with crazy parents, college recruiters, and larger-than-life boosters and expectations.

Dillon’s fullback Tim Riggins is a fan favorite. He’s the hard-hitting punk who drinks his way through high school and gets all the girls and pretty much lives in a fantasy world. Riggins, besides being a perfect name for a fullback (think NFL legend John Riggins), is the poster child for Bissinger’s book. Riggins character is based on Don Billingsley, who Bissinger wrote about in 1990. The show captured this character perfectly.

Another main character in the book is Boobie Miles, the fast-talking, football-is-everything star running back. The real life Miles was academically challenged, and was constantly made fun of by his coaches. One episode on the show dealt with an assistant coach making similar racist remarks about running back Smash Williams.

For the real-life Boobie Miles, a knee injury in the preseason took away his senior year, and with it, college scholarship offers. The writers on the show gave Smash the same fate, but they made Smash far more likeable and resilient. Unlike the real-life Miles, the fictional Williams recovered from his knee injury and eventually went on to play college football.

In the TV show, QB Matt Saracen of Dillon High is the nice kid, who somehow has the starting QB job and faces enormous pressure both at home and at school. This is the real-life Mike Winchell, a levelheaded leader with unspectacular, but effective, quarterback play. A guy you love to root for, Matt Saracen is Mike Winchell, dead-on.

The storylines in the show certainly vary from what happened to the real-life Panthers, but the characters remain true to their real-life counter parts.

Obviously the show’s creators had to round out the script with more characters, and they laid on the symbolism. There’s injured QB Jason Street, whose character’s name brings to mind legendary UT QB James Street. Matt Saracen’s best friend and teammate is named “Landry” after Dallas Cowboys coaching legend Tom Landry.

Furthermore, the hot new freshman QB is named J.D. McCoy. Current UT star QB Colt McCoy anyone? Did I mention that the fictional J.D. McCoy’s personal position coach is Wade Aikman? The name Aikman certainly reminds me of tight spirals.

The list goes on. The players hang out at the “Alamo Freeze” which is Dillon’s fictional equivalent of a Dairy Queen. The strip club “The Landing Strip” really does exist (it’s by the airport in Austin, Texas). Texas Football Magazine makes several appearances in the show. That magazine is a very real thing, and it’s referred to as “The Bible” all over the state.

And only in Texas would a small town’s football team warrant constant news coverage from multiple local stations. In one recent episode they even played a game on national television, something that actually happens. Of course, there was no shortage of NBC logos placed on the TV truck.

As a guy from Texas, I love seeing the realistic touches. Hottie Tyra Collete recently was stuck at a motel near “Central and LBJ,” two main highways in the Dallas area. Even the stickers on the car windshields are real Texas stickers.

Critics of the show will say there’s too much drama, not enough football. I disagree. The drama these characters face is realistic and touching, and it all leads up to Friday Nights. The obstacles these characters face is what makes us root for them when the football does come around.

So Riggins will keep drinking and scoring, Coach Taylor will keep stressing and winning, and Saracen will keep his head low and hope for the best. These people exist in real life all over America, and their fictional counterparts come to life every Friday night on NBC.

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans. He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk: What to Watch For and How to Watch the 2009 NCAA Tournament

DVR was the greatest thing to happen to live sports. Hit pause, let 30 minutes run off, and then control the action and skip the commercials. Or just DVR the whole thing and watch as much or as little as the wife allows. (Notice how “DVR ”has achieved verb status.)

Can the sports fan possibly top DVR?

He can now…with an even more powerful acronym: MMOD.

March Madness On Demand is the greatest thing to happen to sports since the invention of inflatable balls. If DVR makes regular sports-watching seem like kid stuff, MMOD makes DVR seem like yesterday’s news.

CBSSportsline.com allows you — for free — to watch any 2009 NCAA Tournament game live. Instead of praying that the network decision-makers switch to that 5-12 upset bid you’re praying for, you get to replace those people and direct your own viewing experience. Miss a buzzer-beater? No one to blame but yourself. But wait! You can go back and watch any game again whenever you want! You can’t lose. And it’s all free and on-demand. Many, many screens on your computer, all waiting to be clicked. Hence the name MMOD.

American companies reportedly lose $2 billion in productivity during March Madness (although these estimates have been shot down by some). That number will surely skyrocket now. Watch MMOD with confidence, because there is a “boss button” to hit when “the Man” comes towards your workplace. Hit the button, and your game is immediately replaced by a fake spreadsheet! Pure genius. Read the spreadsheet and you’ll see there are actually hidden jokes in it. This is year three of MMOD. In 2008 there were 4.8 million viewers, a jump of three million from ’07. Of those 4.8 million last year, the boss button was clicked 2.8 million times!

Now that I’ve hopefully got you on board, here are some things to chew on while you fill out your bracket.

When picking a champion, don’t pick the team everybody else is picking.

This year, that’s UNC. Unless you are convinced UNC is gonna win it, don’t pick them. Picking the champ everyone else picks is VERY risky. Let’s say half your buddies pick UNC, then you have to outpick all those people the rest of the way. If you pick another quality team that isn’t getting chosen a lot, then you can afford to suck most of the way and still have great chance once the final weekend rolls around. It’s all about playing the odds. With other quality 1 seeds like Louisville, UConn, Pitt, and quality 2 seeds like Duke and Memphis, there seems to be enough viable alternatives to bet on.

Picking a Final 4: Are you gonna walk the walk, or chalk the chalk?

Okay that made no sense, but was fun to say.

Last year was the first year four No. 1’s made it to the Final 4. All those years, and its only happened ONE time. Yet Sunday night on ESPN, nearly all the analysts picked the four No. 1’s to make it to Detroit. Explain that to me, Dickie V!

Picking all 1’s in your final 4 is a safe strategy that won’t get you beat early, but it probably won’t win you the pool either…unless you pick the champion correctly (see above).

First weekend: Don’t pick 1-4 to lose. Do pick 5-8 to lose.

It’s so rare that a 1-4 loses in Round One, it’s not worth wasting a game on the slight chance it will happen. If you want a 3 or a 4 seed to lose, have them go down in round two. There’s a MUCH better chance of that. But go ahead and advance all your 1s and 2s to the Sweet 16.

The Day One upsets REALLY start happening in the 5-12 games. Happens every year. This year’s hot pick is #12 Arizona to knock off #5 Utah. Arizona has three possible NBA players on their team in Chase Budinger, Nic Wise and Jordan Hill. I’m a diehard college hoops fan, and I can’t name one Ute. Based on that alone, I’m going with ‘Zona.

The 6-11, 7-10 and 8-9 matchups are usually toss-ups. Just do some reading and take the hot team that plays better defense and has low turnovers.

Darkhorse teams and upsets that make sense:

I mentioned Arizona. Here’s another Pac-10 school I love right now: USC.

They won the Pac-10 Tournament by beating Cal, UCLA, and then Arizona State, who all made the NCAA tournament. UCLA and ASU are ranked teams, and USC looked way better in those wins. Their best player, Taj Gibson, has a TON of heart and does it all down low. He’s also the Pac-10 defensive player of the year.

They also have a veteran coach, Tim Floyd, and freshman DeMar DeRozan has exploded lately and become a human highlight reel. He knows his draft status soars if USC makes a run. They are motivated and have senior leadership. The Trojans are the #10 seed in the Midwest. If they beat BC in round one, they most likely next play Michigan State, who I consider a weak number two. USC wins both games and even gives KU a run in the Sweet 16 game.

Other upsets: Marquette (underrated) over Mizzou (overrated) in Round Two, and Gonzaga (ignored) over UNC (hurting) in the South Sweet 16.

Running a Pool for Cash? Here’s a must do.

Last place person gets his/her entry fee back. This simple rule keeps the tournament relevant for a LOT of people. If you start tanking the first weekend, you then get to root against your picks in the hope of recovering your original investment. Hey, whatever makes it interesting, right?

One Final Tip:

Don’t fill out more than one bracket. If you do, keep them very similar. Otherwise, it’s impossible to root for anyone. Those of you in multiple Fantasy Football Leagues know exactly what I’m talking about.

Good luck, enjoy the games.

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans. He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk with Scott Reister: How to Get Your Local Sports Anchor to Cover Your Team

The local news is the best place to get coverage of your local high school, college, and pro teams. For a fan at home, it’s a wonderful thing — unless your team is continuously getting ignored every time the weatherman tosses to the sports desk.

Of course your big-name professional and D-1 teams will get their standard 0:30-1:00 of airtime each night. I’m talking about the local high school or medium-sized college team that has an equally passionate following.

How do they decide what to show in that three minutes of sports each night? What can you do to influence those decisions? What should you never do? Here are the answers, coming straight from a sports anchor himself.

You have to understand that your local sports department is a not your own personal ESPN-sized operation dedicated to your specific zip code. Nowadays, local TV sports departments consist of 1-3 people in the office on any given night. With layoffs sweeping the industry, that number is lower and lower everywhere you look. And these people have a LOT of ground to cover, usually a multi-state region consisting of hundreds of high schools and handfuls of colleges.

Time to put yourself in my shoes and discover the decision-making process. Here’s how I choose whether or not to go to your school’s game:

First and foremost: Can I physically get there and get back to the station in time to get it on the news?

Between my 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. show, I maybe have one hour total to get to an event, shoot video, and drive back.

If your team is playing more than 30 minutes away from the station, your chances of getting airtime just took a big hit. In the time it takes to go out to your school and shoot one game, I could shoot video at three different games and have more content on the news that night?

Next thing I consider? Newsworthiness.

Is your team any good? Is it a big game? That helps your cause. But I still have to weigh it against the time constraints, what else is going on that night, and whether I believe that enough people care. If I show up at a 1A high school basketball game and there are 30 people in the stands, did that event really deserve TV coverage?

Be your school’s PR person and give me a reason to go.

E-mail/call ahead of time to tell the TV station about the big event. Even better, give me an interesting angle or news hook that I can follow up on.

Perfect example: A coach called me to tell me about her gymnast that was heading to some national meet, it was a big deal, etc. I was just about to tell her how I didn’t have time to make it, but then she mentioned how this kid just had his appendix removed a few days ago, and was still performing.

BINGO!

I got a great story. So I went and did a story on that amazing turn of events. I Never would have gone without that compelling story to cover. Find an angle and a reason to get me there. It’ll increase your chances every time.

Also, act as a PR person and provide all the vital information. Don’t assume the news knows about your big game. Call in and report your score. Even if the cameras weren’t there, stations may still want to run the score, especially on a Friday night. If you call me I’ll probably run it, if you don’t call and I don’t have the information, there’s no way you get mentioned. Call in scores.

When requesting coverage, don’t be a jerk

When you call or email a local TV sports department, realize they are not obligated to cover your school, and don’t talk to them like they have done some great injustice by not preaching to the world how great your school’s JV underwater basket weaving team is. Starting to vent your frustrations at the sports guy will have the opposite affect.

Be polite, say what is happening, provide contact info, plus offer an interesting angle about the event. Don’t assume we know about your game.

Whenever I handle these situations, I quote the great Rod Tidwell from Jerry Maguire: “Help me, help you.”

Hope that helps. Enjoy the games.

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans. He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk with Scott Reister: Unanswered Questions will Dog ARod’s Image

ARod doesn’t appear to be facing any discipline problems from the league or the U.S. government. Even leading baseball writers such as ESPN’s Tim Kurkijan say they’ll still vote him in the Hall of Fame. All that’s left, and all that matters, is the court of public opinion.

Unfortunately, he has thrown his image, and that of his former and current team, into a public relations crisis.

The game’s future homerun king tried to treat this problem like a band-aid: rip it off fast, have it hurt badly now, and get over it. Except that strategy doesn’t work if you leave some unexplained ugliness.

As holes in his Tuesday confession start to pop up, whatever points he scored with the public have vanished. He claimed his cousin got the steroid “boli” legally over the counter in the Dominican Republic. ESPNDeportes recently reported that, whatever “boli” is, nothing of the sort was ever legal for purchase in the Dominican.

Making matters worse, the New York Daily News is reporting that Rodriguez is close friends with Angel Presinal, a personal trainer who was banned from every MLB clubhouse in 2001. A-Rod has some ‘splainin to do.

Predictably, late last week, he declined to talk about all this, saying he’s addressed the steroid issues and is moving on. Problem is, he hasn’t addressed all of it, and the fans aren’t moving on. ARod claimed that he juiced only from 2001-2003, but the public doesn’t believe him.

A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,023 adults shows that 46% of people think he used PEDs in years other than 01-03, compared to 32% that believed his use was just in the years he said he did. 22% had no opinion. In other words, only 1 in 3 people believe he was telling the truth. After being lied to by an endless parade of ball players before him, why would the public believe ARod? Claiming he was naïve about what he took and what he was doing is very convenient. So was the claim that his cousin did the dirty work.

ARod’s not the only one who has gone quiet. The Rangers’ PR department declined my request to comment on how this scandal has affected their image. The ARod news is hardly mentioned on the teams website. If you go to ARod’s personal website, there’s ZERO mention of this story. For ARod and the Rangers, the less this is brought up, the better.

Time heals all wounds, but will the public eventually root for ARod once again? For ARod’s part, he did say he was responsible and he apologized. He did more than any other juiced player has done. With questions still lingering, it’s up to each fan to make their own decision.

If ARod’s story hurt his image, it may have helped the Texas Rangers in weird way. The “culture” of the game that ARod referred to was never more evident during ARod’s ‘roid years in Texas. Jose Canseco, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Ivan Rodriguez. The list of those linked to ‘roids is a long one. But on Tuesday, ARod tried to squash any speculation that his mistakes had to do with the Rangers.

“It was a different culture, a different situation,” he said. “There wasn’t as many questions asked. Any product today that is presented to you, you send it to your team trainer and he will fax it to the union. Those types of procedures weren’t in place back than. I certainly didn’t practice that, obviously. My mistake has nothing to do with where I played. My mistake came because I was immature and I was stupid. It wasn’t because of the Rangers or anything to do with Texas. I blame myself. For a week here, I have been looking for people to blame and I keep looking at myself at the end of the day. I never saw any other player do it. I really didn’t get into any other conversations or heard anything. I’m the one that screwed up, no one else.”

Score some points right there for the Rangers’ PR department. On top of that, ARod apologized to owner Tom Hicks. Hicks never said he accepted the apology.

ARod is WAY more admirable than the other cheaters. Look at Mark McGwire. To avoid perjuring himself like Bonds (allegedly), Big Mac just said “We’re not here to talk about the past.” At least ARod had the guts to face the music. We all just wish ARod didn’t leave so many things unsettled. If you’re gonna come clean, come clean all the way. Otherwise the remaining mess may never go away.

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans. He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk with Scott Reister: Super Bowl not Super Enough to Change College Football Format

by Scott Reister

Just watched the best Super Bowl I can remember. So did 98.7 million other viewers across the country, making it the highest-viewed Super Bowl ever. XLIII’s ratings haul was second to only (you guessed it) that unbeatable 1983 MASH finale I always hear about and have never seen.

Pittsburgh’s amazing win was the culmination of a thrilling 12-team playoff, with surprises and high-ratings at every turn.
Don’t you think the college football power brokers would see the eye-popping profitability of that format and at least consider switching to a playoff system?

Not a chance.

College bowl game ratings for a single game will never approach that of a Super Sunday, but when there are 34 bowl games, including five Bowl Championship Series games, it’s okay if none of them are “super.”

Collectively, everyone in the system is getting their piece of the pie, and that pie is getting larger and larger. As ridiculous as the current system is, it has made the decision-makers and participating schools stinking rich.

As much as it pains me to do it, I’ll play devil’s advocate and tell you why the common arguments are not enough to change college football for the better. The response to each argument for a playoff? Money. (For more detailed ratings and revenue info click here.)

POINT: Without a playoff, there’s not a true national champion.

COUNTERPOINT: Most fans don’t believe that. More and more are watching, validating the system’s authority and perverse logic. The five BCS bowl games averaged 17.6 million viewers each, up 14 percent from last year. That’s a total of 88 million viewers, more than a lot of Super Bowl games. And that’s just the BCS games. If the TV says a team won the national title game, we believe it. Who do you remember more from 2004? LSU or USC? LSU, because they won the BCS title game. USC won the AP vote.

POINT: It’s not fair to the smaller schools. Boise State went undefeated and played in the Poinsettia Bowl!

COUNTERPOINT: The smaller schools are the ones that profit the MOST from this wacky system. For every small school that gets denied a BCS title shot, there are 30 more getting a big payoff and a national TV audience. 34 bowl games. 68 teams. It’s a very profitable pity party and everyone over six wins is invited. Bowl payouts ran an estimated $240 million last season and have totaled 1.84 billion over the last 10 seasons. Over the next 10 years, bowls are projected to pay $2.5 billion to the teams and conferences in the Football Bowl Subdivision who participate. Any change in postseason format would jeopardize the appeal of the lesser bowls. School presidents won’t rock that boat, especially when it’s a boatload of money.

POINT: Even President Obama wants to change the system!

COUNTERPOINT: In this case, it’s change we can’t believe in.

College football, which makes its partners tons of money, has broadcast commitments from every major media sports outlet: ESPN on ABC, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN360.com, the Big Ten Network, CBS College Sports Network, NFL Network, Fox Sports Net. Fox’s current BCS TV contract runs through 2010. ESPN has acquired rights from 2011-2014.

That’s a lot of standing contracts with a lot of people. Try changing that.

Furthermore, each bowl game has dozens, if not hundreds, of employees working year-round to maximize attendance and profits. An entire industry has been born from the lack of a college football playoff. A system that frustrates Joe Q. Fan has the decision-makers laughing all the way to the bank. Bowl game attendance was an all-time high last year at 85 percent combined stadium capacity.

College football fans would love to see a playoff, but we don’t matter. Money matters. So enjoy the bowl games next year, it is football after all. But the most competitive, meaningful bowl on my viewing list will always be the Super Bowl.

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as Dallas Sports Fans.

He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk with Scott Reister: Interview with ESPN Anchorman Anish Shroff

What it’s like to be an ESPN Anchorman

Q&A with an anchor at the World Wide Leader

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by Scott Reister

In the sporting world, it’s as unavoidable as a Cincinnati Bengal’s arrest, a Kurt Warner “God” reference, or a stomachache after Super Bowl Sunday. You don’t put mayonnaise on a taco, and you don’t call yourself a sports fan without at least some time spent on ESPN (or ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPNMag, or ESPN.com).

Anish Shroff, my former co-host at KNDU (in WA), was talented and fortunate enough to become part of this cultural phenomenon when was hired to be an ESPNews anchor about a year ago. Shroff fills us in on what its like to be part of all the action.

Scott Reister: How did you get your current job as ESPNews anchor? Any hazing when you got there?

Anish Shroff: I was working as a reporter/anchor at WSYR-TV in Syracuse. I sent a note to Al Jaffe (one of the good folks who hires talent), asking if he would be so kind to give me feedback on some of my work. He asked if I’d be interested in an interview/audition – and that set the wheels in motion.

As for hazing, I didn’t have to skinny dip in the ESPN pond or go on a never-ending scavenger hunt, but pretty much everyone made fun of my car. They still do even though I got rid of it a few months ago. Apparently at the WWL, a dinged up ‘97 Purple Dodge Neon with no power locks, no radio, and no mojo doesn’t get it done. It would’ve made for a good episode of Pimp My Ride though.

Scott Reister: You’re like the hopeless guy on the ESPNMobile commercial! Moving on… Compare working at ESPN to other stations.

Anish Shroff: Basically, I don’t have to deal with a news director telling me that sports will be “shorter than usual” because there’s an incoming storm and weather needs more time. The great thing about all sports all the time is that sports is THE PRIORITY. It wasn’t really the case at the local level.

Scott Reister: Obama cut my sportscast in half tonight. I wonder if he knows he did that. Any other neat parts about working at ESPN?

Anish Shroff: You’re living, breathing, and drinking sports all the time. Anytime you start to complain, you come to the realization that your job is to watch sports, talk sports, and read about sports. Basically, you’re getting paid to do something that a lot of people do in their spare time. At most jobs, if you try to watch a game at work or check scores online you get in trouble. Here you’d be in trouble if you’re not doing that.

Scott Reister: My wife still doesn’t buy that line. What’s something the public would never know about ESPN?

Anish Shroff: That Bill Pidto might have been one of ESPN’s most popular anchors. From his Pidto-isms – “Whaddyahave” and “Prompter, I got a family to feed” … he was one of a kind. I only got to work with him for a short while, but he was beloved. On his last day, he got a standing ovation as we he walked through the newsroom. It was a touching tribute and something you don’t see all the time.

Bill, being one of the veteran guys, took me under his wing when I first got there, and I’ll always appreciate it. He was a character. Anytime I’d share the anchor desk with him, he’d remind me he used to do shows with Berman. It was all in good fun. I wish viewers would’ve gotten to see the real Bill more. (note: Pidto was hired by SIRIUS)

Scott Reister: Meet any celebrities? Who was the coolest?

Anish Shroff: When I first started, Will Ferrell made the rounds promoting Semi-Pro. It made me wonder if he gets royalties every time a sportscaster dropped an Anchorman line.

Scott Reister: Anish, I’m kind of big deal around here. With our man Ron Burgundy coming from lovely San Dee-yah-go (German for a whale’s reproductive organ), I wanna know…is there an East-Coast Bias?

Anish Shroff: Having grown up in Jersey, I never gave it much thought. But most of the NYC area teams get significant national coverage so you take it for granted. It was after working in Washington state for two years where it became clear that the media does favor the East coast. It seemed the West coast didn’t get equal coverage. Sure, the big wigs (USC, Lakers, Dodgers) seemed to get their share. But it felt like the second tier West coast teams were never on par with the second tier East Coast teams.

Scott Reister: How advanced is the technology at ESPN?

Anish Shroff: Any day now, the robot from Rocky IV is going to ask me if I want to dance.

Scott Reister: Can the ESPN empire get any bigger? I think the “Ocho” might actually exist in a few months.

Anish Shroff: An LA studio opens this spring. Would that be ESPN’s equivalent to Constantinople?

Scott Reister: When will I see you on a “This is SportsCenter” commercial? Those are the best.

Anish Shroff: One of the walls of my cubicle made one of the ads. Does that count?

Scott Reister: I’d count it. Tackle any mascots?

Anish Shroff: Nope, but if the St. Joe’s hawk ever comes around and he’s not flapping his wings – I think it would be my civic duty.

Scott Reister: Last question: do you get free ESPN?

Anish Shroff: If only I was tech savvy enough to hook up illegal cable.

Scott Reister: Hook us up brother.

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Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as Dallas Sports Fans.

He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

The Anchor’s Desk with Scott Reister: Burnt Orange The Color Of Choice Among College Fans

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a new regular feature on Midwest Sports Fans called “The Anchor’s Desk,” which features KNDU-TV (TriCities and Yakima,WA) Sports Director Scott Reister. Scott is a native of Texas whose love for sports spans the nation. He will be a great addition to our writing team, and I think you will enjoy his unique perspective.

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by Scott Reister

RICHLAND, Wash. – Three years ago, I packed up the family and moved from Texas to the state of Washington, taking with me all the burnt orange sweatshirts, t-shirts, fleeces, hats, and footballs I owned. Would I be an outsider in a strange new world of Huskies and Cougars? Hardly.

It felt like I never left the Forty Acres.

Texas apparel was everywhere. At the mall. At Wal-Mart. On men, women, and children. On my baby (I dressed her as a UT cheerleader for the OU game). These days, wherever you are, University of Texas gear seems more popular than the local college.

I’ve been told a store in Colorado (home of the Big 12-rival Buffaloes) had Texas jerseys on display in the front windows, while the Colorado jerseys were hanging on the back wall.
Turns out that “Hook ‘Em” has evolved in to an 800-pound gorilla. What gives?

Well, the first (and most obvious) reason is their recent success in just about every major sport.

“When you have athletic success, it provides you with a great opportunity to capitalize on the excitement around that success,” said Craig Westemeier, Assistant Athletics Director for Trademark Licensing. “We’ve been fortunate to maintain that.”

I’ll say. In the 2004-2005 school year, the year before Texas beat USC for the championship, the university pulled in $4 million in royalties.

After Vince Young’s heroics, that number increased to $8.2 million dollars, a whopping 103% increase. That year, Texas became the top-selling institution among colleges represented by the Collegiate Licensing Company. The Horns have been tops on the list ever since with $7.5 million in ‘06-’07, and $8 million in ‘07-‘08. Notre Dame, the highest-ranked Midwest school, ranked 5th. (For the complete list click here.)

“That year was a springboard into the national spotlight,” said Westemeier of the championship year. “It allowed people to see us and say ‘Wow, I like that.’”

Since then, it’s been the perfect convergence of favorable factors.

“We have a large state, a large student population, one of the largest alumni bases (450,000 living alumni), a great logo with the Longhorn, athletic success, and academic success,” said Westemeier.

Forget Mack Brown — even pop culture has spurred the Horns’ rise to apparel dominance.
“A few years ago burnt orange became a hot fashion color,” said Westemeier. “We saw it happen around ‘04-‘05. Burnt orange and purple were the new colors. For a few years it was light blue and that really helped out North Carolina.”

Recession? Not here. UT is hopeful its brand will continue to sell.

“The college product is hot right now. Most schools are seeing growth. People will still spend just for their affinity to the schools.”

And each time you swipe, the rich get richer.

“We have a ten percent royalty fee,” said Westemeier. “For example, if a T-shirt wholesales for $5, and retails for $12, we get 50 cents from every shirt sold.”

Factor in the hats, luggage, pool cues, and baby gear (I have plenty), it adds up fast. The $8 million Texas raked in last year goes back into the athletic department, with a percentage going to the academic side.

When you’re hot, you’re hot. And right now, UT is the “it” thing to wear. So while it may pain my Aggie brother, all those burnt orange shirts are here to stay…at least until A&M’s maroon becomes the next fall color.

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Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as Dallas Sports Fans.

He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com