with Gary Laubach

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Emmy-nominated local sports broadcaster Gary Laubach has served as the voice of the Leopards on television since 1996, handling play-by-play duties for theLafayette Sports Network. The Sports Director at RCN-TV 4, Laubach has been a television sports broadcaster for more than 35 years and has called over 4,000 contests. The Behind the Mic column offers a broadcaster's perspective on Lafayette Athletics.

August 2, 2007

MY PRESEASON TAKE ON THE PRESEASON TAKE

I attended the Patriot League Football Media Day on August 1. It was a fun day - Media Days usually are. Everyone wants to make the media happy and the Patriot League is no exception. There was good food, camaraderie amongst the radio, TV, and print people, plenty of information available for the upcoming football season, a nice gift, and golf. Now that is what I call a good day at work.

The purpose of this particular day is to focus on the upcoming football season. The offensive and defensive preseason players of the year are announced, the preseason poll is unveiled, any rule changes are revealed, and the media is reminded that the Patriot League is part of the Football Championship Subdivision (no more I-AA).

So, before the Leopards put on their pads, I have some questions and thoughts on a few things (in no particular order - my mind doesn't work that way, anyway):

1. What is the value of naming a preseason Player of the Year? Sure, it's nice for Mike Gallihugh, a Colgate linebacker, and Sedale Threatt, who plays quarterback for one of the other teams in the League, but, otherwise, so what? Both players had great seasons last year, will probably have great seasons again this year, but unless you are the Amazing Kreskin, an Atlantic City Boardwalk fortune teller, or Rush Limbaugh (he's always telling America what WILL happen), does anyone truly know the future? Can anyone, with any kind of certainty, say these two players will be the very best at the END of the season? If not, why tell us BEFORE the season starts? Besides, lunch would have been served sooner if this was taken out of the program agenda.
2. Does Lafayette deserve to be the preseason (there's that word again) favorite? As Coach Tavani says, "We're flattered by the respectà ¯ ¿ ½but, it's not where you start, it's where you finish." I think it's a plot. In the past seven seasons, the preseason (there's THAT worthless word AGAIN!) pick has only won the championship ONCE! Frank, this isn't about "respect." This is about making sure you do NOT win the championship for the fourth straight year. It's a conspiracy - you lost your three year starting quarterback, you lost your great running back. Who are the other coaches kidding? They are just playing the odds. By picking you to WIN, they are picking you to LOSE! Don't fall for this trap! Just win and I will regain my respect for preseason polls.
3. Do you like "NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision" instead of I-AA? As an announcer, I can't wait to use this term on a weekly basis. Will this start a trend? Will the NFL become The Professional Football League of High Salaried Misfits Who Often Make Only Wrong Decisions That Affect Their Future? Will MLB become The Baseball League That Likes Records Broken Only by Players with Normal Sized Heads? How about the NHL? Right, who cares! Doesn't I-AA have a similar connotation as "Subdivision?" Not my call - from now on, it's the FCS.
4. Why does it take 17 (that's right - 17) pages to tell us the Rules Changes for 2007? First, nine pages to give the changes; three pages to highlight the changes "in a way that is easy to understand;" and five pages to explain the "impact on officiating" the changes will have. Now, I went to college. I want Cliffs Notes or nothing.
           Let me summarize the nine pages: forget last year's rule changes; kick the ball off from the 30; teams get thirty-second timeouts, unless the game is
            televised and then the coach gets enough TV timeouts to call the next 25 plays, and call home and check on the kids.

            Let me summarize the three pages: 2005 Rulebook; not the 35, stupid; not ANOTHER time out!

            And, let me summarize the five pages: BOOOOOOOO!!

5. So, may I summarize what I learned at the Football Media Day? If you feed them, they will come; information is easy to attain; I like nice gifts; I have trouble hitting my driver; and no one in my business EVER quits! They don't want to miss the NEXT Media Day.

GO LEOPARDS!