I had a wonderful time Saturday night at the Panthers game. My wife was able to get us tickets, from someone she knew, for one of the luxury suites. It was one of those experiences that only rich people get to have on a regular basis. There was free food, like shrimp cocktail, chicken, cupcakes, and they even ordered some pizza. Yes, I know I mentioned the food first….but it is me we’re talking about.
The view was great and the majority of the people in the suite were cool, except for one guy. He was your typical drunk sports fan, appologizing for his fowl language, but continuing to use it. I need to say something to this drunk guy, that I didn’t say in front of my family. “You, sir, are an idiot!!!”. He complained that he had bet on the Panthers to win, at least a thousand times. Hello!!! It’s a pre-season game!!! Only someone stupid or desperate, would bet on a pre-season game. He left at half time….thank you God.
Upon arrival we were notified that the president and GM of the Jets was in the suite next to us. Everytime a Jets player would screw up, he would snatch up his phone, call the sideline and start screaming…..it was hillarious!!!
The game itself was a defensive struggle and there were some special teams problems, but I had fun. For those of you writing the Panthers off already, lighten up, it’s just the pre-season!! I thought Eric Norwood had a good game and so did Captain. I believe the Panthers will make the playoffs this year……..we shall see…….

THE LONZO

My band ‘Crimson Promise’ had the honor of opening up for 3Nailz, yesterday, in the parking lot of the Lifeway Christian Bookstore in Anderson. We had a great time and I learned some things….which always makes it a good day.

There were storms everywhere Saturday, but we prayed for good weather, and we got it. I started the day out by calling the owner of the store ‘dude’ which I later apologized for. I’ve never thought of ‘dude’ as a negative term but I think he was just messing with me…..but it’s all good…isn’t it!

If you’ve never seen the early stages of an outdoor concert, let me tell you, there’s a lot of work to be done and I don’t think the stage guys, the roadies, the lighting guys, the merch guys, or the sound guys get enough credit. You guys rock!!!!

We did our set and it went pretty well…..we butchered one song…..but nobodies perfect. I love my band members very much!! I pray that we will continue to grow as a band.

The drama team from Rocky Creek Church performed next and those kids were awesome!! It’s very hard to dance in 90 degree heat but they pulled it off with pasion and skill.

3Nailz took the stage and they were definitely worth coming to see. I sat back on a hill behind the stage and I watched…..which is how I learn. The music was great, Cory and his sister Beth have killer harmonies, and they really got the crowd involved. I sat there on the hill and lost myself in the message of the songs and I saw what we could be with a little more practice.

I’ve said many times that you should pick up some 3Nailz music and really encourage you to do so.

I think one of the coolest things I heard yesterday was that someone was driving down the street and she heard a song that was familiar to her. It was her favorite 3Nailz song and she had her husband turn around so she could come and see the rest of the concert. That is one of the biggest compliments you can give a band.

The concert was over at 9pm but we were there until about 11:30 tearing everything down. Special thanks to Kenny(who seems like a friend i’ve known all my life) and Greg (who had to unload all that stuff when he got home…..I feel for ya brutha) for making it possible for us to be a part of this concert.

One last thing…..the crowd. We had at least a hundred in the side parking lot, plus cars in the mall parking lot and the cars that slowed down on Clemson blvrd. Not to mention the police that showed up at the end of the show…..almost felt like the Beatles or U2…..without the arrests…..

In closing…..support your local Christian artist, come to their concerts, tell your friends, buy their merchandise which will support their ministry.

We do this to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.

Thanks for reading the blog………………..THE LONZO

I spent most of the day and quite a bit of the night at a Christian music festival called ‘Ignite Fest’. It was at the Greenwood Christian School and organized by a guy named Steve Morse. Steve is the bass player for a band called ‘Edge of Eternity’.

It was an honor for us to be invited to play at this event with so many really good bands. My band ‘Crimson Promise’ played somewhere in the middle of the line up and it was the first time that we were at a venue with so many other bands. I sometimes am down on myself thinking that we don’t fit in a place like this, but that’s when I find myself hiding in my considerable ego. First and foremost, the band, the music, and all that we are should be about spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why, when a door is opened, we try to sprint through it.

I met some people that I had only talked to on Myspace and Facebook and they were really cool. Hanging out backstage you get to see what these guys are really like and it’s good to know that most bands act the same way. We’re all just a bunch of kids playing and talking about music. It was one of the best days of my life!

I was especially glad to finally meet Cory from 3 Nailz. I use one of there songs for the Scoreboard theme song and when they played it live I realized how cool it was for them to let me use the songs. They are a very tight and energetic band! If you haven’t seen them yet…do it soon….these guys are gonna get signed soon.

I was recognized by my voice a couple of times yesterday…which is really weird. One of those times was from a guy named Ben who’s in the band ‘At a Downfall’. I had really long conversation with Ben and I plan on playing some of their music on my show. Sorry I kept you from getting to your Chinese food Ben….next time i’m in Greenwood i’ll have to try it. I’m sure it’s as good as you say!

Convicted Saints, Walls of Gray, Big Blue Planet, Crimson Promise, 3 Nailz, At a Downfall, Edge of Eternity, 39 Lashes, and Parable are all bands that I suggest you go and see when they’re in your area. And all, or most, are on Facebook and Myspace so check’em out!

There was only one bad thing about the day…..lack of attendance. Don’t get me wrong, there were people there, just not as many as there should have been. There are too many people sitting in the pews who are afraid to embrace music that has a beat. The Bible says to make a ‘Joyful’ noise and to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. If the music does this then how can you condemn it? The Church is in us, the Light should be in us, why would you choose to let it be hidden. If one soul is saved, one life changed, one lost and broken heart shown the love of Christ, how can you say it is wrong?

I’ll get off the soapbox…for now(that thing is bending and might break soon) and say that I thank God for yesterday…..what an awesome day!

IGNITE FEST ROCKED!!!!!

I told you Dallas would win(see last weeks blog), I’m not the biggest Dallas fan but I’m glad that December thing is behind them. Sorry media….you’ll have to find something else to talk about…..I here Tiger’s had a little run of trouble, maybe you should pounce on that…..

Because of the hassle of getting the other guys to send me their picks, I will continue to do it solo for the rest of the season. Of course, Matt’s name is on the blog also…..maybe he’ll do another one sometime soon. Last week I went 11-6….not bad, but I have to stop picking with my heart when my brain is screaming ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING!’.

Here we go…..

New England vs. Buf.- Theres a lot of turmoil over Randy Moss’ effort, and even though I wish that ship would crash and burn…Patriots win.

Arizona vs. Detroit- Kurt Warner bounces back from a horrible game last week and looks like the former MVP he is……Cardinals win.

Miami vs. Tenn.- What a hard game to pick…..um…let me flip a coin….Titans win.

K.C. vs. Cleveland- I can’t help it….Kansas City is my favorite team. They both stink, but the Browns smell worse……C’mon Chiefs!

Houston vs. St. Louis- Texans win.

Atlanta vs. N.Y. Jets- 2 up and down teams with too many injuries….Jets win.

Oak. vs. Denver- Denver can beat the bad teams…..Broncos win.

T.B. vs. Seattle- Who would want to watch this one???? Seahawks win.

Chicago vs. Balt.- Should be a tough matchup….but da I’m goin wit da Bears.

San Fran vs. Philly- This one is an early playoff game. Vick is becoming a factor……Eagles win.

G.B. vs. Pittsburgh- What happened to the Steelers??? Packers win.

Minnesota vs. Carolina- Goodbye John Fox…..maybe you can get some HALLS for your throat condition and a UHAUL for your stuff….Vikings win.

N.Y. Giants vs. Wash.-Washington is starting to clean house (no the Republicans haven’t taken the Senate back…but it’s coming!). Shanahan may be on his way……but, the Redskins upset the Giants Monday night.

San Diego vs. Tenn.- Chargers give the Titans a gift and they take it. Titans win.

Well, there ya go. The winners are in bold for those scoring at home.

Merry Christmas to all of our listeners! May God bless you and keep you! Never forget the reason we celebrate……On this day was born to us a Saviour, who is Christ The Lord!!!

I will continue to give my NFL picks for the rest of the year (including today) but for now, here’s the final ‘Scoreboard ‘ tally:

MATT          131-60

LONZO        121-70

CHRIS          119-72

JOSH            118-73

Congrats to Matt for winning the picks segment this year…..I am confident that I will regain my crown when the ‘Scoreboard’ resumes in August.

Now for this weeks games……

N.O. vs. Atlanta- New Orleans continues their undefeated season.

Seatle vs. Houston- This is a hard game to pick, but I’m going with Seatle.

Denver vs. Indy- Denver can’t beat a good team…..Indy stays undefeated.

Carolina vs. N.E.- I may be stupid (if I was how would I know) go Panthers!

Buf. vs Kansas City- Going with my heart here……go Chiefs!!!

Detroit vs. Baltimore- The lions are improving, but the Ravens win.

Cinci. vs. Minnesota- This should be a great game…..Favre bounces back…Vikings.

Miami vs. Jville- This could be a toss up…..i’m going with the Dolphins.

N.Y. Jets vs. T.B.- Tampa Bay is horrible……Jets.

G.B. vs. Chicago- Divisional rivalry……Da Packers.

Was. vs. Oak.- Bruce is turning out to be a Q.B………Raiders.

Stl. vs Tenn.-Tennessee bounces back for the win.

S.D. vs Dallas- I know, I know, Dallas can’t win in December…..they do today.

Phi. vs. N.Y. Giants- Phily wins….maybe they’ll use Vick some more.

Ari. vs. S.F.- Warner is unstopable, unless you hit em in the head, Cardinals win.

Indy. vs. Jac.- Thursday game- Short week……Indy wins.

Dallas vs. N.O.- I know I’m crazy but…….N.O. suffers their first loss.

There you have it. The winners are in bold type….duh!!! We’ll see how I did…Time to go watch some football!!!

You know…it’s really sad that when the Gamecocks lose a couple of games it’s because ‘they’re a middle of the pack team’ but when Clempson loses it’s because ‘they beat themselves’! As someone on this station has asked before…..am I surrounded by idiots? You lost because you can’t stop the run!!! HELLLLLLOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Virginia had a game plan that worked, and the teams that came after followed the blueprint to perfection. A running quarterback and a good running back has beaten Clempson the last two games. The Carolina Gamecocks put the beat down on the ‘lil tigers’ and the game was never in doubt, even after they spotted them 7. So stop your crying and act like men!! The Gamecocks were a better team than Clempson all year and they proved it on the field.

Georgia Tech beat you twice, Clempson fan, because of coaching. Let’s face it….this was a Tommy Bowden team, that finished the Tommy Bowden way. Dabo was all in…….all in to being a Tommy Bowden clone.

Remember Clempson fan……Spiller’s gone…..next year is going to be a struggle for you.

Before I finish……Let’s not forget that you still have to play Kentucky. A 7 and 5 team with a good defense (uh oh Parker), a running quarterback, and a good running game.

Kentucky 34   Clempson 17

Sound familiar???????

Now do all us Gamecock fans a favor……..put your orange in the closet, think about 1991, and do EVERYONE a major favor……..and SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!

SCOREBOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok…..it’s been a while since i’ve blogged…..

I am a little busy but that’s no excuse. I’m watching the replay of the Gamecocks victory over the Owls as I enjoy the last couple hours of my birthday. I’m 41 today, in case you were wondering…..I think my maturaty level might be somewhere around nineteen…..my wife might disagree with that!

It’s weird this year doing the show live on location. You lose a lot of the things that are normally at your fingertips and have to put your trust in others. I think i’m kinda control freak, so when i’m not driving, i’m not real happy. We haven’t had a show without technical difficulties yet, but we hope that the product on the air is up to par.

I appreciate the people that come out to meet Matt and myself, I only wish we had some time to spend with you guys. We have short breaks and during that time we’re making decisions and….well…..eating. I hope we don’t come across as rude, we are glad that you are there.

The football season is shaping up how most people expect it too. At the writing of this blog, the Gamecocks and Tigers are both 2 and 1 and they both had every chance to be undefeated. One play away….but what can you do?

I encourage you to listen to the show and come out to Cheifs in Spartanburg to meet us. Thanks again to 3 Nailz for the intro music, if you haven’t listened to them, you should.

Time to go……4am comes…..well….early so keep listening, calling, posting, tweeting and following THE SCOREBOARD……see ya on the radio!!!

I’ve thought about this for a few days and I have finally decided that I should blog about it. I want to talk about softball parents.

My daughter has played softball for 6 years now and I sometimes stand dumbfounded at how some of the parents act. This week at a tournament, the team we were playing illegally substituted some late arriving players. There was a coaches conference with the ump and a tournament official to determine what should be done. They decided that the other team would have to forfeit if our coaches agreed. They did not. We were getting our butts beat on the field and the coaches decided not to allow the forfeit, but to continue the game, and then we lost.

Let me say this….rules are rules and everyone knew what they were. If it were me, I would have made them forfeit. But it is a coaches decision and I stand by them….half of the parents did not.

When the game was over, these parents made a big scene in front of everybody by confronting the coach. He said he didn’t take the forfeit because he wanted the girls to learn something about dignity and honor….something these parents never learned.

There was yelling, screaming, and crying by these parents as the girls just sat there. The coach asked if he could talk to the players alone and the parents got mad and took their girls to another part of the ballpark. This devastated the coach, but he appologized to those of us who were left behind and said that he would see us the next day.

There are little segments in society who think they are priveliged and above others around them. Some call them ellitest, some snobs, and others call them words that I would never use. Unfortunately, these people raise their children the same way. They hang in their cliques, making fun of everyone else instead of improving there own gameplay.

The girls that were left behind had one thing in common…..they were happy to be there. These weren’t girls that were picked every year because their parents were friends with the coach. These were girls who played there way in and deserved to be treated better than having to deal with parents whose since of entitlement got the better of them.

I did not speak out because it would have made the situation worse. All I could do was reassure my daughter that everything was okay…..and then I laughed. I looked at these so-called adults as they seethed and waited to jump the coach when he had no back up and I laughed at them. I did not want to be associated with those people.

I explained to my kids that this was an example of how not to act. And if they start to get out of line I remind them of who they are acting like and they stop.

This really bothered me….what would you have done. Which side would you be on. I hope you know.

The first thing I want to do in this blog is appologize for taking so long with this…..SORRY!!!

Just like it sometimes goes in life……I’ve had one thing after another happen and I haven’t felt in my right mind(whatever that is)  to write.

3 Nails is the band I want to tell you guys about this week. First of all I want to thank the guys for sending me the stuff and I guarantee your music will play on the Scoreboard this year.

I remember the first time my kids heard me listening to these guys. My 11 year old daughter thought I was listening to an act signed to a major label. “Why aren’t they on the radio?” she asked me. My reply….they should be! My 15 year old son wanted it on his mp3 player as soon as we got home. I think this says a lot for the appeal of this band to a younger audience and to an older rocker like myself.

The music is tight! I love the mix and I can’t say enough about 3 Nails. The sound is current and the vocals remind me of a cross between 12 Stones and 80’s Bad Company. (Don’t crack on the 80’s….at least it wasn’t Disco!)

I am reviewing the cd AGAINST THE LEDGES.

TAKE ME AWAY- is a melodic plea from a broken man. I loved the grinding guitars.

SHINE-talks about the spark that grows into a flame raging for God. I think the bass really stands out in this song

FORGIVE- is a heartfelt cry from a lamb that’s went astray.

HIS WILL- This song should be playing on the radio right now. It is a balaad that prays for God’s will and the need to get past yourself. The guitar solo jams and chorus and melody sticks with you.

FIRE- starts off with accoustic guitar and then kicks it with electric in parts to drive home the point of being on fire for God. I’ve gotta tell you that I go around the house singing this chorus all the time.

FEEL- this song speaks of a prodigal return and I think the drums really stand out.

GIVE UP- is God speaking to someone with a hardened heart. Unfortunately, we’ve all been there.

BREATHE FOR ME- is God asking for a life lived for Him. The bass player rips it up on this song.

RECLAIMED- is a longing for rebirth. This is beautiful and moving in a way that I can’t explain. It is a song that is felt more than heard. The piano is haunting and the strength of the vocals have to be experienced. I think this could be number one on the charts.

INSIDE OUT- is a rocking way to end the cd. Selling out for God brings about change that the world must recognize.

I can’t say enough about these guys and I hope that we get to jam someday. If you want to check them out (and you really should), go to http://www.myspace.com/3nlz

If you are a Christian Rock or Contemporary band and you want your project reviewed with a chance to have it play as bumper music on my sports show, email me at GWRITESEL@ENTERCOM.COM and check out my bands myspace profile at WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THECRIMSONPROMISEBAND

Keep the music coming….my next review will be on Tony Dale’s latest project.

                               THE LONZO 

Hey everybody! Sorry this has taken a while but I went back to Ohio for vacation and I’ve been sick every since. Every time I go through the mountains I get a sinus infection and my ears hurt for days! Enough about that……time to review….as promised.

A band called Idle Down mailed me a CD….and here’s what I thought of it.

WITHOUT YOUR BLOOD- The first trac on the project and right away, 2 things stick out, first and foremost the mention of Jesus Christ and the guitars. It’s fast and catchy and helps set the mood for what’s to come. PLASTICINE slows things down and is a passionate plea for patience and the knowing that things will work out in the end. SEA OF HANDS is a praise song….that says it all. PRAY FOR A MELODY is a song that talks about the influence of Jesus in song writing. EVEN THOUGH is a moving tale of love found and lost…..and we’ve all been there!

THE MESSENGER is reminicient of Degarmo and Key (remember them?) with similar harmonies and guitar style. WOODROWS WAY is my favorite trac on the project. It has a definite Steely Dan feel, with a driving beat, killer harmonies, funky guitar riffs, and awsome solos. SUFFER LIFE puts you in mind of the Greatful Dead with it’s simple but satisfying mix of accoustic and electric guitars and a little piano thrown in for some spice. TAKE OUR LIVES is a deep song that reminds me of Todd Agnew. The line ‘Take our lives as your sacrifice, it’s all we have to give’ says it all. ON MY WAY ROCKS!!! It falls somewhere between ZZ Top and Molly Hatchet with a very solid bass line. HEY THERE PEOPLE is a tearful plea to listen to the message of Christ.

The music was tight and I enjoyed listening to this project. I hope this gets you interested in listening to Idle Down. I encourage you to support your local Christian artists. It’s all about the great commision and I ask you to help get the word out. You can check them out on their Myspace or playing somewhere near you.

If you are a Christian band, contemporary to rock, send me a CD or drop one by the station. Make sure you adress it to Lonzo. (the address should be on the website…somewhere.) Bands are already sending me stuff….so keep it up!! See ya next time!

                  THE LONZO