Guess what week it is? You’re right! It’s the first week of football season. Every team is undefeated, some are eyeing conference championships, some national championships, and others are just looking to become bowl elligible. What ever the outlook is for your team we want to hear about it.

If you’ve read any of my earlier blogs (all 2 of you…thanks mom!), you know that the Warmup Show was canceled. It had nothing to do with Matt or myself it was with programing. I’m sure you’ve figured out that the long run of the Gamecocks at WORD is over. Am I happy about it….NO! I’m sure that some of you (Clempson fans) are saying good riddance. I understand that and even respect it, cause I would feel the same way.

Matt and I hated to see them go because it mean’t our show would end….but from the ashes of the dying Warmup comes a NEW SHOW!

Behold……The Scoreboard With Lonzo and Matt….yeah I know the title may be a little overused but that’s what they gave us.

Every Saturday from 6Pm to 8Pm, Matt and I will be bringing you football. If your in your car coming back from a game, heading out to get something to eat, or just cruising down town (I hear there’s a lot of people down there, it may take you a while to get where you’re going) turn us on and we’ll give you the latest scores and analysis from your favorite football team.

We’re very excited to have a consistant time slot each Saturday and we encourage you to participate. I, personally, would really like to hear from some of you Clempson fans who have responded to my blogs. Bring it live so we can have some fun.

Saturday August 30th…..We’re back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok….if you’re a college sports fan in this area, i’m sure you heard about the dirty recruiting story. Steve Spurrier found out that someone who runs a Clemson website has been sending news clippings of Gamecock arrests to possible recruits. Some of those who run local sites have denied any involvement in such action.

I say…..if you’ve got enough guts to do something so low….stand up like a man and take credit for it. I doubt that you will….because you’re a Clempson fan!!

Clempson fans are elitist, snobish, backbiting babies who can’t talk about their team without mentioning the Gamecocks. Every Clempson fan I talk to, when they know they can’t hang with me in a debate, brings up the recent string of Carolina arrests. Which is the equivalent of yelling ‘Your mom!’ on the playground. Hello……Clempson fan….you’ve had a string of arrests of your own!!! I don’t need to name names, but some of the crimes include; assault, dui, and drug possesion.

Clempson has had just as many arrests, but they are seldom reported in the biased local media or they are quickly swept under the rug by officials in that small college town. Good ole boys taking care of their school with a slap on the wrist, a wink, a nod, and a pat on the back!

Clempson is ranked 9th in the Coaches Poll and picked to win the ACC. Instead of getting hyped about the upcoming season and how good their team is going to be, they’re still worried about the Carolina Gamecocks. Unbelievable!!!

I agree that Clempson should have an great season. They have both running backs back, an awsome quarterback, some of the fastest receivers in football, and a tough defense. Do I think they will win…..no!!! I think lack of character and the inabillity to win the big one will leave them just short of their goal once again.

Back to the dirty recruiting. If I had a team I would be above mentioning another schools name. Who cares about the other schools….I would show them why coming to my school was the right and only decision……without slamming someone else.

Will I get a reply to this blog……I doubt it!! Maybe Matt with the Facts will step up but I doubt any of you real Clempson babies has enough guts!!!

Football is less than a month a way……I can’t wait.

Clempson fans……BRING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**all misspellings of the word Clemson were done purposefully and phonetically for the obviously lame fans of the team any offense taken by the reader was completely intentional…..go Gamecocks!

It’s time for me to say goodbye to all the loyal listeners who have heard me on WORD for the last 7 years.

 Don’t worry (or get happy), I’m not quitting or getting fired (I hope!). Unfortunately it is time for me to say goodbye to….sob!!….The Warmup Show!!

Six years ago John Thomas and myself went to Hal Brown (who was Program Director at the time) and asked him for a show. We were going to call it The Overweight Sport Show, not because either of us was fat, but because we thought it was a catchy title. Hal told us to put  together a tape (yes it was a tape!!) and he would let us know. Two weeks later…we had our answer….it was yes….sort of.

Hal actually had tears in his eyes from laughing when he told us yes, but we had to team up with Tim Snyder and it had to be a warm up show for the Carolina Gamecocks. We were told to change our names and to be as outrageous as we could. And so….Tiny Tim, Porkchop(me!), and Biscuit(John) took the air. That first year was a blast!!

By the next football season, sadly, John and Tim were no longer with the company. So I started the next year with a new partner, Jason Farr, and began using my own name. We had a lot of fun but somewhere along the way I managed to rub Jason the wrong way and he didn’t want to return the next year. Sorry man I still love ya like a lil brother.

The following year, the evil, maniacle, and definitely infamous Program Director…Peter Theile paired me with a renowned Upstate personality….Stan Olenik. The very first live show I ever produced was for Stan when we worked at WPEK, The Peak. Stan had taught me everything I knew about sports radio and I am eternally grateful for it.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work very well. It’s like going to work for your dad……He has expectations that you’ll never meet and you try so hard you fail. It was an honor to have my name next to his, but it didn’t deserve to be there, and I didn’t contribute nearly enough. Still….I’m thankful for the experience.

After a year with no show, and a new program director, I thought it was time to try again. Bob Mclain gave me the go ahead for the show but I still had to find a partner. Pickens were Slim and I didn’t know what in the wide wide world of sports I was going to do. (Sorry…sometimes I can’t help myself!)

We had an intern sitting in with me on The Russ and Lisa Show and we started to have a conversation that turned into a debate about the Gamecocks and Clempson. On the spot I offered him a spot on the show and told him the direction i’d like to go….fair and balanced….The Warmup Show with Lonzo and Matt took the air.

Matt Tomlinson actually made it through two years with me and I am very proud of how he has grown  into a formidable radio personality. We were very much looking forward to this years show, but alas it was not to be.

I can’t divulge the reasons yet but I can tell you that it has nothing to do with Matt and I.

I’m sure that Matt would join me in thanking all of the listeners for tuning into us each week, calling and sharing, and making the Warmup Show what it was.

I know this has been a lengthy blog but I wanted to eulogize the show in the only way I knew how. This is the end…..goodbye Warmup Show!!

In closing I would like to thank Tim, John, Jason, Stan, Matt and even Evil Producer Josh for what was…..our show!

…….but ya never know…..the end of one thing, could be the beginning of something new……stay tuned!!!

The Lonzo

Hey everybody….I’m back! Ya know, writers block can be a scary thing! It hits you when you least expect it, and like a wart on the tip of your nose, it won’t go away. I’m thinking of founding a non-profit charity that would research and find a cure for writers block. I’ll call it the Lonzo fund for buying games……I mean….Cure for Writers Block. If I could only convince our Legal department of it’s legitimacy!

Anyway…on to the blog. Unless you have no tv or radio, i’m sure you’ve heard of the Bret Favre situation. He retired from the Green Bay Packers, but changed his mind, and now they don’t want him back. There’s been back and forth between management and Bret about who said what and all that. I personally don’t care what the Packers management has to say.

Russ and I discussed this breifly on the air and he took the angle that ‘If you retire, you should stay retired!’. I totally disagree with this! It seems that whenever a story like this comes up, I always side with the player. Maybe I do!

As an athlete, the hardest thing to do is hang em up and leave the field. What’s wrong with realizing you’ve made a mistake. I think Bret should be allowed to play. There are a lot of teams out there who would love to have him for a couple of seasons. Unfortunately Packers management has made it personal by saying they don’t want to tarnish Bret’s legacy. Hello…that’s exactly what you’re trying to do. Other players from the Packers have moved on (Like Reggie White) and their legacy wasn’t tarnished. In fact, they are still revered in Green Bay.

I think in the end the Packers will do the right thing and let Bret go, but I predict that it won’t be to a team everyone believes it will be. I think there are suprises ahead. What do you think? Will the Packers let him go? Should they? Where will Bret Favre play next year?

Later!!

First of all….I know I haven’t blogged in months but I was protesting something I consider to be an atrocity. My friend Matt (Who can be heard every Saturday before Gamecock football games on The Warmup Show) was stripped of his blog. I will not divulge the reasons behind this, but I can tell you that it had nothing to do with the amount of hits his blog received. His was the most read blog on the WORD website and without a doubt, one of the most interesting. Still the man (or the mistress) had to take my friend down. I hope that you the reader of this blog and listeners of WORD will stand by me in protest by sending emails and posting on our message board. (Bmclain@entercom.com and twest@entercom.com)  Bring back Matt with the facts!

 Now that that business is out of the way, I want to tell you of an incident that occured last night. It wasn’t a major breaking news story or an unpassed bill in the senate, but instead, it was something that disturbed me on a personal level. My daughters softball team was scheduled to play the other Fountain Inn team in 9-10 softball. We were really looking forward to it because it’s the middle of the season and both teams were undefeated.

My daughters best friend plays for the other team and they were giving each other a hard time at school about who’s team was better. There is nothing more American than talking stuff about your team to your buddies. When we arrived to the field our coach addressed the parents and I couldn’t believe my ears. He said that the players had taken a vote and had decided to count the game as a scrimmage. A SCRIMMAGE!!!!

I expressed how lame this was and most of the parents agreed. I, of course, was ignored by the coach and my wife didn’t want me to make a scene. The reasoning was that there were friends on either side of the field and they didn’t want to hurt each others feelings. Huh??????

I have never seen (in person) such a blatant use of Political Correctness!

Hello!!!!!!! It’s a sport…..there are winners, and there are losers! Let’s play some ball!!! If you’re so worried about hurting someones feelings then you need to find another sport to coach, like water ballet or compettitve eating! No…..ya can’t do that either because someone might win and hurt someones feelings!

Maybe i’m wrong about this, but I thought sports was about learning to function as a team, experiencing the highs of a win and the lows of a loss, shaking hands and knowing you’ll getem next time. Besides, I’m not sure that what they did was within the rules of the league.

Am I wrong, or am I overeacting? What lesson could this possibly teach these children. They already have to deal with no winners during field day, and at my daughters school, no letter grades…only check marks!

I just don’t get it…………do you?

Yeah, it’s superbowl week.

I wish I could say that I’m excited but I’m not. I don’t like either team and I think I’m not alone.

Let’s break down the reasons, shall we?

The New York Giants: you have to start at the top with the coach. Tom Coughlin has a reputation of being the strictest coach in the league. Until this year, he was probably considered the most hated. (Just ask Tiki Barber, he’ll tell ya. In fact, he hasn’t shut up about it since he retired). Next in line is lil’ Eli Manning. I didn’t think he was that good of a college player and I thought his draft status was raised because of his family name. Then, of course, he refused to play for the team that drafted him. Come on people! I would’ve paid him to sit at home for four years! Rules are there for a reason! I guess you don’t have to obey them if your name is Eli.

The Giant receivers are a bunch of thugs but at least they catch the ball when mister inconsistency can get the ball somewhere near them. Strahan and the rest of the defense are definitely the strong half of the team. Every time I see the Giants I think of Phil Simms and my eardrums cringe. It is definitely a slight against your team, that the worst announcer in all of sports (And that includes ice skating and dodgeball) used to play for your team and is considered one of the best Giants of all time.

The New England Patriots: Cheaters!!! Yes, I know that they are undefeated going into the superbowl…..get your asterisks ready. Bill Belichick has got to be one of the grumpiest human beings alive. Talk about excitable, man I get goosebumps hearing him speak! (The previous sentence is steeped with sarcasm) Spygate is his legacy and every victory since, or before, are tainted and should be stricken from the record books!

Tom Brady is considered one of the best quarterbacks since Joe Montana….but I don’t think so! Honestly, I believe he is a great player but I can’t get past his alma mater. Unlike some people around here, I don’t believe you leave your school behind, just because you went to the pros. My scarlet and gray vision refuses to let me see Brady as anything other than a Michigan quarterback. I could never root for a player from Michigan! I know that Wolverine fans respect that because I wouldn’t expect them to root for a Buckeye.

Then there’s Randy Moss. Once a thug, always a thug! Just because you put a thug player on a good team, it doesn’t make him any less of a thug. It’s a shame that someone with that kind of talent, admittedly, takes plays off. I know he set a record this year but think of how good he could be if he played hard every play. Check out names like Steve Smith and Jerry Rice, Randy, and then you’ll understand what working all about.

Finally, we have the Patriot defense. One of the oldest defenses in the NFL, they have struggled as of late. The one redeeming value on the defense is Mike Vrabel. (who just happens to be a Buckeye)

Will I watch the superbowl….yeah, I’ll watch it, but I predict it will be one of the least watched superbowls in history.

All I can hope for Is that Paula Abdul will show up drunk and accidently trip Randy Jackson, who will fall on top of Tom Petty causing him to not perform all of his washed up nasally songs……and maybe this year the commercials won’t suck.

Giants 24 Patriots 20 I hope Tom Brady cries!!!!