Initial Reaction to Super Bowl 47

Wow what a game. You know at one point tonight when the Raven's were up 28-6 and we were 28 minutes into what ended up being a 34 minute power outage delay... the thought crossed my mind that I was going to be really angry if this game kept me up until midnight only to be a blowout.

I wake up at 5:30 a.m. on Mondays and am Half Marathon training... and you were thinking the same thing to. But for those of us that decided to stick around to see what played out after the power outage (I can't wait to see the overnight numbers tomorrow and how many people tuned out at that point) we were greatly rewarded for our patience.

Which leads to my first, of a couple initial thoughts, on Super Bowl 47:

1. What I heard people say and tweet: The Ravens became flat because of the power outage delay. My belief... that's a bunch of B.S.! The Ravens came out fine and the delay affected them in very little way. What it did do was give the 49ers a chance to recuperate after a knockout punch was delivered by Mr. X Factor, Jacoby Jones 109 yard kick off return. I know they changed it to 108... but that's because Desmond Howard threw a challenge flag and requested the NFL utilize its technology to properly measure where the ball was in relation to the end line.
I digress... let me compare this to a boxing match. You've got two heavy weights who come in to the fight. One has a great advantage through the first couple rounds. Coming into the 4th round he delivers the knockout blow. His opponent is lying on the floor gasping for breath and the lights go out in Caesers Palace... for 30 mins! When they come back on, the guy who was winning the fight is confused, bewildered, has nasty thoughts going through his head about the Las Vegas Electric Cooperative. In the meantime his opponent has mended up all his wounds, loaded up on Gatorade and Deer Antler Spray, and now feels he's back in the fight and comes back with a resurgence.
This is what happened. Except the power would never go out in Vegas during a championship fight... unless Danny Ocean and 11 guys were trying to rob the place.

2. True or false... that was holding against the defense on 4th and goal during the last offensive play for the 49ers: True. He mauled him. But before you throw your arms up in the air consider these other factors. Have you ever officiated any sort of championship game? I have. I used to be a hockey official and oversaw national championship games. When you get the rare instance to be the official for a situation like we had on Sunday night where one play can win it all, what do you do? You let them play it out on the field. There was a .000001% chance any flag was going to come out on that play. My good friend Brian Stefan with Myrtle Beach Golf guys says you don't change your officiating because of the game circumstances. Umm... yea... You kind of do. No ref wants to be the guy who determined the Super Bowl Champion because he threw a flag on a play where both guys were being rough with one another, the play was rushed and it was an awful fade pass, and the same people arguing for a flag could also argue for an un-catchable ball.  Want to complain about something? Complain about Jim not taking a timeout and letting his young QB with 10 games of experience just wing it on the final play.

3. I love the call to take a safety by the punter at the end. Punting from your own end zone with :15 to go to Ted Ginn, Jr.? Not a wise decision. I also agree with the punt protector (can we call this position the Tebow from now on?) blatantly holding the 49er trying to get to the kicker. Why not? What difference did it make to hold him? The end result of a flag in the end zone is... a safety. And last time I checked they don't put :04 back on the clock because that's when you held the guy. Maybe that's a rule change the NFL ought to look into, but it's such a rare circumstance I doubt it will get much consideration.

4. Who knew Chris Culliver's bad week would actually get worse on Sunday? Maybe he should have been suspended. He would have played a better game sitting on the sideline. And for every bad moment Culliver had, Mr. X Factor Jacoby Jones came through as the difference in this one. I know Flacco earned the MVP, and rightfully so as the leader of this team not only in this years playoffs but his 9-4 career post-season record. But without Jones the 49ers win this game by 10 points. And maybe... we all would've gotten to bed 34 minutes earlier tonight.

5. Best commercials of the night:
First Place: Budweiser "The Brotherhood" a.k.a. Clydesdale (if you didn't get a little choked up watching that one your are either A. Lying or B. Heartless and need to go with the Tin Man to Oz... which by the way looks like a pretty cool re-make)
Second Place: Dodge Ram "God Mad a Farmer" (A little confusing at first, but when it all came together at the end had a profound impact on myself and I believe much of America)
Third Place: Any of the Doritos spots with "Goat for Sale" leading the way

Honorable Mention: The fact that Budweiser was the first commercial played after kickoff. I took my buddy Sam to the cleaners for $2.00 on that prop bet. I said it would be beer, he said cars. This was after I said Alicia Keys would go over 2:10 on the national anthem and he said under (she unofficially set the freakin record for time of Anthem with those :08 pauses in between ever line, not to mention her little remix at the end) AND I called Heads when he called Tails. He stopped betting me after that. Unfortunately for him he put a 10 spot on Chris Culliver and the Niners... so Aaron wins again.

 

Bowl Games That Matter Pick 'Em Contest!

BOWL GAMES THAT MATTER PICK 'EM CONTEST brought to you by Jiffy Lube and the 

Tilted Kilt. Pick the following games by e-mailing thedrive@teammyrtlebeach.com. 

1st Place gets a free signature service oil change from Jiffy Lube and $50 to Tilted Kilt

2nd Place gets a free oil change and $25

3rd Place gets $25 to Tilted Kilt. 


Here are the games we're picking, spreads are from BetOnline and BleacherReport.com:

Music City: Vanderbilt (-6.5) vs. N.C. State

Sun Bown: USC (-10) vs. Georgia Tech

Chick Fil A: LSU (-4) vs. Clemson

Gator: Northwestern (-2) vs. Mississippi State

Outback: South Carolina (-4) vs. Michigan

Capital One: Georgia (-10) vs. Nebraska

Rose: Stanford (-7) vs. Wisconsin

Orange: Florida State (-14) vs. Northern Illinois

Sugar: Florida (-14) vs. Louisville

Fiesta: Oregon (-9) vs. Kansas State

Cotton: Texas A&M (-4.5) vs. Oklahoma

Nat'l Championship: Alabama (-9.5) vs. Notre Dame

*Tie Breaker: Total Points Scored in the National Championship Game.

Cumulus Expands local sports line up, launches new national programming Jan 2nd

         Cumulus Media expands local sports lineup, launches new national programming lineup on January 2, 2013

WSEA, now calling itself “Sports Radio 100.3 the TEAM”, is expanding its local lineup. On January 2, 2013, “The Drive” with Aaron Marks will add another hour to its broadcast every day, airing M-F from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.

In addition to the expanded hours the show will bring in a new co-host, Jon Cupo, to sit alongside Marks. Cupo, who currently resides in Cleveland, OH, has hosted shows in Lexington, KY and Charlotte, NC where he covered the NFL, NASCAR and College Basketball.

“The support of our outstanding sponsors and listener base has been amazing ever since we launched our local show, “The Drive”, in August of 2011,” said show host and station program director Aaron Marks, “listeners have asked if we'll ever expand the show and it's been a goal of ours for a long time. I appreciate the continued support of our great sponsors and Cumulus getting behind what we do every day and creating a situation to do more of it.”

Market Manager David Lewis is thrilled with the move and excited to bring in a talented host like Cupo to sit alongside Marks every day.

“When you combine Jon's extensive background covering NASCAR, the NFL and College Basketball around the SEC and Big Ten and combine that with Marks' background in the golf industry and covering college football and basketball across the ACC and Big South, it creates a combination that will be equal to any local or national show you hear on any radio station around the country,” said Lewis.

“Sports Radio 100.3 the TEAM” will continue its relationship with the daily airing of “Sports Talk” hosted by Phil Kornblut and Kevin McCreary. “Sports Talk” is syndicated across nearly 30 stations in South Carolina and is a Columbia based talk show focusing on the South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers. The show also extensively covers HS recruiting for all of our state Colleges and Universities.

The expanded line up now creates five hours of local/regional talk programming airing from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday – Friday.

The station will also continue to develop its High School Sports Coverage and Weekly golf show in 2013.

In addition to the expanded local line up “Sports Radio 100.3 the TEAM” will be changing national affiliations and programming. ESPN syndication will be dropped from the station, and in accordance with Cumulus moves on a national level, “Sports Radio 100.3 the TEAM” will syndicate CBS Sports Radio Programming. The new daily show line up effective January 2, 2013:

6 a.m. - 9 a.m. Tiki Barber, Dana Jacobson, and Brandon Tierney

9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. John Feinstein

12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Jim Rome

3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. “The Drive” with Aaron Marks & Jon Cupo

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. “Sports Talk” with Phil Kornblut

8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Chris Moore

10:00 p.m. - 2 a.m. Scott Ferrall

2 a.m. - 6 a.m. Damon Amendolara

Boomer Esiason, Tom Tolbert, and Doug Gottleib will also serve roles on the station as Guest Hosts, and Anchors for hourly CBS Sports Updates that have already been running on Sports Radio 100.3 the TEAM throughout the fall.

The station has officially launched a new website at www.teammyrtlebeach.com with more national and regional headlines, scores, and station information.

“This is a great move. Cumulus has partnered with CBS Sports to launch a network across the country that we have the ability to be more hands on and have more control with,” said Market Manager David Lewis, “ESPN's product had become so readily available it was no longer exclusive to our station. We now have an awesome, new, sports radio product that can only be heard on the radio dial at 100.3 in Myrtle Beach. It will bring new voices, new guests, and a new perspective on sports radio along the Grand Strand.”

“Sports Radio 100.3 the TEAM” will continue its relationships and partnerships with Coastal Carolina University, the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Braves, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, University of South Carolina, and East Carolina University.

Additionally, Cumulus will continue to operate FOX Sports Radio 1050AM/101.9FM. The only change is that Jim Rome, now with CBS Sports, no longer will air from Noon until 3:00 p.m. on that station. The replacement to that show is yet to be announced. The Dan Patrick Show will continue to air in its live time slot from 9 a.m. until noon on the station.

 

About Sports Radio 100.3 the Team

“Sports Radio 100.3 the TEAM” airs on WSEA-FM, Atlantic Beach, SC and is owned and operated by Cumulus Broadcasting. Cumulus is the 2^nd largest radio station operator in America, with six stations operated in Myrtle Beach, and is located in Atlanta, GA. Aaron Marks serves as the Program Director for WSEA and has been in the role since July 16, 2011. Aaron also hosts the stations signature afternoon show, “The Drive”, which launched on August 1, 2011.

“Sports Radio 100.3 the TEAM” serves as the flagship for Coastal Carolina athletics, the home for Carolina Panthers Football in Myrtle Beach, the Atlanta Braves and provides coverage of the NBA, as well as, the MLB Game of the Week and Playoffs.

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ACC will become first "Super Conference"

Greetings from Asheville, NC. My wife had a work related trip that I decided to make with her and I'm currently enjoying a tall Yuengling at Buffalo Wild Wings and reading about this crazy news going on in college sports! Yes... I'm that guy that I see at the bar every day and makes me angry because I have to do a show that afternoon.

I must say I am jealous of Jeff Zell from WBTW today, as he has got a ton of great news to get to!

Speaking of this news, this is big. This is big for Notre Dame and it's massive for the ACC. I know... you're thinking it's not that big of a deal because they are only a partial member of football. But you are completely missing the boat on this if you think that's what is happening here. First off, here is why this is a great benefit to both Notre Dame and the ACC. Then we'll mix it up with some thoughts on who the final piece of the puzzle will be:

Why this is great for Notre Dame:

The easy answer is, the Big East is currently on life support. Notre Dame needed to be a part of a stronger conference  to keep up its level of success. I thought the Big Ten made the most sense (Jim Delaney has got to be furious with the news he woke up to this morning by the way) but the ACC did make sense as well. From an academic standpoint it's a good fit, plus Notre Dame is a national commodity. They can be part of any conference and with the addition of Pitt and Syracuse the ACC made that much more sense from a regional perspective. But here's the big reason Notre Dame needed to move...

The NCAA Playoffs are going to expand either via the NCAA or the conference will take it in their own hands. The NCAA will make double the money on the a 4-team playoff than it did in the entire bowl system. What does that figure go to with 8-teams? Or if they stay at 4-teams the conference could create their own national quarterfinal and make being a conference champion a critical component.

Weather you like it or not we are heading the direction of 16-team super conferences. Two eight team divisions and the championships can serve as either a national quarterfinal with 4 super conferences, or it will be a guarantee for the 4 champs to be in an 8-team playoff and then the losers are sweating it out that they get at large bids. So which conferences will get to 16 the quickest? Yesterday it was the ACC and SEC were the closest, and the Pac 12 is waiting to make its move with lots of options available including independent BYU who was so angry they did not get invited to the Pac 12 along with Utah they decided to leave everybody and go independent. Basically they told the Pac 12 instead of going to the prom with a dud, they were going to just sit at home and wait on their phone call.

Of those three conference, which one made the most sense for Notre Dame? The answer to this is very easy. There was never a thought of going to the SEC or Pac 12 for Notre Dame.

Why this was brilliant for the ACC?

Gosh this is kind of easy, right? You take one of the 3 teams who have national prominence (Alabama and Southern Cal are the other two) and make them part of your conference. AND you make them a partial member in football, something they have never committed to before. Meaning when the 16 team expansion comes and there's an auto bid into the national playoff for the winner... Notre Dame instantly becomes a full member without paying any exit fees to the Big East or anyone else.

The ACC also recently increased its exit fee to a whopping $50 Million. With the addition of Notre Dame and that exit fee, Florida State and Clemson are not going anywhere.

And the ACC is the only conference in America that can stage tournaments and championship games in anyone of the following cities:
Charlotte, Washington D.C., Atlanta, New York, Tampa Bay or Chicago. That is absurd financially for the conference.

The Final Point and Question that needs to be answered 

This all leads to my final point and question... who is #16? The ACC has to go to 16 teams and it's going to happen pretty quick. You don't have a 15-team basketball tournament. Scheduling will be a night mare. And now with Notre Dame the ACC has the ability to go after anyone they want in the country. Forget about that little map showing only Atlantic Coast states. The ACC is seeking national prominence and they have the ammo to go into any University Board of Directors meeting and make a convincing argument. Or do the Board of Directors start approaching them?

Texas is my first thought. They had issues in the past in the Big 12 with the Longhorn network and they would love to be paired with Notre Dame. They've made no secret about that and Texas and the ACC were thrown around once before.

Ohio Stat is a thought. With the Big Ten not able to secure Notre Dame, and Penn State in an absolute free fall could Ohio State be looking to align itself with the first super conference?

Could the ACC raid the powerful SEC? South Carolina makes a ton of sense and secures the continuity of the in state rivalry match up with Clemson. For the same reasons Georgia and Florida are a possibility. Half the SEC is in the central time zone now and they may be focused on adding more of the state of Texas, or someone out of Oklahoma or Kansas. Doesn't the ACC make sense for a USC, Georgia or Florida team that wants to keep its regional ties?

Prepare for the next round and what may be the final round of conference expansion. If the NCAA is only going to create a 4-team playoff, then the conferences will step in and create a defacto quarterfinal weekend of conference championship games. That makes the panels job really easy.

SEC Preview Week Line Up

SEC Preview Week is under way! We get it started with the University of Florida and wrap it up on Friday with the Gamecocks and our predictions!

Stay tuned as we will continue to add great guests to our line up!

Monday:
4:30: Mick Hubert, Voice of the Florida Gators (Florida)
5:00: Mike Kelly, Voice of the Missouri Tigers (Missouri)

Tuesday:
4:30: Tom Leach, Voice of University of Kentucky Wildcats (Kentucky)
5:30: Vanderbilt/Ole Miss

Wednesday:
4:30: Tennessee/Arkansas
5:30: Texas A&M/Auburn

Thursday:
4:30: Jim Hawthorne, Voice of the LSU Tigers (LSU)
5:30: Scott Howard, Voice of the Georgia Bulldogs (Georgia)

Friday:
4:30: Eli Gold, Voice of the Alabama Crimson Tide (Alabama)
5:30: Defensive Coordinator Lorenzo Ward (South Carolina)


Friday at 5:45 we make our season predictions. Tune in to www.myrsports.com if you miss any of our great interviews we've got lined up!

ACC Preview Week on The Drive

ACC Preview Week On Air Interview Schedule:

Monday August 13th:
4:30: Head Coach Al Golden (University of Miami)
5:30: Head Coach Tom O'Brien (North Carolina State)

Tuesday August 14th:
4:30: Jones Angell (North Carolina
5:00: Wake Forest Preview
5:30: Matt Hogue with CCU joins us to discuss camp and upcoming events

Wednesday August 15th:
4:30: Starting Quarterback Sean Renfree (Duke University)
5:00: Dale Murphy, Former NL MVP and Atlanta Brave
5:30: Wes Durham, Voice of the Yellow Jackets (Georgia Tech)

Thursday August 16th:
4:30: Head Coach Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech)
5:30: Head Coach Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

Friday August 17th:
4:30: Head Coach Mike London (University of Virginia)
5:30: Chris Thompson, Senior RB & Everette Dawkins, Senior Starting DT (Florida State)


SEC Preview Week is August 20th - 24th. We will post a schedule as soon as we beging confirmation guests. And the week of August 27th is Kickoff week but also National Preview Week. We will highlight teams like Ohio State, West Virginia, Texas, Notre Dame, and Southern Cal.

ESPN Radio 100.3 The Team adds Atlanta Braves Baseball to Air Schedule

'The Team' increases its partnership with more regional pro sports teams on the air in Myrtle Beach. Partnership allows for more promotional giveaways, and show content as well.

The Atlanta Braves are back on the air in Myrtle Beach, SC, and Cumulus Broadcasting continues to build its lineup of local and regional show content and Play by Play.

On Wednesday, June 13, 2012, the first Braves broadcast of the season versus the New York Yankees will air in Myrtle Beach.

Atlanta fans can expect to hear many Braves games on weekends, as well as, on their west coast series swings throughout the remainder of the season. If the Braves make a playoff run and the broadcast does not conflict with Coastal Carolina University or already scheduled programs, the station will pick up coverage of all games they feel are critical to its on air lineup.

“We said back in March with the expansion of our new FOX Sports 1050AM/101.9FM it would open the door to add more local and regional play by play, and we're excited to be coming through on that promise,” said Aaron Marks, station Program Director and Host of the stations signature afternoon show 'The Drive'.

Renewing the partnership with the Braves allows the station to air Play by Play Broadcasts seven

nights a week. The station already provides coverage most nights of MLB, NBA, Coastal Carolina and other college and pro sports and this schedule will help fill out all remaining nights that are open.

“It's really great,” says Marks, “if you're listening to sports radio at night, play by play is the way to go. It engages the listeners more than anything else. And this week alone for the launch you will hear the NBA Finals, U.S. Open Coverage, Braves inter-league games, and the College World Series all on our air waves here in Myrtle Beach. We have something people want to hear every night!”

For the full broadcast schedule of all games on the air visit the station website at www.teammyrtlebeach.com. ESPN Radio 100.3 'The Team' will also continue to provide coverage of the MLB Game of the week and entire coverage of the MLB Playoffs and World Series. This fall the station renews it's partnership for an 8^th season to carry the Carolina Panthers and NFL Games of the week.

About ESPN Radio, 100.3 The Team

ESPN Radio, 100.3 The Team airs on WSEA-FM, Atlantic Beach, SC and is owned and operated by Cumulus Broadcasting. Cumulus is the 2^nd largest radio station operator in America with over 600 stations nationwide, six of them in Myrtle Beach. Aaron Marks serves as the Program Director for WSEA and has been in the role since July 16, 2011. Aaron also hosts the stations signature afternoon show, “The Drive”, which launched on August 1, 2011.

Over the last year the station has experienced significant growth and change. Last summer the station aired on WJXY-FM 93.9 in Conway. On March 5, 2012 the station moved to the larger WSEA signal at 100.3, and the group also launched the brand new FOX Sports Radio 1050AM/101.9FM.
ESPN Radio, 100.3 The Team, serves as the flagship for Coastal Carolina athletics, the home for Carolina Panthers Football in Myrtle Beach, and provides coverage of the NBA, MLB Game of the Week and Playoffs, USC Gamecock Baseball, and Atlanta Braves Baseball.

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