Friday Night Tykes - General Discussion

[Lemur]

20 hours ago, lauralu said:

 

I love this show.  I'm completely hooked on the Steel Country version.  I watched all of the current episodes On Demand to get caught up.  I wish the comments here were more active. Wow some of these parents & coaches are ROUGH!  My son plays youth football and my husband coaches.  Parents are usually the worst part of youth sports.  I feel bad for the Monaca team, for the kids.  The coach is a moron.  I think his intentions are good but he's a moron nevertheless and most likely the reason that the program is failing.  This show is the down and dirty and like you said Lemur, none of this buying a team shit.

 

I'm right there with ya.  Absolutely love watching this show.  And I agree, I think one of the big problems with Monaca is the coach and that letting his one assistant who questioned him about constantly running the kids instead of teaching them the game probably should have taken over for him.  The real shame of it is that the kids who really wanted to be there and came out week after week probably learned nothing about playing football as anytime he had to actually teach those kids he acted so exasperated and pissed off.  Looks like they're having another board meeting next week about the future of the team, so that should be interesting. (Also, both their Termite and Twerps teams made the playoffs last year.  Should be enough to keep the program going for a while longer.)  

I'm actually surprised by how bad I felt for Benny from Ambridge.  Yes, his father is a dirtbag, but he's a dirtbag who loves his kid desperately and is trying to do right by him.  I feel bad for the kid because I feel like those coaches lead him on about carrying the ball.  He has good fundamentals as a lineman (and as the daughter of a line coach, I know, everyone wants to be quarterback or running back or linebacker at this age), and could be a monster come high school provided he doesn't get wide and slow.  And I do feel those coaches gave him a raw deal and I think they did it because of his father.  I also disliked how they treated their linebackers coach (aka the lady coach).  Defense wasn't the problem for that team, maybe those two jackasses should have shut up and listen to her.

Wish we'd seen more about Beaver Falls, I really like their coaches what little we've seen of them.  Too much Aliquippa for my taste.  Yes, they're an interesting bunch but watching one kid literally lose his shit every week has gone from alarming to tedious.  Also, as much as they try to play Blackhawk up as the outsider, I just can't get with those guys.  Too many fathers coaching their own kids, too much questionable coaching fundamentals.  I literally have nothing to say about Central Valley other than I don't know why that one kid insists on making his pants look like shorts.  They look stupid.

[lauralu]

Yes the show is definitely heavy on  Alquippa and Ambridge.   Why wouldn't Ambridge pay more attention to the only coach (the female) who actually has professional football experience.  Dummies!  Sadly I'm sure in my sons league a woman coach would get that exact same response.  I wrote a whole paragraph about Benny & his dad is my first post but then I deleted it because I just couldn't properly convey what I wanted to.  I initially didn't like the Dad at all.  Every parent wants their kid to have more play time and to run the ball.  It's just not possible to please everyone.  But then Benny did the work, lost some weight and they had a 28 point lead in the 4th qtr, they absolutely could've let him run the ball.  The coach was just being an ass.  Plus the episode where they are working on the house together.was sweet and I agree, the guy really loves his son.  Central Valley isn't as interesting to watch mostly because they seem to be doing what they actually should be doing, teaching the kids how to play football, not fighting with each other, not fighting with the parents, not cussing out the kids.  Definitely not as intriguing but that's the team I'd want my kid on if we lived there.  I think sports are really important to all kids and communities, I'm glad to see that these kids have this as a option.  I hope the Monaca team can continue on, hopefully with a new coach. Its kind of too bad that kids in the termite age group get good coaching but then that all goes out the window as the as they get older and move up the coaching is so bad.  That's when the game get more serious and dangerous and that's why they have so many injuries because they aren't being taught properly.  Honestly I had to go on the website to even remember who Beaver Falls was.  They must not be very dysfunctional.

*i thought I was caught up but now I am really all caught up and I have to go back to my original opinion on Benny's Dad. Don't like him. He made an ass out of himself at the game against Blackhawks. Benny has a position on the team that he is needed in. They let him run the ball but that doesn't mean that is his position now. For once I agreed with that coach. It's not what's best for the kid, it's what's best for the team. They lost, the other team played better. It happens.  

Edited May 9, 2016 by lauralu
Update

[scrb]

In general, I think the Steel Country coaches are more competent, especially those who have the kids actually watch film -- maybe overkill at that age but at least the coaches seem to pay attention to tactics, whereas they didn't show the Texas coaches doing that as much.

They also showed the PA coaches doing more drilling of technique too.  Again, maybe it's what the producers choose to show.

I think Nate took the high road, took the loss in stride, admitted fault and restrained himself from having a confrontation with Benny's father, who's also probably poisoned the kid as well.

The Blackhawk parents, other than the one coach who is suffering PTSD, were far more measured.  I also don't recall as much drama from the Central Valley parents, though I guess they don't show people acting like adults much since that wouldn't be as entertaining for TV show purposes.

As hard-hit as these communities are, most of these kids come from families which are relatively well off.  Well off enough to get their kids into football, which is a good way to keep them out of trouble.  I was reading an article about all these working class people who voted for Trump and they come from towns which sound like Beaver Falls, where big factories close down or the biggest sources of jobs are no longer around.  So there are all kinds of problems with drugs.

[Lemur]

On 5/6/2016 at 0:45 PM, scrb said:

As hard-hit as these communities are, most of these kids come from families which are relatively well off.  Well off enough to get their kids into football, which is a good way to keep them out of trouble.  I was reading an article about all these working class people who voted for Trump and they come from towns which sound like Beaver Falls, where big factories close down or the biggest sources of jobs are no longer around.  So there are all kinds of problems with drugs.

I think you can definitely make that argument about Central Valley - clearly that program has a solidly middle to upper middle class demographic.  Ambridge, Aliquippa and Beaver Falls are definitely holding on by their fingernails.  Monaca is a free program.  Trump promised to re-open the mills and resurrect Joe Paterno, so I think you can see the draw.

[Lemur]

On 5/6/2016 at 11:54 AM, lauralu said:

*i thought I was caught up but now I am really all caught up and I have to go back to my original opinion on Benny's Dad. Don't like him. He made an ass out of himself at the game against Blackhawks. Benny has a position on the team that he is needed in. They let him run the ball but that doesn't mean that is his position now. For once I agreed with that coach. It's not what's best for the kid, it's what's best for the team. They lost, the other team played better. It happens.

After last night, I have to concur.  He made an ass of himself at the banquet in the worst way.  I felt terrible for the kid, I'm sure he wanted to melt into the floor while his old man was raging on.  That said, I don't like Nate either, he's high-handed and obnoxious with everyone.  

Also, the Monaca coach going to Central Valley?  Heh.  I'm sure next season (if there's a next season), he'll be complaining about handing out water bottles.  Though maybe not.  The CV coach doesn't strike me as the arrogant type at all, but that could be the edit he's getting.  Anyway, interesting turns with that team.

[MyFavShows]

Monaca technically is Central Valley as far as school districting is concerned - the city of Monaca is like 2 feet away from the more suburban middle/upper class parts of CV, so although they make it sound like it's different towns, it's really the same since the Monaca/Center merger they discussed on the show.  Monaca just has smaller and cheaper housing in a city environment, and Center Township has more large yards and bigger/more expensive homes.  All the kids are part of the CV school district (and will be on the same team, CV, 7th/8th grade and on) so the Monaca program is just in the "youth" system.  There is a similar alternate youth system that has going on forever in Blackhawk area as well (the Chippewa Indians) - although that area is mostly all rural. 

I'm not following the Trump stuff very well, but LOL if he said that stuff - is Trump gonna re-open those steel mills w/ his own personal funds?  They have been closed since the late 70's and early 80's, so virtually all the people who actually know/knew how to "make steel" are way past retirement age.   I honestly think the people living in the more depressed areas would rather ANY new companies w/ good paying jobs come in - certainly doesn't need to be steel, and that's such a cliche if Trump is promising that (borderline insulting cause it is playing on stereotypes that really aren't the case anymore).   The Joe Paterno thing is ridiculous too - the area from my experience has more Pitt fans than PSU since Pitt is bigger on local recruiting for sports and much closer distance-wise.   PSU is in the middle of the state, but  most of beaver county is about 25-30 miles from downtown Pittsburgh and these cities are not very far apart or large in area.  Speaking of distance to Pittsburgh, it's also definitely possible for someone living in any of these towns to just commute to Pittsburgh for a well-paying job if they really want one/are educationally-qualified (which is what the majority of folks living in the more expensive areas of CV and the other higher real estate value areas of BC do).  So although there is this aura that they are so "doomed and struggling" cause the steel mills closed 40+ years ago), people can always commute to work (and I'm sure many do as I have worked with people from all these towns over the years at companies 20-30 miles from BC). 

All that said, I love this show so much!  It is very real how it portrays the emotional investment and pride these towns have towards their sports and the area really does produce some great football talent, and always has.   The high school football scene in the area is amazing as well - on any Friday night in the fall there are usually 4-5 top notch match-up games going on that draw spectators from all over.  And most of these BC districts end up as major contenders in the championships that involve ALL of western, PA - so their dominance extends beyond BC - and they frequently beat teams from very wealthy/economically advantaged Pittsburgh suburbs.   It's pretty awesome to see actually ;). It's like the stuff you see in movies, only real.  Haha!

[MyFavShows]

20 minutes ago, Lemur said:

After last night, I have to concur.  He made an ass of himself at the banquet in the worst way.  I felt terrible for the kid, I'm sure he wanted to melt into the floor while his old man was raging on.  That said, I don't like Nate either, he's high-handed and obnoxious with everyone.  

Also, the Monaca coach going to Central Valley?  Heh.  I'm sure next season (if there's a next season), he'll be complaining about handing out water bottles.  Though maybe not.  The CV coach doesn't strike me as the arrogant type at all, but that could be the edit he's getting.  Anyway, interesting turns with that team.

The situation w/ Ambridge is certainly setting up a second season.  As well as that Ricky guy and his possible move to CV (suprised that Todd Alexander dude would want him on his staff, but maybe he's a better coach than the edit he's getting - got to be, right?)).

[Lemur]

2 hours ago, MyFavShows said:

Monaca technically is Central Valley as far as school districting is concerned - the city of Monaca is like 2 feet away from the more suburban middle/upper class parts of CV, so although they make it sound like it's different towns, it's really the same since the Monaca/Center merger they discussed on the show.  Monaca just has smaller and cheaper housing in a city environment, and Center Township has more large yards and bigger/more expensive homes.  All the kids are part of the CV school district (and will be on the same team, CV, 7th/8th grade and on) so the Monaca program is just in the "youth" system.  There is a similar alternate youth system that has going on forever in Blackhawk area as well (the Chippewa Indians) - although that area is mostly all rural. 

Yeah, I remember when they started merging the smaller school districts back in the 90's.  It's how Sto-Rox came about, the old Stowe Township system and McKees Rocks got merged. Is that why there are 8 Midget teams and 15 Mites teams?  They drop the upper league in favor of 7th/8th grade school teams?

 

2 hours ago, MyFavShows said:

The Joe Paterno thing is ridiculous too - the area from my experience has more Pitt fans than PSU since Pitt is bigger on local recruiting for sports and much closer distance-wise.   PSU is in the middle of the state, but  most of beaver county is about 25-30 miles from downtown Pittsburgh and these cities are not very far apart or large in area.  Speaking of distance to Pittsburgh, it's also definitely possible for someone living in any of these towns to just commute to Pittsburgh for a well-paying job if they really want one/are educationally-qualified (which is what the majority of folks living in the more expensive areas of CV and the other higher real estate value areas of BC do).  So although there is this aura that they are so "doomed and struggling" cause the steel mills closed 40+ years ago), people can always commute to work (and I'm sure many do as I have worked with people from all these towns over the years at companies 20-30 miles from BC). 

I know, that's why the comment was so laughable.  The Pitt-Penn State football rivalry is for real even if it's been dormant for the last 16 years - c'mon man, know your audience!  Not to say everyone goes to Pitt, Paul Poz certainly didn't.  

[MyFavShows]

24 minutes ago, Lemur said:

Yeah, I remember when they started merging the smaller school districts back in the 90's.  It's how Sto-Rox came about, the old Stowe Township system and McKees Rocks got merged. Is that why there are 8 Midget teams and 15 Mites teams?  They drop the upper league in favor of 7th/8th grade school teams?

 

I know, that's why the comment was so laughable.  The Pitt-Penn State football rivalry is for real even if it's been dormant for the last 16 years - c'mon man, know your audience!  Not to say everyone goes to Pitt, Paul Poz certainly didn't.  

 

I am pretty sure that what happens is in 7th grade the WPIAL goes into effect and goes through high school -  and those teams are based exclusively on school district (that's what happens in my kids district and we play a lot of these teams in WPIAL).  I think there may be a year or two of overlap w/ some of the youth programs and WPIAL, but most of the better players focus on WPIAL since it is the more competitive league.  

Once in WPIAL, the teams mostly play each other based on school district size - A, AA, AAA, AAAA - and that's how they do the championships in playoffs.   My kids' school district (not in BC, but close-by) frequently plays CV and Blackhawk in AAA, but Aliquippa and Beaver Falls are in the smaller AA (that game is always a heated contest as both teams are always good).   CV is amazing and has been a top contender in AAA since that merger happened.  They also have beaten many AAAA teams (districts w/ 1000+ kids per grade, where CV prob only has 200-ish) - this is very impressive considering Western PA is strong at football all-around.

[Lemur]

33 minutes ago, MyFavShows said:

Once in WPIAL, the teams mostly play each other based on school district size - A, AA, AAA, AAAA - and that's how they do the championships in playoffs.

I figured.  I grew up in the Eastern part of the state, but went to Catholic school.  They just recently - like in the past ten years - joined the PIAA.  It's still kinda foreign, especially as I live in NJ and don't own any kids. 

[scrb]

Ricky Suman may or may not get the job at CV.  These are volunteer positions right?  So if nothing else, he's the lowest man in the totem pole, just the last assistant to join a successful program.

But it would let him be on the show if there's another season and there has to be some money in that.  Especially if Monaca team folds.

At that meeting, there was at least one beer bottle.  Guess it's just an informal social thing which allows the parents to be obnoxious in front of the kids, like Benny's father.

[Lemur]

9 hours ago, scrb said:

At that meeting, there was at least one beer bottle.  Guess it's just an informal social thing which allows the parents to be obnoxious in front of the kids, like Benny's father.

The Monaca meeting?  No, that was a board meeting.  They had beers at the previous ones as well.  Very common.  As for the Ambridge banquet, they apparently had a cash bar.  Not the best idea.  And I still feel bad for Benny two days later.  Poor kid has "that dad".

[MyFavShows]

I kind of wonder why a lot of the better second string players from CV don't go to Monaca just so they can get playing time.  There may be address restrictions preventing certain parts of Center Township from doing that though (I'm sure it's on a website somewhere).

I think w/ how Benny's dad is threatening to go to Alliquippa next year that they would need to actually move to Alliquippa.  Not very far distance wise at all, but still a big deal to do just cause you don't get along w/ some youth football coaches - lol.  Depending on the kid's grade he may not even have the same coaches again (if they all 3 come back) either.  It sure would be interesting to watch those Alliquippa coaches deal w/ Benny's dad though.    I think that Kimbrough guy would get him in line real quick ;).

Benny's dad is the worst by far, but a lot of those Ambridge parents are undermining the coaches w/ the stuff they say and scream from the sidelines and most likely in their households after the game.  I'm sure the coaches aren't perfect, but geesh it can't be all their fault - sometimes the other team is just better that day.   I think a generational thing, cause back when I was younger, coaches, teachers, etc., could do no wrong and any situation you didn't like as a kid in a sport was your own fault for not working hard enough ;).  If you tried to say "this coach doesn't like me", the response was usually something to the effect of "we'll work harder so he does like you and stop being a crybaby!". - lol.   I think many of the kids of that generation grew up to parent w/ the exact opposite philosophy of how it's never their precious snowflakes fault about anything nowadays.   I always try to keep this in mind whenever I want to say negative stuff about a coach, etc. and edit myself ;).  It really is counterproductive for a kid to spend time participating in an activity where they don't respect their coach, and that attitude 90% of the time comes down from the parent.

[Lemur]

Well, the season concluded last night with a great game between Central Valley and Blackhawk.  Both teams were well coached and disciplined though not without their pitfalls.  I can't help but wonder if Landon Donovan would have still been on the team after getting a two-game suspension if he'd been playing for a team like Beaver Falls.  Probably, as they don't seem to give up on kids there.  As for Blackhawk, I was incredibly angry with the parents of the kid with the injured heel.  I had heel spurs most of my senior soccer and track seasons and a cortisone shot from the orthopod or podiatrist would calm it down in two days and have me active on the third, and decent set of footbeds can cure it almost in its entirety.  Feeding a kid Advil during the game does nothing.  I hope he didn't rupture anything in his foot.  

I can't say I'm sad to see Monaca fold.  I'm surprised, as it seems like they had sufficient kids in the system to keep it going, but I honestly don't think it's for the worst.  And I think that guys at Central Valley handled it in a sensitive and appreciative manner.  

[MyFavShows]

Loved last night's season finale and the entire season of this show.  This iteration of FNT seemed to put a lot more effort into dramatizing the games themselves to the point that they were really exciting.   The original one most of those games seemed like blowouts with the announcing playing a bigger role in the play by play than the actual game action footage.

How about those little CV kids tackling some of those Blackhawk kids who seemed to have a full foot of height and 40 pounds of weight on them?  That's impressive when you can bring down someone that much bigger than you.  There were a lot of good defensive efforts from that CV team and they deserved to win.  The size difference between the Blackhawk kids and both BF last week and CV this week was quite significant - almost makes you wonder if it's a case of holding kids back in grades, but I think most of the youth programs are based on birthdate and not grade - who knows though.

The funniest line was when the Blackhawk coach said "they got a marching band and all kind of other crap - but that's got nothing to do w/ playing football" - lol, but true.

I was happy that they did a little recap w/ the other teams that didn't make the final game.   The BF coach was funny when he said "that dude was acting like he won the lottery - that's how excited he was to beat us".

I really hope they do another season of this version.  It was so good!

[Lemur]

I would love to see another season of this, for no other reason than to see how Todd Donovan from CV and Ricky Suman from Monaca interact.  

The size differences was quite striking, I agree with you there.  I think it's a great example of the relative age effect in sports though.  Depending on the cut off, some of those kids might have effectively had an extra year and had already hit their growth spurt.  I would love to check in on them in 5 years and see who is still playing, who quit playing, what "stars" gave up the game or got wide and slow or never topped six feet or continued to excel and which short little runt of a kid turned into a monster linebacker.  I'd love to see that for all of the FNT series, actually.

[MyFavShows]

I have heard that they are filming beaver county teams again this season.   So unless they scrap it and never show it, looks like we'll get another season of the steel county version.   I'm excited to see it. 

[scrb]

I'm pretty sure Trump made a campaign stop a week or two ago at Ambridge because PA is such a key state.

Of course he's trying to attract people who lost jobs with the steel mills and factories when their jobs moved overseas or disappeared.

[scrb]

DVR recorded a preview of the new season, which are parts of the first episode due to air on the 17th.

Looks like pretty much the same thing, except the Outlaws are even more stacked, getting the best players from other teams, including that giant kid Douglas Brooks.  Outlaw head coach says he wants to blow teams out by 50 points.

The other parents are still around, including the Justices, who are trying to certify without enough players on the team.  The league tells them they'll take their money but if they can't get enough players, then they will be disqualified from the league.

At this point, you wonder if the TV series is keeping alive some of the teams.  Looks like Outlaws may be coming back to TYFA, after winning in the Snoop league last season.  Again, that may have been a one-off thing done for TV and Snoop is over it.

[Vicky8675309]

episode 1 (2017) was that a bad head shot? Should the referee have called it?

[lauralu]

I honestly didn't think it was a bad head shot.  I think it was a legal hit.  It was a hard hit and as a junior football Mom it made me wince.  I felt concerned for the kid but I don't think it was an illegal hit.  My son totally disagreed with me and said it was bad hit.  I cant deal with that Texas Storm Mom coach.  I didn't like her before and now she's even more obnoxious

.

[Lemur]

On 1/21/2017 at 9:30 PM, Vicky8675309 said:

episode 1 (2017) was that a bad head shot? Should the referee have called it?

No, that was a clean, hard football hit.  Kid had his head up, didn't launch himself, and just walloped the ball carrier.  I ultimately would have liked him to hit the ball carrier lower, but the chest-to-chest, face-to-face tackle is still clean.  The pulling guard totally blew his block and didn't initiate contact.  The kid who got laid out has no one to thank for that hit but his linemen.  As for Lori Hurt, she needs to take several seats.  Watching football does not mean you know the game (and playing football does not mean you know the game either).  She's portrayed as an obnoxious, hysterical ninny who is throwing her family's money around on a very expensive vanity project and getting kids hurt in the process.  This is one of the things I dislike about this Texas league - allowing people to "buy in" and start up their own teams at will, allowing the commissioner to coach a team, having no real injury and first aid protocol including head injuries and a ridiculous "free agency" policy.  But back to Lori Hurt, her screeching that the kid was having a seizure (he wasn't) and then telling her team (and you know she refers to them in the possessive, because she seems like the type) to form a wall in front of the other team who was respectfully taking a knee was just obnoxious and bad sportsmanship.  In short, she's the wooooooooooorst.  I hope for her sake, it's just a bad edit.  Judging from how checked out her husband is, I don't think that's the case.

[scrb]

Fred kept Mizel in the game and kept giving him the ball long after the game was out of hand, to build up the kid's stats.

And of course he gets injured in garbage time.

So some of these kids are playing football at school and in TYFA?  How many games and practices do they participate in per week?

Of course the game isn't as physical as high school level or higher but besides greater injury risk, that's a lot of wear and tear on bodies which are still growing.

[Jezebel97]

18 hours ago, Lemur said:

No, that was a clean, hard football hit.  Kid had his head up, didn't launch himself, and just walloped the ball carrier.  I ultimately would have liked him to hit the ball carrier lower, but the chest-to-chest, face-to-face tackle is still clean.  The pulling guard totally blew his block and didn't initiate contact.  The kid who got laid out has no one to thank for that hit but his linemen.  As for Lori Hurt, she needs to take several seats.  Watching football does not mean you know the game (and playing football does not mean you know the game either).  She's portrayed as an obnoxious, hysterical ninny who is throwing her family's money around on a very expensive vanity project and getting kids hurt in the process.  This is one of the things I dislike about this Texas league - allowing people to "buy in" and start up their own teams at will, allowing the commissioner to coach a team, having no real injury and first aid protocol including head injuries and a ridiculous "free agency" policy.  But back to Lori Hurt, her screeching that the kid was having a seizure (he wasn't) and then telling her team (and you know she refers to them in the possessive, because she seems like the type) to form a wall in front of the other team who was respectfully taking a knee was just obnoxious and bad sportsmanship.  In short, she's the wooooooooooorst.  I hope for her sake, it's just a bad edit.  Judging from how checked out her husband is, I don't think that's the case.

The Hurts have no business having a team, they truly don't know wtf they are doing other than throwing money away & getting the kids injured due to not enough players & inept coaching.

Their son Justice is not on the team & their other children don't look to be involved so it seems they are doing this for their 15 minutes or parlay this into their own reality show

I see that she tried to glamorize herself with hair extensions , more makeup, false eyelashes, her teeth whitened & also lost a little bit of weight.

The Outlaws are indeed stacked, but I though it was a scum move for Fred not to release that quarterback that lived 4 hours away (sorry can't think of his name) so that he can play with the Houston Seahawks.  

[Lemur]

I find I like Fred less and less as this series progresses.  I agree, it was a scum move.  But at the same time, what parent signs their kid up to play for a team that's 3 and a half hours away?  And when that doesn't work out, tries for a team that's 5 hours away?  I don't like Jeremy Duran's father.  I think he's a smug SOB who is going to be very, very disappointed when his kid tops out at 5-10 and starts getting wide like he did.  

And I agree, that was stupid to keep running Mizel.  Hopefully it's just a deep bruise.

[Jezebel97]

5 minutes ago, Lemur said:

I find I like Fred less and less as this series progresses.  I agree, it was a scum move.  But at the same time, what parent signs their kid up to play for a team that's 3 and a half hours away?  And when that doesn't work out, tries for a team that's 5 hours away?  I don't like Jeremy Duran's father.  I think he's a smug SOB who is going to be very, very disappointed when his kid tops out at 5-10 and starts getting wide like he did.  

And I agree, that was stupid to keep running Mizel.  Hopefully it's just a deep bruise.

that's a thirsty man right there and how about that remark comparing Jeremy to Tom Brady 

[scrb]

I got the feeling that the producers are funding some of these teams, like maybe the Hurts, to keep them on camera since they're a dumpster fire.

Mizel who's 11 or 12 has an iPhone.  His mother is a single parent?  TV money there.

When the show started, it was an interesting look at football-crazy Texas, with the usual parents and coaches behaving horribly compared to the kids.

I don't know why they're doing a fourth season and a second season of Steel Country.

Guess they get enough ratings for a fledgling network like Esquire?  I don't watch any other shows on the network but they seem to be reality shows about extreme sports.

Steel Country would be interesting if they showed the presidential candidates campaigning there.  Pretty sure Trump went to Ambridge for a rally and the first season hinted at drug abuse in that area with the loss of jobs, which would be indicative of the opioid addition epidemic surging in communities like the ones depicted there.

[Lemur]

Interestingly, Esquire Network is kaput - http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/nbcu-esquire-network-1201968897/

From what I've read on Facebook, most people are watching it on USA after Monday Night Raw.  What that portends for this show, I do not know.

I have zero desire to see the presidential candidates campaigning in Western PA.  

[Vicky8675309]

I'm not liking that Venom "coach" who is President (?) of TYFA....he goes up to the ref about that call and introduces himself as President of TYFA and of course the ref lets him pull his player rather then have him ejected. I don't like the abuse of authority even if it was subtle (lol). I'm so glad they lost that game (sorry kids but your coach is a douche).

[Lemur]

On 1/28/2017 at 0:57 AM, Vicky8675309 said:

I'm not liking that Venom "coach" who is President (?) of TYFA....he goes up to the ref about that call and introduces himself as President of TYFA and of course the ref lets him pull his player rather then have him ejected. I don't like the abuse of authority even if it was subtle (lol). I'm so glad they lost that game (sorry kids but your coach is a douche).

The only decent thing I can say about that situation is that both players were pulled rather than ejected.  So fair's fair I guess.  

What's more interesting about him is that he seems to despise Lori Hurt with a fervor equal to myself.  I wish I'd had the thought to freeze frame the shots of the letter the Hurts sent TYFA about the 210 Outlaws.  She is every terrible sports parent I've ever known rolled into one.  

[scrb]

The Hurts can't recruit, always undermanned, and three of their games were over by half time, including a forfeit in the latest one.

Then she refuses to pay the refs and at first the husband tries to refuse to allow the kids to shake hands.

Lori Hurt is a psychologist!

Coach J. trying to give back to the community because he didn't have guidance when he was a kid, ended up doing 5 years in prison.  So he's doing all these jobs and on top of that, he's working as a coach and borrowed $20k to help get the 210 Outlaws off the ground?

Meanwhile the Hurts spend $3000 on an inflated tunnel, which could have been used for better training equipment for the kids.

 

Then there's the rift between Goodloe and Fred on the SA Outlaws, arguing about which plays to run.

So much drama.

[Lemur]

2 hours ago, scrb said:

Lori Hurt is a psychologist!

More proof that having a degree is not really indicative of being good at one's job ...

[PepperMonkey]

OMG so much to comment about re: Friday Night Tykes, original recipe...

The Hurts. Stop it. Please just stop. Paul acts like a moron, and I'm pretty sure he's possibly not so what's up with that? And Lori is a real psychologist?? Seriously? I don't know if I believe that or not because after the first season, I linked my way into one of her blogs (don't ask, it happens when I'm on google patrol) and she can't even spell. Or use grammar correctly.

I love Marecus. He's my guilty pleasure on this show and I just adore him, his girlfriend, their new baby and his previous attitude with the kids. He's changed some now that he's part of the Outlaws organization with Fred. I'm still mad at them over the scene in season 3 where a referee gave them the other team's play card (what the hell? was it an accident?) and they kept it. Sorry, seemed like cheating to me and it pretty much tainted everything else Outlaw for me going forward.

I watch this show for the kids. There are so many of these adults that I don't gaf what they have to say about anything, especially the Hurts. I know this sport is controversial, but as Marecus says, for some of these kids, football will be a lifeline. I'm rooting for Myzell, and all the others who aren't even on there anymore, whose names I can't remember, if their parents aren't assholes who are pimping them out for the money. I'm always rooting for the ones whose parents say "Education is more important than football."

[Rlb8031]

Am I the only one feeling Lori Hurt's objections were a tad bit racist? In none of the footage did that Outlaws coach do anything intimidating or even slightly out of line. To basically describe him as cowering the refs when he wasn't even shown speaking to the refs caused me to give her the side eye big time. Then Paul, who at the game was trying to get her to slow her roll, but the next day was consigning all her bull also caused me to look at him differently. 

[Lemur]

On 2/5/2017 at 8:20 PM, Rlb8031 said:

Am I the only one feeling Lori Hurt's objections were a tad bit racist? In none of the footage did that Outlaws coach do anything intimidating or even slightly out of line. To basically describe him as cowering the refs when he wasn't even shown speaking to the refs caused me to give her the side eye big time. Then Paul, who at the game was trying to get her to slow her roll, but the next day was consigning all her bull also caused me to look at him differently. 

Nope, you aren't.  Coach J was always one of the low-key, patient, not-obnoxious coaches.  He was always in the background working with the kids in a quite, sure manner while Eric Coley or Fred or Marecus was in the forefront running their mouth.  Sure, J is a big man but I wouldn't call him intimidating.   As for Paul, I get the feeling that he has a whole night of listening to Lori natter at him and decided it was easier to just give in and agree with her in hopes of getting her to shut up.  Dude's so checked out it's not even funny.  

 

Anyway, this week it was a rare Hurtless week and we were instead treated to the shenanigans of the Venom sideline when the Austin Steelers come to town and hand them their collective ass.  The only drama on the field was Head Coach Washington's kid losing his shit when he got manhandled by the Steelers line and had a temper tantrum.  Off the field, a volunteer tried to physically remove a kid sitting on a bench with the blessings of the coaches by dumping the kid on the ground.  The kid swung on the volunteer.  The volunteer pushed the kid to the ground.  Chris "I'm the President of TYFA" Davis stormed around cursing under his breath.  Corey Washington made a heartfelt speech about failing said kid.  Parents wrung their hands as to whose side to take in the fight, because a parent shouldn't be putting their hands on the kids but kids should be "complying with authority figures".  I will say this, the human clenched fist that is Davis handled the parent asking about the kid swinging on the coach well, pointing out that it's a ten year old kid and the coach is a grown man.  And Washington made a very poignant talking-head about the importance of youth sports as an escape and outlet for kids.  Anyway, this isn't dead yet.  I'm expecting slo-mo footage of the altercation next week.

[Jezebel97]

ugh and now Esquire TV is no longer available on cable

https://www.wsj.com/articles/esquire-tv-network-will-convert-to-digital-only-service-1484770159

[Rlb8031]

I'm trying to do the switchover to USA, but my DVR seems not to want to cooperate. Is it possible the machines get salty with these random comings and goings of channels :)

[Lemur]

50 minutes ago, Rlb8031 said:

I'm trying to do the switchover to USA, but my DVR seems not to want to cooperate. Is it possible the machines get salty with these random comings and goings of channels :)

It's possible it's not reading it as "first run", and coming up as a re-run because they're about a week behind on USA.

[scrb]

Adults ruin everything!

Where have the Hurts been the last few episodes?

[Lemur]

16 hours ago, scrb said:

Adults ruin everything!

Where have the Hurts been the last few episodes?

I'm torn between wanting to know and not wanting to be annoyed by Lori.

[scrb]

I thought the Rockets guy was being paranoid about fixed games but that was ridiculous.

And they do it while the game is being filmed for TV?

Of course the parents are out of control but the coaches at least kept it from getting physical.

[Lemur]

13 hours ago, scrb said:

I thought the Rockets guy was being paranoid about fixed games but that was ridiculous.

And they do it while the game is being filmed for TV?

Of course the parents are out of control but the coaches at least kept it from getting physical.

And that fact that Mr. TYFA himself just stood there and smirked made it all the more worse.  Seriously, either Davis was in on the fix or he allowed his personal dislike for the Judson program get in the way of doing right by the kids. 

[scrb]

I'll be interested to see what Coach J does with the twins whom the father pulled out of the practice.

Not play them in the first quarter of their playoff game?  If he does, I'll be impressed, though I think he's one of the better coaches so far, in temperament, compared to the others.

The 210 coaches may have had good reasons for being late to practice.  Coach J I think has several own businesses, including going around towing cars to make money.  If he told the kids they should warm up, run, stretch at the beginning of each practice, then he has a case for being right.

But these all appear to be volunteer positions.  The coaches aren't getting paid to do this work, though I think some of them, like the Outlaw coaches, probably get some money from the show producers, or at least should have demanded some, since they're featured a lot on the show.

[Lemur]

On 3/8/2017 at 5:49 PM, scrb said:

I'll be interested to see what Coach J does with the twins whom the father pulled out of the practice.

Not play them in the first quarter of their playoff game?  If he does, I'll be impressed, though I think he's one of the better coaches so far, in temperament, compared to the others.

The 210 coaches may have had good reasons for being late to practice.  Coach J I think has several own businesses, including going around towing cars to make money.  If he told the kids they should warm up, run, stretch at the beginning of each practice, then he has a case for being right.

But these all appear to be volunteer positions.  The coaches aren't getting paid to do this work, though I think some of them, like the Outlaw coaches, probably get some money from the show producers, or at least should have demanded some, since they're featured a lot on the show.

I'm actually more impressed with the fact that Coach J spoke to the father and agreed with his reasoning and took it as valid criticism and didn't take it out on the kids.  

And I'm going to respectfully disagree with you.  Volunteer position or not, you make a commitment to coach these kids, which means you have not only 40 or however many kids depending on you to be early if not on time, plus their parents.  There's a reasonable expectation that you will be there at least at start time if not earlier.  You can't trust ten and eleven year old kids to take that sort of agency and warm themselves up.  Hell, you can't trust high school kids really either.  

That said, I was laughing my rear end off last night at the Steelers' collapse.  I don't know if they got the villain edit or what, but the coach's son who just fell down "hurt" after every play was hilarious.  And the fact that his father didn't have sense to pull him and sit him down for the rest of the game is even funnier.  Oh and McCutchen's constant stream of trash talk about his own team was also fantastic.  

[PepperMonkey]

I guess the Hurts are just gone??? Win and lose because I sometimes enjoy watching the trainwreck that IS Lori Hurt, but she also greatly annoys me with her delusions of grandeur.

Chris Davis is the WORST. I cannot believe they seem to be focusing more and more on him. Who knows if this will be renewed for another season but if it's the Chris Davis show, I may have to sit it out.

Yes, the Steelers imploding was a delight to behold BECAUSE of the McCutcheons. Last year or year before, or both, Latrell (?) was miked up and trash talking his own team and teammates and this season, it was LaTreyveon (sorry I'm terrible with their first names and spellings thereof) or Trey-Trey, as they call him. It's obvious they are trying to show him in the worst possible light. I'm surprised their mother continues to let them be on the show. The must get paid a little something for being on there. Coach's son, who kept crying and acting hurt - or maybe he WAS hurt, who knows? - was embarrassing. Guess it's a good thing that coach says he's not coming back next year, because after that, I'm pretty sure the parents wouldn't necessarily want him back anyway.

I don't know what's going on with Marecus and Fred, but Marecus, with all his flaws, faults and foibles, deserves better than Fred. I think he's only still around for the kids, and although my guess is he will stay with the Outlaws organization, he may want to stop coaching if Fred is not going to let him do the job anyway.

And finally: the Judson Jr. Rockets. I hope they do leave TYFA. None of those coaches and/or owners and/or parents are perfect on any of the teams, but I thought the way Chris Davis treated them before, during and after that game, was appalling. I really thought when Brian (President of TYFA?) showed up, he might at least tell them he would investigate but it was more covering Chris' ass. Ugh. I cannot stand that guy.

[scrb]

I like that Mustangs coach.  He doesn't have as strong a team as in previous years but he's better than most of them.

[Lemur]

On 3/17/2017 at 7:23 PM, scrb said:

I like that Mustangs coach.  He doesn't have as strong a team as in previous years but he's better than most of them.

Yeah, he's a pretty good guy but he clearly had all of his eggs in the Jeremy Durant basket, as did Jeremy's own father.  

Also, it was nice to see the TYFA Outlaws actually put a kid who had his bell rung through a concussion protocol.  And much love for Twins Mom for pulling her kid when he clearly was in no shape to play no matter what the kid said about being okay, and to the coaches for *not* pushing her or the kid to get back in the game.  I hope that boy is okay and has no lasting effects.  It's a shame, as they were in the game until that point.  Also, with the Snoop Outlaws, it was nice to see someone other than Mizel get some spotlight, especially the quiet son of the one coach with the utterly filthy mouth.  There are so many kids on that team who have been on the show for like five years who got maybe five minutes of screen time that it's kinda sad.  And I got a kick out of the strength and conditioning coach on the Long Beach side.  She's fiery.

[scrb]

I don't know she was offering $50 if they took Mizel out of the game.  That's a bounty which the NFL penalized New Orleans Saints coach with one-year suspensions.

One thing to be hardcore competitive but she's going over the line.  All these coaches take youth football way too seriously.  That's why Coach J is so different from most.  He wants to give these young guys good guidance, something which he didn't have, which led to 5 years of prison for dealing drugs.

So he's not a frustrated athlete like many of the other coaches nor are they trying to become famous, possibly move up to high school and beyond.  I think the Mustangs guy is good too and if he climbs the ladder, it would be a good thing.  But guys like Fred would be horrible.

The team that beat the 210 had crazy strength and conditioning facilities.  I'm not even sure weight training at that age is such a good idea while the kids have barely hit puberty.  If it caught on in youth football, it would consume these kids' lives and then who knows, even PEDs may become involved for 12 and 13 year olds.

[Lemur]

18 hours ago, scrb said:

I don't know she was offering $50 if they took Mizel out of the game.  That's a bounty which the NFL penalized New Orleans Saints coach with one-year suspensions.

One thing to be hardcore competitive but she's going over the line.  All these coaches take youth football way too seriously.  That's why Coach J is so different from most.  He wants to give these young guys good guidance, something which he didn't have, which led to 5 years of prison for dealing drugs.

So he's not a frustrated athlete like many of the other coaches nor are they trying to become famous, possibly move up to high school and beyond.  I think the Mustangs guy is good too and if he climbs the ladder, it would be a good thing.  But guys like Fred would be horrible.

The team that beat the 210 had crazy strength and conditioning facilities.  I'm not even sure weight training at that age is such a good idea while the kids have barely hit puberty.  If it caught on in youth football, it would consume these kids' lives and then who knows, even PEDs may become involved for 12 and 13 year olds.

I must of have missed the bounty talk (I admittedly had to take the dogs out, so it might have been then).  Yeesh.  That's ... yeah ... seriously not cool.  (Also, Eagles fan there ... I remember Bounty Bowl well.) 

Weight training, from what I remember in my youth sports days, is tricky with kids that age.  You don't want to screw with their growth plates too much as it can have a negative effect, plus you're potentially setting them up for repetitive stress injuries at a young age.  I know of a couple of parents who have their kids in it, but they're all 13 going on 14 and are working with a kinesiologist and certified trainers. (Also, I'm sure I've written a rant on here at some point about the rise of the one-sport-youth-athlete and how it's detrimental to kids both physically and mentally.)

[Rlb8031]

Anybody watching FNT: Steel Country on USA? I happened to be channel surfing last night and realized USA was running this version after the original completed. They are already on episode 3 so its been on for a couple of weeks, however like with the original its on at a weird hour (12:16am- 1:16am last night), and doesn't appear in the USA on demand catalog...