I hurriedly scarfed down a turkey on rye and a side of artichoke salad -- which is superb I might add -- at a local deli on Tuesday night so that I could get home in time to check out ESPN's "Bound For Glory, The Montour Spartans."
I sat in my recliner wearing a John Hufnagel throwback jersey as I tried to both dissect and digest the show.
And the verdict for me ... Ho-hum.
The show was, well, OK. It wasn't bad but it wasn't overly entertaining either.
But there were some interesting highlights and tidbits that I noticed:
First, during a pre-practice speech when Lou Cerro initially introduced Dick Butkus to the team, I noticed something interesting. When they flashed the shot of Cerro, the screen read:
"Lou Cerro, assistant head coach."
Do you think that's when the reality hit Lou, who is in his first season at Montour? Do you think as he sat on his couch watching the show he said to himself at that very moment, "Why in the heck did I leave Seton-LaSalle?"
Also, during a preseason pool party, two Spartans players actually uttered, "I will guarantee we make the playoffs." If you go to Montour, do yourself a favor: Find someone else to sit next to if you are planning on cheating on a test. Don't steal answers from those two.
The Montour School District encompasses Robinson and Kennedy, Pennsbury Village, Ingram and Thornburg. That said, why is the "Welcome to McKees Rocks" sign something the producers of the show keep flashing across our television screens?
In all honesty, Ray Crockett, a former NFL cornerback, seems like a great guy who is genuinely interested in making a difference with these kids. He also gives the impression that he's a marvelous communicator with the ability to get through to the players.
Also, I got to thinking, "Bound For Glory, The Montour Spartans" is in and of itself a pretty bland moniker. The title doesn't do it for me, I think that we can come up with something better.
I had a few ideas that I scribbled down. I was thinking, maybe: "Bound for Mediocrity, The Montour Spartans."
Or perhaps:
"Montour Spartans, at least we got new equipment for all of this."
If that doesn't work, how about:
"Montour Spartans, our new coach has a tremendous moustache."
Or maybe:
"Montour Spartans, we've won more games than Pitt."
Well, those are just a few of my ideas and this is where you come in. My e-mail address is listed below and I'd like your feedback as to what you think would be a good title for the Montour reality show. Be sure to keep it clean and also list your name and hometown.
When this column runs again on Tuesday, I'll include some of the responses that I and my panel of judges deem to be the best. And yes, the panel of judges assembled will be the same nine people who judged the figure skating pairs event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.