4/13/2012 - Games of the Week Back on The Air !
The cold rain started to come down harder and the wind started to whip up.
Umbrellas began to pop up and the chill in the air started to creep into my bones, but I didn’t care.
Nope, short of typhoon, I was more than happy to stand on the hill calling the Pope John-Sparta boys lacrosse game on Sparta’s field right on the corner of West Mountain Road and Route 517.
And not because it was a good game (it was for three quarters), but just for the mere fact that Mugs Media was back in the business of broadcasting Games of the Week once again.
It has been well-documented publicly that Service Electric Cable-TV opted to end its financial relationship with Mugs Media at the end of February after close to 20 years of supplying outstanding news and sports coverage for the cable company.
As I noted in a previous blog, Eric Nielsen and Bill Snouffer of the Nielsen Auto Group stepped up to the plate big time and became the title sponsor of the Sports Beat, and for that, Mugs Media is eternally grateful.
But lost in the shakeup were the Games of the Week and our weekly news magazine Skylands Weekly, hosted and produced by the talented and hardworking Melissa Estock. Mugs Media could no longer afford to produce both and with great sadness both were cancelled.
But Jerry Morelli, the owner, president and founder of Mugs Media was not ready to throw in the towel. Morelli and I have been courting numerous businesses over the last month and half trying to secure sponsors for the Games of the Week.
Mission accomplished.
And I write those words with great pleasure and pride because, honestly, I never thought we would get it done in such a timely manner. Mugs Media will broadcast 20 lacrosse games this spring after starting from scratch with no money for the Games of the Week on March 1.
I’m still giddy with delight as I write this.
The Games of the Week or GOW as I will refer to them from here on out in this blog have been a longtime staple in the community and Morelli felt it would be a disservice to the viewers to just walk away.
Morelli, in his unwavering style, worked the phones harder than a collection agent as he looked to drum up new business, and to his credit, he has raised enough money to get the lacrosse games on, and as of now, it looks like we are ready to go for the fall and winter seasons as well.
As for Skylands Weekly, it is Mugs Media’s goal to get a news program back on the air as soon as possible. In the meantime we have included news items on the Sports Beat, but rest assured, Morelli will not give up until Mugs Media is back to where it used to be.
So now is the proper time to thank those sponsors who believe in what we do for the local student-athletes in the area.
Thor Labs in Newton was the first to come on and dealing with them was a pleasure. The company has relocated to Newton and has hired 400 local residents and is still hiring. Their new facility is terrific and sits on Newton-Sparta road next to Chun-Bo.
Weis Markets which has locations in Newton on Route 206 and in Franklin on Route 23 answered the call as well and told Morelli they want to be a big part of the community.
Selective Insurance in Branchville joined the team and had the video production class from High Point Regional High School produce its commercial, which is very cool. Selective is one of the largest employers in the county and felt the need to serve the community even more by joining the Mugs Media team.
DeBoer’s Auto on Route 23 in Hamburg also came on board. The DeBoer family has a long tradition of community service and they felt it was the right thing to do for the student-athletes.
And the latest to join the Mugs Media team is Skyview Orthopedic Associates in Sparta on Route 15. Dr. John Vitolo has been a pillar in the community for many years and his practice, which specializes in knee and shoulder injuries, is a top-notch sport medicine destination.
Mugs Media cannot thank these sponsors enough for keeping a two-decade tradition alive. So please, patronize all of the Mugs Media sponsors on the GOW and the Sports Beat, they are the lifeblood of Mugs Media.
And if you are interested in advertising on the GOW or the Sports Beat, please contact Morelli at jerry@mugsmedia.com or at 973-729-9234.
The plan is to air 92 games from April 2012-to-April of 2013, which includes the fall and winter seasons. The games will air on Channel 10 and check this website for exact air times.
Below is a list of the GOW scheduled to air this spring. So, thanks for watching.
That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.
SPRING SCHEDULE BY DATE
*(16 games, 4 games TBA Subject To Change)
GAME/SPORT Game Date Air Date
Boys Lacrosse
Pope John at Sparta Tues. 4/10 Wed. 4/11
Girls Lacrosse
Montville at Sparta Wed. 4/11 Thurs. 4/12
Boys Lacrosse
Lenape Valley at High Poin Fri. 4/13 Tues. 4/17
Boys Lacrosse
Sparta at Jefferson Sat. 4/14 Wed. 4/18
Boys Lacrosse
Pope John at No. Warren Mon. 4/16 Thurs. 4/19
Boys Lacrosse
Vernon at Sparta Wed. 4/18 Sat. 4/21
Girls Lacrosse
Vernon at Jefferson Thurs. 4/19 Tues. 4/24
Boys Lacrosse
Kittatinny at Newton Wed. 4/25 Thurs 4/26
Girls Lacrosse
Pope John at Mt. Olive Thurs. 4/26 Sat 4/28
Boys Lacrosse
Lenape Valley at Kittatinny Fri. 4/27 Tues. 5/1
Boys Lacrosse
Vernon at Jefferson Sat. 4/28 Wed. 5/2
Girls Lacrosse
Warren Hills at N. Warren Mon. 4/30 Thurs. 5/3
Boys Lacrosse
Lenape V. at Wallkill V. Tues. 5/1 Fri. 5/4
Girls Lacrosse
Sparta at Vernon Thurs. 5/3 Sat. 5/5
Girls Lacrosse
Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Sat. 5/5 Tues. 5/8
Boys Lacrosse
Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Wed. 5/9 Thurs. 5/10
*We have four open dates for continued H/W/S and state tournament play for a total of 20 games. Check www.mugsmedia.com for air times
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