Simmons Says: July Mailbag
Sports are almost officially back every night.
After a couple of months where it felt like every day brought a new project, a new interview or a new show at Studio 605, we're about to settle back into Friday nights under the lights. Before we get there though, let's empty the mailbag one more time.
Thanks to everybody who submitted questions. Let's get rolling.
Q: What was it really like interviewing Gary Rankin?
Surreal.
Other than the phone conversations we had setting up the interview - and a fuzzy recollection of us talking or emailing back when I wrote the 1980 Pioneers recap in 2020 - I hadn't really spoken to coach Rankin. We had never officially met until he walked through the doors at Studio 605 and, almost immediately, you knew it was going to be different.
Some of that was because a small welcome committee had already formed before he arrived - something that would've turned into a full-blown parade if we'd announced when he was getting there. I mean, this is Gary Rankin. He's the coach people still bring up every single time football comes up in Warren County.
I've joked for years about the "Ghost of Gary Rankin," kind of like the Red Sox talking about the Curse of the Bambino. Every time Warren County had to make a coaching change, somebody inevitably posted, "If we'd just hired Rankin back in (pick a year), we wouldn't be dealing with this."
Yeah . . . no kidding.
Let's be real: 17 state championships meant I already knew Gary Rankin knew football. He's probably forgotten more about the game than I'll ever know. That wasn't the surprise.
What caught me off guard was his humor.
He could've walked in, sat down and been stoic for an hour. Instead, he was a legendary storyteller who could recall moments from the 1970s like they'd happened yesterday. For two hours, he had a funny or gripping anecdote for everything we asked.
Honestly, I wish we'd stayed on another hour because I think he was just getting warmed up once we started talking classifications and the future of high school football.
Since his visit, I've heard even more stories from people who know Coach Rankin, and somehow they're even better. We'll save those for another time.
We're hoping to get him back before - or during - football season. Considering we've added roughly 5,000 followers since that interview, I have a feeling we'd be threatening another local viewing record if he walked back through those Studio 605 doors.
Q: What are your thoughts on the upcoming elections and the campaigning going on right now?
The race for District Attorney has probably drawn the most curiosity from me because I think all three candidates - Lisa Zavogiannis, Randal Gilliam and Matt Colvard - have strong factions of support locally. If you do the unofficial sign count to gauge voting, then you'd probably conclude it's dead even right now. Driving back and forth from work, I see signs for all three candidates, sometimes in what feels like back-to-back-to-back yards.
Best of luck to those neighborhoods when somebody actually wins. Hopefully there’s no HOA meetings, otherwise it may get wild.
Having sat down with all three candidates at some point over the last year, I think voters are choosing between three very different visions for the office: a return to the old days of the District Attorney's Office, continuing the direction voters chose in 2022 or a complete changing of the guard. We’ll see where the votes lean - I’d say it’s a true coin toss right now.
As for sheriff and county executive, those races are always about whether somebody can rally enough support to unseat an incumbent. That's easier said than done, but we also watched it happen in both races in 2022, so history tells us nothing is guaranteed.
At this point though, I'm kind of where I imagine most of the candidates are themselves - I'm ready to know the answers and for this to come to a resolution. They wouldn’t say that publicly, of course, but the campaign trail is exhausting. Doing their jobs well is what I’m sure all would rather be focused on right now.
I've helped on campaigns in the past, so I know firsthand how exhausting this process can be. By now, there probably aren't many minds left to change. If somebody hasn't decided by Election Day, they may truly be walking into the voting booth and making a game-time decision - coin flips, blind draws or a game of Eeny, meeny, miny, moe could decide some votes.
From a media standpoint, I've appreciated the candidates who've made the effort to sit down with as many outlets as possible. To me, that's backing up talk about transparency with action.
If you're only willing to appear in one place and let that message filter everywhere else, it tells me you're comfortable staying inside your own bubble. That may be good politics, but it doesn't necessarily inspire confidence that you'll be transparent once you're in office.
If you're still undecided, you've still got time. Watch the forums from Warren First and Warren Joy, Main Street Media and - shameless plug - the interviews we've done at Studio 605 (embedded at the bottom of this post). I'm sure the Southern Standard will continue covering the races as well.
Use every resource available, get informed and go vote.
Q: Did you ever imagine Studio 605 would grow this fast?
Yes. And I only answer that confidently because I knew from the very start who was steering the ship.
A lot of what you're seeing now isn't some brand-new master plan. It's ideas Sullens and I have talked about for a long time - the difference now is we have the freedom to actually execute them.
Good talent helps too.
Chris Terry is a natural behind the mic. He's a gifted storyteller who just feels like Warren County. My mom called after one of his first shows and said exactly what I was already seeing in the comments: "He sounds like a guy telling stories down at Rocky River."
Michael Thrower has gotten more comfortable every week on the Coaches Show. Now we just need to upgrade the technology so he and Eric Belew can draw up plays together because those two could probably spend two hours talking X's and O's without taking a breath.
The Warren County Sports Authority has also reached another level because of the guests we've been fortunate enough to bring in.
Gary Rankin resonated because he's authentic. Hutton resonated. Rick Insell resonated. Andi Jones resonated. They're all unapologetically themselves.
I've said it a hundred times: we're not inviting people onto our shows for a public relations tour. The conversations are going to be real. That's what people deserve.
That's why I was looking forward to having Patti Clarke on. I had a feeling she was going to walk in ready to throw a few dance-related grenades my way, and that's perfectly fine. The best guests are confident enough to defend what they believe, and they're secure enough in what they've accomplished to enjoy the conversation.
I think that's become the identity of Studio 605.
Q: What's the biggest storyline heading into football season that people aren't talking about enough?
Do the Pioneers have enough playmakers to score points? I honestly think that's the difference between another winning season and having to grind out every victory.
AJ Whitman gives Warren County a different dynamic at quarterback, but replacing the Robledos on the perimeter won't be easy. That said, I think there are guys ready to step into bigger roles.
Marek Sadlon caught my eye on the first day of practice. Some guys just look like they know how to get open - Sadlon strikes me as that kind of kid. Also, Carter Lee looks like one of the best athletes on the field every time I see him and - even better - I think he’s starting to realize it too. There’s purpose and confidence in everything he does.
And, if not for a shoulder injury last year, I think we’d already be pretty confident in what Christian Munoz can do.
That said, Whitman will run for major yards, a guy like Dylan Aguilar is just scratching the surface at his talents and a lot of guys are going to look good toting the rock for the Pioneers this season.
The funny thing is, talking about all those skill players basically proves Gary Rankin's point: Nobody talks about offensive linemen.
When they're doing their jobs, nobody notices them. When they aren't, everybody notices them.
So before the first snaps, let me break that trend and mention some impact dudes in the trenches - The Holders, Ryan Romzek, Johnny Garcia and the rest of that group are going to be the reason this offense succeeds. If those guys are stacking pancakes every Friday night, the names everybody remembers in November may be the ones carrying the football.
I'm excited to see how it all comes together. More importantly, I can't wait to be in the broadcast booth.
Q: What's the next piece of Warren County sports history you want to tell?
Anything and everything from the time they opened the "new" high school until now.
I think we've unintentionally lost track of a generation of athletes from roughly 1996 to 2010. When people talk Warren County sports history, the conversation usually jumps from the state championship era of the early '90s straight to more recent years.
There are a lot of athletes in between who deserve their flowers.
I know that's true when you look at the Warren County Sports Hall of Fame. We've honored many of the coaches from that era, and rightfully so. But maybe it's time we start telling the stories of the players who made those teams special.
Take Andi Jones, for example. Around the state she's already a legend, but maybe it's time the legend gets her proper due locally. The same goes for somebody like Josh Paz, who helped lay the foundation for bringing winning football back to Nunley Stadium, or Linsey Cornelius, one of the best all-around athletes Warren County has ever produced.
There are dozens more.
I understand why the 1992 baseball and golf state championships still get so much attention. They should. And when Pioneer football struggled for so many years afterward, it had a way of overshadowing a lot of success happening in other sports.
But there are a lot of stories from that generation that deserve to be told before they become forgotten history.
That's one of the things I'm most excited about continuing to do at The Warren County Way.
Q: How can we support everything y'all are doing with The Warren County Way, the WCSA and Studio 605?
First off, thank you. I've been asked this question a lot over the last month and I'm honestly humbled every time somebody asks it.
The easiest answer is to keep doing what you've already been doing: Watch the shows, read the stories and like, comment and share our content when you enjoy it.
Most importantly, support the businesses that support us. Without our advertising partners, none of this happens.
People will sometimes tell me they almost feel guilty getting everything for free and I always laugh. I've never apologized for getting something free - especially my parents picking up the dinner checks or those home-cooked meals (hint, hint) - I've always just been thankful for it.
We're thankful too.
The response over the last few months has been beyond anything I imagined. Football broadcasts are about to start, the WCSA will keep rolling every Wednesday, Simmons Says isn't slowing down and we've got a lot more stories planned for The Warren County Way.
If the last couple of months have taught me anything, it's this community will get behind something it believes in.
We don't take that support for granted. Thanks for reading.
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Have a question for next month's Simmons Says Mailbag? Email wcsportsauthority@gmail.com. Sports, local government, journalism, Warren County history or just about anything else is fair game. If it's interesting enough, it'll probably make the next mailbag.
