I hate to say I called it. Saturday before the game and again Sunday after. Montana State University fired head football coach Rob Ash on Monday, ending a nine-year career with the Bobcats. He was the winningest coach in program history. Think about that for a moment. The man with the most wins ever (70) was let go for not winning. MSU captured three Big Sky Conference championships during his tenure. That’s one every three years based on the math. That coach was fired. Rob Ash moved to Bozeman and turned a dumpster-fire into a contender. Since the Sonny Holland glory days in the 1970, MSU football coaches compiled a record of 141-183 before Ash. Only two had a winning record and one of those went only 6-5. Ash was 70-38. The Montana State football program was in shambles after the firing of former head coach Mike Kramer (now with Idaho State). Drugs and murder littered the roster and Kramer had less control than he did wins. That’s a justifiable firing. Rob Ash ran a clean program and stressed academics as much as athletics. Of course, some 45-year-old in his mom’s basement, wearing maroon and silver, can Google some sort of troubles from the MSU program in the past nine years. Just like some jealous fan decked in blue and gold could do the same for Montana. Don’t kid yourselves. It’s happening everywhere. Here in Tucson, University of Arizona head football coach Rich Rodriguez is one of the most intimidating (and yet, funny) men I have ever encountered. But even his players are dumb enough to make mistakes a college-aged kid would make. Let’s be clear: after the downward spiral left behind by Kramer, Ash deserves a medal. Or, at the very least, perhaps a job? I mentioned RichRod, who is one of dozens of high-profile coaches in the rumor-mill this season. His Arizona Wildcats entered 2015 fresh off a Pac-12 South championship and appearance in the Fiesta Bowl. Some Wildcat fans want him gone. I have spoken to other fans who say they would love to watch RichRod win eight games each year and earn an invitation to the “insert ridiculous-named bowl game here.” Sounds familiar. Cat-Griz Insider Greg Rachac spoke with an MSU fan who stated, “If (Ash) went 7-4 every year that would be good enough for me.” There lies the dilemma. Do you retain a coach that can win seven or eight games a year, go to the postseason but lose consistently before the championship round? Do you settle for a guy with a 2-7 record against your in-state rival? I’ll be honest. Saturday before the game and Sunday again after, I texted my cousin and my father-in-law that I thought Ash’s time in Bozeman had come to a close. I also texted them that I thought it was probably the right move. I have no horse in this Cat-Griz race (my wife, a Griz fan, believes me a Bobcat supporter while my friends, MSU fans, think the opposite) but from an unbiased view, I felt it was time for Peter Fields, the MSU athletic director, to make a change. I said that under one condition. They damn well better have the right replacement in mind, because Bobcat fans can’t wait another 30 years to be relevant.
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It's mid-November meaning we're nearing the end of football season, we've begun basketball season and the days will soon be shorter. But when it comes to covering sports, it's not all on the field and in the gym. One of the more exciting aspects of my job, any journalist's job, is getting to see a variety of exciting sports. My Sunday took me by the Tucson MC Motorsports Park that I never knew existed. Riders varied in age from what appeared to be under 10 years old to the timeless, 68-year-old Flyin' Hawaiian, John DeSoto. Being the amateur photographer I am (and amateur is being kind) I had fun with both the video camera and the DSLR. Pictures are in a slideshow below. Enjoy! It seems like only months ago I was scribbling words onto a similar post. It was time for a new adventure, a chance to work in Tucson, Arizona. I can still remember sneaking one last look at 10th Avenue South in my rear view as Fallon and I drove toward the Old Pueblo. It was never about leaving Montana, a place we had each called home our entire lives. It was more about the chance of seeking a new adventure. Recently engaged, it provided the opportunity for us to grow closer together as a couple while gaining experience in our respective careers. For me it was simple. Moving to Tucson would give me a courtside seat to the (at the time) top-ranked Arizona Wildcats NCAA basketball program. It would allow me to stand on the sidelines as Rich Rodriguez guided the UofA football team to new heights. I would stand on the softball diamond where Jennie Finch led Arizona to national championships. There was the pool where Olympic medalists trained, the fields where JJ Hardy and Ian Kinsler once held batting practice, and the mats where “Magnificent Seven” gymnast Kerri Strug began her career. These thoughts became reality as I tagged along on back-to-back Elite Eight trips by Sean Miller, the Pac-12 South championship won by RichRod, and the titles in golf, soccer and volleyball. There were Monday Night Football games with the Cardinals, midweek league games with the Diamondbacks and of course, Super Bowl XLIX. Major college and professional athletics opened my eyes to a new world of sports reporting. However, I also still felt at home roaming the high school football sidelines on Friday night and watching overtime finishes during the state basketball tournament. Tucson High’s 10-inning playoff win over Salpointe Catholic will likely always fall on my “best games witnessed in person” list. Southern Arizona would introduce me to triathletes, divers, blind baseball players, Kenyan distance runners and track and field phenoms. Watching an emotional T.J. McConnell hold back tears after his final collegiate game pulled at my heartstrings like few moments have in my career. While I was gaining experience reporting at a level I had never seen before, Fallon was gathering knowledge at an even more incredible rate. An oncology RN, she spends her days (nights) around some of the most ailing patients in the hospital. An atmosphere with declining cases would be too emotional for the majority of the population, but she thrived in providing comfort, healing and assistance to her patients. Certified in chemotherapy, ACLS (advanced cardiovascular life support), bone marrow and many others, Fallon was acquiring information that would make her an even more incredible nurse. There were sad moments, of course, but the “thank yous” and praise from patients and their families showed how great of a nurse she had become. To put it simply, life was good. We had incredible careers, an amazing first year of marriage, two beautiful dogs and nearly everything a young couple could hope for. But you never know when life will bring another opportunity. I have worked for the same company, Cordillera Communications, my entire television career. What started at KTVQ in Billings has taken me to KRTV in Great Falls and now KVOA in Tucson. The company recently acquired another TV station, KTVH, in Helena, MT. I thought little of it when I first read the email sent from company headquarters. It was an acquisition that would change our lives.
It is at this time I am excited to officially announce we have been offered and since accepted the sports director position with KTVH in Helena, MT. We will soon return to the state in which we were raised, the viewing area we attended high school, and the friends and family we briefly left behind. Like many, when I began my career as a sports reporter I dreamt of landing on Monday Night Football or anchoring Sports Center in Bristol for ESPN. While I still believe my hard work and willingness to improve would eventually place me in such a position, I have noticed over time, my goals, and especially my priorities, have changed. In my opinion, this is not a bad thing. I have not given up on my dreams; rather, I have a new set of goals to accomplish that better suit my family and me. Family has always been an important staple in my life. Advancements in technology like FaceTime allowed us to see our parents, siblings, and friends but there is no alternative that can best living a simple drive away. This career has never been about “being on TV” for me. In fact, I have always been hesitant to include myself in a story if I felt it took away from the real focus. My joy in this business has been sharing the accomplishments of those in the community. There are so many little autobiographies waiting to be told and my job allows me to be the narrator. I am ecstatic to return home to bring you these very stories. I have been fortunate during my near 10-year career. General managers and news directors within the company have put their trust in me to deliver an unbiased and thorough report. Now, I put my trust back in them. This new stop in my journey makes me a direct competitor to my former station KRTV (and KXLH in Helena). Viewers have always depended on the Montana Television Network to deliver the news in a fashion they could enjoy. KTVH will be the latest to join that list. Over time, viewers will recognize changes the company makes to better serve you. I only ask that you be patient as we strive to become part of your daily routine. In the meantime, set your DVR for January 18, 2016 and make sure you “like” and “follow” my social media accounts (listed below) as I plan to bring even more interaction with you, our neighbors, than ever before. I also encourage you to bookmark this blog, which will provide other angles into your favorite teams and athletes. Your voice also deserves to be heard, so I ask that you provide ideas for how I could better serve you. Grab your remote Montana and prepare for a new and improved way to watch the news. Follow Richie on his social media accounts: Twitter - @richiemelby Facebook - Richie Melby TV Instagram - @richiemelby Periscope - @richiemelby |
AuthorRichie is a small-town boy chasing big-city dreams. When he's not involved with sports, he's spending time with his wife, Fallon; their yorkie, Tinker; and their Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rosie. Archives
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