Extreme Tuna

Comments (0) By Thomas Crone Wednesday, Dec 2 1998

This year's edition kicks off this Sunday, Dec. 6, with an 11:30 a.m. start, as Visitation faces Quincy, Ill. The additional games are: 1 p.m., Poplar Bluff, Mo., vs. St. Joseph's; 2:30 p.m., Rosary vs. Carrollton, Ill.; 4 p.m., Carthage, Ill., vs. Taylorville, Ill.; 5:30 p.m., Springfield (Mo.) Glendale vs. Gateway Tech; and 7 p.m., Parkway West vs. Nokomis, Ill. For ticket information call Margo Garvin (she recently brought an ABL exhibition game to the same gym) at 727-5599.

FINDING A VOICE: Speaking of women's hoops, it's nice to hear live calls of St. Louis University's women's team on WGNU (920 AM). Despite a high turnover of both coaches and roster spots over the past three-plus seasons, coach Jill Pizzotti's got a competitive team on her hands, so the exposure is nice -- another small recruiting chip and an option for sports fans flipping through the dial.

As for the radio deal, it came about in large part because of the efforts of AM veteran Skip Erwin, who does play-by-play for the broadcasts. Handling the color commentary this season is Kevin "Kevy Kev" Pulley of Magic 105, though you seldom hear him, as Erwin breathlessly calls the action with nary a pause in his delivery. He simply doesn't allow Pulley a chance to get a word in edgewise. If the growth of women's sports is to happen, it'll need media play, especially on smaller outlets such as WGNU. Right now, Erwin's heavy-handed stamp on the action is so severe that the natural flow of the contest is often lost.