Those who were unable to get tickets to the June 3 Port Arthur News Homecoming Roast of Wade Phillips are going to have a viewing alternative.
Roast chairman Bob West says an agreement has been reached for Time Warner Cable to carry the event live on its sports channel.
In Southeast Texas, the TW sports channel is 323. The roast will also be aired on Time Warner systems in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Waco, San Antonio, El Paso, the Rio Grande Valley and selected out-of-state markets. Total viewership for the systems involved is roughly 10 million people.
“This is exciting,” said West. “Time Warner showed the Jamaal Charles roast on a delayed basis last year. Carrying Wade’s live is a pretty big deal. It’s going to be terrific exposure for him and for the area he calls home.”
Jim Barton of Beaumont, who broke into television doing the Port Arthur News Friday Night Experience high school football games, will produce the roast for Time Warner.
What will be the 13th Port Arthur News Homecoming Roast is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start Friday at Port Arthur’s Bob Bowers Civic Center. The event was moved from Lamar State College Port Arthur’s Carl Parker Center after it sold out the Parker Center’s seating capacity within three days.
Upwards of 900 people are expected for a roast and toast of Port Neches-Groves ex Phillips for the major role he played in Denver’s Super Bowl 50 victory. The job his defense did against Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, New England’s Tom Brady and Carolina’s Cam Newton ranks with the very best
playoff runs in NFL history.
Roast headliners are defensive end J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans, linebacker DeMarcus Ware of the Denver Broncos and Port Arthur’s two-time Super Bowl winning head coach Jimmy Johnson of Fox Sports. Johnson, of course, is also a two-time roast honoree.
Also expressing their thoughts on Phillips will be his son Wesley, the tight ends coach for the Washington Redskins, Houston Chronicle NFL writer John McClain and former Houston Oilers center Carl Mauck.
Veteran Houston radio personality Barry Warner, who was recently inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, is the master of ceremonies.
Roast attendees are strongly encouraged to arrive early to avoid potential long lines in the foyer where table assignments will be given out. Because of live television, the program is going to start promptly at 7 p.m.
Another reason to be settled in by 7 is that J.J. Watt is going to appear early in the program, before dinner is served. The heavy-in-demand Texans’ star is committed to an event in Houston later Friday night and requested that he be allowed to speak as soon as it was practical.
“We had to change up a few things to accommodate him, but that’s what you do when you are dealing with someone of that stature,” said West. “Everybody wants J.J. for their program or for a personal appearance. We are fortunate that he thinks so highly of Wade that he’s coming to Port Arthur.
“He just put on a charity softball game in Houston that drew 20,000 people at Minute Maid Park. Reebok is rolling out a massive ad campaign around him titled ‘Hunt for Greatness.’ He’s going to co-host the CMT Music Awards with Erin Andrews on June 8. With Peyton Manning retiring, he has to be the most high profile guy in the NFL.”
For anyone who is uncertain, attire for the evening is business casual.