Back from San Diego

Great trip for Texas football and Women's basketball. Coach G really has this team buying in to what she wants. That 81-79 win was big. Tons to get to on Wednesday's show ( 11am central, click on the player on this page or go to www.blogtalkradio.com/chadhastings ) NFL playoffs, bowl games, coaching news, etc.

But today I'll just say Happy New Year. Please be careful tonight. Don't hurt yourself or anyone else. Thanks for supporting the blog and the show these last couple months. I wish I knew exactly what was going to happen to me in 2008. My plan right now is to finish out the basketball season while seeing if the show has wings enough to fly. After that depends on a lot of things. I'll keep spreading the word. You do the same, and we'll see what happens.

A game and a stepson

I had a great time being down on the field for the Holiday Bowl. Plus I did not get trampled, which was a goal. Let's get a couple pics and a couple comments.




I love this shot. The Az St. O line is clear and the UT D line is a blur. That was the story of the game for me, The Texas D line got after Rudy Carpenter.



...and then there was the Chris Jessie play. The only way the play could have gotten weirder is if Coach Brown's wife had done the same thing. It says something about the game and the time we are in that after the game, ABC wanted to interview Chris and not a Texas player or coach. Oh well, it is entertainment. And you my never see a play that weird ever again. Congrats to Mack and the team for seven straight 10- win seasons.

In and Out

Just enough time to type a little and then head off to San Diego. Hope everyone had a great Xmas. Thanks to the Bears for beating the Pack and giving the Boys home field. For the record, the Panthers got hosed on some big calls (I thought Smith caught that ball), and Tank shouldn't be fined a cent for that hit on Moore. What a rep flag that was. Perfect tackle. Nothing more. Anyway, look for me on the sidelines at the Holiday Bowl. I'll be the guy with the parabolic mic trying no to get killed by football players.

Have a great new year, and catch the next web show on the 2nd of January.

Merry Xmas from the family

Everybody have a safe and happy holiday. Thanks for making the end of '07 a little easier to handle. Keep spreading the word and maybe we'll keep this train rollin' well into '08.

My best to your family.

C.

AZ pics

Spring training home of the Angels



This is in the Az St. Sports Hall of Fame. In the baseball display, they did have a Bonds jersey, but look at what thy say about him. A successful career? You think?



Barry is on the bottom near the floor. Even sadder is that the black and white one on the right in the middle is Reggie Jackson. But at least you can argue he only played one year. He also has a big profile plaque on the wall that Barry does not have. I wonder how much this has to say about Barry's rep while at ASU, and how much it has to do with his rep in baseball. Maybe it's both. All I know is they have a whole case devoted to Terrell Suggs.

The game is tomorrow. I'll try and get more pics up before I head home for Xmas.

Items for your Xmas list...or not

We're in Tempe getting ready for the UT Women's game tomorrow night at Arizona State. Remember to catch the game on AM 1300 the Zone in Austin. The pre game starts at 7:15, and the game tips a 7:30. You can also listen at www.texassports.com.

Ok, so we go shopping today at a mall in Tempe, and I saw 3 items for the NFL fan on your list. I thought they had everything with NFL logos on it, but I was wrong. The bronze medal goes to NFL tailgater tape. It's like police tape that you use to border off your tailgate site. Wow. Silver medal has to be the NFL measuring tape. If you have to have this, you're nuts and you should not be measuring anything. But without a doubt the dumbest thing I saw today was the NFL hammer. That's right, a hammer. It's got the logo on it, and the handle has the laces on it. Let me be clear about this. If you own the NFL hammer, or will ever consider buying it for anyone, you are a loser.

Check back later for pics from Arizona, including the treatment of Barry Bonds at the Az St. Hall of Fame. Pretty interesting.

I'll be on the radio Friday

In addition to my web show Friday(11a) where Brian Jones will join me, I will be filling in for Craig Way during the 2-4 slot on AM 1300 the Zone. I may grab one guest, but I'd like to get a ton of phone calls. I'll throw out a couple topics I've been hitting on my show, and see what the fans think. Feel free to listen(www.am1300thezone.com) or call in (512-390-5483) And if you want to email during the show, just use chastings@mindspring.com. Thanks to the Zone for the opportunity. It'll feel good to get behind that mic again.

Also a quick word on the Roger Clemens discussion today on the web show. Astros Kimm was trying to give me info. on the High School Baseball Coaches Conference coming up in January. I thought she had seen a story about a Roger press conference where he would talk about the Mitchell Report. My bad. Sorry for that confusion. No press conference scheduled yet as far as I know.

Check back here for pics and Arizona thoughts the next couple days

Trail of Lights pictures

Pettitte and others sound off

I talked mainly football on the web show today, but I did want to make some comments on the Andy Pettitte story. If you missed it - Link - Andy says he only used HGH for 2 days in 2002 to recover from an injury. He says he then felt bad about it and stopped. Is Andy liked enough that we'll just believe him? Since there's no legal issue here, it may very well end right here. When people read that Barry Bonds testified he used the cream and the clear, didn't know they were steroids, then stopped because they didn't work, I don't feel like they believe him. But do you as John Q. baseball fan believe Pettitte? Let's say you believe Roger did. How are we to believe that Andy would train with them and not use the same stuff? Plus, do you buy this idea of using for recovery and not performance enhancement? That's a tough line, and I'm not sure where to draw it. But if you can get your mind around that line, and you convince yourself Andy was never on the wrong side, maybe you do believe him.

Other denials are coming out - Brenden Donnelly says he never used - Link

Alex Cabrera says he didn't do it - Link

Yeah, I bet that one has had you up nights.

The Orioles are just covering their ass - Link

And before you could ask A-Rod, Katie Couric did - Link

The Pettitte thing is tough. You want to believe him and Roger. Just like I want to believe Barry, even though I don't like the way he comes off sometimes. The difference with Barry is that the Balco raid got folders with drug schedules that can be logically connected to him. We have no such evidence with Roger or Andy. Until we do, all we have is their word and your beliefs.

The Mitchell Report

You wanna read it all. Here you go. All 409 pages.

Here's the link - http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/mitchrpt.pdf


This is like the day when you find out the girl you always knew was cheating on you WAS cheating on you. There is so much in there that has been discussed, guessed at, or just supposed by baseball fans everywhere. The big question for Clemens and Pettitte is when and how to respond. Do you go into Big Mac hiding, or do you attack it Lance Armstrong style? Sounds like Roger is denying everything and Pettitte is waiting to see what the union will do.

NY Times article on Clemens' denial

How did I not know about this person?

This is Delta Goodrem, an Australian singer. Wow is she beautiful. Plus she beat cancer in 2003. I'll try and get more pics up of her later.

Ok, it's later and I found like 40 shots of her. Check out the one it links to, then check them all out. Link to pics

A 16 team playoff, but I need you to run it.

This didn't take me that long to figure out.

Dec 27th

(1) Ohio St.

Cotton Bowl ________

(16) Tenn.


(8) Kansas

GMAC Bowl ________

(9) West Va


(5) Georgia

Armed Forces ________

(12) Florida


(4) OU

Humanitarian ________

(13) Illinois

________________________________________________

Dec. 28th

(2)LSU

Sun Bowl ________

(15) Clemson


(7) USC

Music City ________

(10) Hawaii


(6) Mizz

Gator ________

(11) Az St.


(3)VT

Capital One ________

(14) BC

And that's your first round. You play on Thurs. and Fri to create 2 days of college and two days of NFL for a great weekend. The Quarters would be the 3rd and 4th of Jan. Don't worry tradition heads, there's plenty of bowls left over so you don't actually have to listen to your family on the 1st. Then play the Final Four ( I may cry) on the 10th and 11th. Then your title game is the Saturday before the NFL championship games on Sunday. Now that's a weekend kids.
Now to the technical part. I need a couple of nerds or maybe a few nerds to play these games out on P station, Xbox, whatever. Only 3 rules. Let the computer play it out. Use 5 minute quarters so you still have a life. And try to play it at the designated bowl site for extra effect. Then just email the result to me ( chastings@mindspring.com ) Email me and let me know if you can handle a game or 2 in the first round. I'll put the other bowls up if we get through round one.

ps- If you don't love the idea of OU having to go to Boise's home field to play, you are probably wearing a bowl jacket right now

Harley and Michael Vick

Now how could Vick hurt that face? Ok, not fair. Nobody could hurt Harley. But I think when you hear this story, you think about your dog. How could anybody do that to a dog? But there's a lot more to it than that. Did Vick deserve 23 months? When you add it all up, I think it's about right. Remember, this isn't just about dogs. If he had done this only in Virginia, there would be no federal charges. It's about illegal interstate gambling, failing a drug test, and not telling the truth when a judge tells you to. The 2 questions for me are does he change after jail, and does he get a chance to play football again? I guess the first one's not that big a deal. I just hope as a dog lover he will be able to see what he did as wrong.
Remember a couple things though before you make Vick into Satan. At the core of this thing, it's about dog breeding. There are hundreds of breeds of dogs bred to do lots of things. Things like hunt, protect, and yes sometimes fight. If you train a dog to protect your family and attack intruders, you are teaching it to fight for you without regard to its safety. This has gone on for thousands of years, and while I don't want to see it, I can understand why it might be appealing to some. Boxing, cock fighting, and dog fighting are essentially the same thing. The only difference is that with the latter two, the athlete doesn't have enough sense to stop. They will actually fight to the death. I guess in some sick way, that's the nobility Vick and others see in this sport. It's pure sport on the most basic of levels. Win=life , loss=death. And think real hard for a second. What is it about a Ronnie Lott hit or an Emmitt Smith taking the pounding with a separated shoulder that makes us put them above other performances? Is it because we believe they have crossed that line where they don't care for their safety? Is it because they have made it as if it were life or death? But to bring it full circle, always remember the true beauty of Lott and Smith that was not found in Virginia. Lott and Smith chose how far to take it. The dogs never had that option.

A lesson for all of us...and don't forget John

The lesson: don't edit/delete digital pictures from your camera right after a nap. I did that tonight and lost some good stuff. I wanted to put the pics I took in Corpus up, but no. I had the arena, the floor, and a shot of the ocean. I even had a shot of a ship that carries supplies to Iraq and returns with broken machinery to fix. I deleted sunset shots from on top of my house, and a couple of great pics of the kid. So you'll have to imagine all that. And now, so will I. How about a couple pics to make us all feel better...



This is from my honeymoon in Hawaii. It's the sunset from 14,000 ft on the Mauna Kea volcano. Seeing the sun drop into the clouds was pretty cool. The sunset pictures I deleted were not this cool.



The outside of Allen Field house. If you love college hoops, you have to see a game there. I have lots of good shots of this place. That makes me feel better.



And you can't go wrong with Cameron Indoor. What a great place. It's like a high school gym, a museum, and a church all in one. Ok so at least I gave you pictures, just not the ones I wanted.

Now for John. The 8th is not quite over. 27 years ago today, the world was trying to figure out why someone would get John Lennon's autograph, and then kill him an hour or so later. It was one of the greatest losses in music history. So pop in some Beatles or solo stuff and soak up the greatness. I'm going to go with LSD and Julia. Parents, raise your kids to love music. It is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. Like Andy says in Shawshank, they can never take it away from you. We love you John.

Off to the coast

Leaving today with the Women's team for Corpus. The tip is at 1:30 tomorrow on the Zone if you're interested or online at texassports.com
Good show today with Craig at 11:20, a call from Sal from NYC, a little ZZTop, and some stripper DJ. Thanks for listening to the show and coming to the blog. All those numbers are really helpful.

Thanks again and have a great weekend. Check back for pics on Sunday night.

C.

Another classic View moment

If you haven't seen it yet, here it is. Sherri Sheppard of "I don't know if the world is flat" fame has a history lesson for you. Somehow I think this will get mentioned in Stupid News (11:40 central) on the web show. Click on the icon at the right or go to www.blogtalkradio.com/chadhastings to check it out. And remember, if you can't listen live, you can download the show any time.

A truly great speech

As I said yesterday on the web show, Monday was my mom's last radiation treatment for breast cancer and she is doing well. My wife's mother died of breast cancer in 1988. My wife was only 16. I have always felt that my mom is taking advantage of treatments and techniques they learned from cases like my mother-in-law. So it's always close to my heart when they talk about Jimmy V on TV or play the speech. I hadn't heard it in a while. He gave it on March 4th of 1993 and died April 28th of the same year. It is as inspirational as anything you can see or hear. Today, on the show, I'll play the whole thing at about 11:20. Check it out live or download it whenever you get the chance(click on the icon to the right). But if you know someone who hasn't heard it, let 'em hear it.

Johan and a holiday reminder

Will Carroll was on the show today and says it's about 75% that Santana is headed to Boston. Minnesota would get Crisp, Lester, and a couple young guys. Click the link on the right to download the show, and be sure to tell your friends all about it. Tomorrow, I'll start breaking down Arizona St. for you Texas fans, and Thursday Gary Parrish of CBS sportsline will join me at 11:20 to talk some college hoops.

Now for your holiday reminder:

There are people that will steal your Xmas stuff. Last year we had two reindeer stolen out of our yard. It really freaked my wife out, but it just made me mad. So rather than live on the roof waiting for them to return, I decided to go another route...

That's right. I went to Ace Hardware and bought a 60' chain. Now all my yard stuff is chained together.


It may not look great in the day time, but I sleep better at night. Our neighbors down the street had one of those blow up Santas get stolen. I've also heard of the blow up things getting stabbed from a car. So be careful and think ahead. It could have happened in any city. It could have happened in your city. But it didn't. It happened in Tulip City.


Plus, for all the men out there. If you're like me, putting up decorations can have kind of a girly feel to it. Trust me, it adds a little masculinity when your decorations include 60 feet of chain. Happy Holidays everybody.

Happy Monday. Don't you love the BCS?

Plenty of bitching about the BCS on today's web show. Click on the link to the right and download the show anytime. Will Carroll joins me tomorrow at 11:20 to talk winter meetings and football.

Ok, so here's the BCS

1 Ohio State
2 LSU
3 Virginia Tech
4 Oklahoma
5 Georgia
6 Missouri
7 USC
8 Kansas
9 West Virginia
10 Hawaii
11 Arizona State
12 Florida
13 Illinois
14 Boston College
15 Clemson
16 Tennessee

Now you know I want the 16 team playoff. But let's keep it simple. Let's talk 4 and 8 team playoffs...

The 4 team:

1 Ohio State
2 LSU
3 Virginia Tech
4 Oklahoma

Ohio St. plays OU, and LSU and VT meet on a neutral field. The winners play and we have a real national champ. All 4 won their conference, and #'s 5 and 6 did not. Now what's wrong with that? I hear a lot of talk about the Plus 1 happening after the bowls are played. But how do you decide who plays? If VT and OU win their bowl, who would play the winner of LSU-Ohio St.? You'd have to have a bracket set up.

How about the 8 team, no wait, what about 6?

1 Ohio State
2 LSU
3 Virginia Tech
4 Oklahoma
5 Georgia
6 Missouri

Ohio St. and LSU get byes, which wouldn't be as along as they get now (50 and 37 days is just stupid). VT plays Mizz, Oklahoma plays GA. 3 extra games for teams without the bye. 2 extra for those with the bye. Why is this so hard?

Now 8:

1 Ohio State
2 LSU
3 Virginia Tech
4 Oklahoma
5 Georgia
6 Missouri
7 USC
8 Kansas

Same as the 6, except LSU has to play USC (nah, we wouldn't watch that) and Ohio St. plays Kansas. Maybe one day. How cool would OU and Georgia be?

Stupid use of a helicopter

Now I'm all for reporting on teachers that abuse their rights with students, but is this really a good use of reasources? It's from Ohio. Check out the link and watch the video

Don't forget the web show today at 11:00 am central. I'll talk about the Cowboys big win, plus a couple blasts from the past with old Afternoon Show stuff at 11:35 or so. And I'll mention the helicopter story in Stupid News at 11:40.


This is the pic of the Volleyball player who had a .26 BAC, but that's not the worst part. She's in stupid news as well. Remember you can download the show anytime by clicking the link to the right or go to www.blogtalkradio.com/chadhastings

The Big 200

I want to say thanks to those of you that helped get Tuesday's show up to over 200 downloads. I was going to go on today and set that as a goal, but I guess now it's got to be 250. Obviously being on the radio yesterday helped, and E Hogan hit it again today. Thanks E. But it's also word of mouth, net talk, hornfans, and all that. I appreciate everybody that have been pumping the show. Keep it up and maybe we can turn this into something pretty cool. Remember, new shows today at 3p central and tomorrow back at the 11am central slot.

Thanks and some Hawaii pics

Thanks to E Hogan, Jake, and the guys at the Zone for letting me come on today. That was the first time Erin and I had done a show together. It was cool. There were definitely not many long pauses. We can both flap the gums. Thanks E and thanks to the callers who had nice things to say when they got on. Please pass word along to anyone who may be interested in the blog and the web show. Speaking of, tomorrow's show will be from 3-4 central. I'll have Lance Zierlein from sidelinemonster.com on at 3:20 or so to talk NFL. If you've never heard Lance, he's great on pro football. He works for 1560 in Houston and does all kinds of web stuff. We'll obviously hit plenty of Cowboys/Packers. Click on the box to the right to check out the web show.

Ok, now a couple pics


This is where the Women's team played their Hawaii games. They lost in the first game, then won the next two. They are going to be a lot of fun to watch this season. Coach G loves a fast pace and the team is picking it up quickly. Their next game is tomorrow night @ 7 at the Erwin Center. You can hear Craig and me call the game starting at 6:45 on 98.1 KVET FM. The Cowboys and Packers will be on the Zone. But enough of that. You want to see Hawaii.



That's more like it. When you walked out the back of our hotel and turned left, this is what you saw. There are plenty of worse ways to spend Thanksgiving. That's Diamondhead to the right of you don't know. And that is the one and only Waikiki beach. The only thing cooler than that is...



...a great sunset. I'm a total old person when it comes to this stuff. I probably took 20 pics like this while I was there. As always, thanks to UT for a first class trip with my "other family" for the holidays.

Long time, no talk

I'm back from Hawaii and trying to shake off the jet lag. What a wild weekend of sports. I'm going to talk about it at a couple different times this week. My daughter is sick today, so the web show will be at 7:00 tonight. Sorry for the quick change. Also, no web show tomorrow because I'm on the radio. That's right. I'm filling in for Bucky on The Zone from 6-11 am. Should be fun. Listen on 1300 in Austin or go to www.am1300thezone.com
On Thursday, we've got a flu shot scheduled for the baby, so the show will be from 3-4. Sorry for any confusion, but remember you can download the shows anytime day or night.
Lastly, thoughts and best wishes to the Redskin family, the NFL family, and the Taylor family. Sean Taylor leaves behind a girlfriend and a 1-year-old daughter. Hug your family today people.

Talking Aggies on KVET tomorrow

I'll be on with Bob Cole and Co. Tuesday morning talking a little Longhorn/Aggie game. Should be around 7:40 central or so. 98.1 FM or KVET.com. Check it out.

Stupid News Video

Check out this video of a girl doing a little web show of her own when Daddy walks in. Slightly not fit for work. Might be fake, but still funny.


http://view.break.com/400650 - Watch more free videos

If your like me and have a daughter, this is not a pleasant thought. I guess that's why you don't have locks on their doors.

Catch more stupid news today at 11:40 central on the web show.

Rocky Top and a silly question

Headed to Knoxville with the Women's Basketball team this weekend. It'll be a great test for this team to find out where they are. Here's a pic I took 2 years ago when they last went there. You gotta love the checkerboard baselines. Here are a couple quick Pat Summitt stats I looked up.
I always look up numbers when UT plays Tennessee or UConn because they are so stupid. Get this: In 33 years at the other UT, Summitt's teams have lost 10 or more games only 6 times. In 21 of those seasons, they lost 5 or fewer games, and that includes a string of 10 in a row that is still going. Oh yeah, and 7 titles.

Ok, here's my dumb question on a different topic. Why can't you advance a muffed punt? I think it's just a high school and college rule, but why does it still exist? You give them a chance to catch it, they don't, the ball pops up in your hands, but you can't run with it? Why not? As George Carlin once said, these are the thoughts that kept me out of the really good schools. Everybody have a great weekend. I'll talk to you on Monday at 11 am central on the web show. I'm going to try and get Will Carroll from Baseball Prospectus to come on and talk Bonds and stuff. Feel free to click the link to the right and check out the first 3 shows. Stupid News, Brian Jones, Stripper DJ, Craig Way, and the Scottish Guy. It's all there.

All Barry all the time

I know many are sick of the Bonds story, but it's going to be around big time now. If you're looking for a good article, here's one from the SF Chronicle - Link

Feel free to send me a comment on it, or call the web show today from 11-12 central @ 646-595-4634. I'll give you my thoughts on it, plus Craig Way will join me at 11:20 to talk Barry, UT football and basketball, and other football stuff.

Today's web show

Sorry for the confusion if you listened live. It wouldn't let me in, and then when it did, I couldn't play any sound. So that's why I sounded so frazzled. Thanks to Mosser for doing the interview. Sorry to those stripper DJ fans out there. I got screaming about Mercury Morris and it got too late. I'll do 2 tomorrow I swear. 11:00 am central time tomorrow. Craig Way at 11:20, The Nebraska Scottish Guy that never aired on the radio at 11:45, and stripper DJ (seriously) at 11:55. Also send me ideas for songs you want to hear on the show. I know my choices can get old after a while. I got a request for GnR, Def Leppard, or Kiss so I'll hit one of those tomorrow. Feel free to email me a song if you like since I may not have it.

Thanks to those that listened today and yesterday. I was really pleased with the response. Lots of people downloaded, too. Thanks y'all.


C.

Stupid News

Have you seen the pic of a Packer fan grabbing a Packer's package during a Lambeau leap?
Here's the link
That just ain't right.

Plus, is Santa degrading to women? Check this story out

Remember, each day on the web show, I'll do a little stuipid news. Feel free to email me any stories you think are worthy - chastings@mindspring.com

The first web show

A couple of things to work out, but I think it went well. Thanks to Brian Jones for being the first guest. Thanks to Sal for being the first caller. And thanks to everybody that listened, downloaded, will download, or will tell to download. Remember you can listen to today's show and check out future show times any time by clicking the icon on the right. Tomorrow's show is at 1:00 central. Thanks again to everybody.

Web Show

I've finally gotten the web talk show thing ready to go. We'll start with tomorrow (Wed) at 11am central and Thursday at 1 central. Brian Jones will be my first guest tomorrow at 11:20. Listen to the shows live or download them any time. Hope you enjoy, and please give me some feedback.

www.blogtalkradio.com/chadhastings or you can link to it on the right side of this page.

Thanks to everybody for your continued support. The biggest thing is to get the word out right now. So any pub you can give me would be appreciated.

Leach and the finger

The Big 12 hit Leach with a $10,000 fine for the comments on officiating. Now I didn't agree with the comments, but shouldn't he have the right to criticize? After the NBA ref thing, these stories from tennis about players being offered money to tank matches, not to mention boxing in general, why can't a college football coach say "that was a bad call"? Now Leach went farther than that, and a fine is probably in order. But the largest fine ever levied by the conference? And double the largest ever at that? I do think a coach that gave up 59 should be concerned with a lot of things besides bad calls. But 10,000 seems steep to me.

If you missed the coach flipping off the other sideline story, here's the link Utah is up 43-0 and kicks an onside. They get it and go up 50-0, which was the final score. The Wyoming coach flipped off the Utah sideline for running the play. A couple things here. The fact that we know about this is amazing. Coverage is incredible these days to the point this game was even on TV. But with Gameplan, lots more are on TV (did you ever think that without Gameplan, maybe we never would have seen the Miami Fl-Int. fight last year?) So the coach shouldn't have done it and will be fined. Fine. But what about the other coach? He gets nothing. Yeah he admitted it was wrong, but so what. He still did it. Maybe we shouldn't start fining coaches for plays that they call. But if flipping into the end zone and finger pointing are taunting, what was this? Wasn't he showing up the other team? I don't like all the talk about running up the score, especially in the pros, but aren't there lines? You can run any play you want. But if you are cracking down on taunting, isn't going for an onside kick up 43-0 at least worth a 15 yard penalty so the stupidity of it can be pointed out?

The Mike Leach comments

If you've missed it, here's what he said (Link). Let me know if you find the audio or video anywhere.

BCS stuff

Here's the latest

1 LSU
2 Oregon
3 Kansas
4 Oklahoma
5 Missouri
6 West Virginia
7 Ohio State
8 Arizona State
9 Georgia
10 Virginia Tech
11 Southern California
12 Florida
13 Texas
14 Virginia
15 Clemson
16 Hawaii

If you know me, you know how much I hate the BCS. The argument this week will come from Kansas. They'll say how are we 10-0 and not in the title game. The rest of the country will be happy because they know LSU and Oregon are the 2 best teams. How do they know? They don't. The system makes them decide on just 2 teams, so they justify it by talking about schedules and conference strength and crap like that. Bottom line, how do you tell Kansas congrats on going 10-0 in the Big 12, but you probably won't get in the big game. But wait, if they beat Mizz and OU in San Antonio, they have to be in right? Probably. Then you have to tell either Oregon or LSU they don't have shot at a title? Stupid. College football is the only sport on the planet where the 3rd best team has no shot. That's why no other sport on the planet would have a system that illogical. I put the top 16 up cause I think that's the ultimate playoff. Let's look at the match ups.

1-16 - LSU v Hawaii - I know Hawaii probably gets whacked, but at least they get a shot.
2-15 - Oregon v Clemson - Can a Pac 10 defense deal with those backs?
3-14 - Kansas v Virginia - Make Kansas actually play a non-conference game
4-13 - OU v UT - Do I really need to explain why this would be cool?
5-12 - Fl v Mizz - Mr. Teebo, meet Mr. Daniel
6-11 - WV v USC - Do you like to watch speed on a football field?
7-10 - Ohio St. v VT - Those 2 defenses cracking heads? I think I'd watch.
8-9 - Az St. v Ga - Both teams could be bad match ups for lots of teams.

I'd go into possible future round match ups, but I'd just start to cry. And of course the bowls are part of it. If you have a 4 team, it's 3 bowls. 8 team gets you 7 bowls involved. And a 16 team playoff would be 15 bowls. Quick, name 15 bowls you think are awesome.... Exactly. So you'd make smaller bowls more important, the bigger bowls even bigger, and you'd determine an actual national champion. Pretty cool, huh? Oh and there's a little money to be made. Keep dreaming and thinking cause we've got to fix this before I'm dead.

Post your thoughts on a playoff system by adding a comment.

UT beats TT

Hope everybody had a great weekend. First of all, if you know a veteran, tell them thanks today. My grandfather was a WW2 vet and I loved to hear his stories about being in Africa, coming home, and seeing my grandmother for the first time when he got back. He always remembered that she was wearing a yellow dress. So thank a veteran today, and ask them about their time serving. There's a lot to be learned

Ok, on to football. The Horns had to start quick and they did. A 3 and out to start, get ahead, and make Tech chase you. Done, done, and done. I took a couple pics...


If you listened to the network pregame, you heard Craig and Keith talk to Longhorn great Johnnie Johnson. He's going into the College Football Hall of Fame. He told a great story about when he was returning punts in the late '70s and the Longhorn band would play the Johnny Carson theme. Then the crowd would yell "Here's Johnny". He said it was a big deal for a young man from La Grange. Good stuff





Here's a great shot. Longhorns on the attack and Red Raiders backing up. Here's the question Tech fans have to keep asking themselves. How do you score 43 points and get whipped? I went to a party with a few Tech fans Saturday after the game, and there was a lot frustration with the lack of defense. And because of that lack, Texas ran over 90 plays and held the ball for 40 minutes. Yes the Colt TD run showed off Tech's bad tackling, but that defense was dead by that point. It's a shame that after giving up 59, Leach attacked the officials. That is truly missing the point. Like the difference in that game was the holding call on 4th and 4. He has to figure out his defense, or they will always be an above average football team, and that's it. And there were 2 pirate plays in the game. First, only Leach could turn a QB sneak into a trick play. What a dumb play that is. 2 Horns were waiting for it. You can't make that back invisible, coach. At least he kicked the FG though. Which brings me to pirate play #2. Late 3rd quarter, 35-20 Texas. You could understand, I guess, Leach going on 4th and 4. That's who he is. Then they get the penalty. Then he spends so much time griping about the call, he hastily decides to go for it on 4th and 14. The kick would have been 40 yards. I know Leach doesn't usually think about kicks, but if your kicker can't hit that, he shouldn't be your kicker. So instead of 35-23, it's still 35-20. It could have been 38-30 after a Tech TD later if he just coaches like a coach. Then his defense knows they need 1 stop and they can tie the game. In the press box, I heard an Alamo Bowl guy say to a Tech official "we'd love to have you guys back again this year." And that says it all.



4 senior pics for you.

Dallas and Limas not being able to play was sad, but getting the love from the crowd gives then a good send off. Best of luck to all the seniors.






























Okam and Lokey have been so big for UT. It's gonna be weird next year not seeing 96 & 97 plugging up the middle. Good luck at the next level guys.
















One more UT thought.
10 years under Mack
9 wins every year
Nobody else can say that
Not bad at all.
BCS stuff at 11:30

Update on Mom

Mom had her first radiation treatment today and she said it went well. Other than having to hold her arms above her head for 15-20 minutes without moving, everything was good. She'll have 16 days of treatment in all ending around the 3rd of December or so. Thanks for all the positive thoughts you've been sending her way and to me. It means a lot to our family. Speaking of, here's a great pic of my mom with my niece and daughter before Xmas '06. My niece was 6, the baby was 2 months old. Here's hoping everyone out there either dealing with cancer or helping someone through it has the same great attitude my mom does.

Lidge to Philly

If you missed it, here's the deal and what the Astros got. - Link
There are some bad to good stories in this category. Like Kaz Matsui that was blasted in NY, couldn't handle it, and has found solice in Colorado. But this is going the other way. The Phillies used the word closer here. They are thinking of moving their closer. And saying the Philly fans are a little more rabid and critical than Astros fans is like saying Jessica Alba is a little hotter than Jessica Tandy in her prime. Good luck to you Brad. I hope, for your sake, you find your pre Pujols stuff. Remember, those fans throw boos and batteries.

LSU

I got a chance to go back and watch the LSU-Bama game from start to finish, and man is that Tiger bunch resilient. 14 penalties, key turnovers, letting Bama score 24 unanswered. But they just kept coming. Bama scored to make it 27-17 and that place went crazy. Then with one pass to Byrd, it was a field goal game again. Later when faced with the 4 and 4 play, Flynn found Doucet and it was tied. Go back and watch that throw. For a QB that had had a bad day, that's a clutch bit of chunking. Then, of course, the defense made the last play and set up the winning TD. But keep one word in mind as they go along...discipline. They have committed some bonehead penalties this year, and if they get to the Championship game, that kind of stuff could cost them. But they always give you good drama. One thing we know, though: Ohio St. does not lack for discipline. But there's a long way to go. Next week, Michigan has their shot to really mess with the BCS.

Fran's only comment

If you missed it yesterday, here's the quick back and forth between Fran and the media about the situation.

Q- Fran, the jist of yesterday's excitement revolved around whether or not you have begun negotiations for…

Fran - "Let me just stop you before you go any farther, okay? I am not going to get into the rumor game with you guys. I'll be glad to sit here as long as you want to just about, to talk about Missouri and the games but there are no facts to that and I'm not into it. I'm sorry that you guys have to deal with it. I know you have your work to do and your questions to ask but I'm a none participant in those. I spent all day (Monday) working with the coaches on the game plan."

Q - Did you talk to the team yesterday or did they talk to you? What did you talk to them about?

Fran - "They've kind of gotten used to that climate. I talked to some of them last week and it's like, "Anything change?" I'm like, "No. We're good. I think a couple of them may have asked Alan (Cannon) yesterday after they heard some ESPN things."

Q - Fran, do you expect to be the coach here beyond this year?

Fran - "Let me say this one more time: If you want to talk about Missouri, if you want to talk about the games, I'm willing to sit here with you. You guys go ahead and speculate on all the other things. That is not my concern at this point in time. My concern is trying to get this team ready to play Saturday at 11:30."

So there you go. I don't how he will survive all this. Especially if they lose to Mizz and Texas. That would be 6-6. The question is what would 7-5 and beat UT do for him?

Is Fran done @ A&M?

Check out the Sportsline story , says there may already be a buyout in place.

Weird game last week. All credit to OU, but Javorskie had 5 carries and Goodsen did not play the whole first half. I think there was a suspension of some kind. Coach Fran doesn't get asked about it postgame (Listen to post game audio from their website - LINK)

Today is their day to meet with the media. They usually post it on the website after it's done. I'll check back later and maybe put some of it up here.

The man they call Mack Brown and his center

I went to the press conference today and heard 2 things that I will never forget. First of all Mack Brown. He took part of his opening statement today to talk about violence after football games. Apparently players, police officers, and even a UT cheerleader got hit with thrown bottles after the game Saturday. Mack even said later he has been SPIT ON after a game. Now you can tell me he was just deflecting attention away from a bad 3 and half quarters, and maybe in a way he was. But he really seemed to care. I thought it was good raw emotion.
But it got better. Later Mack was asked about all the comebacks his team has had over the years and why they've occurred. He went into a great description of how he has learned over the years to be more positive at the half rather than beat them up. He said as long as they're playing hard, you can fix what's bad, but it's harder to fix not playing hard. It was one of those times where you didn't feel like he was putting on any kind of act. It was straight from the heart. I like smart ass Mack sometimes. But honest Mack is even better.
And speaking of honest. If you did not hear, Dallas Griffin is out for the rest of the year with an ACL. But he came to the presser to talk to us anyway. What an impressive young man. Imagine having to deal with the end of your football days and talk about it with 15-20 strangers while 9 video cameras film you. He was amazing. He talked about his career, what Senior Day would mean to him, and the highlights of his career at UT. When he talked about the guys on the team, coaches, and the fact that UT recruited him to start with, that's when he got a little emotional. He is just glad to have been a part of the program. But more than that, he doesn't feel like the program will ever forget him. It was great sports theater for me. To see the Gladiator have to admit it's time to lay down the sword is a sad but real part of sports. Good luck with everything Dallas. And UT fans, be sure and give Dallas and Limas a little extra cheer on Saturday. They wanted to put on one more show for you at DKR, but they can't. It has to just eat them up. But let them know that you will never forget them.

You just can't kill the Horns

What a weekend of football. Let's get started...

UT comes back again on Ok St. - Mike Gundy did not sleep well Saturday night. They blew a 21 pt lead in the 4th at home. One of the most important things in college football is momentum. And when you lose it, it's tough to get it back. The drive to make it 35-21 combined with the improved defense changed the momentum. Then Jammal's TD with over 7 minutes to go to cut it to 7 instantly took away everything Ok. St. had done to that point. Congrats to the Longhorns for hanging in there once again. This is not a great team, but they are a team that seems to find greatness when they need it most and when most think they can't find it.

KU and Mizz in the top 6 - How about the Big 12 having #'s 4, 5, and 6 in the BCS? Kudos to Mizz for whipping Colorado like that in Boulder. And to Kansas for laying the bicentennial on Nebraska. I still don't know if Kansas is a top 5 quality team, but they are fundamentally sound on both sides. That's going to keep them in any game. The game in KC is looking bigger by the minute.

OU blasts A&M - The Aggies run D actually had a good start. Then they muffed a punt and got the OU offense started. I figured Bradford would kill the Aggie DB's and he did. And how about Jermaine Gresham? How good could he be when he leaves Norman? As long as I'm hitting OU, AP is amazing. More yards than any back ever. He's running so much smarter than he used to and looks to be getting even better. Nice pick, Vikes, now give him the ball.

LSU beats Bama - Yet another reason why I love the SEC. Just tell me when LSU is playing a big game, and I'm watching. Fl, KY, Auburn, Bama. All great games. I was pulling for Major and Saban to get that one, but the LSU defense made the last play. Alabama will be fun to watch the next couple of years. And the Iron Bowl this year could be really good. Also congrats to Darren McFadden. If you rush for more yards than any back in the SEC...ever, you are a man. Hershel didn't do it. Bo didn't do it. He did. Nice job pig.

Oregon over Az St. - Devils are good, but they get down early too much. Dixon is going to NY for the Heisman and has to be the favorite. I love watching Jonathan Stewart run. Keep this in mind about the BCS: teams 1 and 3 don't have Conference title games. Teams 2, 4, 5, and 6 do. Plus the rivalry games are still coming.

Pats over Colts - Wow. What a game. It lived up to it and more. The defenses were big. I thought the 3 1st half trips that resulted in only 6 Colts points were critical. They dominated the first half and only lead 13-7. The difference was the poise of Brady and the deep balls to Moss. He has changed so many things about that offense. The one-handed catch was awesome. I can't wait to see if and how someone beats them.

Cowboys roll - Did the Eagles just give up, or is Dallas that good? The Philly offense was at their conservative worst. When it was 14-7, I thought it would be a shootout. Then the Boys score late in the second and early in the third and it was so long. The next game is huge. Going to NY for the Giants who had a week off.

Navy beats ND - Back to college for a second. Did anyone else read the lips of the Navy coach after they won. After that horrible PI call to give the Irish another shot, they stop the run, and he runs on the field and yells "YES...MOTHER F***ER". I loved that emotion. I'm sure all Navy fans felt the same way after 43 years. Wow, 43 years. We will never see that again in college or pro football. Sit back and think about that one for a second. Beating the same team 43 times in a row. Unreal.

And finally, a personal note. I would say this if I was on a talk show today, but this will do. If you have some positive thoughts to spare today, send then up 35 to my mother who begins treatment today for breast cancer. The good news is it's not invasive and they are treating with radiation. My mom is the sweetest lady alive and is in great spirits about the whole thing. She will have 5 days of treatment starting later this week. I want to thank Dr. Major and all the talented doctors for helping her beat this. I love you Mom.

NBA news

Sonics file to relocate in OKC

SEATTLE — Seattle Sonics chairman Clay Bennett filed paperwork with the NBA today to relocate his NBA franchise to Oklahoma City next season. More @ www.NewsOK.com

Other big games of the week.

A&M @ OU - Don't laugh Horns fans, but A&M just needs to win out and have UT beat Ok. St. to go the championship game. Ok you can laugh. If you watched the Aggies lose to Kansas, you know that was not as close as the score. Kansas showed they are maybe top 10, but not top 5, and the Aggies showed they can be down right bad on offense. 82 yards rushing and 7 punts is ugly. Add 12 penalties for 106 and it's even worse. OU can be inconsistant at times, but it won't make them worse than A&M. 2 weeks off for Stoops + in Norman + the Aggie pass defense + Fran's little comment about OU paying players in the off season = OU wins by at least 14.

LSU @ Bama - What a massive game for both. LSU trying to get into the top 2. Bama trying to take back control in the SEC West. Do you realize Bama is 5-1 in conference? That means if they could win this, the Iron Bowl might be for all the marbles in the West. The biggest question to me: Can Major call enough pass plays that work against LSU? The Tigers' D is great when you don't have 2 dimensions. Let's see if Alabama does. I'll take LSU even with 1 QB.

Az St. @ Oregon - The PAC 10 game of the year. I still haven't seen the Sun Devils play a lot, and you have to somewhat question their schedule. But they did beat Colorado and Cal. It's not the Colorado of now, but it's still DIVISION ONE FOOTBALL according to the coach. Az. St.'s defense has great numbers, but they haven't faced an offense like the Ducks. I'll go with Oregon at home.

...and finally

Pats @ Colts - I'm a little surprised at how many Indy picks I'm hearing. Not that it's a bad pick, but it's like the last 3 meetings really matter to people. The Colts had to come back to beat that Pats team in the championship game. Now they face the '07 version more than likely without Marvin Harrison. The Colts' D is good, but I don't think they are that good. This NE team may be one we tell our grandkids about. Always feel free to comment or email. Thanks to those that are telling friends about the blog.

Friday football fix

Remember that night? Get down 35-7 and storm back. The Scaife TD was so big before the half. What is it with UT and Ok. St.? Texas has gone 10-1 the last 11 and hasn't lost to the Cowboys since '97 (I won't bother you with that scoreboard). But it's a meat grinder every time. Like I said earlier, forget about all this coach talk. Gundy did what he did. Mack said what he said. Whatever. This game for me boils down to 2 elements. #1- Can Colt carve up Ok. St.? There are only 3 teams...that's 3 that defend the pass worse than Ok. St. They give up 308/game (116th in the nation). I know the zone read worked a little against Nebraska, but this one is on the arm of 12. #2- Can Texas stop the Cowboys' run game? The last 2 weeks, Ok. St. rushed for 317 on Neb. then 329 on K. St. And get this, they run a greater percentage of the time in Big 12 play than A&M does. Wow. I was at the station today and Craig Way laid that one on me. He had Dave Hunziker(Ok. St pxp) on his show today, and Dave brought it up. Texas has been good against the run, but Dantrell Savage might be the best back they've seen. Nothing against Murray at OU, and their RB unit is better, but Savage is back from injury and has 5 straight 100 yard games. In the end, I'm going to trust Texas' defense more than the Cowboys' and pick UT to go 8-2. One more pic...

Just seeing VY does something to you, doesn't it? Notice he's clear and almost everything else is blurry. My camera refused to blur #10. I have a smart camera. I've gotten some cool shots over the years that I'll be sharing from time to time. More football talk at 5:20 including my pick for the A&M-OU game.

Little girl singing the Spirit of Aggieland

If you're an Aggie this might be cooler than if you're not, but it's pretty damn cute.

Link

8 years, 4 months, and 12 days

That's how long I was full time at the radio station. For those who don't know, I was laid off on Friday, the 26th of October. It was one of the weirdest days of my life. I made it to 32 years old without being fired. But that didn't make it easier. The good news is that I am still working for the station doing contract work for Women's hoops and football pregame shows. So catch Bucky and me Saturday morning at 10:30 for Countdown to Kickoff before the Ok. St. game on AM 1300 the Zone.
I want to take a second and thank everyone that has emailed, called, or come up to me and said they miss me on the air. That means a great deal to me. I hope you will tell others about the blog so folks can keep up with me. I have never been a big blog guy, but I will try and catch up.

Ok, let's get a sports take out there. It feels like forever since I was able to do that. I figured the Mack Brown comments about the fans booing would cause a little stir, but as usual, some have blown it all out of proportion. #1 Mack's right. Fans are different than they used to be for a variety of reasons. He took the shot because he's a positive guy that doesn't always understand negative comments. Now it may not be realistic in 2007 to expect fans not to boo, but it is admirable. I have never booed and never will, but that doesn't mean you can't. If your looking for the truth, I think it is somewhere in what Brown said on the network postgame. I am paraphrasing, but I think he said our fans were playing like our team for 3 quarters. Translation, he knows the team wasn't playing well and wasn't giving you reasons to cheer. But he doesn't think there are any moments where you should boo. He's looking for fans in the true sense of the word. He wants fanatical devotion no matter what. So understand that you can boo all you want, but he may take a shot or two when he feels you are booing a 7-2 team that he feels doesn't deserve it. But here's your real bottom line on Mack Brown and fans. In many ways he treats you like the players. He protects you. He calls you the best fans in the country and talks about DKR like it's a madhouse on a Saturday. We all know that isn't always true. So either keep booing and expect that he will be pushed to comment on occasion, or change the way you conduct yourself. Or you can do neither. Either way, if you were in any way shocked by what Mack Brown said, welcome to Mack Brown. Put the focus where it belongs. How do they stop that Ok. St. offense in Stillwater? And will they get a good start like they haven't against the Cowboys in the past?