My 1st Christmas Gift Of 2010

Christmas came early for me on Tuesday morning. I went by AHS head coach Steve Warren's office that morning to catch up and just talk about things, and he told me he didn't get the Angelo State job.

I knew he wanted the job in San Angelo, so I kept calm, but I was absolutely giddy. Coach Warren is a real treat to work with, and I didn't want him to leave. For the media, he is easy to work with on a daily basis during the season. For fans, he is putting a winner on the field each and every season, and for the players, he is helping them become better players and people.

Professionally, the Rams may have blown it by not hiring Coach Warren. I know at least 2 people whose opinions I value, that he would have been a great choice for the school. Steve is a great salesman, and that is part of the job in college football. You have to sell your program to the kids you are recruiting, and it's hard to sell the Concho Valley. Coach Warren could have done it. He is not a man that is stuck in his ways. The Eagles offense changed from the Wing-T to a Spread to pass offense to a Spread to run offense.

Personally, the Rams may have blown it because they had a guy wanting the job who loves Angelo State, and a guy that would do anything to help turn his alma matter into a winner, again.

I am glad Steve is staying with us in Abilene. Merry Christmas to me, and Merry Christmas to all of the Abilene High fans.

The Football Trip II(a.k.a. The Tuba Principle)

My dad and I continued our trip around the metroplex on Saturday. We were in search of high school football, and we found 2 more games.

Southlake Carroll and Denton Guyer played in the 1st game we went to see. Most you know that Guyer and Carroll are the teams that knocked Cooper and Abilene High out of the playoffs in the 3rd round. I wanted to see who would win between the 2. I thought Guyer was better, and I was right. The wind was blowing 30 to 40 miles per hour through out the game, and the team with the wind in the 4th was going to win. Guyer had the wind and won by 10. By the way, I still haven't met anyone that had anything good to say about Guyer head coach and former Merkel Badger John Walsh.

Dad and I shared a press box suite with the scouts for Longview and Mesquite Horn. I learned 3 things.
1)Scouts work hard during the course of a game, at least the Longview scouts do. They were constantly talking to each other about the formations and the personel in those formations.

2)The Tuba Principle: The team with the most tubas will win the game. That stat is a part of every scouting report the Longview scouts do, and they say it's about 80 percent accurate. It didn't work in the Guyer/Carroll game, but it did work in the Tatum/Cameron Yoe game later that night. Cameron 2 tubas to 1 over Tatum. Yoe won, 28-14. On Friday night, it worked, again. Mart won the tuba battle 4 to nothing, and won the game 58-7. I promise I will be paying attention to that little detail until the day I die.

3)Our press box suite was next to the Southlake Carroll assistants, and it is a kick to watch the assistant coaches in the press box. I mean those guys put on a show like no other. Counters in the coaches' box have to be reenforced somehow. The Carroll assistants put that counter through a workout. The were pounding on that thing at least 2 times per series. They shout up there like someone on the playing field can hear them. I know that they are connected to other coaches, but these guys were shouting at the top of their lungs like what they were saying was somehow going to magically get to the ears of the player they were yelling at in the middle of the field.

The final game of the trip was played in Ennis. As I mentioned earlier, Cameron Yoe beat Tatum in a very good Class 2A Div. I quarterfinal game. The game was good, but the food in the press box was worthy of note. We had stew and chicken soup, sandwiches, and cookies. Everything was homemade, and everything was good. I don't think I have ever been in a press box that had homemade food. It was a real treat and the ladies that made the food were huge football fans and a delight to be around. Our visit to Ennis was a great way to end the trip this year. Good football and good people make the trip even better.

So here's a recap...

-Mart was a lot better than Muenster, and I think it helps defend my belief that there are too many teams in the Class 2A and A playoffs now that they are divided up into divisions.
-Assistant coaches in the press box are a HOOT to watch.
-Scouts really do work.
-THE TEAM WITH THE MOST TUBAS WINS THE GAME. The theory was 2-1 on the trip.

The Football Trip

For those of you just entering my life, the 1st weekend in December is the weekend for my annual football trip with my dad. We find football games in the metroplex and sit in the stands or the press box and watch. Watching football isn't something I get to do very often so it's a real treat for me.

We started with a Class A Div. I game between Mart and Muenster. It's the 1st time we've watched a Class A game on the trip, but since my dad grew up playing 6-man football for Klondike, we were looking forward to seeing the game. Turns out, Mart was a lot better than Muenster, and they beat them 58 to 7.

The real story of the night happened on the way to the hotel. That's when we started listening to the game between Euless Trinity and Coppell. It was a real back and forth game that came down to the final play of the game. Coppell led Trinity by 5 with 3 seconds to go in the game. Trinity was at the 3 yard line. It was a real nail-biter. The final play, Trinity lines up... and then the radio broadcast went silent. No kidding. Nothing. They lost the signal. The game was gone. Commercials started playing and dad and I sat there and waited. Nothing on the game. NOTHING! Unbelievable. We got out of the car with nothing.

Turns out Trinity scored to win the game 41-40. They move on, Coppell goes home.

That's the way it goes in the playoffs. 1 game down. 2 to go.

We Are Going To Miss You Coach

The Jimmie Keeling era is over at Hardin-Simmons University, and what an era it was. Coach Keeling led the Cowboys to 10 conference championships and 20 playoff games. He won 172 games and lost just 53. The Cowboys program went from nonexistent in 1989, to a national power by the end of the 1994 season.

The school picked the right guy to lead the Cowboys program, if the were looking for a guy who could take a group of football players and make them a team, but that's not all they got.

Keeling was a great example for the players. You have no idea how many players I have come across after their playing days were over who said, "Coach Keeling was like a father to me." Former Cowboy quarterback Justin Feaster said, "For the last 5 years, Coach Keeling has been the most influential person in my life. I have the utmost respect for Coach Keeling and everything he stands for."

When we asked him to talk about 1 of his stars, he always started with, "First of all, he's a really good kid." He loved having good football players, but he expected his guys to be "good kids", first.

Jimmie Keeling was more than a football coach. He was a life coach. Coach Keeling shaped players for his entire career. He showed the men on his team how to live with his example, and then helped them become productive members of society.

He was also a trainer of coaches. Countless former players and graduate assistants are coaching right now in the high school or college ranks because Coach Keeling gave them a shot on his staff.

Jimmie Keeling won over 500 games as a head coach in high school and college, but that was not his greatest area of impact. He made the people around him better people, and that's why HSU is going to miss Coach Keeling.

That's why I am going to miss Coach Keeling.

The Rangers And The Little Southwest Conference

I know it's really football season, but I have to talk a little about the Rangers. Some of us never thought it would happen. The Texas Rangers have won 2 games in a series for the 1st time in franchise history. Big bats and great pitching have led the Rangers to the brink of a berth in the American League Championship Series. Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson got the job done on the hill, and the offense scored 11 runs in 2 games. Game 3 is Saturday. Let's hope they can put the Rays away on Saturday and move on to the ALCS.

Now to high school football. It is time. The Little Southwest Conference opens play today. What a treat for everyone in West Texas. The last 2 years were a little more empty without the Abilene, Midland, and Odessa schools getting together every Friday night to decide the District Championship. Great traditions, great stadiums and passionate fans. Both Steve Warren and Mike Spradlin said this week that if you don't come to play on any Friday night in this district, you will probably go home with a loss in the books.

The top matchup of the week looks to be between undefeated Cooper and undefeated Midland Lee. I am looking forward to seeing how the Cougars will do in a game against tougher competition for the 1st time since the 2nd week of the season.

Abilene High opens district against Odessa High. The Broncos are a running football team, and if history tells us anything, it tells us that if you bring a one dimensional team up against the Eagles, you will lose.

It is great to have the old district back together, again.

That's not the only great district in the Big Country. District 5-3A looks like it's going to be a dogfight this year. Well, at least a dog and cat fight. The Brownwood Lions are most likely the favorite as the top ranked team in the state in Class 3A, but Snyder, Wylie, Sweetwater, and Big Spring will be right there on their heels. It's a good district and it will be fun to see which 3 teams come out and head to the playoffs.

Now let's sit back and enjoy the fun. The fight for the high school football playoffs is here.

I Tweeted!

So there I was watching the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins on Sunday night, and I decided to do something I haven't ever done. I tweeted on BCH Sports Twitter for the entire game.

Yes, the guy that was scared to death when KTAB finally got computers in the newsroom back in 1999. My wife even came into the living room and asked me who I was texting with. I said, "I am tweeting about the game." She answered, "I bet you never thought you would say that phrase in your life, did you?" "You have no idea", I replied.

I am what you call "old school". I am usually about 2 years late on most trends, especially when it comes to technology. But that was me, on my couch with my cell phone "tweeting". I can finally see that Twitter is good for things like Sunday night's game between the Cowboys and the Redskins. If you aren't able to watch the game, you can get info from a person or organization like Big Country Homepage Sports on Twitter.

I end this by saying it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but it is not impossible. This old dog used Twitter for 3 hours, and I even enjoyed myself.

Things Have Changed In 20 Years

Personally, I am about to celebrate my 20th anniversary at KTAB. That is a great accomplishment because many folks were not sure I would last 1 month. None of the high school athletes we cover were born when I got my big break at KTAB on September 4th.

A lot has changed in 20 years. Let me take you back to the football scene in Abilene in 1990. Abilene High and Cooper each won just 1 game and lost 9. Wylie was the good team, but they were not WYLIE we know now. The Bulldogs advanced to the 3rd round for the 1st time in school history that year. College football, HSU restarted their football program and won 4 games. That's good for a 1st year program and it was the best of any Abilene university. Like AHS and CHS, ACU and McMurry each won 1 game and lost 9.

In 1990, Abilene high schools and universities were 16-47.

In 2009, Abilene high schools and universities were 57-18. AHS won state, Wylie went to the championship game, and ACU went to Division II playoffs.

It's been a great 20 years and I am looking forward to more down the road.

Football practice is rocking and rolling and preparations for the 2010 season are going all over the Big Country and that includes Big Country Homepage Sports. Manny and Tyler are traveling all over the area talking to the coaches and the players of our Big Country schools.

In just 2 weeks, we've been to: Abilene High, Cooper, Wylie, Brownwood, Bangs, Albany, Clyde, Cisco, Eastland, Snyder, Rotan, Roby, Anson, Hawley, Jim Ned, Breckenridge, Sweetwater, and Roscoe. In short we've been busy. All of that on top of the fact that we are planing a Tailgate party at Double Dave's on August 21st to get the season started in the right way. We will be playing games and giving away prizes from 4:30 to 7 that Saturday night to get the rest of you as excited about the new season. We will cap the night with a live television event from 6pm to 7pm at the Tailgate party when we will preview the upcoming 2010 season.

One more thing, the next time you see Manny Diaz out and about be sure to congratulate him on his marriage to his new wife Candace.

Why Are We Doing This Again?

Why are we doing this again?

The United Baseball League is bringing another test series to the Big Country to see if there is a market for minor league baseball.

This is the 3rd time a league has tried to bring minor league baseball back to the Key City and the Big Country since the Abilene Prairie Dogs of the Texas-Louisiana League folded. The previous tries at Driggers Field and in Sweetwater were failures. Why are we doing it again? Why are people going to come to ACU's Scott Field to watch 2 teams they don't have anything invested in?

Simply, they aren't going to come and watch the games. That may be an over simplification. Some people will come watch baseball no matter who's playing. The organizers, 1 of which is former Prairie Dogs general manager Byron Pearce, are hoping for at least 1500 people per game. If that happens, Pearce has said that he might start the process of bringing a team back to Abilene. Let me say the United Baseball League and Pearce the trouble, 1500 people will not come to Scott Field to watch the games.

I think it's great that people want to bring professional baseball back to the Big Country, but until we get someone to bring an affiliated minor league baseball team with a new baseball stadium, minor league baseball is not going to work in Abilene.

May 21, 1988: "THE DAY"

As nice as it would be to remember every detail of every day, there are certain days in your lifethat stick out more that others. That's just a fact of life. Athletes have championships. Historians have July 4th. Teachers have the last day of school. Accountants have April 15th.

I call them, "1 of those days." They are the days that I will always remember.

-September 8th, 1994 and March 14th, 1996 are 2 of "those days" because they are the days my daughters were born.

-Texas A&M beat Texas in 1985, 42 to 10 for the Southwest Conference championship. I was at Kyle Field. That was "1 of those days".

-ACU beat West Texas State in 1987 for the Lone Star Conference basketball championship. I was in the 2nd row of Section F of Moody Coliseum. That was "1 of those days".

-I got to cover Abilene High's victory over Katy for the State Championship in 2009. That was "1 of those days".

-On September 4th 1988, I met Conni Birdwell for the 1st time. That was "1 of those days" that led to THE day.

All of those are great, but the most important day of my life was May 21st, 1988. That is the day my wife, Conni, and I tied the knot. That day was "THE DAY" for so many reasons. That day shaped how my life was going to go.

"THE DAY" helped motivate me to complete my college education and get a job.

I am working at KTAB now because I got married to Conni on "THE DAY." When I was in college I wasn't the most motivated person in the world. I would hear about jobs and not pursue them because I was lazy. After we got married, I heard about a job doing stats for David Bacon during high school and college football games. 2 years later, David got me a job at KTAB, and the rest is history.

I am sure I am a better person because I married Conni on "THE DAY". She has a heart of gold, and I am driven to be like her as far as her compassion for others, her passion for life, and her drive to live a life that would please God.

Conni helped me get through the death of our oldest daughter, Hillary. As you can imagine, our world was rocked when she died shortly after birth because of a heart defect, but Conni and I had each other to help us get through it.

My marriage to Conni on "THE DAY" helps me be a good father to our daughter, Allison. Conni has a tender touch as a mother, and I try to emulate that touch in my approach. I am driven to be a good dad because I want our daughter to grow to be a Christian and a good person who will be a leader for her generation, and I want to please my wife.

Everyone's life is changed the day they got married, so I don't want to say mine was changed more that anyone else. I'm just saying, not everyone is as keenly aware of how important their wedding day was for them, as I am.

May 21, 1988 was "THE DAY". The most important day of my life, and I am so fortunate that God put Conni in my life.

Happy Anniversary, Bun.

Mock Draft For 2010

The NFL Draft is coming up, so I decided to take a shot at who will pick who in the 1st round. Remember, I am guessing just like everyone else, so cut me some slack.

2010 NFL Draft

1. St. Louis: Sam Bradford, QB, OU

2.Detroit: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

3.Tampa Bay: Gerald McCoy, DT, OU

4.Washington: Russell Okung, OT, OK State

5.Kansas City: Trent Williams, OT, OU

6.Seattle: Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

7.Cleveland: Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland

8.Oakland: Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa

9.Buffalo: Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

10.Jacksonville: Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama

11.Denver: Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech

12.Miami: C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson

13.San Francisco: Dez Bryant, WR, Ok. State

14.Seattle: Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida

15. N.Y. Giants: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee

16.Tennessee:Joe Haden, CB, Florida

17.San Francisco: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers

18.Pittsburgh: Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame

19.Atlanta: Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise St.

20.Houston: Earl Thomas, S, Texas

21.Cincinnati: Taylor Mays, S, USC

22.New England: Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan

23.Green Bay: Sergio Kindle, DE/OLB, Texas

24. Philadelphia: Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri

25. Baltimore: Jermaine Gresham, TE, OU

26.Arizona: Brian Price, DT, UCLA

27.Dallas: Charles Brown, T, USC

28.San Diego: Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno St.

29.N.Y. Jets: Markuis Pouncey, C/G, Florida

30.Minnesota: Matthew Cody, DT, Alabama

31. Indianapolis: Mike Iupati, G, Idaho

32. New Orleans: Everson Griffen, DE, USC

Also:

-I think the Browns will take Texas quarterback Colt McCoy in the 2nd round.

-Former ACU Wildcat lineman Tony Washington will be taken by the Cowboys in the 3rd round.

-Look for Tim Tebow to be selected somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd round.

Tiger says, "I am sorry."

An apology, no questions, and he's gone. I have a statement, an apology, another statement and I'm gone.

Tigers apology:

Tiger Woods finally spoke to the world today. He didn't say much about the affairs that he had on his wife, but he did acknowledge that he had affairs. He let people know that he is sorry for the pain he caused his wife and children. He went on to say that his wife and his children were the most important things in his life.

Tiger went further in apologizing to fans, co-workers, and the students in his foundation for his "irresponsible" behavior.

My statement:

It sounds like he has turned a corner. We will see. A tiger doesn't change his strips easily, and we will see if Tiger is the exception to the rule.

I have a real problem with Tiger not letting people ask his questions. He says most of this issue is a private matter, but I am not buying it. He is a public figure. He put himself on the world stage. He made his "private life" public in the profession he chose.

You want to control the story anyway you can, and Tiger is the ultimate control freak. I get it, it is the smart thing to do. However, it would have shown me more if he had spent the morning in front of camera's and reporters for 2 hours answering questions.

My apology:

I am sorry that Tiger apparently didn't know that fooling around on his wife was wrong. I am sorry that Tiger was amoral for most of his adult life. I am sorry that his friends did not see that his arrogance was going to get him in trouble.

Another statement:

I am a Tiger Woods golf fan. I will watch this guy play golf as long as he plays golf. My dad had Jack Nicklaus, and I have Tiger Woods. However, I will not look at him the same. I made the mistake of putting him on a pedestal. I tell my daughter not to do that in relation to celebrities. I should have listened. I am a fan of his golf. I hope to be a fan of his life one day.

UIL Realignment

I am glad that Cooper and Abilene High are back in the same district. The last 2 years have been fun with CHS in Class 4A and AHS in a different Class 5A district, but it going to be fun to go back to the future.

The Cougars and the Eagles are headed west to play the teams from the Little Southwest Conference. For you young'uns, the Little Southwest Conference is Abilene High, Cooper, Midland High, Midland Lee, Odessa High, and Odessa Permian.

Abilene High dominated the old district with 3 district championships in 4 years, and their State Championship in 2009 means they will probably be the favorite to win the District 3-5A championship.

The Cougars are vastly improved from their last season in Class 5A, but don't forget, the Cougars went to the playoffs after the 2007 season, which was their last in Class 5A.

Based on what happened the last few years, Abilene High and Cooper will be among the favorites to go to the playoffs in 2010. The Cougars return a good number of their skill position and defensive players. Abilene High has 1st team All-American Herschel Sims back in the backfield with his cousin, Ronnell Sims, at quarterback to lead the Eagles into the defense of their State crown.

When you think about West Texas football, you think about Abilene, Midland, and Odessa.

You think about the Little Southwest Conference.

It's GOOD to have the old district back together, again.