Something New For David: SURGERY

I am about to go under the knife for the 1st time in my life. I report to Hendrick at 12:30 Thursday afternoon to undergo shoulder surgery.

This is going to be a new experience for me, so I am just a little nervous. What I mean by that is, I am REALLY nervous. I am in the capable hands of Dr. Britton, but I am still concerned.

The worry stems from the unknown more than anything else.

1)How much is it going to hurt?

2)How long is it going to hurt?

3)How long will I be one-armed?

4)How in the world am I going to do my job?

Here are the answers:

1)A lot

2)for a long time

3)4 weeks or so

4)I have no idea

I am sure everything is going to be okay. I know I have the prayers of many people. You should really be praying for my wife. For 1, I am not the best patient in the world, additionally, Conni is about add being my nurse to being a mom for our daughter and a teacher for your kids.

I will keep you updated.

Dallas Cowboys: Not Quite Good Enough

The Dallas Cowboys are officially getting ready for the 2009 season down in San Antonio, and for people like me, that means the football season has started.

Most everyone is wondering how the Cowboys are going to do this season, and I tell them, they have the personnel to go to the playoffs and maybe even make some noise. There is a problem, and he's pretty far up the food chain.

1st the personnel. Tony Romo is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and now that he doesn't have to worry about T.O. and Jess, his mind is free to think on football matters and football matters alone.

3 running backs. I think that says it all. Most teams would kill to have 2, 2008 showed us that the Cowboys have 3. Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice are back to take the pressure off Romo and the receiving corps. If you take a look at last season, the offense started to sputter once Jones was injured. Keep that guy healthy, and the Cowboys will score points by the bucket load.

Defensively, the Cowboys are led by Demarcus Ware at outside linebacker. He's good, and Bradie James is a play maker. However, the rest is a bit of an unknown. That said, head coach Wade Phillips is a good defensive coach, so I am pretty sure the Cowboys "D" will be a force to be dealt with for other teams.

Now we come to the problem. While Phillips is a good answer for the defense, his style as a head coach may be the thing that keeps this team out of the playoffs.

Phillips has a history. Because he's a "players coach", the team he takes over does better his 1st year as the head coach, but "players coaches" do not demand discipline, and that means they fall off in his 2nd year. That happened last year in Dallas. This season is a little different because this is the 1st time an owner has given him a 3rd year.

I hope Phillips will lead the Cowboys to a deep run in the playoffs, but I am a skeptic. I don't trust that Phillips can get the job done. Games usually come down to the little things. Phillips style doesn't encourage a team to worry about the little things.

Here's the pick, I think the Dallas Cowboys will go to the playoffs this season, but I don't think they will win a playoff game for the 13th season in a row.

Sports Thoughts: Quincy, Taylor Co. QB's, and Wimbledon

1)Shocking development. Quincy Carter let his team and himself down, again.

Everyone that is surprised that Carter was no show for the Abilene Ruff Riders next to last game of the regular season stand on their head. I expected this kind of thing all season, and here it is. Carter was in and out of jail this season, and he showed up for practice and other team activities when he decided to show up. I am glad the team finally showed some backbone and sent this fella packing. See ya', Quincy. I wouldn't want to be ya'.

2)I am really excited to watch 3 quarterbacks that grew up in Taylor County play major college

football.

Colt McCoy(Jim Ned) is back for his 4th year as the Longhorns starting quarterback. Taylor Potts is the leading candidate to take over record-setting Graham Harrell at Texas Tech, and Case Keenum begins his 2nd season as the Houston Cougars full-time starter.

3)I just finished previewing all of the Texas teams in the Big XII and other conferences.

Did anyone else notice, the teams from the Lone Star State are picked to win all 3 conference titles. Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine says The University of Texas will win the Big XII, Houston is picked to win the Conference USA title, and Texas Christian University is expected to win the Mountain West Conference.

4)Saturday was the 30th anniversary of Breakfast at Wimbledon on NBC.

I remember the 1st one like it was yesterday. I was 11 years old, and I watched Bjorn Borg beat Roscoe Tanner for his 4th straight Wimbledon title. I became a Bjorn Borg fan. As a matter of fact, I am still a Bjorn Borg fan, and the Men's Wimbledon final has been a very important part of my life since that day.

A Changed Life

It's amazing how fast your life can be changed.

1 example is when you become a parent. Without kids, you worry about yourself. With kids, you worry about them, and you are willing to give your life for their's.

Shelby Miller is finding out how fast your life can change right now.

The former Brownwood High School pitcher was drafted in the 1st round of the Major League Baseball draft, and he is facing some life changing decisions.

Last week, Miller's biggest concern was getting his team through the Class 3A Quarterfinals.

Now, he's has to decide if he is going to go pro after being the 19th player selected in the draft, or if he is going to take his 97 mph fastball to Texas A&M in College Station.

Odds are, Miller will become a member of the Cardinals organization this summer, and he will start playing baseball for money. That's when the changes really start.

Miller is a teenager who is about to have alot of responsibilities.

He will have more money than he knows what to do with. He will have people hanging around for his money, and he will have to decide who his real friends are.

I am excited for Miller and his family, but I am also praying that he will make the right decisions along the way.

Shelby Miller's life has changed, and now it's up to him if it changed for the better or worse.

When You Play With Fire...

As most of you know, Abilene Ruff Riders quarterback Quincy Carter was arrested on Sunday here in Abilene. He didn't do anything new, but he was picked up for an outstanding warrant in the D/FW area for a parole violation. 

So, where do I begin? 

I will start by saying, I want Quincy Carter to succeed here in Abilene with the Ruff Riders, and I want him to become a productive member of our community. However, I don't see that 2nd part happening. 

Carter knew he had a warrant out for his arrest for a parole violation. Why on earth didn't he go and take care of the matter? The best explanation I can come up with is that he is a 12 year old little boy in a man's body, and he forgot, or he thought it would just go away. I don't know how many of you have had pre-teens, but most of them need adults to remind them to pick their clothes up off the floor, or to make their bed, or to take their dirty dishes to the kitchen. 

That's what we've got here. Carter is supposed to be an adult, but he clearly isn't. He is a pre-teen that can't handle the responsibilities of adult life. 

You know the Ruff Riders are embarrassed each and every time their franchise quarterback does something less than smart. This kind of thing puts the team in a bad light because he is representing the team. TV stations do stories about Quincy Carter, and they start those stories with, "Abilene Ruff Riders quarterback Quincy Carter". This doesn't help the team build a good reputation with the community. 

The signing of Quincy Carter was a high risk, high reward kind of deal for the Ruff Riders. If he keeps his nose clean and he plays well, Carter puts people in the stands. If he keeps doing less than intelligent things that land him in jail, Carter will help keep people out of the stands. 

Message for Quincy Carter:

IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GROW UP!

Message for the Abilene Ruff Riders:

When you play with fire, sometimes you get burned. 

Honesty and Life

I was at a tennis tournament this weekend, and I witnessed something that just boggled my mind. A 7th grader was not playing an honest game against her opponent. 

At 1st, I was stunned. I mean after all, this was a 7th grade tennis match. It wasn't Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. Upon reflection, I realize that somewhere down the line, a person told this 7th grader that winning was the most important thing in the world. Don't get me wrong, I know that winning is the goal and it is important, but honesty and ethics can not be thrown out the window when they get in the way of winning. 

We can't live in the world where the slogan for life is, "Get what you can, anyway you can." That little slogan is how we end with Barry Bonds and his gigantic head lying about using steroids. That slogan gives you point shaving scandals in sports. That slogan gives us Bernie Madoff and his billion dollar "Ponzi" scheme. Somewhere along the way, these folks were told that winning is the ONLY thing. 

I am not that kind of person. My wife is not that kind of person. My daughter is not that kind of person. We compete at our jobs and at school, but we are going to be honest and ethical in that competition. If we win, that is just great. If we lose, we will try again. 

I am no Pollyanna. I know that that's not how a lot of the world thinks. I say, that's too bad because "get what you can, anyway you can" works for a while, but eventually, it jumps up and bites you. Everybody knows that Bonds is a liar, and Madoff and the point shaving guys almost always go to jail. 

Live life to the fullest, and live your life honestly. You may not get everything you ever wanted, but you will be respected and known as an honest person. 

Well, There's Always Next Year

I just want to start this by telling you, I am a genius. In a manner of speaking.

I predicted at the start of the NCAA Tournament that 2 number 1 seeds, a number 2 seed, and a number 3 seed would advance to the Final 4 in Detroit. Genius, right?

Now to the manner of speaking part. I predicted that Pittsburgh, Louisville(both #1 seeds), Memphis(#2 seed), and Syracuse(#3 seed) would go to the Final 4. North Carolina, UConn(#1 seeds), Michigan St(#2 seed), and Villanova(#3 seed) are the teams headed to Detroit this weekend.

So really, not so much the genius.

The regional semi's and finals were great for this tournament because it was going to much to form in the first 2 rounds for my liking. I know I said last week that it's good for ratings, but that doesn't mean I like it.

Villanova's appearance in the Final 4 brings back memories of the Wildcats upset victory over Georgetown in the NCAA Finals back in 1985. That is still considered one of the biggest upsets in sports.

Common sense tells us North Carolina and Connecticut will play for the NCAA Championship on KTAB on April 6th, but basketball is a funny sport. You should not be surprised if you are watching Michigan State and Villanova on the 6th.

The Final 4 is this Saturday in Detroit. Michigan St. and UConn start the night at 5:07. The 2nd game between North Carolina and Villanova tips at 7:47.

Enjoy the games on KTAB.