Category Archives: Texas Football

Soccer: A clear sign of dementia

Posted on June 30, 2014 | 2 comments

At the risk of further upsetting Mr. Goon, who adores soccer (probably because he came up in the Soviet Union where there was little else to do), I couldn’t ignore this piece about soccer fanatics (the origin, BTW, of the contraction “fan”) using laser pointers to injure goalies.

Nor this incisive comment by Estragon about America’s decline with the (so far, thankfully, miniscule) rise here of soccer popularity:

“Whereas the youth of America once came of age in the bleachers trying to second-guess pitchers and managers and learning real strategy, nowadays we seek to emulate the Eurotrash, who crowd into the standing room areas of soccer stadiums and urinate on each other’s legs to avoid missing a minute of the ‘action.'”

Heck, soccer players have been gunned down for “poor play,”—how could anyone tell good play from poor in such a boring, sleep-inducing game?

Via Instapundit.

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Posted in Blogosphere, South of the Border, Texas Football, The Culture

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We lost, we can all go back to hating soccer

Posted on June 27, 2014 | 3 comments

Now that the U.S. soccer team was beaten by Germany by a measly one point (despite still needing to lose to Belgium, which they probably will), we can all go back to waiting for football (the real football) season to begin.

As my favorite political columnist, Ann Coulter, says: In soccer, “everyone just runs up and down the field and, every once in a while, a ball accidentally goes in. That’s when we’re supposed to go wild. I’m already asleep.”

Scoring in real football—tackle football y’all—is never done by accident, not with 300-pounders trying to crush you before you get to the goal line.

Via Althouse.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Texas Football

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Why I root for Texas

Posted on April 1, 2014 | 2 comments

Even though I spent my undergraduate years at the University of Maryland. Some sometimes ask, including one particularly obnoxious OCS classmate.

Not that I have spent a great amount of time thinking about this. But this post by Althouse reminded me and I liked her answer. To paraphrase her: I have lived in Austin for 36 years. In Austin the sports teams are the Longhorns. Period.

Besides, I only spent three years at Maryland and the last one was in 1967. And during them I was never very interested in sports of any kind. Attended a few football games, but none other. So the Terps hold no magic for me and they wouldn’t even if the Longhorns played them, which they don’t often.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Texana, Texas Football, The Culture

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The Stronghorns

Posted on January 6, 2014 | 2 comments

Catchy moniker, yes? Now we’ll see what Mr. Charlie Strong can do with Mack’s recruited talent. Whether, in fact, he wants them all. Or will find a way to unload some. He surely needs a much better QB, with no history of concussions.

Strong being black will definitely be a factor in his recruiting in Texas and out, given that, what, two-thirds of college players are black. At least two thirds of most teams. Sez commenter SW M at Forbes:

“One important reason to hire Charlie Strong is [black coach] Kevin Sumlin. Sumlin has generated enormous interest among high school players, especially African Americans, in playing at Texas A&M. Charlie Strong is the best possible response to this very serious threat to the Texas program going forward.”

Sure looks that way. But it remains to be seen how Strong, whom some sports writers say is a thin-skinned disciplinarian, will work out with players who are used to pampering. Being called “kids,” among other things. Not to mention how Strong will scheme to beat OU (which just beat Alabama), OK State, Baylor, etc. Four years of whooping up on Rutgers, East Kentucky and Florida International are not much training for the Big 12.

It was a liberal U’s PC hire, obviously, whatever they say and they certainly won’t admit it, but even though the guy coached football at a basketball school in a second tier conference, he did help Florida win two titles. It might turn out really well. If he can handle the off-field hassles: the occasionally-nasty local media, always whiny fan base, and a few backstabbing big donors.

For now the new nickname, Stronghorns, is a success. Just win, Charlie, just win. Do that and everything else will take care of itself. Hook ‘Em!

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Posted in Obsessions, Texana, Texas Football

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Outstanding OU!

Posted on January 3, 2014 | 2 comments

Don’t normally root for Oklahoma, but have to cheer any Big 12 team that beats the SEC’s Big Dog Alabama 45-31. Sweet.

Big Game Bob has himself a hot QB in Trevor Knight. In fact, he has three good ones. Texas is still trying to find just one of any note. Maybe UT should hire Bob Stoops to replace Mack Brown. Couldn’t hurt.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Texas Football

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Adios, Mack

Posted on December 31, 2013 | 3 comments

It’s probably just as well that Longhorns football coach Mack Brown resigned. After watching last night’s 30-7 debacle in San Antonio, it’s pretty clear the exalted Coach February has lost a lot of his shine in the recruiting department.

Texas hasn’t had a dynamic quarterback since Colt McCoy and this year they barely had an offense. Their good defense held Oregon to one touchdown and three field goals. It was the offense’s game to lose, which they did, with two free touchdown-interceptions and a lot of dropped passes.

So, yes, I agree it’s time for a change. Four years of mediocre play is enough. Brown can only go so far on his “class act” reputation and we’ve reached the end. I just hope his replacement is a proven winner instead of merely a great-potential guy. And that he has an outstanding QB in his back pocket.

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Posted in Texana, Texas Football, The Culture

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Don’t pack, Mack, OK?

Posted on December 13, 2013 | Comments Off on Don’t pack, Mack, OK?

Who cares what the daily’s sports columnist Kirk Bohls (good as he is) thinks you should do? He never liked you, anyhow, dubbing you “the clapper” for your usual sideline way of cheering. And the fans? Shoot, they’re never happy for long.

You’ve built the Longhorns from a pretty-good regional player into an internationally-recognizable franchise. So what if you’ve had a few ho-hum seasons lately? Considering all the injuries this year, and Case’s naturally-erratic quarterbacking, what else could you do but hang on to the whirly-gig? You couldn’t play the game for them. Getting to 8-4 was pretty good under the circumstances.

Yes, we’re all sorry you didn’t recruit Johnny Football (who wanted to be a Longhorn) or Jameis (where do black mothers come up with these stupid names?) Winston (who also wanted to wear Burnt Orange), but how could you know they’d be great and you’d be stuck with a concussion case? Or that Swoopes’s passing ability would choke in the college game?

Most of the teams you did recruit finished in the top 15 rankings of the Associated Press college poll for 10 consecutive years until 2009. You can get back there again.

The funniest thing I read all week in the daily’s plethora of will-he-won’t-he (with the clear implication that they want you to) resign stories was columnist Cedric Golden’s remark that colleges across the country are watching this coaching drama at one of the world’s richest universities. And? They’re raising their coach’s salaries and extending their contracts as fast as they can. Cause UT could buy ’em all. At the same time. In large part, thanks to you, Mack.

So don’t pack. I, for one, want you to stick around and keep plugging away. Keep clapping. You’ll get to the title game again, for the third time, and, maybe, win it again. Like the first time. OK?

UPDATE: Mack resigned on Saturday. What a shame. Good luck, Mack!

Comments Off on Don’t pack, Mack, OK?

Posted in Texana, Texas Football

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