The Day Abilene Was Set on Fire

We have already seen what the Crosstown Showdown is all about over the years. When the Abilene High Eagles and the Cooper Cougars meet, the whole town stops for a moment and watches. Whether you even went to either school (I didn't) you can't help but pay attention.

This years match up between Abilene High and Cooper was the biggest since 2002 when both teams were undefeated and ranked in the top 5 in the state. Abilene High coming off a state championship, and the Cooper Cougars undefeated and looking for some respect. We definitely got what we wanted, a knock out, drag out fight that left everyone wanting more...

So that brings me to this thought - What if Abilene High and Cooper collide in the playoffs? It has never happened before. Neither team has played each other in the postseason - Heck neither team has played in the third round of the 5A playoffs at the same time. Both teams have some work to do, but it is realistically possible for the Eagles and Coog's to meet in the fourth round for another showdown.

Can you imagine the buzz around town? How long would the week go by? Would people actually try to scalp tickets to the game (lol)? Serious question though. I can't imagine how the town would function through that week. Cars turned over, buildings on fire, mass chaos. All joking aside, it would be a fun and crazy week - one that I don't know if I could imagine til I lived through it.

Best of luck to both the Cougars and Eagles throughout the rest of the playoffs.

ESPN Makes the Trip to Abilene

Wow. After the dust cleared and ESPN is long gone - it's still a cool feeling they ACTUALLY came.

When the announcement was made back in the Spring that Abilene High would play Plant High Schools out of Florida, I was stoked. And I didn't realize how excited I would be until I was down on the sideline watching these two teams go at it.

It's kinda weird looking back that ESPN made a trip to Abilene to cover the AHS game against Plant High School out of Florida last week. An awesome match-up - no doubt, and it ended up being what everyone and all the critics expected - an all around good game. Both teams didn't disappoint.

With that said, who would have thought 5 years ago ESPN would be out at Shotwell Stadium covering one of our Abilene schools? Honestly, it's hard to imagine. The World Wide Leader in Sports making a trip to our neck of the woods - awesome! We all care and love our teams around here, and it is really cool to see others appreciate the brand of football that is being played in these parts.

ESPN came here for a combination of things:

1.)High School football across the nation has become more and more popular the past couple of years.

2.)Abilene High and schools all across the Big Country have raised their level of play and the nation noticed.

I've haven't lived here my entire life, but I have always followed the high school's in this area. This is my third season covering Big Country football up close and personal, and it's crazy just how much it has evolved since I arrived back in the Fall of 2008.

I can't wait for ESPN and whoever else wants to come and get a taste of what Big Country football is all about.

Manny's Awesome Wedding Experience

When Manny first asked me to be in his wedding, I was shocked and excited at the same time. Of course I wanted to be in the wedding! We have worked together for over 2 years now and have become really good friends. Many late nights and long hours spent with the guy forced us to be that way, lol.

Manny married Candace (the woman of his dreams) down in San Antonio this past weekend. It was at San Fernando Cathedral in downtown, which is actually where the heroes of the Alamo were buried. A beautiful place to say the least, and the perfect spot to get married.

It was a traditional Catholic wedding, which was totally new to me but fun. There were many traditions and rituals Manny and Candace had to go through before they could get married. Part of the wedding we had to kneel, and I almost passed out. Luckily I realized what was about to happen and sat down on the pew for a bit. They both looked so happy during the whole entire ceremony, which almost... yes I said ALMOST brought a tear to to my eye... a man tear of course, or sports tear.

I am truly blessed to work with Manny and I wish him and Candace the best in their long loving marriage!

Vuvuzela for the Win!

Vuvuzela Madness!

It has been the subject of controversy, and many wanted it banned from the 2010 FIFA World Cup all together. In the end, FIFA decided the vuvuzela was legal... thank goodness.

If you've been buried under a rock for the past couple weeks, the vuvuzela is a horn from the South African culture. Modeled after a kudu horn, the vuvuzela has a very distinct sound, which has been heard on television sets around the world.

I am probably in the minority, and I totally cool with that, but I love the vuvuzela. I embrace not only the sound, but what it means to the nation of South Africa. I think it is great, and find it funny how many people are irritated by the vuvuzela.

Some may say, "I would rather listen to the chants and singing in the crowd!" Meh, I never enjoyed listening to inebriated people ramble and slur for 2 minutes, much less for an entire match (90 minutes, plus stoppage time).

Overall, I am trying to figure out my affinity for this horn. Maybe it's just the fact that I like things that bother people. Weird I know. Maybe it is my upbringing as a big brother and terrorizing my little sister. Who knows, but I find it fun. I might need to mature alittle, at least that is what my mom has been telling me for years. I should consult my shrink about this.

Sure, it may sound like a swarm of bees have congregated around the microphone during the match. Bees have a right to be soccer fans as well! Anyways, after awhile I don't even notice the sound anyways. No matter what, the vuvuzela is here to stay for a couple more weeks. Deal with it.

Plus, you could always watch the matches on mute. :)

A New Year's Resolution Fulfilled

Well, most of the time when I make New Year's resolutions, they fall through within the first few weeks. Somehow that is not the case this year, and I'm pretty stoked I have kept it.

I looked up resolution on dictionary.com and this is what I got:

definition: a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

Hmmm, I guess I finally made up my mind, became determined that I was going to lose some weight before mid-July hits.

I was up to 210 lbs in December of 2009. By far the largest I have ever been, and I don't know if it was just stress from work, working crazy hours or not making time to hit the gym. However you slice it, I was overweight!

So my New Years resolution was to lose about 25-30 pounds before my dad and I go on a vacation this summer. I am down to 187 pounds, 23 pounds lost for you people that aren't so great at math ;)

My plan was to work out almost everyday at Golds Gym, lifting weight and doing cardio. Counting calories, having about 1500-1800 calories per day. And it has really worked.

All in all, I have pretty much met my goal, but I am not going to stop. This has almost become and entire lifestyle change I hope to have the rest of my life.

I feel so much better and have energy throughout the entire day. I can think better, and I'm more creative at work.

I can't wait to hit the beach with my dad.

2010 NFL Mock Draft

My first attempt at a mock draft. We will see how it goes.

1st Round

1. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

2. Detroit Lions: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma

4. Washington Redskins: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State

5. Kansas City Chiefs: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma

6. Seattle Seahawks: Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa

7. Cleveland Browns: Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

8. Oakland Raiders: Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland

9. Buffalo Bills: Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

10. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida

11. Denver Broncos: Maurkice Pouncey, C/G, Florida

12. Miami Dolphins: Dan Williams, NT, Tennessee

13. San Francisco 49ers: Joe Haden, CB, Florida

14. Seattle Seahawks: Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech

15. New York Giants: C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson

16. Tennessee Titans: Everson Griffen, DE, USC

17. San Francisco 49ers: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers

18. Pittsburgh Steelers: Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama

19. Atlanta Falcons: Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan

20. Houston Texans: Earl Thomas, FS, Texas

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Taylor Mays, S, USC

22. New England Patriots: Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

23. Green Bay Packers: Charles Brown, OT, USC

24. Philadelphia Eagles: Kyle Wilson, CB/PR, Boise State

25. Baltimore Ravens: Jared Odrick, DE/DT, Penn State

26. Arizona Cardinals: Sean Weatherspoon, ILB, Missouri

27. Dallas Cowboys: Mike Iupati, G, Idaho

28. San Diego Chargers: Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State

29. New York Jets: Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers

30. Minnesota Vikings: Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama

31. Indianapolis Colts: Rodger Saffold, OT, Indiana

32. New Orleans Saints: Sergio Kindle, DE/OLB, Texas

Key Draft Picks:

38. Cleveland Browns: Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

72. Buffalo Bills: Tony Washington, OT, Abilene Christian

74. Jacksonville Jaguars: Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

Ruff Riders Keep it Cool

Ya, the Ruff Riders are 0-3.

Not an ideal way to start the second season in Abilene. And from just looking at the record alone, you would think the Riders were behind the eight-ball. Not true.

The man behind it all, Head Coach Gerald Dockery is about as cool as you can get. Coach Dock has pretty much seen everything possible in professional football ranks, and he will keep his guys focused and staying positive. He just will. Trust me, he's a winner.

Moving to the quarterback situation. Going through 5 quarterbacks in the last 18 games is not going to win you ball games. Bart Gloyd got his first start under center this past weekend against the Arkansas Diamonds and showed some flashes of greatness. Gloyd threw 3 td's in the losing effort, but mainly didn't make bad decisions that resulted in turnovers.

The Riders have GOT to have some stability at quarterback, once they do... they will start winning ball games... you see that at every level of competitive football.

I really don't want to hit on the defensive side of the ball because they are much more solid from last season. They have had extra pressure put on them season with all the struggles on offense, but once the offense comes around... the defense will play even better than they have been playing.

Again, 0-3 is not ideal, but the panic button is not even close to being pushed. 11 more games left in the season... and a fully expect the Ruff Riders to be in postseason play at the end of it. They just need that first elusive victory.

Tiger Woods' "I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry" Speech

Now that the top golfer and top professional athlete in the world finally came out of his silence, people are reacting to his speech. Slicing and dicing every single word that came out of his mouth... putting a microscope on every vowel and syllable said.

Tiger Woods cheated, everyone will have an opinion. I understand that.

After watching and listening to the speech numerous times, it took me awhile to collect my thoughts on the entire situation.

The speech was filled with what religion he prefers, not using steroids and attacking the media... and the "I'm sorry" trickled throughout... it came off odd, Tiger.

Woods had help writing it. We all know that is true. He stumbled throughout and seemed very mechanical. But remember this... he is a golfer. He is trained to be like a robot... that is what makes him the best in the world, repetition. So I can understand why he would have a hard time coming off emotional and sensitive. With that said, even if he had true emotion... we would NOT have seen it anyways.

Overall, Tiger is sorry he is sorry. He REALLY is sorry though, BUT for all the wrong reasons. He is sorry he was caught and lost millions of dollars in endorsement deals. He is sorry his wife knows about his infidelity and will have trust issues. He is sorry he won't be looked at the same by the youth around the country and world.

Tiger is in a league of his own. Possibly becoming the first billionaire athlete in the world. He will be looked at differently, and rightfully so... A classic situation of someone getting so much bigger than the world around him... right before getting knocked down back to reality. Pride before the fall.

But hey, you see this time after time... A big time athlete being told day in and day out how great they are. After awhile they believe it and think they are untouchable. But in all actuality, that just isn't the case.

Get back on the golf course, Tiger. Whether the golf world will admit it or not, we need you. No, not as a person that cheats on his wife, but as the athlete that is the best in the world at what he does, Please.

I'm pleading this for selfish reasons so we can ALL move along from this sex saga.

Ruff Riders Owners Keep it Real

In this day in age of "look-at-me" type owners, such as Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks and Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, it has become a mainstream deal to put themselves in the spot light at the drop of a hat.

Standing on the sidelines... always in front of the camera, promoting everything from hot dogs to hand grenades. They want to be the focal point of the team, which is there prerogative... but far from the norm of the old-school owners. It is a very divisive issue.

With that said, the new Abilene Ruff Riders owners are staying out of the spot light. They want to remain anonymous. An ownership group consisting of multiple businessmen around the Abilene area looking to make professional football stick in the Big Country. Not wanting to put there name out there and be the center of attention. Simply wanting whats best for Abilene.

Now THAT is keeping it real, G.

The exact approach to a situation that will make this organization stay for a long time to come.

Good luck to the new owners, and keep it REAL. I hope Abilene embraces what is in store for this organization and the community.

District Realignment and Such

February 1st 2010, a crazy day for high school coaches. District realignment, a word often associated with "dentist office" in the high school world.

A day in which every Big Country Coach either cringes at, or embraces the thought of. I mean they do find out there fate in 2 minutes on who they will be playing for 2 years.

As the coaches file into the room, things get more and more tense as the seconds move closer and closer.

Calm before storm.

Watching all this take place, was like witnessing cattle run to the only drinking hole in a 10 mile radius. Pure mayhem. At exactly 9 AM in the morning, that is when it all went down. A huge box, carrying all the vital information in packets, ripped open... only to be handed out to the unknowing coach.

Good or bad for each coach, this is the time of reckoning. And looking at each coach, you knew what was going on in their head, it was written all over their face.

After finding out where there team wound up, this is when the "fun" begins. The coaches attempt to fill out their non-district schedule. Each one pulling out a cell phone like they were calling 911. Emergency mode.

Once everything is sorted out, a since of normalcy kicks back in. And every coach walks out trying to figure out how they are going to win all their games for the next two seasons.

Good Luck.