TexasTruBlu's Blog

I realize that with the infatuation with the meaningless drivel that is preseason football, many of you may not realize that the Rangers,
Yes the
TEXAS RANGERS,
 are playing some upfront, kicka** baseball. They beat the YANKEES last night with a grand slam homerun in the bottom of the ninth. Folks, these kids are for real. But nobody will know it because even though its meaningless preseason for the Cowboys, they end up at the top of the sports news every time. C'mon guys, I would hate to think that maybe our
TEXAS RANGERS
would make it to the playoffs without anyone knowing because of the narrowminded avarice of the local sports media. I know Jerry gives you guys nice accommodations and fancy feeds, but why don't we let a club that is actually competing NOW have the headlines over guys that are just practicing?

Yeah yeah yeah, the Rangers are the home team and they are doing great too. And I understand why we see the Yankees when they are playing with the Rangers, but when the networks have two nationally televised game options, I wish once and awhile they would show the Cubs rather than the Yankees. I don't know if  you realize it, but there are LOTS of people from Chicago in the DFW area. In fact after Texas, the largest state contingent at SMU is from the Chicago area. So how about we at least divide up the games and show the Cubbies once and awhile. Heck, I don't even mind if you show them playing the Astros. If Mark Cuban is going to send money that way, you might as well let us know what he's doing during Mavericks' off season.

"NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A man charged with shooting three people outside a Las Vegas strip club has denied he was involved and accused Adam "Pacman" Jones of ordering the shooting and framing him to avoid identifying the real shooter.

Arvin Kenti Edwards of Renton, Wash., is being held in a Washington state jail on $1 million bail pending extradition to Nevada. He talked with WTVF-TV in Nashville by phone for a report that aired Wednesday.

Edwards told the TV station in a telephone interview that Jones lied to police about the Feb. 19, 2007, shooting at the Minxx club that left an employee paralyzed and two other people wounded. Edwards said Jones paid someone for the shooting, but that it wasn't him.

"I want to let them know I'm not the person who done this. I've been shot before. I know how it feels," Edwards said.

He accused Jones of lying to help his plea deal as the suspended cornerback tries to return to the NFL. Jones was traded by the Tennessee Titans to the Dallas Cowboys last weekend, with Jones receiving a new contract.

Jones' agent and attorney, Worrick Robinson, said Edwards has reason to lie as the man facing three counts of attempted murder.

Robert Langford, Adam "Pacman" Jones' lawyer in Las Vegas, was out of the state Thursday and unavailable for comment, an aide at his office said.

Police say Edwards opened fire outside the strip club after Jones was involved in a brawl inside, and later demanded $15,000 from Jones for "services rendered."

Jones told authorities he didn't order the shooting and declined to pay. But he said he reimbursed a friend after the friend paid the money on Jones' behalf. Jones also told police he saw the person who fired the shots at the club and identified Edwards, who has an amputated arm, in a police lineup April 18.

A warrant filed in the case said Edwards' phone records were checked and that he had contacted Jones in Atlanta and Tennessee.

Jones pleaded no contest Dec. 6 in Las Vegas to conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct in a plea deal that reduced two felony charges of coercion, each carrying a possible sentence of one to six years in prison.

In return, he agreed to tell police what he knew about the gunman. Jones has never acknowledged any role in the shooting."

...Yeah, Jerry Jones, real classy personnel decision......

I am not a big NBA fan. I think the players are overpaid and the off-court antics have more in common with music videos than life. But I did sometimes watch the Mavericks and I have always considered Avery Johnson and OUTSTANDING individual. He never passed the buck. He always shouldered the blame. In a way, that's what he's doing this time, too. There were circumstances not entirely under his control. Mark Cuban, for all his acclaim, made some pitiful trades and saddled Mr. Johnson with a team with tired legs. Perhaps he will find more success in his next team. I feel sorry for those who tried and lost, but it's pretty sad when a decent man gets fired over the inaction of others.

...like it or not, a Cowboys playoff victory really doesn't amount to a hill of beans. The sun will rise, the birds will sing and there will be another season next fall. Cubs fans know this feeling well, as do Bears fans. There will be alot of Monday morning quarterbacks that will question work ethics. Perhaps Tony's time would have been better spent watching game film than in cavorting with a well known blonde celebrity. But then again, if they had won, nobody would bring this up. What it comes down to is that off weeks are treacherous, a fact that people would do well to remember. There is a great deal to be said for keeping a consistent focus and that's hard to do on a bye week. What will come out of this is that we are going to see what kind of character the members and owners of this team have. There have been rumors that Wade would be fired if this game was lost and that would be wrong because he has managed to corral T.O. and bring a very raw quarterback to game level far more rapidly than expected. But this is more about egos than anything else. If Jerry goes in an cleans house, then he has no concept of what coaching is about. If he trades Romo, he will probably live to see him win a Super Bowl for an opposing team. If you want to toss blame, you may want to look at how the offensive line prepped for the week. They were clueless for much of the second half. And one of the key rules of offensive linemen is "protect the quarterback". The pocket was shifting like sand and like it or not, even a quick release QB like Romo needs some time to find the open man. I didn't grow up watching Texas and SWC football not to know a thing or two. So all you men who think you know it all, you'd better think about what happened and consider what may happen and then decide if you know what this Cowboys team is made of.

Being raised in Texas and a frequent attendee at Southwest Conference games back when football was fun, I have always known about Texas A&M's tradition of the "twelfth man." So when did it become okay for pro teams such as the Seattle Seahawks to appropriate such terms for their own psychological and, I am sure, financial benefit. I know the Aggies sell plenty of "Twelfth Man" shirts and jerseys. So I am betting that the Seattle franchise does as well. Doesn't it seem that they owe A&M a little for using a tradition that has been steeped in a great deal more football history than the short lived time in Seattle's pro football history? BTW, I am not a huge Aggie fan in any way, but fair is fair. Hey, Ford paid SMU for the running pony logo for Mustangs so Seattle can fork over some dough as well.

When college football was first televised, the concept was to bring the viewer into the game by showing the whole game and the various components such as cheerleaders, bands, crowds and such that made up the game. Now when college football is televised, instead of seeing bands at halftime, we see a six second blip and then they switch to some hasbeen coach expressing his dubious opinion or some lame interview with some celebrity trying to score points. I am watching the OU-WV game and during half time, they say they will show the bands, but then in addition to the "analysis" -which means former players and coaches either shooting off their mouths OR canned interviews with coaches and players, and then some Morgan Freeman presentation-which in my mind means "ad." Give us a break TV folks. We aren't stupid. I want to see the bands. Those kids DO work as hard as the players and this is their bowl game as well. Stop tooting your own horn by using halftime as just another promotional moment and SHOW THE HALFTIME!!!!!!

Tony- 

You seem like a genuinely nice, funny and fairly intelligent guy. I don't know when I heard such shock as I did when a newscaster mentioned that you read books regularly. That's not exactly a common attribute in a professional athlete. I also have heard you quotes saying  that you have problems meeting women and that nobody has come up to you and offered to hand out because your are rich. Let me warn you. Look at other high profile athletes, Jeff Gordon being a good example. His first wife was in it for the money. She tried to take him to the cleaner financially.

I know there are always things like pre-nups and such, but if you really want to find a person who will interest you, let me suggest a couple of things. First of all, don't get sucked into the whole "celebrity" thing. And by that I mean, avoid even being in the same town with the likes of Britney, Lindsay, Paris or their clones. Secondly, if you really want to meet women who are more than just fluff, return to college for a grad degree. Lord knows you wouldn't need financial aid. And there are far worse things you could do in your off season. I know that you won't really require such a degree, but it couldn't hurt to make use of the intelligence you were given. The plus side is that in grad school you may meet people who have more substance. Additionally, there are some local schools that would absolutely LOVE to have the aura of being your grad school and perhaps that would help their recruiting. SMU and UNT both have decent business schools. You could probably hire a helicopter and get there pronto. I am sure they would somehow find the space for you to park it. Finally, you won't play football forever, and frankly, broadcasting has its ups and downs as well. Having a good backing in something like banking, real estate or financial management would be a natural leap from pro sports. You have to find out somehow how to handle your money.

 While this is really sort of tongue in cheek, you do seem like a very nice young man and I would hate to see that humor and charm destroyed by an unfortunate alliance.

PS. My daughter goes to UNT. You are one of the few football players that she has admitted to being fairly amusing. You have no idea how strange that is. I am sure she could find someone for you to hang out with.
 

I was raised watching Southwest Conference Football. I was in the marching band in high school and went to every single game of the Richardson Golden Eagles. So I am familiar with football and know enough to enjoy it. But with the shift to new and more profitable conference arrangements, and the cash flow that follows with the BCS ratings, I am really not enjoying seeing games where seriously overmatched teams play nationally ranked teams just in order to have enough money to keep the team running. UNT playing OU would be an example. LIkewise, seeing Appalachian State beat Michigan did my heart good, but when I see things like UT barely beating Arkansas St. Or Troy playing a nationally ranked team. Texas Tech playing SMU, A &M barely beating Fresno State. Sure all the coaches of the small schools will spout the same "oh it's a good experience..." but in reality, they KNOW it is just for the money. The fans know, the kids know and the schools know. What I wonder is if all these folks are considering how possible it would be for a player on an overmatched team to be seriously hurt in the line of play. All you have to do is look at the line's average weight to know that this isn't an even playing field. I am not saying that teams should avoid playing tough games. I am not even saying that small schools will always lose, because that isn't the case. But I am wondering if this is still a sport or if it is more in the lines of the Roman forums-complete with blood sacrifices and hero worship. I like watching a good game of football, but I am not sure that these types of mismatches qualify.

So today a high school coach was arrested for beating his wife. Last week a high school coach was killed in his car in the company of a woman of ill repute. I understand human frailty. I get the whole thing about pressure But Honestly. With all the stuff in the media about teachers and malfeasance

WHAT WERE THESE GUYS THINKING?????? 

I cannot tell you how much I admire Avery Johnson. It would have been so easy to blame everything from the weather to the players for the Mavs loss. But he understands what President Truman expressed when he put the sign on the presidential desk saying "the buck stops here." A real man doesn't blame others, or expect others to make his life easier. He does his best, admits his mistakes and move on. In a world where people are so willing to sue to justify their own personal shortcomings, hearing a decent, mature man take the blame for something that in reality was probably out of his control. I guess that is why I get so aggravated with the accuse and sue segment of society that would rather whine to the media than do what they can to change the situation. I am sure next year, whatever mistake Mr. Johnson thinks he personally made, it won't happen again. Too many of us are unwilling to accept that lesson. Good luck next year Mavs. And God bless Avery Johnson.

I know there was a great deal of sentiment wanting the Saints to make it to the Super Bowl. But I think you should recall that there are stories that go along with every teams season. I was glad to see the Bears win over adversity. They didn't have the best defense in the league, didn't have the best offense and quite often their quarterback was floundering, but they stayed together as a team and made wins happen. That's what a good team does. The Saints will be back I am sure, but in the meantime GO BEARS!!!!!!!

http://www.unrv.com/culture/colosseum.php

Read the short article above about Rome, sorry, you will have to copy and paste into your browser. This is a post of mine from another blog, but I thought it was worth discussing locally, because I do think this has a local cultural impact.

We in Dallas are suffering through yet another demanding professional sports team's whining about facilities. So in response, rather than having the actual team, which is a BUSINESS, build their own facility, voters bought into a rather tenuous arguement that building a Temple to The Dallas Cowboys would bring wealth to their cities. Just prior to the election, a professor at a local university came out with studies proving that such facilities don't improve the local economy, but instead often depress is due to the burden of local taxes that must be used to pay off the building bonds. In looking at this, I considered what the impact would be when this facility opens. First of all, there are only a finite number of pro games, Super Bowls and college games that any facility can reasonably hold during the year. And you won't get a Super Bowl or ProBowl but about one time out of ten. Although the projections were that for a Super Bowl the amount of money that could be put in the local economy might range as high as $100,000, 000-that isn't all going to be heading to the town where the facility is located. Most of that money will stay in Dallas or Ft. Worth in the form of hotels/motels, car rentals and restaurants. There are also side issue which haven't yet been discussed. Unlike facilities in Chicago, Boston, New York or LA, the facility being built in Arlington for the Cowboys has no public transportation. That forces people to pay to park and further constricts an already tight traffic corridor. Unless the state or federal government come up with cash to wide and improve highways, trying to make it to the game will be a logisitic nightmare. Add to that the location of the stadium far away from the wealthiest fan bases. The Rangers have already experienced the lack of attendance during the week due to a combination of late starts and long travel times, and although the Cowboys play on Sunday usually, there will be traffic issues forced upon the local governments. All this comes down to money. And currently parking is $8, beer is $3, and a hotdog is $3 at the current facility. That is going to have to go up exponentially in order to cover the overhead. I personally consider going to most of the professional sports events as too costly, I can't even imagine how high prices will go. So I wonder, will we continue to have people who claim to have no money to pay for their kids education spending upwards of $200 a week to take the family to a sporting event? And as with the Romans in the linked article, will we start to see even more of the cultural tiering based on status? We already have the luxury boxes, is it too far away for Jerry Jones and his fellow owners to don the purple of empire and give a thumbs up or thumbs down? I'm just asking.........

And by that I mean the Boise State Broncos. While I was never a huge football fan and definitely not an Oklahoma fan, the Little Guys winning over one of BCS's handpicked champions did my heart good. The BCS shut out all the little schools and played favorites with the big ones. That meant that the big school just got more and more cash and the smaller schools struggled to compete. I love seeing the Little Guy win one. And when was the last time you saw a Statue of Liberty play? That kid for Boise State did two magnificent fakes. In the last one they had three recievers lined up to the right and he suckered them out with a toss to the left. That is what college football is supposed to be about. Not the bling, not the money and certainly not how NCAA is just a farm team for the NFL-it's about sheet guts, great athleticism and seeing a really good game.

Is it just me or is Jerry Jones starting to look alot like Mr. Burns from The Simpsons? Change the stadium into t nuclear power plant and you have a pretty close resemblance. Now who is Homer?