Win.

What an end to an exciting week! Texas won in a good game, watched with the greatest friends. Thanks, guys.

current music: nothing

Chinks in the armor

The only Ohio State fan I know has been backpedaling in recent hours. One direct quote spilling from her lips was, "Either way, I win." Apparently it's time for OSU fans to hedge their bets. Most of the media and fans' focus has not been how good the Buckeyes are, but on how hard it will be to play in their stadium. The line favors Ohio State -1.5. Hardly the accepted home field advantage of -3.0.

People need to help me count how many times during the game she says, "Texas is going to look up and realize they're playing Ohio State." I can't fathom a total less than 122 times. That's twice a minute, plus two for halftime.

Trivia: Texas A&M is the Longhorns arch rival, not Oklahoma.

I know. It's a weak post. I'm unimaginative by and large. I ran out of things to make up last night! Hook 'em Horns!

20 hours 9 minutes until game time.

current music: The Police: Walking on the Moon

How do I get a marijuana leaf sticker for MY helmet???

I was told by a buckeye that a buckeye is a "hairy nut." You have the opportunity to ask the same friend that question. Tell me if you get a different answer. A buckeye is really a butterfly! I'm intimidated.


The legendary Woody Hayes came up with an ingenious way to recognize his players for outstanding plays. Equipment managers would put a decal of a marijuana leaf on the helmet for every outstanding play. Accompanying this decal would be a quarter bag of pot. What a great recruiting tool! With this positive feedback system, Coach Hayes dealed Ohio State to three national championships. Talk about putting the "high" in Ohio!

The last strangeness from between Cleveland and Cincinnati is something called "dotting the i." From what I've heard, no lie, this is some kind of activity for behind closed doors. When used in public day to day, it's simply an expression of emphasis. Less often in less public, it really marks an occasion--with excitement, tremendous energy release, and some kind of kick. If Ohio State can score on the Longhorn defense, you're bound to see the latter.
(The Buckeye leaves and "dotting the i" are actually pretty cool traditions)

Today's trivia: The Hook 'em hand signal is the most recognizable body activity in sports.

1 day 21 hours and 11 minutes until kickoff.

current music: Elvin Bishop: Fooled Around and Fell In Love

Halftime will really pack a punch!

Did y'all hear that legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes will be honored at halftime of the Texas-OSU game? On the sidelines after the play, Coach Hayes punched Clemson defensive back Charlie Bauman after he intercepted an Art Schlichter (Whoa! That's another story!!!) pass. The interception had sealed the Buckeye's defeat in the 1978 Gator Bowl. "Woody Hayes's punch was the most shocking episode of a coach or manager attacking a player in American sports history," according to the New York Times.

I think he knocked his block off!


We might have to honor the moment here as well.

Today's trivia: The 'Horns are the only Big XII team to have a winning record against every other team in the conference.

2 days 21 hours 16 minutes to go!

current music: Siouxsie & the Banshees: This Wheel's On Fire

Wheeeeeeere's the beef? In Austin, not Columbus!

I noticed today (Dallas Morning News) that Ohio State's athletic budget is $91 million and Texas's is $83 million. Overlooking that either way it's a downright obscene amount of money, who's is better spent?

The Ohio State propaganda site boasts that the Buckeye and Buckette teams have won a combined 53 titles in an array of sports. That's all nice and sweet...until you notice that 24 of the 26 women's titles are in the long-loved and celebrated true American sport: synchronized swimming. *schwiiiiing* I wouldn't have normally stooped to bring this up, but did BECAUSE at the bottom of this section, in parentheses, it states "Not an NCAA Sport." Wait! Now that I continue to look, the other two women's titles are in "Pistol," also "Not an NCAA sport." Just what are they trying to pull off? If only the Soviet Union had been so artful in their lies! The women have won exactly jack shit. Nada. Coincidentally...that's about what the Buckeye men have done lately. OK, they won a football title in 2002 and gymnastics in '01 and '96, but then we swoon back to 1985 to find the next most recent winner. That leaves 24 of the university's 27 legitimate titles over 20 years old.

Of course, I already blogged on the fecundity of Austin's soil in growing champions. Ask any young swimmer where a lot of our American Olympic swimming and diving medalists are from. I'll give you the fact that we haven't won a football title since 1970, in fairness. But, our true 45 firsts are near and far in age, broad across the scope of sports, and well...true!

It seems like Texans are getting more out of their athletic budget. More bang for our buck, if you will.

:O)

Plus, Man of the House was about hot UT Cheerleaders. The movie was a true tour de force.

Today's trivia: Texas has the third most all time victories and third most all time bowl appearances. (behind Michigan, Notre Dame and then Alabama, Tennessee respectively)

T-minus four days and counting.

current music: U2: Shadows and Tall Trees

Big TEN? big whoop!

Taking a page from myself, I'm posting a giddy countdown to a major life event. Taking a page from my friend Jorin, the countdown will contain trivia. What we're counting down to is the impending woodshed beating of Ohio State by the 'Horns. An unnamed horsey female suggested that our beloved Longhorns would be awed by the football atmosphere in Columbus. She brayed, "They'll see what a 'real' big horseshoe is!" Um...it's certainly got to be harder to play before College Station's asylumees for Thanksgiving. I've seen more than my share of Big Ten crowds on TV, thanks to ESPN Gameplan. *yawn* They aren't loud. Also, I don't ever think that we've ever referred to DKR-Memorial Stadium as a horseshoe. And even on top of that, didn't they close in Ohio Stadium and ruin the horseshoe shape? It sure looks like it on the boob tube.

Now for today's edification: Texas is 9-6 against the Big Ten Conference.

Five days and counting...

current musci: FSU war chant

Guess what I got to do!

Have you ever gotten to do something that you previously thought would never, ever be possible? If so, remember the feeling? It's really great!
current music: none

Thinking of Cassie:

Turner Falls has nothing on my weekend!

current music: Erasure: "Stop!"

"I can't wait 'til we're teenagers. THEN we'll be happy!"

(something I thought was funny on The Simpsons tonight)


Sassing isn't just for Laura anymore! Someone ask Carson if the song "Beautiful" was a hit on the radio and staaand baaack!




On another note: Check out this illusion! And then waste some time here.

So I'm a bad blogger. I just got distracted by the stars, 4th of July, an aborted trip to D.C., a dip in Nancy's pool, a 2 year old's birthday, and just shiny objects in general.

current music: Hella Good - No Doubt

Your own private Idaho...

More vacation pics to come Tuesday. I promise. I swear. I'm better with deadlines. In the meantime:


[For J-Rock (click on an ad, PLEASE!); Brian; Bobby; Colby and Stevo.]

Does "Bell Curve" make anyone else shudder??? It guarantees me at least one nightmare a month. I can't decide which are more stressful--the UT version or the dental school version...

current music: 'Til Tuesday: No One Is Watching You Now

There'll be an orange tower in Austin tonight!

Yes! The Eyes of Texas were upon another national championship this weekend. In the College World Series, it was initially just a hope that either Baylor or Texas was going to win this year. After the first run in the first game against Baylor, we knew it. They had it at hello. The baseball team lit the tower #1 tonight, dominating the rest of the Omaha field. National title #45 for Texas highlights a current streak that I dare anyone to try to beat:

Football: Four straight ten win seasons, including the Rose Bowl win and a #4 rank this year.
Baseball: Six NCAA titles (second only to USC), four straight trips to the CWS (in the finals three of four years--winning two)
Basketball: Seven straight NCAA Tourney bids with a final four trip, and a hell of a team waiting to start the season with this year's #2 national recruit in tow
Women's Basketball: Seven straight NCAA bids with a final four the same year as the men's
Softball: Three trips to the World Series in seven years with a top three finish this year
Women's Track: Title this year makes #5!

Plus, Cat Osterman is a major hottie!

Texas doesn't specialize in an area or two. They're good at everything.

HOOK 'EM HORNS!

Who only thought they produced great doctors?

current music: R.E.M. Fall On Me

You can not get away...

Texas set another college standard Monday with its record 75th win in College World Series History. Actually, not just a win. It was a dominating, shut out performance against the team considered #1 in the country, Tulane. Bring on Baylor!


Hook 'em Horns!

No one can tell me that I'm doing wrong today

The morning of our last full day in Mexico was spent swimming with the dolphins. I personally think that people are drawn to dolphins is because they have smiling faces. Permanently. Sea lions and seals can do more cute tricks. Otters look cuddly and float on their backs while ingeniously using rocks to crack open their food. Killer whales can I.D. you on the deck of your whaling boat and track you down relentlessly until they've exacted their deadly revenge. Oh. Whoops. Yeah, everyone likes a playful, mischievous, wanna-be-friends-with-the-humans delfino. What else could the smile mean??? I think a walrus is more my speed, but whatever.

Hey! Looking at the website, we didn't get to do the "hurdle" or the "free time." *grumble* Nevertheless, it was fun. We were delayed for quite a while because the dolphins didn't want to cooperate. The guides kept telling us that they couldn't force the dolphins to interact with us. What a time for Allen to not have his gun. I wanted to suggest letting us swim out there, taking the ice buckets of fish that were all around. That would garner us some attention. Didn't these trainers have any modern wisdom in bribery? Maybe that's an American parent thing. They also kept comparing the fish (whoops--mammals!) to adolescents. No way. I looked and looked and looked, but none of them were sulking.

One last note. There were lots of tropical fish swimming nonchalantly around with the dolphins as well. Someone asked why the dolphins weren't interested in eating them? The guide's reply was, "Why work for your food when you can eat at McDonald's?" Why indeed? Fresh food swimming around them in abundance, but they're slaving for our entertainment and one dead, ice-cold fish at a time. These dolphins are retarded.

They made us all smile with child-like joy, excessively:






In an unrelated matter: Why would Stevie Wonder want to be courtside at an NBA game?

current music: Aimee Mann: Pavlov's Bell