Longhorn Football: And so it begins...

"We need to keep our mouth shut and get back into the game" - Mack Brown, Monday Aug 29 2011

Longhorn Sports: Aggie to the SEC

Yeah... I think it is foolish for Aggie to take their ball and go try to be relevant with the popular kids... and every time I think/talk/hear about it, all I can think of is Gob Bluth.

Texas Hires

So now that they are done, now that all the positions have been filled, my thoughts...

SWEET FUCKING LORD IN HEAVEN THIS WAS AN AWESOME THREE WEEKS OF COACHING HIRES

...

Ahem... I can't believe how far the pendulum has swung in my personal excitement level for the next fall. Can't wait to see what Harsin and Major can cook up. That mad scientist lab will be awesome. The S&C coach is a walking demon, and it will be awesome to see how his impact plays out. Manny "play like 11 men who just got out of insane asylum" Diaz has me AMPed for how the defense will play. Coach Boom was great, and I wish him the best in his new Gator digs, but Diaz has me excited again about the defense. Oh, and Dr. Death coming back to Texas.

Mack has the chip back on his shoulder. He has that swagger of "You doubt me and you pay" back. I'm excited for 2011 and can't wait to see what this translates to on the field.

Coming next week: When was the last time music kicked your ass?

*FACEDESK*

Welcome to the new year...

This post has been taking WAY too long. Sorry for the delay... for the three of you who read this blog.

So it looks like Texas might... maybe... perhaps... possibly have a new set of Co-Ordinators... oh wait. Or not. C'mon Mack... get it in gear. We are frothing at the mouth to get something resembling good news. Since the UCLA game, it has felt like rats running from a sinking ship around the 40 Acres. I can't wait for something good to happen... seriously.

But as my dad so perfectly: "Not like I can un-graduate."

Later... more thoughts on Warmachine and 40k coming soon... promise.

Finally...

A win... Texas beat the tar out of FAU. Well done.

We will see what they do against eATMe.

Hook 'em!

Sorry for not much analysis, just exhausted lately.

Well that happened...

Not sure what to say. I think tonight finally broke me. I saw a team play with no identity and worse, less heart. I felt it in my bones at the end of the third quarter. They missed the touchdown and then the field goal. I felt it change. Next play... bam... Bears touchdown. Then EBS bobbles and hands off an interception. And then, despite what happened afterwards, the game was over.

Here's hoping Aaron Rogers can still remember his childhood, much less ever play again. As a multi-concussion person, it is painful to see any head injury, but he went down, flopped and then didn't move for about 5 minutes. I was sure he was dead. That isn't hyperbole. I thought I saw someone die on the football field. I hope he is well and seeing him walk off the field puts the game in perspective. He is still breathing, and for that, I'm thankful.

Even still... I will always be a Texas fan. Congratulations go to a Baylor team that has a FAST offense and a defense that might be decent enough to keep them in games. Griffen is as advertised and they will go far with him. Hell, they have a shot to win the Big XII South. Good luck to Baylor.

Well, no home game next week. K-State in Manhattan. I'm not sure if I could have done three weeks in a row of this at DKR.

Until next time, sleep well Ms Rabbit, you are making me smile tonight.

Where's the spoon?

I need to eat some crow.

As most of you know when talking to me all last week, I predicted a complete brutal beating of Texas in Lincoln this week. Gleefully, I shall now say this:

I WAS WRONG.

Damn that feels good.

I've watched this team all year. I never expected to see this... seriously. They played steady, assignment defense and kept Taylor Martinez in front of them. They made his running backs and passing beat them... and as we saw, they didn't.

Hook 'em. Gonna be rocking at DKR as all the fair weathers come out again. For the record, I only lost hope. I still wore my Texas gear to work and watched and cheered, damn it.

UCLA and ou

Well I suppose I should give my thoughts on the debacle that was last Saturday in Austin.

Anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows that I'm a die hard Texas fan. I have been to every home game since 1994 when I was in LHB. I love my Horns. I will root for them and cheer until I go horse, and have many times. I'm bummed when they lose and elated when they win.

Saturday tho... I saw something I haven't seen in a long time. I saw a blatantly unprepared and overly sloppy mess of a team. I haven't seen Texas play this bad under Mack Brown. A muffed punt... a muffed kickoff! Nevermind all of the other miscues.

I will give credit to UCLA... their defensive strategy was simple: deep safeties to deny the down field pass and force Texas to run the ball. Texas responded by not being able to run the ball and making as many mistakes as they could.

It made me tired and frustrated to be a fan, knowing that my team was over-matched by a team we should have crushed. Texas played sound defense until the second half, giving up the first drive. It was a dagger in the heart.

I don't know what the fix is... I don't know what should be done. I've always been a fan of a new offensive mentality, based on schematic ingenuity and not reliant on athletic execution. As we've seen this year... that just isn't something Texas can do right now.

So on to our neighbors from the north... What are we going to see Saturday? I have no idea. I think Texas will play immaculate defense. I think Coach Boom will have them whipped up into a fervor over what happened last weekend and they will do everything they can to crush Landry and his boys. Offensively... well... OU's defense hasn't looked awesome so far so... well... I can hope right?

So Saturday I'll keep track of the game while I run errands as promised with the God of War. I don't know if I can watch that game on TV... if you go to games, watching it on TV is IMPOSSIBLE. So... root till you are horse and BTHOOou!!!!

The Battle of Lubbock

As I Tweeted during the game... thank god I don't have hair, or I'd have pulled it all out. That was painful to watch. Seeing the offense run around like the Key Stone Cops, doing everything they could to hand the game to Tech reminded me of the halcyon days of yore watching the Oilers.

Gilbert looked fine, but the receives need to, I don't know put glue on their gloves or something. Three Interceptions off of tipped/dropped balls? ARGH

Never mind the new-fangled "Running Game"... You started a drive in the 3rd Quarter to drive down the field and take over the game, figuring out WAY too late that you could destroy the gassed Tech Defense with Cody Johnson. Why did it take that long to figure it out? The guy is a beast and runs down hill. If you want to take the air out of the ball and lock down the game, it is his job. I know this is an dead horse round these parts... but does Greg Davis really feel like he has to out think himself that much?

Now... The Defense. HOLY CRAP. Coach Mother F'in BOOM. They were all over the field... fast, steady and explosive. Jackson Jeffcoat is the real deal. Watching him mature for the next 3 years will be a treat. They are stingy, fast, and full of all kinds of hate. They know the games will usually lie on their shoulders this year, and I think they relish it. Seeing those two interceptions warmed the cockles, considering the history of the field for those two guys.

So what are we left with? Texas has an offense that wouldn't scare a crossing guard and a defense that will win games all on it's own. This is going to be a season of hair pulling and nail biting. As a season ticket holder... it means good games. I'm a defensive hawk anyway.

On another note... just an idea... but I heard something Bill Walsh once said last week that has stuck with me: "Coaches who depend on Athleticism to win games will at best be 500. Random offense may be fun and entertaining, and occasionally effective, but it isn't consistent or dependable." Watching Texas play offense, I'm reminded of this constantly. They like to put "athletes in space." Sure that can work. I'd rather have a schemed play that gives the athlete a chance to excel instead of depend on them to make the play function.

So, bring on UCLA. The last time I had the... pleasure.... *shudder*... of watching them in Austin was the biggest home loss in Texas history and the game that ushered in Macovick's downfall.

While I don't think we will see anything like that again, I'm still counting it as a blessing that I keep my head shaved... Hook 'em... BTHOOUCLA

Tech

Wow I'm late updating this thing...

So tomorrow is the Tech Game. I cannot put into words how much Lubbock irritates me. I think I dislike being around their fans more than OU and A&M... and that is saying something. I have no idea what we are going to see tomorrow as far as on the field. Texas might roll right over Tech, finally showing every bit of the promise they've only hinted at so far. Or they could get destroyed in the one place where Mack doesn't always win.

Either way, I expect to piss off my neighbors screaming at the TV while watching it.

Learning Menoth goes well. I start the painting process this week. I'm making a point to focus on a caster to learn them. Right now, the focus is Harbinger, and I need to play more games. Looking forward to Wednesday for that...

For now... Go Horns, BTHOT

It's Game Week Kids

After 9 months of bitter taste in your mouth and hearing so much "could have been"... It is on. Football is back. And namely...

TEXAS FOOTBALL

As the week goes on, I'm going to break down my top 5 reasons why I'm excited for this year and what lies ahead.

5. New Beginning, but not really

10 years ago my father said to me "we need to be one of those places like Forida State... where they don't rebuild, they reload." Well Dad, it is truly here. We have a stout team, with a defense that might just be the best either of have seen. The "run-first" offense is a measured reaction to what beat Texas in the title game: if everyone is geared to defend the spread, smash mouth football should dominate. And so, with a new quarterback, and a new attitude, but many of the same pieces, we have a new season. Sure we lost Colt and Jordan. They will be missed. But Gilbert and his boys are here, and they hold all the promise in the world. Texas reloaded, and it didn't take too long to do it, and from the recruiting classes we've seen, it doesn't look like they are going to drop off any time soon.

Hook 'em... thoughts?

Progress...

No tour stage Monday, so random thoughts and commentary...

• WARCon Orks are coming along... I will have a post on how I did the paint scheme once they are finished. I still need to find a metal trash can lid and an Oscar the Grouch figure to complete the over all look
• Nebraska have lost their minds... I never thought I would see something like the All Red Nation thing come out of Lincoln - it just isn't their style. Guess that's what happens when you get desperate and can't kill a bogeyman.
• World Cup was fascinating... the play combined with the mess that was "The Decision" makes me want to get into EPL and Champ League that much more. Just have to pick a team... anyone have any ideas?

That's all for today... commentary on Stage 9 will be posted as normal. As always, watch Versus. Phil and Paul are unmatched.

Seeing it live

First off, read this... it is a Bill Simmons article about the brilliance of Lebron James, who I'm probably going to have to go see after reading it. First basketball player since Olajuwan in his prime that I thrilled to pay the price to see.

Don't get me wrong, Jordan was amazing, and his impact on the entire game was felt like a wave of intensity (I saw him live twice), but Olajuwan was like watching someone move with super-human body control. His smile was this infection that spread through the team... when he was on, he was unstoppable...

David Robinson (probably the best defensive center of that generation), shell shocked after Olajuwan had averaged something like 34/9/4 for the 1995 EPIC play-off series between San Antonio and Houston: "I thought I defended him pretty well." The guy looked like you had crotch punched him for hours. He was in a state of shock. So was every San Antonio fan. The 1995 Rockets team had 6 real players. (The Dream, Clyde, Kenny the Jet, Mario "Kiss of Death" Ellie, Big Shot Bob, and Sam Cassell) When you are three guards and a soft power forward, you really should be able to stop the center right? He's the only inside threat. Not that year. There was no answer for Olajuwan. The guy flowed and moved like a cat bred with a snake. He moved fluidly, and the fade away he could pull on you after the seemingly endless head fakes was unstoppable. He beat a young Shaq, Robinson in his prime, and a motivated Barkley. Sure all the games and series were close... one man can only do so much, but watching Olajuwan in those play offs made me gleeful to be a sports fan.

And because my dad was awesome and had season tickets, I got to watch The Dream in his prime live. I got to see all the little things that make the great that much greater.

So here's my list of other moments that brought the same joy...

> Ricky Williams breaking the all-time rushing record against A&M - one of the truly epic moments in Texas Football history, he breaks the record on a long run to the endzone, carrying two defenders with him into the end zone. Williams remains the best back I've ever seen in college.

> Randy Johnson vs Mark McGuire, Astro Dome, 1998 - Before we knew all about steroids, when the home run chase was still AWESOME, I got to see this match up. Johnson was over powering and didn't even put McGuire on base the whole game. Pitched right at him and struck him out. A close second was watching Billy Wagner fan Bonds on 3 pitches earlier that year.

> No kiss for you (Last Southwest Conference Championship) - Texas had lost to A&M something like 100 times in a row going into that game. It was at Kyle Field. Texas was scrappy, but inconsistent. They beat A&M 16-6 to win the last SWC Championship, and more importantly, deny Aggies the chance to smooch after a touchdown.

> I will never doubt Vince Young again (vs OKState, 2004) - Texas was down 35-7 just before half. My father looks at me as we stand in a quickly emptying DKR and says "Ya know, if they score right here, then they get the ball back to start the half and score, they could totally come back and win this game." He was only kind of kidding. And then... they did it. Texas won 51-35. Second best single game I've ever attended. That was when I signed up for the church of Vince Young. The guy is unlike any athlete I've seen live. He has the a liquidity of movement like Olajuwan... his speed is deceptive... he doesn't look fast, until you realize he just cleared 20 yards in about 5 steps. He also has that John Elway/Joe Montana "we gonna win this right here, right now" presence. This was the night that he became a Burnt Orange Kool-Aid salesman.

> The Best Game I've ever been to... The Inaugural Big XII Championship (1996) - before the game when asked what he thought of the 20 point spread, Texas quarterback James Brown said "Hey, they might win by 20, we might win by 20, we gotta play the game." People lost their minds and thought he was insane for giving a dominant Nebraska team motivation to stomp a mud hole. Then... something happened in St. Louis. The band felt it when we did pre-game... there was an energy. The team came out fired up in the ways you never saw from Macovik's teams. They got the kick-off and went right down the field and scored. Priest Holmes had a GREAT day, while Dan Neil and the Texas O-line played out of their minds. The game came down to the best roll-out ever, Ricky Williams making the block that let Brown set his legs and throw a perfect ball. Running down the field, the tight end Lewis saw the Nebraska DB chasing him and made sure to secure the ball. I have goose bumps typing this...


Seeing the two Rose Bowl victories in 2005 and 2006 were amazing, but there is something about being in the stadium that makes those moments that much more electric.

So... who has their own memories?

Well Shit

Really proud to call myself a Longhorn fan tonight. Really wish they had won and I'm sick to my stomach about losing. But man... they fought. They didn't lie down, and Garrett Gilbert grew up in front of everyone.

I'm also proud to root for a university and coaching staff that refused to let Colt come back into the game when his shoulder was sprained. It cost them the game. There is no doubt in my mind. But it didn't cost Colt his future. I'll take that any day of the week.

So... there is next year and more to watch. I'm proud to be a Texas fan, and really happy that I can sleep tonight knowing that Texas fought for every inch and kept coming back when they needed to. Those two videos in the previous post were a tad on the nose wouldn't you say?

Hook 'Em

\m/ Get your HORNS UP \m/





All the pretense will be done soon... all the pre-game predictions made. It is now time to bring the wood. If you have it, bring it. Fight for every inch...



And when it gets hard, remember...



If you are Texas fan and this doesn't have you rockin... well... I got nothin for you. It's go time kids. And now... to borrow from the Drop Kick Murphys...

Rally together, gather around, the sense of a battle is near...

The cannon sounds, the new year begins...

Fear nothing now... THE GANGS ALL HERE!

It's On

Just over 24-hours to go. Here's memories...


Let's make some new ones tomorrow night... Who else is ready to dance?

Best Whatever of 2009

So yeah... I'm doing that...

Best music I bought this year: It is a close race this year for me. The Mastadon record is amazing... the Black Crowes record is magnificent. But for me, the one I like the most is the John Mayer Live in LA. The second set (his blues trio) got me back into the blues and is just damn fine.
EDIT: Yeah... I have to change my vote here... Blueprint III is too good. It will get a whole post devoted to it in the next week or so.

Best movie I saw: Wish I could say Watchmen, but it was just sort of flawed. I can't really put my finger on why. GI Joe is a hilarious nostalgia fest for me, and only lacked someone turning to the camera and saying "America... FUCK YEAH" to just be Team America without puppets. For me tho, I think this year, it was Inglorious Bastards. Christolph Waltz (the main SS officer) is unfathomably good in this. I can't wait to watch the guy in things, and wish I could appreciate more German cinema. The first scene in the cabin is worth the price of admission by itself. Also, Brad Pitt being so over the top as a Tennessee officer was amazing. I love that the guy can embed himself into a character like that and make it something memorable and not a joke. He walks the line, and pulls it off, which is really damn hard.

Best tech that actually delivered:  The year started with me drooling over the possibilities of the Palm Pre. Man it looked good at CES didn't it? Too bad the keyboard is criminally small and the apps aren't worth writing home about. For me tho, watching Android evolve into its own niche of a geeky iPhone was awesome. I have one (HTC Hero) and I freaking love it. Honorable mention goes to my swanky LCD TV and Blu-Ray player. I can actually watch football at home without wanting to choke someone. Going to games live and seeing the whole field spoils you in ways you can't understand until you've done it yourself. Another note... Windows 7 is actually good. It is so unproblematic that I forgot to include it.

Best Add-On for Firefox: This comes down to two for me... Stylish and Feedly. Yeah, I know, neither were new this year. But I got them for the first time this year. Stylish plays to me UI Config fetish, and Feedly is a superb RSS aggregation tool. Once you have either, you can't see the web the same again.

Best New Habit: I has a blog now. It clears my head and whether or not anyone reads it, its fun to do it.

Best Renewal of Old: I got back into Warhammer with the Bell Of Lost Souls Tourney in August. It is back as my main hobby, and I'm glad to be back. I'm committed to going to tourneys in 2010 and learning more about the game... and actually painting my Orks...

Best Texas Football Thing: 1530 bring Geoff and Chad together is pretty sweet... 1300's morning show is brilliant (Ahmad Brooks will be a national analyst... just watch... its only a matter of time)... Seeing Colt get the love from the DKRMS faithful... Seeing the look on my father's face whenever Shipley broke one... The sound of my mother screaming "COME ON HORNS". For me tho... the best... was seeing Texas fight for every inch on every play. They never quit all year. I'm proud to be a fan of this team and can't wait for the big game next week.

Best Comic Book Thing: The fruition of years of plans by Brian Bendis has been a fun thing to watch, and it promises to truly pay off with The Siege. Blackest Night is fun as hell. Fraction's Iron Man is brilliant. Brubaker showing everyone that he had a plan from the start with Captain America is like that moment when you knew you trusted a friend no matter what anyone said, and he paid off that trust like gang busters. For me tho, the best of the year goes to something no one created... it came to my realization that what I truly love about comics is sequential, serialized story telling as its own art form. See the previous "What makes good comics" post for more on this.


Okay... I'm sure there is more... that's what I have for now. At some point I'm going to put up a wish list for 2010.

Oh and one last thing... to the God of War, the Crowbar and the Dog Barber... you three are my rocks, and I wouldn't have had the best year of my life without you.

Much love to all. Happy New Year... and don't break nothing what can't be fixed.

Why I Love Being an Underdog

Guess what? Texas fans get to watch this video and get pumped. Let em all pick Bama. I can't freaking wait till the game gets here...

Nids... giddyness

So the Nid book is out in January... and I'm giddy. Now I just have to pain up the Orc Army first before I dig into buying and building the Nid army.

That's the goal... painted Orcs before I get into Nids... that's the goal...

Smell that underdogaliciousness?

Man I love the build up to a National Title game. Texas, at least in the last few years, has always been an underdog against some sort of amazing team.

Why? Texas looked brutal against what might be the best defensive player I've ever seen. The thing is, they still won the damn game. Texas did what they needed to do to beat Nebraska. I'm with Mack on this... if it was in the SEC we would hear all this about how amazing the defense was and how strong the Texas D looked and how incredible the Nebraska D was. Instead? Well, you've heard it by now, no reason to recap.

Bama looked amazing against Florida. They just took it to 'em and beat the Gators as soundly as a team can get beat.

Thing is? I think Texas will hang, and in the end beat Bama. More analysis to come... well what passes for analysis anyway.

Until then... God love the underdog.