This is the third in a series of re-posts of classic columns that I've done through the years. We'll do this leading all the way up to the BCS National Championship Game on January 7th. Part III: A popular phrase in the Texas fan vocabulary is "Let Vince Be Vince". After the 12-0 loss to Oklahoma in 2004, followed by a lackluster performance at home against Missouri where Ramonce Taylor was the leading passer and Vince Young the leading receiver, the legend is that the coaches decided to loosen the reins, quit trying to coach Young the "proper" technique to throw, and just let him be. Two BCS bowl appearances and a national title later, it appears that letting Vince be Vince was the correct thing to do. This column appeared after that dreadful Missouri game, before a 51-21 win over Texas Tech where VY accounted for 300 yards of total offense.
I'm going to get on the soapbox here for a little bit and go Bill Little on that ass.
Sports. They are a funny way to live our lives.
And make no mistake about it. A lot of our lives revolve around the Longhorns. A good chunk of my being is invested in this team, whether it be time, monetary or emotionally.
That's why I'm disturbed about a trend that I'm noticing lately.
From a post on HornFans, in response to a question, "Do you people actually ENJOY Texas football?"
I enjoy Texas football from August 1 until the second weekend in October. And for a few hours on signing day. That's about it right now. Seriously.
And I read about people not even being able to enjoy the Missouri game, others didn't even bother to go to the Missouri game.
Now I'm not going to berate the person who made the above quote, because I don't even know him, but if you truly love this team, I just do NOT understand that mindset.
Life is tough. Nothing comes easy, and sports are a microcosm of all of that. You can go through a marriage, divorce, money problems, birth of a child, etc. all in the same game. Sports are not as important as all of these, of course, but the emotional roller coaster that we go on in any given game is unlike most other situations in life.
And that leads me to my main point (yes, there is a point to this rambling).
The Boston Red Sox are of course one of the most sad-sack stories in all of sports. Yes, they have had success, and yes, they have a lot of resources, so few if any actually feel sorry for them outside of their own fans.
Sound familiar?
We all know their path, so I'm not going to bore you with it, but after that gut-wrenching series last year lost at the hands of Aaron Boone of all people, an off-season spent courting the sport's marquee player and losing him to their rival, and the dealing away of a franchise player at mid-season, the Red Sox were right there when the playoffs began, right where they were last season.
They swept the Angels out of the playoffs and watched the Yankees squeak past the Twins, setting up the matchup the baseball nation had been looking forward to for months.
Then they fell behind 3-0. They were dead. Bill Simmons was even writing them off, pondering another off-season and contemplating spring training.
But the Red Sox, as has been their motto all year, asked themselves, "Why not us?"
(BTW, as I watch this, the only part I'm sad about seeing the Yankees season end is no more Roman Tynan singing God Bless America. Nobody does it better. Everytime I watch it I think of post-9/11 and those Yankee games.)
They started it off in Game 4, as David Ortiz, a guy that was released by the Minnesota Twins, hit a homerun in extra innings to win a game. Fine, they said, the Red Sox at least gave them a little fight.
But the next night, Pedro Martinez, who even proclaimed the Yankees as his "daddy" earlier in the year, gave the Red Sox a great start in what everyone thought was his last appearance as a Red Sock. Ortiz was once again the hero as his basehit again in extra innings won it for the home team.
Then came Curt Schilling.
Schilling probably shouldn't even be playing right now, as a right ankle injury that will require surgery in the off-season was patched up only enough to keep the blood on his sock to a minimum. He was gassed by the 4th inning, he says, but still hung on to give the team three more innings and give them a shot to get it to game 7 tonight.
And there you have why we follow these teams so hard.
It's James Brown limping on the field against Texas A&M in 1995, knowing that he had no business being out there. But he stood bravely in the pocket against a Wrecking Crew defense that had given the Longhorns fits for the past decade. Nobody gave us a shot to win that game, but there was JB, standing in that pocket and limping back to the huddle. Everyone on the field that day knew that if JB could do it, they better damn well be ready to do it.
And the Longhorns left the field victorious that day, ending a long streak of losing to the Aggies and reversing the rivalry right then and there. Although Ricky Williams had a great day and the defense was a wrecking crew of it's own, you'll never be able to convince me that James Brown wasn't the reason that we won that game.
Redemption. Culmination. Overcoming.
Maybe it's just my spiteful nature, but one reason that I love sports so much is because of these three words, overcoming obstacles when nobody thinks you can, finding redemption in a big game or season all in a culmination of great events unfolding in a span of hours.
Curt Schilling did that for the Red Sox nation on Wednesday night. Even if they were to lose game 7, they would still have this moment in time to take with them, to tell their grandkids about. They would tell their grandchildren that they saw a man overcome physical and emotional obstacles in a hostile environment and come out on top, earning the respect of sports fans everywhere.
Bill Simmons, on Schilling: "This was about heart. This was about coming through when it mattered most. This was about choosing to pitch for a tortured franchise, promising that things would be different, and then perservering only because you gave your word."
You know what? Screw Adrian Peterson. He's the Anti-Schilling. Some people want to beat the Yankees, and some people would rather just take the easy road and join them.
I know the losses to OU are hard to get past. I know that we seemingly follow the same path every year, making a lot of the same mistakes along the way.
But I don't follow Texas football because of Mack Brown, or Greg Davis, or even Vincent Young or Cedric Benson.
I follow Texas football because I grew up watching Eric Metcalf on average teams, teams that couldn't even come close to beating Texas A&M. I follow Texas football because of Austin. Because of March Grandioso. Because of Bevo. Because of Texas Fight.
Because standing there after a game, with my Horns raised and singing The Eyes of Texas, whether we've won by 50 or lost by 50, is still the best feeling in the world.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I was here long before Mack Brown, and I'll be here long after Mack retires to a tobacco farm in North Carolina.
So I'll be damned if I'm not going to follow my team just because things aren't perfect.
Because I'm not going to miss the next James Brown moment. I'm not going to miss our Curt Schilling moment. Or the Mickelson putt lipping around before dropping in to win the most prestigious tournament in all of golf.
When I'm standing there celebrating the Longhorns winning the national title, my Horns raised and singing the Eyes of Texas, I'll know that my devotion never wavered and that all of it was worth it for that one moment.
Someone once said that a test of man's character isn't when things are going well, but when things are going bad.
We are far from bad, Longhorn fans. Quit feeling sorry for yourselves and have some fun. We only get a few of these a year.
On to the games...
Michigan @ Purdue (-4.5):
Purdue lost a heartbreaker last week, and Michigan is slowing rolling up momentum again after that early season loss to Notre Dame.
I think Michigan's defense is good enough to slow down Purdue, but I'm not sure if Michigan will move the ball on the Boilermakers.
You have a Heisman-trophy caliber senior quarterback versus a freshman on the road.
Give me the senior.
Purdue 27 Michigan 23
ATS - Michigan
SU - Purdue
Georgia @ Arkansas (-7.5):
Georgia is still looking for the SEC title after a loss to Tennessee while Arkansas is just trying to become bowl-eligible at this point.
Matt Jones might not play in this game, and even if he does he might be hobbled with a pulled groin. Georgia's defense is relentless, and even with Florida up next, Georgia knows they have no margin for error after their loss.
Georgia 30 Arkansas 17
ATS - Georgia
SU - Georgia
Miami (-7.5) @ NC State:
Quick, who has the best defense in the nation?
If you guessed Miami....you are wrong.
It's NC State. At least statistically.
And you know how Miami's offense has been, especially against good defenses. And you know how horrible Brock Berlin is. He's the Dan Miceli of quarterbacks.
Shocker? Don't be surprised.
Miami 17 NC State 13
ATS - NC State
SU - Miami
Oklahoma State @ Missouri (-3.5):
Both teams are coming off disappointing losses but have still have a shot at the conference crown.
Missouri's defense will be too tough for a Oklahoma State team that is a bit too one-dimensional on the road.
Missouri 31 Oklahoma State 21
ATS - Missouri
SU - Missouri
Kansas @ Oklahoma (-27):
This one will be close.
Until the first quarter ends.
Oklahoma 41 Kansas 20
ATS - Kansas
SU - Oklahoma
Texas (-1.5) @ Texas Tech:
A lot of times, I like to look at the less glamorous of the two matchups in a game. For example, when LSU played Oklahoma last season, while a lot of people were wondering if LSU could stop the Sooner attack, I was more interested in if LSU would move the ball on the Sooner defense.
So, of course in this game the glamorous matchup in this game is the Texas Tech offense versus the Texas defense. And while I certainly think it's important for the Texas offense to eat the clock, the premiere matchup in this game is really what will decide it.
Oklahoma slowed down Tech. As did New Mexico. Hell even SMU held them down on the scoreboard at least. But those were all on the road.
Can Robinson, Akina and Tomey devise a scheme to stop this offense on the road? That will be the key point of the game.
Texas can't afford to get in a shootout. They have the past two years with Tech, but were better prepared both years. In 2002, the team had Chris Simms and the corps of receivers. Last year the receivers were still here and Chance Mock came in and actually didn't suck.
VY's confidence has been hit, and if Tech shuts down the Texas running game like they did last year, we could be toast early.
Unless Robinson does the job.
And I have EXTREME confidence in this man. Hell look at what he did to Oklahoma. Do you think Sonny Cumbie is better than Jason White? Or that Tech is any more hyped for this game than OU was?
Cedric gets his and Texas wins.
Texas 38 Texas Tech 31
ATS - Texas
SU - Texas
For entertainment purposes only. Use your money on Red Sox World Series gear.
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