the score

Remember all those mean things I've said about TO in the last few weeks? Probably not – that last sentence is based on the assumption that I have regular readers other than my dad, and the creepy guy who lives in the apartment above me. I have, however, taken a few cheap shots at Terrell Owens, all of which I would've been more than willing to eat if he'd managed to score three touchdowns against the Eagles last week. Unfortunately for him (because I'm sure he reads this blog all the time), he caught the hat trick against the Texans, something even an average player could do without trying. All he really had to do was stand in the end zone with his arms out. Honestly, I wouldn't have been too surprised if one of the Texans had intercepted a pass in the end zone, gotten confused, and handed it to TO. Read More | Comment »

Somewhere behind perfectly manicured hedges, Donovan McNabb’s patronizing mama comforts her sobbing son with a warm bowl of Campbell’s Chunky Soup. The bruises on McNabb’s hip from Charles Grant's helmet make every swallow a wince-filled reminder of the New Orleans Saints’ 27-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday afternoon. Former Westlake Chaparral Drew Brees filled McNabb’s temporarily-vacated hero role by tossing three critical touchdowns and meticulously leading his team on an eight-and-a-half minute drive that clipped the wings of the visiting Eagles with a game-winning field goal. As the Superdome crowd enjoyed its team’s third straight home victory, football pundits nationwide could be heard in mass literally thrusting themselves upon the Saints bandwagon with the urgency of a ravenous carpetbagging herd. Read More | Comment »

This weekend's headline game should be a corker, or at least closer than McCallum's 52-0 blowout over LBJ last night. (Stamp Cedar Park's playoff passport too, though the T-Wolves were lucky to get past Stony Point by a single, stony point, 14-13.) Hurry up and head out 290; even with Friday afternoon traffic, there's still plenty of time to get to Giddings in time for the kickoff of a game with the outcome of 23-3A in the balance. The hometown Buffs entertain the fightin' Leopards of La Grange, and whoever walks off the field with fewer points will do so for the first time all year. The visitors are playing for more than that: the Buffs tied them to the whipping post 58-6 last year, plus La Grange hasn't been scored on since the fourth quarter of their September 15 game at Sealy.

If you'd rather head north, Hutto drops by Cameron Yoe for some payback – the Hippos advanced to the 3A Division II state finals last year but lost to the Yoemen 17-13 at home. Cameron is likewise looking for revenge – Hutto ended their season in the playoffs. Read More | Comment »

The Crying Boy of OU is apparently getting his mug plastered all over T-shirts and e-mail attachments slinging back and forth across the Red River. See the above photo of the sobbing youngster who may or may not have been upset that his beloved Sooners got squashed by the University of Texas Longhorns. Or maybe his dad wouldn't buy him a corny dog.

In either case, he's not the only one in Norman with crocodile tears. OU Coach Bob Stoops has also been letting a few drip over what he sees as "questionable" calls made in favor of Texas in the Sooners' 28-10 loss last Saturday. Was it a lateral or was it a forward pass? Did Adrian Peterson actually fumble or did the ground knock the ball loose? Who cares, Bob? You lost. Read More | 5 Comments »

The Lady Longhorns had a great weekend up north, beating Kansas, 1-0, then coming from behind to beat 14th-ranked Colorado, 2-1, with freshman Emily Anderson (Westlake High) nailing the winner, the first goal of her college career. With that, the Horns ran their season record to 10-3-1, including 6-2 on the road. This week they host Sam Houston State – Friday, Oct. 13, 7pm, Mike A. Myers Stadium, $7, or four for $8 – before heading back north to Nebraska for a Sunday-afternoon game. The Huskers have been disappointing this season, after being a preseason pick to finish second in the Big 12. -------------------- The long season for national teams pretty much wrapped up this week with two very full days of Euro 2008 qualifiers on Saturday and Wednesday. It was a tough week for England, who were held to a home draw by Macedonia, then lost in Zagreb to a very good Croatian team. Likewise Ireland, who crashed badly at lowly Cyprus, to pretty much kill off their hopes. Only Scotland salvaged some British pride, surprising France, 1-0, in a battle of previously unbeatens, while Italy got two late goals and a vital win over Ukraine to get untracked in the same group. And in a tale of two teams going in opposite directions, defending champ Greece beat Norway, 1-0, and then Bosnia on the road; while Spain ended the year on a sour note with their second straight loss. Click below for the full results. Read More | Comment »

There's activity aplenty within the Ice Bats organization, but no news is more exciting than its move into Austin proper. While they made some improvements to the barn commonly known as the Travis County Expo Center, and it had a certain charm, relocating to the Chaparral Ice Arena may be the biggest news from the Ice Bats since they first dropped the puck 10 years ago. The new Bat Cave is located on I-35 North between Howard Lane and Wells Branch Parkway and has seen several improvements in the last year in preparation of hosting the Bats. Among the many renovations is the addition of a new ritzy club seating level. Here's a description: “The new second-tier Center Club and Balcony Club sections will be complete by the opening of the team's training camp. The new seating levels will comprise a private club on the arena's north side. Ticket holders in those sections will receive exclusive amenities including full wait service at their seat, a private entrance and exit, and reserved, close-in VIP parking.” Pretty sweet. Let the pampering begin.


For Ice Bats' roster moves, affiliations, and schedule ... Read More | Comment »

If you would have told Pig Skinny on Friday afternoon that the Oklahoma Sooners would outgain the Texas Longhorns 332-232 and go eight-for-16 on third down, the Skinny would have declared a certain victory for the Sooners based on early returns. Unfortunately for OU, the Sooners also loaded the ballot box with five turnovers and 11 penalties. The 28-10 final was in question well into the fourth quarter, but the defining moment of the game came in the third, when UT's offensive line moved the OU defensive front seven yards on a third-and-one quarterback sneak. Kudos to the UT program, who proved they aren't just a bunch of pansies who can't win without Vince Young, and to all the Longhorn fans around Austin who will undoubtedly not let me forget the game any time before 362 days from now. The Sooners again got jobbed on some calls in a big game, at least this time it didn't overtly affect the outcome. It's pretty obvious at this point that Herr Stoopsy has lost his vice grip on his team's focus. The false-start penalties are completely unacceptable this late in the season, and if Bob and the boys can't do any better than that, we might as well not even show up for the game.
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Just in the nick of time, major dividend No. 1 darted for 65 yards and a game-winning touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The number of new friends Reggie Bush made in New Orleans Saints country Sunday afternoon with that oh-so-timely punt return puts census workers to swamp boots and pirough oars. It was indeed a murky win, with seemingly secure leads fed to visitors like tables piled with miles of crawfish. Was it some sort of gentlemanly gesture for Sean Payton’s offense to cease ramming Deuce McAllister down the throats of the baby-soft Bucs defense? No. 26 had a whopping 117 yards by halftime, yet only carried the ball six times for six yards in the second half. Drew Brees looked like his already usual steady self, engineering a somewhat loaded offense without a single turnover to spare. Yes, even stone-hands Ernie Conwell managed to embrace a share of victory with a third-quarter touchdown reception.

For more on the Saints, UT-OU, and the Reagan Raiders ... Read More | Comment »

Forget about the Drew Bledsoe/Terry Glenn connection. It looks like Bledsoe's found himself a new favorite receiver. With two receptions in the Philadelphia game, including a 102-yard touchdown, looks like Lito Sheppard may just be the face of Dallas' future. Wait, what's that you're saying? Sheppard is an Eagle? Well thanks for the info, Pat Summerall. Why didn't you explain that to Bledsoe yesterday? I don't see how that last coffin-nail intercepted pass wasn't aimed directly at Sheppard. Now, I'm not saying Bledsoe did it intentionally. He's old, he's confused, and he should probably be tested for blue/green color-blindness. At this point I wonder if Terrell Owens is wishing he'd worn his old Eagles' jersey Sunday. Maybe Bledsoe would've thrown a few more his way. Read More | Comment »

Still drunk and stinking even more so after a 3-mile jog to retrieve my car from the evil clutches of a colleague's-birthday-party parking spot – thanks for the ride this morning, whoever you are – I called up my grandmother in St. Louis.

After the requisite small talk – my cousin will not, in fact, be making it to my brother's wedding; in other news, I'm growing up too fast – we settled into the real reason for our own little Sunday Conversation.

I'm no Margaret Cho or every single other stand-up comedian walking the face of the Earth – not trying to do the funny-family thing here – but what follows is real, people, albeit slightly parsed. Read More | Comment »

News came in this week that the Austin Toros will have the 10th pick in this year's D-League draft, which will take place Nov. 2. In honor of the occasion, I felt it was a good time to explain the ins and outs of the NBDL, its draft, and its affiliation system: in other words, a little primer. So, get out your pens and pads, put the kids to bed, and put on your learning caps. This is the NBDL in 2,000 words or less: Read More | Comment »

Tonight's pick game is easy: Westwood visiting Leander at A.C. Bible Stadium. Leave now, and you might still beat the 183 traffic. Maybe not, but still. QB Chase Rich has led the Warriors to their first-ever 4-0 start, including wins over Round Rock (behind Rich's 328 passing yards); Austin High (see below); and area 4A preseason favorite Lake Travis (who, by the way, are picking up steam, stomping Vista Ridge 49-14 last night behind four touchdowns from fabulously named senior back Austin Wrinkle). Beating Leander, 2-2, but still ranked No. 10 in the state in one poll and eminently dangerous, will go a long way toward proving the Warriors are for real, and put them in the 14-5A driver's seat to boot. Read More | Comment »

While Vince Young was celebrating his first pro start by spitting out the grass the Dallas Cowboys' defense had shoved into his craw, last year's second-best Texas college quarterback was all but forgotten.

If you don't know the name Barrick Nealy, you missed out on – next to Vince's win (yes, he did it himself) over USC in the Rose Bowl – the most exciting football in these parts, circa 2005. About now you're saying to yourself, "Sure, that's easy in I-AA ball." Don't tell that to the Texas A&M Aggies who should have lost to Barrick's Texas State Bobcats. And don't forget that I-AA has a playoff system Texas State almost blew through thanks to Nealy's pyrotechnics.

Almost. That should be the catchphrase for this Vince Young doppelganger. Read More | 4 Comments »

Good afternoon, sports fans. I just awoke from a nearly weeklong alcohol-induced coma, which I fell into after the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the National League Central. It was in celebration, yes, but it was also in relief. It was a release of sorts. Remember: We don't drink to forget; we drink to ... remember.

But we also drink to expedite the passing-out process so as to escape Godsmack's "I Stand Alone," which some turd at Fox Sports Southwest and/or in the Houston Astros' organization thought was an appropriate choice to accompany a season-ending montage of highlights upon last Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Braves.
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DPS will increase patrols Friday and Saturday along I-35 between Austin and Dallas to monitor traffic headed to Dallas for the Texas-Oklahoma football game. Troopers will concentrate on finding aggressive drivers, as well as speeders and drunken drivers on their way to the game or on their way home. They'll also look for people who are not wearing safety belts. Any drivers caught carrying an Oklahoma driver's license will be asked to leave the state immediately. Read More | Comment »

You already knew that, now Austin's Independence Brewing Co. has put it in a bottle. Run over to Central Market before supplies run out and get a 12-pack of their limited-edition "Oklahoma Suks" brand of beer. It will taste especially sweet while UT runs up the score. Read More | Comment »

The Next Level, Vince Young's new reality show (airing Wednesdays at 8:30pm on BET), is the worst thing to happen to his career since he got drafted by the Titans. For someone so freakishly talented, Young sure is a dull, average guy off the field, or at least that's how he seems on TV. Most of The Next Level plays like home movies, with Young walking around his hometown of Houston, introducing everybody he's ever met, including (seriously) people he played peewee football with. In case you were wondering, Vince, the third pick of the 2006 draft who carried UT to a national championship, was a freaking awesome peewee ball player.
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Tough weekend for the Lady Longhorns: First they completely outplayed a good Oklahoma State team, only to lose, 1-0, on the Cowgirls' only shot on goal of the entire game; then they fumbled away a late two-goal lead and settled for a 3-3 draw with the 3-8 OU Sooners. The OSU game highlighted a persistent problem over the last few seasons: an inability to finish in close games or to turn big advantages in shot count into advantages on the scoreboard. The Horns have outshot every opponent this year except Penn State, often by huge margins. And in their three losses this year, each by a 1-0 count, UT has outshot opponents by a total of 43-14. So what's the solution? Hey, beats me. I don't really understand offenses; I'm more a defense-wins-championships kinda guy. For more soccer news and Euro 2008 Preview ... Read More | Comment »

The Astros sent an interesting message today, extending skipper Phil Garner's contract through 2008 and cutting pitching coach Jim Hickey loose, despite the general excellence of the pitching staff since Hickey replaced former Longhorn Burt Hooton two years ago. But it does make a certain kind of sense. Hickey, who came up from Round Rock (he and Hooton essentially switched), was a decent pitching coach, but how much coaching Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Roy Oswalt need is up for debate. Garner finally coaxed one of those late-season runs the Astros should patent at this point out of his club, although this year it came a game or two too late to get them into the postseason.
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No game can stain a Longhorn season deeper, and make those perpetually envious Okies more insufferable, than a Sooner scalping in the Red River Shootout. Mack Brown's hide was in serious jeopardy because of those four straight losses before Vince Young bailed him out big-time last year. It's also worth remembering that Texas' last pre-Ohio State loss was hung on them by the crimson and cream in 2004's 12-0 shutout. It's true: Post-Vince, it's right back to anyone's ballgame, but still one Texas can, and probably should, win. "It's not about who's the best team, it's about who plays best on Saturday" Mack Brown said at his press conference Monday, encouraging words five days before freaking OU weekend. Read More | Comment »