Burnt Orange Report: - BOR Sports

The Quarterback I Never Had

liberaltexan — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:56:23 GMT

Steve McNair was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1995 after the worst season since 1982, and the 2-14 record was the worst that I had experienced as a fan. As a kid who was born in Houston, despite also being a fan of the more successful Houston Rockets and the Houston Astros, the Oilers were always my first love. Being a fan of the Oilers built character, or at least that is how I look at it now. Before that losing season every season that I can remember before that the Oilers finished with a winning record and made the playoffs, but every season the oilers lost in the playoffs. In fact not only did the Oilers lose in the playoffs, they lost in heartbreaking fashion.

In 1991 the Oilers lost to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Playoff game, and were the victims of a John Elway comeback which has become known as the Drive II. Then in 1993 the Oilers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Playoff game after winning eleven consecutive games to end the season; losing to Joe Montana who found new life on a new team. The most heartbreaking loss of all of course was the lost to the Buffalo Bills in the 1992 Divisional Playoff game; this game was the greatest comeback in NFL history.

When McNair was drafted in 1995 it gave Oilers fans new hope; but that hope was gone after the 1995 season when owner Bud Adams broke the promise he had made only a year earlier and announced that the team would be moving to Tennessee. The franchised was moved by Adams after the 1996 season, during which the Oilers regularly played for less than 20,000 in the Astrodome. The fans still wanted to support the Oilers; however, they did not want Adams to make a profit after breaking a promise to keep the team in Houston.

More Below the Fold...
When the Oilers left I was without a football team. I refused to root for the Tennessee Oilers (and then later the Tennessee Titans) and there was no way that I would become a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. I tried rooting for the New Orleans Saints since they where the geographically closest team, but I just never developed the same passion for the Saints that I had for the Oilers. Eventually Houston would be given a new franchise, the Houston Texans, but there would not be any early successes in the way the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers experienced.

Even though I was never a fan of the Tennessee Titans, and even rooted against them, I was still always very admiring of Steve McNair. That admiration would only grow over the years, as he developed into one of the arguably toughest players in the league. There were many times throughout the years that I would think that I was missing out on a quarterback that should have been playing for my team. I never felt this more than on January 30, 2000, when the Tennessee Titans played the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV. Even though I did not particularly like the Rams I rooted for them, only because if Tennessee won it would be as if a Super Bowl victory was taken away from me, and every other Houston Oiler fan. Steve McNair was a yard away from victory, and I was a yard away from anguish.

However, what may end up being one of his most important legacies is being a black quarterback, and being the bridge from quarterbacks like Doug Williams and Warren Moon to quarterbacks like Donovan McNabb and Vince Young. McNair is also the last quarterback from a historically black college to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Martin Johnson from the Root wrote in an article this week:

By the time McNair retired last summer, there was no longer a question of whether a black man could be a successful NFL quarterback, the question was: Could he be as successful as Steve McNair?

Whatever disappointment I have experience from losing a football team, and a quarterback, it is nothing compared to the anguish that McNair's children, family, and teammates are feeling. We are all hoping that we will be granted another music city miracle, and wake up and find that this has all just been a terrible dream. The impact has been easy to see from Titan's head coach Jeff Fisher's heartfelt reaction at the press conference, to former Titan Derrick Mason's thoughts on his teammate, to the private thoughts his family must have during this difficult process. While Steve McNair is the quarterback I never had, he is the father and son that a family no long has.

Political and Social Thought...
to the Left of College Station

Horns Advance to College World Series Championship Series on Pair of 9th Inning Homers

Phillip Martin — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:34:49 GMT

We try to stay focused on politics, but every now and then we diverge into the world of Texas Longhorn sports. And last night's game deserves at least a mention on the site, don't you think? That's what I thought...

5 Reasons Texas is Better Than OU

Phillip Martin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 05:47:31 GMT

These aren't all the reasons -- just the five I think are most important:

45-35.
Texas lost to Tech on the road, at the end of a 22-day stretch during which they beat then No. 1 Oklahoma, Big 12 North champ (and previous top 3 team) Missouri, Oklahoma State, and then Tech.

Oklahoma, during that same stretch of time, lost to Texas and then gave up 94 points to three mid-level Big 12 North teams.
Scoring 60-points in a row isn't impressive when you're running up the score in the last 25 seconds instead of taking a knee. McCoy didn't even play the 4th quarter this week. And people ask why we say OU has no class.

Last year, ESPN rated the 10 best bowl games of the BCS era. Texas was on the winning end of two of those games (USC win was #1, Michigan win the year before was #4). Oklahoma was on the losing end of two of those games.

Honestly -- do you remember the recent bowl games?

Year	Bowl Game	TX Result	Bowl Game	OU Result
2004-05	Rose Bowl	UT beat Michigan 38-37	Orange Bowl (Title game)	USC beat OU 55-10
2005-06	Rose Bowl (Title game)	UT beat USC 41-38	Holiday Bowl	OU beat Oregon 17-14
2006-07	Alamo Bowl	UT beat Iowa 26-24	Fiesta Bowl	Boise St. beat OU 43-42 (OT)
2007-08	Holiday Bowl	UT beat AZ St. 52-34	Fiesta Bowl	WV beat OU 48-28
Totals	UT is 4-0, winning 157-133		OU is 1-3, losing 160-97

Imagine for a moment that you don't attend a Big 12 school.

Who would you rather see in a title game -- a team that has won all of their last four, or one that has lost three of the last four, including two embarrassing blowouts in BCS games and another BCS loss where OU gave up two touchdowns in the final 1:30 (Boise St. game) and then lost in overtime.

Now -- go back and look at 45-35. Who belongs in the title game?

That's all I have to say on the matter.

UPDATE: Turns out I had more to say. A commenter wrote, in response to my second reason:

2. A loss is a loss -- no excuses. Texas Tech beat Texas and has the same record as Texas (and Oklahoma). If beating Oklahoma automatically lifts Texas, why should Texas Tech not receive the same benefit. If they don't because of the lopsided loss to OU, why should that be held against OU -- after all, they delivered the demolishment.

My response:

2) Scheduling matters. Context matters. If context didn't matter, OU wouldn't be arguing that they are "the hot team right now" etc. etc. If Tech beat Texas in the first Big 12 game of the year, then Texas beat OU, Texas would be ahead of OU. Pretending that context doesn't matter is silly.[...]
I don't expect Texas to go ahead of OU. I expect Florida to crush OU in the title game, for UT & USC to have an awesome game that is much more exciting (and one where UT prevails), and for everyone to realize that "Big Game Bob" doesn't get his nickname back for beating Tech at home.

TEXAS WINS! TEXAS WINS! TEXAS WINS!

Phillip Martin — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:53:00 GMT

I'm not even going to pretend that I'm anything less than ecstatic. Texas just played the best game they've played since they beat USC in the title game a few years ago. That was an excellent OU team, with a potent offense, that we stopped. Flat. And Colt McCoy ran a disciplined, excellent offense to victory.

It's 3:00pm, and OU still sucks. We beat them, and we should celebrate that today!

As for my predictions (which at least one reader thought was suspect):

Texas will win a close high scoring game. CHECK!
UT will be down early in the first quarter. CHECK!
We will have at least two major special-teams plays. CHECK! (The Shipley TD and the stopped faked punt attempt)
The defense will score a touchdown. I missed this one, but an intereception at the end of the first half led to a crucial field gaol.

Overall, a total, complete win for the Longhorns. I'm celebrating tonight. How about you?

GO HORNS!

It is 6:00am, and OU still sucks

Phillip Martin — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:00:00 GMT

I think UT is going to pull this one off, but I think it's going to be a close, high-scoring game that comes down to big fourth quarter plays. Other random predictions:

UT will be down early in the first quarter.
We will have at least two major special-teams plays.
The defense will score a touchdown.

Consider this your game-day open thread.

Halftime Update: Texas 20, Oklahoma 21. Let's look at my predictions:

UT will be down early in the first quarter: They've still never led, but they get the ball to start the half.
We will have at least two major special-teams plays. Already got one, with Shipley's awesome kickoff return for a TD.
The defense will score a touchdown. Not yet, but a big interception at the end of the half set up a field goal to bring us within one point.

Texas made some conservative play calling at the end of the half, electing to line up a field goal rather than go for a TD. That's both smart, and frustrating. We'll see if their defense can get a few sacks on Bradford in the second half, and if McCoy can keep up his excellent air attack.

If the Horns stop running laterally, I think the offense will be there. On defense, they are honestly looking good -- OU is just real fast. That's why continued touches on Bradford will make a huge difference.

(By the way, I'm blogging on this b/c I'm watching the game out on a farm in upstate NY.)

Sometimes, It's Nice to Dream Like a Kid Again

Phillip Martin — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Wow.

The NBA All-Star game is tonight. I'm sure most of you won't watch it -- but I will. I watch it every year. Because before I became a full-time student, before I blogged like crazy, and before politics was my life -- I loved basketball.

I grew up a Houston Rockets fan, but with a strong devotion to (as many young kids my age) Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. I played basketball in city and school leagues for the better part of nine years. I still am an ardent fan -- I "play" in two fantasy leagues, one of which I'm well positioned to win, and watch games as much as I can.

There are certain things that are a part of basketball games for me -- all sports, of course, but basketball in particular -- that really make be believe that "anything is possible." Like the Golden State Warriors run in last year's playoffs. Or any game involving Lebron James. Or when the Rockets, as a 6-seed, ran through the playoffs to win their second straight title game and remind everyone that you should "never underestimate the heart of a champion."

And then there's just times that are pure fun, and make you feel like a kid. Like Dwight Howard's dunks last night -- how does the picture above not just make you smile and feel like a kid?

As we go forward, we'll keep working hard, because politics is serious work and the consequences are real -- we're talking, most of the time, about what policy directions our city, state, and national government should take in making decisions for the betterment of its citizens. But we need to smile, too.

Tip-off is soon. I'll be watching.

Open Thread: Super Bowl Predictions

Phillip Martin — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Since moving to Boston, I've already seen the Red Sox win a World Series. Are the Patriots next? I think so -- having watched almost all of their games while I'm up here, it's impossible for me to think they'd lose.

Pick: Pats 38, Giants 27

One other note -- in case you're looking for a fun drinking game, my core group of college friends created a game where at the start of every commercial, you try to guess whose commercial it is before you see the official brand name/logo on the screen. Whoever doesn't guess it right has to drink. If no one guesses it right, everyone drinks. With that said, I should add -- don't drink and drive, and be safe out there. Go Pats!

Leave your predictions in the thread below.

Aggies Lack of Creativity Results in Settlement

Karl-Thomas Musselman — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:25:08 GMT

From the Daily Texan-

It cost more than $200,000 in legal fees, a $25,000 settlement and the addition of nostrils and a tuft or "blaze" of hair between the eyes of their longhorn logo for Texas A&M graduate and College Station resident Fadi Kalaouze and his wife to continue selling "Saw Em Off" T-shirts parodying UT's prominent logo.
...
UT and the owners of three Aggieland Outfitters stores in College Station settled their suit last week, which was filed against Kalaouze in December - 10 days after the Texas A&M football team upset the Longhorns 12-7 the day after Thanksgiving. The recent agreement requires that the couple stop printing and selling the old shirts within three months.
"We have already ordered the new shirts and are selling them," Kalaouze said. "No one is really buying them, though, because the [old shirts] are a collectors item."
Under the terms of the agreement, the University will not try to stop the Kalaouze couple from copyrighting their new logo, and their logo cannot use UT's orange and white color configuration.
"The color terms were essentially that they would not make it look like a UT shirt," said Allan Van Fleet, the Kalaouze's lawyer. "It's not like they would be able to sell those in College Station anyway."

Nice, so their intellectually lacking logo is now an intellectually lacking logo that look like someone spilled paint on it. But hey, if Aggie Governor Rick Perry can come around, maybe the rest of y'all can, too.

By the way, what's a passing grade for an Aggie? Well if you take after Gov. Perry, 39%.

Kevin Durant Turning Pro

Phillip Martin — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 16:55:38 GMT

I take my five-minute lunch break, and the first thing I see is "Texas All-American Durant to declare for NBA draft":

Texas All-American Kevin Durant plans to declare for the NBA draft and forgo his final three years of college eligibility, a person with knowledge of his decision making told the Houston Chronicle.
A press conference announcing his decision will be at 4 p.m. UT officials would not comment and a message left for Durant's father, Wayne Pratt, was not immediately returned.

I knew he was going to leave, but still.

Of course, this has the potential to be awesome: if the Boston Celtics draft him, and if I end up going to grad school in Boston, then it could all work out for the best.

Double Curse of Bill Buckner

Phillip Martin — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 17:45:31 GMT

A week before the twenty-year anniversary, we learn that Bill Buckner was wearing a Chicago Cubs batting glove when he missed that ball down the first base line in the 1986 Mets-Red Sox game...
For those not familiar with the situation, here's a link to the famous video (view it at the end of this post). The Boston Red Sox -- still struggling from years of the Babe Ruth curse -- were facing the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series. A few outs from finally winning, the Red Sox let the Mets come from two runs down (with two outs) to tie the game in the bottom of the tenth. Then, Mookie Wilson hit a ground ball down the first base line that went through the legs of Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner, allowing the winning run to score. The Mets went on to win the World Series in the seventh game.

Now, what's interesting is that the only team with a longer curse than the Red Sox are the Chicago Cubs. Well, from an ESPN story:

The poor Red Sox. It's bad enough they were saddled with one curse; they didn't know they were actually fighting two of them. No wonder Buckner missed that ball. He never had a chance.
And it gets better. An examination of Buckner's at-bats from that game shows that he was wearing dark Franklin gloves while hitting. So apparently he went out of his way to wear the white Cubs-branded glove in the field.
Sharp-memoried fans will recall that Buckner had previously played for the Cubs, but he had been traded to the Red Sox in May 1984. Why would he still be wearing Cubs gear more than two years later? More importantly, why would he tempt fate by commingling baseball's two most famously star-crossed franchises? It's like being inside a house made of kerosene-soaked newspaper and then saying, "Hmmm, it's a little dark in here. Lemme just light this match …"

Saddled with two curses. Just incredible.

I've put two videos below. The first is of the ball going through Buckner's legs. The second is a re-enactment of the full ninth inning collapse, courtesy of the old classic, RBI Baseball. Enjoy.

The real thing...

...and the re-enactment.