Wounded Warrior Project

“We just look forward to come out and try to play a hell of a game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, a night game. We get to wear the Wounded Warrior uniforms, so I think it’s going to be a lot of excitement.”
- Tech DL Colby Whitlock

woundedwarriorproject.org

It's a 4 Game Season...

This Saturday: #12 Mizzou
November 13: #11 BlowU
November 20: University of Mother Teresa
November 27: Coog High

That's what's left of 2010, and sitting a 4-4, things are a bit precarious.  Tech hasn't had a losing record after 9 games since 1993, so we're definitely in uncharted water.  It's unfortunate, but it's also reality.  Accept the hand that's been dealt, and move forward.

In short, Potts just hasn't gotten it done.  I like him a lot - he's a tough kid.  He's taken a lot of hits, and has been the subject of a lot of ridicule.  He hasn't complained once.  In response, all he's done is put his helmet back on, and buckle his chinstrap.  To say his character is strong is a huge understatement.

With that said, it's time for Sticks.  4 games left, and really, Tech needs 3 out of those 4.  Sticks just brings something different to the table.  I see it on the sideline every week.  This whole team needs a spark, and I believe starting #1 can do that. 

This game tomorrow night is the most important game of the year.  Tech must win this game.  It has all of the ingredients to be a huge upset.  Night game in the HUB - in the cold.  Black Out.  It's all right there for the taking. 

We'll see.

Batch: Wounded Warrior Project

 Another gem on perspective/life from #25:


Saturday we lost to Texas A&M. OK, moving on.

This Saturday we are sporting different jerseys for the Missouri game in honor of the wounded men and women of the armed forces. This is for an organization called the Wounded Warrior Project. The jerseys will be auctioned off after the game. The more I have thought about what The Wounded Warrior Project means, the more I realize how fortunate I am to get to do what I do every week and that is play a game. Not only do I get to play a game, I get to play a game that I love. Not only do I get to play a game that I love, I get to play a game that pays for my education.

According to the website antiwar.com, there has been a total of 4,427 people killed (3,496 in combat) and roughly 32,900 soldiers injured since the war in Iraq began. I have been enrolled at Texas Tech for more than 1,700 days playing football and pursuing my education. So for every day that I have been enrolled in school at Tech,an average of almost 3 people have died and 19 were injured. I get to play a game. You get to watch and cheer. While I put on my cleats, shoulder pads and helmet to go to play a game, someone is putting on their combat boots, flak jacket and dog tags to grant me the freedom to do so. People give their lives to grant us this freedom. If that’s not humbling, I don’t know what is.

That’s why I say that football is not life. It drives me crazy when I hear people say, “Football is life.” Football is a game. Football is entertaining. Football is fun. Football is not life. I just want to thank everyone who is in the armed forces.

If for some reason you’re not in a good mood today, cheer up because a feral cat could have chased you to your car this morning (happened to me last week). I’m going to go ahead and declare this day the best day ever? Seriously take a minute to think about why today is awesome (insert time to think here). Ok, I’ll tell you why today is the best day ever. The reason that today is the best day ever is because you are reading this column! Before you start to think “real cool Baron way to be humble” let me explain. For you to be able to read this column that means that you woke up today and are alive. You can’t complain about being alive, it sure beats the alternative! You’re alive if you’re reading this and that is a blessing. Don’t go through the motions. Tomorrow is far from guaranteed. Enjoy your ride!

As of late Saturday I was stumped on what to write about. I was seriously close to closing my laptop and calling it a night, but in ordinary fashion my writer’s block was removed from a seemingly random event (thanks, God). I received a text message from a Dallas area code that wasn’t intended for me, and this is what it said, ”Enjoy the ride, it doesn’t last long!” I texted back the random person asking whom they were and if their text was intended for me. Quickly they realized they texted the wrong number explaining that one of their friends was about to ride “Mr. Freeze” at Six Flags. Thanks random Dallas person! You just made me realize something really awesome; hopefully I can put together my thoughts so they make sense.

Here we go! Follow along.

Ok, so if you have ever rode Mr. Freeze at Six Flags you will know that it doesn’t last that long. It’s a pretty quick roller coaster ride, and it almost seems like it’s over before it starts. It doesn’t last long but can seriously make you puke (I had a friend this summer who Mr. Freeze dominated).

When you get on Mr. Freeze there are two things that could happen:

1) You will have a blast, hold your hands up in the air in typical roller-coaster fashion and enjoy every moment of the ride.

2) You will be scared to death holding on to the front rail, eyes closed, and praying for the ride to be over (and then puke afterwards).

It’s always interesting to see people’s faces after they get off the rides at Six Flags because you can tell if they had a blast or if they were terrified and regret getting on the ride.

The football season is more than halfway over and my college career is coming to a close as well. I have been in Lubbock for five years now. Last week one of the guys on the team said this “B-Batch, you’ve been here forever, I was you for Halloween… in the 9th grade!”

I graduate in December and I’m about to start another chapter of my life. My ride is about to be over in Lubbock, and before I know it I’ll be waiting in line to get on another ride in a different amusement park.

“Enjoy the ride, it doesn’t last long.” Those words are so true! Just like Mr. Freeze, life flies by and can make your head spin. You can either enjoy every moment of it with your hands held high, or you can be strapped in clinging for dear life, eyes closed, not enjoying the ride at all and regretting that you ever got on.

I pray that when my ride is over I can say I had a blast; hands held high with my eyes open the whole way (even if I threw up a little).

So enjoy your ride! Throw your hands up in typical roller-coaster fashion, and don’t be afraid of puking because sometimes certain rides can do that. This week’s food for thought is short and sweet: Are you enjoying your ride or holding on for dear life? Wreck em’ and God bless.

Recap:

Well, it was another highly successful Rooster Bowl.  Thanks to everyone who showed up, and participated.  This one definitely was the best - so far, of course...

And congratulations to the Ags - you showed up and defended your home field.

A few quick thoughts:

• To whomever brought the baby wipes: own it
• To Old Man River: enjoy your self-righteousness - it bodes well for you and your physical appearance
• To TRay: now that you've won 2 straight, I expect you to show up next year
• To The Texan Lounge: we need our own personal key cut for the front door
• To Carlos: next time let Real Deal be the black sheep of the party
• To Ronald: just show up next time so you don't waste time with calls and texts
• To Little Debbie: no more excuses from you - and we'll probably need to park in front of your mom's house again next year
• To all: the first batch of photos have been uploaded onto the photo page

To be continued...

Final

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obviously

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It's on

Lot 50, space 49. University Drive at Polo Road, by the Bonfire memorial.

Hot tub is hot and beer is cold.

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(BTW.....)

The Brazos Bears still have Whorn, BlowU, and aggy on its schedule. I believe it's reasonable to assume that Sic 'Em will win 2 out of 3...

Rooster-Week diaries

This is the most distracting week of the year for me. I'm like a kid working over an Advent Calendar as Christmas Day approaches. It's hard to work, hard to sleep.....I keep wanting to start packing up the car, only to realize that there are still days until my departure.

Now, the day is almost here. I'll start staging tonight, and after a long day of work tomorrow, will direct the Jeep to the South at 5 pm.

• Hot tub? check
• Water source? check
• Tickets? check
• RV pass? check
• Surprise logo item? CHECK

See y'all tomorrow.

Leach/Tuberville: 1st Year; 7th Game...

Tuberville won his 7th game 27-24 in a place Tech had never won before. In fact, historically speaking, Tech has lost to some really bad Bison teams in Boulder in the past.

Leach, conversely, lost 50-0 to Nebraska in his 7th game as head coach. In Lubbock.

Not sure what all of this means, but I've just grown weary of the "Leach did this" and "Fire Tubs" crowd. And yes, Nebrasux was a pretty strong program back then, but this past Saturday was a big gut check, and the team came together a little bit and showed something. What happens this week will either confirm what I believe to be true - a team finally coming together - or will simply be a continuation of what's been going on all season, which is nothing short of complete disarray.

Tuesday's Scratch:

(Weisberg; RB V - aka Cinco de Rooster)

Notes:

Updated Forecast: Friday 75/46; Sat 79/59

aggy: Fat Mike still "undecided" at QB

O Update: Franks breaks foot - out this week

D Update: Bullitt and Perry practicing with surgically repaired hands; Hyder/Ford (hammys) questionable this week

Rooster-week is here

Yes, it's finally here again. RoosterBowl XIII is only 6 days away, and the line has opened with the Aggies as a 5 point favorite at home. Both teams are sitting at 4-3, and unranked, but are both coming off big road wins. Sadly, the highest ranked teams in Texas are TCU (4) and Baylor (25), and this game is for 5th in the South. No TV for RoosterBowl this year, which should make for one of our best years ever.

Tech just scored a big road win over Colorado. Say what you want about the Buffs, but winning in Boulder is never easy. A&M won by 35 on the road at Kansas, for their first victory in a televised game since October of 2008. Aggies have been turnover free for two straight games, and now have a full blown QB controversy, with Johnson and Tannehill splitting time under center. The makings of another memorable RoosterBowl.

I'm ready, and this shit is real, so bring it on!

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Be Vewy Vewy Quiet....I'm Hunting Ralphie

Pre-Game Notes:

• Ralphie is actually a chick, and weighs in at around 1300 pounds.  When running across the field, Ralphie can reach speeds of up to 20 mph
• Tech's D loses 2 more: Hyder (DL) and Bullitt (DB) both had surgery after the Xerox game for broken hands
• Bison also has concerns on D - Smith is out; possibly will play 2 Freshmen in the secondary
• Have noticed lots of grumbling here in Boulder - Hawkins is definitely out after this year.  Rumors circulating in the dispensaries are the McCartney is coming back to rebuild Bison
• Forecast is constantly changing, but it appears the early morning rain will not happen.  Wind will pick up to about 10-15, and game-time temp should be mid 50s. 

watching the Rangers close out the Yankees to move on to the Series

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Rooster-week is fast approaching

I'm not quite sure what to say, but I know I need to say something. RoosterBowl XIII is right around the corner, and I am pretty fired up. We have already secured our tickets, and for once, they are very good seats. Hot tub is reserved and ready to go. We have an RV spot, sans water source (but we'll figure that out later). Bake has the RV reserved. We're ready to go. Sure, both teams are 3-3, but this is set to be the best RoosterBowl ever, so count on it.

Remembering some RoosterBowls past, I am right now recalling streaking in a parking lot, hot tub nudity, tijuana whore bus, flashing at Duddley's, ankle mounted alcohol monitors, towed cars, and fly infestations. You just can't make this shit up.

Ready to rock out.

Are You Going To Drink That?

 Batch has been writing a weekly piece for the HUB paper all season.  He's a pretty good writer, and I enjoy his insight.  Normally I would not choose to post any of his stuff, but this one seems different - dare I say a bit Tony Dungy-esque?  Operative word: perspective.

We are at the midpoint of the season, and we are straddling the fence at 3-3. This past Saturday we lost to Oklahoma State at home. I think this might have been one of the more frustrating losses just because I know how hard the team has been working for the past few weeks. If someone had told me that at this point in the season we would be a 3-3 football team, I wouldn’t have believed it. However, the record is what it is, but there is still a lot of football left to play.


This week we head to Boulder, Colo. to take on the Buffaloes. This is a pivotal point in our season because we have our backs against the wall. I love it! I’m the type of person that loves high-pressure situations where it requires a clutch performance. It’s like the tenth frame in bowling when you’re down by 29 pins and need to strike out! Yes, I just used a bowling reference.


I think the Rolling Stones had it right: “No, you can’t always get what you want; you can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, well you just might find. You get what you need.”


With that being said, there are three types of mentalities people can have. Some people have the pessimistic glass half empty mentality. Some people have the optimistic glass half full approach. My mentality is neither. My approach is this: “Are you going to drink that?”


The “are you going to drink that?” mentality is something that I have had to grow up having. It’s the realization that nothing is given and success is not appointed. It’s the “scrappy” mentality. The “scrappy” mentality knows that every day you have to go to work with your lunch pail and hardhat. It’s not being too good for crumbs that are left behind after a banquet because the “scrappy” mentality is always hungry. When the “scrappy” mentality sees a cup left out, whether it is half full or half empty, it asks, “Are you going to drink that?” because the “scrappy” mentality doesn’t know when its next drink will be. The “scrappy” mentality takes nothing for granted.


I am a firm believer that hard work always pays off. Sometimes it might not be when or how you might have imagined, but it always pays off. This week a fan asked me, “So how is the team feeling? The season is lost, huh?” I sat and thought for a minute before I responded, “Absolutely not”. There are still many more cups left to drink.


The easiest thing in the world to do is quit on something. Quitting takes zero effort. Quitting can even be justified with excuses and legitimate reasons at times. When someone quits at something they can even lie to themselves by saying that what they quit on wasn’t that important. To those people with that mentality, this is what I have to say: If it was important enough to start, it is important enough to finish. Don’t quit. Hold on, cling to what is yours until your fingers cramp, and once your fingers cramp switch hands.


Saturday a Rutgers University football player named Eric LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down after a hit on a kickoff. I encourage everyone to keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. After hearing this news everything was put into perspective for me. Most fans don’t like to hear that winning isn’t everything, but it’s not. I’m sorry if that busted your bubble. Football is a game, just like ping-pong. Don’t get me wrong, I love it and it’s important to me, but it’s a game nonetheless.


Life is real. Life is what matters. Helping and investing in others is what’s really important. In this day and age it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the moment. It’s easy to consume our minds with winning and losing when neither is what life is about. When winning or success becomes everything it’s easy to quit when that is not attained. I challenge everyone to invest. Not in the stock market, but in people. When all is said and done, that’s what it’s about, because when you really think about it, someone invested in you. What you invest in others is the return for your investor. Are you cheating someone out of their investment? Are you a thief? This week’s food for thought is several “gut check” questions.


1. Who invested in you?
2. Are you making a return on their investment?
3. Are you finishing what you started?


And last but not least: Are you going to drink that? Because if not, pass it my way! Wreck em’ and God bless.

Nanoo Nanoo

Bison was 15-39 while Mork and Mindy was on the air ('78-'82)

Rocky Mountain High

Colorady facts:

• Only one of 2 Division I teams that have completed a 5th down (kept the final drive alive to defeat Mizzou in 1990 - its National Championship year)
• Official school colors are actually silver and gold, with blue being officially added in 1981, the very year this photo was taken against Tech in the season opener - blue was dropped completely in 1988, after being relegated to sleeve stripes in 1985.  Black jerseys became the new tradition at home in 1985
• Bison has won 16 National Championships in skiing
• Has no baseball team 
• Legal to possess up to 2 ounces of grass, with a prescription of course

Breaking News...........!!

RoosterBowl XIII to kick off at 2:30 pm, CDT.....

Game will NOT be televised.

Only 13 Days to Rooster the 13th...

Is this....

A) Taylor Potts, after he throws for 450 yards and 5 TDs?
B) Anyone whose unlucky enough to bunk up with the Donald?
C) Teddy K, when the Wolf's Lair trap has been successful?
D) Rooster Red, if reality dictates He has to stay in Carrollton, I mean Dallas, for another year?
E) Both A & B
F) All of the above
G) None of the above