Monday, February 26, 2007
Powered By: Castle Rock Cabernet Sauvignon
On The iTunes: One Be Lo: "S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M." Let's start with Texas basketball fandom, shall we? First, we've got this diary, in which a couple of our favorite BON'ers had a chance to chat with Mother Atchley and Mother Lewis in Norman on Saturday. From the looks of things, the mothers of Texas' two best white players (ya hear that, Mooney?) aren't terribly pleased with some of the things we've had to say about their respective sons.

I don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but it's worth noting that you're not likely to find two bigger fans of Texas basketball than AW and I. And though we don't profess that BON is the beginning and end of Texas sports coverage, I dare say that that there aren't any sites that can legitimately claim to provide more Texas hoops coverage than BON does. We urge fans to attend games, we don't mask our rabid obsession with the team, and we always qualify our criticisms by noting that everything we write is inspired by a desire to see these kids do the very best they can. In our view, there's a decided lack of passion for Texas hoops among the Longhorn faithful, and we think we do a pretty good job of providing a place for fellow hoops enthusiasts to gather and talk Texas basketball. If that means that bad performances from individuals have to be analyzed - so be it. Overall, this site is nothing but a giant fan site. In that light, we'd be delighted to chat with the Mothers Athcley/Lewis. I'm sure they're dying to thank us for doing our damndest to pump up the fanbase of this program. . .

Along those same lines, we received some very interesting news this weekend from a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. Apparently, one of our readers, with the help of someone very well connected to the hoops program, is going to be able to smuggle in some signs to the Erwin Center on Wednesday night. It turns out that AW and I aren't the only ones who feel like the student section needs to be given a stronger presence at the game, and step one of the action plan involves letting a couple students smuggle in some signs that the Erwin Center security personnel would normally confiscate at the door.

So, here's where you get to be involved.

We're holding a contest: in the comment section below, submit your poster sign ideas for the Aggie game on Wednesday night. Try to rise above the overdone farm animal jokes and think of something truly clever. We're not at liberty to say who the student is who will be taking the signs into the arena, but if yours gets chosen, there will be a prize. At the least, we'll throw you a BON t-shirt. If it really creates a stir on ESPN somehow, we'll throw in something extra special. In any case, now's the time to submit your best Aggie-demeaning sign ideas. We certainly won't object if your sign idea mentions Billy Gilispie's DUI.

Sticking with basketball, some folks asked for us to break down the various scenarios for Texas in terms of seeding in the Big 12 basketball tournament. Longhorn Road Trip's Ryan correctly noted that I'd prematurely locked in Texas to the #3 seed, as the 'Horns could slip to #4 if they lose their final two and Kansas State wins their final two. Beyond that, it matters not whether Texas winds up the #2 or #3 seed; they'd be in the bottom of the bracket and would face either A&M or Kansas in the semifinals of the Big 12 tourney (assuming all the higher seeds advanced). If Texas wins either of its final two regular season games, we shouldn't be worrying too much about the Big 12 tourney at all. If we lose both, we'll be much more concerned with how Texas performs in Oklahoma City.

Switching over to baseball, the 'Horns dropped the series finale 7-6 against Washington State on Sunday after having won the first two on Friday and Saturday. Once again, Randy Boone struggled, allowing four runs on four hits in taking the loss. For the season, Boone has allowed 10 earned runs in just 17 innings pitched, and has struggled to adapt to the closer role Augie wants him to thrive in. I'll be curious to see how long Gaurido sticks with him in the tight late game situations.

In football news, spring workouts officially commenced over the weekend, coinciding with Texas' second Junior Day. The 'Horns picked up two commitments - Riley Dodge and Tre Newton - while the 2007 team got its first chance to work out together. The workouts - the only two open to the public until the March 31st Spring Scrimmage - were padless practices. It's too early to speculate on anything meaningful for the 2007 depth chart, but I read numerous positive reports on the following players: Deion Beasley, Roddrick Muckelroy, John Chiles, Jermichael Finley, Sergio Kindle, Quan Cosby, Colt McCoy, and Vondrell McGee. Lots of exciting names to get to know over the next six months. We'll be sure to keep you up to date.

--PB--