So what did we learn?

1) This year's Alamo Bowl broadcast was over four hours long.  Yes, you read that that right...Adam James was locked inside the Alamo Dome for over four hours.  And apparently 66,000 people were on hand to make sure he didn't leave.


2a) ESPN is the worldwide leader in sports, so appropriately they employ the worldwide expert on concussions.  Mike Patrick asserted as fact that Mike Leach punished Adam James because James had a concussion.  Apparently when Leach was a child, his first puppy was run over by a concussion. 

2b) Mike Patrick then used Mike Leach's isolation of Adam James as a segue to coaches nowadays forcing concussed players to return to action too soon and risking the player's health.

2c) In the second half Mike Patrick saw Taylor Potts jog at a brisk pace to the locker room alone and minutes later jog back out to the sidelines.  Patrick wisely concluded Potts may have a concussion.  Don't question the man.  After all, he was the only broadcaster bold enough last week to assert that Oregon's Masoli was overlooked for the "Theismann" Trophy.

3) Due to the Liberty bowl going to overtime, the opening minutes of the Alamo Bowl aired on ESPN Classic.  It was disclosed to the significantly reduced viewership at the top of the broadcast that Craig James was originally scheduled to serve as analyst alongside Mike Patrick for the Alamo Bowl, but was replaced this week by Bob Davey.

4) Taylor Potts who was benched in the fourth quarter was awarded Offensive Player of the Game.  Further highlighting what many of you knew.  Most of the voters submit their ballots early...usually prefacing their vote with "If MSU wins, then____, but if Tech wins, then____." 

5) Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer have clauses in their ABC contracts mandating cameras to use a soft focus when pointed at them.  Apparently Ruffin McNeill negotiated to have the ESPN camera which was trained on him to turn its stabilizing setting off. 

6) If you watched ESPN360.com's postgame coverage, you saw Heather Cox was likely told by the network to grab and interview Tech players, asking each the same series of questions until one gives you a good soundbite about their neative relationship with Mike Leach.

7)  Ruffin McNeill was ESPN's pregame interview, halftime interview, and postgame interview.  Coach Dantonio, suspend 15 players and maybe we'll talk then.

8) McNeill began his victory speech to those remaining after the game with "Whazzzzzuuuuup Raider Nation!?!"  And finished his speech by saying "I have one more thing to say before I shut up."  After he said what he wanted to say, he made three more statements...each prefaced by a different synonym for "and finally,..."

9) Really the only offensive thing Mike Leach is guilty of doing to a player this season is renaming Taylor Potts as "Nick."  And even Potts had nice things to say about Leach to Heather Cox.

10) If you believe I should be "ashamed" of myself for believing there is a decent chance Mike Leach will be getting paid every dime his contract with Tech entitled him to, then neither you nor Mike Patrick have taken the time to watch or read these three items:


-Hook:



-Line:



(Tip of the hat to the reporter wearing the Texas Tech windbreaker during the interview.  Put that on a demo reel and mail it off to ESPN ASAP.)

-Sinker:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/texastech/stories/123109dnspoleachletters.2d4b0ea8.html