Thanks in advance.

Who's going? I'll be there, grabbing dinner at Biggio's either before or after the game

As the fact that Texas has eleven players at the Combine continues to garner media attention, it occurs to one that it’s because of that long elusive (at least at Texas) “development”, not an army of 5-Stars. Not to argue that 5 stars aren’t important, but as Aggy has proved, it’s not the whole answer. What Sark is building, with full alignment and support up the chain, just feels so much more reliable and sustainable. And eleven guys that evolved into award winners and legit draftable NFL prospects is pretty darn good proof it’s real.

There is only one 5-star in the Texas Combine contingent, and at least three 3-stars. We have not seen that kind of development before at Texas, at least not since the Royal days, and maybe Akers. Certainly not in the last decade, and plenty of folks bitched about it here during Mack’s reign. Every year we would hear about players making a move or standing out, then they have an average, maybe decent season, but not the AA season people were gushing about.

For maybe the first time, I’m ready to drink the koolaid and believe it’s true. I’m getting pretty excited to see which players develop into national and conference award winners This coming year. Five star talent, five star culture AND five star development? My next Koolaid run may need to be to Costco! Big hook ‘em horns for Sark, CDC, Jay and our BOR Chair!

Stony Point is 35-1 coming in to tonight's game in the Regional Semi-Finals, their only loss was to Plano East. What do you think RLong?

Both a product of the jaded, later Vietnam anti-establishment. The TV show made Alda Alda a household name. My late dad, a strictly by-the-book Air Force pilot, loved them both. Great cultural artifacts from my younger years.

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Not really 😂

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Andy Luedecke
www.MyPerfectFranchise.Net
p: 404-973-9901
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Book time with me at: Andy's Calendar



*****

Here is Ryan Watts' media interview at the 2024 NFL Combine:

 How has the draft process been so far?

Yeah, I've extremely enjoyed this process so far, man. I've been playing, I was playing a young game like Madden when they had the combine. So just growing up, that love for it since then and now being in this opportunity, it's a blessing come true, man. Doing it for my dad. He passed away when I was young, so I know he wanted me to play football. So just doing this for him also. And my brother, he's like my biggest, he's my biggest fan for real. So this is always something he wanted to do. And really just living through me, so just for my family, just bringing everybody together, just representing.

Do you plan on doing all your drills here? You can do all the tests and stuff?

I'm doing everything except, uh, the bench press I did at the Pro Day. March 20th, I believe our Pro Day is.

What was the decision to transfer from Ohio State to Texas like?

I messed with Coach Coombs, who was my corners coach at the time, and especially Coach Day, like, he's a great coach. So it was hard, and leaving all my teammates, like, I felt like I was my brothers forever, and they're still my brothers forever, I still talk to a lot of them. So, it was definitely hard, but I just had to do the best for me, to grow more of an opportunity for myself in the future. So just going back to Texas and being closer to home.

Have you seen a big difference in the level of talent at Texas over three years?

Well, I think we always had talent. It's just like getting that upper notch. And I felt like it started a lot with the leadership program. Like when I got there, they started a player led, a player led team. And I don't think ... they didn't have that before. So I think that was a big reason to change. So like guys like Roschon Johnson, J. Ford, T. Sweat, Keondre Coburn over and leading that group, and I thought that was a big part of the transition. Like, just guys with all that talent just buying into the program. And it's also started with Coach Sark, too. So he's a great coach.

Do you think that journey from Ohio State to Texas helped get you to where you are now?

Oh, yeah. You know, learning to adapt, man, learning from different coaches and just the receivers I was able to go up against. Like, I was in that room spring 2021. They had everybody, had Jamo (Jameson Williams). They had Marvin (Harrison Jr.), Jaxon (Smith-Njigba), Chris (Olave), Garrett (Wilson), and Emeka (Egbuka), like it was deep and then just going to Texas going against great receivers over there too. So it just adds on, keeps going. So it's helped me a lot being able to go against NFL style receivers every day in practice.

Was there a best receiver you went against in your college career?

No, I mean, I want to say that like everybody has their great way. Like everybody's unique in their own style. I like how Marvin and AD, the way they're twitchy at the line, the way they're unorthodox, like you can't predict their movements. X and Chris: speed. Emeka: all around balance; Jaxon is so quick. So I was like, everybody has their own different sense. So, so every corner is going to be a different, like, who's going to be harder to guard for like each individual player to these guys.

Have you been working out as a corner or are the team's telling you you're a corner or a safety?

Yeah, I'm doing both. For real, DB really, At my size, I can do both and I'm willing to do both. I played safety in high school. I didn't even want to move the corner. My coach told me he I had a higher ceiling at corner. So I ended up moving the corner. So I've been playing corner and safety. I played safety a little bit at Ohio state too. So I'm open to anything really. I feel like you've got to be smart and willing to tackle a good tackler too. So I feel like that's one of my strengths.

Having played both and having experience, what can you tell Texas fans about the younger guys like Manny Muhammad, and Derek Williams?

Definitely mature, man. Way more mature than I was when I got there. Like, I just felt like doing, I felt like just doing extra drills alone was gonna be good, but they're doing extra drills, they're getting the film work, they're bringing the young guys together, like, and that's why, like, they had so much success this year. Maturity. So, they're just gonna keep growing and growing. Those are gonna be some big guys to watch. And it's really that class. That class is special too. So, them young boys, they got something, they got something this year. So, I can't wait to watch them.

Texas has 11 players at the combine.

Yeah, that's another example of how many guys that are here. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Fact. Most definitely, man. Comfortability and just seeing how our work is paid off. Like people are recognizing it and helping Texas come back. Like people will see Texas go from not developing talent and having 11 guys at the combine, that definitely shows and this is going to continue to grow every year.

Who are some of the guys you like to watch the most in the NFL,

Well corner, definitely Sauce Gardner and Tariq Woolen -- like sauce Gardner, man coverage wise and Tariq Woolen zone coverage wise. Like other tall corners, both fast can move.

Do you have formal interviews this week?

Yeah, I only got one formal meeting. That's with the Steelers, Pittsburgh Steelers.

Are you a Cowboys fan?

No, I was a Tom Brady fan. So, like, he was a winner and I love winning, I'm a winner too. So, I just It was really a Patriots fan growing up because of Tom Brady. Then he left. I was like, slowly started being a Cowboys fan a little bit, you know, seeing Trayvon Diggs' success. And Al Harris is a coach at Cowboys. So like, I definitely got love from being surrounded by Cowboys fans growing up in Texas. We were 10 minutes away from the practice facility.


Can you, can you take us behind the scenes about how the conversation with you and Sark went? About the possibility of you coming back?

Yeah. Well, he's stressing me like if I want to come back, I can come back and that I'm open to leaving too. He recommended me leaving it like really just either/or, whatever I felt comfortable with. I felt like I was ready. I know the season didn't go the way I wanted it to, but I say everything happens for a reason. I know I'm a hell of a DB. I'll play safety or corner. I felt like I just had some nagging, nagging hamstring injury that derailed me for the rest of the season. It kind of slowed me down.I feel like I started off great. But I know I'm ready. We've talked about a lot of superstars you've practiced against at Ohio State and Texas.

Can you talk about the next offensive guys coming up at Texas?

Oh yeah. I mean, you got a lot to look forward to. Man, they got Johntay, he's gonna get the job done. DeAndre Moore, like .... a lot of people. I feel like listing off the whole roster like Ryan Wingo. Like we got some guys back there and when they get the opportunity, they're definitely going to shine. They're hungry. So I'm looking forward to watching them, man. They're gonna ... look, they're gonna light it up.

It's the toughest part of that transition between safety and cornerback.

I say the angles really, attacking the ball and angles for tackling. I say that's the biggest transition. So you'll be able to rep that out and you get a lot of those reps in practice too. So just be able to master those angles.

So any interview questions you weren't expecting anything to take you off guard?

Shoot, somebody asked. He was, he was asking a lot of people though, like if they had an OnlyFans, I was like, whaaat? It's like a new transition, and uh, I don't know, he just asked anything, you know, some dudes might have something, you never know, bro.

What's something you'll remember about CB coach Terry Joseph, just like something he always said, or some kind of philosophy?

That he really wanted to, you know, grind, grind in as far as teaching you guys about how, how to play. Oh, just being smarter. Like, recognizing stuff before the play, like just being a smarter about the play, a smarter player. Cause it's really 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. So just being a smarter player so the game can slow down for you.

Who are some Texas players not too many people know about that they should know about?

Yeah. I say Gbenda, man, the way he's been working and coming off like he's gonna get this opportunity this year. I think he's gonna thrive in this opportunity. So definitely, definitely David Gbenda too. And shoot, Barryn Sorrell, he's a hard worker and he's gonna put it together next year. Alfred Collins too. He was on D line. I feel like he got overshadowed by some people. So Alfred Collins, a lot of our D line was really solid though, but I feel like they got overshadowed because everybody talking about T Sweat. But the whole D line was like something to look forward to. So definitely be up for that.

How do you compare playing at DKR to playing at Ohio State?

Oh yeah. Shoot. DKR gets crazy. I feel like I think they probably drink more and they'd be lit at Texas. So you hear it, you hear it, man. So like, shoot, it's a rowdy crowd and a big stadium. I love it. It's new, nice new stadium. It's like. I say it's like, um, they call us? what are we, the Gen Z? It's like a new Gen Z type thing, like, new, like, new, nice, loud, man, I love it, man, I enjoyed every moment there.

... And the Libs don't want to hear about it!

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Sen. Kennedy reads horrors of the abortion procedure into Senate record, but uncomfortable Democrat cuts him off​

Here are a few notes and highlights from the media availabilities at the NFL Combine for Jonathon Brooks, Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington. Keilan Robinson was scheduled to appear, but he got caught up in medicals. Cody Carpentier was with Brooks and Whittington while I was with Worthy and Mitchell:

(Alex)

XAVIER WORTHY

- He's had a ton of formal meetings with teams this week including the Texans, Chiefs, Bills, Bengals, Bears, Panthers, Cardinals, Browns, 49ers, Eagles and others.

- He said he thinks he's the fastest player in Indy and that he wants to run a 4.2-second 40-yard dash. He was asked if he thought he could break John Ross' 4.22 record forty time and he said he thought he had a shot to beat it.

- He said it's not only his speed that sets him apart in a very, very deep and talented WR class, but just as much his ability to stop and change directions. He also says that he's very proud of his route-running which gets overlooked when people see him only as a speed weapon.

- He said that Jahdae Barron is the player on the team who he most expects to have a major breakout season in 2024. He said he will wreak havoc and "be the next big thing at the corner position." I didn't think at the time about how much he would refer to Barron as a "corner" but it's interesting listening back to the interview: "Just his instincts and how smart he is, his ability to read a play before it comes and then make a tackle at that cornerback position." Of course, Barron has mostly played nickel, but has certainly played some outside corner. I guess it's an interesting thing to think about to wonder if Barron might be one of the team's two best outside corners next year. Texas has some intriguing nickel options behind him in Jelani McDonald, Austin Jordan and Jaylon Guilbeau.

- He said his favorite play of his Texas career was the first play against OU in his freshman year. Login to view embedded media
- He said that he's always planned on being at Texas for only three years, going back to his time as a freshman when Torre Becton told him he was only going to get to coach him for three years. Coming back next season was never on the table.

- He is still not happy about the response to COVID taking away his senior season because he says everyone thinks he runs a 10.5 100-meter dash but he was getting ready to run 10.2 or 10.1 in his senior year, but never got the opportunity.

- He says teams are pleased with his experience in Sark's system because he utilizes many of the same pro-style concepts that they do. He particularly mentioned this in regard to his formal meeting with the Packers, Browns and Eagles. He was told that not all college offenses are anywhere near as translatable.

- He said that Arch Manning already has all the arm talent in the world and he's benefitting greatly from his time behind Ewers. He said he will shine when his time comes.

- He said the player he is most excited to watch next season is Johntay Cook, he said Cook is his "miniature me".

ADONAI MITCHELL

- He wouldn't answer a question about if he was going to feel conflicted watching UGA versus Texas next season, he says he doesn't know if it will make him feel conflicted.

- He said that he expects Johntay Cook to step into Xavier Worthy's role next season and not his. He says that Cook is a much more similar player stylistically to Worthy than he is to him.

- He said that his decision to come to Texas came down to off-the-field issues that couldn't be handled in Georgia. He has a daughter who is turning three this summer.

- He says he never runs routes full speed. It's a part of his game that allows him to run routes for the full drive and gives him a feeling of control over the people trying to defend him because when he does this, he can change gears easily to keep his opponent on his toes.

- He said that he grew a lot at Georgia, he said it's not for the weak. You go there expecting to work and for it to be very hard. He said you're going to go through a lot of hard times at UGA as a football player and that the workouts are intense. He said "every practice is like a game." Asked how that environment compares to Texas, he said "at Texas, it wasn't like it was easy. But, making the transition from UGA to Texas made it easier for me. Coming in I was no stranger to working out, no stranger to working hard I just came in and fit right in."

- He says the best thing about being at Texas outside of playing football is the food. A reporter asked him if Austin had the best tacos in Texas and he said he doesn't want to get canceled for saying it, but that he doesn't really like tacos.

- He says he's going to get a pet parrot when he gets to the league "so I can talk to somebody while I'm at the crib."

- He said early in the season he struggled as a blocker. Everyone reading this will likely agree. He said after game versus UH, "everything shifted." In that game, he only had one catch (a TD) but he said he had to impact the game without the ball in his hands, he said that was the game where it occurred to him that he can be a complete player.

(Cody)

10 Thoughts with Jonathon Brooks

Q1: Whats the status of your recovery in the timeline?

JB: I am 12 weeks into recovery and ahead of pace, I just started jogging and I will be ready for on July 1st or Training Camp.

Q2: What has Coach Tashard Choice done for you and your development?

JB: He's done a lot, you know, he's been through the same process, he's been through everything, he's been to college, NFL, he really gives us a great insight, and he's a great person to talk to and ask questions about this process, but he's, uh, he's really helped me prepare for this moment.

Q3: Any players you model your game after?

JB: I'm a little biased, but I have to say Bijan and Roschon. Bijan's so versatile, he can catch the ball, run, and do everything. And then on the other side, Roschon, he's just strong physically, he can pass protect. He'll run through your face.

Q4: Sark's had a crazy streak of 1,000-yard rushers, who will be the next at Texas?

JB: I'm not the coach so it kinda depends on who gets the start, but the got Cedric Baxter, Jayden Blue. Savion Red, Tre Wisner, Ky Woods, I mean, everyone there and the two freshmen that came in too. I mean, all of them can do everything really.

Q5: Your decision-making process, whether to stay, whether to come back, if at all.

JB: Well, you know, when it happened, it was a lot of stuff going through my mind. It was a little tough. I had a lot of talks with God, a lot of talks with my family, coaches, and stuff. And ultimately God and my coaches made it a little easier. They insisted that I come out and it felt like the decision I was at peace with.

Q6: What do you think is your superpower and where did you feel most comfortable in pass protection?

JB: Humbly speaking, I say just everything. I believe in myself have a lot of confidence in myself. I feel like my receiving out of the backfield got better as the year went on. I really practiced after every practice. I did extra reps of catching the ball and running routes.

Q7: What do Quinn and Arch bring to the locker room as leaders?

JB: They're just leaders. They're great ballplayers, their leaders. They're becoming more vocal and you could tell by the culture changing, once your quarterback starts talking and stuff like that, you see the culture change and how much it changed last year.

Q8: Who is somebody on the Texas Offense nobody is talking about, but they should be?

JB: Johntay Cook. I mean, he didn't get a lot of playing time last year. You know, I feel like he's going to do really good things when he gets the ball in his hands. He kind of shows y'all a glimpse of what he can do last year. And, uh, I think his mindset changed too. He's really just going in there to work. And, you can see he changed because he's doing a lot of extra drills and stuff like that.

Q9: Who do you think the toughest defense was you played this year?

JB: I'd probably say Alabama. Alabama's defense was pretty good. I think that was the toughest one

Q10: You've been in Austin for a minute. What's your favorite place to eat?

JB: I'm gonna go Cabo Bob's. I really like the burritos there.

---------

10 Thoughts with Jordan Whittington

Q1: Who's the toughest guy you saw in practice every day last year?

JW: As a DB? I would probably say Jahdae. Q: Why Jaday? Just because I mainly played in the slot this year. He's a loud guy, super confident, always gonna talk. Somebody who brings his teammates up and really, really competitive. So that's why I wanted to go against him.

Q2: Were there any slot receivers in the NFL that you watched?

JW: Not necessarily just slot, but, Deebo Samuel, Alvin Kamara is another one. Cole Beasley is someone I really paid attention too and just those guys are trying to mix all their games together into one. You know, it's, it's helped me a lot.


Q3: Who is somebody at Texas nobody is talking about, but a year from now they will be?

JW: Everybody's already talking about Ant Hill. Yep. That's the dog though. - DeAndre Moore and Johntay Cook, two guys from my room are really going to be dominant. You know, I got to watch them grow. Q: Why DeAndre? His mentality, the way he works. In my freshman year, I don't think I was as focused as he is right now. So I think he's really going to take over

Q4: What would you say about the Texas program now?

JW: I take a lot of pride in saying that we turned the program around. It took so much work. You know, I was there for five years. We turned it around to like year four and it just it took every single person on our team to listen because a lot of people say you need leaders all the time. We had leaders, but if you got a lot of listeners, that's way more powerful.
You know, you could have one leader in the whole team. Listen, you got five leaders and everybody else doesn't listen to him. It just won't go anywhere. So I think we did a really good job getting every single person in that program from the young guys to the old guys by in and we all walked the same way and We made it happen.

Q5: What was your biggest learning experience at Texas or maybe under Sark?

JW: Most of my career, I walked through hell. It was just great for my legs were working. So just persevering, knowing how to always fight back. That was probably my biggest learning experience, especially coming from high school to where I went to now. It's just my journey has been a bumpy road.

Q6: You say your journey has been bumpy and it feels like hell, but now you're having a huge moment. What does this moment feel like for you now?

JW: It feels like everything. It's a dream come true. Um, I always say, um, I don't know if y'all have ever seen it. There's a video with Kerry Washington where she talks about a bus. And then if you're walking to the bus and say the bus is your dream and that bus leaves, you never know if it was your bus or not. But if you're busting your ass to get to that bus running full speed, jumping over every fence, which I had a lot of fences in my career and that bus still leaves that maybe just wasn't meant for you and you can be happy knowing you did everything to get there, So that's kind of what I'm doing right now. What I've been doing my whole life is just running full speed to catch this bus, this dream. And I'm here now. You know, I'm almost there. I see the bus. It says April 25th and 27th on it. I'm, I'm right there. So, you know, I'm not slowing down. And, um, hopefully, I'll make it on that Bus.

Q7: What are some things that are you doing all the drills tomorrow?

JW: I'm not actually. So I'm probably only doing the bench press. I had a setback last week. So I'll probably have to wait for pro day to do all the running. Q: At pro day though, you're planning to do? Oh yeah. I really wanted to do it because the numbers were looking way faster than people expect. Q: What was the set-back? It's just a tweak of my hamstring.

Q8: What's your connection with Brennan Marion? What was he like as a coach?

JW: Great guy. You know, um, great guy. Great coach. Better friend. And um, I got a lot of love for him. He taught me a lot. I started off as a running back, so I'm still transitioning into a receiver. And I think he, he had a really big impact on, you know, my fluidity in the game.

Q9: What are some things that Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning bring to the table that kind of assist in wide receiver growth?

JW: First, arm talent is crazy by both of them. Arch is really, really fast. I don't know if the Manning, I didn't get to watch a lot of the Mannings growing up. I don't know how fast they were, but Arch is super fast. Quinn is just a really good vocal leader, and I think his game speaks for itself. Everybody got to see it. I can't wait to see them both just be a one-two punch.

Q10: You've been in Austin for a minute, what's the best place to eat?

JW: That's a good one. I like Barbecue Terry Blacks, County Line, and Pompanos. That's my top three.

DJ Sanders is one of the country’s top prospects, but is still somewhat a man of mystery. The standout from Bellville holds 22 offers, but he has yet to fully invest himself in the recruiting process. He has a highlight film that shows him making plays in the backfield, from sideline to sideline, stripping and ripping the ball and returning it for scores. Sanders is often times a man among boys at the high school level. Simply put, the Rivals250 member has limitless upside as Bellville head coach Grady Rowe pointed out this week.

"First off, his athletic ability, everybody sees that,” Rowe said. “Right now, he’s 6-3, 315 pounds, but he’s light on his feet, can move. That’s the first thing that sticks out, that he can move, can bend. He’s just so athletic. And then he’s explosive at the same time. You don’t see a lot of 300-pounders that can move like he can move.”

When it comes to recruiting, Sanders is a bit of a riddle. He’s not very active on social media. He’s not one who craves the media attention. He has taken a handful of visits to in-state programs, but he’s still sorting through any upcoming spring visits and official visits. It’s not that recruiting isn’t important to Sanders, it’s just more of his personality to not have a need to soak up the spotlight.

“He’s a great kid, number one,” Rowe said. “He’s not a big-time talker. Sometimes I wish he was a little more into recruiting than he is, but he doesn’t take it for granted. He’s not one I have to worry about getting a big head. A lot of times, when you have four- and five-star guys, you worry about them getting a big head, not play for the team. That’s the furthest thing away from him. That’s just not him. He’s just a good kid.”

Programs like Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and USC (among others) have already offered. As good as Sanders is at this young stage of his career, there’s still room for improvement.

“I think just technique-wise, that’s a big thing (to improve on),” Rowe said. “He’s so much bigger and stronger than everybody. He just needs to keep developing some different moves, continue to hit the weight room and get stronger, because he’s so athletic and big.”

Sanders’ athleticism isn’t only evident on the football field. He was a first-team all-district basketball player in 2023 and a regional qualifier in the shot put.

“A lot of colleges came through last year, saw him playing basketball and said ‘That’s a no-brainer, coach.’ You don’t see many 300-pounders that can get up and dunk, bounce around like that,” Rowe said.

On the recruiting front, Sanders is keeping an open mind to all of his options. Coach Rowe said not to pay attention to any early predictions, because Sanders doesn’t tell anyone what he’s thinking when it comes to recruiting and he really doesn’t have an idea of where he’s leaning.

“He’ll narrow things down. He’s gone on several different visits to different places. We actually laugh at the reports that come out right now, like a report that he’s 90 percent going somewhere,” Rowe said. “He hasn’t told anybody anything. You ask him, he'll tell you, ‘I’m open.’”

A four-star prospect, Sanders checks in at No. 132 on the Rivals250. He ranks No. 7 in the state of Texas regardless of position and is the country’s No. 8-ranked defensive tackle prospect.

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Tenant hasn’t paid Feb ‘24 rent yet. I’ve never done an eviction. Can anyone who has give me some advice? House is in DFW suburbs.

- what are the steps involved?

- should I hire a lawyer to do it or do it all myself?

- what should I expect to pay a lawyer if I go that route?

- I’m thinking of telling the tenant he can have through the weekend to pay the rent or else I will be forced to begin eviction process on Monday. Is that too soft?

Life was good, man....

Post your song....

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Making himself a lot of money.

Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas:Murphy had a tremendous amount of hype coming into combine week, and he certainly lived up to expectations. His game revolves around explosiveness, and his burst and change-of-direction skills simply looked different from his counterparts. With Jer'Zhan Newton not participating, Murphy had a prime opportunity to prove he was the top interior defender in the draft -- and that's what he did in my eyes. His 4.87 time in the 40-yard dash and 33-inch vertical jump both ranked in the top three at the position on Thursday. It's unlikely Murphy -- who measured at 297 pounds and just under 6-foot-1 -- gets outside the top 20, and he could go as high as No. 13 to the Raiders. -- Reid


T'Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas: Sweat weighed in at 366 pounds, which is the second-heaviest defensive player measurement at the combine since 2003. Even at that massive size, he posted a 5.27-second run in the 40-yard dash. That's good for the second-fastest time by a defensive player at 350-plus pounds since '03, according to ESPN Stats and Information. This event isn't catered to a traditional nose tackle like Sweat, but his movement ability, power and burst at a near-record size were impressive. He's not for every NFL team or scheme, but those that value a two-down run-stuffer with occasional bursts of pass-rush ability will likely find him available in early Round 2. -- Miller

Thoughts?
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Dear Friends,

This is the time of year that I sit down with a Lone Star and a chew and half write and half BS and say a little about what the Great State was in days gone by, and a little on the day of its Independence from Mexico and maybe a touch or two on today and manana.

Now I feel like I gotta tell ya that this isn't gonna be some masterpiece and it idn't gonna be probly worth any more than just readin if yer tryin ta avoid workin. I never spell or grammar check em and I don't reread what I've wrote. You can never really do a good enough job on somethin like this so no point in getting worked up thataway cause it'll never be as good as I'd want it anyway.

Guess I better get right at it 'fore I send everybody off to sleep or back ta work before I even get started.

Wheeler

======================

Texas Independence Day

======================

I'm not really all that big a guy on stuff like what they tell you in writing class and such as that, not that I actually ever took any kind of real "writing" class, other than just your basic old English classes in high school and as a freshman in college, so I just thought I'd start off with one of the important parts first. You know, the part that you should save for last. Of course it gets confusing like that, but I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam.

Lemme tell ya...

about somethin fore I go on. Somethin a preacher of a sorts told me, and truth is that's where most of the good stuff comes from anyhow.

I'm talkin to this guy about getting married, and at the time I wasn't as religious as, well, as I am now I 'spose and not near as religious as the woman I was thinkin about hitchin to. Anyhow he says to me that a really religious person and a person who ain't religious can't really be as solid a team as two really religious folks. Course I didn't buy it but he got to gettin into it and it made more and more sense.

He explained it to me like this here

He says, you're a football fan right?" And I say "yes sir." Then he says, "how bout soccer?" I say "not really, nope." So he says "what's your team?" Then of course I say Texas.

So he says, "well let's say that you got a buddy and soccer is his big thing. I mean he goes to the matches, he played it as a kid, he knows all the players. Hell he watches it on the tube on the ESPN2 late at night." Now I ain't got no friends like that but anyhow for the sake of argument I say alrighty.

He says "let's say that he's got a team, you know, like you got Texas, and they win the big one, that World Cup and you're watchin it with him. You'd be pretty fired up wouldn't you?" I say "yeah," and he says, "but not like him." So I think about it and I think probly not. Ain't my deal. He says "you ain't gonna feel it in yer gut."

Then he says to me, he says "now think about how you'd feel if Texas won the big one." Man I about fell out right there. Just thinkin about Texas takin the national title makes me well up. Then he stopped and he looked at me real serious and he said "that guy wouldn't really get it would he? He'd see you rollin around on the floor doin you're 'Oh My God I cain't believe we won the whole thing' deal and he just wouldn't get it."

It's the same way...

he said when one person is real religious and one ain't. Deep down they just don't get each other the way two of em who are do. You know? That really threw me but I thought about it. One of em has something important, something deep down in their gut that the other person dudn't get. You can sit and explain it time after time and day after day but let's face it, it either is or it ain't and there ain't no in between.

You got that situation like the guy in the story of the lady and the tiger. Behind one door was the lady and behind the other door was a tiger. So they tell him go to door #1 if you think she wasn't cheating on you and door #2 if she was. So if he thinks she wasn't and she was, he gets it from the tiger. But if he thinks she was but she wasn't he gets it from the tiger too. So he stops and thinks about it. He's gotta be damned sure one way or the other.

Well with religion there usually ain't no thinking. You KNOW one way or the other. On that one most folks rush like hell for their door. Nobody "sorta thinks" they believe in God.

When somebody would ask me "how do you know you're in love" or "how do you KNOW there's a God" my answer is always the same. It's in me. Just above my stomach, and below my collarbone I can feeel it right there in very tightest middle part of me. It's in me. Just behind my ribs.

Right about now...

you're wonderin what the Hell I'm talkin about. Maybe... Those of you who are, feel free to stop readin'.

The religion...

thing reminds me of a bumper sticker. On Earth as it is in Texas.

On Earth as it is in Texas.

It's in that guy. You put that on your car, and you get it. Folks who ride by and say "man that's tacky" well, those are the same folks who don't understand when William Travis said "P.S. It's clear the Lord is on our side."

I thought about what in the hell I was gonna say this year a lot earlier than usual this go round. Usually right at about breakfast the day of Texas Independence Day, when I'm swallowin a cup of instant coffee which is usually all breakfast is, I start thinkin' "gotta get somethin done on this deal. Wouldn't be right not to." Then I really think about it, and last year I got ta thinkin about the Alamo and such as that, you know, the usual. Texas stuff. You cain't help but have it come right to you.

Well, this year, I figure it was about, oh, a month ago, I was goin to have a few adult sodas and play some dominoes with some friends, and just as I was walkin out the door I saw I got an email from someone that said "Texas Independence Day" on it. Well, hell I'll always read somethin like that. I thought it might be one'a them deals like a trivia thing or a story or somethin. You know like the fact that Texas actually once owned the island of Cozumel for a week. Yeah I ain't kiddin, we invaded the damned thing and took it over. Anyhow, I thought it might be somethin like that and so I thought, hell I oughtta read that.

So...

I open this letter up and it's forwarded from a guy, who got it from a school teacher somewhere, maybe San Antonio or somewhere near abouts.

He says, "Hey Wheeler, I got this and thought I'd pass it on."

Well this letter from her says "say I got a letter from you last year about Texas Independence Day and what it means to be a Texan that some fellow wrote, and I'm hopin he'll do one this year and that you'll send it to me or get ahold of the fellow and get him to send me one, and while yer at it can I have a copy of last year's?" So I write her a letter and tell her that I don't have last year's, I never keep anything I do, and I get this deal back from her that you wouldn't believe, or more likely you would, and I'll get at that in a sec.

It starts off...

talkin about how she read it and liked it and then it goes to the good stuff. She starts talkin about how much she loves reading about Texas, and our heroes and our past and about what it really means to be a Texan and how she shares all that with her students and how much they love hearing about it, and while I'm reading it I can tell you that I'm sitting right there and I can see this woman, who I hadn't never seen before, grinnin from ear ta ear.

I never met that woman, and probly never will, but you know what? I know that lady.

It's in her...

When I got there to the bar I told my friends about it. The letter and all. I hought they'd flip their damned lids. They said, "yeah?" and looked like "ain't everybody like that?"

Lemme tell you about these two girls. One of em was lookin at marryin a guy who was from Texas. Went to that A&M with her. She's took a job here after school, he went off to Chicago. They dated for 6 years. When it got down to the brass tacks of it, and the this-and-that was getting said and done, the final issue was what it was. Big money in Chicago with the high dollar firm in the Windy City, or takin a little less and livin in the Great State.

He's up in Chicago pullin in the big cheese.

My friend's still in Texas.

Her sister...

and I went on a vacation. 'Bout 10 days or so goin ta baseball games all around the country. By the 6th day out of Texas we were both so broke down sick of people who gave ya a funny look when ya said howdy we cut the trip short. We had excuses but finally she looked at me and said "I just wanna get back to Texas."

She's got it, deep.

We've all...

either got it, or we don't.

You know why?

Well, I'll tell you why. Right now I'm watchin a Ford truck commercial and they' got a stack of rough riders, and the big Fords're drivin past a barn that's got a roof that's about, oh I'd say 60 by 30 or so, and the whole roof is a big Texas flag. They got another one that is a take-off on that song God Bless Texas and it goes "Ford and Texas go hand in hand, it's the only way ta drive across The Promised Land."

In a couple'a minutes I'm gonna go grab me a cold one outta my Mom's fridge. If she's got a Bud it's got that Texas picture on it. If she's got a Lone Star, well, I guess that speaks for itself. The Miller Lite's all have that big star and now that I think about it they got that commercial that goes "be true ta Texas, she's true ta you..."

So...

what? So, a bunch'a yankees somewhere figured out that all the rednecks in Texas'll buy damned near anything that has a Lone Star or a picture of the state on it right? Hell no. It idn't like we don't KNOW that it's marketing, the reason we buy the stuff is that we want them to know that we know, and if you ain't in the in, you ain't in the in.

I sat down this mornin'...

decidin I was gonna go through explainin what Texas means. I usually try ta do that. I was gonna go into the San Jacinto Monument. I was gonna give ya a good long story about Colonel Wortham and the town named after him or General Smith and the County named after him. I figured I'd give a good long story about how I'm actually sort of proud of the fact that my area code is 254 and there are 254 counties in Texas. Proud that one's named Wheeler and that the biggest Texas county is bigger than Delaware and that Harris County has more people in it than a dozen or better states.

I usually still tear up when I think about those poor bastards at Goliad and how they got shot in the back on the way to the Alamo. I wanted to talk about how Cross Cut was gonna be called Cross Out but the penmanship was so bad that the damned fella at the state misread the application.

There's stories of the flag of the Texas Navy and farmers and preachers and school teachers who took to war and left families and friends behind to win their Independence. I thought I'd tell ya about how I still can't stand the fact that James K. Polk was against us.

There so much to tell about Texas, and its people, its heroes and its legends that you could write forever. Hell you could do a book on the Chili cookoffs alone, and two on Willie Nelson. I could ramble for hours on "Come and Take It" and you'll be glad to know they finally found the cannon.

I had...

a whole thing done on Colonel Travis' letter where he said that they would have victory or death and that his men were tired and outmanned, but that he intended to stay and fight for Texas til the last man, and his P.S. where he said that when they got there there was no food and no cattle but that they "found" 18 'head of beeves' and supplies that had been abandoned, and that he KNEW God was on his side.

That Travis, he had it. Deep.

Then this mornin...

I was watchin a Presidential address while I was doin this. Bush says "I'd like ta thank the folks from Quebec for bein here..." then he goes on and says "and we'd like to welcome the folks from South Africa as well... speakin of other countries, we got anybody here from Texas?"

Well, there wasn't. Nobody in the crowd much got it either but a couple chuckled.

Bush was gonna wish them a happy Independence Day. He gets it. In front of the nation, lots of State Legislators from various states and guests from other countries, doin the business of being THE President of these United States of America, and in his gut, last night when he went to bed and this mornin when he woke up, by God he intended to make a reference to Texas Independence Day because it was in his belly.

So I scrapped all that...

and asked myself this, what does it really mean?

When you...

see the U.S. flag and the Lone Star is lower do you wonder why the people don't fly em at the same height like they're allowed to? Does it make you proud that if Texas went independent again it'd have the 11th largest economy in the world? Have you ever turned two orange juices around in the Sac and Pac and bought the one that said "distributed by Joe Blow Distributors, Houston, Texas" instead of the one distributed from Oklahoma? Does it irk the crap out of you to look at a can of Coke and see where it's been stamped "Louisiana Tax paid"? Do you ever talk to someone who says "I don't understand how you get so wrapped up in that whole 'Texas' deal..." and wonder "what the Hell is wrong with that guy."

When I show you the series of numbers 6, 10, 27, 31, 45, 59, 75 do you start lookin for a math problem or do you think College Station, San Antone, Fairfield, Tyler, Houston, Lufkin, Dallas?

Have you ever...

stood in the Window at Big Bend, and crawled 20 feet past the "don't pass this sign" sign, and looked down into that valley, a thousand or whatever feet below, and across that huge expanse, that "Texas sized" formation and thought the two things "there has to be a God and this is what gave us Jim Bowie ta fight for." I'm betting you have.

I'm betting you think the new Houston Texans logo is the greatest thing you've ever seen, that you've honked at someone with Texas license plates when you were both out of state. I'm bettin you've heard the song God Bless Texas when you were away and bowed up just a little bit, that you've been in bars elsewhere and seen a Lone Star flag or a "Texas sized chicken fried steak" on the menu and smiled. I'd bet you've thought, if I were there at the Alamo I'd have stayed too. Hell I bet you've looked more than once to see if yer related to anyone who did.

Have you ever known anyone who didn't understand what it means to you be a Texan and just not understand how in the world they can't understand what you're saying? Do you feel like you're speakin a foreign language to em? Have you ever said "how can you NOT get it?" Does they ever just confuse the Hell out of you?

So anywhichway...

somebody asked me a while back to do another piece about what it means to be a Texan and I got stumped. What does it mean to be religious? What does it mean to be in love? I cain't rightly tell you any of those things. Going to church don't make you religious, and buyin flowers don't mean you're in love. Wearin a ten gallon hat and havin an address in Cut and Shoot dudn't make you a Texan either.

But, when you sit in that church and pick up that Bible you know in your gut if you believe. When you hug that other person real tight your rib cage'll tell ya if you're in love, and if you think "if I were the boss we'd take today off and go tip a Lone Star" then you're a Texan.

So I hate to tell that lady...

that today I can't write a piece about Texas Independence Day to tell her what it means to be a Texan. She knew in her gut what it means before she ever asked, and nothin I could say or skip would change her one way or the other. Lots have folks have quit readin already. The rest of us never needed to in the first place. So to those that's left I'll close with the highest compliment I can offer a person today,

Happy Independence Day, Texan.

Wheeler / 2001

This will be a dumb question to many and my apologies. Am hoping to watch ballgames via my Firestick as I live in Orlando. I have the YouTube app. Would I go to search function of app and type in Astros YouTube channel and would find? If not how do I do it. I greatly appreciate any assistance! Much thanks in advance! Hook’em!!!

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No wonder the other world leaders mock and laugh at him. He’s subservient to Putin. Sad.

POTUS for life because the SCOTUS will look into Presidential Immunity! 🤣

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Heard if you adjusted his 40 based on his size, it was the equivalent of a 180 pound DB running a 4.2

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WATCH THIS - GEMINI Refuses to Acknowledge White People

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