"Just a Bit Outside" is brought to you by:
YOU!
Now is your chance to sponsor the column. Our previous sponsor paid for more than three months of sponsorship fees in the first two weeks of signing up. That can be you! Contact Orangebloods' new sales lead, Cody Clearman ( codyclearman@orangebloods.com ) if you want that kind of successful promotion for your business. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity!
===========================================================================
Gather ‘round kids and let me tell you a little story.
Back in 2011, Charlie Sheen, after getting fired from the hit sitcom Two and a Half Men, went on a television interview to convince the world that he was not on drugs.
It didn’t work.
But, the Sheen interview did do one thing, it spawned a catchphrase that swept the nation.
Thankfully, Sheen did apparently clean up his life and the #winning trend died away.
But in the vein of what’s old is new again, the University of Texas may want to look at reviving the saying.
Winning!
The UT athletic department has already racked up 12 conference championships and has a very good chance of winning more with men’s and women’s outdoor track conference meets this weekend.
Texas will almost assuredly get another conference title on May 19th at the Big 12 rowing regatta.
“The Big 12, it hasn’t been the most competitive race for us the last few years and we deal with it fine,” said UT rowing coach Dave O’Neill when asked about the level of competition in the conference.
But O’Neill was quick to point out that Tennessee, which is an affiliate member of the conference in rowing, has moved up the standings will provide good competition.
“For Tennessee being good, it’s only good for the sport. I’m a big fan of rowing,” O’Neill said. “I think it’s good to see the changing landscape of rowing for another good team to be in there that we might not have talked about years ago, just as Texas might not have been talked about years ago. So the changing landscape of rowing, it’s all good for the sport. So, yeah, bring it on, it’s great. I shouldn’t say ‘bring it on’ that means like, ‘yeah, bring it on,’ (he said in a mock-macho type of way). Competition is fun.”
Coaches on UT campus say Athletic Director Chris Del Conte deserves a lot of the praise.
“At the time he (Del Conte) had taken a lot of arrows, so had our president, for the move to the SEC,” said Texas golf coach John Fields. “His direction, at that time to his coaches was, we want to leave (the Big 12) by making a statement. That would be that we could possibly win a multitude of championships as opposed to just one or two. Kind of run the table, as you might say. Just get up there and start making shots and that’s what our programs have done.”
Texas programs have done that and then some this year.
While rowing will likely cap off the winning streak (we’ll see what happens with baseball but I won’t be putting any money on the Horns to win the conference), the big year started on the gridiron.
“I think there is a tremendous energy connected to what we’re doing and I think it started with a big win against Alabama on their home field,” said Fields.
Texas football players and coaches alike all say that going on the road to Tuscaloosa and beating Alabama gave them the confidence that they could play with anyone last season. They rode that wave of confidence to their first Big 12 title since 2009.
Incidentally, Texas won the first Big 12 title in football ever in 1996, giving them bookend trophies for their sojourn through the Midwest.
Now, the football team will kick off SEC play in 2024.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian says his team is ready for the new conference.
“From a university standpoint, from our athletic department standpoint, you know, I feel like we are, we're kind of on the forefront of that from a football perspective, especially being a fall sport where we're kind of one of the first ones to go compete,” Sarkisian told reporters at the Touchdown Club of Houston. “We want to make sure that we do our part.”
Doing their part seems to be a common thread for Longhorn coaches in all sports. They say they support one another and are supported by the administration.
“We have a really cool group of coaches that are extremely successful,” Fields said. “But it seems to me that everybody cares about each other and the reason for that is because Chris Del Conte treats us all fairly equally, I would say. In sports, you hear that you earn your treatment. But I think he knows that every one of us is giving it our absolute best and as a result, he treats us extremely good, gives us the opportunity to win and then it’s up to all of us, teams and coaches.”
Rowing is the next team to get an opportunity to win a Big 12 conference title and then baseball. After that … it’s off to the SEC!
#WINNING!
TEXAS BASEBALL HEATING UP!
The Longhorn baseball team appears to be getting hot at just the right time. The Horns head to Orlando this weekend for a series against Big 12 conference foe UCF (which is just a weird thing to type out).
Texas is currently tied for second in the conference standings, three games back of OU with six games left to play.
The odds that UT can win the final Big 12 title are pretty slim, but not impossible.
Still, Texas has a chance to bash their way to a postseason birth if they continue to play the way they’ve been playing this last month (winning series against Big 12 foes).
Is it any coincidence that UT’s bats have gotten hotter as the weather has gotten hotter?
Whatever the case may be, the Horns have hit 99 home runs on the season which leads the league and is tied for 7th best in the NCAA. The record for homers in a season is 128 set in 2022 … the year Ivan Melendez hit 32.
Who knew Texas head coach David Pierce was such a fan of the homers?
For the record, he’s quoting one of the best Nike baseball commercials of all time.
Texas needs to continue to bash the baseball at a near record pace if it wants to have any hope of doing damage in the postseason because the pitching this year has been sub-par.
UT’s 4.98 team ERA is good for 58th in the country. That’s bad enough but it gets worse when you look at walks. The Horns have given up 214 free passes this season which ties them for 104th in the country.
All of which to say, if pitching wins championships, it’s going to be hard to envision Texas going very far this postseason.
But hey, at least they’re going to be in the postseason! That wasn’t exactly guaranteed as of just a few weeks ago.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
The Texas softball team won the regular season this year and is kicking off its postseason play in the Big 12 tournament beginning Thursday afternoon.
Not only was UT winning the regular season significant because the ladies were able to beat OU, but it also set them up nicely in the conference tournament. As a result of their win, Texas is the #1 seed on one side of the bracket while OU and Oklahoma State are the #2 and #3 seed on the other side of the bracket. Those two can battle it out leaving Texas to take on the winner for the title.
Needless to say, the season the Horns have put together this year is one for the record books and they almost swept the postseason awards.
###############################
The tennis teams are still rolling as well.
###############################
While the seeds are set for the golf team to host the NCAA regional in Austin.
Interestingly, UT golf coach John Fields says the creation of The University of Texas Golf Club has helped him to be able to recruit the kind of players that compete for national championships year in and year out.
Players like Scottie Scheffler. Have you heard of him?
Scheffler, fresh off his second Masters win, has won more than $86 million in prize earnings and he’s getting ready to give some back to UT.
“He’s going to be one of our bigger philanthropists here pretty soon, for college golf and the University of Texas golf – he and his wife Meredith,” Fields said.
Fields said he and his wife fell in love Scheffler’s wife Meredith, despite the fact that she went to Texas A&M. Fields tries to stay in touch with Scottie whenever he can.
“He’s a very special person and we’re able to stay in touch,” Fields said of Scottie Scheffler. “He cares about college golf. I texted with him yesterday because he wanted to play in the Alumni Pro-Am when we the Georgia game and F1 is in town and everything else. Next year is going to be pretty phenomenal with the schedule and all of the things that are happening here in Austin, Texas.”
If the Scheffler’s do make it in for the Georgia game and the alumni Pro-Am, then they may just be bringing their first-born child with them. Meredith is expecting to deliver any day now.
###############################
The transfer portal is wrapping up as the players who beat the deadline to enter the portal decide where they’re going to go. I know many of you will be happy when it is closed … but none more so than Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. That dude just refuses to enter the modern world.
And not to be outdone, Boise State’s coach thinks he can put the genie back in the bottle. That’s an interesting strategy Cotton.
Compare Danielsen and Swinney’s approaches to what Sark said about the changing state of college football at the Touchdown Club of Houston last week.
“You have to be adaptable today in college football and in college athletics,” Sarkisian said. “We've had an immense amount of change over the last three years, and we're not done and there's nothing wrong with change. Like I always say, change is inevitable.
“I really think as we come through on the other side of all this; the transfer portal, NIL, revenue sharing and whatever else you want to talk about, I think we're going to come out on the side where we're going to feel good about college football.”
###############################
I know many of you don’t want to hear this, but the changes to college football are still coming.
###############################
I know I don’t need to tell any of you about the power of tornadoes, but this video is still really crazy.
###############################
Speaking of tornadoes …
###############################
This is tacky, but funny.
YOU!
Now is your chance to sponsor the column. Our previous sponsor paid for more than three months of sponsorship fees in the first two weeks of signing up. That can be you! Contact Orangebloods' new sales lead, Cody Clearman ( codyclearman@orangebloods.com ) if you want that kind of successful promotion for your business. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity!
===========================================================================
Gather ‘round kids and let me tell you a little story.
Back in 2011, Charlie Sheen, after getting fired from the hit sitcom Two and a Half Men, went on a television interview to convince the world that he was not on drugs.
It didn’t work.
But, the Sheen interview did do one thing, it spawned a catchphrase that swept the nation.
Thankfully, Sheen did apparently clean up his life and the #winning trend died away.
But in the vein of what’s old is new again, the University of Texas may want to look at reviving the saying.
Winning!
The UT athletic department has already racked up 12 conference championships and has a very good chance of winning more with men’s and women’s outdoor track conference meets this weekend.
Texas will almost assuredly get another conference title on May 19th at the Big 12 rowing regatta.
“The Big 12, it hasn’t been the most competitive race for us the last few years and we deal with it fine,” said UT rowing coach Dave O’Neill when asked about the level of competition in the conference.
But O’Neill was quick to point out that Tennessee, which is an affiliate member of the conference in rowing, has moved up the standings will provide good competition.
“For Tennessee being good, it’s only good for the sport. I’m a big fan of rowing,” O’Neill said. “I think it’s good to see the changing landscape of rowing for another good team to be in there that we might not have talked about years ago, just as Texas might not have been talked about years ago. So the changing landscape of rowing, it’s all good for the sport. So, yeah, bring it on, it’s great. I shouldn’t say ‘bring it on’ that means like, ‘yeah, bring it on,’ (he said in a mock-macho type of way). Competition is fun.”
Coaches on UT campus say Athletic Director Chris Del Conte deserves a lot of the praise.
“At the time he (Del Conte) had taken a lot of arrows, so had our president, for the move to the SEC,” said Texas golf coach John Fields. “His direction, at that time to his coaches was, we want to leave (the Big 12) by making a statement. That would be that we could possibly win a multitude of championships as opposed to just one or two. Kind of run the table, as you might say. Just get up there and start making shots and that’s what our programs have done.”
Texas programs have done that and then some this year.
While rowing will likely cap off the winning streak (we’ll see what happens with baseball but I won’t be putting any money on the Horns to win the conference), the big year started on the gridiron.
“I think there is a tremendous energy connected to what we’re doing and I think it started with a big win against Alabama on their home field,” said Fields.
Texas football players and coaches alike all say that going on the road to Tuscaloosa and beating Alabama gave them the confidence that they could play with anyone last season. They rode that wave of confidence to their first Big 12 title since 2009.
Incidentally, Texas won the first Big 12 title in football ever in 1996, giving them bookend trophies for their sojourn through the Midwest.
Now, the football team will kick off SEC play in 2024.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian says his team is ready for the new conference.
“From a university standpoint, from our athletic department standpoint, you know, I feel like we are, we're kind of on the forefront of that from a football perspective, especially being a fall sport where we're kind of one of the first ones to go compete,” Sarkisian told reporters at the Touchdown Club of Houston. “We want to make sure that we do our part.”
Doing their part seems to be a common thread for Longhorn coaches in all sports. They say they support one another and are supported by the administration.
“We have a really cool group of coaches that are extremely successful,” Fields said. “But it seems to me that everybody cares about each other and the reason for that is because Chris Del Conte treats us all fairly equally, I would say. In sports, you hear that you earn your treatment. But I think he knows that every one of us is giving it our absolute best and as a result, he treats us extremely good, gives us the opportunity to win and then it’s up to all of us, teams and coaches.”
Rowing is the next team to get an opportunity to win a Big 12 conference title and then baseball. After that … it’s off to the SEC!
#WINNING!
TEXAS BASEBALL HEATING UP!
The Longhorn baseball team appears to be getting hot at just the right time. The Horns head to Orlando this weekend for a series against Big 12 conference foe UCF (which is just a weird thing to type out).
Texas is currently tied for second in the conference standings, three games back of OU with six games left to play.
The odds that UT can win the final Big 12 title are pretty slim, but not impossible.
Still, Texas has a chance to bash their way to a postseason birth if they continue to play the way they’ve been playing this last month (winning series against Big 12 foes).
Is it any coincidence that UT’s bats have gotten hotter as the weather has gotten hotter?
Whatever the case may be, the Horns have hit 99 home runs on the season which leads the league and is tied for 7th best in the NCAA. The record for homers in a season is 128 set in 2022 … the year Ivan Melendez hit 32.
Who knew Texas head coach David Pierce was such a fan of the homers?
For the record, he’s quoting one of the best Nike baseball commercials of all time.
Texas needs to continue to bash the baseball at a near record pace if it wants to have any hope of doing damage in the postseason because the pitching this year has been sub-par.
UT’s 4.98 team ERA is good for 58th in the country. That’s bad enough but it gets worse when you look at walks. The Horns have given up 214 free passes this season which ties them for 104th in the country.
All of which to say, if pitching wins championships, it’s going to be hard to envision Texas going very far this postseason.
But hey, at least they’re going to be in the postseason! That wasn’t exactly guaranteed as of just a few weeks ago.
TWEETS OF INTEREST:
The Texas softball team won the regular season this year and is kicking off its postseason play in the Big 12 tournament beginning Thursday afternoon.
Not only was UT winning the regular season significant because the ladies were able to beat OU, but it also set them up nicely in the conference tournament. As a result of their win, Texas is the #1 seed on one side of the bracket while OU and Oklahoma State are the #2 and #3 seed on the other side of the bracket. Those two can battle it out leaving Texas to take on the winner for the title.
Needless to say, the season the Horns have put together this year is one for the record books and they almost swept the postseason awards.
###############################
The tennis teams are still rolling as well.
###############################
While the seeds are set for the golf team to host the NCAA regional in Austin.
Interestingly, UT golf coach John Fields says the creation of The University of Texas Golf Club has helped him to be able to recruit the kind of players that compete for national championships year in and year out.
Players like Scottie Scheffler. Have you heard of him?
Scheffler, fresh off his second Masters win, has won more than $86 million in prize earnings and he’s getting ready to give some back to UT.
“He’s going to be one of our bigger philanthropists here pretty soon, for college golf and the University of Texas golf – he and his wife Meredith,” Fields said.
Fields said he and his wife fell in love Scheffler’s wife Meredith, despite the fact that she went to Texas A&M. Fields tries to stay in touch with Scottie whenever he can.
“He’s a very special person and we’re able to stay in touch,” Fields said of Scottie Scheffler. “He cares about college golf. I texted with him yesterday because he wanted to play in the Alumni Pro-Am when we the Georgia game and F1 is in town and everything else. Next year is going to be pretty phenomenal with the schedule and all of the things that are happening here in Austin, Texas.”
If the Scheffler’s do make it in for the Georgia game and the alumni Pro-Am, then they may just be bringing their first-born child with them. Meredith is expecting to deliver any day now.
###############################
The transfer portal is wrapping up as the players who beat the deadline to enter the portal decide where they’re going to go. I know many of you will be happy when it is closed … but none more so than Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. That dude just refuses to enter the modern world.
And not to be outdone, Boise State’s coach thinks he can put the genie back in the bottle. That’s an interesting strategy Cotton.
Compare Danielsen and Swinney’s approaches to what Sark said about the changing state of college football at the Touchdown Club of Houston last week.
“You have to be adaptable today in college football and in college athletics,” Sarkisian said. “We've had an immense amount of change over the last three years, and we're not done and there's nothing wrong with change. Like I always say, change is inevitable.
“I really think as we come through on the other side of all this; the transfer portal, NIL, revenue sharing and whatever else you want to talk about, I think we're going to come out on the side where we're going to feel good about college football.”
###############################
I know many of you don’t want to hear this, but the changes to college football are still coming.
###############################
I know I don’t need to tell any of you about the power of tornadoes, but this video is still really crazy.
###############################
Speaking of tornadoes …
###############################
This is tacky, but funny.
Last edited:
