Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend ("a 1,000 on a 1-100 scale.")
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
Yes. It was quite a controversy that the movie so strayed from the book. The book really was trying to show that actions have consequences. But I love Malamud anyway. A lot of his papers are found at the Harry Ransom Center at UT.
Insert Elmo Shoulder Shrug gif. 🤷♂️ Tim Robbins baseball mechanics were terrible. His acting was even worse. I can watch The Natural and Major League to this day. Bull Durham not so much. Each to their own.
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The when and where remain unknown at this point, but the what seems pretty locked in.
There's a love affair taking place between Duncanville 5-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore and the Texas Longhorn football program.
Over the weekend, Moore's family joined the party.
What exists now is a situation that simply needs to play out however Moore wants it to play out. If he wants to take another official visit next weekend, so be it. Should he want to wait until August before making a decision, so be it. All that you really need to know is that one source describe his visit this weekend as "a 1,000 on a 1-100 scale."
That seems pretty good.
If Vegas was putting a line on this recruitment, the Longhorns would likely be a -1000 favorite.
So, just relax and let Moore's desired plan unfold. It would be stunning if this didn't end with Moore and the Longhorns at the altar.
No. 2 - Trivia Time ...
I know that some of you are a little worn out on the Dakorien Moore coverage, but this little factoid might help explain why his recruitment is so vitally important.
In the modern history of recruiting (2002-present), the Longhorns have never signed a wide receiver prospect that was ranked inside the national top 10. Current Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook was ranked No. 24 in the 2003 class, while Bru McCoy was ranked No. 12 in 2019.
As far as I can tell, Class of 2000 signee B.J. Johnson (No. 7 on the Rivals 100) is the only national top-10 WR prospect that the Longhorns have ever signed.
No. 3 - The Recruiting Lowdown ...
... Here's an update from the Rivals Tennessee site on Jamie Ffrench's visit this weekend. The nation's No. 24 prospect visits Texas on the 21st.
"I really enjoyed myself. The people in the building really showed me why I should be a Volunteer," Ffrench said. "It was genuine man. I felt the love from Coach (Josh Heupel), Coach (Kelsey) Pope, and Coach (Joey) Halzle. They all showed genuine love to me and my family."
That relationship with receivers coach Pope is a major reason why Tennessee is deep in the recruitment for the dynamic playmaker. That relationship has become very strong, and the receiver likes everything about him.
"Coach Pope has been on me for a long time," Ffrench said. "I really like the love that he has showed. He really knows the x-and-o's. He really knows what he's doing on the field and off the field. He's a great man for sure."
... Speaking of wide receiver visits, Kaliq Lockett spoke highly of Florida State, but he didn't sound completely blown away in this interview. Visits Alabama on Monday. Plans on dropping a commitment video after the Texas visit. Florida State will be in the final three or four. Says it will be very hard for him to leave the state of Texas.
... Texas A&M told Alamo Heights athlete Michael Terry this weekend that they want him to stay at wide receiver and focus on that position. It's going to come down to picking the school that can best develop him as a player and get him on the field the fastest. Texas is still in excellent shape following the A&M visit.
No. 4 - Gimmie all the tight ends ...
Every time I update my historical numbers on tight ends, I come away thinking the same thing ... why can't there be more of them?
Over the course of the last 20+ seasons, only nine Texas tight end prospects earned a mid-4 star grade or higher in the Rivals rankings.
Six were drafted by NFL teams. Seven played in the NFL. An eighth will try to make an NFL roster this summer. The numbers get even better if you add tight ends that were listed as "athletes" by Rivals as prospects. These unicorns come around often, but they typically don't lose their magic when they do.
It's what makes the tight end class in 2025 so exciting. You can make a case that four of the state's top dozen prospects (Kiotti Armstrong, Nick Townsend, Michael Terry and Lance Jackson) have tight end upside as prospects. All are ranked as mid 4-stars or higher in my LSR rankings.
Previously, only five have been produced by the state since 2006.
Here's the breakdown ...
* denotes that player was listed as an "athlete" in the Rivals rankings
5-stars.
2003 - Tony Hills (Texas)
2005 - Martellus Bennett (Texas A&M)
* 2021 - Ja'Tavion Sanders (Texas)
High 4 stars:
2002 - Eric Winston (Miami)
2005 - Dajleon Farr (Miami)
* 2013 - Ricky Seals-Jones (Texas A&M)
2016 - Kaden Smith (Stanford)
2017 - Brock Wright (Notre Dame)
Mid 4 Stars
2005 - Jermichael Finley (Texas)
2011 - Jace Amaro (Texas Tech)
2019 - Baylor Cupp (Texas A&M/Texas Tech)
Low 4 Stars
2006 - Jason Fox (Miami)
2008 - James Hanna (Oklahoma)
2011 - Max Stevenson (Oklahoma)
2011 - Chris Barnett (Michigan)
2011 - MJ McFarland (Texas/UTEP)
2012 - Griffin Gilbert (TCU)
2017 - Kedrick James (Alabama/SMU)
2017 - Major Tennison (Alabama)
2018 - Mustapha Muhammed (Michigan/Kilgore JC)
2018 - Malcolm Epps (Texas/USC/Pittsburgh)
2019 - Jalen Wydemyer (Texas A&M)
2019 - Austin Stonger (Oklahoma/South Carolina)
Active players: 2020's Jalin Conyers (Oklahoma/Arizona State/Texas Tech), 2021's Elijah Arroyo (Miami), 2022's Jason Llewellyn (Oklahoma/Texas Tech), 2023's Chico Holt (Northwestern/Stanford), 2023's Ka'Morreun Pimpton (LSU), 2023's Jaden Platt (Texas A&M), and Ian Flynt (Nebraska)
High 3 Stars
2007 - Ahmard Howard (Texas)
2007 - Alex Russian (LSU)
2009 - Hutson Prioleau (Texas A&M)
2009 - Jordan Naivar (Stanford)
2009 - Trey Graham (Texas)
2009 - Barrett Matthews (Texas)
2010 - Trent Smiley (Kansas)
2013 - Durham Smythe (Notre Dame)
2013 - Charlie Reid (TCU)
2014 - Koda Martin (Texas A&M)
2014 - Marvin Saunders (FSU)
2015 - Jordan Davis (Texas A&M)
2016 - J.C. Chalk (Clemson)
2017 - Keynel McZeal (Texas A&M)
2018 - Christoph Henle (Baylor)
2018 - Ben Sims (Baylor)
2018 - Nic McTear (San Diego State/SE Louisiana)
2019 - Jared Wiley (Texas/TCU)
* Active Players: 2020's Elijah Yelverton (Iowa/Colorado), 2020's Blake Smith (Texas A&M/Oklahoma/Texas State), 2020's Brandon Frazier (Auburn), 2020 Drake Dabney (Baylor), 2021's Juan Davis (Texas), 2021's Fernando Garza (Texas A&M), 2021's Dametrious Crownover (Texas A&M), 2021's Lake McRee (USC), 2021's Landen King (Auburn/Utah), 2022's Kelsey Johnson (Baylor), 2022's Sidney Mbanasor (Utah), 2023's Lafayette Kaiuway (TCU) and 2023's Hawkins Polley (Baylor)
No. 5 - Vegas LOVES the Longhorns ...
Some early lines came out this weekend for a number of Texas games and it's pretty clear that Vegas thinks this team is going to be really good.
Texas is favored by EIGHT against OU.
Texas is favored by five points in road games at Michigan and Texas A&M.
Vegas thinks Texas is going to destroy Florida (-18).
The only game on the schedule where the Longhorns won't be at least a 5-point favorite is the Georgia game, as Vegas has the Dawgs as a 2-point favorite.
No. 6 - The Texas Scholarship Board...
No. 7 – The eerily quiet baseball front ...
The Texas baseball season ended 14 days ago. Since then, we've been waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ...
As Chris Del Conte does that thing where he kind of disappears in the shadows of silence, we know that two possibilities exist.
a. Texas replaces David Pierce, as Del Conte ushers in a new era of Texas baseball with a hand-selected replacement
b. Texas can't find the A-list coach that it desires and is forced to bring Pierce back as a lame-duck (barring a massive post-season run in 2025) reality for another season.
It feels like option A has to be what unfolds in the next week or so, but every day that passes with silence makes option B loom a little more ominously. Ultimately, there's a real acknowledgment that momentum is dead and that some sort of boost is needed as Texas goes into the SEC. Everyone I've been in contact with acknowledges this, which makes it hard to believe that Del Conte would allow for the status quo to remain.
So, we wait ... while Texas A&M is making a legitimate national championship run. As if Del Conte needed a reminder about change being needed, he's getting it on a daily basis right now while the CWS is underway.
I can't help but be reminded of what former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley once told @Anwar Richardson: "Whatever you're going to do inevitably needs to be done immediately,"
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) I have to believe he'll want to have is recruitment resolved before his high school team gets started with its season ... say first week of August at the latest.
(Buy) It makes sense ... otherwise, why wouldn't an announcement of a hire have been made? Of course, it's possible that they don't want to do anything before they can talk to a few guys and maybe those guys want to wait until the season is over. I'm trying to not make any assumptions at this point.
(Sell) Both project as possible major contributors this season, so I'll sell for now, but I'm not taking anything for granted with the wide receiver snap distribution.
(Sell)
(Sell) I'm not sure I see him knocking one of those three out of the mix. That being said, how many majors would it take? At least five more, which would get him to seven, right? That would put him in a tie for seventh place with the likes of Arnold Palmer, Bobby Jones and Sam Snead.
Give me Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls or James Avery as Uncle Phil.
(Buy) I think Lockett is better than Thomas, so that would be my tie-breaker.
(Sell)
(Sell) I'm hanging on to the idea that it can be done.
(Buy) No pressure, kid.
(Sell) I like doing my own write-ups.
(Sell) It's not more significant than the 2023 Alabama game.
(Sell) Not public commitments, anyway.
No. 9 – Scattershooting all over the place …
... I hate to say anyone ever chokes in a major sporting event, but Rory McIlroy missing two short puts inside of four feet in the final few holes after having a 2-shot lead with 5 to go is nothing short of... a choke. That was shocking. Ishe ever going to get over this?
... The up and down on 18 on Sunday by Bryson DeChambeau to win the US Open was the stuff of legend. You can't do anything but tip your cap to that dude for gutting out his second US Open win.
... Sure with Scottie had been in the mix on Sunday.
... It's June and I'm pretty sure that I'm still going to sit out fantasy football this season.
... Tim Linecum turned 40 years old on Sunday. Wiley Wiggins is 47 years old. We're getting old, guys ...
... Charles Barkley says that he's retiring from TV after the 2024-25 season. Enjoy Inside the NBA while we can.
... Angel Reese clotheslining Caitlin Clark on Sunday and complaining that Clark gets special whistles is nothing short of sensationally funny.
... Luka Modric is some kind of all-time great.
... How is it possible that Jude Bellingham is even better than we thought he was 12 months ago?
... 40 YEARS AGO: Tommy Hearns in his prime was a bad man ...
No. 10 - Top 10: Robert Redford ...
One week after going through the Paul Newman filmography, it felt only natural that this week featured his tag-team partner.
I'm not going to tell you how many Redford movies I watched this week because you'll start adding up the numbers between Gene Hackman, Newman and Redford, which would have you shaking your head at how many movies I've seen this month.
But, I hadn't seen five of the movies in Redford's Top 10 until this week. I feel like I've seen almost every movie made from the 1980s on, but the last few weeks have revealed just how many movies from the 1960s and 1970s that I haven't seen.
Anyway, let's get on with it
Honorable mention:
Last 5 Out: Three Days In The Condor (1975), All Is Lost (2013), Out of Africa (1985), The Candidate (1972) and Brubaker (1980)
Honorable Mention: Our Souls at Night (2017), Downhill Racer (1969), The Old Man and The Gun (2018), Up Close and Personal (1996), Indecent Proposal (1994), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) and Spy Game (2001)
10. The Horse Whisperer (1998)
A personal one for me has to sneak into the top 10. The first 15 minutes of this movie are impossible to watch, but the next two hours has everything that I want in a movie ... beautiful scenery, a love story, people searching their souls to heal their wounds and a gorgeous animal that makes me cry. Redford + Chris Cooper + Sam Neill + Kristin Scott Thomas + Dianne West + a young ScarJo... are you kidding me? Plus, I'd argue that Pilgrim gives the best acting performance by an animal in any movie ever made.
9. Sneakers (1992)
I had no idea that the first Mission Impossible movie stole so much from this movie.
8. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
It's a Neil Simon play brought to the big screen and neatly half a century later it's a weird, frolicking good time.
7. The Way We Were (1973)
I hate the ending, but Redford and Barbra Streisand had the kind of chemistry that had me rooting for their romance to make it.
6. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
I now understand this meme. I used to think this was Zach Falifianakis
5. The Chase (1966)
This is a wild one. It's got Brando being Brando. Young Jane Fonda and Angie Dickinson. Hell, there's even a young Robert Duvall. There are wild parties in small town Texas in the 1960s. Wives and husbands are trading each other around. Murderous mobs. I was buzzing after watching this one this week.
4. The Natural (1984)
I have friends that believe this is the goat baseball movie.
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1967)
I didn't say this last week, but Redford gives the real superstar performance in this classic.
2. All The President’s Men (1976)
In a re-vote, I wonder if this wins Best Picture over Rocky?
1. The Sting (1973)
The No. 1 film for both Newman and Redford, which speaks to the perfection of the movie.
All is Lost - should be in top 3 Redford films.
Lots of good coaches out there…I like the guy at Tennessee.
Bill McKay - glad you really liked The Candidate - after all these years still one of my Go To movies ! Also I agree with you 100 % in picking The Sting # 1
The when and where remain unknown at this point, but the what seems pretty locked in.
There's a love affair taking place between Duncanville 5-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore and the Texas Longhorn football program.
Over the weekend, Moore's family joined the party.
What exists now is a situation that simply needs to play out however Moore wants it to play out. If he wants to take another official visit next weekend, so be it. Should he want to wait until August before making a decision, so be it. All that you really need to know is that one source describe his visit this weekend as "a 1,000 on a 1-100 scale."
That seems pretty good.
If Vegas was putting a line on this recruitment, the Longhorns would likely be a -1000 favorite.
So, just relax and let Moore's desired plan unfold. It would be stunning if this didn't end with Moore and the Longhorns at the altar.
No. 2 - Trivia Time ...
I know that some of you are a little worn out on the Dakorien Moore coverage, but this little factoid might help explain why his recruitment is so vitally important.
In the modern history of recruiting (2002-present), the Longhorns have never signed a wide receiver prospect that was ranked inside the national top 10. Current Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook was ranked No. 24 in the 2003 class, while Bru McCoy was ranked No. 12 in 2019.
As far as I can tell, Class of 2000 signee B.J. Johnson (No. 7 on the Rivals 100) is the only national top-10 WR prospect that the Longhorns have ever signed.
No. 3 - The Recruiting Lowdown ...
... Here's an update from the Rivals Tennessee site on Jamie Ffrench's visit this weekend. The nation's No. 24 prospect visits Texas on the 21st.
"I really enjoyed myself. The people in the building really showed me why I should be a Volunteer," Ffrench said. "It was genuine man. I felt the love from Coach (Josh Heupel), Coach (Kelsey) Pope, and Coach (Joey) Halzle. They all showed genuine love to me and my family."
That relationship with receivers coach Pope is a major reason why Tennessee is deep in the recruitment for the dynamic playmaker. That relationship has become very strong, and the receiver likes everything about him.
"Coach Pope has been on me for a long time," Ffrench said. "I really like the love that he has showed. He really knows the x-and-o's. He really knows what he's doing on the field and off the field. He's a great man for sure."
... Speaking of wide receiver visits, Kaliq Lockett spoke highly of Florida State, but he didn't sound completely blown away in this interview. Visits Alabama on Monday. Plans on dropping a commitment video after the Texas visit. Florida State will be in the final three or four. Says it will be very hard for him to leave the state of Texas.
... Texas A&M told Alamo Heights athlete Michael Terry this weekend that they want him to stay at wide receiver and focus on that position. It's going to come down to picking the school that can best develop him as a player and get him on the field the fastest. Texas is still in excellent shape following the A&M visit.
No. 4 - Gimmie all the tight ends ...
Every time I update my historical numbers on tight ends, I come away thinking the same thing ... why can't there be more of them?
Over the course of the last 20+ seasons, only nine Texas tight end prospects earned a mid-4 star grade or higher in the Rivals rankings.
Six were drafted by NFL teams. Seven played in the NFL. An eighth will try to make an NFL roster this summer. The numbers get even better if you add tight ends that were listed as "athletes" by Rivals as prospects. These unicorns come around often, but they typically don't lose their magic when they do.
It's what makes the tight end class in 2025 so exciting. You can make a case that four of the state's top dozen prospects (Kiotti Armstrong, Nick Townsend, Michael Terry and Lance Jackson) have tight end upside as prospects. All are ranked as mid 4-stars or higher in my LSR rankings.
Previously, only five have been produced by the state since 2006.
Here's the breakdown ...
* denotes that player was listed as an "athlete" in the Rivals rankings
5-stars.
2003 - Tony Hills (Texas)
2005 - Martellus Bennett (Texas A&M)
* 2021 - Ja'Tavion Sanders (Texas)
High 4 stars:
2002 - Eric Winston (Miami)
2005 - Dajleon Farr (Miami)
* 2013 - Ricky Seals-Jones (Texas A&M)
2016 - Kaden Smith (Stanford)
2017 - Brock Wright (Notre Dame)
Mid 4 Stars
2005 - Jermichael Finley (Texas)
2011 - Jace Amaro (Texas Tech)
2019 - Baylor Cupp (Texas A&M/Texas Tech)
Low 4 Stars
2006 - Jason Fox (Miami)
2008 - James Hanna (Oklahoma)
2011 - Max Stevenson (Oklahoma)
2011 - Chris Barnett (Michigan)
2011 - MJ McFarland (Texas/UTEP)
2012 - Griffin Gilbert (TCU)
2017 - Kedrick James (Alabama/SMU)
2017 - Major Tennison (Alabama)
2018 - Mustapha Muhammed (Michigan/Kilgore JC)
2018 - Malcolm Epps (Texas/USC/Pittsburgh)
2019 - Jalen Wydemyer (Texas A&M)
2019 - Austin Stonger (Oklahoma/South Carolina)
Active players: 2020's Jalin Conyers (Oklahoma/Arizona State/Texas Tech), 2021's Elijah Arroyo (Miami), 2022's Jason Llewellyn (Oklahoma/Texas Tech), 2023's Chico Holt (Northwestern/Stanford), 2023's Ka'Morreun Pimpton (LSU), 2023's Jaden Platt (Texas A&M), and Ian Flynt (Nebraska)
High 3 Stars
2007 - Ahmard Howard (Texas)
2007 - Alex Russian (LSU)
2009 - Hutson Prioleau (Texas A&M)
2009 - Jordan Naivar (Stanford)
2009 - Trey Graham (Texas)
2009 - Barrett Matthews (Texas)
2010 - Trent Smiley (Kansas)
2013 - Durham Smythe (Notre Dame)
2013 - Charlie Reid (TCU)
2014 - Koda Martin (Texas A&M)
2014 - Marvin Saunders (FSU)
2015 - Jordan Davis (Texas A&M)
2016 - J.C. Chalk (Clemson)
2017 - Keynel McZeal (Texas A&M)
2018 - Christoph Henle (Baylor)
2018 - Ben Sims (Baylor)
2018 - Nic McTear (San Diego State/SE Louisiana)
2019 - Jared Wiley (Texas/TCU)
* Active Players: 2020's Elijah Yelverton (Iowa/Colorado), 2020's Blake Smith (Texas A&M/Oklahoma/Texas State), 2020's Brandon Frazier (Auburn), 2020 Drake Dabney (Baylor), 2021's Juan Davis (Texas), 2021's Fernando Garza (Texas A&M), 2021's Dametrious Crownover (Texas A&M), 2021's Lake McRee (USC), 2021's Landen King (Auburn/Utah), 2022's Kelsey Johnson (Baylor), 2022's Sidney Mbanasor (Utah), 2023's Lafayette Kaiuway (TCU) and 2023's Hawkins Polley (Baylor)
No. 5 - Vegas LOVES the Longhorns ...
Some early lines came out this weekend for a number of Texas games and it's pretty clear that Vegas thinks this team is going to be really good.
Texas is favored by EIGHT against OU.
Texas is favored by five points in road games at Michigan and Texas A&M.
Vegas thinks Texas is going to destroy Florida (-18).
The only game on the schedule where the Longhorns won't be at least a 5-point favorite is the Georgia game, as Vegas has the Dawgs as a 2-point favorite.
No. 6 - The Texas Scholarship Board...
No. 7 – The eerily quiet baseball front ...
The Texas baseball season ended 14 days ago. Since then, we've been waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ...
As Chris Del Conte does that thing where he kind of disappears in the shadows of silence, we know that two possibilities exist.
a. Texas replaces David Pierce, as Del Conte ushers in a new era of Texas baseball with a hand-selected replacement
b. Texas can't find the A-list coach that it desires and is forced to bring Pierce back as a lame-duck (barring a massive post-season run in 2025) reality for another season.
It feels like option A has to be what unfolds in the next week or so, but every day that passes with silence makes option B loom a little more ominously. Ultimately, there's a real acknowledgment that momentum is dead and that some sort of boost is needed as Texas goes into the SEC. Everyone I've been in contact with acknowledges this, which makes it hard to believe that Del Conte would allow for the status quo to remain.
So, we wait ... while Texas A&M is making a legitimate national championship run. As if Del Conte needed a reminder about change being needed, he's getting it on a daily basis right now while the CWS is underway.
I can't help but be reminded of what former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley once told @Anwar Richardson: "Whatever you're going to do inevitably needs to be done immediately,"
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) I have to believe he'll want to have is recruitment resolved before his high school team gets started with its season ... say first week of August at the latest.
(Buy) It makes sense ... otherwise, why wouldn't an announcement of a hire have been made? Of course, it's possible that they don't want to do anything before they can talk to a few guys and maybe those guys want to wait until the season is over. I'm trying to not make any assumptions at this point.
(Sell) Both project as possible major contributors this season, so I'll sell for now, but I'm not taking anything for granted with the wide receiver snap distribution.
(Sell)
(Sell) I'm not sure I see him knocking one of those three out of the mix. That being said, how many majors would it take? At least five more, which would get him to seven, right? That would put him in a tie for seventh place with the likes of Arnold Palmer, Bobby Jones and Sam Snead.
Give me Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls or James Avery as Uncle Phil.
(Buy) I think Lockett is better than Thomas, so that would be my tie-breaker.
(Sell)
(Sell) I'm hanging on to the idea that it can be done.
(Buy) No pressure, kid.
(Sell) I like doing my own write-ups.
(Sell) It's not more significant than the 2023 Alabama game.
(Sell) Not public commitments, anyway.
No. 9 – Scattershooting all over the place …
... I hate to say anyone ever chokes in a major sporting event, but Rory McIlroy missing two short puts inside of four feet in the final few holes after having a 2-shot lead with 5 to go is nothing short of... a choke. That was shocking. Ishe ever going to get over this?
... The up and down on 18 on Sunday by Bryson DeChambeau to win the US Open was the stuff of legend. You can't do anything but tip your cap to that dude for gutting out his second US Open win.
... Sure with Scottie had been in the mix on Sunday.
... It's June and I'm pretty sure that I'm still going to sit out fantasy football this season.
... Tim Linecum turned 40 years old on Sunday. Wiley Wiggins is 47 years old. We're getting old, guys ...
... Charles Barkley says that he's retiring from TV after the 2024-25 season. Enjoy Inside the NBA while we can.
... Angel Reese clotheslining Caitlin Clark on Sunday and complaining that Clark gets special whistles is nothing short of sensationally funny.
... Luka Modric is some kind of all-time great.
... How is it possible that Jude Bellingham is even better than we thought he was 12 months ago?
... 40 YEARS AGO: Tommy Hearns in his prime was a bad man ...
No. 10 - Top 10: Robert Redford ...
One week after going through the Paul Newman filmography, it felt only natural that this week featured his tag-team partner.
I'm not going to tell you how many Redford movies I watched this week because you'll start adding up the numbers between Gene Hackman, Newman and Redford, which would have you shaking your head at how many movies I've seen this month.
But, I hadn't seen five of the movies in Redford's Top 10 until this week. I feel like I've seen almost every movie made from the 1980s on, but the last few weeks have revealed just how many movies from the 1960s and 1970s that I haven't seen.
Anyway, let's get on with it
Honorable mention:
Last 5 Out: Three Days In The Condor (1975), All Is Lost (2013), Out of Africa (1985), The Candidate (1972) and Brubaker (1980)
Honorable Mention: Our Souls at Night (2017), Downhill Racer (1969), The Old Man and The Gun (2018), Up Close and Personal (1996), Indecent Proposal (1994), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) and Spy Game (2001)
10. The Horse Whisperer (1998)
A personal one for me has to sneak into the top 10. The first 15 minutes of this movie are impossible to watch, but the next two hours has everything that I want in a movie ... beautiful scenery, a love story, people searching their souls to heal their wounds and a gorgeous animal that makes me cry. Redford + Chris Cooper + Sam Neill + Kristin Scott Thomas + Dianne West + a young ScarJo... are you kidding me? Plus, I'd argue that Pilgrim gives the best acting performance by an animal in any movie ever made.
9. Sneakers (1992)
I had no idea that the first Mission Impossible movie stole so much from this movie.
8. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
It's a Neil Simon play brought to the big screen and neatly half a century later it's a weird, frolicking good time.
7. The Way We Were (1973)
I hate the ending, but Redford and Barbra Streisand had the kind of chemistry that had me rooting for their romance to make it.
6. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
I now understand this meme. I used to think this was Zach Falifianakis
5. The Chase (1966)
This is a wild one. It's got Brando being Brando. Young Jane Fonda and Angie Dickinson. Hell, there's even a young Robert Duvall. There are wild parties in small town Texas in the 1960s. Wives and husbands are trading each other around. Murderous mobs. I was buzzing after watching this one this week.
4. The Natural (1984)
I have friends that believe this is the goat baseball movie.
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1967)
I didn't say this last week, but Redford gives the real superstar performance in this classic.
2. All The President’s Men (1976)
In a re-vote, I wonder if this wins Best Picture over Rocky?
1. The Sting (1973)
The No. 1 film for both Newman and Redford, which speaks to the perfection of the movie.
Booooooooooooo! Butch Cassidy and THE SUNDANCE KID should be number 1, SHEESH!
The when and where remain unknown at this point, but the what seems pretty locked in.
There's a love affair taking place between Duncanville 5-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore and the Texas Longhorn football program.
Over the weekend, Moore's family joined the party.
What exists now is a situation that simply needs to play out however Moore wants it to play out. If he wants to take another official visit next weekend, so be it. Should he want to wait until August before making a decision, so be it. All that you really need to know is that one source describe his visit this weekend as "a 1,000 on a 1-100 scale."
That seems pretty good.
If Vegas was putting a line on this recruitment, the Longhorns would likely be a -1000 favorite.
So, just relax and let Moore's desired plan unfold. It would be stunning if this didn't end with Moore and the Longhorns at the altar.
No. 2 - Trivia Time ...
I know that some of you are a little worn out on the Dakorien Moore coverage, but this little factoid might help explain why his recruitment is so vitally important.
In the modern history of recruiting (2002-present), the Longhorns have never signed a wide receiver prospect that was ranked inside the national top 10. Current Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook was ranked No. 24 in the 2003 class, while Bru McCoy was ranked No. 12 in 2019.
As far as I can tell, Class of 2000 signee B.J. Johnson (No. 7 on the Rivals 100) is the only national top-10 WR prospect that the Longhorns have ever signed.
No. 3 - The Recruiting Lowdown ...
... Here's an update from the Rivals Tennessee site on Jamie Ffrench's visit this weekend. The nation's No. 24 prospect visits Texas on the 21st.
"I really enjoyed myself. The people in the building really showed me why I should be a Volunteer," Ffrench said. "It was genuine man. I felt the love from Coach (Josh Heupel), Coach (Kelsey) Pope, and Coach (Joey) Halzle. They all showed genuine love to me and my family."
That relationship with receivers coach Pope is a major reason why Tennessee is deep in the recruitment for the dynamic playmaker. That relationship has become very strong, and the receiver likes everything about him.
"Coach Pope has been on me for a long time," Ffrench said. "I really like the love that he has showed. He really knows the x-and-o's. He really knows what he's doing on the field and off the field. He's a great man for sure."
... Speaking of wide receiver visits, Kaliq Lockett spoke highly of Florida State, but he didn't sound completely blown away in this interview. Visits Alabama on Monday. Plans on dropping a commitment video after the Texas visit. Florida State will be in the final three or four. Says it will be very hard for him to leave the state of Texas.
... Texas A&M told Alamo Heights athlete Michael Terry this weekend that they want him to stay at wide receiver and focus on that position. It's going to come down to picking the school that can best develop him as a player and get him on the field the fastest. Texas is still in excellent shape following the A&M visit.
No. 4 - Gimmie all the tight ends ...
Every time I update my historical numbers on tight ends, I come away thinking the same thing ... why can't there be more of them?
Over the course of the last 20+ seasons, only nine Texas tight end prospects earned a mid-4 star grade or higher in the Rivals rankings.
Six were drafted by NFL teams. Seven played in the NFL. An eighth will try to make an NFL roster this summer. The numbers get even better if you add tight ends that were listed as "athletes" by Rivals as prospects. These unicorns come around often, but they typically don't lose their magic when they do.
It's what makes the tight end class in 2025 so exciting. You can make a case that four of the state's top dozen prospects (Kiotti Armstrong, Nick Townsend, Michael Terry and Lance Jackson) have tight end upside as prospects. All are ranked as mid 4-stars or higher in my LSR rankings.
Previously, only five have been produced by the state since 2006.
Here's the breakdown ...
* denotes that player was listed as an "athlete" in the Rivals rankings
5-stars.
2003 - Tony Hills (Texas)
2005 - Martellus Bennett (Texas A&M)
* 2021 - Ja'Tavion Sanders (Texas)
High 4 stars:
2002 - Eric Winston (Miami)
2005 - Dajleon Farr (Miami)
* 2013 - Ricky Seals-Jones (Texas A&M)
2016 - Kaden Smith (Stanford)
2017 - Brock Wright (Notre Dame)
Mid 4 Stars
2005 - Jermichael Finley (Texas)
2011 - Jace Amaro (Texas Tech)
2019 - Baylor Cupp (Texas A&M/Texas Tech)
Low 4 Stars
2006 - Jason Fox (Miami)
2008 - James Hanna (Oklahoma)
2011 - Max Stevenson (Oklahoma)
2011 - Chris Barnett (Michigan)
2011 - MJ McFarland (Texas/UTEP)
2012 - Griffin Gilbert (TCU)
2017 - Kedrick James (Alabama/SMU)
2017 - Major Tennison (Alabama)
2018 - Mustapha Muhammed (Michigan/Kilgore JC)
2018 - Malcolm Epps (Texas/USC/Pittsburgh)
2019 - Jalen Wydemyer (Texas A&M)
2019 - Austin Stonger (Oklahoma/South Carolina)
Active players: 2020's Jalin Conyers (Oklahoma/Arizona State/Texas Tech), 2021's Elijah Arroyo (Miami), 2022's Jason Llewellyn (Oklahoma/Texas Tech), 2023's Chico Holt (Northwestern/Stanford), 2023's Ka'Morreun Pimpton (LSU), 2023's Jaden Platt (Texas A&M), and Ian Flynt (Nebraska)
High 3 Stars
2007 - Ahmard Howard (Texas)
2007 - Alex Russian (LSU)
2009 - Hutson Prioleau (Texas A&M)
2009 - Jordan Naivar (Stanford)
2009 - Trey Graham (Texas)
2009 - Barrett Matthews (Texas)
2010 - Trent Smiley (Kansas)
2013 - Durham Smythe (Notre Dame)
2013 - Charlie Reid (TCU)
2014 - Koda Martin (Texas A&M)
2014 - Marvin Saunders (FSU)
2015 - Jordan Davis (Texas A&M)
2016 - J.C. Chalk (Clemson)
2017 - Keynel McZeal (Texas A&M)
2018 - Christoph Henle (Baylor)
2018 - Ben Sims (Baylor)
2018 - Nic McTear (San Diego State/SE Louisiana)
2019 - Jared Wiley (Texas/TCU)
* Active Players: 2020's Elijah Yelverton (Iowa/Colorado), 2020's Blake Smith (Texas A&M/Oklahoma/Texas State), 2020's Brandon Frazier (Auburn), 2020 Drake Dabney (Baylor), 2021's Juan Davis (Texas), 2021's Fernando Garza (Texas A&M), 2021's Dametrious Crownover (Texas A&M), 2021's Lake McRee (USC), 2021's Landen King (Auburn/Utah), 2022's Kelsey Johnson (Baylor), 2022's Sidney Mbanasor (Utah), 2023's Lafayette Kaiuway (TCU) and 2023's Hawkins Polley (Baylor)
No. 5 - Vegas LOVES the Longhorns ...
Some early lines came out this weekend for a number of Texas games and it's pretty clear that Vegas thinks this team is going to be really good.
Texas is favored by EIGHT against OU.
Texas is favored by five points in road games at Michigan and Texas A&M.
Vegas thinks Texas is going to destroy Florida (-18).
The only game on the schedule where the Longhorns won't be at least a 5-point favorite is the Georgia game, as Vegas has the Dawgs as a 2-point favorite.
No. 6 - The Texas Scholarship Board...
No. 7 – The eerily quiet baseball front ...
The Texas baseball season ended 14 days ago. Since then, we've been waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ...
As Chris Del Conte does that thing where he kind of disappears in the shadows of silence, we know that two possibilities exist.
a. Texas replaces David Pierce, as Del Conte ushers in a new era of Texas baseball with a hand-selected replacement
b. Texas can't find the A-list coach that it desires and is forced to bring Pierce back as a lame-duck (barring a massive post-season run in 2025) reality for another season.
It feels like option A has to be what unfolds in the next week or so, but every day that passes with silence makes option B loom a little more ominously. Ultimately, there's a real acknowledgment that momentum is dead and that some sort of boost is needed as Texas goes into the SEC. Everyone I've been in contact with acknowledges this, which makes it hard to believe that Del Conte would allow for the status quo to remain.
So, we wait ... while Texas A&M is making a legitimate national championship run. As if Del Conte needed a reminder about change being needed, he's getting it on a daily basis right now while the CWS is underway.
I can't help but be reminded of what former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley once told @Anwar Richardson: "Whatever you're going to do inevitably needs to be done immediately,"
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) I have to believe he'll want to have is recruitment resolved before his high school team gets started with its season ... say first week of August at the latest.
(Buy) It makes sense ... otherwise, why wouldn't an announcement of a hire have been made? Of course, it's possible that they don't want to do anything before they can talk to a few guys and maybe those guys want to wait until the season is over. I'm trying to not make any assumptions at this point.
(Sell) Both project as possible major contributors this season, so I'll sell for now, but I'm not taking anything for granted with the wide receiver snap distribution.
(Sell)
(Sell) I'm not sure I see him knocking one of those three out of the mix. That being said, how many majors would it take? At least five more, which would get him to seven, right? That would put him in a tie for seventh place with the likes of Arnold Palmer, Bobby Jones and Sam Snead.
Give me Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls or James Avery as Uncle Phil.
(Buy) I think Lockett is better than Thomas, so that would be my tie-breaker.
(Sell)
(Sell) I'm hanging on to the idea that it can be done.
(Buy) No pressure, kid.
(Sell) I like doing my own write-ups.
(Sell) It's not more significant than the 2023 Alabama game.
(Sell) Not public commitments, anyway.
No. 9 – Scattershooting all over the place …
... I hate to say anyone ever chokes in a major sporting event, but Rory McIlroy missing two short puts inside of four feet in the final few holes after having a 2-shot lead with 5 to go is nothing short of... a choke. That was shocking. Ishe ever going to get over this?
... The up and down on 18 on Sunday by Bryson DeChambeau to win the US Open was the stuff of legend. You can't do anything but tip your cap to that dude for gutting out his second US Open win.
... Sure with Scottie had been in the mix on Sunday.
... It's June and I'm pretty sure that I'm still going to sit out fantasy football this season.
... Tim Linecum turned 40 years old on Sunday. Wiley Wiggins is 47 years old. We're getting old, guys ...
... Charles Barkley says that he's retiring from TV after the 2024-25 season. Enjoy Inside the NBA while we can.
... Angel Reese clotheslining Caitlin Clark on Sunday and complaining that Clark gets special whistles is nothing short of sensationally funny.
... Luka Modric is some kind of all-time great.
... How is it possible that Jude Bellingham is even better than we thought he was 12 months ago?
... 40 YEARS AGO: Tommy Hearns in his prime was a bad man ...
No. 10 - Top 10: Robert Redford ...
One week after going through the Paul Newman filmography, it felt only natural that this week featured his tag-team partner.
I'm not going to tell you how many Redford movies I watched this week because you'll start adding up the numbers between Gene Hackman, Newman and Redford, which would have you shaking your head at how many movies I've seen this month.
But, I hadn't seen five of the movies in Redford's Top 10 until this week. I feel like I've seen almost every movie made from the 1980s on, but the last few weeks have revealed just how many movies from the 1960s and 1970s that I haven't seen.
Anyway, let's get on with it
Honorable mention:
Last 5 Out: Three Days In The Condor (1975), All Is Lost (2013), Out of Africa (1985), The Candidate (1972) and Brubaker (1980)
Honorable Mention: Our Souls at Night (2017), Downhill Racer (1969), The Old Man and The Gun (2018), Up Close and Personal (1996), Indecent Proposal (1994), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) and Spy Game (2001)
10. The Horse Whisperer (1998)
A personal one for me has to sneak into the top 10. The first 15 minutes of this movie are impossible to watch, but the next two hours has everything that I want in a movie ... beautiful scenery, a love story, people searching their souls to heal their wounds and a gorgeous animal that makes me cry. Redford + Chris Cooper + Sam Neill + Kristin Scott Thomas + Dianne West + a young ScarJo... are you kidding me? Plus, I'd argue that Pilgrim gives the best acting performance by an animal in any movie ever made.
9. Sneakers (1992)
I had no idea that the first Mission Impossible movie stole so much from this movie.
8. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
It's a Neil Simon play brought to the big screen and neatly half a century later it's a weird, frolicking good time.
7. The Way We Were (1973)
I hate the ending, but Redford and Barbra Streisand had the kind of chemistry that had me rooting for their romance to make it.
6. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
I now understand this meme. I used to think this was Zach Falifianakis
5. The Chase (1966)
This is a wild one. It's got Brando being Brando. Young Jane Fonda and Angie Dickinson. Hell, there's even a young Robert Duvall. There are wild parties in small town Texas in the 1960s. Wives and husbands are trading each other around. Murderous mobs. I was buzzing after watching this one this week.
4. The Natural (1984)
I have friends that believe this is the goat baseball movie.
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1967)
I didn't say this last week, but Redford gives the real superstar performance in this classic.
2. All The President’s Men (1976)
In a re-vote, I wonder if this wins Best Picture over Rocky?
1. The Sting (1973)
The No. 1 film for both Newman and Redford, which speaks to the perfection of the movie.
With Redford and few others (ie Hackman), it be interesting to do a Bottom 10.
See if you can even come up with 10 of their flicks that are actually bad.
So, if I read this correctly, things went pretty well this weekend.
And I have a feeling that vacation time might unleash Sark After Dark.
And I have a feeling that vacation time might unleash Sark After Dark.
Good stuff, Ketch. Happy Father’s Day!
The when and where remain unknown at this point, but the what seems pretty locked in.
There's a love affair taking place between Duncanville 5-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore and the Texas Longhorn football program.
Over the weekend, Moore's family joined the party.
What exists now is a situation that simply needs to play out however Moore wants it to play out. If he wants to take another official visit next weekend, so be it. Should he want to wait until August before making a decision, so be it. All that you really need to know is that one source describe his visit this weekend as "a 1,000 on a 1-100 scale."
That seems pretty good.
If Vegas was putting a line on this recruitment, the Longhorns would likely be a -1000 favorite.
So, just relax and let Moore's desired plan unfold. It would be stunning if this didn't end with Moore and the Longhorns at the altar.
No. 2 - Trivia Time ...
I know that some of you are a little worn out on the Dakorien Moore coverage, but this little factoid might help explain why his recruitment is so vitally important.
In the modern history of recruiting (2002-present), the Longhorns have never signed a wide receiver prospect that was ranked inside the national top 10. Current Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook was ranked No. 24 in the 2003 class, while Bru McCoy was ranked No. 12 in 2019.
As far as I can tell, Class of 2000 signee B.J. Johnson (No. 7 on the Rivals 100) is the only national top-10 WR prospect that the Longhorns have ever signed.
No. 3 - The Recruiting Lowdown ...
... Here's an update from the Rivals Tennessee site on Jamie Ffrench's visit this weekend. The nation's No. 24 prospect visits Texas on the 21st.
"I really enjoyed myself. The people in the building really showed me why I should be a Volunteer," Ffrench said. "It was genuine man. I felt the love from Coach (Josh Heupel), Coach (Kelsey) Pope, and Coach (Joey) Halzle. They all showed genuine love to me and my family."
That relationship with receivers coach Pope is a major reason why Tennessee is deep in the recruitment for the dynamic playmaker. That relationship has become very strong, and the receiver likes everything about him.
"Coach Pope has been on me for a long time," Ffrench said. "I really like the love that he has showed. He really knows the x-and-o's. He really knows what he's doing on the field and off the field. He's a great man for sure."
... Speaking of wide receiver visits, Kaliq Lockett spoke highly of Florida State, but he didn't sound completely blown away in this interview. Visits Alabama on Monday. Plans on dropping a commitment video after the Texas visit. Florida State will be in the final three or four. Says it will be very hard for him to leave the state of Texas.
... Texas A&M told Alamo Heights athlete Michael Terry this weekend that they want him to stay at wide receiver and focus on that position. It's going to come down to picking the school that can best develop him as a player and get him on the field the fastest. Texas is still in excellent shape following the A&M visit.
No. 4 - Gimmie all the tight ends ...
Every time I update my historical numbers on tight ends, I come away thinking the same thing ... why can't there be more of them?
Over the course of the last 20+ seasons, only nine Texas tight end prospects earned a mid-4 star grade or higher in the Rivals rankings.
Six were drafted by NFL teams. Seven played in the NFL. An eighth will try to make an NFL roster this summer. The numbers get even better if you add tight ends that were listed as "athletes" by Rivals as prospects. These unicorns come around often, but they typically don't lose their magic when they do.
It's what makes the tight end class in 2025 so exciting. You can make a case that four of the state's top dozen prospects (Kiotti Armstrong, Nick Townsend, Michael Terry and Lance Jackson) have tight end upside as prospects. All are ranked as mid 4-stars or higher in my LSR rankings.
Previously, only five have been produced by the state since 2006.
Here's the breakdown ...
* denotes that player was listed as an "athlete" in the Rivals rankings
5-stars.
2003 - Tony Hills (Texas)
2005 - Martellus Bennett (Texas A&M)
* 2021 - Ja'Tavion Sanders (Texas)
High 4 stars:
2002 - Eric Winston (Miami)
2005 - Dajleon Farr (Miami)
* 2013 - Ricky Seals-Jones (Texas A&M)
2016 - Kaden Smith (Stanford)
2017 - Brock Wright (Notre Dame)
Mid 4 Stars
2005 - Jermichael Finley (Texas)
2011 - Jace Amaro (Texas Tech)
2019 - Baylor Cupp (Texas A&M/Texas Tech)
Low 4 Stars
2006 - Jason Fox (Miami)
2008 - James Hanna (Oklahoma)
2011 - Max Stevenson (Oklahoma)
2011 - Chris Barnett (Michigan)
2011 - MJ McFarland (Texas/UTEP)
2012 - Griffin Gilbert (TCU)
2017 - Kedrick James (Alabama/SMU)
2017 - Major Tennison (Alabama)
2018 - Mustapha Muhammed (Michigan/Kilgore JC)
2018 - Malcolm Epps (Texas/USC/Pittsburgh)
2019 - Jalen Wydemyer (Texas A&M)
2019 - Austin Stonger (Oklahoma/South Carolina)
Active players: 2020's Jalin Conyers (Oklahoma/Arizona State/Texas Tech), 2021's Elijah Arroyo (Miami), 2022's Jason Llewellyn (Oklahoma/Texas Tech), 2023's Chico Holt (Northwestern/Stanford), 2023's Ka'Morreun Pimpton (LSU), 2023's Jaden Platt (Texas A&M), and Ian Flynt (Nebraska)
High 3 Stars
2007 - Ahmard Howard (Texas)
2007 - Alex Russian (LSU)
2009 - Hutson Prioleau (Texas A&M)
2009 - Jordan Naivar (Stanford)
2009 - Trey Graham (Texas)
2009 - Barrett Matthews (Texas)
2010 - Trent Smiley (Kansas)
2013 - Durham Smythe (Notre Dame)
2013 - Charlie Reid (TCU)
2014 - Koda Martin (Texas A&M)
2014 - Marvin Saunders (FSU)
2015 - Jordan Davis (Texas A&M)
2016 - J.C. Chalk (Clemson)
2017 - Keynel McZeal (Texas A&M)
2018 - Christoph Henle (Baylor)
2018 - Ben Sims (Baylor)
2018 - Nic McTear (San Diego State/SE Louisiana)
2019 - Jared Wiley (Texas/TCU)
* Active Players: 2020's Elijah Yelverton (Iowa/Colorado), 2020's Blake Smith (Texas A&M/Oklahoma/Texas State), 2020's Brandon Frazier (Auburn), 2020 Drake Dabney (Baylor), 2021's Juan Davis (Texas), 2021's Fernando Garza (Texas A&M), 2021's Dametrious Crownover (Texas A&M), 2021's Lake McRee (USC), 2021's Landen King (Auburn/Utah), 2022's Kelsey Johnson (Baylor), 2022's Sidney Mbanasor (Utah), 2023's Lafayette Kaiuway (TCU) and 2023's Hawkins Polley (Baylor)
No. 5 - Vegas LOVES the Longhorns ...
Some early lines came out this weekend for a number of Texas games and it's pretty clear that Vegas thinks this team is going to be really good.
Texas is favored by EIGHT against OU.
Texas is favored by five points in road games at Michigan and Texas A&M.
Vegas thinks Texas is going to destroy Florida (-18).
The only game on the schedule where the Longhorns won't be at least a 5-point favorite is the Georgia game, as Vegas has the Dawgs as a 2-point favorite.
No. 6 - The Texas Scholarship Board...
No. 7 – The eerily quiet baseball front ...
The Texas baseball season ended 14 days ago. Since then, we've been waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ...
As Chris Del Conte does that thing where he kind of disappears in the shadows of silence, we know that two possibilities exist.
a. Texas replaces David Pierce, as Del Conte ushers in a new era of Texas baseball with a hand-selected replacement
b. Texas can't find the A-list coach that it desires and is forced to bring Pierce back as a lame-duck (barring a massive post-season run in 2025) reality for another season.
It feels like option A has to be what unfolds in the next week or so, but every day that passes with silence makes option B loom a little more ominously. Ultimately, there's a real acknowledgment that momentum is dead and that some sort of boost is needed as Texas goes into the SEC. Everyone I've been in contact with acknowledges this, which makes it hard to believe that Del Conte would allow for the status quo to remain.
So, we wait ... while Texas A&M is making a legitimate national championship run. As if Del Conte needed a reminder about change being needed, he's getting it on a daily basis right now while the CWS is underway.
I can't help but be reminded of what former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley once told @Anwar Richardson: "Whatever you're going to do inevitably needs to be done immediately,"
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) I have to believe he'll want to have is recruitment resolved before his high school team gets started with its season ... say first week of August at the latest.
(Buy) It makes sense ... otherwise, why wouldn't an announcement of a hire have been made? Of course, it's possible that they don't want to do anything before they can talk to a few guys and maybe those guys want to wait until the season is over. I'm trying to not make any assumptions at this point.
(Sell) Both project as possible major contributors this season, so I'll sell for now, but I'm not taking anything for granted with the wide receiver snap distribution.
(Sell)
(Sell) I'm not sure I see him knocking one of those three out of the mix. That being said, how many majors would it take? At least five more, which would get him to seven, right? That would put him in a tie for seventh place with the likes of Arnold Palmer, Bobby Jones and Sam Snead.
Give me Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls or James Avery as Uncle Phil.
(Buy) I think Lockett is better than Thomas, so that would be my tie-breaker.
(Sell)
(Sell) I'm hanging on to the idea that it can be done.
(Buy) No pressure, kid.
(Sell) I like doing my own write-ups.
(Sell) It's not more significant than the 2023 Alabama game.
(Sell) Not public commitments, anyway.
No. 9 – Scattershooting all over the place …
... I hate to say anyone ever chokes in a major sporting event, but Rory McIlroy missing two short puts inside of four feet in the final few holes after having a 2-shot lead with 5 to go is nothing short of... a choke. That was shocking. Ishe ever going to get over this?
... The up and down on 18 on Sunday by Bryson DeChambeau to win the US Open was the stuff of legend. You can't do anything but tip your cap to that dude for gutting out his second US Open win.
... Sure with Scottie had been in the mix on Sunday.
... It's June and I'm pretty sure that I'm still going to sit out fantasy football this season.
... Tim Linecum turned 40 years old on Sunday. Wiley Wiggins is 47 years old. We're getting old, guys ...
... Charles Barkley says that he's retiring from TV after the 2024-25 season. Enjoy Inside the NBA while we can.
... Angel Reese clotheslining Caitlin Clark on Sunday and complaining that Clark gets special whistles is nothing short of sensationally funny.
... Luka Modric is some kind of all-time great.
... How is it possible that Jude Bellingham is even better than we thought he was 12 months ago?
... 40 YEARS AGO: Tommy Hearns in his prime was a bad man ...
No. 10 - Top 10: Robert Redford ...
One week after going through the Paul Newman filmography, it felt only natural that this week featured his tag-team partner.
I'm not going to tell you how many Redford movies I watched this week because you'll start adding up the numbers between Gene Hackman, Newman and Redford, which would have you shaking your head at how many movies I've seen this month.
But, I hadn't seen five of the movies in Redford's Top 10 until this week. I feel like I've seen almost every movie made from the 1980s on, but the last few weeks have revealed just how many movies from the 1960s and 1970s that I haven't seen.
Anyway, let's get on with it
Honorable mention:
Last 5 Out: Three Days In The Condor (1975), All Is Lost (2013), Out of Africa (1985), The Candidate (1972) and Brubaker (1980)
Honorable Mention: Our Souls at Night (2017), Downhill Racer (1969), The Old Man and The Gun (2018), Up Close and Personal (1996), Indecent Proposal (1994), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) and Spy Game (2001)
10. The Horse Whisperer (1998)
A personal one for me has to sneak into the top 10. The first 15 minutes of this movie are impossible to watch, but the next two hours has everything that I want in a movie ... beautiful scenery, a love story, people searching their souls to heal their wounds and a gorgeous animal that makes me cry. Redford + Chris Cooper + Sam Neill + Kristin Scott Thomas + Dianne West + a young ScarJo... are you kidding me? Plus, I'd argue that Pilgrim gives the best acting performance by an animal in any movie ever made.
9. Sneakers (1992)
I had no idea that the first Mission Impossible movie stole so much from this movie.
8. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
It's a Neil Simon play brought to the big screen and neatly half a century later it's a weird, frolicking good time.
7. The Way We Were (1973)
I hate the ending, but Redford and Barbra Streisand had the kind of chemistry that had me rooting for their romance to make it.
6. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
I now understand this meme. I used to think this was Zach Falifianakis
5. The Chase (1966)
This is a wild one. It's got Brando being Brando. Young Jane Fonda and Angie Dickinson. Hell, there's even a young Robert Duvall. There are wild parties in small town Texas in the 1960s. Wives and husbands are trading each other around. Murderous mobs. I was buzzing after watching this one this week.
4. The Natural (1984)
I have friends that believe this is the goat baseball movie.
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1967)
I didn't say this last week, but Redford gives the real superstar performance in this classic.
2. All The President’s Men (1976)
In a re-vote, I wonder if this wins Best Picture over Rocky?
1. The Sting (1973)
The No. 1 film for both Newman and Redford, which speaks to the perfection of the movie.
The when and where remain unknown at this point, but the what seems pretty locked in.
There's a love affair taking place between Duncanville 5-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore and the Texas Longhorn football program.
Over the weekend, Moore's family joined the party.
What exists now is a situation that simply needs to play out however Moore wants it to play out. If he wants to take another official visit next weekend, so be it. Should he want to wait until August before making a decision, so be it. All that you really need to know is that one source describe his visit this weekend as "a 1,000 on a 1-100 scale."
That seems pretty good.
If Vegas was putting a line on this recruitment, the Longhorns would likely be a -1000 favorite.
So, just relax and let Moore's desired plan unfold. It would be stunning if this didn't end with Moore and the Longhorns at the altar.
No. 2 - Trivia Time ...
I know that some of you are a little worn out on the Dakorien Moore coverage, but this little factoid might help explain why his recruitment is so vitally important.
In the modern history of recruiting (2002-present), the Longhorns have never signed a wide receiver prospect that was ranked inside the national top 10. Current Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook was ranked No. 24 in the 2003 class, while Bru McCoy was ranked No. 12 in 2019.
As far as I can tell, Class of 2000 signee B.J. Johnson (No. 7 on the Rivals 100) is the only national top-10 WR prospect that the Longhorns have ever signed.
No. 3 - The Recruiting Lowdown ...
... Here's an update from the Rivals Tennessee site on Jamie Ffrench's visit this weekend. The nation's No. 24 prospect visits Texas on the 21st.
"I really enjoyed myself. The people in the building really showed me why I should be a Volunteer," Ffrench said. "It was genuine man. I felt the love from Coach (Josh Heupel), Coach (Kelsey) Pope, and Coach (Joey) Halzle. They all showed genuine love to me and my family."
That relationship with receivers coach Pope is a major reason why Tennessee is deep in the recruitment for the dynamic playmaker. That relationship has become very strong, and the receiver likes everything about him.
"Coach Pope has been on me for a long time," Ffrench said. "I really like the love that he has showed. He really knows the x-and-o's. He really knows what he's doing on the field and off the field. He's a great man for sure."
... Speaking of wide receiver visits, Kaliq Lockett spoke highly of Florida State, but he didn't sound completely blown away in this interview. Visits Alabama on Monday. Plans on dropping a commitment video after the Texas visit. Florida State will be in the final three or four. Says it will be very hard for him to leave the state of Texas.
... Texas A&M told Alamo Heights athlete Michael Terry this weekend that they want him to stay at wide receiver and focus on that position. It's going to come down to picking the school that can best develop him as a player and get him on the field the fastest. Texas is still in excellent shape following the A&M visit.
No. 4 - Gimmie all the tight ends ...
Every time I update my historical numbers on tight ends, I come away thinking the same thing ... why can't there be more of them?
Over the course of the last 20+ seasons, only nine Texas tight end prospects earned a mid-4 star grade or higher in the Rivals rankings.
Six were drafted by NFL teams. Seven played in the NFL. An eighth will try to make an NFL roster this summer. The numbers get even better if you add tight ends that were listed as "athletes" by Rivals as prospects. These unicorns come around often, but they typically don't lose their magic when they do.
It's what makes the tight end class in 2025 so exciting. You can make a case that four of the state's top dozen prospects (Kiotti Armstrong, Nick Townsend, Michael Terry and Lance Jackson) have tight end upside as prospects. All are ranked as mid 4-stars or higher in my LSR rankings.
Previously, only five have been produced by the state since 2006.
Here's the breakdown ...
* denotes that player was listed as an "athlete" in the Rivals rankings
5-stars.
2003 - Tony Hills (Texas)
2005 - Martellus Bennett (Texas A&M)
* 2021 - Ja'Tavion Sanders (Texas)
High 4 stars:
2002 - Eric Winston (Miami)
2005 - Dajleon Farr (Miami)
* 2013 - Ricky Seals-Jones (Texas A&M)
2016 - Kaden Smith (Stanford)
2017 - Brock Wright (Notre Dame)
Mid 4 Stars
2005 - Jermichael Finley (Texas)
2011 - Jace Amaro (Texas Tech)
2019 - Baylor Cupp (Texas A&M/Texas Tech)
Low 4 Stars
2006 - Jason Fox (Miami)
2008 - James Hanna (Oklahoma)
2011 - Max Stevenson (Oklahoma)
2011 - Chris Barnett (Michigan)
2011 - MJ McFarland (Texas/UTEP)
2012 - Griffin Gilbert (TCU)
2017 - Kedrick James (Alabama/SMU)
2017 - Major Tennison (Alabama)
2018 - Mustapha Muhammed (Michigan/Kilgore JC)
2018 - Malcolm Epps (Texas/USC/Pittsburgh)
2019 - Jalen Wydemyer (Texas A&M)
2019 - Austin Stonger (Oklahoma/South Carolina)
Active players: 2020's Jalin Conyers (Oklahoma/Arizona State/Texas Tech), 2021's Elijah Arroyo (Miami), 2022's Jason Llewellyn (Oklahoma/Texas Tech), 2023's Chico Holt (Northwestern/Stanford), 2023's Ka'Morreun Pimpton (LSU), 2023's Jaden Platt (Texas A&M), and Ian Flynt (Nebraska)
High 3 Stars
2007 - Ahmard Howard (Texas)
2007 - Alex Russian (LSU)
2009 - Hutson Prioleau (Texas A&M)
2009 - Jordan Naivar (Stanford)
2009 - Trey Graham (Texas)
2009 - Barrett Matthews (Texas)
2010 - Trent Smiley (Kansas)
2013 - Durham Smythe (Notre Dame)
2013 - Charlie Reid (TCU)
2014 - Koda Martin (Texas A&M)
2014 - Marvin Saunders (FSU)
2015 - Jordan Davis (Texas A&M)
2016 - J.C. Chalk (Clemson)
2017 - Keynel McZeal (Texas A&M)
2018 - Christoph Henle (Baylor)
2018 - Ben Sims (Baylor)
2018 - Nic McTear (San Diego State/SE Louisiana)
2019 - Jared Wiley (Texas/TCU)
* Active Players: 2020's Elijah Yelverton (Iowa/Colorado), 2020's Blake Smith (Texas A&M/Oklahoma/Texas State), 2020's Brandon Frazier (Auburn), 2020 Drake Dabney (Baylor), 2021's Juan Davis (Texas), 2021's Fernando Garza (Texas A&M), 2021's Dametrious Crownover (Texas A&M), 2021's Lake McRee (USC), 2021's Landen King (Auburn/Utah), 2022's Kelsey Johnson (Baylor), 2022's Sidney Mbanasor (Utah), 2023's Lafayette Kaiuway (TCU) and 2023's Hawkins Polley (Baylor)
No. 5 - Vegas LOVES the Longhorns ...
Some early lines came out this weekend for a number of Texas games and it's pretty clear that Vegas thinks this team is going to be really good.
Texas is favored by EIGHT against OU.
Texas is favored by five points in road games at Michigan and Texas A&M.
Vegas thinks Texas is going to destroy Florida (-18).
The only game on the schedule where the Longhorns won't be at least a 5-point favorite is the Georgia game, as Vegas has the Dawgs as a 2-point favorite.
No. 6 - The Texas Scholarship Board...
No. 7 – The eerily quiet baseball front ...
The Texas baseball season ended 14 days ago. Since then, we've been waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ...
As Chris Del Conte does that thing where he kind of disappears in the shadows of silence, we know that two possibilities exist.
a. Texas replaces David Pierce, as Del Conte ushers in a new era of Texas baseball with a hand-selected replacement
b. Texas can't find the A-list coach that it desires and is forced to bring Pierce back as a lame-duck (barring a massive post-season run in 2025) reality for another season.
It feels like option A has to be what unfolds in the next week or so, but every day that passes with silence makes option B loom a little more ominously. Ultimately, there's a real acknowledgment that momentum is dead and that some sort of boost is needed as Texas goes into the SEC. Everyone I've been in contact with acknowledges this, which makes it hard to believe that Del Conte would allow for the status quo to remain.
So, we wait ... while Texas A&M is making a legitimate national championship run. As if Del Conte needed a reminder about change being needed, he's getting it on a daily basis right now while the CWS is underway.
I can't help but be reminded of what former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley once told @Anwar Richardson: "Whatever you're going to do inevitably needs to be done immediately,"
No. 8 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) I have to believe he'll want to have is recruitment resolved before his high school team gets started with its season ... say first week of August at the latest.
(Buy) It makes sense ... otherwise, why wouldn't an announcement of a hire have been made? Of course, it's possible that they don't want to do anything before they can talk to a few guys and maybe those guys want to wait until the season is over. I'm trying to not make any assumptions at this point.
(Sell) Both project as possible major contributors this season, so I'll sell for now, but I'm not taking anything for granted with the wide receiver snap distribution.
(Sell)
(Sell) I'm not sure I see him knocking one of those three out of the mix. That being said, how many majors would it take? At least five more, which would get him to seven, right? That would put him in a tie for seventh place with the likes of Arnold Palmer, Bobby Jones and Sam Snead.
Give me Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls or James Avery as Uncle Phil.
(Buy) I think Lockett is better than Thomas, so that would be my tie-breaker.
(Sell)
(Sell) I'm hanging on to the idea that it can be done.
(Buy) No pressure, kid.
(Sell) I like doing my own write-ups.
(Sell) It's not more significant than the 2023 Alabama game.
(Sell) Not public commitments, anyway.
No. 9 – Scattershooting all over the place …
... I hate to say anyone ever chokes in a major sporting event, but Rory McIlroy missing two short puts inside of four feet in the final few holes after having a 2-shot lead with 5 to go is nothing short of... a choke. That was shocking. Ishe ever going to get over this?
... The up and down on 18 on Sunday by Bryson DeChambeau to win the US Open was the stuff of legend. You can't do anything but tip your cap to that dude for gutting out his second US Open win.
... Sure with Scottie had been in the mix on Sunday.
... It's June and I'm pretty sure that I'm still going to sit out fantasy football this season.
... Tim Linecum turned 40 years old on Sunday. Wiley Wiggins is 47 years old. We're getting old, guys ...
... Charles Barkley says that he's retiring from TV after the 2024-25 season. Enjoy Inside the NBA while we can.
... Angel Reese clotheslining Caitlin Clark on Sunday and complaining that Clark gets special whistles is nothing short of sensationally funny.
... Luka Modric is some kind of all-time great.
... How is it possible that Jude Bellingham is even better than we thought he was 12 months ago?
... 40 YEARS AGO: Tommy Hearns in his prime was a bad man ...
No. 10 - Top 10: Robert Redford ...
One week after going through the Paul Newman filmography, it felt only natural that this week featured his tag-team partner.
I'm not going to tell you how many Redford movies I watched this week because you'll start adding up the numbers between Gene Hackman, Newman and Redford, which would have you shaking your head at how many movies I've seen this month.
But, I hadn't seen five of the movies in Redford's Top 10 until this week. I feel like I've seen almost every movie made from the 1980s on, but the last few weeks have revealed just how many movies from the 1960s and 1970s that I haven't seen.
Anyway, let's get on with it
Honorable mention:
Last 5 Out: Three Days In The Condor (1975), All Is Lost (2013), Out of Africa (1985), The Candidate (1972) and Brubaker (1980)
Honorable Mention: Our Souls at Night (2017), Downhill Racer (1969), The Old Man and The Gun (2018), Up Close and Personal (1996), Indecent Proposal (1994), The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) and Spy Game (2001)
10. The Horse Whisperer (1998)
A personal one for me has to sneak into the top 10. The first 15 minutes of this movie are impossible to watch, but the next two hours has everything that I want in a movie ... beautiful scenery, a love story, people searching their souls to heal their wounds and a gorgeous animal that makes me cry. Redford + Chris Cooper + Sam Neill + Kristin Scott Thomas + Dianne West + a young ScarJo... are you kidding me? Plus, I'd argue that Pilgrim gives the best acting performance by an animal in any movie ever made.
9. Sneakers (1992)
I had no idea that the first Mission Impossible movie stole so much from this movie.
8. Barefoot in the Park (1967)
It's a Neil Simon play brought to the big screen and neatly half a century later it's a weird, frolicking good time.
7. The Way We Were (1973)
I hate the ending, but Redford and Barbra Streisand had the kind of chemistry that had me rooting for their romance to make it.
6. Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
I now understand this meme. I used to think this was Zach Falifianakis
5. The Chase (1966)
This is a wild one. It's got Brando being Brando. Young Jane Fonda and Angie Dickinson. Hell, there's even a young Robert Duvall. There are wild parties in small town Texas in the 1960s. Wives and husbands are trading each other around. Murderous mobs. I was buzzing after watching this one this week.
4. The Natural (1984)
I have friends that believe this is the goat baseball movie.
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1967)
I didn't say this last week, but Redford gives the real superstar performance in this classic.
2. All The President’s Men (1976)
In a re-vote, I wonder if this wins Best Picture over Rocky?
1. The Sting (1973)
The No. 1 film for both Newman and Redford, which speaks to the perfection of the movie.
Three Days of the Condor is one of my favorite Redford movies.
If you watch it, it will be one of your favorites.
If you watch it, it will be one of your favorites.
Nah, it can't be that high. It's very good. It's not iconic.
Gonna sink my teeth into a season of prize picks
Don’t care if I sound like get off my lawn guy, that era of boxing was the high watermark.
