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Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (Cleo McDowell, Frank Erwin & more...)

He’s from Houston. What do you expect?
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You get a "like" from me.

If all you had written was "... I enjoyed Baker Mayfield losing on Sunday. Can't help it.", you would have gotten the like.
 
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I think she's basically Mariano Rivera. She's got a GREAT one pitch and if you need three outs, she's going to be a superstar for you.

Start asking her to go three innings twice a week and you might be moving her out of her comfort zone.
Best in Show is like watching 9 innings closed by Mariano and 8 other premier closers. Pantheon comedy.
 
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@Ketchum fantastic segment this week. Sark isn’t trying to recreate the wheel. He’s just putting Alabama’s ride on blocks and jacking all four. Love the Hall and Oats references. Strong Rom-Com game. I give it a solid “A”.
 
All I know is that I've seen movie about 500 times and the other about 10.
Well that's even crazier.

Just for reference, the American Film Institute ranks When Harry Met Sally sixth on its list of top-10 romantic comedies of all time. Sleepless in Seattle is 10th.


While I love Sleepless, it falls a little lower because Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are really only in two scenes together. Plus, the kids in that movie are pretty damn annoying.
 
Well that's even crazier.

Just for reference, the American Film Institute ranks When Harry Met Sally sixth on its list of top-10 romantic comedies of all time. Sleepless in Seattle is 10th.


While I love Sleepless, it falls a little lower because Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are really only in two scenes together. Plus, the kids in that movie are pretty damn annoying.
One movie in the last 32 years is on that list.

a. It appears to lean very heavily towards the classics, which is fine. Again, this wasn't my Top 10 all-time romcoms. This was a top 10 list of romcoms for guys being forced into watching a romcom.

b. I love It Happened One Night, but I'm not going to force that on a dude that might not have ever seen a movie from the 30s.
 
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If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Alabama coach Nick Saban must be blushing.

Texas, under Steve Sarkisian, doesn't want to be like Alabama; the Longhorns want to BE Alabama.

If that wasn't apparent after Texas added Sarkisian 15 days ago, it became clear after offensive line coach Kyle Flood made the move from Tuscaloosa to Austin to take on the same role, along with a shiny little coordinator title.

Or when Sarkisian didn't take no for an answer with tight end coach Jeff Banks, who is suddenly making a million-plus per year and showing what a rainmaker in college football recruiting is worth in 2021.

Or when Sarkisian hired his right-hand man from Alabama to be his new quarterback coach, even if it meant that Arkansas State suddenly had to replace the offensive coordinator it just hired.

Just when folks in Alabama thought Sarkisian was done looting the Tide staff, Sarkisian decided he may want Saban's defensive coordinator Pete Golding as well. Hell, cornerback coach Karl Scott can come, too.

"Sark wants anyone and anything with Bama ties," one Alabama source joked via text message over the weekend. "He'd probably take Bryce Young as well if he could."

A few minutes went by and another text arrived.

"You know Young would probably transfer to Texas if Mac Jones had come back for another season. Young loves Sark."

Then another from a source in SEC Country on Saturday afternoon.

"Hearing anything on player personnel guy there? Just heard (Sark) wanted (someone) with Bama ties," the source texted.

My brain has been so focused on tracking down the defensive coordinator choice that I didn't think a lot about that personnel question, not realizing that less than 16 hours later word would come out that Drew Hughes was leaving South Carolina to replace Derek Chang as the new Director of Player Personnel (or some similar title) for the Longhorns.

Hughes, who worked at Alabama from 2007-11 as a "recruiting specialist", was already making three times as much money as Chang... before Texas swooped in and offered whatever it took to get Hughes to leave the SEC for the first time in almost a decade. He has been at Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama, but now his home is in Austin.

"Sark wanted Bama ties, and Drew came up in that system," a South Carolina insider told me.

The truth of the matter is that what we're watching right now is probably just scratching the surface when it comes to Sarkisian modeling his program after Saban's. Look for the strength and conditioning program to eventually mimic Alabama's transition in the last 12 months, when two positions were created to lead that department - Director of Sports Performance and Director of Performance Sciences. Expect Texas to follow a similar path with wall-to-wall support staff.

Does all of this feel like the scene in Coming to America when Cleo McDowell had that "little misunderstanding"? McDonald's has the golden arches. McDowell's had the golden arcs. McDonald's has the Big Mac. McDowell's had the Big Mick.

The only difference is Sarkisian isn't even bothering with the "little misunderstanding". He's serving up two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions AND a sesame seed bun.

Sark doesn’t give a damn.

If Texas wants to be Alabama, it appears Sark believes the best way to get there is by BEING Alabama.

When Alabama visits DKR in two seasons, Saban might not know which sideline to stand on.



No. 2 - A few more notes on Drew Hughes ...

I thought I'd share a few more notes on Hughes.

Over the course of the last decade, Hughes has worked at Alabama, N.C. State, Florida, Central Florida and Tennessee prior to his year in Columbia.

During that one season, Hughes had already made quite an impression on those covering the South Carolina program.

"I would say he brings a blend of experience with big-time recruiting, but he's also been at NC State and UCF, where you have to be resourceful," the South Carolina source mentioned. "He did a really good job in the transition period between (Will) Muschamp and (Shane) Beamer."

"He's very passionate, (he) can bring some intensity. He has some juice."

No. 3 - About the defensive coordinator position ...

I know there's a gigantic sense of urgency to get this staff completed so the Longhorns can truly start the Sarkisian Era in full force, but I'll say this...

Worry less about urgency and more about getting it right, which means that if it takes a month to get the most important hire right, so be it.

The 2021 recruiting class is not on the line. Yes, you'd like to have this hire in place as soon as possible for future classes, but there's nothing that is going to happen in January in defensive recruiting that a hire on the 17th of January will likely impact.

Just get it right.

If that means failing nine times and landing the big name difference maker on the 10th try, so be it.

You get the sense that Pete Golding has truly been the apple of Sarkisian's eye for possibly the last two week, and he's going to give his former co-worker as much time as he needs to make a decision before diving into a true back-up plan.

Whatever It Takes.

No. 4 - Funny conversation...

I was having a conversation with a well-connected Texas-Ex this weekend about the changes in the football program when the subject of Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife came up.

"That's not his job," the Houston resident griped. "He's not supposed to hire football coaches. He's the chair for the entire Texas system."

"Well, I think he's kind of a hero to a lot of people," I replied. "He's getting a lot of credit for there being excitement in the program."

"Who does he think he is, Frank Erwin?" he shot back.

"I think he'd find that to be a compliment," I joked. "It's not an accident that everyone at the press conference made a point to call him 'boss' in front of everyone else. Frank would have loved that, right?"

"Who is going to be the defensive coordinator," he finally asked after taking my comment in for a few seconds.

No. 5 - Klubnik vs. Ewers ...


Man, that was fun.

For two quarters on Saturday night, two of the best quarterbacks in the 2022 recruiting class went toe to toe, and it felt like an all-time championship ending was coming.

Then Klubnik and the rest of the Westlake team did the damn thing in a way I don’t think I’ve ever seen from a Westlake squad. I'm not saying it's the greatest team in school history, but that third quarter might have been the best 12 minutes of football that I've ever seen Westlake play.

It was as emphatic as it was impressive.

Along the way, Klubnik emerged as an elite prospect in my mind... I'm talking national top 50 good. I already thought of him as a national top 100-level prospect, but he was the best player on the field on Saturday night, with all due respect to Westlake defensive back Michael Taaffe.

That doesn't mean he's a better prospect than Quinn Ewers, but he was better on the biggest stage Saturday.

It felt like a lot of conversation on Orangebloods evolved into a Ewers vs. Klubnik comparison, but I don't think there's any reason to tear one down to build the other up. Both are big-time. Both have sick skills.

Klubnik's athleticism and raw suddenness give him a dimension that makes him a little different than Ewers, while Ewers’ natural throwing ability is probably higher.

Overall, I couldn't have been more impressed with Klubnik.

p.s - As soon as this coaching search is over, I'll be updating the 2022 LSR list. Stay tuned. Hang in there with me.

No. 6 - Five UT hoops thoughts...

a. Get well, fellas. When the news came down on Sunday that Wednesday's game in Ames had been postponed, I assumed the Longhorns were the cause of the cancellation after three of their players missed Saturday's win over Kansas State with what may have been COVID reasons. To find out that Iowa State was pausing team activities on top of the problems Texas was already having... well... let's just say it was a reminder of what we're in the middle of right now. Again, get well, fellas.

b. Texas beating the hell out of Kansas State is football and basketball is getting to be way too normal. I don't even know how to react to it.

c. This team is all kinds of fun.


d. I think the Iowa State game being postponed is good for the Longhorns. Suddenly, Texas has a week to possibly get some guys back, while avoiding a back-to-back road trip. Winning at TCU on Saturday becomes a must if the Longhorns want to take advantage.

e. The Texas women's team lost in Lubbock on Sunday to a very average Texas Tech team, mainly because it couldn't hit the broad side of the barn from the field (32.8 percent). Sometimes the analysis is as simple as that.

No. 7 – BUY or SELL …

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(Sell) Not even a little. I'd be more concerned if a "meh" hire had occurred.


(Buy) Sure, If I'm wrong, it might be by only a few days. I have a feeling Texas gets another soon.


(Buy) Yup.


(Sell) I'm not sure I buy into such concrete thinking at this point.


(Buy) It'll be close, but I'll take Texas edging A&M by a spot or two. Both could finish in the top five.


(Sell) It's silly for me to even think about it while the team is in the middle of one of the best seasons in school history (through the 1/4 mark in conference play).


(Buy) And it's not even close, if you believe the left tackle production in the final two games of the season means anything.


(Buy) Were there 17 fun days in 2020?


(Buy) Yup, I'll go with the inverted Daryl Hall and say that I can go for that.


(Buy) I can go for that, too.


(Sell) I just don't think that's happening in this decade.


(Sell) I don't believe that at all.


(Sell) I can't go for that, can't go for that, can't go for that, can't go for that.


(Sell) I don't think he's in play for the Texas DC job.


(Buy) He feels very Shawn Watson-esque.


(Sell) You ain't winning a damn thing.

No. 8 - Scattershooting on the world of sports...

... Play of the Weekend. Wow.


... The Katy Tigers are a damn machine that never stops.

... I was rooting for Cedar Park, but Denton Ryan was just way too good. Man, that's a talented team.

... Andy Reid has some massive stones.

... I enjoyed Baker Mayfield losing on Sunday. Can't help it.

... Can't believe Al Michaels double-jinxed Justin Tucker. I thought he was jinx-proof.

... It probably is time for Drew Brees to retire.

... Green Bay and Buffalo will be very difficult to beat. I'm not sure Kansas City is going to pull it off.

.., If you're the Texans, would you take Sam Darnold, the No. 2 pick in the draft and a first round pick next year for Deshaun Watson? Will a deal get better than that?

... Kevin Durant and James Harden looked kind of fun together on Saturday night. Also, did Harden lose 25 pounds in two days?

... I'm ready for the Sixers to trade Ben Simmons to the Wizards for Bradley Beal.

... Ok, Max Holloway, well done.

... Liverpool just isn't playing well enough right now. My team is just in a big ol' funk.

No. 9 - The List: Romantic Comedies ...

One of our dear OB brothers lost a bet to his wife this week and was put in a position where he thought he was going to be forced to watch a ROM-COM.

As the resident chick-flick champion on this site, I was a little disappointed that he didn't just come to me for advice. With that said, I thought I would make this the subject of this week's list.

This isn't so much a list of my top 10 personal all-time romantic comedies as much as this is my Top 10 list of romantic comedies to watch if you're typically not into the genre and want to survive/make your wife happy.

You can thank me later.

10. Crazy, Stupid, Love (Legit funny movie with Steve Carell. Your significant other will be ready to stop the movie by the time she sees Ryan Gosling's abs.)

9. Love Jones (Some might not call it a comedy, but I'd argue Bill Bellamy makes it one. This is the choice if you and your date prefer a little diversity.)

8. 10 Things I Hate About You (This is for the guy dating a woman in her 30s. A young Heath Ledger. A young Joseph Gordon-Levitt. A young Julia Stiles.)

7. Love Actually (Tons of raunchy British humor. Doubles as a holiday movie.)

6. Notting Hill (A better Julia Roberts choice than Pretty Woman for all of the British charm that Love Actually brings to the table. Hugh Grant's roommate makes this an absolute top 10 selection.)

5. Groundhog Day (It's one of the best comedies of all-time. Full stop.)

4. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (The best romcom of the 21st century.)

3. The Apartment (If you want to go with a classic Black and White, there are a lot of great options, but this Jack Lemmon/Shirley MacLaine classic is tough to beat.

2. Sleepless in Seattle (It's Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan at their ROMCOM best. It might be Hanks' best work.)

1. Bull Durham (Arguably the greatest sports movie of all-time. It ticks all of the boxes.)

No. 10 - And Finally ...

Thank you.

I probably don't say it enough. Just in general.

Thank you.
 
One movie in the last 32 years is on that list.

a. It appears to lean very heavily towards the classics, which is fine. Again, this wasn't my Top 10 all-time romcoms. This was a top 10 list of romcoms for guys being forced into watching a romcom.

b. I love It Happened One Night, but I'm not going to force that on a dude that might not have ever seen a movie from the 30s.
The Apartment is an inspired choice, but I'm not sure truly how funny it is. It gets pretty dark at times. However, it's probably Jack Lemmon's best role and it's so weird seeing Fred MacMurray (Mr. Douglas? Say it ain't so!) being so evil that you have plenty to keep your attention.

One other suggestion is Intolerable Cruelty with George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones. They've never looked better in front of the camera (although you could argue her debut in Mask of Zorro is a photo-finish tie), and the banter will have you rewinding to catch it all, or watching it multiple times. "Have you forgotten Kershner?"
 
The Apartment is an inspired choice, but I'm not sure truly how funny it is. It gets pretty dark at times. However, it's probably Jack Lemmon's best role and it's so weird seeing Fred MacMurray (Mr. Douglas? Say it ain't so!) being so evil that you have plenty to keep your attention.

One other suggestion is Intolerable Cruelty with George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones. They've never looked better in front of the camera (although you could argue her debut in Mask of Zorro is a photo-finish tie), and the banter will have you rewinding to catch it all, or watching it multiple times. "Have you forgotten Kershner?"
a. It's definitely dark. No doubt.

b. Entrapment?
 
Good list - Crazy Stupid Love needs to be higher. It's a top 5 all-timer, imo, particularly from the guy's perspective.

I'm completely fine with the way Sark has gone about filling this staff. No sense of urgency. Just methodically checking off boxes as he fills spots.
 
When Harry Met Sally is the best written dialogue possible. Also it posed the question that has generated lots of discussion—“can men and women be friends”. Plus the great line—“I’ll have what she’s having”. Great romantic ending. Ketch just got this one wrong. Ketch- take another look.
 
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Moonstruck was always my favorite rom-com. I adore Groundhog Day. Weird that it never occurred to me it's a Rom-Com - same with Bull Durham.

Inverted Daryl Hall. Great fvcking line.
 
The first piece is, yes.

Cool, follow up question. Did I read that there would be an additional member to the S&C like Bama does? I think they said a doctor or something to that effect. Or was it for somewhere else on the staff?
 
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Cool, follow up question. Did I read that there would be an additional member to the S&C like Bama does? I think they said a doctor or something to that effect. Or was it for somewhere else on the staff?
Expect them to copy everything Bama does.
 
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you have a very cool picture; is there any significance to it?
It is Winston Churchill on a warship during WW2. I think he was the greatest man of the 20th century. My late wife bought me that picture a year before she passed away, so it has deep significance for me, both as an admirer of a great person but also the last gift she gave me.
 
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