Everyone is waiting for a official diagnosis of what it is that happened. I would want the facts out if it was me so rumors would not be floating around.
Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Thinking a lot about Derrian Brown...)
- Thread starter Ketchum
- Start date
Thoughts and prayers for the Brown family. Get well!!!
My apologies to those who did not want to watch the SB; I had said that the Pats' SBs are always close, great games, so watch the game. Well, I was wrong; that was almost unwatchable, even for this diehard Pats fan. Oh well. Sorry.
Hook 'em!!!
My apologies to those who did not want to watch the SB; I had said that the Pats' SBs are always close, great games, so watch the game. Well, I was wrong; that was almost unwatchable, even for this diehard Pats fan. Oh well. Sorry.
Hook 'em!!!
Last edited:
We drive by this spot about 4 times a year and never fail to throw little thoughts Cole's way and wonder about his family......
Ah, yes. Completely forgot!
This. THIS.
U2's halftime show was the first where the Super Bowl used a musical act that was still making relevant music at the time. Before that, it had been a lot of past-their-prime names, people who came out and did Vegas act medleys of songs. In hiring U2, the Super Bowl totally changed direction with its halftime performances.
U2's kickass performance was also symbolic, being the first Super Bowl halftime show after 9/11, and they put on a show worthy of that.
I was suprised that I liked Katy Perry's show as much as I did, but that had a lot to do with how huge a production it was with the giant props. Lady Gaga was much the same - good show, major stage production.
But when it comes to all-time great Super Bowl halftime performances, there's U2 and Prince and then everybody else.
Great post Ketch. I agree that D. Brown’s situation is his and his families business. It weighs heavy on my heart and I certainly hope that his situation is not nearly as bad as it could be and as bad as some imaginations seem to be alluding to. I truly hope that the worst is pure speculation. Football, no football, God Bless you young man. I have been praying for your healing so you can live your best life!!
Here's my thing.
What was different about their performance that you can't get in any performance that U2 puts on in concert?
They came out with Beautiful Day, which isn't one of their best songs IMO.
They played a 9/11 tribute song and played Where The Street Have No Name.
I just feel like what everyone remembers is the patriotism more than the actual performance, which nothing about it at all was special.
This is the hill you choose to die on?
Any post is up for critique. Even yours. As long as I m not abusive, etc.This is the hill you choose to die on?
I remember watching Whitney Houston sing the anthem that day. You couldn't hold back the tears. What a beautiful spirit she had. Requiescat in pace.
- Mar 14, 2007
- 17,911
- 14,804
- 113
It has been said that there is no love greater than the love of a child, and no pain worse than the death of a child. You might have to be of a certain age to fully appreciate that, but your comments certainly reminded me of that sentiment.
I remember Steinmark. It was roughly 25 years before I started covering the team, which is the time frame I discussed.
Do YOU remember Steinmark?
I remember all the talk about Steinmark on this board. I've seen a lot of the films about him. But no, i do not remember him.
I'm not sure I know what to say about Texas running back signee Derrian Brown as I sit down to put thoughts into words, but I know I haven't been able to stop thinking about him this weekend.
Perhaps if I'm honest, I've thought more about his parents.
I've always said that one of the unintentional downsides to my career is that it introduces me to a world of extreme sadness and disappointment just as it does extreme happiness and pure satisfaction. For every Malcom Brown that wins a Super Bowl and fulfills a life full of dreams that come true is a Sonny Davis that can never quite get away from the demons that make fulfilling dreams seemingly impossible.
Yet, I would contend that we've all been pretty lucky around these parts for as long as I can remember when it comes to football players and life-changing or life-ending disasters. Outside of the death of Cole Pittman in 2001 when I was a 24-year old cub reporter, I haven't personally had to cover another of these worst of the worst situations in my 25 years on the Texas beat.
Sixteen years ago, Lance McFarland was forced to leave the team because of cancer, which he defeated like a boss. Former offensive lineman Matt Nader had the scare of all scares as a high school senior at Austin Westlake on the field, but he's gone on to have a pretty terrific life. Of course, current Texas hoopster Andrew Jones has been fighting the good fight against cancer for the last year, but his long-term outlook is optimistic. Outside of those three situations, it's hard for me to remember other situations like these that would represent the kind of life-changing moments that nearly max out as a 10 on the dramatically serious situations that can occur in life.
In a span of the last quarter-century, that's pretty good.
What made the situation with Brown so difficult this weekend is that it felt as serious as serious gets. Without getting into the specifics of what he's dealing with because it's really none of our business, the urgency of the last 72 hours has been a bit scary. One moment, you've got a kid still in a position to chase every single one of his life's dreams and the next moment everything about life feels as fragile as a single breath itself.
Back in 2001, the passing of Pittman was a crusher for me on a personal level. While we weren't best friends or anything, I had covered him closely when he was a high school prospect and I was a reporter working at KEYE-TV, while also maintaining a friendship when he arrived at Texas. When it occurred, I was only able to see it through the prism of a young person losing a friend. Try as I might, I could never understand what Pittman's father felt in that moment because some things you can't know until you're a parent.
Just this weekend, I lost one of my four-year olds at Urban Air for about 20 seconds. Nothing too crazy, but in such a den of madness, panic overcame me as the amount of control I had over the safety of a child was momentarily vulnerable. Normally, I'm not someone dominated by anxiety in my role as a parent, but man, this time the anxiety was real. However, a moment later, Hendrix appeared and control was restored. At least, for a brief moment.
Yet, that was just a brief moment. Everything was actually fine. Just the thought for 20 seconds that something could be wrong was enough to nearly send me straight to despair and it wasn't but a mere fraction of what one feels when something truly terrifying occurs.
All of this brings me back to Brown's parents and the agony of dealing with a situation where the safety of your child isn't within your control. I found myself aching for them this weekend, suddenly able to grasp that parenthood thing in a way that I could have never known anything about before 2014. You live long enough as a parent and you'll know moments of absolute fear as well as you know anything in life. My own son underwent cranial surgery at six months old and a piece of your soul dies in those quietest moments of uncertainty when you'll offer to anyone that will listen the chance to trade positions for the safety of your child.
My worst fear as a human is something happening to my kids and over the weekend I spent a lot of time thinking about Brown's parents, hoping there's a moment this weekend when they could be able to know that their son is going to be ok, knowing that if there was a deal that they could make to ensure the safety of their child, they would willingly leap towards it. With every small behind-the-scenes update that indicated Brown was doing better, I hoped it provided a bit of relief for mom and dad.
I don't really know what to say at this point other than to say it goes without saying that the thoughts, prayers and all of the good karma the Orangebloods universe can produce goes out to Brown and his loved ones. Let him walk out of that hospital as soon as possible, so that he can get after chasing those dreams, while his parents can feel a piece of normalcy in the process.
Hang in there, Derrian.
Hang in there, Brown family.
No. 2 -Hot take of the weekend ...
I might put Roger Clemens in the Hall of Fame just because he threw this breaker at the age of 56. I'd watch games of him and Nolan Ryan playing in a veteran's league.
No. 3 - The F-bomb heard throughout College Station ...
I'm not saying that Javonne Shepard is definitely going to sign with Texas, but it would be a new level of trolling to drop a "F*** A&M" blast on social media, only to turn around and sign with the Aggies a few days later.
If he did flip, you'd have to go back to 2005 with Ryan Perrilloux to find a situation where a Texas commit swore until the final hours that he was going to sign with Texas, only to turn heel on signing day.
Speaking of 2005, this story reminds me of the time when Jason @Suchomel interviewed Jorvorskie Lane in the summer of 2004, as Lane shared some similar life views on Texas A&M in an interview with Orangebloods, only to have A&M fans flip out with suggestions that Lane never said what he was quoted as saying. It did warrant a chuckle when he eventually committed, signed and played with the Aggies.
Some things on the Internet change and some things will always remain the same ... A&M fans feeling slighted and getting into their feelings will always be the latter.
No. 4 - Life on the bubble ...
With an RPI in the 40s, the Texas basketball team will be a name firmly planted on the bubble list for the next five weeks or so.
Nothing about what happened in Ames was remotely surprising. Moving forward, Texas will win some games at home and lose most of the games on the road. With the No. 2 schedule in the country according to RealTimeRPI.com, the Longhorns will get some benefit of the doubt from the committee, but how much?
With home games against Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and TCU, it feels like Texas can get to 16 wins by winning four of the last five. With this team, it's tough to project a perfect finish at home to get to 17 wins with home wins alone.
Road games against West Virginia, Oklahoma, Baylor and Iowa State remain. Outside of a possible win in Morgantown, I'm not sure there's a win in this group of four games. If the Longhorns end up losing five of their last nine games, they will enter the Big 12 Tournament with a 16-15 record. To say that they’ll need to win a game in the Big Tournament is an understatement. Tough schedule or not, you'd think they'd need a resume with 18 wins on it. At least.
That makes the next week of basketball for the Longhorns critically important. At some point, this team is going to get sucked into a realm of 2019 mediocrity that could leaving the final result of the season feeling every bit as empty as it has generally felt emotionally inside of the Erwin Center all year.
No. 5 – BUY or SELL …
BUY or SELL: Texas finishes with another top 3 class in 2020?
(Buy) Yes, coming off of a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia and poised for a championship run on the field in 2019, I like this program's chances of putting together a monster class.
BUY or SELL: We pull a surprise RB now with the uncertainty in Derrian Brown?
(Sell) Just a hunch.
BUY or SELL: David Beatty? In for 2019? More than a consultant?
(Sell) It might happen some day, but it doesn't seem poised to happen in 2019. Timing is everything.
BUY or SELL: Kirk Johnson, you can phrase the question.
(Sell) If we're talking about a breakout season, I'll say no. If the question is merely about the internal strength he's showed to even have a chance to have a breakout year in 2019, I'll buy all day.
BUY or SELL: The Transfer Portal will become so abused that the NCAA will take action so as to limit free agency in college football?
(Sell) I think the fuss is slightly overstated.
BUY or SELL: Charles Omenihu is the only Longhorn drafted while a couple others go as undrafted free agents?
(Sell) Texas will have several drafted players.
BUY or SELL: The new LSR ranking will be out this week?
(Buy) The plan is the final 2019 on Monday and the 2020 list on Wednesday.
BUY or SELL: If the Bro Down thread gets over 500 pages, @AnwarsFedora gets a free year's subscription to OB?
(Sell) I'd lock it at 499 pages just to own the thread.
BUY or SELL: 2019 is the worst batch of Best Picture nominees in the last 5 years?
(Buy) I need to see two of the eight, but I think at least four of the eight are just pretty good.
No. 6 - Breaking down Super Bowl LIII ...
Man, I don't really have anything to say. I really wished I had watched True Detective live.
As entertaining as Tony Romo was, we just watched the worst Super Bowl of my lifetime. Even the Adam Levine halftime show is blushing over what transpired over 60 minutes.
I suppose the bottom line is that Tom Brady for No.6, which is all history will remember the game for, but that game will not stay on a lot of DVRs.
No. 7 - Recruiting rankings of the newest NFL Hall of Famers ...
Ed Reed loves to tell people that he was a two-star prospect when he was a recruit way back in the day, but the truth of the matter is that he pre-dates the star ranking system, which arrived a couple of years after he was a prospect.
That being said, he was not a star recruit. On the other hand, Tony Gonzales and Champ Bailey were. I did a little digging on Sunday through some old National Recruiting Advisor books and found the rankings. Enjoy.
(Note: Ty Law, Kevin Mawae and Johnny Robinson all pre-date rankings that I could locate.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... If I'm the Pelicans, I'm not trading Anthony Davis before the trade deadline unless I'm overwhelmed with an offer. If he's going to the Lakers, they'll have to pay a Lakers tax.
... If the Knicks land the No. 1 pick, would you go to New York if you're Kevin Durant and you could team up with another superstar? Would it need to be Anthony Davis or would Kyrie be enough?
... Still waiting, Bryce, just take as much time as you like.
... I'll take things I've never seen this before for $500, Alex ....
... Just keep grinding, Reds. Three points today ... any means needed.
No. 9 - The List: Favorite Super Bowl performances ...
In honor of the NFL letting Maroon 5 perform its 2019 Super Bowl halftime show, I present my personal list of top Super Bowl performances, halftime shows and national anthems included.
Yes, I spent far more time on compiling this list than I probably should have.
1
0. Luther Vandross at Super Bowl XXXI - One of my all-time favorites.
9. Aerosmith, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, and Nelly at Super Bowl XXXV - This one has aged pretty well.
8. Michael Jackson at XXVII - The granddaddy of the new-era Super Bowl halftime shows.
7. Lady Gaga at Super Bowl L - A top three anthem performance for my money.
6. Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson, Kid Rock, Nelly, and P. Diddy - Nipple-gate overshadowed a really nice performance.
5. Faith Hill at Super Bowl XXXVI - Just a flawless lyrical performance.
4. Katy Perry at XLIX - Don't judge me, but I really liked this one. Missy Elliott joining the show was everything.
3. Beyonce at Super Bowl XLVII - Queen Bey did the damn thing. Simple as that.
2. Prince at Super Bowl XLI - It freaking rained in the middle of his performance of Purple Rain. I won't argue anyone slotting this in the top spot.
1. Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV.
This might be the most patriotic I can ever remember being in my entire life. Given the backdrop of the performance, it was a 10 on the 1-10 chill-inducing scale. I don't care if it was potentially re-recorded.
No. 10 – And Finally ...
Dogs are just the best.
love the doggle and snow gif
what a dork
i just cannot imagine the loss of one of my children, or one of my grandchildren for one of my children.
that is my perpetual prayer to God. let whatever has to happen, happen to me and not one of them.
my heart just cringes when i hear about the loss of anyone's child-- because of the love i have for my own, i know how hard it must be for them to bear. i have seen it and i cannot imagine the pain of bearing it.
Prayers for him big time, May God be with him. Something similar happened to me as this past year went by (was born with it unfortunately and didn't decide to show up until I was 30...spent OVER the whole past year in the hospital, turned 31 in the hospital as well, but thank God I made it to be 32 this past December), was definitely TOUGH to say the least for my parents, but thank God I am here, was only given a 2% chance to live (and from what the doctors said and predicted, IF I did in fact live then there was more than a 75% chance that I'd be confined to a specialized wheelchair and a vegetable) which is why I was away from Orangebloods for so long (which also sucked haha, but definitely happy to be back) but yes God be with him. Will definitely say prayers and pray/hope for the best for the young man...
I really appreciate that man, damn good to be back and if ANYONE ever had a reason to doubt/not believe in God, I'm a damn good reason why they should not doubt/should believe in Him. Thank God too, for what happened to me did get a lot of people closer to Him, especially a lot people such as a lot of family, friends and my football players who doubted/questioned Him a lot
That's just it. Before U2, Super Bowl halftimes were just past-their-prime acts doing song medleys. In 2001, "Beautiful Day" won the Grammy for Song of the Year, and we can agree to disagree about it being one of their best. I still play it LOUD. And All that You Can't Leave Behind, the album it came from, won the Grammy in 2001 for Record of the Year. The Super Bowl had never before had such a major, relevant act perform at halftime.
Unlike past Super Bowls, U2 didn't come out and play an uninspired medley of the songs. They performed a short playlist. And it being the first Super Bowl after 9/11, "Beautiful Day" couldn't have been a more perfect leadoff song. Yes, atmospherics were a key part of their show, but America needed that at the time, and U2 contributed something special to the healing of this country that day. And the music they played was tight and commanded your ear. It was a truly memorable performance.
I mean, what would Katy Perry's show have been without the props, and how was that different from the tour she did?
It's ok. We just disagree.
It was a two-song set with two solid performances of each song. Take away the moment of it all and there's not a lot to it. It could have easily made the Top 10 for that alone.
Whitney took the moment but added a truly special performance to go along with it.
I know. It's just kind of random. But hey, I'm here for it
Hey, we all have to take our beatings; whether we think we deserve them or not.
Appreciate that Ketch, thanks brother. Will be better once I'm back to coaching football ha.
In the story I told about my mom on this thread Slim........I picture a man like you being the volunteer who gave her that rubbing of my brother's name: he did that with no words spoken just a nod and a salute.
