Two years later, I am still here.
Geoff Ketchum and I were recently having lunch at Plucker’s – as if he would eat somewhere else – and we realized I am about to enter my third year at Orangebloods. I completed my second year at OB on June 1, and it is hard to believe we are at this point so fast. Time stands still when you are stuck in Austin's traffic, especially if you live near Four Points and sit in that 620 parking lot. When it comes to my time at OB, it has moved a lot faster than I thought. There was a time when the howling of coyotes kept me up all night. Now, their celebration after a kill has become my “rain in the woods” sleep sound.
I have learned a lot about Orangebloods, and the great city of Austin, since arriving two years ago. There are still people out there getting to know me, which makes this a great opportunity to share with you some of my experiences.
Yeah, I could have named this week’s column “X number of things I have learned since moving to Austin," but unless you have a longstanding column with a number in the name, it just seems like a cheap Bleacher Report knock off.
Here you go:
Some readers genuinely question why I joined OB – Not in a bad way, even though I am sure everyone here may not like me (those people also kick kittens and hate babies). Recently, @Epompa18 asked about my decision to join Orangebloods after a successful career as an NFL writer. Here is the answer I provided in a previous thread:
When Ketch approached me about covering UT, honestly, I was lukewarm about the switch. At the time, I was still a Hall of Fame voter. I was a regular on the NBC Sports "Sports Dash" show, and all was good. From a writing perspective, I was in a great spot, especially at my age.
Ketch told me Austin was a wonderful place (I never visited Austin prior to flying up here to interview) and pitched the idea of having more freedom as a writer at OB.
I did a lot of career reflection, and I was not sure what else I could accomplish as an NFL writer. Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport weren't going anywhere. I loved being on TV, but former athletes are always going to get those jobs. At best, I could continue what I was doing, but I felt my room for growth was limited.
I have read comments on other messages boards stating joining OB was a step down, and some people assume I was in a bad place career wise and had to take this job. That's just not true. Joining OB provided me with a new challenge. I covered college football games previously, but never had a college beat. I figured there might be more room for upward advancement if I "start over" at OB. I also liked everyone who worked at OB. At the time, everyone who worked here had been here for several years, and I liked the stability.
Since joining OB, I have received two jobs offers. In fact, the last offer was about a month ago at a major company. Out of respect for the companies that contacted me, and the people eventually hired, I won't give the details. @Ketchum is aware of those offers. I listened to each offer, but decided each time I would be happier working at OB than another company. I never thought I would have felt this way nearly two years ago, but I am extremely happy in Austin.
I do miss being on TV and radio. I do not miss covering the NFL, which is a little surprising. I really enjoy covering this beat and trying to be successful in college sports. The road trips are not like NFL road trips - Lubbock vs. Miami - but I'm having a blast.
If all goes well, I hope to be here for a long time.
I have one regret since joining OB - Honestly, I do wish I never went after Chip Brown on Twitter earlier this year. No matter how offended I may have been at his line of questioning in a public setting, I should have looked Chip in his face and voiced my concerns. He deserved that.
I apologize to Chip for how I handled the situation.
Nothing will ever top the She_Hooks_Em debacle - Nobody knows the number of guys who cringe when her name is mentioned, but what occurred last year remains the most interesting disaster I have witnessed on OB. For those who missed it, there was a woman on OB who attracted a lot of attention from men on this website (foot fetishes), and some guys met her in person during a San Antonio gathering. She allegedly told more than one man a sad story about her personal life, which led them to give her money. However, when a few guys realized they were giving her money, the meltdown was epic.
I am not sure if the accused actually broke any laws, but she was a toxic and eventually banned.
It’s college football time y’all!!!
People want the newsletter - I receive an e-mail once every two months from people who want a subscription to the newsletter. Props to everyone for promoting the newsletter on our board.
In fact, here is an e-mail I received this past week requesting the newsletter. Keep up the good work!
The Big 12 is a confusing league - Since I have been here, the Big 12 bragged about having “One True Champion," but eventually split a conference title between Baylor and TCU. The league expressed zero interest in a conference championship game because every team played each other, but decided to add the title contest in 2017. On Wednesday, the league was not in favor of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield having an additional year of eligibility. After a huge uproar, a sudden re-vote led to Mayfield being given the extra year on Thursday. Seriously, it should not be that hard.
Always praise Franklin Barbecue - I made the mistake of not acting like it was made on God’s grill and paid the price. If I ever eat their food again, my reaction will definitely be different.
The Longhorn Corral … WOW! - That message board can be a scary place at time. I view The Corral like cutting through an alley to get home – it might be a faster route, but there is no telling who might pop out of a dumpster and shank you.
OT threads are great - I mentioned this last year, but most OT threads (off topic) are entertaining. There is not a spot in this country somebody on OB has not visited. It is hard to find a dish somebody on OB has not made. Obviously, the opinions by some readers are interesting. Heck, I have a friend who is a mortgage processor in Austin looking for work, and I find myself waiting for an OT hiring thread. It’s definitely a hidden jewel.
National Signing Day at Rivals is … - I heard about the previous meltdowns, but finally experienced it earlier this year. Obviously, there is not much I can say before I get a permanent ban without “blasting tits,” but it was worse than I anticipated.
I am like beer for some readers - I was walking with my son near home earlier this year and had an interesting encounter. Like many 3-year-olds, my son screams when he is happy. He was screaming as I carried him back from the playground, and I apologized to a woman in our community who was looking at us. The moment after I spoke, she instantly recognized me and as a loyal Orangebloods reader.
“You know, I really didn’t like when you first started,” she told me without hesitation.
Then there was a pause.
“And now?" I asked.
“I think you’re great,” she said.
Beer is the same way. At first, nobody really likes beer. It has a bitter taste, and you do not understand why anybody drinks it. Eventually, you keep drinking beer and get used to it. Some people even learn to enjoy beer. Others hate it.
Cheers!
Dallas vs. Houston debate - I have been to both cities several times. I have witnessed hecklers interrupt Joel Osteen’s church service, plus arrived on the scene a few seconds after a jewel store robbery at The Galleria mall. Houston is also home to that Arkansas home loss.
Sorry, but I am giving Dallas the edge right now.
The OB staff is awesome - I have been in the journalism business for over 20 years, which is an amazing number for me to see. Like most of you, I have witnessed staffs where people hated each other, could not stand their boss, and dysfunction was the norm. I have witnessed near fights. There were times I wondered if certain employees would come to work with a gun.
However, Orangebloods is nothing like that.
Jason Suchomel, Alex Dunlap, Dustin McComas and Ketch are extremely talented, but are great individuals. Nobody talks behind anybody’s back – unless they are all talking about me and I do not know about it. This staff is extremely supportive of each other. Working at OB is more like being a part of a family than working at a job. This is something I have never experienced, but definitely enjoy.
Ketch is a really good guy - I know everyone loves to give him a hard time. Some of you will never let the “85 percent” thing go. He gets attacked for sure. Most of you only know him on the surface.
Ketch has always been honest with me, which is not a quality everybody has. Every promise he made to me before I was hired has come true. Sure, he stood me up a few times when we where supposed to meet for lunch in the beginning, but I know where to find him if I have a question, or just want a good laugh.
More importantly, he is extremely supportive. Everyone at OB has dealt with a personal issue during my tenure in Austin, and Ketch is always the first person to make you take a day off. He is a great listener and gives excellent advice. He always has my back whenever I need it. Outside of the tension Ketch and I had when I was the trash-talking/dominate newcomer in his fantasy football league, we get along great (it happens when you have the league's best record and advance to the championship game in year one). He is definitely the best boss I have ever worked for.
Two years at Orangebloods have flown by.
However, I am happier here than I have ever been during my career.
Funniest Thing You Will See This Week
Sports On A Dime
1. It is hard to say something about Muhammad Ali that is not a cliche, However, I do wish I was old enough to see Ali during his prime instead of the countless documentaries and movies I watched about his life. The closest I ever got to Ali was listening to numerous stories during several interviews with Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, the boxer’s former cut man who lives in Tampa. He was “The Greatest” in every sense of the world. May he rest in peace.
2. Enjoy:
3. Just when I thought no player was more delusional than Sam Bradford after he demanded a trade from Philadelphia, we learned Nick Foles has not watched film of himself in a few years. Foles is not showing up to Rams practice because he is upset Jared Goff was drafted. The Rams already paid Foles’ $6 million roster bonus, leaving just a base salary of $1.75 million that the team would save by an outright release. Unless a team is desperate enough to trade for Foles after injuries occur in training camp, the Rams should not budge. Holding out for more money is one thing. Holding out because you are scared to compete is totally different.
4. Too much has been made of Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler’s decision not to join his former team (Denver) at Monday’s White House visit. Sure, it is a once in a lifetime trip. However, it’s Osweiler’s life. If Osweiler does not want to be around his former team, but wants to focus on living up to Houston’s expectation, I am sure his current employer supports that decision.
5. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo insisted last year’s collarbone injury was an anomaly during a recent interview with the team’s website: “I guess what I'm trying to say, basically, is I feel like last year was an anomaly. If we're going to base it all on that, you have to come back and prove differently. But the fact that we went 4-12, whether I was playing or not -- we have to do better. I think part of that is me being healthy, I think part of that is guys getting better and improving.” If Romo is unable to play this year, Dallas better hope Dak Prescott is ready because Kellen Moore cannot get the job done.
6. The Pro Bowl was moved from Hawaii to Orlando this past week. I still will not watch.
7. Baylor is the perfect example of how a school should not react to a media crisis. Instead of ripping off the Band-Aid, Baylor continuously finds itself in the news for behavior by everyone associated – and no longer associated – with the program. One thing is for sure, the arrogance by the people in power at Baylor definitely contributed to its downfall.
8. There were a lot of disappointments expressed by school outside of the power five after hearing the Big 12’s stance against expansion, coupled with the conference game addition. Here is what Tampa Bay Times columnist Martin Fennelly wrote about the University of South Florida’s diminishing hopes of joining the Big 12:
“A Big 12 Network might have given USF some hope, what with it playing in a top-15 TV market. Then again, who watches USF? Also, where are the fannies in the seats, the program donors, the corporate support?
“People such as Harlan are working hard to make USF more relevant. But what USF needs is consistent winning football on the chance realignment or expansion ever kicks in again. I wouldn't count on it. Expansion, that is.
“Unless the Big 12 gets up one morning and decides to adopt. Then again, it could keep teasing Group of Five schools. I wouldn't put anything past that conference. It's a 10-ring circus.
“And if the circus called this morning, USF would put on its exploding shoes and head for the door.”
9. Sorry, but I believe LeBron James will have plenty of disappointing reactions during what is left of Cleveland’s series against Golden State. James is a tremendous player, but if he cannot win a championship without Dwayne Wade, there deserves to be an asterisk next to his accomplishments.
10. It is time for Kevin Durant and James Harden to make peace with Lil B if they ever want the curse lifted.
