Weekend Review

Weekend Ball: Trisha had a fun 30th birthday party with an amazing selection of appetizers. I guess when you hit your 30s it becomes more about discriminating taste and less about getting wasted. Which is a shame, because it makes me feel old as I am only 9.5 months away from the 30s myself. That is why I am giving the game ball to Amanda Sapp, Trisha's sister, and Becky who threw caution to the wind and got trashed with youthful exuberance. --Happy Birthday to both Trisha and Alice!

Weekend Goat: The Texas Longhorns basketball team, who lost to Oklahoma. Any loss to OU by baseball (of which Texas is currently National Champions), football (of which Texas is currently National Champions), basketball, or any sport for that matter is disgraceful and unacceptable. Hopefully the team will rebound and win the Big 12 and possibly a National Championship, but this loss carries a sour taste in my mouth at the moment, and I am thoroughly disgusted.

Quote of the weekend: "You are now my favorite Jew"-- said to me by Kevin Kilby, need I say more?

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down Segment:

THUMBS UP: Jennifer Caron for making a good choice at dinner Friday night--I highly recommend the Carnitas at Don Pablos.
THUMBS UP: Chronicles of Narnia, a little sophomoric, but an entertaining couple of hours.

THUMBS DOWN: The Thrashers for losing again on Saturday. Bad stretch going on.

THUMBS DOWN: Jeff for not attending a fitness workout on Saturday

THUMBS UP: Linda and Patrick, it is always good to meet new folks.
THUMBS UP: Linda's dip, could be some serious competition if she enters the "Dip Off"

THUMBS UP: Becca Kilby for keeping it real.
THUMBS UP: Kevin Kilby for naming me his favorite Jew and ....
THUMBS UP: Amanda Sapp for doing her favorite Jew dance for me

THUMBS UP: Bacon wrapped dates with gorgonzola cheese.

THUMBS UP: Tiger Woods, first tournament in his 30s, another win.

Happy Birthday Kelly Oliver

29 years ago today the world was changed for the better when Kelly Thrash was brought into it by her lovely mother Dawn. Later in life, Kelly had the fortune of meeting David Oliver. David and I were friends in high school, travelled together in Europe, and became college roommates at UGA. Kelly and I had met before, but we bonded during one magical night in New Orleans in 1997 where we enjoyed fine seafood, weird "silhouettes", and delicious coffee at Cafe Du Monde. Ever since then we've been friends in our own right and have built many good memories and traditions, one of which is our annual MLK day celebration. David and Kelly currently reside in Hattiesburg, Mississippi where they are raising two wonderful kids, Carson and Cecile.

Happy Birthday Kelly!

Questions to the Prime Minister

Last night I was watching the Prime Minister’s questions from the British House of Commons. This is an excellent display of the way a democracy really should work. The Prime Minister stands in front of the entire House of Commons and has to answer questions coming directly from the opposition parties’ leaders and other members of the House. The prime minister must respond without delay, thinking on his or her feet. This element of surprise allows opposition to try to catch the prime minister with an awkward question. The PM’s party can normally be relied upon to ask a `helpful' question which will allow the prime minister to tell the House about successful government policies. It is really quite amusing and informative. It would be akin to President Bush going in front of the House of Representatives and being asked questions directly from the Democrats. This really allows the public to see the policy differences between to the two parties (or in the UKs case, 3 main parties) and make an informed decision as to where they stand. It is much better than we have here in the U.S. where everyone tries to spin their position in the media and never actually meet face to face (in public at least_. The “Questions to the Prime Minister” actually takes place on Wednesdays and the discussion last week was about identification cards, which I found an interesting subject. C-SPAN reruns the Questions each Sunday night at 9 PM. If you want to see some dramatic television and also learn a little something, I suggest you check it out sometimes. (Oh, and you also get to hear some cool Scottish accents)

Weekend Review

Weekend Ball: After months and months of prodding, ridiculing, and waiting Jorge finally got is act together and took us out to a Peruvian Restaurant, Sweet Devil Moon. For that, he gets the weekend ball. It was good food and a good time. Unfortunately...

Weekend Goat: they ripped us off in the end, thus Sweet Devil Moon receives the goat of the weekend. In some "fuzzy" math we ended up paying a much higher bill than anyone expected. It is a tapas restuarant so it is hard to exactly keep tract of what was ordered, but they clearly gave themselves the benefit of the doubt.

Quote of the weekend: It is a real shame I was the only sober one to hear this, but after dropping Jeff off early Sunday morning, Howard and I were on our way back to the house. In order to get back to the house we take a right out of the complex; however, when we were approaching the turn Howard instructed me to make a left turn instead. When I inquired why, he said
"Because that is the way to SKULL BURN!"




Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down Segment:

THUMBS UP: Dad for recording the Rose Bowl for me on ESPN Classic and Mom for watching the game for a second time.

THUMBS UP: Rigaberto, in a fitting tribute to the Tico Elvis (from Costa Rica) we enjoyed Tres Leches while at Sweet Devil Moon

THUMBS DOWN: Jeff for eating my soup
THUMBS DOWN: Jeff for yelling at the top of his lungs at two police cars "I smell Bacon!"
THUMBS DOWN: Jeff for making us late on Saturday night
THUMBS UP: Jeff, he is big so I have to give him some positive press as well

THUMBS DOWN: John, for falsely accusing me of having outside influences on who gets a thumbs up or thumbs down. This is an unbiased broadcast and all thumbs up, thumbs down are earned by the participants. Unlike John, Julie does not make decisions for me.

THUMBS UP: John for still working tirelessly on my behalf

THUMBS DOWN: Nancy, for spiking glasses on the floor and shattering them at the restaurant...
THUMBS UP: On second thought, if they are going to rip us off, might as well have some fun destroying things

THUMBS UP: Howard, only two days after his bold prediction of a Chad Campbell 14 win PGA season, Campbell gets the win and now only needs 13 more.
THUMBS DOWN: Howard, for stealing my Krystal Chick.

THUMBS UP: Jim (next door neighbor who has a recording studio in his basement), for playing some smooth jazz on the saxaphone at 2 AM which was a nice relaxing thing to hear on the deck when getting home after a long night
THUMBS DOWN: Howard for being loud and obnoxious while Jim was playing his music


THUMBS UP: Todd for having a boisterous time at Sweet Devil Moon
THUMBS DOWN: Todd for going overboard with his boisterous time and becoming extremely loud

THUMBS UP: Ben Curtis, my favorite professional athlete, by making the cut in his first PGA tournament of the year and having a great round on Saturday (note to all professional athletes: by getting me free tickets to events you can move up my list of favorite professional athletes rapidly)

THUMBS DOWN: Thrashers for losing two in a row, one a defensive letdown, one an offensive letdown
THUMBS UP: Georgia and Texas basketball teams for taking care of business over the weekend
THUMBS DOWN: Andy Roddick for losing early in a major yet again

THUMBS UP: James Carville and Mary Matalin, they are always fun to watch on Meet the Press.

THUMBS UP: Ben and Marnie for inviting me to watch the NFL games on their new HDTV...
THUMBS DOWN: which did not get the games on high definition

THUMBS DOWN: Marta police for harassing my friend Todd. Just because you didn't make the real police force doesn't mean you need to harass people for no reason.

THUMBS UP: Steve Kaplan, I haven't seen him in a while, but it is refreshing to know he still lives up to his DFW reputation

THUMBS UP: Chuck Norris, after the French viewed a tape of the show Walker, Texas Ranger, they promptly surrended to Chuck Norris just in case.

THUMBS DOWN: NFL, for providing us two boring games on Sunday

Bold Prediction

In a shocking statement Friday Howard Kalin predicted that Chad Campbell would win 14 PGA tournaments this year. Campbell has gotten out to a big lead in the Bob Hope Classic, which would mean he would only have 13 to go, but that is still a huge task. He had no wins and 5 top ten finishes in 2005.

Here are what some other tour players had to say about Mr. Kalin's statement:

Tiger Woods: "That is ****ing bull****! Has he seen me play? I kick ass. If anyone is going to win 14 ****ing tournaments in 2006, it will be me! **** you Howard."

Michael Campbell: "I think that bloke has the wrong Campbell. Maybe going down under screwed with his mind."

Justin Leonard: "National Champions! The Longhorns are National Champions!...Oh, Campbell, whatever, The Longhorns are national champions!"

Phil Mickelson: "Boy, I'd have some fun with Tiger's wife!, What, I am being quoted, oh ****! Um, I have the utmost respect for Chad Campbell, he is a great man with a fantastic family."

The Case for War

This picture is of new Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. You may have heard in recent weeks he has called for Israel to be wiped off the earth and other Iranian officials have called for the destruction of the United States. Iran has also said they will continue to develop their nuclear program. So, here we are, a country who has called for our destruction and gladly claims to want to explore greater nuclear technology. Unfortunately the only real option we have in dealing with Iran is through diplomatic efforts. And why is this? Because we have significant military investment in the war in Iraq.

And with that is the whole reason the case for war in Iraq was flawed. It is not as if this war is not a noble effort to provide democracy to a struggling country under a tyrannical maniac. I wish we could do this everywhere where a vicious dictator ruled, but unfortunately we cannot because the cost comprises our own security. Now we cannot stand up to the likes of Iran and North Korea because we are mired fighting an insurgency in Iraq. The reason war in Iraq was not warranted is not no WMD, or that Bush lied to the American people, it is that the opportunity cost of this war is too great.

Opportunity cost is an economic term referring to what you give up by doing something else, i.e. by going to a football game I would be unable to go to the gym.. I think, and have thought, this concept has completely been lost in discussions about the war in Iraq. Since our military has been stretched thin with this war we have not been able to focus as much on Afghanistan and we leave ourselves vulnerable against rogue governments like Iran and North Korea, who present much more of a threat than Iraq ever did.

I don't think Iran is serious about really doing anything, just a lot of talk. If they wanted war with Israel or the U.S. it would be pretty simple to awaken these to large military powers. They aren't that dumb. But they do pose a threat, and we must walk on thin ice with these maniacs. Unfortunately, that ice would be a lot thicker if we had more military options.

Weekend Review

Weekend Ball: Martin Luther king Jr. stood for civil rights and diversity. In honor of this great man I think it is appropriate to give the weekend ball to a man who exemplified the spirit of diversity this weekend—Todd Grandominico. Todd threw a party on Saturday in which he was able to get Nancy, Ed, and Mrs. Krogmeier all in the same room. That is an extremely diverse group from all walks of life and personalities, and one in which I believe MLK would be proud.

Weekend Goat: This goes out to Julie, I, and Todd who all contributed to making Todd’s beautiful set of 4 crystal wine glasses a sad set of 1 beautiful crystal wine glass

Quote of the Weekend: In a shocking first, Todd has managed to get himself placed in all three of the beginning segments of the weekend review. During the beginning of 24 last night as President David Palmer was looking quite concerned and the tension could be cut with a butter knife Todd says “He’s thinking about his Allstate Insurance.” (the actor who plays David Palmer is also the spokesman for Allstate).

Honorable mention: “Your blog has power” said to me on Saturday night.

THUMBS UP, THUMBS DOWN SEGMENT:

THUMBS DOWN: John Fulcher for trying to frame me as the one who spilled on a beautiful white tablecloth at Shabbat dinner.

THUMBS UP: Scott, for becoming a MOT. Welcome, we’re glad you’re a member.
THUMBS DOWN: John, for not being able to keep his yamukah on his head. He’s got a long way until he can become an honorable MOT like Todd.
THUMBS UP: John and Julie to having their first Jewish experience.

THUMBS UP: Adina, Scott, and Stacie for cooking a delicious meal.
THUMBS DOWN: MichelleS (now we’ve got another one!)
THUMBS DOWN: Tony Soprano’s right hand man, for claiming da Bears would cover the 3 point spread (they lost the game)

THUMBS UP: Me, for bringing a rum cake to dinner on Friday night…
THUMBS DOWN: on a plate I got from the Dollar Tree

THUMBS UP: Mac and Brian for willing the Longhorns Basketball team to a victory over No. 3 Villanova
THUMBS UP: Levi Stukes, for hitting a three pointer at the buzzer to carry UGA to a victory over South Carolina
THUMBS UP: Kari Lehtonen for goaltending a shutout for the Thrashers against the Blues.

THUMBS DOWN: Howie, for being a chicken and not buying a new car.

THUMBS UP: Me, for showing up to Todd’s party in fashion wearing a “Peru” hat

THUMBS UP: Jenny Park for showing up to the party stag, electing to leave her partner at home.

THUMBS UP: Mrs. Krogmeier for being the first Krogmeier to invite me to Iowa
THUMBS DOWN: Michelle for not being the first Krogmeier to invite me to Iowa

THUMBS UP: Me, for laying a Ray Lewis like tackle on Todd
THUMBS DOWN: Me, for laying a Ray Lewis like tackle on Todd… a second time

THUMBS UP: Amanda Sapp for agreeing to marry me
THUMBS DOWN: Amanda Sapp for dumping me 5 minutes later when she found out I couldn’t make Tiramasu
THUMBS UP: Nancy, for talking smack to Howie about Penn State and actually enjoying it!

THUMBS UP: Marshall for spending his Saturday doing charity work

THUMBS UP: Mom, Dad, and Sam Ohsix for getting me Longhorn National Championship memorabilia (this should serve as a precedent to others)

THUMBS UP: Jack Bauer—he’s back!

THUMBS DOWN: Cassy, for harassing me and making me sneeze.

Thrashers game

I am adding this picture to my blog from last Friday's Thrashers game for my cousin Joel in Australia. He is the biggest Thrashers fan in the Southern Hemisphere. Joel, I wish you could have been there with us!

National Championship and Weekend Review

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW

Game Ball: Hmmm..This is a tough one. Let me think. Well, I guess it has to go to Vince Young. His magical performance in the Rose Bowl vaulted Texas to the top of college football with the 2005 National Championship. He scored two touchdowns with under 5 minutes to go in the game, with the second being on 4th and 5 with 19 seconds left.

Goat of the Game: Matt Leinart. He was ungracious in defeat saying “the better team did not win”. Sorry, Matt, the better team and the better quarterback won this one.

Quote of the Game: After the USC touchdown with 6:42 to go in the game-- “Here is what we are going to do,” said Defense Coordinator Gene Chizik, “We’re going to go score, and then we’ve got to have a stop. And it may have to come on fourth down.”

He was right, and he successfully outcoached Pete Caroll by stacking the line on 4th and 2 and stopping Lendale White.

Horns Up, Horns Down Segment:

HORNS UP: Todd and myself for getting to Jocks and Jills 2 hours before gametime, drinking some Shiner and booing Reggie Bush

HORNS UP: Texas Exes Atlanta Chapter for coming out and making Jocks and Jills a standing room only affair

HORNS UP: Marshall, Jorge, Suzanne, Jennifer, Sam, Todd, and Howard for all making it out to help support the Longhorns.

HORNS DOWN: Michelle for not making it out even though I supported Iowa State. I have now instructed the Texas basketball team to show no mercy against Iowa State tonight.

HORNS UP: All my friends from Texas who it has been fun to share this run with even though we are spread across the country

HORNS UP: George Bush (see picture)

HORNS DOWN: Julie, for not making it out to see the game. Tiredness is no excuse, it is the National Championship for crying out loud!

HORNS UP: John Fulcher for staying up late to watch the game at his grandmothers and giving me a telepathic high five.

HORNS UP: Mom, for staying up late to watch the game at home and giving me a telepathic hug afterwards.

HORNS DOWN: Dad, for fall asleep before the end of the game

HORNS UP: Me, for cursing the referees out so much on the Texas interception that they were scared on the ensuing drive to call Vince Young down and thus gave the Longhorns a much need TD.

HORNS UP: Todd, for staying up and sharing some fine cigars with me after the game

HORNS UP: Jorge, for not being a football fan, but still having a legitimate reason to hate USC

HORNS UP: Kim, for securing me an Austin paper from the day after and being a great Texas fan.

HORNS UP: Trisha, Jeff, Marshall, Michelle, and Julie for sending out congratulations after the game. It was nice to see all those messages!

HORNS UP: The entire Texas football program—players and coaches—for providing us with a memorable season and a magical championship.


WEEKEND REVIEW:

Weekend Ball: Howard Kalin for getting me Thrashers tickets and not charging me a “Free Tickets fee”

Weekend Goat: Millions of dollars. For luring Vince Young away from Texas and into the NFL.

Quote of the Weekend: John Fulcher about what Julie said to John on NYE—“Bitch, get up!”

THUMBS UP, THUMBS DOWN SEGMENT:

THUMBS UP: Illya Kovalchuk for scoring a hatrick as the Thrashers beat the Penguins 6-4 on Friday night. They would go on to beat them again on Saturday night and are starting to look like a pretty good team.

THUMBS UP: The girl who cleans up the ice around the goal in the Thrasher’s game; watching her…now that was entertainment!

THUMBS UP: The huge guy in Ihop. This guy was so huge I decided I needed to give him a thumbs up just in case he happens upon this blog I don’t want him to get mad and come after me.

THUMBS DOWN: Jeff, for using Howard and me for our technological expertise and not providing us with any lunch afterwards.

THUMBS UP: The band Delta Moon; they were real good

THUMBS DOWN: Michelle, for not inviting me to dinner.

THUMBS DOWN: Todd for pooring a shot into my beer
THUMBS UP: Me, for then chugging the nasty concoction
THUMBS UP: Todd for buying me a gin and tonic after I chugged the nasty concoction

THUMBS DOWN: Julie, for not letting John urinate in a spot which clearly is used for men to relieve themselves
THUMBS UP: John, for fake peeing by an SUV

THUMBS UP: Jose for calling out Jorge’s BS
THUMBS DOWN: Jose, for having a lot of BS of his own

THUMBS DOWN: Majestic Diner, cool name, nasty food.

THUMBS DOWN: Iowa State…Hook ‘em Horns tonight!

Goodbye Vince.

Four days after the spectacular Rose Bowl win in what is being called the greatest individual performance of all time the Texas Longhorns now have to say goodbye to Vince Young. While everyone is sad to see such a special athlete leave, it is no surprise, and no one can blame him for his decision. He certainly went out on top.

Vince provided Texas with special memories and magical performances, including the 2004 Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Rose Bowl games and the entire 2005 National Championship season with highlights in the Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Big XII Championship, and of course, the Rose Bowl where he torched USC for a bowl record 467 yards and scored the winning touchdown on 4th and 5 with 19 seconds remaining in the game.

Texas now continues on with some highly touted recruits and redshirts competing for quarterback and the offense will have to rely heavily on the experience of the running back corps and wide receivers. We are better shape because of Vince Young and hopefully can get a second national championship in row in spite of losing our 2005 leader.

Goodbye Vince and good luck in the NFL. Hook 'em Horns!

Texas Tower lit #1

In one of the coolest college traditions the Texas tower will be lit with all orange with a #1 this weekend to celebrate the BCS National Championship. They do this for any NCAA National Championship.

Texas 41 USC 38

Last night was an incredible game to cap off an unforgettable season for the Texas Longhorns. I don’t think any team, program, or fans deserved a National Championship more than the Longhorns. The fans are passionate, the players this year were poised and gracious, and the coaches instilled professionalism on the team while allowing the players to be kids and enjoy themselves. That balance allowed the team to stay poised under adversity and have two huge comeback wins at Ohio State and in the Rose Bowl last night. As, for the fans, it has been 35 years and they have never wavered in their hardcore support of the Longhorns. And of course there was the coach and the quarterback; the “Never can win the Big Game” Mack Brown (now known as “Championship Coach” Mack Brown), and “Second in the Heisman by the largest margin” Vince Young (now known as “Should have won the Heisman” Vince Young).

And finally there was me. 29 years and only one of my teams had ever won an outright championship (1995 Atlanta Braves). It was about time for another! (Ironically I was in Austin for the Braves and in Atlanta for the Longhorn Championship)

I gathered friends and family to Jocks and Jills where the Texas Exes watch the games. The place was packed full of fans in burnt orange. Todd and I got there 2 hours early to secure a position, immediately got a Shiner Bock, and starting booing Reggie Bush on the tv. Finally the others arrived and the game got underway.

The first possession was fantastic with our defense stopping the heralded USC offense 3 and out. Aaron Ross looked for the punt return poised to get Texas in great field position. Then disaster struck as Ross fumbled, USC recovered, and marched in for the TD. While I was not happy, I knew it was a long game that would see a lot of points and that the Horns could weather the initial storm.

Then Texas turned it over on downs and USC got the ball back. Seemingly going for the jugular they went for it on 4th down at the Texas 17, passing on an opportunity for 3 points. Those would turn out to be an important three points! The stop was huge, saving us from going down two scores.

Then at the beginning of the 2nd Quarter with USC looking like they were going to go up 14, Reggie Bush put himself in the running for Todd Grandominico’s “Bonehead Move of the Year Award 2006” when at the Texas 18 he tried to lateral to his teammate. It didn’t work, Texas got the ball, marched down and got a 46 yard field goal. 7-3 USC. We’re on the board!

Again USC began marching, seemingly unstoppable, until Michael Griffin intercepted the Leinhart pass in the endzone. But wait, the referees called it an incompletion! This, needless to say, got me slightly fired up. The play was reviewed and was obviously an interception. During the review I fired off many expletives toward the tv and the referees. This tirade actually relaxed me for the rest of the game, just letting out some stress.

After the interception, Young passed to Thomas, Sweed, and rushed to the 7 himself, flipped it to Selvin who scored the touchdown. Vince’s knee was down, so we rushed the point after before it was reviewed. Missed it, but hell, after a scary start which we easily could have been down a couple of touchdowns we were winning!! A sense of relief that we got by the initial pressure. Texas 9 USC 7

We stopped USC got the ball back and Ramonce Taylor rushed 30 yards for a TD! UP 16 – 7! Huge momentum shift. USC would score a field goal and Texas would go to the half up 16 – 10. All in all I was feeling pretty good and confident about the game, although I did tell Mac, my friend in Austin, I was concerned our defense wasn’t stopping their offense.

2nd Half
The 3rd quarter started with them stopping us, and then scoring a quick TD. All of a sudden our lead was gone. I was so hoping we could come out and get a touchdown to get some breathing room. But it was not to be, and I realized this was going to be tight until the end. We come back and Vince scores a TD on a dazzling 14 yard rush. We take the lead, but I know it is not a safe one.

Sure enough, USC marches and scores a touchdown, Lendale White. He was really, really good last night. We couldn’t seem to stop him. Worry starts to set in, we’ve got to start stopping their offense! USC 24 Texas 23.

Now I thought, ok, just match them TD for TD and we’ll be fine. Eventually our defense will stop them before they could stop us. Young rushes for 45 yards and it seems we are just going to walk into the endzone. Then Ramonce fumbles the ball, we recover, but on the 26. Now we are in trouble. Field goal time. No problem, we’ll get the lead back at least. End of 3rd quarter.

31 yard field goal---MISSED! Now I started to get concerned, and when I get concerned I get intense. Intensity was definitely setting in…then all of a sudden a Bush sighting. He sprinted for a 26 yard touchdown. Now USC had a touchdown + lead 31 to 23.

We get a field goal afterwards, but we need TDs!

Now is the time our defense needs to step up, if USC scores another TD we’ll need a miracle. Leinhart throws a 22 yard strike to Jarrett (who was on fire in the 2nd half) for a touchdown, leaving Tarrell Brown and Michael Griffin lying injured on the turf. It was an awful scene, USC taking a 38 to 26 lead and two of our defenders rolling around in pain.

Dejection sets in now. Before the season began I truly believed that Texas was going to win the national championship. And while during the Ohio State game there were times I was EXTREMELY worried, I never really thought we were going to lose. Always a “more likely than not” we will win. Now, for the first time all season, I had to say it was “more likely than not” we were going to lose. Given that I have had such few opportunities at glory as a sports spectator, I was nowhere near giving up. As Marshall left I said to him “Hope for a miracle”, and that miracle’s name was “Vince Young”!!!!

6:42 and down 12. Vince time! This drive Vince throws it to many receivers, Thomas, Sweed, and Cosby, before an amazing TD run. But now only 3:58 remains and we’re giving USC the ball back down 5.

Now the defense has to stop them. Sam Schwalb turns to me and says “If you don’t stop them here, you don’t deserve the national championship”. I knew he was right, but we hadn’t stopped them from scoring since the 2nd quarter, heck we couldn’t keep them out of the endzone the entire second half! This was it! Boom…Jarrett catches an 11 yard pass. Oh no, here we go again! Then on 2nd and 7, remarkable, an incomplete pass. JUST HOLD THEM ON THIS DOWN! Lendale White rushes the ball and it looks as though his momentum is going to take him past the first down sticks, but a he fumbles and it is recovered by USC two yards short. Carroll decides to go for it. Here we go…White rushes and Huff stops him. SHORT! (Note: Huff was not supposed to be blitzing on the play, but made a last second decision to do so).

Here we go, back to “more likely than not” we are going to win. Vince Young, 2:09, 56 yards, here we come National Championship! Young passed twice to Carter and once to Sweed. Then on 4th and 5 did the most fitting thing possible…rushed in for the championship winning TD. We went ballistic, scored the 2 point conversion, finished off the last 0:19 seconds, and enjoyed the postgame celebration (which included some fine cigars.)

HOOK ‘EM!

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! TEXAS LONGHORNS!

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! TEXAS LONGHORNS!

Wow, what a game, a year, a quarterback, and a championship! I will be writing more about this game and championship later today (provided I am not too exhausted to do so), once I can get my emotions in check, and hopefully a couple of hours of sleep, but for now let me give you this poem. HOOK 'EM HORNS! HOLD 'EM HIGH!

THE NIGHT OF THE ROSE BOWL

T'was the night of the Rose Bowl and all through the land,
All the Longhorns were stirring, even the band.

The tickets were purchased for the game, room, and air.
In hopes that "Saint Vincent" would soon be there!!

The fans were tailgating from their truck beds,
While a vision of a championship danced in their heads.

And Bevo in his bridle, and me in my cap.
Had just popped a cold one before the first snap.

When out on the turf there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter!!

My eyes fixed on the tunnel, and the thundering herd;
The roar of the fight song; I sang every word!!

They ran to the end zone, and knelt to their maker.
Giving thanks for TEXAS, and the victory later!!

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear.
Coach Mack in his glory, "THE HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR"!

And our hero from Houston that I haven't seen since;
I knew in a moment it must be "Saint Vince"!

More rapid than eagles his posse they came.
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name!

Now, THOMAS! Now, TAYLOR! Now, PITTMAN and SWEED!
On, CHARLES! On, GRIFFIN! ROSS, HUFF and McGEE!

To the top of the world for a championship crown!
Now dash away, dash away, to a TEXAS touchdown!

They fought with fury! They fought with might!
They fought like champions on this championship night!

Oh! The bombs they flew, and the holes blew open.
The Longhorns ran the ball just as we were hope'n.

The defense attacked, and oh, they played hard!
Stopping the Trojans, in their own back yard!

Mack's eyes how they twinkled, his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, the "crystal ball" he did carry!

He embraced his coaches, he embraced his team!
And "The Eyes of TEXAS" we all did sing

"Prelude to A National Championship"
Top 10 Texas Longhorn games since 1995

Number 1:
Texas 37, #3 Nebraska 27
December 7, 1996 (St. Louis, MS)

As Texas faces another battle against a storied two-time defending National Champion team whom everyone thinks is insurmountable it gives me great pleasure to recall the first Big XII Championship game in which Texas stunned Nebraska and won the Championship. This was my sophomore year at Texas and I remember spilling into the streets with hordes of students stopping traffic and jumping on buses. It was glorious, as hopefully tonight will be!

In one of the biggest upsets of the 1996 college football season and one of the greatest wins in recent UT football history, the unranked and three- touchdown underdog Longhorns stunned No. 3 Nebraska 37-27 to claim the first-ever Big 12 Championship. A career-best 353 yards on 19-of-28 passes by James Brown and 120 yards rushing and three touchdowns by fifth-year senior Priest Holmes helped lead the Longhorns to the stirring win against the two-time defending National Champions in St. Louis. The pivotal play of the game came on a fourth-and-inches call with 2:48 remaining from the Longhorns 28-yard-line. Brown faked the run, rolled left and tossed a pass that TE Derek Lewis took for a 61-yard gain to set up the game-clinching touchdown. Holmes scored from 11 yards out on the very next play and UT pulled off the upset.

"Sure I am this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond our endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.”

-Winston Churchill

Here is the weekend review (New Year’s Edition edition)

Weekend Ball: Evan and Rita. Evan is a friend of mine since I was 0 and Rita is his girlfriend. They currently reside in Boston, but spent the past week in Atlanta celebrating the holidays and New Year’s. It was fun to hang out with them, celebrate Hanukkah and the New Year with them, and play some golf. Good luck back in Boston, hope to see you soon!

Weekend Goat: Georgia coaching staff. An ill-prepared, over confident, and poorly coached team showed up at the beginning of the Sugar Bowl and poor coaching prevented the Dawgs from having a comeback opportunity at the end of the game as well. It is not unexpected for 18-21 year old kids to be overconfident, but it is the responsibility of the millionaire coaches to bring them back to reality, and clearly that did not happen with the Dawgs.

Quote of the weekend: I am going to pull this one from the archives of last January 1 when Vince Young, Texas quarterback, boldly stated at the Rose Bowl: “We’ll be back!”. Tomorrow the Longhorns return in a big way to play for the National Championship

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down Segment:

THUMBS UP: Howard Kalin, for negotiating heavily and getting us into the Peach Bowl at $10 a pop. Then giving the ticket lady a sad “how could this happen?” look when she said our tickets had already been used 1 hour before to let people in the game. She let us in anyways.
THUMBS UP: To the LSU flagbearers who spelled out “T-I-G-R-E-S” after a touchdown, obviously representing all the Hispanic LSU fans out there.

THUMBS DOWN: Miami fan in front of us who passed out drunk at the end of the 1st Quarter. Just like her team, she didn’t last too long.

THUMBS UP: Obnoxious, drunk Georgia fans at the Peach Bowl who yelled for the Longhorns as I passed by wearing my Texas jacket.

THUMBS DOWN: Big L Grandominico for not securing me any venison sausage during Todd’s visit

THUMBS DOWN: Howard Kalin for mooning us from the green on hole 14
THUMBS UP: Eddie, for getting the whole episode on camera
THUMBS UP: Eddie, for letting me use his driver even though I out drove him on 16 out of 18 holes.

THUMBS UP: Rita, for allowing Evan to golf with us even though he golfed the day before.
THUMBS DOWN: Jeff, for wearing jeans to play golf
THUMBS UP: Jeff, for overdressing for a night of watching football at Kelly’s

THUMBS UP: Jorge, for making reservations at Sushi Haru for us on New Year’s Eve
THUMBS DOWN: Jorge, for showing up at Sushi Huku instead of Sushi Haru on New Year’s Eve
THUMBS DOWN: To whoever took a crap causing us to leave Sushi Haru prematurely on New Year’s Eve.

THUMBS UP: Howard and John for celebrating New Year’s Eve in the tradional fashion.
THUMBS DOWN: To Jennifer Caran for harassing me on New Year’s Eve when I just wanted to spend some time with friends from out of town

THUMBS UP: To the Atlanta Falcons. Hey, they are only 0-1 in 2006 and the future is bright!

THUMBS UP: DJ Shockley, who fought to the finish in the Sugar Bowl even though he had no help from the defense. He had a spectacular year and deserves to be commended.

THUMBS UP: Ohio State, for whipping Notre Dame

THUMBS UP: Kelly, Jennifer, and Jennifer for making delicious dip on Monday night
THUMBS DOWN: Michelle and Julie—no dip.
THUMBS DOWN: Michelle, for getting Todd beer but not Jeff and I sweet tea

THUMBS UP: To me for clinching the bowl pool

THUMBS UP: 2006! HERE WE COME!

"Prelude to A National Championship"
Top 10 Texas Longhorn games since 1995

Number 2:
#9 Texas 16, #16 Texas A&M
December 2, 1995 (College Station, TX)

This was an especially meaningful game to me as it was my freshman year and me and some friends went to the game. After the victory a few hundred of us Longhorn fans stormed Kyle Field with thousands of A&M fans watching in disgust. It was an awesome time and a great night back in Austin!
No. 9 Texas capped a six-game winning streak, snapped an Aggies 31-game home winning streak (the longest active streak in the nation at the time) and secured the final Southwest Conference Championship with a 16-6 victory at No. 16 Texas A&M. The victory gave the Longhorns a perfect conference record (7-0) for the first time since 1990 Led by true freshman Ricky Williams’ 163 yards rushing and two touchdowns and the courageous effort of junior quarterback James Brown, playing on a badly sprained ankle, the Longhorns claimed their first victory in College Station since 1983 and stopped an Aggies four-game series winning streak.

"Prelude to A National Championship"
Top 10 Texas Longhorn games since 1995

Number 3:
#2 Texas 25, #4 Ohio State 22
September 10, 2005 (Columbus, Ohio)

This is the game that has brought us to where we are today as a Longhorn nation, on the brink of a National Championship. It was a classic duel between two great teams and storied programs with Texas hanging on defensively through the first 3 ½ quarters. Vince Young threw a 24-yard go-ahead touchdown to Limas Sweed with 2:37 left and the defense stopped Ohio State to secure the 25-22 victory. On a personal level this game was especially sweet as my roommate Howard is a huge Ohio State game and we had literally been discussing this game for 4 years. This victory not only paved the way for Texas’ Rose Bowl run, it also gave me bragging rights—at least for a year until they meet again in Austin.

"Prelude to A National Championship"
Top 10 Texas Longhorn games since 1995

Number 4:
Texas 26, #6 Texas A&M 24
November 27, 1998 (Austin, TX)

Needing only 11 yards to break Tony Dorsett’s 22-year old NCAA rushing yardage record, Ricky Williams surpassed the mark in dramatic fashion, breaking three tackles and sprinting 60 yards for a touchdown on a run that was voted The College Football Play of The Year. With 1:13 remaining in the first quarter, the Longhorns lined up for a first-and-10 from their own 40-yard-line. With Dorsett among a star-studded cast of sideline witnesses and a then-UT record crowd of 83,687 looking on, Williams displayed all of the traits that established him as one of the greatest players in college football history as he rushed to NCAA history. Ricky Williams, while a strange guy, was a lot of fun to watch in college. He was at Texas the same time I was and brought many smiles to Longhorn faces throughout his career.

Boss before she was "Boss"

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Raquesh, Paulette, Cheryl, and Phillip celebrate the New Year 2006 in style! Obviously Cheryl had too much to drink, but she made it until midnight, which made me proud! Look forward to the New Year in 2006 with these great friends! Happy New Year everyone!