Tag Archives: Gary Blair

Monday, March 20, 2017 – Spring Has Sprung! Brackets Bust!

Posted on March 21, 2017 | Leave a comment

Monday, March 20, 2017 – Spring Has Sprung! Brackets Bust!

Happy First Day of Spring! A poem for us all.

Spring has sprung;

The grass has ris;

I wonder where the flowers is.

Happy Spring Ya’ll. It is that time of year when we grab the kids and pets, park dangerously along the roadside and go sit our butts in the beautiful Texas bluebonnets for the family photo shoot.

Spring has sprung and so have most of the Basketball Bracketeers brackets. One side of my bracket totally collapsed when Duke was upset by South Carolina. I still have a Kansas Kentucky match up but it is not called March Madness without reason.

On the women’s bracket I am holding strong into the Second Round. And I actually have Texas A&M women playing UConn in the Sweet 16, but tonight it is UCLA. I am prepared – one beer per quarter for Quarters one, two and three and the remaining three beers during the Fourth Quarter. Hopefully by that time the beers and bears (Bruins) will be finished.

This is me practicing last year tailgating at Texas A&M/UCLA football game.

Before we leave resting on our maroon laurels, Saturday night the Texas A&M Women’s basketball team set an NCAA record for the largest comeback win in history. The Aggies were behind by 21 points going into the fourth quarter. The Penn Quakers began to quake and soon the Quakers were shaken, not stirred and all shook up. The Aggies outscored the Quakers 25 to 1 in the Fourth Quarter to win in the final seconds. In addition to a thrilling game, it was a joy to watch the coaching and execution. And of course the fact the Aggies won!

“Games can still be won with heart and passion. That’s what an Aggie is all about. Never count us out.” Gary Blair

Curtyce Knox – NCAA (men’s and women’s) current record holder for Assists per Game – averaging 9.2.

But tonight we focus on UCLA. I must go nap now because the game does not start until 8:05.

BTHO – UCLA!

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Saturday, March 18, 2017 – Fire the Weekend Graphics Intern!

Posted on March 18, 2017 | Leave a comment

Saturday, March 18, 2017 – Fire the Weekend Graphics Intern!

I am not sure what the Aggie Women are going to do, but I do hope they win. BTHO Penn!

Anriel Howard – Lashes – Probably just now seeing and reading the graphic.

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Tuesday, March 14, 2017 – March Madness Begins! There is Good News and Bad News

Posted on March 14, 2017 | Leave a comment

Tuesday, March 14, 2017 – March Madness Begins! There is Good News and Bad News

It is time to follow the bouncing ball as we begin the journey through Brackeville enroute to The Final Four. Much of today will be spent upon completion of my NCAA – Division I Men’s and Women’s basketball brackets. This means my thoughtful, high researched, and always snarky comments will come tomorrow.

I am very excited that my sister will be playing brackets this year. She, like myself, base our selections on such criteria as: Family Alumni, Conferences loyalties, color of uniforms, coaches’ attire, jewelry, number of tattoos per team, and of course the all-important cross gender criteria – HAIR! – including guestimates of how much hair grease Andy Landers goes through each month. But more on my brackets and criteria tomorrow.

The good news or the bad news first? The good news is the Texas Aggies women’s basketball team does not have to go to Waco or Austin to begin First Round play. Neither does the team have to fight the blizzard where the top half of the bracket is playing.

The Aggies start The Dance by going to California in beautiful star studded, glitter town – Los Angles! Note: to top half of bracket – That is SUNNY California. Who does your bracket geography? Obviously, long-term, freak weather patterns were not factored into the equation. Notice the “really smart” schools are in California while you are shivering. It is called SPRING break for a reason.

The Aggies are the #5 seed in the lower bracket. We will meet the #16 seed Penn State Nitany Lions, Ivy League Conference Champions.

Listen up, whatever a Nitany Lion is – We gonna show you some Ivy League, Texas style basketball from the Harvard on the Brazos! Ladies! Let’s Get in Formation! We be getting our Beyoncé on! Did I mention the sun? Where is my Beyoncé bikini?

Miss Curtyce Knox assisting me to Get in Formation.

And the bad news? Aside from The Basketball Blizzard of 2017 in The East? The winner of the Texas A&M/Penn State games faces the winner of Boise State and UCLA! Wait. That is not the bad news. In the same bracket looming high up in the clouds, and hopefully above the snow, above the rim, above all categories of college basketball statistics lies UCONN! As in ‘You con not catch us!’

But it’s MADNESS!

As Coach Gary Blair said today, “We are not good enough to look past anyone, but we are good enough to beat anyone, and that includes everyone in the tournament.” Gig ‘Em Aggies! WHOOP!

But today our focus must be preparing brackets and tuned into the baseball game in Austin. That would be on the Long-Horn Network – the Network that gives an entirely new meaning to “closed captioned.”

Here’s what I’m thinking: If a network had more programming (as in more schools) one would not have to hear VY and RW doing bad commercials. Instead there could entire shows of National Championships and not just Alabama, but by any number of teams and unbelievable number of athletics.

BTHO – tu!

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Monday, February 13, 2017 – WHOOP on Rocky Top. I Can Make Your Hands Clap!

Posted on February 13, 2017 | Leave a comment

Monday, February 13, 2017 – WHOOP on Rocky Top. I Can Make Your Hands Clap!

Big win yesterday for the Texas Aggie women’s basketball team.

  1. Road Win
  2. Win against an SEC team
  3. Win against a top 25 team
  4. First Aggie women’s basketball win over Tennessee
  5. First win for Gary Blair over Tennessee

Way to go. Ladies, Get in Formation!

This will make your hands clap!

Published on Feb 6, 2017 http://www.espn.com/womens-college-ba…

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Wednesday, January 11, 2017 – Golf, Gary and the 2011 National Championship

Posted on January 12, 2017 | Leave a comment

Wednesday, January 11, 2017 – Golf, Gary and the 2011 National Championship

Yu So Yung showed up to play golf today. While my team did not win the scramble, we played well. With 35 mile per hour wind gusts it was definitely hit and hope. FYI – JP, Homecoming Queen 1 – I am loving the new putter I got from you. Next margarita is on me.

In 2011 the Texas Aggie Women’s Basketball team won the NCAA National Championship. So far, it is the biggest win in basketball history at Texas A&M University. I believe the previous game was the “clock controversy” game sending Texas A&M into the championship game and sending Baylor Coach Mulkey into fits of rage and the bus back to Waco. What team did Texas A&M beat for the National Title?

The coach of the 2011 team and the current Aggies women’s basketball team is Gary Blair – GB as the team calls him. In his new book A Coaching Life, he gives us some favorite memories with his beautiful wit, grace and humility.

Yesterday when he was signing my book “To Delia, Gig ‘Em and thanks for the support of the Class of ’85” I told him, “You could have named the book, It’s a Long Way from South Oak Cliff in Dallas or from Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches.” He looked at me and said “What great learning experiences. Loved them both.”

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Reed Arena, 1.10.2017 Cool Hair, huh? Photo by Linda

Those of us who play or have played sports realize it parallels life. There are wins. There are losses. But each time one must be open to what both have to teach us.

Thank you Coach Blair for signing my book and signing a book for Niece #1. He was even nice enough to put “Sic ‘Em Bears” on the page. Then of course he wrote “Gig ‘Em Aggies” beneath it. I supposed he has forgotten about the clock incident. Nevertheless I do not think I will place his signed book next to my signed copy of Baylor Coach Kim Mulkey’s book – Never Back Down. I do not think she has forgotten the clock.

Oh who did the Texas Aggies beat to win the 2011 Women’s National Championship? Same team Baylor women beat to win the 2012 Women’s National Championship – Notre Dame and Miss Muffet.

Since then the women’s national championship has been won by some team in New England with an Italian as the coach and dog as the mascot.

A Coaching Life by Gary Blair with Rusty Burson is available from Texas A&M University Press and available in the book store in the Memorial Student Center. It will soon be available on Amazon.

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Wednesday, March 16,, 2016 – Me and My Brackets

Posted on March 16, 2016 | Leave a comment

Wednesday, March 16,, 2016 – Me and My Brackets

Our post today is brought to by the word Skullduggery – Skuhl-DUHG-uh-ree

It is a noun meaning:

  1. dishonorable proceedings, mean dishonest or trickery: bribery graft and other such skullduggery
  2. an instance of dishonest or deceitful behavior; trick

But enough about the presidential elections and the government.

Here is my completed bracket for the women’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

2016 Womens bracket (800x450)

Yep – got the Baptists and the Catholics in Championship Game – Baylor and Notre Dame. As you can see I have Baylor and Texas A&M playing in the Sweet 16. When these two teams play it is known as a “bitter rivalry.” I am sure Coach Mulkey and Coach Blair will show clips from 2011 and the infamous clock issue. Should A&M pull an upset, I will not talk to my family for a week.

“Just Say No to Four” is my mantra for UConn. The University of Connecticut is a basketball dynasty in any league and Briana Stewart (Stewie) is one of the greatest collegiate athletes you will see – male or female. Nevertheless, Here’s What I’m Thinking – the odds are against you to repeat as National Champions for a fourth time. And you know Mulkey and Muffet have teams that can beat you. The scenery only changes for the lead Huskie and it is time for a change. So I am going with the Bears and the Creepy Leprechauns.

But first on March 19 The Fighting Texas Aggie Women must BTHO Missouri State.

I also completed a Division I Men’s Basketball Bracket. I used the Penny method for selecting the Championship Game – my favorite colors, mascots, funny sounding names, etc. My major criterion was schools from which I have graduated. Therefore I have Texas A&M playing Stephen F. Austin for the National Championship. Gig ‘Em Aggies and Ax ‘Em Jacks!

 

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Thursday, March 10, 2016 – You and Your Bracket – Not Your Tax Bracket

Posted on March 10, 2016 | Leave a comment

Thursday, March 10, 2016 – You and Your Bracket – Not Your Tax Bracket

In my ongoing attempt to educate an uninformed world about whatever I am thinking about basketball,  here is another installment of Basketball Bracket Primer – Part II. – You and Your Bracket – The Women’s Bracket

Reminder: Monday, March 14 – the eve of the Ides of March – is the NCAA Division I Women’s NCAA Selection Show on ESPN. At this time we find out who is “Going Dancing” and where and who is staying home to watch, wiping away the tears and starting practice for next year.

Doors open at the Ferrin-Cox Building at 5:00 PM where I will be watching it live with The Fighting Texas Aggie women’s team and GB (Head coach Gary Blair). I hope I get as good a seat as I did last year – right behind the team.

J Jones self (800x600)

Texas A&M Guard – Jordon Jones taking a photo of TAMU’s bracket placement – 2015. Photo by me

Of course there is free food.  Why do you think we go when we could watch it on TV?

I also hope the Aggies do not get upset in the first round like last year by one of those teams that no one has ever heard of. Who was it? Middle Hillbilly Arkansas State?

Here is my 2015 women’s bracket.

W Bracket

I promise you that this year’s will not look like this. Unless they are upset by a Yale or Iona along the way, my Final Four are Baylor, South Carolina, Notre Dame and Geno and the Giants (UConn). They are the best four teams in women’s basketball today coached by four great coaches and their staff. Yeah, you two als0 – Geno and Muffett – Doesn’t mean I don’t respect you, even if I don’t like you! <smile>

There are 60 other teams though that could provide an upset to anyone of those four before the Final Four arrive in Indianapolis.

Coming soon:  How to Fill Out Your Bracket – We will look at how Dr. Beverly Hofstadter and Dr. Sheldon Cooper might do the math calculating the statistical odds of teams reaching The Final Four versus the Penny methodology of “I think their uniforms are pretty and I love the hair styles and what the coaches are wearing – especially the shoes. Oh yeah. I love their mascot – the Beavers.” Both methods are equally valid in selecting a winning team.

Happy Thursday.

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