Tag Archives: Texas Aggies

Friday, October 2, 2015 – Snarky Friday Football and Big Boy Pants

Posted on October 2, 2015 | 1 comment

Friday, October 2, 2015 – Snarky Friday Football and Big Boy Pants

This weekend is time for the college football teams to put on their big boy pants. Jeb Bush was not referring to football when he said he would be putting on his big boy pants. (Such articulate presidential candidates we have.) He was referring to Donald Trump’s comments about him and Marc Rubio. Still I suppose that is better than Donald Trump screaming bull!#$% during a professional speech. What a diplomat he will make. But back to football.

Campus tour 7.5.2014 2014-07-05 099 (800x600)

Intellectual salon of College Station where Texas A&M students and Former Students spend hours drinking in knowledge.

These are the games that have meaning. These are the teams that can upset the best offensives and defenses. These are the games that begin to count toward championships, trophies and bowl games. Now it is time to bring “Your “A” GAME”’ to every game.

Our Saturday morning begins with THE University of Texas vs TCU @ 11:00AM on ABC from Fort Worth. Could be a bloody Mary morning for either team and on national TV too! Fear the Frog and Hook’ em Hippies! Stay Strong. You can do this!

Don’t forget to toggle over to West Virginia and Oklahoma on Fox1 @ 11:00. Time to start looking at the Sooners and the Mountaineers.

The 2:30 time slot goes to Texas Tech and Baylor on ESPN2. Should be a high flying, big scoring game in Arlington at Jerry World. Watch out Baylor; Coach Kliff always has something up his GQ sleeve. There is always the State Fair and fried butter.

But the 2:30 time slot of great interest goes to the TIDE of Alabama and the Bulldogs of Georgia on CBS in Athens. Athens – so named after the ancient Grecian city. Watch out for Poseidon – the ancient Greek god of the water. Poseidon carries a three-pronged weapon called the Trident. It can create earthquakes, tsunamis and destructive tidal waves.

Poseidon was also known to cause certain forms of mental disturbance. I guarantee you that if this Poseidon Adventure turns Alabama and the Crimson Tide upside down, and they lose 2 games, there will be all forms of mental disturbances in Alabama and in the SEC.

At 3:00 one can watch Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University from Stillwater (that is in Oklahoma) on Fox 1. One can also tune into San Jose and Auburn on the SECN. Or one can take a nap in preparation for the six o’clock time slots.

I guarantee Uncle Will Muschamp and New England poet named Auburn Tigers – if you take this game long and into the Aggies’ game that follows, we will come after you!

Better be up and prepared for the 6:00 games. How many screens do you have? All of these games could be worth watching. I have a smart phone; two tablets, four TV’s and ESPN3.

Arkansas and Tennessee at 6:00 on ESPN2 from Knoxville. Coulda, shoulda woulda been a good programming move early in the season, but now I bet ESPN executives wish they could switch to LSU and Eastern Michigan. (Read: bigger viewing audience = more$$$= more exposure for LSU’s Leonard F.)

LSU/Eastern Michigan @ 6:00 on ESPNU from Baton Rouge. Run Leonard Run! Leonard Fournette is fun to watch.

Ole Miss and Florida @ 6:30 on ESPN from Gainesville. Let’s see if the Rebels bring their waders to the Gators in The Swamp. Never trust a team from Florida.

And The Fighting Texas Aggies host the Mississippi Bulldogs in Kyle Field at 6:30 on SECN. This could be confusing – both wear maroon and white. Both have live mascots. Bully and Reveille? A bulldog and a princess. But Dak Prescott? Now he is scary. Are Mississippi State fans going to bring those damn cow bells?

Sully's Boots

Going to be a test – leave pennies!

BTHO Mississippi State. WHOOP!

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Monday, September 21, 2015 – The Monday Morning After College Football Awards.

Posted on September 21, 2015 | 2 comments
Horses @ Library (800x530)

Sculpture at Bush Library – 2015

Today’s awards are brought to you by the word “enervate.”

Assessment before Instruction – our vocabulary word is “enervate.” It means to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor.” So many teams were enervated this weekend.

So here are my awards for Week Three of College Football Season.

The Keep Calm and Keep Practicing Award goes to the Texas Aggies. In some cultures, such as East Montgomery County, this award is known as the “That Dog Ain’t Ready to Hunt” Award. This does not refer to Miss Reveille as she is from the herding group and also does not like get her nails messed up.

To the Texas Tech Red Raiders – I award the Shredded Pork with Extra Bacon Bits Award for Kliff Kingsbury kicking some koach’s pig butt with his komments. Way to go, Kliff.

In the Hippie Bowl between the school formerly known as Berkley and THE University I give the award for “Close, But to the Right” to THE University for the missed extra point that would have tied the game and possibility sent it to OT. You did not know Cal once known as Berkley? I suppose all those protesters from the sixties resulted in the name change.

The original name University of California was frequently shortened to California or Cal. UC Berkeley’s athletic teams date to this time and so are referred to as the California Golden Bears, Cal Bears, or just Cal. Today, University of California refers to a statewide school system. Referring to the University of California, Berkeley as UCB or University of California at Berkeley is discouraged and the domain name is berkeley.edu. Moreover, the term “Cal Berkeley” is not a correct reference to the school, but is occasionally used. Berkeley is unaffiliated with the Berklee College of Music or Berkeley College.

Note: Any grammatical errors in the preceding paragraph come from Wikipedia.

THE University is also awarded The Many Bright Burnt Orange Lights for showing life and a near comeback. The interval of the loss was one point.

The Interval Award is shared by TCU and Ohio State. One would think the #1 and #2/3 team could have a larger interval between the score when playing lesser teams. The Committee is watching.

BYOB – The Bring Your Own Bench Award goes to Auburn. This is awarded to the team that does not want to sit on the benches provided. Auburn proposed to bring its own cooling benches. When told that there was not enough power in Tiger Stadium, Auburn staff proposed to bring their own generators. Finally the Baton Rouge Fire Marshall said, “NO! You can sit on the same benches as the LSU team does.” Does Auburn have heated benches for the winter time?

The Great Defense, Uncle Will Award goes to the LSU Tigers for scoring on the second play of the ball game.

My Favorite Player Name Award – goes to Malachi Dupree on the LSU team. Now ain’t that a cultural masterpiece of confusion?

The Hindenburg Award for “OH THE HUMANITY!” goes to Alabama and their fans. I am not sure the Tide ever rolled in. Ole Miss enervated the Tide. Don’t start singing Bon voyage to you, new Titanic just yet. There could be a tsunami waiting for somebody.

The final award is the comparison between the Auburn Tiger and the LSU Tiger as portrayed by the half-time PR clip. One is stuffed into a mascot uniform and one is a live tiger that scares you even on TV.

The Stuffed Tiger Award goes to the LSU Tigers. According to the PR clip, the Auburn Tiger originated from Oliver Goldsmith’s poem The Deserted Village. “Sweet Auburn, loveliest village on the plain, …” It takes you about 100 or more lines to “where crouching tigers wait hapless prey.”

The LSU Tigers take their name from the Louisiana Infantry men known as Louisiana Tigers for their tenacity and ferociousness during battle.

Not mentioned in the video, but clearly noticeable in the photograph to anyone who knows their history or has seen Gone With the Wind, were the uniforms of the Louisiana Infantry. They were known for their red head gear, blue tops and striped pants. Company B of the Tigers wore distinctive uniforms similar to the French zouave, with straw hats or red cloth fezzes, blue-striped chasseur-style pants, and short dark blue jackets with red lacing or tombeaux. You can read more about the Louisiana Infantry on Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9th_Louisiana_Infantry

So Auburn takes its Tiger name from a long, dopy, whimpey poem from the 1770’s read by American Literature majors only. Auburn has a stuffed Tiger.

LSU takes its Tiger name from a tenacious fighting unit from the 1860’s and has one of the most bad ass mascots in all of college football that eats stuff tigers for dessert. No wonder Auburn was enervated.

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Monday, August 31, 2015 – New Vocabulary Words Needed for the Fall

Posted on August 31, 2015 | 1 comment

Monday, August 31, 2015 – New Vocabulary Words Needed for the Fall

Good morning, class. It is the second week of school so time to start our assessment practice. Today we will learn five new vocabulary words. These new words will be on the state assessment and are important as we kick of the first week of college football. So pay attention and read on.

Last week the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) announced new words added to the vocabulary of the English speaking world. http://www.oed.com/

Back Story: The OED is the giant tome that sat on a pedestal in your high school library. It is the definitive book on the English language. Here are the new words that will be on your assessment.

Beer o’clock and wine o’clock – both are nouns noting “the appropriate time of day to start drinking.”

There is no whiskey o’clock? What is considered the “appropriate time” For my Uncle Ralph beer o’clock started about 7:30 each morning. For my Uncle Horn, every hour of the day or night was considered appropriate. For football season, the appropriate time to start drinking is dependent on the time of the game and who is playing.

Fatberg – also a noun meaning “a very large mass of solid waste in a sewer system consisting of especially congealed fat and personal hygiene products that have been flushed down the toilet.” GROSS.

Butt Dial – a verb meaning “one accidently calls another while their cell phone is their back pocket.”

It is a butt dial if the phone just rings and there is no one on the other end. If there is a voice message that says “Alabama Sucks!” or “Aggies play like fatbergs” those are not butt dials; those are obscene phone calls. Those phone calls are usually correlated with beer, wine or whiskey o’clock.

Cat café – a noun meaning “a café or similar establish where people pay to interact with cats housed on the premises.”

OK, I love cats, but if I wanted to pay to interact with one, I would go to the shelter and get one, bring it home and interact with it in the confines of my home – while I drink and watch football games.

And so this week begins football season so get ready for Here’s What I’m Thinking about it. It is time to get your college football geek ready to go. See you in the end zone!

Charlie (800x598)

On a sad note: I learned yesterday that the beautiful Charlie Horse pictured on Friday’s post passed away earlier this summer. RIP Charlie.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2015 – Who Are My College Football Teams and Why

Posted on August 11, 2015 | 6 comments

Billy Cannon 8.10.2014 2014-08-10 005 (600x800)

Tuesday, August 11, 2015 – Who Are My College Football Teams and Why

Billy Cannon 8.10.2014 2014-08-10 004 - Copy (600x800)Billy Cannon 8.10.2014 2014-08-10 005 (600x800)

It did not begin with The Aggies. Until I was about ten years old I thought that that one graduated from high school and then went to LSU.

This is because my first football hero who actually got the beautiful girl too is my cousin, Donnie Daye  and his beautiful bride Penny. How many years? 50 at least and you two still look like you could throw the block for Billy Cannon against Ole Miss at Halloween and lead the Tiger Band on the field.

Donnie and Penny (800x677)

This is Donnie with some of the memorabilia. Donnie was #33 in 1958. When he moved to fullback and started with the White Team, he was #44. His junior year 1959, he led the team in tackles.

Donnie with flag (800x598)

Donnie with the 50th Anniversary flag.

I have since added the following teams to My Favorites for these reasons:

Oklahoma State University Great niece # 1 and Niece # 1 – Go Pokes

The ONLY orange color I will wear and it was Halloween.

OSU 1 - Copy (800x550)

Great niece # 1 and Niece # 1 – Go Pokes

OSU 1 (800x522)

If you do not know who this is and/or where we are, then you don’t know Oklahoma State football.

Then the Good Old Baylor Line with Courtney – The Longhorn

Baylor - BU UT 2013 - Buckalew Grkids (800x600)

The Cousins in 2013 @ the last game in Floyd Casey Stadium.

Baylor Cousins (800x588)

The Cousins today – Left to Right – Junior @ Baylor, Begins U of H Law School, next in The Good Old Baylor Line to graduate, begins Masters degree @ Baylor, Gainfully Employed, and The Longhorn. Pic by Blair

Texas Flag @ Sunset (800x600)

Courtney – I wanted you to have a picture too. It was taken from Darryl K Royal Memorial Stadium. It is hard to be around them now that BU is #3, isn’t it? Hook ‘Em!

But it was The Fighting Texas Aggies who made the offer.

Fighting Texas Aggie Band

From The University of Texas – Welcome – pay here.

From Texas A&M – Howdy. Here is a loan from the Class of 1933, a teaching assistantship, then a research assistantship and a funded dissertation.

The 12th Man – not just about standing at the football games.

And last and of course, least – Texas Tech. See what happens when one doesn’t read Here’s What I’m Thinking, Little Sister.

Tech (800x600)

BTHO

BTHO

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Tuesday, June 30, 2015 – The Last Day of June – Never Too Early to Talk Trash

Posted on June 30, 2015 | Leave a comment

Tuesday, June 30, 2015 – The Last Day of June – Never Too Early to Talk Trash

Now available at Academy (locally, I am sure) and online.

ag-shirt

Really? If Alabama has nothing on the Aggies, what do you call those big glass football trophies with words like NCAA, Football, National and Championship all in one sentence?

Is there a mercy rule in Division I NCAA college football? Something along the lines of 59 – 0, perhaps?

I feel like a chihuahua in a room full of great danes, but counting the days until kickoff.

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Thursday, May 21, 2015 – Captain John Robert Baldridge, MIA, Vietnam Conflict

Posted on May 21, 2015 | 6 comments

Thursday, May 21, 2015 – Captain John Robert Baldridge, MIA, Vietnam Conflict

Captain John Robert Baldridge, MIA, Vietnam Conflict

2152_Baldridge,%20John%20Robert

Name – John Robert Baldridge, Jr.

Rank – Captain

Panel – 16 W 97

Status – MIA

I wore the POW bracelet with the name John R. Baldridge, Jr. on it while I attended undergraduate school at Stephen F. Austin State University (1967-1971). That would mean almost my four years in college.

I continued to wear it until it became too fragile to wear.  The bracelet is lost among the memories of time but the memory of him is not.

Unfortunately, I never met him. But I never forgot his name. The first time I visited the Vietnam Wall in Washington D. C. in the mid 1990’s I did a rubbing of his name. I did not realize the significance of the symbol beside his name until I had returned to Texas.

When the Vietnam Traveling Wall came to Georgetown, Texas about seven years ago, I took this photograph. It hangs on a wall in my office.

 Capt. John Robert Baldridge

Since the days of wearing Captain Baldridge’s name on my wrist, with the help of the internet and social media, I learned that Butch, as his friends called him, attended Texas A&M University.

With those tools in mind, here’s hoping someone might read this, see his name, recognize some of the data in the linked websites and can provide more information.

With that in mind, here are some links that tell the story of John Robert, “Butch,” Baldridge, Jr.beginning with basic data from a compilation of sources and resources. The symbols +++ are used to separate the various sites. Yes, the + is intentional and similar to the symbol that precedes Captain Baldridge’s name on the Vietnam Wall.

Basic information and data

http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/b/b134.htm

BALDRIDGE, JOHN ROBERT

Name: John Robert Baldridge

Rank/Branch: United States Air Force/O2

Unit:

Date of Birth: 02 November 1946

Home City of Record: Memphis TN

Date of Loss: 20 November 1969

Country of Loss: Laos

Loss Coordinates: 152300 North  1073200 East

Status (in 1973): Presumptive Finding of Death

Category: 3

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: O2A #21301

Missions:

Other Personnel in Incident: Walter Renelt, still missing,PFOD

Refno: 1524

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw

data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA

families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action

Combat Casualty File.

REMARKS:

No further information available at this time.

+++

From The Vietnam Letters website

http://herolettersvietnam.blogspot.com/2008/12/john-robert-baldridge-jr-missing-in.html

John Robert Baldridge Jr.

Captain

Unit: 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron

Date of Birth: 2-Nov-46 Date of Death: 20-Nov-69 City: Memphis State: TN

Notes: Captain Baldridge was a member of the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron. On November 20, 1969, he was the pilot of a Cessna Skymaster Observation Aircraft (O-2A) on a mission over Laos when his aircraft was shot down. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Did you know John Robert Baldridge Jr.? Did you serve with him? Did you wear his bracelet? Do you have a story of him or photo to share?  If you can answer yes to any of those questions, please leave a comment, so all can know that he has not been forgotten.

+++

This website details the crash.

http://www.taskforceomegainc.org/b134.html

+++

The Virtual Wall

The Virtual Wall provides the best memory of Captain Baldridge. It is an interactive site that allows one to search names on Vietnam Wall.  Click on the link below and see his medals learn a bit more about him.

http://www.virtualwall.org/db/BaldridgeJR01a.htm

+++

On  May 31, 2010, in Captain’s Baldridge’s home state of Tennessee, he and others from the state were honored by The Single Chair. As of that date there were still 32 MIAs from Tennessee alone!

http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2014/05/26/vietnam-veterans-america-chapter-396-holds-annual-memorial-day-candle-light-vigil/#more-234182

+++

How many others still have a status of POW/MIA? Click on the link – POW/MIA.us

and watch the names scroll across your screen.

Thank you, Butch and all the others for your sacrifice.

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Tuesday, February 3, 2015 – Got History?

Posted on February 3, 2015 | Leave a comment

Tuesday, February 3, 2015  –  Got History?

Well, how do you like the new blog design?

I took the photo that is the banner on Sunday, December 14, 2014 at 2:00 PM. It is untouched. The image in that photograph will never be seen again. The West Side of Kyle Field was imploded on Sunday, December 21, 2014.

A photograph taken next December 14 will show the new West Side of Kyle Field. Think about it.  I just took a photograph of history.

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Wednesday, November 26, 2014 – Blue Wednesday and Mike the Tiger

Posted on November 26, 2014 | Leave a comment

Wednesday, November 26, 2014 – Blue Wednesday

For all my family and friends who love LSU. This one’s for you!

I hereby claim the next holiday as Thanksgiving Eve! Copyright that! That is exactly what we need – additional commercialization of holidays so we can be more materialistic as a society.  How about Blue Wednesday?

If somebody tries to use Blue Wednesday, I will see if Gooberner Elect Abbott will sue them because I have it here first, with the date that I first called Blue Wednesday.  Years ago the Friday following Thanksgiving was just another day.  Now Black Friday evolved into – “Everything on sale for long time at reasonable hours, so please do not start a riot and kill anybody at our store.” The marketing peeps are still working on branding, but it sounds much safer.

Currently, I am only interested in Maroon Thursday.  While I cannot speak for the First Lady of Aggieland, I am pretty sure Reveille is relieved that Mike the Tiger does not go to away games.

A comment on the Mike the Tiger website says “The previous Mike (Mike V) would sometimes do nearby away games, but this Mike (Mike VI) never has. If you are at Death Valley (a.k.a. Tiger Stadium), you do have the opportunity to take pictures immediately after he has loaded onto his trailer and also at the top of the hill before he leads the band in.*  

Also, he is not a pure Bengal tiger, but a Bengal-Siberian cross. He weighs around 450 pounds at the moment, although his weight fluctuates from 430 lbs. to 460 lbs. http://www.mikethetiger.com/

*NOTE: to LSU writer who made a comment on the website – “before he leads in the band.” Our schools in Texas teach better grammar and English than yours.”

In fact, Mike seems to do whatever Mike wants to do. He does not have to move into his travel home to attending sporting events. With the exception of the other two Tigers in the SEC, Mike can eat all of the other mascots in the SEC and most of the other schools’ mascots in all three football divisions, so I am good to go if Mike doesn’t want to come to Kyle Field or go anywhere else.  He is not like a longhorn or a collie dog. He’s a half ton Bengal-Siberian tiger that is STILL WILD who eats 25 pounds daily! Wow, what does Reveille weigh? So weekly he eats 175 pounds of food.  That is about a hind quarter of Bevo per month.

But as the LSU commenter said “If you ever have a chance to see Mike when visiting Death Valley, do so.”  I have seen, probably Mike V, but yes, if you have an opportunity to see this magnificent animal in Death Valley, do so.  He is a beautiful creature.

So, Mike, just stay home in your warm Tiger Place, laying on your bearskin rug or whatever comforts you like and watch the game on TV, with a tiger cocktail., of course.

Gig ‘Em Aggies! BTHO LSU!!!

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Friday, November 21, 2014 – College Football Week 13 – Nobody Cares Unless You Are…

Posted on November 21, 2014 | Leave a comment

Friday, November 21, 2014 – College Football Week 13 – Nobody Cares Unless You Are…

It is the thirteenth week of college football.  It is also known as the week Nobody Cares Unless You Are Number Four or Five in the Eyes of The Committee.  Once again, it is Cupcake, Cream Puff, and Make Lots of Money from the Gate Receipts Weekend. Depending on which rankings you are looking at, we have number 1 Alabama playing West Carolina University, number 2 Oregon playing Colorado, number 3 Florida State playing Boston College, and number 4 Mississippi State playing the Commodores of Vanderbilt and then there is # 5 and/or # 6 TCU/Baylor.  The Frogs did not look too intimidating last evening against West Virginia winning by only six points. And the Bears of Baylor play the Cowboys of Oklahoma State Saturday evening. Yawn! Next weekend starts the beginning of the end of college football with the state bowl games, such as The Egg Bowl or The Iron Bowl with intrastate rivalries. The Aggies play LSU on Thanksgiving Day.  This is not a rivalry because in order to be a rivalry, one must have one won at least one game against the opponent, which unfortunately the Aggies have not won against LSU. Perhaps, this will be the Thanksgiving.  Whatever the outcome, “as God is my witness, I will never go hungry, eat turnips from the field or watch Justin Tucker kick a field goal again” on Thanksgiving.  Sic ‘Em Bears! Sorry, Kristen.

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Friday, October 31, 2014 – BOO! Halloween or All Saints Eve

Posted on October 31, 2014 | Leave a comment

Friday, October 31, 2014 – Boo! Halloween or All Saints Eve?

Pick either one, but it is the day before Saturday football! The Aggies return against Louisiana- Monroe. I believe this is like a UTEP or a TAMUCommerce institution of higher learning. The mascot is the War Hawk. Sounds like another bird to me. For Texas A&M it is Game One to see if there is anything to salvage for next year.  I mean with Auburn, Missouri and LSU left on the schedule, who knows what evil lurks beyond the turf? Heck, we don’t even know who is going to be quarterback.  Some reports say Hill, but today’s reports say Allen. Coach Sumlin says “whoever runs on the field” will be quarterback.  I hope it is Johnny Manziel or Peyton Manning, but they are probably working this weekend.   I hate the 11:00 am game.  Too many Bloody Marys and it is difficult to stay awake for the afternoon games. But the prime time games should be prime time action with Auburn at Ole Miss in Oxford, The Hogs of Arkansas are in Starkville with #1 Mississippi State and the Trees of Stanford could knock out Oregon, but the game is in Eugene.  Come on Cardinal. Remember Stanford’s mascot is not the bird; it is the color.  As smart as though Stanford people are, I still do not understand The Tree.

But I do admire the Aggie strategy for this week’s game. If you do not play well, then you should always look good. The Aggies will be wearing throwback uniforms from 1939 – also known as the Year of the Only National Football Championship. The helmets are spectacular and look like retro leather helmets even with faux stitching. Even sports chatter on Yahoo says “But the helmet is just awesome. It’s the best throwback helmet we’ve seen this year in college football.” Take that Texas Tech and whatever finger painting was on your helmet.  BTHO La-Monroe.

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