Texas A&M & Baseball In No Particular Order

Friday September 2nd, 2005

12:01am

CFB Starts & My Worries

I went to the University of Houston v. Oregon game last night with my brother and old man to give myself a little taste of the college football that I've been craving....it was a nice little warm up for Saturday. The Cougars put on a great show for the first half leading 21-17 at the end of the second quarter. Stupid penalties and lack of depth got to them in the second half starting after a 3rd quarter failed attempted on a 4th & 3 from the Oregon 9 yard line.

They threw for 200 yards in that first half but Oregon switched to nickel and dime defenses and snuffed out the Cougar's steam. If I was an Oregon fan I'd be scared to death of the cornerbacks who looked bad against a team that doesn't even begin to compare to a Pac-10 team like USC.

After the game it was very sobering to see all of the refugees next door at the Astrodome. You truly felt sorry for all those people who literally had only what was on their backs and in the plastic grocery sacks they were carrying. There was a man with his daughters who asked for money to buy dinner. It was all very humbling and it made me more aware of the situation than I already was.

I was alarmed, however, when I got home and Jennifer filled me in on everything that had been happening in New Orleans yesterday. My old man had already told me about the scum who were shooting at the helicopters and at police officers....which infuriates me.

I try to keep this site focused on sports & A&M....especially away from political and ethical type stuff, but this is simply too big to pretend it isn't happening.

I honestly hope that the military goes through the city and wipes out these gangs that are forming and causing so many problems. I understand that I can never understand what they are going through but I have ZERO tolerance for some of the things that are occurring. Raping, murdering, hijacking cars on I-10, sneaking into houses where people are trapped and killing them for their food, snipers shooting at hospitals as they attempt to vacate....the world doesn't need people like these and we're all better off without them.

There seem to be two types of refugees coming to Houston....those who were able to afford to vacate on their own and those who were not financially able to get out.

What scares me is that there are reports of rapes and murders inside the Superdome. These are the people who are being bused to my home and will be given the opportunity to come and go as they please from the Astrodome. It isn't humane to lock them in but the city needs to be protected as well. To be honest, I'm scared that Houston just permanently increased the city population by 20K people who could not financially afford to get out of N.O. prior to the hurricane.

I know that not all of the 25,000 who are coming to the Astrodome are rapers and murderers but how do you know who is a good apple and who is a bad apple. It's terrible that the city is opening itself up and being repaid with a very likely increase in crime and poverty. But like I said a minute ago, how can you deny this from the people who are truly appreciative of the hospitality just because others cannot be civilized?

As difficult as it is, I hope that everyone can be civil and just try to continue to roll with the punches.

I also hope that the city is able to not only protect it's own citizens but to maintain sanity and order in the Astrodome that those in New Orleans have been unable to do in the Superdome.

UPDATE: I just heard on the local news that the Astrodome is no longer accepting people and that they are at full capacity with 11-13,000, not the original 20-25,000. There are buses upon buses lined up outside of the Astrodome full of people. I have no idea where these people are going to go. I have a bad feeling that Houston is in for some trouble over the following weeks.

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Thursday September 1st, 2005

TAMABINPO'S 2005 Ag Football Preview Part I

It is finally here.

Click HERE.

Warning: for those of you at work either turn off your speakers or plug in some headphones.

It continues tomorrow with Part II & on Saturday with my Clemson preview....

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Wednesday August 31st, 2005

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer

I thought that I'd kick off TAMABINPO's Ag Football Countdown Week with a great college football book. The reason being is that I know there are quite a few of you who are either flying or driving out to Clemson over the next few days and this would be a great way to occupy yourself while traveling (but please, don't read and drive at the same time).

When Jennifer and I were on our trip to Las Vegas I had some time to actually read an entire book. My book of choice was Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer written by Warren St. John, who let me know that the book was written pre-Fran so there wouldn't be anything in it to upset an Ag like myself.

The entire basis of the story is to try and figure out why fans care so much about their team. Basically, Warren decided to RV to every Alabama football game during the 1999 season and chronicles the entire experience.

He chose Alabama because a) that was his team [the guy listened to an entire Alabama/Auburn game on over the phone and proceeded to cry himself to sleep after Auburn won], and b) the state of Alabama, and the University of Alabama specifically, is known for their incredibly passionate college football fans. The RVers gave him an excellent opportunity to see what he wanted to see.

The whole book was great, but I think that Warren's first 17 pages were so telling (he explained what it's like to be a die-hard fan) that it needs to be read by Jennifer just so she could maybe understand me a little better. You can actually read the introduction here.

There were several paragraphs from throughout the book that I thought were a great way to describe the feelings that fans go through:

"Asking a fan why he or she likes a team is a lot like asking someone why they're in love with their spouse; all the rational reasons a person can muster don't explain the bond."
--p.38
That's a good way to try to explain it but I don't think I'd tell Jennifer that. She doesn't seem to appreciate being compared to sports as much as I do.

This next quote is regarding a wealthy, obsessive 'Bama fan who always leaves his suite with two minutes time left on the clock in order to beat the rush and catch his personal jet so he can be home within an hour after the game ends...

"So why go to the trouble of having season tickets, flying in a jet, and the rest of it, if you aren't going to stick around for the end of the game? It makes no sense to me. We had seen the end in technical terms, but we hadn't felt it, which to me has always been the point. Maybe I'd been hanging out with the RV-ers too long, but what were quotidian worries like postgame traffic against the ecstasy of a last-second win? In fact, that's the whole point of the RV corps in the first place--to situate yourself close enough to the source of the emotional high of the game so that "real life" can't intervene. The crowd is as much a part of that experience as the score."
--pg.222

The crowd is what makes the game so great. The greatest games I've been to at Kyle Field weren't even all wins....I remember those electric losses more than I remember most of our blowout wins.

"On third down, as the State quarterback approaches the line, there is a sudden roar. It sounds like a massive waterfall, with the steady rumble of stomping feet on the low end and a singeing hiss of clapping hands on the high. My screams fill in the midrange. What am I saying? I have to stop to even notice: Comonbamaletsgodefensegobamagobamagodefense. Gibberish, in other words. And yet, who can tell, or cares? With the sudden spike in noise, the crowd seems to become aware of itself and of its power. It's exhilarating, and the exhilaration inspires us to scream even louder. A moment later, it happens again, as though the crowd is in a shouting match with itself. It's louder still. The decibel level ratchets upward--a graph of it would look like a staircase--McDougall's theory of intensification playing out in real time. Unnerved by the noise, a State lineman hops out of his stance--illegal motion. Our power is confirmed, and that's all it takes...The Bulldogs break the huddle and the roar begins anew, only still louder. Around me, fans are screaming and shaking their heads, mouths open, trying to muscle still more noise from the bottom of their throats, as though trying to shout rocks up a hill. I can feel the rumble through my heels. The State quarterback drops back and jogs right, under pressure. He throws the ball into his receiver's ankles, incomplete. It's our ball. We did it."
--p.229-230
That couldn't have been better described by anyone this side of John Steinbeck. The crowd does become aware of it's self and to be a part of that is an awesome feeling (in the truest sense of the word). What an incredible rush, knowing that you're more than just a person in the stadium watching the game....you're actually contributing to the outcome on the field.

I just wanted to share a couple of those quotes with yall because I thought it was cool to read the words that describe the feelings I go through when I'm at a game.

So grab a copy of the book from Barnes and Noble or Border's before you leave town (the paperback edition is out now so it won't cost you an arm and a leg). You can also order it through his website.

Also check out Warren's website and his blog (which is linked from the "NCAA Football Links" on the left side of the page). He is going on a book tour which is stopping in Dallas (September 7th) and Austin (September 8th) so you can check that out too.

Just thought I should let you in on a great read....Enjoy....

Tomorrow the Ag Football Countdown Week Extravaganza continues....

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Tuesday August 30th, 2005

12:01am

College Guidelines

School started up at A&M yesterday, although my first day back is today (I'm taking only Tuesday/Thursday classes to save on gas....prices have almost doubled since I started my grad school commute). I thought that I should share some of the wisdom that I picked up during my time in College Station. These are all things that I’ve either found out for myself, heard from friends or I’ve learned through other’s mistakes. They might not all apply to you directly, but remember them when you come across others who didn’t get this handy-dandy guide.

Trust me, there are 11 semesters of experience speaking to you here.

If any of you fish have any questions about A&M or the way things work feel free to drop me a line (the email is up on the left side bar) and I'll see what I can do to help.

For those who have their own experiences please feel free to add to the comments section....

Tomorrow my annual TAMABINPO Ag Football Countdown will begin....I'll have my 2 part preview going up as well as a couple of other things....Check back for that....

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Monday August 29th, 2005

12:06am

BlogPoll Roundtable #6

Sorry I haven't been around lately....I've been working on my annual Ag Football Preview an awful lot and I'm also guilty of watching about 2/3 of all my Ag football highlights I have on my computer.

We've got a new set of questions that need to be answered from the BlogPoll Roundtable series. Round 6 is being hosted by Heismanpundit....here's the direct link.

Here are my thoughts:

Q1. What criteria do you use to determine if a team and its players are good?

A1. Typically, I look at the rankings. From there I'll look at the W-L record and their opponents. Then I'll look at the individuals on their squad.

For individual players I look at who they've played and the numbers they've put up. I'll also consider their teammates that surround them on the field (i.e. an OLine if I'm looking at a RB).

Q2. If you could choose one coach to build an offensive system for your school, who would it be? Conversely, who would you choose to build the defense? Why?

A2. The first part of the question is an easy answer for me, as much as it hurts me to say so. I'd take Mike Leach to lead my offense. The system is wacky but they have finished #6, #1, & #4 in Total Offense in each of the last 3 seasons, respectively. They're the only team from a BCS conference to do that. What is surprising is that you think they just throw all day long but in fact they still run quite a bit with their tailback Taurean Henderson, an All-Big XII selection. If they could ever put together a solid defense they'd be one of the scariest teams in the nation.

Defense, well that's a little more difficult because there isn't a single team that jumps out in my mind (not that there isn't one I'm just going to have to look it up).

So I did some research....

What I did was look at the Top 20 teams in Total Defense and the Top 20 teams in Scoring Defense from 2000-2004. Here are the top teams: 

       04TD 04SD 03TD 03SD 02TD 02SD 01TD 01SD 00TD 00SC
Auburn   5    1    5    9   26   13   39   48   14   28
Georgia  8    9    4    3   15    4   49   17   19   12
LSU      3   14    1    1    8   15   75   39   46   32
Miami   28   13    2    4    7   22    6    1    5    5
OU      13   11    3    5   10    6    4    4    8    7
SCal     6    3   30   17    6   17   29   11   16   79

Those numbers are where the school was ranked nationally in the given category that year.

  • I think that Miami is in there more so because of the insane talent they pull in rather than the coaching
  • Auburn has been incredible the last 2 seasons and was solid prior to that
  • LSU has been incredible since 2002. Nick Saban was hired in 1999 but the defense didn't become dominant until after he hired Wil Muschamp as his defensive coordinator
  • USC is solid but doesn't rank high enough consistently enough
  • Oklahoma is the only school to be ranked in the top 15 in every possible opportunity on the chart
  • Georgia only missed out of the top 20 once and has been top 10 for the last two years

Just looking at that I'd say it was either Bob Stoops at Oklahoma (who took over in 1999), or Bill Richt at Georgia (took over in 2001). I should point out that Stoops lost his brother Mike after 2003 (he took over at Arizona) and there was a drop in the defense.

BUT....

       04TD 04SD 03TD 03SD 02TD 02SD 01TD 01SD 00TD 00SC
KState  43   84    6    8    2    1    3    7    4   17
Wisc     9    6   43   50   63   38   58   81   79   34

My vote is going to Bret Bielema of Wisconsin. Bielema was the co-defensive coordinator at K-State through the 2003 season before taking the job fulltime at Wisconsin. I think those numbers above speak for themself.

Q3. Describe your typical college football Saturday.

A3. My typical Saturday is changing up a bit this year since it is my first outside of College Station. Traditionally I sleep in and wake up just in time to catch the last 10 minutes of Game Day on ESPN. I'd usually start watching whatever games were on TV until I needed to prepare for our game.

If the Ags were playing at home I'd start preparing for my role as the 12th Man about 3 hours prior to kickoff by drinking as much water as my body would take. About an hour before kickoff I would either catch the bus or start my walk towards Kyle Field with a 64 oz. Gatorade, my 12th Man Towel, & my ticket. After the game I'd usually be so drained that I'd watch some games on TV while I nap off and on (if the MLB Playoffs are on then that takes priority over non-Ag games).

If the Ags were away we'd just lounge around all day watching games and we'd make plans for where we were going to go to watch the game.

This year, I have no idea what my game day routine will be. For home games I'm going to have to leave my house early to get up to school....for away games I imagine it'll won't be too different.

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