It’s time for Super Bowl XLV!

Wow, can it get any more crazier here in north Texas than having a Super Bowl in the back yard?

Thanks to my good friend Rick Chandler over at Off the Bench an NBC owned blog, I am able to do some work for that site and it’s a blast so far. I’m getting calls to do interviews of players.  I’ll be interviewing Jason Witten later on this evening via phone, and next week Jerome Bettis.

Is this country great or what?? Stay tuned!

Which NFL jerseys are women buying?

Apparantly, there is a large segment of this society (women), that buy NFL jerseys differently from men. In other words, women like certain jerseys differently than men. Case in point. 

With more than 40 percent of NFL fans being female, jerseys tailored for women have become popular in recent years. So it’s interesting to see what jerseys men buy that women don’t and vice versa.

So what player experienced a nice jump in the women’s jersey market as compared to the men’s market?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is reportedly dating Gossip Girl star Jessica Szohr, is fourth on the women’s jersey list one spot ahead of Tom Brady. He ranks seventh on the list of regular jerseys.

And women clearly love their Dallas Cowboys. Wide receiver Miles Austin is seventh on the women’s list, but 13th on the men’s list. Quarterback Tony Romo is ninth on the women’s list and 11th on the men’s list. And the biggest jump of anyone on the list is tight end Jason Witten, who is 21st on the men’s list, but 10th on the women’s list.

 Best Selling NFL Women’s Jerseys

1. Troy Polamalu, Steelers
2. Peyton Manning, Colts
3. Drew Brees, Saints
4. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
5. Tom Brady, Patriots
6. Tim Tebow, Broncos
7. Miles Austin, Cowboys
8. Eli Manning, Giants
9. Tony Romo, Cowboys
10. Jason Witten, Cowboys

Interesting. I think I’ll drag out my Cowboys jersey for the Super Bowl.

Whose NFL Jerseys Scores the Most With Women? (CNBC)

My tribute to Ralph

Back in 1971 when I arrived at Fort Riley Kansas, there was this guy named Ralph, from Bulger Pa. that was assigned to my squad room on post barracks. On top of being some where I didn’t want to be in the first place, here was this guy always, always talking about anything related to Pittsburgh sports. The Pittsburgh Pirates had a great baseball team, and of course the Pittsburgh Steelers had Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swan and all of those guys. There were some great games those Steelers had against my Cowboys by the way.

Ralph was always, always talking up how good the Steelers were. It got old pretty quick to me. I was in a situation that made me think about other priorities at the time, including a pregnant wife back home. I endured Ralph and all of his Pittsburgh bragging.

I guess I endured it long enough, for he and I became best friends. Aside from him bragging on Pittsburgh, he was a funny guy and helped me laugh about things that were pretty much serious otherwise. We were best friends after all.

And then like so many times in the Army, our tours ended and we were going to be going home soon. Of course you always say you will write, but you never do. But Ralph and I had such a special bond and friendship, we made a pact that every year, on Super Bowl Sunday, we would call each other and catch up and hopefully, be talking either Cowboys or Steelers in the Super Bowl.

We called each other for years. We helped each other through some tough times together. His cancer, and my divorce. We were still friends after all those years. He survived and so did I.

Time has sort of gotten by me now. It’s been several years since I have heard from Ralph, so since I see Pittsburgh is going back to the Super Bowl, I thought I would call Ralph and see what his plans are. Maybe he needed a place to stay to watch his Steelers and this being the first time Dallas has hosted a Super Bowl, what a great idea if I invited him down for the game.

I didn’t have his phone number so I Googled him and found this.

Ralph E. Campbell Jr.
Millworker from Bulger
Ralph Edwin Campbell Jr., 49, of Bulger, died Friday, June 30, 2000, in his home. He was born August 19, 1950, in Midway, a son of Alverta Stewart Campbell of Clinton and the late Ralph Campbell Sr. Mr. Campbell graduated from Fort Cherry High School and was a millworker at Climax Molybdenum. On October 7, 1972, he married Sharon Holmes, who survives. Surviving, in addition to his wife and mother, are a son, Brant Edwin Campbell of Bulger; a daughter, Angela Lynn Shaffer of Bulger; two sisters, Anna Black of Midway and Alice Reese of West Palm Beach, Fla.; and two grandchildren, Matthew Paul and Brianne Nicole Shaffer.

Wow. I’m pretty stunned. I should have called sooner. I just figured he would be there.

Maybe I’ll call his wife someday, just not now. Ralph was a great guy. Hang in there Ralph, your doing ok now.

And we’re walking, and we’re walking

Sometimes there are things to write, and sometimes there are things to write but I just can’t write. Right?

As I try to get my fingers used to the keyboard again, lots of things have happened. The Texas Rangers made it to the World Series and put up a valiant effort but lost.  The Cowboys fire another coach. Veteran’s Day has come and gone, and we are now looking right at plans for Thanksgiving. Wow, where does the time go?  Of course moving and going to school took up a large part of that gap.

Hey Jerry, I think YOU are the problem!

No one wants to read about how bad their team is, but you just can’t help it right? I hate writing about a losing team, especially since it’s been my team for 50 years now.

Why are the Cowboys 1-4 after the game today in Minnesota? Because we don’t have effective coaching. Why don’t we have effective coaching? Because Jerry Jones wants to be the man. He wants to be the Alpha Male. He’s willing to gamble that if his team makes it to the Super Bowl, in some sick sort of way, he can stand on the podium and claim responsibility. Since that isn’t going to happen given the poor record so far this year, then he should take the blame right?

Everyone in North America knows Jerry only hires people he can train as puppets. If they won’t be a Jerry puppet, they go elsewhere. (See Bill Parcells and Jimmy Johnson).

The Morning Tweet, and I’m almost famous!

I am pretty humbled to be recognized as a friend of Rick Chandler of the NBC Blog called Out of Bounds.

Not only is my friend Lew Patton a Dallas Cowboys follower, but he’s also a fan of Presidential press secretaries. So it was no wonder he came across this late Wednesday; proof positive that the White House is not only concerned with oil spills and unemployment figures.

That was fun Rick, and thanks for the props!!

Morning Tweet: Hail to the Cowboys? (Out of Bounds)

A Tribute to Tom Landry

It seems that the immortal Tom Landry will be honored this fall at the State Fair of Texas.

A display featuring private memorabilia from legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry will complement an exhibit celebrating a century of North Texas football when the State Fair of Texas opens next month.

Alicia Landry, the iconic coach’s widow, will provide most of the items from her private collection – much of which has never been seen in public before. It will include championship game balls, trophies and one of the coach’s trademark felt fedoras.

For those of you who dopn’t remember Tom Landry, I can not think of any person that was a better example of a great man and great coach.

Source

It’s that Reunion time of year!

  The state of Texas is right on the verge of a seasonal change. I can feel it in the air, and there are several indications as to why I know summer is about to end.

The Cowboys are in the pre-season, the Rangers are in the last 1/3 of their season (and still in first place I might add), Wal-Mart is advertising back-to-school and tax-free weekends. Yeah, it’s all shaping up to be a great seasonal change. I took the garbage out earlier and it didn’t feel like I was walking into an oven when I stepped outside. The Grand Prairie AirHogs’ season has a week left on it. So long to all of my friends at QuickTrip Park, and I mean that.

This upcoming week, my old Army unit will be congregating in San Antonio for an Army Reunion. The First Infantry Division will be gathering by the river to welcome back troops that served in that glorious unit. I’m looking forward to it.

Then, in early September, I will be going to my home town to my high school reunion. Hooo Boy. Supposed to be the “greatest reunion in the history of Sweetwater Texas!” Hoooochie momma!!!!

I have to get ready for fall classes. Hope I can afford the books.

There’s one other sign that the seasons are changing here in Texas. High school football starts this week. Looking forward to reuniting with everything that brings fall weather again.

It’s Emmitt’s turn at greatness

Hello Hall of Fame for Emmitt Smith!

A very special time for a special player, on a special team. As the Dallas Cowboys embark on their 50th season in the NFL, the running back with the most yards in NFL history will be going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It seems like yesterday that Emmitt Smith showed up in Dallas one day looking like this:

And then, like it was only moments, I remember Emmitt Smitth in this pose:

Man oh man, where did the time go?

Join me now, as we watch some of the best Emmitt Smith runs..

I get choked up just watching some of these videos again. Man… what a treat it was to be able to watch Emmitt Smith run the ball.

Congrats Emmitt. You rock sir!

And remember when he broke THE record?

And then, the day always comes when you retire. It was tough watching him do it.

Thanks Emmitt. You gave us fans so much. Thanks so much for your days as a Dallas Cowboy.

Part II

Minor League team holds Albert Haynesworth Conditioning Challange

From Out of Bounds

 

At this point, Albert Haynesworth’s failed conditioning test has become a slice of American folklore; like John Henry and his hammer, Paul Bunyan and his axe, Brett Favre and his penis. So it’s no wonder that the country is celebrating the Redskin lineman’s “runtime error.” Recently a restaurant owner offered free ice cream if the lineman finally passed the test (so far, he hasn’t). Now, a minor league baseball team has taken it a step further. On Aug. 14, the Hickory Crawdads (Single-A South Atlantic League, Texas Rangers) will give free season tickets to any of their fans who pass the Redskins’ conditioning test. They’re calling it the Haynesworth Conditioning Challenge.

From the Crawdad’s site:

Since Washington Redskins lineman Albert Haynesworth didn’t even attempt his fitness test on Thursday, the Crawdads have re-scheduled the Haynesworth Conditioning Challenge for after the game against the Charleston RiverDogs on Thursday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m.

All participants will have to complete the same conditioning test that Haynesworth has failed multiple times, which is as follows:

1. Twelve consecutive 25-yard dashes (300 total yards) in less than 70 seconds

2. Rest period of 3.5 minutes

3. Twelve more consecutive 25-yard dashes in less than 73 seconds

All participants that successfully complete the challenge in the allotted time will win two season tickets for the rest of the 2010 season, including all potential playoff games. All participants that attempt the challenge will receive a free ticket to a future game this season (excluding Aug. 14).

In the spirit of the challenge, anyone named Albert or wearing a Redskins jersey will receive a free ticket to the game. Additionally, it will be Thirsty Thursday, featuring $1 beers and Pepsi, and there will be a post-game concert at the Crawdad Cafe by Banned on Wednesday.

The irony: If the Redskins offered $1 beer, Haynesworth would have passed the test by now.