Thursday, September 30, 2010

Mascot Mania!!

It's mascot mania on Just Wiiestin' Away. How about the top ten strange mascots in the state of Texas follow by the strangest mascot from each state in the country.

Why? Because we can!

Top 10 Texas High School Mascots!!!
Hamlin Piped Pipers
Springtown Fighting Porcupines
Port Lavaca: Calhoun Fighting Sand Crabs
New Braunfels Unicorns
Lewisville Fighting Farmers
Frisco: Frisco Fightin’ Racoons
Dallas: Hockaday School Daisies
Pampa Harvesters
Winters Blizzards
Kress Kagaroos

And from Around the Country!!!
Montgomery: Sidney Lanier - Poets , Alabama
Point Hope: Tikigaq - Harpooners , Alaska
Yuma - Criminals , Arizona but they are nothing without the Mesa: Heritage Academy - Heroes
Stuttgart - Rice Birds, Arkansas
Los Olivos: Dunn HS - Earwigs, California
Brush - Beetdiggers, Colorado
Kent: Marvelwood School - Screaming Pterodactyls, Connecticut
Willmington: Padua Academy - Pandas, Delaware
Tarpon Springs - Spongers , Florida
Savannah: Johnson - Atom Smashers , Georgia
KaMakani: Hawaii Prep - Gentle Breeze, Hawaii
Sun Valley: The Community School - Cutthroat Trout, Idaho
Cobden - Appleknockers, Illinois
Frankfort - Hot Dogs , Indiana
Scattergood: Friends - Scattergood Crew, Iowa
Lawrence - Chesty Lions, Kansas
Somerset - Briar Jumpers, Kentucky
Metairie - Chipmunks, Louisiana
Brewer - Witches, Maine
Allegany: Campers, Maryland
Ashland - Clockers, Mass
Watersmeet - Nimrods , Michigan
Blooming Prairie - Awesome Blossoms, Minnesota
Bay St. Louis: St. Stanislaus - Rock-a-Chaws , Mississippi
Maryville - Spoofhounds, Missouri
White Water - Penguins, Montana
Omaha: Benson - Bunnies, Nebraska
Tonopah - Fighting Muckers, Nevada
Inter Lakes -- Lakesters, New Hampshire
Belvidere - County Seaters , New Jersey
Carlsbad - Cavemen , New Mexico
Tarrytown: Sleepy Hollow - Headless Horsemen , New York
Greensboro: Grimsley - Whirlies, North Carolina
Dickinson - Midgets, North Dakota
Norwalk - Truckers, Ohio
Paoli - Pugs, Oklahoma
Lakeview - Honkers, Oregon
Aliquippa - Quips, Pennsylvania
Coventry - Knotty Oakers, Rhode Island
Mullin - Auctioneers, South Carolina
Newell - Irrigators, South Dakota
BellBuckle: The Webb School - Feet , Tennessee
Hamlin - Pied Pipers, Texas
Meridian - Mongooses, Utah
Fair Haven - Slaters, Vermont
Annandale - Atoms, Virgina
Blaine - Borderites , Washington
Poca - Dots , West Virginia
Eau Claire: Memorial - Old Abes, Wisconsin
Campbell Co. - Camels, Wyoming

Until we talk again, have a great day and be good to each other out there!!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Defining the Fan

Are you a fan?  A fan of what or who? What kind of fan are you?

Ok so maybe question one and two are easy, but what about question three?

What kind of fan are you?

Yes there are many types of fans so I think it is time we defined the fan.

Fan number one is the "Bandwagon Fan."  How much to true fans loath these people.  You know who you are.  Suddenly you have always been a fan of the Indianapolis Colts.  Yep, I have always been a fan of the New Orleans Saints.  Ok, so the good news, these people are not to hard to find out.  Ask them about the Colts when they were still in Baltimore.  If they say "What," you have yourself a bandwagon fan.  The good news about Bandwagon Fans is they never get in the way when you are buy tickets, unless your team ends up in the playoffs and then problems.  They typically won't take to much space up at the sports bar because they are too busy ordering new fan gear on line every other year.  Bandwagon fans are irritating but they only show up during the playoffs.  Kinda of like box elder bugs.

Number two is the "Thug Fan."  These are literally fans of the thugs.  Are you a fan of Pacman Jones?  That was easy!  Trouble is that thug fans hide out among the regular fans but they will show up every time their thug shows up.  When Kolby Bryant got in all the trouble in Colorado, all his fans showed up.  The punk formerly known as Chad Johnson changed his name and became Chad Ochocinco.  Probably a good think he is not a fan of Bulgaria or his his name would be be Осемдесет и пет.  The point is, this group will by anything thug boy endorses.  ANYTHING! Bad news is that these are the goofys that show up on all the talk shows, make the headlines and make the balance of us just sick. 

Number three, is the fair weather fan!  YUCK!  These fans pain me terrible.  I am about as far from this as possible.  These are the people that scream the loudest, know everything their is to know about the team, want the coach to run from president, and are sure their team is the best in history.......when they are winning.  When they are loosing, you can't hear them at games, they leave early, the coach should not be allowed to be the town dog catcher, and we are the worst team in history.  Ok, let me tell you, I know what it means to be on the short end of the stick.  So be careful and stay out of that group.

Number four is the die hard.  There I am.   I have been a Kansas City Royals fan since I was a kid.  The Royals have not even been close to the playoffs since 1996 but yet each year I am convinced that next year will be the year.  Oh Cub fans, you know what I mean.  I have been a Green Bay Packers fan since before that was cool.  Still am even since my boy Brett left to Minnesota.  These fans wear their team cap all the time.  They complain when TV does not air their team even if they are 20 games under 500.  It is always going to be "the year," that things turn around.  These people are fun, faithful and will always proclaim their affiliation and wear their colors with pride. 

Our next fan is the equal oppertunity fan.  These are just plainly fans.  They love the game period.  The big plays, the class act players, the underdog story, and the pure joy of your sport no matter what it may be.  I am one of these as well.  Yes I am a Royals fan, but also I have my secondary teams such as the Texas Rangers, the Minnesota Twins, and the St. Louis Cardinals.  If my Royals don't make the World Series (2011 is our year) then one of these teams will work. 

An finally, the junkie.  Do you have a channel on your TV dedicated to your sport that DVR's all the time?  Do you watch preseason games, scrimmages, training camp video and the draft live?  Ok so I am that too.  I watch preseason baseball.  I just love the games!  A bad day at the ballpark is just not possible. 

What kind of fan are you? 

If nothing else be a good one.

Till I see you out cheering on the team, have a great day and be good to each other!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Feeding Fans -- Culinary Delights of the Concession Stands Under Review!

{Singing} ....buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks......

Ah yes, buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks.  Does ballpark fare get any more traditional than that.  Speaking of which, a man can not live on peanuts and cracker jacks along (I just made that up) but truly what our your favorite ballpark delights?

I have been in a lot of ball parks, stadiums and arenas over the years ranging from the Metro Dome in Minneapolis, Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City,  Mile High Stadium and old McNichols Arena in Denver along with parks in Chicago, Nashville, South Carolina, St. Louis, and several other profession venues.

I have enjoyed the fare at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Rosenblatt and Qwest in Omaha, at Allen Field House in Lawrence, as well as places like Norman, Boulder, Ames and a handful of Division Two fields in the NCAA.

Wow, how many concessions stands have I seen at local parks.  Last count is somewhere in neighborhood of 100 different high school venues over a span of twenty some years and toss in those gas station stops from playing sports through high school and running the roads chasing sports over 15 years.

I have ate a bunch of things that make my doctor cry.  My life insurance agent has a poll going at this point I am sure but the bottom line is nothing beats ball park bistros, stadium suppers and arena appetite fillers.

What are some of your favorites?

I have seen some crazy ones.  Deep fried Twinkies and Oreos in Tennessee and Alabama.  No harmful effects at all there.   Deep fried cheese curds in Milwaukee and Green Bay.  Feel the blood pressure go up.  Chocolate dipped soft pretzels in high school park in Kansas.  Candy for Valentine's Day works but the woman in your life will not be as amused by that as you are.

I have seen some serious meals at the ball park that you nearly need a waiter to carry.  Try the brisket sandwich with the garlic and parmesan fries at Qwest Center Omaha.  So what if it costs as much as your car payment.  There was the two-pound chili dog you could get your hands, or rather fork on, at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming.  Don't forget the "personal pizza" the size of a 1970's Buick hubcap at Sioux City Explorers games.  Break out the Rolaids people, we are not sleep for three days.

Area favorites are awesome!  The Frito pie is a big hit at concessions stands around west Texas and a treat to be sure.  Kansas City at Kauffman and Arrowhead do some serious BBQ that will knock you out.  Minnesota has brats the size of a muffler and they know how to smother them in kraut and hot dog sauce (otherwise known as mustard).  Coors Field in Denver they serve this great beverage, and need I say more.

What are your favorites?

Around the neighborhood, I will be looking for the best concession stand fare, so if you see me coming shout out.  Let me know what is on tap.  Send me your favorites right here on the blog or email them to michael@hprnetwork.com and let me know what to watch out for.

Until I see you again, have a great day and be good to each other out there!!!

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES (9/23/2010)

American League
Minnesota 5, Cleveland 1
Chi White Soxs 4, Oakland 3
Tampa 7, NY Yankees 2
Detroit 4, Kansas City 2
Seattle 6, Toronto 3
Boston 6, Baltimore 1
Texas 2, LA Angels 1 (12)

National LeagueWashington 4, Houston 3
Philadelphia 1, Atlanta 0
Pittsburgh 11, St. Louis 6
Florida 7, NY Mets 5
Chi Cubs 2, San Francisco 0
Milwaukee 13, Cincinnati 1
Arizona 8, Colorado 4
San Diego 3, LA Dodgers 1

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES (9/21/2010)

American League:Kansas City 9, Detroit 6
NY Yankees 8, Tampa 3
Baltimore 9, Boston 1
Toronto 5, Seattle 3
Minnesota 6, Cleveland 4
LA Angels 2, Texas 0
Oakland 7, Chi White Soxs 2

National League:
Cincinnati 4, Milwaukee 3
Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 3
Washington 8, Houston 4
Florida 5, NY Mets 2
San Diego 6, LA Dodgers 0
Arizona 3, Colorado 1
San Francisco 1, Chi Cubs 0
Pittsburgh 5, St. Louis 2

Loboettes Just Gettin In the Groove

The groove.  That mystical place in life where everything is going well. 

More importantly, that place you get to in the sports world were everything just clicks. 

Question is, how do you get "in the groove?"

Playing "Shake Your Groove Thing," by Peaches and Herb is not the right answer, although a good jam.

The trick to getting in the groove involves several things.  The things you can control are things such as getting your reps, practice, being together as a team, focus, discipline, effort and others.

Things you can control to a point.  Scheduling of who you play and when, where you play, when you take days off, health of players and others.

The things you don't control.  The teams you are playing and their groove, health of players, and if the sports planets are aligned on every given night or day.  There are many other variables that fall into this category but it does not change the thought process.

The bottom line is, as a team you either get into that mystical groove and make your days go easy, or you fall out of the groove and living is tough.

The Loboette Volleyball team started the season in scrimmage play with back-to-back losses to Trinity and Plainview way back on August 6th.  Since that time, they found a five game winning streak in early September and before struggling a bit through the River Road Tournament at Amarillo the Loboettes are two-and-one in recent history and ready to open a district field on a four game home stand.

Back to the groove. 

In the first week of August this was a team that the groove seemed like a river in China.  It was just that far away.  Now the groove is like walking across town.  It is truly that close.

For the assets that this team can control they have many of these items on the lip of the cup.  This team is to a point where the flow is much better than August.  Players are falling into the system, as their game is crisper and faster with less unforced errors.  Is it a team that has talent and balance of talent. 

Senior Clarrisa Hurn is just talented.  Quick, good sports sense, and really can cover a wide variety of needs for the Loboettes.  Toss in senior Kendall Wheatherred.  This senior seems to get better every night as an outside hitter and despite the lack of height, Wheatherred is learning to do a lot with her skill set.  Add senior Mari Flores from the libero position.  Quick is the word.  She gets to a lot of balls that maybe should not be gotten due and really shows promise from the service line.

The big hitter, junior Morgan Riley has real promise.  For a big gun style hitter with very good speed and power, she also shows development of court vision or where and how to hit a ball to garner the kill the team needs. 

The sophomore class shows great talent.  Tara Blair is not the tallest player in the world but certainly can play that way.  As her kill numbers come up, she also shows good setting skills and is a threat from nearly everywhere on the floor from the service line to the kill line.  Lauren Morrow has proved a pleasant surprise.  Morrow shows steady improvement in all aspects of the game and will prove a force down the road.  Newcomer Alex Herrera still remains a bit of a question mark.  Despite a short tenure in the lineup she does give the Loboettes another weapon on the horizon as she could turn into another solid outside hitter befor all is said and done.

Sometimes freshman are looked at as roster and bench fillers but not in this case not true.  Brooke Durham is coming along as she covers frount line duty when Flores steps off the floor.  At this point Durham will be good for a couple of kills and a block or so a ballgame but has shown marked improvement since the opening of the year.  Meanwhile Sydney Shakespeare's minutes of play continue to come up as she again gives the Loboettes options in the outside hitter slot.  Morgan Himango falls into the Clarris Hurn mold.  While Himango lacks experience as just a freshman, she shows promise as a utility player. She serves fairly well, has good court speed and appears to be attacking the ball and the game with more confidence.  Toss in young Brittany Caddell as an improving threat in the back row and you have a nice crop of freshmen.

So with talent and promise this team has started to click or as first year Loboette Coach Ebony Williams says "Are getting comfortable with each other."

Williams along with other Levelland athletic staffers have put this team in a good spot with their scheduling abilities.  The Loboettes were scheduled for a seven day break, but Coach Williams was able to fill it and with a solid opponent.  For a seasoned team seven days off is not such a bad thing, but a team on the learn needs the reps and she got them with games against a very solid Lubbock Home School. 

The scheduling gods were good as well to the Loboettes.  In a district with peaks and valleys the Loboettes get to open with four home games in a row.  The stretch includes tough district foes in Shallowater and Lubbock Cooper but for a team still knotting up the loose ends opening at home is a big advantage.

Of course it means road trips at the end of the district run, but by the time the Loboettes get back on a bus, they could be four-and-oh in a ten game district schedule.

The groove is there and the Loboettes are nearly in it.

The trick is to say there.  Hall-of-Famer Johnny Bench once said, "Slumps are like a soft bed.  They're easy to get into and hard to get out of."

Can the Loboettes avoid a slump?  Time will tell the tale and the tale starts Saturday with the Shallowater Mustangs coming to Levelland.

Until we talk again, have a great day and be good to each other.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES (9/20/2010)

American League:Detroit 7, Kansas City 5
NY Yankees 8, Tampa 6
Baltimore 4, Boston 2
Minnesota 9, Cleveland 3
LA Angels 7, Texas 4
Oakland 3, Chi White Soxs 1

National League:
Cincinnati 5, Milwaukee 2
Philadelphia 3, Atlanta 1
Houston 8, Washington 2
Florida 4, St. Louis 0

Here We Go!!

Hello you all you happy people (officially stolen from Droopy the cartoon dog) and welcome into the first edition of the world of Just Wiiestin' Away.

As you drop by the first time, you will ask the same question that my bosses ask me before the first post.  "What is the point of this?"

Tricky question.  I don't really have one. 

In all honesty, I love this job and I love sports.  This becomes an opportunity for me share my thoughts, or as the bosses put it "to infect the brains of old people."

So folks, stop by anytime, enjoy, suggest topics and leave comments.

Until the next time, have a great day and be good to each other out there.