25 years ago

Twenty five years ago today is a day I’ll never forget.

My wife Rhonda called me at home from her office during the morning of January 28, 1986 and asked if I had heard the bad news. She informed me the space shuttle had exploded shortly after lift off so I immediately turned on the television and watched in horror.

The sick feeling I had watching it over and over and the sadness I had for the families involved. They had actually witnessed it. And what a tragedy it was to NASA and our space program.

At the time I was a full time sports writer with the Grand Prairie Daily News and didn't have to work in the mornings. That night I covered an important high school basketball game between South Grand Prairie and Duncanville at Warrior Coliseum.

There was a moment of silence before the game and Duncanville edged SGP by a couple of points in what eventually gave Duncanville the district championship. SGP also made the playoffs that season and went on to the Region I Tournament in Midland.

Now back in those days we – me and sports editor Randy Jennings – worked way into the next morning putting together the sports pages. Around 2 a.m. on the 29^th a call came over the police scanner that a pedestrian had been hit by a train near the Dallas-Tarrant County Line.

Because our police reporter Gene Abrahamson lived in Dallas I figured I could handle the story and headed out to the scene. Plus I'm an avid railfan so it gave me a chance to be trackside. At the scene I found Grand Prairie Police Officer David Hooper who was in charge of traffic accidents at the time and he was filling me on the situation.

Standing trackside next to the train "Hoop" was telling me the man had either passed out on the tracks from drinking too much or committed suicide. I asked Hoop how mangled was the man’s body. He said “look” and with his flash light showed me I was standing inches away from the man’s upper body.

I’m like “sheesh Hoop!” Hooper started laughing and thought I was aware we were near the body. Over to the left he showed me the man’s leg and to the right another body part. It was indeed a sight I’ll never forget.

Or a day with the space shuttle either.

Max: what a blessing

A lot has happened in my life since the last time I blogged.

I’ve been battling cancer again since September and had surgery on my right pelvic bone on December 13. Same cancer – synovial cell sarcoma – I fought back in 2009.

I went through chemo and radiation prior to surgery and hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments after surgery. I am cancer free at this time but currently going trough another stage of chemo that will end in May and I have to use a walker and wheelchair to get around.

I have not been released to drive again but each day I’m improving dramatically and ready to enter another stage in my life.

While the cancer thing has pretty much taken up not only my life but my wife’s as well the most important happening in the last four and a half months was the birth of our first grandchild. As we remembered 9/11 Weston Maxwell McDonough blessed us at 8 lbs 1 oz and 20.5 inches. “Max” is the son of my oldest daughter Amanda and her husband Mike.

Max was born in Memphis, Tn. but lives in Hernando, Ms., just 20 minutes south of Memphis across the state line. Max has no earthly idea but he has helped me tremendously during my current health issues.

When I’m not feeling good I remember I have the greatest grandson in the world. When I’m in a lot of pain I remember I’m a grandfather and what a blessing it is. Or when I’m feeling like I don’t want another round of chemo I remember the times I’ve been able to hold Max or make him giggle like I did earlier this week.

Max has truly been great for me more than he’ll ever realize. Despite the fact he is 8 hours away from Grand Prairie Amanda and Mike both constantly send us photos or videos of Max.

God sent Max to us for a reason. One reason: to help me forget about what’s troubling me.

What a night to remember

I've been covering high school sports for over 35 years and I don't think I have seen a finish to an athletic event like I saw Friday night. In the football season opener between the Grand Prairie High, my alma mater, and Lewisville ended in a bizarre way.

Grand Prairie pulled out a wild wild 42-41 decision, scoring with no time left on the clock and then kicking the extra point. It was maybe the wildest ending to a football game I've seen.

Wait, make that second wildest finish. The 1997 playoff football game between South Grand Prairie and Arlington Lamar at SMU's Ownby Stadium was THE most dramatic ending I've seen. So make this the second one.

After blowing a 35-14 lead with nine minutes left and falling behind 41-35 with 56 seconds left the Gophers were seemingly on their way to begin 2010 with an 0-1 record. But what happened over those next 56 seconds were incredible.

Down to 12 seconds Grand Prairie quarterback Tommy Alvarez threw about a 20-yard pass over the middle to Devante Lacy. Lacy made a spectacular catch to begin with, juked a couple of tacklers and started racing towards the end zone. With the clock winding down everyone in the press box thought he would go out of bounds.

Nope he decides to juke one more tackler but is wrestled to the ground at the 6. The Gophers were desperately calling timeout but the clock showed 0:00. Lewisville players, coaches and fans are celebrating as if they had just won a state championship. The team and coaches were dancing and running around all over the field.

But the referees signalled everyone off the field, gathered at the 6 for a little conference and ruled there should be 0.3 seconds left when the Gophers, who had one timeout left, called time. The back official on the play signalled timeout when Lacy was tackled and even though the clock read 0:00, the official in the back of the end zone said there were still 3-tenths of a second left.

So with one last chance, Alvarez teamed with Lacy again in the back corner of the end zone for the touchdown and Alex Rostro kicked the deciding point.

Incredible night at the Gopher Bowl.

Don't mess with a train

I was stunned Sunday to find out a 17-year old high school basketball player had been killed by a train in Duncan, Okla., Saturday evening. I knew this young man’s father when he played basketball at South Grand Prairie High School here in Grand Prairie 20-plus years ago and would visit with him some when his son was a freshman point guard for his dad’s alma mater back in 2007 before transferring.

Deion Jackson-Houston was a standout at Duncanville High School with a bright future in the sport. Numerous Division I schools were interested in him but Saturday’s accident should give us all a reality check.

First reports say Houston was a driving a car hit by a Union Pacific train and was dragged several hundred feet before being released. The train struck the back passenger’s door and Houston died from internal injuries.

The accident happened at an unprotected crossing in Duncan meaning there were no crossing gates or red flashing lights. Engineers in the cab of the lead locomotive said Houston drove right in front of them and there was nothing they could do.

This is a tragedy. Forget basketball right now and just think that a young man’s life was taken way too soon. I cannot imagine what his father, Stacy Houston, or his mother Reshonda Jackson-Houston, are going through or the rest of the family.

And I cannot imagine what the train crew is going through either. Remember, the Houston family is not the only one suffering through this.

At the same time maybe this will be a lesson to Deion’s family and friends – don’t mess with a train. Being an avid rail fan and photographing trains I’ve seen a few near misses of cars trying to beat a train. I’ve also seen – not witnessed – a couple of car-train accidents where emergency crews are literally picking up body parts. Trust me it is NOT a pretty site.

People please remember the Stop, Look and Listen slogan when approaching a railroad crossing especially in rural areas or smaller towns where there are not protected gates or red flashing signals. Trains cannot, and I repeat CANNOT stop immediately.

Depending on the tonnage and how fast the train is moving it could take up to a half-mile, maybe longer before the train can come to a complete halt. And a lot of times the cars are crushed like soda cans.

I do not know what Deion was thinking whether he was trying to beat the train or just wasn’t paying attention. Maybe his music was too loud and didn’t hear the train blowing its horn.

Who knows? I’m sad for Deion and sad for Stacy and the rest of his family and friends. I also feel for the train crew too. This is a tragic accident.

Miss you Dad

In just over a month – July 28 at 5:40 p.m. to be exact – it will be 10 years since Bill Goffinet passed away. Hard to believe it’s been 120 months.

I miss my dad – think about him constantly and wonder if he’s playing golf every day in heaven with my uncle and other friends. Or if he’s relaxing with Mom since she joined him almost a year ago.

Because it’s Father’s Day I would like to say a few things about my dad. I won’t drag this out because I could write a book.

First, he was a good man. He wasn’t perfect and he never tried to be but he was a good man. Good husband, good father, good Granddaddy Bill and just plain good.

He was one of the best architects in Grand Prairie. He was active in the Grand Prairie Host Lions Club and once served as its president. He was a one-time deacon at Turnpike Church of Christ and always and I mean always, attended everything my sister Gwen and I were involved in.

He loved life and being an architect. Most important he loved us, his family. He stood by us regardless the situation whether good or bad. He never bragged about himself other than “Hmm, told you. Listen to your old man once in a while.”

When I was near death back in 1966 as an 8-year old with Encephalitis he never left my hospital room for almost two weeks. I’m sure last summer when I had major surgery on my leg to remove the cancerous tumor he would have been the first one to the hospital and the last to leave.

And when my sister’s husband left her on ironically, his and mom’s anniversary in 1989, my dad held her hand and did his best to comfort her. And then the time when I made a game-winning catch to help my pee wee baseball team win the division championship he was the first to hop the fence and charge out to right field and give me a hug.

As I grew older my dad’s health began to deteriorate and he became less active. He tried to continue to play golf but couldn’t. He tried other things but just didn’t have the energy.

He developed a muscle disease similar to Lou Gehrig’s and was constantly falling. Numerous times I had to help him off the commode because he just flat couldn’t get off. He was embarrassed because he couldn’t really take care of himself anymore.

I did my best to be there for him – he was always there for me – even if it was just sitting on the couch while he sat in his recliner watching the Rangers. And most of the time he was just too tired to stay awake.

On June 10, 2000, one day after his and Mom’s 50th anniversary we celebrated with a big dinner. Just our immediate family and grand kids. I remember looking at him once and noticing he was soaking it all in and he had a smile on his face. He KNEW it would be the last time we would be all together.

I’ll close by telling you what my last conversation with him was in the hospital. You’ll chuckle.

My dad very rarely said any bad words but when he did look out! The muscle disease was causing him to have kidney problems so after having stents put in on a Tuesday – he would have to have a kidney removed the following day – he was in a lot of pain.

The nurses had to restrain his arms because he was trying to get out of bed. Dad never complained about how much pain he was in but this time was different. My nephew William, who was 12 at the time, and I went into see him in the ICU.

Dad, who was not himself was obviously in a lot of pain asked William if he had his new baseball bat with him. William didn’t have a new bat and looked at me strange. I just whispered to William that Grand Daddy Bill wasn’t himself, etc…

I asked Dad why he wanted William’s bat and he said quote unquote I’m going to kill that son of a (you know what) pointing to the male nurse in the room. The male nurse was laughing and William’s eyes grew big.

Dad was mad because the male nurse wouldn’t let him out of the restraints. Dad slipped into a coma after surgery the next day, suffering a brain stem stroke. We lost him a few days later.

My dad influenced me in a lot of ways, some he knew of, others he didn’t. Happy Father’s Day Bill Goffinet – you are dearly missed but in a better place than we are.

Pac-16? Whaaaaat?

Colorado to the Pac-10? Make that Pac-11 now.

Wait, if Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech head west, then that makes it the Pac-14? Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will more than likely follow the three Texas schools to the Pac-14. So make that the Pac-16.

Bye bye Big 12.

Oh yeah we have Nebraska jumping the Big 12 ship and heading to the Big 10 which already has 11 schools. Is this the new Big 12? And the Big 10 as we know it today will not be done – Notre Dame is rumored to join Nebraska along with maybe a couple of Big East schools.

And we can’t forget the Southeastern Conference. It is rumored maybe Florida State and a Virginia Tech could join, making that a 14-school conference. Will it stop?

And what about Baylor? The Bears are whining because they don’t want to be left behind by the other quote unquote Texas schools. Baylor, thanks to Ann Richards, you should not have even been in the Big 12.

This reminds me of the UIL’s high school district realignments every two years. So and so is going in with this district – so and so in that one, etc. This is all mind boggling and I hate to see it happening.

I hated it back in 1992 when my Razorbacks left the prestigious Southwest Conference and headed to the SEC. Remember the SWC?

I think everyone knows this is all about the green dollar. Greed.

Add these teams to your conferences and you have to play that one extra game – the conference championship because you will have to split your schools in divisions. The SEC went to a East-West Division back in ’92 and the when Texas, A&M, Tech and Baylor joined OU, OSU, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa St., Kansas and Kansas St. of the Big 8 to form the Big 12, it went to a North-South Division format.

Obviously having a Texas play USC will draw sellout crowds in Austin and Los Angeles for football. But Longhorns fans get ready; when this all happens you’ll be up late on a Saturday night watching your team face USC. Remember Los Angeles is two hours behind us. Or Trojans fans might have to watch their team play in Austin at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning if it’s a noon kickoff.

Or Aggies when your team is in Seattle to play Washington – say a Tuesday night during the basketball season – that alarm clock rings awful early the following morning. You ain’t gonna like it.

When the Big 12 formed we saw one of the greatest rivalries in all sports – OU and Nebraska – go away. Remember all those unbelievable football games over the years? Those were reduced to every two or three years because Nebraska was in the North and OU in the South.


I haven’t even talked about TCU yet. If and that’s a big IF, the remaining Big 12 teams stay together and for some reason Nebraska stays – at last report the Cornhuskers have not officially been invited to the Big 10 yet – then TCU could replace Colorado.

Of course we’re still looking at two or three years down the road. It’s just a shame but I guess I’m old school. I want the SWC back.

I want the Big 10 minus Penn St. I want the Big 8 back. But in the long run, who cares? We’re still going to watch the football games regardless of what conference it is. And we know this is pretty much about football and GREED.

I’m done rambling.

For 50 and over....

I recently took the first step in losing my “cancer weight”. I joined The Summit, a health club for Grand Prairie residents 50 and over and I was told cost over $20 million to build.

Rhonda and I took a tour of the facility today and all I can say is wow! This place is incredible. It is located off Hwy 161 and Warrior Trail, just across from the Dubiski Center.

Rhonda, even though she’s not of age yet – she is constantly reminding me too – joined too since she is married to an old man. The price is reasonable for one year and the first year they were giving you an extra two months.

The swimming area is awesome and there is a vortex pool I can’t wait to get into. You can walk/swim against the current and I understand this will help in building the strength back in my leg as well as my bad knee on the other leg.

There is naturally an indoor walking/jogging track and a nice weight room featuring Technogym equipment, the same equipment used in the Olympics. But another cool feature is the outdoor walking/jogging trails around count ‘em, five ponds stocked with fish.

Add to that an outdoor horseshoe area and a patio for concerts. We don’t fool around in Grand Prairie!

There are other features such as an arts and crafts room, a Wii fitness room, a pool hall, a movie theatre, massage therapy and a café. In other words The Summit is a first class facility.

I’m looking forward to losing the 20+ pounds I gained in the last year. I call it my cancer weight. My goal: lose 10 pounds before our summer cruise in six weeks. My ultimate goal: get back to what I weighed when I was playing softball for Graham Central Station.

However, that was over 25 years ago and – gulp – almost 50 pounds. Needless to say, I have a long way to go.

One year later....

I haven’t blogged in a while – over four months. A lot has been going on in my life, mainly trying to get back into the groove of things following my cancer treatments.


I finished chemo treatments on February 18 at 2 p.m. My life is, well, almost back to normal. That is if I had a normal life to begin with.


I still feel the affects of the chemo some three months later and was told by my oncologist it could take as long as a year before I wouldn’t feel anymore affects. Maybe longer.


So in the meantime I’m just trying to gain my strength back. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I was diagnosed. Actually one year ago today, May 21, 2009; the tumor in my left calf was malignant.

Synovial Cell Sarcoma is a rare type cancer affecting soft tissue. It very rarely strikes someone my age but it did and the surgery to remove it was quite complicated. The surgery, which included a “free flap”, took over seven hours – an hour to remove the tumor and another six hours for the plastic surgeon to do his thing. Free flap is a fancy term for a skin graph and was taken from my back.


In the last 12 months I have had major surgery, chemo, radiation and hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments. I have had numerous shots, blood drawn and a blood transfusion. But now I’m better and despite walking with a limp I’m alive and I still have my leg.


After being off from work for six months I am now back in full swing and contributing at my job. The AirHogs, Grand Prairie’s minor league baseball team, have started their season and I am a part time employee operating the scoreboard.


And on Monday I start at a new health club in Grand Prairie called The Summit. It is for Grand Prairie residents 50 and over. It’s time to get rid of my “cancer weight” the 20+ pounds I gained while on medical leave.


I will also be a grand father in September. My oldest daughter Amanda is pregnant with my grand son. Yes it's a boy.

Life is good again.

Finally! How 'bout them Cowboys!

Finally! 34-14 over the Eagles gave our beloved Dallas Cowboys their first playoff victory since 1996.

The pessimist in me figured it might not happen this year, especially after losing to San Diego in early December and seeing the Cowboys’ top defensive player Demarcus Ware carted off on a backboard. And with unbeaten New Orleans six days later it did not look good for the ‘Boys, who were left sitting at 8-5 and trailing the first place Eagles in the NFC East.

But then something happened. Dallas went into the Big Easy and literally spanked the Saints. The score ended up being 24-17 but Dallas was ahead 24-7 midway through the fourth quarter. Dallas handed ‘Nawlins its first setback.

Okay but there were still two games left including one with the Eagles. I’m still feeling a little pessimistic but a 17-0 win over the Redskins meant a battle for the NFC East championship with the Eagles. At home.


Now I’ve come to my senses. The way the Cowboys are playing they’re going to win the East. Boom! 24-0 over the Eagles. The defense had a second shutout and the team had a No. 3 seed in the NFC Playoffs.


I admit sitting through chemo treatments all week I didn’t know if Dallas could beat Philadelphia a third time but I knew if the Cowboys put together another performance close to last week’s they could.

Sure enough tonight, 34-14! The offense dominated time of possession and scored on five straight series in the second quarter to build a 27-7 lead. The Cowboys were riding high – the Eagles were flying pretty low. But still 30 minutes to play.


My Razorback homie Felix Jones sealed the deal in the third quarter with his 73-yard touchdown run. Reminded me of his days in Fayetteville. And it reminded Cowboys fans what the real Felix can do when he’s healthy.

Tony Romo was not perfect tonight but relatively close. He threw no interceptions and the Cowboys committed no turnovers. Penalties? Well…still a good night by all.

The offense line blocked well. The receivers, including Roy Williams, caught passes. And the running backs ran hard. Defensively, holding a high-powered Eagles’ offense to only 14 points over the last eight quarters, was incredible and has been even in the win over New Orleans.

Dallas has a chance to win this whole thing. There I said it. IF, and that’s a big IF, they can continue their late season roll. It will not be easy next Sunday in Minneapolis, but then when is anything easy in the playoffs?

Go Cowboys!

Resolutions? LOSE weight and blog more

We all say we're going to lose weight at the beginning of the year. That's pretty much on everyone's New Year's resolution list.

Well I can honestly say it is #1 on my list for 2010. I weigh more now than I have my entire life. Okay I'm not ashamed, well I am ashamed, but not ashamed to say I weigh as I type 236 pounds. TWO HUNDRED THIRTY SIX. Can you say The Biggest Loser?

Why do I weigh so much? Hang on a sec and let me take another drink of my Pepsi.

That's part of the problem right there. I'm still drinking way too many sodas. I just can't seem to give sodas up. You would think if I could give up smoking almost 30 years ago cold turkey I should be able to give up Pepsi's right?

The biggest reason I've gained so much weight lately is the fact I'm not exercising. I do have an excuse – I’ve been recovering from cancer surgery on my left calf in which I lost 90% of it as well as my Achilles tendon.

I cannot jog anymore and really cannot walk without the use of a cane. I spend most of my free time on the couch with my leg jacked up on three pillows because if I’m on my feet too long my left foot and ankle swell.

I have an excuse for that too. I am continuing hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments for a couple of wounds on my leg that have not healed because of damaged skin from radiation. “Diving” every day the equivalent of 40 feet can sometimes wipe you out and make you very sleepy.

Plus chemo made me gain a lot, too. But a lot of that weight gain is fluids given along with the chemo. In fact, the first round of my chemo I gained 17 pounds in 36 hours – all fluids. After being given a diuretic and going to the bathroom every 20 minutes I lost those 17 pounds pretty fast. LOL

I can start a diet on Monday (Jan. 4) but I resume chemo. Then I will most likely finish up my hyperbaric treatments the following two weeks before another round of chemo. That means more time on the couch.

Hopefully once hyperbaric and chemo is done I can gradually start exercising again. I can definitely start cutting out the Pepsi’s and start drinking more water. I’ve been told by Rhonda a million times water is the way to go.

Rhonda and I used to walk for two hours on a regular basis but now that will be limited to maybe just a trek up and down my street or how my foot can handle. So it might take a while before the weight is gone.

My goal is to lose 20-25 pounds by July when Rhonda and I hope to take an Alaskan cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary. My ultimate goal is to get back to my softball playing and wedding weight – 185 pounds.

That, however, may take two to three years.

And one last resolution – blog more often. I would love to blog every day but when you live a non-exciting life, it’s kind of hard. Maybe I’ll blog about my quest to lose weight?

Happy New Year!

2009: What a year to forget...

They say the older you are the more you appreciate things. How true.

I learned to appreciate a lot of things in 2009 and not take so many things for granted. For one my health.


I have always been in fairly good health. But on May 21 I was told I had cancer. Hearing the “C” word floored me and my wife, Rhonda.


A tumor on my left calf was malignant – Stage 3 Synovial Cell Sarcoma, a soft tissue cancer. Surgery would be required as well as the routine chemo and radiation.


We handled the news a little better than we thought. Instead of feeling sorry for myself I remained positive. Oh yeah it took a few days to get over the initial shock but I put it in God’s hands as did Rhonda. We were determined to beat it.


Surgery would require taking 90% of my calf, my Achilles tendon and possibly my fibula bone. In other words I would have to learn to walk again. And most important, we had to make sure the cancer was not in my bones.


Surgery would also require a plastic surgeon removing a chunk out of my back and placing the “free flap” over the wound. Because the tumor was so big – almost the size of a softball – there was not going to be enough skin to close the wound.


But prior to the surgery I began to realize just how important life really is. Mainly how important family and friends are. And, too, this had renewed my faith.


With prayers from my church congregation, family and friends I faced my surgery head on. And after watching my mother battle pancreatic cancer with a great attitude before she passed was also an inspiration for me to beat my situation.


Prayers were answered after a successful surgery. Removing the tumor went smoothly, attaching the free flap went without a hitch and the tumor had not spread. I was cancer free – a little crippled but cancer free.


I have been recovering now for five months since surgery and dealing with my cancer for over seven months. Hard to believe but as I mentioned earlier, I have learned a lot since that May morning when I heard the word malignant.

I have learned and felt the power of prayer. It works folks, just look at me. I have also learned the true meaning of the sickness and in health part of the marriage vow. My wife has been incredible, more than incredible.


I cannot describe how wonderful she has been throughout this whole ordeal. She has truly been a blessing. She was a blessing to begin with but now even more. I could not have made it through this without her. She has never left my side.


I just hope I can always be there for her in her time of need.


I have also learned that I don’t need to be in a press box every Friday night. As most of you know I’m a sports writer by trade and this was the first fall in 35 years I did not cover high school football. And the first fall since I was 4 years old I did not attend a high school game.


Being at home on Friday nights was fun. And being with Rhonda made it even more special. Oh I kept up with the scores, trust me, but not having to meet a deadline, interview players and coaches and write a lengthy story was nice.


And I swore a while back I would never give up sports writing.


2009 was not that great a year for me and my family. With Mom battling and eventually losing her battle with cancer, my cancer, Amanda and Mike moving to Mississippi and now my wife’s Uncle Bill passing and another aunt diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it definitely has tested everyone involved.


So it goes without saying we are wishing a 2009 a big bye bye and hoping 2010 will indeed be in a “10”. Happy New Year everyone and God Bless.

Perfection is finally mine!

It happened at approximately 5:50 p.m. in the friendly confines of my game room upstairs. No big fan fair, no television crews, no newspapers reporters – not even my wife.

It was just me all by myself. Me and the Wii.

After arriving home from a long week at work I immediately went up stairs to say hello to Rhonda. Rhonda was actually on the phone dealing with Hailey’s college loan so I decided to do a little Wii bowling.

Now if you recall I was out to bowl that perfect 300 game. I had come close numerous times including a 299 when on the very last roll of the 10th frame I left the No. 10 pin standing. Eleven strikes – I needed 12 – and one lousy pin was left standing.

I figured I wouldn’t get it today either. And after about eight games – it only takes about three or four minutes if you’re bowling by yourself – I decided to go one more time.

My first two rolls left no questions. All 10 pins scattered helplessly into the back of the lane. The third roll left one pin spinning before it finally tilted over. Strike three.

Then came four, five, six, seven, eight and nine and before I knew it was back to that dreaded 10th frame. My first shot in the 10th the pins exploded every where. My second shot one or two were determined to remain standing but finally leaned over.

So there I was again – the last roll. I took a deep breath and let her rip. I found myself totally following my shot if you will.

There was no doubt! Clean shot. Perfection!

I stood for a second and finally realized – I did it! Finally a 300! Wii recognized it too, sending streamers and confetti down and a big “Perfect” at the bottom of the screen.

“Rhonda I did it!” I shouted to Rhonda, who was downstairs cooking my dinner. Yeah I know she’s working hard in the kitchen and I’m playing.

“Good,” she said in her leave me alone I’m cooking your dinner tone of voice.

You may think it’s silly that I’m so excited over bowling a 300. But ever since I had the 299 and the several 279s and 278s I was determined. Just goes to show you – never give up!

Oh yeah I kept the screen up for a couple of hours like some football teams keep their scoreboards lit following a major upset or championship win. I even had to show our neighbor, Brent, when he came over.

And I took pictures of my accomplishment and posted them on my facebook page.
Perfection – how sweet it is.

A-Rod is full of..well lies...

Alex Rodriguez admitted today he took performance enhancing drugs while he played here for the Rangers. Said he took them because he felt the pressure to perform not to mention he had signed a $250-million plus contract.

But this was Texas!! The Rangers!! There is no pressure and NEVER HAS BEEN any pressure to perform! The Rangers have never felt the pressure why should have A-Rod?

“When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day,” Rodriguez said.

“And I did take a banned substance and, you know, for that I’m very sorry and deeply regretful. And although it was the culture back then and Major League Baseball overall was very—I just feel that—You know, I’m just sorry. I’m sorry for that time. I’m sorry to fans. I’m sorry for my fans in Texas. It wasn’t until then that I ever thought about substance of any kind.”

Yeah you’re sorry you got caught buddy! I’ve never been a big fan of yours and wasn’t that big a fan when you played here. You ain’t worth $250 million if you think you needed to take illegal drugs to hit the ball out of the park. You still ain’t worth it.

A-Rod says he only took performance enhancing drugs during his brief stint with the Rangers. Maybe he thought he could single-handily lead the Rangers to the World Series. But don’t feed me that stuff you never took it before you came here or after you left for Yankee Stadium.

Puleeeze.

Do you think we’re that stupid? Or naïve in your own words.

I personally think A-Rod is NOT telling the whole truth. But then Roger Clemens is *rolling my eyes*. Baseball is quickly becoming a sport with an asterisk by it and I’m losing interest just as fast as another big time player is found to be using.

Part of the problem is owners continue to pay millions and millions to players like A-Rod. Yeah, maybe there is the need to perform because you are being paid a lot.

The owners need to quit dishing out the money and maybe the players will quit using on the side. Maybe the players need to play for the fun of it. Wow there’s a concept – play for the fun of it. Hmmm..

Bottom line is A-Rod is a joke. Rangers owner Tom Hicks, who I really don’t care for, said he felt betrayed and deceived. I agree Tom, we all do.

My quest for 300

In November my wife Rhonda bought a Wii game. It was an early Christmas gift and Rhonda thought it would be a great family thing to do during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Wii, if you’re not familiar, has a lot of fun sports games such as tennis, bowling, golf and boxing. These games are played with a remote control in which you need to wrap a little strap around your wrist so if you were to accidentally let go it wouldn’t fly into the television set.

You can also buy a lot more games – so many it would take too long to name them – and there’s a fitness program from Jillian on The Biggest Loser. That’s something Rhonda and I have yet to really try.

Well I love the bowling game. I would go as far as to say I’m addicted to it. I spend a lot of my free time playing the game and when you play by yourself you can bowl one game in about five minutes, then immediately start another.

When I first started bowling I was taking the two steps like a real bowler does and letting the ball fly. But the more I played the more I realized I didn’t need to act like a real bowler – just underhand the remote and let go of the button that releases the ball.

Since I have bowled so many games – wouldn’t surprise me if it’s well over 500 – I have found a groove. I know exactly where to line up and bowl and let’s put it this way, I normally score 250 or higher.

My goal is to bowl a perfect game – 300. That’s 12 consecutive strikes. I’ve come close time and time again in fact so close that recently I bowled a 299. That’s right, ONE lousy pin away from perfection.

I had 11 straight strikes and on my third and last roll in the 10th frame I left the No. 10 pin standing. Ask me how sick I was! Yet I was still proud of myself because I took a picture showing my score sheet. Eleven strikes, then a “9” for a 299 total.

I had reached 279 numerous times and a 280 once. But since the 299 game I have been determined to reach 300! Just last night I started the game with 10 strikes and the second roll of the 10th I left the frick’n No. 10 again.

Again I made it to the 10th frame needing just three more strikes and on my first roll guess what pin I left – No. 10! I personally think the game is rigged and it does not want you to roll a perfect game.

I WILL bowl a 300 one of these days. That’s a promise. In fact, I’m going to go back downstairs now and try again.

This time Jury Duty was fun

Ever sit down at a mall and just watch the people walk by? You see all kinds of people of all of races.

Some are skinny, some are not so skinny. Some are attractive and some are unattractive. And some have hair, others, like me, don’t.

Some even forget to pull their pants up past their knees and walk like they have something stuck up their…...

Still, it’s fun and relaxing actually, to sit and watch the hundreds of people who venture to the mall every weekend. But if you really want to see a different variety of people, almost a true sideshow, then go to the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas.

This past Thursday I had the privilege you could say, of responding to my jury duty summons. The second jury duty summons in less than 24 months and third in the last 60 months.

I’m not complaining but I know people who have jury duty maybe once every 10 years and even know people who have never been summoned to serve. Jury duty can be a big pain in the rear sometimes but I always say I might need a jury some day or someone I love and care about might need one so as a good citizen I’m always there when I’m supposed to be.

Now I was not picked on Thursday and have never been chosen to actually serve on a jury. I would like to some time but this past Thursday was not one of them.

I was juror No. 507 and had to be at the central jury room at 8:30 a.m. Now with it being Thursday I figured I wouldn’t get chosen and would be out of there by noon.

I was correct.

Monday and Tuesday are the busiest days for selecting juries and there were maybe 100 of us – which means the room was empty – on this day. They did call three groups but juror No. 399 was the last called.

Okay enough about not being called. The fun part was again watching the different kinds of people and different kinds of lawyers and police officers come and go. During one of the breaks I stood in the main lobby and watched people entering the building and through security.

Standing there I saw what I figure were family members and friends of those on trial. Most of the people entered through security without any problems. Occasionally you would hear this beep and the person would take their keys out of their pocket - nothing out of the ordinary.

But then there was this one guy who I will call Snoop Dogg because he looked identical to the rap singer. He was tall, skinny and his hair was thick with two pony tails in the back on the back of his head.

He wore numerous necklaces, had a big belt buckle keeping his pants up, which were just barely above his knees and wore this ridiculous sun glasses. Beep (pause) beep…every single time he tried to go through security the stupid thing beeped!

Now instead of taking all of his jewelry and belt buckle off, the security guard would tell him to take one thing off at a time. Well the dad gum security thing – I don’t know the true name for it – kept beeping, beeping and beeping!

Now his buddies – I personally think these guys were part of a gang but maybe I’m just judging before the facts – were already through security and they kept laughing and laughing. Well I was laughing too.

It was funny after the first two or three beeps but it dragged on. Then it became ridiculous. And in the meantime the line to enter the court building was probably 25 to 30 people deep. The security guard was no help either.

Finally, and I’m being serious, after about 10 minutes two uniformed officers from the Dallas County Sheriffs Department pulled this guy, who was probably in his mid-20s, to the side and chatted with him for a minute.

This guy and his buddies finally made their way over to the elevators and disappeared. I stood in the lobby for a little while longer and saw a different group of people you normally don’t see at the mall on a Saturday.

And I also saw people stepping off the elevators smiling and hugging family and friends and saw others with angry and disappointed looks on their face. That probably meant a verdict didn’t go their way.

It was not the same as watching people at a mall but it was pretty entertaining. You definitely see a different kind of people at a court house.

Texas Stadium memories Part II

Okay so it took me three weeks to mention Part II of my Texas Stadium memories. Unfortunately my last one is seeing two Baltimore Ravens running backs running down the sidelines practically untouched in the final game at the stadium.

Even more sicker feeling trying to watch the post game ceremony in which the NFL Network and our local Channel 33 did a crappy job of showing. But I had a lot of great memories at the stadium, especially having the privilege of covering 34 high school football playoff games there.

I can remember in November 1976 the very first time I covered a game there – South Grand Prairie vs. Highland Park in a bi-district game. Highland Park won, 41-13, but I was an 18-year old sports writer for the Grand Prairie Urbanite and I was in heaven.

Three years later after moving on to the Mid-Cities Daily News in Hurst, it became a ritual every fall covering playoff games at Texas Stadium. The 1982 season was incredible because that was the first year two teams went to the playoffs.

L.D. Bell and Trinity, the two main schools we covered, were 9-0 and had to move their regular season finale to the stadium because old Pennington Field couldn’t hold the expected crowd. Both teams were headed to the playoffs but this was for bragging rights and the first 10-0 season either school had ever had.

Bell won, 20-8, in front of 29,000-plus fans, the largest attendance for a regular season game at the time and I think that record still holds. Four weeks later, both teams met again, this time for the Region I championship. Over 36,000-plus showed up and the two teams promptly tied, 14-14.

Bell advanced on penetrations and eventually lost in the state championship to Beaumont West Brook in the Houston Astrodome two weeks later.

I’ve witnessed a lot of close encounters as well as my share of blowouts. My alma mater, Grand Prairie, played in a few of those memorable games, including a 7-3 win over Kimball when the Gophers recovered a fumble in the end zone in the final 30 seconds.

Kimball had dominated the entire game but led only 3-0.

South Grand Prairie had a lot of memorable games as well. The 1999 season was a magic one for the Warriors who unfortunately, lost a heart-breaker to Garland in the semifinals, 41-38, in overtime. The week before SGP had a dramatic come-from-behind win over Abilene, 45-37, scoring three touchdowns in a three-minute span of the fourth quarter.

So many great memories yet the last picture I have on my mind is those two Ravens running backs – on back-to-back plays none the less! – scoring on long touchdowns to all but put an end to the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.

Cowboys didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs anyway, but Texas Stadium didn’t deserve to end that way, either.

Next on the agenda: Jury Duty

My memories of Texas Stadium Part I

Texas Stadium in Irving has been the home of the Dallas Cowboys since October of 1971. Come Saturday night – 37 years and two months later – the Cowboys play their final regular season game in the stadium with a hole in the roof.

The Cowboys host the Baltimore Ravens on the NFL Network – Channel 212 if you have Direct TV. There is a possibility the Cowboys could play another game in January IF they make the playoffs as the 5th seed and are lucky enough to play the 6th seed for the NFC Championship and the right to go to the Super Bowl.

But don’t count on it.

For me it’s sad to see Texas Stadium eventually demolished. I have a lot of fond memories of attending either Cowboys games, college games and high school games, mainly high school games. As a sports writer for 35 years I’ve been blessed to cover 34 high school playoff games and although I may not remember exactly what happened in the game I do remember most of the scores and the teams who played in them.

My very first experience at Texas Stadium was not even to watch or cover a game. That summer before the Cowboys began playing in it, the stadium was used for a Billy Graham crusade. I went with my next door neighbor, Virgil Barnes, and his family and we sat on the front row of what would be about the 10-yard line on the Cowboys’ side.

The stage was in the south end zone. The only reason I went was to see Texas Stadium. Virgil’s dad was a preacher for a small church in Grand Prairie and he had free tickets. I thought at the time – I was 14 – what an awesome stadium Texas Stadium was.

Not only was it a football stadium but it had two outdoor movie screens on the east side where the Cowboys’ pro shop is now. Drive in movies at a football stadium – wow.

Now when I was in high school in the mid 1970s only a handful of high school playoff games had been played at Texas Stadium. I remember Tommy Kramer, a former NFL quarterback, playing one of the first high school games in 1971 when San Antonio Lee, Kramer’s alma mater, played Wichita Falls in the state championship game.

Five years later was my first chance to cover a high school game – South Grand Prairie vs. Highland Park – in a bi-district game. November of 1976 to be exact, just months after graduating from Grand Prairie High School. I was the sports editor for a small newspaper – The Grand Prairie Urbanite.

Oh my gosh I thought, I’m going to Texas Stadium to cover a game! That Saturday I was all giddy and was still giddy walking in Gate 1 to receive my press pass at the will call window. Then sitting in the press box, which at the time was between the first and second levels on the Cowboys’ side, I had a hard time keeping stats and keeping play-by-play.

I kept looking around and thinking, wow! I’m 18 years old and I’m sitting in the press box at Texas Stadium. I’ve made the big time!
And to top it off, I was able to go down on the field after the game and now I was really on Cloud 9!Even though South Grand Prairie lost that night, 41-13, I knew it was something I would always cherish.

Not in my wildest dreams did I think it was the beginning of covering 34 playoff games at the home of the Cowboys. To this day I cherish EVERY game I’ve covered. Even my last game to cover there – the 2006 SGP-Colleyville Heritage area round game on Thanksgiving Friday night – I was as giddy then as I was 32 years ago.

Part II of my Texas Stadium memories will be a list of games I covered with most of the final scores as well as a little summary on some. All of these memories are not written down on a note pad, either.

Razorbacks...carnival?

As you all know I’m a diehard Razorback fan. I love the Arkansas Razorbacks even if times are tough this season on the gridiron.

For all of you who do not know what gridiron is it is a football field. It’s a sports term.

This weekend I had the opportunity to witness the Hogs against their former coach Houston Nutt and the Ole Miss Rebels. Again for those of you who don’t know Ole Miss is the University of Mississippi.

My nephew Jeffrey invited me to travel with his wife Kristy, and two children, Tyler and Madison, to Fayetteville and stay at Kristy’s parent’s home. I would have left Friday after work and come back Sunday morning.

Jeffrey has become a Razorback fan in the last 10 years after attending Harding in Searcy, Ar., and marrying Kristy, whose dad is probably a bigger Razorback fan than me. Jeffrey has season tickets to the home games and travels back and forth to Fayetteville every couple of weeks.

I was excited to be invited with them this weekend. I’ve only been to Razorback Stadium a few times the last being in August of ’04 when Rhonda and I were on our way home from Branson, Mo., and stopped in Fayetteville. Rhonda and I actually walked out onto the playing field, took pictures, and left before we got in trouble.

All week I was picturing going and sitting among 72,000 other Hog fans doing the Hog Call – Whooooooooooooooooo Pig Soooooooie! But I was also picturing leaving Rhonda alone and having to help run the annual Crayon Campus fall carnival.

For years I’ve been the cook. I cook the hot dogs and sausages on a stick. No one else but me works the grill.

I couldn’t go off and leave Rhonda to work it without me. She needed me more than the Razorbacks did. And I love cooking all the dogs and sausages and didn’t want to miss it.

I admit it took me three days to make it official but I knew all along I wasn’t going to the game. Besides I didn’t want to see them lose again. I had never seen them lose in person until last Jan. 1 when Missouri ripped them in the Cotton Bowl, 38-7. Up until then I was something like 12 or 13-0 when going to a Razorback game.

So I thanked Jeffrey for the invite, earned big time brownie points with Rhonda and made the best hot dogs and sausages on the stick one more time. It was well worth it.

By the way I didn’t miss the game – I watched a lot of it on ESPN360 via the internet. And they lost, 23-21, to the Rebels after making a valiant comeback in the final minute.

No heart

Have the Dallas Cowboys lost it? Where's the spunk? The fire? The desire?

It ain't there. Is it time for Wade Phillips to go? Phillips needs to start dropping some F bombs, kicking over tables and throwing clipboards instead of being this easy going "oh well we played our best" type coaches.

Even Romo before he hurt his finger had lost it. Always sitting on the sidelines pouting. And Jason Witten has been hanging around TO too long because he is starting to drop passes he normally doesn't drop. And Barber has fumbled what, three times now in the last three games?

So much for Super Bowl contenders. They are definitely pretenders and quite frankly I don't see it getting any better.

Demarcus Ware played with a little spunk today against the Rams and continued his sack streak. There's just no heart or desire right now. Something better happen now! Or you'll be seeing the team everyone picked to win the Super Bowl sitting at home in January.

I'm still a Cowboys fan and always will be. Win, lose or stink. Today was big time stink. I will still set aside three hours every Sunday to watch them. Well maybe not the entire three hours - today I turned it off in the third quarter after the Rams made it 31-7 and mowed the yard.

By the way I NEVER picked them to win the Super Bowl or even be in the Super Bowl. You can't in August. I don't make bold predictions like that because I know it will come back and bite me in the butt.

So much for walking a couple of miles

For years Rhonda and I get up on Saturday mornings and walk. Sometimes we walk a couple of miles, sometimes three or four, depending on how we feel.

This morning was technically a short one – 2 miles maybe. I didn’t want to over do it with my knee and Rhonda just wanted to stay close in the neighborhood.

We also look for money when we walk. Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters – whatever loose change we can find along the curb or in the street and parking lots. It’s been a hobby of ours for six or seven years and I would venture to say we have found well over $1,000.

We have even found the green stuff – $1 bills but mainly the small stuff. We found 66 cents this morning in a little over an hour which is a pretty good morning.

But the money has nothing to do with this posting this morning. It has to do what we did afterwards. And it wasn’t good, either.

I blame my youngest daughter Hailey. It’s her fault.

Along our walk this morning Rhonda and I stopped a garage sale in the neighborhood. Rhonda found a couple of things they could use at the daycare so she asked if she could put something in layaway.

Since we were just a couple of blocks away and had no money – we did have 66 cents worth of worn out pennies and a couple of quarters that had been ran over 100 times – we said we’d be back shortly to pay.

We hopped in Rhonda’s car and headed back to the garage sale. Rhonda called Hailey, whose home from school for the weekend and asked if she was hungry. Hailey said she’s not a big breakfast person unless it’s donuts.

You get an idea where this is headed?

Rhonda asked if I wanted donuts and I said sure why not. I said so much for our walk this morning huh and we both laughed.

Needless to say, we bought donuts. And the rest is history.