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How Baseball Cards lost their luster Requiem for a Rookie Card (by Dave Jamieson | The Slate) [Hidden Content] Last month, when my parents sold the house I grew up in, my mom forced me to come home and clear out my childhood bedroom. I opened the closet and found a box the size of a Jetta. It was so heavy that at first I thought it held my Weider dumbbells from middle school. Nope, this was my old stash. Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Baseball Cards from the 1980s. Puckett, Henderson, Sandberg, Gwynn, and McGwire stared back at me with fresh faces. So long, old friends, I thought. It's time for me to cash in on these long-held investments. I started calling the lucky card dealers who would soon be bidding on my trove. First, I got a couple of disconnected numbers for now-defunct card shops. Not a good sign. Then I finally reached a human. "Those cards aren't worth anything," he told me, declining to look at them. "Maybe if you had, like, 20 McGwire rookie cards, that's something we might be interested in," another offered. "Have you tried eBay?" a third asked. If I had to guess, I'd say that I spent a couple thousand bucks and a couple thousand hours compiling my Baseball Card collection. Now, it appears to have a street value of approximately zero dollars. What happened? Baseball Cards peaked in popularity in the early 1990s. They've taken a long slide into irrelevance ever since, last year logging less than a quarter of the sales they did in 1991. Baseball card shops, once roughly 10,000 strong in the United States, have dwindled to about 1,700. A lot of dealers who didn't get out of the game took a beating. "They all put product in their basement and thought it was gonna turn into gold," Alan Rosen, the dealer with the self-bestowed moniker "Mr. Mint," told me. Rosen says one dealer he knows recently struggled to unload a cache of 7,000 Mike Mussina rookie cards. He asked for 25 cents apiece. For someone who grew up in the late 1980s, this is a shocking state of affairs. When I was a kid, you weren't normal if you didn't have at least a passing interest in Baseball Cards. My friends and I spent our summer days drooling over the display cases in local card shops, one of which was run by a guy named Fat Moose. The owners tolerated us until someone inevitably tried to steal a wax pack, which would get us all banished from the store. Then we'd bike over to the Rite Aid and rummage through their stock of Topps and Fleer. Card-trading was our pastime, and our issues of Beckett Baseball Card Monthly were our stock tickers. I considered myself a major player on the neighborhood trading circuit. It was hard work convincing a newbie collector that Steve Balboni would have a stronger career than Roger Clemens. If negotiations stalled, my favorite move was to sweeten the pot by throwing in a Phil Rizzuto card that only I knew had once sat in a pool of orange juice. After the deal went through, my buddy wouldn't know he'd been ripped off until his older brother told him. He always got over it, because he had no choice: Baseball Cards were our common language. In the early 1990s, pricier, more polished-looking cards hit the market. The industry started to cater almost exclusively to what Beckett's associate publisher described to me as "the hard-core collector," an "older male, 25 to 54, with discretionary income." That's marketing speak for the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. Manufacturers multiplied prices, overwhelmed the market with scores of different sets, and tantalized buyers with rare, autographed, gold-foil-slathered cards. Baseball Cards were no longer mementos of your favorite players—they were elaborate doubloons that happened to have ballplayers on them. I eventually left the hobby because it was getting too complicated and expensive. Plus, I hit puberty. It's easy to blame card companies and "the hard-core collector" for spoiling our fun. But I'll admit that even before the proliferation of pricey insert cards, I was buying plastic, UV-ray-protectant cases for my collection. Our parents, who lost a small fortune when their parents threw out all those Mantles and Koufaxes, made sure we didn't put our Griffeys and Ripkens in our bicycle spokes or try washing them in the bathtub. Not only did that ensure our overproduced cards would never become valuable, it turned us into little investors. It was only rational, then, for the card companies to start treating us like little investors. The next wave of expensive, hologram-studded cards didn't ruin collecting for us—we were already getting too old for the game. It ruined baseball cards for the next generation of kids, who shunned Upper Deck and bought cheap Pokémon and Magic cards instead. This year there are 40 different sets of Baseball Cards on the market, down from about 90 in 2004. That's about 38 too many. When there were just two or three major sets on the market, we all had the same small pool of cards. Their images and stats were imprinted on our brains. The Baseball Card industry lost its way because the manufacturers forgot that the communal aspect of collecting is what made it enjoyable. How can kids talk about Baseball Cards if they don't have any of the same ones? Seeing as the cards I once prized now fetch a pittance on eBay, I decided not to sell my collection. I figure my Boggs rookie is worth more as a keepsake of my card-shop days than as an online auction with a starting bid of 99 cents. The worthlessness of my collection gave me an idea, though. The card manufacturers and the Major League Baseball Players Association have launched a $7 million marketing campaign to remind a generation of children that Baseball Cards exist. Instead of spending all that money to tell kids that cardboard is cool, Topps and MLB should convince everyone that cards are worthless, suitable for tacking to the wall, flicking on the playground, or at least taking out of the package. In that spirit, the other day I opened three Topps packs that I'd stowed away as an investment in the late 1980s. I even tried the gum, which was no staler than I remember it being 20 years ago. And as I flipped through my new cards hoping to score a Mattingly, I felt that particular tinge of excitement that a generation of kids have missed out on.

Saturday, August 5th...Cowboys scrimmage and time to do the laundry... 9:05am-We're picking up another Tylerite today, Nic Gregory...who arrives around noon today in Burbank. I really enjoy watching a Cowboy fan get an up-close and personal view of what we do at training camp...I think Nic will have a great time. 11:15am-Who said covering Cowboys camp was fun and glamorous? I'm about to wash a week's worth of clothes between now and their scrimmage at 2:00pm. 11:45am-My buddy Tim Thompson reports "another Eagle (Nic Gregory) has landed at Burbank airport. 11:53am-I enjoy watching the various inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but I think they need to cut back some of the highlights and overviews, and get on with the ceremonies. 12:15pm-Wide receiver Terrell Owens will have an MRI on his sore hamstring, and will not be involved in today's scrimmage. Bill Parcells insists he's not worried about the lost time in practice, not yet. 12:24pm-Bill Parcells discussed his plans for today's scrimmage and what he'd like to see or needs to see. When asked if the coaches also go through the grind of training camp, Parcells responded, "No, not really...this is what we do. I'm a like a trained-pig, I go from the office to the locker room to the practice field to here, to the cafeteria, to my room, and then just keep doing that over-and-over-and-over again." Parcells also thinks "juggling" the final few spots on the 53-man roster will be more difficult this season than the previous three, because he has a little more depth at key positions than before. Interesting stat of the day, Parcells mentioned cornerback Terence Newman didn't allow a single touchdown pass last season. He said Newman was tremendous in man-to-man, but that stat might be a little deceiving considering the Cowboys use a lot of zone defense. Parcells also said he didn't have any specific plan on starting Tony Romo during any pre-season games, but he does plan on playing him "a lot". When asked if the offense making more plays on Friday afternoon would change his mind about giong straight 2-a-days next week, he said "we'll go through today's scrimmage, and we'll see where we are after that." Parcells specifically mentioned strength and conditioning coach Joe Jurazcek today, saying..."he's won my respect, he (Juraczek) doesn't tell the players what they always want to hear, and he takes it personally when a player isn't in good condition". Parcells added, "I probably talk with Joe more than any coach on staff...he knows each player and their behavorial patterns, and has a good sense of who has guts, and who doesn't." Parcells said rookie Skylar Green will have to make the team as a return man, and not as a wide receiver. He also mentioned he probably doesn't have much comfortability with his fourth-receiver, at least not yet. 3:40pm-Cowboys scrimmage has ended, I'll give you some personal insight first, and then more statistic-based information later. Cowboys first-team offense appeared to really struggle...meanwhile Tony Romo and Drew Henson led their offensive units to touchdown drives. Touchdowns were scored by: *Lousaka Polite, short run *Marion Barber, short run *J.R. Tolver short touchdown pass from Tony Romo *Skylar Green short touchdown pass from Drew Henson Other highlights... Rookie wide receiver Sam Hurd had a handful of catches, a couple of them were acrobatic. I'm sure we'll (media) all overreact to his performance since we (media) always do with a young wide receiver. Jamie Lent, Tim Thompson, Nic Gregory, Craig Smoak, and I (along with basically dozens of other media members) sit along the chain-link fence that separates the fans from the field. I'm truly amazed at how vocal and demanding the fans were today, especially in their frustration with Drew Bledsoe. I'm also always impressed with how a great deal of the fan-base in attendance know their football...they made some nice comments throughout the scrimmage, including a couple of points I wasn't thinking about. We sat near FWST's Mac Engel, the husband of "our" very-own Jennifer Floyd-Engel, and we were trying to figure out a nickname for the Cowboys first-team offense. Snap and Pray or Chuck and Duck were one of the favorites after Bledsoe was sacked five times early during the scrimmage. One somewhat interesting stat, there were zero turnovers throughout the 90-play scrimmage...although Drew Henson should've been picked at least once. Also, the hits of the day were Terence Newman blindsiding Terrance Copper, and safety Keith Davis blowing up running back Marion Barber, even though Barber was pulling up and was out of bounds. 4:00pm-Terrell Owens on hamstring, "It's sore, to the point that I feel that if I get on the field right now and I try and open up then it's going to make matters worse, so I think for me I've got to be really cautious, knowing myself I really want to try and push myself when I get back out there, but it's not going to do the team any good, it's not going to do myself any good if I get out there, and I know everybody wants to see me out there and practicing, but it's not going to do me any good to get out there and push it and then really go beyond the limit." 4:11pm-We're awaiting the arrival of pro bowl tight end Jason Witten, who will be joining us inside the Hayes RV Luxury Suite for an interview. Next week on Sports Talk, we already know we'll have Witten, wide receiver Terry Glenn, quarterback Drew Bledsoe, running back Keylon Kincade (Troup), defensive tackle Jason Ferguson, and owner and general manager Jerry Jones. 4:15pm-I just realized, Monday is the start of practice for hundreds of high school football teams throughout Texas...those programs who had spring drills will have to wait another week (August 14th). 4:25pm-Tim Thompson, who hasn't done anything all day, is supposed to be checking on a couple of fine restaurants, although he told me his lone focus of concentration today has been wondering about how his best friend Scott Salvage is doing without his annual trip to training camp. ***Please let me know if you have a question for Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells for Monday's press conference. Sunday is an off-day...talk to you later. We're headed to Malibu and the most beautiful view you can imagine off Highway 1 and the Pacific Coast...beach, big waves, and just an incredible view.

Coaches enjoy ribbing at Pigskin Preview By Doyle Barlow Baytown Sun Published August 5, 2006 BAYTOWN — These guys sure put the “barb†in barbecue. Even though the coaching staffs from Sterling, Lee and Barbers Hill were at Cedar Bayou Methodist Church Friday night for the annual Pigskin Preview, they still managed to mix in some good-natured ribbing with all the football talk. Barbers Hill assistant coach Jamey Horn fired the first shot, as he explained why defensive coordinator Jackie Byrd was absent. “Most people don’t know this, but Jackie has a lucrative modeling career that takes him to New York and Los Angeles. And this is an example of some of his work,†Horn said, holding up a T-shirt with the picture of a face resembling a wrinkled prune who smoked in a tanning bed on it. Horn added the six defensive coaches at Barbers Hill had 165 combined years of experience, so that the T-shirt was actually adopted as the mascot for the entire staff. REL head coach Dick Olin also got in a couple of jabs. The first was at emcee Mike Finley, who introduced him. “Mike Finley says he’s known this guy for a few years but he can’t remember his first name,†said Olin, pointing at Barbers Hill offensive coordinator Bryan Price. “But he can remember our record (1-7) from a year ago.†Olin also ribbed assistant coach David Hackney. “We had our first meeting with Tom Ed (Gooden, Goose Creek, A.D.) today and he was talking about how you never really have anything to show for the meal money you spend,†Olin said. “Hack, stand up. You’re living proof of something to show for meal money.†Sterling offensive coordinator Craig Simmons had some fun talking about the youth of some of the Rangers’ assistants. “I told them I was 50 and one of them said that’s how old is dad is,†Simmons said. “Oh well, I know I look a lot better than Olin.†In between the barbs, the coaches also managed to talk some football. Barbers Hill offensive coordinator Bryan Price, who was subbing for head coach Don Price, was candid about the Eagles jump to Class 4A. “We’ve had a great deal of success in 3A and we recognize this will be a challenge,†Price said. “But we have 33 seniors — the most we’ve ever had — and we return to starters on defense and four on offense. “Our keys will be getting Blake (Patton) comfortable at quarterback and rebuilding our offensive line, but we’ve got some good prospects there.†Olin praised the addition of a fourth playoff team from each district. “It’s always good when you get more teams involved,†Olin said. “That means that each week there’s always something you’re playing for.†Sterling head coach Herb Minyard was candid as he talked about relinquishing the defensive coordinator duties and hiring Chad Haynes from Bacone College in Muskogee, Okla. to take over the defense. “I’ve always called defenses so I thought I was the best defensive coordinator there was,†Minyard said. “But when I interviewed Chad I asked him to show me the defenses we were going to run at Sterling High School. About 24 hours later we got through and he left for Oklahoma. I called him and offered him the job and he accepted somewhere north of Dallas.†Sterling outside linebacker coach Tim Lumpkin also had praise for Haynes. “He’s brought a lot of enthusiasm and energy and we’re excited,†Lumpkin said as he smiled and glanced toward Minyard. “Not that coach Minyard was a bad defensive coordinator…â€

I posted this under the O-line topic after someone said Vidor should "surprise some people this year," but I decided to move it so as not to hijack a thread. So here we go: Sounds like Vidor has a big line, but I don't expect any surprises. I did last year when they had 10/10 returning, but not after that crashed and burned. I'll be honest, even though Vidorians will freak: I think they have one of the worse coaches in the area. I know he's animated and really does talk a good game - and he's probably better than his predecessors. But one playoff season and gobs of seasons in the cellar don't make you a great coach. There's as much talent there as there is in Nederland, but I really think they need a new captain to steer the ship. I think the guy there now is a bit of a boob. Sorry.

I proposed a "smack talk" forum on this site. We can have a disclaimer saying enter at your own risk. I think if we can all be civilized, it would work. We need to appoint a "smack talk" moderator.....any nominations? I DO understand that we need to be men here, so I agree with "daddy's" post. But it IS for fun.

Wednesday, August 2nd...Williams signs extension, Vanderjagt misses practice with illness, and two practices today... 7:30am-Busy day ahead, cookout for some of the players who drop by the Hayes RV Luxury Suite, the media, and members of the training-medical-equipment staff, and whoever else. 9:05am-Practice--- *Where's kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who is not at practice this morning? He's apparently caught the flu bug...rumors were running rampant that Vanderjagt was sick of his training camp field goal percentage. *Cowboys kickers went about their business, and promptly missed six-of-eight field goal attempts. *I thought I saw receivers coach Todd Haley and running backs coach Anthony Lynn motioning to Bill Parcells asking where Vanderjagt was...Parcells responded with a motion as if Vanderjagt was sick...Haley and Lynn seemed very skeptical. *Cowboys announced signing pro bowl safety Roy Williams to a contract extension through 2010. 11:00am-WFAA's super-producer Sean Hamilton just ran by our smoker asking if I'd heard about OU dismissing quarterback Rhett Bomar from the team... Maybe it's me, but Bomar has been nothing but trouble for OU since his arrival from Grand Prairie. 11:30am-Sorry, but not many updates today, I'm preparing dinner for everyone, while trying to prepare for my show. 2:00pm-Sports Talk...we'll have Cowboys offensive lineman Kyle Kosier, college football writer Phil Steele (he had OU as his pre-season number one), ouch. 3:15pm-Engineer Mike Laroux is taking over the smoker...checking on the John Soules Foods fajita meat, the Sadler's Smokehouse BBQ brisket, the 'Bama Grape Jelly Beans, and our "attempt" at Jambalaya.

All members should stick to the thread or topic at all times.. This is particulary in regards to those involved in the never ending WO-S, Barbers Hill war of words...I know that the majority is done in good fun, but there is no reason why so many threads should turn into a BH/WO-S battle. From here on out every post that is off topic will be deleted. Regardless of what it is about. This message board is not a place for smack talk (although a little is fine), it is a place for exchanging information with one another. The moderators are being instructed to delete any off topic post, at their discretion. If multiple posts from one poster continually have to be deleted, that poster will run the risk of being banned. Thanks for your consideration in this matter. This is being done only to ensure a more enjoyable and inviting atmosphere for everyone. Jordan Wilson SETXsports Owner/Webmaster

Your right Big Dog I guess it's not a knock..But the only time anyone said about Vidor making a run for it was last year(not me).And there was a lot of high hopes last year..There are alot of Vidor fans that get on here and talk nosie when they really have nothing to back it up.But I wont do that until I have some proof.. Let me ask you this..When will nederland win the big one..they get far every year btu why dont that make it to the game?? Not knocking them but what do you think it will take??

You guys are so full of your selfs you must have long arms the way you pat yourselfs on the back. Who was scared of you the 4 years or so you went without making a playoff appearance??? You guys have earned your respect but to dance around like you are the king of the state is just plain ridiculas. Last year WOS was not jus beat by Wimberly but they were destroyed. Not even in the same class!!! You can talk all you want show us the state throphy or stop talken!!!! P.S. Love and peace BH loves ya!!! Man are we scared HaHaHa What a Joke!!!!!!!

Come guys serious football talk now. Who will be an underachiver?

Tuesday, August 1st...one practice, Bobby Carpenter to appear on Sports Talk later today...Cowboys not interested in a Lincoln to help drive their offensive line... 11:28am-Not much to report, other than the Cowboys bringing in veteran offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy for a possible workout... We'll know more after the Bill Parcells press conference, which is about to start. 11:30am-Bill Parcells Press Conference Notes: *Cowboys will give veteran offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy a tryout. Kennedy, who has been retired is expected in camp today. Parcells added that despite some reports, he had no interest in signing Adam Meadows *Cowboys signed defensive lineman Jason Davis. *Safety Jason Beriault suffered a concussion, is out for now... *Parcells, while discussing wide receiver Jamaica Rector, said he's been impressed with him so far in camp, and even compared Rector to former Washington receiver Gary Clark (who Parcells admitted gave "me" fits while he was in New York with the Giants"). Parcells also said Rector could even be used as a cornerback "in a pinch". *Parcells, when asked about Flozell Adams demeanor, compared him to the personality of a St. Bernard...and that he's always been so much bigger than everyone else, he's rarely been challenged, especially at the high school and even college level. Parcells said he's glad to have Adams on the field, and the knee is stable. (From our blog comments) "What one question would you like me to ask Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells during his daily press conference on Tuesday?" Rick Lippitz, "I'm not a big sports nut, but I grew up in New Jersey and have great respect for Bill Parcells. I would like to know how he thinks his pass protection will be this season." Parcells..."it's too early to discuss how productive our offensive line will be this season, we've only had a handful of practices...but I like the guys I have, they seem to be very intelligent and they grasp things quickly. I don't have to remind them of things 17-times before the get it. We have a couple of young kids I like a lot (he specifically mentioned Pat McQuistan and Cory Proctor )...but we have a long way to go before knowing our strengths." 1:15pm-Cowboys wide receiver Terry Glenn skipped our scheduled interview, oh well...we'll have DeMarcus Ware instead...not a bad trade-off, huh? 2:00pm-KTBB's Jamie Lent reports Lincoln Kennedy is "not" on the field with the Cowboys, and apparently the Cowboys are not interested in the former NFL lineman. 3:20pm-KTBB's Jamie Lent reports kicker Mike Vanderjagt has missed three of his four field goal attempts this afternoon. He made 24-yarder, but missed from 39-yards, 41-yards, and 44-yards out. Meanwhile, unheralded Shaun Suisham was two-for-two. 5:15pm-We're all headed for Malibu to eat some real seafood...talk to you later.

Now that you mention it, we always talk at the Lumberton/WO-S "games" about how the raiders always seem to have a "mini-me" type player. Seriously. Coincidence that it comes up in this thread

As good as any! Gives us something to talk about thanks for the write up. IMHO I would only change a couple of things. One would be to put the 5A's at the top 1 and 2 spots and to move Newton up a couple. Also WOS is to high and I think Dayton will move them after week zero 8)

Don't even joke about that.... That's scary talk.

Monday, July 31st...two practices today...Julius Jones to appear on Sports Talk... 7:45am-I held up my personal promise to have something besides an omelet for breakfast. I had a large waffle with lots of butter and syrup...delicious. My waiter was a little baffled by my daily reuqest of a "Diet Coke" with such a nice breakfast. Hey, I need by caffeine fix like the next guy. 9:05pm-Cowboys practice notes *Safety Pat Watkins got the veteran defensive players jacked-up after his interception of a wobbly Tony Romo pass during the morning practice. *Cornerback Anthony Henry made a nice break on Drew Bledsoe's long pass intended for Terrell Owens, and broke it up. *This is the time of camp when there are 1-2 scuffles per practice...and wide received J.R. Tolver may regret his pushing and shoving with safety Roy Williams. He might live to regret it the next time he runs across the middle whether a pass is thrown his way or not. Anyone ever heard of the phrase "earholed"? *Did I truly just witness DE/LB Greg Ellis in zone coverage against Terrell Owens in the flat? Wow, Ellis smiled and said something funny to T.O. after Bledsoe's pass was incomplete...Cowboys wide receivers coach Todd Haley asked Owens to shave off his route a little shorter next time for timing purposes. *Cowboys coaching staff isn't in any panic mode, but unless I'm wrong, I've seen high-priced kicker Mike Vanderjagt has missed three short field goals in two days. I know, I know...it's just practice...but the Parcells Heat-Burn-A-Meter is rising. You know, there's a lot of discussion on whether T.O.'s first eruption might be with Parcells or Bledsoe, but it might end up being with the vocal Haley, who isn't afraid to pop off himself. 11:30am-Bill Parcells press conference notes coming up next... *Parcells mentioned this is the toughest time for any NFL player, veteran or rookie, due to no games for another two weeks, and nothing but the monotony of practice. *Parcells says he will play backup quarterback Tony Romo "a lot", adding that he just didn't think Romo was ready during the previous years, and actually saying had he played him too much in the past, it couldn't ended Romo's career. *Singled out the play of rookie safety Pat Watkins (Florida State), saying he's never seen a safety as tall as Watkins (6'5"). FYI---We have a really nice show for Sports Talk today: 4:15pm-T.R. Sullivan, mlb.com 4:30pm-Jennifer Floyd-Engel 5:07pm-Josh McQuistion-Soonerscoop.com 5:30pm-Cowboys running back Julius Jones 11:51am-Just wrapped-up an interview with Cowboys first-round pick and linebacker, Bobby Carpenter. What a nice kid...well-grounded, and said he'll always remember the Texas-Ohio State game, even though his Buckeyes were beaten. 1:09pm-Jamie ate his leftover Calzone for lunch, Craig and I had beef and chicken tacos. Oh boy!!! 2:05pm-Sad note for me, former Tyler Jr. College basketball player Byron Parker was released today by the Cowboys. Cowboys also released linebacker J.J. Horne, and wide receiver Ahman Merritt. Meanwhile, the Cowboys signed kicker Tyler Frederickson to a one-year contract. 4:45pm-My producer here in California, Jamie Lent just accomplished the unthinkable, and dropped an open bag of Oreo cookies on the floor of the Hayes RV Luxury Suite. His job is currently in jeopardy. 4:58pm-Jamie Lent is now taking a nap in the back room of the Hayes RV Luxury Suite. I guess watching Cowboys practice and covering the Parcells press conference has completely worn him out. 5:07pm-Afternoon practice was very uneventful...rookie Pat Watkins did intercept another pass. Lots of special teams work, boring, but important, Seems like the good old cooler temperatures have returned to Oxnard, which the players like...so do I. 8:09pm-Dinner time in Ventura...Jamie Lent stayed with his cheeseburger and fries diet, so Mickey Spagnola, Craig, and I went to Ventura Beach, and found an old "hole-in-the-wall" Fish & Chips restaurant, nothing fancy, but good food. 10:30pm-I'm still stuck on central time, time for some zzz's...man am I getting old or what?

Interesting. I'm a little surprised to see Jasper in over Silsbee with all of the recent talk, but I'm not shocked.

shirley martin didnt stand a chance against me, gostangs, and kicker. we made sure the board heard from the real community that cared, not just someone from a grocery store. I really enjoyed the part where she kept saying she didnt have anything against coach hooks that it was just how it was done. "Its not the who or why its the how". what a moron. a few minutes later another board member point out that if she checked the minutes from the last meeting she specifically spoke of non-tax payer and not living within the district. talk about open mouth and inserting foot. Kicker that was an example of the lesson i told you my dad taught me. better to let them think your a moron than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Congrats to coach hooks for this is a great honor that he deserves.

stepping into the BoneYard,,,, you can smell the freshly cut grass and the chalk smell on the field. You can smell the consession stand food being readied for the fans.....you greet people you dont know but remember their face from last year. you walk on the pavement heading towards your seat and waving to everybody like your the king in a royal progression...you get to your seats and catch up on how everybody is doing that have been sitting by you for the last 5 years. You talk about who is who and what they hope they can do.....the lights are bright, the band strikes up our national anthem...you hear the whistle you feel the electricity.....Bulldog football has started...and It dont get no Better ::12

Ok Rangers talk begins Monday.

like i say, quit posting about the losers........lets talk about a good texas team, the rangers!!!!!

[Hidden Content] High School football coaches learn tricks of their trade For the first time since 1956, the state capital is hosting the annual Texas High School Coaches Association coaching school, where almost 30,000 casually clad coaches gather to learn from colleagues, talk turkey and handle last-minute affairs before football season begins. Coaching school begins today and closes with a bang at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Memorial Stadium, where three area players suit up for the North-South All-Star football game. After that, the start of football practice for the upcoming season - Aug. 7 for most schools - is just a few days away. "You know if coaching school is here that the season can't be far off," East Chambers coach Tony Valastro said. "This is pretty much the only time you can have that many (coaches) all together at one time. "You get to see people you haven't seen from Dallas or El Paso. You get to share things and ideas. It's a great event if you can go." Valastro was at last year's event in San Antonio, where East Chambers offensive lineman Thomas Macie played in the all-star football game for the South team. "He did a great job, and I think he'd tell you he had a great time during the week," Valastro said. "That's really what the whole week and those games are about, the kids having a good time." Macie was joined in last year's game by Nederland quarterback Dustin Hood (now at Wake Forest), Jasper defensive back Jordan Patton (now at Northwestern State) and Memorial tailback Jamaal Charles (now at Texas). This year's football game will feature three high-profile players from the area: Newton running back and McNeese State signee Toddrick Pendland, West Orange-Stark athlete Kenneth (Deon) Beasley and Memorial safety Robert Joseph. Beasley and Joseph have actually been in Austin for a while now; the two Texas freshmen reported to campus earlier this summer. Port Neches-Groves coach Matt Burnett was part of the selection committee for the football game; he has been in Austin since Thursday. Although no one will represent Southeast Texas in Monday's all-star basketball game at the Erwin Center, WO-S coach Doug McCarter will conduct a lecture on "integrating up-tempo with ball-control offense." Coldspring's Franklin Reed, a Lamar signee, originally planned to play, but he backed out of the game earlier this month. The weeklong event actually started Thursday, when most players and coaches checked into their hotel and met with trainers. Players spend their days practicing and attending coordinated events. Meanwhile, thousands of coaches are in town to hear lectures from college and high school counterparts. About 800 vendors have set up booths in the Austin Convention Center, hawking products and services related to high school sports. "Coaching school ... is good if you need some last-minute equipment," said Alvin Credeur, Lumberton's first-year coach. "The other big thing there is the regional meetings. They're real good about giving insight on new rules." Since there are no significant rule changes this season, and since Credeur wanted more time at home to prepare for fall practice, he is among the few who decided to skip coaching school this year. The same goes for Valastro. "We had other stuff we needed to do here, and I've been to coaching school 21 times," Valastro said. "And I got my (graduate) degree from UT, but I don't care for Austin much." Too bad. He'll miss out on the fashion show.

Saturday, July 29th...Practice Begins, Spears Injured, T.O. "and" Family Visit KTBB's Hayes RV Luxury Suite... 8:00am-I rarely eat breakfast while at home, I'm an early riser, my wife Cindy is a night-owl...so any breakfast I get is usually on the go. But when I travel, I eat a big breakfast, usually at the hotel, and the options are great, eggs and omelets, waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, hash-browns, and much more. Today: Ham & Cheese Omelet, Sausage and Bacon, large glass of orange juice, and my favorite..."Diet Coke". 8:30am-ESPN's John Clayton met us at the Hayes RV Luxury Suite this morning, he's hosting his show back in Seattle from our facilities, and will also host his show with Sean Salisbury in our "Luxury Suite". Clayton was a guest on my show on Friday, and he definitely knows his stuff. It's been interesting watching him work the phones about rookie contracts, reminds me of "me" working the phones with high school coaches and trying to find out the latest recruiting news. 8:45am-Clayton and I walk out to Cowboys practice together...I told him the atmosphere this morning reminded me of the Cowboys first-ever camp appearance in Austin, pretty electric. The crowd appears to be a little rambunctious. T.O. was the last person out of the clubhouse, and the crowd went nuts. Later on, T.O. said he's always one of the last players out of the clubhouse. 9:05am-Offensive tackle Flozell Adams isn't in pads, he failed the conditioning test, but no one seems alarmed. Larry Allen failed this drill basically every year. Adams actually looks in great shape if you ask me, but who I am to talk about anyone being in shape? Adams is working out on the side with strength coach Joe Juraszek 10:20am-T.O. catches touchdown pass from Tony Romo...crowd starts chanting "T.O., T.O., T.O."... 10:40am-My favorite part of any practice, goal-line drill, the offense gets the ball at the one-yard line and both sides completely maul each other. Best hit of the day, (besides anything involving Roy Williams), Kevin Burnett drills fullback Lousaka Polite, but Polite somehow scores anyway. The intensity brought some expletives from both sides, but it also brought a huge smile to the face of safety Roy Williams. 11:00am-Usually, players from different positions are avaialble after morning or afternoon practice...and it's usually whoever gets there first gets the best position. However, Cowboys P.R. man Brett Daniels set everyone up nicely with a small podium and Jamie Lent and I were right smack in the middle of the circus. T.O. answered several questions, mostly about today's practice, but Gary Myers tried plugging away with some questions about the Eagles and Donovan McNabb...to no avail. T.O. said he enjoyed the atmosphere at this camp, and now knows more than ever why the Cowboys are "America's Team"...even though he didn't grow up wanting to be a Cowboy. 11:30am-Oops, it's time for Bill Parcells' daily press conference...be right back...again, not much to say...but defensive end Marcus Spears twisted his knee, will have an M.R.I. on his right knee, it's apparently a cartilage injury, which shouldn't take much time to heal and rehab. Spears missed three weeks of training camp a year ago with a knee injury, but was ready for opening day. 12:09pm-Our shipment of Sadler's Smoekhouse BBQ brisket from Henderson has arrived! This was great news to the KTBB "entourage", but even better news for the massive media horde, and especially the Cowboys p.r. department, players, and training staff. Now, we're on alert for our expected shipment of the John Soules Fajita Meat from Tyler... Training Camp has been good so far, but we "take it up a notch" with the late-afternoon cookouts, and media arguments about the NFL, College Football, and anything else for that matter. 3:00pm-Double Great News! The John Soules Foods fajita meat arrived this afternoon, it's time to cookout. 7:00pm-Afternoon practice ends, and after 2-3 hours of cooking fajita meat, brisket, and the 'Bama beans, several media members show up to eat free food...which has been a training camp tradition since our first year in Wichita Falls. Surprise guests tonight, besides Bradi James and Keith Davis, are Terrell Owens and Hollywood movie star Sanaa Latham (who you may know from movies such as Love and Basketball), and T.O.'s immediate family, his publicist, and others. We didn't wrap everything up until 10:00pm tonight, Mac Engel, Steve Dennis, Dale Hansen, Jim Reeves, Mickey Spagnola, Mike Doocy, Clarence Hill, Jacque Taylor, Sean Hamilton, Joe Trahan, Larry Rodriguez, and several media friends hung around discussing everything important in sports and life. I honestly don't think we ever solve anything, but there are always some great arguments. I always enjoy feeding the Cowboys training staff, equipment staff, team doctor's, public relations department, and several interns. They usually don't wrap things up until well after practice, and so I've always left something for them...they really seem to enjoy and appreciate the hospitality. We'll cook again perhaps on Wednesday or Thursday... My son Craig and I are heading to the lobby to relax for an hour or two... Nice to know there's only an afternoon practice on Sunday, but Bill Parcells' press conference will start at 11:30am...sharp. We're expecting Cowboys running back Julius Jones to stop by and record an interview for Monday's show.

My printout dated 3/06 shows Ms. Martin on page 163 of the document as owing back taxes for 2 different pieces of property in the City of Orange. These taxes are of course, city county and school taxes on property located in WOCCISD. One property has back taxes dated back to 2000 and the other property dates back to 1999. Ms. Martin spouts off about doing her homework. She forgets that others can do homework too. Her attempts on Channel 6 to clean up the mess she created with her callous and unjust comments are a result of trying to talk out of both sides of her big mouth.

How you compare teams is generally based on who you are talking to and their records lately/overall. I have friends at work that went to Lincoln and love to point out that they beat Nederland in their last year of existence. They hate to mention that Nederland was 10-1 against them in the last 11 years and owns the overall record between the schools. They would rather the discussion be based on the very last game. That year Lincoln won only their first round game. Nederland won three and ended up in the semi-finals. Two weeks after Lincoln had gone home for good, Nederland was still playing ball. Nederland beat WO-S for three straight years, effectively keeping them out of the playoffs for their last three years in 4A. I seem to remember a lot of the banter on the bulletin boards between WO-S and Nederland. The Nederland fans (and I was one) crowed about three straight years of victory. The WO-S fans seemed to care mostly about the overall record that is heavily in favor of WO-S. Now that WO-S has won the last two years, I am sure they don't mind discussing the last two years, much like my friends from Lincoln like to dismiss the 10 straight years of losses to Nederland. WO-S is rightfully proud of their state championships but wasn't their last one like in '88? I doubt any of this year's seniors was even alive the last time WO-S took it all but I still hear a lot of talk about it. The bottom line is, people like to discuss what is in favor of their argument whether it be recent past or overall history. I see it on all sides from supporters of all teams. It is called making an argument for your case. Just remember this, a person could always be a supporter of Vidor or Lumberton and not have anything to defend recent or overall history. Oh yeah, did I mention Nederland won state in 1957..............

No, an 8-0 record by an average score of 37-6 makes it real easy for the "WOS group" to talk smack about Lumberton. P.S. to WOS92. No, what YOU just posted was the funniest thing I ever read! I gotta remember that joke.