statsman

It’s possible, isn’t it, that Bama’s AD- Greg Byrne- is as much of a goober as his dad, Bill Byrne?

FIFY

2003 Cotton Bowl.

Alright, Texas is 2-2 against the GOAT. How’s the Ags’ record? OU’s?

The old Big 8 was different from the SWC. The “little six” knew that a strong OU and NU meant more money and status for the whole conference. The SWC was different. When Texas is really doing well, it takes revenue and attention away from the smaller schools, in FW, in Dallas, in Waco, in Houston and in Lubbock, in a way that a high flying OU doesn’t. I think that’s the reason for the different dynamic and responses to a really good Texas, as opposed to a successful OU (or NU). They need a reason to dislike Texas. The LHN served that purpose. Nevermind that Texas was responsible for more Big XII revenue than even OU, the IR8 wanted it all. Their argument? “Everyone else puts all their revenue into a common kitty. Only Texas holds a big chunk back”. Again, Nevermind that Texas was already contributing more. It was a relationship based on legal obligations more than mutually enjoyed traditions, and thankfully the parameters aligned (Texas Ex governor, all Texas Ex BoR, Texas Ex president, buyout manageable) to end it.

The rout of Ukraine's elite fighters in the counteroffensive against Russia is a lesson in why the war effort is stalled https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-counteroffensive-5b309595?st=cm2ba5nlfx46k6v&reflink=share_mobilewebshare I’m an idiot about war tactics, but I do know one thing about war strategy- the way to narrowly win a very important battle is to apply every advantage in resources you have, apply all your strategic analysis, plan for everything that can go wrong, and give it everything you have. Because, your opponent is doing the same. How much support should the west give Ukraine? “As much as we can spare” is the wrong answer. “As much as it takes to win decisively, even if it requires a wartime production” is the right answer.

Slorch, this is CTJ posting without hyperbole, funny insults, or insulting allegories. This is not smack talk. He is dispassionately explaining what the background is. Advice: read and reflect, rather than reply like the Raider Red pull string doll. https://www.theunticket.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/TexasTechDoll.mp3 (I admit to not being as calm and reasoned as CTJ)

I’ve talked to an Ag. One of the truths about college fandom is that we really don’t pay that much attention to other teams going ons. My Ag frozen was explaining the portal to me (😂). “There are so many players there!” He explained that all their roster problems could be solved through the portal, and that Texas was at a disadvantage because it isn’t hitting it hard, like double digits. Clearly, Fisher’s ignoring of the portal led to Ag fans not really paying attention to it. I guess Liucci or Buchanan never wrote any articles or posts bemoaning the Ags’ disdain for the portal? Now, it’s a thing for them, a bright shiny toy to make all their worries disappear. (My friend said they don’t see 2024 as a rebuilding year. They expect to make a run at the CFP). 😂

WRT Texas and TT, - Texas (AD Bible and HC Royal) advocated for the SWC to accept TT. They felt the conference needed more state schools (the private schools were pushing for rules, like scholarship limits lower than other conferences, to save money). - When the PAC was looking to expand, in a move that would have killed the B12, Texas moved to bring TT along. - When Texas finally did leave the B12, it paid the old members what was owed and didn’t try to screw them out of anything. Texas paid a hell of a lot more to leave the B12 than Tech paid to leave the Border Conference. As near as I can tell, Tech’s big gripe with Texas is threefold: 1. Texas didn’t bring Tech along to the SEC (never an option; the SEC and B1G were never accepting Tech) 2. Texas isn’t agreeing to scheduling a football series going fwd. (future schedules must be mutually agreed upon. Maybe Tech could use a little introspection as to why Texas won’t agree? Isn’t it kind of like when a girl doesn’t agree to a date- do you really think it’s her fault?) 3. Twice, Texas plucked Tech coaches away- McWilliams and Beard. Both had ties with Texas that were older than their employment with Tech.

Is this real?

#3 it is. I think it is dumb to rerank teams outside the CFP, based on bowl game results. Non-CFP games are exhibitions, pure and simple.

So, what will IR8 fans do now? Why, they’ll keep on carping about Texas. I don’t get the FWST, but I saw this article posted in the men’s room at Central Market in FW. https://kdhnews.com/sports/college/mac-engel-the-texas-longhorns-now-have-a-major-problem-at-quarterback-his-last-name/article_d0ca48fb-367e-5f82-934a-fa71e0255911.html The premise is stupid- neither Manning nor Ewers are going anywhere. Austin, coached by Sark, playing behind this line and throwing to these receivers is where they both intend to be. Doesn’t matter to Engel. He is the kind of writer that is so pro the home town team that he is consistently anti the team he seems TCU’s real rival-Texas. I have never seen him write anything positive about Texas (pre-season, he said Texas had the most talent, but he was still not picking Texas to win the B12 because he thought Sark was flawed as a coach). He delights in any TCU win over Texas, in any sport. And he just can’t let it go. Ha-ha-ha-ha!

Here is the problem. In 1936, when Germany (and Russia) invaded Poland, everyone said, “The UK and France have a problem”. They didn’t say, “The US has a problem”. (Clearly, far sighted observers knew that the U.S. was the solution). In the mid ‘30s, when Japan invaded China, it wasn’t the U.S.’ problem. Everyone understood that Uncle Sam might just decide not to get involved. Now, that’s not the case. I really think the thing to do is, as we have been doing, work to provide off ramps for bad actors. I think we need to supplement that strategy with serious defense buildup, to encourage them to take those exits. Or, we can just let a few small countries fall (Ukraine, Taiwan) and let Iran restrict access to the Suez Canal, and let the rest of the world figure it out. (Not my recommendation)

The U.S. would never fight a war like this. This shows the flaw in the NATO alliance. The U.S. and Europe (and I know it’s silly to expect Europe to operate as a monolith) are each expecting the other to go on a wartime munitions production, and neither does. Ukraine is the one that suffers.

It is a complete failure by the U.S. and NATO to not get more artillery shells to Ukraine. Here’s how the Russian and Ukrainian war efforts compare, in 10 charts https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/heres-how-the-russian-and-ukrainian-war-efforts-compare-in-10-charts-1cf9a74f?st=hfi3s4megak9dpg&reflink=share_mobilewebshare

Early in Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the two sides sat down to negotiate. But a few days later, the discovery of Russian atrocities in Bucha changed everything, Yaroslav Trofimov writes. https://www.wsj.com/world/did-ukraine-miss-an-early-chance-to-negotiate-peace-with-russia-d864b7c9?st=7j08gvtdwisanzf&reflink=share_mobilewebshare

The worst facet of the Aggie program is that they have Aggies in charge. They are true believers in the Aggie way and objective critical reasoning is not desired. They look at any success Texas has, and discount it as the result of luck and institutional favoritism by the NCAA and media. That would be fine for smack talk (hell, the Sooners have their fun with that, when they can), but nobody in a decision making capacity should believe it. But, they do! And even the Ags in authority believe it! And that leads them to try to mimic what they imagine UT to be doing, to navigate a route where they can parlay an easy path, a little flexing and some luck into a championship. If they tried to genuinely imitate UT, in pursuit of similar success, they would do the hard work of viewing their team objectively, seeking out weaknesses to address, scheduling difficult matchups (not easy ones) and not fearing failures that lead to learning. But, that’s hard, not fun and they absolutely dismiss the idea that this is the path Texas takes, so they continue on…

Under conference record, they omit the 2023 B12 CG. I guess it wouldn’t do for Sark to have an 18, to Aggies’ 17.

Try this: Last MNC- Texas: 2005, TAMU: 1939, OU: 2000 Last top 5- Texas: 2023, TAMU: 2020, OU: 2019 Last Conference title- Texas: 2023, TAMU: 1998, OU: 2020 Last CFP- Texas: 2023, TAMU: Zed, OU: 2019 Last time played for NC- Texas: 2009, TAMU: 1939, OU: 2008

Is that for real? How about: CFP appearances- Sark:1, every Ag coach in history: 0 I mean, our season was better than every single post-1939 Ag season. The 50 star US flag has never flown over an Ag team having a better year than the 2023 Longhorns.

Along the same theme as the post above, here is an opinion piece from the WSJ Op-Ed house liberal (sympathetic to administration). The key takeaway- the path to Ukraine defeat starts with not getting them enough artillery. Blame the U.S., blame Europe, blame whomever, but this was completely foreseeable over a year ago. https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-may-have-to-accept-a-cease-fire-putin-orban-congress-aid-89f9932a?st=wh5ldjq5iw8a8tx&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink

I’ve seen that before, worse. In the ‘99 TAMU (bonfire) game, Simms scrambled down the left sideline and ran out of bounds. Brian Gamble ran up and laid him out, head on, all out of bounds. The ref threw the flag for the PF, Slocum argued (reminded him that the Ags needed to win, because of the dead kids) and the official picked the flag up.

I suspect we’d be called for holding if we tried that

“sue for tampering” I don’t think you understand how this works. One program doesn’t contact or “tamper” with a player on another roster. A coach doesn’t, either. That would be stupid and unnecessary. There are “portal agents”. We don’t know their names. The coaches and players absolutely do. The portal agents communicate with coaches (lots of them) and players (lots of them). This is going to shock the hell out of you, but Venables and his staff are talking to portal agents right now, too, trying to get the word to players that they have playing time and NIL opportunities for them.

The hater comments are funny. The rivals know what’s coming. It’s not about the sports wins; it’s the way a successful Longhorn program dominates popularity and revenue in state. Yormark is a huckster, more interested in promoting than building. That said, I imagine he has viewed the last month- the TT game scene, the B12 CG attendance record, the ratings, and has a new perspective when he has conference meetings. I imagine his internal voice saying, “You fucking idiots. You had a program that could have been a tent pole for revenue growth for this conference, that could have established it as a survivor long term, and each of you stupid motherfuckers decided it was in your own best interest to hamstring them and bitch about them”.