Well Hell...

So the BCS still sucks.

But wait... The Pokes still have a chance. Right? The answer is sort of... Auburn screwed the pooch and UGA has no chance. So, the only way for OSU to pass Bama is what, exactly?

1. Kick the shit out of the paperclips. Self explanatory, suck the fooners in case you were confused.
2. Pray for voter love. This one is complicated. The voters have to be against a rematch. The voters have to think that winning your conference means something. And the computers have to keep loving the Pokes.
3. Kick the shit out of the paperclips.

I really think the Squinky will stay away Saturday. I really do, no I mean I really really do..... OK, you other lifers understand my point. That takes care of the most important part of the equation.

Now, what about the voters? Unfortunately, there is not great answer for that. The Pokes passed Stanford in the AP poll but stayed behind Stanford and Va Tech in the USA Today poll. And this tell us nothing, I think. It does tell us that the voters are not real concerned about anything but a rematch. That sucks and may doom us to the Fiesta Bowl.... did I just say that out loud? Really? But I digress.

The hope has to be that with Bama and Stanford not playing next weekend, we have a chance to sneak up on some voters who weren't paying attention.

I am probably just a homer (ok you caught me) but I just can't understand how you get to play for the title when you can't even win your DIVISION, much less your conference. So, yell loud for UGA and pray for some justice in the world of SEC bias and teams that don't win the division....  In about a week the crazy BCS madness will be over. What will happens for the Pokes? Stay tuned....

GO POKES

Saturday Night on the Grill

So... My boy and I fired up the ole grill on Saturday. Nothing special, other than spending time with him.

We just decided about 6:30 to run to the store and get stuff for dinner... steaks on the grill. (He is quite convincing) Kinda funny that the check out lady asked if this was for the next day, it was late after all. Like I said nothing fancy, just a couple of top sirloins.

Never forget the beer friends. You'll notice that i did not. Also, make sure to ad an apetizer don't ya know... Earl Campbell's hot links. Thats them in the corner of the plates. Here is a pic of him cutting them up, my boy with a knife... yikes.

Like I always say, my kids are the light of my life. Always love to spend time with them. This weekend was me and my boy. Good times.

BCS Madness

So, the Cowboys are not dead... Kinda.

Need serious help and suddenly I'm a huge fan of Auburn and LSU this week. As much as I didn't want to back into the 'ship, as of now I just want OSU to get a shot. ISU played well and the Cowboys did not. But we win that game 99 out of 100 times its played. Maybe I just bitter, but....

Geaux Tigers and War Eagle baby!

PS.... Squinky can't suck it because regardless of the outcomes on Turkey weekend, the Pokes win going away on December 3.

North Mesquite Class of 2012

These are my boys... Raised them up from pups. Congratulations to the North Mesquite class of 2012.

What can I say. Great group of kids who only wanted to win. And we did a lot of winning. I was a fun ride. Putting 63 on Tyler Lee. The fade to beat Desoto. T scoring on cat on the first play of multiple games. 

Great times on the field with these young men. Good luck in whatever is next on your journey....

Time of Possession is Meaningless

I get sick of people talking about time of possession. Football is about scoring and thus about moving the ball. First downs and touchdowns... I could care less, and most coaches would agree, what the TOP numbers are at the end of the game. We want to know what the SCORE is at the end of the game.


Sports writers and fans want to argue over TOP. They say things like you have to run to win and the defense is tired because they've been on the field so long. Makes for good copy, but not relevant. Defenses would get off the field if they force more punts.

This is from Homer Smith

How can it be?  The clock stops when a pass falls incomplete.  It keeps moving when a run is stopped for no gain.  Both results are zero yardage, yet, the pass kept the ball for five seconds while the run kept it for 40. 

If a team that passed only but never completed a pass played a team that ran only but never made a firstdown, the result would be a tie and both defenses would have been on the field for the same number of real minutes.  Yet, if both teams ran the same number of plays, one would have a possession time of eight times that of the other. 

Time of possession is meaningless.  It has nothing to do with keeping your defense or their offense off the field.  It has nothing to do with anything meaningful.  It is for writers and readers who feel precise when a 36:07 is compared to a 23:53. 


This from Mike Leach

NEW YORK (AP) _ Who's got time to worry about time of possession? Not Mike Leach and many other college football coaches.
Offenses have become more reliant on the pass, more capable of breaking off big plays and more likely to skip the huddle and hurry to the line scrimmage. That leaves time of possession - often a deceiving statistic - becoming less and less relevant.

 

Never was that more apparent than Saturday, when No. 10 Cincinnati and its up-tempo attack, jammed four touchdowns into about 16 minutes of possession time during a 28-20 victory against Fresno State.
At Texas Tech, Leach's "Air Raid'' offense goes no-huddle only part-time. But being so reliant on the pass - with every incomplete throw stopping the clock - the Red Raiders rank 94th in time of possession.
Not that Leach cares. To him, ball control is about plays run, first downs and third-down conversions. He says 20 first downs in a game is good target. For plays, he says, "There's not a magic number but you'd like to have more than your opponents.''
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Holy...

What a 24 hours in college football. Everyone loses and I mean everyone. Really good for the Cowboys. Thinking ahead for the BCS selection show tomorrow, OSU should be 4 or maybe 5. That means that if they win on December 3rd, and have a little help, they still have a shot at the title game. Holy shit... What the hell just happened? Lmfao...

By the way, I hate that everyone assumes that the Pokes are out of it. Seems to me that they are right back in the middle of it, based on all the loses today. We back in dis.....

No ones knows until 7:00 tomorrow.... I'll be back with my opinion... Promise...

On a completely unrelated note... I fired up the grill tonight. Pics and discussion tomorrow.

Rough 24 Hours

What to say? Tragedy... Loss... Bad night in Ames... Cowgirl soccer to Sweet 16...

Let's start with football in Ames. Holy shit.... Squinky rears his ugly head yet again. Let me just say I've been a died in the wool OSU fan since the days of Farrell and Inky and O'Neal and Thurman and Verplank and well you get the point. I've seen all of this before. This was supposed to be our year, this was for us. But alas, not so much.... Actually, not so much yet again....

Cowgirls win and advance. Keep winning 'girls, heres hoping someone wins the National Title... Huge bright spot in an otherwise bad day.



Finally, let's not forget, these are all just games. As painful as we think the night was in Ames, as great as we think the night was at the soccer complex, no of it really matters. Through the lens of the events in Arkansas on Thursday night, not much else really matters.

The sun comes up every day and somethings just aren't as important as we think they are.

Tragedy in Stillwater

Can't even begin to comprehend what is going on in the athletic department at OSU. I have friends up there and my heart goes out. You all are in my thoughts. Godspeed to the families of those lost.

So sad.... Hard to think that the ISU football game is tonight as is Cowgirl soccer. But life must continue or what we're they trying to teach while they were here?

GO POKES

Ladies and gentleman, win a couple for the Cowboy/Cowgirl Nation tonight.

I'm Back

So, I disappeared for a while but I'm coming back. I'm hoping to be bigger and better this time. It's been a crazy several months. Since my last post in May, I have changed jobs, moved and moved again. More on the last one later.

Ok the plan is I have no plan, lmao...

Hopefully there will be a slew of posts about grilling, drinking, kids, work, and life in general. The whole purpose of this blog is to throw the madness in my head onto the keyboard and by extension, the screen. I do hope you enjoy and come back often, but if not, oh well maybe it'll help me cull some of the randomness in my crazy little world.

Have a great night peoples.

Got the Bastard

 My congratulations to SEAL Team 6 and all the analysts that put this together. USA....this is how we roll. Duh, winning....

Dinner with the Fam

We went to Ristorante Bugatti last night and holy shit it was awesome! Best Italian food in DFW and it's not close. Plus, Zee is the best host/owner anywhere. He treats everyone special and always remembers us when we go. It's a fun and neighborly kinda place.

Zee made a special meal just for my little girl. He came up and asked her if she wanted some pasta with butter. She was excited, little girls can be picky and it was his idea which she thought was cool. So he brings out a little bowl of buttered pasta and some fresh parmesan then he tells her if she eats all her pasta she can make her own desert. Well she looks at me like really? I tell her she better eat and find out. So she flies through the plate and asks Zee if she can really go in the kitchen. He say of course and takes her back to the kitchen. She came out a few minutes later with a sunday that she was very proud of. Way cool for an eight year old.

Oh, can't forget the food. I had lamb chops in a Madeira wine sauce, fresh veggies, and pasta in marinara. Wow, just wow! Around the table people had Linguini Pescatore, Chicken Marsala, Veal Parmigiana, Lasagna, and a Filet Mignon. Everything was spectacular. For desert I had what I consider to be the best Creme Brulee in the city. I generally love a Creme Brulee, but Zee puts fresh berries inside and it just make it pop.

It was a great night out with dad, sister, and family. Great food, good drinks, and family makes for a wonderful evening.

Huli Huli Chicken

I fired up the grill last night and made the Huli Huli chicken, which means turn turn by the way. The recipe came from Foodista.com and although I use some ingredients that were not exactly like the recipe (gound thyme for instance), I thought it turned out great. The beer was cold and it was a beautiful sunny day and it damn near felt like being in the islands.

So without further ado..........

Ingredients

 BRINE:

 2 cups WATER

 1 cup DARK BROWN SUGAR

 2 tablespoons KOSHER SALT

 4 CLOVES GARLIC -SMASHED

 4 SLICES GINGER ROOT-SMASHED

 6 SPRIGS FRESH THYME

  SAUCE:

 2 cups TERIYAKI SAUCE

 ¼ cup HONEY

 4 CLOVES GARLIC SMASHED

 1 teaspoon SESAME OIL

 1 tablespoon LIME JUICE

 1 PEEL OF 1 ORANGE

 ¼ cup PINEAPPLE JUICE

 6 CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS AND 4 THIGHS

 1 PINEAPPLE CORED, SKINNED AND SLICED INTO RINGS

 Preparation

Step 1

 MIX TOGETHER THE BRINE- WATER, SUGAR, SALT, GARLIC, GINGER, AND THYME. PLACE IN A LARGE RESEALABLE BAG AND PLACE THE CHICKEN INTO THE BRINE. REFRIGERATE FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR, BUT NOT MORE THAN 4.

Step 2

 

PUT THE SAUCE INGREDIENTS INTO A SAUCEPAN, STIR AND SIMMER UNTIL SAUCE THICKENS.

 Step 3

 STRAIN OFF THE SAUCE AND PLACE IN A BOWL.

 Step 4

 REMOVE THE CHICKEN FROM THE BRINE AND GRILL UNTIL MEDIUM BROWN AND COOKED THROUGH TO THE BONE. PLACE THE PINEAPPLE ON THE GRILL. LIGHTLY BASTE THE CHICKEN & PINEAPPLE WITH THE SAUCE. TURN AND BASTE 2-3 TIMES EVERY 2-3 MINUTES. REMOVE FROM GRILL & SERVE.

So there you have it...my evening making Hawaiian style grilled chicken. It was awesome if I do say so myself, although I didn't have to since it was a big hit with the kids....

Not to be forgotten in this evening of great food and beautiful weather... there was plenty of beer and Earl Campbell's.....

Good Afternoon

Springtime is crazy. Baseball, spring football, dance... It never ends does it? Hahaha.

I wouldn't change that part of my life for anything. The only problem is it seriously cuts into my grill time. I really want to try the Huli-Huli chicken that I have linked on the homepage. It sounds like a really tasty change up and a fun recipe to make. But alas, it will be a few more days until I can fire up the grill. Forunately, it doesn't cut into my beer drinking time........

I am constantly looking for new and exciting grill recipes. Unfortunately, nothing really gets done around my place until summer. So, most posts will be related to things other than food until then. I will post recipes and pics of the things I do cook when I am able, I just don't know when that will be.

--------------------

I may be drunk, Miss, but in the mornig I'll be sober and you'll still be ugly.
                                                                         Winston Churchill

Rough Day for the Colts

Lot's of errors....

They won in the quarterfinals and lost in the semifinals. The Colts were done in by a rough day in the field. Pitching was solid, bats were above average. Ultimately, errors were the story of the day. That being said, the two teams that played for the title were probably the best teams there. The semifinal loss for the Colts was of the old fashioned wood shed variety.

My boy really struggled from third today, actually all weekend. Guess it's time for dad to hit him some grounders, lol. On a more positive note...he's still knocking the cover off the ball. He was 4-5 on the day with a double and 2 RBI.

His stat line after 4 tourneys (14-3-1) --  .568 (25 - 44); 8 2B; 2 HR; 23 RBI

Pretty damn good kid.

Winning

Baby girl rocked it out yesterday.

The Colts were 2-0... Let's go win this thing today.

Oh, and this kid was 3-6 with a home run, a double, and 6 RBI.

This is a very proud papa...

Dance Rock Star

Baby girl gets Elite Gold 1st place - solo; Platinum 3rd place - team ballet; Platinum 1st place team jazz; Platinum 1st place - production. Way to go Fantasia dancers.

That's my little superstar!

Long Day

So, I got up at five to drive an hour and a half to see my girl dance. Momma and baby girl left last night and stayed in a hotel. Now I'm back to get my boy ready to leave for his baseball tourney. Girls are still there since my baby still has three dances today. She did really well on her solo this morning, it was her first ever solo, so it could have been better. Later she will rock the team dances I'm sure!

The boy and I are headed out for a baseball tourney in a little bit. He plays twice today, last game at eight. I guess I'll have a 19 hour day covering about 200 miles today watching my kids. Long day but well worth it! At least gas isn't $3.60 a gallon...oh wait.

Rock it baby girl...

GATA kid...

Favorite Books

Here are a few of my favorite non-fiction books.



Among other things, I love to read. These are inspirational and motivational books, and a couple good old fashioned histories thrown in for good measure. Great reads and really eye opening too.

I'll write a review of each in a few days.

Dallas Colts 14U

Here is a team pic of my boy's team after winning a tourney two weeks ago.

Good Morning

Well, my boy had baseball practice until late, didn't get to fire up the ole grill last night. Basic box dinner prepared by the wife. Oh well, it is the weekend.

Speaking of my boy...He's 14 and plays select baseball. I'm a really proud father. He is having a great season so far, and so is his team. The team, the Dallas Colts, is 12-2-1 on the year and have won two tourneys so far. They are qualified for the USSSA world series in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Dad can't wait for that trip! My boy is a third basemen who bats left and throws right. Currently, he is batting .545 with 6 2B, 1 HR, 1 3B, and 15 RBI. He loves to play and that is what makes him so good. Hopefully, the Colts and #13 will keep rolling this year. They play this weekend so wish him luck!

Not to be neglectful, I have another child.... My daughter is 8 and dances competitively. Her team has done well this year. Lots of High Golds and Platinums, whatever that means....lmao! She dances her first ever solo tomorrow morning so daddy is excited for her!

I'll post updates here as things develop, but wish the boy luck and tell the girl to break a leg!

Busy weekend, but I'm sure I'll find the time to have a few beers and burn some charcoal.

This is the Grill. I cook on it as often as possible. The heat retention characteristics are phenomenal.














Here is the lubrication for the cook.

And here is the hat that I wear.

So, there you have it folks. BTW, I'm firing her up tonight. I'll be back with my cooking endeavors later.

What's up world? Today is the start of my online journal. And the beginning of the rest of my life.

I coach, I drink, I eat, and I try to enjoy life.

I will be writing about all of those things right here...Hope you like it, but if not, I'm really writing for me. Hahaha

Enjoy