The Allen Americans Open Training Camp

October 10^th, 2011, the Allen Americans open up training camp at the Allen Event Center.

The Americans enter their third year in the Central Hockey League, and in the previous two seasons, the Americans have captured their Division Title, made it to the League Finals in just their FIRST YEAR, and last year won the Governor’s Cup, which is for the best record in the league. However, they exited the playoffs early, and had to watch eventual champion Bossier City/Shreveport lift the championship trophy… now the irony of it all.

The league has seen teams come and go, and Bossier City is one of them, so their one and only championship in the Central Hockey League is the last one for them, some of those players along with other teams that had to close operations have scattered into the league and Allen was fortunate enough to pick up a few players from other teams, to improve their skills and speed.

Some familiar faces have returned to this team from last year, such as Colton Yellow-Horn, Bruce Graham, and Mike Berube just to name a few, some others have left, like Chris Whitely who manned the goal for the Americans last year, he is now in Europe tending goal for a team in Scotland.

Minor League Hockey has its good points and its bad, the down side, obvious is that fans get attached to some of the players, and they move to the next level or to another team that can use their services, much like Minor League Baseball does with trades and players to be named later.

However in Allen, where this team has actually built a pretty good fan base with putting in an average of 3500 per game during the season then selling out over 6000 seats for the playoffs, this team has solidified itself as part of the community.

They are one of the few teams in the league that has a broadcast team that not only does their home games but also their away games, and all of them can be heard through the internet with the help of a local radio station, KLAK in McKinney, Texas just up the road from Allen.

Tommy Daniels will be in his third year behind the microphone for the Americans, a true hockey fan first, but more so, his knowledge of the game, and his ability to paint the picture in your mind about what is going on the ice without losing the listener. His broadcast partner from last year will return as well Jarred Yost, a young man who played college hockey at Oklahoma University, as well as works with youth hockey teams in the Metroplex, as their coach, has a great knowledge of the game and brings that to the analyst seat in the broadcast booth.

Family atmosphere helps a great deal with being a part of the community, and the Allen Event Center has great sight lines, not a bad seat in the house, and more so, FREE PARKING and lots of restaurants and entertainment area to give the fans a place to go before or after the games every night.

Good rivalries help as well, with the Texas Brahmas across town in Fort Worth, helps the league, when you have two teams close in proximity, and able to give good games in both their home arenas… however if you put the Allen Event Center up against other arenas, this one will win every time, its built for comfort, for every event!

The Americans will have a new affiliation as well, the first two seasons they had the Dallas Stars as their National Hockey League affiliate, this year they will change and be associated with the Colorado Avalanche, so these young men will work hard to be a part of the NHL some day, but for now, they will learn from one of the very best in Coach and General Manager Dwight Mullins, and continue to strive to be the best they can be at this level, and maybe move up to the next level of the American Hockey League.

Come out to the Even Center, tickets are priced for families to enjoy the evening, and the players are available to talk to, and get to know, and that makes it even more special for the kids!

Just a thought!

THE RED RIVER RIVALRY!

Its that time of year once again, the second Saturday in October, the State Fair of Texas, the sounds, the smells, the feel of fall in the air... yes boys and girls-- its TEXAS- OU weekend!

For those of you that are new to the area, allow me to give you a little insight to this little annual shindig... Its the Sooners for Oklahoma University going up against the University of Texas Longhorns in a battle that dates back to the early 1900's... it has been played inside the famed Cotton Bowl since 1932-- prior to this, the two schools played home and home games.

What makes this game so unique and considered to be one of the top five rival games in the country?

Pure-- unadulterated HATE! Yep.. I used the word HATE! Sooner Nation despises anything that wears BURNT ORANGE-- and Longhorn fans can do without anything in Crimson!

Back in the day (we are talking a mere 30 years ago) the tradition of the Friday night revelry was to walk up and down Commerce Street in Downtown Dallas, flash the upside down 'Horns if you were a Sooner Fan or the Hook 'EM Horns sign if you were a Texas fan-- then the fights were on-- usually ending up with someone going to jail and losing their tickets to the game because they couldn't make bail in time to make the kick off!

Many stories about how the bonfire at the end of Commerce street would start and then end up with the Fire Department coming in and putting out the flames before they reached buildings- (though this is more myth then fact)... though in those days-- at the hour of midnight-- water trucks would be seen coming down the streets to spray the party goers to indicate that the Party Was OVER! and to disperse from the area!

Now there are planned pep rallies around the Downtown area, as well as other locations in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.. its a little more sedate and calm, but the fun times of those early days-- thats what defined Texas-OU!

The game itself, prior to 1996 the game was a non conference game-- since Texas was in the Southwest Conference and Oklahoma was part of the Big 8... after 96, this became a conference game when the two conferences merged to create the BIG XII... This game still has the same intensity as it did during the early years.

Players who have played in this game, will tell you that the feeling that they get standing in the tunnel of the Cotton Bowl, before they run out onto the field, there are no words to describe it. The hair on your arms and the back of your neck rise up-- the sounds of 90 thousand fans screaming and the sounds of your fight songs being played by the bands-- the chants of BOOMER-- SOONER-- or TEXAS!!! FIGHT!!! is heard throughout the stadium-- the 50 yard line acts as the Red River itself, as half the stadium to the north is bathed in Burnt Orange and the other half is colored in Crimson! NO other rivalry is this unique, maybe Army- Navy which plays on a neutral site, but this game-- was the granddaddy of them all to be held 3 hours from either campus.

Bragging rights, the chance to know that you beat your neighbor, and possibly have them go on to win a National Title, its been proven on the floor of the old lady known as the Cotton Bowl... Texas snapped a five game losing streak in 2005 to the Sooners-- handing them a 45 -12 defeat-but then went on to run the table and go undefeated and winning the National Championship with a win over USC... however there are other National Championships that were won by Oklahoma under Bud Wilkerson, and Barry Switzer as well as Bob Stoops, it was Darryl Royal that won Three National Championships in the 60's and 70's... and Mack Brown who won the crystal football in 05... the game sets the tone-- it creates the urgency-- and when the dust settles three hours after kick off.. the party starts for one school and ends for the other!

Just to give you some perspective about this game-- and the impact it has on the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, 30 million dollars is spent in hotel, rental cars, restaurant, bar, and club money! YOU saw it right--30 MILLION DOLLARS per year!

Now for anyone that is not savvy with economics-- that's a WHOLE LOT OF MONEY! and if this game were to EVER leave the Cotton Bowl... well you can imagine that we would take a major hit for the second Saturday in the month of October!

Spoke with a local taxi driver in Dallas.. and they informed me that they make their entire year on that one weekend! Imagine just one independent, cab driver-- will make his YEAR on three days! I would say thats a pretty damn good reason to fight and keep the game right here in Downtown Dallas!

So whether you're a HOOK 'EM HORNS or a BOOMER--SOONER... the Red River Rivalry beats them all!

ENJOY!

Just a thought (oh by the way-- HOOK 'EM HORNS!)

AND THEN THERE WERE NINE!

Well let's see, when we last left our hero, he was hanging on for dear life, by a thread if you will, and then_____________

Kinda feels like that, or worse a badly written Soap Opera, thats what the BIG XII should be called-- another "Peyton Place"... (for those of you too young to remember that particular Soap Opera, ask someone over 50!)

Alright, so here's the deal.... Texas A&M has now officially left the BIG XII Conference to take their toys and move to the Southeastern Conference  (aka SEC), and it has been said, so they will no longer be made fun of, joked about, or disrespected! REALLY?????

So much for over 100 years of tradition, 100 years of being a part of a rivalry that is pretty much the fabric of College Football, no, they took their toys and left, because the University of Texas has their own network, and didn't share with the rest!

Lets back up a moment, shall we? 

Oklahoma University (OU), Oklahoma State University (OSU), Texas Tech (TT) and Texas (UT), were all ready to bolt the BIG XII to head to the PAC 12... but wait-- the PAC 12 said.... NO WE DON"T WANT YOUR LITTLE SORRY ASSES HERE IN OUR CONFERENCE.. well maybe thats not a DIRECT quote, but you get the jest of the subject! So they decided to hang-- but there's a caveat, brought upon by OU, they wanted current BIG 12 commissioner Dan Bebe to resign! Which HE DID! IN DOING SO, the conference is now back together, because OU said they would stick, and with that, OSU HAS to stay, because by Oklahoma legislature they have to be together (joined at the preverbal hip as it was. Now Texas never really wanted to leave, and Texas Tech is sort of the younger brother and will do whatever Older brother says! in this case Texas.

NOW! With Nebraska, and Colorado leaving, and Texas A&M sprinting off next year, they will leave the BIG IX, unless they find someone to fill the other three spots!

Here are some schools being considered-- BYU (Brigham Young) TCU (Texas Christian) SMU (Southern Methodist), and Houston (UH).  Now I am not sure about TCU since they reneged on their situation with the Big East, since both Syracuse and Pittsburgh have decided to go to the ACC.... TCU has decided to return to the Mountain West Conference, though if they were to come to the BIG IX they would have a great rivalry with Baylor, and IF SMU comes in, with their cross I-30 rival! But what about Texas.. they still have Oklahoma, but they two schools had a rivalry long before they were in the same Conference- -in FACT-- Oklahoma once upon a time ago was in the SouthWest Conference-- they left and went to the BIG 8, and yet the rivalry survived on the 2nd Saturday of October during the State Fair Of Texas... now will Texas A&M Continue their rivalry with Texas during the Thanksgiving Holiday? Interesting thought don't you think?

So here we sit, once again trying to figure out-- Good bye to Texas University, So long to the Orange and the White... Good luck to dear old Texas Aggies... They are the boys who show the real old fight

Really? SERIOUSLY? YOU BUYING THAT?

Not any more-- those are the words to their own fight song-- they make direct reference to the school that they hate so much-- and yet they ran from, when they, (UT) was able to solidify a Television deal with ESPN to make their own network-- REALLY? AGGIES? THE BOYS WHO SHOW THE REAL OLD FIGHT? C'mon now!

Alright-- so here's what might happen-- the BIG IX will once again get two or three teams to join to take the place of the ones that have departed-- Texas and A&M might continue their rivalry somewhere down the road but now right away!

118 years-- that's how long this rivalry has been going on-- that's almost FIVE GENERATIONS that have grown up knowing about this hatred for each other-- that's 118 years of telling each other to "GO TO HELL".. that's A&M Sawing off Varsity's Horns... and Texas saying Texas Fight, Texas Fight and its GOOD BYE to A&M in their fight song! So now who are they going to call out?

Texas and A&M will continue their rival game-- it just won't have the same impact-- sorta like when Texas used to play OU in the old days before the BIG XII... when The Southwest Conference and the BIG 8 were still in business-- they kept the second Saturday of October date at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair-- then after 1996-- it became a real game-- a fight if you will for a Conference win or loss-- Now with A&M it will just be a none conference game that will count in the overall wins and losses for the season! Here's to old traditions-- in hopes that something's never die!

Just a thought!

SEPTEMBER 11, 2011 TEN YEARS LATER

THIS IS A DAY THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY!

Words that sound familiuar to those of you that are old enough to know your history.... President Franklin D. Roosevelt said those same words on December 8th, 1941, to declare war on the Empire of Japan.

However, on a clear, crisp September morning, Tuesday to be exact, two airplanes, commercial airplanes for that matter, were hijacked, and flown directly into two buildings, in New York, then a thrid smasked into the side of the Pentegon and yet another flight was headed for either the White House or the Capitol, until i twas taken back by passengers who knew they were doomed!

Where were you when you heard the word, or saw the images? What were you doing? What did you feel?
We ask our parents or grand parents how they felt when they first heard that the Japanese had attacked those Naval Ships that were moored in the Harbor, and we saw images of the plumes of smoke bellowing from the hulls of the great battle ships, the USS Arizona listing, then sinking, the USS Oklahoma capsizing and loosing all that life that were on board or shot and killed by straffing aircraft.

This was different-- this was not war, this was innocent lives that were taken, they had not taken an oathe to protect or defend our nation against all enemies, foreign or domestic, they were just people going about their lives, going to work in Lower Manhattan, in two office towers that stretched into the sky! They were secretaries, lawyers, accountants, diamond brokers, just every day people doing what they do, day in and day out. They were passengers on aircraft, going to business meetings, or seeing family, or whatever took them to the destination they were choosing to go. They were pilots, and flight attendants who were in charge of taking care of those passengers. They were Policemen, and Firemen who were asked to protect and to serve the public in New York, they lost their lives as well when the two towers were dropped after those two aircrafts smashed into them.

The military was attacked as well at the Pentegon, when the third airplane smashed the side of the outer ring, our leaders were being protected, we had no idea what else was about to happen.

I was living in Lufkin, Texas, and for 18 and half hours, we were on the radio trying to bring calm, just to another portion of the country, to assure them that we were going to be safe, at least for that portion of the state.

We had politcal leaders on the air with us, to talk to the community, and to try and make some sense of all of this, even though no one knew any information, we had no idea who was actually behind the attacks, we had no idea if there were going to be more, or if this wave of terror was it for the day. The sounds outside our radio station in Lufkin, Texas was absolutely quiet. No sounds at all. No cars on the roads, no airplanes flying overhead, and the talk was in hush tones.
Remembering that during the first moments, when word came to us that a plane had struck the first World Trade Center building, we all thought the same thing, "Oh the tragedy!" That someone had mis-calculated, and flew his plane into the building, then we saw how much damage was casued by the plane, and it wasn't long after that, while watching live television, we see a second plane smash into the other tower, and the person who i was on the air with, and eveyrone in our office said the same word at the same time-- TERROIST!

From that moment forward, our lives changed, some for the better, others, not too sure how that worked out, but none the less, we found out quickly, that once again, a sleeping Giant had been awaken, and those who were responsible for this were hunted, and back on May 1st, the proclaimed leader of the attackes Osama Bin Lauden, was killed by an elite team of Navy Seals, only to have lost their lives not too many weeks ago themselves when they were shot down out of the sky by another faction of terrorist.

Remembering what we were doing, what we said, what we were feeling... for me it will be the Friday of that week, when America decided that we were not going to allow this event stop our lives completely... the 14th of September was a night that was somber, it was special, it was nieghbor, friend, stranger, teacher, parent, student, athlete, stepped into a stadium, the lights were turned on, and the first strains of the National Anthem was playing... EVERYONE stood, and placed their hand over their heart, their mouths didn't sing the words, they almost shouted them-- for once those words were not just something said out of habit-- they actually had meaning... Tears streamed down faces, and arms wrapped around people to assure them that WE, as a community and as a nation were going to be ok!

Everyday since that horrible moment, we have changed our life, we have had our difficulties, we have had our differences, but the same constent theme continues.... you don't mess with America! THIS IS ONE NATION, that is going to fight back, and not be taken lightly!

To those who wear uniforms of our armed forces we salute you and applaud you for a job that at times is thankless.. and to those a little closer to home... there is a reason why you are known as the Finest and the Bravest, because you do a thankless job-- and you do it selfleshly, rushing into harms way at times, protecting and serving us so no harm comes to us!
We will ask for G-d to bless those who need comfort on this day of rememberance, and to our country to keep her strong, and to keep our protectors as strong!

Just a thought!

What a Tangled Web We Weave!

It starts with a single drop of a pebble into the water and we watch the ripple affect.

That’s what is happening with the Big XII… or TEN or whatever you wish to call the conference these days.

The Texas A&M Aggies have informed the conference of its intentions of leaving the conference in June of 2012, and in doing so, possibly going to the Southeast Conference (SEC), and no sooner is that announced, the Pac 12 has said, they are entertaining the offer of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech to join their conference to make it the Pac 16.

NOW, that leaves teams such as Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Missouri, and Baylor to fend for themselves.

Speculation is that the Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State might go Big East or ACC. Missouri to the Big 10/12 (whatever) and that leaves Baylor- dog paddling to find a home.

This also leaves SMU, and Houston, that thought about joining the Big XII remaining in Conference USA, or maybe another conference. So what would happen if—the Big XII were to maintain Baylor as the corner stone, and bring (now hold your breath) SMU, Houston, Rice, UTEP, maybe Tulsa, Tulane, and Arkansas State into a conference of 8 teams, and call it (wait for it) The Big 8 or Southwest Conference—OH perish the thought!!

REALLY! Those who are much brighter than me, have stated that would give those schools a fighting chance to have some sort of opportunity for recruiting, and keep those schools in major markets (i.e. Dallas/Ft. Worth being the biggest, followed by Houston) How much would that help? I have no idea, other than I can’t see this working, but Bob Stoops and Mac Brown have both stated that this is about money, and making Super Conferences, and when you consider that if that happens, College Football will have to truly consider the possibility of a playoff system to crown a National Championship.

In my own opinion, I think that the temptation that the Pac 12 is offering needs to be held off, that the 10 year plan that the Big XII had put in place needs to be maintained, and bring in two more teams (and make your choices as they are), but in the end, the SUPER CONFERENCES will make the sport more convoluted, and watered down. I think that the power house teams will find out that they are going to be the top schools year in and year out, and that the also ran in the conferences will be left out in the cold.

Schools such as Vanderbilt, or Cal, that haven’t sniffed a National Championship will never make it to that tier. That they will always be looking up, and what does that get you in your conference, other than when you find them on your schedule, you mark it as a WIN. It happens year in and year out!

Look at schools such as Northwestern in the Big 10, they have gone to the Rose Bowl once in the last dozen years, or Indiana, when was the last time they played in a major bowl, what about Arkansas—how’s that really working out for you Razorbacks, when was the last time they were close to the National Championship—1969? Really? Baylor? The same—Texas A&M 1930 something? And you have a better opportunity to run the table and be in a major BCS Bowl this year than any other year—Texas is not the same team as they were two years ago, Texas Tech is getting there—Oklahoma will most likely be playing for the a Championship, maybe LSU out of SEC, and who in the Pac 12 will lead them to the promise land—USC is on probation, and in the Big 10? Take your pick…

Super Conferences might be the way of the future according to Stoops and Brown, but the facts are, it will be the same schools just different conferences, and the lesser schools will still be fighting for their lives.

The ripple affect is spreading and, it doesn’t have a ending, or if it does, it might not be a good one.

“Oh what tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive”—Walter Scott

Just a thought….

Got the Dress—forgot the Pumps!

That’s probably how Texas A&M feels about their sending the word out that they were ready to jump from the Big XII to the Southeastern Conference!

A&M pretty much feels like they could do better by going to the SEC for their sports, maybe in some capacity, but the engine that drives that car is FOOTBALL, and to be absolutely honest with you, I don’t think that the Aggies are that good to put up with the likes of Florida, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia—shall I continue… I mean over the last few years, the SEC have that crystal ball in their trophy cases, and the Big XII has a couple, with Texas being the last one to win it in 2005!

Texas A&M will tell you that its has nothing to do with the Longhorns having their own network, and that this is business.  WELL SHUT MY MOUTH and CALL ME SASSY! Ya THINK?

HEY AGGIES—ITS ALL ABOUT BUSINESS! And in the best interest of business and tradition, why would you or anyone else for that matter throw away the years of competition that the Aggies and the Longhorns have had over the last hundred years, and toss what its suppose to be about tradition and family!

Have you forgotten that in 1999 when your bonfire fell, and 12 Aggies lost their lives, what school came to your aid and threw out the hatred to wrap their collective arms around you, and felt your loss and your pain—it was the ORANGE BLOODS! YES the Texas Longhorns! Forget that this ritual of hating each other over a land deal, and remember that the competition on the field of play, be it football or basketball, or even baseball for that matter—is still about beating each other there. EVERYTHING ELSE is about taking care of our own!

You think that the Longhorns Network is not a good idea, and I can tell you, that it’s a tremendous idea, not just for the University of Texas but for the entire BigXII, why? Because when you are on the screen with them—YOU”RE Being promoted just like Texas is.  What’s the old sales adage! ANY PUBLICITY IS GOOD PUBLICITY! Schools like Texas A&M and Nebraska and Colorado, and all the others that jump their conferences for the greener pastures, don’t think about the alumni, and how they feel about their rivals.

NEW SCHOOL isn’t always the best—sometimes OLD SCHOOL has its place! You’ve must have forgotten back 25 years ago, a company thought, that by changing their formula of their product, that they would WIN over new customers! WRONG! They had to “crawfish” (look it up if you don’t understand the phrase) and go back to their ORIGINAL formula and call it “CLASSIC”… oh yeah—the product was Coca-Cola! YA THINK!?!?!?!?

I have listened to students at high schools, talk about how they don’t get the traditions at their school and why they think that they should “up-date” their traditions.  I love telling them to go up to Southbend, Indiana and tell the Fightin’ Irish to go to a GREEN HELMET! Do you really think that’s going to go over well, or tell USC to remove their sunglasses from the band!—maybe tell the Aggies to sit down during a football game that their 12^th man is no longer needed! REALLY? TRADITIONS! They are there to be handed down from class to class—from generation to generation…. HIGH SCHOOL is where you learn about keeping tradition, and College is where you learn to LIVE the tradition!

So why end the tradition of playing your rival—Texas A&M—you’ve been around since 1876—as the University of Texas was around since 1883—your rivalry is over a land deal that went sour.. 1/3 of the deal went to A&M and 2/3 went to the 40 acres in Austin, and ever since the Aggies have been wanting to “SAW THE HORNS” off of Bevo.

Hell even BEVO’s name is great folklore—as the Aggies beat Texas 13-0 and branded the steer with that score—so inventive as the Longhorns are, they re-branded the beast with taking the 13 and making it a “B” taking the dash and turning that into an “E” …putting a “V” and then taking the 0 and making it an “O” to make the name!

Instead of making the conference that harbors your rival, and others, and make it stronger, you wish to weaken it, and leave it for greener grass, that truly is not all that green! The SEC is not the answer, taking care of your business and creating something special for yourselves NOW and for the future, make your own deal, create something that your alum will be proud of, and will keep new students wanting to come to the school!

It really is that simple, for some reason, some people WANT to make it harder than it is! That’s how you keep things going, you don’t like what Texas has done with ESPN—then make something happen for yourself! OU is on the verge of doing something for themselves, we already know about Notre Dame, and their deal with NBC- so why not, get together with FOX SOUTHWEST HOUSTON or FOX SPORTS, or who knows who else and make your own foot print! QUIT CRYING about what someone else has done—and improvise, adapt and overcome—hell you’re an institution that still have the Corp of Cadets! You claim to be the SPIRIT OF AGGIELAND! PROVE IT!

Prove you have a spirit—instead of picking up your toys and running off at the drop of the hat—and stop crying wolf!

You’ve done been told NO by the SEC for now, but truth is, you’ll get over what Brother has done to your G.I. Joe and get back to doing what you do best—play the game and educate your students and make them the future of our society!

Just a thought!

Pro Football Hall of Fame!

This weekend—the Pro Football Hall of Fame will induct players into the hallowed halls, and welcome them with their gold blazers and send them their Hall of Fame Rings for presentation in stadiums when the time comes.

The class of 2011 will have members entering that played the majority of their playing career with one team, and there are others that played with several teams… one in particular, the one man who can lay claim to have played in a Super Bowl and a World Series in the same year, he was able to change the game to a degree with offenses changing the way they throw the ball, or keep him away from the intended receiver, and with one phone call on a September day in 1994, he came to a team with a Star on the Helmet, and Stars that already were on the team, and just one more made it complete!

Neon- Deion Sanders! PRIME TIME! The man from Florida State, came to the Dallas Cowboys and propelled them to a Third Super Bowl Championship in four years, with a win in Super Bowl XXX over the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was after his former team the San Francisco 49ers beat San Diego in Super Bowl XXIX (too many X’s and not enough O’s)… so now Deion has TWO rings—and now has a Hall of Fame entrance to boot!

So what’s next? Does he enter the “RING OF HONOR” at Cowboys Stadium, interesting debate, only in the fact that Sanders has already stated that he is not interested in the Ring, and that he believes that it should be held for those who have played there their entire career! Politically correct statement from Sanders—however did he not provide for this team another Super Bowl Victory? Similar to that of Charles Haley, or Tony Casillas both of whom came to this team from others, Haley- from the 49ers and Casillas from Atlanta, and both contributed in major ways for the Cowboys to secure three Super Bowl Trophies!

So are they deserving of a place of honor in the Ring? Just wondering… personally speaking the ones that are missing from the RING today—Drew Pearson, other than having a problem with management some time ago—I would think that time heals all wounds… why is he NOT in the Ring so far? Good Question Mr. Jones… others that belong, why is Charlie Waters not in the Ring, why is Jay Novacek not in the Ring— Why not Everson Walls (just his gift of life for Ron Springs should be a huge reason, as well as his rookie accomplishments) However even with all these other names—the one that is missing is PEARSON! Number 88! The Original—the man on the other end of Roger Staubach’s Hail Mary pass in Minnesota in 1975… the man that caught Clint Longley’s MAD BOMB against the Redskins on a Thanksgiving Day—and the man that caught the game winning pass from Danny White in 1981 to send them to the NFC Championship game against the 49ers and when you look at that game- Danny White almost pulled that one off with Pearson leading the way!

Now with all of that, WHY is he NOT in the Ring? Mr. Jones? We can’t hear you! You’re not saying much—you’re not responding, only to say that it is a committee decision and that committee is ONE person—YOU! Isn’t it about time to burry the hatchet and put Drew Pearson into the Ring of Honor!

Just a thought!