Taking Sides in a Frog-Dog Brawl

The TCU students in our lives have scattered to many compass points for the holidays. Our daughter and a few of her friends, for instance, seem to have successfully avoided a blizzard that has been hammering the eastern half of Colorado. From their perch at Winter Park, it’s all sunshine and powder as they shush down the slopes.



The fate of their school’s football team seems to be of no consequence. A little less than a year ago, they spent New Year’s Eve in Hollywood and January 1st at The Rose Bowl, so it’s understandable that a pre-Christmas trip to the Poinsettia Bowl for a game against Louisiana Tech would not supersede their trip to the mountains.



So, when the local media started poking around for TCU fans, somehow our name came up. Next thing you know, a TV reporter showed up at our door wanting to talk to Horned Frog fans who are anticipating the game. We were happy to oblige and dutifully donned our purple gear and surrounded ourselves with Frog Stuff.



We showed up on two stations about an hour apart, looking like a couple from When Harry Met Sally. We played off one another in the tandem interview and talked about our conflicts of allegiance.

After all, as lifelong residents of northwest Louisiana, we’ve developed a great affection for Louisiana Tech. (You can watch the story here)
My wife borrowed her wisdom from a bumper sticker and correctly pointed out to the reporter that “our daughter and our money go to TCU,” so we had to make a conscious choice about which team to root for in the game.
The wife has vowed to wear purple all day. I’ll probably stay neutral.


I think a bowl victory would mean more to Louisiana Tech’s program, but a loss might hurt the Frogs in the 2012 preseason rankings. So, I could go either way. We’ll watch on TV and when our daughter gets back from her ski trip, we’ll let her know how it went.

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The Big Football Letdown

Somehow, I’m living with a feeling that the football season has just gone pffffft. It must be some kind of letdown after the memorable weekend I enjoyed. On Thursday, the football team from my daughter’s high school won its final game of the season. It was noteworthy because she is a senior, so this was her final football game as a high school student.On Friday and Saturday, I had the privilege of watching three top ten college teams play in the span of 24 hours. Undefeated Boise State came to nearby Ruston to play Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs fought gamely, but as expected the Broncos remained unbeaten. Halftime was conspicuous for us because I represented the employer on the field and accepted a commemorative football. Not only was my name called out, but they put me up on the big screen, too. My wife and daughter were in the stands. It was a beautiful night for football and despite the local team’s loss I would be hard-pressed to find a better way to spend a November evening.
My wife, ever the good sport, even engaged in the time-honored family tradition of having a photo made with the mascot.
Saturday featured a quick turnaround and a pre-dawn departure for Tuscaloosa, Alabama and a showdown between LSU and Alabama. Both teams had national championship aspirations. The Crimson Tide’s are still alive after a come-from-behind win over the Bayou Bengals dashed any LSU hopes of winning the SEC Western division crown. It was the third year in a row the circumstances of football led me to Bryant-Denny Stadium. I was proud to be there, despite the Tigers’ loss.
Of course, you have to do what you have to do, and when I am at a football game any opportunity to pose with the mascot must be realized. Tradition is tradition, after all.
All of that being said, I still can’t shake the feeling that the best part of the football season is behind us. There’s still a month or so to go, but for now it seems to be preparation for next year from this point on.

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Seeing Red in Ruston

We decided to be good sports and play along with our pals at Louisiana Tech, who moved one of their high-profile football games to Wednesday night so they could be on national television. With an opportunity to show themselves off, the fine folks in Ruston asked all fans to wear red. We were happy to oblige, as were approximately 19,000 of the 21,000 or so people who showed up. It makes you wonder how the redless rebels missed the message.
The reviews are in and Tech came off well.
They beat Hawai'i handily and the "red out" looked great on TV. The evening was beautiful, climatologically speaking. All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend an autumn Wednesday They might be onto something here. They even found a way to get LSU fans into the stadium. Maybe Saturday football is overrated.
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Oh, and there was an incident. There is a brand new, fabulous giant video board at the stadium. They are having a lot of fun over there putting fans up on the big teevee. So, there was a contest where people were asked to dance to win a free pizza. We were all having a good time watching those crazy kids shake what they got. Based on cheers from the crowd, the contest was narrowed down to a young woman in red and a young man in red. Then, there was a "hey, wait a minute" moment. We knew the guy! It was the Tech freshman who dates our daughter. We sent her a text saying, "Hey, your man just won a free pizza!" There are no secrets in Ruston.

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Media Memories

Louisiana Tech had its football media day and I attended. A few people were confused when I showed up because I kinda sorta don't really work in the media anymore.
The other side of the coin is that I kinda sorta do. As a freelance broadcaster, I pick up work here and there.
I ran into several media types I have known for many years, including the Sports Director from KNOE television. We used to work at the same TV station. He was assigned to a news bureau away from the main facility and always wanted to work full-time in sports. So I'm happy that he has made a name for himself in north Louisiana. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who works harder.
Our old station was the only Shreveport TV outlet to show up for media day, so we are proud.

Derek Dooley Meets the media
Originally uploaded by Darrell

Second-year head coach Derek Dooley is steely-eyed in his determination to build a legitimate winner in Ruston, and openly admitted he needs to upgrade his talent to do that. He essentially said he needs better players. His candor is refreshing.
I've met with him a couple of times in another context and I'm impressed. I'm pulling for him to achieve his goals. If Louisiana Tech's football program is elevated, we all win.

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