SB Nation User Blog: patienthornsfan

Thanks to our Men & Women in the Armed Forces

patienthornsfan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:09:31 -0000

An amazing day here in London, with the entire city coming to a standstill at 1100 GMT for two minutes of silence to honor the passing of the last three WWI veterans here in the UK this year. Over on espn.com today, Ivan Maisel has a great story on the stadiums across the country that are dedicated to the memory of the men and women we've lost in defence of our country. Including the favorite of BON'ers everywhere, DKR Memorial Stadium.

So take two minutes of your own today, and spare a thought for our fellow Horns fans - and fans of all teams across the country - who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

The words "Memorial Stadium" appear in stories before millions of eyes every college football season without ever being read. It's a name glossed over in the search for news of this team or that game.

The teams come, the games go. The memorials at the 15 college football stadiums named in honor of this nation's military veterans stand in vigil, commemorating the men and women who died and those who came home in service of the nation.

They are as old as the 1920s, when several universities built stadiums to honor the deceased in "The Great War," and as modern as today, when Texas installs a statue of a World War I "doughboy" in a plaza outside of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

The stadiums stand to this day as living memorials, even as they have been enlarged, modernized and enlarged again. In Austin, the doughboy statue arrives Wednesday, 85 years after the stadium opened its gates. The university searched the country for a "used" doughboy, a statue whose commemoration had outlived its purpose. It's a credit to the nation that Texas gave up the search and commissioned a new sculpture.

Avery Bradley

patienthornsfan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:01:02 -0000

Avery Bradley

A combination of TJ and Royal? The mind boggles.

"What Avery loves to do as much as any player that I've been around in a long time is really get into the offensive player and belly up to him,'' Barnes said. "He's probably got to get a little defensive discipline, where he doesn't just take off and try to do something on his own and maybe give up a 3-point shot and he has to work on his close-outs. But once he gets there, he can really guard you.''

CBS Big XII Hoops Preview

patienthornsfan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:16:54 -0000

CBS Big XII Hoops Preview

"Texas' Rick Barnes has a roster that could top any he has coached, including the one T.J. Ford led to a Final Four. Texas has NBA-level players at four positions (freshmen Avery Bradley at shooting guard, freshman Jordan Hamilton on the wing, seniors Damion James and Dexter Pittman up front), and a dynamic freshman point guard named J'Covan Brown who seems to impress everybody who watches a Texas practice or pickup game, including myself. Add Justin Mason, Gary Johnson, Varez Ward, Dogus Balbay and Jai Lucas (Florida transfer who is eligible in December) to the mix, and Barnes will have a hell of a time trying to find enough minutes to keep everybody happy. But, as they say, that's a nice problem to have."

Gazelles finally fall

patienthornsfan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:06:14 -0000

Gazelles finally fall

Texas faced it's toughest test of the season last night, and despite another stellar performance from Destinee Hooker they couldn't get the job done, falling in five sets to ISU in Ames. It was close (12-15 in the 5th set) but no cigar for the no-longer-perfect Gazelles. The loss to the 8th ranked Cyclones on the road shouldn't knock Texas from the #2 ranking, but probably puts paid to any hopes of the overall #1 seed in the post-season, as PSU has no more challenges left on their schedule. Texas will now likely end up with the #2 seed and be sent to Minneapolis for the UM regionals.

Still all to play for at this point, but a perfect season sure would have been a nice way for this remarkable senior class to finish their careers.

"We battle. We fight, We play tough."

patienthornsfan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:14:44 -0000

"We battle. We fight, We play tough."

"When the Longhorns review this victory on film and on paper, they will inevitably see all the areas they can improve -- better passing, better blocking, better balance."

This is from an article about the victory over OSU right? Nope. It's from the Gazelles' sweep of the Huskers. The trajectory of these two teams' season is so similar you can almost get a two-for-one- deal on writing articles about them.

Next up for the Gazelles: Iowa State, the last serious challenge to an undefeated season. The Cyclones are two games back of the Horns, so they don't pose a major threat to winning the Big XII Championship, but Ames is a notoriously difficult place to play with extremely rabid fans.

Oh, and another footnote: Destinee was awarded Big XII Offensive Player of the Week this week - the fourth time she's won the award just this season. She is a shoe-in to win the conference player of the year, and has to be co-favorite for the national award with PSU's Megan Hodge.

Colt gets $18k. Legally.

patienthornsfan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:41:51 -0000

Colt gets $18k. Legally.

"The Campbell Trophy (formerly the Draddy) is presented by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. The winner receives $25,000 in scholarship money. All the finalists receive an $18,000 scholarship toward postgraduate studies."

SEC is over-rated

patienthornsfan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:47:15 -0000

SEC is over-rated

"SEC football 2009 has been living off its past all season, and the backlash is coming. Maybe it's here already. Maybe, as I channel my inner Barack Obama, I am the change we've been waiting for.

It's certainly not the other 'Bama.

Alabama? That's the superpower we're tired of waiting for. Just like Florida.

Overrated, both of them."

Taylor Bible's gonna be good

patienthornsfan — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:25:12 -0000

Taylor Bible's gonna be good

Earlier this week I posted a comment asking why all the noise about Taylor Bible. He committed so early that I haven't read much about him. This article shows why GoBR is so excited about this guy.

"Taylor's always been a great character kid," Denton Guyer head coach John Walsh said. "I'd be lying if I said he came to us with an incredible work ethic, but that's something he's learned to do. Everything always came easy for him. He was the biggest kid on the football field and basketball court, but he's began playing against other big kids and realized he had to really work. His work ethic now is off the charts."

Wall and Sidney may not be cleared to play

patienthornsfan — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:26:56 -0000

Wall and Sidney may not be cleared to play

I knew Sidney's case was extremely suspicious but wasn't aware of any issue about Wall other than attitude problems.

Just glad we've got Brown finally through the process.

Texas v. Kansas = Duke v. UNC?

patienthornsfan — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:35:00 -0000

Texas v. Kansas = Duke v. UNC?

Not quite yet, but it's getting there. Can we please get a home and away every season for this great rivalry?

"This is the NEXT rivalry if it's not one of the top two already. To the casual fan nothing will compare to Duke and North Carolina, and nothing should. But look deeper at the game and Kansas and Texas are putting together quite a run. The schools are 1-2 in the conference and will likely remain that way for the foreseeable future. One of the best things about Duke and Carolina is that the rivalry also extends nationally, as both are usually in contention for a title. That's also now true of these two programs. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Missouri and Kansas State will have turns trying to unseat either program, but the depth of talent KU and Texas are hauling in is unmatched. They are the marquee programs television wants to see on a nightly basis. Now, if the Big 12 could scrap its scheduling formula and mix it up a bit so this game was played twice a season, that would be something to savor. Can you imagine Duke and North Carolina only once in the ACC? That game has to be twice. So does this one."

Avery Bradley is one reason this year's game will be one of the top matchups of the hoops season.

"Bradley seems to be the perfect fit for Texas coach Rick Barnes. He can get to the hole, he can shoot and he can defend. Barnes has made Texas a guards' destination of late, with T.J. Ford, A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin all having stellar careers in Austin. Barnes' ability to manage a game in his guards' best interest has been a key to his success. Bradley should slide into a team that is capable of challenging for the Big 12 title as well as a national title. For some reason he hasn't had as much pop nationally as a few others in the class, but soon enough he will get his due."

Katz Column