Goodbye Mainland USA

Bond J Bond will be off getting drunk and sunburned. Mahalo.

Some NFL Draft trivia....

Name for me the last year the NFL Draft had three white guys selected 1-2-3 like we just had this year in Long, Long and Ryan? (Those three need to start a law firm, btw)




The answer is 1975 - 33 years...

Steve Bartkowski
Randy White
Ken Huff

The 4th pick that year was this guy Walter Payton - that name rings a bell for some reason.

bobby burton bows up

Bobby Burton responded to the Daily Herald article that we just posted about yesterday.

Suprise! They deny blame and point the finger back at Ron Zook.

I win the nickel.

rivals and scout might be corrupt?? no!

First of all - a HT to The Wiz for finding an interesting tidbit on the fallibility of recruiting "insider" websites...

First, the LINK from the Daily Herald in "Suburban Chicago"

Then the cut and paste job:

College coaches aren't allowed to meet or talk with potential recruits during this time, but it's a rule that has been fudged and/or flaunted in certain pockets across the country.

That's why head coaches have been banned from the road -- to prevent the rule from being fudged. Zook has at least two problems with this new plan.

"The reason that I was told is because they say when head coaches go out, they talk to the players," Zook said. "And I said, 'That ain't right.' But I will tell you this: If a high school coach is bringing a player in to talk to a head coach, he's bringing in a player to talk to an assistant coach, too.

"So it don't matter. They're talking to the coaches, right, wrong or indifferent."

The other issue grows bigger every day and needs to be addressed soon.

Because operator/writers for Internet sites, such as Rivals.com and Scout.com, are the only ones who have unregulated access to recruits when coaches can't talk to them, it's an area that's ripe for corruption.

Some programs have secretly allied themselves with the Web sites that report on their school as another way to communicate with recruits.

In return, the Web sites get better information, more traffic and make more money.

"We're turning the recruiting over to the so-called recruiting gurus," Zook said. "Now, all of a sudden, just like you've got basketball coaches complaining that it's turning over to the AAU coaches, now we're turning it over to these guys that can call them.

"Well, you know what a lot of them are saying. They're selling their school to these kids, and we're not able to talk to them. To me, we're losing this thing, in my opinion."

and now the insightful commentary:

Wow, it was only two days ago that the ranking of prospects on Rivals was a big topic of conversation on the Rivals boards...they just released their initial "stars" rankings and the inevitable onslaught of complaining began from know it all amateur talent scouts across the nation...

"Our guy should be ranked above your guy" - and Tech's favorite - the "Tech effect." That is, when a four-star athlete commits to Tech - despite offers from OU or LSU and the like - he automatically becomes a three-star athlete.

The author of the story, Lindsey Willhite (which is a guy, btw), makes a pretty stunning accusation - that there are Universities that have "secretly" aligned themselves with a particular recruiting company. Interesting - this isn't Watergate or anything - but I wonder what editor would allow that kind of allegation to be published without and supporting evidence.

Because Ron Zook says so?

Ron Zook is on record as saying "It don't matter" so I hope they aren't counting on Ronnie's towering intellect.

The next step would be to investigate the books of Rivals and Scout - their automatic answer would most certainly be a denial - and there would be scarcely any way to prove the allegation to be true.

We know that Rivals and Scout are certainly profit-focused - we enjoy the fruits of their labor every day - it's fun to be in "the know" about your football program - the access they are able to provide is impressive.

Despite the fact the allegation shouldn't have been published...I have no doubt that it's true. So DT! readers, do we care if Tech is paying money for more and better access?

guys love girls on horses too...

Seth at Double T Nation gonna be a little upset - his man - the mustachioed Masked Rider has had his spurs retired...

So one last pic of Mr. Kevin Burns...
A sincere "Thank You!" from the fellas at DiscoTech! We also want to say thanks for you Gator Bowl run - we'll never forget it. We hope you find your future of many beautiful West Texas sunrises.

Marlena Hartz of the A-J announces our newest Masked Rider...Ashley Hartzog.

Hartzog, the 47th Masked Rider, is a senior animal science and Spanish major. She takes the reins from Kevin Burns.

She said she has been enchanted with the mascot ever since she first laid eyes on the horse and rider at a football game with her father, a Tech alumus. She was just 5 years old.

Waddya know...we have the inside track on Ms. Hartzog...


Farwell?

Hey, I had to look it up - so I'll save you the time:


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EA Sports NCAA Football 2009 Trailer

As if there weren't already enough to get you pumped about the upcoming football season, here is the preview for EA Sports' NCAA Football 2009 courtesy of gametrailers.com.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/32876.html

I personally have been a fan of the series itself since the 1995 Bill Walsh version. You even catch a glimpse of Michael Crabtree in the video.

guys love cheerleaders

So the boys over at Raiderpower are asking for more Rhonda Lewis - who am I to be a buzzkill? And I'm even gonna toss in some new beauties tonight - just because I care...

Pamela Cameron didn't even WIN Playmate of the 1971 La Ventana! Who was judging that year? Did some guy have a frozen pizza box on his head?

Rhonda - Serious about TDs

The total package

The Cadillac of Cheerleading

In the top 8

...dunkers of all time...

Thanks to TAnderson1988 on the Rivals board for this...



I don't know why the production company couldn't get the rights to the actual dunk that is his most famous...so here's the video for y'all:

For the golfer in your family

In my case, that just happens to be ME.

Sooooo.......Happy Father's day to me...

MyJoys by FootJoy - with collegiate logos!

The great part is that this isn't one of those products that you can only get with a burnt-orange longhorn on it...you know, like those killer flip-flops you see at the grocery store...

Despite the fact some of our readers may not be in the mood to spend money on their house right now...just remember that when you need that new air conditioner - don't forget to look at the York Affinity models...

I have to say that the Double T is showing up on a lot more products these days - it's a good thing...

Congrats to Coach Hays

...as he becomes only the fourth college baseball coach to make it to 1500 wins in a career...

ESPN

I think his career is more than likely pulling into the station - I am glad to say I got to see him manage many a game at the Law...

Congrats Coach Hays!

Not the NIT - the PIT

DT! Now at guard for YOUR Tidewater Sealants.....

MAR....tin........ZEEEEEEEEEEnoooooooooooo

Portsmouth Invitational Tourney Rosters

Seriously, I loved Martin Zeno's time at Tech. When I say that, what I mean is...I am so glad he has graduated and I don't have to hear about how he hasn't improved any over the summer...

I expect that he won't be drafted and that his time with the Tidewater Sealants will be a prelude to his trip over the pond to Europe. The kid from Sulfur, Louisiana will have a hard time finding crawfish etoufee in Spain, I'm almost sure of that.



DT! A couple of things to note from the recent A-J...

If you're in Lubbock (I'm not) , please make it out to the McCool Track and Field Center and support the Burkhart Center's fundraiser...I don't advertise here - but I make an exception for it when it comes to raising money for a cause that help kids with Autism...

Tech autism walk to benefit Burkhart Center

Texas Tech's autism research center is hosting a walk to raise money for two projects.

The Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research will host "Hands for Hope 2008: A Walk for Autism" at 2 p.m. April 13 at Coronado High School's Willie McCool Track and Field on 34th Street and Vicksburg Avenue.

This month is Autism Awareness Month.

Proceeds from the walk will be used to help construct a building to house the Burkhart Center and a residential village for adults with autism, according to a Tech news release.

Walkers can register online individually or in teams at www.burkhartcenter.org.

DT! And once again "You can't beat our meat..." judging team -

Tech meat animal team wins back-to-back titles

Texas Tech's meat animal evaluation team won its second consecutive national championship March 27-28 at the 2008 National Meat Animal Evaluation Contest held at the Oklahoma City Stockyards and Oklahoma State University, according to a university news release.

Also, the university's livestock, meat and wool judging teams recently won intercollegiate judging competitions at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The three teams placed first in their respective divisions, defeating hundreds of contestants, according to a news release.

So, who's the MVP on this squad? Is there one singular player of note? A student that is struggling with the decision to stay on the team and stay in school - or head straight to the pros and get their career underway?

Anyone with some inside info that can help us understand our national dominance in this field would be appreciated.