The Texas Tech Connection

It's really amazing how many connections there are to be made. Especially out of DFW.

Really - as I've contributed to this blog - even over the short time we've done it - I have become more aware of the influence that Texas Tech has had on people. How so many amazing people have come through Lubbock and go on to other endeavors. As Techsans we really do bear our banner far and wide.

While I was away I made a few jobs through various airport terminals. Only a week ago today - I met a college football legend in person. Once again I was humbled. Humbled by his grace and his charisma. And humbled because I really know so little about Texas Tech.

I was at DFW at our C Terminal gate reading my magazine as I noticed an older fellow and his wife sit in front of me and my wife. When someone is wearing a throwback jacket with "SBC Cotton Bowl" embroidered on it - and a rolling suitcase with the same logo on it - well, I pay attention.

I knew his face but couldn't place it right away - and this was going to kill me so I had to get some more clues. Clue number one was the big ring on his right hand - a championship ring of some sort - with a green rock in the center. Okay - I THINK I know who it is - because I'm not gonna make a fool of myself - I may be flying American, but I'm not a total idiot.

So when we are boarding the plane, I happen to board in one of the first groups - this fella is in the later groups. I sit on the aisle so that I might get the final clue, and as he rolls on by, I read the name on his luggage tag and confirm that I was right...

It dawns on me - I think I'm the only sonovabitch on this plane that knows who this guy is! Shazaam - I know I am the only guy on the plane who knows who this guy is!

So do I bother him? I don't want to. I have a history of acting very un-James Bond when I'm around guys like this. Maybe one day I'll tell the Tim Duncan story - on the other hand maybe I should just keep that one to myself...

Anyhow - the plane lands and we're at baggage claim - I reach for my cell phone which is in my left pants pocket and tell my wife that I'm going to snap some photos - she tells me I'm nuts - we spent all that money on that NICE camera - I better use that one...but I still haven't decided if I'm going to "bother" him.

Fate intervenes.

His luggage is passing right in front of me as he makes it to the conveyor belt. He's clearly miffed that he's going to have to wait for it to make the round again...I know I would be as well.

So here goes...I make eye contact with him and suggest non-verbally that I'll get the luggage for him. He's clearly thankful.

So as he approaches me he tells me "Thanks. I appreciate that."

BJB: "My pleasure - it's an honor really. I'm pretty sure I'm the only guy in this airport that knows who you are - would you mind if I got a picture with you?"

Legend: "Not at all. Would be happy to."

BJB: "You don't mind if I wear this hat do you?"

Legend: "Not at all, after all, I coached at Texas Tech you know. Even got my first coaching job coaching at Lubbock High. My wife is a Tech graduate and was head cheerleader at there."

BJB with jaw on floor: "Did you know ____ _____? He's my uncle and was head coach at Lubbock in High in the 19__s."

Legend: "Of course - you uncle is a good man - and a good coach."

And so on and so forth as we discuss why he's made this trip - and what we're up to. What a pleasure it was to meet Grant Teaff.

Grant Teaff. I got to meet Grant Teaff. As soon as I got home I pulled up his bio at the College Football Hall of Fame site:

Grant Teaff played football in the 1950's at Snyder, Texas High School, San Angelo junior College, and McMurry College. He was a center and was team captain at all three levels-high school, junior college, and senior college. In later life he was a famous speaker, and he often said "I fell in love with football. At age 14 I said my life goal was to be a football coach." A football coach indeed. Grant Teaff had this record: 1956 assistant coach Lubbock Texas High School, 1957-59 assistant McMurry College, 1960-65 head coach McMurry, 1966-1968 assistant Texas Tech, 1969-71 head coach Angelo State, 1972-92 head coach Baylor. He was 23-35-2 in 6 years at McMurry, 19-11 in 3 years at Angelo State, 128-105-6 in 21 years at Baylor. His total for 30 years: 170-151-8. The Baylor job earned him national recognition. When he arrived, the Bears were considering dropping out of division I football. In 5 years they had won only 7 games while losing 43. Teaff persuaded them to keep trying. His team won two southwest Conference titles and were in 8 bowl games. He was named the conference Coach of the Year 6 times and in 1974 was national Coach of the year. He was chosen 12 times to coach in post-season all-star games - the East-West Shrine Game, Blue Gray Game, Hula Bowl, and Japan Bowl. Teaff served one year as Baylor director of athletics. In 1993 he joined the American Football Coaches Association as executive director. In this job he continued his impact on the game of football and the way it is coached and administered.

On another note - I learned this week that a former Texas Tech coach will be walking the sidelines as the enemy on January 1 in Jacksonville - Al Groh.

From Al Groh's bio at VirginaSports.com:

From 1973-77, Groh served as an assistant at North Carolina where he coached Lawrence Taylor, whom he later coached with the Giants. He joined Parcells at Air Force in 1978 as defensive coordinator before moving to Texas Tech in 1980 and becoming head coach at Wake Forest in 1981.

Interesting that there is also a Bill Parcells connection as well since Bill Parcells was also at Tech.

I'm thinking DT! may need to work on a Texas Tech coaching tree - that would be quite an undertaking - but it sure would be fascinating.

DT! makes small talk with Red Andrews

From the days when Tech's defense wasn't maligned.
(You should definitely click on the Dirk West cartoon to see it in its full glory)

What you're about to read is the First Annual BearMeat/DT! Summit. The greatest conversation ever recorded between Red Andrews and me, Bond J Bond. Okay, it's the first conversation we've had that we're willing to share with you, but still...

Red: For all its many faults, you really can't blame Baylor for having an incredible endowment of white poontang. With nearly 60% female undergraduates, Baylor men have excellent odds of leaving Waco U with a hot wife, or at least a sporting chance at a three-way. The dating culture here is bi-polar as hell: either hook-up or get engaged. There isn't much in-between. Not a lot of friends-with-benefits or casual dating relationships. Usually either courtship or drunken coitus are your two options. However, the women are spectacularly beautiful, and in spite of what you might think, it isn't too hard to land one in the sack - just as long as you promise to take them to church the next day.

I imagine Tech girls to be a lot easier to get to know Biblically, and a lot less inhibited, when you really get to know them. "Getting your guns up" probably has all sorts of meanings in that respect. If the photos posted on DiscoTech! are any indication, Tech has an endowment in hotties that rivals that of The B.

You can't measure this kind of hotness.

BJB: As we've illustrated in our yearbook posts, the campus has long been littered with the broken hearts of morally weak men...it's by no means a function of what any one person or group of people did to cause it - it's just a dominant trait in the school's genetic code.

When I first arrived at Tech I was in a veritable Candyland - it would be similar to taking Coach Mangino to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Palace.

I would say that while I was at Tech your ability to hook up with a Greek girl was directly correlated to whether or not you were Greek. Although, even in the short time I was there the "status" of Greek life was beginning to fade as the PC/anti-hazing crowd was moving quickly to eradicate any semblance of Southern Greek tradition.

Most of the girls at Tech were promiscuous and were happily "yours" as long as you promised to take them to the Midnight Rodeo on Thursday night so they could find a new hook-up.

Artist's Rendering of a "Modernized Seal"

Red: Thanks to a long tradition of off-campus drinking since the 1950s, Baylor is surprisingly like many state schools in the amount of keggers, frat parties (Edward 40-Hands comes to mind), and jello shootings at local bars. While we are Baptists (at least half of us are) and come from a teetotaling tradition, the flip side is that there is a unacknowledged, but un-checked culture of tailgating, boozin' and wasting away again in Margaritaville.

It sure would be nice to have a bar in the student union, like at UT, but we take what they give us and Waco is a very easy place to drink if you are underage and adventurous. You can drink in the public parks here and can buy alcohol at H-E-B until midnight and at the bars until 2am.

I've heard some horror stories about Lubbock being pretty dry. Are y'all still able to get the necessary provisions for making the right type of bad decisions?

Achieve professionalism.

BJB: Some would say the bad decisions started the day we "committed" to go to Tech.

Tech is strict about not having any alcohol on campus. So, no bar in the UC, or University Center, which would be the same as your Student Union ("Student Union" is so Labor Party). That's no biggie, though because all you have to do is cross four lanes of traffic and a median to go across University Ave and you have your choice of cirrhosis delivery tools.

The dorms also make every effort to keep the premises alcohol free. At some point though, the University has to trust that the Resident Assistant on your floor is also a good policeman. But when your RA is loaning you his dolly to bring kegs up the stairwell and fronting you the keg deposit - let's just say your freshman year is all about seeing how high you can get your alcohol tolerance.

And the Strip is only a few miles out of town - and while there's something to be said for the neighborhood package store - I gotta tell you - walking into Bob's warehouse of unlimited alcoholic delights is an outstanding, Vegas-like experience.

Aggies hold a white-out to remind us they're Caucasian

Red: One thing we both have in common is our mutual hatred for those Ags. I'm not sure why you Techies hate them so much, but for us, its kinda like the Hatfields and McCoys. We've been playing them since 1899 and they just haven't grown on us since then. A brawl in the stands in the 1920s led to a dead Aggie, which suspended our "rivalry" for 5 years and relations haven't improved much since then. Something about their ridiculous traditions, hatred of knowledge, and overall belligerence just rubs us the wrong way. Who in their right mind would want to attend a school so backward in so many ways?

We wish we had the record y'all have had against the Ags recently. It sure must feel good to take it to those chumps.

Blake of "Blake's Takes" has undertaken a
terribly successful promotion of his favorite
daily hygiene product.

BJB: I think we join the general population of America when it comes to bagging on Aggies. Going to college should be that time in your life when you're exposed to different ideas, thoughts and experiences. You're free to confirm your beliefs or to change your mind at any time. Aggies seem to revel in their perceived superiority and the fact that their traditions border on Jonestownian doesn't seem to register in their closed mind.

I think that the modern generation of Raiders thoughts about the Aggies were confirmed when they broke the leg of Rodney Allison on 1977. I have posted pics from our yearbook that reveal that the Aggies were defacing school monuments as early as 1969, though.

Aggies have some to the DiscoTech! and said "All you talk about is the Aggies - every post is about us." This reveals three things about them in my opinion:

1. Megalomania
2. They need an abacus or something
3. They continue to make themselves easy targets.


Red: Leach is a badass pirate sent by the football gods to give endless material to bloggers and West Texans. I would give my first born son for Leach to coach at Baylor. Right now our
basketball coach, Scott Drew, could probably have squeaked out a conference win this season, and he's never won a road game in four years at the B. GuyMo is on his way out and everyone knows it. He showed us that we could muster a win or three in conference, but not much else. Its time for us to move in another direction - Mike Singletary, maybe. Perhaps we could convince that defensive coordinator at Alabama to come coach for us - wait, that's Kevin Steele. Dammit.

The men who raised the bar for Tech Football

BJB: Do really grasp the comedy that would be Coach Leach in Waco?!? First, he's a Mormon. He's as much admitted that he has religious discipline issues, so I don't think he's made it to sacred sanitary napkin status.

Rumors used to be quite persistent that he was a drunk - although I think those have died down as people realize that he just talks that way all the time. He absolutely LOVES the press, especially when it's about him - so being as close as you are to Austin and DFW would only allow him more outlets/opportunities to be on YouTube. With Scott Drew in the same building - there could be some really lively religious topics discussed between those two.

As we've mentioned on the blog we're just confused. We've come to expect certain things and have become victims of our own success. Coach Leach has elevated the program's status and the team hasn't delivered. We hold out hope that the youth of the team will serve us well next year and that maybe we can get a "name" defensive coordinator during the spring. Kevin Steele you say? Hmmmm. No thanks.

We are glad that we have found our interweb doppleganger in BearMeat and raise a tumbler of Woodford Reserve on the rocks, unsullied by cola products, to you. Cheers.

The 1976 La Ventana

A few months ago one of DiscoTech!'s contributing writers convinced me that I need a new project. After all, I have so much time on my hands...idle hands and all.

What kind of a project? He convinced me to buy about 2 decades worth of Texas Tech"yearbooks" aka "annuals." For those non-Matadors - we call that volume a "La Ventana."

After my initial purchase I have gone on to purchase other volumes with the intent to collect them all - like they're Matchbox cars or something. And yes, Mrs. Moneypenny has thrown around the phrase "Complete waste of money." Whatever, I don't gripe when she spends $85 on "skin clarifier."

Anyhow - I pulled out an annual to show you guys how much fun this is (for me), so now you get to suffer like the rest of the family...

The 1976 La Ventana actually covers the 1975-1976 school year, so the Football team's Gator Bowl season is in a volume I do not yet own (please feel free to e-mail the blog if you have one you want to unload)...

This volume jumped out at me for a couple of reasons not the least of which was this page:

You see President Red Andrews, the Red Raiders had already become predisposed to the enjoyment of Bear Meat as a culinary delight. So much so that we whipped up on Baylor 33-10 that year under first year coach Steve Sloan.

Onward...

This year's annual is also unique in that is is not traditionally bound - it is actually a series of about 14 "magazines" that are held together with two metal binding screws (think of a two ring binder, but much classier...

The Sports are in the magazine "Sports Illustrated" with registered trademark and all...and the Greeks are bound in a magazine that I would have never expected. But, it was 1976 and the sexual revolution was underway...

As fellow contributor Ignatius J. Reilly would say "This is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." There's even a centerfold! She is of course clothed - but is dressed in full Playboy Bunny attire (not to be confused with Turtle or Johnny Drama's bunny attire).

Take that Baylor - Texas Tech was affiliating themselves with Playboy to the extent that they even got Hef's explicit permission to use the bunny logo and magazine header (I'm sure there's real magazine publishing jargon for that) in the University's Yearbook!

I'm still stunned - I don't think there's any way that such a thing would get published in our annual today...but it's still fun to crack on Baylor.

The cover girl above happens to be Annette Jones, a Junior from Fort Worth...she like sewing and whiskey and she just might make your gun go off...

Lastly I found a picture of our Chancellor!

I noted a few things here...

Chancellor Hance maintains wonderful eye contact as any politician should - but I'm quite sure he's a man like any other so the photographer probably held back the photo of Hance checking out this beauty's rack...so I'm quite sure an "A" was reported to the folks back home that semester for Photojournalism 2308.

Also, Hance is sporting the three piece chalk stripe which has returned to the scene...but sadly you can see the carnation on his lapel from Plainview.

Hope you enjoyed our family slideshow...now go tell Aunt Joyce to get me another drink - I'm losing my buzz.


PLEASE NOTE: You can click on any of the pages and make them larger - but the pics may enlarge to a such a size that you may need to adjust to a smaller size...if you want to read the text on the pages it will be sufficiently large enough to accommodate that.

The Big 12 South

I was holding off writing this until Football season got a little closer but I'm so ready that I can't wait any longer. The Big 12 Media Days have really got my mind totally on Football again. So, from the media days this is what I gather from the South teams.





Well, what can I say, they are Baylor. They can pull an 18-Wheeler up a hill but the Little Train That Could just won't cut it in the South. Guy Morriss just does not have the players to get this team out of the cellar this season.

Season Prediction: 4-8
Wins: Rice, Texas State, Buffalo, Colorado






Oklahoma's chance at a Big 12 Title will rest in the hands of the 3 guys that will be battling for the nod behind center and their ability to get the ball in the hands of Malcolm Kelly. Patrick proved that he can carry the ball last season behind that monster of an offensive line. Defensively, this team has a solid secondary and if the front seven can get to the ball then they could be a nasty defense.

Season Prediction: 8-4
Wins: North Texas, Utah State, Tulsa, Colorado, Missouri, Iowa State, Baylor, Tech






Oklahoma State has a very scary team to me this year and I think that this is the year that they will outshine OU. Reid at quarterback will be conduit between Bowman at WR and the two backs Savage and Toston. If Reid learned from last years OU game then this offense can be an absolute monster. On the defensive side of the ball the secondary could use a little work but the aggressive style of this defense can cause some turnovers.

Season Prediction: 10-2
Wins: Georgia, Florida Atlantic, Troy, Tech, Sam Houston, K-State, Texas, Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma






Texas return McCoy and most of his receivers from last year and then throw in Charles and Texas is very tough to beat. If McCoy can stay healthy, Texas will win the Big 12 Title. The defensive front seven is one of the best in the nation and if the secondary can replace what they lost they will be a top 5 defense. So just like last year the fate of this team is on the health of McCoy.

Season Prediction: 11-1
Wins: Arkansas State, TCU, UCF, Rice, K-State, OU, Iowa State, Baylor, Nebraska, Tech, A&M






Franchione has A&M back to thinking they are world beaters and rightly so after the embarrassing loss to Cal in the Holiday Bowl. Fran must first decide on what kind of quarterback he wants McGee to be and stick with it. Lane could be a hell of a back if they use him consistently. Defensively A&M returns a lot of starters from a bipolar defense. Until the defense can play on an even keel don't look for them to win any games for the Aggys.

Season Prediction: 6-6
Wins: Montana State, Fresno State, Louisiana Monroe, Baylor, Kansas, Missouri






This Tech team has so many questions on both offense and defense that I can't honestly tell you where they will stand. Harrell, Crabtree and Woods (Yes, he will be the starter) will put up the numbers but others are going to have to make plays consistently. Defensively the secondary will be strong and if the front seven can get their crap together and ease the burden this can be a top 25 Defense.

Season Prediction: 8-4
Wins: SMU, UTEP, Rice, NW State, Iowa State, A&M, Colorado, Baylor



Big 12 South Standings:
1. Texas
2. Oklahoma State
3. Oklahoma
4. Tech
5. A&M
6. Baylor

Big XII Blogs we're callin' you out!

We would like to draw you attention to our newly added link to your right...BearClaw, I mean BearMeat, sorry :)

We like to think our blog is modeled after theirs, irreverent humor combined with some news about a school we love. We hope you appreciate their blog as much as we do.

They have also sworn off their past sins against out beloved school (suuuuure you have) to wit:

http://bearmeat.blogspot.com/search/label/RaiderMeat%20%28Texas%20Tech%29

Dear eaters of BearClaws, errrr....... readers of BearMeat..........we promise, we think our city government is wacky as well, to wit:

http://ramblingraiders.blogspot.com/2007/05/lubbock-hates-alcohol-sex.html

You guys are dancing now, yes?

We are also working with DoubleTNation right now on a "Roundtable" discussion which seems to be a SBNation sort of thing. We are happy to join in with DoubleTNation on such an endeavor and hope that calling it a "Roundtable" doesn't put to much pressure on us.

Season Predictions for 2007 Football - Baylor

A quick disclaimer to any Bear fans that might stumble across this prediction: I'm a casual observer of Big XII teams and a fan of Texas Tech first and foremost. You probably know a lot more about your team than I do, so take this prediction for what it's worth: entertainment and a way to pass the time between now and the start of Fall Camp. With that said, on with the predictions:

Hottest Position Battle: QB - With Shawn Bell's departure due to graduation, the only thing hotter than an August day in Waco will be the battle for the job as Starting QB. The job will come down to either Blake Szymanski, who started the final 3 games of the season for the Bears due to an injury to Bell, or to Michael Machen, who elected to transfer to Baylor from Kent State for his final season of eligibility. Cabron Guey predicts Machen to get the nod from the coaching staff when it's all said and done.

SEASON PREDICTIONS

at TCU - TOSSUP - Losses of key personnel at several positions on both the Offense and the Defense, including the QB position, due to graduation and the NFL draft will leave TCU with a dearth of depth that might prove unable to match up with the dizzying assortments of routes the Bears plan to run. This one will be close, so don't forget to tune into CSTV for the game.

vs Rice - WIN - Rice pays a visit to its old Southwest Conference foe in a game that shows how much better off Baylor is for having joined the Big XII Conference.

Texas State - WIN - TSU is no pushover Division I-AA... excuse me... NCAA Championship Subdivision team. However, the difference in talent levels between a Division I-A and Division I-AA team will show in the 2nd half as Baylor pulls away for the win.

at Buffalo - WIN - AT BUFFALO? Who in their right mind schedules a game at the home of one of the worst teams in college football? Baylor, of course, if they want a return game in Waco. The Bears will prove to be too much for the Bulls in what is shaping up so far to be a pretty good season for Baylor.

at Texas A&M - LOSS - Here we go... now things get interesting. You can never rule out Baylor in the Battle on the Brazos, but the Aggies will not be overlooking the Bears as in previous years. Expect the Aggie ground game to chew up the clock, never allowing the Bears' Air Game to get into rhythm.

vs Colorado - WIN - Things haven't quite come together for the Buffaloes in Dan Hawkins' second year at the helm. Colorado may give a scare to one or two of the bigger programs, but it'll probably lose in Waco today.

at Kansas - TOSSUP - This is a Must Win for Baylor as things are only going to get harder from here on out. Should Baylor beat TCU in the opener, this game will be a battle to make Baylor a bowl-eligible. This one will come down to how well Kansas can execute its game plan and don't give up the victory when it is in hand, something the Jayhawks have been known to do in the past.

vs Texas - LOSS - Texas comes to town as one of the hotter teams in the nation. Baylor will be nothing more than a speed bump on their way to a possible BCS game.

at Kansas State - LOSS - October may prove to be a disasterous month for the Bears in the State of Kansas if they don't take care of business at KU two weeks before they face the Wildcats.

vs Texas Tech - LOSS - The Bears' luck doesn't change yet, even though the Texas Tech game is the most winnable contest between their bouts with Texas and Oklahoma. The stakes will be high should Baylor come into this game with only 4 wins, as they would probably need to beat Tech and OSU to advance to the post-season.

at Oklahoma - LOSS - In their last trip to play Oklahoma as the away team, the Bears almost pulled off the upset on the Sooners. This one may be close for a quarter or two, but the Sooners will pull away in the end.

vs Oklahoma State - WIN - If you had to mark down a loss for Okie Lite in 2007 that doesn't make sense, this game will be it. Baylor gets a nice win to end the regular season with a record anywhere from 5-7 to 7-5.