Unfinished Business

Few golf fans remember that Tom Watson had a reputation early in his career as a choker. He lead the U.S. Open after the third round in 1974 and the second round in 75 before shooting a fourth round 77 in 74 and shooting 78, 79 in the third and fourth rounds in 75. Even though roughly 15,000 biographies have been written about Abraham Lincoln, I’ll bet many of you didn’t know of his abysmal 4-8 record as candidate for elective office.  Similarly if the 2013 Longhorns become a championship team, the first 28 minutes of their otherwise tantalizingly explosive season opener against New Mexico St. will be quickly and completely forgotten.  Perhaps it will be noted during a late season telecast of, say, the West Virginia game should Texas fall behind early and a graphic appears on the screen, First time Texas has trailed since the first quarter of the New Mexico St. Game on August 31. On the other hand, if Texas loses more than a couple of games this year, it may be remembered as the first sign that this team was fatally flawed.

After watching most of the game and reading the analysis of the Longhorn observers whom I respect and count on, I’m leaning a little more towards 10-2 than the 9-3 I predicted just a few days ago.  The offensive line still looks sub-par but I think the play of David Ash and Daje Johnson could compensate for that. Jonathan Gray—after 14 games—is not living up to his all-world billing. If he doesn’t turn it on soon we’re going to have to accept that he’s not as good as we were told he would be. The defense played well enough for us to hold out hope that they could turn it around after last season’s record futility. The defensive lineman Malcolm Brown is going to be a superstar if he wants to be. As of now he’s taking too many plays off.

That’s all I care to write and needs to be written about this game. The upcoming game versus Brigham Young will bear much more interest, commentary and analysis. But while I have your attention I want to talk about something near and dear which I consider to be unfinished business.

Every time that I take my seat in section 30, row 50, seat 31, I take note of something in Memorial Stadium that irks me. The facade between the lower and upper decks at the north end of the stadium is adorned with the names and numbers of Longhorn Football greats whose numbers have been retired. The names and numbers that are there: Earl Campbell #20, Bobby Layne #22, Tommy Nobis #60, Ricky Williams #34, Vince Young #10 and Colt McCoy #12. All Longhorn greats to be sure who deserve to be honored and I think it’s one of the best parts of Memorial Stadium. The objective criterion to be honored in this way is to have won a national player of the year honor among one of the NCAA recognized awards. This criterion has to be amended on behalf the player who deserves to be in this ring of honor as much if not more than the players there now. James Street #16.

James Street, the undefeated starting quarterback with a 20-0 record. Those 20 wins the first two thirds of the Longhorns historic 30 game win streak in 1968-70. James Street, the quarterback of two Southwest Conference Championships, two Cotton Bowl Championships and a National Championship. James Street who almost single handedly saved the Longhorns 1969 National Championship with his heroic fourth quarter performance against Arkansas in Fayetteville leading Texas to 15 points and perhaps their most historic victory 15-14.  James Street, the quarterback who set the standard for all the wishbone quarterbacks to follow.  Darrell Royal would not be the “legendary” Darrell Royal without James Street.  James Street who inspired the future Willie Earl to pen in 1974 the precursor to Willie Earl’s Longhorn Blog, “The Mystique of James Street.” …average as a passer in the fourth quarter against Arkansas in 1969 he passed like Joe Namath; average as a runner he ran like O.J. Simpson. I’m getting misty as I write this.  James Street #16 who stands head to head with Vince Young as one of the two greatest Longhorn quarterbacks of all time.

Come on Deloss Dodds, Mack Brown or whoever is in charge of this thing. Retire James Street’s #16 and put it up on that stadium facade where it so justly deserves to be.

HooK eM,

W.E.
P.S. Stay classy Johnny Football

Over/Under Results

Brother Smith, Brother Swan and son Bob aka Bod tied for first with eight correct answers in the season premier of Willie Earl’s Over/Under Contest. All three correctly picked LSU over TCU in the first tiebreaker. Going to the second tiebreaker Bob Frink’s prescient prediction that Johnny Manziel would account for three TDs versus Rice gives him his very first victory in Over/Under. As I have said many times before, “well done Bob.”