40 Acres Sports

I’m at the mall with my wife and had a Big 12-related observation. Here in North Dallas in the big sporting goods store (Dick’s) there’s a ton of Longhorns gear and some [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] stuff, but there’s very little A&M apparel at all. There’s a whole wall of Texas and OU stuff with two Aggie t-shirts in the corner. There was more [tag]Texas Tech[/tag] and LSU stuff than that.

It’s even worse at the sports memorabilia store. Some very cool and very expensive Vince Young and Kevin Durant stuff and some Ricky Williams and Earl Campbell autographed prints and mini-helmets. The Sooners are represented solely by Adrian Peterson and the Aggies have absolutely nothing. Think about it, what Aggie memorabilia can even A&M fans collect? Six year old Dat Nguyen Cowboys jerseys?

Dallas is three hours away from Austin, College Station, and Norman yet there’s absolutely no Texas A&M presence here. Just thought that was an interesting real world observation about the state of the three programs.

The Texas baseball team is going for an important sweep of the Aggies right now (1pm on Sunday) live on Fox Sports Southwest. Last regular season game that could impact Big 12 tourney seeding as well as regional pairings.

Baseball beats #9 Texas A&M 5-2 to open series. Good game by Jordan Danks and good outing by pitcher Chance Ruffin.

While discussing upgrades to Kyle Field and Olsen Field, Aggie Athletic Director Bill Byrne let loose one of my favorite quotes of the year:

Byrne also addressed the Aggies’ move last year from Nike to adidas as the department’s apparel provider.

He said he met with a Nike representative and requested the same deal as A&M’s chief rival, Texas.

Byrne said he was offended when the rep told him, “You’re not as good as they are and you’re probably never going to be.” That statement made Byrne’s decision to switch to adidas even easier, he said, in addition to what was a more lucrative deal.

That’s right, the Nike representative put Texas A&M in their place right to their AD’s face. You will be seeing that quote in Texas fans’ signatures on forums for the next year. I’m not sure why Byrne would ever actually admit that Nike said that, all it does it brings up that a major national company thinks you’re somebody’s little brother.

As pretty much everyone, other than Aggies themselves, knows the Longhorns are a class above the Aggies. On the field and in sporting goods stores Texas outperforms Texas A&M year after year. Because of their consistent top tier performance, the Longhorns are on national television many more times per year in both football and basketball. In recent years the university has led the nation in licensing revenue and set a royalty records after the 2005 national championship season.

Bill Byrne is perfect there, only an Aggie would expect to get the same deal and be proud when it didn’t happen.

High school sophomore Chris Martin is one of the top prospects for 2010 out of California. He’s already got offers from top programs such as Cal, Colorado, and Stanford and is being recruited by all the national powers. He doesn’t have a favorite in the recruiting process yet, but he sure knows where he doesn’t want to go to school…

Education is another factor weighing heavily on Martin’s opinion of colleges.

“Academic prestige is the first thing I’m looking for in a school,” said Martin. “I’m not sure on a major, but I think I’d like to go into marketing.

“I do know I wouldn’t pick a school like Texas A&M because I want to go somewhere that has had a line of successful people who have majored in the field I’m interested in.”

Apparently Martin just isn’t interested in Ag Leadership as a career.

I’m not sure where that quote came from or why a kid from California even brings up the Aggies, but it sure is funny. I guess it’s a step in the right direction for A&M though that a national recruit has actually heard of the school. I guess that 35 point loss to Cal in the Holiday Bowl paid off after all.

Maybe the Longhorns should start recruiting Martin, he’s mine kind of kid.

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This was too entertaining not to post:

At first I was sympathetic to Aggie fans, it would be tough to lose a game that way. Then they started acting like Aggies and threatening a lawsuit over the non-call. Seriously. It didn’t take long to remember there is never a good reason to take pity on them. Now I laugh and laugh and laugh at their despair. (via)

A great day of basketball yesterday with some fantastic finishes and upsets. I would have loved to have been in Tampa yesterday to watch all those top seeds go down in dramatic fashion. Now on to round two of the tourney, where it’s less about the underdog and more about watching good basketball. Only one match-up today really jumps out of me but it should still be a good day to sit on the couch and be a college basketball fan.

Here’s what to watch on the first day of round two:

(11) Kansas State vs (3) Wisconsin – 3:20pm
Michael Beasley led K-State past fellow phenom OJ Mayo but the Badgers are a lot tougher inside than USC. Prediction: Wisconsin

(6) Marquette vs (3) Stanford – 5:45pm
Winner takes on Texas/Miami winner in Houston. Stanford is a tough team and the Lopez twins (both with girl names, Brook and Robin) and might be a tough match-up for the Horns so root for the Golden Eagles. Prediction: Stanford

(5) Michigan State vs (4) Pittsburgh – 8:10pm
The game today that I’m most interested in, but since it’s head-to-head with the Aggie game we won’t get to watch it. A couple of really good teams that have both been playing well. Prediction: Michigan State

(9) Texas A&M vs (1) UCLA – 8:15pm
The Aggies played well against BYU but tonight’s game against UCLA should be a whole different level. Can they keep it close and be around at the end with a chance of an upset? Probably not. Prediction: UCLA

Related Links

• Bevo Sports day two preview
• Bevo Sports day one preview
• ESPN scoreboard
• Printable bracket (PDF)
• My Tourney Challenge bracket

This weekend is one of the best times of year to be a sports fan. Wall-to-wall college basketball on television and everybody has a little something extra riding on the games. March Madness finally begins today.

Here are some of day one’s most interesting games:

(3) Xavier vs (14) Georgia – 11:20am
Can the Bulldogs keep any of that SEC Tourney magic going or are they worn out? A lot of people have Xavier going pretty far and I think they win this one easily. Prediction: Xavier

(11) Kentucky vs (6) Marquette – 1:30pm
Billy Clyde Gillispie’s Wildcats started off the season terribly and I thought he might not survive his first season in Lexington. They went on a late conference run and I think it continues today with the upset. Prediction: Kentucky

(11) Baylor vs (6) Purdue – 1:50pm
One of the games I’m most interested in today. Scott Drew has brought [tag]Baylor[/tag] lightyears from where they were a few years ago, can they get a first round victory? I think so. Prediction: Baylor

(11) Kansas State vs (6) USC – 6:10pm
Probably the premier national game of the day pitting two of the country’s top youngsters. Will [tag]Kansas State[/tag]’s Michael Beasley or USC‘s OJ Mayo prevail in this match-up of this year’s top five NBA draft picks? Prediction: Kansas State

(9) Texas A&M vs (8) BYU – 6:25pm
Farmers versus Mormons… fight! The Aggies will go as far as giant freshman DeAndre Jordan will take them. He’s not the best player on their team, but he’s the most important. Prediction: BYU

Related Links

• ESPN scoreboard
• Printable bracket (PDF)
• My Tourney Challenge bracket

After seeing the first spring Big 12 power rankings from ESPN and disagreeing with their placement of the Missouri Tigers at number one, I am now proud to present the first 2008 Bevo Sports Big 12 Power Rankings. This will be a weekly feature during the season and we’ll likely post updates at the end of spring practice and again in the preseason.

1. [tag]Oklahoma[/tag]

   
   

   I’m not 100% behind Sam Bradford as a top quarterback but he’s definitely good enough to lead this team. They lost several good players early to the NFL Draft, but they’ve got talent and running back DeMarco Murray is a stud.

2. Texas

   
   

   Too many question marks to be ranked any higher this early, but early practice reports from this spring are encouraging. If the Horns’ secondary and linebackers improve and flourish under coach Will Muschamp they’ll be my conference favorite.

3. [tag]Texas Tech[/tag]

   
   

   I struggled deciding between Tech and Missouri, but I ended up placing the Red Raiders third thanks to a slightly better defense and a love for pirates and Michael Crabtree.

4. [tag]Missouri[/tag]

   
   

   I don’t trust Gary Pinkel, I think he lucked into last year’s success and was tempted to put the Tigers much lower. Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin could be poised for a huge season, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired.

5. [tag]Nebraska[/tag]

   
   

   I think the Cornhusker players will play with a new enthusiasm after being rescued from Bill Callahan’s regime. Marlon Lucky is a very talented running back and coach Bo Pelini’s return should immediately improve the defense.

6. [tag]Colorado[/tag]

   
   

   This is a team I’m really not sure about. They could go either way, either compete for the Big 12 North or completely suck. They lost a couple of good linebackers but if QB Cody Hawkins makes plays and Darrell Scott is as advertised they could compete.

7. Texas A&M

   
   

   I think this is a transition year for the Aggies and new head coach Mike Sherman. I think he’s a step up from Fran but I’m not sure he’s the longterm solution. The defense should be improved under new coordinator Joe Kines, but losing Yemi Babalola off the offensive line hurts bad.

8. [tag]Kansas State[/tag]

   
   

   I like quarterback Josh Freeman a lot but the two other guys that killed the Horns the last two years (particularly Jordy Nelson) are gone. Ian Campbell is a beast on defense.

9. [tag]Kansas[/tag]

   
   

   Welcome back to reality Kansas fans, though I still think the Fightin’ Manginos are headed in the right direction. They don’t have the same season they did in 2007 but they’re going to be a contender in the Big 12 North again soon if Mangino stays.

10. [tag]Iowa State[/tag]

    
    

    Other than a win over rival Iowa last season the Cyclones and former Texas coach Gene Chizik had a rough 2007. Chizik reportedly has things headed in the right direction and two conference wins late last year might be an indication of that.

11. [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag]

    
    

    The only coach in the Big 12 I think less of than Mizzou’s Pinkel is the Cowboys’ Mike Gundy. They’ve had more talent in previous years and not done much with it, this is a down year and they’ll finish near the bottom and Gundy won’t be back in 2009.

12. [tag]Baylor[/tag]

    
    

    I think bringing in Art Briles was a genius move by Baylor. It is going to take a couple years for him implement his scheme and bring in his type of players, but he’s got a chance to turn the Bears into a Texas Tech caliber team. They’ll suck this year.

Update: Preseason Big 12 Power Rankings are released! (8/27/2008)

Texas-Texas A&M game returns to traditional Thanksgiving night date. The game will now be on ESPN, I’m not sure if this means more viewers or not but I love the going back to tradition.