'lotta sports

My column appears in the Heart Beat of the Texas Hill Country — distributed quarterly throughout the Texas Hill Country as well as available Online.

Fall — my favorite season!! Temperatures so pleasant one can sleep with the windows open, change of season and football!! For those of you reading this that haven’t lived in Texas, let me explain. Football is the culture — an array of delicacies from the traditional fantasy football leagues to Friday Night Lights to Big 12 and SEC rivalries to The ‘Boys at Jerry’s House or JJ Watt and Company at the NRG. Fall is Texas football!

Friday Night Lights was born in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas, but it truly is every community in the state that has a high school football team. Many parents send their boys to football camps to help develop them into the next Colt McCoy or Drew Brees. The girls are sent to cheerleading camps yearning for a future as a Cowboy or Texan Cheerleader. Every small town hopes their community will be put on the map as a high school football dynasty like Smithson Valley or Lake Travis.

In college ball, two Texas schools started off where they left off last season — TCU at # 2 and Baylor at 4th in the national ratings. The University of Texas Longhorns are in uncharted waters beginning the season as unranked. Coach Charlie Strong is attempting to mesh his recruits with the remnants of the Mack Brown Era. Longhorn Alum scratch their heads wondering if this current roster can harvest another Earl Campbell, Vince Young or Ricky Williams.

The Cleveland Browns coaching staff holds its collective breath to see if Johnny Manziel has indeed cleaned up his act or if the power of being a celebrity will again cloud his judgment. I’m sorry but he should have stayed at A & M where he had a coaching staff that held him accountable and out of trouble! This is Johnny Football’s chance to make the Hill Country proud of the Kerrville Tivy alum. As poet Robert Frost penned, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Here’s to a year of better choices JM!!

My favorite venue of all of football season is my annual Fantasy Football draft! After dabbling in the free Internet leagues, I ventured with the big boys and have been in a pay league in the Hill Country for several years. I have won the Playoff/Super Bowl pot twice and runner up once — unless you’re the IRS — then I came in dead last. For those of you who have not played, trust me — it’s mostly luck and good guessing! You can have the best team in the world, but an injury or two can send you back to the drawing board. It is fun and a lot of smack talk with my Commish and the rest of the league. It is what football is all about — especially for those us who can’t be out on the gridiron in the numbered jersey, pads, helmet and cleats — like me!!

Johnny during his TFND days. Photo Courtesy of Tony Gallucci