2001-The Odyssey Begins!

When looking ahead it always helps to look back. Yesterday at about 5:45 pm in 2001 my feet touched Texas soil-the same day as Daytona and Dale Earnhardt's passing-nestled somewhere near the panhandle of Dalhart and Dumas.

My first thought was typical Yankee. 'Good Lord, what a flat piece of real estate!'

The following story gets a chuckle because it's true. In driving to the South from the Northwest in 4 days, covering 8 states and about 2,600 miles someone advised me to 'count the kill'.

A reference to the number of skunks to encounter on the way South. To that end the final answer was 24.

The sight of mountains following me all along the I-25 going south through Colorado and New Mexico was amazing. Hitting the panhandle was different.

Lots of windmills and that funky contraption with the North South East West wheel on an animal when the wind blows. 

4:45 pm this day I would reach Carrollton Texas where life would start anew in the South. 1 day later I began to work at a sports bar in Addison for almost a decade before discovering a Cool River. The weather could be Gemini interesting in the spring. Plain hot in the summer.

Alas the sports...

Winding up the days in Seattle my taste for live events was lightly piqued. 2001 it was about to go full throttle in between the Stars, Mavericks, Rangers, and Cowboys. The minor league stuff was added gravy via Ft. Worth, Oklahoma City, Houston, and even Round Rock.

Baseball kept me enthralled even though it was a distant third or fourth to football and NASCAR in the south. Ah yes, football...

Beyond a religion. Except for Tuesday and Wednesday the rest of the calendar days from August to February were deemed holy from the high schools to the pros. 1993 I read 'Friday Night Lights' which addressed the fanaticism of football in Texas for high schools. 2001 onward I began to witness it firsthand.

40,000 fans attending a playoff game at Texas Stadium 11/14/01 when Mesquite and a 17 year old kicker named Jeremy Parker kick a 53 yard field goal to defeat the Wildcats of Plano East. 

The powerhouse juggernauts of Celina, Longview, Southlake Carroll, Highland Park, Permian-Odessa, Katy to name a few.

Sports radio was beginning to extend its tentacles to the people of the Sout. Aside from the perception of 'appeasing the hick' angle it was easy to see why football was so damn popular. That's all that was ever discussed.

The religion-cultlike status-patriotic fervor-from generation to generation-revering of Tom Landry over all else-following of the Dallas Cowboys is something you have to see to believe. Not only in Texas, but throughout the Southwest into California further south into Mexico. Silver and Blue through and through.

The decade certainly has not been kind to the Cowboys. 1 playoff win in 16 years yet the air waves go gaga talking about Jerry, Jason, the fans, staff, past players, who's good who stunk, who to draft, and why did they let that one piece of the puzzle get away.

Something else I learned about Dallas Texas. Prior to the makeover of what we now know as Victory Park there were alot of people who lived here who acted ashamed. Why?

'Yeah man, the West End was where JFK was murdered... The end of the innocence'. Even today indeed it is eerie to see everything is it was back on 11/22/63. Now we are facing a 50 year anniversary and maybe more questions than answers. It then dawned on me that the Dallas Cowboys were the Grassy Knoll to the conspiracy freaks of lifelong fanhood. Hard to explain but a fandom nonetheless.

Funny to see the transformation that hit North Texas with a Super Bowl within an ice storm (God hates Jerry Jones said the media!), 2 World Series appearances for the Rangers, An NHL All-Star Game, An NBA All Star Game, An NBA Title to where 250,000 people celebrated and only three arrests, and now a new neighbor to the baseball family to the tune of 19 games a year-The Houston Astros.

20 years have firmly cemented the popularity of another sport on the pro and minor league/amateur side: Hockey. Just go to Allen or Frisco or Ft. Worth for more proof of that with the Brahmas, Americans, or Tornado...

In the days, weeks and months to come it will be by honor and pleasure to provide my spin and thoughts on the sporty front. Back in 2001 I had many reservations about what lie ahead. Today 12 years later standing inside a studio about to go on the air with 2 friends I knew it was all part of the plan.

In between the Stars, Mavericks, Rangers, Astros, Cowboys, FC Dallas, and other minor league pursuits I await what 12 months much less the next 12 years are going to provide. What a fun ride it has been! Radio will also be a part of the equation I promise you...

Thank you Dallas! Thank you Texas!

Over and out in Big D.

Mr. Will