Awe Lance Armstrong

I know the Lance Armstrong subject has been beaten to death, and with the recent sightings or no sightings of Manti Teo’s girlfriend hoax has come to light, Armstrong’s confession was forgotten.

Armstrong decided to come clean, because the controversy had gotten so “out of control” it started affecting his children. So you mean to tell me this didn’t affect his family for years?

He said he continued doping through all of his seven victories in the Tour de France from 1999 to 2005; mind you he is leaving out every detail since 2005, because he could face legal consequences.

Since I was 14, my father and I cycled every morning in the summer for off-season during the Tour’s. I went and purchased a ridiculously expensive racing bike that was aluminum from Trek in Albuquerque just to keep up with my father. My father respected Mr. Armstrong, because like Armstrong, my father competed in triathlons. 

We bought the Livestrong bracelets, and hopped on the bandwagon. Don’t get me wrong; when there is that much smoke, there must be fire. However, I just thought the French were ticked off at us Americans for dominating the only athletic event they owned.

Since starting my broadcast career at Double T 104-3, I backed this guy. I thought for sure if he was doping, he would have come clean by now. Well, I was a fool. I should have known when he left his family for Sheryl Crow. I love her music, her…not so much.

There are some aspects we need to take into consideration. Even with his seven Tour de France wins, all other competitors that actually gave him a cycle for his money, were also doping. So, how can we compare who was the true winner – whoever had the best dope or athleticism at the end of the competition?

He was still stripped of all seven titles he won in the Tour de France by the USADA, and has a lifetime ban from sanctioned competition.

Even though he made bank off of the Livestrong brand, let us not forget all the efforts and dinero that has gone to cancer research no matter how much he doped.

Armstrong said the most “humbling moment” was the controversy forcing him to step down from the Livestrong foundation. I hope it was “humbling.”

He said he is “deeply sorry for what he did.” I am glad most controversies end in an apology after the fact - the millions earned and the reputation of a legend that comes with success. 

Side note, at the end of the day do any of use care what Matthew McConaughey thinks about his best friend coming clean? No, I’m glad we can all agree. 

Lady Demons Survive NMMI adding to their Winning Record at 14-6

Lauren Bogle

CCSR Sports Writer

After struggling in the first half, the Lady Demons go into the locker room at the half with a five-point lead on Monday night.

“The first half was slow and ugly,” Dexter’s head coach Kim Hamill said, “but it was a Monday game with two days off, and they fought threw it. I was proud.”

Dexter put away NMMI to finish with a 60-42 victory at home.

Celina Molina dives for the loose ball. CCSR Photo Lauren Bogle

The twins held their own with Tamara Salas scoring 14 points and Tabatha Salas accounting for 10 points. Adding a spark for the Lady Demons was Alex Zambrano with eight aggressive points in the paint.

Tabatha Salas downs a long jumper. CCSR Photo Lauren Bogle

“Tabatha knocked down some really good shots when we needed them,” Hamill said, “and everyone in the second half played better.”

After a dominant game against Hagerman, Bianca Walker was shut down in the first half, but came away with 15 points.

“Walker is going to get hers. She is tough defensively and offensively,” Hamill said. “First half we didn’t do a good job, but the book looks like we did shut her down, and a lot of that has to do with Hannah Manemann matched up with her pretty well.”

Hannah Manemann drills the short jumper against Bianca Walker. CCSR Photo Lauren Bogle

Zambrano said guarding Walker was extremely difficult, but she focused on consistently boxing out.

“Dexter did a great job guarding Bianca,” Lady Colt’s head coach Marisha Olesinski said.

Olesinski said Bianca Walker and Lia Herrera is the engine for their team. Olesinski said Herrera is taking the ball down the court, and doing a great job. She said it just was not enough tonight, but they did all they could and she is proud of her team.

“Whenever Alex wants to be tough, she can be,” Hamill said. “She did a really good job at the front of the press.”

Alex Zambrano guards the front of their press. CCSR Photo Lauren Bogle

The Lady Demons pressed NMMI all four quarters forcing pressure and turnovers against the Lady Colts.

“First half I think we played pretty good,” Olesinski said. “Dexter is a tough team, and I have to give them credit today. They pressed us the whole time.”

Hamill said defense wins championships, and her team keeps repeating that motto all season. She said when their press is executed effectively; it is easy points for their team.

The Lady Demons press the NMMI Lady Colts all four quarters. CCSR Photo Lauren Bogle

“Our defense is what always helps us in the game,” Tabatha Salas said, “and we forced momentum for them to turn the ball over.”

Olesinski said her team could not finish easy layups or shots in the second half. She said they fought hard and did their best. The Lady Colts are also struggling with depth on the bench.

“We are very short at the bench, and we have to try and make a few adjustments with a small team,” Olesinski said.

Even though Dexter got off to a slow start, Hamill said a win is a win. She said their record is the best it has been in quite a few years.

“What we take away from this game is we play Eunice tomorrow, and we worked through some things today to get ready for Eunice,” Hamill said. “Eunice is always a tough one.”

Tamara Salas fast breaks for an easy layup. CCSR Photo Lauren Bogle

Hannah Manemann with a block. CCSR Photo Lauren Bogle

NMMI Dominates Hagerman in the Paint

The NMMI Lady Colts handedly took care of the Hagerman Lady ‘Cats Thursday night, and added to their win column with a 51-34 road victory.

This one was a runaway.

Bianca Walker led her team scoring 18 points for the Lady Colts and point guard Reonnah Coates accounted for 12 points including two three-pointers to lead NMMI to another road win.

“Bianca controlled the paint. Anything within 12 feet was hers,” Lady Cat’s head coach Justin Gossett said. “She started changing our shot selection,”

After a nostalgic first quarter, the Lady ‘Cats closed the lead within reach with just four points standing in their way heading into the locker room at the half.

“I was double-teamed a lot, and that was difficult to get around,” Walker said.

Gossett said his team made a good comeback, and their press was holding up.

“After the half, we just couldn’t get our energy level back up,” Gossett said.

One of the Lady ‘Cats key players, Taylor Hamill, was uncharacteristically quiet scoring 10 points.

Without much depth, Gossett had to bring some eight graders into the mix. This included Taylor’s younger sister Hannah, who made herself known in the third quarter with a critical jumper.

The Lady Colts were opportunistic in the second half, correcting their mistakes.

“We had many turnovers in the first half. I told them in the locker room, we can not be turning over the ball that many times are else we ill loose, and my girls listened tonight,” Lady Colt’s head coach Marisha Olesinski said. 

Olesinski said she was extremely impressed with Walker’s performance, even though she missed some shots; she controlled the defense in the paint with 15 blocks.

“Our passes were good, and we were there,” Walker said. “We played good, and it was great game for us. We learn from our mistakes and work on what we did wrong.”

After a couple of losses, Olesinski said her team played all four quarters aggressively.

“It was very important for us to win tonight, and especially because we lost the last few games. We really are better than our record indicates,” Olesinski said, “and I am very proud of the girls.”

Walker said their team came together, and did the best they could in the second half.

Gossett said the loss was disappointing, and his team started shooting completely different with pressure from NMMI, and their baskets just wouldn’t drop.

Looking forward, Gossett hopes to improve on passing, and convert on turnovers instead of making mistakes and turnovers themselves. 

The Cowboys can Win Games & Lose Games all at Once

Before you start reading, I am not playing the blame game, instead I am bringing light to some issues with Dallas. Seeing Romo is the storyline, let's start with him. I'm sure you are tuning in to see if I eat crow, and admit that I was completely wrong about my expectations for Romo tonight (note the previous post). Romo threw two interceptions that completely fall on him.Tthe first interception he read the blitz, and Ogletree did not adjust. If you noticed Witten did adjust in a couple of the third down blitz situations and ran a quick slant in the middle to help Romo out of a jam.

Before we get into the nitty gritty of this franchise let me note, JASON GARRETT HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA HOW TO ADJUST TO THE REDSKINS BLITZ PACKAGE ALL GAME. You are telling me by the third quarter Red Jesus had nothing prepared for the blitz, that was not all that complicated, and no one upstairs in the booth was telling Garrett or Romo how to adjust? Wrong.

The Trouble with Dallas:

1.We can't stay healthy to save our lives. We are dropping like flies.
2. We don't have depth at any position. You want Romo gone, ok, have fun with Kyle Orton, because we all know Jerry Jones does not invest in the future to build depth, but instead wants immediate satisfaction.
3. The mentality we have, and I'm talking about having to rely on momentum to get Dallas in a rhythm.
4. RELYING ON ROMO AND WARE TO FIX ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS. You want to talk about toughness, Romo has played with a broken rib and Ware played as best as he could while our receivers were dropping, and never came back into the game to play through their pain.
5. What do you expect? As a Texas Tech Red Raider, the same applies for Seth Doege. You expect him to throw 50 times without any interceptions? Yes, Garrett established the run game and actually committed to Murray for two and a half quarters. However, the same does not apply for the other games this season, that we could have easily won if we had committed to the run.
6. THE BLAME GAME. Mind you there are 11 men on that field, and you want to bring up Romo. Ok, so Aikman had E. Smith to establish the rhythm of their game, and opened up the play action for Irvin. Mind you, Aikman had a killer offensive line.
7. Don't get me started on Jerry Jones. He made his bed, and is now lying in it. There will be irrational decisions made whether it is firing Jason Garrett (Red Jesus) or Tony Romo. That is not going to solve our problems. We don't build in the trenches or build for the future. You are telling me Jay Ratliff having a contact extension is awesome because it is Ratliff. Where is he? Oh yeah, he has been hurt almost all season and is OLD!

My Solutions:

1. This might come as a surprise to my friends, but invest in Dwayne Harris, let Miles Austin go. Miles has a chronic hamstring injury that needs serious work, and it is constantly getting hurt.
2. DRAFT AN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN AGAIN. Tyron Smith - great draft pick, so do it again.
3. DRAFT A DECENT QB for a legitimate backup, and I'm not talking about investing in our second stringer - Kyle Orton.
4. If you must go ahead and fire Jason Garrett or get him a legitimate offensive coordinator. Garrett needs helps.
5. Trust Romo to call the plays, and be the general. I think in crunch time Romo and Garrett battle and you need to allow him to be the Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers in the two minute drill. Don't get your panties in a ruffle, I'm not comparing Romo to Brady or Rodgers. No huddle offense, and let Romo role.
6. What is sad is today is you don't see every down backs. They are few and far between. I would love an Adrian Peterson and Gore is pretty good for San Fran. Murray needs to be an every down back. He needs to help Romo take the load, but with that being said, we also need a good offensive line to help him out. Smith is the all time NFL rushing leader and he NEVER came out.
7. Personally, if I was the coach and Jerry Jones did not boss me around, I would blow the whole thing up and start over, and bring some discipline to that team. I get it, they are men in the NFL, however, you want that paycheck, you must earn it. I would provide incentives  and no I'm not talking about the bounty program. haha Sorry Saints. I would respectfully keep Ware, Lee, Murray, Dwayne Harris, Tryon Smith, Mo Claiborne and maybe Romo.

My father raised me as a Cowboys' fan, because he saw the pure greatness the 90s was for Dallas. I wish for once I could celebrate with my boys' in the post season. The thing is we never easily won any game this season. Every game was tight and taken to the wire. We are mediocre, if even, and that's the truth. Take it. Own it. Start Over. That is all.

Keys for the Dallas Cowboys winning NFC East Title

The Dallas Cowboys once again have their back against the wall tonight hoping to squeeze into the post season by winning the NFC East Title. It can not get any better than this, Cowboys vs Redskins for post season hopes.

A couple of keys to the game, and first I will start with my responsibilities. I will be sitting in my Dad's new massage chair to prevent myself from suffering a minor heart attack, because we all know Dallas will take this to the wire. Also, I will be wearing my Sean Lee jersey. It tends to bring good luck. Some prayers will be said before the game, as well.

As or my family's superstitions, my father is helping by wearing a new grey Cowboys hat in remembrance of Tom Landry. My family and I will be positioned in the right seats in our living room for luck. We will change seats if Dallas is not playing good.

Now, some keys to the game for Dallas. Look for Dez Bryant to be covered and shut down at times, making Miles Austin and Dwayne Harris some major targets for Romo. I am looking forward to Harris becoming a factor. First showdown - Romo vs Robert Griffin III. Tony Romo. Will. Not. Disappoint.  I repeat, Romo will not disappoint. Other than the Chicago game, Romo has been lights out all season, He is clutch, and has brought the Cowboys back from huge fourth-quarter deficits this season. Romo accounts for 4,685 yards and 26 touchdowns for this season alone. It is his time to shut everyone up. I am looking forward to seeing Romo be agressive out of the pocket and taking some early chances throwing deep. The only worry I have is turnovers, and not just from Romo, but tipped or dropped passes. The Redskins are extremely opportunistic on turnovers. My worry is the Redskins secondary. To say the least, they are very good.

Seeing I am a Texas Tech Red Raider, I have eaten my crow from all the doubts I had for RG3 coming into the NFL. He is difficult to defend, and when the defense adjusts, he adjusts. As a rookie, he has 3,100 yards, 20 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

Second showdown - Alfred Morris vs DeMarco Murray. Jason Garrett must commit to the run game. Murray will be a huge determining factor, and in order to set up play action, which Romo can thrive in, we must commit to Murray. In saying that, our offensive line better show up today. As of late, they have been decent, compared to their horrid start. After contact, Morris continues to push the pile until the 1st down or plank is reached. He averages 4.7 yards a carry.

Let's talk defense. My concern with Dallas is our secondary. RG3 can dominate with the run game by picking on our depleted linebacking crew, and can definitely dominate our secondary after Alfred Morris is established and opens their play action. Brandon Carr, Mike Jenkins and Mo Claiborne will have to be quick on their feet. Lately, Claiborne has been giving a little too much cushion with his coverage and will have to play closer.

The Cowboys' advantage is all this talk about DeMarcus Ware not being 100 percent. Ware will be 100 percent on that field, and he will be a factor tonight. He is probably the strongest player on that entire team. You can never count out Ware's strength and impact. Rob Ryan's goal is to bring pressure to RG3. They will have to bring the heat, and Cowboys' secondary will need to hold down their coverage as best as possible.

Difference in this game and the Redskins 38-31 victory over Dallas on Thanksgiving was DeMarco Murray was not on the field. However, play-calling depends on Jason Garrett and I hope and pray he does not out think himself in this critical game. Garrett is too smart for his own good at times, and Jimmy Johnson says the same thing. I'm just adding some credibility.

Tonight, the Cowboys' linebackers will have to step up, Romo will have to make smart decisions with the Redskins' secondary ready to attack, and our receivers can not afford to drop or tip any passes. One last thing, NO MORE PENALTIES, and if the Cowboys' offensive line false starts one more time, I might lose it. I am talking to you - DOUG FREE. If Dallas can play smart and fundamentally sound football, they will be in the post season.

Should Have Known Better than to touch the Fire Twice

I really should know better than to touch the fire twice, but I think this time it is different. Yes, all girls say that at one point to justify going through hell and back with the same guy, but you have to be completely done with that chapter in order to leave it alone. 

All women know and can't forget the man that broke her heart as she started early adulthood. Whether it be him not showing up for something important, wrong timing, ending communication or choosing another woman. It never gets easier seeing his face. 

Not saying that we haven't broken a couple hearts, this is most definitely not a feminist post. I am a master at ending communication after one date, because I have already made my mind up. And I typically do not give any explanations as to why it didn't work out. I'm am sorry to any of you reading this, that I have done that to. 

Let me let you into my life for a couple minutes, the old freshman crush is relevant again. I told myself from the get-go that if he came back, I would be successful, smart, numb to him and beautifully independent. Became successful, and I'm working on the other goals. Well he wants to date...given he didn't want to "date" me freshman year, so it did not work out. After being around him, there was absolutely no way I could remain numb. I told myself, "He will pay, and wish he wouldn't have messed up from the beginning." The difference was, I matured, and could not help but care. 

Revenge will get you nowhere, and as ridiculous as it sounds you have to follow your heart. If you don't, then you will regret your decision. Heartbreak is never easy on anyone, but you can learn, grow from it, and become stronger and smarter than before. I through myself in my career and became successful, but I was always missing that someone to share it with. 

I became a more independent person. He and no one else could take that away from me. Even if it takes you a second time, may you find peace in closure and satisfaction knowing the chapter is complete. Try and try again, until you are done or have gotten what you want, and yes what YOU want, be a little selfish this time. The ball is in your court, not his. 

I wrote this in January. Needless to say, it did not work out. Story of my love life. However, I know it is over for good. I would never be his number one, and that is okay because being debated or compared to is not good for the self esteem. Forcing the issue was not helping, but shutting off communication sure did. If you are not someone's number one pick to begin with, it will be nearly impossible to ever become that. 

We dated and tried to become exclusive, whatever that was. I drove miles for him....he did not drive anywhere. That was tough to swallow, knowing you are not worth a two hour drive in his eyes. 

I am glad I did not post this in January, and probably because something told me it would never work, and I think blogging about it will subconsciously hold me accountable to not ever go back. However, what I said earlier in the post remains true. I am glad it took this one last go around to figure that out and come to accept it. I'm not going to bash him, I fell for him for several good reasons. He is handsome, fun to be around and can be kind. I'm not trying to pull a Taylor Swift. 

Being on and off for years with my kryptonite would never work, because I felt like I was always trying to change myself. I lost twenty pounds, became successful, got a cool truck and chilled out because I am naturally on edge for some reason. All the materialistic things us women try to do to impress men. That still did not work, and I feel stupid for thinking it would.  I just thought he would miss me when he saw me. I won't lie, I am a hopeless romantic. 

Now, if he walks into an establishment where I am or we cross paths, I know my heart will beat 100 miles per hour, and I might not be totally prepared to see him when he comes back. But I know I can walk away from him. 

Random question, why do we reach for sad, depressing music or a love story movie when we are going through tough times? Do we just have to infiltrate ourselves with depression? Seriously. It is weird, because I have a day dedicated to sad music and ice cream. The next months are usually followed up with intense workouts and dieting. Not in an unhealthy way or out of revenge, but it can be very beneficial. If we are looking at the bright side of things....

So, yes people I have a love life, it is just always a roller coaster, and I wish I could be serious with someone and that someone would be as crazy about me as I am for them. Until then I have my faith, family and chocolate lab, Ms. Maggie Mae, to keep me company. I promise I will not turn into the crazy dog loving lady in the mean time. haha

The Coaching Tornado at Texas Tech

Let’s recap, Tommy Tuberville resigned at Texas Tech and was introduced as Cincinnati’s head football coach on Saturday. Offensive Coordinator Neal Brown will coach as OC at Kentucky, and is taking Tech’s former Running Backs Coach Chad Scott with him. Tech’s former Strength and Conditioning Coach Joe Walker is headed to Cincy with Tubs. On December 12, former Texas A&M Offensive Coordinator and former Texas Tech QB Kliff Kingsbury was announced as Texas Tech’s 15^th head football coach.

After Tuberville was hired at Texas Tech in 2009, I was on board to support our new coach, and excited about his recruiting efforts and résumé. Since being hired, he has had great success on the recruiting trail, and coaching staff. The huge wins over OU in 2011, and WVU in 2012 were great to share with my fellow red raiders.  However, after learning about recent events, I am not too keen on Tubs. Tuberville left junior college offensive lineman Devonte Danzey at the dinner table along with other recruits December 7^th while on official visits. 

Also, after watching him at post game press conferences, I did not see the since of persistence or perseverance in his body language or tone that he used to express. I felt as if he was over Texas Tech, and obviously so.  On Friday, he met with Kirby and expressed his dedication to the red raider faithful, and on Saturday, he met with the Texas Tech football team around 11:00 a.m. after calling Tech’s Athletic Director, Kirby Hocutt to inform him, he was leaving for Cincy around 10:30 a.m. He was introduced later that afternoon, one of the quickest turnarounds I have ever witnessed. During the press conference at Cincy, he seemed enthusiastic and happy to start a new chapter in his coaching career.

I am not going to understate how our fan base never welcomed him with open arms, and the comparison between him and Leach would never end. However, to leave a team before a core senior group’s last game of the 2012 season, was a tad bit shady. Even though, we all know we can’t tell future employers when we can take the job they are offering to us, it still was not right.

Majority of red raider fans believe that Kliff Kingsbury can solve our problems. This will be a huge mountain Tech will have to climb, once again.  Kliff was recruited by Sonny Dykes and played a year with him, and played under Mike Leach holding 39 school records, and coached next to Dana Holgerson. Kingsbury was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2003 draft, however, sustained an arm injury and was waived. He has been on the Saints and Bronco’s practice squads, and made his debut in the fourth quarter of a Broncos game on November 20, 2005. He completes the Texas Tech circle of athletics’ life. His current résumé stands as being a coach at University of Houston, offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, and currently having his QB Johnny Manziel win the Heisman Trophy as a freshman.  

Kingsbury’s résumé as the youngest head coach in college football, 33, is pretty impressive, but it is not a Tuberville résumé nor does he have the connections Tuberville had. He is still young, and this will be his first head coaching position with many coaching staff vacancies to fill and a young team that will have to adjust. Nevertheless, being a red raider myself, I am excited to once again have a united fan base. I do not know how patient this fan base or administration will be with a Texas Tech native? Hopefully, with the talent this team has Texas Tech will be successful. A suggestion I would make would be to move Sonny Cumbie to offensive coordinator, making two former successful Tech QB’s in charge. To bring this event full circle, Kingsbury will coach Michael Brewer in 2013 at QB for Texas Tech who wears the number sixteen, that jersey was also worn by Kliff Kingsbury, the gunslinger QB himself at Texas Tech.

The negative side effects to all of this, will Art Kaufman stay as Tech’s defensive coordinator? Also, this Texas Tech football team still has a bowl game to be played and need not forgotten. There will be eighteen seniors on this football team playing for the last time for Texas Tech. Let us, red raiders, support this team, especially since they have been practicing for the Meineke Car Care Bowl, while this whirlwind of coaching vacancies and recent hire has ensued. Bring on 2013.