1.  Texas A&M President Bowen Loftin sounds like the kid a the fair wanting to know why he didn’t win the big teddy bear prize at the milk can toss  that he was promised. The Aggies can keep asking for the $20 million and interim commissioner Dan Beebe can keep telling them the checks in the mail, but the A&M will be lucky if they get to take home one of those sickly goldfish you win at the fair. Oh, and good-luck with that SEC thing.

2.  Dennis Dodd’s interview with Pac 10(12) boss Larry Scott was revealing in many ways. Scott won’t make the same mistakes next time. Good cover for Texas too to lay some blame on the politicians. The politicians didn’t derail the bid, the BCS, TV and Texas did. Makes for a good story though.

3.  I’ve got no use whatsoever for people that try to use the turn lane to “merge” into traffic nor the old ladies who cross double-yellow lines at intersections trying to turn left across traffic and wonder why everyone is staring and honking at them. It should be mandatory that folks retake their driver’s license test every five years and then every year after age 65.

4.  Carl Edwards is one of the most annoying athletes out there that fortunately most folks don’t know about.

5.  Great to see former Texas Tech football player Marcus Coleman go into the Hall of Honor. Along with Donny Anderson, Coleman may be the most talented overall athlete to ever wear the scarlet and black.

5 THINGS WE KNOW ON A FRIDAY: 7/16/10

1.  The looming QB battle between Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield is the best at that position in the last 40-years for Texas Tech. No two players have fought for the job coming in with as many skins on the wall as these two.  For the record, I think Potts wins the battle but Tech fans can’t lose either way. It should be one of the great stories around the Big 12 and the national media this August, but probably won’t. Too bad for them.

2.  Tiger Woods will never again be the consistent, clear-cut top golfer in the world. He’ll be amongst the best, he’ll have some nice runs at number one, but never again the dominant top golfer. Does that mean he won’t catch Jack? Don’t know…ask me again  at the end of 2011.

3.  The toughest athletes in Lubbock aren’t playing for Texas Tech. They are the Lubbock Firefighter Combat Challenge team. If you’ve never seen this stuff you’ve got to watch it. You can catch them in action in the Hubbbaplex in a few weeks.  They could always use some more financial support so if you’ve got a business in Lubbock and want to help out, do it! Thanks to Carpet Tech for the great support they’re giving these fine representatives of Lubbock. Rumor has it they were going to do a calendar to help raise money, but the City Manager spiked the idea because it might not present a “professional image”. That’s a laugh. Someone downtown lecturing the firefighters about being professional. . .

4. If you knew half of what went on in college football you probably wouldn’t be a fan. Then again, if most folks knew half of what went on at other businesses they might never shop there, eat there or purchase their services. Sometimes ignorance is both bliss and good for business.

5.  Has anyone noticed Gerald Myers is still the Athletic Director at Texas Tech? Just wondering.

1. College sports fans do not care about graduation rates, Tier One status, or how much their favorite school is in debt. They only care about being able to walk into the office every Monday and talk about their winning school. That’s it.

2. Auburn vs. Alabama is the best rivalry in college football. Texas and Oklahoma only wish they could generate the passion, hatred and flat-out evilness that those two gin up for each other.

3.  Taylor Potts should be the starting QB for Texas Tech this fall. Remember when you wanted to build small statues of him and light candles around him after last year’s Texas game, even after a loss? You still may get that chance. . .Come on, in your heart, you know I’m right. . .

4.  ESPN hates your favorite team and loves your enemy. It doesn’t matter who you root for. This is true.

5.  Waylon was (is) better than Willie.

5.

1.  Nothing LeBron James did over the past 48 hours made me want to be a fan of his more. . . wasn’t that supposedly the point of all this? Wasn’t this about increasing his brand power? He’ll have “brand power” when he gets a ring. Or two. Or six. Good luck with that. On a side note, I love the fact that Stephen A. Smith scorched the Mother Ship and 4-letter network by getting the story right, first. I can’t stand him on TV or radio, but I pay attention to him. Every time.

2.  Lake Alan Henry gets shut down because of an oil pipeline upstream this week and we come to find out the City of Lubbock really hasn’t done much research on this little factor and what it might do to the folks in the Hubbaplex when it comes to drinking the stuff in the future. Nice to know we’re spending millions and millions to pump that water uphill. I still say sell it downstream, use the money to buy more water rights that can be cheaply brought into Lubbock and use the rest to eradicate salt cedar along the Canadian River to improve Lake Meredith. Too easy I guess.

3.  The new L.I.S.D. Hall of Honor is a great idea by A.D. Mark Ball and long over-due. Bobby Moegle and Louis Kelly need to be in the first class. After that, let’s make sure we get in the luminaries from Lubbock High and Dunbar from the 1920′s to 1950 or so. Several State titles between those schools brought to you by many men that most in Lubbock don’t remember.

4. No matter what Don Williams says, it is still a bad idea to play Texas in the third week of the season. It was a bad idea last year and it is a bad idea this year. Always try and play your toughest competition late if you can. The downside is too great for a school like Texas Tech. A Texas will get resuscitated by the media with an early loss. A Texas Tech just gets thrown to the side and as we saw last year, the wind can come out of the sails of both the fans and the players. Don’t give me the TV argument either. TV will be there no matter when you play them.

5.  Texas Tech Football Coach Tommy Tuberville has given Texas Tech their first true modern-era C.E.O. ( I hate that term) style coach. Spike was a throwback to the Darrell Royal era and Mike Leach was, well he’s Mike Leach-an era unto himself and unlike almost any major BCS playing school coach you’ll ever see. In just a few short months Tuberville has elevated culture around the football program and set a pattern of expectation that Texas Tech hasn’t seen since Jim Carlen came in and spit in the eyes of those in Austin, Fayetteville and College Station. True, Leach acknowledged no sacred bevos, but Tuberville has brought a different air to the program and folks inside and out are noticing. Now he’s got the same challenge LeBron James has. You gotta deliver the goods or all the rest won’t matter. Interesting parallel.

Hyatt

3.

1.  The fact that Chip Brown at orangebloods.com took the time to respond so quickly with “sources” detailing the inner-workings of Big 12 TV revenue predictions tells me that Texas Tech Football Coach Tommy Tuberville’s comments about the Big 12′s viability long-term must have really struck a nerve down there on the 40 Acres. I hope both Tuberville and Chancellor Kent Hance continue to loudly proclaim to anyone that will listen that the Big 12 is broke and it needs to be fixed or blown-up. I’d prefer the dynamite.

2.  If Lubbock politicos want to do something somewhat productive ( a stretch, I know ) they should allow Joe Ely to revive the Tornado Jam and put it back in Buddy Holly Park. Seriously, how hard can this be. Is it not happening today because a certain local promoter might not get a cut. . .

3.  I heard the ACLU has issued a “travel warning” for those going to Arizona, whatever that may mean. Perhaps the State of Texas should issue a “travel warning” to the ACLU if they’re planning on taking in the delights of the Lone Star State this weekend. In case you’re wondering, we are already in the midst of a civil war in The United States. When the federal government encourages and targets one state with economic and other retributive acts and other states do likewise, you’ve got yourself a cold war.

4.  Meanwhile, up in Oklahoma, they seem to be content at places like Stillwater to let Texas Tech carry the water and do the heavy lifting when it comes to battling the Big 12 for fair treatment. I like Dave Sittler, but he couldn’t be more wrong in his appraisal of what went on with Tuberville’s statements or why the Big 12 is messed up.

5.  No matter how messed up The United States may be right now in some aspects it is still by far the greatest country and form of government to grace the planet.

“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered… deeply, …finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”–George Washington.

1. In about a month’s time new Texas Tech Football Coach Tommy Tuberville went out and directly raised more money to go towards the redesign and revamp of the football facility and practice fields than his predecessor did in perhaps a decade of non-fundraising activities. You can get on Facebook and go to SportsRadio 1340 The Fan’s page and see 100 photos of the new facility plus the East Side Expansion project. The amazing thing is that before Tuberville has coached a game at Texas Tech he’s got more folks opening their wallets than ever before. A huge, huge step forward for the program.

2. Great comments today on Jack Dale’s Sportsline on The Fan by Tuberville as he visited with the Hall of Honor broadcaster. Tuberville mentioned again his commitment to quickness and strength with the switch in the weight room ( which has also been renovated ) to all free weights. For those that thought the Red Raiders were a bit bulky the last few years it looks like a body-shape change is coming. Now if he could just get me on that program!

3.  Speaking of Facebook, there’s a group out there that wants Lubbock to name a street after former football coach Mike Leach. Oddly enough there’s also a group of folks in Hell that want ice water. Both groups will probably have the same amount of success. Of course now that the City of Lubbock has rules in place that a person has to assume room temperature to have a road name after them, there might be certain Texas Tech officials join that Facebook movement.

4.  Glad to see Lubbock’s Downtown Redevelopment Project move forward. As long as it is done with private funds I’ve got no problem with it. I do have a problem when a city tries to artificially engineer growth from one part of town to another to serve certain interest. That’s the worry I have about Lubbock. Lubbock isn’t a land-locked city that is losing tax base from downtown to other cities. It is merely seeing some business decide that it is better for business to operate on 50th or 82nd street or heaven forbid 98th street. It is not as if  they’re packing up and leaving town. Why is it important that we try and entice those folks to relocate back downtown? Shouldn’t folks on 82nd street get exactly the same breaks as those downtown?

5.  Dear Coach Hughes, trust me, when they want you to move on and be gone it is best to just pack up and leave. Things aren’t going to get any better.

1.  Arkansas to the Big 12 didn’t happen yesterday, it won’t happen today and it won’t happen forever. (Ok, odd history reference over ) It makes no sense for Arkansas to leave a solid conference for one that is dying. It does make sense for Jerry Jones to try and do anything to get the Big 12 back to 12 teams and a conference championship game so he can make money on those dates reserved at Cowboys Stadium in a few years. For Hog fans Jerry is like that crazy uncle that’s lots of when he’s handing out cash but when he keeps hanging around the house you really want him to go home. Yesterday Hog fans really wanted Uncle Jerry to go home. Thanks to Dennis Smithson of Hooten‘s Arkansas Football for a great visit on The Show Thursday and some great perspective on why the Hogs aren’t ever leaving the SEC. Why should they? A&M will be there soon enough to provide a natural rival. . .

2.  Houston has about as much chance of getting Texas Lawmakers to push their way into the Big 12 as Baylor did of getting into the Pac 10 with the help of the politicos. That’d be none. Taking a Houston program that barely registers in their home city would be disaster for the Big 12. None of the projected TV numbers make sense from Dan Beebe unless it is a 10-team league. Adding an extra Cougar mouth to feed without those Cougars bringing anything to the league in return makes no sense. There like the guy with no job that moves in for the summer. Not cool.

3.  This may be the one and only time when Phil Jackson has ever won anything without having the clear-cut best player in the NBA on his team. Congrats. Now go away, please.

4.  Tiger Woods for now is just one of several really good golfers out on the PGA Tour trying to grind out wins (and find a birdie or two at Pebble Beach and The U.S. Open). This week he’s just a guy hoping to make the cut. The Golf Channel’s Frank Nobilo had great thoughts on The Dan Patrick Show saying that Tiger Woods has one more great stretch of golf left in him where he’ll lap the field. The question is when it starts and how long it lasts. If you’re Woods right now I guess the best thing is that your biggest problem is your divorce from Hank Haney and your swing and not your looming divorce off the course and other swinging activities.

5.  If you want further proof that the idiots are infiltrating more and more of our public institutions, we give you Rhode Island today and the “crazy hat” school controversy. Seriously, where do these people come from and why do we let them “educate” our kids?

( Ed. Note: Y’all do know you can comment on this, right? )

1.  For Texas Tech fans, Jimmy Buffett’s “Come Monday” will make for a good theme song this weekend. By then the Fog of War should have cleared and we’ll solidly know the lay of the land. Go West young man.

2.  For Texas A&M fans, do you really want to trust the same folks that helped get your athletic department into $16 million worth of debt to make a good decision about whether to go to the SEC or not? This is one of those times when Old Army needs to listen to the folks in Austin. They’re weird but they’re right on this deal.

3.  When Texas Tech ends up in the expanded Pac-10 it’s gonna be interesting to see which school Tech develops a good rivalry with. It was fun in the mid-90′s to watch Tech and Oklahoma State do battle on and off the field, starting with some heated baseball games. I’m hoping that same thing happens with Texas Tech and Arizona State. I think in many sports there’s a chance for some great battles. Plus Lubbock is so much like Tempe. . .

4.  The idea that Texas would go to the Big 10 is laughable. The idea that Nebraska would go to the Big 10 with a chance Texas would follow is even more laughable.

5.  One more hat-tip to Chip Brown of orangebloods.com for owning this story from the beginning. We got to know Chip when he was working in Lubbock and he’s a great guy and rock-solid old-school, get the dirt and get it right reporter. People have wrongly tried to dismiss him as some sort of basement dwelling blogger in order to ignore what he writes. ( read Baylor and Missouri fans here ) Chip has mastered the New Media but he’s as old-school as it gets when it comes to journalism. Well done, friend! You can follow Chip on Twitter at ChipBrownOB