1. Josh Hamilton is human. Josh Hamilton may or may not have had a “relapse” as reported Thursday night by many media sources. It doesn’t change who he is or who he wants to be in the future or how people should look at him. He’s flawed. Just like you. Just like me. If you liked him before, like him even more now. Why? Like him because whatever it is in your life that you can’t quite master, he’s going through the same battle-just in front of the cameras, in the papers and on the internet. When that happens, it really doesn’t matter how much money you make or who you are. Think about it and get back to me…

2.  Les Miles has more to be ashamed of today than Josh Hamilton. Miles most likely was sober when he publicly ripped a kid whose greatest crime was not wanting to be mis-coached by Miles at LSU and have to be defended by Bobby Hebert. Maybe there is a reason why Miles never got his dream job. . .

3.The most impressive thing to me about Texas Tech’s signing class is that no one bailed. A brutal finish to the season, a tumultuous off-season that saw a contentious departure of your defensive coordinator and other position coaches yet they still didn’t lose and in fact added. Impressive. Texas Tech fans should feel good that recruits seem to be looking at the school, the program and the experience in total.

4.  If Texas Tech ever wears silver or red helmets under Tommy Tuberville I will lead any effort necessary to make sure he has to watch the Tech-OSU game tape for 24 hours straight.

5.  I have been told by two folks outside the Big 12 footprint that The Longhorn Network is going to undergo significant changes and restructuring and that it will no longer be a barrier to Texas joining the Pac-12 or other conferences in the future. Seems the House Of The Mouse has realized the Network is an albatross costing them not just money, but the ability to control college sports by using it as a bargaining chip. The Mouse hates that. Will it lead to a new round of realignment talk? Of course. Will anything happen? Ask @DanBeebe on Twitter…

I welcome your comments, thoughts and anything else you’ve got today. Post ‘em here and share with your friends.

Hyatt

1. The legacy of Joe Paterno should be the cautionary tale of what happens when people, groups and institutions engage in the Cult of Personality, which is what happened at Penn. State. At a time it was all about the ideals and principles Paterno espoused and supposedly represented. After a time it became about Paterno. It became about protecting the Institution of Paterno Football. When you hear people say, “Joe Paterno WAS Penn. St.” it is very telling. We’ll let y’all chew on that for a while. Some won’t like it. That’s ok.

2.  The AP reports that Pat Sajak and Vanna White used to knock down a few margaritas in between tapings of shows back during the day. Makes sense. That’s the only way most can watch it now… Knowing now that Vanna was a little tipsy makes me want to find that legendary poster she made in the 80′s. . .

3.  I have no problem with the Texas Rangers resigning Josh Hamilton as long as it is for 4-years and is heavily loaded with incentives for games played over 125 per season. Anything more than that will be foolish money. I can’t see the team getting a deal done before spring training as Hamilton wishes, and why should they? I’d like to see how he does this year, can he stay on the field and what will his bat look like. More than willing to risk it.

4.  Chicago Now has a new blog by a guy that says he’s gonna write about Pork. He hasn’t written about Pork yet, but he has talked about Journey, leisure suits and spices. We’ll be waiting for the pork. I’ve often thought the world needed more blogs about leisure suits and I’m pleased this man is bravely jumping in to fill the void.

5.  There are reports that Texas senatorial candidate Craig James called Texas Tech coaches during games while working for ESPN. This would explain the broadcasts on ESPN a bit. . . No word if he called Newt Gingrich last night during the CNN debate to see if he’d mention his name a few times.

Hyatt

5 Things We Know On A Friday:

1.  While the Texas Tech Lady Raiders scrapped and did the best the could against Baylor Wednesday night, the real loss was the rule of law, once again in the Hubbaplex. The local D.A. had another chance to issue an arrest warrant for Baylor’s Brittney Griner for her assault on Jordan Barncastle 2 years ago and chose not to uphold the law. I’m still disappointed in that decision. Not so much for Barncastle, she’s long moved on, but rather for the rule of law in general. I’m tired of folks thinking they can get away with criminal activity just because it takes place at a sporting event. Why should that matter? I can’t do what Griner did at my work-place, why should she get a pass at The United Spirit Arena? A criminal assault took place in front of several officers and others that day. None did anything. The main reason is because they know schools like Tech don’t want the “negative publicity” of a cop doing their job on a basketball court. Looks bad…  well—so what? Someday I hope we’ll get past this idiotic idea and start to enforce law no matter where. It’ll eliminate a lot of the crap most folks have railed against over the years on our show. . .

2.  Muhammad Ali turned 70 this week. Good for him. I don’t want to upset ESPN or anything, but he’s still pond-scum for the way he treated Joe Frazier. If he were really a man of peace, he’d have done better by Frazier. As it stands, he used his “faith” as an escape for serving his country. . . Of course many will disagree and that’s fine and your right, still- Ali talked one game yet his actions didn’t back it up. Happy Birthday.

3.  When Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels is old enough to vote, imagine how good the Rangers will be! To get Yu Darvish, who will be a solid 2nd starter, for that money is bold. Now that he’s playing poker against saying they’re not sure if they can afford Prince Fielder-you can bet he’ll get Fielder too. I’ll take Darvish over C. J. Wilson by 2 wins in the regular season plus anything else in October. Who’s with me?

4.  We had a topic this week asking if a 4A or 5A school will ever win another UIL State Championship in Football again here in Texas. I’ll ask y’all. What do you think? It’s been over 30 years. Will it happen again? Why or Why not? I say no, unless they radically change the numbers for these schools West of I-35.

5. If you’re the Governor of Texas and you can’t whip guys name Newt and Mitt, not only should you get out of the race, you might want to resign as Governor and pay back the good folks of Texas for wasting all of our time and money. . .

Hyatt

It’s back. Sorta. Kinda. But it’s back. 5 Things returns for 2012. Feel free to add your comments, questions, helpful household cleaning tips and winning lotto numbers below.

1.  A fine grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup with saltine crackers should be on menu’s at every restaurants everywhere. If I were Governor I’d highly encourage it, if not make it State law. It makes more sense than most of what comes out of Austin these days.

2.  I applaud Penn. State for going “outside the family” in hiring Bill O’Brien as head football coach. I have no idea if he’ll have success or not. It looks like right now a lot of the Penn. State alums are hacked that they didn’t hire one of Paterno’s guys. Typical response at a time like this. The O’Brien hire will help Penn. State move down the road if they rally around him. If they don’t, the school will remain stuck in the mire of their own myopic world for some time to come. It’s their choice.

3.  Say what you want to, but Texas isn’t a football state, a basketball state or a baseball state. It’s a winner’s state. Some folks seem to forget that from time to time.

4.  If I could alter the outcome of any Texas Tech sporting event in history I’d have to go back to 1976 and see what would have happened if the Red Raiders had beaten Houston that day in Lubbock. Most likely a trip to the Cotton Bowl as an unbeaten and a shot at Maryland. The Terps were unbeaten going into that Cotton Bowl against Houston. It very likely could have been a game to decide the National Championship. Pitt would win the Sugar that year with #2USC having a loss out West and the SEC and Big 10 not providing undefeateds that year, Tech may have been able to play their way to a title. Had that happened, how different would the rest of the decade have been and most certainly the 1980′s?  Something to ponder. . .

5.  I have no problem with the Texas Rangers hiring Josh Hamilton’s father-in-law as his personal life-coach and mentor. Whatever it takes to keep Hamilton “right” and productive, the Rangers should do. Now, when it comes to signing him to a long-term contract. . . well, I’ll have other thoughts on that.

Y’all enjoy the weekend and try to pay attention when you’re out driving around.

Hyatt

It’s nice to be back writing. We took some time off because our brain ran out of words. It happens. When you talk for a living, sometimes you leave all the good stuff in the studio. No promises that any of this will qualify as “good stuff”, but it is nice to find some time to write again and ( as always ) get your feedback. So, here goes. . .

1.  For two straight weeks Tony Romo has won games for the Dallas Cowboys that only he was going to be able to win. I’ve said in the past, and still maintain, that some guys have the “IT” factor and some don’t Romo doesn’t. But, big but here, he is showing signs as this season goes along of handling those situations better and making plays to win for his team vs. the other team. I still think he’s a better than average QB in the NFL, but not elite. That said, it is a proven fact you can win big in the NFL without an elite QB as long as they don’t hurt you. Perhaps, just perhaps, Romo is at that point in his career right now that he won’t be the problem if Dallas doesn’t win the division or make the play-offs. If you’re a Cowboy fan, the last two weeks should make you feel good. Those were games you lost in the last few years with or without a talent advantage. This time you won those two. That’s how you go from a 10 win team in this league to 12. Could this be the shift for Romo? You tell me.

2. Texas and Texas A&M officials can bluster and posture all they want but I firmly believe this series will be back on the schedule within a couple of years. Not from political pressure, not from ESPN pressure ( not even the all powerful yet never seen force known as The Longhorn Network ) but rather because the fan-bases will demand it. Same thing goes for Kansas and Mizzou particularly in basketball. Emotions will die down in a couple of years, new decision makers will be in place and these games will come back. Remember, once upon a time Alabama never played at Auburn. . . Things change.

3.  @DanBeebe is the best twitter account out there. @FauxPelini runs a close second. @TheOrangeCone is the best inanimate object I’ve ever had the pleasure of getting to know. It’s sad when fiction is better than reality.

4.  Those that don’t follow college basketball will see the score in the Texas Tech’s 60-49 loss to Indiana St. and think this is a sign that the Red Raiders are horrible. I mean really? Indiana St.? Ya, they’re good. They go to the NCAA Tournament and make teams work. They’re better than Texas Tech right now, but not by much. The Red Raiders put Indiana St. on the line way too many times. 25-31 vs. their 5-9. That is a sign that you’re either out of position or you are out-classed physically. Don’t think they were out-classed physically so you do the math. The good thing is that is a correctable problem. Bad news is that it may take a while to correct it. Lots of growing pains with this Tech team but I like their athleticism and hustle. The smarts will come. Oh, and feel free to be an impact player each night Lewandowski. Tech won’t win many games this year if he has more lines like today. He must be a difference maker each night.

5.  As we embark on the Christmas season let’s get this perfectly clear. “It’s A Wonderful Life” is the greatest holiday movie of all-time. There can be no debate.

Now, y’all get out and support local businesses and drive the economy. My wife can’t do it all by herself!

Hyatt

1. I’m amazed that some folks are still having trouble understanding why the SEC would want Texas A&M. The SEC set and watched the Big 12 and the Pac 12 pass them in TV contracts and that was unacceptable. Knowing he had to ring the register quickly, Mike Slive went on the offensive. That’s the biggest change from this time last year. In a sense, Dan Beebe and DeLoss Dodds brought this on themselves by making the Big 12 “work” last summer.

2. Instead of playing for a traveling trophy, the SEC should make Texas A&M and Mississippi State play in the Jackie Sherrill Bowl. The loser each year must devote 10 pages in their media guide to the Sherrill era at their school.

3. Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will fit in nicely with the Pac-12.

4. Texas will roll the Longhorn Network into the Pac-16′s regional nets. Tech, OU, and OSU will share the other regional net in this part of the world. The Big 3-Bevo Free can be their slogan.

5. Larry Scott is the smartest man in the room once again.

Hyatt

5 Things We Know On A Friday: 7/22/11

1.  As we wrote a few weeks back, The Longhorn Network will be a linchpin in the final dissolution of the Big 12. The brazen approach ESPN and Texas are taking has revealed once again how tenuous the league. You can read the comments coming out of College Station and see that they are less than appeased by the Dan Beebe “delay” in implementation. Even Texas Tech’s AD, Kirby Hocutt, sounded like a man waiting on answers and clarification yesterday as opposed to someone sold that The Longhorn Network was  a great thing for the league.

2.  For those waiting on the NCAA to rule quickly on whether LHN can televise high school games. . . ya right. The easiest thing for them to do is “study” it for a good while, as their TV partner and bell-cow program goes right ahead and televises the games, saying their just following the rules as they exist right now. Maybe by Christmas the NCAA will figure something out on an issue they’ve been aware of since last April. . .

3.  One last LHN impact thought today; the comments from SEC Commissioner Mike Slive was most telling this week. For the first time I can remember he didn’t rule out a first-strike plan for the SEC to expand. What’s changed from last year? Mainly the SEC’s TV contract in relation to the other leagues. The SEC is locked up for many years and the only way they can open up the contracts is to change the make-up of the league. Hmm. How could they do that? Oh ya, two phone calls to College Station and Norman, Oklahoma. Slive realizes the SEC needs to redo their contracts fast. That is a huge game-changer, bigger even than the LHN impact on the Big 12.

4.  Whenever I interview Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt I forget I’m talking to a guy running an athletic department and think I’m talking to a C.E.O. of a major corporation. That’s a good thing. Simply put, he has the best grasp of the old school needs for coaches and players while completely understanding the economic realities and how to communicate those to his internal staff and customers on the outside. Most impressive.

5.  Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe has a great future being the P.R. spokesman for MySpace, Blockbuster Video or Dial-up internet providers.

Hyatt

1.  Right now the whole ESPN-Bruce Feldman saga sounds like a collection of boneheaded moves that has culminated in a final boneheaded move by the 4-letter network that only makes them look even more shabby than they normally look, which is somewhere below Geraldo Rivera’s sense of subtlety and ethics. . .that said we are still in the range of allegedly and supposedly regarding whether Bruce Feldman has been suspended by ESPN for his work on Mike Leach’s new book, so we”ll keep everything to the realm of speculation for now.

2.  The first boneheaded move may have been by Feldman himself when he continued to work on Leach’s book after Leach sued Feldman’s employer, ESPN. Even if ESPN bosses had given him permission to continue, that’s just not a smart move. Certainly not, given ESPN’s history of hating anyone in their employ crossing them publicly.

3.  The next boneheaded move would be by ESPN if they did give Feldman permission to conitnue working on the Leach book, then suddenly changed their mind and got upset when the book came out and, SHOCKINGLY, made them look bad. Even if Feldman allegedly revealed “inside information” about ESPN it is a dumb move to suspend him now. All this does is call more attention to a book I’m sure ESPN would rather have go away. If Leach and Feldman hired a PR Firm (ha) to promote the book, they couldn’t do a better job of it than what ESPN has done by allegedly suspending Feldman for something he may or may not have done in violation of his employ. You want it to go away, ESPN, don’t make news.

4.  Bruce Feldman deserves better than ESPN.

5.  Texas Tech starts practicing football again in a few weeks. It can’t come soon enough. Looking forward to watching new defensive coordinator Chad Glasgow go to work now that he’s had time to put in a little more of his system and knows his personnel a little better. Texas Tech may show one of the biggest statistical improvements in the country this year in total defense. If they want to play in something other than a cheap knock-off bowl–they better.

Hyatt