With a new year we almost bound by media laws to produce some sort of list of predictions for the coming year. Much like “giving a monkey a shower” on Phineas and Ferb, it has to be done. ( If you get that, I applaud you for your fine viewing habits )

So, keeping in mind that these predictions must be both bold and brave, here goes. We’ll check back this time 2013 and see how close we got.

12.  In March, Lubbock’s Tent City will incorporate. Tent City will then vote itself wet, and further drive down beer and liquor prices in the Hubbaplex. Seeing the huge success of Tent City, Lakeridge will secede from Lubbock, incorporate and name itself “GeorgeBushStickersStillOnOurTahoes”. It too will get wet, but only from 9-to-midnight at Market Street and only for the Methodists. Cards will be issued.

11.  Texas Tech Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt will find the secret panel on the desk in his office that Gerald Myers had installed years ago. Inside the panel Hocutt will find a book revealing all the secrets in the last 75 years regarding Texas Tech Athletics. Artifacts will include the pictures Bob Knight had on David Schmidly, a letter from Mike Leach to Donald Trump admitting he made up all the stuff about liking pirates just because it sounded better than telling folks what he really enjoyed was puffy, white shirts as well as the post-it note containing Jerry Moore’s play-book. Hocutt will find the actual number to Chad Glasgow’s cell phone the most interesting part of all. Turns out they’d entered it into the company directory wrong after-all. . . what a misunderstanding.

10.  Tommy Tuberville will mention the wind blowing during spring practice at Texas Tech and still somehow manage to sound shocked and amazed.

9.  Texas Tech Lady Raider Head Coach Kristy Curry will replace the phrase, “it is what it is” with, “I told you I could coach, now start coming to the games and supporting these kids-they’re damn good!”.

8.  Jerry Jones will do what he’s always wanted to do. In July he’ll announced he’s cloned himself and will serve as both Cowboys head coach and quarterback for 2012. With Jones leading the team the Cowboys fall one game shy of the Super Bowl losing in the NFC Championship game to Washington. The Tony Romo-led Redskins complete a 21-point comeback in the 4th quarter on a Romo to Daniel Snyder TD pass.

7.  Someone, anyone, will finally notice that a gallon of orange juice costs more than a gallon of gas and that oranges actually do grow on trees and don’t require drilling for dead dinosaur guts. . .

6.  Roger Goodell will suspend James Harrison 3 games and fine him Bolivia for slapping Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger too hard on the rump after a pre-season scoring drive.

5.  Dan Beebe will return to be the commissioner of the Big 12 after changing his name and sneaking past the hiring committee of Deloss Dodds, Deloss Dodds id, ego and super ego. The interview will be televised on The Longhorn Network to the delight of its subscriber, Mrs. Dodds. Upon his return to the Big 12, Beebe will announce that he’s invading the SEC in an attempt to regain Texas A&M and Missouri. Beebe’s forces advance as far as the hotel ballroom at SEC Media Days before being rebuffed by the hotel kitchen staff, all former SEC defensive players, proving once again the Big 12 can’t handle real defenses. . .

4.  The Texas Rangers Cy Young winner Yu Darvish will announce he hasn’t understood a damn thing Ron Washington said all year and that he’s demanding a trade to be with his homie and soul-mate, Ozzie Guillen ( the only one who really gets me, Darvish tells Eric Nadel in a gut-wrenching interview )

3.  Keith Olbermann will finally quit calling Dan Patrick late at night asking if he wants to come over and play, “read the teleprompter”.

2.  NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart will go vegan. Repulsed, Andy Lally orders a steak and says the hell with it…

1.  On December 31, 2012 Dick Clark will be wondering once again why he even bothers to do this thing if it means working with Justin Bieber and Ryan Seacrest. His New Year’s Resolution for 2013–Host the Rockin’ New Year’s Eve on The Playboy Channel–life’s too short–even if you’re 112 years old!

Happy New Year y’all. Be safe and make the most of it. It should be a grand one!

Hyatt

Just saw where the Powerball lotto is up around 150 million dollars. Not a bad little tax problem to have I must say for a dollar “investment”. I rarely play but for some reason it will occasionally grab my attention and dollars. I don’t even pretend it goes to public education any more. I just figure I’m buying a “dream” and paying a “stupid tax”.

Let’s say today though that you did hit the lotto and suddenly had the kind of millions to bestow on Texas Tech that many Red Raiders wish they had. I hear a lot saying that if Tech had a T. Boone Pickens the school would get a lot more out of it than Oklahoma State has so far. . .

So, what would you do with your cash? What would you fund at Texas Tech? Would it be sports-related? Would you do something for the school or college you got your major in? I’m interested to see how creative y’all can get with this today.

Don’t forget that if you live outside the Hubbaplex you can catch our show every day live via www.1340thefan.com where you can also download the smart phone app for SportsRadio 1340 The Fan. I also encourage all of you to give our podcast a FREE TRIAL right now. That’s the best way to never miss a segment, an interview or any discussions about your Red Raiders, Lubbock and West Texas news. Click on any podcast on the front page of our site and begin the journey.

Have a great Sunday and we’ll talk to you on the radio come Monday.

Ryan Hyatt

1. Great show put on by Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs last night in a win that was as enjoyable in Cleveland as it was in Dallas. Once again, LeBron ( the next not-good-enough-to-carry-Jordan’s-Haynes ) James went missing when it mattered most and again the Mavericks had some dagger shots down the stretch not just from Dirk but J. J. and the Jet. Not sure who is hating this more, the NBA or Nike. Either way I hope Dirk gets his ring. The window will close fast on this group of Mavs, particularly depending on what happens on the labor front for the league. Dirk gets his ring and he’s absolutely one of the top 20 players of all-time!

2.  This time has come, Red Raider fans. With a new athletic director in Kirby Hocutt now putting his stamp on the program the time has come for Texas Tech to consider expanded beer sales at Jones Stadium for football games. Sure, if you’re rich and your in a luxury box you can get a cold one, but why not let everyone enjoy a few buds with their buds? West Virginia recently did the same thing with new A.D. Oliver Luck taking the lead role. I’d love to see Texas Tech do the same thing.

If the brains at WVU can figure out a way to make this work and add upwards of 1.2 million dollars to the coffers, surely Texas Tech can do the same thing. Attitudes have changed in Lubbock over the past few years and I have a feeling that if Tech approved beer sales it would have the same support as the passage of beer and wine sales at grocery and 7-11′s did a year or so ago. Most folks in 2011 would just yawn. For the record, if you’re looking for a school that takes it to a new level, Louisville sales hard liquor at their games. . .

3.  I’m getting a little weary of some NASCAR fans and media raving about Kyle Busch’s total number of wins over the last few years as if he’s racking them all up at the Cup level like Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt did. Yes, KyBu is a good wheel man and hopefully he’ll only get better. But right now, with the money he pours into the Truck series and the Nationwide series he should dominate. Cash buys speed and everytime KyBu unloads at the track he’s got a top 3 or 5 car/truck in that series. Call me back when he’s doing the same in Cup or sniffs a Chase Championship and then we can start calling him great. . .

4.  I’ll have to give credit where credit is due. . . I agree with KFYO’s Chad Hasty that Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be entering the Presidential race this summer. Look for an announcement on July 4th while Perry stands atop the Austin Capitol Dome declaring America’s Independence once again from Washington. My guess is that he’ll also be armed. I’m not sure at all that this is a bad thing, but I know that it will make things much more interesting.

5.  Mayor Tom Martin said on KFYO this morning that there would be no fireworks show after the Fourth on Broadway street fair this year. It is absolutely the right call. Now the county should ban the sale and use of fireworks as well. It has NEVER been this dry in Lubbock and it is stupid and selfish for folks to want to use pyrotechnics this year. There is no way the County or Lubbock Fire Departments could begin to respond to the fires that would be unleashed by the idiots this year. Do the right thing. Ban ‘em.

Don’t miss interviews like today’s with Tech Pres. Dr. Guy Bailey and Tech A. D. Gerald Myers.

Take The Show where ever you go. Sign-up today and keep up with your Red Raiders and everything else you love about Lubbock and West Texas. You’ll be glad you did~

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

1. If Texas Tech officials and Mike Leach really wanted to “mediate” things would we be where we are today? I don’t hold out much hope that a settlement will be reached through the court ordered mediation process. If Leach does agree to a settlement will that upset the Team Leach-types that think a trial is the only way to “find the truth”?
2. Conan O’Brien is funnier than Jay Leno. It isn’t even close.
3. Ruffin McNeill will win at ECU.
4. Jerry Jones made the right call in keeping Jerry Jones around for another year or two. The window for Dallas to win is rapidly closing, why blow it up now with a complete culture and scheme change? I still think Jason Garret needs to rethink how to use Felix Jones and Marion Barber and the offensive line must be retooled, but with 2010 being the last year I think Dallas can contend before major overhauls and a looming labor battle disrupts everything, you might as well keep Wade around. Wow. That’s an endorsement, isn’t it?
5. Rex Andrew is going to give the Honorable Judge Jim Hansen a better battle than most expect for Justice of the Peace here in the Hubbaplex.

MORE LATER

HYATT

Watch and see if your call made the cut.

Mike Leach vs. Texas Tech – Day Two

Adam Zuvanich of the Avalanche-Journal has a compelling story today about former Mike Leach players standing up for him after allegations have been leveled by current Tech player Adam James and his family. A lot of comparisons have been made linking what happened to Mark Mangino at Kansas to what is going on with the Lead Pirate at Texas Tech. This story in the A-J today reveals a very different tone though that what came out from Lawrence in the early days of the Mangino case.

We noted a few weeks ago that early on and for the most part during the whole investigation and subsequent removal of Mangino as coach that there were very few players standing up for the big guy. Fast-forward to today in Lubbock and you’ve got several high-profile players coming out supporting Leach and trying to cast James as a disgruntled player that didn’t get the PT he wanted and is now trying to smear the coach.

This story is going to quickly become a war of PR by the Leach camp vs. the James Gang. Each camps has the resources and the sources in the media more than willing to carry the water for them. Today and Wednesday will be critical for Mike Leach with the clock ticking on some major contract issues regarding money. Don’t think for a minute this doesn’t have to do about dollars either Tech fans.

You’ve got the dollars that the University officials and Board of Regents didn’t want to lose in a lawsuit and you’ve got the money that Leach is owed, nearly a million dollars, if he’s still the coach of the Red Raiders on New Year’s Day.  Always follow the money.

I fully expect more statements today from Mike Leach’s legal team as well as perhaps an additional comment by Texas Tech officials “clarifying” the process that led to the suspension. If Texas Tech has anything to stand on here it is going to be important for the University to convey that to the fan-base quickly and as best they can with the legal battle looming. Right now, Mike Leach is winning the PR battle amongst most Tech fans. If Texas Tech can’t bring anything more to the table in the next 48 hours this is going to get ugly for Gerald Myers, Kent Hance and the members of the Board of Regents.

I’ve got a feeling someone at Texas Tech is hoping for an Open Records request so they can be “forced” to provide information to the public that otherwise they might not be able to do with a lawsuit looming.

Stay tuned and we’ll see you at three on The Williams and Hyatt Show.

MORE LATER

HYATT