Headed home from the first two media days with some parting thoughts. The Longhorn Network was the hottest topic and there wasn’t close second. Mack Brown praised the efforts of UT brass for making it happen. When it came to the notion of televising HS games involving UT recruits, he doesn’t think its a big deal. Brown estimated Texas signs between 20-25 players out of nearly 400 that sign D1 scholarships each year. Brown figures most of his recruiting is already committed to Texas before their senior season begins. Baylor’s Art Briles and A&M’s Mike Sherman didn’t have much to say about the LHN, Briles said if coaches are worried about it then they are looking for things to worry about. He said recruiting against Texas is tough anyway. He did say if one school has network its not that big of a deal, but if four more schools get networks, then they have issues. Sherman said he doesn’t worry about, saying A&M has others doing that. Both A&M and Baylor declined to talk to the Longhorn Network. Missouri’s Gary Pinkell was a little more straight forward, saying the LHN televising HS games defies common sense in regards to fairness. Texas and the LHN will meet with the NCAA to figure exactly what is allowable. By the way, KBVO-TV is about to release our schedule for our 2nd year of live Thursday High School games as well as a full schedule of Friday Night games that will air tape delayed on Saturday nights.

As for the UT quarterback situation, Brown said the job is still up for grabs. Brown compared it to 2006 when Colt McCoy and Jevean Need were battling to replace Vince Young. Brown said when the began camp the players pretty much said McCoy earned the job with his work over the summer when coaches weren’t around. Now Brown and Co-OC’s Brian Harsin will begin to speak with players about summer workouts. Blake Gideon did say on Monday he feels Garrett Gilbert has an advantage because of his experience. Wonder if that’s a hint? With media day out of the way,its on to practice, thats begins a week from Friday.

Courtesy: EA Sports

While he’s possibly gearing up for a game of presidential proportions, Texas Gov. Rick Perry showed a different kind of competitive spirit on Monday in Austin. The battle on the business field was only enhanced with the unveiling of a Texas A&M football avatar of the politician.

“Aggie football team beats the UT football team,” he laughed. “I like that. Whoever coded that did a hell of a good job, so I just kind of want to let them know.”

Perry announced the creation of 300 new jobs in the video-gaming realm. EA Games plans to open a new studio in Austin, only furthering Perry’s presence as a “jobs” man in the process.

“Gov. Perry and the Texas legislature have created a very pro-business environment for us,” said EA Games President Frank Gibeau. “Very friendly in terms of an operating unit.

Courtesy: EA Sports

The feature was a mockup version of the company’s latest football video game, NCAA Football 12. Player Perry is clad in a uniform of his alma mater Aggies, matched up against rival University of Texas Longhorns.

“His stats aren’t too shabby either,” EA said on the company blog. “It looks like Gov. Perry is quite the athlete, with an overall score of 99 and some impressive numbers!”

While he’s yet to declare a decision to run for the nation’s top office, he will need to keep that competitive spirit up, as the Republican playing field is already full of heavy hitters.

“If it’s in the game, it’s in the game,” Perry said, quoting the EA Sports slogan. “Right now, Texas is where the game’s being played.”

Walking around the new TD Ameritrade Stadium, there seems to be a certain lack of respect for the old Rosenblatt Stadium. There is no Rosenblatt drive in front of the stadium or anywhere around it for that matter.  It just didn’t seem right that with the new, they had forgotten the old. The old that had created the idea that the College World Series could be held in no other place than Omaha, Nebraska.  Omaha Municipal Stadium started it all and I just felt like more needed to be done to preserve the new park.

The final out for Texas and their quick departure from Omaha this year provided a chance to make one last drive to the Blatt. ONe could almost hear the roar of the crowd as we drove down the hill and saw the Blatt still standing. Taking a picture outside the fence I remembered all of the great moments I had inside. The feeling you got when you just knew something was about to happen. Augie would pull the rabbit out of the hat and sure enough, the unexpected would happen.

I’m a big fan of the new park, but somewhere the name Rosenblatt should’ve been there for all to see and understand that without that name, none of the new happens. How soon we forget.

but in this pictures — is more than a 1000 words — 60 years of moments — highs and lows.

As if Monday’s 3-0 season ending loss wasn’t bad enough, then the weather came to Omaha. The Longhorns were on their charter flight ready to head home when the plane was evacuated because of severe weather that also forced an evacuation of TD Ameritrade Park during the Florida- Vanderbilt game.

Update: as of 10:30 the Longhorns were re-boarding their plane and planning to leave by 11 barring more weather issues.

The Longhorns must figure this is a nightmare that won’t end. They probably should have known it wasn’t their day when Tant Shepherd opened the bottom of the first inning with a great at bat that ended with the hardest hit ball of the day only to end up a long out to left.

From there the bats were pretty quiet, which has been this teams Achilles heal all season. Texas closed the regular season getting shutout by Texas A&M 3-0 and that’s how their season ends.

One of Augie Garrido’s messages after the game was the promise of having 11 freshman on the roster, five playing key roles during the season.

After leaving downtown, photographer Todd Bynum and I drove out to Rosenblatt Stadium for one last look. I’m not really sentimental when it comes to things like stadiums, but it was strange to be at the empty park where I’ve been so many times beginning in 1991, knowing the CWS was going on just a few miles
away.

Texas made it to the College World Series way back in 1950 for the opening of Rosenblatt stadium so it’s fitting to see them here at TD Ameritrade in their inagural season. There are many new things I like and others I really don’t The statue needs to move to a more prominent place. Now it’s just stuck there because I feel like maybe they thoght they had to. There is one good thing that remains and it’s even closer to get than before and that’s the traditional Zesto’s milk shake.  The field is really spectacular, even the dirt is new and looks like something off of a movie set. The old timers will tell you they love Rosenblatt, but I bet if having been here a year….you take them back to Rosenblatt next year, they prefer here. It takes a while to get over moving traditinos but eventualy they get to tell their own new stories and with that comes new character.

The field is one of the best in the country. So, like everthing else, it’s just gonna take time to get used to the enw digs.

The Longhorns face North Carolina for the first team ever in Baseball on Monday afternoon. Winner plays Wednesday against the loser of the Florida-Vanderbilt game, loser goes home. Both coaches on Sunday spoke about having to win 4 straight to get into the Championship series.

North Carolina’s Mike Fox witnessed that first hand in 2006 when they lost to Oregon St. in championship series which was the first of Oregon States back to back titles. Texas has been to the championship series in each of their last three CWS appearances but never after losing their first game. What the Horns can hang their hat on is their “living on the edge” post season. They fought off elimination three times in the regional and then twice more in the super regional.

Senior Cole Green is scheduled to get the start. Green told me he’s hoping the experience, even though it was a loss, of starting in the national championship series deciding game against LSU will help him against the Tar Heels.

Man times during the course of the season, you’ll see Coach Augie Garrido call time and head out of the dugout to talk to the batter. Usually it’s a situation where the Horns need a big hit or it’s a tricky situation. I think the message is just simple as “remember when you were in the back yard and playing with your dad or in Little League” or at least that we’ve been told.  That really makes it simple…it’s a kids game and when we grow older we only make it complicated with thouthts of expecations and goals we can’t control.  Much like Cole Green told us today. He had forgottne to set goals he could control. Cole spent most of the pre-season setting goals with expectations like number os wins, strike outs and pitching stats. He forgot to set a goal of just make one ptich, then the next pitch. He’s fully aware of the situation that awaits him getting the start in Monday’s elimnation game against North Carolina.  He talked openly about his struggles this year and how he now is ready for that pressure associated with elimination games in the College World Series. That’s why Augie said before the Super Regional Competition with ASU that part of the reason Cole came back was for this moment he is in now…a chance to win the National Championship and find out who he is and be the total person he wants to be going beyond even who he thought he could be. Looks like he’s well on his way and why today was a fun day.

The scene at today’s practice for North Carolina was much different than Texas.  The teams both had younsters waiting patiently for autographs and a chance to say hello. North Carolina practice at Boy’s Town and a lot of the kids were shagging BP balls for the team…and then also got a special treat taking BP with the players encouraging them on. A great sight to see on this father’s day when sometimes the best thing a father can do is put you in a postion to succeed and surround you with people who provide you with a positive influence in your life

So, if it’s a kids game and now that Cole has played the adult game of expecations….let’s hope Monday he just comes out as a kid again.

This is my 7th trip to Omaha. Everyyear is different and this year is no exception.  The Horns will have to come through the losers bracket for the third straight weekend if they are to advance to the Championship series and open up TD Ameritrade the same way they opened Rosenblatt — with a National Championship. I think they have a shot, but I’m an optimist when it comes to teams coached by Augie Garrido. The impossible awaits someone. who has prepared for the moment.  The only thing I didn’t like about coming this year was having to cut short my vacation with my neice and nephew to head to Omaha. This is where dreams come true and life leassons are learned. Maybe one day, he will be here, maybe not.

I could never have imagined I would have been here 7 times. This time would be the most unique if they win it all. It will be the first time since 1950 they would’ve lost the first game and came back to win. They have done it 11 times but onlyonce have they done what South Carolina did in 2010. I hope we’re here for a while but if not, I think over the next four years the opportunity to make trips 8,9 and 10 are there. I think this team will win it all in the next three years.

Cole Green says he’s ready for the ball in this CWS elimination game. Cole also started the last game in 2009 against LSU so he knows pressure. I think Taylor Jungmann just tried to hard not to lose and as Augie would say, when you try you get out of rhythm and start expecting things.

So, I’m not expecting anything, just ready to enjoy whatever magical moments appear.

The Texas baseball team has not made it easy on themselves all post season. It started with an opening round loss at the Big 12 tournament to Missouri which is technically the regular season, but feels more like the post season. From there they won two straight before losing a second time to Missouri. Then they lost their 2nd round regional game before winning three straight. Horns dropped their super regional opener to Arizona State before winning two to make it to Omaha.

So here we are at the College World Series where Texas has to fight it’s way out of the losers bracket again. What makes this NCAA tournament all the more unusual is that in all three of UT’s losses, Taylor Jungmann was the losing pitcher. This after Jungmann went 13-0 during the regular season. Jungmann admitted after the game that mechanically he has struggled the last few outings.

Now it’s on to Monday afternoon against North Carolina. Senior Cole Green will take the mound not only trying to extend UT’s season but his career. The senior turned down some $300,000 from the Tigers after being drafted in the 4th round. He came back for this moment, another chance in Omaha. Green’s last appearance at the CWS he started and lost the national championship deciding game against LSU in 2009. That would just be the start. Texas will have to win four straight to make it back to their 4th championship series in last four appearances.

A year ago this time Nebraska had just jumped from the Big 12 where they felt like a second class citizen to the southern schools in the conference, specifically Texas.  While the Longhorns are finished competing against the Cornhuskers in conference play, they are not finished competing in Nebraska.

Texas will make its record 34th trip to the College World Series later this week and will probably be the “Miami Heat” of the eight teams in Omaha, the one fans love to hate.  Texas A&M makes it a Texas two step at the new TD Ameritrade Park, but the Aggies have a secret weapon when it comes to Husker hospitality.  A&M head coach Rob Childress spent seven years as pitching coach at Nebraska before taking over in College Station.

The two schools cannot meet unless its in the championship series.  The go in as the offensive underdog.  Texas has hit 17 home runs as a team, their opening game opponent Florida has hit 67 including 18 from Mike Zunino.  The bigger question will be starting pitcher Taylor Jungmann.  After going 13-0 in the regular season, Jungmann has lost his two post season starts.  While the Gators can score in bunches, they also have some strong pitching.  Saturday’s expected starter is  Randall Hudson who has a 10-3 record with an impressive 2.29 ERA.  The schedule is always interesting in Omaha.  The team in the UT bracket that emerges on Monday night with a 2-0 record will have three days off until they play again on Friday.

The Aggies play the final opening game of the series when they take on defending champion South Carolina Sunday at 6:00.  They are opposite top seed Virginia and California.  The Bears are quite a story, this is a program that was supposed to be dropped, but a late push in fund raising, not to mention their appearance at the CWS will likely save them.