During the opener, I was noticing the Longhorn people. They had the cheers you see on tv and the normal flashing of the Horn signals. I came to the game hoping both of the Texas teams would win. Texas lost the opener and about 5 minutes before the game with A and M it happened. As A and M took the court, they did the Aggie cheers.
This was my first Aggie athletic event. I was told by many people including the great basketball pro Mike Newlin that I should go to an Aggie football game. Anyway, I heard the cheer. The first fight song was 8 times louder than the Longhorns sounded. It was choreographed and the yell leaders were leading it with precision. I cannot even describe it but it really gave me chills. It also moved my son who was in attendance with me. Then they did another fight song that they joined arms in and did a swaying movement. Now I was blown away. Again, the precision and brotherhood and camraderie was amazing.
I have been to see Notre Dame play a few times, UCLA in football and played against them when Wooden was coach, Southern Cal and many more. Nothing came close to what I witnessed with the Aggies....and it got me thinking.
What does all this sound like at Kyle field when there are ninety thousand people doing this in unison? It must be incredible and that brought me to question number two. How is this team not a top 10 team every year? If I was a young man being recruited on the sidelines and saw this, I would sign on the dotted line in a split second. If I was a great coach, there could not be many jobs I would covet more than Texas A and M. Think about it. You go in any direction for 200 miles and you have more college talent than anywhere in the country. And you have this school spirit that is hard to describe unless you experience it.
I have since asked some Aggies about this and they said when they first entered the Big 12 that all the visiting fans were just blown away by the school spirit. It was like nothing they had ever seen. I have since talked with Newlin about this. Mike is a 10 year plus NBA veteran, and he said there is nothing like it anywhere. And I thought I had seen it all.
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TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS PART II
I would be remiss if I did not wrap my last blog up by mentioning Linda Jones. I was listening to the soul station and I heard the song Hypnotized. I got the artist's name and promptly downloaded it and a few others by Miss Jones as well. The tune was produced very slick for its time. I had heard it before and was fairly curious about the artist and wondered why she was not well known. Linda Jones died backstage at the Apollo in the early 70's from a diabetes attack after a performance. She gave it her all and died doing what she loved way before her time.
On a brighter note, check out Betty Lavette on the Austin City Limit web site. She was a 60's Motown signee who is just now making it. She reminds me of what Tina Turner would be like now if she did not go pop... with just a touch of Mavis Staples in her voice. Has a very strong Muscle Shoals band backing her as well. Very worthwhile checking this out as someone who has paid their dues for 40 plus years and is starting to see the money roll in. Very inspiring.
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