I find myself compelled, nigh, forced to add more of my particular flavor of drivel to the Attack Deer dialogue. To be sure, I am doing this as a direct response to overwhelming feedback from you, loyal reader, and your insatiable appetite for all things Deer. I want to point out however, that you should all take a serious look at Jonathan's previous post regarding the anthropological wonder that is New Mexico. Jonathan, on top of being a walking case study on the absolute potential of mankind, is an astute observer of the human condition and his musings can only make the rest of us more respectful inhabitants of this wonderfully diverse and changing planet. So without further ado, I want to address something that I've ignored for too long. Last week, the peaceful existence of life at 3601 Newland Place was disrupted when Donna and I metaphorically clasped hands, looked at each other with both apprehension and excitement, and leaped together into the world of Facebook. I've long been suspect of social media, choosing instead to pretend to like people to their faces. But as the number of people that I've at one time become friends with and now have no idea where they are or what they're doing piled up, I decided it was time to click on the ol' blinker, check the blind spots, and merge onto Interstate Facebook. I'm certainly glad I did, because not only am I finding all of these ghosts of friendships past, but I am discovering that my self-worth is still tied up in how many friends I have. That's comforting because, well, I'm getting older. And I like knowing that while Father Time wages a relentless assault on my physique, he has a ways to go before bringing my fragile and ego-centric psyche in line with my so-called maturity level. Thanks to Facebook, I can easily keep track of my friends and quickly measure against everyone else. This is an invaluable tool, a running score card by which to gauge my value as a person. Thank you, Facebook.
As of late I have become increasingly interested in the history of New Mexico, especially the area where we live at the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Walking around here there is a rich sense of history and of the people who lived here hundreds and even thousands of years ago. The dry desert climate preserves artifacts extremely well and the relatively slow rate of plant litter deposition makes finding many of them much easier than in other parts of the country. I received a book for Christmas called 'Enchantment and Exploitation: The Life and Hard Times of a New Mexico Mountain Range.' Although it is about the history of northern New Mexico it is a good read for others wanting to learn about American history as well. Most people don't know that the Spanish had been in present day New Mexico 80 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. And this is where, for a lot of us, human history on this continent begins. We are all aware of the Native Americans being here long before Europeans, but not many people bother to look into the history of those people, except to say something like "they must have come to America across a land bridge from present day Russia." We've all seen movies like 'Dances with Wolves' and 'Last of the Mohicans' but often we don't bother to discover the history of the Native Americans who lived right under our noses. A good example of this comes in my researching the origin of the word 'Pecos.' Like many people I just assumed it was a Spanish word. It sounds kind of Spanish and the people who live in Pecos these days are of Spanish origin - it just made sense. In my research about the the origin of this word I ran across a publication in Angelo State University's online newspaper asurampage.com called 'Pecos' Rich in Tranlation. The author, Winston A. Hall, seemed to be debating with himself over the possible origin of the word, but he never even sniffed the actual answer. At one point he posits that "The actual origin of the name 'Pecos' is debated. It's most likely derived from the Latin word 'pecus,' which means 'a single head of cattle.' However, others argue that it comes from the Spanish verb 'pecar,' which means to sin or do wrong." One possible answer that I did not find, which happens to be the actual answer, was that it has Native American origins. It was not until I read the book that I got for Christmas that I learned of the Pecos Pueblo Indian tribe and the rich and sad history of its people. Many of the Native American artifacts I have found were probably fashioned by members of this tribe. When I was reading about them I remembered back to the online article that I read and thought how sad it was for someone to research a question and write an article for a university and not even come close to the real answer, especially a question that has a real concrete answer - one that is not hard to find if you just look beyond a few Google queries. I guess the author was doing what I had done. He just assumed that the word must have Spanish or Latin origins because all of 'our' words do. The only difference is that this guy took his assumption to the next level and wrote a completely bogus article that probably led at least a couple of people astray. Being that I am probably living on the exact ground where the Pecos Pueblo Indians made their camps as they hunted along the Pecos river valley, I thought I should step in and set the record straight. If not only to keep others from being led astray, but maybe in some small way to honor the people who live and walked centuries ago where I live now. So, I posted the following comment on their site:
I find it amazing that all of your research did not bring you to the actual origin of the word Pecos. For that you have to leave Texas and go to where the Pecos river departs from its deep canyon headwaters in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains - the original town of Pecos...New Mexico. Before it was a Spanish town it was a Pueblo Indian settlement. The Pueblos were once united early in their history, but for reasons not fully understood they split up into different settlements across the region known now as northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. There were many different Pueblo Indian tribes from the Keresan speaking Cochiti and Acoma to the Tanoan speaking Taos, Sandia, and Pecos. The actual meaning of the word is unknown, but the origin is known. When European settlers first arrived in 1540 (yes, the first Europeans who settled in what is now known as the United States were the Spanish in New Mexico, not the English in Massachusetts) the Keresan speaking Pueblos referred to their their sister Pueblo near the river as P'e'-a-ku, which the Spanish eventually changed to Pecos. The Native Americans (especially the Pueblos) in New Mexico have a harsh and brutal history after the arrival of the Spanish. For many reason, including European diseases and war with other tribes, there are no full blooded Pecos Pueblo Native Americans still living. It is kind of sad that one of the only remnants of this once large and powerful tribe, its name, is not even considered by most people to have anything to do with them. Spend time in the town of Pecos (New Mexico and certainly Texas) and there is scant evidence that such a people even existed. The Pecos clans were as follows: Waha (Cloud), Pe (Sun), Ya (Coyote), Seé (Eagle), Kyunu (Corn), Sohl (Badger), Sungti (Turquoise), Daahl (Earth or Sand), Wahaha (Calabash), Kiahl (Crow) Pa (Deer), Shiankya (Mountain lion), Whala (Bear), Fwaha, (Fire), Amu (Ant), Kotsaa ( Pine), Petdelu (Wild Turkey), Tashtye (Buffalo),Gyuungsh (Oak), Alawahku, (Elk), Alu (Antelope), Morbah (Parrot), and Hayah (Snake).
We don't see a ton of movies, for the obvious reasons. The bulk of the entertainment in this house revolves around Dora, Diego and Little Einsteins. At least Emma and Johnny are old enough now to ask for shows like Planet Earth and Snowboard Diaries, both of which I can actually watch as well. Since our movie watching is few and far between it is a real bummer that most movies are a disappointment for one reason or another. The other night we watched Juno. I was preparing for the worst- you know, those movies that show every good or funny moment in the commercials. I was also expecting a show laced with some sort of political commentary or an underlying liberal agenda. To my surprise none of these were true. Juno was a funny, somewhat realistic, heart felt social commentary that touched on the good and some of the bad of society. There were interesting interactions between different groups, mainly the upper and middle class divide and the many social classes that define the High School setting. While many of these interactions are funny, they give a realness to the movie that others lack. I think the movie triumphed in it's ability to realistically and humorously depict all these interactions against the backdrop of such weighty subject matter as abortion and adoption. Obviously, the movie was not from a Christian perspective, but I think it was somewhat more powerful that a non-religious, typical highschool girl could see the value of life and the importance of helping others, even to the point of sacrificing her own body. Although the biggest attention getters in the movie are the themes of abortion and adoption, it turns out that the main theme is true love. In the midst of a less than perfect life we learn that true love can be right under our noses, if only we can recognize it.
About two months ago, when my Beloved Dallas Cowboys started falling apart, I realized that I am far too emotionally invested in them. It’s a game, after all. But as much as I try to put things into perspective, I can’t seem to do it.
And after Sunday’s spectacular flame-out in Philadelphia I struggled to understand how a team could get rolled over like that and seem completely ambivalent about being so thoroughly embarrassed. This is the conclusion I’ve come to: The way they care about the game and the way fans care are gulfs apart.
The difference is the players don’t see it that way. Odds are they didn’t grow up living and dying by how their team performed so those ghosts don’t follow them onto the field. Their points of view are completely different because they usually don’t have much historical perspective. Grow up in Michigan, go to college in California, get drafted by Arizona, get traded to Dallas. So while Sunday’s beating at the hands of a division rival was surely a disappointment, they can be coolly level-headed and logical about it.
Watch any playoff game this weekend and you will see that fans are neither logical nor level-headed.
Texas Stadium, home to God’s favorite team, will host its final regular season game on Saturday. I’ve only seen a few games there myself and as a building it’s pretty underwhelming. And for watching on TV I hate how during afternoon games the shadow from the hole in the roof would practically black-out half the field. And it never had much of a home-field advantage because it never seemed to get as loud in there as other stadiums.
But it has become a global icon and undoubtedly the most recognizable sports arena in the world, with the lone exception being maybe the Roman Coliseum.
Frank Luksa’s Top 10 Texas Stadium Games
Texas Stadium will complete its 37th and final regular season as home field of the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. Before its hole in the roof is turned into a hole in the ground, I pause to reminisce.
I have seen virtually every game there since 1971 and reduced more than 300 of them to a top 10 of my most memorable. To qualify, a game had to produce a scene never seen before and not likely to repeat.
Here, in my opinion, are the top 10 games in Texas Stadium history.
The game featured a series of wild surges. Washington scored the first 17 points, Dallas the next 21, Washington 17 more in succession and Dallas the final 14. The game included the most famous tackle in Texas Stadium history -- defensive lineman Larry Cole's third-down stop of John Riggins to prevent the Redskins from deep-freezing their 34-28 lead.
All-in stakes rode with the outcome, another reason even Hail Mary author Staubach described it as "absolutely the most thrilling 60 minutes I ever spent on a football field.'' Bitter rival Washington drew a playoff blank. The Cowboys won the NFC East title, their last hurrah under Staubach.
Staubach's Hall of Fame career ended a week later on an incongruous note during a 21-19 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He completed his last NFL pass to guard Herb Scott, an ineligible receiver.
2. Dallas 24, Washington 23 (Nov. 28, 1974)
No one can pinpoint the genesis of when the Cowboys-Redskins series turned mean and nasty, and then got worse. It was ornery enough before Diron Talbert's pregame threat to disengage Roger Staubach from his senses.
He wound up winning the game with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson with 35 seconds left.
"I was in the huddle when he called basically the last play of the game, and we all knew it wouldn't work. So it was, 'OK, let's get this over with,' " recalled fullback Walt Garrison. "Who's going to throw a 50-yard pass for a touchdown? They'll have Drew covered like a blanket. He'll probably throw a 5-yard out to me or Duane Thomas and hope we can run for a touchdown. Hell, I hadn't run 40 yards in my life. I guess that was the only game Longley had that was worth anything, wasn't it?''
3. Miami 16, Dallas 14 (Nov. 25, 1993)
A freak snow-and-sleet storm left Texas Stadium's surface glazed on Thanksgiving, a day forever frozen in infamy by a confused Leon Lett.
Lett never got the message. The defensive lineman ran through three lounging Dolphins, stop signs from teammates and ankle-high slush for purposes unknown to this day. Whatever his muddled intent, he kicked the ball to the Cowboys' 1-yard line, where Miami recovered. Stoyanovich converted a 19-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining to saddle the disbelieving Cowboys with their most bizarre home loss.
"There were 11 men on the field and 10 of them knew what to do,'' sighed special teams coach Joe Avezzano.
4. Dallas 42, Green Bay 31 (Nov. 24, 1994)
Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete were hurt. Neither would play. That left No. 3 quarterback Jason Garrett overmatched against Packers ace Brett Favre.
What followed has never been explained except in supernatural terms. Garrett produced five touchdowns in less than 19 minutes of the second half. It's his signature on a franchise-record 36 points scored in the second half. He finished with 311 yards passing, two touchdowns and one first-play interception.
5. Philadelphia 27, Dallas 0 (Nov. 23, 1989)
Ah, the Bounty Bowl, when Eagles coach Buddy Ryan allegedly offered $200 to knock kicker Luis Zendejas out of the game and $500 for a Troy Aikman KO.
Things got testy between Eagles coach Buddy Ryan, above, and Jimmy Johnson in 1989.
The charge originated with Zendejas, who claimed he taped the threats via a phone conversation with a Philadelphia source but never produced it for anyone to hear. It didn't matter since it was easier to cast Ryan as a villain who'd already stooped to score a rub-it-in TD against Tom Landry and harpooned successor Jimmy Johnson as a suspect NFL head coach.
Even after Ryan failed to machine-gun the lifeboats and pulled his regulars late, Johnson was furious at the finish. He bolted to midfield looking for Ryan, thereby prolonging the lack of emphasis on the lousy season unfolding in Dallas.
"I would have said something to Buddy, but he wouldn't stand on the field long enough. He got his fat rear end into the dressing room,'' Johnson snapped.
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue's investigation predictably cleared the Eagles of plotting naughty things against the Cowboys. The sour aftermath caused curious minds to ponder what might happen in a Buddy-Jimmy rematch later in Philly.
"I wonder if they're going to shake hands … or arm wrestle,'' said Dave Widell of the Cowboys. Nothing untoward occurred between Johnson or Ryan, but it was the game in which Eagles fans pelted Johnson with snow balls (batteries included).
6. Dallas 38, Cincinnati 10 (Nov. 4, 1973)
The greatest one-man show by a middle linebacker and no one else remembers? Good grief. How could anyone forget?
Lee Roy Jordan intercepted three passes from Ken Anderson and returned one 31 yards for a TD. That alone is a remarkable feat for any linebacker and a fancy haul for a defensive back. But wait. It's only a tease.
As expected, he ranked high, tied for third with Miami's Nick Buoniconti (1969-76) and Jack Ham (1971-82) of Pittsburgh. Who is the interception leader? He's Don Shinnick (Baltimore, 1957-68) with 37, followed by Stan White (Baltimore, 1972-79; Detroit 1980-82) with 34. (Elias and I accept your thanks for this information.)
Here is one last note about Jordan, who last played 31 years ago. He still ranks No. 7 on the Cowboys' all-time interception list, ahead of a couple of defensive backs named Cliff Harris (29) and Darren Woodson (23).
7. Dallas 38, San Francisco 21 (Jan. 23, 1994)
The game itself paled in astonishment to what occurred before a duel began for the NFC championship.
This was the play-in game for the Super Bowl, when countdown nerves are taut and no one pops off because loose lips sink ships.
Therefore all was quiet on both fronts. Or it was until …
Jimmy Johnson did something no NFL coach in memory ever did or even thought of doing. First, he called a local radio sports show. Johnson then announced to a baffled talk show host and a stunned audience that the Cowboys would beat the 49ers. Players have guaranteed victories before and after Joe Namath made it a popular gesture; I never heard a head coach with enough nerve or stupidity to do it publicly.
"We will win the ballgame,'' Johnson predicted. "You can put that in three-inch high headlines.''
What made Johnson boast? Well, he was ultra-confident and forever cocky. Like when he was asked if the Cowboys might not have been so successful without Troy Aikman.
"They'd still had me,'' Johnson half-joked.
Others said Johnson was so worked up over the game he couldn't contain himself. Another insider report hinted that some of his bravado could have been Heineken-fueled.
San Francisco coach George Seifert considered Johnson's remark with admiration and bemusement.
"Well, the man has balls. I'll say that,'' Seifert began. "I don't know if they're brass or papier-maché. We'll find out.''
8. San Francisco 41, Dallas 24 (Sept. 24, 2000)
George Teague became captain of my All-Hero team for his tangle with a visiting peacock. Teague knocked Terrell Owens on his butt.
Well, you say, that is supposed to happen when Teague played safety and Owens wide receiver for the 49ers. Yes, but this was different.
It occurred after Owens caught a touchdown pass and for the second time celebrated by racing to midfield where he stood astride the Cowboys star emblem and posed with upraised arms. A blur of blue interrupted the scene and knocked Owens on his pompous rear. That was Teague, the only Cowboy with enough chest hair to physically retaliate against a rank insult with the 49ers ahead, 41-17.
"The first time it was, 'OK, you got us. You got your hurrahs,'" said Teague. "But to go back again is where you cross the line. Then it becomes disrespectful.
"We were losing by three touchdowns, maybe four. It was about 145 degrees on the turf and nothing was going our way. I had an intuition that if Owens scored again he'd do something crazy. I made up my mind that if he scores again and grandstands there'll be a fight. Before I knew it I whacked Owens pretty good. What I really appreciated was being quick enough to duck a 300-pounder who then went after me.''
Because Owens later signed with the Cowboys, this incident is hardly ever talked about.
9. Dallas 44, New England 21 (Oct. 24, 1971)
Texas Stadium, with its unique hole-in-the-roof design and thus nicknamed a half-Astrodome, opened to popular acclaim by everyone except the players.
When Texas Stadium opened in 1971, it reminded some players of the Roman Colosseum.
Three complaints arose about the 65,000-seat playpen owner Clint Murchison Jr. built in suburban Irving. First, the field was too hard.
"I dunno what kind of turf it was but if you slid it cut hell out of you. It was harder than Chinese arithmetic,'' said Walt Garrison.
"I'd have to say that old-school guys hated the stadium,'' said Larry Cole. "We used to talk about the Christians, lions and gladiators in the context that all those fat cats up in boxes were drinking scotches and we were the peons down there getting paid very little to entertain them.
"Our concept of football was more like the Cotton Bowl with the crowd outside and involved. You didn't watch a football game with a coat and tie on from a box.''
"Hell, if Clint wanted us to fight the elements why didn't he just roof the SOB over and put in a sprinkler system?'' Charlie Waters wondered.
However, negative opinions later softened.
"As time went on it's like, 'This is a pretty nice place,''' said Cole. "What was really nice was when we started playing games there in December. The cold wind didn't blow through the hole in the roof. I loved playing there during the playoffs.''
Murchison's $50,000 tag on Circle Suites was originally accepted as absurdly overpriced when, in retrospect, they were the best real estate buy in north Texas. Some soon resold for $500,000 and up.
10. Green Bay 20, Dallas 10 (Dec. 24, 1989)
Surely no one else remembers anything about a game that ended the maiden season of the Jones-Johnson era with a shiver. The result capped a forlorn 1-15 season with a seven-game losing streak on a subfreezing afternoon.
Why would a visually and physically numbing game stick in my memory? Recall that my criteria for top-10 inclusion should contain an unexpected or unprecedented element. This one qualified because for the only time in Texas Stadium history it was so cold that …
Toilets froze.
I pondered how to combine the frigid scene and 1-15 finish with my usual vibrant prose. Hence I remain pleased to have written:
"The 1989 season was so bad it wouldn't even flush.''
A Slacker Gringo Stomp Takes to the Streets
Thousands Watch as Trio Demonstrates the Power of Spare Time
DALLAS, Texas - Dec. 15, 2008 – More than 17,000 people gathered in Dallas on Sunday to escort half of A Slacker Gringo Stomp through downtown during the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon. Jeremy, Melissa…and…um…ok…there he is…Lance completed the 13.1 mile course while approximately half the city looked on.
“What these three individuals have done will stand as an inspiration for Dallas, no, America, for years to come,” said Dallas mayor Tom Leppert. “They started at one end of American Airlines Center and finished at the other end of American Airlines Center. That’s a distance of about 350 feet. But they chose a route nearly 200 times longer and considerably less efficient. And instead of walking, they ran. That kind of logic is typically reserved for politicians and BCS voters. This is truly a marvel.”
The marathon was the first event for the ASGS Running Team and marked the first time since July that such awesomeness was assembled in one place. Thanks to an injury to Jonathan, Rhonda’s job commitment, and Donna’s abject lack of interest, the trio faced the event without their significant others.
“I would have done it, but I have a physiological reaction to running that is quite scary,” Donna said. “My breathing is labored, I become fatigued, and I begin to sweat. Those are the same symptoms as malaria, so I’m not taking any chances.”