LINKS
A lot of links this morning.
- Hance to Retire | A birdie told me this about a month ago, so I guess I've been ready for this, but Hance told us himself that he'd retire once he hit $1 billion and he did do that a while back. I'm not sure what to do with this and I have stayed away from all of this mess because I can't deal with it. So, you take this news however you want. I don't know what to think other than I do think that in his hard of hearts Hance wishes he could do things differently and I think our conversation with Eddy Clinton maybe affirms that.
- Soccer | The soccer team is headed to Norman for a game tonight against Oklahoma and will then travel to Waco on Sunday to take on Baylor. The DT has more on their weekend. The soccer team will also be on the TV this weekend, so check out the link for details.
- Volleyball | The volleyball team will go to Ft. Worth and play TCU at 5:00 pm on Saturday night.
- Women's Basketball | The Big 12 preseason poll was released and the Lady Raiders are picked last. With all of the experience that left after last year and with Baker's injury, it is going to be a very young and inexperienced team. The DT has a good bit on HC Candace Whitaker trying to improve communication on the team.
- Men's Basketball | The same Big 12 preseason poll was released for the men and are picked 9th.
- Baseball | The baseball team will play in their Red & Black Series towards the end of the month.
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Football
- Attendance Stuff | I don't know why, but I feel like this attendance stuff if being generated or manufactured by the athletic department in some form or fashion. I'm fine with it if that is the case, but it still seems a bit strange. I mentioned earlier in the week, on Tuesday I think, that this is the second time that HC Kliff Kingsbury has been asked about the student attendance. And let me make it clear, I think it is fantastic that students are going to games. Seriously, this is one of the best things to happen to Texas Tech football, but Kingsbury answer isn't going to change. Q: What do you think of the student attendance? A: We love the support, it's great. Again, there's just not a lot of substance there, but I wonder why they needed those quotes during the weekly press conference. I'm probably making too big a deal of this, but we've got an article on the official site, an article from the LAJ, an article in the DT, a video from the official site and an ad from Kingsbury about the student attendance. Maybe this is just part of who I am and my spider-sense tends to go off when things get a bit coordinated.
- Bowl Eligible | The DT writes about how Texas Tech can become bowl eligible with a win, which is sorta crazy.
- Prediction | The DMN has a prediction and a preview of the game against Iowa St.
- Pleasant Surprise | CBS Sports' Bruce Feldman has the Texas Tech defense as one of the most pleasant surprises of 2013 and he also picks games this week.
- From ISU | Our good friends at Wide Right & Natty Lite have an excellent preview of the game. Must read for sure. The student paper, the Iowa St. Daily, also has a preview of the game and how the Cyclones are trying to re-create the magic from 2011.
- Mayor of Lubbock | The Desmoines Register has a bit about how Kingsbury is the Mayor of Lubbock.
ACTION
The Wallerstedt video is terrific . . . again . . . and is football pron. The second video is the DT interviewing WR Bradley Marquez and he was a fan of Breaking Bad.
The third video is about the 1953 Texas Tech team and it makes me realize a couple of things: 1) How lucky we are to have Brandon Rawe work for Texas Tech (a UT alum, but you would never know it and that speaks to how good he is); 2) I always enjoy listening to that generation talk about the game; and 3) I think the red tops with the gray looks pretty good, or at least I think it is gray.
The final video is on K Ryan Bustin, who readily admits that if Texas Tech is kicking field goals, they're not scoring touchdowns.