Double-T Nation News:
The BlogPoll was released yesterday and Texas Tech checked in at #7. I feel somewhat better about my ballot when Dr. Saturday ranked Texas Tech #4.
Based on resume, not on when a loss happened, Texas Tech has the 4th best team in the nation.
MUST READ: I try not to make it a habit of recommending stuff to you guys, but Malcolm Gladwell's piece from The New Yorker on Chase Daniel's NFL prospects is an absolute must read. For those of you who have been around DTN for quite some time, you'll note that I just about love everything that Gladwell has written and one of the two books I've asked for Christmas is Outliers: The Story of Success:
Now that he's gotten us talking about the viral life of ideas and the power of gut reactions, Malcolm Gladwell poses a more provocative question in Outliers: why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the "self-made man," he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don't arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: "they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot." Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, "some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky."
I can't wait to devour this book.
Texas Tech Football:
Awful. Derrick Briggs, a former walk-on turned starter defensive back on Mike Leach's first team died in an auto accident early Wednesday morning, Brigg's 31st birthday (hat-tip to oldschoolraider):
"It was very sad news, struck me right in the heart,’’ McNeill said. "When we came to Tech, he was a guy who worked his way into a starting position for us and played very well for us that year. On top of that, he was a guy who got his degree early and graduated in December. He got a great job down in Houston and was really doing great.’
Condolences from the DTN family.
"I'm just going to make my decision after the bowl game," he said of the Red Raiders' Jan. 2 trip to the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in his hometown. "It will be easier for everybody."Does he know, or is he just not saying?
"I know, but I'm not ready to say," he said.
Crabtree, who said he didn't think he'd have anything left to prove at the college level, has reportedly said he's returning for his junior season, but his father, also named Michael Crabtree, has said the family is leaning otherwise.
Lots of stuff from LAJ's Don Willilams' Red Raiders Football Notebook, including the team will hit the field today to start practicing again, Leach won't be back in town until after the weekend, the Cotton Bowl is almost sold out, and Sonny Cumbie may be out of a job
Odds and Ends: ESPN's All-Big 12 Team . . . SI's Stewart Mandel with the best moments from this past football season . . . ESPN Big 12 blogger Tim Griffin hands out post-season awards for the Big 12 . .