The Morning Stake | 2019.10.28

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Countdown to Kickoff. Check out Countdown to Kickoff at Talk 1340 featuring your guys from the 23 Personnel podcast, Spencer Rogers and Michael McDonald, along with Rob Breaux and Karson Robinson, 3 hours before kickoff each and every game!

Searching for Medieval Britain. Via Atlas Obscura:

In the second century B.C., the Greek writer Antipater of Sidon catalogued the wonders of the ancient world—the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Great Pyramid at Giza—and ever since writers have collected accounts of amazing places. When, sometime between the 9th and 12th centuries, a native son took up the task of listing the Wonders of Britain, he included a lake with 60 islands in it and a fountain of salt, a levitating altar and a shape-shifting royal burial mound—all told, 26 natural phenomena and small miracles.

These wonders were concentrated into two areas of Britain—in the north, toward Scotland, and to the west, in what’s now Wales—places where Celtic tribes still held sway after years of Saxon incursions had eroded their territory. The list’s unknown author came from those lands, probably the Welsh border region, and though he was writing in a time of rising Saxon power, his heart seemed to lie with Celtic traditions that were in danger of disappearing.

Texas Tech Volleyball

Texas Tech Soccer

Texas Tech Tennis

Texas Tech Basketball

Top 100 Players. The college basketball staff at CBS Sports ranked the top 101 players in college basketball and Davide Moretti was ranked 72nd and Chris Clarke was ranked 101. Here’s the bit on Clarke:

101. Chris Clarke, Texas Tech: The 6-6 guard was one of the most-pursued graduate transfers on the market before enrolling at Texas Tech this offseason. Clarke missed all of last season at Virginia Tech because he was essentially removed from the roster after a marijuana incident. He averaged 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game two seasons ago while helping the Hokies make the NCAA Tournament. — GP

X-Factor. NBC Sports’ Rob Dauster gives the x-factor for each team in the preseason top 25:

Chris Beard has proven himself capable of turning over a roster in one season and then getting the absolute most out of what he has left. He did it in each of the last two years. He did it in his one season at Little Rock. This is how Beard operates. But the key to the entire process is getting buy-in from his team, and that’s where I think they are going to be some issues this season. There are just three guys on this Texas Tech roster that are upperclassmen. The best player on the roster, the guy that is going to be asked to be Keenan Evans and Jarrett Culver, is top 35 freshman Jahmius Ramsey. He’s the highest-rated recruit that Beard has ever landed, and he’s good enough to do what Tech needs him to do … if he buys in.

This is the same article I posted last week that mentioned that Jahmius Ramsey may have an ego. A few of you questioned Dauster, a non-Texas Tech reporter and national guy who doesn’t spend any time with the team and Dauster has always been a fair and good writer who has heaped a ton of praise on Beard in the past and this year. There’s a small circle of reporters that all hear the same things. These kids have been on the circuit for years, so they all sort of get to know the other. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least that Ramsey has an ego, he’s a top 25 or so player, but it also wouldn’t surprise me that Beard isn’t going to waiver from his process. Ramsey needs Beard and Beard needs Ramsey.

Texas Tech Football

Where I’m At. I’m bummed. Like really bummed out about losing to Kansas, which I thought the game could go either way before the game and it would be close, but I did think that Texas Tech would prevail. So if you’re wondering if you’re allowed to be bummed out, or angry, then yeah, this is probably the place for you, BUT . . . this means that you have to be respectful because arguing on the internet won’t accomplish much or really make you feel better.

A few items to note:

  • I have seen where there’s this moral police telling folks that if your happiness hinges on a college sports team, then maybe you need to reflect and I do have a problem with that. That’s part of being a fan, and of course if you take this all of the way, that means you shouldn’t derive any happiness out of your sports team and that’s sort of what brings us together as a community. Absolute passion. Unfortunately, sports isn’t a one-way street and advising people to check their emotions when things aren’t going well or telling people that there’s more to life isn’t constructive either. Of course there’s more to life. But it’s okay to commiserate and be bummed or happy or whatever with your fellow fans and it’s okay to say that as well. What’s not okay? Being be destructive to another person (that could be a player, or a coach, or just other fans). Once you cross that destructive line, then yeah, you should probably go meditate or something because you’ve crossed that line to hate and that ain’t cool.
  • I had someone tweet at me that it wasn’t Zech McPhearson that got beat on that last touchdown pass and that reminded me that I do have to be more careful about placing blame without knowing what defense was called or who is supposed to be where. Sometimes it’s obvious, i.e. someone doesn’t catch a pass or a lineman is beat for a sack, but other times it’s not and I have to be careful about that.
  • Before the game, quarterback Alan Bowman wasn’t in the sling he was in last week and looked good throwing the ball.

  • If you’re tweeting trash opinions and comments at Douglas Coleman and I figure out that you also get your comment-on at Staking the Plains, then there’s a better than zero chance that we can’t be friends and I really don’t want you on Staking The Plains. I know this has everyone shaking in their boots, but I really do hope that we can all be better than that.
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