Closing Stretch Crucial

If Mack Brown and Texas want to win a national title in the next three years, itstarts now

Carrington Byndom and Kenny Vaccaro show great defense on a Kansas pass.
Texas celebrates the win

"Perfection is unattainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi

Perfection is an unattainable goal, of course, and the Oklahoma Sooners' 2011 season already messed that up. But the University of Texas came as close as a football team can get in Saturday's 43-0 win over Kansas —and it means the Horns might beat the Oklahoma curse.

“I thought this was probably as physical as we've been around here for a long time. To rush for 441 yards is exceptional,” Texas coach Mack Brown after the game.

You didn’t read that wrong: 441 yards rushing for Texas. And the amazing stats just kept coming. The defense threw a shutout, holding Kansas to no points and just 46 yards of total offense . . . yes, 46 yards TOTAL offense.

The Longhorns domination came against a struggling — well, that’s charitable . . . Kansas is not a good football team. But struggling or not, the Jayhawks were the tonic Texas (5-2, 2-2 in the Big 12) needed.

With the Horns back on the winning road, it might be a good time to take a look at the remainder of UT's season.

Few would have predicted the Big 12 as one of the toughest conferences in the country at the beginning of the season, but it is. Every team left on Texas schedule is or has been recently ranked and there are no easy games left for the Longhorns.

The last half of the 2011 schedule will first teach the young up and coming Longhorn stars how to win, and it will say a lot about where this team can go in the next couple years. If Texas heads to the 2014 National Championship game, you will look back on the last half of 2011 and say it all started here.

Texas Tech - Saturday

Tech was one of only two Big 12 teams that lost to Texas last season — blood was in the water and Tech missed out on the meal. This season Tech is the Jekyll and Hyde of the Big 12.

After beating — no, trouncing — Oklahoma, in Norman no less, just two weeks ago, the Red Raiders believed they were on the path to ranked pride. Then they laid an egg against Iowa State — at home in Lubbock.

Which Texas Tech will come into Austin? Texas needs to be ready for the team that stomped OU because Tech is still hungry.

At Missouri - Nov. 12

Missouri is underperforming. After starting the season with a Top 25 ranking, the Tigers played decidedly mediocre football for the first half of the season, losing to Arizona State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State — then they crushed Texas A&M.

In the meantime, Missouri keeps making noise about heading east to play in the SEC with the Aggies. So the Tigers come to Texas to save their season and to save face as they leave the Big 12.

Kansas State - Nov. 19

K-State owns Texas, even when the Wildcats are not good, and this year, they are good. Coach Bill Snyder knows how to beat Mack Brown. Playing in Austin helps the Horns a lot.

Before the season began no one thought much about Kansas State. Even after being blown out by OU (who hasn’t been … oh yeah, Texas Tech), the Wildcats will be frothing for Texas.

At Texas A&M - Nov. 24

Here’s how you beat Texas A&M — you let the Aggies jump out to about a 30-point lead in the first half, and then you bring the “A” game in the second half and destroy them. Texas A&M is the 1995 Cornhuskers in the first half, and the 2011 Kansas Jayhawks in the second half.

This is “The game of the year” — no wait, it’s the game of the next decade, because chances are it’ll be at least that long before these two greatest of rivals meet again. The Aggies hate the Longhorns, they hate the Longhorn Network, they hate the Big 12 . . . the Aggies are haters right now and as they go the SEC, perhaps with new BFF Missouri, they want a signature, in your face, f*** off win — and the Longhorns, their most hated rival, provide all the fodder they need.

This will be a very tough game for Texas and it will have all the hype you would expect from a rivalry game — and it will be played at Kyle Field. The Aggies will be the 1967 Packers in this game.

Can the Horns bring their best impersonation of the George Halas Bears? They better.

At Baylor - Dec. 3

Can you say trap game? This just doesn’t seem right. The season ends with Texas A&M, always has.

This Baylor game will either be the last dot on the ellipses of a 6-6 Texas season or it will be a dangerous game threatening to derail an over-achieving but still young Longhorn squad. Coming off the emotion of the A&M game, Texas must be ready to play and that might be Mack Brown’s biggest challenge.

Baylor has beaten Texas only once over the last 17 years, that was last season and given the underperformance of the Bears season so far, this game could be their signature win.

Every team left on Texas schedule can win and win big — and Texas can beat every team left on this schedule. There are no more Oklahomas and there are no more Kansas Jayhawks.

The Kansas game showed the Longhorns what they can be, the rest of this season will define what they may still become.

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chill out

Houston Astros ballpark gets cool new name for the next 15 years

Courtesy of the Houston Astros

The Astros' stadium will have a new name in 2025.

The Houston Astros are about to have the coolest ballpark in Major League Baseball. The team announced on Monday, November 18 that its has reached a naming rights agreement HVAC manufacturer Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc.

Beginning on January 1, 2025, the stadium will be known as Daikin Park (die-kin). Scheduled to run through the 2039 season, the new name replaces Minute Maid Park, which has been the stadium’s name since 2002. It opened in 1999 as Enron Field.

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Astros fans online are already calling the new stadium “The Ice Box,” replacing its informal “The Juice Box” moniker. That name feels likely to stick.

Japan-based Daikin Industries is a leading manufacturer of HVAC systems. It sells air conditioning units and other products under brand names such as Daikin, Goodman, Amana® and Quietflex. Critically, it operates Daikin Texas Technology Park in nearby Waller, which is the largest HVAC manufacturing facility in North America. The company employs approximately 10,000 people in Greater Houston, according to a release.

“We are excited to be partnering with Daikin for our ballpark’s naming rights,” Astros owner Jim said. “Daikin is an international company that proudly calls the Greater Houston area its North American home. The Houston Astros and Daikin share the same values, a commitment to excellence and a desire to give back to our local community. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of this ballpark in 2025, I am proud to have Daikin alongside us to create even more special memories for our fans now and in the future.”

The Astros will use the revenue for new stadium amenities and other upgrades. It will also continue the team’s various community initiatives. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. the Houston Chronicle notes that naming rights deals may be worth anywhere from $3.5 million per year (T-Mobile park in Seattle) to $11 million per year for the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field.

The team’s first game in Daikin Park will take place on Monday, March 24, which it plays an exhibition against its Triple-A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. It will open the regular season on Thursday, March 27 against the New York Mets.

“Daikin fit all of the criteria we set out to find in a naming rights partner,” Astros senior vice president Matt Brand added. “Their name and reputation fit our iconic downtown Houston home, and their values mesh perfectly with those of the Astros. We are grateful to partner with the entire Daikin team and to help them succeed in their business goals. Daikin Park will be a special place for our fans for many years to come.”

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