J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q

Thanks for checking in with us and I hope all are well during these frigid days for many here in the States. Unless one is in South Florida or Hawaii it seems to be colder than hell in most places, which includes Oklahoma, where it was 20 degrees when I stepped off the plane Tuesday morning after taking a 5 a.m. (central time) flight from Norfolk to DFW to OKC.

Business is still doing nicely in our online store and I hope you will check out our Valentine’s Day Special which is a super value. Plus, you’ve got to order one of the “Big Nuts” T-shirts as they are becoming one of our hotter items and are great conversation pieces. We also have some really good prices on a couple of flavors of our Beef Jerky for all you Jerky lovers out there.

Random and largely non important thoughts.

Charlie Haas was on my flight Tuesday morning, but he wasn’t wearing his mask which might have posed some problems with the TSA folks at the Norfolk Airport.

Van Halen is in OKC Tuesday night and the Mrs. is going with friends, but I am “tagging out.” How could I pick attending a Van Halen concert over watching the ECW TV show live?! There could be a “CATFIGHT!!” or a “YAMBAG” mention.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I made a mistake in commentary on RAW Monday night when I mentioned that it was Hogan and HHH who were the only two men who had held the WWE and IC Titles at the same time. Of course I meant to say it was the Ultimate Warrior who defeated Hogan for the WWE Title at WM6 in the Skydome in Toronto and for the record the Hulkster did kick out at 3 1/2, by golly, if you are keeping up with such info at home. Several wrestling websites had my misspeaking as a headline of sorts on Tuesday morning. My bad…no excuses…but it won’t be the last time I fumble. For all of you that have done live TV and have experienced many different sounds in one’s headsets I am sure you know what I mean. Someone even nicely said I was “entitled” to make a mistake and all this time I thought that every human was “entitled” to make the occasional mistake. Shows what I know. The next thing that some Einstein will write is that “J.R. is undoubtedly slipping” or that “J.R. must have gone to happy hour before RAW celebrating his new contract.”

Busy week for yours truly as last Wednesday the Mrs. and I attended the OU Women’s Hoops game against visiting Nebraska….Friday, I went to the OU-UTC wrestling dual….and Saturday afternoon I sat behind Coach Bobby Knight when his Texas Tech Red Raiders lost to the Sooner men in Norman. Being within earshot of the legendary basketball coach during a game is a unique experience.

Nice seeing Dr. Death Steve Williams and his son Wyndham in Norman last weekend as they enjoyed J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q a couple of times while Doc was honored at the OU Wrestling Dual Friday night. Doc has been cancer free for over 3 years now and has to go back to the MD Anderson Clinic in Houston once a year for a checkup. I would guess that Steve is about 280 pounds and he is still doing some wrestling, which I find amazing, and is working as a personal trainer with Bally’s Fitness in Lakewood, Colorado. For those cynics who think that miracles don ‘t happen, think again the next time that you see that Dr. Death still above ground.

This week it’s another Women’s Basketball game on Wednesday night as the nationally ranked OU ladies host Texas Tech. We have purchased season tickets and we sit on the front row court side right across from the visitors bench. Then, I am doing some radio broadcasting Friday night when Iowa State visits OU in a Big 12 wrestling dual showdown. The radio broadcast can be heard on TakedownRadio.com. I leave Saturday for NYC to prepare for the Royal Rumble on Sunday. After the Rumble, the King and I are driving down to Philly Sunday night to broadcast RAW’s second HDTV program on Monday from the City of Brotherly Love.

From what I can tell, it seems like many of you like the HDTV version of RAW. I don’t have the USA Network as a part of my digital package with Cox Cable out of OKC, but I may upgrade my DirecTV package which I am told includes the USA network in HD. The King and I actually were provided some “face time” which hopefully didn’t scare any one too badly out there in “TV Land,” as Ernie Ladd used to say. I may be asked to hold one of those cardboard cutouts in front of my face much like Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, two of my favorites, occasionally use on ESPN’s PTI.

What is up with the media fascination of the proverbial “trainwrecks” Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse, who allegedly is a wrestling fan, or so I have read? Winehouse is reportedly headed to rehab while some brain surgeon speculated that Britney needed mental health care. NO….that couldn’t be true! Brit acts very normal especially since it was discovered that she “books” the paparazzi to follow her every move which is right after she lost custody of her two, small sons. I predict someday that someone will “discover” a “chemical imbalance” in Ms. Spears and she just might even have a foray with religion before her ridiculous and amazing journey comes to an abrupt, but hopefully a non tragic end. Britney’s support group is seemingly non-existant and apparently her parents aren’t much help. That’s damn sad right there friends and neighbors.

Why would NE Pats QB Tom Brady travel from Boston to the Big Apple, home of the NY Giants, wearing a walking cast/boot when he could have stayed sequestered in New England and had his supermodel, lady friend Gisele Bundchen simply come visit him? Didn’t “Touchdown Tommy” know he would be busted by the media? However, I will agree with one thing Brady said, this time of the year no one is 100% healthy on an NFL team. Brady has had a magical year and has ascended into Joe Montana-land which is rarefied air to say the least. How good must Brady’s life be? Good looking, rich, star QB, babymama is a supermodel (be leery of the unprotected sex Tom), his current girl friend is a supermodel and Brady has an opportunity at the Super Bowl to immortalize himself by leading his team to a 19-0 record. Just like Larry David might say “Pretty, pretty, pretty good.” Bottom line is that Brady will be ready to rock come the Super Bowl, but I don’t look for the G-Men to lay down for anybody because they will lose their smile, so to speak, come February 3 without fail.

Speaking of great football players, Foley, Alabama high school wide receiver, Julio Jones, would look awesome in an Oklahoma uniform this fall. Julio is arguably the best player at any position in American and has OU on his short list of schools he is considering attending this fall. I have seen tape of this young man and he is spectacular to say the very least and would look great catching passes from returning Sooner QB Sam Bradford.

I made the mistake Monday night after RAW back at the hotel of watching a repeat of the Democratic Debate from South Carolina, which I soon regretted. However, it was like rubber necking at the site of a car accident as I stayed tuned hoping someone would say something on which I could hang my black hat. I should have simply watched Weather on the 8’s and the dramatic Jim Cantore or something comparable as Clinton, Obama, and Edwards kept trying to get over and none seemed to succeed.

Not to sound anti Democrat but I experienced largely the same thing recently listening to the Republicans. I will say that the Presidential race seems to be wide open and I keep waiting for some one to step up from either side.

Perhaps two of my favorite political commentators Keith Olbermann and Bill Maher can help me unscramble this load of fertilizer.

Do wrestling conventions featuring legends actually make the promoter’s any money? Just curious. Many of these promoters have to become adult, babysitters (is that an oxymoron?) to the fragile egos of some of the legends that are booked. I am all for these events being successful promotions and for the veterans making money, but it seems more often than not that occasionally the wrong people are booked, like those that really aren’t and most likely never have been fan friendly.

Paul London has a foot injury that will see him back in action in a matter of only a few weeks for you Kendrick/London fans out there. I am a big fan of this combo.

Jeff Hardy reminds me of only a few wrestlers who simply got white hot in a matter of weeks and is seemingly only a few steps away from establishing residency in the Promised Land. The question always is for any athlete is that once one gets there, how long can one stay on hallowed ground? For the naysayers who are adamant that Hardy will not win Sunday at MSG, I simply say stay tuned as we are in unpredictable waters and Jeff Hardy winning the WWE Title in Madison Square Garden would be one of those lasting “moments” that would live for years. Hardy may be the underdog Sunday, but so were the NY Giants last Sunday in Green Bay. Just throwing it out there.

I got an email recently from Dwayne Johnson, who I still refer to as “The Great One”, and the movie star is doing great and is his usual, positive self. Over the years I have received dozens of emails from “The Rock” and I can never remember a single one that did not make me feel better after reading it.

New Michigan football coach Rich Rodriquez may be a helluva coach, but his business communications skills leave a fair amount to be desired. It is a sad state of affairs when Rodriquez, a native of a state where he helped rebuild the beloved football program, has been disowned. Litigation apparently is pending over Rodriquez’ $4M buyout from his West Virginia University contract of which he feels he now doesn’t owe.

Many of the RAW fans I spoke with after RAW were disappointed that Ric Flair wasn’t on the show but “Naitch” will be a part of Friday Night Smackdown this week, as I understand it. Its hard to fathom that Ric’s next loss will be his last. The reality of the matter is that the legend cannot go on forever and that Flair is bound to lose at some point with the immediate question being will it be this Sunday in MSG?

Watching everyone scramble around backstage to cosmetically prepare for the first HDTV RAW broadcast was comical at times.

There was a small group of RAW fans who were hanging out in the hotel lobby Tuesday morning at 3:30 a.m. (Central Time) looking for photo ops and autographs. My eyes had to look like two pee holes in the snow and I hope those photographic nightmares never make the ‘net. They couldn’t have been HD friendly.

We will be back in a few days with another blog and more Q&As as well. Please keep your succinct and somewhat sane COMMENTS coming. Our store is open for business and, as always, “baby needs new shoes.”

BOOMER SOONER!
J.R.