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

Thanks for stopping by and checking out our website. Many of you are becoming regulars which we appreciate and I hope you will tell a friend about our ever growing site and our line of products.

Over the next several weeks this site will be undergoing many positive changes which are exciting for all involved. After our “J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q Restaurant” opens on Wednesday July 11, this site will add more areas of interest that I hope you will all enjoy.

This was a busy week at our Bar-B-Q place as the kitchen staff was busy making all the items from our menu. We had friends in to order from the menu and then have the cooks make the meals to check for food quality, presentation, and timeliness of getting the food to the guests. I equate these days, prior to the restaurant opening, to football two-a-days as we prepare for our first “official game” on July 11. All is really going well thus far in our preparation. We have installed 8 big, flat screen TVs plus all the booths and tables are in place and it looks like we will be able to seat between 130-140 people comfortably. Our smoker is the size that can smoke 140 slabs of ribs at one time plus the brisket, pulled pork, hot links, chicken, turkey, and the old red neck standby, smoked bologna that we will be smoking on the premises.

Soon we will have photos of our place here on the site for you to take a peek at and we are also planning on doing a virtual tour of the place after it opens.

I met with the servers this past week during their orientation and stressed that we wanted to be the friendliest place in town and that I hoped that our Bar-B-Q Restaurant was going to be one of the most fun jobs that they would ever have. Most of our servers are college kids which adds energy to the place. Great food and friendly service, along with simple, old fashion hard work, should help us succeed as we count down the days until July 11 at 11 a.m.

This is one of my favorite times of the year as many of the football magazines are out and for us football junkies these publications give us all a pigskin “fix”. I find my self throwing one of the many magazines in my brief case when I go on the road and enjoy reading about the Big 12, the national scene in general and of course all of Oklahoma’s opponents.

I had a cold beverage Friday afternoon with 1969 Heisman Trophy winner and first round draft pick of the Detroit Lions back in the day Steve Owens and we are both optimistic of the Sooners chances this year to repeat as Big 12 Champions but also agree that it won’t be easy, simply because the Big 12 South in particular is so tough to navigate. The Big 12 North is not without some good teams, primarily Nebraska, but the South Division is the bull of the woods as far as the Big 12 is concerned these days especially with Texas, A&M, Tech, and OSU all in the hunt. The Longhorns are never going to be bad and with QB Colt McCoy back, along with a big time cast of characters, Mack Brown’s team are national champion contenders again.

The SEC seems to be the elite college football conference today with several teams having the potential to be “in the hunt” come national title time including LSU and Florida. Nick Saban, who has a fine head of hair, will rejuvenate the Crimson Tide sooner than later in the challenging SEC which makes for great games on TV.

The Pac 10 is always tough especially if you are a visiting team from another conference and Pac 10 officials are calling the game as they did last year when Oklahoma got nailed by shoddy officiating, documentable on tape, and lost to Oregon. USC should be favored to win the National Title, as I have mentioned before, as the Trojans are loaded with talent and USC doesn’t have to win a Pac 10 Title game to advance to a top tier BCS bowl game. Not having to win an extra game is a HUGE benefit for any team whose conference doesn’t have a conference title game.

Again, Texas is always a super team as the state of Texas produces as many great high school football players as any state in America and the Longhorns always get their share and more of these talented young athletes. The annual OU-Texas Red River Rivalry in Dallas at the old Cotton Bowl on October 6 is the big dog daddy of Big 12 games and ranks with the very best in all of college football rivalries. I have not missed this game in years and years and proudly can say I have 4 tickets on the 50 for this annual Slobber-Knocker. For the record, we drive down to Dallas on the Thursday before the game to begin our “tail- gating” a little early.

Can anyone explain to me why athletes like Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, and Michael Vick cannot avoid finding themselves in controversy? Observing these great athletes who have been blessed with amazing God-given talents and watching them make poor decisions after another is disheartening. Perhaps the only good that can come our of these obvious lapses in judgment is that young people can hopefully learn what NOT to do from these millionaire athletes.

My friend and former Sooner Dusty Dvorachek, now of the Chicago Bears, was in Norman this weekend for the wedding of another former Sooner and current Baltimore Raven Dan Cody.”Big Dust” came by our Bar-B-Q place and we fed him an ample quantity of “Q” that he apparently loved as the only thing left on his plate were the bones from the ribs he devoured. Dusty and Tommie Harris are both Sooner alums who both may man the starting defensive tackle spots for the Bears this fall.

Adrian Peterson has yet to sign his contract with the Vikings but LB Rufus Alexander, AD’s Sooner teammate, has inked his. Peterson, and all draft picks for that matter, would be well served to get into camp on time and ready to go to work, but as we all know that just doesn’t happen. Agents are akin to commissioned sales people and these negotiators want ever nickle they can squeeze out of a team no matter what negative issues it may present to their clients. I do think fair deals need to be done but it is infinitely better to have a player fresh out of college in camp and in shape rather than to hold out and join his new team late. I assure you that there will be several holdouts this year, as always, and many of them will suffer from nagging injuries once they do report. How many times have we all read about a player pulling a hamstring, tweaking a knee or an ankle, etc after reporting late to camp?

Let’s address a few comments:

Fisha- I think 3 hour Raws are exceedingly challenging to pull off, especially if we broadcast 3 hours live 51 weeks a year. I prefer the two hour versions except for the occasional special edition which are fun when they are kept special.

Katherine- I heard that Harley Race was in a car accident but being tougher than a $2 steak, as he is, somehow Harley came out in one piece. Few men I have ever met are on Race’s level when it comes to toughness. I have seen a few “naturals” in this business and Harley Race is definitely one of them. Harley is training Curt Henning’s son, Joe, from what I understand. Joe is a great looking kid and if he is half the athlete his Dad was, Joe will do just fine in the wrestling biz. I visited with Joe at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year and really enjoyed talking to him. He is a fine young man and I hope he becomes a huge star. Joe’s grandfather Larry Hennig and Harley were one of the best tag teams ever, for the record, back in the old AWA days.

Kyle- “For an average, middle aged father what should I get him for his birthday?” I guess when the shoe fits, one wears it, so here is my suggestion, how about a hug and an I love you Dad? Plus you could make him even happier with a bottle of Bar-B-Q sauce or maybe our HOF offer which includes a signed T-shirt and some healthy, beef jerky. Spending quality time with one’s dad is a great thing, in all seriousness.

Mathew- Why in the hell I said Brett Favre is #8 is amazing to me when I know good and well he is #4. I would like to say I was checking to see if the webmaster was paying attention but that would be a fib. I love Brett Favre and how he plays the game of football. I got to know him some when he was a second round draft pick of the Falcons in 1992 when I was broadcasting their games on radio. The Falcons trading Brett has to rank as one of the worst trades ever made in the NFL.

Alexander- I think Brock Lesnar is getting firmly entrenched in the MMA world and he seems to have a wealth of potential in that area. I saw Brock’s first fight and he looks as if he can evolve into a major player in the MMA world if not rushed. If the MMA management can wrap their arms around how to market and promote Lesnar, they have a gold mine on their hands but just as with every other star that the MMA folks build, for how long??

Jaxl- Our jerky is made by a family run company that has been here in Oklahoma for decades, plus we only use eye of round beef and cut it against the grain as to not make it so tough. Plus, we put some personality in it so it is not bland and shoe leather-like tough.

Adam- If King and my commentary is “coming under fire on the ‘net” then I assure you that King is most likely not aware of it. I think King and I have the potential to do more verbal sparring but not at the expense of the matches or to simply appease some folks who think that it is a necessity that a play by play man and his partner constantly battle each other. If it is feels natural to verbally joust then it will work but just to do it for the hell of it feels phoney and unwarranted. Plus, us being friends and riding/traveling together has zero to do with our on air demeanor. I “argue” with my friends all the time about a wide variety of things especially sports.

George- I have heard zero about Ric Flair having a retirement match at Wrestlemania 24 and until I hear it with my own ears from Ric it is simply another internet rumor. Plus, the term retirement match as it relates to wrestling is essentially oxymoronic in nature.

Patrick- Old schoolers are taught to wipe their feet before stepping into the ring as a matter of professionalism and respect for the ring and this tradition goes back as far as I can remember which is the mid 70s, as far as me being in this biz. Regal and Finlay are old schoolers in that regard and with their solid in ring work as well.

Jwallstram- I think the Sooners will have several offensive “looks” including the one back set this season. With AD gone to the NFL, I expect to see OU utilize many more offensive sets with all the weapons they seem to have at their disposal under the direction of offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, who also happens to be my neighbor. With 5 potentially strong running backs on the roster it would seem likely that OU will play them all in some form or another and see who gets the “hot hand” and let that guy roll. OU already has a verbal commitment from arguably the top running back in high school in America in Van, Texas’ Jermie Calhoun who is an amazing prospect that I can’t wait to see in crimson and cream.

Martin- If I was unable to call wrestling and American football for a living, the sport I would probably give a shot is mixed martial arts. I also enjoy baseball and basketball. Boxing would also be a possibility. Too bad old school Roller Derby has fallen by the wayside as I loved to watch it as a kid.

Josh P. – I love Johnny Nitro’s upside and potential and he has a viable chance to make an impact on ECW. The ECW show being only one hour is irrelevant to me in how well a talent can or will do on that particular brand.

Steve- I get asked a great deal about Bell’s palsy and it was just the hand that was dealt to me and I had the choice of working thru it or retreating into another line of work. My late Dad did not raise a quitter and there are SO many people who have overcome so much more in their lives than I have it is not even a fair comparison. For anyone who wants to know more about Bell’s palsy I suggest a simple Google search. Thus far there is no cure for it, but some day who knows?? I had great difficulty pronouncing some words that began with the letter S for example and had to fight fatigue as the more tired I became the more likely I would be to sound a little like old Foster Brooks and slur my words. Like John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up any way.”

David- My Skittles read last week was in line with the overall “feel” of Raw, in lieu of Mr. McMahon’s apparent tragedy. I hope that some day soon it will be business as usual for all involved in the WWE after the Wilkes Barre incident. (Gosh, I didn’t know so many people actually cared about my reading of the Skittles commercials.)

Jason- Sam Bradford may be the heir apparent to the QB job at OU but that has yet to be determined. Sam is an amazing 6’5” athlete who averaged a double/double in high school basketball, is a scratch golfer, an honor student, and has a rifle arm. Sam lacks experience on the collegiate level, which can be huge if a young man isn’t mentally prepared for the challenges that come with that job. Sam is mentally prepared to handle it, in my opinion, but time will tell if he can beat out Joey Halzle or Keith Nichol. I don’t expect the Sooners to name a starter at QB until mid August.

Jimmi- Great comment about your Baltimore wrestling experiences. They brought back some wonderful memories. Flair, bloody and with green mist in his face, returned to me just like it was last Sunday!

I am looking forward to this week for many reasons. Any event such as Vengeance with 9 titles at stake is intriguing to me, especially in a great city like Houston which is sold out and has been before one match was announced. My wrestling memories of Houston are great and I enjoyed my trips to the Sam Houston Coliseum on Friday nights after Bill Watts became partners with Paul Boesch. Mr. Boesch and I broadcast together for a time which was an interesting experience to say the least as Boesch was an old schooler who did not relish the fact that he acquired a broadcast partner in yours truly. It was a great learning experience for me nonetheless. I am thankful I had the opportunity to work in the wrestling territory days, which today’s younger stars will never be able to experience which is really too bad.

Then it is on to Corpus Christi on Monday for Mr. McMahon’s Memorial on the enhanced, 3 hour edition of Monday Night Raw. I hope you will tune in for all the WWE action over the next few days.

Interesting days indeed lie ahead. And shorter airplane trips for yours truly for a change. Plus, next week is the big, super show in Dallas the home of my dear friend Dr. Bud Hebert. Yours truly heading to Texas for wrestling is just a naturally good feeling thing to do for this ‘ol Okie.

My thanks for your business and for checking out our website. Be well and don’t forget to count your blessings.

BOOMER SOONER!

J.R.