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

This Saturday marks the 101st meeting of the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Texas Longhorns on the collegiate gridiron from the historic Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. For us Sooner fans and I am sure for the ‘Horns fans there is no bigger weekend on the entire schedule excluding a major bowl and of course a national championship game. For some diehards however this is THE game of the year. Period.

I attended my first OU-UT game in 1970 and have been to dozens more over the past 36 years. I will be there again this Saturday sitting in section 24 row 32 near the 50 yard line. A Sooner fan offered me $750 each for my 4 tickets and I am sure I could have gotten more but they are not for sale at any price.

The tickets list for $85 each but the memories and experiences I have had with friends on this weekend are priceless.

The Sooners are anywhere from a 5-6 point underdog against the defending National Champions on a game to be televised on ABC Television. I have been on the sideline for the past 5 or 6 years but since this is the first time I have taken my wife to this often times rowdy affair I will most likely sit with her and not be down on the field with the team as I have in the past.

Plenty of WWE Superstars have a keen interest in this game including Dusty Rhodes and JBL, among many others. Dusty grew up in Austin, the home of the Longhorns, and bleeds burnt orange. If OU loses I can expect to hear it from him for the next several months even though I went easy on him when OU ran off 5 wins in a row over the Steers beginning in 2000. Well, sort of easy.

I believe that the key ingredient in making any one successful in what ever they choose to do in life is passion. Intellect is obviously a nice asset as is education and experience. But nothing can replace the passion one has for their life’s work.

Passion will win or lose this football game Saturday in Dallas. Oklahoma has had a challenging year but has only lost one game, the controversial game to a great Oregon team in Eugene on an obvious bad call from a replay official. That’s water under the bridge now. That is history. None of us can change history we can only study it and learn from it. Saturday in sweltering heat before another sellout crowd in an old stadium in dire need of renovation that sits in the middle of the largest state fair in the world, the underdog Sooners will no doubt play their hearts out for the love of the game, their school, their families, and their teammates.

The tradition of this game is one of the great intangibles of the Red River Rivalry. It’s no different than the tradition of certain cities or arenas being special in the wrestling business. I have attended dozens of events in Madison Square Garden and it never gets old and I never take for granted the privilege of being able to sit at ringside and do what I have loved doing for over 30 years, broadcasting wrestling. It is always an honor to be in the “World’s Most Famous Arena”. I get the same feeling when I sit at ringside on Monday Nights when we broadcast RAW. RAW has become a part of Americana and we are nearing our 700th episode of the show. Man, where did the time go?

I will have that same special feeling this Saturday when I take my seat in the Cotton Bowl to watch my team compete. I am a lucky man to be able to be in Dallas Saturday. It was one year ago this week it was told to me that in all likelihood that I had colon cancer. I still went to the OU-Texas game last year knowing that I was going to get a biopsy done the next week and that the chances were good that I would be battling colon cancer. Thanks to the Good Lord above that never transpired. I did have major surgery but the doctors found no cancer. Nonetheless, I was bound and determined to attend the game and then to handle my duties at ringside the following Monday night because of that one key word….passion.

I count my blessings every day and if this is the last Red River Shootout I ever attend for whatever reason, I have been blessed. The same goes for Monday Night RAW. We have our season premier this Monday night and I am going to be a part of it when it seemed that last year that I would not be. It’s funny how things can change in our lives in one short year.

I have analyzed this game for www.ouinsider.com and it comes down to the same basic things on which most big games hinge. What team makes the fewest mistakes, who controls the line of scrimmage, and who can control the clock.

But perhaps more importantly this game depends on who plays with the most passion for 4 quarters.

I want my team to win in the worst way just like I am sure Longhorn fans want their team to defeat their arch rival. But somehow I think just being able to attend the game and to enjoy it knowing that I have been given a new lease on life that somehow I have already won in the game that truly counts, the game of life.

So come Monday Night RAW at 8/7 central on the USA Cable Network no matter the score in Saturday’s big game, I will be sitting at ringside, again counting my blessings, and doing what I do, for better or for worse, and doing it with what brought me to the dance. Passion.

BOOMER SOONER!

J.R.