Jason's Untimely Thoughts

It’s homecoming week here (again) in Columbia, Mo.  The sudden chill in the air, the falling leaves, the brrrrrr cold rain is proof enough, but the highly ranked team from Oklahoma coming to town unsuspecting of the beatdown that awaits them is a sure sign.  Like Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner last year, Oklahoma State arrives from the land thief state this year.  Game time is 11:00 a.m., televised on FX (good luck finding that on your television dials).  When Gahn McGhaffie returns the opening kick for a TD again, may you all thank me simultaneously for this comparison.

Ok, it’s not really homecoming again, it just feels like it.  (What’s that, maybe I just can’t remember parts of last week?  Shut your mouth.)  We’ll be tailgating early again, bring a breakfast dish of your liking, should you desire.

Speaking of “it’s not really”, it’s not really the best team from Oklahoma coming to town, this is Oklahoma State.  They’re just coming to teach us how to Gundy.  Not content with being the second best team in Oklahoma (to OU), nor the (traditionally) second best OSU (to Ohio State), nor having the craziest coach (to Les Miles, their former coach), nor having the second craziest rich old alumni (ok, I give, I can’t think of anyone crazier than T. Boone Pickens), they’ve also gone all Oregon with the insane uniform combinations.  A wise man often told me (when Ok State came to town) that you can’t be proud walking around in orange pants.  It seems they 75% agree, as white, black, and grey are equally as likely Saturday.

Go Tigers.  Celebration of the second of the nine-game winning streak to finish the year (and the Big 12-2-1+1?) will be celebrated postgame.

Happy Homecoming Tiger fans,

100 years of Homecoming will be celebrated with pomp and circumstances of interest all over town this weekend.  The kids and I will be taking advantage of the first ever non-rainy homecoming to attend house decs Friday night, then the tailgate is on for Saturday prior to the 1 p.m. game against the Iowa State Cyclones. Join us at as many of those things as you like.

As has become recent tradition, Wingate Pest and Lawn Control is buying the food for the homecoming game.  Buckinghams will be bringing the spread.  If you’d like to contribute, any non-bbq or baked bean item would be acceptable.  I think I’m skipping the parade and will just be at the tailgate all morning, so stop by whenever you like.

No Mizzou football related email would be current without some level of grumbling over something or anonymous sourced SEC speculation.  That said, I recently overheard someone close to the University say that I (me, Jason) would like to punch about half the people grumbling and all of the people reporting anonymous sourced SEC speculation.  ISUck. I suck.

Call Wingate for all your pest and lawn control needs.  (Irony of having many pests and not that much growing grass at our tailgate spot duly noted.)  Go Tigers, Go Cardinals.  But not those Cardinals that had the misfortune of being caught in a tornado, screw those guys.  And the mythical shoe-wearing birds.

I’ve started going through Sarah’s digital photos, a task that’s kept me up late several nights this week.  Ultimately, many (more) of them will be going to our zenfolio site.   I’ve added a bunch of basketball photos there recently, but it’s really not anything much that wasn’t already on the basketball section of becking.com.  I’ll ultimately be putting a lot of Columbia College, other Mizzou sports, and some of the portraits and wedding stuff she took.

Anyway, while going through the basketball photos, I stumbled upon the fact that she’d taken photos of every Mizzou basketball head coach since 1967.  Of course it helps a lot that Norm coached for 32 years.  Here’s some of them:

Norm Stewart, Head Coach from 1967-1999, shown here when his #22 was being moved from Hearnes Center to Mizzou Arena

Quin Snyder and Brian Grawer, presenting game ball to Norm Stewart, after Mizzou beat KU.

Keyon Dooling and Quin Snyder

Coach Mike Anderson at his introductory press conference

Melvin Watkins as Interim Head Coach after Quin Snyder

Coach Melvin Watkins coaches his last game at Texas A&M, in a loss to Mizzou in the Big 12 Tournament

Coach Frank Haith (seated) and Coach Rick Barnes, coaching for Texas against Mizzou in 2004.