Jason's Untimely Thoughts

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Archive for the ‘Mizzou’ Category

Mizzou Media

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Below is a photo of the “Mizzou Media Hall of Fame” area in the pressbox at Faurot Field.  Chad Moller and the Media Relations office hung a framed photo of Sarah there (that photos is also below, courtesy of Kyle Coburn) in preparation for tomorrow’s first home game.

It should be noted that the “Mizzou Media Hall of Fame” is seemingly a pretty informal thing.  I’m not expecting any public anything, just a nice way for those that worked with Sarah at these events to remember and honor her.

I’ll try to take a better picture or two sometime when the light is better and there’s less going on.

Faurot Field Pressbox

Faurot Field Pressbox

Sarah Becking, Photographer

Sarah Becking, Photographer

Written by Jason Becking

September 5th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

Posted in Mizzou,Sarah Wins

Cross-Generational Shoebird Hatred

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An e-mail from Texas, paraphrased slightly to protect the young:

one of Adelaide’s friends “is into Webkinz.  She got the bluebird a few days ago and promptly stated that since her cousin has one named “j-hawk” (the poor kid’s father is a shoebird), she was naming hers “j-beck” to cancel out any trouble.”

yay.

Written by Jason Becking

August 26th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

“The Tiger Who Owned Babe Ruth”

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Or the Green Wave.  I recently signed up for Mizzou’s “Official Sports Report” out of curiosity.  Mostly generally stuff I already know, but sometimes offers greater detail and then an occasional new item to me.

Credit to them for the following:

The Tiger Who Owned Babe Ruth
Commentary Exclusive to Mizzou OSR
by Todd Donoho
Columbia, MO –  And now the story of Hubert Shelby Pruett.  His friends called him Hub.  His nickname was Shucks.

Hub was from Malden, Mo.  He attended the University of Missouri and lettered on the baseball team in 1921.  He was a left-handed pitcher who perfected a screwball.  Sounds kind of like Fernando Venezuela.

Hub left Mizzou and went to the major leagues where he pitched for the St. Louis Browns in the American League in 1922, 1923 and 1924.  If you were an American League pitcher during those years, that meant you had to pitch against the Yankees’ Babe Ruth during his prime — a daunting task.

Well, nobody pitched to Babe better than Hub.  Babe had fits with Hub’s left-handed screwball.  In his first 13 at bats against Hub, Babe struck out 10 times!  I’ll bet Babe said more than “shucks” when he struck out so often against Hub.

In all, Babe faced Hub 30 times.  He struck out 15 times in those 30 plate appearances against Hub.  He walked eight times, grounded out twice, sacrificed once, and got four hits.  Of those four hits, one was a home run.

Hub died in 1982.  Here is how his obituary read in the New York Times on January 30, 1982:

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“Hubert S. (Hub) Pruett, a left-handed pitcher who was once a nemesis of Babe Ruth, died Thursday at his home in suburban Ladue. He was 81 years old.

Pruett started a seven-year major league career in 1922 with the St. Louis Browns. He had an uncanny fade-away delivery, with which, as a rookie, he struck out Ruth 10 of the first 13 times that Ruth faced him. During his career, Pruett struck out Ruth 15 of the 30 times he pitched to him.

Pruett retired from baseball after a seven-year career in which he pitched for the Browns, the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Giants and the Boston Braves. His career record was 29 victories and 48 losses.

While still playing baseball, he had enrolled in the St. Louis University School of Medicine, and, having earned his degree after eight years, he became a practicing physician.”
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That’s right, Hub Pruett went on to become a doctor.  He was a physician in St. Louis for 40 years.

A baseball player who became a doctor after his playing days were over?  Where have I heard this before?  Sounds like Hub Pruett was “Moonlight” Graham from the movie “Field of Dreams.”

I only have one thing to say after that.  Shucks!

Written by Jason Becking

June 6th, 2008 at 8:26 am

Whoo, He Got It, He Just Relaxed and Broke That Guy

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My collegiate football memories include lots of bad advertising campaigns…. Earning Our Stripes, Jump on Woody’s Wagon, etc.

In that vein, the following email exchange today:

wishbone says:

Earning your stripes out there people?  who would have thought that the wresling coach would come up with the football slogan for next year’s unleashing.

“When I saw him get that first takedown I was like ‘Whoo, he got it,'” coach Brian Smith said. “I just saw him relax and start breaking people.”

Relax and Start Breaking People, Mizzou Football 09

pickle says:

I like “Whoo, he got it” better.

wishbone says:

OK, that can be our new ‘Gig’em, Whoooooop’

yogi says:

Whooooo.

pickle says:

He got it!

wishbone says:

Did you see the way he just relaxed and broke that guy? Dang.

it was funny to me.

Written by Jason Becking

March 21st, 2008 at 11:30 am

CHEATERS!

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The Birmingham News Reports that the Big 12 leads all conferences in major infractions. Here’s their list of the Top 20 Schools for NCAA Infractions.

Oklahoma and Texas A&M are tied for third (and lead the Big 12) with 7 NCAA Major Infraction cases. KU and K-State are closing in rapidly with 6 cases each. Baylor and Colorado have 5 each.

Written by Jason Becking

March 10th, 2008 at 10:29 am

Posted in Mizzou

screw ku

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36-28

Written by Jason Becking

February 4th, 2008 at 9:01 pm

Posted in Mizzou

Beat ku.

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That is all.

Written by Jason Becking

January 17th, 2008 at 3:10 pm

SA, SI, SN

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Most of the family is already in San Antonio… Here’s the Riverwalk for proof:

San Antonio Riverwalk

Tigers are ranked #1 and have a potential Heisman winner playing QB. Here he is on the cover of SI:

Chase Daniel on SI Cover

Here he is on the cover of The Sporting News:

Chase Daniel on Sporting News cover

Written by Jason Becking

November 29th, 2007 at 8:12 am

Posted in Mizzou

Congratulations, Curses, Jinxes, and Random MUsings

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After beating the mythical shoe-wearing birds on Saturday in KC, our beloved Tigers are ranked #1 in the BCS Standings, the AP poll, and whatever the other poll is called that was supposed to accomplish something. Mizzou stands at #2 in the coaches’ poll. MU plays OU on Saturday in San Antonio, one of our favorite places in the world, for the right to play in the BCS National Championship game.

While I commonly predicted 14-0, told a few people in private asides that the game at OU was going to be tough but 13-1 might really happen, and am generally fairly optimistic about our chances (I tried to avoid saying “our”, “we”, etc., but simply can’t), the reality of being #1 in BCS standings and potential of playing in the national championship game simply hasn’t hit me. Oh well, lots of time between now and January 7!

Since the Tiger victory Saturday night, I have been genuinely amazed and surprised at the number of people who have told me “congratulations”. And meant it. I’m extremely happy we won. Thought of losing to KU in that context was especially difficult to stomach. But, I didn’t play. Didn’t coach. Etc. I sent lots of e-mails though and bought lots of tickets, so perhaps that’s why people feel the need to tell me congratulations and I can’t resist saying “we”.

On the lots of tickets topic, my obsession led me to purchase 81 tickets to MU football games thus far. 81. I’ll have used 12 personally, but still. That’s crazy. And doesn’t count the 380 tickets I put on the work credit card for company tailgate or the however many we end up with for the next game. I say again, if only there was some really obvious way that the athletic department and Sarah could get together so they’d get photos they need and we’d get tickets we evidently need.

Back to the KU game. Pre-game, the beakers once again proved to be liars with their athletic director making the ridiculous claim that the crowd would be 70% pro-KU. Wow. Wrong. However, sincere thanks to whomever in beakerville was responsible for keeping the red socks in the drawer this year. I’ll assume that was a nod towards respect and sanity.

Finally, many were expecting me to go crazy on KU week and send out large chunks of material (insert Mangino joke here) (insert Reesing with a piece of KC sod joke here). Home games only, for tailgating purposes, that is all. If I’d have been funnier during the year, I might have sent another one. As it was, I was sick of my ramblings.

Finally, No Freaking Cursing. Chase Daniel is on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. Has caused me to read many e-mails of “oh no” and what not. Garbage. SI’s own research proves that any alleged curse has come true at most 37% of the time. Since the curse clearly worked on the shoebirds last week, my expert statistical reasoning allows that there’s only a 14% chance of it working two weeks in a row. And that’s if there was every any such thing. And there’s not.

BEAT OU!!!! And on a side note, screw ku.

Written by Jason Becking

November 27th, 2007 at 3:05 pm

Border War

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KU game is forthcoming… hatred is building… frightening scenarios are being played-out all over two states and ESPN.  Enough attention this week without me adding to it.  Game is national broadcast on ABC at 7:00 p.m.

My early suggestions for signs:

Chickenhawks:
Always
Been
Cheaters

Chickenhawk
A Mythical Shoe-Wearing
Bird That Presumably
Can’t Fly

A
Beaker
Cookout

Written by Jason Becking

November 19th, 2007 at 11:19 am