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NFR 2001 Tenth
Performance Pen of Bulls:
The Bull Riders, Bull Fighters, Barrel Men at this rodeo are dedicating this performance to the living memory of all the people who gave their lives for others in the September 11th tragedy. Note to readers: At Dallas we were told that some of the New York Firefighters would be here. That meant a lot to the bull riders because like all of us they wanted to show those people—people who have lost loved ones—that we know they hurt and we care. But….just because they couldn’t come doesn’t mean we cannot have them in our thoughts and hearts. I’m pretty much just gonna give you the draw and what the bulls did their first trip. If you missed some perfs you can print them at probullstats.com. Hopefully the (ed. MANY) typo’s will be corrected there. THE BULLS: This is actually just part of the A TEAM. With HURRICANE not bucking, BORDER PATROL out with a horn infection, CASH having a front foot problem (looks like a gravel to me) and UNFORGIVEN still walking on three legs—it impacted several different pens of bulls not just this one. Should be some good rides.
Cody Hancock -75 MR USA Diamond G This was THE premiere match at the MGM. Cool… very cool. Someone better be around when Steve Gilbert gets loaded and turns out of the parking lot. With his sense of direction he’ll end up in Mexico.
Blue Stone 705 Lip Tricks Corey & Horst This is the 2001 WORLD CHAMPION BULL RIDER unless he gets abducted by aliens and can’t get on. He earned it. That’s the great thing about bull riding—if you can ride and you bear down and try every bull no matter what he does—you’ll succeed.
Jason Legler G64 Johnny Rotten Mesquite One of the two rankest bulls the first time through the bulls. If this weren’t the NFR Jason would probably be taking a month off. He’s been riding with a badly bruised riding arm and it has shown in critical situations. He’ll be back. I thought Jason’s bull last night T30 Jelly Bean—the Battles bull that Bad Company paid $18,000 for at the NFR—bucked good last night. He had a new flank man since Cody Battles had to go home. A recent subject of interest here has been FLANK PASSES. From the contestant’s perspective we think that the person who flanks the animals all year—ought to do it here. Unfortunately, there are no rules that make that happen. In the past we’ve had owners, brother-in-laws, and even creditors pulling the trigger. And because a few stock contractors abused the privilege and used the Flank Pass as a free ticket for someone to stand on the back of the chutes, watch the rodeo, and hopefully get on camera—we have some strict rules. (Actually with this camera man we spend most of our time watching his camera oogle big breasted women… appears to like blondes. We have even missed a few rides. If that’s a strategy—heck lets just pipe-in the Playboy channel.) The saddest part of that whole scenario is that the person who helped that stock get here—didn’t get to be here with his or her animals. Didn’t get to EXPERIENCE it. Usually those people work for low pay… and some danged long hours. If they did their job well and got an animal here—they’ve earned the privilege of flanking that animal. It isn’t a RIGHT—it is a privilege. Fully revocable if abused. There just isn’t much room behind the chutes. As a rule the contractors and flankers who don’t have an animal out, stay in their locker room. They are good about it, considerate. By the way—just so you know—while the bull riders and bull fighters are crunched into two little ol’ closets—the RAT contractors have big, spacious, plush digs with a different food caterer every night. No kidding. As an event director my concern is that the NFR will pass a rule where each outfit can have one flank pass PERIOD. I can see their reasoning only it would not be in the best interest of the contestants, the contractors, or this rodeo. Why? Partnerships. There are going to be more and more partnerships in the future and the rodeo business will benefit from them. Big rodeo contractors cannot afford to OWN the depth of quality livestock they need these days. The alternative is to involve partners… bull partners and horse partners. People who have a few TOP END animals and bring them to the BIG SC’s rodeos. The lease rates are reduced plus you don’t have the annual maintenance and interest costs. The cowboys get better stock and AND you offer a better product to the paying spectators. For sure at the NFR we all need the best performances out of the animals. Taking in partners is a lot better than watching rich folks buy stock contractor cards and either put on sorry rodeos or underbid established ones. SOLUTION: Certainly we can’t have an outfit here with ten different owners and all of them flank their own stock. But maybe what we could do is have the Stock Contractor Executive Council screen all flank passes and review applications. Certainly anyone who flanks here ought to have a flanker’s card and been flanking a herd that year. If an outfit has a legitimate need for two passes and the Council approved it—no problem. In fact, one pass could be for the entire rodeo and the second tied to whenever specific animals were out. The day that animal was out, the person would have to get a one perf CHUTE pass for that event. Other times that person could be in the stock contractor room and hang-out and watch the rodeo on TV. Actually unless a person had an animal out they don’t need to be behind the chutes. A simple sticker system to compliment the photo ID ought to work.
Kagan Sirett 50 Hammer Time Bad Company This little bull has one of the biggest hearts. Casey Dugan says Hammer has only been ridden 4 times in his life. That’s really something because they put a lot of trips on their bulls and they do it where a lot of guys can ride. There is a reason Kagan hasn’t done well—a broken riding hand. Sometimes depending on his riding style a guy can get by. But with Kagan… what makes him such a great rider—one of the few who can ride the very best rodeo bulls—is that he gets out over his hand and stays there. But he can’t because of all that body weight and pressure on his hand—REALLY HURTS.
Common sense tells me that a pigging string isn’t a big rock or a hand grenade. We ought to be PAYING those ropers to toss their strings instead of fining them.
Jesse Bail 122 Copper Head Walls Really good bull. To the left.
RODEO’S FIRE MEN…. Are the protection bull fighters. I think all of us could give our lives for the one’s we love. Could you do it for a stranger? Someone you don’t know and may never know? If someone put $400 in your hand and told you to pull 20 guys out of a burning building would you take the offer? Every night there is a rodeo of any kind, brave men take that job and usually for less money than that. The thing is—they’d do it for nothing. Most will never make it to the National Finals Rodeo. On one hand you’d like to see more guys get to come here. On the other hand and the bottom line for me is—this is about who guys want to save their lives. THEIR lives—THEIR CHOICE. I have never offered and opinion on who they should pick. All I tell them is to pick the men that they’d want to save the person they love the most… if that person were riding here. Bull riders sometimes believe that they are bullet-proof… or lucky… or good enough that THEY can take care of themselves so that is why I ask them to consider someone they love. Fires are unpredictable. You can study, prepare, and get good at what you do and a fire can still kill… and kill even you. Bulls are the same way. Fire Men and Bull Fighters… HEROES. I’ve been thinking about writing a book. Yeah… about a guy who came down from the sky and walked around and saved people. Never know—might be a best seller.
Rob Bell 450H Top Gun Kish Came from the Hemsteds. I thought he looked pretty darn bucky his first trip here. Doubt that Rob will get on. He shouldn’t. I wonder if any Arabic type people have attended this rodeo this week. I hope so. I can’t be much fun for them right now. They can’t change their looks even if they wanted to. Some are second and third generation Americans. Can you imagine sending your kids off to school every morning? Until September 11th, I hadn’t thought much about that race of people. Hadn’t been around them for a long time. When I was in graduate school I was the only American in my college’s graduate program. Okay…. it WAS the Avian Science College. How did a Brad Pitt lookalike get into a school of chickens, turkeys and ducks? Average grades, a desire to finish my college rodeo eligibility, and a department head with a good sense of humor. I tried for the Gynecology department first. They never responded. Their loss I figured. Back then I hated Arabs. Didn’t at first—they EARNED it. They were arrogant, lazy, and never met a shower they walked into. They frickin’ STUNK. I almost got dismissed from grad school on two occasions. The first time it was for putting some knuckle bumps on an Arab and locking him in the egg cooler. It was on a Friday. How was I to know no one would find him until Monday? That was one very cold egg-sucking Arab. But when I went to the department hearing I just said I did it because he was arrogant, lazy, and stunk. The TRUTH prevailed. The ironic thing was except for the body odor thing—I was no better. I was arrogant and have always been lazy. The second? Well… uh… all I can tell you is that… uh… it involved a naked girl…. and a desk. Well … actually a naked professor. So much for TENURE.
Vince Stanton 080 Red Dog Beutler & Son Ever had a shot to the gnards? A REAL shot… with a NEEDLE? YOWEEEEEEEEE.
Who did the best job judging the bull riding here? LARRY DAVIS. Three of the things I will always remember about my years at the NFR…
It was the best of the three. Rodeo will be fine if we can keep family and love for the game alive and well. We need to become a kinder and more considerate sport and business. We need to take better care of our own.
Lee Akin 542 Free Loader Kish One of my favorite rodeo bulls.
Speaking of Free Loaders, I’ve seen many PAN HANDLERS in parking lots in this city. I went shopping all over town on Saturday. And the panners hit me early and often. A dollar here, a dollar there. I stopped and counted… by 11 AM they had got me for a total of $10. It’s okay. I figure if only one of them was legit I could live with that. I know people who donate to charities operate on the 10% theory. Many of the most well known only give out 20-30% of what they take in. I don’t know of any who return 100%. Oh yes I do. THE JUSTIN COWBOY CRISIS FUND. So I’d paid out $10 when PANNER #11 showed up. PANNER #11 (weakly) Uh …sir could you spare a dollar for a hot cup of soup? (near death cough) Maybe TWO if you could, sir. It is a cold day. (hacks up something). Soooo coooold. So I hand him a buck. My kindness has limits. PANNER #11: GOD Bless you, Sir. I turn to go on to my car. THUNK. Where'd he go? Except for one arm I actually couldn’t see him any longer. Some old lady had backed over him with a 1962 Buick. But GOD DID bless me. With a dollar -- it was still in his hand. The LORD giveth and the LORD taketh away. Read it in a book. Best seller. Giveth with a sucker COWBOY… taketh with a 62’ Buick. (not in the book)
Josh O’Byrne K66 Rapid Fire Big Bend Life never seems to get easier for this guy. Bull bucks.
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MORE HEROES… For me the best thing to happen to rodeo, even better than the increase in earnings and Las Vegas, has been the JUSTIN HEALER program. No, they look like HEELERS but what they do is HEAL. You’ve probably noticed that lots of historical dates have either a B.C. or A.D. following them. Well in rodeo all dates should be B.J. P. or A. J. P. Who’s J.P.? DR. JAY PAT EVANS. He and Doc Claussen from North Platte were two of the first physicians who treated rodeo cowboys like REAL PROFESSIONAL athletes. I’m sure there were others but those are the two I know about. Jay Pat started small. Dunking Donnie Gay and Hawkeye in whirlpools with some famous Dallas Cowboys Football Players. Would you like to be in a tub of swirling hot water with Donnie Gay? Not me. Bet there’d be a lot of BUBBLES. Over the years more and more cowboys traveled far to see him. And (except for me—I still limp) he healed them. But more importantly he made them FEEL like they were REAL athletes. He was equally MEAN to them. But for full time rodeo guys—it made them feel safer—just knowing he was there. Someone who KNEW sports injuries. Some one who could DO SOMETHING ABOUT those injuries. He was not some rural family doctor/vet who didn’t have the experience, but someone who could tell you WHAT YOU HAD TO DO. Someone who would tell you PLAY or NO PLAY and tell you in a manner that you actually DID WHAT HE SAID. You know how much a million dollars is? Well, that probably the amount of money that Jay Pat didn’t charge in fees because our medical coverage wasn’t good enough. If it was an 80% 20% insurance plan, not only did he keep the bill under the program limits he THEN ate the 20%. Shoot, maybe it was two million dollars. And you know what?—HE NEVER TOLD ANYONE. And then came Don Andrews -- a hockey, and race car guy. Put together a program where Cowboys could receive on-site care by sports medicine professionals. Ken Stemler found ways to fund it. And over the years Justin, Ranch Headquarters, Don, and Jay Pat have kept the program doing—and that wasn’t an easy thing to do. Handled every problem internally, quietly, and professionally. Now, any cowboy can get an experienced opinion on their injuries. He or she can be referred to the best specialists in the world. And they get VIP ASAP treatment. The JUSTIN people are friendly, knowledgeable, and GOOD at what they do. They are in fact PROFESSIONAL. You can be a STAR or a permit holder from BFE. If you’re hurt—you can see the best. Some of the guys and girls have been with the program for years. Have spent more time with the top stars in our game than with their families (and vice versa). If there is such a thing as family doctors anymore—for rodeo professionals these people are it. They are family. When we started PBR of course we needed the program. But being cowboys we of course thought that Justin ought to pay US for the privilege of taking care of us. Tom Feller disagreed. Smart guy. We were at a stalemate in the negotiation and Ty Murray said “No Healers—I don’t play”. End of negotiation. A few years back our sport was introduced to a guy named TANDY. I read a book once, an action adventure about a guy who healed people and he had disciples who carried out his good works after he was gone. Tandy would be JP’s best known disciple. Not as handsome as Jay Pat… doesn’t have the EVANS body that Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders loved to abuse …. but he’s been a good keeper of the watch. The greatest fear rodeo cowboys have is getting hurt bad in some cow pasture town. I had a doctor write me one time after he’d had a bull rider die on his Emergency Room table. You want to know what the kid’s last words were? "JUST GET ME TO DALLAS." True story.
Mike Moore 906 Top Gun Pinz Didn’t get to see this bull very long but it looked like he was really gonna buck. Pinz’s have had pretty good luck raising their own bulls. Some good lookers (like MRS. Pinz). A few months back my pal Jerry Nelson put an offer on our website message board. He had 200 and some heifers—all out of rodeo bull bloodlines—and most of the bulls I knew. I can’t really recall the offer but I think it was he’d give you a set of heifers, you’d grow them out, he’d furnish a bull or semen, you’d split the calves… you pick one… he’d pick one… etc. That seemed like a heck of a deal to me if you had some cheap country to run them in a climate they could survive in. And I don’t know that any PRCA contractors took him up on it. With bred heifers bring $2,000 and up and bulls bringing so much—why wouldn’t that be a good deal? It would be a great deal for stock contractor kids. A set of cows they could grow up with. After September 11th, commercial flying bothered me. I’d sit there and wonder if I’d have the guts to charge up that narrow aisle and give my life. Could I do it after I’d seen a stewardesses’ throat cut? I still don’t know. It bothered me. It STILL bothers me. See, I’ve always wondered about my courage. That was probably the sub conscious reason I was attracted to bull riding. It scared the hell out of me. Probably didn’t really realize it until after I’d been out of it for a few years. All through grade school I’d sit in the very back and sweat bullets—hoping not to get called on. Being ashamed for being scared probably is what motivated me to fight Anthony Martinez seven times. The first time was my first day in kindergarden… a dispute over a graham cracker. MY cracker—HE wanted it. For a kindergartner Anthony was a bit ahead of us on the maturity scale. He shaved and drove to school. The last time we fought was my senior year. He was in sixth grade then… had lost his license for multiple DWIs… and fortunately was the same size as the first time I fought him. I heard that Anthony Martinez died in Vietnam. Was a highly decorated soldier. Me… I was college rodeoing, destroying the morals of beautiful young women, and locking Arabs in egg coolers.
Fred Boettcher 77 Yellow Jacket Flying 5 Had his very best day his first time out here.
I flew from Denver to San Francisco during the Cow Palace. That day the FEDS had just received information that maybe the bridges out there had been targeted for terrorism. Waiting area was full. There were two security guys -- looked like they were plainclothed military -- butch haircuts and no nonsense. Side arms. Didn’t search anyone but it was good to see that security was better. At DIA, few of the scanner people spoke English and those who did were parolees. They were just getting ready to start the boarding us and a SWARTHY individual walked up. A blind man on Jeopardy could see that this was a TERRORIST. Mid twenties… expensive tennis shoes and aviation glasses…. and a BACK PACK. Go directly to the security table and do not pass GO. The security guys were dang sure professional. I felt a twinge of sympathy for the guy but then heck—it has to be that way. There has to be some use of profiling. If the Martians had attacked I’d dang sure be jerking Green people out of airport lines.
Philip Elkins R8 Copen Kish Kerby This bull gets it on right in the gate. You snooze you lose.
Okay… I boarded the flight for Frisco. Something was wrong though. I actually had a window seat in the back. Somewhere in the big computer BRAIN in the sky is a software glitch that ALWAYS puts me in a center seat between two HUGE, BEARDED, FAT LADIES FROM THE CIRCUS. My arm rest ends up being one of their double chins. Seats are filling up now. I’m definitely hot. No colic-EE crying infants with DY A REE HA..... or let’s-kick-the-cowboy's-seat for two hours-- bratty children. HOT…. and fixin to get even hotter. Someone on in the aisle seat but no one in the middle. The only empty seat on the plain. I am HOT….and fixin' to be SIZZLING. Walking down the aisle (actually FLOATING down the aisle) come Bo Derek’s PRETTY SISTER. Guy’s heads are spinning like that girl in the movie EXORCIST. (Yeah, the girl that bronc rider Rick Whorton dated). Take your breath away—beautiful.
Cory McFadden 620 Shyster Kish Really bucked. A PBR bull Cory should know. Cory’s riding is about a close to Jim Sharp as we’re likely to see.
As I just said… She stops, the woman on the aisle gets up and lets the BABY BO in. BO says to me, “Hi… could you touch my breasts?” Actually she must’ve said “Could you hold my book?” since she handed me a hard cover. Now there were TWO hard things in Row 28. She sits down… so petite but obviously ENHANCED. A shy smile… with just a hint of naughty. Being me—of course I’m used to that type of behavior from beautiful women. We chat… she thinks I’m funny and cute…. she slaps my leg… the hand stays a bit too long for it to be casual. My little Wizard is now a BIG Wizard. HELLO, Mile High Club. The bathroom is two doors back. Reservation for BOND… JAMES BOND... I am SOOOOOO HOT. ThankyouGODThankyouGODThankyouGODThankyouGODThankyouGod ThankyouGODThankyouGODThankyouGODThankyouGODThankyouGOD “The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not want.” Good book. Best seller.
Myron Duarte 73 Rampage II Harper Ty Murray thought this was the buckiest bull out in this pen his first trip. Ty’s seen him a lot.
Back to the flight…..My mind is stuck in fast forward….Takeoff Takeoff Takeoff Takeoff Takeoff Takeoff... Get this &*$% off the frickin GROUND. BUT NO---OOOOOOOOO. Life doesn’t work that way. In the distance I see a PILOT. Big strapping sucker… EX Military, I'm sure. He’s walking down the aisle. Don’t take BO, I’m thinking. Oh PLEEEEEASE… don’t take the girl. BABY BO made Faith Hill look like a barking beagle. But Big Boy doesn’t get that far… he stops and pulls out an NFR linebacker type—sends him to the front… then another… then another brute… then another…. a total of SIX bruisers. Seats them all the way across the front row and moves the former occupants back. He’s building a line of defense in front of the cabin. People CLAP. At first just a smattering… then REALLY CLAP and CHEER. He doesn’t even smirk … instead starts back down the aisle… and down the aisle… and down the aisle…. and down the aisle. The #$&% is after BABY BO! He stops… smiles at my dream girl—then looks at me. Nods for me to get up and come with him. I nod for him to TAKE A HIKE... Doesn't work. So now I’m following MR RICHARD HEAD the pilot back up the aisle. Everyone watching. I’m thinking “Well, at least everyone thinks I can stop a terrorist and save their lives.” Actually I’m thinking … “you sorry &#$*%@*.” We stop at Row 4…. a big Moose is seated on the aisle, an old lady in the middle and the SWARTHY guy (think that means “Omar Shariff-like”) in the window seat. Granny’s gone and the cowboy gets to be the next door neighbor. I’m the sacrificial lamb providing time for MR. Moose to react. And not one frickin person claps.
Jason McClain 610 Artic Cat Double J/Joe Simon Good draw. Jason is one tough sonofgun. With his injury he could be singing Soprano in a church choir.
In flight now- -my stick (LOG) is no longer a weapon. So how is this guy gonna do it? A Lethal Karate guy maybe? Punch himself in the gut and set off a bomb he swallowed? Anthrax capsules glued to the top of his mouth? A box cutter up his butt? Oh oh… smells like he crapped-out the cutter. His hand goes for his pants and it’s lights out for OMAR. My eyes start to water. Oh no… poison gas. We’re all gonna die. Good bye, Baby Bo! AGGHHHHHH. But we didn’t die. Our terrorist was a second generation American…. been skiing…. going back to Stanford… dad owns a bunch of car washes in DALLAS (which explains the BAD GAS). But as we walked off the flight I just HAD to tell him that he WAS a little terrorist-looking, fartin *$&#@… who could use a shower. He was lucky they didn’t have egg coolers on 747’s. Baby Bo? I hate pilots.
Rerides: (not necessarily in order) 03 I Ninety Corey & Horst 86 Boo Boo Stace Smith 46 Zandy Andrews
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