Sept. 16, 2009

It was interesting not having a football game the second week of September. I took full advantage of the off week by going to Mississippi to see my grandsons. Marilyn and I left Thursday, and flew to Jackson and drove to Starkville. Later in the day, we drove to Greenwood, Miss., which is in the Delta.

We watched our grandson Nicholas play for the Starkville Academy Volunteers. He played every snap: offense, defense, and special teams. During the game, I came to appreciate the intensity of the mosquitoes in the Mississippi Delta. I used up an entire bottle of mosquito repellent. However, I made a tactical error by wearing shorts. I tried to help the situation and used plastic bags to cover my legs. But I still got welts. I'm considering sending some of our Kyle Field bats to the Delta to help eat their mosquitoes and fertilize the grounds.

On Saturday, we drove three hours west of Starkville to Cleveland, Mississippi to Delta State University to watch our grandson Davis' cross country meet. He runs for Starkville Junior High. The interesting thing I noticed while watching Davis run was he was running against high school-aged athletes and junior high-aged athletes. He was easily the youngest runner at age 11. I was impressed how well he was coached. Davis started at the back of the pack, but by the end of the race, he had passed many runners who had run out of gas. He kept a steady pace. It reminded me of the Tortoise and the Hare.

When we returned from Delta State, I got to do something I really enjoy and rarely get to do. I got to watch college football the rest of the day. Thanks to the recall button on the remote control, I was busy. I saw at least seven games. It was a great day!

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Last week, I talked about the 85 scholarship limit in college football. The outcomes in a number of games this weekend proved the talent level has spread nationwide. It's not just at a handful of traditional powers winning anymore.

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I felt bad for our track and field coach Pat Henry over the weekend. We had already bought all the trophies for our Texas A&M Invitational Cross Country Meet. Our staff had laid out the course twice, once before the rain, and designed another course because of the rain. Ultimately, we had to contact the coaches of 2,400 high school athletes, and another 300 college athletes, to cancel the event due to the terrible conditions. We would have ruined the intramural fields if we had run the races.

I also felt bad for the women's golf team. We had to cancel two rounds of play of our annual "Mo"Morial at Traditions Club because the storms came. The teams managed to play one of the three rounds. At least we won! We finished in the lead after shooting a 290 during the first round. Newcomers Julia Boland and Sarah Beth Davis shot two-under-par 70s to win the tournament. Looks like coach Trelle McCombs has another good roster.

Special thanks to the staff of Traditions who put in extra time trying to keep the course playable.

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One of the good things about the rains over the weekend is it flushed out Kyle Field. I went out Monday and walked around Kyle. Last week, the drains I saw were stuffed with all sorts of debris. Monday, all the drains were clear except one, and I grabbed a stick and flushed that sucker clean.

We heard from a lot of you regarding the stench from the bats. We are in complete agreement with you. We literally power wash Kyle Field all week, and right up till the gates open, trying to contain the mess.

We received many responses to my comments last week about charging bats for admission to Kyle Field. One fan forwarded me this link to a video feature on our University website about research conducted with bats and love songs.

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This week our football team will host Utah State at Kyle Field on Saturday at 6 p.m. We have a variety of ticket options for this game and for all remaining games. Tickets for the south end bleachers are half-priced at $25. Tickets in other areas of the stadium are $50.

Also, as part of Faculty/Staff Day, all Texas A&M faculty and staff can receive a half-priced ticket located in several areas of Kyle Field for the Utah State game by clicking here.

We've also pro-rated the cost for season tickets and for the discount season tickets. Our discount season tickets are now available for $225. It's one of the best values out there. For an average of $37.50 a game, you get the same seat for the remaining six home games, including the game against our friends from the state capital.

Speaking of the Thanksgiving night game, the only way to get a ticket to the game against our friends from the state capital right now is via a season ticket, discount season ticket, or via our Texas Three-step promotion. The Texas Three-step promotion allows you to buy a ticket to any two of the first six home games of the season, and you can pick up an equal number of tickets to the Thanksgiving Day game.

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Don't forget our popular Kids Yell Practice will start about 3:15 p.m. at the corner of Joe Routt and Houston Streets just prior to the football team Spirit Walk. The number of kids participating in the Yell Practice grows each week with this new tradition.

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You may have seen a group of photographers in bright yellow shirts at the first home football game. This is a group headed by former student Matt Martin who approached us about the opportunity to take fans' pictures before the games. It's absolutely free to have your photo taken. You will receive a card with your "gallery number" on it, which directs you to a website where you can review the picture when you get home. You choose whether to buy it or not, and what Aggie-themed border you want to place on the picture. It's a nice keepsake from your experience at Kyle Field. To see photos from the first game click here.

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Tickets are going fast for the Southwest Classic at Cowboys Stadium on Oct. 3. We have about 2,000 club level seats remaining and less than 800 student standing room only tickets left for the Arkansas game. To purchase your seat, click here or contact the Athletic Ticket Office at 1-888-99-AGGIE.

A reminder, you can get official Southwest Classic gear by clicking here.

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Letters, we get letters. Let's answer some of your email.

Several of you have written me about the interior look of Kyle Field this year. Some have suggested we add something to cover the wall along the track. Others wonder why we have not replaced the maroon metal coverings on the third deck on the student side. The answer is simple. Both projects are expensive to do, and we don't have the money to do it right this year. To replace the east side covering and the track wall is $30,000. Replacing only the east side covering is $10,700.

I heard from a few of you saying the crowd at the New Mexico game was pretty quiet. Judging from the number of marks left on the metal coverings on the third deck, I'd say it was pretty loud.

Several of you wrote disappointed the WWII aircraft we arranged for the flyover did not fly as low as the military aircraft we usually have over Kyle. Here is a little secret. The WWII aircraft actually flew at the FAA approved level.

We had a few comments from folks having trouble hearing our games in the Hill Country. Our Texas A&M Sports Network has nearly 50 radio stations which carry the football broadcasts. With that said, there may not be a station in your specific area. Do what I do, subscribe to satellite radio. The broadcast on satellite radio is great. The signal is clear. You can get all of our football and men's basketball games, as well as those of many other schools. Not only that, when the Aggies are not playing, you can also listen to old time radio. I recommend the old Fibber McGee & Molly shows. This week, our football game will be on Sirius channel 127, and on XM "best of Sirius" channel 103. If you're home and have a computer (and I suspect you do if you're reading this) then go to AggieAthletics.com, and click on the multimedia button which leads to Aggies on the radio. You can listen to your heart's content there as well.

Due to a scheduling conflict, our affiliate in San Antonio KTKR-AM will be airing the game on a taped-delayed basis. Satellite radio, or listening via AggieAthletics.com, is the best way for our fans in the San Antonio area to hear this week's game.

For our Houston area listeners, this week's game will be carried on KBME-AM 790 The Sports Animal.

Speaking of radio coverage, we have teamed with LiveSportsRadio.com for game day sales of a radio receiver which allows fans to hear our radio broadcast delay free home and away while at the stadium. Fans can buy the A&M branded radios at LiveSportsRadio.com or at home football games from vendors outside Kyle Field, at concessions stands, and at the Aggie Locker trailers inside the stadium.

A new feature to our home radio broadcasts is an interview with Coach Mike Sherman at the end of the second quarter. Our sideline reporter Tom Turbiville will get Mike's comments about the first half before he heads to the locker room.

Some of you have asked when we will release our 2010 football schedule. Remember, television can move games to different dates, and the Big 12 Conference can still move games. Our 2010 schedule as of today can be found by clicking here. Remember, all games and dates are subject to change.

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Congratulations to our volleyball team for winning the tournament last weekend at Texas State. We improved to 7-1 this season. This Saturday, we start Big 12 play at Texas Tech at 2 p.m. I hope you are making plans to join us at Reed Arena next Wednesday, Sept. 23, when we host Nebraska at 6 p.m. We are hoping for a big crowd for this nationally televised match. It will be Fish Camp Night, and everyone wearing a Fish Camp T-shirt gets in free. You can get tickets now by clicking here.

Our 13th ranked soccer team was on the road last Saturday. They faced defending national champion and top-ranked North Carolina, and lost in the last few minutes of the match. I've seen the type of team Coach G has put together, and I firmly believe we have a shot to be in the national championships right here at A&M in December. We are fun and exciting to watch. We have another big match this Friday when the No. 2-ranked Portland Pilots come to town. They won the national championship on our field when we hosted the NCAA Women's College Cup in 2005. Friday's game starts at 7 p.m. On Sunday, we will host Sam Houston State at 3 p.m. You can purchase tickets for both matches by clicking here.

Our defending national champion men's golf team is ranked No. 4 in the Golfweek Preseason Top 25. We return three starters from last season's team. Last week, we finished tied for fifth at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate at the University of New Mexico's Championship Golf Course. Our next tournament will be next weekend in Seattle.

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The 32nd Annual Burgess Banquet is Friday night at The Zone Club. It's always a great event, and I enjoy hearing the inductees' stories of their time at Texas A&M. Our Hall of Fame inductees this year are linebacker Quentin Coryatt `92, power forward Winston Crite `87, running back Greg Hill `94, quarterback Roddy Osborne `58, track and field athlete Bashir Ramzy '01, and linebacker John Roper `89. We have a few tickets remaining for the banquet. You can contact the Letterman's Association at 979-846-3024 to purchase.

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Our Junior Aggie Club is one of the best entertainment values in town. For $25, a child receives free admission to many Aggie athletic events and to the football game against UAB. And family members of Junior Aggie Club members get half-price admission to the UAB game, too! This year we will have about 160 athletic events available for members of the Junior Aggie Club to attend for free. Click here for more information about joining the Junior Aggie Club.

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Before I go, I encourage you to be in the stands before our football team entrance happens on Saturday. It's not 100 percent official yet, but I expect a very special Aggie to be leading the team to the field.

See you Saturday at Kyle Field.