Joey D. Richards

What a day

• By Joey D. Richards
• Posted February 1, 2010 3:21 PM
• 0 Comments

I began the day Monday surrounded by hundreds of coaches and administrators in the large multipurpose room at the Birdville ISD Fine Arts and Athletic Complex. It was hot, packed room, and everyone was waiting for the UIL to realease its realignment plan for the next two seasons.

There were three different screens projected high on the wall -- one for Class 5A, another for Class 4A and another for Class 3A. It was sort of like being on the floor at Wall Street. And once the alignments were shown on the screens at 9 a.m., well, more like 9:05 a.m., the rush began for coaches to find nondistrict games. And that's going to be tough for some teams, since a few of the Metroplex district are nine-team districts.

I know Cooper fans are excited to be back in the Little Southwest Conference. It was a little strange when I first came to Abilene two seasons ago, Cooper's first in Class 4A. Just about every Cooper fan I talked to seem disappointed in the breakup of the Little Southwest Conference and the drop to 4A. I've never known anyone to be upset with dropping down. My high school, Dickinson, dropped down from 4A to 3A, and two years after going winless in a 4A district, the Gators won a state football title, beating Brownwood. Texas City dropped from 5A to 4A back in the 90s and won two state football titles. La Marque also dropped from 5A to 4A and became one of the best football traditions in the state of Texas. In time in 4A, Cooper would have had a good chance of winning a state title, though 4A is just as tough as 5A. And who knows? The Coogs might be able to win a title in 5A. The right talent has to come along, and it always takes a little luck. But it should be fun playing in a district with the Midlands, Midland Lees, Odessas and Odessa Permians.

Overheard at realignment on Monday: "I don't know  where they are. Google them,"

Turns out, that coach was talking about a team in his new district. He didn't know where the school was. Amazing.

My day got even stranger. I was going to stop for lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse in the Stockyards in Fort Worth, at the old Armour Building, and found out it's not there anymore. Oh, the building is still there, but it's an energy company or something. Anyway, driving through the Stockyards, I saw a cowdog pulling a large longhorn across the street on a leash. Just moments later, driving through downtown Fort Worth, I saw a dog with a cat on its back crossing the street in front of Cabo Grande. And the cat had a white rat on its back.

I figure that's all a sign, a portent if you will. I just don't know what it all means. A dog pulling a cow. A rat on a cat on a dog. The Little Southwest Conference is back, and some coach out there is trying to figure where one his district opponents is located. That's some weird stuff.