Cowboys Stadium Has A Name

After four seasons, Cowboys Stadium is no more. Team owner Jerry Jones last week announced that the naming rights have been acquired by AT&T.

The jokes have already started.

You know how the communications giant brags about having fewer dropped calls than any other carrier? (Well, unless you live in Hickman County, Tennessee or Bacon County, Georgia – two places I am very familiar with.) Not too long after the announcement, someone posted on Facebook “Will there be fewer dropped balls in the house that Jerry built?”

I know that person. It was me.

OK, before my fellow Cowboys fans – like Rosie Bradford – disown me – let me say this: You have to possess a sense of humor to be a Dallas supporter. At least since 1996 - the last year the ‘Boys won a title. Since then, we have witnessed the following: Michael Irvin laying motionless at the Vet while the classless Eagles fans cheered his career-ending injury, Dave Campo. Quincy Carter. “Bobble-gate” at Seattle. The 2007 13-3 season that ended, thanks to the “New York Football Giants.” (The only time I will reference them that way.), and that doesn’t include the heartbreaking losses of the past five seasons. Typically, Dallas does not play bad much of the time. They are just uneven. Tony Romo can go 27 for 38 for 376 and 4 scores for five weeks straight. Then, with 2:13 on the clock – and from the five-yard line, his pass to take the lead against the Redskins / Giants / Eagles is in the end zone---and it is INTERCEPTED!

But, this is not an attack on Romo. We have a running back named DeMarco Murray, who has a clause in his contract that he can only play six games per season because he likes being on the injury report. Then, there’s the defen....Oops...Well, last season was better from a cornerback point of view. In 2011, I could have scored on the secondary. They have gotten better, but even in my post-surgery state this summer, I think I could put up a 100 yard game against the front – take away the play of DeMarcus Ware – arguably the best lineman in the league. We do have Jason Witten, and for all of his early struggles, I’ve got to say Dez Bryant had a great season in 2012, and hope that he can continue.

But, Tony Romo, it’s time. Did Troy Aikman deserve credit for every win he tallied as the Cowboys’ signal caller? Well, he did have that back named Smith whose 32-yard run to midfield with 4:32 left in the fourth seemed always to seal the deal if it wasn’t already. And, when the other team had the ball, they had to deal with names like Charles Haley, Darren Woodson, and a cornerback named Deion. However, when he had to deliver....he did.....By his fourth season, Aikman had his team in the Super Bowl. And, if he or another team member made a mistake, you didn’t see him sitting on the bench with a half-smile and a cap turned around backwards.

But, that was yesterday. The Cowboys open up their pre-season on Sunday night against Miami at Canton. Football time in America. Yipee!

But, let a couple of heartbreaking losses pile up, and I guarantee you that I won’t be the only one comparing the Cowboys to their stadium namesake’s slogan. AT&T Stadium – Where you have more dropped balls than any other NFL Stadium. Ha Ha Ha. (Hey, I’ve got to laugh. It’s how we cope!)

A Place (and an Album) Called Bakersfield

It’s a “place called....Bakersfield.

Today, MCA Nashville rolls out what could very well be the most important album release of 2013 with the new effort from Vince Gill and Paul Franklin called Bakersfield.

OK, Einstein, you might be asking? Why is this album so important? Well, let me tell you. The music from Nashville is very good these days – maybe as diverse as ever. I’m not one who considers myself a doom and gloomer that ‘Country Ain’t Country’ anymore. (Honestly, I could do a blog about how Country Music has never been “Country Music,” but I digress!)

But, there is still something magical about the history of the business for which I work in. And, to me, nothing stands apart more than the era of Country Music so richly defined by acts like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. It was Country Music...in technicolor. The guitars were a little twangier, and so were the vocals. The harmony was so richly (a play on words as a tribute to Don Rich!) defined on those great Capitol Records that featured the name of Owens. And, let’s face it, Merle Haggard was....and is the best singer-songwriter that has ever come down the pike. Just like with a Don Rich telecaster riff, when you heard the Strangers kick off a Haggard record – you knew. Whether it was crusiing down the four lane, or Saturday night in a club, the Bakersfield sound just made you feel good.

That’s why this album is so important from a musical and historical level. What we are doing now is great, This and deserves to be celebrated. But, there’s an old saying that says ‘To know where you’re going,you’ve gotta know where you’ve been.’ Preach it, brothers! This music deserves to be heard by the masses, and kudos to the artists and the label for releasing it. It would have been just as easy for Vince Gill to have released a contemporary album in hopes of getting airplay – which would likely sound amazing as it would have been for MCA to turn this project away at the door. But, label head Mike Dungan and staff didn’t do that.

Instead, fans can head to the store – or click online today, and be taken back in time. And, that’s a good thing, because people need to know this music – and the artists who made it breathe. Bakersfield. Vince Gill & Paul Franklin. Add it to your collection today! I plan on buying a copy – even though I have one. It’s THAT important.

So, why are you still reading this? Seriously, it’s that good!

Just Around The Corner....

A change is in the air.

You can feel it in the Mid-South this morning. I, for one, welcome that change. If you haven’t noticed, the temperatures around here have been very pleasant over the past couple of days. It almost reminds you of....Fall.

I say that very well knowing that it’s going to be a permanent thing – at least for the moment. There’s no need to break out the turtlenecks or the sweaters just yet.

But, it is around the corner.

In the south, (and it is likely true of other places, but I have never lived there!) there is a beautiful energy about the time of year that takes place from September on. Football is back in full swing, the weekends typically see many on the road to enjoy the cooling of the temperatures and the changing of the colors. There’s such things as hayrides and chili suppers, and if your nose doesn’t pick up the scent of apple in some form or fashion – your sense of smell is likely impaired somewhat. In addition, slowly but surely you see the infiltration of Christmas colors in stores everywhere. I think what always attracted me to the fall in the past was that in my former line of full-time work, the world slowed considerably in the summer. That has not been the case this summer. It has flown by. Work-wise, the past couple of months have been the best – and busiest of my life.

Lord willing, adding my newspaper work that picks up in the fall, I will stay as busy this fall. I am definitely looking forward to it.

But, alas, it is July 29. This weather, as glorious as it may be, will not last. Highs are forecast for the 90s by the end of the week. But, one can look forward to what is just around the corner, can’t they?

THANK GOD I DIDN'T HIT DELETE!

Sunday was an interesting day. I heard a saying once that everybody has a story. That kind of goes without saying, as we all have experiences that make us who we are. But, there’s a thin line that sometimes separates us from being in a different place. I’m not a preacher. I don’t have that gift, I say things I sometimes shouldn’t, and if the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were to walk into wherever I was at, my mind would wander. But, in a sense, this is my witness. It may be the strongest example in my life of God’s power to change you – and to take you to a different place than where you’ve been. I never thought it was worth sharing until yesterday when I had lunch with a friend of mine who told me that somewhere out there someone might appreciate this. At the very least, I do consider it one of the greatest examples of God being there in my life – when I didn’t think he was. And, it shows just how what we think of as a simple choice can affect our whole life.

It was the summer of 2011. For close to a year, I had been living in Georgia. To say that I had great memories of the town where I lived would be a lie. Life hadn’t been the best for a couple of years, and moving to Georgia really seemed to knock the wheels off of the car. By August of 2011, things had reached a point where it wasn’t going to get better. I had no idea what was going to happen in my life, but it was apparent that more change was on the way. While I had gotten back involved in Church that summer, my faith was still very shaky, and I had no idea where I was going to be or wind up next.

While my living situation wasn’t great, I do have to stop the story for just a second. I did have a job with THE NEWS COURIER, a newspaper in Alma, GA. My experience in Alma was the best part about living in the land of the Bulldogs. I made some real good friends, and wrote about everything – music and sports, but also politics, and also some human interest stories – which really helped me to grow as a writer. I had also reconnected with Church, attending at the Alma Church of Christ, and had made some good friends there.

So, I was at work this day, trying to keep my mind focused on work. I checked my email, and there was a message saying “Special Opportunity” from Billboard Magazine. As a member of the CMA, I was used to receiving such emails from the magazine’s marketing department trying to sell subscriptions to members at a discounted rate. Nine times out of ten, I would have just deleted it and gone on about my business.

You know how I mentioned earlier about that “Thin Line” between your actions that can have so much influence on your life? Well, this was one of those. It just so happened that it was lunch time, and I didn’t waste any time taking my break. So, I didn’t delete it. I went to eat, came back, and finished the day. That night, I was covering a high school football game in a town I could probably never find again. At halftime, I decided I would check my email.

That email that I was so sure was simply marketing was something vastly different. It was from one of the editors of the magazine asking about my interest in a position with them. I wish someone had a film of that moment. I’m sure I was as bewildered as I had ever been in my life. Billboard Magazine? Someone was playing a joke on me was my first thought. This was the magazine I had bought at B. Dalton Booksellers at Hickory Hollow Mall as a kid, after all. To be honest, I had never dreamed about writing for Billboard because I didn’t think I was of that caliber. (Sometimes, I still don’t, but I am trying to earn the honor.) So, it wasn’t even anything I thought about.

To make a long story short, the editor and I talked the next day, exchanged emails over the weekend, and on Monday – I was the newest writer for.....Billboard Magazine, and in less than two weeks was back in Nashville. Since then, I have been blessed with so many incredible career experiences in my life.

I said this was my witness. So, let me explain. I had went through some experiences that really shook me to the core. There was a part of me that really believed that things were never going to work out – career wise or other. And, with more changes forthcoming, what was going to happen? How close was I to deleting the email without opening it? I wonder about that. Thankfully, I don’t know the answer. Some of you might just say it was fate. I disagree. Something besides my stomach stopped me from deleting it. God knew. I can debate for at least two minutes what I want on a Subway sandwich, so you can imagine me with a major decision. This was one of those jobs that I couldn’t say no to, and I’m glad I didn’t. Since then, there have been a few times where I wondered how I was going to make it. But, at each interval, something would come up. Charity from friends? An extra freelance job? Sure, that’s what it was, but I also view it as God’s handiwork.

I am writing this because I know we all have our struggles. We all have our moments where you wonder if God is listening to your cries while in what you percieve to be as the wilderness. I know I did, but I can tell you he’s there. I know this first-hand. Since I made a decision to turn back to him that summer, he has had his hand on me in a way I couldn’t begin to describe. I still wonder about the non-career stuff. I grapple with that each day. I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life.....but I have also learned that it has to come on his time and not mine. God is there. He hears you, and he won’t let you down. I may not be able to quote you as much scripture about it as I should be able to, but I know it’s true. He has been there for me – but, he was all along. Sometimes – to look out over the mountains, you have to have spent some time in the valley, I guess to fully appreciate the view. It’s true in career, and I hope it will be true personally, as well.

So, the moral of this story is to believe....in God, life, but also in yourself. I have said before that there are better writers than I.....Nashville is full of them. There are better radio people than I....all over the country, but nobody loves what they do ANY MORE than I. I didn’t say ‘as much,’ because this business is full of people with passion from some of the most talented people you would ever meet. But, trust me, I know I am blessed! So, don’t ever lose faith. It will happen. Just believe.