Riders Ready for Stampede Express

So here we are again back on the home turf this time having a little West Texas match up against the San Angelo Stampede Express.
Before we get into all about the Stampede, let’s recap last week’s game against the Corpus Christi Hammerheads.
While I was enjoying the islands of Hawaii on vacation, the Ruff Riders got off to a slow start against the Hammerheads as they came out on top 14 to zip. Get this, starting QB Michael Bishop was late due to a flight delay. First, of all my initial reaction is why doesn’t the Quarterback live in the city he plays? But that’s the way Corpus runs things I guess. I couldn’t imagine if Quincy Carter didn’t live or practice here.
But that’s neither here nor there.
So it’s 14-0 and K Nich Pertuit comes through and nails a 31-yard field goal to get the Riders on their way.
But it was the defense that came through in this game. DB Joey Longoria, WOW what a game for this fella having 2 interceptions on the evening, 1 in which he returned for a TD and take the lead in the game.
QB Quincy Carter went 15-of-29 for 117 yards passing and 1 touchdown. Not the greatest night, but got the job done. Carter hooking up with WR Fred Howze for a six-yard TD. Howze had a big night as he stepped up and stepped in for former ACU Wildcat, Chris Morris and doing a good job at that.
Carter has been getting a lot of attention lately as he makes his stable return into the football world. He caught the eyes of the Dallas media again. DFWReporting.com came to town on Tuesday to talk with the former Dallas Cowboys QB about his past, present and what his future holds. When talking with former KRBC weekend anchor and now senior reporter for DFWReporting. Com, Kimberly Torres she said ‘ol Q-Car was extremely honest and takes all the blame for how and where his career has gone. I was glad to see that happen.
This week lies a tough test ahead the San Angelo Stampede Express. This is a battle for first place in the Lone Star Division.
Abilene stands at 2-and-1 and looking to claim that top spot, while the Stampede is 2-and-0 having only played 2 games.
The Stampede Express’s coach is former Snyder Tiger and Texas Tech Red Raider, Sonny Cumbie.
It is Cumbie’s first year as head coach but he is no stranger to the game of arena football having played for the AFL, LA Avengers.
When talking with the Riders about the keys to success this weekend they said they are not going to focus on the Stampede, but rather focus on themselves and their game.
We know San Angelo will bring a good crowd… but Ruff Riders fans stand behind your team. How cool would that be if the Riders took the top spot in the Division? I sure wouldn’t mind.
So the keys to a victory… Offense needs to click… Defense needs to make big stops and the Riders need to play as a team.
A problem? Not at all.

VS.

Thanks for reading!
Michelle Dapper, KRBC Sports Director
So are you Ruff Enough?
Tune into 96.1 The Wolf!

Until next time…go Ruff Riders!

Game 2:Riders look to Grill Beef

So here we are heading into Game 2 of the regular season.
But first, before we get into all of that lets wrap up the opener against Odessa.
The Riders came away victorious in Game 1 defeating the Roughnecks 39-24.
I was talking with Coach Dockery about the big win and I asked what was the one thing that impressed him the most in the game. He responded with only 2 words. Quincy Carter.
Carter went 18-of-31 for 235 yards passing and 5 total
touchdowns. Quite a performance I must say. Coach saying in our conversation that he was happy to see Quincy perform at the level he knows he can.
On the Ruff Riders Forum here is what one fan named Molly had to say...
Congratulations on a great win over a fine team!!
This old Katy Ruff Riders fan heard (online at 96.1 The Wolf) exactly what I was hoping to hear and what we missed last year in Katy. I heard a great quarterback take charge. Way To Go-Quincy! I heard New Ruff Riders, Badon and Morris exceed my expectations! As expected, I heard old Ruff Riders, especially Mr Longoria, and Mr. Peterson start off where they left off Yes sir, I'll be listening up in the next game, too. Nice job on the broadcast, The Wolf Ruff Riders team! WELL DONE to all! Thanks for a great Game One!
That is pretty exciting to see the fans are still following the Ruff Riders team.
What I think is even cooler is how the local talent has really stepped up and performed in a big way..
Former ACU Wildcat, Chris Morris registered 6 catches for 83 yards and 2 TD's. Abilene's own, Jerale Badon (who signed the week of the game) impressed coaches and fans, having 4 catches for 91 yards and also 2 Touchdowns. Way to represent guys!
Another fan, Karla wrote on my blog...
I am excited that the Ruff Riders are here. I don't know all the ins and outs about it, but I have watched it on TV many times. It will be more exciting to see it in person...
When talking with fans about the game they could not believe how fast it was. Indeed it is... the field is shorter and narrower and only 8 guys are on the field at a time.
When talking with Coach Doc about areas of improvement or where he thinks the biggest opportunities for the Riders are... well, penalties.
I think everyone is still learning the rules and regulations because they did change a bit when the United Football League and the Intense Football League merged last year. After a couple more go-rounds I think all the problems will be weeded out.
This week the Riders welcome the Omaha Beef to the Big Country. What do they know about beef? They ain't had Texas steak that's for sure!
Well, this is the first meeting ever between these 2 teams.
The Beef are in the United Conference Central Division. They currently stand in 3rd place at 1-2. They won game 1 against the Wichita Wild and have had 2 losses since to the Billings Outlaws and the Sioux Falls Storm.
It should be a battle this evening. Coach Dockery said the Beef play a whole different type of football, focusing more on their running game. So that means our defense needs to step up and make big stops and the offense needs to continue to put points on the board. Good Luck Fellas.
I want to thank you for reading.
For now…the team has nicknamed me "Powder Puff." Thanks guys.
Michelle Dapper,
KRBC Sports Director

Are you Ruff Enough?
Wanna hear the game?
Tune into 96.1 The Wolf w/ David Bacon & I!

VS.

Ruff Expectations

So everyone is wondering what they can expect from the Abilene Ruff Riders Football season. Well I am here to say everyone is in for a real treat.I have been out to numerous practices and scrimmages and the first thought that comes to mind is how quick the game is. I mean the pace of the game is fast! I think if anyone who has a love for football will enjoy watching the players zip around the field.
Former Dallas Cowboy, Quincy Carter will be starting at QB for the Riders. People frequently stop me and ask, “Does Quincy still have it?” All I can say is… YES! The guy has still an arm! More importantly, I think he has become a real leader on the field. So, folks enjoy the spiral soar through the air…Carter is here.
I was talking to kicker, Nicholas Pertuit and asked what fans can expect? He responded, “Fast, Big, players…with big hits and nice plays.”
Defensive Back, Brandon Henry summed up the game for me, he said, “Crunch Time.” So Abilene get ready your Ruff Riders are here. I hope you excited as I am to watch these fellas show us what they got.
Thanks for reading. For now…they nicknamed me “Powder Puff." Hey, That's okay.

Michelle Dapper,KRBC Sports Director

How I did on the $3 a day / Money Savers Challenge

So.... Here goes...
The KRBC News team was challenged to eat for only $15 a week.
At first, I thought this can't be done. I will starve!
See the secret with me is... I need to eat . Ever since I was little, whenever I would get cranky it would usually be because it was that time...time to eat! My family makes fun of me to this day.

Then I began thinking about my co-workers. Ha ha this should be good. How are we all going to get along? Have good newscasts if we are all starving?

Well, truth is after we went shopping and bought our food for the week, I was not starving or hungry! I had enough food to last me the entire week and then some.
It may not be the food you desire or crave (FYI, the thing I craved the most = chips&salsa)
but you get by and make due.

From this challenge I have learned I need to budget myself a little more on the food situation.
It would help me save a lot more money.
So, would I do it again, sure! I love a challenge.
Coupons are a good way to get more for your money.

How did my competition do? well you may just have to check out their blogs.
So the question that everyone wants answered... Did I cheat? Well, if I didn't buy it does that count as cheating?

Quincy Carter to lead the Ruff Riders

How do you feel about the Former Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Quincy Carter coming to town to lead the Ruff Riders??

You sound off and I will tell you my thoughts later....

So here goes.. I am excited Quincy Carter is coming to town. I hope this can be a good,

positive experience for him. Sometimes people tend to listen to all the hype written or reported about certain individuals. Yes, Quincy has gotten into some trouble. But, I am a firm believer that people can change, but they have to want to change.

The thing I enjoyed most about my chat with Mr. Carter was his honesty. When I asked him about his troubles in the past, not once did he deny or try to beat around the bush. Instead, he told me he has made some mistakes and will be taking it one day at a time from here on out.

I hope the best for Quincy. Everybody makes mistakes and the goal is to not to make the same ones twice. Quincy told me he likes to prove people wrong and I hope he does just that for anyone that has ever doubted him.

Good Luck Quincy Carter and welcome to Abilene and the Ruff Riders!

Still in the Doghouse?

So the name Michael Vick has appeared back in sports headlines.

The imprisoned NFL star will be allowed to serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence for his dogfighting plea under home confinement because there is no room at a halfway house for him.

I find it funny because when I am at the gym people come up to me and ask me my thoughts.

Well...Here we go....

If let out, Vick will be on electronic monitoring and will only be allowed to leave home for activities approved by his probation officer and eligible for release in July. Ok fine.

There is no guarantee that Vick will be back in the NFL in 2009. Roger Goodell has said he won't consider reinstatement until Vick's legal obligations are settled.

But if Vick does get reinstated, it is hard for me to imagine that there will be too many teams lining up to give away draft picks to grab a guy who has been in prison for the past 18 months and is due to get $15 million in 2009 from his current contract. However, the teams that have expressed interest... the 49ers, Raiders, Vikings, Seattle, and hey, the Jets just lost Brett Favre.

But Really? Okay, I do believe the guy will have a fair shot at being reinstated. I mean he did the crime, and he did his time. BUT, I think there is so much "mo' better" talent out there these days.

Vick is only 28 years old and clearly has a career left. But, I just don't think it brings a good presence to a franchise.

So to put it bluntly, I think Vick is tainted because when I hear Michael Vick... I can't help but to think of this...

and it disgusts me.

ACU Infractions: Sound Off!

What a huge day for Abilene Christian University and its alumni. We want to hear your thoughts on the major announcement by the NCAA. Does it change your outlook on the school? Do you think what the university is accused of doing is really that big of a deal? How do you feel about ACU's response to the matter?

This is the place to sound off! Post your comments in the area below. We want to hear from you!

Dapper's Ride to Fame

Wow! So I just drove a real live monster truck!!!! Man, all I can say is WOW!!!
Such a rush...
I took a drive with Ron Leach, the event coordinator for the Monster Truck Thunder Slam here in Abilene. Get this, I am sitting in the drivers seat and he says to me, "Don't press on the gas too hard, you will go straight through the windshield." I am like okay. He then replies, "Don't press too hard on the brake, you will go right through the windshield." I am like okay, what the heck do I do???

well I drove that truck! That's what I did and I even drove over some crushed cars!!
Boy, was I pumped after! Another case of an adrenaline rush. I live for that feeling.
I love extreme sports in any fashion and i have jumped out of a plane twice...
and this experience was right up there. Props to the monster truck drivers, it is way harder than it looks!

check out my ride:

http://bigcountryhomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=101722

Super Bowl XLIII: Who Will Prevail?

Can the Arizona Cardinals pull off the upset and complete another unlikely Super Bowl title run, like the New York Giants did last season? Or will the Pittsburgh Steelers' top-ranked defense lead them to an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl crown?

It's kind of funny, when thinking about the match up you automatically consider the Steel Curtain to take the game against the Cardinals, after all the Men of Steel have had the toughest schedule in the NFL and pulled off a 12 and 4 season. After all, defenses win championships.
\
I have a natural liking to the underdog in match ups...so I tend to lean towards the Cardinals.
But, the more I read and the more I talk to people, the more I hear people are going for the Cardinals. A recent article on ESPN.com says the nation is backing the Cardinals.

So, does that now make the Cardinals the favorite? Or do people as a whole like the underdog, David and Goliath theory?

Let the little man succeed. So I am going on a limb here, and say Cardinals 24-21 over the Steelers.

Roots Remembered

On January 12th, Indianapolis Colts Head Coach, Tony Dungy announced his retirement.


I spoke with former Cooper Cougar, Indianapolis Colts Running Back about the retirement of his head coach and asked him if he was sad...Rhodes replied, "Not sad, just grateful
that he was my coach and for how much he taught us."
-DOMINIC RHODES, COLTS RB

In an article, Dick Vitale wrote, "Tony Dungy is class personified. He is a special person. Dungy never forgot where he came from, remembering his roots."

I admire this. Wherever your career takes you, how ever much money you make, success life brings...just don't forget where you came from.

A couple of weeks ago, my co-worker, Sam Nichols told me, "Dapper, don't ever lose yourself."
Meaning I should keep on smiling.

Simply, words to live by.

Dominic learned something and so did I.

Ode to Good Baseball

Well Rickey Henderson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today and I have to say I am really excited. It really makes me think back...

If you are not familiar with the former left fielder Mister Henderson here's some stats:
Henderson has widely been regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner
He holds major league records for career stolen bases, runs scored and leadoff homeruns.

Rickey Henderson, the 1990 AL MVP, was a 10-time All-Star who swiped 1,406 bases, one shy of 50 percent more than Lou Brock, who is in second place with 938. Henderson batted .279 with 297 homers, 1,115 RBIs, 2,190 walks and 2,295 runs. He owns the modern-day season record with 130 steals in 1982 and the career mark with 81 leadoff homers. He played for Oakland, the Yankees, Toronto, San Diego, Anaheim, the Mets, Seattle, Boston and the Dodgers.

Quite a career to say the least. It's funny, growing up in the Bay Area I did not realize how much good baseball I was fortunate to see! It was all in my back yard.(After all, I am a die-hard LA Dodgers fan)
Wow, I saw Rickey Henderson steal countless bases. I grew up with the "Bash Brothers" aka Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire (pre-steroids, haha). Great pitching from Dennis Eckersley, there was Dave Stewart, Dave Parker and even Carney Lansford. (Just to name a few).
Then across the bay the infamous SF Giant, Barry Bonds...

It's funny... you truly take things for granted when they are right in front of you. I grew up hating the A's and the Giants, but I loved to watch them play. Strange. But I look back now...such good baseball at that time. So now I can say that I was blessed.

Rickey Henderson, it was an amazing experience to watch you play. To see you sprint around the bases like no one else could. But my favorite thing about Rickey Henderson...Rickey Bleeds Blue and played for the best franchise in the MLB... The Los Angeles Dodgers!!!

Where I am at today...

So I am fresh back from vacation and getting
back into the swing of things around here.

Two weeks back in California couldn't have gone any better.

After a long 5 months of covering high school football, working endless hours, a well-deserved vaca is just what I needed.

It's kind of funny, I recall way back when I first started my gig here in Abilene... Sports Director, David Robinett said to me, "Dapper, Football Season is a whole lot of hard work."
Me being me, I thought, yeah, but it can't be that hard??

Boy was I wrong. During my school days I worked 3 jobs (as a grocery manager, a personal trainer, and an AP for the Sports Dept. at KTVU) and took about 17 units a semester and got it all done and still managed to have a life. So I figured it couldn't be that bad. Football season here in the Big Country is more hard dedicated work than I could have ever imagined.

Ha ha. Difference now, my job is fun! So the long hours, well they do take a toll on you, but are WELL worth the time you put in. Most of All, the work is fun. Who wouldn't want to cover sports on a daily basis?

So in December my time off finally came. I headed home to SF for some quality time with the family and friends.

My goal of the trip... to enjoy every minute and take it all in.

Things I missed the most? (not in any specific order) Fantastic Sushi, World's Best Seafood, the ocean, bars/clubs that are open past 1am, the hustle and bustle of the city life, traffic(I know, weird), public transportation, my favorite dance radio station 92.7, sitting around with family and friends and doing absolutely nothing! That is just to name a few...

Although, I would love to spill all the juicy details of my 2 wonderful weeks in California - lets just say I am keeping that private :)

But, I will tell you I had a LOT of fun.

It was hard to come back, but my life is here for now and my goal is to make the best of it in the work that I produce.

So Beware Big Country... Dapper's back!