SPORTS
Cowboys have me hopeful
With NFL training camp started this week for the Dallas Cowboys, my season long journey of building up cautious optimism all the way up until the first game and seeing what the team actually looks like begins now.
I never want to be too enthusiastic because I have learned that only brings more pain. I am a guarded Cowboys fan at this point entering my 20th season identifying as one.
If you do the math you will realize I missed out on all of the 90s glory years. Forgive me, I was six when they last won and watching sports as a kid only resulted in seeing my dad, my hero to this day and usually relaxed, be at his most volatile.
I remember my first five years of watching the team trying to find the next quarterback after Troy Aikman retired the season before I became a fan.
The highlight was watching Emmitt Smith become the all-time leading rusher followed by a weird 2003 team that somehow made the playoffs on the back of a bunch of Bill Parcell veterans and one good season from quarterback Quincy Carter.
Only when the team stumbled onto quarterback Tony Romo in 2006 did I ever feel like Dallas had a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl.
As much crap the Romo era got at the time, the only two losing seasons in 10 years came when Romo was hurt in 2010 and 2015. Several 8-8 seasons and lack of playoff wins get the main criticism.
During most of those years I could naively buy into the team as a Super Bowl contender, so seeing the team barely miss the playoffs or get knocked out by an admittedly better team in the playoffs was always gutting.
Even more gutting though is the two best teams from that era, the 2007 team and the 2014 team. Both made it to the divisional round of the playoffs (the 2007 team had a first round bye) before losing tragically.
While these years hurt, it was a way better fan experience than a lot of franchises around the league. Several teams would be lucky to have one quarterback as good as Romo, a four-time pro bowler who in his best years could go toe-to-toe with future Hall-of-Famers at the position.
It is easy to look back on the Romo era with rose-tinted-goggles since he is now the most popular color commentator in the league announcing games at CBS and is still getting endorsements. I was there and the majority of the stupid fan base wanted almost any excuse to get rid of him.
Then, the Cowboys luck into his replacement in 2016. Like Romo, Dak Prescott equally came out of nowhere. Though he was actually drafted, unlike Romo, Dallas tried to draft several other quarterbacks in that draft before settling on him in the fifth round.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Nocona Lady Indians beat Saint Jo at home on Saturday morning.
The Lady Indians won 16-1 after four innings due to run-rule against the smaller school.
Nocona was coming off a competitive loss at Collinsville earlier in the week while the Lady Panthers were hoping to compete after a busy week of their athletes doing everything else besides just softball.
The Lady Indians easily won the first matchup between the teams in March, 19-2 and it was more of the same on Saturday.
Saint Jo struck first to start the game off well. Jordyn O’Neal hit a one out single. Krista Reeves followed with a walk after O’Neal had stolen second base and had advanced to third thanks to an error trying to throw her out. A wild pitch then allowed her to score to put the Lady Panthers up 1-0.
The lead did not last long. Nocona’s first two batters drew walks which set up Abby Hill to drive them both in with a single to right field.
Despite giving up a single and a walk later in the inning, Saint Jo’s defense did not allow another run. A line out and groundout to the shortstop while picking off a runner attempting to steal got the Lady Panthers out of the inning unscarred.
The Lady Indians led 2-1.
That was about as competitive as it got. In the second inning, Nocona’s bats got going. Two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases up with no outs.
Reagan Phipps drew a walk that drove in a run. Hill hit another two RBI single. Skye Kirby followed with a two RBI double.
After the first out, Allie Sutton drove in one run with a single. There was a fly out for out two, before a runner came in to score after a passed ball. Finally, an error allowed two more runs to score on the base paths.
Nocona had scored nine runs and led 11-1 to break the game open heading into the third inning.
Taylor Patrick hit a double, with O’Neal and Reeves following with singles. Unfortunately for Saint Jo, Patrick was thrown out before the hits attempting to steal a base so the Lady Panthers scored no runs from this.
The Lady Indians kept pouring on the runs. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases up with no outs. Tinley Cable then hit an RBI single. Shelby Swell was hit by a pitch that drove in another run.
After two strikeouts, Evelyn Marquez drove in two more runs on a double to put Nocona up 15-1, coming up one run short of ending the game early.
The Lady Indians scored that one run in the fourth inning. After Phipps drew a leadoff walk, Hill hit a triple that drove her in to end the game.
Nocona won 16-1.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
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