1989NDN

Go Indians.  On to Round 3.  Moving on to the Houston area ... the PN-G alumni and fans in Houston, Austin, the CenTex area, and the Coastal Bend area will start to flood stadiums.  The purple tide will start to rise ... not so much in bi-district or area, but Round 3 and beyond brings out the PN-G masses. Go Indians.  Peace.

I do not believe an HISD school has won a championship in Texas high school football since the 1985 Yates Lions ... magnet schools and open boundaries have diluted talent pools so much that no HISD school has enough key players to win it all.  Vince Young and the Madison Marlins came close ... HISD's policies cut both ways ... it's good that students have choices of where to attend school, but those same policies have destroyed neighborhood schools ... football coaches never know which middle school talent will be fed into their systems.  You can find 5 kids to play basketball, but it is much more difficult to find 22 talented players to play football.  Plus, some schools in HISD get more resoruces than others.  Some schools only have 3 or 4 football coaches, whereas others have 9 or 10.  I don't know why some schools like Kashmere or Sam Houston get shortchanged, but they do.  I think the alumni of Jack Yates does a great job of trying to protect their neighborhood schools.  More HISD schools should follow that example. LaMarque 24 Yates 22 Should be a good game.  Yates has some speed on defense.  LaMarque will not get outside of Yates and run away.  But, LaMarque can spread it out and throw it, or bunch it up and run inside.  Yates must avoid turnovers.

Stay classy Indians' fans.  6-4 and 5-2 is a credit to our outstanding coaching staff and hardworking young men.  Our Indians started slow in 2010, mixed some combinations around on defense, and finally some leaders emerged.  We have continually gotten better as the season progressed.  I really think the loss to the "other" Mid-County school is what finally got our Indians clicking ... after Mid-County Madness, we started playing fearless ... we put #33 at MLB and found a leader for a secondary in #8.  We are playing well at the right time of year.  Let's stay healthy, keep getting better, and play our a$$es off in the playoffs.  Have fun, enjoy the ride, and now circle the wagons for all 20-4A playoff teams.  Good luck Indians, Jags, Dogs, and Lions. Go Indians.  Peace.

[quote name="NDNWarrior" post="898410" timestamp="1289012874"] 49-13 PNG [/quote] Countdown 5...4...3...2...1... PN-G haters excuses why Central lost... they were looking ahead to the playoffs, all that hype about revenge on The Reservation by the Jags was just a joke, Central was tired from polishing the 20-4A District Championship trophy, Jags had a team meeting and decided to help boost PN-G morale by "letting" them win, and of course, it was the Mid-County referees that gave PN-G 49 points to win the game. Go Indians.  Peace. P.S. Good luck to all 20-4A playoff teams ... PN-G, Central, Nederland, and Livingston/LC-M (whoever it may be) ... time to rally for the district and root for all SETX teams. Peace.

[quote name="NDNWarrior" post="898390" timestamp="1289012541"] [b]TOUCHDOWN PNG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/b] PNG 49 CENTRAL 7 [/quote] OK ... tell the truth ... who knew that PN-G would cover by 42?  All we heard for a week was Central, Central, Central ... wasn't Central supposed to win?

[quote name="Knoddy1" post="853929" timestamp="1285201105"] SORRY HOOK EM BUT 1990 WAS 27 - 0 NEDERLAND...KIP MCFARLAND WAS QB FOR NED...I WAS THERE ...OUR PLAYERS RAN THRU YOUR RUN THRU SIGN AT HALF TIME... OUR BAND PLAYED CHEROKEE ALL NIGHT....REMEMBER ????? [/quote] KNODDY1 ... wrong, my friend ... you may have been there, but the year you are thinking of was 1988 ... 1988 was the year where Nederland beat PN-G 29-0.  In 1989, PN-G won 41-7.  In 1990, PN-G won 27-0.  In 1991, PN-G won, yet again, 23-6.  And, in 1992, PN-G stomped Bobby August's Bulldogs 54-0.  And, it was in 1986, when Steve DeRouen's Nederland team ran through PN-G's sign and played Cherokee while cruising to a 21-12 win.  Neumann arrived in Nederland in 1993 and the Bulldogs have fared well against the Indians since he took up residence on the Nederland sidelines.  But, the Faircloth era is a new beginning of winning ways for PN-G.  47-31-7.  It is comforting to know that, based on the laws of statistical averages, I will die before Nederland ever evens the series with PN-G.  The Indians played with one-arm tied behind their backs during the Butch Troy and Matt Burnett eras.  Those days are over. Go Indians.  Peace.

PN-G needs to tighten up the secondary ... the district race will be a kicking & scratching messy fight ... based on 1-week of games, LC-M and Lumberton will be better, Vidor can apparently move the football, Central will be tough despite the spanking that PAM handed them, Nederland will be in the middle of things fighting and competing, and I think a sleeper might be Ozen because they don't leave the city limits of Beaumont to play a game for 5 or 6 weeks.  I have no idea what Livingston brings to the table, but 2 or 3 seasons ago they were taking names and handling out butt whip'ins.  Here's to PN-G getting better each week, playing hard, and being in the mix for another district championship. Go Indians.  Peace.

What are the odds on 9-1, or 8-2, maybe 7-3 ...?  (joking ... ha-ha).  I think the people who took the under on 10-0 made a wise choice.  Off to Vegas. 

[quote name="A Bear's Bear" post="824838" timestamp="1281625446"] [quote author=pngfan66 link=topic=71118.msg824796#msg824796 date=1281608297] ::)Its way to early in the season to predict a winner between these 2 teams. Heck no one has even scrimmaged yet. Sounds like LCM has a solid team returning as does PNG. Should make for a great game. So how many fair weather fans will LCM bring this year ? My wife is a LCM grad but...... now bleeds purple. Guess she got to PNG territory as fast as she could. One of the smart ones !!!! HE HE !!!! She supports the bears but goes crazy for PNG when we play LCM !!!! [/quote] Funny...the LCM volleyball/golf coach who has been dominating the district for the last couple years in both sports is a PNG alum but absolutely hates the Indians...and she is obviously one of the smart ones... ;) [/quote] The LC-M volleyball coach may tell you and her team at LC-M that she dislikes PN-G, but the truth is, "Once and Indian, always an Indian."  If she is a alumna of PN-G, then she is an Indian.  She may be wearing green and gold and cash her checks from LC-M ISD, but she is a purple and white Indian.  When the legend Barbara Comeaux retires at PN-G, I would imagine that several area coaches, including the one at LC-M, might want to take a turn at PN-G.  LC-M has done very well in volleyball for the past several years ... extremely well as a matter of fact collecting some district championships along the way ... but, volleyball coaches across the state are measured against Barbara Comeaux and her 38 year career with 1000+ wins and multiple state championships in the trophy case.  The truth is, PN-G alumni, fans, and students do not care if others dislike us ... win or lose, we are Indians and we are proud of it. Go Indians.  Peace.

PN-G vs. TJ Turn back the clock for those old PN-G vs. TJ and PN-G vs. Lincoln games in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.  Miss those Yellow Jacket and Bumblebee games.  Thankfully, we still have those Nederland Bulldogs on the schedule.  Here's to PN-G starting an annual game with PAM and resuming games with West Brook and WO-S.

11-1 with a district championship Comp  Att      %      YDS   TD   INT  (stats from iPreps HS Data on the Beaumont Enterprise website) 157    280   56.07   1953   15    12

It won't be Gillespie at UH ... it will be James Dickey ... not a good decision by AD Mack Rhodes ... can we have Tom Penders back?  Instead of making a big splash, we Coog'd it up and will return to non-relevant status in men's college BB.  If it wasn't going to be Gillespie, it should have been a young coach who wanted to make a mark before moving on up.  El Hector, can we trade Dickey for Floyd? Go Coogs.  Peace.

For the sake of efficiency, can we here and now vacate all of the UTEP wins that Floyd will rack up at UTEP?  He wins games, but everywhere he has been, or had been, was left with a cloud of suspicion hanging over and around the program after he left.  He recruits well thanks to those under the table payments to AAU coaches and "handlers".  USC is just the latest example.  Sure, he will not be implicated ... it was not his fault at USC; the boosters that paid off Reggie Bush were responsible for the O.J. Mayo fiasco.  The alums and fans at UT-Juarez will need a shower after having Floyd run their program.  Thankfully, the Miners hired him and UH did not.  Now, we at UH need to hire Gillespie ... pay Billy $500,000 per year, hire him a driver to keep away from those pesky DUIs, limit his booze to weekends during the off-season, and keep him away from the young ladies walking the campus on Cullen Blvd.  If we can pull that off, then we might have a heck of men's BB coach. Back to UTEP ... Barbee was a loss ... good coach and no baggage to speak of ....  I would have traded Penders to UTEP for Barbee ... even with the 2 losses that Barbee had to Penders in 2010.  Who at UTEP told Caracter that it was a good idea to go pro?  He was rock solid in CUSA, but, he's just another warm body at the pro level.  Perhaps his personal situation dictated that he needed to go pro overseas and earn some money for his family?  Too bad.  If he stayed, then UTEP had the makings of a strong, I mean very strong, 2010-2011 season.  You will need to find another wide body who has some skills ala Caracter and those kids do not just fall into your lap in CUSA. Go Coogs.  Peace.

SMU?  June Jones' group up at Highland Park is not a bad choice, but, talk to UH on Cullen Blvd ... you can play early and often.  Ask Scypion from PA Memorial, Dugat from Dayton, and a host of other young Coogs.  We're on the rise and we need defensive help.  We could use a 6'1" or 6'2" 225 MLB.  Go Coogs (Class of 1994).  Peace.

I could not be happier for Caleb Harmon and PN-G ... he will have a chance to finish the regular season with 1,500 yards ... wow, what a great season.  And, if we can have a good playoff run, then who knows how many yards he will churn out.  For my money, I would take Justin Eicher at TB ... he only played 1 season at PN-G during 1977, he split time in the backfield with James Shipley who also ran for over a 1,000 yds in 1977.  If Justin Eicher would have been the feature back, he would have ran for 1,500+ yards.  He was a tough RB ... he could and would run over you ... and he could get to the outside and run away from you.  Joe Washington, Sr. has said that Justin Eicher was the best PN-G RB his Lincoln Bumblebees faced ... that's good enough for me.  Eicher racked up 1,300+ yards in 15 games so Caleb has the edge yardage wise.  Back to Caleb Harmon, keep on keep'in on.  Run hard, play hard, play fast, and have fun.  Great season Caleb Harmon.  You are a leader by example and you are The Man who totes the rock for our Indians.  Keep up the great season.  I hope you run for 2,000+ yards and the Indians have a big playoff run.  Write your name all over the PN-G record books and enjoy your SR season.  What a great season in 2009.  Here come the Indians to the playoffs. Go Indians.  Peace.

The Nederland fans who want to get rid of Delbert Spell are insane ... DC Spell has forgotten more football than anyone on this message board will ever know. If Nederland wants to get rid of DC Spell, then he can walk over to PN-G and we should find a place for him somewhere. His experience, coaching abilities, schemes, and passion for high school sports is not easily replaced. I like all of the new PN-G coaches from top to bottom, including our new defensive coaches and the schemes they teach, but, if Nederland runs off DC Spell, then PN-G and Coach Faircloth should ask him to put on a purple and white shirt and join our staff. A team could do a lot worse than Delbert Spell. Coaches Neumann and Spell can only work with the talent they have. They do not control injuries, inexperienced players, or low number of kids turning out for football. They can teach tackling, being in position to make a play, putting in schemes for kids to have an opportunity for success, and motivating a kid to play hard, but, when a team is crushed by injuries, that is not the fault of the coaches. Neumann and Spell have earned the right to have 1 sub-par season. The PN-G v. Ned game will be close, it will be fun for the kids involved, and after the game all of the residents and alumni of PN-G and Nederland will be just fine. All that said, I want PN-G to win 100 to 0. Still, I have too many Bulldog friends and I don't enjoy seeing their program have a down year. Nederland will bounce back. If you run off Spell, tell him to walk over the tracks to PN-G ... he's way too good a coach and man to be without a job very long. Go Indians. Peace.

I'm excited about the 2009 PN-G Indians ... but, all teams look good running around in underwear and helmets. I'm ready to see our Indians put on the pads and hit some people (and get hit by people) not wearing purple and white. I would imagine that Coach Faircloth is ready to see his men hit some one wearing another color jersey. Do not take this post as raining on one's parade. I was impressed with what I saw in the Spring during the live sessions where many first team O players were going full speed against the first team D players. And, there seems to be an uptick or renewed intensity level and enthusiasm level that was missing at PN-G. Here's to a good season in 2009 and a fun ride. We definitely spread the field, throw the ball around, and run the ball when the lanes are there (at least we did in the Spring game). I think non-PN-G fans will notice a different PN-G team. No more student body right, student body left, student body up the middle, and 3-step drop passing game. I will be in the area next week and I plan to see a practice in pads. Hope our kids stay injury free and have fun getting after it. Go Indians. Peace.

Anyone else find it interesting that during days 1 and 2, Tiger's caddie, Stevie Williams, was helping Tiger line up putts and get a read on putts ... but, come days 3 and 4, Tiger was all business and did not have Stieve helping him make the reads or line up putts? The NBC crew of Roger Maltbie (spelling?) and Johnny Miller commented on it, but I've not seen or read where anyone else followed-up with questions to Tiger about the issue. I wonder if Tiger felt that he and Stevie let a few strokes slip away on the greens due to missed reads and then perhaps on days 3 and 4 Tiger may have thought it was the better plan of action to make his own reads without Stevie's help? Maybe a non-issue ... maybe a bigger rift between golfer and caddie? Just a thought. Even though he was 5 to 7 strokes off the lead, I thought Tiger was going to make a run on the back 9 ... it did not happen, but, the thought was there. If you're Tiger's caddie, the only 3 things to do are: show-up, keep-up, and shut-up. What a great gig.

Nederland could do a lot worse, monumentally worse, than Delbert Spell as DC ... he does a tremendous job of putting his kids in position to make plays ... like Matt Burnett used to do for PN-G ... Delbert Spell schemes well, puts his kids in position to make a play, and makes adjustments to fit his personnel. What more can you ask for from a HS coach? A HS athlete's talent level, size, speed, heart, and character tend to make HS coaches look above average, average, or below average. PN-G made its changes ... it too, could do a lot worse than Matt Burnett. But, a change was made and I'm happy to roll with Coach Faircloth. The PN-G faithful are thankful for what Matt Burnett did for our kids ... he's a special Indian that stands for everything PN-G was, is, and will be going forward. Change happens. Time for a new chapter of Indian history with Coach Faircloth. My point is, schools like Nederland and PN-G could do a lot worse than Larry Neumann, Delbert Spell, Matt Burnett, etc. HS sports are cyclical ... enjoy the runs when you get them and work harder when your program is on the other side of the cycle. Looking forward to a great season in 2009. Go Indians. Peace.

DV - you mentioned that you played all sports as a kid until you became a teen and then you decided to specialize. Why are parents and coaches (both AAU/summer sports, club sports, and high school sports) wanting kids to specialize? Why not play all sports throughout junior high and high school? Very few kids will be good enough to get an athletic scholarship in any particular sport, so why not allow the kids to play them all and enjoy life? Serious question; I'm not a harsh poster. I favor spring football ... I'm not a basketball guy ... for me, there's football season and then there is football offseason, which encompasses track and field and weight lifting ... for some downtime from football, go ahead and play some baseball. And, if a kid wants to play some hoops, then go for it. I want my son and daughter to play all sports, enjoy music, dancing, and all the other stuff that kids should go and do. I'll encourage them to specialize in law school or medical school. But, while they're young, they need to just enjoy the variety of life. Life is way too short ... before you know it, you wake up and you're 40, 50, 60, etc. It goes by way too fast. Go Indians. Peace.

I will never bet against Tiger Woods. He is an amazing talent. A terrific role model and young man. Based on what Tiger did at the US Open last year (on one leg) and his win 2-weeks ago at Bay Hill, how can he not be the choice to win and wear another green jacket? Put me down for Tiger Woods. Go Tiger. Peace.

Saturday and Sunday at the SHO were great ... the wind on 18 was brutal ... the players that hit line drive stingers usually survived just fine off the tee box. The players that tried to shape shots and hit the ball high up into the wind, well, they usually found the water. When the ball got up into the air, the wind just made the ball/trajectory just die. It is something to attend a PGA event in person. The sound the ball makes when coming off the end of a pro player's driver is amazing ... it's a different sound; you can hear a difference when a PGA player really gets a hold of a tee shot. It was like a cannon went off when Couples hit a few drives. And, I'm not sure what Paul Casey looked like on TV, but the dude is rather short/small frame kind of guy, but he has huge forearms. He's like Popeye ... regular looking guy until you see his arms and forearms. He's got some guns for arms. He must hit the weights pretty regularly. And, the real-time swing tempo of Ernie Els and Fred Couples is perfect. Those guy hit the ball a mile, but they never look like they are amped up ... the easy back and forth tempo of those two guys was awesome to see. The folks at the HGA and at Redstone did a great job ... the Champions Pavillion area was great; the staff was nice, the golf was great, and the wind was brutal. I hated to see JB Holmes hit it in the water, but, the wind was wicked. Congrats to Paul Casey. He looked like he was crying after his wife greeted him on the 18th. Soft Euro ... Tiger never cries. And, Roger Maltbie (NBC Sports...) that guy lugs around some gear during a golf tourney ... microphone, electrical equipment, a spotter, notepads, etc. Pretty hefty dude to be walking all over and lugging some gear. Peace.

Nicklaus had several challengers throughout the 1960s and 1970s ... Arnold Palmer and Gary Player were in their prime during the 1960s ... Lee Trevino, Tom Weiskopf, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Ray Floyd, Tom Kite, Gary Player, and several others challenged Nicklaus during the 1970s. Duirng the early to mid-1980s, you saw great players like Ballesteros, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo (Faldo was more of the late 1980s and 1990s), Curtis Strange, Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, and a young gun like Fred Couples. I hear the argument that Jack Nicklaus faced a deeper field during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s ... maybe, maybe not. It's hard for me to accept that players in the late 1990s and today, i.e., Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy, Jose Maria Olazabal, Adam Scott, Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Padrig Harrington, etc. are not as good --- or better --- than what we saw during the 1970s and 1980s. Jack faced some tough players. He won against some strong competition. However, you can make the same argument for Tiger. Who was playing better than Padrig Harrington last year? For my money, and I'm a huge fan of Jack Nicklaus, I'd say Tiger Woods is the best to ever pick up a golf club. His ability to grind it out, his shot making skills, mental toughness, focus, course management, and his ability to make/convert putts when money is on the line sets him apart. And, he does it against great players like Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Padrig Harrington, etc. I'm ready for a new set of young guns to come along and challenge a 30-something Tiger. Maybe, Rory McIlroy will pan out and be a challenger for Tiger? I'd like to see the next group of young talent --- the next Tom Kite, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, or Nick Faldo --- come along and challenge the current cast of greats like Tiger, Phil, Ernie, Vijay, et al. Peace.

I stand by my statement ... his skill set without juice is below average ... he hit 13 HRs last season, which was his lowest total since the late 1990s (i.e., before McGwire and Sosa revived baseball with their long ball battle, thanks to steroids). Tejada only had 66 RBIs last season; opposing pitchers do not fear Tejada without the juice. His OBP was .314, which is not terrible, but, nothing to fear. Most of Tejada's numbers and awards were a product of the steroids era. When Tejada used synthetic help, he was a good player and put up above average numbers in the batter's box. Without the "boost" last season and coupled with an aging body, his numbers -- power numbers -- fell off. In the field, he was decent last season despite his age ... no argument there. I do not need a sports figure like Tejada, John Daly, John Rocker, or countless others to be role model for me, my children, or anyone else. I've never asked anyone to raise my children. Like you, I'm not concerned with what pro baseball players inject into their bodies. It does not affect me or my children. But, as a season ticket holder, I prefer to watch athletes display their God-given skills and talents without lies, deceit, and steroids. I prefer to abide by honesty and accountablility ... but, to each his/her own. And, I have nothing against Tejada ... except ... he's a liar. But, he's owned up to his mistake. He deserves to move on with his life ... but, the Astros can move on without him. I'm not advocating banishment ... just the Astros should cut him and move on. He's below average without juice and his age is not doing him any favors. Peace.

Tejada is a liar ... he's lied about his age and now steroids. His skill set without the juice is below average. The Astros should cut him and just eat the salary, but, they won't ... or, can't ... we do not have anyone else to play SS. It will be interesting to see if the Astros will bring up Tommy Manzella from Round Rock to play SS? The bigger concern is the pitching rotation ... we have Roy O and what else? Not much. Still, a night at the ballpark is good stuff ... the wife enjoys baseball and so do the kids. Peace.