Radio Free Texas

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Stadium Pavers

this is another of my guest blogs from the Dallas Morning News site.
since i havent been going to the exhibition games i just haven't had
much to say so its another repost.

all i really want is for the Boys to get thru these stupid games without injury.

August 26, 2009


Stadium Pavers

10:30 PM Wed, Aug 26, 2009 | | Yahoo! Buzz
Larry Dunaway/Guest Blogger Bio | E-mail | News tips

So have you heard the Titans punter kicked a ball and it hit the Video-Jumbo-Godzilla-Bigger-Than-The-Side-Of-Barn-Not-A-Scoreboard-Tron ? Okay so let’s talk about something else.

Stadium Pavers. Jerry Jones learned quite a bit about what to do or not do from other stadiums. One of the things that seems to be very popular was the Stadium Paver Program, where for a certain amount of money you could immortalize your deepest thoughts and declare your undying devotion to the 5 time World Champion Dallas Cowboys (of arlington).

For even more money you could get an even bigger paver in case you have a lot of deep thoughts and even more devotion than the other guys who bought the smaller (but less expensive) paver. No matter what size you bought you also received a duplicate for you to display at your very own home. If you wanted to you could also buy a protective display case to showcase and, well, protect your paver. You smart ones out there are now asking, why do you need to protect a limestone paver aren’t you ? Sure you are because I even asked that question.

Before anyone thinks I am making fun of the die-hard, dyed in the blue fans out there, I have a confession to make. YES, my family bought one of these things. We put a standard, we love the Cowboys message on it and intend to take pleasure in going past it for the next 30 years.

There are a lot of # 1 fans in Cowboy Land. A lot of folks still like the “how bout them Cowboys” line that Jimmy Johnson made famous. Thank goodness there are still fans out there who still and will always love Coach Landry. There are more than a few that will bring a tear to your eye as they remember Dad, Papa, or whoever it was that instilled in them a love for the Dallas Cowboys. I am definitely not making fun of any of these either because that was my eye the tears were welling up in.

BUT, some of them were just fun ideas. I will keep looking them over as I make the pilgrimage out to the new stadium. For now i will just show you a couple of them. I would love to hear of any other good ones.

funnyPaver.jpg

SendBeer.JPG

The sneakers are mine, figured since they were the right colors i would include them at no extra charge. Thanks for your time.

Preseason: A Lose-Lose Situation ?

I have been doing some moonlighting blogging on the Dallas Morning News

Cowboys Stadium blog so this is just a repost from there.

August 24, 2009


Preseason: A Lose-Lose Situation ?

8:25 PM Mon, Aug 24, 2009 | | Yahoo! Buzz
Larry Dunaway/Guest Blogger Bio | E-mail | News tips

I may be the only one who feels this way. I have no clue if the players or coaches feel the way I do. I am fairly certain Mr. Jones doesn't feel the way I do. I can only speak as a season ticket holder who has never liked nor ever will like the fact that in order to buy season tickets I have to buy (and pay full frazzling price) tickets to the preseason games.

I consider myself a good, devoted, true blue and forever fan of the Dallas Cowboys. I watch the draft to see who is picked to help the Good Guys, I follow blogs and message boards for any and all news about the Boys of the Blue Star fraternity, heck I even named one of my children Dallas.

I have gone to training camp and the open practice they held last year. I am NOT according to anyone who knows me a casual or bandwagon fan.

I understand the coaches need to see their guys go against somebody besides their teammates to get an idea of who needs to work on what. I will admit that, what was once called "exhibition" games probably do serve some good purpose in the grand scheme of things.

I just don't want to HAVE to buy the tickets for one of them. If I didn't have to I would probably end up going to at least one of them. Hey us tailgaters need to work out any bugs or kinks in our gear from year to year. This year especially, I need to get a feel for best parking spots, best way in and out, which fellow tailgater has the best food and where the closest restroom is.

So, am I alone? How does the rest of the entire universe feel about this?
I apologize for my first blog about Cowboys Stadium not actually being about Cowboys Stadium. Sometimes you just need to get things off your chest, at least that's what the therapist I am seeing about my obsession with all things Silver and Blue told me.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

1st Exhibition Game

I don't even want to call it preseason.
They used to be called exhibitions because that is all
it really is. Starters played 2 series...woopee.
Cowboys looked bad on defense, weak on 2nd team anything.
Way too early to know what it all means.

Scroll down to previous post and enjoy pictures from the shiny new
toy in Arlington.

later, poke

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Cowboys Crystal Cathedral







i have often referred to Texas Stadium as the Tabernacle of the Blue Star.

if Texas Stadium was a tabernacle then this new beauty rising over the landscape in Arlington can be considered nothing less than a shiny, eye catching Crystal Cathedral. ( my apologies to Robert Schuler).

i went out for the open house last Saturday. to say i was impressed would be a huge understatement.
i was a young boy when the Astrodome opened and I got to go see it. I was amazed by it in the way only a
wide-eyed, still wet behind the ears kid can be. I was sure then i would never see anything else that would
quicken my step and have my eyes in sensory overload. To this day...(well to last Saturday) I haven't seen
anything else that had impressed me the way the old Dome did back in the day. Sure I have seen some
impressive sports arenas and other buildings. I love the way the Ballpark in Arlington looks.
I totally loved walking into Texas Stadium although not for its beauty. None of those inspired the excitement of
the Astrodome when it was new and so was I.

That changed Saturday. For about 2 hours I was 12 years old again. I couldn't get to places quick enough
to see the sights. I am 53 years old, overweight and totally out of shape. I climbed to the highest row of the new
Cowboys Stadium. Why ? because i had to see what it all looked like from up there. I sat in seats in the middle of the stadium, the corners, the end zones. I leaned on a rail to get a feel for the 29$ party passes. I walked through a "club" that I will never get to go to during a game (too expensive). I marveled at football shaped light
fixtures and multi-screen HDTV's. I gasped at the prices i saw on the monitor style menus at the concession stands. I stared at the worlds largest movable roof and hoped that i will see it open or close one of these days.
then there is the "BIG SCREEN"... 60 yards long. Beautiful colors. we used to watch the games on a 19" black and white TV.

To make it even better the hole in the roof really does remind you of Texas Stadium even when it is closed.

Now that its a couple days later and my feet have touched the ground again I know there are some problems
at the Crystal Cathedral. I saw some seats there that have very little sight of the playing field. theres even a video
around that show them.
But for a couple of hours there it didn't matter. And that don't happen much when you get past age 12.

trust me when i say the pictures don't do it justice.

and i really dont type this way, i have to figure out why in the preview my sentences are cut off and shifted
to the next line. i would fix it tonight but its bedtime.









Saturday, August 01, 2009

So far So Good

X's and O's mean something to most football fans.
and to a degree i am interested in how plays are designed,
executed and generally set up.
BUT thats not what keeps me glued to a TV or watching a game live.
I am ready for football season, and I do read about the activities
at training camp every day, okay twice a day, OKAY off and on ALL day.
I DONT get too hung up on who dropped a pass today or who overthrew a pass
today or who kicked a ball into the air today. If you do thats OK.
My main concern at the end of every day of camp is...did anybody
get hurt ? If not then i think its been a good day.
I trust that the coaches are doing what they need to do to get the Boys
ready. I trust the players to be doing what they need to be doing too.
So if you need daily updates on how every bounce, bobble, or boo-boo
is going check out the Dallas Morning News Blog .


Or the official website of the Good Guys.......

If you just wanna see what the laid back fan that I am is thinking about then check here by all means.

The Cowboys will be selling $29 "party passes" for every game this year, gets you in the stadium where you can lean on a rail in either end zone and watch the big TV screens. That good ole Jerry Jones, he is always looking out for us little guys !!