The State of Texas: Nov. 11, 2013

Video Of The Day

Talk about going out with with guns (and feet) blazin’. In what is likely to be his last home game at Kyle Field, Johnny Manziel tied a career-high of five TDs and had nearly 500 offensive yards. Between the past controversy and the future discussion, there was a brief moment when Johnny Football led the War Hymn and reveled in being an Aggie hero.

Quote Of The Day

“Brown is making it awful hard on his detractors in one of the best years of his coaching career.” — Nevermind those Saban rumors, the Austin American-Statesman‘s Kirk Bohls expresses the new-new conventional wisdom on UT coach Mack Brown.

Daily Roundup

Things Just Got Real — Did you know that, officially, there weren’t any candidates for governor until this past Saturday? Hard to believe (and/or wishful thinking). But now it’s officially official! Both Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott submitted the “required paperwork and fees to compete in their respective primaries,” according to the Texas Tribune. Another fun fact from the piece: the gubernatorial filing fee is a whooping $3,750. For those with a passing interest in politics, it’s worth noting that while getting certified, Abbott made a direct remark about the “ultra-Washington, D.C., California-style liberalism that Wendy Davis represents.” The Cali liberal, meanwhile, “did not mention Abbott by name, but in remarks to volunteers … took a veiled swipe at Republican leaders.” The candidates missed each other by mere hours, which is probably the closest they’ll get before any debate circus. But one thing’s clear: those little shots across the bow are about to turn into a full-blown war. Get the popcorn; this should be fun!

It’s Over — Hospitalized for a suicide attempt, the disgraced Houston doctor, Michael Brown, died after being taken off of life support. It apparently happened just before the weekend and the Houston Press was quick to publish a lengthy obit, filled with a lot of Brown’s own flighty writing. No use kicking a man once he’s dead, especially one who dug his own grave all the way to China. In that regard, the Press article does a good job at remarking the passing without too much judgment being passed. Of Brown’s personal thoughts, “his writings reveal a man who lived in constant fear of abandonment but whose violent behavior repelled those closest to him.” At least some of the ugliness is over.

Shhhhh! — You’ve got to appreciate the cheeky opening line of this Austin American-Statesman piece: “In what seems to be evolving into a regular practice, University of Texas System regents will have a closed-door session to discuss ‘legal issues’ related to the Texas House investigation of one of their own, Regent Wallace Hall Jr.” There’s another wonderful instance of air-quotes, too, along with news the that secret court is meeting late Monday morning. The story ends with news that “the House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations is scheduled to meet Tuesday and Wednesday,” though no word on just how “transparent” those “congressmen” plan on being.

Roadside Tragedies — The Texas Department of Transportation, also known as the Texas Department of Bad News and Bummers, has another depressing announcement. It would appear that “Texas has not had a fatality-free day on the state’s roadways since Nov. 7, 2000.” According to TxDoT, there was an eleven percent increase in fatalities between 2011 and 2012. With 45,032 deaths since 2000, that’s about nine deaths a day. To rephrase some of the stats: stop drinking and driving, y’all.

Requiem For A Dome — The classy sports website, The Classical, has removed the paywall for Ted Walker’s essay on the Eighth Wonder. As befitting such an iconic structure, the piece is lyrical almost to the point of poetry. “The Astrodome, in Texas in April of 1965, burned as brightly and broadly across the state and the country as the space machines that shared its prefix. But before it could redefine sports consumption in America, it had to stand on its own,” is just one line and there’s a whole lot more where that came from. Totes worth spending a few minutes reading.