With the 92nd Academy Awards on Sunday, the RJB did the traditional and never watched it. Never even channel surfed to check out a minute or two. Cliché political statements notwithstanding, these awards shows are just boring anyway.
The clever humor is forced. Actors and actresses act like they’ve never read a cue card in their lifetime. And if you’re like the RJB, all of these films that were nominated for best picture are only familiar to you because you’ve only seen the trailers on TV. That’s about it.
But if you have seen some of them, all good. Hope you enjoyed them. Yet the distance from paying attention has caused the interest to finding out what movie was nominated for best music or best song or best musical score to fade.
However, we go back to a time when the music mattered and to the 1963 award winner. Released in 1962, it had a blockbuster cast of Peter O’Toole, Anthony Quinn, Omar Shariff, Alec Guinness and Claude Rains. For you younger folks, it was a movie inspired by true events on the life of British officer T.E. Lawrence who led an Arab revolt against the Turks in World War I.
Yes, Lawrence of Arabia was a blockbuster. It was nominated for 10 academy awards and captured seven including Best Picture. Many movie industry services consider it one of the 10 best movies ever created. In the big-time era, there were intermissions. This movie had one.
The RJB’s presentation in this space last year was the title track from musical from the 1948 movie, The Harvey Girls (On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe).
We present the title theme to Lawrence of Arabia written by one of the greats of his era, French composer Maurie Jarre. It won for Best Original Music Score.
****
I think it’s fair to say that Baylor’s men’s basketball team is in a bit of a fog right now. Yes, that seems hard to believe given that this program has won a program-record 20 consecutive games as it prepares to head to Austin in an attempt to sweep its rivals at UT.
But timing is everything. The Big 12 isn’t nearly as deep as it was last year. There are two excellent teams between Baylor and Kansas. West Virginia is solid but is susceptible to getting picked off on the road. Texas Tech is good but certainly nothing close to what it was in the previous two seasons.
After that, the rest of the league has dropped off. Sure, every team must be aware of life on the road. Kansas State, Iowa State, TCU and Oklahoma State are basically rebuilding. Oklahoma and Texas are in that middle ground. This is probably it for Shaka Smart at Texas if there isn’t some exceptional turnaround in the last month.
The fog that I mentioned that Baylor is in is based on its two calling card personalities – defense and rebounding.
At Kansas State and at home against Oklahoma State, the Bears allowed each to shoot at least 45 percent from the field (they held them in check pretty well from 3-point range) and didn’t win the rebounding battle in each. It was draw against the Wildcats (31-31). They were dominated by the Cowboys (38-30).
Then their free throw shooting was pretty bad. They were 50 percent in Manhattan, KS and knocked down some technical free throws in the final seconds at the Ferrell Center Saturday just to break 60 percent.
You do poorly enough in those three areas consistently and your season is going to go upside down.
The timing is that the Bears weren’t great against those two teams and still won because they play very well together. It’s one of those qualities for a team having a special season that when one part of it is suffering, the other parts manage to find a way and fill the gaps.
Indeed, Baylor shot the ball pretty well. They were 50 percent against KSU and a decent 43 percent against OSU. Frankly, they’re just more talented and more experienced than KSU and OSU. That also played a factor. Probably the deciding factor.
Perhaps this was just a bad week. Again, a four-month season will hit the dog days. Teams just have to power through it.
The difference is for this team is that every angle of it is scrutinized a lot more since it has worn the No. 1 ranking for the last three weeks and will wear it for a fourth this week.
Playing a desperate Texas team Monday night at the Erwin Center is going to be another challenge. The Longhorns are not a projected NCAA tournament team and need some big wins just to get themselves in position.
What’s been interesting to watch Baylor’s run as the No. 1 team is how it has played with the ranking and the attention to it. It’s handled the role with maturity. Despite this up-and-down last week, they really haven’t changed the way they played.
There is the argument that maybe a loss would be for them to re-set everything and take the pressure of the streak off of them. The history of college basketball is littered with teams who had a great streak going and then started playing differently because they felt like they had to live up to something more.
Scott Drew has done a great job just making sure that all of his players embrace their roles and stay within them.
Let Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton validate that. Sometimes, a different set of eyes tells more than what we see in day in and day out.
Just enjoy the streak for however long it lasts. Obviously, everybody would just assume that this runs for another 17 games. That’s the last eight games of the regular season, three in the Big 12 tournament and then six more in the NCAA tournament.
Keep all of this in mind: enjoy the winning because it’s really hard to do.
****
In the Blitz on Friday, I mentioned the term Blue shirt when it came to Texas A&M RB commit Earnest Crownover.
When it comes to scholarships and the color-coding system, there are more out there than you can appreciate. So this is a good time to catch you up on them.
Redshirt: This is the easiest one. The recruit is already on campus and on scholarship and can play up to but not beyond four games in a given season and not lose a year of eligibility.
Because of those four games, you’re seeing that rule used more loosely with players who have been in the program for a couple of years. Look no further than safety Grayland Arnold in 2018. He was dealing with a bad ankle injury, played four games and Matt Rhule was able to keep him out of the lineup with the thought of having him for two more years. Obviously, it didn’t work out that way because Arnold declared for the NFL draft.
Grayshirt: Many of you have heard this. This is where a player who has been recruited doesn’t join the program immediately. He delays his enrollment. He will allow the upcoming season to conclude and then join the following semester. The player can take a couple of JUCO classes as long as he is not considered a full-time student.
That’s what was going to happen to Georgia defensive tackle Isaiah Howard who signed with Baylor last December. He went to a prep school in New Jersey. Then things changed and he and Baylor parted ways.
Blueshirt: As we explained in the Blitz, it means the player was not “formally recruited”. However, once he arrives on campus for fall practice he is put on an athletic scholarship. However, his scholarship is counted toward the next year. Baylor hasn’t used this much except when it comes to walk ons. Time will tell to what extent Baylor would use this with other players it’s recruiting.
Greenshirt: This is a big trend in college football recruiting. This is actually the formal name for the players who enroll on campus in the spring semester – one semester ahead of schedule – so they can give themselves a better chance to earn playing time. That’s what you saw in the Baylor’s three mid-semester arrivals in Newton defensive end James Sylvester, Lamar Consolidated running back Taye McWilliams and Kilgore Junior College offensive lineman Mose Jeffery.
If you already know them all, cool. If you didn't, hope that helps.
****
Consider this week the first real week that new head coach Dave Aranda and the new staff can evaluate the roster as it’s going through offseason workouts.
Aranda has been around some, obviously. However, he was stressed the last two weeks trying to finish off the 2020 class and start building the foundation for building relationships with the 2021 class and beyond.
We probably won’t know until spring ball starts in March what he’ll see or believe as he breaks down everything he sees. But I would think that his three most positions of interest will be with the offensive line, defensive line and quarterback.
The two lines suffered heavy losses due to graduation or moving on to the NFL draft or the NCAA transfer portal. Understanding if Aranda really believes he can create some depth much less a starting lineup before spring ball starts will be a story line.
That’s where I think Aranda and his staff will scrutinize the transfer portal for what’s out there and see who can be an immediate fit. There could be a couple grad transfers involved. The advantage for them is that they play immediately. Let’s be honest, there are jobs open in both of those areas. The only drawback is any potential newcomer won’t arrive until summer.
At quarterback, everything after Charlie Brewer is up in the air. I said previously that I expect Jacob Zeno to pass Gerry Bohanon on the depth chart. The Big 12 championship game and Sugar Bowl were proof of that.
Unless something was to change dramatically, it would probably be incumbent upon new offensive coordinator Larry Fedora to teach Zeno everything he can as the days and weeks pass. Zeno just has a better upside than Bohanon. Blake Shapen doesn’t arrive until June so there’s no way to predict how he fits.
****
Now, a look at other Baylor sports…
>The No. 1-ranked Baylor Acrobatic & Tubling team improve to 2-0 on the season after defeating host Limestone College, 277.205-263.000 on Sunday afternoon at the Timken Center.
The Bears scored a season-high 277.205 on the day, led by a season-high scores in compulsory (38.55), acro (29.10), pyramid (29.65), toss (28.65), tumbling (55.975) and team (95.28).
The Bears took a lead after the compulsory event and never looked back, scoring a 38.55 to the Saints’ 37.15.
The Bears are back in action on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. CT as they make their home debut at the Ferrell Center vs. rival No. 2 Oregon.
>No. 12 Baylor men's tennis (7-1) swept its fourth opponent at home after posting a 7-0 victory over Penn (3-3) on Saturday at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. It defeated No. 6 Wake Forest, 6-2, on Thursday.
BU pushed its home win streak to 23 straight and has won 38 of its last 39 matches in Waco. The Bears will head to Madison, WI. to compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, running Feb. 14-17 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
> No. 9 Baylor equestrian (3-5, 1-3 Big 12) couldn't overcome a late deficit and ultimately fell 12-8 to No. 7 TCU (5-4, 2-2 Big 12) on Friday at Diamond Creek Ranch in Fort Worth. The Bears will stay on the road for one more meet, facing top-ranked Auburn next Saturday at 11 a.m. at the University Equestrian Center in Auburn, Al.
>Baylor softball (2-2) dropped its final game of the NFCA Leadoff Classic, 3-0, to Missouri State in Clearwater, FL. The game lasted six innings as the two coaching staffs agreed upon a drop-dead time for travel purposes. Baylor opened the season opening tournament with wins over No. 23 Auburn (8-0) and Louisville (7-4) on Friday before falling to Missouri (9-1) on Saturday.
Weather permitting, the home opener is Tuesday against Abilene Christian at 6:00 p.m. at Getterman Stadium.
>Baylor women's golf claimed its first tournament title of the 2019-20 season by winning the SMU/DAC Invitational Monday afternoon at Dallas Athletic Club. Junior Diane Baillieux earned the individual title, topping a 40-player field with an even-par 144.
The No. 25-ranked Bears shot 19-over 595 across two rounds, claiming a 21-stroke victory over the six-team field. Baylor (+19) recorded wins against No. 26 Texas Tech (+40), Tulsa (+51), Kansas State (+62), North Texas (+69) and SMU (+70). Baylor returns to action at the IJGA Collegiate Invitational, which runs Feb. 16-18 at Guadalajara (Mexico) Country Club.
> The Baylor women's tennis team moved to 6-0 on the season with a 6-1 win over Nebraska (4-1) Saturday at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
The Bears took the doubles point before winning five of six matches on the singles court for their first 6-0 start since 2016.
Baylor postponed Sunday's match with TCU, so the Bears next play Feb. 16 vs. Illinois at home.
Let’s make it a great week!
The clever humor is forced. Actors and actresses act like they’ve never read a cue card in their lifetime. And if you’re like the RJB, all of these films that were nominated for best picture are only familiar to you because you’ve only seen the trailers on TV. That’s about it.
But if you have seen some of them, all good. Hope you enjoyed them. Yet the distance from paying attention has caused the interest to finding out what movie was nominated for best music or best song or best musical score to fade.
However, we go back to a time when the music mattered and to the 1963 award winner. Released in 1962, it had a blockbuster cast of Peter O’Toole, Anthony Quinn, Omar Shariff, Alec Guinness and Claude Rains. For you younger folks, it was a movie inspired by true events on the life of British officer T.E. Lawrence who led an Arab revolt against the Turks in World War I.
Yes, Lawrence of Arabia was a blockbuster. It was nominated for 10 academy awards and captured seven including Best Picture. Many movie industry services consider it one of the 10 best movies ever created. In the big-time era, there were intermissions. This movie had one.
The RJB’s presentation in this space last year was the title track from musical from the 1948 movie, The Harvey Girls (On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe).
We present the title theme to Lawrence of Arabia written by one of the greats of his era, French composer Maurie Jarre. It won for Best Original Music Score.
****
I think it’s fair to say that Baylor’s men’s basketball team is in a bit of a fog right now. Yes, that seems hard to believe given that this program has won a program-record 20 consecutive games as it prepares to head to Austin in an attempt to sweep its rivals at UT.
But timing is everything. The Big 12 isn’t nearly as deep as it was last year. There are two excellent teams between Baylor and Kansas. West Virginia is solid but is susceptible to getting picked off on the road. Texas Tech is good but certainly nothing close to what it was in the previous two seasons.
After that, the rest of the league has dropped off. Sure, every team must be aware of life on the road. Kansas State, Iowa State, TCU and Oklahoma State are basically rebuilding. Oklahoma and Texas are in that middle ground. This is probably it for Shaka Smart at Texas if there isn’t some exceptional turnaround in the last month.
The fog that I mentioned that Baylor is in is based on its two calling card personalities – defense and rebounding.
At Kansas State and at home against Oklahoma State, the Bears allowed each to shoot at least 45 percent from the field (they held them in check pretty well from 3-point range) and didn’t win the rebounding battle in each. It was draw against the Wildcats (31-31). They were dominated by the Cowboys (38-30).
Then their free throw shooting was pretty bad. They were 50 percent in Manhattan, KS and knocked down some technical free throws in the final seconds at the Ferrell Center Saturday just to break 60 percent.
You do poorly enough in those three areas consistently and your season is going to go upside down.
The timing is that the Bears weren’t great against those two teams and still won because they play very well together. It’s one of those qualities for a team having a special season that when one part of it is suffering, the other parts manage to find a way and fill the gaps.
Indeed, Baylor shot the ball pretty well. They were 50 percent against KSU and a decent 43 percent against OSU. Frankly, they’re just more talented and more experienced than KSU and OSU. That also played a factor. Probably the deciding factor.
Perhaps this was just a bad week. Again, a four-month season will hit the dog days. Teams just have to power through it.
The difference is for this team is that every angle of it is scrutinized a lot more since it has worn the No. 1 ranking for the last three weeks and will wear it for a fourth this week.
Playing a desperate Texas team Monday night at the Erwin Center is going to be another challenge. The Longhorns are not a projected NCAA tournament team and need some big wins just to get themselves in position.
What’s been interesting to watch Baylor’s run as the No. 1 team is how it has played with the ranking and the attention to it. It’s handled the role with maturity. Despite this up-and-down last week, they really haven’t changed the way they played.
There is the argument that maybe a loss would be for them to re-set everything and take the pressure of the streak off of them. The history of college basketball is littered with teams who had a great streak going and then started playing differently because they felt like they had to live up to something more.
Scott Drew has done a great job just making sure that all of his players embrace their roles and stay within them.
Let Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton validate that. Sometimes, a different set of eyes tells more than what we see in day in and day out.
Just enjoy the streak for however long it lasts. Obviously, everybody would just assume that this runs for another 17 games. That’s the last eight games of the regular season, three in the Big 12 tournament and then six more in the NCAA tournament.
Keep all of this in mind: enjoy the winning because it’s really hard to do.
****
In the Blitz on Friday, I mentioned the term Blue shirt when it came to Texas A&M RB commit Earnest Crownover.
When it comes to scholarships and the color-coding system, there are more out there than you can appreciate. So this is a good time to catch you up on them.
Redshirt: This is the easiest one. The recruit is already on campus and on scholarship and can play up to but not beyond four games in a given season and not lose a year of eligibility.
Because of those four games, you’re seeing that rule used more loosely with players who have been in the program for a couple of years. Look no further than safety Grayland Arnold in 2018. He was dealing with a bad ankle injury, played four games and Matt Rhule was able to keep him out of the lineup with the thought of having him for two more years. Obviously, it didn’t work out that way because Arnold declared for the NFL draft.
Grayshirt: Many of you have heard this. This is where a player who has been recruited doesn’t join the program immediately. He delays his enrollment. He will allow the upcoming season to conclude and then join the following semester. The player can take a couple of JUCO classes as long as he is not considered a full-time student.
That’s what was going to happen to Georgia defensive tackle Isaiah Howard who signed with Baylor last December. He went to a prep school in New Jersey. Then things changed and he and Baylor parted ways.
Blueshirt: As we explained in the Blitz, it means the player was not “formally recruited”. However, once he arrives on campus for fall practice he is put on an athletic scholarship. However, his scholarship is counted toward the next year. Baylor hasn’t used this much except when it comes to walk ons. Time will tell to what extent Baylor would use this with other players it’s recruiting.
Greenshirt: This is a big trend in college football recruiting. This is actually the formal name for the players who enroll on campus in the spring semester – one semester ahead of schedule – so they can give themselves a better chance to earn playing time. That’s what you saw in the Baylor’s three mid-semester arrivals in Newton defensive end James Sylvester, Lamar Consolidated running back Taye McWilliams and Kilgore Junior College offensive lineman Mose Jeffery.
If you already know them all, cool. If you didn't, hope that helps.
****
Consider this week the first real week that new head coach Dave Aranda and the new staff can evaluate the roster as it’s going through offseason workouts.
Aranda has been around some, obviously. However, he was stressed the last two weeks trying to finish off the 2020 class and start building the foundation for building relationships with the 2021 class and beyond.
We probably won’t know until spring ball starts in March what he’ll see or believe as he breaks down everything he sees. But I would think that his three most positions of interest will be with the offensive line, defensive line and quarterback.
The two lines suffered heavy losses due to graduation or moving on to the NFL draft or the NCAA transfer portal. Understanding if Aranda really believes he can create some depth much less a starting lineup before spring ball starts will be a story line.
That’s where I think Aranda and his staff will scrutinize the transfer portal for what’s out there and see who can be an immediate fit. There could be a couple grad transfers involved. The advantage for them is that they play immediately. Let’s be honest, there are jobs open in both of those areas. The only drawback is any potential newcomer won’t arrive until summer.
At quarterback, everything after Charlie Brewer is up in the air. I said previously that I expect Jacob Zeno to pass Gerry Bohanon on the depth chart. The Big 12 championship game and Sugar Bowl were proof of that.
Unless something was to change dramatically, it would probably be incumbent upon new offensive coordinator Larry Fedora to teach Zeno everything he can as the days and weeks pass. Zeno just has a better upside than Bohanon. Blake Shapen doesn’t arrive until June so there’s no way to predict how he fits.
****
Now, a look at other Baylor sports…
>The No. 1-ranked Baylor Acrobatic & Tubling team improve to 2-0 on the season after defeating host Limestone College, 277.205-263.000 on Sunday afternoon at the Timken Center.
The Bears scored a season-high 277.205 on the day, led by a season-high scores in compulsory (38.55), acro (29.10), pyramid (29.65), toss (28.65), tumbling (55.975) and team (95.28).
The Bears took a lead after the compulsory event and never looked back, scoring a 38.55 to the Saints’ 37.15.
The Bears are back in action on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. CT as they make their home debut at the Ferrell Center vs. rival No. 2 Oregon.
>No. 12 Baylor men's tennis (7-1) swept its fourth opponent at home after posting a 7-0 victory over Penn (3-3) on Saturday at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. It defeated No. 6 Wake Forest, 6-2, on Thursday.
BU pushed its home win streak to 23 straight and has won 38 of its last 39 matches in Waco. The Bears will head to Madison, WI. to compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, running Feb. 14-17 at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
> No. 9 Baylor equestrian (3-5, 1-3 Big 12) couldn't overcome a late deficit and ultimately fell 12-8 to No. 7 TCU (5-4, 2-2 Big 12) on Friday at Diamond Creek Ranch in Fort Worth. The Bears will stay on the road for one more meet, facing top-ranked Auburn next Saturday at 11 a.m. at the University Equestrian Center in Auburn, Al.
>Baylor softball (2-2) dropped its final game of the NFCA Leadoff Classic, 3-0, to Missouri State in Clearwater, FL. The game lasted six innings as the two coaching staffs agreed upon a drop-dead time for travel purposes. Baylor opened the season opening tournament with wins over No. 23 Auburn (8-0) and Louisville (7-4) on Friday before falling to Missouri (9-1) on Saturday.
Weather permitting, the home opener is Tuesday against Abilene Christian at 6:00 p.m. at Getterman Stadium.
>Baylor women's golf claimed its first tournament title of the 2019-20 season by winning the SMU/DAC Invitational Monday afternoon at Dallas Athletic Club. Junior Diane Baillieux earned the individual title, topping a 40-player field with an even-par 144.
The No. 25-ranked Bears shot 19-over 595 across two rounds, claiming a 21-stroke victory over the six-team field. Baylor (+19) recorded wins against No. 26 Texas Tech (+40), Tulsa (+51), Kansas State (+62), North Texas (+69) and SMU (+70). Baylor returns to action at the IJGA Collegiate Invitational, which runs Feb. 16-18 at Guadalajara (Mexico) Country Club.
> The Baylor women's tennis team moved to 6-0 on the season with a 6-1 win over Nebraska (4-1) Saturday at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
The Bears took the doubles point before winning five of six matches on the singles court for their first 6-0 start since 2016.
Baylor postponed Sunday's match with TCU, so the Bears next play Feb. 16 vs. Illinois at home.
Let’s make it a great week!
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