The first 13 years of my life Texas went 115-24-1, won 8 SWC championships and 3 MNCs. My family went to a lot of the games. The crowds were snarky. To some outside observers we probably seemed polite but we were arrogant and patronizing. We watched the Horns with a jaundiced eye ready to gripe to anyone who would listen if we weren't up by 21 by the end of the 1st quarter. We'd golf clap at the end of 20 play drives and cheer for the opposition if they got their first first down midway through the third quarters.
We were kind of jerks.
That's why when we joined the Big 12 twenty years later and Nebraska was dominant and everybody talked about how wonderful, polite and gracious their fans were, I knew what was really up. But I digress. This is about Texas.
So in my teens and twenties, the on-field quality dipped and teased, dipped and teased. I stayed tuned in, but honestly when you've been out partying until 4 a.m. or you're at the lake fishing or boating with pretty girls, it was hard to make a 2:30 kickoff, let alone an 11 a.m. one.
In the mid-'90s we discovered Texas football forums in one form or another. I was married by then, had little nippers, was struggling to get by. Following the Horns from afar and discussing them with other fans was an intellectual stimulation and amusing outlet in an otherwise busy and demanding life of responsibility. It was especially amusing to listen to young 20 something bucks like Smokey and Junior with their carefree lives, disposable income and (for Smokey) a competitive fandom that couldn't fathom interested fans who had better things to spend their time and money on that being at DKR on Saturdays.
Now that my life is less demanding and finally have a tad more discretionary income I make my way down to the 40 acres from time to time but it's kind of different. I'm cool with the ancient ones who sit on their hands and the rowdy young ones who act like Donkey Kong with a hammer. Seems like everything is different, yet really everything is kind of the same. Only the fashions and the trappings have changed. The people have just moved up into different roles that were there all the time. And will always be there.
It's like eating hot peach cobbler with you're four and eating it again when you're 50. It tastes the same but your tastes have changed so you get a completely different impression of it.
I'll just be glad when Texas gets so good that we can get back to our lazy, traditional Texas complacent ways of arriving late, golf-clapping, snickering, and departing early - without having to hear the sneers of johnny-come-latelies full of vim, vigor and vitality.
