A little Texas crow

Having written not one, but two columns suggesting that the national writers voting Texas ahead of USC in the polls all year were biased fools, it's high time I paid the piper and gave the Longhorns their due propers as National Champs.

So without further adieu, let me humbly ingest a steaming tin of crow pie — Texas-style. Replete with smoked corn on the cob, shiner bock beer beans, texican rice, cornbread, and Texas caviar with black eyed peas. A slice of pecan pie will ensure my satiation, and perhaps make me think twice before running my mouth — or keyboard as it were — and dissing the Longhorns.

Adding a little salt to the wound was the fact that a local resident (and Longhorn graduate) took exception to my columns and asked me to put my money where my mouth was. Of course she won the bet, and I've got a dollar bill sitting here at my desk waiting to be collected. Ol' George Washington is even saying something in caption on my dollar, something like 'hook-em horns.'

If Vince Young is not the first quarterback drafted this April then they should do away with NFL scouts. Not only did he run circles around a collection of elite athletes, he also threw accurately, with touch, on the run and from the pocket. I'm still befuddled as to how he could jog untouched for the winning score with the National Championship on the line — one would think by that point in the game there would be a player or three spying on him.

Hip-hop hoops

If you happen to be channel surfing late at night and should stumble upon a show on ESPN called Streetball, you might want to check it out. If you enjoy basketball as an art form, you absolutely must check it out.

As the name implies, it is a showcase of the best 'streetballers' from all over the country. It's basically a documentary of a touring team that travels the country holding "open runs" where local streetball legends take their shot at the featured team — team 'And 1'.

Characters like Hot Sauce, The Helicopter, The Main Event, Escalade (a 400-plus pound player who can dunk), Spyda (who's signature move is to hang upside-down on the rim creating a spider web after each dunk) and The Professor (the show's only caucasian) ply their unique brand of basketball. At least once or twice per half-hour show your jaw will hit the floor with amazement at some of the 'sick' moves and gravity-defying dunks on the screen.

Streetball is equal parts Harlem Globetrotters, Doctor J, and hoopfest. Their brand is 'inner-city' basketball. There are no palming violations, no traveling, no touch fouls and goaltending is perfectly legal. It's been going on in big cities for decades, and only recently has it gone mainstream — no thanks to ESPN.

If you're a basketball purist it might not be the show for you. James Naismith would probably turn over in his grave if he could see how these kids are playing his game. John Wooden recently said that the girls' game is the only brand of basketball left that is played the 'right' way. If you enjoy textbook chest and bounce passes, two-foot jump stops, pick-and-rolls, give-and-go's, bank shots, close-out defense and offensive execution — Streetball might not be for you.

What you will see are behind-the-back, no-look ally-oops. Dunks that could win many an NBA slam dunk contest. Brilliant dribbling exhibitions and ball trickery that leave the mind grasping to fathom what it just witnessed. Chemistry, rhythm, athleticism and choreography that would make most NBA teams envious. Trash talking and showing up the opponent are staples of the show and a large part of the entertainment value.

If you love basketball, check it out, you won't be disappointed.

For questions, comments or story ideas Eric Plummer can be reached at 263-9534, Ext. 226, or via e-mail at eplummer@cdapress.com.