Texas Tech basketball announced some game changes, particularly that Texas Tech and Oklahoma State would be moved to Monday, February 22nd. I haven’t the time or inclination to figure out what this means exactly, but I think I read somewhere that this would be 5 games in 10 days. Aside from the pressure on the players, this also creates a tremendous amount of pressure on me as well so think a good thought for your friendly neighborhood Texas Tech blogger.
Monday, February 22: Texas Tech at Oklahoma State (ESPN), 8:00 p.m. CT (originally scheduled for Feb. 23)
Tuesday, February 23: West Virginia at TCU (ESPN2), 6:00 p.m. (originally scheduled for Feb. 22)
Kansas at Texas (ESPN2), 8:00 p.m. (originally scheduled for Feb. 22)
Texas Tech baseball announced their non-conference schedule, which starts in February at Globe Life Field against Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State, then a series against Houston Baptist and then Texas Southern, the College Classic playing Texas State, Sam Houston State, and Texas A&M-CC, series against Gonzaga, UConn, USF, and SFA, a mid-week game against Ou, and then a series against Illinois-Chicago.
Chris Beard and Reggie Dial get together for this week’s Fireside Chat. Dial is a representative of 100 Black Men of West Texas, a charitable organization that is about creating leaders, “We influence and transform the lives of underrepresented and disenfranchised youth, with a focus on African American youth. Through our platform of Mentoring The 100 Way ®Across A Lifetime, we provide programmatic services in education, health and wellness, economic empowerment and leadership development, which makes a fundamental difference in the lives of the youth we touch and the communities we serve.”
Of all things, one of my friends, Homer Norville, who died earlier this year at the age of 94 years old, was a member of the 100 Black Men of West Texas organization. Amazingly, Homer had one employer for his entire life, Kaufman Independent School District (he taught me driver’s ed!), unable to work for Kaufman until the school was integrated, Homer worked for Pyle High School and took that team to the state championship game and was eventually inducted to the Kaufman High School Athletic hall of Fame (I was there for that game, it was a beautiful night). His wife Fern started the local foster children’s home and his daughter, Erliegh Wiley is the district attorney in my county. Not that this has anything to do with anything, just one of those connections when I went to the viewing I distinctly remembered the 100 Black Men of West Texas being mentioned and not yesterday evening when the Fireside Chat was released.