TwelfthAG
07-18-2005, 10:58 AM
from The Battalion (http://www.thebatt.com/media/paper657/news/962948.html):
It's that most dismal time of the year once again.
Not because temperatures are constantly hitting 100 degrees regularly, or because when a person tries to find relief with a swim in Lake Bryan, he feels like he's taking a bath in a warm puddle of mud - but that might be a close second.
Athletics at Texas A&M are at an official standstill, leaving a period of more than a month for fans to sit restlessly waiting for football to start again, or to see soccer coach G Guerreri roam the sidelines, looking fashionable in his shirt and tie despite sweating more than a fat guy in a sauna.
What better way is there to stay cool than to sit and reminisce over all the great moments that happened last year in A&M sports? So after we watched all the highlight reels, scoured old game recaps and shook the Sports Desk Magic 8 Ball a few times, we've narrowed down the top 12 moments that are worth remembering.
12. 1-point safety against University of Texas
We're still scratching our heads over this one - but it was interesting enough to be included, even though it hurt a little bit. And despite the thought by some that it is a Longhorn conspiracy against A&M, it actually is in the NCAA rulebook, under rule 8-3 of article 2.
11. Lauren Walker's comeback in tennis
The senior had knee surgery in early February and missed almost a month while rehabbing her bum knee. She then came back and rattled off an impressive season by any standards, collecting a 13-5 record after the surgery, including going 9-1 in Big 12 matches and stringing together an eight-match winning streak in April.
10. Volleyball team's comeback win against Kansas State
When All-American Melissa Munsch went down in the third game, the Wildcats began to gain ground on A&M. The Aggies decided they could win just as easily without Munsch, and rallied back from a 28-22 deficit to defeat Kansas State for the first time since 2001 and push their home winning record to 12-1.
9. Reggie McNeal's Hail Mary against Oklahoma State
Half the fans didn't even see this play because they were looking for another sandwich in the fridge or heading to the stadium bathrooms. As time was winding down in the second quarter, A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal launched a 55-yard pass into the end zone which miraculously fell into the hands of a diving DeQawn Mobley after the ball was tipped.
8. Martellus Bennett signing on national television
It's not just the fact that A&M signed Bennett, it's how he signed. Bennett kept Aggie fans on their seats and glued to the television, as he announced on Fox Sports that he would be wearing maroon in the fall. Gasps and cries could be heard in College Station all the way from Austin to Baton Rouge.
7. Men's basketball defeats Texas and Texas Tech
After narrowly losing to No. 2 Kansas, the A&M men's basketball team turned around and defeated Texas 74-63 in College Station, as fans stormed the court for the first time in many years. The Aggies capped the last home game of the regular season with an impressive and hard-fought 85-63 win over No. 25 Texas Tech.
6. Baseball comes back against Texas in 10th inning
All hope seemed to be gone for the A&M baseball team. And then, in the bottom of the 10th inning of the game against the University of Texas, the Aggies flashed a little Olsen Magic. With the seemingly infallible Texas closer J. Brent Cox on the mound, A&M's Cliff Pennington scored the game winning run on a wild pitch by Cox in what would be Mark Johnson's last win as head coach.
5. Soccer wins Big 12 regular season and tournament titles
The Aggies soccer team posted an impressive 18-6 record on the season while sharing the regular season title with Kansas. However, A&M wasn't happy with sharing the Big 12 title, as it ran through the Big 12 tournament allowing only one goal and capturing the tournament trophy as the conference's top team.
4. Football team's dramatic overtime game wins
With the Aggies up by just three points in the Oct. 23 game against Colorado, A&M's Lee Foliaki poked the ball out of the hands of Colorado running back Bobby Purify to seal the 29-26 victory. Just four weeks later against Texas Tech, A&M running back Courtney Lewis sprints 25 yards on the first play of overtime into the end zone to give the Aggies a 32-25 victory.
3. Turnaround for men's and women's basketball seasons
Last season's magic by new men's coach Billy Gillispie and women's coach Gary Blair is something that Aggie fans will remember for a long time. Both led their teams to overall improvements in the win column, including Gillispie who helped the men to the largest overall one-year improvement for last season, while also picking up Big 12 Coach of the Year honors. Both then took their teams three games deep into the national invitational tournament, which was the first playoff appearance in as many years for the Aggies.
2. Wright goes to the NBA
When former men's basketball coach Melvin Watkins resigned, Antoine Wright almost bolted for the NBA. But new coach Gillispie promised Wright he would help him become a top 20 pick, and so Wright stayed. Gillispie kept his word. Wright improved in almost every statistical column last season and later became the highest Aggie picked in the NBA draft, when the New Jersey Nets took him with the 15th overall pick.
1. The softball season
When the baseball team began struggling, fans began to make an exodus across Olsen Boulevard to the softball complex. At season's end, the Aggies had compiled a 43-10 record and clinched the Big 12 regular season title. Most impressively, A&M notched a 28-3 record at home, but the last two of those losses hurt the most - they ended the Aggies' run at the World Series title.
But heading up the list of top A&M moments should help hold them over until next season.
It's that most dismal time of the year once again.
Not because temperatures are constantly hitting 100 degrees regularly, or because when a person tries to find relief with a swim in Lake Bryan, he feels like he's taking a bath in a warm puddle of mud - but that might be a close second.
Athletics at Texas A&M are at an official standstill, leaving a period of more than a month for fans to sit restlessly waiting for football to start again, or to see soccer coach G Guerreri roam the sidelines, looking fashionable in his shirt and tie despite sweating more than a fat guy in a sauna.
What better way is there to stay cool than to sit and reminisce over all the great moments that happened last year in A&M sports? So after we watched all the highlight reels, scoured old game recaps and shook the Sports Desk Magic 8 Ball a few times, we've narrowed down the top 12 moments that are worth remembering.
12. 1-point safety against University of Texas
We're still scratching our heads over this one - but it was interesting enough to be included, even though it hurt a little bit. And despite the thought by some that it is a Longhorn conspiracy against A&M, it actually is in the NCAA rulebook, under rule 8-3 of article 2.
11. Lauren Walker's comeback in tennis
The senior had knee surgery in early February and missed almost a month while rehabbing her bum knee. She then came back and rattled off an impressive season by any standards, collecting a 13-5 record after the surgery, including going 9-1 in Big 12 matches and stringing together an eight-match winning streak in April.
10. Volleyball team's comeback win against Kansas State
When All-American Melissa Munsch went down in the third game, the Wildcats began to gain ground on A&M. The Aggies decided they could win just as easily without Munsch, and rallied back from a 28-22 deficit to defeat Kansas State for the first time since 2001 and push their home winning record to 12-1.
9. Reggie McNeal's Hail Mary against Oklahoma State
Half the fans didn't even see this play because they were looking for another sandwich in the fridge or heading to the stadium bathrooms. As time was winding down in the second quarter, A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal launched a 55-yard pass into the end zone which miraculously fell into the hands of a diving DeQawn Mobley after the ball was tipped.
8. Martellus Bennett signing on national television
It's not just the fact that A&M signed Bennett, it's how he signed. Bennett kept Aggie fans on their seats and glued to the television, as he announced on Fox Sports that he would be wearing maroon in the fall. Gasps and cries could be heard in College Station all the way from Austin to Baton Rouge.
7. Men's basketball defeats Texas and Texas Tech
After narrowly losing to No. 2 Kansas, the A&M men's basketball team turned around and defeated Texas 74-63 in College Station, as fans stormed the court for the first time in many years. The Aggies capped the last home game of the regular season with an impressive and hard-fought 85-63 win over No. 25 Texas Tech.
6. Baseball comes back against Texas in 10th inning
All hope seemed to be gone for the A&M baseball team. And then, in the bottom of the 10th inning of the game against the University of Texas, the Aggies flashed a little Olsen Magic. With the seemingly infallible Texas closer J. Brent Cox on the mound, A&M's Cliff Pennington scored the game winning run on a wild pitch by Cox in what would be Mark Johnson's last win as head coach.
5. Soccer wins Big 12 regular season and tournament titles
The Aggies soccer team posted an impressive 18-6 record on the season while sharing the regular season title with Kansas. However, A&M wasn't happy with sharing the Big 12 title, as it ran through the Big 12 tournament allowing only one goal and capturing the tournament trophy as the conference's top team.
4. Football team's dramatic overtime game wins
With the Aggies up by just three points in the Oct. 23 game against Colorado, A&M's Lee Foliaki poked the ball out of the hands of Colorado running back Bobby Purify to seal the 29-26 victory. Just four weeks later against Texas Tech, A&M running back Courtney Lewis sprints 25 yards on the first play of overtime into the end zone to give the Aggies a 32-25 victory.
3. Turnaround for men's and women's basketball seasons
Last season's magic by new men's coach Billy Gillispie and women's coach Gary Blair is something that Aggie fans will remember for a long time. Both led their teams to overall improvements in the win column, including Gillispie who helped the men to the largest overall one-year improvement for last season, while also picking up Big 12 Coach of the Year honors. Both then took their teams three games deep into the national invitational tournament, which was the first playoff appearance in as many years for the Aggies.
2. Wright goes to the NBA
When former men's basketball coach Melvin Watkins resigned, Antoine Wright almost bolted for the NBA. But new coach Gillispie promised Wright he would help him become a top 20 pick, and so Wright stayed. Gillispie kept his word. Wright improved in almost every statistical column last season and later became the highest Aggie picked in the NBA draft, when the New Jersey Nets took him with the 15th overall pick.
1. The softball season
When the baseball team began struggling, fans began to make an exodus across Olsen Boulevard to the softball complex. At season's end, the Aggies had compiled a 43-10 record and clinched the Big 12 regular season title. Most impressively, A&M notched a 28-3 record at home, but the last two of those losses hurt the most - they ended the Aggies' run at the World Series title.
But heading up the list of top A&M moments should help hold them over until next season.