Small Town Rant

Off Topic
1

I live in a small town (650) in the Texas Panhandle. We play 6-man highschool football. The city that is just about 17 miles east of us is our bitterest, most hated, most reviled rival.

There is a website/message board dedicated to Texas six-man football, which I frequent quite a bit during football season. Last week we played said rivals, so during the week leading up to the game there was considerable chatter on the message board. I participated quite vociferously, and lent my opinions as to where I thought our rivals might spend eternity. Let it be known, however, that I was just one of many posters - on both sides - that were trading barbs.

All of that background to get to my rant.

I find out this morning that because of my hateful speech that I am probably going to lose some of my clients. All of this over a freakin football game? Crap - if I lived in Dallas, or Austin, or…hell…any town that had a population of more that 10,000 - what I said on a message board wouldn’t even make a good conversation starter.

WTF is wrong with these small-town, don’t-say-anything-offensive, sob’s?

My wife is telling me to apologize - but for what? I want to tell all of these nosey-assed busy-bodies to go fuck themselves but, being in a small town - I would probasbly have to close my doors and get a job working at a Best-Buy selling CD’s.

So I guess, instead of manning up and telling these old bastards where to go, I’m just going to vent here. I know that I will at least be able to voice my opinions, and that there is no one in this god-forsaken widespot of a town that would ever have a reason to come to this open-minded, free thinking webbsite.

I know this rant makes no sense - but at least it keeps me from clubbing these small-town, small-minded, assholes like babie seals.

2

As the son of a football coach who spent most of my youth in tiny West Texas towns, I feel for you. The only thing you could have probably done worse is to bad mouth the Baptist Church.

3

lol, you aren’t known for sensitive posts rainjack… I can only imagine!

4

Yeah I know how you feel, my parents used to own a grocery store in a small town. I didn’t play hockey, which caused all the hockey loving parents to not shop at my parents store… apparently we weren’t part of the town. Luckily they moved, and I am going to exact my revenge.
muahahahahahahahahah!!!

But yeah that does suck, you are stuck with the choice of keeping your livelihood, or sticking to your guns although, in my humble opinion, this may be a topic that you can back down on… but that may just be my non-sports playing attitude talking.

-Dave

5

doogie -
You know this part of the world too well - I happen to be a member of the Baptist church here.

vroom -
How can you say that - I’m nothing but considerate in my posts :wink:

You’re right Short Dave -
As much as it pains me to have to sit on my hands and bite my tongue, that’s what I’m going to do. Besides - all these old farts are gonna die some day and then I will rule this town with an iron fist - exacting my revenge on those not fortunate enough to know what the hell is going on. (I’d like to insert a evil laugh right here, but it just looks dumb).

Thanks for responding.

6

Hey Rainjack,

Did you guys win? My guess is yes you did. I know how serious football is out there and how whinny people can get out there too when they lose at anything.

Peace,
T-Ren

7

Oh, I meant to add that 6-man is some entertaining shit.

I’ve never lived in a town quite that small, but I caught a lot of playoff games in my younger days. 73-50 with 1000 combined passing yards makes for an entertaing night.

8

As a matter of facr T-Ren we got slaughtered - 58-6. Game was called at halftime (they have a mercy rule in 6-man).

That’s what makes me so mad about this whole thing. Not the fact that we lossed (we were plating the second ranked team in the state - so I knew we were gonna get creamed) but that the folks who won were still mad at me after they crushed us.

Doogie -
We won our fist game this year 86-48. There was a game played this year with a final score of like 110-85.

Definitely a fun game if you like offense.

9

Rainjack,

I must admit that what you tell us really gives me the creeps. I know (and fear) small town Bavaria (like Texas, just smaller and in Germany), and people there are often as pig-headed as you describe.

I must admit that I never followed a sport so motivated that I could get into a rant about it, but you do have a right to voice your opinion; and if customers really have a problem with your views on football, then just imagine how they would behave if you were Muslim, black, gay…

In that sense - let them buy their stuff somewhere else (they’re not gonna treat you fair anyway, even if you do apologise) and don’t let them shut you up.

Makkun

10

[quote]makkun wrote:
Rainjack,
I must admit that I never followed a sport so motivated that I could get into a rant about it, but you do have a right to voice your opinion; and if customers really have a problem with your views on football, then just imagine how they would behave if you were Muslim, black, gay…
Makkun[/quote]

In the rural areas of West Texas, High School football reigns supreme.

Here’s a ranking of life’s most important issues(doogie, back me up here):

  1. High School Football
  2. Church
  3. High School Football
  4. High School Football
  5. tie - Dallas Cowboys and family

There is a major motion picture coming out that echoes this point. “Friday Night Lights” chronicles the Odessa Permian Panthers, and the cult-like support of a high school football team.

The only other place I can think of with this kind of community devotion to a local sport might be Indiana basketball.

As for the whole black-gay-Muslim thing, We have two out of the three, and as far as I know - no problems. Since 9/11/01, I wouldn’t move out here to this part of the world if I were Muslim, though.

11

Rainjack,

Your list is fairly accurate, but it needs to be said that church lets out early on Sundays when the Cowboys are playing the noon game.

Can’t wait for Friday Night Lights. I used to live in Crane, my mother and father are both from Odessa, and we’ve known Coach Gaines for over 25 years.

12

[quote]doogie wrote:
Rainjack,

Your list is fairly accurate, but it needs to be said that church lets out early on Sundays when the Cowboys are playing the noon game.

Can’t wait for Friday Night Lights. I used to live in Crane, my mother and father are both from Odessa, and we’ve known Coach Gaines for over 25 years.[/quote]

Let me know what you think of the movie. I have read the book twice and I don’t that the movie can pull off waht the book was really based on. It just seems to be damn near impossiable to convey on film what was written in the book.

Thanks

13

Just a couple of points here…

I grew up in a small town and played small town sports (footbal/baseball). It has to be realized that the local school sports is all that a lot of these folks have (besides church and family). People in those areas just don’t go to games and follow thier teams because of general interest, they go because that’s a piece of them out on the field. For those of you in the forums who haven’t experienced it I implore you to drive out to the sticks and see it for yourselves at a football or basketball game. So, rainjack, even though it is unfortunate that you might have lost some clients I can understand why they no longer support your business. If you’re not for them then you’re against them on a very personal level. Trash talk on a forum might seem harmless, and to those of us who are savy to the way forums like this usually work we could shrug it off as obtuse boasting, but smalltown folk take comments like that to heart, especially if those comments are inflamitory to the nth degree.

Second point…

Friday Night Lights was an awesome book. I’m really looking forward to the movie, especially with the cast that was selected to play the key characters. Billy Bob is terrific, and Tim Mcgraw? It will be interesting to see how he does. I also noticed that the kid who played the little kid in Slingblade is also in the film. Funny how the kid showed Carl how to play football in that movie and now Carl is coaching him in FNL.

B.

14

BradTGIF-

That didn’t hit me till you said it, but you’re right that is the slingblade kid with Billybob! Pretty ironic!

15

[quote]doogie wrote:
Oh, I meant to add that 6-man is some entertaining shit.

I’ve never lived in a town quite that small, but I caught a lot of playoff games in my younger days. 73-50 with 1000 combined passing yards makes for an entertaing night.[/quote]

Doogie,

Sounds like you’d like the Canadian Football League. It’s a passing/high scoring league and the field is about 10000000 yards wide.

16

Ah, its good to see 6-man talk on the boards. I was quite “the man” back in my day, if I do say so myself…and I usually do cause not many say it for me. :slight_smile:

[quote]rainjack wrote:
As a matter of facr T-Ren we got slaughtered - 58-6.
[/quote]

I cant believe you let those valley girls beat you. Well, ok, they are ranked #2 so I guess we’ll let it slide.

[quote]
We won our fist game this year 86-48. [/quote]

Actually, your numbers a little backwards according to said 6-man football site. They say you beat Motley County 8(4)-4(6). :slight_smile:

You also whooped up on Amherst so I have to give you props for that. Although, they arent as good as they were back in my day, I still like to see those butt nuggets lose. I have two words for you…Dewayne Miles.

Some funny stuff doogie. Where about’s in west tx did you grow up. Gimmee some more hints.

17

[quote]flee wrote:
Doogie,

Sounds like you’d like the Canadian Football League. It’s a passing/high scoring league and the field is about 10000000 yards wide.
[/quote]

No. I like real football. I’d rather watch two teams run the wishbone at each other all night and play killer defense and end the night 3-0. Six man is fun to watch a bunch of skinny farmboys play, but I don’t consider it to be real football.

18

[quote]ThumperTX wrote:
Some funny stuff doogie. Where about’s in west tx did you grow up. Gimmee some more hints.

[/quote]

Not real good with hints, but Crane, Grand Falls, and Winters (mostly Winters).

19

OK Thumper -

You know Master Miles, You know of Granger Huntress - Hint time for you, my friend - where did you play ball?

Sorry I got the Motley County score wrong - and I’m the stat guy, oh well - sue me.

Doogie - you had to know Dewayne Lee, he coached at Grandfalls-Royalty, then cam here. Now he’s at Strawn. Six-man Coach of the Year - shitty golfer.

20

[quote]rainjack wrote:
Doogie - you had to know Dewayne Lee, he coached at Grandfalls-Royalty, then cam here. Now he’s at Strawn. Six-man Coach of the Year - shitty golfer.[/quote]

Nope. I even called my mother to ask if she remembers him, but she didn’t either. I was in Crane around 73-75, Grandfalls around 76-78, Winters from like 80-88.

And calling a football coach a shitty golfer is not a very good way to narrow down who you are talking about.