ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS THEY BLEW THROUGH THOMASTON LIKE THE NANCY HANKS IT WAS A FRUITFUL RELATIONSHOP WHILE IT LASTED. I SPEAK OF BIG OIL BEHEMOTH VALERO OIL OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS WHO HAD AN INVESTMENT AT A PLANT ON 36 EAST FOR A TIME. ITS AN INDUSTRY I'LL NEVER FORGET BECAUSE THEY CAME BEARING TOP OF THE LINE GOLF SHIRTS WITH THEIR LOGO. THEIR PR GUY GAVE ME A COUPLE AND I REQUESTED ANOTHER AND HE OBLIGED. NOW, EVER TIME I PASS A VALERO GAS STATION I GET A WARM AND FUZZY--YO FILLER-UP AT MR. BILL'S ON SOUTH CHURCH.
YEARS PASSED AND DUE TO SPOUSAL OBLIGATION THERE I WAS IN SAN-AN-TONE WITH PRESS CREDENTIALS TO DALLAS COWBOYS NFL PRE-SEASON CAMP AT THE ALAMO DOME- SITE OF THIS YEAR'S FINAL FOUR . NOW , THE ALAMO DOME IS NOT QUITE AS APPOINTED AS MOST OF THE OTHER DOMES AROUND THE COUNTRY, BUT I UNDERSTAND THEY HAVE PAINTED HER UP AND PRIMED HER UP FOR THE FINALS OF THE MARCH MADNESS AND RUMORS CONTINUE THAT AN NFL TEAM IS HEADED THERE. I GOT LUCKY--THE ASSISTANT EQUIPMENT MANAGER OF THE COWBOYS HAD PREVIOUSLY WORKED IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS IN AUGUSTA , KNEW MY MENTOR IN THE BIZ, BOBBY POPE AD AT MERCER--SO I QUICKLY HAD THE RUN OF THE PLACE. JERRY JONES HAD HELD PRE-SEASON DRILLS IN LA FOR YEARS, BUT WHEN HOUSTON GOT AN NFL FRANCHISE HE MOVED DRILLS TO SAN ANTONE TO PROTECT HIS MARKET SHARE IN TEXAS. WORD WAS HE PAID A MILLION DOLLARS TO PUT DOWN TIRE- TYPE TURF ON THE FLOOR OF THE ALAMO DOME JUST FOR PRESEASON DRILLS.
JERRY IS A PERSONABLE-TYPE HE WILL TALK WITH ANYONE ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE A TAPE RECORDER IN THEIR HAND AND WAS DELIGHTED TO HEAR THAT THE NEW OWNER OF THE FALCONS CONSIDERED HIM AN NFL OWNER TO EMULATE. DID YA KNOW OZZY OSBOURNE AND BLACK SABBATH PLAYED THE TEXAS CITY IN FEB. OF 1982 AND OZZY LOST IT AND RELIEVED HIMSELF ON A MONUMENT IN FRONT OF THE ALAMO AND GOT ARRESTED. HE POSTED BOND AND WAS RELEASED BUT WAS BANNED FROM THE CITY. HE RETURNED YEARS LATER, APOLOGIZED, AND DONATED $10,000 TO THE ORGANIZATION THAT PERSERVES ALAMO HISTORY.
THE FINAL FOUR HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE CBS PROMOTED IT INTO MARCH MADNESS. EVEN AN OLE SPORTS JUNKIE LIKE ME WAS NOT EVEN AWARE THE 1982 COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP WAS BEING PLAYED IN NEW ORLEANS BETWEEN NORTH CAROLINA AND GEORGETOWN WHEN ME AND MY HOMIE RICHARD BLACK DINED AT CLYDE'S GRILL IN GEORGETOWN ,D.C. I ALWAYS TOOK R. BLACK ALONG WHEN I ATTENDED THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING CONVENTION--SOMETHING ABOUT A BUDDY PASS AND DELTA'S LODGING DISCOUNT. CLYDE'S WAS SET-UP FOR THE GAME--A ROW OF CHAIRS IN A BIG CONFERENCE ROOM AND A 19 INCH TV TO FOLLOW THE ACTION. IT WAS A GOOD ONE -- DEAN SMITH WON 63-62 AND DID I MENTION THE TAR HEELS HAD A FRESHMAN NAMED MICHAEL JORDAN.DAVED
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