Rhubarb Report 060

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. Was your day filled with chocolate? Hallmark? Roses? Or was it just a transitional day between the 13th and the 15th?

In 2011, I wrote a post entitled "365 Valentines A Year". I took the time to read it again today. It was then that I remarked that "perhaps in the midst of our daily lives, we lose sight that each and every day really should be filled with the love of friends and family and intimate companions. Perhaps each and every day we should appreciate the presence of those people in our lives that make our world a better place". A reminder of some very important things, indeed.

Another 365-day-a-year proposition is fresh rhubarb. It can be found each and every day. So with that in mind, I bring you episode 60 of the Rhubarb Report.

1. The President delivered his "State Of The Union" address this week, followed immediately by the response from Sen. Marco Rubio. When I listened to Rubio’s words, I immediately thought that I traveled to a parallel universe. It was one in which Rubio was commenting on a speech that was different than the one that I heard uttered just moments before.

On one hand, he proclaimed  "My neighbors aren’t millionaires. They’re retirees who depend on Social Security and Medicare". He also noted that "when I finished school, I owed over 100,000 dollars in student loans, a debt I paid off just a few months ago". Hasn't he stood for decreasing government programs of a similar nature as the ones from which he benefited? Or was that something that occurred in my parallel universe as well?

Better yet, there was the response to Rubio and his water break on Twitter. If some of those tweets are any indication, there are a lot of people out there that should be in stand-up comedy. Best tweet - “stay thirsty my friends”!

2. I have said it once, and I will say it again: football is not rocket science. Based on the way some people talk about football, you would think that a degree in quantum physics was mandatory for a college or pro coach.

Put your best players on the field. Faster is always better than slower. Establish a needs list, and fill the roster with players that fill those needs. And don't make it any more difficult than it needs to be.

Enter the latest class of Texas football recruits. The needs list this year would be on defense. Looking at the 15 recruits that make up this class, we have a total of 5 defensive players, none of which are defensive lineman. Oh, and 5 of the players suffered season-ending injuries in their senior season. That means that there are 33% of an incoming recruiting class that are in rehabilitation for injuries affecting their ability to play football at the University of Texas.

Now, I am no rocket scientist - I just play one on TV - but something is amiss here. This is the University of Texas, people! Every kid in the state that has ever carried a football has probably, at one time or another, wanted to wear the burnt orange. So why such a small and tenuous class? Are we really having that big of a problem getting football recruits?

3. Myck Kabongo finally returned to the Longhorns basketball line-up after serving a 23 game suspension imposed by the NCAA. In a 30 game schedule, that might as well be the death penalty for the program this season. We were reminded last night of what this team has been lacking all season when Kabongo lead the Horns to a huge, double overtime win against Iowa State. It was the best effort of the season for the Longhorns.

I had to wonder last night - with Kabongo out, did the Horns play to the level of the expectation of impending losses? Or does Kabongo make that big of a difference? I suspect there are shades of both to be found here, given the performances of many of his teammates last night compared to prior outings.

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Photo credits: Wikipedia