What Thanksgiving Means to Me

I would have to say that as far back as I can recall, which ain't so far these days, I have thought of Thanksgiving as my most favorite holiday. For those of you that know me, know that I came from a dysfunctional home, but with all of the hurt that I lived in I can never recall an unhappy Thanksgiving. It was the one time of the year that we came together as a family, laughed and seemingly enjoying each others company. Even when we couldn't afford a big Thanksgiving Turkey mom would find the biggest hen she could find and prepare it with all the fixings around it. It was the one time of year to forget your troubles and count your blessings. Often times we would be invited to share in someone else's Thanksgiving meal, which just meant mom trying to out cook Emma, which as far as I was concerned, there was never any doubt who was the better cook. The more the merrier and that's why for as long as Shelley and I have been married we have looked for other families and friends, usually friend close enough to be considered family, to join us on this occasion.

I love Thanksgiving not for just the 3 F's (food, family, and football) but I love it because it gives me a time to reflect on just how blessed I have been and are today. The blessings that come to mind first is the love and forgiveness of my Savior Jesus Christ, without Him I would be nothing. I am blessed to have a loving and forgiving wife for 34 years. I am blessed to have three amazing sons who have and continue to make me proud of the young men they have become. I am blessed with three beautiful daughter-in-laws who have given my six beautiful grandchildren. I am blessed to have a momma who still calls me her baby, two beautiful sisters (who helped raise me), and two brothers who taught me how to be a respectable man. I am blessed to have a mother-in-law and father-in-law who love and loved me and show me by trusting me to care for their daughter. I am thankful for my closest friends, the ones who's daughters call me Daddy Dale and the friends I know I can count on when to pray me and my family through hard times. Finally, I am thankful for the men and women who have served and continue to serve this great country of ours in the Armed Forces.

I hope you will read this and come away with one thing and that is; we are all blessed and if for just one we all need to count or blessings and give thanks to the One who provided for those blessings.

November 22, 1963

Even though I was only 6 years old on November 22, 1963, I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the announcement being made over the intercom and my teacher crying and running out of our classroom. I seem to recall school being let out early of course since the assassination was after lunch and President Kennedy wasn't pronounced dead until 1 p.m., it could have been just our time to go home. I do remember seeing very little of my teacher until it was time to go home.

I remember traveling to the Metro-plex and Dallas over that weekend (I believe or maybe a weekend later) and Uncle Buddy taking us down the parade route that the President's motorcade had travelled the day before. I remember seeing Daly Plaza and the Grassy Knoll covered with wreaths. I remember seeing the people in the plaza wondering around, placing wreaths and crying.

I remember watching TV and seeing Lee Harvey Oswald deny his involvement and seeing the knot over his brow. I remember seeing him gunned down on national TV and seeing the chaos that ensued for a man named Jack Ruby.

I remember seeing the the funeral of the President and the music playing, the grieving widow, and John Kennedy Jr.'s salute. I remember seeing the the riding boots turned backwards in the stirrups. I remembered seeing the leaders of the world grieve over our President's passing.

If on 9-11-01 our nation lost it's innocents it began on November 22, 1963. RIP Mr. President

Play-Off Bound!

I know what those of you that know me are thinking, and I know that you are probably thinking he must be smoking something because the Cowboys are not play-off bound and the Rangers are done for the year. Well, if that's what you were thinking you were wrong. I'm talking about the crew of referees I work with each Friday night, we are headed to the play-offs! That's right for the third consecutive year we are headed to the play-offs! This has been a good year for our crew and taking away a couple of games, for the most part it has been a fun year. The last couple of years leading up to this year were tough and had me questioning whether or not to hang my flags up and surrender. This year was back to the positive experience that I love about officiating high school football. Friday night we will be working a 3A play-off game in Earle, Arkansas. It's about 125 miles from where I live but the drive will be worth it because there is nothing like a play-off atmosphere in Small Town, USA.

Thank God for the Rangers!

For those of you that know me know I am a big Dallas Cowboy fan, well, last night was the end of what I hope will be Wade Phillips' coaching job. I hate being the laughing stock of the NFL, and watching my beloved Cowboys quit when they were still winning the game last night! Phillips may be a great guy but a motivator he is not! The Cowboys have had all the talent in the world over his tenure as head coach and he can't seem to pull it out of them. We need a Cowher or a Gruden type of coach. With that said, at least we will draft early in next years draft, maybe we can grab an outstanding offensive lineman! Enough said about that!

My Texas Rangers did prove that they were the best in the American League and now it's time to prove they are the best in MLB. I like our chances against San Francisco. I hope we can at least split the first two games so we can have a chance to win the Championship at home! With Lee and Wilson going in games one and two I really like our chances of a split and possibly a sweep of the first two games. Then it will be on to Texas with Lewis and Hunter! GO RANGERS GO!!! IT'S TIME!!!

Baseball and Football in that order!

Well tonight while I am on the football field my beloved Rangers get to prove that they are the best team in the American League. If the Rangers win tonight it will be on to the World Series, if they don't, thanks to the two wins in Skankee Town, we will live to fight another day. I hate that I'm not going to get to see the game live but rest assured that I'm getting it on my DVR! We are facing a pitcher that we beat up pretty bad in game 4 of the ALCS. I don't see any reason why we couldn't do it again! If by some freak of nature we lose tonight, we will have the New Mr. October on the mound for game 7. A young man from Arkansas, Mr. Cliff Lee, 7-0 on post-season play. I hope we don't have to play a game 7 because I would love to see Cliff Lee start for Texas in game 1 of the World Series. Stay tune!! GO RANGERS!!!!

Last night was a rough football game for a wing official. It was one of those games with no defense and all offense. We were up and down the field all night and most of the scores were from 50 yards and out, which means I spent the night doing 50 plus yard sprints, I'm too old for that! Just to let you know how bad it was the final score was 50-46 in favor of the home team.

Tonight will probably be a one sided repeat of last night. The home team is ranked in state and the visiting team hasn't won a game in years. I have the good fortune to be working the visiting sideline. Please pray for me!

Sometimes I Just Don't Understand.

I refereed a Jr. High game last night and immediately the coach on my sideline began to give me problems. On the second play from scrimmage I had to throw a flag for a sideline warning. This meant the coach wasn't back where he needed to be at the snap of the ball. For the last several years the rules have been adjusted to keep the coaches off the playing field and starting this year the coaches have to be in the team box at the snap. The reason for this rule being a special point of emphasis is because about three years ago a high school coach was run over by an official on the field of play. The coach fell back and hit his head on the ground which cause traumatic brain injury and the coach is no longer in coaching. Well, the twist to this is the school district sued the official crew and the official for NOT enforcing the rule. The school district lost the case and their football coach. Every since that happened, keeping the coaches off the field has been a point of emphasis. Anyway, I digress, I asked the coach to step back and he didn't so I threw the flag on the next play from scrimmage. He and his assistant went ballistic, when he got in my face and began screaming, I threw another flag. I could have gotten him for unsportsmanlike conduct but I gave him his second warning which this time carried a 5 yard penalty. Now I have been officiating for over 13 or 14 years and having a coach go ballistic on me before but when the coach started to question my integrity he got to me for a fleeting moment. He was complaining that the other teams coaches were on the field. He said, "if you have any integrity in you at all you'll throw a flag on the other coaches for not getting back!" I said, " now coach would you want the referee throwing a flag on you from his sideline?" He said, "yes if I was on the field". I said, "right". End of conversation! I guess when he saw that he wasn't going to rattle me he decided to back off. The rest of the night went without a peep from either coach and they shook my hand and thanked me after the game. Unfortunately, this has become the norm and each year the coaches have become more and more aggressive. If it were not for the 4 other guys on that field I believe I would turn in my stripes. I love those guys and I love the time I spend with them good and bad games!

Long Time Coming!

Since, I first heard that there was a new baseball team coming to Texas and that team was coming to a location close enough for me to get to as a kid, I have been a Texas Rangers fan. Those of you that know me know how much I love the sport of baseball and usually by this time of the year I am routing for anyone who is playing against those danged Yankees! Well, this year will be no exception, because those danged Yankees have to come through Texas !!! That's right , bring on the Yankees and this time we or my Rangers have the advantage! I don't hate the Yankees, as a matter of fact I used to pretend to be either Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, or Yogy and spent days wishing I would have lived in the time of "The Babe". I guess it's sort of like my beloved Dallas Cowboys, you either love them or hate them.

I was worried that this day wouldn't come again this year after the Rangers dropped two at home against the Rays, but just like the rest of the season the Rangers proved that they belong in the elite of baseball this year. So bring on the "Cinderfella" story, bring on the Yankees, and bring on anyone else that stands between my beloved Rangers and a World Championship!!

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CLAW, IT'S TIME FOR THE ANTLERS AND IT'S TIME FOR THE TEXAS RANGERS!!! GO RANGERS GO!!!