One of the exciting things about being a sports writer on the college level is the glorious travel opportunities.
On a Wednesday or Saturday night one can find himself in such exotic places as Pittsburg, Kan., Kirksville, Mo., or other regional epicenters. (If you don't understand at this point that my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek, you should probably just stop reading now.)
So with great anticipation, I made the journey to the South Central Regional Basketball Tournament in Stephenville, Texas.
Yeee-haw, I'm in cowboy country!
As soon as I finish covering the afternoon session of basketball games -- both of them involving MIAA schools -- I plan head over to the Cowboy Walk of Fame. That is a prominent feature of the Stephenville Chamber of Commerce's Web site, which I scoured thoroughly upon my arrival in an effort to find something to do in this cattle town of about 15,000 people.
The site claims that Stephenville is much more than a cow town, but the following sentence from the Web site makes me wonder:
“From the largest private Country and Western club in the state, with live bands and two steppin' all night long, to the Country Gospel Opry. Horses, cows and people shopping with spurs on, can be seen everywhere all the time and it's not uncommon to see a world champion cowboy or musical celebrity around the town, sharing in day-to-day community life.”
Funny, I've never seen a horse -- or a cow, for that matter -- shopping with spurs on. I guess I'll have to make that trip downtown for a glimpse at that site.
One sight I have definitely missed by a few months, however, is the alien invasion of Stephenville.
This sleepy town grabbed national headlines back in January with a series of UFO sightings.
But rest assured, I got my souvenir. An enterprising young man, with chaw in his mouth, was selling commemorative T-shirts out of the back of the truck alongside the road. It was enough to make me do a U-turn on my way to Wisdom Gymnasium.
No, he didn't see them personally, but he has seen video some friends had taken.
And, yes, I bought the T-shirt.
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