Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Perception Is Reality

I know what you're thinking... There is something wrong with the title of this blog. Nope, folks its not a typo. I was gonna break down what happened this last weekend with Tech and football in general, but then I was given this nugget... A beautiful gem in this world that is going to let me explore the world outside of sports.

I am going to approach the topic of the nasty things that Jake Owen said about the coveted King at Texas Tech.

Now before I actually tackle what was said and the way that it has been approached, by the fan base and the media in Lubbock I would like to preface all of this.


You see the blonde chick in this photo, who is hugged up on Kliff, that's me, Miss Junkie... I have actually met and interviewed Kilff Kingsbury. He is a stellar guy. I have no doubt in my mind that Kliff is all about the team mentality. You succeed as a team you fail as a team. I knew this was the type of guy that Tech has been aching for as far as a coach goes, for about ten years or so.

And yes I know that time period includes that of the coveted Mike Leach era. I never liked Leach and I never mixed my words when it came to Leach. When Tech got rid of Leach they gained a student and a fan came home. I grew up watching Texas Tech and Spike Dykes. So I am the Scarlet and Black. Part of my disdain with Leach was the skewed focus that came along, stopped being about the team and started being about the "mad scientist". It was no longer abut Raider Red and the Red Raiders, but about a pirate mentality... ?... Never understood it, never liked it, so I fell out of love and stopped watching and supporting. That is no longer the case.

As this season started and phrases that started getting passed around like "quarterback whisperer" caused me to hope that for Kliffs sake we had a great season, but all the attention of the media and the nations watchful eye was on Lubbock from the get go.

And how could it not be with things like this being published in Sports Illustrated before the season even started. I know that Kliff had made a name for himself long before he came to Tech. All thanks to the stellar season and the Heisman that his young freshman protege Johnny Manziel added to his resume, but I can almost guarantee that Kingsbury looks at all that stuff as things that happened in the past. And past success doesn't always determine future success. His favorite quote, "Fortune favors the bold." That alone says a lot about the type of caliber of character you are dealing with when it comes to Coach Kingsbury.

I knew that Kliff was the type of coach that Tech was desperately in need of the morning that it hit local news that he was asking that his image be removed from merchandise.


These shirts hit store shelves almost two days after it was made official that Kingsbury was coming back to roost at Tech. Kingsbury asked that his image be removed from the merch for the simple reason that he wants it to remain about the team and not about him.

In this junkie's opinion that is an awesome move, but I hate to break it to you Kliff it won't ever really be about the team as a whole. I think that mentality is falling to the way side like old school manners. But I applaud you for stepping up on that one.

Now on to the things that inspired this blog...

First go watch what horrible, awful, terrible, no good, very bad thing happened this last weekend on ESPN's College Game Day.

Jake Owen was a guest on the show and they ask guests to make game day predictions.

Here's how the Tech OSU prediction came across....



Now after that one joking comment Red Raider Nation stood up in a total up roar.

Think the Dixie Chicks, after their President Bush comment in Europe type thing, but on a way smaller scale.

Now here is the thing. Jake Owen isn't a local to Lubbock, he's probably not even very aware of the things that lots of locals see on a daily basis when it comes to Kingsbury and his team.

I had a colleague walking around saying that perception sin't the reality of the situation. Which is true, but here is the question, what does the nation really perceive about Kingsbury? I mean really what do they think about the super young, good looking coach that is leading the Red Raiders this season?

Well, I mean with pieces like this what can the nation think?



Here's the thing with all of this...

AND THIS IS TOTALLY MY OPINION... so haters peddle it elsewhere.

With things like the garbage above being peddled around the only person to really blame for Jake Owen's misinformed comment is the media department at Tech. Kingsbury has handlers that negotiate his press and so on. Whoever thought that it would be a brilliant idea to peddle the Kingsbury product this way, didn't think this one all the way through, on multiple levels. But I will go with the sheer fact (that is such a glaring example right now), that no one really takes a coach seriously when it is perceived, outside of the Red Raider Nation area of Lubbock, that this guy is just in it for the fame and has some what turned into a sex object.

Now I know better, anybody that really knows the team, the area, and the type of person Kingsbury is, knows that this idea is way off base.

But to a nation that doesn't get to see what Red Raider Nation is privied to, you have to admit that they are misinformed on multiple levels. I blame his media handlers for this, and it came around to bite them in the backside... Because unfortunately Owen's prediction was spot on, but not for the reason that Kliff spends to much time in front of the mirror. Tech neglected to show up to their home game and our being a second half team status is catching up to us in murders row at the end of the season. Like I figured it would.

And if your reading this thinking that I'm off base and that Jake Owen is a total narrow minded jerk and you will never listen to his music again. You might want to hear what Kliff has to say about the comments that were made on Saturday.

Kliff Notes 11/4

If you didn't watch the video, here's the break down he laughed it off. Said that's what you do on shows like that, and that he still really likes the guys music.

To me Kingsbury is writing it off as nothing more than a jokingly made comment, which I am sure is the way that it was totally intended.

So before you start talking about ignorance, and name calling... I think that is what has really gotten me about this ordeal is the name calling... Stop and think about what the nation as a whole is being fed from our end. When you look at things like a nationally trending twitter hashtag (#mycoachishotterthanyourcoach), to the cover of SI, and nationally syndicated shows, like E! News, the wrong perception is being presented.

Because as much as I love the crew at KCBD, they aren't syndicated on a nightly basis. Which I think is shameful, they're awesome!

So while perception isn't exactly reality, what people are lead to believe and what they think is right is what they are going to believe.... And that is their perception of reality.

Just some food for thought from this weekend.

And that is all this Junkies opinion.