The Book

For the last few days, I’ve spent most of my time at my apartment, trying to lure an adopted cat out from under the bed. Cati (pronounced Catty) Bevo (named for the legendary Texas Come and Take It cannon and beloved University of Texas mascot) has had a few brief journeys out from the cozy darkness beneath my box spring…usually only long enough to sprint to another cozy cave of furniture. Turns out my apartment is full of irretrievable hiding spots for cats.

Not since Dr. Robert Carnochan, UT Band Director, has a living being been so terrified of me as little Cati Bevo is. Having never really had a pet, I am completely incompetent as to how to solve this problem. So I googled it, because all information found on the internet is always right, and have spent the majority of my time at home sitting low to the ground, pretending to not watch the cat.

Brilliant.

Cati Bevo also enjoyed the book...

Whilst hanging out on the floor and occasionally rolling catnip laced bribery toys in Cati Bevo’s vague direction, I read Jim Dent’s book “Courage Beyond the Game,” which is about Freddie Steinmark, his battle with cancer and his time on the University of Texas Football Team, particularly the 1969 championship season, where for the last game, he stood on the sidelines on just one leg, having had the other removed just 20 days prior to contain his tumor. Ten days earlier, he had played in the storied Texas/Arkansas game.

It was a great read, much different than I expected it to be. I recommend it to any Texas Football Fan, college football fan, person…really to anyone that’s not a complete heartless bastard.

There is one problem with the book, though…and that is much like the movie “Rudy,” it left me feeling like a complete slacker while bawling my eyes out. 

That aside, I thought it was pretty interesting that in his acknowledgements, Dent mentions a couple of times, strangely bluntly, about Darrell Royal’s memory loss.

“When I began the project, I was told I would not be able to interview Darrell Royal because of his memory loss.” “The coach was in great spirits and had forgotten nothing about Steinmark, or the national championship season of 1969.” “In the grip of memory-loss issues at age 86, a bright-eyed and smiling Darrell Royal sat next to a window and looked out at the rugged, rolling hills of Barton Creek. He remembered Freddie Steinmark like it was yesterday.”

Heh? I guess this shouldn’t be surprising, Royal is going on 88 this year. I just can’t get over the fact that in all my research for Adventures of a Football Girl, and all my time as a Texas Football fan, this has never come up. To have it mentioned so bluntly was just a bit … startling. In fact, I looked all over the interwebs and couldn’t find any references.

It made me sad to think of Coach Royal in this way, so I‘ve chosen to ignore this new information.

....Much like I’ve decided to ignore Cati Bevo, who in the course of writing this post, has journeyed out from under the TV stand and made a loop around the apartment. While I sat on my bed with the laptop, she became so confused by my ignoring her that she plopped herself right on top of the keyboard as I typed.

The internet is amazing.

But you didn’t come to Adventures of a Football Girl to read about my cat, even if her name is Cati Bevo.

So I will leave you with some legendary and inspiring words from Darrell Royal:

“If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em.”