Lance's Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down for Feb. 1

My Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down for the day after wondering what in the heck was the UIL thinking on some of those moves made today for the 2010-2012 realignment.


THUMBS UP
The new District 2-5A: See ya road trips to Odessa, Midland and San Angelo. The UIL did the right thing by returning 2-5A back to Tascosa, Amarillo High, Monterey, Coronado and Lubbock High in volleyball, basketball and baseball. The current 2-5A road trips are ridiculous for coaches and student-athletes. Tell me one reason why a road trip from Amarillo to Odessa on a Tuesday school night was even allowed. Besides, let Abilene High, Abilene Cooper, Odessa Permian, Odessa High, Midland Lee and Midland High enjoy a return to "The Little Southwest Conference" and talk about the good ol' days. Because they aren't the football powers they once we were. We witnessed that the last years in 2-5A.

New Orleans Saints - Although it's only Feb. 1 and the Winter Olympics, Tiger's return to golf and the Cowboys bid to be the first team to host a Super Bowl looms ahead in 2010, the Saints and their good-guy QB Drew Brees deserve to be the story of the year.


THUMBS DOWN
The new District 1-3A: So the UIL decides to go with a four-team District 1-3A with Perryton, Pampa, Dalhart and Borger. Pampa moving from 4A to 3A is good news for the Harvesters. But all a four-team district does is make for nightmarish scheduling and wa-a-a-a-a-y too many playoff teams. Three of the four teams will make the playoffs in the football, volleyball, basketball and baseball race. That means the coaches and players NOT making the playoffs will feel the heat and pressure. Then think about the 1-3A football schedule. District games will start in late October meaning seven non-district games will have to be played if a 10-game season is to be played out. All the UIL had to do was keep Lubbock Estacado, Levelland and Lubbock Cooper in this district and I would have no complaints.

Gorillas attendance - I see where the official scoresheet said 1,205 people attended the Gorillas 3-2 loss to Arizona Sunday at the Cal Farley Coliseum. I was one of the maybe 650 in attendance. Maybe they counted the nachos eaten as part of the attendance. That's PA-thetic attendance for a team battling for a playoff berth. But even worse is lying in print. That's always bugged me about minor league franchises all over the nation. Why lie about your attendance!