We start off the Juice with a Hot Topic. As in red hot topic. Penn State fired football coach James Franklin after three straight losses but he’s not upset. The rest of us should be. The geniuses at Penn State are giving him a $49 million buyout. That’s $20,000 a day for the next six years to get fired! Let that soak in. Sure, praise his agent for getting him the deal. This deal was agreed on by those who are supposedly offering us a Higher Education. Probably some of the same people involved in the Joe Paterno/Jerry Sandusky debacle.
Texas A&M is still making Jimbo Fisher one of the highest paid coaches to sit home after his $78 million buyout when he was fired in 2023. Buyouts/NIL are as out of control as our Government. They’re ruining it for me and many of the fans.
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What sport is giving the fans what they want? (At least currently) The Savannah Bananas. They’re so popular they’re playing baseball in football stadiums. After announcing their 2026 expanded schedule, several conventions have changed dates because they’ll be in town when Banana Mania shows up. That includes Rotary which is not a small group. I received an email announcing the change of dates in College Station for the District Conference because of the expected 100,000 Bananamaniacs expected to attend the game at Kyle Field.
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Angie and I went to Athens, Tx. over the weekend to attend the induction of Ann Thomasson-Wilson and Rick Clunn into the Freshwater Fisheries Hall of Fame. Clunn’s resume speaks for itself as he just finished his 50th year on the Elite Series. Ann is a two time women’s bass fishing champion and owner of Ann’s Tackle Shop for 39 years and she was a weekly guest on the KOGT “Let’s Go Fishing” Show. It was great to see her honored for being a pioneer in women’s bass fishing and an innovator in the tackle industry.
Segue into someone trying to make his mark in the industry today. Michael Nation, an Orange native and LCM grad, has opened Nation Custom Tackle. He’s doing some beautiful work with hard baits and soft plastic.
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My neighbor at Toledo Bend runs trotlines and you could imagine the look on his face when he pulled up this dinosaur. The rare Spoonbill Catfish or Paddlefish was caught and released. You’d figure there would be more because they’re protected. And maybe there are because it is said they feed on tiny organisms called zooplankton by straining them through their large mouths and cannot be caught with traditional fishing bait. But Jerry caught his using a perch so….
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Attended the 4A Cross Country Meet Thursday. It’s nice that we can have it at Claiborne Park. Orange County did very well taking eight of the top 10 places in the boys race and six of the top ten in the girls race. But I also have to mention Bridge City grad Cody Knight who is considered a guru in the Cross Country business. Knight is at Barbers Hill and his Eagles won the 5A District Meet for the 8th year in a row. He moved to Mont Belvieu after winning nine straight titles as BC’s coach. Congrats and good to see you coach!
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Ever looked at a water tank in a city and thought, “That’s a good looking water tank?” Well do I have a contest for you. You guessed it, it’s a contest for “Tank of the Year.” Mauriceville is in the running out of hundreds and you can vote for them or one of your other favorites listed. Actually you’re only voting for the “People’s Choice” tank and to do that they want all your info so they can send you more info about water tanks.
Coming up this weekend LCM and Vidor will celebrate homecoming. The Bears play Liberty and the Pirates play Lumberton. The Dean Granger Memorial 5K walk/run is Saturday morning at the dealership on MacArthur Drive. The Cowboy Church Trade Days is this weekend. The UIL Marching Contest is Saturday at PNG. Deweyville marches at 10am, Orangefield 11:45, LCM 2pm, Bridge City 3:50, WOS 4:05, and Vidor at 4:35pm. Good luck bands!
Have a great week!
“Don’t count the days, make the days count.”
-Gary Stelly-
gstelly66@gmail.com
Volume 1 No. 32
The Juice is a weekly column where Gary Stelly discusses things that happened the past week and mixes it with 40 years of being involved in the Orange County community. (If we think of a better way to explain it we’ll change it) You can also check out his podcast by clicking on the Behind the Mic banner on the KOGT.com front page.
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