Sunday, February 8, 2009

It Ain't Over Til The Fat Lady Sings (in Texas)

I was looking for images of a Fat Woman having a temper tantrum for a blogging I was going to write about Only Child Syndrome, due to me being amazed at how many people came to my blog yesterday looking for help in dealing with OCS (Only Child Syndrome).

I think it'll wait for another day to write some more about the particularly disturbing OCS problem which seems to be plaguing the earth. People seem to be looking for help from all over the world.

Except China. There are more Only Children in China than anywhere else on the planet, due to China's "One Child" policy. One would think China would be having some sort of national nervous breakdown due to dealing with all those Only Children. Instead China has what may be the world's strongest economy. It's a conundrum.

So, when I was looking for images of a Fat Woman having a temper tantrum I came upon a book about classic Texas sports quotes, with the title being "...Til the Fat Lady Sings..."

I had no idea, and still don't, that the famous, "It ain't over til the fat lady sings" cliche was of Texas origin.

The book is by Alan Burton, the illustrations, including the cover, are by Kent Gamble.

A short synopses of the book follows...

Everybody knows that Texans take their sports seriously. Whether it's a high school football clash on Friday night, a college baseball game on Saturday afternoon, or a pro basketball matchup on Sunday morning, sports is serious business in the Lone Star State.

How serious? Ask Don Meredith to comment on former Dallas Cowboy Coach Tom Landry: "He's a perfectionist. If he was married to Racquel Welch, he'd expect her to cook." Or talk to golf pro Lee TreviƱo about the tour: "You can make a lot of money in this game. Just ask my ex-wives. Both of them are so rich that neither of their husbands work." And if you're still not convinced, read what former Texas Rangers manager Whitey Herzog had to say in 1973: "We need just two players to be a contender. Just Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax."


These quotes and hundreds more are included in this collection of classic Texas sports quotes. More than ten years in the making, "'Til the Fat Lady Sings" features approximately 400 quotes from more than a hundred different sources. Coaches, sports writers, athletes, broadcasters, fans, politicians, actors, and team owners all speak out with wit and wisdom about the games and the names of Texas sports. This book is a must have for everyone who plays and enjoys the game of life.


The Chapters...


Shut the Door and Amen

Sex, Blackmail, and Payoffs
The Phantom of the Opera and the Fat Lady
Ho-Hum, the Eyes of Texas Are Upon You
Pickup Trucks, Cold Beer, Barbecued Ribs, Gumbo, and Chewing Tobacco
The Eighth Wonder of the World
The Big Shootouts
Baseball and Pets

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I was lucky enough to grow up watching Dan Cook give the sports cast every evening. He was a great and funny man. I never knew he was credited with the origin of that phrase until his death last year. Actually, my parents and grandparents knew that fact, but I guess it's been a common phrase since I was in diapers, I had no idea. Thanks for posting this. :)