Rank: Bull Riding News

2012-02-12T13:50:00.000-05:00

Extended Pedigree: 789 Bad Blake

2012-02-10T11:50:00.000-05:00

"Extended Pedigree," a new weekly feature on Rank, begins today by following 789 Bad Blake's bloodlines back three generations. Many pedigrees show two generations, but taking it one more step will usually get you back to the foundation herds. In Bad Blake's case, you see the foundation herds Katich (Brahma over Red Angus) and Naccarato (Oscar-based).

Tahonta's Back (Girletz Breeding)

Sire: Tahonta

HRC 512 (Katich Breeding)

Whitewater (Oscars Velvet / Naccarato cow)

Dam: MO 135

MO76 (Typhoon (Naccarato) / Moreno breeding)

Another interesting note on Bad Blake is that he is a half-brother to AR532 Paycheck on the sire side.

Extended pedigrees will be published on Fridays and will feature one of the weekend's Built Ford Tough event bulls.

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Photo of the Week: Bulls in Winter

2012-02-09T19:27:00.002-05:00

The Katich breeding program has produced some of the great bulls in bull riding history: Doctor Proctor, Major Payne, Yellow Jacket Jr., Smackdown, Wild & Out, K9 Dogface, Rapid Fire, and others. This is the Katich ranch in northeast Washington. Photo: Melissa Katich

Baltimore by the Numbers

2012-02-07T08:37:00.000-05:00

47+ bulls: 0 (Last week - 2)

46+ bulls: 0 (Last week - 2)

45+ bulls: 1 (Gunpowder & Lead) (Last week - 4)

44+ bulls: 9 (Last week - 16)

On the other hand, re-ride options offered: 3 (Last week - 8)

90+ rides: 2 (both by J.B. Mauney)

89+ rides: 2

88+ rides: 3

Overall riding percentage for the event: 43.43

Number of riders who rode in both short rounds: 7

Number of short rounds so far this year: 9

Most short rounds ridden in by any one rider: 6 (Ty Pozzobon)

Number of short round bulls Ty Pozzobon has ridden: 0

Number of riders who have ridden all of the short round bulls they have attempted: 6 (Marchi, Meier, and Oliveira have each ridden 3 out of 3. Nance, Nunes, and Hupp have ridden 2 out of 2.)

Highest riding average so far this season: Still Silvano Alves - 78.57 (11 out of 14 bulls attempted)

Second highest average: J.B. Mauney - 68.75 (11 out of 16 bulls attempted)

Number of weeks Valdiron de Oliveira and Austin Meier have had the same riding average: at least 3

Rides in each regular round: 17 / 6 / 16 / 4

Riders with four rides: 1

Riders with three rides: 5

Riders with two rides: 6

Riders with one ride: 12

Riders with no rides: 16

New tweets from me this week: 0

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The Baltimore Report: The Cut

2012-02-06T08:31:00.000-05:00

Usually I say that every bull riding has one main story, but this one had two. J.B. Mauney and the cut. Watching J.B. regain some of his old magic, but do it with a new maturity, that was good. And watching other riders struggle and fail to make the cut, or struggle and succeed, was like watching a very minor epic.

The cut in a nutshell:

This is my understanding of how the cut works:

After this weekend, the only riders who are assured of a place in the BFT tour are those in the top 25 of the world standings. The rest will be cut.

Then the top five Touring Pro riders will be invited to join the BFT circuit to fill spots 26-30.

The last five riders will be returning riders with injury exemptions, and alternates.

Who's in, who's out:

Sadly, I don't have a database, so this is what I have gleaned from the numbers I do have:

Backs to the wall, a few guys rode their way into the top twenty five. Stormy Wing went from #30 last week to #17 this week. Jory Markiss went from #28 to # 23. Dakota beck went from #40 to #25. Adrenaline, determination, sheer will - I don't know, but whatever it was, it worked and was inspiring.

Sean Willingham came very near to falling out of the top 25, going from 19th place to 24th.

Riders who were in the top 25 last week and fell out of it this week: Harve Stewart, Dusty Ephrom.

Other riders who were below the 25 mark last week, and still are: Dustin Elliott, Douglas Duncan, Ben Jones, Colby Yates, Elton Cide, Cody Campbell, Elliott Jacoby, Douglas Ferreira, Beau Hill, Reese Cates.

Riders who were cut, but whose Touring Pro standings might get them back into the rotation right away: Douglas Duncan, Dusty Ephrom, Harve Stewart, Elton Cide.

The other Touring Pro rider who may now be on the BFTS circuit: Chance Roberts.

Riders who didn't make the cut but have injury exemptions: I'll tell you straight up that I can never keep track of this, but I'm pretty sure this category includes Cates, Yates, Hill, Skeeter Kingsolver, and Cody Campbell, and that any of those guys who are currently unable to compete will be replace by alternates until they can.

Rider who is kicking himself this morning: Josh Faircloth, who declined a re-ride on Friday and missed making the top 25 by two spots and 74 points. I didn't think that he made a bad decision to turn down that re-ride. It almost worked. But if he'd taken the chance on Carillo Cartel and made anything more than 73 points, he would have been in.

Lastly, most of us can be grateful that our ability to continue in our workplace is not determined by one weekend's work. And fortunately, I am not about to be cut from anything, as far as I know, because if it all came down to one event, I'm pretty sure I would choke. So hats off to Stormy Wing and Dakota Beck and Jory Markiss, and to J.B. Mauney, too, because when it was all on the line, they had what it took.

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Flanks

2012-02-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

Flank straps, for those who don't know, are a soft rope that is tied around the bull's flank by the stock contractor just prior to the out. For those who are really new to the sport, it does not constrict the bull's genitals or hurt him in anyway. The tightness of the flank depends on the contractor. Some bulls seem to buck better with a tight flank, others better with a loose one.

Here is part of a conversation I had with Lance Bloyd, a bull breeder who also has a business making flanks. Check out his company Bucking Bull Pro to learn more about his business. Read about his breeding program in an earlier interview on Rank.

How did you get started making flanks?

It started as a way to supplement my income to help pay to feed my cattle and my bulls. I made a decision here a couple of years ago that I was going to make this business pay for itself. I opened a separate checking account just for the ranch, for the ranching operations, and I said, either I’m going to be able to fund this completely off of the cattle and the business itself or I’ll have to sell animals to pay for feed because I was using my income to feed animals.

So you’ve stuck to that?

It’s done very well. All of the cattle I’ve bought have been purchased from either selling cattle or from flanks. All this has been funded by a business that has really turned into a full time job for me.

How many different kinds of flanks are there?

There’s solid cotton rope and there’s a cotton polyester blended rope. People will use all the way to 7/16 diameter all the way up to ¾ inch diameter rope. There’s flat nylon braided rope and round nylon braided rope. There’s just the regular old twisted cotton rope.

Why would someone use one over another?

You’ll hear people say that they use use a flank with a steel ring in it because it doesn’t give, or the one with the loop and the leather burr in it because it does give. There’s absolutely no right or wrong in any of it. It’s all personal preference. People might use one size because it doesn’t cut into the bull or a bigger rope so the bulls can feel it better or another size because they don’t. With some guys, you’ll find that that there’s a particular flank that they use on one bull that they’ve found has worked better on that bull, so they use that flank on that bull every time.

On the west coast a lot of guys use the flat nylon 1” braided nylon flank. A lot of people in the Northwest and Canada use pull flanks. A lot of it is regional. It’s what they have seen and what they’ve been brought up.

Pull flanks are the ones where they go out and you see them letting go of the tail of the flank?

They’re holding onto a strap and it’s tightening as they go out. If you‘ve got a bull that starts getting really bad in the chute when you tighten the flank up on them, one of the ways to combat that is to use a pull flank.

What’s your biggest seller?

What I sell most of is a half inch flank with a steel ring in it.

A round flank?

A round, twisted nylon or twisted cotton rope. My ropes are a fairly soft cotton poly blend.

How much does a flank cost?

The cheapest one is about $12 all the way up to about $23 depending on options. A white cotton flank with a ring in it is $12. But hardly anyone buys a white cotton flank with a ring in it. People want colors, or they want their name on the end of it, or their brand on it. A lot of people want something customized. We cater to that. We customize them and if you know anything about cattle people or horse people, they’re really big into customized. I’m the same way. There is isn’t a guy in the bull business that doesn’t have a coat that has their brand on it or their logo, same with any ranch. I can put your brand on the end of your flanks and it’s a permanent deal.

What’s the biggest seller in colors?

Probably black and white, more than any. But everyone wants something different. In fact, I just had a spool of rope custom made for a guy. It’s black and lime green. It’s a really neat looking rope and I told him that if he promised to buy 64 flanks, I’d pay to have a whole spool made up for him. So that rope is going to be only for him and he’s probably going to be the only person in America that has that color of flank. That’s what he wanted, and like I said, that’s part of where we’ve been successful. We cater to people’s needs and we do whatever we need to do to make it work.

The Sacramento Report

2012-02-01T09:25:00.003-05:00

This bull riding was complicated: four ways to watch/listen, two events (the real one and the event-within-the-event), several forms of media (Twitter, Facebook), the LEC (which all by itself has audio/video/live photographs, leaderboards, live scoring, detailed scoring). It was a combination of attention deficit disorder, an arcade game, and the kind of carnival ride that leaves you dizzy and slightly nauseated.

Note: That is not a complaint.

Is is an excuse, though, for why I seem unable to say a whole lot about this event. A few things that stood out:

1. Seven 90 point rides in the 15/15. I listened to it on the LEC, and ended up disappointed in the actual televised event. This led me to feel that the scores were inflated. The rides were good, but not quite that good. The other thing this taught me is that "radio" and "bull riding" and "I liked it" can co-exist in the same sentence.

2. Marco Eguche is the new Silvano Alves.

3. Cord McCoy is the new Luke Snyder. Or maybe he's just the new Cord McCoy.

4. Chris Shivers making a ride is still an exercise in perfection.

5. I'm worried about Douglas Duncan and Dustin Elliott, two really good riders in danger of being cut from the tour after Baltimore.

6. That image of Guilherme Marchi picking up his rope and watching the arena replay video with blood streaming down his face - well, that kind of told the whole story.

7. Great to see Mike Lee, J.B. Mauney, and Jordan Hupp, all with 58.33% riding averages.

8. You can tell when J.B. Mauney is going to make the whistle right at the beginning of the ride by the way he moves his free arm. I've been watching this for a while, and I assure you, it is true.

9. I hate Twitter less than I used to.

Sorry, that's all I've got this week. My excuses: The ADD and whiplash rides are getting to me. The dog ate my homework. I didn't wear a helmet.

Sacramento by the Numbers

2012-02-01T08:27:00.000-05:00

Numbers. Endlessly fascinating. If I had more time, you'd be in for a lot more of them. If you read the ones I do post, I salute you.

Most money won so far this year: $84,409.06 (Eguche)

47+ bulls: 2 (Smackdown - 47 - and Asteroid 47.50)

46+ bulls: 2 (Smackdown - 46.25 - and Buckey - 46.25)

45+ bulls: 3

44+ bulls: 16

Asteroid buckoff time this weekend: 1.8 seconds

Smackdown buckoff time: 1.68 seconds

90+ rides, regular rounds: 2 (both by Eguche)

90+ rides, 15/15 round: 5

89+ rides: 3 (all rounds)

Last time there were five 90+ rounds in a short round: Just a guess: never.

Overall riding percentage for the event: 46.67 (includes the 15/15 round)

Rides in each regular round: 20 / 19 / 3

Rides in 15/15 round: 7 (5 of those were for over 90 points)

Number of 90+ rides so far this year: 10 (7 of them occurred in Sacramento)

Alves re-ride options offered/taken: 1/1 (compared to 2/0 last week)

Out of a possible 7 short rounds so far this year, number Alves has been in: 2

Number of times I have tweeted (lifetime): Approximately 5

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Nose of the Week

2012-01-28T12:03:00.000-05:00

Photo by Susan Hanrahan

PBR's 15/15 Bucking Battle

2012-01-25T17:14:00.001-05:00

The 15/15 Bucking Battle is a face-off between the top fifteen riders in the world and the top fifteen bulls at an event. Nine events this year will include a 15/15 round. The first is this weekend.

Think of the 15/15 round as a separate "event" within the regular event.

The scoring does not affect the scoring of the regular event at all. Any rider scores earned during the 15/15 contribute only to the rider's season total, not to the event total.

The sequence of rounds is:

Round One: Regular round, forty riders
15/15: Points earned do not go towards the event totals.
Round Two: Regular round, forty riders
Championship Round: Riders with the top ten combined scores from Round One and Round Two. The 15/15 round does not affect this round at all.

How the riders are determined:

This weekend the top 15 riders have been determined as follows:

First, the top ten riders from last year. That will be Alves, Oliveira, Marchi, Meier, Jenkins, Mauney, McConnel.

Palermo, Proctor and Vieira would be on that list too, but they are out with injuries or visa issues (Vieira). Last year's #11, 12, and 13 will take their spaces. That will be Roy, Sanderson, and Snyder.

Then the top five riders in this year's standings who were not already in the above-mentioned 10 spots. That will be Hupp, Eguche, Nance, Pozzobon, and Nunes.

In the future 15/15 rounds, the riders will be the top fifteen in the current standings.

This weekend's match-ups:

Silvano Alves vs. Asteroid
Valdiron de Oliverir vs. Buckey
Guilherme Marchi vs. Smackdown
Austin Meier vs. Shepherd Hills Trapper
J.B. Mauney vs. Larry the Cable Guy's Git r Done
LJ Jenkins vs. Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey
Ryan McConnel vs. Highway 12
Aaron Roy vs. Southern Wine
Luke Snyder vs. Black Attack
Caleb Sanderson vs. Cowboy Cassanova
Cody Nance vs. Jack Daniels After Party
Ty Pozzobon vs. Mellow Yellow Jacket
Eguche vs.Speckled Ivory
Hupp vs. Lincoln Electric's Bring It
Nunes vs. Shepherd Hills Sod Buster

The Portland Report

2012-01-24T15:53:00.000-05:00

Portland was already a good bull riding, but when it got won on that crazy trip Jordan Hupp had on Bring It, it went right into the realm of excellent.

Only one night was televised, and a malfunctioning Live Event Center threw a little bit of panic into Saturday night, but the PBR eventually got it locked in and all was well. I have a new-found appreciation for the LEC and its every-ride, every-bull-score. I like watching on television, but sitting in the living room with the LEC, Twitter, and Facebook on the laptop has turned me into some kind of techno-social-networking-multi-tasking junkie.

So here's what I thought about Portland:

It was another down-to-the-last-ride event. All the better that it was won on Hupp's completely improbable ride. At pretty much every split second during that ride he wasn't going to make it. But he did make it. Big try. Way to go.

It was an event that had a really big final round. J.B. Mauney picked Asteroid and smiled like a little kid when he got bucked off him in a couple of seconds. Not to mention he picked Train Wreck, in the second round, and rode him without getting fallen on. "It was a little hairy at the beginning, I'll give him that," he said, and won the round on him. Gotta like a guy who admires the bulls that beat him.

Not sure what Marco Eguche was thinking when he picked Buckey, but I know he wasn't thinking that anything like what happened would happen. Total dust bath, with Buckey a big whirling sumo tornado.

The other interesting thing about the championship round was that Silvano Alves wasn't in it. He turned down two re-rides and kept scores of 73.75 in the first round and 79 in the second round. Douglas Ferreira followed suit, keeping an 80 in round three and declining the re-ride. I know it worked for Silvano last year, but it's starting to look...bad. I don't care, hate me if you want to, I say it looks bad and if this was baseball he'd be getting booed. Where did that baseball comparison come from? I don't know. But he would be getting booed, I can tell you that.

Last thing #1: Every time I heard "Bad Boy Lead Dog Jordan Hupp"...I kind of thought my brain was going to implode. It was wonderful. Ridiculous. Curiously addictive.

Last thing #2: Follow J.W. Hart on Twitter. It will make you happy.

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Portland by the Numbers

2012-01-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite moments of the week: Looking at bull riding through the lens of math. I will start with a few interesting stats:

Valdiron de Oliveira's and Austin Meier's world rankings: 1 and 2

Their riding percentages: 70 and 70 (7 out of 10 bulls ridden)

Silvano Alves' world ranking: 14

His riding percentage: 87.50 (7 out of 8 bulls ridden)

Number of re-rides Alves has turned down this year: 3. So out of his seven total rides, three were declined re-ride options.

Scores of Alves' 7 rides so far this year: 83.5 - 84.50 - 85.50 - 81.25 - 84.75 - 73.50, 73.75, 79

Out of a possible 6 short rounds so far this year, number Alves has been in: 1 (no score)

Make of all that what you will. Now onto the Portland numbers.

46+ bulls: 1

45+ bulls: 4

44+ bulls: 12

Number of times J.B. Mauney has attempted to ride Train Wreck: 4

Number of times he has ridden him: 2

Number of times Train Wreck has fallen on him: 2

Scores when J.B. has made the whistle on him: 88.50 and 89.50

90+ rides: 1

89+ rides: 3

Number of riders that have placed in the top five in more than one event: 2 (Oliveira and Meier)

Overall riding percentage for the event: 42.42

Rides in each round: 13 / 2 / 23 / 4

Riders with four rides: 1

Riders with three rides: 4

Riders with two rides: 6

Riders with one ride: 14

Riders with no rides: 15

Number of 90+ rides so far this year: 3

Number of 90+ rides Chris Shivers needs to reach ninety 90+ rides: 4

Number of tweets from riders, announcers, PBR folk during the event: This is a guess, but maybe 200 over the two days, maybe even more. I tell you, these guys take tweeting seriously.

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Bulls & Bloodlines: Portland

2012-01-24T07:47:00.000-05:00

There were a few truly excellent bull performances in Portland and lots of really good ones.

High-scored bulls:

W1 Buckey (Wentz) - 46.25

Asteroid (Circle T) - 45.75
Cowboy Cassanova (Pate) - 45.25
Priceless (Page/L&E) - 45
Smackdown (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve/Rosen) - 45

A few videos:

Charlie Bullware. He looks really fresh this year. Here he is with Luke Snyder.

Asteroid. A little overscored last week, a little underscored this week?

Buckey. Big dust bowl of an out.

King of Hearts. He's a big, old-fashioned, Northwestern bull of Mike Corey's. He was the bull Robson Palermo rode in the Finals for a 93.25.

Pedigree Notes:

-8 Bring It is a Broke Back V grandson on the sire side. (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve)

415 Cool Spot is a Harley son out of a Broke Back V daughter. (K Bar C/Strickland/Folds)

615 Cowboy Cassanova is out of a Too Legit daughter. (Pate)

13T Little Snake is a Mudslinger son (Page 01/Broke Back V daughter) out of a Hotel California daughter. (Page)

Interesting:

The Ref (Corey and Lange)

For most of that ride you couldn't figure out exactly what the bull was doing, but you couldn't take your eyes off him either. It was good to hear J.W. Hart praise a bull like that. Kick-spinners get all the credit, but you get something really unusual like this and it's usually unappreciated. J.W.'s comment was, "Not the high scoring bull to get on, but this is one of the more difficult ones in there." The judges agreed on the not high-scoring part, giving him a 40.75 and L.J. got an 83 on him. I'm thinking that ride was a hair away from a re-ride option, but I was glad it didn't happen. It was not pretty, but it was interesting, and not all bulls are. I don't have the video.

Bull of the weekend:

Truthfully, I think Asteroid had it on the intensity factor, but Buckey was so strong and had the higher score and was unexpected. You decide.

PBR New York in Photos

2012-01-21T17:42:00.001-05:00

Photographer Susan Hanrahan took these photographs in New York City two weeks ago.

Teague Trailer in the big city

On the dirt at Madison Square Garden

Waiting to pick short round bulls

The back pens, Rango on the right

Shorty Gorham

King Lopez

Cord McCoy

Cool Spot looking cool

Face-off

Sparring

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The Anaheim Report

2012-01-17T08:39:00.001-05:00

The second PBR event of the year was a pretty good bull riding. Austin Meier has guts and Guilherme Marchi does too. Ty Pozzobon is very quietly riding really well. Asteroid came out to play and Douglas Duncan picked him when he didn't have to. It's always great when someone does that, and it's always great when the event goes down to the wire with the results hanging on the riding arms of two worthy riders.

The television schedule was not perfect, but the Live Event Center on Saturday was a home run. The angles were good, the camera was close to the action, and one of the biggest stories of the event was the fact that Shorty Gorham unknowingly wore a live mic for the entire Live Event Center broadcast. It made the LEC a fun place to be, because Shorty is a funny guy, and because he didn't know he was being broadcast, and because he was, let's just say, candid.

But maybe it's just a letdown from New York City, or maybe it's a pebble that's been in my shoe for quite a while now, but every bull riding is a story and we're only getting half of it.

I write a lot about bulls. I write about breeding. I study pedigrees, bloodlines, and lineages. But starting with the Finals last year, broadcasts rarely show bull scores and the announcers don't talk about them. If you can imagine watching a whole event where the riders' scores are not shown at all, and how that would affect your enjoyment, that's about how I feel.

Breeders and owners are watching and they can't see how their bulls are being scored. Everyone's watching, but we're not seeing the whole deal.

The PBR is the best bull riding out there, brought to us weekly, on time, on television. I love it. I'm grateful. I want bull scores.

_______________________________________

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Bulls and Bloodlines: Anaheim

2012-01-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

Douglas Duncan on Asteroid

High-scored Bulls:

781 Asteroid: 46.75 (Circle T)
961 Mac-Nett's Southern Wine: 45 (Jeff Robinson)
202 Bring It: 44.75 (Flying U/Cindy Rosser)
898 Pancho: 44.75 (Ace of Spades/Beach City)

Asteroid:

Craig Hummer, ever enthusiastic, called him the "center of the bull universe." I thought he fought the chutes more than usual and that he was a little over-scored and not quite back to his usual form, but he still sent Douglas Duncan flying in about two seconds. It will be fun to watch what he does when he gets used to being back on tour.

202 Bring It:

This bull has been on the circuit since 2007, his career buckoff average is almost 80%, and riders who make the whistle on him get high scores. He's a Houdini son out of a Wolfman daughter, pure Plummer on one side and pure Kish on the other. He's royalty, and this weekend he showed that he hasn't lost what it takes. (Flying U/Cindy Rosser)

Pedigree Notes:

1072/7 White Wolf is a Werewolf son out of a White Water daughter. (Flying U/Cindy Rosser)

64/7 Mr. Feiger is a Reindeer son out of a Typhoon daughter. (Moreno/Thomas Rodeo)

10725/7 Remington is a Skat Kat son out of a Reindeer daughter (Moreno/Oliveira)

898 Pancho is an Up in Smoke son. (Ace of Spades/Beach City)

868 After Party (Circle T) is pure Ratjen breeding.

717 Hannibal (Robinson) is a grandson of Kish's Wolfman on the sire side and Kish's Velvet Hour on the dam side.

-215 Amy's Pet (Robinson) is a son of Hot Damn. His dam is a Broke Back V daughter.

Best Name:

Hell Pony.

Anaheim by the Numbers

2012-01-17T06:56:00.000-05:00

The one thing I never dreamed I would love when I began to love bull riding was numbers. Surprise, surprise. Here are a few from the Anaheim event:

90 + rides: 0

89+ rides: 3

46+ bulls: 1

45+ bulls: 1

44+ bulls: 12

Percentage of bulls ridden: 37% (compared to 51% in New York City)

Riders with 4 rides: 2

Riders with 3 rides: 1

Riders with 2 rides: 6

Riders with 1 ride: 15

Riders with 0 rides: 16

Number of riders out with injuries: 5 (Reese Cates, Pistol Robinson, Colby Yates, Shane Proctor, Pete Farley)

Number of riders who have been in the top five in both events so far this season: 1 (Valdiron de Oliveira)

Number of riders who have ridden in all nine rounds of the season: 0

Number of riders who have ridden in eight out of nine rounds: 1 (Valdiron de Oliveira)

Highest riding percentage so far this season: 87.50 (Valdiron de Oliveira)

Bulls with names you wouldn't want to have in high school if you were a bull: I'm going with Sue, Old Betsy, and anything with .com in the name.

Number of bulls with .com in the name: 1

Number of bulls with sponsorship names: 10

Number of bull scores seen on the banner at the bottom of the screen: Pretty sure that was zero

Number of times Craig Hummer said the word "pounce" in the first five minutes of the broadcast: 2

Breeder Profile: Bloyd Bucking Bulls

2012-01-14T13:33:00.000-05:00

Bloyd Bucking Bulls is owned and operated by Lance and Alison Bloyd of Carney, OK. One of their bulls, Winchester's Image, has been hauled on the PBR Built Ford Tough and Touring Pro tours. The Bloyds had two yearling bulls selected for the ABBI's new Back Seat Buckers program. The Bloyds are also owners of BuckingBullPro, which sells flanks, bucking dummies, timers, apparel, and feed supplements. This is an edited version of a telephone interview with Lance Bloyd.

How did you get started in the bull breeding business?

It was in 2003 and I think one day I went to the sale barn and brought home a baby bull calf. It was just a little black, bony, beef-like bull calf. At this time, in 2003, rodeo cows were ridiculously priced. I mean, prices were through the roof. So I bought him and then three red polled heifers thinking I'm going to raise bucking stock out of these cows and I'd just buy stuff from the sale barn. I'd buy some of the wild ones that came through there.

Where did you go from there?

Winchester Girl and 2011 calf
Photos courtesy of Bloyd Bucking Bulls

My first real rodeo-bred calf was a heifer I bought from Colby Yates. Then we started saving money and bought a daughter of Kish's Winchester. I'd always been a real big fan of the Kish stuff because of Red Rock and Mr. T and all those famous bulls, so we bought this Winchester cow. She was bred to a Nacarrato bull that was rumored to be an Oscar's Velvet son. But the people who had owned him had sent the blood off to the ABBI and it came back as not being that. So this guy had three or four Winchester heifers and he wanted to sell the whole bunch of them for quite a bit of money. I called him up and told him that if he'd let me take one of those four, I'd give him $200 more than what he was asking per head. He said yes and we drove down there and I picked the one I thought looked the best and loaded her up and took her home. A few months later she ended up having a bull calf and that bull calf is Winchester's Image. He was the first truly rodeo-bred calf that was born in our herd, and he bucked.

Winchester's Image

A year or two later I was surfing on the internet and found a picture of our Winchester Image's sire on the Coffey's website. They had purchased the bull and had sent the blood into the ABBI and it came back as a DNA'd son of Oscar's Velvet.

All these other animals we had were kind of half-blooded and a lot of them were no-blooded. The next few years I tinkered with buying different cows. But there was no consistency in our herd. It was stuff from all over the map. And that works with people who have 200 cows.

They can play around and there's more room for error.

When you have a hundred bull calves a year, you're going to have some buckers in there no matter what you're breeding. But when you have a small herd like we have, you have to concentrate and have a line-bred herd to consistently raise good buckers, and we weren't doing that. We'd have a couple that were good, but most of them weren't.

I know that at one point you decided to start over and redevelop your whole program around the Kish line. How did that happen?

When the prices hit the wall, that's when I saw the opportunity to start loading up on some Kish-bred cattle. That Winchester cow was the only one we had who every time she had a calf it was good. We basically built our entire herd around her. Everything I did was based on building from her and getting a herd that was bred like she was because she was the cow that was consistently producing.

I bought cows from people who were going out of business. There were a lot of people who got into it when the prices were really high and when the prices dropped out, so did their motivation for having to mess with wild cows because the risk was outweighing the benefit. I bought cows that people paid six to eight thousand dollars for back when things were at their peak. I bought them for a fraction of that.

Have you seen a difference since then?

I have no question. I've already gotten proof from some of the cows that I've bought in the last couple of years that they can produce and that they will produce outstanding bulls.

Before that I knew that I didn't have really good cows and really great stuff and there weren't people emailing me and knocking my door down wanting to by stuff from me. Then two years ago when I started buying these Kish cows and bought Cash Prize and started breeding to him, people started contacting me left and right wanting to buy calves before they were even born.

Cash Prize

I've turned a lot of people away because I don't want to sell any of the heifers out of Cash Prize. I really like his calves. They're big and long-legged and deep-bodied and I'm really excited about them. I'm keeping all of them and I'm not selling any of the bull calves.

Getting Cash Prize was a really smart way to buy a herd sire because if he hadn't been crippled up you never would be able to buy him.

He would be so expensive. He's one of those bulls that if he was four years old and bucking, he would be a hundred-thousand-dollar bull.

Do you still have that cow, the first one?

She's the one you featured on your website with the heifer calf on her side. She was a wild maniac when we got her and she's probably one of our gentlest cows now. She calmed down over the years.

How old is she?

She's an '03, so she's eight. She's had a calf every year. She finally had her first heifer calf this year.

What advice would you give someone starting out in the business?

Go buy five heifers from somebody that's established. From Don Kish or Alex Nacarrato or Rafter 7r. Buy a bull that's from proven bloodlines, a bull that actually performs and bucks. Breed those heifers to that bull and you're going to be in the bull business. The way I went about it - I didn't have the money to do any differently. I struggled through buying non-rodeo-bred cattle, and when you do that, you see the results of it. It doesn't work.

2011 heifer calf

If you look at my cows now, every one of them is a direct daughter of a bull that's been to the NFR or PBR Finals or both. And I've seen a huge difference it's made in my calf crops. I won't ever breed to a bull - I don't care if he's the rankest bull in the world - I won't breed to him if he doesn't have a background in rodeo genetics.

You’re a purist.

I am. There aren't a lot of people in the central part of the country that have that west coast blood and have a pure set of west coast cows bred to a west coast bull. A lot of them have the Plummer stuff and the Kish-Plummer cross works really well. That was one of my business plans: to be able to offer a pure bred set of west coast bred females for those Plummer guys to outcross to.

What are your goals from here on out? What do you want to accomplish?

Our main goal is to raise good quality cattle, which we're doing already. We just want to continue to raise high quality cattle that people want. When I think about breeding, I think about my heifers first, really, because I want to make my heifers marketable. I believe that if your heifers are marketable the bulls will sell themselves. If you have good quality females that you can sell for a decent price, the bulls will pay for themselves.

The Bloyd ranch

We're mainly focused on the Classic level bulls, three and four-year-old bulls. Our herd is based on the Oscar bloodline and they mature later. If you look at world champion bulls and Classic champion bulls, a lot of those have that Oscar influence in them. They make really good solid bucking bulls. So we probably won't ever haul bulls to futurities. We weaned out calves a couple of weeks ago and we'll give them their first dummy trip in the spring and won't do anything with them until they're two. Unless one of them doesn't show any desire at all to buck, I'll keep him around and let him grow up because a lot of times those calves don't buck with a dummy anyway.

How many cattle in the herd right now?

We have 20 cows total. Eighteen momma cows and two recip cows. The recip cows are rodeo bred, they're just not a bloodline I wanted to incorporate into my herd. They were the only two non-horned, fairly gentle cows that I had so I used them as recip cows for Mr. Juicy embryos. Then we've got 12 or 13 calves, weaned a couple of months ago. We've got three breed bulls - Winchester's Image, Cash to Win (Winchester's son), and Cash Prize.

Any young bulls?

2011 bull calf

I had six or eight bulls anywhere from yearlings all the way up to three year olds and I sold all of them this summer because of the hay prices. I was in the process of building up a set of bulls to start to haul places and put that off for a few years due to the economy. I didn't want to feed all those bulls through the winter. And then we sold the two yearlings to the ABBI for the Back Seat Buckers program.

[Note: Yearlings were chosen in a video competition by the ABBI, and winners were bought by the ABBI for the program for $3,500 each. First place winners in each video "round" were given an additional prize of $500. Bloyd's calves won first in both rounds.]

If you could pick one straw from any bull, what would you pick?

It would be Too Legit because of the way his daughters produce. He has 47 offspring in the registry and nine sons with probullstats. I'd venture to say all of this daughters minus a few have either produced something or is the grandparent of something that has. Too Legit is from that original deep line-bred Oscar-bred herd of Alex Naccarato's. There's a reason it's priced as high as it is. If some good Kish cows were used in those IVF procedures they'd sell like hot cakes. Too Legit has never been bred to the type of cows Vernon [Guidry]has been using. It will be interesting to see what comes of it. I know this is a fact, Too Legit was only live-bred. All of his known sons bucked. He was a solid bull his whole life.

Coming up next week: Lance Bloyd talks about flanks.

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Long Live New York City

2012-01-12T12:09:00.000-05:00

The weekend was some combination of media blitz, bull riding event, and New York City energy. Riders were at the stock exchange to ring the closing bell. A bunch of them were featured on people.com in an article that seemed to be called "Why they are hot." Douglas Duncan was everywhere at once on media of all kinds. Riders tweeted about Chinatown and bad-driving cabbies, a football player named Bear Pascoe pulled Luke Snyder's rope, and energy was very, very high.

We waited a long time for this new season to start, and it started well. Flint Rasmussen said that it was the best PBR event he has ever been to. Shorty Gorham said that it was the best crowd ever. The crowd noise was so loud that television viewers had a hard time hearing the broadcast announcers. Cody Nance won, riding all five of his bulls, and Luke Snyder got payback for Pistol Robinson by riding the bull that broke both of Pistol's legs the night before. The only downside of the weekend, of course, was the injury to Pistol. (See more on that here.)

In addition to the energy-fired event itself, the weekend was a technological win. The first round of the first event of the year, the first broadcast on YouTube, and expectations in about a million houses were very high. The PBR's YouTube debut didn't go totally without a hitch, but it worked, complete with a full team of announcers. A few pixelations and freeze-ups, and one moment of angst about 20 minutes in when it started all over again from the beginning (hit refresh to fix that), but overall, it was a hit.

Between YouTube, two television stations, the Live Event Center, Twitter, and Facebook, the wires were alight with the PBR this weekend. Fans had whiplash going from one to another. But it was bull riding, and it was good. I like living in a world where one weekend a year the bulls run up the ramps at Madison Square Garden.

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NYC: Bulls and Bloodlines

2012-01-12T12:08:00.000-05:00

Changed hands:

Delco, Back Bender, and Bad Blake are now owned by Jeff Robinson.

PFI's Boot Daddy, Ludacris, and Jack in Black are all now co-owned by Jane Clark.

Surprises

Neither Bad Blake (43.75) nor Back Bender (44) had typical outs. Gunpowder and Lead was on the roster but did not buck. BigTexTrailers.com (formerly Moon) had a disappointing short round score of 43.25.

Riders beat the bulls, riding over 50%. But then again, the bull power seemed below par to me. I thought they would pull out some of the big guns for the New York City, but no doubt they're all on the west coast with their eyes on Bushwacker's title.

45 + bulls

Carillo Cartel - 45.75 - 4 C's/Sills/HD Bucking Bulls

Delco - 45.50 - Jeff Robinson

Delco - 45 - Jeff Robinson

44 + bulls

Lightmaker - 44.75 - Robinson / Lowrey

King Lopez - 44.75 - K Bar C

Big Spread - 44.50 - Gene Owen Bulls
Riden Dirty - 44.25 - Teague

Movin' On - 44.25 - Jeff Robinson / Wolf Creek

Shamoun - 44.25 - Teague

Carillo Cartel - 44 - 4 C's/Sills/HD Bucking Bulls

PFI's Boot Daddy - 44 - Jane Clark / Owen / Showsports

Cool Spot - 44 - K Bar C / Folds / Strickland

Back Bender - 44 - Jeff Robinson

Unpredictable - 44 - Teague

Gypsy Boots - 44 - Jeff Robinson

Ludacris - 44 - Jane Clark / Owen / Showsports

Full Force - 44 - Teague

Jack in Black - 44 - Jane Clark / Owen / Showsports

Pedigree Notes

Carillo Cartel is a Rooster / CP6 grandson on the sire side.

Delco is a son of Page's Hot Stuff and a Mudslinger grandson. Hebert breeding on the dam side.

Cool Spot is out of a Broke Back V daughter.

New York by the Numbers

2012-01-12T12:07:00.000-05:00

Every bull riding is a story full of numbers. Here are some from the NYC event.

90 + rides: 2 (Cody Nance on Ridin Dirty - 90.25 - and Renato Nunes on Delco - 91.50)

89+ rides: 3

45+ bulls: 3 (Delco twice, Carillo Cartel)

44+ bulls: 15 (see Bulls and Bloodlines for the list)

Number of bull scores under 40: 10

Reride options: 6

Total number of rides (out of 144 attempts): 71 [that's compared to 49 at the Hartford event last year]

Riders with 5 rides: 1

Riders with 4 rides: 4

Riders with 3 rides: 7

Riders with 2 rides: 10

Riders with 1 ride: 9

Riders with 0 rides: 7

Number of bulls with new owners: 6 (that I know of)

Bulls with names you wouldn't want to have in high school if you were a bull: Kitty Kat wouldn't be good. Angry Cactus not so much better. BigTexTrailers.com, very sad. So that would be: 3

Number of seats in Madison Square Garden: 20,000

Square footage: 20,976

Pistol Robinson's Injury

2012-01-08T10:20:00.005-05:00

Update on Thursday, January 12: Pistol had his second surgery yesterday to repair his injured left leg. It reportedly was successful. The PBR website reports today:

"Wednesday afternoon, doctors at Bellevue Hospital used a rod and screws to rebuild his left fibula. Afterward, they said it "was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle." The tibia on the same lower leg is expected to heal on its own. Robinson's first surgery was Sunday afternoon, when a rod was inserted in his right femur, the long bone in the thigh.

According to his girlfriend Kelsey Tucker, who traveled from Texas to New York with Robinson's father Darrell, doctors will make sure he remains stabilized and that his blood count is good before "working with him to sit in a chair so he can get on a plane."

Follow Rank on Facebook for further news as it comes in.

Previous updates:

Pistol's right femur (the large bone in the upper leg) was shattered when his third round bull in NYC stepped on him. His left tibia and fibula (the bones in the lower leg) were also shattered. Pistol was taken by ambulance to Bellevue Hospital.

Sunday night Pistol tweeted: "Thanks to everybody for the support. This is the hardest part of the sport of bullriding. It sure helps knowing people care."

In Sunday's Championship Round, Luke Snyder picked Carillo Cartel, the bull that stepped on Pistol, saying that he wanted to get payback for Pistol. He did, riding the bull for 88.75 points.

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2012-01-07T08:57:00.001-05:00

Round One on YouTube is over and done! Stay tuned here for more on the action coming up later in the day.

Nose of the Week

2011-12-21T08:47:00.001-05:00

Photo by Susan Hanrahan

His breeding goes back to the best bloodlines and breeding programs in the business: Plummer, Crowther, Naccarato. No wonder he's been a superstar. Who is he? Check out our Facebook page to answer!

The Year in Injuries

2011-12-13T10:10:00.000-05:00

Here's an unofficial summary of the injuries we saw in the PBR this year:

Head/skull (26)

concussion, hit by bull's horn

concussion

concussion - head hit bull's head

concussion - steppedon

concussion - head hit bull's head

concussion, skull factures

post-concussive symptoms

concussion

concussion – head hit ground

concussion

concussion – head hit bull’s head

concussion - hung up, run over by bull

concussion - head hit bullfighter's knee

concussion, chin laceration - head hit bull's horn

concussion, facial laceration - head hit horn

concussion - head hit ground

Concussion

concussion (traumatic brain injury)

concussion (head hit ground)

concussion

concussion concussion - head hit bull's horn

concussion

broken jaw, severe concussion - head hit bull's head

concussion and separated left shoulder - on landing

severe concussion, complex laceration of left ear - steppedon by bull

concussion - head hit ground

Face/jaw (12)

lacerated ear (hit by horn)

facial bruises (black eye)

bruised jaw (face hit horn),

head laceration

chin laceration, broken teeth - hit by bull's horn

lacerated nose, stepped on

oral lacerations, facial bruising - face hit bull's head

lacerated chin - head hit bull's head in chute

chin laceration - head hit bull's horn

facial laceration - head hit horn

broken jaw – face his bull’s head

eye (cornea) - pyro accident

Shoulder (17)

sprained left (riding arm) sternoclavicular joint - on landing

sprained sternoclavicular and acromioclavicular joints, - hit by horn

dislocated left shoulder (free arm) - on landing

sprained left shoulder AC joint and separated shoulder (free arm) strained rotator cuff - on landing

aggravated left shoulder sprain

partially dislocated left shoulder - assisting in chute

aggravated shoulder injury.

aggravated shoulder separation (on landing)

dislocated shoulder (riding arm)

aggravated shoulder injury

bruised left shoulder

dislocated shoulder, rotator cuff injury, riding arm - on landing

aggravated shoulder separation

shoulder separation - hit by bull's horn

sprained right shoulder (riding arm)

bruised right (riding arm) shoulder

aggravated torn cartilage, right (free arm) shoulder

Arm (5)

bruised left forearm (stepped on)

bruised right (free) arm - hit by horn

bruised arm

bruised deltoid - hit by horn

nerve injury (free arm)

Wrist (3)

broken bone in wrist

sprained wrist (riding arm)

sprained right wrist

Hand (9)

sprained knuckle, riding hand

broken hand, free arm

hyper-extended thumb, free hand - on landing

aggravated right (riding) hand injury

aggravated sprained riding hand

Sprained knuckle (riding hand)

sprained left (riding hand)

broken finger, riding hand - stepped on by bull

dislocated thumb

Elbow (6)

injured elbow, free arm - on landing

dislocated elbow

torn medial collateral ligament in free arm elbow

aggravation of left elbow (riding hand) injury

sprained left elbow (Denver)

sprained elbow (riding arm)

Ribs/chest (13)

separated rib

broken ribs – run over by bull

bruised ribs

sore ribs

separated ribs,

fractured ribs - stepped on by bull

broken ribs,

separated ribs, - fell on

broken rib stepped on by bull

bruised lungs

punctured lung – run over by bull

bruises and abrasions on chest (stepped on)

broken collarbone

Back (8)

bruised tailbone

bruised upper back - stepped on

strained neck - landed on head

neck injury - on landing

broke three bones in neck

strained neck

strained neck - hit by horn

strained lower back

Hip/pelvis (16)

hip pointer - stepped on by bull

aggravation of left groin and lower abdominal strains

right hip pointer - stepped on by bull

bruised right hip

hip pointer

bruised pelvis (hit by horn)

strained right hip adductor

groin strain

bruised right hip

strained hip adductor

strained right hip adductor

strained right hip abductor, stepped on by bull

sprained pelvis

bruised left buttock

strained right adductor

Groin (3)

aggravated groin injury

right groin

strained groin muscle

Knee (11)

torn ACL - stepped on

right knee

bruised right knee

torn ACL - on landing

sprained knee - in chute

PCL and MCL tears in right knee - fell on

torn ACL and MCL (on landing)

bruised knee - on landing

ACL tear

sprained right knee (MCL) - kicked

Leg/ankle/foot (10)

laceration in thigh (hooked)

fracture/dislocation of right ankle - on landing

two cracked bones in foot - stepped on by bull

broken foot

bruising and abrasion on ankle - stepped on by bull

bruised thigh – hooked

bruised quadriceps

bruised right leg

broken ankle (Fort Worth)

sprained left ankle - stepped on by bull

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Long live rodeo

2011-12-06T17:07:00.001-05:00

All year long I write about the PBR, its events, its riders, and especially its bulls. Then for ten days in December I become a complete rodeo fan. Some of my PBR readers don't follow me into that realm, but here's why I go so happily into ten days of the NFR.

1. I get to be a fan. After two years of writing about bull riding, I don't love it any less, but I don't watch it strictly as a fan anymore. For the NFR, I don't think, analyze, research, or study. I bliss out.

2. Ten days. How crazy is that! It's early Christmas, late birthday, for ten whole days.

3. I get to like other events more than bull riding. The NFR doesn't have the best bull riders in the world or the best bulls. But it has good riders and some great bulls, and the best of everything else.

4. New faces, new bulls, new announcers. Even different commercials. All of it is a breath of fresh air. I confess that after a full season of the PBR I am tired of Craig Hummer's over-enthusiasm and really tired of Bass Pro Shop commercials. If I could watch rodeo all year, I might get tired of Joe Beaver and Donnie Gay, too, but for ten days, I really like both of them.

5. Broncs. What can you say. Nothing.

6. The way the steer wrestlers and tie-down ropers get off their horses. Really, I watch this over and over in slow motion and still I can't figure out how they do it. I know, these guys have been riding horses since before they were born, but still, amazing horsemanship, amazing teamwork.

7. Roping. For ten days, I live for the roping.

8. I live for the steer wrestling, too.

9. Absence of drama (the bad kind). None of the showboating, victory dancing, mugging for the camera, chest thumping, head banging, fence shaking, or angry helmet throwing that we see all year in the PBR. When I watch the NFR I realize that I'm kind of tired of that stuff.

10. Drama. The good kind. Fast runs, tight races, average lead changes, world titles lost or won right there in ten nights in Vegas.

The NFR. Watch it, and be happy.

Nose of the Week

2011-12-01T10:30:00.001-05:00

Photo by Susan Hanrahan.

He's big. He's near the top of the superstar list. One of his horns turns down. He was born in the state of Washington. Who is he?

The answer is on Rank's Facebook page.

Magic Mountain

2011-11-28T08:15:00.000-05:00

Photos by Melissa Katich

The Katich line is one of the purest in the bucking bull business. Situated in northeastern Washington state, and isolated, somewhat, by geography, it has adhered to a breeding program that started with a Brahma bull and a red Angus cow and has produced some of the biggest names in any Built Ford Tough short round: Major Payne, Smackdown, Wild n' Out, and Yellowjacket Jr., as well as the legends Dr. Proctor, Dog Face, and Rapid Fire.

Every spring, after the calves have been vaccinated and branded, the Katich family gathers up about 300 head of commercial cows and about 80 head of bucking stock and trucks them, in three or four semi-loads, to their upper ranch in the northeast corner of Washington. Half of the bucking stock stays home for the breeding season, but all of the commercial cow pairs (Charolais crosses) and bucking bulls under three are make the trip to a high meadow on a forested mountain. There the cattle will stay for the summer and into the fall. They've been doing this for over fifty years.

At the upper ranch, the Katich family leases 30,000 acres in addition to their own land. They drive the cattle up the mountain on horseback and then ride back down for the next truckload waiting.

"We have the old stubborn Charolais and stick them in the lead," Melissa Katich says. All the others follow.

Why send them to a mountain in the first place? There's less disease up there, more grass, and more room. There's something else, too, something wild.

"They become sure-footed and grow fast. They get to be wild animals for a few months, enduring wolves, bears, cougars, wild fires, and the terrain," Katich says.

The Colville National Forest is home to black bears, grizzlies, mountain lions, grey wolves, and lynx.

Someone goes up a couple of times a month to put salt out and check on them, but other than that they're on their own.

In the fall the cattle come down of their own accord to the river bottom, where there are brush thickets taller than a horse, and swamps to muck through. This is where the Katiches gather them for the trip back home for the winter.

There are always one or two that don’t come down and many of them remain mysteries. But this year a promising bull was hit by a car on his way to the river bottom. Occasionally a poacher will kill an animal and carry away the meat. Sometimes calves get taken by bears.

But most of them make it through the summer, and the young bulls come down huge and muscular. "They're just like elk, they're so confident on their legs," Melissa says.

Then it’s winter at home until next year when spring comes and the mountain beckons.

So the next time you are admiring a Katich-bred bull, you will know about the mountain that turns calves into bulls. They go up there babies and come down muscled-up and wild, with something in their souls that you can't get on a ranch.

Here are some photos from this fall's gathering.

Thank you to the Katich family and to Melissa Katich for the photographs.
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The Legends

2011-11-14T20:23:00.000-05:00

Photographer (and fan) Susan Hanrahan took these photos of some of the legendary bulls brought to the PBR World Finals for the Heroes and Legends celebration. Photos and text by Susan Hanrahan.

05 Bones

When I first became a fan of the PBR in 2009, along with Big Tex and Apollo, Bones became a quick favorite of mine. I was heartbroken when Tom Teague retired him this year but I agree with his reasoning. Bones looks great and I'm sure could still dump any cowboy he wanted!

Teague Bucking Bulls

World Champion 2008 & 2010

Average Mark 22.367

Buck Off Percentage 88.89%

Historical Ranking 80th

Reindeer

One thing I can say for Reindeer is that he cannot be bothered with social things. He spent most of the time showing us his back side, no matter how many people called his name, whistled, or made noises trying to get his attention. It was amazing to see him in person.

Flying U/Rosser Rodeo

Average Mark 22.293

Buck Off Percentage 94.9%

Historical Rating 89th

Troubadour

It was a real treat for me to see Troubadour. Since we reside on opposite coasts I had never seen him in person before. I finally got him to turn around and pose for me!

Julio Moreno Bucking Bulls

Average Mark 22.81

Buck Off Percentage 75%

Historical Ranking 19th

K93 Major Payne

Major Payne is such a handsome bull and was so friendly. Very sorry to see his career ended so early. He has been a great bull!

Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls / Katich / Pinnacle

Average Mark 22.48

Buck Off Percentage 93.75%

Historical Ranking 48th

Mossy Oak Mudslinger

I felt like I was seeing bucking bull royalty. I've heard so much about Mudslinger and seen videos but to be in his presence was overwhelming. He has aged and looked like he was having a harder time getting around.

D&H Cattle Co

World Champion Bucking Bull 2006

Average Mark 22.941

Buck Off percentage 70.83%

Historical Ranking 7th

Camo

The only thing I know about Camo is his ride by Justin McBride. He looked like he could go back in the arena tomorrow. He paced his pen the whole time and it was hard to get a photo. I think he was ready to buck!

Boyd & Floyd Bucking Bulls

Average Mark 22.419

Buck Off Percentage 82.61%

Historical Ranking 62nd

Red Alert

I'd never heard of Red Alert, but I immediately fell in love with him.

Simpson Cattle Company

Average Mark 21.801

Buck Off Percentage 60.32%

Historical Ranking 436th

Red Alert and Reindeer

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Happy Trails

2011-11-08T21:44:00.001-05:00

A few great bulls have seen their last outs. Not such a tough life being off the truck and into the green grass and fields of cows. In their honor, a few stats, a video each, and a tip of the hat.

+123 Voodoo Child:

Born: 2002
Breeder: Bob Wilfong
Owner: Robinson / Beutler / McNeely

Sire: Houdini (White Sports Coat / CP1 Kung Foo)
Dam: BW 51 (Popeye / Wilfong breeding)

Career buckoff %: 90.57
Average buckoff time: 3.96
BFT attempts / ridden: 54 / 5
Average BFT score: 45.176

05 Bones:

Born: 2003
Breeder: Teague
Owner: Teague

Sire: Bone Collector (Psycho / Ginny - both Crowther breeding)
Dam: TBB AS13 (Whitewater / Teague breeding)

Career buckoff %: 90.63
Average Buckoff time: 4.01
BFT attempts / ridden: 34 / 4
Average BFT score: 45.558

K93 Major Payne (Super Duty):

Born: 2004
Breeder: Katich
Owner: Robinson / Katich / Pinnacle Bull Group

Sire / Dam: Katich breeding

Career buckoff %: 92.59
Average Buckoff time: 3.04
BFT attempts / ridden: 55 / 4
Average BFT score: 44.86

By the way, he's a sweetie now, but click here to see what he was up to when he was a three-year-old:

Compare these Rides

2011-11-06T08:34:00.000-05:00

A few rides from yesteryear...

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The Last Whistle

2011-11-01T07:52:00.000-04:00

You probably know that I like events to end as if the end matters and like the results or not, this one did. It was exciting, down to the wire, and the last few rides meant everything. My notes are covered with calculations to tell me who had to make how many points in order to win the average.

Although Caleb Sanderson did not win, he did every single thing he could. He rode five out of six bulls, perfectly, and pulled a 92.50 ride out of his hat in the championship round. He did not choke. I hope that he is completely proud of himself.

In comparison, the world title race was not all that gripping, even though Valdiron de Oliveira really did have a chance to win the thing. It was Silvano's to lose, and there was never a possibility that he would.

The race for Bull of the Year ended in disappointment, for fans, and mostly for the owners and handlers of Asteroid, who hipped himself on the way out of the chute and was not returned to buck again. This meant that Bushwacker walked away with it, and perhaps he would have won it anyway, but we will never know now.

In my pre-Finals article called No Predictions, I put forth several stories of what could happen, and some of them weren't too far off. A couple of questions that will endure:

Who really is better, Bushwacker or Asteroid, based on the one out when we saw them both. Here are the videos.

Was Robson Palermo's ride overscored? Did he slap the bull? Did the bull "slap" him? I leave that to you to decide. I have included the video below.

It's over, folks, and the show is back on the road, dispersing to wherever it goes after the last whistle has sounded. Thank you for following Rank during the Finals, for your emails, and for your presence on Facebook this past week. Thanks to those who signed up to receive Rank by email and for new Facebook followers. I have enjoyed your company. Stay tuned this week for more thoughts and numbers and notes on the 2011 World Finals.

Scroll down for numbers and high scores - bulls and riders - after the video.

Rounds Five and Six:

90+ point rides:

Robson Palermo - 93.25 (Round 6)
CalebSanderson - 92.50 (Round 6)
Rubens Barbosa - 92.50 (Round 5)
Silvano Alves - 92.25 (Round 6)
Fabiano Vieira - 91.75 (Round 5)
Valdiron de Oliveira - 90.25 (Round 5)

Event Average Race (top ten):

Robson Palermo
Caleb Sanderson
Silvano Alves
Rubens Barbosa
Valdiron de Oliveira
Guilherme Marchi
J.B. Mauney
Fabiano Vieira
Aaron Roy
Cord McCoy

The World Finals title race:

1. Silvano Alves
2. Valdiron de Oliveira
3. Robson Palermo
4. Guilherme Marchi
5. Fabiano Vieira

High-marked bulls:

13/6 Bushwacker - 47.50 (Moreno/Oliveira)

601 Shepherd Hills Trapper - 46.25 (Circle T)
507 King of Hearts - 46.25 (Corey & Lange)

5403 Perfect Poison - 45.75 (Page)
22S Priceless - 45.75 (Page)
K55 Smackdown - 45.50 (Dakota/Berger/Struve/Rosen)
404C Gunpowder & Lead - 45.50 (Robinson)
K14 Yellow Jacket Jr. - 45.25 (Dakota/Berger/Struve/Rosen)
W1 Buckey - 45.25 (Wentz)
563 Hee Bee Gee Bee - 45 (Boyd/Floyd)
540 King Lopez - 45.00 (K bar C)

924B Tennessee Honey - 44.75 (Circle T)
-8 Bring It - 44.75 (Berger/Struve/Box K)
309 Spitfire - 44.50 (Boyd/Floyd)
107 Rock & Roll - 44.50 (Bad Company)
1415 Palm Springs - 44.50 ( 4L & Diamond S)
57 Little Hummer - 44.50 (Humpz and Hornz)
67 Toy Soldier - 44.25 (Circle T)
325 Hot Stuff - 44.25 (Page)
5081 Highway 12 - 44.25 (Robinson)
868 After Party - 44.25 (Circle T)
10-5 Crosswired - 44 (Page)

632 Copp Hou - 44 (Lightning C)

Quotes of the night:

"He's tried it several thousand times and it's never worked once." Ty Murray on how Sean Willingham holds his free arm.

"It feels like someone threw an anvil out of an airplane and you had your hand tied to it." Ty Murray on a bull's drop.

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Vegas by the Numbers

2011-11-01T07:43:00.000-04:00

Here's an overview of the event, with numbers from both the rider and the bull sides of the fence.

Bulls

Number of bull outs (out of 221 attempts) with scores over 45: 26

High-marked bulls:

48+

13/6 Bushwacker - 48.50 (Moreno/Oliveira)

47 +

13/6 Bushwacker - 47.50 (Moreno/Oliveira)
781 Asteroid - 47.50 (Circle T)

46+

601 Shepherd Hills Trapper - 46.25 (Circle T)
507 King of Hearts - 46.25 (Corey & Lange)
Black Widow - 46 - (Lufkin)
404C Gunpowder & Lead - 46.25

45+

5403 Perfect Poison - 45.75 (Page)
45 Jimeney Cricket - 45.75 (Box K/Universal)
22S Priceless - 45.75 (Page)
K55 Smackdown - 45.50 (Dakota/Berger/Struve/Rosen)
404C Gunpowder & Lead - 45.50 (Robinson)
708 Delco - 45.50 (Hebert)
070 Movin' On - 45.50 (Martinez/Hooper/Richards)
705 Back Bender 45.50 (Ackerman/Cox)
789 Bad Blake - 45.50 (Lightning C)

K14 Yellowjacket Jr. - 45.25 (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve/Rosen)

540 King Lopez - 45.25 (K bar C)
705 Back Bender - 45.25 (Ackerman/Cox)
K14 Yellow Jacket Jr. - 45.25 (Dakota/Berger/Struve/Rosen)
W1 Buckey - 45.25 (Wentz)
563 Hee Bee Gee Bee - 45 (Boyd/Floyd)
540 King Lopez - 45.00 (K bar C)

789 Bad Blake - 45 (Lightning C)

78 Poker Face - 45 (Box K/Universal)

K55 Smackdown - 45 (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve/Rosen)

Riders

90+ rides: 11

90 + rides by round

Round 1: 0
Round 2: 2

Round 3: 1

Round 4: 3

Round 5: 3

Round 6: 3

Ride tally:

Riders with 6 rides: 0
Riders with 5 rides: 4

Riders with 4 rides: 3

Riders with 3 rides: 4

Riders with 2 rides: 8
Riders with 1 rides: 17

Riders with 0 rides: 9

Top ten payouts - event:

Palermo - $301,375
Sanderson - $182,375
Barbosa - $112,500
Alves - $93,875
de Oliveira - $88,375
Marchi - $53,750
Vieira - $41,500
Mauney - $36,000
Roy - $31,000
Ferreira - $28,000

Riders winning no money: 22

Number of guys with 1 ride who won more than Austin Meier with 2 rides: 6

Finals 2010 vs. Finals 2011

Finals 2010:

90+ rides: 7
45+ bulls: 29

Finals 2011:

90+ rides: 11
45+ bull outs: 26

Asteroid vs. Bushwacker

2011-10-30T18:48:00.000-04:00

It was a disappointing end to an epic face-off. Asteroid hipped himself getting out of the chute with Cord McCoy and they chose not to buck him again. It was a good call, but it meant that we missed round two of the Bushwacker - Asteroid duel. (And hats off to Cord McCoy for asking to get him back after the re-ride was called.)

The first contest, on Friday night, will be plenty enough to keep all of us speculating for some time. Here are the videos.

[Please check back later for a review of Rounds 5 and 6.]

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Round Four at a Glance

2011-10-30T11:52:00.000-04:00

Every year, the day after the rank pen, I have a small let down in my bull riding enthusiasm. Then the Classic bulls come out to play again and I can’t wait. But later I look at my day sheet and it is…blank! Except for three scores and a lot of doodles.

Why? Partly because, in this Finals, you can’t get a bull score to save your life. They throw one up there every now and then, but it’s sparse. By last night I was truly agitated about it and at some point I gave up. Not to mention that they couldn’t get the rider scores up there for a while either.

[Some bitterness about the lack of bull scores used to be here, but I took it out. So tired of bitterness...]

So this was another cranky evening for me, made sadder yet by the fact that my neck of the woods was in the middle of a major storm and the cable, internet, and phone went out right in the middle of J.B Mauney’s reride. And it didn’t go back up until too late this morning to get my morning missive out to my loyal subscribers. (Bless you if you are among them and if you want to join them, click here!)

So, no bull scores, no end of Round Four for me, no early morning score reviews, no nothin’. Just a sad little story of discontent and disgruntlement.

But yo ho! The cyber umbilical cord has now been restored. Addicted are we? I believe we are.

* * *

A couple of things that stood out for me last night:

Rainbow seemed to be finally rising to expectations with a score of 44.25 on a very nice out with Elton Cide.

Back Bender not only won the Classic Finals, but he has also been purchased (not clear whether in full or in part) by Jeff Robinson. Congratulations to Kent Cox, who, ever since the Whiskey's Rebel incident, is one of my new heroes.

Black Widow had the high bull score of the night with 46, followed by Jimeny Cricket with a 45.75. Nice going.

And Caleb Sanderson? Again, if you predicted him, I buy you yet another cup of coffee. He looked perfect.

Luke Snyder’s view of the Asteroid - Bushwacker contest was interesting. He wondered if the scoring might have gone differently had the bulls been bucked back-to-back, rather than almost ½ hour apart. Along those same lines, I watched both bulls' outs about 20 times and I remained confounded. I still think Bushwacker got it, on intensity and on the fact that he had more time on which to be judged, but those bulls are really hard to judge against each other.

The mounting injury report now includes Joe Baumgartner who fell like a tree when hit by the horn of Class 6 Kat, resulting in a concussion, a chin laceration, and a few broken teeth. It also included another concussion for Ben Jones, a separated rib for Elliott Jacoby, and whatever might have happened after high winds left me bereft of connection.

On the good news front, Jason O’Hearn is out of the ICU and may be discharged from the hospital tomorrow.

Cody Custer did a very human and moving thing when Ben Jones went down. After the medical team came out, he walked to Ben and put his hand on Ben’s foot and stayed there. Prayer, laying on of hands, comfort, I don’t know what it was, but it was one of those moments that shows a man’s character.

* * *

The five high-marked rides:

Stormy Wing - 90.25
Guilherme Marchi - 90.00
Rubens Barbosa - 88.75
Pete Farley - 88.50
Robson Palermo - 88.00

Event Average Race:

Here I've put the riders who moved up in the race in blue, the ones who fell in rank in red, and those with no change in black. This is crunch time.

1 Caleb Sanderson 348.25
2 Rubens Barbosa 264.75
3 Guilherme Marchi 264.5
4 Robson Palermo 263.25
5 Silvano Alves 254
6 J. B. Mauney 247
7 Valdiron Oliveira 177.5
8 Pete Farley 175.75
9 Aaron Roy 175.25
10 Jock Connolly 174.75

The World Finals title race:
1. Silvano Alves - 13161.50
2. Valdiron de Oliveira - 11111.50
3. Robson Palermo - 9727.75
4. Guilherme Marchi - 8483.50
5. Austin Meier - 8,130.75

Note: Last night Guilherme Marchi passed Austin Meier, taking fourth place.

High-marked bulls:

Black Widow - 46 - (Lufkin)

Jimeney Cricket - 45.75 (Box K/Universal)
Poker Face - 45 (Box K/Universal)
Delco - 45.50 (Hebert)
Back Bender - 45.25 (Ackerman/Cox)
Bad Blake - 45 (Lightning C)

V-5 - 44.75 (Wilson/Foutch)
First Nation Sensation - 44.75 ((Girletz)
Pure Smoke - 44.50 (Ohl/Beshears)
Carney Man - 44.50 (Dakota/Berger)
Pandemic - 44.50 (Boyd/Floyd)
Rainbow - 44.25 (Circle T)
Sancho - 44 (Circle T)
Santiago - 44 (Clymer)
Charlie Bullware - 44 (Moreno)

Today's schedule:

All times are Eastern Time, all events live streamed except for the Round Five/Six coverage, which is on NBC. Please check your local listings for NBC.

12 p.m. Red Carpet Entrance
4 p.m. Round Five on NBC
11 p.m. Awards Banquet

Round Three at a Glance

2011-10-29T08:49:00.001-04:00

Things didn't go well for the riders last night, with an impoverished ten rides. However, it was always going to be a night that belonged to the bulls, and it did. And as for the big race, I don't think it has a whole lot to do with Silvano Alves and Valdiron de Oliveira. It's Silvano's to lose and he's not going to stub his toe now. The real race, as we all know, is between Asteroid and Bushwacker, and I suspect that the energy in the millions of living rooms while waiting for them to buck was probably enough to power the country for a decade.

In contrast to the ten rides, there were 8 bulls with scores in the 44 point range, 4 bulls in the 45 point range, and one each in the 46, 47, and 48 point range.

I was surprised at the 48.5 score for Bushwacker. Thought it was high compared to what he received for better outs earlier in the year. But for raw power, he beat Asteroid last night. On the other hand, Asteroid didn't have half a chance to show what he can do, and there was a hint of "Let's make sure Bushwacker gets this title." And Cord McCoy? Did he do way better than you thought he would on Bushwacker, or what?

As for predictions...Cody Campbell? Who predicted that? I buy you a cup of coffee.

I'm tired. Three nights of bull riding are wonderful, and today I woke up and thought: I get to watch again tonight! But as the days go by, the fan side of me is starting to win out over the reporter side. So that's all I've got for you today, campers, except for the following numbers, and maybe a few pedigrees to follow later in the day.

And oh yeah, Doc Holliday? I thought he was pretty good.

________________________________________

The five high-marked rides:

Douglas Ferreira - 91
Justin Koon - 89.75
Robson Palermo - 87.50
Cody Campbell - 86.75
Aaron Roy - 86.50

Event Average Race:

1. Caleb Sanderson - 260.75
2. J. B. Mauney - 247
3. Rubens Barbosa - 176
4. Robson Palermo - 175.25
5. Aaron Roy - 175.25
6. Jock Connolly - 174.75
7. Justin Koon - 174.75
8. Guilherme Marchi - 174.5
9. Fabiano Vieira - 172.25
10. Silvano Alves - 166.75

A sorry fact: Jock Connolly, even though he is #6 in the event average, is sent home because he did not make the requisite dollars that a champ from another country has to make in the event in order to compete beyond two rounds.

The World Finals title race:

1. Silvano Alves - 12,974.25
2. Valdiron de Oliveira - 10,987.25
3. Robson Palermo - 9,439.75
4. Austin Meier - 8,130.75
5. Guilherme Marchi - 8,043.5

High-marked bulls:

13/6 Bushwacker - 48.50 (Moreno/Oliveira)

781 Asteroid - 47.50 (Circle T)

404C Gunpowder & Lead - 46.25

070 Movin' On - 45.50 (Martinez/Hooper/Richards)
K14 Yellowjacket Jr. - 45.25 (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve/Rosen)
540 King Lopez - 45.25 (K bar C)
K55 Smackdown - 45 (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve/Rosen)

309 Spitfire - 44.75 (Boyd/Floyd)
3-687 PFI's Boot Daddy - 44.75 (Clark/Owen)
-8 Bring It - 44.50 (Berger/Struve/Box K)
W1 Buckey - 44.50 (Wentz)
924B Tennessee Honey - 44.50 (Circle T)
61 Moon 44.50 (Robinson/Baker)

601 Shepherd Hills Trapper - 44.25 (Circle T)

5081 Highway 12 - 44 (Robinson)

Another sorry fact: 61 Moon has become "Big Tex Trailers.com" and that is a tiny bit tragic in the name department.

Pedigree notes:

211 Iron Horse is a son of Western Hauler and a Hobo grandson. On the dam side his grandsire is Naccarato's Oscars Velvet. (Do or Die Pro Rodeo)

034 Say When is is a Rapid Fire son. His dam is a Bodacious daughter. (Martinez/Hooper/Richards)

-8 Bring It is a Broke Back V grandson on the sire side. (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve)

070 Movin' On is a Nelson-bred grandson of Automatic (Spook/CP 1 Kung Foo). On the dam side he is a grandson of Popeye. (Robinson)

Quotes of the night:

"This is like Dumbo the flying bull." (Ty Murray)

"You ride him tonight, you'll make history. And that's the plan." (Cord McCoy)

Today's schedule:

All times are Eastern Time, all events live streamed except for the Round Two coverage, which is on Versus:

3 p.m. Flint's Outside the Barrel Show
7 p.m. Red Carpet Entrance
9 p.m. Round Four on VERSUS
11:30 p.m. Post-event Press Conference
1 a.m. Round Five Draw

Round Four draft here.

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Round Two at a Glance

2011-10-28T08:56:00.000-04:00

A better showing last night, with 24 rides (as opposed to nine in Round One). I was in a somewhat cranky mood throughout due to the absence of bull score announcing during the broadcast, but there were some good rides and some gutsy performances. Here are a few of the things that stood out for me.

Alves, Palermo, and Oliveira stumbled on Wednesday and stepped up last night.

For Finals event average races, never count out the guys who have won the World Title in the past. Witness Chris Shivers, Mike Lee, and Guilherme Marchi.

Why I don't make predictions: Who amongst us would have predicted Sanderson at the top of the event leaderboard and Mauney and Connolly in the top five?

Another reason why I don't make predictions: Just for the heck of it, I picked ten guys I thought would make their rides last night. Half of them did. Actually, that's not too bad. Maybe I'll make some more tonight, but I won't be saying who they are.

Injuries to worry about: Jason O'Hearn (head and knee) and Jock Connolly (looked like his legs).

Excellent to see Crosswired have a good out. Speckled Ivory never disappoints. Copp Hou surprised me.

I know that Whiskey's Rebel is hard to get out on, but I thought Tyler Thomson had a couple of chances that he didn't take the first time in there. This is a good bull. I hope they can find a way to calm him down in there. And I hate the halo.

Still no sign of Erin Coscarelli.

Note to NBC dude: When you interview someone through a translator you are supposed to look at the person you are interviewing, not at the translator. You are not supposed to refer to the person you are interviewing as "he." Basic etiquette, dude. And please don't tell me you called Silvano: "Guilherme" after the final interview? I know. You did. I will chalk that one up to an honest mistake, though a bad one.

After Wednesday night's opener, I thought the PBR had realized that having that drill sargeant guy does not exactly convey "mainstream sport." Alas, last night proved me wrong.

On the other hand, thank you to the PBR for getting the Round Two results up so promptly, for the live streaming, for the video in the Live Event Center for those who don't get Versus, and for doing a good job overall. That said, now we have the following department:

The department of "REALLY, IT'S IMPORTANT"

Half of this deal is the bulls, and probably half of us watch mostly because of the bulls, so please get us bull scores displayed prominently. Last night the only bull scores posted were for the buckoffs. The others were posted judge by judge, but it got a little old trying to tally those up. I really don't understand why at some events they manage to post the bull scores and others they don't. It's a mystery to me. One I don't like! (Told you I was cranky.)

The five high-marked rides:

Valdiron de Oliviera - 90.75
Rubens Barbosa - 90.75
Sean Willingham - 89.75
Aaron Roy - 88.75
Connolly / Lee / Duncan / Shivers - 88.25

Finals Event Average race:

1/2. Rubens Barbosa - 176
1/2. Caleb Sanderson - 176
3. Jock Connolly - 174.75
4. Guilherme Marchi - 174.5
5. J. B. Mauney - 173.25
6. Valdiron Oliveira - 90.75
7. Sean Willingham - 89.75
8. Aaron Roy - 88.75
9/10. Ryan Dirteater - 88.25
9/10. Mike Lee - 88.25

The World Finals title race:

1. Silvano Alves - 12,866.5
2. Valdiron de Oliveira - 10,987.25
3. Robson Palermo - 9,052.25
4. Austin Meier - 8,130.75
5. Guilherme Marchi - 8,043.5S9

High-marked bulls:

Copp Hou - 44.75 (Lightning C)
Hee Bee Gee Bee - 44.75 (Boyd/Floyd)
Speckled Ivory - 44.50 (Circle T)
Cowboy Casanova - 44.25 (Mesa Pate)
Priceless - 44 (Page)
Crosswired - 44 (Page)

Pedigree notes:

603 Gypsy Boots (formerly known as Penguin) is a Wilfong bull (BW 72/2 over BW 341). Grandsire on both sides is Wilfong's The Darkness. The granddam is a Broke Back V daughter. (Robinson)

7312 Whitewater Trouble is a Whitewater grandson. (Teague)

563 Heebee Geebee is by Kish's Winchester (Mr. T / Kish breeding) out of a Kish cow. (Boyd/Floyd)

22S Priceless is a Best Shot son with Houdini on the sire side and Kish's Lock & Load on the dam side. (Page)

651 The Situation is a son of Hot Damn (who is also the sire of Amy's Pet and Damn Right). (Dakota Rodeo/Berger)

Cowboy up Moment:

Goes to Robson Palermo and J.B. Mauney. I've had both of those injuries and can attest to the pain.

Quotes of the night:

"Ben has a tendency when he hits the ground to go to sleep." (Shorty Gorham)

"You gotta be a cowboy. You gotta be tough. A cowboy's supposed to be tough. I try to be." (J.B. Mauney)

"I know I'm capable of greatness." Kody Lostroh

It was either, "I'm not getting out on that m-----f-----." or "I'm getting out on that m-----f-----." Either way it was LJ Jenkins. Followed by:

"Good thing we're on cable." Craig Hummer

Today's schedule:

All times are Eastern Time, all events live streamed except for the Round Two coverage, which is on Versus:

3 p.m. Flint's Outside the Barrel Show
7 p.m. Red Carpet Entrance
9 p.m. Round Three on VERSUS
11:30 p.m. Post-event Press Conference
1 a.m. Round Four Draw

Round Three draw here.

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Finals: Round One at a Glance

2011-10-27T08:50:00.001-04:00

Poker Face

Here's a short review of Round One. Please check back later for a full list of the high-marked bulls!

Only nine out of 43 riders stayed on last night, but the real story was the Classic bulls. A few points of interest:

Alves, Palermo, and Oliveira stumbled.

Marchi came back from 6 broken ribs and a punctured lung to make an 86.50 ride on Mud Wasp, after an interminable number of minutes in the bucking chute on a bull who did not appear to be acting up. Marchi is usually one to get out quickly, but last night, whether it was nerves or determination, someone should have been on him about it.

J.B. Mauney, LJ Jenkins, and Austin Meier got their game faces on.

Luke Snyder and Dustin Elliott took notable hits. Elliott to the upper back and Snyder to the head/neck. No word yet on their status for tonight.

Low bull scores, in my opinion, given the difficulty of the bulls. Saving the big scores for the big guns?

As usual, Classic bulls make for good bull watching and a low number of rides.

Eye Candy is a really fast spinner. I'm not usually a huge fan of just spinning, but he whips it around there.

Reindeer sons Red Man and Mr. Feiger did the old man proud. Ty Murray went on about Mr. Feiger, not seeming to know who's son and half-brother he is.

No sign of Erin Coscarelli. NBC dude did pretty well. Nothing against Erin personally, but I'd go with the NBC dude any day.

The five high-marked rides:

Caleb Sanderson - 88.5.
Ryan Dirteater - 88.25.
L.J. Jenkins - 87.5.
J. B. Mauney - 87.25.
Jock Connolly - 86.5.

The World Finals title race:

Silvano Alves - 12,782.5
Valdiron de Oliveira - 10,521.5
Robson Palermo - 8,949.5
Austin Meier - 7,995.25
Guilherme Marchi - 7,669

High-marked bulls:

Back Bender 45.50
Bad Blake - 45.50

Santiago - 44.75
V-5 - 44.75
Red Man - 44.50
Train Wreck - 44.50
Betta Watchit - 44.25
Pandemic - 44
Pure Smoke - 44

Pedigree notes:

612 Eye Candy is a son of Boding (Broke Back V over Page 200-151) and a Wilfong bred cow. (Boyd/Floyd)

V-5 is a son of Valentine (Broke Back V over a Dale Lyons-bred cow). His grandsire on the sire side is Whiskey. FYI, his name is also his brand number.) (Wilson/Foutch)

17 Bois d'arc is a Splat Kat son out of a Justin McKee-bred cow. (Rawson)

L744 Geronimo is a Zorro son out of a Panhandle Slim daughter. (Lufkin)

0-1 Bono is a Houdini son. On the dam side he is a grandson of Kish's Wolfman and Farris 51. (Hadley Cattle Co.)

L704 Black Widow is a Spider Monkey son (thus A6 grandson). (Lufkin Ranch and Rodeo)

708 Delco is a son of Hot Stuff (Mossy Oak Mudslinger x Page 25-111). His dam is a grandaughter of CP1 Kung Fu x Spook. His dam is Hebert 310. (Hebert)

7473 Trickster's sire - LH124 - is a Trick or Treat son out of a Gunslinger daughter. Trickster's dam is TBB 526, Kish breeding. (Teague)

20T Train Wreck is a Crazy Train son out of Page 25-140. On the sire side he is a grandson of Boding (Broke Back V over Page 200-151) and Page cow 47-107 (who is a Copperhead daughter). On the dam side he is a grandson of Mossy Oak Mudslinger and Page 25-124 (a Broke Back V daughter). (Page)

I tell ya, the more I do these pedigrees, the more I see Broke Back V's name come up.

As always, please let me know if I've missed anything there. It's easy to get cross-eyed when you're looking at a lot of pedigrees.

Cowboy up Moment:

Gotta give it to Joe Baumgartner, who got hooked pretty good in the first ride and winced a little bit, but there he stayed.

Quotes of the night:

"There aren't any confidence-boosting bulls that we're going to see here." (Ty Murray)

"If they pay me a lot of money here, you may never see me again." (Chris Shivers)

"I used to say I'd get on a mountain lion if Rob Smets was there protecting." (Ty Murray)

Today's schedule:

All times are Eastern Time, all events live streamed except for the Round Two coverage, which is on Versus:

3 p.m. Flint's Outside the Barrel Show
7 p.m. Red Carpet Entrance
9 p.m. Round Two on VERSUS
11:30 p.m. Post-event Press Conference
1 a.m. Round Three Draw

Round Two draft here.

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No Predictions

2011-10-23T10:23:00.000-04:00

I don't make predictions anymore. I don't make them because they are always wrong, and not just mine, but everyone's. I mean, really. Who predicted that Luke Snyder would win the Last Cowboy Standing, or Colby Yates would win the Iron Cowboy, or Renato Nunes would win the whole deal last year? No one.

So instead of making predictions, I'm going to make up stories and you can pick the one you like, or make up one of your own.

Riders

Silvano Alves wins everything, as everyone is predicting. He wins the World and he wins the Finals. And it's a somewhat boring Finals because of that. Not that he shouldn't win, or that he doesn't deserve to win, but a little bit of drama is a good thing.

or

It is a down-to-the-wire race between Alves and Oliviera, decided on the final ride of the last round. That would be better.

or

Robson Palermo pulls it out of his iron will and makes a come-from-behind run at it, and steals everything while riding with a completely messed up shoulder. Even better: a hero.

or

Someone unexpected, like J.B. Mauney or Chris Shivers or Luke Snyder, who can't possibly win the world title, cranks it up and wins the event with a bunch of massive rides.

or

All three of those guys make a run for it and one of them wins the event at the last minute and goes down in history for riding an unridable bull for a massive score.

or
Someone loses it at the final ride based on a close call by the replay judge. Video replayed for eternity with arguments on either side being smashed out on the message boards. I'm right! Judge is blind! You're an idiot! You're blind!

Bulls

Bushwacker wins bull of the year, as is hoped by many. Asteroid does not do well with his time off, and needs more than two outs to get his awesomeness back. Bushwacker's fans are vindicated. They knew he was better than Asteroid.

or

Asteroid returns to form immediately and Bushwacker doesn't return to his early-season form. Winner: Asteroid. Justice is served, his fans say. The better bull won! Outcry among Bushwacker fans. Bushwacker was robbed!

or

They both do well, almost equally well, and one, of course, wins over the other by a fraction of a point. No matter who wins, fans cry foul! Judges play favorites! The debate rages for years.

or

Smackdown comes out smoking and beats them both. Go Smackdown! Go awesome Katich bulls!

or

Bushwacker gets ridden. And someone gets a 97 point score for it.

and

Next year they will do it differently and come up with a system that rewards a bull's entire season rather than deciding it on two outs at the Finals.

Those are my stories. What are yours?

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The View from Above

2011-10-20T12:23:00.001-04:00

Just in case you ever wondered how it would feel to get lucky enough to see it from this angle, here's photographer (and fan) Susan Hanrahan's view from the chute seats on Sunday afternoon at the PBR's Hartford event. Photographs and descriptions by Susan Hanrahan.

A Different Perspective

Everything looks different from above. Everything feels different from above. There is amazing and powerful energy that comes off the animals as they moved through the maze of pens, gates, and chutes. The whole Chute Seat area moved as the bulls came in.

Organizing bulls

A job I would love to have! As a bull lover, I spent at least a third of my time looking backwards to the bulls. Watching them sort and move the bulls through the back pens, and observing the bulls who are so relaxed they are laying down and then others who can't stay still for a second.

Cowboy Prep

I enjoyed watching different Cowboys as they warmed up and put their ropes on their bulls. Here is Cody Nance putting his rope on No Doubt.

Behind the Scenes

Here is TV host Craig Hummer and commentator Ty Murray. So close we could almost reach out and touch them. Reporter Leah Garcia ran by several times on her way around the chutes. It was interesting to see a little of the work that goes in to the TV broadcast.

Prep in the Chutes

Here JB Mauney waits to get on Trips. All the focus is on him - from Leah and the TV camera, to the stock contractor and fellow riders waiting to assist. When it all comes down to it, it's more than the cowboy and the bull.

Power in Motion

Here is a shot of Kody Lostroh leaving the chute on Exotic Justin. In the chute seats you feel the strength and power of the bulls as they leave the chute. All of the cowboys actually jump back to avoid being kicked by the exiting bull, and at least six times we were hit with dirt and "atmosphere" from the powerful kick of the mighty beasts.

Bull Crush

King Lopez impressed me so much, watching him from above. He is a handsome bull, regal and powerful. Don't tell the others, but I think he is my new bull crush.

A Special Moment

Fabiano Vieria removed his hat and prayed over Who Dat before his ride. This moment touched my heart and everything around me seemed to quiet, as I watched.

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Columbus Notes

2011-10-17T08:46:00.001-04:00

Columbus was, on the surface of it, a normal, not-so-remarkable event. Silvano Alves won it, in a good close race. Some guys made it into the Finals and some didn't. The same was true with some bulls.

I'm usually all about the bulls, but this was one of those weekends that was really all about the riders. It was about Silvano Alves, who is just getting it done. About Valdiron de Oliveira, who is struggling. About Cody Campbell, who passed Brendon Clark for the 40th spot in the Finals by virtue of simply appearing in Columbus and getting the $400 in appearance money. About Cord McCoy who suddenly could ride a bull and look really good doing it. About Shane Proctor, who aggravated the groin injury less than two weeks before the Finals and less than a month before the NFR.

These are three other riders that stood out for me this weekend.

How tough is Robson Palermo?

He rode two bulls and made both short rounds and didn't ride in either of them. But at this point, he's heroic. His damaged shoulder will be repaired two days after the conclusion of the Finals. I've been through the torn up shoulder thing and by the time I got to surgery I could barely hold a carton of milk, never mind hold onto a bull (not that I ever held onto a bull with a good shoulder, either). The man has steel for determination. I'm a fan.

Why is Ben Jones being allowed to ride?

He led the event going into the Championship Round, picked a pretty good bull, got pulled down and hit his head against the bull's head. His body flopped around a little bit before hitting the ground, whereupon he half-ran, half-stumbled to the fence. He couldn't make it up the fence and appeared to go unconscious about halfway up it. He had to be pulled and pushed up to get him out of the bull's way.

After the event, Craig Hummer said that the word from Tandy Freeman was that Ben was okay. Really? I'm no doctor but I'm in agreement with Ty Murray, Shorty Gorham, and whoever else thought that Ben was out cold the minute his head hit the bull. There is such a thing as walking unconscious and in my opinion that's what he was doing when he made the run for the fence. I like him as much as anyone does, but it is not fun to watch him anymore. It's not fun to watch him ride and it's not fun to watch him dance. He has a traumatized brain. Enough is enough.

Smackdown? Really?

J.B. Mauney. Okay, I always say that I'm not a rabid fan and I'm not a hater. Still true. But this is a guy who does not complain. He doesn't complain about being in pain, about not getting bulls that "fit" him, about not doing well. He just goes about his job. Who knows what's up with him, but one thing for sure, he is not whining about it.

On the other hand, why he picked Smackdown for his last short round bull, is a mystery to me. All he really needed to do was get a score. Pick a bull you can ride, get a score, and take your chances on how Silvano and Ben do. Rather than pick a bull chances are you (or anyone else) probably can't ride, and hope for 90+ points if you do. I know, I know...that's what he does.

On to the big show

The last regular-season event of the year is now behind us. Now we'll see who's got game.

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Bulls & Bloodlines: Columbus

2011-10-17T08:46:00.000-04:00

46+ bulls:

K55 Smackdown - 46.25 (Dakota Rodeo/Berger)

45+ bulls:

-8 Lincoln Electric's Bring It - 45 (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve)

44+ bulls

68 Lil' Red Kat - 44.25 (Boyd/Floyd/Larue)
325 Hot Stuff - 44.25 (Page)
K41 Wild n' Out - 44.25 (Berger/Struve)
52U Midnight Mood - 44 (Page)
23 Stretch Armstrong - 44 (Page)
13T Little Snake - 44 (Page)
C66 Black Attack - 44 (Page)

Broadcast bull talk:

Pretty good. Bull scores posted nicely, lots of bucking pattern analysis.

Pedigree facts for a few of the high-scoring bulls:

52U Midnight Move is a Smooth Move son out of a Super Dave daughter. (Page)

23S Stretch Armstrong is a Stretch son (Broke Back V out of Page breeding) out of a Shorty daughter. (Page)

13T Little Snake is a Mudslinger son (Page 01/Broke Back V daughter) out of a Hotel California daughter.

325 Hot Stuff is a Mudslinger son (Page 01/Broke Back V daughter) out of a Broke Back V daughter. (Page)

-8 Bring It is a Broke Back V grandson on the sire side. (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve)

As usual, let me know if I've misrepresented anyone.

Making the Finals roster:

Whiskey's Rebel, Lil' Red Kat, Yellow Jacket Jr, and Hot Stuff passed Cody Lambert's test this weekend and will be in the Finals. Commotion, Pearl Snap, and Wake Up Call did not make the cut. The Situation's status has yet to be determined.

But really, the bulls have it so much better than the riders do. No pressure for them. They don't care if they make the Finals. They don't even know what the Finals are. Probably they'd just as soon go home and eat grass.

And speaking of Whiskey's Rebel

Oh man! They've haloed him! Yep, the big guy who almost made it over the top of the chute two weeks ago is wearing a ring around his horns. This bull has a really interesting face and from a purely aesthetic point of view, the halo must go. I vote no halo, and I am prepared to occupy Las Vegas.

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Columbus by the Numbers

2011-10-17T08:45:00.002-04:00

Top five, event average:

Silvano Alves
Ben Jones
J.B. Mauney
Robson Palermo
Cord McCoy

90 + rides: 0

89+ rides: 0

88 + rides: 4

46+ bulls: 1 (Smackdown)

45+ bulls: 1 (Bring It)

44+ bulls: 7 (See Bulls and Bloodlines for the list)

Number of riders with 4 rides:  1

Number of riders with 3 rides:  2

Number of riders with 2 rides:  6

Number of riders with 1 ride:  10

Number of riders with 0 rides:  21

Number of riders going into the first short go with zero rides: 1

Number of riders going into the Championship Round with only one prior ride:  5

Number of riders placing in top 10 of the event with only one ride: 3

Number of times I cringed over Robson Palermo's shoulder: Every time he got off a bull, and that would be four times. He's having surgery two days after the Finals end, and the a fact that he is riding at all gives me vicarious pain.

Number of times the term "bubble bulls" was used: Oh God, it must have been 20.

Most money won:  $35,970

Riders winning no money:  21

Number of bulls that used to be called something else:  I have given up on this. I used to be able to keep track by brand numbers, but the explosion in name changes (from sponsorships) now makes it nearly impossible.

Number of bulls with sponsorship names:  8

Number of bulls with names they'd get beat up for if they were in seventh grade: I am leaving this one up to you this week. Email me with your picks! (Email address is in the left column.)

Number of the week: 0 (The number of events left until the World Finals in Vegas.)

Other number of the week: 5,500 (The number of points up for grabs at the World Finals.)

Hartford by the Numbers

2011-10-12T08:24:00.000-04:00

Top five, event average

Fabiano Vieira

Douglas Duncan

Kody Lostroh

LJ Jenkins

Mike Lee

90 + rides: 2 (Duncan on Chocolate Thunder - 90.75 - Vieira on Who Dat - 90)

89+ rides: 0

88 + rides: 1

46 + bulls: 1 (King Lopez)

45+ bulls: 3

44+ bulls: 10

Number of bull scores under 40: 9

Reride options: 9

Total number of rides (out of 140): 49

Number of riders with 5 rides: 1

Number of riders with 4 rides: 1

Number of riders with 3 rides: 3

Number of riders with 2 rides: 6

Number of riders with 1 ride: 19

Number of riders with 0 rides: 10

Number of riders going into Championship Round with only one prior ride: 0

Number of riders placing in top 10 of the event with only one ride: 0

Most money won: $39,985

Riders winning no money: 10

Number of bulls that used to be called something else: 1

Number of bulls with sponsorship names: 9

Number of those bulls belonging to Jeff Robinson: 7

Bulls and Bloodlines: Hartford

2011-10-12T07:51:00.000-04:00

46+ bulls:

540 King Lopez (K-C/Sparklin Acres) - Championship Round

45+ bulls:

540 King Lopez (K-C/Sparklin Acres) - Round Four

L37 YoYo - 45 (Cornwell)

44+ bulls

415 Cool Spot - 44.75 (K-C/Folds/Strickland) - Round Three
73 Buck Wild - 44.50 (C'N Stars)

5 Chocolate Thunder 44.50 (Bird)

7473 Trickster - 44.25 (Teague)

694 Dark Shadow - 44.25 (Wolf Creek)

415 Cool Spot - 44.25 (K-C/Folds/Strickland) - Championship

521 Who Dat - 44 (K-C) - Round Three

521 Who Dat - 44 (K-C) - Championship Round

20 Haunted Hotel - 44 (5G Farms)

7312 Whitewater Trouble - 44 (Teague)

Pedigree facts for a few of the high-scoring bulls:

415 Cool Spot is a Harley son (Pole Cat grandson) out of a Broke Back V daughter. (K-C/Folds/Strickland)

L37 YoYo is a Raspberry Wine grandson on the sire side. (Cornwell)

694 Dark Shadow is a Hobo son (Spook/CP1) out of a White Sports Coat daughter. (Wolf Creek)

7473 Trickster's sire - LH124 - is a Trick or Treat son out of a Gunslinger daughter. Trickster's dam is TBB 526, Kish breeding. (Teague)

373 Hard Times is a Chaos son (WSC/Houdini daughter) out of a Rafter 7R cow (Spook/CP1). (Currey Creek)

7312 Whitewater Trouble is a Whitewater grandson. (Teague)

73 Buck Wild is a Black Pearl son out of PH422 (a Bad Bob daughter). [Thanks to the commenter who sent this.]

As usual, if there are any lineage errors just let me know.

Bull of the weekend:

With the two highest bull scores of the weekend, it's King Lopez.

Stock contractor of the weekend:

With 6 out of the 13 top bull scores of the weekend, it's K-C.

Opinion: Points vs. Money

2011-10-04T08:22:00.002-04:00

The PBR standings are determined by points. In each event riders get the points they score in their rides, in addition to bonus points awarded for winning a round, or a night, or an event, placing second or third, and so on. In the current world standings, which includes 71 riders, the points range from 11,869.50 (Silvano Alves) on down to79.50 (Marco Eguche). Never heard of Eguche? Me neither.

You've probably heard of Paolo Crimber (84.25), Josh Koschel (583), and Cord McCoy (690.25), though.

So there we go along, happily adding points and advancing in the standings (or not) and then - whammo - here come the World Finals and everything changes.

Suddenly it's no longer how many points you have. It's about how much money you have won, because the top forty money-winners get to go to the World Finals. The rest don't.

Now in most cases, while money and points don't correlate exactly, it comes pretty close. Luke Snyder is the top money-winner with $283,419, but he is only 10th in the standings. He won the Last Cowboy Standing, so he's up there. The top three riders in points are the next three after Luke in money.

So the race at the top continues to be about points. The World Champion will be determined by points. The World Finals winner will be determined by points.

But it gets dicey farther down the line, closer to the cut off for the Finals, where, if you are near the 40-man cut-off line, suddenly the race is definitely about dollars.

For example, Harve Stewart is 43rd in standings but has won $24,090, more than Brendan Clark (34th), Jason O'Hearn (35th), Cody Campbell (37th), Pete Farley (38th), Kasey Hayes (39th), and Elton Cide (40th).

Eight riders who fall below the 40th rank have earned more money than Hayes (39th), including Cord McCoy, who is in 50th position in points but something like 45th in money.

This is how it's done in rodeo, and so it's not a big surprise that it has carried over into the PBR, but from the standpoint of most sports, it makes no sense.

As Ty Murray said yesterday, at this time of year the race at the bottom – to win a position at the Finals – becomes as interesting as the race at the top.

But either have have the race be determined by money or have it be determined by points. Don't switch from one to the other right when it matters the most.

Coming up tomorrow: Touring Pro dollars vs. Built Ford Tough dollars

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PBR Notes: Charlotte

2011-10-03T10:04:00.000-04:00

We're in the home stretch now, with only two regular season events left before the Finals. Here are a few things of note about this weekend's event in Charlotte.

This was a North Carolina event, chock full of North Carolina bulls from two of the premier stock contractors / breeders in the bull riding world, Jeff Robinson and Tom Teague. Also in the home state of Jerome Davis, J.B. Mauney, Shane Proctor, Josh Faircloth, and Brian Cantor (and I'm probably missing a few). That's a nice weekend for a state that is the sole pocket of bull riding gold on the east coast.

It was one of the two-day events that continue to plague me with the decisions about whether to listen to the event live on the PBR Event Center, or wait to watch it on the broadcast. I end up doing both, which is not a great way to partake of bull riding, since you already know the results. "Wait," I tell myself, and then I don't.

The east coast bulls were the highlight of the weekend. I always enjoy seeing new bulls and Teague bulls never disappoint me. Gypsy Boots (Robinson) and RFD HD (Teague) were standouts among the bulls we don't get to see every weekend. Hopefully we will see both of them more in the future.

With no 90+ point rides, only one 89+ point ride, no 88+ point rides, and all others under 88, it was a little bit lacking in the ride department, which makes for a somewhat dreary bull riding.

Ben Jones finally removed himself from competition following what appeared to be a episode of unconsciousness after hitting the ground in his first out. We wish him well and a full recovery.

With Marchi being out with an injury, Austin Meier has advanced to 4th place in the PBR standings. With Palermo injured and likely to miss a couple of events, and Meier only a few hundred points behind him, Meier has his chance to move up even further. His riding has started to improve in the past couple of events. As we saw last year with Renato Nunes, a lot can happen at the end of the season. I think it's going to be Alves and Oliveira down to the wire, but wouldn't it be nice to have a dark horse to root for?

Scroll down to read Bulls and Bloodlines and Charlotte by the Numbers.

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Charlotte by the Numbers

2011-10-03T09:58:00.002-04:00

Top five, event average:

Douglas Ferreira
Harve Stewart
Valdiron de Oliveira
Austin Meier
Brendon Clark

90 + rides: 0

89+ rides: 1

88 + rides: 0

45+ bulls: 6 (See Bulls and Bloodlines for the list)

44+ bulls: 5

45+ bulls in the event owned by Jeff Robinson or Tom Teague: 6 (all of them)

44+ bulls in the event owned Jeff Robinson or Tom Teague: 4 out of 5 (Circle T had the other one.)

Number of bull scores under 40: 6

Reride options: 3

Total number of rides (out of 101): 29

Number of riders with 4 rides: 0

Number of riders with 3 rides:  1

Number of riders with 2 rides:  5

Number of riders with 1 ride:  14

Number of riders with 0 rides:  20

Number of riders going into Championship Round with only one prior ride:  4

Number of riders placing in top 10 of the event with only one ride: 6 (7th, 8th, 9th, and a three-way tie for 10th)

Most money won:  $37,015

Riders winning no money:  20

Time Austin Meier spent on Deja Blu: 1.72 seconds, which I'm pretty sure is less than you-know-who spent on him.

Number of Indy circuits I watched waiting for Saturday night's broadcast: Maybe three before I got bored and dizzy.

Number of times I almost wrote Charlottesville instead of Charlotte: A few. I once had a bad boyfriend with a good dog in Charlottesville, so it tends to come to mind.

Number of bulls that used to be called something else:  Near as I can tell, 5. The most prominent of which was Hank, who is now called Blue Emu's After the Pain.

Number of bulls with sponsorship names:  10

Number of bulls with names they'd get beat up for if they were in seventh grade: 1. This is very subjective and I urge you to send me your votes for this category if you feel I have missed any. The only bull that might be in trouble this weekend is Poster Boy, but it's marginal.

Bulls & Bloodlines: Charlotte

2011-10-03T09:58:00.001-04:00

46+ bulls:

718 Rango 46 (Robinson)

45+ bulls:

6220 RFD HD 45.50 (Teague)
070 Movin' On 45.50 (Robinson)
603 Gypsy Boots 45.25 (Robinson)
404C Gunpowder & Lead 45.25 (Robinson)
603 Gypsy Boots 45 (Robinson)
6258 Bad Medicine 45 (Teague)

44+ bulls

529 Mood Swing 44.75 (Robinson)
924B Tennessee Honey 44.75 (Circle T)
H50 Hank (After the Pain) 44.75 (Robinson)
6220 RFD HD 44.25 (Teague)
156 Get-R-Done 44 (Robinson)
7473 Trickster 44 (Teague)

Broadcast bull talk:

Last week, bull scores up after every ride. This week, not. Last week, quite a bit of bull talk. This week not so much. Last week, happy. This week, banging my proverbial head against the proverbial wall. And we don't want that.

A few high-scoring pedigrees:

718 Rango is a Playboy Skoal son.

6220 RFD HD (previously known as Out of Control) is sired by Night Life (Houdini over MS 0). The dam is a Kish's Winchester daughter.

7473 Trickster's sire - LH124 - is a Trick or Treat son out of a Gunslinger daughter. Trickster's dam is TBB 526, Kish breeding.

6258 Bad Medicine's sire is Real Deal. His dam is a Mr. Juicy daughter.

603 Gypsy Boots (formerly known as Penguin) is a Wilfong bull (BW 72/2 over BW 341). Grandsire on both sides is Wilfong's The Darkness. The granddam is a Broke Back V daughter.

[As usual, if there are any lineage errors just let me know.]

Bulls I liked:

I'm going with a few that caught my eye: Rango, Gypsy Boots, and RFD HD.

Gypsy Boots also gets the best-name-of-the-week award.

RFD HD gets the "coolest-looking-bull" title. Black bull with a big hump and one horn, and then the bottom half of him looks like he was dipped in cream.

Very Strange Looking Bull Award

He's 961, either Southern Wine or Charmayne's Wine, depending on where you look. He's a black-and-white speckled, orange-headed muley. It's the orange head that does it, but he can't help it.

Click here to read more about the Charlotte event.

Commentary and Controversy

2011-10-02T15:58:00.000-04:00

Coming tonight from Rank: Live commentary on Rank's Facebook page! I will be watching the event on Versus, commenting on Facebook, and hopefully you will be commenting back.

The idea is to have a conversation about what is going on as it is going on.

You have to have a Facebook page and I think you might have to"like" Rank's page in order to comment.

Night One Summary:

High rider scores:

Douglas Ferreira 89
Harve Stewart 87.50
Jared Farley 87
Brendon Clark 87
Valdiron de Oliveira 86.75
Josh Koschel 87.75

High bull scores (44+):

603 Gypsy Boots (Robinson) 45

6220 RFD HD (Teague) 44.25

7473 Trickster (Teague) 44

PBR Notes: Wichita

2011-09-26T12:07:00.000-04:00

You-know-who

This was a good bull riding that was marred by a messed up broadcast schedule. I don't fault the PBR. Getting the sport on CBS is a good deal. The PBR is still the only bull riding you can see on a timely basis on national television, and it's still the Big Show in the bull riding world, and we can complain about the broadcast, but truthfully, let's count our blessings, too.

That said, it's both unfortunate and understandable that these CBS broadcasts come so late in the season. Understandable because getting newcomers to bull riding engaged before the World Finals is a great way to get new fans. Unfortunate because it leaves loyal fans in the lurch at the end of the season when they most want to follow the action.

But what we did get was a good event that built to a nice conclusion, with some excitement along the way. You had the typical bull riding mayhem, some rough injuries, the usual close calls (hooves coming down inches from riders' bodies), and some really nice bulls in the house.

In short, we got:

Ryan Dirteater riding four for four and notching another win, with two 90+ rides along the way.

Luke Snyder coming in second and picking Bushwacker in the second spot in the draft.

Guilherme Marchi getting stepped on and limping off the dirt with broken ribs and a punctured lung. That's an Ironman right there. At least he got a score. (88.25)

Fabiano Vieira getting dragged all around the place under the bull by one leg and coming back just fine for the short round. That was a cringe-worthy wreck and Vieira's knee must be made of titanium.

Pistol Robinson taking a full body slam into the fence, courtesy of Circle T's Shepherd Hills Trapper.

Silvano Alves turning down a re-ride with a score of 73.50, and taking a lot of flack for it from the announcers. I'm not so sure that Silvano needed such a talking to about that. His decision-making seems to being doing him just fine. I would rather he get a note for the chute time, but that apparently isn't going to happen any time soon.

A broadcast that was all mixed up: midnight on Saturday, 3 or 5 p.m. on Sunday if you got lucky and the NFL game in your territory didn't last too long or the after-game wrap-up didn't go on forever.

Bushwacker, Whiskey's Rebel, Kent Cox, and some great bull moments. (Read more about those in Bulls and Bloodlines.)

Scroll down the page for "Bulls and Bloodlines" and "Wichita by the Numbers." Check out the injury report for Wichita here.

Bulls and Bloodlines: Wichita

2011-09-26T12:06:00.000-04:00

45+ bulls:

13/6 Bushwacker – Moreno - 47
601 Shepherd Hills Trapper – Circle T – 45.50
K55 Smackdown – Berger – 45.25

44+ bulls

10-5 Crosswired – Page – 44.75
924B Immigrant – Circle T – 44.75
K41 Wild ‘n Out – Berger – 44.75
T29 Josey Wales – New Frontier – 44.75
563 Hee Bee Gee Bee – Boyd/Floyd – 44.50
861 Speckled Ivory – Circle T – 44.50
23S Stretch Armstrong – Page – 44.50
59 Whiskey’s Rebel – Boyd/Floyd – 44.50
61 Moon – Robinson – 44.50
-8 Bring It – Berger – 44.25
868 After Party – Circle T - 44
315 Another One – Robinson - 44
433 T-Rex - Circle T - 44
P6 How We Roll - Berger - 44
683 Motown Magic - Circle T - 44
296 Sancho - Circle T - 44

Broadcast bull talk:

They got the bull scores up there. Nicely done. And see? Not so hard.

Ty Murray is getting the bucking patterns for the bulls and talking about them. He is giving as much time to the bulls as he is to the riders, and it makes the broadcast about 100% better to have both sides of the equation in the conversation. Ty, you cannot see this, but I do some kind of little kowtow in gratitude.

Best bull moment:

Bushwacker was great, but okay, I'm giving it to Whiskey's Rebel. I've been watching him since San Antonio when Josh Faircloth rode him for 88.25 and the bull almost ran him over afterwards. And I thought then: That bull's got the fire in the belly. Lo and behold, yes he does, and is smart in the bargain. He came this close to jumping out of that bucking chute on Saturday. And the thing about it was that he didn't look mad, he just looked really...smart. Which leads right into Kent Cox's handling of him. I mean really. That's a bull man right there. I dare say you don't see that much.

Worst bull moment:

So, I get it, Movin' On is a hard bull to get out on and Silvano Alves isn't the first person to have had a problem with him. There's a boatload of conversation going on about whether he took too long in the chute trying to get out on this bull. I'm hyper-alert to the amount of time Silvano takes in the bucking chute, and I'm not the only one to have criticized him for it. But in this instance, I've gotten some comments that have made me willing to say that I don't know how justified the time was, or how long it actually took. I will say that that by the time that bull got out of the chute, for the eight seconds that mattered, he was out of fight.

Bull of the weekend:

This one goes to Bushwacker, clearly. He did his thing and got the score to prove it.

In case you missed it on Friday:

Here are five bull pedigrees picked at random from the Wichita bull roster.

Wichita by the Numbers

2011-09-26T10:30:00.000-04:00

Top five, event average:

Ryan Dirteater
Luke Snyder
Fabiano Vieira
Valdiron de Oliveira
Silvano Alves

90 + rides: 2 - Both Ryan Dirteater. 91.75 on Crosswired and 90.25 on After Party.

45+ bulls: 3 (See Bulls and Bloodlines for the list)

44+ bulls: 16

Number of 45+ bulls in the event owned by Circle T: 1 out of 3

Number of 44+ bulls in the event owned by Circle T: I count 6 out of 16

Number of bull scores under 40: 6

Reride options: 4

Rerides taken: 3

Luke Snyder's number of the week: 2. Came in second in the event, picked Bushwacker at the second position in the draft, and lasted about two seconds on him.

Total number of rides (out of 102): 40

Riders with 4 rides: 1

Riders with 3 rides:  4

Riders with 2 rides:  3

Riders with 1 ride:  11

Riders with 0 rides:  21

Riders in going into Championship Round with only one prior ride:  4

Number of riders placing in top 10 of the event with only one ride: 2

Most money won:  $46,065

Riders winning no money:  21

Number of times I tried to figure out what rounds were being broadcast when: About 5.

Number of minutes of the Championship Round broadcast missed due to football: 25

Number of times I wrote Wichita before it began to seem like it is spelled wrong: 1

Bulls that were called something else last week:  2

Bulls with sponsorship names:  15

Number of minutes Silvano Alves took in the chute: Way too many.

Number of guys in trouble in terms of making the World Finals: 3. As I figure it, Tony Mendes, Chance Roberts, and Brendon Clark all need to make some quick money to have a shot at it.

Number of bulls with names they'd get beat up for if they were in seventh grade: 3. If you are cool enough you can get away with a lot, but I'm thinking that Molly Hatchett, Leave it to Beaver, and Plummer Butt are hard to salvage.

Burning Questions: Wichita

2011-09-23T11:52:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since questions burned here on Rank, but let's go for it this weekend.

Bulls

1. What will we see from Bushwacker? He's still throwing them off every single time, but the fireworks are greatly missed. He might need to break them out again if he is going to stop being upstaged by you-know-who (who won't be there this weekend).

2.Given the opportunity, will After Party get the better of Silvano Alves again? You know I love this bull, so I'm going to say yes, even though I know that Silvano is probably too good to keep getting thrown off here. I don't think Silvano will pick him. When possible, Silvano stays away from bulls he isn't sure he can ride. And no, that's not a criticism, or at least I don't think it is. My next question was going to be: Will he pick 615 Perfect Poison again? But 615 isn't on the roster. (5403 Perfect Poison is, though.)

3. As for After Party, will he get bucked in both short rounds again? I'd like to see this little bull get a little break, maybe a weekend off. He has earned it.

4. What will we see from Immigrant? Circle T just bought this bull, who has appeared in three BFT events this year, and was ridden once in four outs. That once was for 91.25 by Robson Palermo.

5. What will we see from T-Rex? Another new Circle T bull, he made his first appearance in Milwaukee and surprised everyone, including Circle T. He was on the roster for last weekend, but didn't go out. Check out the right sidebar for the video from Milwaukee.

6. Katich-bred Smackdown and Wild n' Out will both be there. Who will get ridden? Probably Wild n' Out, for a ton of points. But if Smackdown does, it will be for more-than-a-ton.

7. Will Stanley FatMax get any credit for having once been the bull named Stubby? Stubby got a lot of attention. Stanley FatMax, not so much. It feels like Stubby is being done wrong. First getting a worse name, and then losing his street cred. I find myself resenting Stanley FatMax for doing away with Stubby, and feeling sorry for Stubby for having disappeared. I'm having some kind of serious mental problem here.

The Round Two Short Go looks like this:

Toy Soldier
Stanley FatMax (who used to be Stubby)
Speckled Ivory
Pandemic
Moon
After Party
How We Roll
Hee Bee Gee Bee
Wild n' Out
Billionaire

Riders

1. Will Ben Jones make it back from concussion after-effects this weekend?

2. Will Valdiron de Oliveira return to riding form? He's ridden only two of his last ten bulls since the concussion a month ago.

3. Which Ryan McConnel will show up? He's ridden seven of his last ten. Before that, not so many.

4. Is Austin Meier back on his game?

5. Will Aaron Roy continue to rise in the standings? He's in 11th right now, and won last week's championship round.

6. What's up with the strugglers? J.B. Mauney, LJ Jenkins, Dustin Elliott, where the heck art thou?

Pedigree Picks

2011-09-23T10:40:00.002-04:00

I decided to pick five bulls from this weekend's bull roster, completely at random, and look at their pedigrees.

703 Cajun Kid (Double R) is a son of Sharp Dressed Kid and a grandson of Sharp Dressed Man on both dam and sire sides. His granddam on the dam side is a Rooster daughter.

664 Habanero (Circle T) is Frick breeding on the dam side. On the sire side he is the son of a Frick-owned, Roach-bred bull, and a grandson of Rooster and a Rafter 7r cow. The Rafter 7r cow is a granddaughter of Spook and CP1 Kung Foo.

723 Panther (Circle T) is a Houdini grandson.

070 Movin' On (Robinson) is a Nelson-bred grandson of Automatic, making him a great-grandson of Spook and CP1 Kung Foo. On the dam side he is a grandson of Popeye, another Jerry Nelson bull.

510 Very Smart Remedy (Robinson) is a Hebert-bred bull and a Gunslinger grandson on the sire side. On the dam side he's mostly Plummer.

As usual, give me a holler if I've misrepresented someone. Once you've been looking at pedigrees for an hour, the mind can start to falter.

Keep scrolling down to see "Burning Questions" for Wichita!

Another Small and Unofficial Survey

2011-09-21T07:52:00.006-04:00

Time for another stroll around the ProBullStats database in search of important information about bulls' names. This time I have focused on John, Joe, Jack, Disney, and superheroes. Here is my partial report.

There are:

Five Johnny Rottens, five Johnny Cashes, and a few each of Appleseed, Ramone, and Walker Red.

Four John Waynes and one each of Doe, Deere, and the Baptist.

Two Jack be Nimbles and three Jack be Quicks.

Four Jack the Rippers and one Jack Sparrow.

Eight Joe Cools, five Joe Dirts, and four Joe Blows

One Joe Schmoe and six just plain Joe

In the Disney area, you have:

Two Lion Kings

One Pinocchio

Three Jiminy Crickets

One Bambi (I knew there would be one. Had to be.)

And last, I leave you with the superhero department, in order of popularity:

Captain America (2)

Superman (6)

Wolverine (7)

Spiderman (11)

Batman (17)

But these were all outscored by the great and powerful (and apparently popular):

Mighty Mouse (18)

Word of Warning: If you decide to go into the database to browse names, don't go alone, wear a helmet, and tell someone to send in the cavalry (or Mighty Mouse) if you don't come out in an hour. It is a dangerous and mesmerizing place.

PBR Springfield

2011-09-19T11:56:00.000-04:00

It's time to talk about Springfield. Here are a few notes, a few numbers, and a little bull talk.

Springfield Notes: The Good Times Roll

Springfield by the Numbers

Bulls and Bloodlines (with Asteroid video)

World standings

Injury report

Super Classic unofficial results and Short Round Jackpots

Bushwacker vs. Cody Nance

And click here for three ways to "Get Rank!"

PBR Springfield: The Good Times Roll

2011-09-19T08:49:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but I can't remember when I was last this happy about a PBR event. Maybe they had been getting a little...slow. Maybe it's just the end of a long season that has had a foregone conclusion and not many surprises in the rider department. Maybe it's seeing the same group of good riders performing superbly and a different group of good riders performing poorly, week after week. And bulls that are good, but you've kind of gotten used to them.

And then the Classic bulls saunter into the room, in fighting shape now, and all rejuvenated by cooler weather.

Even the buckoffs were fun to watch. Even the maturity bulls were fun to watch, even the ones who didn't do very well. And then Asteroid blew the roof off the place and bested Bushwacker for the third time. Not saying he's the better bull, but not saying he isn't, either.

And After Party: The only bull that bucked in both short rounds and he bucked off Silvano Alves for the second time in the Championship Round. If you don't love that little bull, well, you should.

Don't get me wrong. There weren't a lot of high bull scores, and there were plenty of qualified rides.

It was good to see Austin Meier have a couple of good rides, score the weekend's only 90+ ride, and do one of his hanging off the side finishes. Ryan McConnel rode well, and Chris Shivers and Mike Lee put out a couple of textbook "this is how it's supposed to be done" rides. Robson Palermo's determination and ability to keep riding with that shoulder injury is stunning. Silvano Alves is amazing. And Aaron Roy won the Championship Round.

But I don't remember an event when I've sat up and taken notice as often as I did this weekend, and it really was the bulls that did it.

Or maybe it was the riders taking it up a notch. Or maybe it was the roar of the crowd (which was large and loud). Or maybe it was just me.

Loved it.

Springfield by the Numbers

2011-09-19T08:31:00.000-04:00

Austin Meier: 90.25
Pistol Robinson: 89.25
Mike Lee: 88.75
Ryan McConnel: 88.50
Ryan McConnel: 88.25
Silvano Alves: 88.25
Austin Meier: 88
Robson Palermo: 88

Top five, event average:

Alves
McConnel
Meier
Roy
Robinson

45+ bulls: 4 (See Bulls and Bloodlines for the list)

Number of bull scores under 40: I have 9. Slade Long has 13. I'd go with Slade.

Reride options: 5

Number of bulls Luke Snyder got on in Round One: 3 (two re-rides, one ride)

Number of times Silvano Alves has drafted Perfect Poison: About a billion. I've got nothing against picking a bull you know you can ride, and it's a good business decision, and it pays off time and again, so I get it. But let's move on already.

Riders with 4 rides: 1

Riders with 3 rides: 3

Riders with 2 rides: 8

Riders with 1 ride: 12

Riders with 0 rides: 20

Riders in going into Championship Round with only one prior ride: 1

Number of riders doctored out of the Championship Round: 3. Proctor (groin pull), Vieira (bruised ribs), and Elliott (sore ribs).

Most money won: $43,520

Riders winning no money: 20 (this is about average lately)

Bulls that were called something else last week: 0

Bulls with sponsorship names: 7

Number of times Ty Murray said "Allemande left" or "Allemande right": Something like 5. I'm not putting it on the blacklisted phrase list yet, but that list needs a few more items, so I'm going to keep an eye on this one. BTW, love the glasses, Ty.

Number of times Craig Hummer said "lunch pail bull:" Just once, but it's gotta go, Craig.

Number of times I shouted: Several. Might have been "Yo ho! Pit Boss!" Or it might have been "Holy...crow!" or Holy something like that.

Number of bulls with names they'd get beat up for if they were in junior high school: I'm going with 4. Amy's Pet, Lily's Dream, Bois d'arc, and sadly, Jiminey Cricket. Although you might get away with Bois d'arc because when you say it, it sounds like Bwah Dark. That might work.

Bulls and Bloodlines: Springfield

2011-09-19T08:30:00.000-04:00

High Scoring Bulls (45+)

781 Asteroid - 46.50 (Circle T)
13/6 Bushwacker - 45.75 (Moreno/Oliveira)
718 Rango - 45.50 (Robinson)
705 Back Bender - 45.25 (Ackerman/Cox)

Head to head

For the third time, Asteroid outscored Bushwacker: 46.50 to 45.50

Broadcast bull talk

Ty Murray is trying. J.W. Hart is behind the chutes. Now just give us the bull scores each time. It can't be that hard.

Pedigree of the week

Back Bender is pretty straight Sammy Andrews breeding, with a little Coffey on the granddam.

Other pedigree notes

-215 Amy's Pet (Robinson) is a son of Hot Damn. His dam is a Broke Back V daughter. (Broke Back V daughters are good producers.)

708 Delco (Hebert) is a Hot Stuff son and a Mudslinger grandson on the sire side. His dam is Hebert 310.

789 Bad Blake (Lightning C) is the son of a Whitewater daughter. (Bet on Whitewater daughters for producing good sons.)

A712 Pit Boss (Ace of Spades) is a Blenderhead son. His dam is a Houdini daughter.

Bull of the weekend

781 Asteroid (Circle T). Again.

And you're probably getting tired me of saying After Party, but look, he threw off Silvano Alves for the second time. Silvano Alves, for God's sake. For the second time. On his second short go in two days. I mean, really. And Howard Talley told me that they got him in a package deal they made in which they were really after Blind Side!

PBR Notes: Milwaukee

2011-09-12T11:35:00.000-04:00

I just hate two-day events with delayed broadcasts.

It's my own fault. I used to just watch the events as they were broadcast, but now I have gotten into the bad habit of keeping up with things as they occur in real time and watching them on the day-later broadcast.

So this weekend I listened to Friday's rounds on Friday, and then Saturday's on Saturday, taped Friday night's rounds on Saturday and watched them Sunday along with the Saturday night's rounds.

By the end of the weekend I was dazed and confused, and didn't know what day it was or how many PBR events I had watched. Well, I know it was only one, but it kind of felt like two.

So forgive me, banditos, for not having a whole lot to say. I don't even really know if it was a good event. I do know a few things.

Rubens Barbosa is fun to watch. Douglas Duncan is a cool dude. After Party is my hero.

Other than that, I'll just let the video of Asteroid tell the tale, because he just might be the really big story of this event.

Milwaukee by the Numbers

2011-09-12T11:34:00.000-04:00

90 point rides: 3 (Palermo on Gunpowder & Lead - 93.50, Duncan on Wild 'n Out - 91.75, Lima on Highway 12 - 91)

45+ bulls: 4 (Asteroid, Gunpowder & Lead, Lincoln Electric's Bring It, Smackdown)

Number of bull scores under 40: 9

Reride options: 5

Clone count: 4

Riders with 4 rides: 1

Riders with 3 rides: 3

Riders with 2 rides: 7

Riders with 1 ride: 9

Riders with 0 rides: 20

Riders going into Championship Round with only one prior ride: 0 (as opposed to 5 in the last two events)

Most money won:  $38,030

Riders winning no money: 20

Number of riders in the top ten who have ridden 50% or more of their last ten bulls: 3

Number of riders in the top ten who have ridden less than 40% of their last ten bulls: 2

Number of riders in the top ten who have ridden 70% of their last ten bulls: 1 (Shane Proctor)

Bulls with sponsorship names: 12

Bulls with names they'd get beat up for if they were in 7th grade:  4

Teague Female Production Sale

2011-09-08T07:27:00.000-04:00

The Teague Female Production Sale takes place this Friday in Glen Rose, Texas. The auction, run by Bar F Productions will be held at 7 p.m. at the Somervell County Expo Center. It will also be streamed live online. (Check the Bar F site for the link on the day of the sale.)

The auctioneer will be Bruce McCarty, and Justin McKee will be announcing the pedigrees. The complete catalog is available online, but here's a preview of a few of the lots. Check the catalog to learn more about the pedigree of each lot, because the genetics in these are pretty deep.

Lots 1-6 are half interest in yearling bulls sired by Bones, I'm a Gangster, T18 Chance, and Candy Man. See videos of all lots at the bottom of the screen (and if you are a buyer, please double-check the catalog to make sure that the lots listed here are still accurate on sale day).

Lot 1 is sired by Bones out of a Mossy Oak Mudslinger daughter.

Lot 2 is sired by I'm a Gangster, out of a Here's Your Sign daughter.

Lots 3 and 4 are sired by T18 Chance, out of Here's Your Sign daughters.

Lot 5 is sired by T18 Chance, out of a Yippi High Yea daughter.

Lot 6 is sired by Candy Man, out of a Neon Nights daughter.

Lots 7-56 are cows, most with a calf on the side and exposed or AI'd, with pregnancy status confirmed by sale day. Here are a few examples of what's available.

Lot 7: Mossy Oak Mudslinger daughter, with an I'm a Gangster bull calf at her side. Exposed to T18 Chance.

Lot 8: Crossfire Hurricane daughter, with an I'm a Gangster heifer at her side, and AI'd to I'm a Gangster.

Lot 12: Neon Nights daughter, with a Big Bucks bull calf, and exposed to Bones.

Lot 15: Scene of the Crash daughter, with a Deja Blue bull calf, and exposed to Bones.

Lot 38: Mudslinger daughter, with an I'm a Gangster heifer at her side, and exposed to Bones.

Lot 45: Tahanta daughter, with a Neon Night's bull calf, AI'd to Deja Blue and exposed to Night Life.

Lot 48: Bone Collector daughter, with a Moonshine heifer, and exposed to Night Life.

The following video comes with a 30 second commercial at the front of it. Normally I wouldn't have that here, but it's worth sitting through the ad to see the young bulls' outs with a dummy.

Video streaming by Ustream

In the Chute

2011-09-05T18:04:00.001-04:00

Jimmy Maritz Photography

So you've got this animal, bred to buck. But part of his job is to stand in a narrow chute with people on all four sides, and usually a few leaning over him as well, allow a rope to be tied around his flank, let a cowboy sit on his back and pull another rope around his chest, and then come out of the chute bucking. He's supposed to look in the right direction, give the rider time to get ready, wait for the gate to open, and come out bucking as soon as it does.

A lot can go wrong in there. He can lean, look the wrong way, rear up, fall over, lay down, come out too fast, come out too slowly, come out backwards, not come out at all. What's amazing is that any of it ever goes according to plan at all.

How are they trained to settle in the chute? Most people give young bulls plenty of chances to get used to it. Some let yearlings go into the chute with a buddy for a while before giving them a shot at going it alone. Some let a group of yearlings live for a week or two in the bucking arena, feed them in there, and let them stand for a while in the chutes on a regular basis. Some people brush them with brooms (which they like), give them a little alfalfa (which they like), and play music (which they may or may not like). The idea is to accustom them to the chute, desensitize them to the stimuli, relax them, and get them used to what it's going to be like. One friend of mine calls it "summer school."

With all of that, some bulls still need a little help. You've seen the clanking on the gates (to distract them), the rope rubbing under their necks (to pacify them), the rope "halo" (Lincoln Electric's Bring It), the nose ring (Moon), the ropes crisscrossed over the chute, the ropes looped around the horns. Some bulls the rider has to slide up to the rope slowly, some the gate man has to open the gate latch really quietly.

The younger ones are worse (you want to see a bunch of tantrum-throwing four-year-olds, watch an ABBI Classic), and some never settle down in there at all, but an event depends on running bulls in and getting them out with as little drama as possible. And about 100 times in a Built Ford Tough event, that's exactly what happens. Kind of surprising, when you think about it.

Buckin' on Lake Eufaula

2011-09-05T00:01:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, LJ Jenkins presented his second annual "Buckin' on Lake Eufaula” bull riding event.

The event began last year when he and a buddy decided to put together a bull riding in Eufaula, Oklahoma, which is a few miles from LJ's home in Porum.

"I've been throwing the idea around for a long time," he says. "Last year it went over real good. The town really liked it and we had a great crowd."

This year he decided to add $6,000, and also to add a bull team competition. He had 30 riders a night signed up as well as 10 bull teams. Each contractor brought four bulls, one for each of three long rounds and one for the short round.

"The bulls are going to be outstanding," Jenkins said, before the event.

After all was said and done, Ryan McConnel, who also lives in Oklahoma, won the bull team competition. The headliner in the bull department was Circle T Ranch and Rodeo. They had a trailer of bulls there both nights.

This won't be the last bull riding in Eufaula, or the last bull riding event LJ puts on.

"I'm not one to just put on this one," he says. "I'm one to put on a few of these next year."

He says that the Eufaula event will be the biggest, with the most money added, but that there will be others throughout the year as well.

"I'm always thinking about my future," he says, "And if I get hurt tomorrow riding, I want to be able to do something else and make money."

As for the rest of the year, LJ, who in addition to his sixth position in the PBR standings, is seventh in the PRCA bull riding standings, hopes to compete in the PBR Finals and in the NFR. But first, he wants to reverse his recent riding percentages. "I've run into bad luck somewhere. I don't know what I ate or what I run over, but it's gotta change."

Based on past performance, it will.

View Larger Map Driving Directions

Horn Injury: Ranger Pride's Story

2011-08-29T20:59:00.001-04:00

On May 23, 2011 in Pueblo, Colorado, 703 Ranger Pride bucked off Aaron Roy at 3.5 seconds to win the ABBI Classic with a score of 89.25. In the process, he hit his right horn on the chute, cracking it.

Once he was back at home, Kent Cox cut the affected horn back and found that it was hollow. When he realized that it was not healing and that Ranger Pride was not eating well, he had veterinarian Lisa Willis, DVM, of Stephenville, Texas take a look. His rapid action ended up saving Ranger Pride’s life.

Dr. Willis found an infection that had gone into the bone of the horn and then into the sinus. For those of you unfamiliar with cattle anatomy, the horn is a “shell” made of keratin that covers a bony core that is connected to the bull’s sinus. The sinus, which is thin, is in direct contact with the brain. A horn infection that gets into the bone is a life-threatening situation.

On young bulls with a fast-growing infection the danger is great.

“Ranger Pride worried me because even though it didn’t seem that bad at first, the bone was dying really fast,” Willis said.

Course of treatment:

Willis provided the following description of Ranger Pride’s treatment. In addition to the surgeries, he was also on daily lavage, antibiotic treatment, and assessment. (Note: the following descriptions are in her words.)

When Ranger Pride presented, lavage of the sinuses produced very bad smelling pus and since that did not clear with repetitive lavages (liters and liters of sterile saline), surgery was indicated.

The first surgery was when we removed entire right horn and entered the sinus and removed all of the affected bone (from what we could ascertain by look and odor and feel) until both sinuses were draining well.

The second surgery was after rechecking him we were able to smell some infection again and we opened original surgery site and located even more dead bone which extended over into left sinus.

The third surgery was when the sinuses quit draining and fluid was retaining in them. There has been no odor or pus but secondary inflammation led to a functional blockage and we had to place some drains and enter the sinus below the surgery site to regain drainage and keep fluid buildup from instigating brain swelling.

After the surgeries

After the first surgery, Willis says, she thought Ranger Pride would die. For five weeks she was guarded about his prognosis. Now, 2 ½ months after the injury, he’s out of the woods.

“He’s doing great,” she says. "He’s mentally sound. All the infection is gone. He’s eating well, and is running around.”

Will he buck again? That remains to be seen.

Bulls who have a horn or both horns removed often return to bucking quickly, Willis says. But, she notes, Ranger Pride’s injury and the extent of his treatment, are far from common.

“This was much more complicated than a simple horn removal," she says. "It’s impossible to know how this will affect his ability to buck.”

There’s one thing everyone involved agrees on: Ranger Pride has a lot of heart. If it weren’t for his will to live, says Long, he would not have made it. The other certainty is that whether he bucks again or not, he has a full life ahead of him.

An owner’s commitment

Asked why he made the decision to proceed with treatment when some might not have, Long writes:

“When I reflect back on the circumstances it was an easy decision. Here is a calf that was born on our ranch that is now reaching man(bull)hood in the competitive world.

"As a breeder you become very attached to these athletes as if they are your children maturing in their favorite competitive sport. When they have a great performance you are so happy for them and take pride in their achievement. Likewise when they become sick or injured its your responsibility to do whatever is possible to help them. RP gave it his all, so now it’s my time to give it my all to help save him. To have let him die without trying to save him in order to collect his life insurance would have been a complete violation of my life's code of conduct.”

Long says, “Kent, as you know, is an outstanding individual who puts his bulls interest above his own. The recent article in the New York Times gives a great inside look at Kent's concerns about the bulls he has responsibility for. If he hadn't been paying attention to the horn injury Ranger Pride got in the Pueblo PBR event the resulting infection would have gone untreated and would have resulted in his untimely death.”

He also has nothing but praise for Lisa Willis, who, he says, “definitely gets the credit for saving Ranger Pride’s life.”

__________________________________

Lisa Willis, DVM practices just outside of Stephenville, Texas. She opened Mid-Texas Veterinary Associates in 2009 and provides services for bucking and beef cattle, horses, and whitetailed deer.

Gary Long is a breeder and rancher. In addition to owning Ranger Pride and others, he is also the co-owner of Dr. Proctor and the Dr. Proctor clones.

Kent Cox’s bull pen includes Ranger Pride, Bushwacker, Back Bender, among others. He is widely considered one of the best bull men in the business.

703 Ranger Pride is a four year old, unridden in 5 PBR outs and as of July 18th, he was 4th in the ABBI 2011 Classic standings. He is a son of Raspberry Wine and MS20 (Houdini daughter). On the sire side he is a 224 Spook grandson. He was an embryo transfer calf. Long bought the embryo from Clint McGuire at auction.

____________________________________

Notes on horn injury

Horn injuries can be caused by fights, hitting horns against gates, fences, chutes and cracking them, sometimes they are caused by bulls rubbing their heads against the ground, or can get a start during tipping (cutting the horns back as required by bull riding organizations to prevent goring of riders.)

Willis says that “tipping is probably most common reason I see so many horn infections. But with all of the hundreds of bulls that get their horns tipped, the actual number that get infected is small. Tipping during the heat of summer and bulls rubbing dirt and bacteria into the tipping site increases the chance of infection. Blood is a great medium for bacteria growth.”

Any horn injury that involves bleeding carries the danger of communicating infection to live bone.

____________________________________

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Opinion: A Step in the Right Direction

2011-08-27T06:56:00.001-04:00

Based on the number of times the announcers and commentators referred to "the Brazilians" last weekend (about five), someone has finally come to their senses. The five mentions are in stark contrast to the dozens of times we've heard it in almost every broadcast this season.

The PBR has seemed hellbent on turning this season into a prolonged World Cup rather than a regular season in which individual bull riders compete in an individual sport for an individual title. It created a sense of nationality-based competition rather than individual competition. It wasn't good for the season and it wasn't good for the fans. I can only imagine how it felt to other riders.

And ultimately it wasn't good for the men from Brazil. It's never good to lump individuals into a group based on any aspect, or to constantly refer to individuals as "one of the Brazilians" or "the Brazilian bunch" or any of the other numerous phrases the PBR has used. The most important thing about a person is not where they come from.

I am a fan of some, not all, riders. Some of my favorites come from Brazil, some come from my home country. I don't like to think of any of them as "the" anything. I like to think of them as riders.

The hiring of a translator was an act of brilliance long overdue. Fans will begin to relate to riders as individuals, and learn about who they are. We have already seen that this is true for the announcers, who repeatedly talked about getting to know Silvano Alves and Fabiano Vieira through the interpreter last weekend, and the things that it surprised them to learn. And all of us had a chance to get to know Valdiron de Oliveira better. A translator gives the men who don't speak English well a chance to tell their story and let themselves be known.

I don't know about you, but I had a deep sense of relief after last week's broadcast. Finally, we seem to be back to bull riding, men against bulls, without caring where the men are from.

PBR Notes: San Antonio

2011-08-22T08:32:00.002-04:00

Right up through the third round, I was liking this weekend of bull riding. It just had a good feel to it. There were some nice rides and a lot of really good bulls. There was even a near-poetic save by Wendel Runyan of Josh Faircloth from the wild & brockle-faced Whiskey's Rebel. I was happy. After three weeks of decent but ho-hum bull ridings, this was a really good one.

Then it turned out to be one of those games in which everything happens in the last quarter.

Guilherme Marchi makes a last minute surge with a 90.50 ride on Back Bender to lead Shane Proctor by 2 points with two rides left.

Reese Cates rides like he's stuck to the bull and makes his fourth ride of the weekend, edging out Marchi.

Shane Proctor shakes off his Built Ford Tough slump, rides his fourth bull of the weekend, and wins the event over Cates by 1.75 points.

Silvano Alves walks away from a bad wreck with a trashed vest and hoof-shaped bruises all over his chest.

Asteroid knocks the socks off Josh Faircloth and just about everyone else with a massive out, winning high bull score over Bushwacker for the second time in a row.

And I'm a Gangster goes down and gets up three times in his effort to get Fabiano Vieira off his back. Then he goes down again.

All of this in the last ten rides of the weekend, a period of maybe 30 minutes, when everything about bull riding, the good, the sad, and the scary, played out in the arena and kind of took your breath away.

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Read more about San Antonio bull scores and pedigrees in Bulls and Bloodlines. And check out San Antonio by the Numbers to see what the facts and figures say.

San Antonio by the Numbers

2011-08-22T08:32:00.001-04:00

90 point rides: 1 (Guilherme Marchi on Back Bender)

45+ bulls: 3 (See Bulls and Bloodlines for details)

Number of bull scores under 40: 5

Reride options: 2

Muley count: 5 (Set me straight, muley counters.)

Scurs count: 1 (Okay, nearly impossible to tell with scurs.)

Clone count: 2

Number of times blacklisted phrases were used: 1 ("turfed")
Times Craig Hummer mispronounced Silvano Alves' first name: Zero (Check You've Got Mail to find out why.)

Number of times announcers and commentators referred to "The Brazilians": 4 (As opposed to about 100 on all previous broadcasts this year. Someone had a word with someone. Individual sport, individual riders. The most important thing about someone is not their nationality.)

Riders with 4 rides: 2

Riders with 3 rides: 2

Riders with 2 rides: 2

Riders with 1 ride: 14

Riders with 0 rides: 19

Riders in going into Championship Round with only one prior ride: 4

Riders placing in event top ten with only one ride: 5

Most money won: $45,026

Riders winning no money: 19

Times the chute judge yelled at riders to get out of there: I counted 7. (As opposed to 17 last week. Someone's working on this.)

Bulls with sponsorship names: 3

Bulls with names they'd get beat up for if they were in 7th grade: 7

Bulls and Bloodlines: San Antonio

2011-08-22T08:32:00.000-04:00

I don't have anything on I'm a Gangster except what was reported by the PBR, and what we saw. He went down on his front legs and then down on his rear legs twice, but kept bucking. Then he went down on his rear legs again after getting Vieira on the ground.

According to a PBR press release on Monday, veterinarian Gary Warner says that Gangster has pulled and torn ligaments in his rear left leg and possibly some nerve damage, but Robinson is reportedly "cautiously optimistic" about Gangster's return to competition by the World Finals in October.

Here's the video from PBR TV:

High Scoring Bulls (45+)

781 Asteroid - 46.50 (Circle T)
13/6 Bushwacker - 46.25 (Moreno/Oliveira)
JR070 Movin' On - 45.50 (Frontier Rodeo)

Head to head

For the second week in a row, Asteroid outscored Bushwacker.

Say what?

034 Say When's bull score: 43.75. I know he didn't spin, but okay, I say spinning is overrated! (I'd last two seconds as a judge.) I mark him 44.25.   Same deal with 59 Whiskey's Rebel (Boyd/Floyd).

Broadcast bull talk

He wasn't scheduled to be on last night, but J.W. Hart soothed the soul that was pining for bull talk.

In case you were wondering where Stubby went...

Stubby, formerly owned by D&H Page, is now known as Stanley Fatmax and is owned by Jeff Robinson. I don't know if this is a sponsorship deal or what, but Stubby got robbed.

Pedigree of the week

373 Hard Times:

Sire: Chaos
Grandsire: White Sports Coat
Granddam: Rafter 7r 71   (Houdini daughter)

Dam: Rafter 7r 65
Grandsire: Spook
Granddam: CP1 Kung Foo

Other pedigree notes

-215 Amy's Pet (Robinson) is a son of Hot Damn. His dam is a Broke Back V daughter.

034 Say When (Martinez/Hooper/Richards) is a Rapid Fire son. His dam is a Bodacious daughter.

717 Hannibal (Robinson) is a grandson of Kish's Wolfman on the sire side and Kish's Velvet Hour on the dam side.

924B Immigrant (Frontier Rodeo) and 723 Panther (Circle T) are Houdini grandsons.

606 Big Cat (Box K) is a Happy Hour son and a Grasshopper grandson.

7032 Snowstorm (Ohl/Stockton) is a Panhandle Slim grandson on the sire side.

Bull of the weekend

781 Asteroid (Circle T). Yeah, whoa.

Tulsa Numbers

2011-08-15T07:48:00.008-04:00

90 point rides: 1 (Ryan Dirteater on Shepherd Hills Trapper)

45+ bulls: 4 (See Tulsa Bull Talk for complete list)

After Party's score in the first short go: 45.25

After Party's score in the second short go: 44

Number of bull scores under 40: 5

Reride options: 8

Shortest buckoff time: 1.9 seconds (Austin Meier on Asteroid)

Closest call: 7.9 seconds (Jason O'Hearn on Jefferey Scott's Titanium Tough)

Blacklisted phrases used: Zero!

Times Craig Hummer mispronounced Silvano Alves' first name: Zero! (Check the left sidebar to find out why.)

Times anyone mentioned bull lineage: 2

Riders with 3 rides: 1

Riders with 2 rides: 3

Riders with 1 ride: 17

Riders with 0 rides: 19

Riders in going into Championship Round with only one prior ride: 5

Most money won: $40,230

Riders winning no money: 19

Times the chute judge told riders to get out of there: I counted 17.

Bulls that were called something else last week: 1

Bulls with sponsorship names: 6

Bulls with names they'd get beat up for if they were in 7th grade: 5

Bull Talk: Tulsa

2011-08-15T07:46:00.007-04:00

High Scoring Bulls (45+)

781 Asteroid - 46.50 (Circle T)

404 I'm a Gangster - 46 (Robinson)

13/6 Bushwacker - 45.50 (Moreno/Oliveira)

868 After Party - 45.25 (Circle T)

Not much broadcast bull talk

And we won't be getting J.W. Hart back any time soon, so hold your heads up, bambinos, and hang on.

Three Reindeer sons:

Bushwacker, Ransom, and Red Man. Great to see Cindy Rosser's Reindeer sons perform at the same event as their brother. Ransom bucked off Ben Jones and Elliott Jacoby had the high score of Round One on Red Man. These are great bulls to look at: Ransom looks like his dad sprinkled with brindle. Red Man is a red bull with a brockle face that echoes Bushwacker's. Not sure what the dominant gene is, but Reindeer throws a lot of white or brockle-faced calves.

Pedigree-at-a-glance

514A Bahada: Grandson of Blueberry Wine (sire side) and Sports Machine (dam side). (K & K)

61 Wine Hu: Grandson of Houdini (sire side) and Blueberry Wine (dam side). (Lightning C)

777 Misery Business: Ratjen breeding on the dam side. (Hart/Switchhouse)

Bulls of the weekend:

781 Asteroid (Circle T). He gets ranker every out and this weekend outbucked every bull in the pen. Before the event Cody Lambert said that Asteroid isn't yet at the level of Bushwacker and I'm a Gangster. I bet this weekend changed his opinion. Amazing. (See bull profile here.)

868 After Party (Circle T). This guy shines every week. Every week.

PBR Notes: Billings

2011-08-08T22:10:00.010-04:00

Three nights of bull riding and a certain amount of fatigue sets in. I feel like I'm juggling 140 bulls, five rounds, four Brazilian bull riders, and a bad-looking knee injury.

(Get well, Kody Lostroh, and best wishes.)

I also just had a cortisone shot in my left thumb, so I'm cranky and my hand hurts. That said, I will do my best.

Here are some of the week's numbers, and a few notes on the bulls. I usually set down some random thoughts, but for now I'm going to bypass the random thoughts and go stick my hand in an ice bucket.

Bull Talk: Billings

2011-08-08T22:05:00.021-04:00

High-marked bulls:

Note: Usually I just list 45+ scores, but there was only one, so here you have 44+ scores:

42 Braveheart - 45.25 (Leffew/D-M)
868 After Party - 44.75 (Circle T)
781 Asteroid - 44.75 (Circle T)
615 Slim's Ghost - 44.50 (Robinson)
861 Speckled Ivory - 44.50 (Circle T)
67 Toy Soldier - 44.25 (Circle T)
5081 Highway 12 - 44.25 (Robinson)
30 Oklahoma Star - 44.25 (C'N Stars)
Stanley FatMax - 44.25 (Robinson)
651 The Situation - 44.25 (Dakota Rodeo/Berger)
H50 Blu Emu's Hank - 44 (Robinson)
W1 Buckey - 44 (Wentz)

Commentators:

If we don't get J.W. Hart back soon to put some bull info back into the broadcast, I'm going to weep. In an event like this, with a lot of bulls many of us weren't familiar with, the lack of breeding and background information made for a long three days for those of us who tune in to watch, admire, learn about, and root for them.

Who's your daddy (or momma):

655 Cowboy Casanova (Mesa Pate) is out of a Kish bred cow (Too Legit daughter).

510P Willie Wilco (Robinson) is a grandson of Playboy Skoal on the sire side and Bodacious on the dam side.

723 Panther (Circle T) and 434 Sam T. Straight (Bobby Harrison) are both Houdini grandsons on the sire side.

868 After Party (Circle T) is straight Ratjen breeding.

Big bull:

Willie Wilco

Little bull:

Rusty Zipper

Favorite bull (don't jump on me, it's subjective):

After Party. He's not the bull that takes your breath away, but he does his job, works hard, and doesn't back down from a challenge. I could watch this bull all day and feel happy.

Runners up: Braveheart (who probably had the rankest trip of the weekend and definitely has the best name) and Asteroid.

Billings Numbers

2011-08-08T22:05:00.020-04:00

90 point rides: 1 (Valdiron de Oliveira on Speckled Ivory)

45+ bulls: 1 (Braveheart)

Braveheart's score in the first short go: 45.25

Braveheart's score in the second short go: 42

Number of bull scores under 40: 10

Reride options: 5

Shortest buckoff time: 1.8 seconds (Douglas Duncan on Braveheart)

Muley Count: I was so shocked to see that Braveheart has scurs (rather than being a muley as I used to think) that I gave up on the muley count. There were not as many as I had expected from an event in the Northwest. There was a one-horn, a horn-and-a-half, a few definite muleys, a few with scurs, and my muley confidence has been shaken.

Number of times Craig Hummer said "turfed": Zero.

Number of times Craig Hummer mispronounced Silvano Alves' first name: Dozens.

Clone count: 4

Riders with 5 rides: 3

Riders with 4 rides: 1

Riders with 3 rides: 1

Riders with 2 rides: 4

Riders with 1 ride: 20

Riders with 0 rides: 11

Most money won: $41,920

Number of riders going home empty-handed: 11

Number of times the chute judge told riders to get out of there: I didn't count. It was a lot. Next week, I'm counting.

Number of bulls that used to be called something else: 3

Number of bulls with names they'd get beat up for if they were in 7th grade: Two.

The problem with predictions

2011-08-06T17:54:00.008-04:00

The problem with predictions in bull riding is that they never pan out. Well, if you're me they don't. And frankly, the commentators don't do all that well either.

Here's an eleven-point analysis of the prediction problem.

1. Bulls. Large animals bred to get ticked off when men climb on their backs.

2. Heads, horns, hooves, and ground. Velocity. The comparative frailty of even the fittest human body.

3. Scoring. It isn't gymnastics or diving. It isn't T-ball where you get a prize just for being on the team. No ride, no score.

4. Lengthy season. Injuries add up, people get tired, and the long haul is...long. Not everyone is cut out for it.

5. The mental game. Bull riding? What could possibly psych you out about that.

6. Odds. Only in baseball and bull riding is 50% considered really good.

7. Favorites. I know at least one rider who is perfect, and I'll bet on him every time. Stupid idea.

8. Hot streaks. Everyone loves them. Desire to be on a fast-sailing ship.

9. Denial. Willingness to believe that the ship will continue to sail fast even if it is obvious to everyone else that it is sinking.

10. Trust. If you hear it on TV, it must be true. I rarely fall prey to this one. If you believe everything commentators say about riders, your brain will turn into a yo-yo. Or sludge.

11. Luck. Always a tyrant.

That's the deal. I will own up to #7-9 as something I could control and don't. The rest is just the name of the game. I vow to make no more predictions until the next time I am overcome with certainty. I made one just the other day, but I'm not saying what it was.

Thackerville: Under the Starry Skies

2011-08-01T09:48:00.014-04:00

Photo by Jimmy Maritz Photography

The summer break is over and the big show is back. The Built Ford Tough Series resumed this weekend under the starry skies of Thackerville, Oklahoma, and I was ready for it.

So here are some facts, figures, thoughts, and videos about bulls, riders, and broadcasters. Click on the titles to read them, or just scroll down the page.

Thackerville in Numbers

Random thoughts

Thackerville Bulls

Pete Farley on High Steaks

Douglas Duncan on Bushwacker

Classic and Futurity results.

Thackerville in Numbers

2011-08-01T09:47:00.009-04:00

Riders going 4 for 4: 1 (Jordan Hupp)

Riders going 3 for 4: 3 (Marchi, Alves, Dirteater)

Riders appearing in both short rounds: 9

Riders making both short round rides: 1 (Hupp)

Bulls covered: 39 out of 100 (eight were short go bulls)

Reride options: 9 (I'm pretty sure three of these were refused.)

Muleys: I saw one. But someone else told me 5 or more, and he should know because he was loading the bulls into the chutes. So I'm going by his number: 5+.

Most money won: $42,175 (Jordan Hupp)

Riders winning no money: 18

90 point rides: Zero

Highest bull score: 46.25 (Bushwacker)

Lowest bull score: 17.50 (Bono)

Black-listed phrases used: "Turfed" (twice)

Number of the week: 1 (The number Silvano Alves now occupies in the world standings.)

Random Thoughts about Thackerville

2011-08-01T08:57:00.017-04:00

Here they are. They are random. And yes, I do sometimes comment on clothing.

Jordan Hupp won the event and rode all four of his bulls, an impressive feat at any bull riding. Also on the plus side, the beige and white cowhide chaps are gone.

Ryan Dirteater rode. Like crazy. When a person comes back from the injuries he has had, you would think his confidence would have taken a hit. Apparently not. I'm not easily wowed by cowboys, but that was pretty great. Here's Keith Ryan Cartwright's audio interview with Ryan:

Five of the top ten riders going into Thackerville went 0 for 2 on the weekend: Valdiron de Oliveira, LJ Jenkins, J.B. Mauney, Shane Proctor, and Ben Jones.

Four of the current top five riders in the world are individuals who were born in Brazil and reside in Texas: Silvano Alves, Guilherme Marchi, Robson Palermo, and Valdiron de Oliveira. The other one of the five is Austin Meier. (Born in New Mexico, lives in Oklahoma.)

Silvano Alves took the #1 spot from Valdiron de Oliveira, who looks happy, and a little pudgy in the face, in a good way.

On the subject of Austin Meier, two thoughts. I had to agree with Ty Murray to a certain extent. Austin did resort to dire measures to stay on two pretty normal bulls. On the other hand, give the guy a break, and note that there he sits: in the top five for the past seventeen weeks.

Does Blue-Emu actually contain emu? (FYI, I saw a flock of emu trotting across the flats of southern Colorado once and thought I was hallucinating.)

That "This is bull riding. This is the PBR," guy is terrifying. Five-year-old bull riding fans all over America are having nightmares about that guy.

Quotes of the week:

"Looked like he could have ate a sandwich up there." Ty Murray

"Screw the form, get the horn." Austin Meier

Thackerville Bulls

2011-08-01T08:45:00.006-04:00

A few notes on this weekend's bulls.

1. I thought the Classic bulls looked sluggish, but maybe it was the dirt. In spite of that, only 14 rides on Friday.

2. Ransom gets fifth in the Classic. Reindeer son makes good. Keep your eye on him.

3. Red flanks seem to be catching on. I'm all for it.

4. Anyone else think Pure Smoke looked slow?

5. Looks like Jeff Robinson has added Haunted Hotel, High Steaks, and Stubby to his ever-growing herd.

6. Bono runs off down the arena. Ty Murray says, "That bull just saw his last Built Ford Tough experience." A little fast to banish?

Best bulls of the weekend (strictly subjective):

Asteroid and Motown Magic. Motown Magic looked massive getting rid of Chris Shivers (see video below), and Asteroid (see bull profile here) followed up his Pueblo performance with another high quality out here in Thackerville.

High-marked bulls:

13/6 Bushwacker 46.25 (Moreno/Oliveira)
70S High Steaks 45.25 (Jeff Robinson)
781 Asteroid - 45 (Circle T)
789 Bad Blake - 45 (Lightning C)
683 Motown Magic - 45 (Circle T)
705 Shaky Waters (Show Sports)

Pretty Bull:

They showed a lot of nice close-ups of him this week, so I have to say: Bushwacker. For the brockle-face.

Who's Your Daddy? - Thackerville Classic Edition

2011-07-29T09:13:00.031-04:00

Photo Courtesy of Cindy Rosser

Should be an interesting weekend: Classic event tonight, new procedures and rules, and weather to deal with on top of it.

Here are a few pedigree tidbits on some of tonight's Classic bulls.

If you have any you would like me to add, let me know.

06/7 Ransom is a Reindeer son (Naccarato breeding x AN11). The dam is Walking Freak. Cindy Rosser is the breeder and owner.

Red Man is another Reindeer son, owned by Davis/5S/Shumaker. Cindy Rosser is the breeder.

708 Delco (Hebert) is a son of Hot Stuff (Mossy Oak Mudslinger x Page 25-111. His dam is a grandaughter of CP1 Kung Fu x Spook.

269 Magic Man (Boyd/Floyd) is a Boding son, making him a Broke Back V grandson.

Black Widow (Lufkin Ranch and Rodeo) is a Spider Monkey son (thus A6 grandson).

L744 (Lufkin Ranch and Rodeo) is a Zorro son, which makes him a Doo Dad grandson.

Other Classic entries that have appeared in Who's Your Daddy previously are:

0-1 Bono is a Houdini son. On the dam side he is a grandson of Kish's Wolfman and Farris 51. (Hadley Cattle Co.)

20T Train Wreck is a Crazy Train son out of Page 25-140. On the sire side he is a grandson of Boding (who is a Broke Back V son) and Page cow 47-107 (who is a Copperhead daughter). On the dam side he is a grandson of Mossy Oak Mudslinger and Page 25-124 (a Broke Back V daughter). (Page)

TD2 Bucking Machine is a son of Sports Machine (AKA Milkman) and Page 3D2-490. He is a grandson of Washita Jr. on the sire side. On the dam side he is a Hotel California grandson. (Page)

A712 Pit Boss is a son of Blenderhead. On the dam side he is a Houdini grandson. (Ace of Spades)

789 Bad Blake is a son of Tahanta and MO 135. His dam is by Whitewater out of MO 76. (Lightning C) (MO is Rosser / Moreno)

For more on Thackerville, return to HOME.

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The Dr. Proctor Clones

2011-07-28T08:50:00.029-04:00

Doctor Proctor and one of his clones

This is about a bull named K24 Dr. Proctor and his eight identical copies.

Six of them were ordered in 2005, and two more were ordered in 2006. (If you’re not sure exactly how it’s done, here’s an overview of the process and some frequently asked questions.)

The clones are owned, in various combinations, by Gary Long, Rod Chumley, Lupe Rodriquez, and the Morrissey family. The Katich family, it should be noted, were outspoken about their opposition to the cloning of Dr. Proctor, who came from their breeding program.

Everyone acknowledges that there is some controversy about cloning in the bucking bull industry. Gary Long says that for him the decision to make the clones was more of an experiment than any desire to "stir the pot."

Long has a BS in zoology from WSU. “This is a grand experiment,” he says. It’s clear from talking with him that while he is delighted with the clones, what really excites him are the prospects of breeding a really good bull the old fashioned way, from scratch.

Long’s bull 703 Ranger Pride, for example, is a son of Raspberry Wine and the MS 20 cow, making him a grandson of Spook on the sire side and Houdini on the dam side. Ranger Pride won the ABBI Classic in Pueblo this year and is 4th in the current Classic Standings. (He has since been sidelined with a serious horn injury.)

But back to the Dr. Proctors. Do they buck like the original Doc? Mike Corey, who is hauling one called Doc Holiday (unridden in three Touring Pro outs), says that he sees the tendency. “He’s showing the same traits and mannerisms,” he says. "He seems to get ranker every time."

One of the things Corey has heard about clones is that they start out with a mental maturity that is equal to that of the original at the time he was cloned.

“Most of the time it seems like the best ones are really smart,” he says. “And they want to win.”

Rod Chumley says that he’s not sure the clones will be as good as Dr. Proctor because they haven't yet been bucked enough to prove themselves, though another of the Dr. Proctor clones, Protege, is reportedly doing well.

He also notes the differences between the environment in which the clones were raised and the environment in which Dr. Proctor was raised. The clones were raised on a ranch by their recip mothers and were accustomed to people from birth. Dr. Proctor lived wild in the mountains of Washington until he was two. (The Katich family, breeders of Dr. Proctor, Major Payne, Wild & Out, Smackdown, and others, ship their bulls to a mountain every summer where they live alone in the wild.) Chumley said that Doc was so wild when they first started working with him they could barely get him in a chute.

The clones, on the other hand, are like “big pets" and will shoulder each other aside to get the first pats and scratches from visitors.

“They come up like a bunch of puppies,” says Chumley. (Except now they can run you over.)

"Doc" and the clones at the ranch - Photos courtesy of Gary Long

People often use the word eerie, and sometimes they use the word spooky, to describe what it is like to see them, all in a group, with their identical coloring and behavior, looking and acting like the original. While the Panhandle Slim clones do not have the same spot configurations as each other or Panhandle Slim, the Dr. Proctor clones look exactly like each other.

Chumley says that he has some regrets about cloning. He also thinks that the novelty of seeing clones on the circuit will wear off. “People want something new,” he says. “That’s the beauty of breeding. When you have a really great bull, go [breed] another one.”

Regarding the issue of having clones in the gene pool, Long has no intention of breeding or collecting the clones.

Whatever you think about them, the Dr. Proctor clones have a lot to prove. Dr. Proctor was ridden only seven times in 40 BFTS outs, for a career buckoff percentage of 84.75 and an average score of 44. 476. Doctor Proctor was reserve champion bull of the year in 2006 (second to Mossy Oak Mudslinger). He was retired in 2008.

Dr. Proctor in 2008

Dr. Proctor in 2006

___________________________________________

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Heat Lightning: The summer so far

2011-07-23T21:31:00.393-04:00

Summer has finally come to my neck of the woods. Three weeks ago I was wearing sweaters and burning the last of the firewood. Now it's hello to 100 degrees, cicadas, heat lightning, and bats.

I like the cicadas, but I don't do well in the heat, the canine I live with has to be drugged during thunderstorms, and I become unhinged in the presence of bats. (Weird faces, pointy teeth, fast, silent, get in your house, I could go on.)

But I am not complaining. Summer seems to have gone on forever in the rest of the country with its heat-bitten drought and shortage of hay. In that, and other ways, it's been a hard season.

Here are a few things I will remember about this summer.

Auction madness

There were a lot of auctions and I watched as many of them as I could. I didn't buy Amy's Pet, (or try to). Jeff Robinson did, (for a song). I didn't buy Gunslinger semen, (not sure who got that, if anyone). It wasn't all that clear, really, who ended up buying what in that auction. I know more people who thought they sold something and found out that they didn't, or who thought they bought something and found out that they didn't do that, either. It was kind of a mess, a minor controversy, good for a few days of "who bought what and what the heck happened."

But I like auctions, from the auctioneer's chant (no idea what they are saying, if indeed they are saying something) to the anonymous bidding wars, and I have a list of stuff that I will buy at one, some day when I have the chance (chance = money). I won't give you the whole thing, but the Gunslinger semen is on there.

Shootout at the O.K. Corral

I can tell you with some certainty that I do not like conflict and so far this summer has had more than its share. One of the things about becoming involved in a community is that not all of its members always like each other and not all of the ones I like, do. I'm a person who wants the people I like to also like each other, but yeah, that ain't happening. I also like some hot-blooded and determined people, so there's no hope of everyone getting along. All of this to say: There are people on both sides of a certain divide who have been good to me and who I have come to care about. Makes for a confusing position at times, but there I am.

Conference call

Some people who seemed pretty good, weren't, and some people who could have done things better, didn't. Sometimes you just want to say, ah, if only you had thought about this, you would have done it differently. But then again, maybe not. There's more to say, but not here, not now.

Good people

If you are one of the many people I've talked with this summer, who've emailed or called me from out of the blue (thank you), or have taken my calls from out of the blue (on horseback, in the barn, over lunch), or answered my emails, and have given your time and knowledge, thank you so much. You've made the summer more pleasant for me and this website, and have shown me (again) that my love of this industry is based on some really nice people.

Bull riding, pure and simple

Shane Proctor won the Calgary Stampede. Reindeer's son Ransom is coming on strong. Pit Boss, Poker Face, Bad Blake, and Back Bender dominate the Classics. And in a week the Built Ford Tough series will resume in Thackerville and on Versus, and it will be time for me to write again about bull riders and rides and buckoff percentages. Compared to some of the stuff that has gone on this summer, it will be simple and basic and uncomplicated. You put a guy on a bull and watch what happens. I'm looking forward to that.

Featured Bull Calf: "Whodoo Child"

2011-06-30T10:02:00.015-04:00

This Bob Wilfong calf is a full brother to the famed +123 Voodoo Child, which makes him a son of Houdini and the renowned Wilfong BW51 cow. When they sold BW51 last year, the Wilfongs retained eight embryos, one of which became this calf. The cow you see in the photograph is his recip mom.

Voodoo Child, contender for PBR Bucking Bull of the Year in 2010, is being retired this year with a career buckoff percentage of 94.85. He was ridden only five times in 54 Built Ford Tough outs.

And speaking of siblings, Voodoo Child's half-sister made an appearance here last year with this video of her birth. This is what she looks like now:

Photos courtesy of Melanie Wilfong

To sign up to receive Featured Bulls and other posts by email, enter your email address in the box in the upper part of the sidebar. If there are any bulls you would like to see featured here, please feel free to email me.

Click here to see the first bulls in the series. To see some of the calves featured during calving season, click here.

Visit Wilfong Bucking Bulls.

Featured Bull: A67 Reindeer Dippin

2011-06-21T18:14:00.012-04:00

Photos Courtesy of Cindy Rosser

He is beloved by fans and he was feared by riders. Some called him the most athletic bull alive. He was also a bull who didn't like the lifestyle. He didn't like being around people and life on the road didn't suit him.

That didn't stop him.

His six-year career buckoff percent was 94.9. He was unridden in 2004, 2006, and 2007. And he was ridden only once in 2003, 2005, and 2008. (The 2005 ride was LJ Jenkins for 93 points. It was LJ's first year on the tour. By my calculations he was 18 at the time.)

Reindeer was officially retired at the 2008 PBR World Finals in Las Vegas. Here he is throwing Tater Porter at 4 seconds in 2007:

Cindy Rosser says that Reindeer, born in 1999, arrived with a truckload of 30 other bulls purchased from Alex Naccarato. His dam was A11, an Oscars Velvet daughter. He is Naccarato breeding on the sire side.

Now he's 11, coming 12, and Cindy says he looks great. He's easier to handle than he once was, but hasn't lost any of his spirit. A week or so ago he cracked a horn and demolished a fence fighting Hawaiian Ivory over some cows. A while before that he jumped a fence to get to some recip cows and heifers. All this in spite of having a herd of 25-30 cows all to himself.

"He likes his women," Cindy says. "He's the breedingest son of a gun."

Reindeer Sons

Bushwacker isn't the only Reindeer son making the scene these days. Of Cindy's eight registered 2007 Reindeer sons (3-4 year-olds), five of them have records with ProBullStats. According to those records, they have 35 PRCA and PBR Touring Pro outs, with only one recorded ride.

Look out for +2/7 Red Man, 06/7 Ransom, 12/7 Big Dear, -15/7 Freaky Rain, 438/7 Gizmo, and 13/7 Loco Weed.

The cost of Reindeer semen is $1,000 per straw. (Look for some in the upcoming Mike White Select Breeder's Sale.)

(Interesting note: Around half of the Reindeer offspring registered with the ABBI are listed as having white faces. He also throws more than his share of brockle-faced calves like Bushwacker.)

Check out Reindeer's Facebook page for videos and more photos of his sons in action. Visit Flying C Livestock for more on Cindy Rosser's bulls, cows, and calves.

+2/7 Red Man (Reindeer son out of Baby Brother daughter) (Shumaker)

2011 Reindeer bull calf

Mondays are "Featured Bull" days this summer. To sign up to receive Featured Bulls and other posts by email, enter your email address in the box in the upper part of the sidebar. If there are any bulls you would like to see featured here, I would love to hear from you.

Click here to see the first bulls in the series. To see some of the calves featured during calving season, click here.

Going, Going, Gone

2011-06-18T14:16:00.006-04:00

Bucking stock auctions are full of big money and big dreams. If you have the dreams but not the money, you can still follow along and feel the thrill of the chase, even if it is someone else who is doing the chasing.

While we wait for the Mike White Select Breeder's Sale coming up next week, here's a look at some of the big sellers at recent auctions:

D&H Page Bucking Bull and Female Sale

$30,000 - Page 343-343 Bad Blue daughter (Super Dave granddaughter on sire side), pasture exposed to 10-5 Crosswired, with 2011 heifer calf sired by Savage Shaker or Flyin Train (Lot 174)

$20,000 - 1/2 interest in Page 08 (Showtime son) (Lot 1)

$15,000 - 1/2 interest in Page x28 (Showtime son) (Lot 2)

$26,000 - 1/2 interest in Page x118 (Crosswired son) (Lot 3)

$17,750 - 1/2 interest in Page 4x (Best Shot son) (Lot 7)

$28,000- 1/2 interest in Page 133x (Best Shot son) (Lot 8)

$23,000 - 1/2 interest in Page 154x (Page 47 son , Playboy Skoal grandson on sire side, Stray Kitty grandson on dam side) (Lot 11)

$19,500 - 1/2 interest in Page 162x (Showtime son) (Lot 12)

$19,000 - Page T9 Yellow Jacket daughter (Mossy Oak Mudslinger granddaughter on dam side) with 2011 heifer calf sired by Showtime (Lot 125)

$10,500 - Page 633 - Crossfire Hurricane daughter (Roughwater granddaughter on dam side) with 2011 bull calf sire by Savage Shaker or Flyin Train (Lot 136)

Cliff Wiggins Dispersal Sale

$50,050.00 - 12U - 3yr Old Bucking Bull (194 Smooth Moove x Crossfire Hurrican daughter)

$16,500.00 - U48 - 3yr Old Bucking Bull (3 In Law Grandson)

$11,500.00 - 21U - 3yr Old Bucking Bull (194 Smooth Moove x Crossfire Hurricane daughter

Featured Bull: 190 Cash Prize

2011-06-13T08:16:00.022-04:00

Photos and videos courtesy of Lance Bloyd

What do you look for in a herd sire?

You might look for a bull from one of the strongest and oldest bloodlines in the industry. You might look for one who had a superstar sire and grandsire and one who was destined for stardom himself.

Cash Prize (born 2001) was the 2005 ABBI 3rd Place Classic Bull of the Year. (After S5 Stray Kitty and 13 Big Deal.) He was a 2005-2006 NFR bull before suffering a career-ending stifle injury in 2007.

He was ridden 3 times in 33 attempts for an average score of 22.41 and a buckoff percentage of 90.91 and is ranked #64 all time on ProBullStats.

Breeding on the sire side:

His sire is 301 Copenhagen Cash. Retired at age 13, Cash was one of the rankest and longest bucking bulls of all time.

Grandsire: Mr. T (Burns breeding)
Granddam: "Cash's mother" (Kish Breeding)

On the dam side:

Dam: Kish 642 (also the dam to Kish's Dirty Deal)

Grandsire: Too Legit
Granddam: Kish breeding

(Point of interest: Copenhagen Cash semen goes for $10,000 a straw. Too Legit semen goes for $20,000 a straw.)

Lance Bloyd of Bloyd Bucking Bulls, whose herd features Kish genetics, purchased Cash Prize from B.J. and Tara Tolman in 2010. He says:

"Cash Prize walks with a limp and drags his right leg behind him a bit [due to the injury that ended his career]. Don Kish bred cows to him in 2008. There are only two 2009 bulls sired by him. We are sure excited about his sons and daughters contributing to the genetic makeup of our herd in the coming years.

He'll be our herd sire until he can no longer breed. Then he'll be put out to pasture to live out his days. A bull of his stature deserves to live out his life. He'll be buried on our property under a big pecan tree in the pasture with the cows."

These are two of his 2011 calves (bull on the right, heifer on the left):

Other featured bulls:

Mondays are "Featured Bull" days this summer. To sign up to receive Featured Bulls and other posts by email, enter your email address in the box in the upper part of the sidebar. If there are any bulls you would like to see featured here, I would love to hear from you.

Click here to see the first bulls in the series. To see some of the calves featured during calving season, click here.

Photo of the Week

2011-06-10T08:33:00.001-04:00

Reindeer and his running buddy Werewolf.

Photo courtesy of Cindy Rosser.