There has been a lot of speculation as to whether UTEP football coach Mike Price should be fired or retire at the end of the season so I thought I’d better consult my crystal ball.
As usual, it was obnoxious as ever when I took it out of its drawer. “What do you want now?” it growled. “This isn’t prediction time.”
I ignored it and said, “I’d like your thoughts on the future of UTEP football coach Mike Price. He’s on the hot seat right now.”
It picked right up, sat up like some kind of big shot and harrumphed. “Well, let’s see now.” (I told you it was obnoxious).
THE CRYSTAL ball said, “I think if Price retires at the end of this season it’s okay but if he’s fired it would be totally unfair. Firing him any other year is one thing, but not after what he went through this season. In fact, it would be like throwing someone to the lions and then saying it was his fault for being eaten up by the lions.
“Price was handed an impossible schedule this season. I doubt if Vince Lombardi could have done any better. There was no way the Miners were going to beat Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Mississippi. Then came a tough East Carolina team away from home.
“Then there was SMU. So-called experts favored the Miners but, ahem, I knew it wasn’t going to happen. SMU has suddenly blossomed into a big-time school. It has so much money it’s rebuilt its school and is headed to the Big East Conference. It even recruited a first-tier quarterback.
“Then came powerful Tulsa away from home. No way the Miners could win that one on a Thursday with just a few days to prepare.”
THE CRYSTAL ball cleared its throat and continued, “I’m telling you, the fact coach Price kept his team competitive through all that was a miracle. Better stated, it was a heck of a good coaching job. He beat the two schools he could compete against at home. As for losing to Houston last week, well, that was away from home and the Miners never gave up.
“I would advice UTEP powers-that-be to treat coach Price with the respect he deserves and if they want to get rid of him at the end of this season they should convince him to retire with a healthy bonus or some such incentive. Anything else would be totally unfair.”
I said “Thanks” to my crystal ball, picked it up and gently put it back in its drawer. It had given me plenty to think about.
TRIVIA QUESTION: The Detroit Tigers, who ousted the New York Yankees from the playoffs this year, won the 1968 World Series with the help of two Hall of Famers. Can you name them? Answer at end.
ONE OF THE best local golf tournaments of the season is coming up. It’s the El Paso Association of Builders-Painted Dunes Sun Country PGA Pro-am on Nov. 12. What makes it so appealing is that players are teamed up with one of the top 24 Sun Country pros. It’s also part of the Inn of the Mountain Gods trophy series. Entries are limited to 24 teams so if you’d like to join you’d better contact Painted Dunes at 821-2122 or the builders at 778-5387 by Monday (Nov. 5), says builders executive veep Ray Adauto.
GOOD IDEA Department: Cathedral High School alumni are thinking of forming a school hall of fame. The idea came following all the publicity concerning Joe Shepard’s book about Cathedral’s 1949 city championship football team and Jim Wardy.
ANSWER to trivia question: Al Kaline and Eddie Mathews.
12 Nov