How 'bout them Cowboys

Bet you thought this was going to be about the Dallas Cowboys, didn’t you? Think again, Cowboy. The subject here is my grandson, Brandon.

Remember that name: Brandon Cook. If that isn’t a wide receiver’s name I don’t know one iota about football. Better change that, that’s a football player’s name, because I can’t be sure he’s going to make a wide receiver. That’s the name of a star, be it at RB or WR or DB.

He’s just nine-years-old, but he has all the signs of being a star. Speed, moves, want-to, desire … you know, all those intangibles.

He already has his mom and dad on his side, too. He’s re-decorated his room, from the floor to the ceiling. I mean Karen’s re-painted the walls to match the Dallas Cowboys, he’s got a Cowboys bed spread and, best of all, he keeps his bed made, or, at least, he had it made when I went by there last weekend. He has a photo of Tony Romo, who just happens to have the most famous pinky finger in the NFL these days. Karen even put a framed picture of Troy Aikman, which, uh, hm, I was fortunate enough to get autographed for her, on the wall for him.

She painted the walls silver and blue, separated by a neat Cowboys border made from , of all things, a tablecloth! She cut it in strips along the logos and adhered it to the wall with starch! She get’s that creative gene from her mother. And his dad is a football coach, so he’ll always have a family member around to teach him the finer points of the game.

We’ve bought him some accessories for Christmas, which I think he’ll really enjoy, and I have a few things from my days as a sportswriter covering the Cowboys. He’s become a football fan and I don’t mean just the Cowboys, either. He knows I am a big OU Sooners fan and the day they lost to the Texas Longhorns, Brandon called me near the end of the game to see how I was taking it (the Sooners’ losing, I mean.) Cynthia talked to him after the game and he wanted to know if I was having a fit! Can you image that? Me……have a fit? I wrote it off because Brandon ’s dad is a big ’Horns fan and I just figured he had put Brandon up to it. No, said Paul, that was Brandon ’s doing. So, I guess we’ve got a little smart alec in the family. That’s good. He’s interested in the game.

Now, if he can just keep that interest and attitude alive and maintain a cool head about him. If he is able to take losing in stride, because he may not always be on a winning team, he’ll be just fine.