15 JAN 06: THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN

Saturday night marked the finale of the "PBR Columbus Invitational" - a weekend of professional bull riding. Every time this comes to town, I wonder why they don't have a division for politicians on bulls.

But this weekend of bull riding had a big difference. Seven bulls broke out of their holding pen Friday night, and started roaming around South Commons. But apparently someone told these animals about Columbus - because none of them dared to wander over to the Booker T. Washington Apartments late at night.

(Then again, maybe these bulls weren't that smart after all. This is a part of the country where people hear "barbecue," and automatically think pork.)

Columbus Police were called to bring the loose animals under control. But for some reason, WRBL's Chris Sweigart was NOT called - and he's been "running with the bulls" longer than almost anyone in Columbus.

The seven bulls eventually were corralled - but in the process, a Columbus police cruiser was rammed and damaged. Apparently there's no room in the police budget for big pickup trucks, to take on these animals.

(If the police doesn't have pickups for occasions like this, it should prove once and for all Columbus is NOT a cowtown.)

The Columbus Civic Center staff may have felt a bit embarrassed by this. They scheduled pro bull riding for this weekend, and monster trucks to appear next weekend - but they should have put these two events on consecutive nights.

If you haven't seen professional bull riding, it has only one element of a classic rodeo. Cowboys only have to stay atop a jumping bull for eight seconds - and that's why Columbus had an "invitational" event. Anyone who had a good week at a country bar might have tried to enter.

(Yes, I said ONLY have to stay on a bull eight seconds. Compare those cowboys with motocross racers, who have to stay on for 20 laps or more - AND go forward as fast as they can.)

While pro bull riding can be fun to watch, I still think these cowboys should do more to earn their money:

+ Steer wrestling. It's a good rodeo competition - and folks in Columbus REALLY like wrestling, you know.

+ Calf roping - well, correct that. Animal rights groups might protest. Cowgirl roping might look a lot more interesting, anyway.

+ Bareback riding. This assumes, of course, the Columbus Vice Squad will approve.

+ Barrel racing - only put rodeo clowns IN the barrels, so they move around.

BLOG UPDATE: A Friday drive down South Lumpkin Road found those "new day is dawning" banners for Columbus South ARE indeed hanging in a few places. We'll have to wait, to see how many of them wind up in the barracks of rowdy Fort Benning soldiers.

Now let's check other items from a busy holiday weekend:

+ Large crowds attended the Martin Luther King Day parade in Columbus - then walked down the street to the big Health and Fitness Expo, to learn for free whether they'd caught the flu by standing outside in the cold.

+ An executive with the New Horizons center told WRBL Columbus Police are too tough on homeless people around Second Avenue. He raises a very good point. How about being just as tough on Veterans Parkway, or South Lumpkin Road?

+ An attorney for suspended Auburn police officer Tyrone White claimed authorities illegally searched White's home, and seized a knife with Ku Klux Klan markings on it. On the surface, this sound troubling - but he never said the searchers seized any bed sheets.

+ WLGA's "Street TV" showed the address for Money Boy Records as being on "Cusset Road." Nothing helps that "street cred" quite like being unable to spell....

+ Alabama went on the road and beat Kentucky 68-64 in men's college basketball. First Vanderbilt wins in Lexington -- now Alabama! If the Wildcats keep playing like this, coach Tubby Smith is going to get fit and start playing.

+ Former Brookstone High School player Mack Strong had a 32-yard run, in Seattle's N.F.L. playoff win over Washington. Mack may have Strong legs, but Shaun Alexander's concussion showed he does NOT have a strong head.

+ I had a dream about being inside a pavilion in Dothan, perhaps at the National Peanut Festival grounds - and there was arena football going on, with REAL grass indoors. The Chattahoochee Valley Vipers had better sell a LOT of season tickets....

+ Instant Message to Joy at AC Fitness in Auburn: I saw you on TV. Twice. Closely. I'll buy dinner. Anywhere. Really. Even if it's low-fat. (Sigh!)

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-06 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.