This is gonna take some ‘splainin’ to you folks from foreign states.  Texas natives can skip over the next few paragraphs while I get folks caught up.

In Texas, when you want to say someone is smart, you say, “That boy is as smart as a Rice upperclassman with a 50 pound dictionary.”  Rice University is the nerd and geek capital of Texas.  Those folks are smart.  Their mascot is an owl, which ought to tell you something.

Rice University has a football team, of sorts.  They also have a halftime band.  An amazing halftime band.  It’s not official, and pretty much anybody who ever went to Rice and owns a musical instrument and a Blues Brothers outfit can be part of the Marching Owl Band.  The MOB.

To be honest, they only know a couple of songs, which can kinda be irritating if you’re sitting next to them at a home game.  I know that for a fact.  But, their half time shows are world famous for their humor.  Also, they deeply enjoy picking on Texas A&M (which stands for Agricultural and Mechanical) University.  At one Aggie game, the MOB had to be escorted off the field by police.

Rice played the University of Texas this weekend.  That’s a historic match-up.  In 1962, John F. Kennedy spoke at Rice stadium and gave his put a man on the  moon speech.  My Momma took me to see it and it changed my life.  Anyway, John Kennedy used a joke to make his point, “But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain. Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?”

So, when Rice played Texas this weekend, the MOB used that mutual rivalry of both schools for  A&M to make a point about a famous A&M grad, Rick Perry.

Take it away, MOB —-

Thanks to Sandy for the heads up.  And a mild apology to Dr. Gary at A&M, who, he assures me,  did not teach Rick Perry.