Texas Tidbits: Beer

The National Beer of Texas

Great taste or less filling? That is a question that has plagued the residents of Texas for over 170 years. That's right, today we are going to look at the history of beer in Texas. The appearance of beer in Texas followed the influx of a great number of German immigrants, who just so happened to have been in the business of brewing beer for hundreds of years before coming to Texas. These immigrants came from a country, Germany, that had followed strict beer-brewing regulations for over 300 years, thanks to the German Beer Purity Law of 1516, "or the "Bavarian Purity Law" in English, is a regulation concerning the production of beer in Germany. In the original text, the only ingredients that could be used in the production of beer were water, barley, and hops. The law has since been repealed but many German and American beers, for marketing purposes, continue to declare that they abide by the rule, in an attempt to convince customers that only the three permissible ingredients are used (although technically all modern commercial breweries in Germany add a fourth ingredient, yeast)." Thanks to Wikipedia for that citation.

The Grandfather of at least one very famous Texan started his own brewery in 1855. Charles Nimitz, grandpa to Chester W. Nimitz, bought a hotel in Fredericksburg, built his own brewery and beer became a major part of social life in Texas. Such lumiaries as Robert E. Lee, Rutherforb B. Hayes and Ulysses S. Grant thought this was a great idea and so what is considered by many to be the beginning of beer in Texas.

Scholz's Garden in Austin has been making beer for Capital city residents since 1866. Pearl Beer, based on an old German beer recipe, came along in 1885 and in 1909 German and Czech farmers near the town of Shiner, started making Shiner and Shiner Bock beers in 1909 and still use the same recipe over 100 years later. And let us not forget the National Beer of Texas, Lone Star Beer, which is still a big seller in Texas and around the country.

The Super Bowl is just a couple of weeks away and beer will flow like water over Niagra Falls all over Texas on that day. It might be a good time to expand your beer-drinking horizons for the Super Bowl Sunday and have a Shiner or two. Has long has it been since you've a had an ice cold Lone Star? That's too long. At any rate, beer has been a big deal in Texas for coming up on 200 years, so it's just natural that after a hard day's work, during a friendly poker game or sittin' back with some friends and family watching the Super Bowl, that a couple of good frosty ones will be a part of the occasion.

Texas Tidbits: NFL Playoffs and a Dodger

Champion

Today in the NFL, two teams will be going to the Super Bowl, while the losing teams start planning for next season. On the schedule for today are Green Bay and Chicago playing at Soldier Field in Chi-town for the NFC Title while in the AFC, the New York Jets, fresh off a big win on the road at New England will be playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, lucky that the Baltimore Ravens folded like a cheap suit in the second half last week, in the Steel City. My picks: Green Bay's offense is hitting on all cylinders heading into Chicago, so I am going with the Pack in this one. The Jets beat up the Patriots, specifically Tom Brady, and came up big when they needed it. The Steelers are the better team, but I'm picking the J-E-T-S to pull off a big upset here. Book it. The Packers and Jets will square off in Dallas for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl  XLV, with Green Bay winning its 13th World Championship.

Because Toby said so.

Since we are talking about the NFL, the Super Bowl and the fact that the game will be played in Cowboys' Stadium, I want to remind you of a man who was a Heisman Trophy Winner and a Super Bowl Champion. This man took the Dallas Cowboys to five Super Bowls, winning two of them and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. Ladies and gentlemen, from the United States Naval Academy, Number 12, Roger "The Dodger" Staubach! In spite of the fact that I grew up in a suburb of Dallas, I have never been a Cowboys fan, but I have long-admired the excellence they took to field of play. I can think of no one that better epitomizes commitment to excellence and the drive and determination that it takes to be a Champion than Roger Staubach. Want to know what makes a winner? Staubach led his team to 23 game-winning drives (15 comebacks) in the fourth quarter, with 17 of these coming in the last two minutes.(from Wikipedia) That is what makes a winner. Winners make plays in the Big Game  that will forever live in the minds of fans and players. Plays so miraculous that they are labeled with Holy names. Hail Mary, anyone? All the accolades and awards staubach won during his football career are mere knick knacks when compared to praise like this: ""Roger Staubach might be the best combination of a passer, an athlete and a leader ever to play in the NFL".The source of that quote? A man who should know about such things. Thomas Wade Landry. Who could argue with that?

Texas Tidbits: Icky, Harold and Mrs. Baird

Icky Twerp***

I wrote in this post that I had been thinking of some of the stuff in Texas that was a part of my childhood. Having traveled around the country, there's one thing that I can't believe that's not a national product. It's the best in it's class as far as I'm concerned and since the business has been around for over 100 years, it appears that the company has been doing something right. And it's still made in Fort Worth, Texas. The product of which I speak is Mrs. Baird's Bread. That's right, dammit! Mrs. Baird's Bread! I saw Vernon Baird and other Baird brothers doing TV commercials for their bread so often., I felt like I was one of the Baird Family! Somebody ship me loaf! Quick! When I was less than three years old, my Dad worked at the Baird's Bakery on the West Freeway in Fort Worth for a while before becoming a truck driver. Ah, the memories.

I know many of my friends in the Metroplex will say "Oh, yeah!" when I mention this next guy. Harold Taft. Harold was a weather man for Channel 5 in Fort Worth for about 100 years. He was there when the call letters were WBAP-TV. Ole Harold knew how to do a weathercast so even a kid, like me, could understand it. I remember the old weather gauges he had to work with. They looked like some cheap ass clock you'd see in a school room or at Family Dollar. But, dammit, Harold made it interesting with those relics. Mr.Taft was slicker than greased owl shit on a glass door knob. He was The Man. God bless his soul.

I've got three words for you that'll make you come up out of your chair. Slam Bang Theater. For those unfamiliar with Slam bang Theater, it was a kids show that played The Three Stooges, Felix the Cat, Popeye and assorted other kids programming. It came on at 7:00am on weekdays. The show was hosted by Icky Twerp and his sidekicks, Ajax and Delphineum. Every kid who lived in the Metroplex in 60's watched this show at least once, more likely hundreds of times. It was great TV. I couldn't just put up one link and do the show justice, so I'll put up the entire results page of a "bing" search right here. Better yet, hit this link to YouTube and have a laugh with Icky and the Gang.

I hope you liked the journey back through time to a simpler life for kids, where Icky, Felix, Popeye, Harold and Mrs. Baird were not just people on TV, they were a part of our families. And today, like so many members of our real life families, they are gone, but never forgotten.

***photo from ickytwerp.net)***

Texas Tidbits: Of Pink Cadillacs and Cosmetics

For One of These, I'd Sell Cosmetics, too

I was sitting around the house thinking of some of the things back home in Texas that I haven't seen in coon's age. I haven't been home in over six years, so I'm sure I'm missing plenty. But I was thinking of things from my childhood. Things like those pink Cadillacs that the Mary Kay representatives used to drive. I guess they still drive 'em, even though Ms. Ash died almost a decade ago. Seeing those flamingos on wheels was always a treat for me as a little boy. Why? I don't know, other than the Mary Kay people, I reckon there weren't too many pink Caddies roaming the streets of Dallas-Fort Worth in the early to mid-1960's.

Mary Kay Ash was the brains behind the Mary Kay cosmetics empire. Ms. Ash worked in direct sales for year before retiring for a whole month in 1963. She took her last $5000 and created her company as a means for women to get into the male-dominated business world. She must have done something right. As of 2008, Mary Kay employed over 1.7 million sales consultants around the world in 37 countries and sales of over $2.2 billion. Ms. Ash's Wikipedia entry says, "Both during her life and posthumously, Ash received numerous honors

from business groups, including the Horatio Alger Award. Ash was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1996. A long-time fundraiser for charities, she founded the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation

 

to raise money to combat domestic violence and cancers affecting women. Ash served as Mary Kay Cosmetics' chairman until 1987, when she was named Chairman Emeritus. She remained active in the company until suffering a stroke in 1996. Richard Rogers was named CEO of Mary Kay Inc. in 2001. At the time of Ash's death, Mary Kay Cosmetics had over 800,000 representatives in 37 countries, with total annual sales over $2 billion at retail.  Mary Kay herself was honored as leading female entrepreneur in American history."

To me, the thing that was the cornerstone of her business empire was her simple philosophy of God first, family second and career third." A perfect example of the K.I.S.S. Theory, Keep It Simple Stupid. Applied liberally, the K.I.S.S. Theory is a brilliant policy for any business person. But, no one put to better use than a lovely woman and a kind soul, Mary Kay Ash.

Texas Tidbits: More Funny Town Names!

One of the most popular and fun topics to write about on Three States Plus One is odd or funny town names. I looked through the blog archives, and it has been since October 22, 2010 that we did such a post. The topic had frankly skipped my mind until yesterday when I was checking out some "hubs" (web pages) on a site called HubPages. I ran across HubPages about nine months ago when I read about it on another site named MakeUseOf. Anyway, I joined HubPages with the intent of doing some writing and blogging within that community. I started posting on HubPages about a week ago, and my articles have gotten some nice reviews. Plus, the other "hubbers" (those who write and post on the site) seems to be a good group of people with more than their fair share of smarts because they give my stuff good reviews.  :)  But seriously folks....While perusing the works of some of the other hubbers, I ran across a writer with the handle of KCC Big Country who had done a post on HubPages similar to the ones I did on this blog here, here, here and here.
A couple of Texas town names that KCC Big Country found inclded Alligator located in Bell County and Bee House in Coryell County.

KCC Big Country put a lot more effort into her post than I did mine and she came up with some bee-yutes. Since she did all the leg work, I wan tot send her some page hits for a job well done. The particular page to which I am referring is located here. There are some classic small town names. While you're over at HubPages, look for my contributions by searching for "FishFearMe". One more thing, post a comment on KCC Big Country's "hub" and let her know that you found out about it here.

Texas Tidbits; The Ryan Express

Nolan Ryan beats the hell out of Robin Ventura

Any Texan that is a sports fan knows to whom the nickname "The Ryan Express" refers. Folks, we are talking about one of the most amazing athletes of our time. The records he set during his baseball career are beyond reach for probably another 50 years, if not unbreakable. From a skinny kid born in Refugio, Texas to the most dominating pitcher in the history of baseball, Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. is in a class of one. Here's a short list of the records Nolan Ryan set during his 27 year Major League career:

• Most strikeouts, lifetime: 5714
  
• Longest service: 27 years
  
• Most no-hitters, career: 7
  
• Most strikeouts, season: 383 (AL, 1973)
  
• Most seasons, 200+ strikeouts: 15
  
• Most seasons, 300+ strikeouts: 6
  
• Most consecutive strikouts, game: 8
  
• Most low-hit (0/1 hit) games, career: 16
  
• Most low-hit (0/1 hit) games, season: 3 (1973)
  
• Most walks, career: 2795
  
• Most seasons leading majors, walks: 8
  
• Most strikouts per 9 innings, season: 11.48
  
• Most strikouts per 9 innings, career: 9.57 (as of 1990)
  
• Fewest hits allowed per 9 innings, season: 5.26 (1972)
  
• Fewest hits allowed per 9 innings, career: 6.41 (as of 1990)
  
• Oldest to pitch a no-hitter: 44 (5/1/91)
  
• Fastest pitch (as listed in the Guiness Book Of World Records): 101.9 MPH

I was lucky enough to have seen Nolan Ryan pitch on several occasions, for both the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. When Ryan took the mound, some opposing players who feared his 100mph fast ball, suddenly contracted various ailments like "a tight hamstring" or "food poisining", that would keep them out of the lineup that day. Ryan was fearleass and was to be feared. To watch a Major League Baseball player's knees buckle and his face contort when The Express forsook his bullet-like fast ball to throw a curve ball that literally broke about 18 inches, was a thing beauty.

Nolan Ryan was a fierce competitor. That competitive nature plus a 100mph fastball induced fear into many opposing hitters, often prompting temper tantrums that would challenge any two year old. On one occasion, Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox was yet another strike out victim of Ryan's, when all of the sudden, for some inexplicable reason, Ventura charged the mound to confront The Express. Ventura was about 25 or so and Nolan was in his mid-forties, if I recall correctly.  Bad. Move. Robin. The Old Man kicked his ass. Instant baseball classic and the stuff of which legends are made. Not that Nolan Ryan needed any help in the legend department.

Before you move on, take another look at the records that Nolan Ryan holds. The numbers are simply astounding. Ryan retired long ago, and is now President/Owner of the Texas Rangers, but left behind the kind of legacy that only extraordinary athletes can. And believe you me, Nolan Ryan was an athlete that comes along once in a lifetime, maybe two lifetimes. Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. Baseball Hall of Famer, Texan, Legend.

Confederate Heroes Day, Part 2 - Southern Heritage as Seen Through the Eyes of a Black Woman

Earlier this morning I put up a post telling us about Confederate Heroes Day, which is celebrated in Texas each year on January 19. I laid out some facts that some people (read: Liberals and non-Southerners) might take issue with. However, they can not disprove them! I had my turn, now let's hear from some folks who are light years ahead of me when it comes to knowledge of the Civil War and its attendant issues.

The Confederate States of America

I found a lady that wrote a piece for a website called Southern Heritage 411.com . Elizabeth Wright is a black woman who is proud of her Confederate Heritage and a few years ago, put her thoughts to paper.                                          
Beating Up on the Confederacy
"Do Only The Feelings of Blacks Count?", October 16, 2007
by Elizabeth Wright

'On April 9, 1998, Virginia's Governor James Gilmore proclaimed April as Confederate History Month. This action immediately drew angry protests from the blacks who, each year, organize to prevent just such a proclamation. King Salim Khalfani, of the NAACP's Virginia State Conference, claimed that his organization was "not pleased that April once again will commemorate Confederate History and Heritage Month."

His statement put in a nutshell the goal of the civil rights establishment. That goal is to eradicate all symbols of the Confederate past once celebrated by most Southern white Americans.

In his declaration, Governor Gilmore denounced slavery as a practice that "deprived African-Americans of their God-given inalienable rights."

That's a great start to addressing an issue that Ms.Wright from a point of view that is completely opposite of the view held by the overwhelming majority of black people. Just espousing the beliefs she does, so diametrically opposed to the views of so many of her fellow blacks, could put her in some rather uncomfortable circumstances. You'll see what I am talking about when you read the rest of this incredible article. The entire thing can be found here.