Post by CThrash13 on Sept 15, 2008 11:03:31 GMT -5
First off, it will be nice to have the PBR nearly every week until the PBR World Finals. The summer break is definitely over, and we are on the home stretch toward the Finals!
Here are a few observations I took in after Grand Rapids.
Marchi's Recent Struggles
Since the World Cup, the world number one has struggled a little with consistency. I know he finished ok in Nashville a couple weeks ago, but he definitely hasn't been himself lately. I'm not sure if the World Cup struggles hurt his confidence any, or the pressure of finishing on top this season may be starting to set in. His lead in the points race is still nearly unsurmountable, but he will need to get things together in the next few weeks to keep it that way. If any of the guys in the top five win a couple events over the next month or so, that lead won't be so large heading into Vegas. And we all know what can happen there.
Have you seen the recent struggles from Marchi, and if so, what do you attribute them to?
New Bulls at the Top
There seems to be an influx of short-go bulls over the past few months. Some of the top animal athletes like Big Bucks, Scene of the Crash, etc. are being replaced by bulls such as Jacob's Pet, King Solomon, etc. Some older favorites such as Copperhead Slinger were there, but it seems as though there were more unknowns than usual. That has been the case quite a bit over the summer.
Looking back at my predictions for Bull of the Year last December, my top five were Big Bucks, Cochise, Troubador, Chicken on a Chain, and Versus Blackout. Others narrowly on the outside of that list were White Magic, Scene of the Crash, and Copperhead Slinger. When it comes down to it, only Troubador, Chicken on a Chain, and Copperhead Slinger have been mainstays in the short-go this season. I haven't heard anything about Cochise or Versus Blackout in quite some time. It's not necessarily a bad thing because there are a lot of great bulls, but it's still a head scratcher nonetheless.
Has anyone else noticed a changing of the guard in the bull division this season. It happens every year a little, but it seems more noticeable this time around.
Rookie of the Year Race
The Rookie of the Year race is starting to heat up, and it looks like it may come down to Reese Cates and Pistol Robinson. They have gone back and forth in the standings a little recently, and it should be exciting to see who comes out on top.
Also, on a side note, does it seem like this year's rookie class is a little weaker at the top than usual? I don't want to take anything away from any rookies, but there doesn't seem to be any "Kody Lostrohs" or "J.B. Mauneys" in this year's class. The sky is still the limit for guys like Cates and Robinson, but it doesn't seem like they have made quite the impace other top rookies have made in recent seasons.
What is everyone else's take on this year's rookie class and Rookie of the Year race?
Final Say
I'll stop there and save some other stuff for other threads. But as always, feel free to start some discussion about these topics. This place needs some fresh stuff, so let's get the ball rollin' in the right direction again.
I'll probably just start posting my stuff here at the board instead of the blog. We might as well try to keep things in one place instead of all over the place.
Thanks for reading.
Here are a few observations I took in after Grand Rapids.
Marchi's Recent Struggles
Since the World Cup, the world number one has struggled a little with consistency. I know he finished ok in Nashville a couple weeks ago, but he definitely hasn't been himself lately. I'm not sure if the World Cup struggles hurt his confidence any, or the pressure of finishing on top this season may be starting to set in. His lead in the points race is still nearly unsurmountable, but he will need to get things together in the next few weeks to keep it that way. If any of the guys in the top five win a couple events over the next month or so, that lead won't be so large heading into Vegas. And we all know what can happen there.
Have you seen the recent struggles from Marchi, and if so, what do you attribute them to?
New Bulls at the Top
There seems to be an influx of short-go bulls over the past few months. Some of the top animal athletes like Big Bucks, Scene of the Crash, etc. are being replaced by bulls such as Jacob's Pet, King Solomon, etc. Some older favorites such as Copperhead Slinger were there, but it seems as though there were more unknowns than usual. That has been the case quite a bit over the summer.
Looking back at my predictions for Bull of the Year last December, my top five were Big Bucks, Cochise, Troubador, Chicken on a Chain, and Versus Blackout. Others narrowly on the outside of that list were White Magic, Scene of the Crash, and Copperhead Slinger. When it comes down to it, only Troubador, Chicken on a Chain, and Copperhead Slinger have been mainstays in the short-go this season. I haven't heard anything about Cochise or Versus Blackout in quite some time. It's not necessarily a bad thing because there are a lot of great bulls, but it's still a head scratcher nonetheless.
Has anyone else noticed a changing of the guard in the bull division this season. It happens every year a little, but it seems more noticeable this time around.
Rookie of the Year Race
The Rookie of the Year race is starting to heat up, and it looks like it may come down to Reese Cates and Pistol Robinson. They have gone back and forth in the standings a little recently, and it should be exciting to see who comes out on top.
Also, on a side note, does it seem like this year's rookie class is a little weaker at the top than usual? I don't want to take anything away from any rookies, but there doesn't seem to be any "Kody Lostrohs" or "J.B. Mauneys" in this year's class. The sky is still the limit for guys like Cates and Robinson, but it doesn't seem like they have made quite the impace other top rookies have made in recent seasons.
What is everyone else's take on this year's rookie class and Rookie of the Year race?
Final Say
I'll stop there and save some other stuff for other threads. But as always, feel free to start some discussion about these topics. This place needs some fresh stuff, so let's get the ball rollin' in the right direction again.
I'll probably just start posting my stuff here at the board instead of the blog. We might as well try to keep things in one place instead of all over the place.
Thanks for reading.