Bohls: Save Muny or lose a rich piece of Austin history, legacy and tradition

While I got ya, here are nine things and one crazy prediction:

1. Get 'er done, Austin and UT. Do the right thing.

Money for Muny: Had a blast at the Save Muny fundraiser Sunday night at ACL at Moody Center that brought in more than $1 million from auctioned items like a Masters trip (including dinner with Ben Crenshaw’s caddy, Carl Jackson, and BBQ king Ed Clements), an Aspen getaway for 20 and Crenshaw’s Ryder Cup cart from the 1999 win at Brookline, which went for $85,000 with one of the 100 specially designed shirts by Ben and wife Julie thrown in. The money goes to the Muny Conservancy that has worked tirelessly to preserve the historic, almost 100-year-old Lions Municipal Golf Course and keep it away from bulldozers. Crenshaw, who learned how to putt alongside long-time manager Scotty Sayers on those greens some 60 years ago, appealed to the throngs for support. “We cannot lose this place,” the two-time Masters champion said. … Sayers, co-chair with Crenshaw of Save Muny Conservancy, is hugely optimistic that Muny will be preserved, all 141 acres of it in its current form and rightfully needs to be. Why? Because it is a civil rights landmark as one of the first courses in the South to allow Black golfers to play when two Muny caddies decided they’d get in 18, even before Brown vs. Board of Education. It also represents valuable urban greenspace. Lots of oak trees. It provides affordable golf for all Austinites for as low as $30 a round. It is a huge fabric of old Austin that must be retained. Ben Hogan and Sandra Haynie played there. Can you imagine the traffic gridlock if condos and boutique stores crop up so close to the waterfront? How many more reasons does one need?

“We want to make sure it continues to be affordable to everyone all over the city,” Sayers said. “The new mayor (Kirk Watson) is an advocate for Save Muny. I think it will be determined in the next six months.” Favorably, we pray, and not as the future home of a Domain South. Angela Akins-Garcia also learned how to play as a junior golfer at Muny and works with her husband, Sergio, with outreach for local juniors here. “Lion’s gave everybody an opportunity to play.” And she does mean everybody at the oldest public golf course in Austin. The land is part of the 345-acre Brackenridge tract owned by the University of Texas, which leases it to the city at $500,000 a year. Some at the school might want to sell off the land for millions — it was once valued at up to $100 million not that long ago — and take away sacred ground where generations of kids have learned to play golf. I’m told UT has been cooperative. Moreover, Muny is part of the rich history that makes Austin what it is, and we can’t afford to lose it. A poll conducted by Baselice & Associates in October with mailouts to more than 15,000 in town learned that 85% “strongly support” keeping Muny, Sayers said. “This will be self-sustaining as a conservancy. I’m very confident at this point and think we’re in really good shape. We need to create a win-win situation for everybody.” Get ‘er done, UT and Austin. Do the right thing.

2. Texas says goodbye to Red McCombs

A Kingsize void: Red McCombs’ passing on Monday leaves a gaping hole among the mega-boosters who have passionately followed Longhorns sports the last 40 years. McCombs follows the death of other big-time benefactors and influencers like lawyer icon Joe Jamail and oil magnates Tex Moncrief and Jim Bob Moffett. “Red was unique and had as big a heart as it can get,” his friend and former UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds said. “He always had an opinion. Not many people around like Red and Joe. The first time I met him was when I needed to ask him for advice and took about 10 people down there in our leadership group. I called Red and said, ‘Come teach us how to market.' He came and spent a day with us.” … I knew Red for the last 40 years of his life; he was a valued and trusted source, and few did as much as he did for higher education, donating $50 million to the university to the business school that now bears his name as well as the pristine softball stadium bearing his name and his late wife Charline’s. “If I ever had a problem with Red, I called Charline and that got it straightened out,” Dodds said. … Red was a friend to many a Longhorns coach, none more so than Mack Brown or Rick Barnes. “We know how fond he was of Texas and was so generous,” interim men's basketball coach Rodney Terry said. “He was an incredible ambassador for UT athletics.” … Red was a giant of a man who left an indelible mark as a pro sports owner, philanthropist and one helluva true Texan. … He was always candid and colorful as well, once saying “Texas has more money than the Vatican.” Others may remember his disparaging, politically incorrect comment about Charlie Strong when he said Strong might make a good coordinator but wasn’t qualified to be the head coach at Texas. He later apologized, and meant it. While Strong was fired after three consecutive losing seasons, I do not think Red intended for his words to be degrading in any way other than his coaching ability. He wasn’t shy about wanting Jon Gruden to be the Longhorns’ coach and was a bit peeved when he wasn’t consulted more. Red McCombs, a Texas giant.

Bohls: Gyasi Zardes brings a big energy boost and offensive firepower to Austin

3. Texas and the SEC: ain't bragging if it's a fact

SEC just means … arrogant: Dodds applauded Texas' move to the SEC, saying, “It’s good. Absolutely it will be. The travel will be different, and I think our fans will enjoy those teams being in our stadium. You almost have to win the championship of the SEC to get to a national championship.” Dodds recalls how the SEC always wanted Texas as a member. “It wasn’t a big push, but it was always there if we wanted to,” he said. … Several Texas coaches said Monday they welcome the move, knowing full well how deep and competitive that league is. Or “abrasively competitive,” track and field coach Edrick Floréal said. Ain't bragging if it's fact. Asked his first reaction to the news that the move will happen in the summer of 2024, Floréal said, “Bring a bulletproof vest. When I moved from the Pac-12 (Stanford) to the SEC (Kentucky), wooo, it was a serious wakeup call. It was a different level of abrasiveness. Better get a Kevlar jacket. It’s a different league. Coaches are different. There’s egos. Some people have large egos and arrogance, but I think it’s cool to go there.” … Carol Capitani, whose UT women swimmers and divers host the Big 12 championships this week, knows exactly how strong the SEC is, having spent 14 years at Georgia as an assistant or associate head coach. “It’s a much different environment there. I don’t know if I could say the Big 12 is friendly, but I’d say there’s a lot more competition and less friendly in the SEC. … There are four or five really solid teams there. Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia. All will be in the top five nationally. But last year at nationals, we were the highest-scoring team out of the Big 12 and SEC. It was fun to be runner-up (to the ACC’s Virginia). Our goal as a program is part of a vision to always earn a trophy (top four at NCAAs get trophies). We’re going for a trophy, but I don’t know what color it is.” … Even the mild-mannered Eddie Reese is trying to end a long two-year drought since the last of his 15 national championships in 2021. His men were the NCAA runner-ups for an incredible 13th time last spring, falling short of Cal. His fire burns bright, but he said he sees less hatred or animosity among rival swimmers “because we’ve gone beyond that era where you hate the other team.” But, Eddie, what about the Horns Down? “We had a rival do that to us 40 years ago,” he said. “I told my team, ‘That’s all they’ve got. We go to a great school, and we have great success. They have none of that.’ … The last two years in a row (when Texas has won the Director’s Cup) we’ve been obnoxiously good. I think 50% of our teams were first or second in the country.”

4. Another year, another season of swimming dominance

In the pool: As for on the track and in the pool, all three of the above teams generally approach the Big 12 championships as a tuneup for the nationals. Carson Foster figures to lead the men’s team to Texas’ 27th consecutive league swimming title this week. “Carson’s like top five in 10 different events,” Reese said. “He’s the personification of whatever college is. He’s always going to overdo it.” … Reese raves about miler David Johnston, who during the pandemic stayed in shape by swimming in someone’s backyard pool 25 yards long, and he swam 80,000 yards from mid-March to mid-August. "Nobody has ever done that. That’s about 30,000 yards more than most swimmers go. He’s picked to win the mile, and he might.” … He also cites Luke Hobson, who broke Michael Phelps’ age-group record by four seconds. "He’s going to score a lot of points. He’s come further in his events than anybody in the country.” … Capitani will rely heaving on Kelly Pash, who “has really blown up. Kelly really leads with her heart.”

Golden: Texas women rout West Virginia before a small break

5. Don't mess with a good thing, NCAA

Shot clock violation: There’s some sentiment to bring the 24-second shot clock to the college game, reducing the time allotment per possession from 30 seconds. Personally I don’t care for the change because it will unnecessarily speed up the game and allow for less strategy with slower-developing styles. Terry said any such change “wouldn’t really affect us moving forward because we work at such an up-tempo pace already. But it would force some who like a slower pace to go faster.”

6. Time to hang up Dress' No. 10 for good

Dressed for the part: Texas announced that on March 25 it is retiring the No. 10 jersey of pitcher Kirk Dressendorfer, one of just five three-time All-Americans in school history and the ninth player to have his number so honored. I’d rank Dress — one of my all-time favorite Longhorns athletes — as the No. 3 best pitcher ever behind only Burt Hooton and Greg Swindell. And one of the classiest, too. He went 45-8 and won about a dozen of those with an excruciatingly painful back. Hats off to you, Dress.

7. This goal-line play isn't that Philly special

Ban the Tush Push: You might expect a rule change around the goal line in the NFL next season. The Philadelphia Eagles unveiled their popular style of quarterback sneak — the Tush Push, it’s been called — with a moving pile winding up in the end zone. Jalen Hurts converted 36 of 40 sneak attempts this past season. While the play has been legal since 2005, the NFL's former top referee thinks it should be examined by the league. “I’d be shocked if they don’t make a change,’’ former NFL vice-president of officiating Dean Blandino said. The play sure seems to violate the spirit of the rule.

More: Longhorn baseball drops all three games to start the season

8. Where are you?

Scattershooting: While wondering whatever happened to the enigmatic Dallas Cowboy Duane Thomas.

9. Meanwhile, from the greatest seat in the universe ...

On the couch: My wife and I really like “Dear Edward,” a riveting AppleTV+ series starring "Friday Night Lights" alumna Connie Britton, a tale of grief and the aftermath for the family victims of a plane crash that left one 12-year-old boy as the lone survivor. Gave it 7½ ducks.

10. The Wolff of Q2

Crazy prediction: Midfielder Owen Wolff, at 18, will be a breakout star for Austin FC this season.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Save Muny or lose a rich piece of Austin's history