February 14, 2001:

I just got back from St. Louis, where we had the seventh PBR Bud Light Cup event of the 2001 season. It was as tough a bull riding as I’ve ever seen. In fact, I haven’t seen a round like Sunday’s short round since the second round of the 1999 PBR Finals, when I was 95.5 points on Red Wolf and won third.

Gilbert Carrillo won the short round in St. Louis with 96 points on Herrington Cattle Company’s Perfect Storm. Chris Shivers and I were both 93.5 points, and split second. Chris got on Terry Williams’ Panhandle Slim, and I rode Herrington Cattle Company’s previously unridden Blueberry Wine. Chad Herrington bet on his bull, so I was glad to see him lose that one. Like I teased him on my TNN interview, I don’t know how a guy that rich can be that dumb.
I tore some cartilage away from one of my right ribs straining to get off my first bull, Logan and Williams’ Boomer Bob, and I was so sore Sunday morning I could hardly get out of bed. (Dr.) Tandy Freeman injected the area for the short round, but I’m questionable for this weekend in Anaheim. It’ll depend how it’s healing, and I’ll base my decision on what Tandy tells me after he evaluates me there.

I was 89 points on Boomer Bob and 89 again on Terry Williams’ Smoke Ring in the second round. With 271.5 points on three bulls I ended up winning second in the average (Chris won it) and almost $16,000. I’ve now won $43,147 at the Bud Light Cups this year.

When I was in Tampa, Florida for the Bud Light Cup there the third week in January, the PBR had a joint press conference with boxing great Roy Jones Jr. I presented Roy a Bodacious calf that Chad Herrington donated for his birthday. Roy’s record is 40-1, and he’s the undisputed world light heavyweight boxing champion. He’ll be defending his title Feb. 24 in Tampa against Derrick Harmon. Roy’s also interested in becoming a PBR stock contractor someday, so he’s got a good head start on that.

I’m filming a couple TV shows in L.A. this week. On Saturday and Sunday, we’re taping an upcoming episode of the HBO show “ARLI$$,” which is a comedy about a sports agent. Every sport’s most famous athletes, from Michael Jordan to Tiger Woods, John Elway and Troy Aikman to Roy Jones have been on the show, so it’s a real honor for me to get to play myself on it.

On Thursday morning, we’ll be taping for an “X Show” that’ll air on Fox’s FX channel March 5. The “X Show” is a late-night comedy show geared toward men, so that should be fun, too.

Well, that’s it for now.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

What’s down the road:
Watch for the Ty Murray Invitational presented by Isleta Casino and Resort, coming March 23-24 to Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, N.M.