GLENDALE, Ariz. (March 16, 2010) - It’s a ride L.J. Jenkins won’t forget.
Sunday afternoon, with the fifth pick in the short go draft, Jenkins chose Voodoo Child for the second time in three events. The 22-year-old had also been unsuccessful on him last November during the 2009 PBR World Finals.
But the third time proved to be the charm.
The subtext, though, is about the opportunity Aaron Roy gave Jenkins to make up a four-point difference in the average.
Roy came into final round of the two-day event in first place. But with the first pick in the championship round draft, he passed over Voodoo Child for RMEF Bugle.
“You have all different guys, all different situations, and all different scenarios,” said Ty Murray, in his weekly audio blog. “That’s one thing about the draft: Every time we do have a draft, it’s usually under a different set of circumstances and a different scenario for each of the guys.”
Afterward, Roy admitted he had contemplated selecting Voodoo Child, but left him for Jenkins.
He added that when it comes to the first pick in the championship round, “You gotta pick one you know you can ride.”
Roy went on to score 89.5 points, while Jenkins posted 94 and edged Roy by just half a point in the overall average. It was the difference between first and second - between $28,643.40 and $15,870.40.
“That’s just another one of the elements behind the draft,” Murray said.“The draft allows you to get to know your favorite riders better, or say a rider that you may not like as much. The draft might be a reason you don’t like a rider or that you love a rider.”
During the 20-minute interview, which can be accessed by logging onto www.pbr.tv and selecting the Podcast tab on the left-hand column, Murray went on to explain that the draft allows fans, fellow riders and others to see firsthand the strategies, tendencies, approaches and personalities of all 40 of the top riders in the world.
While some might think Roy made a “smart pick,” others will think “he played it too safe.”
“For me, I enjoy watching the guys who want to go for it,” Murray said. “I enjoy watching the guys who have the confidence in themselves and they want to go for first, and they would rather take the chance of coming up short trying to win than live and suffer through the consequences of playing it safe and not winning.”
Murray also touched on Adriano Moraes’ decision not to include Renato Nunes on this year’s roster for the upcoming World Cup.
“I’m still really surprised,” Murray said, “blown away.”
Murray noted that Nunes is the highest ranked Brazilian rider in the world standings who is still competing on the Built Ford Tough Series.
Nunes is ranked fifth, and although Valdiron de Oliveira is ranked second, he is out of the competition with an injury to his shoulder.
“I don’t know some of the other guys that Adriano picked,” Murray said, “but I know in the world of elite professional bull riding, that right now, they’re not doing better than Renato.
“I’m not sure of the reasons behind why Renato’s not on the team. I have no clue.”
The nine-time World Champion closed out this week’s audio blog by talking about Monday’s announcement that the PBR was nominated for Professional Sports League of the Year by the 2010 Sports Business Awards presented by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily.
Other nominees in the Professional Sports League category are Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Football League.
According to a press release, the 2010 Sports Business Awards recognize excellence and outstanding achievement in the business of sports for the period from January 1, 2009, through February 28, 2010.
NEWS and NOTES
Shouldering a big decision: As of Monday night, Kody Lostroh hadn’t made a decision on whether he’ll pursue a non-operative treatment for his dislocated shoulder or have it (along with his left elbow) surgically repaired. In fact, in a short text message, Lostroh wrote, “Haven’t been able to get it looked at yet.”
PBR NOW on RFD-TV: Hosted by J.W. Hart and Justin McBride, “PBR NOW” is a weekly live one-hour TV series that airs every Thursday on RFD-TV at 10 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to call in with questions at 866-547-9696, or email them to pbr@rfdtv.com.
Event Center: Follow all the action from this week’s BFTS event in Fresno, Calif., by logging on to www.pbr.com and entering the “Event Center,” which is accessible from the tab located at the top of the main Web page. The Event Center provides live scoring, live blogging and event-related Podcasts and interviews.
