I have been home for a day now, and the PBR Finals are still etched in my mind. What a fabulous job the PBR did with this event. Each year it just gets better, and it went over the top in 2008. This year’s Finals gave us more 90 point rides than any other, and I would say a big reason for that is the draft.
Both cowboys and fans really seemed to like this new concept. It gives the riders a chance to cover that unrideable bull, or a bull that has gotten the best of him one time or another. There is also the added incentive to put up a score, since the higher he places in the event each day the earlier he can pick his bull.
Of course there is the 2008 PBR World Champion, Guilherme Marchi. Finally, he made it! And it was great. But this is a good time to mention a little bit about some of the bad things that were being circulated on the net about Marchi. He was being criticized for picking what some said were softer bulls so as to more easily solidify his chance of winning the Championship. Well, he made no bones about that. He said from the beginning that he would pick bulls he felt he could ride. He lost the title three years in a row, and didn’t want to see it slip through his fingers yet again.
For those critics, let me point out that throughout the season, Marchi had ridden almost 80% of his bulls, an amazing percentage, to be sure. He was the most dominate bull rider of the year, and he didn’t get there by playing it safe all season. He is the Champion; there is no doubt about that.
And how about some of those rides we saw? J.B. Mauney was on fire for the first four rounds. He scored a 92.25 in round one, 93.50 in round two, a ‘mere’ 87.75 in round three, and a huge 93.75 in the fourth round, (which was the highest score awarded in these Finals), winning rounds one, two, and four. He also was one of only three to ride his bull in the short-go, and won that as well. He finished second in the World Standings to Marchi.
Justin McBride, who announced his retirement just a few short weeks ago, also had a good Final. He won rounds six and seven with big scores as well; a 91.75 and 93.50. McBride, the richest bull rider in the history of the PBR, will be sorely missed in the arena, but he said that he would be broadcasting between 10 and 15 events next season, alongside his buddy, J.W. Hart. This will be fun, because the two of them really play off each other well, and certainly have a lot of knowledge to pass on to us.
Young Reese Cates, who was the 2008 Daisy Rookie of the Year, rode six of his eight bulls. This was a really good effort, but not as good as he would have liked. He acknowledged that riding six was better than a lot of the men did, but he did not like it that he bucked off of two bulls. Look for many more good things from Cates.
In all, there were 37 rides in these Finals that were 90 points or better. And these points were not given out just because the judges felt generous. The bulls bucked, the men rode. Each athlete gave it their all, and it certainly provided us with some really good watching.
Let’s speak about those bulls for a moment. The bull that ended up 2008 Bucking Bull of the Year, Bones, owned by Tom Teague, was given big numbers twice. He scored an even 47 in round two, bucking off McBride. Then, in the Championship Round, he topped that with a 47.25, bucking off Marchi in the process. Naccarato Bucking Bulls own All In, and he was given a 47 score in the short-go. He bucked off Aaron Roy. And the great Troubadour, owned by Julio Moreno Bucking Bulls, earned a 47.25, also in the short round. He bucked off Chris Shivers. There were also many scores of 46 or better. It just proves how strong the breeding program is, and how much of an influence the ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) is.
There cannot be enough said about the Dickies Dura Bullfighters. “Awesome” Frank Newsome, Joe Baumgartner, Shane “Mad Dog” Simpson, and Shorty Gorham were doing their job flawlessly, as usual. In the second round however, Baumgartner suffered a fracture-dislocation of his right ankle after being stepped on by the bull Spit Fire. The dislocation was reduced, but the fracture required surgery.
He was replaced by young Canadian Jesse Bryne, who did one hell of a job. He made a great move to help a hung-up Zack Brown in round seven. All four of these men worked together as a well oiled machine. They could never be paid enough money for all that they do, as far as I’m concerned.
The final day was a special one, and not just because of the great rides we were privileged to see. It started off early, with the National Anthem, actually. One member of the duo of Nuttin’ But Stringz, Damien Escobar, played the Anthem on his violin, with no other accompaniment. About halfway through it, a couple of voices could be heard. The voices multiplied, and by the time the end of our Anthem came, it sounded as if the entire crowd, full house mind you, were singing as one. To anyone who is at all patriotic, this was a wonderful moment, and those around me were commenting on that as well.
And of course, three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes’ last appearance as a bull rider. He needed to ride his bull in the last round to make it to the short-go. But, as so often happens in life, things did go as they should. After bucking off, he tossed his mouthpiece to the ground, and crying, held his arms to the crowd, who were on their feet. Moments later, and after he had left the arena and sat down, still in tears, he was approached by Donna Brothers of NBC. All he could say was “I’m going to miss it. I’m a bull rider. I’m going to miss it.” He then walked off, still crying. Even though those in attendance did not see this short segment, almost everyone else in the packed house was crying also.
But he does not leave this sport abandoned. There are many young guns to try to break his record one day. Cates, Ryan McConnel, Robson Palermo, Pistol Robinson, Renato Nunes, Ryan Dirteater. The future of the PBR looks bright.
So a big thank you to the PBR and all those who helped to make this event, and all of the others throughout the year, a good one. I can’t wait for the next season to start, so I might again watch good athletes, both human and animal, do what they do best. I look forward to seeing the friends I have met along the way once again.
Matt Breneman photos.
Be safe and God Bless,
Viva La Raza,
Barb.
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