Review: The Eyes of Texas 2007

Maple Street Press has released "Eyes of Texas 2007, edited by Burnt Orange Nation's Peter Bean. It's a relatively short book, only 112 pages, but it is chock full of stuff about Texas Longhorns football.  Bean pulls together some great writers to provide the content for the book. In a short space, "Eyes of Texas 2007" covers a wide range of topics, including:

• 2007 Orientation - a look at the upcoming 2007 season, including an overview of the team from Peter Bean, a preview of Texas'  opponents, incoming recruits, and a review of the 2006 season.
• Longhorn Program Analysis - a look at Texas' overall program. Here we find an interview with Texas' new defensive coordinator, a review of offensive coordinators during the Mack Brown era, a tour of the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry,
• Great Moments in Longhorn Football History-  includes the history of Darrell K Royal stadium, the Longhorn-Aggie Rivalry, a review of the 1969 and 2005 national championship teams, and Longhorns in the NFL.

The collect of authors in  "Eyes of Texas 2007" is outstanding, including Peter Bean, who holds his own against seasoned professionals such as Dallas Morning News' Chip Brown and the Houston Chronicles' John P. Lopez. Bloggers Matt Hinton (Sunday Morning Quarterback), T. Kyle King (Dawg Sports), Michael Bean (Behind the Steel Curtain), and Orson Swindle (EDSBS) show their stuff quite well, with Hinton's "Know Thy Enemy" piece previewing Texas upcoming opponents being as good or better as anything you'll find in a pre-season article online or in print.

The 'Program Analysis' section is the marquee section of the book. Geoff Ketchum's piece on how Mack Brown's recruiting prowess is funny and very informative while being burnt-orange flavored. Orson Swindle's article on the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry is most excellent, making the mere mention of Vince Young a hilarity. Chip Brown's article on Colt McCoy makes you want to cheer for him even though you may hate the Longhorns.

The book ends with the "Longhorns Footballoholics Welcome" written by Cory "54b" Davies, a one-page bit on how to cope with the off-season.

Maple Street Press has hit on something with this book. Not only does it combine some excellent writing from some great bloggers and season professionals, but at a price of just over ten bucks (Amazon), it's an excellent alternative (or supplement) to pre-season magazines. We should hope that MSP has a lot of success with this type of book and expands it to other teams in the near future. For ten bucks, spare yourself a few beers and pick up the book. It's an excellent value for Longhorn fans.

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