What’s in a name?

by "Big Joe" Lombardi 

Cup O' Joe 

Well, my name has a big dose of Italian, while my wife’s moniker is loaded with German and yes, she loves schnitzel, but I can’t stand spaghetti, probably the only Italiano you’ll ever meet that doesn’t like the old country’s signature dish.

Now that we’ve covered the Lombardi-Hoffpauir partnership, some other names come to mind, like those carried by sports teams and some are, to say the least, unique.

Over 44 years and seven weeks of covering Copperas Cove Bulldawg athletics, I’ve seen Cove take on a bunch of those. 

To wit: Killeen Kangaroos, Harker Heights Knights, Permian Panthers, Carroll Dragons, Lake Travis Cavaliers, Longview Lobos and others.

Some we missed playing were the Flower Mound Marcus Marauders, Lewisville Fighting Farmers, Mesquite Skeeters, Ft. Bend Hightower Hurricanes and Galveston Ball Golden Tornadoes.

Naturally, we’ve seen our share of Tigers, Lions, Eagles and many other popular mascots, even another Buldog or two, but no, we›ve never played the Frost Polar Bears.

Tonight, we’ll add what I consider a highly different name and the most unique of all..the Hutto Hippos.

Hutto’s Hippos, named after a huge animal that lives in the rivers and waterholes of Africa and is so rough and ready that crocodiles won’t mess with them, is a newcomer to District 12-6A and almost took down league-leading Temple last week, prompting a Wildcat coach to say Hutto is the district’s best team.

On the other hand, Bulldawg head coach Tony Johnson will take a group of battled-hardened athletes that don’t know the meaning of the word quit into this contest.  Cove came oh so close to getting by Midway seven nights ago, but as Vince Lombardi (no relation) used to say, “The clock ran out while the other team had more points.”

That’s the name in this game, isn’t it?

Go Dawgs!