When I was a kid I used to love watching reruns of old "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." episodes. I always got a kick out of hearing him say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise..."
Ironically, surprises have never been a part of my life and as an adult I've actually learned to expect the unexpected.
So I was relieved that one of the most important lessons I've learned since covering the PBR is to never be surprised.
I wasn't the least bit surprised a few weeks ago when Justin McBride returned to the Built Ford Tough Series after a six-month layoff only to win his second event of the season. After all, he expects to win and that's why he's a two-time World Champion.
I wasn't even surprised yesterday when Dr. Tandy Freeman told me that in spite of the severity of Brian Canter's injuries after being kicked in the back of the head last weekend that, if all goes as planned, he is only expected to be out for three-to-six weeks.
Such is the cowboy way when it comes to bull riding.
This weekend many of you will turn on Versus and watch last week's event that took place in Glendale, Ariz., and you'll watch as second-year pro Clayton Williams wins the first BFTS event of his career.
What you may or may not have noticed – before reading this blog – is that the Carthage, Texas native is no longer wearing an elbow brace. I know I didn't realize it until the other night when Reese Cates mentioned it to me in a conversation.
Knowing how bad Clayton's elbow was bothering earlier this year when he won the Challenger Finals event in Oklahoma City and thinking there might be a story about his elbow healing, naturally, I called Clayton first thing in the morning.
Turns out he took it off prior to the Tulsa event.
I wasn't surprised, however, to find out that his elbow isn't any better than it was in Oklahoma City when he won more $500,000. In fact, he still can't even straighten his arm.
Until now he's been having the medical staff wrap his elbow before each event and then putting on the brace for added support.
Clayton admits that there has been more than a few times this season when he's bucked off and wanted to blame his unsuccessful outing on having to wear that cumbersome brace, but he knows better.
"My elbow has never been a factor," he said, "in the whole scheme of things."
Nevertheless, bull riding is more mental then it is physical and, in all honesty, going without that brace is one less thing to think about when he climbs inside the bucking chute.
The brace was big, bulky, restrictive and, more importantly, although it didn't physically affect his riding it got on his nerves.
So, for now, he'll only wrap his arm when he's competing at a BFTS event but, for the time being, he'll continue wearing the brace if he's riding in a lower level event.
As for the surgery he needs in order to reattach the torn ligaments, well, at best, Clayton said that, much like this year, if he can win enough money early enough in the 2009 season to qualify for the World Finals he'll go ahead and have the surgery, which calls for a six-month rehab period.
Otherwise, don't be surprised, if he just continues the status quo, especially since his description of the injury is that "it's not like I can't make it any worse."
In fact, I was looking at a calendar trying to figure out when the best time was for him to sit out six months when I said it looks like he'll have to wait another ten years until his career is over. His response – "That would be ideal. It's not too far fetched and it could happen." – gave me the impression it's an option he's seriously considering.
I was only joking and he obviously wasn't.
Nevertheless, I wasn't surprised.
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