Looking ahead...

The point I want to make is that there are two ways that Valdiron, Lostroh and Mike Lee can catch up: they can just dominate the last six events and Marchi struggle or get hurt.

If Marchi stays healthy is his going to be tough to beat.

The other way they can do it is if one of them has just an out-of-this-world Finals and Marchi bucks off every one of his bulls. Of course, there is a third scenario and that would be somebody winning three of the last six events and then not win everything at the Finals, but have a really good showing and finish in the top three or four.

For any of those scenarios to work out Marchi has got to start bucking off. That's the only chance they have. I mean, he has a huge lead.

We did see him buck off three in a row around Phoenix, but as we've seen time and time again the other guys just did not capitalize on it.

Here's something that will put it into perspective for most people: Marchi has a 3,958.25-point lead over Valdiron. Ross Coleman is ranked No. 11 in the world and he barely has 5,000 points for the whole season.

It's taken Ross 26 events – and he's had a good season – to gather 5,000 points. That's how big of a lead Marchi has.

Put it this way, Travis Briscoe and Sean Willingham, those guys at 8 and 9 and even Mike White at 10, they're Top 10 guys, well, double they're points for the season and they would still be trailing Marchi for the season.

Imagine that. Double their points and they're still trailing him.

The thing that we missed on TV this past weekend is that Marchi tied the record – 57 – for the most bulls ridden in a season. He still has six events and the World Finals to demolish the bulls ridden category.

We can sum up this whole situation by saying that if Marchi stays healthy they can't catch him. If just rides a few bulls here and there they will have to have the greatest stretch run anybody's ever had... ever.

In the meantime, man, it's nice to see McBride and Marchi duel it out every week. We really needed that. Those two guys are just so head-and-shoulders above everybody else. There's just no comparison.

A few thoughts regarding the Class of 2008

Now, of course, I'm partial to Ryan Dirteater because he's from northeast Oklahoma and I've been hearing about him for awhile, and just as likeable a guy as you'll ever be around.

He's going to be a star because not only can he ride bulls good, but he's good on camera when you interview him. People are going to take to him like grandma's apple pie. They're going to love him.

He's ridden around here his whole childhood and people used to say, "There's this Indian kid that's going to make it." Of course, you hear that a lot, but when I get to hearing it all the time about one person I get thinking, "Yeah, that might actually happen."

And it did.

I think I said it last weekend that this class is deeper than any class we've ever had. Now that doesn't mean there are going to be more superstars, but it is definitely deep and all of those guys have potential.

Those top 6 six in the race for the Daisy Rookie of the Year all have potential. Now, of course, it's a long way from the rookie race to winning a world title and being a superstar.

Every year there's one or two guys that you say could maybe be a World Champion – maybe one or two guys – but depending on whether or not they step it up the list of candidates for that is deeper than we've ever had.