‘The year has definitely started far from what I expected’

Well, the year has definitely started far from what I expected. Obviously if you've logged onto www.pbrnow.com with the incentive of reading my blog you've realized that I got cut along with some of the great names like Clayton Williams, L.J. Jenkins, Brian Canter, Colby Yates, Pistol Robinson, Dustin Hall and Aaron Roy, just to name a few.

There are some top-name guys who made the short round at the 2008 PBR World Finals that got cut. It just goes to show you that when you're hot you're hot and you're not you're definitely not.

This new system that PBR has come up with, where they're cutting back to 40 riders instead of 45, well, usually they cut 10 and now this first time they're having to cut 15 so if you're not in the Top 30 you're not going to be on tour anymore.

As I went into Dallas I was sitting 30th so I would have been all right, but I slapped my first bull and got a no score on my second one. I ended up 32nd and I was on the cutline.

It sucks.

I have to say that the drive home Sunday night was the worst drive or flight that I've ever had to make, and it was only three hours from my house.

It's definitely heartbreaking and I would have never imagined it. Once you get to the Built Ford Tough Series it's something you work for your whole life and you never imagine leaving there, but, I guess, it's something that everyone has to deal with.

I was sitting in the locker room kind of disgusted with myself and Kody Lostroh said, "I just realized that after I won Rookie of the Year, I got cut the first cut the next year too." And now he's sitting second in the world.

That was supposed to make me feel a little bit better, but it didn't. Maybe in the long run it will.

Now it's back to the Challenger events, and I can definitely say that right now it's the biggest letdown of my career. From the time I started riding bulls this really is the biggest letdown. I don't have an injury and there was no amount of time I had to sit out and miss events.

It sucks this bad because I have no excuses for not making the cut. It's just my performances that failed me.

Most of all, I have to say that it's embarrassing. I had my whole entire family in Dallas watching me ride and not only did I not perform very well in Dallas, but the whole first five events of the season I didn't perform very well.

The thing I hate most about it is that I haven't been riding that bad. I slapped a couple bulls that got me no score, I've made two short rounds and I had one bull that fell down with me that I didn't get a re-ride with, and I still haven't quite figured that one out.

I'm not having a great year by any standards, but I'm not riding very bad and that just goes to show you that you're going to have to be riding at the top of your game each and every night to stay in the Top 40.

I know it's a letdown to the fans. It's a letdown to my family. Most of all, it's a letdown to myself.

But, hopefully, within a couple of events I'll be back and definitely have a new fire about me. This will definitely keep me from sitting on the couch and not doing anything about my bull riding from now on.

A world title for 2009 is definitely not out of sight, but it might have to be a dramatic come-from-behind victory. It's what I'm shooting for.