Texas Tech football Coach Kliff Kingsbury gets his share of fan mail, but a letter he received from an Arkansas fan in the Dallas/Fort Worth area may have topped them all.
Pam Robles wrote a tongue-in-cheek letter to the coach explaining how they first "met" (she saw him on TV stepping off a team bus before a game) and how he had accompanied her at various sporting events, gone dancing and traveled to Las Vegas.
The main reason Robles sent the letter was because "this whirlwind romance has to end." Here are the reasons she cited:
• "You [Kingsbury] are too good looking.
• "I'm an introvert and you're an extrovert. I love social get-togethers as much as the next person, but every weekend? Babe, that's too much. Some weekends I just want to sit at home in your T-shirt watching Top Chef while eating homemade lasagna I made from scratch, because I'm not even sure if you can cook.
• "I [probably] cannot handle being a coach's wife.
• "Our kids would be too good looking. It's really not fair to the world. Heaven forbid we have a daughter! You wouldn't let her out of your sight.
• "We don't share the same hobbies. Some things I can overlook, but I cannot disregard the fact that I will always be more excited than you about X-Men and Avengers films, and Mortal Combat." Mortal Combat is a martial arts video game.
• "Technically I am married and I have two kids.
• "In my heart, I am a Razorback. Woo pig sooie."
The letter, which ended with a post script asking if she could stay with Kingsbury when the Razorbacks play the Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas, next month, was accompanied by a photo of Robles and a compact disc of 1990s R&B songs that Robles said she works out to.
Kingsbury seemed to take the break up well, sending Robles an autographed picture thanking her for the memories and a card that was complimentary of her message and its delivery method.
"That was by far the best note I have received since taking this job," Kingsbury's card read. "It breaks my heart that our romance has come to an end, but I will always have a special place in my heart for you."
The card and the photo were both signed, "Guns up! Kliff."
Solo tackle
Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles missed last Sunday's exhibition game against the Carolina Panthers because he slipped on a grassy slope carrying his belongings out of the team's camp dorms, injuring his foot.
"Apparently Charles needs a little more work as a downhill runner," Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times wrote.
They said it
• Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, after Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred said he has "very big shoes to fill" in replacing Bud Selig: "Awkward! Apparently Manfred mistakenly believed he had been voted to become the next Phillie Phanatic."
• New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, to ESPN.com, on his two celebratory goalpost dunks that drew 15-yard penalties: "I just love the game ... I feel like a little kid out there. And sometimes I act like it."
• Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald, on comments made during the Mid-American Conference's football media days: "A player said he's looking forward to '48 minutes of tough football' every game. Either the guy forgot a game is 60 minutes, or Randy Moss discovered some leftover eligibility."
Sports quiz
Which NFL team drafted Kliff Kingsbury and in which round was he taken?
Answer
Kingsbury was taken in the 6th round (201st overall pick) of the 2003 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He also spent time with the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
Sports on 08/22/2014