California Dreamin'

The Sizzle of Summer has far from faded here in Southern California. We 'locals' know that when the calendar turns to September and October, the true heat waves roll in. Look no further than this past weekend in Ontario. You could 'feel the burn' as my daughter and i drove (oh yes, glorious to DRIVE to work) inland roughly 60 miles to the '909' and felt first hand what it's like to stand right next to an oven! The mercury measured 110 degrees on the ride out, and forget that whole 'Yeah, but it's a DRY HEAT' mentality, it was stinkin' HOT!

As for the PBR's finest who descended on Ontario as well, they showed few ill-effects of the rising temps. In particular, Kody Lostroh caught fire and cranked up the heat on the competition, winning his 5th event of the year, and once again distancing himself from his closest challengers.

Our job on TV is to present the 'possibilities' of what could happen in the closing weeks of the season...Kody adeptly, and somewhat exasperatedly, emphatically declared this weekend that he could give a 'rat's behind' about what the commentators say, that his JOB is to ride bulls, and that's what he enjoys doing. Here, here.

If every rider cared as LITTLE about what was SAID, and more about what they did, it would be a much tighter Title Race. You have to hand it to Kody- he doesn't like the limelight, he disdains the distractions that come with his success, and yet, at every instance he has come close to relinquishing his lead in the standings, he finds a way to answer his rivals and his critics. I admire that.

California's real estate is some of the most expensive around, but Lostroh might want to make a down payment on some property- he's won THREE times this year in the Golden State. His wins in Fresno, Anaheim, and now Ontario have provided the backbone for his season's success. Kody admitted after his win last night that he is finally riding up to the potential that he, and his fans, have felt he has possessed all along. It's far from over, but his 'potential' could blossom into a BUCKLE in a few weeks time.