Same Song: Aggies deaf to Herman's plea to renew Texas rivalry

I’ll be glad to explain it if it’s too hard to comprehend. So tell me what part of "no" don’t you understand?  —Lorrie Morgan

Songs often say what we cannot.

In days gone by, people would often call radio stations to dedicate a song to someone important to them. That way, those who might have difficulty expressing themselves could indirectly share a sentiment or deliver a message through song. The song didn’t have to be perfect. It just had to have a general theme or a lyric that was appropriate to the situation.

For example, back in the ‘60s, a forlorn soul who wanted to express regret to his/her significant other might have dedicated the Brenda Lee tune “I’m Sorry.” The lyrics say: I’m sorry, so sorry, that I was such a fool.

These days, the Texas Longhorns might be inclined to dedicate that song — or something similar — to the Aggies.

By now, you’ve no doubt read or heard that during Big 12 Media Days, first-year Texas football coach Tom Herman said he’d like to resume the Texas A&M - Texas football rivalry.

“We don’t play a rival at home ever,” Herman said. “I don’t know why we can’t play A&M as our marquee non-conference opponent.”

This again?

Previously, former Texas coach Charlie Strong and current Athletic Director Mike Perrin also expressed a desire to play A&M. In response, legions of Aggies might as well have dedicated an old Dwight Yoakum tune to express their feelings about resuming the series with the Longhorns:

There’s nothing left that you can do to try and bring me ‘round.
'Cause everything you do just brings me down.
'Cause I ain’t that lonely yet.

Another suggestion from Texas to resume the series smacks of desperation. But excuse Herman, who actually complimented the Aggies and compared their program to some of college football’s historical elites.

“If you’re going to play a big boy such as USC, LSU and Ohio State,” Herman said, “I’d like to see us play the big boy right down the road from us.”

Personally, I’d like Texas A&M and Texas play again. However, as each year passes, fewer and fewer Aggies seem to have much interest in playing Texas. A&M’s upcoming non-conference schedules include road trips to UCLA, Clemson, Colorado, Miami and Notre Dame. Trips like that make a trip to Austin seem mundane.

Add in the reasons the A&M-Texas series ended in the first place, and there’s no wonder so many Aggies are ambivalent about resuming the rivalry.

Of course, Herman wasn’t at Texas in 2011 when A&M, which had grown weary from the Longhorns’ successful efforts to manipulate the Big 12, left that league to join the Southeastern Conference.

Herman apparently doesn’t realize that it wasn't Texas A&M who canceled the long-time series; it was then-Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds. He wanted to punish the Aggies. He even lobbied other Big 12 teams not to schedule Texas A&M.

Of course, Aggies didn’t care. They could’ve sent him a message via the Twisted Sister song “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”

Oh, you’re so condescending.
Your gall is never-ending.
We don’t want nothin’ – not a thing – from you.

Apparently, Dodds thought by canceling the series the Aggies might suffer financially. Instead, last year A&M received more than $40 million from the SEC, largely because of the highly-successful SEC Network. In fact, earlier this month USA Today reported that Texas A&M was the most profitable athletic program in the NCAA in 2015-2016 with more than $194 million in total revenue.

Cue the Steve Miller Band’s “Take the Money and Run.”

Herman doesn’t care about that. Nor should he. He has bigger things to worry about. He inherited a team that went 5-7 and lost to Kansas. Yes, Kansas.

He has to rejuvenate a stagnant program. He has to make achievers out of underachievers. He has to make players want to play for him.

To that end, Herman is well known for public displays of affection with his players. Therefore, he might consider dedicating an old Mary Chapin Carpenter song to the struggling Longhorns.

It’s been a while since I felt this feeling that everything that you do gives me.
It’s been so long since somebody whispered, "Shut up and kiss me."

Hey, Herman can whisper whatever he wants to his Longhorns. But when he or any Texas official speak out about scheduling Texas A&M, they should prepare themselves for a long-distance dedication from Aggieland of that old Lorrie Morgan song.