I just love being able to attend the PBR events. Not only does it make it more fun to cover the action, but I get to spend a bit of time with those that have now become more friends than acquaintances, as well as getting a few quotes straight from the horses mouth, so to speak. With that said, the three day Anaheim Invitational was not only a good show, but a fun few days as well.

For journalist/photographer Linda Peterson and I the event started off on Thursday, as the PBR made visits to both the Children’s Hospital of Orange County and Los Positas Elementary School in La Habra. We were fortunate to be involved. Linda wrote an article about the experience, and if you haven’t read it yet, I would suggest you do so – it really shows the positives of the PBR, and they do this type of thing repeatedly.

Round one took place on Friday night, and once again the cowboys were hot, as 21 were able to cover their bulls. There were six re-rides, two of them going to Ednei Caminhas. Unfortunately for Caminhas, he bucked off his second re-ride bull, White Lightning. Renato Nunes was also given the chance for another bull when the good young Diamond G Rodeos, Inc. Auzzie Alley Cat tried so hard he fell down. Nunes opted to stay with his score of 83.75 rather than go for a second bull.

The top two in the first round both had big scores. Brendon Clark was the ultimate winner when he rode SoulJa Boy for a 90.50. Judd Leffew/Gary Isabel own this impressive bull. Second to Clark was the current BFTS leader Travis Briscoe. He rode Wrangler Magic, owned by Homestead Genetics, to an even 90. Tying for third and fourth with 87 points were Robson Palermo and Billy Robinson. Palermo covered the George Walshon/Gene Baker/Home’s Bravo, while Robinson conquered Stinger, a bull owned by Western Rodeo, Inc.

A first at this event was the Enterprise Challenge. The man who is in the lead after round one faces the top Enterprise rider to compete for an additional $25,000. Clark had to go up against Robinson, and he won the coin toss to pick his bull first. The two bulls to chose from were Hypnotic, owned by Ryan McClure and 3 Spot, owned by Priest Creek Ranch. Both men wanted Hypnotic, but Brendon made that choice. Billy rode first and scored an 88.50 on 3 Spot. Clark also rode his bull, but his score of 88.25 just missed, and Billy Robinson was the first Enterprise Challenge winner, and took home that extra $25,000.

This is starting to sound quite repetitive, but the men kept the trend going and rode 23 bulls in round two. This has been an amazing start to the still-new season. Remember, this is only the eighth stop on the tour. Also, and new this year, in all three-day events it is in the second round and the short-go that the cowboys hand pick their own bulls in the draft. The order of selection goes from the highest scored rider down to the cowboy who was bucked off in the shortest amount of time. Obviously, that cowboy really doesn’t have a choice.

Palermo showed he wouldn’t settle for that tie in the first round, so he upped his game, picked Tighty Whitey, and scored a 90.50 for the win. That good bull is owned by Kaycee Simpson. Pistol Robinson, whose real name is Caleb, was second with a 90 after riding the bull he chose, 4C’s/James Sills’ Carrillo Cartel. That same connection provided Cord McCoy with third, as he rode their Total Darkness to a score of 89.25. A tie for fourth and fifth was between Brian Canter and Kody Lostroh. Canter was successful on Re-Vamp, owned by Corey & Horst Rodeo Company, Inc., and Lostroh rode the bull that provided Briscoe with his second in round one, Wrangler Magic. Both men scored an 88.75.

Round three, and the men went from 23 rides to 24. Enough said. J.B. Mauney won the round after he rode Devil’s Night to a 90.25. 4C’s Bucking Bulls/Marvin Nixon owns this bull. Robinson was second on Western Rodeo’s Inc.’s Popsicle with an 88.25. Third was L.J. Jenkins. He scored an 88 on the Corey & Horst Rodeo Company’s Inc. bull Hellfire. Right behind him with an 87.75 was Dustin Elliot. He was able to cover Hombre, owned by Flying U/Moreno Bucking Bulls.

The Championship Round was a really good one. As I mentioned earlier, the 15 men in this short-go would select the bull they wanted to ride. First to pick was leader Clark. He grabbed the fabulous bull owned by Julio and Cindy Moreno, Troubadour. This bull was the 2007 ABBI (American Bucking Bulls Inc.) Classic Champion, and unridden. Troubadour kept his streak alive as he bucked off Brendon, but it was a brave pick on Clark’s part, and one that would have almost certainly won him the event had he been able to stay on him.

What was probably the surprise of the picks of the Championship round was Palermo’s choice. He was the third to choose, and took White Magic, owned by Diamond G Rodeos, Inc. Even though Robson is the only one to have ever ridden this bull, that was back in 2006, and this candidate for 2007 Bucking Bull of the Year has gotten a whole lot stronger since then! Owners Cyndi and Steve Gilbert were told that he would be the last bull left after all the picks, because no one would want him, but Palermo bravely jumped right in there. Just like Troubadour however, White Magic had his own ideas, and put Robson on the ground, posting a great bull score of 47 in the process. I got to spend some time with Cyndi, so look for an interview with this interesting woman soon.

The first of the four cowboys to ride was Elliot. He was given an 87.50 on Squaw’s Dream, owned by 4C’s/Alex Naccarato. This score would put him third in Championship Round.

Nick Landreneau was able to cover Scoundrel, who is hauled by Don Kish Bucking Bulls, receiving a score of 83.25. That score gave him fourth in this short-go.  

Mauney was ninth to pick, and took Dr. Proctor, owned by Chumley/Katich/R&L. This is a wild little red bull that just explodes in the air and seems to go all directions at once. He is a hard bull to ride, but J.B. stuck it on him for an 88.75, good for second place in this round.

The eventual event winner though, was Paulo Crimber. He selected All In, owned by Naccarato Bucking Bulls, scored a big 90.50 for that decision, and had a three-bull total of 344.25 points. He later said that he was surprised that All In was left behind (Crimber picked seventh) and he took him because he knew he could be big numbers. Was he ever right! This was only the second BFTS win for Crimber, and his last victory came way back in 2001. To say it is overdue is an understatement. Another interesting little statistic for Paulo; he is riding 100% on his bulls in the Championship Round this season – five for five.

It was also fun to see the rest of the Brazilian contingent jump into the ring after Crimber’s victory to congratulate him – well, if you call pushing, hitting, and pounding on him a way to say “Way to go.” Just kidding, it definitely was, and all were happy for this talented bull rider.

The final results for the Anaheim event found Crimber on top, followed by Clark and Robinson, with Mauney and Palermo tying for fourth.

The highest scored bull of this weekends’ event was God’s Gift. What a great name for a really super bull. God’s Gift was awarded a 47.50 points in the Championship Round, and is owned by Don Kish Bucking Bulls.

The leader board for the BFTS standings has changed up some. Travis Briscoe is still on top, but with his win, Crimber has jumped up into second. Kody Lostroh dropped from second to third, Mike Lee moved up from sixth to fourth, and Guilherme Marchi bumped down one slot to fifth.

For those of you who are following Adriano Moraes’ retirement tour this year, he bucked off his bulls in rounds one and two, but covered the bull Total Darkness for an 86 point ride in the third round. Got a chance to sit down with him back at his hotel after the event and before his flight back home, and I always look forward to chatting with him. He mentioned the bulls he is raising.

“I’m expecting 30 babies this year,” he said, “and I have 34 cows. They will come out in 2010. We will start bucking them with dummies as two-year-olds.”

When asked what some of the bulls that he bred to were, he responded (to name a few), “Hurt So Good, Houdini, Big Bucks, Scene of the Crash, Here’s Your Sign, and Jack Daniels Happy Hour.” Wow, that is quite an arsenal. I’d say he has a lot to look forward to after his retirement.

And speaking of that, the fact that this was his last year as a rider wasn’t discussed very much. Clearly, and without being at all rude, one could tell that the subject wasn’t his favorite to talk about. There will be plenty of time to do so at the Finals, and he still has a lot of time to ride right now.

A lot of the conversation was about weird and exotic foods, why, I’m not sure. But it was interesting and fun. That is what I like best about sitting down with Adriano; there are never any formalities, just conversations that go in any direction.

It is probably not too surprising that Adriano is not the only bull rider to be breeding and raising bucking bulls. Man others are as well. We got to spend a few minutes with J.B. Mauney, who is always fun to talk with, and quite a nice young man. He has some bulls, and he has his own ideas on bucking them. “I buck my young bulls a couple times a month,” he said. The boys will ask him if he wants them to go a couple of rounds and then jump off. “I tell them no, to stay there and spur them. If they can’t take it, I don’t need them. Some bulls, you can break their hearts pretty easy, but I’m kind of different. If I’ve got one and they can’t take getting spurred on, I don’t need it.” Mauney’s feeling is that by knowing what the bull is willing to take, a lot of time is not wasted, only to turn to disappointment. The percentages are against you to begin with, so one might as well take their best shot.

“You can buck them with as two-year-olds or yearlings with a dummy, then if they do really good you lay them off until they’re about three and let them get some size and fill out and then you buck them.”

Each time we see him he always gives a lot of credit to his mom, who handles all of the business side of things, and this time was no different. But he also spoke of his sister, who has jumped right in to take care of the bulls. “She’s a model and she’s beautiful,” he said. “When you look at her you’d never think she’d want to mess with any bulls, but she feeds them every morning, every day.   She doesn’t care about getting dirty.”

He said that she will also flank the bulls at home when they are bucking them. What a great older sister – she is 25, and J.B. just turned 21 in January. Look out, Vegas!  

Next week the men go to St. Louis, Missouri for the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Invitational.

Finally, I just read about the passing of Carson Davis, the father of Jerome Davis. My prayers and condolences go out to the entire Davis family, and all who knew this influential man.

Be safe and God Bless,

Viva La Raza,

Barb.