BRETT HOFFMAN: Who will take charge?

By Brett Hoffman

January 02, 2009 04:39 pm

— As the Professional Bull Riders kicked off its 16th season this weekend in Baltimore, the big question was who will take charge?
During the 2008 Built Ford Tough Series season, fans witnessed the retirement of two of the sport’s greatest legends — three-time world champion Adriano Moraes and two-time gold-buckle winner Justin McBride.
“About every seven, eight or 10 years, we have a changing of the guard,” said J.W. Hart, the 2002 PBR World Finals average winner and commentator on the PBR telecasts. “Justin (McBride) has been to about 10 World Finals, and it’s just time for a roll over and for somebody else to take charge.”
But as Moraes and McBride were getting ready to call it quits, a gifted class of rookies that included Reese Cates, Pistol Robinson, Ryan Dirteater and Leonil Santos moved into the spotlight. The most notable was Cates of Carthage who won the PBR’s Daisy Rookie of the Year title by winning more than $100,000 during the November World Finals in Las Vegas. The prize money pushed Cates’ earnings to more than $180,000 for the year.
“I earned more money at the World Finals than I’ve won anywhere in my life, and I have my confidence up,” Cates said.
Then, there are several talented cowboys such as J.B. Mauney, Kody Lostroh, Brian Canter and LJ Jenkins who are in their early 20s and have had phenomenal success over the past two or three years. Topping the list in 2008 was Mauney, the North Carolina sensation who finished second in the Ford Series world standings and earned $215,000 during the Finals.
“When you do that well, it kind of rolls on,” Mauney said. “I’ve gone to a couple of (smaller) Challenger tour events since Vegas and I’ve been riding really good. And I’m ready for the season to start back up.”
Fans also can expect a lot from the talented Brazilians who took their success to another level in 2008. During the regular season, a Brazilian shared or won titles at 12 of 32 tour stops. The victories included Valdiron de Oliveira’s winning performance in New York City in January, Paulo Crimber’s title in Anaheim, Calif., in February and Renato Nunes’ topping the field in Cincinnati in October.
Brazilian Guilherme Marchi, who won five regular-season tour stops, clinched his first world title at the World Finals, after finishing as runner-up the past three years. Robson Palermo, another Brazilian, won the PBR World Finals average buckle.
With the exception of Crimber, who sustained a career-threatening neck injury, all of them are expected to return. Marchi will attempt to become the first competitor to win back-to-back PBR world titles. But he’ll have to deal with Palermo, who in a recent interview said he accomplished his first goal of winning the Finals average and his next goal is to clinch a world title.
One elder statesman who could be very tough is 30-year-old Chris Shivers, the popular two-time world champion. In 2008, Shivers was on the sidelines for several months during the later part of the regular season after undergoing neck surgery. But during the World Finals, he earned $102,000 after finishing fourth in the average.
The PBR kicked off the 2009 season with the Baltimore show on Jan. 2-3 and then moves to New York City next weekend. The tour also stops at Dallas’ American Airlines Center on Jan. 24-25. The season of more than 30 Ford Series tour stops culminates with the World Finals, which is scheduled for Oct. 30-Nov. 1 and Nov. 5-8 in Las Vegas.
Each tour stop features 45 credentialed cowboys facing the toughest bulls around. For more information, visit www.pbrnow.com.
Smith on the move
Stran Smith of Childress, who earned the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world title earlier this month at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, is on the verge of claiming another prestigious title. He entered the Texas Circuit Finals, which was scheduled for Jan. 1-3 in Waco, with the state’s tie-down roping title mathematically clinched.
In the Texas Circuit standings, Smith, who won the 2008 San Angelo Stock Show Rodeo title, came in with a big lead over second-ranked Scott Kormos of Teague, $34,615 to $23,690.
Athens cowboys Joey Bell Jr. (steer wrestling), Cash Myers (steer wrestling) and Jeff Chapman (tie-down roping) each earned a spot in the Texas championships.
The Texas Circuit is one of 12 geographic regions in the PRCA that determines champions each year. Each champion advances to the April 8-11 Dodge National Circuit Finals in Pocatello, Idaho. For more information, visit www.prorodeo.com.
Big bucks in Odessa
Many area PRCA contestants will head to Odessa to compete in the Sand Hills Stock Show and Rodeo, which is scheduled for Jan. 2-3 and Jan. 7-10. The rodeo traditionally draws world title contenders who are eager to earn a nice early season paycheck. For more information, visit www.sandhillsstockshowandrodeo.com.
Brett Hoffman is a 20-year rodeo columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. He can be reached at brett@myrodeo insider.com.