Ike blows Austin's best laid plans

The weekend of Sept. 26-28 could well turn out to be the busiest, the most hectic in the history of the City of Austin. Residents of the city are advised to stay indoors. Unless you simply can't avoid it, I would recommend not traveling on I-35 between Dallas and Austin at any time during that three-day period.

Here's why: That's the weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which creates madness in and of itself. But in all previous years, the ACL Fest was always held either during a bye week for the University of Texas' football team or when the 'Horns were playing on the road. The same was true this week. Sept. 27 was scheduled to be an off-week for Texas.

Then along came Ike. The hurricane is being blamed as the reason why the Texas-Arkansas game, originally scheduled for this Saturday in Austin, has been moved to Sept. 27, Day 2 (and the major crowd day) of the three-day ACL bash.

Let's see, Royal Memorial Stadium is now the largest in the state of Texas, seating 94,113; however 98,053 crammed into the place a couple of weeks agot to see Texas play Florida Atlantic. If close to 100,000 wanted to see Florida Atlantic, imagine how many will want to see the resumption of the duel between Texas and its former longtime Southwest Conference foe Arkansas. Add to that another 100,000 wanting to go to ACL.

If you're crazy enough to be anywhere near Austin the weekend of the 26th, I would recommend securing hotel space right away. I would also recommend flying there and back. It's not too late to get Southwest Airlines plan ahead cheapo fairs, but today could be the last day for that. I mean you already have to fight the 18-wheelers who already hog (pardon the pun, Arkansas drivers) I-35 between here and Laredo, plus now you'll have all those drivers determined to "Keep Austin Weird" anyway they know how and a bunch of wackos wearing red rubber pigs on their heads driving cars whose horns don't honk, they go "Soooeeeey." In fact, now that I think about it, perhaps the DPS should position behavorial psychologists at all the rest stops along the highway between Dallas and Austin.

(Tip for anyone heading to College Station that weekend to see A&M play the real military academy: Take I-45 to Madisonville and then cut over; stay away from I-35 as much as possible.)

Speaking of Texas football, what does anyone know about this "Baby Longhorn" business and Matthew McConaughey's voice-over introduction to it? Sort of gives me the willies and I don't mean the Nelson kind.