Geographist

Cynthia Cooper-Dyke Born: April 14, 1963 Sport: Basketball (2-time MVP, 3-time All-Star, 4-time WNBA Champion, 2-time NCAA Champion, 2-time Olympic medalist - Gold in 1988 and Bronze in 1992, Hall of Fame) Happy Mother's Day!  This week I thought it would be nice to focus on a player who is not only a mother herself, but was significantly impacted by her own mother's journey.  As a kid playing competitive basketball throughout the 90s, I enjoyed watching my local NBA team win titles twice, as the Houston Rockets were victorious in 1994 and 1995.  After a one-year gap, the newly-formed WNBA was launched and I saw that my city's women's team was dominant, with the Houston Comets winning the league's first four championships from 1997-2000.  An integral part of that team, and now recognized as one of the greatest women to ever play the game, was Cynthia Cooper. The Summit, home to the Houston Comets upon Cooper's arrival in 1997 Although she was born in Chicago, Il...

Phil Garner Born: April 30, 1949 Sport: Baseball (All-American, 3-time All-Star, 985-1,054 managerial record, 2005 NL Pennant) I had a few options to go with this week, but eventually decided to go with the birthday boy, former Astros manager Phil Garner.  He had a big week even without blowing out his candles, as the most successful team for "Scrap Iron" to manage celebrated a milestone, and many of his former players made a point of showing up to participate and support him.  While not the most decorated player or coach in Houston history, he nevertheless made a big impact and has certainly earned his spot in this list of memorable figures in the athletic history of Space City. Minute Maid Park, home of Phil Garner's NL Champion Houston Astros in 2005 Born in eastern Tennessee, Phil Garner grew up in the greater Knoxville area as the son of a Baptist minister.  After he had made it through one year attending a high school that didn't include a robust athletic progra...

Warren Moon Born: November 18, 1956 Sport: Football (5 time Grey Cup winner, 9 time Pro Bowl, Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame)  I know it's not football season, but this weekend was the NFL Draft and it seemed a good time to remember one of the greats that our city has supported.  The franchise that moved out of Houston when I was a kid made headlines by having the #1 pick, and a former Houston Oilers quarterback was gracious enough to present his retired jersey (sporting the number 1) to Cam Ward, the young man who was selected and will attempt to lead his team from the same position.  That man, Warren Moon, had one of the most unique and improbable career paths in football history, and was the first local QB that I rooted for.  The Astrodome area during Warren Moon's first season with the Oilers Warren Moon's childhood years were not easy, as he was the only boy in a family of seven children and his mother was forced to raise them alone af...

Rudy Tomjanovich Born: November 24, 1948 Sport: Basketball (All-American, 5-time NBA All-Star, Gold Medal, Hall of Fame) As of the time of this writing, the Houston professional sports scene is buzzing.  The Astros are nearly a month into their season as they try to return to the playoffs for their ninth consecutive season, and the Texans are preparing for their draft next week after back-to-back seasons with division titles and one playoff win each year.  But it's the Houston Rockets that have garnered top billing as they play their first postseason game in five years.  So with that in mind, I thought it might be a good idea to look at the story of Rudy Tomjanovich, one of the faces of the franchise that was not only there for the first Rockets playoff series win, but was at the helm when the team claimed their first two championships. The Summit, home of the Rockets during their championship seasons Born just outside of Detroit, MI, young Rudy's parents were both of Cro...

Fred Couples Born: October 3, 1959 Sport: Golf (62 professional wins - including 1 Masters and 2 Players Championships, former world #1 golfer, 2-time PGA Player of the Year, World Golf Hall of Fame) This weekend the eyes of the golf world focused on a town along the border between Georgia and South Carolina which is home to one of the most beloved golf courses in the world and possibly the most famous tournament.  Every spring as the magnolias and azaleas bloom, Augusta National Golf Club welcomes the most elite players, scores of celebrities, and thousands of fans to compete in the Masters Tournament, one of four major tournaments in men's professional golf.  I watched a significant amount of this year's tournament, and was happy to see recognition for a competitor who, although he is well beyond his prime playing days, still manages to play this challenging course well.  Fred Couples, a seasoned veteran with Houston ties, is a past champion and has etched his name into...

Clyde Drexler Born: June 22, 1962 Sport: Basketball (All-American, 10-time NBA All-Star, Gold Medal, Hall of Fame) Sometimes the headlines write themselves and this is one of those instances.  With the University of Houston scoring a stunning victory yesterday to advance to their first championship game in over 40 years, this seemed a perfect time to recognize one of the greatest basketball players in their program's history.  As a member of the school's so-called Phi Slama Jama team of the early 1980s, Clyde Drexler was one of the smoothest and most impressive men to ever play the game.  Let's look at this Hall of Famer that left his mark in not one, but two of our city's basketball programs.  South Park neighborhood during Drexler's high school years Born in New Orleans, LA, Drexler moved to a neighborhood in southeast Houston while still in school.  He made his high school varsity baseball team as a sophomore, but was cut that year from the basketball team....

Larry Dierker Born: September 22, 1946 Sport: Baseball (139-123, 3.31 ERA as a pitcher; 435-348, 4 NL Central titles as a manager) Baseball season kicked off this week, and like most Houston sports fans I love my local team.  The Houston Astros have been the most consistently great team in the area in recent years, although there have been significant strides made by the football and basketball squads of late.  Houston has certainly been able to claim a significant number of baseball stars, both those that grew up around town as well as many stars that have played here and have been adopted into our city's family.  Larry Dierker may be the man who epitomizes the organization like no other.  So this week, in honor of Opening Day 2025, let's learn more about a man who has spent his entire career (and beyond) representing our city. Houston's first two major league fields: Colts Stadium and the Astrodome Born in Hollywood, CA, young Larry was like many boys who grew up p...

George Foreman Born: January 10, 1949 (Marshall, TX) Died: March 21, 2025 (Houston, TX) Sport: Boxing (76-5-0, 68 KO) As I began to think about my latest discussion point and started planning for the particular details of its format and style, it was difficult for me to decide on who deserved the honor of the first post.  Obviously it should be someone memorable, even when compared against some of the great sports figures that our great city can boast, and preferably well-loved.  And then two days ago we were stunned by the passing of one of the absolute legends in our community, a man who was quite literally larger than life: George Foreman.  With utmost respect for his legacy and sympathy to his loved ones, I now open this new topic by focusing on the amazing life of one of the best that Houston has to offer. Houston - 1978 Born in Marshall, TX, young George grew up in the Fifth Ward neighborhood of Houston, just northeast of downtown.  He took the family name of J...

Happy Spring Break (to all who celebrate)!  We have officially wrapped up a topic and it's time to start looking for a new and interesting subject to explore and discuss.  To this point, the blog has gone a number of directions - geography, history, Bible, success, and my own family life.  Thank you to everyone who has followed along for the ride!  A while back it occurred to me that one of the topics I enjoy most in life hasn't made it into my posts, so now is the time that we finally venture that way.  Sports!  As a kid I got bitten by the fan bug, largely because the game I played was the same one that my local professional squad was winning.  Young Brian enjoyed all kinds of competition, whether it was watching a world championship, participating in a school spelling bee, or just having a foot race to the car against my big brother.  Houston, Texas, was the city where we lived and was not only home to some amazing teams but also world-class in...

We have reached the end of our study of Biblical people groups.  Since the days of Noah, humanity has spread and multiplied numerous times over into the world we know today.  Many of the nations who have come before have disappeared but many, such as Israel and Egypt, have persevered until modern times.  The final nation that the Bible brings up, however, is not one that is defined by geography.  1 Peter 2:9 tells us that Christians are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (ESV)  In John's final apocalyptic vision he describes "a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." (Revelation 7:9 ESV)  At the end of time it isn't race or national origin that defines who we are, but whether or not we are among ...

Nicolaitans Key Scripture: Revelation 2:6,15 Figures: none This week we delve into the final book of the Bible to uncover something about a mysterious group that is mentioned twice.  There has been much discussion about their identity during the 2,000 years since the apocalyptic conclusion to Scripture was penned.  The name of the Nicolaitans jumps off the page, and while there may be some question as to who they really were there is certainly no mystery about how they are viewed.  Although likely not an ethnic or geographic people, they are a group that figures prominently in the story of the end times.  Hopefully we can learn something about them by investigating what has been written about them, both in the Bible as well as in historical texts. As Revelation just begins to get underway, the writer is instructed to write letters to a series of churches in Asia Minor.  The words that the Apostle John records are jarring to the reader, as this self-proclaimed di...

Cilicians Key Scripture: Acts 21:39 Figures: Saul of Tarsus (later called the Apostle Paul)  We come at last to the home of one of the New Testament's prominent figures.  Like several other locations throughout Anatolia, the area known as Cilicia played a role in the growth of the early Christian church.  Its capital city, Tarsus, is well known to readers of the Bible as the birthplace of Saul, and would later be the place where Barnabas would find him prior to their joint ministry together.  The region had several similarities with other nearby provinces, but what has made it unique?  The land at the farthest northeast point along the Mediterranean Sea was almost certainly originally populated by the descendants of Japheth after the Flood, and has probably been continually populated ever since.  Geographically, the area is typically referred to as being split between Cilicia Trachea (rough) on the west and Cilicia Pedias (flat) on the east.  The mount...

Cappadocians Key Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1 Figures: none After spending a few weeks investigating many of the social, religious, and political groups within the Jewish communities during the first century AD, we finally find our way back to some of the outlying nations.  Like many others that we have studied, Cappadocia was part of the larger Roman empire.  And like many such provinces, its boundaries were not fixed but fluctuated over time.  Although there are a number of meaningful locations from the New Testament that are nearby, however, a dispute remains over whether any of the major figures in the early Church were ever present and involved with the spiritual growth and development there.  Let's see what we can learn about this region and its history. Set in the eastern part of Asia Minor or Anatolia, now known as Turkey, Cappadocia was a large province with several notable attributes.  First among them was the physical appearance of the area - a nearby volca...

Pharisees Key Scripture: Luke 11:39-54 Figures: Nicodemus, Gamaliel, Saul This week we reach one of the most commonly-referenced groups in the Gospels, the Pharisees.  As one of the most important groups in Jewish culture during the first century AD, this group combined political and religious influence through their emphasis on morality.  Although several of Jesus' followers came from among their number, Christ had some of his harshest exchanges with them.  Although they were exceptionally well thought of among the population, the Pharisees are today considered to be unpopular and their ways undesirable.  By studying the history, beliefs, and actions of this group we'll get to understand them a bit better.  Like most of the groups we have studied within Jewish culture, the Pharisees trace their origins back to the time of the Hasmonean dynasty.  They seem to have arisen shortly after the Maccabean Revolt alongside the Sadducees, but were largely made up of...