Half Horse, Half Devil, All Wrangler

Adam Markowitz
Friday May 18, 2007

They call him Caballo Diablo

Half horse and half devil they say

Caballo Diablo the outlaw

Up atop the Sierra Madre

A year ago this weekend, my plane landed in Texas as I was prepared to cover the Austin Wranglers first ever playoff game.  I was met by a few of the Wrangler faithful and brought to a local bar for a meet and greet session.  Though I don’t nearly remember all of the names of the people I met that night, one of them struck me immediately.  The person I was with yelled out, “Hey Diablo!” to get his attention.  You all know him as Caballo Diablo around the various Arena Football League message boards.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been down on the Wrangler organization for the past couple weeks, but this weekend, I return to Austin for their showdown against the Orlando Predators.  It was the first game I circled on the calendar when the schedule was released, and though the Wranglers have not lived up to expectations this season, it will still likely be my most memorable game of the season.

My father always told me that the only things you can be sure of in life are death and taxes, but I beg to add another to that list.  Whether the Austin Wranglers are 0-16 or 16-0, the fans will still be in front of the Frank Erwin Center having the time of their lives before and after every single Wrangler game.

However, we are all human.  We all want to see our teams win every time out.  Needless to say, the 3-7 record that the Wranglers boast coming into this weekend isn’t sitting very well with the fans.  However, Diablo said something to me that I will never forget.  “If the fanbase constantly berates the players and the team as a whole, it does affect the attitude of the players.”  He also added a sentiment that the fans absolutely cannot get down on their team, especially while they are already down because of losses.

He provided a very unique perspective that I must admit I never thought about being a sports fan for my entire life.  “It would be interesting if they [the players] could come and watch us at our jobs.  How would we fare under the microscope?  If you can’t support them in tough times, then you probably didn’t really support them in good times.”

He’s right.  This is a lesson we should all take about our teams in all sports, not just the AFL.  As a fan of a team, it is your job to support your team through thick and thin.  Questioning decisions made around the water cooler is one thing, but simply yelling out, “You suck (fill in a player’s name here)!” is not supporting your team.  Fortunately in Austin, Doug MacGregor and the entire staff are very open with their fans and are quick to honestly answer any questions that they may have.  This isn’t so easy with a team in one of the “major sports” and is what truly makes the AFL great.  Unfortunately, not all owners are this accessible in the AFL anymore either, and for that, I have said countless times that the Wranglers truly have a special organization.

Diablo shared with me a perfect case in point to this argument about staying positive.

“One time [Damon] Mason was having a bad game, a ball hit him in the chest and he dropped it. He came back to the bench and sat in the corner frustrated and down on himself. Little D [Caballo Diablo’s daughter] leaned over the rail and said, "Hey Mason, I believe in you, just go get another one". He went out on the field and picked off a pass, brought it back and gave it to her and said thanks for believing in me. Fans do count, and players are human.”

It all stems much deeper than just the game on the field for Diablo, though.  The aforementioned Little D is a 2nd year member of the Junior Lady Wranglers, to perform at Sunday afternoon’s game.  She also scored Team Austin’s only touchdown in the Cattle Drive flag football game against Team Dallas before the Dallas Desperados took on the Wranglers earlier this season.  His wife, Mrs. D is also amongst the loudest and proudest Wrangler fans.  Caballo Diablo also mentioned that he spends plenty of time interacting with both the players and staff members of the organization both on game days and around town.  It’s a testament that the players indeed are human like he suggests.

Diablo isn’t nearly the only fan that deserves credit for the good times in Austin.  Despite the record, WillieT will still be making pancakes in the morning and flipping burgers both before and after the game, Bartender will still be mixing drinks Bloody Maries in the morning and cocktails once everyone wakes up, DeepBlue and his wife, Mrs.DeepBlue will still be amongst the dozens who bring items such as beer, sodas, beer, donuts, beer, salad, beer, hot dogs, beer, and perhaps some more beer for the dozens of other fans to share in anticipation of the game.  And to think, with fellow ArenaFan writer, Jason Lucas and I in town, that much more beer will be needed!  I kid you not… there will be no less than a dozen giant coolers with nothing but beer in them by noon on Sunday (for a 4:00 game, mind you!).

The atmosphere around a Wrangler game simply cannot be matched.  It’s awesome.  It’s Austin.

And when I get off the plane on Thursday afternoon, I’ll be greeted by Caballo Diablo.  How did he tell me to meet him?  “Look for the black truck with all of the Wrangler signs on it.”

His posting handle may insinuate a half horse, half devil figure, but there’s no doubt about it: This Caballo Diablo is all Wrangler.