Bail out? Nah, he’s just a little down

Thursday, Dec. 12, 2002 | 9:51 a.m.

Jesse Bail wasn't just tossed to the ground by a bull for the fifth time in the six days of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center.

To add insult, Wednesday's enemy took two more steps toward Bail and then sailed Bail through the air by nailing his keester via head and horns.

Bail acted as if he deserved the punishment.

"It's one of those deals that happens," he said, "when you ride like a girl and don't stay on him."

Bail, 22, is attempting to claim the all-around championship, but he has distinguished himself at the NFR by riding bulls and saddle broncs. He is the lone participant competing in two events.

"That guy's probably as good an athlete as there is, if you ask me," said Blue Stone, who won Wednesday's go-round and is the only cowboy to ride five of his six bulls. "In my opinion, he's one of the few guys who can do that. There are only a handful of guys who ever lived who can do what he does."

Bail earned $2,245 for the one bull he did stay atop for at least eight seconds, but he won the saddle bronc competition Wednesday, and $13,922, with a score of 86. He has collected $35,330 in the latter event, and his earnings this year stand at about $240,000.

Calf roper Trevor Brazile trails Bail for the all-around title by nearly $40,000.

"For me, riding bulls is hard enough," Stone said. "To take that pressure in two events would be ... mentally, you'd have to be a little bit stronger than me. Physically, also. I'm fallin' apart. Hell, all I do is ride bulls and I'm fallin' apart. So, I don't know how he's feelin'."

Chavez, 39, suffered two compression fractures of his thoracic spine as he landed awkwardly on his back and neck, and he will not ride again in the NFR. Surgery will not be required, and the New Mexico native will mend for two to three months.

Saddle bronc rider Charley Gardner (two right knee ligament tears) and bull riders Justin Andrade (herniated neck disc) and Billy Etbauer (collapsed lung, cracked shoulder blade and broken nose) had also been shelved due to injury.

Her latest go-round victory pumped Key's NFR earnings to $66,694, giving her $144,973 on the year. Ten-time world champ Charmayne James has made $21,670 in Las Vegas and $141,491 this season.

Tona Wright had set the previous low barrel mark of 13.74 seconds in 2000.

Carol Barr and Tami Fontenot collected their first checks Wednesday when they finished fifth (for $3,593) and sixth (for $2,246), respectively, in the race around the barrels. Canadian steer wrestler Curtis Cassidy got off the schneid by nailing a 3.6-second run that gave him $8,309 for third.

Lummus had begun the sixth go-round with a 3.9, then he watched six other wrestlers better his time, and K.C. Jones tied Lummus. Only the top six placers earn money.