Bull riders put on exciting round to wrap up the night

Monday, Dec. 8, 2003 | 9:42 a.m.

The rodeo die-hards and experts expected a bullish evening Sunday at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and the last event disappointed none of them.

In a star-studded display of two-ton terror, the beasts who won the last two Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association Bull of the Year honors -- Dippin' Tahonta and Smokeless Unforgiven -- were on the docket.

Moreover, Dippin' Super Cool, tabbed as the best bull from last year's NFR, snorted around Sunday waiting his turn in the chute, too.

Each tossed his respective rider around like a rag doll.

Greg Potter was the only bull rider to record eight-second rides Friday and Saturday, but he failed Sunday when Tahonta quickly tossed him aside.

Super Cool did the same to Robey Condra. To prove his nastiness, Cool even caught Condra with the heel of his left rear leg before Condra could bite the Thomas & Mack dirt.

Unforgiven was bumped up in the rotation by a minute or two when Mike Moore had trouble getting on Smokeless War Dance in the chute.

Then Terry Don West didn't last long on War Dance.

Back to Moore. Saturday night, a rough ride resulted in his left biceps muscle being partially torn from his arm, and a doctor on the PRCA's Justin SportsMedicine team told Moore that there was nothing he could do.

Surgery would be Moore's only option. After the NFR, that is. Moore rose off War Dance, and it seemed like he would give way to the pain. But after West's unsuccessful run, Moore took a swig of water and sat back down upon War Dance.

He rode with his same arm and hand, the left, tied down on the bull, but he didn't last long as one too many hard left turns ejected him. He even stood with a gimpy left leg, but the Justin staff expects him to keep competing.

In fact, the trainer's room was full of bull riders at the conclusion of Sunday's event. Only Myron Duarte (92 on Smokeless Satan's Own) and Cory Melton (84.5 on Monster Mash) completed eight-second rides.

Otto, 30, will sing "Long Way Down" from his debut album, "Days of our Lives," which will be released on the Mercury Nashville label in January.

He and a Mercury official were given choice press-row seats Sunday. By the seventh event, the bulls, the duo had moved to a standing position for a better view. It would have been challenging to find two people who had more fun at Sunday's show.