{"id":7810,"date":"2020-02-25T11:24:17","date_gmt":"2020-02-25T11:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2020\/02\/column-586-is-somebody-murdering-dart-players\/"},"modified":"2020-02-25T11:24:17","modified_gmt":"2020-02-25T11:24:17","slug":"column-586-is-somebody-murdering-dart-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2020\/02\/column-586-is-somebody-murdering-dart-players\/","title":{"rendered":"Column #586 Is somebody murdering dart players?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tuesday, February 25, 2020
\nColumn 586
\nIs somebody murdering dart players?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Down here in the \u201cReal Texas,\u201d Amarillo to be precise (where the phrase \u201cnice bull\u201d doesn\u2019t generally refer to a little red circle on a dart board), darter Ray Fournier of the West Texas Darts Association (WTDA) weaved a tale that simply has to rate at the top of the list of the wildest stories I\u2019ve heard in my years following the sport of darts. Quite possibly, Ray may be the only man alive to have ever faced death at the line and lived to tell about it.<\/p>\n

Like good \u2018ole boy George Strait, I hit \u201cAmarillo by morning\u201d when the orange sun rises big and where, when it sets on the vast plains in the evening, some say you can actually see the curvature of the earth. For years, I\u2019ve wanted to test my skills at the line against some real cattle-country cowboys and watch cowgirls line dance the way they do on television. I finally got the chance. Guys named Orville and Heath, with belt buckles the size of their Stetsons, did up some darts, Texas-style. They barbecued me. Yes, siree Bob. I fared much better ogling the cowgirls.<\/p>\n

My first stop was the Route 66 Roadhouse, a large and dark country bar set smack alongside the famous old Route 66 highway. The place is crammed full of more lost hubcaps and tattered beer signs than can probably be found within any four walls on the planet. The joint has six boards, as many pool tables, and a huge stage that attracts bands the likes of Vince Hopkins and the Texas Brigade, whoever they are. It was here that I met Ray and a couple dozen of his buddies at the WTDA league banquet. After the awards (and after WTDA President John Terry proudly pledged $1,300 in funds raised to Jerry\u2019s Kids and the Make-A-Wish Foundation) we moved on to check out a blind draw up the road.<\/p>\n

The Time Out Bar (16th and Jackson), a much smaller country bar but just as lively as the Roadhouse, currently sports just two boards but the owners plan to add another dozen or so soon. Certainly, they\u2019re on the right track. With three leagues operating \u2014 and growing fast \u2014 in the region (the Panhandle Darts Association and the Amarillo Darts Association being the other two) there are a host of shooters just waiting to use them. It was here \u2014 after my partner and I got torn up in our final game of cricket \u2014 that, one by one, the members of the WTDA treated me to stories, punctuated of course by beer after beer after beer, about life in this last real slice of the Old West.<\/p>\n

One fact is certain, and this is that cows are big business down in this neck of the woods. In fact, Amarillo is considered the largest meat producing area in the country \u2014 an amazing 25% of all the beef consumed in America is produced here. There are some ranches that actually slaughter 25,000 cattle, a day, year-round. Animal-friendly guy that I am, I passed on seeing this and opted instead to go to Palo Duro Canyon to see how far I could throw a dried-up chip of cow manure.<\/p>\n

It was also at the Time Out where Ray took me aside to tell his story \u2026<\/p>\n

A while back, it seems Ray and his wife Rhonda were out shooting with some friends at another place in town called The Office (now called Hoots) on Hobbs Street. Here they met and threw for hours with a hell of a darter from El Paso. The guy had been everywhere. And thrown everywhere. He knew his game. As Ray describes it, it was a \u201cspectacular\u201d evening. Only tired arms and early morning business prevented Ray and Rhonda from accepting their new-found friend\u2019s invitation to dinner.<\/p>\n

The next evening Ray was home relaxing. The night before, while Ray was shooting at The Office, he had recorded one of his favorite shows. Ray and Rhonda slipped the still-warm cassette into the VCR and sat back with a couple of beers to watch America\u2019s Most Wanted<\/em>. What they saw stunned them like nothing ever before in their lives. There on the screen, wanted for the murder of a couple from El Paso \u2014 a couple he had befriended in a bar tossing darts \u2014 appeared the mug of their acquaintance from the previous night!<\/p>\n

Wilder yet, according to Ray, this killer darter is still on the loose. Ray describes the man as \u201ca slim, slightly under six-foot-tall white guy, approximately 30 years old, with long, dirty blond hair.\u201d And, again, Ray hastens to add that the guy can tear the sisal off the board.<\/p>\n

Despite my best effort I must admit I have been unable to verify Ray\u2019s story. And I\u2019ve tried. I\u2019ve spoken with the \u201cAmerica\u2019s Most Wanted\u201d hot line, \u201cUnsolved Mysteries\u201d and even the El Paso Police Department \u2014 all to no avail. They remember murders. They remember murders in El Paso. What they simply do not recall is the darts connection. On the other hand, I\u2019ve thrown and drank with guys who\u2019ve been unable to remember their names the next morning.<\/p>\n

I believe Ray\u2019s story. I have no reason not to. And this leads me to only one possible conclusion and only one logical solution.<\/p>\n

The conclusion: somewhere in America (possibly standing at the line in a bar near you) is one tough shooter who, not entirely unlike the group of friends I made in Texas, takes his darts damn seriously.<\/p>\n

The solution: from here on in my travels I will play it safe and spend my time with the cowgirls.<\/p>\n

From the Field,<\/p>\n

Dartoid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Down here in the \u201cReal Texas,\u201d Amarillo to be precise (where the phrase \u201cnice bull\u201d doesn\u2019t generally refer to a little red circle on a dart board)… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[15],"class_list":["post-7810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dartoid"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":1499,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-21-1.jpg?fit=520%2C291&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-21-1.jpg?fit=520%2C291&ssl=1",520,291,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-21-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-21-1.jpg?fit=300%2C168&ssl=1",300,168,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-21-1.jpg?fit=520%2C291&ssl=1",520,291,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-21-1.jpg?fit=520%2C291&ssl=1",520,291,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-21-1.jpg?fit=520%2C291&ssl=1",520,291,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-21-1.jpg?fit=520%2C291&ssl=1",520,291,true],"rpwe-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/darts-image-feature-random-21-1.jpg?resize=45%2C45&ssl=1",45,45,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Dartoid","author_link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/author\/dartoid\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Down here in the \u201cReal Texas,\u201d Amarillo to be precise (where the phrase \u201cnice bull\u201d doesn\u2019t generally refer to a little red circle on a dart board)...","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":15,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"dartoid","display_name":"Dartoid","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2024-02-13-12_01_31-Dartoids-World-_-The-most-widely-read-column-about-darts-in-the-world.png","url2x":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/2024-02-13-12_01_31-Dartoids-World-_-The-most-widely-read-column-about-darts-in-the-world.png"},"first_name":"Paul","last_name":"Seigel","user_url":"http:\/\/www.dartoidsworld.com","job_title":"","description":"\"Dartoid\" is the pseudonym of Paul Seigel, a prominent chronicler of darts for over 35 years. His columns are celebrated for their wit and insight, often detailing his quest for a game in exotic locales worldwide. His writing offers vibrant commentary on the competitive darts landscape, including players, organizations, tournaments and the sport's unique culture. Dartoid's articles are highly regarded among darts enthusiasts, solidifying his role as a pivotal figure in promoting and documenting darts as both a recreational pastime and professional sport."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7810"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=7810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}