Cliff Davis

President, Richwood Valley Campus, Ozarks Technical Community College System

[NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 @japan_nobunaga]

Stateside, a gas station. I drank a frozen blue beverage too quickly, and was struck down by a punishment this entire nation knows, and accepts, and has named.

The drink is called a slush. Ice, sweetness, and a blue that does not occur in nature. The day was hot. I was thirsty. I drank like a soldier at a river.

The pain arrived in my skull like a war horn.

Behind the eyes. Above everything. Total. I gripped the roof of my car. I may have made a sound.

"Brain freeze," said the cashier through the door, with no urgency whatsoever.

It has a NAME. The affliction is so common it has a household name, like a cousin.

"Tongue on the roof of your mouth," called a man at the pumps. He did not look over. He prescribed the remedy mid-pump, casually, the way one mentions weather.

I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth. The war horn faded. The healer nodded at his pump, finished, and was gone in a Chevrolet.

In my land, punishment follows crime by way of courts and seasons. Here, the sentence is instant. Drink with greed, and the ice strikes the mind directly. No trial. No appeal. Perfectly fair.

And here is what moves me. EVERYONE has felt it. The cashier. The healer. Children. Elders. An entire nation united by the same small lightning, all taught the same cure, all passing it on to strangers at gas stations, free of charge.

You cannot fully distrust a country once you know it shares one pain.

The freeze does not punish thirst. It punishes haste.

I finished the slush slowly, like a scholar. Blue tongue. Clear mind.

Then at the door I forgot everything, drank deeply, and was struck down again.

"Tongue, hon," said the cashier, without looking up.

Discipline is a journey.

[Elijah Haahr @elijahhaahr]

🚨Big day for #SWMO. @AlexRileyMO names @billowen14 the next #MoLeg budget chair!

[Governor Mike Kehoe @GovMikeKehoe]

Spent some time with Johnny Morris and @BassProShops leadership from across North America this morning in Springfield.

The Bass Pro brand represents the very best of Missouri values: hard work, love for the outdoors, and a commitment to conservation.

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

The Ozarks Tech Richwood Valley Campus is ready for the Lineworker Rodeo tomorrow (Tuesday, 10 am). It’s gonna be a beautiful day!

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

Missouri must have the same “law” on I-44.

[Mollie @MZHemingway]

This past weekend I learned that North and South Carolina REQUIRE semis to drive in the left-most lane. (Or so I assume, given what I endured.)

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

@jacksmith023 @officer_Lew Yes, you can get in line for airline bag check anytime; family can sit within 15’ of the line. Frankly, at some point I’d have them head over to the TSA line to hold a spot, and then you head over after the bags are checked.

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

I flew out Saturday morning (6:20 am flight). Arrived at 1:30 am — wished I would have arrived at midnight. Took advantage of confusion at AA self-check, saving an hour there. Then spent a couple of hours in TSA line. (TSA employees were on it!) Arrived at my gate at 5:15 am. I would have missed my flight had AA had any organization. Don’t sleep on the airline counter wait; it’s as brutal.

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

@BWI_Airport Google says that BWI terminals open at 3:30 am, and TSA opens 4 am. Is that correct?

I have a 6:20 am departure on Saturday morning. Happy to get there as early as possible.

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

There’s a growing narrative that veteran coaches can’t keep up in the evolving landscape of college basketball—but this year’s Sweet Sixteen tells a different story.

Leaders like Rick Pitino (73), Tom Izzo (71), Rick Barnes (71), Kelvin Sampson (70), and John Calipari (67) continue to compete—and win—at the highest level.

Experience hasn’t become obsolete; it’s become a differentiator. The game may be changing, but leadership, adaptability, and the ability to develop talent still matter.

For seasoned professionals in any field, this is a powerful reminder: your value doesn’t diminish with time—it evolves. The ability to adapt, mentor, and lead through change is more relevant than ever.

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

Vintage Pitino. Calm like that isn’t accidental, it’s decades of big-moment reps paying off. Respect.

[CBS Sports @CBSSports]

Rick Pitino's reaction to the buzzer beater was all business.

[Dan Wetzel @DanWetzel]

Old coaches can’t survive in the new era of college basketball.

Sweet Sixteen coaches:

Rick Pitino (73 years old)
Tom Izzo (71)
Rick Barnes (71)
Kelvin Sampson (70)
John Calipari (67)

[Aaron Torres @Aaron_Torres]

From the time Rick Pitino was let go at Louisville until he was hired at St. John's - dozens of power conference jobs opened

Any of those schools could've hired Pitino and I'm convinced he would've done what he's doing now at any of them

SJU pulled the trigger

And theyre Sweet 16 bound

Being bold pays off.

[Daniel Sempere Pico @dansemperepico]

Remember when the X feed would refresh while you were reading a banger that you’d never find again.

Well now it just refreshes with the exact same content you already scrolled through.

Anyone else experiencing this?

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

While attending Springfield’s Salute to Legislators, I visited with the leadership of the University of Missouri’s School of Medicine.

L-R: Dr. Kevin Kane, Senior Associate Dean; Dr. Richard Barohn, Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean; and Dr. David Haustein, Associate Dean.

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

"If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow."

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

It’s an honor to serve as the Chair of the Ozark (MO) Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. I serve alongside a fantastic group of individuals!

[Rudi Keller @RudiKellerMI]

Clark Hunt’s decision to move the @Chiefs to Kansas reminded me of Mark Twain’s quote about gratitude:
“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." #moleg @NFL
https://t.co/KxUeqez4Lc

[Joe Walljasper @JoeWalljasper]

Of all the different kinds of extortionists, NFL owners are my least favorite.

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

Coach Petrino was repping Carolina Blue back in May. Always a step ahead.

[Cliff Davis @CliffDavisMO]

Spent a few minutes chatting with legendary football coach Bobby Petrino and his daughter Katie Petrino Beard, at the Missouri State University Football Players Association Golf Tournament. We raised a good chunk of change for the NIL program.