It wasn't that long ago that Corrales resident Michael Gaffney was one of the best bullriders around.

Now 37 and retired for two years - "35's about right," he quipped - he has a firm handshake, is a bit bowlegged, and appears young enough to get carded if he tries to buy beer.

Fortunately for Gaffney, or "G" as they call him, he managed to stay fairly healthy in a dangerous sport that put him near the million-dollar mark in career earnings when he hung his chaps up for good. Such wasn't the case for Lane Frost, depicted in the movie about the sport, "8 Seconds," nor for one of Gaffney's traveling partners, Brent Thurman, who was stepped on by one of the beasts in the 10th round of the National Finals in Las Vegas in 1994.

"That's a wake-up call," Gaffney said, remembering a conversation with co-founding Professional Bull Riders executive Cody Lambert (who really didn't write poetry, as he was shown doing in "8 Seconds," Gaffney noted). "That's the first time I didn't want to ride bulls, when I lost my buddy," he said.

"You've got to be about half-crazy - but I never considered myself crazy," Gaffney said.

The sport has a way of weeding out the cowboys who aren't very good; they need to win or place to earn money and it gets expensive traveling the country from event to event.

"It's way too dangerous; it's not a hobby," he said.

He'll be at Tingley Coliseum this weekend to take in the annual Ty Murray Invitational; in fact, he'll provide commentary on the Versus network on Sunday when the finals take place.

Each day (Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 6 and Sunday at 2) fans will see "two hours of the best guys in the world," Gaffney promised. It's the 14th stop for the PBR Tour, and the 45 riders entered, he said have been taking a beating on a weekly basis.

"You can imagine the pain tolerance bullriders have," he said. "They all have injuries."

Gaffney wasn't exempt for aches and pains: He's had a cracked sternum, "snapped jaws" and a bruised heart; both shoulders have been repaired after rotator cuff injuries.

Of course, the successes outweighed the agony: Gaffney was the Rookie of the Year in 1990, the PBR world champ in 1997, and knew when it was time to quit.

Today, he compares that highlight to hitting a home run in a final at-bat, or catching a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl before calling it quits.

Gaffney retired after scoring 96.5 on "Little Yellow Jacket," which tied a PBR record for the highest score.

Although he enjoyed most of the pursuits his buddies enjoyed while growing up in Cloudcroft (Class of 1987), where Gaffney played football and basketball and ran track, once he was put atop a steer at the age of 4 he was hooked.

"Your competition is the bull; at the end of the day, there's nobody to blame but yourself," he said, sounding like he's writing a country song.

As he got older and stronger and more successful during his high school days, he was offered a scholarship to Western Texas College in Snyder. Although he never obtained his bachelor's degree, choosing to turn pro - he went on to have a 15-year career - and leave college, he does have an associate's degree.

He showed just how smart he was when he helped found the PBR; he's on the board of directors. "It's the only stand-alone event" in rodeo, he said, explaining how the multi-event rodeos always saved the bullriding for last - and how PBR has become successful by offering only bullriding, building up the purses, plus the national attention via TV.

He and his wife of nearly 18 years, Robyn, are adding a second story to their home in Corrales. Robyn, a childhood sweetheart of Gaffney's and originally from Grants, is a physician at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque. The couple have a 3-year-old daughter to keep them busy when they're home.

Although he's off the bulls for good, that doesn't mean he's turned into a girly boy.

Gaffney enjoys snow-boarding, scuba-diving and piloting his own 1957 Bonanza airplane, which he often takes to PBR events. When time permits, he enjoys hunting, or fishing with Robyn and her parents.

Bullriding provided a good living for Gaffney, who now can look back and say, "As a whole, you generally need to enjoy what you do to be productive."

It's not a pain-free existence now, almost three years after his last ride.

"It's a constant battle," he said, when asked if he wakes up still hurting. "I still take pretty good care of myself; I exercise regularly."

He has a set of exercise equipment only a few steps from his desk on the second story.

So, despite the occasional aches and pains, it's been a great life.

And, now, that's no bull.