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San Diego State fan here. Undoubtedly the first to post here since we've never played you guys. (But there's a first time for everything.) This might be a bit long, for which I apologize, but I think it might be of interest to you. Five years ago Tom Craft was completing his final season as SDSU's football coach. I heard enough rumors to think he might get canned mid season like NTU just did with your guy and then I thought Tom actually might survive but he lost the finale to a bad Hawaii team and sealed his fate. (I later heard from well-placed sources he was gone regardless.) Anyway, Craft had more than just high school head coaching experience but it was just at the JC level and I was aghast at hearing he had been hired when we almost got Jeff Tedford, then Oregon's OC, then almost got Mike Riley, then the Chargers' head guy, then almost got Rich Brooks, who was unemployed. When Craft was shown the door I was therefore adamant that SDSU not repeat the thoroughly botched hiring process that resulted in his hiring. (Among other things our idiot AD reportedly appointed the fired Ted Tollner to sit on the interview committee to replace himself. Yes, that's apparently true, as amazing as it sounds.) I therefore created channels from which to obtain information from insiders about the process to replace Craft. I won't bother with specifics and rumors but one thing that's a matter of public record is that SDSU hired Chuck Neinas to vet the candidates. After the attendance swoon created by the lousy teams at the end of Tollner's tenure and four years of Craft, SDSU's athletics budget was in bad shape. The general consensus was, therefore, that the university was unnecessarily spending a reported $35K on Neinas that it could have better used in some other manner. Plus reports suggested some nepotism in the retaining of Neinas. Was the $35K money well spent? No. However, that wasn't Neinas' fault in the slightest. As I'm sure you guys do when your football coach job is open, I heard many rumors of applicants and I won't bother to detail those, either. However, I will say that none of the names mentioned was Chuck Long, who ultimately got the job. Chuck was therefore called the stealth candidate and although I wasn't sure what I thought of him when I heard he had been hired, I attended his introductory press conference and hung around after the media was done with the guy and found him to be highly personable and thought he would do well. Of course as you may know, Chuck had the worst 3-year run of any SDSU head coach in half a century and SDSU ended up buying out the last two years of his contract in order to save its football program. Did Chuck Neinas recommend his namesake, you might ask? No, I might answer. Rather, Neinas recommended Jimbo Fisher. SDSU football is now finally back to respectability under Brady Hoke and his excellent staff. However, because SDSU's AD didn't listen to Neinas, the school's football program undoubtedly lost millions in ticket sales and alumni contributions, to say nothing of the $1.5M to pay Chuck to sit in the athletics office for two years and twiddle his thumb allegedly writing reports which nobody ever saw. (He's now the OC at Kansas. 'Nuff said.) Listen, $35K in this day and age is peanuts when it comes to FBS football. Probably pays for nothing more than some paint for your new stadium. And maybe Neinas has an incestuous relationship with a bunch of people within NCAA institutions. But so what? There's no doubt the guy has more contacts than anybody else out there from which to gather dirt on applicants. And since he didn't recommend Chuck Long to SDSU, I'm sure Neinas found some stuff of concern on Chuck since Fourth-and-Long was at that time the highly-regarded OC for Oklahoma. Sadly, however, it's obvious our then-AD (since fired himself) knew Chuck back in the day at Kansas State and thought he was God's gift to football coaching. In conclusion, I don't mean to stick my nose in your business and I definitely don't make it a habit to post to other schools' message boards. I just thought you guys might like to hear my perspective on the report of the hiring of Neinas.

I sure hope Canales did not touch the player and embarrass him in front of the others, he might get in trouble for emotional trauma to the player, even though this what the team needs. Time to stop coddling and start hitting some pads in practice.

RIP Coach. Gosh, it was fun to watch him coach. He was very colorful. Every year, Coach Blakeley's wife sewed (or had made) a cover that went over the back of his chair, on the bench. They had slogans written on them. The first one was "Don't Expect Miracles". I think the second one was "Miracles Never Cease." I think it'd be cool for the Ath. Dept. to have one of those made up...and put it on one of the seats at the end of our team bench....signifying that Coach is with us in spirit.

Weird that an SBC fan base would turn on a moderately successful coach after their delusions of grandeur got unfulfilled a few seasons.

No, but it will water down our input. Our final decision will be weighted like this: Neinas - 28% RV - 18% Rawlins - 19% GoMeanGreen.com - 35%

I think he's going to stand on the sidelines on Saturday.

Kram is not available right now. He's picking up his red North Texas polo at the laundry.

get m. brown and his shorthorns off this site------------THIS IS A UNT BOARD------who cares about m. brown and lee jackson------could not pass up the chance to take a hit toward jackson

With Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Baylor, Nebraska, Texas remaining on their schedule, it's not too far fetched to say the Texas A&M job will be open as well if Mike Sherman can't pull out three more wins among them. The Aggies have beat every team on their schedule with a losing record and lost to every one with a winning record. All remaining opponents have winning records. The A&M job will be the cherry of the region. If they lose this weekend to Texas Tech, I'd hope Rick puts the pedal to the metal on our hire.

I agree completley. Anyone who can only win 10 games for 11 straight years totaly blows. With all the talent they have they should totaly win every game every year. Since there is clearly no one in the whole universe who get the talent that they get by not doing anything or working hard or coaching good or any of that stuff (cuase the totally dont), they underacheive when they lose even one game. I dont know how they look at themselves in the mirror.....

"It's a good move for UNT. Rick Villarreal and Lane Rawlins are going to make the decisions, but an extra opinion certainly won't hurt matters any." You mean they are bypassing the opinions of this message board?

Plumm, please allow me to expand and clarify. I have no doubt that we are the prettiest girl in the Sunbelt when it comes to flirting with the coaches we have discussed. But suppose New Mexico, Arizona State, Washington State, Minnesota and some of those other b**c%#s show up at the dance and flash their busticles. The coach(es) we have our eye on may spurn us and go to the hayloft with one (or more) of them.

Know this will not gain me many popularity points, but... I am not sure I understand all of the fascination with Major Applewhite?? Seems like just yesterday I was watching him as an ok QB for UT. Has he really been THAT amazing since to warrant his name in the ring for a HC position in Div IA,,,especially for a program looking for a candidate with actual HC experience?? Seems like we always seem to want the sensational hire. TD was the same phenomenon. Everyone seemed to be so excited about the possibility of him being a candidate. There was dancing in the streets when he got the job I tell you!!! Remind me again...how did all that turn out?? My point is that maybe we should focus on qualified candidates...not the sensational ones. We need someone who is qualified to be our HC...that has actual HC experience...and the experience to take a program in our situation and turn it into a winner.

I just don't agree that this decision needs to make a splash. The Dodge hire made a splash and we see how that worked out. If RV is making his choice based of impressing the fan base I think we're in trouble. Winning games will impress the fan base. Your average student or alum won't change their actions because we hired Terry Bowden, Mike Leach, or Coach Fran. Chances are they won't even know who they are either. But if we start winning, they'll notice that. Not that I'm against any of the big name guys, I just don't believe the hire should be about making headlines.

Dinuta wins Consolation Nice Job by Dinuta winning 7 matches and the Consolation Title. Sounds like rough conditions during the tournament with wind. Very up and down results, Lee lost to the Tournament Champion in 3 sets, so not a bad loss after beating an Aggie i 1st Round. Draws from Baylor Site Joubert lost to tough TX Tech Player, BTW Tech looks really good this year judging by the results and they handled the ladies pretty routinely at this tournament. Vykydalova beat the #8 seed getting to round of 32, Madura lost to a seeded player, Paraschiv lost to a Tech Player. Hoping Barboza can get her game together as she had some bad losses in the tournament, she will be needed at lower end. Would be awesome if the team could pick up a Spring Transfer that could step in. Depth could be an issue if injury bug hits. Seems like the Top 5 are all interchangeable which is a good thing. Joubert and Barboza would anchor the lower in of the line-up. Play tournament in Waco first weekend of November and then kick off the spring season in Fayetteville beginning a tough spring season, but think the team will be fighting for the title this year again against FIU.

This may have already been expressed, but whatta' ya' think? Of course, Dad would have to convince Son to come to Denton on this one. I'm sure RV will soon come down to 3 top candidates but this would sorta' take care of many years at UNT if Dad leaves and Son takes over--assuming we are the Top 25 program I think Coach Fran would give us if he stayed 5 or 6 years in Denton. Just something to mull over--that's all. Whoever we hire, we must do the most research on this new hire in the history of our school's athletic program--that is a given. GMG!

Ya, but you can have as many as you want. Quantity over quality?

I have heard many stories from my dad about what a great coach Bill Blakeley was, and how exciting his teams were to watch. I really wish I could have seen some of those games in person, but it was before my time. RIP Coach. Surely the Athletic Department will have some sort of ceremony before the Tech game. There will be a great crowd, and it will introduce this generation of students to a great era in the history of North Texas Basketball that they are probably not familiar with.

they need to do a tribute, preferably before the Tech game since almost no one will be at the Home opener. RIP Coach, basketball in heaven just got better!

To be followed by the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Washington Generals.

RIP Coach. A great coach and a great man. Sorry he didn't get to see us go deep into the NCAAs.

This x 1000. I don't know that the $20 a day that I slide under the door to his office is gonna cut it long term. So far, that big bag of money that I'd been planning to find laying on the ground hasn't appeared.

From a post by Bird of Paradise on the SBC board today: Keep some money in the bank to pay the man in March and April when the other schools start sniffing around again.

If/when Howard is gone I hope they do get a high profile coach. It can only help make the conference better and make us better with it.

One only needs to ask Syracuse what happened the last time someone hired a Whorn Coordinator. Just Say No to UT!!!

This forum has become ridiculous. Run, don't walk, to the basketball forum for enjoyable debate and inner peace. There is a soccer team doing quite well, too.

O M G

Meeting downtown ?

Thank you for a well thought out, although a little off the mark, response. I started this thread as a discussion only of whether slapping a player is wrong. Obviously, lying and trying to cover up the incident is a whole other issue. Again, strictly on slapping Miller (because there is zero evidence of a choke), what is the actual physical harm? Don't be so quick to link workplace and school shootings to someone's hurt feelings. People did this with Columbine only to find out (after a about an hour of investigating) that they were not bullied at all, and were actually quite popular. Lumping all of these shootings together is making a HUGE leap, as each and every case has independent circumstances.

Only partially agree, programs like UT were you can pay to have the very best assistants; this is the approach that works. For lower tier teams, the HC has to be a more hands on guy. It is common to have the hc be the de facto coach on one side of the ball. It is why Mack Brown would be a terrible coach at a place like NT. His main role is hiring and monitoring assistants, fund raising, and providing very general guidance. NT needs someone who does those things but also who can recruit and take a much bigger part in the developing of game plans and players. This doesn't mean the hc is out leading drills and coaching techniques but it does mean that he takes an active part in game planning, play calling, and recruiting. It is a fact that even if a lower tier team can afford a very capable hc that they will also have the same level of assistants.

All of the coaches on meangreenbob's list except Major Applewhite would be acceptable to me. There are a few others who I believe could do the job as well but I'm afraid there's little likelihood of getting them. Initially, I didn't have a #1. Of the five, I have doubts that Mike Leach would be a serious candidate. I just don't think that we are high-profile enough for him. As for Bower, I'd have to be convinced that he has the fire in his belly to continue coaching. Jim Leavitt would be an excellent choice but the fact that he could be distracted by his lawsuit and the negative publicity that surrounds it gives me cause for alarm. If he could get that behind him he just might do the best job of any of the candidates. Terry Bowden has been, and is, an excellent coach. My only concern with him is that he has only coached within the state of Alabama and to my knowledge has never recruited Texas. That gets me to my #1...Dennis Franchione. Coach Fran has produced winners everywhere that he has been. The only stop where he had an overall losing record was New Mexico (3 games under .500). When he went there the Lobos were dismal. They had three winning seasons in the last twenty). In the six seasons that he was there he had three winning seasons. He took them to a bowl for the first time in 35 years. A possible plus that I can't erase from my mind is that he might be able to lure his son, Brad, to join him as his DC. Brad has coached NJCAA Blinn College to a national championship. Another plus is that Franchione is better known in Texas (except for perhaps Leach) and has done an excellent job recruiting in this state. A major consideration is who can best fill the new stadium. Who will draw the casual fan to the new green palace? Franchione, Leach and Bowden all have name identification around these parts. Leavitt is a Texan by birth and a Floridian by upbringing. That should eventually give him good standing in recruiting both states. Bower would have the least name identification but he may be more talented at finding raw talent because he had to at USM. While Coach Fran is now my favorite, I'd be happy with any of the above five and if somehow Tommy Bowden decides to unretire I'd be happy with him as well. The rest are, well, who we don't want as a head coach.

SMU has played TCU for decades. They even play for a skillet! That game isn't going away for good reason. I guess you didn't get the memo that Baylor is currently leading the Big XII South.

It's the way every successful coach from HS on up does it. It's the assistant's job to do the hands-on coaching day to day. It's the HC's job to oversee those coaches and make sure they are carrying out the plan and teaching effectively. It's not his job to do the assistant's job, any more than it's the assistant's job to be the HC. Either the OC is the OC, or he's not. The DC is the DC or he's not. The RB coach is or isn't the RB coach. Not the HC's job to take on those roles.

mmmmm lets see because Riley never gained more than 2 yards in the wildcat and Dunbar has not produced at that spot either. The wildcat must gain atleast 5 yards for it to work . Baine has the legs and the speed to get the 5 and more (mayby a pass from the wildcat). I hope for our sake the line can pick up the blitz and stop the D ends from chasing the QB out of the pocket on every single play. For the teams sake you better play them both cause " TROY, Middle, and KSTATE are going to bring the house on everyplay from the zone read to the simple 5 yard out and thats alot of punishment for any one QB to take. heck the article Vito did on Baine stated his nickname by his teammates is "CHASE TEBOW"..that tells me something and after seeing him run the past 2 games I agree !

Imagine what fun this would be if the NFL used the BCS formula to decide who plays in the Super Bowl.

Nobody. In two weeks, we get an exhibition and a game against Henderson State. After that, things really start to get fun.

He has no case. A first year law student could figure that out.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I agree with #1. #2 - I tend to disagree, as he will have to put some of that aside if he wants to come here. There is a little bit of twisted logic to him being a perfect fit for this program. Let's assume he learned his defensive lesson at Tech - something that was evident toward the end as he had finally installed a great Defensive Coordinator and they were having real success on both sides of the ball. ...the boost he could give North Texas in terms of visability, wins, potential conference championships weigh heavy. ...even if he was a short termer, the potential boost in having him here for a few years is huge. #3 - sort of the same as above. #4 - Major could turn out to be one hell of a coach, but he's a positions coach today and this isn't the time for NT to take a risk like that. #5 - Levitt - I think he's probably the best option if you want a quick turn around, espceically if he keeps Canales on. ...he would have a great inside line on what we have in terms of talent and how best to use it because of Canales' experience here. If we want to be in a serious hunt for the title NEXT SEASON, this choice is the most logical. #6 - Another fine choice. Terry Bowden would be a good fit here and has had some real success. ...in other words, 4 of the choices listed here would all work, IMHO, for different reasons. The fan base who don't really know any of these guys or what is in their hearts and minds judge based on what the media and their W-L record tells us, which I don't think gives any of us a true picture of what any of these guys would be like at UNT. Of the guys on your list, I would be thrilled with Leach, Fran, Levitt or Bowden.

...especially since his name sounds too much like Jim Crow.

I think we should at least contact everyone including Leavitt, Leach, Bower, Fran and Carthel. Every candidate has positives and negatives and its RV's job to sort those out and get the best fit for the job at North Texas. Yes, our culture is unique, but every University has some unique aspects to its head coaching job. I think we have more unique problems and challenges than most. Anyone who has never hired then wrong person has not done a lot of hiring. I think, but I'm not sure, those of us who have hired a number of people and then had to fire some are the ones here who are most critical of the all the candidates. I'm very critical as I don't want the university to make a mistake and then have to fire the person after giving them a few years. when I do the hiring, I find every possible negative about a candidate and weigh those against the positives and I always can find a greater number of negatives and risks. FFR wrote in another thread his belief based on information he had that RV was disappointed over the reaction on this board to Bower. I really hope RV isn't waiting for a candidate the gets majority approval on this board as we are a VERY independent minded bunch. We will pick apart every candidate. Other than winning, we don't agree on much. If we had to vote to go to the bathroom I think we'd just pee in our pants! RV has four weeks till the end of our season and six till the auto-qualifiers finish their seasons. I hope he takes at least three to carefully evaluate everyone. And he can gauge overall popularity here, but I hope he does not expect any kind of consensus!

Appreciate the response. I like your coach and your program. If a thread is titled NT vs SMU in bb recruiting, chances are I'll take the bait..lol

I heard after the game last night Wade cut out Doug Free's heart and fed it to Dave Campo, still beating, with some peanut butter. Because of controlled violence.

Look, I'm on the record about Robinson over here, well before he gave UNT a verbal. This doesn't have to do w/UNT, it has to do w/Robinson, whom I've watched in personal work-outs more than my fair share. I'm happy that you guys like him and are happy, but it doesn't give you ammo in a SMU vs UNT debate, that simple. SMU wasn't even recruiting Forrest, and hasn't for well over a year. He doesn't have 90% of those rivals offers either. To say SMU would have taken him in a second is just false. They already have Cunningham & Norman in the same class, who both play he same position as Forrest etc. I've been quite complimentary of several of the kids you have verbals from (Williams, Jones) and have no problem admitting when UNT actually beats SMU for a kid(Williams). You want real & no spin, so don't expect me to wax poetic on Robinson or Norris. No idea about the JUCO kid, but even defended his frosh numbers over here, when some of you were slamming him. I'm being nothing but consistent. Didn't like Robinson way before I knew he was a UNT possibility, don't like him now. Clear enough

Great article. Exactly how I feel. It's time to do this right!

Ok. Wow. Here I go. I used to collect Dr. Pepper bottle caps and send them in so I could be a Dr. Pepper Jr. Ranger. & game tickets and a Rangers batting glove. They hardly ever won, but that was really important at that age. Dad would take my friends and I to the games. The kids would ride in the back of the pick up to and from the stadium. I remember one magical night in the summer of 1974 where the Rangers won one of these games to move into 1st place. We yelled "we're number one" all the way out of the old turnpike stadium parking lot and half the way home. I remember going to bat night, and they actually handed you a bat when you came into the stadium. The old outfield stands were metal, and us kids would just bang and bang and bang our bats on those metal bleacher floors, driving every adult in the stadium batty (he he). As I got older, the team got worse, but that didn't change the greatness of attending a game at the old ballpark. I was there when Nolan struck out #5000. I was there, cussing Bobby Valentine throughout his time with the Rangers (and the fact that he once hit on my date had nothing to do with it). I was there when things turned in the 90's. Even when this team clinched it's 1st division title, it did it in the weirdest way possible, playing a 15 inning gameat home that took so long, Oakland (or was it Seattle), playing on the west coast, lost their game while the Rangers were still in extra innings, allowing the Rangers to clench. No one got to rush the field and really let loose with a major celebration. And back in 1996, people still did that. I was at the stadium for both game 3 and 4 of the 1996 Yankees playoff series. I'll never forgive the idot fan that ran onto the field in the top of the 9th of game three, delaying the game and breaking Darren Oliver's (yes, the same Darren Oliver) rhythm in a game the Rangers led by a run at the time. The Yanks scored 2 in the top of the ninth, and won the the pivitol 3rd game of that series. I was there the next day when the Yankees won the next night to close out the Rangers 3-1. I was there for the only playoff game at the ballpark in 1998. A game I was was resigned that the Rangers would lose before the game. They didn't surprise. I was there for the playoff game in 1999, and had the enjoyment of walking past the head of the organization for which I worked at the time while going to my seats, which were better than his. The look on his face was priceless. Too bad that small satisfation was the only satisfaction I would get that day. The early 2000 were a kick in the mouth for Ranger fans, as the A-Fraud signing and the steroid years punched this team in the head. A-Fraud's contract was a disaster, as was the trade to the Ynakees that left the Rangers still paying A-Fraud all the way until bankruptcy was completed earlier this year. To make matters worse, John "I'm an idiot" Hart chose Juaquin Arais over Robinson Canoe in a trade with the Yankees. Would the curse never fade? Things got interesting again last year, with pitching coming out of nowhere, or Nolan Ryan's and Mike Maddux's teaching, to start a team transformation. Going into this year, things appeared to be in order for this team to challenge for the division title, mainly because of pitching. Let's take a look at that 2010 opening day pitching lineup, shall we? Your #1 starter was Scooter Feldman, who didn't make the playoff roster. our #2 starter was Rich Harden, who didn't make the playoff roster. Your #3 starter was a converted set up man who had a history of being a head case. Your #4 starter had been in Japan the last 2 years after a failed major league career the first time around. Your #5? Anyone that could claim the spot. Your closer was Frankie Fransisco, who pitched his way out of the job and was replaced by a rookie. The Rangers, strapped for cash, signed Darren Oliver, yes, the same Darren Oliver that blew the 1996 game 3, hoping to squeeze 1 more produictive year in a 7th inning role. Your lead off hitter was Julio Borbon, who promtly didn't hit his weight through the first month and drew, like, 1 walk the entire month before being replaced. Oh, and it is revealed that your manager tested positive for cocaine the year before. That was the pitching lineup that headed into the regular season. If I told you a team would have to replace their #1 starter, their #2 starter, and their closer before the midpoint of the season, just image the odds you would have given me for this team winning the American League Championship. I would be a rich man, no doubt. This organization, which should have had a sale of the team complete before the season, had to sit by and watch as Greenburg/Ryan group had to outbid Mark Cuban (Mark Freaking Cuban!!) for ownership of the franchise in a bizaar public auction. This organization somehow manages a trade for Cliff Lee, just hours after it was reported that Lee was headed to the Yankees. Ya, just a little bit big. So this team promptly wins the division, mainly by winning the month of June. They suffer numerous injuries along the way that makes the everyday lineup unrecognizable at times and leads to a mediocre playoff push, yet they never let their division lead fall below 7 games after July. They win the first 2 of the ALDS, causing a midly interested Ranger fan base to become very interested. They then lose 2 at home, causing that reoccurring disinterest. Funny thing is, I wasn't worried. Why? We had Clifford Lee. the best big game pitcher in the MLB ready for game 7. And it was no contest. Fanbase very excited! A heartbreaking loss in game 1 of the ALCS brought back memories of those old Yankee ghosts, at least to the fans of those late 1990s teams. This team just kept playing, and outplaying the defending world champions. I was there for the heartbreak of game one, then took my dad to game 2. He didn't have to drive the kids or pay for anything that day. The Rangers won to even the series. The first win I had seen in 7 games of Ranger playoff baseball. That #4 pitcher to start the year won 2 games and was almost unhittable in this series. Your relapsing, drug addicted centerfielder has a career year, stays sober, and finally fulfills just about all of the "P" word while winning the ALCS MVP award. That D-bag of a shortstop that you grudgingly had to pay long after he was gone? Well, he strikes out looking to end the series. In your park. The other D-bag that cares only about money? Pulls a muscle and can't finish the series, taking a big Ofer against his original team. I don't care what happens in the World Series, although I really think this is just meant to be. Winning the ALCS the way they did, over who they did, will make this season memorable for a lifetime of fandom. I'm off now to hit stubbhub and try and get some tickets to game 4 or 5. Once in a Lifetime, not going to miss it. No matter the cost. The Series? Rangers in 6. Hey, I'm on a roll.

Harry - You need to change the "Author" line at the top of the article to reflect who the actual author is. I got turned off on the article after reading the first paragraph or so and stopped reading...not because I was offended about the opinions or anything, but because I didn't think it was an accurate reflection of the feelings I think you've had over the past serveral years regarding the program. I was put off by the fact that you'd come in after the firing and portray your feelings that way. It was my impression that you continued to support the program and hope for the best without "checking out". May just be me.

I think the way most followers of Sun Belt hoops outside of Miami are viewing the FIU/Thomas situation is akin to your friend having a girlfriend that none of his buddies like. Sure, she's hot, but hot is really a dime a dozen...because of her our Friday poker game has a usual vacant seat, she's making you eat vegetarian and everytime we all go out for drinks she doesn't talk with anybody, stands impatiently with her Grey Goose and Cranberry (why she insists upon Goose with a mixer where you can't taste the vodka is beyond us)and asks you to go home at 11pm. We think she's wrong for you...but we don't see what goes on in the bedroom and when you two are off by yourself. Maybe she really gets you and encourages your artistic side. Maybe you guys will marry and live happily ever after and your friends will realize at the wedding that they were wrong... Or perhaps she is actually trying to mold you into her image of a mate, with complete disregard for your wants...she stifles your creativity and tells you that you need to stop bartending and settle down and get a real job, no matter how much you love your work. So, perhaps to please her, you take a 9-5 at an insurance company and are willing to sit through the misery for your perceived love, but she decides you're not the one and up and leaves you for a mortgage broker in Kansas City...yeah, effing Kansas City...leaving you in downward spiral of depression and alcoholism. Ya know...just off the top of my head...

It was an assault. And, his actions were inappropriate. In fact, if before the statute of limitation runs Miller decides to pursue the case criminally, the charge of battery would also be included. There is no scenario under which either are acceptable. If our only two choices in the world were player-choking and hitting Jim Leavitt and Todd Dodge, I'd hope we'd choose Todd Dodge again. Not only has Jim Leavitt shown that he cannot control his temper around kids thirty-five of so years younger than himself, he's also shown that he doesn't have the grace to admit his wrongdoing, man up, and move on. Leavitt will be 54 years old in December. He's old enough to know right from wrong; he simply uses a plaintiffs attorney to sidestep doing what's right. Fortunately for us, the universe of potential head coaches contains more bodies than just Leavitt and Dodge. Therefore, we can hire a coach who can control his emotions and win football games.

No, I mean about two dozen. The report specifically lists 20 players and mentions a 21st. The non-student athlete witness list includes nine others, including five coaches...both Leavitt and Mike Canales were interviewed. And, each of the 21 student athletes, plus the nine coaches and others, will be be called to testify if Leavitt's attorney keeps pushing. It will be a mistake to do so; but, plaintiffs attorneys rarely let common sense stand in the way of making a buck. He could have had Leavitt out of the situation already. He doesn't. It's too bad he choked and hit the kid, too, with all of the current and soon-to-be job openings. If his attorney had settled and gotten him out, he'd be up for many of them.