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Let me throw a few things out there. They won't stick with many of you, but I'll throw them out there just the same. There are a couple myths floating around about coach Canales. The biggest one is this one "He's beaten WKU and had a close loss...just like Dodge." WRONG!!! Dodge beat WKU, true enough. And the games were always close and always in doubt. A fortuitous fumble here, an INT there...that's what it took for him to beat WKU. Canales coached our team (our greatly depleted team) to a beating of WKU. You can argue that it wasn't a blowout until late, but it was never in question. No back and forth lead changes, no nail-biter fourth downs, no doubt. And his close win this season? Yeah, only against the reigning champion who had better athletes virtually across the board. Dodge kept us close to equal or inferior competition. Canales had a stadium (not full) of fans seriously believing that it we got the ball back (which we did) that we could win on the last drive of the game. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who can't see that he had a team which was otherwise left for dead playing with fire and passion is either blind, wasn't there (hi Plummy), or has an agenda. You don't have to put him at the top of your coach wish list. But please don't try to write off his accomplishments as equal to his predecessor. As to the "splash hire" movement. That might just be a great idea. Let's say we bring in a Mike Leach (or a Fran, etc). Thousands would show up to see him coach. Our stadium would be filled with the ticket buying masses. T-shirt alumni would come out of the woodwork. We'd probably get to be on national TV a time or two. And yes, he'd probably win. Then, as soon as the next big offer came along, he'd be gone. And, whoops, the fans who came to see the circus would realize the circus is no longer in Denton and they'd be gone too. Why? Do you think he'd feel the need to go to Denton Chamber of Commerce meetings, high school pep rallies, Alumni meet and greets and the like? I sure don't. Why should he? His name alone sells tickets. And do you think he'd insure that all of our newfound fans form a connection to North Texas and who we are...or do you think those people would form a connection with the hoopla surrounding Mike Leach? How would that differ from winning with an infectious, driven, coach who's trying to make his name at North Texas and might just want to make North Texas his home? When the wins came with a guy like Canales (again, it doesn't have to be Canales) don't you think that the momentum of the ship would be the shining light and not the captain himself? We talk about wanting to be like Boise. Folks that's exactly how they did it. And let me address one more thing about this splash hire idea. The more I read this board and talk to our fans the more I hear "it would make people take us seriously as a program" and "it would make the local and national media take notice." Kinda reeks of insecurity to me. Sure, if you're a nerdy high-schooler and your daddy buys you a Bentley people will "take notice" and women will probably "take seriously" the prospect of dating you. I don't want people to take my school seriously because we do the "sexy" thing. I want them to say "Wow, North Texas really committed to a culture of winning and not taking a back seat to anyone. They win with determination and preparation and that can't be taken away." If that's with a "sexy" name so be it but let's not fall so much in lust with the idea of having our name on the front of the sports page.

Riley has been the most abused player by fans I can remember in the last five years. People demanded perfection out of him when he was a freshman. He gains experience with each game. He was incredible and smart with Troy and has the intangibles to make us a winner. He wanted to be the catalyst to turn our football program around and he may be able to do it yet.

You had me up to this point. But I hate the idea that UNT shouldn't go for a big name because someday he will leave us. That reeks of insecurity. There are times in your life when you should go for somebody who is out of your league. I did, and my wife hasn't figured it out for 23 years and counting.

I can't believe we've left out the most important question of all. Who's going to man the Syracuse Sausage kiosk in the new stadium? For the love of all things holy, man! We need answers!

Joe Lunardi must have a thing for goats...

Alumni, students and the general population may not know his name, but he's the kind of personality that will be more than happy to meet with any group of people to tell them A. who he is, and B. how he plans to be successful at North Texas.

What a Jew.

Okay, I think the world of you, but you're starting to annoy me. Can you tell me why Canales has to work (and considering your tone, he would have to be wildly successful) for his chance to be considered? While all the other candidates are basically sitting on their past records.....which occured at programs with (compared to North Texas) vast resources.

You were just a gleam in your daddy's eye the last time we had a successful GA. Hells Bells, how many horrible GA's have we trotted out there in the last few decades because the Sun Belt was our barometer???! More importantly, you young gun alums don't have a clue what a true diet coke boy is like! Important, rich, powerful...though conveniently nameless...people have talked to me, and again conveniently me only, and told me that our next GA will be a GA to rival all GA's. A GA for the ages!!! Oh yeah, and vote Republican.

Count me in the group that doesn't give a crap how big the name is, how many hands they would shake at the Taco Cabana, or how much baggage they would truck into town when they arrived. Will they win games once here, yes or no? Now, this is mostly a theoretical matter, and that's why ADs get paid big bucks, to do the research, assess intangibles, and essentially roll the dice and have to live with the results. Will they win games once here? Concerning Canales: It's interesting, isn't it? Given the injuries, it's hard not to be impressed. But for me this is what it comes down to at the moment: Western Kentucky: Beat a team we should have beat. I liked the style of the win, but it's one we should have won, so it's very cool but not completely mind blowing. Troy: hung in there against a team that should have locked us in its gimp box and thrown away the key. A loss is a loss, so it's hard to start the coronation ceremony just yet. But at least it was a fun game to watch from 15:00 1Q to :45 4Q. He's auditioning, and doing more than enough on the field to merit a sober look. But he definitely still needs to do more, quite a bit more, to seal the deal. T-Shirts are cute; Ws are priceless. If he keeps winning, I don't envy RV and the decision he's paid the big bucks to have to live with.

If we got Leach we would be set and no he would not have to attend and beg everyone to come. People would come, sponsors would come, donors would come, recruits would come. That means big money, that means our AD would be that much more flexible hiring the next coach after a Leach. A Leach is a jump start and a Canales is a risk and a slow build at best (and I do mean everything, Fans, Recruits, Donors, Sponsors). And there is absolutely no guarantee that Canales would stay very long "IF" and that my friends is still a real big "IF" he is successful. He will have to beg recruits, he will have to put a new staff together, if he is staying with most of the old one he might as well leave now. Canales will have to build on out of conference wins to get any recognition from sponsors, big donors, and the T-Shirt alumni. I understand what a big splash can do for this program, but as of this season win, lose or draw Canales is still an experiment that has not stayed anywhere very long.

Emmitt, I agree with you. And I don't. I really like Coach Canales. I've met him and I think he'd do a good job at NT. Here's my problem. For the most part, North Texas has hired "up and coming" assistants. There have been 2 exceptions. Bob Tyler, former head man at Mississippi State, and Hayden Fry, former head coach at SMU. Bob Tyler is forgetable as he was only here for one season. Hayden Fry is a legend. People still use him as the "gold standard" of head football coaches at North Texas. The rest of the former assistant coaches have lackluster. Corkey Nelson had some success here, but most have been .500 at best. I'm afraid if we go with the "up and coming" assistant again, we'll be back where we've always been. I'd like to try something new. And hopefully get something we've not had before...or lt least not in a long time...a winning tradition. I'd be happy with Mike Canales. If he succeeds, who cares. If he is not successful, I'd alswys wonder what might have been. GO MEAN GREEN

Hey Emmitt01, it was nice meeting you Saturday. Hope to see you around more. You present alot of great points in your post. I agree with this. The WKU win was definitely more convincing than the others. I'm glad it turned out that way. It was certainly a boost to the team. This was against a team that had lost to LAMo the week before. This is certainly not the Troy team of recent years. I only predicted a 10pt loss to them. The team played better than I thought! I felt that way during the Rice game, the LALa game, and even the ARSt game (with Chase Baine at QB!) Didn't you? I agree with this too. He's certainly not Dodge. The players appear to be responding to him better than Dodge. They've completely bought into this 'Lock the Gate' theme. I don't think too many people are saying that Dodge and Canales are the same guy. Maybe I'm just not reading those posts because those people are on my ignored list... I dunno. I would certainly expect coach Canales to do this too. I think you're fooling yourself if you believe coach Canales only wants to be in Denton for the rest of his life. Who knows though? Maybe I'm wrong. I'm not willing to bet on that though. I think the people we REALLY need to get on board are the other 90,000+ alumni that are here in the DFW who are currently apathetic towards their university. Once UNT starts winning, regardless of the coach, hopefully those people will start coming out and opening their wallets. When they do, I think they would stick around after we replace this name coach with another coach after he departs. The other people who come around based on the coach themselves will be minimal (people who like pirates and stuff). If they leave, it's OK because our targeted fans stayed. I really do think Boise is a great template for us to try and follow, however, I fear that Boise caught lightning in a bottle. Boise lost coaches to big schools when the opportunity arose. That's what is so impressive. They have assistant after assistant that can pick up and continue with the program. Looking at guys like Leach,Fran,Leavitt,etc..., they have the name to attract the type of assistants that could accomplish this type of success for us. I don't know if Canales has these types of assistants at his disposal. I agree with your underlying principal here that UNT should be committed to a culture of winning and we can do this without a sexy hire. BUT, I think the sexy hire can get us there quicker. Take your example: girls will not consider dating the poor kid at the end of the class line, but if he somehow gets a Bentley, then they will start taking notice, and eventually may get to know that he's a great guy. At the end of the day, I would just like to see our options. One of those options includes seeing what Canales can do in more than 2-3 games. If he proves himself to be a good enough coach, then please lump him in with the other candidates and see how he stacks up. He certainly has a leg up on the competition because he's been here for a year. If he stacks up better than the other guys, then by all means, sign him! If he starts recruiting great players and winning, he'll get noticed by bigger schools. If he leaves, fine. We will be in a position to get another great coach to fill in. IF he were to win AND stay, then I would be elated... I just don't expect it.

I think people would have to be blind, naive, stupid, or have an agenda not to be able to see what has happened to the program under Canales' leadership since he took over. He has done everything asked and so much more to this point. I think it's great that he wants this job in particular and is actively out there doing what Rick said is expected of the next head coach. The posters on GMG who want Leach or Franchione would be in for a rude awakening in that it's more about the coach than the team. Fran's ego could not fit through the doors of the football offices. In the mean time, there's a guy who's auditioning daily directly in front of the Athletic Director, and has done everything he addressed in the press conference regarding criterias for the new head coach. Just because the name is not as recognizable, I don't see that as a problem. You may not get the ground swell of ticket sales and perk people who support other programs up initially. But the bottom line, at the end of the day what matters is that the new coach wins. Winning will cure everything, including public perception, and ticket sales, etc. Canales is a perfect 2 for 2 if you ask me. Convincing win against an inferior opponent. Toe to Toe with the Big dogs of the Sun Belt despite having a depleted roster. He's got 3 more chances. Let's all keep an open mind and see how he does.

I agree. The part I find so ironic, is that the posters that are annoyed with the alleged campaigning by the Canales camp are the same posters that turned this board into a sophmoric "yuck fest" last year and couldn't understand why many of the older posters had grown tired of it. Heck, I got banned a couple of times over it when the typical response I would receive was "Well, if you don't like our posts either don't read them or utilize the ignore button." Those two options are still available to those that don't want to read posts from the "alleged Team Canales" posters.

I believe we have a DB that shares the same number of Tune I hope these erroneous participation reports are corrected and do not hurt Tunes consideration for a waiver. Those responsible for the confusion have been sacked I like llamas.

You idiots have no respect for the past. You see a couple seasons worth of above average burgers and all of a sudden they're "The best burgers in the history of Denton." What do you kindergartners know about the history of Denton Hamburgers? Having good new burger joints is fine and all, but I'm sure as hell not going to piss on the grave's of the burgers that came before us. Somewhere Zombie RJ is cooking up an Afterlife World Burger and planning all your demise. Seriously the lack of respect for burger history around here sickens me. Sincerely, Knows way more about burgers than any of you.

Look, I don't know about you, but I don't want a sausage company catering the UNT games that has a pending lawsuit because it was accused of choking and slapping one of it's sausages. Can't we get a more upstanding sausage?

We would all love to have the sausage splash that comes from Earl Campbell, but we have to be realistic about our resources. They've been throwing sausage parties in Syracuse for three generations, so even if they're not from Texas, not very many can beat their meat. Besides, I hear they're very enthusiastic about going out into the Denton community and introducing people to their weiners.

+100!

Sorry, we expected nothing worse than 20-14 in the second half to make up for the first half. Your kind of thinking is what has held us back in the past, no more!

There have been some reports that North Texas has interest in Leavitt.

Syracuse Sausage? Really? Syracuse? Let's bring in some good Texas versions like Chappell Hill or Burton. For all that is clean and good, Syracuse is in freakin' New York!

Sustained.

I think Riley might really come into his own now that he is out from under his father. Nothing against Todd, but the added pressure of being "the coach's son" is tough. Not only was Riley trying to win games, lead the team, etc... but he also knew in the back of his mind that the results could affect his father's employment.

Simple enough. Dodge finished 9th and Canales finishes 8th.

Perhaps, Master Wayne, this is a man even you don't quite understand. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

The biggest question we should all be concerned with.... When is Denton going to open up a REAL sushi buffet (similar to Tokyo 1)???

Williams at 10 at Kimball Norris at 11 at S Grand Prairie Don't know about the others

Does finishing 8th AND 9th get us extra points for the Bubas Cup Standings? MSN must know something we don't know...

If we stop Dasher we will win this game UNT 35 MUTS 21

Maybe you just happened to sign up right after Dodge's firing, and maybe you just happen to relate every single one of your posts to the current head coaching search, and maybe you just happen to have special feelings for Coach Canales in your heart, but it sure does seems like an awful big coincidence. And I don't believe in coincidences. Your group needs to understand that by constantly pandering on this board and slighting other candidates for the position, you run the risk of making Coach Canales look petty. Losing doesn't make a fan base stupid, and to treat it like it does can turn on you in a heartbeat. Tread very carefully.

Well, I don't believe you. And I don't understand how anyone that's been keeping up with your posting history wouldn't obviously and immediately conclude that your participation here is apparently dedicated to promoting Canales and immediately slamming on any other candidate that even gets whispered as a possibility.

As NT80 linked elsewhere on this forum, Stoops was chasing the 1-AA Youngstown State HC job last year. And I think we've got the bankroll to pay better than a 1-AA school. If we're already talking to him, great. He's a good one to consider. Edit: YSU's hire, Eric Wolford, earns a salary of $200-250k

If he wants a head coach job, we're a head coach job. All of you Canales people (and I don't mean his supporters, but I mean the people who literally share his name or lineage) really need to dial it down a notch. He's earning consideration on the field. All you idiots are doing is alienating people who might otherwise be disposed to retaining him. Because honestly, if head coach Mike Canales would mean the lot of you people are going to be around for the duration... I'd rather see the guy get let go tomorrow and take all of you with him. Not because of anything he hasn't done to earn consideration, but just because I almost can't stand coming here anymore because of all this kind of crap.

And Canales....while qualified for a higher paying OC position accepted one for 90k when he made twice as much at USF and was let go for no reason.

I wanted to go into Linguistics, but Dr. Sims, the department head for the Technical Writing program convinced me that with my undergrad in Biology, I would be a natural fit in Technical Writing. I have to admit, she was right. I got my first job by sitting next to a guy I barely knew from my hometown (but I knew his mother well from school) during a church service. He was also a graduate from UNT and had heard from his mother that I was attending. He was moving into the Marketing department, and his previous boss was looking to fill the position quickly. A week later, after sending him my resume, I got a call from his boss offering me the job. It's not always just who you know, but more importantly, the follow through that leads to success.

You people need to get real. Even if some of the burger restaurants you're talking about were willing to consider thinking about opening up a location in Denton, where would the town get the money for everyone else needed to make the restaurant a success? It's not just about the name on the marquee... Who is going to work the grill? The counter? You have to dedicate the resources necessary to keep quality people at all the critical positions. You can't just throw buckets of money at Mr. Hardee or Carl Jr. They won't be able to make a top level hamburger on their own. They need help. I still contend that Tim's Love Shack is the ONLY answer for our next hamburger restaurant. Even though I don't know him in any way shape or form, haven't ever met him, and didn't birth his children/buy him Father's Day gifts for the past 25 years... I know that Tim has the heart and the dedication and the ability to make the best damn hamburgers this town has ever seen. Hamburgers more delicious than anything being served up at some of the "higher profile" restaurant cities. If you want to throw your dining money away on retreads and failures like Dennis Fuddrucker, go ahead and be fools. But even if Chef Fudd somehow does manage to make a semi-decent burger again, he'll quickly pack up shop and move his restaurant down the highway to Austin or Houston. Support the guy who wants to be here, and LOCK THE FRIDGE.

Hi all, I've been registered on this board since it's inception, yet I only have 14 posts... so you can trust me. I have heard from a very credible source from inside the Denton Department of Health that there may or may not be food served at a burger joint that may or may not be coming to Denton. The Department of Health deepthroat informant told me that there are 1 of 2 options for this possible establishment. 1.This restaurant may or may not serve delicious burgers. 2. This restaurant is a big name that you have DEFINITELY heard of. I'm sorry but I am not at liberty to provide any more information than what I've given you. Sincerely, -Stone

Listen, but hands out of the trousers...

I wish that we would sometimes (but not all the time) embrace more of a "football band" concept and less of a "marching wind ensemble" concept. More John Williams, less Alberto Ginastera. btw, vuvuzelas are loud, too. Just sayin'.

I imagine this is directed at one of my replies. I knew the band director,albeit briefly, back when he was an RA in Kerr Hall. I am not taking shots at him personally, nor do I question his spirit and pride in UNT. The band, IMHO, took a huge step up when he took over a few years ago. I just think there is a disconnect somewhere at UNT. Go to any other major college football game and compare how much the home team band contributes to the atmosphere, how tied into the game they are (ie--how often they play, key plays, lulls in the action, etc) to what we do at UNT. We're just not there...yet. To make matters worse, virtually every time an opposing team brings a band to Fouts they are louder than our band. That should NEVER happen. I don't care if they are amping their bass, miking their horns, etc....we need to realize this is an issue and make sure it stops happening. You keep wanting to take this criticism of the band itself and turn it into knocking the individuals who make up the band and us discounting their effort...and if that's how it's coming off, I apologize. Our band has had many of the same issues since I was in school ('96-'01)...I can assure you, this isn't a problem with the kids or their effort. Either way, radiogreen pretty much nails it here:

Voilently disagree with this statement. As far as having to have all the facts before posting something, I think all of you need to go back and review your preseason football predictions before demanding only factual information be posted. It is a freaking message board, not the NY Times (even they don't always print the facts, some would say they rarely do). Presidents travel, money gets spent, and it's not 200 million. Now, F all of you and I hate your guts, whether you graduated or only went a semester at UNT. (Just trying to be a part of the conversation).

NORTH

OK, GreenMachine, and you are? *crickets* Yeah, that's kinda what I figured. You've made detailed personal attacks here before, only to remain a coward who won't fess up to an actual identity. I gave no crap then, nor now, what the vast majority of people in Gainesville, Texas thought of me. After all, most of them are meth'd out of their gourds or too busy with their 5 kids for me to be concerned with. I got the hell out of there with no regrets. Bitter? Hardly. My life rules in comparison to so many. That shitty job? I frickin' love what I do...it pays well enough to provide a pretty nice life for the wife and me...and has some pretty killer perks. And college, yeah, I never finished...financial circumstances and lack of motivation. Guess what?... things turned out pretty awesome and I have ZERO debt, which is more than most around here can say. I'm going back on my own terms now...not because of some veiled threat from corporate America that I'm unemployable without that little piece of paper, but because I have a genuine interest. I'm not looking for your approval. Rick, you're right, I couldn't hack it at NT. Primarily because I was a lost 19 year old kid, away from home for the first time and fending for myself financially. I made a decision to postpone my education and, overall, I don't regret that. Besides, if I've learned anything, any moron with 4 years to kill and accumulate debt can finish college...that doesn't necessarily mean they possess any greater brainpower. I mean, you're a prime example, "genius".

Typical smug fucking idiot who believes whatever bullshit he is force-fed by Fox News response. Do we know how much Bush's clandestine trips to Iraq cost the taxpayers? What about Dick Cheney's almost-weekly trips to Jackson Hole, WY in a VIP Boeing 757 over the course of eight years? (which, if nothing else, cost my company untold amounts of money in holding fuel, delays, and diversions). Did we care then? No. These are the generally accepted costs of the United States Presidency. Why do you suddenly care now? Seriously, when will you admit that the only reason you and your ilk suddenly give a shit about any government spending is because the President is black...and, we just can't have that, now can we? This report originated in India, where 200,000,000 Indian Rupees comes out to about $4,523,761 US. Still a lot of money, but perhaps this was just a case of a conversion error that made things sound worse than they really are? Basic logic and rational thought would look at that possibility first. Or, maybe, the numbers are close, but that includes the monies spent by the media (which make up the majority of those 3,000 people), not the government. Of course, you can't throw the President you hate under the bus with such relatively small numbers...so, the $200 Million number flies with the extreme-right because it suits their purposes better. Facts be damned. If you want to bitch and whine about spending, how about that $190 million per day we've been spending in Afghanistan? Or, perhaps the more than $1.1 trillion we've spent in Iraq & Afghanistan combined since 2001 (your share comes out to about $7,655...and, ya know, the burden we all must carry for sending thousands of young men to their deaths for reasons that are still unclear). At least those numbers come from a legitimate accounting source, as opposed to the calculations of a noted mathematical genius like Michelle Bachmann. But, dammit, it was worth it, eh? I mean, we got bin Laden, afterall...right? I hate that I have to write in the same hyperbolic undertones as you (I prefer rational, civilized discussion), however, I deduce that hyperbole is what you are conditioned by your leaders (political, religious, and otherwise) to understand best. P.S. - Since it is the 5th of November, has anyone ever noticed the parallels between Lewis Prothero (in V for Vendetta) and Glenn Beck? Wow...disturbing.

It's not the people... it's just the nature of politics and government. I think people really want to go to Washington to make a difference and they end up becoming career politicians steering tax money to pert projects so they can keep their job for another term. The voters should impose their own term limits. 12 years in national office (6 terms for House, two for Senate, or any combination thereof). Because the politicians themselves aren't going to do it. Hmm, maybe I'll start a new grass roots campaign for just that - Voter-Imposed Term Limits.

God, people hate your posts. I purposefully TRY to get -1's and I still end up with a sea of green numbers. I am truly in awe.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I plead with you to please turn off the political pundits and quit clicking on The Drudge Report and other websites of it's ilk. This story was spread so fast over the airwaves and internet that it makes me seriously concerned for America and our capacity to think for ourselves. You all know this story from an Indian Media outlet that based its information on a unidentified Indian source is not true. At the very least you are all reasonable enough people to question the article immediately and look for confirmation. With that said here is an article from factcheck.org that shines some light on the original allegation. FactCheck.org

I'm so sick of the myth that the rich doesn't pay their fair share. The top 1% pay over a third, 34.27% of all income taxes. The top 5% pay 54.36% of all income taxes. The top 10% pay 65.84%. How much more do you want? ...and what makes you think that they will stop spending, and that they will get to the point where the confiscate 50% of YOUR income too?