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Turn your volume all the way up. Just wait till there's 32,000 of us. This is gonna be fun! Rick

I watched the UNT football camp at Chapel Hill yesterday (Vito has it wrong - the camp was yesterday)- I live a short distance away. Rollins looked good - glad to see him commit. CH had a three-back tandem last year that was excellent - and Rollins was probably the number 3 back. Another offer has been extended to CH's feature back in 2011 - and he was at the camp yesterday. It was interesting watching the coaches work with the players of varying talents. And of course Dan McCarney was all over the field doing what Dan McCarney does! It was particularly interesting to watch the special teams coach work with a punter. The kid greatly improved his distance, hang time, and was kicking consistent spirals, and all with 45 minutes of work with the coach. Great job! I was talking to the father of a CH defensive tackle (converting to DE this season - don't be surprised if this kid gets offered by UNT before the recruiting season is over) and he said that he believes UNT coaches and fans are in for a treat when they see Lairamie Lee in 2-a-days. He believes that Lee will be a slobber-knocker when receivers come across the middle. And to top it off - everyone in CH know what a great kid Lairamie Lee is!

As an everyday commuter past this sign I know that about once a week or so the traffic here is pretty backed up, especially in the left hand lane. While it is tough to read at highway speeds morning commuters will get a chance to read it fairly often at 10 MPH.

I saw this billboard on the way to Dallas yesterday. It is on I35 just before Main St. in Lewisville and is visible from the southbound lane. One thing I noticed was the stadium logo.

"I walked down Bonnie Brae for these of the West Side of the Stadium……." "I had to throw in a picture of Hayden Fry……" "More pictures taken from my walk down Bonnie Brae……" (There's a few more yet to go. I'll have to post them later--my office computer just can't handle this).

Folks...bidding is now closed...and the winners are (THANK YOU VERY MUCH): Las Colinas - $100 (Smoothfresh) Timmarron - $125 (Smoothfresh) Stonebridge Ranch - $100 - EastTXMG That's an extra $325 for the scholarship fund! Way to go everyone. This is really great news...appreciate everyone helping to recover my "fumble" here....I will contact each of the winners and arrange for delivery of the certificates ASAP. Thanks again to all who participated...winning bidders or not...everyone helped and was willing to be the high bidder. Super stuff from some great members of the Mean Green Nation. GO MEAN GREEN!

Government employee labor unions are very dangerous IMHO. Going back to our history lessons we were taught that labor unions were vital and important in order to protect workers from being abused and exploited by the evil and greedy capitalist owners. Fine, we all got that. But here, we're talking about protection from the government, aren't we? The same entity the traditional labor union look to in order to enforce contracts or resolve disputes. Really? Let's see how this works. Government employees organize in a union and then campaign, support, elect (using their membership numbers) govenment officials. Then they blackmail the same government officials they just put in office (I mean negotiate with the government officials) on their contracts (pay, benefits, pensions, etc.) using their ability to keep or remove them from office as a major factor in the blackmail/negotiation (or maybe it is just payback for the most recent election). Governmnent employee unions are in a position of strength and extract consessions from the government (i.e. taxpayers) as part of a never-ending political process of quid pro quo that ensures the same government officials return year-after-year and government employee unions are rewarded with uber-generous contracts. Keith

Not complaining but is it O.K. to critique this billboard? Could we have come up with a longer website name than "www.experiencethenewmeangreen.com"? Hope people can remember it as they're driving by. And does the phone number connect to the ticket office? Seriously, I'm glad we are getting billboards up to promote UNT football and the stadium.

The batteries are recyclable and with the volt, it's guaranteed for 100,000 miles. A Volt will take anyone living in the city (or the suburbs) on their average commute of 21 miles each way on just battery power. For those living out in West Texas, it has a small gas generator that powers the electric motor for extended drives. The Nissan Leaf has a stated range of 100 miles on a full charge. Both fully recharge in 8 hours on 120 and 4 hours on 220. This might not be too exciting for some people, but it's a really great start. With the technology improving on wind chargers, an affordable home wind charging unit (or solar panel unit) to use primarily on your electric car might be available in the near future.

Thanks to CajunT for posting this on the Sun Belt board: Looking at the list, especially the popularity of college baseball in Texas, and including the very respectable attendance figures from smaller Sun Belt schools, indicates that baseball may very well be a financially viable program at North Texas.

So, I ran into Tony Mitchell at Chicken Express yesterday evening on my way to a UNT Alumni Assoc.-Denton Chapter Board meeting. He was having a bite with a young lady...seems he has been invited to participate in the US team try-out camp for the US u-19 squad that will represent the US in the U19 World Championships in Latvia this summer. WOW...good deal...great PR for UNT. He thinks he will make the squad...so do I! GO TONY...Go USA! GO MEAN GREEN! This has to be a first U-19 US Team call up) for the Mean Green...anyone know if it really is? I thought Tony was in summer school. He may well be as this camp is not a long one and neither is the tournament...I think the tournament is about a 10 day deal. Good luck Tony Mitchell!

The WAC is in some turmoil and the public dismay by two of its members isn't helping. For the WAC to actually grow or even survive as an FBS league, all of its members need to get on the same page and work toward putting the conference back together. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/WAC-members-continue-to-complain-about-lack-of-?urn=ncaaf-wp2677#remaining-content

There is a new sign on a billboard on I-35 South as you are coming from Gainesville and nearing Valley View promoting "The New Mean Green Football Season." I found a smaller version of this in the local Gainesville Daily Register newspaper. They are certainly trying to get the word out for this year.

Good find. I think it is smart for the athletic department to target the Gainsville area. It has a sizable population with many UNT grads, and we are the closest FBS program around. That's not too far of a Saturday drive for a good afternoon of fun. We need to challenge SMU and TCU for fans in Dallas and Fort Worth, but I hope they target the Decatur area too. Building fan bases in Gainsville and Decatur could create a significant increase in attendance. In those communities, there are no other local sports institutions to challenge us for fan loyalty. Many of their high school graduates will attend UNT. We should be the local college football team they support.

I can buy the weight argument. I've seen crashes where the victim's car rolled several times over. I would think the heavier the car, the less likely to tumble. Having said that, there is a ton of skepticism in this thread, and people are nit picking. We need to find alternatives to oil, people. Batteries may or may not be a commitment, but we can all agree they are an effort to get away from fossil fuels, right?

--Personally I doubt the weight from the battery would help protect one much.. In fact I would think the opposite.. Weight from larger steel supports and frame in larger cars do. It really isn't the weight but what that weight is and does.

Volt Crash Test Ratings "Small but safe: The Volt and Leaf are classified as small cars, with their overall length, width, and passenger capacity in line with their peers. But their hefty battery packs put their curb weights closer to midsize and larger cars. The Leaf weighs about 3,370 pounds and the Volt about 3,760 pounds. This compares to about 3,200 pounds for Nissan's Altima, a midsize car, and about 3,580 pounds for Chevrolet's Impala, a large family car. Larger, heavier vehicles generally do a better job of protecting people in serious crashes than smaller, lighter ones because both size and weight influence crashworthiness." -International Institute for Highway Safety

I'm late to the party! I had a great time and big thanks to everyone who came out! Mark, you do an awesome job of organizing this event and as always I'm already anticipating next year's game. I want revenge! LOL Mark, let us know how much we raised in total if you can. I would love to know. Hopefully we can beat it next year.

UNT picked up a commitment tonight from Tyler Chapel Hill running back/cornerback Rex Rollins. Chapel Hill head coach Thomas Sitton confirmed just a minute ago that he committed. I am waiting for a call back from Rollins. DRC Click here to view the article

Foks...we have bid from EastTxMG of $100 for the Timmarron Golf package. We have about 50 min. left in the bidding... the bids so far are: Timmarron - $100 - (EastTxMG) Stonebridge Ranch - $50.00 (outside bidder) Las Colinas - $50.00 - (Smoothfresh)

I'm not sure when they are there but I have heard Tony Mitchell, Jordan Williams, Chris Jones, Roger Franklin, and maybe more have been up there regularly and are looking really good.

Thanks because I seriously didn't know if that number was the main university number, the director of windmills, or to inquire about "waterless urinal" tours at Fouts.

Dozer...thanks...Where have you been? Glad to have you back posting. Saw this on my way to work...looks great! GO MEAN GREEN!

Any RB, WR, CB, or even Safety that is also a track guy very much gets my football pants going crazy. Thank you to Mr Rollins for being the first of this class! I can't wait to see your talents brought to "The Stadjum" in Denton! I'll be able to see just how fast and Athlete-ic you are from a great seat! Go Mean Green!

He just hasn't had time to adjust to the system yet. Give him time and he'll get there.

---I wasn't the one that first mentioned Enron and the fact the CEO was wasn't punished.... neither were several others who should have known what was going on.. A lot of retired oil/gas people in West Texas lost their pensions and their company paid health insurance because of them. Some who had never worked a day at Enron but for companies Enron acquired. Also mentioned rolling blackouts Enron may have caused (I don't know). But I do know one of my son's company has a presense in Japan and rolling blackout is driving them nuts because in manufactoring (not just homes) because ovens baking semiconductors need a comstant sourse of power. Rolling backouts cause severe problems..however Japan just can't do better with those nuke generators gone. ---Without a good or reliable sourse of electric power, these cars become a problem. Easier to put gas in a tank than wait for hours to recharge. Long trips would be near impossible... Someone mentioned the batteries will last 100,000 miles..... ok .. then what do you do with them and how could so many be disposed off safely.?? ... Plus replacing them is no cheap deal either and I doubt recharging a car would be either. It take oil/gas/nukes to generate the electricity to recharge them or at least most of it. Every change of energy form results in some loss (basic physics) I don't see how you come out ahead.

I really hate the Fan, but everyone knows that UNT alumni only listen to the ticket.

I think you're forgetting the addition of Franklin. Mitchell will be on ship once he is eligible. That currently leaves us with 1 open ship

Chris Jones is our best recruit not named Tony Mitchell, and I stand by that.

We had two before Knox left.... so how does that math work? I could be mistaken but all year people kept track of the amount and when we had 2 when Knox left and then signed the french kid which leaves us back at 2...

Sure as heck does, I said the odds are against us but I AM in fact calling an upset. This post was supposed to have a 'silly' ring to it, if you will. The chances are we will not beat Alabama (who at the time of our game will be a top 5 nationally ranked program) but crazier things have happened in the world of college football. Go Green.

Why aren't they at work? Oh yea, union hours. Good thing they had a community organizer to tell them what to do.

THIS. X 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000!! What I want badly for UNT is to do one of two things. Upgrade the conference affiliation. If we can get into the MWC or CUSA, then great. I have no doubt CUSA will not be an option anytime soon as long as the private schools are in it together, so that leaves the MWC, which is a better league anyway. I would love to see us play Boise State and Fresno State at the new stadium, not to mention a road trip to the Air Force Academy or to watch our hoops team play New Mexico at the Pit in Albuquerque. I think the MWC would be a good fit for us, but that we would be a good fit for them, too, just like TCU was. If we can't upgrade to a better conference, than make the SBC the best it can be for us. Texas State would give us a rival that we have played more than anyone, has a lot of alumni who can help fill the new stadium when we play, and we would get a nice market for the SBC to become a part of in Austin/San Antonio. If I were Wright Waters, I would be calling Texas State and New Mexico State right now to come aboard and get us to 12 members. If anyone else ever leaves, then you can look into adding La Tech or UTSA--otherwise, those two ingrates can die on the vine as far as I care, although I still think UTSA has way more potential than the rest of the possibilities out there.

I understand why we have no friends. The best way to have a friend is to be one. Many on this board could care less about anyone else. We have a long history with Texas State and could use a friendly rival within the state. An instate rival would reduce travel costs and increase attendance. I know that if the situation were reversed I'd sure appreciate the help for North Texas. UTSA is another matter. They have no history in football and little history in the other sports. North Texas had been playing football for nearly forty years before we were able to move up to what is now the equivalent of the FBS (then called major college). I have no animosity towards them but they have not paid their dues so to speak. Maybe, if we are fortunate enough to upgrade to a higher conference then they will be allowed to take our place.

But if it's all the same shade of green, who is really going to believe it's our fan base?

As long as it's the right shade of eco-friendly green.....

Agree, that was a hell of a play. Split our zone in the middle before we even had a chance to react. Rick

Didn't energy deregulation and manipulated markets by companies like ENRON lead to large scale blackouts in California in '00 and '01?

By the way, the game winning TD was really scored by your son. He's a slick runner in traffic for a 15-year old kid. Send tape of him over to McCarney now before he starts to look at other options.

Wish he were German.

Thanks Rick for pointing out that Gringo was The Fake. Gringo, I had no idea but enjoyed meeting you and talking to you. This was one fun game...I am very grateful to the pros that came out this year. At 50, I am less sore this year than last...my boss will appreciate that. I learned you don't get sore if you don't play! Mark, your efforts have taken this game to new levels...from game quality to facilities to auction to fundraising, I am so appreciative of your passion, your positivity and your energy. And thanks to KRAM 2 also. Very nice to see RV come over and invite all the participants to tour the stadium. And to Smitty, thanks for capturing the lovely Jasmine in the photos. GMG

The stadium looks great but I dont understand the walkway that separates the lower seats and the mid level. You lose 5-10 rows of GREAT seats because of this walkway. I never understood it at fouts and especially at the pit, and never see it at any other stadium. Am I the only one that thinks this?

OK, so I get home after the game and discover that Pierce Reid (who provided the great golf packages for the silent auction...thank you Pierce) had brought a couple of new packages that i was not aware of so i didn't bother to look inside the envelope with the other certificates. UGH! As a result, I have three great golf packages that were not bid on...so, why not put them on here for a couple of days and see if we can't generate some additional funds for the scholarship... we have; 1) ROUND OF GOLF FOR 4 (cart fee required) at Las Colinas Country Club (Irving, TX)- good through 12/30/11 2) ROUND OF GOLF FOR 4 (cart fee required) at Stonebridge CC - The Hills Course (McKinney, TX) - good through 12/30/11, and 3) ROUND OF GOLF FOR 4 (cart fee required) at Timarron CC - Southlake, TX - good through 12/30/11. OK folks, can we get some bids going for the Andrew Smith memorial Scholarship Fund? Ladies...Father's Day is around the corner...this would make a great Father's day gift for a golfing husband...KIDS...are you listening? Don't forget Dad...if he likes to play golf this can be a great deal. You can bid here...just name the item you are bidding on and your bid...or you can PM (private message) me with a bid if you prefer not to bid here "in public". I will leave the bidding open until NOON on THURSDAY, JUNE 16th (that's this week)....can we do this and get a bit more in the scholarship fund? Sure hope so...OPENING MINIMUM $15.00. Raise minimum $3.00. Let's get it on... Thanks.

---I would not called what happened to him much punishment. He died in luxury at Snowmass, Colo. (not prison) while his case was on appeal after being convicted. His death sheltered a lot of his assets from being taken from his family. . Without much more detail... read the Wikipedia article (or something else if you don't trust it) on him. His investors, employees, and many others suffered a lot more. In October 2006: A federal Judge vacated his conviction.. I think that helped his family as well and made many assets untouchable.. A lot of politicians were sweating blood for a while because of the benefits they that had received from him including an Enron plane used for campaigns. A few of the more honorable ones returned the cash benefits they had received. . As for elctric cars... I am not convinced yet... A friend has a hybrid and likes it but I wonder about them in the long term. The energy used to run them is not free and has to be generated somehow and I have concerns about junking out large numbers of them, gasoline ones are pretty much just metal with some plastic, and tires which hybrid/electric ones have anyway. .

Excellent news! Welcome to the Mean Green Nation!

No. It's not. If this is going to be our long term home (which I hope it isn't, but there isn't exactly any other conferences, besides an almost defunct WAC, beating down our door) we don't need to be the steppnig stone conference. Let the Mac or the WAC hold that title. I know we have history with TSU, but I'm not willing to sacrafice the long-term well being of the conference just to have a fun road trip. Let them prove themselves in the WAC and then we can give them an invitation after about 5 years.

Excellent...good to see (and hear) this sort of promo. Seems lots of things are moving in the right direction at UNT these days...GO MEAN GREEN! Someone didn't like this post......because? Please explain as I would really like to know what/why you are thinking to make my comments negative for you.

I understand the argumnet about Fouts being memorable to our fans becasue it was our home place to watch the Mean Green/Eagles play over many decades, but... 1.) That the university allowed that place to be our home for so long is why we are in the predicament that we are in today. It was such a poor facility that even on the rare visit we got from someone that people cared about (i.e, SMU, TCU, Baylor, Rice, UH,etc..) their fans immediately bitched about what a dump the place was and we rarely ever got a return visit. Imagine trying to convince these people that are already against being in a conference with you to begin with that we really do belong in your conference, even though we play in a toilet of a stadium. Trust me, it screamed small time to the entire college football world. 2.) Seeing a toilet of a stadium get "enhanced" by adding aluminum bleachers that are even further away from the field than the rest of the stadium (which was further away from the field than any other stadium in America) was just awful. I realize the university had to do it on the cheap just to get back to 1-A in 1995, but, again, Fouts, to most of us, was a testament to doing things quarter-assed in regards to football and athletics. Seeing that dump across the street makes me realize just how far we have come, but it also makes me mad to think about how long this took to come to fruition and how it still may not be enough for our alma mater to ever be included into any conference affiliation with schools that our university should be aligned with. That's not even talking about the very real possibility that waht currently gets defined as FBS or AQ will most certainly change, probably for the worse, over the next decade, if not sooner. If we get relegated back to a new 1-aa type level again, we can blame this completely on the administrations that hated sports and wanted football to be abandoned here by just leaving us to play in an absolute dump for decades. To me, I would be just as happy as I could ever imagine being as a UNT fan to see that dump blown up ASAP!!

You're just jealous that all my scatter-shot, mid-conference one off posts are directed at him and Kram1 so far this morning.

I love jub but his old roommate ruins it for me. Its all about the GAC daddy Randy Galloway, who doesnt love a man who goes gambling, drinks like a college student and bails out quincy carter