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Damn it's still off season....

I don't get how everyone seems to think that Vito is all doom and gloom. He talks up the new coaching staff and how they compare to the last regime. And then he talks about how this team doesn't appear to have as much talent as last years team. Which is true. We lost a lot of key contributors off of last years squad.

The new ALUMNI PAVILION is set to open along with the new MEAN GREEN STADIUM on Sept. 10th. If I were capable I would post a photo of the pavilion, but each time I try GMG.Com tells me the file is too big...sorry. maybe someone else can help. The Pavilion will open three hours before game time on Sept. 10th (and for each home game) and will be open to the public for the first game. The 2000-square-foot pavilion will include space for 150 (inside...with plenty of additional room outside), three high-definition TV's, misting fans, food/beverage stations, etc. Six garage doors will convert the pavilion into an open-air facility and open up to the 3,200-square-foot outdoor patio with views of the stadium. Membership in the UNT Alumni Association will be required for entry to the pavilion for all games following the Houston game on September 10th. Alumni and friends can also renew or register for membership at the pavilion or purchase a temporary membership for $10 for entry into the pavilion for one day. The great news is that the Pavilion is 100% funded as far as construction is concerned. However, the association is still accepting contributions for on-going maintenance and other expenses. Contribution options are available starting at $100. Pavilion markers will continue to be reserved and installed on an on-going basis. For those who purchased markers (brick pavers) early, come out on the 10th and look for your paver. The Alumni Pavilion will be a great place to meet and mingle prior to games. In addition, the Alumni Pavilion will be available to host other events throughout the year. Hope to see you at the Pavilion before the Houston game on Sept. 10th. By the way...it's a bargain to join the Alumni Association. You can join for way less than the cost of guest memberships for the season. Join/renew your membership now and be ready to "Meet at the Pavilion" on September 10th! See you there. Now...can someone please post the photo?

Jerseys are for kids. Now, fire helmets on the other hand...

I hope this will post on here. Someone tagged this to me on Facebook: http://yfrog.com/h8hw9yhj

Chill out everybody. The only criticism one could throw out there for Vito is that he restates the record over the past 6 years... It sucks for us to stare reality in the face sometimes. He has just restated reality too much for some of us to not get all worked up. It is the offseason, so here is your update... one...two...three... The team is going through conditioning, and according to Dan McCarney, the team has taken to heart the strength and conditioning programs. Everyone is on campus and doing well in the classroom... <insert your random quote that reinforces these statements from players and coaches> The bonus is that we have 7 commits already. <insert statements about these guys being excited to commit to what looks like the perfect situation for them and how awesome the coaching staff is> <insert statement about how great a find these kids will be and how under rated they are by other schools so far...but expect interest to increase> Practice is starting soon... <insert state of the union statements as they prepare to begin 2-a-days> Then if you are Vito, restate the dismal results on the field that we are all too familiar with to get a rise out of us again... Vito does a solid job of staying on top of what is going on. If there is nothing going on or nothing to report(or is allowed to report *cough* big announcement on the 15th *cough*), then there are no new nuggets for all of us to consume and get excited about. I appreciate you Vito. Thank you for covering the Mean Green! and yes, I might be brown nosing a bit.

Had a co-worker stop me on my way to my desk today. He said "Hey man that new stadium of yours looks really good...I saw it from the highway" And in unrelated, but highly entertaining, news I got an email in my work inbox inviting me to fill out a form to request as many tickets as I want to SMU's home opener. Gotta admit, if we weren't opening a superior stadium that day I'd take in some free football...and root for UTEP.

It's not that he's doom and gloom all the time. It's just that he lets his immaturity give a lot of his blog entries a biased slant. Sometimes he tries to be a Mean Green homer while other times trying too hard to appear not to be.

I am simply thrilled by all the great PR UNT is getting these days. Wait until that big donor announcement on Aug. 15th and see what other great PR UNT gets...along with a VERY big commitment...I am hearing that it is in the neighborhood of $20million +. Things just keep getting better for UNT. It's a great time to be a member of the MEAN GREEN NATION! GO MEAN GREEN & WHY NOT NORTH TEXAS INDEED!

Like most are saying, this will take time. Just as the building of this stadium has been in the making for many years, the branding of the school/AD will take time, as will the success of the football team. A famous quote that says it all, "It took me 20 years to become an over-night success." Just bc a big effort and investment has been made in the program in the last months/yrs does not mean that everything is going to change overnight. The Athletic Dept has become accustomed to operating on a small budget in inadequate facilities, with a poor product on the field for a LONG time. You cant just build a new facility and expect everything to change automatically. Its going to take time to build a relationship with the people at Nike, bc all they know right now is that we have sucked it up big time the last 6 yrs. Once they see the potential that UNT has, combined with an improving team you will start to see the quality of merchandise improve as well. With that said... We are finally heading in the right direction and I do not have any doubt that we will get there, and who knows... it may be sooner than later. I am just trying to be realistic about the situation and hope that many on here will do the same and are willing be patient.

He was in Victory square with Scrappy and the cheerleaders to promote the Kickoff Cookout. Grad Cynthia Izaguirre did the interview and gave some props to good times at old Fouts Field. Video doesn't appear on their site yet.

You know that George O'Leary went 0-11 in his first year at UCF in that powerhouse conference known as CUSA, right? IIRC, Mario Cristobal won one game in his first year at FIU in the SBC. Look, I hope you are right and we are wrong. Winning 5 or more games this year would be amazing. If we do that, I think we are at least a year or two ahead of schedule. Coach Mac seems to be a guy that knows how to develop talent and puts a premium on HS recruiting. Usually, that pays out big time in about 3 years. I always go back to the "SBC is an easy league to move upward" argument--its not. Since we dropped off, Troy has perched itself at the top, while FAU and MUTS joined them, too. Now, FAU has dropped and FIU looks to be ready to take their place, just like Troy did to us in 2005. Sure, Arky State, ULL, and ULM have had a decent season here or there in the last 6 years, but they have basically found consistent spots in the middle of the SBC, all while we and WKU have kept ourselves comfortable in the basement. It has been this way since 2005. Our main goal this year should be to find those 3-4 wins in SBC play that get us up to the middle of the league--we do that, then we can take aim at the next level in 2012. You then aim to win the darn thing in 2013 with all of your recruits in place in that new stadium. Its the exact same path that Cristobal took to get FIU to the top of the SBC and a bowl win in 2010, his third year there.

My cat's breathe smells like cat food...

Yes, a gift card for merchandise and very easy to use.

Waste someone elses time. Or get better at comedy.

Nobody recruited Johnson as a tight end. It is about as important as Kassell being a high school QB. NT lost three three year starters on the OL but not pointed out is that Drake and Santiago were both injured most of last year. NT has five players who have started at least a couple of games in Johnson (the center, Fortenberry, Adedipe, Leppo, and Freeley. Yes NT lost some valuable players but the cupboard is not completely bare. It all how you spend it. Gill was in particular a big lost playing left tackle but he is not irreplaceable.

Tie the tubes on welfare recipients and your problem is solved. Right now they have an incentive to reproduce rather than actually contribute to society.

Earlier in the week had a coworker (who cares nothing about sports) approach me about our new stadium saying they had already visited the stadium website and thought it looked great. Completely shocked by this and is further proof word is getting out.

Lets hope their assumptions are right.

Dear Big Dawg, Since you have demonstrated an interest in Mean Green Football by going "most years" to the kickoff cookout, would you please support North Texas Athletics by joining the Mean Green Club. Please don't do it expecting anything in return. Join becasue you wish to support NT Athletics beyond the price of admission. Join in Mean Green Club Make a Stadium contribution Buy Season Tickets GO MEAN GREEN

at least the hat i bought in 2005 is still in style

You know folks, I'd give it a little time before I'd start complaining about what's in the store. The shop is just barely open to the public, UNT has not announced it's new uniforms as yet, Nike is just starting to work on UNT gear, etc., etc. and, to me, it's just a tad early to start the "it's not right" complaining. can we just cool the complaining and give it awhile to develop? PLEASE. Maybe just once, let's give the folks the benefit of the doubt that things will "perk up" a bit for all of us who love UNT gear...what do you say? Look, in a perfect world I'd have the thing chock full of replica UNT Nike jerseys, helmets, coach shirts, t-shirts, polos, baby gear, men's and women's hoodies, etc., etc. This "ain't" a perfect world. I doubt that Nike has it full speed ahead on UNT gear as yet. It will take a bit of time...as it will take a bit of time to work out the traffic flows, the tailgate set-ups, etc. Patience might just be a virtue here, and it will certainly keep one's blood pressure from going through the roof. It's all good...it's new...new is different...new takes some adjusting to and "settling in". And, don't forget...GO MEAN GREEN!

Would ya?

There is an abundant amount of nice hooters on campus

along with the new building came an invisible forcefield that will block any non-UNT alumnus from entering

Vito's job is never to blow sunshine or to manage any one's expectations. He is reported it as he sees it. i don't agree with him or you, I think 4 wins would be disappointing. McCarney will get a lot of time to turn this thing around but if the injured riddled poorly coach team that everyone is lamenting about could get 3 wins last year, I don't see why we should be happy with those results this year. Yes, I know Dodge was gone when the team got better but he was over the development and recruitment of those athletes and Riley who performed outstandingly was injured during most of the run and was slated to be a wr.

I just got back from the store it is a lot smaller than I thought. I had no problem with the selection, there was a Nike Golf shirt that caught my eye but didn't want to pony up $60 so I settled for the Nike hat the was pictured in a previous thread. I talked to the nice lady working the counter and she said they are still in transition and that they will be getting more stuff soon. All I can say though is I am glad we switched to Nike. All of the Nike gear there was top of the line. Good stuff!

as a new alum, i can't wait to drink a beer or 5 in the pavillion.

The Alumni Pavilion is a wonderful, unique touch to the new stadium and the gameday experience. It's really a cool deal all-together and will provide a great gathering spot on gamedays. And I will not nit-pick it, I personally think the architecture for what function the building will be serving is perfect (and signage that large could be a good thing, as there may be some older folks wondering what that is).

I have had many co-workers from Oklahoma comment on how nice the new stadium is and some are actually coming to the Houston game. Now lets beat Houston so they will come back for another game.

Obviously only the powers that be know the story as of now but I can almost guarantee this donation is somehow linked to Dmac getting out into the public. The man's enthusiasm is infectious. We as fans/students really need to match our department's effort in bringing in fans this year. Paying for the groups tailgating beverages always seems to be a good tactic.

Hooters wet tshirt contest. That will bring everyone over to the field and away from fouts parking lot.

If this is a serious question and not a reference to the UNT "Black Uni" thing...the answer is YES. Oklahoma State's official colors are Orange and Black. And, perhaps to tell you why...it seems when OSU was founded they saw themselves as the "Princeton on the Prairie" and, as such, chose the Tiger as their first mascot and orange and black as their official colors. There you have a bit of OSU history and lore...

While I agree 100% with what greenjoe is saying here (and greenjoe definitely supports the Mean Green and has for many many years), I will point out that you will definitely "get something" in return for joining the Mean Green Club. Not the least of which, is the knowledge that you are helping to fund scholarships for UNT athletes and, on top of that, you will meet a ton of other great members of the Mean Green nation that you might not otherwise have gotten to know. Those two benefits, alone, are worth the contribution...at any level. Great points, greenjoe...and GO MEAN GREEN!

I'll take 6.

I think we and any signs we brought could easily be ignored by most recruits.

Lots of fun and big crowd of P1s tonight as The Ticket 1310 Air Personaliities bested a Women's All-Star Fast Pitch team 3-2. Yes, The Ticket did have a Women's Fast Pitch Pitcher, but it was lots of fun. George played 3rd base! Dan McDowell had two hits and two RBis! ParksandRecRick

I'm going with Larry the Cable Guy or Homer Simpson

2/3rds of a very interesting three-bedroom in the sky...who will join Amy Winehouse and Hideki Irabu?

2 HCs later, and the Great Dickey is still haunting us.

Leaked new uniform?

I have no idea on the history, I just know for $50-75, I've been asked to be on some sort of list for years -- first high school, then undergrad and grad work, then at a few different jobs. The craziest was getting a letter at a job I just started this summer. I guess they heard about my interview and liked it? I took a good friends advice and looked it up on the internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_Who_scam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_Who_Among_American_High_School_Students Sorry, this was the worst hijack ever and I know Mark's a good and successful guy. I'll log into one of my other accounts and just start putting a minus one next to all my old posts shortly.

Reagan....: you must be kidding.... The article is a Grim Fairytale... the national debt almost tripled during his administration...(a larger percent than W. Bush.... if fact his successor, Bush Sr. tried to correct it and got un-elected because he tried.... despite his success in the Gulf War) Reagan spent a fortune during his administration on "Star Wars" and the "Supercollider" ..both of which were never completed ... plus a lot on upgrading the military.. some of which was really needed but some was just a waste..... Let us not forget he was handing Saddam Hussein ( W Bush's swore enemy later) weapons to fight Iran because they represented Islamic fanatics and potential terrorists to us.. Even to this day the largest one-day drop in the stock market (percent-wise) happened during his administration... being fair about it, it did recover fairly quickly but didn't go up any big amount until Bush Sr. came into ofice. ...

I just love that I've got a single site on the internet for all the WAC, UT, UTSA, SMU, TCU, Houston, Texas State, UTA, McNeese State talk I can handle.

I love threads that heap complimentary comments on bygone players as if propping their character up changes their on field performance or somehow brings good karma to the current program. I then love the echoing of this sentiments in an effort to prove just how mature and appreciative we are of these "stand up" human beings...though their gridiron success (or lack thereof) is what the general public judges their North Texas ambassadorship on. And helmet stickers.

The penny pincher attitude of NT toward athletics starting probably long before Fry. I know a very good coach who never got much credit, Rod Rust was a big victim. Rust was highly successful but was then made AD. A common practice in those days due in part to save money and also pay the football HC more. His budget was substantially reduced and that combined with much more competition for Afro-American athletes and changes in the juco eligibility rules killed any chance he may have had to continue his success. Then Fry came in and actually got budget increases but even after his great teams, the administration wanted to cut their loses in athletics. I doubt it would have made any difference but I think the NT administration made little effort to keep him. They then brought in Jerry Moore and were actually happy that he had reduced the loses although he successful turned a 10-1 team with almost all the players back to a mediocre team. Moore was hired away, a move by Texas Tech that nobody understood. The Bob Tyler disaster only took a year and Corky Nelson and 1aa purgatory begin. NT major problem in 1aa was not resources but academic standards, as most of the league was made up of players that couldn't get admitted to NT. This changed late in NT's 1aa when NCAA minimal standards were upgraded. Parker was hired to take the team out of 1aa and into 1a competition. A high school coach who was out of his league but also had little to work with. Helwig and Hurley despite their many athletic detractors, actually did bring NT back to the highest football competition. Problem was they provided the minimum of resources and heavily relied on guarantee games. Simon was brought in and did win the Southland in NT's last year but the first schedule in 1a was the most brutal at NT and in fact the team performed better than expected. NT joined the Big West to survive as a !A program much like the Texas Twins joining the WAC. The opposition in the BW was unappealing and the travel awful. Simon could not recruit and became too verbal in his comments and was terminated. Enter Vito's great coach D Dickey, who was another economical hire.

I don't think you got it. I think you did.

To piggy-back on this idea...I really like "interesting" links found on the cyber computer internet web

Deeply-rooted racism cut with a splash of ignorance to make it seem less threatening.