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What makes me want to quit donating? Is threads like this. Who gives a flying f-ck. This program needs money and more fans. Neither of which hinge on whether fans can attend practice. I read threads like this and think to myself maybe it is time to quit throwing good money after bad. We will always be small time. Unfortunately for me I have some sort of addiction to the hope of better days for the Mean Green. So I keep sending out the checks. On a side note. My wife and her entire family attended Ohio State. My father in law and I give about the same amount of money to our respective universities. He gets a bumper sticker and the right to buy 4 nose bleed seats on the 50 yard line. That's it! What have I recieved? Well I get the right and do buy four club level seats that cost less than his nosebleed seats at the horseshoe. I have attended multiple events in Houston for donors and prospective donors. I have had dinner with the university president. I have had drinks with representatives from the athletic department in Houston. Not to mention the usual gifts from umbrellas to grill sets and so on. As I said before. I don't donate that much! Especially when compared with major universities. Yet here we are discussing the 5 fans that want to see a practice and at what giving level that should be. Instead let's discuss how being a Mean Green fan and donor is the best deal in college sports and according to the attendance and donor levels no one seems to give a crap. I could care less about open or closed practices. What I do care about is that at some point we either hit critical mass or people get tired of trying. Ok that turned into a rant, sorry. Dear God please let this be a winning season This post has been promoted to an article

Summer's here and the football bug is returning... The preseason mags are starting to come out, Dave Campbell, etc. And I'm getting a good feeling about the upcoming year. It looks like the biggest question mark for the upcoming season is our secondary. However our strengths are going to be in the trenches, especially on the O line. That is where games are won anyway and it appears coach Mac is building this thing right. Our LB core will be solid as well. We did lose a few key positions (even outside of Lance) but I don't see a big drop in talent, speed, and size everywhere else. I think our coaching will get the inexperienced players up to speed quickly. And I think Thompson (if he stays healthy) could be the leader this team has needed at QB since Scott Hall. But I especially like how our conference schedule lines out. If we can get through the first 6 weeks healthy with at least a .500 record, we could be set up for a run. We miss FIU and the top 2 teams from last year (Ark St and LaLa) we get at home. Plus, those two teams were just as decimated by graduation as we were. ASU loses 7 first team all conference players? The last game of the year at WKU could be for the conference... 8-4 is not totally out of the question this year.

Actually, my dislike of SMU stems from my elitism. I think we're better than them.

Don't care much for Labron, but I'm very happy for Mitchell. I hope he makes the most of this opportunity, and I hope it pays off next season.

UnAmerican

Tony is killing it at the camp!! One of the best players there. He is working his way into being a top 5 pick next year. Really hope the Mavs sucks and somehow land him

No wonder there is a healthcare crisis in America. Touting the greatness of gas station food is disturbing.

Because they have built nothing, accomplished nothing, and yet get rewarded simply because of a TV market. It's like the son of the boss who gets promoted to VP of Operations at the ripe old age of 17, ahead of those who have worked hard to earn the position (MTSU, Arkansas St., etc...). And not only does the 17 year old get that promotion, he then actually thinks he did something to deserve it (just view the CUSA board). Gag, barf, puke. I hate this program and always will. Fair or not

If you think someone who gives 100K to OU doesn't get to attend closed practice sessons, I got some swamp land to sell you. I'm upset, also, but I'm upset because all it takes is 1K to hit the sidelines in a closed practice. That is embarassing for all of our alumni. It just shocks me that people constantly b@#*& about not getting this or that for their donation (the yearly gripe about GMG club gifts come to mind, or the gripe about no party patio at the new stadium). Or, in this case, that people who donate a specific amount get a benefit others don't. If you want to stay a piss ant program, just continue down this merry path. After all, it has worked soooo well. It's a donation to the athletic department. I don't expect anything in return. That's what happens when you donate. I wonder if people on here demand social gatherings or pot luck Sunday brunch when they donate to their church. Jeez.

http://texashoops.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1375843

Other than TSU who do you have us beating?

I like our chances going 2 -2 OOC. That would be some good motivation going into conf play and send a message to conf. DCF has us 6-6 and going to Beef o Brady bowl. I think we could get 7 - 5...maybe 8-4 with some good bounces.

This Wednesday is 7-11's birthday and they are giving away free slurpees from 7-11 that day

Dead on. People who gripe don't realize how good they have it. Our AD will return your freaking emails (so I hear. Never felt the need to bother him, myself), for christ's sake. Houston maybe this link below will help: http://www.meangreen...TCLID=205043246 Yes, folks, that's right. 20 freaking bucks a game for a 20 yard line seats in section 109. And, if you are really struggling financially. buy 3 general admission season tickets for $150. That's right, $50 for a freaking season ticket. There should be no griping at all when it comes to what you get for donating to this program.

Houston Eagle, what a joy to see that missive in print. If you are sitting among similar-minded fans at the games, I want to join your section. That, amigo, was the retort I have been trying to offer for years. To paraphrase a line from a well-distributed book I look at occasionally: He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows generously will reap generously. Give what you can, not reluctantly or under compulsion. Be a cheerful giver. If that happens enough, you may get what you REALLY want (wins). GMG

Great post Houston Eagle !

Agree! Wasn't saying the food was great. Never eaten any of their food. As I recall, one of the first Rudy's I visited had Shell gasoline pumps. Outside of San Antonio.

Nothing makes a defense look better than a long time standing on the sideline. One of the reasons Dickey's defenses looked so good statistically is that they didn't spend much time on the field. I see us getting back to that sort of game under Mac.

That was a block, not a pick. Picks are stationary.

My biggest concern is our schedule. It looks like another 1 win OOC record.

I like your optimism. To go 8-4 everything has to fall our way. That won't be likely. My hopeful guess is 7-5. No, 8-5 because we're going to a bowl and we're going to win it! God bless Texas!

Nice CUSA representation headlining this thread. http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=576945

Strange things were afoot at the Circle-K

Buc-ee's is a gasoline pumping, pee break, snack re-supply, clean restroom traveling experience. Place is unbelievable. Whoever the person is who founded the "niche market" of really, really clean restrooms, and you can buy gas and all this other stuff too, is a genius.

hack the opposing team at every opportunity and hope the refs just get tried of blowing the whistle. A specific example is the decleating "pick" they set in the tourney final season before last.

OK, I'm intrigued... What is gorilla ball?

Oh no does this mean UALR will play gorilla ball against us... Oh wait it's UALR of course they will since it is all they can do

The point wasn't about Texas A&M. They'll be fine in the SEC once they fire Kevin Sumlin and get a defensive-minded coach so they can compete well in the SEC. The point was that TCU is a lame addition to the Big 12. They've been facing WAC and MWC competition for over a decade and will not stand up well to Texas or OU, on or off the field. It's a bad fit for the Big 12 Conference. But, the truth is, the Big 12 is just as Texas and OU want it now - they get the bigger slice of the pie by design, and the other hangers-on are just happy to ride their coattailes. Colorado, Nebraksa, Missouri, and Texas A&M actually have athletic departments with some gumption, so they left. Texas wasn't winning very many conference titles in the Big 12 anyway - three in 16 years. OU's won most of them - almost half since the Big 12's inception. Both lost out on strength of schedule when the four other schools left. With the BCS ending, then, they were wise to accept the SEC-Big 12 Championship deal. I see very little chance of either OU or Texas doing well in those games, but at least they'll be paid well for their defeats.

Go away, D-Bag troll. Anyone who feels the need to stay in their mom's basement and type thousand word diatribes on a fan board to which they have no connection or allegience is just plain sad. I can't hate you, because the fact that you probably have no friends in real life just makes me feel sorry for you. Maybe you should create yet another user name, Checkfacts.

I hardley ever see anyone at practices, even other parents. Parents have to notify the coaching staff they are going to be there and see a specific individual or you don't get in. Most you see in the stands or on the/sideline is a former player or two or maybe a guest of the coaches. Don't know anything about MGC members being there. . I don't know of any other university in Texas that has open pracitces in the Fall. You certianly cannot watch ATMs,Baylors or UTs. I know membership in the 12thMan Foundation doesn't get you anything but a car sticker. Don't really know what all the hubbub is about. Practices are boring to watch. If I didn't have a vested interest I certainly wouldn't be there and I am a die hard football nut as there is.

I'll state the obvious first: other than TCU, no one won bigger than North Texas and UTSA in the current realignment. And, if you want the truth, no one other than TCU and Utah made out better than UNT and UTSA. We finally get some teams people have heard of as conference mates and in a league that people know of. A huge and obvious win for UNT's future--assuming we can actually take advantage of this all. As far as the old and new Big XII, I think A&M has a shot at making it big in the SEC if they get their coaching situation right. Sumlin might be the guy, but he may just be a continuation of Franchione and Sherman. I know this--if Texas still finishes behind OU, OSU, and another Texas team (TCU, Baylor, or Tech), the recruiting advantage of the SEC could become even bigger for the Aggies. A&M may fail big time in the SEC--like they pretty much did in the Big XII--but they could also find that Texas HS kids want to play in the SEC while being somewhat close to home. I still think Texas and Oklahoma will do great, but if one falls down and the Aggies step up, you could see A&M get kids that normally went to Austin or Norman. I think TCU will do fine in the Big XII. They are better positioned for success long-term than Baylor or Tech, assuming Gary Patterson stays as their coach. Baylor did great with their once-in-a-lifetime recruit (RG III), but otherwise, they have purely sucked for the better part of 15 years. Tech's greatness under Leach appears to be clearly over, and they know have a MEtroplex team in their league to compete with for kids that they were able to get before. Metroplex kids that were 3-4 stars usually chose the Big XII team over TCU because of the league--now, that advantage is gone for Tech and Baylor. TCU will be fine. I think that Mizzou will be the big loser here. Not in money, of course, but they got really good playing a relatively weak north shcedule, all while reeling in lots of Texas HS talent. Now that they have joined the SEC, they will play A&M in College Station once every 6 years or so. In other words, they will now look a lot like Arkansas did after their Texas scheduling went away. Missouri, as a state, has some talent, and they are the only game in the state, but I don't see that playing out very well for them W/L wise, which will hurt recruiting. West Virginia will do very well in the Big XII--like winning multiple conference championships in the next 5 years. They might be the biggest challenger to the Texas/OU combo in the league, more than OSU. As a matter of fact, I want to see OSU do it again, because I am astill not completely sold on Mike Gundy. Last year was great, for sure, but let's see if that can happen again. Much like Tech under Leach, they had one great year, and have never really been heard from again.

There are still a lot of good people on the AAU circuit who are in it for the right reason. It's unfortunate that the actions of a few have tainted the image as a whole

I recall DMac saying that all Spring practices were open, but all (or most) fall practices are closed. And, yes, this affects about 50 people who actually want to attend practice. I would bet this was not a determining factor in one single person deciding against giving at the $250 level.

It was mentioned somewhere else in this thread already, but the benefit in question applies to "closed practices". I haven't seen anything that breaks out the # of closed vs open practices. People may be getting bent out of shape over a handfull of practices. I don't think we know yet.

When you're heading down to the UH game, plan on stopping at Buc-ee's in Madisonville. You can't miss all of their "Burma-Shave"-style billboards along I-45. http://www.bucees.com/ I hope they start expanding northward - I'd love for them to open one somewhere between Fairfield and I-20. Here's an article from the Houston Chronicle about the opening of the New Braunfels store: http://www.chron.com/news/local_news/article/Wait-is-over-for-fans-of-Buc-ee-s-its-restrooms-3540830.php

Why?

Booo hoooo hooooo waaaahhhhhh waaahhhhh wahhhhhhh I agree maybe we should be more like Tarleton State then OU. Makes sense to me. Hell, I've been a Ciwboys fan since birth and have spent at least $1000 on the 'boys. I think that I should be allowed to any Valley Ranch practice I want!!!

I totally agree with you. The donation is a gift.

Incredibly simple, logical and well put, UNT90. GMG

I had to click on the link to see if they really do call us North Texas State. Yes, they really do. Bill Cole is the author. bcole@wsjournal.com

Most bowls are money losers for the schools. Even the big bowls are money losers if the fans don't buy tickets and hotel rooms through the school. One of the good things about CUSA having so many bowls is if you're bowl eligible, you go. That's not the case for all non-AQs. Going to a bowl, any bowl, helps in 2 different ways: 1) You get to say to a recruit that you went to a bowl 2) You get an extra month's practice. Although it's not a guarantee, those 2 things can really help to maintain the status of being a winning team.

People who think this way will never join. You join the Mean Green Club to support Mean Green athletics. Anything you get as a benefit is just that, an added benefit. Do you want to be a major athletic program or not? Major donors at major athletic programs get benefits minor donors don't. That is the way major athletic programs work. Or, we could keep doing things the way we have for the past 20 years. That seems to have worked out well...

Interesting choice of font in that article. I believe it is called "Jealousy." Glory to the Green.

I'm a fan of this under-the-radar bit.

I was excited till I saw it was done by BleacherReport.

I was wondering if Rick V. personally calls everyone who bashes him on this board? I am asking because I am a personal friend of the cheer leading captain, Ashley. Ashley received a personal call from RV about her Facebook comment "the athletic department seems to be making a lot bad decisions lately". This was referring to several different thing, not necessarily the Canales situation. Anyway, from what I understand RV was professorial and explained the hire which is totally OK with me; almost refreshing to see that he cares and stands by his decision. The part that I am disgusted with that He called her on a Sunday night, and much worse that he got her number by having his son track it down through shared acquaintances. Aren't there bigger fish to fry than a cheerleaders facebook page? Just curious about your opinions.

I'm glad we are happy about utsa doing a great job of selling season tickets- why are we not talking about our season ticket sales?

Before anyone tries to lecture/educate me on the subject of students/fans bitching about just about anything at North Texas, let me remind you that I am the author of the "wrinkled $100 bill" adage......as it applies to North Texas students/fans/alumni. Well, I for one am not the least bit interested in what OU does.....except for how their band provides real pageantry for the pre-game and half time shows. I'm sure that anyone who gives 100K to their program gets to go anywhere he/she wants at the OU facility, and (within the boundaries of the law.....or maybe not) do whatever they want. I don't care about being like OU except for the sell out parts and the financial commitment to the program part. But if you think that our culture of never-to-casual-giving to the athletic department is going to change overnight by telling people that they are no longer allowed to watch fall practice, (in the stands and not bothering the coaching staff, whilst chatting with their friends AND politely greeting/welcoming the families of new players, LIKE THEY ALWAYS HAVE) ,unless they are now giving a minimum of X amount of dollars to the athletic program....then I'll see if I can find another financial planner named MADOFF (who is not in jail) that I can put you in touch with. Since some of you value simplicity and clarity of message let me put it this way. North Texas has struggled with it's culture of casualness/indifference regarding it's athletic programs ever since Hayden Fry arrived at North Texas. And BTW, that's longer ago than 20 years. Before Hayden arrived the administration at North Texas had not only NOT encouraged people to give to the school (athletic or otherwise) but they had OPENLY DISCOURAGED IT. And THAT is a lot of culture (70+ years) to overcome. So until such time as we regularly fill up Apogee, and people are waiting in line to buy season tickets, we better not go out of our way to piss off any alumni over something as simple as sitting in the stands, or outside the fence of the practice facility, and visit with their friends whilst watching practice.