The Fake Lonnie Finch

Never bring a dog to a gunfight.

Guys, It's on the website at meangreensports. I mean, what else do you want them to do? Mailing costs more money these days than it used to cost. So, even mailing just MGC members or season ticket holders is talking a lot of cash out. Again, I think these things begin to take care of themselves once more attention is on the program for winning. I suppose they could phone. But, you always have people who are so jacked up about getting phone calls, no call lists, etc. It's not hard to get a no call list, as it's updated weekly...and it's free. But... You'd still have to have live bodies sitting around making the phone calls to the alumni base outside the MGC. That's volunteers if you don't have the money to pay someone to do it. Who are your volunteers? Students, MGC members? I think the athletic department is doing something good here. You get 75 people out. That's better than zero, which is what it was before these things. It'll build. I know we're hungry to win. To be like Texas and OU, who have the luxury of charging people to go to these things. To have UNT actually on the helmets. To have a lively and lengthy post-game show. But, these things take time. They will come now that we've got a good coaching staff in place. The stadium, the coaching staff, the caravan...it's all new and good. Don't be filled with a negative emotion. Try not to hate. Love your mate. Don't suffocate on your own hate. Designate your love as fate. A one world state as human freight. The number eight. A white black state. A gentle trait. The broken crate. A heavy weight. Or, just too late. Like pretty Kate has sex ornate. Now devastate. Appreciate. Depreciate. Fabricate. Emulate. The truth dilate. Special date. The animal we ate. Guilt debate. The edge serrate. A better rate. The youth irate. Deliberate. Fascinate. Deviate. Reinstate. Liberate to moderate. Recreate or detonate. Annihilate. Atomic fate. Mediate. Clear the slate. Activate. Now, radiate. A perfect state. Food on plate. Gravitate. The Earth's own weight. Designate your love as fate. At ninety-eight we all rotate....

With McCarney and Clint Bowen, I don't fear The FIU Fighting T.Y. Hiltons anymore. I think the thing we will really see pop this year, though, is the special teams under Kent Riddle. This is a bona fide special teams coach, yo. We have the coaches all the way around to put players in the right position to counter T.Y.

The 6 o'clock thing is a hassle to some. But, really, if it's 6 to 8, there is still time to drop by. I'm sure there will be more of us from Denton and Collin County (Frisco east to Allen, etc.) at the Plano event. This is a good event, but building enthusiasm for it doesn't come overnight. My relatives from Oklahoma note that the OU caravan that hits Dallas these days now costs $30 per adult and $15 per child. Before Stoops was hired and turned around the program, they were free. Give McCarney and his staff some time to build this thing into a winner. Winners draw. Plus, we haven't been doing this thing long enough for people to anticipate it every year. I'd say just be happy they are doing it now. The only thing they are doing wrong, currently, is the helmets - and, they may yet get that right as well.

I've heard other schools where the coaches and players and broadcasters do a one hour post game on the official station. Then, on a local sports talk station a coach or two and former coaches and players talk up the game and football in general at a nearby eating and drinking establishment. Maybe I'm expecting too much too soon. But, we do have quite a few UNT alumni at the three Dallas sports talk stations, do we not?

If you listen to other schools' radio broadcasts, you'll note that they have post-game radio shows that go an hour or two. Coaches, players, former coaches, former players, local media-types, national media-types, etc. get in on the action. The current UNT post-game is what...30 minutes? Now that we have a real coach and stadium, can we have a real post-game? Sadly, we've got one of the best broadcast booths in the business. But, it's like they have to squeeze information down to fit it into this tiny post-game time slot. Is there no radio station that can pick it up some kind of extended post-game show? Post-game show. Radio. A longer one. Whew...I finally found something to complain about again!

This. Priming the pump. Creating a pipeline. (Insert your trite marketing cliche here).

Also, if our athletic department is stupid enough to go with UNT on the helemt, we'll be confused with the University of North Tennesse or the University of Northern Toledo. We really are smart to just spell out NORTH TEXAS. It's been wildly popular to the point where the apparel bearing the logo is always sold out; so, we can't find it in hardly any store - even in the greater Denton area!

Yes. It was very confusing in 2010 when Sam Bradford, Nadamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Trent Williams, Eric Berry, and Russell Okung were drafted. Bradford, McCoy, and Williams' helmets had an interlocking OU on them. Hardly any knew this meant that they played for Oklahoma. Suh's helmet just had an ordinary N on it. No one knew it meant that he played for Nebraska. Berry's helmet had a big T on it. Half of the country thought he went to Texas, but really he played at Tennessee. Okung's helmet had a weirdly formed OSU on the side. As a result, a third of the country thought he went to Oregon State, while another third thought he played at Ohio State. Only a third of the people really knew that he went to Oklahoma State. There was no clarity until Joe Haden was taken with the 7th pick. His helmet said Gators. So, obviously, he went to Florida. There were no confusing letters or interlocking letter to confuse that one. Thankfully, Florida and U and/or F have been omitted completely from the helmet, so that everyone knows it means Florida, or the University of Florida. The main problem, as our athletic department has astutely ascertained, is that so few people watch college football that hardly anyone knows which helmet is which. That's why our branded clothing and collectibles rake in millions for us as one of the top sellers in collegiate apparel - we have our full name on the helmet, so everyone knows who we are. In the collegiate branding game, we are winners on par with Charlie Sheen for that reason.

And, yet: North Carolina State North Carolina Georgia Tech Virginia Virginia Tech Cincinnati Connecticut Rutgers Syracuse West Virginia Illinois Purdue Wisconsin Minnesota Nebraska Northwestern Baylor Kansas Missouri Oklahoma Oklahoma State Texas A&M Texas Tech East Carolina Marshall Memphis UAB Central Florida Houston Rice UTEP Tulane Buffalo Bowling Green Kent State Miami (OH) Central Michigan Eastern Michigan Northern Illinois TCU UNLV Oregon Stanford Washington Washington State Arizona Colorado ULCA Utah Auburn LSU Georgia Kentucky South Carolina Tennessee Vanderbilt Florida Atlantic Florida International Western Kentucky Middle Tennessee State Hawaii Lousiana Tech New Mexico State Utah State and BYU all have letters or interlocking letters on their helmets. This is only 65 of the 120 FBS schools, though.

Look, the truth is - as it always has been - the f'ing helmets need to be green. We are the MEAN GREEN, not the MEAN WHITE. The "NORTH TEXAS" assuredly sucks, but it's better than the cartoon birds from '94-'00. Far superior choices are obviously SOW or an interlocking NT or UNT. Out of all the sandblasted helmets we've had, I can't believe we've never gone whole hog with NTSU back in the day or UNT from '86 on up. I'd be for at least giving the full UNT a shot...as long as it's not on a white helmet. Blue Diamond Almonds has these little packages of almonds that they sell in a carton of seven (7) bags and they claim to have only 100 calories per bag so if you are trying to be healthy or lose weight or trying to be healthy you could go to a grocery store and buy a carton and then eat maybe one bag every afternoon if you get hungry after lunch or eat them in the morning if you get hungry after breakfast or eat them at home if you get hungry at dinner because it says right there on the bag there are only 100 calories worth of almonds per bag so you will know that you are not overeating and that you are at least stuffing something nutritious into your toothy cake hole for a change.

"North Texas is slated to visit the University of Iowa in 2015 and 2017. McCarney’s goal is to be there at the front, leading his charges out onto the grass at Kinnick Stadium, hell-bent on shocking the world. Just like old times." If he's still around by then, it'll mean he's turned this place around. And, if that's the case, he'll likely have the speed he needs in place to get an upset or two up there!

Holy Squash Sprouts, Batman! June 11th is the day I fell to Earth!

People are worried about the defense. And, people are worried about the offense. When the freshmen arrive, there will be more depth along the defensive line. This sounds crazy. But, McCarney did have freshmen excel on the DL at both Iowa State and Florida. The guy knows what he's doing. I'm not saying the newcomers will be All-Americans. I'm just saying that we have guys in charge now who know what to do. Until we're 3-9 again, I'm trusting them. Love the athleticism at LB, by the way. As to the QBs, either one will be green in more ways than one. I trust Canales to keep those guys within themselves and protect the ball. The turnovers this weekend were bad. But, there is a long way to go yet. Physically, I like the look of Thompson and Osborn. But, let's be honest, as young as the offensive line is, this will be the year Lance Dunbar will really be the key. He'll have to create some things for himself to keep the passing game open. I think this will be his toughest year, so he needs to be mentally ready. Unless there is some sort of miracle development in Thompson or Osborn, the Mean Green offense will go as Dunbar goes. Tight end. Snaps from under center. U-backs. All men together, pulling one rope. Kick punt good. Kick punt good. Return return return. You see it, you believe it.

This is exciting and I like it. Football player hit each other. It's how the game is played. "Practice like it's played, and things will go well come game time." -- Albert Einstein

These morons don't understand that they can make some good, extra cash on the weekends that they should, but won't, report to the IRS. It's not like the IRS is going to come knock on their door and say: "Hey, I know you parked six cars per game at $20 per car for six games. But, you didn't file that $720 on your last return, you heinous, chickenfart of a tax-dodger!" These numbnuts could be piking in some extra cash just for being nice to people who are spending money in their city and helping their tax base. But, instead, they are choosing to be General Custard's dead anus about the whole situation. It's stupid and unnecessary. I've never seen anything like it. You go to a game at OU, TCU, the Cotton Bowl, etc., and people are in their yards begging you to park there. Monkeys play with their own dingdongs. That's all this is: Like watching monkeys at the zoo playing with their own dingdongs just because they can. Well, so what, monkeys of Denia? Everybody who isn't female can play with their own dingdongs, too. That doesn't mean you have to do it front of everyone publicly. Put it back in your pants and let people drive and park in your neighborhood six weekends a year.

Listen, everybody: Here's the problem - health care is expensive. Here's some of the problem's cause - we are a country that has fat poor people, fat middle class people, and fat rich people. In other countries, poor people are skinny and starving. Here, they are on all sorts of programs that give them and their kids pretty much free food from dusk 'til dawn. Here's another chunk of the problem - Unlike other reprobate societies, America has many different cultures. And, each has its own set of health issues. This isn't f'ing Mexico where 99.36% of the people are Mexican or f'ing Sweden where 99.93% of the people are Swedish. We have real f'ing diversity here, and that encompasses many diseases and propensity toward diseases that our many different and unique f'ing cultures have. We are America! And, we already get free health care by going to the emergency room and sitting on our butts for several hours waiting in line. The fantasy of the Obama Health-bangers is that everyone will be able to get the same level of health care I can choose because I've made better choices in my life and can afford better coverage. Well, it doesn't work that way. Plus, doctors expect to be paid a certain amount. To me, in order to solve the problem, everyone needs to be more friendly and charge less money - that means friendliness from doctors, insurers, and drug companies, and all of the same agreeing to take less money. I had five stitches to close a wound on my left leg three years ago. Bill? $736.57. Really? Just to put five stitches in? It was kind of stupid. I was in the crisp, clean, specialty ER place in Frisco for a total of about 25 minutes. The prices of little things like that are ridiculously high. We took our boy to the doctor once because he had a cough. The doctor saw us for about five minutes, and wrote a prescription. Bill? $120.00 Now, we have health insurance. But, what difference does it make? The insurer pays part of it, then we pay the rest. But, either way, it's too much. The answer is not governmental, it's societal. From within, all humans involved in health care are going to have to voluntarily be more friendly and take less for simple, common health problems and procedures. Oh...and, there has to be a state and federal tort reform that scales back the liability of doctors. Another parasite on this whole flower we call The American Health Care system that goes along with Greed and Profiteering is Plaintiffs Attorneys. They are helping the matter -17%. They suck just as bad as a $736.57 bill for a mere five stitches or a $120 bill for five minutes of a Doctor-god's time with your child. Butterballs!

If McCarney's defensive coordinator is half as good as advertised, no QB will need to throw 7 TDs in a half to stay in a game!

When OU and Texas tuck their tails and flee to the Pac-10+2 and the SEC swallows up Texas A&M, we should try to get into the conference with the remnants of the Big 12-2.

Yes, that's right! The point is, there's no more fighting. No starting of endless threads about whether the coach knows what he's doing. No big argument about quarterback. No more wondering if the coaching staff knows what a "special teams" is. There is peace in the valley.

We just looking at this kid's 2010 stats - and, yes, I know college is different than high school. But, over 1,000 rushing on only 108 carries plus 24 catches...I think this kid is a steal. I think back to the Davis brothers that McCarney had a Iowa State, the one who went over 2,000 yards in a season twice, Troy; and Darren, who went over 1,000 for three consecutive seasons. Those guys were also considered "small" as well at 5'8" to 5'9"-ish. I think McCartney and this coaching staff will make this kid a star...if he's a hard a worker as he is a runner.

...is that we must trust them. Today, only three threads with posts, and we're less than 10 days from the beginning of spring practices. Things have been real tensed up around here since the waning of the Dickey Era and through the entire Dodge Era. With not so many daily threads or fights, we seem to be in a weird zone of Mean Green Peace. I hope it's worth it. I think this staff will do great things. No...I think this staff will get the players to do great things; better things than we've ever seen around here in a long time.

Floats smell bad. Anyway, the OU Alumni Association in Dallas is its largest in the country for them. They're accustomed to doing things Dallas-related because of the OU-Texas game. They're in tune with what's happening with around here more than probably any other alumni association in the region, except Texas A&M...sadly. Look, we are what we are. We're like the kids who come into class late, don't acknowledge the lecturer, then take a seat in the back of the class and fall asleep. We wake up in an empty classroom, drooling, and wondering what happened. Then, we pick up our books - if we bothered to bring them - stumble out the door and head down to Riprocks for pool and beer. For decades, this was a music and marijuana school. We haven't righted the ship overnight. We're getting there. But....

The bleacher shots remind me of the Louisville's stadium. That's a nice place to watch a game, if you ever get the chance. This will be an excellent stadium for football and Promise Keepers.