NM Green

Metzler's seem Mean Green proud. Is this a place the diehards can go for a post victory celebration come fall? I love Lucky Lous but if there was a Mean Green bar/restaurant must after the game my crew and I would be there for sure. GOMEANGREEN!!!!!

I listened to that epic Mean Green win over NMSU for another trip to New Orleans from Buenos Aires then celebrated in the streets of where the tango was born until the morning. Enjoy Spain and take a pic of the claw or a piece of Mean Green gear in some place truly unique! I am off to China this weekend and if I find that market where the crazy eats are I am going to put a Mean Green hat on one of the vendors for a photo. Mean Green and fried scorpians - sweeeeeeet! gmg

I remember those battles back in the 80's and the Bobcats brought a good crowd to Denton. I agree it would be a fun series to set up. GMG

Yes to TN. Went to Knoxville in December and that town looks crazy on gameday. Where else in the world can you cheer for the Mean Green drenched in sherbert orange. Peace to other fans coming on our board to talk sports. I welcome UTA TSU and the cartoons to come talk about sports. Can we play the cartoons in basketball soon, please. Very soon! GMG

That was crazy! UCLA is lucky they didn't only lead by 20 with 8 minutes left. Florida is seated high and will cruise until the 8 or 4. That was a tv seating if I have ever seen one. This year's seating was a joke. GMG

It really is tragic. Is our league really that bad that not even 1 team could emerge? I know speaking out loud here. Couldn't even make it to Thursday, wild! GMG

Gear question. Sorry this is a bit misplaced but I was hunting for a UNLV Rebel watching party today and came across the site rebelswag.com. As I was looking at the gear I like it a lot because I feel like UNLV has a really difficult logo and branding to overcome. I find a lot of their stuff boring. But the swag gear is pretty cool and I was wondering if we have anything like that in Mean Green land? I can't imagine it wouldn't be ultra cool for the students and never wanna grow up fans like me. Seeing Johnny Jones face on a shirt with a tagline, seeing some old school historic gear (that crazy worm), and just cool in your face gear would be easy for us to work with. Lord knows we have a slew of logos, shades, slogans and eagles to work with. Check it out: http://shop.rebelswag.com/ GMG

That is nice becuase Pitino is not one of my favorites. I also have Vandy going pretty far. Very nice. My final four: Kentucky, UNLV (homer), Kansas State & Arizona - stretches for sure but would love it! GMG

What is the goal for this team next year. Listening to Fisher his goal was to get SDSU their first win ever in the tournament. That was BYU's goal last year. The time is now for this program to have explicit goals expressed. Maybe we did have that goal expressed and I missed it, but two realistic goals for this program in my opinion are to: 1. break into the top 25 and 2. win a tournament game (NCAA, NIT, CBS (whatever the heck it is). We are leap years ahead of programs like TCU and SMU and because of that we must express goals. Maybe our goal is to win the Sunbelt. With wins come expectations and the foundation is laid. I am hoping we play with a clear goal and purpose in 2011-2012. I would also like to see our football team do this in the fall. How about a goal of 6 wins or an undefeated home slate. GMG

The Utah State fans are amazing and the student section was out of control - definitely one of the best I have seen in a long long time. That is why I think they are a natural selection for the MWC. They will bring the house to Las Vegas at tourney time and they have built a strong program. With no presence in Utah after this year, I just don't see them staying in the WAC for long. They are in the MWC footprint and bring some solid goods to the table. GMG

This is crazy talk. I hope JJ stays with us for a long time because winning in Texas is not easy and JJ has us positioned very nicely. Had we won the tourney I really doubt we would be in a play in game. I would loved to have seen us against a San Diego State or Notre Dame. This tourney is way more open than ever before! I saw what happened at NM after Bliss left for Baylor. Though ticked about another 8 seeded UNLV Rebel team I don't want to run Kruger out of town. Hoops are too much fun when you are competing at the top of the league and for tourney bids each year. GMG

But it helps you make friends! How about the joy of beating a bitter rival into the ground:) How about some great national recognition! Helps me make friends? GMG

I had free tickets to the WAC Championship game at the Orleans Arena, and it turned out to be a good game between the Broncos and Aggies. Utah State students traveled in force to Las Vegas, and the small contingent of BSU fans made a lot of noise. However, I sat back and looked up at the rafters realizing just how the WAC was gutted. When you pull down the Hawaii, Nevada, Boise State and Fresno State banners you are left with Idaho, NM State, La Tech, Utah State and San Jose State. Then you look into the crowd and realize that there were handfuls and only handfuls of NM State fans that I saw at that final game. The Idaho, NM State, La Tech and SJSU fans either didn't travel to Las Vegas or they didn't go to the final game. I'm spoiled watching the MWC tourney and seeing fans from all the programs except TCU represented well throughout the entire tourney. Back to the WAC. You cannot just throw UTSA, Denver and Texas State banners up there and have the same league - name recognition or not. The WAC is a dying conference and I don't say that lightly because they have survived a lot of hits. But I have never felt more comfortable stating that I am glad we did not jump on that ship. We have our own goals to tackle and programs to progress. The bitterness Utah State fans had towards Boise for leaving the conference was uncomfortable. Utah State will be in the MWC before long and that may very well be the end of the league for good. So prepare for a couple of storied programs to be looking for a home sometime sooner than later, in my opinion (Bulldogs and Aggies). Hearing Karl take one final slam at Boise during the trophy presentation was just what I expected from a desperate commish. It was an interesting trip to the Orleans to say the least. GMG

I think not going to bowl games of your member institutions while you are Commissioner is just wrong. They are yours buddy until they move on. Be a professional already because these schools and paths will cross again. Now they are sending out covert reps from the WAC office to lure North Texas. This morning at Dunkin Donuts, Molly saw me watching Stony Brook and Boston U. She asked if I was in town for the MWC tournament. I told her I tried for 2 hours to scalp a ticket the night before before buying some beer and heading home to watch it on tv. I asked her if she was in town for the tournament and she said, "Yes, I work for the WAC offices." She asked, "Who do you follow?" I stated, "North Texas and UNLV." She said, well I have extra tickets to the WAC championship game tonight if you would like to go to the game. She said, Utah State should have a good crowd here. I excitedly accepted the tickets and ironically was given a Boise State t-shirt over Christmas by a friend who called me a bandwagon fan for rooting for the Broncs so hard all season. So I actually get a chance to wear the gag gift, drink some beers in the front rows and see what's left of the WAC up close and personal. Agent Molly was probably on the her phone telling Karl - North Texas fan living Las Vegas - they want to go West, NOW! GMG

I always enjoy seeing Texas schools on the national stage, but with the way the Ruderunners run their mouths I almost subconsciously want UTSA to get pummeled. However, the stronger they are the better addition they would to a strengthening Sun Belt or the new SWC. If they get in the tourney I am confident they will begin trumpeting their chances of throttling Duke. GO MEAN GREEN!

I think we have a winner:) I like the idea of UTA for hoops only. No to ORU. Let's leave that 12th spot open and available for NMSU or La Tech and have them bring their entire portfolio. GMG

The Rebels are my second favorite team living here in Sin City. Another devastating last second lost - how freaking tragic has this week been? Mavs better hammer the f out of the Lake Show tomorrow - I am peesed! GMG

This team has put UNT on the basketball map along with solid coaching. Collectively they have lined us up for future conference affiliations, given us post season recognition, ignited a fanbase and set a tone of excellence. We have a program others even in our own metroplex admire and desire. Hoops has set a high standard and we are at that point where we just scare people and pile up wins - a lot like Western Kentucky was for all of those years. Talk about anticipation for next year. Meanwhile AR Little Rock needs to go do some damage. We need to support and prepare for the football team activate in a few short months. GMG

Awesome post. It is hard to complain when I didn't even expect them to be playing in this game. Good luck ARLR. I look forward to the day when we bust onto the scene like San Diego State did this year. That time is coming and the Mean Green gave us a great thrill and a lot to look forward to. Heads up Mean Green team and fans! The Nation is growing. GMG

Way to go Mean Green. Thank you for the drama and all the best in life. Bleed Green forever. GMG

Roamed the FIU campus last week and it is nice. The stadium is small but right on campus. Seeing all of their bowl game gear around campus and in the bookstore leads me to believe this will be big game for the Panthers. They want the championship and we are destined to return to Green Glory. There seemed to be a lot more school spirit on FIU than there was at FAU. It is going to be fun game to go to. Whether you stay in South Beach or not I recommend a trip to the Clevelander - it's edgy, fun, and definitely has a Mean Green pre or post party vibe to it. I also suggest a late afternoon return on Sunday and hit Brunch at Nikki Beach in South Beach. Big delicious mojitos with your feet resting in the white sand - simply a treat! Surprise FIU! GO MEAN GREEN!!!!!

Thank you for the report. As a long time MG fan I am excited about the future but completely uncertain. That is not a bad thing because I was giddy over the Dodge hire only to be gutted for four straight years. I am not excited about Coach Mac because he doesn't come with the buzz a new coach might bring. That doesn't mean he is not THE guy, just that I am shockingly uninspired about Mean Green football right now. Maybe it's the off-season. Maybe it is the basketball gloom. Either way I think we need to hear a lot more from Coach to get the mass ignited. I am sure he is still working on the strategy, but it was weird how fired up Canales got me in a few short weeks. I hope Coach C keeps his optimistic fire, bold and brazen standards, and passion to fight from the co-pilot's seat. I am ready to get fired up! GMG

I skipped my share of Astronomy classes to grab a beer at the Tomatoe. Thank gosh it was Astronomy - I loved that class! I think it was Mr. Harrison's class that was at 399 on some days:) GMG

No need to twist my arm. A stay and play weekend in Fort Lauderdale with a trip to Calle Ocho for some Cuban food and some Mean Green football? It's like a return trip waiting to be planned. I was impressed with FAU and again I know that a lot of Mean Green fans cannot escape our league fast enough (I would like an MWC invite myself), but I like programs that work hard and are trying like heck to bust onto the national scene. I think after our 4 bowl appearances earlier this decade the wealth was spread around. Seeing Troy, FAU, FIU and Middle all win bowl games is good for the league. Seeing Arkie State get there was fantastic too. Throw in emerging facilities and we definitely have a lot more than some programs I am familiar with that have been around for a long time. Once we begin breaking into the top 25 in football and basketball our league is going to be good and get the respect it deserves. We have an image problem that can only be overcome by winning (see my Dallas Mavericks). UNLV is thinking about a new stadium complex and trying to figure out how to pay for it. Meanwhile new palaces are going up in Denton, Miami and at FAU. You must invest, recruit, pull the upset and replenish. Those three ingredients = Boise State, TCU...Troy has gotten close but no cigar. Someone is going to break through and I am placing my money on Green. Good luck in Hot Springs until we play you. GMG

So I am working on a project in Fort Lauderdale and decided to scoot up to see what FAU was like. It was a Friday so students were everywhere, but I also wanted to see where their new stadium was going to be. It is literally across the street from their business school on the loop drive of the campus. It is as close to on campus as SMU's is. Our mecca is much further along. I assume they don't open theirs this year otherwise they are going to have to crank. But I was impressed with how this school which people could barely give me directions to is on the rise. While looking for their bookstore I noticed a tailgate emerging outside their baseball stadium. By the time I left their tailgate with DJ in the parking lot, frat brothers sitting on top of a bus...was in full swing. I thought for a baseball game, pretty cool. School spirit looks way behind what RV and the fans have had a chance to build over the past decade. I don't see a ton of FAU gear like you see Mean Green gear in Denton. So we have them beat there, but I think I want to travel and see a game out here in their new digs in 2012. More importantly we must stay ahead of them in the arms race. I saw their big traveling truck with the big 2007 New Orleans Bowl Champions logo on it. I teared up:( Sorry I digressed. We must stay ahead of them or they will be a beautiful fit for CUSA expansion. For all the flack FIU and FAU have taken from the national media and fans in the past, both of those Miami/FLL area teams have been bowling and won bowl games in the past few years. The drought must end. Mean Green football must rise up beginning this fall. GMG P.S. - their bookstore bit. Talk about a lack of gear and accessories. Now the University of Miami was another story. Next stop FIU.