UNTLifer

Isn't this the same TI that built a huge facility in Denton, only never to move into it? And now this huge facility is our future School of Engineering and Research Park.

NT to renovate Denia Park for softball team Softball team expects to have top-notch playing surfaces Julie Goldberg Staff Writer June 26, 2003 This summer, NT will kill two birds with one stone when it renovates two fields at Denia Park. The fields will not only be home to the NT softball team in its inaugural season, but they will also serve as a way for NT to give back to the community. "Everyone will benefit from these improvements," said City of Denton Parks and Recreation director Ed Hodney. "The key is, we can get UNT and the prestige of NCAA Division I softball and new facilities at Denia Park at no cost to the city." The upgrades, fully funded by NT, can start once plans are presented to the Parks and Recreation Department at a Denton City Council meeting in July. University and city officials have made a verbal agreement but are still working out legal details. The renovations will actually start the following day. "We hope to go to city council in July and have the fields done by mid-August," Rick Villarreal, NT athletics director, said. Upgrades to the fields include the installation of scoreboards, putting new infield and outfield grass surfaces in and updating the fences to meet NCAA standards. Construction of new bleachers and a bullpen are also in the plans for the new fields. Area softball players will also benefit from the renovated fields. The Denton youth softball league and area high schools will play their games and practice on these fields when NT is not. "These fields will give these girls a chance to play on the same fields as college level players," Villarreal said. The NT summer softball camps will also make use of these fields. The camps are currently using the fields this summer for the camps and will continue using them next year. "I know what I want it to look like and if it is maintained correctly then it may be the best field we play on all year long," said softball head coach Stacey Segal. "I think right now we are just fortunate to have a place close to campus. A lot of teams don't have that." Denia softball league players will also receive discounts to attend NT softball camps and receive free admission to tournaments hosted by the Lady Eagles. The Lady Eagles will use these fields for practice and host the North Texas Fall Classic during the 2003 pre-season. They will play all other fall games on the road. NT softball plans on building a permanent stadium next summer after they acquire land from Liberty Christian School. This will leave the city with about $40,000 in improvements to the fields at Denia Park. "I really believe that after they are all done we will have one of the finest playing surfaces around," Segal said. Borrowed field or not, that shouldn't affect the Lady Eagle's level of play. "In my three year s at Southern Miss we played on a borrowed field," Villarreal said. "We made the college world series twice." If NT can pull that off, no one will be complaining about what field they are playing on.

Rice dismantled Stanford in the CWS final tonight 14-2! Way to go Rice.

He couldn't be any worse than what's taking the mound at the Ballpark now!

Just their big men. Let's see, through the years they have had Bradley, Eschmeyer, Blab, Lloyd, Nemphius, etc....

I agree. If he gets healthy, and if he returns to pre-injury form, and if he can get back in shape, then he could be the steal of the draft. That's alot of ifs to overcome. Besides, the Mav's only look for slow white big men.

I noticed that, but Sinisi is an outfielder.

Wali, Edwards, and the young lady from the Woodlands are all excellent players. Coach Slinker did an outstanding job this year with her recruiting. I hope JJ follows suit in the next few years.

I was pulling for CSF also. I couldn't believe Stanford's comeback, especially the home run in extra innings. The CWS has provided us with some great games this week. I just don't see Stanford winning it all unless Rice's pitching falls apart. They must have one of the deepest pitching staffs in America, including the Major Leagues. I know one specific team that resides in Arlington, TX that would be willing to take on a few of their pitchers.

Well, you didn't pull quite hard enough. Go Rice!!!

Exactly why I dislike the NBA. The "star system" is ridiculous. They rarely call the over the back on Duncan, the travel jumper by Ewing, carrying the ball by Iverson, anything by Jordan, etc, etc, etc....

Volunteers helping rebuild 'You'll be back' - so will Steve's 06/16/2003 By Tom Reedy / Denton Record-Chronicle Kill the fatted calf and put it on the smoker: Steve’s Bar-B-Q Pit is coming home soon. Steve Logan will be serving up his own unique blend of brisket and brusqueness at the corner of Hickory Street and Bell Avenue again. “It’s going to be rebuilt,” Mr. Logan said. “It’s going to be real nice this time, though.” This week, workers will begin demolishing the red-and-yellow-striped shack where he served up falling-off-the-bone tender barbecue for 20 years before fire gutted the building early Easter Sunday. A brand-new, steel-framed brick building will rise out of the ashes in about three months to replace it, thanks to a consortium of area businesses and individuals who teamed up soon after the fire to get Mr. Logan back doing what he does best: smoking meat. “He’s a fish out of water right now, and a lot of folks want that place back in business, and I’m one of ’em,” said Kurt Schmitz of Nuconsteel Commercial Corp. He and his colleague, Lance Neuman, solicited material and labor from area construction companies, and Steve’s will reopen at the same location in the fall. “Man, I never dreamed people would want to help me out this much,” Mr. Logan said. “God is good, isn’t he?” But help is still needed, Mr. Schmitz said. They still lack a plumber, and they need donations to help pay for kitchen utensils, furniture and other items. Mr. Logan began turning out beef brisket, pork ribs, sausage and other artery-clogging delights in 1983. A half-dozen booths ringed the uneven patched wood and linoleum floor, and along the walls, autographed pictures of celebrities hung among the family portraits and newspaper clippings about the restaurant. His smoker was inside the building, and soon a dark patina of woodsmoke covered everything in the place. Some items on the walls were too soot-blackened to be deciphered. “It was tiny and old, and if you rubbed up against the wall, you’d come out smelling like a turkey,” Mr. Schmitz said. “He loved his old smoker, but it had its faults.” So Mr. Logan is designing a new smoker to replace the old one. “It killed me to make that decision,” he said. “I’m going to have to go in there and burn the hell out of it for about seven days before I cook any meat in it.” Mr. Logan said he uses 20 spices in his dry-rub seasoning, which he puts into everything he cooks, including the potato salad. “I’ve been making that seasoning for over 24 years, and every time I make it, I go right by that same recipe,” Mr. Logan said. Mr. Logan got his sauce recipe from a friend in Beaumont by loosening his tongue with some beer. He uses no vinegar, no sugar and no salt, and it takes two days to cook properly, he said. “I’ve never written that recipe down; I don’t have to,” he said. “I can go back there and look at it and taste it a little bit — I go by the smell, too — I know it’s ready then.” But Mr. Logan is not just known for his down-home cooking. He’s also famed for what has been called — charitably — his “intriguing” personality. It’s been said that he’s probably the only restaurateur within two counties who can tell off customers and leave them laughing about it. “He’s a pirate of sorts; there’s nobody like him,” said Mr. Schmitz. The combination of gourmet and grouch has made Mr. Logan a Denton icon over the past two decades. “I’ve been told that, but I don’t see it,” he said. “I think I’m a gripey old bastard, is what I think.” Maybe so, but he’s inviting the whole town to his grand opening when the building is finished. “I plan on doing maybe two pigs and some chicken, and if you want to make a donation, fine, but I plan on doing it for free,” he said. But until that day comes, Mr. Logan — and the rest of Denton — will just have to wait it out. “I loved being in that place; it’s my whole life,” he said. “I’m waitin’.” TOM REEDY can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is treedy@dentonrc.com. The Steve Logan Benefit Fund What: A fund to help Mr. Logan rebuild his barbecue restaurant Where: Point Bank How to donate: Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 51724, Denton, TX 76206. Other ways to help: To volunteer to help in other ways, call Lance Neuman at 940-321-1716, Lori Wilson at 940-365-9930, or Frenchy Rheault at 940-387-3164.

Overall Play by play men? George Dunham & Bill Mercer of course. Basketball play by play? Chuck Cooperstien Radio/TV Team (Play by play/color)? Ralph Strangis and Darryl Reaugh Pro Football Team? Brad Schramm and Dale Hansen Print Media Columnist? Blackie Sherrod Feature/Beat Writer? Tim MacMahon Personality? Randy Galloway Character(s)? The Fake Tiger, Fake Chan Gailey, Fake Billy Tubbs and The Big Suthern Dummy

UNT’s Clark ready for nationals Sprinter competes at 12:05 p.m. in 100 06/11/2003 By Ethan B. Szatmary / Staff Writer Shortly after noon Wednesday, North Texas sprinter Ananka Clark gets to fulfill the dreams of her college running career. Ananka Clark Clark will run in the NCAA Track and Field National Championship preliminaries of the 100-meter dash at 12:05 p.m. at California State-Sacramento’s Hornet Stadium. She will become the first UNT woman to compete in the national track meet since 1988. "It’s definitely a dream way to finish up my senior year," said Clark. Clark heads into the national meet seeded in a tie for 23rd of 31 runners. The senior’s personal-best and team-record in the 100 is 11.48, deadlocked with Rukaiya Halland of the University of Texas-Arlington and Keenan Gibson of Memphis. While Clark’s best is 0.44 seconds — an eternity in sprint races — behind the top qualifier out of LSU, Muna Lee’s seed time of 11.04 — she thinks the races still need to be run. "With a strong week of workouts before nationals, I’m hoping I can do really well," Clark said. "Anything can happen once you get out there on the track." If Clark advances past the preliminaries by finishing in the top 16, then she’ll run again in the semifinals at 8:05 p.m. Wednesday. The top eight runners in the semifinals move on to Friday’s final at 8:55 p.m. ETHAN B. SZATMARY can be reached at 940 566-6869. NCAA Track and Field National Championships California State-Sacramento Hornet Stadium Wednesday 100-Meter Dash Preliminaries Rank Athlete Year School Seed Time 1. Muna Lee . Jr LSU 11.04 2. Natasha Meyers Sr. USC 11.09 3. Monique Tubbs Jr. Jacksonville 11.13 4. Erica Whipple So S. Carolina 11.15 5. Aleen Bailey Sr. S. Carolina 11.17 6. Lauryn Williams So. Miami 11.20 7. Connie Moore Jr. Penn St. 11.21 8. Rachelle Boone Sr. Indiana 11.22 9. Judyth Kitson Sr. Alabama 11.24 10. Elva Goulbourne Sr. Auburn 11.27 11. Lakadron Ivery So. Baylor 11.28 12. Monica Twum Sr. TCU 11.29 13. Nina Mayes Fr. Rice 11.35 14. LaJuana Lovett Jr. SW Texas St. 11.37 14. LaVerne Jones Jr. Oklahoma 11.37 16. Illia Miles Jr. Georgia 11.38 16. Amandi Rhett Jr. Georgia 11.38 18. Ara Towns So. Indiana 11.43 18. Amber Robinson Sr. Florida 11.43 20. Sherita King Jr. Georgia 11.44 21. Melinda Smedley Sr. San Diego St. 11.46 22. Aleah Williams Sr. Texas 11.47 23. Rukaiya Halland Sr, Texas-Arlington 11.48 23. Ananka Clark Sr. North Texas 11.48 23 Keenan Gibson Sr. Memphis 11.48 26. Danielle Carruther Sr. Indiana 11.49 27. Timicka Clarke Sr. Auburn 11.51 28. Seynabou Ndiaye Sr. Arizona 11.57 29. Miya Edmonson Jr. USC 11.59 30. Antonette Carter Fr. California 11.81 31. Porchea Carroll So. Arizona St. 11.66

This time over the use of Denia Park and the $40,000 upgrade to its softball fields for the Lady Eagles to use for basically one year. It's amazing to me that this woman can't see the benefit to the park of the upgrades, and a quick survey of the 2004 softball schedule will show very few games being played in Denton next year. I am sure the 100,000 seat softball venue will increase traffic, but will it really make the streets unsafe for the residents of Denton? Maybe Denia should succeed from the Denton Union and become a city of their own! Letters to the editor 06/10/2003 One more invasion I was so disappointed to see Tuesday’s article on the front page regarding the University of North Texas bringing NCAA action to Denia Park. Denia is a small park where the city has put softball fields, soccer practice fields and a 300-plus space parking lot with little concern for the families living near the park. The Denia area is one of the few in Denton with so little in the way of usable space for neighborhood residents. There are over 700 people who share a sliver of land not covered by these athletic fields and parking spaces. Our streets are neighborhood streets that will be made unsafe with the increase in traffic. We don’t like public address systems, crowd noise, light pollution, increased traffic and trash any more than the rest of Denton. No contact was made with any residents living near the ballpark or with the Denia Area Neighborhood Group by parks and recreation officials. If money is so tight at UNT, why lay out $40,000 for a one-year use at Denia? Upgrade the fields at Liberty Christian — you already own that space. After the recent Golf Course War, this seems like another invasion. Alice Gore, Denton

To the top for PMG.

Mavs are done. Stars are done. How long til football season?

PMG, this link may help you. There aren't any stadium shots shown on the website, but there is an email address that you can contact the photographer through. I believe his name is Rick Yeatts. UNT Photos I hope this helps.

Why even use them for batting practice and take the chance of "accidentally" picking that bat up during the game. They shouldn't cork them period! I would also add Barry Bonds to the steriod user list, along with a few more I can't think of at the moment that are much bigger now than they were a few years ago.

Hilltoppers claim Bubas Cup, but UNT gaining Mean Green third in annual all-sports cup race 06/04/2003 By Mike McClendon / Denton Record-Chronicle North Texas is apparently moving up in the Sun Belt Conference. North Texas improved to third place in the 2002-03 Vic Bubas Cup, the Sun Belt's all-sports award, after finishing fifth last year. Final team standings were announced by the Sun Belt offices Tuesday. "Anytime you're better than you were the year before, you're in good shape," said North Texas athletic director Rick Villarreal. "Our volleyball team has improved and we won three conference championships in other sports. If you look at the standings [of the Bubas Cup], we actually compete in fewer sports than the two teams who beat us. We're adding softball next year and that will give us an opportunity to score more points." Bubas Cup points are awarded based on performances in all Sun Belt-sponsored men's and women's sports. Each school's totals in the individual sports are then added up to determine the winner. For the second year in a row, Western Kentucky won the Bubas Cup. Western Kentucky, which scored 116 points, was boosted by the highest point total [on a scale of 1-11] in men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball. The Hilltoppers also scored high in men's cross-country, women's cross-country, men's outdoor track and women's outdoor track. "Basketball-wise, Western Kentucky has been the premier team in the conference for a while," said Villarreal. "Whoever is in the league, you have to chase. If our basketball teams improve next year, like we think they will, we'll be in the running. We're ready to kick this thing off again." North Texas was boosted by the highest point totals in football, men's golf and women's outdoor track. The Mean Green football team finished with a record of 8-5 last season, won its second consecutive Sun Belt title and its first bowl game in more than 50 years. The North Texas men's golf team won the Sun Belt title and finished tied for 17th place at the NCAA Central Regional championships. The women's track team made school history this season. The Lady Eagles amassed a school-record point total to claim its first women's outdoor conference track championship. Latrecia Taylor and Ciji Brooks finished 1-2 in the women's shot for North Texas. Taylor qualified for the NCAA regional meet. Lakisha Gentry recorded the second-longest throw in school history and won the javelin throw with a toss of 137-4. Ananka Clark earned a second-place finish in conference in the 100-meter-dash, and will compete in the NCAA championships later this month. MIKE McCLENDON can be reached at 940-566-6873. His e-mail address is mmcclendon@dentonrc.com. Vic Bubas Cup All-Sports Standings Rank Points 1. Western Kentucky 116 2. Middle Tennessee State 102 3. North Texas 93 4. New Mexico State 92.5 5. Arkansas-Little Rock 78 6. (tie) Louisiana-Lafayette 77.5 6. (tie) South Alabama 77.5 8. Florida International 69.5 9. Denver 69 10. Arkansas State 65 11. New Orleans 50 * Affiliate members: Louisiana-Monroe scored three points and Idaho received one point.

UNT's Clark in NCAA field Sprinter earns one of 11 at-large bids in 100 06/04/2003 By Ethan B. Szatmary / Denton Record-Chronicle North Texas sprinter Ananka Clark received an at-large invitation to the NCAA Track and Field National Championships Tuesday, becoming the first UNT woman to qualify for nationals since 1988. After finishing eighth in the 100-meter dash finals at the NCAA Midwest Regional, Clark shed tears of frustration. She was jumping for joy Tuesday when UNT head track coach Rick Watkins called with the news that she'd be running in the national college championship. "I couldn't believe it," Clark said. "It's incredible, but it's still a little overwhelming right now. I actually cried after the [regional] meet because I didn't make it, so this was a big, big surprise - a good one. It's definitely a dream way to finish up my senior year." Clark will run in the preliminaries starting at 12:05 p.m. on June 11 at Cal State-Sacramento's Hornet Stadium. If she finishes in the top 16 runners, then she'll qualify for the semifinals at 8:40 p.m. The top eight runners in the semifinals qualify for Friday's final at 8:55 p.m. The top five runners at each of the four regionals automatically qualify for nationals, and then the rest of the field is rounded out by at-large bids for the athletes who posted the next-best times throughout the year. Each event has a variant number of at-large bids, and the women's 100-meter dash gave out 11. Clark's personal- and school-record time of 11.48 at the regional preliminaries ranks her 24th out of the 31 runners competing. Since Clark's qualifying time was better than four of the five automatic qualifiers from the West Region, Watkins said he thought she belonged in the field at nationals. "Looking at the times and how some of the other regions went, I thought she deserved to get in," said Watkins. "I'm glad that she did." Over the course of her career, Clark shaved .40 seconds off her time in the 100-meter dash - a huge leap in the event, and Watkins said she sets the perfect example of how devotion to the sport can pay off. "She has worked extremely hard and made herself into one of the top sprinters in the country, so I'm just glad to see that hard work pay off," Watkins said. "It's a really good way for her to end her career. "Over the course of a year, everything doesn't always go well. You've got your ups and downs. She still came in here every day, and did what she needed to do to get to nationals. That's the kind of example you want set for everybody else." Clark's just happy she can be the one to set that example. "I know a lot of my teammates are really proud of me - it gives them something to look forward to," said Clark. With Clark as an example, maybe it won't be 15 years until North Texas sends another woman back to nationals. "We believe in ourselves through her," said junior Rhonda Williams, who qualified for regionals in both the long jump and as a member of the 4x100 relay team with Clark. "She's so motivated, and she's always giving us encouraging words. She's helped me out a lot. I was feeling really down about the way I was running last year, and she was always there helping me out. I was so motivated this year, and I thought I would make nationals. I didn't. I almost made it, but I didn't. She [Clark] gives me hope I will next year."

They is a ridiculous excuse and this incident goes hand in hand with his outburst at Rick Reilly over the steriod question. Juicing his body and his bat, no matter how nice he is to the fans, does not equate to a "class act."

This was copied on another post within the Mean Green Athletics posts. It is a copy of a recent Denton Record Chronicle article with quotes from RV. I'm not complaining about it, in fact, this is the type of cooperation that has been needed between the City of Denton and UNT for years.

Sure, and they aren't squawking, because UNT is providing $40,000 in upgrades to two fields at Denia Park.

Great news Coach. You are getting us off to a great start.