UNTLifer

I never said he was "mediocre." My point was: The Rangers did not receive equal value in return. The Rangers received a player that plays a position that we do not need help at. The received no pitching help, which is what they really need. The Rangers may attempt to move Soriano to CF, but he has stated that 2b is his position and he really doesn't want to move. The move could totally backfire, he becomes disgruntled, his stats go down and the Rangers end up with nothing to show for A-Rod other than monthly payments on his home in Highland Park, his luxury suites and his salary in NY. Canseco was also a 40-40 player and ended up an idiot and a flop in the outfield. I hope that some day the soreness will wear off and Hicks is able to pull his pants back up from around his ankles. He has turned this club into the laughingstock of MLB, lost all credibility with his fans and allowed himself to be bent over the couch by George Steinbrenner. BAD TRADE.

I am not discounting Soriano's talent, but I am not blown away by him either. We just traded away what many consider to be the best player in baseball and didn't even get the best second baseman in return. Soriano committed 19 errors at second last year. He also hit about .270 against the pitching outside of the AL East. With the unbalanced schedule he as able to hit about .330 against the East that included very weak staffs in Baltimore, Toronto and Tampa Bay. Is Soriano good? Sure. Great? I don't know, but I do now the Rangers didn't get equal value in return plus no pitching that will help right away. In fact, I would say the Yankees are pleased to get rid of Soriano in light of his disappearing act in the World Series last year. I would also say that of all the help the Rangers need, 2nd base isn't one of their needs. Michael Young is a Gold Glover that only committed 10 errors and had the highest fielding percentage in the AL among second basemen. This was a BAD trade.

I hope JJ has stayed in contact. Byrd is exactly what we will need next year. Of course if Brooks was his recruiter here, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see him show up in El Paso. Thanks for the info. Harry.

front office has made the franchise the laughingstock of baseball.

Sam Byrd C 6-10/225 NR Alief, TX

Are you referring to Hopkins? I hope not, but it wouldn't surprise me considering I read in his DRC profile that he graduates in August.

Who are we signing/recruiting from Mansfield Summitt? I knew we had signed Sturns from North Crowley and the kid from Oklahoma, but didn't know about anyone else.

Athlete profile Full name: Leonard Bernard Hopkins Nickname: L Hop High school: Dallas Lincoln Born (and where): Jan. 13, 1982 (Dallas) Family (with ages): Paula Hopkins, mother; Ryan Hopkins, brother (20), Bryan Hopkins, brother (20), Lakiesha Bowman, sister (29), Kimley Bowman, sister (26) Position: shooting guard, Hopkins is averaging 12 points and three rebounds a game Major: Applied Arts and Sciences I plan to graduate: August 2004 My best (or worst) superstitution is: splitting poles I am sick of athletes who: Don’t work hard and want results If I could get four tickets to any sporting event in the world, it would be: A Los Angeles Lakers-Dallas Mavericks game The three people I would take to the event, living or dead, would be: Ashley Johnson, Paula Hopkins, John Carter My favorite sports movie is: Blue Chips My favorite pro sports team is: The Dallas Cowboys My favorite restaurant is: Cheesecake Factory The person who had the most influence on my life is: My mother The best summer I ever spent was: Playing at the Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas If I was not going to school at UNT, I would be: Working as a business man My goal for this year is to: Help my team reach the NCAA Tournament and be named all-conference My dream for this year is to: Graduate college If I could say one thing in the newspaper, it would be: Live every day like it is your last one

Plus the 7 Day Calendar Softball Waters posts first hit Susan Waters made sure the first hit of the North Texas softball team’s season was a memorable one. The freshman from Davenport, Okla., hit a solo home run to lift UNT into a tie with Texas A&M on Feb. 2. Waters’ hit proved to be one of the few highlights for the Mean Green in its first game. The Aggies came back to win the game 6-1. UNT’s game against Texas A&M is part of a brutal schedule. The Mean Green will face 10 teams that are ranked in the ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 poll. The Mean Green is fielding a softball team for the first time since 1988. Track and field UNT hit stretch run The indoor track season only started a few weeks ago, and it is already entering the stretch run. UNT has competed in three meets so far this season. UNT’s final tune-up for the Sun Belt Conference meet will come this weekend at the Oklahoma Indoor meet in Norman, Okla. "It’s a short season," UNT coach Rick Watkins said. "We are starting to sharpen up for the conference meet." UNT began the buildup for the conference meet when it competed in the Houston Indoor meet. The event had one of the largest fields UNT’s athletes will compete against this season. A total of 18 teams competed. Junior Jarrod Stone posted the second-best high jump marks of his college career in Houston, a leap of 6-8 3/4. The mark also ranks second in the Sun Belt this season. Sprinter Osaze Aghedo posted a time of 7.76 in the 60-meter dash, a time that ranks third in the conference. David Turner (49.38) and Andre Douglas (49.68) posted times that rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in the Sun Belt in the 400-meter dash. UNT will open its outdoor season at the College Station relays on March 12-13, a week after the NCAA Indoor National Championships. Player of the week One of North Texas’ newest athletes continued to shine in one of the NCAA newest events this week. Desiree Hill broke the school record in the pole vault for the second time this season when she posted a mark of 11-1 3/4 at the Houston Indoor meet. Hill’s mark ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference. The freshman from Arlington Bowie has competed in three meets this season. "She is very aggressive," UNT coach Rick Watkins said. "That is what you need to be in the pole vault." For her efforts, Hill is the Denton Record-Chronicle’s UNT athlete of the week. 7-day slate The following events are on tap in the UNT athletic department in the next week. WEDNESDAY — Softball at Texas, 5/7 p.m. THURSDAY — Middle Tennessee at men’s basketball, 7 p.m.; Women’s basketball at Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m. FRIDAY — Softball vs. Colorado State, 9:30 a.m.; softball at UT-San Antonio, noon SATURDAY — Men’s basketball at Western Kentucky, 7 p.m.; Western Kentucky at women’s basketball, 7 p.m.; softball vs. Bethune Cookman, 9:30 a.m.; softball vs. Kansas, noon; softball vs. Kentucky, 5 p.m. SUNDAY — Softball vs. Missouri-Kansas City, 5 p.m.

UNT notebook: Duo earns added playing time 08:22 AM CST on Wednesday, February 11, 2004 A season’s worth of hard work has started to pay off for a pair of guards on the North Texas women’s basketball team. Mian Williams has started the last two games for the Lady Eagles, while Natalie Mireles has seen her playing time increase. Williams scored eight points in UNT’s last two games. Mireles has not started this season, but has seen her playing time increase. The sophomore hit a pair of 3-point shots in UNT’s 53-50 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 5. "Mian is playing well defensively," UNT coach Tina Slinker said. "She had six hustle plays against New Mexico State. She deserves to start." Starting Williams gives UNT a quick three-guard backcourt that also includes junior guard Jill Medlock and sophomore point guard Erika Bobo. The emergence of Mireles gives UNT another option at point guard. The Lady Eagles have struggled to adjust their lineup when Bobo is out of the game. UNT has moved Medlock to the point for short spells. That switch takes away one of the Lady Eagles top outside scoring threats. Medlock has hit 46 shots from beyond the 3-point arc and is UNT’s second-leading scorer with an average of 11.3 points a game. "I am very impressed with Natalie," Slinker said. "We went to her because of what she has done in practice. She can shoot and is a good defensive player." UNT is hoping a new look in its backcourt will pay dividends during a critical stretch at the end of the season. The Lady Eagles will play their final road game of the season when they take on Middle Tennessee on Thursday. UNT will then return home for its final five games of the season. Men’s basketball Watson a hit as a freshman Calvin Watson got a late start to the season, but he is finishing with a bang. The freshman has started seven games for the Mean Green and is averaging 8.1 points a game. Watson ranks fifth on the team in scoring and is hitting 39 percent of his shots from 3-point range. Watson is the first UNT player to start seven or more games as a true freshman since senior Jerome Rogers started 11 games in his first year with the Mean Green in the 2000-01 season. Watson appeared as if he might take a prominent role early on in his freshman season by shining in preseason practices. UNT’s plans changed when Watson broke his foot before its season opener. Watson missed the first 11 games of the season and considered taking a redshirt year before returning to the lineup. Watson has scored in double figures four times, including a 14-point outing against Arkansas State on Jan. 24.

Golf: Gibson leads UNT to fourth place finish 08:24 AM CST on Wednesday, February 11, 2004 CYPRESS -- Senior Brad Gibson fired a final round 73 to finish tied for second place and lead the North Texas men’s golf team a fourth place finish at the Rice Intercollegiate at Blackhorse Country Club. Gibson ended the tournament at 216, even par for his three rounds. Thomas Kulcak shot a final round 78 to finish at 223 for the tournament. Senior Zach Atkinson fired a third round score of 77 and ended at 230. Weston Bingham shot a three-day total of 235 while Reid McPherson was at 238 for the tournament. As a team North Texas shot a final round score of 309 and ended the tournament in fourth place with a three round total of 902.

I may be there with my 18 month old. He has been fighting a respiratory problem, so unless he is better we are at home.

Great job Coach Segal! Pass along the congrats to the team.

You lost me there, my man.

You should try out for the professional lawn mower racing league.

Uh, the men played in Las Cruces and got beat. The women were at home last night.

Buford Julep.

NT Daily

No Motivation? I thought cheerleading was motivating the crowd to become involved in the game. So, I wouldn't go if I wasn't a fan. Uh, if you try out for cheerleading and understand that the number one priority of this job is to lead cheers for the athletic teams of this university, wouldn't you want to be a fan of these sports? Why else would you want to be a cheerleader? The competition? Be a gymnast. Look, I respect COGreen for coming on this board and sharing his thoughts, and I also applaud COGreen for being a cheerleader that cares but something is just wrong with this picture. If Jennifer Cloutier is responsible for the cheerleaders and dance squads doesn't this make her a part of the athletic department? Shouldn't she have to answer to RV? I would be surprised if he stands for this. As an alumni of UNT I find it ridiculous and an embarassment that the cheerleaders and the mascot and not required to be at these events. There are just a few home games left this year, and I believe there is adequate time to adjust work/study schedules to insure 100% participation on their part.

Celina may not lose until realignment hits again.

NT's Kim Blanton named Player of the Week February 2nd, 2004 North Texas senior Kim Blanton was named Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for averaging 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as the Lady Eagles split a pair of road games to move into a three way tie for first place in the West Division. North Texas lost to UNO 80-78 on Thursday, then turned around to beat division leader USA, 53-51, on Saturday.

And fun too.

Uh, not a good example buddy

Tom Landry did for years, and that's about the best example of class you could ever come up with. Probably makes more than me, and I would be fired if I showed up to work looking and acting like that. Maybe he's just trying to be a Bobby Knight starter kit. Towe is the only coach I have heard our fans complain about other than the classless coach at UALR that directed profanities at the fans. Now we all know the SBC refs suck, so we will all always complain about them.

Thanks for your reply COGreen. I think the frustration just comes from the fact that the cheerleaders that decided to be cheerleaders and suceeded with their try-outs took on a committment to cheer for the team. Just like the players that committed to play for UNT. The players must show up for practice and games as part of this committment. If they don't, the coaches kick them off the team or suspend them. The same should hold true for the cheerleaders. They should also wear matching uniforms. Maybe this will negatively effect cheerleader turnout for the rest of the year, but at least you got rid of the people that don't want to be there. Then next year make each cheerleader sign an agreement stating that they will be there for each game, with a few exceptions such as illness, death in the family, etc..., and that they will be kicked off the squad if they can't meet these requirements. Let's face it, the cheeleaders should be an integral part of the game as each of you represent UNT. Not showing up is poor representation and reflects poorly on UNT and shouldn't be tolerated. Not trying to get on you, because it appears that you care. The one's that don't shouldn't be there. Sticking to a committment is something they will have to do for the rest of their lives. This should be a good lesson in that.