Smitty

I certainly understand the initial response to Dodge's comments. You hate to pack it in that early. But be realistic. It's 21-0, on the road, you've got zero pass rush, and the passing game is struggling. At that point, I have to agree with Dodge's decision. The running game keeps the clock moving, keeps the game from turning into another monumental rout, gets some much-needed work for Cam Montgomery, and keeps Vizza from getting killed. If UNT had thrown the ball fifty times, they might have brought Vizza home in a box. The fact that they threw less and ran more must have been a big factor in sustaining only two sacks. Besides, we're going to need a running game this year. If Montgomery can provide that big-play spark on the ground, that's a huge factor for opposing defenses to take into consideration. You love to make those opposing safeties keep the running game in the back of their minds. Fact is, down 21-0 early with no pass rush and a struggling passing game, that game was lost and the only question was by how much. At that point, keep the score down, work on a few things, and get the hell of town with as few injuries as possible.

And four of them are Sunbelt teams. Seems like for every Arkansas State or Troy upset victory, there are two or three or four blow-out losses. Yes, beating Tulsa would get UNT off the list.

From ESPN: Is Switzer back?

Remember, the betting line is not strictly an evaluation of the game or the teams. It is also an evaluation of the gamblers. All the bookies want is the same amount of money bet on each team, and they set the line to do that. The question is not, how much better is Team A than Team B. The question is, how many points do we have to give to get half the betters to bet on Team A and half on Team B. Considering UNT's current reputation, this is not a surprise. Look at it this way: How many points would you have to receive to bet on a team that last year was 2-10 and had the worst defense in the nation, and managed only 6 points in this year's opener while giving up 45 to a team with a weak defense last year and is expected to finish in the bottom half of its conference this season? Meanwhile, the opponent has bowl ambitions and rolled up over 40 points in week 1. And do we need to remember what happened the last time these two met at Fouts? 20 points is not surprising. If UNT is insulted by that line, good. I'd like to seem them feel insulted. And if the team believes the line is undeserved and disrespectful, then prove it.

The media tried to fuel this non-story today through Obama, but, much to his credit, Obama shot them down in no uncertain terms: We've got these very strong comments from Obama, we've got the Republicans shutting down their convention until the hurricane threat is over, and we've Obama sending a mass email to all his contributors asking for contributions and volunteers. Is there actually hope for civility in American politics?

There is a mistake in your second sentence. The phrase "my closet" is now incorrect. Trust me, every closet in the home is now HER closet. The sooner you accept that, well, nevermind, you won't be happy about it. Just accept it.

All I'm hearing from anyone, here or in the press, is, "Well, that doesn't mean she is not qualified." I haven't heard anything that convinces me that she IS qualified, and I am incredibly disappointed in John McCain that he would do this when he had so many well qualified people, male and female, who shared his values and have the expertise to handle the job. This is a political stunt, a gambit for votes performed at the peril of this nation. IF McCain is elected, and IF, God forbid, something happened to him in his first two years in office, the United States would have a neophyte in charge of two wars, an on-going war with Bin Laden, a resurgent Russia, a struggling economy, etc, etc, etc, etc. And I have heard not one single word that suggests she is qualified to deal with those situations.

Do you really think that being governor of Alaska, a state with a population of less and a million, compares with being governor of California or New York? They are night and day. The complexity of a state like California or New York dwarfs the job in Alaska. Being Secretary of the Navy has national and international issues to deal with. And Lincoln was in Congress, giving him exposure to national issues. She has none of that experience, background, or expertise. None at all. I don't blame her for that. In her job in Alaska she probably doesn't need those attributes. But I sure blame McCain for a political stunt that could needlessly imperil this country. From an editorial in the Daily News-Miner in Fairbanks: From an editorial in the Anchorage Daily News: I am also distressed by the fact that she's under investigation for ethics violations concerning the wrongful firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, who Palin tried to ouster because he resisted pressure from the governor and her family to fire a state trooper who is Palin's ex-brother-in-law. The ex-brother-in-law's actions were investigated and he was given a suspension, but Palin and her family wanted him fired. I have heard a lot of reasons to be extremely concerned about Palin's qualifications and absolutely no reason to feel comfortable about her being vice president and being so close to the ultimate seat of power on this planet. That's why not.

I don't know Ms. Green's reasons for saying what she said. I only know what she said, and I believe that Ms. Green would know better than most about Ms. Palin. I know Ms. Palin is not running for president, but the whole idea of the vice president is to have someone in place who is qualified to be president. So let me ask you: do you really believe that Sarah Palin is qualified to be the President of the United States?

What bothers me terribly about this selection is that Ms. Palin has absolutely no national experience or international experience of any kind, and seems utterly unqualified for this job. The only rebuttal seems to be, "Well, Obama isn't very experienced, either." That doesn't make Palin a good choice. Yes, Obama has limited experience, but at least the nation has had more than a year of national campaigning to examine and judge Obama and make a decision about him, and at least he does have some national and international experience. I'm not saying he's good or bad, but his strengths or weaknesses do not make the choice of Ms. Palin any better or worse. Ultimately, this choice has to be judged on its own, and it just does not stand up. She is a state governor - of a state with a population smaller than that of Dallas. Alaska is big, but the vast majority of the state is unpopulated or extremely lightly-populated wildnerness. Her job simply does not compare to those of governors like Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney or Tom Ridge. She has stated, as recently as July 31, that she does not even know what the vice president does. An Alaskan Republican, state senate president Lyda Green, said she thought it was a joke when someone called her to give her the news: "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president? Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?" This from a fellow Republican in Alaska who has viewed Palin up close. She is supposed to be an ethics maverick, but she is under investigation for ethics violations. I simply cannot believe that there was not someone more qualified for this selection. I understand that McCain hates Romney, but what about Pawlenty or Ridge? At least they've been on the national stage. With McCain 72 years old, you simply have to consider the very real possibility of his VP having to take over. Can you imagine Ms. Palin running two wars, relations with Russia, and the world's largest economy? I cannot.

Counting this year, there are six seasons to be played before UNT faces SMU again. When the rivalry is renewed, who will be the head coaches? If Dodge or Jones hasn't started winning by then, it seems unlikely that either would keep his job. If they're winning impressively (reaching the top 25), chances are good that at least one will move on to a bigger job. Then there's just plain restlessness, to which Jones seems vulnerable. However, if they're competitive in their conferences and going to an occasional bowl game but not racking up big non-conference wins and not reaching top 25 status, then I think chances are decent that they would still be in place. So what are the chances we will see Todd Dodge vs. June Jones in 2014? And as a side topic, is Jones (at $2 million a year) on a shorter leash than Dodge? Is the pressure to win on the hilltop greater than in Denton? My guess is there is less than a fifty percent chance of a Dodge vs. Jones NT-SMU meeting. Maybe much less. 2014 is a long way off (in football-coaching years). And I do think the pressure is greater on Jones. However, if UNT gets a new stadium, then I think the pressure will even out a bit.

Just got in from dinner. Rice up 28-13 at halftime. Has Rice's offense looked that good or has SMU's defense looked that bad?

When you're ranked below Temple, you truly are an underdog.

I'd rather be in the same division as TCU and SMU, but if this is what it would take to get a conference like that to happen, fine. You'd still have some rivalry games with TCU and SMU, though not every year, and you start building a rivalry with La Tech, Rice, Houston, and whoever takes Baylor's place. I'd certainly take Arkansas State. An Arkansas school would add a little bit more of an old SWC flavor. One other thing that could help propel this: continuing high fuel prices making travel expenses prohibitive. In other words, don't drill here, don't drill now, renew the SWC.

Think of it this way: UNT is indirectly making money off of SMU, for which the Ponies are getting an absolutely worthless ad placement. After all, how many visitors to meangreensports.com are going to buy SMU tickets? If anyone should be mad, it's SMU. They're paying for that wasted ad all weekend. If I'm in charge of the ads for SMU, I'm calling the ad agency to complain about their ads showing up in places where they are unlikely to generate any sales just one weekend before the start of the season.

While I don't think Dodge would withhold Riley's redshirt in case he needs or wants to transfer later on, I do think there could be serious consequences for this program - on a lot of fronts - if the 2010 season starts and UNT has not at least started turning dirt on a new stadium. If the stadium isn't ready in 2010 but is under construction, I think Dodge would wait. But if the stadium status of today still exists in 2010, I would not blame Dodge one bit for leaving and taking Riley with him. I know what UNTflyer says about the stadium progress, and I cannot tell you, flyer, just how much I want to believe you. I do believe you are sincere, and, please please please please, from your lips to God's ear. But having grown up in Denton and having attended events at Fouts Field for forty-plus years (you guys think Fouts is bad now, you should have seen it in the 70s), frankly, I'll believe North Texas has a new stadium when I see it. Or at least when I see construction begin. Negative? Maybe. Realistic? Absolutely. North Texas deserves our support, but its history has earned it rational skepticism and a keep-their-feet-to-the-fire attitude.

Premiball: The Movie

Still no Olympic soccer gold for Brazil. And very, very sweet redemption for Hope Solo. What a game she played in goal. Makes you think of what might have been last year at the World Cup if she had played that semifinal.

Let's not start cluttering up posts with facts, Greek. Where will that get us? Reasonable, rational, civil discussion? Do you really want that?

Makes sense. Travel, hold the clip board, watch, learn. And makes sense for him to hold on kicks next year. That is usually the job of a backup QB. But redshirt him this year.

Not at the expense of the football team he is hired to run. And if Riley wants to graduate in four years and get on with his life, he can do that AND be redshirted. If he wants to graduate in four years, he can leave after his junior year of eligibility. There would be plenty of yelling and screaming from fans, but that option is available. I have a very hard time believing that it is in the best interest of this program for Riley Dodge to do anything but redshirt this year, especially when you have an excellent sophomore starting quarterback who took his lumps and made progress as a true freshman to prepare to lead this team. Where else are you going to play Riley? WR or DB? When you have a deep and talented group of wide receivers and a solid group of newly-recruited defensive backs? Why would you risk your quarterback of the future like that? Redshirt him and let him grow, develop, and learn.

Ajax, Delphinium, and Arkadelphia

I wondered if anyone would recognize the greatness of Icky Twerp. Ah, there is nothing better than Slam Bang Theater!

If you redshirt Riley, you've looking at six years of solid quarterback play - four (including last year) from Vizza, then junior and senior years from Riley. Maybe Riley challenges for the job as a sophomore, but you're still getting six years of QB play. That's the way top programs like to develop their quarterbacks, building a steady flow of QBs who get in the system, redshirt, learn the college game, get a little playing time as freshman and sophomores, and then take over in their junior-senior years. Then you line up another recruit to take the next position in the rotation, and you've got consistent, seasoned play at QB. Unless UNT can recruit a Vince Young-type, here's hoping we do not see a freshman starting at QB at North Texas again for a long time.

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments.