Smitty

Mean Green World has been re-designed, and I'm offering new graphics for 2008. I've got seven new wallpapers for your computer's desktop, in multiple sizes, for football season. There are twelve new cellphone/mobile device wallpapers, in seven sizes: And new this year are Mean Green icons. There are twenty-five icons, divided into two sets and available for Windows or Mac. Use them to add a little more Mean Green to your computer desktop. I've also created eighteen new avatars. As always, everything is free and available at Mean Green World. I hope you like them.

I don't know anything about this player, but considering how highly rated Jarboe was out of high school, this could be a Randy Moss situation. Moss went from Florida State to Marshall and dominated (168 receptions for 3,467 yards and 53 touchdowns in two seasons). Marshall was I-AA at the time, so this is not so dramatic a drop in level of competition. But still, a potentially monster pick-up for Troy.

Anyone want to re-visit that trade of Howard for Ron Artest?

I'm there. It's worth standing in line for an hour outdoors in August to get my hands on football tickets.

With his faithful sidekick, Cole Slaw Boy. Mmmmmmm barbeque.

I just hope it's not IndyMac Bank.

The airline industry probably isn't in any position to pay for a stadium, but the natural is American Eagle airline. How about American Eagle Stadium? It doesn't even sound like a sponsor bought the naming rights.

I've said it before but it needs repeating. Despite the train-crash manner in which his tenure here ended, every one of us owes coach Dickey a thanks. Darrell Dickey delivered championships. How often have we been able to speak of championships at North Texas? I doubted that I would live to see a North Texas bowl victory. But there I was, in New Orelans, celebrating a bowl victory just like any other college sports fan. And for that I happily thank coach Dickey. It's best for all that he's gone. Best for the program and best for him. His time here was finished, and his bunker mentality and the bad blood between himself and fans and the university was hurting the program. But that doesn't erase his accomplishments. I eagerly look forward to the future of UNT football under coach Dodge. But I honor the past under coach Dickey.

With dramatically rising travel costs, I think there are going to be schools all over the country pushing hard up against their athletic budgets this year. It's suddenly a lot more expensive to send any team to a game, and that could force re-alignment of conferences. How expensive is it going to be for TCU in the Mountain West or Louisiana Tech in the WAC?

Another vote for "Hearts of Darkness." It is incredible to see what they went through - and what they put themselves through - in making that movie. You are correct, it was photographed by Coppola's wife. As to the documentaries of Ken Burns, I have heard baseball historians and Civil War historians say he got a lot of things wrong. I enjoyed watching them, but they are apparently not completely accurate. "Band of Brothers" is not a true documentary, but it is based on the non-fiction book by Stephen E. Ambrose and is apparently faithful to the true story of Easy Company, 506th, 101st Airborne in World War II. Riveting. If you're interested in great non-fiction literature: Anything by Mark Bowden, author of "Killing Pablo" (spectacular telling of the story of drug lord Pablo Escobar) and "Black Hawk Down." His new book out this year is "The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL," which I am about to read. "Public Enemies" by Bryan Burrough, about the crime wave of Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Bonnie and Clyde, who rose and fell in a short two-year span that saw the development of the FBI. Simon Winchester's "Krakatoa, The Day The World Exploded." Spectacular. "To Hell and Back" the autobiography of the little Texan, Audie Murphy, the most highly decorated G.I. of World War II. Cornelius Ryan's great works about World War II, "The Longest Day," "A Bridge Too Far," and "The Last Battle." "Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II" by Robert Kurson. Wonderful book. "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond And if you want to read a really, really wild novel that is written like non-fiction, try "World War Z" by Max Brooks, an account of the Zombie War.

What an punk. I've got an idea: next time the Rangers meet the Mariners, re-activate Nolan Ryan. Ryan would put one in his freakin' ear, then kick his ass when he charged the mound.

I have the Flying Worm as a vector image, which I created using a small .gif image of the original as a pattern. Since it is a vector image, you can make it as large as you like without losing resolution.

Baseball has the same situation. I know of a high school baseball program many years ago in which the coach told the kids that they had games during spring break, and before the season he told the kids they needed to make a commitment to the team. If their families were going somewhere, the players could stay at the coach's home. But if they were on the team, they were expected to play during spring break. Two kids in mid-season decided they wanted to travel at spring break, and they were kicked off the team. Fall sports participants don't get much of a Thanksgiving holiday, winter sports players get less of a Christmas break than other kids, and spring sports players get less of a spring break. That's the price of playing.

Former UNT men's basketball coach Tim Jankovich was hired at Illinois State last March, and in his first year his team went 24-9 and finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference. Prior to this season, he'd been an assistant under Bill Self at Illinois and Kansas. Good to see someone with UNT history doing well.

As long as he can win there, Richardson interested in Arkansas State job By Andy Katz ESPN.com He wants to coach, and now he's not concerned about the level or the resources. That's why Richardson is no longer fixated on getting back to a high level. Instead, he is seriously interested in the Arkansas State opening or something like that, in the coming months. Richardson said Tuesday that he will meet with school officials in Jonesboro, Ark., later in the week, possibly on Thursday. "I want to see it, I want to see if they can make it an interesting situation for me, if it's a place where I can win," Richardson told ESPN.com. "I remember playing some of those teams in [the Sun Belt Conference]. I don't just want a job, I like to win." Richardson told ESPN.com in August while preparing the Mexican National team in El Paso that he wanted to return at a high level. He said then that he hadn't received a single phone call about a job interview. But Richardson, 66, said at the time he had made it clear he wasn't interested in lower profile jobs. So what happened? Richardson said the perceived baggage he brought, because he sued the school after being fired in 2002, would eventually blackball him from a high-level job. "That's been proving I was right," Richardson said. The experience with the Mexican job, though, changed his perception. "Arkansas State is at the bottom, there's nowhere to go but up," said Richardson of ASU, which is looking to replace Dickey Nutt after a 10-19 season (5-13 in the Sun Belt with one game left at North Texas Wednesday). "I like history, I like going over to the other state school in Arkansas and doing something that means something and changing the landscape," Richardson said. "That's important to me. It intrigues me a little bit and motivates me." Richardson said there wasn't much of a Mexican program before he took over and guided the Mexicans to the Tournament of Americas where they were a competitive team throughout the field. Richardson said he is done with his commitment to the Mexican National Team and won't be coaching them in 2009 when international competition resumes after the Beijing Olympics in August. Mexico didn't qualify for the Olympics. "Those are the kind of things that show your worth as a coach, to take something and turn it around," Richardson said. Richardson said he's as physically fit as he has been in years. He said after he was fired he went on a diet and hasn't gained weight back since then. He said a coach has to be fit on the practice court and have plenty of energy, characteristics that he says he still has at his age. "The fire in the belly is there and when March comes around I'm excited and love the tournament time," Richardson said. "This is when I miss [coaching] the most."

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Nolan Richardson says he's talking with Arkansas State officials about the school's basketball coaching vacancy. Richardson has been out of college coaching since being fired by Arkansas in 2002. He made his remarks after a luncheon Monday in North Little Rock. The job has been open since Dickey Nutt resigned two weeks ago. Richardson said he has had dialogue with Arkansas State, and he plans to visit some more with the school's athletic director and chancellor. Could Richardson could do for ASU basketball what Schnellenberger is doing for FAU football?

The reference to "Dick Jokes" offended some, so I was politely asked to change it.

I've only been able to get to a few games this year, but I'll be there Wednesday. Is there a particular section where gomeangreen members sit? I'd love to contribute to a "Welcome To The Pit" chant.

IF he moves, I doubt he would come here. I assume that he would lose a year of eligibility to transfer (although if SMU kicks him off the team does that make him a free agent?), which would give him only one year to play, leaving him to compete in 2009 against Vizza, who will likely have two years in as a starter, and against the coach's son. Talk about a long shot to see playing time. If Willis leaves SMU, I would think he takes the Bomar route and goes down a level to keep playing.

My hat's off to any law enforcement personnel, but especially to the motorcycle officers. I used to know some motorcycle road racers, guys who rode professionally at places like Daytona where they flying at 200 mph. A lot of them said they did not ride motorcycles on the streets because it was just too dangerous.

I announced these on the football board, but want to give equal time to the basketball board - especially since it's basketball season. I've got new userbars for all sports, including a batch for men's and women's basketball, the Super Pit, and the Pit Crew. Mean Green World userbars

GreenExes requested a userbar and avatar using the NT Exes logo. I have been hesitant to use their logo since I understand they're very protective of it, but I'm told they are much more open to publicity, so I've added a simple userbar and avatar using the NT exes logo. Like everything else on Mean Green World, these are free to download and are simply to promote UNT.

I may look at doing some userbars for various academic departments later.

I have not used GIMP. What do you think of it?