KRAM1

Just an FYI....the GMG.com flag football game is tentatively being set for Saturday, May 28th. Guess what? That is not graduation weekend. I checked already! The 28th date is not set in stone as yet as there are still a few details to be worked out to be 100% sure of the date. In addition, there is consideration being given for a bit of a new format for the game...one I think everyone will really enjoy and one that has the possibility of attracting a bigger crowd to watch and more donations to the scholarship fund. So, I just wanted everyone to know...in case you were one who might have thought that the basketball game was taking away from the football game planning...that we are "on track" for what I believe would be the 8th Annual GMG.Com Bowl? Eight, right? Details to follow, but I just wanted to let everyone know that we are not ignoring the football game...it is already in the planning stages. GO MEAN GREEN! Go GMG.Com Bowl!

It's all a question of priorities when money is tight. No stimulus money for IPI as we don't support any politician or any political campaign. We deal in policy, not political parties. We tend to think we are "equal opportunity" thinkers.

Great idea...time to do so is limited. Will probably have to go with what I have. Perhaps the winning bidder could get that autograph on their own after being the winning bidder. Good idea. Just a tad late.

YES!!!!!

Smitty...love ya, man, but I have to disagree here...I just do not get the attraction to babe's. I've been there several times and while the fried chicken is definitely good, it is nothing special in my opinion (let me re-state that for some of the more reading challenged here...not you Smitty...MY OPINION), and any number of places do as good or a better job. I think babe's is pretty much all hype and not worth the with time to get a seat at prime time. Again, yes, very decent fried chicken, but nothing special...over rated in my opinion. But, again, food and food style is such a personal thing, that if you like it best, great! I'd not turn it down either ... year's ago, the best in Dallas was Youngblood's Chicken. The last one standing was in Waco. I have no idea if it or any other Youngblood's Chicken places still exist. I know none do in Dallas-Ft. Worth. You have to be somewhere near my age to recall Youngblood's.

Just wanted to get this thread back "in play". The game is fast approaching (next Saturday, March 26th), so get your bidding hats on and let's make some money for the UNT Cheer Squad! GO MEAN GREEN...this is going to be fun!

Ate at Angelo's for lunch today...ribs and chopped beef sandwich and BEER! Great frozen goblet...making fir super cold beer...and great BBQ. What a great day it was! YUMMY!

IPI IS a policy think tank. It's what we do.

That's really quite appropriate actually, as we have been working on just that and the chatter around the office for the last year or two has been what an out-of-date web site we have. Nice catch! The re-do is in the works...big meeting Friday about just that thing with our web-site design group we have hired. The problem has always been...as we are a non-profit and rely on contributions for our funding...money is always very tight. We have to prioritze...do we do publications? Do we host conferences? Do we pay our salaries? Or, do we spend money on a web re-design? But, really nice catch...at least you went to the web-site...did you hit the "donate" site and send a few bucks in for our web re-design project?

Do not have the basketball "in hand" as yet. Should have it by mid-week before the game. I am told they are waiting on the players to return from Spring Break...I am told some players will be signing along with the coaching staff...so, we'll just be in suspense a bit longer on that. Sorry, I would tell you if I could.

Interesting to me what is happening now that the legislation is actually seeing the light of day. Read on: Matthews: As ObamaCare Turns One, More Americans Than Ever Oppose It DALLAS, TX: This week, White House allies and other left-leaning coalitions will plan a week of events nationwide to mark the first anniversary of ObamaCare, but Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) resident scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews says it’s the best indicator yet that Democrats have lost the health care battle. "The Obama administration must have sent out an SOS (support our stupidity) memo, and, right on cue, the minions came out defending the health care reform legislation," said Matthews. "No one believes the left would be holding a national pep rally if ObamaCare was even a little popular." A new Rasmussen poll recently found 62 percent of Americans want ObamaCare repealed—the highest percentage since May, yet the public is repeatedly being bombarded with misleading defenses by the talking heads who support it. "The president claimed that his health care law would be a milestone, ultimately raising the Democrats’ stature. Instead, it’s become a millstone, sinking their hopes for years to come," said Matthews. "And the more Democrats try to defend their law, the more indefensible it appears." For example, the Department of Health and Human Services has granted more than a thousand temporary waivers to organizations—including unions that supported the bill—claiming that moving quickly to the law’s new, onerous guidelines would be devastating. The state of Maine has also requested a waiver and more states may follow. Matthews suggests the press investigate those supporters at the rallies to see how many of them belong to a group that got a pass on complying with the law. The legislation has become one of the most contentious in recent memory, with some 30 states challenging ObamaCare’s constitutionality in court and many passing provisions asserting that the federal government can’t force their citizens to buy health insurance or pay a fine. "The legislation backfired and now its supporters think they have to fire back," concluded Matthews. "ObamaCare has become a national pariah, and the Democrats know they have to do something. They are reading the polls much more closely than they ever read the legislation." The Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) is an independent, nonprofit public policy organization based in Dallas, Texas. IPI resident scholar and health care expert Dr. Merrill Matthews is available for interview by contacting Erin Humiston at (972) 874-5139, or erin@ipi.org.

Take a look at the Dan McCarney/Clint Bowen (and other coaches as well) autographed football that will be auctioned during the GMG.com BB game. This may be the first or one of the very first Dan McCarney UNT autographed footballs. It's a "must have" for any fan of the Mean Green. Bidding starts at $25 with raises in whole dollars at a min. raise of $1.00. The ball will be on display (along with an autographed basketball) at the game on the 26th and at the after game party at Metzler's BBQ. The winning bid will be announced during the after game party on the 26th. You DO NOT have to be present to win. I will bid for anyone who wants to bid and is not able to be present at the game or the after game party on the 26th. Just PM me with your start and high bids.

I am in 100% agreement. Texas Chili Parlor in Austin is the best in Texas! And, you don't put beans in Chili....just sayin'

Voted yesterday...vote early...vote often for Jupiter House!

Well, really not even going as yet...but I expect most bids to come during the game on the 26th and during the after event party....I will be bidding for one person on the football as he will not be able to attend the event. I have his high bid, but would not feel good posting it on line. I hope to have a photo of the football posted sometime today here on GMG.Com. I am scheduled to pick up the basketball in the middle of next week, so no photo of that as yet is available.

This was NOT RV's hire. He was pressured to make this hire by then President Batille. Coach V had another candidate ready to select, but was told "no" and that he needed to make this hire! Sorry, but that is the word I have been given by more than one source over a fairly long period of time. I really don't think this gets laid at the doorstep of Coach V. Yes, he is the AD and maybe could or should have said "no" to Prez B, but word was that you just didn't say "no" to Prez B if you wanted to keep your job or not have life made fairly miserable for you along the way and have every decision made questioned and approvals stalled. Now, do I know this to be 100% true...no, as I was not involved in the process. I am only repeating what I have been told by numerous sources within and outside the athletic dept. and around the UNT campus and will admit to such here and now. So, yes, call it rumor as I cannot confirm as 100% factual. But, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...well....and if several folks you trust tell you the same thing at different times.......just sayin' Either way, this is a good day for the women's basketball team and opens up the very real possibility that women's basketball at UNT will start seeing much better days, bigger crowds, more interest from recruits and many more wins. Can't wait. GO MEAN GREEN!

This is good news for the team. I had head that up to 8 players were thinking of leaving the team if Coach Stephens remained the HC. Like Matt said...every time I spoke with Coach Stephens she was very nice, but she was definitely in over her head with he first HC job here at UNT. I wish her well and hope that her experience here will be a learning one for her in her next job. BUT, this is a move that really did need to be made at this time and RV once again stepped up and did what he had to do for the players on the team and for the athletic program at UNT. Thank you RV. I wish Coach Stephens well, and I am now anxious to see who UNT gets to be the next HC. If it is anywhere near as good as the selection of Dan McCarney and Coach Chico to lead the football program we are in for a real positive move for the ladies! WOW...great news. It';s a great GREEN DAY at UNT. Time to celebrate the green. By this I do not mean to dance on Coach Stephens misfortune, but I am very excited to see that the ladies will be getting a new HC and can move forward from here.....GO MEAN GREEN! GREAT NEWS!

OK, it is now official. We will have both an autographed UNT football (autographed by the coaching staff headed by HC Dan McCarney) and an autographed UNT basketball to auction off in a silent auction as part of the upcoming GMG.COM BB Game (March 26th). I have the football in hand, and should pick up the basketball next week after spring break. Bidding for either starts at $25 with raises set at a min. of $1.00 (all bids must be rounded to a whole dollar figure...no cents allowed). The balls will be available at the game on the 26th and at the after game party at Metzler's BBQ on Londonderry Lane in Denton. Bidding will close sometime during the after game party with the winning bids being announced at the party. If you cannot attend the game or the party and would like to bid on one or both balls, just PM me with your high bid and I will do the bidding for you...starting as low as possible and going to the high only as a last result. I definitely will not just bid your high immediately...as there is a chance that you might win at a lower level than your high. Trust me...I will be very fair about the bidding if you want me to do the bidding for you. PLEASE let me know ahead of time through a PM if you want someone else to bid for you and the high you have given them to use...otherwise...if I do not know ahead of time, no one will be allowed to bid for anyone other than themselves. ALL proceeds from the silent auction go to support the UNT Cheer Squad. Questions? Just PM me....this is a great chance to secure and autographed football or basketball! GO FOR IT! Go Mean Green!

Very nice indeed. Loved it...and yes, how ewell I do remember Rush and the 70's stuff!

Just confirmed...we will also have an autographed Mean Green basketball to use in a silent auction format to go along with the autographed football. So, get your bidding hats on...and come make a bid for one or both. As I mentioned before,...if you want to bid, but cannot be at the game or the after party event...PM me with your "HIGH" bid and I will bid for you...and I'll go only as high toward your listed high as I need to to win the bid. I will not automatically go to your high! I promise. So, PM me if you want me to bid for you on either or both items. BIDS start at $25 for each item (ball) and raises must be in $1.00 or more increments (full dollars...no cents please) Bid raises below $1.00 will not be accepted/counted nor will bids that are not made in whole dollars....thanks for understanding. You do not have to be present to be declared the winner...you just have to honor your bid! Great stuff here folks, but we are still a bit short on the goal of $500 through the PayPal site. If you have not donated to this event in support of UNT Cheer...please consider doing so...even $5 or $10 would help support the Cheer Squad and the UNT Athletic Dept. As you know...100% of the net proceeds go to UNT ATHLETICS in support of the Cheer Squad! HAPPY UNT GREEN St. Patrick's Day! GO MEAN GREEN!

I'll repeat what my father told me long ago... "BBQ is like women, all are good, some are just better than others"...and as a follow up..."it is as much a personal preference as anything else that has to do with anything else". Greatness he was!

You should move back here...we have been playing in good weather for weeks. Should be great golf weather (maybe a bit windy) this weekend. Wish you were here.

NOW...that's great stuff! Yes, it is well past time that UNT climbed back into relevance in college golf. UNT has a long and proud tradition in golf and had Don January and Billy Maxwell (among others) as representatives of that past glory. Simply great to see UNT mentioned in this way...yes, we have a super coach, and other schools should watch out as UNT is coming back and coming back strong! Thanks for alerting me to this video clip. Made my day!