EagleMBA

HINT: If your spirits need a lift, watch the Rodney Daingerfield / Johnny Carson clip in the lower left corner after the Littrell interview is finished! ADDED: here is the link, it may not show up for you every time using the above method.

To use an analogy, there is nothing wrong with the engines you trucked to the race...you don't win because you have a bad driver! Added: I reviewed that NY Times article re: Frazier's situation and career to date. I found myself thinking "You have just been mentored by Larry Brown. How will you relate to Tony Benford?".

This. And then the cupboard will need to be restocked again, so he will need a multi-year deal.

FIFY.

Wonderful media exposure for UNT...fucking wonderful. Thanks!

Agree. All-in on one roll of the dice, followed by another long-term rebuild, is what it is beginning to look like to me.

I think that is right, without doing the current research. From doing that some time ago, I think one of the weighted factors is endowment and alumni giving. If so, how do you get people in the frame of mind to contribute? Positive media attention and national exposure through winning athletic programs is one proven way to fire up the alumni and get them into a giving mood.

Based on Smatty's total silence over several months, it begs the question "Is he dealing with Rick Villarreal at all?". I have gone from supportive/optimistic to fail on my evaluation of him regarding athletics. Rick Villarreal is becoming a rogue elephant. Regarding the academic track, I appreciate that but it means a helluva lot more to members of "the Academy" and not so much to the company out there hiring its next CFO. They are more interested in what you've achieved by the sweat of your brow in previous positions than the Carnegie status of your Alma Mater. JMO.

Does it bug anyone else besides me that we continually hear "advanced to second round" when referring to the CUSA Tournament? That implies we did something in the first round, while all we did was avoid a play-in game. Man, we really whipped Bye's ass! Sorry for venting, it just grates on me whenever I see that technically correct reference. JMO.

Consider what Frazier does to team chemistry when he finally sees the court after the first semester, takes minutes from the original starter, and wants the ball to show off his NBA-level skills for the scouts. After all, this is his last hurrah. Seems to me this could create a little turmoil in paradise at the worst time in the season...JMHO.

Watch the video/listen to the radio talk. He had 7 years left on his contract at $2.5Mil per year. They estimate TCU ponying up (no pun intended) $3Mil plus per year. WOW! Is that what it takes to fix a team that went 12-21?

Road trips are very enjoyable and the pain of the associated expense dissipates quickly. What does not dissipate quickly is the pain and humiliation of an uncompetitive contest. It is a long, sad drive or flight home when you get your ass kicked in dramatic fashion and the outcome was apparent before halftime. That is why I stopped. If we are ever competitive again, I might change my tune.

Not including local transportation costs, right at $1,600 per 6-game home season. Haven't been to any road games in several years...do you think there is a correlation between our competitiveness on the road and my willingness to spend money on road trips? Have a surfeit of merch and won't buy any more...can only wear it to games without being taunted, so I'll wear what I've got. Added for clarification: The above was last year's cost and approximates what I would spend this season. The fork in the road is April 23 and I will make up my mind after the game which fork I will take. One fork leads down the same old path...damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. The other fork leads to my birthday on April 24 and possibly a Bushmaster or Tavor Bullpup. My current budget allows for one fork or the other.

Cue Bishop Bullwinkle in 3..2..1.....

THIS JUST IN! Benford was on the 10:00 P.M. news. When asked if he was excited when he got the message that he would be allowed to coach UNT for another season, this is what he said:

Man was I wrong about this one. I felt certain that he understood the importance of competitive basketball and football in shaping the public's perception of the university and the role that plays in opening doors for alumni donations for all things, not just athletics.

That is an excellent idea! You may need to identify another place to post your reasonable offer if you want to keep them in UNT hands, since most on this board are very cynical about how much they would enjoy a season in those great seats. The imp in me says, if you can't divest those tickets by Plan A or Plan B, donate them to these guys and take a charitable deduction: They will get a charge out cozying up to RV and "the 17" and I know they would have a great time.

A condition of being retained was that he enroll IMMEDIATELY in an online coaching course from Capella and complete it with at least a grade of "C" by October 1, 2016. Failure to win 10 games (at least 3 of them in CUSA) or more means no 5-year extension.

Not worried about him in that regard because he won't be so far from home. Speaking for myself, the "go slow" is in Mason's best interest and we want him to develop into the best he can be...for himself and for us. He has five years to play four; a kid with his academic skills could be well on the way to two degrees in five years. Let him get adjusted to college, work on his strength and weight, and experience a higher level of football before being thrown out there to sink or swim. Let him make his mistakes and correct them in practice this year, then go balls-to-the-wall for four. I will admit it if it turns out I was wrong, but I sense he has something special to offer and I don't want us to mishandle that. JMHO.

Much less, one that lasts more than four hours!

Allow me to coach another season, kind sir, and I will gladly repay you with some wins next year...might even break even!

The Benford Effect !

I have found enjoyable things to do in the late fall and early spring for the last four years. This will make it five. For example, the Dallas Symphony has a 16-concert Pops series with a little Classical thrown in (saw a great Beatles tribute band two weeks ago, Celtic music with a Grammy-winning fiddler last week, Beethoven comes to town next week and Chris Botti comes in next month). You can get a 16-concert subscription package for two with secure underground parking and great seats in a world-class concert hall for less than $1,000...all in. Oh, and they have great customer service.