SCREAMING EAGLE-66

--It won't happen... but the best move for the Big-XII is picking up North Texas.... Granted we are not competing at their level NOW but we are a huge school and would be only second to UT in size (after A&M leaves) and are in one of the largest markets in America... Given a little time, 4 years maybe, we would be competitive.. Recruiting, crowd and interest would skyrocket in Metroplex with us in their conference. SMU gets very little love in Dallas area and even when they were in the SWC their community support wasn't that great (better when they were cheating and doing extremely well). TCU is doing fine now but is very small compared to us and interest will drop if they stop achieving well. A lot of people just don't identify well with private schools especially as expensive and different that they are from most common people. --I agree, if both SMU and Houston leave CUSA, it is not a much better option that where we are. Being in the same conference as Rice, Tulsa, Tulane, and UTEP is not that much of an attraction. Some the names mentioned here are not that smart to add... too far away and a big liability for all of the non-football sports financially. Considering that athletes are also students (few make a long career of sports) a far flung conference is not good for non-football athletes. I predict that TCU will regret their decision eventually to be a Big East team... just wait until they have have a bad season or two... and the crowd and public support drops quite a bit..... --Oddly if Miami is punished severely, that could help the Belt... Two of our own are in Florida and might get a little more attention there and some better recruits as well.

Craig James was lobbying on ESPN today for SMU to be added... It was era that doomed SMU with a death penalty and he shot Leach down at Tech with complaints about his son..... what more damage can he do.??

---SMU wasn't all that great at anything ... except when they were cheating.

From Wikipedia: James Madison, Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817) and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and the author of the United States Bill of Rights. __________________ ---I would say that puts him in a pretty good position in the rankings... unless you don't think much of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I wouldn't call any of these guys Conservative ... they supported change ... the Tories (conservatives) didn't. The founding fathers also supported the separation fo church and state... didn't think religion should control government or governmnet should control religion..... because of what they had seen in Europe and all the wars as the result of religious beliefs. Above video seems to show the opposite of those beliefs. That doesn't mean people shouldn't be religious though.... just not try to control each other.

---Patrick C. played for Saints last night against the Texans in first game after only a few practices.... he had six carries plus one 23 yard reception..... Hang in there P.C.!!

If this situation isn't "deserving" of the death penalty... then I can't imagine what it would take to impose one. ..

Thanks for doing it..

yep.... #1 SMU's Pony kicked Fordham's Ram in the head in 1934... killing it......at least that is what "Texas Monthly" (p.126) claims. Wikipedia says the same. #2 Tech's horse ran into the tunnel wall at halftime at an Aggie game in Lubbock (maybe 1994) after slipping on the concrete. That broke its neck so end of one horse.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=pfw-20110816_saints_sign_former_dolphins_rb_cobbs It has been announced on Yahoo.

He has signed with Saints acording to yahoo news... http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=pfw-20110816_saints_sign_former_dolphins_rb_cobbs

---Other than cheating problems... the demise of the SWC was largely triggered by the small crowds of Fans that TCU, Rice and SMU was bringing to games.. Baylor was bit better, (plus political connections) and was connected to the largest religious group in Texas. Not much has changed with those three except TCU is drawing good at the moment due to recent success.... but will that continue if they start to lose quite a bit.... doubt it. They have a rather small rabid fan base and small group of alums... Often their stadiums were filled with fans of the opponents and not their fans. They brought little to the conference in money, fans, interest, or recognition. ---We have a huge fan base available if we were in a better known conference and with better known opponents. We also need to develope several programs.... We aren't the ideal choice now.... but we have great potential with a lot of potential fans in a huge market of two million in the Dallas /Fort Worth area}... I may be nuts and biased but long term we look the best.

--SMU should be IRATE if they don't get the death penalty.... much, much worse.

No big surprise.... supporter has been paying players big time.. and arranging "other benefits". http://sports.yahoo.com/investigations/news;_ylt=AhRDguunbnU6_9UA9ihCkD85nYcB?slug=cr-renegade_miami_booster_details_illicit_benefits_081611

.. ---Trivia question #1 from this issue: Whose mascot actually killed an opponent's mascot at a game ??? Answer is: 9 over on first row. Details later.. ---Trivia question #2: Whose mascot above actually died about halftime of a game ??? Answer is: 6 over on first row... again details later. [ May not be in issue, just know it ] ----Trivia question #3: Which Texas D-I team is not represented on first row ??? Answer is: My favorite one. No details needed.. ..

---The more you post the more it shows you don't understand... there is no tenure in Texas public schools ....maybe some districts somewhere (none I know of). I do know of several educators who have been let go because of poor performance. Just because of some sectors having a bad time doesn't mean others including education should lay people off. [ besides Texas supposedly has the BEST economy in America... employment in my town is so high they are having trouble finding people to fill jobs, partially because there is little affordable housing to put people in who want to move here] ---How can the state with the best economy have one of the three worse budget problems... it may make sense to you but not to most people. Educators and kid's education will suffer. Other Governors and Legislature sessions managed to do ok with a lesser economy. ---hmmmm... No property tax... you want a STATE income tax instead???. ... I don't.... The money must come from somewhere..... We already have the highest sales tax because of no income tax. ..

---Nothing you said has anything to do with Perry and lack of support for education.... You aren't the only one that has had a rough time... Ever lived in a house without electricity, natural gas or propane.....I did for several years as a child. I too worked hard to get a degree as has many here... My wife lost her father to WWII.. and she had it worse that I did. --I don't undestand why anyone in education would support Perry... He has nothing to help it and a lot to hurt it. -I begin my 46th year in education this year... 30 years in public schools and now at a community college. I understand the problems.

---That Longhorn Network is "spooking" a lot of Big-XII teams because of the money and the perceived recruiting advantage... Might happen.

#3 ... If you limit it to the time they are on scholarship ..I agree especially the felony part.... If supposedly committed before then ... maybe not... some players live in a horrible environment and conditions prior to college... SOME of them deserve a break, especially if it is non-violent. Will DWI or minor in pocession count as a misdemeanor?? There sure are a lot of them among college kids.

---Rebuilding it isn't the problem..... what he rented on Lake Travis while it was being reconstructed is. ....VERY VERY EXPENSIVE... and we paid for it.

--Obviously you are NOT in education..... our budgets have been cut regularly for years..... college tuition has rapidly climbed because of him and the Legislature..... local taxes are worse because of less state funding so locals have to pick it up.... and he has vetoed so many things that he said he supported.... [guess he didn't think the legislature would pass them and make a liar out of him] He even cut all health insurance from community college staffs [ even most of the legislature was appalled by it, it had been in the state budget for YEARS} ... The state doesn't give a huge support to community colleges, local taxes do. Community colleges lessen the burden on the state because of local funding.... then he decided to eliminate our insurance..... UNT etc. is all state money, plus tuition, donations... no local financial support. --He is the worst governor for education EVER... includes Briscoe and Mark White. Also the State Parks in Texas are now a mess as well... one of his budgets provided ONE new pickup for the ENTIRE state park system. There are a lot more reasons to dislike him including the Spanish Highway project he wanted..... just read and listen. He is conservative, I agree... very conservative... too conservative... I guess not changing your car's oil and not paying your light bill is conservative too...... but it isn't smart.

Agree.... the TI plant and did not exist when I was at NT but the SAM bases did and I doubt TI was built until they were closed.... TI did do defense work but I know nothing about what they did in Denton if anything....A lot of TI plants were sold and closed in the 90's after the Cold War ended.... I suspect it was better to have them scattered out defense-wise and TI was doing defense work a lot. Abilene, Midland and many others places had plants that were shut down then.

Agree.... the creation of the Longhorn network is irritating many of them.... they are sorta of like us now (just richer)... can't match Texas in "funds" for their athletic programs. I think it and UT finances is partly why Nebraska left... the Big-10 financing is set up differently. ..

---I remember seeing them in the 60's on the road that went north from TWU... there were signs there to prohibit parking and stopping in the area. They were there to protect the defense capabilities and defense industry of Dallas/Ft. Worth. The end of the cold war allowed us to cut defense spending which Bush Sr. and Clinton administrations did. ..

---Supposedly 40% of the debt increase since 2001 is credited to the wars, of which Iraq represents the most and was not related to 9-11 (almost all were Saudis, no Iraqis) and they had no WMD either, and 40% of debt increase is credited to the decreased revenue (tax cuts) and the remaining 20% other reasons (ie. about 2% per year or less than the interest owed). The crash of the economy in 2008 has also resulted in less taxes being collected as well which likely represents most of the other 20%... ---So... who do YOU blame.??? ..

---And a lot of those 79% happen to be spouses that do not hold a regular job that are counting in the stats..... but their husband works... tough to call these people lazy non-working people. Stats are good "tools" but only when they are analyzed a bit with an explanation. That 79 million also included people well past their working age too... again would not call these people bums either.