ADLER

I guess Mitch Maher is pretty good about keeping in touch with football buddies. I know he has remained close friends with Coach Dodge throughout the years, and then I saw this from the Tulsa World: Maybe Coaches Dodge and Kragthorpe run in some of the same social circles. If they are fairly close friends, could that affect future scheduling between the two schools?

I would sure like to see this guy considered for the staff. Let's see, former Austin Westlake star that walked on and became a starter and four year letterman at linebacker for North Texas while continuously making academic honor roll, coached as a graduate assistant at North Texas and as an assistant at Arizona, and has spent the past couple of years as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers. Oh, and his father Randy also happens to be one of the foremost recruiting experts in the state and covers all recruiting for a magazine called Dave Campbell's Texas Football that a few recruits may be prone to read.

Athletics to use $1.5 million gift for planning new stadium By: Michelle Hale Denton County residents Shirley and Al Goldfield recently gave the Athletics Department $1.5 million — the largest monetary contribution the department has ever received. The gift will be used primarily to develop a plan for a proposed stadium adjacent to the current Mean Green Athletics Center on the Eagle Point campus, according to Rick Villarreal, director of athletics. The Goldfields are longtime Denton County residents and UNT supporters. Al Goldfield is the founder and former chairman of the board and chief executive officer for CellStar Corporation, a leader in the wireless communication industry. “Shirley and I have been impressed with the improvements that have been made with the athletic programs and facilities at North Texas and felt that it was time for us to get involved with our time and resources,” says Al Goldfield. “We admire the clear vision of Rick Villarreal and President Gretchen Bataille and believe in their direction for North Texas athletics. We are confident that our commitment will encourage others to join the effort and be involved.” Villarreal says the donation endorses the direction of the athletics program and speaks about the high caliber of people the Goldfields are. “It is a remarkable compliment to the type of people that Al and Shirley are when they make such a generous donation to this university and this athletics department,” Villarreal says. “It is a validation to the direction of this program and it will benefit the interests of our student-athletes and the entire Mean Green community for generations.”

Good recollection Cowtown: A conference has to retain 6 same members for the preceding 5 years to get an autobid to the NCAA basketball tournament and for their conference to receive the tournament payout. If BSU were to leave, Nevada's recent earnings would bypass the WAC offices and be sent directly to Nevada. Other WAC members would not receive anything. Of the 7 remaining schools, NMSU, Utah State, and Idaho have not been members the required period.

I'm not so much asking what people would like to have, I'm asking "what can we possibly attain?" What do we NEED to do in what timeframe to optimize our chances of obtaining our goal?

I don't think anyone is considering going to the WAC, especially a watered dow version of the current WAC. The WAC could lose more than BSU in the shuffle.

Would North Texas be significantly hampered by not having baseball? If needed, how quickly can a credible baseball program be created? Could a “big name” hire improve that credibility? Who would fit that billing?

What if, as speculated on the MWC board, Boise State receives an invitation to the Mountain West after BCS bowl finances are distributed in March? They could leave the WAC as early as this summer with very little financial repercussions. How would this affect the WAC? How could it affect the other non-BCS conferences? How could it affect North Texas? Would it be an isolated event or would it cause a chain reaction? What can North Texas do to prepare for any potential changes?

So, back to the original subject being discussed before we got something in the ointment. Does anybody think "the iron is hot" at Boise State right now? Will the incredible football success combined with the facility improvements make Boise State too attractive for the MWC to resist? Would/could the MWC stop at 10 teams? Who else would/could go MWC with Boise State? Is another shake-up coming very soon in the non-BCS conferences? If so, what does North Texas need to do in the meantime to improve our positioning? The dominos could start falling as early as late March after the BCS game payouts have been delivered to schools.

Can you guys post the text? I was distracted by the anchor's beautiful tree she chose to wear that evening. Edward Scissorshands could have turned that into a dinosaur Maybe it was Homecoming. --Adler --do you live near Odessa???.. thought you might since you knew of the TV "bit". No, I live in Flower Mound. I was looking to see if the DRC ever did a folow-up and saw the interview.

Rick, I think most of our fans know the real dangers of putting the majority of seating in an upper deck on the roof of the press box. Fans may be willing to sit there during good seasons, or even for big games during average seasons, but they will never pay to sit there for average games during average seasons. Attendance will plummet in spite of having a new facility, and North Texas could start failing to meet the NCAA attendance quotas. But, other than that, the pictures are very pretty.

I failed to read, see, or hear anything which possibly could be misconstrued as being questionable. The station did a feature back in November about people voting for Caris in the contest, and then they did a follow-up after she had won it. Caris politely thanked the people of her home town that participated. Seriously, what else should she have said in an Odessa interview? On a related note, the station states that she "WILL BE RECEIVING A SCHOLARSHIP AFTER A SIDELINE SPIRIT CONTEST NAMED HER THE WINNER." If that scholarship was by chance awarded by an Odessa civic organization, then yeah, she's probably pretty darn grateful to those people. Way to go Caris!

I'm sure that somebody was accused of "whining" and "moaning" when he initially asked "Why are the stands at the proposed Fouts Field stadium 50 friggin yards away from the field? Why don't they put the seats where people would want to sit?" Well, here we are 60 years later and people are so excited that they're wetting their pants because they have been shown a picture of a proposed new stadium. "who cares if it, like Fouts, is a horrendously poor design, it's NEW!" "Attack anyone that points out the fact that the design isn't functional!"

Caris is spending her Christmas vacation at her home in Odessa where she was recently interviewed by the local news concerning the Sideline Spirit contest. CBS News Click on the blue PLAY button to see the interview.

The "AMC Pacer" concept may already be dead. Sparks Architecture of Tulsa, Oklahoma has already deleted the concept thumbnails from their website. Hopefully they, or another architectural firm, are busy designing a functional stadium for North Texas.

Don't get me wrong, Boise has a bad design for their stadium. It's bad by necessity because they are expanding a structure that is built around removable stands that cover the school's track. Even with that pre-existing hadicap, BSU is still able to seat their upper deck fans inside the stadium as best possible. At North Texas where we had a totally clean slate, we have/had a concept design (which may have already been discarded) that had a small amount of fan seating in desirable locations, several stories of press boxes and Department friends&family boxes, and then a whole lot of undesirable empty seats on top of the press boxes.

I know how you feel. When I was a child my parents took me and my brothers to the automobile dealership when they were looking for a new car. The kids all loved this shiny new car design called the AMC Pacer. We really, really, really, really, really liked it. It was all so new and exciting. Thank goodness my father had the foresight to say "no children, it may be more unique than the other options, but it's a hunk of junk." Like you, we couldn't understand it at the time. It can take more than half a century to replace a poorly designed stadium. As North Texas fans, we know that better than anybody. Put seating where people want to sit. Fans strongly prefer to sit inside the stadium at college football games.

They said on the radio post-game show that Calvin twisted his ankle but that he will be fine for the game on Thursday. He could have still played, but we had the team depth to be able to cover for his absence in this game.

And we really need a new stadium design to get the majority of seating off the roof of the press box and into the stadium. (It's college football, gameday atmosphere is a large part of the draw) That thing is likely the worst stadium concept ever conceived.

Boise State Stadium Project A MESSAGE FROM BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT DR. BOB KUSTRA: Dear Bronco Fans: Few schools excel in both academics and athletics at the highest levels. Boise State’s rise to academic and athletic prominence has been swift and inspiring. A strong athletic program enhances the academic environment and provides a well-rounded educational experience for the student body and the entire University community. Intercollegiate athletics also provides the institution with a window through which we can be seen and respected across the country. Bronco sports, comprised of 400 men and women competing in 18 sports, brings broad public awareness of Boise State as an accomplished institution of higher education on the athletic field as well as in academics. Our goal of athletic excellence truly complements the University’s academic mission. We have some of the best and most talented coaches in the country directing our programs and recruiting the highest caliber student-athletes from across the nation to Boise State. These student-athletes need and deserve first-class, state-of-the-art facilities in which to train and compete. There is a great need for expanded space to accommodate our growing sports programs. The “Initiative for Athletic Excellence” campaign is intended to assist us in meeting these needs and boosting our recruiting efforts in an increasingly competitive market. Boise State University has a rich and proud tradition in intercollegiate athletics. You can play an important role in maintaining that great heritage by taking advantage of the gift opportunities presented by this important campaign. With your partnership and generosity, outstanding accomplishments in sports will remain a hallmark of our great University for generations to come. Sincerely, Bob Kustra President Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?

Um, that wife comment seems, well, just a little creepy.

I can’t believe you guys are even acknowledging the troll. Smitty, that helmet looks awesome. I like it as much as the "wings" version.

It's been a couple of days now, and I still can't believe how cool those two helmet designs are. I can't decide which I like best, but I am leaning towards the white eagle on the green background. Which one looks better to everybody else?

I too hope the Spring Game is played on a Saturday. I would love to see it played at night under the lights with all the amenities of a regular season game; things like tailgating, concessions, announcers, and unlocked restrooms for BOTH the fans and the team.

With snow storms closing the Denver Airport tonight and tomorrow, will the team be able to make the trip to Denton? If necessary, at what time would a postponement be called, and what is the method for announcing it?