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The difference between the Sportexe® Momentum™ and the Sportexe® Omnigrass® is the filler between the blades. The Momentum™ infill is 70% ambient ground rubber and 30% sand, while the Omnigrass® is 100% ground rubber. I think the reason that Omnigrass® was selected was because it can be moved to another location (indoor practice facility) at a later date. According to the sales expert that FFR conversed with, the sand filled fields are nearly impossible to relocate without destroying them. Omnigrass infill Momentum infill

This is from Sportexe.com Sportexe® Omnigrass® is a state-of-the-art turf system — and the safest synthetic field on the market today. A proven performer, Omnigrass®' ideal combination of firmness, durability and cushioning provides years of year-round use for a multitude of sports. A cost effective surface with unsurpassed levels of shock absorption, it's no wonder Omnigrass® is a favorite for athletes at every level of competition. EXPECT PERFORMANCE Omnigrass® is built for safety Proven safest in the industry by the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Calgary based on the Study Properties of infilled artificial playing surfaces Provides stability, traction, and speed, simulating a perfect natural grass surface Offers an extremely fast, yet safe playing field Developed to support the highest levels of competition EXPECT QUALITY AND DURABILITY Omnigrass® is built to last Face weight — heightened for added durability and a longer life span Uniform fiber matrix for more stability — better traction in all directions Sportexe’s QuadBack™ technology — FOUR layers of primary backing Infill — 100% ground SBR rubber particles Seams — sewn edge-to-edge, firmly and securely EXPECT INNOVATION Omnigrass® is built on innovation Tailored to meet customer needs Brought to the market by the company leading the turf industry in research and development Sportexe® offers two height and weight combinations, with high density and Equal Matrix™ backings: 2” (41 oz. face weight) 2.5” (51 oz. face weight)

PMS 356 Pantone 356 The shade can vary slightly, especially when used on the computer, but these are probably fairly accurate samples.

Rough start Roughnecks hold off Outlaws in franchise's home opener 08:47 AM CDT on Friday, June 10, 2005 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer The Denton Outlaws started their inaugural campaign in the Texas Collegiate League with a dramatic ninth-inning rally earlier in the week. A second comeback in their home opener on Thursday turned out to be just a little too much to ask. DRC/Gary Payne The Graham Roughnecks had Denton backed into a corner before the Outlaws gradually cut into a five-run deficit. Denton pulled to within a run in the seventh inning, but was unable to complete the rally in a 10-8 loss in front of a crowd of 380 at The Ballpark on Bonnie Brae. Denton (1-2) charged back with a two-out rally for a win over Mineral Wells in its first game of the season on Tuesday. The Outlaws have lost both of their games since that initial win. “We are starting to get put it together,” Outlaws coach Derek Matlock said. “We are still missing a third baseman who should be in tomorrow, a centerfielder who can really play and three key pitchers who will help us. We are still getting to know the kids and need to be patient.” Matlock is hoping a few players will join the team after their college teams are eliminated from the NCAA tournament to help improve in what will be a historic season in Denton baseball history. The Outlaws home opener marked the return of college baseball to Denton after an extended absence. North Texas fielded a team in the mid-1980s before the program was disbanded. Officials with the TCL and the Outlaws said they were happy with the way the team’s first home game unfolded in terms of fan support. The Outlaws originally hoped to break the TCL single-game attendance record. “We didn’t have any expectations coming in,” part owner Todd Van Poppel said. “We would have liked to have seen more people, but people enjoyed it and that was the bottom line. Gunning for the attendance record was a last-second deal. We didn’t make it a priority.” The fans who did turn out saw the Outlaws load the bases in each of the first two innings and jump out to a 3-0 lead. Second baseman Brian McBryde highlighted with a one-out double in the second inning. Graham (2-1) quickly came back in the third when the Roughnecks scored four runs off Daniel Edwards. First baseman Dustin Martin sparked the rally with a two-run triple. Denton came back to tie the game at 4 on an RBI double to center field by center fielder Kris Jenkins. The run only slowed a surge by Graham, which regained the lead on first baseman Dustin Martin’s two-run home run off losing pitcher Brandon Alford to take a 6-4 edge. Third baseman Brandon Lance hit Graham’s second home run of the game to spark a three-run rally in the sixth that allowed the Roughnecks to extend their lead to 9-4. Denton cut its deficit to 9-8 with four unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Designated hitter Damian Gomez walked and scored the second run in the rally in the sixth before adding an RBI groundout in the seventh. “The last two games we have fought back from a deficit,” Outlaws second baseman Brian McBryde said. “We got some hits late in the game tonight. We just didn’t get the big hit we needed.” Graham picked up a key insurance run in the top of the ninth when Roy Merritt singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Steve Ptak. Graham’s two-run lead was too much for Denton to overcome. After a second straight loss, Matlock is just hoping his team does not slide into too big a hole in the standings to fight back from after the team adds several key players to its roster in the next few days. “I hate playing this first week,” Matlock said. “We don’t know the kids and are throwing every pitcher we have. I am excited to fast forward about five days to get the team we signed in. What we have to do is hang tough and not give up too many games.” Denton Outlaws pitcher Chase Bayuk throws against the Graham Roughnecks on Thursday at The Ballpark on Bonnie Brae. Briefly … North Texas athletic director Rick Villarreal, Outlaws part owner Todd Van Poppel and TCL chairman and chief executive officer Gerald W. Haddock all threw out ceremonial first pitches before the game. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com. Denton Record-Chronicle

May 23, 2005 - The Denton Outlaws, one of the two new Texas Collegiate League (TCL) teams, have added former Texas Ranger and Arlington Martin pitcher Todd Van Poppel to the organization’s management team, General Manager John Hampton announced on Monday. The Outlaws will open its inaugural season on June 7 at Mineral Wells with its first home game on June 9 against Graham. “I want a fun environment for the college students to return to,” said Van Poppel. “A place for players to enjoy the game of baseball and have the opportunity to come back to visit family and friends. More often the players see the game as just a business and here, it will be fun for everyone.” Van Poppel was regarded as a legendary baseball figure in the North Texas area as the righty was one of the top high school pitchers in the country when he was playing at Martin in the late 1980s. The Oakland Athletics selected the 20-year-old as the 14th pick in the 1990 draft, where he showcased his best play with 13 games won over the 1993 and 1994 seasons combined. Van Poppel retired from the big leagues during spring training with the New York Mets after pitching for six major league teams over the course of 11 seasons. Outlaws player personnel director Sam Carpenter, who is a long time friend of Van Poppel, met with him several times over the last few weeks to determine what role he will take for the organization. Van Poppel has expressed a desire to work in any capacity that could help establish the Denton franchise as a baseball haven. “I will do whatever it takes to provide an atmosphere for the Denton community where the focus is completely on family fun and entertainment,” said Van Poppel. “The community should know that this area is one of the most recruited areas in the country for baseball prospects.” Van Poppel joins Jim Leslie, the CEO of Leslie Enterprises and former CEO of The Staubach Co., to the ownership team of the Outlaws. “Todd brings a great deal of creditability to this organization,” Hampton said. “He experienced a great deal of success when he was the age of most of our players. The lessons he learned through his experiences are extremely valuable to each of our players. He will be a great role model to both the Outlaws and the many great players being developed in the Denton community.” www.texascollegiateleague.com/ Opening night for the Denton Outlaws is Thursday June 9th at 7:35 against the Graham Roughnecks.

For me it was 2001. I walked into the Superdome fully expecting that there were only going to be a few hundred North Texas fans there. I was shocked to see the stands full of Mean Green fans, clearly dwarfing the Colorado State crowd. (for those of you familiar with Monty Python's Holy Grail, it was similar to the final scene when King Arthur yells CHARGE and an army suddenly appears) Where did all these other Mean Green people come from? We may have been beaten on the field that day, but I saw that a lot of people really cared for our team. I knew then that we'd be all right in the long term. 2002 was also great because we were so confident we'd win, won the game, and then got to crow about the victory all night on Bourbon Street. 2003 and 2004 were special because of the quality opponents and the fans they brought to New Orleans. The only drawback was that we lost both games.

OldTimer may have gotten coach Rike confused with assistant coach Kobie Baker who interviewed with Alalbama several weeks ago.

Presidential task force prepared to examine athletics' future Forty-four presidents and chancellors at Division I institutions have been selected to serve on the NCAA Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Athletics. The task force, chaired by University of Arizona President Peter Likins, was established in January and will conduct its first in-person meeting June 9-10 in Tucson, Arizona. The task force will operate primarily through four subcommittees, each composed of about a dozen members. The four subcommittee chairs and NCAA President Myles Brand constitute the group's steering committee. The subcommittees are divided into the following topical areas: Implications of academic values and standards. Fiscal responsibility. Presidential leadership of internal and external constituencies. Student-athlete well-being. The subcommittees (rosters of which are listed in the accompanying box) will develop specific charges during the June meeting. Much of the subcommittees' subsequent work will be handled through tel- econferences and videoconferences rather than through in-person meetings. The overarching charge of the full task force is to explore the alignment of intercollegiate athletics with the mission, values and goals of higher education in such areas as fiscal responsibility, commercialism, organizational structure and transparency of athletics operations. Avenues the task force choose to arrive at those goals are likely to be varied. Likins said in January that one of the primary concerns on most presidents' minds is the realization that the rate of growth of expenditures and revenues in intercollegiate athletics is not sustainable. "If you think solely in terms of the economics of the enterprise," he said, "any business person has to worry about the sustainability." While Likins acknowledged that such a problem may be easier to discuss than to solve, he said the task force represents "a collection of thoughtful people who are well-informed and have the data in their hands -- and who love college sports and understand the value athletics competition adds to the development of young people -- but who also cannot help but see the trends and wonder what will happen if they continue unaltered." In addition to chairing the full task force, Likins also heads the subcommittee devoted to fiscal responsibility. That group will explore a much as possible the extent and depth of the financial problems facing Division I intercollegiate athletics. About 40 institutions claim to generate revenues in their college sports programs that are above expenses, but NCAA President Brand has said publicly that the actual number of schools making a "profit" in athletics is closer to two dozen. Part of the difficulty in assessing the breadth of fiscal issues is finding reliable data with which to make comparisons. Likins' subcommittee will need to address whether the NCAA is collecting the right fiscal data, and whether those data are sufficiently transparent to allow for fair comparisons and to assure individual institutional integrity. University of Texas at Austin President Larry Faulkner chairs the subcommittee on the implications of academic values and standards. Faulkner's group will look at specific value-based issues, such as how the collegiate sports model should differentiate itself from the professional model. Sportsmanship, diversity and Title IX also are topics likely to be undertaken by that group. Gerald Turner of Southern Methodist University chairs the subcommittee on presidential leadership of internal and external constituencies, which will examine, among other issues, the relationships between college presidents and boards of trustees. Ohio State University President Karen Holbrook heads the subcommittee on student-athlete well-being. Student-athlete time commitments and length of the playing and practice seasons for all sports will be on that group's agenda. NCAA vice-presidents Bernard Franklin, Jim Isch, David Berst and Kevin Lennon have been appointed to assist the four subcommittees. NCAA President Brand said there may be parallel ad hoc committees composed of athletics directors, conference commissioners and faculty athletics representatives to help the task force compile background research and help define the primary options when necessary. The task force is expected to be working on these issues over the next 18 months or so, though a specific timeline has yet to be established. Task force members Members of the Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Athletics Subcommittee on Implications of Academic Values and Standards Larry Faulkner, University of Texas at Austin, chair Michael Adams, University of Georgia Donald Beggs, Wichita State University Scott Cowen, Tulane University Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Benjamin Ladner, American University William Lennox, U.S. Military Academy Mark Murray, Grand Valley State University Norval Pohl, University of North Texas Phillip Stone, Bridgewater College (Virginia) John Welty, California State University, Fresno James Wright, Dartmouth College NCAA Senior Vice-President Bernard Franklin, liaison Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility Peter Likins, University of Arizona, chair Clinton Bristow Jr., Alcorn State University Philip Dubois, University of Wyoming David Hardesty Jr., West Virginia University Walter Harrison, University of Hartford Robert Hemenway, University of Kansas Peter Magrath, National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges Kathryn Martin, University of Minnesota Duluth Sidney McPhee, Middle Tennessee State University James Moeser, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill David Skorton, University of Iowa John Walda, partner, Bose, McKinney and Evans John Wiley, University of Wisconsin, Madison NCAA Senior Vice-President Jim Isch, liaison Subcommittee on Presidential Leadership of Internal and External Constituencies Gerald Turner, Southern Methodist University, chair Philip Austin, University of Connecticut Robert Caret, Towson University Carol Cartwright, Kent State University Gordon Gee, Vanderbilt University Judy Genshaft, University of South Florida George Hagerty, Franklin Pierce College Kermit Hall, University at Albany Robert Kustra, Boise State University Robert Lawless, president emeritus, University of Tulsa Graham Spanier, Pennsylvania State University John White, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville NCAA Vice-President David Berst, liaison Subcommittee on Student-Athlete Well-Being Karen Holbrook, Ohio State University, chair Richard Celeste, Colorado College Jack Jewett, regent, University of Arizona Robert Khayat, University of Mississippi William Meehan, Jacksonville State University Eddie Moore Jr., Virginia State University Carl Patton, Georgia State University Larry Penley, Colorado State University Shirley Raines, University of Memphis Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw, chancellor emeritus, Syracuse University Nancy Zimpher, University of Cincinnati NCAA Vice-President Kevin Lennon, liaison Official NCAA Site

Gakusei, did you read the PMs that I sent to you? Were the Pit Crew interested in either design? I could probably also get a really good discount on the Green and White striped Rugby shirts, but the style has been discontinued and there are only XL, XXL, and XXXL sizes available.

"Join us for our annual Mean Green Blowout" How well attended have these parties been in previous years? Are they university spirited in theme?

An interesting note concerning a former North Texas coach in the linked story: "Jankovich a candidate at Fresno State -- Kansas assistant Tim Jankovich interviewed at Fresno State on Sunday, according to the Fresno Bee."

"Baker was one of UNT's top recruiters and signed freshman guard Michael Sturns in addition to Harold Stewart and Harold Edwards, who committed to the Mean Green on Wednesday." I would hate to lose an excellent recruiter like Baker. Those are three incredibly talented players and probably the nucleus of our future squads.

From his senior year in high school: Big Man Steve Verwers 6'11 Weatherford, TX Steve has been home schooled throughout his school years and plays in a home school league, coached by his dad. He had an outstanding summer and exploded on the recruiting scene playing for Team TExas. Played for BWBA Orange in the Full Court Press Fall Classic. A multi-talented athletic youngster with enormous upside. Steve shows the potential to become another Chris Mims the former 7'0 Center from the University of Texas who was the 1st round draft pick of the Cleveland Cavilers. Committed to Colorado State

I don't think of 6'10" as extremely thin, even at that height. And with a transfer year to sit out, could possibly bulk up a bit more. It seems like we could use this kid. Justin Barnett will only be available through the '05-'06 season, and incoming freshman Justin Howerton is currently our only center that will be here for the '06-'07 season. We need size in the middle. The team played well while Justin was playing in the pre-conference games, but once Justin was sidelined, the opposition was able to exploit our lack of size in the middle. Nicholson at Denver had a field day in a game which quickly turned into a rout.

from the Herald Democrat which covers the region of North Texas and Southern Oklahoma: Boys Player of the Year The center of attention Bill Spinks Herald Democrat Senior Justin Howerton of Howe is the Herald Democrat 2004-05 All-Texomaland Basketball boys' most valuable player. Howerton, who averaged 18.1 points per game, will play for the University of North Texas.

News story posted on RamNation _______________________________________________________________ RamNation Home Forwards Thomasson, Verwers to transfer Five players from this year's squad will not be around for the 2005-06 By Joel Cantalamessa Managing Editor 3/28/05--Juniors-to-be Phillip Thomasson and Stephen Verwers, both forwards, have asked for and received releases from their scholarships and will transfer to another school at the end of the spring semester. Both were unhappy with playing time, head coach Dale Layer said in a press release. "Phillip and Stephen both felt that they would like to pursue an opportunity for more playing time at a different institution," the release said. "We have granted them both full releases, and wish them the best of luck in their careers in the future." Thomasson (6-7, 210 lb), from Burleson, Tex. played in 21 games, starting eight times, and averaged 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Verwers (6-10, 225 lb), from Weatherford, Tex., and played in 28 games, nine as a starter, averaging 2.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Both were part of a freshman class in 2003 that was regarded as a Top 20 recruiting class by at least one publication. The class also included point guard Dwight Boatner and Stuart Creason. Boatner transferred to McNeese St. during mid-season, leaving Creason as the only remaining member of the class still on the team. True freshman point guard Charlie Jones III initiated the transfer bug prior to the season when he abruptly left the program. Walk-on freshman guard Ryan Brown (Texarkana, Tex.), who redshirted this year, is also strongly considering transferring. Brown's decision to transfer is for different reasons, as he's paying out-of-state tuition as a walk-on and is trying to major in pre-med and is debating whether to give up basketball to focus on his education. Regardless, his departure would make five players from the 2004-05 team who will not be at CSU next season. "It was a matter of playing time, as well as some differences with the coaching staff," Verwers said. "I also wanted to be closer to home a little bit. I just wasn't enjoying my time here basketball-wise. I really liked the town and the people here, but basketball wasn't going well. I can't really comment on (all the other players who have left), but with me, I just had differences with the coaching staff. It was more than a playing-time factor. "I'm disappointed because I came here hoping to help turn the program around. But, there's some things you just can't control." When asked what he thought it would take for CSU to get the program turned around, Verwers responded: "I really don't know right now. That's a good question." Verwers had been debating a transfer in recent weeks, and met with Layer prior to spring break to discuss his options. Verwers said Layer tried to talk him out of it, and encouraged Verwers to take the spring break week to think it over. Upon his return, Verwers was convinced it was time to transfer, and received his release last Friday. Verwers plans to attend school closer to his home, and said Arkansas-Little Rock, Texas Pan American, and the University of Texas have all contacted him. He will have to sit out a year if he transfers to a Division I school, but said he thinks sitting out a year can benefit him. The departures of Thomasson and Verwers could leave glaring holes. Though neither blossomed in their two seasons at CSU, both were considered to have sky-high potential. Thomasson was recruited hard by North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, among others. Verwers, who came to CSU as a home-schooled prep prospect, averaged 27 points per game in a home-schooled league, and drew interest from Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, TCU, and Kansas. In 2003, TheInsidersHoops.com rated CSU among the best "mid-major" recruiting class largely on the strength of signing Thomasson and Verwers. In Mike Kunstadt's 2002 Texas Hoops Review preseason player rankings, Thomasson rated No. 4 and Verwers No. 9 for the state of Texas. Layer and staff, who already are looking to fill Boatner's scholarship with a junior college point guard, will now have two more scholarships to fill. The Rams had visits from two players this weekend, including one from 6-11 post player Ronnie Aguilar from John W. Marshall high school in Los Angeles. Aguilar reportedly gave a verbal commitment today. They already have four incoming players slated to be on campus this fall: junior college point guard Cory Lewis (Dodge City CC), junior college forward Michael Harrison (Northeastern JC), guard Stephan Gilling (Chino, Calif.), and power forward C.J. Clark (Cypress, Tex.). Calls to Thomasson were not immediately returned Monday, but according to Layer, Thomasson will have several offers. He believes Thomasson could end up in the Missouri Valley Conference or the West Coast Conference.

Precedent was ignored and UALR was left hanging. The National Invitation Tournament snubbed UALR on Sunday night, abruptly ending the Trojans’ 2004-2005 season with an 18-10 record. For the first time since the NIT expanded to 40 teams in 2002, teams with Rating Percentage Index ranks of less than 90 were left out of the field. This year, No. 55 Akron, No. 61 UALR and No. 80 Oregon were not invited. The NIT snub ends the UALR careers of Brandon Freeman, Zack Graber, Darius Eason, Richard Hardman, Columbus Willis, Josh Jacobs and Michael Pridgeon. "I just feel bad for our seven seniors and our entire basketball team," UALR Coach Steve Shields said, just before addressing the team late Sunday. Tw o S u n Belt Conference schools did get in. West Division champion Denver (18-10, 87 RPI) will play at San Francisco, while Western Kentucky (21-8, 63 RPI), which finished second to UALR in the East Division and lost to the Trojans twice, will host Kent State. UALR was 3-3 against NCAA Tournament teams, while Denver was 2-2 and Western Kentucky 0-1. UALR beat Southern Illinois, Louisiana-Lafayette and Southeastern Louisiana and lost to Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State. Western Kentucky’s loss was to Louisiana-Lafayette, while three of Denver’s four games were against Louisiana-Lafayette. The other was a loss to Stanford. "I don’t think [strength of schedule] has a payoff when you look at us and Western Kentucky," Shields said. "When you look at nonconference strength of schedule, Western Kentucky’s is 222 and ours is 24. And we played six teams that played in the NCAA Tournament. That is what is so disappointing." UALR went through Sunday’s practice session at Trojan Fieldhouse believing it was going to be included in the NIT field. But doubt started to creep in as Athletic Director Chris Peterson’s phone wasn’t ringing. Finally, the Associated Press released the list of first-round games around 8:30 p.m., officially finishing the season. "When you look at our strength of schedule, beating Southern Illinois and Louisiana-Lafayette and sweeping Western Kentucky, and us winning the division, I’m not sure how we are excluded," Shields said. "On one hand, you can look at it as you didn’t take care of business in the [sun Belt Tournament], but I think you need to look at the entire season." Mid-majors Davidson (62 RPI), Virginia Commonwealth (66), Drexel (71), Oral Roberts (79), Western Michigan (81) and Cal State Fullerton (107) all received bids. UALR has not been to the NIT since 1996. Arkansas Democrat * Gazette

On the court, Hines. I bet he becomes more of a vocal leader as well by next season. Off the court, Pit Crew. The Crew's enthusiasm was contagious for the rest of the crowd. Hopefully it will continue to grow.

And the conference rankings. Schedule strength Rank CONFERENCE W L Rtg Rk RPI 1. Atlantic Coast(11) 194 114 .5728 1 .5749 2. Pacific 10 (10) 168 115 .5659 2 .5659 3. Big 12 (12) 199 125 .5626 3 .5637 4. Big East (12) 203 125 .5600 4 .5602 5. Southeastern (12) 203 136 .5553 5 .5545 6. Big Ten (11) 184 129 .5545 6 .5515 7. West Coast (8) 132 99 .5342 7 .5422 8. Missouri Val.(10) 169 128 .5331 8 .5354 9. Mid-American (13) 184 163 .5287 9 .5315 10. ConferenceUSA(14) 220 170 .5276 10 .5282 11. Mountain West (8) 115 98 .5122 12 .5158 12. Sun Belt (11) 146 150 .5128 11 .5112 13. Western Athl.(10) 144 132 .5066 13 .5041 14. Colonial Athl.(10) 148 145 .4996 14 .5018 15. America East (10) 140 143 .4939 16 .4968 16. Ivy League (8) 100 112 .4913 17 .4916 17. Atlantic 10 (12) 150 175 .4994 15 .4900 18. Big West (10) 133 139 .4811 18 .4850 19. Horizon (9) 111 131 .4810 19 .4773 20. Atlantic Sun (11) 138 165 .4748 23 .4768 21. Southern (12) 146 171 .4723 24 .4767 22. Patriot (8) 101 118 .4765 21 .4740 23. Metro Atlantic(10) 129 158 .4751 22 .4738 24. Ohio Valley (11) 125 167 .4771 20 .4723 25. Mid-Continent (9) 106 138 .4717 25 .4682 26. Southland (11) 114 148 .4590 26 .4614 27. Big South (9) 108 136 .4528 28 .4566 28. Mid-Eastern (11) 126 178 .4467 31 .4528 29. Northeast (11) 132 175 .4472 29 .4506 30. Big Sky (8) 88 119 .4467 30 .4475 31. Southwestern (10) 101 161 .4248 32 .4256 32. Independents (8) 59 153 .4529 27 .4182

How many non-Division 1 programs has North Texas played in each of those 4 seasons? What is the record against Divison 1 programs? Those are the only games that are factored into the NCAA equation for determining team strength.

Here's a couple of pictures of East Carolina's brand new baseball stadium. The seats were being installed when these photos were taken. It certainly is a beautiful facility. I would love to see the North Texas Ballpark be comparable when completed.

Unless you're reporting on Howerton's game, I'm only kidding guys. I saw that video clip and just had to use it somewhere.

Wow, are these guys prepared. The Athletic Department is already offering Live Video Streaming of our baseball games. That's amazing considering that forming the team was just recently announced. Somebody deserves a pat on the head. STREAMING VIDEO OF NORTH TEXAS BASEBALL GAMES

Obviously, we needed every player to perform well this game, but for the game MVP, I had to go with Justin. After comparing the two games against Denver, it is clear just how important he is to this team. Barnett was injured and had to sit out the game at Denver. The Pioneers pushed the ball inside to Yemi and started a dunkathon against our outsized defenders. When Coach Jones made some adjustments to stop the slaughter inside, Denver destroyed us with precision 3 point shooting. North Texas was was never competitive in that game and was down 25 points much of the contest. Even though Justin didn't score a whole lot of points, he kept the opposition's center from having free roam in the paint on defense. At Denver, Yemi Nicholson disrupted everything that North Texas tried to do inside, and his defensive ability was neutralized when he played against Justin in Denton. Size does matter. Having Barnett clog the middle allows our other players to cover our opposition's perimeter shooters. When Justin's healthy, we usually win. When Justin's sitting out or severely slowed by injury, we usually lose.