Auburn's choice means Frog fans can rest easy

I had a bad feeling Gary Patterson would leave TCU for Auburn. I don't know why. He's mentioned for nearly every opening these days and has not left yet, despite some very enticing offers. I seem to remember something about a $2 million offer to coach Minnesota. And there was his alma mater, K-State, which has been in the market for a new coach twice in recent years. Neither was able to lure Patterson away from Fort Worth. But this time, I thought things would be different, that he would finally act on that urge to leave for a school that was at least in a conference that made it possible to win a national title.

But then word leaked that Auburn will hire Gene Chizik from Iowa State. Yes, that's the same Gene Chizik who piloted the Cyclones to 2-10 in 2008. And the Same Gene Chizik who won three games in his first year at Iowa State.

Of course, he was a great defensive coordinator at Auburn and Texas, but the man has won five games in two years. It seems odd that Auburn replaced a guy who won five games this year with a guy who won five games in two years. But maybe the Tigers see something in Chizik.

There were better coaches available. But count me among those happy with the hire. It means, at least for now, TCU will not be added to the list of schools looking for new head coaches.

Winner of Poinsettia looks good for 2009

The Poinsettia Bowl is being ranked as one of the top bowls of the 2008 season. The Dec. 23 match-up between undefeated Boise State and 10-2 TCU certainly should draw a wide audience. Both offenses are explosive, and TCU has the nation's No. 2 defense. And while both teams will be looking to win the bowl championship, the bigger prize is the high preseason ranking the winner figures to have. As college football is currently structured, non-BCS schools that start the season outside the top 25 have a nearly impossible road to the BCS. TCU was an exception this year because of its tough schedule. The Frogs beat one top 10 team (BYU) and lost to two others (BCS participants Oklahoma and Utah) on the road. Net year's schedule doesn't figure to be as favorable for a BCS run, unless coach Gary Patterson is able to add a top 10 team late. Translation: The Frogs will have an easier time reaching their first BCS game with a win in San Diego in two weeks.

Dalton the key to a Frog victory

The Frogs face a tough challenge on the road tomorrow against UNLV. They have been great at home this year, but have struggled on the road. Let's ignore the OU game because they were not supposed to win. The Colorado State game was less than inspiring. They had to hold on at the end to win, 13-7. But it's also unfair to use that game to judge their ability to win on the road. Why? Andy Dalton was out of the lineup against the Rams. And while Marcus Jackson is a good backup, Dalton has established himself as a big-game quarterback who could do some special things at TCU. He'll be ready for the Rebels.

So much for the short lines

The line at our polling place stretched out the door and into the parking lot this afternoon. Today was the last day for Texans to vote early, and plenty of Denton County residents were waiting patiently to cast their ballots at our nearby public library. Many of them had undoubtedly heard of the long lines, but they had still come out to vote today.

I guess they thought the lines this afternoon would be shorter than those on Election Day. Maybe they looked at the Carrollton Web site and saw the banner at the top of the page encouraging registered voters to vote early so they could "avoid the long lines" Tuesday. Something tells me the folks who designed that banner would like to change the wording a bit, especially when the early voting totals are released. Records are likely to be shattered across the region -- and probably throughout the state.

Despite the long line this afternoon, the polling place was operated smoothly. Election officials did an outstanding job keeping the line moving. It took only about a half-hour for me to reach the voting booth. One election worker told me that at the beginning of early voting two weeks ago, it was taking about 90 minutes to get through the line.

Needless to say, I was glad I waited to cast my ballot.

No more advice, please

All this debate advice for Gov. Sarah Palin strikes me as similar to the unsolicited tips given a slumping golfer by his buddies. Many of the columnists and analysts offering pointers are probably well-intentioned, but she would be better off not listening to anyone.

Swing away, Gov. Palin.

Third-place spot a fair one for TCU

The media picked the football Frogs to finish third in the Mountain West Conference, behind BYU and Utah, respectively. It's difficult to argue with this order. The Frogs may be better than Utah, but until someone in the MWC discovers how to beat BYU, it will be difficult not to reserve the top spot for the Cougars in the preseson poll.

Breaking news in a different way

The media's embracing of blogs and other social media has revolutionized the way they get information to customers. No longer must readers of newspapers wait for the morning edition -- or even the next post on the Web. They can get their news from constantly updated blogs, which also allow these same readers to influence the coverage. Consider one way the Des Moines Register is covering the devastating Midwest floods.

Indeed, breaking news blogs will help make newspapers relevant again.

Wild animals make vacation more special

Another amazing part about our trip to the Canadian Rockies was the selection of animals we saw. And many of them, including the black bears, were close enough for us to get good pictures. The grizzlies were a bit far to capture without a powerful lens, but they looked close enough through my binoculars.

A new favorite

My wife and I just returned from a week's vacation in Alberta, Canada, where we visited Edmonton -- the provincial capital -- and the Canadian Rockies. I've always been a fan of the mountains. And the Rocky Mountains have been my clear favorite. But I had only seen what Colorado had to offer, not the Canadian portion of the fabulous range.

If the Canadian Rockies have an equal, I have not seen it. Part of their Majesty could be attributed to the fact that they were covered with snow after Memorial Day -- as one might expect so far north. Of course, as we flew into Denver on our way back home Saturday, snow was clearly visible on the Colorado mountain tops -- just not as much.

Maybe it was the time of year we were there. Or the cool weather. Whatever it is, there is something that gives the Canadian Rockies an edge over their American counterparts. Our friend Wendy, a proud Canadian, would agree.

This proud American has a new favorite range.