Still searching for respect ...

Gary Patterson's post-game rant last Saturday opened a few eyes and and may have rubbed a few people the wrong way. It's his comment about respect after the 12-3 win over Texas Tech that was scrutinized most. He complained of football fans' focus on the Big 12 at the expense of TCU.

Hard to disagree there. TCU went through last season 11-1, beating two Big 12 teams, and beat Baylor to open the 2006 season. But the Frogs still found themselves slight underdogs against Tech. And it's a good bet that no matter what happens the rest of this year, if they face a Big 12 team in a bowl, the Frogs will be looking up at a more respected foe once again.

Then, there was the bit about Patterson's players not getting respect from "this city," which rattled a few media-types and probably a couple of fans. One could argue that Patterson went a little far with this one, but he's right. Attendance has been pathetic since the breakup of the Southwest Conference, proving that, even in some corners of Fort Worth, TCU still lacks respect. The coach wasn't calling out the loyal fan base that suffered through years of mediocrity before the resurgence that began in 1998. No, he was talking about the college football fans who, week after week, complain that TCU doesn't play anyone or can't draw any fans. When they do play big conference foes, these critics still find room to complain -- and it's too hard for them to get off the couch and actually come to the game.

The Big 12 has some very good teams, three of which TCU has beaten in the past 15 games. (Sorry, Baylor fans. Your team's not there yet.)Yet, it still sits outside the top 10 and will probably be kept out for a few more weeks, even if they beat BYU and Utah to open conference play.

The bottom line is, Patterson was frustrated and upset about how his team is perceived, and he told people about it. With Tech in town, there were just more people listening.

Big crowd sees big win

For years, one of the myriad reasons TCU has failed to gain the respect of college football was its disappointing attendance. Despite consistently good -- at times, even great seasons -- Fort Worth didn't adequately show its appreciation. Sure, there was the occasional large crowd. In 2003, the final home game of the season against Cincinnati drew more than 42,000 fans. Since the breakup of the Southwest Conference, when Texas and Texas A&M lost all interest in coming to Fort Worth, the crowds have been disappointing. Sure there has been the occasional surprise. The win over Cincinnati in 2003, which pushed the Frogs' record to 10-0, was seen by more than 42,000 people. Too often, the 44,008-seat Amon G. Cater Stadium has been one-third, even half-empty. This dispute a team that has posted multiple seasons of double-digit wins under head coach Gary Patterson.

On Saturday, no one could complain about a half-empty stadium in Fort Worth. The Frogs beat Texas Tech 12-3 in front of more than 45,000 fans. It was the first sellout in 22 years, since the last regular-season game between ranked teams at amen Carter.

On Sunday, the Frogs were rewarded by the voters, moving to No. 15 in the coaches top 25, No. 16 in the AP poll. TCU has not been so highly ranked since Sept. 21, 1959. TCU was ninth that week. BYU comes to fort Worth next, for a Thursday evening game Sept. 28. Normally, as well as BYU travels, 40,000 could be expected to file in to the the seats for that one. But game time is 5 p.m. Still, maybe seeing the stadium at capacity Saturday will inspire college football fans (not just diehard TCU backers) to leave the office a little early and support a team that needs a little respect.

Ticket wars

TCU fans insist Amon Carter Stadium really will be filled Saturday. The Frogs and Texas Tech will play for the first time since the debacle in Lubbock two years ago. TCU came in confident and seemingly ready to play. But after building a three-toughdown lead, the Frogs were shown just how long of a season lay ahead, losing 70-35. Perhaps it's that game that has Red Raider fans bubbling with arrogance.

Some actually claim TCU fans have conspired to buy up available seats for the game, preventing Red Raider fans from attending. A theory posited by the media is probably closer to the truth. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported this week that Tech fans bought TCU season tickets en masse so they could see the game. And tickets are apparently going for large sums on eBay and other ticket-broker sites.

Whichever side is right, one can bet both sides will be strongly represented Saturday. The players don't care much about the renewal of this rivalry; many of them were just grade-schoolers when the Southwest Conference died. But the snatching of tickets proves the fans -- red- and purple-clad both -- covet the chance to see this one in person.

What mtn.?

Reports out West indicate fans in Utah are steamed the mtn. is not available from either of the two major satellite companies. Utah is one of the three states (Wyoming makes four) whose residents have access (in limited areas) to the mtn. A column in The Deseret Morning News adds a new twist to the already ridiculous saga of the conference's TV negotiations. BYU was prohibited from rebroadcasting an edited version of its game over the weekend on BYU TV despite a history of doing so. ESPN apparently allowed the practice, in exchange for production assistance.

The MWC braintrust decided to jettison ESPN in part because the upstart CSTV offered better game dates, scheduling occasional Thursday games, but on no other weekdays. ESPN, on the other hand, didn't care. It developed a bad reputation among many of the academic-minded for scheduling games throughout the week.

This begs the question: What's the problem with Tuesday football games if Tuesday basketball games are OK? But that's another matter. What's important to consider is the conference's continual insistence that is struck a good deal. The leaders urge patience. Perhaps the real story is a bit closer to this: Commissioner Craig Thompson has finally realized he made a bad call but must save face. And he has enlisted the help of ADs, school presidents, coaches and others to help misdirect attention with phony optimism. The sad thing is, they probably don't realize they've been tricked.

Cosmo

With his long, wild hair, only one name was appropriate for the new kitten: Cosmo, after TV's Cosmo Kramer. We brought him home Sunday to join Annie, who seemed a tad irritated at her new companion. She's still hissing. But all indications are that that is natural as cats seek to establish their territory. ... There it is again, that hissing.

Stop it, Annie!

In true Kramer form, Cosmo is not backing down, though. (Yeah, right! Kramer -- especially when it came to clowns -- was a bit of a wimp.)

When we brought Cosmo home, it was clear he would live up to his name in other ways. Not only was his hair as crazy as the popular Seinfeld character's, but physically, Cosmo displayed many of the characteristics of his quirky namesake. I don't think he's stopped moving since he first set foot on the carpet. Cosmo Kramer epitomized physical comedy during the nine-year run of Seinfeld.

Cosmo's antics will certainly be good for a few laughs as time goes on.

Frogs move to 2-0

The Frogs beat UC Davis 46-13 on Saturday, improving to 2-0 as they await Texas Tech's arrival to Amon G. Carter Stadium next week. California, Davis was supposed to lose, so the Frogs' victory is no surprise. On the other hand, the win will likely be treated unfavorably by the pollsters. Frankly, these are the worst types of games to schedule because no matter what the favorite does, it's not good enough.

TCU coach Gary Patterson placed UC Davis on the schedule late, as the Frogs' 12th game. And he did so because he spent the 1986 season there. But the voters couldn't care less about that. I have no complaint about putting the Aggies on the schedule. It's just frustrating to realize such a game will do nothing but create questions.

Home opener

College fans are concentrating on tonight's Texas-Ohio State matchup, the earliest time in a season for the nation's top two teams to play. Who could blame the pundits. The winner will be expected to roll through the rest of the season an onto the national championship. OK, maybe the winner will simply be the favorite. Yeah, that's more like it. If the Longhorns win, they will stretch the nation's longest winning streak to 22 games.

A win by the Buckeyes will give the distinction to another team. If TCU beats UC Davis, a solid Division I-AA team, in its home opener, the Frogs could have the longest winning streak in the nation. And although the season is just under way, and TCU is near the bottom of the top 25, the longest winning streak would generate more attention. And a team such as TCU needs exposure, especially playing in the Mountain West, which lacks an automatic invitation to the Bowl Championship Series.

Another win last week over a BCS conference (the Big 12) looks good. But if the Frogs stumble tonight, as thy did in 2001 against Northwestern State, the dream will come to an end. Not even another 8-0 run in the MWC would be enough to save them. Sure, they could still make a prestigious bowl, but they would find themselves having cheer for Utah or BYU down the stretch (assuming the two other conference favorites survive their non-conference challenges.

TCU fought for better access to the BCS. A conference switch last year and an effort to play a more challenging schedule have opened eyes. To exceed expectations, a team must first meet them. Tonight, that means beating UC Davis.

To St. Paul

The American Association championship series moves to St. Paul tonight, with the Cats and Saints tied 1-1. Fort Worth took the opener 8-3, but lost 7-3 in game two. Go Cats!

Road to the championship

The Fort Worth Cats took Game 1 of the American Association championship series, 8-3, Tuesday after being rained out Monday. The second game with the St. Paul Saints started at 7:05 tonight at LaGrave Field. A win would put the Cats, last year's Central Baseball League Champs, a victory away from a second straight title.

Ignore the polls ... for now

So a win against the Big 12 isn't that meaningful after all. That's what the pollsters want to project, at least when that Big 12 team is Baylor. TCU dropped a spot in each of the major polls -- after a 17-7 road win. It's almost as if the Frogs were favored by 30. They covered the 7-point spread in front of a large and at times hostile crowd.

And remember, they were without starting quarterback Jeff Ballard in the second half and three other top producers for all 60 minutes. Still, the coaches and writers knocked them down a notch. The best reaction to this disappointing news is to ignore it.
Coach Gary Patterson says his team's standing in the polls in September isn't very important. And he is largely correct.

The only thing being ranked at the beginning of the season does is improve a team's chances of moving up the rankings fast enough to earn serious consideration for the Bowl Championship Series. With a fifth game and new rules making it easier for a team in a non-BCS conference to be invited to one of the big games, September rankings carry even less importance, serving as little more than fodder for fans.

If the Frogs' drop this week is treated any differently, one can only imagine what will happen if they beat UC Davis in their home opener Saturday. They're in danger of falling out of the polls, even with a resounding win over the Division I-AA team.

Frogs too much for Bears

WACO -- The Frogs used an eye-opening performance by backup quarterback Marcus Jackson to defeat Baylor on its home turf Sunday. Jackson, a freshman, was understandably nervous, but should not have been surprised he was used. For the past several years TCU has used two quarterbacks to pilot its offense. Performance has had nothing to do with it. Instead, Injuries have plagued the Frogs' backfield year after year. Former starter Tye Gunn enjoyed the distinction of being named the starter several times, only to go down at some point each season. His injury against BYU last year was the start of a special season for Ballard, who finished the season 8-0 as a starter.

This time, it was an apparent concussion that sidelined the TCU starter. (He will play in the home opener Saturday against California, Davis.) But Jackson proved his value to the Frogs, who also found themselves leaning on other backups, most notably tailback Aaron Brown. Starting for the injured Lonta Hobbs and Robert Merrill, Brown rushed for 49 yards. But his receiving skills devastated the Bears. Brown caught the 84-yard touchdown pass from Jackson that gave the Frogs a 10-7 lead and silenced many of the 42,733 fans on hand.

It would be tough for a freshman to lead TCU through a successful campaign. So much is expected of the team now boasting the second-longest winning streak in the country. Guiding the offense for 30 minutes is one thing, but when a freshman is called to be the focal point each week, it has to become tougher. Experience so early in his career against a Big 12 team will serve Jackson well. For now, though, he can learn from the sidelines. Ballard's leadership as a senior is too important to cast aside.

Anti-war talk

The anti-war shriek reached a new pitch on Friday, with perhaps the dumbest words to come out of a Western (pseudo-) leader's mouth yet. Canadian Jack Layton, who leads the New Democrats, called for his country to pull its troops from Afghanistan. Amazingly, the most objectionable part of his statement was not the suggestion of immediate withdrawal. Instead, Layton asserted that it would be a good idea to negotiate with the terror-loving Taliban.

Huh?

The Taliban are terrorists. To give them a seat at the table is just laughable. Layton clearly has a few lessons to learn about common sense and respecting those who have died trying to rid Afghanistan of its Taliban influence. For starters, a sane (the coalition) can not discuss anything with the insane (the Taliban). If Layton and the NDP can't grasp that, they cannot be helped.

I guess Layton and his buddies who agree (There are many, as you'll see if you read the papers up there.) really think that nobody dies in war.

The saddest part of this kind of fringespeak is it will eventually migrate south. It's only a matter of time before the American anti-war crowd starts talking from the same playbook as Layton.

And there's no negotiating with them, either.

No need for TV this weekend

As fans everywhere settle in this weekend to get their first taste of college football for 2006, CSTV, the mtn. and any other brilliant idea Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson's will be far from my mind. My wife -- a Baylor grad -- and I will travel to Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco to catch our respective teams in action. Confidence is high in Waco, where the local college team has not received a bowl invitation in more than 10 years. And the Frogs have not done particularly well when starting the season as favorites.

But with starting quarterback Jeff Ballard, three gifted running backs and a talented receiving corps returning on offense, I wouldn't be so eager if I were Baylor to predict an upset. The offensive line, with only one starter returning, is a bit of a question mark. And that was exactly Oklahoma's downfall last Labor day weekend. An inexperienced offensive line was more to blame than poor quarterback play for the Sooners' 17-10 loss to the Frogs to open the 2005 season.
Still, TCU's linemen have seen action, as coach Gary Patterson likes to get many of his players involved in an effort to develop depth. We're inside two days now, and excitement is continuing to build. Let's kick the ball already!

Cats force Game 5

The Cats on Friday used home runs from Carlos Adolfo and Terence Green to defeat the Shreveport Sports, forcing a fifth game in the first round of the American Association playoffs. One more win will put them in the championship series. LaGrave Field will no doubt be filled with fans anxious to see the Cats continue their post-season success. This year meant a new league, as they left behind the Central Baseball League, but the Cats still have been among the best in the American Association.

If Friday night's power surge is any indication, the home team has a good chance of advancing to play the St. Paul Saints, who shocked the regular-season winners of the North Division, the Lincoln Saltdogs, to win their series.