Jons closes its doors

It's tough to call a restaurant that's been around for less than 20 years a landmark. But on a college campus, the rules are different. Most students spend only four or five years in college, with many leaving the city or area after graduating and taking with them the memories. Students who have attended TCU within the past 18 years doubtless have eaten at Jons Grille more than a few times.

Those of us still attending football games and other sporting events on campus have continued to enjoy the unique atmosphere of Jons, perhaps best known for the writing on the walls. (The burgers were why I kept returning.) Jon -- and, later, his sister, Janis -- made markers available to patrons of all ages, encouraging them to leave their mark on the restaurant. Sometimes that was simply a name, a short phrase -- even the occasional boast.

On Thursday, the restaurant closed. When the proprietor died five years ago, patrons were shocked. Jon loved his customers a fact he demonstrated by the way he related to all of us.
He took pride in greeting his customers by their first name. Janis ably stepped in to keep the campus favorite going. Although it was inevitable the place would close at some point -- Jon's passion for the restaurant could not be matched, even if it was a family member who tried -- it's a sad development. And the TCU dining scene will never be the same. Sure, the void will be filled, but Jons held a special place in the hearts of those of us who remembered what is was like before Jon died. One visit and conversation with Jon was enough to keep you coming back.

The burgers were pretty good , too.

Ballard shines in Frogs' big win

One of the best byproducts of the Frogs' decisive 37-7 win over Northern Illinois in the Poinsettia Bowl was the publicity both the offense and defense received during and after the game. With the Mountain West Conference's inferior TV contract, not many fans have seen TCU play this year. The Frog D, whose ability is recognized in the Metroplex, allowed just 60 yards of total offense to the Huskies.

Offensively, Jeff Ballard was the star, although Lonta Hobbs reached the 100-yard mark for the first time all year. San Diego certainly took notice of Ballard, as did Union-Tribune columnist Tim Sullivan.

Frogs dominate NIU

The TCU defense shut down Garrett Wolfe on Tuesday with another strong defensive performance, holding the nation's leading rusher to 28 yards. The Frogs destroyed the inferior Northern Illinois Huskies 37-7 in the second annual Poinsettia Bowl. The only difficulty for TCU was special-teams play. NIU blocked two punts (one for a score), and TCU missed an extra point. But with an offense like the Frogs' the kicking game is less important.

Frogs are big favorites

TCU is an overwhelming 12 1/2-point favorite against Northern Illinois in tonight's Poinsettia Bowl. And everyone is picking the Frogs, who should not disappoint. NIU's Garrett Wolfe is the nation's leading rusher with 1,900 yards and will probably end the year under the magic 2,000 mark. How can I be so sure? TCU's run defense is stout, ranking fourth nationally. But when everyone expects the Frogs to win, bad things can happen.

Coach Gary Patterson often says his team plays better as the underdog. In big games, that seems to be true. But despite the point spread tonight, the Poinsettia Bowl remains a key game for TCU as it heads into 2007 without quarterback Jeff Ballard and a proven primary receiver.

As a school in the non-BCS Mountain West Conference, TCU must start high in the polls to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the Bowl Championship Series. The foundation for next year will begin to be laid in less than 2 1/2 hours.

Twenty-four-hour cable news is unpopular with many media-bashers, who point to all the stupid things the talking heads say trying to fill time. But cable news has become an integral part of our fast-paced lives. sometimes, we even have to stop everything we're doing and park ourselves in front of the TV on account of a riveting story.

This weekend, I could not tear myself away from Fox News' coverage of the rescue effort on Oregon's Mount Hood. It had nothing to do with the fact that two of the missing men were from Dallas. It was my insatiable desire to know the latest about everything, especially the big news events of the day. I'm the guy who can't pass through an airport without picking up the local newspaper. (My wife will never understand this obsession.) So the non-stop news sucks me in, even when anchor is repeating the same information for two hours. I want to be there when the new discovery is made, and that sometimes means cheerfully watching painfully repetitious coverage.

As irrational as this is, I have a feeling I'm not alone. Like it or not, it's human nature to want to be on the cutting-edge. That's what keeps the 24-hour news channels on the air.

LT confident in Frogs

A funny story appeared on the Web site of the San Diego Union-Tribune today. Star San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and backup Michael Turner will be cheering against each other Tuesday when their alma maters face each other in the Poinsettia Bowl. Tomlinson played at TCU, Turner at Northern Illinois. The Chargers public relations chief asked LT recently if he would be interested in a little bet, with the loser wearing the jersey of the winner's school. Let's just say LT wasn't scared. He shouldn't be. His Frogs are 10-2 and winners of seven in a row. Expect LT to find a TCU No. 5 jersey for his buddy to wear. Oh, if you're interested, read the story here.

Poinsettia Bowl: 7 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN2

No Kleenex at Rice

Rice University has become the latest institution of higher learning to ban Kleenex. That's right. There are others who, as a gesture of enviro-love, have tossed Kleenex maker Kimberly-Clark in favor of a company more friendly to Mother Earth.

A student group at Rice has successfully pushed administrators to stop using the Kleenex because it is not made from recycled paper. Now, Rice is known for its brainy students. For years in the Southwest Conference, the dreadful Rice football teams had a clever message for the opponents who thumped them on the field. The score didn't matter, they said, because eventually, the winners of the football games would be working for the brilliant losers.

With stories like this one, it's hard to fear the Owls. At least a few students at the Houston campus are too obsessed with saving the world to pose such a threat to students from a rival school.

Sea-Tac brings back trees

The removal and restoration of Christmas trees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is good news for those defenders of the holiday’s meaning who feel beaten down by its gradual secularization. The Christmas spirit certainly can be dampened by governmental and non-governmental decisions, as was the case at Sea-Tac, which saw its Christmas trees removed after Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky threatened to sue if an 8-foot menorah were not added to the airport's display. Bogomilsky said his goal was not to force authorities to take the Christmas trees down. He just wanted fair treatment of Judaism, he insisted.

An avalanche of criticism persuaded Bogomilsky not to take his beef to court. Instead, the Port of Seattle, which has jurisdiction over the airport, will have a more inclusive holiday display next year.

These days, the anti-Christmas radar is sensitive, recognizing even unintentional attacks on Christmas. In the past, wishing someone “Happy Holidays” was a way to say “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” if you were late for an appointment and didn’t have time to say five whole words. Bogomilsky’s original request and resulting threat were more difficult to figure out than just about any assault on Christmas.

The rabbi made an unreasonable request, considering the reported timeframe he gave the port authority to change the display. For him to say the ultimate goal was not removal of the Christmas trees is laughably disingenuous.

The commissioners who decided to take the trees down have endured undeserved criticism. They reacted as most people facing a lawsuit would have. That Christmas trees were involved in a time when people are hyper-sensitive to even the suggestion of Christmas being banished from the public square makes the commissioners popular scapegoats.

In truth, they deserve some criticism, but the Bogomilsky deserves the lion’s share of scorn. Without his self-centered act, the commissioners would not have been forced to make the unpopular decision.

This entire episode has ensured Bogomilsky will forever be known as the man who tried -- almost successfully -- to suck the Christmas spirit from a major international airport, and in the process, a city.

Bogomilsky failed miserably, just as will happen next time someone tries a similar stunt. What we say to each other and how we act during the Christmas season may affect our mood, but the message of Christmas will live on, even if its symbols disappear.

Thankfully, this time, common sense was restored at Sea-Tac.

Wal-Mart and Christmas

Cheers to Wal-Mart for agreeing to allow its employees say "Merry Christmas" during this (gasp!) Christmas season. I was in the world's largest retailer over the weekend to do a little shopping and was pleasantly surprised when the clerk at the checkout counter said, "You have a good Christmas." It wasn't quite "Merry Christmas," but was close enough in a time when stores are increasingly afraid to acknowledge the birth of Christ while tripping over themselves to embrace the commercialism of Christmas. Wal-Mart has found a balance that hopefully will make the pro- and anti-Christmas forces alike happy for now. One wonders if other retailers will learn from the leader’s example.

Poinsettia Bowl key for Frogs

It only took seven weeks, but the Frogs are back in the top 25. After overwhelming the last three opponents they faced at home, the Frogs sqeeked in to the rankings at Nos. 24 and 25. TCU pounded Air Force on Saturday 38-14, ending the regular season with only two losses. The only home loss came to conference chapion BYU. When no one sees your games, you can win seven straight under the radar.

The Dec. 19 Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego is crucial for TCU as it hopes to build momentum for the future. Conference games that are on TV will continue to be shown on networks viewers don't even know they have. So with ESPN2 broadcasting the game, people across the country will see what Frog fans figured out a few weeks ago: This is a better team than the one that beat Texas Tech in September to move to No. 15 in the country. The offense is clicking, and the defense is as stingy as it has been all season.

Frogs look for strong finish

TCU faces Air Force at Home Saturday, looking for its seventh straight win to close the regular season. A victory will give the Frogs another 10-win season and likely a spot in the top 25. TCU has not been ranked since losing to Utah on Oct. 5. Since then, the Frogs have won six consecutive games to push their record to 9-2.

By amassing more than 600 yards of offense in consecutive weeks, the Frogs have shown themselves to be a better team than when they reached No. 15 in the country after beating Texas Tech. Unfortunately, a lack of national exposure has prevented them from showing more than the most dedicated of fans.

San Diego bans Wal Mart

Somebody needs to tell me why people hate Wal-Mart so much. It's wildly successful, keeps prices low and tries to make shoppers smile a little with those famous greeters. Let's not forget the $4 prescription drugs the retailer is introducing throughout the country in an effort to bring down costs. But the nation's largest retailer is under assault, as is usually the case with the "big boys."

San Diego is the latest community to effectively ban Wal-Mart SuperCenters. But other cities have done so also. The San Diego City Council last month approved an ordinance that, while not naming Wal-Mart, was clearly targeting the Bentonville, Ark.-based giant. How else does one explain allowing Sam's and COSTCO to skirt the law? These membership-based stores were specifically left off the "prohibited" list.

The law likely be vetoed by Mayor Jerry Sanders, but the council can override the veto, since the measure passed 5-3, according to the San Diego Union Tribune. Those against Wal-Mart SuperCenters in their neighborhoods have two basic arguments: The giant stores make survival tough for smaller retailers, and they add traffic.

The first should be immediately discounted by any defender of free markets. The second should be handled by city engineers before a vote is ever taken.

Wal-Mart is going to drive people out of business because people want to by more for less. A small independent retailer or grocery store that doesn't buy in bulk will get hurt. But the government has an obligation to stay out of his fight to remain afloat. Otherwise, prices remain artificially high and consumers get hurt.

Those complaining Wal-Mart causes traffic problems are also correct. Success will do that. Wal-Mart has done extensive work in past years to improve its impact on neighborhoods, introducing a slimmed-down grocery store concept and even building its stores to blend into the surroundings. Neither matters to the Wal-Mart-haters. To them, Wal-Mart is just plain evil, $4 drugs or not.