Not so shocking

Before we get too disgusted with last night's "shocking" ouster of Melinda Doolittle from American Idol, let's remember that Sanjaya made the top 10. Melinda was clearly the best this season. But the voters only care so much about talent. Personality appeals to the masses more than talent does. Once we grasp this, it becomes easy to understand why the best singer will be left out of this year's finale.

Correcting the record

The Mountain West Conference has a new feature on its Web site that seeks to clarify errors made by the media when discussing the conference. The first correction was of a brief that appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the penetration in Fort Worth of the MWC TV deal. The Star-Telegram in a college notes column the other day printed that the addition by Charter Communications of CSTV marked the first time fans in Fort Worth would benefit from the league's TV deal.

Someone in Colorado Springs got upset and thought it was time to correct the record. Five TCU football games were broadcast last year on Versus, available on Charter, themwc.com pointed out. To be fair, this is true. But what kind of a sports league wastes staff time correcting an error made in a college notes column? I understand the MWC is sensitive about all the talk about its sub-par TV deal. But the league would have been better off to have the staffer who wrote the correction call the Star-Telegram and report the error. Establishment of a protocol to call attention on the Web to errors by the media is highly unusual for a sports league. Again, the proper way to do so is to call someone at the paper -- usually the writer or editor -- and discussing the mistake.

Maybe the MWC feels burned by the media. That's fair. But my contention is the media have just sought to tell the story of the league's unraveling credibility as accurately as possible. Sometimes, mistakes will be made. The MWC made a colossal mistake when it decided cut ties with ESPN and establish a network of its own. The last thing a league struggling to gain national exposure needs to do is remove the little possibility of nationwide penetration of homes that exists. The Mountain West's new TV deal is on life support, just as it was last year, when TCU appeared on Versus five times. The arrangement with Versus would not have been necessary had CSTV been more established. But the bosses in Colorado Springs don't want to advertise this.

Before publicly calling out the media, the MWC needs to take a long look at how it is doing business and the perception that is creating across America. Once it does, maybe it will realize what those of us who care enough to pay attention have known since the deal with the mtn. was first announced: that the leadership needs to find itself or step aside in favor of someone who knows how to run a sports league.

Indoor facility opens

The Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility is now open. This Fort Worth Star-Telegram article offers a good description of TCU's plans to continue making improvements to its athletic facilities.

TCU clinches basball title

The TCU baseball Frogs have their best chance in years of hosting a NCAA regional following the series sweep of Utah over the weekend. With a 3-1 win Sunday, the Frogs clinched the Mountain West Conference title. With an overall record of 37-11, and improving attendance at Lupton Stadium, TCU will be difficult to pass up as a regional host. The problem is, the MWC is a weak conference, and even strong midweek wins over Big 12 competition in recent weeks may not be enough to convince the selection committee Fort Worth deserves a Regional.
Update: 1:38 p.m. The Frogs face another significant hurdle: So many quality teams in their region of the country. If they host, it will likely be as a second seed in a four-team region.

Run for the Roses

We're just minutes away from the Kentucky Derby, the first of horse racing's triple crown. The great thing about the Derby is it only takes two minutes to watch. You can go into the race not having a clue about racing and in those two minutes become conversant in Thoroughbred racing. All you have to do is remember the funny name of the winner.

Update: 5:19 p.m It's over, and Street Sense is the winner. Not exactly an unusual name.

Cool picture of Rome ... with us in it

I like this picture because the Coliseum is perfectly framed. It's easy to tell I didn't take this self-portrait, right? Although it has nothing to do with marking our first year of marriage, it represents where we have been together. Rome was one of the coolest places I've ever been because it is both historic and modern. (The car behind me is a good indication of how far the civilization has progressed.)

Marvin White profile

Marvin White was the first of two Horned Frogs drafted in last weekend's NFL Draft. The Cincinnati Bengals took him in the fourth round. Two rounds later, Herb Taylor went to the Kansas City Chiefs. I found this story about White in the Daily World, from Louisiana.

Celebrating a year

With my wife and I preparing to celebrate our first anniversary Sunday, I am reminded of our honeymoon in beautiful Lake Tahoe. Here is one of the many spectacular photos from our trip last May. It was a remarkable setting for the beginning of a wonderful journey through life together.

Rockets looking for series win

Now for something that really matters: The Utah Jazz lead the Houston Rockets at halftime, 46-43. A Rockets win will give them their first playoff series victory in 10 years.

Update: 1 p.m. 5/4/07 There will be a Game 7 in Houston after the Jazz defeated the Rockets 94-82. No such luck for the Mavericks, who despite winning 67 games during the regular season, were unable to get past Golden State.

A second day of heavy rain

I just lost sight of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington from my office window. I can tell the weather's bad when that happens. ... The strangest thing just happened. In the middle of another deluge, the sun emerged from the clouds.

All this rain is causing me to miss the Republican debate. I left my umbrella in the car, so I'm not about to leave yet. Plus, the rain was so bad last night that there's bound to be flooding on my route home.

candidates' second career choices

Check out what the presidential contenders would be doing if not in politics. It's nice for the Associated Press to report this information, but only one of them actually gave an honest answer. See if you can figure it out.
Update: 3:59 p.m. Among the minor candidates at tonight's GOP presidential debate will be Rep. Ron Paul, R-Surfside. Last time I saw Paul was at a bridge dedication in Lake Jackson. He had chosen to make the short ride from his home on a bicycle.
Update: 8:09 p.m. Ron Paul, who ran for president in 1988 as a Libertarian, was just asked to cite a tough decision he has made. In his days as a politician, he said, he could not think of a specific tough decision he's made that has affected the American people as a whole. Why is this guy on the stage? Yeah, I like the fact that he rides his bike to events no other national leader would, but he's a marginal candidate, further marginalizing himself with each word he utters.