Let it rain ... or not

It's going to rain in Beijing before the city hosts the 2008 Summer Olympics. But skies will be clear during the games. Scientists will make sure of it. How? By forcing it to rain before he Games. If a bunch of scientists can bring precipitation, lowering the temperature to reverse the impending global-warming disaster is certainly within the realm of possibility.

NBC wrong to repeatedly show video

We now know what Cho Seung-Hui was doing between shootings at Virginia Tech. Hew was in his dorm room preparing to send a despicable package of videos and other ramblings to NBC. After turning over the originals to authorities, the brain trust at NBC decided the rantings were compelling enough to repeatedly show viewers.

A case can be made for showing this trash once, maybe twice. But after that, a network is gratuitously exploiting tragedy. I'm not arguing NBC News should pull the video from its Web site, as Fox News Channel did today. But NBC needs to think more critically about the consequences of its decisions.
Update: 5:41 p.m. As wrong as NBC was to show the video multiple times, newspapers that published still photos of the madman did their readers a service. They most certainly have received flak, but doing so provided a clear picture of just how psychopathic Cho Seung-Hui was. I like what the San Antonio Express-News did with its front page. It's difficult to look at for too long, but that's the point.

Va. Tech students will get degrees

The 32 students killed this week at Virginia Tech will receive their degrees posthumously, according to the Associated Press. This is a great move by a university struggling to come to terms with the worst shooting spree ever seen on U.S. soil.

One question for authorities

Doubtless, the authorities are working diligently to get to the bottom of yesterday's gruesome rampage at Virginia Tech. There's not a person in this nation who would trade places with Tech administrators, police or other law enforcement authorities investigating what led Cho Seung-Hui to masacre 32 people. But one question begs to be answered: Where was the 23-year-old gunman between 7:15, when he apparently killed two people in a residence hall, and 9:45, when the slaughter of 30 people turned this into the worst mass murder in U.S. history?

A welcome opposing view

In the midst of the global-warming monologue -- a dialogue or debate is impossible without a fairly treated opposing viewpoint -- Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam has written an instructive column. Beam's work will open eyes to just how hostile some proponents of climate change are are to skeptics and their research.

Update: Sherl Crow will add her voice to the monologue with an 11-school college tour. beginning at SMU. I can't think of a more appropriate place to begin.

Frogs sweep UCSB

The baseball Frogs beat UCSB on Sunday to earn a series sweep and their 18th straight home win. The Frogs find themselves in the unenviable position of having to win their conference to have a realistic chance at returning to the NCAA Tournament this year. The Mountain West is a weak baseball conference with little prayer of receiving an at-large Regionals bid. If the Frogs continue rolling through the league and stumble in the MWC tournament, they might still make the post season. But there's no doubt they must do much better in their midweek non-conference games than last Tuesday, when Texas A&M crushed them, 13-2, in College Station.

The genius of the Coliseum

Examples of the Italians' architectural, artistic and cultural genius abound in Venice, Florence and Rome, the three cities my wife and I visited on our recent vacation. There are certain things one has to see in Italy to make a trip complete. One such marvel is the Coliseum (bottom), the first-century amphitheater built to hold 50,000 spectators and house some of the roughest sporting contests the world has ever seen.

The way we build stadiums these days, especially in the United States, that an arena could stand for 2,000 years is mind-boggling. If they had cars back then, it doubtless would have been razed for a parking lot. As the history books record, the Coliseum -- and pictures illustrate -- the Coliseum has lost a little off the top. The world can thank the cannibalizing of the Coliseum, not architectural flaws, for its irregular shape. Italy has made many more contributions to the world, all of which deserve to be chronicled. I came away from the trip with a tremendous respect for the living history lesson that is Italy.

More of this genius to come ...

Update: Another building of the same vintage (nearly) was the Pantheon (top), built in the second century, from 126-28 . Whew! So much older. The Romans would have pilfered this marvelous former temple had it not been converted to a Catholic church.

Back to The Ballpark

Tom Hicks finally made a good move with the Rangers. The owner who has completed countless dismal trades and established a perpetually bad pitching staff deserves credit for an off-the-field decision this time. He jettisoned the unpopular name of his popular ballpark. He had no choice but to sever ties with Ameriquest Mortgage, really. But he could have resold the name. Instead, he realized the power of name recognition by bringing back The Ballpark in Arlington -- with only a slight modification.

Hicks added Rangers to the name. Still, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is much more palatable than Ameriquest Field in Arlington, especially to those of us who never warmed up to the corporate name. There's a lesson to be learned here: Selling the naming rights to a stadium, while initially lucrative, can prove much more troublesome -- and less valuable -- down the road.

Cramming for Italy

My wife and I set out across the Atlantic tomorrow for a few days in Italy. We'll be flying into Venice, before moving on to Florence, Pisa and Rome. I've been voraciously reading about these three cities in hopes of remembering some of the sites we will visit. The famous ones are easy, but there's so much history in Europe I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm not worried, though. We have a long flight ahead of us -- plenty of time to finish cramming.

Lady Frogs earn seventh straight NCAA invite

Congratulations must go out to the Lady Frogs, who despite stumbling at the end of the season, earned their seventh consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament. They've never advanced past the second round. With defending champ Maryland looming for the winner of Sunday's TCU-Mississippi clash, the Sweet 16 is unlikely again this year.

But unlike the recent past, a bid was far from a sure thing. Despite a 21-10 record, the Lady Frogs were fortunate to get in this year. For one thing, the Mountain West Conference was under-appreciated this year. Could the TV deal have anything to do with this? It seems likely, considering the strong performances of BYU, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming during the regular season. All have at least 19 wins. TCU could have -- and maybe should have -- been left out of the NCAAs. But the invitation is an indication of the type of program Jeff Mittie has built in Fort Worth. The men's program could learn a thing or two about success by examining how he has built a struggling team without much of a history of success into a nationally recognized power.

Frogs will not make coaching change

As expected, a 3-5 record down the stretch was enough to save Neil Dougherty's job. He'll be back for a sixth season after apparently assuring athletic director Danny Morrison the program is progressing.

TCU faces conference champ BYU

The Frogs are aiming for another upset in Las Vegas this afternoon. But this time, they face their most difficult challenge -- conference champion BYU. There was a time when TCU could beat BYU. A 50-plus-point victory under Billy Tubbs comes to mind. Those were the days when a good night resulted in 100 points. Now, the Frogs are lucky on some nights to post half that. On the bright side, Neil Dougherty has his team playing relatively well when it matters. For this, he deserves credit.

Whether a late-season rally will be enough to save his job is unknown. I suspect that when he's evaluated at the end of the season (likely to come today) Coach D will be given one more year to prove himself. His subpar record should supply all the evidence needed -- he's 19-41 in the past two years alone -- but TCU would have to buy out the final two years of his contract if he were fired. I'm just not sure they're dissatisfied with Dougherty enough to do that.

Today's game: TCU vs. BYU, 2 p.m., Las Vegas

Update: To no one's surprise, BYU ended TCU's season, winning 77-64 over the Mountain West's No. 8 seed. Frog fans must now wait for athletic director Danny Morrison to determine Dougherty's future.

Frogs win opener

The Frogs showed some heart last night by erasing a 14-point deficit against the New Mexico Lobos. The seeding held up in the play-in game. New Mexico -- by virtue of a miracle -- came in last in the nine-team league. Actually, it was the win over Air Force that pulled the Frogs out of the basement. Like I said, a miracle.
Final: 62-54

Frogs looking like a winner

Neil Dougherty doesn't deserve credit for much, but for once, he had his team prepared to play today. Air Force came to Fort Worth hungry after a loss to UNLV, but it looks like the Frogs will win. The 11-game losing streak is over.
Final score: 71-66.

Frogs close in first half

Following the Frogs on the gametracker is difficult when trying to post updates. They were leading Air Force by four, but it now looks like their customary drought has begun. They trail 21-20.
I can hear Neil Dougherty right now: Just stay competitive.

Update: The Frogs have actually taken a lead into the locker room. They hold a one-point advantage over No. 14 Air Force.

Update: A five point lead with 1:17 left ...

TCU's RPI surprisingly high

I just noticed that TCU's Ratings Percentage Index is 217, a rather encouraging development for a team that's lost 40 games in two seasons. One would figure that a team that has endured an11-game losing streak, its worst in 30 years, would not be in the top 225. Not impressed? Well, remember 336 teams play Division I college basketball. Lest we get too excited, with the Frogs not expected to win another game this season, they could give No. 336 Alabama A&M a run for its money.

Frogs sign 23 football recruits

Perhaps no day has more manufactured importance for college football than National Signing Day, when the sports media get to break down all the players they've been telling us for months are sure to star on the college level. But the media only attach importance to it because of the attention paid to it by those of us who follow college football. We can't wait to see how many of the National 100, State 100 or Area 50 signed with our favorite schools. The truth is, none of the rankings mean much now, before the players in question have even set foot on the practice field for the first day of drills. Beyond the can't-miss prospects, the signed are difficult to evaluate for a number of reasons, not the least is the contrast in lists from city to city, state to state.

But the rankings in the local newspaper or on the national recruiting sites are the best gauge people have of the talent signing letters of intent. So that's what we use to grade the incoming freshmen. TCU has a tendency to find gems in the backwoods. Small schools that instill winning attitudes into their players have sent countless players to Fort Worth under Gary Patterson. Sure, there are plenty of top prospects in the Frogs' recruiting classes. This year is no exception. Here is the list of Patterson’s 23 recruits to sign today.

Disney in January

When I was last at Walt Disney World as a kid in 1982, there was no EPCOT, no MGM Studios, no Animal Kingdom. For tourists of the day, it was Magic Kingdom or bust. To be sure, the Disney world of a quarter-century ago had plenty to offer the whole family. But when my wife and I went with 16 other members of my family last month -- for my grandma's 90th birthday!-- I was blown away by how realistic this magical place appears. This is exactly the reason it is so difficult to pick a favorite park, ride or educational exhibit.
My love of traveling gave the World Showcase extra appeal. My thirst for thrill rides at amusement parks all but guaranteed Space Mountain and the Rockin' Roller Coaster would bring me particular satisfaction. My love of history left no doubt One Man's Dream, the museum dedicated to the park's architect and father of the Disney empire, Walt Disney, would hold a special place in my heart. (The four Disney parks provide many more attractions than those I've named.)

I did have my favorite attractions, but the best part of my vacation was that we were able to experience all we wanted, being there in late January. Had a party of 18 shown up at Mickey's doorstep just days before, the story would have been much different. But as we walked through the various parks, winding our way to the various must-see attractions, the long lines just weren't there to scare us away. In fact, at MGM, we were given passes that provided quick access to all the best attractions, and we used just two. We experienced he others the conventional way.

NCAA decides against broader postseason ban

The NCAA has decided not to further punish universities in states where the Confederate Flag flies. It considered expanding a rule prohibiting Mississippi and South Carolina from hosting some postseason games, but wisely decided against changing what is already an unreasonable rule.

We've probably reached a point where it is wise for states to consider taking the confederate flag down except when displayed in a historical context. But until universities are given the power to make public policy, the NCAA should stay out of the fight over the Confederate flag. Unfortunately, this will not happen entirely. But the NCAA's refusal to expand its social reach is a wise move and should be applauded.

The battle is not over. As the NCAA becomes increasingly involved in issues unrelated to sports, it is sure to push for the rule change.

Politically correct NCAA wrong again

The NCAA could broaden its Confederate-flag ban, which prohibits states displaying the "stars and bars" from hosting a scheduled postseason game. This affects mainly NCAA Tournament basketball games. The governing body of college athletics is considering expanding the rule to apply to all postseason games. Under the rule, baseball and football teams in South Carolina and Mississippi -- the two states displaying the Confederate flag -- that earn the right to host playoff games would be punished for something completely out of their control.

Universities in these two states cannot determine what flag flies over the capitol. Any attempt by the NCAA to spread its version of political correctness should be limited to things within the control of its members. It it wrong for the NCAA to punish institutions that refuse to change their American Indian-related nicknames. But at least they have a choice in the matter.

Teams in South Carolina and Mississippi can't easily approach their state Legislatures to lobby for the change in this matter. A better solution would be for the NCAA to wake up and exert its influence in constructive ways – like those that really matter to the athletic and academic development of student-athletes.