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.

TCU to hire Kent State coach

TCU is expected to hire Kent State's Jim Christian as basketball coach this afternoon. AD Danny Morrison should be commended for bringing in a proven head coach. Christian has won at least 20 games in each of his six seasons at Kent State. And while he will face many challenges at TCU, there is no reason the basketball program cannot be consistently competitive in the Mountain West. The program will not be rebuilt overnight. But with a winning program, the Frogs will be able to recruit at least a few top players from the Metroplex. Together with an experienced coach who has tasted success and can show the players what it looks like, that will win games.

We will never out-recruit Texas and A&M while they are competing for Big 12 -- even national -- championships. But right now, that should not be the standard because we're not competing against those schools. We need to pay attention to the schools in the MWC.

Dougherty era ends

Gil LeBreton said it pretty well in his column this morning. There were a lot of reasons to end the Neil Dougherty era at TCU. In the end, Dougherty's optimism wasn't enough to keep him around. Even his optimism -- this is a man who somehow found optimistic words to describe his team during its six-win season three years ago -- had begun to be overshadowed by frustration. It was evident in his voice after every head-scratching loss. He couldn't figure out why the Frogs were so inconsistent. They had some good moments during Dougherty's tenure. But there simply wasn't enough improvement. Although the team is clearly better than it was in 2005-06, there were too many games this season that left fans wondering if the improvement has really been measurable.

One piece of advice for athletic director Danny Morrison: Bring to Fort Worth someone with head coaching experience. The TCU basketball program has sunk too low to allow another career assistant an opportunity.

The new home office

My wife let me have a wall in the office painted purple (authentic TCU purple). It hasn't helped the men's basketball team turn their season around, but it will increase my productivity. The office is taking shape now that we've officially moved in. (This photo was taken shortly after the room was painted.)

Snow in North Texas

The new house (long before the yard was blanketed with snow).




I'm sitting here in the comfort of my new home office, listening as the frozen precipitation hits the window. The grass is nearly covered with a mixture of wet snow and frozen rain. To those used to the snow, it's not much, but this type of weather tends to shut things down in North Texas. Businesses close early, schools cancel classes, and the traffic becomes even more horrific than normal. Thankfully, I worked from home all day.

After a fairly mild winter, we've had snow twice this month. Earlier this week, we got a slight dusting here is Carrollton, but today, it's been more pronounced. And the snow will probably stick around for a while -- at least through the night. Days like this are fun when winter weather doesn't strike too often.

The rich don't spend?

Someone please explain to me how the wealthy can get away with buying the nicest cars, the most expensive furniture and the biggest mansions without spending a dime. This must be the case. The left is standing firm against extending tax rebates to "rich" Americans -- it's funny how they define rich, isn't it? -- on the grounds that they will save the money. This must mean they have no plans to upgrade to a nicer BMW, buy newer furniture or move into a larger house if given a rebate check.

If they ever get a break from the government, the money must go into a black hole somewhere, never to be invested in the aforementioned luxury goods. I'd like to know what bank is holding onto all that money, wouldn't you?

Bowl was big for QB's development

The Frogs' Texas Bowl win over Houston marked the end of a pretty remarkable season. Although eight wins was shy of the 11 or 12 predicted, head coach Gary Patterson was forced to deal with a potentially devastating issue off the field before the season even started. There's no doubt the drama surrounding star Tommy Blake affected the team's performance. He, of course, missed significant time with a mysterious illness. Early in the season, even when Blake played, Patterson had to watch him closely. He was understandably not as sharp as he could have been.

Add to the Blake-related woes the fact that TCU was led by a redshirt freshman quarterback -- Andy Dalton -- and it's easy to understand how 2007 was far from disappointing. Patterson rallied TCU to consecutive victories at the end of the regular season to lead them to another bowl game The comeback at San Diego State helped shape the Frogs for the future more than many will realize. The extra practices that come with a bowl appearance are always welcome. But the Texas Bowl proved especially beneficial for Dalton, who had a great second half on the way to winning the game MVP. Playing not far from his hometown of Katy, Dalton endured a difficult first half to lead the Frogs to their third straight bowl victory. He'll be expected to persevere from similar difficulties in the future. The good news is, he now has proved he can do it in big-game situations.

Quick take on Mitchell report

That Roger Clemens' name appears in the Mitchell report is significant, yet not a shock. Steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs were not taken seriously for so long that some of the game's elder statesmen were bound to use them so they could keep playing at a high level. This may ruin Clemens' reputation, but it really shouldn't. One of the most ridiculous statements being thrown around is the idea of putting asterisks by the offending players' records. If anyone believes all the records in baseball history were achieved cleanly, their denial is worse than MLB's on the steroid issue. And baseball has handled the steroid issue atrociously.

TCU accepts bid to Houston

The Frogs will play former SWC rival Houston in the Texas Bowl after accepting a bid today to the Dec. 28 game at Reliant Stadium. The Frogs played twice in the Houston Bowl, the predecessor to the current bowl, going 1-1. It's a nice reward for a team that overcame significant challenges during the regular season. After being predicted to win the conference in the preseason, the Frogs lost four Mountain West Conference games and finished 7-5.

TCU should be favored going into the game, but as the final Saturday of the regular season indicated, being favored really means little this year. (OU was favored over No. 1 Missouri, but the top two teams still went down.)

Pitt pulls it off

Pitt just shocked WVU, 13-9. If Missouri loses, we could see LSU and Ohio State in the BCS Championship.

Pitt holding WVU

With 15 minutes left, Pitt leads West Virginia, 10-7. Pitt just missed a short field goal that would have extended the lead to six. What a disappointment it would be for WVU and Missouri to lose tonight. (The score is tied at 14 at halftime.)

Update: 9:13 Pitt just completed a 26-yard pass to extend its drive.

Update: 9:19 WVU is driving after starting at its 3 yard line. the ball is now on the 26. Oh, no. Pitt just recovered a fumble. Pitt is playing well enough to win and is capitalizing on West Virginia's mistakes.

Update: 9:30 A nice goal-line stand by West Virginia saved the game for the No. 2 Mountaineers. Pitt's Conor Lee hit a field goal to extend the lead to 6. West Virginia has a shot. ... A 47-yard kick return has it in good position for a comeback.... Pitt just stopped WVU on fourth down.

Update: This is the game. It's third down, Pitt. A holding call just wiped out a first down that could have won the game. ... WVU holds!

Update: 9:47 Pitt just held WVU to virtually clinch the game. With OU leading No. 1 Missouri, things are about to get really interesting.

TCU apears headed to Houston bowl

TCU will find out officially tomorrow in which bowl it will play later this month. I say officially because the Texas Bowl is a virtual lock. The Big 12 would have to send only one team to the Bowl Championship Series for TCU to go elsewhere. Even if Oklahoma beats Missouri tonight in the Big 12 Championship Game, the conference would still receive two BCS invitations (likely OU and Kansas).

Assuming a Texas Bowl bid, the Frogs would appear to have a solid chance to win, since Houston is without its head coach. But with so many strange developments in college football this season, we should be careful before making projections -- even one as clear cut as TCU going to the Texas Bowl.

Frogs may be headed to Houston

After an impressive comeback against San Diego State last week, TCU appears headed to the Texas Bowl to play former Southwest Conference rival Houston. Pardon me if I'm not inspired by this match up. Houston has had a solid year, winning eight games. But it's hard to get too excited about playing a Conference USA team. TCU left that conference for one with a better football reputation -- and stiffer competition. The Mountain West has many problems, beginning with a significant exposure problem. But the fact that Houston can be seen on ESPN doesn't make it a better football team. Its administrators are just less gullible.

Miles should stay at LSU

It's difficult to comprehend how a coach chasing a national championship could jump to another team at the end of the season. But it's a real possibility, with LSU's Les Miles expected to be heavily courted by Michigan, his alma mater. This would be a bad move for Miles, who will have a better chance of building a championship legacy in the SEC. But the lure of coaching at one's alma mater is not easy to resist.
It can be done, however. Ask TCU's Gary Patterson, who stayed in Fort Worth instead of jumping to Kansas State in 2005. Kansas State is a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 school that has enjoyed some success. And although Michigan is a consistent national power, Miles might find it a tougher place to coach than he imagined. For now, he's better off at LSU, which happens to be No. 1 in the country.