Saturday, February 26, 2011

North Texas - 2/26/11

DENTON, Texas - The final game of the regular season is tonight, and the Pioneers need a win and a little bit of help to get a bye in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament. Either Arkansas State or Louisiana-Lafayette also needs to lose tonight for that to happen, and if both lose and DU wins the Pioneers will win the SBC West Division.

Thursday night's game at the Cajundome was a very entertaining college basketball game, even if it did leave the Pioneers disappointed in the result. Both teams played well, and the crowd was really into it.

Normally, the team tends to leave road cities early in the morning, but because the flight from Lafayette to Dallas is short, everyone got a chance to sleep in a little and grab some breakfast before heading to the airport.

The team went straight from DFW to Texas Women's University in Denton to practice. The university, which is about three miles from North Texas, has some nice facilities, and practice went well.

There are some challenges with going straight from the airport to the practice facility, of course. Trainer Pat Hoxsey was taping players' ankles while everyone was waiting in baggage claim, but it all worked fine.

About North Texas - The Mean Green have one of the best lists of notable alumni in the Sun Belt.

You could put on a pretty good concert with the musicians who have walked this campus. Roy Orbison, Norah Jones, Don Henley, Ray Wylie Hubbard and, let's not forget, Pat Boone all attended North Texas.

To our knowledge, Mean Green is the only mascot named after a former athlete. Pittsburgh Steelers great and Coca-Cola hawker Mean Joe Greene played here, when the team was still the Eagles.

From Hollywood, you can find NT grads Thomas Haden Church from the old sitcom Wings, and Robocop himself, Peter Weller. Lonesome Doveauthor Larry McMurtry and Dr. Phil also went here.

Addition about Lafayette, La. - We got this note from Gerald Hebert, a student at Louisiana-Lafayette, in response to the last blog.

I must say that it was a pleasure hosting your team tonight in the Cajundome. It was the most exciting atmosphere we have had in a long time. But I must say that your view of the city of Lafayette is a little inaccurate. Now, I'm not typing this with any negative connotations, so please don't take it as such. First, there aren't swamps everywhere you look. The only swamps that I can think of in town is the one on campus and the one by the airport. Secondly, Lafayette is one of the fastest growing cities in the south because of the oil industry and the increase in medical research in the area. The city didn't grow by over 10,000 people because of Hurricane Katrina, even though there were some people who stayed. The city itself is a capitalist gold mine. People here cling to new things such as a new stores, restaurants, etc. This reverts back to the local culture. The Cajun culture is one that is hospitable, welcoming, and friendly. No, we don't dress like Farmer Fran and ride airboats around town. We are normal people who wear normal clothes, have normal jobs, and talk a little differently. As far has finding something to do, this place is popping. There's a reason why a good number of LSU students drive the 45 minutes from Baton Rouge on Friday and Saturday nights. The nightlife here is second best in the state next to New Orleans. As a New Orleans native myself, I was shocked by the number of events going on in town when I first arrived in Lafayette.

The swamps in the area are numerous or expansive enough to offer businesses that cater to swamp tours, but to be fair most of those swamps are outside of city limits.

I certainly meant no disrespect to the town, which is not a bad town with kind people and great food. And the crowd at the Cajundome on Thursday night was probably the most spirited the Pioneers have seen in several seasons.

A few other people took offense to the Waterboy reference. The references to the movie seemed natural in Cajun Country, and a few lines were uttered from the movie, just as Animal House references were made in Eugene, Ore., earlier this season (I suggest Dumb & DumberThe Shining or Mork & Mindy for anyone visiting Colorado). However, most of the jokes actually came from the ULL students sitting behind the DU bench and directed at Denver trainer Pat Hoxsey, who among countless other things makes sure the players are all hydrated during games. The students simply called him "Waterboy."

Yearly travel totals:                                            
Total Flights, regular season only - 18

Total Mileage by Air, regular season only - 14,611

Total Mileage by Air, including Spain - 24,589

Total Mileage by Bus, regular season only - 1,447

Total Mileage by Bus, including Spain - 2,822

Total Number of Hotels - 12

Total Number of Different Airports - 11

Total Number of Airline Delays - 1

Total Number of Cancelled Flights - 0

Total Number of Bags Lost This Year - 2


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