Official Fran Vendetta: Day 8

I decided to write my main man, Bill Byrne, another letter today. Why? Because of this.

Cliff's notes for that link: Fran has just stopped sending out a newsletter to certain highly-placed boosters willing to pony up $1,200 a year for information.

What information, you ask? Why, injury reports (Fran always says that he doesn't discuss injuries unless they're season-ending) and frank evaluations of his players. For instance, the writer of his letter (the same athletic department employee who ghostwrites Bill Byrne's Wednesday Weeklies, actually) put in one edition: "Privately, Coach told me last night that Earvin (Taylor) and Pierre (Brown) are very steady but with average speed," McKenzie wrote. "Kerry (Franks) has great speed, but (is) inconsistent in receiving."

Now, this is true. It is in fact what I say about Kerry Franks, except I use the word "butterfingers." But this brings us to Problem 1: how is this going to affect locker room dynamics? How are the players going to like it that their coach has been, well, talking about them behind their backs? For cash?

That brings us to Problem 2--the greater of the problems, and the one I discussed in my letter to Bill Byrne--where is this money going? According to the story, it's funding CoachFran.com (link not provided out of spite), which is admittedly not the world's most nefarious purpose. But the point is that Fran is selling information about Aggie student-athletes (the term I suck-uppily used in my letter) and profiting from it. How is the information his to sell?

I don't know how big this story is going to turn out to be. I don't know whether Fran has violated any actual rules, or how angry anybody that matters (e.g. University bigwigs, Stevie McGee) is about this. However, I do know what I told my friend Bill: "I've never been a Fran fan. But even if he were Bob Stoops or Urban Meyer, I would raise at least one eyebrow about this."

What do you guys think? Click here to read more . . .

Something Very Sad

For the first time, I'm . . . not perfectly happy with Stevie McGee.

(Note, though, that I'm not unhappy enough to quit calling him Stevie.)

Going from 19-0 at halftime against a mid-cupcake team to three overtimes? That's not all his fault. Heavens no. But my boy has got to learn how to pass.

Don't get me wrong: I love running quarterbacks, and I love Stevie's moxie. He's not afraid to keep the ball, get the first down, get knocked right over. But him rushing as much as his best running back? That's not sustainable, Stevie. You're going to get hurt. And once you're playing better teams, it's not going to work as well.

I didn't get to see the game (I assumed it wouldn't be on Wisconsin's Fox Sports, although it turns out I was wrong. Disappointed!), so maybe it's just that he can't find anybody to pass to? I don't know.

And I know he was probably completely wrung out after that hot humid monster of a game, but:

"You know what? I [am] so tired about hearing run game, pass game and all this bull crap," said McGee, who rushed for 124 yards. "All that other crap, that bull crap . . . whenever we lined up, we did whatever it took to win the game and we did that."

Actually, no you didn't. Sure, Jorvorskie got to the endzone when it counted most, but flushing a 19-point lead down the toilet? That does not jive with "whenever we lined up, we did whatever it took to win the game". You, Stevie, know as well as I do that what you did to win this game is not going to be good enough for almost all of the rest of them. I hope you and your boys turn this around, pumpkin, but I'm bracing myself for that not happening.

Gig 'em, Stevie. Please.


Edited to Add: Another note on today's game--after reading a bunch of this, I had to send my homeboy Bill Byrne (A&M's Athletic Director) this message:

Dear Mr. Byrne,
I am a diehard Aggie who lives very far away, and I therefore get really pumped when I can see my Ags on TV. That being said, I wish you wouldn't move any more early-season games to the afternoon for TV's sake. I've been hearing from people who were at the game that it was one of the most miserable experiences they've ever had. I know from experience that it's hard work, standing and screaming in the full sun for hours, and I feel really bad for the people who did it today. The student-athletes of course had a terrible time as well, even with trained professionals and equipment to take care of them. But nobody's taking care of the 12th Man, Mr. Byrne. But reasonable game times would be a good effort on your part.
Sincerely,
Rachel Campbell
Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2005

Now, upon re-reading it, I regret beginning two sentences in a row with "but." However, I do not regret laying it on kind of thick. I remember the Tech game in 2002, which didn't sound nearly as awful as this one, and it was truly just about the hardest I've ever worked, trying to keep up with my full volume in full sun and Texas heat. Click here to read more . . .

Four Things I Love about College Football

With only a little over three weeks to go, I bring you three plus one highlights of the college football season, in no particular order.

The nationally famous . . . Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.


The name John David Booty [tee hee] (especially in John David Booty's Louisiana accent [tee hee])


Jim Tressel's sweater vests!

























(So adorable!)


And of course, li'l Stevie McGee.


Check out all his moxie:


Football rules! Click here to read more . . .

A Little Bit of Football

Well, you can tell it's getting close to football season (I guess 38 days is close?), because the TexAgs frontpage is filled with news stories with teeny helmets next to them.

I have perused many of these stories so you don't have to. Here are the highlights:

I read this pretty boring story about our new Strength and Conditioning Coach. (I clicked on it because the headline was "K-State's loss equals A&M's gain," and hey, I like schadenfreude as much as the next gal.) But what I did learn from it? To liven up strength and conditioning sessions, the coach has the guys play the game . . . wait for it . . . Ultimate Medicine Ball.

In news from around the Big XII: "Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel starts every practice by going down his offensive line and giving each of the players a hug." . . . Okay then.

And, from Iowa State: "Mack daddy: Chizik said he still talks often with his former boss Mack Brown. 'I took notes from him for two years,' he said. 'He still helps me. I'm still just a little ol' puppy.' " Again . . . okay then.

"McGee downplays win at Texas": good. He ought to. That was a terrible game in which it just happened that the 'sips managed to out-suck the Aggies. And I had even forgotten, until that same story brought it up again, about Kellen Heard's unbelievably flagrant illegal hit on Colt McCoy (it's at about the 1:10 mark). No poor little 12-year-old deserves to have that happen to him.

I'm sorry, I've never been so bitter about a win in my life. But come ON.

Finally, this article doesn't get any better than the headline but then, how could it?: "From 4 Pounds at Birth to 268, Aggie Still Gains." (That article also says: "Last season, Franchione was criticized after a 17-16 home loss to Oklahoma for not giving the ball to Lane on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line in the fourth quarter. Instead, the Aggies made a 19-yard field goal.
Franchione said that decision haunted him. 'Sure, you’ve got regrets,' he said." NO KIDDING. [As it turns out, my plan not to despise that guy is not working. Does anyone have any suggestions?])



OK, so if you really want to know anything about how good the team is going to be this year, maybe you should go ahead and read the stories.

Click here to read more . . .