Friday Floetry X 12/14/07

Well, I've been slacking off on Friday Floetry for the past 2 Fridays. This week I am going to keep my intro short because I think the Floetry speaks for itself. Coolio. Enough said. By the way, I've heard Jud has started a grass-roots campaign to increase readership (or is it viewership?). To that end, if you are a new reader and want to check out past editions of Friday Floetry, go to the end of this particular entry and click on the "Friday Floetry" label.

Friday Floetry:


I'm a educated fool, with money on my mind
Got my ten in my hand and a gleam in my eye
I'm a loced-out gangsta, set-trippin banger
And my homies is down, so don't arouse my anger, fool

Death ain't nothing but a heart beat away
I'm livin life do-or-die ah, what can I say?
I'm twenty-three now will I live to see twenty-fo'?
The way things are goin I don't know

Tell me why are we -- so blind to see
That the ones we hurt -- are you and me

been spending most their lives
Living in the Gangsta's Paradise
been spending most their lives
Living in the Gangsta's Paradise
keep spending most our lives
Living in the Gangsta's Paradise
keep spending most our lives
Living in the Gangsta's Paradise


Taken from Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio

UH Cougar Basketball

I have been fairly quiet on the goings-on over at Hofheinz Pavilion down on the campus of University of Houston, but Tom Penders' Coogs are now sitting at 9-1 after their annhilation of the Southern University Jaguars last Saturday night. For those unaware, this the best start to a season the Coogs have had in 15 years. The team is led by Robert "Fluff" McKiver, Lanny Smith, Dion Dowell, and the two freshmen you see above, Brockeith Pane and Zamal Nixon. The crowds thus far have been abyssmal at best, which is a shame because this is the deepest and most talented team we have had since our last NCAA tournament appearance and maybe even back to the Phi Slamma Jamma days. Granted, this group of Coogs are not as high-flying as those teams fielded by the great Guy V. Lewis in the early 80s, but this current crop can shoot anybody out of the gym.

The biggest issue this team faces is a lack of an inside presence, though the team is rebounding better than in previous years. The success of this team, as in years past, will entirely depend on how well it shoots the 3 because if they are falling, the Coogs can beat anybody. Penders is still working on the rotation and injuries are always a factor, but this team could be something special. So, if you are in town next Tuesday, December 18 (or if you just want to watch it at home - it is on ESPN2 at 8pm CT), come to Hofheinz and check out the Coogs as they play host to the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

Thursday Afternoon Video

From the classic Spies Like Us:

The Mitchell Report

So I have seen a list of names that will be included in the report and except for a few, there is nobody on the list that I would consider shocking. The list includes players that all of a sudden had a power surge or a player who was always good, but then broke down once steroids became an issue, as well as guys that had temper issues. On the other hand, there were a few names I almost expected to be included that weren't. In the end, what does it all mean? Really, nothing. Yeah there are some Hall of Fame voters with a stick up their ass and will refuse to vote for some or any of the guys on the list. However, nobody can discount the enjoyment we all received from the huge power numbers we saw being put up by these same players who have now been outed. Of course, like the McCarthy hearings, these guys have only been linked to steroids through third parties and have not necessarily tested positive. I will admit that I cheered for these guys (and had no problem putting my head in the sand) and will continue to cheer on these guys, including Tejada who was just traded to the Astros yesterday.

University of Houston Coaching Search

I have been fairly quiet on this issue (at least on this board) until a successor to Art Briles was named and according to ESPN, that successor is current Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin. As you may be aware (and as I posted a few weeks back), Briles left UH after 5 seasons to go to the coaching wasteland known as Baylor University. Candidates to replace Briles included Notre Dame OC Michael Haywood, Tulsa OC Gus Mahlzan, and former UH (and Houston Oilers) head coach Jack Pardee. While a Pardee hire could have been one of the most interesting developments (especially with the staff he was going to put together), I must say that I am quite intrigued by what Sumlin brings to the table. He is a young coach with no previous head coaching experience, but he has been on the staffs at Purdue, Texas A&M, Minnesota, Wyoming and has spent the past few years under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. Right now, UH has the athletes in place to be successful and compete for the championship in Conference USA and a change in philosophy at the top may be a great thing. Even though he was getting better every year, Briles still had the mind of a high school coach who would try to out-gimmick opposing teams. These past 2-3 years, all we needed to do was line up and pound the ball and we probably would've been a better team. Having a guy who learned under Stoops, who consistently runs one of the top offenses (despite having QBs with absolutely no NFL potential) is a blessing. Paired with our Strength & Conditioning Coach Larry Jackson (who probably is the one most responsible for the success of the past two seasons) who we also got from OU, we have a potentially fantastic staff, especially considering that former WR coach Jason Phillips is back on board (assuming he stays). I can't wait to hear from Sumlin on where he sees this team going, who he brings in to complete his staff and how we will shape the Coogs over the next few years as we head towards another potential conference reshuffling when the current BCS contract expires. Reading Cougar message boards these past few weeks has itself been a very interesting task as there were people on all different sides of the coaching issue, each championing there own guy or wondering why we weren't going after X, Y or Z. In the end, I think Dave Maggard has made a great decision and my fellow Coogs need to rally around Sumlin and the Coogs. Now let's go beat the Horned Frogs in the Texas Bowl [December 28, 2007 - 7pm, Reliant Stadium].

[espn]