The Bridgeport/Decatur Helicopter Pic

(Thanks, Will)

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• What's this about a helicopter at the Bridgeport/Decatur game?
• My "Sports Genius" label is still intact: Told you the Rangers would go out in the first round. (And there were people calling up sports radio stations hoping they would lose on Saturday because they had tickets for Sunday's game and wanted to see them win then.)
• What a fine sports weekend for me: Baylor, Cowboys, Rangers all lose. Sheesh.
• Yesterday, due to an old-man-nap and other things, I had to TIVO Cowboys and Rangers and didn't get to watch them until after 6:00 p.m. You truly have to "go off the grid" to avoid finding out the scores  until you watch them.
• Mrs. LL managed to lock the the family kitty in the refrigerator this weekend (not or long and the kitty didn't mind.)
• New releases for books, movies, and albums? WhenItDrops.com.
• Couple in Fort Worth fall asleep in pickup while sitting on railroad tracks. Gets struck by train. And survive. 
• Funny and sad moment yesterday: Wade Phillips trying to high fine Dez Bryant after he was injured only to be ignored. Wade standing hopelessly with his hand in the air epitomizes his leadership skills.
• Fox 4's made fun of people getting married at The Little White Chapel on 10/10/10. I'm trying to convince Mrs. LL to call in with a country voice to "Tell It To Tim."
• Mind Blowing: California governor candidate Meg Whitman has spent $140 million of her own money trying to get elected.
• Anybody else sick of seeing pink in NFL games?
• And kids are wearing "I love boobies" bracelets in support of breast cancer research?
• I'm told I talk in my sleep.
• Went back to that Mexican restaurant across from the 7-11 on Western Center Boulevard on Friday night. Sadly I can't remember the name but the food and the service is fantastic.
• I want the governor's race to be over so I can stop hearing the commercials. 
• I still plan to go on an extreme rant about the horrible service at Fogata's a little further down Western Center. I've gone there twice and walked out both times before being seated. Wheels. Off. 

Crime Report Of The Week

"I'm Not A Racist" Gold

From The Star-Telegram's Photos of Haunted House

Link.

Sorry, I'm distracted by watching the Baylor's defense leak like something that leaks a lot against Texas Tech. (But if you want to see the worst onside kick of all time from the game, click here.)

Bridgeport Falls Asleep, Still Wins

ALDS Logo Painted On Field At The Ballpark In Arlington This Morning

Edit: In unrelated news, the Mavs coach fainted during practice and taken away by ambulance.

And Another

It's been forever since I've had a Teacher Gone Bad post, but we've got a plea bargain on one out of Tarrant County.

And that looks like a school T-shirt with "Standards & Traditions" on the front.

Elizabeth Hurley, 45

Oh, my. (She's not dead or anything -- just 45 years old and flauntin'.)

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Ugh: I accidentally scheduled this for 8:35 PM which caused the delay. Sorry. 
• Bad way to start off the day
• My movie watching has fell off a cliff. Edit: Ok, I sounded like Ron Washington on that one.
• Heck of a Brett Favre scandal that broke on Deadspin yesterday (and it ain't family friendly).
• The neighbor kid who is now hanging around asked me if my new car was "a rental". What's your dad been saying kid?
• Dish Network and Fox Southwest are in a standoff and the channel (and some others) haven't been available for two or three weeks. That would drive me nuts.
• The Tooth Fairy came to my house last night and I learned of a tradition: She typically leaves a door unlocked and one of the pictures on the wall slightly crooked. (Uh, creepy.) 
• The two games won by the Rangers is amazing. I remember watching them at the old Arlington Stadium when I was a little kid and, unless they screw this up  -- which is possible, we're about to see them play in the American League Championship Series. I never believed it was possible. 
• But the Florida governor did a horrible job on the first pitch.
• "Hey, now"?
• Two Baylor receivers were arrested last Sunday on misdemeanor marijuana charges. Yet another reason it needs to be legal. (And it'll be interesting to see if that conservative school will suspend them for the most minor of crimes.)
• Read that one of the pigs in the pig races at the State Fair was named Amy Swinehouse.
• I hate the word "supper". Mrs. LL says "supper" a lot. We compromise: She tries not to say it, and I bite my tongue when she does.
• Does the "Battle of the Big Sandy" still generate as much excitement as it used to? I'm not so sure. 
• Parking Hades in Arlington this weekend. Saturday: Aggies/Arkansas at the Death Star starts at 12:30 p.m. and Ranger game starts at 4:07 p.m. Sunday: Ranger game (if necessary) starts at 12:07 p.m. and Cowboy game starts at 3:15 p.m.
• If I find myself with an extra 10 minutes in the morning, I clean and straighten stuff up. Something is definitely wrong with me. 
• Motorcycle death in Irving shutdown 183 in Irving all morning. 
• Victoria's Secret has launched a Halloween line. What took them so long?

Brit Better Step It Up

Or I'll replace her as the Official Chick of Liberally Lean.

We got standards around here.

Random Updates

• The murder trial is still going on but I think the State is close to resting. Autopsy photos were shown today and we learned the victim had a lung disease which contributed to her death. If I heard the testimony correctly, she lived for about 11 days before dying.  The bullet almost missed her as it crossed under her left breast, out, and then through right arm. But she wouldn't have died but for the internal bleeding caused by the bullet. As you might expect, her poor health is not a defense.
• Edit: The trial is proceeding with 11 jurors. I had thought that the juror that fainted was just on the panel, not the jury. Nope. Apparently, right after the trial began he raised his hand, said he wasn't feeling well, walked out of the jury box and collapsed only to be caught by a DA investigator.
• There's a bad wreck out on 380 (at least a tweet from the Messenger said that.)
• Follow the Rangers at 1:37 p.m.  My sports radio buddies said this morning that Tampa Bay's pitcher has been awful all year and even worse over the last 30 days. 

Edit: Jury found the defendant guilty of capital murder late Friday Thursday afternoon. That's life without parole.  

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Fox 4 had an update on the Trooper-Smashes-Girl's-Face-Into-Wall case last night. The Dallas DA's office had earlier presented a felony case to the grand jury who refused to indict the trooper (wow). The next day the DA filed the misdemeanor case which doesn't require grand jury approval. At first I thought this was political grand standing by DA Craig Watkins, now I think he did the right thing.
• Unless he holds a press conference about the case. 
• That's still a shocking video. I've seen Troopers act like jerks but never cross the line like that.
• The MDA Labor Day Telethon will be shortened to six hours next year. About time.
• Fantastic job by the Rangers yesterday. Baseball is always about pitching. (And, yes, I'm on record predicting they would lose in the first round.)
• Mrs. LL and I listened to Ron Washington's post game press conference just to listen for subject-predicate disagreements. We was not disappointed.
• That Westboro Baptist Church case (the funeral protesters), which was heard in front of the Supreme Court yesterday, has some good facts for the crazy church. The guy suing them never saw them when he left the funeral yet sued for Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress.
• There is some transgendered kid who wants to run for Homecoming Queen in the Dallas ISD -- don't we hear something like this every year? And the 7th grader of my Family Unit sure had a question mark form over her head as she walked past the TV when that story was on.
• Speaking of, it's kind of hard to watch the news sometimes with kids in the house. 
• An accused drunk driver smashed into a Dallas cop last night. The exact same thing happened a couple of weeks ago in Tarrant County.
• There was that  weird case a couple of weeks ago where a boater was shot and killed from the Mexican side of Falcon Lake. I remember about 20 years ago that there was a warning issued about boating down the Rio Grande because of rifle fire from the Mexican side once you got into some canyon areas.
• But Rick Perry is trying to capitalize on the boater shooting talking about how he wants to stomp out "border violence". As Texas Monthly pointed out a couple of months back, there really is no border violence on the Texas side (i.e. only one murder in El Paso through June despite widespread violence in Juarez.)
• More "Cigar Guy" photoshops.
• NFL Cheerleader "Hot and Not" in same pic from last weekend.

Drinkin' Dirty

Link.

In the 1990s, there were two huge lawsuits that took weeks to try in Wise County about this same issue. The first one ended up in a multi-million dollar verdict ($70 million?) but it was reversed on appeal because of a statute of limitations issues. The next one ended up in a verdict in favor of the defendants.

But there is a guy in Montague County suing for a "flaming faucet."

Man Robs Bank In North Fort Worth This Morning. Shots Fired. And He's On The Loose

Anyone's cousin missing right now?

Link.

(Thanks, MzChief)

It's Playoff Baseball at 12:37

The Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay. I'm getting lucky because I have to be in Jacksboro at 1:30 which means I get to listen to it guilt free.

You can follow the game on Yahoo (I like it the best) here.

What The Heck Is Going On At Our Courthouse?

(Thanks, Jenny.)

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Wow: The video of the DPS trooper slamming the young girl into the side of the wall of the Dallas Tollway made me yell, "OHHHHH!!!!" last night when I first saw it.  (And the only criminal charge filed of misdemeanor assault is a joke. I've had Agg Assault cases filed with 99% less justification than that.)
• And the criminal defense attorney, Kevin Clancy, that Fox 4 had on last night to discuss the case was as clueless as anyone I've ever seen. The wall can't be a deadly weapon? That huge scar doesn't qualify as "serious bodily injury"? Have you been in a courtroom lately?
• If you are following the feud between a district judge in Collin County, their DA, and their District Clerk, I have this assessment: They are all crazy.
• I've gave up hope on fixing the Family Truckster and broke down and bought a replacement: A Dodge Charger. Stylin' young, but not too young.
• Had to plea a female client to jail sentence yesterday after she violated her DWI probation. The deal was fair, but I hated watching those tears roll down her cheeks. 
• You don't know a beat down until you buy two cars in 10 days when you haven't had a car payment for three years.
• There was a political rumor last night that Hillary Clinton would change places with Joe Biden on the Democratic Presidential ticket for 2012. I'd be a little nervous about Biden causing a nuclear war due to some goofy statement made while on an international trip.
• Ugh. Baylor's basketball program almost went to the Final Four last year and now one it's best players gets arrested for allegedly breaking his girlfriend's jaw. Baylor President Ken Starr will certainly launch a multi-million dollar investigation. 
• Not going to link to it, but the paparazzi sites covering Ice-T's and CoCo's weekend trip to the beach reveal the most wheels off bathing suit ever. 
• Another sign the economy and President Obama are turning it around: American Airlines just announced it is recalling 800 employees, and the Dow is about to crack 11,000. 
• It was confirmed this morning that the New England Patriots traded Randy Moss to the Vikings? I'll be. (My favorite Moss moment is when a reporter asked him how he was going to pay a $10,000 fine since he said he didn't write checks: "Straight cash, homey.")
• That murder trial in Decatur is like an actual murder trial -- pretty interesting. And one of the largest crowds in the gallery in quite some time. 
• Oh, yeah, the Rangers have a playoff game in Florida. During. Work. Hours.