Can't Wait To Watch This

When I was a Senior or Junior, a group of us from Bridgeport went down to TCU during summer to check out the statewide cheerleading camp. (We were in search of "Hey, nows" even way back when.) Once we got to campus, we discovered that a Texas high school all-star football game was also being played that week. Walking around the campus, we saw this black guy strutting around with "Dickerson" on the back of his shirt. Yep, Eric Dickerson who was there to play in the game. (And who is featured predominately in the video clip above.)

Sports Illustrated had already written that Dickerson was the most prized recruit in the State if not the country: "He has National Championship written of the front of his jersey and Heisman on the back." (paraphrased, maybe).  So my buddies and I, either the same age as Dickerson or one year younger, scrambled for a piece of paper, tracked Dickerson down, and got him to sign his autograph five times. "Five????!!!!" I remember him saying.

I also remember one of us asking him if he had been offered a car from A&M, and he just laughed it off. I asked him if he ever considered Baylor and he said, "They never even contacted me."

I wonder what SMU gave him.

Edit: Airing Saturday the 11th at 8:00 pm on ESPN.

Edit: Might have been a joke, but one commenter thought Dickerson "didn't last long in the pros." Uh, if 11 years and induction into the Hall of Fame equates to that, then you're right. Wiki.

How Criminal Defense Legal Seminars Have Changed Over The Years

• The law has become so lopsided towards the State, there's a unique sense of "us against them."
• Technology makes everything so simple. Denton lawyer Rick Hagen just made reference to a "Brazelton" case "that's great" on the issue of character evidence, but he didn't have the legal citation as to where it could be found. But with Wifi and Google Legal Search, I had it within seconds on a laptop in front of me. 
• I chose to have the seminar materials on CD instead of receiving them in notebook form.  Rick's presentation included a complete trial transcript of a trial he won a few years back. I'm able to drag the pdf file to Google Docs and into a newly named folder of "Sex Assault Seminar 2010" and it's there forever and assessible from anywhere.
• I'm amazed at the number of people in this room that I don't know. 
• The guy beside me is typing on an iPad.
• Oddly, those with laptops in this room probably number at less than 10%. I find that amazing.
• No, this seminar is not about getting sex offenders acquitted every time, it's about making the State prove its case, following the law, and looking for reasonable doubt. Think all those Dallas County DNA exonerees would have wanted their lawyer to attend one of these seminars back in the day?
• "You can't have one ounce of phoniness when you try one of these cases. You have to be you." - Just heard and couldn't agree more. 

Rhome Bank Robbery Just Happened - Breaking

Armed gunmen.

Woodhaven Bank.

Developing.....

Edit: Denton County  authorities may have subjects detained.

Edit at 9:50 a.m.:  Stopped at I-35 and the Alliance exit.  (Cabela shoppers beware.)

Edit at 9:58 a.m.: Tap the brakes! Those may be the wrong guys. Hide yo wife, hide yo kids . . . .

Edit:

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• President Obama's first nominated Texas federal judge to gain approval is a female Hispanic. I'm so sad it's not a  white-tough-on-crime-Republican-male.
• Finally got the new TV hung on the wall in the living room and then struggled for 30 minutes searching online about how to connect my satellite provider's remote to it. Finally found a message board that suggested "You might want to hit 'help' on the TV's menu." Yep, that did it. 
• How many ways can a kid ask, "Who put that ornament in the tree?" this morning. I think we're at fifty. 
• Sir Richard Branson was in studio at Fox 4 this morning promoting Virgin Air. That guy is cool. 
• There has been no local news over the last two days.(By the way, please no more bus stories about the "Good Without God" ad campaign.)
• My new "Power of Now" book is really interesting. Example: You may suffer from anxiety but at the  very same time realize you are having an anxiety attack. There is, after all, really "two yous": One overcome with emotions and the "observer" who realizes it but can't stop it. The book is basically about the "observer" taking control. 
• I'm at a seminar. I hate seminars. 
• College football note [Links fixed]: Former Tech coach Mike Leach may never get a big time NCAA job again. His openly campaigning yesterday for the Miami position borders on sad (and was only out-shadowed by Donald Trump, uh, trumping for him.) But if I'm an athletic director, I perceive him as a guy who was such a headache at his last job that it got him fired despite a tremendous record. And once fired, sued everyone in site. That may be all wrong, but I'd take my chances elsewhere. 
• A compilation of all the "fail" videos for November, 2010. It's 7 minutes of America's Funniest Videos on Idiocracy acid. And I watched the whole thing. 
• Always look for law enforcement to dress up (I see it Wise County, too) whenever there's a chance they can have their picture taken with a prisoner.
• 4th Amendment TSA underwear. Get me that for Christmas.  (Thanks, Christie.)

Cue The X Files Theme Music Again

Everybody is freaking out online by this press conference announcement scheduled tomorrow by NASA concerning  "a finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life."

Woah.

TSA Denies Clearance To A Woman In Underwear In A Wheelchair!!!

OK, I've pretty much turned the other cheek to these TSA  searches, but I'm drawing the line now. When a red blooded American -- who looks like Lonnie Anderson in her prime -- can't get past airport security check (in God-fearing Oklahoma at Will Rogers Airport, no less), then the terrorists have indeed won.

Hang on, baby. I'm coming for you!!!!

(Story - which will still leave you confused.) Edit: Fixed.

The UT Police Crime Report May Be Better Than Ours

Source (with several more.)

My Nemesis Is Back!

Just checked the signed-up-for sheet for the White Rock Half Marathon and saw that my ol' secret nemesis Barron is running!

He's a mysterious guy that sometimes screws up my results. And with 20,000 people signed up, we both checked is within 150 people of each other? Government spy none to pleased with Liberally Lean? Ghost? Long lost brother that was sent away to Wichita Falls who my real brother swore existed when I was a kid?

I've got my eye on him. (If I knew what he looked like.)

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Sheesh, my prediction was spot on: The "Good Without God" ad controversy on Tarrant County buses was all over the news last night.
• Heather Hays who was interviewing the group's leader last night asked him why released the ad campaign during Christmas when "everyone is talking about Christ." Really? Everyone is talking about Christ? 
• We put up the Christmas Tree last night. I'll admit it: There was a period of about five years straight where I kept it in the box. Man, I'd forgotten how big and beautiful it is.
• The cat is looking at it like it's his own personal amusement park. 
• "Spiderman" is a new, most expensive play ever to open on Broadway, and apparently there was an epic technical meltdown when it opened on Saturday. I've never seen a play on Broadway -- bucketlist add.
• How does Texas Monthly have so many ads when print is supposed to by dying? It's incredible.
• You know, I'm kind of worried about, of all people, the Boise State kicker. In case you missed it, he missed a chip shot field goal with one second left and then another one in overtime to drop the #3 team out of contention last Saturday night. You know, that kid will never, ever forget that. And he'll always be remembered by anyone that knows him as the "guy that missed the kicks to cost us a shot at a National Championship." That risk to reward ratio of being a kicker may be all out of whack. (But a Facebook page of encouragement, now with 35,000 "likes", has been created to support him.)
• Heard a name this morning I hadn't heard in forever: Dr. Gene Scott. I never understood what I was watching when he was on. 
• Isn't this Wikileaks thing a big bag of nothing? Of all the "cables" released, has anything been shocking or threatening to our national interest?
• A Tarrant County lawyer won't be charged with trying to bring a gun into the Tarrant County Courthouse. A while back a Wise County lawyer was charged for the same thing but was acquitted at trial. 
• Matt Lauer getting tickled yesterday on the Today Show about the "size of the package" is funny because it developed kind of slowly. 
• A&M will play in the Cotton Bowl that I'll never get used to being played in a stadium (Jerryworld) that is not the Cotton Bowl, on a day (7th) that is not January 1st, and at night (7:00 p.m.)  instead of daytime. I miss the good ol' days. 
• A "prominent" Tarrant County televangelist gets involved in a sex scandal and then becomes the victim of extortion. I had never heard of the Rev. Marcus Lamb. But I'll give him credit in that his counselor referred to the plot as "an attack by the Devil" while Lamb said the only person to blame is himself. 

Not Sure I've Ever Been Addressed Like That

I Predict This Becomes News

From a relatively obscure blog* over at the Star-Telegram comes word that public transportation buses in Fort Worth will have anti-God ads on them beginning tomorrow.  And the group sponsoring the ads said the campaign was rejected by DART over in Dallas.

This is going to get people riled up.

Full story.
__________
* No offense. We all can't be Big Time.

And Right After Texas Has A Conservative Republican Landslide Election

Full article.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Interesting that on the news last night (covering TCU's move to the Big East), that both TCU's Athletic Director and a Marketing professor pointed out that, "There's a reason why the Dallas Cowboys are in the NFC East -- It's to get exposure to the New York media."  It was like a Fox News-like "talking points" memo had been distributed. 
• Like I said, True Grit looks good, but how many times are they going to run that trailer?
• Nancy Grace, still the most despicable woman in the world, called into the Nancy Grace Show last night to explain her recent absence. She spent 10 minutes in a tearful explanation that she had discovered a lump but that it had turned out to be non-cancerous.  Amazingly, even her tender moments come across as fake and contrived. 
• The government (and George W led) TARP  bailout was supposed to cost $700 billion. Turns out, the "loss" to taxpayers is now down to $25 billion.  A lot of energy was spent arguing about something that turns out to be nothing. 
• I've got to go to a Puppy Graduation? (And, based upon my observation, the little thing skipped a lot of classes.)
• Were going to set up a Christmas Tree with the Crazy Family Cat tearing up everything it gets its claws on? Not-gonna-work.
• I need to get a better handle on this Wikileaks thing. 
• 49ers Cardinals QB Derek Anderson had a post game meltdown after he was accused of laughing during a loss last night. (I had a post-game meltdown when I learned my league leading fantasy football team had lost Frank Gore for the season, and that I failed to claim his backup in time because I thought he was already taken.)
• Mrs. LL got minor body work done on our Pimp Chrysler 300 Mobile by a guy she met in a parking lot who claims he had access to a body shop and could do it right then? Yes, she did. (Head shake, but it worked out great.) 
• Weirdest girl in a bikini at a water park in the history of ever.
• Ticket News: Long time Sunday morning host Mark Elfenbein tweeted last night that he was joining 105.3 The Fan. Oddly, he said he would be doing 11 am-2 pm, Monday - Fridays which is the exact time that former Ranger play by play man Josh Lewin just began occupying. Where's he going?
• Hey, where's the love? Found a "to go" container in the fridge that had crayon writing scribbled on the lid that said "For The Girls Only!" 

Wait For It

I don't know why this guy decided to film the snake removal like its The Blair Witch Project, but I'm telling you something happens within the first minute that made me jump more than the end of Paranormal Activity.

Celebrating TCU's Move To The Big East

Because we're good sports.

Major Wreck At A Place Where There Is Always A Major Wreck

Edit: That one ended up in a fatality and now there's a big wreck on 380. Edit again: The 380 wreck was a traffic mess but no major injuries.

Breaking: This Case Just Resolved

The arrest occurred in September of 2009, but it has just been resolved by a negotiated plea this morning in the district court in Decatur.

Although eligible for probation, the sentence was 6 years in the penitentiary.

Oddly, Bridgeport High still has him listed on its web site. Edit: It looks like it has now been removed but part of it is still available via Google's cached copy.

Black Friday In Buffalo

There's a lot of gold in this. And more proof that we're not gonna make it.

And I'm stealing this line: "If you get trampled, you better get up. 'Cause while your dying, someone else is buying."

Edit: Here's another one of some chick freaking out over who knows what. (Language warning.)