Ain't That America, For You And Me

Liberally Lean Tourney Update

Ain't no party like a Gulf Coast party

Well, look who's lurking around at #34.  We all knew it was a matter of time before my Expert Sports Brain would lead me to a Liberally Lean National Championship. I may start filming myself over the next couple of weeks because this is going to make a great documentary.

Full standings.

By the way, over at ESPN.com, "4 brackets out of 8.15 million entries in the Tournament Challenge got 15 of the 16 Sweet 16 teams right."

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• A new proposed Texas law will outlaw Voyeurism. I was prepared to make fun of it, but I don't think I can based upon the way that it is written. (Except for the binoculars/telescope part which seems to be a little over the top.)
• The female Texas trooper who intimately searched the two women after a traffic stop a couple of months ago has been indicted for sexual assault. That's insane. The male trooper was indicted because one of the women said her bottle of prescription medication was missing after the traffic stop. I hope they have more proof than that.
• If this story is true, it may be the most horrific crime I've ever heard.
• I created a website using Godaddy.com this weekend. As goofy as their ad campaigns have been, it is a fantastic product.
• I don't know much about Ole Miss basketball player Marshal Henderson other than people told me to watch him because he was like a cocky Eminem. (He's pretty funny. One reporter asked him if his off-the-court persona was "calculated." He responded with, "I'm not very good at math.") But I just learned he used to play basketball while in school at Bowie, Texas. 
• What a fun group at JerryWorld this weekend for the next round: #1 Kansas, #4 Michigan, #3 Florida, and everyone's new favorite, #15 Florida Gulf Coast (a school that is only 16 years old and which only began playing Division I basketball two years ago.) 
• More importantly, the wife of the coach of Florida Gulf Coast was a huge Hey, Now back in the day. 
• Decatur ambulances were dispatched to a medical emergency at Allsups this morning. Turns out a guy was simply asleep in his car "after working all night."
• We've got too many dogs. I'm not pleased. And I swear I looked up on Sunday and saw they were all wearing diapers. 
• "Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me." That has to be the most ignored of all of Jesus' words, right?
• Sheriff David Walker in a Chicago paper pointing his finger at his head. 
• I don't know if it is true, but I read yesterday that Subway now has more restaurants than McDonald's. I believe it. You can't go a mile in the metroplex it seems without seeing one. 
• A Baylor student died during a half marathon at the school this weekend. 
• I turned on one of the ESPN channels on Friday night and saw a soccer game between the United States and Costa Rica being played in Denver -- and in a snowstorm. Pic. It was beyond bizarre. I think they switched from a white ball to a colored one so they could see it. 
• I watched the 30 for 30 documentary on the North Carolina State 1983 Championship Team: Survive and Advance. For a subject I had no interest in, it was fantastic. 
• TCU's new 8-foot Horned Frog statue is more intimidating than things that are intimidating.

Wowza

Frisco house fire tonight.  But it was a house under construction.

Paradise Man Found Dead

From Facebook today:

Oh, my

Source. 

Above The Fold

Shaq Meets Gov. Christi

"Feel my power."
"No. You feel my power."
"No. My power."
"No! My power."

Pics Of Big Press Conference Today AT WCSO

I heard some national heavy hitters were there, but I don't have any names yet.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• That "shootout" yesterday turned out to be quite the national news story. And it'll probably have a little more legs today when Colorado officials fly into Decatur and another press conference is held. 
• The story was on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams last night but some how did not ever reference "Decatur" or "Wise County". 
• I knew the suspect had shot the Director of Corrections and a pizza guy in Colorado but I had to learn this from The Ticket this morning: He killed the delivery guy so as to use the pizza and vest/jacket to pose as a delivery guy when he knocked on the Director of Correction's door. 
• Sheriff David Walker does a good job on TV. So many country sheriff's come off as hicks, but we don't have that issue. 
• The spillway is open at Lake Bridgeport dumping water into Lake Worth when our lake is already over fifteen foot low.
• The President visits Bethlehem today. 
• I was walking up to the courthouse yesterday and tried to get out the intersection quickly because a car was coming. I might possibly have done a slight one-time "skip" move as I hurried along. As I got to the courthouse, a buddy was standing there who said, "Why don't you just go ahead and do a full skip across the street next time?"
• While you were sleeping: Three marines dead at Quantico.
• I made a horrible mistake during jury selection yesterday that the prosecutor graciously allowed me to correct. I think he was afraid I was going to die of a heart attack. More later. 
• Everyone talked about LeBron dunking on Jason Terry (meaning Terry got "posterized") earlier this week which gave rise to this question I heard on the radio: Do they still make actual posters? And, man, that was some beautiful passing before it happened.
• Your phone charges faster in airplane mode? I guess that makes sense. 
• A couple of Wise County troopers and a deputy on the cover The Denver Post.

Decatur Shootout Suspect Identified

And he was (past tense only because he's dead) a White Supremacist.

The WCSO Car Hit By Gunfire This Morning

Press release is below. But an update: The suspect has now died.

WOW

Story. We've got us a national story here, people.

I'm In Trial And This Is An Automated Post

But rest assured, I'm ending every cross-examination with, "Kapooyah!"

Man Down!

Messenger Update. Cops firing bullets.

Edit: Wow. This began as a deputy shooting on 287 in Montague County.

Edit: Reader photos:

Edit: Chase back up on 287 southbound:

Cat Crisis At The Courthouse

Edit: Attempted cat rescue! But the cat jumped to a different balcony.

Last Chance To Sign Up For Liberally Lean Tourney

Sign up here. Games start later this morning and then the sign ups end.

And Clint Phillips brought by this edition of the August 1, 1990 edition of the Dallas Morning News that the second place winner can claim. Fairly cool. I looked up Ryan's line: 7 2/3 innings and 146 pitches.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• I don't think I've ever used the word "myopic".
• It's been a long time since the shooting of the Kaufman County ADA with no apparent leads. That might have been a professional hit. A very well done professional hit.
• The Highland Park Romo kid who was no-billed in the date rape case is now suing his accuser. That sounds Angry Parent Motivated.  But Fox 4 reporting that they have already spent "several hundred of thousands of dollars in legal fees" seems next to impossible -- unless they are the victim of a legal robbery.
• The Heat were down 27 last night in the third quarter and came back to keep a streak alive that even I care about. Not enough to watch it, but enough to be interested. 
• I didn't listen to much of Jasmine on 105.3 The Fan, but her contract was not renewed yesterday. Radio is a dog eat dog business.
• A long article in D Magazine about Chris Kyle which begins and ends with the mysterious story of him killing two guys during an attempted car jacking at a gas station in Texas -- a story which can't be verified. After reviewing his life, the writer basically concludes that it might be false but we all need to believe in legends.
• We had a modified "And Another" out of Colleyville except both the accused and the alleged victim are both males. And the accused looks like a kid himself. 
• I had to get my laptop repaired because it wouldn't charge. Charger was fine. Battery was fine. But some connection where you plug it in had to be soldered (I think that's the right word) back on to the motherboard. 
• What a bizarre story out of Maypearl: Two teenagers try to burglarize a home but flee when the home owner opens fire. They then kill themselves.
• I may be out of pocket today since I should be in a DWI trial. 
• Did you know that Reagan and Bush #1 never visited Israel during their presidencies?