As Cowboys Stadium Just Became AT&T Stadium . . .

. . . I've got a question. What the heck is the purpose of that "screen" on the side of the stadium. I've never seen anything shown on it, nor am I even sure if it is capable of doing so.  The original plans certainly seemed to indicate its purpose:

My New Favorite GEICO Commercial

I don't know who their ad firm is, but it would be my dream job.

What's Going On By Whistlestop Cafe?

Looks like a pretty high tone camera.

Thanks Trey.

Near Motorcycle Death

But he walked away. And "he" is Florida State tight end Nick O'Leary who happens to be Jack Nicklaus' grandson.

That Train Derailment In Spain That Killed A Bunch Of People . . .

. . . this is how it happened.

Story.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Leo DiCaprio seen wearing a Texas Tech cap. What an odd combo. 
• Sports: (1) New Texas Ranger pitch Matt Garza was fantastic last night but that throw to first base was worse than the first pitch a couple of weeks back by Carly Rae Jepsen; (2) I think Peter King has a huge bag of nothing; and (3) the Longhorn Network is running a replay of the Empire's championship game against USC where it completely butchers and cuts the most of the best plays of the fourth quarter. 
• Peter King's advice to young wannabe sports writers is to "write every day even if it is not being published." Really? I used to practice a golf swing  every day that I was doing horribly wrong and never got better.
• That's very close to extremely wealthy people's advice of "do what you love." What if you love fishing and watching Sportscenter?
• We had five kids spend the night in the house last night. (The regular two plus three guests.) Having a game room might have been the best investment in my life. 
• The Messenger hasn't uttered a peep about the Saginaw killer who used to live in Decatur. Why? Even the Star-Telegram has interviewed his Wise County relatives.
• Back in May, an innocent metroplex man was killed by police in his own driveway after he was shot by police. The explanation which came out yesterday by officials was that police had accidentally responded to the wrong house after a burglary report because of "poor lighting." You gotta be kidding me. How horrific. And the cops fired six times! But let's all shrug our shoulders, right?
• The Ticket boys must have big time contracts based upon their vacations: (1) George Dunham took his family to Hawaii, (2) Donovan Lewis went to Greece with his wife, (3) Jake Kemp went to four countries including Switzerland. Edit: Sheesh. Forgot that Junior Miller went to France. 
• I have a poor man's sprinkler system set up with dual headed timers for the water hoses. It's fantastic. I probably need to get a sprinkler system. 
• I went to the doctor for one reason and then everyone got freaked out when my blood results showed freaky cholesterol levels. How is that possible? But I'm now taking medication for it. It's hard to be concerned about a condition which has no symptoms. Yet, I understand. 
• Hot opinion about Anthony Weiner's wife who continues to stand by her man despite his sexting: She secretly supports it. 

Accused Saginaw Killer In His Younger Days

This is an old (but confirmed) pic of Tyler Holden who recovers from a gunshot wound to the head during his attempted arrest yesterday.

From the Star-Telegram. (Link goes to pic only on the paper's website.) Edit: The photo has now been associated with a news story.

Football Helmet Post

Hey, it's the dog days of summer and things are pretty slow. I mean, all those little "scandals" are just a distant memory now, right? Benghazi, IRS targeting, PRISM, etc. All gone.

So, during this dead time, check out these cool helmets that Baylor rolled out at the Big 12 Media Days yesterday. (Those three interlocking rings are light reflections from the ceiling -- not part of the design.) I mean, how cool is that? Barely even need to play the games now. If the fear from all of that awesomeness doesn't get to the Longhorns, Frogs, Sooners, et. al.,  their burned retinas from the reflection of the sun will.

 

Amanda Bynes Is Crazy, Part 34

Amanda Bynes accidentally drenched her pet Pomeranian with gasoline while building a fire in a residential neighborhood ... then raced to a nearby liquor store to clean the pooch.

At 8:39 PM ... Bynes can be seen bursting into the liquor store and darting straight for a restricted "employees only" area -- while holding the dog in her outstretched arms. 

The cashier -- sensing something was wrong -- rushed out from behind the register and chased after Bynes to see what she was doing. 

TMZ spoke to the owner of the store who tells us ... the cashier detected a strong odor of gasoline and observed Bynes attempting to rinse off the dog in a sink in the back area. 

We're told ... as soon as the cashier confronted Bynes, she "freaked out" and left the store without further incident.

Look, this footage isn't particularly fascinating other than the fact she's carrying a gasoline soaked dog around. Darlin', the Internet will love you so long as you just act crazy, but if you were to accidentally set the little puppy dog on fire when you're acting crazy, they would have been coming after you like an Egyptian mob.

Above The Fold

Real News

Link.

Kate Upton For A Wednesday Pick Me Up

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Since it looks like the cops focused in on the 17 year old in the Saginaw murder case from the start, those billboards asking for help seem a little odd now. 
• Funny random tweet last night: "At my funeral, make sure there is a guy leaning on a tree like 150 feet to the side. Have him nod and walk off at the end. Preferably into fog."
• Baylor player Ahmad Dixon was asked yesterday at Big 12 media day if Baylor could really win the Big 12. His answer, which is so great in so many ways, was: "Can God save a hooker?" 
• And coach Art Briles, when asked if he ever raps during practice like Dixon does, responded to the question with lyrics by Drake. And none of the reporters even knew he did it. (Nor would have I.) 
• A Dallas police officer learned that he could not come to work drunk. 
• Wrong way driver fatality in Dallas last night. And there were three people killed on I-30 at Eastchase Parkway but they are not sure about the cause yet. 
• Facebook has been bombarded with a post about a new pastor of a mega-church who secretly dressed up as a homeless man and visited the church on his first Sunday with shocking (or expected?) results. I didn't believe it when I read it. Snopes has it as "undetermined" but has found no evidence to confirm it -- but did have proof that the accompanying photo was not true. 
• I'm not saying it couldn't or wouldn't happen (it probably would), I just disputed the exact details of the account. 
• The Pope is in Brazil and the Fifth Grader in The House asked me, "Why are they trying to touch him" as she saw crowds gather around his vehicle as he made his way through the streets. Try and answer that one!
• The Dallas Cowboys beat writers are tweeting every mundane play of the Cowboys training camp (with insight that they probably do not possess.) Someone replied to them last night that they were going to ruin the excitement of the first pre-season game. 
• Anthony Weiner is crazy but I love the moniker "Carlos Danger".

Suspect In Saginaw Girl's Murder Is From From Decatur. Other Relatives In Boyd.

His name has been released as Tyler Holder. This is a Facebook page:

Weirdest Case Ever

BREAKING: Cops entering house 2 doors down from Alanna Gallagher's parent's house in Saginaw. Shots fired.
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) July 23, 2013

#Breaking: MedStar says 2 shot incl one officer in #Saginaw near Alanna Gallagher's home.
— FW Star-Telegram (@startelegram) July 23, 2013

Sources confirm 17yr old suspect also being transported after the exchange of gunfire at one of Alanna Gallagher's neighbor's homes.
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) July 23, 2013

USA vs. El Salvador Crowd Scene

This was in Baltimore which, the last time I checked, was in the good ol' USA. So what's up with these El Salvadorians trying to put a whippin' on red blooded Americans (or at least some what red blooded Americans?) on our soil? We gonna put up with that? Especially in the home of The Wire?

P.S. Is there anything more cowardly than the sucker punch that was delivered right after the :30 second mark? Well, maybe taking your belt off and swinging it around like madman.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Fox 4's new bit of Heather Hays and Steve Eager reading tweets from their cell phones of viewer reaction might be the most awkward and ill thought out concept ever. 
• I really don't understand all the details, but the Dallas ISD Superintendent will now be investigated after the school board authorized an independent counsel last night. This is the beginning of the end for that guy.
• "Officials: Zimmerman helped 4 out of car wreck." That's nice an honorable, but how in the world does that headline give rise to this tweet by Mark Davis: "To all playing the game of who was a better person, Zimmerman or Trayvon, okay-- chew on [that story] and get back to me . . . ."  How do you take that story and turn it into Trayvon bashing? That man is losing it.
• Sure are lots of experts on why the lady fell off the roller coaster at Six Flags. Some are pointing to the lack of "clicks" on her personal restraint when it went down while others say that ride's mechanism has no clicking sound at all but is instead run by hydraulics.
• Our "replace all door knobs" project took and odd turn. Mrs. LL did them all (she now loves the power of a Mikata drill) but on Sunday night we realized that some were irrevocably upside down. Apparently, for those knobs with locks on them, there are left handed ones and right handed ones. I thought it was a very funny mistake. She didn't find the humor. At all.
• From the Update: "WASHER TOURNEY TAKES CENTER STAGE AT REUNION." Does this fall into the category of "I guess you had to be there?" 
• Sports: (1) Former Aggie and current NFL great Von Miller was suspended yesterday for what is believed to be drug use.  Big name Aggies sure are finding a lot of trouble lately; (2) The Dallas Mavericks have hired a new general manager which is probably nothing more than an excuse for Cuban fire him five years from now as a scapegoat as the team falls into the depths of mediocrity. 
• Saw an old preview for a Marilyn Monroe movie where she comes barreling out of the ocean in a bikini. I told Mrs. LL that it reminded me of her because she, like Marilyn, is sometimes a Stumble Runner. She liked being compared to Marilyn but couldn't get past the stumble reference. 

I'm Hiring This Guy!!!!

I'm not posting about the subject this Town Crier is yelling about (because I promised myself I'd ignore that) but its news to me that there is an actual Town Crier.

No newspaper. No Internet. No carrier pigeon. The Royals just deliver the news the old school way.  Pure class.

If I can get this guy to answer the phone (I wonder if he just yells out the window), he'll by my official Random Thoughts reader from the courthouse steps every morning.  Now that's some marketing genius. No way the Update can compete with that.