WHY ALL THE HATE NORTH TEXAS?

[ALEX LIFESON]

I have a friend from NTS, and he sent me a link from their fan site gomeangreen.com. With their opening game against UT, I was shocked by all of the hate SMU post and threads. Unbelievable! What gives?

[jtstang]

They have a web site? Who knew.

Probably has a lot to do with the fact that Gerald Turner blackballed them from C-USA.

[Mustangs35SMU]

I have a friend from NTS, and he sent me a link from their fan site gomeangreen.com. With their opening game against UT, I was shocked by all of the hate SMU post and threads. Unbelievable! What gives?

Didn't know they had a website.

But I knew they hated us for whatever reason. Well atleast that poster that always came over here during that 03 and 04 season bragging.

Funny how when we end up having a better record than them he disappeared.

[carter08]

I tried to register at the UNT site, and they never sent me a confirmation thing. BOO

[MrMustang1965]

I tried to register at the UNT site, and they never sent me a confirmation thing. BOO

One question: why would you WANT to register on their site?

[CalallenStang]

I checked it out...one of the guys was comparing it to UT-A&M and UT-OU (us being UT, TCU being OU, NT being A&M) because he felt we really care about TCU and could care less about NT but would like to beat them just because they are a nuisance. They see it as a rivalry and have already ranked the game their most important in a decade. Some of them are predicting Ws, others are realistically predicting Ls.

But what makes me sick is that there are people suggesting they should kidnap Peruna and brand our beloved mascot "14-7." One guy went as far as to say he would personally organize it if NT was able to cover the spread against UT. Honestly, I hope they do try it, so Peruna can show them what Fordham's ram already knows.

Go Mustangs, beat the crap out of Texas Tech! One game at a time...

[carter08]

I tried to register at the UNT site, and they never sent me a confirmation thing. BOO

One question: why would you WANT to register on their site?

Honestly, i typed in Cuero Mean Green Forum, clicked what came up, and tried to register. Then, i discovered it was UNT

[NavyCrimson]

LOL!!!

http://www.smudailycampus.com/vnews/dis ... 39c67abe96

OPINION

Ryan "Spaz" Jenkins

Peruna packs a punch despite size
By Ryan "Spaz" Jenkins

Senior Electrical Engineering and Mathematics Major
and Phil Jones
Senior History Major

October 08, 2003

For the four years that we’ve been in college, The Daily Campus has often spouted off uninformed nonsense on a regular rate.

Most of the complaints fall under the same complaint; “SMU has no spirit,” “We need better traditions,” and “Why can’t we be more like [insert Big 12 school here].”

For the most part, we’ve dismissed these “informed opinions” as the ramblings of those who would rather sit in their rooms and type than actually take the time to learn about school tradition. For that reason, and because we’ve been too busy actually having school spirit, we’ve never responded. Until now …

Peruna has been our mascot since 1931 and has been a Shetland pony for all those years. It is one of the most distinctive mascots in college sports because he is run, not ridden, up and down the field.

Also, he is kept free, out of a cage, and is not sedated, unlike many other college mascots. Peruna embodies the free and wild spirit of the Mustang in a small package.

The same can be said for our school. While not a large university, we can pack a big punch. The uninformed “fan” who pulls himself away from the couch once a year to watch an SMU game may find this hard to believe. But here are some interesting facts about past and present Perunas.

Peruna is a stud horse used to mate with all the female ponies. He has often been known to beat up the other horses in the stable, despite his size.

Peruna has also KILLED another mascot, the Fordham Ram. During a game between the two schools, Peruna was led too close to the ram and kicked it, killing it immediately. He’s also belted Bevo and tried to mount the Texas Tech horse.

Now, if that’s not intimidating, we don’t know what is.

Anyone who bothered to come to the game this Saturday saw how much power this “oversized labrador” contains.

While waiting for the team to run out on to the field, Peruna began to get feisty. At first only stomping the ground and bucking his head, he slowly began to inch forward, dragging the handlers with him. Turning this way and that, the Peruna handlers could barely keep him still. Luckily, the team ran out onto the field, and the handlers could finally let Peruna off running.

“Peruna weighs 400 pounds,” handler Taylor Stark said. “If he wants to, he’ll knock the crap out of you.”

Stark also commented that he has never seen anyone “skipping” alongside the mascot. All handlers are in good physical condition and have to sprint to keep up with the pony.

“Ed Board is a bunch of morons,” Stark said.

Ed Board seems obsessed with the “lack of school spirit” on this campus. Yet, the worst way to increase school spirit is to start and stop traditions on a yearly basis.

Circling your pony ears after Varsity is something that has been around SMU for about two years, yet Ed Board claims this to be a “wonderful tradition.” Obviously this two-year-old hand gesture is way more important than a mascot we’ve had for 70 years.

There is a rumor going around that the senior class gift is going to be a new mascot; a large, tamed, black horse. Well, if this is the case, we, the authors, will certainly not be donating any money to the gift.

Having a larger black horse in Peruna’s place would be ludicrous. Peruna is wild, feisty horse that can hardly be held back by its handlers.

A horse any bigger with the same spirit would be unmanageable. The only solution would be to cage it or give it a rider.

A caged Mustang would be a giant irony, and teaching a horse to be ridden would only destroy its spirit.

Is Ed Board suggesting we have a mindless mascot whose spirit has been broken? We thought you said the problem was lack of spirit.

School spirit is not something SMU sends out in the mail with its acceptance letter. It’s not dependent on the football team’s record. It’s something you create within yourself.

School spirit starts by getting out of your room and going to a game, any game. We are nationally ranked in the top 10 in men’s soccer. We have outstanding swim teams. Next semester, our basketball teams will dominate the court over in Moody Coliseum.

Don’t go to criticize or be a cynic. Go and cheer and support the players. This is your school. Be proud of your college alma mater,because it’s the only one you have.

If you feel the need to argue this point, please feel free to email Phil and Ryan at [email protected]. We will be more than happy to explain to you what the true meaning of school spirit is.

We don’t need a more intimidating mascot. We need more intimidating fans.

[jtstang]

Some of them are predicting Ws, others are realistically predicting Ls.

If by that you mean predicting a W for NTSU is unrealistic, I think you need to step back and reassess. Are you saying the game is a FREE win, GRGB Jr.?

[mr. pony]

SMU will stomp NTSU's #ss.

[jtstang]

Maybe, but the morning news will not report it--only the UT game.

[RGV Pony]

Maybe, but the morning news will not report it--only the UT game.

Well, I'm sure it'll be featured prominently in the Park Cities and Denton County editions.

[Sam I Am]

Playing UNT or any Sun Belt school is no better than playing a Div. 1-AA school like SHSU. Hopefully, we are doing it for a gimme game. I suppose these opponents are either doing it for a payday or some imagined increase in thier prestige. Let's hope the former AD was setting up a 3-1 NC schedule for 2006. A 2-2 NC record this year would be a disaster deserving of a coach change.

[CalallenStang]

Some of them are predicting Ws, others are realistically predicting Ls.

If by that you mean predicting a W for NTSU is unrealistic, I think you need to step back and reassess. Are you saying the game is a FREE win, GRGB Jr.?

Before you compare me to GRGB, let me go on the record as believing in the philosophy that NO game is a free win. Not even the game against SHSU. All I meant is that we are, and should be, the favorites to win the game.

[jtstang]

I suppose these opponents are either doing it for a payday or some imagined increase in thier prestige.

Playing SMU brings neither, so I doubt that's the rationale. More likely they figure scheduling SMU gives them a shot at a non-conference win.