FEAR THE TURTLE!

[Corso]

Forgive me for being childish, if that's the way you see this.

Maryland will play TCU in the NIT. I'm a PonyFans, ergo I dislike the little froggies. I'm now officially a Maryland fan, at least through Saturday.

[me@smu]

Not Childish at all...if we can't beat the froggies ourselves, glad someone will.

[Eddie P]

I like turtles.

[PonySnob]

Hopefully our football and basketball programs can one day enjoy post season play like TCU's do! If that is to much to ask of our programs, it would be nice if we were not always TCU's [deleted] like we have been for a better part of a decade.

[Stallion]

first things first- first we need to keep the big, bad Rice Owls from beating up on us. Hopefully, with our confidence restored from beating up the Arkansas St's and Texas St's of the world our kids will now be in the proper frame of mind to compete with that dynasty.

[EastStang]

Man, leave to the NIT people to put two teams I really don't like much to play each other. I hope the game goes 18 overtimes and is called a draw when both teams are down to one player due to foul outs.

[Treadway21]

Call me a sunshiner if you will, but it would be nice if we could all take a small break from our self flagellation and agree to pull against the Frogs.

[Stallion]

No way! I love the fact the Frogs prove just about every year that real commitment by a university(even a poor ole private school) to its athletic program can lead to some pretty astounding success. TCU puts all the pathetic wup-wup excuses made on this board to bed because they have done things so markedly different than the SMU's, Rice's and Tulane's of the world. Each and every success for the Frogs tightens the noose around the necks of those at SMU who seem satisfied with high graduation rates and perpetual losing. Why should we support a BCS program over a neighboring private school which has so much in common with us? Go Frogs!

[OldPony]

What a great discussion. We are talking about a tournament that no one cares about except the promoters and most (no not all) of the teams who are in it. Pulling against a rival we thought only about 20 years ago to be a cupcake. Is it any wonder that we don't get people to attend our games anymore?
The real wonder is that we still care. How long before the rest of us give up and go away if the Admin doesn't get rid of Copeland and show a real commitment to SMU sports? Man these kind of threads depress me and for you young folks-please don't say you'll be a fan forever. You don't know what it is like to lose at everything for almost 20 years after a history of having stood our own against the best. Otherwise victories against Tx St and Ark St wouldn't thrill you.

[Treadway21]

I don't quite get what your point is. Are you saying that those of who do care should quit supporting SMU athletics because we have been losing for so long? Why exactly do you care if you are so disgusted with the program? After telling the young fans to not be optimistic about the future, will you then criticize the students for not attending our games?

But you are right about these type of threads; they are depressing. I guess there is no time in which SMU fans can have a little fun at any one else's expense.

[Water Pony]

No way! I love the fact the Frogs prove just about every year that real commitment by a university(even a poor ole private school) to its athletic program can lead to some pretty astounding success. TCU puts all the pathetic wup-wup excuses made on this board to bed because they have done things so markedly different than the SMU's, Rice's and Tulane's of the world. Each and every success for the Frogs tightens the noose around the necks of those at SMU who seem satisfied with high graduation rates and perpetual losing. Why should we support a BCS program over a neighboring private school which has so much in common with us? Go Frogs!

Stallion, your sarcasm often works. This post doesn't!

[giacfsp]

No way! I love the fact the Frogs prove just about every year that real commitment by a university(even a poor ole private school) to its athletic program can lead to some pretty astounding success. TCU puts all the pathetic wup-wup excuses made on this board to bed because they have done things so markedly different than the SMU's, Rice's and Tulane's of the world. Each and every success for the Frogs tightens the noose around the necks of those at SMU who seem satisfied with high graduation rates and perpetual losing. Why should we support a BCS program over a neighboring private school which has so much in common with us? Go Frogs!

I often respect a great deal of what Stallion has to say. This "go Frogs" stuff -- regardless of the reason -- is disgusting.
Gary Williams is good enough reason to root for the Terps. I like his style, and he's a terrific coach.

[Pony Fan]

I don't really know why you guys respect anything of what Stallion says. If it isn't printed on Rivals, he wouldn't know what to say, other than criticism of everything that SMU does or doesn't do. I would think most of the real fans should totally ignore anything he says. I mentioned a couple of months ago as to whether he was even a member of the Mustang Club or whether he spent any time talking to people at the school, including coaches, and got no response. I KNOW the answer to both but he isn't big enough to declare any of that. This is a board for supporters, not jerks like Stallion.

[whatasteve]

Go TERPS - Beat the hell out of TCU!

(And as an admitted lifelong Maryland fan, I have a particular interest in the outcome of this game.)

[Stallion]

you'd be wrong if you thought I hadn't talked to several high ranking people at SMU very -no make that most- familiar with some of the problems at SMU. That includes Coaches including members of the current staff, former Mustang Club Presidents and SMU administrators. My mother was a Department level Chairmen at SMU and I have had close personal relationships with many of the often misguided people who played a part in implementing the damn Model. I've worked in the SMU Athletic Department. Many of the comments to me were made in confidence and its amazing how they will readily concede the problems that exist at SMU that never seem to make it into the Mustang Club press releases. I've toned down my criticism of the SMU Model almost in direct proportion to the improvements made in recent years in the Model.

As for TCU I support each and every former SWC school when they are playing other non-Texan schools. Let's see I went to Texas Tech law school, my Dad is a former President of the Dallas Texas Exes, one of my close relatives was a member of the original 12th Man team at Texas A&M and scored the winning touchdown against Centre College in 1922(by the way his brother played on the second SMU football team and is one of the original organizers of the SMU Letterman Club), my God-Sister (if there is such a thing was a cheerleader at Rice), a good friend played on the Jim Wacker teams at TCU and I've been associated with lawyers from just about every SWC school during my professional career. Most of us have dated, married, or had close friendships with alumni of those schools. Many have had brothers, sisters or other close relatives that attended thos schools. Almost all of our players competed against or went to high school with players from these schools. Most Texans have these types of connections with all of these other Texas schools. Most SMU fans over 30 would much prefer that SMU compete with these schools-and it will always be that way--that's why I called them our natural and traditional rivals. Not sure if I've ever met a graduate of Arkansas St, Texas St, East Carolina, Central Florida, Marshall or any of the WAC West schools. If you never heard of the Humble SWC Radio Network or saw the annual SWC Football Highlites at the Texas State Fair you are probaly too young to understand.

What possible reason would a Texan want Maryland to beat our sister school in Fort Worth. I think it is pathetic how many on this board blame some of these schools for SMU's problems-SMU destroyed itself with very little help from others. After SMU decided to play Ivy League Football with Rice, the other SWC schools correctly decided to make moves to better conferences and basically have left SMU in the dust. Let me repeat each and every move has proven to be -with the possible exception of Baylor nothing more than a shrewd business decision which has immeasureably improved the stature of their university. Each school did what was best for its future. Sadly, SMU has been devoid of that type of leadership.

TCU as I've have maintained for many years is the example that exposes each and every excuse for SMU's ineptitude as a lie. Perhaps some of you should analyze why you feel the failures of our long time rivals makes you as an SMU fan feel better about yourself-because I can tell you that they really think very little of SMU these days-although I know there are some old-timers at each of those schools hoping SMU finally gets its [deleted] together. So once again I say GO FROGS!