DenisGScott

2006-07 Lamar Cardinals Basketball Schedule Nov. 1 Texas A&M-Kingsville (Exh.) Nov. 7 Central Oklahoma (Exh.) Nov. 11 Texas Southern win 1-0 Nov. 17-19 at Texas A&M Tournament split 2-1 ( Texas A&M, Saint Louis, Louisiana Tech) Nov. 22 University of New Orleans win 3-1 Nov. 25 St. Gregory's University win 4-1 Dec. 1 at Tulsa Dec. 4 at Oral Roberts University lose 2/3 5-3 Dec. 6 at Rice University Dec. 13 Brigham Young University loss 5-4 Dec. 16 at Wyoming loss 5-5 Dec. 20 Northern Illinois win 6-5 Dec. 28 at Memphis loss 6-6 Jan. 1 Louisiana College win 7-6 Jan. 6 *at Texas-San Antonio loss 7-7/0-1 Jan. 11 *Stephen F. Austin win 8-7/1-1 Jan. 13 *at Sam Houston State loss 8-8/1-2 Jan. 18 *Central Arkansas win 9-8/2-2 Jan. 20 *Northwestern State win 10-8/3-2 Jan. 27 *at McNeese State loss 10-9/3-3 Feb. 1 *Nicholls State win 11-9/4-3 Feb. 3 *at Southeastern Louisiana loss 11-10/4-4 Feb. 8 *at Texas-Arlington win 12-10/5-4 Feb. 10 *Texas State win 13-10/6-4 Feb. 15 *at Central Arkansas win 14-10/7-4 Feb. 22 *Texas A&M-Corpus Christi win 15-10/8-4 Feb. 24 *McNeese State win 16-10/9-4 Feb. 27 *at Northwestern State loss 16-11/9-5 Mar. 1 *at Nicholls State win 17-11/10-5 Mar. 3 *Southeastern Louisiana loss 17-12/10-6

I'm familiar with the Silver Bowl, I just getting at most successful D-I stadiums are on campus facilities.

they also didnt have a season, I believe the playoff guarantee carries over to this year that is the WC's dont make playoffs this year then you would get the rebate.

ok then where on campus would you build your stadium??? For the stadium to draw any students it would really have to be on or near campus so to be within walking distance for those in the dorms. I was not aware FP could not host basketball, but I'm pretty sure thats an obstacle that could be overcome if needed. If youre going to build a new stadium why not put it where the old one sits, its next to the plants anyway so whats the difference, and as far as the Montagne its still the best in the SLC I will grant that but it needs work yes and if youre going to build a new football stadium like the Carrier Dome why not use it for basketball as well to give more dates of operation instead of sitting empty during the winter??? I wasnt saying Todd Dodge would go straight to a prime D-I job as head coach, but that he could go to a bigger school as Off coorinator if he has the same success at that level as he had in HS then he would get a pretty good big name D-I job. Given the choice between off. coordinator at UT or head coach at LU, you would get FAR more exposure at UT as off coordinator then the head job at LU would provide just because of UT's stature and the fact that every game they play is on TV, so everyone every week is seeing your product.

if LU re-instates football... and goes to I-A, here's the thing and I promise I'm not trying to be negative about it...what you suggest about schools like LSU coming here sounds great, great for LU, great for the city, but what does LSU have to gain from it?? A recruiting stronghold?? No everyone here knows who LSU is. Money?? No, because they can play the same game on their field and make more money than what they would by playing the game here. I'm by no means saying I wouldnt support it, only that is has to be a good deal for both teams. LU in my opinion would have to be somewhere along the lines of Fresno St, Sou. Miss, the anyone, anywhere, anytime mentality. Play in the Sun Belt where you at least have a bowl bid. Non conference schedule Fresno at Fresno, at Southern Miss. The MAC schools have been popular lately and I know there's a couple of kids from Beaumont playing for Ohio. The MAC has their Thurs. night TV slot, schedule Ohio maybe they'll give you a home and home, where you get a Thurs game up there that ESPN or one of the 58 Fox Sports Net picks up, and then they've been recruiting down here so allows a couple of their players to come home and play again and for them to have a base to try to recruit more kids from, it's a win-win deal. Build it and they will come is great in the movies, but doesnt necessarily apply to reality. I'd support football at LU in any fashion.

ok......first off this area is so fickle when it comes to supporting local teams you have to have local ties which means hiring a local coach who knows local players, we do have a lot of football talent here no denying that. Todd Dodge is a stretch, he's done too well at the highest HS level to come back here, he's primed for a major D-I offensive coordinator spot, and even if he were to take the job here and had the same success he's had on the HS level why would he stay and not turn that job into a big 12/SEC job??? WOS fans may not like this, but why not hire Hooks?? The guy is a proven winner in every class and knows football and always puts winning teams together and knows the local football landscape. Aside from that maybe Ronnie Thompson, he's the one who taught Dodge and Stump. Stump may be a possibility as well. Even the article in today's paper about Frank Middleton coaching lineman at Kelly, the guy played 8 years in the NFL going to a super bowl, yeah I'd like to see him coaching my o-line. D-I is a great idea but just be realistic schools of the same size and stature as LU (La-Monroe and La-Laf) cant run with the big boys, it just wont happen. Start out I-AA, then try to get back to the Sun Belt, as D-I with Ark St, Monroe, UNT, they get a little bowl bid to the New Orleans Bowl, and if we were good enough to get that far its still a day/weekend trip driving so you can have support. You have to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. I'd rather see us start out to play I-AA and be capable of 7-4/8-3 as opposed to playing D-I and going 1-10/2-9 that wont generate support, Lu basketball has proven that. Also as I recall most LU football games were played at night when the program was in tact. Why??? We have nice weather here during the fall why not play during the day, set up some real tailgate parties out there, in all the years I went to LU football games I never not once saw a honest tailgate party. If you go D-I and can get a game with UT, a&m or so play it but dont be so grandiose as to think that game will happen here. The only reason UT even plays Rice in Houston is because of the market and the number of UT alums in Houston. Obviously Cardinal Stadium needs to be blown up, the Carrier dome type facility isnt a bad idea IF you get the basketball teams to agree to play at Ford Park for a few years, it seats 8000+ for hockey so you could get close to 9000 for basketball. Then build the new stadium in kind of rectangular fashion like the Alamo Dome on the site that used to house the stadium and the Montagne Center and make it home for all the teams football/basketball/soccer so that it gets it use. Have it seat 30-35,000 kind of like Robertson in Houston and then go from there. Be the sacrficial lamb to make money early... 3 yrs ago Ark St went to Va Tech got blown out but got a nice payday in an early season game and got on ESPN 2. Offer to play at Texas/Tennessee/Arkansas but dont think you can really get them here, if you have 35000 seats you can bring in a middle of the road D-I school maybe once a year.

big shoes to fill there he's been given jersey #7 same one worn by 1st round draft pick last year Michael Huff. Brown will wear 8 and Joseph 12

Maybe for a basketball conference, there are some TV markets there yes...but..... if you look at each of those big markets that you name what schools are predominate coverage in those markets. The major markets you mentioned are Hou, SA, DFW and New Orleans, the other do not qualify as major media markets. Beaumont used to be when I was in radio I think market #126 nationally, Coop may know if this has changed or not. But even in Hou/SA/DFW schools like UT or a&m get the publicity when it comes to college sports, and being born in New Orleans, everything college there is about LSU. Tulane and/or UNO are afterthoughts. Also remember Gonzaga and Crieghton are basketball only as well just like LU. LU was the original Gonzaga I remember LU being in the top 20 for a long time growing up when they had Olliver, Kea, Davis, Lewis and Bellard. It would be a step up media wise both for LU and for Beaumont instead of having cities like Huntsville or Nacogdoches. Look at the schools in the other conferences though, UH is used to playing Memphis/Louisville/Cincinnati/UAB... those are big markets where that school is the top dog, not North Texas where they realisticllay play 5th fiddle in that media market to UT, a&m, TCU, SMU then you get to UNT. Look at UH's football schedule this year...Rice is a rivalry, then Tulane, Grambling, Ok. St, Miami, La-Laf, So. Miss, UTEP, Cent. Fla, Tulsa, SMU, Memphis UH joining a league like the one you suggested while it would be an up the ladder move for LU, its down the ladder for UH, so why would they do it?? Yea it sounds great on our end, but why would those schools go for it? I'm not trying to be negative but sell me on why the other schools would want in on that

no, not negative, yea it would be great but I feel its unrealistic to think that would happen...yes UT is playing SHST this year in Austin, but why would a UT, a&m, LSU agree to play a smaller school in a smaller stadium? the smaller school will make more money playing that game at UT than at home because there are 85,000+ seats at DKR compared to maybe 30,000 at a La-Laf. All I'm saying is athletic depts are in this for the money as well, would it be a great event yes, without a doubt. UT tried to schedule other schools than SHST, they tried with UCLA, Tennessee even ND but couldnt come to a financial agreement. I admit my bad when you said mini dome I thought you were referring to something along the lines of Northern Iowa or Northern Arizona's dome stadiums. Carrier Dome is a nice multi purpose arena but again why would the Texans sacrifice money to play a game in Beaumont when their stadium in Houston is only an hour and half away and has more capacity to make more money? I suppose the black college games would be a possibility but again it all comes down to playing in the Georgia Dome/Alamo Dome/etc against a Carrier Dome type facility. If you were the athletic director of 2 of those schools where would you rather play? In an Atlanta/San Ant/New Orleans or in Beaumont?? You have to be able to sell it to the schools, recruits, sponsors..everybody. I'm not negative, not saying they are not good ideas, just that I dont feel they are realistic money wise. It would great for the city yes but what benefit is there for the schools or teams involved? It all goes back to my previous post of why do in Beaumont when you can do it in Houston in a nicer facility and make more money? I'd love to see LU bring back football I was one of the few who attended those games regularly, schedule UT I'll be first in line for tickets in all my burnt orange. I remember back when LU had football and played Ariz St in Tempe, I think LU's pay day for that was somewhere over $500,000 thats an amount you cannot make here or Hunstville or Lake Charles, not and have to split part of it with the other team. Let's start with something on a smaller scale say maybe an NBA preseason game, say Rockets and Celtics at the Montagne...Kendrick Perkins plays for Boston, see what kind of support we get for that first. And all this is assuming LU even brings back football, I hope they do, give me something to go do on Saturday afternoons when the Horns arent on. but Beaumont needs to show veryone that we support all sports that we already have before adding new ones. Average 8000 a night in the Montagne for basketball, average 6000 a night in Ford Park for the Wildcatters, show the teams, sponsors that we do care about what we already have.

assuming that for a football conference even that lineup of schools given their football talent level is lame, what bowl game would guarantee a spot for that lineup????? La tech may be suffering from travel in the WAC much like Rice, UT and a&m leave the big 12 for the SEC??? thats football suicide, if that happens you'll never see either school run the table undefeated ever again. not that it would ever happen in CS with fran there anyway. It would make a nice baseball conference Rice is always up there, Tulane made it to CWS recently and UH is no struggler themselves, but football or basketball no. Have to remember the bottom line is $$$, no bowl game or tv network is going to shell out serious money for one of those teams to compete in a bowl game, the best basketball team in the group is La-Laf and they're normally no better than a 13-14 seed in the NCAA as is, so there's no added credibility there. I hope coach Roc succeeds at LU but we cant win the SLC as it is and though none of those schools you listed are basketball powerhouses they're all better than the fare in the SLC. I just cant buy that conference lineup as a solution.

The first 4 you're right about with D-I, new stadium, recruiting and one big name.....the rest is wishful thinking a domed stadium in Beaumont?? Yeah it would be nice during the summer escaping the heat, but lets be realistic, even the maintainance part I would grant as a good idea. The Texans dont need beaumont as a mini camp with their practice facilities right there across from Reliant and a mini dome would still generate less revennue than a home preseason game at Reliant, and the black college bowl games I'm not so sure about, dont they usually get good size crowds for those in N.O., ATL and HOU??? so a mini dome would not suffice. And the day LU restarts football and can schedule a game in Beaumont against UT, a&m, or LSU will be roughly the same time they are holding the Winter Olympics here with downhill skiiing down Phelan Blvd. And as far as Todd Dodge as head coach keep dreaming.... he's too close to going to a big D-I school, or taking over as UT's offensive coordinator next year since Greg Davis doesnt have VY to bail him out.

Thats why beaumont has to ditch that "big league" mentality and support what is here. It's like what came first chicken or the egg.. If LU basketball or the Wildcatters drew 6000-8000 a night you could get better recruits or sign better free agents, who wants to play in a town that doesnt draw crowds. Unless I'm mistaken here Cardinal Stadium only seats 17,000 and change which means for football purposes kids would be playing here with smaller crowds than they saw in high school and kids dont want that. but without the players you cant win, and without the crowds you cant draw in the players.

One of my friends I work with a has a son who is a soph this year at WB, kid is 6-2/290 and he's not fat pretty agile and should get some playing time this year. Granted they're not all that size but yes overall kids have gotten bigger/stronger/faster than in years past. When I was in high school if you ran a 4.6 you were fast.... now 4.6 is nothing when you have kids who ran 4.2-4.4.

youre right Laredo wins, wont dispute that but................. then explain how teams like Rio Grande Valley, Lubbock, Corpus Christi, Odessa, and Amarillo all averaged nearly if not over 4000 a night last year I know the Laredo Bucks are CHL champs. The reason why they all did is because NONE of them are near a major "big league" city, so they all turn out to support their local teams. Beaumont does not do that, not for Lamar, not when we had the Gators, the Wildcatters, none of them, people here will show up ONLY if the team wins because they can drive an hour and a half and go see the big boys play. Where are you gonna go in RGV, Lubbock, Corpus, Odessa???? There are no major metropolitan cities near there that you can drive to to see an NFL/NBA/MLB game and make it back in the same night. You can leave here at 5 make a 7:05 game at Minute Maid or Toyota Center and be home by 11:30, you cant do that in those towns.

You can might call it the SWC but it would never be... assuming you wanted an 8 team league and could get UH, Rice and SMU.... you'd never get back the UT, a&m, or Arkansas...yeah you might get a North Texas that makes 4....you might be able to get Baylor, would be 5, a better choice would be to go after UTEP, to make 6, maybe even Tulsa or New Mexico. putting in the likes of LU or La Tech would accomplish little if only to bring down the rest of the conference. Yes it sounds good on LU's end, but what if you were an alumni or fan of another school would you really be excited to play La. teach or Lamar??? Whcih also goes back to the other topic about "big league mentality" UH/Rice/SMU could care less about playing Lamar when they can play a non conference game against a UT/a&m get it on Fox SW, where as a game with Lamar may not even rate radio broadcast for those schools. LU is not in the same class of schools, yeah they may compete somewhat in baseball... but in basketball not lately........ if they re-instated football ... not for a good while. LU's best move would be to try to bring back the Ark St and USL's back to the SLC ... there's history and rivalry there which helps with crowds and neither of them's football programs are going anywhere in D-I

the only sports SETX supports is winners, even LU basketball with the traidition they have had when they were down they only drew 1200-1500 a night. Someone mentioned before Beaumont has a "big league mentality", which is part of the problem as well...Beaumont is not/has not been/will never be "big league". Go back to the early 80's when we had the Golden Gators won the Texas League title in 83, gone by 85 or 86 and they did win. This may ruffle a few feathers but the Drillers are a total joke. The NIFL?? Please.... I'm not anti-arena football, I enjoy watching it on TV, but the Drillers and the NIFL dont even play by the same rules as the Arena league or AF2 for that matter. The Wildcatters get a bad rap because of Ford Park and still draw about 2000 a night. There are others here who say hockey isn't a "Texas thang ya'll". Funny I wouldnt consider Laredo a hockey town either and they draw 6000-8000 every night. The main problem with sports in Beaumont is that "big league mentality" when people can make a short drive into Houston to watch the "big league" Texans/Astros/Rockets or watch UT play in Reliant, they dont want to go see LU play Miss. College or Central St of Oklahoma and Cardinal Stadium is not big enough to bring in any real D-I schools because you cant guarantee the opposing team to make any money off the deal either. Yea LU could re-start football and go play all those schools on the road but none of them would ever return the game here in Beaumont. Same holds true for basketball as well, when Texas came in to play here what did LU have to do play them 2 or 3 years in a row in Austin before they agreed to come here and even then thats no guarantee because the big schools will buy their way out of that contract to play another game on ESPN before coming here. Once the general populus gets that hard to swalllow fact thru their heads and supports what we do have instead of what we dont, then maybe there is a chance.

There was and always has been a surplus of local kids who could have played for LU even back when they had a football program, and even then the local kids didnt want to play there. One of the biggest memories I have of LU football isnt a good one, I remember when WB/Central used to be the last week of the season on a Fri night, LU had a promotion that anyone with a ticket stub from the Fri night Bmt Bowl would get in free to the LU game on Sat afternoon. Attendance for the Fri night game was estimated at 22,000, announced attendance for the LU game Sat afternoon was 952, I think they were playing Central Oklahoma or something. In order for football to succeed at LU, and I really wish it would, you would need one hell of a ticket base you could count on and someone who knows how to recuit and keep the local kids here. I remember back in 82 when WB won state...QB James Guidry went to Texas A&I, other local kids ended up going to Prairie View or TSU they didnt want to play for Lamar. There's always going to be a few you cant keep here a Deon Beasley going to UT or a Chaisson looking at SEC schools but you would think with a good recruiter you could keep enough kids here to have a respectable I-AA team.

didnt he originally verbal to Tennessee and then backed out saying he wanted to take more visits?? Was hoping the Horns would go after him but with a stable of 3 frosh QBs this year and 2 committed for next year already probably not a place for him.

if the temps get down to +40 here I only go outside if I have to. I can be outside in 105 all day playing golf but get down to 40 and I dont even want to go outside to walk the dog.

only during the summer not in the middle of winter up there when its 30 below with a wind chill of 70 below

I read a post on the booster club website that Ashlee Langdone is back in town and wants to play for us again, now thats he's married to a local girl. He was always a blast to watch out there and great at picking fights and entertaining.

HS football doesnt really fit into my schedule, hopefully I will be back as public address announcer for the Catters, at least thats the impression I got from Rick at the press conference when Cameron was introduced.

That was all a long time ago before I shredded my knee playing baseball in the mens senior league back when I was still in radio at KLVI working with Hofferth and had my own sports show there too.... ahh the good old days. Still miss working those Friday night football games though sometime, havent been to one in ages.

I just hope they keep DX for a while, wouldnt surprise me if they blew that out at SummerSlam though. I had given up watching WWE always enjoyed DX so started watching it again.