tvc184

Strange that we are almost half way through August and have yet to have a named storm. In the Year of Rita, we had 9 storms by this time of the year. Although that year was atypical, there are usually still a few named storms by mid to late August.

Even assuming they are accurate (and color me skeptical), three weeks is not much when asking about the guy predicting the number of storms for the season, even on his revisions. Assuming the three weeks are accurate for winds aloft, can they tell if a storm is actually going to form, if so how strong it will be and with any amount of accuracy, landfall.... say, within 150 miles, three weeks out?

I have been catching tons of specks at night in the channel but none of any size. I think I caught specks on 10 straight casts and all of them were right at 14".

That could be interesting. Roll a couple of sets of dice back in May and say that it looks like 15 named storms with 4 being majors. Come back in August and say that the revised data (meaning that there are no named storms the first two months of the season) now says that there will be 6 named storms and only 2 reaching major status. Then put your hand out for the paycheck. Yep, I could get into storm forecasting.

None whatsoever. They make preseason predictions and then a couple of times a year they revise them (If they are accurate, it makes you wonder why they need to be revised). Much like the spaghetti models for storms, they are mostly meaningless and all over the map. Even if you like one particular model over another, it will change so radically from day to day that to read anything into it more than 12 hours out is not worth the paper it is printed on. These are guesses (hopefully educated) at best by looking at previous trends from similar conditions. The only problem with those guesses (as your question to reliability) is that no one knows what will actually happen. Maybe when El Nino happened in the last 50 year along with a certain average daily temperature in the Atlantic, it produced an average number of storms. The average is true but it means no more than a guy battering .350 in the major leagues when he comes to the plate each time. Past averages, no matter how factual, mean nothing to this trip at the plate. He might get a hit, a home run, walk or hit into a double play. Well we are at the plate and past averages mean nothing. We might hit a home run (no storms), get a base hit (a couple of storms but no major and none hit the US), walk (a small storms hits) or strike out (get a direct hit from a major storm). And now the windup and the pitch..........

Yes, the Bulldogs are included. Interesting--since a lot of polls out there have Corrigan-Camden ahead of the 2A teams in this ranking, that either means C-C will be relatively weaker or Anahuac, New Waverly and East Chambers are going to be relatively stronger (than those other polls are saying). Which is it? Also, which 2A districts are included in this poll? All of Region 3? Time will tell. That is the great thing about polls, they are nothing but someone's opinion and a new one will come out the next week so they can correct their mistakes... I mean opinions. ;D

That is the good thing about the beginning of the season. Everyone is in line for the state championship.

The answer is obviously yes. There should be at least 6 cameras installed in every high school stadium in Texas. There needs to be two extra refs at each game for the replay with one on the field and one in the press box. All of this added expense can come at no cost to Texas taxpayers and can be funded by the economic stimulus package.

You caught cabbage?

That's the word that I heard.

I would agree with that. I think a tough schedule is better but a new coaches doesn't have to schedule 3 or 4 top 10 teams to build his program. At some point though, you do your team no good by playing teams that you can sleepwalk through.

I agree with what your're saying totally But.... Nederland had a 2-2 non district schedule result in 2005 ;D Wins against Texas City and Friendswood, losses to West Brook and West Orange-Stark I stand corrected. 8)

With all due respect, I never mentioned what some coaches do. I said that winning preseason games don't save a coaches career. Nothing more to it than that. Beating a couple of teams from smaller schools and almost never winning district games is not a good job keeper. For an example I mentioned Nederland losing most of their preseason games while playing ranked or playoff bound opponents. There are a few teams in 20-4A that have better preseason records than Nederland over the years but they don't seem to even be in the running for playoff spots. Where are those coaches now? Do any of those teams want to trade their former coaches for Larry Neumann? While I am aware that some coaches that may play patsies in order to pad the win column, those that need to do so probably aren't going to be fan favorites or be around for long.

Late in September or early October, a "cooling" front (no way to call it "cool") might move into southeast Texas.

If a team plays a weak non-district and pads their wins a bit but then loses almost every game in district, how does that help the coach? That has happened in 20-4A a few times and it seems even recently. Winning a couple of non-district games then the winning one or no games in district does nothing for the coach. Playing tough non-district opponents and then going to the playoffs keeps jobs, not the total number of W's at the end of the season. In 2005 Nederland went 1-2 in preseason. Their losses were to West Orange and Westbrook. Then Nederland went two games deep in the playoffs with only a 6-4 team. In 2006 they were 1-2 in preseason with losses to LaMarque and Waller. They again went to games deep in the playoffs with a 6-6 record. At the same time in 2006, Lumberton went 3-0 in preseason by playing Bridge City, New Caney and Cleveland. They won one game the rest of the year and went 3-7. Any clue to if their fans would trade Nederland's 2006 for theirs? In 2005 Vidor went 4-4 after going 3-1 in preseason with wins over such daunting opponents as Gulf Shores Academy, Houston Scarborough and New Caney. I wonder if they would trade Nederland's 1-2 preseason for one that went two games into the playoffs for those 3 preseason wins. The bottom line is, preseason wins don't keep coaches jobs. Going to the playoffs, especially consistently, does keep their jobs.

What an idiot. I thought maybe he and another patron got into some argument and traded a couple of blows. Nope, this guy didn't get into a bar brawl, he got into a fight with the police that tossed him out.

That is kind of the argument that I see on the bowhunting forums. What you call a "reward", they believe is time they have "earned" and not people that don't practice enough. I know people however, that almost never practice with their compounds and hunt anyway. It doesn't matter to me either way but I am not so sure that hunters have to earn or get rewarded for the right to hunt. Look at people that go to south Texas and hunt over feeders that someone else put i place. They spend $8,000 for a three day hunt where someone else has done all of the work. They simply get up, eat a steak and eggs breakfast and go shoot a deer. While that is not how I want to get a trophy, I certainly don't want to take that away from them. That plays right into the antihunters/antigun people's hands by getting hunters and outdoorsmen to go against each other. So, if someone wants to shoot with a crossbow and that is what it takes to get them involved, so be it. Let them have the choice and I love the separate archery season as it is much quieter but having a crossbow nearby doesn't bother me. I notice that a lot of people on the bowhunting forums were longtime compound shooters and have switched to recurves or long bows. Getting close to enough deer and killing enough with their bows, they have gone for more challenge. I am wondering if crossbows might do the same thing. I suspect that a lot of people will get crossbows and hunt one season and quit. They will still have to go out and scout, set up blinds close to their potential target and be fairly still and quiet. There won't be setting up a feeder 120 yards away and resting in a box blind while waiting for a shot while drinking Cokes and eating cookies and maybe checking email. They will still need to get within 40 yards or so for a clean kill. The ones that actually like it and see that it can be done might eventually opt for compounds when they find out that they can actually get with 10-15 yards of a deer and don't need a scope at that range.

Wishful thinking..... ;D

I keep hearing that but I don't think so. The same argument was made by traditional hunters when compounds came out. With their peep sights, trigger releases and 80% let off, there are people that said it would ruin archery. It did not. There is the argument that it takes away from the need to practice. That is certainly true to some extent but again, what about compounds compared to traditional? How many deer or what percentage of deer are wounded and not recovered by compound users that break out their bow two weeks before the season and crank off a few shots to remember if they "still have it"? I love archery only season because unlike the opening of the general season, it doesn't sound like WWIII in the woods. I hunt on a lease outside of Chester and maybe hunt at least 600 yards from the closest other hunter. When he shoots a deer with his compound bow, I don't know it. If he decides to shoot a deer this year with a crossbow, I still won't know it. I own four bows, one of which is a recurve. I don't anticipate buying a crossbow for any reason but if a guy on my lease wants one, does it really change anything that I do at my stand or what I hear? I just don't see it as an issue. If it gets more people involved in hunting for whatever reason, it is all good with me. I don't think hunters should be pitted against each other. Archery only season will still be quiet. If a guy kills a deer with an Xbow 100 yards away from you, you will not know it unless he tells you. I see it as a lot of snobbery on the archery bulletin boards with people that claim they "earned" their hunting privileges by practicing more. Again, traditional shooters could make the same claim against compounds. Modern compounds have gone so far above recurves and long bows that they are almost different weapons. New compound bows are just about a firearm that is hand drawn with speeds closing in on true 350 feet per second bows. Crossbows that have been around for hundreds of years are simply another hunting tool..... in my opinion. Archery only is almost voluntary anyway as a lease can go through MLD and gun hunt in Octorber through February. We had it offered to us on our lease by our biologist who would get with TPWD and help set it up. With the new antler restrictions in most of east Texas now, there is almost no reason not to go through MLD since the typical east Texas hunter can't kil the first two 4 pointers he sees. But, if someone doesn't like crossbows, that is for them to decide on their lease. That is what the pro crossbow hunters brought up time and again during the debate. Many bowhunters and bowhunting groups fought long and hard to stop the law but each lease can decide if they want to allow it on their lease so what is the issue anyway? That is not the same as guns during archery season with most east Texas leases not being that large and gun hunters are banging away all around whether they are on your lease or not.

I like that... the TPWD "authorizes" the crossbows. The state legislature forced them to authorize it. This has really been beaten up on the LoneStar Bowhunters and Texas Bowhunters bulletin boards for the last few months. Talk about some strong feelings on both sides.

That would throw a wrench in the plans. No, it would make Dave Campbell look like a dunce! LOL! And that's an accomplishment? ;D

I thought that was the Revolution.

I am not disagreeing with your idea but I think that you can train or teach heart. You certainly can't force it upon someone or make them understand it by something like having them run laps. In fact, that might have a contrary effect by making some people rebel. I do however think that a person can learn what having heart is all about. Just because you don't come into a situation with it doesn't mean that you will leave without it. I think that having a desire to do the best that you can is a learned skill as much as any other. Obviously it comes easier to some than others and some will never understand it or if they do, simply won't care about it.

Good to see that PNG is now copying it from LCM. ;D

That would throw a wrench in the plans.