1989NDN

SJ is an all-boys school with 1,400+ boys in grades 9-12. They are required by the UIL to multiply their student population by two to satisfy the presumption of an equal number of female students that would be present in a public school setting. Aggies Are We is right...notwithstanding the enrollment numbers, the UIL requires and SJ had to agree to play in the highest classification. For open enrollment schools, do you use the same rule...notwithstanding the enrollment numbers, will the UIL require and the school must agree to play in the highest classification? 14.2's post has prompted me to read about the select divisions being considered by some states. That's an interesting concept.

Strake Jesuit does not have 3,000 kids. My son goes to school there. They have 1,400 - 1,500 young men in grades 9-12. I'm not just referencing SOC. The DFW suburb schools recruit or "steer kids" just like SOC. I have an in-law that coaches in the DFW; no, she's not a football coach; she's volleyball/golf. I'm not sure what the answers are for a level playing field. We are a mobile society. Families move for all kinds of reasons. Blended families have kids in different schools for different reasons (e.g., private, public, and possibly in different public school zones). It's a complicated issue. Some families seek out special education resources to help those children in need. Not everyone moves for athletic reasons. A lot do, but not all. I've always thought it was strange that Aledo has an OL with 6'6" 280 lbs. kids every year. Highland Park, too. SLC, SOC, Desoto, and the list goes on. It's not just SOC.

Should the UIL require open enrollment schools to play sports in the highest classification? The private schools who elect to play in the UIL are required to play in the highest classification. Houston's Strake Jesuit comes to mind. SJ's enrollment fluctuates between 1,200 and 1,400, but the SJ sports teams must play in 6A. Should the open enrollment schools be treated the same way? Both systems, private education and open enrollment public schools, can cherry pick athletes.

Tatsuya Imai has to go. He has failed to get out of the FIRST inning in three of his 15 starts this season and has thrown fewer than five innings eight times. This information is courtesy of Chandler Rome who I follow on the X (old twitter) platform. The Stone Cold Astros podcast believes Dana Brown is a lame duck. The Astros will let him ride out this season, the last year of his contract. If the Astros make a deadline trade, supposedly Brown wants a bat. Espada is asking for starting pitching. Which one will win that tug-of-war?

Slight lean in favor of Montgomery due to RB Keldrid Ben. He's not the biggest, fastest, or most elusive RB, but defenders just bounce off of him. You are not going to arm tackle him. Even when a defender puts a good hit on him, you better bring some friends to get him on the ground. He can take a hit, keep his balance, and keep going.

Nothing will change in Iran unless the United States commits ground forces and removes the regime in power. That is unlikely to happen because it would cost American military lives and could become a prolonged, Vietnam-like conflict. Dead soliders and a prolonged war will ruin President Trump's slim chances of hanging on to Republican majorities in the House and Senate during the midterm elections. President Trump can't bully his way out of this situation. He's not going to bomb electrical and sewer infrastructure in Iran. That will turn the Iranian people against him and may create a refugee crisis, which will anger the other nations in the Middle East. President Trump has similar problems in Lebanon. Turkey will not let the United States or Israel put boots on the ground in Lebanon. Iran knows that so Hezbollah keeps playing cat-and-mouse games in Lebanon lobbing missiles at Israel. I don't see how President Trump gets out of this mess unless he forces a regime change in Tehran.

Lunceford is a great pitcher and student...he exemplifies PN-G's core values of HONOR, PRIDE, and TRADITION. Happy for all of these kids and coaches. GO INDIANS!!!

Last night, LMJ just didn't have it. At times this season, he has pitched well. At other times, like last night, he just didn't have it and the hitters put the bat on the ball. 5 innings, 5 earned runs, the Yankees opened the game with three runs, and two long balls. Overall, not a good night for LMJ. He competed, he's not a quitter, and he doesn't sulk on the mound, but his "stuff" just wasn't there. The offense didn't do anything either. The crowd was probably 70/30 Astros over Yankees, but when the Yankees opened the game with three runs and then had back-to-back big innings in the sixth and seventh, those Yankee fans got loud. I hate when that happens. Yankees, Cubs, Rangers, and Dodgers fans can get loud at Minute Maid/Daikin Park. On to the next game. Let's go Astros! Win, lose, or blow-out, I'm sticking with you. Go Astros!

Astros Friends, I'm afraid our Astros may have a long and ugly season in 2026. After last night's 9-6 loss @ Seattle, our beloved Astros are 9-10 on the year and struggling with a five game losing streak. Ouch! Our starting pitching is hurt (Brown), or has too small of a sample size to say if they are good or bad (LJM), or they are not very good (the rest of the group). I've got my unwashed 2022 Altuve jersey out of the closet (I last wore it for game six of the 2022 World Series vs. Philly), my rabbit's foot out, and my rally cap on. Time to break the five game losing streak and get on a five or six game winning streak (fingers crossed). 143 games left! Time to go 143-0. GO ASTROS!!!

+1 baddog. We need the Astros to play clean baseball, keep the bats hot, and hope the pitching comes around. Maybe Abreu will break out of his funk and have a big year? I know its only been 10-games, but I'm a tad concerned about him. On to Colorado and Seattle. GO ASTROS!!!

Last week President Trump told the public that the Iranian military was destroyed, the United States had total control of the air space, the war was won, and the operation was near complete. I guess not. We have a F-15 down and a missing pilot. Last week President Trump told the public that Iran wanted to make a deal very badly. I guess not. We're having to send B-52 bombers to the region to destroy Iran's infrastructure, which will make the everyday Iranian on the street angry at the United States for destroying their water and electricity supplies. Has anyone in Iran found the uranium that was days away from being enriched to a level for nuclear weapons? Maybe it's hidden with the weapons of mass destruction that Iraq had in the 1990s? Even President Trumps strongest supporters have to be thinking, has he embellished the truth and gotten us into another Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan/Taliban situation?

Listening to the oral arguments and the questions asked from the bench, I predict a 7-2 decision affirming birthright citizenship. Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for the majority, and Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito dissenting. We'll see in June or July when the decision and written opinions are released.

Enjoyed the game tonight. LJM was on fire. I like B. Matthews. He's got game. GO ASTROS! Good guys win!

In honor of the late, great Ken Hoffman (Journalist/Writer/Columnist, Houston Chronicle): Why won’t the Houston Astros serve beer this year at Daikin Park? Answer: They lost the opener. Like others in this thread, I hope it’s not a sign of what’s to come in 2026. 161 games to go! Let's Go Astros!

Other countries already have nuclear weapons capable of reaching the United States, including Russia, China, and North Korea. What is the cost of the defense systems designed to address those threats? Do we not already have and maintain defense systems such as the North American Aerospace Defense Command, along with missile defense networks, early-warning systems, and strategically deployed defense assets around the world? The United States spends billions of dollars each year on the military, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and defense contractors. The country has also monitored Iran for more than four decades. Yet the argument now being made is that the United States must assassinate Iranian leaders and seize Iranian oil because, if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, it could not be stopped—despite the fact that the United States has long deterred nuclear-armed adversaries such as Russia, China, and North Korea. If our systems are good enough to monitor Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong Un, aren't they good enough to monitor the mullahs in Iran?