We're starting the season on November 12th with the Tech game a few days later. I really want to see the banners go up, and of course I'd love to see the Tech game. In catching both I'd probably miss a week of work.

On the other hand, it's the last year of Fouts Field, and I'd really like to see a game there one last time (remember I am from Denton and actually have a soft spot for the old gal). But, no game really fits with me doing both.

So....which do you think I should fly back for? A game at Fouts one last time (maybe Homecoming?) or for our basketball team?

Tech game hands down. Nobody will be at the Henderson State game & we will suck so bad in football this year. K State might be sitting on 5 wins and will need the 6th for a bowl birth. They will not just sleepwalk into another SunBelt game like they did last year. They will beat the shit out of us !

Tech game will be hyped and you could sit by Tasty & Me !! Now if we could just get CBL to fly down for that game too

I still think that the best bang for your out-of-town Mean Green Basketball buck is a trip to Hot Springs.

Especially this year, with the golden road this team has and the apparent talent advantage we have over the rest of the league.

I saw the last banner raising, and I saw the SBC tournament finals we won in 2007 and 2010. Both of the tournaments were way better, hands down.

I'd go so far as to say I enjoyed seeing the WKU celebration in Mobile more than our banner ceremony earlier the same season. That whole tournament was a pretty awesome time, and it was the worst of the four I've attended.

Both our teams lost in game one, which was very disappointing. It was just Jesse, me, and my brother, which was a little awkward for a while since we'd never met in person and my brother didn't know Jesse at all. Also, Jesse had no luggage, and the cooler I won wound up being donated for what seems to be no practical benefit to anyone. And my brother dropped a surprise "We have to leave and drive overnight so I can get back in time for work in the morning", so I felt like a jackass for leaving Jesse on his own after the Men's final.

Anyway... That was the most odd and least satisfying (basketball-wise) tournament, and I still had a damn good time.

The Hot Springs years have been a hundred times better. The two-court setup is a much better deal than I expected. The traveling group gets bigger each year, and last year with Brian back for year two, Paul (CarribbeanGreen) and his girlfriend, and Jaime (FilmerJ) there for the first time, and sexy fun tournament meet and greets with Johnny for the 2nd straight year, George for the 4th time, and Eric and Sean for the first (that I know of)... It just gets to be a bigger and better group of the likable online fan base to sporadically spend the week with.

Plus- Rick Villarreal doing the Cupid Shuffle! Hank Dickenson confessing his lifelong love of Def Leppard!

And I know you go way back with Emmitt and Sean. From what I understand, they both plan on making the trip for the whole tournament this year. Emmitt would have been there all week last year if he'd had someone else to split a room with.

The closest level of NT Sports Awesomeness to the Hot Springs tournaments I've enjoyed was the 2007 upset against Oklahoma State. If a win over Tech were a lock, I'd say (for me) that would probably be a toss-up with the SBC tournament.

Unless you're planning on doing one of those trips AND a Hot Springs trip, I'd suggest waiting for the tournament.

Hot Spruings is tempting too, and I might try to make that as well. But, I feel compelled to make it back thru TX for an extended period of time since I haven't been back in 2 years now. Hell, I need to see my grandparents - who are pushing 80 - and I know I wouldn't get to if I did a straight HS trip. Since my folks moved from Texas, I don't have a true reason to go back every year, tho I still consider DFW home in many ways. So, I kinda just wanna visit the old haunts when I can, and maybe even walk around campus some.

So, that is 1st priority.

I came back for the 2007 Navy game/basketball banner raising/Oklahoma State win trifecta in 2007. AND saw the grandparents. And saw an uncle and acouple of cousins I hadn't seen in forever. And saw some old family friends (who were nice enough to put me up for acouple of days when I really had nowhere to go). That was a trip high on accomplishments and crossing family obligations off the list.


Now, I thought of Homecoming also because I was in Talons back in the day, and Bonfire was one of my favorite things. I haven't been back for one of those since 2002 which is an incredibly long time considering how much that was my baby.


So yeah, it's not an entirely open and shut case. I'm still trying to guage of where I could stay(I'm not gonna put poor Emmitt and Lera out for almost a week) and I'll have to figure that out as best I can before I buy tickets (made that mistake before and had to scramble on the ground...not fun times).



If I'm doing okay financially, I'll try and make Hot Hoops in March as well.