The first sip: As Richie pointed out yesterday, somehow Todd Dodge’s job is safe as UNT football coach despite an 0-8 start and a defense that ranks dead last in the nation in points allowed per game. Perhaps the team’s struggles have something to do with 18 percent of the players testing positive for recreational drugs.
“The stuff that we tested for is not performance or life enhancing," Dodge said. Well, I won’t argue the point about performance, but the life enhancing is a matter of opinion. Clearly he doesn’t think it’s too serious, as all 15 players have been given probation and will be ready to play Saturday, which seems to be a major change in policy from when Jack Jett was given the boot from the school for possession of wacky tobacky three decades ago.
Maybe Dodge was lenient because the players were getting high on Martian Mean Green, which just has to be the official weed of UNT. Showing school spirit while firing up the bong must be good for something, some life enhancement at the very least.
The second sip: In Episode 2, I mentioned the rift between John Wiley Price and Jim Foster regarding the inland port project. Truth is, the two Democrats haven’t really gotten along from the beginning, and because the inland port project was seen as so important to Price, Foster siding with two Republicans to kill the county’s involvement was merely the last straw.
So, in typical Price fashion, he cranked it up to black-hole like insanity at yesterday’s commissioners court meeting when he put a placard with the name “Judge Foster Gump” in front of himself. As Kevin Krause details, it was professionally made, and Price vowed to bring it with him to public meetings until Foster leaves office.
Don’t get me wrong, Foster is a joke. But I think he’s right when he says Price is acting like a child and needs counseling. Price is a very smart guy that has done some terrific things for Dallas County, but I’m constantly shocked at how he’s able to get away with this bullshit. And not one person could muster the courage to run against him?
Price's antics seem unnecessary as Dems like Sam Coats, Larry Duncan and John Loza are lining up to replace Foster, and it’s quite possible he will save himself the embarrassment of running and getting trounced. But Price appears unlikely to toss what’s left of his political capital behind any of those three, so I pose the question to you, Friends: Who is JWP secretly working behind the scenes to endorse as county judge in 2010?
The third sip: Roger Simon of Politico discusses the possibility of Sarah Palin running for president in 2012 after a likely McCain defeat in this year’s election. The entire story seems to be supported by the thoughts of Greg Mueller, a senior aide in the presidential campaigns of Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes, who has nothing but love for Palin. I don’t know much about him, other than he was part of two failed campaigns, but I think the man has lost his mind.
Let’s get this out of the way: I’m a conservative. I hesitate to say Republican these days since I’m not sure what that means anymore. One of the worst moves by McCain was choosing Palin as a VP candidate, and I’ve long thought the end of her painful 15 minutes of fame is near. If Palin is the best the Republicans have to offer in four years, then the party is in way more trouble than I thought.
The fourth sip: In April 2009, The Christian Science Monitor will become the first nationally circulated newspaper to replace its daily print edition with its Web site. Is this the first of many dominos about to fall? Is this a good thing? Which major newspaper is next? Discuss.
The final gulp: A cheesed-off McCain fan began shooting at teenagers when they started kicking a campaign sign in his yard, injuring a 17-year-old boy as they drove away. Watch early on for the MSNBC anchor to call the newspaper reporter “Joe” when his name is actually Ed, and then things end on a high note when he asks: “What are people in town saying about this thing?” --Sam Merten
