Love is in the air (as is TCU Athletics)

Before we get to far into the conversation, let me remind all you romantics (and wannabes) that you only have four shopping days left before Cupid descends to do his work. Advice from Denton here – DO NOT forget her on Valentine’s Day.

(This message is not affiliated with any candy, flower peddler, card-maker or other Valentine’s Day profiteer.)

With that behind us, let’s turn our attention to a large menu of topics that make for an interesting Friday afternoon:

Football Stadium Update
As you can see by the photo taken around 2:30 p.m., the east side of the new Amon G. Carter Stadium is moving. It won’t be long before all the concrete uprights are poured and then things really start to happen.

Just Seven Days until Yardball!
The Baseball team will start its quest for another trip to Omaha one week from today at home against Ole Miss. The 54-game slate features a school-record 34 home contests and 23 tilts against teams that participated in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Frogs hoops teams begin the home stretch in MWC play
Believe it or not, the MWC Basketball Tournament championship games will be played one month from today in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, both TCU’s men’s and women’s teams get ready for the stretch drive. The Lady Frogs are at Colorado State tomorrow while the Men in Purple try to rebound from an upset loss to SMU last Wednesday in Dallas.

Don’t Mess with the TCU Rifle team
If you haven’t noticed, the TCU Rifle team is No. 1 in the nation, with recent wins over No. 2 West Virginia, No. 3 Kentucky and Air Force. (Those are three mountain schools who know how to handle their shootin’ irons.) The Horned Frogs are the nation's only undefeated team at 9-0 this season. Word is that several of the Frogs could be on their way to the Olympics to shoot for the USA. Stay tuned. And keep your head down!

Kick ‘Em High!

The seduction of National Signing Day

Well, here we are on National Signing Day for college football. It’s a day filled with excitement, hope, hype and tension.

Truth is, in today’s college football world, true freshmen rarely have much of an immediate impact on the programs they join. Today’s darlings will not be heard from for a while.

College football is a five-year proposition, and for most of today’s stars of Signing Day, they’ll be on the scout team come September, running the upcoming opponent’s plays in practice against the first-team defense.

Fact is, today we celebrate dropping high school stars into the college football incubator, and, hopefully, in two or three years, they’ve matured, transitioned into college life, made their grades and developed into players. While many make it, many do not. Academics, injuries and a lot of other snares often end players’ college careers before they ever get started. Five years from now, we’ll look back and see who bloomed and who faded into the wood work.

But today? Celebrate. It’s National Signing Day and every player’s a five-star, can’t-miss, blue chip!

Hooping it Up

If you haven’t noticed, TCU’s Women’s Basketball team is on a bit of a roll, winning three straight conference games. They’ll play at 7,227 feet tonight in Laramie. With a win, Jeff Mittie’s bunch will have evened their record at 11-11.

TCU’s Men’s team will play at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum at 7 p.m. against the upstart, overachieving Wyoming Cowboys. The Frogs at 2-3 in Mountain West play are in the thick of the race. Believe it or not, when the Frogs travel to San Diego State this coming Saturday, they’ll be half way through their conference schedule. By the way, the second-half conference slate favors the Frogs with all the top-tier teams coming to the DMC.

Football Season Ticket Renewals

Season ticket renewal information is in the mail to all 2011 TCU Football season ticket holders. NOTE: Inside the packet is a response form that EVERY SEASON TICKET HOLDER MUST RETURN BY 5 P.M. NEXT MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6. No form means no season tickets for the first season in the Big 12, so make sure to get your form in. For information and help, call Stadium Re-Seating Hotline at 817-257-SEAT.

Kick ‘Em High!