Is September a worse month than August?

We're halfway through September and the weather outside is still miserably hot. As much as the month of September is popularly associated with the beginning of fall, those of us who've lived in Houston for any length of time know otherwise. In fact, Eric Berger and Matt Lanza are having a debate over at Space City Weather as to which month is actually worse:

Matt and I routinely debate whether August or September is the worst month in Houston. I say August because it is guaranteed to be sizzling hot, and there is no hope for respite. Matt argues that September is worse because it holds the false promise of fall, when it fact the region typically does not experience meaningful cooling until October.

Berger concedes that this September, at least, is making a good case for Matt's position, as temperatures are hotter than normal and there's really no relief in sight, a chance at drier (but not necessarily cooler) air reaching Houston this weekend notwithstanding. Eric maintains that September is still the better month, due to "the slightly cooler daytime highs, and with shorter days the evenings cool off a little faster. But September is definitely not fall in Houston."

The truth is, a Houston summer runs from early-to-mid may to sometime in October, and while I agree with Eric that August is truly the worst month of the summer, September really isn't all that much better. There may be psychological forces in play - Labor Day, the start of football season, the September equinox marking the first day of astronomical fall - that cause us to expect September to be more "fall-like" than it actually is. That, in turn, causes frustration when the cooler weather we're expecting never materializes.

One thing my ears have noticed over the last few days is that the nighthawks - the nocturnal birds with the "meent" vocalizations whose appearance in our skies in late April or early May is a true harbinger of summer - seem to have disappeared. This means they've likely begun their migration southward because the change of seasons is indeed upon us.

Hopefully and eventually. 

#22 Houston 77, Southern 6

This game went about as expected, which is to say it was a beatdown.

The Good: The Cougars thoroughly dominated the game in all aspects - Ryan runs through some of the numbers - and were able to empty the benches on both offense and defense. Nine different Cougars scored touchdowns, including highly-rated freshmen such as QB Keisean Henderson (who passed for two scores as well) and RB John Hebert. Ten different players accounted for Houston's 388 rushing yards; this is mainly because Houston stopped passing the ball after their first score of the second half. Both coaching staffs and the officiating crew agreed to shorten the fourth quarter to eight minutes.

The Bad: Southern did not bring their famous band, the Human Jukebox, to this game. Aren't the bands the entire reason we sign these SWAC schools to play - and get beaten up by - us? You'd think the band's presence would be a stipulation in our contract with Southern.

Oh, and power glitch that briefly caused the stadium's lights to go out towards the end of the first half. It didn't affect the game, but it could have been really embarrassing had it been a nationally-televised game against a major opponent. 

What It Means: Southern coach Marshall Faulk was none too pleased that his program had to play this game. "That wasn't really a game, that was kind of a preseason crash-dummy test for Houston to work on all the good plays," he said, and he's not wrong. Glorified scrimmages like these are played because we need an easy opponent for our players to gain reps and experience against and they need a paycheck (in this case, $450,000 and 125 pizzas) to keep their programs afloat. It didn't feel good back in the 90s and 00s when those weak UH teams had to go play against the likes of Michigan, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, USC or LSU (although one time that didn't really work out for the Tigers) for money, and it can't feel good for Southern now, especially in the era of unlimited transfers and NIL money.

Now the real fun begins, as the Cougars travel to Lubbock to face the 13th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders on Friday night. 

Brandon Fisher 1972 - 2026

Brandon Fisher was our neighbors' nephew* and every summer he and his family would come down from Pittsburgh to visit them. Brandon would end up hanging out with myself and other kids from the neighborhood, and we'd watch movies with him or take him to places like Astroworld or Galveston. 

Those visits ended along with our childhoods, but many years later we reconnected on Facebook, and I always enjoyed the posts he shared about sports (including his favorite team, the Pittsburgh Penguins) or about musical acts that we both enjoyed.

Brandon had been battling illness for a while. He passed away a few weeks ago, on August 29th, just one day short of his 54th birthday.  His obituary ran in The Beaver County Times; as is my custom on this blog, I am reproducing it here.

Rest in peace, Brandon. Wherever you are now, may the Penguins always win and the music always be loud.

Brandon J. Fisher, 53 of Ellwood City died Saturday, August 29, 2026 at Quality Life Services of Grove City. He was the son of Joseph "Joe" and Sidney (Gulentz) Fisher and was born August 30, 1972, in New Brighton.

He is survived by his daughter; Elyse Fisher, brothers; Paul Fisher and his wife Alison of Cranberry Twp, Elliot Fisher and his wife Alexis of Economy Borough, his nephew; Devin and Niece; Carys, his uncle; Robert Fisher and his wife Donna of Houston and his aunt; Robyn Webb and her husband Bruce of Houston. He enlisted in the US Army Reserves in 1991 and served eight years and was honorably discharged. Brandon was also an active member of the J. Wilbur Randolph Post 157 of the American Legion. He was a full-time Civil Engineer working in the greater Pittsburgh area as well as Erie. He was an avid hockey fan, especially the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brandon enjoyed fishing, collecting hockey cards, building custom Lego structures, playing vintage pin ball machines and video games. He loved to bake and cook, most enjoying making chocolate chip cookies. He enjoyed music especially listening to Nine Inch Nails. Brandon was a loving father, son, and brother. He will be missed by so very many.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents; John and Julia Fisher and John Gulentz and Velma Kuhn.

The family will receive friends on Friday, September 4, 2026, from 4-7pm at Turner-Hyde Funeral Home of Ellwood City. Additional calling hours will be held on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at North Sewickley Presbyterian Church located at 106 Chapel Drive Ellwood City from 10-11am. Military Honors will be rendered by the Veteran’s Honor Guard immediately before the Funeral Service following at 11:00AM with Rev. Dr. Rebecca Collins, officiating.

Interment will be in the North Sewickley Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial donations be made in Brandon’s name to the J.Wilbur Randolph Post 157 of the American Legion at Post Office Box 569 Ellwood City, PA 16117

Arrangements entrusted to the Turner-Hyde Funeral & Cremation Services located at 6th and Park in Ellwood City.

* Those neighbors being a professor at the UH College of Architecture - who would later become dean and sign my undergraduate diploma - and his wife. 

#24 Houston 33, Oregon State 20

The Cougars endured brutal heat, a rain delay, and a late Oregon State rally to start the 2026 campaign with a win.

The Good: QB Conner Weigman threw for 305 yards and a touchdown - a 31-yard strike to Amare Thomas - and rushed for what turned out to be the game-sealing score. RB Re'Shaun Sanford, who was forced to sit out the last two seasons with ACL injuries, rushed for 75 yards on 11 carries, including a beautiful 56-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter. The Cougar ground game would accumulate 228 yards in total; the 533 yards in total offense was the most in a UH home opener since 621 yards against Tennessee Tech in 2015.

The UH run defense was superb, limiting the Beavers to 26 rushing yards for the entire game. 

The Hilarious: Early in the game, some dipshit ran onto the field and was promptly tackled by a UHPD officer who exhibited perfect wrap-up form. Does that officer have any eligibility remaining?

The Bad: The Beavers scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to creep back within six points midway through the fourth quarter, creating some tense moments for the Cougar fans who managed to stick around through the heat and rain. The Cougars didn't do themselves any favors during the OSU rally, surrendering two long scoring drives, throwing an ill-advised INT in the red zone, and dropping what should have been a sure INT of their own. Oregon State QB Braden Atkinson gave Houston's pass defense fits, accounting for 376 yards and a touchdown through the air.

The Ugly: While some sloppiness is to be expected in the first game of the season, the Cougars had more than their share of miscues on Saturday. They committed ten penalties, turned the ball over twice (while failing to force any turnovers of their own), and missed way too many tackles. More pressure on the QB would have helped too: Atkinson had way too much time to find open receivers, despite being sacked four times.

The actual number of attendees in TDECU Stadium was well beneath the announced attendance of 28,732, and most of those who did attend left during the rain delay. While the attendance was disappointing, it's not like this a new issue for the program, and after sitting in the heat, then the rain, then the after-rain steaminess of yesterday's game, I certainly can't fault anybody for deciding to stay home and watch the game in air-conditioned comfort.

What It Means: While this performance might not have been the dominating one coaches, fans or some bettors (Houston was a 21-point favorite) would have liked, it was still a win and it exposed the things the Cougars need to work on over the next couple of weeks before that pivotal matchup against Texas Tech.

But before they go on the road to Lubbock,  they have another home game this Saturday against Southern University. Fortunately, it is 6 pm kickoff so the heat should not be as much of a factor.

2026 Houston Cougar Football Preview

Congratulations to all college football fans, myself included, who have successfully endured another offseason. Now, let the games begin!

Looking Back: The 2025 season was by any measure a success. The Cougars notched a 10-3 record, a bowl win over Louisiana State, and ended their year with a spot on the AP's final top 25. 

The Big Story for 2026: Can the Coogs, under third-year head coach Willie Fritz, maintain last season's momentum and have an even more successful 2026 campaign? Can they - dare I say it - even compete for the Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff? 

Reasons for Optimism: There is lots of continuity from last year's team. Willie Fritz enters his third season as head coach, and offensive coordinator Slade Nagle and defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong return as well. On the field, veteran dual-threat quarterback Conner Weigman returns, as does WR Amare Thomas. They are joined by several highly-rated portal transfers, including RB Makhi Hughes (who transfers in from Oregon and originally played for Willie Fritz at Tulane). Highly-rated incoming freshman QB Keisean Henderson joins the team as well. On the defensive side of the ball, standout linemen Brandon Mack and Latreveon McCutchin return, as do safeties Kentrell Webb and Jordan Allen. 

Reasons for Pessimism: There's still a lot of talent lost from last year's team, such as RB Dean Conners and TE Tanner Koziol on the offensive side of the ball, or DE Carlos Allen and CB Latrell McCutchin, Sr from the defense. The coaching staff thinks their portal additions will more than adequately fill in these holes (for example, on the defensive line), but time will tell if these new players pan out and/or successfully to adjust to the philosophy of Fritz and his staff.

The schedule is going to be tough, particularly as it relates to road games. The Cougars have to travel to Lubbock, Manhattan, Salt Lake City, Boulder and Morgantown (those last three likely being cold-weather games) for conference matches. Last year's team found ways to win, going 6-1 in one-possession games. Can they do the same against a more difficult schedule?

What the Computers Think: Congrove's algorithm is especially bullish on Houston, placing them eleventh in their preseason ratings and predicting an 11-1 season. Massey's preseason outlook is more measured, ranking the Coogs #47 to start the season and giving them a 50% or better chance of winning nine games. Jeff Sagarin's preseason ratings start the Cougars at #37 and imply a 9-3 record as well, when home filed advantage is taken into account. The Cougars are ranked 35th (out of 138 FBS teams*) in ESPN's preseason Football Power Index and their game-by-game matchup predictor gives the Cougars more than a 50% chance of winning seven games (with another game - Colorado - being essentially a toss-up).

What the Humans Think: Houston begins the season ranked #23 in the preseason AP poll and #24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Athletic's Stewart Mandel pegs the Cougars to finish second in the Big 12, with a 10-2 overall record, and to make it to the conference championship game; his colleague Chris Vaninni thinks the Coogs start the season as the 19th-best team in the country. "Willie Fritz always figures it out," he writes. R.J. Young at Fox Sports also starts the Coogs out in the #19 spot and says that Fritz is "one of the 10 best living coaches in college football;" he sets Houston's season over-under at 8.5 wins.

ESPN's Bill Connelly predicts the Cougars to come in 7th in the conference with an expected win total of 7.4. He says Fritz "is one of the most underrated coaches of the 21st century" but notes Houston's tough schedule. Connelly's colleague Mark Schlabach has the Cougars 22nd in his preseason power rankings. "With 12 starters coming back, including quarterback Conner Weigman and receiver Amare Thomas, the Cougars might be a sleeper candidate to challenge for the Big 12 title," he writes. On the other hand, ESPN's David Hale believes the Cougars are going to take a step backwards this season, simply because their winning margins were so thin last year.

Dave Campbell's Texas Football foresees a 9-3 season for Houston, with a best case scenario of 11-1 and a worst case of 6-6. They wonder if Houston can compete with other Big 12 schools when it comes to NIL funds. Pete Fiutak at College Football News also anticipates a 9-3 campaign for the Cougars, as does USA Today. Four out of seven sportswriters at CBS Sports expect the Cougars to finish third in the Big 12, although a couple of them think Houston is one of the nation's most underrated teams. Athlon thinks the Cougars are the third-best team in the Big 12 as well.

Underdog Dynasty's excellent preview of the Cougars doesn't come with a win-loss prediction but is generally optimistic, stating that "Houston has the ingredients to contend for its first-ever Big 12 Championship" if they can find a way to on the road at Texas Tech and Utah. Indeed, those are likely going to be the games that define the Coogs' season. 

What I think: The Cougars are returning a lot of talent and Willie Fritz has proven himself to get results. However, the schedule gives me some heartburn, with road games against teams expected to the Conference's best and two sets of back-to-back roadtrips. The University of Houston may actually put a stronger and more talented product on the field than they did a year ago but still manage fewer wins, simply because the schedule is so less favorable.

And that's what I think is going to happen. While I'd obviously love to see the Coogs win a conference championship and CFP appearance, I don't think the program is quite there yet. I predict a 9-3 season for Houston in 2026.

*Sacramento State and North Dakota State join the FBS this year.

Greetings from Houston and Denton...

...in Delaware and Maryland, respectively. 

Last month, Corinne and I spent a couple of weeks exploring the mid-Atlantic. We spent a few days in  Charlotte, then went to Raleigh, Virginia Beach and southern Delaware, before finishing our vacation with several days in Washington, DC. 

On our way from Lewes Beach, Delaware to Washington, we passed through Houston (pronounced HOW-ston), a small agricultural town with a population of about 380 people. There wasn't much to see there, other than the volunteer fire station (that I'm standing in front of in the picture above) and a Methodist Church. There was also a small post office.

As a nerdy kid studying the Rand McNally Road Atlas, I once noticed that there was a Houston in Delaware and I always wondered what it was like. Now, many years later, I know!

After we crossed into Maryland, we came upon the town of Denton. It has about 4,850 inhabitants and, like its Texas namesake, is a county seat; we parked in front of Caroline County courthouse in order to walk around. Unlike its north Texas namesake, there are no major universities. 

One thing that Denton, Maryland does have that its Texas counterpart lacks is amazingly delicious crab bisque - a benefit of being located near the Chesapeake Bay. If you're ever in Denton, stop at the Market Street Pub and order the Cream O' Crab soup.

After we left Denton, we stopped in Annapolis and explored that historic city for couple of hours before continuing on to DC.

The entire trip was fun and I may post more about it in the future; it was really nice to be able to spend some time in a part of the country that I'm otherwise unfamiliar with. Being able to visit the Delmarva "versions" of two Texas cities I've lived in was just a fun bonus.

The UFL ends Houston's spring football experiment

August is upon is, which means that it's time to being this blog out of hibernation in preparation for another college football season. But before I get to college football, I have to briefly mention last week's announcement that another Houston football team - the Gamblers, formerly known as the Roughnecks - are leaving town.

The United Football League today announced the difficult decision to depart Birmingham and Houston as part of its strategic market realignment and long-term growth strategy. Two new replacement markets will be added for 2027, and the league plans to expand to 10 teams by 2028, including the addition of Oklahoma City. The UFL has been actively evaluating markets across the country interested in bringing professional spring football to their city. The UFL has targeted a 12-team league by 2030, but with strong interest from prospective markets and league momentum that timeline may be accelerated to 2029.

I am mildly saddened that the Gamblers are leaving, but I can't say I'm surprised. Houston's spring football franchise, whether named the Roughnecks or the Gamblers, never regained the momentum it had before the pandemic.

A brief refresher: the Roughnecks originally debuted in the spring of 2020 as part of the XFL; they were undefeated (and drawing decent crowds at TDECU Stadium; I attended all of their home games and had an enjoyable time) until the COVID-19 pandemic shut the season down. The XFL then entered bankruptcy and was reorganized; the league, along with the Roughnecks, reappeared in 2023. They made it all the way to the conference championship game that season but lost to the eventual champions, the Arlington Renegades.

While all this was going on, another spring league, the USFL, debuted in 2022. The league, which harkened back to the days of the original USFL in the 1980s, also had a Houston team, the Gamblers. However, they didn't actually play any of their games in Houston. The USFL successfully completed its 2022 season and returned in 2023; this meant that, in 2023, Houston fans actually had two spring football teams to root for: the Roughnecks and the Gamblers.

Following the 2023 season, the XFL and the USFL realized that there was such a thing as "too much" spring football and decided to merge into the United Football League (UFL). This meant whittling down the number of total teams in the two leagues from 16 to 8, but since Houston had a team in both leagues it was inevitable that the city would be represented in the new UFL. The combined league ended up moving what were then the Roughnecks to San Antonio, and renamed the Gamblers the Roughnecks. (Confused yet?)

Anyway, the UFL debuted in the spring of 2024, with the Roughnecks playing in front of sparse crowds at Rice Stadium (because TDECU Stadium was being renovated that spring). The team was abysmal, ending the season with a 1-9 record. In 2025, the Roughnecks returned to TDECU and were slightly better, finishing 5-5, but still weren't attracting fans. Corinne and I managed to catch a game late that season - a sweltering, poorly-attended, sloppy football game that we at the time thought might well be the franchise's last.

The UFL tried to reboot the franchise for 2026, moving the team from TDECU Stadium to the smaller Shell Energy Stadium, changing the team name from the Roughnecks back to the Gamblers, and installing former UH and Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin to lead the team. However, the Gamblers only managed a 4-6 record in 2026 and, as Eddie Maisonet notes, that wasn't enough to attract bigger crowds:

That lack of winning certainly impacted attendance. According to the UFL's 2026 data, the Gamblers finished last in average announced attendance for their home games this season, with just 5,683 in the stands at Shell Energy Stadium. The 2026 number is a minimal decline from last season's mark of 5,712. The Gamblers filled only 25.7 percent of Shell Energy Stadium's 22,039-seat capacity. 

In their announcement that they were pulling the plug on Houston, the UFL's management concedes that “the reality is that we did not give this market the consistency it deserved. Between venue changes, team-name changes, and different approaches, we made it difficult to build lasting momentum.”

This is true. Between the constant home stadium relocations, the ill-advised name change (few locals remember the Jim-Kelly led USFL team of the mid-80s anymore), the washout head coach (did UFL management not understand how much Kevin Sumlin is still disliked in Houston?), and the poor scheduling (the Gamblers played home games on Easter Sunday, Mothers Day and Memorial Day weekend). it’s as if the UFL was setting the Gamblers up for failure. But there were larger, league-wide problems at play as well:

1, The UFL season starts too late. The XFL was wise enough to begin their season right after the Super Bowl ended, when people still had a taste for football and there were no conflicts with events such as NCAA March Madness, the NBA and NHL playoffs, or the start of baseball season. By April when the UFL season begins, sports fans have moved on. For teams in warm climates like Houston, the April start date also means that the season runs into June, when outdoor sports become unpleasant.

2. The UFL does not market the way XFL 2.0 did. Whatever you might think about Vince McMahon, he knew how to promote the XFL, and that was key to the Roughneck's pre-pandemic success. I never sensed the same level of promotion for the Roughnecks/Gamblers after the merger. In fact, if you weren't following the franchise on social media you might not know they existed at all.

3. The quality of on-field play is poor. To be fair, this is a problem inherent in spring football because the pool of available players are people who weren't good enough for the NFL. But every UFL game I've watched over the past few springs seemed to be little more than a slop-fest of incomplete passes, lousy tackling, penalties and head-scratching playcalling that makes for a very low-quality on-field product. If somebody like me, who is generally supportive f spring football, finds this to be a turn-off, I can only imagine how casual fans might feel.

It remains to be seen whether the UFL can go where all of the original USFL, the WLAF/NFL Europe, the original XFL, the AAF, and the 2020 XFL reboot didn't and sustain itself as a springtime football league, providing year-round entertainment for diehard football fans as well as providing a platform for not-quite-ready-for-the-NFL players to prove themselves and perhaps get invited to some NFL training camps. 

At this point I'm skeptical. But I guess I'll always have that Roughnecks shirt hanging in the closet to remind me of what could have been. 

The UFL is also relocating the Birmingham Stallions, which means that going forward there will be no more "USFL-branded" teams in the league. 

1940 Air Terminal Museum suddenly closes

A week ago, one of Houston's more unique museums abruptly shut its doors:

The 1940 Air Terminal Museum, a longstanding tribute to Houston's aviation history, has closed because it was no longer economically sustainable, according to its president.

The museum is adjacent to Houston's Hobby Airport. Karen Nicolaou, president and director of The Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society, the nonprofit that operates the museum, said she hopes the closure is temporary as a workable financial solution is sought. 

"The museum has ceased operations at this time," according a Facebook post. "Thank you to everyone who has contributed."

That terse post, which appeared the evening of Sunday March 1st, was followed by a longer post a few days later that went into details about the museum's financial troubles:

The closure of the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, an all-volunteer organization, is the result of mounting financial pressures that accumulated over time, ultimately reaching a breaking point. The problem is straightforward: the museum's revenues simply do not match its expenses.

The economic climate has made it increasingly difficult for small, independently operated cultural institutions like this one to stay afloat. Operating costs — from utilities and staffing to maintenance of an aging historic structure — have continued to climb, while income streams have proven unreliable and insufficient.

Perhaps the most significant financial blow came from the failure of a once-reliable fundraising channel. The museum had previously raised $100,000 or more per year by raffling vintage aircraft; however, that revenue stream dried up entirely. Due to inflation and other economic factors, vintage aircraft we have raffled in the past have easily doubled in cost.  This loss represented a critical pillar of the museum's operating budget, and no adequate replacement has been found. While the museum continued to generate income through admissions, events, and private rentals, those sources simply haven't been sufficient to cover costs.

Although not mentioned here, the Chronicle article about the closure also notes that the raffle was also hampered by Facebook's decision to not promote posts about the raffle because they considered it to be gambling. (As if you need another reason to hate Mark Zuckerberg...) The post also points out the challenges caused by the museum's location, in an industrial area a couple of blocks off Telephone Road and not directly accessible from Hobby Airport's main terminal. Unlike the institutions in the Museum District that can feed off each other for patronage, the 1940 Air Terminal Museum's isolated location makes it difficult to attract casual visitors. Indeed, both times I've attended the museum it was essentially empty.

The building's listing on the National Register of Historic Places means that its preservation is not simply a local concern — it is a matter of national cultural heritage. While that designation provides legal protections against demolition, it does not guarantee funding for upkeep. The ongoing maintenance of a structure of this age and architectural complexity requires a steady, reliable, and substantial financial commitment that the current model has proven unable to sustain.

The Board hopes the closure will serve as a wake-up call. What this museum needs is not another raffle or another one-time fundraiser — the museum needs a permanent and sustainable funding structure that can weather economic downturns and changes in the philanthropic landscape.

The museum's financial challenges are nothing new; I remember they had an emergency fundraiser several years ago that I donated to. I'm sorry the situation got to the point where the had to shut down completely. I can only hope that the city and its philanthropic ecosystem can step in to find a solution. The 1940 Air Terminal Museum is a valuable piece of the city's history and its permanent demise would be a significant cultural loss for Houston.

 Kuff has more.

Attila 2013-2026

A couple of weeks ago, my ex-girlfriend Michelle broke the news that Attila, the labrador/border collie mix that was her companion for almost thirteen years, had passed away. Although not a surprise due to his age, it was still saddening.

Michelle adopted Attila from Friends for Life in the Heights in April of 2013. My claim to fame is that I picked him out from the photos of all the puppies in his litter. I made a pretty good choice! I'm not sure I'll be as lucky the next time I'm asked to pick out a dog...

Attila was well-behaved and gentle, in spite of the size he quickly grew into. His worst habits were trying to escape from the house whenever the front door was opened and jumping up on me because he was happy to see me (with his dirty paws!) when I got home from work. He got along well with a then-eight-year-old Kirby; in fact I'm not sure he ever met a human of any age he didn't like. 

He did have to contend with my cats; in fact Attila's first experience with them as a puppy left him yelping and scurrying into the next room after Little Girl hissed and swiped at him. But over time he learned to tolerate them. Attila was well-socialized with other dogs and spent a lot of time at dog parks such as the one at the corner of Westpark and the West Loop with his canine friends.

Even after Michelle moved out, I still got to dog-sit him on occasion. Most recently, he stayed with me in the spring of 2024 when Michelle went on a cruise. Although older and a few steps slower, he was still the gentle dog I knew from a decade before. As he continued to age his health issues prevented any future stays with me, so 2024 was the last time I saw him.

He was an excellent dog, and he will be missed.

Left: me with young Atilla, April 2013. Right: both of us are a bit older, May 2024 

Attila gallops through the surf at Bolivar Peninsula, August 2014. Attila loved water!

g

I don't remember which Christmas Michelle had this photo taken, but it's a really good one.

Relaxing on my living room floor, May 2024

Share your steak, humans! Attila and Black Cat wait by the dinner table, May 2024 

2026 Winter Olympics Thoughts

Every four years, the Winter Olympics causes millions of people to spend a couple of weeks paying attention to speed skating, luge, ski jumping, the giant slalom, and other sports they normally wouldn't care about. The 2026 Winter Games, held in various venues across northern Italy, has come and gone, and I have some thoughts:

All Hail Norway: More people live in the Houston metropolitan region than live in the entire nation of Norway, but that didn't stop the Folks from the Fjords from dominating these Olympics. They won the most golds (18) and the most medals overall (41) in the Milano Cortina Games. This is the third Winter Olympics in a row where Norway has ended up at the top of the medal chart. 

Norway's medal haul also makes them the most efficient country in terms of medals per capita, with the Norwegians winning a medal for every 140,000 people. (The United States, by comparison, won one medal per every 10 million people.)

How good is Norway? The IOC is thinking about eliminating some events because Norwegian domination of them has rendered them uncompetitive.

The United States Did Alright: Team USA came in second to Norway, both in gold medals (12) and number of medals overall (33). The 12 gold medals surpassed the United States' previous record of 10 set at the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, and the 33 overall medals they snagged was the most since their 37-medal haul in Vancouver in 2010. 

Highlights include team USA's Mens Hockey team, which snagged its first gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice. The Womens Hockey team won gold as well. Alisa Liu brought home the first gold in womens figure skating since Sarah Hughes did it back in Salt Lake City in 2002. American speedskater Jordan Stolz set two Olympic records and claimed two gold medals in his performance at these games. I could go on, but suffice to say the United States represented well.

Host nation Italy, Germany and Japan round out the top five overall medal winners. For those who might be interested, Germany had the most "Aluminum Medals," i.e. fourth-place finishes. Norway was second in this category, suggesting that they were very close to dominating even more than they actually did.

Quad God Chokejob: One American athlete who did not do well was figure skater Ilia Malinin. I am a Houston sports fan, so I know what a good chokejob looks like. And I gotta say, because I watched it live: the "Quad God's" epic meltdown was indeed spectacular.

Much has since been written about the psychological aspects of Malinin's choke. And yes, the pressure got to him. But here's the thing: Malinin embraced the "Quad God" nickname (referring to his ability to perform quadruple-turn jumps on the ice). He even has an apparel line with that nickname. 

If you're going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk (or, in this case, skate the skate). Especially on the world's biggest stage. Malinin couldn't do it when it counted the most.

I hope the "Quad God" returns in 2030, because he truly is an amazing talent on the ice. But I also hope he brings a dose of humility with him next time.

South America's First: Before these Games, no South American nation had ever won a medal in the Winter Olympics. I've always found that fact curious, because countries like Argentina and Chile experience real winters and have legitimate winter sports facilities where those country's athletes can train. 

South America's Winter Olympic drought was finally broken in these games, not by anybody from Chile or Argentina but by Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil, who took gold in the giant slalom. 

As his last name might suggest, his father is Norwegian. Which likely explains his win.

In addition to Brazil, Georgia (the nation, not the state) also won their first-ever Winter Olympic medal.

NBC Olympic Coverage Update. Anybody who's read this blog for awhile (or who even read my Daily Cougar article from three decades ago) knows how I like to complain about NBC's Olympics coverage. In that regard, I really have nothing new to say. The live daytime programming was actually okay, if you were able to watch it. The prime-time coverage was its usual dreck, with heavy editing (they didn't even show the first performance of eventual mens figure skating gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan) and the goofy human-interest stories (they seriously focus-grouped these things and got good feedback?) that interrupted the events they were trying to show. The attention the broadcast paid to Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart was just... weird.

All that said, I think we've reached a point of equilibrium when it comes to NBC's Olympics coverage: as long has you keep your expectations low and know how to navigate their offerings (via NBC, broadcast partners like USA Network, or streaming platforms like Peacock), you can probably make the overall coverage work for you. They'll still show their heavily-edited slop during prime time because old habits die hard, but the audience for that particular product continues to shrink and in the era of social media they know they can no longer present it as "live." 

And I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: replacing Bob fucking Costas with Mike Tirico was the best thing NBC ever did in regards to their Olympics coverage.