- Like I expected, things aren't going so well down in Austin. A lackluster performance and a near loss to a I-AA team will do that to you. None of this surprises me. If TCU can get anything out their QB, if Tommy Blake actually plays, and if Aaron Brown (#1 RB) can play, they're covering the spread and winning that game down there. Don't discount Gary Patterson's record vs. the Big 12 (6-0).
Lots of questions for Longhorns
05:04 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 5, 2007
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
chipbrown@dallasnews.com
Analysis –It was a joke, but it sounded like Mack Brown's evil twin.
"We do have one of the few fan bases that get on a suicide watch after we win, but that's OK," Brown said, referring to his team's 21-13 home victory over Arkansas State.
That sounded a lot like the Brown who used to crack on the Texas fans because he felt they constantly overreacted. Brown recently said he now agrees when UT fans gripe. But this Brown said he didn't make any call to arms to his players after Saturday's win that felt like a loss because "this place is hard enough. We can win by 40, and people are mad."
While Brown tried to keep things light with the media, there's no doubt No. 7 Texas has serious questions going into Saturday's Southwest Conference revival against No. 19 TCU.
"We have good players, but we're still trying to figure out who the leaders are," said Brown, who has a defense made up of 11 junior or senior starters.
Texas' performance makes it four straight games in which the Longhorns have underachieved: a loss at Kansas State, a loss at home to Texas A&M, a 26-24 escape against 6-6 Iowa in the Alamo Bowl and Saturday's disjointed performance.
Brown tried to keep the sky from falling. But maybe Chicken Little is on to something in Austin. The back-room spin on the Forty Acres was that Arkansas State game-planned all summer for Texas. That the Indians ran from a spread offense, completely different from the power running attack it used last year. Texas, according to the spin, was utterly vanilla because it was trying to keep surprises for TCU.
Then, how do you explain Texas' defense blitzing over and over again, and still allowing 397 yards to a team picked to finish third in the Sun Belt? How do you explain averaging 3.1 yards per carry after having all off-season to fix the running game?
How do you explain failing to punch it in after having first-and-goal from the 3? And this time Texas had senior defensive tackle Derek Lokey playing short-yardage fullback. Lokey's absence last year against Nebraska, K-State and Texas A&M because of a broken leg was the excuse when Texas couldn't make a yard in those games. What's the excuse now?
"It's a big game for TCU, and a huge game for us," Lokey said of Saturday's showdown that could define UT's season. "They're trying to prove they belong on the national stage, and we're trying to prove that as well. We don't want them to think it's a bigger game for them than it is for us. It's not."
Does that sound like a player loaded with swagger, fully confident Texas can pounce on the SWC team that got left behind? Or does that sound like a player hoping to avoid becoming the 18th straight Big 12 team to lose to a ranked nonconference opponent since Texas beat USC in the Rose Bowl for the national title?
Offensive coordinator Greg Davis said sophomore quarterback Colt McCoy might have been pressing in the second quarter against Arkansas State, when he threw two interceptions and nearly had a few more passes picked off.
"His expectations for himself are out of sight," Davis said. "I told him after the game, if you're not careful, you won't enjoy this. I want him to enjoy the process. There's a lot of people who hit 22 of 33 passes and they've had a good night."
Davis said McCoy made some brilliant decisions, such as on a 35-yard touchdown pass to Limas Sweed in the first quarter. On that play, McCoy checked from a run to a pass, changed the protection and changed Sweed's route.
But Davis said McCoy also overlooked some open receivers by not checking down and changed a few routes on pass plays that didn't need to be changed, including one of his interceptions.
"We give a lot of freedom to the quarterback," Davis said. "And if you're not careful, you start seeing things that aren't there."
Added McCoy, "I felt like I didn't play in the second quarter at all. I felt like I made some poor decisions and poor reads and did a lot of things that didn't help our football team. I think it was a good wake-up call for us. We will have to play better against TCU because they are a great team."
Brown tried to stress the positive with his team Sunday because he thought his players might be hearing a negative message from the media and fans.
"This is the best thing that could have happened," Brown said. "This puts focus in guys who were even thinking of taking a lazy step."
Brown and co-defensive coordinator Duane Akina said jobs in the back seven on defense are up for grabs this week after its performance against Arkansas State. Last year, the top three leading tacklers for the season were defensive backs, always a bad sign. On Saturday, the top four tacklers were DBs.
"There's a lot of things you can learn in a struggle," Akina said.
Brown was asked if he worried his team would be labeled soft for failing to convert on fourth-and-goal from the 1 after having first down at the 3 in the third quarter.
"As far as labels, this place is going to have them by the hour," Brown said. "I'm more worried about making six inches than about some label."
Only with a win against TCU on Saturday will Brown's evil twin go away. Otherwise, Brown's suicide watch jokes won't sound remotely funny.
- The NoTex Rant Big 12/National Rankings
Big 12
1) Oklahoma 1-0 - No doubt the class of the league. Big test Saturday for sure with Miami. A great defense coming to town.
2) Nebraska 1-0 - I need to temper my enthusiasm on this year's prospects until I see how they do on the road and against an elite team these next 2 weeks.
3) Texas A&M 1-0 - Fresno won't be a bad challenge, nor will the trip to Miami in a few weeks.
4) Texas 1-0 - Only here b/c Oklahoma State sucked ass last week. Hoping they lose to TCU so I can drop them below Texas Tech.
5) Missouri 1-0 - Defense looked bad. Offense looked as expected. SEC road game coming up, albeit against Ole Miss, but still is an SEC road game.
6) Texas Tech 1-0 - Beat SMU on road, whatever.
7) Kansas State 0-1 - Should I be impressed they should have beat Auburn on the road or should I chalk it up to Auburn playing typical Tommy Tuberville ball? Never blow a team out and win tight games no matter the opponent? I'm going with the latter, the truth will come out on this team, they suck.
8) Oklahoma State 0-1 - This team's been reading too many press clippings, as has Bobby Reid.
9) Kansas 1-0 - 52-7 over directional Michigan school.
10) Colorado 1-0 - Survived wild game with Colorado State.
11) Baylor 0-1 - Shut out in Fort Worth. Guy Morriss on his way out. Impossible to win at that school.
12) Iowa State 0-1 - How did they fall so far? Losing at home to Kent State???
- National Top 10
1) LSU - Any time you shut out a conference foe on the road, it's impressive.
2) USC - Better light a fire in their asses. Appeared bare minimum vs. Idaho.
3) Oklahoma - If Bradford plays like that every week, watch out.
4) West Virginia - Defense very suspect, but offense kicks ass.
5) Wisconsin - Not a bad win vs. a BCS conference.
6) Florida - Will get exposed at some point, maybe against Tennessee.
7) Cal - I was very impressed with them hanging 48 on an SEC team.
8) Louisville - Want to see them play someone before I give them any hype.
9) Georgia - If Stafford has improved, they could be a dark horse in the SEC.
10) UCLA - Offense is night and day with Jay Norvell calling the plays now.
Missed out
Va. Tech - will get rolled in Baton Rouge
Texas - will lose at home to TCU
- Baseball's pennant races are getting good. A look at the NL wild card.....
NATIONAL LEAGUE
SAN DIEGO PADRES
Who's hot: Adrian Gonzalez is hitting .326 in August and September, and is currently riding an eight-game hit streak. His offense and the pitching of Jake Peavy (7-0, 1.17 ERA in last eight starts) and Greg Maddux (4-0, 1.97 ERA in last five starts) have carried the Padres.
Who's not: Chris Young has a 6.39 ERA in his last five starts, and the Padres have lost all five games. Looks like the combination of innings and injuries has caught up to him.
Outlook: The Padres and Diamondbacks play nearly identical schedules down stretch, so Wednesday's game, the last meeting between the two this season, is big, especially with a six-game road trip looming.
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Who's hot: Doug Davis, Tuesday's winner, has been fantastic. He has a career-high 13 wins and is 8-1 since the All-Star break after beating the Padres handily.
Who's not: Orlando Hudson entered Tuesdaay's game in a 6-for-42 funk, but he may have snapped out of it with a 3-for-3 showing.
Outlook: Diamondbacks get the Cardinals next, so they can't afford a letdown. They're just 1-3 against St. Louis this season.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Who's hot: How about that Dodgers defense, which has turned eight double plays in the last two games. Also, Matt Kemp has been real good in his last two starts, collecting seven hits in his last 10 at-bats.
Who's not: Now that he's back, Nomar Garciaparra qualifies. He went 3-for-20 in his last six starts before going on the disabled list.
Outlook: Everything is with an eye toward next week, when the Dodgers' season could be made --or -- broken by six meetings with the Padres and Diamondbacks.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Who's hot: The last six games in which Ryan Howard has homered, the Phillies have won. He's got 46 RBIs in 50 games since the All-Star break, including two in Tuesday's win.
Who's not: Pat Burrell is 1-for-17 since the Phillies swept four straight from the Mets and is now batting just .222 away from Citizens Bank Park this season.
Outlook: The schedule gets a little easier with the Marlins and Rockies visiting Philadelphia, though the Fish gave the Phillies fits by taking two of three after the Phils drubbed the Mets.
COLORADO ROCKIES
Who's hot: Jeff Francis should only pitch in the daytime. He's 6-0 with a 2.68 ERA in seven day starts this season (his night ERA is 4.62). Matt Holliday, ranked among the leading candidates for MVP in ESPN.com's Player Rater, has 12 RBIs in his last 11 games.
Who's not: Ryan Spilborghs is the only Colorado bat that's gone cold. He's just 3-for-28 in his last 10 games.
Outlook: The Rockies could have their fate determined in a week, with three home games against the Padres and four in Philadelphia. Colorado has enjoyed the comforts of home, going 41-26 at Coors Field, but is just 31-40 on the road.
- More on the death of Carter Albrecht.
Carter Albrecht’s presence on the local music scene will be missed
06:16 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 5, 2007
By MIKE DANIEL / The Dallas Morning News
mdaniel@dallasnews.com
When it came to music, Jeffrey Carter Albrecht was obsessive. But the guitarist and keyboardist was also compulsive in about sharing his gifts.
His contributions to the local indie music scene might be measurable somehow if the walls at Dallas' live music clubs, recording studios and tucked-away rehearsal rooms could utter a single sentence about his performances there.
When Mr. Albrecht, 34, died early Monday, he was a member of rising indie pop band Sorta, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Salim Nourallah's band (the Polaroids) and he was solidifying his own solo material. He had also helped found, played with in or performed with the Limes, Sparrows, Budapest One, Burden Brothers, Paul Simon, David Howard, Chris Holt and the Egos, and the Dead Thing. He'd even tickled ivory for the Dallas Symphony before he migrated to local pop and alt-country about 13 years ago.
He was shot to death as he tried to kick in a neighbor's door in an apparent drunken rage after beating his girlfriend, police say. The neighbor reportedly thought Mr. Albrecht was a burglar and fired a pistol up high through the back door as a warning. The shot hit the 6-foot-4-inch Mr. Albrecht in the head instead.
A life of music
His passing has numbed Dallas' indie music community. Many of those who knew him insist that he was never violent; they describe him as even-tempered natured and sometimes shy. His death is a shame no matter what the circumstances, especially since Mr. Albrecht's passions were so far removed from the behavior surrounding his death. that marked his exit.
"He was so consumed by music," said local musician and producer Mr. Nourallah, with whom Mr. Albrecht worked as a band mate and session musician for several years. "Sometimes it seemed that he forgot about everything else. Every time I called him to come play on a session — even with someone he'd never heard of — he was there, usually within 24 hours. Whoever was in the room was blown away by his playing."
In 2003, he won the Dallas Observer's best songwriter and musician awards for his expansive generosity, which was born from a love for music performance in all of its forms. When it came to that, he was game — wherever, whenever, whatever and with whomever. And his game was frightfully good.
"At the Allgood Cafeé about a month ago, my daughter Sophie wanted to sing with him," said Kenny Withrow, guitarist for New Bohemians. "She wasn't going to be denied, either. But Carter just had a great attitude about it; he got her a chair, and just told her some things to sing before each song, and she stayed up there the whole set and sang with him. She loved it."
On recordings such as Sorta's most recent CD, Strange and Sad But True, and Edie Brickell & New Bohemians' 2006 offering, Stranger Things, Mr. Albrecht's keyboard playing is delicate and supportive, with no pretension toward flash or embellishment. His musicianship is plainly keen and tight, but it holds little hint of his actual capabilities or his aptitude.
Talented instrumentalist
Mr. Albrecht took up guitar well after graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1995 with a piano performance degree. Yet his guitar playing was as deft and assured as his work on keys. He even contributed harmonica to New Bohemians material.
On a stage, the Kansas native's attitude was plain: utter joy, combined with a stately but slightly awkward and bashful grace that easily endeared him to an audience. His actions when performing often seemed inherently apologetic for being so competent; that effect was magnified when he played with someone outside of his circle, such as Dead Thing or local R&B legend Bobby Patterson, who had recently befriended Mr. Albrecht and thought of him as a kindred spirit.
"There's a lot of reasons that people make music; it's the biggest stereotype that you don't make money with it, of course," said Michael Schoder, owner of the Granada Theater and CD World and an active local-music supporter. "He was doing it for another purpose. He was one of those guys doing it for the love of music. And of those, he was maybe one of the greatest musicians that this city has ever seen."
Destiny cut short
"Virtuoso certainly fits," said Zac Crain, music editor of the Observer when Mr. Albrecht won its awards. "He's one of those guys that if he walked into a bar, you thought he had to be somebody. He had that aura. Then you heard him play, and you knew he was somebody."
His long, lanky frame and clean-cut boyish appearance gave him the look of a long-lost Smothers Brother.
"He was a personable scenester," Mr. Schoder said. "He was always around, always there. His loss feels like.….in your grandma's big house, there's usually that big picture that's been there forever. It's like taking that picture down."
"We were in a hotel in Brooklyn, getting ready to record the New Bohemians record," Mr. Withrow said. "I hear him laughing, and I walk into his room, and he's got this magazine of kittens open on the bed. He was alone, laughing at pictures of kittens. The simplest things would make him laugh like that."
Mr. Albrecht's legacy has been terribly shortened. Some believed that he was destined to be the savior of Dallas' local pop music scene (whatever that means). His plans were to finish work on a new Sorta CD in the coming weeks, then spend the fall in Austin with songwriter and guitarist Charlie Sexton, with whom he was to collaborate on a debut solo CD.
In the minds of those closest to him, it's the creative aspects of his musicianship — specifically his songwriting, which had only been offered publicly in bits and pieces through his many projects — that was his greatest talent.
"He was so much better than all of us," said Sorta bassist Danny Balis, who also lived with Mr. Albrecht. "I just think he was probably too good. He was an Elliott Smith. He was a Bob Dylan. He wasn't an every day writer. His body of work was so important, but very few people got it and understood it. And I'm not just saying that because I'm biased; I truly believe it. He had ‘it.'."
"The beauty of Carter was that every time we stepped on stage.….[pause]. I mean, in this city, you don't get much better a musician than him," said Trey Johnson, Sorta's lead songwriter and vocalist.
"The Dallas music scene is kind of hobbling along as it is, but to lose Carter.….It's going to be really hard for a lot of us to carry on like nothing happened," Mr. Nourallah said. "It's such a waste of a remarkably talented and kind musician.
"If he was only good at one of those things, then that would have been great. But he was so good at all of those categories. He was truly one of a kind."
Mr. Albrecht is survived by his father, Kenneth, and his mother, Judith, both of Plano. Memorial services will be at 2.p.m. Friday at Parkway Hills Baptist Church, 2700 Dallas Parkway in Plano.
- More from his girlfriend
Girlfriend of slain musician cites anti-smoking drug
08:05 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 5, 2007
By MICHAEL GRABELL and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
Friends of a popular Dallas musician killed early Monday are at a loss to explain what caused him to spin out of control, beat up his girlfriend and try to kick in her neighbor's door after a night of heavy drinking.
Now they're wondering whether a pill that Carter Albrecht had recently started taking to quit smoking may have sent him over the edge. But there is no hard evidence that the drug causes bouts of rage.
"I really believe it was the drug," said his girlfriend, Ryann Rathbone. "He would have never been abusive toward me, never, ever. He and I had a very peaceful, loving relationship. He and I loved each other so much."
While some users of the drug Chantix have reported symptoms of anger on Internet blogs, no studies released by the Food and Drug Administration, the manufacturer Pfizer or other researchers have linked the drug to violent outbursts.
"When there's something new put in the mixture, it's natural to wonder, 'Might this have made a difference?' " said Dr. Bryon Adinoff, an addiction expert at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "There may be truth to it, but we don't know and we likely may never know."
Mr. Albrecht, who played guitar and keyboard for the bands Sorta and Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, was fatally shot as he tried to kick in the neighbor's door in the 9000 block of Santa Clara Drive, just east of White Rock Lake.
Dallas police said the neighbor shot one time at the top of the door to scare him away, but instead struck the 6-foot-4 musician in the head.
The case will be reviewed by a Dallas County grand jury to determine whether there will be charges against the neighbor, whose name has not been released.
But the shooter will probably be protected under state laws allowing Texans to use deadly force to prevent someone from breaking into their homes at night. A new law that took effect Saturday, known as the "Castle Doctrine," strengthens those rights by eliminating the requirement that people try to flee before shooting in self-defense.
One neighbor, Natalee Morse, said she and others who live nearby brought groceries to the homeowner in sympathy.
"We wanted to do something to show we support them," she said. "It's a terrible position to be in. All of us thought we'd do the same thing if we were in that position."
According to police reports, there have been 15 burglaries on the 1 ½-mile stretch of Santa Clara Drive since January 2006. Four of those burglaries took place in vacant houses, and one occurred in a backyard storage shed. No reports of robberies could be found during that time.
'Chantix dreams'
Friends said Mr. Albrecht, 34, was normally a laid-back guy who never became violent when drunk. He and his girlfriend had been taking Chantix for about a week and planned to stop smoking Monday. They had started having vivid sleep experiences that users have nicknamed "Chantix dreams."
"It was giving them awful, strange nightmares," said bandmate Ward Williams.
Changes in dreaming, along with nausea and constipation, are common reactions to the drug, according to Pfizer and the FDA. But they are also symptoms of withdrawal.
Chantix is a prescription medicine that works by blocking nicotine from attaching to the brain receptors that produce feelings of pleasure. It was approved by the FDA in May 2006 after studies showed it to be far superior to other anti-smoking drugs without any major side effects.
"While we haven't had an opportunity to review the details of this case, clinical studies do not suggest a causal relationship between Chantix use and rage," said Pfizer spokesman Francisco Gebauer.
An FDA spokeswoman said the agency would look into the matter but didn't have enough information to say whether the drug could have contributed to Mr. Albrecht's violent outburst.
But Dr. Adinoff said it's possible that heavy drinking on top of the Chantix might have triggered a strange reaction. That's why most drugs bear warnings against taking them with alcohol.
"Both of them interact with some of the same regions of the brain," he said. "You mix alcohol with another drug that affects the central nervous system and you can easily get some unpredictable effects."
Behavior change
Ms. Rathbone said she met Mr. Albrecht about 1 a.m. Monday at a bar on Greenville Avenue. He had taken a dose of the drug just before going to the bar and didn't seem drunk when she got there, she said.
But as they left the bar shortly after 2 a.m., Mr. Albrecht started acting bizarrely, she said. He began quoting a book about the oppression of the Jews called Constantine's Sword, which he had recently been reading.
"He was saying weird, off-the-wall stuff that didn't match our conversation," Ms. Rathbone said. "I think because I didn't understand, he started to get mad at me. It didn't make sense."
She said they were home about 10 minutes when he became out of control.
"He wanted to leave, and I didn't want him to drive," she said. "He already didn't know who I was at that point. I didn't want him going anywhere."
That's when he began to hit her, she said. "He didn't even realize he was hurting me. He had no idea. He was saying the same kinds of stuff that didn't make sense. It was like he was in a dream."
Mr. Albrecht chased Ms. Rathbone outside, and she ran back in, locking him out, the police report said. Mr. Albrecht then went to the back of the neighbor's home and started banging.
The Dallas County medical examiner's office will conduct toxicology tests to determine what was in Mr. Albrecht's system. But that will probably take several weeks.
"We're not by any means scientists or chemists," said Sgt. Larry Lewis, a Dallas homicide supervisor. "We'll look at anything and everything."
- Picks O'the day
Yesterday - 2-1
YTD - 140-126
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