Welcome to the (Blog) Jungle

One of the first things I do every morning when I get to the office is search the Internet. That search includes popular news and sports sites all over the world wide web -- ESPN, CNNSI, Fox News, etc. Part of the reason I do this as part of my morning routine at ETBU is that I can never seem to get up in time to either read a newspaper of turn on a television. The other part, I guess, is that I have become addicted to surfing the 'Net with a cup of hot coffee in my hand -- another thing that never happens around my house early in the morning with three small children running around.

Anway, part of this Internet surf for me in the mornings takes me to the web sites of my colleagues in the American Southwest Conference. The ASC is becoming more and more recognized every year as one of the most competitive, deepest Division III leagues in the country, top to bottom. If you take a look at the 15 web sites in the conference, you'll see that sort of label extending online as well.

My good friend and SID colleague Chad Grubbs at Hardin-Simmons has the first online SID blog in the conference, and you'll find it linked to the Cowboys website. That's where the idea for TigerBlog started, in between cups of coffee and a daily check of my Yahoo fantasy baseball team -- which is locked in a second-round playoff duel right now as I speak. That's a story for another time and another blog, however.

What I hope to accomplish here is to give a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at ETBU and, specifically, within our athletic department. The news and features will continue to be posted on our web site, www.etbu.edu, but I hope to be able to give more insight and information here. I'll also satisfy my writing itch from time to time and blog some other type of article from time to time that you won't find on the ETBU site -- all ETBU related, of course.

There are a lot of exciting things going on at our University this year, and I'll try to hit as many high points as possible. I can't promise a new blog every day, but when I need a break from the everyday monotony of press releases, media guides and emails, I'll try to hit the blog with something fresh.

We're two weeks into the fall season and already it feels like the middle of the year. Summer seems so far away, doesn't it -- not next summer, I'm talking about the past one. A new era of Tiger football is underway, and pay no attention to that 0-2 mark through the first two games. I was at Ouachita Saturday night, on the sideline, and the Tigers were a much better team than the one that opened against Trinity the week before. That kind of improvement week to week is the sign of a good bunch, and I think we are definitely on the right track.

Tiger soccer is also off and running, and the men's team has shown flashes of potential. The good thing is that ETBU's 1-2-1 mark has come against non-conference competition, and when this group plays mistake-free soccer they are going to be a nuisance for anyone. The Lady Tigers have been in a state of change since right before the school year, with a late coaching change, but new coach Paul Grant has a direction and a plan, trust me. He will get it done, and the ladies will keep getting better as the year goes on.

Lyndsay Mashe's volleyball team has also been very competitive through the first couple of weeks and are poised to make another run at the ASC East title. The Lady Tigers aren't as deep, perhaps, as they've been in past years, with youth in some key spots in the rotation. But the 5-5 start this year is worlds better than the 0-6 from last year, so Lyndsay and her group are right in the thick of things again.

That's it for now, so keep watching. Hopefully this will be a beneficial site for everyone and we can all enjoy another great year of Tiger athletics.