TY Sports 500th post: Tales from The Snake Pit

Basketball is back! Everybody in the middle!

For post number 500, we're going to celebrate North Texas Basketball's trip in the wayback machine- the season opener at the Snake Pit.

Because of some scheduling issues, the men found themselves hosting Cameron across the street from the friendly confines of the Super Pit. But when life hands an Athletics Director lemons, he makes delicious retro lemonade. Super Pit booked? Let's kick it old school at the Ken Bahnsen Gym, affectionately called the Snake Pit back in it's 50's-70's heyday.

The Band, denied the usual dedicated section, was forced to stand in the corner like a bunch of misbehaving children.

In a nostalgic move that dredged up memories of the darkest period in North Texas Athletics history, someone dug up...

Eppy, the wimpiest mascot ever.

Anyone who loves Scrappy the War Eagle may be wondering who the hell that slump-shouldered sad sack is. That would be Eppy, the North Texas mascot during the dark ages when Scrappy was decommissioned for being "too violent" and "war-like".

That's right... The dirty hippie communists that used to run what was then known as North Texas State decided that Scrappy the War Eagle was too much of a badass, so they wussified the eagle and created Eppy the Eunuch.

Why the hell anyone would ever shut down Scrappy the War Eagle, especially for something like Eppy the Let's Drink Some Chamomile Tea and Talk About Our Feelings Eagle, is a mystery to me. Fortunately, the folks in charge finally wised up and Scrappy prowls our athletic events again, hopefully forever.

But it was throwback night, so why not bring out old Eppy to celebrate the old-timey goodness?

Well... According to the official Athletics site, the Super Pit was built in 1973. And according to history as told by the Talons, Eppy wasn't created until 1974. So to whoever thought they were giving a shout out to the good old days when Eppy politely clapped and gave out group hugs to Home and Visitor alike at the Snake Pit...

It was a sweet notion, but Eppy was an anachronism. On top of being a historical disgrace. I mean, just look at him, people! He doesn't even wear pants! It's like having Porky Pig as your college mascot!!! What were you all thinking back then?!?

Pre-game tribute to the man after whom the building was named

Before tipoff, Johnny Jones drew the crowd's attention to center court to pay tribute to Ken Bahnsen. Scrappy showed his appreciation as well. I thought it was a very nice touch, though I wish the acoustics were better so I could have understood what the announcer was saying. Everything over the P.A. sounded like an adult in a Charlie Brown animated special. Did you know that Ken Bahnsen wah-WAH-wah-WAH-wah-wah back in wah-wah-wah-WAH?

Anyone who can properly encapsulate the contributions Ken Bahnsen made to North Texas history, please share with the rest of the class in the comments section.

Concessionaires in the stands!

One neat thing about this game was the presence of concessions people in the stands during the game. Getting in and out of the stands was a nightmare, so their presence was a clever way to sell snacks and drinks to the fans. And a tip of the hat to whoever trained them for this game, because they never stood up or walked through the crowd unless play was stopped for a timeout.

Enjoy the view from my spot in the stands. Can you tell who's at the foul line? Or even what sport you're paying to watch?

Holding a game at the Snake Pit sounded like a lot of fun, and I was really looking forward to it. But honestly, having watched a game there... I'd be perfectly satisfied if we never do it again. Because for all the excitement and novelty, the experience itself sucked pretty hard.

The bleachers are all parallel and in straight lines from one end of the court to another, so whenever anyone wants to stand up, a huge chunk of the stands have a dramatically reduced sight line. And the available stands are all elevated so that even when your view isn't obstructed by anyone standing, you still can't see anything beyond the bottom edge of the court.

I prefer to stand at games, so I wasn't particularly bothered... Though is it REALLY necessary to stand ON the bleachers? Especially when many of the people doing it spent much of the game text messaging and generally not paying full attention to what was going on? I didn't mind the standing because I'm tall and I generally like to stand anyway. But even standing up, because of the students perched on bleachers I couldn't see 20% of the court. Most of the older spectators in the corner with us just gave up on trying, sat down, and resigned themselves to watching a half court basketball game.

I'm not trying to give the students a hard time for standing and being spirited, though I do feel bad for the gray haired folks who missed out on a lot of basketball. But one of the downsides of the Snake Pit is that there's no clear Student Section to avoid that sort of conflict.

Aside from the obstructed view, playing at the Snake Pit cost North Texas at least one turnover. Collin Dennis was called for an over and back mid-court violation that, in my eyes, was incorrectly called. I think the referee saw him cross one of the black lines immediately on either side of the actual mid-court line and made a bad call.

The halftime hoedown showdown: Scrappy vs. the Crazed Eagles (I think).

The first half was a little disappointing, as North Texas couldn't pull away from Cameron before halftime. But perhaps Scrappy's fly moves inspired the team to new heights in the second half, because the boys came out on a roll and took a commanding lead quickly.

No adjustments can save you, Cameron.

I know a lot of folks are getting anxious about this season because they were hoping to see more in the exhibition and home opener. Personally, I'm not concerned.

My big questions coming into the year were whether we'd be able to replace the contributions of Keith Wooden and Quincy Williams, and whether Dominique Johnson would be able to soften the blow of losing Ben Bell.

So far, the answer to both questions is yes. Howerton has been a revelation. The Howerton who showed up for the SBC Tournament last year is back and playing at an even higher level. I thought he'd be a critical 3rd or 4th option in the paint, but he's starting and he deserves it. If he can play anywhere close to this level for the rest of the season, I'll be ecstatic. Tramiel and Odufuwa are both obvious talents, even if they may look a little confused from time to time. Tramiel has the added benefit of what looks like a pretty good outside shot, so he may be able to play a little 3, too. Hogans looks like he's filled out physically, and Harold Stewart is the same hard working, dependable presence he's always been. At the point, Johnson isn't a pass-first guy like Ben Bell, but he's very smooth with the ball and he's a welcome addition that should keep us on track.

For everyone that's freaked out... Relax. Josh White hasn't dominated in either game the way he showed he was capable of doing as a freshman. Collin Dennis is apparently struggling with some personal/family problems, and he's only played 11 total minutes. Johnny Jones is experimenting with some wild lineups, and the guys we already know are stars haven't played anywhere near their peak levels yet.

I'm not saying it's going to be a cakewalk to 20 wins again, but I do think that this team is going to be just fine once they get settled in together.

It's nice to see North Texas win a game again.

North Texas wins. It feels so good to say that... NORTH TEXAS WINS. People may be worried that it wasn't a big enough margin, but a win is a win is a win and it all adds up to SEXYTIME.

Considering the horrendous year the football team is going through, it feels like it's been forever since we enjoyed some Sexytime here at TY Sports. So you'll have to excuse us if we go a little overboard, as we have three different Super Sexy Snapshots, each one sexier than the last.

Rick Villarreal greets recently departed superhero Keith Wooden

Longtime readers of this site know that I have a particular fondness for Keith Wooden. Seeing him in the stands before the game, I had to go over and say hello. But "hello" turned into "I love you" turned into "I'm so glad you're here" and I finally just forced myself to walk away before I completely lost my mind and tried to cut off a lock of his hair.

Scrappy and RV plot against Texas Douche

From across the arena, Rick V spotted Texas Douche on the front rail of the stands. He went over and grabbed a North Texas shirt, waved Scrappy over, and gave Scrappy his orders: Go forth and de-Douche-ify.

Scrappy worked his way upstairs and all but forced Texas Douche to change shirts. There was much rejoicing in the stands.

Rick V. Johnny Jones. A sexy embrace. While Dr. Bataille watches.

Get out of my dreams, get on the floor of the Snake Pit!

It's been a long time, but I think the wait has paid off. If this isn't the sexiest Sexytime ever, I don't know what tops it. The picture quality may suck (sorry), but the subject matter is unreal.

Keith Wooden! Scrappy! Douche-fighting! Johnny Jones! Man hugs! Dr. B! A WIN!

This was the greatest, sexiest night ever!

Thank goodness basketball is back. Here's to a great year for North Texas, and another 500 posts for Tina.