Texas A&M; Flagged for Unnecessary Gruffness

Media guides are supposed to list facts and figures, quickly relay information from past games or historic milestones, and, of course, talk up the home school whenever possible. They are not necessarily unbiased manuals, but then again, rarely do they convey opinions.

Especially about opponents.

Texas A&M; has caused a mighty stir by changing all of that. On Page 226 of the 2002 Aggies’ football media guide, a feature lifted from an Aggie alumni magazine--headlined, “Worst Atmosphere”--puts an interesting spin on events that occurred in the ugly aftermath of Texas Tech’s 12-0 victory over A&M; last season at Lubbock, where Tech students tore down a goal post and tried to shove it into an A&M; fan section, leading to numerous fights.

According to a story in the Dallas Morning News, the media guide section calls the Red Raiders “classless clowns,” and the alumni story also says Tech fans “were even uglier than the barren stretch of dirt some West Texans call a city.”

Add Red Raiders: Word came Friday that Texas A&M; President Robert Gates had sent a letter of apology to his counterpart at Texas Tech for the disparaging remarks.

“I want to express my personal regret over the inclusion of disparaging remarks about Texas Tech University and Lubbock in Texas A&M;’s football media guide,” Gates wrote in a letter to Texas Tech President David J. Schmidly.

Gates said the media guide would be recalled and the “offensive comments” removed before it was reissued.

Texas Tech plays at Texas A&M; on Oct. 5.

Trivia time: Since 1947, the Little League World Series, which began Friday, has been won by teams from the United States 26 times. Which country ranks second?

Uplifting TV: Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer has been watching the HBO series on the Dallas Cowboys’ training camp and has this to say about owner Jerry Jones:

“[Jones] had his face lifted last year.... If doctors can just lower his profile and puncture his ego, there’s a Nobel Prize waiting.”

The latest line: Steve Rosenbloom in the Chicago Tribune, on ESPN hiring fired Notre Dame football coach Bob Davie as an analyst: “ESPN was immediately installed as a 14-point underdog to Fox Sports Net.”

Crowd control: Bill Lankhof of the Toronto Sun, on efforts to get a wave going at Blue Jay games: “To do the wave properly, it is necessary to actually have, oh, I don’t know, a crowd. What we’ve got now looks more like a couple of confused Canadians politely waving their hands for permission from the ump to go potty.”

Overexposed? Bob Ryan in the Boston Globe: “Is it absolutely, positively necessary to televise the entire Little League World Series? And don’t even ask about the wisdom of televising the regional finals. Hey, why not a camera at next year’s tryouts?”

Trivia answer: Taiwan with 17.

And finally: Midfielder Robbie Savage was found guilty of improper conduct by the English Football Assn. for using the referee’s toilet before a Premier League game last April.

The Welsh international was reprimanded, warned as to his future conduct and fined $15,350 plus costs at the hearing called to consider the matter.

That’s the ultimate pay toilet.