Maybe the Cougs could have used someone like place kicker Amanda DeLaFosse in their bowl game. After all, she did play for Mayde Creek High School which, according to the story on MTV.com, has won 4 state championships. Is it surprising that a high school with 4 championship titles would have a female place kicker? Not to me. It tells me that the coaches are looking for talent first. Like any other dedicated athlete, Amanda has a strong athletic background that includes soccer and had help from her two brothers who played football at A & M.

While on the subject, did you know that Houston has a professional women’s football team? 2006 was a good year for the Houston Energy as they earned a chance at the championship title (which was claimed by Dallas, but at least it stayed in Texas, right?). They’ve been playing since 2000 (according to a well hidden statement from their website).

Thanks Tim for the story tip about Amanda!

The Houston Cougars went down 44-36 to the South Carolina Gamecocks. A gamecock, if you didn’t know, is a “strong, colorful, and territorial type of chicken.” Knowing that only makes me feel marginally better. Exciting game, good finish, blah blah blah blah blah… another bowl loss is all it is to me. Sigh….

• Houston Chronicle: UH outgunned by South Carolina in Liberty Bowl
• Michael Murphy: Live, from Memphis, it’s the beginning of the end…
• Richard Justice: UH slows in second half, loses Liberty Bowl, 44-36.

HouMet contributor Andrew Rebman gives us a perfect glimpse of the unusual fog we’ve had around the city. This shot from the reflection pond in Herman Park looks out towards the statue of our namesake, Sam Houston.

Show the world how Houston looks through your eyes, join other photographers in the Houston Metblog Flickr Photo Group. We’ll publish your views on life in Houston.

Here are a couple of random Houstonian tips of the day for you audio lovers:

I love music and I love people who make me feel aurally inadequate with their vast encyclopedic vats of miscellaneous musical know-how implanted in their brains. That’s why I like JMac, a transplanted Canadian music junkie making good in Houston. Be sure to check out his Low End Theory podcast for some really exceptional music selections and a lesson or two in beat-driven coolness.

The Metblog’s very own Chris Doelle has several very good Podcasts for you to keep up-to-date on Texas high school football (Lone Star Grid Iron) and Houston-area citizen journalism (This Week in Houston).

What are your favorite Houston podcasts?

Is it just me or have Pit Bull attacks been a little more frequent lately? I feel like there’s a new story every week or so about some mauling or another.

A miniature horse was attacked today, an 8-year-old girl yesterday (after entering a fenced in yard with the dogs, which does make the case a little different), 4-year-old Pedro Ruis Jr. was killed back in November.

Backyard Pit Bull breeders must be making a freaking fortune right now, as a recent Chronicle article reports:

“They are the most popular dog right now,” said Dawn Blackmar, director of the county Veterinary Public Health Department. “Rich people have them. Poor people have them. All different colors of people have them.”

The novelty of raising a breed of dog as a vicious fighting animal just doesn’t make sense to me. Owners get tired of them and let them loose (to roam and maul apparently) or bring them to the pound which really makes a sad story sadder – animal shelters don’t find many pit bulls to be adoptable. Geez, in some cities pit bulls in shelters are even taking other dogs places…

A recently formed Houston Pit Bull task force decided against working to ban the breed, but instead wants to find ways to regulate certain dog breeds. Not really sure what that means though – special paperwork, doggie licenses? Is that really supposed to work?

What do you think needs to be done? In the meantime, learn about what to do legally if you get bitten by a dog and don’t forget to Be a Tree!

Photo thanks to Flickr user anadah

There’s a new city added to the Metblog family. Auckland is now on the radar and being represented by the Big Nosed Ugly Guy! So stop by and check out what’s happening over there in New Zealand.

Houston is full of interesting stories, people and places and none of those places is less interesting than the 5th Ward. Until recently, I didn’t realize what a rich history it has – populated by newly freed slaves after the Civil War, birthplace of many distinguished Houstonians and now the home of major social renovation projects.

Tomorrow night at 7pm, Kathy Payton of the Houston 5th Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation is going to be chatting with the non profit technology NetSquared group at Stag’s Head Pub (2128 Portsmouth St.).

Kathy will tell us about her experiences working to re-vitalize the 5th Ward community through community building, job training and economic development. She’ll also touch on the importance of making technology a priority in the non-profit sector, how she has used technology to advance her organization’s goals and where she sees things going in the future.

This will be a great little gathering for technology geeks, social activists and any Houstonian who would like to learn a little more about our city and how people are trying to make it an even better place. Come for the beer and munchies, stay for the conversation and laidback vibe.

It’s that time of year when you get to drive slowly through the streets at night and not get the Neighborhood Watch calling the cops on you. Christmas lights are awesome!

Do you know of a house that is particularly glorious in its tacky lawn decor and brilliant light arrangements? Check out the Bonner’s My Christmas Wonderland site to submit your photos and vote on favorite Houston-area holiday spectacles.

Don’t be shy – add your own house… and be sure to add some photos to the Houston Metblog Flickr group. We are so all about your Christmas light geekiness.

Photo thanks to Flickr user selro4me
Thanks to Aaron of the mighty LongStation for the heads up!

There’s nothing that brings a holiday tear to the eye than a bunch of hyper Santas running around town passing out hugs and candy, singing naughty Christmas carols and whatever else they can think of.

If you 1) own a Santa suit and 2) have a good sense of humor you totally need to be a part of this year’s SantaCon Houston. It’s an excuse for you to dress up, be obnoxiously festive and go on a pub crawl — all at the same time!

Meet your fellow beer-loving Santas at The Flying Saucer (705 Main St at Capitol) this Saturday, December 9th at 7pm. You can also visit SantaCon Houston’s MySpace page here for more details, if that’s how you swing and, of course, re-visit the SantaCon rules to make sure you stay on the Nice List this year.

Gov. Rick Perry said a whole lot about border security during his re-election campaign. From what I remember, he kinda towed the party line about building a wall along the Mexican border. But today, he told a the Texas Border Coalition that building a wall along the border is “preposterous”.

Gov. Good Hair’s campaign pandered to the “angry anti-immigrant” segment of the population, and seeing as how he got reelected, that’s a popular sentiment around here. So it must come as a total shock when he says “The only thing a wall would possibly accomplish is to help the ladder business.”

In an unusally wise statement, Perry says “Good neighbors do not foster fear and engage in divisive appeals. They seek solutions”

Hopefully this is the beginning of sane political thinking about how to deal with immigration. What do you think? Is a wall a good idea? Are there other options? Would you really sit and watch a webcam of the border?