When I learned El Paso’s new Triple A team was going to be nicknamed “Chihuahuas,” I frowned, wondering if I was going to like it.
Then when I learned the logo was going to be a Chihuahua, I smiled. Chihuahuas are such cute dogs.
Then when I saw the logo, I frowned again. Instead of a cute little dog I found a fierce looking dog.
Then I smiled again. After all, I thought, the mascot is always supposed to look tough.
When all the frowning and smiling was done, I found I liked the nickname. It’s cute but tough and certainly fits the area. And it sure beats Desert Dogs or Desert Gators.
BOUQUETS TO Shae Vierra of El Paso, who submitted the name, and Jason Klein and Casey White of Brandiose, a design firm in San Diego, for coming up with the name and the logo.
As a former sports editor, I do wonder about one thing: How are headline writers going to shorten the nickname of Chihuahuas to fit a certain space? Will it be “Chi’s” or “Huas?” Maybe headline writers had better just go with El Paso or EP.
But that’s immaterial.
Bring on the Chihuahuas!
TRIVIA QUESTION” What do the green, red, white and checkered flags indicate in auto racing? Answer at end.
OOPS, I GOOFED. I wrote last week that the Texas Racing Commission passed a law outlawing online wager on horse and greyhound racing in Texas unless it’s done at a Texas racetrack.
I was quickly corrected by Robert Elrod, public information officer of the Texas Racing Commission. Of course that commission doesn’t have the authority to pass laws, only the Texas Legislature does. And I knew it. It was a slip of the, uh, brain.
Here’s a further explanation of how the law came about by Mr. Elrod:
“THE SECTION of the law you refer to (the Texas Racing Act) is not actually new. Here is a little background on the topic that might be helpful. The Texas Legislature amended the Texas Racing Act in 2011 to clarify that the existing prohibitions against off-track wagering also applied to the Internet. Accordingly, the Texas Racing Commission sent cease-and-desist letters to all of the advance deposit wagering (ADW) companies that reportedly accepted these wagers from Texas residents.
“Most of the contacted companies voluntarily complied with the statute. However, TwinSpires.com refused and then filed a federal lawsuit in September 2012. TwinSpires.com continued to do business in Texas until a federal district judge ruled in favor of the Commission and dismissed the suit on Sept. 23.”
“WE UNDERSTAND the frustration of some Texas bettors and are sensitive to their concerns, but the Texas Racing Commission is obligated to enforce the Texas Racing Act as enacted through the legislative process. It is not the agency’s role to take a position on these public policy issues. Nor is it the role of this agency to lobby for or against any issue. Those policy changes can only be made by the Legislature, and cannot be made by the Commission. Thank you for your time.”
AND SOMEONE asked me if I really checked at the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame banquet to see if Greg Joy, former UTEP high jumper who once cleared 7 feet 7 inches, had wings. I did, and he didn’t. And when I asked him how he soared so high he himself seemed surprised. “I now look up and see how high seven feet is and can’t believe I did it. I guess it just took a lot of practice.”
ANSWER TO trivia question: Start, stop because of unsafe conditions¸ beginning the last lap and end of race.