Texas sophomore tight end Jermichael Finley became the second player in less than a week to declare themselves eligible for the upcoming NFL draft....

In the wake of an all-conference season where he gained more than 1,600 yards, Texas running back Jamaal Charles announced today that he is skipping his senior season and entering the 2008 NFL draft....

Photo by jmtimages on flickr Help out: Volunteers needed to take people with mobility issues through the Trail of Lights. Austin/Travis County EMS asks people to not block the driveways at fire and ambulance stations; it's not against the law, but it does slow their response to emergencies. The NY Times thinks the Justice Dept. needs to take a look at the Texas Youth Commission. Body of murder victim's mom found in San Marcos. Jerry......

Photo by Pat Rioux on flickr Wanna see the Cowboys game tonight and don't know anyone with the NFL network? Local sports bars are getting ready for what could be their busiest night this year. Former Chester's site to house a community-service-oriented Christian congregation. Currently only one in five 5th graders who fail the TAKS are made to repeat the grade. Father of UT student killed in 1996 accident doesn't think the driver needs to......

Image from nbc.comAustin's favorite high-school football drama, Friday Night Lights, could be changing networks. Radar is reporting that ESPN is in talks to bring the critically-acclaimed, but little-watched, show into its lineup of original programming. Friday Night Lights, which follows the lives of the fictional Dillon High School Panthers, films in and around Austin. Despite winning critical awards and having a loyal following, the show has moved time slots three times and has struggled in......

Former Longhorn Shaun Rogers made the NFL highlight reel this week when he intercepted a pass and showed the world what it looks like for a 340-pound man to run 66 yards while being chased by other large humans. Rogers, now with the Detroit Lions, then added an exclamation point at the expense of another former Longhorn, Selvin Young of the Denver Broncos. As Young, who isn't a small man himself (he's listed at......

Construction worker fell over 25 feet (and may have landed on some upended rebar) from condo construction at 17th and Lavaca this morning. New background check requirements lead some volunteer dogwalkers to quit their work at Town Lake Animal Shelter. Al Gore is in town tonight; we'll keep an eye out for the YCT protesters. Numerous people named in Dallas corruption investigation, including city officials and a State Rep. A&M is having difficulties attracting......

Former Longhorn receiver Roy Williams, now with the NFL's Detroit Lions, is pulling down $1.5 million in salary this season, but he talked a Detroit radio station about what a lady might expect on a date: I am cheap, I’m a cheap date. Get you some McDonalds, with some cheese on it and I’m just really cheap, man. I’m very low key, I like to stay home. I like to go bowling on Monday......

This is the third in our Longhorn player profile series, leading up to the season-opening game on Sept. 1. It's difficult for Texas wide receiver Limas Sweed to avoid comparisons to former Longhorn star Roy Williams. Both are big, fast, athletic receivers who wore #4. Williams is now a star in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, while Sweed is returning for his senior year as a pre-season All-American and one of Scout.com's top 10......

Earlier today, the NFL selected the Dallas Cowboys' new $1 billion mega-stadium, one of the most expensive sports complexes ever conceived, as the site of Super Bowl XLV in 2011. This will make it the third time that Texas has hosted a Super Bowl. The future stadium, located in Arlington, will be able to seat anywhere from 80,000 to 100,000 spectators, depending on event requirements. Taking up a whopping 2.3 million square feet of......

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. In Austin, bands are beginning to confirm for SXSW and the rumor mill is up and running. Good thing, too, because we all know how much Austinites love live performances. Austin also found itself in the national spotlight, with Longhorn Legend......

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year today. After sitting on the bench and watching for the first month of the season, the Longhorn Legend finally got his chance. Once VY was given the opportunity to prove himself, he did what we all expected him to do – he danced, pranced, cajoled and lead his team to amazing victory after amazing victory, carrying the 0-5 Titans to......

Are you ready for football, world? The American Football World Cup will take place in one of football’s hottest of beds, Japan. The event, in its third year, is organized by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), which is based in another hotbed for American football, France. IFAF consists of 45 member nations, including good ol’ USA Football. The American entry to the cup will consist of players who have exhausted their college eligibility......

George Michael may be good at at a few things but sobriety isn't one of them. It's about time someone honored the troops properly. It doesn't matter what the NFL does to punish Albert Haynesworth, he's really really, really, really sorry. Somebody forgot to back up. We might get some rain! </ul)......

We'll never smoke look at broccoli the same again- especially if it means that the truck is carrying our next stash. We're getting mixed messages from those astronomers. On Monday, Pluto wasn't a planet, now we have three more to add to our solar system. Tomorrow, the Sun will be cold or something. Apparently water had nothing to do with the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. We don't want to make it a spectacle,......

With the Third Choice in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans select Vince Young from the University of Texas. As speculated, Vince will be joining his mentor, Steve McNair, to play for the Titans. Vince grew up in Houston watching McNair break into the NFL and eventually developed a friendship with him as he got into his college career. "It's a dream for a young guy like Vince to have an active supporter......

As reported yesterday, the Austin Wranglers made an announcement today regarding team ownership. The announcement stated that Deion Sanders, former NFL star, will become part-owner of the Austin Arena Football League team. From the Press Release: As an owner of the Wranglers, Sanders will have an active role in all operational aspects of the team reaching from football operations to the team’s front office. Sanders is expected to play a leadership role in the......

Bush thoroughly shocks us by first easing clean air rules to help produce more gasoline, and then choosing FOX News guy Tony Snow to be his Press Secretary. (/sarcasm) APD is using MySpace and blogs to help solve cases. It seems people can't help but post about their troubles. Caldwell Prejean of Austin has been named Volunteer of the Year by Catholic Charities. Prejean helped start Seeds of Hope, a nonprofit that works with......

It appears that Deion Sanders may be set to announce part ownership of the Austin Wranglers Arena Football League team. The former NFL star has been in talks with the team for the past few weeks and the team will be announce a new addition to their ownership group on Wednesday. The team declined to comment today if that individual would in fact be Deion Sanders. As far as we're concerned, it's time to......

The NFL Draft may not be until this weekend, but Vince Young is already getting paid. Young has said all along that he is a Longhorn at heart, will always be a Longhorn and will always come back to Austin. This week he put his money where his mouth is when he signed a deal with local business NetSpend. The deal, including incentives, is worth $10 million. The company, started by two fellow UT......

One of the greatest players in NFL history appears interested in working for the Austin Wranglers. "Neon" Deion Sanders says he is very interested in coming to work in some capacity for the local ALF team. We are not sure where "Prime Time" would contribute, but he would definitely raise the profile of the team. "I'm very interested in arena football," Sanders said. "I love the game and have loved it for years. I......

Vince Young faced some serious pressure yesterday. It wasn't the kind of pressure that 300-lb linemen from OU offer; it was greater than that, at least according to some. A collection of writers, scouts, NFL coaches and general managers and one NFL owner (Texans owner Bob McNair) came to the UT practice facility to watch Vince Young (and 17 other UT players) go through a series of workouts. All eyes were on Vince. According......

Last night, City Council told us that it was cool if we took our dogs out to eat with us on those outdoor patios. America is hypocritical? No. Bush's proposed nuclear deal with India isn't without criticism. His visit was unwelcome by many and led to protests and rioting causing at least one fatality. Some information has been released detailing the fact that George W. was warned of the pending threat of Hurricane Katrina......

For a young man whose collegiate career was defined by putting up 6s while leading his team to a national championship, it is certainly ironic that the same number now haunts Vince Young. Leaked reports coming from the NFL combine in Indianapolis indicate that the Maxwell Award Winner and Rose Bowl hero scored a paltry six on the Wonderlic test. But in all of our years of watching football, we have never seen a......

The SWAT standoff off of Riverside yesterday ended in the arrest of a 19-year old who allegedly shot two people overnight-injuries were minor. George W. Bush's visit to India-in hopes of congealing some kind of partnership with the country-is laughable. His next stop is Pakistan where, ironically, he has been deemed as The Most Hated Man. If only we had his confidence, after a 5 year search, Bush insists that Osama Bin Laden will......

A couple of years ago, some people were quietly rapping Vince Young for not having the intelligence to play the position in football that is most demanding on a player's smarts. All of those concerns seemingly went out the window as Vince took the Horns to an undefeated season and National Championship last year. Well, the doubters are back. Apparently (or allegedly) Vince scored a miserable 6 (out of 50) on the Wonderlic test......

Former Heisman Trophy winner and former Texas Longhorn Ricky Williams has gotten into some hot water, again. Williams reportedly has violated the NFL's drug policy for the fourth time. A fourth violation requires a one-year suspension from the league. Williams, who won the Heisman in his senior year in 1998 at UT, was the subject of intense scrutiny after failing several drug tests and admittedly smoking marijuana, then disappearing and resurfacing at a holistic......

The Houston Texans seem poised to take Reggie Bush with the first pick in the NFL Draft. And while Longhorn fans who root for the doormats of the NFL might be pleading with the Texans to take Vince Young instead, they may want to reconsider. Apparently Vince Young has not hired an agent, leaving open the possibility of him returning to UT for his final year and the chance to go after back-to-back national......

The Houston Chronicle reported this morning that Vince Young will leave for the NFL Draft: Texas junior quarterback Vince Young plans to enter the NFL draft and forgo his final year of college, a close family friend said today... Young finished with 467 all-purpose yards – 200 rushing and 267 passing – in what some are calling one of the greatest performances in college football history. He is the first player in NCAA history......

Our Thanksgiving usually consists of a huge Thanksgiving lunch (with the Detroit game in the background) and then vegging out in front of the TV that evening. There are a bevy of holiday (and non-holiday) goodies on tomorrow. Here are a few things to watch out for: -"Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" - 9am, KXAN (NBC). -Miracle on 34th Street - The 1947 original with "the real Santa Claus" (or so Dad tells us every......