Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Winning a game in a big way can make athletic directors laugh -- even at themselves.

Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne, who is known as one of the most meticulous financial planners in the nation, is turning into a jokester.

It seems that the hot Southeast Texas summer has caused Kyle Field to be infested with Mexican free-tailed bats, who can turn make a mess at a facility.

The Aggies are hamstrung as the bats are considered a protected species in the state of Texas.

Which led Byrne to poke a little good-natured fun at his dollars-and-cents reputation:

"Since the bats won't leave, my alter-ego 'Dollar Bill' is working on a plan to charge the bats for admission to football games," Byrne writes. "Everyone must have a ticket to enter Kyle Field."

Beating New Mexico in the Aggies' opener last week has Byrne cracking jokes in print with regularity this week.

What a difference a year mistakes. This time last season the Aggies were coming off a disappointing season-opening loss to Arkansas State.

Back then, Byrne was worried about more pressing concerns back then than a few hundred bats roosting in his stadium.