"There's a Future There": Why Roger Staubach Wants a Piece of Your Texas Rangers
| SPORTMag.us |
Richard Durrett, now at ESPN's local offshoot, spoke with the former Cowboys QB about his interest. And Captain Comeback reminded Durrett of his stint in the outfield a long, long time ago:
Staubach said he's always loved baseball and would like to get involved in ownership. He added that he played outfield at Navy and hit .420 his sophomore season.
"Tom is a friend of mine and putting together a local group, and I am committed to investing in that if things come together," Staubach said. "He still has some things to work through, and there are some good groups that are interested in the team. ... I think the fan base is expanding and that there's a future there."
So, How's that World Cup Bid Coming?
The city council will get an update on efforts to bring the games to the Cotton Bowl and Cowboys Stadium this Wednesday, matter of fact. Because even though FIFA won't announce the 2018 host cities till December 2010, host city and stadium agreements are due to the USA Bid Committee by the end of the month. That's because the USABC is expected to announce its list of 18 finalists sometime next month, followed by its final submission in May. And while the host city has to provide for everything (from the stadiums to staffing to security to advertising the games), the city expects to reap millions in return for its infrastructure and investment: "Total economic impact for one Host City is projected to be $300 - $500 million," says the council's briefing, which lists possible ways we'll wind up paying for all the attendant necessities.
And, you might as well let Arlington know now: "If any games are played at Cowboys Stadium, Dallas will still be considered the Host City." Ooof.
Georgia on His Mind: New York Times Profiles Carter's Tyrone Ellis, a National Hero Overseas
| Tyrone Ellis |
Your First Friday (Acid) Flashback: Dock Ellis's LSD No-Hitter Gets Very, Very Animated
Ousted Kansas City Chiefs RB Larry Johnson Is In Dallas. Why? "Social Business." Whatever.
| Kansas City Chiefs |
For Those Who Watch Dallas Mavericks Games With Your Computer as Company ...
In-Arena Experience and Press Access - The unique application will simulate the experience of being in an NBA arena press box by giving fans access to pregame media notes, real-time statistical information, breaking news, 3D shot charts and play-by-play analysis.
Social Media Integration - The Mavericks TV Companion integrates current social networking features, allowing users to interact with other fans, team personnel and on-air talent in real time, providing an innovative multi-screen experience. Fans can easily access their favorite social networking sites directly from the application, including Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Yahoo! to participate in widespread fan forum discussions or private chats with friends.
Halftime and Postgame Video Highlights - Every game will feature special halftime and postgame reports that will include video highlight packages, updated box scores, leader boards, and the ability to follow the action taking place on the court via the interactive shot tracker feature, which displays the location of each shot taken on the court.
If You Missed This Morning's NBA All-Star Game Voting Kick-Off Press Conference ...
Don't Worry, SMU Mustangs: They Ain't Puttin' Peruna Out to Pasture After All
| Courtesy Southern Methodist University |
| The mustangs made their bow during halftime of SMU-Navy on October 17. |
Which prompted much handwringing amongst university officials, among them SMU football head coach June Jones, who, according to one source, really wanted those Mustangs used "in some fashion" during games. And so, late into Wednesday, members of the SMU Student Senate, school staffers, members of the football team (including team captain Chase Kennemer) and Peruna's handler met to discuss, well, how to handle the horses.
The matter's been settled, per the official release from SMU that ran down the field a little while ago: When SMU plays Rice tomorrow at 2 p.m. during homecoming...
... the new horses will lead the team from the Mustangs statue at the north end of Mustang Plaza, passing through Doak Walker Plaza, and proceeding to Gerald J. Ford Stadium before each of SMU's three remaining home games.Bevo is amused.
Peruna, the Mustangs' official mascot, will then fulfill his generations-long tradition of leading the team from the locker room and onto the field. He also will continue to run across the field after SMU scores and will always be positioned at the end of the field to which the SMU offense is headed.
While Peruna handles his normal responsibilities, the mustangs will remain at Ford Stadium near the field's southwest corner.
Your Dallas Mavericks Will Hold Off On Selecting New Voice of the AAC For a Month
Yes, But Does a "Classic" Bowl Game Really Involve Conference "Also-Rans"?
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Organizers say they'll use a rotation of also-rans from three collegiate football conferences to come up with their lineups. They anticipate the first game will pit the seventh-ranked team from the Big 12 Conference against the sixth-ranked team from the Big Ten, should those teams be excluded from Bowl Championship Season consideration. Teams from Conference USA will also be considered for future games.Congratulations, in advance, to SMU.
At This Point, It's Almost Like Tom Hicks is the Bad Guy in a Really Good British Soccer Movie
But Who'd Win an Actual Battle of the Bands?
| The Salvation Army |
Very Semi-Pro: If Nothing Else, DFW's ABA Teams Will Have Some Familiar Names
It's been a bumpy ride for Rider since he last played pro ball for the Pistons in '01 -- as Yahoo Sports's Marc Spears sums up, the former Timberwolves hot-shot and one-time slam-dunk contest winner's résumé now includes "several arrests and a 3½-month stay in jail," so it's ABA or nothing at this point. Says Rider, "I still have it in me. I still have something left in the tank. It's still in my blood. My juices still flow." Guess we'll see when the Fresh roll out the ball ... at the Keller ISD's Central High School.
North Texas's home opener is November 22 against the Houston Somethingornother. The Fresh's game against the Dallas Generals -- which has its own ex-pro baller, journeyman Anthony "Pig" Miller -- is scheduled for December 5 at the Fair Park Coliseum. Interested, but only if Ed Monix is still available.
This Year's Dallas Video Festival to Pay Tribute to Chuck Morgan. About Damned Time.
| Texas Rangers |
"He's the auteur of stadium video," DVF founder Bart Weiss tells Unfair Park. "What other stadium do you know of where you know the guy running the video?"
Morgan, whose official title is vice president of in-park entertainment, tells Unfair Park this morning he had no idea that his event, scheduled for 7 p.m. November 2 at the Angelika Film Center, was a tribute. He just thought he was comin' over to show some old clips from Arlington Stadium and the Ballpark, talk about birthing the dot race and whatever else he could think of to fill 90 minutes.
"I didn't know I was kind of the center of attention, but it's really great," says Morgan. "I just thought I was part of the program. Then I read more about it, and I was like, 'That's awesome.'"
After the jump, a Q&A with Morgan. Me, I could talk to that man all day. Hard to keep it brief.
Rangers, Hicks Continue to Speed Date Would-Be Buyers. This Week: Dennis Gilbert.
| Dennis Gilbert |
Nevertheless, one week after Houston freight-man Jim Crane and Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg made their Arlington pit stops, Gilbert came to town: Last night we received word from Lisa LeMaster, who handles PR for Tom Hicks, that Rangers president Nolan Ryan and GM Jon Daniels were among those sitting down with Gilbert and his people at the Ballpark in Arlington on Wednesday. I had some follow-up questions, but was met, as before, by the cold, hard slap of the final line of the press release: "Neither Hicks Sports Group nor the Rangers will have any further comment regarding today's meeting."
Texas-OU at Night? Doesn't Sound Like It.
| Danny Fulgencio |
But ESPN is reporting that The News's reporting isn't right and that "Oklahoma senior associate athletic director for communications Kenny Mossman said that no start time has been set for the 2010 game." And it won't be for months.
From the Courthouse in Denton County, Sean Salisbury Goes After Deadspin
| Sean Salisbury |
Late Friday, the McKinney Courier-Gazette provided the latest chapter in this ongoing narrative: Salisbury has sued Deadspin and Gawker Media for defamation in Denton County Court. (Deadspin, offering no comment save for a lengthy excerpt from the McKinney paper, noted that is has not yet been served.) Jeffrey Tillotson is repping Salisbury, who says Deadspin's made it hard for him to find work. I have been unable to reach Richie Whitt for comment.
Desire Tops Temptation: They Actually Keep Score in the Lingerie Football League
| Photos by Danny Fulgencio. For more photos, check out our slide show. |
What a brutal game -- aerial tackes, Hail Mary passes and touchdown dances, split into two 17-minute halves. In the end, the Dallas Desire bested the Los Angeles Temptation by a score of 24-12 at QuikTrip Park at Grand Prairie last night. Which puts the Desire, with a mighty record of 3-0, on a path to Miami for the Lingerie Football League's ultimate destination -- the Lingerie Bowl. At last, a Dallas football club with its league's top prize in sight.
Line Goes Deep as Troy Aikman Helps Friends of the Katy Trail Kick Off Membership Drive
NFL Hall of Famer and Fox broadcaster Troy Aikman braved the stiff winds and cool temperatures Thursday night while promoting the kickoff of the inaugural Friends of the Katy Trail membership drive. Joined by his two daughters, 7-year-old Alexa and 8-year-old Jordan, Aikman graciously signed various items carried by the hundreds of Dallas Cowboys fans appearing at David's Way, an entrance to the trail on Knox Street.
Photos by Sam Merten
An avid user of the Katy Trail, the three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback engaged most of those on hand in banter, ensuring he connected with any children tagging along or bringing items of their own. Jayson Bales and the Charmers provided the soundtrack to last night's festivities, and the membership drive continues through Sunday. Volunteers recruiting new members can be found on the trail at David's Way, the Thomsen Overlook at Reverchon Park and Snyder's Union, the new plaza being built between Lemmon Avenue and Carlisle Place.
While Aikman's inking duties prohibited us from snagging him for a few questions, we did happen to run into council member Angela Hunt, who said, "Isn't it so cool that Troy is willing to do this?"
More pics after the jump.
Would-Be Owners of Your Texas Rangers Have Been Parading Through Arlington This Week
Officials with Hicks Sports Group and the Texas Rangers held a series of meetings Wednesday with a second potential investor group for the Texas Rangers. The meetings with Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg and his advisors were conducted at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.Trust me, they won't.
The meetings included a tour of the facility and conferences with officials of both baseball and business operations of the Rangers. Team President Nolan Ryan and General Manager Jon Daniels were among the officials who met with Mr. Greenberg and his advisors. In general, the meetings were described as "routine and part of the normal due diligence process."
Neither Hicks Sports Group nor the Rangers will have any further comment regarding today's meeting.
And Then There Were Two: Mavs Announce the Finalists For The Voice of The AAC
Tailgating It at Texas-OU
| Photos by Danny Fulgencio |
| A few shots before kick-off? Sure, why not. |
Near the Cotton Bowl, men on Parry Avenue wearing mesh neon vests flagged down motorists and charged them $10 to park on a public street. "Don't be charging people to park in front of my house," yelled one resident. But business was good.
Before the game even started tailgaters sent smoke signals over the parking lot. Sure, they might have been drunk, but OU's tailgate-quarterbacks and a distinctly Greek contingent of UT alumni proved amazingly hospitable. They were eager to provide everyone and anyone a seemingly endless supply of sizzled meat and domestic beer.
How Much Tax Revenue Does Dallas Stand to Make from the 2010 NBA All-Star Game?
Which means, after all those expenses are covered out of the trust fund: "Potential tax revenue gain to the city is estimated to be $760,000," according to the council briefing. And keep in mind, that guesstimated income doesn't include other intangible benefits weighed by the city, among them "secondary spending, media exposure, growth to visitor industry, etc." Which, of course, is ... priceless.
So how'd the Comptroller do the math?
Report from Reuters: Just Maybe, the Texas Rangers Will Be Sold By the End of the Year
The goal is to have a winner identified by late November and a sale completed by year end, said the sources, who asked not to be identified discussing the ongoing process. The Rangers are expected to attract bids of $500 million to $550 million, analysts have said.For those needing a recap, these are the three parties interested in buying the club. Reuters says there's a fourth suitor that's been added to the mix, but it's nothing serious. Hey, c'mon. I've got 20 bucks. Ah, yes.
MartyB Can't Even Get a Second Grader to Throw Him the Ball, But Mayor Tom Will!
Eight-year-old Kendall Tubbs, a second grader who's had type 1 diabetes since she was 3 years old, managed to upstage appearances by Dallas Cowboys tight end Martellus "MartyB" Bennett and former Heisman Trophy winner and Woodrow Wilson High School grad Tim Brown at this morning's second annual Passport to Health Diabetes Awareness campaign.
Photos by Sam Merten
"Sometimes diabetes means making tough choices," a poised Tubbs told the crowd gathered at the press conference held in City Hall's Flag Room. "Sometimes at lunchtime when others are having a snack, I can't have one because my blood sugar is too high. Other times, at recess I can't play with my friends because my blood sugar is too low."
Mayor Tom Leppert, who was joined by wife Laura and council colleagues Sheffie Kadane, Carolyn Davis and Tennell Atkins, handed Tubbs a football, said she "gets to play QB" and sent both Brown and Bennett out on routes, instructing her to throw to the open receiver.
"I hope she's not Tony Romo, 'cause I won't get the ball," Bennett said, with those on hand erupting in laughter.
Tubbs completed her pass to Brown, prompting Leppert to say, "Now this is my chance at playing for the Cowboys," tossing a tight spiral to Bennett.
More photos -- and an exclusive Q & A with MartyB -- after the jump.
So, Skin, What Flavor Is Dirk's Hair?
Saudi Prince Might Want All of Liverpool FC. Not Sure How Tom Hicks Feels About That.
| George Gillett and Tom Hicks, who may have to cut that ball in half |
Which is why the prince's rep today tells the BBC that, well, see, just maybe ol' Faisal might go ahead and buy out everyone. Not sure if Hicks has any interest in that -- yet again, I've asked Hicks's PR peoples at the LeMaster Group for comment and will update when it arrives. But this is what Barry Didato tells the BBC in advance of Gillett's Tuesday trip to Saudi Arabia: "His Highness's shareholding could go from anything from nought to 100 percent. But he cannot be seen as a solution to the debt or problems in the existing relationship between the owners."
And Now ... Introducing ... Your Dallas Mavericks! At the AAC's Open-Mike Night.
| If this picture were at all legible, you'd see Donnie Nelson sitting at the table where wanna-be Humble Billys took their best shots yesterday. |
When I checked in at 4:45 p.m. for a 5:35 tryout slot, only 40 guys had taken their turn; more than a few chickened out, as about 80 had initially signed up. A few on the list were recognizable names: Michael Rey, KEGL's Chris Ryan, BaD Radio producer Tom Gribble. Ben Rogers, one half of Ben and Skin, showed up as I was leaving -- appropriate, since his former radio partner is one of the Mavs' TV talking heads. A few were guys who've dreamed of this their whole life -- lots of radio-station interns looking to make the step way up. I met one man who's done some high-school basketball PA announcing and who's wanted to do minor-league ball calling ever since he can remember. "I love the idea of watching a game and thinking out loud," he said.
He finished an hour before my slot, but stuck around to hear the competition -- most of whom sounded like a cross between Michael Buffer and Don Pardo, except for the guy who sounded more like Pee-Wee Herman and the handful who seemed to be auditioning for Lamb of God.
"Dirk is Clumsy on Horseback, Nash Skillful."
At first, I thought maybe it was a chopped-and-screwed variation on Jesse Hyde's cover story from 2007, about the time Dirk Nowitzki hightailed it to Australia to find hisself, dig? ("Then came the summer of Dirk's retreat--into the mountains? The desert? On a single-sailed raft, adrift in uncharted seas?") Then I thought it might be just an artfully crafted scouting report ("Dirk drains the first one, all net, and starts screaming and beating his chest like a fucking insane person, stares down the closest Piston or Sixer, who won't meet his fucking eyes, okay?"). Then I thought it could be some overwrought Esquire celebrity profile ("As my stature in the Association swelled, I grew accustomed to hearing the assembled American thousands thunderously chanting my name, causing it to reverberate from the rafters and shake the foundations of the arenas in which we would compete --"). Then I realized, nope, it's just fan fiction ("Well, for a guy who's seven-foot tall, his cock was actually surprisingly average").
Compelling.





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