Crazy For Ray

DallasCowboys.com As a wide-eyed kid lucky enough to hitch a ride to Dallas Cowboys games at the Cotton Bowl and later Texas Stadium atop dad’s shoulders, one of the highlights of any given Sunday was the good guy wearing the black hat. You could hear his piercing whistle — a…

The Lean Green

In about eight minutes or so, please send UNT coach Johnny Jones your warmest wishes and prayers. He and his team will need them so. Take it from a guy who’s in 1,106,094th place in ESPN’s bracket contest, the University of North Texas has a real shot today (as in,…

Justice Is, Um, Served? Everything Else, Not So Much.

I’ve been a little busy filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket you can cheat off of (long as we split the pot, cool?). But either I missed something or uncovered something, because it sure looks, feels, smells and sounds like Nellie’s Sports Bar has gone the way of Medici and…

Noooooo-Witzki

Maybe it’s time the Mavs’ would-be MVP got his Dirk out of the box and played some friggin’ crunchtime ball. You can talk about Steve Nash’s heroics, Amare Stoudemire’s monster game or countless, game-changing, mind-boggling, heart-palpitating plays in what was undoubtedly the best NBA game of the season. But most…

American Eagle

Memphis hasn’t lost a basketball game since Britney Spears needed a comb and Sammy Sosa needed a contract; it has the nation’s longest winning streak at 22. North Texas toils in a conference (Sun Belt) that doubles as a fanny pack worn by Florida retirees. Memphis last year came within…

Metroplex Monopoly

We always forget Greg Ostertag went to Duncanville. Then, we always forget Greg Ostertag. Teardrop. In December, Cedar Hill and Southlake Carroll swept the high school football championships in the state’s two largest classes. Last week Fort Worth Dunbar and Rockwall nabbed the girls’ two biggest classes in basketball. And…

C.J. Wilson Appears to Have a Very Bad Sense of Humor

Anyone seen Deadspin today — by which I mean this particular item about Texas Rangers reliever C.J. Wilson and the photo he (allegedly, since we’re so into covering our asses) posted to his pal Brandon McCarthy’s MySpace page? (It’s the February 1 posting, if you’re so inclined.) Yeah, just checking…

Deja Boo?

The only guy standing between the Mavs winning 16 straight is this little dude. Believe it. We’ve been here before. Sorta. Almost two months ago to the day, the Mavs waltzed into Lakerland with a big winning streak and got stung by somebody named Sasha Vujacic. Back then it was…

Prince Peruna

Don’t judge SMU’s basketball season by what happened on the court. Rather, go by what’s happening a couple hundred feet below it. “That hole in the ground,” says first-year coach Matt Doherty, “is the future of our program.” No, smartass, it’s not a mass grave reserved for the latest crop…

Dismember the Titans

Sports Illustrated’s Rick Reilly goes Troutt fishing in this week’s issue. Last summer came word that local billionaire Kenny Troutt was spending a small chunk of his estimable fortune to bankroll two youth AAU basketball teams, both called the Texas Titans. (One’s made up of third-graders; the other, fifth-graders.) And…

Green Means Go

Photo courtesy the University of North Texas The Mean Green of UNT are Sun Belt Conference champs and, go figure, headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988. Like you, I didn’t win $370 million last night. But I did get to witness something that happens about…

Between His Rock and a Hard Place

Yeah, we were smiling before the season too. Then Matt Doherty rolled out the rock, and that was that. In the middle of his desk at Moody Coliseum, SMU basketball coach Matt Doherty displays a large cinder block inscribed with “RTC” and signed by every member of his team and…

Fightin’ For a Spot

Charles Hatley’s not giving up on his quest to join the U.S. Olympic boxing team. Here’s what you need to know about Charles Hatley: The dude’s got a punch named after him. It’s a step back cross to the chin, says here. Ever since that story came out, we’ve been…

Once Upon A Time…

We always felt bad for then-Mavs coach Gar Heard, who deserved better than to coach an 11-win team–and get replaced by Quinn Buckner. In you case you were too distraught over Drew Bledsoe’s departure or the current bad karma of Mercury to notice, your Dallas Mavericks won their 14th consecutive…

Everybody’s Getting Birthday Presents Today!

Michael Young will probably be a Ranger for life. Poor rich guy… Sorry I’m late to the birthday bash. Seems my mouse, a Trojan horse and my hard drive were waging civil war and…anyway, if you’re getting me a belated gift, do not — I repeat, do not — get…

Oscar Oversight

This shit’s crazier than Martin Scorsese’s eyebrows. I mean, there is a pre-game show, albeit hosted by failed Roy Firestone successor Chris Connelly. No. 1 Lakers fan Jack Nicholson is in the crowd alongside Sports Illustrated cover girl Beyoncé. And hostess Ellen DeGeneres seems to be wearing Michael Irvin’s garish…

Cotton Pickin’ Ign’rnt

As Robert points out a couple clicks down, there’s plenty blame to go around for the Cotton Bowl leaving Dallas, which became official this afternoon. But there shouldn’t be one iota of surprise that it has come to this: The stadium is old, the game is tired, and lethargic city…

Penthouse, Meet Outhouse

We’re not sure what’s worse: getting traded to the 22-win Hawks or having to wear their godawful unis. A toss-up, seems like. One day you’re getting your finger sized for a championship ring; the next, you’re on a plane headed down the standings into the lottery. Anthony Johnson, traded from…