NBA Dunkers Do Dallas In One Wild, Wintry Wonderful All-Star Weekend

In the end, ’twas a blurring weekend dominated by snow and stars and a facelift swap. Dirk Nowitzki hosted and Mary J. Blige crooned and, amidst the wild weather and even wilder parties, the Dallas Mavericks pulled off a seven-player trade that reshaped their roster and rebooted their championship hopes…

New Mav Caron Butler: What Did He Dew?

Well, that certainly was a dud. Not ready to rescind the Josh Howard trade just yet, but newest Maverick Caron Butler opened with a resounding sperplunk in last night’s loss in Oklahoma City. Couple of airballs. Had as many turnovers as baskets (4). Generally looked like Michael Finley, including one…

Despite Foul Balls, Greenberg Says Texas Rangers Acquisition is “Right on Schedule”

Yesterday, the Sports Business Journal reported in a subscription-only story that last fall, Your Texas Rangers violated baseball’s collective-bargaining agreement by failing to pay $39.55 million into a deferred compensation fund. That happened  sometime before October, and, according to Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Michael Weiner in yesterday’s…

Warning: Disturbing Video

If you don’t want to see the fatal luge accident of 21-year-old Republic of Georgia Olympic athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili during a training run in Vancouver last week, don’t click here. I watched it. Not for morbid entertainment, of course, but for education. As in, what went wrong?…

Mavs at Thunder: Okay, I’m Interested

Two years ago the Dallas Mavericks came out of the All-Star break thusly: In his first game back in Dallas after a trade from New Jersey point guard Jason Kidd took the opening possession against the Hornets in New Orleans and threw a perfect lob pass that Josh Howard dunked…

My 2010 Winter Olympics Preview

Look, I took time Friday afternoon to build a snowman and go sled-bounding down a hill. Done with winter. How long ’til Spring Break? I actually turned on the TV Sunday afternoon to see which was more boring: The Winter Olympics or Daytona 500. Auto racing was on hold because of…

After 7-Player Trade, Your Mavericks are Better. But How Much Better?

Three years ago to the day I loved Josh Howard. But this morning I’m thrilled that he’s no longer a Dallas Maverick. Why? Because lost in the parties and record-setting crowd of NBA All-Star Weekend was a seven-player trade that both re-shaped the Mavs’ roster and re-booted their hopes for contending…

All-Star Weekend, “Where WTF? Happens”

First thing yesterday, I buried a reference to The Basketball Jones’s first video from NBA All-Star Weekend. The kid liked it far more than I — he’s a sucker for wacky. Here’s the second installment, a marked improvement.TBJ Does Dallas: Where Winter Happens from The Basketball Jones on Vimeo…

I’m Dreaming of a White Chr … NBA All-Star Weekend?

What the what? There’s a mammoth blizzard in the northeast. There’s a – relatively speaking – mammoth blizzard outside your window. I got plans tonight, man. Big plans. Party plans. If you’re brave enough to get out and about tonight, I got your party hook-up right here …..

There’s an Untouchable Maverick not Named Dirk Nowitzki?

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is grumpy. Understandably so. His team has lost 5 of 7 – punctuated by last night’s embarrassing 36-point loss in Denver – heading into NBA All-Star Weekend right here in his own backyard. Cuban has apparently scrapped plans for an All-Star bash at his Dallas mansion, one…

Judge Spud: Webb Returns to the Height of His Popularity

Anthony “Spud” Webb dazzled Reunion Arena and captured America in 1986. Unfortunately, I’d seen his act before. As a horrible point guard for the 1981 Duncanville High School Panthers, I had the ball stolen from me on consecutive possessions by Webb, then a star at Wilmer-Hutchins. After the second theft, the…

Hey, What Happened to Hockey?

I still have a puck from the first Dallas Stars game, played at Reunion Arena on Oct. 5, 1993. Went to the game with Troy Aikman and I remember going into the locker room and meeting Mike Modano and seeing lots of hot women in the crowd and thinking “Whoa,…

NBA All-Star Week Shootaround

One of the more intriguing concerts scheduled around the NBA All-Star Week is a Saturday-night Haitian-relief benefit at the Palladium featuring Erykah Badu and Jamie Foxx. A couple of Friends of Unfair Park have asked how they can buy tix. Problem is, the event’s more or less sold out; I…

Okay, Football’s Over. On to 2010 and What?

Yeah, yeah. Who Dat and all that. Congratulations. Hug a troubled city. Now, let’s move on. To 2010. Next season is now this season. When the NFL kicks off next season your Dallas Cowboys will be a favorite to play in Super Bowl XLV next Februrary in Arlington. According to one…