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TEBOW MANIA!

By Dic HumphreyCO R R E S PO N D E [email protected]

Just a couple of weeks ago, the SMU foot-ball program seemed to be hitting on allcylinders. After 25 years of ineptitude,SMU finished 2011 with a 7-5 record,including a win over a ranked team, andwas heading to a bowl game for the thirdstraight year. The oral commitments forthe 2012 recruiting class comprised animpressive list, a continuing upgrade ofMustang talent inflow since the arrival ofJune Jones as head football coach. Therecent football success had thrust theMustangs into consideration to join theBig East Conference, a clear financialupgrade from Conference-USA. Therehas even been speculation about expand-ing Ford Stadium in anticipation of grow-ing football crowds.

HOW QUICKLY THINGS CAN CHANGE!Wednesday, December 7 was supposed tobe a red letter day for the Mustangs as theyscheduled a 4:00 PM press conference toannounce the acceptance of SMU's invita-tion to join the Big East, wringing in a newera for Mustang athletics. Early that daythough, creditable media outlets beganreporting that Jones would shortly benamed the new head football coach atArizona State University. It appeared to beall but a done deal. Even more damagingwas the prospect of the best recruits in thisyear's anticipated class switching theirnon-binding oral commitments to the SunDevils. Jones, who apparently was takingthe bulk of the current coaching staff withhim to Phoenix, appeared to be wreckingthe SMU program on his way out the door.Later that afternoon, word came down thatJones's deal with Arizona State hadreached an impasse and would not be con-summated. Jones's agent, LeighSteinberg, indicated that the deal wasdown to just a few “tweaks”; but for pub-lic consumption, the deal breaker is said tobe a buyout from Jones' SMU contract,which exceeds $2.0 million. Obviously$2,000,000 is more than a “tweak”, andequally obviously, there was anotherexplanation as to why the ASU administra-tion soured on hiring Jones.

Jones at least for now is back at SMU, butunquestionably, serious damage has beendone. There was already growing dissatis-faction with Jones's coaching among someSMU supporters despite the overall suc-cess on the field. He offends many bywearing Hawaiian leis at home games, asif he regrets leaving his former employer -the University of Hawaii. At times, theteam has not looked prepared to play this


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AROUND THE AREASMU DRAMA

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MAN IN THE STANDSA DFW FAN’S WORST WEEKEND

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December 16-22, 2011Volume 10, Issue 18

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LOCAL HAPPENINGSAROUND THE AREA

Coaching turmoil on the hilltop

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season and has looked lethargic and disin-terested. His strategic decisions duringgames have also come into question. He issupposed to be a strong developer of quar-terbacks, but has failed to recruit a top flightquarterback prospect. Indeed, this year'steam failed to win eight or nine gameslargely because of disappointing quarter-back play.

This fall SMU ran out to 5-1 record includ-ing a win over a ranked TCU team in Ft.Worth. From there, SMU was soundlythumped by Southern Mississippi andTulsa. They also lost a very winnable gameto Navy, and finished just 2-4 over the sec-ond half of the season to make the finalrecord 7-5. That's good enough for a bowl,which is not to be discounted lightly, but itis still disappointing after the quick startand is not really a step forward for the pro-gram.

It is curious as to why Jones would evenwant to leave in the first place. He is cer-tainly being paid like a big time state schoolhead coach, and his annual income isscheduled to increase with the increasedconference revenues from joining the BigEast. The school has catered to his whims.Admission standards have been lowered toaccommodate recruiting more talented ath-letes. He has downplayed the traditionalSMU mascot - Peruna - in favor of two realMustangs that now share billing with theShetland pony that has been loved by SMUfans for almost 80 years. Earlier this year,Jones complained about the positioning ofthe lights at Ford Stadium being a problemfor receivers, and new lights were installedwithin days, despite the fact that SMU hadno night games remaining on the 2011home schedule.

Wednesday's events tilted many more SMUsupporters into the detractors' camp. There

is even a hawkish contingent that wants himfired immediately. There is likely damagedone to the recruiting class, many of whomhave to be wondering about the stability ofSMU's coaching situation. At a minimum,Jones has some serious fence mending todo with players, the administration andalumni.Every Monday, Jones meets with boostersat luncheon to talk about the team. Thispast Monday's luncheon was the bestattended of the year. The press was notallowed, but reports from boosters that didattend were that Jones was there withAthletic Director Steve Orsini in a show ofsolidarity. He wore a red shirt with an SMUlogo, which he never wears on the sidelineduring games.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE...MOVE ALONGJones claimed there never was an offer fromASU and that Orsini was kept apprised ofthe situation at every step of whatever hap-pened with ASU. Undoubtedly, he is play-ing a semantics game with his claim that nooffer was made. He reportedly said that hewas committed to SMU until they eitherwon the Big East or until Orsini fired him.He also assured the boosters that there wasno problem with this year's recruiting class. Certainly the Jones regime at SMU is a suc-cess. After a 25 year drought, going to abowl game each fall has become an expec-tation, not a hope. The talent level in theprogram is clearly superior than it waswhen he arrived four seasons ago. Theevents of last week, particularly therumored wrecking of the program byundermining this year's recruiting classthough have at least caused a pause inenthusiasm. Monday's booster club meet-ing was greeted with skepticism by manyboosters, but is a step in the right direction.There are still many more steps needed torestore the confidence Jones enjoyed justweeks ago.


DALLAS STARSHOCKEY

Stars’ owner gets re-alignment in his first week After just a handful ofdays on the job, Gagliardi puts Stars inbetter geographical position.

by RICHARD S. POLLAK, The HOCKEYATTITUDESPECIAL [email protected]

New Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi hasdone in one week what the two previousfumble bump owners couldn't do in 17 sea-sons! The Stars will finally be in a new divi-sion with a Midwestern favor and withmuch more favorable travel distances. Thenew alignment (subject to the Coyotesremaining in Phoenix not Quebec) will seeour Stars competing against all Eastern andCentral time zone opponents in a New 8team conference.

FANS WANT TO SEE THE LEAFS!"8000 Toronto Maple Leaf fans in

Dallas,Texas,can't be wrong," according toBruce Levine,studio host for the DallasStars on KTXA Television and The TicketRadio broadcasts. We needed realignment

and needed it now! It was great to sit in thePress Box for the first time all season with afull house just like in the good old dayswhen Jeff Cogen packed the AmericanAirtlines Center with 221 consecutive sellout crowds. Unfortunately, it wasn't becausethe Stars are leading the Pacific or there’s anNBA strike. It was because the visiting teamwas the Toronto Maple Leafs and hockeyfans were excited to see someone else comeinto the AAC Building besidesCalgary,Phoenix and San Jose. There are somany more hockey fans in Dallas that hailfrom the Midwest and Eastern time zones toattend Stars games than on the west coast orwestern Canada. It's ridiculous,"The DallasStars have played Toronto only 6 times andPhoenix 52 times," according to DallasStars GM Joe Niewendyk. We are also guar-anteed to see the Top Stars of the NHL likeCrosby,Ovechkin and Brodeur at least onetime per season, each and every season atthe American Airlines Center.

BRAND NEW PLAYOFFS FORMATAlong with a new conference alignment

will come a new playoff format designed tokeep natural rivalries playing against eachother during the first two rounds of the play-

offs. The top four teams in each Conferencewill qualify for the playoffs. The first-placeteam in each conference would play thefourth-place team in the same conference;the second-place team would play the third-place team.

The four respective Conference champi-ons would meet in the third round, with thesurvivors playing for the Stanley Cup.The makeup of the yet-to-be-named fourconferences is as follows:

* New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, NewYork Rangers, New York Islanders,Washington and Carolina

* Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa,Buffalo, Florida and Tampa Bay

* Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis,Chicago, Minnesota, Dallas and Winnipeg

* Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix, San Jose,Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Colorado

Dallas fans must praise new owner TomGaglardi for finally bringin us Re-align-ment!

SLAPSHOTS:

CONGRATS TO KIRK:I mention the naming of Kirk Muller as thenew head coach of the Carolina Hurricanesbecause he was my top choice to be the nextDallas Stars head coach after MarcCrawford. Muller is a player's coach ,just aswe are finding out about our own new StarsCoach,Glen Gulutzan.The Stars are buyinginto his system unlike taskmaster MarcCrawford who unsuccessfully tried to for 2years to institute a antiquated style of play.Unknown to most of the Stars followers,there was a revolt of the veterans of the teamboth in the locker room and on the iceagainst Crawford. How else does a teamslide from 1st place to not making the play-offs in 4 short weeks.

It was a known fact in the Press Box thatCaptain Brendan Morrow "made efforts" tohave the soft spoken,squeaky voiced niceguy on the outside Crawford , (who was araging antagonist inside the locker room)replaced

Quick Hits The Metroplex is a sports fan's dream - great pro sports, college power-houses and some of the best high school sports programs in the country -

and we deliver it all with typical Texas hospitality.-Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price on D/FW being ranked the No. 1 sports area in the U.S.

by VANCE GONZALES/CORRESPONDENT/[email protected]

Despite that the Cowboys suck, despite theteam blowing five fourth-quarter leads,despite that the head coach has been cruci-fied for being moronic in managing a winto a loss at Arizona and despite all thescrutiny concerning the secondary andfourth-quarter penalties, coach JasonGarrett’s job is secure.

When asked about the job security ofGarrett were the Cowboys to fail to reachthe playoffs, owner/general manager JerryJones commented, “It’s really not even

something worth discussion. We are reallyjust getting started. We’ve made the firststep out of the blocks in Jason’s career ascoach of the Dallas Cowboys. I do intend,if there are mistakes made, then, I want tobe around for the rewards when they’recorrected. And he’s the guy that can cor-rect them.”

True, Garrett is not Wade Phillips by anyaccount. Garrett has more control over dayto day operations of the team. Garrett hasthe respect of the team. Garrett motivates

the team. But Garrett hasn’t lived up to thepersonal and Ivy League intellectual hypethat clamored around his entry into headcoaching in the NFL.

Garrett is 12-9 as head coach of theCowboys. As head coach, Garrett’s man-agement has been horrendous: SeeArizona; dumb players that can’t seem tolearn the playbook (i.e., Dez Bryant). Onoffense, Garrett’s play-calling has oftenresembled a mediocre Madden player: Seeabandoning the running for the deep ball

late in games. Despite that the Cowboyssuck, despite the head coach, despite theplayers, despite the mishaps of 2011,despite it all, the team is Jerry’s and Garrettis Jerry’s coach. To admit personal faultin poor decision is something Jerry Jonescan’t muster. While by no means the hap-less pack that is the Cowboys falls totallyon Garrett’s shoulders, it lies somewhere.But for now the heartbreak that is being aDallas Cowboys fan will stay in place.

Cowboys owner Jones has Coach Garrett’s back

In the face of accusations of the use per-formance-enhancing drugs, Baseball’sunion head reiterated that the public shouldwait for all the facts before making anyconclusions about the reigning NL MVP

Ryan Braun. The Mlwaukee Brewers’ startested positive for a performance-enhanc-ing substance, which he’s appealed. Thecase will be heard before an arbitrator,which likely won’t be until next month at

the earliest. If upheld, Braun would face a50 game first offender suspension.

Players’ association leader Michael Weinersaid in a statement Tuesday that the agree-

ment is designed to protect a player from“a rush to judgment,” adding, “fairness dic-tats that Ryan Braun be treated no differ-ently.”

MLBPA head backs Braun after positive PED test

spor tspagedfw.com | The Sports Page | December16-22, 2011 7

Mavs front office has just the prescription for nervous fans.

Follow the Fish on twitter at @FishSports and at

www.DallasBasketball.com.

by Mike FisherF I S [email protected]

You and your Mavs are going to get your hearts broken.The end of the rainbow always leads to LA or NY, andyour MavVirus so poisons your system that not even a titlecures it. Lamar & Vince? Maybe. Dwight & Deron? Theyshouldn't even try … because YOU might get your heartbroken?

It's a good thing Cuban and Donnie don't think like youdo.

The Mavs have been dealt into the high-stakes DwightHoward game as Orlando is granting negotiation permis-sion to three teams: The Lakers, the Nets and the defend-ing champs, who are attempting to reload quickly as theyacquire Lamar Odom from the Lakers, seal a deal withVince Carter, finish up some beneficial tinkering withTyson Chandler's departure to the Knicks, express happi-ness over the early camp work of Roddy Beaubois, awaitthe arrival of newcomer and prospective 2-guard starterRudy Fernandez, offer high praise for Brendan Haywood,push Orlando for Howard and maintain an eye towardadding another premier puzzle piece in Deron Williams.

Oh, and they are in possession of the Larry O'BrienTrophy, too.

THE ROSTER ISN’T SET YET"We're going to be a dangerous team and our goal is to

mold into, once again, a championship team,'' coach RickCarlisle says from Mavs HQ. “Those things take sometime, but I'm excited about this group and I don't thinkwe're done yet.''

I don't think so, either.

Maybe the leading candidate to acquire Howard is NewJersey. The Clippers seem to be closing in on Paul. Butthere are always going to be prizes to chase and nobodychases them better, and handles Asset Management better,than Mavs owner Mark Cuban and GM Donnie Nelsonand staff.

If your first cynical thought is, "Aw, Dallas doesn't have

enough to give,'' you are MavVirus-plagued, forgetting theglow of that Larry, thinking too small and thinking toofast.

Don't get ahead of yourself here.

You won a title. Your team boasts Cuban, Donnie, Kidd,Odom, Jet, Marion, Larry O'Brien and … The UberMan.How the heck can the sky be falling when it is propped upat the corners by Cuban, Donnie, Kidd, Larry O'Brien and… The UberMan?

MAVS PLAYING FOR KEEPSI pushed hard all last week the idea of this being “The

SuperTeam Era.'' You think Mark Cuban doesn't see whatCleveland owner Dan Gilbert sees? You think Cuban does-n't have a powerful distaste at the thought of joiningCleveland as one of the NBA's 25 “WashingtonGenerals''?

So the Mavs are pushing. Bending. Bullying. Theyplayed the game in the most polite of ways last summerwhen they stood in line for days outside The LeBron Storeand were never allowed inside the velvet ropes.

This time around, they are leaping over the rope, bull-dozing the store, and trying to take all the merchandiseinside.

“Mark and Donnie, they make things happen,'' Carlislesays. “Time and time again they make things happen. Atthis time of the year I don't think of another owner or GMI'd want in the foxhole trying to put a team together.''

If you don't trust my evaluation, can you please trusthis?

You don't have to love all the moves. But the executionof a plan, created with immediacy as the new CBA wasbeing formalized, is a wonderful thing to watch. Getsomething for Tyson. Feel good about Haywood as today'sstarter. Be in the bidding for contingency plan SamDalembert. Be on the phone with Chauncey Billups if heclears waivers. Swindle the Lakers out of Odom for noth-ing. Get Kidd to endorse the idea of a reunion with Vince.Replace Cardinal with Brandan Wright, and then getCardinal to come back anyway. Get Rudy in here (TheSpanish Armada apparently is catching some headwinds)and he replaces Peja. Hurry up and see if Roddy B andDoJo can do what JJ and DeShawn did.

“We're dangerous,'' Carlisle said.

WHAT’S COMING NEXT?Are there more dominoes to fall?

By the time you read this, much might've changed.(This NBA moves fast!) But anyone saying or writing thatSuperstar-to-Dallas is impossible is wrong. They werelikely the same skeptics who never accepted the possibili-ty that the Mavs would even end up in the conversation. …the same skeptics who didn't believe Dirk would ever be astud … the same skeptics who didn't believe the Mavswould ever win a title.

Listen to Nowitzki's review of his own front office andhis history of wheeling-and-dealing:

“Donnie has the knowledge and Cuban always has gotsome stuff (up his sleeve),'' Dirk said. (Cuban) finds waysto get around the rules. ... We'll have to wait and see.''

I wish Mavs fans could put their MavVirus in remissionfor just a while, that Larry O'Brien Trophy serving as whatshould be a cure for it all. Take an aspirin, y'all. Rub somedirt on it. You can't win if they don't play.

Are you scared the Mavs will fall short on Dwight, fallshort on Deron, fail with Odom, fall short on winningback-to-back titles? You might be right about those thingshappening, but you are wrong to be frightened of theDallas Mavericks' efforts.

What would you rather they do, not make the efforts atall?

Follow the Fish on twitter at @FishSports andat www.DallasBasketball.com.

SPORTS TALK WITH MIKE FISHERTHE FISH

MavVirus in remission for Dallas fans


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by Tom WardS PE C IAL CO NTR I BUTO Rtompward@sbcglobal .net

Christmas is nearly here and with peoplein the gift giving mood I thought I wouldtell you about one of the greatest gifts Iever received and it happened on the golfcourse. Twenty years ago I was invited toparticipate in a golf tournament inDenver, Colorado and stage a golf clinicfor all the guests prior to teeing off. Thatafternoon, I was paired with the tourna-ment host named whose name was SteveMinot who was a good friend with mybuddy that asked me to come to Coloradoin the first place. When Steve got out ofthe cart to hit his opening tee shot I cameto the realization immediately that thisround would be unlike any other I hadever played. Steve was on crutches as hehobbled over to his ball that a fellowplayer had already placed on the tee forhim. He proceeded to drop his crutchesand with driver in his hand made his golfswing, hitting the ball right down thefairway. After he made contact with theball he landed face first on the ground. Tosay I was shocked was an understate-ment. I immediately rushed over to helphim off the damp surface which still hadearly morning dew on it. I couldn’tbelieve anyone else in our group would-n’t come to his aid. In a few moments, Iwould understand why they were reluc-tant to help. As I reached out my hand tohelp lift him up he waived me off, saying“I can do it myself.” It became quiteapparent he didn’t need my assistanceand was fiercely independent.

Throughout the rest of the round, thisstrange and unique occurrence happenedon every hole and nearly every shot, withthe exception of when he putted. Can youimagine playing 18 holes of golf and

falling down to the ground after everyswing? Needless to say, his pants, shirtsand arms were covered with grass stainsand mud by the time we finished.

Interestingly enough, on every third hole,everyone in the tournament scramble hadto hit a series of awkward shots like hit-ting a shot standing on one leg, puttingblindfolded, chipping with one arm, hit-ting a shot sitting down on a big rubberexercise ball and so on. You see thisannual event was for the Colorado chap-ter for the Physically Challenged. Inevery group that day was a member ofthe organization with a physical disability(such as M.S. Blindness, Polio, Loss oflimbs, golfers with prosthetics, etc.) Thisparticular tournament was a fundraiserfor their cause. As much as they appreci-ated everyone writing a check for theirworthwhile organization, I believe moreimportantly they wanted all the partici-pants to get a feeling of what they experi-ence on a daily basis.

On that day, walking in their respectiveshoes(so to speak) gave me a greaterunderstanding of their plight and it moti-vated me to help these golfers play greatgolf despite their disabilities. When yousee people hitting shots with those limita-tions, you can’t help but feeling inspired.Suddenly, my own aches and painsseemed meaningless and trivial in com-parison. After the round, I helped Stevewith his balance which not only got himmore distance, but kept him from fallingdown after every shot. I’m happy to tellyou Steve plays to a low single digithandicap these days, and almost neverfalls down anymore which is sure to savemoney on his cleaning bills. Anothergreat bonus for me was that I was able towork on others that day after the tourna-ment that had physical disabilities like

Steve. Over the years, I continued to goback and it was exciting to see thegrowth in all the people I had the oppor-tunity to help. Regardless, of the cardsthat life dealt them, they continued play-ing a sport they enjoy and play to a highlevel, many of them sporting a low handi-cap. A lot of the golfers have told methey continue to beat many of their

friends who have no physical limitations.

Steve and his friends showed me thatthere isn’t anything a person can’t do ifthey have their heart in the right place.Throughout my travels around the worlddoing golf clinics and events I often heargolfers complaining using such worn outexpressions, like “you can’t teach an olddog new tricks: or “I’m too old”. I’vepulled some of these people aside and letthem know that the only limits they haveare in their mind, and limited thoughts

create limited people. Working withSteve and the others many years ago gaveme an idea to incorporate hitting shots onone leg, with one arm, on my knees,blindfolded, and many other off-balanceand unique shots in my golf exhibitionsand teaching seminars. The crowdsalways like the so called “trick shots”,but I tell them that these are really justgood drills that all of them can do to helpimprove their game.

You see that ball doesn’t care how tallyou are, how old you are, man or woman,whether you have one leg or one arm.The beauty of the sport is that it doesn’tdiscriminate and that’s why it’s one ofthe greatest equalizer in all of the sports.Over the past two decades I had theopportunity to help thousands of golferswith physical challenges. Just in the past6 years I’ve had the honor of teachingsome of our U.S. Military men & womenwho have returned home from war withlife changing injuries that have gravitatedtowards the game. Golf has become anexcellent tool to help them in their physi-cal & mental rehabilitation.

Finally, I find it a bit ironic, because I’vebeen fortunate in my career to study andlearn from some of best golf pro’s in thebusiness. As great as all those wonderfulgolf professionals were in taking meunder their wing and mentoring to methey couldn’t have taught me what mybuddy Steve did. Through my friendshipwith him I received one of the greatestand most priceless gifts that I could haveever imagined and it keeps on givingbecause it’s a lesson of a lifetime. HappyHolidays!

Tom Ward can be reached at www.tee-timewithtom.com

WITH TOM WARDGOLF

A Christmas golf gift that keeps on giving


By Kate DelaneyS PE C IAL CO NTR I BUTO [email protected]

ODOM BRINGS SOME FAMOUS BAGGAGE TO DALLAS

Have you heard that the Kardashians arecoming to town? Yes, it's true even danc-ing machine and little brother Rob is look-ing for a crash pad in Dallas. Why?Brother- in-law Lamar Odom is taking his“A” list family along with him to theMavericks. Thank you Mark Cuban!Imagine the attention that will rain downon the city as so many in the country can'thelp but try to keep up with theKardashians every week through themagic of reality television. Cuban isalready on the record saying he likesKhloe the best - good answer since she'sOdom's wife. Sister Kim is no stranger tothe Big D, not too long ago she was thesqueeze of cowboy receiver Miles Austin.

The 32 year old 6-foot-10 Lakers forward

took the long road in a trade getting toDallas; one he didn't expect to be on thisHoliday season by the way. Here's whathappened, originally Odom was part of athree team deal that would have sent himto New Orleans instead he was dished tothe Mavericks and it his request.

Odom says he was shocked by news of thepossible trade and while he didn't want toslam New Orleans, thought it would havebeen a step down - going from a contenderto starting all over again. Lucky for OdomNBA Commissioner David Stern nixedthat deal in the interest of the Hornets andthat's what sent Odom into Lakers GeneralManager Mitch Kupchak's office lookingto be traded. He obliged and the sevenyear Laker and last year's Sixth man

award winner takes the floor with Dallaswhen the season rolls out.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle was excitedabout the move and he could be dead-on inhis assessment of the new addition sayingOdom, Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marionmay be the best forward trio in the NBA. Ican't wait to rub it in to my Beverly Hillsattitude friend Annie who lives andbreathes the Lakers - her team is retoolingwhile mine is preparing for another NBAChampionship.

COWBOYS MIGHT BE SKIPPING THEPLAYOFFSThese Cowboy losses are getting tough onmy marriage - for the second week in arow a Dallas loss has rendered my hus-band mute for several days into the week.While silence can be golden, like mostwomen I enjoy conversation; lately mostof my chatter aside from my radio showhas been with my golden retrieverMahalo. I can't really blame him - this isgetting ridiculous.

Once again the defense played a role in

the loss and it was simply mystifying.Three quarters of the game, between blitz-ing and crazy schemes, the defense stopsEli Manning and the Giants! Then, when itcounts the most in closing out with a winthey sputter, choke and practically handNew York the NFC East title. Manningwas never sacked in the game and runningmachine Brandon Jacobs made Dallas paywhen the focus was on Hakeem Nicks orVictor Cruz. Jacobs ended up with over100 yards and that put his team in the driv-er seat in the end.

A Cowboy win would have given the teama two game leg up on the Giants, insteadit's a fight to the end. These last threegames against Tampa, Philly and NewYork are key to Dallas making it into thepost season.

How much do you want to bet it comesdown to the final game in Meadowlands?

Kate Delaney hosts "America Tonight,"which airs from 11p.m. - 2a.m. on KKGM1630AM.

Mavs fans to give Odom a warm welcomeSPORTS SHORTS WITH KATE DELANEY

10 December16-22, 2011 | The Sports Page | spor tspagedfw.com

COLLEGE FOOTBALLCOVER STORY

by BO CARTERSPECIAL [email protected]

It literally is the “most wonderful (bowl)time of the year…”

Roses are blooming, oranges are budding,and cotton is flowering as 35 postseasonclashes begin with Saturday’s three bowls tobegin a 23-day binge challenging even tothe most fanatical football follower.

While the original three tilts of 2011-12arouse curiosity this weekend, Metroplexfans have a trio of blockbusters plus theNCAA Football Championship SubdivisionDivision I title outing on Saturday, Jan. 7, atFrisco’s Pizza Hut Park to lead into theAllstate BCS championship on Jan. 10 inNew Orleans.

NOT JUST THE COTTON BOWL ANYMOREThe “granddaddy” of Metroplex postseasongames occurs on Friday, Jan. 6, in prime-time (7 p.m. airtime) as No. 6 Arkansas (10-2 overall) of the Southeastern Conferencetangles with surprising No. 8 nationallyKansas State (10-2) in the highest-rankedencounter at the 76th annual AT&T CottonBowl at Cowboys Stadium in Irving.

Before that the Armed Forces BellHelicopter Bowl completes its two-yearvisit to SMU’s Ford Stadium on Friday,Dec. 30, in a 11 a.m. (CST) ESPN telecastbetween BYU (9-3) and Tulsa (8-4). Threedays later on Jan. 2, the second TicketCityBowl continues a 76-year tradition of gamesat historic Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallaswhen Houston (12-1) and Penn State (9-3)at 11 a.m. (CST) on ESPN.

That’s a combined record of 58-15 amongsix NCAA Football Subdivision teams,which have been ranked as high as secondnationally and were in contention for con-ference titles virtually all season.

Toss in the four semifinalists playing for thecoveted berth in the 35th annual NCAAFootball Championship Subdivision titlegame (formerly NCAA I-AA) in Frisco, andyou have the possibilities of No. 1 national-ly and area favorite Sam Houston State (13-0), Montana (11-2), Georgia Southern (11-2), and North Dakota State (11-2), and fanscannot wait for a veritable Metroplex foot-ball feast on Jan. 6-7.

The AT&T Cotton Bowl has a pair of Top 10opponents for the first time since the 1994contest between Texas A&M and NotreDame and matches two teams, which havenot met in football since Arkansas toppedthe Wildcats 28-7 at Little Rock.

LOOK FOR FIREWORKSThese are entirely different, high-octaneteams from their 1960s’ counterparts as theRazorbacks, making their 12th Classicappearance and seeking their first win in the76-year-old standby since a 27-6 verdictover Texas in 2000 (the first game played inthe Millennium on the morning of Jan. 1),rely on the passing of junior QB TylerWilson (257-of-407 for 3,422 yards, 63.1percent completion rate, and 22 TD tosses),

running of Dennis Johnson (101 carries for637 yards, three TDs) and ace receiving ofJarius Wright (63 catches for 1,029 yards,16.3 yards per reception, and 11 TDs).

The Wildcats counter with All-Big 12 quar-terback and do-it-all Collin Klein (145-of-251 passing for 1,745 yards, 12 TDs alongwith 293 rushes for 1,099 net yards and Big12-most 26 TD carries) and diminutive RBJohn Hubert (5-7, 185 pounds) with 188

carries for 933 yards and three TDs.

Earlier in the week, BYU and Tulsa openthe area college bowl season on Dec. 30with more anticipated fireworks on offense.In the previous seven meetings of these tra-ditional powers (the Cougars lead the series6-1), the schools have combined for 81points and 934 total offense yards’ averageswith freewheeling skill players.

BYU looks to QB combo Riley Nelson andJake Heaps with total passing stats of 243attempts, 414 completions, 2,919 yards, and19 scores while Tulsa counters with Gilmer,Texas, three-year starting QB G.J. Kinne (aformer Texas QB and three-year starter forthe Golden Hurricane) with staggering

career passing totals of 715-of-1,164, 9,258yards and 78 TDs since 2009.

FIRST GAME WITHOUT JOPA SINCE 1965In the TicketCity Bowl, entering just its sec-ond game but with a marquee intersectionalmatchup, Penn State plays its first bowlgame without College Hall of Fame headcoach Joe Paterno at the helm since 1965while the Cougars seek a fulltime replace-ment for former head coach Kevin Sumlin,who accepted a post with Texas A&M onDec. 10. Texas Tech edged Northwestern45-38 in the inaugural TicketCity slugfest atCotton Bowl Stadium on Jan. 1, 2011.

The rest of the bowl season stacks up withjust one key rematch – and this one is for thenational title. No. 1 LSU (13-0) has theunenviable and mostly monumental task ofdowning No. 2 Alabama (11-1) in theAllstate BCS championship at theMercedes-Benz Dome in New Orleans onJan. 9. Interestingly, in 19 rematches of reg-ular-season games over 142 seasons of col-lege football, the team that lost the openinggame came to win 15 times. That may notbe a good omen for coach Les Miles’Fighting Tigers.

BOTH LOCAL SCHOOLS BOWLINGIn other bowl activity, Metroplex favoritesTCU (10-2) overall returns to lovely SanDiego for a Dec. 21 tussle with WesternAthletic Conference Coach of the YearSonny Dykes’ (son of popular retired TexasTech coach Spike Dykes) Louisiana TechBulldogs in the San Diego County CreditUnion Poinsettia Bowl at QualcommStadium, 7 p.m. (CST) on ESPN.

SMU (7-5) makes its first postseason trek toBirmingham, Ala., to face Pittsburgh (6-6)of the Big East Conference (which hasaccepted the Mustangs as a member in 2013football) in the BBVA Compass Bowl onJan. 7 at noon (CST) in another ESPNnational telecast.

Time to go bowling: breaking down the local games


COMPLETE 2011-2012 BOWL

SCHEDULE

Sat., Dec. 17 – Gildan New Mexico Bowl,Temple vs. Wyoming, Albuquerque, N.M.,

University Stadium, 2 p.m., ESPN

Sat., Dec. 17 – Great Idaho Potato, Ohio vs.Utah State, Boise, Idaho, Bronco Stadium, 5:30

p.m., ESPN

Sat., Dec. 17 - R+L Carriers New Orleans,Louisiana-Lafayette vs. San Diego State, New

Orleans, La., Louisiana Superdome, 9 p.m.,ESPN

Tue., Dec. 20 - Beef O' Brady's, St. Petersburg,FIU vs. Marshall, St. Petersburg, Fla.,

Tropicana Field, 8 p.m., ESPN

Thu., Dec. 22 – MAACO Las Vegas, BoiseState vs. Arizona State, Las Vegas, Nev., Sam

Boyd Stadium, 8 p.m., ESPN

Sat., Dec. 24 - Sheraton Hawai’i, Nevada vs.Southern Miss, Honolulu, Aloha Stadium, 8

p.m., ESPN

Mon., Dec. 26 - AdvoCare V100 Independence,Missouri vs. North Carolina, Shreveport, La.,

Independence Stadium, 5 p.m., ESPN

Tue., Dec. 27 - Little Caesars Pizza, Purdue vs.Western Michigan, Detroit, Mich., Ford Field,

4:30 p.m., ESPN

Tue., Dec. 27 – Belk, Louisville vs. NC State,Charlotte, N.C., Bank of America Stadium, 8

p.m. ESPN

Wed., Dec. 28 – Military, Air Force vs. Toledo,Washington, D.C., RFK Stadium, 4:30 p.m.,

ESPN

Wed., Dec. 28 - Bridgepoint EducationHoliday, California vs. Texas, San Diego,

Calif., Qualcomm Stadium, 9:00 p.m., ESPN

Thu., Dec. 29 - Champs Sports, Florida Statevs. Notre Dame, Orlando, Fla., Florida Citrus

Bowl, 5:30 p.m., ESPN

Thu., Dec. 29 - Valero Alamo, Baylor vs.Washington, San Antonio, Texas, Alamodome,

9 p.m., ESPN

Fri., Dec. 30 - Bell Helicopter Armed Forces,BYU vs. Tulsa, Dallas, Texas, Gerald J. Ford

Stadium, noon, ESPN

Fri., Dec. 30 - New Era Pinstripe, Iowa Statevs. Rutgers, Bronx, N.Y., Yankee Stadium, 3:30

p.m., ESPN

Fri., Dec. 30 - Franklin American MortgageMusic City, Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest,Nashville, Tenn., LP Field, 6:40 p.m., ESPN

Fri., Dec. 30 – Insight, Iowa vs. Oklahoma,Tempe, Ariz., Sun Devil Stadium, 10 p.m.,

ESPN

Sat., Dec. 31 - Meineke Car Care Bowl ofTexas, Northwestern vs. Texas A&M, Houston,

Texas, Reliant Stadium, noon, ESPN

Sat., Dec. 31 - Hyundai Sun, Georgia Tech vs.Utah, El Paso, Texas, Sun Bowl, 2 p.m., CBS

Sat., Dec. 31 - Kraft Fight Hunger, Illinois vs.UCLA, San Francisco, Calif., AT&T Park, 3:30

p.m., ESPN

Sat., Dec. 31 - AutoZone Liberty, Cincinnativs. Vanderbilt, Memphis, Tenn., Liberty Bowl,

3:30 p.m., ABC

Sat., Dec. 31 – Chick-fil-A, Auburn vs.Virginia, Atlanta, Ga., Georgia Dome, 7:30

p.m., ESPN

Mon., Jan. 2 – TicketCity, Houston vs. PennState, Dallas, Texas, Cotton Bowl Stadium,

noon, ESPNU

Mon., Jan. 2 - Capital One, Nebraska vs. SouthCarolina, Orlando, Fla., Florida Citrus Bowl, 1

p.m., ESPN

Mon., Jan. 2 – Outback, Georgia vs. MichiganState, Tampa, Fla., Raymond James Stadium, 1

p.m., ABC

Mon., Jan. 2 - TaxSlayer Gator, Florida vs.Ohio State, Jacksonville, Fla., EverBank Field,

1 p.m., ESPN2

Mon., Jan. 2 - Rose Bowl presented by VIZIO,Oregon vs. Wisconsin, Pasadena, Calif., Rose

Bowl, 5 p.m., ESPN

Mon., Jan. 2 – Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, OklahomaState vs. Stanford, Glendale, Ariz., ESPN, 8:30

p.m.

Tue., Jan. 3 Allstate Sugar – Michigan vs.Virginia Tech, New Orleans, La., Louisiana

Superdome, 8 p.m., ESPN

Wed., Jan. 4 - Discover Orange, Clemson vs.West Virginia, Miami Gardens, Fla., Sun Life

Stadium, 8 p.m., ESPN

Fri., Jan. 6 - AT&T Cotton, Arkansas vs.Kansas State Arlington, Texas, Cowboys

Stadium, 8 p.m., FOX

Sun., Jan. 8 – GoDaddy.com, Northern Illinoisvs. Arkansas State, Mobile, Ala., Ladd-Peebles

Stadium, 9 p.m., ESPN

Mon., Jan. 9 - Allstate BCS Championship,Alabama vs. LSU, New Orleans, La.,Louisiana Superdome, 9 p.m., ESPN

For tickets, please go to:footbalbowlassociation.com; www.espn.com;

major conference sites.


by MIKE [email protected]

Never before has the DFW sports fan beenhit with as many negative haymakers asthey were from December 8-11. CJ Wilsonnot only left the Rangers, he went to theAngels! Tyson Chandler, one of the biggestheroes from the Mavericks championshipseason, gone to New York. And the DallasCowboys, the last beacon of hope of a lostweekend…you've got to kidding me.

DECEMBER 8, 2011Nothing was official but that morningrumors were thick that CJ Wilson was leav-ing the Texas Rangers and was going tosign with either the Florida Marlins or theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

I had a bad feeling the Texas Rangers weregoing to let CJ Wilson walk when theywere dragging their feet during last off-sea-son. Jon Daniels knew there were two like-ly outcomes when he did this.1) CJ scufflesand his price goes down 2) CJ proves 2010was not a fluke, has another very good yearand his price goes up so high the Rangerssay they can't afford him.

CJ Wilson went 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA in223 innings in 2011.

What's not to like about CJ? Between thelines he was a very effective starting pitch-er the last two years. So many pitcherscan't get over the mental hump of pitchingin Texas but CJ found a way to not onlysurvive but also thrive in Texas.

Wilson doesn't have the miles on his arm atypical 31 year old starter might have whenhitting free agency because he's only beenstarting for two years. His workout regi-

mens are legendary and he's made it knownhe doesn't drink or do drugs. You alsowon't see pictures of CJ with strippers andwhip cream telling the world he's numberone randomly popping up on the internet.

CJ Wilson is exactly the person you wantleading a young pitching staff. Sure, he cansound like a self absorbed Valley Girl butin truth, he has a lot of tough Texan in him.

I don't get it. The Rangers have a new well-heeled ownership group that is well awareof the sins of Tom Hicks. They're comingoff two very long runs into the post-seasonso having enough money should not havebeen the issue. CJ's performance betweenthe lines was stellar. He's a good guy offthe field and made it known how much heloved his teammates and this area. Whywould you let somebody this good hit freeagency?

Later that dreadful morning rumors wereconfirmed. CJ Wilson had signed a 5 year /$ 77.5 million contract with the Angels. Sonot only were the Rangers losing our stafface but to make it worse, he was going toour chief rival in the AL West. And theyalso signed Albert Pujols? Awesome.

Image: Getty Images

DECEMBER 9After the NBA strike was settled, TysonChandler made it known he thought thenew agreement would make it very difficultfor him to come back to the DallasMavericks. Leading up to December 9,nothing had changed.

Going into the 2010-11 season, theMavericks needed a center that could givethem solid post defense and controlled thepaint. They also needed a culture change orin simpler terms, a bad ass. Chandler, whosplit his youth between living in the coun-

try and the streets of Compton, was theperfect fit for the goody two-shoesMavericks.

Good defense is all about effort and tough-ness which is exactly what the Mavericksshowed in the 2011 playoffs. Gone was thesoft “one 'n done” post-season mindset thathad crippled so many recent Mavericksteams in the past and whaddya know, theywon a championship.

Fast forward, from sipping champagne onSouth Beach last June to the upcomingNBA season - if you're Donnie Nelson orMark Cuban, what's your strategy goingforward?

There are exceptions but the big wall NBAstars have trouble pushing through is age36 (it beat star players like Bird, Barkley,Erving, McHale). Dirk turned 33 last June.

Dirk has always been Batman of theMavericks but he's going to be making thetransition to Robin sooner than later. FatherTime remains undefeated and the realisticview with Dirk is that he should be a goodto very good player for four years. Historysuggests anything else would be an unex-pected bonus.

The challenge to the Mavericks front officeis to find that new Batman while stillremaining competitive with Dirk in hissunset years. The way to do that is to retainsalary cap flexibility in the summer of2012.

Word spread on Friday that not only wasChandler signing with the Knicks, CaronButler had signed with the Clippers and JJBarea was going to Minnesota. The mainissue was the Mavs reluctance to offermore than a two year deal to any of theseplayers.

Unlike the Rangers and CJ Wilson, Iunderstand what the Mavericks are doingand why Chandler (and everybody else)had to leave but when a fan favorite andkey member of a championship teamleaves, it's still a dark day.

DECEMBER 11, 2011For some reason, I felt really good aboutthe Dallas Cowboys playing the New YorkGiants this past weekend. We'd heard allweek how similar the Giants loss the weekbefore to undefeated Green Bay was totheir 2007 loss to the New EnglandPatriots.

Somehow that loss to Green Bay was con-strued by some in the national media asbeing a positive because of how well the

Giants had played. I wasn't buying it.

The Giants had lost four straight gameswhile giving up 131 points and were in afree-fall. Any compliments they receivedfor the Green Bay loss was lazy analysis.On Sunday night there was blood in thewater and the Cowboys had a chance to putthe NFC East title on ice with a victory.

Image: FS Southwest

With 5:41 left in the game, Dez Bryantcaught a 50 yard td pass to give theCowboys a 34-22 lead. Television camerascaught all kinds of high-five grab ass goingon between the men in Jerry Jones' suiteafter Bryant's touchdown.

The reaction in the Jones Suite was anaccurate reflection of the fans. The seasonhad been full of heartbreak but at that pointit appeared as though the Cowboys wereabout to be rewarded (“We're going to winthe NFC East!!”) for their perseverance.That's a wonderful feeling to have and isoften a springboard to greater accomplish-ments.

Details will be spared but within the next15-20 minutes that feeling had been shat-tered in comical déjà vu fashion. After thegame, cameras panned to the Jones Suiteonce again and everybody looked like theyhad just seen their favorite pet get hit by acar.

Those of us who are fans of the Rangers,Mavericks and Cowboys spent that Sundaynight pawing at the ground like MikeTyson looking for his mouthpiece after get-ting jacked by Buster Douglas. By Mondaymorning we were collectively sitting on abag of frozen peas with raw steaks overboth eyes wondering what the hell justhappened and whether or not the sunwould ever rise again.

THE FAN IN THE STANDSOPINION

DFW sports fans endure brutal weekend


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OPEN DAILY11 A.M

TO2 A.M.

Temple ( -6 .5) vs Wyoming

Ohio vs Utah State ( -2)

Louisiana Lafayette vs . San Diego St ( -5)

Flor ida Internat ional ( -3 .5) vs . Marshal l

TCU (-10) vs . Louisiana Tech

Boise State ( -14) vs . Ar izona State

Dal las ( -7) at Tampa Bay

Washington at NY Giants ( -7)

Seatt le at Chicago ( -3 .5)

Carol ina at Houston ( -6 .5)

Cincinnati ( -6) at St Louis

Detroit ( -1) at Oakland

New England ( -6) at Denver

NY Jets at Phi ladelphia ( -3)

Cleveland at Ar izona ( -7)

Balt imore ( -1 .5) at San Diego

DAN MCVICKER

SCOTT BOYTER

THE REDROOT

VANCEGONZALES

ROGEREMRICH

TRAVISPRICE

RK TEAM RECORD1 LSU 12-02 Alabama 11-13 Oklahoma St 11-14 Stanford 11-15 Virginia Tech 11-16 Houston 12-07 Boise St 10-18 Arkansas 10-29 Oregon 10-210 Oklahoma 9-211 Kansas St 9-212 South Carolina 10-213 Michigan St 10-214 Georgia 10-215 Wisconsin 10-216 Michigan 10-217 Baylor 8-318 TCU 9-219 Nebraska 9-320 Clemson 9-321 Penn St 9-322 Texas 7-423 West Virginia 8-324 Southern Miss 10-225 Missouri 7-5

Wyoming

Utah State

San Diego State

Marshall

Louisiana Tech

Arizona State

Tampa Bay

NY Giants

Seattle

Carolina

Cincinnati

Oakland

New England

Philadelphia

Arizona

Baltimore

Temple

Utah St

San Diego St

Fla Int’l

TCU

Arizona St

Tampa Bay

NY Giants

Chicago

Houston

Cincinnati

Detroit

New England

NY Jets

Arizona

Baltimore

Wyoming

Utah State

Louisiana Lafeyette

Florida International

TCU

Boise State

Dallas

NY Giants

Chicago

Carolina

Cincinnati

Detroit

New England

Philadelphia

Cleveland

Baltimore

Temple

Utah State

San Diego State


TCU

Boise State

Dallas

NY Giants

Seattle

Houston

Cincinnati

Oakland

New England

NY Jets

Arizona

Baltimore

8-8 12-4 9-7 7-9 8-8 8-8113-112(.508) 123-102 (.705) 120-105 (.64) 108-117(.42) 114-111 (.527) 115-110 (.545)RECORD TO DATE

LAST WEEK

GAMES - 12/17-12/19

Each week, we’ll ask some area mediamembers to put their forecasting skills tothe test. This season, TSPW publisher DanMcVicker, Scott Boyter, editor of TSPW, Themysterious Red Root, TSPW columnist VanceGonzales and Roger Emrich, KRLD-AM Sportsand oilman and former Texas Tech widereceiver Travis Price will pick vs. the line.

25THE SPORTS PAGE WEEKLY’S PIGSKIN PROGNOSTICATORS

TOP

Temple

Ohio

San Diego State


TCU

Boise State

Dallas

NY Giants

Chicago

Carolina

Cincinnati

Detroit

New England

NY Jets

Arizona

San Diego

Wyoming

Ohio

Louisiana Lafayette

Marshall

TCU

Boise State

Dallas

Washington

Chicago

Carolina

Cincinnati

Detroit

New England

Philadelphia

Arizona

San Diego

1. ❑ Houston at Indianapolis ❑2. ❑ Denver at Buffalo ❑3. ❑ Arizona at Cincinnati ❑4. ❑ Jacksonville at Tennessee ❑5. ❑ Oakland at Kansas City ❑6. ❑ Miami at New England ❑7. ❑ NY Giants at NY Jets ❑8. ❑ St. Louis at Pittsburgh ❑9. ❑ Minnesota at Washington ❑10. ❑ Tampa Bay at Carolina ❑11. ❑ Cleveland at Baltimore ❑12. ❑ San Diego at Detroit ❑13. ❑ Philadelphia at Dallas ❑14. ❑ San Francisco at Seattle ❑15. ❑ Chicago at Green Bay ❑16. ❑ Atlanta at New Orleans ❑

Tiebreaker (Final score) SAINTSSCORE:


Win tickets to the2012 Cotton Bowl!

WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WINMake your picks by checking the appropriate boxes.

Each week the best picks win a

$20 GIFT CARDto Humperdinks!

NameAddressCity, State ZIPPhoneE-mail Want to subscribe?

In the event of a tie following the tiebreaker round, the winner will be selcted via a random drawing.Clip out entry and mail to: The Sports PageP.O. Box 820813 Dallas, Tx. 75382e-mail your entry to [email protected], or fax to (972) 248-8187.CONTEST RULESEntry deadline Wed, Nov. 16, at 5 p.m. Employees and family of The Sports Page Weekly not eligible. Only one entry per household. Ties will besettled via tiebreaker. Winner will be announced in the December 25 edition of The Sports Page Weekly. Tickets will be available at Cotton BowlWill-Call. The contest runs from September 6 – December 16, 2011. The tiebreaker will determine the final winner each week. The individual towin the most weekly contests wins the Grand Prize. The winner will be notified on Monday following the respective weekend’s contest.

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FALCONSSCORE:


Mark Cuban visits with BAD Radio

BAD RadioWeekdays, Noon - 3:00 PM

Mavericks owner MarkCuban explained recent freeagency moves.

Bob: I'm not even sure how to processall of this information going in and out ofyour franchise, and even look at the teamright now until someone tells me, "this isthe team we'll see Christmas Day." Arewe close to that?

Cuban: Yeah, I think we're close, butyou never know. A lot of things are

changing and the rules are different.That's changed the marketplace. Asalways we're trying to be smart aboutwhat we do, and take advantage of thefact that guys want to come play for us,and we want to be opportunistic. Youhave all the GM's trying to digest the newrules and collective bargaining agree-ment. Everybody is learning on the fly,and everybody is having to learn in abouta week.

Bob: How did the Lamar Odom thinghappen? Can you walk us through that?

Cuban: Sure, i'll give you the exactdetails. We got a call asking if we'd beinterested in Lamar. We said yes, andthey said they'd call us back. They calledus back, saying here's the deal we're will-ing to do. Donnie called me and he saidwe can't get off any money, we'll have totake 100% of his contract into the tradeexception, and I said, "Donnie, do it." Itall happened about four hours.

Bob: Why would they do that?

Cuban: The rules are different.They've won two out of the last threetitles, but the rules are going to be differ-ent and you can't look at it from the per-spective of the old collective bargainingagreement. Their salary was somewherearound 91 million dollars so that's got tohave some impact. Strategically you'vegot to look at all the elements for thisyear and for future years.

Dan: Are you going to have big capspace next year, even with Lamar Odom?

Cuban: Yes, that's the idea. We're notgoing to amnesty anybody this year, sowe'll have all kinds of options next year.

Bob: How does this team get stops?Obviously Tyson Chandler meant theworld to this team defensively.

Cuban: Yeah, but don't count outBrendan Haywood. When we originallytraded for him you guys were talkingabout how great a defensive center he isand how he's a top five center in theleague. Maybe not a big scoring threat,

but he blocks two shots a game and aver-ages a double double. It all comes downto role, and we're confident that Woodcan step up. Is he quite as mobile in theway that Tyson is? No, but he's a goodshot blocker and can clog up the middle.We've actually added more scoringoptions, so we think with Rick's systemwe're going to get stops when we need toget stops, but we're a little bit morepotent offensively.

Bob: How do you see this team forthis year trying to defend it's title?

Cuban: It should be the same as it isevery year. We want to be playing ourbest basketball and be healthy at the endand see what happens.

Bob Sturm’s new book detailing theMavericks’ championship run, This Yearis Different: How the Mavs Won it All, isavailable now. Download a copy fromiBooks, Amazon or other online retailers.

TICKET WINDOW

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$20 GIFT CARDto Humperdinks!

Presented by Humperdinks

PLAY THECONTEST

ON PAGE 14!


COLLEGE BOWLS & NFL GAMES DEC. 15-19, 2011THE SPREAD

COLLEGE BOWLS

201 TEMPLE -612/17 1:00 PM

202 WYOMING 203 UTAH ST -212/17 4:30 PM

204 OHIO 205 UL-LAFAYETTE 12/17 7:00 PM

206 SAN DIEGO ST -4.5207 FLORIDA INT’L -512/20 7:00 PM

208 MARSHALL 209 LA TECH 12/21 7:00 PM 210 TCU -12.5211 ARIZONA ST. 12/22 7:00 PM

212 BOISE ST -13.5 213 NEVADA12/24 7:00 PM

214 SOUTHERN MISS -5.5 215 NORTH CAROLINA 12/26 4:00 PM

216 MISSOURI -3.5 217 WESTERN MICH -112/27 3:30 PM

218 PURDUE219 LOUISVILLLE 12/27 7:00 PM

220 NC STATE -1.5221 TOLEDO -112/28 3:30 PM 222 AIR FORCE 223 CALIFORNIA 12/28 7:00 PM

224 TEXAS -3225 NOTRE DAME 12/29 4:30 PM

226 FLORIDA ST -3227 WASHINGTON U12/29 8:00 PM

228 BAYLOR -10229 TULSA12/30 11:00 AM

230 BYU -1.5 231 RUTGERS -2.512/30 2:20 PM

232 IOWA ST 233 WAKE FOREST12/30 5:40 PM

234 MISS ST -7235 IOWA12/30 9:00 PM

236 OKLAHOMA -16

237 TEXAS A&M -1112/31 11:00 AM

238 NORTHWESTERN 239 UTAH 12/31 1:00 PM

240 GEORGIA TECH -3.5241 UCLA12/31 2:30 PM

242 ILLIONOIS -1.5 243 CINCINNATI 12/31 2:30 PM

244 VANDERBILT -2 245 VIRGINIA 12/31 6:30 PM

246 AUBURN PK247 PENN ST 1/2 11:00 AM

248 HOUSTON -9 249 MICHIGAN ST 1/2 12:00 PM

250 GEORGIA -2 251 NEBRASKA -11/2 12:00 PM

252 S CAROLINA253 FLORIDA -1.51/2 12:00 PM

254 OHIO ST 255 WISCONSIN 1/2 4:00 PM

256 OREGON -6.5257 STANFORD 1/2 7:30 PM

258 OKLAHOMA ST -3.5259 MICHIGAN -1.51/3 7:30 PM

260 VIRG TECH 261 WEST VIRGINIA 1/4 7:30 PM

262 CLEMSON -3.5263 KANSAS ST 1/6 7:00 PM

264 ARKANSAS -8.5265 SMU 1/7 12:00 PM

266 PITTSBURGH -7267 ARKANSAS ST -11/8 8:00 PM

268 N. ILLINOIS 269 ALABAMA 1/9 7:30 PM

270 LSU -1

NFL GAMESTHURS 12/15301 JACKSONVILLE 7:20 PM 302 ATLANTA -11.5SATURDAY, 12/17303 DALLAS -67:20 PM 304 TAMPA BAY

SUNDAY, 12/18311 WASHINGTON 12:00 PM 312 NEW YORK GIANTS -7.5313 GREEN BAY -1412:00 PM 314 KANSAS CITY 315 NEW ORLEANS -712:00 PM 316 MINNESOTA 317 SEATTLE 12:00 PM 318 CHICAGO -4.5 319 MIAMI -1.512:00 PM 320 BUFFALO 321 CAROLINA 12:00 PM 322 HOUSTON -5323 TENNESSEE -6.512:00 PM 324 INDIANAPOLIS 325 CINCINNATI -3.512:00 PM 326 ST. LOUIS 327 DETROIT 3:05 PM 328 OAKLAND -1329 NEW ENGLAND -6.53:15 PM 330 DENVER 331 NEW YORK JETS 3:15 PM 332 PHILADELPHIA -1333 CLEVELAND 3:15 PM 334 ARIZONA -7335 BALTIMORE -2.57:25 PM 336 SAN DIEGO MONDAY, 12/19337 PITTSBURGH 7:35 PM 338 SAN FRANCISCO -1

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