The Washington Post has more interest in ball than brand names; it's got a piece about how forward Josh Howard needs a better nickname than "J-Ho," no doubt. Peter May in The Boston Globe chronicles the team's rise from worst to first--and by worst, he means one of the worst franchises in all of sports, a sentiment with which Dirk Nowitzki once agreed kinda-sorta. Jaime Aron, the Dallas-based Associated Press writer, has a similar piece making the rounds this morning, only Aron knows this franchise better than most, even Mark Cuban. Speaking of, there are plenty of pieces about that guy too--even one from former Congressman Martin Frost, who penned an overwrought ode to Cubes for his online Fox News column in which he breathlessly writes of the Mavs' owner, "It's nice to see that someone in this country is still willing to take some risks."
And, of course, some folks are just using the Mavs to write about the Cowboys: Michael Cunningham's story for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, reprinted here, half-heartedly backs up the headline's claim that "Mavs have Dallas' attention, but Cowboys are still No. 1." Randy Galloway, avowed Parcells-hater, says the Pokes are tops only by reputation. Tomorrow: How many times do reporters refer to Cuban as "a fan who loves to have fun"? --Robert Wilonsky
