*No matter what you think of the Rangers planned Stone Monument, the tribulations of Shannon Stone and his family are gut-wrenching.
*I'd like soccer better if goalies couldn't use their hands. I'd like dogs better if they didn't have tongues.
*Excited about UFC 134 Saturday night from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Anderson Silva hasn't lost a fight since January 2006, and it was mucho controversial. Silva landed an illegal kick to Japanese stud Yushin Okami in that fight, and was disqualified when his opponent claimed he couldn't recover to continue fighting. So guess who comes a calling in Silva's backyard this time around? Yep, Okami. Revenge is best served in front of the home folks. I pity Okami in this one.
*Saw Abby Wambach at a San Francisco Giants' game this week identified as "our World Cup hero." Don't most heroes win?
*Not that I'm expecting much from Cowboys-Vikings Saturday night -- other than watching the starters play into the third quarter -- but Dallas has a pretty special history in Minnesota. The Hail Mary in '75. Tony Dorsett's 99-yard run in '83. And, in case you forgot, the team's last playoff game in January 2010.
*If you cheered the Rangers at old Arlington Stadium in the '70s you'll love this.
*Tony Romo for NFL MVP in 2011? Not as crazy as you might think. At least the folks at bodog.com don't think so. They have established the Cowboys' quarterback as the 9th-most likely winner this season behind, in order, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Michael Vick, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan. Romo to win the award is 20/1. Put $100 and you could win $2,000 or -- more likely -- lose $100.
*Gonna do something Sunday night I haven't done in years: Watch the MTV Video Music Awards. What am I in for?
*Unless my math is off, Boston's Adrian Gonzalez homered on three consecutive pitches spanning Wednesday and Thursday night in Arlington. Man the Rangers' season-opening sweep of Boston feels like eons ago. (That would make even more sense if I had any clue what an eon is.) Actually, it's an indefinitely long period of time. That'll work.
*Always get a giggle out of these "end of days!!" doomsday folks who point to earthquakes and hurricanes and heat waves. Irene will be the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since Ike was in Texas in 2008. In other words, we've been lucky for two seasons. And, unfortunately, we're due. It's cyclical, not biblical. Only one thing's changed about Earth's climate in the last 100 years -- the Internet. In case you've lost track of his miscalculations, that Harold Camping scam artist's latest prediction of the rapture is Oct. 21. Yawn.
*As of 5 p.m. Thursday DirecTV had "no plans" to carry the Longhorn Network. Much ado about nothing?
*This weekend? In between writing an Observer cover story -- Cowboys preview for the 9.8.11 issue -- it'll be a busy Saturday. First it's the Cowboys-Vikings pre-game show on 105.3 The Fan at 4, followed by a little UFC 134 at Baby Dolls Dallas from 9 until ???. Don't be a stranger.
