Until Friday, Richie's June 27 item about a Fox Sports Network TV special on Tom Hicks hadn't received a single comment; now, there are eight nine 10 a bunch, and they keep rolling in. And most of them are written as open letters to the owner of the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers, from fans of the Liverpool football club Hicks co-owns with Canadian George Gillett Jr. Here's a sample from one missive:
We know that people from Dallas think the earth is flat, ends 250 miles from DFW and is 6,600 years old. They get by with 90-word vocabularies and delude themselves that 'grid-iron', 'baseball', 'basketball' and 'hockey' are men's games. You deserve Hicks and we're sending him back to you without a single red cent, if you follow.
Seems Liverpool supporters, and Hicks haters, are looking for any place in which to plant their flag in light of yesterday's statement from Hicks that no way will he sell his stake in the club, despite the need to refinance his investment and the advances of Dubai International Capital. And things only get uglier: Tonight, Liverpool fans are planning yet another protest against Hicks and his ownership during the squad's match against Aston Villa in Anfield. Which raises the question: Why haven't Rangers fans ever protested Tom Hicks at the Ballpark in Arlington? Because I'd totally go to that. --Robert Wilonsky