Athletic Awards

Johnny Manziel Was Guzzling Dom Perignon at a Dallas Club on Saturday Night

On Friday night, Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was picking apart Oklahoma's defense en route to an impressively lopsided 41-13 victory in the Cotton Bowl. On Saturday, he went out to celebrate. TMZ posted pictures of the Heisman Trophy winner partying at Dallas' Ave ... More >>

Albert Pujols Better Than Joltin' Joe? Say It Ain't So!: Texas Rangers-St. Louis Cardinals World Series Preview and Game 1 Open Thread

Texas RangersGives you that warm, fuzzy feeling inside, doesn't it?​It's finally here. Pinch yourself. Your Texas Rangers are back in the World Series, and this time feels much different than last year's playoff run. There's a confidence flowing through my body that just wasn't there before, a ... More >>

Verlander, Smerlander: ALCS Preview and Rangers-Tigers Game 1 Open Thread

[Editor's note: At the request of a few regulars, we're going with a rare weekend-night open thread to celebrate the Rangers' second straight appearance in the American League Championship Series. Will we do this again tomorrow? Hard to say. Let's see how tonight goes. I'll be in and out, but tonigh ... More >>

Ed-die's Bet-ter ... Clap-Clap-CLAPCLAPCLAP!

We've seen the Rangers in the World Series and the Mavs win the NBA Finals, and on Tuesday I was reminded just how great a Stanley Cup run can be when former Stars' goalie Ed Belfour and current GM Joe Nieuwendyk were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. They'll officially be in ... More >>

Dirk's Legacy: The All-Time Top 7 NBA Power Forwards

​10 All-Star Appearances. 1 NBA MVP. 1 Ring. 1 NBA Finals MVP. 4-time All-NBA First Team 3-Point Shootout Champion Soft. Clutch. With Sunday's victory over the Miami Heat Dirk Nowitzki filled in the final void of his Hall of Fame resume. Only things potentially left that would improve his leg ... More >>

From Our Archives: "Crocodile Nowitzki"

Not quite as good as the cover of the new Sports Illustrated, sure, but slightly better than this.​Last night I finally had the chance to read the new issue of Rolling Stone, which happens to feature a feature by former Observer-er Jesse Hyde, who decamped for his native Utah a couple of years bac ... More >>

The Champion of Championships: Where Does the Mavs' Title Rank?

​Great. But is it the greatest? When Dirk Nowitzki accessorized his lefty layup in the final minute with private tears of joy and accomplishment last Sunday night in Miami, the Dallas Mavericks symbolically threw Don Carter's 10-gallon hat in the ring. After years of sheepishly having B ... More >>

Dirk Nowitzki a Top 10 NBA Player of All-Time? Yes, But Only Among Players Without a Ring

​You know me, the biggest Dirk Nowitzki homer in town. But Rick Carlisle even made me cringe earlier this week by tabbing the Mavs' star as a top 10 NBA player "of all time."Carlisle has been great in these NBA Playoffs. Keeping his Mavericks mentally together after the Game 4 Portland Pratfal ... More >>

My Top 21 Texas Rangers in the History of Ever

​C.J. Wilson was superb in last night's much-needed win over Seattle. Pedro Strop is gone. Mark Lowe is back (uh-oh). Tommy Hunter and Nefali Feliz are getting close. And dazzling Cuban defector Leonys Martin is fast-tracking our way.In the middle of a very transitory Rangers season I was ... More >>

Bronze Beltre

Don't Mess With Success: Rangers Should Resist Moving Neftali Feliz Into Rotation

Mark GrahamNeftali Feliz in early 2009​In the comments of yesterday's blog, commenter "sporty" posed the question of whether Neftali Feliz should be moved into the rotation since we both agree the Texas Rangers rotation needs help desperately. He said the "transition makes a lot of sense." I d ... More >>

Super Bowl XLV Also Gave Us ... The Greatest Moment in Texas Football History?

​I was flattered when the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee approached me late in 2009 to help construct and singularly author its prodigious Century in the Making project. What started with 250 of the greatest moments in Texas football history -- high school, college and pro -- ... More >>

Finding Brett Favre's Place Among the NFL's Greatest QBs of All Time as I Rank the Top 10

How high did I rank this guy? You'll be surprised.​OK, so yesterday I asked you to give me your thoughts on Brett Favre's legacy now that he appears to have played his last game. Unfortunately, only a few of you weighed in. In an attempt to spark some serious debate, here are my top 10 quarterback ... More >>

Who'll Buy His Memories? Larry Brown's Selling Very Rare Copy of Super Bowl Magnum Opus.

​Back in '08, Neiman Marcus offered in its annual Christmas Book something called the Super Bowl XL Opus MVP Edition, which, as you can see in the photo, is a mammoth keepsake -- "the heaviest sports-related book ever published," per Amazon's description of the limited edition, not to be confused ... More >>

My (Fausto) Carmona: Plan B Now That Cliff Lee and Zack Greinke Are Headed Elsewhere

Trading for Fausto Carmona would help ease the pain of losing out on Lee and Greinke.​Since we can all feel OK about losing out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, it's fair to evaluate Jon Daniels' Plan B, especially with the trade of Zack Greinke -- easily the best pitcher to be had on the marke ... More >>

FC Dallas is the latest proof that the metroplex can host everything without winning anything.

Major League Baseball Players All Agree: Josh Hamilton Is the 2010 Player of the Year

Sam Merten​This just in: Sporting News has named its 2010 Major League Player of the Year -- and it's a certain Anchorman-quoting center-fielder for Your Texas Rangers. And as SN is quick to point out, that's the consensus among 326 major leaguers -- this isn't no sportswriters' award, keep in min ... More >>

Reggie Bush Should Give Up His Heisman Trophy ... to Vince Young?

Your 2005 Heisman Trophy winner?​Reggie Bush is a liar. Should Vince Young be a Heisman winner? That's the contention of Texas coach Mack Brown, who says - if - the Heisman Trophy Trust yanks back its 2005 award from the Southern Cal running back it should be handed over to former Longhorns ... More >>

Josh Hamilton: More than the MVP

​In advance of this week's Observer column on Texas Rangers' outfielder Josh Hamilton I asked new owner Chuck Greenberg about signing his star to a new, long-term deal next winter. "With his bat and glove and legs and arm and heart, he's our MVP and I think the best player in the game today," ... More >>

Cliff Lee, The Texas Rangers New Pitching Ace, May Have A Sweet Stay In Arlington, But Also A Short One.

One More Thing ... About Yesterday's Woodrow Wilson Gridiron Greats Gathering

Patrick MichelsDavid O'Brien, son of Davey, and Tim Brown hoist the Super Bowl committee's plaque commemorating Woodrow's place in high school football history.​As Brad Sham noted toward the end of yesterday's presentation of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee's "Century in the Making" ... More >>

Cowboys at the Halfway Point: Who's Your MVP?

Since Deion isn't the MVP, then who?​The Dallas Cowboys are 6-2. Your glass of blue Kool-Aid is more half-full than half-empty. Wade Phillips is Coach of the Year, Tony Romo's in the Pro Bowl, Keith Brooking is Badass of the Decade and you've got the Cowboys penciled in for Super ... More >>

The World's Top 10 Left-Handed Athletes

Right is wrong and left is ... right? Seems to be. It's not exactly a bass-ackward revolution, but left-handers are doing okay for themselves in sports these days. Or are they? The idea struck me last week when I saw highlights of college quarterbacks Josh Heupel and Matt Leinart winning BCS Nation ... More >>

Is Jose Juan Barea For Real?

He just can't be. Can he? I was in the fifth row at American Airlines Center Saturday night and I still don't believe what I saw. Or heard. Either Criss Angel is playing some mind trick on me, or J.J. Barea may actually be an NBA player. Barea, all 5-foot-10ish, made slithery ... More >>

The Texas Strangers

Lost and Found

After beating his drug addiction, Rangers inspirational sensation Josh Hamilton is bearing down on an MVP

Just How Did Josh Hamilton Wind Up the Texas Rangers' Savior, Anyway?

Matt Harrison, Pack Your Bags?

NBA GMs Not High on Dirk

Jersey Whirl

Doctoring Dirk

Why ransack the MVP's skill when we can simply reboot his psyche?

"A Night at the Improv," By Which Uncle Barky Means WFAA-Channel 8

Bitter. Sweet.

Stinko de Mayo

Thanks to the Mavericks, welcome to football season

Dirk's the NBA MVP!

Woe, Canada

German Engineering

From mechanics to modesty to manners, give us Dirk over D-Wade

I Love Josh Howard

...And great basketball

Merry Christmas!

The Young and the Peerless

Baseball's best-kept secret plays in your backyard

Don't Worry, Be Happy (And Worried)

The Late Show

Assist, Nellie

Transformation started by Mavs' Godfather finally finished

S-M-Who?

Cautious with the Coronation

Sixty Down, 16 to Go

Another Dallas Bias

Slow Ride

Alone No More

Forgiving the past opened Sandora Irvin's future

Mo's Def

For Mike Modano, MVP talk is too early--even if he deserves the award