10/19
It's going to take awhile for the Dallas Mavericks to coalesce. They all say that, all 18 or 19 of them, or however many they have left today. Actually it's a good thing that it's going to take them time because it's going to take the rest of us time, too. We have to learn all their names and numbers. With nine new players who figure to make the 12-man roster, we're not sure that the people who actually work for the Mavs know all the new faces just yet. But relax, this is what the preseason is for--to figure out if Mad Mark authorized some good, sound moves or if he was playing with the chemistry set just to see if he could make something go boom. Check out the preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday and decide for yourself. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $1,300. Seriously. Call Ticketmaster at 214-373-8000. --John Gonzalez
Not a Girl Thing
10/16
You can make your jokes about protecting the boobs. But if you've ever sat in a tiny closet of a room wearing only an ill-fitting paper gown, while waiting for a mammogram, surrounded by magazines featuring perky-chested models, you know breast cancer is no laughing matter. That's why we're participating in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's 22nd Komen Dallas Race for the Cure on Saturday. Registration starts at 6:30 a.m. followed by an aerobic warm-up (7:30 a.m.), one-mile co-ed run/walk (7:45 a.m.), 5K women and survivors only (8 a.m.), 5K co-ed run/walk (8:15 a.m.) and awards and entertainment (9:30 a.m.), all at NorthPark Center. Entry is $30 to $60. Call 214-750-RACE. --Shannon Sutlief
Red Light, Green Light
10/16
Kids today, it takes more to impress them than the previous generation. With the kids of Generation X, if you wanted to sell them a car, you showed them a Volkswagen commercial with young urban people getting into that Volkswagen, heading to a party, the moon roof open and Nick Drake in the player. You move some VWs with that commercial. But today the youths need more than clever marketing or even anti-marketing as marketing. That stuff's too postmodern for these kids. They need simplicity. They need games. Toyota's onto that. Toyota's Put It in Play Festival on October 16 and October 17 in Arlington features childhood games, but with a twist: Dodge ball is vehicular dodge ball--you're in a car, in this case a Celica, with a ball trying to hit other people in other Celicas. There's other games, too, including Speed Tag and Capture the Flag. The event's held at Ameriquest Field's Lot F, 1000 Ballpark Way, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. It's free. Visit www.putitinplay.com. --Paul Kix
