It was grim in Arlington last week. On one front, the can-do city continued talking about bringing the Cowboys to town for a few hundred million. That sounded like a terrible idea for all the obvious reasons (publicly financing a stadium for a franchise that’s among the richest in sports,…
It’s hard to figure who’s in a worse spot–the rookies Bill Parcells likes, or those he doesn’t. The rookies who aren’t his type of guys, you can see them straight away, and you almost feel bad for them. They’re too slow or too lazy. They don’t tackle properly, or they…
OXNARD, CALIFORNIA–Off to the left, not more than a few feet away, a bird is perched high in a tree. It’s obscured by the foliage, but everyone at Bill Parcells’ daily news conference knows it’s there. The bird is determined to show up the Cowboys head coach with its loud,…
It’s August now–a traditionally disastrous stretch for the Dallas Observer sports desk. By this time, the Rangers are usually out of it, and I’m so bored that I have to amuse myself by stealing things from my co-workers–pens, computers, wallets, but never story ideas. I leave that last bit to…
News comes slowly on vacation, and, even if it does finally reach you, your brain has a way of not believing it. For the last week or so, I was at the South Jersey shore, but my brain was somewhere else–marinating in a never-ending cocktail of sun, sand, Heineken, poker,…
A few months ago, just as John Kerry began to dominate the Democratic presidential primary races, John O’Neill lay in bed at Houston’s Methodist Hospital, recovering from surgery he’d undergone to donate a kidney to his wife, Anne. It’s rare that a husband can successfully donate organs to his wife,…
It’s hard to decide which legend is bigger–Greg Noll or the famous wave he battled like some Hemingway character decked out in striped board shorts and a scowl. Noll is a surfing god and long since retired, but both of those things are due as much to his lifetime spent…
When David Williams walks into a little pizza joint near SMU’s campus, it’s nearly two in the afternoon. He looks college-kid smooth–worn jeans and a comfortable shirt, pimp sunglasses hiding his eyes–and he has a beautiful woman on his arm. They move easily together, and people notice as they stroll…
We weren’t a confident bunch before Saturday’s game began. It was hot out, and the Dallas-Fort Worth sports media don’t usually do hot. We like climate-controlled arenas and soft chairs to cushion our ample backsides. Plus, we were set to play against the Mavericks coaches in the annual Hoop-it-Up clash…
When the phone rang, it was early morning, and Pete Hunter didn’t react at first. The sun hadn’t come up, and the sleep crust hadn’t fully formed in the corner of his eyes. He rolled over, fighting through the heavy fog that lingers when you’re barely awake, and he wasn’t…
When Jerry Jones walked into the news conference flanked by Vinny Testaverde and Stephen Jones, I knew I’d been duped–along with the rest of the media and probably you, too. For the past few months and ever since Dallas was dumped from the playoffs, the Cowboys did their best to…
There have been some strange stories in this space–stories that stretched (and often completely ignored) the traditional definition of sports journalism. Columns about wing eating and video games, columns about yoga with Mavs dancers and me watching TV. The fact that my check clears is either an act of charity…
The clubhouse was nearly empty, save a few players who were milling about near their lockers, talking and reading and watching television. The strange thing was the knot of 20 or so reporters standing in the center of the room, gathered tightly together as though they were huddling for warmth…
There were plenty of reasons for Tom Hicks to smile, but as the elevator opened and let him out at the clubhouse/field level he only half-nodded before shuffling past me and vanishing down a long concrete corridor. You’d think that the owner of a team that’s been the surprise of…
Now and again, one of the beat writers would run into him in the empty hallways at Valley Ranch, but for the most part no one had seen Bill Parcells in months. He warned us that it would be that way. After the season ended, he told us that he’d…
The day after the Dallas Mavericks ended their uninspired season with an even more insipid playoff performance, the atmosphere at the American Airlines Center had become poisonous. There weren’t many people around, but the ones who did limp into the office–save one helpful media relations assistant who managed to remain…
My reformation started about a month ago. It was around that time that one of our reporters–whom I respect a great deal because he’s a fantastic writer who’s won more awards than I knew existed–advised me to be careful. He lauded my ability but cautioned me to be more judicious…
The first time Kevin Ellis tried skeleton racing, he felt sure. He knew, after five days of lessons, how to make his sled turn and how not to crash into the ice walls or get seriously injured. He had been instructed on his footwork at the gate and the importance…
At some point, without anyone formally notifying us, the Mavs shifted from one of Dallas’ more stable teams to its most capricious. The Rangers are rotting, and the Cowboys have Jerry Jones (and now Keyshawn) to make Valley Ranch feel like a bad afternoon soap, but the Mavericks have been…
For much of the hour it took to introduce Keyshawn Johnson to the Dallas media, most everyone in the room deferred to the Cowboys’ newest wideout, who was all too happy to talk and talk and talk. At times he was challenged–asked about his often obstinate personality, about the perception…
It was growing grim around here. The Cowboys were stagnant for months, and it only got worse once free agency began. While the rest of the league drove armored cars filled with cash to the homes of various players, or made high-profile trades, Dallas remained quiet. There were rumors about…
SURPRISE, Arizona–Across the way, just beyond the cart path and behind the cheap rope that separates royalty from the serfs–that is, players and personnel from fans and media–former Rangers great Jim Sundberg stands on the calisthenics field and smiles broadly. Both arms are outstretched, as though he’s being measured by…
