Greg Williams Muzzled by ESPN Radio’s Hardball

Ssh! Can you hear Greggo? Me neither. First off, congrats to ESPN Radio for being nominated for a 2008 Marconi Award. Last month in Austin it was honored by the National Association of Broadcasters as one of five finalists for Sports Station of the Year. (Curiously, The Ticket won the…

A Fountain of Genius

Ben Fountain First Texas Monthly calls him the next big thing, and now the New Yorker’s Malcolm Gladwell (of Blink and Tipping Point fame) is calling Best of Dallas novelist Ben Fountain a new kind of genius. Some geniuses are born more or less fully formed, Gladwell writes, and others,…

Toasting Dallas’s Wine Curmudgeon

Scattered among the local news and notes found on The Advocate’s blog, you’ll also find Jeff Siegel’s wine reviews — like, from today, this item about the Domain du Tariquet Côtes de Gascogne 2007. But Jeff’s true affections lie with the more locally grown flavors of vino, as evidenced by…

In Newsweek, a Dallas Teacher Explains Why She Loves Her Profession

On the eve of Dallas Independent School District’s 460 teacher layoffs, delayed till tomorrow, the latest issue of Newsweek features an essay by Dallas teacher Heather Robinson, who proclaims, “I Am Not A Babysitter.” Below is a highlight among many from a teacher who clearly likes her gig, which was…

Watch Your Step: A Tour of Four of Downtown Dallas’s Icky Vacancies

Courtesy the City of Dallas So, wait, you’re saying the Statler Hilton’s abandoned? Hardly. Piggybacking on our streetside coverage from yesterday, in which Mayor Tom unveiled his recipe for protectingrebuilding downtown’s vacant buildings, we’d like to invite you on a journey deep into the heart of … the old Statler…

The Dallas Cowboys: WWJD?

Geezus, not Jesus. Jimmy! Awoke this morning with several random musings: *I wonder, in light of Pacman Jones’ indefinite suspension by NFL poobah Roger Goodell, if Cowboys’ head coach Wade Phillips is convinced yet that something actually happened? His defiant “if there was an incident” stunt from last week just…

Cowboys Trade For the Other Roy Williams

Another troubled player headed our way? Perfect. Going: Pacman Jones. Coming: Roy Williams. Not that one. The good one. The Cowboys have acquired the Detroit Lions’ and former University of Texas receiver and Detroit’s seventh-round draft choice in 2009, in exchange for their first, third and sixth-round choices in ’09…

Thanks for Standing Me Up at the Bar, Dan Aykroyd

Courtesy MCA Public Relations Big Dan, working the crowd. Working it. Missed Connections Me: The guy in the corner with a snap-button shirt, jeans and a camera. You: The Canadian star of Saturday Night Live, Spies Like Us and this incredibly weird promo for your new vodka brand. Thanks for…

Pacman Jones Suspended At Least 4 Games

Well, see ya later. Oops. I guess NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sees Pacman Jones’ altercation a tad more seriously than Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jerry’s version: Jivin’ at the Joule. Goodell’s version: At least a four-game suspension. I’ve said before I don’t think Pacman should be allowed to play in…

The Road to Broad Runs Through Texas, Just Not the Dallas ISD

Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s been very clear about this one thing: He desperately wants the district to win The Broad Prize for Urban Education, given out annually “to honor urban school districts making the greatest overall improvement in student achievement while at the same time reducing achievement…

NFL Quarterback Rankings: Week 7

Oh dear. Back on July 30 I was wrong. And never more right. It was during Cowboys’ training camp out in Oxnard that I took one look at Brad Johnson’s off-speed flutterballs and cringed at the thought of Tony Romo ever getting injured. But I surmised with the way Romo…

Today, Mayor Tom to Deal With Downtown’s Empty Buildings

View Larger Map Two weeks ago, we posted to Unfair Park a list of some three dozen vacant buildings downtown, as identified by city economic development staffers. Mayor Tom Leppert told us in mid-September he was going to use every means available — including City Attorney Tom Perkins — to…

Mavericks Acquire Pacman Jones

Welcome to the party. Well, not exactly. But stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The player has been involved in three incidents with the police over the last 14 months, including marijuana found in his car and a murder suspect found in his home. The coach: “He’s a…