American Baseball, the European Way

Even if European soccer owner Tom Hicks convinced Major League Baseball to inject the same screwy tables that govern soccer into America’s pasttime your Texas Rangers wouldn’t be a playoff team. But, alas, they wouldn’t be relegated, either. If baseball were run according to European soccer standards–top teams earning international…

Bible Study With the ACLU of Texas

Maybe you recall the ruckus raised last May, when some folks up in Frisco got upset with the fact the school district allowed for the dissemination of Gideon bibles on campuses. And no doubt you recall what happened a year earlier, when some Jewish kids in Plano ISD were taunted…

Fantasy Golf is, Apparently, Child’s Play

Flipping through my Avid Golfer magazine this week I came across the most interesting of tournaments. A media tournament. A fantasy media tournament. Who knew? Seems the boys over at Avid couldn’t herd all us cats into actually playing a tournament, so they produced a speculative tournament won by 106.1…

Yes, But What If Texas Were Healthy?

Yes, indeed — when it comes to health care, says the Commonwealth Fund, Texas ranks ahead of only Nevada, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi. The full study’s here for those looking for context, but for Texans all the bad news is right here — five pages full of charts documenting…

Ann Margolin, For Paul Frank Bikes

So, while you guys are arguing about who owns the streets, we’ll offer one final highlight from this morning’s ride to Dallas City Hall, courtesy Angela Hunt’s Flickstream. “She was actually quite a trooper, because she’s been sick,” says Hunt of her fellow council member. “She didn’t want to miss…

SMU to Show Off Its Giant Head Tonight

We first took a long, hard look at Jaume Plensa’s Sho, otherwise known as the 13-foot-tall head that weighs 600 pounds, back in August, when SMU’s Meadows Museum announced its acquisition. But the sculpture rears its lovely head tonight with the official unveiling as the Meadows reopens the redesigned plaza…

Two 115-Year-Old Dallas Souvenirs

I was looking for … something. I forget what now. (This maybe?) But my late-night quest brought me to this book from 1894: Souvenir guide of Dallas: A sketch of Dallas and Dallas county, their resources, business enterprises, manufacturing and agricultural advantages. It’s where this ad comes from, of course…

NFL Quarterback Rankings: Week 5

Like the BCS, style points count. So do geeky, black-and-white stats such as touchdowns and quarterback rating. Wins and losses? Definitely. Leadership? Uh-huh. When it comes to my weekly NFL Quarterback Rankings – if I had one of those little encircled R’s to signify a trademarked idea, it’d go here – the…

Dallas City Hall Needs a Bike Rack

This morning, Angela Hunt made a discovery: Dallas City Hall has no bicycle rack. “It’s nuts!” said Hunt, who was standing with other bikers on a chilly morning in the plaza. “We’re going to get us some bike racks for City Hall if I have to buy them myself.” More…

Rent Control Part Two

Two years ago, GlobeSt.com took a look at the state of Dallas-Fort Worth’s apartment market and said, in short, Lookin’ good. Occupancy rates were on the rise, as were rents — up to an average of $724 a month. But today, things are a little different: Rates are higher than…

Mark Cuban: Super Bowl or Bust?

It wasn’t exactly as declarative as when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones injected his all-or-nothing expectations into the season a month ago, but Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes his team is as good – actually, better – than the one that went to the NBA Finals in 2006. “The feeling…