Animal Control Pole

I can't think of any reason a man wouldn't want to have one of these laying around the garage. May save him or one of his family members' lives one day from stray dog, rabid fox, or other varmit. Probably be good for rowdy nephews if needed.

$30 Million Guaranteed

If you would have told me a year ago that Tony Romo at 27 would be earning a paycheck in the same range as Peyton Manning, I would have lost a lot of money.

This Dallas columnist says Romo won't be changed by his new $67.5 million contract, of which $30 million is guaranteed up front. The kid would play for free if nobody else got paid, either.

Ummm....ok.

Where is the Stanford Band?

If you haven't seen this, you need to. This is the cleanest version I have found, where you can put your cursor on individual players and follow them during the play.

This version has the visiting announcers from Trinity College calling the play at Millsaps College (Jackson, Miss.) BTW, Millsaps in November 2006 knocked out this same Trinity team in the conference championship game on this same field.

Some things to watch for:

• The play consumes more than one minute.
• Look at the folks in the bleachers.
• Look at fallen Millsaps players on the field after the game.
• You can see the chain gang leaving together after its over, probably shaking their heads in disbelief.
• One Millsap player is injured on the final lateral.

Please comment on anything else you see.

Playing left field Bugs Bunny, pitcher Bugs Bunny, second base Bugs Bunny . . .

This is some of the cleverest, dry humor writing that I have ever read.

Absolutely brilliant.

We've all seen the 1946 cartoon "Baseball Bugs" about a gajillion times over the years, but this post takes it to a new level of "scholarly" discussion

It's a bit of a long read, but stick with it, or come back to it when you have more time.

Among the troubling questions addressed by the author are:

1. Why would a team of extremely strong, young men play a game against a team of extremely old, weak men?

2. Why would over fifty thousand people attend such a game?

You Were Good, Kobi, Very Good

The most athletic Labrador Retriever I've ever known passed away over the weekend.

Kobi Gregg, a brown -- almost reddish -- male Lab finished a great life. He was 12, and he was my back fence neighbor.

Kobi (above left) was a tireless retriever of all things Frisbees, balls, bones, discs, rags, whatever. He would spiral swim to the bottom of the pool to bring back a chew toy to Jim or Melanie, his beloved masters.

But I swear, this dog was different. In his prime, he should have been in some sort of canine Olympics. His vertical leap was as impressive as his speed, and I saw it on a daily basis in his half acre backyard. I am not impressed easily by a dog's athleticism, but Kobi was special.

Given different circumstances, Kobi would have ended up in a national showcase for Frisbee dogs, rounding the country to appreciative crowds at state fairs, exhibitions and even TV events. He had the heart of a champion.

As it was, he was Melanie and Jim's pet Lab. And that's the best part of Kobi's story.

RIP Kobi. You were good. You were very good.

The Greatness of Lennon

Taking a shower this morning with the radio jamming, I was reminded again of the genius of John Lennon's lyrics:

He say, one and one and one is three
Got to be good lookin' 'cause he's so hard to see

Simple and clever Come Together, indeed.

BTW, the Liverpool airport, operational since 1933 (think about where aviation was at that time), was renamed Liverpool John Lennon Airport in 2002. Are there any other major airports named for musicians?

A Classic Illustration

I was browsing my hard drive looking for a particular photo when I came upon this saved Op/Ed cartoon from 2002.

That was the year "Bullet" Bob Hayes, once hearalded as "The World's Fastest Human," passed away at age 59.

I won't go into all of Hayes' football records for the Dallas Cowboys, but remember that Hayes as a track star was both quick and fast.

His 9.1 in the 100-yard dash in 1963 was a world record that stood for 11 years. He also was the first man to run the 60 in less than six seconds, posting a 5.9 in an indoor run.

He won two Gold Medals in the 1964 Olympics, the 100-meter and the anchor on the 4x100 relay.

This is one of my favorite Cowboys illustrations, inked by none other than Dallas native Bill Deore, whose work we enjoyed for three decades in the Dallas Morning News.

They Got Him

A recent post asked, "Why?"

They got him. Found him in Mexico near Mexico City. I hope extradition is quick, and punishment is swift.

Big Tex, Ginormous Crowds on Columbus Day

If a photo was taken from this same angle yesterday, you would see wall-to-wall sweltering school children and their frazzled, desperate parents shoulder to shoulder around Big Tex at the State Fair of Texas.

Like my friend Tracy, who unfortunately took his family to the fair on Monday and ran into the perfect storm: Columbus Day, a concert by the Jonas Brothers, and a day off for Fair Day for 22 Metroplex school districts.

The Dallas Morning News had this quote from Steve Ledbetter, manager of the fair's gates department: "This is one of the largest crowds I have seen in the history of the State Fair of Texas. They were just so compact in there, like sardines in a can."

Did I mention the high temperature was 94? And that was in the shade at DFW International, not on the asphalt jungle of a crowded Midway.

If you've ever been to the State Fair of Texas on a busy day, Monday was even worse than you can possibly imagine, according to Tracy, who spent a total of four hours just getting into and out of Fair Park.

"Mother Doesn't Plant Trees!"

UPDATE - Nov. 11, 2009 -- BA BASEBALL FIELD TO BE NAMED FOR HALL OF FAME COACH DOLPH REGELSKY. Dedication date is March 27, 2010, at Dolph J. Regelsky Field, Bryan Adams High School, Dallas, Texas.

Anyone wishing to donate to help pay for field improvements, signs, the plaque or just give because you knew Dolph may do the following:

1. Send a personal check made out to DJR MONUMENT FUND, BA HIGH SCHOOL to one of two addresses and we will deposit the checks with Chase Bank for you.

DJR Field Fund

c/o Pepper Hastings

255 Meadowknoll

Double Oak, Texas 75077

DJR Field Fund

c/o David Hardt

9743 Larchcrest Dr.

Dallas, Texas 75238

DJR Field Fund

c/o Ricky Brockway

110 Rush Creek Dr.

Heath. Texas 75032

2. You can go to any CHASE BANK branch and take your check made out to DJR MONUMENT FUND and fill out a deposit slip for ACCOUNT 814-629-713. You may also deposit CASH into that account using a deposit slip.

Please donate generously.

Regards, DJR Field Committee (and growing)

Shayne Currin

David Hardt

Robbie Hazelbaker

Rickey Brockway

Pepper Hastings

____________

(Original post)

I learned most of my baseball from my dad, another guy's dad named Bill Cox, and my high school coach Dolph Regelsky.

Dolph ran off some great players because they couldn't hack his tough approach to the game, and his demands for total commitment to the team and to baseball. But I guess they really weren't that great if they were only playing for personal glory.

When some guys came back from spring break complaining of a sunburn, Dolph made them practice for a week wearing flannel jerseys. He once didn't speak to a player directly for nearly an entire season, instead having other players relay messages to the guy, even if the guy was standing right next to the coach. ("He won't listen to me, maybe he'll listen to you.") When the right fielder misplayed a second fly ball, he sent out a batting helmet for the guy to wear before the next batter stepped in the box -- during a district game. Yet those who thrived under this system continued to come back to practice with Dolph -- and be berated for their shortcomings -- well after graduation and even while playing in college and the pros.

Dolph, a member of the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, coached great teams in Dallas at Crozier Tech and Bryan Adams from the early 1960s through the 1980s before he died of cancer in 1993. Many of his former players continue to teach baseball at high schools and in select baseball programs across Texas.

I was honored when the family requested that I help carry him the final time around the bases.

I just found a few photos of Dolph from 1955 and his minor league playing days up in the Dakotas. Pretty cool.

"Mother Doesn't Plant Trees?" That was Dolph's way of saying that in baseball, when the ball comes your way, there is nowhere to hide, no huddle to return to, no fast break the other way. It's just you and the ball -- and whatever happens, everybody sees. So you damn sure better be ready.

Please Stop Be*lieving

It's a shame for the Cubs, isn't it? The only thing worse is being a Rangers fan.

Football Injury Hits Home Pt. 2

Drew's knee injury was diagnosed as a strained, and not a torn, ligament. He got lucky. Rehab started today. I am hoping for the best. He works hard in practice and deserves to get back out on the field soon, when he is healed.

No Games Anywhere Yesterday

Standard Trivia Question: What are the only two days of the year when there are no major pro sporting events played?

Standard Answer: The day before and after the MLB All-Star Game.

Updated Answer: And, October 2 (yesterday).

Very strange.

Football Injury Hits Home

On a meaningless play in a meaningless game, my son messed up his knee in an 8th grade football game tonight. As a baseball instructor, it's frustrating watching helplessly every fall as ballplayers inevitably turn up with all kinds of football injuries.

This time, it's Drew's turn to pay the price for playing football. I hope that price is not too high. We'll find out more tomorrow.

Monarchs on the Move Agan

This weekend, I spotted the first Monarch butterfly of the fall migratory season.

Unfortunately, the Monarch I saw was stuck on my windshield. And that is the fate of thousands of the insects as they migrate every fall from Canada to California and Mexico (depending on which side of the Rocky Mountains they start from).

Here in North Texas, the migration of the butterflies becomes its thickest in early to mid-October. What's amazing is that the butterflies migrating south are two or three generations removed from their ancestors who flew north from Mexico the last spring. In other words, the insects are migrating south 2,000 miles or more to a place they have never been.

When the Monarchs are in the air here, you know it's time for The State Fair of Texas.

Why?

Why would this man take this woman, kill her, set her on fire, and leave her in this ditch?

That's what police in North Texas are trying to figure in the murder of Melanie Goodwin, a University of North Texas sophomore who was last seen talking to Ernesto Reyes, 20, at a Denton, Texas, convenience store around 1:30 Tuesday morning.

Goodwin's burned body was discovered about 11 a.m. Tuesday about 20 miles away in Carrollton by a guy named Randolph, who I happened to meet this afternoon. Police believe Griffith offered Reyes a ride (at one frickin' thirty in the morning) and it went bad from there.

As a UNT alum, I was interested in this case. And I office less than three miles from the crime scene. So I cruised by there at lunch today with camera in hand to see what I could find out. Not knowing exactly where or what to look for, I entered the lobby of the office building nearest where I thought the woman's body was dumped.

A Carrollton police officer was sitting in the reception area (gulp). I asked him for the location of the crime scene. Said he didn't work that case.

"I can show you," said the man talking to the receptionist. "Can I?" he asked the receptionist.

As we walked outside, Randoph informed me that he was the guy who had found the body.

Man . . . I always wondered about people who find murder victims. It's like they usually are fishermen or hunters or early morning joggers. Randolph, it seems, had just left a job interview.

"They said that I didn't meet the dress code," said Randolph. "So I was leaving to go change clothes, and that's when I saw [the body], laying face-up right over that hill. You couldn't have seen it unless you took a couple steps over the hill."

Wait a minute, I thought. This is Friday, that was Tuesday.

"Do you work here now?" I asked Randolph.

"Yep," he said.

Meanwhile, Goodwin's killer still is at large, and several workers casually came and went in the parking lot, just 15 feet from where Goodwin's two-hour "abduction" ended.

Who's On First?

My son and I were watching Rain Man the other night. The movie's main character, an autistic man named Raymond (Rayn-mon) played by Dustin Hoffman, recites Abbott and Costello's "Who's On First" routine when stressed.

How long has it been since you've watched the entire "Who's On First"? Enjoy.

Joba Chamberlain Ain't No Coward -- Airline Photos of Yankees in Oz

Who knows what kind of filthy sliders Yankee rookie pitching phenom Joba Chamberlain will be dealing in the playoffs next week?

But on Monday, the man with what seems to be a billion dollar arm strode courageously through two airports and onto a charter flight dressed as the Cowardly Lion (click on the photo left for a closer look at Chamberlain).

"Put 'em up! Put 'em up!" he said, taking on Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina, who couldn't fight for laughing.

Pitcher Ian Kennedy slipped on the ruby red slippers of Dorothy and followed.

Phillips Hughes, named the Yanks' top prospect in 2006, was the Tin Man.

It was all a part of a time-honored baseball tradition, Rookie Hazing Day. Veterans traditionally make the rookies dress like cheerleaders, celebrities and cartoon characters for the last road trip of the season. Last week saw Red Sox pitcher Dice K costumed as a Telletubby when the Sox hit the road for the final time.

With more than a dozen rookies on the September roster, it looks like the Yankees needed a theme with a full cast to pull off their shenanigans.

A friend of a friend of a friend of mine is a flight attendant, and worked the Delta charter carrying the Wizards of the Bronx to Tampa Bay. She sent these photos along for perusal. And yes, that's Chase Wright as the Good Witch of the North and Edwar Ramirez as the Wicked Witch of the West.

$753,000 Bonds 756 HR Ball to be Branded with Asterisk

An update to a Sept. 18 post: With 10 million votes cast (according to vote756.com) the public voted that Marc Ecko, owner of the Bonds 756 home run ball, should physically brand the ball with an asterisk and send it to the Hall of Fame. Voting ended at 12:01 this morning.

According to Ecko, 47 percent voted to permanently brand the ball before sending it to Cooperstown, 34 percent voted to send the ball intact to Cooperstown, and 19 percent said to launch the ball into space forever.

The Internet vote was held to gauge public sentiment concerning the validity of Bonds' home run record.

Time will tell whether Ecko follows through on his promise to effectively ruin any resale value for the three-quarter million collectible. Honestly, the most valuable ball Bonds will hit will be his last home run ball, which nobody knows when that will be . . . or has it already happened? That ball will be represent the HR record, tainted or not.

Gundy Delivers Hall of Fame News Conference

Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State team won a 59-55 shootout over Texas Tech on Saturday in Stillwater, but the real gun slinging came after the game. Tech coach Mike Leach ripped his coaching staff, his defense and himself . . . then fired his defensive coordinator on Sunday.

Then came Gundy's vitriolic Satruday afternoon soliloquy aimed at The Daily Oklahoman columnist Jenn Carlson, whose game-day article painted benched OSU quarterback Bobby Reid a gutless mama's boy. "This makes me want to PUKE!," said Gundy, who said he didn't read the column until minutes before walking into this interview room, and only then at the behest of several people "close to the organization."


In a Monday news conference, Gundy said he would not comment any more on the article or his reaction to it, then proceeded to field questions about the incident for the next three minutes.