Thursday Bag O' Stuff

Bill Plaschke take on Wednesday’s umpire meltdown in Chicago …

The mistakes here were many. Let's start from the moment the pitch crossed the plate, the moment that could change a season,.

The ruling that Paul trapped the ball? Wrong. Every replay I saw showed that he caught the ball. Even umpire supervisor Rich Rieker said later that it was, at best, inconclusive.

It was a close and difficult call. But just as this space would criticize a big-league player for botching a big-league grounder, so to must the umpires also be held equally accountable.

The second mistake was made by Paul. He claimed that, because he never heard Eddings shout, "no catch," he assumed he caught the ball.

Bad assumption. He should have tagged the runner anyway. On anything close, catchers should always tag the runner just to be safe. You see this done by veteran catchers daily.

Veterans know that an umpire who shouts "no catch" is strictly offering a courtesy. Veterans know that, no matter what they hear, they should take no chances and always tag the guy.

But Paul's mistake doesn't mitigate Eddings' first error of making the bad call, or his second error, which was this:

If you think he was safe, why on earth would you call him out?

Unlike Texas, Chicago appears to have a clue when dealing with Vlad Guerrero …

But the biggest hero was starter Mark Buehrle, who limited a feisty Angels lineup to five hits in going the distance. More impressive was that Buehrle held nemeses Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson to a combined 0-for-8 with no balls hit to the outfield.

Buehrle finished his outing impressively in the ninth by inducing Guerrero and Bengie Molina to pop out to second and getting Anderson to hit a feeble pop that he caught in foul territory along the third-base line.

Tex-OU close to moving to campus …

The annual OU-Texas football game could have moved across the parking lot into a new stadium.

Instead, it has gained momentum to move to Norman and Austin.

A proposal last year from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called for a 75,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium, 6,000 club seats and 380 private luxury boxes, plus 22,000 parking spaces, practice fields, a Cowboys Hall of Fame and team offices -- all located on the grounds at the State Fair of Texas.

Jones asked the county of Dallas to pay $425 million toward the project.

The site could have hosted Super Bowls, Final Fours and would have made the Cotton Bowl a virtual lock for the fifth Bowl Championship Series game.

The Red River Rivalry is under contract to remain at the Cotton Bowl through 2007 with an option on 2008.

After that, no one knows where they will be played, but a home-and-home series has become a serious threat.

A persistent lack of action from Dallas has the city on the verge of losing one of college football's greatest traditions.

Last Friday, Dallas officials announced plans to keep the OU-Texas game at the Cotton Bowl.

At noon that day, OU athletic director Joe Castiglione was asked if he had heard anything. Castiglione shook his head and shrugged.

Dallas mayor Laura Miller said Cotton Bowl stadium could undergo $40-$50 million in renovations with a proposed bond issue.

But Castiglione and Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds want action, not words.

Arnott’s big season ….

Arnott can become an unrestricted free agent after the season, and a solid year will give him a chance to double his $2.9 million salary. Of course, to do that he might have to leave the Stars, something he said he doesn't want to do. Though he has juggled the possibilities in his head on countless occasions, he said the best way to get what he wants is to concentrate on the game and play well.

"He can be a dominating player in this league," coach Dave Tippett said. "I would like to see Jason Arnott's name mentioned for the [Canadian] Olympic team. I would like to see his name mentioned for the All-Star team. He has the speed, the size, the skill. He has the tools. We have to give him the opportunity to use them. That said, he has to take that opportunity."

Mavs start the preseason in the paint …

The commitment to interior scoring is legitimate. Look no further than the number of 3-pointers they shot in the opener Tuesday night, a 13-point victory at Sacramento: One. Then, in Wednesday night's 95-80 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, they shot just one in the first half. That won't happen often, if ever, during the season. But coach Avery Johnson is stressing points in the paint.

"Like everybody, we want more points in the paint," he said. "But if we get 20 good 3-pointers, take them. Just don't take bad ones."

More on the Vikings Love Boat …

Once the boats left the shore, Doyle said women started stripping for some of the players, who put down money as the women danced.

Doyle says that escalated to players giving and receiving oral sex.

Tice, whose team has struggled to a 1-3 start this year, said Wednesday that the latest distraction "can tear a team apart or bring us together, and it's my job to bring the team together."

Smoot said Wednesday after practice that he was planning to take legal action against whomever "put my name in there."

"They're killing my name," Smoot said as he walked to his car in the parking lot. "Point blank. Somebody's going to have to pay for it."

The Schnurmanator???…Wow.

Chewbacca now an American …

Genius Church Moment I am pretty sure it is real …Enjoy…

Awesome E-Bay item …Read the description…

Please sign this important petition, Jake Plummer’s mustache depends on it …

Divorce numbers …if you are thinking this is out of place, we were throwing it around on the show the other day…

Great Sports Cuts …

A-Rod not enjoying New York …