Mavericks Give Suns A Shocker

Much like the Stars season opening night furious-comeback-win-after-an-absurdly-pathetic-start, the Mavericks did the same thing in Phoenix last night.

Reviving themselves from a 17 point deficit in the 4th Quarter, Dirk and Jason Terry knocked down huge shots (Terry also missed huge free throws) and they defended enough to get it done. I have no idea what any of this means, because playing the Suns without Amare doesn’t allow you to evaluate your normal team, but I am happy I talked myself into staying awake in the 4th when the Mavericks look quite disinterested.

Utah awaits tonight, but that was really something last night.

Mavs pull a Houdini in Phoenix …

"That was a special game, obviously," said Dirk Nowitzki, who had a flurry of 3-pointers among his 28 points. "To lose this one in double overtime would have hurt. It was a gutsy win, that's all there is to it."

The Mavericks overcame a 17-point deficit in the final eight minutes of regulation. Then the game swayed back and forth too many times to count during a frantic pair of overtimes.

"I told our guys I've been around for 46 years and that was a special one," assistant coach Del Harris said.

Bickley says its an ominous start for the Suns …

The new Suns opened a new season on Tuesday, and already, the road is getting slick. Good news is, the hosts scored 108 points, which is just two below the nightly target set by head coach Mike D'Antoni.

Bad news is, they needed two overtimes to get there, in a game that spanned two calendar days, in a bizarre opener the Dallas Mavericks stole like thieves in the night.

If there was solace to be found in Steve Nash's brilliant performance, there was concern in that he's already logged 44 minutes and 32 seconds of playing time. And one game into the new season, the differences are striking.

After using their new identity (depth over stars, balance over a tsunami of offense) to open a huge lead, the Suns used their new identity (a reconstructed team missing its best player, a team relying too much on their veteran point guard) to give it all back. It was an ominous start all the way around.

Bengals fan not proud of himself …

Gall, who grew up in Kenwood and graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1998, said he's always loved the Bengals. He went to the season opener and then got a ticket from friends to go to Sunday's game. He had been drinking, but declined to say anything more than he had a "few" drinks.

"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, I didn't put any thought into it," Gall said. "I thought it would be funny. I didn't think I'd make it onto the field."
But he did.

"I was just kind of running. I wasn't thinking," Gall said.

His actions were not prompted by a bet, he said, seeking to dispel a widespread rumor that he was offered $400 to run onto the field. He also cleared his three friends of any conspiracy.

"Nobody egged me on. They didn't know I was going to do this," Gall said.

Once on the ground, Gall complied with the security guard's order to drop the ball.
"I did exactly what they told me to do. I let go of the ball, and that was it," Gall said.

In the security office, Gall said, he refused to answer questions.

"I was very scared," Gall said. "I wasn't sure what was going to happen."

Gall's fiancé, whom he declined to name, picked him up from the justice center.

Her first words to him, he said, were, "What were you thinking?"

His reply: "I wasn't thinking."

Aggies not amused with their current state …

I did not mention this when I talked about the U2 concert, but this was the highlight of the night; a college kid getting to play a song with U2 on stage. I did not realize this at the time, but that was evidently completely off the set list. According to those that know, Angel of Harlem had not played in a U2 concert since 2001. Sunjay’s details …

After traveling from Austin, where Sunjay, a pre-med student at the University of Texas, and Vijay live, they headed with their sister and some other friends to AAC at 10 a.m., hoping to get as close to the stage as they could. While waiting in line, they concocted a sign that Sunjay feels was the key to his success.

The sign, written in red ink on yellow poster board, simply said, "Angel of Harlem" on it with the progression of guitar chords in the song and a note saying, "In case you forgot," since the band had yet to play the song on this tour. During the first encore, Bono peered from the stage at Sunjay and asked, "Do you know how to play it?" To which Sunjay says he screamed back, "Yeah! Yeah, I can play it!"

A few minutes later, he was summoned to the stage, and a guitar tech was handing him an instrument.

"They were kind of hesitant to bring a person onstage who claimed to play the guitar. They didn't want someone screwing it up," Sunjay said, noting that the singer was checking his guitar strap to make sure it was on right and that he had to borrow a pick from The Edge.

"Bono was just sort of joking around. He was like, 'You've never done this before, have you?' And I said, 'Um, no, I've never done this before.' "

U2 rules.

Soccer Insider from the FWST …

There really is no good excuse for FC Dallas' quick departure from the MLS playoffs.
Sure, Eddie Johnson and Richard Mulrooney were out because of injuries. With those two players, Dallas had the potential for greatness.

Even without those two, the squad should have reached the Western Conference Final.
Yet, Dallas began player/coach meetings Tuesday while the third-seeded Rapids prepared to host the No. 4 Galaxy in the Western championship game.

Whitlock tackles Racism (no way) at Notre Dame …

Beware of the Giants …

Scoop Jackson kills Phil Jackson …

Ladies and Gentlemen: Meet the Star Wars Kid …

P1 Jamie, tell us the story of her son’s BaD Radio confusion …hilarious!

Family Guy sings Journey …Genius…

Oh no, prime time in Lubbock! …The Red Raiders are looking forward to this!

COLLEGE STATION, Texas- Texas A&M’s football game at Texas Tech on Saturday will kickoff at 6 p.m. and will be televised throughout the country by Fox Sports Net, the schools were notified by the Big 12 Conference on Sunday.

The league’s television partners were utilizing the second of three possible six-day notifications.

The Aggies enter the game with a 5-3 overall record and 3-2 mark in the conference and Texas Tech is 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12.

Other Big 12 games being televised this weekend will be Missouri at Colorado on ABC at 2:30 p.m. and Texas at Baylor at 11:30 a.m. on FSN.

And lastly, an email:

Bob,
Now that basketball is back, it is officially time to mourn the retirement of a Mavs / NBA legend...Shawn Bradley. As the season starts, and I ready myself for another great NBA season, the loss of such a great player leaves a void within the game. As I began to reflect back on all the great memories I have of Shawn, I decided to dig out his rookie card and alas their predictions in 1993 for Shawn couldn't have been more true. This is a quote from the back of his Fleer rookie card. "The player with the greatest upside potential in the 1993 NBA Draft class was 7'6" Shawn Bradley. Imagine the possibilities: a man who could deposit the rock in a hoop with the ease that the rest of us relegate to putting away groceries. On top of that add athleticism at both ends of the court, increasing muscle mass and an aggresive approach. With the experience of two or three NBA seasons under his belt, Bradley could revolutionize the game. The Brigham Young Human Road Block rejected 14 shots in one game for the Cougars in 1990-91 and set NCAA freshman records for total blocks (177) and average (5.1 BPG)." How true...I know you and Dan will miss him as much as I will. Goodbye Human Road Block!

Chuck