09/13/2009

Alicia Landry keeps legacy of Dallas Cowboys' legendary coach alive

SONYA N. HEBERT / DMN

Alicia Landry walks through a hallway in her home that she has turned into a de facto museum to her Tom Landry's stardom.

Alicia Landry walks through a hallway in her home that she has turned into a de facto museum to her husband's football stardom.
Video: Remembering Tom: A love story
Blog: Cowboys
Read more Cowboys coverage

09/05/2009

Dad among Plano West star Jeffcoat's many suitors

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

CAPTIONHERE

Former Dallas Cowboy Jim Jeffcoat, a college football recruiter, has to choose his words when talking about about his son, Jackson Jeffcoat. Here's what others say: ESPN ranks Plano West defensive lineman Jackson Jackson the nation's No. 1 recruit. Rivals.com Jackson at No. 5.
Jackson Jeffcoat talented, fundamentally sound
Blog: High schools

08/23/2009

2009 dove hunting preview
There's a big change in Texas dove hunting regulations this year, and the change favors hunters. The entire state will enjoy a 70-day dove season with a 15-bird daily bag limit. In the past, North Zone hunters had 60 days and 15 birds while Central and South Zone hunters had 70 days and 12 birds.

Texas Rangers' Holland has been a quick study

RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ / Special to DMN

Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland signed as a 25th-round draft choice in May 2007 but has had a rapid rise through the organization.

Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland was not a child prodigy, a high school phenom or a big-time college star. But he has morphed into one of the most valuable commodities in the organization.
 Holland's stats
 Blog: Texas Rangers
 Buy: Rangers gear | Tickets

As far as NCAA is concerned, '08 Final Four never happened
The NCAA announced this week that the Memphis Tigers would have to vacate all 38 of their wins during their 2007-08 season, including their trip to the Final Four in San Antonio. It's a ridiculous and ineffective action, writes Tim Cowlishaw.

08/16/2009

Unspoiled southeast Wyoming is paradise for fly fishermen
It's impossible to say how many hidden jewels in western America equal the Upper North Platte River Valley, writes Ray Sasser. In Carbon County, the trout and the antelope outnumber the people, even during the relatively busy tourist time of summer.
 Video: Quiet alpine lakes provide abundant fly fishing

Skyline enters the football season with an impressive load of talent

COURTNEY PERRY / DMN

Skyline football players (clockwise from center front) Javia Hall, Domonique Patterson, Rodney Williams, Mike Davis, Adrian James, Joe Powell, Graylin Hawkins and Tony Drake have already committed to NCAA Bowl Subdivision schools, as has Corey Nelson (not pictured).

The crowd outside Skyline football coach Reginald Samples' office the last six months has resembled a scene from a doctor's office visit or a trip to the Department of Public Safety office to renew a driver's license. The line was so backed up – this one with notable college football coaches – you needed to take a number. Why all the fuss? Skyline is bursting at the seams with talent.
 Blog: High Schools
 Team page: Skyline

Texas A&M quarterback getting a better grasp on how to be a leader

AP

Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson needs to cut down on turnovers this season, says coach Mike Sherman.

For the last 12 months, Jerrod Johnson has gotten a crash course in playing quarterback for Texas A&M, writes Chuck Carlton. Johnson will be one factor in determining whether A&M can improve and better a 4-8 record from last season, which are two distinctly separate issues.
Texas A&M preview
Previews: College Football '09
Video: Big 12 South preview
 Buy: Texas A&M gear

08/09/2009

Freakish talent makes three Dallas Cowboys stand out
Certain NFL players are so gifted athletically we can only describe them as freaks, writes columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor. The Cowboys have three: DeMarcus Ware, Felix Jones and Martellus Bennett.

Liukin finding her balance after Olympics, preparing for more competition

VERNON BRYANT/DMN

Nastia Liukin, the Olympic gymnast from Parker, will return to major competition at the Visa Championships this week at American Airlines Center.
 Photos: Nastia Liukin
 Download: Liukin's inside spin
 Download: Liukin wallpaper

08/08/2009

Tales spring to life for baseball author
Brad Bauer has produced a self-published baseball trilogy. But last month, he was afforded some valuable insight into the subject, spending a week with the Fort Worth Cats, Kevin Sherrington writes.

Big day comes for Hayes as his teammates kept the faith

AP

Bob Hayes Jr. (left) and presenter, Hall of Fame quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys Roger Staubach, stand with the bust of Bob Hayes Sr.

Bob Hayes was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday – 35 years after playing his final NFL game. He spent 25 years as a modern-era candidate but never was a finalist. That's a long time to be overlooked, writes DMN pro football columnist Rick Gosselin.
Hayes commemorative area
Hayes' stats
Blog: Dallas Cowboys

Hayes Jr. says his father's pain is gone
"Bullet" Bob Hayes was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame posthumously Saturday. It took the "World's Fastest Human" 35 post-career years to receive his bust in Canton.

08/02/2009

Dallas-area districts fail to follow heat guidelines for athletics

DMN file photo

During early-morning practices in August, the heat index in Dallas is typically between 80 and 85. On a hot, dry afternoon, it will rise to 105. Rainy conditions generally keep the heat index in the 90s.

Many area school districts aren't following established guidelines for keeping football players safe from the side effects of practicing in the heat, such as muscle cramps, heat stroke and, in rare cases, death, according to a survey conducted by The Dallas Morning News.
 Blog: High Schools
High school sports news
Education news

08/01/2009

Dallas Cowboys shrug off new role as underdogs

MICHAEL AINSWORTH / DMN

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys look to bounce back from a disappointing 2008 season.

The trendy pick to win it all last year, the Dallas Cowboys are slotted by many for no better than a repeat of third place in the NFC East. But as columnist Tim Cowlishaw writes, being under the radar is something they're perfectly fine with.
 Saturday's photos
 Blog: Dallas Cowboys
 Buy: Cowboys gear | Tickets

Texas lakes pump millions of dollars into economy
Recreational fishing is big business in Texas. How big? In 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that 2.5 million Texas anglers spent $3.2 billion on their favorite sport.

Shot of speed for Dallas Cowboys' secondary
In Friday's afternoon workout, interceptions by defensive backs seemed almost as prevalent as big catches by wide receivers, writes Tim Cowlishaw. "If you're putting practices in the win-loss column, the defense got the better of us today," tight end Jason Witten said.

Keith Brooking puts Dallas Cowboys in good hands
What follows is a look at Zach Thomas' value to this defense. Ignore the fact Thomas no longer plays for the Cowboys. Plug Keith Brooking into his spot at inside linebacker and proceed, writes David Moore.

07/25/2009

Big 12 boss: BCS isn't perfect, but it has charm

TOM FOX / DMN

Dan Beebe has been Big 12 commissioner since September 2007.

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe sits down for a Q&A with DMN colleges columnist Chuck Carlton and answers questions about the BCS, the Big 12 tiebreaker and bowls.
 Blog: Colleges
 Buy: School gear | Football tickets

Dallas Cowboys head into training camp hoping to minimize drama

RON JENKINS / Special to DMN

Tony Romo (9) and Jason Witten are expected to be offensive leaders for the Dallas Cowboys.

Training camp opens in San Antonio this week for a Dallas Cowboys team driven to distance itself from past disappointments. The idea is to minimize maximize production and prove its worth.
 Blog: Dallas Cowboys
 Buy: Cowboys gear | Tickets

Offshore fishing in the gulf gives deep-sea thrills
Late summer is the Gulf of Mexico's peak offshore fishing season. Migrant game fish species move in Texas waters this time of year and, barring tropical storms or hurricanes, the late summer weather is predictably calm.

07/19/2009

Baseball offers most parity among major sports

RON T. ENNIS / DMN

Nelson Cruz (left) and the Texas Rangers are among the many contenders in a competitive American League this season.

Is the game that President Barack Obama referred to as our national pastime really one that offers parity? The correct answer, for the most part, is: Yes, writes Tim Cowlishaw.
MLB standings
Blog: Rangers
Blog: Cowlishaw

07/18/2009

Tiny Guadeloupe seeks to make Gold Cup statement
Guadeloupe won't participate in the World Cup, but it's not because its players don't measure up well against the planet's best.

07/04/2009

Athletes, teams, fans embrace social networking

TROY OXFORD / DMN artist

Social media sites are still in their infancy. But they've gone from an uncertain novelty where anyone can post a picture or quickly write a few words to a popular conversation tool among athletes, teams and fans. That transformation has taken only a few months.

Snakes avoid people, but will bite if surprised
Here's the deal with poisonous snakes. They don't really want to bite you, writes DMN columnist Ray Sasser. Snakes bite for one of two reasons – to kill prey that's small enough to swallow or to defend themselves from attack.

07/03/2009

Raising NCAA trophies lifts outlook for other Texas A&M teams

AP photos

Texas A&M celebrated national championships in men's golf (upper left), men's track and field (bottom left) and women's track and field.

Athletic director Bill Byrne sees the NCAA championships won by Texas A&M this spring as having an impact far beyond those three sports, writes DMN national colleges columnist Chuck Carlton. A&M placed 13th in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings, behind only one other Big 12 school (Texas).
 2008-09 Directors' Cup All-Sports standings (.pdf)
 Blog: Colleges
 Buy: Texas A&M gear

06/27/2009

25 Years of SportsDay's All-Sports Awards: Carroll, HP in class by themselves

Southlake Carroll (left) has won Class 5A award six out of the last seven years, and Highland Park has claimed seven straight awards in 4A.

Twenty-five years ago, in 1985, SportsDay introduced the All-Sports Awards as a way to determine which area high schools had the best overall athletic programs. Well, success breeds success. Southlake Carroll (Class 5A) and Highland Park (4A) have again won the 2008-09 awards in their respective classifications.
Download: 5A/4A area district point totals
More on Carroll
More on Highland Park
Blog: High schools

06/28/2009

Casual anglers can succeed with right approach
A reader sent an e-mail recently, asking me to address the best techniques for fishing from the bank, so here goes.

06/20/2009

Dave Campbell's vision of football still going strong

DMN file photo

Dave Campbell wanted an outlet for college football, so he built a magazine about football in Texas.

Always on the lookout for summer sports reading material in the late '50s, writes DMN columnist Kevin Sherrington, Dave Campbell lamented the dearth of space afforded college football, especially the Southwest Conference variety. His answer: Texas Football.
 Blogs: Kevin Sherrington | Colleges

North Texas at center of college football universe

TROY OXFORD / DMN illustration

With the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington and efforts to attract more big games to Fair Park, the Dallas-Fort Worth area is making a run at becoming the nation's capital of college football, both financially and on the field.

Revenue streams from Cowboys Stadium contracts run deep

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

Cowboys Stadium opened its doors for business with a June 6 concert.

Contract provisions for college football games at Cowboys Stadium vary widely, allowing some teams to share ticket revenue while paying others fixed guarantees, according to copies of contracts obtained by The Dallas Morning News through open records requests.
 Blog: Dallas Cowboys
 More Cowboys Stadium coverage

Texas Rangers are packed with value

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

With owner Tom Hicks (front) willing to sell a majority stake in the Rangers, team president Nolan Ryan says he might want to take a look as part of an investment group.

More people have been flocking to see a winning Rangers team this season, and they've been spending more money at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. That could make the team more attractive to potential buyers.
 Blog: Texas Rangers
 Buy: Rangers gear | Tickets

06/13/2009

Golfer's trek to Bethpage yields U.S. Open insight

Courtesy photo

Tuan Nguyen, who usually shoots in the high 70s and low 80s, scrambled for an 88 from the blue tees on Bethpage's famed Black course.

Tuan Nguyen was on a mission. Nguyen, from Murphy, Texas, had honed his game on daily fee golf courses. Now, he was determined to play one of the most famous and demanding - Bethpage State Park's Black course in Farmingdale, N.Y. It's the site of this week's U.S. Open.
SportsDay Golf Picks Challenge
Link: U.S. Open official site

06/14/2009

Quality control: Maddux helping Texas Rangers' staff deliver
The hottest coach in Dallas-Fort Worth is sitting in the first-base dugout at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, deflecting praise, crediting others and punctuating every sentence with a spit of chew.

Full speed to the end for Texas A&M's Boyd
Growing up in Dallas in the '20s and '30s, the hard-living son of a fiery Baptist preacher, Joe Boyd couldn't save himself, much less anyone else.

06/13/2009

State's expanded records program opens new door for many anglers, especially kids
Kaylee Nicholson of Athens and her best friend, Sidney Bruyere of Blooming Grove, were among a crowd of 800 who turned out for a National Fishing Day event at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center near Athens.

06/07/2009

Texas pitchers share enduring legacy
Chuck Hartenstein endured a nagging thought as he watched Austin Wood pile up inning after no-hit inning.

06/06/2009

Spawning sunfish make ideal targets for young anglers and fly fishermen
Just in time for summer vacation fishing, sunfish are spawning in North Texas lakes and ponds. The most common sunfish species are bluegills, redear sunfish, redbreast sunfish and green sunfish. Some species are capable of crossbreeding, however, and you sometimes wind up with a variety of hybrid sunfish.

Richardson runner shines at Komen race

BEN TORRES / Special to DMN

The pack of runners takes off from the starting line for the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Plano.

For an unprecedented sixth consecutive year, Elizabeth Jekot finished first among breast cancer survivors at Saturday's Susan G. Komen North Texas Race for the Cure. She ran in memory of her mother, who died of the disease May 7.
 Race photos

05/31/2009

Cowboys Stadium construction manager balances big budgets, small details

TOM FOX / DMN

Although the first major event at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington is only days away – George Strait will headline a concert Saturday – last-minute preparations are still intense.

By the end of this summer, all four major professional sports teams in North Texas will be playing in buildings Jack Hill shepherded through the construction process.
 Blog: Dallas Cowboys
 Explore the new stadium
 Video: Cowboys Stadium: From the ground up
 Download: Details on Cowboys Stadium: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

05/30/2009

Is Nowitzki's ex reformed, or is this just a con?

Courtesy photo

Cristal Taylor faces a 2006 theft of service charge in Beaumont and a 2000 probation violation in suburban St. Louis.

Before her May 6 arrest in Dirk Nowitzki's $6 million Preston Hollow home, Cristal Taylor had July wedding plans, a $150,000-plus engagement ring on her finger and was, we now know, pregnant. Did that signify personal transformation or her most elaborate con of all?
Archive: Medical records show Dirk's ex-fiancée is pregnant
Archive: Ex-girlfriend says Nowitzki called her his 'little jailbird'
Blog: Dallas Mavericks

05/23/2009

Ex-Dallas Cowboy Walker shares pain with soldiers

STEVEN DOLL / Special to DMN

Ex-Cowboy Herschel Walker (right) talks about his struggles with dissociative identity disorder with wounded soldiers at Fort Hood.

They came on canes and crutches and knee braces and walking boots, about 50 Fort Hood soldiers in all, and that wasn't the half of their wounds. They came to hear from former Dallas Cowboys running back Herschel Walker, who talked to them about pain that isn't always so obvious, writes DMN columnist Kevin Sherrington.
Blogs: Cowboys | Sherrington

Dallas-Fort Worth pro sports teams riding out recession storm

MICHAEL HOGUE / DMN staff artist

Owners of pro sports franchises, such as Mark Cuban (left), Tom Hicks and Jerry Jones (right), face challenges in a struggling economy.

The recession has had the Rangers, Mavericks, Cowboys and Stars scrambling to retain and reward their best customers - businesses that purchase suites and high-dollar tickets. It's proof that corporate America has never been more important to the area's professional sports teams.
Tickets: Rangers | Cowboys | Stars | Mavs

05/17/2009

Significant roll: Putts put great golfers on map

File 2008

Adam Scott made a 48-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to win last year's Byron Nelson Championship.

Over the next two weeks, many of the best players will be booming 350-yard drives and effortlessly shaping iron shots at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. But most tournaments come down to putting.
Players to watch
Nichols | Putt guru
More: Nelson coverage
Video: Putting tips

05/16/2009

An old attic once held a Texas treasure
When word got out about an estate sale at ol' Mrs. Weems' place, two doors down, Buddy Laughlin said no, thanks.

Dallas Mavericks played well once coach, team jelled

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

Coach Rick Carlisle (with clipboard) and the Dallas Mavericks went 50-32 in the regular season after a 2-7 start.

Rick Carlisle, the Dallas Mavericks' new coach, may indeed have been an acquired taste. But the chemistry built slowly over the long, regular-season grind. By the end, the Mavericks were roundly saluted for playing as hard as they could.
Blog: Mavericks
 Buy: Mavs gear

Cast a line, catch a fish: It's almost that easy
Opening up a debate about Texas' best fishing lake is a real can of worms, pun intended. Every serious angler has a fave hot spot to promote, but all pale in comparison with Lake Zebco.

05/10/2009

It turns out Lincoln-ex was pretty good
A skinny, bird-legged offensive lineman on a bad team, Rudy Phillips didn't have any options coming out of Lincoln in 1976.