I'm no legal expert, but whenever I see a dunk during an NBA game, I think the TV folks should seriously consider some kind of warning label about the players being trained professionals and the rest of us not attempting dunks at home. Here are the top seven reasons why we should leave the dunking to those who can:
-- David Thomas
Notes and thoughts gathered at the breakfast table ...
* So I decided to roll the dice and watch Mavs-Spurs, and the game did not disappoint. Interesting surfing find this morning ... apparently, you don't have to be from the Metroplex to question why Jason Kidd spent the end of the game on the bench. Here's The Other Side's take, from Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News.
* Nice Stars debut for Brad Richards, with five assists. Enjoyed the local reaction, too.
* Vladimir Guerrero went 0-for-2 against the Rangers yesterday. I know it's only spring training, but we have to celebrate these moments while we can.
* Juan Gonzalez went 2-for-3 yesterday with a run and an RBI in his first game with the St. Louis Cardinals. Looking at The Associated Press photo to the left, it appears that Gonzalez has slimmed down a little.
* Check back this afternoon for the video clips you've been awaiting since I promised them to you in Thursday's Crumbs.
-- David Thomas
Notes and thoughts gathered at the breakfast table ...
* Mavs-Spurs, 7 p.m. tonight on TNT (go ahead and click on it -- it's not what you expect). But to be honest, I can't decide if I want to watch. It seems like most of the time when I look forward to watching a big game and I clear out a spot in my schedule to do so, the game turns out to be a dud.
* Reason No. 14,283 to be jealous of Nolan Ryan: He called the office Wednesday to say he couldn't make it in because he was going to the White House for lunch.
* Here's a nugget from Page 2's Daily Ticket: There were more than four billion page views on ESPN Fantasy Sports last year.
* If the NBA playoffs began today, three of eight playoff teams in the Eastern Conference would have losing records. Two teams that missed the Western Conference playoffs would have winning records.
* I'll be out on assignment today, so this may be the only blog post of the day. (In other words, work getting in the way of work.) But definitely drop back by tomorrow for some video clips you'll want to forward to those you really care about.
-- David Thomas
I've been wondering what it looked like to see Arkansas running back Darren McFadden run a super-fast 4.33 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. This really short clip is about the closest thing I could find.
-- David Thomas
Notes and thoughts gathered at the breakfast table ...
* Mavs-Spurs, 7 p.m. tomorrow on TNT.
* Been checking around to see reactions to the Stars' trade for Brad Richards. Good reviews all around. I can't remember where I read it, but one expert compared it to the Lakers' trade to get Pau Gasol.
* Southwest topped the 100-point mark again last night, beating Sherman 102-93 in a boys high school basketball playoff game. I don't know about you, but I get tired just reading Southwest's box scores.
* In Lori Dann's story today, TCU "daredevil diver" R.J. Hesselberg says he'll try any dive. I don't know if he takes requests, but he says he even does belly flops in practice for fun. So here's a belly flop I'd like to see him beat. (Stick around for the slow-motion replay, and you'll probably be hitting the "Replay" button.)
* I know the Rockets won their 13th consecutive game last night even without Yao Ming, but because of his season-ending injury, I think the Rockets still will barely miss the playoffs.
-- David Thomas
Notes and thoughts gathered at the breakfast table ...
* So ... just like that, if the Mavs can win in San Antonio tomorrow night, they'll be tied for first place in the division. Of course, if the Mavs weren't 14-16 on the road this season, they'd already be in first place.
* Having Texas and Texas A&M play on Thanksgiving night will add more item to the already long list of things to be thankful for in life. It also means good news for those who don't have NFL Network and can't watch the Thursday night offering.
* The Spurs scored five points in the first quarter to fall behind the Hawks by 11 points last night and won. The Pacers scored 30 points in the first quarter against the Raptors to take an 11-point lead and lost.
* Colleague Jan Hubbard may keep us all from being productive at work today with his mention of www.timeanddate.com in today's Mavs column. Now we'll be spending the day learning things such as it has been 4,078 days since the Cowboys' last playoff win.
-- David Thomas
The Florida Marlins are the latest team to recruit hefty dancers. This piece bills them as the first Major League Baseball team to do so, but we all know who were the originals. Not that I'm biased or anything, of course.
If you recognize the one in the middle, we're actually asking you NOT to comment on this item.
-- David Thomas
I tell you, those NASCAR drivers keep getting younger and younger, as Associated Press photographer Mark Avery captured ...
Perhaps a picture of a cute kid will get someone to finally post a comment on this blog. (Even if it's a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan who wants to boo the Lil' Gordon!)
-- David Thomas
Don't hate me for this, but I don't watch "The Office." However, a co-worker recommended this clip of Jenna Fischer (the Giants fan on the left) and Angela Kinsey, who play Pam and Angela, talking football -- including Brett Farv-ruh, the Mannings and some confusion over Tony Romo/Tony Roma's.
Meanwhile, it's not too late to go down to the next blog item and leave a comment. We make breakfast crumbs all day here. Hint, hint.
-- David Thomas
Notes and thoughts gathered at the breakfast table ...
* When I open up the sports section and immediately see a headline say that Jerry Jones is promising to "wow" us with some type of move, I officially become nervous.
* I think most of us desire to leave the world a little better than it was when we entered it, and here's one way you can do so: contribute to Ray Buck's Buckshots. Today's offering includes reader David Glick saying, "Trying to outguess Jerry Jones on the draft is like herding cats." That brought to mind the unforgettable words of one cat-herder: "You see the movies. You hear the stories ... I'm living a dream."
* I get asked this a lot, so I'll go ahead and answer the question here: Yes, Ray Buck is even better looking in person than in his mug shot.
* Remember those off-season concerns about where the Stars' goals would come from? I didn't realize it until this morning, but the Stars are tied for third in the NHL in goals scored.
* This isn't a criticism of the Jason Kidd trade, but as I recall, the Mavericks were already better than Memphis and Minnesota before the trade.
* Made my check this morning for Shaquille O'Neal's free-throw shooting numbers. He was 1-for-8 yesterday. That makes him 6-for-22 since joining the Suns. That's 27.3 percent, and, yes, that even lowers his season percentage.
* It's OK to be nervous about the Rockets and the Lakers. Houston won its 12th consecutive game yesterday, and the Lakers finished off a stretch with 12 of 13 games on the road with an 11-2 record.
* Golden State has tied Denver for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.
Now it's your turn. What sports stuff is being discussed around your water cooler? Share it with the rest of the class in the Comments section. (If I told you that I work on commission and get paid by the number of reader comments on this blog, would that get you to leave a comment? That would be a lie, but still ...)
-- David Thomas
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