Daily Ticket: The Blog

Breakfast Crumbs: Gone fishin' (and golfin')

It's vacation time! Breakfast Crumbs will return on or about Monday, July 13.

Breakfast Crumbs: Friday

Notes and thoughts compiled at the breakfast table ...

* Texas Rangers 9, Arizona Diamondbacks 8 (12): Omar Vizquel got the big early hit -- the one that gave him the major-league record for most hits by a Venezuela-born player -- and Chris Davis got the big late hit -- a two-run homer with two outs in the top of the 12th. Davis went 4-for-5 to raise his average to .209.

* Josh Hamilton may be back in the Rangers' lineup by the end of next week.

* As expected, Oklahoma's Blake Griffin goes No. 1 over to the Los Angeles Clippers. An overview of the NBA Draft.

* Our Jan Hubbard watched the Mavs' draft-day deals and their pre-draft non-deals. He tell us what it all means.

* Mavs notes: Coach Rick Carlisle expects that first-round pick Rodrigue Beaubois, a point guard from France, will play right away.

* Cowboys notes: Jerry Jones said all the team's receivers should be healthy in time for the start of training camp. Plus items about oak trees and stadium tours.

* Terrell Owen, in Duncanville for a summer camp, said he is being made the scapegoat for Tony Romo's lack of leadership.

* LaDainian Tomlinson also is in the area for his summer camp, but there's less finger-pointing at his camp. LT is ready to prove that, at 30, there still is a lot of fuel left in his tank.

* The Dallas Stars are at No. 8 in tonight's NHL draft. It's the first time since 1996 that the Stars have held a top-10 pick. They're taking the best-available-player approach.

* Shreveport-Bossier Captains 7, Fort Worth Cats 4: The Captains scored six runs in the top of the third inning to take two of three at LaGrave Field.

* Speaking of T.O. being in town, today is National Forgiveness Day.

* You shouldn't be surprised by this, but our Friday '80s music tribute features a guest appearance from Michael Jackson, with "Beat It."

TUBE TOPPER

The best of what to watch today ...

* San Diego Padres at Texas Rangers. The Rangers kick off a nine-game homestand by trotting ace Kevin Millwood (7-5, 2.62) to the mound. He faces rookie Walter Silva (0-0, 6.00), who is making his second appearance since April 13. The Padres have lost nine of their past 12 games, all against the A.L. West. 7 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest.

-- David Thomas

Breakfast Crumbs: Thursday

Notes and thoughts compiled at the breakfast table ...

* LSU 11, Texas 4: The Tigers won their sixth College World Series championship -- matching the Longhorns' total -- by breaking a 4-4 tie with five runs in the top of the sixth inning.

* Texas Rangers 2, Arizona Diamondbacks 1: The Rangers didn't get a hit after the third inning, but the five-game losing streak is over. Vicente Padilla scattered six hits over seven innings and Frank Francisco and C.J. Wilson protected the lead from there.

* The Rangers are moving super pitching prospect Neftali Feliz to the Oklahoma RedHawks' bullpen to prepare him for a call-up to the big club.

* Marlon Byrd confirms a Yahoo! report that he takes supplements provided by BALCO founder Victor Conte.

* The Dallas Mavericks made a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers and dropped two spots in tonight's NBA draft.

* Randy Galloway: The Mavs' trade doesn't quite measure up with the San Antonio Spurs' trade for Richard Jefferson.

* Through our content sharing program, here's our NBA mock draft courtesy Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.

* Shaquille O'Neal is close to joining LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

* They're already calling the United States men's soccer team's 2-0 stunner of top-ranked Spain the "miracle on grass."

* Fort Worth Cats 9, Shreveport-Bossier Captains 1: The Cats scored three runs in the bottom of the third, then added five more in the fourth to improve to 27-10.

* The NHL draft may be sneaking up on us -- it's tomorrow -- but the Dallas Stars are ready.

* Wednesday's MLB highlight: Seattle Mariners 4, San Diego Padres 3 -- Franklin Gutierrez's tie-breaking solo home run in the bottom of the eighth took the Mariners to their sixth win in eight games. The M's trail the Rangers and Los Angeles Angels by 2 1/2 games.

* Today is Catfish Day.

TUBE TOPPERS

The best of what to watch today ...

* NBA Draft. See who the Mavs take at No. 24 instead of No. 22, then stick around to see who they grab at No. 56. 6:30 p.m., ESPN.

* Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rangers play the rubber game of the series before heading home for nine games in 10 days. Rangers starter Scott Feldman (5-2, 4.02) has allowed at least four earned runs in two of his last three starts. The D-backs counter with Jon Garland (4-7, 4.99). In 83 innings, Garland has more walks (34) than strikeouts (33). 8:40 p.m., KDFI/Channel 27.

-- David Thomas

What's in a nickname?

One in a weekly series on the history behind college nicknames and mascots.

Vermont Catamounts

Catamounts are believed to have gone extince in Vermont in the mid-1800s. But one mountain cat found in Vermont's Green Mountains spawned the school's nickname that has been around since 1926.

It was then that the student newspaper -- the UVM Cynic -- asked students to vote for a mascot, with lynx and wildcat among the choices. Reponse was minimal, so the paper offered another set of names that included tomcat, camel, cow and catamount. Only male students were allowed to vote, and they chose Catamount as the mascot.

(Source: www.uvm.edu; photo courtesy Vermont athletics)

-- David Thomas

Breakfast Crumbs: Wednesday

Notes and thoughts compiled at the breakfast table ...

* Arizona Diamondbacks 8, Texas Rangers 2: The offense needs all the help it can get, but Matt Harrison didn't provide any. He allowed seven runs in 3 2/3 inningsfor his shortest outing of the season. The Rangers, who have lost five in a row, now share first place with the Los Angeles Angels.

* Hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo says it's a matter of time until the offense starts clicking again.

* Texas 5, LSU 1: Freshman Taylor Jungmann threw a complete-game five-hitter to tie the College World Series best-of-three finals at a game each.

* While the San Antonio Spurs have traded for Richard Jefferson, the Dallas Mavericks have had a "fairly active" couple of days.

* A look at the best power forwards/centers in Thursday's NBA Draft.

* The Hockey Hall of Fame's Class of 2009: Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman, Brian Leetch, Luc Robitaille and Lou Lamoriello.

* Shreveport-Bossier Sports 16, Fort Worth Cats 7: The Cats led 7-2 entering the sixth inning and then ...

* If the National Athletic Trainers' Association has its way, Texas high school football pre-season practices would have a different look.

* Tuesday's MLB highlight: Kansas City Royals 2, Houston Astros 1 -- Zack Greinke (9-3) allowed eight hits over innings to win his first game since May 23. Billy Butler's solo home run in the third inning proved to be the winning run. The win snapped the Royals' five-game losing streak.

* Today is National Swim a Lap Day.

TUBE TOPPERS

The best of what to watch today ...

* College World Series: Texas vs. LSU. This is it -- one game for the national championship. 6 p.m., ESPN.

* Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks. Things don't get any easier for the Rangers' offense with the Diamondbacks' Dan Haren (6-4, 2.23) on the mound. Haren is 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA over his last five starts. Vicente Padilla (5-3, 4.79), a former Diamondback, starts for the Rangers. 8:40 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest.

-- David Thomas

Breakfast Crumbs: Tuesday

Notes and thoughts compiled at the breakfast table ...

* LSU 7, Texas 6 (11): The Tigers scored two runs with two outs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, then scored the go-ahead run in the 11th to win the first game in the best-of-three championship series at the College World Series. The Longhorns hit five solo home runs.

* Lucas Glover holds off the big names to win the 109th U.S. Open.

* Brett Hull will be announced today as part of the four-person Class of 2009 for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

* Dirk Nowitzki talks to a German magazine about his relationship with Cristal Taylor.

* Baseball players association chief Don Fehr will retire after 26 years of butting heads with baseball's owners.

* A look at the top shooting guards/small forwards available in Thursday's NBA Draft.

* Monday's MLB highlight: Colorado Rockies 11, Los Angeles Angels 1 -- On their day off, THE FIRST-PLACE TEXAS RANGERS' lead grew back to a full game thanks to the red-hot Rockies, who have 17 of 18 games overall and nine consecutive on the road.

* Today is National Take Your Dog To Work Day.

TUBE TOPPERS

The best of what to watch today ...

* College World Series: LSU vs. Texas. LSU is one win from its sixth CWS title. Under the current format, half of the six championship series have been two-game sweeps. 6 p.m., ESPN.

* Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rangers' four-game losing streak is one short of their season high, but the Rangers have won seven of their last eight against the D-backs. Matt Harrison (4-4, 5.43) pitches for the Rangers. Arizona sends out former Fort Worth Cat Max Scherzer (4-4, 3.58). Scherzer has allowed two earned runs and 15 hits over his last 18 2/3 innings. 8:40 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest.

-- David Thomas

Breakfast Crumbs: Monday

Notes and thoughts compiled at the breakfast table ...

* San Francisco Giants 3, Texas Rangers 2: Kevin Millwood was solid again, but Barry Zito held the Rangers hitless into the seventh inning and the defense struggled like the offense as the Giants swept the Rangers.

* Gil LeBreton: Keep Chris Davis in the lineup, but it could be nearing time to replace Marlon Byrd and Hank Blalock with younger players.

* Fort Worth Cats 7, El Paso Diablos 6: Kelley Gulledge had a homer and drove in three runs, and Pat O'Sullivan extended his hitting streak to 18 games.

* Nineteen-year-old Spaniard guard Ricky Rubio figures to be the first point guard taken in Thursday's NBA Draft.

* Sunday's MLB highlight: Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Los Angeles Angels 3 -- The Dodgers took two of three in Anaheim, helping THE FIRST-PLACE TEXAS RANGERS hold on to the slimmest of leads over the Angels. Clayton Kershaw shut out the Angels for seven innings, and James Loney hit a two-run homer that had to survive a replay review.

* Sunday's big winners: Kasey Kahne, Dario Franchitti and the U.S. men's soccer team.

* Today is National Chocolate Eclair Day.

TUBE TOPPERS

The best of what to watch today ...

* U.S. Open. Another Monday finish, but this year because of rain. Lucas Glover and Ricky Barnes were tied for the lead when play ended Sunday, with Phil Mickelson and David Duval among a group five shots back. 8 a.m., ESPN; 10:30 a.m., NBC.

* College World Series: Texas vs. LSU. The best-of-three championship series starts tonight. LSU has won 13 consecutive games, during which it has averaged 8.5 runs per game. Texas has won twice in the final at-bat in Omaha. 6 p.m., ESPN.

-- David Thomas

Breakfast Crumbs: Friday

Notes and thoughts compiled at the breakfast table ...

* Houston Astros 5, Texas Rangers 3: Arlington native Hunter Pence's home run in the eighth inning allowed the Astros to win the sixth and final game of the Lone Star Series. Michael Young and Chris Davis homered for the Rangers, whose lead over the Los Angeles Angels is down to 1 1/2 games.

* The Big O, Oliver Miller, isn't as big as he used to be and he's looking to make a return to the NBA.

* Fort Worth Cats 8, Lincoln Saltdogs 3: Four runs in the bottom of the first inning put the smokin' Cats (25-7) on their way to another series victory. With 16 games remaining in the first half of the season, the Cats have a 10-game lead over the second-place Grand Prairie AirHogs.

* The latest from former major-leaguer Mel Hall. In an interview from Tarrant County Jail on Thursday, he said he was innocent of the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl for which he was found guilty and sentenced to 45 years. Then after the interview, he entered a guilty plea on another sexual assault charge in exchange for a 15-year concurrent sentence.

* Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is once again your NHL most valuable player.

* Thursday's MLB highlight: Washington Nationals 3, New York Yankees 0 -- Craig Stammen earned his first major-league victory and the Nationals took two out of three at Yankee Stadium. This was the first game at the new stadium in which a home run was not hit.

* If you're wondering why everyone in your office is aimlessly walking around, it's because today is World Sauntering Day.

* Friday. Breakfast Crumbs. '80s music. It's a tradition. Today's featured song is "Hip to be Square" by Huey Lewis & The News.

TUBE TOPPERS

The best of what to watch today ...

* U.S. Open. They didn't get very deep into the first round yesterday because of rain, but they're giving it another go again today. 9 a.m., ESPN; 2 p.m., NBC; 4 p.m, ESPN.

* College World Series. LSU and Texas are one win each from reaching the championship series. Arkansas and Arizona State both have one loss and must win twice to play for the title. LSU vs. Arkansas, 1 p.m., ESPN2; Texas vs. Arizona State, 6 p.m., ESPN2.

* Texas Rangers at San Francisco Giants. The Rangers have lost eight consecutive games in San Francisco. Scott Feldman (5-1, 3.70) tries to end that skid. At 6-foot-5, Feldman will be the game's shortest staring pitcher. He is opposed by 6-10 Randy Johnson (6-5, 4.89). 9:15 p.m., KDFI/Channel 27.

-- David Thomas

Breakfast Crumbs: Thursday

Notes and thoughts compiled at the breakfast table ...

* Texas Rangers 5, Houston Astros 4 (10): David Murphy's bases-loaded single scored Ian Kinsler with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Rangers are 5-0 against the Astros this season.

* Pudge Rodriguez broke the record for most games caught where his career began, but the man who won 10 Gold Gloves in Arlington committed two errors in his big game.

* Jim Reeves: Don't start the steroid talk when discussing Ruben Sierra's joining the Rangers Hall of Fame.

* Former No. 1 pick Bobby Carpenter has his best and possibly final shot to make an impact with the Dallas Cowboys.

* Cowboys notes: Tony Romo denies the report that he was told to shape up during the off-season.

* Our golf expert, Jimmy Burch, places Tiger Woods atop his top 10 picks to win the U.S. Open.

* Swedish free-agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson visits the Dallas Stars today.

* Fort Worth Cats 9, Lincoln Saltdogs 0: Jae Jung threw his second consecutive shutout and shortstop Cameron Blair went 4-for-4.

* A Tarrant County jury sentenced former major-leaguer Mel Hall to 45 years for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in the late 1990s.

* Wednesday's MLB highlight: Los Angeles Angels 4, San Francisco Giants 3 -- The Angels won their sixth consecutive game by scoring three runs in the eighth inning off Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum (6-2).

* Today is International Panic Day. With the Angels on a roll, now only two games behind the Rangers and getting injured players back healthy, is it time to panic in Arlington?

TUBE TOPPERS

The best of what to watch today ...

* U.S. Open. First-round play begins today. Tiger Woods has a morning tee time, while Phil Mickelson will be among the afternoon golfers. 9 a.m., ESPN; 2 p.m., NBC; 4 p.m., ESPN.

* Houston Astros at Texas Rangers. The Rangers go for the first sweep in the long and storied history of the Lone Star Series. Rangers starter Vicente Padilla (5-3, 4.82) has allowed two earned runs and eight hits over his past two starts. Astros starter Brandon Backe (0-0, 12.00) makes his first start. He has appeared in four games and has allowed opponents a .395 batting average. 7:05 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest.

-- David Thomas

Breakfast Crumbs: Wednesday

Notes and thoughts compiled at the breakfast table ...

* Texas Rangers 6, Houston Astros 1: The Rangers have clinched the Boot! The Rangers have clinched the Boot! Ian Kinsler homered twice and Kevin Millwood allowed one run over seven innings as the Rangers improved to 4-0 in the Lone Star Series.

* Toby Harrah and Ruben Sierra have been voted into the Rangers Hall of Fame.

* Astros catcher Pudge Rodriguez tied, and will break, the record for most games by a catcher in front of the fans who welcomed him to the majors.

* The New York Times reports that Sammy Sosa is one of the 104 major-leaguers to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.

* The Dallas Cowboys hope Marty B (Martellus Bennett) will be a hit in his second season at tight end.

* New safety Gerald Sensabaugh says there will be no drop-off in run support from his position as he replaces Roy Williams.

* Lincoln Saltdogs 9, Fort Worth Cats 4: The Saltdogs scored three runs in the first inning then put the game away with four in the eighth, ending the Cats' eight-game winning streak.

* Texas 10, Arizona State 4: Cameron Rupp hit two homers, and the Longhorns are the only unbeaten team remaining in Bracket 2 of the College World Series.

* Former major-leaguer Mel Hall wound up in the wrong section of the newspaper. A Tarrant County jury yesterday found Hall guilty of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in the late 1990s.

* Tuesday's MLB highlight: Tampa Bay Rays 12, Colorado Rockies 4 -- The Rays had 11 extra-base hits, including five home runs, in ending the Rockies' 11-game winning streak. Former Ranger Gabe Kapler hit one of the homers for Tampa Bay, which has won six consecutive games.

* A Q&A with Phil Mickelson as he prepares for tomorrow's start of the U.S. Open. Or, perhaps more appropriate, the "US" Open.

* Today is Eat Your Vegetables Day. Let's stop for a moment and think about this. Yesterday was Fresh Veggies Day. Today is Eat Your Vegetables Day. Wouldn't it be better to combine the two so we could eat fresh vegetables?

TUBE TOPPER

The best of what to watch today ...

* Houston Astros at Texas Rangers. Even though the Rangers have secured the Silver Boot trophy, the series will continue as scheduled. The Rangers run Matt Harrison (4-4, 5.43) out to the mound for his first start off the disabled list. Houston goes with Russ Ortiz (3-2, 3.48). 7:05 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest.

-- David Thomas