SPORTSDAY

11/16/2008

Taking one from the team 
When Ruddie Fuentes came home from football practice late in his freshman year at Irving Nimitz and told his mother he'd made the team, she cried. And not for joy, either.

11/15/2008

Unsteady perch
Quail season opened with a whimper Oct. 23. That's way too early for quail hunting in Texas, where the weather doesn't get cool enough until late this month for a bird dog to run without keeling over from heat exhaustion.

11/09/2008

Scandal taints memories of Carter's 'best ever' football team 

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN

Derric Evans (80), Gary Edwards (2) and Cedric Buckley of Carter celebrate winning the Class 5A state championship game against Converse Judson in 1988.

Two decades after winning the Class 5A state championship, the Carter Cowboys, one of the most talented Texas high school teams ever assembled, has prideful memories but, officially, no evidence of its dominance.
• Bad boys
• Redemption
 Video |  Photos
 Blog: High Schools

11/08/2008

First NFR: Dallas' cowboy Christmas
When cowboys first proposed a "world series" of rodeo in the early '50s, the motivation was threefold.

Dallas Cowboys rookies quickly find their way to the field

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones (28) has had only 30 rushing attempts, but he has averaged 8.9 yards per carry.

Loquacious Martellus Bennett had no problem summing up his thoughts on the Dallas Cowboys' rookie class halfway through the season. "We're the best rookie class in the NFL," said the backup tight end. Other Cowboys rookies may not be as outspoken as Bennett, but they share his unabashed confidence.
 Blog: Dallas Cowboys

Sightings of non-native animals aren't all that unusual in Texas
Dallas resident Jeff Cook was working in his home office late one afternoon in October when a neighbor came to his door and reported that he had just seen a beautiful bird fly into Cook's back yard.

11/02/2008

For Maddon, Philly rain was like a night in Beaumont
When the weather turned ugly last week at the World Series, and a few managers might have gotten uglier, Joe Maddon cheerily told reporters it looked like a minor league game.

11/01/2008

Texas Tech undergrads mix school with weekend guide business
When Thomas Knight still lived in a Texas Tech dorm, he was often leaving for his Saturday morning job about the time other dorm residents were straggling home from a late night on the town.

10/25/2008

Whitetail Deer Season preview 
The autumn tradition called deer season begins Saturday for most Texas hunters. More than 500,000 sportsmen will briefly trade creature comforts for a walk on the wild side in pursuit of America's most popular game animal.
 Photos: Whitetail deer

10/26/2008

A merrier Sprint Cup Chase
The Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway next weekend for the Dickies 500. It's the eighth race in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR's playoffs, which started in Loudon, N.H., and ends Nov. 18 in Miami.

A life full of curves
The first time Sid Hudson worked with a skinny left-hander the Rangers had taken in the 39th round, he noted a loose, live arm.

10/18/2008

Town rallies to help young athlete in his time of need
In January, when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer one day and underwent surgery the next, Wesley Hill called it "a pretty big shock." But the people from his hometown of Abernathy never let him down. When the cancer came back in June, the shock had spread with it.

10/12/2008

Local sports executives tackle new business climate
The credit crisis and sagging economy shaking up Wall Street and Main Street also loom large over big-time professional sports.

10/11/2008

Dallas Baseball Alliance tries to make sport more affordable
Before his son earned a junior college baseball scholarship, R. Lamar Brooks paid dearly for Brandon's baseball education.

TP&W study on shotshell loads is a waste of money
Texas Parks and Wildlife expects to spend $417,297 on a lethality study to determine the effectiveness of different shotshell load types on wild mourning doves. That's according to budget numbers released by TP&W's deputy director, Scott Boruff.

Dallas Cowboys have kept their troubles packed away on the road 
The Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of a road run seen only one other time in team history as they prepare for their third away game of the season today at Arizona (3:15 p.m., Ch. 4).

10/04/2008

Dallas Stars GMs creating atmosphere for success

G.J. MCCARTHY / DMN

Assistant coach Stu Barnes (left) will focus on helping young players such as center Fabian Brunnstrom (right).

The organizer in the Dallas Stars' co-general manager set-up, Les Jackson has restructured the scouting system, examined the development program and tweaked the environment that surrounds the players. All of it is focused on making the organization a place in which players can flourish.
Blog: Dallas Stars

09/28/2008

Ex-Texas Rangers pitcher delivering hope
Not long after starting a baseball/high school academy in his native Puerto Rico, Edwin Correa scouted a kid 45 minutes outside Gurabo.

Products old and new provide cutting edge outdoors
Every sportsman needs a sharp knife, whether the blade is used to fillet a fish, to skin a deer or simply as a utility tool around camp. I still own a variety of Arkansas sharpening stones, including one inherited from my grandfather, but I was never very good at holding the blade at the correct angle to create a razor edge when honed against the coarse stone.

09/20/2008

Story of Bob Wright's life
No one knows the Mexia Blackcats like Bob Wright, if only because nobody else can scale as high up the family tree.

Hidden impacts
It could be months before Hurricane Ike's full impact is realized, but fisheries biologists don't believe the huge storm harmed saltwater fish. Fisherman access and infrastructure are other matters entirely.

09/21/2008

Dallas Cowboys' Romo low-key on Lambeau, but it's big

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

Of Tony Romo's 45 completions this season for the Dallas Cowboys, 13 have gone to TE Jason Witten (right).

His voice should pulsate with emotion as he talks about a trip to Lambeau Field. So why does Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo sound no different than he would if he were about to drop by his hometown of Burlington for next week's Apple Harvest festival?
 Blogs: Dallas Cowboys | Cowlishaw | Taylor

09/15/2008

As Texas Stadium's time runs out, Dallas Cowboys fans' affection for it does not
Texas Stadium has always been more than Irving's most famous feature, more than the home of sports heroes, more than the centerpiece of football fans' Sundays.

09/13/2008

Dove hunting Q&A
For 24 years, Roy Wilson has guided dove hunters in the migration corridor that pulses like an artery through the heart of Texas. By the end of September, when Wilson's focus shifts from doves to deer, more than 400 dove hunters will have filled limits under his watchful eye.

09/14/2008

Idea is one big hit
Paul Stanley had a romantic idea: What if I built a baseball field for underprivileged kids?

09/06/2008

Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo tries to remain same as fame grows 

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

As he begins the season, Tony Romo still wonders why so many care about his personal life.
Video: Leave Tony Romo alone!
Dallas Cowboys blog

Cotton-eyed Jim
When Jim "Hoss" Brock died last month at 74, it wasn't the end of an era, only because his times died first, to his great dismay.

Birds plentiful near Treasury Dept. site; just be sure aim is true 
When dove season rolls around, Cory Anderson takes it to the bank. Anderson, a Fort Worth hunting outfitter, actually takes dove season to a better place than a bank. He takes it to the place where money is printed – the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
 Video: Dove hunters go after birds in Fort Worth city limits

08/31/2008

Dallas Cowboys position-by-position analysis
Tony Romo looks ready for the season after completing 21 of 28 passes for 199 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the preseason. He has worked hard on refining his footwork, and his release is as quick as ever.

08/30/2008

Scottish hunter devises formula to improve shooting of birds
At 30 minutes before official sunrise Monday, dove fields throughout most of Texas will reverberate with the staccato bark of shotguns. Veteran wing shots agree that mourning doves are among the most difficult targets that an average hunter will encounter.

Dallas Cowboys' Adam Jones can't afford to let his guard down

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

The Dallas Cowboys signed Adam Jones to a 4-year contract after acquiring him in a trade with the Titans.

Now that's he's been reinstated by the NFL, Adam Jones must continue to do the right thing for his career, writes DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor. And his daughter. And his family. He must also do the right thing for the Cowboys, because his talent is too immense for him to have a bit role.
 Blog: Dallas Cowboys

Juggling act: Owning Cubs could test Cuban's hands-on approach

Getty Images

Long before he was a bidder to buy the team, Mark Cuban sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch of a 2005 Cubs game at Wrigley Field.

It's a question of management style that could have implications for Dallas Mavericks fans if Mark Cuban is successful in buying the Chicago Cubs. Could Cuban, who has an intensely hands-on approach, pay enough attention to both teams? Or does one of them play second string?
Tell us: Could Cuban devote equal time to Mavs and Cubs?
Blog: Dallas Mavericks

08/23/2008

Dove season preview: Ready for action?
Hunting seasons kick off Sept. 1 with the beginning of dove season in most of Texas. Don't expect to find dove seasons listed in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual this year. A late request for a South Zone season change led to delayed finalization of hunting dates. Dove seasons were not approved until after the hunting and fishing regulations booklet was printed.

Baby daughter brings a rush of joy to Dallas Cowboys' Ware, wife

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware gets a big smile from his daughter Marley after a practice in Oxnard, Calif.

On the field, Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware plays at a Pro Bowl level. Off the field, he's a father to 6-month-old daughter Marley, who changes his disposition from a game-face scowl to a smile. Times are fun for Ware and his wife Taniqua.
 Blog: Dallas Cowboys

08/16/2008

Catch of the day: Redskins hauled in WRs in one round of draft

Getty Images

Washington traded out of the first round and still got Michigan State receiver Devin Thomas (above) with the 34th overall pick.

Wide receivers Devin Thomas (Michigan State) and Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma) and Southern Cal tight end Fred Davis were stunned to slide into the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. And all were surprised, Rick Gosselin writes, to wind up on the same team - the Washington Redskins, who built their receiving corps of the future in one round of one draft.
Blog: Dallas Cowboys

08/09/2008

Bass hitting surface plugs sure to give anglers a thrill
If you've watched shark week on the Discovery Channel, you know the awesome thrill of watching a 2,000-pound great white strike a fast-swimming seal with such speed and ferocity that the shark comes completely out of the water.

08/02/2008

Parents' support, coaching and great DNA helped make gymnast Nastia Liukin an Olympian

TOM FOX / DMN

Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin of Parker is a hybrid of mother Anna's dancer's build and father Valeri's intensity.

The lithe, outgoing only child of Valeri and Anna – Olympic and world champions for the Soviet Union in the 1980s – Nastia Liukin dreams her own Olympic dream, which she'll go for as the Beijing Games begin.
 Video: Nastia Liukin
 Multimedia: 2008 Summer Olympics

Raising the bar 

Click on image to view the PDF.

When Nastia Liukin's turn to fly, pirouette and loop around the uneven bars comes – whether it be in front of NBC's cameras or at a national team practice at Camp Karolyi in rural New Waverly, Texas – every eye is glued on the lithe 18-year-old from Parker.

Right on the money
Even though he's hitting an astounding 95 percent in predicting world medal counts for the last four Olympics, a success rate that prompted two countries to seek his counsel, Daniel Johnson modestly offers disclaimers.

Uncertainty – and 'amazing' – await in China
The U.S. Olympic Committee has promised that "Amazing Awaits."

07/26/2008

Some U.S. Olympians excelling in face of hardships
For these s