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By Dic HumphreyCO R R E S PO N D E [email protected]

It seems like an eternity, but it was reallyless than 18 months ago that the Rangers'financial situation had deteriorated fromthe Hicks' ownership attempting to sell aminority interest to raise capital, to a fullsale of the team and on to a bankruptcyproceeding as the team was leveragedabove the price the franchise was able tocommand on the open market. The teamwas a ward of the baseball state, withMLB funding operations to keep the teamsolvent until the ownership situation couldbe resolved.

How quickly things can change! Sinceemerging from bankruptcy with new own-ership, the team's financial fortunes havechanged as dramatically as the team's for-tunes on the field. Two World Seriesappearances, season ticket sales that morethan doubled, and a new television con-tract have boosted the team's finances intoa new stratosphere. Gone are the dayswhen the team had to overpay in prospectsto make a trade for immediate help on thefield because they didn't have the financialwherewithal to add additional salary. Nowthey have the financial footing to gamblemore than $100 million to secure the serv-ices of hopefully one of the top pitchers inbaseball. Make no mistake about it,adding Yu Darvish if he signs is a hugegamble, but it has the potential for a hugereward. It's the type of move a team oper-ating on a shoe string can't make.

The financial landscape may havechanged, but this is still a critical time forthe Rangers' finances as they try to posi-tion the team for the future. Texas willcontend in 2012 and probably for a coupleof years thereafter no matter what movesare made this winter. The core of the teamis very good and very young. In subse-quent years though, the team could recedeinto mediocrity if the right decisions aren'tmade now. The White Sox and Cubs areexamples of teams that aren't competitivebecause they are stuck with high dollarcontracts for unproductive players, and it'sa place the Rangers don't want to go.

First, Texas is looking to identify andkeep its core together. Indications are thatthe team is interested in working out longterm extensions with Ian Kinsler, DerekHolland, Mike Napoli and perhaps JoshHamilton. All have expressed a desire tostay, which is a credit to the atmospheredeveloped by GM Jon Daniels and hislegions. The most problematic of those extensions

is Hamilton. He is signed through thisyear and will turn 31 a few weeks after the2012 season opens. That's older than mostplayers hitting free agency for the firsttime in their career. There is no secret that


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AROUND THE AREARANGERS CONTRACT ISSUES

QUICK HITS

MAVERICKSTHE HANGOVER LINGERS

FISHEROLD, SLOW & OUT OF SHAPE

GOLFAN ARTIST GIVES BACK TO GOLF

SPORTS SHORTS DO OR DIE

COVER STORYTHE COTTON BOWL IS HERE!

OPINIONBEST & WORSTS OF 2011

STARSTHE “RICHARDS TRADE”

THE TICKET WINDOWNORM GETS A CALL FROM JERRY

Dec. 30, 2011-Jan. 5, 2011Volume 10, Issue 20

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Rangers looking at major contracts

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his life style early in his professional base-ball career included years of alcohol anddrug abuse, which delayed the start of hisbig league career. How much toll havethose years of substance abuse taken? Howlong can he continue to play at an elitelevel? He missed 41 games last season, 29in 2010, and played just 89 games in 2009.How long are the Rangers willing to finan-cially commit to a player with his healthissues?

Hamilton says he wants just a “fair” deal.He leaves the impression that he's not ask-ing for the moon. The answers though areoften a matter of perspective. There couldbe gulfs between the Rangers' andHamilton's perceptions of a “fair” deal.

Kinsler has proven to be an exceptionalfielding second baseman with tremendousrange and a superior throwing arm.Offensively, his combination of power andspeed (30 home runs coupled with 30 stolenbases twice in the past two seasons) makehim a force at the top of the batting order.He's still in his 20's, so it makes sense tosecure this talent for a number of years.

Napoli set career highs in batting average(.320), home runs (30), and RBIs (75) lastseason. He also proved to be a much betterreceiver than the Rangers imagined, partic-ularly earning high marks for his pitch call-ing and handling of pitchers. It is general-ly thought that he'll command around $9.0million in arbitration this year, so a longterm contract will entail an eight digit annu-al salary.

Holland proved to be the Rangers' bestpitcher over the last three months of 2011.He doesn't have enough service time toqualify for arbitration, so he will be lesscostly to sign. He seems amenable to theidea of securing a contract of five years ormore rather than playing arbitration rouletteevery year, so this deal could happen.

No one really knows how flush with cashthe Rangers are, but even after the $100

million plus commitment to Darvish,rumors continue to link Texas to free agentfirst baseman Prince Fielder. He is suppos-edly seeking a deal of at least 10 years withan average annual value of at least $20 mil-lion per year; a contract comparable to theone Albert Pujols signed. Fielder at 28 iscertainly younger than Pujols, but he's notAlbert Pujols. His agent Scott Boras has inthe past pulled rabbits out of hats for clientsthat looked to be overpriced, but Fieldercould be a tough sell. First of all, the twobiggest bidders for free agents are sittingout this rodeo, as the Yankees (MarkTeixeira) and Red Sox (Adrian Gonzalez)are set at first base. Fielder's old team, theBrewers, has already moved on to plan B,such that the offers they are no longer can-didates to bring back the hefty first base-man.

The Rangers continue to come up inrumors as one of the teams that are “in” onFielder. It seems doubtful that Texas wouldbe willing to sign him for 10 years. WithFielder's weight and physique, it is entirelypossible, if not probable that his physicaldecline will come sooner rather than later inhis career. He would be an offensiveupgrade at first base in 2012, but could be avery average, very expensive designatedhitter option over the final years of a 10year contract.

The television contract with FSN isrumored to range from $1.6 to $3.0 billion ,as well as rumored to have a substantial upfront signing bonus. Obviously, with sucha range, the reliability of the rumors isquestionable, though even at the low end ofthe range, the new contract is substantial.With this contract, the team is no longer inthe financial straits of 2010. With all thisstrength, the Rangers have different finan-cial considerations, but the import of thosedecisions is perhaps even more critical tothe team's future than money considerationswere just two seasons ago.

Cover images courtesy Cotton Bowl


DALLAS MAVERICKSBASKETBALL

It’s hard to be hungry when you’re still fullby SCOTT ROZSASTAFF [email protected]

If it was intentional, then the guy who playsall the music during Dallas Mavericks homegames is a comedic genius.

As the whistle blew to announce a time outlate in the third quarter, he cranked Bell BivDevoe's hit from 1990, “Poison.” The tunefit like a glove as the Mavs were down 31points to the Denver Nuggets and gettingran out of their own gym in much the sameway as the 1990 version of the Mavericks -a squad that finished with a catatonic 28-54record - were routinely trampled.

WHERE’D OUR TEAM GO?We're just through two of a truncated sea-son's sixty-six regular season games, and apair of blowout losses and a roster featuringseveral new players that look lost arealready obscuring the memories of last sea-son's championship. Mavs fans havewatched their beloved Tyson Chandlerbackstop a stirring win on Christmas Dayover Boston with his new Knicks team-mates. They've read about the leadership

and offensive punch off the bench that J.J.Barea - the spark plug that ignited the tepidDallas offense in last year's Finals - is pro-viding for a spunky young Minnesota team.

In a way, once owner Mark Cuban and gen-eral manager Donnie Nelson made thefinancial decisions not to bring last year'sband back to defend their title as a completeunit, the 2011-12 season became less a vic-tory lap around the league, and more a placeholder for next summer when the franchisewill have a bevy of cap space for the firsttime in seemingly forever, and thus the abil-ity to pursue big name free agents andpotential trade partners. Management is ask-ing MFFLs to be patient trust them as theyare doing what they believe is best for thefuture of the franchise.

And if you're still feeling angry as the loss-es pile up, just look to the rafters and let thebanner remind you of the magic of last June.

However, fans’ patience is clearly alreadybeing tested as, during their blowout loss tothe Nuggets last Monday night, Twitter wasalready blowing up with people wonderingif the Mavs still owned their first round pick

in the 2012 draft (Actually, they traded it tothe Lakers in the Odom deal, but it is pro-tected).

In fact, it took just six quarters for the crowdto turn completely on their team and unleasha loud chorus of boos as Denver ripped off a20-0 run to end the second half and send theMavericks limping to the locker room down69-42. Dallas had managed just a singleoffensive rebound in the first half, whilegiving up innumerable Nugget forays to therim.

NEW GUYS GOTTA SHOW UPIf head coach Rick Carlisle is to get thisteam refocused and back near the top of thestandings, he will have to receive far morefrom the players who filled in the rosterspots that Chandler, Barea, Caron Butlerand DeShawn Stevenson vacated.

After a pair of games, supposed saviorLamar Odom has as many technical fouls ashe does baskets (2) and has looked moody,lethargic and detached from his new team-mates. He's averaging just 5.0 PPG and isshooting 12.5% from the field.

Not to be outdone, the pair of new shootingguards brought in to replace Butler has beenequally putrid. Vince Carter, whoannounced his presence in the openingminute of his first game in Dallas with an airball and a missed lay-up, is shooting under42% from the field and seems far more com-fortable launching lazy threes than drivingand putting pressure on the defense. As aresult, he was stripped of his starting posi-tion after one game. Delonte West appearsjust as lost on the court and is connecting ona lowly 33% of his FG attempts.

Before we all pronounce the Mavericksdead, remember that essentially, the playersare still in training camp. They're still get-ting to know one another and learn Carlisle'ssystem. Defensive guru Dwane Casey hasgone to Toronto, and apparently he took allof Dallas' mojo on the defensive end withhim. It obviously will take time to rebuildcohesion on both sides of the ball.

I'm giving them 12 games - just under one-fifth of the schedule - to regain the intensityand hunger that was clearly lost celebratinga title in the off-season, before passing judg-ment.

Quick Hits The Metroplex is a sports fan's dream - great pro sports, college power-houses and some of the best high school sports programs in the country -

and we deliver it all with typical Texas hospitality.-Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price on D/FW being ranked the No. 1 sports area in the U.S.

by VANCE GONZALES/CORRESPONDENT/[email protected]

Only two Dallas Cowboys will attend thisyear’s Pro Bowl: DeMarcus Ware and JayRatliff . It was back in 2002 when onlydefensive tackle La’Roi Glover was thelone Cowboy on the team. But since thattime boys in blue have had at least fourplayers named or added to the Pro Bowlroster, a record 13 players in 2007.

“It’s a great honor to be selected to playin the Pro Bowl,” Ware said in a releaselater. “It shows that all the work throughthe offseason and season pays off. It’s spe-cial because you are selected by the fans,

your peers and coaches around the league.I am excited to represent the DallasCowboys and the entire NFL in the game.Since my rookie season, I always strivedon working hard, being consistent andplaying at a high level, and it really meanssomething on a personal level to berewarded.”

This marks Ware’s sixth trip to the ProBowl. Currently, he’s tied for second witha league leading 18 sacks, lagging behindMinnesota’s Jared Allen, who has 18.5sacks. If Ware can manage two sacks in

Sunday’s season finale against the NewYork Giants, Ware will be the first playerin league history with two 20-sack seasons.His last was in 2008.

This marks Ratliff’s fourth straight ProBowl appearance. Though his two sacksare a low for when he’s played a full sea-son, Ratliff does have six tackles for a loss,12 quarterback pressures and four deflec-tions to compliment his 37 tackles, accord-ing to the coaches’ breakdown. Despitepersistent injuries, both Ratliff and Warewill play Sunday against the Giants.

As for the rest of the lot, it turns out thatJason Witten’s seven game Pro Bowl streakhas come to an end, but he could be namedas an alternate. Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalesand New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham werenamed as the NFC’s tight ends.Meanwhile, the Cowboys failed to disclosewho else has been named as alternates, butthe short list includes quarterback TonyRomo, right tackle Tyron Smith, line-backer Sean Lee and kicker Dan Bailey.

Cowboys Pro Bowl list comes up short this year

Liberal firebrand Bill Maher has broughton an onslaught of fury from conservativesacross the country, some now calling for aboycott of the political commentator’sHBO series after he slammed Denver quar-terback Tim Tebow on Christmas Eve.After the Broncos lost 40-14 to the BuffaloBills Saturday, Maher tweeted, “Wow,

Jesus just f***ed Tim Tebow Bad! And onXmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan istebowing, saying to Hitler “Hey Buffalo’skilling them.”

Tebow, who has yielded as many fans asdissenters for his play on-the-field, isdevoutly religious. So much so that he has

popularized the term “tebowing”—that is,getting down on a knee and praying asevents, such as a football game, still unfoldaround you.

The comment by Maher, who is an atheistand who also took on world religions in his2008 documentary “Religulous,” garnered

some harsh backlast from the notable EricBolling of Fox News. “Bill Maher is dis-gusting vile trash. I can’t even repeat whathe just tweeted about Tebow…onChristmas eve. #straighttohellBill,” a tweetfrom Bolling read.

The comedian has not commented.

Bill Maher in hot water after Tebow tweet

6 December 30, 2011-January 5, 2012| The Sports Page | spor tspagedfw.com


Mavs players clearly not mentallyor physically prepared to defend title.

by Mike FisherF I S [email protected]

“We look old and slow and out of shape,'' Dirk Nowitzkisays. “A bad combination.''

Consider that sentence to be Nowitzki's State of TheDallas Mavericks Address as the defending champions gotoff to an 0-2 start that featured back-to-back losses athome in which opponents led by 30-plus points in both.Truth is, there is virtually no limit to the list of blame-wor-thy issues and blame-worthy people. So while coach RickCarlisle is doing the savvy and manly thing by taking it onhis shoulders - “I'm the head coach and it's on me'' - Dirkknows better.

It's all of us together," Nowitzki says. "Coach alwaystries to take the blame if some stuff doesn't go right, butwe've got a lot of veteran guys and we've just got to keepon working and eventually turn the corner. It might takeanother week, it might take another two weeks, but we'vegot to find ways to stay in games and not be down 30 athalf."

But in this lockout-shortened 66-game season, the moretime Dallas takes to work itself into shape, the less likelyit is to work itself into contention.

LET'S PINPOINT THREE SPECIFIC CULPRITS:

1. The Mavs really are old - Dirk is 33. Marion is 33.Jet is 34. Haywood is 32. Odom is 32. Vince is 34. Kidd is38.

That's not just “looking old.'' In NBA years, that IS old.That's seven of Dallas' heavy lifters and that group's aver-age age is 34. Once this team gets to the tournament (asteam members say privately about this team's true goal)“all that age'' will transform into “all that experience.''

But for now … Dirk's assessment is indisputable.

2. There is an assimilation problem -- Let's focus onOdom, who possesses a certain sort of “veteran cool'' that

in this 0-2 start might be interpreted as “excessive noncha-lance.''

Through two games, Odom hit just 2-of-16 shotattempts to put his shooting percentage for the season at12.5 percent. It is understood there is a period of adjust-ment for the Mavs' trade steal from the Lakers, part of thatthe emotion that comes with the change and part of it alearning curve to a new system.

But there should not be this many periods of lethargy.

“We're just not doing what we're supposed to,'' Odomsays. “I'm not going to say it's effort. We play hard. Justbecause you play hard that don't mean you play right. Youcan play hard, but still get your ass busted.''

WILLIAMS A RARE BRIGHT SPOTIt is very difficult to agree that the Mavs have played

with maximum effort through two games. Indeed, that'swhy the energetic work of third-string center SeanWilliams in the loss to the Nuggets is by far the No. 2highlight of this young season (with only the ChristmasDay raising of the championship banner ranking above it).Williams, a 2007 first-round pick of the Nets who signed

with Dallas a week ago after stints in the D-League and inIsrael, offered all the electricity he had in his ….. andwhen it was over, retreated to the bench and vomited.

"He brought energy, brought athleticism, made plays,''Carlisle says. "He was playing so hard, he threw up. Thattells you that he was going at it the way you need to."

The coach didn't say that about a dozen other guys, youwill notice.

3. The Double-Hangover from the championshipand then the lockout - This is the factor that Mavs fanssimply have to live with for the moment … and, in a pos-itive way, live with forever.

Dirk admits he didn't “touch a basketball for twomonths'' before arriving to Dallas for the abbreviated train-ing camp. Jason Kidd played a lot of golf from his newhome in the Hamptons. Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea leda platoon of championship-team members who marchedout of town, the result of Dallas' decision to let them go viafree agency while “keeping the powder dry'' for futuremajor roster moves.

Big win. Big partying. Lockout extended. Old starsleave. Plans change. Short camp. New guys arrive. Andlet's say it again: A big win, the first of its kind in the his-tory of the franchise.

This team scaled an unscale-able mountain, dumpedinto the effort its heart and soul and mind …

And now they're supposed to do the undoable all overagain?

All of it amounts to a double-hangover ... or worse.Maybe a quadruple-hangover. And one that doesn't sub-side just two games into the season.

“We've lost a lot,'' said Carlisle before shoulderingmore blame. “I've got to do a better job coaching theseguys, simple as that. I'm the head coach and it's my job tomake sure these guys are ready to play, and it's clear thatthey're not. Right now, that's not something that's easy forme to say, and it's not an easy thing to live with. I've got alot of work to do.''

Follow the Fish on twitter at @FishSports andat www.DallasBasketball.com.

SPORTS TALK WITH MIKE FISHERTHE FISH

‘Old, slow and out of shape’ equals losses


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Muppets writer, creator of Nancyand country musician a big golf charity supporter

by Tom WardS PE C IAL CO NTR I BUTO Rtompward@sbcglobal .net

It's been nearly 12 years since the lastMuppets movie hit the silver screen andit appears the new version is a big hit.

The resurgence of the Muppets remindedme of my friend cartoonist Guy Gilchrist.In 1981, Guy along with his brother Bradas co-writer were tapped by the late greatJim Henson( creator of the Muppets) todraw the comic strip. The strip ran from1981 to 1986 and appeared in over 600newspapers around the world. He alsodrew licensed merchandise for Henson,most notably material with MuppetBabies and Fraggle Rock characters.

MUPPETS LED TO BIGGER THINGSGuy told me that working on theMuppets was his big break. He fondlyremembered working with his mentorJim Henson. Guy said,” You always hopewhen you admire someone's work thatwhen you meet them that they will bethis wonderful person. Unfortunately,sometimes that's not the case. However,with Jim he exceeded any expectationsyou could have ever had. He was anincredibly insightful, sensitive, funny anda very giving friend. I have alwaysthought of him as my creative father. Hegave me a lot of advice just not aboutwhat I was doing for him, but about life.He was an extremely gracious, caring,wonderful man.”

In 1984, Guy's Muppets artwork was per-

manently enshrined in the SmithsonianInstitute. Later that same week Guy wasinvited to the White House by thenPresident Ronald Reagan and his wifeNancy to be guest of honor at the WhiteHouse celebration.

These days Guy is probably best knownfor his work on the classic comic stripNancy( in nearly 400 newspapers in 80countries), Night Lights & Pillow Fightsand Today's Dogg. He's garnered numer-ous accolades and awards over the yearslike the prestigious Reuben Award( It'slike an Oscar) in the cartooning field forhis work on magazine and book illustra-tions. However, to say Guy is just a car-toonist would be a grave injustice to theman. He's one of the most creative peopleyou'll ever meet. Not only is he giftedwith his ability to draw, but he's written

49 books along the way. He's a poet,comedian, teacher, emcee, an excellentstoryteller and song writer as well. Did Imention that he can play the guitar andsing as well.

COUNTRY ROADS...In 2009, Guy moved from his hometownin Connecticut to Nashville to pursue hislove of country music. I found out abouthis love for music when I first met himabout 10 years ago when he invited me toplay in his celebrity golf tournament backin his native Connecticut. During theevent, Guy asked me to put on a trickshot exhibition to entertain the golfers aswell as play in the event. Afterwards atthe awards banquet Guy performed onstage with his good friend CharlieDaniels and they had the place hopping.

With all his god given talents I believefirst and foremost Guy Gilchrist is ahumanitarian. He really cares about peo-ple and it shows in how he gives backwith his time and talents to worthwhilecauses. Guy said,” I believe my job is tobe a positive influence in people's lives, ifI can. I like to write and draw from theheart.”

Over the years Guy has been gracious todonate some of his original 'Nancy' stripsfor my golf charity events. Also, A fewyears ago Guy did something for me thatshows what a class act this man truly is.He had one of his main comic strip char-acters playing golf in one of his dailystrips that went worldwide.

On the front of the cartoon character's hathe put 'Tom Ward Golf School' as thecomic strip figure was making some golfswings. Then he sent me a copy of thestrip as it appeared in the newspaper aswell as a signed original. What can I say,but what a Guy!

Finally, my column doesn't have enoughspace to cover the brilliant career of sucha talented person like Guy so when youhave a moment checkout his website atwww.guygilchristmusic.com . You'll mar-vel at all the sensational and fun activitieshe's involved in.

If you're looking for the ultimate enter-tainer for your next event you need tobook Guy because he's a one man travel-ing road show that can do it all. HappyNew Year!

Tom Ward can be reached at www.teetimewithtom.com

WITH TOM WARDGOLF

Legendary comic artist focuses on charity


ARE YOU READY FORSOME MORE NAILBITING, COWS FANS?

by Kate DelaneyS PE C IAL CO NTR I BUTO [email protected]

Be honest; when you looked at theCowboys schedule didn't you have a sink-ing feeling that finishing the season inNew York on New Years' Day might be anominous sign?

As a fan, it is still hard to believe that theCowboys are in this situation in the firstplace! Looking back is futile, but how canyou not? This team should be breakingdown footage of potential playoff teamsnot sweating it out in a do or die situation.

GARRETT’S MESSAGE REDUNDANTI give Jason Garrett credit for sticking tothe positive message in his last media hud-dle, even if he did sound like a parrot. Hemust have said, “We are happy for the

opportunity” at least fifteen times no mat-ter what questions the grizzled veterans orthe wet behind the ears reporters threw athim. Garrett's no dummy; he went toPrinceton. He knows the odds of theCowboys clinching, especially with all themomentum the Giants bring into the gameafter beating the Jets last week.

WHO IS FEELING THE MOST PRESSUREHEADING INTO THE BIG APPLE? Quarterback Tony Romo makes the list forblowing huge fourth quarter leads in toomany games and I'm not talking about theusual December swoon. Go back to theOctober game against the Lions wherethey squandered a 24 point lead thanks inpart to Romo meltdowns! Remember thetwo interceptions returned for TD's and afinal pick that set up the winning kick inthe 34-30 loss to the Lions?

Okay, water under the bridge or cryingover spilt milk, but he could use someredemption. What better way to shut upcritics than to lead the Boys off the fieldheading into the playoffs?

Garrett, who is also regularly assailed onsports talk across the metroplex, makesthe list for a myriad of coaching blundersbut none bigger than the Arizona game.We'll spare you the details but you remem-ber - calling time out with six seconds left,icing the kicker Dan Bailey who just madea 49 yard field goal that would have wonthe game in regulation. Instead theCowboys lost in overtime 19-13.

WHAT ABOUT THE DEFENSE?Finally, wild-haired Rob Ryan and hisdefense! One week, they were world beat-ers and analysts were talking about Ryanbeing offered head coaching jobs, and thenext week they couldn't stop Betty Whitein a Snickers commercial. Last timeDallas faced the Giants, the defense gotnowhere near Eli Manning. Somebodyneeds to rock Manning's world. No matterwhat plays Ryan designs, they have towork in the second half too. This is whenthe defense collapsed this year; a deadlycombination with the Romo implosionslate in many of the Cowboy losses.

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO ONE GAMESo it all comes down to this one game -win or go home. The NFL isn't stupid;they shifted the showdown to primetimeon Sunday night. Let's hope we all have“happy hangovers” on Monday in DFW.

TOO EARLY TO JUMP OF MAVS’ WAGONHats off to Mavericks coach, Rick

Carlisle who after being blown off thecourt by the Nuggets 115-93, right afterthe Christmas day fade in the 105-94 lossto the Heat, didn't make any excuses.Carlisle said, “I'm the head coach and it'smy job to get these guys ready to play andit's clear that they're not.” It's still earlyRick, plenty of hoop left and nobody isblaming you - yet.

Kate Delaney hosts "America Tonight,"which airs from 11p.m. - 2a.m. on KKGM1630AM.

New Year’s Day is a do or die for CowboysSPORTS SHORTS WITH KATE DELANEY

10 December30, 2011-January 5, 2012 | The Sports Page | spor tspagedfw.com

COTTON BOWLCOVER STORY

by BO HUMPHREYSPECIAL [email protected]

How can one top the showmanship andcompetitive college football from last year’sLSU 41-24 win over Texas A&M in the his-toric, 75th annual AT&T Cotton Bowl atCowboys Stadium in Arlington during the2012 edition?

And could even the experts have known thatLSU would vault to a 13-0 overall mark andNo. 1 ranking nationally this season prior tothe Allstate BCS championship on Jan. 10 atthe Mercedes-Benz Superdome in NewOrleans?

There is a similar scenario in the 76th annu-al Classic on Friday, Jan. 6, when thenation’s No. 6 team, 10-2 Arkansas, meetsthe No. 8 squad, 10-2 Kansas State, inArlington.

BIG TIME PROGRAMS COMING TO BIG DBoth these teams easily could have been inthe national championship game, but theybring the highest-rated competition to the2012 AT&T Cotton Bowl since the Top 10matchup between Notre Dame and TexasA&M in the 1994 Classic in Dallas.

They definitely have a hard act to followwith the Tigers and Aggies, but both theRazorbacks and Wildcats were mere tippedpasses or minor miscues from being 12-0overall and winning their Southeastern andBig 12 Conference crowns, respectively, in2011.

Almost amazingly, K-State brings a 3-1series edge into the melee, but the teamshave not played since a 28-7 victory by theHawgs over the ‘Cats at Little Rock, Ark., in1967. That was 12 composite head coachesago for both these programs as CollegeFootball Hall of Fame mentor Frank

Broyles was in his 11th season at UA andcoach Vince Gibson was in his first seasonwith KSU.

And yet another Classic first is the return of2011 Woody Hayes National Coach of theYear Bill Snyder of K-State after coachingentries in the 1997 AT&T Cotton Bowl (19-15 loss to Brigham Young) and the 2001Classic (35-21 win over Tennessee). Snyderis the first CB veteran to have 17 successfulseasons (1989-2005), retire for three years,and then lead the school to a third decadeappearance under his new tenure since 2009as an ageless wonder (72) in the collegiateranks.

UA head coach Bobby Petrino, also makesthe Classic annals as the 89th different headcoach from 46 different schools over 76

years to guide his squad to the Classic.Petrino’s 74-25-0 head coaching record ineight years at Louisville and Arkansas(since 2008) virtually is unsurpassed in theFBS ranks since 2004. A win over theWildcats gives Petrino a .750 career victorypercentage in the coaching ranks.

And expect much more scoring than themere 35 points when the teams last playedin ’67. The fast Cowboys Stadium playingturf gives rise to plenty of points on the highschool, pro and college scenes as the stadi-um is used for over 50 grid games annuallyand is the venue for the NFL’s DallasCowboys, UIL state championships (alldivisions in 2011), Lone Star ConferenceCollege Showdown, Kirk Herbstreit HighSchool Classic, and the 2012 Alabama-Michigan opening weekend dustup.

BOTH SCHOOLS BEEN HERE BEFOREArkansas makes its 12th AT&T CottonBowl appearance since a 0-0 tie on thefrozen Dallas tundra (major ice storm) in1947. Kansas State is in its third trek toArlington or Dallas since 1997.

The Razorbacks, averaging 308 passingyards each contest for 13th place nationallyand 37.4 points per outing for 14th positionamong 120 NCAA FBS schools. UA adds138 rushing yards to being the grand totaloffense average to a whopping 445.

The Wildcats, one of the better defensiveteams in the Big 12 and a 17-13 winner atTexas with just 121 yards of total offense,rush for 194 yards per game (28th national-ly) and score at a 33.1 clip (30th nationally).If these teams just live up to their averages,70-75 composite points may not be out ofthe question on January 6.

Arkansas has the added incentive of makingup for a 38-7 shellacking by Big 12 oppo-nent Missouri in the 2008 Classic at CottonBowl Stadium (the next-to-last AT&TCotton Bowl at that site). Interim headcoach Reggie Herring tried to piece togeth-er a coaching staff that afternoon, and, iron-ically, Petrino faces a somewhat similardilemma in 2012. Three of his 2011 assis-tant coaches have taken head coaching postsand will be not participate in Arlington.

Those leadership losses should be offset bythe pinpoint passing of UA quarterbackTyler Wilson (257-of-407 for 3,422 yards,63.1 percent completion rate, 22 TD tosses,still a junior), running of Dennis Johnson(101 carries for 637 yards, three TDs) andace receiving of Jarius Wright (63 catchesfor 1,029 yards, 16.3 yards per reception,and 11 TDs). LB Jerry Franklin is a big-playproducer with 93 total stops, two fumblerecoveries with 94 yards in runbacks and 10tackles for losses.

It’s raining ‘Cats and Hogs in 2012 Cotton Bowl

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The Wildcats counter with All-Big 12 quar-terback and do-it-all Collin Klein (145-of-251 passing for 1,745 yards, 12 TDs alongwith 293 rushes for 1,099 net yards, Big 12-most 26 TD carries, top rushing quarter-back in FBS) and diminutive RB JohnHubert (5-7, 185 pounds) with 188 carriesfor 933 yards and three TDs. The chiefreceiving target is WR Chris Harper with 39catches for 536 yards, 13.7 average, andfive TDs). DB Nigel Moore has seven of K-State’s 18 teams pass interceptions and oneof three TDs returned for defensive tallies.In essence, the AT&T Cotton Bowl shapesup as (pardon the cliché) a game whereturnovers, the kicking game andmental/physical toughness will be thedetermining factors.

“We are just extremely pleased to be goingback to the AT&T Cotton Bowl,” Snydernoted recently. “Thi has been a great trip forour players, coaches and fans, and we have

been so well represented in each of thethree games. I’m very pleased with the wayour fans have responded in their support forthis bowl and throughout the season.”

Petrino, whose team’s only two losses havebeen to No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama andwhose Hawgs finished third in the SEC’srugged Western Division behind the Tigersand Tide, also was philosophical.

“I’m excited to be coaching in the AT&TCotton Bowl for the first time,” heexplained. “Yes, we’ve had enough ofcoaches leaving and taking other jobs. Ihope we’re done, and we have coaches andplayers who are disciplined enough toaccept their new responsibilities. We can’twait to play in the bowl game.”

2012 AT&T COTTONBOWL NOTES

Arkansas is 12-23-3 in 38 previous bowlgames after advancing to a traditional NewYear’s Day (or thereabouts) bowl in back-to-back seasons along with the 2011Allstate Sugar Bowl.

UA is 3-7-1 in 11 AT&T Cotton Bowlappearance from 1947-200

Kansas State is 6-8-0 in 14 previous bowlappearances (12 under the inimitableSnyder – “He’s the Coach of the Century”Oklahoma College Hall of Fame headcoach and former Arkansas playing greatBarry Switzer) and 1-1-0 in its two previ-ous Cotton Bowl stops

Arkansas has a chance to tie its schoolrecord for wins at 11 along with the 1964national championship crew and 1977team – both under Broyles

K-State is playing in its 14th bowl gamessince 1993 after making only one postsea-son journey in its first 97 seasons of play.


This past year may have been themost memorable in Metroplex history.

by MIKE KRAVIKCO R R E S PO N D E [email protected]

Time to open the books and review whatjust happened in a year that saw both theultimate high and the ultimate low forsports fans in DFW. Let's start with TheWorst and go The Best so we can end on ahigh.

WORST SPORTS MOMENTS OF 2011

10) TRUMBO WALK-OFF - Just as theRangers were about to complete a fourgame sweep of the Angels, Mike Adamsgave up a two-run walk-off bomb to MarkTrumbo as Angels come back to defeat theTexas Rangers 2-1. Within one week, theRanger 6 game lead shrunk to 2 gamesand the Angels charged back into the ALWest race.

9) STARS MISS PLAYOFFS AGAIN -The Dallas Stars lost the final game of theseason to the Minnesota Wild, missed theplayoffs for the 3rd consecutive seasonand sunk deeper into the Sea of DFWSports Irrelevance.

8) RED RIVER ROMP -The OklahomaSooners embarrassed the TexasLonghorns 55-17. Games like this makefans in the rest of the Big 12 worrybecause we know Texas has every con-ceivable advantage when it comes torecruiting but they also have Mack Brownto balance the equation. Brown is 12-12the last two seasons and an epic loss toOklahoma doesn't improve job security.

7) 49-0? Oklahoma State ran off to a 49-0halftime lead at Texas Tech en route to a66-6 victory over the Red Raiders. MikeLeach never lost at home to OklahomaState and was 6-4 overall against them.Tommy Tuberville has coached twiceagainst Oklahoma State (both at home)and is 0-2 with a 104-27 point differential.

6) NOT AGAIN - In Game 4 of the firstround of the NBA playoffs, the DallasMavericks blew a 67-44 3rd quarter leadat Portland before eventually losing 84-82.I was home on a beautiful Saturday inApril watching the game poolside with mytrusty cooler locked, loaded and ridingshotgun. When the buzzer sounded andthe Mavs lost I screamed

“Noooooooooo!!!” before shutting the tel-evision off, storming inside and goingradio silence from all sports the rest of theevening. #firstworldproblems

5) SEC YA' - Texas A&M quit the Big 12in 2011. This was supposed to be a banneryear for the Aggies - they had severalreturning seniors and were a pre-seasontop 10 pick. Some media types thoughtthey were a dark horse to play in thenational championship. In September theAggies made it known they wanted toescape the shadow of Texas and go to theSEC. Whatever. They quit.

When the games started, the Aggies keptblowing double digit leads one game afteranother. The Aggie season was punctuatedby a 26-24 last second humiliating loss athome to the Texas Longhorns. The gamewas symbolic of the Ags season - hugeexpectations going into the game, earlysuccess but another blown double digitlead and ultimately, defeat. Ag fans shouldrealize the rest of the Big 12 took delightin watching the Texas Longhorns stompon your hearts and kick your underachiev-ing butts out the Big 12 door.

4) BAD DAY FOR RANGERS -TheTexas Rangers lost their staff ace (CJWilson) to the rival Los Angeles Angelsvia free agency (who also happened tosign Albert Pujols on the same day). Gulp.

3) ICE, ICE BABY- On consecutiveweekends in December, the DallasCowboys lost games when Dan Baileymissed field goals on the second attemptafter he was “iced.” Bailey appeared tohave made field goals on his first attemptin each case but neither counted becauseof time outs - one called by his own coachand one by Tom Coughlin.

2) LIONS RALLY -The Dallas Cowboysblew a 27-3 3rd quarter lead at home to theDetroit Lions.

1)WORST EVER -100 years from today,Game 6 of the 2011 World Series will stillbe one of the worst moments in the histo-ry of DFW sports. How does that ball getover Nelson Cruz's head in the 9th inning?

Twice, the Rangers had two-run leads withtwo outs and two strikes and still couldn'tclose. The pain of what happened thatnight will only get worse until the Rangerswin a World Series.(Editor’s note: It hurt just reading thatparagraph.)

THE BEST DFW SPORTS MOMENTS IN2011

10) C'MON DOWN, FROGS - The TCUHorned Frogs, building on the momentumof a Rose Bowl win to begin 2011, accept-ed an invitation to join the Big 12. CoachGary Patterson has done a lot of greatwork over the past decade and now gets anopportunity to see how his team can com-pete in a man's conference.

9) ROMO RALLY - One week after hisown fourth quarter follies helped sabotagea certain Cowboys win over the Jets, TonyRomo broke two ribs early against the49ers but came off the bench to rally theCowboys to an overtime win.

8) BELTS! -Adrian Beltre hit 3 HR's inGame 4 of the ALDS powering theRangers to a 4-3 win and the series overthe Tampa Rays.

7) SWEEP! - Leading the Lakers 3-0, theMavericks rode the combined 15 for 16 3-point shooting of Jason Terry and PejaStoyakavich to a 122-86 series-clinchingwin. The Mavs advanced to the WesternConference Finals to meet the OklahomaCity Thunder.

6) YOUNG LEADS RANGERS TOWORLD SERIES -The Rangers led theTigers 3-2 heading to Game 6 but MichaelYoung was slumping (6 for 37). Youngbroke out of it by going 3 for 6 with 5RBIs hitting a pair of two-run doubleswith an exclamation point HR in the 7thinning to lead the Rangers to 15-5 win andanother trip to the World Series

5) OH NO HE DIDN'T -Robert GriffinIII threw a 34 yard TD pass with 8 secondsleft to lead Baylor to a 45-38 first ever winover the Oklahoma Sooners. Gill's per-formance before a prime time televisionaudience was the spring board towardshim eventually winning the HeismanTrophy.

4) CRUUUUUUUZ - Nelson Cruz hit awalk-off grand slam home run in extrainnings to give the Rangers a riveting 7-3win and a 2-0 lead in the ALCS over theDetroit Tigers.

3) RANGERS TIE SERIES 1-1 - Goinginto the top of the 9th of Game 2, theRangers trailed the Cardinals 2-1. IanKinsler started the inning with a flop shotsingle and stolen base followed by an

Elvis Andrus double. Josh Hamilton andMichael Young each followed up with sacflys and the Rangers came back to Texaswith the series tied 1-1.

2) NOT DONE YET - As Dirk Nowitzkilifted the championship trophy after theMavericks won the Western ConferenceFinals in Game 5, he suddenly got avacant look on his face, put the trophydown and bolted the stage. Teammatesfollowed him and the message wasclear...there was another trophy to be wonbefore they could truly celebrate.

1)ETERNAL GREATNESS - In one ofthe more entertaining series in the historyof the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericksavenged the heart-break of 2006 anddefeated the Miami Heat 105-95. It wasone of those rare NBA Finals a la Lakers /Celtics that galvanized the nation becauseit was a referendum of good vs. evil andthe power of the team over the individual.Across the country, most sports fans werepulling for the Mavericks over the Heatand the Mavericks delivered.

The Mavericks were a team filled withgood (Terry, Marion) to great (Dirk, Kidd)players who had done everything in theircareers but win a ring. Dirk's MVP per-formance ensured that there will some daybe a statue of himself outside the AAC andMark Cuban did one of the classiest thingsI've ever seen when he had Don Carter(the first Maverick owner) accept theLarry O'Brien Trophy from David Stern.

BEST & WORSTS OF D/FW SPORTS IN 2011LOOKING BACK

Monumental victories & legendary collapses


Washington vs . Baylor ( -9)

BYU vs Tulsa ( -1)

Iowa vs Oklahoma (-13.5)

Texas A&M (-10) vs Northwestern

Houston ( -6 .5) vs Penn State

Stanford vs Oklahoma State ( -3 .5)

Michigan ( -3) vs Virginia Tech

Wisconsin vs Oregon (-6)

NY Jets at Miami ( -1)

Seatt le at Ar izona ( -3)

Washington at Phi ladelphia ( -9 .5)

Tennessee(-3)at Houston

Kansas City at Denver ( -3 .5)

Balt imore ( -1 .5) at Cincinnati

San Diego at Oakand (-3)

Dal las at NY Giants ( -3)

DAN MCVICKER

SCOTT BOYTER

THE REDROOT

VANCEGONZALES

ROGEREMRICH

TRAVISPRICE

RK TEAM RECORD1 LSU 12-02 Alabama 11-13 Oklahoma St 11-14 Stanford 11-15 Virginia Tech 11-16 Houston 12-07 Boise St 10-18 Arkansas 10-29 Oregon 10-210 Oklahoma 9-211 Kansas St 9-212 South Carolina 10-213 Michigan St 10-214 Georgia 10-215 Wisconsin 10-216 Michigan 10-217 Baylor 8-318 TCU 9-219 Nebraska 9-320 Clemson 9-321 Penn St 9-322 Texas 7-423 West Virginia 8-324 Southern Miss 10-225 Missouri 7-5

Baylor

Tulsa

Iowa

Northwestern

Houston

Stanford

Virginia Tech

Wisconsin

NY Jets

Seattle

Washington

Tennessee

Kansas City

Baltimore

San Diego

NY Giants

Baylor

BYU

Oklahoma

Northwestern

Penn St

Stanford

Michigan

Oregon

NY Jets

Arizona

Washington

Tennessee

Kansas City

Cincinnati

San Diego

NY Giants

Baylor

Tulsa

Oklahoma

Texas A&M

Penn State

Oklahoma State

Virginia Tech

Wisconsin

NY Jets

Arizona

Philadelphia

Houston

Denver

Baltimore

San Diego

Dallas

Baylor

Tulsa

Oklahoma

Texas A&M

Penn State

Oklahoma State

Michigan

Oregon

NY Jets

Arizona

Philadelphia

Tennessee

Kansas City

Baltimore

Oakland

NY Giants

9-7 8-8 7-9 9-7 8-8 9-7131-126 (.539) 137-120 (.641) 137-120 (.641) 127-130 (.474) 130-127(.523) 137-120 (.641)RECORD TO DATE

LAST WEEK

GAMES - 12/29/11-1/1/12

Each week, we’ll ask some area mediamembers to put their forecasting skills tothe test. This season, TSPW publisher DanMcVicker, Scott Boyter, editor of TSPW, Themysterious Red Root, TSPW columnist VanceGonzales and Roger Emrich, KRLD-AM Sportsand oilman and former Texas Tech widereceiver Travis Price will pick vs. the line.

25THE SPORTS PAGE WEEKLY’S PIGSKIN PROGNOSTICATORS

TOP

Baylor

BYU

Oklahoma

Texas A&M

Houston

Oklahoma State

Virginia Tech

Oregon

NY Jets

Arizona

Philladelphia

Houston

Kansas City

Baltimore

San Diego

Dallas

Baylor

Tulsa

Oklahoma

Texas A&M

Penn State

Oklahoma State

Virginia Tech

Wisconsin

NY Jets

Arizona

Philadelphia

Houston

Denver

Baltimore

San Diego

Dallas

DALLAS STARSHOCKEY

Richards “trade” led to improved depth for StarsLosing an All-Starhurts initially, but teambetter off now.

by RICHARD S. POLLAK, The HOCKEYATTITUDESPECIAL [email protected]

You can search up and down the NHL trans-action reports and you'll never find it! No,Dallas Stars GM Joe Niewendyk didn't tradeSuperstar Brad Richards before the tradedeadline. In only his second full season atthe helm of Hockey Operations,the youthfulGM had his hands tied behind his back likeno other hockey man in the NHL since hehad no owner and had to let go of SuperstarBrad Richards in return for nothing or didhe?

NIEUWY ADDRESSED DEPTH ISSUESIn order to upgrade his 3rd and 4th lineplayers along with the third set of defensivepairings Niewendyk engineered the conceptof not resigning the Dallas Stars All-Star.No great expectations were suppose to beachieved in return from this seemingly sim-

ple list of seven average hockey players.

Sheldon Souray,Vernon Fiddler,MichaelRyder,Radek Dvorek,Jake Dowell, AdamPardy and Eric Godard were all keenlyadded to fill out the bottom of the Stars ros-ter. For about a combined total of $11Million Dollars a year in salaries ( which isa comparable figure for just re-signing BradRichards) the Stars have gottenyounger,faster and created an improvedlocker room climate. By upgrading the 3rdand 4th forward lines and their 5th and 6thdefensive pairing instead of Richards,theStars are a better hockey team.

SOURAY IMPRESSIVE ON BACK LINEThe biggest pleasurable surprise has ofcourse been Sheldon Souray ,who leads theStars Defense in scoring and Plus/Minusand continues to be NHL Comeback Playerof the Year with a potential ticket to the All-Star game in Ottawa. Spark plug CenterVernon Fiddler has added aggressive ener-gy, centering a stronger third line withRadek Dvorek than the Stars could mustard,last season.The pair has taken over as theteams' top penalty killing unit. A problemthat former coach Marc Crawford could

accomplish as he forced his top 6 forwardsto kill penalties and inturn it kill their offen-sive energy.

Stanley Cup Champion Coach KenHitchcock, was able to successfully use thesame Top 4 forwards killing penalties as adiscipline to develop his defense first proto-col allowing Guy Carbonneau, Mike Keaneand Benoit Hogue to then later become hisace penalty killers later on, in the seasontowards the Stanley Cup.I always disagreedwith former Stars coach Marc Crawford forusing up his top 4 forwards to kill penaltieswhich killed their offensive productioninstead.

Richards never stepped up. Meanwhile,Mike Ribeiro is finally taking the first lineand leadership roll to heart. Ribeiro is unde-niably the team leader both on the ice andnow in the locker room.For the first timesince being traded to Dallas from Montreal,Ribeiro is now a confident and outspokenteam leader since the departure of Richardswho could never handle the Mike Modanoroll with the Stars.

Forward Michael Ryder was targeted by theStars last 2 General Managers ,only to findgreener pastures and a Stanley Cup inBoston. Admirably filling in on the StarsTop like with Mike Riebeiro,Ryder alwayswas a goal scoring sniper but best suited notto be a Top Six Forward. With the perfectscenario for him in Dallas he is once againputting the puck in the net.

Although we don't get to see the Richardsfor seven on page 66 of the Dallas StarsMedia Guide under ALL TIME TRANSAC-TIONS., this trade will go down as a winnerfor Joe Niewendyk's GM record book.




Jerry Jones visits with Norm Hitzges

The Norm Hitzges ShowWeekdays, 10:00am - Noon

Norm: Can you give us any update onTony Romo, and how close to 100% doyou think he will be?

Jerry: Well I was visiting with JasonGarrett right before I came here, and weheard this knock at the door and it wasTony. He came in and he shook handswith his RIGHT hand. It looked a lot bet-ter than it did the other night. It had analarming amount of swelling onSaturday, but we’ve run every kind ofscan you can run on it. He’s getting morestrength and it looks like we can count onhim playing.

Norm: Is Montrae Holland out forthis week’s game?

Jerry: Yes he is. We are putting himon injured reserve for the year, so we’llbe making those adjustments to our ros-ter.

Norm: Is there anybody else theCowboys are worried about injury wisefor the game?

Jerry: Well not really. As a matter offact, we’re in real good shape. We wereable to get through Saturday’s game withWare and Jay Ratliff getting a lot ofsacks. The more they could play, the bet-ter off we are this week and hopefully theensuing week. They are in real goodshape. Sean Lee, it looks like we willwatch him. Those hamstrings are a littledifferent than some of these contusionsor fractures.

Norm: Jerry, had a couple of gamesgone differently, your team could havebeen an 11 win team. Had some gamesgone differently, your team could havealso been a 5 win team. It has been sucha roller coaster season. In all, are you

happy with this season?

Jerry: I’m happy to be here, yes. Iwould have certainly liked to have hadthe division sewn up at this particulartime, but I’m happy to be where we arehealth wise and in contention. Now weneed to win to win the east, but if we canstay as healthy as we are, go up and com-pete well enough to win the east, then Iwould have taken that in a minute whenwe left training camp. For instance,Miles Austin got back in this thing a cou-ple weeks ago. He should really be in hisstride as we go into the game against theGiants. My point is, I would like to havehad the division won, but apart from thatsometimes I’d rather be in better healththan I would have rather have a win aslong as we get to the tournament. Somewould call that a rationalization, but thereal world is you can get in there and ifyou’ve lost your quarterback then youdon’t get the opportunity to go whereyou want to go, and that’s far into theplayoffs. Every club is beaten up at thistime of the year. Every club has hadinjury problems, and it’s a game of sur-vival which makes the NFL so hard to

pick when you look ahead. You have tosay that if you’re healthy, if you’ve gotplayers who can get out here and playwell enough to win a playoff game, thenyou’re in good shape. It would be a hugedisappointment to not get into playoffswith a healthy Tony Romo, and it wouldbe a disappointment to not go deep intothe playoffs with a healthy Tony Romo.

Norm: Do you think the experienceat the Super Bowl this year, where therewere some things that happened thatquite honestly hurt the week, do youthink that will at all effect the rotation ofCowboys Stadium for Super Bowls in thefuture?

Jerry: Well every club and everyowner understands weather. Let’s don’tbeat ourselves up over an inordinate hap-penstance when we had a combinationsleet and snowstorm. I don’t think thatwill be an issue. There’s a politicalprocess that goes on relative to the SuperBowl. It’s the only thing, other thanelecting a commissioner, that is done bysecret ballot. I don’t think it’s going tohurt us going forward.

TICKET WINDOW


COLLEGE BOWLS & NFL GAMES JANUARY 1, 2012THE SPREAD

COLLEGE BOWLS

229 TULSA12/30 11:00 AM

230 BYU -1.5 231 RUTGERS -2.5 12/30 2:20 PM

232 IOWA ST 233 WAKE FOREST12/30 5:40 PM

234 MISS ST -7235 IOWA12/30 9:00 PM

236 OKLAHOMA -16237 TEXAS A&M -1112/31 11:00 AM

238 NORTHWESTERN 239 UTAH 12/31 1:00 PM

240 GEORGIA TECH -3.5241 UCLA12/31 2:30 PM

242 ILLIONOIS -1.5243 CINCINNATI 12/31 2:30 PM

244 VANDERBILT -2245 VIRGINIA 12/31 6:30 PM

246 AUBURN PK247 PENN ST 1/2 11:00 AM

248 HOUSTON -9249 MICHIGAN ST 1/2 12:00 PM

250 GEORGIA -2

251 NEBRASKA -11/2 12:00 PM

252 S CAROLINA253 FLORIDA -1.51/2 12:00 PM

254 OHIO ST 255 WISCONSIN 1/2 4:00 PM

256 OREGON -6.5257 STANFORD 1/2 7:30 PM

258 OKLAHOMA ST -3.5259 MICHIGAN -1.51/3 7:30 PM

260 VIRG TECH 261 WEST VIRGINIA 1/4 7:30 PM

262 CLEMSON -3.5263 KANSAS ST 1/6 7:00 PM

264 ARKANSAS -8.5265 SMU 1/7 12:00 PM

266 PITTSBURGH -7267 ARKANSAS ST -11/8 8:00 PM

268 N. ILLINOIS 269 ALABAMA 1/9 7:30 PM

270 LSU -1

NFL GAMESSUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2012301 WASHINGTON12:00 PM302 PHILADELPHIA -6.5303 TAMPA BAY12:00 PM304 ATLANTA -14305 SAN FRANCISCO -912:00 PM306 ST. LOUIS307 CHICAGO -112:00 PM308 MINNESOTA309 DETROIT -2.512:00 PM310 GREEN BAY311 DALLAS7:00 PM312 NY GIANTS -3313 CAROLINA12:00 PM314 NEW ORLEANS -7315 TENNESSEE -312:00 PM316 HOUSTON317 BALTIMORE -33:15 PM318 CINCINNATI319 PITTSBURGH -73:15 PM220 CLEVELAND

321 INDIANAPOLIS12:00 PM322 JACKSONVILLE -4.5323 NY JETS12:00 PM324 MIAMI -1.5325 BUFFALO12:00 PM326 NEW ENGLAND -11.5327 SAN DIEGO3:15 PM328 OAKLAND -1.5329 KANSAS CITY3:15 PM330 DENVER -3331 SEATTLE3:15 PM332 ARIZONA -3

OPEN CLOSE SCORE OPEN CLOSE SCORE OPEN CLOSE SCORE

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IowaThe Pour House1919 Skillman St., Dallas214-969-1984

KansasBig Al's McKinney Avenue Tavern2822 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214-969-1984

Kansas St.The Pour House1919 Skillman St., Dallas214-969-1984

Michigan StateBlackFinn4440 Belt Line Road., Addison469-374-7667

LSUDown Under Pub352 Town Place, Allen469.342.3490


Humperdinks3820 Beltline Road, Addison972.484.3051

Humperdinks1601 N. Central Expressway,Richardson972.690.4867

Humperdinks700 Six Flags Drive, Arlington817.640.8553

Mississippi StateHumperdinks6050 Greenville Ave, Dallas214.368.6597


NebraskaHumperdinks700 Six Flags Drive, Arlington817.640.8553

Ohio StateBig Al's McKinney Avenue Tavern2822 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214-969-1984

BlackFinn4440 Belt Line Road., Addison469-374-7667

OklahomaBig Al's McKinney Avenue Tavern2822 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214-969-1984

Down Under Pub352 Town Place, Allen469.342.3490



Humperdinks2208 W. NW Highway, Dallas214.358.4159


Jake’s5505 Belt Line Rd., Dallas972.503.5253www.jakesburger.net

The Pour House1919 Skillman St., Dallas214-969-1984

Oklahoma St.The Pour House1919 Skillman St., Dallas214-969-1984

Penn St.Angry Dog2726 Commerce St., Dallas214-741-4406


PurdueBlackFinn4440 Belt Line Road., Addison469-374-7667

SMUHumperdinks6050 Greenville Ave, Dallas214.368.6597

South FloridaBlackFinn4440 Belt Line Road., Addison469-374-7667


TexasDraft Picks Sports Bar & Grill703 McKinney Avenue Suite 101,Dallas972.993.3636



Reetz Pub & Grub1411 E Campbell Road, Richardson 972-437-6216reetzpubandgrub.com

St Pete's Dancing Marlin2730 Commerce Street, Dallas214.698.1511


Jake’s2702 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214.754.8001www.jakesburgers.net

Jake’s515 Main Street, Ft. Worthwww.jakesburgers.net

Jake’s6333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Ft. Worthwww.jakesburgers.net

TCUHumperdinks6050 Greenville Ave, Dallas214.368.6597

Humperdinks1601 N. Central Expressway,Richardson972.690.4867Jake’s515 Main Street, Ft. Worthwww.jakesburgers.net

Jake’s6333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Ft. Worthwww.jakesburgers.net


Texas A&MDown Under Pub352 Town Place, Allen469.342.3490

End Zone Sports Bar & Grill3033 W Parker Road, Plano 972-867-3400


Reetz Pub & Grub1411 E Campbell Road, Richardson 972-437-6216reetzpubandgrub.com

Texas TechEnd Zone Sports Bar & Grill3033 W Parker Road, Plano 972-867-3400


St. Pete's Dancing Marlin2730 Commerce Street, Dallas214.698.1511

Jakes5505 Belt Line Rd., Dallas972.503.5253www.jakesburger.net

Jake’s2702 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214.754.8001www.jakesburg-ers.net

Jake’s6333 Camp BowieBlvd, Ft. Worthwww.jakesburg-ers.net

Reetz Pub & Grub1411 E CampbellRoad, Richardson 972-437-6216reet-zpubandgrub.com

USCHully and Mo’s2800 Routh Street Dallas (214) 954-0203

VirginiaThe Pour House1919 Skillman St., Dallas214-969-1984

NFL

ALL NFL GAMES

3rd Base Sports Bar and Grill2390 Parkwood Blvd.Frisco, Texas 75034214.618.4450 Twww.3rdbasesportsbar.com

Chiquita Boom812 Six Flags DriveArlington, Texas817.633.8720 Twww.chiquitaboom.com

Draft Media Sports Lounge400 N. Olive St., Dallas214-777-6524

St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin2730 Commerce St., Dallas214-698-1511

White Rock Sports Bar & Grill718 N. Buckner Blvd. #108, Dallas214-321-6979

Pokes14831 Midway RoadAddison, Texas 75001972.385.7653

Uptown Bar and Grill2523 McKinney AvenueDallas 75201214.969.9433

Pour House1919 Slillman StDallas 75206214.824.1170

Skybox1003 North Collins StArlington 76011817.795.2582

Lakewood 1st and Ten6465 E. Mockingbird LaneDallas 75214214.826.0110

Salt Sports BAr321 Town PlaceFairview, Tx 75069972.549.4200

Buffalo BillsDown Under Pub352 Town Place, Allen469.342.3490

Chicago BearsThe Pour House1919 Skillman St., Dallas214-969-1984

Down Under Pub352 Town Place, Allen469.342.3490

Dallas CowboysBig Al's McKinney Avenue Tavern2822 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214-969-1984

Draft Picks Sports Bar & Grill703 McKinney Avenue Suite 101,Dallas972.993.3636

End Zone Sports Bar & Grill3033 W Parker Road, Plano 972-867-3400



Humperdinks2208 W. NW Highway, Dallas214.358.4159


Humperdinks700 Six Flags Drive, Arlington817.640.8553


Jake’s2702 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214.754.8001www.jakesburgers.net

Jake’s515 Main Street, Ft. Worthwww.jakesburgers.net

Jake’s6333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Ft. Worth

St Pete's Dancing Marlin2730 Commerce Street, Dallas214.698.1511

Miami DolphinsBig Al's McKinney Avenue Tavern2822 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214-969-1984

New Orleans SaintsBig Al's McKinney Avenue Tavern2822 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214-969-1984

Down Under Pub352 Town Place Allen469.342.3490

New York GiantsAngry Dog2726 Commerce St., Dallas214-741-4406

Philadelphia EaglesAngry Dog2726 Commerce St., Dallas

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