Time to Get Back on the Horse

The cops in Russia found this when they arrested a 79 year old retired dude who had turned himself into a regular old drug kingpin. Breaking Bad for real I guess.



It certainly appears as if the Rangers have run out of gas. Damn.

Rangers are on life support; end appears to be near

By GIL LeBRETON
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
glebreton@star-telegram.com

ARLINGTON — In truth, it was just another recorded song, played between innings during another ballpark promotion. But on this night, it rang with ominous sobriety.

Running on Empty, the great Jackson Browne sang. And, indeed, it seems that the Texas Rangers finally are.

I’m not a coroner, but I can tell a stiffening corpse when I see one. And this once-so-warm body, after a gallant, youth-infused fight, finally appears to be shutting down.

All at once, the Rangers can’t seem to score any runs. The starting pitchers are handing opponents early leads. With the 6-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday, the Rangers have now dropped three of the last four series that they’ve played — five of their last eight.

Not even the brief return of All-Star third baseman Michael Young could brighten the night.

The bandwagon is careening back downhill. On Aug. 17, nearly a month ago, the Rangers were 17 games over .500 and 4 1/2 games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Angels.

They will wake up Wednesday 16 games over .500 and six games behind the Angels.

Worse, in a nine-game homestand that was supposed to narrow the gap between the home team and the Angels and set the stage for a weekend showdown series, the Rangers instead have lost ground.

They’re running on empty. The Rangers’ scoreless streak reached 22 innings before David Murphy hit a solo home run to lead off Tuesday’s fourth inning.

Five Oakland relievers conspired to shut out the home team for the rest of the night.

And so it goes lately. Starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy failed to make it out of the fourth inning.

Then, with the issue still in doubt in the sixth inning, rookie Neftali Feliz came out of the bullpen and — gasp! — was discovered to be mortal.

Feliz faced eight batters and five reached base.

Even his customary reliable control betrayed him. He hit a batter and walked three.

It was that kind of night.

"Right now we don’t have any of our key ingredients going," center fielder Marlon Byrd said.

"No pitching. No defense. No hitting. We have to pick it up before we’re mathematically out of this thing."

For now, though, even the math seems daunting. While the Rangers were silently losing to the Athletics, the Boston Red Sox were increasing their wild-card lead by beating the Angels.

Young’s return from a hamstring injury had been eagerly anticipated.

His first at-bat in the opening inning was roundly applauded — as much as 15,964 can applaud.

But the air was already out of the night when Nelson Cruz was announced as a pinch-hitter for Young in the bottom of the third. Young wanted to wait another night, it was announced, before testing the leg further.

No matter, as it turned out. The lineup is back into the slump it endured in June. Timely hitting has been nonexistent.

The Rangers are making it easy for the Oakland pitchers, just as they did last weekend for the Mariners.

"This team isn’t offensive," Byrd said. "We need pitching and defense. We need timely hitting."

With three errors, even the Rangers’ fielding betrayed them Tuesday night.

With each passing night on this damp homestand, the handwriting on the wall appears to be coming more into focus.

This wasn’t the year.

The Angels have been too consistent. Too resourceful. They have better starting pitching — and they made it even better for the stretch run.

It seems in Chicago they have just realized that Jay Cutler is an ass. Winning would cure that.

Someone must tell Jay Cutler to wise up

Bears quarterback needs dose of reality, to say nothing of maturity

Rick Morrissey In the wake of the news
Chicago Tribune

September 16, 2009

Who is going to tell him?

By that I mean, who is going to tell him? Who is going to get in Jay Cutler's face and inform him the Green Bay debacle was ridiculous?

The four interceptions in Sunday's opener were a career high, but the poor decision-making and the recklessness were nothing new. He did that periodically with the Broncos. It's up to someone in the Bears' organization to tell him that being blessed physically is not a license to throw risky passes over and over again.

But for the life of me, I can't figure out who that person would be.

It's also up to someone in the organization to tell Cutler that his on- and off-field demeanor needs to change. Some TV analysts were annoyed by Cutler's attitude in the press conference after the Bears' 21-15 loss to the Packers. The attitude is nothing new either.

"I thought he looked completely immature," former Saints and Colts coach Jim Mora said on the NFL Network. "He acted like he didn't even care."

Added former Rams coach Mike Martz: "He just doesn't get it. He doesn't understand that he represents a great head coach and the rest of those players on that team. Somebody needs to talk to him."

If you have been led to believe it's all about you -- if a team bets its future to acquire you and then gives you smooches at every turn -- it might be hard to listen to someone tell you it isn't all about you.

But that's the situation Cutler and the Bears find themselves in after exactly one game.

So who's going to tell him he needs to change?

Lovie Smith? The blank-faced guy on the sideline who only shows signs of life when it's time to challenge an official's decision? No. Smith has gotten to where he is by being a "player's coach," meaning he speaks no evil to his troops. The chances of Smith telling Cutler, with feeling, that his crazed quarterback act has to end are zero.

(A Denver radio host presented an interesting scenario to me Tuesday: The Bears don't make the playoffs for the third straight season, the McCaskeys fire Smith and bring in former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan to be reunited with Cutler. My on-air response was something along the lines of, "Hmmmmmmmm.")

Ron Turner? If you ever have gotten the indication the Bears offensive coordinator is a budding Buddy Ryan-like motivator, please let us know.

Jerry Angelo? The general manager has handed the team to Cutler and said, "Here, it's your baby." He could have helped tone down the hype surrounding Cutler in the off-season, but didn't. He also could have added a front-line wide receiver in the off-season, but didn't.

Brian Urlacher? Not his style, plus he's out for the season. Injured players tend to be nonentities in the NFL.

Ted Phillips? Only if Cutler complains ticket prices are too high.

Olin Kreutz? He has his own problems with the offensive line. The question is whether the Bears center will reach the point where his natural instinct to protect his quarterback will give way to doing what is right for the team. Kreutz is busy in the trenches and might not be intimately familiar with the art of quarterbacking. But he does know what a dumb decision looks like on film.

This guy from Vanity Fair nails the late night talk show hosts, in my opinion anyway.

Jay Does Right What Conan Does Wrong (And Vice-Versa)

by Jim Windolf
Vanity Fair
September 15, 2009, 4:39 PM

Jay Leno is the comedy equivalent of those running backs who plough straight into the defense. He goes straight up the middle for a gain of three or four yards each carry. The thing he does is not pretty to watch or particularly thrilling, but it's effective. It wins. NBC executives were probably wise to hand him their prime-time ball.

In years to come we'll look back on this period and say it was a great time for the comedy talk-show format. David Letterman can suck the laughs out of a room some nights, when the self-loathing rises in his throat and expresses itself in crazy tics and Jerry Lewis-like outbursts, but he remains an interesting character. Conan O'Brien hasn't had the most wonderful start as host of The Tonight Show, it's true; but, despite the stiffness that has crept into his performances these past few months, he's still fun to watch most of the time, especially when he goes deep into his own particular patch of cartoonish absurdity. Jon Stewart has earned the love of his ardent followers by serving up angry political material with a light touch. And his Comedy Central colleague Stephen Colbert is probably the quickest and most alert improvisationalist on the air. Meanwhile, Craig Ferguson, following Letterman in the darkness of CBS at 12:37 a.m., or whatever the hell exact minute it begins, is somehow able to spin 20 minutes of slightly insane shenanigans out of nothing more than his latest goofy observations and a few puppets. He's the Scottish love child of Jean Shepherd and Captain Kangaroo. (We would need science to step in and make something like this possible, but I think you know what I mean.)

And then there's Leno. Supposedly he has lost some weight, been working out, but he looked fatter than ever last night while making his debut as host of The Jay Leno Show on NBC at 10 p.m. His ongoing survival gives more credence to the Merv Griffin theory of celebrity, which, if I have it right, holds that people with huge heads are more likely than others to be stars. Leno is probably the most impersonal of all the nighttime talk-show hosts. His motto is that of an unsentimental comedy professional (or jaded hack): “Write joke, tell joke, get paid.” He is also skilled in the low art of backroom office politics, chronicled in Bill Carter's book on the 1990s late-night wars, The Late Shift. And he considers it part of the job to go glad-handing among the NBC affiliates. Over the past year, when his survival seemed in jeopardy, he went out and worked all that much harder. As Carter reported in a recent New York Times piece, Leno played 160 shows outside of his television work, one of them taking place at an afternoon chicken festival in Fresno, California, in hundred-degree heat. Like that determined running back, he is willing simply to outwork the opposition. To go straight in and pick up a few yards. Lets himself get banged up in the process.

In the 1980s, Leno was among the best of the mainstream, brick-wall comedians, his act spiced with blue-collar disdain for bourgeois life and consumer culture. He got to sit at comedy's cool table, for a few fleeting years, when the cult of viewers who wouldn't dream of missing an episode of Late Night with David Letterman saw how hard he made Dave laugh in his many guest appearances. The two of them went way back, having written jokes for Jimmie Walker (“Dy-no-mite!”) together. But once Leno got The Tonight Show, he settled down a little, placing less emphasis on anything that might have made him an original comedian and playing up a comforting, generic quality.

It Appears Baseball Season Is Over Here in DFW

The past couple months I've been working the early morning shift here at the house so the blog has been going up early. It just cracked me up to think that yesterday I was up at 3 AM, started working on the blog a bit after that but it didn't get posted until 9ish. Today, I got to sleep all the way to 5 and it's up by 7. All depends on how much attention the sleeping babies need.



Damn Rangers. They just can't beat crappy teams. The A's kicked the tar out of them last night and now they are 4 1/2 out of the wild card and 6 out of the west with 19 to play.

Rangers miss an opportunity to gain ground

By JEFF WILSON
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
jwilson@star-telegram.com

ARLINGTON — To have their bats silenced by Felix Hernandez in a critical September game was painful for the Texas Rangers but understandable.

That was Sunday, against one of the top pitchers in baseball.

But what happened Monday against career journeyman Brett Tomko, with the chance to gain ground in the playoff hunt, was like a punch to the gut.

Tomko tossed a five-hit shutout, facing two batters over the minimum, and Scott Feldman fell apart in the sixth and seventh innings as Oakland rolled to a 9-0 victory.

The Rangers failed to gain ground in the American League West as Los Angeles lost to New York. The gap stayed at six games but grew to 4 1/2 games behind idle Boston in the wild-card standings as Tomko extended the Rangers’ scoreless streak to 19 innings.

"It’s been a tough couple games," second baseman Ian Kinsler said. "You’ve got to give a guy credit when he throws a complete-game shutout, but we definitely expect more from ourselves."

Everyone in a Rangers uniform believes they can qualify for the postseason, but they openly admit that it will be a tough task. The Rangers’ best chance to make up ground will come over the next six days.

The Red Sox and Angels square off at Fenway Park for three games beginning today, and the Angels then come to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for three games over the weekend.

The Rangers can’t afford to lose either of the next two games to Oakland, which is 7-6 against the Rangers this season. They can’t afford another loss, period, said outfielder Marlon Byrd.

"We’ve always got to believe," he said. "We have to string together some wins. We have to turn into the Colorado Rockies a few years ago and win straight through. It’s not easy, but it’s still possible with this team.

"We have to. It’s not desperation. It’s knowing that the teams in front of you don’t lose. They win series after series. It’s not about winning series now [for the Rangers]. It’s about going out there and getting sweeps. If we want to go to the playoffs, that’s the only way."

The offense will need to find consistency as it continues to play without Michael Young and Josh Hamilton. Their availability for the Angels series remains uncertain.

They’ve been missed as the Rangers dropped to 5-5 since Sept. 4 without either in the lineup.

"We miss Michael, and we miss Josh," manager Ron Washington said. "But these guys aren’t going to use that as an excuse. Last night it was Hernandez, and tonight it was Tomko."

Tomko (5-3) never faded en route to his 100th career victory. He entered the start with a 9.22 career ERA at Rangers Ballpark, and his only previous shutout was Aug. 26, 2004, at Florida.

But he allowed a double to Nelson Cruz in the second, and singles in the fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth. But he had faced only one batter over the minimum through eight thanks to three inning-ending double plays.

Feldman (16-5) matched him through five innings. He needed only seven pitches in the first, and the lone hit he had allowed entering the sixth was a one-out double to Scott Hairston in the second.

Now that was a crazy ending to a football game. The Patriots came back from down 11 with 5 to play to win by 1.

Patriotic rally

Late Brady TDs produce win in throwback opener
By Christopher L. Gasper
Boston Globe Staff / September 15, 2009

It took nearly four quarters for the Patriots and Tom Brady to put it together last night, but the result was a memorable 25-24 win over the Buffalo Bills, who ended up being foiled and being the perfect foils in Brady’s triumphant return.

Brady left no doubt about his comeback from torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee by leading a fourth-quarter comeback with a pair of touchdown passes to tight end Benjamin Watson that allowed the Patriots to open the season with a win and, at least for one night, overcome what could be the loss of middle linebacker Jerod Mayo.

Brady, who tied his career-high with 39 completions (in 53 attempts), threw for for 378 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He hit Watson with a 16-yard touchdown pass with 50 seconds to complete a comeback from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit and send the Patriots to their franchise-record 12th straight victory over the Bills.

“Well, that was an exciting night,’’ said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “You know it’s a great effort by our team. I’m really proud of the players, not that we played our best, but we hung in there and we kept playing down by 11 with four or five minutes to go in the game. We came back and made the plays we had to make to win. We certainly don’t want to put ourselves in that position very often.’’

What was supposed to be a celebration of Brady’s return after he injured his left knee in last year’s opener (Sept. 7, 2008) took a sobering turn for the Patriots early, when they lost Mayo, the quarterback of their defense, just six defensive snaps into the game.

Mayo was injured on a 16-yard run by Buffalo running back Fred Jackson that moved the ball to the Patriots’ 33. He walked off the field under his own power. The training staff examined his right knee on the bench. Brady, who may have been feeling some deja vu, watched as Mayo was attended to. Mayo never returned. The Bills scored their first touchdown three plays after he was hurt.

Some dude not named Federer (or even Nadal) won the US Open yesterday. Wow.

Del Potro Stops Federer in Five Sets and Wins Open

By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY
New York Times
Published: September 14, 2009

The saga of Roger Federer’s most compelling Grand Slam season produced a surprise ending Monday night, when he was caught from behind by Juan Martín del Potro, the huge-hitting 20-year-old Argentine, in the United States Open final.

Del Potro’s 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 upset put an end to the No. 1-seeded Federer’s extended run of invincibility at the Open, depriving him of a sixth consecutive singles title and halting the major momentum he had acquired by winning the French Open and Wimbledon.

Del Potro’s victory — the first by an Argentine man in New York since Guillermo Vilas won in 1977 — required 4 hours 6 minutes, and it left him flat on his back and crying (Federer-style) with delight as soon as the Swiss champion’s last shot, a lunging one-handed backhand, had landed long.

At 6 feet 6 inches and with his long arms extended on the blue surface, del Potro took up plenty of space as he lay stretched out in the backcourt, just as he had covered plenty of ground in the late stages of this epic match, which featured baseline power in abundance. It was the first Open final in a decade to stretch to five sets.

“To win in five against Federer makes it even more special,” said the sixth-seeded del Potro of his first Grand Slam singles title. “Of course I knew it was going to be very difficult, and in a way, it makes it better that it was difficult.”

For nearly two sets, it appeared that Federer would continue surfing the wave of his own creation. For nearly two sets, he was serving below par but was in command once the ball was in play: reading the flow of the rallies beautifully, slicing precise backhands, ripping forehands and using his panoply of tactical options to befuddle the dangerous, more inexperienced del Potro, who looked tight and bothered by the reality of playing his first major final in the large stadium that had long made him dream from afar.

“This is my favorite tournament,” del Potro has often said: an original thought for an Argentine whose Grand Slam allegiances traditionally drift across the Atlantic to the French Open and its red clay surface.

But in a summer when so much had gone right for Federer on both a private and professional level, adding the crowning touch would prove too much to ask against his taller, more mechanical opponent. Until now, the only man to beat Federer in a Grand Slam final was Rafael Nadal, but del Potro was the Spanish speaker wearing the bandanna and sleeveless shirt across the net this time after sweeping past Nadal in straight sets in Sunday’s semifinals.

“You deserve it,” Federer told del Potro when he reached up to shake hands Monday night.

“Of course I would have loved to win, but I’ve had an unbelievable run here,” Federer said later to the crowd. “I would never have thought five or six years ago, I would win 40 matches in a row here.”

Looks like Helen Hunt will replace Maura Tierney on the new show Parenthood.

Helen Hunt eyed as 'Parenthood' replacement
Maura Tierney dropped out of the role last week

By Nellie Andreeva
Hollywood Reporter
Sept 14, 2009, 11:00 PM ET

Helen Hunt has been approached to join NBC's upcoming drama series "Parenthood," taking over the role played in the pilot by Maura Tierney.

The Oscar and Emmy winner is said to be considering the offer, which would mark her return to series television and to NBC, where she starred on the comedy "Mad About You" for seven years before segueing into features.

On "Parenthood," a contemporary take on Ron Howard's 1989 movie, Hunt would join an already strong cast.

The UMS/Imagine TV series, created by Jason Katims, revolves around four adult siblings -- three of them played by Peter Krause, Erika Christensen and Dax Shepard -- and their parents (Bonnie Bedelia and Craig T. Nelson).

Hunt would play the fourth sibling, a contemporary version of the character portrayed by Dianne Wiest in the film.

Tierney, who played the role in the pilot, pulled out of the series last week to focus on her breast cancer treatments.

"Parenthood," exec produced by Katims, Howard and Brian Grazer, was slated for a fall launch but pushed to midseason after Tierney's illness was discovered in July.

The 2nd season of "The Haney Project" will feature Ray Romano trying to fix his golf game. The first season with Charles Barkley was pretty good.

Ray Romano to work on golf game in show
Second season of 'The Haney Project' to air in March

Associated Press

Sept 14, 2009, 05:18 PM ET

NEW YORK -- Comic Ray Romano is going to the golf doctor.

The Golf Channel says the "Everybody Loves Raymond" star will be the focus of its new reality series, "The Haney Project." The series follows Tiger Woods' swing coach Hank Haney as he tries to improve the game of a celebrity.

The first season of "The Haney Project" with former NBA player Charles Barkley was the second-highest rated program in the network's history. Only "The Big Break," about competing for a spot on the professional tour, did better. The Golf Channel started in 1995.

Barkley's appeal was his hideously bad swing. Funnyman Romano, who's "obsessed" with golf and wants to get better, will add entertainment value to the show, said Tom Stathakes, the network's programming chief.

The Romano project is expected to air in March.

The Golf Channel is trying to become more than just putts and slices. "Law & Order" actor Anthony Anderson is host of a news program called "Golf in America," and the network is filming a reality series about troubled golfer John Daly.

Apparently the Leno show didn't impress this guy last night.

Besides Kanye, new Leno show is a bit of a snoozer

By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

Bet NBC wishes Kanye could do Jay every day.

Because without Kanye West, and his conveniently timed controversy from the MTV Video Music Awards, NBC's Jay Leno Show premiere Monday would have been even more of a cut-rate, snooze-inducing, rehashed bore. If Leno's desire is to help fans get to sleep earlier, desire satisfied.

West was only supposed to sing. The planned interview segment was devoted to Jerry Seinfeld — who, in the spirit of late-night talk, pretty much did a stand-up routine barely disguised as a conversation, mixed with plugs for his latest project.

But West, Leno said, wanted to speak to him about his MTV decision to interrupt Taylor Swift's acceptance speech, and Leno wisely complied. It was hardly a probing interview (though he did make West pause by invoking his mother). But at least West gave Leno something fresh to talk about, a welcome relief on a show where almost every other moment seemed frozen in amber.

And that's the main problem with Leno. It's a new business idea, an attempt to provide cheap, alternative programming five nights a week in a 10 p.m. slot the network was probably going to lose anyway. But creatively, there wasn't an original thought to be found, which is what happens when your only goal is to fail less expensively.

Leno had promised his new show would not be the same as the old one, but it looked awfully similar. If you found Leno's routine amusing before, you probably found it amusing Monday night. And given his propensity for repeating jokes, you'll probably find it amusing Tuesday night as well.

A New Day Has Dawn

OK, I admit it, I have no clue what to do with the Picture of the Day now. I thought this was a good one though.



The Cowboys won pretty big yesterday, it was actually pretty boring to be honest. I like boring. I hope we get more boring this season. A good offensive game means everything is ok, for now.

Jason Garrett gets Dallas Cowboys moving in 34-21 win

02:51 AM CDT on Monday, September 14, 2009

Column by TIM COWLISHAW / The Dallas Morning News | wtcowlishaw@dallasnews.com

TAMPA, Fla. – On the Cowboys' opening field goal-producing drive, Jason Garrett made sure Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice each got a carry. The sharing of the wealth in Dallas' three-headed backfield had begun.

Then the Cowboys offensive coordinator, who transformed from Wonder Boy in 2007 to Wonder-What-He's-Thinking in 2008, went on the attack.

The result was a one-sided season opening victory and a record-setting day for Tony Romo.

Romo passed for 238 of his career-best 353 yards after halftime as the Cowboys got big-play touchdowns in the passing game from Roy Williams, Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton in a 34-21 victory over Tampa Bay.

"When we talk about attacking the defense, we want to attack them with the running game, attack them with the passing game, do everything that we can," Garrett said. "There are a lot of things we will look at and try to clean up, but we did a lot of big things well today."

Bigger than anyone anticipated, really.

I don't know anybody who saw Romo's 17th career 300-yard passing game coming against the Bucs, much less a career- high 353 yards.

It's funny that of the franchise's 70 300-yard passing games, Romo owns the most (17) but still hasn't joined Don Meredith, Troy Aikman, Danny White, Drew Bledsoe, Gary Hogeboom or Vinny Testaverde in the top 15 days.

But Romo threw just 27 passes Sunday as the hometown Bucs controlled time of possession but not the rest of the scoreboard.

This might be the last time all season in which Romo's pass attempts and the runs by Barber, Jones and Choice total less than 50 plays. Being saddled with fewer play calls than normal did nothing to keep Garrett from being the most effective coordinator on either side of the field.

The Cowboys produced four touchdowns and two field goals on six drives that covered 365 total yards.

Nothing was given to the Cowboys offense – the defense failed to register a single turnover – but the unit still managed to score consistently and at times quickly.

Touchdown catches of 80 yards by Crayton and 42 by Austin came on the second play of drives. Williams' 66-yard TD catch came on the third play of the Cowboys' first possession after halftime.

"Everybody was wondering whether we could get the ball down the field, whether or not this was a dink-and-dunk offense," head coach Wade Phillips said. "And it's not. Our quarterback and our receivers made a lot of big plays."

Here is your Cowboys without T.O. story for the week, I won't post any more this week. Hopefully it will be longer than that but you just don't know.

Cowboys played just fine without you know who

By RANDY GALLOWAY
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
rgalloway@star-telegram.com

galloway TAMPA, Fla. — Big plays happened. Big plays galore came downfield. The Cowboys displayed aerial weapons that were either considered in doubt, or, in most cases, nonexistent.

Winning this way, winning by 34-21, scoring more points than in all but two games a season ago, and with Tony Romo throwing for a career-high in yardage (16-of-27, 353 yards), well, afterward, it could have been a shut-the-bleep-up moment from a variety of locker-room voices.

Instead, however, of verbal ammo fired at media, fans and maybe even the dearly departed one up in Buffalo, postgame tongues were held in check. Gloating, as it turned out, wasn’t even a consideration, nor should it have been. This was Tampa. The Giants are coming, OK?

"It’s one game," shrugged receiver Patrick Crayton, with a smile. "If all the questions were answered after the first game, nobody would have anything to write about, or talk about."

For the record, an amused Roy Williams also deadpanned:

"I still suck. I’m still terrible. We were just out there today being the same sorry receivers we are."

But if the subtraction of one loud guy from the roster last March was going to leave the Cowboys’ offense in a dink-and-dunk funk, it’s ironic it took only one game into a new season to totally foul up that fan and media popular logic. Or at least shut it up for a week.

That was wideout Miles Austin, just before halftime, making a huge play downfield by breaking two tackles for a 42-yard touchdown.

That was Williams on a midfield slant in the third quarter, making the catch, shaking a tackler, and he was gone for a 66-yard TD.

That was Crayton, who benefited from broken coverage, being located by Romo, and was off to the races on an 80-yard TD, which finally iced what had been an uneasy game for the Cowboys due to defensive uncertainty.

Crayton also had a 44-yard catch in the fourth quarter that set up a TD.

Plus, with Romo struggling with his accuracy early on, he overthrew an open Austin on what could have been a 65-yard bomb.

Again, however, there were no told-you-so’s from anyone, certainly not offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, nor Romo, the two guys who took most of the fire from the departure of the receiver formerly known as No. 81.

Only two postgame references, at least that I heard, were made to that fool.

When told Romo had established a career high in yardage, Williams replied, "What? Without T.O.?"

And owner Jerry Jones, in an understatement to say the least, noted: "There is no doubt, no doubt, at all, we were directing the ball at Terrell the last three years."

Now, Jerry, you finally admit it. Thanks for the tip.

OK, I'm not just blowin smoke up my buddies ass but the fact that the Rangers actually got 3 games in this weekend when I'm not sure it ever stopped raining is pretty amazing. Too bad they dropped 2 of 3 and seem to be running out of games.

Rangers lose ground in playoff races with split

By JEFF WILSON
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
jwilson@star-telegram.com

ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers found a way to beat the weather twice Sunday, certainly a significant achievement during a rainy-weather weekend.

But the longest day of the season at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington saw a pair of rookie pitchers continue to head in different directions, and ended with the Rangers facing an even longer road to a postseason berth.

They split a doubleheader Sunday with Seattle, which doesn’t sound like a completely lost day. But both teams they are chasing in the playoff race gained ground, and the Rangers’ gap to the postseason is the largest it’s been this month.

Tommy Hunter logged the first complete game of his career to win the opener 7-2 and ensure that the Rangers would do no worse than a split of the two games. The Mariners, though, avoided a sweep in the second game by handing Derek Holland a fourth straight loss, 5-0.

"It’s tough to win doubleheaders," manager Ron Washington said. "We came out and played well in the first game, and we didn’t score any runs in the second game. We’ll bounce back and get on a roll."

Ichiro Suzuki became the first player in major-league history to collect 200 hits in nine consecutive seasons. The record-breaker was an infield single in the second inning and drew a standing ovation from the sparse crowd that endured the constant threat of rain.

Holland became a footnote to baseball history, perhaps the highlight of his six-inning outing. He allowed five runs on eight hits, an improvement over his previous three starts but a loss nonetheless in a game the Rangers needed to win.

Boston swept its doubleheader Sunday and now leads the American League wild-card standings by four games with 20 to play. The Rangers’ margin is six games behind Los Angeles in the AL West.

But the Rangers aren’t folding their tents, not with seven games remaining against the Angels. Boston has three more games with New York, and the Red Sox’s next three are against the Angels.

"We just have to win games. That’s the bottom line," second baseman Ian Kinsler said. "We don’t have that many left. It was tough losing two out of three to these guys with all the delays. It was just a tough series all the way around. But we’ve got to get back with it."

Hunter’s next start will come against the Angels, and the Rangers can only hope it’s as effective as his effort Sunday. Once the rain cleared 4 1/2 hours after the originally scheduled first pitch, he allowed only six hits on a tidy 102 pitches as he mixed his curveball and changeup with a sinking fastball.

Hunter (8-3) encountered trouble only in the third, when Suzuki doubled in Ryan Langerhans. That was the only extra-base hit Hunter allowed, and if not for slick outfield conditions, Julio Borbon might have tracked down the well-placed blooper in left field.

Apparently the Bears weren't very good last night and they aren't very happy about it in Chicago this morning.

Bears QB Jay Cutler's miserable 1st half: You had to see it to believe it

Rick Morrissey In the wake of the news
Chicago Tribune

GREEN BAY -- No way. This wasn't possible.

Of all the scenarios that might have crossed even the most virulently pro-Packers mind, Jay Cutler throwing three interceptions by halftime in his Bears debut was not one of them.

Nor was a fourth interception that cost his team a chance to win Sunday night.

So, no. Don't come here and try to weave that unthinkable tale of woeful quarterbacking. Since Cutler came to town, it was supposed to be on the banned-book list.

But it came to life Sunday night. Cutler was dreadful in the Bears' 21-15 loss. That last interception, with about a minute left in the game, sealed his team's fate. He was left to knock Packers cornerback Al Harris out of bounds and listen to the taunts of jubilant fans at Lambeau Field.

You can't put a ceiling on the disbelief involved here. It wasn't just Cutler's 43.2 passer rating. It was that he looked like so many of the quarterbacks who have stumbled through Chicago.

Pick a word: Unimaginable, bizarre, awful -- however low you want to go. Rex Grossman-like?

"It's still a learning process," Cutler said. "We haven't been together that long in game situations. That's no excuse for what happened out there."

At the rate he was going in the first half, it was a wonder Bears coach Lovie Smith didn't throw his red flag and challenge the trade that brought the quarterback to town.

The scouting report on Cutler always has been that the rewards outweigh the risks on the field. He'll brashly, rashly throw into coverage and break a coach's heart once in a while, but he'll make more plays than not.

On Sunday night, Cutler's worst attributes crept into the light. Time and again, he tried to make plays only he saw. He threw across his body. He threw off the wrong foot. He screamed at a world that would do him so wrong.

Jay Cutler, hear him roar.

How bad was it? He could have been picked off twice before his first interception. On his second interception, a short pass meant for Matt Forte landed in the hands of Packers defensive end Johnny Jolly. Bad.

Packers cornerback Tramon Williams returned the third interception 67 yards, which eventually turned into a touchdown. Worse.

On that interception, Smith challenged a fumble at the end of the return, and by the time the referee was done looking at the replay, the Packers had gained two yards. That's how it went in the first half.

Stop me if you've heard of this kind of categorizing before, but the best way to put it is that there's a Good Jay and a Bad Jay. Good Jay threw such a sweet touchdown pass to Devin Hester in the third quarter that it could have made a grown Bears fan cry. That 36-yard connection helped cut the Packers' lead to 10-9.

Bad Jay loitered and lurked.

The defense that so many of us had dismissed going into the game played well most of Sunday. After weeks of intrigue about his back, Charles Tillman ended his Medical Mystery Tour and started at cornerback. Brian Urlacher was knocked out of the game with a dislocated right wrist. And still the Bears hung on ... until Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for a 50-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 to go.

Pick No. 4 arrived soon after.

Larry Gelbart the guy who wrote and created M*A*S*H, Tootsie and Oh, God died this weekend.

'M*A*S*H' creator Larry Gelbart dies
Oscar nominee for 'Tootsie,' 'Oh, God'

By Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
Sept 11, 2009, 05:12 PM ET

Larry Gelbart, who created the classic TV adaptation of Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" and whose talented comedy writing stretched from the days of radio to the big screen and cutting-edge cable shows, died of cancer at his Beverly Hills home on Friday. He was 81.

Gelbart, the principal writer on "M*A*S*H" during the first four years of the hit CBS series, was responsible for 97 episodes of the show, one of TV's most literate comedies. He also directed some early episodes.

Beginning as a gag writer in days of radio and honing his comic craft for such talents as Jack Carson and Bob Hope, Gelbart was a versatile stylist who succeeded in a variety of mediums.

Gelbart won an Emmy with co-producer Gene Reynolds for "M*A*S*H" as well as three WGA Awards for the episodes he wrote. He picked up two Tonys for writing the books for the musicals "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "City of Angels." He collected five other awards from the WGA, as well as the Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement. And he earned Oscar nominations for the screenplays for "Oh, God!" (1977) and "Tootsie" (1982).

Carl Reiner, his longtime friend and colleague, called Gelbart "the Jonathan Swift of our day."

"It's a great, great, great, great, great, great loss. You can't put enough 'greats' in front of it," said Reiner, who directed "Oh, God!" from Gelbart's script. "The mores of our time were never more dissected and discussed. He had the ability to make an elaborate joke given nothing but one line."

Gelbert's other screenwriting credits include "Neighbors" (1981), "Not With My Wife, You Don't!" (1966) and "Blame It on Rio" (1984). He had his name removed from the 1980 screwball comedy "Rough Cut," starring Burt Reynolds, and fought other battles over script changes and credits, "Tootsie" included.

"Writers are a vital part of the filmmaking process, as vital as a virgin at an Aztec sacrifice," he once quipped.

Larry Gelbart was born in Chicago on Feb. 25, 1928. When he was in his teens, his family moved to Los Angeles, where his father, a barber, set up shop in Beverly Hills with a clientele that included Danny Thomas. Having listened to the elder Gelbart extolling his son's comedy skills while getting shorn, Thomas asked to see the teen. Thomas was impressed with the kid's intelligence and nimble wit and put him on the payroll for his show, "Maxwell House Coffee Time."

Gelbart was signed by William Morris and soon joined the writing staff of "Duffy's Tavern," working for the taskmaster Ed Gardner. After earning his spurs, he left to write for "The Joan Davis Show." While there, he was drafted. In the military, he was attached to the Armed Forces Radio service and wrote "Command Performance." After discharge, he continued to write for Davis and, additionally, took on Jack Paar, who was then doing a summer replacement show for Jack Benny.

Writing for both radio and the new medium of TV, Gelbart wrote for Carson and Hope. He also wrote for Red Buttons' TV show and in 1953 joined the staff of "Caesar's Hour," modeled after "Your Show of Shows." Hope at the time asked Sid Caesar, "I'll trade you two oil wells for one Gelbart."

Gelbart also turned to theater. He wrote "My L.A.," "The Conquering Hero" and in tandem with Burt Shevelove, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," which turned into a Broadway hit starring Zero Mostel.

Apparently Kanye West made an ass out of himself last night at the VMA's. We haven't watched it yet.

A tribute to Jackson, a second speech for Swift at VMAs

By Elysa Gardner and Lorena Blas, USA TODAY

NEW YORK — Planned and random acts of kindness reigned at the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday night.

Among the planned acts: Janet Jackson's opening tribute to her brother Michael, whose death at age 50 on June 25 rocked the music world.

The production began with Madonna recalling her encounter with Michael and reminding the audience that "Michael Jackson was a hero." And while "he seemed otherworldly," she added, "he was also a human being."

And then, the performance began. Dancers crept up on stage with original Thrillervideo airing in the background. The dancers' moves duplicated the ones being performed on the video.

Then a sequence of Michael's hits played. Bad and Smooth Criminal led to Scream, his duet with Janet, who broke through glass to make her way onstage and sing along with the video. The loud, almost angry performance had the audience on its feet.

After the tribute, Madonna said backstage that "it was good to finally get to say my piece."

And then near the end of the show, in a gracious act of kindness, video-of-the-year winner Beyoncé offered young country music star Taylor Swift a second chance to say her piece with an acceptance speech.

The moment came after Kanye West took everyone by surprise early in the show when he went onstage to interrupt Swift's acceptance speech for best female video for You Belong With Me.

West grabbed the microphone from Swift and said to her "Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and I'm gonna let you finish, but," and West then declared that Beyoncé, who had also been listed as a nominee in the category for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), "had one of the best videos of all time." Camera shots showed both women looking startled. Swift was then hurried off the stage without finishing her speech.

The teen country star returned for her live performance of You Belong With Me later in the show.

Celebrities reacted backstage.

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong said, "Well, you know, she's young, I think she'll get over it. I think he needs to get it over it also. It was very uncomfortable sitting there."

"I feel bad for Taylor," said Kristin Cavallari. "I think it was really disrespectful."

After the show, Kanye West apologized on his blog for the outburst: "I'M SOOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM. I SPOKE TO HER MOTHER RIGHT AFTER AND SHE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD'VE SAID. SHE IS VERY TALENTED!"

Other music-related news items had guests talking at the awards show, too. American Idol's Kara DioGuardi was asked about her new colleague at the judges' table, Ellen DeGeneres. "I feel fantastic. I feel ecstatic. I can't wait for January, when we can all be on the panel."

Bruce played 2 shows in Florida over the weekend.

Last night was in Ft. Lauderdale.

September 13 / Bank Atlantic Center / Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Notes: Atrocious weather soaked many fans to the bone and wrought some havoc with the floor entry... good thing the tour moved indoors beginning with this Ft. Lauderdale show. Inside the arena, it was all Florida sunshine courtesy of a jubliant Bruce. "Florida," he said, "it's where people from New Jersey go when they get in trouble Everybody knows that. That's how half of you folks got here — ask your mom and pop!"

With Bruce's voice back in shape already (heck, it got there halfway through the Tampa show the night before), this was a fun, energetic show with a number of curveballs. Some of them made for unusual pacing and rocky transitions — an audibled "Cover Me" early on, "Out in the Street" following "Outlaw Pete," "Johnny 99" into "Factory." "Factory" was beautiful nonetheless, a spare version beginning with just Bruce on harmonica, the rest of the band eventually filling in.

"Sherry Darling" by request came before the request-portion-proper, and brought all three accordionists down front... eventually. When Nils needed a little extra time to get strapped in, Bruce asked Charlie and Roy to vamp a bit: "We have to take a little break... A little break music!" "Lady of Spain" first, then "Hava Nagila" before the trio was set for "Sherry." "We don't have the big stage," said Bruce, "but you're not gonna see this at the U2 show!"

A great sign request trio began with "Be True," into "Cadillac Ranch" and the very rare "So Young and in Love" (previously played just once on this tour, part of the Dropkick Murphys guest spot in Boston in April). A bit rough as they remembered how to start, but they worked it out for a show highlight. Another high point of the night was a not-so-unusual song, but an unusually fine performance of it: a phenomenal "Backstreets," one of the best in recent memory, as Bruce stretched out the middle portion with ethereal moaning and lots of "until the end"s. Another request followed, "Radio Nowhere" by request for somebody's ex-girlfriend (and notable for having Max on the kit rather than his son—as in Tampa, Max held down the beat all night).

Leading off the encore was another request, a favorite last played in St. Louis at the end of the Magic tour: "Then She Kissed Me." We wouldn't be surprised if the request/performance was inspired by the recent death of songwriter Ellie Greenwich, though Bruce didn't mention her; he did say, "I think we opened up our show in 1975 at the Bottom Line with this one." A classic cover, always welcome. Before "Hard Times" Bruce called for "health care for every American." Four young kids, two boys and two girls, were brought up onstage for "Dancing in the Dark," and one of the girls got a harmonica to remember it by. Finally, the show closed, as in Tampa, with "Thunder Road." On the setlist but not played: "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City," "Atlantic City."

Setlist:

Working on the Highway
Badlands
Night
Cover Me
Outlaw Pete
Out in the Street
Working on a Dream
Sherry Darling
Seeds
Johnny 99
Factory
Raise Your Hand (instrumental)
Be True
Cadillac Ranch
So Young and in Love
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Backstreets
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run

Encore

Then She Kissed Me
Jungleland
Hard Times
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
Thunder Road

Saturday was in Tampa.

September 12 / Ford Amphitheatre / Tampa, FL

Notes: After a three-week break, the Working on a Dream tour resumes in Super Bowl country. Bruce tells the Tampa crowd, "You guys scared me.... It takes my crew a day to put this equipment together—you guys did it in five minutes!" With this past week's U.S. debut of "Working on a Dream: A Super Bowl Journal" on the NFL Network, those 12 minutes in February were surely on most fans' minds. This was Bruce and the bands first return since to "hot, sticky, sweaty Tampa," as Bruce called it—and tonight it was all of the above.

Max Weinberg was back behind the drums all night (a boon for anyone dismayed after Saratoga). Bruce was noticeably hoarse, his voice somewhat worse for wear—or lack of wear, as it were: "Sorry about my voice," he said, "Too much time off!" And a bit of a staid setlist, particularly in the back half of the set, but some choice rarities among the bunch nonetheless. The first jaw-dropper was "All or Nothin' At All," rare enough even on the '92-93 tour—this is a song that's only been played six times ever, and never before by the E Street Band. Human Touch gets a bad rap, but this is one of those overlooked tracks with a lot of live potential. As Bruce said at song's end: "A lost masterpiece, I tell ya!"

A strong "Growin' Up" followed, and then another long-lost gem by request: "Jole Blon." Back in 1981, Bruce and Steve worked up this Cajun classic for Gary U.S. Bonds' Dedication album. Bruce has been known to revisit it in clubs over the years; he and Terence Trent D'Arby worked it out on the final night of the '92-93 tour at the Garden. But the last time Bruce and the E Street Band did this one was at the very end of the River tour, almost 28 years ago to the day. Tonight, the only real rust that showed was trying to figure out the key. Finally, Bruce made an executive decision: "Goddammit, let's play this motherfucker: B-minor, on four..." Killer solos from Charlie on accordion and Soozie on fiddle. And Stevie looking happy as a clam.

Later in the set, a beautiful sign for "Racing in the Street" pictured a vintage Chevy, with Bruce noting, "That was actually my car when I was 24 years old!" And before "Hard Times," Bruce put the E Street Band's lengthy 2007-2009 run into perspective, seeing it all as of a piece: "This is the last leg of our long, long tour stretching out over a couple of records and a couple of years... thanks to my band for playing better than ever!"

Setlist:

Badlands
Out in the Street
My Lucky Day
Spirit in the Night
Outlaw Pete
She's the One
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Point Blank
Raise Your Hand
All or Nothin' at All
Growin' Up
Jole Blon
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Racing in the Street
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run

Encore

Hard Times
Rosalita
American Land
Bobby Jean
Dancing in the Dark
Hungry Heart
Thunder Road

The End of An Era

Well, I've been doing this site for over 5 1/2 years now, I can't quite figure out how many posts I've done since I've done the site on 3 different servers. I can figure out this is post 390 since March of 08, so I'm going to say it's fair to say I've done about 1500 posts in that time. Meaning, there have been 1,500 or so pictures of the day in their current form. Starting next week, it won't be the picture of the day you are used to. I'm still not sure how to do it or how long it will last but I figure there is no better way to bring this era to an end than to feature a new photo of Picture of the Day favorite, Kristen Bell.



The Rangers are in the home stretch of the season, they have 23 games left and some ground to make up. They have switched around their starting rotation so that their 3 hottest pitchers, Scott Feldman, Kevin Millwood and Tommy Hunter will get 15 of those starts between them.

Rangers have mapped out how their five best starters will fulfill playoff quest

By JEFF WILSON
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
jwilson@star-telegram.com

Only 23 games remain on the 2009 schedule for the Texas Rangers, who realize that each game carries tremendous importance as they attempt to secure the club’s first postseason berth since 1999.

The coaching staff has set the pitching rotation in a way it believes will allow the Rangers to make up two games on Boston in the American League wild-card standings or 5 on Los Angeles in the AL West.

Kevin Millwood, Scott Feldman and Tommy Hunter are scheduled to start five games apiece the rest of the way as the Rangers use two off days, one Thursday and another in six days, to make the most of the three pitchers they believe give them the best chance to win.

Derek Holland and Brandon McCarthy will start four times each.

With the exception of Feldman, who continues to win games, the other four seem to be flawed, either with a recent trend in their performances or because they are in unfamiliar territory.

But the Rangers made their final judgments based on a body of work, not just what has happened lately.

"It has nothing to do with anything other than timing," pitching coach Mike Maddux said. "If you have those same outings in May, people just say, 'Aw, it was a bad outing.’ If you make them now, people try to make it more than that."

McCarthy has done well since coming off the disabled list, and his arm doesn’t have the wear and tear of the other four. There is some concern about Hunter and Holland, two rookies who have never pitched this deep into September, let alone into October.

"As guys come up through the minor leagues, the finish line is Sept. 1," Maddux said. "In the course of this game, when it’s your first time pitching in September, it’s going to be tough."

So is reaching the postseason, but the Rangers have lined up their rotation to give them their best shot.

What's this, 2 Ranger stories in 1 day? Yup, they come home tonight and for the first time in a long time, there are huge games to be played at the Ballpark in Seattle. With the Cowboys starting up next door, will anyone notice?

Upon Texas Rangers’ return, we have open arms, open questions

By RANDY GALLOWAY
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
rgalloway@star-telegram.com

galloway Move over, Boss Hawg Bowl, the lights will be shining again tonight at north Arlington’s other venue, this one the pint-sized version, including plumbing and video board.

In the last 22 days, huge crowds have crammed through the road-work hell that is the Collins Street corridor, trooping into Jerry’s place for Cowboys’ exhibition games, Sam Bradford’s misfortune and 14 consecutive hours of high school football contests.

Your attention, please:

For those failing to notice, it is now time for very meaningful Arlington baseball games in the month of September, a local Halley’s comet type of occurrence, last observed here in 2004, and before then, 1999.

Since Aug. 21, the Rangers have had three days and four games at the Ballpark. Fifteen of the last 18 on the road, and by winning eight of those road games, the improbable postseason quest still has life and legs.

Don’t know about you, but watching so many road games on TV, I’ve become addicted to the Tom Grieve pitch-tracker. (Do you think Tom secretly moves those dots around to benefit the Rangers’ case?)

Anyway, coming right up, nine all-divisional home games in 10 days. Seattle, Oakland and then, yes, the Angels. Plenty of good seats still remain. Operators are standing by, as are Tom Hicks’ bankers.

Legit question: Will the Rangers outdraw at any point this weekend the Euless Trinity vs. Some Team from Utah schoolboy game of last Monday? That would mean 30,000 will have to show up for one of the games against the Mariners.

Regardless of ticket sales, meaningful baseball games in September are a blessed event, and in the spirit of cooperation and goodwill, I’m here to help in any way possible.

News flash: It’s still about the pitching. The baseball gods and Mike Maddux, now considered a local baseball god, have given us something that defies logic. Good pitching started happening in, like, late April, and only lately has there been troublesome hints of decline.

The timing is bad for any decline. Don’t slip now. This is fun, as I’ve been reminded lately. With the Rangers now at 79 wins, several e-mailers already have sent jabs that my seasonal prediction was for 80.

Very true. However, here’s my story and I’m sticking to it:

Manny Pacquiaou is going to fight Miguel Coto in November. Look for the 24/7 on HBO to begin in October.

Pacquiao-Cotto fight scheduled for November

By Bill Dwyre
Los Angeles Times

They cheered Manny at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

No, not the guy with the dreadlocks and the Boston Red Sox legacy. Never that Manny. Not here.

No, this was Manny Pacquiao, and the day was about boxing, not baseball.

On Nov. 14, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the fast-moving career of the Filipino hero will make another stop with a battle against the dangerous welterweight Miguel Cotto. Thursday marked the first of a five-stop media tour -- New York, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego -- and Yankee Stadium made a nice backdrop.

The old Yankee Stadium, still standing across the way but soon to yield to the wrecking ball and become a park, was home to many great fights over the years. One speaker reminded the crowd that Joe Louis' fight versus Max Schmeling once drew 70,000 people there.

On Thursday, they let the public in for free and perhaps 800 showed up. One of the Yankees officials was prattling on about how Yankee Stadium was the home of this and that. From the crowd came the response: "And the home of the overpriced ticket."

It is boxing and this is New York. You expect chaos and get it.

Even though the Cotto-Pacquiao fight is two months away, the gathering served as a reminder of some good stuff ahead for boxing fans.

It starts Saturday night with Andre Ward, former Olympic gold medalist who is undefeated as a pro, in a tune-up fight at Pechanga in Temecula. On the same Showtime telecast, but coming from Denmark, will be a tuneup fight involving WBA super-middleweight champ Mikkel Kessler. Then, on Nov. 21 in Oakland, Ward and Kessler will meet.

More prominent than that will be consecutive-weekend super-fights, starting with Floyd Mayweather versus Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand on Sept. 19 and the much-anticipated Vitali Klitschko-Chris Arreola heavyweight battle at Staples Center on Sept. 26. Sometime before the end of the year, the once-postponed Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams matchup, probably in Atlantic City, N.J., should be back on the calendar.

But the biggie is Cotto-Pacquiao.

Bob Arum, whose Top Rank Promotions handles both fighters and who served in his usual role of master of ceremonies for this media gathering, called Cotto-Pacquiao "the best fight of the year and maybe of the decade."

He will stand by that until his next promotion, which he will call, "the best fight of the year and maybe of the decade."

Cotto-Pacquiao and Mayweather-Marquez are conceptually joined at the hip.

Mayweather retired as boxing's pound-for-pound poster boy two years ago. Pacquiao took over that mythical crown by beating the legendary Oscar De La Hoya and the tough Brit, Ricky Hatton, while Mayweather went to nightclubs in Las Vegas and claimed he was retired for good. That, of course, was nonsense. The only retired boxers are those who can't get any more fights.

Now, the outcome of Mayweather-Marquez is being watched closely, especially by Pacquiao, who is careful about what he says but who acknowledged Thursday that "Pacquiao-Mayweather would be huge."

The waters are always muddied in boxing.

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, who was introduced by Arum as "the world's greatest trainer" and who may have lived up to that honor in Pacquiao's last few fights, said he'd rather see Marquez win and have Manny take a shot at him again. Pacquiao and Marquez fought twice, and Pacquiao came away with a draw and a split-decision win.

"I want one more shot," Roach said. "I want Manny to beat him so they will stop whining about the other fights and just shut up."

This is a bummer, Maura Tierney is leaving the new show Parenthood. They had pushed back the premiere because she was undergoing Cancer treatment, now she has bowed out altogether. Not sure what that means for her returning to Rescue Me next season.

Maura Tierney drops out of 'Parenthood'
Actress has scheduling conflicts with cancer treatments

By Nellie Andreeva
Hollywood Reporter
Sept 10, 2009, 04:28 PM ET

Maura Tierney has pulled out of NBC's upcoming drama series "Parenthood" because its production schedule would interfere with her breast cancer treatments.

NBC has begun the process of recasting her role in the project based on the 1989 movie that's written and executive produced by Jason Katims.

"Ms. Tierney and her doctors remain confident that the outcome of her treatments will be positive," Tierney's spokeswoman said Thursday. "She is deeply disappointed that she will not be able to rejoin such a highly respected, talented, fun and funny group of actors and wishes to thank Jason Katims and NBC for their patience and support."

"Parenthood," in which Tierney was to play one of the central characters alongside Peter Krause, Erika Christensen, Dax Shepard, Bonnie Bedelia and Craig T. Nelson, originally was slated to premiere this month but was pushed to midseason in July when, shortly before the series was to enter production, Tierney's doctors discovered a tumor in her breast.

At the time, the production start date was postponed until November to give Tierney time to undergo the necessary medical procedures.

It now appears Tierney's treatment will take longer, so NBC will recast the role in order to make the midseason launch date.

Tierney had garnered strong notices for her performance in the pilot for "Parenthood," where she played a contemporary version of the character portrayed by Dianne Wiest in the movie.

"While we are saddened that Maura Tierney won't be able to continue in her current role in 'Parenthood,' our main concern is for her quick and full recovery," an NBC spokesman said. "Our thoughts and best wishes are with her."

The fall TV season is about to kick off as shows will begin in the next couple of weeks. Here is a way to remind yourself what happened last on several shows, we'll start with the Office.

Returning fall TV: 'The Office'

By Arienne Thompson and Kelley L. Carter, USA TODAY

Returns: Thursday, 9 ET, NBC

Season: 6

Where we left things:

Inept but loyal leader Michael Scott (Steve Carell) left to start his own paper company with receptionist-turned-saleswoman Pam (Jenna Fischer) and self-destructive temp-turned-executive Ryan (B.J. Novak). When Michael threatened to steal major clients, Dunder Mifflin bought out his company and the three returned. The season finale, at the company picnic, saw Michael pining for his ex Holly Flax (Amy Ryan), and Pam discovering she's pregnant.

Where we're headed:

It's all about Pam and Jim (John Krasinski), and their little bundle of joy, this fall. The longtime loves will tie the knot and welcome a baby, which pushes Jim to secure his family's future. "He's going to try to advance at Dunder Mifflin, and that's going to threaten Michael," says producer Paul Lieberstein, who also plays chronically downtrodden HR guy Toby Flenderson. Dunder Mifflin also will find itself on the verge of collapse, providing plenty of fodder for a good old-fashioned Michael Scott freak-out. As for Pam and Jim's wedding, co-executive producer Mindy Kaling (who plays Kelly Kapoor) says to expect plenty of antics. "I was watching the Ross and Rachel episode of Friendswhere he said her name accidentally at his wedding (to Emily), so I know NBC has this rich tradition of wedding episodes."

What Do You Got to Do to Get the Red Sox and/or Angels to drop a few games?

The Rangers will spend the majority of the rest of the season at home which is good because they still have some work to do if they want to make the playoffs. One thing about this team, it's a cliche but it's true, they don't quit.

Don't bet against the Fightin' Ron Washingtons

11:31 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Column by JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | jjtaylor@dallasnews.com

The Fightin' Ron Washingtons ain't going away. Not this week. Not next week.

Not the week after that.

This club is here to stay. Los Angeles and Boston might eventually earn the final two playoff spots, but they aren't going to be having champagne showers anytime soon.

You should know that by now.

Every single time you write off the Fightin' Ron Washingtons, they prove you wrong.

Every. Single. Time.

They lost consecutive games against the woeful Orioles a few days ago, and the chatter immediately began about their season nearing an end.

That talk has already stopped.

Texas drilled Cleveland, 10-0, Wednesday afternoon for its third win in 19 hours. In the series, Texas hit .348 with seven homers. The Rangers scored 31 runs on 48 hits.

Now do you believe? You should.

"It's the makeup of the guys we have. It's easy for us to look past yesterday and focus on today," outfielder Marlon Byrd said. "It has been like that all season. We had a little lull early in the season, but no one worried. No one panicked.

"Whether we won yesterday or lost yesterday doesn't matter. All we're trying to do is win today."

At one level, it's easy to understand any skepticism regarding the Rangers.

This team has been a joke for much of the past decade. It has one postseason win in franchise history and has not been to the playoffs since 1999.

You're entitled to be skeptical.

Plus, they're trying to make the playoffs without star third baseman Michael Young, who has a strained hamstring, and enigmatic Josh Hamilton, the team's most talented player, who has a pinched nerve in his back.

No one knows when either will return to the lineup. We don't even know if Hamilton will play again this season.

The Rangers win because the players on this team refuse to accept or make excuses.

They persevere. They play hard. And with passion.

They don't always win, but they believe in Ron Washington's motto, "The best team doesn't always win. The team that plays the best on a given day wins. Why can't that be us?"

All that matters is with three weeks left in the season, Washington's team trails Boston by two games in the wild-card race and trailed Los Angeles by four games in the AL West going into the Angels' late game against Seattle on Wednesday.

It doesn't matter if you want to credit president Nolan Ryan for giving this wayward franchise direction. Or if you want to credit general manager Jon Daniels for putting together a farm system that has produced every time the Rangers needed someone from Triple-A to contribute whether it's Derek Holland, Tommy Hunter, Neftali Feliz or Julio Borbon.

On Wednesday, reserve third baseman Esteban German banged out five hits while Omar Vizquel rested.

It doesn't seem like it to me but the NFL kicks off tonight for real. Not many seem to think the Cowboys will be very good this year, I kinda disagree. I guess I'm not totally alone.

A voice of optimism for the Dallas Cowboys’ 2009 chances

By RANDY GALLOWAY
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
rgalloway@star-telegram.com

Emmitt Smith, one of our all-time favorite Cowboys and ballroom dancers, is making the national media circuit this week, talking football and, of all things, promoting pork.

Typical of me, being the last to know Emmitt has been hired as the spokesman to promote the eating of more hog.

Never having been one, however, to turn down a pork chop, I don’t see a problem here.

But the other morning, when Colin Cowherd of ESPN radio steered the conversation toward the NFL, and asked Emmitt "as a resident of Dallas" to assess his former team in the season that starts Sunday, well ...

He didn’t exactly slop the home pig.

"I think the Cowboys can win seven games" came an answer that seemed to catch Cowherd off guard.

Hearing that on I-30, I swerved the truck at least one lane, while asking myself, "Am I the only human [outside of Jerry, and he doesn’t count] who actually likes this team’s chances?"

Say, 10 wins worth, and I can see 11, or maybe one more. OK, make it 11, tops. But that’s a good team. Good enough to win the NFC East, and more important, win a playoff game or two.

Obviously, this goes against the prevailing national trend. But an early September ago, I was with the trend, predicting great postseason things for the Cowboys, even while knowing this was a team infested with rats. Talent, however, would prevail. It didn’t come close, of course, to prevailing. The rats wrecked it.

Then came Wednesday morning, and while cruising through the geek wire, I came across the predictions of ESPN.com’s army of NFL media.

Sixteen "experts" gave their opinions on all areas of the new season. Three had the Cowboys winning the NFC East. Two others had them as a wild card for the playoffs. Of the three predicting a divisional title, two had them in the Super Bowl, losing, respectively, to New England and San Diego.

Overall, however, very limited support. Again, so it goes, nationally.

Why my optimism? Two things: (1) Totally different team chemistry — which, to me, anyway, is extremely important. (2) The schedule between now and the start of the five-game December-January run.

Look over that schedule. Good chance, don’t you think, to win four of the first five (including all three road games), six of the first seven and, through Thanksgiving, be sitting at 8-3 or 9-2 depending on what happens in the back-to-back November trips to Philly and Green Bay?

Granted, the last five games, starting on Dec. 6 at the Giants, and ending in early January with Philly in Arlington, now that’s a Cow question that no one can answer. San Diego is also here, and there are trips to New Orleans and Washington.

Steve Jobs came back yesterday with an Apple keynote. He mentioned the minor events in his life while he was gone (he had a liver transplant) and then introduced new iPods and a brand new iTunes.

Jobs in Fighting Form After Liver Transplant

By BRAD STONE and DAVID POGUE
New York Times
Published: September 9, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO — After a prolonged absence from the public eye, a thin but energetic Steven P. Jobs reappeared Wednesday at an Apple news conference and addressed his illness in personal terms for the first time.

After a five-month absence, Mr. Jobs said, “I’m back at Apple and I’m loving every day of it.”

“I feel great. I probably need to gain about 30 pounds, but I feel really good,” said Mr. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, in an interview after the event. “I’m eating like crazy. A lot of ice cream.”

At the music-themed event, Apple introduced new iTunes software and a new line of iPod Nano music players with video cameras. But the product announcements were eclipsed by the public return of Mr. Jobs, five months after he received a liver transplant at a hospital in Tennessee. Mr. Jobs needed the operation after suffering from complications from a rare form of pancreatic cancer.

“I’m vertical, I’m back at Apple and I’m loving every day of it,” he said on stage, after a standing ovation from the crowd, which included Apple employees and journalists gathered for the news conference.

The applause “was an endearing statement for someone who is clearly still recovering,” said Gerry Purdy, a wireless analyst at Frost & Sullivan who has covered the mobile computing industry for 20 years. “You just feel like this is an opportunity to share in the greatness of someone who is an icon in the industry.”

Mr. Jobs, who appeared as gaunt as he was when he went on a leave of absence in January, immediately addressed the matter of his health.

“I’m very happy to be here, and thank you all,” he said. “As some of you know, five months ago I had a liver transplant. I now have the liver of a mid-20s person who died in a car crash and was generous enough to donate their organs. I wouldn’t be here without such generosity, so I hope all of us can be as generous and elect to be organ donors.”

But after that gentle opening, Apple’s chief executive, who wore his characteristic outfit of jeans and a black turtleneck, was as tough as ever. He used the news conference to take jabs at competing products from Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Dell and Cisco Systems.

Mr. Jobs’s public return will reassure many Apple fans and shareholders, who view the charismatic co-founder of the company as crucial to Apple’s success.

“Apple users and investors think the world of Steve Jobs and the world of Apple products, and that he was here today is a statement that he is back in charge,” said Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray. “The wizard of Oz is back in Oz.”

The actual products announced Wednesday were not nearly as magical as recent hits like the iPhone.

Apple announced a new version of its iTunes software that will allow users to better organize their applications for the iPhone and the iPod Touch and to share music and videos among up to five computers in the home.

The company also introduced a line of iPod Nanos that have a video camera, microphone, speaker, FM radio tuner and pedometer and start at $149.

Apparently Van Halen is going to tour in 2010. Anybody who pays attention knows that planning that far ahead with this band typically is a waste of time. It would be cool though.

Van Halen Tour?

Pollstar.com
Posted on Wednesday September 9, 2009 at 12:01 PM 13 |

Van Halen will hit the road in 2010, Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff announced during the 2009 Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference Sept. 9.

This was not expected to be the time when the next VH tour would be announced, but some lines got crossed and the information was brought during the Q&A.

Azoff also announced TM plans to unveil interactive seat maps in the fourth quarter followed by dynamic ticket pricing in 2010 and praised the company’s initial moves into paperless ticketing.

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, who joined Azoff for their first ever co-presentation at the conference, echoed the need for more dynamic pricing in ticketing and called LN’s no service fee Wednesdays offering this summer a success, garnering 80 to 90 percent approval ratings in exit surveys with fans.

The principals remained fairly mum about the pending merger deal, however both expressed hope they’ll see closure by the end of the year.

I'm Back

I think it may be time to say goodbye to the picture of the day as we know it. 2 reasons really - 1 - it's silly hard to find a picture every day. Kinda takes the fun out of this blog. 2 - I'm at a place now in my career where I could see this biting me in the butt. I'm not sure I want it to be the an impression a potential new job gets of me if they do some background. So, dear reader what does that mean for this site? I think next week the picture of the day will diversify a bit if not disappear altogether. We'll see.



The Rangers swept a double header yesterday against the Indians. In both games they had huge leads and in both games it seemed they might blow it. But they didn't.

Rangers batter Cleveland with doubleheader sweep

01:13 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 9, 2009

By JEFF WILSON / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

CLEVELAND – Pick a rookie. Any rookie.

With the Texas Rangers these days, there are plenty of good ones to choose from, and any of them are capable of winning a game.

Four made contributions Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader sweep at Progressive Field, but Julio Borbon made the biggest impact in the opening victory.

The outfielder swatted two solo homers, and the second sparked a crucial three-run ninth inning as the Rangers outlasted Cleveland, 11-9.

A brief break between games didn't cool off the Rangers. They collected 18 hits, one short of the season high, en route to a 10-5 victory and their third doubleheader sweep of the season.

Marlon Byrd went 4-for-4 in the opener and had the biggest hit, a three-run homer in the seventh that broke a 5-5 tie. But Borbon's unexpected power surge helped provide a cushion the Rangers badly needed.

"I'm kind of surprised. I'm not going to lie," said Borbon, who had only two homers in 96 games this year for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The Rangers collected 14 hits and built a 7-0 lead after four innings in the second game and appeared to be on their way to an easy sweep, but they needed a three-run homer from Chris Davis in the ninth to secure a win that brought them within two games of wild-card-leading Boston.

Davis’ homer came with two outs after an error and a hit extended the inning. Byrd had three more hits, giving him a club-record seven for the doubleheader.

“It’s pretty good to get back on track and win some ballgames,” manager Ron Washington said. “We’ll come back tomorrow, get greedy and see if we can get a [series] sweep.”

Borbon had been hitless in 12 at-bats, and his average (now .329) has started to come back to earth some after a sizzling August.