D

An Oral History of the Decade of Dirk: Deleted Scenes

In case a 7,000-word-plus oral history of Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t enough for you, after the jump, a few more quotes from the Big German that I couldn’t work into the piece.

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Dirk Nowitzki Talks About Taking a Game Over

No, in the quote below, Dirk is not talking about last night, when he grabbed the game by the throat, turning a double-digit deficit into a double-digit win going away. Before InsideCorner took a dirt nap, I had been spending some time at Mavs practices and so on, trying to play the part of professional sports blogger. On one such occasion, Dirk and I were talking, specifically, about his 50-point performance against the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 Western Conference Finals and, generally, about what it’s like to go on rushes like that. So I think it’s applicable this morning.

I’ve had games where I’m stiff in shootaround, can’t make a shot in warm-ups, and all of a sudden, you get to the basket one time. You get fouled. You have an “and-1.” And all of a sudden, every basket you get, the basket seems to get bigger. I had other experiences where I felt like I could jump out of the gym in the mornings, and I miss my first six, seven shots. The game’s weird like that. I’ve had games where I wasn’t feeling well, and for some reason you can’t even get a rebound; somebody seems to tip it, and you end up with zero rebounds. You’re 7-feet — how the hell you not getting one rebound? And then that night, against Phoenix in the playoffs, it just seems like the ball is coming to you. I was getting offensive rebounds. I was getting good looks at shots. I was driving. I was getting to the foul line. It’s just funny how sports works. Sometimes it works in your favor and sometimes it doesn’t.

Thieves Dressed as Spider-Man Hit Southlake Bank; Daily Bugle Publisher J. Jonah Jameson Crows “I Was Right All Along!”

Okay, the story isn’t that interesting. I just wanted to write that headline. Carry on.

First TEDxSMU Video is Up: Turk Pipkin Talks Nobelity Project

Remember when Wick said we’d alert you when videos from the TEDxSMU conference went up? I hope between the headline and that first sentence you see where I’m going. I watched this last night, and even though it’s 18 minutes long, much longer than I normally spend with online video that isn’t a comedy on Hulu, it flew by. And I may have agreed to build a well for an African elementary school. Not sure. Things got fuzzy.

Turk Pipkin at TEDxSMU from tedxsmu on Vimeo.

Leading Off (10/27/09)

1. MAVS DAY! MAVS DAY! MAVS DAY!

2. Mayor Leppert is trying to rush through a complicated package of ethics reforms, in the wake of former Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill’s corruption conviction. Some council members want to take more time, some don’t think the reforms are needed, and none have answered my e-mails about how they think Erick Dampier will react to his new role occasionally coming off the bench. Where is your fancy talk of transparency now, city hall?

3. Southlake Carroll ISD is ditching its perfect attendance award so sick kids stay home. I, however, am still planning on maintaining perfect attendance at the games on my Dallas Mavericks ticket plan, starting with tonight against the Washington Wizards.

Pssst … Don’t Tell Anyone, But Yesterday Was Columbus Day

SweetCharity tells me it’s a “Yankee holiday,” and other native Texans say it was never that big a deal in schools here anyway. Still, the utter void of local news or notice about Columbus Day–it was yesterday, by the way–is striking to anyone who grew up thinking of the holiday as sort of important in our country’s history. As usual you can blame the blackout on the gods and goddesses of PC, who’ve cowed everybody into thinking the West’s “discovery” of the Americas was somehow evil. To these multiculturalists and their minions all I can say is: “Happy belated Columbus Day!”

Fire Facility Spiffed Up, Thanks to 9/11 Volunteers

Dallas Fire-Rescue’s Dodd J. Miller Jr. Training and Maintenance Facility is looking a lot better, thanks to the efforts of 450 volunteers from about 45 local companies. The volunteers pitched in today to plant shrubs and trees, paint classrooms and replace ceiling tiles at the Dolphin Road facility in South Dallas, improving the environment for 1,700 firefighters. It was all part of the eighth annual 9/11 service event called Freedom Day, hosted by the Entrepreneurs Foundation of North Texas, part of the Communities Foundation of Texas. Among the volunteers was a hearty contingent from D Magazine including D Home Design and Style Editor Peggy Levinson (pictured), who wielded a paint roller with the best of them.

Great Michael Jordan Story, Involving a Dallas Evangelist

Michael Jordan will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this week. ESPN has issued a special collector’s edition “bookazine” to honor the occasion, filled with stories and photos and whatnot. One story you may not have heard before is this one: the time when Jordan was almost sliced in half by a samurai sword (slight exaggeration), as part of a Carolina stop of Dallas evangelist Bill Glass‘ prison ministry. Ball Don’t Lie has helpfully reprinted the piece for those of you without a subscription to ESPN The Magazine. Good stuff.

Charity Beaver Still in the Hunt

Lest you forget, the “10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas” contest — or, as we affectionately refer to it, the “10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas” contest — is chugging along. Three more women were eliminated. But Charity Beaver wasn’t one of them. I know I speak for semi-aquatic rodents everywhere when I say, “You go, Ms. Beaver!”

Allan Saxe Is A Better Person Than You’ll Ever Be, Ctd.

A former-co-working FBvian sends along this:

Not only is he extremely generous, he is by far the best professor I had at UTA. He’s insightful, intelligent, unbiased, interesting and hilarious….all the qualities you could ask for in a professor. He just made class a pleasure to go to. I was lucky enough to have him twice and my husband took him for a class at TCC at my insistence!

I laugh every time I see his name on something because his generosity knows no bounds. He even sponsored the opening of the Ross store in Lincoln Square (Arlington) of all things! There is a little plaque at the check out stand in his honor. He really deserves the accolades!

And the legend continues. Related: is anyone else getting just a little bit tired of this man’s grandstanding?

Arlington’s Allan Saxe Is A Better Person Than You’ll Ever Be

Allan Saxe, 70, is a professor at UT-Arlington and Tarrant County College. But you could say — and I would, after reading this Star-Telegram profile — his real occupation is giving. He inherited $500,000 from his mother. He gave it all away. Same with his Social Security checks. And last year, another $84,450 — more than half his salary.

In return, his name appears on…

Allan Saxe Park, the Allan Saxe Parkway, the Allan Saxe Dental Clinic, and, at the University of Texas at Arlington, Allan Saxe (softball) Field, not to mention the Allan Saxe pencil sharpeners in University Hall.

But, of course, that’s not why he does it:

“I enjoy it. I really enjoy it. All of this is philosophically driven. There’s no tax motivation,” Saxe says, referring to statutes that allow people to deduct donations from their income taxes. “If the tax law changed tomorrow … I would still do the same thing.”

Dallas’ Brad Blauser Trying To Get Wheelchairs To Every Iraqi Kid Who Needs One

Brad Blauser moved to Baghdad in 2004 as a civilian contractor. But he gave up that job last year. He now provides part-time security consultation in exchange for room and board so he can focus on what has become his mission: trying to find a wheelchair for every Iraqi child that needs one, via his straightforwardly named Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids program. Since 2005, Blauser has delivered more than 650 pediatric wheelchairs, a great help for a country where, according to UNICEF, one in seven Iraqi kids between the ages of 2 and 14 is, in some way, disabled. Like, for example, 3-year-old Ali Khaled Irahim:

At 8 months old, Ali was struck by a mysterious fever that left him partially paralyzed. He cannot speak and experiences increasingly frequent and violent convulsions.

“Ali’s handicap affected the family a lot,” said his father.

His mother said she couldn’t carry out her daily chores and her “psychological state worsened.”

“When I heard the news of the distribution of these advanced wheelchairs, I was very happy deep down,” she said. “I thought maybe that will ease my work as a mother in the way I deal with my son.”

Today, Ali smiles at home as he sits in his new wheelchair. His siblings giggle and sprinkle his face with kisses. The toddler’s parents are thankful for the relief it has brought not only to Ali, but their entire family.

(Thanks to the sharp-eyed FBvian for the link.)

Komen Founder Nancy Brinker To Receive Presidential Medal Of Freedom

The White House says that Nancy Goodman Brinker, founder of Dallas’ Susan G. Komen for the Cure, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on Aug. 12. Kudos!

Dallas Joins In World-Wide Iran Rally

United 4Iran is holding rallies in every major city in the world tomorrow to support of freedom in Iran. The Dallas rally will be at Dealey Plaza from 4 pm to 7. Drop by. Every bit of support gives hope to a battered but defiant people.

UPDATE: If you attend and take photos, submit them to the Huffington Post here.

R.I.P., George Toomer, Ctd.

Joe Simnacher did a masterful job in his obituary of the Great George yesterday in the News. And, as with ours on Wednesday, the comments are well worth reading (and how often do I say that).

Connor Cruse, R.I.P.

The eight-year-old, whose four-year battle with cancer was a source of inspiration to so many, died at Children’s Medical on Friday. His funeral is tomorrow at 10 a.m. at Prestonwood Baptist Church. From the teamconnor website:

Connor endured over 220 nights in the hospital, more than 40 blood transfusions, about 2-dozen platelet transfusions, 25 rounds of chemo, 14 surgeries, two bone marrow transplants and countless procedures with visits to specialists in Boston, New York, Houston, Dallas and Guatemala. Yet he didn’t complain. He was a fighter to the very end. When he checked into Children’s Medical Center about 10 p.m. July 9, doctors said he had about two hours to live. Connor took his last mortal breath at 4:47 p.m. July 10, 2009.

Our condolences to a very special family.

The Coronation of Martellus Bennett, New-Media Superstar, Continues

Right here, via this hyperlink, is Dallas Cowboys backup tight end Martellus Bennett (aka Marty B, aka ‘Tellus, aka one-half of Moonshine Kids, aka Billy Ocean) on ESPN’s rarely watched First Take. Enjoy!

Mandy Doolittle, R.I.P.

A Dallas native and HPHS grad, she was killed in Tuesday’s Washington metro crash.

In Defense Of Public Libraries

As the Dallas City Council prepares to cut library hours in the current deficit emergency,  author-hero Ray Bradbury, 88, rallies in defense of the Ventura County public libraries:

“I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries…”

And just as Mr. Bradbury speaks out, Willard Spiegelman launches his own broadside, with a perfectly timed and perfectly tuned column on the downtown Dallas Public Library in the print edition of FrontBurner.

“Four Things I Learned From My Dad”

Jim Meigs is the editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics. (The Dallas connection is that he is also my cousin.) Here he tells what his “machinist father” taught him. What he fails to mention is that his father — one of the greatest guys I know — was also a professor of economics at Princeton.

Bernard Fulton, R.I.P.

The co-founder (with his wife, Helen) of Greenhill School died Sunday. He was just shy of his 100th birthday.  The email from Headmaster Scott Griggs is below the jump.

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Carolyn Horchow, R.I.P.

Joe Simnacher’s obituary in the News this morning gives the flavor of this remarkable woman’s life. Her style and intelligence and sense of mission enriched us all. Our deepest condolences to Roger, Regen, Lizzie, and Sally.

Nat’l Restaurant Association Honors Brinker

The industry group ran a full-page ad in the New York Times today saluting Norman Brinker. The ad may have run in other national newspapers as well. I don’t remember seeing such a tribute from an industry group for one of its members before. Here is part of what the ad said:

His innovations in casual dining changed the way America eats. His motivational management practices are embedded in leaders across our industry and will live on. He proved that restaurants that build customer loyalty and provide rewarding careers become the cornerstone of their communities.

Knox Chili’s Shuttered For Brinker Fete

Don’t stop by the Chili’s on Knox tonight expecting to grab your usual Oldtimer or Quesadilla Explosion. The whole joint’s been closed to the public since 2 p.m. to accommodate a private party honoring the restaurant’s godfather, the late Norman Brinker. Organized by honchos at Brinker International, where Brinker was chairman emeritus, the bash for Brinker employees and Norman’s friends followed today’s service for the Dallas entrepreneur at the Meyerson and was scheduled to continue until last call.

Leading Off, Ctd.

Norman Brinker’s legacy as an entrepreneur, sportsman and philanthropist is unmatched. But it didn’t happen by chance. In this article for D CEO–scroll to the bottom–Dave Moore recalled that Brinker never stopped learning.