North Texas Summer Fun: For Fresh Fruit & Vegetables Think Ham's

May 15th doesn't just serve as a reminder for me that my taxes are one month late.  The date is much more important.  It means that Ham's Orchard in Terrell is finally open!  I discovered Ham'View Blogs when my parents bought some property in Mineola a few years ago and since then, every trip east involves a stop at Ham's.  Although, truth be told, it's not like I need an excuse to go, just a free hour.

Ham's is true orchard and roadside market about 35 miles east of Dallas on Highway 80.  It serves fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade ice cream, cobblers and all the stereotypical country kitchen stuff that everyone's Texas Grandma had in the pantry.

Cowboys Turning 50 & Feeling Fine w/ New "Celebration" Logo.

The traditional "gift" for a 50th anniversary is gold.  Something golden.  Austin Powers infamous Goldmember comes to mind.  Fancy a smoke and pancake?

I digress.

The Cowboys unveiled their 50th anniversary "celebration" logo today.  Your thoughts?

Dirk Opting Out: Take a Chill Pill, Miss Saigon

Dirk Nowitzki can put Dallas in a panic like few men can.

In honor of Sex and the City's 2's Thursday release, I'm taking inspiration from the HBO show's second season for this one.  In the episode, "Old Dogs, New Dicks", one drag queen tells another to "Take a chill pill, Miss Saigon!" and I think that's the message Mavericks fans need to heed. 

Marc Stein had this news mid-afternoon on Saturday.  I was literally walking out the door to go the HP Byron Nelson Championship when the Steiny posted the article on ESPNDallas.com.  My brother, Lance, called and texted in a panic.  My phone started exploding. 

Cabo San Lucas Resort Reviews

From the blue topaz-like water to the sweet, blue agave scent that seems to waft through the air, Los Cabos is one of my go-to quick getaways.

Long a favorite of Los Angeles celebrities and professional athletes, it's an easy trip for those of us coming anywhere ranging from Dallas (two hours 17 minutes) to northern California natives (just under three hours).  I arrived this past Saturday for a three-day jaunt and barely missed every Mavs fan Denver Nugget nemesis.  Our driver had just taken Chris Anderson to the airport.

Tread Fitness Class Review

From sprints and hills to squats and flutter kicks, high intensity interval training is guaranteed to make you work as hard as you can but shed some serious fat in the process.

“This is, like, the hardest workout of my life,” Victoria Snee of Mix 102.9 FM told me after taking a class at Tread Fitness in Dallas.

High intensity interval training, or HIIT for short, is a method of working out that uses short bursts of aerobic activity paired with a short recovery period. It’s so effective at increasing the body’s endurance as well as burning calories and fat that it produces rapid, dramatic changes to your shape and fitness level.

Tony Hauser has dropped ten pounds in just seven classes.

“That’s one of the most amazing things is that it’s so quick,” Hauser told me.

Neftali Prays to Higher Power

That would be Rangers power hitter Vlad Guerrero.

Shortstop Elvis Andrus gamely served as my interpreter while I chatted with Felix about his seventh save in eight tries.  Feliz struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning to secure the Rangers 13-12 win over Kansas City on Thursday. 

I asked the just-turned-22-year old what goes through his head when he's out there.  He said he tries to simplify everything and just get outs.  Generic enough.

Then he made me smile when he mentioned he was praying that either Guerrero or Josh Hamilton would get a hit.  By now you know they did more than that in the top of the ninth.  They hit back to back home runs, Hamilton to tie the game and Guerrero with the go-ahead.

Guerrero is killing it now, especially in Arlington.  He's currently batting .453 at home, the highest home average in the A.L.  His .407 all-time mark in Arlington is the highest among any player, at any park.

Btw, I am so disappointed in my attempts at Spanish.  It's painfully bad.  Open to any and all suggestions.  I do Pimsleur on the Ipod.  Haven't broken down & gotten Rosetta Stone.

THIS is Your Leader?

This column by Jeff Caplan on ESPNDallas.com got me thinking.  I'm in a bit of sinus medication induced haze right now, so that might not be such a good idea but I couldn't let this go.  I digress.

Many (notice I don't say all - many) Mavericks players say on-camera or to a reporter that Jason Kidd is this team's leader.  As that leader isn't he held accountable to the team in some form or fashion?  Isn't he the one to look to when adversity or first round failures happen?

Kidd did not participate in the Mavericks final exit interviews last Friday after their Game 6, season-ending loss to the Spurs.  Head coach Rick Carlisle had no issue with it.  "He went back to Phoenix to get away from it and do some personal things," he said.  "I've got no problem with that."

Granted, Kidd wasn't 100% during the series and, according to two excellent Mavericks sources, was dealing with an ear infection this postseason.  But that's not an excuse for bolting so quickly.  If he is that leader in the locker room, he owes it to his team on that last day to be there.  Send that message, whatever it may be, but at least make a statement!  In my biased opinion, he also has an obligation to speak to the media on that final day.  Yeah, sure, we're a beating but part of the high-paying pro-athlete gig is dealing with us fools.  Dirk Nowitzki did.  Carlisle did.  Caron Butler did.  Kidd - MIA.

Great leaders do not walk away from circumstances that don't suit them as Kidd did last Friday.  They meet them, face them, learn from them and move on. 

I am not so sure, though, that Kidd truly is the Mavericks unquestionable leader, as we've heard a few times before.  After one particular loss to San Antonio, I got into a conversation about leadership.  The message was communicated to me that the Dallas locker room lacks a real sense of leadership.  Why is that not surprising?

That's something that's plagued this team for years and, once again, when looking for a man to serve as a leader for this team - there's not one to be found.