Five players who could be difference makers down the stretch.

1. M
High Schools Timberview rips The Colony in girls’ area round 9D
Sports D
Saturday, February 21, 2009
IN MY OPINION
WASHINGTON DESERVES BETTER THAN A LAME-DUCK SEASON
s Rangers have plenty of
Hicks and general manager Showalter micro-managing. will enter the 2009 season
Ron Washington has done
Jon Daniels felt he would be a If that was the first mission managing without a net. The
options for closer’s role. 8D
what the Rangers asked.
“players’ manager.” in a two-part plan toward Rangers have an option on his
So where’s his job security?
That doesn’t mean they building a winning culture, on the field, one that, with the contract for 2010. There is no
SURPRISE, Ariz. — When the wanted him to allow the in- consider the Rangers halfway right talent, can compete for buyout clause.
Texas Rangers hired long-shot mates to run the asylum. What there. championships for years to Whether it’s the economy or
candidate Ron Washington to they hoped he could do was The idea is that a relaxed, come. something else holding them
be their manager in Novem- change the culture in an up- family atmosphere in the The irony is that Washing- back, there’s just something
JIM REEVES ber 2006, one of the primary tight and tense Texas club- clubhouse should translate ton, who has done exactly wrong about that picture.
revo@star-telegram.com
reasons was that owner Tom house after four years of Buck into a relaxed, cohesive team what the Rangers have asked, More on REEVES on 8D
IN MY OPINION
HEY, JERRY, DON’T GAG
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NEARING THE MADNESS
Magical performances are HIM, SHOW HIM DOOR
By taking away Wade Phillips’ voice, the Cowboys’
owner is exposing the coach as the puppet he is.
great part of crazy March A nickname change ap-
parently is needed.
See ya, Coach Cupcake.
Please say hello to As-
It won’t be long before the Madness is back. College basket- plenty of other teams that could make serious runs, while sistant Coach Cupcake.
ball’s regular season is winding down, but there’s still plenty to some squads will likely fall short of preseason expectations. As Thursday’s news from
be decided before hoops crazies fully submerge into March for the Cinderellas? Well, that’s part of what makes March so Indianapolis that Cow-
Madness. It’s clear that Oklahoma, North Carolina, Pittsburgh magical. Who knows? Staff writer Trae Thompson breaks down boys owner Jerry Jones
and Connecticut are contending for No.1 seeds. But there are officially had gagged all of JENNIFER FLOYD ENGEL
the high fliers and season stumblers, 6D
his coaches via memo jenfloyd@star-telegram.com
took away any and all pre-
Heroes of March? Five players who could be difference makers down the stretch: tense about what Wade Phillips is or how he stayed em-
ployed after that debacle in Philly.
NCAA He is a powerless puppet, with a sock in his mouth.
Tournament “Can’t,” he said Thursday when asked to provide
answers on football topics. “Against the rules.”
Selection
Self-gagged, or Jerry-gagged? Doesn’t matter.
Sunday:
The fact is the lone voice of the Cowboys is the owner,
March 15
and it is unprecedented in any league to have your coach
Opening-round
silent on his team. Can you imagine Bill Parcells or Jimmy
game: March 17
Johnson deferring to Jerry to speak on all things football?
First round
Even Chan Gailey and Dave Campo were given a mike
begins:
from time to time.
March 19 More on ENGEL on 7D
Title game:
s Safety Roy Williams’ status with Cowboys still in question. 7D
April 6 at Ford
s QB Rhett Bomar draws attention at Scouting Combine. 7D
Field in Detroit
v
G James HIGH SCHOOLS
Harden,
Texas steroid testing
Arizona State
One of seven
players in the
turns up clean athletes
nation averaging
more than 20
For a second year, the UIL steroid testing program is
points and shoot-
ing better than 50 finding a remarkable few positives.
percent from field.
By CARLOS MENDEZ cmendez@star-telegram.com
The UIL steroid testing program is likely to be scaled back
after a second round of test results announced Friday
showed seven positives out of nearly 19,000 students tested,
about three-hundreths of one percent.
On top of last year’s results, which found four positives
out of more than 10,000 students tested, the $6 million pro-
gram has found 11 positives in 28,934 tests.
The author of the law that authorized the testing pro-
gram said he is encouraged by those numbers, and he
believes the program can be cut back.
“It continues to work as a deterrent, and we’ve said all
along that is what we needed it to do,” said state Rep. Dan
Flynn (R-Van). “Do we need to continue the program as it is
now? Probably not. I think we can More on UIL on 10D
ROCKETS 93, MAVERICKS 86
DIRK QUIET AS
MAVERICKS FALL
G Tyrese Rice, Boston College G Jerel McNeal, Marquette
Averages 18.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game; seventh player Saw his string of nine consecutive 20-point games snapped with
in school history to score 2,000 career points. 13 points in a win against Seton Hall.
Josh Howard, left,
scored 21 points, but
the normally depend-
able Dirk Nowitzki was
4-of-18, finished with
nine points and the
Dallas Mavericks fell
to Southwest Division
rival Houston 93-86
on Friday night.
Report, 4D
Horse racing Debt woes could affect Lone Star Park 2D
Boxing Olympian Yanez has brief, successful debut 3D
NHL Stars finding out that their kids are all right 5D
NBA, 4D NHL, 5D
ORL 92 IND 112 CLE 111 NO COL 4
CHA 80 MIN 105 MIL 103 LAL WAS 1
NYK 127 WAS 107 PHX 140 CAR 4
TOR 97 NJ 96 OKC 118 TB 1
SAC 115 CHI 116 ATL DET 5
MEM 106 DEN 99 POR ANA 2
G Devan Downey, South Carolina F Dante Cunningham, Villanova
Baseball 8D Golf 11D NBA 4D
Averaging 19.8 points per game and has 71 steals for the Team’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 16.5 points and
Boxing 3D High schools 9-10D NFL 7D
Gamecocks. 7.1 rebounds per game. Briefs 11D Hockey 5, 10D Recreation 2D
Colleges 5-6D Horse racing 2D Scoreboard 11D
PHOTOS: AP, GETTY IMAGES, MCT
Daily Ticket 2D Motorsports 2, 10D TV/Radio 2, 11D