The left-hander considered to be a major-league prospect was in and out of the Cowboys’ rotation last season. He enters 2012 hoping he can become the team’s regular Friday night starter.

Coach Frank Anderson is counting on him as part of a revamped rotation. Randy McCurry is getting healthy again after a second year to recover from Tommy John surgery, and the Cowboys have also added transfer Kyle Ottoson from Arizona State.

Oklahoma State made it to the NCAA tournament last season but was eliminated in two games to complete a late season run of 12 losses in the final 16 games.

The Cowboys open this year with a three-game series at Cal Poly, starting Friday night.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

This time he sat down for an interview with his pastor Dr. James Robison on the Glenn Back TV network (GBTV). New School recaps that interview and gives their thoughts.

LISTEN: Josh Hamilton interview on GBTV

Catch New School weekdays 5:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on 105.3 The Fan

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Turner, CBS and the NCAA announced Thursday a new model for streaming March Madness. Games aired on CBS will still be free through the network’s website. Viewers who get TBS, TNT and truTV on their cable or satellite systems will also be able to watch games aired on those channels for free online.

Fans will also have the option of paying $3.99 to see all games on multiple platforms – online, mobile and tablet. The app will be available on Android phones for the first time.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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In an exclusive interview Wednesday with Pastor James Robinson on Glenn Beck’s live streaming video network, Hamilton said he knows it’s a serious issue. He said he’s doing well and so is his family.

The interview came just more than two weeks after Hamilton had several drinks during dinner in Dallas and continued drinking later that night. It was the second known relapse with alcohol in the past three years for the recovering drug addict.

Hamilton, the 2010 AL MVP, says he feels shame about his mistakes, but is willing to admit them.

(Copyright 2012 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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The Bears (26-0, 13-0 Big 12) easily avoided an upset in an arena that’s been unfriendly at times over the years. Baylor had a losing record in Stillwater coming into the game and had teams ranked in the top 5 lose at Oklahoma State twice in the past four years.

Griner made sure there was no chance for history to repeat itself, making 11 of 17 shots and also blocking six on the other end. Hayden provided only the second 20-point game of her career, with the other coming against the Cowgirls two years ago in her first career start.

Taylor Schippers led Oklahoma State (13-9, 5-8) with 11 points.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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The 28 points was fewer than the 36 points scored by UAB against Southern Miss on Jan. 12, 2002, in conference play. Overall, it was the lowest ever scored by SMU in the shot-clock era and its second-lowest since 1950 – barely surpassing the 26-point total against TCU on Feb. 15, 1956. The Mustangs’ 12 first-half points Wednesday also set a record for futility in Conference USA play – their previous low for a half was 14 against Memphis on Feb. 18, 2009.

SMU (11-15, 2-9 Conference USA) made just 8 of 46 shots (17 percent) against the Blazers, including 3 of 29 3-point attempts. Robert Nyakundi led the Mustangs with nine points.

For UAB (11-14, 6-6), K.C. Whitaker scored 17 points, Cameron Moore added 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Jordan Swing also had 11 rebounds.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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The team announced prior to Wednesday night’s game against Denver that both Jason Terry and Rodrique Beaubois would not play.  Terry has a mildly strained quadriceps muscle and is expected to miss the next two games.

Beaubois’ father reportedly passed away suddenly earlier in the day so he may miss several games.

Then, during the first half of Wednesday night’s game with the Nuggts, Delonte West suffered a fractured and dislocated right ring finger.  No timetable has been set for West’s return.
(Copyright 2012 CBSDFW.COM. All Rights Reserved.)
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Marion had game highs of 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and the 6-foot-7 forward also helped to frustrate Denver’s top scoring threat as the Mavericks stretched their winning streak to five with a 102-84 victory over the Nuggets on Wednesday night.

Dallas once again often used Marion to help defend the opponent’s best offensive option. Ty Lawson finished with only three points on 1-of-8 shooting.

“Lawson’s penetration is something everybody in the league is trying to solve. … We had good concentration, kept him from shredding us on the inside,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “Marion’s versatility on the defensive end came up huge for us.”

Marion led six Mavericks who scored in double figures on a night when the team was already without two guards before Delonte West broke his finger in the second quarter. The defending NBA champions matched their longest winning streak of the season.

“Everybody who put on a uniform contributed,” Marion said. “We came out aggressive and attacked them and had them on their heels.”

Dallas jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first 3 minutes and was never really challenged.

Lawson finished 13 points below his scoring average and the Nuggets shot a season-low 36 percent (30 of 84) with their worst-scoring half followed by their lowest-scoring quarter. They came in as the league’s highest-scoring team at 104 points per game.

The Mavericks’ winning streak, coming after a three-day break that followed three losses in a row, includes a victory Monday night over the Los Angeles Clippers when Carlisle had Marion guarding point guard Chris Paul to start the game.

“Dallas has turned into an incredibly good defensive team,” Denver coach George Karl said.

Vince Carter had 15 points for the Mavericks. Lamar Odom scored 14, Jason Kidd 13, Dirk Nowitzki 12 and Brandon Wright 10. All the starters played fewer than 27 minutes.

Rudy Fernandez led the Nuggets with 14 points. Al Harrington, another reserve, had 13.

“We struggled on offense and that affected our defense,” Harrington said. “They were just a better team tonight and we’ve got to move on.”

Kidd had consecutive 3-pointers, one from the top of the key and the other from the right corner, to cap a 16-3 run that pushed the Mavericks ahead 72-49 with 4:20 left in the third quarter.

Denver trailed 51-39 after its lowest-scoring first half of the season. The Nuggets followed that in the third quarter by scoring only 15 points, their fewest in any period this season.

“We were struggling to find points,” Karl said.

At the same time, Dallas had its highest-scoring third quarter of the season, piling up 32 points to push ahead 83-54.

Already without guards Jason Terry (strained right quad) and Rodrigue Beaubois (personal reasons), West went down with an ugly injury to his right ring finger.

Blood was clearly visible after he fractured and dislocated his finger while playing defense.

“He’s going to be out for a while,” Carlisle said.

While Terry’s injury isn’t thought to be serious, Carlisle had already said he would also miss Friday night’s game at Philadelphia because of a “personal situation.”

Denver was still without Nene (left calf strain), center Timofey Mozgov (left ankle sprain) and forward Danilo Gallinari (left ankle sprain).

In a sign of things to come for the Mavs, four players scored in the opening 9-1 stretch.

Carter had two free throws less than a minute into the game to put Dallas ahead to stay before Kidd converted a steal by Carter into a 3-pointer. Nowitzki and Marion followed with jumpers.

Odom’s putback of his own miss made it 11-4.

On the next Dallas possession, Odom became the first Mavericks player to score consecutive points when he hit a 3.

“Everybody’s getting better and better as far as their game and their conditioning,” Odom said. “We’re having fun playing together.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Christmas is coming early this year for those who like to celebrate another joyous event. “I can’t express how excited I am,” said a smiling Tony Todora.

Todora owns the Parkit Market and is breathing a sigh of relief now that Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban has saved the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. “This is like the best thing that could’ve ever happened. We are so excited,” Todora added.

The Dallas parade draws over 100,000 people, and for business owners, it’s a cash cow. “It’s the biggest day of the year for most of the merchants up and down Greenville,” explained Jorge Levy, president of the Greenville Avenue Business Association.

Revelers at Greenville Ave. parade

The parade cost roughly $100,000. Organizers had raised $60,000, but desperately needed someone to come up with the rest before a deadline of February 17.

It appeared the event, which began in 1979, was about to die until Mark Cuban stepped in. “It’s fun,” Cuban told CBS 11. “I’ve killed so many brain cells at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It’s become a Dallas tradition. I just couldn’t let it die,” the Mavericks’ owner added.

Cuban’s money will help cover the cost of barricades and added security.

Levy says Cuban also donated an additional $25,000 to the DISD Scholarship Fund sponsored by the Greenville Avenue Business Association.

Editor’s note: Fort Worth Police issued a warrant for a man who shared a name with the individual targeted in the investigation, said Fort Worth Police spokesman Pedro Criado. The department used the wrong birthday and driver’s license photo and are redrawing the warrant. CBS 11 News has redacted that name until the proper warrant is issued.

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – A six-month drug investigation at TCU led to the arrest of 17 students Wednesday and two others remain at large, school and police officials said.

Four of those arrested were football players, including Tanner Brock, a linebacker who led the team in tackles during the Horned Frogs’s 2010 run to the Rose Bowl.

TCU Police Chief Steve McGee said the students were considered drug dealers, selling cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and prescription drugs to undercover officers both on and off campus.

One other suspect, Hunter Wallace McLaughlin, 24, remains at large. Fort Worth Police have not released an official name of the man who the erroneous warrant was issued for.

Nearly all of those who were arrested were charged with multiple offenses, and sold narcotics across the city, from a Kroger parking lot on S. University near campus to Tomlinson Hall in the 3500 block of Pond Dr., home to the Phi Delta fraternity.

Eight of the suspects arrested were charged with delivering a controlled substance. According to the myriad arrest warrants, police officers were able to purchase marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, oxycontin, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, promethazine/codeine cough syrup and Xanax in the drug sting.

Arrest affidavits describe scenes of flippant narcotic purchases, of students who coordinated the sale of more than 250 Xanax pills while they attended a football game in Houston and another who kept more than an ounce of cocaine hidden in a dorm room safe.

LISTEN: TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. press conference

TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini said the arrests were made in conjunction between the TCU and Fort Worth Police departments early Wednesday morning.

McGee said the students were parts of multiple loosely tied groups. Four football players were arrested, and two of the 19 suspects were not students at TCU.

In the arrest affidavit, Brock, the linebacker, referred to a surprise drug test that Coach Garry Patterson gave the team. The officer writes that while buying marijuana on Feb. 1, he asked Brock whether he would pass, to which the player responded “I failed that b— for sure.”

The officer reports that Brock said he wasn’t worried about the results because there “would be about 60 people being screwed.”

“Brock said that his friend Ty (Ty Horn, also arrested in the sting) looked through the roster today and said that there were only 20 people that would pass the test on the team,” the affidavit reads.

Brock sold the officer 13.89 grams of marijuana before leaving the residence, the third time the football player alleged sold an undercover officer the drug, the affidavit says.

In a statement, TCU spokeswoman Lisa Albert said the statements could not be verified.

“The comments about failed drug tests made by the separated players in affidavits cannot be verified simply because they were made in the context of a drug buy,” she wrote in an email. TCU drug tests its student-athletes on a regular basis. Any student found in violation of TCU’s drug abuse policy is subject to university disciplinary action.”

Multiple TCU Students Arrested In Campus Drug Bustview gallery

Four current members of the Horned Frog football team were arrested:

• Defensive Tackle David Yendry, charged with four counts of felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds, three of which in a drug-free zone; two counts delivery of marijuana less than 1/4 ounce. 
• Strong Safety Devin Johnson, charged with three counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• Offensive Tackle Ty Horn, charged with felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds in a drug-free zone; misdemeanor delivery of marijuana less than 1/4 ounce in a drug free zone.
• Linebacker Tanner Wilson Brock, charged with three counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.

The other suspects who were arrested are:

• 21-year-old Bud Dillard, charged with felony delivery of a controlled substance between 28 grams and 200 grams.
• 19-year-old Cynthia Zambrano, charged with two counts felony delivery of a controlled substance less than one gram.
• 21-year-old Earl Burke, charged with one count felony delivery of a controlled substance greater than 28 grams and less than 200 grams; felony delivery of a controlled substance less than 28 grams.
• 19-year-old Jonathan Blake Jones, charged with felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 21-year-old Eduardo Hernandez, charged with four counts of felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 24-year-old Hunter McLaughlin, charged with four counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 20-year-old Katherine Petrie, charged with one count unlawful delivery of a simulated controlled substance; one count delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce less than five pounds .
• 21-year-old Matthew Davis, charged with four counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 20-year-old Michael King, charged with three counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 21-year-old Peter Signavong, charged with five counts felony delivery of a controlled substance between one and four grams; one count misdemeanor delivery of marijuana less than 1/4 ounce.
• 19-year-old Richard Putney, charged with two counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds, one of which in a drug-free zone; one count misdemeanor delivery of marijuana less than 1/4 ounce.
• 20-year-old Scott Anderson, charged with felony delivery of a controlled substance less than 28 grams; felony delivery of a controlled substance greater than one gram; two counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds, one of which in a drug-free zone.
• 20-year-old Taylor Codwin, charged with felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds.
• 20-year-old William Jennings, charged with three counts felony delivery of marijuana greater than 1/4 ounce and less than five pounds in a drug free zone; one count delivery of a controlled substance less than 28 grams. 

Arrest warrants show Dillard helped sell an undercover officer 250 Xanax pills for $775 out of a residence in the 3200 block of Waits Ave. on Dec. 29. Dillard was at a football game in Houston at the time, and had his roommate Burke facilitate the deal.

When the officer told Dillard about the sale, Dillard allegedly said, “Good, good.”

The warrant says a resident on the street had alerted police to narcotics activity there.

Carpenter sold an undercover officer 15 hydrocodone pain pills and four Xanax on Nov. 3 at a CVS parking lot in the 2600 block of West Berry, the warrant alleges.

On Nov. 7, Carpenter sold four ounces of promethazine/codeine cough syrup and two hydromorphone pills to an agent in a Kroger parking lot in the 3100 block of University. And on Nov. 16, Carpenter sold the officer four pills of oxycontin –– a powerful opiate –– to an officer in that same parking lot.

Zambrano attempted to sell two pills of oxymorphone –– another powerful opiate –– to an agent, one of which tested positive for the chemical, the warrant reads.

Burke sold 20 Xanax pills to an undercover agent on Nov. 17, the warrant alleges, and helped facilitate Dillard’s sale of 250 more on Dec. 29. And once again on Feb. 1, Burke allegedly sold 50 more Xanax pills to an officer at his home in the 3200 block of Waits Ave.

On Nov. 16, Anderson sold an officer 50 hydrocodone pills and had sold an officer marijuana three times since November.

A warrant for Petrie says the 20-year-old sold a police officer 10 hits of LSD in a parking lot.

Signavong is accused of selling an officer 3.5 grams of cocaine and one hit of LSD on Oct. 10. Two days later, he allegedly sold an undercover officer three grams of cocaine and quarter ounce of marijuana. On Oct. 13, he sold an officer five clear capsules believed be powered MDMA, or ecstasy in his dorm room.

On Nov. 2, he again sold an officer 3.5 grams of cocaine, the warrant says.

And in addition to three counts of felony delivery of marijuana, Jennings sold 10 Xanax pills to an officer on Jan. 26, a warrant alleges.

School athletics officials commented on the involvement of football players, expressing shock that the arrests came within a program that was the only top 25 team in the nation to have no players on its roster with criminal records in 2010, according to Sports Illustrated.

“We have an excellent athletics program at TCU, and an indicator of that excellence is the fact that we will not tolerate criminal conduct among our student-athletes,” said Chris Del Conte, director of intercollegiate athletics. “Our student-athletes are a microcosm of society and, unfortunately, that means some of our players reflect a culture that glorifies drugs and drug use. That mindset is not reflected by TCU, nor will it be allowed within athletics.”

Football coach Gary Patterson echoed Del Conte’s statements, saying the issue is not isolated to TCU.

“Under my watch, drugs and drug use by TCU’s student-athletes will not be tolerated by me or any member of my coaching staff,” Patterson said. “I believe strongly that young people’s lives are more important than wins and losses.”

The school says the investigation is ongoing, and there could be more arrests.

“This is the start of it. I think this is a very clear message to everyone in this community that we’re not going to tolerate it. And that we’re out in front of it before something terrible happens,” Boschini told reporters. “I’m extremely concerned … if one kid is involved with this, it’s one kid too many.”

Two of the students arrested were part of TCU’s chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Robert A. Biggs, executive vice president of the fraternity, said fraternity operations have been suspended pending an investigation by Phi Delta alumni.

Depending on the facts, sanctions could follow according to the investigation, he said, noting that only two of the 100-plus members are allegedly involved.

The university said any student who was arrested and found in violation of distributing drugs could be expelled.

Currently, the students have been ‘separated’ from the school, meaning they are not allowed to attend classes, and those that live on campus cannot access their room.

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Linebacker Tanner Brock, the leading tackler two seasons ago, defensive tackle D.J. Yendry and cornerback Devin Johnson were among four football players arrested Wednesday. The other is offensive lineman Ty Horn.

Police say they were caught making “hand-to-hand” sales of marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and prescription drugs to undercover officers.

TCU Head Football Coach Gary Patterson reacted to the news with a statement saying, “There are days people want to be a head football coach, but today is not one of those days. As I heard the news this morning, I was first shocked, then hurt and now I’m mad.”

TCU Police Chief Steve McGee said the arrests came after a six-month investigation prompted by complaints from students, parents and others. Police would not rule out more arrests, but said only people caught selling drugs had been arrested Wednesday.

Officials said the students had been “separated from TCU,” but it wasn’t clear if the players had been kicked off the team.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. CBSDFW.COM contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved.)

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There was a kid, born in Los Angeles and raised in northern California to Taiwanese parents who immigrated to the United States in the 1970s. Leaving behind a grandmother on mainland China, the child was raised on a mix of Asian customs and Americanization. He played video games, spoke English and liked sports, especially basketball.

The kid learned the intricacies of hoops from his father, Gie-Ming, who fell in love with the sport through the Los Angeles Lakers-Boston Celtics NBA Finals in the ‘80s. Dad took his 5-year-old son to the local YMCA and was frustrated when the boy only stood at mid-court, too scared to do anything but suck his thumb. Soon thereafter, however, Gie-Ming was explaining to wife, Shirley, that their kid had to be taken out of games because he’d reached his maximum points allowed – in the first half.

By the time the boy was a high-school senior he was a pretty good player, leading Palo Alto High School to a 32-1 record a state championship. But camouflaged by the sports stereotypes (scrawny and, more importantly, Asian) his play didn’t raise eyebrows, much less prompt scholarship offers. Despite playing in their backyard, neither Stanford nor Cal nor the University of San Francisco took a look at the kid.

Fortunately, he was also intelligent. Smart enough to be accepted to Harvard.

In the afterthought Ivy League, the kid played more basketball and once lit up future NBA Lottery draft pick Kemba Walker for 30 points and nine rebounds in a close road loss to perennial powerhouse UConn. Still, few noticed. And those that did weren’t overly impressed with the kid, who had blossomed into a 6-foot-3, 200-pound playmaking point guard.

After a triple-overtime loss to Harvard in Nov. 2009 in which the kid hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, William & Mary coach Tony Shaver may have become the first genuine believer.

“He’s as good an all-around guard as I’ve seen,” Shaver said that night. “He’s a special player who seems to have a special passion for the game. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the NBA one day.”

Shaver had plenty of elbow room alongside his lofty opinion of the kid.

Unscholarshipped out of high school, the kid was also undrafted out of college. At this point the fairy tale could end with the glass sneaker not quite fitting. The easy way out for the kid would be to use his economics major from Harvard and start cleaning up the mess at Bank of America or creating gold-plated portfolios at Merrill Lynch. But, no, the kid wasn’t finished chasing his dream.

For those who believe this story is already too ridiculous and unbelievable to sell to even Disney, this is your crowded exit.

For the rest of you dreamers, cue the twinkling piano.

There isn’t exactly a long legacy of success among Asian athletes in America. Ichiro in baseball. Yao Ming in basketball. Hines Ward and Patrick Chung in football. And in these parts we remember Dallas Cowboys’ linebacker Dat Nguyen and Dallas Mavericks’ forward Wang Zhi-zhi and are now positively giddy over Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish joining the Texas Rangers.

But damn the stereotypes and the odds – 0.5% of college basketball players are Asian – the kid persistently pursued his passion. He’s a devout Christian with designs on being the pastor of his old church back in Palo Alto. But Heaven, turns out, can indeed wait.

Passed over in the 2010 NBA Draft, the kid would take the bumpy, pothole-littered path to professional basketball known as the Summer League. Turns out there was one team willing to give him a chance – your Dallas Mavericks. In Las Vegas in the summer of ’10 Lin quickly turned heads as fast as he broke ankles. He out-played the Mavs’ second-year guard Roddy Beaubois and rookie first-round pick Dominique Jones and held his own against No. 1 overall pick John Wall of Kentucky. At the end of the session Mavericks’ general manager Donnie Nelson offered him a one-year contract, but likely a trip to the team’s new D-League outfit in Frisco since the Mavs already possessed point guards Jason Kidd, Beaubois and J.J. Barea.

The kid politely passed, and instead accepted an offer from his hometown Golden State Warriors.

“We thought we had him,” Nelson says. “But he wanted to play close to home. There’s no doubt we liked him. He’s a smart point guard with a lot of athletic ability and there will always be a place in the NBA for guys like that.”

In Golden State the kid played in 29 games alongside current Mavericks’ center Brandan Wright.

“In practice we knew he had mad skills,” says Wright. “And he’s a great guy, fun to be around. But I think we’d all be lying if we said we saw this coming.”

The Warriors didn’t, and they cut the kid on the first day after the lockout ended last December. Three days later he was signed by the Houston Rockets, who cut him on Christmas Eve after two pedestrian pre-season game performances.

Says Warriors’ general manager Larry Riley, “I have egg on my face.”  Adds Rockets’ general manager Darryl Morey via Twitter, Did not know he was this good. Anyone who says they knew misleading U.

After being signed by the New York Knicks on Dec. 27, the kid was thiiiiis close to again being released. The Knicks confirmed that they almost made the decision to cut the kid last week, the day before his $762,000 contract was guaranteed for the season. Instead, they gave him a shot. With injuries and ineffectiveness saddling guards Baron Davis, Mike Bibby and Toney Douglas and creating a point-guard chasm, coach Mike D’Antoni – desperate for a spark with an 8-15 disaster of a team – played the kid against the New Jersey Nets and he responded with an eye-popping 25 points off the bench. One-game wonders happen in sports, in the NBA. But the next game the kid started and … the Knicks haven’t lost since.

The kid scored 38 in beating Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. He had the game-winning free throw in a win at Minnesota. And last night in Toronto he capped a 27-point performance by tying the game with a three-point play in the final minute and then, with star Amare Stoudemire buried as a decoy in the corner and star Carmelo Anthony a spectator on the bench, the kid arrogantly waved off his teammates and calmly drilled a straightaway 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds remaining to stun the Raptors and quintuple the madness.

“He’s come out of nowhere,” says D’Antoni, who did not play the kid in 13 of New York’s first 22 games. “What’s happening here is not normal.”

The guy who was a week ago sleeping on his brother’s couch and was literally a day from being cut is now …

“The greatest story in sports,” says teammate Jared Jeffries.

The Knicks have won six straight with the kid on the court and his 136 points in his first five NBA starts are the most ever, eclipsing the previous mark of 129 set by Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.

Echoes even NBA commissioner David Stern, “I think it’s wonderful.”

The kid’s success transcends the Knicks and New York’s Chinatown. This week Madison Square Garden stock rose to an all-time high. His No. 17 jersey is the hottest in all of sports, much less the NBA. His stereotype says statistician, his substance says substitute, and yet s his story? Dumbfounding

From the end of the bench to the back pages of the New York newspapers and the front story on ESPN’s Sportscenter? In one week? Yeah, right.

It’s reality TV on mushrooms and steroids, with a Red Bull chaser. Screw Basketball Wives, this is Basketball Player. The kid’s rise is the hottest thing to emanate from Harvard since Facebook.

Combine Lil’ Bow Wow in Like Mike, Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf, Will Farrell in Semi-Pro and throw in the most preposterous parts of The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, White Men Can’t Jump and Space Jam and … you’ll be about halfway to the insanity of the kid’s implausible script.

It’s the greatest American-born, Taiwan-rooted athletic story since a 17-year-old unknown named Michael Chang beat Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg en route to win the 1989 French Open. It’s leaving the most jaded skeptics with no other option than to watch the fantasy flick, mouth ajar, believing the unbelievable. In a lockout-shortened season riddled by condensed schedules and pitiful play, the kid has our ADD, microwave society suddenly stopped and taking notice about all the good things basketball has to offer.

Trying to explain the kid’s success is like attempting to dissect how Adele can sing so beautifully American, yet talk in annoying, high-pitched, exaggerated British like an old washwoman from a Monty Python skit.

If you say you saw this coming, you’re lying. And if you say you’re not enjoying it, you’re a hopeless curmudgeon bound and determined to hate sunshine and puppies and oxygen and life.

It’s bigger than religion. While Tim Tebow was a Heisman Trophy winner who benefitted from a superb defense and minimal late-game success and shoved God down our throats en route to being the story of the NFL in 2011, the underdog kid is putting up historically good stats and keeping his Christianity as a subtle, understated asset. Tebow might have been divine intervention; the kid is all pick-and-roll acumen and sneaky athleticism.

“Our stories are different in a lot of different ways,” the kid says. “I’m a fan of Tebow, I’m not afraid to say that. But our stories not necessarily comparable.”

It’s bigger than race. Oh, the kid still gets called racial slurs like “chink” and a sign at MSG last Friday night adoringly called him the “Yellow Mamba.” But the substantial critics are being muffled and muted, unless your name is Floyd Mayweather.

“He’s a good player but all the hype is because he’s Asian,” said Mayweather. “Black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise.”

No, actually, no NBA player – regardless of color – has ever produced a debut like this kid. And on Sunday at noon the Mavericks get their up-close look when they visit the Knicks before ABC’s national television audience.

Once upon a time …

An undrafted 23-year-old Asian who made only $762,000 playing for a 14-15 team totally captivated the NBA and the sports world.

“What’s my favorite nickname?” the kid says, repeating a question. “I kinda like Jeremy.”

Oh forget it. No one would dare believe the Jeremy Shu-How Lin story.

Would you?

(Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. / CBSDFW.com. All Rights Reserved.)

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Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants the world to know that the league-owned Hornets, with NBA commissioner David Stern calling the shots as de-facto owner, screwed up in making that trade.

“You’re better off just taking the cap room, or whatever,” Cuban said.

“I don’t think it was about the Lakers, per se,” Cuban said before the game. “I think it was just the way they did the deal, which was ridiculous. I don’t think it was about which team. I think it was the fact that, even with the Clippers, we just went through this whole (collective bargaining agreement) and said the incumbent team still has the advantage and then the team the league owns (wimps) out. And look how it’s worked out for them.

“Bad management gets you bad results.”

Read more “Report: Cuban bashes Stern for Chris Paul Trade” at CBSSports.com

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NEW YORK (CBS SPORTS) - Randy Moss admitted that he had regrets in New England and Minnesota, but the Jets and Eagles are reportedly “curious” in adding his services to their roster. But at least one team won’t be in the running for Moss — the same team that said “thanks, but no thanks” in the 1998 NFL Draft when they selected Greg Ellis with the No. 8 pick.

A source told ESPNDallas that the Cowboys will again pass on Moss, 15 years after initially doing so. “This shouldn’t come as a surprise because the Cowboys have some talented and young wide receivers in Miles Austin and Dez Bryant,” ESPNDallas reporter Calvin Watkins wrote Tuesday night. “The team also wants to re-sign Laurent Robinson, who led the team with 11 touchdown receptions in 2011.”

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Terrell Owens attends Game 3 of the 2011 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Center on June 5, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. (credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (CBS SPORTS) - The NFL season may be over, but that doesn’t mean there’s no football on the horizon. Yes, the NFL Combine is less than two weeks away but the same day that offensive linemen and tight ends go through their on-field paces at Lucas Oil Stadium, Terrell Owens will be making his IFL debut with the Allen Wranglers.

Okay, you were probably expecting a bit more in the “Wait, there’s still football!” build up. And we suspect that, come Februrary 25, many of you will opt to watch 350-pound guys run 40 yards in a straight line (possible unintentional comedy value) over T.O.’s not-so-triumphant return to football. (If you’re into tragicomedy, then maybe Owens and the Wranglers are for you.)

Part of the reason T.O. signed up for IFL duty is because he had burned a lot of NFL bridges. And of those left standing, no one was interested enough in a 37-year-old wide receiver — with behavior-management issues — to give him a shot. So, the Wranglers, where Owens is also co-owner, was his only football-playing option. Exacerbating matters: T.O., who was in the NFL for 15 seasons and signed contracts worth $80 million, is nearly broke.

Appearing on ESPN Radio recently, Owens, however, said people shouldn’t feel sorry for him. “Absolutely not,” he said via Sports Radio Interviews. “As far as my situation? The thought that I’ve lost $80 million? That’s a little bit skewed considering, like you said, if you look at the years and the contracts that I have had and me not actually completing a couple of those contracts in their entirety.”

Click Here To Read More From CBS Sports

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MacArthur, the state’s top-ranked team, advanced to play Keller in the area round of the Class 5A playoffs on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. at Colleyville Heritage High School.

Tenth-ranked DeSoto used stifling defense to shut down Killeen Ellison 43-22. The Lady Eagles move on to play Garland, a 58-39 winner over Richardson Berkner behind Bridget Robinson’s 18 points.

Stabresa McDaniel’s 18 points helped 15th-ranked Dallas Skyline romp past McKinney Boyd 60-30. Skyline will play Mesquite in the area round.

Here are the DFW high school girls area round matchups:

Class 5A

Region I

North Crowley vs. Lubbock Monterey

Arlington Bowie vs. Lubbock Coronado

#6 Plano West vs. #17 Cedar Hill

#1 Irving MacArthur vs. Keller

Arlington Martin vs. Amarillo

Arlington Lamar vs. El Paso Bel Air

#7 Southlake Carroll vs. Mansfield Timberview

#3 Duncanville vs. Flower Mound Marcus

Region II

Garland Naaman Forest vs. #8 Killeen Harker Heights

Sachse vs. Temple

#10 DeSoto vs. Garland

#15 Dallas Skyline vs. Mesquite

Class 4A

Region I

Stephenville vs. Keller Timber Creek

FW Western Hills vs. #19 Granbury

#4 Mansfield Summit vs. FW Trimble Tech

#10 Aledo vs. Arlington Seguin

Region II

#2 Dallas Lincoln vs. Wylie

#15 Rockwall vs. Dallas Kimball

Dallas Carter vs. Highland Park

McKinney North vs. Dallas Bryan Adams

#18 West Mesquite vs. Tyler John Tyler

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“Any win’s a great win,” said Turner, who led the Aggies with 16 points. “It’s hard to win, so when you do and you do it to another Texas team, a Big 12 team as we’re about to leave, I mean, it’s just that much better.”

Khris Middleton added 11 for A&M, which ended a four-game skid with the win and was 0-6 in road games until beating the Red Raiders.

The Aggies (13-12, 4-9) overcame a 15-point deficit and pulled ahead for the first time during an 18-5 run that included eight points from David Loubeau and five from Middleton.

After shooting 48 percent in the first half, Texas Tech went cold. The Red Raiders finished 5 of 19 from the field after the break, and scored just 12 points in the second half to finish with their lowest total of points in a game this season.

A&M shot poorly in the first half — 28 percent — compared to 39 percent in the second half.

“I thought we did a much better job in the second half,” Aggies coach Billy Kennedy said. “We played the guys who were playing well and being aggressive and attacking. We had some turnovers in the first half from some guys who were playing on the back of their heels.”

Jaye Crockett scored 12 points to lead Texas Tech (8-17, 1-12).

The Aggies won in Lubbock for the fourth straight time.

Texas A&M got back into the game using a 17-2 run that spanned the two halves to tie the game at 26 early in the second half when Turner hit a short jumper. Ten minutes later they tied it again at 36.

The difference came down to the Aggies getting offensive rebounds. They had nine in the first half and got 10 points off the 11 offensive rebounds in the second half.

Overall, A&M outrebounded the Red Raiders 41-23.

“It’s been a focus all my career if I miss a shot,” said Loubeau, who led A&M with eight rebounds, five of them offensive. “I chase a shot, and I try to go up strong with it.”

Texas Tech coach Billy Gillispie said his team wasn’t tough enough in the lane to win.

“They had 20 offensive rebounds, we only had 23 total rebounds and basically that was the story of the game,” he said. “We defended well enough to win. You give up 47 points, you’re supposed to win at home but we just didn’t score.”

The Aggies got their first lead with 6:43 remaining when Loubeau grabbed a rebound off a jumper by Middleton from the corner and slammed it down to put A&M up 38-36. The Red Raiders scored just once after that when Crockett got a dunk.

Texas Tech’s cold shooting started late in the first half. The Red Raiders missed on six of their last seven possessions and failed to score in their first four possessions of the second half.

Tech led 26-17 at halftime, only the second time in Big 12 play that the Red Raiders have held a lead at the break. They used a 15-4 run that included field goals from Javaris Willis, Crockett, Robert Lewandowski and a 3-pointer by Ty Nurse.

“We were up 24-9,” Willis said of the Red Raiders’ early lead. “I gave up a 3, Ty gave up a 3, and we just gave them hope.”

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Mike Moser had 22 points, but UNLV blew an 18-point lead in the second half and lost 102-97 in overtime at TCU.

“One of the things we’re not very good at right now is keeping our foot on the pedal on both ends of the floor,” Rebels coach Dave Rice said. “For us to be a very good team, for us to advance to being a very good team, we have to have almost that killer instinct where if we’re up six, get up eight; if we’re up 18, try to get up 22, 24. We just have a tendency to let off the accelerator a little bit.”

Las Vegas native Hank Thorns scored eight of his career-high 32 points in overtime for the Horned Frogs (15-10, 5-4 Mountain West), who beat a ranked team for the first time in five years.

TCU was still down by 15 points midway through the second half.

The Frogs hadn’t led since the opening minutes of the game when Thorns started overtime with a layup to make it 87-85. And they held onto the lead from there. Thorns made his eighth 3-pointer of the game with 1:21 left, dribbling in a circle around a couple defenders and then shooting over one to make it 96-91.

“It’s hard to put it into perspective — down 18 points to the No. 11 team in the country,” TCU coach Jim Christian said. “Our kids were so resilient and play so hard.”

UNLV (22-5, 6-3) had won 13 of its previous 15 games, the losses by a combined four points. The Rebels were coming off a 65-63 win over No. 13 San Diego State, where they had a 13-point lead with 15 minutes left. They also had a double-digit lead at Boise State three weeks ago before winning that game in overtime.

Against TCU, the Rebels scored the first eight points of the second half to push ahead 56-43.

They were up 76-61 with 9:54 left after Moser scored five quick points. Moser made a nifty basket at one end, then grabbed a long rebound on the other and drove for a layup while being fouled. He then made the free throw.

“We played very well to start the second half to get that lead,” Rice said. “Then giving them confidence to let them back in the game is frustrating.”

All five UNLV starters scored in double figures. Anthony Marshall and Chace Stanback had 17 points apiece. Oscar Bellfield scored 16 and Brice Massamba 12.

Just four weeks ago against TCU in Las Vegas, the Rebels opened the game with an 18-2 run. They led by at least 13 points the rest of the way and won 101-78.

Thorns finished 11 for 21 from the field, including 8 for 12 from beyond the arc. He called it a dream come true to beat the Rebels and celebrate with TCU students on the court after a big victory.

“He’s a special player,” Marshall said. “I grew up with him playing against him and with him. When he gets hot like that, he makes things happen and that’s what he did.”

TCU actually had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation after Bellfield had a turnover, but Thorns made one pass too many.

Kyan Anderson stole the ball and got it to Thorns, who was driving toward the basket. Instead of taking the shot, he dished it to J.R. Cadot, who made the layup — except the clock ran out before the ball got out of his hand.

TCU’s last win over a ranked team had been 71-66 over No. 14 Air Force.

“UNLV’s a phenomenal team, and I’m not taking anything away from them,” Christian said. “But don’t take anything away from our team. They didn’t give us this game, we won this game.”

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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The Aggies (18-6, 9-4 Big 12), trying to bounce back from a 71-48 loss Saturday at No. 1 Baylor, trailed 50-45 when Morgan Eye made a 3-pointer for Missouri with 4:14 to play. Texas A&M scored the next 11 points, taking the lead for good on Tyra White’s basket with 51 seconds to play, to deny Missouri its first Big 12 win this season.

Standish made a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left and Adaora Elonu added two more with 9 seconds remaining for A&M.

Christine Flores led the Tigers (10-14, 0-13) with 20 points and Eye scored 19.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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J'Covan Brown of the Texas Longhorns during a game on March 11, 2011. (credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Texas guard J’Covan Brown said he received the best 22nd birthday present possible Tuesday night — a victory over Oklahoma. For a bonus, the Longhorns boosted their NCAA tournament hopes.

Brown, the Big 12′s scoring leader, had 19 points and Texas extended its winning streak to four games, rallying from an eight-point deficit to win 69-58.

“We got a win,” Brown said. “There’s no better birthday than this, spending it with my teammates.”

Oklahoma (13-12, 3-10) dropped its fifth consecutive game, its fourth in a row at home and its fifth straight in its series against Texas (17-9, 7-6), which is seeking a 14th straight NCAA tournament appearance under coach Rick Barnes.

Myck Kabongo and Sheldon McClellan scored 13 points each for Texas.

Steven Pledger led the Sooners with 18 points, and Cameron Clark and Romero Osby had 13 apiece.

Oklahoma led 33-25 in the final minute of the first half, but Texas used a 10-0 run spanning intermission to go ahead.

Oklahoma rallied briefly to go up 37-35, but Brown hit three 3-pointers in a 3-minute span as the Longhorns seized control with a 19-5 run and went up 54-42 on a jam by Jaylen Bond with 10:57 left.

Texas cranked up its defensive intensity after halftime, as evidenced by Oklahoma’s turnovers. The Sooners had three miscues in the first half but ended the game with 13.

Texas also kept Oklahoma off the free throw line in the second half, as the Sooners went 1 of 2 from the line. For the game, Oklahoma was 5 of 8, compared to 24 of 29 for the Longhorns.

“It was a tough start to the second half,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “We made some shots in the first half, and a lot of guys were doing some pretty good things.

“Then early in the second half, it seemed like there was a possession or two that kind of deflated us a little bit. We just couldn’t get back on top. As a result of that, we played with a little bit less energy the rest of the way. We need to figure out a way to work through that.”

Before its current winning streak, Texas had lost five of six games, jeopardizing its NCAA tournament hopes during a season in which five of the Longhorns’ top six scorers are freshmen.

But the Longhorns’ ability to rally in the second half has proven invaluable in reversing their course. Texas has trailed at halftime in each of its last three games but came back to beat Texas A&M, then rallied from 13 down at halftime to defeat Kansas State before overtaking Oklahoma.

Barnes said he has told his players they won’t make the NCAA tournament field based on reputation.

“I can assure you that nobody is going to talk their way into the NCAA tournament,” he said. “In another 2 1/2 to three weeks, you’re going to have a resume, and you’re either good enough or you’re not.

“We’ve got enough games to prove that we are good enough, and we’ve got a choice to make. If we want to do it, it’s there for us. I think it’s that simple. You’ve got to earn it.

“I don’t think we’re there yet, in terms of what we have to do to get where we want to go, until we understand it’s tough. We have to understand the urgency.”

Against the Sooners, Brown was emblematic of Texas’ recent turnaround. The junior guard struggled in the first half, going 2 of 8. He missed all four of his 3-point attempts and threw up two air balls before his shots began falling during the Longhorns’ big second-half run. He finished 5 of 14 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free throw line.

“We just had to be more aggressive in getting shots that were there,” Brown said. “I had to settle down and let the game come to me.”

Texas shot 39 percent (20 of 52) compared to 41 percent (24 of 58) for the Sooners.

Oklahoma led most of the first half after making five of its first six shots. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Tyler Neal and Osby put the Sooners ahead 28-21 with 2:24 left in the half. A 6-0 run just before halftime made it 33-25 before a three-point play by McClellan with 5 seconds left.

After Texas’ second-half run put the Longhorns up by 12, Oklahoma closed within six points twice, the final time at 58-52 on Andrew Fitzgerald’s basket with 5 minutes left. But the Sooners came no closer as Texas went 13 of 14 from the line in the final 5:10.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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The Detroit Red Wings celebrate their NHL record breaking 21st consecutive home victory by beating the Dallas Stars 3-1 at Joe Louis Arena on February 14, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan. (credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

DETROIT (AP) - Red-and-white clad fans haven’t seen the Detroit Red Wings lose at home in more than three months.

The NHL has never seen such success at home in one season.

The Red Wings beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Tuesday night for their 21st straight win in Detroit — breaking the single-season mark of 20 set by Boston in the 1929-30 season and matched by Philadelphia in 1976.

During the final minute of the latest home win, the crowd showered the Red Wings with a standing ovation — and chanted, “21! 21!”

“In the end when they were really cheering, before and after the buzzer went, it was a pretty cool feeling,” forward Henrik Zetterberg said.

Zetterberg and Brad Stuart scored midway through the first period and Detroit went on to surpass the long-standing record.

After time expired, the Red Wings went to goaltender Joey MacDonald and then skated toward center ice to thank their passionate patrons by raising their sticks.

Detroit extended the streak with three wins in shootouts, which became a part of the league in 2005 after the lockout and has led some to downplay the significance of this record.

In the past, the Red Wings would’ve had to settle for ties and an unbeaten streak instead of a winning run.

“There’s really no way to combat that argument,” Stuart said. “But still, it’s an incredible accomplishment regardless of what you’re going to compare it to.”

Since the shootout eliminated ties, the longest previous home winning streak was 14 by Boston during the 2008-09 season. Detroit’s run began after a loss to Calgary on Nov. 3.

Adam Burish, who scored for Dallas, said what the Red Wings have done isn’t watered down by the fact they have chances to win games that used to end in ties.

“I think it’s harder than it was in the 70s, just because of the parity,” Burish said. “There are no games where you can just show up and think you’re going to win.”

Detroit has an NHL-high 39 wins and 80 points, but the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers are just a point behind and have played three fewer games.

“Anytime you’re in a race like we are, you need the points,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said.

The resurgent St. Louis Blues, steady Nashville Predators and talented Chicago Blackhawks won’t make it easy for the Red Wings to win the Central Division, and top seeding in the West will likely be closely contested with the defending conference champion Vancouver Canucks.

That is why the Red Wings have been more focused on the standings than the streak.

“It’s something we’re going to cherish, but we’ve talked about getting more points to stay where we are in the standings,” captain Nicklas Lidstrom said.

MacDonald made 20 saves, filling in again for the injured Jimmy Howard, and was 32.8 seconds away from his third NHL shutout.

Kari Lehtonen stopped 34 shots for the Stars.

The Red Wings’ next two games are at home — Friday against Nashville, and Sunday when they host San Jose. That will give them a chance to break another record by the Bruins.

Boston won 22 straight home games, spanning two seasons. The Bruins closed the 1929-30 season with 20 victories at home and then won its first two in Boston the following season.

“That’s something I didn’t know of, but we’ll refocus again and go to work again for Friday,” Lidstrom said.

The NBA’s longest home winning streak in a season is 37, set by Chicago during the 1995-96 season. The 1978 Pittsburgh Pirates and 1988 Boston Red Sox both won 24 straight at home for baseball’s longest single-season, home-winning streaks since 1919. The Miami Dolphins won 27 straight at home from 1971-74 for the NFL mark.

Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said before Tuesday’s game that the team wouldn’t make room for a banner in Joe Louis Arena’s crowded rafters if a record was set against Dallas.

Holland said the club can hoist four banners each season for winning the Stanley Cup, the Presidents’ Trophy, and Western Conference and Central Division titles.

Detroit hopes it doesn’t follow the path of the last two teams to win 20 straight at home.

The Bruins eight-plus decades ago and the Flyers nearly 36 years ago were defending Stanley Cup champions and went on to lose in the finals.

Detroit essentially finished off Dallas in the first half of the opening period.

“We started on time,” Babcock said. “I actually thought their goaltender was really good. Without him it could have been worse.

“If you can play with the lead, you’re always a better team.”

Zetterberg scored off his own rebound on the power play 7:57 in, and Stuart’s wrist shot sliced through traffic from the top of the right circle 1:18 later to make it 2-0.

“We made it real hard on ourselves,” Burish said. “They’re too good to have to chase.”

After the Red Wings held onto the lead rather comfortably, Jiri Hudler slipped behind the Stars on a shift change and scored with 4:49 left in the game to give Detroit a three-goal lead.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Under the agreement announced Friday, Cruz’s 2013 salary can rise by an additional $500,000 based on plate appearances in 2012: $100,000 each for 500, 525, 550, 575 and 600.

He can earn an additional $50,000 if he’s an All-Star, as he was in 2009, and $75,000 if he’s the AL championship series MVP, which he earned last year after hitting a record six home runs in the six-game victory over Detroit.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Dr. James Robison, Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton's pastor. (Credit: CBSDFW.com)

EULESS (CBSDFW.COM) – Josh Hamilton the baseball star, the homerun hitter, the fan favorite, is a Josh Hamilton you may never see again.

To hear his friends –– including his pastor Dr. James Robison –– tell it, you will see something better.

“I said, ‘Josh I feel like I’m talking to a new person,’” Robison said. “And he chuckled, as though he knew.”

Robison leads LIFE Outreach, a Christian ministry headquartered in Euless. He is one of several people surrounding Hamilton and his wife, following Hamilton’s relapse with alcohol addiction in a Dallas bar.

Hamilton was one of the first to acknowledge the need for a new type of recovery.

In a press conference acknowledging his drinking this month he said, “I cannot take a break from my recovery. My recovery is Christ. My recovery is an everyday process.”

Robison says in the last two weeks, the outfielder has looked deep inside to achieve that.

“I am watching what I would call a very legitimate transformation of his thinking and dealing with issues that go all the way back into his youth,” Robison said. “And the very things that perhaps made him vulnerable to the addictive tendencies that made him almost throw away his whole future.”

It has helped, Robison says, that Hamilton has been in a city that supports him. He offered a ‘thank you’ Tuesday to the Dallas-Fort Worth Area and the media for aiding Hamilton in his recovery.

Wednesday, Robison will fill in for Glenn Beck on his online show GBTV. Hamilton will join him for his first on-on-one interview since his relapse.

“Well let’s just wait and see what Josh says,” Robison said. “I’m kinda interested too.”

With no distribution deals appearing imminent, Texas officials are asking Longhorns fans to be patient.

It’s been an awkward start for a network that rivals worried would be an unbeatable attraction for recruits. The 20-year, $300-million deal between Texas and ESPN created a wedge that nearly split apart the Big 12.

But after launching last August with amid great fanfare locally, few Texas fans even get to see it and analysts predict they could be in for a long wait.

The all-Texas-all-the-time channel is considered a niche product in a sports broadcasting marketplace with conference networks that offer broader programming.

   (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

After the Sept. 15 game at Kansas, the Horned Frogs play non-conference games against Virginia and at SMU before their first Big 12 home game Oct. 6 against Iowa State.

The Big 12 finally released its 10-team, round-robin schedule Tuesday after West Virginia, the Big 12′s other newcomer, settled a lawsuit with the Big East to clear the way to begin play in the Big
12 next season.

TCU plays at West Virginia on Nov. 3.

Texas Tech, Kansas State and Oklahoma are the other Big 12 home games for TCU. The Frogs also play at Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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