yates's Blog

I want to say goodbye to all the viewers. I have really enjoyed my 12 years at fox4 but this is officially my last day. I will be going into the corporate world.

Thanks so much for all the emails and comments over the years. I will miss being out in the field and talking with all the great people I have met in the past. Take care and maybe I will see you down the road.

yates

It's been a long time since Jerry Jones has gotten this area a super bowl. The last time was 1995 when Troy Aikman was the quarterback. This time it was Roger Staubach leading the charge. Does this victory make Jerry Jones a winner again? Or do  you still think he needs to prove it once again on the football field this fall?

I know we have had worse teams in the past in this area but with the way all our teams fell apart this year would you rank this as one of the worst seasons in dallas sports history?

Can you ever remember the cowboys losing a playoff game on a bobbled snap, the best mavs team in franchise history losing in round one? The stars once again getting bumped in round one and the rangers almost 10 games out before june? How does everyone feel out there? What does this city need to turn around the sports? Is this the worse you have felt and if not what year made you feel worse then this and why?

Just think about this. The mavs would be destroing the jazz and getting their rematch with the spurs. Everyone thought the spurs/mavs series last year was the real western conference finals and it actually could have been for real this year.

Golden state just matched up perfectly against the mavs but I think if they could have played anyone else the mavs and spurs would have been a great matchup. What do you think? Were the mavs overrated and would they have been a great test against the spurs?

With the way the season has started I dont think the rangers can recover. They really needed to get off to a decent start to prove to themselves they were legit. I know it's early but I also think it's over. What do you think? Am I overeacting or do you believe the rangers are toast?

I talk with pro athletes everyday and hear the word inspiration quite a bit. Someone will say "that guy inspires us on the court or on the field" or something like that. I've heard it all but nothing like a recent interview.

A friend of mine named Alyssa Boyd and her husband Chris Boyd are bike riding 150 miles to help in the cause for multiple sclerosis. Her inspiration is her friend named Alyce Glazer Levy who was diagnosed with ms. I wanted to do a story about Alyce but I believe this email in her own words is the best way to be inspired by her life.

This email was written in her own words:  by Alyce Glazer Levy

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Short but sweet, I can say that when I was diagnosed I was totally shocked, I didn’t even know what ms was.  In my head, I was making plans to leave my husband because I thought I was going to die, and I didn’t want him to have to watch. We had only been married a year or so.  But we did some research and I learned about all of the new drugs, research etc.  it didn’t make it a lot easier, but I decided I could take one day at a time.  I have done half marathons, and I know there is a walk for every cause.  So I got on the net and found the ms150.  This seemed a little crazy, but it gave me a goal and something to do.  Doug and I hadn’t been on a bike since high school, so we had to buy some!  And we started the team that year, after I was diagnosed in sept 2000.  The ride was may 2001, so we trained and did it!

Crossing the finish line that first time was everything a first time thing should be.  It was so amazing.  I get chills even thinking about it.  I crossed with friends, and tears.  And just because I am an anal retentive control freak, a little part of me felt like maybe, since I was working really hard for a cure, destiny would help give me one.  Alyssa is a friend who is really more than a friend.  She’s a sister.  She gets it.  And she is also an amazing person who has decided that she wouldn’t take things in her life lying down.  I respect her courage and her spirit.  And riding with her, even though she is waaaaaayyyyy ahead of me, makes me feel safer, like someone gets it.  I was in awe of the way she picked her cute self up and decided to ride.  But that’s how she does things.

Pretty much, now, after 6.5 years, and a million calls from friends, or friends of friends who fear a diagnosis of ms, I feel like I am racing time till my beloved kids are old enough to know about stuff like this.  I want it gone.  I know how much my parents ache worrying about me.  And I know all the questions behind my back, is she ok?  And I’m done with that.  I don’t want jordan and taylor to have to hear that their friend has been diagnosed with ms.  It’s time for it to go away.  Mostly, I care about being 100 percent so that I can babysit my grandchildren and great granchildren.  And I know that’s cheesy, so edit away.

And also, one day, when they are my age, and they know about ms, I want jordan and taylor to look at what doug and I did to fight for something we thought mattered and know that they could do it to.  For whatever life brings them.  Sitting around and being helpless sucks.  It’s the sort of thing that ruins a life, way more than ms.

Thanks for reading

al

Dirk took the criticism and responded big time. It was his best game of the series and he looked like an mvp. Did dirk save the season or just delay the inevitable elimination?

I was talking to a friend that used to be a ballboy for the mavs in the 1980's. He saw some disappointing seasons and he admits that this is the worst season of all if it ends with first round loss to golden state.

The mavs had even worse seasons in the 90's but with the expectations of this season if they do falter would it be the worst of all-time? What do you think?

I just left the warriors practice and got a chance to talk to Don Nelson. He has and still is one of the best interviews in sports history.

When  the series started Nellie called his team a bunch of schmoe's. I asked Nellie if he would pull a parcells(remember his famous quote" you can't call them losers anymore")  would nellie say you can't call them schmoe's anymore? His response was classic "Nope. They'll be schmoe's all season." These "schmoe's" are 1 win from the biggest upset in nba playoff history.

What do you think of Don Nelson? Even if you're a mavs fan are you happy that he is having this kind of success? Let me know what you think.

It was one of the most emotional sporting events that I've ever been a part of. During the 3rd round of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship they stopped play to pay tribute to Mr. Nelson. It was the first time in pga tour history that they stopped in the middle of the round to honor an individual.

 There is no one more worthy of praise then Byron Nelson. He lived on this earth with one goal in mind to help others and live the way God wanted him to live.

I had plenty of interviews with Mr. Nelson but a few years ago I got to sit down with him for a one on one interview. The intimate setting was a pleasure. I will never forget his response to my question about his biggest moment in golf. Mr. Nelson looked at me and responded "my best moment is that golf allows me to touch people's lives by helping them live a better life." Mr Nelson was a great man and saturday was the perfect tribute.

I would love to hear any stories that our viewers have about Mr. Nelson or just your thoughts on what kind of individual he was.

I just got back from the warriors practice and Don Nelson was in rare form. He was the most relaxed I've ever seen him. This is the perfect scenario for nellie because he is the underdog.

He expects the mavs to bounce back in game 2 and said his team is more likely to get struck by lightning then win game 2. Watch out because that means nellie is relaxed and confident. Does anyone think the warriors can keep this up and actually upset the mavs? Let me know what you expect for the rest of the series.

Jerry Jones held a press conference about the nfl draft and one of the more interesting points was the link to the past. Jerry was asked if he would call Parcells for some advice and he said yes but even more interesting was who else he would call. How about Barry Switzer and Larry Lacewell. Jones still likes to talk to those guys and get their opinion on college players.

If you were Jerry Jones who would you have on your speed dial? Would you call Parcells, Swizter, Lacewell or someone else? Let me know who would be on your list.

This is one of the most busy weeks in dallas sports history. The EDS Byron Nelson Championship, Stars Playoffs, Mavs Playoffs, and Rangers hosting division rival mariners. What are you most excited about this week and why?

I go on vacation for a week and before I left the stars were toast and the mavs were the team to beat. What happened?!?

I return and now the stars have rallied to force a game 7 and the mavs stink up the arena in game 1. What a strange twist of events.

Who has the better position right now? The stars playing lights out but having to win a game 7 on the road or the mavs losing home court and having to stop a 6 game losing streak to the warriors? Let me know which position you like better and why?