Well, I woke up this morning ...

…And there was more on my mind than just my son, my granddaughter and My Hero.

1. Experienced that wrenching Mavericks loss this evening up close and personal. All through the fourth quarter I kept thinking if the Mavericks could play defense like Chicago, they would be unbeatable. Unfortunately, they can’t play defense as well as most of the teams I saw this past weekend at the Special Olympics tournament in Grand Prairie. Giving up 100 points at home to the Bulls, a team that averages 93.1 points a game, is abysmal. It also means Dallas is tied with Phoenix for the eighth and final playoff spot (as I write this, however, Phoenix’s home game with New Orleans is still in progress), and the Mavs are only one game ahead of Memphis in the all-important loss column from being shut out of the playoffs. To make matters worse, Dallas begins a grueling seven-game stretch beginning Sunday at San Antonio. The six games following the Spurs are: at Denver (I know Denver is not that good, but playing them in the Mile High City can be problematic), at home against Portland and Indiana, at Golden State, at Utah (another lottery team but a tough out at their place), and at Oklahoma City. That’s brutal, but at the end of that stretch we should know if the Mavericks are a playoff or a lottery team.

2. Pete Sessions is a disgrace. In his latest television campaign ads, he is promising to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Doesn’t he remember that Republicans tried and failed 47 times to repeal the ACA before it went into effect? And now that it is working legislation and helping hundreds of thousands of Americans to purchase health insurance they couldn’t afford before the ACA, even the most conservative of Republicans willingly admit the have given up on any repeal effort. So either Sessions is a demagogue of the rankest order or completely delusional. However, neither of those aforementioned attributes are ones someone representing us in Congress should possess. But then most Texas voters don’t think for themselves anyway. They are Stepford voters – acting the way Fox News tells them to. However, that’s slowly changing for the better. I just hope I’m still alive when Texas finally enters the Political 19^th Century.

3. So there’s cracks in Eagle Stadium. The pride and joy of the City of Allen has fissures. And they’re getting bigger. These crevices, however, apparently were noticed right after the joint was completed. But I guess back then the powers-that-be said "That’s OK. The walls need room to breathe and stretch out, especially during the Texas summer." I guess no one seemed to pay any attention to the fact that the stadium — the only building that gives Allen a skyline — was finished during the summer. Personally speaking, I thought the fine folks in Allen had their priorities way out of whack when they approved spending $60 million to construct this 18,000-seat behemoth at a time when public school spending was being slashed by the State of Texas. So now, while I imagine there is much moaning, wailing and gnashing of teeth going on among my neighbors to the north, I kinda have to just sit back and chuckle at this turn of events.

Now, here’s some sweet, soul music to help you into the weekend. I’ll be pack tomorrow with my Oscar predictions.