Jeff Miller

Last year's @TheCupPlayoffs final four this year? @Canes breezed to a 4-0 first-round sweep, matching the total wins of the other three. @DallasStars out in 6, @EdmontonOilers out in 6, @FlaPanthers failed to qualify.

What does veteran @DaLLasStars forward Matt Duchene think of his general manager? "I'd run through a brick wall for that guy." texasmonthly.com/culture/dallas…

When animal control finally pulled onto the shoulder of a crowded two-lane road, they were stunned by what they saw. Two dogs were moving carefully along the center line of traffic, inches from speeding cars. One was a large, elderly Golden Retriever named Samson. His once-beautiful coat was tangled and neglected, and his eyes were milky with advanced cataracts. He couldn’t see at all. Beside him was a tiny, wiry terrier mix named Benny, barely ten pounds. But Benny wasn’t simply walking next to Samson. He stayed pressed firmly against the bigger dog’s leg, gently steering him away from danger. When Benny paused, Samson froze. When Benny shifted direction, Samson followed. That little terrier had taken on the role of guide, protector, and constant companion. At the county shelter, reality set in quickly. The facility was overcrowded. Finding a home for one aging large dog with medical needs would be difficult. Placing two dogs together felt nearly impossible. The manager made the painful decision to separate them. Benny was placed in a small kennel in the puppy area. Samson was moved to the large-dog ward on the opposite side of the building. The outcome was immediate and devastating. Benny howled and clawed at the kennel door for days, his paws scraped raw as he tried to get back to his friend. Samson withdrew entirely. He pressed himself into the far corner of his run, refused food and water, and trembled constantly. Without his tiny guide, the world became overwhelming and frightening again. I happened to be at the shelter dropping off blankets when I heard Benny’s desperate cries. A volunteer, wiping away tears, told me their story. She said they wouldn’t last long apart. I didn’t call my husband. I didn’t hesitate. I walked to the front desk, handed over my credit card, and asked them to bring me both adoption files. When they led Samson into the lobby, Benny nearly yanked the leash from my grip. He rushed forward, licking Samson’s face and instantly positioning himself against his leg like he’d never left. Samson released a deep, trembling breath and stopped shaking. The fear melted away the moment his guide returned. Now they’re stretched out together on my living room rug. Every morning, Benny still nudges Samson gently toward the water bowl and guides him through the house. They are a bonded pair in every sense. And they will never be separated again. ❤️

Suggested follow-up reading on John Walker Wingate's historic minor league career: "Left on Base in the Bush Leagues" by Gaylon H. White and "Bush League Boys: The Postwar Legends of Baseball in the American Southwest" by Toby Smith.

@SEC historical note as @GreenWaveFB and @OleMissFB get underway: First Black athlete in conference history? Green Wave baseball player Stephen Martin, both as a freshman in April 1965 and the first on varsity the following spring. Tulane left SEC after the 1965-66 academic year.

And the other six-man title game today? Whew - Jayton 99, Richland Springs 54.

Gordon High football 2025 by numbers: 2,248 - miles traveled after a May tornado limited home sked to one game; 44 - straight wins, longest current UIL streak, following Wednesday's 69-22 win over Rankin for a third straight state title. @TexasMonthly texasmonthly.com/arts-entertain…

Gordon High's football team will try to win a third consecutive state championship this Wednesday and extend the UIL's current longest winning streak to 44 games after playing ONE home game this season, hastily scheduled for the final week. @TexasMonthly texasmonthly.com/arts-entertain…

The state of NHL hockey in Texas before Tom Hicks bought the @DallasStars 30 years ago today? Said Ralph Strangis: "We weren't going to make payroll at Christmas." @DMagazine dmagazine.com/sports/2025/12…

Gordon High's Longhorns, traveling more than 2,000 miles this season after their home football field was ruined by a tornado last May, are one win away from a third consecutive appearance in the six-man Division I state championship game. #TexasMonthly texasmonthly.com/arts-entertain…

No way little Gordon High was supposed to play a home football game this fall after their field was decimated by a tornado last May. Well, it happened. And what a celebration it was. texasmonthly.com/arts-entertain…

Gordon's Longhorns held Senior Night and Homecoming all in one during their season finale, their only home game of the season.

#Dodgers trying to go back-to-back for the first time (failed in 1956 and '66). Seven franchises have done it: #Yankees (12x), #Athletics (4) and once each by #Cubs, #RedSox, #Giants, #Reds and #BlueJays.

Would match current and previous Seattle clubs.

This will take a good bit of time to read. Worth every minute.

Was like when Kramer won a Tony!

Members of the Society for American Baseball Research, or SABR, recently held their summer convention in Irving. The trivia contests were like Jeopardy! but delivered at 101 mph, high and inside. It was a ball. (Full disclosure - yours truly is a member.) texasmonthly.com/arts-entertain…

@FlaPanthers are the first team in the four major sports to win the league title without home field/court/ice advantage in any postseason round since the 2014 @SFGiants. (Excluding all 2020 bubble results.) The most recent previous Stanley Cup winners to do so were 2012 @LAKings.

An All-Star as a starter 10 years ago, Brownwood's Shelby Miller leads the Arizona @Dbacks with six saves at age 34. Our look at his pitching reinvention for @TexasMonthly from last summer ... texasmonthly.com/arts-entertain…

Fans of the @DallasStars have long adored color analyst Daryl "Razor" Reaugh. The NHL Broadcasters Association has chosen him for inclusion in the media wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame this fall. Sprinkles! Texas Monthly's 2021 profile of @Razor5Hole: texasmonthly.com/arts-entertain…