One of my favorite morning shows is the Fox Business Channel's interesting show Money for Breakfast. Well, how about let's do some Plano Football For Breakfast this morning.

I was alerted to something very interesting, so I had to research it for myself. (quick note: this is not a personal attack, just the truth). The 2008 Dave Campbell's Texas Football lists 20 Top Sophomores for the Class of 2011. Included among these players is Plano WR Collin Brence. The 2006 Texas Football listed 20 Top Sophomores of what should be the Class of 2009 (they say 2008, whatever). Lake Travis' Garrett Gilbert and Aldine Eisenhower's Craig Loston were on there and should be. Unbelievably, Rex Burkhead wasn't.

Burkhead was the first freshman ever to play on varsity. He was on Plano's 7-on-7 team between his freshman and sophomore years. He was in the nine-man rotation on Plano's state championship basketball team. He is the best senior football player in the Metroplex. He has scholarship offers from Nebraska and Texas A&M just to name a few.

Brence wasn't on Plano's state 7-on-7 team last weekend. There were 20 players on the roster. He didn't play on varsity last year, and didn't intercept a pass in a state quarterfinal game against Southlake Carroll as a freshman (Burkhead did). He isn't likely to play on varsity. He may never play receiver at Plano.

I understand this list is partly based on potential, but this just cries of something wrong. It begs the question, where did Texas Football get its information in 2006 and 2008? From former coach Gerald Brence? From one of Plano's assistant coaches? Could this have really happened? Please tell me no. Please tell that when coaches turn in this information, that they understand that these lists must have integrity. I say that as someone that compiled The Dallas Morning News' Area Top 100 for three years.

A Plano insider has told me Brence will be a good football player at Plano. I will be the first one to write about Brence if he's one of the Top 20 seniors in 2011, or even if he's not.  I hope he's a team captain and leads Plano to a state title. I hope he gets a scholarship like his brothers.

Just know where I'm coming from, that I take these lists very seriously. 

1) I woke up this morning to this headline: Mavericks say no to Artest-for-Josh Howard deal. This is a hoax, right?  Because no one in their right mind would pass up getting Artest, one of the top 10 most talented players, for the blabber-mouth, everyone-in-the-NBA-is-smoking-pot Howard. The Mavericks are on the verge of being irrelevent again in Dallas. The Rangers have Josh Hamilton and a bunch of unreal young players. The Cowboys have Romo, T.O. and Pacman. The Stars have Ott and Avery. And the Mavericks turn down Artest, the gritty defensive-minded player who can score, a rare commodity in the NBA? That's crazy. If Artest ends up on the Lakers or the Spurs, that will be the end of Mark Cuban and he'll have to buy the Cubs or Steelers to save face.  

2) By the way, here's dallasbasketball.com's exclusive interview with new Maverick Gerald Green, who is an intriguing acquisition.

3) Is Cowboys' training camp really this close? Nothing gets over-covered in Dallas like Cowboys' training camp. For some reason decision makers like Dale Hansen think it is always he care about in sports in August. Personally, it's still baseball season for me and that's where my attention will be, not on Romo and Pacman.

4) This is going to be an interesting two weeks for the Rangers because they are in this situation: Are we buyers or sellers at the tradeline? Namely, is Hank Blalock being showcased at third base for a possible trade after the team insisted several weeks ago that he was a first baseman now? Here's T.R. Sullivan's preview for the second half. The Morning News' Evan Grant takes a look at the second half.

5) I stumbled across a Washington Post series on Chandra Levy. If you don't remember, Levy's disappearance created a media frenzy and was a daily story on cable before it got lost in 9/11 coverage. Levy's story of course involves a U.S. Congressman, Gary Condit, and the intern, the kind of story the Beltway goes crazy over. It's a good series, not as good as the journalism the St. Petersburg Times rolls out there, but good. This is perhaps the best serial narrative ever.

6) So I just finished the new Daniel Silva book, Moscow Rules, and will have a full review soon. But let me just say, get the book. Silva has really outdone himself with this chilling, so real novel about a Russian international arms dealer. Silva will be at Dallas' Barnes and Noble across from Northpark for a book signing on July 31. 

7) I got a free pass to The Dark Knight, so I'll be going to see the new Batman movie today. I see a movie on its premiere day once a year. This is definitely the one. I'm going to go into this film disregarding the hype of Heath Ledger's Oscar candicacy. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it. But I always question the media's fixation of an actor who has died before his last film comes out. From the trailers it looks like Ledger is outstanding. But I don't want to be swayed by the media's outlandish hype. I'll also try to get a review from Rangers' closer C.J. Wilson, who told me he would see the movie this weekend in Minnesota. I once did a season's worth of movie reviews with Wilson when he played for the Frisco RoughRiders. He is as knowlegable about films as anyone I know.

8) Nothing like reading Drudge in the morning, who has a stunning report on Obama's upcoming trip to Israel and Europe. Also, found this outrageous story.

9) Is it like 1920 or something? Greg Norman is leading the British Open? I guess let's give credit to his new bride, Chris Evert, still my all-time favorite women's tennis player.

There are three writers I countdown to the release of their books: Daniel Silva, Vince Flynn and David Halberstam (God Rest His Soul). I used to be that way about John Grisham, but not as much lately.

Silva is back with Gabriel Allon, the art restorer and sometime officer of Israeli intelligence. There is not another book character and a better espoinage writer than Silva. Trust me.

I am two chapters into Moscow Rules, Silva's book that is due out July 15. I'll be back with a review next week. But I urge you to be in the store to buy it.

Silva's writing is: a) so fluid; b) he takes you place in Europe like no one elses; c) he makes it seem so real. 

Books I've read in 2008:

1. Double Cross, James Patterson (my first venture into Alex Cross series other than seeing the Morgan Freeman-Ashley Judd movie "Kiss the Girls")

2. Cross, James Patterson (Important to the series)

3. Mary, Mary, James Patterson (This really go me into the series)

4. London Bridges, James Patterson (The Weasel annoys me)

5. The Appeal, John Grisham (I like Grisham but this isn't one of my favorites)

6. Tarnished Heisman, Don Yaeger (You'll have a whole new outlook on Reggie Bush's time at Southern Cal)

7.  Rigged, Ben Mezrich (It's not Bringing Down the House, one of my Top 5 favorite books I've read. Mezrich does a great job of taking you on the inside)

8. The Big Bad Wolf, James Patterson (Awesome)

9. Four Blind Mice, James Patterson (lntense)

10. Violets Are Blue, James Patterson (As you can see I went crazy reading Patterson)

11. Roses Are Red, James Patterson (Important to series)

12. Friday Night Lights, Buzz Bissinger (For inspiration)

13. Along Came A Spider, James Patterson (Where it all started for Alex Cross; a decent movie starring Morgan Freeman)

14. Kiss The Girls, James Patterson (A Classic in this genre)

15. Jack and Jill, James Patterson (My personal favorite Patterson book)

16. Cat & Mouse, James Patterson (Big surprises in this one, his most suspenseful Alex Cross book)

17. Pop Goes The Weasel, James Patterson (The Weasel annoys me)

18. Protect and Defend, Vince Flynn (He's second favorite writer after Daniel Silva; truly awesome)

19. Act of Treason, Vince Flynn (Shocking, so real, so weird)

20. Moscow Rules, Daniel Silva (maybe his best yet)

Posted by Jennifer Wills 

I guess you could call me a casual reader. I enjoy reading books late in the evening to calm my mind so I may drift to sleep. I read about 5 – 10 pages or even a chapter a night so I am only churning through about one book a month. My husband on the other hand, he will read about four books at once and knock them out in the same amount of time it takes me to read one! And our choices in literature are very different! I typically read murder mysteries from the likes of Koontz, Cornwell, Patterson…he reads more political, intellectually stimulating, biographical types. He is so smart! Love him!

Also, on a completely different topic, (I will tie the two together a little later!) I am a very spiritual person, although my spirituality is not necessarily tied to a religion, per se. I believe there is a God, not just a higher power. I believe in the Affirmation of Faith that I say aloud in church every week, but I wouldn’t say that I fit the bible thumper role, either. I believe the bible is to be read and interpreted, not taken literally or to be used to bash others who do not agree.

All of this being said, my mother-in-law suggested my husband and I read this book called The Shack by William P. Young. Stay with me here – my husband’s brother’s mother-in-law read it and suggested that my mother-in-law read it because of a tragedy that happened within her (my husband’s) family. (Confused yet?) She loved it! She has said how she sees life so differently now….

I have started reading this book and I am on page 101….here are my thoughts thus far….

The foreward really begins the journey for you – I sometimes skip forewards – I encourage anyone who reads this book to read the foreword. Each chapter has a quote associated with it – as to outline the context of the chapter. I LOVE THIS! The first quote hit me so hard, right in my heart, that it has become my mantra. (I am being vague here as my husband has not read it yet!) The book starts off very dark, I mean very dark. There are mentions of God in it, but normal God speak stuff like, “I prayed that God would…” etc etc….and then it turns a corner. It grabs you and takes hold. I have been unable to put this book down !

Now that I am around the corner, it seems fantastic. In an LSD fantastic sorta way. I don’t want to delve too much into what is going on, since dear hubby hasn’t read it, but suffice it to say, the foreward is correct when it states there are parts that seem too incredible to believe. I am thinking this is the reason the book is in the fiction section.  At the same time, I WANT to believe that what I am ready truly happened. I WANT to be so open minded and I WANT to feel the love that is just oozing out of this book. I NEED to believe it.

I am excited for the rest of the journey through this book. I have a pen and highlighter in hand as I go because some of what is said is worthy of writing down, studying more closely and aiding in my relationship with God. I will write again when the book has been fully read, although, I am quite sure, will not be fully digested.

I truly believe this book will shape my future. At the bare minimum, will shape how I see the future and react to certain events. I just hope that the fervor I have now, will remain. I am quite confident this is a book I won’t want to sell to half price books when I am done. I will most likely want to refer to it as I move through the rest of my life. I truly believe that some of what I am reading now will not be fully understood or have impact in my life until later…and that is OK by me.