| Larry Powell: So when is a Maverick not really a maverick? 01/18/2001 By / The Dallas Morning News Good morning, Tex. And I use the term "Tex" as loosely as some people use the term "maverick."
Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks for their new logo, the one with a horse on it. God bless focus groups, advertising geniuses and other consultants who were involved in the logo selection process.
Of course, anybody from Texas knows that "maverick" refers to, as Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary plainly puts it, "especially a motherless calf." And, anybody from Texas with access to The Handbook of Texas or a semester of seventh-grade Texas history knows that the term "maverick" came from the name of Matagorda County rancher Samuel A. Maverick, whose employees neglected to keep up with branding his cattle, hence, any unbranded cattle found on the range were "mavericks."
Perhaps the Mavericks are simply redefining the universe. So, what can we say about the new Mavericks logo except that we're relieved that, given a choice, they used the horse's head.
• FORGET THE INAUGURATION, GET READY FOR MARDI GRAS – This had to happen eventually in our legendary party town. Dallas is going to have a Mardi Gras parade. Yep, the West End Association is putting one together for Feb. 27 – that's Fat Tuesday.
No need to fly to New Orleans – just take the DART train into the West End and let 'er rip.
But, first there's some organizing to be done. Diane Brandon, the event sponsorship director, says the parade needs sponsors, participants and other helpers. (Call the West End Association at 214-741-7180.) To be a title sponsor (e.g., the Proper Behavior Academy's West End Mardi Gras Parade), it'll cost you $7,000. Professional float sponsorships cost $3,500. Other levels of sponsorship cost, of course, other levels of money. Dick's Last Resort has already signed on to sponsor Dallas' Mardi Gras king and queen.
Diane says this Mardi Gras parade – it'll start at 8 p.m. – "won't be quite the same family event that we always do."
So, mindful of the reputation of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, your columnist asked, "If this Mardi Gras parade were a movie, what would the rating be?"
And Diane replied quickly, "It would be PG-13 – not R."
There you have it, Dallas. An opportunity to give Entertainment Tonight something to film, but not necessarily a chance to catch the eye of the racy MTV cameras.
• ABOUT THAT PILE OF BRUSH – Maybe you got this particular notice in late December from the city of Dallas Department of Sanitation Services. It was the 2001 calendar for brush and bulky trash pickup.
"Isn't that nice of the city?" you may think. And, it is. Within limits.
This calendar has rules for what can be picked up (e.g., no grass clippings) and it has each month of 2001 carefully divided into four collection weeks. "Jan. 2-5" was "Week 1," Jan. 8-12" was Week 2, etc. Residents, it notes, "may place out materials no earlier than Thursday before collection week."
There's one thing missing from the detailed calendar: A way to tell when it's YOUR collection week.
Here's the solution, according to the city: Dial 311 (on-hold time may vary). Give the 311 operator your address. In return, you'll find out whether you're a Week 1, a Week 2, a Week 3 or a Week 4. Dallas, ladies and gentlemen, is a well-oiled municipality. And, if we can figure out the neighborhood pickup schedule, it'll be a less-trashy municipality, too.
Larry Powell can be reached at 214-977-8487; P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, TX 75265 or fax to 214-977-8319.
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