Jeff Miller

"Teammates for Life: The Inspiring Story of Auburn University's Unbelievable, Unforgettable and Utterly Amazin' 1972 Football Team, Then and Now" now available.

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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.

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

What does veteran @DaLLasStars forward Matt Duchene think of his general manager? "I'd run through a brick wall for that guy." https://t.co/vuyQ1QfAK1

[Texas Monthly @TexasMonthly]

Jim Nill's choices have so far all panned out—in his years as general manager, the Dallas Stars have routinely been chamionship contenders.

We can’t chalk it up to luck. Nill has been a winner for far too long. https://t.co/fEsVEsJuli

[The Husky @Mr_Husky1]

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. ❤️

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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.

[Texas Monthly @TexasMonthly]

As a Black player for the Lamesa Lobos in 1951, J.W. Wingate made history. Why haven't most people heard of him? https://t.co/RjlKAgbnXf

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

@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.

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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 https://t.co/B1uzP4y19N

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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 https://t.co/B1uzP4y19N

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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 https://t.co/B1uzP4yyZl

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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 https://t.co/w2n7oqexCF

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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 https://t.co/B1uzP4y19N

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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. https://t.co/YCWeKXf3CW

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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

[Texas Monthly @TexasMonthly]

“From the rubble, we rose. Stronger, closer, and more determined than ever.”

In the wake of a natural disaster, the Gordon Longhorns have mounted a dominant campaign for a state championship. https://t.co/heVIasnw0T

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

#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.

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

Would match current and previous Seattle clubs.

[Mike Puma @NYPost_Mets]

In our season preview that ran in March, I predicted a Blue Jays-Dodgers World Series.

That said, Mariners-Brewers would be awesome for two really starved fan bases.

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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

[Bo Bikes Bama @BoBikesBama]

When @BoJackson started Bo Bikes Bama 14 yrs ago, he didn't know the longevity, impact, and legacy the ride would have and the community that would be built around it. Check out @espn's story on the legacy of #BoBikesBama! 💛 https://t.co/pv7rIuxJ7x

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

Was like when Kramer won a Tony!

[The New York Times @nytimes]

From @TheAthleticFC: President Trump had just handed Reece James the Club World Cup trophy but the president was still there on the podium, not going anywhere. Chelsea became champions of the world on Sunday, in a surreal end to a strange tournament. https://t.co/G7X90JFmo8

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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.) https://t.co/oMgGPpLEG2

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

@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.

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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 ... https://t.co/pVTcLbrCU1

[Jeff Miller @Jeff55Jeff]

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: https://t.co/rKttvQWKKG