New Book Says Cowboy King Has Problems Within the Realm

Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones seems to have few friends these days.

First, he was sued for $300 million by his fellow NFL owners. Now, he has been portrayed as a womanizer and shady operator in a new book, “King of the Cowboys, The Life and Times of Jerry Jones.”

According to Jones, the book by Jim Dent--a radio talk-show host who covered the Cowboys for years for the now-defunct Dallas Times Herald--is basically untrue.

“I’ve read most of it and in every chapter there is a little bit of truth but a whole lot of National Enquirer,” Jones said. “I’m not about to spend the next month helping the author figure out which is which. There are just so many things not true from a personal perspective.”

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Add Jones: Jones was most annoyed by a chapter entitled “Honky Tonk Man,” which details his alleged relationships with numerous women, including a team employee, and his drinking and partying. It says Jones, who has been married for more than 30 years, had women with him at NFL owners’ meetings, trips with the team and at training camp.

The book also recounts Jones’ wheeling and dealing in the oil business, including what Dent calls sweetheart deals that helped Jones make enough money to buy the Cowboys for $140 million.

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Trivia time: Who is the only player to have played for the Seattle Pilots and the Seattle Mariners?

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Fat City: According to the Baltimore Sun, Philadelphia Phillie Manager Jim Fregosi didn’t bother hiding his contempt for pitcher Jeff Juden, who was dropped from the rotation during the season and traded to the San Francisco Giants last week.

When Juden asked Fregosi why he wouldn’t be starting anymore, Fregosi replied, “Because you’re the most unprofessional player I’ve ever seen, you big, fat lazy piece of [garbage].”

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Tark ‘n the dark: Fresno State revived its old midnight madness practice ritual after a lapse of more than a decade, just so fans would have to wait no longer to observe new basketball Coach Jerry Tarkanian in action.

At 12:01 a.m. Sunday, the Tarkanian era began in Fresno, ushered in by chants of “Tark! Tark!” from the 1,500 fans who paid $3 to sit and yawn in the school’s practice gym.

Tarkanian, who was out of coaching for three years, never conducted a midnight madness practice at Long Beach State or Nevada Las Vegas.

“I think it’s a gimmick,” he said. “You don’t really get anything out of it. Basically, we’ll get very little done in one practice.”

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Trivia answer: Diego Segui. He pitched for the Pilots in 1969, the team’s only season in Seattle before moving to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers, and for the Mariners in 1977.

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Quotebook: New York Ranger goaltender Mike Richter, explaining why he didn’t take a swipe at Toronto’s Tie Domi after Domi had punched Ranger defenseman Ulf Samuelsson: “I’m low on sticks and I didn’t want to lose one on his head.”