130 September 18 - 24, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Contents | ReadeRs’ PiCks | shoPPing & seRviCes | aRts & enteRtainment | Food & dRink | sPoRts & ReCReation › BEST DRIP BY AN ATHLETE Adolis Garcia An old saying in baseball is, “Look good, play good.” True or not, Adolis Garcia has enough flash and flair to make the worst games look good. Garcia uses his muscular build to his advantage, wearing a form-fitting uniform to outline his physique, which makes for an intimidating presence. The best part, though, is the accessories, which include big chains around his neck, an arm sleeve, bright, colorful shoes and thick eyeblack under his eyes. Anyone who says baseball is boring needs to watch Garcia for a game, because his swagger and style catch everyone’s eye. › BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE Upper deck in the corner, American Airlines Center “Good seats are so expensive.” Wrong! You’re either a snob or don’t care about sports if you think that. If you sit court- side, ice level or field level, chances are you’re with people well above your tax bracket who are having a night out, not there to watch the team they’re a die- hard fan of. The best place in Dallas to watch a hockey or basketball game is in the upper deck, on the ends or in the corners. Why? Because it offers the most unobstructed view of the ice (or court), allowing you to watch plays de- velop among other rowdy diehard fans. The real fans are in the 300s. › BEST DALLAS COWBOY CeeDee Lamb In the 2024 season, the Cowboys made more headlines for general drama than they did for on-the-field success. Just before the first game of the year, the team announced it had signed its two biggest offensive stars, CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott, to historically huge contract extensions, and that was basi- cally the high point of the season. Prescott would get injured a few weeks later and miss most of the sea- son, but Lamb balled out, notching his third consecutive season of 100 catches and 1,000 yards. › BEST TEXAS RANGER Nathan Eovaldi The Rangers’ biggest offseason signing wasn’t the sexiest one ever, but it was arguably its most needed. “Big Game Nate” didn’t win the 2023 World Series MVP award, but without the native Texan’s brilliance throughout that post- season run, it’s difficult to imagine the team would’ve gone very far. After sign- ing a vital three-year extension, Eovaldi started off 2025 on track for an all-star appearance before injuries slowed him down, then returned to the lineup and reminded everyone why this team is a better one with him on the mound. › BEST DALLAS MAVERICK Cooper Flagg So, we get it. This is an unusual choice given that the college super- star has yet to play an official game for the Mavericks, but you know what? 2025 was an unusual year for the Mavericks, to put it mildly. Luka is gone, Kyrie missed a bunch of time, so did the new guy, Anthony Davis, and young star Dereck Lively II. We could be serious sports people here and give this nod to local guy P.J. Washington, but who made any of us care about the Mavericks after the trade more than the top overall 2025 draft pick? We rest our case. › BEST DALLAS WINGS PLAYER Arike Ogunbowale Top draft pick Paige Bueckers has rightfully grabbed headlines and brought new eyes to the Dallas Wings and the WNBA as a whole, but before she arrived, Dallas had an- other all-star on the team more than earning her keep. Since leading Notre Dame to the 2019 NCAA title, Arike Ogunbowale went to four con- secutive WNBA all-star games, where she won the game’s MVP award in both 2021 and 2024. She also landed second-team All-WNBA honors in 2024 while playing for a team that was bad enough to land the top pick in the draft. › BEST DALLAS STAR Tyler Seguin More than a decade into his tenure with the Dallas Stars, Tyler Seguin re- mains the heart of the team — a role no one saw him filling when he first hit the Texas ice as a party-hardy kid 12 years ago. Seguin has had so many in- juries over the last few years that his hips are probably entirely metal, but the alternate captain came back strong just in time for playoffs this year and brought some needed veteran energy to the ice. And a few goals, too. It feels inevitable that this face of the fran- chise will be aging out of the sport sooner than later, and Dallas will be truly sad to see him go. › BEST UNDERRATED PRO ATHLETE Daniel Gafford, Mavericks It’s as if Daniel Gafford doesn’t even play basketball. His aggressive, high- flying, shot-swatting, rim-running style is more akin to a volleyball player, or maybe a comic book super hero battling a monster. He averaged 12 points and seven rebounds per game last season, a modestly productive output for a start- ing center, but it’s the way he energizes a crowd and his teammates that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. We’ll have to see how Gafford finds his place in a front court with Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg also on the roster, but af- ter his year and a half in Dallas, we’ve learned not to bet against him. › BEST PRO SPORTS DEVELOPMENT Wings and Mavericks Land Top Picks For only the second time ever, NBA and WNBA teams from the same city held the first overall picks in their drafts in the same year. Thanks to the Luka Doncic trade drama, the Maver- icks got more attention for miracu- lously landing the top pick in the 2025 NBA draft lottery, but it can easily be argued that the Wings nabbing the top pick in the 2025 WNBA draft was a bigger deal. Getting Cooper Flagg means the Mavericks conceivably have Doncic’s replacement as a franchise star, but Paige Bueckers joining the Wings made sports fans in North Texas care about the WNBA. › BEST 5K RUN Peticolas Velvet Hammer 5K It’s not a complicated formula, yet it’s a rare one. Beer and exercise. When you add beer from arguably the best brew- ery in Texas, then things are kicked up Sports & Recreation Emilee Chinn /Getty Images Adolis Garcia // BEST DRIP BY AN ATHLETE
