The trade to acquire Roy Williams from Detroit gives Dallas the best receiving combo in the NFL and affords Tony Romo greater opportunities to view the game from a vertical position as defenses will be even less likely to cheat up in an effort to lay a hit on Romo or the Dallas backfield. It may also signal the end of Terrell Owens' time in Dallas. No matter how much Jerry Jones talks about keeping Owens informed about the trade and his being "ecstatic" about getting the chance to play with the former Pro Bowler, history and common sense, suggests, if not guarantees, that things won't be so rosy much longer down Irving way. The fact that Owens was supposedly the first Cowboy to pipe Williams aboard means nothing. Owens is an egomaniac who, let us not forget, only three weeks ago complained about not getting enough touches after the team directed 25 percent of it's offense his way. Now he'll have to share pass routes with a guy who two seasons ago caught 82 balls for 1,310 yards on a bad Lions team. Nothing in his 13 year NFL career suggests that Owens will be satisfied with a lessened role or that his association with Dallas will end in anything else but an ugly divorce. The split will not happen immediately. Owens will play the good guy role just as he did when he manned up to cry in front of reporters while defending Romo, his side trip to Mexico and whether or not Jessica Simpson's pink jersey had a negative impact on the QBs performance in the Cowboys' 21-17 playoff loss to New York. The implosion will take time if for no other reason than Jones is in the habit of ignoring boorish behavior in his never ending quest to win a Super Bowl. The fact that he signed Owens at all shows that Jones cares little about character - as did his recruitment of Adam Jones, the corner back famed for his ability to return punts and kickoffs and his manly abuse of women. Any such concern that the Cowboy owner has evolved over the years was quickly discarded when he failed to take action against the artist formerly known as Pacman after his altercation with his own body guard. The scuffle, which led to a league suspension, evidently did not violate any team rules. No, it takes some real effort to be forced out of Dallas. Owens could play his way out in no time, but even though he has likely dropped more passes than any top-flight receiver in history and is increasingly having trouble getting off the line against talented DBs, he remains one of the best at his position. TO will not waste his time with forgivable sins like drug abuse and legal problems, but will not miss an opportunity to point the finger of blame at others while demanding special treatment. And just he did in San Fran and Philly, he will fracture relationships with teammates and, most critically, with Romo and at least one coach. And that's when things will get serious. Romo's played the placation game well, but he won't put up with it forever, nor will Wade Phillip's heir apparent, Jason Garrett. Even if Owens manages to hold it together or the team continues to look the other way, time, the universal equalizer, is not on his side. Owens is 34 and on the downside of his prime while Williams is 26 and should only get better. The Texas native made no bones about wanting to be a Cowboy even while still in Detroit and he now finds himself among favored surroundings which should benefit him greatly. He also has a five-year deal worth $45 million. Owens, on the other hand, will have one year remaining on his deal following the end of what could be a tantrum-laden season especially if Brad Johnson is forced into significant playing time following Romo's finger injury. Another fact that may prevent Owens from retiring a Cowboy is that Jerry Jones has been coveting Williams for some time. Love affairs are hard to get over. Jones is convinced that the former Longhorn is a No. 1 threat and Pro Bowl-type talent whose ability was thwarted by playing in Detroit. He's probably right. Detroit has not exactly excelled at developing talent in the last 50 years. Williams will get every opportunity to thrive in Dallas which is means fewer chances and more anxiety for Owens and therefore more problems for Dallas. Ego demands that teams feature one star and compliant role players in its receiving corps and Owens will retire before he has to take on the No. 2 role. smurray@midweek.com

Thanks to all you who posted a response. I guess it really does take a village. I've tried all suggestions and I am still unable to post a response. It keeps asking for e-mail confirmation but the message is never sent. I'll keep crossing my fingers. Mahalo for all the help

Is anyone else having problems posting comments? For the last few weeks I have not been able to. Each time I try I get a message saying I have to reconfirm my e-mail. Any suggestions will be appreciated or add you own problems if you are having them. Mahalo

Time to hand out the hardware in another awards list as worthless as the rest. AL Cy Young At the Break: Cliff Lee, Cleveland. Final: Even with KRod's mind-blowing, yet typical of the times 62 saves, and with apologies to Roy Halladay (20-11, 9 complete games, 2.78 ERA) this was a one-man race from the beginning. Lee won 22 of 25 decisions for a wicked .880 winning percentage on a team that seemed to misfire all year. He finished first in wins and ERA (2.54), second innings pitched (223.1), WHIP (1.11) and complete games (4) and walked only 34. NL Cy Young At the Break: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco. Final: Lincecum was the best player on a bad team. The 24-year-old won 25 percent of his team's games, finished third in the NL in innings pitched (227), first in strikeouts (265) and in BAA (.221) and second in ERA (2.62). Lincecum also proved to be a roadblock to losing streaks. His 18 wins were proceeded by 38 loses. By contrast, the Diamondbacks lost 22 games leading up to Brandon Webb's, Lincecum's biggest competitor, 22 victories. AL Manager of the Year At the Break: Joe Maddon, Tampa. Final: Maddon's philosophy of few rules and great accountability has struck a cord with the league's fifth-youngest team (27.6 years). Improving from last (66 wins) to first (97) is impressive enough. To do it as the entire league waited for them to fold while holding off baseball's newest evil empire, the Boston Red Sox, attests to their toughness. NL Manager of the Year At the Break: Fredi Gonzalez, Florida. Final: Having L.A. at the top of the National League West is enough to garner Joe Torre a few votes, but for all the hype, the 2008 Dodgers won only two more games than the 2007 version. Almost by default the award goes to Gonzalez. The Marlins had plenty of offense finishing second in the National League in home runs and fourth in runs, but its pitching staff was a mess. The Marlins were 10th in the league in saves, 11th in ERA and the pitchers who started games (11) won a total of 56 games. Maybe the award should go to pitching coach Mark Wiley after the team reduces its ERA by half a run from 2007. AL MVP At the Break: Ian Kinsler, Texas. Final: Kevin Youkilis doesn't exactly cut a perfect athletic figure in his Red Sox uniform, but through sheer will and enthusiasm he made up for David Ortiz's down year and helped to hold things together after the Manny-be-Manny act left for Los Angeles. The ever-improving first baseman had a career year with 29 home runs, 115 RBI (fourth in the AL), a .312 batting average (sixth), 91 runs, a .569 slugging percentage (third) and an .958 OPS (fourth). NL MVP At the Break: Lance Berkman, Houston. Final: Ryan Howard's .251 average and 199 Ks hurt. The Mets four-way MVP log jam (Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Delgado) makes it nearly impossible for any one to win just as Ryan Braun will have to fend off his bigger-named teammate. Although the Cards finished 11.5 games behind the Cubs, without Luis Pujols St. Louis would have instead been fighting Pittsburgh for the league cellar. Pujols led the NL in total bases, slugging and OPS. He's second in average and walks, third in hits, fourth in home runs and RBI. He even stole 15 bases while striking out only 54 times. AL Rookie of the Year At the Break: Evan Longoria, Tampa. Final: The race is much more crowded then at first glance. Jose Arredondo has 10 wins and a 1.62 ERA but was a setup man for KRod and is unknown. Armando Galarraga was the best on a bad Tiger's staff going 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA and Mike Aviles toiled in K.C. where his .325 average has gone unnoticed. That leaves the big three of Alexei Ramirez, Evan Longoria and Jacoby Ellsbury. Ramirez leads in average (.290), Longoria leads in the sexy numbers - home runs (27) and RBI (85) and Ellsbury in stolen bases (50) and runs (98). Winning matters so Longoria gets a slim victory over Ellsbury. Also, the Tampa third-bagger is baseball's newest star. NL Rookie of the Year At the Break: Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta. Final: Jurrjens petered out after the All Star break finishing 5-8 on the season, while Joey Votto and Geovany Soto have battled it out to a virtual tie for first year honors. Votto leads Soto by three runs and one home run but lags in RBI by two. Votto (first base) did outhit Soto (catcher) by 14 points, but does that out weight the difference in position importance? No. Even before Geovany became recognized for his hitting, he was lavished with praise by his manager, teammates and commentators for his skills behind the plate and his ability to work with the Cubs always flaky pitching staff. smurray@midweek.com

Within range or without a clue? 1. (Last Week: 1) Chase Daniel, Missouri, QB, SR., 4-0, #3 AP. Last week: 18-23 passing, 253 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs in a 52-17 at Nebraska. Season: 119-156 passing, 1,665 yards, 15 TDs, 1 INT; 15 rushes, 74 yards. Daniel had his lowest yardage total of the season, but he was nearly perfect with a 152.1 quarterback rating while completing 78.3 percent of his passes. Most important, Missouri doubled up on the Huskers' defensive scoring average and better yet they did it on the road. 2. (Last Week: 2) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, QB, So., 4-0. #1 AP. Last week: 23-of-31 passing, 372 yards, 2 Tds, 1 INT in a 49-17 road win over Baylor. Season: 106-146 passing, 1,309 yards, 18 TDs, 3 INTs. Bradford completed 74 percent of his passes, steamrolled a conference opponent and still may have slipped against Daniel. Next up is a home contest versus No. 5 Texas and a victory and a good solo effort will go along way toward closing the gap. 3. (Last Week: 3) Colt McCoy, Texas, QB, Jr., 4-0. #5 AP. Last week: 23-of-30 passing, 262 yards, 2 Tds, 2 INTs; 11 rushes, 39 yards, win at Colorado (38-14). Season: 103-130 passing, 1,280 yards, 16 TDs, 3 INT; 45 rushes, 317 yards, 4 TDs. Colorado is giving up 26.4 points per game, but the Buffalo are good against the pass picking off seven passes and rank No. 3 in the conference in pass defense. McCoy destroyed the secondary completing 76.7 percent of his passes and would have pushed Bradford for No. 2 if not for his two picks. 4. (Last Week: 7) Graham Harrell. Texas Tech, Sr., 4-0, #7 AP Last Week: 38-51, 454 yards, 6 Tds, 0 INTs and 1 rushing touchdown in a 58-28 win at Kansas State. Season: 158-237, 2,027 yards, 18 TDs, 3 INTs. Tech hasn't played anyone and traveling to K State isn't going to change that impression. Still, Harrell was so throughly dominated the competition that voters will have to take notice. If the senior is going to make a run up the Heisman ladder it needs to happen now as major jumps will become harder as Tech enters the heart of its Big 12 schedule. 5. (Last Week: 4) Max Hall, BYU, QB, Jr. 4-0. #9 AP Last week: 23-37 passing, 303 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs in a 34-14 win at Utah State. Season: 130-181 passing, 1,587 yards, 17 TDs, 4 INTs. Hall's presence in the top five is based more on the results of his competitors than his own individual effort. His numbers are fine and their win solid, but Utah State is one of the worst teams in the country and had given up 66 points to then No. 18 Oregon and 58 points to then No. 22 Utah. The Cougars won easily but it was still too close for voters. 6. (Last Week: 5) Javon Ringer, Michigan State, RB, Sr., 4-1. #23 AP Last week: 25 rushes, 91 yards, 0 TD; 1 receptions, 3 yards in a 16-13 win over Iowa. Season: 212 rushes, 988 yards, 12 TDs; 7 receptions, 60 yards; 11 kickoff returns, 224 yards. Iowa has given up an average of 98.8 rushing yards per game this season, so Ringer's solo effort was above the norm. However, Heisman voters are not likely to be impressed by a 3.6 yard rushing average. Also, his one catch and no kickoff returns hurt his chances. 7. (Last Week: 8) Donald Brown, Connecticut, RB, Jr. 5-0, unranked Last week: 33 rushes, 161 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches for 4 yards in a 38-12 loss at North Carolina. Season: 179 rushes, 1,067 yards, 12 TDs; 14 receptions, 54 yards. The Huskies gave away the game with three interceptions and Brown showed a variety skills in the loss, but the junior was held in check until the fourth quarter when he ran for 93 yards in a game that was, by then, already decided. 8. (Last Week: 6) Daryll Clark, Penn State, QB, Jr., 5-0, #6 AP Last week: 18-26 passing, 220 yards, 0 Tds, 0 INTs; 9 rushes, 2 yards, 1 TD at Purdue (20-6). Season: 80-124 passing, 1,116 yards, 9 TDs, 1 INT; 32 rushes, 133 yards, 4 TDs. The Nittany Lions continue their winning ways, however Clark didn't have the dual threat production that he needed to advance up the charts. His passing yards were a bump above the norm and he didn't turn the ball over, but the game ball actually belonged to RB Even Royster who gained 141 yards on only 18 carries. Royster is averaging 6.9 yards per carry this season. 9. (Last Week: 10) Tim Tebow., Florida, QB, Jr., #11 AP Last week: 17-26 passing, 217 yards, 2 TD, 1 INTs; 12 rushes, 32 yards in a 38-7 road win against Arkansas. Season: 79-of-128 passing, 1,025 yards, 8 TDs, 1 INTs; 61 rushes, 157 yards, 2 TDs. Tebow would have moved up at least one spot if Florida had beaten nearly anyone but Arkansas. The Razorbacks are last in the conference in scoring defense, run defense and are giving up 12 yards short of 400 per. Tebow needed a better show against such competition. 10. (Last Week: Unranked) David Johnson, QB, Tulsa. Last week: 13-25 passing, 177 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT; 5 rushes, 36 yards in 63-28 win over Rice. Season 100-143 passing, 1,682 yards, 23 TDs, 5 INTs. June Jones' new team is giving up 41.2 ppg and had the second-worst pass defense in the conference. That's good news for Johnson. Beating a team with a pulse would be a positive. Keep an eye on: Matt Grothe, South Florida, QB, Jr., 5-0, #19 AP Season: 106-165 passing, 1,304 yards, 9 TDs, 3 INTs; 66 rushes, 244 yards, 2 TD. No. 9 last week. Bad game costs him spot in top 10. Charles Scott, LSU, RB. 27, 141, 2TDs; 98 rushes, 676 yards, 8 TDs; 4 receptions, 37 yards. Could move into top 10 with a good game against South Carolina. Jeremy Maclin, Missouri, WR. 31 receptions, 480 yards, 5 TDs; 11 rushes, 58 yards, 1 TD; 12 punt returns, 123 yards; 9 kickoff returns, 273 yards, 1 TD. All purpose game keeps him close, but will have to beat his own QB for the award.