Just back from Suns practice which was scheduled for 10am this morning. Or at least it was scheduled for 10am this morning.

No practice, although a few of the younger guys did get some gym time in before the 12:30 bus ride to the airport to board the big ole jet airliner to carry them far away...down the road they've been down before.....you know you've got to go through hell before you get to heaven...

Oops, sorry about that. I got carried away with a Steve Miller Band moment. It happens.

While I was waiting I had time to exercise my mobile media research capabilities and come up with what I thought were some pretty solid questions for Coach and the team prior to the Big Game in Big D. The intended recipients weren't there but lets not let that little fact get in the away of hearing what they had to say.

The following is a dramatization of interviews with Phoenix Suns personnel. At no time were the answers portrayed actually provided by any member of the Phoenix Suns organization, the NBA or any of it's affiliates. In other words. This is fake.

Coach Gentry (dramatization)

Q. Coach, how you doing today. Any thought on how you might play the Mavericks different this time?

A. You know guys, they are a great offensive team. Dirk is as good as anyone and we just have to go out there and compete and fight hard.

Q. In the last game against the Mavericks JJ Barea had a big impact in the first half scoring 14 points and picking up the load while Dirk was still cold. What adjustments are you considering?

A. That was last season. We're thinking about this season. No seriously guys, we've got to get better at stopping dribble penetration. We've got towork harder at that but you know guys, JJ is a great player and it is what it is.

Shaq (not really Shaq)

Note to reader: This will be much more effective if you read the made up fake responses using your made up fake Shaq voice in your head. I know you have one. Everyone has a fake Shaq voice in their head.

Q.Shaq what do you think the key is to having a different outcome against the Mavs this time around?

A. Play consistent. Don't let too many of their guys get off. Play defense. Make them work on offense. Make our shots. If we do that we'll be fine.

Q. Robin Lopez might see some minutes against your old friend Erick Dampier. What advise will you give him?

A. He need to establish himself. Let people know that he's in this league. That he not a punk. He should knock him on his ass and then bend over his prone body and scream in his face and then he can drop his drawers and stick his ass down there and ask Ericka how it tastes. Nah, man. I'm just kidding he just needs to play hard and he'll be fine.

Nash (except it's not really Nash)

Q. Last night Grant Hill said the way to slow down Dirk is for you to take him out tonight and tire him out. Do you have any plans to meet with Dirk and perhaps wear him out a bit?

A. Yeah. Dirk and I are old friends. We had some great times together. We are great friends. It's unfortunate it had to end that way but I guess that's just how this business is. There's been a lot of change this season and that's frustrating. I do plan on seeing Dirk tonight but we aren't going to party or anything. We are going to have a nice meal and discuss that state of global affairs and let the best team win.

Q. In the last game against the Mavs on the 10th the Suns had a stretch in the 3rd quarter where the offense went cold. What can you do to prevent that?

A. We just need to play together and bring the spirit and energy and find the balance we need to support each other and just play our game and find the open man and be aggressive and not turn the ball over.

Dragic (this time it really is Dragic from last night!)

Q. Tell me about how your game is going right now?

A. It was last two, three games I have not really good games so today it was a little bit better. At first it was ok but then in the second half I was like running with the ball and pass to the team mates and I get how you say hot and my confidence so it was much easier...with LB, I like to play with LB is much easier for me. Sometimes he take the ball sometimes I take the ball. So he's helping me with organization and everything so...

Q. He (Beno Udrih) only had three points, you going to give him a hard time about that next time you see him?

A. Yeah, yeah of course (chuckles)...I'm not such a person. I'm quiet and I just play my game and be concentrate on my own game.

So there you have it. I considered doing an audio dramatization but I don't have the voice skilz to pull that off.

Here's my own keys to the game tomorrow:

1. If LB continues to feel well and plays good and negates Terry the Suns will have a good chance at winning this game. It's hard to say how LB responded to last night's 15 minutes (I was going to ask about that too) . Sometimes guys come back from an injury and play well the first game back but then in the next game is where it catches up to them. Let's hope that's not the case hear because Terry is really the guy that worries me most.

2. Dirk is going to get his. In the last game, Barnes did as well as you can do on Dirk 1 v 1 forcing him into tough outside shots. The Mavs do a very good job getting Dirk the ball in position where it is tough to double him. They ran him off a screen from Damp so he could catch right around the free throw line. You can't really switch Shaq on that screen so even with Matt doing well to get there quickly, Dirk is still in position to catch the ball from Kidd at the top of the arc. The rest of the Mavs then clear out all the way to the baseline except Kidd and in the last game when LB doubled off him to help with Dirk Kidd hit two big open three's.

So, there aren't too many good options with Dirk. Kind of like Kobe. The best you can do is contest his shots and using a quicker guy bait him into shooting jumpers over you as opposed to putting a bigger slower guy that he can beat off the dribble and get to the foul line. I would run a bit more at him as soon as he hits one or two and then mix up when the double comes.

3. Stopping JJ Barea. Against the Suns this little guy has has just under 14 point which is about double his season average. He seems to like to push the ball quickly up the sideline and then slash in once he's by his man who is almost alway slower. Even when he's not scoring he creates problems once he's blown by his man.

I am no defensive wizard so I don't know what the answer is. Steve clearly can't stay in front of him in the open court. He's a smaller guy so maybe you bring a trap around mid court and try and seal him on the sideline. If JRich or Hill came over and they were able to pin him to the line, perhaps we get a couple of turn overs. Or perhaps he pass out of it and Dirk or Wright end up with wide open shots.

Whatever it is, keep this guy in check is important. You can live with Dirk's 35 points but not is Barea has 15 and Terry as 25 as well.

Because I was a reluctant convert to my iPhone, my daughter emailed me a link to an article in the New York Times magazine, the Medium. She commented that I could have written the piece that Virginia Heffernan wrote.

I did write a post last June about my conversion to an iPhone. Heffernan describes some of the same fear I had of this technology, but she's still in the "I Hate my iPhone" stage, the title of her piece.

I read Heffernan's article. I smiled. I identified. Then I noticed that there were 450-and-counting comments. I felt lucky to have gotten even a handful of comments to my iPhone post! Her readers' comments ranged from "You're funny!" to "You get paid to write this crap?" Well, maybe it's okay not to have quite that many readers.

I decided that Heffernan's negative commenters must be those hip-techno-insensitive youthful readers who just don't get it. They clearly wouldn't have understood why MY iPhone sat in a really scary black box on my desk for five months while I got up the courage to open the box and use the phone.

I can definitely blame my reluctance on that four-letter "F" word: FEAR.

Fear. It's what keeps me from going after many of my dreams. It holds me hostage in the Land of Stuckville. It prevents me from working on my book, sending out submissions, or taking a writing risk.

Since I work with people who are afraid to fly, I know all about FEAR. It stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear of flying is very real. My iPhone fear was very real. But I can now see all that False Evidence for what it was.

Those little glowing icons that looked so scary to an old, technologically challenged person like me? I thought I needed simple--green for SEND and red for END.

The touching and tapping? Surely I'd touch or tap the wrong thing, the wrong number, the wrong little icon!

And internet browsing and email checking from my phone? That's what my laptop is for.

I even kept using the "I'm too old" reason, but it was just another big excuse for FEAR.

Eventually my hip youngest daughter helped me open my iPhone box and confront my FEAR. All false evidence, I discovered, after a few days of practice. Now I rely on this amazing tool with its snazzy icons and multitudes of uses and applications. Now I don't leave home without it!

So what's your excuse? Too old? Too technologically stupid? Too unwilling to confront your fear? What is in that scary black box on your desk that you've been too afraid to bring out?

Open the darn box and find out!

By Dennis B. Roddy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Friends described a Richard Poplawski far different from the 22-year-old man accused of gunning down three police officers today -- a partier sometimes, a guy in search of an understanding of politics, even a walking comedian.

He was also convinced that the government wanted to take away his guns and his freedom.


Richard Poplawski

"I've known this kid my entire life and he was a good kid. He never had bad intentions. He never spoke about harming anybody," said Edward Perkovic, a lifelong friend who had known Mr. Poplawski since the two paired up at a daycare.

Mr. Poplawski attended Immaculate Conception elementary school and moved on to North Catholic High School. A spokesman for the high school today said that he was expelled, but declined to state a reason.

Mr. Perkovic said his friend stopped attending classes so he could take get his general equivalency diploma then join the Marine Corps.

Records indicate that Mr. Poplawski was dishonorably discharged from the corps during basic training. Friends said he wanted out so he could rejoin his girlfriend.

When that relationship failed, Mr. Poplawski moved for two years to Florida where he worked as a glazier, helping to asemble and replace windows. He returned here in 2006 or 2007.

Mr. Poplawski collaborated with Mr. Perkovic on an Internet show that featured clips --- sometimes from local news broadcasts, other times video from around the town --- where they discussed politics.

Mr. Poplawski lived with his mother and grandmother in Stanton Heights. Friends said his parents had split years ago and that his father "was totally out of the picture."

Former model Carla lent in to give the world’s most powerful man a traditional kiss on the cheek. But he appeared to flinch away, leaving her flustered — and they ended up settling on a stiff shake.

Carla, 41, did manage to kiss Michelle during the encounter in Strasbourg, the first time the two First Lady style icons have met.

Michelle, 45, wowed in a poppy-patterned black coat over a bright rose dress — just one of three changes she made during the day.

The US couple had to drive to London’s Stansted airport yesterday morning for their flight to France after fog grounded a planned helicopter ride.

Provo » Elder Tyson Boardman sits before the computer screen at the LDS Missionary Training Center, discussing Mormonism with Jason and Travis in two Internet conversations at the same time.

Why do people say Mormons aren't Christian? What does it mean to be baptized for the dead? How do Mormons view Jesus? Why do you have a prophet?

Answering these and many other LDS-related queries is Boardman's full-time assignment as a two-year missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he loves it.

"I've had questions from Canada, England and every part of the U.S.," Boardman says. "It's been an amazing experience. Every day it's something new."

The 20-year-old from Oak City, Utah, has been at this computer terminal in the area known as the Missionary Training Center's Referral Center for nearly a year, chatting with interested strangers from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week.

Boardman is part of a pilot program that calls on Mormon missionaries to attract new converts to the faith via the virtual world, rather than the traditional, face-to-face approach.

The portal into this world is www.mormon.org, a Web site the church established in 2001 primarily aimed at curious outsiders -- a complement to www.lds.org, which is mostly for members and the news media.

People find their way to mormon.org from various Internet sites, from literature the church puts out or from one of its many television ads. On its home page, people can explore sections marked "Basic Beliefs," "Worship With Us," "Our Stories" and "Ask Your Questions -- chat now."

The online missionaries draw on LDS scripture, speeches by church authorities and other official publications to provide answers to the questions posed. If a person is interested, the missionary can lead him or her through a whole series of doctrinal discussions, follow up at a future time and even set a baptism date.

To date, between 20 and 25 baptisms have come directly from the online contact.

Church officials added the chatting feature in 2006, and now every missionary who is trained at the MTC takes a turn in the Referral Center for a total of 12 hours online during the three-to-nine-week stay. By the beginning of last year, missionaries were engaged in about 100 chats a day, with conversations lasting from five to 50 minutes. Now the number is closer to 500 a day at one of the 38 stations in the center. So far, the service is only available in English, but the MTC is gearing up to launch a Spanish chat.

The plan is to meet the demand, says Daniel Ware, manager of the Referral Center.

"The point is to get to know them, find out what questions are relevant to them personally and then teach them. Many people would love to investigate the church but are not ready to have missionaries come to their house."

This way they can preserve their anonymity, adds Richard Heaton, who oversees operations at the MTC, which houses and trains 1,500 Mormon missionaries every year.

It's also an excellent chance for missionaries to practice their proselytizing skills, Heaton says. "It brings a reality to the training. It's a wonderful practice for the field."

There is, he says, a certain kind of experience that can't happen online.

"In every case, local missionaries have to get involved," Heaton says. "But they do love to let us know."

Boardman was the first of a handful of missionaries specifically called to the Referral Center who would not have been able to serve a mission otherwise for health reasons. He enjoys the range of questions he has faced. One woman came to mormon.org after the professor in her "cult" class at a Christian college offered a fairly harsh critique of Mormonism and she wondered whether it was true.

He helped clarify LDS beliefs, Boardman says. "Most anti-Mormons who come to the site are pretty sincere. We let them know that arguing is not the purpose of the site and then we try to ignore them."

Emily Hardy from Farmington and Kristen Kiriyama from American Fork were in training for their missions in Romania. They were taking their turn at an online station.

"Some people are lonely, but most are just looking," Hardy says. "We work with them from wherever they are."

Elder Rafe Gandola of San Diego returned to the MTC to serve some of his time in the online world after an injury in the field. Gandola was goofing around with his companion in Helsinki and fractured his leg.

"One day I'm out in snow talking to people, seeking converts. Two days later, I'm chatting online with people seeking us," Gandola says. "That's been a real treat."

In the throes of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame mania, Cleveland was loaded with revelry on the night before Saturday's induction ceremony.

About 1,200 people turned out Friday night for an official VIP induction pre-party at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, including inductees Bobby Womack -- who was mobbed by fans as he tried to enter with members of his family and barely made it past the lobby -- Spooner Oldham and DJ Fontana, the Connie Mizell-Perry, the mother of the late Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay, and former Beach Boy Al Jardine, who was squired around on a personal tour by Hall of Fame curator Howard Kramer. The attendees feasted at several food stations offering everything from sushi to beef filets and gourmet deserts and were able to view a new film about this year's inductees as well as a special display featuring musical instruments, clothing and other artifacts.

Dave Mason, inducted into the Hall in 2004 with Traffic, played an acoustic set that included the band's "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and his rendition of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," while home town heroes the Raspberries paid tribute to the Who by covering "Substitute," then were joined by "Late Night with David Letterman" band bassist Will Lee for an encore set of Beatles songs ("Ticket to Ride," "Baby's in Black" and "No Reply") and another Who hit, "Can't Explain." Reggie Calloway of Midnight Star, meanwhile, made sure there was indeed "No Parking on the Dance Floor."

Across town, Metallica and the dozens of specially invited guests the band is hosting this weekend busted capacity at the House of Blues, while fellow inductees Little Anthony & the Imperials rocked through a long set at the Agora -- despite a shoudler injury Jerome "Little Anthony" Gourdine suffered while working ou Friday morning that necessitated a trip to the hospital.

Over at the Ritz-Carlton, where many of the inductors and presenters are staying, photographer Anton Corbin unwittingly held court in the lobby bar, visiting with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, who will inducted Jeff Beck and was returning from a visit to the museum, and with Metallica's James Hetfield and his family as they came down for an early dinner. Sound checks and rehearsals took place at the Cleveland Public Auditorium, where the ceremony will be held; Womack worked through a medley that will include "Across 110th Street" and "It's All Over Now," while Metallica had to wait into the evening until crew members could arrive from France on a delayed flight. There was no sound check for what's likely to be one of the night's highlights -- a jam on Tiny Bradshaw's "Train Kept A-Rollin' " with Metallica, the Rolling Stones' Ron Wood (who's inducting Womack) and Aerosmith's Joe Perry -- but Perry told Billboard.com "that's probably better. It'll be a little looser and...raw."

Saturday's ceremony marks the first time general public tickets, priced at $35 and $75, were sold for the ceremony; all 5,000 were scooped up by fans in Cleveland and from out of town. On the main floor, where tables ran $15,000-$50,000, VIPs will dine on barbecued shrimp-topped grilled corn cakes with roasted poblano sauce, shoestring potatoes and a dessert called Blue Forest -- flourless chocolate cake topped with kirsch whipped cream, brandied cherries and more chocolate sprayed with blue cocoa butter. A special vodka-based cocktail called Rhapsody in Blue will be served at the bar.

By Michael Fuoco and Jerome Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Tony Tye/Post-Gazette

Police officers stand by at the scene on Fairfield Street where three Pittsburgh police officers were killed this morning and two were wounded, after they responded to a domestic call.

At least three Pittsburgh police officers were believed to be dead and two others were wounded after a man began firing at them when they responded to a domestic call this morning at his family's home in Stanton Heights.

The gunman, identified as Richard Poplawski, surrendered to police around 11 a.m., more than three hours after the standoff began at 1016 Fairfield St. His condition was not immediately available, but he told neighbors who spoke with him on the telephone that he also had been shot.

For much of the morning, the standoff forced police to lock down much of the neighborhood as scores of police officers converged on the house where Mr. Poplawski had barricaded himself with at least one family member.

The incident began around 7:30 a.m. when a team of officers went to the address to serve a warrant and the suspect opened fire on them, police said. One of the officers reported was shot in the back, another in the chest and a third in the hand.

Some of the wounded officers remained in positions where they could not be removed immediately for treatment, according to Diane Richard, Pittsburgh Police spokeswoman.

A state police helicopter hovered over the location where more than 100 officers from Pittsburgh, the state and Port Authority converged along with neighbors and other onlookers.

Authorities as well as members of the suspect's family also were reportedly in contact with him by phone. Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is among the officials at the scene.

Mr. Poplawski, who is in his early 20s and lives in the house, according to neighbor and longtime friend Joe DiMarco. Mr. DiMarco and his mother, Darlene, said they spoke to Mr. Poplawski on the telephone this morning.

"He told me he loved me and that he'd been shot in the chest and leg," Ms. DiMarco said.

She also said Mr. Poplawski's mother and possibly his grandmother were in the house with him.

Another neighbor, Brian Merlina, said he was getting out of the shower at 7:30 a.m. when he heard bursts of rapid-fire shots. About 30 minutes later, he heard at least two dozen more shots fired.

Shortly thereafter, a state police helicopter landed in a field near his house. He drove a trooper from the helicopter.

Utility crews cut off power to the house at 10:45 a.m. because they believe Mr. Poplawski had been monitoring media reports.

Drew Stadler, 34, who lives nearby on Oglethorp Street, said he heard loud bangs around 8 a.m. From his window, he saw Mr. Poplawski pointing what appeared to be an automatic rifle and shooting at officers from a window over the garage of the Fairfield Street house.

SWAT officers were pinned down, with their protective shields up, at an adjacent house.

At one point, the SWAT officers pulled away a wounded officer and dragged him down the street, Mr. Stadler said. He also said he heard potentially hundreds of shots fired through the incident.