Food fight: It's down to the final four in Fort Worth, Texas magazine's Top Chef competition and they will square off with their kosher salt and skillets Aug. 4 at the Cendera Center. Wok roll, please: Congratulations to Chamber member finalists Don Agate of Eddie V's Prime Seafood and Blaine Staniford of Grace. Mr. B asked publisher Hal Brown for a press pass, one that included free tastings, but Hal Brown-gravyed that suggestion. Instead he offered two tickets for a reader to enjoy all that simmers and two of our favorite phrases -- open bar & hors d'oeuvres. Judges include Tim Love, Judie Byrd, Jay Novacek and Karen Borta, who are worth way more than the price of this admission. Lighting the way: Wonder if Texas Rangers owner Nolan Ryan has mixed feelings when Nelson Cruz hits a home run at The Ballpark in Arlington and all those fireworks start exploding. Nolan must be thinking that runs are nice, but kilowatts are naughty. Unless, of course, those kilowatts are from Reliant Energy, which has a near lifetime deal to give The Ballpark whatever power Nellie & Josh don't provide. Our energizer, Sandee Treptow, managed to power her way to the head of the Reliant request line and secured four seats that Smoaking rock--lower deck, Section 33, row 24, seats 1-4 -- to next Wednesday night's Seattle Mariners game at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday is dollar hot dog night and Ichiro and Nolan might be at the grill theirownselves.

Picture of the Week     TCU Horned Frogs football Coach Gary Patterson was in rare form at last month's Sports Series Luncheon presented by PlainsCapital Bank. Head table huddlers included (l to r) Jeff Smith, Lynn Montgomery and Holly Blocker, pictured here with Coach after his speech to a crowd of purple power brokers. Read further for a few quips from Coach P's presentation.   Sponsored by

Ringing endorsement: Editor's note --the following opinion is not authorized nor supported by Big Boss Bill (BBB) or the Fort Worth Chamber. It is Mr. B's opinion alone. Nothing makes you feel like a happy kid than being at the circus. BBB, however, does like the circus. He likens editing Newz-E-Letter to the carnie that carries the shovel. The best of the best circuses -- the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus -- is at the Fort Worth Convention Center next week and the center's Ms. Whitfield isn't one to clown around. She made us jump for Joy with this set of four tickets to the August 13th performance at 3:30 p.m.

Maid of Honor: Mr. B sent Brian Dalton, the president of Best Maid Products, an invitation to be Linked-In buds. Which put Brian in a bit of a pickle. Would you want Mr. B calling on your business associates? Probably not. Brian and Isabel Lamb peppered back a great compromise response: Ignore! But they did send along a fantastic Best Maid package of Xtreme Sour Bitz, Xtreme Hot Bitz, Sweet Jalapeno Relish, Pickled Okra and Sandwich Spread.

Green jeans: If weekly sales are up, Pizza Inn corporate employees get to dress casual (jeans) until the next sales report.

He's very striking: Texas Tornado Leads Group member Olyn Poole is quite the bowler, according to reports after the group's outing at Lucky Strike Lanes. Enough so that the principal of the Law Offices of Olyn Poole has earned the nickname “Bowlin' Olyn.”

Oh, deer: The Possum Kingdom fires scorched the deer lease of Brandon Wilkerson of World of Wellness. Have gun, will travel, and Brandon is looking for a new lease.

Trey snakeeyes: Heather Herring at Klabzuba is due 11/11/11 with her second child. Her hubby was born 8/8/80. If you want to talk lucky numbers, and you're buying, she's craving P.F. Chang's and Mexican food.

Rosy outlook: Rosie, the wife of supposedly retired ex-Mayor Mike Moncrief, says she surely isn't sitting around eating bon-bons and watching Oprah's OWN. (“I haven't seen one yet!”). Between Moncrief Investments, a home remodel and spearheading four nonprofit events in July and August, she hasn't had time to slow down. BTW, the Moncriefs paid their way last month to the Chamber's luncheon with TCU head football coach Gary Patterson and sat in open seating.

Ba-da-boom: The aforementioned Patterson is gold for 10 victories a year, and also good with the one-liners. TCU is the only team to finish in the Top 10 in the USA Today and AP polls the past three years. Some witticisms from the luncheon:

• “A coach loses 10 percent of his friends each year. I only started with six and after 11 years as a coach, I now have -5.”
• “I'm not a ‘splash' guy. I grow on you. I think that's how I got married.”
• “I'm the guy on the plane that wants to meet everyone. The guy you hate.”
• “You gotta think outside the box. Coming from Rozelle, Kansas, all thinking is outside the box.”
• “I don't know what kind of team I have right now. I do know I have a bunch of knuckleheads.”

On a mission: In association with Manna Worldwide, Nationwide Insurance agent Eric Jones spent a few weeks in Guatemala this summer. So touched by what he learned and the work being done, Jones is planning four-to-five trips a year.

Worth knowing: In Fort Worth, or even Lake Worth, Net Worth by Ashworth could be worth a call. The bookkeeping service is owned by Rebekah Ashworth, a native Texan who returned from Australia just about the time she finally mastered “G'day, Mate.”

:Sandra Houston of Cenikor actually skipped to the front of a room to speak during a meeting. “I do it a lot,” she says. “I like to skip; it makes me happy.”

,too: The Amon Carter Museum of American Art is running a free photo contest this month. Winning photographs will be used in various promotional and educational applications. Mr. B is available to pose.

So cheesy: Here's a “win” that is as good as any Newz-E-Letter giveaway. Ex- or near-vegetarian Megan Hall of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra won a judges' role for the final four of the Star-Telegram's DFW.com Battle of the Burgers.

Location, location, location: For the new Dallas television series, the Dallas Film Commission is looking for locations to shoot. We're thinking outrageously overdone houses such as the B Mansion, but the guess is they will be shooting, er filming, at banks, and divorce attorney, counseling and estate planning offices, too.

More TV news: Country Music Television's expected final scene of the final episode of Texas Women was shot at Z's Cafe.  

Better than the Silver Boot: Nolan Ryan and the owners of the Texas Rangers and manager Ron Washington and his coaching staff have received (we're jealous) black leather boots from Justin Boots Chairman and CEO Randy Watson and Jamie Morgan, President of Justin Brands. The 2010 American League Champions insignia is on the upper fronts and their initials on the outside of each heel. We're not suggesting this, but Rocky Willett of the Texas Millionaires sing-song team could swipe and wear Ron Washington's and who would know the RW difference. Coo or sue? A posting from Decker Jones attorney Janet Hahn, who was at a Texas Rangers game: “OMGsh! Just got hit by a foul ball. NO KIDDING! Anyone know a good attorney?”