Bates & switch: Addi Hall reminded Mr. B of Annie Hall, which reminded Mr. B of Woody Allen, which reminded Mr. B that this giveaway is no joke. Addi is the marketing maven for The Gus Bates Company and she dribbled into Gus' office and rebounded her way out with two tickets and a parking pass to a Dallas Mavericks game. The Gus Bates Company handles some Mavericks accounts, so we're guessing these are primo seats for an available game, though not Ed Bass/Steve Murrin courtside seats. Inn for the out-laws: It's that time of year, folks, and when relatives have visited for the holidays in the past, you have asked Mr. B to provide lodging accommodations. The B Mansion is filled this festive season with leeches, err elves, but our pal Patel has room at the inn. Just in time, he has a one night's stay at the Motel 6 East on Oakland Blvd. He'll leave the (holiday) lights on for you. Tutti-fruitti: Flowers or fruit? Fruit or flowers? What to send to the hosts with the most? Glenda Diaz says that's an easy answer and though she is biased, it's a festive bias. And if you stick by us, you could win this wonderful Edible Arrangements arrangement courtesy of Glenda's Hulen fruit stand, not to be confused with her Arlington fruit stand. Have delivered this "Very Merry Festival," which features green chocolate covered pineapple trees, cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberries, oranges, and grapes. It will light up your refrigerator!

Southwest Bank's CEO Vernon Bryant chatted with XTO Energy's President Jack Williams at the Petroleum Club of Fort Worth last week. Williams was the speaker for the Chamber's Leaders in Business luncheon series, presented by Weaver. Williams said education about natural gas drilling is critical, as energy demand will increase by 35% by 2030, and oil and gas will supply 60% of the world's energy. See more photos here.   Sponsored by

Dipstick drawing: Terri (The Tire Girl) Ellis of Downtown Garage says the price of tires will be increasing in the near future because of “a shortage of rubber.” So, no tires will be harmed in this giveaway. But Downtown is a complete auto maintenance shop and complete is the operative word with this nifty oil change and filter. Terri guarantees the oil is from Texas' very own Permian Basin.

Songs yet song: Lynn (The Singing Lawyer) Kelly, head of the creatively titled Lynn Kelly Law Firm, used to sing with the Dallas Symphony Chorus before being "promoted" to our side of town. She says the 30 volunteer singers that make up the Fort Worth Baroque Society (with Sundance Brass) are even better! They're performing a “Celebrate Christmas” concert Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Arborlawn United Methodist Church. Former Fort Worthian Dr. C. David Keith will conduct. Songbird Lynn got us two tickets.

Super sales: Mark Gagnon, sales manager for Cowtown Charters, says the company has more business booked for Wednesday through Monday of Super Bowl week than it did for three weeks at the Olympics. CBS, ESPN and NFL Game Day are clients.

A cover-up! Chamber ED VP David Berzina didn't know he was starting a fashion trend a few months back. But seen on the street last week was Chamber Prez Big Boss Bill with a matching Band-Aid.You golfers need to wear sunscreen!

Won't re-gift this one: One gift that 3M - Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief - has bought for Super Bowl guests is a logo-ed leather pouch with a coffee tumbler and coaster inside. His promotion fund is paying for it, not the city. Pepper Hudson of Pepper-L Specialties was the broker.

Punch line: Gary Cumbie, donor relations officer for Tarrant County College, was introduced at a Chamber luncheon as the moderator for a panel discussion. “Me and the word moderate are rarely used together,” he said.

More lunch punch: Smokey's barbecue restaurant was host to an East Area Council luncheon. Dessert was an incredibly-tasting, nap-inducing buttermilk pie. Butter, check! Sugar, check! Milk, who could tell?

(No) growing pains: World of Wellness chiropractors will open a third location in January on Hulen, and 2011 plans include offices in Alliance and possibly Flower Mound.

No bulls were harmed: Railroad Commission Chairman Victor Carrillo will join Texas Right of Way Associates as a consultant Jan. 1, a day after his Texas term expires. TRWA owners and brothers, Don Valden and Ted Valdez, weren't talking bull when they made the announcement, but they were escaping bulls three summers ago in Pamplona. It's a three-block scramble ahead (hopefully) of the running bulls. Don did fine, but Ted had to dive under a fence to escape a horn in the backside.

XTO-notes: Serving stints in Alaska, Malaysia, New Guinea, Southeast Asia and Indonesia for ExxonMobil, Jack Williams next year will find a home in Fort Worth. The XTO President is commuting from Houston as his daughter finishes her senior year of high school. Williams already has the Cowtown spirit - “I'm a Vanderbilt grad and during the fall, we stress our academic excellence,” he told a Chamber luncheon gathering. “It's very easy to become a TCU fan right now.” So, where is XTO under new leadership?

• “XTO will continue to be a responsible member of the Fort Worth community.” (That sigh of relief you heard was from area nonprofits.)
• ExxonMobil sees energy demand up 35 percent from 2005-2030.
  Some XTO employees are among ExxonMobil's largest individual shareholders.
• “Reverse integration” - Exxon Mobil is learning about natural gas from XTO; it's a “game-changing” combination. And ExxonMobil will be able to take XTO's “skills and technical expertise to a global horizon.”

Serve & reap: Perrone Pharmacy is a 58-year-old independent pharmacy. How does an independent overcome $4 and mail-order prescriptions? Paula Perrone (along with sister Kim) says their father's legacy, and their staff's service, compassion and commitment are factors in the success.

Branching out: According to Vincent Ford, ADT Security isn't just alarms. One thing the company does is indoor climate control using environmental sensors.

Lone Star state of mind: Am-Bass-Adorables are at Lone Star in Sundance Square next Thursday afternoon cuttin' a ribbon and maybe cutting a rug or two. Lone Star is on Commerce between 3rd and 4th streets (formerly City Streets).

Go East, young men: Anyone else believe that a benefit of TCU joining the Big East will be keeping other schools from soliciting head football coach Gary Patterson?