Mavs bearing caps

Erick Dampier of the Dallas Mavericks is a very, very, very big man. When a trio of Dallas Mavs including Dampier visited the hospital last Tuesday to distribute signed Mavs caps, there was a lot of gawking by some very, very small patients who just couldn't seem to believe someone that tall could exist.

The result? Greg Buckner, Erick Dampier and Josh Howard of our home town pro hoops team helped ease the long, sometimes boring, days of hospitalizations for a moment with silly grins and outright staring by the children in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD), one of the largest pediatric hematology-oncology programs in the U.S. and an internationally known center of excellence.

For 11-year-old Myles Flanagan, the visit was very special: he is a huge Mavs fan. In fact, his whole room at home is Mavs, said his mom, Angela Flanagan. Myles got a personal visit to his hospital room by the trio of hoopsters and a cap signed by all three players.

Even 19-month-old patient Christian Arteaga got his photo taken with the players, although he's too young to know what that means.

The appearance by the players is part of the Mavs’ community outreach program. One part of that program is an annual cap drive with adidas presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. All caps are donated to local children's cancer centers.