A couple times Friday night, Jeff Potter called Ron Howard the face of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants D-League franchise.There couldn't have been a better face to represent a team that hoped to find a niche in the city's sports landscape.

Ron Howard, who came from obscurity to become the face of the Fort Wayne NBA Development League franchise for nearly three seasons, has probably played his last game in a Mad Ants uniform.

OK, enough already about the Mad Ants playing without injured Rob Kurz and the long gone Jared Reiner.Turns out Reiner might not have had the flu after all, which was the company line last Tuesday when he didn't show up for the Ants' game against Maine.

The American Red Cross will celebrate Red Cross month in March with Mad Ants Week at the Red Cross from Monday through March 14.

The Mad Ants will have their first Sports Symposium at 2:30 p.m. March 21 at Memorial Coliseum. The symposium will offer an opportunity for those interested in working in sports to meet and gain knowledge from different members of the sports industry.

And to think Joey Meyer wanted to get back into coaching...You've got to give him this, though: He's taking this injury-plagued season in stride, and somehow or another he's keeping his sense of humor, if not his balance.The Mad Ants lost again Tuesday, 124-108, to the Maine Red Claws. That's 22 losses in 35 games, if anyone is counting.Yet through it all, Meyer is keeping his composure.

You've heard the expression, Men against boys, right?You could've seen it Sunday when the Dakota Wizards beat the Mad Ants 94-85.Hasheem Thabeet, the 7-foot-3 center who was sent to Dakota from the NBA Memphis Grizzlies, was truly the man when he scored 19 points, had 16 rebounds, blocked six shots and altered/intimidated at least a half dozen others at Memorial Coliseum.

You might want to TiVo that USA-Canada hockey game Sunday and try to get out to the Coliseum for the 5 p.m. Mad Ants game with Dakota.It's not often that a No. 2 overall draft pick finds himself in the NBA D-League, but that's where Dakota's Hasheem Thabeet has found himself.

Just standing around, talking with Mad Ants coach Joey Meyer before practice is interesting. He seems to be more relaxed than he is after games, and I suppose that's the case with most coaches.He said that he had trouble sleeping after his team lost; that maybe he second-guesses himself too much, and that's what haunts him.

There have been a few comments and complaints that this space has been a little too negative at times talking about the Mad Ants. Of course, when you're 10-19, sometimes there isn't much positive fodder to work with.However...

So much for the Dan Dickau-to-Joe Alexander connection.The Mad Ants announced today that Alexander, the 6-foot-9 forward who has played six games with Fort Wayne, was recalled to the NBA because of a trade between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls.

I know basketball can be a physical game. I've sprained enough ankles, had enough bruises, jammed enough fingers and even got my nose broken while playing hoops many, many, many, many years ago.I think they had just cut the bottom out of the peach basket then.

It was Leo Durocher who said something about nice guys finishing last.The Mad Ants have finished last in their conference in the first two NBA D-League seasons, and if it weren't for expansion Springfield, they'd be there again this year.