Its Mambo Time for Mark & Kym – 1 800 VOTE 411

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Its 8am Sunday morning and I’m getting ready to go to what will be my last full practice leading into our mambo on Monday night.

We have been working incredibly hard. 6+ hours yesterday. A split practice of 3 hours in the am and 6pm to 9:30 at night the day before. We will go another 4 hours till 1pm, then head over to the studio where the show is filmed and do it in front of the cameras so they can block it out for the live broadcast. Then if we have time we will get together tonight for a shorter practice.

No question I’m tired. It was a short week to get everything together and the Mambo is not the easiest dance for me. Being 6′ 3″, i have to keep my knees bent pretty much the entire dance so that i don’t like I’m stiff or tower above Kym. That’s not a problem at the beginning of practice, but an hour in, my left leg in particular starts to get tired. (when they replaced my left hip, whatever they had to do left my left thigh about half the size of my right. Now its about 3/4 the size of my right. A lot stronger than it was, but far from full strength). I’m so stubborn, I won’t let Kym stop at all.

OK, that’s not entirely true. My wife brought our daughters to practice yesterday. We needed to cheer up Alexis. She got sick during our trip to LA for the 1st week’s taping and had a bad fever. We took her to the doctor who recommended that we cancel her birthday party since and keep her separated from her sister since she was probably contagious. It took until yesterday afternoon for her to get back to her usual perpetual energy self, so Tiff brought her to practice so she could dance with Kym and I. She loved it. She and her sister got to dance to our song and twirl and twirl and run around. She wanted to help daddy, so we let her hit the start button before a bunch of runthroughs. By the time we got home, I was her hero again and she was her beautiful self again.

All the hard work has rewards beyond getting my entire family involved . I’m under 200 pounds for the first time since college. At 49 years old, I would be lying if I said I knew I could get down to my college weight again. Losing 20 pounds is not something I thought was even remotely possible. Like any other dad my age, working out is enough of a challenge. Not having fun after dinner making “daddy treats” for my kids is impossible. (of course no treat goes unfinished by dad !). My kids definitely keep me young. I don’t ever want to let my age define the activities I undertake. At 49, I dint want to do an “age appropriate ” dance. I tell Kym all the time that if Joey or Emmitt could do it, I’m going to do it. Albert may be 27 years younger than me , but if he can do it, I can do it. The dance steps that is. I promise I wont take my shirt off. A lot of things have grown on my body in those 27 years and I’m not a “just wax it off type guy”.

Back to dancing….Our Mambo is fun. We have some great moves that hopefully the crowd will love. There are some tough timing moves that I have to get right , but no matter what, I promise that its going to be fun !!

And one last little thing in terms of blogging. For the past 8 years since I bought the Mavs, I have kept my private life 100pct private. In the sports world I expected everyone to characterize me as “the guys who yells at the refs
. I really didn’t care what they thought. It isn’t the real me. But it served its purpose. Every interview I ever did,. Every description of me. Every reference to me, Every picture of me always had me yelling in one way or another. My friends, my family, the people I work with, all know that its not me. That’s not to sayI dint get emotional at Mavs games. I do. That’s where I release. But even there, If i stand up and act like a fan, its a picture that lives and is used forever. Doing DWTS has allowed me to show the real me. Its actually fun.

So when you see someone describe me in that way, the only thing you know for certain is that they don’t know me.

49 thoughts on “Its Mambo Time for Mark & Kym – 1 800 VOTE 411”

  1. mark your great and we love watching you dance my husband is 83 and he really likes you and so do I. we are so glad you are the owner of the chicago cubs now. we are orginally from chicago and we are chicago fans all the way. so we hope you dance your team to the world series. next year. good luck tonight and with your team. mr. and mrs. vernon westhouse of virginia beach,va

    Comment by maryann westhouse -

  2. cool

    Comment by loaverman -

  3. Way to GO Mark! Keep on plugging, and also wanted to say
    GO MAVS!!!!

    Comment by Dan Lockard -

  4. Hi Mark,

    All I can say is that you have made me a beliver. Keep up the good work and know that we are all pulling for you.

    Good luck, Danny

    Comment by Daniel P. Robinowitz -

  5. Mark;

    I Love you. You are so fun to watch and you can tell that you have lost weight. Best of luck….I voted with my phone, my cell phone and online. I hope you stay for a long time you deserve it. If Wayne stays and you go you know its fixed.

    Best of Luck. I wish you the best. and you know what we all knew that your a great guy. otherwise the guys on the Mavericks wouldn\’t love you so much.

    best of luck on DWTS

    Comment by Janet Chelone -

  6. Mark keep having fun !! You did a good job Monday night you deserved a better score.dora

    Comment by dora -

  7. Way to go, Mark. How neat to see something of you besides the hard a– we see at the games. Good luck – and thanks for sharing the info regarding your family.

    Comment by Jane -

  8. Mark, we had the opportunity to sit next to you at N9ne restaurant in Vegas this summer. I hate to say this, i had no idea who you were. I just thought the many people staring over were looking at me! then my sister, a basketball fan, noticed you and got all excited. She leaned over and told you how we are from nebraska and her and her husband love your zest for life and basketball. You were one of the nicest guys and i actually am going to vote for you. I\’m happy to say, i do know who Mark Cuban is now. Good luck!

    Comment by leah -

  9. Dear Mark, Kym, and \”Cuban Family\”,
    I am 48 years of age, and have had a few upsets physically, myself: Horse accident in 2003, \”fractured\” my C-5 & C-7 in my neck, collar bone, shoulder blade, four ribs broken, pelvic was cracked in four places, \”almost amputated my right hand\”, left lung collapsed, and I was out for five hours….The physical therapy, that I went through was tremendous, and in all honesty I loved it….because I could walk….NOW YOU, \”MARK CUBAN\”….have me \”dancing\” in my kitchen on my marble floor…
    You are an inspiration with your smile, your determination, and
    with the support of your lovely family….You will have my continued support….My fiance, who is a District Court Judge, here in Las Vegas, Nevada, is supporting Wayne Newton…He and Wayne, have been friends for years….So would you please tell Wayne, that Judge Don Mosley, says: \”We men, who are over six feet and in our sixties–stick together!\”
    All my best,
    T.K. Crabb

    Comment by T.K. Crabb -

  10. Gals and Guys, REJOICE! Mark is safe and will move on to next week\’s competition. Hard work pays off! Keep it going Mark – you are a heck of an entertainer when you dance! You make your fans smile. Don\’t forget to VOTE next Monday, you all!

    Comment by lindzy -

  11. Marc,
    I thought you and Kym did a terrific mambo and I voted for you with every phone I own. Since I\’ve known you from childhood, I\’m really proud of the way you\’ve matured, grown and become a success in your personal and private life.
    Keep up the good work, and I hope you \”go for the trophy\”!!

    Comment by Ethel Levine -

  12. Like I said before your such an amazing person!! Just reading what you wrote about your fam put a big smile on my face!! They are blessed to have you as their dad!! Good luck with everything you do!!

    Comment by Candace Porter -

  13. Good luck Mark, I\’ll keep voting for you. I think you are doing great. Love that smile, enjoy seeing you having so much fun while doing what you are doing.

    Comment by Hope -

  14. Mark, you were robbed tonight with sixes! I thought you were great! You got all 11 of my votes.

    Comment by Linda -

  15. I don\’t get it — you are removing all of the negative comments and keeping only the positive ones.

    Comment by Bill -

  16. You look great Mark and I hope you make it far in the competition! Good luck and keep up the great work!

    Comment by Denaid -

  17. Mark, have you ever given any thought about buying the Baltimore Orioles? That organization could use an owner who is passionate about winning, something you obviously are.

    Comment by Disgruntled O\'s fan -

  18. Thanks for this entry! It is so nice to hear you speak about your family. I\’m a die-hard Mavs fan and love the Sideline-Mark…but it is refreshing to see this side of you as well. I am cheering for you from my sofa each week! Hope to see you go far on DWTS! And hope to see our Mavs go all the way this season too!

    Comment by Jenn W -

  19. Ok. I\’m coming out of the Cuban Closet here.
    I\’ve been reading for awhile now…but not telling anyone, especially my husband.

    See, you almost hired him to be one of your graphic artists, but he lived in California and would have to move…and he wouldn\’t leave his kids.
    I thank God for that because if he would have moved, I would have never met him.

    I never thought I would be thanking Mark Cuban for not hiring my husband 🙂
    I\’m just glad I finally told my husband that I am a reader of your blog.
    He said, \”I like him. I like him a lot. He\’s a very smart guy.\”

    Comment by Kristine -

  20. just one tip …. do *not* sing along! i know it\’s hard, esp. if you have a good song … but it\’s distracting and doesn\’t come across well on TV.

    good luck this week!

    Comment by Christine -

  21. Mark,
    I am a friend of Danny B\’s from high school. Go Beavers! I have my company pulling for you. You weren\’t the best but certainly weren\’t the worst if you know what I mean. It would not be a fair remonstration of talent if you were voted off tonight. We will all be pulling for you!!

    Comment by Michelle -

  22. Good luck tonight! And we hope to see Avery Johnson competing in DWTS for the Spring season. 😀

    Comment by Pam -

  23. Marky Marky!!!

    You are my hero – I won\’t bore you with the MANY reasons why, but I will summarize: A man who is strong, supportive of his family, lover of his children and wife is a REAL man. I don\’t care if you yell or dance. In my eyes, YOU ARE A REAL, GOOD MAN!

    Blessings to you and your 100% private family.

    b.

    Comment by Bee -

  24. Good luck this week, Mark! We\’ll be watching and voting for ya!

    Comment by Chuck Melton -

  25. Hi Mark — it\’s true, I thought of you as \”the guy always yelling\” (as well as the brilliant guy who made a fortune)I\’m kind of a \”yeller\” myself when wronged, so people sometimes misjudge my heart…

    I rarely watch reality shows, but I do watch DWTS, and like some talk shows, it does bring out the true personality of an individual. I was pleasantly surprised, touched by your humility and your love for your family. I\’m voting for you, I think you did a fabulous job. I don\’t really appreciate those who have previous professional dance experience, like some who have been on the show. You are our favorite, we\’re proud to have you as a representative of Texas. San Angelo loves you and is voting for you! — Keep up the good work, and keep making us proud.

    Comment by nancy -

  26. Good luck tonight, Mark. I\’m fortunate enough to get to see you perform that mambo live!

    Comment by Sharon -

  27. Dancing with the Stars in HD?? How about the post-show tour in HD? I went to one of their previous tour stops, and it\’s kinda tough to see someone\’s dancesteps when you\’re in a basketball mega-arena. The HD would add to the tour, an audience that now doesn\’t live near a tour stop.
    Mambo King?

    Comment by Thomason -

  28. I hope all of the hard work pays off for you Mark.
    Being a career minded guy in the business world, albeit not as successful(yet), I can completely relate to the challenges of raising young children and putting forth the constant effort to remain their \”hero\”. Workouts are usually fit in after bed time and eating a strictly healthy diet is often out of the question. Those after dinner treats are priceless.

    It is a great feeling to shed the public persona and just be yourself. While this may not be feasable 24/7,at the end of the day this is what keeps us young.
    TM

    Comment by Tom M -

  29. Showing your true self probably will get you more votes. I use to think (or not think much) of you as someone who gets fined a million for cursing (I just heard) at games and I was like gosh he can just not open his mouth and donate that money to some cause that needs it. Anyway, since I read about your colonoscopy which was hilarious the way you wrote it, I read more of your post. The more personal, the more interesting it made you and the \”daddy\”, \”family\”, anc \”Mac user\” -YOU -will get my vote!

    I read in the DMN that you should stop singing with the dance. So I had to watch it on abc.com and yeah, don\’t sing along. Other than that, just keep smiling and show personality. Don\’t be stiff and wear black with no patches. The judges didn\’t seem too harsh on you at all as they were on Josie (poor girl), and sounded like you had a chance to prove more to them.

    Good Luck!!

    Comment by G:) -

  30. Hey Mark,Theres a country western song,not that I\’m a big country western fan but the lyrics to this one has stuck in my mind.It goes something like\” I\’m not as good as I once was but once I\’m as good as I ever was!\” I think thats something anybody over 40 should think of when they are faced with anything of a competetive nature involving someone younger then them. I beleive Jack Nicklaus, who for those that don\’t know, is the guy that Tiger is chasing all his records,won his last Masters championship when he was 46. So DANCE dude DANCE! Thanks for the thoughts.

    Comment by Frankie from Lawnside -

  31. MC: one more thang! from an image guru…with your lean and hot looks, wear an italian shiny suit! Channel, Steve Martin in My blue Sky…Mambo Italiano….;-)

    Comment by Mary -

  32. MC: At 34 diagnosed with bi-lateral avascular necrosis…right hip replaced…I cannot imagine the pain you are in while doing this…Please do not call me Ilean!

    You already won!

    Comment by Mary -

  33. Hey Mark – good luck man. We all know the work you are putting into this.

    Comment by Jim Dorey -

  34. This post nearly stole my heart as much as your comment to Drew last week about showing your daughter what you learned that day. Good luck tomorrow night – we are all cheering for you back at home 🙂

    (and I invited all my friends to your Facebook event to make sure they get all their votes in for you as well..)

    Shake your groove thing 😉

    Comment by Wendi -

  35. I vote for Mark and Kym and ask my friends to do the same.

    Good luck!

    Comment by Russian bride -

  36. Good luck this week! As a physician, I think it\’s AMAZING that you\’re able to dance and compete so well so soon after a hip replacement. We\’ll be voting for you!

    Comment by Deborah -

  37. Can\’t wait to see the mambo on Monday! It\’s so sweet to read that you do have a family and they are behind you 100%. I\’m glad the media\’s poorly-painted picture of you is a very small thing in the big picture of your life.

    Comment by Crystal -

  38. I think you put the nay-sayers on notice with your performance last Sunday. It was outstanding! I didn\’t expect you or any of the guys to have a chance at winning this year because alot of the women coming into this season already knew a little bit about stage dance competition and/or performance.
    Being a billionaire, you know what it takes to compete and be successful. So, I\’m sure you realize that you really have the potential to win the season five title and trophy, but you got to nail this weeks\’ performance. All of the guys and ladies performed above first week expectations. Thus, this season got off to a super competitive start.
    Regardless of the outcome, I am glad you and the other stars are having a good time. I\’m sure you made your family proud. Keep up the good work. I\’d love for you to have that trophy to show off to Dirk and the rest of the Mavericks.

    Comment by mike -

  39. Hi Mark:
    Nice to read the updates on your progress,I\’m still marveling that you\’re doing this approx. 8 weeks post-surgery. I\’ve noticed your name being tossed around since Tuesday and I gotta tell ya, it\’s all good. Maybe Tuesday was actually a blessing in disguise. It was a wake-up call to your \”peeps\” to vote and not think someone else was doing it for them. In the scheme of things, this trophy isn\’t your most significant achievement but at this particular time, here and now, I can see how it is. Before I go, now that 25 million people know who you are and you\’re a household name, would you consider a presidential run (2012/2016)? Just kidding (but not really). Think about it. Best of Luck , Lily

    Comment by Lily -

  40. I really have enjoyed watching you on Dancing with the Stars. You say you\’re having fun out there and it shows!! We have fun watching you have fun! I know that everyone says this and probably thinks this..but my son and I are the biggest Mavs fans! I read everything I can about them. I even had my co-workers dress up in Mavs garb for some of the games against GS this past season. I even own a pair of Mavs scrubs!! We never miss a watching a game !lol ..Anyway, my point is, if you weren\’t on DWTS we probably wouldn\’t even watch it. You got all 18 of our votes last week (6 per cell phone, 6 per house phone & 6 online votes) and you\’ll get them every week! Good luck to you Mark! Make us proud (as I know you will). And GO MAVS !!!!

    Comment by Cynthia -

  41. I can\’t believe you\’re 49, you are in fantastic shape!!

    Can\’t wait to see the mambo.

    How perfect you had 2 girls. You\’ll be forever surrounded by women. My dad\’s my best friend!!!

    Comment by Toni -

  42. Mark best of luck..I have been calling and and going online and voting for you and Kym..I\’m sorry to hear your daughter got sick..Hope she\’s feeling much better..Its the air in cali I tell ya..Its bad lol..As far as Monday..this means you wont be at Media day with the Team? how are you going to handle that??
    Britt

    Comment by DirksGirL -

  43. Once again, I enjoy reading about your experiences so far with DWTS. Good Luck on Monday.

    Comment by Karen -

  44. You did great, Mark. Just keep on improving and I know you\’ll get far. Really enjoyed you in your first dance. 🙂

    Comment by Lucyndda -

  45. Your family Mark that is what is the most important! Including them in with your practices and everything is great – making them feel like they are part of it as well!! It is always good to a hero in your kid\’s eyes!!

    Good luck – looking forward to Monday!!

    Comment by James -

  46. Aloha Mark ~

    I sure am rooting for you!
    Enjoying your blogs here, I can feel your heart.
    I am more sensitive than most, as I am an artist.

    I still can\’t believe you doing this so soon after the hip replacement. That\’s crazy good nuts wonderful.. 🙂

    Like to get the t-shirts and a couple puzzles for the girls to you. I use my IU degree\’s in Psychology and Art to help change the world for the better.

    Proof is in the painting!

    Enjoy the day, keep dancing away.

    Aloha to Tiff and the Girls,

    Erik the Artist

    http://www.eriktheartist.com

    http://www.myspace.com/eriktheartist

    If you want to see the 3 shirts I did for you, here they are.
    Otherwise hope to surprise you.. maybe Brian will help.

    http://www.eriktheartist.com/mc.htm

    ps. If you need some more positive colorful energy to root you on Monday, let me know, I\’d love to come to the show!!

    Comment by Erik the Artist -

  47. Way to go Mark, working hard, enjoying the ride, and staying positive. There is nothing like this experience, and keep smiling through it. There is a growing blog group on facebook organizing voting parties.

    Comment by danielmcvicar -

  48. I dont understand. :/

    Comment by Pousadas Hoteis -

  49. I\’m not a \”just wax it off type guy\”.???? To much info there Mark!

    I am glad you are having a great time and have found a way to bring your kids into it all too! I may have to tune in the show, shhh, don\’t tell the guys in my NFL pool!

    In all seriousness though, best of luck! You are showing us all what is important in life…having a good time with friends, family and laughing with yourself!

    You have my vote!

    Comment by HockeyNutz -

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