By MICKEY SPAGNOLA

* Always knew DeMarcus Ware was just a little different from your normal NFL player. Now we know for sure. Ware needs surgery to shave down a bone spur on his left foot, where he battled a stress fracture for most of the 2009 season. But he did not use that as an excuse to excuse himself from playing in his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl this Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. He actually wants to play in the game, and has put off the surgery until next week. Said Ware from Friday’s NFC workout, “I’ve been dealing with that stuff every week, so what’s one more game. And it’s the Pro Bowl. You’re not really doing a lot of stuff. My practice today was about 40 plays and I went about five yards at the most on each play. So it wasn’t bad.” See what I’m sayin’? Ware said the surgery is considered relatively minor, that he’ll probably have to stay off his left foot for about at week, and then in his words, “wear some soft shoes.” He’ll be ready when the Cowboys off-season workouts begin.

* Now can we finally read between the lines when it comes to Tony Romo’s leadership, or lack thereof during the 2008 season? I always said Romo had his hands tied by the presence of Terrell Owens, the outspoken receiver who very well could have silently sabotaged Romo’s authority in the locker room just because of who he is and his affect on young players. Romo knew he could not chew out players or get on guys for mistakes if he was not willing to also confront Owens. And doing so could have been toxic, not only for their somewhat tenuous relationship but also for team unit. So Romo was smart enough to bite his tongue, taking a backseat to the mercurial Owens. Like what do you think he was saying when he said this the other day at the Pro Bowl while talking about stepping up his willingness to lead this past season: “It’s like a sophomore kid in high school who’s the quarterback and there’s a lot of older kids. It’s hard to tell them what to do when they’ve been through the fire, through these games, and they know the process, whereas you’re just learning. With me it’s no different than becoming that junior and senior. You’re able to grab a hold of the offensive team and let people know what you expect.” Any question what he is saying?

* If you are wondering just how a major boxing event will play in North Texas, just know this: Over last weekend, when tickets to the Pacquiao-Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium March 13 were first put on sale to Cowboys season ticket holders and then the general public on Saturday, more than 20,000 tickets were sold. That’s huge. I’m told if 40,000 to 45,000 tickets are sold before the fight, more tickets will be sold for seating in the 400 level.

* Next time you hear from all of us here on KTBB.com we’ll be in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., site of Super Bowl XLIV. So stay tuned, we’re sure to bring great perspective on the New Orleans Saints, where former Cowboys assistant head coach Sean Payton is taking those erstwhile sad-sack Saints to their first Super Bowl in the franchise’s 43-year history, one of the best stories in sports. Also, we’ll be keeping you updated on the Pro Football Hall of Fame chances for former Cowboys Emmitt Smith and Charles Haley, among the final 15 candidates this year. Obviously Emmitt should be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Haley’s candidacy will be highly debated in the room, but the bottom line should be, who else in the history of the NFL has five Super Bowl rings. The answer is . . . no one. ‘Nuff said.

(Mickey Spagnola will be writing his thoughts on the Cowboys at least three days a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – for KTBB.com throughout the season.)