Former NFL player Terrell Owens before the MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game on Saturday at the Arlington Convention Center. (Brandon Ogden/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

ARLINGTON — Legendary Texas Rangers public address announcer Chuck Morgan said, “It’s softball time in Texas!”

That signaled it was time for the 2024 MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game at Globe Life Field. The event featured stars from sports, music, television, social media and more.

One of those stars was Dez Bryant, a former Lufkin High School football standout who went on to play for Oklahoma State University and the Dallas Cowboys.

“It was amazing,” Bryant said. “I was just excited to come out here and be with all of these celebrities and superstars. I appreciate the MLB for inviting us to come play in the All-Star game. It was just an amazing event. The energy was nice, and the atmosphere was crazy. We loved every bit of it.”

Bryant played eight seasons for the Cowboys from 2010-17, catching 531 passes for 7,459 yards and 73 touchdowns. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2020. Bryant, who still lives in the Dallas area, said it was great to be performing in front of the fans again.

“It means everything,” he said. “I’m a Texas kid. Every child that grew up in Texas, their dream is always to play for the Dallas Cowboys, so just to play for the Dallas Cowboys and to put a stamp here in the state of Texas means so much. It’s amazing.”

With Pedro Martinez batting for the American League in the bottom of the fourth inning, he popped up a foul ball toward the first base dugout. Bryant ran from his catcher position and made a highlight-reel catch for the first out.

“I’m going to be honest, I had to think real quick,” Bryant said. “Once Martinez, a legendary player by the way, once he fouled it up in the air, I was like oh I can go catch it. It was like a point second. I just reacted to it, and I went and got it. I used my football skills to track it down.”

Bryant said playing on the same field with Martinez was a highlight of the night.

“I think that was amazing,” Bryant said. “Just to get an out on him, that’s kind of legendary. I get to keep that in my memory book. That was a dope experience.”

Bryant said teaming up with Terrell Owens, another former great NFL wide receiver who also played for the Dallas Cowboys, was a cool experience.

“It was amazing to get the opportunity to stand next to him,” Bryant said. “If I had it my way, I wish that was my teammate (in the NFL). I wish I got to play on the same field as him. I love his intensity and his attitude. I love everything about T.O. I got to team up with him, and it meant a lot. I’m glad we got to do it in some type of capacity.”

GET YOUR POPCORN READY

While baseball is known for sunflower seeds and peanuts, Owens said popcorn was his pregame snack of choice.

No surprise there.

He also called his shot before the game.

“Everything I play, I play to win,” he said. “I know it’s for fun for a lot of people, but I play to win. I’m going yard.”

Owens sent one over the fence in the top of the fifth inning to give the American League an 11-2 lead of the five-inning contest. The AL held on to win 12-10.

Owens was also asked about basketball. He said Jaylen Brown should be on Team USA. He said Steph Curry is who he would have take the last shot to win a game for Team USA. He said his all-time starting five would be Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson.

PREGAME LAUGHS

Comedian Tiffany Haddish played in the game, but before the game, she met with the media.

Asked about softball not being her normal thing, Haddish responded, “You don’t know what my normal thing is. You don’t live with me. You don’t know how I get down. That’s the problem, y’all think you know, but you don’t know. But yeah, softball is not my regular thing.”

Asked about what she’s been eating to prepare for the game, Haddish said, “I’ve been eating food. That’s what I eat, food, mostly soups and vegetables. I make the soups out of vegetables from my garden. I’ve been eating stuff out of my back yard, from my land.” And then she yelled, “America!” for the second of multiple occasions.

Haddish asked for sunflower seeds, bubble gum and blue M&Ms for the game. When asked why, she said, “I specifically wanted sunflower seeds because I see them all the time when I come to baseball games. You’re supposed to eat that when you play baseball. You’re also supposed to have that big chew, bubble gum yum yum. I don’t know why they’re always chewing, frustration or maybe they’re hungry. I wanted the gum so I can chew, and I guess that’s going to help me hit the ball better.

“I wanted blue M&Ms because I just wanted to see if y’all was listening, and I like blue. But today, we’re red. America! Or orange and yellow today. America!”

Haddish also had comedic takes about YouTube creators, being qualified to play softball, her walkup song and Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees, who she revealed as her baseball crush.

GAME RECAP

Haddish started the game pitching for the American League.

The National League took a 1-0 lead when Marcello Hernandez singled to lead off the game and came all the way around to score on multiple throwing errors.

The AL answered with two runs in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single by Kieron Pollard and a solo home run by Foreign Teck.

In the top of the second inning, Martinez was pitching and The Kid Mero got hit by a pitch and charged the mound.

The NL went ahead in the top of the third inning with back-to-back inside-the-park home runs by West Wilson and Bobby Bones.

A seven-run fourth inning gave the NL a 9-2 lead. Kane Brown had a two-run home run in the inning. Bryant had an RBI double, and Bones had a two-run triple.

In the bottom of the fourth was Bryant’s catch, followed by a standout defensive play by Bones and then another standout defensive play by the NL after a deflection for the third out.

The NL scored three runs in the top of the fifth to stretch the lead to 12-2.

After having just three hits all game, the AL had seven hits in the bottom of the last inning and rallied to cut the score to 12-10 on a two-run double by Martinez, but Tyler Toney got out to end the game.

Bones was named the game’s MVP.

Playing in the game were Deion Sanders (former MLB/NFL player, current Colorado head football coach), Terrell Owens (football), Dez Bryant (football), Pedro Martinez (MLB Hall of Famer), Jennie Finch (softball), Lauren Chamberlain (softball), Natasha Watley (softball), Tiffany Haddish (comedian), Kane Brown (singer), Marcello Hernandez (actor/comedian), King Bach (comedian), The Kid Mero (comedian), West Wilson (reality TV), Matt James (reality TV), Camille Kostek (model), Tyler Toney (Dude Perfect), Eladio Carrión (Latin Grammy-winning rapper), Myke Towers (singer), Payo Solis (vocalist), Julian Peña Jr. (drummer), Foreign Teck (Grammy-nominated producer), Bobby Bones (radio personality), Lucas Brody (podcaster), Dani Austin (influencer), Kieron Pollard (cricket), Jenna Bandy (influencer) and Nelson Vergara (podcaster).