By Tim Schmitt Buffalo, NY – Phil Dolci is used to seeing amazing things. Exotic animals. Dangerous stunts. But even Dolci admits he was aghast when he heard that a Michigan man had jumped over Niagara Falls and lived to tell about it.

And he knew he had just the right job offer for Kirk Jones. 'He's the world's greatest stuntman. The circus is the perfect place for him,' Dolci told me. Perfect might be a stretch, but sure enough, Jones found himself on yet another border this weekend, smiling and shaking hands as part of the Sterling and Reid Bros. Circus in Hidalgo, Tex. Three miles from the Mexican border, far from perfect. Jones - who was out of work when he leaped into the national spotlight - certainly talks the part of a master showman.

In fact, when I talked to him via cell phone from Hidalgo's Dodge Arena on Saturday, the 41-year-old Jones sounded like he'd been rehearsing for the job for years. 'I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd be here with the circus,' he said. 'When they called, I had to laugh. All of a sudden, everybody says I'm the greatest stuntman in the world.

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It's probably just the luck of the draw that got me here.' What really got Jones deep in the heart of Texas was a shot of depression, a society constantly looking for heroes in all the wrong places and enough vodka to make the idea sound sensible. But while Jones expected to make big money off the stunt, he has quickly found himself a circus attraction, playing off Dolci's lead in a three-ring caravan. The troupe's season comes to a close soon after more shows on the Texas border, but Jones is considering a contract that will make him a permanent part of the circus. Suddenly, getting to the Hollywood Squares seems a pipe dream. As you'd expect, Jones has already put the touches on a book deal, one tentatively called, 'You're Kidding Me: A Knucklehead's Guide to Surviving Niagara Falls.'

He's trying to hype a possible stunt in the Houston Astrodome that could kick off Sterling and Reid's next big season in January. But more than anything else, Jones is struggling to slow a sturdy second hand that currently reads 14:59 on his 15 minutes of fame. Tick, tick, tick. Jones told me he was in negotiations with the circus, but wasn't at liberty to comment just yet, adding that he expects an involvement in the circus to be 'really big.' On Friday night, all 5,800 seats at the Dodge Arena were taken for two separate shows.

Three shows on Saturday were also filled. The party - something Jones was known to never miss - is still open for business. And who knows? Maybe he can beat the odds and keep his fame from fleeting. It's not like Jones hasn't surprised us before. But he got lucky once - let's hope he realizes he's due for a fall. Pun definitely intended.

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The greatest show on earth is a dangerous place for a novice and Jones' obvious taste for thrills and tendency toward recklass abandonment might get him in over his head. It is a circus in there.