And the Thunder rolls

Bringin' down the house

Good NBA teams do not necessarily win every game by 20. 

In fact, the test of a true good NBA team is judging them based on the games they probably aren't supposed to win, but do anyway. 

I don't think the Dallas Mavericks have one of these games this year. Simply put, they're not a very good NBA team. Last night was a good sign. 

A team or individual's mettle is truly tested not when they are at top, but when they are near the bottom. 

Getting run out of the building by a Kevin Durant-less Oklahoma City Thunder last night at home is pretty close to the bottom. 

Then Dirk Nowitzki did what he does. I love folks who try to convince me that Nowitzki isn't tough, a leader or someone who nuts up when times are tough. He didn't put the team on his back ... he put the whole franchise (fans, city, arena) on his back and lugged it all the way to China. 

Also, it's worth noting that I root for Oklahoma City. I love the triumvirate of Durant-Russell Westbrook-Jeff Green. But it's not a team that you allow to beat you in your backyard. 

Notes:

1. I realize he hit some big three pointers, but Jason Kidd was awful. 

2. Westbrook and Green combined for 61 points. But they only shot 20-52. The Thunder shot only 40 percent. Still thought Westbrook was getting the best of Kidd. 

3. A Gerald Green sighting!

4. One of the best overall bench performances of the year for the Mavs: 

14-32 FG - 8-10 FT - 25 rebounds - 9 assists - 37 points. 

5. In terms of their final 30, the Mavs are 4-2 overall. Funny thing, considering this game, they should be 3-3 ... or maybe had they showed up in San Antonio they'd be 5-1. Eh. 

Clubbed by Cubs

The Great Hambino

I realize that pre-season are meaningless, but watching the Texas Rangers struggle is frustrating. I don't know why. Not like they're going to win the AL pennant or anything. But I guess I'm hoping for some sort of focus even if the games don't count. 

Particularly, I hope for inspired play from guys vying for a spot (not really happening) and from the pitchers (not really happening). 

Alas, the Rangers lost 10-4 to the Chicago Cubs yesterday. 

Good Stuff

1. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit two doubles. He's hitting .400 in pre-season play so far. 

2. If only he played pre-season games: Josh Hamilton had an RBI single. Crushing pitching at a .500 clip. 

3. Luis Mendoza -- probably on the outside looking, rotationwise -- pitched 2.1 innings with only two baserunners. 

4. Elizardo Ramirez and Frank Francisco had scoreless frames.

Not Bad, But Not Good

1. Elvis Andrus had a throwing error. 

2. Warner Madrigal allowed a solo homer in his one inning. 

Bad Stuff 

1. Andruw Jones seems pumped about playing baseball: three more strikeouts in a 1-4 day. 

2. Justin Smoak, Greg Golson and Travis Metcalf each had two strikeouts. 

3. Scooter Feldman allowed nine hits -- two of which were homers -- and four earned runs. 

Nobody will play with The Hardline

Well, the debate of whether some out-of-shape, middle-aged radio personalities can beat a decent high school girls basketball team may never be settled.

The Hardline vs. Lake Highlands is no more. The girls team backed out, allegedly, because some parents or school folk didn't want to be associated with the The Ticket, The Hardline and they're polarizing ways.

This makes The Hardline 3-0, kinda. Dallas Covenant never came through. Garland Christian Academy backed out. Now, Lake Highlands.

Alas. As over-cocky as I thought The Ticket had gotten, it was still an interesting little idea.

We'll see if any other team takes the challenge.

Book Review: 'Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History'

Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History

By Cait Murphy

Funny story about this book: From the first day I saw it at a local bookseller, I wanted it. It was about baseball, it looked extremely interesting and it featured a period of baseball (pre-1920 baseball) that I know little about it.

But, hell, why pay $20-odd for a book?

So it comes out in paperback. Cheaper, but it's still crazy to pay $15 for a new book.

Sure enough, my instincts paid off. Three weeks ago I roll into my neighborhood Barnes & Noble and was purusing the discount table when I saw it:

$5.98.

Cash on the barrellhead, ready to roll.

This is a really fine book. Before, names like Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, Nap Lajoie, Johnny Evers and John McGraw were just that. Names.

Honus Wagner was a famous baseball card. That's it. Now I know.

I also know that although a lot has changed in terms of the quality of the game, equipment, marketing, fields, fans, media and whatnot, but there are still a variety of common themes from then 'til now.

In 1908, the country was coming back from a deep economic abyss. They were dealing with a factor that was compromising the integrity of the game (then gambling, now steroids). They had cantakerous, ego-driven superstar personalities. Barry Bonds may be a prick, but Ty Cobb was the biggest dick of them all. McGraw may not have been far behind.

You had the superstar like Honus Wagner. It was before the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees even really existed more or less were good. There was no baseball past the Mississippi River and Chicago and New York still ruled. Owners were tempestuous and looked to make a buck. Fans of bad teams didn't show up. Teams not making money were moved.

Sound familiar?

There are probably 100 different anecdotes that help the overall flow of the book and I could go through them all but it would take a billion different posts. Just read the book.

Murphy's book focuses on the Chicago Cubs and New York Giants pennant race, which also included the Pittsburgh Pirates. The rivalry was fierce and real. These guys didn't fiegn any feelings because they really hated each other. The pennant race was also pretty fierce. The season itself is pretty grueling, but add in the intrigue and brutality of having to travel by train across the Rust Belt on road trips and play in all kinds of conditions with rowdy, drunk and often dangerous fans in your back pocket.

The drama surrounding the final week of play that led to the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. But we all know the Series was won when the Cubs downed the New York Giants behind the great Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown.

The most fascinating part of the book was going onto Baseball Reference and reseaching these players. The careers put up by Cy Young, Mathewson, Wagner, Cobb, Brown and others are simply mind boggling. They're unreal.

This is an excellent book. If you love baseball, if you love the circus that surrounds it, this is a perfect book. Seemingly, the stories and environment are another world, almost fiction. It's almost hard to believe that this was only 100 years ago.

Past Reviews
"The Boys of Crenshaw"

The NL East or The Washington Nationals: Men or Myth?

Amazin' Mets ... probably ain't winning this year

What do you do if you're the Washington Nationals?

It's bad enough that you're one of the worst franchises in the league dating all the way back to Montreal. Even worse, no matter what you do, no matter who you compete against, chances are you'll lose.

Then you have to compete in the AL East, arguably the toughest division in baseball. Maybe professional sports. The Phillies are world champs. The Mets will always compete hard. The Braves won a billion divisions in a row and you could argue they could be back in a couple of years. The Marlins will win a World Series every four years and there's a really good chance that they'll good this year.

The poor Nats have no shot. At least the Rangers only have California to beat. The Royals could find themselves competing in one of the White Sox, Twins and Cleveland's bad years (theoretically).



Philadelphia Phillies -- 95-67
They're back. And they've added a couple of pieces including Raul Ibanez. No reason to think they'll fall off.



Florida Marlins -- 90-72
If those kids grow up fast, this is a really scary team. Those pitchers are big and strong. And they're due for another World Series.




New York Mets -- 85-77
I'm not betting on the Mets. They've let me down far too much. I feel like they have a lot of really good players. Superstars, in fact. But the difference, talentwise, between those guys and the non-superstars is too large. There aren't enough good, middle-of-the-road players. If healthy, the rotation should be fine. Frankie Rodriguez and J.J. Putz could lock down the late innings. Hell, this team could win 97 games. Or 77. It's a crapshoot.



Atlanta Braves -- 70-92
Just don't know if they have the offense to win a lot of games (if some of those dudes show up, they do, but I can't only judge these guys by what they've done, which isn't much). Furthermore. if Tom Glavine wasn't 600 years old, I'd give the rotation the benefit of the doubt. I like the nucleus of Javier Vasquez (who could benefit with a move to the NL) and youngsters JoJo Reyes and Jair Jurrjens with another year under their belt.


Washington Nationals -- 65-97
Their rotation is young, but big and strong. Couple of guys work out (Scott Olsen, Joel Hanrahan, Daniel Cabrera) and they could compete. Another interesting talking point is that young outfield -- Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Josh Willingham. If Ryan Zimmerman is healthy, they could hit. But they could be a strikeout factory with Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns and Co.

Royal pain

Duck, cover

Ah, you can't win them all, I guess.

In Spring Training, I guess it doesn't mean much. It's the 162 from April to October that really count.

It's just sad to see a lot more bad than good. Although for the second straight game the Rangers didn't commit an error. That's worth noting.

Oh, and this is why you don't give Milton Bradley $10 million a year.

Good Stuff
1. Kevin Millwood is playing to get paid. He pitched scoreless innings with three Ks and one hit.

2. Josh Hamilton hit his second homer in as many games.

3. Reliever longshots Willie Eyre and Joseph Torres pitched perfect innings. Eyre had two strikeouts. Torres is a 26-year-old lefty signed in December. Didn't have a bad year in AA ball last year, but has control issues.

Bad Stuff
1. Yuck: Six hits, two runs and 10 strikeouts for Rangers hitters.

2. Elvis Andrus: 0-2, one walk.

3. Eddie Guardado had a bad day. Three runs in one inning's work.

4. Derek Holland and Doug Mathis weren't much better.

Spring Training Battle: Shortstop

If you can get Paul Bako out, you can play on my team

What you can't accuse Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels of not doing is making a splash.

Yeah, he's had some silly trades. But, then again, he's had a clear goal the past two years and he's executed it perfectly.

After the 2008, I didn't think Michael Young would be moving from shortstop ... at least for another year or so.

But no. The Ranger come out in the winter and ask him to move to third base to make room for Elvis Andrus, the 19-year-old who the Rangers got in the Mark Teixeira trade.

Needless to say, the hubbub surrounding that incident made way more waves than they wished and once Young realized he was getting paid an unseemly amount of money, he realized that if they asked him to sell peanuts in sections 150-159, he'd be obligated to do it.

He did and all is well. Except now we have two guys at the polar opposites of their baseball careers vying for one position and another guy that no one is talking about.

The suspects:

Omar Vizquel
The 42-year-old has had one hell of a career. He's a sure-fire Hall of Fame shortstop and a favorite of anyone who loved defense. Guys like him changed games. When a sharply hit grounder looked like it could eke through the infield, Vizquel was there for the seemingly easy put out. He has 2,600 hits, a .273 lifetime average, 385 career stolen bases and a sick K/BB ratio (980/965).

But when the Rangers signed him to a minor-league deal in the off-season, it was for two reasons: insurance and wisdom.

The Ranger hope Andrus wins the starting job outright. If he doesn't or if he struggles early, we could see a lot of Vizquel. Furthermore, what does it hurt having a Hall of Famer mentoring your young kid as both have very similar skillsets (speed, defense, handy with the bat, gap power)? He's one of the smartest moves made by the Rangers lately.

Elvis Andrus
There's many reasons to be excited about Andrus. Yes, he's 20 years old. He has insane speed (94 swipes the last two years of minor league ball). He plays killer defense. And he can hit (142 hits, .295 average). Take your pick. The thing is, is that we are probably going to see all three on display in Arlington sooner or later. Probably sooner. The kid spent all of 2008 in Frisco and flourished except for some injury issues. Plus, he gives the Rangers something they've never really had before: masterful defense up the middle and speed on the basepaths not from the outfield.

When's the last time the Rangers had a non-outfielder lead them in steals? Probably never. Just imagine when Julio Borbon comes up to play centerfield. It'll be one of the fastest tandems in the league.

Joaquin Arias
When Young blew a gasket after being asked to move to third base, all attention was placed on Andrus. But before there was Andrus (hard to imagine) there was Arias. Spyder Arias. The sole remaining dude from the Alex Rodriguez trade, Arias has had a tough time as a Ranger.

Other than last year, he's never been healthy having shoulder surgery July 2007 and basically not playing until last year when he had his longest MLB stint hitting .291 as a late call-up. Allegedly, he's pretty much recovered from the surgery that limited his throwing and is finally healthy enough to get back to shortstop.

If I were the Rangers manager, I would just roll with Andrus unless he was hitting .012 and was booting balls. At that point, you have to consider Arias and Vizquel. Honestly, I have no problem with Vizquel on this team, even as a starter. Everyone knows (including him) that it's Andrus' position sooner or later.

I have no idea were Arias fits. He can play second and outfield may be a consideration but there's really no room there. The only room on this team is on the bench. Otherwise, I think you could find 200 at-bats and starts everywhere on the field.

Past Spring Training Battles
Catcher

O happy day

Benson

Intrasquad games are fine.



The start of the Cactus League schedule is mind-blowingly exciting.


Especially when the Texas Rangers proceed to murder the baseball in a 12-7 win over bunkmates Kansas City.

Despite the win, there may be a nice little omen in this game. Allegedly, Chris Davis knocked some stitches loose on one of the balls. How is this not a good thing? Just keep note of this.

Good Stuff
1. Nelson Cruz had his first official homer of the spring, plus three RBI.

2. The usual suspects hit (Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Hank Blalock, Chris Davis).

3. Greg Golson -- had in the John Mayberry Jr. trade -- had two hits. So did Justin Smoak. Seriously, how long is it going to take Smoak to make the Majors. Is it impossible to think he breaks with the 25-man roster next spring?

4. The Rangers turned three double plays. Two included the name "E. Andrus."

5. Thomas Diamond pitched a scoreless frame striking out two and allowing two baserunners.

6. A guy I haven't talked about all winter is lefty A.J. Murray. Faced two batters; struck both out.

Not Good, Not Bad Stuff
1. Kris Benson started and pitched two innings allowing a walk and a homer. Could've been worse. Did get five ground outs thanks to double plays.

Bad Stuff
1. Matt Harrison allowed four runs on two homers. Just got rocked.

2. Andruw Jones struck out at both plate appearances.

The opposite of cataclysmic

That, sir, is a blocked shot

A month ago, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Dallas Mavericks by 34 points.

I called it cataclysmic because it's the unsaid duty of the blogger to have the art for hyperbole.

But it could've been cataclysmic. Could've. Not like the Mavs are world beaters, but they ain't exactly losing much either.

The rolled the Bucks last night by 20 points and it was never really close.

This was game five of the final 30 for the Mavs. They're 3-2 with one game left in February. If they aren't going to win anything on the road then they're going to have to win anything at the American Airlines Center. Everything. I don't care of the '87 Celtics roll in. Wins are at a premium.

Notes:
1. James Singleton had two points, way under his average the last week. However, he may have played one of his best games. He was a tyrant defensively mainly on Charles Villanueva and Dick Jefferson, who went 16-39 combined. I love James Singleton.

2. Another bench guy I've loved: Brandon Bass. Again, he's been one of the better Mavs the last month or so. Lately, he hasn't had a wasted move on the court. Eleven rebounds and four blocks. Loving the eight free-throw attempts.

3. Josh Howard probably has his best game of the year. That is the J-Ho the Mavs drafted. A young, athletic guy who can go inside and out and absolutely fills up a box score at the end of the game.

4. Mavs outrebounded the Bucks 51-25. Geesh.

20 years of Jerry

20 years of this guy

Wow. Today marks the 20th anniversary of wildcatter Jerry Jones from taking over as owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys and, thus, completely changing the franchise and the NFL.

20 years. It's pretty unbelievable. Shit like this makes me feel old. It's also worth noting that in this day and age of teams being sold willy-nilly and there being relatively little stableness, the Cowboys have had the same owner and general manager longer than most high school students today have been alive.

Rag on Jones all you want, but it's impossible to deny that there was been a lot more good from Jones than bad. Cowboys fans are lucky to have had Jones as owner (maybe not GM) because all that guy wants to do is win. And not that the Cowboys were ever going to move or anything horrific like that, but Jones has been a stable, consistent force for the Cowboys and the NFL and all he wants is to win games, get rich and become as popular as he possibly can. Those attitudes seeps into his team and the league he represents.

Plus, isn't it good to have your favorite sports franchise to be relatively accountable. Fact is, Jones puts his butt out there and occassionally it gets some love and other times it gets kicked. Is this a sign of egomanical obsessiveness? Probably. But I'd take Jones and Mark Cuban over Tom Hicks (who is more likely to hide out in his mansion and everyone else sink the boat) any day of the week.

Jones kinda changed the way we've looked at owners, too. Considering my sports conciousness doesn't go too much earlier than 1988, I don't really know if owners were as public and active in their own team. Maybe so. Either way, when we talk owners of any sport or era, Jones is probably going to be at the top of the list.

With all this said (and because we all love lists), the top 10 and bottom 10 moments in Jones' tenure (someone already did this, and that sucks, but ... what am I going to do?)

Bottom 10
10. Stadium Goes To Arlington
I put this at No. 10 because this wasn't all Jerry Jones' fault. I guess it might not have been his fault at all. We could blame Dallas City Hall all day about the new stadium going to Arlington, but I tend to think that behemoth going near downtown would've helped Jones in addition to the city. Again, it wasn't his fault. But how much did he really work to get it in Big D? It's a pockmark nonetheless.

9. Terrell Owens
It's the last nine months that have really put this plan in a tailspin and it seems that Owens is in the middle of it.

8. Getting Younger
Remember a few years ago when Jones showed up and suddenly he looked like he had a facelift? Dude still looks pretty weird.

7. The Joey Galloway Trade
In a very desperate move, Jones traded two first-round picks to Seattle for receiver Joey Galloway in 2000 to, I guess, help kickstart a franchise clearly on the decline. The Seahawks turned one pick into Shaun Alexander, who was pretty good for a while.

6. Playing Pacman
Once notice was served taht Adam "Pacman" Jones was due to reinstatement and that the Tennessee Titans were not interested in keeping him, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys were already slated to trade for him. They did, he then did what he does and then he was gone. Like adding lye to an already iffy situation.

5. Quincy Carter
I could talk about all the post-Troy Aikman quarterbacks, but they're not worth it. I could comment on the shitty drafts Jones presided over. Instead, I'll just summarize all this with QUINCY CARTER. He was taken in the second round of the draft after a shitty junior year at Georgia. And he sucked. He represents everything bad and dumb about this franchise.

4. Criminal Factor
Jones has proven to be a very patient man. He'll take a shot on a guy with a questionable past. But you know it was bad when Jones cleaned house after the early 1990s team that involved drugs, drink, hookers and murder-for-hire plots.

3. The Dark Years
This is the years post-Barry Switzer to Bill Parcells. It was unwatchable. Luckily, Internet porn took giant steps forward during the same time period.

2. Jimmy Johnson
Two Super Bowls later, Jimmy Johnson and Jones had it out and the former left, forever changing the direction of this team. Blame probably lies on both sides, but it's hard to not put a lot of burden on Jones.

1. The Curious Case of Tom Landry
The man deserved better.

Top 10
10. Terrell Owens
Like him or not, he turned this team into a legit title contender overnight for the first time in more than a decade.

9. Guts
Jones -- as noted -- will take a chance. It'll burn you sometimes. Sometimes it works. Drafting a smallish running back out of Florida worked out. Giving the keys to daddy's car to an unproven college coach (Jimmy Johnson) certainly worked out. When it works, it's as if you can't get any higher.

8. The 2005 Draft
It changed the momentum of this team. More than finding Tony Romo, signing Terrell Owens or anything else they've done the last 10 years. DeMarcus Ware, Marion Barber, Jay Ratliff, Kevin Burnett, Marcus Spears and Chris Canty.

7. Bill Parcells
Hardly do we hear Jones admit his mistakes. Or even hint at that he even made a mistake. He's a proud man. It probably took putting on some humble boots to contact and bringing in Bill Parcells because the Big Tuna doesn't come around as window dressing. He wants to buy the groceries, we learned. Of course, this was well after the team had gone into the dumps and he had promoted Dave Campo.

6. The Herschel Walker Trade
Everyone dumped on the Cowboys for traded Walker for players and picks. Of course, this was a different era. Then, draft picks meant nothing. Now, they mean everything. As much as the 2005 draft changed the current team, that trade basically won them three Super Bowls.

5. The First Year
He came in and cleaned house. This meant brushing Tex Schramm and Landry under the rug. Was this sorry? Yes. But Jones has always seen this as a business and in the business world you have no problems divorcing yourself from the company mascot if it means getting better. Jones did this. He cleaned house. The Cowboys, in the long run, were better off.

4. Marketing The Team
Jones changed the way the Cowboys were run as a business. In fact, he changed sports business and marketing forever. The way he pushed that blue star into every and all media paved the way for teams to become richer and bigger.

3. Super Bowl XLV
In 2011, the Dallas Cowboys will host the Super Bowl. It's an opportunity that every city in America would die for. It would be higher only because of one thing ...

2. JerryWorld
... because the Cowboys don't get the Super Bowl without it. It's going to define his legacy

1. Three Rings
1992. 1993. 1995. What it's all about. Three in 20 years. Landry and Schramm had two in 32 years.

Running out of excuses

All day

There is simply no reason why the Dallas Mavericks should not have beat the San Antonio Spurs last night.

Instead, they got run out of the gym.

Yes, it was in San Antonio. But there was no Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili.

No excuses.

Guess what Mavericks: You knew exactly who the offense was going to be run through. No, not Matt Bonner, Kurt Thomas, George Hill or Ike Udoka.

Everyone in the arena knew that Tony Parker was either going to make or break the Spurs. And he made them.

Parker went for 37 and 12 assists. If he wanted 50, he could've had it. Jason Kidd was a billion steps behind and J.J. Barea simply can not compete against the top tiers of the NBA. Both are simply overwhelmed against stout point guard competition.

It leaves the Mavs at a very disappointing 2-2 four games into the final 30. The Mavs needed to win this one after not being able to beat the Rockets sans Tracy McGrady.

Notes:
1. James Singleton (14 points, 14 rebounds) was good again. Unfortunately, if he's your best guy on the floor, you'll lose nine out of 10 times.

2. Zero free throw attempts (again) for Jason Kidd.

3. Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki: 10-32 from the field. Nowitzki probably should've had 30 with Fabricio Oberto on him.

4. I think Barea leads the league in ill-advised shots.

5. Reason No. 342 why I hate J.J. Barea: Have you ever seen a guy who couldn't fight through a screen more than Barea? He gets enveloped in the big guy's girth and never gets out.

Super glad that Devin Harris is not a Dallas Maverick

Really. Super glad.

Rangers Spring Training Update

The King: Elvis Andrus

Good times.

Yesterday, the Texas Rangers played their first exhibition game of Spring Training -- an intrasquad scrimmage.

For the record, Team A beat Team B 8-5.

FYI: I'm all excited about this.

Good Stuff
1. Nelson Cruz hit a grand slam.

2. Mike Young at clean-up. This is fine. I guess. I sometimes get the feeling that Young's overrated as a "clutch" hitter. Or maybe isn't the "clutch" hitter he once was. (The bigger question is how can you be "clutch" for a team that wins 70 games?)

3. Joaquin Arias: 3-3. The lost boy of the shortstop discussion.

4. Jarrod Saltalamacchia with a 2-run dinger. Is this the year?

5. Kevin Millwood, Thomas Diamond, Willie Eyre, Tommy Hunter, Brandon McCarthy, Elizardo Ramirez and Kris Benson all with scoreless frames.

Bad Stuff
1. Cruz's grand slam came off elder statesman of the minor leagues, Doug Mathis, who is gradually stepping out of the picture for the Rangers.

2. Elvis Andrus with a throwing has to be near perfect in the field.

3. Derek Holland got knocked around. It's OK though.

4. Brendon Donnelly: 0 outs, 2 walks.

1-0

One SOB (Steve Ott) gives a kiss to another SOB (Jeremy Roenick)

What are you going to do?

The Dallas Stars went toe to toe, testicle to testicle with San Jose and lost in heart-breaking fashion 1-0 last night.

Every year, the Stars simply can't beat a team. A couple of years ago, it was the sad-sack Los Angeles Kings. Sometimes it's the Red Wings. This year, it's been San Jose and Chicago.

1-0. Second time this month. Both times against division foes. Man. Sucks.

I did research a little and discovered the Stars' record against the top four seeds in the Western Conference. It's pretty interesting:

San Jose -- 0-4
Detroit -- 3-1
Calgary -- 2-0
Chicago -- 0-5-1

Yes, against the first and fourth seeds, the Stars are a combined 0-9-1. Against the second and third seeds, they are 5-1. If you think the Mavericks are the only screwy team in Dallas, think again.

No sense in crying over 1-0, however. The Stars played their asses off and on any given night that gives you shot.

Because they might make the team: Andruw Jones

Andruw Jones: Don't call it a comeback

In Uwe Blog's unending dedication to covering Texas Rangers Spring Training, we present "Because They Might Make The Team" -- small profiles on a player in camp who may or may not make the team.

Got to admit, if I had to rank the free agents that I thought the Texas Rangers would not sign, Andruw Jones probably would slip to the bottom of the list.

Why?

Forget Jones' forgettable 2008 season. Forget his issues with hustle and playing the game with fundamental acuteness.

The Rangers didn't have room in the outfield.

I tend to think that David Murphy is an everyday outfielder as is Josh Hamilton, obviously. Nelson Cruz seems locked in at right field. That leaves zero spots for Frank Catalanotto or Marlon Byrd. Nor does it create any real space for prospects like Brandon Boggs or Julio Borbon. What was once this team's biggest weakness had quickly become a space with little room to budge.

Jones was signed late in the free agent period and was given a nothing contract (invite to Spring Training, $500K, right to be released if he's not on the 40-man).

However, the next couple of weeks could define Jones. He's only 31. If he makes the team and has a solid 2009 campaign, he's probably going to get one more nice contract to finish out his career.

But does Jones care? That's been my complaint about the guy since he started in the league. I'm used to seeing him lackadaisically catching a routine flyball or not running out a groundball. If certain guys look like they're having fun out there, then Jones was always the opposite. He always looked like he wanted to do something else whether it paid him anything or not.

Then again, the numbers don't lie:

• 11 straight seasons with 150+ games played
• 5 seasons of 30+ doubles
• 7 seasons of 30+ home runs
• 4 straight seasons of 20+ stolen bases
• 10 Gold Gloves, at centerfield

But there's something wrong with all these numbers:

• 113 strikeouts per season over 13 years
• .259 career average
• 43 stolen bases the past eight years
• 0 seasons of 200 hits
• 36 home runs in 2000, 2003
• 51 home runs in 2005 ... out of nowhere

I like Jones because he's seemed durable and can play defense. You can almost overlook everything else because of those two things.

But he's surly. He doesn't play hard. He got a big contract from Los Angeles last year and just collected a paycheck. Nevermind the steroid suspicions and the fact that he's probably the best athlete on the field but you can't put him at the top of your line-up because he clogs the bases and hardly gets on base (.339 career OBP).

My personal hope for the guy is that he does play well enough to make the team and possibly start. It'll allow Josh Hamilton to move to right field. At best, the Rangers trade Jones' very tradable contract by mid-season.

But I guess in my heart of hearts I hope he doesn't make the team because I'd rather roll with Cruz, Hamilton, Murphy, Bryd and Borbon.

Top 12 favorite baseball players

Oriole, No. 3

A couple of weeks ago, my lovely wife randomly e-mailed me asking who my favorite baseball players were.

She meant all-time, but I inferred current. After several clarifications, I tried to come up with a list. I knew I missed a lot, but it really got me thinking.

Therefore, I've come up with a list of my all-time favorite baseball players in very particular order.

12. Sandy Koufax
For one, my mother's name was Sandy. Two, Koufax was such an unusual name for a guy brought up in rural Texas. Three, the lefty tended to be default ballplayer mentioned around the house. My parents were older so they really knew Koufax and saw him play. Plus, I always liked the fact that he was a part of the last era where the pitchers went a billion innings a season and then he just quit.

11. Mike Mussina
Oriole No. 1. The Moose always intrigued me because he was literally smarter (probably) than the guy at the plate. He had a billion different pitches like the knuckle curve. It didn't hurt that he was pretty clean-cut and had it together. I mean, he didn't look like Goose Gossage up there.

10. Frank Robinson
Oriole No. 2. First of all, I had an uncle named "Frank Robinson." He was an Oriole. Plus, he was a two-time MVP and had monster years. Just one of the best hitters in baseball history.

9. Bob Gibson
My dad's mitt had his "signature" in the pocket. Never realized how fantastic he was until later.

8. Orel Hershisher
Another guy who came off as being smarter than his opponent. His streak in 1988 was in my baseball wheelhouse.

7. Scott Fletcher
The worst player on this list. Played my little league position of shortstop. Could never really hit and only stuck around because he could play defense. I was crushed he was traded to the White Sox.

6. Dale Murphy
I always thought he was great. A ballplayer that wasn't the greatest, but simply played the game right and didn't act like he was God's gift to sports.

5. Mike Schmidt
The 'stache.

4. Pete Rose
I'm supposed to hate him. It sucks he got caught gambling. And from all accounts, he's the complete opposite of Murphy as he's really arrogant and even sounds pretty dumb. If you listen to him talk now, he sounds like a complete idiot. My family is from Dayton, Ohio and Cincinnati was never far away. If my dad ever said to emulate one guy on the field it was Rose. He may be a dick, but he could play ball. I don't know if he's any worse than, say, Ty Cobb or Barry Bonds. Rose probably should've done steroids or been a bigot and he'd be in the Hall of Fame.

3. Barry Zito
I've always rooted for the guy. No idea why. Probably his attitude (pre-giant contract) more than anything.

2. Brooks Robinson
When "This Week In Baseball" had it's highlights, I loved to watch the defensive plays. Even during "Baseball Tonight," my favorite part used to be the Web Gems. I love good defense. Robinson was the greatest defensive player to play the game. And he was an Oriole. No. 3.

1. Cal Ripken Jr.
And No. 4. Played with honor and respect to the game. A bit of an old-school guy because he wasn't overly athletic. He was smart and did what he could with what the good Lord gave him.

Bassin'

A high-percentage shot

Again, back to the 30 final games for the Dallas Mavericks. It will define this 2008-09 squad so it's important that we take this all step by step.

Three games in and they're 2-1, after a beating of the Sacramento Kings Saturday night.

In this game they accomplished all four of the things they needed to do to make the playoffs: Beat the bad teams, win on the road, win in February and beat conference foes. You could've called the Kings game a must-win. If they had done that in Houston, we're talking a bit differently this morning.

The most wonderful thing about Saturday's win is that the starters didn't need to play 40 minutes to get it. The game was well in hand by half and they were probably better off because the only decent starter was Josh Howard.

Otherwise, it was an opportunistic bench that swooped in especially James Singleton (who I love) and Brandon Bass. J.J. Barea was at least not trying to score 40 points.

A good win. A needed win. They don't all come that easy.

Notes:

1. When I say Howard was the only decent starter, I'd like to add Antoine Wright. He didn't have a stat-filling game or anything but I thought he was extremely active and efficient. Helped shut Kevin Martin down.

2. Jerry Stackhouse, thanks for playing. Hasn't hit a shot in five tries since returning. Maybe he should get closer to the basket: 0-3 from behind the arc.

3. Love the team rebounding. No one except Singleton got more than nine and they killed the Kings by 16 on the boards.

4. Again, give me Devin Harris any day of the week: Jason Kidd, 0-0 FT.

5. Singleton is shooting almost 54 percent.

6. Next: at San Antonio, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City.

Rocket men

Nothing was going or Dirk and Co. 

Due to the amount of importance I have placed on the Dallas Mavericks' final 30 games of the season, I've decided to blog about all of them. just try to get as much out of his exciting ride as we can.

Game one of 30 was great. A 15-point win over New Jersey. With Houston -- on the road -- up next, I thought the Mavs could win as Houston had just traded Rafer Alston and Tracy McGrady was out.

If the first game without both is any indication, the Rockets might be better. Better because you don't have Alston's bad shooting and bad decisions. Better because McGrady isn't coming in and out of the line-up screwing up any actual chemistry or consistency. Better because those young 'uns sitting on the bench getting 15 minutes a game are starting.

Rick Adelman actually went big in a 93-86 win over the Mavs. The Rockets starting line-up: Aaron Brooks (6-0), Ron Artest (6-7), Luis Scola (6-9), Shane Battier (6-8) and Yao Ming (7-6). Maybe not big, but they're beefy on the perimeter and can cause some major line-up snafus for their opponents.

Otherwise, this was a pretty messy loss for the Mavs. A great first quarter and 22 Rocket turnovers gave way to a nasty 30-13 third quarter for the Rockets.

Dirk Nowitzki couldn't shoot, Josh Howard got cold ... granted, the Mavs shot 39 percent but it didn't feel that good. It felt like 30 percent.

Notes:
1. The "Let-J.J.-Barea-Beat-Us" strategy works almost every time. If he's having a great game, some other Mav is having an awful game.

2. Jerry Stackhouse: 0-3 FG, 0-2, 3PT. Welcome back, Jerry.

3. Why I like Devin Harris over Jason KIdd --

Harris
7-16 FG  10-13 FT  26 points

Kidd
1-2 FG  0-0 FT  3 points

Yes, Harris goes to the rim. But he goes to the rim no matter if his shots are going down. It's a glaring difference that no one wants to talk about. Of course, both Harris and Kidd lost. So I guess it doesn't matter.

4. The Mavs were outrebounded 50-38. In 20 minutes, Erick Dampier had one. Really.

Benson

Hot

First it was Mr. Jennie Finch.

Now the Rangers have Mr. Anna Benson. Allegedly.

Gag order

I didn't think the Dallas Cowboys could become even more of a joke past two reality shows, a lame-duck coach, Tony Romo's indifference, a nut receiver and an insane number of leaks.

But it has.

It appears GM/owner Jerry Jones has placed a gag order on everyone. Including head coach Wade Phillips. When asked for an interview at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, Phillips noted he couldn't talk to reporters because "it was against the rules."

Is Jerry Jones nuts? Where's his public relations and marketing people at? Surely they are not supporting this. How do you tell your head coach -- a guy that has never thrown the franchise under the bus and is more than willing to lay on any grenade -- to not talk to the media the flippin' NFL combine?

He knows that Phillips isn't the leak and he knows that Phillips isn't going to say anything detremental to anyone. There hasn't been a more generic coach in league history.

Could you imagine Jones doing this to Bill Parcells or Jimmy Johnson? They would've flipped their lid. They might have punched him in the stomach. Or stolen his hairpiece and played keep away.

There is a really good chance that Jones has lost his mind. And I hope Cowboys fans are prepared for anything.

Getting paid: Mike Leach

It's a pirate's life for me

Anyone who works in a business atmosphere knows what it's like to have someone else go over their head when there's some question or problem.

And it's awful. I hate it. It happens more than I really like because 99.9 percent of the time, the problem that others go over my head to my boss with are things I could easily handle.

Instead, my boss(es) get involved and then they need to have talks with my about my TPS reports.

Texas Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers must be fuming.

After he and head football coach Mike Leach couldn't come to a deal leaving him with only two years left on his contract after the best year in the school's history, Leach went straight to the top -- Tech's chancellor Kent Hance -- and got a new fancy five-year, $12 million deal.

Allegedly, negotiations between Leach and Hance lasted 15 minutes.

How does this happen? Only at Tech, right? Have you noticed that Bob Stoops hasn't gone anywhere? Or Pete Carroll? Or Mack Brown? Or Urban Meyer?

In fact, the only time a college coach leaves a position is because they're A) fired or B) they go to the NFL.

Good football programs sow up their coaches for a long time and pretty much give them what they want because good football coaches are really, really hard to come by. If Leach left today, the Red Raiders would never be able to replace him with anyone that could fill his shoes.

How Myers let negotiations get to this point shows how clearly inept that guy is and I wouldn't know him from Adam. He should've been extended right after their bowl game.

Every good Texas receiver and quarterback will want to go to Tech. They'll win nine or 10 games a year. They'll make runs at the Big XII title and the top 10 nationally. Game Day will go to Lubbock once a year. What Leach means to Texas Tech maybe overshadows what Brown means to UT or Stoops to OU only because if Stoops left OU, they could probably find a really good coach and still recruit well. Tech couldn't recruit well before. With Leach's hybrid, pirate offense everyone's going to be talking about Tech.

The Peppers and Haynesworth

Julius Peppers: Red, hot

Any interest in Julius Peppers and Albert Haynesworth, Cowboys fans?

Certainly, both names are very, very intriguing. Both are very talented guys. As always, there are roadblocks.

Peppers was franchised so he'll have to hammer out some deal with the Panthers. He could be traded, but do the Cowboys have the goods to whip up a deal? Not like the Panthers' hands are tied. The Cowboys could wait for 2010 and sign him as a free agent anyway.

Furthermore, do the Cowboys need Peppers? He'd be an outside linebacker, which would mean a crowded spot opposite DeMarcus Ware where Gregg Ellis and Anthony Spencer reside. What do you do with those guys who are still pretty good, and cheaper?

As for Haynesworth, he has the single greatest butler name in NFL history.

"Haynesworth, my tea please."

ANYWAY, he's a dominant nose tackle and ideal for the 3-4 defense.

The biggest problem is that two years ago he stomped on Andre Gurode's head when the Cowboys center didn't have a helmet on. Allegedly, Haynesworth has grown since them. Then again, I don't know if he'll be accepted very well.

Also, he'll be super expensive. Like, Jared Allen expensive. Chances are, Ware is going to prove to be Jared Allen expensive. Can the Cowboys afford to pay two Jared Allens?

Three, like Peppers, do the Cowboys need him? Not like the Cowboys have the most porous run defense in the world. Jay Ratliff is really good, but a move to end could make him great.

Fact is, the Cowboys are always going to mentioned with high-profile guys and guys will also mention the Cowboys because they like one thing above all: getting paid. Let's just see what happens.

Won't anyone play with the old Hardline?

Like these dudes have a chance

Update from the alleged Hardline vs. Girls High School Basketball Team.

Garland Christian Academy is out.

Allegedly, parents and other folks associated with the school weren't too pleased with the idea of their school and teenage girls being associated with a bunch of dirty old men who tell dick and fart jokes for a living.

Which is a point that should've been brought up earlier: Does anyone find it odd that a bunch of 40+ dudes, Grubes and Ty Walker were going to be feeling up on some teenage girls? It's really odd when you really think about it.

Nonetheless, GCA is out. Lake Highlands is in.

According to the program yesterday, the Lake Highlands girls basketball coach is issued a challenge to The Hardline challenging them to a game. And it's been accepted.

However, the rules has changed. Things have gotten entirely too seriously.

As everyone should remember, this whole bit came about after Dallas Covenant beat Dallas Academy 100-0 in a girls basketball game. The Hardline challenged Covenant. But clearly not wanting anymore press, they did not respond. Enter GCA. Exit GCA. Enter Lake Highlands.

Not only is The Hardline playing a 5A Dallas ISD public school, but they're playing against a pretty good team. Lake Highlands finished 21-12 for the season, second behind Skyline in district 9-5A. This is clearly a top 20 5A team in the area.

Also, it's changed for The Hardline. Well, it's not The Hardline anymore. With the change of competition comes with a change of Ticket personnel. Now, they're going to recruit guys from the entire station including the very basketball-savvy Bob Sturm, the black Donovan Lewis and the in-shape Craig Miller.

It still may not be enough. Yes, the Ticket squad will have the height advantage (the tallest Lake Highlands gal is 6-3). But they'd have the height advantage against any girls team in the state. Unfortunately, there's no sufficient evidence that any of the Ticket guys can actually play the game well, pass, shoot, dribble, play defense or execute the fundamentals of the game.

In addition to the fact that everyone outside of Sturm, Miller and The Snake is out of shape, this should still be a whooping for the Lake Highland girls. I can see a private school coach taking it easy. I can see the Lake Highlands coach putting the metal to the pedal and wearing the old guys out.

Plus, the leading scorer for Lake Highlands is the very Clash-oriented Jani Jones.

But if you think that's dampened Corby Davidson's ego, think again.

Sawada!

Sawada!

Raymond Sawada should just dump the geeky first name and roll with the surname.

Sawada.

Or we should turn his surname into a verb.

"The Oilers were Sawaded in a 4-2 last night in Dallas." Or, "The Stars have really hit their Sawada following the All-Star break."

On his 24rd birthday, Raymond Sawada made his 2008-09 debut in very stylish fashion. His first-quarter tally put the Stars up 2-0 on Edmonton on the way to a 4-2 win.

Sawada.

The Stars are looking for someone to step up in lieu of the injured Brad Richards. Tonight it was Sawada, Fabian Brunnstrom (looking like a fantastic pick-up), Jere Lehtinen and Krys Barch. Tomorrow, it could be a different set of four guys. It's kinda how the last month of the season has gone for the Stars.

And this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Typical goal scorers aren't scoring goals. Guys that are a hair away from being scratched or playing minor league hockey in Winnipeg are making a difference. Expect the unexpected with Stars hockey.

FYI, last night's win was huge in the big picture. A loss puts Dallas in eighth place. A win keeps them in seventh place with a three-point cushion on Edmonton.

Sawada!

All quiet on the Mavericks front

What teams has Vince Carter made better?

A very Mavericksy day.

The NBA trade deadline was today at 2 p.m. and the Mavericks didn't make a move.

They're probably better off for it. Frankly, nobody really made any moves and there were really no moves of real significance. No one's sitting back and thinking the Bulls, Knicks or Rockets are going to make a run after their trade haul (the Magic getting Rafer Alston may be the exception although they were merely getting someone to replace hurt Jameer Nelson).

The big names out there (Shaq, Vince Carter, Baron Davis) were very unappealing.

There were some smaller names that I thought maybe could fortify the Mavs bench like Andres Nocioni, Rashad McCants, Kirk Hinrich, Chris Wilcox. But none of these guys were going to put the Mavs over the hump and it's definitely not worth getting rid of Brandon Bass or Josh Howard.

I think the Mavs are good enough right now to get into the playoffs and, depending on the match-up -- win a first-round series.

Or maybe not. But is it worth making a trade to make a trade in order to maybe get to the second round and probably not win the championship? Not to me.

Kidd v. Harris

Clash of the titans

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the infamous Jason Kidd-Devin Harris trade that polarized a basketball city like no other.

Before we delve into who is better, let's look back at one of the crazier stories in Dallas sports recently.

Kidd moving south -- Dallas or San Antonio -- had been rumored for years because the New Jersey Nets wasn't winning anything and both Texas teams were annual contenders and questions were continually raised about Tony Park and Devin Harris' ability to lead their respective teams.

Dallas, last year, was a really respectable team. Nevermind the Golden State series. They were coming off a 67-win year. They had Harris, Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry coming back. DeSagana Diop, Trenton Hassell and an emergent Brandon Bass off the bench.

But they'd slipped. Or, more accurately, other teams had made a leap. The Lakers were much better. The Hornets and Jazz were younger and better.

The Mavs felt like they could make a big move and jump right into the top tier of the conference. Thus, Jason Kidd.

Then all hell broke loose. One deal involving Devean George broke up because George exercised his "early bird" clause in his contract. Another deal arose with Jerry Stackhouse. The Mavs were prepared to send him and a bunch of other dudes and then the Nets would cut Stack, time would elapse and the Mavs would sign him again.

Unfortunately, Stack talked about this to the media, which sounds like collusion which is a no-no. Eventually the deal went through.

Kidd and Malik Allen for Harris, Stack, DeSagana Diop, Mo Ager, Keith Van Horn's contract, cash and two first-round draft picks.

Seems really, really high.

I was against it then and I still hate it.

Do not get me wrong: Kidd has been really, really good the past year. Without him, the Mavs are in a different place right now. Instead, they're a legit playoff contender in the West. I have nothing against Kidd. He's an exciting player and except for the beating up of his wife, he's an alright guy.

But I'd give anything to see Harris in a Mavs uniform.

He's having an outstanding year. No doubt about it. He's playing like the top 5 draft pick that he is. He's flourished in a situation that was ideal for him to flourish in much like Steve Nash hit a new level playing the uber-run-and-gun in Phoenix. It fit and they're better for it.

I've heard criticism that Harris is only scoring 21 points a game (and dishing seven assists a game, by the way) because he plays on a bad team. And that's a dumb point. Put Nowitzki on the Nets and his points per game goes up 10 points. Why did Michael Jordan win all those scoring titles? Because on just about every possession he was the primary scorer. If he didn't want, he didn't have to share the ball with anyone else.

Harris' point explosion can also be explained for the mere fact that he's getting a ton more minutes, which he wasn't getting (for no good reason) from the Mavs. He shoots the ball six times more per game, attempts one more three-pointer per fame and four more free throws per game. Thus his average per game is up seven points.

Imagine Harris on the 2008-09 Mavs. He wouldn't be averaging 21 points a game. But can you imagine 16 points a game? Imagine the scorers this team would have with Harris, Dirk, Josh Howard, Terry, Bass and J.J. Barea! Those are three legit scorers in the starting line-up and three pretty good ones off the bench. No longer would you need to worry if Kidd is going to go 1-8 from the line.

Which brings me to my other mark against Kidd. If he goes 1-8, he scores two points. If Harris goes 1-8, he still scores 16. Why? Because he goes to the free-throw line almost nine times a game (last night's game was a perfect example ... Harris goes 5-18 from the field, but scored 18 with eight of 10 free throws). Kidd goes 1.2 times a game. More like once a game. There are whole games where he doesn't hit the charity stripe once.

In 2000-01, when he averaged a career-high 18 points a game, Kidd went to the line five times a game -- second most for his career.

Finally, defense. The Mavs have never had it and when they drafted Harris his ability and speed to keep up with other point guards and guard the perimeter was critical. Now, the Mavs will give up 25-40 points a game from the opposing point guard. When they play Chris Paul or Deron Williams, forget about it. Plus, Kidd was supposed to be able to guard bigger guards like Kobe Bryant. Not so much. He gets torched all the time. If for nothing else, Harris should've been held on to for this reason alone considering the guards in the league (Williams, Paul, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Roy, Mo Williams, Derrick Rose, et al.) .

I haven't even mentioned age, contract and a ton of other things.

The kicker is this: If the Mavs do not win the title this year, this trade is automatically a bust. Did getting Kidd improve their chances this year and last? Probably. Does it for next year and 2011? No! This is an organizational problem in general, but this is an old team. It was old with Harris and it's older now. This franchise's inability to develop and be patient with young guys and draft decently is going to put this team in a world of hurt really soon.

This is a disaster of a trade and in 10 years we all will learn to regret it.

So I guess everyone's convinced that the trade's OK

Kidd-Harris: Just trying to get on top

Pretty nice start to the final 30 games.

A fifteen point win is a 15 point win no matter who it's against.

But everyone took last night's 113-98 win over the New Jersey Nets as a litmus test for the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris trade (more on this later).

Kidd may have won this battle, but Harris will be back:

Kidd
7-10 FG -- 5-6 3-point -- 4-6 FT -- 3 rebounds -- 10 assists --2 turnovers -- 1 block -- 1 steal -- 23 points

Harris
5-18 FG -- 0-6 3-point -- 8-10 FT -- 4 rebounds -- 7 assists -- 4 turnovers -- 2 blocks -- 18 points

Basically, Kidd controlled the game. It was his turn. Maybe he a chip on his shoulder. Maybe the Nets just suck. For whatever reason, the Nets were allowing Kidd to step into his shots. His may lay bricks many times, but if you allow a NBA player to set and step into a shot, then you'll shot a good average.

Notes:
1. If Kidd was great, Josh Howard and Erick Dampier were really good. J-Ho's shots weren't going early so he hit the boards and distributed.

2. The Mavs moved the ball really well. The spacing was really good and it resulted in 2-1 assist advantage for the Mavs.

3. One of the more interesting names in trade rumors lately has been Josh Boone, a third-year, real athletic power forward/center. Just saying.

4. Who is Vince Carter going to help get into the playoffs? No one.

5. Why did we trade for Matt Carroll?

Is Kanye West turning into Theo Huxtable?

KANYE WEST "Welcome To Heartbreak" Directed by Nabil from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Discuss.

Because the Cowboys hadn't made headlines in, like, a week

"What new stadium?"

Yesterday, Dallas Cowboys GM/owner Jerry Jones decided that Alex Rodriguez, flaming meteors and the economy were getting way too many headlines so he held a press conference.

Several things we now know. George Strait and Reba McEntire will headline the first concert (and event) at the new Texas Stadium. It's in June and it will be probably really popular. If anything it'll be more entertaining and cheaper than a Cowboys game if you want to see the new digs.

****
It was also announced -- with little ado or reaction -- that the Cowboys will not replace the fired defensive coordinator Brian Stewart. Instead, head coach Wade Phillips will man the position.

I think this is way underreported. This is a demotion of sorts for Phillips. Yes, Phillips was brought in to straighten up this defense and, for the most part, he has. Things went really well when he starting calling plays mid-season in 2008 (which it was a mystery why he wasn't doing this to begin with). Head coaches call plays all the time. It's nothing new. Calling plays isn't all a coordinator does. There's all the film stuff, paperwork, practice stuff and all the dirty, little stuff a head coach hires a coordinator to do.

I mean, what's the point on being on top if you can't hire people under you to do all the work?

Now, Phillips not only has to catch all the flak that comes with being the head coach, he has to do all menial work of a coordinator.

****
Finally, much is being made about the mysterious, somewhat confusing comments Jones made about the idea of Terrell Owens being cut. Everyone's calling for it. Many are convinced it's happening despite the major financial constraints it puts on the team.

From all indications, Owens will be a Cowboy next year:

"You and I both know that the one [player] you're asking about all the time, if I gave you the answer that you want to hear, then you would have already had it. So the fact you don't have it ought to tell you something."

So, I guess we want to hear that Owens is gone. But he's not going anywhere. The problem with this assumption that Jones plans to keep Owens is the fact that he doesn't just come out and say it. Why not? What does it hurt to admit publically that, "Terrell Owens will be a Dallas Cowboy in 2009 and he will help us win games"?

It doesn't hurt and the fact that Jones doesn't just say it shows just how milquetoast and ridiculous this team is. We can bitch and bitch about leadership and how Tony Romo doesn't exude any. But leadership and accountability are a problem from top to bottom -- from owner, general manager, coach and players. Everyone's just hemming and hawing hoping everyone forgets 9-7.

The sad thing is that many fans will forget 9-7. Every season is new hope (just keep reading this blog, it's crazy how optimistic I'll become about the Rangers). But nothing will really change. The players will still act like they do because there isn't a coach or owner willing to do anything about it.

Nasty Nestor about to go to court

This morning on The Ticket, morning show personality Gordon Keith notified the world that he had mailed a form given to him by Tampa police following an attack on his person by Baltimore radio personaity "Nasty" Nestor Aparicio.

The form, supposedly, will notify the authorities in Tampa that Keith will file charges against Nasty.

Keith can do what he wants, but this absolutely has to be the end of it.

This really lame feud is a decade old and with this, it should end.

For those not hip enough to read blogs or message boards, Keith approached Nasty (while Keith was on the air, with mic) to "bury the hatchet," which actually translates to hoping the guy flips out or genuinely lets bygones be bygones. Keith and Co. wanted a reaction. Not that he wanted to be choked. But you don't go over to a guy who loathes you for whatever reason with a mic hoping to have a really boring 55 seconds of radio.

But this is it. The Ticket has gone to every Super Bowl in the past 10 years knowing that the guy doesn't want to have anything to do with them and yet they keep going back to that well.

Nasty's an asshole douchebag! We get it! It doesn't need to be proven any more! Let it die!

Whether they'd like to admit it or not, they were always baiting Nasty. Although that doesn't excuse Nasty for the attack. It's the argument of whether a woman walking to the parking lot from the club wearing suggestive clothing deserves to be raped or had brought it on herself.

That's silly. No one deserves be be treated with violence. But you also can't keep putting your head in the lion's mouth assuming the animal isn't going to snap and rip your head off.

Now, Nasty, appropriately, will need to answer to higher authorities for his actions and he should be punished. But no more can The Ticket soak everything in gasoline, light the match, step away and watch everything burn. Responsibility rests on everyone's shoulders.

Spring Training Battle: Catcher

Max Ramirez: Tough as nails

The Texas Rangers are in Spring Training. As with many teams, there are many internal position battles that should be decided during the next month. Uwe Blog will track them.

One point about the Texas Rangers that everyone seems to realize is that they've got a glut of catchers.

I think I speak for everyone that I feel tons better about Max Ramirez, Taylor Teagarden and Jarrod Saltalamacchia than I did about Rod Barajas and Gerald Laird.

The most fascinating aspect of the Ramirez/Teagarden/Salty triumvirate is that they each present something different to the table.

Taylor Teagarden
The college guy taken in the third round of the 2005 draft (behind John Mayberry and John Whittleman). He is actually the pride of this draft -- GM John Hart's last -- with German Duran and Doug Mathis being the only other ones to make it to the bigs. Teagarden probably would've arrived sooner if not for injuries, the trade for Salty and the tenure of Gerald Laird (who was never really given a good opportunity, BTW). The injuries were so bad (I believe shoulder) that it might have derailed his career as a catcher. That certainly would've been a shame because by all accounts he's a great defensive backstop and works well with pitchers. Last season, on five occassions did Teagarden catch games in which the Rangers allowed one run or less. He also caught two 1-0 victories, the only two for the Rangers in a billion years.

At 25, he's the oldest of the three and he showed he can hit (.319, 6 homers, 17 RBI in 16 games last year). He may or may not start the season as catcher, but I would bet he's back there for the next six or seven years.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia
The centerpiece of the Rangers booty in the Mark Teixeira trade two years ago. He's only 23 having been drafted out of high school in 2003 by the Atlanta Braves and called up in 2007. Of the three, he has a much higher ceiling at the plate (projected at 30 homers a year) and was supposed to be a replacement for Teixeira in the long run. He also is a switch hitter. However, at 6-4 (gigantic for a catcher) he looks gawky behind the plate and has poor mechanics. Obviously behind Teagarden in terms of fielding the position.

Max Ramirez
Two years ago when the Rangers traded aging outfielder Kenny Lofton for unknown Ramirez, no one batted an eye. When he began to murder minor league pitching (17 homers, .354 average in Frisco), everyone took notice. He was called up last year and struggled at the plate, but he did serve notice that he wasn't as bad behind the plate as was thought. He often looked very fluid and seemed to call some nice games. Ramirez is a mere 24 years old.

So what do you do? Teagarden and Salty are clearly Major League ready. Ramirez could stew in the minors for at least a couple of months.

From all indications, Salty is the leader in the clubhouse. I think the Rangers are too amped about his potential and the thought that all he needs is a solid 500 at-bats in the bigs to catch up.

However, the Rangers -- under GM Jon Daniels -- has re-directed their focus from the corner positions and have drafted, traded for and signed guys to solidify the middle of the field -- catchers, shortstops, second basemen and centerfielders. If you think about it, the strongest, most interesting positions for the Rangers are catcher (these three), shortstop (Elvis Andrus), second base (Ian Kinsler) and centerfield (Josh Hamilton, Julio Borbon, Engel Beltre).

With that, defense at the catcher position is vital. I think the Rangers hope Salty can come around on his footwork and what not, but the idea of Teagarden (especially if he can hit) is equally as enticing because he's a guy you can stick back there for a decade.

I would expect Salty to start the season as catcher with Teagarden backing him up. But do not be surprised if one (or two) of these guys are traded for some young pitching once teams realize that the catcher position ain't what it used to be.

Stars knock Blue Jackets off

Because I may never get another chance to post a photo of Brian Sutherby mounting an opponent

How big was the Dallas Stars' weekend 6-2 loss to Chicago?

Chicago's a fourth seed and Stars are fifth. A Stars win puts them at 65 points and Chicago at 68. Instead, it's 70-63, Chicago.

As much as they'd probably like to catch the Blackhawks, staying in the playoffs is also important. Despite the little run of late, the Stars are just two points out of ninth in the Western Conference.

Of course, wins help. The Stars continued their domination of the Blue Jackets with a 3-2 shoot-out win.

The usual suspects carried the Stars (Brad Richards, James Neal, Loui Eriksson), but it's time to heap some praise on the one guy that's had the toughest year but has turned it on the last month: goalie Marty Turco.

He's been great. He was fantastic last night. He stopped 41 of 43 shots, nailed down a perfect third period and overtime and then stopped all three shots in the shoot-out. Turco's got nine wins in his last 12 games and allowed 20 goals in those games.

No, he hasn't been perfect and he's not exactly carrying this team, but they wouldn't be where they are at without him. That's the rub with having a guy that can carry you like a goalie, quarterback or starting pitcher can do. If one guy is carrying your team, it means the rest of the team is falling down on the job.

The Stars, as of late, have played as a team and that will win you a ton more games than if Turco was allowing a goal a game.

Notes:
1. Eriksson collected another two points to pad his career highs. He's been the most consistent Stars offensively. Although it's odd that he didn't register one point in the 10-2 win over New York a while back.

2. The bigger news is that Brad Richards hurt his wrist. He did notch another goal, but hopefully he's back sooner than later.

3. Stephane Robidas has been great. Already has set a caree mark in assists. He also holds a +13. His career high is +15.

4. All these little things are important. Without Brenden Morrow, some things had to go right. Fortunately, Eriksson, Robidas, Neal, Modano, Brunnstrom and others have gone right.

5. Again, every game Brian Sutherby, Mark Parrish or some no-name makes a play.

The Fan flirts with Hardline, but they don't put out

Rhyner is dead

What a fine piece of reporting from the Dallas Observer's Richie Whitt.

Well, technically, my main gripe with the Observer's sports blog is that it's basically generic links to Dallas Cowboys crap and stuff at The Fan, Dallas' newest sports talk station.

This was about The Fan. But juicier.

The Fan, it seems, was prepared to throw a bunch of cash at The Ticket's founding father, Mike Rhyner, and his little buddy, Corby "Snake" Davidson, to man their 3-7 p.m. drive time slot.

And Rhyner considered it. But eventually came around and didn't go.

According to the story, Rhyner said it was a tough decision, but that it came close.

The rub: Rhyner's contract ran out Feb. 20. Contract talks had stalled and The Fan was enticing the Hardline with wattage and cash. Eventually The Ticket forked over the cash and all is well.

As loyal as Rhyner may or may not feel toward The Ticket, we might be reading a different story had the station just the Hardline.

It's also suggested that The Snake didn't want to go.

Radio drama at its best.

I do find myself listening less and less to the Hardline. It'll be interesting to see if The Fan goes after any other Ticket show.

30 games

Right now is a perfect time to look at the remainder of the Dallas Mavericks' season.

It's post-All-Star break and 30 games are left. The Mavs are sitting pretty (relatively speaking) at 31-21. I say "sitting pretty" because no one had them 10 games over .500 and no one thought they'd be one game out of the fourth seed. In fact, I doubt many thought the Western Conference would be this close.

You've got the cream of the crop (Los Angeles), the next tier (San Antonio, Denver), the rest of the playoff teams (Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Portland and Utah) and then everyone else.

The Mavs have 31 wins. We've always assumed that 55 wins will more than likely get you into the playoffs. That benchmark means the Mavs will need to win 24 of their next 30. Very unlikely. Things, still, look good.

Sixteen of the 30 are at home where the Mavs are 17-8. Seventeen of the 30 are against teams with losing records (including five of the 14 road games).

Five important things:

The Mavs Must Beat The Bad Teams

Minnesota twice. Golden State twice. Oklahoma City twice. Memphis, Indiana, Milwaukee, New Jersey, Washington, Toronto. All should be wins. That's 12 of the 24 they really need.

The Mavs Must Conquer (or at least tame) The Road

The Mavs are 14-13 away from Dallas this year. They've got roadies against the Spurs, Cavs, Hornets (twice), Hawks, Blazers and Rockets. Included in this is a harrowing 11-game stretch where eight are on the road. In March, 10 games are on the road. They have very winnable games on the road left and the Mavs must keep themselves above .500 on the road this season.

The Mavs Must Rule February and April

Fourteen total games between the months and only four on the road. February is relatively easy (5-1?). March is hell (9-7 ... maybe?). April is tough, but not awful (6-2?). That's 20 wins assuming they beat who they need to beat. If they pull off a couple of upsets, even better. Twenty wins puts them at 51-31. That should be playoff eligible.

The Mavs Must Take Care Of Conference Foes

Nine of the remaining 30 are against teams in that middle tier (if you count Phoenix). In case of tie breakers, division and conference records are all really tight. I don't think much separates these teams (although I do think New Orleans is better than they are playing) so it's imperative the Mavs win most of these games.

Can the Mavs be this dumb?

Say yes to beard, no to Baron

I've been pretty vocal about my disdain for Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson.

Everyone loves to pile on owner Mark Cuban or even former head coaches for snafus on draft day, in free agency and up against the trade deadline. The Mavs are in a really hard spot and Nelson tends to avoid any criticism despite being the freakin' general manager.

With the NBA trade deadline well nigh, rumors, again, are swirling around the Mavs because they are prone to make a move and they're in a position where a top 4 spot in the Western Conference is ripe for the picking.

Recently, the rumors surrounding the Mavs have made my jaw drop. They are so awful. And I'm a basketball idiot. If they look bad to me, surely (surely!) they look bad to Nelson.

It also makes me wonder why the Mavs can never pull off a Pau Gasol-like trade: Where they just take another team and bend them over and whip their ass. Say what you will about Jon Daniels' track record; I'd take him over Nelson.

The rumors:

Vince Carter
This deal has Vinsanity and Kenyon Dooling and Eddie Najera for Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse. OK, the principles don't even match up. Both are marginal players right now: Neither play a whole heck of a lot of defense and they're jump shooters with injury issues. Carter, remember, pouted himself out of Toronto. So he's a sorry dude. Howard just gets high. But Carter is on the books for the next four years at about $17 or $18 million per year. Howard, on the other hand, is due about $11 million for this year and next ... and then the Mavs have a team option after that.

Furthermore, Dooling is on the books for another three years at about $4 million per and Najera is signed through 2011-12! Are you joking? How does he get that contract? Stackhouse is more expensive, but he's off the books after next year.

Baron Davis
This rumor has Davis and Chris Kaman for Jason Kidd. For one, Kaman hasn't played in a billion years and I realize he's a double-double every night, but I don't know if he's quite the lane filler that we need. Plus, he's signed through 2011-12 and he has foot problems. And do the Mavs really need more white centers?

Davis is probably the most overrated player ever. He's nice. He can carry a team at times. But he'll give you 38 percent shooting, 32 percent from behind the arc and attitude. Plus, look at his contract. Jesus, are the Clippers the dumbest team ever?

The point is this: The Mavs are old, grumpy and expensive. They need to get younger, less expensive and happy. Davis and Carter put this team back five years, salarywise, and I don't know if they're smart enough to stay away from either player or trade.

By 2010-11, the Mavs will be in a sweet position to sign some major dudes in free agency in addition to having Dirk Nowitzki's (maybe, he has a player option), Josh Howard's and Erick Dampier's expiring contracts.

The potential free agents that year: Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Mike Redd, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire and a shitload of other nice restricted free agents.