Someone Needs a Hug

Finally, some encouraging news from the Mavericks yesterday in Minneapolis. Finally, a win of substance since the trade for KVH, as the other 3 wins in this 4-5 stretch were against the Hornets, Raptors and Bucks. They win in Minnesota in a game that was tight throughout, but in the end enough plays were made for a relatively comfortable finish. The best performance came from Jason Terry, who finished with 22 points and 12 assists. All of this after being fined for being late to the bus earlier in the morning and being yelled at on the bench by teammates and coach.

Oh, yeah. Terry got yelled at. Let’s further examine this:

DMN Story on Mavs win in Minnesota …

MINNEAPOLIS – Jason Terry knew when he let fly with a 3-pointer with 5:07 to go in the first half – one that hit hard off the iron – that he was about to get an earful from his teammates.

First it was Michael Finley, then Dirk Nowitzki and then acting coach Avery Johnson.
While the play came at a bad time – the Mavericks were trailing 37-33 – it may also have been the catalyst that got the Mavericks rolling toward a 102-93 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"At the time, I wanted to put my head in my jersey and go hide," Terry said. "But it happens in the heat of the game. We had missed five or six free throws and I'd missed a layup. Then to come down and take that shot, it really took us out of rhythm.

"Guys were letting me know to stay focused."

The Star Telegram Game Story from Minn …

"I was a little disappointed with [Terry] in the first half," Johnson said. "... But he seems to always come back and make Coach happy. When he's aggressive like that, we're a much better basketball team."

Michael Finley and Dirk Nowitzki both shouted at Terry in the first half after he first botched a layup and then, on the team's next possession, pulled up and misfired on a 3-point attempt when the Mavs had a three-on-one fast break. But in the end, Terry made amends.

So, there you have it. Everyone involved with the Mavericks admits that when Terry pulled up for a 3 on a 3-1 fast break in the 2nd Quarter, Terry was being yelled at. And for good reason, because I was screaming at him, too, from my couch.

Why, then, did Jim Gray tell America that Avery was screaming at Michael Finley???? If you watched the game, he went on and on about Finley being scolded by Avery Johnson, and then Jack Ramsey and Mike Breen who were doing the game for ABC took that information and built their commentary around it the rest of the game. Even comical statements about how Finley was responding to Avery!

I really have no interest in the Jim Gray vs Mark Cuban story, but how could he get THIS story wrong? Wasn’t he two feet away from the huddle? And here I am, 1200 miles from Minneapolis, and I knew what was going on because I was watching the game! Perhaps Jim should do the same.

Incidentally, the rematch is tomorrow night in Dallas, and that will qualify as some Must-See TV.

TONS OF LINKS:

Chris Young closes in on role in rotation …and, yes, Chan Ho Park starts today…

Huge Steroid development …



Jimmie Johnson (above) wins in Las Vegas …And how do you win the Nextel Cup? Consistency. And Johnson now has 9 straight Top-10 finishes. Along with Kurt Busch, consistency is the specialty of Johnson.

Jayson Stark provides further financial evidence that Tom Hicks is being cheap …

Unlike the NFL, baseball might not share all of its revenue. But the 300 million bucks a year it does share now are having a major effect.

Anybody think the Marlins would be a prospective NL East favorite without the $27 million in revenue-sharing dollars they'll get this year? Think the Twins would be the AL Central favorites without the $21 million they'll get?

The A's, according to sources, will get about $19 million. The Tigers: $17 million. The Reds: $15 million. The Padres: $8 million. The Rangers: $8 million.

And that doesn't even include the $20 million or so each team collects in national TV money. Or the $4 million they're about to get from the new XM radio deal. Or the $6 million to $8 million each team gets from the swelling central fund.

So you have some clubs taking in close to $50 million these days before they ever sell a ticket. And the only teams that are really hopeless are the clubs that won't plow all their MLB welfare money into payroll. The Devil Rays, for instance, are believed to be receiving $30 million in revenue sharing alone – and will barely even use all of that on their major-league salaries. That's their fault, not the system's fault.

By the way, the local TV deal for the Rangers is rumored to be $27 million. Add it up. This payroll is embarrassing.

Cowboys want Darren Howard …But not for Dat Nguyen…

The hard times of Bingo Smith …

Bill “Spaceman” Lee on NPR …

The WHA prepares for a Spring tournament …



Apparently, Napoleon has found work…

BoogeyBob.com …

Click Here to see him dance…



Morning, Norm.

New Star Wars Trailer …



A sign you really like Manchester United…

And now, some e-mail:

Dear BaD radio,

I was listening to you two discuss the signing of Anthony Henry and how the suggestion by former Browns DB coach Bowles may have been the deciding factor. So I decided to do my own digging and see just how true it might be. The info I found was interesting enough I thought I'd pass it along.

By just physical size Henry, Baxter, and Law are the only ones that would appear to be "Parcells guys". Smoot and Rolle both are under 175lbs, definitely not part of his super sizing plans for the defense. So that pretty much disqualifies either them. Rolle is definitely not an option because of his consistent injuries.

Between the 3 that are the right size, Henry has the best overall numbers. This comparison is just since 2001 because that's when Baxter and Henry came into the league. Obviously Law has several more years before that. But here are the numbers since 2001.

Baxter - 215 tackles, 38 tackle ast., 5 interceptions
Law - 201 tackles, 45 tackle ast., 14 interceptions
Henry - 207 tackles, 40 tackle ast., 17 interceptions

What really surprised me was just how off Rolle and Smoot were in the same categories since 2001. Smoot has consistent interception numbers, but his run defense seems to not be there.

Rolle - 140 tackles, 22 tackle ast., 12 interceptions
Smoot - 182 tackles, 28 tackle ast., 16 interceptions

I was amazed to see by just sheer numbers that Henry is the most rounded free agent DB. Maybe he's not a shut down corner, but you have to remember he's going to be playing on a side of the field with an unproven safety.

Whether that's Hunter (God help the Cowboys if they parade Pete Hunter as a starter at yet another position) or some free agent and/or draft pick, the weight of run defense in the secondary will really fall to Henry. I'm sure Law's numbers would have been better if not for the injury this past year, but that's part of it.

So even though they seriously overpaid for him, I have to agree that he was the best option. Maybe Law would have been better for the money, but he's going on a decade in this league. Henry still isn't halfway there yet. I just have to believe the Cowboys put some thought into this and the other big free agents they put up the money for. Otherwise I think someone needs to make sure the door hits Parcells on the way out.

Sorry for the long e-mail, hope it wasn't too painful to read.

P1 Shawn

BTW, your Mom went to college and I did vote for Pedro.

And then this, which is audio that we need, so check your Tivo for this game:

Hello BaD people.

During the Rockets-Kings game just now, Terrell Owens was being interviewed. The reporter asked him about when he said that he would take less money to play in
the NBA and if that was true or not.

His response ... "Oh definitely. That's not out of the woodwork yet."

Don't you think that people would learn not to speak in cliches since they are always butchered?

Oh well.

Uh oh, I gotta run. Here's comes Tina to get her ham.

P1 Dean in The Colony

Do you think we have enough Napoleon Dynamite references in our emails?