NO! Game 3: Vancouver 2, Dallas 1

The following are observations from another painful overtime loss:

• The margin for error in the NHL playoffs is razor thin. And the Stars are on the wrong side of that margin right now when it comes to overtime playoff hockey. 6 Straight overtime losses for this team means that they cannot and will not win a series until this changes.

• The arena was so loud last night. I think the Stars fans have done a great job raising their game in the last few weeks (thank you, Havoc Fanatics). But, as the game went on last night into the third period and overtime, the place fell quiet for long stretches. Why? Because Vancouver found a new gear on the ice that the Stars weren’t matching. The majority of play was in the Stars end, and if you combine that with the Stars recent track record of playoff failure you have what happened: A crowd that appeared to have a fatalistic view of what was about to happen. I can’t blame them; as I was right there with them. There is an unmistakable feel to the Stars right now, and it is not a good one. And then, the red light goes on behind Marty. Game over.

• You want to blame Marty? Go ahead. But, 2 goals in 10 periods is not too shabby. I, on the other hand, plan on focusing on Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, Brandon Morrow, Mike Ribiero, Lad Nagy, and Jussi Jokinen. Why should Stu Barnes, Jeff Halpern, and Joel Ludqvist score all of the goals? Would it be too much to ask the stars of the Stars to score an occasional goal? I seem to remember a very poor playoff last year from #9 and #26, and here we go again. Marty Turco and Dave Tippett are going to be blamed for everything, but I would like to take this opportunity to blame the goal scorers for not scoring. I know Roberto is solid between those Canucks pipes, but c’mon.

• Give Alain Vigneault some real credit for finding the right line combinations in the 2nd intermission. When he put Naslund on with the Sedins, the game changed. Bulis joined Morrison to score the tying goal, and the Sedin line was dangerous the entire 3rd and OT.

• The Stars power play simply has to do better.

• Roberto Luongo is very, very good. But, you simply have to bring more pressure. In the 3rd period and overtime, with the game on the line, he went through very long stretches of inactivity. The Canucks play a very solid positional game, and as far as I can tell get away with nearly every defensive zone turnover. If you won’t make them pay, then you won’t beat them. And you can’t be out-shot 15-4 in the 3rd in your own building in a game you hope to win.

• Dan Noxon of the DMN Stars blog wrote this: Say what you will about Marty's failures the last four playoffs (including this one) but the Stars have scored two or fewer goals in 11 of their last 18 playoff games. They're 2-9 when that's happened.

• So, in this era of Dallas Stars, they have exactly one overtime game in 9 tries. And that goal scorer was Steve Ott. Steve Ott? Where does he rate amongst Stars’ snipers? Where does his rate amongst Stars’ paychecks? Not. Good. Enough.

• After responding so well after Game 1, and making us proud in Game 2, we now
get to see how this next roller coaster hill will turn out. It is obviously time to label Game 4 as a “must win” if you have hopes of winning the series.

• Things get chippy when Alex Burrows and Steve Ott are on the ice. I like that.

• What will this team’s legacy be? When the going gets tough they fold? Or, do they rise above and figure out a way. Place your bets now. See you Tuesday night for Game 4. And, Stars, don’t be afraid to score a goal.

Game 2: Dallas 2, Vancouver 0

• I can’t say this very often with this group of Dallas Stars, but it fits this morning: I am proud of those boys, and that effort they put out there last night. This is a team that has earned a reputation of going quietly into the night in the last several playoffs. They were not going to let that happen last night. Does it mean that there is something different about this team when compared to the recent versions? Time will tell. But for the first time in years, the Stars were determined to win a big playoff game and then accomplished that on enemy ice.

• Marty Turco has consistently been 2nd best for the Stars during his playoff career, but a 35 save shutout performance will easily qualify as his finest springtime hour. With several big saves and a giant supply of poise and composure, there is hope that “New Marty” has emerged just in the nick of time. It was his first shutout in the playoffs, and also the first time you got the impression that he was taking the game by the neck and making it his own. Nights like Friday make you remember what we thought Turco was capable of all along. Now, before we rush him to the Hall of Fame, let’s see what he does with his success. Game 2 in Round 1 is not the stuff of legends, but for Marty, it is a long overdue start.

• When you look at this group of Stars, you must draw the line in time on the day that Ken Hitchcock and Bob Gainey left Dallas. Shortly thereafter, Ed Belfour, Joe Nieuwendyk, Jamie Langenbrunner, Derian Hatcher, and others all left town, too. This new group is the group that has many stats working against it. 1-7 in Playoff Overtimes. 1-3 in playoff series. Before last night, 8-15 in playoff games. Here is another stat that amazed me, before last night, the Stars had been down 0-2 in each of the last 3 series. Just impossible to believe, right? It has been so long since this team has been even competitive in a series against a team not named Edmonton. Try the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals versus New Jersey! Time flies when you are playing mediocre hockey.

• Was it just me, or did everyone think of Guy, Keane, and Verbeek when they saw the fine work of Halpern, Barnes, and Lundqvist? That line is consistently matched up with the Sedins and as far as I can tell are doing a wonderful job. Not only are forcing the Sedins to work in the offensive zone, but there are many shifts where they force them to play defense. And who would imagine in a 2-0 game that you would get both goals from your checking line? And in game 1, Barnes could have ended the game on several occasions. I know we will have time to think this through later, but with Barnes as your only significant unrestricted free agent this summer (besides Nagy) I would see about extending him right now. He is so valuable. They really appear to be the heart of this team.

• Kevin Bieksa is quality. I was not real familiar with his fine work, but there is no question he can play.

• Why did Mike Ribiero play so little on Friday (7:36)? I am told it was a simple benching. Very odd.

• You sure get the impression that scoring first means plenty when these two
teams play. Both know how to wear you down when they play with the lead. That is why you must start each game with all guns blazing.

• Mike Modano’s back hand pass to Lunqvist was beautiful. But, what was curious on the Stars second goal was why 3 Canucks went to Barnes, leaving Joel wide open in front of the net.

• The Stars need the power play to get cranking up in Dallas. They went 0-7 on Friday, and need to make Vancouver pay. Special Teams always seem to decide these things in the playoffs.

• I wonder if Roberto Luongo is feeling pressure. Let’s not forget this is his first swim through the playoffs. The weight of Canada seems to rest on his shoulders, and the more you can make him consider his vulnerability, the better chance of making the red light activate behind him. Isn’t it fun to consider the other goalie’s mindset?

• Is it just me or is Antti Miettinen turning abrasive? Seems that Steve Ott and Nik Hagman are rubbing off on him. Good.

• So now, we look ahead to Games 3 and 4 in Dallas. I may be catching playoff fever. I wanted these guys to show me something, and through two games, they are showing me plenty. Now, can they take charge in this series on home ice? I am eager to find out. There is one way to separate yourself from the 2002-2006 Dallas Stars, and that is to win a playoff series against a good team. They continue their assault on that prize on Sunday night at 8:30.

Winning Cures All

If you ever had a gritty, gutty performance in your reserve, now is a good time to break it out, Dallas Stars. Not a must win, But a Need-to-if-you-can game tonight in Vancouver …

The Stars were understandably upset the first few minutes, even the first few hours, after Game 1, the sixth-longest game in NHL history. They had their chances, and those missed opportunities were fresh in their minds.

Although those thoughts might have lingered when the Stars regrouped Thursday afternoon, they took a backseat to a more pressing matter: Game 2 tonight.
"It's hard. As a hockey player you're frustrated with the loss," Stars defenseman Darryl Sydor said. "But you've got a game again. You can't be focusing on what happened two days ago."

The Stars know their recent postseason overtime record is ugly; they've lost eight of their past nine and haven't won since 2004, when Steve Ott scored the winner in Game 3 against Colorado.

But the Stars don't want to think about the past, whether it was years ago or two nights ago.

"We thought about it after the game," said defenseman Trevor Daley, who logged nearly 46 minutes of ice time. "But, by the time we were out of here, it was out of our minds. It's one game. Obviously, we have to just go on to the next one."
It would be easy for the Stars to feel frustrated. They played well, especially in the first two overtime periods, when they seemed oh-so close to winning. In a three-period span, from the start of the third period through the second overtime, they outshot the Canucks 34-13. Dallas finished with 76 shots on goal, an NHL record for one game.

Players said the focus and drive was there, even as the game grew longer.
"There's not only physical but mental fatigue," Stars defenseman Mattias Norstrom said. "The first 10 minutes of the game, there's energy in abundance.
"Now, you're going in period six and seven, and you have to focus on every single shift to make sure you don't make that mistake. You get kind of primitive the longer it goes on. You just react to situations."

Big boys need to find a way …

Zubov, along with the Stars' other three warhorses -- Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen and Philippe Boucher -- were the team's best players in Game 1. They were four of the Stars' five leading minute guys. They combined for 21 shots on goal.

Boucher had a team-high seven blocked shots. Modano won 55 percent of his faceoffs. Lehtinen was his usual dependable self.

And Zubov -- the 15-year NFL defenseman -- not only logged big-time minutes, but hard ones, going against Vancouver's best shift after shift after shift.
"Ds can do that. They aren't moving around," Modano joked. "I go back and forth up the ice all game."

Considering how well all of them played and for how long, it seems almost greedy to ask for more, but that is what the Stars believe they need.

"They are going to have to produce offensively for us to move forward," Stars general manager Doug Armstrong said. "They are top-end players who get top-end minutes."

What Armstrong left unsaid was they also have to be the top-end scorers. Especially in overtime. Stars' overtime scoring, or rather lack thereof, was starting to become a big topic Thursday. After a week of debate on, "Why does Marty Turco always blink first in overtime?" folks finally seemed to recognize a flip side existed -- "Why do the Stars never score first in overtime?"

Will the NHL ever change its overtime policy for American TV? …

It may have been great fun for most of the Vancouver Canuck fans who hung around Wednesday night or watched at home on TV but now that parity is here with a vengeance, if this league wants to be taken seriously, playoff OT as we know it has to go.

The Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks are so evenly matched this game could have gone on longer than Bill LaForge's NHL coaching career. It wouldn't have been much longer before the trainers would have set up IV's at the bench for players returning from a shift.

And don't think it can't happen again in this series. You have two goalies who can stop beebees in their teeth all night, and it's not like this is an isolated experience. The Preds and Sharks put in 28 minutes extra time as well, and given how tough the playoffs have been over the years when teams weren't so evenly matched, it's getting to the point where now the health of players is being compromised.
And think about the officials. Bill McCreary probably didn't even know his name after this one. There is every possibility he could have been slated to work another game in another city the following night.

Canadians tend to be traditionalists when it comes to this game and I'm no exception. But if this league is ever to be taken seriously in the U.S. with respect to the only medium that seems to matter -- television -- then there is simply no way this increasingly recurring circus can continue.

What major network will take a look at this product during the playoffs and say "yeah, that's what we want, alright. A marginal sport that is likely to have games that could wipe out the rest of your evening's scheduled programming and perhaps even our early morning news".

Hockey gets away with it on CBC or TSN because that's the tradition we have come to expect and love, just as baseball gets away with it in the U.S. as part of their great pastime.

But how can anyone reasonably expect any new fan to embrace a game that can go longer than a Test cricket match. If you think the people at NBC aren't sweating bullets after this one when they consider what an early Sunday afternoon tilt could do to their schedule, you're abusing your naive medication again. They could lose more revenue in one half hour of overtime than they can make carrying the whole game.
Who knows, it may have had something to do with ESPN's decision to ditch hockey. How many times could they watch Sportscentre's audience and revenue be swept away while Tampa and New Jersey settle their differences with friends and relatives watching?

Adam Morris has a wonderful Texas Rangers blog. On it, He examines the Sosa project as it stands now …

I keep hearing that Sosa needs 100-150 plate appearances to get in his groove, that Frank Thomas sucked last year for the first six weeks then started tearing things up, that the Rangers aren't expecting Sosa to really do much the first few weeks.
Okay. Fine. I think the Thomas comparison is a fallacious one, since Thomas, unlike Sosa, had hit the previous few seasons when he was healthy, he just hadn't stayed healthy.

But whatever.

Here's what I don't get.

Why in the hell does Sosa have to get his groove back while hitting 5th in the
majors?

Why isn't he getting adjusted and comfortable down in AAA, while someone who might actually contribute to the offense is in the majors in the meantime?

Is Sosa too good to go to AAA? Are the Rangers really afraid that, if they wanted him to go to Oklahoma to get the rust off, that some other team would snatch him up and plug him in their lineup?

And if you don't want to send him to AAA, if for whatever reason, that isn't a viable option...

Then why is he hitting 5th? Why not stash him in the 7th or 8th slot, and let him provide "protection" for Brad Wilkerson or Nelson Cruz or Gerald Laird until he either figures out how to catch up to 89 mph fastballs (like the one he was behind on yesterday) or the team gives him up as a lost cause?

I just don't get it.

FC Dallas looks solid in LA …Cooper’s finish was amazing…

Carlos Ruiz and Kenny Cooper found magic yet again and helped FC Dallas get its first win of the season.

Behind its two-pronged attack, FC Dallas (1-0-1) beat the Los Angeles Galaxy, 2-1, at Home Depot Center on Thursday night. The win was the team's first against the Galaxy (0-1-1) in 10 matches since the Galaxy moved into Home Depot Center in 2003.
The Galaxy's recent dominance of FC Dallas included a 5-2 win in last year's regular season finale and a 1-0 victory in the 2005 U.S. Open Cup final.

It was the seventh time Ruiz and Cooper both scored in the same match. The two strikers also found the back of the net in FC Dallas' season opener last week, a come-from-behind 2-2 draw at Real Salt Lake.

Elias with funfact on Cooper …

Kenny Cooper scored his second goal in two games for FC Dallas in its 2-1 win over the Galaxy. Cooper also scored in each of his first two games in 2006. The only other MLS players to score in each of their first two games in consecutive seasons were Carlos Ruiz (three years in a row, 2002-04), Brian Ching (2005-06), and Jaime Moreno (1996-97).

Sunday, Everyone wears #42 …Has there ever been someone as honored as Jackie? It appears baseball has done nearly everything in the last decade but change the name of the sport to Jackieball…I think he is worthy of honor and all, but wow.

Sixty years after Jackie Robinson shook the baseball establishment and broke the sport’s color barrier, an unforeseen grassroots movement by today’s players has suddenly shaped the way Major League Baseball will commemorate the anniversary. Hundreds of players will wear Robinson’s No. 42 retired by baseball 10 years ago in ballparks across the country on Sunday, the anniversary of Robinson’s first appearance with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

While the tribute has received baseball’s approval, it grew spontaneously from a request by the Cincinnati Reds’ Ken Griffey Jr., who asked Commissioner Bud Selig earlier this month if he could wear the number on April 15. What has evolved since is surprisingly organic for a group of famous, feted athletes with multimillion-dollar contracts.

As word of Griffey’s gesture spread, small groups of players — among them stars like Barry Bonds, Dontrelle Willis and Gary Sheffield — decided also to wear 42 that day. Soon, there was a representative from every team. The Los Angeles Dodgers then decided to have their entire roster wear 42.

Now, there are six major league teams that plan to have everyone in uniform wearing No. 42 — players, coaches, manager and bat boys. Those teams are the Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Houston Astros.

And the number of jerseys having a new 42 sewn onto the back remains fluid, but seems to be increasing by the day.

Just when you thought we were out of things on Imus, Stuart Scott assures us that “Ho” is affectionate …

On ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning show, guest Stuart Scott discussed the Don Imus controversy. Hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic asked Scott whether it's fair for Imus to be in so much trouble for calling the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos" when rap lyrics frequently use such language.

Scott's response was bizarre, to say the least. He said rappers who use those words "mean it in an affectionate way."

Huh? It's affectionate to call a woman a ho? According to his Wikipedia entry, Scott has a wife and two daughters. I'd love to know what context there is in which Scott would consider it "affectionate" to hear a man call his wife and daughters hos.

To their credit, Greenberg and Golic both indicated that they didn't buy Scott's rationalization. It's always wrong for a man to call a woman a ho, and for Scott to suggest otherwise is insulting.

Rangers watching more pitches? …

Dan McGraw with his familiar thoughts on the Rangers …

Basically, the Rangers didn’t make many changes in the off season. They added a few players, lost a few, made a few trades. But their payroll is the 11th lowest out of 14 American League teams, and the experts apparently expect them to perform accordingly: Sports Illustrated has ranked them 22nd out of 30 MLB teams. So it’s hard even for die-hard Ranger fans to believe that a team that has finished fourth (last place in their division) four times and third place three times in the past seven years is going to end up much higher this time around.

The thing is that, in 2007, the team — and the fans — may have a better time doing it.

The first sign was the firing of manager Buck Showalter last year, by all accounts a strict disciplinarian and control freak. He wanted hats on with the brim forward during batting practice, suit coats on the plane, and a locker room that verged on the funereal.

And Buck had a major bad habit. He would leak unflattering things about his team members to the news media, the idea being that it might goad the players into performing better. But when you are making millions, you shouldn’t have to put up with that crap from the boss

So they brought in Ron Washington, who lets the players do anything they want in the locker room as long as the police and fire departments aren’t called. Washington believes baseball should be fun and has reinstated the pepper games at batting practice, a little exercise in which players stand six feet apart, hitting and catching, making small talk and bonding with each other. Happy, happy, fun time.

Check out this email and picture:

Bob,

This is an engagement photo that my girlfriend found in the Waco paper. Check out what this "cat" is wearing. Look around the ear region. Now that's Bluetooth dedication!!!!

Let me know if you want me to send you the original.

Have fun in the flats....

Brady in Lewisville

MLB spare Joey Gathright leaps cars in a single bound



Brandon Meriweather – future Cowboys safety?

Oops.

I have no excuse. I did not blog today. I will try to get some Game 1 stuff up after the show.

So Sorry.

This Is What We Play For

I think we are among friends here; and when you are among friends, I think we should all feel we have permission to speak freely. Well, I do.

And therefore, I don’t think I should lie to my friends. Nor, should I feel obligated to pick the Stars in a series where I don’t feel confident of their success.

So, it is with great regret that I do this:

Vancouver in 7.

My reasons are many, including:

Vancouver’s PK
Vancouver’s Goalie
Stars’ Goalie
Stars PP
History

But, let’s be honest here. I just need to shown something by the Stars in spring time. They have lost 8 of the last 9 Game Ones. They get behind in a series early, and never catch-up. They never get timely goaltending or timely scoring. They just have not proven to live up to the legacy of the 1998-2000 Dallas Stars. That team survived no matter what.

But, that was then. Now, since Jason Arnott scored at Reunion Arena to give the New Jersey Devils the Stanley Cup on June 10, 2000 – sending Guy Carbonneau into retirement – the Stars have won only two series since. Both against the Edmonton Oilers.

So, Dallas, show me. Show me that this year is different. Show me that you have the grit and guts to win a tough series against a team that will throw just as much talent, grit, and guts back at you. Show me that you have the intestinal fortitude to stay off the golf course.

It starts tonight in Canada. I will have my Stars pennant and foam finger. I just need to be shown that they are worthy of playoff success.

Go Stars.

Does Home Ice mean much in the playoffs? …

During the regular season, most visiting teams come staggering into a city, often having played the night before, in varying states of disrepair and with all kinds of concerns on their minds.

They might have injuries they're being cautious with and often the visiting coaches have given the game so little preparation it's all they can do to get the lines of the opponent right, much less figure out where they're going to have a beer after the game if they're not flying out immediately afterwards.

The playoffs are a whole different game. The Dallas Stars flew in late Monday and spent all of Tuesday enjoying the sunshine and getting in a full practice.

The Stars coaching staff has been working on strategy since it was determined these teams would meet. When the puck drops tonight the Canucks will be facing on home ice, perhaps for the first time this season, a fully-motivated, fully-rested, fully-prepared opponent.

The Stars will have looked at all Roberto Luongo's tendencies, just as the Canucks have looked at ways to ventilate Marty Turco. The Stars will have carefully considered which line and which defensive pairing will play against the Sedins, how they intend to play them and which ones will draw Brendan Morrison's line with Markus Naslund and Matt Cooke.

Now the home team, the Canucks in this case, will do all the same preparations, but
when the game starts it often comes as a shock to the home team just how prepared and well-rested is the opponent.

No matter how much the coaches tell them, it's hard to prepare for something you may not have experienced in a long while.

This leg up is not always enough to win Game 1, but virtually every visitor gives a solid account, win or lose.

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault already has a sense of this, underlining before the series something which often doesn't get said until after the Game 1 damage has been done.

"We have to pick up our level of intensity," Vigneault says. "We've analyzed each other to death and it's going to come down to the team which has the best discipline and executes the best. I think we're ready for this.

According to Bodog.com, the Stars are an EXTREME longshot …

NHL Playoff Odds
Odds to win 2007 Stanley Cup
Anaheim Ducks 6/1
Atlanta Thrashers 25/1
Buffalo Sabres 7/2
Calgary Flames 30/1
Dallas Stars 20/1
Detroit Red Wings 11/2
Minnesota Wild 10/1
Nashville Predators 10/1
New Jersey Devils 8/1
New York Islanders 40/1
New York Rangers 22/1
Ottawa Senators 8/1
Pittsburgh Penguins 7/1
San Jose Sharks 14/1
Tampa Bay Lightning 20/1
Vancouver Canucks 9/1

Odds to Win the 2006-07 Eastern Conference Championship
Atlanta Thrashers 12/1
Buffalo Sabres 7/5
New Jersey Devils 3/1
New York Islanders 20/1
New York Rangers 12/1
Ottawa Senators 4/1
Pittsburgh Penguins 7/2
Tampa Bay Lightning 10/1

Odds to Win the 2006-07 Western Conference Championship
Anaheim Ducks 5/2
Calgary Flames 15/1
Dallas Stars 9/1
Detroit Red Wings 5/2
Minnesota Wild 5/1
Nashville Predators 5/1
San Jose Sharks 6/1
Vancouver Canucks 4/1

Rangers reach .500!!!! …

Jamey Wright, who won the fifth starter's job over Kameron Loe and Bruce Chen, was spotted a 3-0 lead after two innings and didn't get through the third.

Wright, who complained of some "arm fatigue" after his tune-up outing with Double-A Frisco on Thursday, was raked in the third inning. While the jet stream was in full force Tuesday, it had little impact on Wright. The Devil Rays batters hit him that hard. Wright said he had no physical issues Tuesday.

"I have no excuses," Wright said. "I have to do a better job out there the next time, whenever that is."

Wright started the inning by allowing consecutive doubles and a triple to the bottom three hitters in the Tampa Bay lineup. He walked Carl Crawford, who was promptly caught stealing for the second time in the first three innings and got a hard lineout to short. He then hit Rocco Baldelli before allowing a home run to Ty Wigginton. After Delmon Young followed with a single to give the Devil Rays the cycle in the inning, Rangers manager Ron Washington went to reliever Scott Feldman.
Wright had already thrown 59 pitches in 2 2/3 innings, only 32 of them for strikes.
"We had a three-run lead, and before I could blink, it was 5-3," Washington said. "I was just trying to keep the game in check. The guys had fought hard early in the game, and [Tampa Bay] wasn't hitting the ball soft. I felt like it was important to stop things right there."

Though the Rangers scored seven runs in the bottom of the inning to take a fairly comfortable lead, the question still begged to be asked: Could Wright lose the fifth spot after just one outing?

Washington doesn't need the fifth spot again until April 21, but he was non-committal about who would make that start against Oakland.

"We really haven't determined it yet," said Washington. "We'll make sure Jamey gets checked out by the trainers and make sure everything is OK, and we'll go from there."

The Rangers find themselves in a slightly ticklish position very early. They will have to make room on the roster for closer Eric Gagne on Friday. That likely forces the Rangers to make a decision between Wright and Chen, who pitched two innings of relief Tuesday. Chen allowed three runs, but none of them were earned. Chen, a starter for most of his career, has not allowed an earned run in four innings this season.

The pitcher the Rangers take off the roster to make room for Gagne would have to be exposed to waivers. That could mean losing the pitcher for good. Wright's arm fatigue, combined with a poor first outing, could make that decision a lot more difficult for the Rangers.

Terry Bowden promises College Football playoff is coming …

In January of this year, at the American Football Coaches Association meeting, a majority of the 70 or so coaches in attendance voted in favor of a seeded four-team playoff. Although there are 119 coaches of schools in the Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A), I believe the AFCA's majority vote would hold true even if put to a vote by the entire group of 119.

And the coaches that publicly support a playoff are not just anybody. They include the movers and shakers within the business, guys like Urban Meyer, Mack Brown, Pete Carroll, Joe Paterno, Steve Spurrier, Lloyd Carr and Bob Stoops. Every one of these guys has won a national championship under the old systems, and they still want a change.

And don't think for a minute that these ultra-successful coaches haven't gained the respect and the ears of their presidents.

Speaking of college presidents – and they must make the ultimate decision – much is happening with them as well. They have been united in opposition to even discussing the possibility of a playoff. I never could find even one who was willing to stand up for a playoff.

However, this week Florida president Bernie Machin, a staunch playoff advocate, announced that the Southeastern Conference presidents have agreed to bring to the table and discuss the possibility of a Bowl Subdivision playoff at this spring's meetings in Destin, Fla.

Folks, Bernie Machin is not just a college president. He is the president of the university that has the current national champion in both football and men's basketball. Not only does his school produce national titles but also graduates student athletes at a very high rate. When you win the championship in both of the biggest college sports, and you have a strong stand on academics in collegiate athletics, you've got a platform from which you will be heard.

And believe me, college presidents are going to listen.

So the question now becomes, when is a playoff going to happen in the top division of college football? The existing Bowl Championship Series television contract with Fox ends after the 2009 season, but with discussions of a new contract coming up next year, I guaran-dadgum-tee you that a seeded four-team playoff, at the very
least, will be discussed.

If my estimations are correct, what once was seen as an impossibility – a big-time national championship playoff – will become a reality in the next five years.

Best picks in each spot of all time …



Boyd blog follows last night’s Rangers Theatre …

Here's what's happening in my living room right now. I'm watching the Rangers on satellite TV. I have my laptop out with a wireless Internet connection. I learn that the boys at The Ticket (who are all living in one house this week called the Compound) are doing an unusual broadcasting bit: Four of their hosts (for those that understand: Norm, Bob, Craig, and Boyd's own "The Hammer") are sitting around watching the Ranger game and are commenting on it on the radio in real time. I mean they all are mic'd up and just talking about the same game I'm watching. So I listen to them over the Internet. (They call if "Mystery Science Rangers".) They are incredibly relaxed, with sometimes 30 seconds of silence, and it's like they are in my living room. I can't tell you how odd it is.

Then, confusingly, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (pic above) who is at the game in Arlington, calls into the Boys at The Ticket because he has heard what they are doing. So now I'm listening to Evan talk to the Boys at the Ticket over the Internet. Suddenly, and I don't know why, Evan Grant is shown on the television screen by Fox Southwest. The Ticket boys, who see him on television (since we are watching the same channel), tell him to wave. He does. I'm watching Evan Grant waving on my television screen at the prompting of the Boys on The Ticket - who I just heard over the Internet.

I certainly have no love for Manchester United. But what they did last night is nothing short of amazing, beating Roma 7-1…

And, Chelsea, pulls a huge result, too, with a last second winner at Valencia…

Chelsea can now consider a third European Cup semi-final in four years and almost certainly a second one against Liverpool. It is the chance for Mourinho to exorcise Luis García's "ghost goal" at Anfield in 2005. The quadruple, moreover, remains a possibility and we are almost nine months into a 10-month season. As all at Stamford Bridge concede, it has been some season.

Email:

Hey Bob, big fan. After the whole Arkansas/Gillespie dispute its obvious there is a large Razorback fan base in Dallas. I thought you could add this blog (The Pig Pen) to your approved blog section on your daily blog. It is very credible and includes all Razorback news as well as all other sports. Just thought it would be helpful. Go Hogs.

Thanks again,

Keep it up.

P1 Mike

Hawgsports.blogspot.com …

More email

I have two friends (Grown Married Men both in there early 30's) who are big golf fans!!! So of coarse yesterday we all got together to watch the Mavs play for home court advantage. So we gathered around had a couple beers and watched the Mavs beat the Clippers. Well somewhere in the 3rd qtr. Masters talk got started between my two friends and you must know that one is a Tiger Fan and the other a self professed Tiger Hater.
So the Tiger Hater was rubbing it in to the Tiger lover about how some no name beat him and how Tiger "choked" once again in crunch time. Well the argument, which is common after a Tournament with these two, went from friendly to heated when the Tiger Hater said "Yeah Johnson put the Johnson on Tiger"! This is where my other friend, the Tiger Lover jumped up and called the Hater to the Backyard to fight, Note: they only had 3 to 4 beers each. Well the Hater and Lover went to my backyard and slugged it out in a UFC type manner, after some good exchanges of blows by the two, the "Hater" threw the "Lover" into my Firewood stack splitting the "Lovers" Hand open ( which required 22 stitches). Needless to say they are pissed at each other , Now tell me is it gay to slug another man for talking trash about your favorite sports figure, and it has to be gay to get your ass kicked after the fact! Is the Tiger lover Gay or Not Gay?
P1,
Casey

The 2D preview for the upcoming U2-3D IMAX movie, scheduled for fall 2007. For more U2: u2start.com.



And this from my good buddy, Chance, who wrote the Yao Ming, Ask Sports Sturm, and many other songs:

Would you gimme a plug? Me and Frank...the guy I record with...enterd a jingle int he Jingles for Pringles national competition and I was wondering if you could put the embed in your blog?

It's pretty funny..especially if you compare it to the other stuff that has been submitted. has a good line about changing the name of our beloved country to the united states of Pringles...


The link to the page is: here

OK in fairness we concentrated on the music and not the video and we started it the day it was due. And we had a couple cocktails.

Tuesday in Bondage

It may not be the big prize, but the NUMBER ONE SEED in the WEST has been won by the Dallas Mavericks. We are certainly in a holding pattern right now, but we should not overlook the steps that are being taken by this team. They beat the Clippers last night to clinch …

If the Mavericks and Clippers hook up the first round, it'll be the No. 1 seed vs. No. 8.

The Mavs locked up the front end of the deal Monday night, clinching the league's best record and the Western Conference's top spot, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 96-86 at American Airlines Center.

For the first time in the franchise's 27 years, the Mavs (64-13) put together a regular season unequaled in the league. They have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, including the NBA Finals, should they return.

"It's special," coach Avery Johnson said. "You can't discount it. We didn't come into the season trying to be No. 1 or whatever. We came into the season trying to end this year with a win. There's only one team can do that.

"If we continue to pay attention to detail and don't skip a step and don't think too much of ourselves, we have a chance of kicking it into another gear."

The Southwest Division champs -- only the franchise's second outright division title -- have five full games left to rest, prepare for the first round and not worry about where they finish.

Clinching early has its privileges. But it's hardly the end game.

"You work hard to get the home-court advantage; you lose one game, and it's all gone," Jerry Stackhouse said. "It's about going into the playoffs playing well, also. So we want to close this season off strong as well go ahead and put ourselves in position to maybe get guys a little healthier and rest."

Johnson talked about having the "perfect plan" to prepare his team for the postseason. It now begins in earnest.

Dirk Nowitzki and Stackhouse won't accompany the team to Minneapolis after today's practice. Both will sit Wednesday against the Timberwolves and Johnson will sit two rotation regulars Friday with Utah coming to town.

Johnson wants to get in at least one dress rehearsal, a game with a playoff-type rotation, before the season ends April 18 at Seattle.

"We still want to win the rest of the games no matter who's in uniform," he said.
The Mavs will face the West's eighth team in the first round. Golden State (38-40) is currently eighth, just head of the Clippers (37-39), but Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers also are possibilities.

However it unfolds, the Mavs have a courtside seat for the next nine days. They plan to enjoy the view and not fret about getting stale in otherwise meaningless games.

Meanwhile, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of the Dallas Stars’ life. And, Let’s hope they are up for it. Honestly, this series seems so close. Everything is close. I have a sneaky suspicion that it is going to come down to Marty Turco …and you know what that could mean…

Turco's regular-season accomplishments during his four seasons as the Stars' No. 1 goalie have been many. He broke the NHL record for lowest goals-against average in his first go-round as a starter in 2002-03. He tied Ed Belfour's team record for wins in a season in 2003-04 and then broke it in 2005-06. This season marked his third appointment to the Western Conference All-Star team.

But the playoffs have brought him only frustration. Last season, the Stars were a popular pick to reach the Finals but were gone after five games in the first round against Colorado. With Turco in goal the last three postseasons, the Stars have won one of four series.

"One thing I've realized is I can only control the present and how I'm prepared for the future. And, add to that, I can only control what I do on the ice," Turco said of the lessons he has learned this season. "I can't worry about the other team or what's happening in our game. I only need to worry about my job and committing 100 percent of my focus to that.

"It [playoff failure] was disappointing at the time, but I don't think about it now. Sure, there were bad goals and bad luck. And I wish we would have won more. But you learn from it, and you move on."

Learning has been Turco's mantra this season. He has learned about diet and exercise – cutting out junk food and improving his flexibility. He has learned about prioritizing – turning down opportunities for socializing and team bonding to focus on his daily routine. He has learned about handling pressure – and blocking it out.
"There are distractions," he said, "but you have to be able to accept that, process that and then cast it aside."

Whether it's casting something aside or taking it head on, Turco will have extra pressure.

"I think Marty has a lot to prove, and I think he knows that," Stars center Mike Modano said. "The pressure is good pressure, just to quiet the critics. I think he wants to be a great player, and great players are made in the playoffs."

Morrow speaks…

Marty [Turco] and I have talked all year. He doesn't hide from what people are saying about him and the pressure he's under and what he's done in the past. There isn't one person in this locker room who blames Marty Turco. I believe that 150 percent. There is not one guy who believes in himself more. He knows he'll hear about it until he has success, but once he gets that people are going to remember that instead of last year's playoffs.

I think it will have to take a game or two for them to pull Marty, unless we are trying to shift momentum somehow. But if it is Mike [Smith], we believe in him. I don't know if the best word is young and dumb, but that is how I made it my first year. You don't feel the pressure. You are just so excited to be there.

I don't think we want to think about playing for [coach Dave Tippett's] job. We are playing to win. We're playing to have success. We're playing to win the Stanley Cup. And if you put too much thought into what's going to happen if you don't have success, you are not thinking about the right things. But I love him as a coach. He's a great players' coach and, if we lose, it will be the players' fault.

When Dallas won the Cup my first year, I felt like: 'This is something I could get used to doing every year.' But once you've been here a few years, you realize that doesn't happen every year, you realize how hard it is, you realize the pressure.

Many are concerned about the television coverage of the Stars. If you live locally, fear not. All the games are on locally …

If you live out of market, you better have Versus. Or I think you may be out of luck…

Here's the Stars' TV schedule for round one. All the games are being covered on either Channel 27 or FSN. Versus is also covering six of the seven games nationally, but the Versus games will be blacked out locally because they will be on 27 or FSN.

1 Wednesday, April 11 at Vancouver (GM Place) 9 p.m. My 27/VERSUS
2 Friday, April 13 at Vancouver (GM Place) 8 p.m. FSN Southwest/VERSUS
3 Sunday, April 15 at Dallas (American Airlines Center) 8:30 p.m. FSN Southwest/VERSUS
4 Tuesday, April 17 at Dallas (American Airlines Center) 7 p.m. My 27
5* Thursday, April 19 at Vancouver (GM Place) TBD My 27/VERSUS
6* Saturday, April 21 at Dallas (American Airlines Center) 7 p.m. FSN Southwest/VERSUS
7* Monday, April 23 at Vancouver (GM Place) TBD My 27/VERSUS

Good previews of all 8 NHL series …

Rangers creep back toward .500 …

Ian Kinsler homered in each of the Rangers' first two games, but of course, nobody expected the second baseman to hit 162 home runs this season.

Nobody expected those two round-trippers to be his only two hits of the year, either.
But that was the case until Monday, when Kinsler snapped out of a three-game hitless streak with a career night at the plate in an 8-4 victory over the Devil Rays.

In a sixth-inning outburst, Kinsler's RBI single broke open a game that the second baseman himself had tied with a two-run double in the fourth inning. In addition to those two RBI, Kinsler went 4-for-4, his most hits in a game in two major league seasons.

"He was perfect," said manager Ron Washington, who praised his entire offense and its 15-hit night. "We as a group have been trying to get our act together."
Thanks to a six-run sixth inning, Texas' hitters were able to secure starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy's first victory as a Ranger.

McCarthy struck out five and allowed two runs in six innings. But he knew his night was over when he went to the dugout before the Rangers' onslaught.

"You usually kind of hold out hope in that inning and it usually never seems to materialize," McCarthy said. "That time it did. The bats were just waiting to explode, you could kind of tell that."

After Hank Blalock and Nelson Cruz strung together two-out singles, Kinsler drove home Blalock with the game-winning single.

"We all knew what was going on," Kinsler said. "[McCarthy's] throwing a gem, and we've got to help him out."

The Rangers went on to bat around in the sixth, chasing starter Edwin Jackson. The Rangers had six two-out hits in the frame and eight in the game; they were just 8-of-59 (.136) with two outs in the six previous contests this season.

"Two-out hits, I can't say enough about that," Kinsler said. "You've got to get your two-out hits if you're going to be a winning club."

Blalock was 2-for-4 and Cruz was 3-for-3, as the bottom of the Rangers' order continued to be more productive than the top. Four of the first five hitters in the lineup are under .200, while Blalock, Cruz and Kinsler are all hitting .333 or better.

Kevin Durant goes bye bye …

Texas freshman Kevin Durant will declare for the NBA draft, the Dallas Morning News reports, citing two unnamed sources close to the Longhorns basketball program.
Durant could declare his intentions as soon as Tuesday, according to the report. However, a Texas spokesman told the Morning News that neither he nor coach Rick Barnes were aware that a news conference announcing Durant's intentions was imminent.

The Houston Chronicle reported that Durant is expected to make a decision by the middle of this week.

Durant and his family did not talk to reporters after the team banquet Monday night in Austin, Texas. Barnes said he expects Durant will make an announcement soon.
"I think he'll make a quick decision," Barnes said, noting that Durant's family would remain in town with him for another day or so. "Now it's a matter of [Durant and his family] deciding and putting it together."

Barnes said Durant has not yet told him what he'll do.

"He's made history. No one's done what he did this year. He swept every major award
as a freshman. It's a year we may not ever see again by anybody. It's remarkable," Barnes said.

In other news, we have good UEFA Champions League today. Man United try to stay alive at 1:30 against Roma on ESPN2, and on delay, Chelsea and Valencia at 4 on ESPN Classic.

Kevin Durant Rules



Marshawn Lynch’s ride

Monday, April 9

What a performance from a guy who besides looking like joaquin phoenix has very few distinguishing characteristics…but now has a green jacket…



Zach gives nothing; Tiger cannot reel him in …

Johnson, 31, fired a closing three-under-par 69 on Sunday to defeat Woods (72), Rory Sabbatini (69) and Retief Goosen (69) by two strokes for his first major championship and second Tour victory. His one-over-par 289 tied the highest winning score in Masters history. Sam Snead, in 1954, and Jack Burke, Jr., in 1956, also claimed green jackets with a 289.

Johnson’s victory came on a fast, dry golf course that stretched 7,445 yards. It came over four days of challenging conditions: warm and windy weather to start the tournament; a chilly, gusty Saturday; and a pressure-filled Sunday with swirling breezes.

It came six months after Johnson was one of four rookies on the United States Ryder Cup team and four years after he graduated from the Nationwide Tour.

“I think I’m mentally tough,” said Johnson, who entered the tournament ranked 56th in the world. “I don’t hit it very far, I don’t overpower a golf course, but I think I’m a pretty decent putter. At Augusta National, putting is premium.”

Johnson birdied three of the last six holes, offsetting a bogey on No. 17, to win the Masters in just his third appearance. He missed the cut in 2005 and finished tied for 32nd last year.

On a day when six golfers led or tied for the lead, Johnson outlasted the game’s biggest names, including a late charge from Woods, the four-time champion bidding for his third consecutive major.

Woods, who briefly held the lead by a stroke after making par on No. 4, stood four shots back as he played the par-5 13th hole. He curled a three-wood shot around the trees and was left with just over 190 yards to the flag. Woods then lofted an iron shot to 3 feet of the cup and made the putt for eagle to cut Johnson’s lead to two. The gallery erupted.

Two holes in front, on the par-5 15th hole, Johnson stepped away from his ball.
“I backed off the shot, partially because of the roars,” Johnson said. “I figured it was Tiger for an eagle. I didn’t really know what was going on. I didn’t know where I stood. I was still able to execute. I guess ignorance is bliss sometimes.”

Woods seemed to have momentum after the eagle, but he failed to capitalize on the final five holes. Two years ago, he chipped in for birdie on the par-3 16th hole in an eventual victory over Chris DiMarco in a playoff.

On Sunday, trailing by two shots at No. 16, Woods laced an iron to 10 feet, but slid the putt past on the high side. On No. 17, Woods split the fairway, but left his iron shot in a bunker and could only make par.

Bases loaded – nobody out; frustration arrives …

The Rangers trailed by two going to the eighth, which is when the Red Sox went to the bullpen.

No. 8 hitter Gerald Laird, who had been impatient in the first week of the season, took a more disciplined approach to reliever Joel Pineiro and worked his way to a walk. Ian Kinsler followed with another walk.

It created the perfect situation for a bunt. Kenny Lofton laid down the perfect one. It caused enough confusion that when Mike Lowell fielded it, first baseman Kevin Youkilis was in the line of fire between Lowell and second baseman Alex Cora, who was covering first. It loaded the bases with nobody out.

And that's where the rally fizzled. The Red Sox called on lefty Javier Lopez and the Rangers pulled left-handed hitting Frank Catalanotto for Nelson Cruz. He lined hard to first base. Youkilis couldn't hold on to the ball or it would have been a double play ball. Instead, the Rangers got one run and Youkilis recovered to get Cruz at first.

That's when the Red Sox asked Papelbon to get five outs and to start with Young. He started with a 94 mph fastball that Young simply missed, then missed the strike zone with a split-finger fastball. Papelbon came back with another fastball, this one at 96. Young was a hair late and missed it.

"That's the pitch I wish I had back," Young said. "That's the one I should have hit."

Because the next one was simply unhittable. It tickled the black on the outside of the plate. Young could only shake his head and walk back to the dugout.
"The most you could have done with that is maybe foul it off," Young said. "It was a great pitch.'

Mark Teixeira followed with a pop out to end the inning. Papelbon retired the side in order in the ninth, including strikeouts of Hank Blalock and Brad Wilkerson to end the game. Wilkerson looked at a 96 mph fastball to end it.

"We had everything lined up perfectly," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Give Papelbon some credit. He was lights out."

In Mavs news, The #1 seed can be clinched tonight against a likely first round opponent …

Phoenix wouldn't surrender its improbable pursuit of the Western Conference's No. 1 seed Sunday, so the Mavericks will try to end it tonight.

The Mavs, admittedly not playing their best recently, have built such a cushion that with six games remaining, one win will secure the NBA's best record, and most important, home-court advantage through every round of the playoffs.

"If you can use it to your advantage, it's great," coach Avery Johnson said. "For us to be in position to get it, especially being in the Western Conference, you can't discount that. You've got to be doing something right."

The Mavs have never earned the top seed in the West. They will tonight if they can defeat the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Center, where the Mavs are 34-4.

"You definitely want to have it," guard Jason Terry said. "There's no team in the league I know that would say they'd rather give the other team home-court advantage. So we want to have it. Our record speaks for itself at home."

Johnson would like to wrap up things immediately. Four of the Mavs' final six opponents are fighting to make the playoffs or for critical positioning. Johnson would prefer to be able to control how much everyone plays and prepare for the playoffs on his terms, like a baseball manager who can set his pitching rotation.
The Mavs are on the downhill stretch of a draining month. Tonight's game is their 17th in 30 days. Through it, Greg Buckner and Devean George have worked back from injury just as Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki had ankle problems.

Howard missed Saturday's game against Portland. He said he hopes to play tonight. That will be Johnson's decision as he balances who to play -- Jerry Stackhouse sat out Saturday night -- and for how long against a team that is battling to keep the final playoff seed, which means, in all probability, a first-round meeting with the Mavs.

The guys at DallasBasketball.com take on the “Big Game Dirk” Debate …

It's subjective, but I'll generously use the Sam Smith-type definition of "big game'' here. "Big games'' involving the Mavs are on Sundays on ABC. They're against the marquee teams, they're against their rivals, they're against hot "trendy'' teams, they're against superstar individuals. The LeBron games and the Kobe games and the games in which the network trots out those whorish Pussycat Doll girls in cleavage-cut NBA jersey-dresses.

Good enough?

Trust me, I did no cherrypicking here. I didn't search out any certain high- or low-performance games on purpose, nor did I eliminate even "big games'' that were so dominated by Dallas that Dirk played limited minutes. I simply chose, again, games that Dirk's critics would choose, at the time they were played, when trying to define "big games.'' The ones TNT and ESPN wanted. The ones that led the sportscasts. The ones that Barkley and Peter V. and Sam Smith bother flipping on. The ones that would in theory give fuel to the critics of The UberMan's "big-game'' hunting.

Here goes:
* Nov. 2 h Spurs L 91-97 9-20 FGs, 1-2 FTs, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 21 points.
* Nov. 9 @ Phx W 119-112 11-19 FGs, 12-12 FTS, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 35 points.
* Nov. 24 @ Spurs W 95-92 12-23 FGs, 6-6 FTs, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 31 points.
* Dec. 7 h Pistons L 82-92 9-15 FGs, 10-10 FTs, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 29 points.
* Dec 13 h Lakers W 110-101 8-14 FGs, 7-10 FTs, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 23 points.
* Dec 28 h Phx W 101-99 8-20 FGs, 10-11 FTs, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 27 points.
* Jan 5 @ Spurs W 90-85 14-23 FGs, 6-6 FTs, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 36 points.
* Jan 7 Lakers L 98-101 10-24 FGs, 8-8 FTs, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 29 points.
* Jan 14 @ Tor W 97-96 14-30 FGs, 7-9 FTs, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 38 points.
* Jan 18 h Lakers W 114-95 11-18 FGs, 3-3 FTs, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 27 points.
* Jan 21 @ Miami W 99-93 10-23 FGs, 2-3 FTs, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal,1 block, 22 points.
* Feb 22 h Miami W 112-100 11-17 FGs, 9-9 FTs, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 31 points.
* Mar 1 h Cleve W 95-92 9-19 FGs, 6-6 FTs, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 24 points.
* Mar 11 @ Lakers W 108-72 6-13 FGs, 7-7 FTs, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 19 points.
* Mar 14 h Suns L 127-129 11-28 FGs, 8-12 FTs, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 30 points.
* Mar 18 @ Pistons W 92-88 11-20 FGs, 4-5 FTs, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 28 points.
* Mar 21 @ Cleve W 98-90 9-24 FGs, 3-3 FGs, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 23 points.
* Apr 1 @ Phx L 104-126 6-18 FGs, 9-9 FTs, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 21 points.

That's 18 games. Again, you and I know that there have been other "big games.'' (Or maybe, because of our rare and freshly-minted division title, we should agree that they've all been "big''!) But for the sake of the casual observer, the Dirk disliker, and I guess even dunderheaded national media people who actually have MVP votes but are nevertheless in need of a Common Sense Injection, I'm making it awfully simple.

Crummy ol' no-show Dirk, in those 18 "big games,'' has produced:

* 11 games in which he's scored 27 points or more;
* 48.6-percent shooting from the field;
* 90-percent shooting from the line;
* 14 games in which he's totaled 9 rebounds or more;
* 6 games in which he's totaled 5 assists or more;
* 12 double-doubles;
* Leadership of a team that, in those "toughest'' and "spot-lit'' games, has a 13-5 record.
* An average linescore of 10.2 rebounds, 4 assists and 27.4 points.
Dirk "doesn't show up in big games''? Those numbers are all the essentially the same or better than Nowitzki's stats over the course of all 74 games -- all of which, to the starved-for-success Mavs fan, should be considered "big.''
Dirk = MVP

The Start times could be worse …

Hey, start times are not bad. Here is the sked (courtesy of a Stars news release):
Game 1, at Vancouver, Wed., 9 p.m.
Game 2, at Vancouver, Fri., 8 p.m.
Game 3, at AAC, Sun., April 15, 8:30 p.m.
Game 4, at AAC, Tues., April 17, 7 p.m.
Game 5, at Vancouver, Thurs., April 19, TBA*
Game 6, at AAC, Sat., April 21, 7 p.m.*
Game 7, at Vancouver, Mon., April 23, TBA*
* - if necessary. All times Central.

All playoff games for the Dallas Stars will be televised in the DFW Metroplex. The specific local television information for the series is expected to be announced on Monday. All Dallas Stars playoff games can be heard via radio on News/Talk 820 WBAP.
Good tickets are available for all Dallas Stars home games in the first round of the playoffs. Fans can buy them by logging on to DallasStars.com or by calling 214 GO STARS.

Heika looks at the importance of this playoff run …

This will be a very interesting postseason. While I'm sure the Stars will say they are not looking at the long-term picture and are concentrating on one game at a time, the impact of a poor performance could be monumental.

With three failures in the playoffs so far for the trio of Marty Turco, Dave Tippett and Doug Armstrong, it's impossible to look at this as just one series. If Dallas loses, the call will be for change – possibly major change. Either that, or the sound will be of crickets and apathy.

And that's something that could force even bigger change.

All I know is that the natives are restless and are not tolerant of poor
performances at this point. If the Stars have any in the playoffs, you can be sure fans will react with twice as much knee-jerk as they did this week.

I wholeheartedly agree…

Meanwhile, since we goof on the media so much, I thought it would only be fair that we point out when one of our scribes proves what a big brain he has…So, Here is Mike Heika’s Western Conference Prediction from October …

Staff writer Mike Heika correctly picked all eight Western Conference playoff teams before the season and nearly picked them in the correct order.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Seed Actual Heika
1 Detroit Detroit
2 Anaheim Vancouver
3 Vancouver Anaheim
4 Nashville Nashville
5 San Jose San Jose
6 Dallas Dallas
7 Minnesota Minnesota
8 Calgary Calgary

WOW. That is amazing…

Now, this email from Adam:

Thought you might like this statistical breakdown of the Vancouver Canucks so you could give the p1's the lowdown on the Stars first round opponent.

Vancouver Canucks before December 26th
17 Wins - 18 Losses - 1 OTL
Goals per game -2.22
Goals Against Avg - 2.64
Roberto Luongo
17-15-1
2.22 GAA
.910 sv%
notes- Canucks only offense was coming from the Sedin twins and Luongo was good but not great.

Vancouver Canucks since December 26th
32 Wins - 8 Losses - 6 OTL
Goals per game -3.09
Goals against avg - 2.30
Roberto Luongo
30-7-5
2.13 GAA
.929 sv%
notes- Canucks finally got some secondary scoring to go along with the Swedish twins and Roberto Luongo stands on his head.

p1 tickethead
Adam Burgess

And now, The Aggies appear to have hired a Shocker …no way am I the first one to use that…

Texas A&M is leaning toward offering the men's basketball job to Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon to replace Billy Gillispie, multiple sources close to the situation told ESPN.com Sunday night.

Turgeon still needs to agree to the terms of the contract before accepting the position. He is expected to meet with Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne Monday with a possible news conference Tuesday in College Station.

Gillispie left Thursday after three seasons to replace Tubby Smith at Kentucky.
Turgeon led the Shockers to the Sweet 16 two seasons ago after winning the Missouri Valley Conference with a 14-4 record. Turgeon entered this season with a 111-76 record in six seasons at Wichita State.

Is this the goal that cost Manchester United the Premiership? They lost to Portsmouth, meaning that Chelsea now has the door open to tie them atop with the win at Stamford Bridge in May. One more slip from United, and the Title could go back to Chelsea. For me, it is like choosing the measles or the mumps.

Pompey - Man Utd | 2-0 Ferdinand
Uploaded by GOAAAAL

Its just like a Mini-Mall – Tribute time

Sunday Night at the Compound

2 Things:

#1 - Please don't expect the blog early this week. Since we are now in the Compound, I must rise and run on the 1 treadmill before the Hardliners wake up. Then, treadmill control will be in high demand, so it is run first, blog second. I expect all blogging to be easily completed by 10 or 10:30 for this week only.

#2 - Here is the Stars Schedule for Round 1. Yes, the late night post game shows will beat me down, but we will do what we gotta do.

1 Wednesday, April 11 at Vancouver (General Motors Place) 9pm

2 Friday, April 13 at Vancouver (General Motors Place) 8pm

3 Sunday, April 15 at Dallas (American Airlines Center) 8:30 pm

4 Tuesday, April 17 at Dallas (American Airlines Center)7 pm

5*Thursday, April 19 at Vancouver (General Motors Place)TBA

6*Saturday, April 21 at Dallas (American Airlines Center)7 pm

7*Monday, April 23 at Vancouver (General Motors Place) TBA

Merry Christmas, Philadelphia!

Tom, seen live on Christmas Day, about 2:00 into this report. Watch for his high 5 with Stallworth after his 20 second rant about the Eagles.

Big Weekend

Well, it is Friday. Good Friday. And with so many sports topics to discuss, we should not waste a second…

Finally, we can stop talking about Billy Gillispie’s coaching future – he is in Kentucky …Good luck…I can’t say I blame him, and he technically had to wait until Kentucky had word from Donovan, but I think his legacy in College Station has taken a hit or two.

Kentucky will introduce Billy Gillispie as its new basketball coach Friday, a person familiar with the search process told The Associated Press.

Gillispie, who led Texas A&M to the NCAA tournament's round of 16 this year for the first time since 1980, will be introduced at a 12:15 p.m. CDT pep rally at Memorial Coliseum, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement.

The Wildcats turned to Gillispie after another Billy – Florida's Billy Donovan – decided Thursday to stay with the Gators.

Opening Day in Arlington, Can we avoid 0-4? …

Hicks, no doubt, would prefer not to match the Mavericks' 0-4 mark, particularly since Game 4 of the 2007 season is the home opener for Texas. The Rangers and Boston Red Sox meet at 1:05 p.m. today, and Hicks is hoping the game results can match the revelry that comes with the opener.

The Rangers' marketing and entertainment staff has spent more than three months planning to host a sellout crowd and put on a spectacle that will feature former Rangers, former Cowboys star Michael Irvin and a B-1 bomber flyover.

While the capacity crowd of 50,000 will undoubtedly be equal parts impressed and entertained, it is the main event that will determine the success of the day. When the Rangers opened the season with three games on the road against the Los Angeles Angels, the worst-case scenario was that they would return 0-3 -- and that's exactly what happened.

A victory at home, however, can alleviate some of their anguish.

"It's the most important day of the season," Hicks said. "It's a celebration of baseball at the beginning of the season, and I think it is fans' favorite day of the year. It's our chance to put on a good show and make sure that our fans feel good about baseball and come back for more games. We've got 81 at home. We've got to try and get people to come out, and the first one is important because it can help us do that."

The Rangers placed great emphasis on pitching in the off-season, and despite the losses of Gary Matthews Jr. and Mark DeRosa -- each of whom batted .296 or better and hit 40 or more doubles -- they were confident that their offense would be productive.

After their first three games of the season, however, the Rangers have a team average of .161, the worst in the major leagues entering Thursday. Michael Young, Mark Teixeira, Sammy Sosa, Brad Wilkerson, Kenny Lofton, Gerald Laird, Nelson Cruz and Frank Catalanotto are all hitting .200 or worse.

"We've got too many good people to leave people on base the way we have," Hicks said. "That will take care of itself."

In manager Ron Washington, Hicks has the perfect ambassador for his team. Washington's glass is never half-full -- it's always overflowing. Washington could break an ankle and still find a way to be positive about it. At this point of the season, Washington is undoubtedly thinking the Rangers still have a chance to finish 159-3.

"We've got a great relationship between our players and our manager, and, hopefully, we can come together, play hard and win," Hicks said. "We've got great leadership and too many good people not to win."

In Red Sox news, Dice-K whiffs 10 in his debut …

Dice-K was Ice K. He was also 10 K. And Special K.

Maybe even a Japanese Pedro. Or a Pocket Rocket.

Given the hype and hysteria that have accompanied his every move and word since the Red Sox spent $103.1 million to acquire him, we figured it would be almost impossible for rookie righthander Daisuke Matsuzaka to live up to expectations in his first regular-season appearance before major league hitters.

But he did. On a day better suited for the Winter Olympics (36 degrees), Dice-K struck out 10 Kansas City Royals and allowed only one run on six hits over seven innings of a 4-1 victory at Kauffman Stadium yesterday. The game was witnessed by 23,170 real-life spectators (including Mrs. Dice-K, who was seated behind home plate), plus NESN-watching citizens of Red Sox Nation, and millions of proud Japanese fans, who got up at 3 a.m. to watch on television.

"It's great that I was able to record a victory in my first start," the moonfaced pitcher said through his translator. "Up until now, given all the expectations -- they were a little bit extreme -- but I'm happy."

He's not the only one happy. Red Sox owner John W. Henry, the man who approved the whopping $51.1 million posting fee to acquire Matsuzaka from the Seibu Lions, was also happy. Same for general manager Theo Epstein, who negotiated Dice-K's $52 million, six-year pact.

Stars screw themselves, lose again to bad team; Hitch …

The Dallas Stars' woes against the non-playoff teams from the Central Division continued Thursday in Columbus and it moved the Stars closer to elimination in the race for the Pacific Division title. Rick Nash scored 1:04 into overtime as the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied for a 2-1 win over the Stars at Nationwide Arena.

The Stars, who lost to St. Louis on Monday, ended the season 1-1-2 against the Blue Jackets and are now 3-6-2 combined against Columbus, St. Louis and Chicago this season.

For a full view of the NHL Playoff Picture, Check James Mirtle’s blog …

Matt Benson is hard at work at Mavs Central, Today with a feature on Devin Harris …

If you are not one of the top players on a team, you need to find your niche to be successful in this league and get some hard earned playing time. Harris has found this niche by playing tough defense.

Fewest PPG By Opposing Starting Point Guard – 2006-07
(Minimum 35 Starts At Point Guard)

Player Opponent PPG
Chris Paul, NOK 12.7
Tony Parker, SA 12.8
Rafer Alston, Hou 12.9
Jamaal Tinsley, Ind 13.0
Jarrett Jack, Por 13.1
Devin Harris, Dal 13.3


One of Harris’ best assets is his speed which helps his defense and his offense. It allows him to get into position to pick up offensive fouls, whether they are charges or other fouls.

Most Offensive Fouls Drawn – 2006-07

Player Off Fouls Drawn
Anderson Varejao, Cle 97
Andrew Bogut, Mil 77
Devin Harris, Dal 72
Raja Bell, Pho 65
Monta Ellis, GS 59


With Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry on offense along with Jerry Stackhouse, it is sometimes hard for Devin Harris to touch the ball. But when Harris has been worked into the offense and gets into the flow of the offense, the Mavericks have been quite successful.

Best Team Record When Player Record 5+ Assists – Since 2005-06
(Minimum 30 Games With 5+ Assists)

Player Record Pct
Devin Harris, Dal 35-2 .946
Larry Hughes, Cle 30-5 .857
Manu Ginobili, SA 34-7 .829
Jason Terry, Dal 56-13 .812
Tim Duncan, SA 30-8 .789


Granted he is mainly on the court when the “big guns” are for Dallas, but according to 82games.com, the Mavs average 14.6 more points per game when he is on the court versus sitting on the bench. He is also fourth in the league on NBA.com’s Lenvo +/- stats.

Finally, if there was any category that most will point out as his “flaw”, it is his shooting. After shooting 46.9% from the field and 23.8% from three-point range last season, he has improved his shooting touch to 48.2% from the field and 30.2% from three-point range this year.

Proving that our government isn’t the only government to be uptight on television, Canada bans this commercial …

The Toronto Blue Jays have been forced to revise a television commercial featuring Frank Thomas after the ad drew objections from the Television Bureau of Canada, a regulatory body for private broadcasters.

A 30-second spot that shows the 6-foot-5, 275-pound designated hitter taking part in a pillow fight with two young boys was edited to remove a scene where Thomas knocks one of the boys off a bed and onto the floor. Thomas leaves the room with a smile on his face as the youngster gets to his feet and says, "Wow."

Thomas is a former college football player and father of three whose nickname is the "Big Hurt."

Laurel Lindsay, vice president of marketing for the Blue Jays, said Thomas and the child still exchange pillow blows in the edited version, but the child is not knocked to the floor. Instead, he pops into the air when struck. Lindsay called the controversy over the commercial "ridiculous."

"Clearly we have taken ourselves entirely too seriously if we have given a pillow fight this much attention," Lindsay said. "The reaction we're getting from the fans is that people can't even believe this is an issue. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, and the bureau's role is they feel that somehow a child is being put in harm's way and they need to step in and make sure it's clarified. That's their prerogative."

The new commercial also features a disclaimer reading "Dramatization. Do not try this at home."

The original commercial still will air on CBC television, a public broadcaster that can set its own standards for content and advertising.

Private broadcasters who have been running the commercial will have to switch to the edited version.

The Television Bureau of Canada also demanded the word "Dramatization" be added to another Blue Jays commercial featuring pitcher A.J. Burnett. In that spot, Burnett is late putting his garbage on the curb, arriving as the truck pulls away. Burnett tosses his trash into the departing truck, skimming the head of one of the workers in the process.

Thanks to a good P1, Here is the Angles-Rangers brawl from Last August …better late than never….

Matt Mosley on Roy Williams …

Because the Cowboys still had All-Pro safety Darren Woodson in 2002, they didn't dwell on the fact that Williams had never been asked to do much in pass coverage.
"That's not why we took him," said Larry Lacewell, the director of scouting at the time. "He was always going to be a down safety or basically a fancy linebacker."
The Cowboys had made the decision to copy Tampa Bay's defense, and Williams was supposed to be their John Lynch.

Williams had a strong rookie campaign, but when a back injury forced Woodson to retire three years ago, Williams lost his security blanket. Since 2004, Williams has played opposite the likes of Tony Dixon, Lynn Scott, Keith Davis and Pat Watkins. And in time, head coach Bill Parcells began changing a 4-3 scheme that featured small, speedy linebackers.

Williams was still one of the most feared players in the game because of his vicious hits, but he became an easy mark for big plays in the passing game.

"We rushed his learning curve too much," Lacewell said. "We lost Woodson and Roy wasn't getting any help back there."

That's why Williams has become new head coach Wade Phillips' first major renovation project. Even before he hired Phillips, owner-general manager Jerry Jones talked about how the club had to find a better way to utilize Williams, who was exposed on almost a weekly basis in 2006.

The Cowboys signed former Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin in free agency because they were tired of being held hostage by the position. Hamlin isn't a pure cover safety, but his knowledge of the game and experience should give Williams more freedom to make plays.

One of the best safeties to ever play for the Cowboys, Charlie Waters, thinks the arrival of Hamlin might be exactly what Williams needs. Waters and free safety Cliff Harris were a big reason for the Cowboys' success in the 1970s.

"Safeties are as good as the guy next to them," Waters said. "If you have complete trust in the other guy, you feel the freedom to make plays."

First Man U, then Aston Villa, then Liverpool, now… Arsenal to be owned by Ameicans? …

Arsenal's link to America has been strengthened by US billionaire Stan Kroenke acquiring a 9.9% stake in the club.

His company, Kroenke Sports Enterprise (KSE), have bought the shareholding interest from ITV and could also purchase 50% of Arsenal Broadband Limited, with the combined total costing £65million if completed.

Kroenke owns Major League Soccer team Colorado Rapids, who recently announced a partnership with the Gunners that will see the Premiership club send coaches across the Atlantic and promising American players sent to train in London.

The partnership was not seen as the first step towards another American takeover of a English club, although the move to buy ITV's stake has come less than a month after KSE stated they had 'no interest or intention' of buying into Arsenal.

A statement to the stock exchange read: 'ITV plc today announced that it had unconditionally sold its 9.99% shareholding interest in Arsenal Holdings plc to KSE UK INC, a vehicle controlled by Stan Kroenke, and has also entered into conditional arrangements with KSE UK INC in relation to the sale of its 50% shareholding in Arsenal Broadband Limited.'

Premiership clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa have been targeted by American investors as business prospects which will eventually generate huge profits.

Despite their huge debts, Arsenal are still seen as a club with huge potential because of the long-term benefits of the new 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium.

A potential takeover, though, would appear unlikely as major stakeholders - which include vice-chairman David Dein and director Danny Fiszman - have stated they have no intention of selling up.

Kroenke, who earned his fortune through real estate development, owns ice hockey side Colorado Avalanche and basketball team Denver Nuggets. He is the co-owner of St Louis Rams in gridiron.

The entrepreneur is used to winning too, the Rams won the Super Bowl in 2000 and Avalanche claimed the NHL's Stanley Cup in the 2000-01 season.

In other news, Tiger is lurking and the Spurs beat the Suns...I gotta go.


UFC 69 on Saturday Night in Houston



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