Sports things I hate....

Come on, everyone has a list. Here's mine. Well at least some of it....

Nascar

UFC - If you can call that a sport

Womens College Basketball - At least they mostly keep to themselves

Coverage of the NHL - Brad how could you!! I'm talking about the exclusively negative coverage when someone gets hurt or a large brawl breaks out.

The NCAA Tournament - Hey who met in the title game? A couple of #1 seeds? Who cares...

Over excited College football fans - Yeah we got it, you miss college, you wish YOU were Vince Young, you hate your life, etc, etc...'gig em? Wtf does that mean? Go watch a pro game.

Nascar

ESPNs analysis of baseball - The standings and seedings of baseball, have been discussed more in the first 3 days of the season already, than the NBA and NHL COMBINED the ENTIRE SEASON.

Anyone who changes jersey numbers in the middle of their career just because they feel like it

The Dallas Cowboys, The Detroit Red Wings, Steve Nash, The San Antonio Spurs, Milan Hejduk, Eric Lindros, Michel Irvin, The Colorado Avalanche, the Ducks and the Sharks, Kobe Bryant, "Race Weekends," Nascar highlights, Keith Olbermanns inability to talk about anything but Baseball and bashing the presidents, ESPNs basketball presentation, Bruce Bowen, the New York Yankees, Humble Billy, and did I mention Nascar?

I really hate Nascar

Mavs tuning up

So the Mavs went skinny dipping in Sacto without their Dirks on. Despite the balls flying everywhere (what? there were a lot of turnovers), they managed to get out of there with the W and their dignity.

Buck and DG looked more like themselves, and the Centers came to play. But still, every time Damp or Diop put the ball on the floor they give me cancer.

But I was thinking, what does Dirk Nowitzki do at a hotel room during the game by himself?

Does he even watch the game?

Does he have to listen to the Kings TV guys? I hear they were giving him lots of love.

Was he sleeping? or puking?

Did a trainer stay with him?

Personally I prefer to think that he was studying the game inch by little inch, ready to give his young coach some advice afterwards

;)

NBA/NHL Playoffs looming large

The blog is coming back at you with HSO's as we get ready for the happiest time of any year. The concurrent NHL and NBA playoffs; particularly that happy crazy time when the Stars and Mavs are BOTH still in it.

One of those teams will invariably let you down early. The other one may or may not let you down later on. You know the one I mean.

Therefore... a question:

With 15 games left in the NBA season, is it ridiculous to say that the #1 through #5 seeds in the West are set, and therefore let's start talking about round 2?

#1: Mavs. 0 Games back

They'd have to lose 5 of 15, plus Phoenix would have to be absolutely perfect, and then there would be a tie breaker situation of some sort. Tied 2-2 with season series. The Mavs win the conference record tie breaker... You get the point

#2: Nash...or Suns. Whatever - 5 games back

They'd have to lose 4 or 5 games to slip to #3, and even then, SA would have to perfect along the way. This is unlikely.

#3: Spurs - 9 games back

WIth only a 3 game cushion b/w them and Utah, this is very possible. But again unlikely. Look at Utahs schedule... mavs, suns, spurs, nuggets, clippers, and rockets twice! That's not pleasant.

#4: Jazz - 12 games back

#5: Rockets - 13.5 games back

The Rockets and Jazz will (in my opinion) likely switch spots (5th place can have home court if they have a better record, even though the division winner must technically be called the 4 seed right?). It doesn't matter though. The next nearest team in the 6th spot is 8 games back with 15 to go.
The Rockets and Jazz may as well make hotel reservations because that thing is going down.

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This is all common sense right? Yeah yeah I know. But the point is, that you can basically paint the 2nd round picture and it's MARCH 22nd!

So the question for the Mavericks fans is, Houston or Jazz?

Personally I don't think it matter much what they think or I think, The Rockets will take that series in 5 or 6. If Utah manages to hold on to home court though, it could go 7.

Utah can't defend Yao though....

Interesting stuff.

Meanwhile, maybe the Suns and Spurs could go 7 games...or maybe the Suns team bus could crash into the Spurs team bus. But I would never say anything like that ;)

Deservedly so

Don't know who all might still be reading, but blogging is hard to come by these days between moving and getting married and going out of town this weekend and work being crazy crazy.

Peyton and Dungy got it done. I was starting to get worried for them. Starting to think they would never get it done. (Not unlike the Mavericks). But true greatness rears it's not-so-ugly head sooner or later, and they did it the right way. I am really really happy for them.

In the rain.

Against a "tough" team.

No one can call them a soft dome team ever again. Not until September anyway. We'll see if they re-sign Freeney.

The best part is Edgerin James. You having fun Edge? I hoe you're laying on a fat pile of cash in Phoenix thinking about how much better the money is than the beautiful ring that Manning and Co. will be sporting. Have fun with that offensive line that's a joke, and the defense that loves to play so much it won't let you guys back on to the field.

How did the exact same defensive scheme, with the same defensive players, turn from the worst run defense of all time, to Super Bowl Champs? How did it happen? We want to heap praise on Manning and Dungy, and they deserve it....but the defense got them there after a real bad second half of the season.

I think the Cowboys removing the "undefeated" title from the Colts in week 10, was the best thing that happened to them this season. Thanks 'Boys!

What a waste

Mike Modano has maybe 2 years left.

maybe.

And this is the waste of a season the Dallas Stars organization put together. A passionless, small, untalented team, with no finishers and no goal scorers.

What a waste.

After tonights loss and Thursdays impending loss, the Stars will be in 9th place, and on the outside looking in.

They have zero chance from the 7 or 8 spot.

This season is a waste. They can't play on the road.

They're 25th in goal scoring.

What a waste.

a waste of my time.

Sorry Mike.

Rare Optimism

I't is conceivable...that is to say, "it is within the realm of possibility," "it could might possibly happen," "it is not too rash to say..."

(you get the point)

That by the time the Stars play their first game after the All-Star game, they could have Bouche, Halpern, Zubov, Barnaby, Smith, and Ott back. (kind of iffy on Ott)

And now apparently the injuries are even coming from the minors, as Junior Lessard (their best offensive prospect) can't come up and play because of a nagging ankle problem or something.

How unlucky is this team?

and Modano? who knows. This is where the optimism-express gets de-railed. I'm not counting on it until Valentines day. If all the girls come out to the Red Wings game on Valentines day and Mike's not there, well....they'll be sad. That's the kind of logic you can apply to his injury, since no one knows exactly what the hell is going on with that.

Please lord get this stupid All-Star game shtick over with bc I'm tired of hearing about it

Hot Sports Opinions..... (100th Blog)

I was musing today at lunch about the upcoming Patriots and Colts game. Will Peyton finally be able to overcome his arch-rival New England and make it to the big show? If he got there would he be able to beat the Saints anyway? Do the Bears have a chance?

When the Mavs lost to the Suns in the playoffs two years ago, I told Cheryl that Dirk Nowitzki is the Peyton Manning on the NBA. Regular season domination, and then disappears in the playoffs. Thank God, Dirk proved us all wrong last year, and he broke through.

Will you do the same Peyton?

Then I got to thinking about how it's a shame the Pats and Colts are in the same Conference; not unlike the Spurs and Mavs. It starts to paint painfully obvious lines across sports....

NBA: Spurs/Mavs
NFL: Colts/Patriots
MLB: Red Socks/ Yankees

NHL: Ummmmmm....

This is one of the many things lacking in the NHL, and part of what made it great when I was falling in love with it 10 years ago. Red Wings/Avalanche was the obvious answer. What is there now?

Not much. The swings of the NHL are making that a thing of the past for the time being. Adjusting to a changing salary cap and the new style of play the league is trying to impress upon everyone will take some time before a new set of elite teams is ready to take on this role. Obviously the Ducks and Sabres will be a part of this, but the two do not even play eachother this year.

Anyway....

We'll all be rooting for you Peyton. You're 30 years old now. Better make the most of it.

Romo? "He's a dropper".....

Chandler once tried to claim he was no "dropper" on "Friends". But they didn't let him play with that ball anymore did they?

Romo dropped that ball. He did.

Let's try to find a job for Romo where dropping things is a good thing.....


Stripper? - Drop your pants!

Taco Bell Chihuahua? - Drop the Chalupa!!

Para-trooper? - Drop from the sky

Pimp? - "Drop some knowledge on yo ass"

Radio producer? - "Drop" artist

Terrell Owens? - Dropping lots of passes seems to be working out ok for him...


Don't worry Tony. We'll find you something....

Enough Said....

lol

that's all I have to say about that.

Look who was at the game last night....

But I knew all along. I was sitting right next to him. Yep. Me and my buddy Brenden Morrow, just watching a basketball game together.....

When it's good....it's really good

And when it's bad, the world is coming to the end and you're falling down the standings.... The Stars season seems to sit upon the edge of that knife every single night. How long before the constant adversity and falling behind tears this team apart?

I was watching the Mavs at the AAC and I was not watching the Star fall behind 4-1 to the Oilers. When I finally checked the score for the first time, it was 4-4, and I figured "hey must be a good game." Little did I know they were making a huge comeback, only to blow it on the most bizarre 10 seconds of hockey you will ever see.

Then they get it to the shootout and Marty takes care of the rest. Jussi combined his two favorite moves for a third one that was just ridiculous. You have to see these high-lights. www.dallasstars.com

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Meanwhile, in downtown Dallas the Mavericks were finding themselves lacking a little motivation perhaps? They got badly out-rebounded in the first half, and only managed to close the margine a little bit in winning.

The final score says they won by 9, but it felt like they won by a point. Close game. Jason Terry gets 1 point?

An entire game worth of minutes from Diop, Dampier, and Mbenga gets them 0 points and 9 rebounds. Wow. Good thing we don't have to go to San Antonio and play the Spurs the very next night. Oh wait we do....

Either way, it was a good win for the Mavs. It's good for them to have to come from behind. The crowd there continues to impress me. Educated as always, and everyone cheered for Marquis Daniels and Darryl Armstrong. Very classy.

Playoff Predictions

Is it finally his year? Well....no but here's the way I see it shaking out.

Indi beats KC. New England beats the New York Football Jets. This leaves (if I did my playoff seeding math right) Indianapolis @ Ravens. This is an interesting matchup. The Ravens are known for their D, but this year they can also score. One sided game, Ravens own them. Meanwhile, the Chargers show everyone who's boss.

Chargers over Ravens, Chargers in the Super Bowl.

NFC? Who cares? I think the Cowboys can beat Seattle in Seattle. Past that, whoever plays they Bears has no idea what they're going to get. I expect Phili to beat the Giants. This would leave Cowboys @ Bears, and Eagles @ New Orleans. Which would be a real shame, as the Saints and Eagles are the two best teams in the NFC right now in my estimation. If Seattle wins and plays the Saints, and Eagles play Bears, expect a good NFC championship game.

The bottom line is, if the Cowboys or Patriots make it to the Super Bowl I'm going to throw up bc I hate them so bloody much.

Go Saints? or Eagles?

Doesn't matter, the AFC is going to own anyways.

The Anaheim Ducks....

Are better at the power play

better at face offs

have better goaltending

better at getting loose pucks

better at making pretty passes

better at penalty killing

better at their defensive positioning

better at the forecheck

better at holding their blue line

better at blocking shots

better at filling the passing lanes

better at changing lines

better at not taking penalties

better at making the first pass out of the zone

and better at scoring goals

there is now way they don't win the Stanley Cup.

My Brave Little Friend

Well...the best little guy in the world, Jimmy, died yesterday afternoon.

Like his nemesis Toby before him, Jimmy died of having been alive about as long as a furry little hamster can be. Hamsters are funny little creatures. They have the most energy of anything I've ever seen when they're young, but as if a microcosm of human beings, the older they get, the fatter and lazier they get.

The thing I'll always remember about Jimmy, is his enthusiasm, and his curiosity at life around him. That, and his relationship with his hamster wheel was like a crack addict and...well, crack.

He was very much the baby his whole life, who's way of figuring out anything was to chew on it. He was especially fond of remote control buttons, and paper products; chiefly napkins and toilet paper.

He would get up out of his hole to play at any time he detected activity, no matter how tired he was, and would stay anxiously by the door all night long for a shot to get out for a little while I got ready for work or school.

He once had a great adventure in Cheryls apartment, where he roamed free for an entire afternoon/evening, before we ruined his fun and found him clear across the apartment behind the tv exploring. Scared the hell out of us though.

He went by Jim, Mr. Jimmy, Jimenez, Jimmy-fer, Jimmy-bean, and many others of a less savory nature, most of which were my favorite little "pet" names. Pun intended.

I'll miss both of my little late night companions now. They were great fun, but nature must take its course, and so too must we.

Goodbye Mr. Jimmy :(

9/04 - 11/06

Power plays. A good thing? no?

I am fed up watching this team play like a bunch of clueless idiots.

They want to share the puck, but they don't want to communicate?

They want to be playmakers, but no one wants to just throw the damn thing at the net.

SEE FRIDAYS GAME AGAINST THE KINGS you unbelievable morons. Ask Boucher, just ask him. Throw the damned thing over there.

But hell, that wasn't even the problem last night. Just getting the puck over your own blue line seems to be a troubling concept doesn't it?

If the power play last night resembled anything even close to h-o-c-k-e-y then it was looking like a shutout for Marty.

Instead you give up TWO SHORT HANDED GOALS IN ONE PERIOD.

That's incredible. Two short handed goals in one period.

You think the Ducks would do that guys? do you?

They're busy blowing people out of the water 6-0.

Fix it Tippet. Fix it now, or this thing is going in the toilet real fast....

Tuesday Night Fun. Mavs win 107-80

I just got back from the game a little while ago.

Fun 2nd half tonight in the arena. Let me just say this, humble Billy beats me down so hard. I wish he would just shut up. I really do.

The threes from the corners are great. I usually hate 3 pointers, but they seem to earn them tonight with the ball movement.

What in the hell was Damp doing tonight?

Why does Diop take the ball back up like it's very fragile and he's afraid?

The BEST THING tonight was listening to the people around me. On several occasions I heard people saying "When are they going to put Devin Harris back in?" "We need Harris back, this sucks..."etc, etc..... Nice to hear the kid getting some recognition.

I find myself more and more wanting him to have the ball because I feel like things are just more in control that way.

Happiness is attending a Mavs blow out. also, the Dancers are hot.

Maybe the 2nd best thing about tonight was watching Avery Johnson. On TV you can't watch him pace and rant and wave his arms like a mad-man and go totally crazy for all 48 minutes. He's so entertaining. The players on the bench must have a lot of fun. I worry about his health long term though. The man is going to give himself a heart attack.

Well...I don't know what to say about the Stars.

So, I'll let someone else do it.

Read this

http://blog.dallasstars.com/archives/2006/11/stars_scoring.html

that about sums it up.

Please someone wake Eric Lindros up. He looks like a moron out there.

Ben Who?

I think it's pretty funny when the new and improved Chicago Bulls team comes to town to play a 2-4 Mavs team without Josh Howard and the big story coming away from the game is that the Mavs are like 7-0 now when Damp has a double double.

You shouln't be getting pounded by Ericka Dampier when you have Big Ben Wallace in there should you?

111 points for the Mavs. I thought Ben was very critical of coaches not pushing the Defensive game plan? hmmm?

Early on, looks like Mr. Wallace might have made a mistake. But we'll see. The pistons don't figure to be a lot better, but the Bulls need for their youth to make some strides in consistency if they want to compete in April.

The AP report for the game says the Mavs dominated the Bulls. And their coach said "it felt like they were toying with us a bit."

But I see it like this, if the Bulls make all their foul shots like the Mavs did, it's a tie game.

Hardly dominating.

3 in a row for the Mavericks. Good news indeed. But they need to do better than beating crappy free throw shooting teams by 12 at home in November.


FINALLY a hockey game tonight. We'll be in a Suite for tonights game. Parading around with the rich folks in our jerseys looking all out of place.

It's going to be fun :-D

When it rains....

I've tried and tried to hold back. To not say what I want to say. To not give in to the hate and the fear. (That leads to the Dark side)

But friends, the hate and the fear is all we have left. Especially the fear. The Mavs are 0-4. Worst start ever. And they're in Phoenix tonight. Not really the place you want to be on the road on the second half of a back to back, looking for your FIRST WIN IN 149 days. Not good at all.

Look for 0-5 tonight for sure. Then let's see....

Portland, Memphis, Memphis, Charlotte and Washington....two back to backs in there by the way. Could they possible start 0-10? You bet they can. And you watch how far it goes before Cuban starts making some noice. He might do it today. He might do something crazy just to shock this time into any kind of change. Fire Avery? I hope not. Make a deal with Stack and Diop? Harris?

Will Josh be back in time for it to make a difference? can they claw their way back into the top 8 before Christmas? I doubt it.

Mark my words. Xmas day, the Mavs are not in a playoff spot. Valentines day maybe? well....maybe.

Oh and the Stars have slipped from 1st place to 6th. With 2 losses? The Western conference is tough in both of these leagues. It's going to be a looong cold winter if this keeps up.

When does Desperado season start? Maybe they'll be good.

Doom and gloom in the metroplex.

Hagman my Hero

Nik Hagman has looked great this year so far. He's faster, he's more involved with the play when he's on the forecheck, and he seems much more confident with the puck on his stick than last year. He's working well with Antii, and has even seen some time in special teams a little here and there.

Which prompted me to ask, why the sudden change?


I have found the source of Mr. Hagmans power.

I know his secret.
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.
.
.
.

It's his new wife.