RWFrog's Blog

I think Stars' captain Brendan Morrow gave all of Dallas an early monday wakeup call with his  winner in the 4th overtime of game 6 against San Jose.  Not normally an avid hockey fan, I found myself glued to the television set.  And I finally realized why so many people are die-hard hockey fans.  It's not a corporately sexy sport like football or basketball, but its playoffs might contain the best drama.

The Stars are now headed for a collision with top seeded powerhouse, Detroit.  A team that handled the Stars 3-1 in the season series will truly test the magic the Stars have conjured up during these playoffs.

These western finals are sure to be amazing, as it pits two teams that have fought tooth and nail over the years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe2o2Z4rpTU

here's a recap of Game 6 against San Jose, in case you missed it.

The Stars in Sharks are about to start the 3rd overtime of game 6 tied 1-1.  A series that once looked very winnable for the Stars is about to be made or broken in this next period. I think a 3 OT loss in a game 6 would be devastating to a team that once held a 3-0 series lead. 

Both teams have played their butts off, and goaltending has been unbelievable by both Nabakov and Turco. Neither team has been able to break the will of the opposing goalie. If the Stars  blow this game and are forced to play a game 7 at the Tank, I will be willing to say the curse of DFW is back on.

And the Sharks just went on the powerplay! Things are about to get real dicey...

That's right....I, Reese Gordon, as devoted as they come in following the Mavs, am already sick with all of the fallout from the Avery Johnson firing. Anyone one with any basketball and Mavericks knowledge knew this was inevitable. However, there is one team in DFW that has a chance to break the bad hoodoo-voodoo curse on area teams. (Yes, I did steal that term from Randy Galloway.)

The Dallas Stars are leading the San Jose Sharks 3-0 in their best-of-seven series and have displayed a hunger and determination that hasn't been seen in these parts in a long time.

So far, the Stars and Sharks are scoreless with about 5 minutes to play in the first period.

Here's my question to readers:

If the Stars win it all, will they break the supposed curse on DFW sports??

Tonight is the night. The night that will ultimately decide the fate of this current group of Mavericks. If they lose tonight, to fall into a 0-3 hole against the spunky New Orleans Hornets, Avery Johnson can start packing his bags. Same with Josh Howard. Jason Terry Too.  No, the Mavs won't be eliminated with a loss tonight, but they might as well not show up for game 4. I may sound very condescending towards a team that has achieved a good deal over the last 8 seasons, but the fact is this Mavs team has underachieved.  It definitely seems like the team has tuned Avery out. To the point that he is considering the services of a motivational speaker.

If a professional basketball team, playing for the chance at an NBA title, needs a motivational speaker, there is something majorly wrong. I can only think that it has to do with coaching. Any job, no matter how lucrative, can be dreaded if the people you work for are disagreeable. I don't know if this is the case with the Mavs, but it is something to think about.

All of my friends say that I should become a Spurs fan because of how negative I am with the team. But I am not alone in my new found apathy with the Mavs. I have loved them for so long, and have continually been let down. Are they going to change? I doubt it.  I think it takes more of a fan to root for a team that has caused so much despair and agony to its fanbase.

But hey, don't let me get ya down. The Mavs have a chance to repent for their basketball sins tonight at 7 p.m. A 34-7 home record during the regular season should provide some hope, right??

The Dallas Morning News' Todd Archer, resident Cowboys Blogger, is reporting that suspended Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman Jones is officially a Dallas Cowboy. The terms of the trade have not been announced yet, but I figured there would be tons of people interested in knowing about this.

What will be interesting now is how the Cowboys play the draft..Does this mean they might make a big splash for Arkansas' McFadden or Detroit's Roy Williams?

This draft weekend should be quite interesting...

It would have been great if the Calgary Flames had knocked off San Jose, but it was not meant to be.  The Sharks rallied from a 2-1 2nd period deficit in Game 7 of its first round series with Flames, scoring 4 goals in frame.

The reason I say it would have been beneficial for the Sharks to lose is because the Stars would be playing the 6th seeded Colorado Avalanche in the semifinals with home ice.  With San Jose winning, the Stars will be forced to continue their winning ways on the road against a team whose home ice and fans will be rabid.  I don't know if anybody got to watch the game last night, but the "Tank" was rocking and rolling.

With area playoff basketball losing most of its luster with the Mavs looking like a D-League team, the Stars are in a position to capture the hearts of sports fans across the metroplex.

The Stars will need some razor sharp stick play to slay the mighty sharks, and they will get their chance starting Friday at 9 p.m.

People can point to Christ Paul's amazing and increasingly legendary play as the main reason the Mavs have looked so terrible in their first two playoff games against New Orleans. Paul became the first player in New Orleans Hornets' history to record back-to-back 30 point and 10 assist games in the playoffs.  But I can assure you the Mavs are making the game easy for him.

WHY does Avery Johnson have the reputation as a defensive coach??? The Mavs may be better defensively than they were under Don Nelson, but that isn't saying much.  And those Mavs teams could at least outscore their opponents. And they had heart. 

Avery's Mavs have gotten worse as he has instilled his mindset on the team.  Now they can't score or defend. Or win on the road. Good teams don't allow a young, inexperienced team to shoot 70 % in the first quarter, giving up 39 points. Especially after cratering in the second half of the previous game. Good teams don't give up 127 points like the Mavs did tonight, falling into an 0-2 hole in their best-of-seven series with New Orleans. 

Can this team rally and win the series? They better...Avery Johnson has alienated an entire fanbase with his stubbornness and that stubbornness has caused his players to act like they don't care. Do I blame them? Both Jason Kidd and Dirk know their talent is being wasted by dictator who let a little success go right to his head. To the point that he can't make adjustments based on individual circumstances.

I see the light...Who is with me??

Last night, the Dallas Stars defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 4-1, advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2003.  The way the Stars were able to put away the defending Stanley Cup champions was a refreshing sight for a city that has become way too accustomed to losing. 

My question for readers is this: Do the Dallas Stars have a better chance of winning the championship than the Mavericks?

After the Dallas Mavericks escaped the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, locking up a playoff spot, the team went on the road to Portland and Seattle.  They had a chance to solidify the 7th seed and avoid the Los Angeles Lakers, but they reverted back to their frustrating ways, losing both games down the stretch.

The 108-105 loss to the Portland Trailblazers could be credited to the team experiencing a letdown following the playoff clinching win, but last night's 99-95 setback at the hands of the 19-win Seattle Sonics was just plain terrible. The Mavs thought they had the game wrapped up with under 2 minutes to play, leading 95-89, but they Sonics scored the last 10 points of the game, concluding a bad road year for the boys in blue.

Dallas' 17 road wins is its lowest total since 2004, when the team won only 16 away from American Airlines Center.  That year, the team lost 4-1 to Sacramento in the first round.

What will happen this postseason?

Are the Mavs destined for failure?

Let me hear your thoughts.

With 3 games to go in the regular season, the Dallas Mavericks sit in 7th place in the Western Conference with a 50-29 record. Their latest victory came against a very tough Utah Jazz team at the AAC on Thursday night. And like so many other nights, Mr. Elastic Ankles, Dirk Nowitzki, willed his team to victory with 32 points on 12-23 shooting. He put the dagger in the Jazz with a 24-foot three ball at the 0.9 second mark that sealed a 97-94 victory for Dallas.

After falling to 1-11 against playoff teams with Jason Kidd, the Mavs have now won three out of their last four games against playoff bound teams, including an impressive 111-86 thrashing of Golden State that will probably end up keeping the Warriors out of the playoff picture. Perhaps the most impressive thing the Mavs have done lately is their come-from-behind victory against Phoenix, in which they only allowed 9 points in the 4th quarter on their way to a 105-98 triumph.

Reason for the Mavs new found confidence??

One word: Dirk

In last 5 games, since coming back from a high ankle sprain/knee injury, the Uberman has carried his team. In those games, he is averaging 24 points and 7 rebounds on 50% shooting.

Will the Mavs be the talk of the town when all is said and done?

I wish I had a crystal ball.

In life and basketball, success can often be defined as capitalizing on opportunities and limiting mistakes. In tonight's NCAA championship game between #1 Kansas and #1 Memphis, this theme played out in a very thrilling and agonizing way for the respective clubs. 

All season long, Memphis has been chided for its lack of quality free throw shooting.  Throughout the tournament,however, they had been shockingly good. That all came crashing down tonight with an unbelievable choke job at the charity stripe by the Tigers.

As this game winded down, it seemed as if "He-Man" Derrick Rose had willed Memphis to victory, scoring 14 out of 16 points in a crucial stretch to put his club up by nine,60-51, with 2:12 left.

However, Kansas was able to get a few timely buckets and resorted to fouling its opponent, hoping the free-throw gremlins would rear their ugly heads against a seemingly unbeatable Tigers team. Their strategy paid off, as Memphis guards' Rose and Douglas-Roberts missed 4 out of 5 freebies in the last 1:15 seconds of the game, leaving a sliver of hope for the Jay Hawks.

When Mario Chalmers hit a downtown three fading to his left to tie the game at 63 and send it into overtime, Kansas cut out the Tigers' hearts. "Baby Ben Wallace" Joey Dorsey fouled out in regulation and the Tigers couldn't match the intensity of Kansas in overtime, falling 75-68.

When a team as good as Memphis loses a game like this, you have to realize just how mental sports can be. They knew Kansas was fouling them, praying for misses, So naturally their attitude was to not miss.

They missed, alright...free throws and a chance to be remembered as one of the greatest college teams of all-time.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=28400006
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Memphis had to wait a while to see who would challenge them in Monday's championship game, but Kansas jumped on top of North Carolina, 40-12, and never really looked back. The Jay Hawks finished off Roy Williams' bunch, 84-66, sending their ex-coach home with a deflating loss.  Tarheels' forward Tyler Hansbrough helped his team get within 4 in the second half, but all of the energy they spent digging out of a 28 point hole ended up doing them in. 

Hansbrough finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, but judging from his postgame comments, he fully expected to be hoisting the championship trophy this season.

So, looking forward to the clash of the titans on monday night, will Kansas' guard trio of Rush, Collins, and Chalmers be able to stop freshman sensation Derrick Rose of Memphis? If they are able to at least contain the Memphis guard, who torched UCLA for 25 this afternoon, the Kansas Jay Hawks will be hoisting the NCAA trophy at night's end..These are the two most athletic teams in college basketball and the game should prove to be everything a championship should be...two #1 seeds with a combined record of 74-4 on the season.

So the Titans not only want the Cowboys to send them a 4th round draft pick this year and next, but ESPN is reporting that Tennessee also wants Dallas to pay Pacman's signing bonus that the Titans have already had to eat. This situation has gone from intriguing and bizarre to drawn out and in need of a solution.

Look for the Cowboys to either get Jones from the Titans at a bargain price or completely drop out of discussion within the next few days. Jerry Jones and the Dallas braintrust have to focus on the draft and I guarantee they feel the need to bring this situation to a close.



http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3325562>

I know a lot of people probably shut their  tube off when they saw Joaquin Benoit throw a wild pitch in the bottom of the 8th inning that allowed the Seattle Mariners to take the lead, 4-3.  I've got to say that I was really disappointed at the amount of errors the Rangers infield committed (3), with Shortstop Michael Young charged with two of those and his second base buddy, Ian Kinsler charged with 1. The errors almost spoiled the Rangers second straight solid pitching performance from Vicente Padilla, but new Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton lifted the team's spirits with a 1 out, 2-run homer off seemingly untouchable J.J. Putz in the 9th, giving the Rangers a 5-4 W. 
In the past, the Rangers would have folded their tents after falling behind going into the 9th inning, but maybe this team is different. Hamilton is reason enough for fans to come out and watch the club, as his skill set is amazing.  The 6-4, 235 lb centerfielder gives the Rangers a defensive weapon in the outfield that they have missed since Gary Mathews, Jr. left for Southern Cal.

Feel free to post predictions on record this year.  The way I see it, the AL West is as wide open as it has ever been. 

Who out there is disappointed that 10th seed Davidson was unable to defeat one seeded Kansas? The Wildcats fell just shy of a birth in the Final Four, losing to the Jayhawks 59-57. That means that for the first time in NCAA history, four top seeded schools will do battle in the Final Four.

Kansas will have its hands full with North Carolina, who defeated a great Louisville team, 83-73, to become part of the 4-team mayhem.

In the South Region, Memphis has its sights set on a berth in the national championship game, as the Tigers rolled Texas on Sunday, 85-67. Awaiting them is a UCLA team, full of confidence after defeating Xavier in the Elite 8, 76-57.

The nation is about to witness history, and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds.