Dirk Returns! Mavs Still Get Blown Out, 129-91

The only thing positive the Mavericks can take out of this game is that Dirk Nowitzki is back. He is back in a limited fashion, but still back nonetheless. 20 minutes on the floor for Dirk resulted in 8 points and 6 rebounds. That return is not bad at all! That is really the only positive note I can take from this game. This article is kind of late because I was watching the "How Dirk Became DIRK!" documentary from Fox Sports Southwest, which was well put together. There isn't much you can really say on this game except the Mavs have not been very competitive lately. The Spurs were really hot tonight though from 3-point range. The Spurs as a whole had a 66.7% success rate beyond the arch with making 20 out of 30 shots! Five San Antonio Spurs players got into double digits in points. Danny Green had 25, Tony Parker had 18, Kawhi Leonard had 17, Tim Duncan had 15, and Stephen Jackson had 14 points coming off the bench. Mavericks will be off til Thursday night where they will end their mini road trip in Oklahoma City against the Thunder. I can see the Mavericks being competitive once Nowitzki gets back to 100 percent, but he still needs help on the court. With Dirk back; Derek Fisher is probably gone for the rest of the season. Fisher is reportedly wanting to be waived to go back home with his family. And with knee injury he will probably get his wish. This Mavericks team I am convinced is more than likely done for the season.

Saints Heartbreak the Cowboys 34-31 in Overtime

Just like every Cowboys game this year, it was full of drama. I thought the Cowboys fumbled the game away whenever DeMarco Murray fumbled the ball away at their own 5 yard line with 4:17 left in the 3rd quarter. After just the third play Drew Brees connected to Pierre Thomas for a 5 yard touchdown pass that made the score 24-17 with the Saints leading with 4:03 remaining in the 3rd quarter. That was a huge momentum changer that favored the Saints. Then the game seemed over after the Saints took a 31-17 lead with 11:10 left in the 4th quarter. The defense however stepped up, and made key stops to give the offense a chance for a comeback. The Cowboys offense was able to score 14 points taking just 3:20 to do so. Cowboys had to momentum riding into the overtime period. The Cowboys even won the coin toss, but had to punt. The Saints offense drove down the field it looked too easy. At the Dallas 24 yard line Marques Colston gets striped of the football by Morris Claiborne after the completed pass, but Graham lands on the ball at the 2 yard line. That sets up a 20 yard field goal from Garrett Hartley which is good. The offense showed that they could drive the ball today, but couldn't get down the field in their only drive in the overtime period. Tony Romo and Drew Brees both threw for over 400 yards! This was the first game this year that both quarterbacks in an NFL game both threw for 400 yards. Stats wise Jason Witten broke the record for most receptions for a Tight End in a regular season. The most productive player on the Cowboys today was Dez Bryant. Bryant had 9 receptions for 224 yards! The Cowboys to get in the playoffs is simple; the Cowboys need to win in Washington next week. It is possible, but the defense needs to play a lot stronger than they did against the Redskins on Thanksgiving. The defense on that day gave up 28 points in the 2nd quarter. For the Cowboys to be successful next week they must get defensive stops. Cowboys play the Redskins for right now it is scheduled to start at 12:00 central, but don't be surprised if it gets moved to either 3:25 or 7:20 for a Sunday night game. Cowboys need to win, or they are done!

Grizzlies maul Mavs 92-82

For the second straight night the Dallas Mavericks lose the game by double digits. Tonight though, the Mavericks were never completely out of the game. The Mavs never led, but had tied up the score 47 to 47 and 49 to 49 in the middle of the third quarter. The team looked a lot better tonight then they did against the Heat. There were points in the game were it seemed as if the Mavericks were going to get in too deep of a hole, but they were battling to the best of their abilities. With the current shape this team is in with not very much depth; you really can't ask for more. The Mavericks main struggle tonight was the lack of defensive rebounds in the 4th quarter when there was less than 5:00 left in the game. Memphis SG Rudy Gay was on fire tonight with 26 points. PF Zach Randolf had a double double tonight with 17 points, and 18 rebounds. With a win tonight, the Grizzlies will take their record to 18 wins and 6 losses. It will take a miracle for the Mavericks to just get one victory on this road trip! Sunday they will play the Spurs, then the Thunder on Thursday. There is a good chance that Dirk will make his return against the Thunder Thursday night. I hope Dirk can make a Peyton Manning like return back to the court.

King James Reigns Supreme over Mavs 110-95

The score in this one tells you all you need to know. The Miami Heat got after the Mavericks early on, and would go on to blow out the Mavericks.At one point in the third quarter, the Heat had a 30 point lead. LeBron James helped his team out early on putting up a season high 13 points in the first quarter. Not only did he score 13, but he also found open teammates all over the court for them to get points. LeBron James would end the evening with 25 points and 9 rebounds. What this game showed me is that there is not much depth on this team right now. It is already been reported that newly acquired PG Derek Fisher will be out for a few games. Meanwhile, we still have not seen Dirk play a single game yet. Nowitizki however did participate in practice today, and he says if he feels healthy he could be back to play as soon as one week from tomorrow night. Honestly though with him being back on the team I still believe this team doesn't have enough talent to prevail in the playoffs. For this team to just make it into the postseason in the number eight seed I believe will be a successful season. This team just does not have what it takes to bring home a title. The Mavericks will need to shake off this loss and try to focus on beating the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow night on the road. After that game they have to travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs, then they have to play the Oklahoma City Thunder. All I can say is GOOD LUCK!

Rangers Swept by Royals in 2 Game Series

The Rangers were swept for the first time this series against the Kansas City Royals in the two game series. On Monday, the Rangers lost it close 3 to 1 and had a descent start by Scott Feldman who gave up no earned runs in 4.2 innings.  Kinsler was not in this game. On Tuesday Colby Lewis took the mound for his first start since the weird outing he had last time giving up a career high five home runs, and having a career high 12 strikeouts. The Royals would win this game 7 to 4. Oddly though Lewis only gave up 2 earned runs. The couple of changes in the lineup these past two games have made the defense get errors in two straight games. I thought though we had to rest a couple of players to get them rested from the 10 straight road games, and the Angels series. Tonight though we should see the regular starting lineup for the Rangers with them playing the Oakland Athletics tonight. Oakland is quietly now only four games behind tonight. Yu Darvish will start tonight for the Rangers as they play the A's for the first time this season. The game time is scheduled for 7:05 Texas time! 

Orioles loss Game 2 to Rangers 7-3

The Rangers finish this four game series against the Orioles very favorable winning three out of the four matches. This second game though was ugly with 5 errors combined with the two teams, the Rangers were able to pull out the victory. In fact all 3 Baltimore runs came in the 2nd inning with errors from the defense which included a bad throw by Elvis Andrus, an error on a ground ball by Ian Kinsler, and a very rare inaccurate throw from center field by Josh Hamilton. Hamilton went 1 for 4 with the one hit being a deep home run to right field that scored him and Elvis Andrus in the 1st inning. Rangers pitching was spot on in this second game. Holland went 6 innings allowing 4 hits, with 2 walks, and striking out 5. The Rangers' pitching gave up no earned runs through all nine innings. Ogando worked in the 7th inning, Adams in the 8th, and Nathan closed the game. After the double header done, it is now time for  the Rangers to fly back home to Arlington where they will face the Los Angeles Angels for the first time this year. It will be Yu Darvish versus the former Ranger C.J. Wilson. This will be the first time C.J. has pitched against his former team, and it will be interesting to see what kind of ovation the Rangers fan will give him. It will also be Albert Pujols's first time back in Arlington since being in the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. The crowd will be rocking at the ballpark this weekend with the whole series being sold out! Game 1 starts tomorrow night at 7:05 in Arlington, Texas! Me personally, I would like to see Mike Napoli hit at least one home run off his good buddy C.J.

Rangers Double Header Game 1 Loss 6 to 5 to the O's

Colby Lewis went on the mound looking to get the Rangers to a win in the first game of the two game double header. Looking statistic wise, it was a weird day for Colby Lewis. He set two career high highlights set in this game. Looking at the positive side, Lewis had 12 strikeouts in the game. The negative to this start though was him giving up 5 home runs, which set a career high for his career as well. The game actually started with Lewis giving up three straight home runs to the first three batters of the Orioles hitting the deep ball. Those batters were Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy, and Nick Markakis. The Rangers had a three run rally in the 9th inning thanks to David Murphy's pinch hitting 3 run home run to get them within one run from tying the game. The game ended though with Kinsler grounding out to 3rd base, and Andrus striking out looking. Game two of this double header will show Tommy Hunter on the mound against his former team. The Rangers will send out Derrek Holland to start for them. I hope that the Rangers will get to Hunter early, and we will see the bats fly in this second game.

Hamilton History beats Orioles

Neftali Feliz's quality start was overshadowed on May 8th, 2012 by a guy named Josh Hamilton. Hamilton was a beast batting on Tuesday night! Josh Hamilton on the night went 5 for 5 at the plate with 8 RBIs and 4 home runs! This makes him only the 16th player in MLB history to hit 4 home runs in a single game. As a general manager, I would definitely give him an extension in his contract, but after the season is over. I think that if they would resign him now then he might go down in his productivity for knowing that he got his extension. I am hoping today's double header won't tired out the Rangers for this weekend's sold out series against the Angels. Here are the scheduled starters for the two games. In game one at 3:05 it will be Colby Lewis (3-1) vs. Wei-Yin Chen (2-1). In game two the Rangers will face a former teammate, Tommy Hunter (2-1). Derrick Holland will be on the mound for the Rangers!

Bats Fly Against Orioles 14-3

Harrison gets the win behind the Rangers 14 runs on 19 hits. Looking at the Rangers box score, everyone had a hit except for David Murphy who went in as a pinch runner for the slowed up Adrian Beltre. The Orioles did look a little fatigued from the day before beating the Boston Red Sox in 17 innings 9 to 6. The standout player for the Rangers in this game was Brandon Snyder who went 3 for 5 and had a career high 6 runs batted in. Matt Harrison pitched a quality start in 7 innings, giving up 3 earned runs, on 6 hits. All three runs came off two separate home run shots. The first was a solo shot by Robert Andino, and the other being a two run homer by Wilson Betemit. Game 2 of this four game series continues tonight when the Rangers send out former closer Neftali Feliz who is sporting a 3.81 ERA in his first season in the starting rotation with a (1-1) record. The Baltimore Orioles will send to the mound Jake Arrieta who is (2-2) and is coming off an 8 inning shut out against the New York Yankees in his last start. Tonight's opening pitch is scheduled for 6:05 Texas time and will be played at Camden Yards.

Rangers loss 2nd Straight Series

Ranger fans who are freaking out over the second straight series loss need to calm down. These two series loss does not mean they are a terrible team, but are just in a slump. Yu Darvish though lost the game yesterday, did pitch a pretty descent game. Darvish on the day pitched 6 innings and only gave up 3 earned runs on 6 hits, and recorded 11 strikeouts. The Rangers will travel down to Baltimore to play the Orioles who are a definite surprise early in the season. Baltimore is coming off an 11th inning 9 to 6 victory over their AL East foes the Boston Red Sox. Former Rangers 1st baseman Chris Davis was credited with the win coming into the 11th inning. Matt Harrison will be going to the mound tonight sporting an ERA of 5.40, sporting a 3-2 record in his five starts. Harrison has struggled with the two losses coming out of his last two starts. Harrison started off the season with the best ERA, and looked like he belonged in the starting rotation. I think Harrison is just going through a little slump right now, and tonight would be a great game to bring his confidence back out onto the mound. The Baltimore Orioles will send out Brian Matusz who has an ERA of 4.67 with a 1-3 record in 5 starts this season. First pitch for this match up is scheduled to start at 6:05 Texas time at Camden Yards. For this game I expect the resurgence of the Rangers bats to come back into the picture to help out Matt Harrison. Before tonight's game, the Rangers have an (18-10) record with a 3.5 game lead over the Oakland Athletics who have a (15-14) record.

Sorry I have been so busy, and not being able to write articles over the Dallas Sports teams. I will try and come back full time next month in May! So keep checking this website for more updates. Thanks!

March 27th, 2012: Stars Lose in Calgary 5-4

The Pacific Division race could not be any closer then what it is. Every game from this point forward has a meaning by not only who gets into the playoffs, but who gets the number 3 seed. The Stars came into Calgary after beating the Flames on Saturday to try and beat them for the fourth straight time this year. Unfortunately, the Stars could not pull it out. This was an entertaining game to watch though with two teams that could form an interesting rivalry. In the end Calgary went on to win the game 5 to 4. While this game was going on, I was scoreboard watching Vancouver vs. Los Angeles and San Jose vs. Colorado. The Canucks shut out Los Angeles 1 to 0, and Roberto Luongo had an impressive 38 save night. The Sharks however breezed to a victory over the Avalanche 5 to 1. San Jose's victory last night put them in 1st place in the Pacific Division, and in the 3rd seed in the Western Conference with 88 points. Dallas holds the 7th seed having 87 points with Phoenix taking the 8th seed with 87 points as well. Los Angeles is the odd man right now with 86 points in 9th place. With only a hand full of games left in the regular season, these playoffs positions will more than likely change around at least a few more times. All the Pacific Division teams will have tonight off and will play tomorrow night. The games to pay attention tomorrow are Los Angeles at Calgary (8:30), San Jose at Anaheim (9:00), and of course Dallas at Edmonton (8:30). Dallas will then finish their Canadian road trip in Vancouver on Friday against the 2nd place Canucks. The race for the Pacific Division will be something to definitely keep up with!

March 3rd, 2012: Dirk's 40 Points End Mavs Losing Streak

After it was thought that Lamar Odom was supposed to be playing for the Texas Legends last night, the Mavericks decided to bring Odom back up for last night's victory over the Utah Jazz 102 to 96. This win for the Mavericks will end their 4 game losing streak they had coming into this game. The first three quarters seemed to be all Mavs, but the Utah Jazz picked it up in the fourth quarter of this game to score 41 points. Luckily, the Mavericks were able to hold the Jazz to not picking up the victory. One of those reasons being Dirk Nowitzki's 40 point game. He definitely played a big role in this game. Oddly though the Mavericks are (0-5) without Lamar Odom playing. That makes me wonder if that is the only reason the Mavericks decided to bring him back up with the team. Lamar Odom had 9 points in his 18 minutes on the court. This win for the Mavericks is the first 100 point game since February 15th against the Denver Nuggets where they won that game 102 to 84. The Mavericks will play the Oklahoma City Thunder tomorrow night, which will probably be a good game to watch. It will be at Oklahoma starting at 7:00 central time.

March 2nd 2012: Mavericks and Stars Results

The Mavericks still have looked poorly coming into the second half of the season. They haven't won a game in the second half, and are on a four game losing streak. Including last night's loss to the last place Western Conference New Orleans Hornets. The final score on last night's game was 97 to 92. The Mavericks looked a little bit sloppy in this game. There was one exception though with Rodrigue Beaubois who seemed to step up.  Beaubois had 25 points on the night. The Mavericks run at the end though almost came through, but just like against New Jersey, the Mavericks fell short. The Mavericks will be at home tonight taking on the Utah Jazz at 7:30, and will attempt to end their losing streak. It is also official that Lamar Odom will actually being playing with the Mavericks instead of playing with the Mavericks' D League team the Texas Legends. Mark Cuban has said only the last part of the season is important in this strike shortened season, but should we be worried yet?

While the Mavericks have been in a losing slump, the Stars have played the complete opposite here lately. As a Stars fan it is always fun to watch them play the Edmonton Oilers. The Stars came into this game and got two more points that they needed defeating the Oilers 3 to 1. The Stars currently sit at 8th place in the Western Conference just 3 points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings. Though Edmonton hasn't had a good team the last couple years, it is always fun to get a victory over your Western Conference rival. Dvorak, Vincour, and Ryder where the three Stars that got the three goals on the board. Michael Ryder's empty net goal gave him his 27th goal of the seaon. Ryder leads the teams in goals scored.  Kari Lehtonen had a phenomenal peformance in the net as well. He had 19 saves in the game, and should've had help in shot number 20. Lehtonen was only 30 short seconds away from a shut out! There next game will be tomorrow night as they continue on with their Canadian road trip as they take on the Calgary Flames at 6:00 central time.





Both Dallas Teams Lose

Well the Mavs haven't started off the second half of the season well at all. They have fallen to 0-2 through the first two games falling to New Jersey and Memphis. With the loss last night, one can only hope Dirk will be okay with that sore back. The Mavs don't need injuries. If you are going to have them though I guess now would be a good time. The Mavericks would go on to lose this game 96-85.

The Stars were so close to getting the victory over the Penguins, but just couldn't connect on key opportunities. Of course I don't like how we traded James Neal this year. He has been on a roll since leaving the Stars and has been quite impressive scoring over 30 goals this season. He also had a shoot out goal in this game. Theses Pesky Stars will take whatever they can get. The final score was 4-3 in the shoot out.

Mavericks play the Hornets tomorrow, and the Stars start their Canadian road trip against the Edmonton Oilers. I see both teams coming out as the victor in those games.

Articles Are Coming Back.

After about a month hiatus, it is time for me to get back to writing over my Dallas Sports teams. I am very excited about the Rangers season to start soon, and see if they can get back to the World Series. I also am wondering if the Mavericks can make it to the Finals again. Also, can the Stars even make the playoffs? I hope all our teams have success, and I intend to start writing about them again. I do apologize for my month hiatus, but I am back and plan to start writing again.

February 28, 2011: Mavs Fall Short to Nets 93 to 92

The Mavericks fall short this evening at home against the New Jersey Nets by the score of 93 to 92. Mavericks at one point though trailed by as much as 8 points. Jason Kidd's only points of the night was Kidd's 26 foot jumper that came with 48 seconds left in the 4th quarter. The Mavs looked like they had to just scratch and claw to keep themselves in this one. Mavericks had an opportunity with 17 seconds left in the game after Dallas called a timeout to give themselves an opportunity to take the lead. Kidd was the only one to have a shot attempt, and it didn't go in. Though Haywood and Nowitzki had double-double performances, they were outshined by Nets' center Brook Lopez who had 38 points in this game. Avery Johnson had to be satisfied with his Nets squad tonight. The Mavericks next game will actually be tomorrow in Memphis against the Grizzlies at 7:00. Of course no Lamar Odom will be present at least through Wednesday, and I am okay with that. Odom's underachieving is just annoying!

February 7, 2012 Stars Lose to Coyotes 4-1

Stars didn't play well in this game. Even worse Stars captain Brenden Morrow is expected to miss games while he is on injury reserve for the second time this season. The only highlight of the night was the Michael Ryder's goal in the 2nd period. This was a terrible home game for the Stars, and it looked like the Coyotes wanted this game worse then the Stars. What is weird though is that Dallas team statistical wise beat the Coyotes in every category, except for goals. As of right now both the Stars and Coyotes are outside of the top 8 looking in. The attendance for this game was very small on television, but it is reported the attendance was 11,162. The only way I believe you can for sure fill up the American Airlines Center is by winning. Unfortunately, the Stars have been struggling in that category. Their next game will be on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and will start at 6:00 central time. 

Dallas Sports Review February 1st, 2012

Both the Mavericks and Stars played on this night, but only one of them came out to actually play. The injuries for the Mavericks could be one of the reasons why they played so poorly against the healthy young Oklahoma City Thunder. The Mavericks came into this matchup without Jason Kidd from the calf injury, Lamar Odom fighting a stomach bug, and Brenden Haywood with lower back tightness. The final score in this game was the Thunder coming out on top 95-86.

The Stars first game back after the all star game was good, and a pretty healthy squad helped the Stars get a victory over the Anaheim Ducks. It was quite nice to see both Jamie Benn and Brenden Morrow off of injury reserve and helping the Stars win. Jamie Benn came in right where he left off scoring his first goal since the all star break 17:50 into the 1st period. The Stars would go on to run away with this game 6-2. Lehtonen had 33 saves on 35 shot attempts. A great game for the Stars, but it will be interesting to see if they can win tonight against the San Jose Sharks, because they have been struggling on the 2nd of back to back games. They play tonight at 9:30.

The Captain is Back!

The captain Brenden Morrow is officially back with the Dallas Stars. Coach Gulutzan says, "Everyone is healthy and ready for this big test in February." The 2nd half of the season for the Stars starts tomorrow when they take on the Ducks in a late game in Anaheim, California.

Mavericks Defeat Suns 122-99

None of the games against the Suns for the Mavericks have been close. The Suns are very weak right now, and the Mavericks came into this game feeling good after defeating the Spurs in overtime 102-101. I thought though the Suns could have a chance in beating the Mavericks due to the fact Sunday's game was so tiring and exhausting it seemed. Tonight though the Mavericks didn't seem tired and they blew out the Suns. Tomorrow's game will be very good when the Mavericks play the Thunder. This game will take place at the American Airlines Center and will also be aired on ESPN at 7:00.

Mavericks Win in Overtime 101-100 over Spurs

What an enterntaining game this was! Jason Terry's 2 pointer with 0.5 secs landed in for overtime! This was the Mavs first overtime game this year, and this was a back in forth game in the 4th quarter and overtime period. Terry was definitely the player of the game in this one. Jason Terry had a season high 34 points coming off the bench. He definitely carried the team in this game. Vince Carter had an incredible defensive play at the end of the overtime period to get Dallas its first victory over the San Antonio Spurs. This win for the Mavs will keep them in first place in the Southwest Division. After this draining of a game, it will be interesting to see what kind of Mavericks team we will see tomorrow night when the Mavericks play the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix. The last few games between haven't been that interesting, but we could get another overtime game like we saw this evening. You just never know. Tip off tomorrow is scheduled for 8:00.  

Mavericks Vs. Spurs Tonight 5:30

Tonight's game will be the second time in this shorter NBA season where the Mavericks will be playing their in state rival Spurs. The Mavericks come into tonight's game after scoring a season high 116 points against the Utah Jazz. The Mavericks lately have played some good basketball. They are a completely different team then the last time they got blown out by the San Antonio Spurs on January 5th by the score of 93-71. Their last meeting was in San Antonio, but tonight they will play in front of their home crowd at the American Airlines Center sitting at 1st place in the Southwest Division. And the best news is Dirk Nowitzki will make his return tonight! Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 tonight.  

Stars Fight Off Ducks 1-0

Could the Stars end a 5 game losing streak against the Ducks without their captain Brenden Morrow or Jamie Benn going into the all star break? The answer was yes they could. The Ducks may not be a good team to beat, but I believe it can help the Stars get momentum for hopefully the second half of the season. The Stars only goal (and only goal in the game) was scored by Alex Goligoski 16:41 into the 1st period. The goal was very lucky I believe, because it looked like the puck bounced off the shoulder of Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller. Lately though the Stars haven't been getting luck on their side, so they will obviously take anything they can get. This match had a lot of post play scraps between the two teams as well. You can usually expect that mutual hatred between the two teams whenever they play. Their penalty kill was excellent tonight killing both powerplays that the Ducks had in this game. Kari Lehtonen as well got his first shut out of the season. Lehtonen saved all 27 shots he faced, and was definitely on his game. Their next game after the all star break will actually be a rematch against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday in Anaheim.

Mavericks Blaze the Suns 93-87

The Mavericks looked really good without Dirk tonight in the lineup when they played the Suns tonight. When Rick Carlisle said he needed someone to step up while Carter and Nowitzki he had someone step up. Shawn Marion had an almost flawless game against his former team putting up 29 points including going 4 for 6 from three point range. Shawn Marion was definitely hot in this game! No doubt Marion was definitely the star on the Mavericks bench. The defense looked pretty good as they have in the last 6 games. This is the 15th straight game the Mavericks have held their opponent under 100 points. Honestly though I am not sure it is good defense or players are just out of shape from the lockout. Either way its a record for the Mavericks. The Mavs also are on a pretty good 3 game winning streak. Steve Nash was not very impressive tonight only scoring 8 points and not scoring a single field goal from the three point mark. The Suns definitely are in trouble, meanwhile the Mavericks get another victory. Now we can enjoy the ring ceremony Wednesday as the Mavericks take on the Timberwolves at 7:30. Maverick players will get their rings 30 minutes before tipoff.

Ribeiro Activated, Morrow Deactivated

The good news, Mike Ribeiro is activated for the Stars. The bad news is Brenden Morrow will take his place on injury reserve. This is not good at all for the Stars to lose their captain. Meanwhile, Jamie Benn is also on injury reserve right now. I honestly don't think the Stars can stay healthy enough to make the playoffs. The Stars are definitely looking forward to the NHL All Star weekend to get the rest they need.

Beaten Down Stars Lose Again 5-2 Against Wild

The Stars came into Minnesota with revenge on the mind from last year's season finale loss against the Wild that kept the Stars out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and caused a lot of changes to go on in the offseason including a new head coach Glen Gulutzan. The Stars looked ready to avenge the loss when Eric Nystrom got the first goal of the night 18:38 into the game. Minnesota would tie it back up 9:06 into the 2nd period with a goal by Devin Setoguchi. Philip Larsen would get his first goal of the season just over 2 minutes later. After taking the lead for the last time in the game, the game would go all down hill from there. Letting the Wild get 3 more goals after that basically put the game away for the Dallas Stars. With that loss the Stars are still looking at the Western Conference playoff picture from outside the top 8. Their next game will be at home taking on the Ducks with the puck drop scheduled for 7:30.

Mavericks Win it Close 83-81

With Dirk Nowitzki out for four games due to a right sore knee, can the Mavericks win without him, or Vince Carter? Well the answer is yes if they are playing the Hornets. Delonte West was playing really well in this game and looked pretty consistent in this game getting 5 rebounds and 16 points. Shawn Marion was even better getting a double double in this game with 12 rebounds and 14 points. We even saw Marion get a 3 pointer in the first half which is rare with Marion. This game came down to the wire, and the defense made the stop it needed with a little over 1 second left Jarret Jack missed the 2nd free throw intentionally to try and sink a bucket for a tie to go into overtime. This win against the Hornets is actually the first win the Mavericks have won in New Orleans in 5 whole years! The Mavericks have tonight off and will play the Phoenix Suns tomorrow at home with tip off scheduled for 7:30.

Dallas Mavericks Standings As of January 21st

Mavericks come into tonight's game with a chance to beat the Hornets after coming in after beating the Utah Jazz 94-91, here is where the Mavericks currently stand.

Southwest Division

1st San Antonio Spurs (10-6) 0.0 GB

2nd Memphis Grizzlies (8-6) 1.0 GB

3rd Dallas Mavericks (9-7) 1.0 GB

4th Houston Rockets (8-7) 1.5 GB

5th New Orleans Hornets (3-12) 6.5 GB

Winning record is good for Mavericks after starting (0-3) this season. The team still needs to work better as a team with their new players.

Western Conference

1st Oklahoma City Thunder (12-3) 0.0 GB

2nd Denver Nuggets (11-5) 1.5 GB

3rd San Antonio Spurs (10-6) 2.5 GB

4th Los Angeles Clippers (8-5) 3.0 GB

5th Utah Jazz (9-5) 2.5 GB

6th Portland Trail Blazers (9-6) 3.0 GB

7th Los Angeles Lakers (10-7) 3.0 GB

8th Memphis Grizzlies (8-6) 3.5 GB

9th Dallas Mavericks (9-7) 3.5 GB

The Mavs will be on the road tonight where I believe they will pick up a victory against the Hornets. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00.

Dallas Stars Standings as of January 21st, 2012

After a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 at home. The Stars playoffs hopes look even worse.

Pacific Division

1st San Jose Sharks (26-13-5) 57 points

2nd Los Angeles Kings (23-15-10) 56 points

3rd Dallas Stars (24-19-2) 50 points

4th Phoenix Coyotes (21-19-8) 50 points

5th Anaheim Ducks (16-22-7) 39 points

Well I believe that the Ducks have basically wrapped up the last place position, so there is one less team the Stars have to worry about, but they still need to beat them.

Western Conference

1st Detroit Red Wings (31-15-1) 63 points (Central)

2nd Vancouver Canucks (28-15-4) 60 points (Northwest)

3rd San Jose Sharks (26-13-5) 57 points (Pacific)

4th St. Louis Blues (28-12-6) 62 points

5th Chicago Blackhawks (28-13-6) 62 points

6th Nashville Predators (27-16-4) 58 points

7th Los Angeles Kings (23-15-10) 56 points

8th Colorado Avalanche (25-21-2) 52 points

10th Dallas Stars (24-19-2) 50 points

Injury bug is not helping the Stars chances of making a playoff run, but as you can see they are only 2 points out of the top 8 to make the post season. Stars play tonight in Minnesota at 8:00 Central time.

Mavericks Get Clipped by Clippers 91-89

The Mavericks are now officially 0-2 in the city of Los Angeles after losing to the Lakers on Monday 73-70 and losing last night to the Clippers 91-87 both are obviously losses by 3 points. Though I wish they could have got a win over at least one of the powerful teams in Los Angeles, I am glad the games were at least really close. The Mavericks will play another late game tonight playing their 3rd game in 4 nights tonight when they will take on the Utah Jazz. This game will be on TNT and will be a late start at 9:30. It will be a hard game tonight with Utah Jazz coming into this game with a 3 game winning streak which includes a decisive 108-79 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavericks on the other hand come into this game with a 2 game losing streak to both Los Angeles teams.

Rangers Welcome Yu Darvish with a 6 Year Deal.

The Rangers finally just before they ran out of time sign Yu Darvish to a 6 year deal worth $60 million. After this huge free agency pick up will the Rangers think about picking up Prince Fielder as well? Either way this move will make the Rangers extraordinary, or they will be out of a ton of money. We will definitely know if it was worth it come May after he has got some starts in. It shows though that the Rangers are thinking about their pitching needs and not just hitting. 

Injured Stars Almost Pull Off Upset Over Red Wings 3-2 (SO)

The Stars played their hearts on this night coming just short of possibly defeating the dreaded Detroit Red Wings. It might have been a different if Jimmy Howard was in goal, but Ty Conklin did well in the Red Wings' net. Richard Bachman did a fantastic job as well giving Kari Lehtonen the night off. It was definitely entertaining game that had a few bumps and bruises, and some skill. Bachman had 32 saves in regulation and overtime giving up two goals in regulation. Conklin had 27 saves himself before the shootout. Tomas Holmstrom had the first goal of the night 6:41 into the 1st period. Then finally the Stars get a Power Play goal!!! The goal was scored 10:59 into the 1st by Brenden Morrow and he was assisted by Goligoski and Robidas. Loui Erikson even gets one more goal towards the end  of the first period to get the Stars the lead into the 1st period up 2 to 1. Jiri Hudler though would score early in the 2nd period to tie it up in the 2nd period. The game would end in a shootout where Jiri Hudler would strike again getting the only shootout goal giving the Red Wings a hard fought victory over the Dallas Stars. Though the Stars only pick up one point it was a point they fought hard for without a lot of their key players in the game. Especially against the Red Wings who are always an elite team in the NHL. The Stars next game will be Friday night at home when they play the Tampa Bay Lightning, which I hope the Stars can get out a victory out of the weak Lightning after almost defeating the Red Wings.  

Vince Carter Sprains Foot in Loss Vs. Lakers

We all saw Vince Carter last night leave the court with the help of trainers and players due to a foot injury. Right now it is reported that the tests came back negative, and that it is just a sprain. "I stepped wrong and it popped," Carter said. Right now it is in the air on whether he will play or how bad the sprain is at the moment.

Dallas Mavericks Lose in Los Angeles to the Lakers 73-70

 

 The Mavericks and the Lakers showed a low shooting performance that showed both teams looked fatigued. Putting only 70 points show that both offenses were in efficient last night. Dirk was the top performer in points put on the board where Nowitzki put up 21 of the Mavericks 70 points. You can also tell the offense is having an off night whenever Kobe Bryant who has been putting up 40 points up consistently only managed to get 14 points. He was second to Andrew Bynum though who scored 17 points but a 3 pointer late in the 4th quarter with 3 seconds left that put the game away for the Lakers to win the game was scored by Derek Fisher who at 13 points. The last play of the game was a 26 foot three point jumper from Vince Carter which did not successfully make it in the basket. The Mavericks will have tonight off and will stay in Los Angeles as they will take on Blake Griffin and the Clippers for another west coast late night start for the Mavericks.

Injured Stars Lose 1-0 in St. Louis

 

An injured Stars team that looked descent for an injured team couldn't score in St. Louis. It is never good whenever your All-Star Forward Jamie Benn is injured, there are too many to even list in this article that is how bad it has gotten. There were two positive things that I took out of this loss against the St. Louis Blues game, the first thing is that the Stars never seemed to give up in this one, and played hard through all three periods. The other was a healthy Kari Lehtonen is a scary Lehtonen. Kari had 32 saves in this game and look incredible. There were also two negatives that I took out of this loss, the first being the offense needs to step it up. The Stars managed to only get 22 shots on the Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak who got a shut out on this game. The second thing I learned that wasn't positive was that the Stars' Power Play team is just awful! They are currently ranked 27th (maybe lower), and if you want to win you have to get power play goals. The beaten up Stars will play the Detroit Red Wings tonight at home at the American Airlines Center where Right Winger Tomas Vincour will return from the injured reserved list. This transaction will send Left Winger Francis Wathier back down to the Texas Stars.

Dallas Stars Standings as of January 14th 2012

Here is where the Stars stand after their loss to the Colorado Avalanche by a score of 2-1.

Pacific Divison Standings

1st San Jose Sharks (25-11-5) 55 points

2nd Los Angeles Kings (22-15-8) 52 points

3rd Dallas Stars (24-18-1) 49 points

4th Phoenix Coyotes (20-18-7) 47 points

5th Anaheim Ducks (14-22-7) 35 points

Dallas needs to start taking more games into overtime!

Western Conference Standings

1st Vancouver Canucks (28-14-3) 59 points

2nd St. Louis Blues (26-12-6) 58 points

3rd San Jose Sharks (25-11-5) 55 points

4th Chicago Blackhawks (26-13-6) 58 points

5th Detroit Red Wings (28-15-1) 57 points

6th Nashville Predators (25-15-4) 54 points

7th Los Angeles Kings (22-15-8) 52 points

8th Minnesota Wild (22-16-7) 51 points

10th Dallas Stars (24-18-1) 49 points

If the playoffs started today the Stars would not be in them due to the fact they lack losing close games. They need to learn to lose them in overtime to get at least 1 point.

Dallas Mavericks Standings As of January 14th

After a 99 to 60 victory over the Sacremento Kings here is where the Mavericks are in both the Southwest Division and Western Conference.

Southwest Divison Standings

1st San Antonio Spurs (8-4) 0.0 GB

2nd Dallas Mavericks (8-5) 0.5 GB

3rd Memphis Grizzlies (5-6) 2.5 GB

4th Houston Rockets (5-7) 3.0 GB

5th New Orleans Hornets (3-9) 5.0 GB

Very much improved for Mavericks after starting (0-3) this season.

Western Conference Standings

1st Oklahoma City Thunder (11-2) 0.0 GB

2nd San Antonio Spurs (8-4) 2.5 GB

3rd Los Angeles Clippers (6-3) 3.0 GB

4th Denver Nuggets (8-4) 2.5 GB

5th Los Angeles Lakers (9-5) 2.5 GB

6th Utah Jazz (7-4) 2.5 GB

7th Dallas Mavericks (8-5) 3.0 GB

8th Portland Trail Blazers (7-5) 3.5 GB

The standings don't mean too much right now, but hopefully the Mavs can step it up a little more this season to get a higher seed.

NFL Divisional Weekend Predictions

These are my predictions for this weekend's NFL Playoff games.

The first game of the weekend is the New Orleans Saints traveling down to Candle Stick Park to take on the 49ers. There has been skepticism on if the Saints can win on the road. The biggest example being how the Saints lost to the (7-9) Seattle Seahawks in the wildcard round of the playoffs. I, on the other hand believe Drew Brees and the Saints can beat the 49ers by 10 points.

The New England Patriots as the number 1 seed will host the Denver Tebows I mean Broncos in the second game on Saturday. I love watching Tebow play, but it might be the end of the road for the Broncos. Though the Patriots defense is pretty pathetic; Tom Brady will carry the Patriots to a victory and a spot into the AFC Championship. Patriots will win by 7 points.

The Texans playing the Ravens in Baltimore looks like an uphill battle. The Texans in their history as a team have never defeated the Ravens. That defense will probably rattle young rookie TJ Yates into throwing some interceptions in the direction of Ed Reed. He might also have Ray Lewis come through the offensive line "welcoming" him into the NFL. Ravens win by 14.

And the game of the weekend in my opinion is the Packers at home welcoming the New York Giants to Lambeau Field. To me it is a wildcard on who can win this game. With the weather looking like it will look awful it can really be anyones game. I still though like Aaron Rodgers as a quarterback then Eli Manning. There will be a ton of points in this one basically setting up a shoot out style type of game. I will pick the Packers defense being a little better than the Giants with possibly Clay Matthews getting a sack or two. The Packers will win this game by a field goal!

Then again anything can happen in the NFL!!! 

Mavericks Trample the Bucks 102-76

After a well deserved day of rest after defeating the Boston Celtics the Mavericks return back to the court in dominating fashion. Point leaders in the game were Jason Terry off the bench with 17 points, and Vince Carter with 16 points filling in for the injured Jason Kidd. Kidd I believed is reported to return back with the Mavericks possibly Tuesday, maybe sooner due to a lower back season. An easy victory over teams that the Mavericks are supposed to beat is a key to having another successful year. The Mavericks will play tomorrow night again for their 3rd game in four nights taking on the Sacremento Kings. The game will be at home and is scheduled to tip off around 8:00.

Stars Top the Kings in Shootout 5-4

Sorry this article is so late this game was actually played Thursday night. Let's just fast forward our DVRs to the shootout, which in my opinion is always fun to watch. Kari Lehtonen was in at goal for the Stars, and Jonathan Quick was the goal tender for the Kings. First shooter up for the Kings was Jarret Stoll. Lehtonen makes the pad save. Michael Ryder was next and eouldn't get it in. Round 2, Dustin Brown shoots and a glove save by Kari Lehtonen. Loui Erikson slides it in and scores! Round 3 Kari needs one more save against Trevor Lewis which this is Lewis's first shootout attempt. Lehtonen stops the puck and thats the game! The Stars will leave the Staples Center in Los Angeles with two points. The Stars will play a matinee game at home on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche. Should be a pretty close competitive game both teams have similar records going into that game.

Jamie Benn Makes the All Star Game

Forward Jamie Benn for the Dallas Stars has been selected to participate in the 2012 NHL All Star Game and other festivities in Ottawa, Canada. The Skills competition will be Saturday January 28th and the actual All Star game will be on Sunday January 29th. All the events will be taking place at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. This is the 22 year olds first ever All Star selection in his young career.

Thanks Dirk! Mavs beat Celtics 90-85

Dirk's lay up with 5 seconds left in the game shows that when the game is on the line you gotta give the ball to Dirk Nowitzki. This is an impressive road win for the Mavericks after playing a night before not already fully rested. The points leader for the Mavs in this game was Jason Terry who had 18 points on the night. Brenden Haywood almost had a double double performance with 11 rebounds, but only had 8 points on the night. The offense might have not looked as flashy as they were in Detroit, but they were obviously not at 100 percent physically being tired and Jason Kidd still out of the lineup. The win might not have been a pretty one, but they get to have a day off today knowing that they are now 1 win over .500 after starting the season off with 0 wins and 3 straight losses. The Mavericks come home Friday when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks. They will then play the Sacramento Kings the next night.

Stars West Coast Woes Lose to Ducks 5-2

Games like these make me excited about the realignment coming next season in NHL. The Stars seem to struggle a lot whenever going into the west coast, and it was evident in this game. I was still proud of the fact that it seems there is no quit in this Stars team. In the first 2 periods the shot attempts were there, but they just couldn't make it in the goal. The Stars came into the 3rd period down 2 goals to nothing and decided to try and come back into the game. Only 1:39 into the 3rd period did Steve Ott get the Stars their first goal of the evening. Alex Goligoski tied it up at 2:43 to make the score 2 to 2. After tying it up it seemed that the Stars somehow lost all the momentum they had got when they tied the game up. The Stars just went flat giving the Ducks' center Saku Koivu a hat trick. Though the Ducks are way back in the Pacific Divison Standings, I would not be surprised if they made a comeback. The Stars will play the Kings next in a late one on Saturday with the puck drop scheduled for 9:30 (central time) at the Staples Center.

Mavericks Dismantle the Pistons 100-86

Not very hard for the Mavericks to win this one against the Pistons. At one point the Mavericks were up by 26 points. Not a real difficult night for the Mavericks who were taking on the lowly Detroit Pistons. At no point in the game did I ever think the Pistons would come back. If there was going to be a game before tonight's matchup against the Boston Celtics, it is good that it was against the Detroit Pistons. Nothing negative to say for the Mavs who won this game pretty good who actually started the game as a team going 9 for 9 on field goals. The highlight of the night was Brandon Wright's left handed dunk in the 4th quarter with 6:46 left in the game. Tonight's game against the Celtics will be a good test to see if the Mavericks are getting back on track to a championship caliber team we hope they can be.

Do you believe in Mr. Tebow?

Just when you think Tebow can't pull it out, Tebow time shines again!!! In the debut of the new overtime rule which requires a touchdown to end the game; Tebow throws an 80 yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas for the Broncos to advance into the AFC Divisional Playoff Round. It'll be an uphill battle next week, but anything can happen in the playoffs. That means that the Patriots could possibly be upsetted by Tebow Time! Or the clock could strike midnight for the Broncos next week.

Mavs Sting Hornets 96-81

The Mavericks came into this game needing a win after getting embarassed against the Spurs last week, and a win is what they got. I always like seeing when Vince Carter has plays where he looks like his old self when he played for the Toronto Raptors. His dunk on Emeka Okafor showed flashes of the days where he was known as "half man half amazing." Though Carter isn't as good as he once was Carter is still pretty darn good. Carter filled in for the injured Jason Kidd and scored 13 points with 3 rebounds with 26 minutes of playing time. Dirk played better in this game then he did against the Spurs, but still only had 10 points shooting only 2 for 11 in his field goal attempts. His other points came off of going 6 for 6 on the free throw line. While it is an improvement from 6 points against the Spurs the other night, it is still not the Dirk we are accustomed to seeing. Another top performing coming off the bench was Ian Mahinmi who had 13 points with 7 rebounds who has been a pretty consistent bench player for the Mavericks lately. The Mavericks next game will be in on Tuesday in Detroit taking on the Pistons who have a record of 2 wins and 6 losses, but on any given day an NBA team can be upset and loss. Tip off is scheduled for 6:30 central time.

Stars Cap Off the Oilers 4-1

When Jamie Benn is hot it is very obivous. Benn had an incredible afternoon of hockey taking on the Edmonton Oilers where he finished the afternoon with 2 goals. I was hoping he would get the empty netter in the third period, but he missed the empty netter. It might be too early to speculate, but Jamie Benn's playing ability is starting to remind me of a young Mike Modano. Mike Ribeiro though had an incredible game himself picking up the other 2 goals which were both in the third period including an empty netter. The past few years the Stars have seemed to struggle in daytime games, but today the Stars were able to take it to there Western Conference rivals the Edmonton Oilers at home. There next game will Monday in Anaheim taking on the "Not So Mighty Ducks" who have a record of 11 wins, 22 loses, and 6 overtime loses with only 28 points.

Mavericks Transaction News Jan. 6, 2012

Forward/Center Sean Williams has been sent back down to the Texas Legends. Also today Mavericks sign 24 year old Chinese Forward Yi Jianlian to a one year contract. Jianlian is expected to stay with Sean Williams with the Texas Legends, and work his way up to the Mavericks.

Mavs Look Tired Against the Spurs 93-71

You know that the Mavs are totally out of sync whenever Dirk Nowitzki can only manage to get 6 points on the board. I actually believed the Mavericks going into San Antonio would be riding high on a 2 game win steak and it would be a close game. It was definitely hard to watch this game because of the lack of points. The game could possibly be the worse one played of the season. You can't blame the fatigue factor for the Mavericks losing to the Spurs due to the fact it wasn't a long travel, and Spurs played the previous night as well. Manu Ginobili being out of the lineup still didn't look like it helped out the Mavericks. Their next game will be against the new look New Orleans Hornets at home. As they set currently the Mavericks have 3 wins and 5 losses.

Sheldon Souray to Return on Tuesday in Anaheim

 

The eye injury is supposedly getting better for defensemen Sheldon Souray and he is expected to return with the Stars on Tuesday. ESPN Dallas.com reported he said ""It feels good. You've just got to get your conditioning up. That's really it," Souray said. "Couple days here in between tomorrow's game and hopefully be ready for Tuesday." He will definitely help out the Stars against the Ducks on Tuesday.