Mavericks, Rangers, Notre Dame: Teams on the Go?
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![]() Tim Cowlishaw came to the DMN in 1989. He became a columnist in 1998. He is a regular on ESPN's "Around the Horn." On the Air
March 2010
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Mavericks, Rangers, Notre Dame: Teams on the Go? ESPN's Bill Simmons vs. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann: Who ya got? Mavs up, Stars down and Cowboys in limbo? Fire on Greenville: Death of "Italchos"? NHL: Fixing a hole so the fans can get in! Monday morning menu: Ryan Miller, Roy Williams, Colt McCoy and more... Rangers: "We're No. 2'' in Baseball America bible! Hockey Night in Canada: And here in USA, too! ESPN's "The U,'' Race in West for No. 2 and Ian Poulter, too! Recent Comments
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March 10, 2010
With the New Jersey Nets in town, it's hard to see the Mavericks' streak ending tonight at American Airlines Center. Dallas has won 12 in a row. New Jersey has won 12 of its last 77. The real question in the Western Conference has been changed. It's no longer about which team is going to finish No. 2 behind the Lakers. It's about ending the regular season on top. The Lakers lead by three games, Denver by 4, Utah by 5. It's not exactly wide open, but it is a scramble right now. And if you're looking at teams' schedules right now, you have to like the Mavericks' chances of catching the Lakers at least a little along with Utah's chances of battling Dallas for the No. 2 spot while Denver seems most likely bound for No. 4. Here's why. ![]() ![]() The entry "Mavericks, Rangers, Notre Dame: Teams on the Go?" is tagged: Chuck Greenberg , Jason Terry , Vladimir Guerrero March 9, 2010
http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2010/03/bill-simmons-vs-keith-olbermann-the-war-of-words/ I didn't really have Bill Simmons or Keith Olbermann in mind when I wrote in Sunday's paper about the mix of sports and political opinion producing a dangerous cocktail. And I will start out by saying that I would initialy agree with Olbermann that Simmons' column on Tiger Woods facing a tougher battle coming back from his self-imposed exile than Muhammad Ali did when he refused to join the military was preposterous. On the other hand, I have read lots of Simmons columns the last few years and both of his books on the Red Sox and the NBA and find him a very entertaining writer who figured out how to create his own market when the rest of us weren't really even thinking along those lines...but are today. Here's my tale of the tape. Please supply yours in comments. ![]() ![]() The entry "ESPN's Bill Simmons vs. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann: Who ya got?" is tagged: Bill Simmons , Keith Olbermann , Muhammad Ali , Tiger Woods March 8, 2010Tell me which comes first -- the Mavericks losing a game, the Cowboys signing a free agent or the Stars being eliminated from the playoffs in the West? I would take the Mavericks losing although clearly that could be awhile and this 11-game winning streak signals a huge move for this team. If they win tonight in Minnesota, they come home play some of the worst of the East (New Jersey and New York) and then some of the "Teams That Should Be Better'' from the East, Chicago and Boston. Incredible that after losing in Oklahoma City to follow the All-Star break when Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson had one walk-through under their belts, this team has not lost a game even though it has at times been without Butler, Haywood, Jason Terry and (for the entire streak) Erick Dampier. Can the Mavericks even catch the Lakers? Los Angeles, three games up in the West and going through the motions at times, has the tie-breaker on Dallas. The real push is to stay in the No. 2 spot which would allow the Mavericks to host Denver or another team in the second round and avoid the Lakers until the Conference Finals. ![]() ![]() The entry "Mavs up, Stars down and Cowboys in limbo?" is tagged: Antrel Rolle , Caron Butler , Erick Dampier , Julius Peppers , Marty Turco , Shea Weber March 2, 2010Terilli's. Greenville Avenue Bar and Grill. Hurricane Grill. I'm guessing I have been inside these buildings 30-40 times in my life. 50 maybe? To watch the fire on TV this morning that devastated a block of Greenville Avenue was sad for me as it was for thousands of others. If you never ordered the italchos, an Italian version of nachos, at Terilli's, you missed out. If and when those places are rebuilt, it won't be the same. The original structure was built more than 80 years ago. You can bring back the menus, the bartenders, the good people who work there and the patrons, too. But Dallas isn't a city with lots of places to go where you can say, "Yeah, this has been here since the 1930s.'' And now, sadly, it has even fewer. ![]() ![]() The entry "Fire on Greenville: Death of "Italchos"?" is tagged: Greenville Bar and Grill , Hurricane Grill , Terilli's Lots of good comments and emails coming in on my idea of contracting the NHL to 24 teams. A few thoughts on that and other possible fixes for a league that would love to capitalize on Olympic fever. I understand those who don't want to lose their Predators, their Ducks, their Blue Jackets. There are good fans in every NHL town. There just aren't enough of them in some places. And, realistically and legally, I know the NHL can't just cut six teams for next season. But the league should start looking at where teams are failing and losing money. Instead of wasting millions to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix (they aren't in Phoenix, anyway, they're in Glendale which, to Scottsdale, is like asking fans in Plano and Allen to drive to Arlington to see a hockey game), they should accept the inevitable. If teams fail, embrace it. Contraction's a good thing, not a bad one. But I just have a 10-game season-ticket package. If you don't believe me, ask a Stars full season-ticket holder if this league doesn't have too many teams and too many games. TV -- People talk about needing to get back on ESPN. During my many trips to Bristol, CT, back when I was doing "Nascar Now'' (did that show go off the air?), I talked to lots of people at ESPN. I never heard a single one -- some of these were higher-ups, some assistant producers, etc., -- that wanted the NHL back at ESPN. Now maybe that 17.6 rating on NBC Sunday causes a few eyebrows to raise. But I doubt it. The NHL can do better than it has done on TV, but it's never going to be a huge ratings producer. Or even a decent ratings producer. Do you realize the breaks between periods in the NHL are about 2-3 minutes longer than NFL halftimes? That is death on TV. There are all the other issues -- camera angles, games not on HD -- not to mention local cable battles in so many markets. Things have gotten better on TV. But one outdoor game a season drawing 4 million viewers doesn't exactly save a league. So don't hold your breath waiting for the NHL to get back to ESPN. 72-game schedule -- I mentioned the shorter schedule in the column. In a 24-team league, teams could play their division rivals 6 times (not 8, please!), two others divisions twice and one other division on a rotating basis 3 times. That means every once in awhile, you get Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin or the Montreal Canadiens coming to Dallas (or your other team of preference) twice instead of the current .7 times a year or whatever it is. So ridiculous not to play every team twice. Imagine the NBA pushing season tickets on its fans and telling them, "Sorry, the Celtics and LeBron aren't on the home schedule this year.'' Ultimately, I don't think there is a ton for the NHL to gain from the Olympic interest. We are talking about two vastly different things here. The American skiiers did really really well in the Olympics. Where are all the stories about whether or not more people in the U.S. are going to watch slalom races this year or next winter? But if there are small gains to be made, NHL executives should be working overtime to find them. Even if it was brief, this country fell in love with the U.S. Olympic hockey team. Do the Stars have any plans to at least introduce Kings defenseman Jack Johnson, a talented young player and outspoken about his hatred for Canadians during the Olympics, before tonight's game? Or is it just back to Kings-Stars, one of eight games between Pacific Division rivals (if the Stars can be in the "Pacific'' then I can name a division after Modano!) and business as usual?
![]() ![]() The entry "NHL: Fixing a hole so the fans can get in! " is tagged: Jack Johnson , Mike Modano March 1, 2010
When the NHL first agreed to send its players to the Olympic Games in Nagano in 1998, this was what the league had in mind. A great, great tournament with people talking about hockey for a week or more. Not sure why it took four tries to the Olympics to get it right. Mostly it's just the nature of hockey were upsets happen, where Canada and the U.S. didn't even come close to getting medals last time around in Italy. Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller should get a standing ovation in Pittsburgh tomorrow night...even if he's sitting on the bench resting as NHL play resumes. What a great performance he gave Team USA throughout the tournament. A young team never would have come close to a silver medal without great goaltending, and Miller provided it game after game. I know USA fans are disappointed. But in some respects, Canada's overtime Gold Medal win was almost an ideal ending. Canadian players were under tremendous pressure to win gold. Had they lost, it would have haunted them for years. ![]() ![]() The entry "Monday morning menu: Ryan Miller, Roy Williams, Colt McCoy and more..." is tagged: Colt McCoy , Gerald McCoy , Roy Williams , Ryan Miller February 25, 2010
One of the great days of each winter is the arrival on the doorstep of the new Baseball America Prospect Handbook. I love it for work reasons, love it for fantasy baseball reasons...it's just good stuff. Those of you that are really dialed into the Rangers on a serious basis, reading your Jamey Newberg Reports and all, already know some of the stuff I'm writing here. Consider it a refresher course. Most of you aren't quite that overloaded on Rangers prospect information. You're excited about Vlad Guerrero hitting cleanup, but not quite sure how long you have to hold your breath for the Arlington arrival of No. 5 Jurickson Profar (Answer: A LONG time, but worth the wait). The good news for all Rangers fans is that the folks at Baseball America who do a very thorough and reasonably accurate examination of farm systems, have the Rangers ranked No. 2 this year behind only Tampa Bay. ![]() ![]() The entry "Rangers: "We're No. 2'' in Baseball America bible!" is tagged: Elvis Andrus , Jon Daniels , Justin Smoak , Mark Teixeira , Neftali Feliz , Tommy Mendonca February 24, 2010
Great day for hockey fans starts at 2 p.m. Dallas time when Team USA makes it on to the big network. Yes, NBC is willing to show a little hockey during the daylight hours, so USA-Switzerland is on the big dial this afternoon. Don't sleep on the Swiss. Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller has helped turn Anaheim around since a slow start in the NHL season and he has been very good in this tournament. The longer it takes USA to build a 2-goal lead and get comfortable, the scarier this game will be. But the bigger game, really, comes at 6:30 Central when Russia faces Canada. Going into the Olympics, these two teams -- along with defending champion Sweden perhaps -- were the odds-on favorites to win. Now one of them isn't even making it to the semis. It's great skill against great skill, Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby. Should be intense. And that won't be the end of good hockey action with Sweden-Slovakia and Finland-Czech Republic to follow late into the night. If USA wins, the winner of the Finland-Czech game is up next. Czech Republic nearly lost to Latvia last night but with goalie Thomas Vokoun, I think the Czechs are the scarier team for USA to have to beat to get to the Gold Medal game. ![]() ![]() The entry "Hockey Night in Canada: And here in USA, too!" is tagged: Alex Ovechkin , Jonas Hiller , Sidney Crosby February 23, 2010The Chargers have cut ties with running back LaDainian Tomlinson. It's not that this comes as a surprise, but it's just a reminder of the short time in the spotlight running backs are able to maintain any more. Tomlinson was the best back in the league the last decade. He was probably the No. 1 pick in your league's fantasy draft as recently as 2007, maybe even 2008. And now he's probably done. LT talks about going to another team and trying to win a championship. He may get a job somewhere but it won't be a major role. Tomlinson averaged 3.3 yards on 223 carries last year. The numbers are declining all too rapidly. And while there are lots of backup or part-time back positions to be filled, most teams don't even have a back that plays a major role any more. ![]() ![]() The entry "LT, we hardly knew ya!" is tagged: Chris Johnson , LaDainian Tomlinson , Rex Ryan , Ricky Williams , Thomas Jones
A little later than some, I finally managed to see ESPN's documentary "The U'' on the University of Miami, part of the network's 30-on-30 series. Even if I might have found a way to trim it down from two hours to 90 minutes (there must be 50 different references to Miami players or people around that scene telling us they were viewed as "thugs,'' -- yeah, we get it), it is mostly great stuff. Seeing both the '80s version of Jimmy Johnson and the modern, white-haired-but-slimmed-down Florida Keys Jimmy is a treat. He's good because he gets to talk about his three favorite subjects: Beating the crap out of other teams, south Florida and, of course, Jimmy. Seeing the highlights of the Penn State loss that cost the Hurricanes' back-to-back titles (they might have won three in a row if not for a fumble call on Cleveland Gary in South Bend in '88) reminded me of what Johnson told me once about Vinny Testaverde. Having just won the Heisman, Testaverde embarked on the usual winter banquet circuit before the Fiesta Bowl. Johnson said that when Testaverde practiced in Arizona before the Fiesta Bowl, he was awful. He said he really wanted to start Steve Walsh but couldn't figure out how to bench a Heisman winner. ![]() ![]() The entry "ESPN's "The U,'' Race in West for No. 2 and Ian Poulter, too!" is tagged: Caron Butler , Deron Williams , Ian Poulter , Jimmy Johnson , Kobe Bryant , Vinny Testaverde February 22, 2010
I remember being in Vail in the fall of 1996, watching Team USA beat Canada in the World Cup, watching with Stars scouts and coaches, many of whom were not cheering for the good ol' USA but their native land to the north. That was great hockey. Sunday night was even better. I don't know how to describe the depth of the skill of the Canadian team other than to say they have players like Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and the Stars' Brenden Morrow playing on their third and fourth lines. They seemed to come at USA goalie Ryan Miller in waves all night. Even though Sidney Crosby's redirection on the power play with 3:06 to play merely cut USA's lead to 4-3, I still thought we were looking at overtime. There was one incredible play to come when Canada won a faceoff in the offensive zone with 2:34 to go and the Americans were unable to clear the puck until 1:12 remained. In between, everyone on the ice for Canada had scoring chances. ![]() ![]() The entry "USA beats Canada: Tribute to Kesler, Langenbrunner, Rafalski and more... " is tagged: Brian Rafalski , Jamie Langenbrunner , Loui Eriksson , Martin Brodeur , Rick Nash , Ryan Kesler February 18, 2010It should be a very instructive back-to-back for the Mavericks and their new players this weekend when they travel to Orlando Friday and then host the Miami Heat Saturday night. New center Brendan Haywood, getting plenty of minutes after Erick Dampier suffered a broken finger in Oklahoma City Tuesday, tangles with the Magic's Dwight Howard Friday. If Haywood gets into immediate foul trouble, who guards Superman? Dirk? Caron Butler, who was very solid defensively against Kevin Durant, causing the Thunder star another rough shooting night, gets a suddenly hot Vince Carter Friday and maybe All-Star Game MVP Dwyane Wade Saturday. I say maybe because Wade limped off the court Wednesday night in the first quarter with a straned calf and was wearing a walking boot after the game. So we'll see on that one. But these back-to-backs are a considerable strain on Coach Rick Carlisle's ability to fit new players into the Mavericks' schemes. And as we can see from the way the Thunder, Jazz, TrailBlazers and others have come out of the gate from the break, the rest of the West isn't waiting around for the Mavs to get ready. ![]() ![]() The entry "Thinking Out Loud Thursday: Answers coming from new Mavericks, Antawn Jamison, Tiger Woods, Rick Barnes? " is tagged: Antawn Jamison , Caron Butler , Dwyane Wade , Lindsay Vonn , Rick Barnes , Shani Jones , Tiger Woods February 17, 2010Now that men's hockey is underway, I will make time to watch some Olympics. Even if that means watching USA in the afternoon instead of NBC, which favors figure skating and taped skiing, at night. It's also going to be nice to watch Olympic hockey played on NHL-sized rinks. Normally they play on the bigger sheet of ice which some wrongly assume has much to do about the superior Olympic product. Neither the bigger ice (which we won't see) nor the less physical play (which we will see) has a lot to do with why these games are good. It's much simpler than that. Take the best players from 30 NHL teams and stick them on six or seven rosters. You can call them Russia, Canada, Sweden, Czech Republic, USA and Finland or you can call them any other names you like. It's going to be a great product when the quality of the league is squeezed down to a handful of teams. ![]() ![]() The entry "Olympic hockey: The Russians are coming..." is tagged: Alex Ovechkin , Dany Heatley , Joe Thornton , Ryan Miller , Sidney Crosby February 16, 2010When you switch from being a beat writer to a columnist as I did 12 years ago, one of the things you miss (on a list you could write on Sarah Palin's hand) is road trips. Mind you, you don't miss ALL of the road trips. But when I first heard my days as the Stars beat writer were over after three years, I thought, "No more Calgary-Edmonton trips? No more Kokanee Gold pints after a late game?'' Or something like that. So, anyway, I'm glad that the post-All-Star break run for the Mavericks (one that just became much more interesting in the eyes of fans) starts tonight in Oklahoma City against a hot team and a red-hot scorer in Kevin Durant, No. 2 behind LeBron James in points per game (29.7). Looking forward to seeing how Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood look running the floor with Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and all. It's not so much about their totals tonight. It's the first game after no real extended practices with the team. But there's not a lot of time and the Oklahoma City Thunder is one of the teams trying not to just make the playoffs but climb up into the top four for a first-game homecourt in the playoffs. The Mavs, staggering into the break at 2-5, need a boost from the former Wizards. And quickly. ![]() ![]() The entry "Road trip: Caron Butler meets the Durantula" is tagged: Brendan Haywood , Caron Butler , Kevin Durant February 15, 2010
Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw answered questions about the Mavericks, Cowboys and the All-Star Game. Click into the coveritlive module below to view the replay: ![]() ![]() The entry "Chat replay: Tim Cowlishaw answered questions about the Mavericks, Cowboys and All-Star Game" has no entry tags. February 12, 2010
The NBA All-Star Game's dunk contest grew into a tiresome event long ago. That's why the league is hoping that Dallas' Spud Webb will be able to revive it this weekend. Hard to believe it has been 24 years since 5-foot-7 Spud made those amazing dunks at Reunion Arena. Has to register as one of the three or four best moments in NBA dunk history. And I'm happy for Spud, a friend and genuinely good guy that you will see about town although most people don't get many words out of him. He has come to terms with being known as "the dunk guy'' although because he played on something less than the NBA's great stages as a Hawk and a a King, his career is highly underestimated. He wasn't just a short guy that teams would bring off the bench to entertain the crowd. ![]() ![]() The entry "All-Stars: Here's to Spud Webb, Alonzo Mourning, Dirk and more" is tagged: Alonzo Mourning , Dirk Nowitzki , Kobe Bryant , Spud Webb February 10, 2010
On certain days, like this one for example, it seems silly to even write about what the Mavericks should do to contend. They started a lineup last night in which their youngest player in terms of experience in the league was Eddie Najera (10th season) and lost by 36 points. That's a team with a past, not a future. And that may be what Rick Carlisel is stuck coaching these days. Still, their record, despite the recent run of awful play, has them scrapping for a top four spot in the West. And the mere fact that they ARE so darned old means that if the right trade deal comes along, they have to consider it. When owner Mark Cuban says he's not trading newcomer Roddy Beaubois, I figure that's just owner-talk. When one of our columnists whose name rhymes with Othella Harrington writes it (well, his first name doesn't rhyme with that but wouldn't it be interesting if it did?), I figure that's just slow-day columnist talk. I've been there. ![]() ![]() The entry "Dallas Mavericks can trade Roddy Beaubois and others, too" is tagged: Andre Iguodala , Dirk Nowitzki , Jason Kidd , Kevin Martin , Mark Cuban February 9, 2010
I have been a fan of The Who since junior high. I have been a fan of Bruce Springsteen since college. And I don't want to see either one of them or anyone like them at Super Bowls any more. The best concert I saw in my teenage years was The Who at Memorial Auditorium in Dallas. Summer of '71, I believe. They played 5 or 6 songs to get going, sounded great and then all of a sudden Keith Moon was playing the opening notes from Tommy's Overture. For the next hour without a break, skipping only 2-3 songs, the band played the double-album of Tommy start to finish. By the time they got through "We're not gonna take it'' and finished, to paraphrase the band "the crowd went crazy (as Tommy hit the stage).'' Saw the Who 2-3 more times. "Who's Next'' is a classic album. And at times I have considered "Quadrophenia'' better than "Tommy'' though not as ground-breaking. ![]() ![]() The entry "The Who, Springsteen and my final word on NFL halftime shows" is tagged: Bruce Springsteen , Led Zeppelin , Super Bowl , The Who For those of you not quite old enough to remember, the AFL and NFL merged after the 1969 season to end the competition between the two and create the massive enterprise that has become today's NFL. Bettors still loved the NFL a year later, and the Minnesota Vikings were 13-point favorites, but the Kansas City Chiefs, seen as a team of the future, humbled a team from the past, 23-7. So the Super Bowl was all even at 2-2. When the leagues merged and formed two conferences, the Colts, Steelers and Browns switched to the AFC. But whatever happened to the 10 original AFL teams? Although they started off strong following the merger, the original group has won just 10 of the 40 Super Bowls played since the Chiefs beat the Vikings. ![]() ![]() The entry "Super Bowl: Whatever happened to the AFL? " is tagged: Bill Belichick , Super Bowls , Tom Brady February 8, 2010
The Saints were built on an explosive offense and a high-risk defense that thrived on turnovers. Having to face three future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the post-season was no easy task. But New Orleans survived and thrived. The Saints beat Arizona's Kurt Warner, Minnesota's Brett Favre and the Colts' Peyton Manning to capture their first Super Bowl. All three are first-ballot Hall of Famers. The Saints limited the production of Warner and Manning and beat up Favre enough before intercepting him to win the NFC title game. The last Super Bowl winner forced to run the table against all Hall of Fame-bound QBs was the '93 Cowboys. They made it back-to-back Lombardi Trophies with wins over Favre (how long has this guy been around?), the 49ers' Steve Young and Bills' Jim Kelly. Young and Kelly already are Hall of Fame members. Prior to that, the last team to make a similar (but not quite Hall of Fame run) was the '75 Steelers who knocked off Baltimore's Bert Jones, Oakland's Ken Stabler and a true Hall of Famer in the Cowboys' Roger Staubach for their second Super Bowl trophy. ![]() ![]() The entry "Saints' Hall of Fame QB run echoes Dallas Cowboys " is tagged: Bert Jones , Brett Favre , Jim Kelly , Kurt Warner , Peyton Manning , Roger Staubach , Steve Young |
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