Weekend TV Preview

- An update on the Hammer before you ignore your wife/girlfriend.

From the Lost and Found Dept.: The Ticket's Greg "The Hammer" Williams
Wed Nov 14, 2007 at 11:03:41 AM

I’ll have much more on this saga in next week’s paper version of Unfair Park, but after finally talking with KTCK-AM (1310, The Ticket) afternoon co-host Greg Williams last night, I can answer the most pertinent questions:

He’s alive. If not totally well.

His on-going absence is indeed drug-related.

He’s on the road to recovery.

And, yes, he hopes to return to "The Hardline" before the end of the month.

“I’m OK,” Williams said from his Dallas condo. “I’m doing what I need to be doing. Getting the help I need.”

Williams wasn’t real talkative. Not at all forthcoming with specifics. He was, in fact, a hollow whisper of the boisterous, bad-ass “Hammer” persona that made him one of the area’s most popular radio personalities the last 10 years.

Which is not at all surprising, because nothing about the past month has been normal.

Williams disappeared in mid-show the afternoon of October 12. Whether he left voluntarily or was ordered out remains a mystery, but he hasn’t been heard from publicly until now. In Williams’ absence, station management has offered only short, shallow responses along the lines of, “He’s taking personal time off.” And on-air hosts have sprinkled "The Hardline" with only hints: A recent return from a commercial break included Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” punctuated with the infamous Greggo drop, “No! … No! … NO!”

There has been much speculation here (and here and here) that Williams suffered a relapse to the drug addiction that forced him into a Dallas detox center for six days in 2004. Williams will not address that speculation on the record, nor will he discuss on the record whether his problems this time around are due to the prescribed painkiller Lorcet or something harder. But there's no hiding this one fact: This sabbatical has forced him to miss 23 shows. And counting.

Williams has had limited contact with his colleagues at the station since his disappearance, but it sounds as though he wants to return to The Ticket. But after all this, will The Ticket still want its Hammer? --Richie Whitt



Last Week - 5-13
YTD - 101-93-8

Thursday

San Antonio at Dallas (-4) - TNT - 7:00 pm
San Antonio is picking up right where they left off and bucking their trend of slow starts to the regular season. Ginobli is playing about as good of an all around game as anyone in the league. They'd be my pick to win it this year, as my optimism with Dallas has subsided a bit. I still think Dallas is built to beat SA, and poses the biggest threat out of anyone else in the West to beat them in the playoffs, I'm confident in that. I just don't think they're built to beat anyone else. I'm beginning to think more and more this team's one and only shot at winning was in 2006. I hope I'm wrong, but it's the vibe I'm getting. For tonight's purposes, SA is just playing too well, and Dallas looks like they're playing with 2 left feet half the time.
Pick - San Antonio +4

Oregon (-12) at Arizona - ESPN - 8:00 pm
Oregon is coming off of a bye week and Arizona is not very good. If they had any sort of homefield advantage, I'd give them a shot to pull an upset. They can score points, I'm confident in that, but Oregon is just playing a totally different ball game right now. They're shoving down team's throats running the ball and that will prove the difference. Give me a high scoring, 10 point win for Oregon.
Pick - Arizona +12


Friday

Hawaii (-8) at Nevada - ESPN2 - 10:00 pm
Colt Brennan has been cleared to play after suffering a concussion. Nevada is a semi-decent team that can run the ball. The temps will be down in the 30s Friday night, so that is a huge plus for Nevada. A recovering Brennan, weather issues, and a long road trip all equal Hawaii's first loss of the year.
Pick - Nevada +8


Saturday

Ohio State (-4.5) at Michigan - ABC - 11:00 am
So sick of the love fest over this rivalry. This is ABC's wet dream every college football season. They hype this thing up like the Super Bowl. It's a great rivalry, agreed, but come on, these 2 teams are always overrated and play in the inferior Big 10. Both teams are coming off losses, probably for the first time in a long time. I've been thinking Ohio State's been overhyped all year, so I'm definitely taking a home underdog in a rivalry game.
Pick - Michigan +4.5

Missouri (-7) at Kansas State - FSNSW - 11:30 am
I've latched on to the Missouri betting bandwagon. They are currently 7-2 against the spread and after seeing what a horribly coached, unmotivated Nebraska team did to KSU last week, I think Missouri rolls them as well this week. Missouri is on a mission to get to the Big 12 Championship and possibly more, and they won't let an average KSU team slow them down.
Pick - Missouri -7

Duke at Notre Dame (-6) - NBC - 1:30 pm
What a pitiful team, and an overrated coach. Charlie Weis suffers from Callahan-itis.

Definition - An NFL coach who goes to the college game thinking he can coach the same, run the team the same, practice the same, and conduct himself the same as in the NFL. And who also thinks because he's in college, that he's moved down a level, and he is 1 step ahead of everyone because he's from a professional league. It doesn't work that way. Inter-personal relationships are key. Teaching fundamentals is key. Simplifying playbooks is key. Adjusting gameplans to your personnel is key. Not treating the college experience like a paying job is key. Thinking your "scheme" is supreme and thinking you can just plug in robots is not key. The NFL arrogance all of these guys have is just amazing. They don't get it and will be back in the No Fun League soon.

Back to the game, Duke only a 6 point dog at Notre Dame? You kidding me??? ND still covers unfortunately.
Pick - ND -6

Iowa State at Kansas (-26.5) - ABC - 2:30 pm
You know how some coaches hide plays, keep things simple against inferior teams in order to save them for their big games in the following weeks? Well Jaba the Hut doesn't follow that rule. He goes for the throat of every opponent he faces. He absolutely kills ISU this week.
Pick - Kansas -26.5

LSU (-19) at Ole Miss - CBS - 2:30 pm
LSU has a cake walk until the SEC title game, and Ole Miss could be the worst team in the SEC. They will have no problem handling this team. Blowout big time.
Pick - LSU -19

Penn State (-2.5) at Michigan State - ESPN - 2:30 pm
No real reason to watch this game, but MSU covers at home I bet.
Pick - MSU +2.5

Oklahoma State (-14) at Baylor - FSNSW - 6:00 pm
Oklahoma State has crapped the bed twice at home the past 2 weeks. With a chance to play Oklahoma for the Big 12 South title on deck, they blew a 3 TD lead at home to Texas and played like crap in front of a national audience against Kansas. Now they're back to a mediocre record. But they will run Baylor right out of their own stadium.
Pick - OSU -14

West Virginia (-6.5) at Cincinnati - ESPN - 6:45 pm
West Virginia has a very outside shot of making it to the BCS championship. A lot needs to happen, but they still have a shot. Cincinnati doesn't have a bad team at all, and after watching that pitiful performance by WVU last week vs. Louisville, I'm definitely taking the home team. That WVU team is on my crap list, what a bunch of thugs. Cincy has the defense to shut that shotgun spread option BS down. Cincy is 7-2 vs. the spread this year, and WVU is only 5-4.
Pick - Cincy +6

Boston College at Clemson (-7.5) - ESPN2 - 6:45
BC continues their free fall from #2 with a road game at Clemson. Clemson has actually put together a decent season, with an 8-2 record. Death Valley is a tough place to play, and BC will continue the fall.
Pick - Clemson -7.5

Oklahoma (-8) at Texas Tech - ABC - 7:00 pm
I can't figure TT out at all. Looks good one week, and then loses to Colorado at home. The defense always sucks, they always beat up on bad teams, and never beat good ones. But for some reason I have a hard time seeing them lose by more than 8 at home, and at night. I think Oklahoma's defense can be exposed through the air, and this could qualify as the one game a year where Tech is close in a game it shouldn't be. And those games usually happen at home.
Pick - TT +8

Louisville at South Florida (-7) - ESPNU - 7:00 pm
2 disappointing teams. Lousiville has yet to match preseason expectations, and South Florida is proving to be a major fluke after spending the 1st half of the season undefeated and highly ranked. Louisville doesn't have a bad team, and I think is just as talented as SF. Brohm can keep it close.
Pick - Louisville +7

NO CROWN GAME



Sunday

NY Giants (-3) at Detroit - FOX - 12:00 pm
NY isn't that bad. A few breaks go their way last week, and they beat Dallas. Holding calls, a few other penalties don't get called, and it's a whole different game. Detroit is playing way over their heads and is way too inconsistent.
Pick - NYG -3

KC at Indy (14.5) - CBS - 12:00 pm
Indy and Peyton Manning played about as bad as they could have played last week at SD and lost by 2 points. Like I said earlier, they're a damn good team, and I think only a notch below New England, when healthy. But they're severely banged up and are relying on spares I've never heard of to catch passes. And now Freeney is out for a while. KC covers.
Pick - KC +14.5

Washington at Dallas (-10.5) - FOX - 3:15 pm
Dallas has some sort of bad ass mojo working right now. Romo is playing like an all-pro, TO Owens is proving to be a top 3 game-changer in the league, and the defense is getting healthy. Dallas can stop the only thing Washington can do, run the ball. Campbell sucks, the defense is average, Dallas is at home, is playing lights out, and Portis should be neutralized.
Pick - Dallas -10.5

New England (-15.5) at Buffalo - NBC - 7:15 pm
A 15.5 point favorite on the road is just absurd. But the way they're playing this year, it doesn't surprise me at all. Buffalo got up on Dallas and almost won on Sunday night because of 5 INT's from Romo, a defensive TD, and a kick return for a TD, and they still lost. Brady is not Romo, NE special teams are way superior, and they're playing too well to have this happen to them.
Pick - NE -15.5

1st Head Rolls

- While you can't deny his poor drafting/player development, the absurd contract given to Marty Turco, and his questionable deadline trades, you also have to wonder why only Doug Armstrong was given the axe yesterday.

- Why not fire the coach who hasn't advanced past the 2nd round in 4 years? Why not be critical of yourself (ownership) for handcuffing these guys with financial restrictions that make it almost impossible to upgrade the talent base?

- How successful would your company be if your boss told you you could only order lower-level ingredients for your restaurant. Only use cost-effective, cheap linens in your hotel. Only hire low salary, under-qualified, affordable workers. Of course you're going to suck as a manager. No one will want to eat at your diner, stay at your hotel, and your inferior work force will force the company into financial distress.

- So how in the hell was Doug Armstrong expected to succeed in these conditions? Like I said, there's a lot to blame him for, but I'd argue that the majority of his failures come from Tom Hicks himself. But of course, you can't fire the freaking owner.

- Can't wait for the press conference today. Get the tally board ready to record how many times the financial situation of the franchise is brought up.

- Tom Hicks has put a financial chokehold on his GM's for the Rangers and Stars that has made it virtually impossible to compete with the upper level teams for free agents. All desire to invest in top-level players has gone out the window. Instead, what we as fans get is 1 year stop gap signings that are low risk, low investment.

- There is absolutely no commitment to staying in the upper level of payrolls, which in turn gives you a 10 times better shot at being an elite team.

- The fact that we live in a booming, highly populated city with a huge potential for fan support makes this even more maddening. If this idiot would spend money on upgrading the scouting departments of both teams, and mix in some top-level free agents every once in a while, the potential for big-time revenue is there. Because the fan base is there, they're just so polarized by what this sports-idiot is doing, they're staying home.

- The Rangers and Stars are in a bad way right now. Tom Hicks has no sense of urgency in running these franchises. Blind idiots still go out to the ballpark and put up respectable numbers at the gate. So he has no pressure to upgrade talent.

- And as far as the Stars go, the NHL's new deal has guaranteed that no team will go under, every team makes money in the new NHL, so once again, there's no pressure for Hicks to win.

- The guy needs to give it up. He needs to realize he has ruined the Stars, and has done nothing to improve the Rangers since their late 90's success.

- And yet no one holds him accountable for anything, because of the hockey disinterest in this town, and because of the blind Ranger fan who keeps showing up in Arlington.

- F Tom Hicks.

- Fort Worth paper.....

When Stars needed a bold move, Hicks played it safe

By GIL LeBRETON
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Lousy drafting. An aging roster. Ineffective free-agent signings. First-round playoff failures.

And, amidst the growing number of empty seats at American Airlines Center, the general feeling that the NHL parade was passing the Stars by.

So, owner Tom Hicks went with the whisk broom and the handshake Tuesday, rather than the thunder and the bulldozer.

He fired general manager Doug Armstrong and said, "I think our players will respond to a change."

That's it?

Same coach? Same goaltender? Same guy who hired Armstrong?

Add to that the announcement that Brett Hull was being transferred from the golf course to the interim co-general manager's office, and it was an odd day at Stars Inc.

Would somebody please explain it to me?

I'm wondering what, exactly, does an "interim co-general manager" do? Make trades? Harvest the locker room gossip? Draft the next Sidney Crosby?

Why, after three straight quick playoff exits and after this season's disappointing start, fire the general manager and not head coach Dave Tippett?

"Because that's not the way I work," owner Hicks answered. "I'm a chain of command guy."

Hicks might have wanted to fire Tippett, in other words, but he couldn't get anyone in the room to second the motion.

I'm only kidding. I think.

"I talked to Les [Jackson, the other new interim co-GM] and Brett a long time about their feelings," Hicks said. "They both believe Tip can be a great NHL coach."

Maybe so. But not in Texas.

The situation here cries out for a transfusion, not a rearranging of the office chairs. Tippett, however, is well-liked. And team president Jim Lites, who hired Armstrong, has broader duties within the global Hicks Sports Marketing Group.

It's hard to fire Lites, I suppose, when he's busy having tea with the Liverpool soccer people. Lites was such a close friend of Armstrong, in fact, Hicks didn't even forewarn him of Tuesday's decision.

Hicks said that despite all public conclusions, the humiliating overtime loss Saturday night in Los Angeles wasn't what prompted him to release Armstrong. The change had been brewing, Hicks said.

"We're just not playing the way that the Dallas Stars used to play," the owner said. "We're playing not to lose rather than to win. It's just an attitude that has crept into the organization."

Few people who've been watching the Stars would argue that. The old days, however, when the Stars had Stanley Cup Finals-level talent to overcome their nightly performance ebbs and flows are gone. Even, it seems, a 4-0 lead isn't safe.

Hicks misses the boot-on-the-throat demeanor that the franchise's Stanley Cup Finals teams used to have. He thinks too many current Stars have been looking over their shoulders on the ice, trying to make certain that they weren't making a mistake.

I thought the head coach, however, not the GM, sets the tenor on the bench and in the dressing room.

Armstrong was the one who prematurely gave goalie Marty Turco a four-year, $22.8-million contract extension in 2005, and Turco hasn't won a playoff series since. How did Armstrong's off-season moves -- or the lack thereof -- cause the team's third-period attitudes to change?

The irony to Tuesday's announcements is that Hull left the Stars over money in 2001, and Armstrong's eventual downfall was hastened by the failing moves he made in trying to fill Hull's skates. More than anything, the franchise needs a big, scoring forward -- just as it did on the 2001 day when Hull left.

As a special assistant to Lites, Hull once described his job as "Ambassador of Fun." He is well-liked by Stars fans, the same fans who are probably aghast today that Ambassador Hull is now half-in-charge of making trades.

Les Jackson has been with the franchise for 20 of the last 22 years, and it's hard to argue that he doesn't deserve at least a temporary tryout in the GM's chair. Hull would be wise to shut up and listen to what Jackson has to say.

The new co-GMs like Tippett. The players like Tippett. The head coach, the excuse says, can only coach what the general manager gives him.

That's been true, though, every season that Tippett has been here. And he still hasn't figured out how to get out of the first round of the playoffs.

Fans are frustrated. Empty seats are cropping up. The casual fan doesn't identify with this team. No Hull, no Joe Nieuwendyk, no Jamie Langenbrunner. Where did all the Finns and Swedes come from?

Thus, Doug Armstrong, loyal employee for 17 years, departed with a handshake Tuesday afternoon.

The job, frankly, called for a bulldozer.



- Cowlishaw

GM Armstrong is first to fall for Dallas Stars

Series of wrong moves meant this was the right one, with more to come

02:05 AM CST on Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Here's what needs to be said on behalf of deposed Dallas Stars general manager Doug Armstrong:

He inherited a team that missed the playoffs in 2002 and built teams that went to the postseason four years in a row.

His regular-season record is far better than any of the previous GMs in Minnesota or Dallas over the first four years-plus.

His respect level in the National Hockey League assures that his first kick at the GM can will not be his last.

And, finally, he's not the one who let the Kings score on six of their last seven shots Saturday at Staples Center in one of the most shocking losses in Stars history.

Beyond that, it's probably time for him to go. The coaching staff will soon follow, I expect.

The Stars are a poorly constructed hockey team. And even at that, they don't play up to their skill level. A 7-7-3 record is embarrassing, given the nature of the sport's overtime rules. In the NHL, if you're .500, you are below average.

The Stars are a dull team that has continued to lose its audience in recent years. You can see sellout attendance totals in the box scores (some nights), but go to a game and look around at the empty seats, especially in the suites.

The Mavericks are the hot indoor ticket. Stars fans, despite all those cute billboards, have been left out in the cold by the team's management.

Armstrong's first move as GM delivered a Stanley Cup.

To New Jersey.

It was hard to figure out trading Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner for Jason Arnott and Randy McKay back then. It remains so now.

He basically closed his tenure with a desperate and failed plan for postseason success. That brought Mattias Norstrom to town for more than $4 million this season. It brought Ladislav Nagy to town for a few weeks and, if you blinked, you missed his contribution.

For that, Armstrong squandered this year's No. 1 pick and next year's.

Ouch.

To some degree, Armstrong is a victim of the team's past success. And excess.

The Stars were one of the league's big spenders before that practice was legislated out of the game by the new salary cap.

Once he locked up veterans Sergei Zubov and Mike Modano and gave goalie Marty Turco the money he deserved, the Stars were up against it. It was hard to afford to bring in outside talent, and the team's consistent regular-season success always had the Stars drafting near the bottom of the first round.

Modano was a No. 1 overall pick in 1988. The Stars don't have a player on their roster that they have drafted in the top 20 since.

I think Armstrong's respect for Bob Gainey may have hurt him, too. He became more stoic when he moved from assistant GM into the big chair.

He failed to properly communicate to Modano why he was taking the captain's C away from him and placing it on Brenden Morrow's sweater – an unnecessary blow to the ego of the team's marquee player since Morrow was going to play with that same leadership style regardless.

He appeared to botch the negotiations with Darryl Sydor, costing the team a nice veteran player who wanted to stay here rather than go to Pittsburgh.

Armstrong said Tuesday that he wasn't going to answer questions until Friday "if I'm not old news by then."

He did indicate that this was not a situation where the owner asked the GM to fire the coach and he refused.

You don't see many GMs fired during the regular season. Coaches, sure. That's a tradition almost as old as drinking from the Stanley Cup.

I don't know if the Dave Taylor Era or the Les Jackson Era or Brett Hull Era or Daryl Reaugh Era (please!) will produce better results.

But when a team becomes boring and irrelevant in its own market, it's time for a shake-up.

Tuesday's firing won't bring back Langenbrunner or Sydor. It won't change the past, and it won't mean the Stars immediately start playing more successful and exciting hockey.

Owner Tom Hicks had to do something dramatic, and he started at the top. We shall see what trickles down from there, but this can't be the end of change for the Dallas Stars.


ARMSTRONG'S BEST AND WORST
Staff writer Mike Heika ranks Doug Armstrong's moves:

Best

•Sept. 30, 2006: Mike Ribeiro from Montreal for Janne Niinimaa

•Dec. 12, 2005: Niklas Hagman from Florida for a seventh-round draft pick

•March 9, 2006: Willie Mitchell and a second-round draft pick from Minnesota for Martin Skoula and Shawn Belle

Worst

•March 19, 2002: Jason Arnott, Randy McKay and a first-round draft pick from New Jersey for Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner

•Feb. 12, 2007: Ladislav Nagy from Phoenix for Mathias Tjarnqvist and a first-round draft pick

•July 22, 2003: Teppo Numminen and second-round draft pick from Phoenix for Darryl Sydor (who went to Columbus in a three-way trade)






- Talk all you want, we all know what's going to happen. They'll tell the public they're whole-hog interested in signing a top player, and then when it's nut cutting time, they'll know exactly what it takes to get a guy signed, and offer him slightly below it, knowing he won't take it. That way, Hicks saves money and allows him to fool the fans into thinking he really cares. And even better, let's sign up another 40 year old on the cusp of retirement to a low cost 1 year contract.

F Tom Hicks.



Texas Rangers talk with Hunter, interested in Rogers

Team may also be interested in bringing Rogers back to the table


03:04 AM CST on Wednesday, November 14, 2007
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
egrant@dallasnews.com

The Rangers are taking a proactive approach to their pursuit of free agent center fielder Torii Hunter.

And they wouldn't mind reconciling with Kenny Rogers, either.

A club source confirmed that team officials dined with Hunter and his representative, Larry Reynolds, on Monday. Hunter, who lives in Prosper, met with the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Neither Hunter nor Reynolds could be reached for comment Tuesday.

Tuesday was the first day that teams could start talking about the financial parameters of deals with free agents. General manager Jon Daniels declined to discuss the state of talks with Hunter but did acknowledge the team might have interest in bringing Rogers back for a fourth stint.

"Under the right circumstances, I'm open to it," Daniels said.

The right circumstances would require a mending of fences between two strong-willed personalities, Rogers and owner Tom Hicks.

Hicks, who was dealing with repercussions of firing Stars GM Doug Armstrong, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Rogers, who lives in Southlake, acknowledged he'd be open to a reunion, too, but maintained that there has been nothing resembling contact between him and the club since he filed for free agency.

"I wouldn't close the door on anything that would be easier for myself and my family," Rogers said, "but to say anything else would be putting the cart in front of the horse."

Rogers, who turned 43 on Saturday, is a free agent after spending the last two seasons in Detroit. He went to the Tigers after an acrimonious ending to his last stint with the Rangers. Though Rogers went 32-17 with a 4.14 ERA for the Rangers in 2004-05, he was not offered a contract after the end of the 2005 season.

Rogers' tense relationship with manager Buck Showalter and then-GM John Hart became more tense after he tried to negotiate a contract extension with Hicks. Rogers later had a confrontation with a TV cameraman in June 2005. Though he apologized to teammates and fans for the incident, that he did not apologize to the organization left Hicks stung. The Rangers announced he would not be offered a contract for 2006 even before Daniels was promoted from assistant GM in the first week after the season.