Officially done

- Greggo gone. Officially.

Williams, The Ticket officially sever ties

11:24 PM CST on Thursday, January 10, 2008

Greg Williams and The Ticket officially parted company Thursday. Williams, co-host of the Hardline since KTCK-AM (1310) went on the air in January 1994, "resigned" according to a news release issued by the station. Williams walked off the top-rated show in mid-October and never returned. Williams did not return a message left on his cellphone.

Barry Horn




- So a team that is outspent by Kansas City this offseason and who continually shies away from top free agents wants to raise ticket prices for the 3rd straight year?

I wish an NL team would move downtown, or the family-Ranger fan would stop blindly showing up out there, maybe then would we get some accountability out of Tom Hicks. He can continue to do this as long as the fan base continues to be families of 4 on vacation to Six Flags and the stadium is out in some suburban outpost that takes an hour to get to from any part of the metroplex. He has no pressure to spend money or build a winner. There's no fan uprising whatsoever. Idiots keep stuffing his pockets.

Marlins move downtown. Fan base immediately becomes younger and more boisterous. Results would be demanded (See: the hyper active Mavs fan, or the "we won't show up unless you put a winner out there" Stars fan). No longer could Tom Hicks pull this crap. He'd HAVE to win. I wouldn't think twice about the Rangers. They'd be dead to me.

Texas Rangers hike ticket prices

Team says increase in cost is issue of 'supply and demand'

02:33 AM CST on Friday, January 11, 2008
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
egrant@dallasnews.com

For the third consecutive year, it's going to cost more to sit in the most desirable seats at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. It's also going to cost everybody more to see the most attractive opponents. And the Rangers are deeming more and more opponents attractive.

The club announced single-game ticket prices and promotional dates for 2008 on Thursday. Single-game tickets will be available March 7.

While current season ticket holders are still able to renew their seats at 2007 prices, the single-game plan includes increases in seven of the high-end seating areas. Most increases range from $1 to $5. Seats in the air-conditioned Cuervo Club, however, jump from $105 to $125 for regularly-priced games because food and beverage costs will also be covered. Those seats are rarely available, because they are often sold to corporations.

"It's really a supply and demand issue," Rangers vice president for communications Jim Sundberg said. "Most of our seats in the lower bowl inside the dugouts are season ticket holders; what's left, people are willing to pay for those locations."

For "premium pricing" games, seats in the stadium (with the exception of those sold to children 13-and-under in the bleachers, upper reserved and grandstand) will be more expensive. The increase in ticket prices for those games range from $1 over last year's premium-pricing to $23 in the Cuervo Club. Cuervo Club seats for premium games are $134. Most of the increases range from about 10 to 12 percent.

The number of games in which premium-pricing will be in place goes from seven to 12. Last year, premium pricing was in effect against Boston and the New York Yankees. For this season, the home opener, a fireworks show and three games that include pre- or post-game concerts have been added to the list. Premium pricing will affect games against Baltimore (April 8), Houston (May 17, Robert Earl Keen Concert), Philadelphia (June 28, fireworks), Chicago White Sox (July 12, Eli Young Band concert) and Toronto (August 2, Mercy Me concert), in addition to all games vs. Boston and the Yankees.

"This is just a trend in baseball," Sundberg said. "I believe 21 of the 30 clubs are now doing it. Again, it comes down to supply and demand. People are willing to do that for games against the Yankees and Boston and so forth.

"The Rangers are still affordable. Five of the six lower- price seating areas – the family seats – stayed at the same price. And the packages we have and the promos we've got, it just adds to making it an affordable, fun night."

The Rangers will have four other fireworks shows through the season and will have two other concerts. Third Day will play a pre-game concert April 12 and a final show has not yet been determined. For a third straight season, the Rangers will have a Dog Day promotion (August 17 vs. Tampa Bay), in which fans can bring their pets to the park.

Eleven Tuesday home games are designated "Free Kid Tuesdays," with a ticket for a child under 13 is free with each purchase of a regularly-priced adult ticket.

Dollar Hot Dog Night, Drumstick $1 Ice Cream Sundays for kids 13-and-under, and Dr Pepper Autograph Wednesdays will all return in 2008. Also returning are Ozarka Website Wednesdays. Tickets in select upper and lower level sections are half-price for most Wednesday home games when purchased online at texasrangers.com.



- Mavericks have a big chance to take Western Conference lead and put some distance between them and #2 and #3. 5 very-winnable games against bad teams.



Road wins could add to Dallas Mavericks' division standing

12:32 AM CST on Friday, January 11, 2008
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

SEATTLE – New Orleans is leading the Southwest Division. The Houston Rockets are second.

OK, maybe not in the standings you look at in the morning paper. But in the unofficial rating system, the Hornets and Rockets have an advantage even though they are below the Mavericks and San Antonio in the standings.

The Mavericks can do something about that anomaly starting tonight.

The truest way to tell which teams are really playing best is to match road victories against home losses. Using that method, New Orleans is plus-seven (14 road wins, seven home losses).

Houston is a plus-five.

Dallas is plus-four and San Antonio plus-three.

But the only way to make up ground in that system is to play road games and win them. The Mavericks have a terrific chance to do just that in the coming weeks.

Five of their next six games are on the road, starting tonight against Seattle. Bridging the All-Star break, 15 of their next 21 are away games.

While everything is rolling along just fine for the Mavericks, the next six weeks will represent the meat of their season and, most likely, will define it. The Mavericks still own a losing record away from home (7-8).

"We haven't really played well overall on the road," coach Avery Johnson said. "But give the other teams some credit. We kind of have an idea why we've played subpar on the road."

Part of it has to do with goal-setting and focus, which the Mavericks have done quite well during the five-game winning streak they will tote with them on the road.

"I'd like to see some carryover from what we've been doing at home and getting that bunker mentality," Johnson said. "Hopefully we can do it. But more than anything, we just have to keep meeting our goals."

Last season, there wasn't anything the Mavericks didn't do well in the regular season. They were a staggering plus-26 in the home-road differential. Phoenix was next at plus-20.

This season hasn't produced the same karma on the road. But the Mavericks haven't had much of a chance to bond on the road yet, either. They have had two three-game trips and no other journeys longer than two games. It's been a month since they've been on the road for more than a solo game.

In addition, this could be good timing. They have played their best basketball of the season over the last couple of weeks. It would seem like a great opportunity to hit the road.

"For us, fortunately, we are starting to look like the Mavericks that I anticipated," Johnson said. "If we can keep looking like the Mavericks like we have recently, then we can keep getting better. And that's what we're focusing on."

Jason Terry said the fact that the Mavericks started the season with 20 of their first 35 games at home hasn't been an issue.

"We just want to play well no matter where we're playing," he said.

But with the calendar having flipped to 2008, the signs point to the Mavericks finding a sort of groove.

Said Johnson: "They realize we're coming up on that halfway point of the season, and for a team that's been together and has been part of some long regular seasons before, I think that's good news."



- And finally, my new leader in New Orleans Monday night.