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.

Quietly ramping up

- Mavericks play best game of year. Shut down Rasheed, play stout D, Harris continually getting to the rack, Dirk playing efficient (10-15 FG, 9 REB, 35 min), and Avery being able to work with a full, healthy team. Continue to beat top teams, stay healthy, and fly under the radar. I sense a quiet confidence......

Detroit's Texas Trip Begins With A Stumble

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

DALLAS -- The first leg of the toughest back-to-back set that they'll see all season wasn't as demoralizing as it looked for the Detroit Pistons.

Word eventually reached them late Wednesday that the Boston Celtics lost at home to Charlotte -- yes, Charlotte -- while the Pistons were getting drilled in North Texas.

But that was the best thing you could say about the Pistons' night: Boston had it worse. The rest of the evening was so one-sided that Detroit, after absorbing a 102-86 hammering from the Mavs, was almost eager to get to San Antonio for the second stop of this daunting two-step.

It didn't help the Pistons, playing for the first time since their home loss to the Celtics over the weekend, that Dallas flowed as freely and efficiently as it has all season, flashing speed all over the floor and pulling away with a flurry of daggers from outside. But Detroit didn't help itself with the sort of passive, lifeless performance more commonly expected on the second night of a back-to-back. Especially back-to-backs as rough as this one.

"I don't know," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said when someone suggested that his team was still suffering from some sort of Saturday night Boston hangover. "I just know that we weren't aggressive as far as taking it to the basket [and] we weren't aggressive at attacking the ball defensively at the point of screens."

Indeed. The Pistons' problems defending pick-and-rolls in the middle of the floor -- something Boston picked at in Saturday's showdown and something LeBron James more famously exploited in a certain 48-point playoff game last spring -- resulted in a third-quarter runaway for the hosts. Detroit had sliced an early 14-point deficit to five by halftime, but the Mavs gradually opened up the floor with their quickness and aggression and rained in six 3s in the third to start pulling away, including three straight back-breaking triples at the end of the quarter.

Two of those 3s came from Dirk Nowitzki, who unexpectedly encountered greater defensive resistance from Walter Herrmann than he did against the more celebrated shut-down abilities of Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. Nowitzki was 3-for-4 from the floor with 'Sheed guarding him and 5-for-5 when shadowed by McDyess, finishing with 23 points on just 15 shots to lead Dallas in scoring for the 10th successive game.

It must be said that 'Sheed was never the same after getting hit with two quick fouls, but it's likewise true that it wasn't just Nowitzki who punished the Pistons. Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse and Devin Harris were a combined 8-for-10 on 3-pointers … and you know what kind of damage Dallas can do when Harris has his jumper going. The much-maligned Mavs thus improved to a quiet 5-0 at home against the five division leaders they've played so far: Detroit, Orlando, San Antonio, Phoenix and Portland, with only Boston to go.

Not that Nowitzki did much celebrating. He chose instead to expound upon his recent pronouncement to the local media that there's no use touting regular-season milestones for his team because "nobody's going to believe in us anyway."

"After last year," Nowitzki added for our clarification, "we know you [media] guys will keep saying we can't do it until we do it."

With five of its next six games on the road and Dallas sporting an underwhelming 7-8 record away from the American Airlines Center, Nowitzki continued: "We know we can play well at home, but the great teams find ways to win on the road. We've got to see if we can get that road kill back that we had last year. We just had that confidence walking into other arenas knowing that we can win pretty much anywhere."

Nowitzki's coach was nonetheless encouraged by this showing and the overall vibe stemming from Dallas' 12-3 response to a 12-8 start.

"I think the men are focused," Avery Johnson said. "When a team has been together and had some pretty good regular seasons, [another] season can be a long, drawn-out point in your life. … [But] now that we are into 2008, I can see in the men's eyes that they are getting a little more into it."

On the Flip side …

Knowing all about the regular-season grind himself, Chauncey Billups managed to draw some solace from the fact that the Pistons (26-9) nearly made it halfway through the schedule before this kind of night.

"We saw a lot more of these early in the season last year," Billups said.




- 1 day after the signing of Mike Ribeiro to a long term deal caused Mikey to question his role on the team, he delivers like he should.



Modano front and center in Dallas Stars' win

12:30 AM CST on Thursday, January 10, 2008
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com

CHICAGO – Dave Tippett's theory of evolution regarding Mike Modano's game received a little support Wednesday night.

The Stars center tallied three assists and helped Dallas to a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in a game that Tippett said proved how difficult it is to label Modano as a No. 1 or No. 2 center.

"Three points tonight and probably half of his time was on special teams," Tippett said, before referencing a story in The Dallas Morning News that asked what Modano's role is in light of Mike Ribeiro's new $25 million contract.

"As much as the media wants to make it out as No. 1 or No. 2, I look at it all on the same page," Tippett said. "There's certain people who do certain things that help our team win. Mike Ribeiro does things that help our team win, and Mike Modano does things that help our team win."

Wednesday's game was a perfect example of that, as Modano had just one shot on goal, struggled in the faceoff circle (2-for-9) and still came up with the three assists and was plus-2 in 22 minutes 52 seconds.

"That might be the easiest three assists of my life," Modano said after the Stars pushed their record to 25-16-4 (54 points).

Still, the 37-year-old said the team followed a tried and true formula to get the victory. Dallas dominated time of possession of the puck, had a 30-18 edge in shots on goal and got two great scoring opportunities on a third-period penalty kill with the score tied 1-1.

"You make your breaks," Modano said. "You work for your chances, and we seemed to have the puck a lot on that kill."

Modano buzzed to the net on one run during the penalty kill and almost deflected a Sergei Zubov shot in. Twenty seconds later, Stu Barnes was teeing up a shot from the right point on the same run up ice. The shot dipped down and deflected off the ice midway on its path to the goal and then started knuckling. It slipped past Chicago goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for Barnes' fifth goal in the last nine games.

"It was sort of a squib kick," Barnes said with a laugh.

"Barnesesque," Modano joked.

Still, it was exactly what the Stars needed to start a five-game trip – and it was a dagger to the heart of a Chicago team that is in the midst of a seven-game winless streak (0-5-2).

Barnes has seen his minutes decrease recently with a move to the fourth line, but he still is one of the team's best penalty killers.

"Stu doesn't play a lot of minutes, but he plays very valuable minutes," Tippett said.

Goalie Marty Turco could be given the same praise. He didn't face a lot of shots, but he faced some good ones. He stopped Chicago's Kris Versteeg on a third-period breakaway, he gloved a big slap shot from Dustin Byfuglien in the third period, and he got credit for a save on Patrick Kane's second-period penalty shot.

"I didn't look good on that one," Turco said of Kane missing wide on an open backhand shot. "But I'll take it."

And the Stars will take the win and move on to St. Louis for tonight's game against the Blues – not trying too hard to define exactly what it is they need to win.

"We need everything," Tippett said. "We need the entire team to play well together."




- This is awesome. Nothing better to see during a big-time game than the home team going nuts with rally towels. I have written several emails to Mark Cuban about this, but to no avail. We need this in May for the AAC.



Cowboys want you to wear white

4:09 PM Wed, Jan 09, 2008 | Permalink
Tim MacMahon E-mail News tips

The Cowboys are asking fans to wear white to Sunday's game at Texas Stadium.

If you're one of the first 40,000 through the gates, they'll give you a cute, white rally towel to wave. Parking lots open at 10 a.m., gates at 12:30.

Head North young man

- Summary thoughts

- Once again, the Big 10 pissed the bed. Once again, the BCS failed. I turned the TV off last night unfulfilled. I thought in my mind that LSU is the best coached, most athletic, smartest, best team in the land. I don't think there's any doubt on that. They're #1. But Ohio State a worth opponent? Not hardly. Give me USC. Give me West Virginia. Give me Missouri. Give me Kansas. Give me Georgia. Give me anyone but an overrated, weak scheduled Big 10 team who only got there because of their conference and because their season ended on November 24.

- Anyone in Nebraska who doesn't think Bo Pelini is the man for the job is crazy. To see the interaction he has with those players and to see his gameplan and performance, it's evident to anyone how great of a motivator and coach he is. And he's only 39.

- Fox needs to get out of college football. Chris Rose is a douche. The rotating pre-game show hosts is a failure. Chris Meyers is absolutely terrible as a sideline guy. His halftime kicking competition spectacle was a trainwreck.

- Although I did enjoy Thom Brennamen and Charles Davis. Thought they were pretty good, although every other BCS announcing team they brought out was for the most part spare. Also enjoyed the lack of commercials. Those were some of the fastest commercial breaks I've seen. ABC makes you sit for 10 minutes.

- Get this damn thing into an 8 team playoff. The whole BCS is garbage. Tt's an agenda-filled, run by TV networks hype machine. Nothing more. It never works, save for 2005 (Tex-USC).

- All of the pairings are made with agendas. Why not do 1 vs. 2, 3 vs. 4, 5 vs. 6, etc etc. I'll tell you why. Because then the winner of the 3 vs 4 game, if they kick the crap out of the other team, might get voted #1 by the AP writers, thus undermining the BCS's powers to name a champion.

- Thats why we didnt see #4 Va. Tech vs. #3 Oklahoma. Even those 2 teams got beat handily by lower ranked Kansas and West Virginia, which further adds to my disgust for the system. In today's game, with parity and limited scholarships, there is not much difference in about 8-10 top-tier teams every year. So to tell me that one team is better than the other is pure subjectivity and speculation. And who names a champion off of that type of criteria?

- The system and money is already set up. You have the TV networks waiting to write the check. You already have spread this thing out from December 20 to January 7. The big time venues are there. Keep all the minor bowls for teams outside of the top 8. Let them have their postseason. Have the NCAA limit regular season schedules to 11 games. Also, if they have the power, eliminate all Conference Title games, or make every BCS conference play in one. Either way, make it even across the board. Not sure if they have this power, but it needs to be done.

- Saturday December 22 you play Round 1 at the higher seeded team's stadium so as to limit travel and reward a better season to the higher seed. Round 2 is December 29 and at 2 of the BCS bowl stadiums, which will be on rotation from year to year. And then the Championship being played on January 5 at a yearly rotating BCS Stadium. The 2 BCS bowls that don't get to be involved in that particular year, (I'm assuming Jerry World is involved by then, making it 5 venues) get to host bowl games with the 4 best teams that didn't make the top 8. I'd feel better about my champion if they'd have to win 3 games to prove it.

- And all the while, you let the Texas Tech's, Fresno State's, and Navy's of the world play in their Jerkoff.com bowls to appease the bowl traditionalists, to give schools their payouts, and to give them the extra month of practice that is very valuable to programs. And you'd end the season at the same time you do now and you finally have a system that lets the champion be decided on the field.

- But, of course, the Big 10 and the Rose Bowl Committee will never allow this. The Big 10 knows they have it perfect. Play 11 games, end your season November 24, play no conference title game, hope you have 1 dominant in-conference team with zero or 1 loss, let the other national teams play 1 more game, watch them fall like dominoes, and sneak into the title game. If they played by the same rules as everyone else, they know they'd rarely get a team into the title game.

- Otherwise, congrats to LSU, congrats to Bo Pelini, and congrats to Nebraska. I'm including them because this can do nothing but help in getting the program back in order. A national title ring is a powerful thing.

- A final tribute to LSU......





- Stars end 4 game slide.



Dallas Stars beat Wild to end skid

03:56 AM CST on Tuesday, January 8, 2008
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com

Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco was in a slump.

He had allowed seven goals on his last 30 shots and was pulled after only 13 minutes the last time he faced the Wild.

So coming up with 18 saves in a 3-1 win over Minnesota on Monday at America Airlines Center represented a big step forward.

"Sometimes, you're in a slump or you're not as good as you want to be, and you just have to work your way through it," Turco said. "It's just a matter of concentrating and preparing and not over-thinking. Trust your preparation. It sounds simple, but sometimes it's not."

Stars coach Dave Tippett said Sunday that goalies have to be prepared to stand up and not allow bad goals. Turco accepts that challenge, but he likes to focus on wins and losses more than good and bad goals.

"I think what I've learned over time is I wouldn't want to be doing this job by myself," Turco said. "I don't want to be like a pro golfer. I like being a part of a team – that's the most important part of this. The feeling of winning as a team is very special."

On Monday, Tippett said he was glad to see Turco play a big role in the win.

"Turco played very well and made key saves for us," Tippett said. "We were trying to stop the bleeding [of a four-game losing streak], and we know we are a team that needs certain things in order to win, and we got those tonight. We had enough positives to push us through."



- And sign the only young, offensive playmaker they have to a 5 year deal.



Dallas Stars invest in Ribeiro


12:57 AM CST on Tuesday, January 8, 2008
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com

Brett Hull has deferred a lot of the responsibilities of his new general manager partnership to co-GM Les Jackson, saying he had a lot to learn in terms of the intricacies of the front office.

But Hull was front-and-center Monday as the Dallas Stars announced a five-year, $25 million contract extension for center Mike Ribeiro. It was the kind of decision that pulled heavily on Hull's ability to read a player's talent.

"I feel it's my forté to understand what a player like that is capable of," Hull said. "And watching him play, I don't see a decline. I don't see this as a one-hit-wonder season. This kid is skilled, he's increased his conditioning and strength, and that will only improve."

Ribeiro, 27, could have become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. The Stars have seen enough in two seasons, though, that they are basically making him their No. 1 center for the next five seasons. He is scheduled to become the team's third-highest-paid player next season at $5 million.

"We saw the money that was being thrown around in the off-season, and to have a player of this caliber who's interested in staying here and being a part of this organization, you tip your hat to him," Hull said.

Ribeiro is on pace for a career-best season. He has 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points in 41 games. He had two assists Monday in a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center.

Jackson said one of the big keys in making the decision so quickly was Ribeiro's love of the organization. Ribeiro was drafted in his native Montreal and struggled to fit in with the Canadiens. He was shuffled out at a discount to the Stars in a trade for defenseman Janne Niinimaa.

But he tallied 18 goals and 41 assists in 81 games for Dallas last season and slowly found a fit on the team. This season, he has clicked with captain Brenden Morrow, and the two are leading the Stars in scoring.

"We made it clear to their camp that we wanted to re-sign him, and he said very quickly that he wanted the same thing," Jackson said. "When you have that chemistry, it's not difficult to find a place where you can agree on numbers."

Ribeiro, making $2.8 million this season, said the decision was easy.

"I am very happy to sign here. I've made a home here," he said. "The family and kids love it here. This is a great organization, and this is a team that can win the Cup."

Hull said he will put a lot of expectations on Ribeiro.

"He reminds me of myself when I first got to St. Louis," Hull said. "I scored 42 goals, and [coach] Brian Sutter grabbed me for individual meetings, and I was expecting a pat on the back. And instead it was, 'That was nothing, You have so much more to give' That's the way we're going to treat [Ribeiro].

"I really believe the strides he's made from last year to now – it's just scratching the surface of what he can be."

MOVING UP
Stars center Mike Ribeiro signed a five-year contract for $25 million Monday and will become the Stars' third-highest-paid player starting next season. He is making $2.8 million this season. The Stars' top five:

2007-08
Player Salary
Marty Turco $5.7 million
Mattias Nortsrom $4.2 million
Mike Modano $4.2 million
Brenden Morrow $4.1 million
Sergei Zubov $4.0 million

2008-09
Marty Turco $5.7 million
Sergei Zubov $5.3 million
Mike Ribeiro $5.0 million
Brenden Morrow $4.1 million
Jere Lehtinen $4.1 million



- Dirk ramping it up and taking charge...



Dallas Mavericks' Nowitzki aggressive again

Quick decisions have revitalized Nowitzki's offensive game

03:06 AM CST on Tuesday, January 8, 2008
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com

For those of you who wondered what was wrong with Dirk Nowitzki early this season, for those who fretted that he had lost his scoring touch, here's an update.

The league's reigning MVP has led the Dallas Mavericks in scoring, or tied for the lead, every game in the last 23 days. Nowitzki has scored 30 or more points four times in this stretch, averaging 26.2 points.

The Mavericks are 7-2 since Nowitzki reasserted himself as the team's primary offensive weapon.

"I felt like, early on, I was looking around too much," Nowitzki said. "I waited on the double-team too much. I wasn't really being aggressive.

"I think the last couple of weeks, I've found a good mix of, when the shot is there, take it; when it's not there, move it."

Nowitzki had developed enough in the post that opponents no longer allow him to get his position and take three to four dribbles before getting off a shot. They are flying extra defenders at him, forcing him to score right away or make the pass.

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said he wanted Nowitzki to work on passing out of those double-teams early in the season.

"That was a big point of emphasis," Johnson said. "I told him, 'If you don't lead the team in scoring, it's not going to be the end of the world.'

"We saw enough of that and just said, 'Hey, let's think about getting some stronger moves if you get double- or triple-teamed. If you get squeezed, look to make the pass.'

"He's done a good job of mixing it up."