Optimus-Pessimist. A sports fan's explanation

RrSports Fans

 

This isn’t an essay that’s going to label different types of fans and define them.  That’s been done.  They’re all true mostly.  This is an attempt to stick up for a certain type of fan.  A level a fandom that I fall under.  A level that I’ve named, the Optimus-pessimist.  The educated sports fan that can also identify an issue when it’s presented and also feel the potential impending doom if it’s not corrected.

 

This isn’t to say I’m just a big negative Nancy about everything.  I’m a very positive person in many aspects of my life.  I’m a Christian and hold those values true to my life in all aspects, except sports.  Perhaps it’s my downfall.  But I have a hard time letting up considering that from as early as my mind could comprehend what was happening in a sporting event, I’ve been a fan.  All Dallas teams are my teams.  I live and die with those teams and I’m not ashamed to admit that.  

 

The latest streak of Ranger games has resulted in the team losing a 3 game lead in 4 days.  This presents a concern.  I’m not sure how one doesn’t understand that, but there arethose that see nothing wrong with it.  Upon raising these concerns on Twitter I’ve had a constant stream of negative feedback.  People are saying that the group of concerned fans are “giving up”, or “throwing in the towel.”  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  Texas has a great team; they’re just slumping, at the worst possible time.  There’s also the group of fans that will say that they’re just “Happy to be competing in September” and that it could be “much worse.”  God bless those people.  If I had that mindset it would be much easier.  But in reality, that’s the same group of people that are happy with participation trophies and getting a ribbon for last place.  I hate to lose.  I don’t care if its beer league softball or watching my Cowboys get beat on Sunday.  It’s all the same.  I’ve developed a personal attachment to those teams that force me to feel the way I do.  

 

There are loop holes, for sure.  Take the Dallas Mavericks for example.  The 2 years after winning the NBA title they’ve been a mediocre team.  Sure, I’m upset about it.  But not nearly as upset as I would’ve been had they not captured the title in 2011.  So the last 2 years I’ve managed to deal with it and have defended the team on multiple occasions for blowing up that 2011 roster.  A great move, for the record.

 

But the Texas Rangers are a different animal.  They were locked in obscurity for years until that magical 2010 season.  Some say that we should be happy just to make it this far and be relevant for 4 consecutive seasons.  I find that mentality very weak, just my opinion.  ESPECIALLY given that the team was 1 strike away from a World Series, twice.  Also, they blew a division lead in the West last year with a week to play.  So when I see a developing slump in the last month of the season, like the one I see right now, of course I’m going to get concerned.  And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.  

 

Being the optimus-pessimist that I can be at times, I’ve learned that the wins are even sweeter.  The 2011 Mavs title was a glorious night.  The pessimist sports fan has a far greater passion for the game than the other fan types may realize.  When we win, it’s a release of built up aggravation, and in my case, in the form of sports tears.  Don’t ever question the fandom of the optimus-pessimist.  I never call out the positive rainbows-and-butterflies fan base until they attack the fans that show and admit concerns.  I don’t care if the team has had a winning record in August.  I don’t care if the team leads the league in runs.  I don’t care if the team has the lowest E.R.A in baseball.  All that matters is how they play these games in September. I don’t care what the saber metric spreadsheet shows you, it means nothing if you don’t win when it counts.

 

If moral victories are your thing in sports, then good for you!  But I don’t hang a newspaper clipping in a frame in my man cave for having a “winning record.”  I don’t/won’t tell my children, nieces/nephews, grandchildren of the time we almost made it.  I don’t tell them of the time we had a winning August.  The best stories are the ones where the team is holding the championship trophy at the end.  That’s what I care about. That’s what I want.

 

Perspective

I sat and watched my wife, Traci, and our daughter,Mackenzi, playing the other day.  Mackenzi was laughing and everyone in the room had smiles.  The cost?  Zero dollars.  

 

I walked outside at around 9:00pm one night.  It was warm.  It’s summer time and it’s to be expected.  The sun was giving its last breaths as it fell behind the horizon.  A few fireworks were spotted in the distance as 4th of July wasapproaching.  I smiled with contentment.  The cost? Zero dollars.

 

One morning I woke up and got dressed for work.  Before heading downstairs my youngest daughter, Piper, woke up and ran to me.  “Daddy, Daddy.” She said.  I checked her sheets, no pee-pee.  “You didn’t pee the bed Piper! Good job!” I said.  We high fived and laughed.  The cost?  Zero dollars.

 

Perspective.  It’s all about your perspective on life built by your relationship with Jesus Christ.  

 

Of course it takes money to pay the mortgage/rent/car note/groceries/bills.  We all know this. We can’t help but be motivated by money.  But it can’t rule your life.

 

The rat race keeps us moving constantly.  We chasepromotions, more money, better car, bigger house, latest fashion, and latest technology.  It’s all by design to take our mind off of things that are most important in our lives.  The chase of success turns into greed.  The greed turns into a variety of immoral decisions.  Wars are fought over greed.  Politicians are making important decisions that affect us all based on illegal under-the-table money transfers.  Hard working Americans are getting laid off due to companies employing outside of the country or going electronic all to save dollars.  Forests are being cut down to make room for shopping centers so that cities can become congested with population so that everyone makes more money.  Moms and Dads are traveling 200 or more days per year so that they can get that promotion at work, yet they’re missing out on their son’s championship game or their daughter’s balletrecital.  Is it worth it?  I’m not saying that you shouldn’t work hard or that you should drive your family to bankruptcy because you’ve taken less money or quit your job.  I’m only recommending that your focus not be on the financial gains.  Take a look at your parents, or grandparents.  Notice how they’ve slowed down?  Yes they’ve worked hard to deserve what they’ve earned.  But they realize that life is passing them by rather quickly.  

 

But why can’t we recognize this at a younger age?  

 

We’re all going to die.  It’s the honest truth.  It could be at age 99 or it could be in 2 hours.  It’s inevitable.  Where are your priorities?

 

“Set your minds to things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”  Colossians 3:2

 

“You cannot serve both God and Money.”  Luke 16:13

 

Isn’t that perfect?  God knew we as humans would be in this predicament.  He’s telling us to focus on him and on Godly things; family, love.  If your heart is elsewhere, then you’re headed down a slippery slope.  Take a look at today’s society.  There’s more focus on material possessions than ever before, and we’re in some of the darkest times in human history.  This isn’t a coincidence.Some people laugh at Christians when they offer 10% to tithe at church, as if the church is “pulling one over on those silly Christians.”  They’re missing the point.  God knows our heart is easily influenced by money.  If we’re comfortable enough to give 10% of the money we earn to the church, then we’ve successfully surrendered our dependency on money for the love of God.  That’s a win.    

 

Sometimes people think that being a Christian or that following the bible is just obeying a set of rules.  But I compare it to when my parents would tell me not to touch something hot.  It’s not because they were being mean, it’s because they loved me.  They didn’t want me to get hurt.  If they told me to be home by 9, it wasn’t to crack a whip and be a dictator.  It’s because they didn’t want me out at dark and putting myself into a situation where I might get hurt.  It’s because they loved me.  And God loves you.  

 

Imagine the thing that you love more than anything.  That’s God’s love for you.  That’s his love for everyone.  He’s laid the path and written the blueprint to show us how to live the best life possible.  He’s told us things to be aware of.  He’s told us what to avoid.  Life can be simple.  Everything, good and bad, can be beautiful.  It’s all about your perspective.   

Sports Matter, Sports Don't Matter......

​It’s the morning after a tough Cowboys and Rangers loss. First thought when I wake up is how rough a sports night it was. While getting dressed for work I’m streaming a Dallas sports radio station listening to them breakdown the Cowboys and Rangers looking for some sort of light at the end of the tunnel. My wife walks in and gives me the “you’re crazy” look. She doesn’t understand how big of a deal this is! The Rangers could blow the division! And the Cowboys just got embarrassed! Our pet’s heads are falling off! The world is ending!

Sports and I have an abusive relationship. She treats me like crap and I keep coming back because I hope that she’s nice to me at times. Either way, I love her.

But the bigger question is why does it even matter? Why am I so invested in what happens on the field/court with athletes that have no idea that I even exist? (Minus a few players that have responded to my tweets, they know me now). After days/months of trying to figure out why it matters so much I think I can describe it in the following sentence:

Sports are the most real thing that doesn’t matter.

Seems simple enough, right? Sports aren’t scripted and it’s no reality show. It’s the ultimate form of entertainment and the entire outcome is determined on the field/court (minus the NBA 2006 finals when the officials…….. STAY FOCUSED, TONY!) Yet sports don’t care if you’re on your knees and praying for a win. It will kick you when you’re down. If you find it hard to work the next day after a loss, sports don’t care. When tears stream down your face in defeat, sports moves on. Sports don’t pay the bills and sports don’t heal your flu. It doesn’t take your kids to daycare and it surely doesn’t mean that you don’t have to meet that work deadline. Sports can bring and take players and heroes in and out of your life in a split second, and never look back.

But sports are beautiful. It’s much more than a bunch of rich athletes running around. Sports are there as an escape when life is happening. Its pristine grass and stadiums filled with 16 to 100 thousand fans chanting in unison. Sports can bring you to your knees and it can make you jump out of your seat in a spontaneous moment of indescribable joy. Sports create the proudest of bragging rights between friends and people you’ve never met. A whole town, state, or country can come together because of sports. Sports can make you proud of where you’re from. A team that you’ve rooted for your whole life, through good times and bad, can make that one play or get that one win that your and your friend/family will talk about forever.

Nothing can top my faith in Jesus and the love I have for my wife, daughters, and family. Life goes on regardless of what happens with my teams. I’m still a husband and a dad. I’m a son, brother, and uncle. I’m an employee with the responsibilities of supporting my family. Sports don’t matter externally, but internally it means everything. Regardless of how emotionally taxing a season can be and how annoying I can be with my sports rants, it’s all in good nature. It’s a passion. I hope you can all understand.

Let's Go Heat! And here's why....

Call yourself a Mavs fan? Then root for the Heat.

Some of your minds are blown, I know. But just bear with me…….

Here’s an example that might clear it up, assuming you know anything about baseball and you’re a Texas Rangers fan.

In 2002, The SF Giants faced off against the Anaheim Angels. The hated Barry Bonds vs. the Rally Monkey Angels. Remember? I’m sure at the time, some Ranger fans were rooting for the Angels. What was the harm right? A lesser known team of scrappy ball players was making a run in October. Plus most of you all loved to root against Barry Bonds. But looking back, how dirty does it make you feel for rooting for the Angels in 2002? Now that the Rangers/Angels rivalry is heated up, I despise the fact that the Angels fan base has ammo in a sports talk battle. The dreaded, “We have a ring, how ‘bout you?”

What your point, Tony?

My point is that Lebron James is playing the part of Barry Bonds in these NBA finals. Hated and despised for their own separate reasons, but hated none the less. The OKC Thunder are the sweet little team that peaked a little earlier than planned like the 2002 Angels. 80% of Mavs nation is pulling for the Thunder. I’ve cleverly come up with “80%” based solely off text messages and tweets. But there is a healthy majority of Dallas Mavericks fans that are rooting for OKC simply because of their hate for the Miami Heat. The hate is deserved and warranted. But it’s misplaced.

My warning to you today is that in a few years when the Mavericks/Thunder rivalry reaches the level of Mavericks/Spurs, you’ll REGRET ever pulling for the Thunder. You’ll despise the fact that they have as many championships as our Mavericks. You’ll hear the Thunder’s new found fans talk trash and I guarantee you’ll hear this; “OKC has only been around for 4 years and we already have as many rings as Dallas.” (Although we all know they were the Supersonics before moving to OKC so the 4 years thing is a little skewed. But we wouldn’t expect a fan base like OKC’s to be clever enough to take that into consideration. Ouch! SHOTS FIRED!). Not to mention the fact that OKC has had minimal hardships on the way to the Larry O’Brien trophy, if they happen to win it. Look at our precious Mavs, YEARS of torture and heartache. Do we really want to see a young, cocky, brash, streaky shooting team from Oklahoma win a title? So easily? Nope.

Also, another reason to root for Miami is rather simple. By the Mavericks beating the Heat last year, it will make our title look even better. Miami would’ve taken down the favorites, OKC. The Mavs would be the only team to solve and conquer the 3 headed Miami beast. Our trophy will be shinier for this. Just trust me.

Mavs fans, think this through and root against the Thunder. Your future self will appreciate it.

Go Heat!

My Letter to Texas…….

It’s been 3 years since I’ve left you. As I watched the Dallas skyline disappear in my rear view mirror, Id by lying to you if I said a tear didn’t roll down my cheek. We moved away for special reasons. Reasons good enough to justify leaving, but it was still hard to do. I think about Texas every day. Every day I drive to work surrounded by Nebraska license plates, I think about Texas. Every day I hear these Midwesterners call a soft drink, “pop”, I miss Texas. Every time I’m forced to hear about Nebraska football in the summer, I miss Texas. Every winter that I have to shovel my driveway to remove 2 feet of snow, that’s when I miss Texas the most.

Texas is where I was born. It’s where I fell in love with the big blue sky and the massive night sky with stars that I swear I could touch. It’s where I watched meteor showers with my Uncle David and couldn't stop looking at the sky for hours. It’s where I spent summers at my Grandma’s house and played 9 inning baseball games in her yard, by myself. It was beautiful. Texas is where I would spend Thanksgivings and Christmas’ in Houston with my cousins and spend all our time making trails and playing football. Texas is where I would get the darkest tans and swim in the best swimming pools. It’s where the best sunsets happen over fields of bluebonnets. One of the best parts of life is sitting outside during the summer time at sunset and watching the light reflect off the clouds. If we were lucky, we could watch a thunderstorm roll in and enjoy the light show. The great state of Texas is home to the Hill Country with crystal clear rivers, and its home to the greatest city skyline known to man, that’s Dallas. Texas is where I met my wife, Traci. The greatest thing to ever happen.

Most importantly, Texas is where my family is. My Mom, Dad, and Sister. I miss them the most. But my Grandmas, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, 2nd Cousins, they’re all there. It’s where my Grandpa’s are buried, some of the greatest men I’ve ever known. The state is special, it’s sacred. Texas is home to some of my greatest friends. Friends that I call family and that I would do anything for. It’s where I want my family to grow up.

Being away from Texas has helped me appreciate the place I call home even more. Food isn’t the same. Culture isn’t the same. People are nice here and I’ve made some great friends, but it’s just not the same. I was a sports fan before I left, but my passion for my teams has elevated even more once I was surrounded by Dallas Cowboys haters, or non Rangers fans, and worst of all, people that don’t watch the NBA. When I talk Mavericks basketball, they act like I’m speaking Spanish. (Leave it to me to bring everything back to sports)

We’ll be in Texas again one day. It’s just going to take some time. I’m a husband and daddy now and I have to make husband and daddy decisions. This is where we’ll stay until we’re at a place where it makes sense to move back. And for those of you still in Texas, just appreciate her. She's a special breed.

Until we meet again.

Pick Your Heads Up, Dallas

As the 4th quarter started on Saturday, I sat and watched the game with an apprehensive state of mind. Would the Mavs go out swinging and pick up at least 1 win in the series? Or would they fold and let the Thunder storm back in it with a fury? Well, we all know what happened. Shortly after the final buzzer, I just sat still with the sound off. My earlier yelling had scared my wife and she stayed in the bedroom so I had time for private reflection.

My first thought was obviously anger. I despised the fact that a player like Russell Westbrook was getting a chance to wrap the series up on our floor. I was angry that so many Mavs “fans” let their tickets go to OKC fans. I was upset that we blew a lead…..again. But a part of me was happy that this Mavs team was put out their misery. The whole season was full of heart break and disappointment. But the final buzzer on Saturday night finally pulled the Plug on this season that was on bed rest.

I keep a glass cabinet in my living room with my favorite pieces of sports memorabilia. As I sat and replayed the game in my head I looked over and saw the few sports illustrated magazines and the championship hat from last year. I couldn’t help but think about this time last year as we were finishing off the Trailblazers. We had no idea what we were about to experience. We had no idea of the amazing run that we were in for. My mind shot back to reality and I see the Thunder celebrating a sweep. My how things have changed in a year.

There are a lot of built in excuses for the Maverick’s 2012 Season. We all know the loss of Tyson Chandler was an issue, especially in the playoffs. We all know about the Lamar Odom situation and how it seemed to sabotage the season. A shortened season was also a factor due to the limited practice time. There’s also the fact that the Mavericks were the oldest team in the league. But with our cautious optimism, we thought that veteran leadership and experience would get us past teams in the postseason. “Just make the playoffs”. That was our motto all season as this team made it through the regular season. Well, we made the playoffs, but our Title defense wasn’t much of a defense at all. Other than 3 hard fought “moral victories”, the Mavs were sent home in the worst way possible……sweep.

It almost seems unfair that this team wasn’t allowed a fighters chance of a repeat. We lost important pieces of the roster before the season even began. But it also seemed that starting the day after our championship; the media was out to get this team. “Can the Mavs repeat?” “The Mavs got lucky and caught a Heat team that played badly.” Even during this season we had to hear Charles Barkley say that “Dirk is done.” We most recently had to hear Colin Cowherd say that “Dirk isn’t an elite player.” The Mavericks championship was tossed to the stack with the 2003 Marlins, 2006 Heat, 2000 Ravens, and other teams that got “lucky” or “one hit wonders”. It’s as if the franchise or the city isn’t sexy enough for the media because Dirk shoots jumpers and because we don’t have a player that dunks over KIAs. And don’t be fooled. This Mavericks team was counted out even before we lost Tyson Chandler. People still couldn’t believe their eyes as this team sent the Heat home in 6 games. We weren’t talked about as contenders for 2012.

Although I despise fans that always point to past titles during a sports argument, its 100% allowable in this case. Sometimes I feel that nobody understands or respects this team outside the city of Dallas and the few scattered Mavs fans throughout the nation. Even Dallas’ very own media personalities count this team out year after year. A majority of them were guilty of it even last year. That’s you TIM COWLISHAW! If an “analyst” or “expert” or anyone else tries telling you that this team didn’t deserve last year's title, or that we’re “one and done”, or that this team showed its true colors in 2012, be sure to remind them of one of the greatest playoff performances the game has ever seen in 2011. Be sure to tell them about the legend of Dirk Nowitzki who took a pay cut to make sure the team had enough play makers to win. What the common person or NBA bandwagon fan (98% of Thunder fans) doesn’t learn from the media is that outside of the Lakers and Spurs, no other team in the Western Conference has been as dominant in the last decade as the Mavericks have. They’ve had 12 straight playoff appearances which are second most to the Spurs and are one of only 3 Western Conference teams that have won a title since 1995. The Mavericks were once one of the worst sports franchises of all time. Dallas has dug itself out from the darkest basement to the top of the basketball world. So it’s a bit disturbing to see this franchise constantly treated like they’re at the kids table at Thanksgiving dinner. Always looking to sit with the big kids but getting patted on the head and being told to “run along” and play with the other franchises.

The Mavericks may look much different in November of 2012. It’s highly likely that we’ll be without Jason Terry and Jason Kidd. Oh, but what a ride it was. There will be a number “31” and “2” in the rafters when it’s all said and done. The Mavericks will have many new changes to the roster with the loss of free agents and with the acquisitions of new, younger talent. As great as the past decade has been, the recent sweep of the Mavericks should not mean doom and gloom. It’s only a speed bump on the road back to title town. We should all just trust that Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson will make the best decision given the financial resources. Its going to be a great off season.

Stand tall and proud, Maverick fans.
​

Its a flag football game....

It's simple. Those who freak out about how much of an athlete Lebron is based off of video from a flag football game, have NEVER played sports on their life. It's FLAG FOOTBALL!! Why was espn playing the Lebron/Durant flag football game highlights all last night?? Lebrons catches actually made the top ten list! Really? I used to make the same plays in intramural football every Wednesday night. No big deal. It's called being athletic. But it doesn't mean that you start drooling at the mouth saying that Lebron should play in the NFL and making a big deal over the fact that he can catch a football and outrun a bunch of kids. Plays like that are made all over the U.S. They're made on intramural fields, in streets, in backyards, at family reunions, and on Thanksgiving Days everywhere... All the time.

Who cares about lebron playing flag football and making routine plays? Apparently Espn does.

TC-YA!!!

I just don't get it, how is it that we lost Tyson Chandler? Already? How do we not have enough to keep him? Didn't he just win a title in Dallas? Now he's leaving for greener pastures? What's greener than the team that just got you a ring? If we cant afford him, who can? Im sure we'll learn more as soon as teams and players start negotiating and talking contracts again. A lot more to come over the next few days. Hopefully this opens the door for Dwight Howard next year. Maybe it frees some money up for CP3 or Deron Williams in 2012-2013. But it's such a gamble to let Chandler walk and hope that CP3, Dwight Howard, or D Wiiliams comes to Dallas. Chris Paul is going to New York, we all know that. Dwight Howard could happen, but i see him going to the Lakers if Bynum gets injured again (which is highly likely). Getting Deron Williams may happen, but is it worth losing Tyson Chandler? No way. Tyson wants a long term deal, but the Mavs can only offer a one year, max contract. But Tyson wants security if he gets injured. I can't figure out if I should be pissed at Tyson for leaving Dallas, or just chalk this up to the business of pro sports. Either way, it's a loss for the Mavericks.

All I know is that the best Center the franchise has ever had, is gone. And probably to some average team that has money to spend, like the Clippers. Can you imagine Chandler and Blake Griffin side by side? Or what about Chandler, Cousins, and Tyreke Evans on the same squad in Sacramento? Potential, yes. But why not stick with a proven champion? I guess legacy means nothing to Chandler because the Clippers or Kings aren't winning anytime soon.

So long TC, can't say it wasn't good while it lasted.

No Respect.......

The NBA has been back for a whopping 2 days and already I'm sick of the Mavs haters. The "Experts" are saying that we got lucky last year. They're saying we have zero chance of a repeat. You don't have 11 straight 50 win seasons because the team is a fluke. You don't beat the blazers in 6 games after the world picked against you by catching some "lucky breaks." You don't sweep the defending NBA champs, Lakers, by things "luckily falling into place". You don't beat the up-and-coming thunder in 5 games just because the "thunder didn't show up". You don't beat the team pre-destined to win not 5, not 6, not 7 titles, in 6 games by "being a washed up team of veterans who managed to put it together".

I've never seen the media trying so hard to downplay a teams title run. It was the greatest over all team effort the league has seen in a while and I'm not sure why the media doesn't recognize and appreciate that.
Do these "experts" not realize that we won our Championship WITHOUT Caron Butler? Do they not know about Roddy B and his potential? Do they not realize we added Rudy Fernandez? Do they forget that Tyson Chandler (if resigned) is the 2nd best center in the game? I just get exhausted from reading and listening to big market, big name player, biased sports media (i.e. Colin Cowherd). Even our own Dallas media (Ben Rogers) says our title run was lucky. It just blows my mind that we finally win a title and it's STILL not good enough.

Ranger Danger

June 2, 2011 and October 27, 2011. One of the greatest and one of the worst dates in Dallas’ sports history. Each of which will be burned into the heads of Dallas sports fans for a long time. One associated with happy thoughts, the other with sad. There was a time during the NBA finals run that I would’ve sacrificed a Rangers or Cowboys title just to get that Larry O’Brien trophy. But little did I know that it would happen like this.
June 2nd was the night of the 15 point comeback in game 2 of the NBA finals. We all know what happened there and how unbelievable it was. But June 2nd seems like years ago compared to what happened on October 27th in game 6 of the World Series. Images from game 6 will haunt be for a long time. Cruz’s late break on the ball, Feliz meltdown, Hamiltons almost heroic moment, and Lance Berkman sending it over Kinslers head. Casual fans and Cardinal fans will see that as one of the greatest games in baseball history. I call it D day. D for “depressed”, “distraught”, “denied”, and “devestating.”
But to keep it positive, the Rangers are just getting started. We’re away ahead of schedule. We have a top farm system and money to spend. This could actually be the perfect storm brewing. I see a team that’s sticking together with a rowdy fan base and with heartbreak on the front of the mind, and determined to never let that happen again. We could easily see one of the greatest baseball dynasties of all time being groomed in front of our eyes. This seems impossible in today’s free agency and with teams like the Yankees and Red Sox getting in the way with their money. But all the signs are pointing to a dynasty. Much like the 90’s Braves’ runs, but with a few more titles. Maybe its wishful thinking, but it’s far from impossible.
With the NBA lockout and the Cowboys struggling (constantly), I see Dallas turning into a Baseball town. And that’s a beautiful thing.

Dallas Mavericks, World Champions.

The media will try and make you forget about this championship. They’ll make you wonder what lebron is doing next and they’ll debate his postgame press conference in an attempt to save any spec of grace the guy has. Afterall, he is the face of the networks in a NBA perspective. Of course he is, why should they talk about Dirk? Hes foreign and he actually had to work for 13 years before a title………BOOOORING! Lebron was the annointed “King” in his first year of the NBA. Why? Because he dunks hard? He’s a freak, I'll give you that. But the focus is on the wrong King. ESPN and the major media will want you to forget all of this. But we’re mavs fans, and we wont forget.

Anything before 2003 is important, but I wont get into it. You all know that we were the laughing stock of ALL professional sports in the 90’s. I don’t have to get into the 11 and 14 win seasons. No need to talk about the Dennis Rodman experiment. 2001 was great in that we beat the Jazz and there was a Calvin Booth sighting, but the spurs instantly smashed that little dream in the next round.



The magic/terror started in 2003 (in my opinion). Thats when my passion for the Mavericks got to an unhealthy level. This is when i realized I could no longer watch the mavs in a public setting where the "beast" comes out. Im an easy going guy until some spurs fan opens his mouth. Then rage comes out to play. It was in this year that Dallas met San Antonio in the Western Conferance Finals. I never really cared one way or the other about the spurs, and I actually like David Robinson. But after this series, I HATED them. With a passion. I watched as Dirk and his buddy Steve Nash worked the spurs defense and took them by surprise. Michael Finley was at the party and streaky Van Excel kept us alive too. Then Dirk got hurt, and Steve Kerr and the spurs moved on to the finals. From this point on, it was Mavs or bust. Cowboys and Rangers were on the back burner.

Its June 20, 2006. My roomate and best friend Rio is on the couch shaking his head in disgust. Im laying on the floor watching Jason Terry miss the game tying 3 pointer in the nba finals. My head goes face down in the carpet, misty-eyed. Just 4 minutes later, a pair of Ferragomo sunglasses are smashed against my bedroom wall. We had blown a 2-0 lead in the NBA finals. We lost to a team with Antoine Walker. Miami Heat were world champs. Only the mavericks would do this. Only the mavs would be the first team to blow that lead. It was heartbreaking. But little did we know, it wasnt over.



2007 was a dagger no other NBA fan base has suffered outside of the 94 sonics. (lost to the 8 seed nuggets). But im sure ours was worse. Mavs lose to #8 seed Golden State in 6. The mavs had the leagues best record and league MVP. This meant smooth sailing through the playoffs right? Nope. Little did we know that Baron Davis would shoot 127% from the field.


2008, yada yada, CP3 alley opp x24, yada yada
2009, yada yada, Denver Thuggets, yada yada
2010, yada yada, George Hill, whos he? yada yada

Hold on......im watching the last 3 minutes of game 6 of this year's finals on NBA TV's playoff replay. Will i cry again? Its possible.

Damn it, i did.

Anyway....

Its not major news to mavs fans that we were picked to get bounced out in the first round of the 2011 playoffs to the Blazers. Actually a prominent NBA writer for Yahoo Sports, Adrian Wojonowski, picked Portland in 4, LA over Dallas in 5, OKC over Dallas in 5, and Miami in 6. Naturally, he lost his prominence. And coincidently enough, he just wrote an article about the mavs and congratulating our efforts. I scanned the article looking for the part where he eats crow. Of course, no crow insight. There’s Chris Webber, Mr Timeout himself, who said before game 6 that “The Mavericks are not a good defensive team, and have never been agood defensive team”. Webber’s just sad because we put up 84 points in one half against his Kings in the 2003 playoffs. Theres Colin Cowherd and Skip Bayless. These guys deserve to be in the same sentence because theyre just media blow-hards that are always looking to shock an audience. Bayless to this second hasn’t given the mavs credit and we don’t need him to. Dallas kicked him out of town in the 90’s for starting the “Troy Aikman is gay” rumors. Bayless has an agenda and Cowherd only picks the big city/bigmarket teams. He represents all that is wrong with ESPN. Last but not least, the ABC crew of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Marc Jackson were bad (understatement of the year). These guys were infatuated with every opposing player on every opponents roster. Van Gundy wanted to marry Jeff Harden, Marc Jackson wanted to have D Wade’s baby, and I'm pretty sure that Breen had a Heat jersey on under his suit.. Ive never witnessed such bias in-game announcing in my life outside of Sean Elliot (Spurs play-by-play guy).. Im still not sure how these guys have a job. “BANG”. I've come to realize that analyst know nothing. The truth is that the Mavs will not get as much credit as expected. We’re all learning together how it feels to be the champs in this age of TMZ and manufactured drama. Ive already read the headlines 2 days after our title, "Can the Mavs repeat”, “Did the window open and close in the same year”, “The Heat are the favorites to win in 2012”. And the ole, "did the Mavericks win it, or did the Heat lose it"?. Interesting how the media loves the Cowboys but it treats the Mavs like some small market, Cinderella franchise. Although both share the same city. I just don’t get it.

Charles Barkley is THE only media personality that believed in Dallas and saw our strengths as a team. He was the only analyst that wasn’t wearing Lebron glasses and knew that with our style of basketball and a team full of hungry vets, we could take down the 3 headed circus side show. Barkley called our win over the Lakers too. Get the guy a parade float.



But as fans, we have to block out all the negative publicity. Focus on what just happened. The Dallas Mavericks won it all, they’re WORLD CHAMPIONS. It happened so quick, so stressful, so magical, and so perfect. It couldn’t have happened a better way. Blowing it in Portland and thinking the same ole mavs were back, then winning that series. Sweeping the Lakers, how huge was that? (again, the media said that the Lakers werent "themselves". Theres no way the Mavs could actually beat their precious Lakers right?). The comeback over OKC in game 4. The Dirk-walk-off at the WCF ceremony. Then theres the comebacks vs Miami and ultimately the win on THEIR home floor in game 6. We returned the favor and then some. We pimp-slapped EVERY hater there ever was.

We’ll never forget this team and the way in which we accomplished this. Even if we reach the finals again next year and win, it wont be as gratifying as this one……ever. What we just witnessed was basketball at its finest. Not just basketball, but all of sport. It was perfect, seamless teamwork. It was guts and heart and eventually it paid off for the glory. The media can try and rain on our parade, but the forecast says sunny with 100% chance of awesome.

The mavericks did it. They finally did it. We can all sleep easy.

Stupid things are funny to me......

Zoolander, Team America, Bears, Beets, and Battlestar Gallactica. These things are so stupid yet genius. These are 5 of the funniest shirts I found online tonight.


The funniest part of this shirt is how sad he looks. A funny idea would be to show him on Saturday the 14th with his wife asking him where he was all night. And he's sitting there in a robe and coffee looking annoyed.


Who would win, an elephant with a knife, or a Giraffe with an ax?


Scissors. All day. Wouldnt "Scissors" be an awesome nick name for a Bad Ass or some movie villian? Or maybe a good name for a stuffed bear.....I dont know.


Probably the least funny of the bunch, but just the pure random-ness of it makes it awesome. I probably would've added a merm.....oh wait......that chick IS a mermaid. Ok, it's complete.


Saving the best for last. I laughed out loud when I saw this one. Makes no sense, yet perfect sense.

Jet Setting the Tone......

Talking trash can be a flip of a coin sometimes. You can talk mess and back it up on the field. Or you can run your mouth and promptly get run off the field....Chad Ochocinco knows a little bit about this. Although some, not to name names, Bill Belicheck, frown upon talking a little trash before a game; it was proven that it can be awesome if executed properly. Not saying that the words from the Jets mouth put on pads and dominated Tom Brady, but the talk leading up to the game gave the Jets an extra shot of life before Sunday nights game. Led by the trash talkin-ist head coach of all time in Rex Ryan, the Jets took care of the Spurs of the NFL 28-21. Not to mention, in New England. By the way, I refuse to make any reference to the New York/Boston rivalry in this post. ESPN has successfully beat the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry down harder than Ike did Tina.
Trash talking is nothing new, Joe Namath did it when he guaranteed a win over Baltimore in '60 something. Belicheck benched Wes Welker for the first few series of Sundays game for his use of creative trash talk, and on the other sideline, Rex Ryan encourages it.

"Jets head coach Rex Ryan held a conference call with New England reporters this morning, and the first question was what his reaction was to cornerback Antonio Cromartie's remarks about Tom Brady.

Ryan said he was unfamiliar with them, and asked media members to fill him in.

"First off, in this country, you're allowed to have opinions, and all that kind of stuff," he responded when told of the remarks. "Obviously, as an organization, we respect Tom Brady, there is no question about it. But hey, is there dislike between us and Brady, and Brady against the Jets? Of course there is.

"Am I going to punish Cromartie for saying something, or whatever? No. I know one thing, we respect New England, but we don't fear them. A comment like that, it's just the fact they're the enemy as we look at them this week."

Ryan was then asked if he felt those remarks crossed the line from fun trash talk to something else.

"Realistically, I'm sure that's basically what it was, just a comment that he made," Ryan said. "Trust me, they're saying a lot worse about me and others here, maybe it just wasn't printed."

A reporter then asked Ryan if he felt players followed his lead and that he incites such remarks. Ryan laughed.

"Yeah, of course," he said. "Maybe they do follow my lead in the fact that in that we can say what's on our mind or whatever. I don't say 'Whatever we do, don't say this, or don't say that.' We're a transparent organization. We let our guys speak and don't try to tell them what to say or what not to say."

Ryan was then asked if there was a risk in making such remarks, because it could make the Jets look bad if they don't win.

"We're going to be watching somebody else play, so it really doesn't matter. You either win or you don't. In this league, if you don't win, it's over. Your season's over," he said. "To think that a comment here or there is going to incite them to play at a greater level or something like that, I don't believe that's true. ... It doesn't matter what would come out of New England's locker room or anybody else's locker room, because you can't be more motivated than we are, and you can't be more motivated than New England is."

Talking trash is a way of burning your boat. Much like soldiers did back in the day by burning their boat before going into war, as in "Theres no turning back". No boat, no bitchin' out and going home. Jets were in this and they committed when they said "Brady is a F-king A--hole" and that they "want him on his back as much as possible". I LOVE IT! Maybe the Pats couldve used a little more of these means of motivation instead of being robots (yes, I understand that the Pats have 4 rings. But thats in the past). Im NOT a Jets fan, but its good to see a team finally back up some good trash talkin'. This NY and Pittsburgh matchup is going to be a doozy.

Tony's take:

AFC Championship
Steelers 24
Jets 17

NFC Championship
Bears 27
Packers 24

Get out your wallets and make the bet.

Top 5 Live Shows of all Time......

Check It.

After recently watching The Muse on Palladia (3rd best channel on TV), I decided to make a list of my top 5 live performances of all time.


5. Motley Crue, WILD SIDE. Lets get this party started right. This is the only video I could find on youtube because the "Man" at Sony took down the original. Why is this on the list? Simple, at the 2 minute mark Tommy Lee and his drums go for a ride. I remember watching this video when I was kid and thinking it was so awesome.....and it still is.



4. Coldplay, YELLOW. Me and the wifey saw this show 2 summers ago. Watching them play this song in particular made me feel more alive than ever. Thats deep, just keepin' it real. Watch this in sweet HD......



3. The Muse, STARLIGHT. This is HD from from the MTV Music Awards. Muse is hands down the best overall band in the business right now, I cant wait to see them. I still laugh every time I think of MTV and "Music". They should rename it BTYWTWHNMUYW4TV (Brainwashing Today's Youth With Trash and We Have No Music Videos Unless You're Watching at 4a.m. TV).




2. Metallica, FUEL. My favorite band of all time, they play flawless live. I saw this same set in Dallas in 1999 at what was then, The Starplex. For free bitches.....



1. Korn, BLIND. For the love of Pete Rose, look at that f'ing crowd. I, for one, have to give the number one spot to any band that has fans shooting roman candles in the air before the biggest mosh pit known to man. I once stood 10 feet from the stage at a Korn show, just sayin'.....




I love lists........

Whatever Heat. Seeing this picture reminds me of the annoying guy at work that has the highest sales every month. You hate him, but he's awesome........

Philly is kicking our ass........

OK, so here we go....I'm about to rant hard on this complete joke of a negotiation with Cliff Lee.

These past 2 days have been a disgrace in Dallas. On Sunday, the Cowboys defense collapsed again to the Eagles at home. Hey Cowboys, its called run defense, learn it. Oh whats that? The offense kept going 3 and out and you got tired during the second half? Figures, it's the same ole song and dance.

And here comes Monday. Mavs have a 20 point lead to the.....uhhhhh.....Milwaukee Bucks only to lose it. Mavs have a gauntlet coming up with Phoenix, Portland, Miami, Orlando, and OKC and this is what they do? Way to go.

And then Monday night we get the worst news of all.......

Lee signs with the Phillies, 5 years at 100 million. Yes, the Phillies. The same team that told him "thanks, but no thanks" last year, is the team that he goes back to. Like the girlfriend that breaks your heart, you go back with your tail tucked between your legs. And spare me all this "he wants to win" bullsh*t. Rather than stick with a team that just left the World Series 5 minutes ago, you go the easy route, Lebron style. This is a move that a Darren Oliver, Trevor Hoffman, Andy Pettite, or some other old fart would make to have a last chance of winning a title. Thats when this is OK but not when you're in your prime. Have a back bone and a competitive spirit and challenge yourself in a smart way. Don't take the escalator when theres a few stairs in the way. My gosh, show a pair!! (of f*cking balls)

If you want a legacy and want to be one of the greatest of all time, which all signs pointed to Lee wanting to be this guy, you play for a team where you make a difference. Take a city somewhere its never been....to the promise land. Prove critics wrong and show that you're human by staying close to home or make a honest decision. Stop making decisions based on money that you'll never spend or making excuses that you want to "win". You can win anywhere, the 2010 Rangers are a good example. This was a chicken shit move to say the least. Lee wasted Texas' time as we watched other solid free agents drive by in the other direction. We wined and dined this guy and he takes off to the ex girlfriend. Real sweet move Lee, thanks for giving me another reason to hate Philadelphia. I hope you freeze your ass off up there and I'll enjoy watching you and the Heat lose this season.

And oh yea, thanks for falling apart in the World Series you bum......... "But Tony, if it wasn't for Lee, you wouldn't have been in the World Series". Save your breath. The Mavericks once made it to the finals too, you know what we call them? Not champions.

The Best Cereal Ranking Blog of All Time.......

Often under appreciated, it's been a part of our lives forever. Im talking about cereal here people, so here's my rank of all time best cereals. You may disagree, but you're probably a cereal snob and only eat Raisin Bran or Wheat Chex....something boring like that. So here we go, in particular order.

1o. Cookie Crisp. You dont hear much about this classic these days. Maybe it's because it's basically chocolate chip cookies in a bowl of milk. Parents must frown upon that these days.







9. Honey Comb. Not only are these delicious, but have you noticed that you can get a HUGE box for a reasonable price. This one is tops in value, but value doesnt taste good. So wear this number 9 spot, Honey Comb.








8. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The funny thing is that I only like cinnamon on 2 things. Rolls and CTC.










7. Apple Jacks. Go ahead, tell me that they taste anything like apples, you'll be a liar. Nontheless, delecious.










6. Cocoa Puffs. Whats awesome about this? Oh, I dont know, maybe the free chocolate milk you get after 2 bowls. Coo Coo for CoCo Puffs.









5. Fruity Pebbles. The only reason these aren't ranked higher is because once they get soggy, they're hard as hell to catch on the spoon and eat. These are best freshly poured and crispy.








4. Frosted Flakes. Theyyyyy'rrrrrrrre Grrrrrrrreat. But not the greatest. This is about the most "plain" that I'll get on the cereal front.








3. Lucky Charms. "Rubbings Racing". Thats what the leprechaun told Tony the Tiger during this race when he took the 3 spot. It was a close finish. When I was a kid I would eat all the boring parts first and leave the marshmallows until the end.








2. Cap'n Crunch Berries. Sometimes these bad boys are a little rough and rub the inside of your mouth. But the tasty berries even it out.









1. Marshmallow Fruit Loops. You take the wonderfulness of toucan sam, and throw in a bit of Lucky Charms greatness, you get this master piece. I hope the guy who came up with this idea is sitting in a corner office at the Kellogg's headquarters.

Rangers, the Mavs and Cowboys welcome you to their club.....

Series 3-1 in favor of the giants.

As much as I should be happy just to have made it here, I'm raging on the inside and I want to drive to SF and punch someone in the face!! There's been a ton of missed opportunities and with the exception of game 3, we havent even shown up. After taking down the Rays and the Evil Empire in style, we're now struggling against a team of no names that are making themselves known at our expense.

Lets first talk about the media and how they forecasted the series before it began. A majority of them picked Texas because of the offense and the arms. So theres 2 questions to ask yourself based on what we've seen so far:

1. Is the SF pitching really this good? And if so, the media has been "pitching wins championships" for years, so why didnt they see this coming?

or

2. Did the Ranger offense choke with the pressure of the big lights and have they completley forgot how to hit? Was the fact that the media picked them too much for texas

I'll go with a perfect mix of both.... But why is it that it takes a meeting with the Rangers for the giants to start hitting like the all stars?

Secondly, how many f$%king breaks are the giants going to get? I mean really? This is getting ridiculous. The giants fans back home have to be wondering why these wins are coming so easily. Did they sell their soul? Lets go through a list of breaks these clowns have recieved......

1. Game 1. After going 7-0 in the postseason with numbers threatening the greatest post season numbers of all time, Cliff Lee promptly goes and gives up 5 in a game 1 loss.

2. Sanchez's gets his first double of the night with a hit down the right field line that hits the chalk. Posey then gets a blooper over Kinsler to bring in the first run. Oday comes in and opens the flood gates and gives up 11 total runs to a team that didnt score more than 5 in a game all postseason!!!!!

3. Game 2, Kinsler hits a shot to center that goes off TOP of the wall and comes back in. Im still trying to figure that one out. I paid attention in physics class, and that doesnt make sense.

4. Derek Holland comes in with a 2-0 sf lead. Then proceeds to throw 12 out 13 pitches for balls. Walking in 2. Then Lowe (who hasnt thrown all post season) gives up more. The game by this time is out of hand. 9-0 giants. Refer to the no-more-than=5 runs in a postseason game stats above.

5. Game 3. Rangers hitting into 4 double plays that kept the game closer than it shouldve been. We made Uribe and Renteria look like Mike Schmidt and Cal Ripken Jr this series.

6. Game 4. Sanchez snow-cones a definite RBI chance by Francoeur in the 3rd. Dont know how.

7. giants player called safe at first on a could-be double play by texas but the ump blows the call. He doensnt score thanks to a Hamilton play in cf, but it effects the pitch count and makes hunter work.

8. Torres hits a ball down the right field line and off the base making it unplayable for Moreland resulting in a double. Huff then delivers a shot to right field making it 2-0 giants.

9. Shot down the line for Renteria goes off the webbing of Youngs glove at third. Getting a runner on that promptly scores a few plays later.

10. Torres hits a ball to right center that misses being a ground rule double by 2 inches. If it wouldve bounced over, renteria wouldnt have scored.

9. In the 8th, Andrus gets called out at first when he was obviously safe. Ump blowing one earlier in sf's favor, blows another in....well....sf's favor.

10. Our best righty in relief, Agando, goes out with a muscle strain. Done for the post season.

11. Posey goes deep to CF. Hamilton starts a casual jog backward thinking its an easy out, but the ball keeps floating and makes it out of the ballpark. But Francouer jacks one to left the next inning that looks gone. But a magical gust of san francisco wind hits it dies into Ross' glove. Couldve been a huge HR.

12. Not so much a break, but we make a f$%king rookie look like Sandy f$%ing Koufax out there in the WORLD SERIES! Are you telling me that we couldnt get at least one rally together vs. this guy? We let him come into our house and dominate? Unbelievable!!

Yea, Yea, Yea, its great that we made it this far. But dont hit the f$%king brakes just because we made it to the World Series!!! We look like Rookies out there. But not san fran rookies, Texas rookies!!

Another Dallas team bites the dust in extraordinary fashion. After the opportunity to finally give the city of Dallas a team that can actually come through, they collapsed. Theyve failed to show up and have only challenged the giants once in a series where a majority of the national media picked us to win. Im not saying its over and Cliff Lee may go out and get a win tomorrow. But going back to san fran looks dreary. And by the looks on the Rangers faces and the bats, they're done. I would love to congratulate them on a great season, but its just too hard to do that right now. I'd love to be eating Crow next week if we come back and win this thing but it's unlikely.

Lets take a look at the past few season of Dallas sports and how we've collapsed:

2006: Romo botched fg hold in Seattle.
2006: Mavs collapse in the finals after being up 2-0. I could talk about this one all day but Im already pissed enough.
2007: #1 seed Mavs collapse to a golden state #8 seed. I dont think Baron Davis missed a shot in that series.
2007: After sweeping the giants in the regular season, the Cowboys lose to NY in the playoffs after going 13-3.
2008: Mavs first round exit to the Hornets. David West slaps Dirk in the face and we just sit there and take it, Dallas style.
2008: Cowboys play Philly in the play in game for the playoffs. We get crushed 44-6. This after getting beat by Baltimore the week before in the So-Long-Texas Stadium game. Way to pay your respects Cowboys.
2009: Mavs lose in Playoffs to the Denver Thugges. Game 5, carmelo hits a dagger 3 after an obvious foul when we had one to give.
2010: Mavs lose to a lesser Spurs team in the first round by letting a rookie, George Hill, torch us all series. We were the #2 seed losing to a #7 seed.
2010: Cowboys are 1-6 after being a preseason favorite to go to the superbowl.
2010: These Rangers. After beating the 2nd and 3rd best teams in baseball to get to the World Series, we dont even show up vs. the Giants. Done.

Now on to the NBA season. I'm interested in seeing how the Mavs will blow it this year. Im sure by either a first round exit to a team not as good as them, or in the conference finals by getting pummeled.

Its the Dallas way....... But I love my teams, thats why it sucks so much!

Rangers Win The Pennant!

So we've done it! Arod finally came through for us and took a K looking to send the Rangers to the World F'ng Series. This blows any Cowboys super bowl or Mavs finals run out of the water. The Cowboys were winning when I was too young to appreciate it and the Mavs have been relevant the past 10 seasons so it was bound to happen. But the Rangers......the Texas Rangers, finally got it done. After years of suffering and watching top prospects and great players come and go, they finally came through. Because my mind is going 100 mph and I cant put solid sentences together to write paragraphs that make any sense, I'll put my thoughts in list form. In no particular order, here's my observations of the Rangers franchise and this magical season:

1. Not to take ANYTHING away from this team, but this one's for Juan Gonzalez, Dean Palmer, Julio Franco, Geno Petralli, Steve Beuchele, Rafael Palmeiro, Pudge Rodriguez, Rusty Greer, Kevin Elster, and Mark Mclemore. These are players I grew up watching at Arlington Stadium and the Ballpark in Arlington. I bet these guys are pumped to see Texas finally make it.

2. The yankee fans are a joke and a disgrace. Why would anybody (cliff lee) want to go there and deal with that. I don't care how many statues are beyond the outfield wall, F that team.

3. Mitch Moreland was the best call up of the entire season. Great on Defense and he's had some huge at bats. Chris Davis can crush in the minor leagues but the guy strikes out more than some tool in an affliction shirt at Ghost Bar.

4. Throughout the Ron Washington coke deal, the bankruptcy, the lengthy Nolan/Greenberg thing, and the injuries.....this season was full of drama. I commend the team for sticking with it. Makes for a great story if we can win the whole thing.

5. Just wear the white uniforms at home.

6. It was so awesome to see us win the pennant at home. The fans were going INSANE! Too bad we cant see that same enthusiasm at the AAC or Cowboys stadium, i dont get it.

7. Rangers have the best Home Run celebration in the game. "The Natural" music with fireworks everywhere!

8. Tampa Bay reallllly messed up by mocking the Claw and Antlers thing. TBS caught it on camera a few times and they paid for it in that joke of a stadium in game 5.

9. Cruz can absolutely crush. I cant remember an at bat where he didn't hit a lazer. I just hopes he doesn't go up thinking home run every a.b. in the world series.

10. I've been wanting a SF new era hat for a while but I'll have to hold up on that.

11. TBS broadcasters were awful!!! So obviously rooting for the yankees in games 1-5. It wasn't funny.

12. Nolan holding up the ALCS trophy was the moment that tears filled my eyes. I love that guy. I remember watching him pitch at the old stadium and he would drop curse words after every pitch that wasn't a strike. Classic!

13. Start Vlad, sit Murphy on the road this series.....maybe. I haven't figured that out yet.

14. Cliff Lee is absolutely amazing. He is easily the most clutch Dallas athlete since Troy Aikman. But I'd have to give the edge to Cliff. I keep waiting for someone to hit him hard but it never happens. It blows my mind, he's like a machine.

15. We should be the favorites in this series. But we've been there before. Mavs were the favorites in '06 vs. the Heat, and we all know what happened then.

16. It feels so good for one of our Dallas teams to finally come through. After all the years of heartbreaking chokes, we finally got a team that got it done.

17. The key difference between us and the competition this year, the Rangers actually swing the bat. Other teams are looking to walk while we put up crooked numbers on the scoreboard inning after inning. Combine that with the aggressive base running, we're tough to beat.

18. Yankees payroll was $152 million higher that ours. Yet we dominated them in every aspect of the game. Sorry yankees and phillies, your evil plan backfired. So suck it NY Daily News writer of this article. (For those of you not familiar with the way this works, click on the words "this article".

19. Bring on the Giants.