Crowning Champions

Join the crew in a week where several champions will be crowned! Talk of the NBA and NHL finales, reviewing the champion of the US Open and the Ninja Gold challenge, a look at the college World Series and Major League Baseball, a stumble through Mick's Pub and hopefully a few special guests too!

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Daily Sports Affirmation 6/19/13

I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.
-Frederick Douglass

Being LeBron is like the Kobayashi Maru. Or for those of you who are not super nerds, a no-win scenario. With 3 quarters complete in game 6, sports writers across America had their knives sharpened to bring down King James. How he had choked away the finals, been too passive and now was staring at a team destined to be broken apart.

But just then a funny thing happened. The NBA allowed the 4th quarter to be played. And without even discussing it with the media. The nerve! And in that 4th quarter and on into overtime, LeBron lost his headband and was fantastic. Huge shots from he and Jesus Shuttlesworth, coupled with some faulty free throw shooting and rebounding by the Spurs, led to the Heat "staying alive" for game 7 on Thursday night.

And even still, the haters gonna hate. Ridicule on sports talk radio rained down on the King's reign throughout the day today. And while I am by no means a LeBron or Miami Heat fan (how can you be with that fan base),  you gotta give the man some credit. He provided anyone willing to stay up and watch an amazing game of basketball. My hat's off to both the Heat and the Spurs for a fascinating game and series and I can't wait for game 7. All we as fans can hope is that both team's give their all and the result leaves no doubt.

So today, when you complain about others and their efforts, look in the mirror at your own deficiencies through the compassionate lens of others. Are you giving your all? Are you being unfairly ridiculed? The lessons we learn by watching sports are important, but only if they are applied with brutal honesty.

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
-Frederick Douglass

Dallas Mavericks Free Agent Targets: Shooting Guards

 by Dustin Copening

It has been a quick and graceless fall for the Dallas Mavericks since they shocked the Big Three and the world in the summer of 2011. Only Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion remain from the roster that won the NBA Championship, and there is a chance that Dirk is the only holdover left standing come Opening Night 2013.

Mark Cuban has promised that he and Donnie Nelson will put a title contending team together over the next two years. It’s hard to be that optimistic considering the flop that was the Deron Williams courtship last summer, but the Mavs front office delivered the ultimate prize before when the Dirk window appeared shut.

We’ve taken a look at Point Guards, so today it’s time survey the Shooting Guards who are likely to top the Mavericks wish list as free agency begins on July 1st.

Shooting Guard Free Agent Class:

1) O.J. Mayo - Much like Darren Collison, Mayo had a drop off in performance at the end of the 2012-13 season. Some of his drop in scoring coincided with the return of Dirk from his knee injury, but Mayo bottomed out in April at 8.6 ppg. That included a 2 point, 1 assist, and 4 turnover performance against Memphis in the next to last game of the season. Rick Carlisle spoke publicly after that poor effort about his frustrations with Mayo’s effort, but only weeks earlier he had praised O.J. for his determined play in a win over the Bulls.

Both parties have talked openly about wanting to bring Mayo back to Dallas next season and beyond, but word is that the Timberwolves have placed him at or near the top of their free agent targets. If Minnesota (or anyone else) does elect to spend big on O.J., then expect the Mavs to pass. They aren’t interested in paying #2 money for a #3 performer.

2) Tyreke Evans - I don’t buy that Dallas is ruling out restricted free agents this year. The strategy sounds okay on the surface. It’s difficult to spend time and effort going after a guy only to see his old team match your offer while other FA’s leave the market, but there’s a lot of promising talent whose rights can be wrestled away for the right price. Is it wasting more time going after the 23 year old Evans, or the CP3/D12 pipe dream?

Tyreke’s playing time and numbers have dipped a bit since an outstanding rookie campaign (which earned him Rookie of the Year honors), but his 18.1 PER in 2012-13 was a notch off of his rookie total of 18.2 and HoopsRumors.com points out that Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry are the only 2009 draft members to have higher ppg averages for their careers. Evans finished last season averaging 15.2 pts, 3.5 ast, and 4.4 trb per game.

Evans isn’t a max money guy by any means, so while Dallas may have to overpay a bit to scare off the Kings, they shouldn’t have to grossly overspend on a nice youthful addition to the 2-year plan.

3) J.J. Redick - He’s a name that most casual fans haven’t had on their radar since he was drafted out of Duke by Orlando in 2006, but Redick’s game has quietly improved in the last few years as he’s received more and more playing time.

Through 50 games with Orlando to start last season he was on pace to set career highs in points (15.1 pg), assists (4.4 pg), field goal percentage (.450), and PER (16.1). After being traded to Milwaukee those numbers fell off sharply (12.3/2.7/.403/11.9), yet he still finished with highs in points (14.1) and assists (3.8).

The Pacers are said to be interested in his services, and the Bucks seem content with allowing him to sign elsewhere. Should the Mavericks be serious about ignoring RFA’s, Reddick is a sharpshooter who might be ready to step into a starting role.

4) Martell Webster - Webster started 62 games this year for the Wizards after signing a 1 year $1.75 million deal. He was a bargain, setting a career high in point per game at 11.4. The tricky thing with Webster is that he is a combo SG-SF, and he has had his best success at SF (including 2012-13).

It’s doubtful that there will be a flood of offers sent Martell’s way early on the free agency, so this could be a direction that Dallas looks if they are left looking for a late addition to the team. Though they’re not getting him away from the Wiz for anything less than 2 years, considering he’s made it known that he’d be willing to return to Washington in a bench role if necessary.

5) Randy Foye - I’ve gone back and forth over the last spot on this list between Foye, Nick Young, and Shannon Brown. Ultimately I decided on Foye because he’s likely cheaper to acquire than Young, and I’m not convinced the Suns will waive Brown and grant him FA status despite his complaints about being moved to the bench. 

Foye is another player that could be a last minute addition if the Mavs end up losing out in their pursuit of players at the top of this list. Foye has been consistent over his 7 years in the league. His career averages (11.5 ppg, 3 apg, and 12.9 PER) aren’t going to jump off of a stat sheet, but you can’t have all stars at every position.

Like Webster, Foye has talked openly about his desire to stay in Utah, so it will probably take a multi year deal to convince him to join the Mavericks. A deal I’m not so sure the front office will feel like making unless Webster or several one year targets have signed with other teams.

Off The Radar:
1.    Raja Bell
2.    Richard Hamilton
3.    Marco Belinelli

Poll Question: Though Left Off The List, Would You Like Dallas To Sign Monta Ellis?

Sweet Science Project 6/17/13

by Darren Boyd

The American Airlines Center was rocking on Saturday night for the HBO Boxing After Dark Card. Over 5600 people were on hand for the most heated rivalry in Boxing. The Mexico vs. Puerto Rico boxing rivalry. The fans had their respected country flags waving and chants were signing all night. This unfortunately was the highlight of the night for me because the fight card was awful! Top Rank Boxing should give out refunds for fans that paid $250 a ticket for ringside seats. There was only 1 fight that was competitive on the card out of the 6 that I watched the whole night.  Lets get to the main event first.

Mikey Garcia had missed his contacted weight of 126 the night before so he had to vacate his title. He also had to pay Juanma Lopez a reported $150,000 out of his purse to make sure the fight went on. Lopez was going to pull out otherwise. The thought from some in the boxing world was that Juanma was damaged goods going into this fight. It turned out to be true. Juanma was dominated in this fight. The First Round was a feeling out round. Juanma was dropped in the 2nd round. The worst part of that was Juanma's Wife and kids came running down the aisle by me crying and headed back to the dressing room. Who brings little kids to watch a fight in the first place but that is for another time. It was just a matter of time before Garcia finished him and the end came in the 4th Round. Garcia is headed for another big payday in Sept, as for Juanma this ends his time as a show case fighter. 

 

The rest of the fights were utter mismatches. Terrence Crawford undefeated 25 year old Lightweight looked good against a human heavy bag, this was the first fight on HBO. The other fights I watched were one-sided blow outs.  As for the rest of the night as a life long fight fan it was thrill for me to get to meet Big George Foreman, Roy Jones Jr and Jim Lampley after the fight.  I thought Dallas had a good turn out for this fight and I hope this will attract more high profile fights to the American Airlines Center.

Rangers Pepper 6/17: Texas Must Start Hitting Em Where They Ain't

by Dustin Copening

“#RangersThoughts” on Twitter can be seen by following me @dfwfanconnect, but those thoughts evolve every few days from 140 characters into what I have dubbed as  “Rangers Pepper”. Along with a Ron Washington pep talk (NSFW), maybe the Texas offense just needs a case of ice cold Dr. Pepper:

Happy Days Are Here Ag...Soon? - The Rangers are playing their worst baseball since?

The answer to that question varies depending on who is asked. Some will point to September 12th to 20th in 2009. Texas went 2-9 in an 11 game homestand against the Mariners, Athletics, and Angels. They averaged 1.7 runs per game, hit .204 with a .558 OPS, and allowed a 5.11 ERA and 1.432 WHIP. Kissing goodbye any chance they had of catching the LA Angels for the AL West crown.

Some will suggest just 266 days ago, when Texas started a 2-7 stretch to finish the 2012 regular season and end their two year run as AL West champs. The Rangers hit the ball better than in the 2009 skid (.240 and .700 OPS), but pitched worse (6.04 ERA and 1.570 WHIP).

Which brings us to the team’s current dismal play in June. It’s gone from ugly, to beyond ugly, to comical, to beyond comical, and is on the verge of reaching an indescribable level of suck if they don’t manage at least a split against Oakland over the next 4 games.

In June, the Rangers are batting .219 with a .645 OPS, and their 4.57 ERA and  1.374 WHIP has fans dreading the next start not involving Yu Darvish. It all adds up to a 4-11 spell that has even the most optimistic observer wondering if this is more than a momentary slide. Perhaps the makeup covering up the warts is melting away as the game time temps heat up.

The doom and gloom mentality is understandable during the darkest times of 162 games season, but there are signs that this period of dreadful play is only a pothole. Not the impassable canyon it feels like.

Texas’s BABIP (a stat that can be used to determine good and bad luck, for lack of a better term) is .248, good for second worst in all of baseball. That’s coming off of an AL best .324 BABIP in May , and a .285 mark in April that was much closer to the league average.

So are the Rangers unlucky, or are they finding fewer gaps because they’ve lost patience at the plate?

Here’s a comparison of the plate discipline Texas has shown from month to month:

Month	O-Sw%	Z-Sw%	Sw%	O-Con%	Z-Con%	Con%	SwSt%
June	28.7	62.1	43.5	70.4	88.2	81.7	7.9
May	29	63.5	45.3	67	88.1	81	8.4
April	29.9	62.2	44.5	70	88.2	81.5	8.1

A look at the glossary for the stats listed will bring some clarity, but long story short, Texas has not drastically altered their strategy at the plate to swing away in June. If anything they have taken more pitches, since their swing and swinging strike percentages are down a tick.

They are however hitting more ground balls in June (50.2%) than they did in May (47%) and April (43.7%). Something to be expected with Mitch Moreland and Ian Kinsler both missing significant time this month, while power challenged hitters played in their place.

Now Kinsler is back, with Mitch Moreland not too far behind. The trade deadline is around the corner, where Jon Daniels has usually been able to address his team’s most glaring weaknesses.
Better days are ahead. Texas just hopes that “ahead” begins tonight.

Daily Sports Affirmation 6/14/13

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
-Winston Churchill

Life is hard. That's probably not news to most of you. But today, remember it's not about the hardships you face but how you face them. One of the reason's the US Open Golf tournament is so fascinating is how it humbles the greatest golfers in the world. The winner is likely to be near par or even over it. And there will be ridiculous shots at which even the most amateur of hacker will laugh. But eventually someone emerge victorious with a major and have his career forever altered. I'm not sure if it makes the win sweeter, but it definitely makes it compelling to watch. Winning with humility is one of the great lessons sports can teach you.

So this Father's Day weekend, humble yourself before your dad and tell him that you appreciate him. Even if he might not have been the greatest dad or has even passed on, he had an impact on your life. Accept both the opportunities and difficulties that he presented you that has made you into the perfectly imperfect person you have become. And then enjoy the final round of the US Open on Sunday. That makes for a nice full weekend.

I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.
-Mahatma Gandhi
 
 

 

Rangers Pepper 6/14: Stuck At 2nd, The Best Yu Can Do, The 17 Day Dig

 by Dustin Copening

“#RangersThoughts” on Twitter can be seen by following me @dfwfanconnect, but those thoughts evolve every few days from 140 characters into what I have dubbed as  “Rangers Pepper”. After reading this, you might consider watching Dr. Pepper baseball tonight instead of Rangers baseball until this thing turn around:

Nowhere To Turn - David Murphy stepped into the number 2 spot in the lineup on May 18th. The moaning and complaining was instantly deafening from the crowd of those who like to moan and complain. In spite of his detractors, Murphy hit a respectful .277, with an .811 OPS, 3 HR, and 13 RBI (there are two 1 for 2 games off of the bench mixed in these numbers). Then June 1st hit.

In the 12 games played since the calendar turned, Murphy is hitting .130, with an OPS of .492, 1 HR and 3 RBI. Those are number that would lead you to believe Murph has been attempting to hit with a wiffle bat. Unfortunately, there’s no explanation that simple for his struggles.

How can Ron Washington justify keeping a player in such a pitiful slump in the 2nd spot of the batting order when his team starving for offensive production?

Maybe it’s that since the start of June, Lance Berkman is hitting .194, Leonys Martin is hitting .120, Craig Gentry is hitting .190, Jeff Baker is hitting .226, and Elvis Andrus is hitting .200 at lead-off. Jurickson Profar is another option, but he’s hitting just .244 in June, and would be at .200 if not for his 3-5 performance to close out the Cleveland series two nights ago.

The frustrating thing for Washington and Rangers fans is that the only players hitting over .300 are Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, and A.J. Pierzynski. Want to move one of them into the number two hole? Then Texas is left with a gaping void in the middle of the order, waiting to be filled by someone hitting in the .220 range at best.

It’s these moments where even the most optimistic of people struggle with the darkness.

Not Much Yu Can Do - Yu Darvish began the month of May with a 2.33 ERA and 0.818 WHIP. His 3.79 ERA and  0.994 WHIP over five starts during May was a small step backwards, but the Rangers still managed a 3-2 record in those starts.

For his three June appearances, Yu has allowed only 3 ER (4 runs total) on 12 hits while striking out 22 and walking 7. That’s good for a 1.29 ERA and a .905 WHIP, and he’s gone 7 innings in each start. Texas was 5-1 in games where Darvish pitched 7 or more innings, but are 1-2 in three such starts in June.

Not surprisingly, Yu has seen his run support per outing plummet each month, from 7.2 in April, to 5.2 in May, and to 2.3 so far in June.

Wrong Way At The Wrong Time - The Rangers head into tonight’s contest with Toronto on a three game losing streak. A win tonight will keep them as the sole team in baseball not to lose four straight in 2013. That feat sounds impressive, but for those paying attention it does little to mask how poorly things have gone for Texas since May 26th.

Texas has now had three 3-game losing streak in their last 17 games played. They are 6-11 over that stretch, hitting .241 and scoring just 3.6 runs per game. That’s down from a .272 average and 4.7 runs scored per game in Texas’s first 49 contests played in 2013.

Compounding the offensive slide in production is a bump in team ERA (from 3.44 in the first 49 to 3.90 in the next 17), and a spike in mental mistakes defensively (from 0.5 errors per game to 0.7 during this dreadful run).

Toss in the Oakland A’s 14-4 record over the same period and you get the complete picture of how an AL West lead of 5.5 games going into May 26th has flipped to a 2 game deficit on June 14th.

Poll Question: How Much Rangers Baseball Do You Watch During A Team Slump?