Buck & New Dawg: Pass the Rolaids and keep looking for some pitching
By RAY BUCK and NEWY SCRUGGS
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Each Monday, the Star-Telegram's Ray Buck and NBC 5's Newy Scruggs go at it in a point-counterpoint on sporting issues. | E-mail Ray Buck at rbuck@star-telegram.com. | Newy can be reached at his Web site, www.newdawg.com.
With a four-pack of All-Stars, are the Rangers merely underachievers at three games over .500? NEW DAWG: Did you see any Rangers pitchers on that All-Star roster? No. The Red Sox, Cubs and Angels will have pitchers and position players at Yankee Stadium next week. That’s why those teams are on pace to make it to the postseason, and the Rangers are not.
Texas has the second-highest ERA in the bigs, so the team is actually overachieving, in my opinion. Ron Washington has needed to use 10 different starting pitchers because of injuries.
Sunday’s win in Baltimore was a typical Rangers win. They put up 11 runs and the pitchers gave up 10. Closer C.J. Wilson gave up two homers in the ninth inning alone. You need Rolaids to watch this bullpen.
BUCK: The Rangers went 4-for-4 in well-deserved All-Star selections — and nearly made it five. No, that doesn’t make them underachievers ... not with the franchise baggage that these players, manager and coaches have to carry around.
Hey, Vicente Padilla (10-5) fell from All-Star consideration only after he returned from personal business in Nicaragua in early June. Since then, he’s been a .500 pitcher with a steadily rising ERA. Anytime now, you can lay off C.J., who throws strikes and has 21 saves in 23 save-opps.
Does A-Rod’s marital status belong on the sports page? Or just in the N.Y. tabloids?
NEW DAWG: Once athletes began getting huge money, they became entertainers. They should expect the same treatment as actors and other celebrities. It’s the gift and the curse. I like Alex. But he wanted to play in New York, so he knew what he was jumping into. By comparison, Rangers starter Kevin Millwood missed a start to deal with his divorce. It was a note in the D-FW papers here, but in New York it would have been a big story.
BUCK: Many of us have been through D(ivorce)-League, and it’s no fun. Whereas very few of us have been major-leaguers, so your “you’re it!” logic is purely subjective. Even the richest ballplayers never signed on for probes into their personal life, just like most celebs never agreed to be dogged by paparazzi.
I’m a firm believer in informing the public and being fair, that’s our jobs. Facts should be reported, but in a manner more akin to journalism than TMZ. That goes for Alex Rodriguez, too.
Do the Rangers need to make the playoffs to have a legitimate MVP candidate?
NEW DAWG: No ... but it always helps. A-Rod lost two MVPs because the Rangers had a bad record. Hamilton will have the team’s best shot at MVP, but he needs the Rangers to have a winning season. His comeback story from drugs is a heartwarming one that could help him get votes.
BUCK: Think big picture. This is an odd year in the AL because the usual suspects on the contending teams aren’t having MVP-type seasons. Gotta love Kinsler’s numbers, but I think he probably needs the team to make the postseason. Hamilton has the better chance to win an MVP on his own merit, i.e., A-Rod in ’03, Cal Ripken Jr. in ’91 and, of course, Ernie Banks in ’58 and ’59. Now ’fess up, Newy ... you were around for Banks.
When was the last time the NFL had a Super Bowl that could measure up to Sunday’s marathon Wimbledon men’s final?
NEW DAWG: Sorry, Ray, but did you miss the Giants pulling off one of the top two upsets in Super Bowl history back in February? The 18-0 Patriots were going for perfection against a big-time underdog, and the game went down to the final seconds. Nadal and Federer played a great match. I enjoyed it along with millions on NBC (shameless plug), but let’s not downgrade America’s Game.
BUCK: You really did play football without a helmet, didn’t you? The Nadal-Federer Wimbledon final provided more drama, drained viewers of more emotion, than any Super Bowl game — ever. That includes the one that ended at the one-foot line (Rams over Titans in SB XXXIV). So, please, just because it wasn’t football, don’t downgrade a once-in-a-lifetime tennis classic. Time: 4 hours, 48 minutes. Total points: 413. Watching it: Priceless. (P.S. — Give me Federer and whatever odds Vegas is laying for him to win the ’09 Wimbledon men’s singles. I saw it in his face after the match.)
Will Michael Phelps break Mark Spitz’s 36-year-old record of seven gold medals at the Beijing Olympics?
NEW DAWG: No. Too much media hype. Every Olympiad, NBC Sports tries to build the Games around an American star (Marion Jones in 2000), and it’s too hard for the athlete to bring home all the medals the media says he or she can.
BUCK: His qualifying times say “yes, he can” — and that’s enough for me. If he fails to eclipse the Spitz record (which means that Phelps doesn’t go 8-for-8), it’ll be only because someone outswam him. Phelps was born and raised in the Hype Era, so that part won’t bother him.
Are you excited the Mavericks are close to bringing back DeSagana Diop at center?
NEW DAWG: The Mavericks need a center because Erick Dampier is just not going to be a guy you can count on for 82 games. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rick Carlisle starts Diop. If the Mavs are going to be a running team, they need Diop on the floor, not Damp.
BUCK: Diop is a great guy in the locker room with a huge upside that’s still coming out. I think his little “return” to Dallas will help in his focus and his development. Having said that, you don’t dump Damp until you know Diop is ready for mega-minutes. Yeah ... Carlisle will want to find that out ASAP.
Will the NBA succeed in Oklahoma City?
NEW DAWG: I’m sure the players hope not. Who would want to go from living in Seattle to living in Oklahoma City? I’d hate to live there. They will have to throw a lot of free-agent money at guys to get them to play in OKC.
BUCK: You miss the point on the Seattle-Oklahoma City swap. It has more to do with losing the Seattle market than settling for a medium-sized market with a big-league chip on its shoulders. OKC is a nice place, but David Stern and the owners are crazy to allow their presence in the Pacific Northwest to disappear. Sleepless in Seattle ... more like brainless in the NBA.
Will the Sean Avery signing get the Stars past the Red Wings?
NEW DAWG: Right now, I’d say maybe. It’s tough to defend the Cup. The Stars haven’t beaten the Red Wings in the playoffs since moving to Dallas. But after losing to Detroit in the ’98 Western Conference Finals, the Stars won it all in 1999. Let’s hope history repeats itself.
BUCK: Scruggs, quit daydreaming. Get back to work.
June 30
Are the Dallas Desperados really, truly, honestly cursed?>b?
NEW DAWG: Poor Jerry Jones. How many playoffs losses in five months to New York pro football teams can one owner take? I hope he is smart enough not to fire head Desperados coach Will McClay. They are the winningest team in the AFL the last three years.
BUCK: I don’t believe in curses — Bambino, Billy Goat or otherwise. I just think the Desperados thought too much (or answered questions too often) about not losing prematurely in the playoffs. And they thought (and answered) so darned well that they prophesied themselves into a first-round KO. McClay isn’t the problem. The players are good. But I might hire an exorcist next year just to be on the safe side.
Should the Cowboys waive Terry Glenn and sign a veteran receiver such as Joe Horn? (ESPN reported “some internal discussion” at Valley Ranch regarding the latter.)
NEW DAWG: Jerry Jones, during the Desperados’ choke job in the playoffs, said he was not interested in 36-year-old Joe Horn. With that on the record, give Jones some credit for putting a little pressure on Terry Glenn to sign the injury waiver. The Cowboys can use Glenn’s speed, if he is healthy. Horn isn’t a better player than Patrick Crayton. The Cowboys’ plan of action with Glenn has been smart. I see him in training camp.
BUCK: You’re way more positive about this thing than I am. I see Glenn playing for Big Bill in Miami. I see Patrick Crayton getting mentally beaten down by the message behind wooing another player at your position. Horn is an unlikely suspect at Valley Ranch. I think Jerry should be trying to get Terry Moss — the ex-Ball State star who lit up the Desperados with three TD catches.
Pitcher Shawn Chacon was waived by Houston after throwing Astros GM Ed Wade to the floor in the Astros dining room. What? Just another sign of the apocalypse in MLB?
NEW DAWG: Every athlete in America should have learned from former NBA star Latrell Sprewell that you can’t choke your boss. Chacon must’ve not had a TV set back in the late ’90s. I wrote on my NBC5 blog that Chacon would be perfect for the Fort Worth Cats or Grand Prairie AirHogs. Every time Chacon took the hill, they can have a “Beat Up Your Boss” Night.
BUCK: Nice, Newy. Just what did the Cats or Air Hogs do to deserve that? First, Chacon deserves a league with a lot longer bus rides — like Western Canada. Second, it’s nothing new in baseball for the inmates to be running the prison. So what’s the big whoop? Ed Wade should simply forfeit his right for a best-of-three-falls ... and move on.
Should the Rangers sign Chacon? Manager Ron Washington said he would be OK with it.
NEW DAWG: Even Sidney Ponson thinks that is a bad idea.
BUCK: The Rangers would have to be off their Rocker.
Is there just too much parity among the Big 12’s top five or six teams for one of them to win a national championship in ’08?
NEW DAWG: Geez, Ray, I haven’t even thought about college football yet. I will say “no” because we saw a team (LSU) win the national title with two losses last year. The SEC has won three titles this decade (LSU twice and Florida) — and it’s a better conference.
BUCK: I think Oklahoma is good enough to possibly pull it off — but don’t count on the two-loss thing working again. There are going to be great games in the Big 12 every week. And it’ll take a strong-minded team to tiptoe through this minefield of matchups.
What are the chances of Missouri QB Chase Daniel winning the 2008 Heisman?
NEW DAWG: I think it will be tough for Daniel. Frontrunners have a tougher time because people expect too much. I like the chances of Georgia’s Matthew Stafford. The quarterback from Highland Park will be on a very good offensive team and has the talent to win it all.
BUCK: I like Chase’s chances. He has a stout enough schedule to prove himself — or not. And it starts fast: Aug. 30 vs. Illinois, under the lights, at a big-time neutral site (St. Louis’ Edward Jones Dome).
The NFL will start flagging players (15 yards) for stiff-arms to the head in ’08 and the NBA will begin fining players for flopping in ’08-09. Which rule has a better chance of working?
NEW DAWG: The Flop Foul will work. It is so easy to call. The Spurs will be affected the most — they live by the flop. The league is full of bad flop actors like Ron Artest, Bruce Bowen and half the guys from Europe. The stiff-arm rule won’t last a year. The NFL has too many rules.
BUCK: One word: Idiotic is the stiff-arm rule (15 yards if used as a weapon to the face or head). That’s exactly what the stiff-arm is meant to be, and it’s been legal since The Galloping Ghost galloped. NBA players learned last year to zip their lip after fouls, and now they’ll have to learn how to control their faking in trying to draw a charge. This should be real fun to watch.
June 23
Should we really respect the wishes of Adam (P**M**) Jones and stop calling him Pacman?
NEW DAWG: I think the police have been calling him Adam for a long time. They’ve called him Adam during his many court appearances. So, yeah ... call him Adam.
BUCK: Too late, Pacman, too late. A nickname is like a friendship, it’s not up to one person to decide. “We the people” shall decide. We’re all creatures of habit. We won’t budge on T**** Woods or D**** Don Meredith, either. Some nicknames really are etched in stone. Get over it, Pacman. Psst. It’s really not the cause of your problems.
Which college superstar deserves to be the No. 1 pick overall in Thursday’s NBA draft? Derrick Rose of Memphis or K-State’s Michael Beasley?
NEW DAWG: I really like Derrick Rose. He’s a Chicago boy and a better player than Kirk Hinrich. The Bulls (with the No. 1 pick) have a lot of money tied up in Kirk, but they could send him off to a team that needs a young point guard. Like, let’s see ... Dallas.
BUCK: You couldn’t be more wrong, Newy ... unless you’re the Bulls and are about to make the wrong pick. Warning: You don’t pass up on a game-changer like “The Beast,” no matter how “nice” a player Derrick Rose is or how much baggage Beasley has amassed in his short life. When you’re drafting No. 1, and desperately in need of a radical franchise fix, you don’t play it safe.
The Mavs have one pick (59th overall) in Thursday’s draft. Should they go home and just call it a night?
NEW DAWG: They will take some Euro that nobody in town knows about. I have no interest in the Mavericks’ draft this year.
BUCK: I think they’ll bundle their entire allotment of picks and trade up ... from 59th to the mid-40s ... and that’s where they’ll take a player with no name. Or at least one we can’t spell.
Is there a real risk involved in Mark Cuban sending two Mavs (Jason Kidd and possibly Dirk Nowitzki) to the Beijing Olympics in August?
NEW DAWG: Fatigue is the biggest worry. I can’t recall a top player suffering a major injury during Olympic play. If I owned an NBA club, I would have big concerns about my top guys being a little overworked when training camp hits.
BUCK: This is the silliest controversy I’ve seen in years. First of all, it’s just a chance for Nellie to carp on Cuban, who has e-mailed himself into a corner. The Cube decided to get philosophical about the Olympic machine, which has nothing to do with anti-patriotism or the price of groceries. As owner of the Mavs, he just wants to win an NBA title and needs Kidd and Dirk to do it. Here’s how it works: They’ll go. They’ll play (if Dirk’s German team qualifies next month). They’ll return. Promise.
How much will the Rangers sink or swim without Gerald Laird?
NEW DAWG: Sink or swim, it’s time to get a look at Saltalamacchia anyway. We know what Laird can do behind the plate. The Rangers need to start selling off players next month ... so I say get something for Laird in a trade and let Salty develop. One Rangers official told me Salty could became a Javy Lopez. I’d take that all day long.
BUCK: Laird’s loss definitely will negatively impact the outcome of games. While Salty “develops,” as you call it, Laird’s ability to throw out runners, deliver clutch hits and play heads-up on the base paths will be sorely missed. Grossly underrated player.
Should anabolic steroids be banned from thoroughbred racing?
NEW DAWG: No ... that sport can use ANY and ALL the publicity it can get.
BUCK: Yup ... all of ’em, beginning with stanozolol. It’s time to take the sport out of the drug-dispenser’s hands. For once, I’d like to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. What does Big Brown think about “legalized” anabolic steroids and, in particular, on-again, off-again doping? How does it make him feel? We saw how it makes him run.
June 16
When Mark Teixeira visits Arlington this week as a member of the Atlanta Braves, what should Rangers fans do when he comes to bat?
NEW DAWG: Let's see, if they boo Alex Rodriguez, who wanted out of Texas, then I expect Tex to get the same treatment. Anything other than that would truly make me wonder if the fans here are stupid.
BUCK: They'll boo Tex, all right, but only because yawning doesn't make any noise. I personally think it would be really cool to have 25,000 or so fans stand and cheer wildly for Josh Hamilton ... then stand and ho-hum Tex whenever he's introduced. Isn't that really how they feel?
Where does Tiger Woods rank on your "all-time-most-amazing-athletes" list?
NEW DAWG: My Top 5 is Jack Johnson, Carl Lewis, Michael Jordan, Jim Brown and Tiger Woods, in no particular order.
BUCK: Ali, MJ and Tiger all have had that rare star-power quality that crosses traditional boundaries in sports. What Tiger did over the weekend at Torrey Pines to force an 18-hole playoff today is absolutely Willis Reed squared. BTW, I would add Jesse Owens and Joe Louis to my short list, but keep in mind there are so many more demands on our time in the 21st century ... that for one man to make us all stop and watch is getting harder and harder to do. Tiger gets bonus points for that.
How impressed are you that Quincy Carter has a job with the Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League?
NEW DAWG: Not at all. KC was desperate after playing so poorly and picked up Carter, who tore up AF2. So he understands how to play in the AFL.
BUCK: Actually, I admire Q's chutzpah. There is, of course, nothing/nada/zilch that impresses me about the choices he made while with the Cowboys, and for some time after that. But he has been given one life -- and he's moving forward with it. I think we should, too.
What, if anything, has Tony Romo done to convince you that he's a legitimate Super Bowl QB-in-waiting?
NEW DAWG: Ray, the kid has made the Pro Bowl every year he's started. He set numerous records in his first full season as a starting QB in 2008. If Eli Manning and Trent Dilfer can win a Super Bowl, I know Romo can do it. Geez, Rex Grossman got the Bears to Super Bowl XLI and had a chance to win it until he started throwing picks in the third quarter.
BUCK: I like the fact Romo thinks he needs to keep working on his game (no, not his golf game). He's throwing the ball from different arm-angles. He routinely arrives at Valley Ranch with a third-stringer's mentality to get better. I like that, too. Romo continues to remind me of the gym rat he is. He's legit ... but keep in mind, he needs a whole lot of help to get to a Super Bowl.
Does Kevin Garnett deserve to be the NBA's highest-paid player ($24 million for 2007-08)?
NEW DAWG: It is not about deserving ... it's about what your agent can negotiate for you. I don't mind KG making $24 million because he will be coming off a world championship and helped restore a great franchise in Boston. There are too many other guys stealing money in the NBA we should look at. Erick Dampier comes to mind.
BUCK: The Celtics are on their way to proving that a championship can be bought. It's the old George Steinbrenner method. Not only does Garnett make more money than anyone else in the NBA, teammates Paul Pierce ($16.4 million) and Ray Allen ($16 million) also rank in the top 15. Offense sells tickets ... and payroll wins championships. That goes even in a league with a soft cap.
June 9
Sidney Ponson was apparently a disrespectful teammate — so he got the boot. Can the Rangers afford to do that?
NEW DAWG: A guy has to know his role. Period. Ponson had a few nice outings and thought he should be treated like he was a key player. This was his last chance and he blew it with his mouth, and now let him try and latch on with another team. Darn ingrate.
BUCK: The old Oakland A’s of Reggie, Rudi, Tenace, Bando and Blue won their third straight World Series in 1974. The day before Game 1, Rollie Fingers and Blue Moon Odom got into a fistfight. The A’s went on to beat the Dodgers in five games. So, Mr. Ponson, that’s the proportionate level of talent that it takes to make turmoil worthwhile. Ponson is no Catfish Hunter. The Rangers (read: Nolan Ryan) smelled a rat and eradicated the problem. It absolutely was the right move. This current Rangers clubhouse is too good to junk up.
Why did Jerry Jones overspend ($34 million) to get T.O. (age 34) signed through 2011?
NEW DAWG: The Cowboys didn’t have a proven option at wide receiver for Tony Romo. Also, that’s not the kind of thing you want to sell going into a new stadium in 2009. I never worry about T.O. being in shape; it’s contract issues and quarterback issues that have hurt him in the past.
BUCK: Jerry Rice was an anomaly. He had five seasons of 75 or more catches after turning 34. Now Jerry Jones is banking on Anomaly II happening. But the real reason he overspent — and let’s face it, Jerry did — is that this validates his decision to bring in T.O. in the first place. Remember, Jerry had a special place in his heart for another troubled receiver (Michael Irvin of the ’90s). Now T.O. has come in and — so far — proven his critics wrong. That’ll get you a raise with Jerry anytime.
Is there anything that surprises you about Bill Parcells’ MO in Miami after 5 1/2 months on the job?
NEW DAWG: After agreeing to run the Falcons front office, Parcells weaseled out of that deal and landed on his feet in Miami, running off anybody who doesn’t want to do things Tuna-style. Bill Parcells ... right on time.
BUCK: None. Nada. Zilch. First of all, Zach Thomas became Emmitt Smith. Then Parcells picked up a few of his old players: Keith Davis and Akin Ayodele ... hey, maybe Terry Glenn. Why not? Parcells quickly alienated himself with a star player (Jason Taylor) who doesn’t want to be there. “Trust in Big Bill” was what reporters wanted to believe even when treated like garbage by the irascible Parcells. Naw ... nothing’s changed. I expect Bob Knight to show up in South Florida any day now.
Is there an American League team out there who would dare sign Barry Bonds to DH?
NEW DAWG: Tampa Bay should do it. Why not get a fearless guy to help the young kids get to the World Series?
BUCK: The Red Sox have been rumored to want Bonds. Hey, baseball’s all-time HR hitter has nothing but time on his hands between now and March 2 when he goes to trial for 15 felony counts. There’s probably a team out there willing to take a flier on him. After all, lying to the feds doesn’t mean a man can’t still hit.
Right now if you looked up “run out of gas” in the dictionary, would you find a picture of Big Brown or the Rangers bullpen?
NEW DAWG: Rangers pen ... because Big Brown has won two titles. The Rangers haven’t won squat.
BUCK: You couldn’t be more wrong about this one, Newy. Big Brown would be the picture in most dictionaries. Who outside a handful of fans living in North Texas knows anybody’s mug out in the Rangers bullpen?
Will the Celtics win the NBA Finals, now up 2-0 on the Lakers?
NEW DAWG: Yep. Just remind Boston how the Mavs choked away the 2006 Finals after taking a 2-0 lead ... the Celtics will be fine. Maybe have Avery Johnson give them a pregame speech.
BUCK: Avery could use the work. Anyway, I think the Lakers can still come back and win this series. They’ll surely take the next two games. But to win a game in Boston, they will need to get the ball into Kobe’s hand for the last shot. Let Game 2 be a reminder.
June 2
Are you tired of Greg Ellis' annual whine?
NEW DAWG: Glad I’m not married to him. Somebody, please, take Greg to see "Sex and the City", and maybe he’ll come back to OTAs feeling more loved by the organization. The man needs a hug every off-season.
BUCK: Hey, Greg Ellis is the most consistent part of the Dallas Cowboys. Just picture a taller Andy Rooney in shoulder pads: “I didn’t get old on purpose, it just happened.” Or ... “iPods, iTunes and off-season coaching decisions — aren’t there just too many of all three these days?” Or ... “Do you ever wonder why it gets so hot in the summer?” We need to embrace Ellis. He’s a Valley Ranch treasure.
Who does Josh Hamilton remind you of?
NEW DAWG: Jose Canseco in 1988, without the ’roids and a better glove. Jose was incredible to watch with the A’s that year. I didn’t want to miss an at-bat he had. Hamilton makes me watch Rangers baseball.
BUCK: Yaz is the easy answer. Carl Yastrzemski was just 9 months older than Josh is now when Yaz won the Triple Crown in 1967 — and no one has done it since. Hamilton is impacting others both on the field and off ... which makes him more like Mantle than Canseco.
Are you OK with this market being the Mecca for professional athletes seeking a second chance?
NEW DAWG: I never really looked at it that way, but why not?
BUCK: It hasn’t always worked (Alonzo Spellman, Dimitrius Underwood, John Rocker, Dennis Rodman). But, suddenly, T.O. is the voice of reason in the Cowboys’ locker room, Tank Johnson is on the straight-and-narrow and Pacman Jones seems sincere about turning around his life in North Texas. The poster boy, of course, for making it OK to be known as the “Mecca for second chances” is Josh Hamilton.
Is Terry Glenn right to refuse the Cowboys his signature on a $500,000 injury settlement?
NEW DAWG: Let’s see. Terry Glenn got paid $5.6 million last year and played in two games. The Cowboys are making it real simple: Play ball or get cut and get nothing. They took care of him last year, so I don’t blame them for asking him to take on some of the risk.
BUCK: I agree, although this is a sport where the player pays the price and absorbs the pain. However, Glenn is wrong if he thinks the Cowboys are “betting against” his comeback attempt. They want him. They need him. But he turns 34 before camp begins, he’s coming off knee surgery, and he’s due to make $1.74 million. This becomes a no-brainer for Jerry Jones.
Can Kobe re-establish himself as the heir apparent to Michael Jordan? Or is that guy still LeBron?
NEW DAWG: LeBron James is not on Kobe’s level. Sorry, he is not. Maybe one day, but Kobe Bryant is an assassin on the court the way Jordan, Magic, Bird and Isiah were. I was in LA when the kid came over in a draft day trade from the Charlotte Hornets. Kobe is not Jordan ... but he does the best impersonation of No. 23.
BUCK: LeBron needs a Scottie Pippen before he can be the next MJ. If that happens, he will be the guy. Bryant has had his chances and now — given a Pau Gasol (after forcing out Shaquille O’Neal) — Kobe returns to the NBA Finals. You’re absolutely right, he is an assassin. But Cleveland isn’t LA, and LeBron remains stuck in the role of ET (entire team).
Is American tennis dead? (Somebody mentioned the French Open is being played.)
NEW DAWG: Is Jim Courier still the favorite this year? American tennis, the Indy 500, the NHL and boxing are a few sports that have taken a nosedive in the American sporting conscience this decade. Who thought the day would come when a NASCAR driver had a higher profile than a top American tennis player? But more people know Dale Earnhardt Jr. than know Andy Roddick.
BUCK: When Robby Ginepri became the first American male since Andre Agassi in 2003 to reach the fourth round of the French Open over the weekend, my first thought was, “Robby who?” My second thought was ice cream. Then, I went and got some ... French vanilla, of course. American tennis ... a sad state of affairs.
Are you jealous of Boston? (In the last year, the Red Sox won the World Series, the Patriots played in a Super Bowl and now the Celtics will host the NBA Finals — all in less than a calendar year.)
NEW DAWG: Yeah, I’m green with envy. All we’ve seen in this market this decade is the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals and the 2006 NBA Finals — both losses by Dallas, I might add.
BUCK: Revolutionary history, Fenway Park and awesome seafood. Those are the things that make me jealous of Boston. No question, Beantown is hot. But you can have Belichick, KG and that long-suffering fan story caused by the Curse of the Bambino.
May 27
How many Rangers are going to Yankee Stadium for the July 15 All-Star Game?
NEW DAWG: Josh Hamilton will be the only Ranger there. FoxSports will air the game on television and will really want to build up his story from drug addict/suspended player to someone who could challenge for the American League MVP.
BUCK: Hey, Dawg, don’t forget Michael Young, a perennial All-Star who’ll end up with 200 hits for a sixth year in a row. I say Hamilton and Young will represent what has become one of the top-hitting lineups in baseball. Milton Bradley will get snubbed — and throw a fit. I see it coming. Likewise, a case can be made for Vicente Padilla. But Kenny Rogers (2005) will remain the last Rangers pitcher to earn an All-Star Game nod for another year.
Is the Glorypark construction “stall job” any indication of Tom Hicks’ inability to properly fund the Rangers if they’re playoff contenders late in the summer?
NEW DAWG: No. He’s not lying when he says it is tough to find lenders for huge projects. With that said, Ray, I don’t see this team adding payroll in late July because this is not a playoff team.
BUCK: I think the Rangers will make the playoffs before Glorypark opens (2011 at the earliest) because players like Ramon Vasquez and David Murphy are making Hicks’ bottom-third payroll look good. This team plays in a winnable division. Meanwhile, Hicks’ $510-million retail conglomerate is laid up with a strained credit market.
Will Phil Mickelson’s miracle finish at Colonial help bring in more big names to the tournament next year?
NEW DAWG: Maybe. Maybe. You won’t see Tiger Woods in Fort Worth again. I will say this, the Colonial has passed the Byron Nelson Classic as the best PGA tournament in the Metroplex.
BUCK: It should bring out the heavy hitters because, in one classic finish, Lefty has legitimized what already was a well-oiled tournament. Who needs Tiger? When Mickelson said, “I think the players are going to take note,” he was talking other Top 10 money winners, not prima donna superstars.
Is the NFL’s new “Marion Barber Rule” — no more stiff arms to a defender’s face — a good one or not?
NEW DAWG: It is football, right? How many ways do they want to legislate the game? The rule is ridiculous.
BUCK: I have no problem with it, Newy, strictly as a safety precaution. Were you opposed to the helmet when it first came out? I thought so.
How many balls will Terry Glenn catch this season? And for whom?
NEW DAWG: I’ll say 45 catches for the Cowboys.
BUCK: I’ll say none for the Cowboys. I think this team has become tentative about welcoming a comeback for a soon-to-be 34-year-old receiver who missed 15 games last season. Just don’t see Glenn making a living in a Cowboys uniform this season.
Hully & Donnie: What do they need to do to get the Stars and Mavs to the next level?
NEW DAWG: Don’t forget about Les Jackson! He’s a co-GM along with Hull. The Stars added free-agent forward Fabian Brunnstrom during the playoffs. Montreal and Detroit went after him hard. The Mavs ... well, good luck. I don’t know what they can pull off.
BUCK: The short answer is defense (Stars) and offense (Mavs). GM-tandem Hull-Jackson need to give Marty Turco some experienced help in the defensive end. Donnie Nelson needs to sign another post-up player and find a scorer for the two-guard position. Both are reasonable upgrades even under complex NBA laws and salary restrictions.
May 19
Hank Blalock will rejoin the Texas Rangers at first base (where he’s never played a game). Good move or goofy move?
NEW DAWG: How about this? Trade Hank Blalock. This guy will never be an All-Star again. The Rangers screwed up when they didn’t trade him to Florida for Josh Beckett. I just think his best baseball is behind him. He gets hurt now. Trade him.
BUCK: Good move. Until (or if) the Rangers fall out of contention in the AL West, the Blalock 1B experiment deserves a Guinness beer salute: “Brilliant!” Or at the very least: “Worth a Shot!” I mean, why not, Newy? Slugging-third-baseman-in-waiting Chris Davis (Class AA Frisco) is the future; Ramon Vasquez is more than adequate for now, and first base will no longer be a sub.-200 liability on Ron Washington’s lineup card with Blalock playing there. You don’t trade him now — maybe after the season — but not while the AL West still looks winnable.
Are the Rangers really good enough to make the playoffs?
NEW DAWG: Don’t the Rangers start to fade in the hot summer months? Why should things be different, Ray? I only need them to be competitive until Cowboys training camp, then they won’t matter.
BUCK: Somebody needs a nap. To me, Dawg, this bunch looks different. Josh Hamilton, of course, is off the charts; the pitching is better, and most of the everyday players are feeding off each other.....in all aspects of the game. Just don’t try to be too much of a hero on the base paths, Ian Kinsler.
Which one has had to endure the most skepticism/biggest hatchet job by the local media: Wade Phillips, Rick Carlisle or Ron Washington?
NEW DAWG: Ron Washington, hands-down. How many times has there been a column written or talk show calling for his firing? A lot. Even the owner admitted he was about to fire his skipper. Dare I say, former Rangers GM John Hart got better treatment from the media.
BUCK: With the speed that Rick Carlisle has shrugged off skepticism, he should be running the Mavs’ fastbreak. And don’t forget the lovefest for Norv Turner when Coach Wade rolled into town (and before he won 13 games). But, you’re right, Wash has been harpooned the most when you consider “true confessions” by Tom Hicks. But I’m still impressed with Carlisle’s ability to change his perception so radically, so quickly, before he’s even held a practice.
Are the Detroit Red Wings just toying with the Dallas Stars before kicking them to the curb and advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals?
NEW DAWG: The Stars manned up and show some heart by winning two in a row. I just don’t see the Red Wings blowing four straight hockey games. I think they are going to win the series and the Stanley Cup.
BUCK: The first 10 minutes (of both games, if there are two) will determine whether or not the Red Wings are a house of cards. I thought the Stars did a nice job of not over-talking things to this point. Detroit fans probably wish their team was just “toying” with the Stars as the pressure mounts on the only team in this series that can blow it now: the Red Wings.
Can the Rangers stand prosperity, i.e., improved play = higher expectations?
NEW DAWG: I don’t know. Weak answer.....but I just don’t know.
BUCK: Based on their recent past, the Rangers suggest they can’t do it. But it’s a different year, different players. If you’re scoring at home, score it a TBD.
May 12
Who's to blame for the Cowboys' style of defense not "fitting" Roy Williams? And what needs to be done about it?
NEW DAWG: Ray, some guys don't fit the 3-4 defense. I am a big fan of Roy, personally, but he has to prove he is still a three-down player in 2008 or he won't be a Cowboy in 2009. Defensive coordinator Brian Stewart and secondary coaches Dave Campo and Brett Maxie can do only so much. Roy has to watch the extra film and find a way to take better angles in pass coverage.
BUCK: Roy Williams has lost his zeal for football, I believe. It came when the NFL basically told him that the way he has played football all his life no longer is OK. (See "leading-with-helmet" fines and legislation for horse-collar tackles, a.k.a., The Roy William Rule). Roy lost his mojo. He needs to rediscover it – and I think that's why he has isolated himself this off-season, to do just that. He has become a great human being with his charities; now he needs to become an impact player again. Trust me, he will be spared from deep responsibility on pass coverage this season. But it's not the system that requires retooling, it's Roy.
When is a retaliatory pitch a retaliatory pitch (see Thursday night's over-reaction by Seattle's Richie Sexson)?
NEW DAWG: Sexson reminded me of Mike Tyson the night he bit Evander Holyfield's ear ... frustrated and looking for a way out of competing.
BUCK: I think the rule is that a retaliatory pitch must either hit the batter or come within 2-3 inches of his common sense – if he has any. Nice to have Sexson and the Mariners in town.
Do the Rangers owe it to Ron Washington to either fire him now or assure him that he will finish the season?
NEW DAWG: Why is Ron Washington always the guy everyone wants to fire instead of the man who brought him to Arlington -- GM Jon Daniels? Bobby Cox couldn't win anything with this talent. The Rangers don't "owe" Ron anything, but it goes to show you why they are a rinky-dink organization.
BUCK: I see Nolan Ryan bringing in somebody like Phil Garner. Experienced manager. Former teammate. Familiar face. That's just the reality of the situation. But let me point out that the Rangers have dressed 37 different players in the first six weeks of the season. I fully expect to walk into the dugout someday and see players wearing "Hi, My Name is ...." nametags, you know, the kind you stick on your lapel at conventions and awkward cocktail parties. Ron Washington is certainly "owed" something, Newy ... it's called the respect that every honest worker deserves. I hope the Rangers give him that much, no matter what they do or when they do it.
Will Mike Ribeiro's post-Game 2 whack of Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood simply seal the Star's fate?
NEW DAWG: The Red Wings are the best team in hockey. Ribs' whacking of Ozzie won't change that. The Stars have to win their home games to make it a series. In fact, I'd say they need to win the next three games to have a shot to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
BUCK: I saw fire. I saw rage. With apologies to James Taylor, that's what I saw in that message-sending love tap to Osgood. You know how it is in sports, Dawg, stuff happens, things change. It's always better to get even than to get mad, and the way the Stars can still do that now – quite literally – is to win these next two games at the AAC. Don't seal that fate quite yet.
If Rick Carlisle is a Xerox copy of Avery Johnson in micro-managing skills, is he a stupid hire by the Mavs?
NEW DAWG: I won't say it's a bad hire, because we've been wrong about that before around these parts. Anybody remember Wade Phillips? He was supposed to be an uninspiring choice, and he won 13 games last year. I hope Carlisle has learned from his other two stops.
BUCK: Gosh, Newy, I hope Carlisle wins more than 13 games with the Mavs. Seriously, though, Avery's firing would never have happened 1) with a more responsible group of players and 2) without the Jason Kidd trade. Carlisle is not unlike his predecessor, which leaves me like most everyone else – full of wonder, full of cynicism.
HBO's "Hard Knocks" is coming. Who will steal the show at Oxnard, Calif., this summer?
NEW DAWG: I'll go with T.O. He has a certain fondness for performing for the camera.
BUCK: Steal the show? You mean other than Jessica? OK, I'll go with Mat McBriar (quirky, fun, plus punters have a lot of time to mug for the cameras.) No, wait ... free-agent WR Danny Amendola, the Texas Tech ex. NFL Films guys love the underdog with more film-able chutzpah and heart than realistic chance of making the team.
Apr. 28
Will Avery Johnson be fired if the Mavs are eliminated in the first round again?
NEW DAWG: He shouldn’t be fired. Ask the Maloof Brothers if overreacting to a few playoff losses and dumping Rick Adelman made the Sacramento Kings better. The lesson is simple. Winning 50 games a season is a good thing. Keep that situation alive.
BUCK: I think he’s gone unless he gets to the Western Conference Finals. But the way Avery’s players respond to the slightest bit of adversity during the course of a game, maybe Avery should be walking out on them. Johnson (who doesn’t go blameless for some of his Game 4 substitutions Sunday night) has to be baffled. His team’s only consistency is its inconsistency. While this Mavs bunch hasn’t exactly quit on him, it’s certainly gone haywire on him ... and always at the slightest hint of trouble in the air.
Can Vicente Padilla really save Ron Washington’s job for awhile?
NEW DAWG: Forget Wash’s job. How about the GM’s gig? Managers get fired all the time. The question is: Will Jon Daniels survive to make another hire after putting together yet another sad roster of talent?
BUCK: Managers are hired to be fired, we all know that. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stranger situation than Ron Washington getting a little extra rope because of Rangers’ starting pitching, and Padilla in particular. There’s no fainting in baseball ... but Padilla is earning his $11.25 million per year. Nice to see.
What grade do you give the Cowboys for their ’08 draft?
NEW DAWG: I give them an A. They upgraded a 13-3 team in four areas: Running back, cornerback, special teams and tight end. They should have come away with a quarterback like Andre Woodson or John David Booty.
BUCK: A solid B-minus. Right now, I love the Martellus “Gig ’Em” Bennett pick late in the second round. Just remember, we’re an instant-gratification society. And while Jerry Jones gloated about “wow power,” I’m just hoping the Cowboys can take the “ugh” out of ugly when it comes to the playoffs.
Do you think the ghost of Rashard Mendenhall will haunt the Cowboys down the road?
NEW DAWG: We’ll see Dec. 7 in Pittsburgh when the Cowboys and Steelers play at Heinz Field. I would have taken Mendenhall, but I will buy their logic. Think of all the great plays Kevin Faulk has given the Patriots in their four Super Bowls this decade as a change-of-pace back. Felix Jones could be that guy for the Cowboys, and he’s better than Faulk.
BUCK: Did I miss something? Was this Adrian Peterson the Cowboys passed over? I don’t think so. It was Rashard Mendenhall, whose effort wasn’t there until he became the big dog on the porch at Illinois. Who knows how splitting time with Marion Barber would’ve suited him in Dallas? Felix Jones is a better fit — an ideal fit. So, I won’t dog-pile the Cowboys’ pick here. In fact, I will reserve judgment until both running backs get their second NFL contracts ... or unless Mendenhall goes directly into the Hall of Fame. Please, let me know.
It looks too easy for the Stars ... how can this be? And how long can it last?
NEW DAWG: It will last until the Red Wings come to town for the Western Conference Finals.
BUCK: It looks easy because it is. Nobody wants to say it, but this Stars team is: 1) very good, 2) playing together and 3) filled with helium called “confidence” that only winning can foster. I’m not picking them to lose until they lose.
Should we expect NFL commish Roger Goodell to reinstate Pacman Jones? And if so — when?
NEW DAWG: Pacman should be cleared in time for training camp. The bigger question is when will Goodell let him use the practice facility? The Cowboys need to get Pacman in shape, look at videotape and understand the defense.
BUCK: The naysayers in the national media (some of whom are saying Pacman will not be reinstated for ’08) don’t know any more than the rest of us not named Roger Goodell. It will be his call. But I think, at this moment, Pacman has a good chance of being cleared in time for Sept. 7 at Cleveland, although maybe not a lot of time before that. Just a hunch.
Apr. 21
News flash: Local sports fans are pulled from postseason abyss by the Dallas Stars. How surprising is that?
NEW DAWG: Surprising to see them beat the defending Stanley Cup champs, that’s what impressed me. They took it to a club that won it all just a year ago. Marty Turco was fantastic in the pipes, and this time Turks got scoring help. He was so good against Anaheim that we aren’t even talking about him. Great series win ... maybe NBC will put the Stars on during this next round, eh?
BUCK: Man, your team wins one lousy playoff round in five years and you start talking Canadian on us — eh? The bandwagon is fully loaded. The Stars are aligned. The network boys are late. But I can’t help but think that the Stars’ first-round breakthrough (as rousing as 18,500 raucous fans can make it sound) shines an even harsher light on the Cowboys and Mavs, who have become lollygaggers without the lolly.
Which of the three “need” positions — RB, WR, CB — can the Cowboys afford to address last in the NFL draft this weekend?
NEW DAWG: Easy one, wide receiver. The Cowboys lost their nickel and dime backs in free agency. You must have four good corners with the schedule they play. RB Marion Barber needs a backup, and the Cowboys may need to let Barber go after this season if he’s hellbent on a $60 million contract. I say the Cowboys use the 22nd pick on a running back because Pittsburgh and San Diego will probably take one before the Cowboys’ 28th selection.
BUCK: I’ve said all along — even with a pickup of Pacman — the Cowboys’ first-round priorities in this draft are cornerback and running back. Wide receiver is something they get through free agency or a draft-day deal. If not ... Rounds 2-4. The Cowboys have their full complement of picks. Don’t panic. Don’t get cute. In other words, don’t Quincy around on us, please.
Can the Stars get past Round 2 (vs. San Jose or Colorado)?
NEW DAWG: I think the Stars can beat anybody in the league except the Red Wings. Personally, I’d like to take a road trip to San Jose.
BUCK: I haven’t quite punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals yet — but this Stars team is playing with a heavy dose of purpose: What is happening may never come again. In the age of sports parity, there is nothing wrong with being a one-hit wonder. Yeah, I see them getting to the Western Conference Finals.
Is the Mavs’ biggest problem in these playoffs 1) offensive, 2) defensive or 3) psychological?
NEW DAWG: How about this, Ray? The Hornets are better, it’s that simple. The Hornets have a better team and the Mavs can’t beat them in seven games.
BUCK: Newy, you’re not helping their bruised and battered psyches at all — and, really, that’s the crux of the problem. At the first whiff of trouble, this team can’t score the basketball ... or get any stops. I, for one, am going to suggest that the Basketball Hall of Fame erect a special wing for “Mavericks’ Playoff Opponents” — let’s see, Dwyane Wade ... Baron Davis ... Chris Paul.
Is Marion Barber worth LaDainian Tomlinson money, as his agent contends?
NEW DAWG: The Cowboys should pray Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart is there at No. 22. At 235 pounds, Stewart can be an every-down back. Let Stewart back up Barber for one season. After 2008, “franchise” Barber. Then let him and Drew Rosenhaus go find a team, get a first-round pick in return ... and wash their hands of him. Barber is no LT. Last time I checked, LT is a starter and a fulltime workhorse.
BUCK: Last time I checked, Marion Barber III was a momentum-changer, a difference-maker, a guy who elevated his team with his actions — and attitude. OK, Newy, MBIII isn’t LT right now, but only through a convoluted “if-it’s-not-broke-don’t-fix-it” mentality by two different Cowboys coaching staffs, Barber has not been give a fulltime role for 16 games to prove himself. Right now, Barber is a restricted free agent. Compensate him fairly and pay him the big bucks next year ... but don’t let him slip out the door.
Should Danica Patrick jump to NASCAR now that she’s won an IndyCar race?
NEW DAWG: Maybe she won an Indy race because the best drivers have jumped to NASCAR. That IndyCar series has lost some great talent — Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti just this year. I’m happy she won because now we may see more doors open for women in Indy. I wish more fans would watch it. It’s incredible to watch in person.
BUCK: Danica proved what most racing enthusiasts already knew — she’s no novelty act. Her historic win in the Land of the Rising Sun was one giant leap for motorsports. But this woman has more victory lanes in her future ... and, hopefully, she can join the NASCAR boys someday. Hey ... it’s become a natural evolution: open-wheel to boogity, boogity, boogity.
Apr. 14
Will commissioner Roger Goodell grant Pacman Jones’ request for reinstatement to the NFL this time?
NEW DAWG: I think so. Pacman served his time. Goodell should let him back in the NFL and, if Pacman slips us, he’ll be off to the Arena League.
BUCK: Not so fast, big guy. I’m more confident that a Cowboys-Titans deal can get done this week than Goodell agreeing to being “rushed” into making a decision. Goodell is image conscious. The Cowboys simply need a lockdown corner. And keep in mind: The commish has promised to decide Pacman’s fate before training camp — nothing more. Pacman merely “applies” for reinstatement Tuesday.
What makes this Stars team different than the last three playoff teams that couldn’t get past the first round?
NEW DAWG: This group hears about its past failures all the time. The Stars are tired of hearing about the first-round flops, so they have come out and played 60 minutes of hockey. In the past, they haven’t stayed focused for the full 60 like you have to do. Oh, yeah ... they score. That helps.
BUCK: One very big difference: Brad Richards. As corny as it sounds, the Stars caught Lightning in a bottle. The Brad Richards trade six weeks ago is to the Stars what the Mavs were hoping the Jason Kidd trade could be for them. There is something about this 2-0 series start by the Stars — against the defending champs, no less — that suggests the light is on and everybody is home.
Which possible first-round matchup should Mavs fans be rooting to get?
NEW DAWG: Hornets or Spurs. The Hornets have no clue what it takes in the playoffs. That’s the edge the Mavs have. As for the Spurs, they lost to the Mavs the last time they met in the postseason.
BUCK: It won’t happen — but Utah. The Mavs match up well against the Jazz (36-11 since Jan. 1). Dallas definitely can beat New Orleans — and that matchup really could happen. And if so, it would be the break of the bracket.
Which possible first-round matchup would be the Mavericks’ worst nightmare?
NEW DAWG: The Mavs can’t beat the Lakers in seven games.
BUCK: Spurs, Spurs and Spurs ... but if you want to see the playoffs begin with a bang ... root for the nightmare.
For the Rangers to win the AL West, what needs to happen?
NEW DAWG: Tom Hicks will have to sell his soul to the devil. I’m not sure how he would do it ... but that’s the only way the Rangers win the West.
BUCK: No injuries to Kevin Millwood or Vicente Padilla. The heat will wear both graybeards down, but the only way this team can get out of the cellar is for Millwood and Padilla to get 32-34 starts apiece. That’s to get out of last place. To win the division, something dreadful must happen to both the Angels and the Mariners. The first-place A’s will start to fall on their way.
Are you on the edge of your seat this week waiting to hear what Jose Canseco has to say to federal authorities about Roger Clemens?
NEW DAWG: Ah, the Juice Club returns! I’m sure Jose will misremember some of the details when it comes to Roger. He just wants to bring A-Rod down.
BUCK: In terms of comic relief — sure. You bet. Can’t wait.
Apr. 7
Texas Rangers: No. 5 TV market; No. 21 MLB payroll. Please comment.
NEW DAWG: It’s simple: Rangers fans are weak and still support cheapskate owner Tom Hicks. Over in England, soccer fans didn’t tolerate Hick’s cheap spending for their beloved Liverpool team. They led a revolt. One story said a fan spit on Hicks’ kid. Now Hicks is building the stadium he promised them. The average Rangers fan is happy with fireworks after the games and dollar hotdog night. Hicks couldn’t get away with his cheap payroll in a real baseball town like St. Louis or New York.
BUCK: Lay off the fans, big guy, and I’ll tell you why. Rangers fans are starved for 1) a winner and 2) a commitment in direction by the team. Go ahead, mock people of third world countries for being “computer-illiterate,” why don’t you, Newy? As for those “real baseball towns” like St. Louis and New York (as you dutifully point out), they’ve had winners, they’ve had losers, but they built tradition. And you know what? Here in North Texas, there are enough transplanted fans from “real baseball towns” — St. Louis, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York et al. — to fill Hicks’ ballpark every night ... if they ever saw the owner try to devise a plan (in the No. 5 TV market) that didn’t involve saving money (No. 21 payroll). That’s plain shameful.
What needs to happen for the Stars to get past the first round of the NHL playoffs?
NEW DAWG: A miracle.
BUCK: Marty Turco. The Stars haven’t gotten past the first round since 2003, which means they have the law of averages on their side. Whoopee!
Can Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla become the “Koufax and Drysdale” of the pitching poor Rangers?
NEW DAWG: Why use the names of Koufax and Drysdale in vain? If Millwood and Padilla can just win 15 games each and earn their money this year, we’d all be grateful.
BUCK: I’m not sure which one of these guys is willing to throw left-handed. Seriously, I think Millwood can — and will — win 15-18 games in ’08. He acts like a guy who has a bur under his saddle and something to prove. But I really do hope that he and Padilla don’t try to hold out together. It probably won’t work.
Which Final Four team “bombed” worse in the semis: UCLA or North Carolina?
NEW DAWG: Carolina, hands-down. I’ve never seen a Tar Heel team play so bad in a Final Four. I had a great seat to watch Kansas beat Carolina like it stole something ... 40-12 in the first half. Ray, I don’t drink, but as a Tar Heel fan, I really could have used a drink.
BUCK: Lest we forget, UCLA was making its third straight Final Four appearance — and the Florida Gators weren’t around. I really thought it was Ben Howland’s time. Wrong! Memphis is playing well enough to beat four or five NBA teams right now. But the Bruins still choked this one — defensively. They couldn’t get any stops. So, which team laid the bigger egg Saturday nigh in San Antonio: UCLA by 15 or UNC by 18? As they say ... too close to call.
Give me a winner ... Memphis or Kansas?
NEW DAWG: Ray, you know I never let my love for Carolina basketball get in the way of telling it like it is. Go, Memphis! Kansas will face a point guard who can shoot in Derrick Rose. He will not go scoreless and hand out one assist like Carolina’s Ty Lawson did in the first half against KU. Guards rule the college game, and Memphis has a better backcourt with Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts.
BUCK: I hate it when we agree: Give me freshman Rose and the savvy CDR over Kansas’ guard trio. The Jayhawks are on a nice roll, but I’ll say ... Memphis 80, Kansas 73.
From the Dept. of Ho-Hum: Which NFL rule change will have the biggest impact on the game?
NEW DAWG: Making receivers get two feet down is an advantage for the defense all day long.
BUCK: That’s the only notable rule change out of the league meetings. But it cracks me up that it was done to dumb-down the call and help the officials. Rather than mandate that all zebras get better, the NFL simply removed the “force-out” from the equation, so that there’s one less — previously important — variable involved. Nice.
About that new Ernie Banks statue outside Wrigley Field ... the apostrophe was left off “Lets [sic] play two.” Does that qualify as heresy in Chicago?
NEW DAWG: What else do you expect from the lovable losers?
BUCK: My only question — really — how do that happen?
Mar. 31
How many of these unemployed major leaguers will play in 2008: Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, Kenny Lofton, Barry Bonds?
NEW DAWG: Sosa outpriced himself. Piazza is strictly a DH. Lofton is a clubhouse cancer. And Bonds is too hot to handle.
BUCK: You are so wrong on Lofton — even Sosa (who deserves more than the $500,000 he got from the Rangers last season and less than the $7 million he wants now). I definitely see Lofton getting picked up by any team which has a GM who can read a resume, because this guy flat-out helps get team into the postseason. Piazza is probably done. Bonds is perjurious toast ... although I wouldn’t swear to it under oath.
Were the Texas Longhorns outcoached, outmanned or simply outplayed in their South Region Finals loss to Memphis?
NEW DAWG: Memphis is that good, Ray. This team has lost only one game all year. I expect Memphis to advance to the title game before losing to North Carolina.
BUCK: The ’Horns were outmanned and a little outcoached, which can only happen it the losing team had a chance. UT did not. So Rick Barnes is off the hook. But it would’ve been nice to have gotten the message to D.J. Augustin to drive and dish earlier in the game, and for a timeout to be used to devise a plan to get A.J. Abrams the shots he got when the game was out of reach. But, then again, Memphis would’ve still won — by 10, just not 18.
How do you see the Cowboys using Pacman Jones, if they end up signing him?
NEW DAWG: This is how Coach Scruggs would do it: Pacman would be my third corner, but I’d move Terence Newman into the slot because of his speed. Pacman would also return punts and kickoffs.
BUCK: I’d like to see this guy on the field for 60 plays or more a game. I’d take a look at Anthony Henry at free safety, and twin-up Newman and Jones at the corners. On third down, you’re right, move Newman into the slot and use Henry and Jones at the corners. On fourth down ... make sure Pacman returns every punt of every game.
Is Sports Illustrated onto something when it suggests that the Rangers should hire out-of-work pitching coach Leo Mazzone of Atlanta Braves fame?
NEW DAWG: I don’t think Tom Hicks would pay the rate Mazzone would need to take over as the pitching coach in Texas.
BUCK: It couldn’t hurt. Mazzone has a proven record ... and so do the Rangers.
Tyler Hansbrough or Kevin Love: Which Final Four big men would you rather have in a big game?
NEW DAWG: Is that really a question? Tyler is so good that even UCLA coach Ben Howland would take him over Love.
BUCK: I put this question in here, Newy, only to bug you. Now my answer should do the same: Tar Heel Hansbrough is the “Player of the Year”, but Kevin Love is a freshman on a UCLA team that has been to the Final Four three years in a row. The Alamodome pressure should fit like a glove for the Bruins and Love.
What does it tell you that an unprecedented four No. 1 seeds will be in San Antonio for the Final Four?
NEW DAWG: The selection committee got it right.
BUCK: No, Dawg, the stars and planets were aligned.
Mar. 24
How close is Avery Johnson to being on the hot seat?
NEW DAWG: Yeah, that’s it ... fire the best coach in team history. If that thought crosses Mark Cuban’s mind, he needs to look at what Utah has done with Jerry Sloan. He’s been in Utah 20 years as head coach. Sloan has had three 60-win seasons in that time, while Avery has had two in just his first two full seasons as Mavericks head coach.
BUCK: Firing Avery was “unthinkable” before the Jason Kidd Failed Experiment. Now it hangs there like a second shoe waiting to drop. Hey, I’m with you — firing average would be a big mistake — but reality says, “Dallas, we have a problem.” Charles Barkley is absolutely right. The Mavs need to become the Phoenix Suns and outscore everybody with Kidd leading about 50 fastbreaks a game. I guess that means Avery needs to become Mike D’Antoni.
Can the Mavericks possibly miss the playoffs altogether?
NEW DAWG: The Mavericks already had scoring issues with Dirk Nowitzki in the lineup. Without him, it’s trouble in MavsLand. Maybe this is the year they enter the lottery and come up with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
BUCK: Sure, it’s possible to miss the playoffs, especially now that Dirk will be out a couple of weeks (and that’s the good news — maybe just a couple of weeks). The Mavs went radical on us at the trade deadline. Now they need to go radical one more time, and develop a “nothing to lose” mentality. This shouldn’t be hard. Just look back on 67 wins last season ... they really don’t have anything to lose.
Are the Cowboys big hypocrites for chasing suspended cornerback Pacman Jones after he wasn’t even on their draft board in 2005?
NEW DAWG: Let me quote the greatest hypocrite in our sports market, Tom Hicks: “Things change.” And 2005 is ancient history, Ray. Three years ago, people thought President Bush was doing a good job, now they don’t. Pacman will come pretty cheap and the Cowboys have to start getting ready to let Terence Newman hit the road after the season. Newman will be 30 when the season starts, so he can forget that five- or six-year deal from the Cowboys he wants. Trading for Pacman and using a first-round draft pick allows the Cowboys to get younger at the cornerback position. Come on, Ray, let’s make it rain!
BUCK: Rain? I think that’s a recipe for flushing the future. No, I don’t think the Cowboys are hypocrites; they’re just reacting to NO PLAYOFF VICTORIES SINCE 1996. Desperate people do desperate things. Pacman was, is ... and always will be a mistake.
Should the Rangers trade, demote or just give Jarrod Saltalamacchia the starting job behind the plate?
NEW DAWG: Salty can be the next Javy Lopez, so you don’t want to give him away. If Gerald Laird can get hot in the first half, he’ll be a part of the Rangers’ 2008 fire sale.
BUCK: Saltalamacchia is the future. The challenge will be getting him to understand why he must start the 2008 season in Triple A. There is no shame to that. But don’t trade him. Laird is overlooked and undervalued, which only hurts Gerald Laird.
Is DeMarcus Ware worth Dwight Freeney money?
NEW DAWG: Yes. Ware is a monster and the Cowboys had better lock him up long term. At 25, Ware is coming into his own and should be compensated like Freeney.
BUCK: It will be the best “Freeney Money” — $72 million with $30 million guaranteed — Jerry Jones has ever spent. You’ve heard of speed receivers who can’t be overthrown? Well, Ware can’t be overpaid.
How many No. 1 seeds do you have in your Final Four?
NEW DAWG: I have the only one that counts ... North Carolina. Let’s go, Tar Heels! I’m going to San Antonio to watch Roy Williams cut down the nets!
BUCK: No cheering in Buck & New Dawg, big guy. I have three No. 1s in my Final Four: UCLA (don’t be fooled by the Texas A&M scare), North Carolina and Kansas, now that Georgetown is out. Any one of the four South semifinalists (Memphis, Texas, Stanford, Michigan State) can go 2-0 in Houston, so I’m picking against Memphis. Law of averages.
Mar. 17 Was it time for TCU to let Neil Dougherty go as head coach?
NEW DAWG: No NCAA appearances after six yers made it tough for him to stay. I think TCU basketball is a bad job. The school doesn’t put enough money into the gig, and I don’t think it will be able to attract a top-notch coach. TCU basketball is an afterthought on campus.
BUCK: Well, it shouldn’t be an afterthought, Newy. What TCU needs is a coach who can: 1) recruit and 2) stir student-body passion — and I think that guy lives 30 minutes away in Dallas: Fran Fraschilla. You probably heard him over the weekend (along with Ron Franklin) call the Big 12 championship game on ESPN. Fraschilla knows the Mountain West (New Mexico) and knows how to get to the Big Dance (twice with Manhattan). He also may have a few helpful contacts at the “Worldwide Leader in Sports.” He’s smart. He’s glib. He’s good. He can sell basketball. Dougherty needed to go because this is a business — and he wasn’t winning. The ball is now in TCU’s court to finish making a good business decision. Prediction time: What’s your earliest “upset special” in the NCAA Tournament?
NEW DAWG: Boise State (No. 14 seed) over Louisville (No. 3 seed).
BUCK: I’ve got a No. 14 upset of a No. 3, too. But mine is Georgia over Xavier in the West Region. The Bulldogs: “The Team That Never Sleeps.” Do Scott Drew’s backsliding Baylor Bears merit an invite to the Big Dance ... or not, as Dick Vitale suggests.
NEW DAWG: Baylor deserves a spot. The Big 12 has some darned good clubs. Baylor’s story alone is worth a trip to the Big Dance. Hey, 21-10 and 9-7 (fourth place in the Big 12) was good enough to get in. Tell Dickie V to leave the Bears alone.
BUCK: God bless Dick Vitale. But I have to wonder if that’s not still the anesthesia talking. The Bears go into the tournament without momentum — their problem; getting snubbed by the selection committee — that would’ve been the tournament’s problem. This Baylor team reminds me a lot of past Louisville teams where playing smart isn’t a strong suit ... but unbridled talent is. Who will represent the Big 12 in the Final Four: Kansas? Texas? Both? Neither?
NEW DAWG: I’ll say no team from the Big 12 will make it to San Antonio. Bill Self has tons of talent at KU, but he still hasn’t been able to get to the Final Four. I really like Pitt or Memphis to come out of the South Region instead of Texas.
BUCK: The Longhorns’ best shot is if Memphis and Pitt beat each other senseless — and the winner is missing two or three starters for the South Region final. I think No. 1 seed Kansas (Midwest) can, and will, get to the Final Four. Have a little confidence, Newy. Believe in Self. Should the NCAA take Bob Knight’s advice and double the men’s tournament field to 128 teams?
NEW DAWG: I like this tournament because only 65 get in. It means something to go to the Big Dance. The field is large enough. Next thing you know it will be the Final Five instead of the Final Four.
BUCK: Knight wants to get rid of automatic bids and believes that an extra round to start the tournament (top-rated 64 hosting next-rated 64 on their home campuses) would level the playing field for 128 of 341 Division I teams in the country. Sounds simple enough until the 129th-rated team screams “snubbed!” I agree — leave it alone. What are you going to miss most — and least — about Texas Stadium?
NEW DAWG: I won’t miss the terrible parking. It is a nightmare to get in and out of that place. I will miss walking the tunnel to the field. Nothing like it!
BUCK: What I’ll miss most: The original placement of the Ring of Honor names (tucked just inside the hole in the roof). Transplanting the names to Arlington will never be the same. What I’ll miss least: Walking back to the pressbox through a maze of hallways and empty food carts on deadline. It’s a very long walk.
Mar. 10
Should the Cowboys sign Pacman Jones ... or run the other way?
NEW DAWG: Any time we can bring in someone who can help out the local economy, we should. Pacman Jones has the ability to reign across strip joints from Dallas to Arlington. This man has all the tools. He can cover receivers, make interceptions, return kicks and punts. So, what’s a little bad press for the Cowboys? Jerry Jones got much worse for bringing in T.O.
BUCK: I get it, Newy ... you’re joking. Good line about helping out the local economy. Even funnier line about “what’s a little bad press?” It’s not Pacman’s PR that bothers me; it’s his total lack of accountability. Do you want Coach Wade to come up with a set of rules for Terence Newman and a different set of rules for Pacman Jones? Not me. But I fully understand that this could happen because Jerry Jones truly loves the big-splash signing. It’s so much easier than drafting well. Does Julius Jones have what it takes to salvage his NFL career in Seattle?
NEW DAWG: If there was ever a track made for Jules ... it is Qwest Field. He always played his best football in Seattle. If big brother Thomas could remake his career after leaving the Arizona Cardinals, I see no reason why little brother can’t, too. Julius should never have been drafted here. Bill Parcells should have taken Steven Jackson in the first round of the 2004 draft.
BUCK: A change of scenery not only was the best thing for Julius — it was the only thing. But good luck. NFL running backs traditionally don’t have long careers, and playing for Parcells seemed to take a little extra out of Jones from the very first cup of training camp water he fetched. Dirk’s “clothesline” of Andrei Kirilenko: Was it good, bad or irrelevant to the Mavs?
NEW DAWG: The coach wants tough fouls, so Dirky handed one out to the Russian. I’d like to see Dirk take down some Americans, too, and if they face Phoenix in the playoffs, maybe he’ll give their Canadian player a little Dick “Night Train” Lane action.
BUCK: I think it’s a message well sent to opponents around the league but probably cost the Mavs a game (No Dirk vs. Houston) at a time when they don’t have games to throw away. So, I say Dirk’s necktie throw-down of AK-47 was both good and bad — but definitely not irrelevant. If you’re a GM looking for offense, do you give Barry Bonds a job?
NEW DAWG: No way. Let’s not forget Bonds wants special treatment. That, plus all the media crush, is just not worth bringing into your clubhouse.
BUCK: I agree. There are pending legal matters, not just distractions and baggage. It’s the same reason I wouldn’t sign Roger Clemens, even if “The Rocket” came crawling on hands and knees, with a plan to pitch for free (starting in June, of course). Are you prepared for the Rangers to get off to a slow start because of pitching injuries?
NEW DAWG: How many times must I say this club is not going anywhere? They had suspect pitching before; now they’ve got injured suspects.
BUCK: Man ... somebody needs a nap. I forgot the question now. Were you surprised that 38-year-old Brett Favre decided to retire now?
NEW DAWG: No. He went out after setting all the NFL records and proving he was still a Pro Bowl performer. Outside of throwing away a chance at the Super Bowl in the NFC Championship Game, he could not have played better in 2008. Favre left right on time.
BUCK: I was only surprised to know Favre is only 38. (Or as Vinny Testaverde calls it: mid-career form.) Sure, I thought the “gunslinger” in Favre would bring him back for another year because the ’08 Pack came so close. Can the Stars seriously be on their way to winning a second Stanley Cup in franchise history?
NEW DAWG: Doesn’t Tom Hicks still own them? Yes, he does ... so I’ll say no. Everything he’s touched the last five years has been mediocre or bad.
BUCK: It’s like saying the check’s in the mail. You start expecting something — whether you should or not. Speaking of “checks,” the Stars showed plenty against the Avalanche on Sunday. That kind of hockey leaves a Lord Stanley sort of feeling in your gut. Cactus or Grapefruit? Which state has better spring training: Arizona or Florida?
NEW DAWG: I’ll take Arizona because they have better places to eat.
BUCK: Florida is a much superior place to train. Players sweat better, avoid injuries. See, Newy, I’m thinking baseball — not lunch.
Should the Cowboys try to get a veteran receiver such as Javon Walker, or just draft one in the first round?
NEW DAWG: I’m not sold on Walker because of his health issues. If the Broncos let him walk out the door and the Packers traded him away before that ... we should look at those as smoke signals. Green Bay has a better corps of receivers without Walker. Brandon Marshall showed the Broncos he could take over the load, so Walker was bounced. The Cowboys should look at a player such as Bryant Johnson at Arizona.
BUCK: You’re forgetting the “Bubba Factor.” Ray Sherman used to be Walker’s position coach in Green Bay. Walker is a weapon. “Bubba” Sherman is a miracle worker (T.O., Exhibit A). Walker’s right knee needs to be checked out. But signing a guy who is working on his third team in four years isn’t as much a roll of the dice if Sherman is your receivers coach. Then, the Cowboys are free to use their two first-round picks on an elite running back and some help in the secondary — maybe a player who can actually cover.
What are the chances of the Lakers winning the NBA West?
NEW DAWG: They are the favorite. I love the way their team is built. And in Phil Jackson, they have the best coach in NBA history. Oh, yeah, that Kobe guy will win the MVP.
BUCK: Sorry, Dawg, the LA bandwagon is full. No room for you. The Spurs are still the West’s best and, believe or not, I like the way the Mavs are “still trying to get it together.” Last year, they won 67 games and peaked too early, and we all know how that worked out.
Kobe Bryant or LeBron James? Which one would you rather have?
NEW DAWG: Kobe. Give me the three championship rings and the 10 years of tremendous basketball over young LeBron.
BUCK: I’ll take the 23-year-old LeBron because it’s 2008 — not 1999 — and he is just beginning to hit his NBA stride. He’s bigger and stronger than Bryant, and already can take over a game with the best of the all-time greats. Kobe has the dagger shot, but LeBron has the power in the paint ... and, oh yeah, the endorsements. That’s another difference.
Are there just too many kinks to iron out for Jason Kidd to take the Mavs to the next level this year?
NEW DAWG: Ray, this trade should be judged after the playoffs. That is what we all care about around here ... the playoffs.
BUCK: Trust in Avery. I look at The General’s face and see total belief that Kidd and the Mavs need exactly as long as the regular-season will give them to work out the kinks.
Will Michael Beasley turn out to be, in the long run, a better NBA player than Kevin Durant?
NEW DAWG: No, no and heck no. I think Durant is special. He just plays on a really bad team.
BUCK: I’m rooting for Durant, whose game is an art form. But I watch Beasley and see him taking it to the next level by himself. He can create off the dribble and (if he stays out of trouble) figures to be “The Beast” in the NBA just as he was in the Big 12. BTW, Durant’s NCAA freshman record for double-doubles (20) lasted one year. Beasley has 24 ... and counting.
Early prediction: What team do you see cutting down the nets at the Alamodome on the night of April 7?
NEW DAWG: If Ty Lawson is healthy, I’ll go with Carolina. Roy Williams returns to Big 12 country and takes it all for the second time in four years.
BUCK: UCLA. For one thing, Ben Howland can coach in March. His Bruins have won nine NCAA Tournament games over the last two years — reaching the Final Four both times. Meanwhile, his star freshman, 6-10 Kevin Love, plays like it’s a pickup game at the rec center. You gotta love Love. So, yeah, I can see the big fella on a ladder wielding a pair of scissors in his mitts April 7.
Feb. 18 Are the Rangers a dangerous team because they’re flying so incredibly under the radar?
NEW DAWG: No, no.....and heck no. They still have a suspect starting rotation. You cannot count on one guy based off the 2007 season. The outfield is still a revolving door.
BUCK: Picky, picky. Explain to me how this team (which didn’t have proven on-base newcomers like Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley) was able to play winning baseball over the second half of the 2007 season? Two words: Michael Young. This guy’s “I’m-interested-in-winning-not-building” attitude is infectious. And flying under the radar does serve a team well. Just look at what the ’07 Rangers did after the All-Star break with absolutely no pressure on them. Who’ll win the AL West?
NEW DAWG: The Angels have the pitching, the sticks and a great manager. It’s Halo Time!
BUCK: Heavenly observation, Dawg. But the Seattle Mariners — now that’s a starting rotation! — are going make it interesting. You watch. And so might the Rangers, if they can pick up where they left off and score a tons of runs. As for Oakland, I hate the A’s and the elephant they rode in on.
Do you think the Texas Longhorns are a Final Four team?
NEW DAWG: In what sport? I know we aren’t talking men’s basketball, are we? I just don’t see it. I think Rick Barnes has done a great job, post-Kevin Durant. But then again, Virginia made the Final Four the year after Ralph Sampson graduated. OK, I’ve given the ’Horns an Elite Eight shot.
BUCK: Playing in the Big 12 this year is great prep work for a Final Four bid. I give UT an A+ shot because of Augustin and Abrams. You need gritty guard-play to get through March Madness — and the ’Horns have it with D.J. and A.J.
Would you rather have Steve Nash or Jason Kidd?
NEW DAWG: I’ll take Jason Kidd, because I’d rather have the defense over the shooting. Nash is a great shooter but plays zero defense.
BUCK: Let me count up the MVPs they’ve each won. Hmm.....I don’t see one for Kidd. I’ll take the two-time MVP from the desert every time you make me this offer. Let me add that I’d take Kidd second to Nash among NBA point guards every time, as well.....unless John Stockton comes out of retirement.
A sudden concern over LSU star Glenn Dorsey’s right knee at the NFL combine shocks Dorsey. How far will he fall in the draft now?
NEW DAWG: I’ll bet the farm Dorsey will fall past the ninth pick, which is Cincinnati. The Bengals need up-front help. This is the negative time. Teams will spend the rest of this month and March talking down guys.
BUCK: Dorsey played through a broken right tibia his junior year, so the guy is wimp-free. He remains a Top 5 pick, no matter how much scuttlebutt you’re hearing out of Indy. It’s the NFL’s second-most overhyped week of the year. In fact, I see Dorsey being a Raider, if he’s still on the board at No. 4.
Is boxing dead?
NEW DAWG: No, it’s just dead in North Texas. The game still has a following in California, Nevada and the Northeast.
BUCK: Boxing, plain and simple, has an identity problem. People still want to know, “Who is the biggest, baddest man in the world?” But when the first heavyweight unification fight since ’99 is decided by Wladimir Klitschko (not Vitali, but brother Wladimir) out-pointing somebody named Sultan Ibragimov, most Americans who don’t have money on the fight doze off. Boxing too often gets a bum rap. But it needs an extreme makeover in the heavyweight division — and soon.
Feb. 18
Is trading for Jason Kidd the right move — or a panic move — by the Mavs?
NEW DAWG: It’s a trade the Mavericks wanted to pull off since they got put out of the playoffs by Golden State. Kidd makes your Top 3 list of players. Plus, your best player, Dirk Nowitzki, is in favor of the trade. The Mavericks simply couldn’t keep waiting for Devin Harris to turn the corner.
BUCK: No panic, just obvious: It wasn’t working for the Mavs in the playoffs without a Kidd-like point guard. After Steve Nash was written out of the will 3 1/2 years ago, this supposedly great Mavs team has lost three of seven playoff series. Dirk is an MVP and Josh Howard has come on like gangbusters — but still no ring. This will be a “right move” only if the Mavs win an NBA championship, because Devin Harris will be a good player in this league for a long time.
Does Kelvin Sampson keep getting caught because he’s arrogant, unlucky or a bad guy with rotten morals?
NEW DAWG: Sounds like Kelvin is worse than Charles Barkley in that Fave Five cell phone commercial. Sampson is wearing his cell out. His arrogance in regard to the rules may cost him one of the top five jobs in college hoops.
BUCK: I believe he’s lucky to have gotten the Indiana job after his Oklahoma no-no. I also believe he’s arrogant to think he’s above the law. The other part is conjecture. But I find it ironic that the really stupid people seem to think the rest of us are.
Should Indiana bring back Bob Knight?
NEW DAWG: Hell, no. He quit on his kids at Tech. If he showed up at Indiana, that would just be a slap in the face to the people who helped salvage his career.
BUCK: I disagree. I would tell “The General” to go back to Indiana (if they’ll have you) and keep the sideshow going. He’s only 67. Bob Knight has become a caricature of himself. He has 902 wins.....and Hoosier fans know from whence most of those came.
Who has a better chance of getting into the Hall of Fame: Roger Clemens or Andy Pettitte?
NEW DAWG: Clemens. At least he has the credentials.
BUCK: Neither one: how’s that? Why should they after what Pettitte described in his Feb. 4 deposition? Voters do watch TV. A few actually read, as well.
When John Rocker’s name recently surfaced, were you just glad it had nothing to do with pitchers and catchers reporting to Surprise, Ariz.?
NEW DAWG: Whenever I hear John Rocker’s name, I think of goofy. I just don’t take the guy real seriously. Go visit his Web site www.johnrocker.net. It is typical Rocker.
BUCK: Thanks, but no thanks. I plan to spend the afternoon Googling words that rhyme with irrelevant.
Aren’t NBA players paid well enough to be traded ANYWHERE — even New Jersey?
NEW DAWG: No. Devean George would lose money going to New Jersey. They have state taxes there. There are no state taxes in Texas. George had the hammer and used it. Fault the Mavericks for not getting the entire contract read before they made the deal.
BUCK: NBA players whine about minutes. What now? NBA fans getting their feelings hurt over “no-trade” clauses. Like in the tango, it “takes two” to sign off on a “no trade.” You got this one right, Newy.
Should the Cowboys use the “franchise” tag on Flozell Adams or roll the dice and let him become a free agent?
NEW DAWG: Flozell played some of his best football against NFC East teams. You simply can’t pay Tony Romo $67 million and not protect his blindside, using unproven players. They have no choice but to franchise Flo.
BUCK: Let’s see, Flo would be guaranteed $9 million in 2008. That’s about $500,000 per false start. But because the Cowboys don’t have an obvious heir apparent in place and because another first-round loss means “No False Steps” in getting back to the playoffs, yes, it’s doubly imperative to get this guy wrapped up. And I really do hate it when we agree.
Now that the Rangers have Nolan Ryan in the front office, what do they do to improve on the field?
NEW DAWG: This club needs major-league talent. Because outside of Michael Young, the Rangers don’t have any all-star talent on that roster. The outfield is still not good. The starting rotation is the worst in the American League.
BUCK: Pitching? This just in.....something about the Lindbergh baby.
Feb. 11
Will Shaq’s presence make a difference with the Phoenix Suns?
NEW DAWG: Yes. Shaq is in great shape. I spoke with him when Miami came to Dallas. He just has to get that hip working. Keep in mind, we all thought Pat Riley put together a wacky crew back in the fall of 2005, and that team won the NBA title in 2006. You never know....
BUCK: Not so fast, Dawg Daddy. Last time I checked, Shaq was 35 (turning 36 next month) and a “special dispensation” case in terms of minutes/games for awhile now. I hope the Big Aristotle does well in the desert, but I need to see him run the floor in transition over the next couple of months — at the Suns’ normal breakneck pace — before I declare him the Shaquille O’Neal of old. Because right now ... he’s just an old Shaquille O’Neal. Will Nolan Ryan’s presence make a difference with the Rangers?
NEW DAWG: Yes. Fans see Tom Hicks and they think “liar.” Fans see Nolan Ryan and they think integrity.
BUCK: Most definitely, and I have the crystal ball to prove it. I believe in Annie Savoy’s Church of Baseball.....and I believe in osmosis. If Tom Hicks and Jon Daniels allow Nolie to do his thing, at his own pace, with complete autonomy, we’ll see a difference in 1.) immediate perception and 2.) long-term results. But this is a Hall of Fame-sized mess even for a Hall of Fame guy to clean up. Which once-troubled Rangers newcomer will have the bigger year: Milton Bradley or Josh Hamilton?
NEW DAWG: Nice one, Ray. Gloom-and-doom question. I have no clue, so I’ll go with Bradley. He’s on a one-year deal. Guys on one-year deals always play tough because they want a new contract.
BUCK: Give me the guy whose journey from the depths has been the longest: Josh Hamilton. This guy should be out of baseball, or worse, but he’s made it back, and so I’m banking on that kind of inner-strength and conviction. Hopefully — for the Rangers’ sake — Bradley can have a big year, too. Are we so bored with the “regular-season Mavs” that we expect a trade even when one may not help the team?
NEW DAWG: Yes, we are. Isn’t that sad? We want change for the sake of change. The Mavs did that before, and we all saw how bad a deal it was to bring in Antoine Walker. That deal landed the Mavs too many power forwards who needed the ball to be happy.
BUCK: I hate it when we agree. Yes, of course, we are — “we” being sportswriters, sportscasters, sports junkies, casual fans — all with at least two things in common: Short memories and tall expectations. That’s a dangerous combination for a really good basketball team that must keep entertaining people with just really good basketball. After the Mavs’ near-miss two years ago, the bar was raised by everyone — even themselves. Can Jim Zorn immediately turn around the Redskins?
NEW DAWG: Whenever Dan Snyde