Don't Sleep on DeShawn

by Scott Rozsa
srozsa1@swbell.net

While the Mavericks have been scrutinized lately for repeatedly giving up large leads this season, they still have only actually lost a handful of games this year. It's almost nitpicking. Haters feel the need to criticize the Mavs despite their owning the second-best record in the Western conference at 23-5 and winners of 16 of their last 17 games as they entered their Christmas break. Man, fans can be spoiled sometimes.

The trait most MFFL's are overlooking is the number of times this season that Dallas has rocketed out to sizable leads from the opening tip. I'm going to dub it the The Stevenson Effect. Ever since guard Deshawn Stevenson was inserted in to the starting lineup in the sixth game of the season against the Celtics back on November 8, the Mavs are 20-3. His physical presence has made them a better defensive team and his white-hot three-point shooting this season – 49.3%, a career high and 4^th in the NBA - has made him a weapon that opposing defenses cannot ignore. His brashness seems to have rubbed off on his teammates as well as the Mavs have been confident and composed from the first moment they hit the court, especially on the road, where the Mavs are 10-1 for the season, best in franchise history. In addition, Dallas has led after the first quarter in 17 of the 23 games he has started.

The Mavericks have been dubbed The Streak Busters by NBA cognoscenti after snapping six opponent's winning streaks of five games or more (Boston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Utah and Miami) and Stevenson has been a starter for every single one of those streak-ending wins. As a player who was best known before this season for his YouTube shooting contest against Gilbert Arenas, his on-court woofing with LeBron in past playoff match ups and the classic “I Can't Feel My Face” gesture after hitting a three, Stevenson has turned a corner this season and is playing with a maturity, work ethic and selflessness that many never thought he would reach.

Dallas has not allowed a team to shoot over 50% against them for the season, the only squad in the NBA who can make that claim. Stevenson has helped set the defensive tone at the beginning of each half for all but the first five games this campaign, and the Mavs were a mediocre 3-2 in those tilts. Granted, Tyson Chandler has to be given the bulk of the credit for the Mavs' defensive improvement, but Stevenson needs to be recognized as well.

Dirk, Jason Kidd, Caron Butler and Jason Terry receive headlines on a daily basis, but I say it's time to throw the Mav's own Junk Yard Dog, DeShawn Stevenson, a bone.

Top Trades in Stars History

Best Trades in Franchise History

by Scott Rozsa
srozsa1@swbell.net

Watching Mike Ribeiro and Stephane Robidas play against the Montreal Canadiens, the franchise that originally drafted them, and thinking how little the Stars gave up to get those cornerstones of their roster, I began grinding away to think of the best trades in Dallas Stars history. Are there any other trades that were as big a fleecing by Dallas as these two?

As a matter of fact, there are some that are even more one-sided than the Ribeiro or Robidas deals. As my Christmas gift to you, I give you the Top Trades in Dallas Stars History:

1. Stars acquire Sergei Zubov from Pittsburgh for Kevin Hatcher. Seriously. This happened. Zubov amassed 549 points in his twelve seasons with Dallas, three All-Star selections, a Stanley Cup and innumerable Gary Oldman comparisons. Hatcher only played five seasons after the trade and fell in to a well.

2. Stars acquire Guy Carbonneau from St. Louis for Paul Broten. The Broten name carries sizable weight in Stars franchise history, unfortunately for Paul it was his brother Neal that established that notoriety. As we all know, Carbonneau can essentially be credited with creating the winning culture around the Stars while Broten played just 17 games after the trade and was out of the league.

3. Dallas acquires Mike Ribeiro and a 2008 6^th round pick for defenseman Janne Niinimaa and a 2007 5^th round pick. Ribeiro has led the Stars in scoring in three of his four seasons here while Niinimaa is currently playing for something called HV71 in the Swedish League.

4. Stars originally acquire Stephane Robidas from Atlanta for a 6^th round draft choice in 2002. They later sign him as a free agent after the lockout when it appeared no other franchise was interested. Robidas was an All-Star last year and has been the Stars best defenseman since Sergei Zubov left.

5. Stars acquire Kari Lehtonen from Atlanta for Ivan Vishnevskiy and a 4^th round pick. It may seem a little early to rank this trade with the others, but the way Lehtonen has played so far this season, and the realization that he is still just 27, combined with the fact that Vishnevskiy hasn't even played an NHL game since the trade, make this swap a heist in favor of the Stars.

Brenden Morrow Leading the Way

The Dallas Stars are playing so well over the past month that it's almost become repetitive to keep blathering on and on about their improved penalty kill (88% in the last 15 games), formidable goaltending and scoring depth as the Stars have charged to the top of the Western conference.

In the past month, they are 11-3-2 and have climbed to a perch I never thought they'd reach when the season began. They're 10-0-2 in their last twelve at home and have seven more wins after 34 games than they did last season. Like their AAC co-tenants, the Dallas Mavericks, the Stars have provided their fans with almost nothing but winning hockey and it looks like patrons are realizing it and heading to the rink; attendance is ___ over the last ten home games.

They failed to pick up a point in a game only twice in their last fifteen games.

They've beaten division leaders Detroit and Montreal in succession.

Even their once anemic power play has rounded in to shape and scored goals in six straight games.

The squad is as cohesive and single-minded in purpose as any team in the league, and it has been the leadership of their captain recently that has really pushed them to the top spot in the conference. Brenden Morrow has been a beacon of determination and focus over the past five games; it's almost as though the puck that demolished his nose in the San Jose game propelled him to another level.. After surgery, Morrow was in the lineup against the Sharks just 3 days later and didn't miss a shift. In fact, he's scored three goals since getting his schnoz rearranged and donning the fishbowl.

Head coach Marc Crawford said it best: “There’s no two ways about it. He’s uncomfortable. We’re sore for him just watching him. But that’s leadership. He’s going out and leading by example. That really spirits on everybody else. You can’t help but be motivated when you see your captain come out and play the way that he does.”

It's no wonder that he's simply referred to as The Captain when Stars fans and announcers are discussing him these days.

By Scott Rozsa

srozsa1@swbell.net

Bowling for Swag!

If you're a player on a college team that's not either Auburn or Oregon and playing for a national championship, what bowl would be your next selection? Well, since these players allegedly don't get paid, I'm guessing they'd be happy ending up in the Beef O'Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl.

Why, you ask? Because they have the best swag! Participants in the Beef O'Brady's bowl take home an Xbox 360, Oakley Fuel Cell sunglasses, and Oakley backpack and a commemorative mini helmet. If you're a college student, that's a pretty sweet haul.

Just about very bowl game – there are thirty-five in all – shower the players with goodies to help soften the fact that they're actually being forced to play a meaningless game in El Paso or on a frozen field in New York. But how do the bowls compare when it comes to swag? See for yourself:

New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque, (Dec. 18): Gift suite of electronics, Oakley Fuel Cell sunglasses, Oakley beanie & cap, Oakley Panel backpack, pen & Xmas ornament.

Udrove Humanitarian Bowl, Boise, (Dec. 18): Sony gift suite, New Era skull cap, waterproof parka, gloves, hand warmers, Ogio Fugitive back pack, football.

R&L Carriers Bowl, New Orleans (Dec. 18): Apple iPod Touch, Balfour ring.

Beef O'Brady's St. Petersburg (Dec. 21): Xbox 360 4GB, Oakley Fuel Cell sunglasses, Oakley Panel backpack, mini helmet.

MAACO Bowl, Las Vegas (Dec. 22): Electronics gift suite. (Hey, whadda ya want? They get to party in Vegas!)

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (Dec. 23): Best Buy gift card, Fossil watch, hoodie & cap.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, Honolulu (Dec. 24): Kicker EB41 ear buds, Oakley Fuel Cells, Pro Athletics custom shorts, commemorative t-shirt, visor, Oakley Surf back pack, beach towels, calendar.

Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl, Detroit (Dec. 26): Electronics gift suite, Timely Watch Co. watch, leather duffel bag, football.

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl, Shreveport (Dec. 27): Electronics gift suite, Timely Watch Co. watch, New Era hat.

Champs Sports Bowl, Orlando (Dec. 28): $420 gift card to Best Buy, Timely Watch Co. watch.

Insight Bowl, Tempe (Dec. 28): Sony gift suite, Tourneau watch, cap, Ogio Cooper backpack.

Military Bowl, Washington DC (Dec. 29): Sony Dash, Altec Lansing portable speakers, beanie, cap, duffel bag, blanket.

Texas Bowl, Houston (Dec. 29): Apple iPod Touch, Fossil watch, t-shirt, back pack, belt buckle (you know, cuz it's Texas!!)

Valero Alamo Bowl, San Antonio (Dec. 29): Xbox 360 with Kinect, $20 Game Stop gift card, Kicker 541 headphones, Apple iPod Shuffle, Fossil watch, mini helmet and team photo.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Dallas (Dec. 30): Sony gift suite, Timely Watch Co. watch, Ogio All Terrain duffel bag, football.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Nashville (Dec. 30): Skull Candy headphones, Apple iPod Shuffle, iTunes gift card, Fossil watch, Majestic fleece, Port & Co. long-sleeve shirt, Ogio backpack.

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl, San Diego (Dec. 30): Best Buy gift card, Fossil watch, hoodie, cap.

Hyundai Sun Bowl, El Paso (Dec. 31): Electronics, Timely Watch Co. watch, Majestic fleece, Top of the World cap, Ogio Politan backpack, Helen of Troy hair dryer (HUH??), souvenir coin.

Autozone Liberty Bowl, Memphis (Dec. 31): Apple iPod Nano, Fossil watch, Nike shoes, sandals and sunglasses, Nike Air Jordan backpack, football.

Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Atlanta (Dec. 31): $250 Best Buy card, Fossil watch, Russell Athletic cap, Russell travel bag, Chick-Fil-A gift card.

Ticketcity Bowl, Dallas (Jan. 1): Electronics, Timely watch.

Capital One Bowl, Orlando (Jan. 1): $420 shopping spree at Best Buy, Timely watch.

Outback Bowl, Tampa (Jan. 1): $150 Best Buy card, Fossil watch, cap, Jostens ring, $25 gift card to Outback.

Gator Bowl, Jacksonville (Jan. 1): Fossil watch, Oakley sunglasses, leather duffel bag, Jostens ring, football.

Rose Bowl (Jan. 1): Electronics gift suite, Fossil watch, Oakley cap, Oakley Bugeye backpack.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Glendale (Jan. 1): Electronics gift suite, Fossil watch, cap, Ogio Cooper backpack.

Discover Orange Bowl, Miami (Jan. 3): Electronics gift suite, Tourneau watch, New Era cap.

Allstate Sugar Bowl, New Orleans (Jan. 4): Sleek Audio headphones, electronics, Reactor Meltdown watch, New Era cap.

Godaddy.com Bowl, Mobile (Jan. 6): Nikon S70 touch screen camera, Timely watch, leather luggage, football.

AT&T Cotton Bowl (Jan. 7): would not disclose. It'll just have to be a surprise!

BBVA Compass Bowl, Birmingham (Jan. 8): Oakley watch, Oakley glasses, Oakley backpack, football.

KRAFT Fight Hunger Bowl, San Francisco (Jan. 9): Sony noise-canceling headphones, Fossil watch, cap, Ogio backpack, $100 Levi's gift certificate.

Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, Glendale (Jan. 10): Electronics gift suite, Fossil watch, cap, Ogio backpack.

Hey, if you made it all the way to the end of this list, you must surely agree with me now that there are WAAAY too many Bowl games!

Top 100 Sports Pictures of 2010 TotallyCoolPix

Top 100 Sports Pictures of 2010 TotallyCoolPix

Top 100 Sports Pictures of 2010 TotallyCoolPix

Mavs D Unlike Anything We've Ever Seen

Heading in to last Tuesday night's opening tilt in a six-game home stand against the lowly Golden State Warriors – losers of eight of their previous nine games – it is doubtful that you thought the Mavs would be required to play their ace card to win the game. But this season, Dallas has a nice shiny red button that they can't wait to push: one that activates their fourth quarter defense, and they happily slapped it again to squash the Bay Area bottom-feeders.

With the score 72-71 for the Warriors after three periods, the Mavericks were in the familiar position of having to pull out a game down the stretch with their late game D, the trait more responsible for their nine-game winning streak entering the game than any barrage of Dirk jumpers or timely Jet three-pointers. And this time, they didn't have defensive anchor Tyson Chandler to backstop their efforts as he was out with a stomach virus.

No problem. The Warriors became the first victim of Les Tours Jumelle (Twin Towers): Alexis Ajinca and Ian Mahinmi combined for 15 points and 16 rebounds, and Mahinmi was on the court for the entire fourth quarter after logging only 39 minutes all season. Mahinmi did a splendid imitation of Chandler, grabbing boards and either blocking shots or altering Warriors' attempts around the rim as he plugged in perfectly in the Mavs' fourth quarter defense and threw down his first double-double. Even non-rotation players are taking pride in defense.

The Mavs ended up forcing seven Warriors turnovers and blocked a pair of shots in the game's final 12 minutes and outscored Golden State 34-28 – a pair of garbage-time threes by Dorrell Wright and Vladimir Radmonovic allowed the Warriors to surpass Dallas' season average of fourth quarter points allowed – on their way to a 105-100 victory, their tenth straight.

Defense has become the Mavericks calling card this year and has been the primary reason the squad is 17-4 through the first quarter of the season and has San Antonio Spurs' head coach Gregg Popovich calling them “the best team in basketball.” They are currently the 4^th ranked defense in the league in opponents' points per game (92.6) and 3^rd in opponents' field goal percentage (.433), both vast improvements over last season when they ranked 15^th in both categories (99.3 and .457).

Specifically, it is the team's fourth quarter defense that has become one of the story lines around the league. Heading on to the Warriors' game, the Mavs surrendered an average of 22 points per fourth quarter, tops in the NBA, and held opponents to 40.8% shooting in the final frame, 2^nd in the league. They are now a league-leading 5-1 in games where they trailed going in to the fourth quarter.

It appears that head coach Rick Carlisle, in his third season at the helm, has finally got a stable of horses to carry out his defensive schemes – one that believes in the system and, more importantly, each other. The off-season addition of Chandler has been instrumental in the team's surge in defensive confidence; he has injected an enthusiasm and a swagger in the defense that Mavs' fans have rarely seen for extended stretches. And don't underestimate the insertion of DeShawn Stevenson in to the starting lineup on November 8 against the Boston Celtics, a move that put a pair of defensive aces on the court from the jump. Since Carlisle made that move, the team is 14-2.

During the current ten-game winning streak, the defensive numbers have been particularly strong:

-They have held nine of the ten teams below their season average in scoring, and limited five of the teams to 10 or more points below their norm.

-They have given up just 93 ppg and held their opponents to 43% shooting over the 10 game stretch that included wins over seven teams that average more than 100 ppg.

With three of the next five home games coming against New Jersey, Milwaukee and Portland, it's likely that we are only going to see these numbers continue to improve.

The bottom line is that the Mavericks have shot to the top of many experts' power rankings, and to within a half-game of the San Antonio Spurs, because of their much-improved defensive performance. They have defended at a high level in stretches before, but never have actually been recognized as a defensive force. That may change this year. According to basketball-reference.com, we are witnessing the best defensive team the Mavericks have ever fielded as their current defensive rate of 101.8 points per 100 possessions is far and away the best in franchise history! (Insert lame Don Nelson joke here.)

Dandy Don - Part II

I grew up in Dallas, but I was only a 2 years old when Don Meredith retired. My Mom said I learned how to cuss listening to my Dad yell at Meredith through the television, but that's another story for another day. Suffice to say I learned the lesson well. Anyway, I knew Meredith more, obviously, from his work on Monday Night Football, back when MNF was an event no matter how lousy that particular week's game might have been on the field. I knew Meredith had been in pretty bad health these last few years, so the news of his passing wasn't necessarily a surprise. But it was still a pretty shocking kick to the gut on a Monday morning. It's definitely a sad day if you're a Cowboy fan; it doesn't matter whether or not you're old enough to have actually seen him play. If you think Tony Romo took some heat for his trip to Cabo a couple of years back, that's nothing compared to the crap Meredith had to put up with around here. It had to have been pretty bad to force him from the game when he was only 31 years old. Thanks for the memories, Don. You will be missed.

A Tribute to "Dandy" Don Meredith - RRW #325

Farewell Dandy Don

The sad news came down Sunday, December 5th, Dandy Don Meredith passed away at the age of 72. Born in Mount Vernon, Texas Meredith was a very accomplished athlete gaining All American status as a quarterback for SMU in 1959, moved on to the NFL as a third round pick by Chicago Bears who then traded him to a young Cowboys franchise for future draft picks. It is an amazing fact that Dandy Don played high school, college and pro football only in the State of Texas...specifically North Texas. He also had a successful career in broadcasting and television/movies. Here is a video clip that is fitting in saying farewell.