A Dead Dynasty

Tonight, the Spurs lost to the Grizzlies. It means several things:

1. The Spurs fans will throw out their tired "4-0" argument. Which is fine.

2. The Spurs become the second team to lose to an 8 seed in the NBA playoffs. Welcome to the party, San Antonio. It sucks.

3. The Spurs Dynasty is dead. Duncan is done. Ginobili is losing it. Parker can't do it by himself. It was a great ride, and you accomplished a lot. Yeah, you cheated to get into the lottery. Yeah, you had the most improbable lottery win in NBA history. And, yeah, you happened to have that happen in one of the few years when a franchise-changing player was available. Congratulations. But you sold your soul for four titles...enjoy mediocrity for the rest of your franchise's existence.

It's over. Forever. And I love it.

Mavericks Update

Let's see what this team is made of tonight. There are a couple possibilities that I see:

1. Tyson Chandler (and company, which could include Shawn Marion and maybe someone else) takes this team on his back. Emotionally and physically. And finds a way to get over the Mavericks' past angst. He seems to be the only guy strong enough to absorb all the Mavericks' demons, and even then, I don't know if he can. The team will rebound, take command back in the series, and move on to the second round.

2. As they've done time and time again, this kind of adversity simply kills them.

If #1 happens, I'll believe again. If #2 happens, I've already applied for a temporary fan card for the Memphis Grizzlies. It's been approved, but I still have to sign it.

Show me something, Mavs.

The F%&#ing Mavericks

If you're the type that believes in reincarnation, I would like to introduce the following theory:

- Fans of the Dallas Mavericks are being punished for sins in a previous life.

It's the only way to describe the gut-wrenching horror that it is to be a Mavs fan some days. Yesterday, of course, the Mavs had one of the most epic meltdowns in NBA playoff history. With a 23-point lead late in the third quarter (2 minutes to go), the Mavs found a way to lose again. Just like the 2006 NBA Finals and dozens of times since and before.

The Mavericks are the most pathetic franchise in the history of pro sports. From the 1990s, where the team was one of the worst performers in sports history...but still couldn't get the #1 overall pick ever (compare to the Spurs, who threw games to get into the lottery and won with a single ping-pong ball). To the 2000s, where the Mavs are the only team in NBA history with as many wins in a decade without multiple titles (let alone the zero the Mavs have).

And it makes me laugh so hard when Spurs fans go out of their way to scoreboard Mavs fans. Does Bill Gates scoreboard homeless people? If so, he's as big a douche as most of the Spurs fans I know.

And I know I've said a million times that you have to support the home team. I get really mad at all of the Lakers fans in Dallas. Or the Yankees fans in Dallas. Or the Red Wings fans in Dallas. People who have grown up in Texas but choose to cheer for a team in a city they've never been to.

But I don't know if I can cheer for this team anymore. My heart just isn't strong enough. Because it isn't just that they choke...they have to make you believe first. They seduce you with magic and then break your heart.

Because two weeks ago, I couldn't imagine getting upset about the Mavericks. They were playing awful, and they were limping into the playoffs. I said that they might be the worst #3 seed in NBA history, and they were overwhelmingly getting picked to get beat by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Then I actually got invited to game one. I watched and had fun, and the team won. Then they went out and, despite low odds, won game two in relatively overwhelming fashion. To add to that, the Spurs and Lakers both lost their game ones, making both of them look beatable.

And I started to wonder. The team was dominant with DeShawn Stevenson starting earlier in the year, and now he was back in the starting lineup. Turnover machine and false messiah Rodrigue Beaubois was hurt and couldn't blow games anymore. Jason Kidd looked young and revitalized. Even Jason Terry looked like he'd played before. Things were looking up.

And even game three made me feel better about the team. In a hostile environment, with the Blazers making every shot they took, the Mavs were still able to hang in. Terry brought something offensively. And then there was the fact that Dirk really hadn't shot the ball well yet, despite being the strongest candidate for MVP of the series.

Then game four. A critical game. A Mavs win, and they just needed to win one of three with two at home. A Portland win and they have the momentum heading back to Dallas.

And in the third quarter, the Mavs played great. Portland didn't hit a shot until 2 minutes left, and Dallas was drilling everything. They took a 23-point lead. I look at my phone and Caron Butler, Dirk's strongest Tonto, was cleared for contact and practice.

Then Brandon Roy hits a 3-pointer to knock the lead back down to 18. And something hit my gut. I realized something, and it made me sick.

Portland was shooting terrible. The law of averages said that they would rebound. That meant they would hit most of their fourth quarter shots.

And they basically did. The fourth quarter was a massacre. Not just to the Mavs but to my heart. I knew they were a tease. I knew they couldn't be trusted. I knew that they were just a painted-up harlot with too many years on her tires and nothing left to give. But I fell for it. I believed. Again.

They didn't go to the basket. They settled for bad jumpers and three pointers. They didn't give the ball to Dirk Nowitzki.

And on defense, they sucked. Ashley said they played good defense, but I couldn't disagree more. All I saw was Brandon Roy rushing to the basket for easy layups. Slashing passed Shawn Marion. And, of course, the officials giving dozens of free throws.

I knew they were going to lose from the moment that Roy 3-pointer hit at the end of the third. I just knew it. I sat there hoping that I was wrong, knowing it but just not being able to believe it. I still don't believe it.

One of the great traditions of Dallas sports fans is the question of what team will win it all next. And I think I know the answer. And the answer is "no one." This city is done winning. None of the teams have bright futures or strong horizons. The only hope is the freakin' Rangers, who are made of just as much fools' gold as the Mavericks are/were. No bullpen and average starting pitching won't get it done. They're just a slightly better version of the late 90s teams with all offense and no pitching.

But I'll keep watching. Keep believing. Keep hoping. And maybe my sentence for prior-life sins will slowly erode. Maybe, one day, my time will be served. But, from the looks of things, I have a life sentence.

The John Lennon Question

If John Lennon was 20 today, would he still be a musician? If so, what kind of music would he do, and would he be successful?

This question popped into my head today for no real reason. I was listening to the radio, and some song from the 90s came on (I actually don't remember what it was). And I started to wonder if the artist in question would've been successful today. Or did her musical talent just happen to fit what happened to be popular in the 1990s?

And that's no fun. Who cares about some random female singer in the 1990s? Let's make this significant. So I picked John Lennon, who many regard as a musical genius. And no matter what you think of the man, he changed music forever.

So take John Lennon, and give him the exact same childhood and upbringing fifty years later. So he'll have the same interests, the same morals, the same ethics, and the same personality. Now, I understand that part of what made him John Lennon was the music of his time and his reaction to it. But, for the sake of the thought, let's pretend that John Lennon is John Lennon today.

The first question: does modern John Lennon go into music? Was the music of his time so influential to him that he had to go into music, and would the music of our time have the same effect on him? If not, would he have done something different in his life? Maybe a different form of artistic expression? Or does he end up working at Merrill Lynch?

The second question: if he chooses music, what kind of music does he do? And I guess the next question would actually be whether or not the void left by John Lennon being snatched out of history was filled by anyone else? And I think, again for the sake of the thought, that someone filled John Lennon's role and music is the exact same.

So what type of music would he do? This is the part where I'm no longer qualified to answer. So I went to a friend, who is much more qualified. And I'll let you in on his answer, not revealing his name just in case he doesn't want seven other people to know his thoughts.

"Yeah, he would be (a musician), but with the Internet and just how the world is, he'd be more of an artist who just also happens to make music. I would say he'd be more like Jason Collette and Broken Social Scene, but not overly successful. That is, if he's on his own and there wouldn't be a modern day Beatles"

Very interesting answer. It's hard to say exactly what would happen, but it brings me to the most important question.

How much of success depends on when you're born? Or do geniuses find a way to work with what they have in the environment they're in?

Was John Lennon a genius that understood the music scene, found a void, filled it, and revolutionized the way music sounds? And, being a genius, could he do the same thing today? Or, like the 90s singer, did he just happen to thrive in an environment that embraced his particular skill set? Would John Lennon form a Coldplay-like band and be massively successful? Or would he be a struggling artist in London, forever wondering why no one understands his genius?

How many John Lennons are out there right now, wondering why they weren't born in the 40s? How many people would've been better off in a different era, past or future? How many people would've been much worse?

Or does it not matter? Does success just find certain people no matter what? Would Einstein have been as influential if E=MC2 had already been discovered? Would he have discovered something different? Or would he be some random guy in the patent office, trying to think of the next Snuggie?

Would Abraham Lincoln be a successful politician? Would George Washington be a successful military leader? How would Aristotle function in today's world? Would Martin Luther find a way to make an impact on modern religion? What about Da Vinci? Or Napoleon? Or Julius Caesar?

It's a really interesting question to me. And, hopefully, you find it just as fascinating.

Danny Crawford's Dallas Mavericks Playoff Record

Below are the 18 Dallas Mavericks playoff games that Danny Crawford has officiated. I've listed the game in the series that he officiated and what the series was going into that game.

2001 - Utah - Game 3 (Utah leads 2-0) *Mavs won

2001 - San Antonio - Game 5 (San Antonio leads 3-1)

2002 - Sacramento - Game 5 - Sacramento leads 3-1)

2003 - Portland - Game 4 (Dallas leads 3-0)

2003 - Sacramento - Game 1

2003 - Sacramento - Game 6 (Dallas leads 3-2)

2003 - San Antonio - Game 3 (series tied 1-1)

2004 - Sacramento - Game 4 (Sacramento up 2-1)

2005 - Houston - Game 2 (Houston up 1-0)

2005 - Phoenix - Game 1

2006 - San Antonio - Game 1

2006 - Phoenix - Game 5 (series tied 2-2) *Mavs won

2006 - Miami - Game 3 (series tied 1-1)

2006 - Miami - Game 6 (Miami leads 3-2)

2007 - Golden State - Game 3 (series tied 1-1)

2008 - New Orleans - Game 5 (New Orleans up 3-1)

2009 - Denver - Game 1

2010 - San Antonio - Game 3 (series tied 1-1)

- 5 games where the series was tied 1-1 or 2-2 (Mavs went 1-4)

- 4 game 1s (Mavs went 0-4)

- 5 games where the Mavs could be eliminated (Mavs went 1-4)

The other four games:

- Dallas up 3-0 and loses to Portland to avoid the sweep

- Dallas loses to Sacramento in 2003 of the Western semis to force a game 7

- Sacramento wins game 4 in 2004, pushing the Mavs to a 3-1 deficit

- Houston wins game 2 at Dallas to take a 2-0 series lead on the Mavs, heading to Houston

Some stats:

Since 2001, the Mavericks' playoff record is 50-57 (46.7% winning percentage). Their record when Crawford officiates is 2-16 (11.1%). Their record, minus Crawford games is 48-41 (53.9%).

In Tim Donaghy's book, Donaghy claims that Dan Crawford openly bragged about the Mavericks' record in playoff games he officiated. Whether or not he is to be believed, it shines doubt on Crawford's objectivity. And, yet, Crawford continues to officiate Mavericks' playoff games.

Church

For Lent, I decided to do something a bit more meaningful than giving up chocolate or soft drinks or desserts. Lent is supposed to be about doing something that brings you closer to God. So, this year, I decided to give something up that would go towards that goal.

Not going to church.

That's right. I gave up not going to church. Read in English, that means that I started going to church again for Lent.

I always say that I'm going to go back at the beginning of the year. After all, January is the time when people try to start new habits. And January also singles the end of football season, which is God's primary villain in the search for Sunday attendance. The secondary villain is, of course, sleeping in.

No football in April means no problem on the first issue. But the second issue was still a problem. I hate having to wake up early during the week, and I absolutely loathe having to wake up early on the weekends. I like to sleep until 10am on the weekends, even if I didn't stay up terribly late the night before.

I also don't really like dressing up. For anything. Dressing up means ironing, or even worse, it could mean dry cleaning. Also, living in Texas, it usually means wearing clothing that is too hot for our normal temperatures.

Luckily, a lot of young people feel the same way I do. And the churches are being forced to adjust. Even my church, an Anglican church with a very formal mass every Sunday, has added a "modern" service to go along with their "traditional" service. This means that you can basically wear whatever you're comfortable with. Jeans are fine. Sandals are fine. I even saw someone wearing a TCU t-shirt. Go Frogs, by the way.

And they have a service at 11:15. I can go to church in jeans and a t-shirt and still sleep in until 10am.

Now I haven't yet done that. I've worn khakis, dress shoes, and a nice shirt every time I've gone to church (and I've gone every week with one exception, when I felt pretty sick). I wore a short-sleeved polo shirt last week, but opted for a long-sleeved shirt today since it was Palm Sunday. But it's really nice to have that option. Especially during the summer months.

In addition to the late service and the lax dress code, this service seems to be a bit more my speed. They have a full band (guitars and drums), and their priests are young and "cool." I'm not exactly sure if it's what God intended church to be like, but it's brought me back to church. And based on the attendance, it's brought a lot of other people back too.

And I think I'm going to keep going. I'm trying to re-establish a relationship with God that will hopefully make me a more hopeful (and happier) person. So far, it's working. And it's been my best Lenten promise yet.

RIP 2010-2011 Dallas Stars

People often ask me what my favorite sport and/or team is, and I often give the same answer. "Whichever sport is playing." So when it's baseball season, it's the Rangers. When it's football season, it's the Cowboys. When it's college football season, it's the Frogs. Basically, whatever sport I'm watching is my favorite.

But the Stars have always had a special place in my heart. Being a Stars' fan is like being in a secret club. There aren't many of us, and there are even fewer of us that really understand or appreciate hockey. It's one of the reasons why I became a season ticket holder...because it certified that I was a real fan of this really cool team.

But things haven't been good for a while. Since the Stars won in 1999 (the last championship for the city of Dallas), things have gone downhill. But this year's team, while not supposed to do anything, exceeded expectations. They led the division for a while, even briefly leading the conference. And, for a while, it was really fun to be a Stars' fan again.

Then things started falling apart. Depth players started to get hurt, and minor leaguers had to start playing. Then Brad Richards got hurt. The team started to struggle. And they slowly fell out of the race.

And for a while, it seemed inevitable that the Stars were going to miss the playoffs. I even declared them dead about two weeks ago on this very blog. But despite that, they never went away. When they needed a win, they got it. But there was another problem: whenever someone else needed to lose, they didn't either.

And by today, it was very simple. The Blackhawks needed to lose and the Stars needed to win. The "victory" was a matchup with the dominant President's Cup winner Vancouver Canucks. The same Canucks that outscored the Stars 20-5 in four games this year.

But getting in was going to be worth it, whether they got swept or not. And by two this morning, the Stars were in good shape because Chicago lost 4-3. One win over Minnesota, a team they'd beaten three times this season, and they were in.

And they lost 5-3. It's a sad ending to a good season. The Stars got 95 points, which is usually good enough for a playoff appearance. They have a solid goaltender in Kari Lehtonen, an emerging star in Jamie Benn, and a great young power play quarterback in Alex Goligowski. They have a still-young team, and they're gelling.

They still need to figure out this ownership situation. They need to find a way to re-sign Brad Richards, who wants to stay but wants to get paid. They need to find a way to get a big bruising defenseman to go along with Nicklas Grossman. And they need to be more consistent.

But Joe Nieuwendyk is building a team that's going to compete for a long time. And while this season ended in a rough way, it's the start of something moreso than the end.

#21 Drew Irwin

Last night, Keely and I went to the Highland Park baseball game. One of the kids she nannies for plays on the team, and she thought it'd be fun to go watch.

This, of course, brought up a lot of memories from my high school experience because I spent years of my life at Scotland Yard trying to be a baseball player. And even though it never really worked out for me, I do have some fond memories of that place. I hit a 360-ish foot home run to left field as a junior (suck it, Cubby), and that was definitely a top one.

Of course, knowing me, it also made me think what could've been. By junior year, I was really trying to take baseball seriously. For the first time, I had private lessons, and I was really getting better (as noted by said homer). I had a new bat, a new glove, and I was playing better. Then, BAM, broken finger on my throwing hand less than a month before tryouts.

And while it healed well enough to play, I threw awkwardly. I didn't hit very well. I was cut...again.

And it sucked. For the longest time, I thought it would be cool to make the team. Get a uniform. Have walk-up music. I honestly didn't even care if I played against good teams. And maybe I should've told that to the coaches and maybe they would've let me sit at the end of the bench. But it doesn't matter.

And last night made me think about all that again. Highland Park has some cool uniforms now, and there's this huge poster with all of the kids' bios. And now they even have little banners for each varsity player with their name and picture. It would've been so cool to have had that happen.

Baseball was the thing that I was really good at growing up. I had a great glove, and I had a good bat. I never really had any power, but I was a little kid for my age. And while I've watched baseball a lot since I quit, going back last night made me remember how close I got. And how badly I failed. And how these kids were doing what I wasn't able to do.

And I wonder if they appreciated it. If they knew how cool it was to have a banner. And a poster with their bio. And that they got to have walk up music. And be called in the starting lineup. And wear the uniform. I'm sure some of them do.

But do they simply take it for granted now, and their disappointment will be in college, where they can't make the team. Or in the minors. Or will they never have that disappointment that most of us have? And if so, do they ever appreciate how lucky it is to be doing what they're doing?

I hope so. At the very least, for my sake.

Sucker Punch Follow Up

This morning, I was suddenly reminded of Sucker Punch. Specifically, I thought of the opening scene of the movie, where we learn why the protagonist gets sent to a mental hospital. It's an artsy beginning to a movie, but the signature is a creepily awesome version of "Sweet Dreams" that I later found out was sung by the star of the film, Emily Browning. I found a version of the song on youtube, and then I found the scene itself. If you've seen the movie, check it out. If you haven't, the scene's probably more powerful on the big screen than it would be on your computer. But it's from a legit source so check it out.

Full scene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gl2I5exFfM

Baseball Time In Texas

I went to Opening Day in Arlington. Then I went again tonight. First two games of the season and two wins over the team that's supposed to win the World Series this year according to the "East Coast Bias" network.

And it's just really fun to have a good baseball team. DFW is really getting behind the Rangers, and it's just great to be out there among the fans. When the Rangers hit a home run, everyone high fives each other, and there's just a great community feel. And it's especially great to beat all of the bandwagon Red Sox fans who never gave the Rangers a chance. They tried to do a chant early in the game, but it was easily and quickly squashed by the Ranger faithful..

I don't know if this team has what it takes to win a championship as presently constructed (I have major concerns about the pitching), but it's definitely a fun team to watch. And their lineup should be enough to get them to the playoffs, possibly no matter what happens with the pitching.

So go check out the Ballpark. Cheer for the home team. And try to forget that the Mavs are choke artists, the Stars aren't quite yet there, and that there probably won't be an NFL season in 2011.

The Streak Continues

Dallas 0

San Jose 6

Dallas stays three points behind the Chicago Blackhawks for the final playoff spot with six games to go.

Dallas 82

LA Lakers 110

Dallas falls a game behind the Lakers for 2nd in the West with only nine games to go. A second-round Mavs/Lakers series would start in Los Angeles.

I guess it's baseball season...