Quick Mavericks take

The Lakers moved to California where there are no lakes

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks. They beat the Portland Trailblazers 103-96 on the road last night to clinch their first-round victory.

Let's consider Dirk Nowitzki.

We can comment about the contributions (or relative lack thereof) of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler or whoever.

The fact is, this team goes as far as Dirk Nowitzki is really willing or able to carry them. They don't sniff the second round without him and they won't sniff the Western Conference Finals without him.

I think he does need to play better. He didn't shoot all that great outside of a 11-17 showing last night. Still, he battled, drive to the basket and stayed patient. He didn't let the physicality of the games get to him. This is unlike the Nowitzki of the past.

The guy is simply phenomenal. We'll never see another like him.

****
To the Los Angeles Lakers because I'm going out of town.

My prediction: Los Angeles Lakers in 7. Here's why.

Lamar Odom
Scares me to death. Above all other Lakers, he's the guy that they might not have a strong answer for. He's averaged 15-9-4 in his career against Dallas and it always seems like he's doing bad stuff against them. For one, he's a big guy. At 6-10, he's way more athletic that you might think. And quick. Kind of a tweener in some regards except that he can rebound, handle the rock and cause havoc. I guess Shawn Marion and Dirk Nowitzki will have hands in covering him. I just got a bad feeling about that guy.

Dirk/Pau
Pau Gasol never worried me much, on his own. He's the inside Dirk Nowitzki: A Euro with tons of questions, moments of greatness, times of doubt and a guy that many think need to be omega dog. Except Gasol's game is near the basket. His shot doesn't go down, his ability to still get close or get to the line is far better. However, if we finish this series and we say, "Pau Gasol was as good as Dirk Nowitzki," then the Mavericks clearly have problems.

Kobe
The dude has rings. What else do you want to say? Talk about how he's lost a step or two. Talk about his ruddy knees. Talk about his lackluster shooting nights all you want. Still scares the bejesus out of me with five seconds left in a tie game.

No Fear At The AAC
I don't think the Lakers have any problems coming to the American Airlines Center and winning. They've done it for ... oh ... the past 30 years. Those dudes will win anywhere. They tied with the best home record in the West and were a half game behind ... Dallas for the best road record. By the way, everyone kind of thought the Lakers were on the ropes with New Orleans. Until they finished them up on the road. The Lakers are still good. Don't talk yourself out of this.

Matt Barnes
The Dirk-killer. Not saying he's near the player he was in 2007 in Golden State. Still, the dude is brimming with confidence at his lowest point. I think Nowitzki is going to get a ton of looks from Phil Jackson; Pau to Odom to Artest to Bynum. Barnes could be the lynchpin.

Sloppinness Is Next To Godliness
The Mavericks did win their series against Portland. However, I tend to think the Mavs would have been in trouble against a better team. Do the Lakers lose with Jason Terry committing two over-and-back fouls in the fourth quarter? I think the Mavs are too sloppy at times -- inopportune times -- for my taste.

Phil
The reason the Lakers pounce on mistakes. The Zen master. There's a 100 percent chance Rick "No" Carlisle is outcoached. The only hope is that the Lakers are outplayed.

Mock, zero hour

Tyron, tying one on

The NFL Draft is tonight.

Jerry Jones talked the other day. Actually, he stood in front of the media, moved his mouth and tongue, and intoned sounds from his oral cavity. None of it made any sense.

During this time, he somewhat intimated that the Dallas Cowboys were not going to trade up in the draft, but the possibility of trading down might be in their best interest.

By all accounts, the Cowboys will take USC tackle Tyron Smith with the No. 9 pick. Or they could trade down. Smith is a raw talent. However, his ceiling is high.

With all this bullshit said, here are some zero-hour mocks:

Fort Worth Star-Telegram
9. Anthony Costanzo
OT - Boston College
Charean Williams says the Cowboys will trade down from the No. 9. However, he still has them picking here and taking Costanzo. Odd. Wonder if he knows how to do a mock draft.

Atlanta Journal Constitution
9. Tyron Smith
OT - USC
I think the "trading down" rumor is going to prove just that ... a rumor.

CBS Sports
9. Tyron Smith

The outfield

Hello, win column

The Texas Rangers thwarted a home sweep yesterday in a 7-6 by-the-hair-on-their-chinny-chin-chin win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

You might suspect I talk pitching here. Instead, I want to talk about a trumpet.

Some guy in the upper deck on the third-base side brought his trumpet to the game playing the "Mexican Hat Dance" and "Charge!" randomly throughout the game.

As folks were filing out on the ramp, you could hear him throughout playing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" and everyone was singing along.

Best. Thing. Ever.

I don't know who the guy is but he is invited to sit with me anytime. He needs to be at every game. The way people reacted to him was remarkably cool. He played well and brought an extra element outside of Chuck Morgan's great theatrics to the Ballpark. Really cool.

Now, I want to talk outfield.

Ron Washington rolled out the recently popular outfield of Nelson Cruz in left field, David Murphy in center and Mitch Moreland in right.

Popular because I think Washington hates Julio Borbon, the Rangers were facing a lefty in Jo Jo Reyes last night and ... that's just the way baseball.

However, there's a fundamental problem with this threesome: They're all out of position.

I don't know the exact intricacies of playing left versus right, but there were two hits last night that looked extremely "gettable" and it looked like Cruz was out of position or discombobulated. I just imagine Dave Murphy or Josh Hamilton getting those balls.

Moreland looks the most natural. He has a good arm. Covers the field well. Still, he's not a guy you put in right for 100 games or even 75.

Murphy is probably the weakest link. In a pinch, he can play center with little issue. Nonetheless, he doesn't cover the field like Borbon and he doesn't have the arm of Josh Hamilton. You've got to have either/or, right?

Giving nights off is one thing. Rolling with the Cruz/Murph/Moreland outfield three or four nights a week, I think, is crazy. Seems like Washington is forsaking his own creedo of defense for offense. Not a good thing.

Notes:
1. Thought Cody Eppley was good again, despite the game-tying homer to Juan Rivera. Not to Eppley: Rivera's done that to the Rangers for years. He's an asshole. Don't let it get you down. Congrats on the first win.

2. Thought Derek Holland was bad. Kind of found a tiny speck of control and cadence in his final innings. Total lack of control, too much of the plate, bad things happen.

3. How good has Mike Napoli been? Given the at-bats at the Ballpark, he'd absolutely crush.

4. Mike Young continues his assault on Major League pitching. RBI double gives him 12, second in the American League. No one gets on a roll quite like Young.

5. Mitch "The Bitch" Moreland. The dude simply hits. There are no words for it. Considering his time in the Majors, he's probably the most remarkable hitter on the team.

6. Mike McCoy is the J.J. Barea of Toronto baseball: Short and annoying as shit.

7. Toronto mustered 18 baserunners. Left 12. Scored six.

Blow Jays

From the Beltre

If sports is all about match-ups, the Texas Rangers have found their bad one with the Toronto Blue Jays.

There's something about them that over the past two seasons that the Rangers can't figure out. The Rangers are in a peculiar spot. They've lost the first two games of a series and will need to battle tonight to avoid the home sweep.

For one, there are several guys the Rangers just can't get out.

Adam Lind is one. He has five career multi-homer games. Three are against the Rangers. Career at the Ballpark: 45 ABs, nine home runs, 24 RBI and 1.611 OPS.

Jose Bautista is a career .324 hitter against the Rangers with a .446 OBP, six homers and seven doubles.

There there's Juan Rivera, who has given the Rangers headaches for years.

The Jays also have some effective pitchers that the Rangers can't handle. Jesse Litsch is 2-0 against them and I know there was a game last season that he absolutely killed them.

Or maybe that was the lefty Ricky Romero who has a .92 ERA against the Rangers.

It's just match-ups. You take your lumps and move on. The Blue Jays simply give the Rangers fits.

Notes:
1. Chris Davis hit eighth and rewarded the Rangers with a pair of doubles and no strikeouts.

2. Even Julio Borbon had a two-RBI hit. Yorvit Torrealba went 3-3. He's quietly hitting .292.

3. Mike Young's hit streak died at 15.

4. Everyone needs to quit freaking out after any Rangers pitcher has a tough outing. The only guy to really play himself out of a spot is Mark Lowe. Matt Harrison will have his down days. The question is whether he can rebound. I honestly don't hate Brett Tomko. He went five and gave up three runs. Had Harrison done that, the Rangers are in the game.

5. Nothing wrong with Darren O'Day last night.

6. Interesting pitching match-up tonight. Derek Holland is important to watch. For the Jays is Jo Jo Reyes, a name Rangers fans might no. Back when the Rangers traded Mark Teixeira for a group of prospects, Reyes was in the Braves' system, regarded as the best pitching prospect passing Matt Harrison. According to Baseball America at the time, the Braves had Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison and Elvis Andrus as the top three prospects. Neftali Feliz wasn't in the top 10. Reyes and Yunel Escobar were Nos. 8 and 10, respectively. Reyes was apparently off the block. This winter, Escobar and Reyes were traded to the Blue Jays.

7. The Braves might want that trade back.

INTERVENTION

You need help

The Dallas Cowboys are doing their darndest to keep Dez Bryant on the straight and narrow.

He recently lunched with Tony Romo, Andre Gurode and Keith Brooking. Jason Witten also reached out to the receiver after the hubbub surrounding his NorthPark Center "sagging" incident and the flow of stories about his spending and debt problems.

Why Gerry Fraley is awesome: "Chace Crawford, an actor and Romo's future brother-in-law, also attended the lunch. What purpose Crawford served at the meeting could not be determined."

ANYWAY, it's sad that this is Bryant's lot in life and that the Cowboys will perpetually have to look out for this guy. There is a 100 percent chance this marriage does not end well.

Rebound

Even Peja located the rim

I would pay good money for this book to be written:

"Why Don't The Dallas Mavericks Drive To The Hoop When They Know They Will Win If They Do."

I'm not a sports psychologist or even a regular psychologist. I don't understand what it is like on the floor of an NBA Playoff game nor do I know the mindset of a professional athlete.

And I sure as hell don't understand the dumb stuff athletes do on the court or playing field.

The Mavericks blew a 23-point second-half lead on Saturday and the mantra afterwards was why the Mavericks didn't simply put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop. Worst case is that you miss the shot. Best case is you make the basket. In the middle is you get fouled and go to the line. Outside of Brendan "Bricklayer" Haywood (who has the yips, by the way) this is a good thing.

Sure enough, the dumb Mavericks suddenly "get it" and go to the line 35 times in a 93-82 game five win. All on a night that they shot a lackluster 41 percent from the field

Now, we can celebrate this win. Or we can go ahead and bemoan game four. I choose the latter.

What is it about going to the rim that is so hard to remember to do.

Surely at this stage in their careers, the Mavericks know that they must get to the rim and the free throw line in order to win. They're not idiots. And if they want to win so badly, why wouldn't this be job No. 1.

As a Mavericks fan, I'm frustrated as hell. You should be as well.

We get upset when the Cowboys offensive line doesn't block even though they know they should. We get upset if the Stars don't turn the puck over in their own end even though they know that they should.

Why don't we hold the Mavericks to the same standard, night after night? We conveniently forget their struggles when there's a "W" on the schedule. The Mavericks know the secret to success. They can just as easily go to the NBA Finals if they relentlessly attack the rim. Bottomline. No argument.

Notes:
1. I love when Jason Kidd shoots well he's a good shooter. When he doesn't (most nights) then he's doing something else. Fact is, the 14-assist nights have been a rarity all year.

2. Mavericks win. J.J. Barea gets 13 unimportant minutes. Correlation.

3. Tyson Chandler: His first excellent game of the series. Realized he's in a contract year.

4. Mavericks, 49 rebounds. Blazers, 37.

5. The Mavericks will win this series, probably, and we will all forget how bad Dirk Nowitzki was from the field.

6. That Wes Matthews has been obscenely irrelevant.

Totally mocked

The day of doom is approaching. Hide your children.

ESPN
9. Tyron Smith
OT - USC
One of the few times that someone has intimated that the Cowboys might trade down. John Clayton does it here. I imagine they would if they were going cornerback or safety, where they could pick up a quality late first rounder. Maybe.

Yahoo!
9. Tyron Smith
But let's make no mistake here. Smith is a gamble. He has tremendous upside. He could also very well wind up being a bust.

Sporting News
9. Tyron Smith
Boring.

The rise and fall of Chuck Greenberg

The law firm of "Shlachter, Nishimura & Baker" penned a story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about Chuck Greenberg's departure from the Texas Rangers.

It's actually a very confusing story.

Instead, read the full version in D Magazine's CEO issue. It's good. Based on quotes from an unnamed source, the tiff between Greenberg and GM Jon Daniels and Greenberg's lone wolf trip to Arkansas to woo Cliff Lee were overblown.

The strain on Greenberg's relationship and team prez Nolan Ryan increased in early 2011, according to the source.

Then Greenberg skipped a board meeting in Arizona and a meeting with advertisers right after. At that point, said Deep Throat, Ryan gave the money men an ultimatum. Greenberg or Ryan?

We knew who was winning that contest.

A Royal beating

Eppley-leptic ... yeah, I went there

Sports are funny. Right when we are ready to step off the ledge, life gets better.

Just ask the Dallas Mavericks ... about the inverse of that equation.

As for the Texas Rangers, things are peachier than they were a week ago limping home after a rugged roadie and then losing two of three from the California Angels.

Then Neftali Feliz goes on the disable list.

No problem. The Rangers handle the Kansas City Royals rather easily (if that's possible) rounding out the weekend with a stormy 3-1 win Saturday and a too-close-for-comfort 8-7 win yesterday.

Thanks to the Boston Red Sox sweeping the Angels, the Rangers have a 2 1/2 game lead in the West.

The story this weekend was pitching.

Not unlike Derek Holland Friday night, Alexi Ogando was not sharp Saturday. Threw a lot of pitches and not a lot were strikes. Six of his baserunners came in the first three innings.

He allowed one baserunner -- erased with a double play -- for the other three innings. Like Holland, he started to peak in the middle innings as the Rangers managed some runs. By the fifth and sixth, he was dominant.

On the other hand, C.J. Wilson is just flat-out good. Great, even. He might have pitched better as a Ranger, but I doubt it.

Wilson attacked the strike zone mercilessly with a number of pitches yesterday. He wouldn't let up. When he does this, he will not lose. Period. End of story. When his focus wanes is when things can get hairy.

That was no present yesterday, in the least. He struck out 10, walked one and went seven strong.

Wilson's chink in the armor last season was walks. He allowed 93 bases on balls in 204 innings. In 33 innings this year, he has nine walks.

K/BB
1.83 - 2010
3.44 - 2011

As for the bullpen, I didn't think it was nearly as bad as you might think nor do I think it's in super bad shape without Feliz.

Don't get me wrong, Feliz is important. However, I don't think the Rangers are up shit creek without him for a couple of weeks.

Darren Oliver and Arthur Rhodes are savvy enough to fill in.

I thought Cody Eppley was great. Then again, he's been great at every stop in his professional career, so to suggest he wouldn't be great in the Majors is premature.

I even thought Brett Tomko was good. It was his first big-league look in a long time and Ron Washington, not unwisely, tried to milk another inning out of him.

And it almost bit them in the ass. But for that first inning, Tomko was really good. He hit 90 with the fastball and tended to hit his spots. I would not feel scared in getting him in another game.

Doubt

Good times in Portland

I think actor and Wayans brother, Marlon, said it best on Twitter:

"I don't think anybody on the Mavs have balls. They are all a bunch of KEN dolls. How u let that happen???"

This reeks of 2006. Mavs up 2-0 and looking in control needing to take at least one on the road. The big lead late in the game. Disappears. Like that. Like they never led by 23. Like they never held the Portland Trailblazers to like 15 straight misses in that third quarter. Like Brandon Roy doesn't have a total lack of cartilidge or that he wasn't weeping on the bench during game two.

84-82.

At the beginning of the series, I presented five things that I thought would determine this series. One of those is the big quarter. The Mavericks can not afford to allow 30-40 points in any one quarter against a good team.

The Mavericks had actually kept the bad quarters at bay. Until the fourth quarter today. Thirty-five points. Brandon Roy scoring 18 including a four-point play and the banked-in game winner.

Reminded me of the 2006 Finals so much. Right down to the four-point play. Remember in game 3 or 4 when Josh Howard fouled the ancient Gary Payton on that four-point play?

It all came flooding back today.

I'm going to honest: The Mavericks can come back here. They can go back home, regroup and still win at the American Airlines Center. It's not nearly as dire as Miami, I don't think.

Frankly, it's impossible to tell where everyone's head is at. Everyone knows this team's history. Everyone knows about 2006 and 2007 and everything in between. Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and Co. didn't have to be here to understand what took place. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry certainly remember.

I'm giddy waiting for what the Mavericks do Monday night.

Notes:
1. J.J. Barea was simply embarrassing out there. It's shocking that Portland -- with those big guards -- haven't taken more advantage of the minutes he's played.

2. Rick Carlisle is taking it in the nuts regarding his ability or inability to make in-game adjustments, especially as Roy torched them in the fourth. Deservedly so. Plenty of guys -- Corey Brewer, DeShawn Stevenson, et al. -- to throw at him. Make him work.

3. Dirk: 33-80 for the series.

4. A lot was made of the free-throw disparity and whatnot. I think the Blazers were very aggressive in getting to the basket and, honestly, the Mavericks were extremely aggressive defensively, challenging players and getting physical. That's fine, but be prepared for fouls. As for the Mavericks, you don't get foul calls for the sake of evening as stat line. I didn't see many -- if any -- missed calls.

5. How do you know the Mavericks haven't panicked? Roddy Beaubois and Corey Brewer have yet to see the floor.

6. Chandler had six points, seven rebounds and five fouls. He has 30 rebounds, 16 points, 17 fouls in two blocks in the four games. That's what we call "quiet."

7. Per Barea, I can't believe Stevenson hasn't gotten more minutes. Maybe Carlisle really likes having Kidd-Barea out there together, but it doesn't seem to work. The Blazers' guards are too big. Barea and Kidd are too much of defensive liabilities together.

Love on the Dutch Oven

Dutch is clutch

Wanted to take a couple of minutes to give Derek Holland some kudos.

He didn't have, statistically, his best performance last night giving up five runs in the 11-6 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Statistically, that is.

If not for a five-run fourth inning, Holland might have pitched a complete game and probably notched his best overall performance in the bigs.

Holland pounded the strike zone all night. Seventy percent of his pitches were strikes. He struck out nine swinging and looking.

Honestly, he got better after the fourth inning when in the past he might have completed five innings and been pulled. Instead, he regained his confidence, continued to attack the zone and made his pitches without doubting his ability.

If you think about it, the fourth inning could not have been more of a blip. It started with a groundball that spun away from Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus was unable to recover and throw the runner out. Five batters later, Brayan Pena, the catcher sitting in the eight hole, with 10 total Major League homers, hits the flukiest, wind-aided, opposite field home run you'll ever see.

That does not excuse the walks and hits in between, but had Alex Gordon's groundball been fielded and Pena not launched his fly ball into the wind tunnel, maybe two runs score and we think differently about things.

Afterwards, Holland sat down 11 of 13 Royals, getting six strikeouts and four groundballs. This is why Holland, for right now, four starts into the 2011 season, looks for real.

It's the Tyron Smith mock hour!

Culling only hte best and baddest of NFL Draft mocks as the big day approaches.

Draft Countdown
9. Tyron Smith
OT - USC
Never in the past five years has there been such an overwhelming consensus among experts as to who the Cowboys will take. Part of it may be the actual make-up of the top 20 players in the draft. Really of the players winding up in the top 15 in these mocks, I think only LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson dropping to No. 9 would change Jerry Jones' mind. Possibly Cam Newton.

40. Christian Ballard
DE - Iowa
New face. Would give depth to a once-deep and once-effective defensive line.

Peter King
9. Tyron Smith
Although, King states that the Cowboys should take Boston College tackle Anthony Castonzo. Smith is a raw talent. Higher ceiling than the stable and effective Castonzo.

The Football Expert
9. Tyron Smith

40. Brandon Harris
CB - Miami
Many mocks have Harris going earlier than 40, but you never know. Highly regarded cornerback from a school that seems to always produce quality guys in coverage.

Evan Grant: Breakin' necks, cashin' checks

In a pear tree

Evan Grant has a fantastic little column clearing up some mistruths surrounding Colby Lewis' paternity leave and the subsequent brouhaha in the media, especially from Richie Whitt. Interesting is Grant's clear hatred for Whitt's column.

****
Jon Mayo on Neil Ramirez' phenomenal year.

****
Mark Cuban was hit in the face last night with something. That's kinda funny. You talk enough shit in an opponents' arena ... during a loss ... you're bound to get hit by something.

****
John Canzano on game three.

Homerism and the difference between 3-0 and 2-1

Seagoville's own

The TXA21 local telecast of the Dallas Mavericks during these playoffs is really getting to me.

It shouldn't. It's not their fault. It's mine. I choose to watch them. I choose to keep the volume up.

However, it seems there is a real change between this year and past years. There even seems to be a decided difference between the way they called regular season games versus playoff games.

The team of Mark Followill, former Dallas Maverick (Derek Harper, Brad Davis) and Jeff "Skin" Wade are such over-the-top homers that even I, a fan of the Dallas Mavericks, can't take it.

Again, this is my fault.

Maybe they've always been this way. However, I don't think so. The way they react to the most minor of Mavericks success compared to a Trailblazer success (or mistake) is overwhelmingly a lot like cheering.

Case in point: In the second half, the Blazers had a shot and Marcus Camby gets the tip-in, mainly by going over Jason Kidd's back. This was a missed call. The Mavericks telecast just goes crazy, indignant that it was made.

Within a minute, the Mavericks have the ball, Jason Kidd fakes a three and gets the defender in the air. Trying to make contact, Kidd leans forward but misses the defender. In a semi-panic of not getting the call, his pivot foot moves in an obvious travel. The Mavericks telecast giggles at the missed call.

Granted, Mark Cuban's probably threatened to fire them if they don't root openly. I would even suggest this is why Bob Ortegal is not around anymore even though he drove me crazier with the pro-Mavericks rhetoric than anybody, although he'd also stand back and called it as he saw it.

This is no indictment on Followill or Wade. I think both are fine to often really good. I could live with out the barrage of hip-hop/pop culture razzamatazz and off-beat metaphors from Wade. Otherwise, just commenting on a game, they're fine.

As for the game, what a difference 3-0 makes than 2-1. At 3-0, the Mavericks have killed any hope the Blazers had and the series is effectively over. At 2-1, there's the glimmer of hope. The Blazers finally got that win under the belt. They kind of know what it takes.

Remember, it's only a series when the home team loses a game.

And where there's still hope, there's always doubt.

Notes:

1. The Mavericks were not serious about winning that game with J.J. Barea getting significant fourth-quarter minutes. He is a liability no matter what he's doing.

2. Eventually, friends, the outside shooting's going to dry up. See: Last night. Portland's close out was much better. Thus, Peja Stojakovic and Jason Kidd when 3-12 from the three-point line. If you've watched the Mavericks the last 10 years, you know how this will end if they don't drive to the basket.

3. Kidd and Tyson Chandler had miserable games. Chandler's failed to really establish himself in this series. At times, he's been fine. But never great. Kidd has to becoming a facilitator if his shot's not going down.

4. Dirk Nowitzki this series: 26-63 FGs.

5. Mavericks missed 10 free throws. Ridiculous.

6. Jason Terry was great. His technical was not great even if Portland missed the free throw. He threw Nic Batum.

7. Referees are on to Barea's flopping. Won't come as easy otherwise.

8. Makes me vomit: According to Twitter, Mark Cuban got into a verbal fight with Portland fans. Then he was bailed out with extra security. Pussy.

Dallas writer plays shock jock, gets ridiculed

First it was Jennifer Floyd-Engel. Now it's Richie Whitt.

I have an aggravated indifference to Whitt as a sports columnist.

Honestly, judging his writing, he sounds like he's 60 years old. He's not.

He also sounds miserable. Like he's so sick and tired of Dallas and its sports franchises that he'd rather be anywhere else in the world rather than writing another column about Dirk Nowitzki.

Otherwise, he's not a must-read, but he's not a guy that draws my ire quite like Jean Jacques Taylor or Tim Cowlishaw.

Whitt blogged about Corby Lewis' recent absence due to his second child being born, forcing a missed start and the Rangers having to make roster moves to accommodate.

To paraphrase Whitt: Professional athletes get paid millions and missing a start or game due to a birth of a child that you will see for the rest of your life is not a good enough excuse. He even suggest athletes schedule births to happen in the off-season.

In short: Whitt looks like a total asshole and it took him about 600 words to get there.

Whitt states, "Don't have kids of my own but I raised a step-son for eight years. I know all about sacrifice and love and how great children are."

Making this argument, why would you say that. Either you know about the "sacrifice and love" it takes to raise a child or you don't. Whether you've had a kid or not is irrelevant unless, secretly, it's totally relevant.

Whitt sounds like he's never had a kid and really doesn't understand all that sacrifice bullshit he's touting.

What you have to consider is that it's not even May yet and Lewis missing one start means absolutely nothing. There's so much time and games to be played. And the Rangers have bigger problems than Lewis having a baby.

Why dump on Lewis? Maybe because Whitt is a miserable turd. That's never had a kid. But he sure as hell understands the "sacrifice and love" it takes to raise a kid.

And the point that athletes are paid millions of dollars therefore they can't be there for the birth of their child is the most tired excuse ever.

Athletes are paid millions of dollars for one reason. They are cogs in a multi-billion dollar industry. It's not some kind of accident or a detail overlooked. It's because 99 percent of humanity can't do what Lewis does and the richest people in the industry never throw a pitch, field a grounder or take batting practice.

The Big Lead caught onto Whitt's idiocy. Now he's ridiculed nationally. Now we all look like dumpy assholes that are stuck in 1955 when women did women's work like baking.

I hate DFW sports fans

I attended last night's Rangers-Angels game. More than 31,000 fans showed up along with me. Still an accomplishment for a weeknight game when the home franchise is the Texas Rangers.

There, I was accosted by the typical deluge of douchery and obnoxiousness that comes along with a successful professional sports team.

I have no problems with families. Although they might not be fans of baseball or the Rangers, any time you are actually spending time with kids, significant others and whatnot, that can never be bad.

My problem is with two groups:

The Cool Kids
Typically younger, but you get the ritzy Highland Park-types in this group to. Mostly, they just think going to a Rangers game sounds fun. And they root for home runs. Like, "I hope we hit a home run." This group includes the people that know nothing about baseball and girls. Now, girls I'll take. As long as they don't talk. However, when you have a 50-year-old man call the umpire a "referee," you know you are dealing with someone that could give a shit about the game.

The Bandwagoners
I'd like to clarify: Bandwagoners drive me crazy. Yet, I realize they're a necessary evil. But if someone is will to learn and appreciate a team or the game, I am more than willing to ignore them being completely obnoxious. I kind of think that over time they would have learned to like baseball or the Rangers anyway. It's the people that bought a baseball cap during the World Series and scream for the sake of screaming at a "bad" call by the "referee."

I witnessed several travesties last night. It was the fifth inning. Matt Harrison was cruising, sort of, and he allowed a triple by Peter Bourjos (who is an absolute terror for the Rangers) and Jeff Mathis laid down a suicide squeeze. Then Harrison loaded the bases only to strikeout Torii Hunter.

Well, the entire time Harrison is laboring, there is this soft rumble of just ... talk. Like conversations. Some were either right behind you and you can hear them talk about vacations or work or parties. And you can hear it around the stadium. They were paying very little attention to the game, otherwise they would've been up with every two-strike pitch from Harrison.

Skip to the seventh inning: Harrison gets two outs sandwiching a double and then a single, chasing him from the game. Darren O'Day comes in and gets two runners on before getting out of the inning.

Midway through this (Note: It's a 2-1 game), the fans start the wave. All the while O'Day is trying to get a final out. Fans should be into the game. Not doing the wave.

Finally, the Rangers got quietly in the eighth inning in 1-2-3 fashion with some uninspired at-bats. The floodgates open. Hundreds of fans funnel into the aisles and begin the great exodus to the parking lot. It was still 4-1. If nothing else, you could've seen Jered Weaver keep pitching.

The other day, I opined about how much I just don't love the Dallas Mavericks (as players) and how others are feeling the same way. Midway through game No. 2 of their series with the Portland Trailblazers, I realized I wasn't angry with the Mavericks.

I was angry with the fans.

For whatever reason, the Mavericks have the cockiest fans. Complaining about Dirk Nowitzki not "getting calls" (he's "gotten calls" for years), the Danny Crawford thing and all of the rhetoric surrounding this team.

You can't really tell that this is the same fanbase that witnessed the greatest NBA Finals collapse in history. That witnessed a 67-win team get whipped by an eight seed.

They talk of the Mavericks as some sort of institution, a team that have proven something the last decade. In fact, the Mavs have proven nothing and how fans can ignore or bypass this fact is befuddling. It's the same attitude that fans of the Dallas Cowboys have. A sense of entitlement.

I realize I sound like a complete asshole and that's OK. I've personally paid my dues and to simply lump good fans that just love the game the name on the jerseys with ignorant assholes that make sports knowledgeable is wrong.

I am not on some pedestal by myself. There's plenty of fans that are infinitely smarter and more invested in their teams. And they hate these idiots as much as I do.

Mock me twice

Round No. 2 of the mock drafts. The NFL Draft is a week away despite the fact that there might not actually be a season.

Don Banks
9. Tyron Smith
OT - USC
The popular, almost unanimous decision here. Banks points to the lack of free agency disallowing the Cowboys to address the offensive line. True. Or the fact that the Cowboys probably have to address the line, free agency or no. He has the Cowboys passing Prince Amukamara, Mark Ingram, Mike Pouncey and others.

Fox Sports
9. Tyron Smith

40. Aaron Williams
Cornerback - Texas

71. Jason Pinkston
OT - Pittsburgh
Williams is interesting. He's bigger (6-1, 192) and played for a big school against some of the best offenses in the nation. However, most mocks have him going in the first round. One of the best corners in the draft. No way he gets to No. 40. Plus, most scouting reports remark that he's a high-character guy, going to church and stuff. As for Pinkston, will the Cowboys go for two offensive linemen in their first three picks?

Walter Football
9. Tyron Smith

40. Ras-I Dowling
CB - Virginia
Don't know who he is. Seems, however, that the Cowboys will go secondary with their second pick and Smith with their first pick. Why even have a draft?

The West being won

For shame, father

There's simply not enough time in the day. Texas Rangers baseball, Dallas Mavericks basketball and the NBA Playoffs and my typical duties (work, et al.) are eating up my day.

The Mavericks and Trailblazers play game No. 3 tonight at the Rose Garden. If the Mavs are serious about closing this thing out, I think it would behoove them to win tonight. Really fight. Don't give 100 percent in the first 12 minutes and if it's not working, close shop and try another day.

Remember 2006. Don't give them game No. 3. Put your foot on the throat and press down. Suffocate. Sap all the energy and hope from them. Like a Dementor.

Oklahoma City Thunder 106, Denver Nuggets 89
The Nuggets are showing their stripes. A young, ornery team that lacks a superstar (or two) and is looking like a team that could use Carmelo Anthony, honestly. The Thunder, meanwhile, look tough. The frontcourt of Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins scares me as it should scare every other team in the league considering those two aren't even close to being the Thunder's two best players. And we know who they are.

San Antonio Spurs 93, Memphis Grizzlies 87
This is closer than it might appear. The Grizzlies got their one win on the road and could've stole a second had their bench (O.J. Mayo and Shane Battier went 3-18) done anything. Spurs can't be thrilled about going on the road now. Do the Grizz have the stomach for the fight? Do they know how to win this series?

Los Angeles Lakers 87, New Orleans Hornets 78
Frankly, Chris Paul needs to go apeshit on the Lakers if the Hornet have any chance. Eleven shot attempts, nine assists and 20 points is not going to cut it. Maybe the bigger story is that the Lakers have looked like crap for their home games here. Yes, they won. They should win. Most importantly, they should look good doing it. The starting five shot 21-54 from the floor. If not for Andy Bynum and Lamar Odom and the Hornets' free-throw shooting (20-32 ... cripes!), the Lakers are probably down 0-2.

Celtics-Knicks aim to please

Josh Smith: Looking for some help

NBA Playoffs are fun.

Boston Celtics 96, New York Knicks 93
If the NBA could pinpoint a game that is ideal for the playoffs, they'd highlight this one. It was a crazy fourth quarter with lead changes, superstars shining, "moments" and everything in between. The Knicks probably didn't have a good shot to begin with. Losing those two games when they were achingly close is just too much. I wonder what Carmelo Anthony has left in the tank or will they get their guys back and Bill Walker makes a motherfucking shot?

Orlando Magic 88, Atlanta Hawks 82
Who's less inspiring: Orlando or Atlanta? Only Dwight Howard is really interested in winning this dumb series and even he can't beat eight Hawks. They're just stalling Howard's eventual departure for Los Angeles.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

Martin!

The Texas Rangers got their asses beat last night 15-4 against the California Angels.

Nothing to see here. The Rangers couldn't throw a strike to save their lives. Between Colby Lewis (who looked AWFUL), Mike Kirkman, Mason Tobin (who left the game with the ominous "elbow soreness") and Dave Bush, they threw 200 pitches. Eighty-four were balls. That's barely above 50 percent of pitches being strikes. That's pathetic.

The other 116 strikes were pounded all over the Ballpark.

Let's discuss more important things if, in fact, there are any.

Let's think 2012.

The Frisco RoughRiders' Martin Perez -- Texas' No. 1 prospect -- pitched a rain-shortened, five-inning perfect game.

OK. Break out the astericks. Not saying it was a "perfect game." However, if he pitched five perfect innings and was pulled for relief, we'd be excited about this.

We should be excited about this. Perez has been fantastic in the early going. His ERA is at 1.38 and opponents are hitting .191 so far.

It gets even awesomer.

Neil Ramirez -- called up to Triple A Round Rock for a spot start -- pitched another gem last night in a 6-2 win.

He went five innings allowing two hits, 1 unearned run, three walks and nine strikeouts.

In Triple A, Ramirez is 2-0 allowing just five hits, one unearned run and striking out 14 in 11 innings. He's been great.

Remember, he jumped from High-A Myrtle Beach to Triple A. Does he stay in Round Rock? Send him back to Myrtle Beach? Frisco? I guess wherever the need is, but how do you hold him back any longer?

Up two

And one

About two seconds into the Danny Crawford talk pre-game, I shut down.

What I've hated most about the Dallas Mavericks is its owner's hissy fits when it comes to officiating. This, of course, bleeds over to the fans, who know less of nothing and who will react emotionally anyway.

So, I don't want to hear about Crawford or any other official.

For one, the Dallas Mavericks won, 101-89 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their opening-round series of the NBA Playoffs.

The numbers don't lie:

Mavericks - 26 FTAs
Blazers - 27 FTAs

Dirk Nowitzki - 17 FTAs
LaMarcus Aldridge - 8 FTAs

That was a well-officiated game. As close as you'll ever get to a really even-handed game. There were some questionable calls, but those happen in an NBA game. However, never was one team getting more than any other. And no team got free throws they didn't quite deserve.

The Mavericks weren't going to win or lose because of Crawford or anything else. They were going to win because they played killer defense, they rebounded, they drove the lane and got to the free-throw line.

They did all of that. In fact, I thought game No. 2 was a substantially better than game No. 1. It was crisper, the defense was at times absolutely suffocating. Never did a Trailblazer get a wide-open shot. They rotated really well and closed out superbly. It was maybe the best defensive game I've seen from the Mavericks.

On offense, the Mavericks lived with the three pointer. However, it was open all night. As quick as the Mavs were on defense, the Blazers were equally as slow. And the Mavericks took advantage.

They hit eight three pointers, five from Peja Stojakovic. All these shots were developed thanks to penetration and fantastic ball movement. When they needed to get into the lane, they seemed to get there. Dirk Nowitzki struggled again (9-22 ... 16-42 for the series), so he put the ball on the court and got as near to the basket as he could.

With time, even his shot went down.

Things are good now. I wonder what will happen in Portland. I wonder what will happen when they run into the monster that closes out on the shooters and rotates a little crisper than what the Blazers are doing.

It might not be series. It might not be the next. But the Mavericks will run into this animal.

Some numbers:

9
Free throw attempts by Mavericks not named Dirk. He had 17.

7
Rebounds by Gerald Wallace. He's a strong man on the boards and its surprising he hasn't been quite the force. The Blazers, overall, are getting outrebounded. Marcus Camby had just five boards in 35 minutes tonight.

6
Turnovers by the Mavericks. The Blazers had 12 and I remember probably five of them being completely ridiculous.

The Miami Heat are sooooo overrated

Bron Bron

Night No. 2:

Miami Heat 94, Philadelphia 76ers 73
Chris Bosh: 21 points, 11 rebounds. They're not unbeatable with the three-headed monster going, but they have to be considered extremely tought to beat. Lebron James went for 29-7-6. He's having a really nice playoffs so far.

Chicago Bulls 96, Indiana Pacers 90
The Bulls have just having problems against the Pacers. And these are really bad games. The Pacers had one guy in double-digits and they shot 41 percent. Meanwhile, the Bulls shot 38 percent and Derrick Rose took 25 shots to get his 36. Thirty-eight total turnovers. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. Still, the Bulls are in complete control. Just need to iron out those massive wrinkles.

Under Ceej

Feeling it

As always, it ends and begins with pitching.

C.J. Wilson pitched his best game of the young season last night in a 7-1 win over the California Angels at the Ballpark. In fact, I would bet it was one of his top five starts of his career.

He went 7 innings allowing nine hits, a run, a walk and striking out nine for his second win.

Wilson was spectacularly. He absolutely assaulted the strike zone with every pitch in his arsenal. He changed speeds and seemed confident in every toss. He had an 8:1 groundball/flyball out ratio. That will win you games and that will get him 18 wins if he can do that another 20 times.

If nothing else, it was very Cliff Lee-like. It was said that Lee's presence in the room last year made an impression on Wilson in terms of the mindset on the mound and preparation. It looked it last night.

Wilson's success was another game in which the Rangers' starter went seven innings for the quality start. Rangers starters are 9-2 with a 2.81 ERA, second best in the league (behind Oakland). The starters have also pitched the fifth-most innings in the league 102.1. Naturally, the Rangers relievers have pitched the fewest innings in the league at 37.2. We can complain about the bullpen woes; however, the point is, the bullpen hasn't been worked hard at all. Just, at times, they haven't been that effective.

Most importantly for Wilson, the early numbers show he's got more control. Last year, Wilson led the American League for walks. This season, he's walked eight in 26 innings, averaging out to about two walks per game.

Last year, his K/BB ratio was 1.88. This season, so far, 2.63. If Wilson continues his pace, it's hard to imagine the Rangers not competing.

Notes:
1. Slowly, Adrian Beltre is debunking my assertation that he's a "career-year" guy. Another three-run dinger last night. Average up to .266.

2. Salty two innings of relief from Pedro Strop and Darren O'Day. Combined for 18 pitches in two innings. Threw a total of six walks.

3. The Angels' line-up does little for me. Especially the bottom half.

4. Thank goodness Ian Kinsler got a haircut. Resulted in two hits and two walks. Elvis Andrus also woke up with three hits including a brilliant suicide squeeze.

5. Has Dave Anderson completely lost it?

6. Chris Davis: 0-4, three strikeouts. Yikes. The dude was called up entirely too soon.

7. Mike Young has a 10-game hit streak.

NBA actually might be pretty fantastic

See: Mismatch

Did we just see the greatest recent weekend of professional post-season sports?

It would not be over the top to say that the eight games played in the NBA this weekend might fit that mold. You had it all. Superstars shining. Exciting games. Fantastic finishes. Controversy. Upsets. I'm not one for hyperbole (that may be false), but I had a buttload of fun.

Chicago 104, Indiana 99 Kurt Thomas has notched himself a pretty nice NBA career. Derrick Rose is phenomenal and I don't know if you will ever outrebound the Bulls unless someone gets injured.

Miami 97, Philadelphia 89 Thaddeus Young had 20 shots in 27 minutes for Philly. They go as Andre Iguodala go. As Miami goes as Chris Bosh goes.

Atlanta 103, Orlando 93 To me, the shock of the weekend, by a mile. Dwight Howard isn't staying in Orlando for all the money in the world. They've got him surrounded by hacks and has-beens. By the way, Orlando, you aren't winning anything starting Brandon Bass. Even if he plays just 17 minutes. He is a bench/role player at best.

Memphis 101, San Antonio 98 As a Mavericks fan, I wanted no part of Memphis. Dangerous with a capital D. The Spurs' starting five were just flat. As has been noted, it was a weekend for those "wow" performances and San Antonio had none. Memphis has two bigs that can not be left alone and I don't know if the Spurs have the frontcourt to take them on. The Spurs will need some help from their guards in picking up the slack.

New Orleans 109, Los Angeles 100 The NBA playoffs are ripe for superstars to take over. Chris Paul just did that. I didn't fear the Hornets as much as I did the other low seeds except for Paul. If he's healthy, he can beat 80 percent of all other point guards for 40 points a game. Paul can go video game mode on you quick. I suspect the Lakers will have an answer.

Boston 87, New York 85 That was the Knicks' chance. They caught Boston flat. Unfortunately, the Knicks might have been flatter. Nonetheless, the Knicks were shooting for the win. Ray Allen is a god. He' a Hall of Famer, right?

Oklahoma City 107, Denver 103 The Thunder have two of the top 25 guys in the league. The Nuggets have none. Case closed.

Third time's a beating

The patented Nellie dive in right

We saw the back end of the Texas Rangers rotation pitch in the fiercest of stages against one of the baddest franchises in professional sports.

Despite losing two of three, you can't bitch too much about Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando.

They all three pitched their asses off against the New York Yankees and if not for some late-inning hitting and Mariano Rivera, the Rangers might have come home with another win or two.

First on Rivera, you might make the argument that the son of a bitch is getting better. He's given up more than 20 runs once in the past nine years. He's not walked a batter this season. There's little reason to think he won't get 750 saves. His career WHIP is 1.00 and his career BAA is .210.

Matt Harrison was not great Friday night. But he was lucky as shit. Harrison allowed 10 baserunners, but somehow induced six (6!!) double plays in the win. Even more awesome (it gets even awesomer!) all six came from the Nos. 1-6 Yankees hitters, one each.

No blame for Derek Holland. Not that the Rangers were going to win without Robby Cano's eighth-inning dinger. The offense were somehow shut down by Freddy freakin' Garcia for most of the game. What little comeback there was, was not enough. Holland, however, must keep the ball in the yard. Loved that he pitched into the eighth.

Alexi Ogando was good Sunday night. One thing that worries me as we get to this third start, he's not having many swings and misses, especially for a guy who can go into the mid- to upper-90s on the fast ball and then throw that slider for a strike. Last year in relief, he averaged a strikeout per frame. This year, he has nine strikeouts in 19 innings. I think he's great and has a definite future, but there might be quite a bit more lows than highs coming.

The blame, if any, for the series loss is with the bullpen.

Although Neftali Feliz and Darren Oliver did not affect the outcome Friday and Saturday, Arthur Rhodes' inability to get outs ruined Sunday night's game. For the weekend, the Rangers bullpen: 3 IP - 4 hits - 2 runs - 3 BBs - 0 K. Now, maybe Holland and Ogando were left in a bit too long. I don't agree with this.

However, does the Rangers lack of depth in the seventh and eighth innings out of the bullpen affect the way Ron Washington uses his starters?

Again, I say leave the starters in. Let them get experience. Let them get out of their own jams. However, sometimes it's going to be apparent the starter has lost it and you can't always bring Feliz in four five outs. And throwing Oliver or Rhodes under the bus is unfair.

I never considered either guys that you can bring in to get four or five outs nor do I think you can leave them in facing right-handed batters all the time. The Rangers need Darren O'Day, Pedro Strop, Mark Lowe or someone to fill this void.

Maybe it's Brandon Webb. He's apparently coming back and is open to a bullpen role. Maybe it's Tommy Hunter. Maybe we decide Ogando needs another year of experience against big-league hitters.

There are solutions here.

Notes:
1. We absolutely need consistency from Adrian Beltre. "Break-out" games every sixth day does not count.

2. Mike Young's seeing beach balls out there. He's got an eight-game hit streak and is hitting .367 with eight doubles. My prediction: He'll have 45 doubles. Bam.

3. Love Pedro Strop so far. Love to see him get more pressure situations. He might be your fix in the eighth inning.

4. The Rangers bats are not doing well. It's amazing they've done what they have with the Nos. 1-2 hitters sucking. However, up and down the line-up, guys are working counts and wearing out pitchers. CC Sabathia had 112 pitches in 6.1 innings. This has been all year. With patience, the timing and hits will come.

Minor Threat 1.0

Kate Upton, my new fav

A somewhat weekly look at the Texas Rangers' minor league system.

Round Rock Express
The Rangers have options at centerfield. Endy Chavez is hitting .385with six extra-base hits.

Mike Kirkman's allowed 12 runs in 6.2 innings.

Esteban German has 11 runs in 10 games.

Seth McClung's righted the ship. After a very bumpy start, he's got his ERA below 3.00 and with 12 Ks in 10 innings.

Tanner Scheppers is on the DL, again. He has a 13.50 ERA.

Frisco RoughRiders
Mike Bianucci is quickly becoming the Rangers' best outfield prospect. Hitting five homers and driving in 11 already.

Engel Beltre has more triples (2) than doubles and home runs (1). He's hitting .220.

The Latin revolution is not being televised. Fredo Boscan, Miguel De Los Santos and Carlos Pimental have 27 runs and 33 hits in 20.2 innings.

Martin Perez is dealing. A 2.25 ERA and 12 Ks in eight innings.

Beau Jones -- the lost name in the Mark Teixeira trade with Atlanta -- hasn't allowed a run in five innings of relief.

Four of Tommy Mendonca's 10 hits are home runs. The rest, singles.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans
With little argument against, Mike Olt is the Rangers' best, high-level infield prospect. He's hitting .424 with a .848 OPS.

Robbie Ross has not allowed a run in 11 innings. His WHIP is 1.00.

Ryan Strausborger is hitting .359.

Jared Hoying -- my pick to click -- is hitting .316 with two stolen bases and two dingers.

Rob Erlin's WHIP is .80 and he's struck out 13 and walked two.

Santiago Chirino is not talked about a lot, so far, as an infield prospect. He's hitting .300.

Barret Loux could have had a worse start. Pretty sharp just walking two in 10 innings.

Kasey Kiker: 4 IP - 4 hits - 6 runs - 8 BBs - 3 Ks. Plus an unknown amount of hit batsmen.

Kennil Gomez is interesting. An old farmhand, he's in the bullpen. And he's finally finding the strike zone: 10 K and three walks.

Hickory Crawdads
Jhonny Gomez might be someone we have to put up with spelling his name. Hitting .400 early on with a .500 OBP.

Carlos Melo has 15 Ks and a 2.53 ERA.

Watch for Andrew Clark. A first baseman out of Louisville, extremely patient (37 BBs, 36 Ks a year ago). If he finds some pop in the bat, he'll be set. Already with a homer and four doubles early on.

Justin Grimm has struck out 13 in 9.1 innings. His ERA's at 1.93.

Shortstop Odubel Herrera has four doubles and a .308 average.

Initial shock: Teodoro Martinez. He's a 19-year-old outfielder hitting .346 with four doubles.

Watch for Zach Osborne. He's listed at 6-5 and 205 right hander out of the University of Lousiana-Lafayette. He's struck out 12 in six innings.

Touted prospect Roman Mendez has struck out 11 while walking three in nine innings.

First one to 80 wins

Guns

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Portland Trailblazers 89-81 in the opening game of their playoff series tonight.

It was an odd game. As the Trailblazers were making their comeback in the third and fourth quarters, I sat there and thought, "Why aren't the Blazers winning by 10?" or "Why are the Mavericks in this game?"

For the most part, I thought the Blazers outplayed the Mavericks. If not for runs fueled by Jason Kidd (did you know he's 38 years old?) and then Dirk Nowitzki in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks would have been screwed.

With that said, if the Mavericks play another game like they did tonight, they will lose. It's a win and it counts. But the standard is not one win.

Thoughts on a win:

1. Love this for Dirk Nowitzki. Played huge in that fourth quarter despite a pretty bad first three quarters.

2. The Mavericks telecast is awful. Nothing against Mark Followill, Derek Harper and Jeff Wade or anything. I know that hometown telecasts are overly biased. But this is awful. Granted, they probably can't say anything negative (or positive for the opponent) wihtout getting fired. I had to mute the TV at points.

3. The Mavericks have zero answer for LaMarcus Aldridge. Most teams don't, however.

4. The big Portland guards ate the lunches of the smaller Dallas guards. I can't imagine Rick Carlisle going with J.J. Barea and Jason Terry much at all.

5. Was someone bitching about Nowitzki not getting calls? The Blazers attempted 13 free throws.

6. The Barea-Terry-Peja-Dirk-Haywood line-up on the court should never see the light of day again. Ever.

7. Love Nic Batum.

8. Tyson Chandler had nine rebounds in 32 minutes. Marcus Camby had 18 boards in 29 minutes.

9. Mavs bench: 6-21 from the field.

Mavericks-Trailblazers: Playoff magic!

Rip City murderers

In the last couple of days, I've gotten caught up in the rhetoric supporting the Dallas Mavericks in their playoff series against the Portland Trailblazers.

Maybe -- just maybe -- we've exaggerated the Mavericks' weaknesses.

However, I think this lack of faith in the Mavericks is equated to being swept in the first round. I think those of us who have been pessimistic about the Mavericks' chances are merely stating that the gap between the third and sixth seeds or nine wins is not has vast as you might expect.

Disregard the standings. The Blazers are not significantly worse than the Mavericks. Therefore, if all things are even, you must look at intangibles. Who is hungrier? Healthier? Younger? Who's been playing better? Above all, I think match-ups matter the most. How can you prevent the opponent's better players from being better and how can the opponent stop your better players?

Here are the keys to this series:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Dirk Nowitzki is not the only superstar in this series. Aldridge has taken a gigantic step this season. He is a legit MVP candidate and one of the top 20 players in the league. How do you stop him? Do you put Dirk Nowitzki on him? Tyson Chandler? And if so, do you leave the door open for Marcus Camby going crazy? Do you dig in your depth for Ian Mahinmi or an athletic sort? Reverse the situation. Aldridge has become a true bug for Dirk Nowitzki. Possibly no one plays Nowitzki better. Alredge is long and athletic. He gets in Nowitzki's grill and knows how to pester our Teutonic friend into pure frustration. It's maddening to see one player being able to harrass the Mavericks on both ends of the court.

The Big Quarter
Look at the Mavericks of the past month and I beg you find me a game in which they haven't allowed 30+ points in a quarter. It's a big reason they've struggled against good teams. Against bad ones, you can almost always make up for it. Bad teams are bad for a reason. However, against playoff teams, you can't allow quarters like that. They take advantage and they're good enough defensively the other three quarters to make that one good quarter stick. Should the Mavericks lose this series, I would dare anyone to find me that one quarter in the game when the Mavs gave up the ghost.

Rebounding
I've harped on rebounding the entire season. It's one thing the Mavericks should be really good at, but they're not. With all the heighth the Mavericks have, you might think they'd be in the top five in the league. Instead they're stuck in the middle despite Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood getting minutes. As mediocre as the Mavericks have been, the Trailblazers are awful despite, again, having Camby and Aldridge. It's the guards that don't help out and bring down the average. The Mavericks averaged nearly two rebounds more per game than the Blazers, although the latter finished in the bottom five in the league. In order for either team to win, they must have the rebounding advantage.

Age
As the Mavericks are licking their wounds and trying to rest up for the playoffs, the Blazers probably are too young and dumb to realize they aren't supposed to win against the playoff-grizzled Mavs. Andre Miller and Marcus Camby are the only Blazers over the age of 30. Veteran Gerald Wallace is nine years into his career and he's just 28. Nic Batum is 22. Aldridge is 25. Wesley Matthews is 24. Not that the Blazers are the healthiest bunch in the league. But who gets out of bed easier this morning?

Rotation, Rotation, Rotation
As of this morning, no one could probably accurately guess Rick Carlisle's rotation for the playoffs. As is the norm, a coach typically has a seven- or eight-man rotation for the playoffs. Guys that might have helped you throughout the year might find themselves sitting most of a whole series or playoffs on the bench. If Nowitzki, Kidd, Chandler, Marion and Terry are sure-fire, that leaves a starting shooting guard (DeShawn Stevenson) and I guess Haywood and J.J. Barea? That's eight. Is Mahinmi going to get minutes against Aldridge? Where does Peja Stojakovic fit? Frankly, do any of these guys being on the court for 20 minutes instill any amount of confidence? The Mavericks' depth is illusion.

Prediction
\Trailblazers in seven
Talk about all of the known weaknesses for the Mavericks. However, I think we're forced to contend with the perceived strengths. The bench is not nearly as good or deep as we think. The defense has hid behind the zone all year. Rebounding is a huge chore that the Mavericks do not do well. All will sink this team.

Predictably predicting the NBA Playoffs

Bullish

The NBA Playoffs are here. So are my crappy predictions.

Chicago Bulls vs. Indiana Pacers

I'd just like to state that its a better NBA when the Indiana Pacers are good. Unfortunately, they fell to the eighth seed to face the Bulls. The Bulls do many things well. They defend and rebound exceptionally well. That wins playoff series.

Bulls in 4

Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers have one card to play: Andre Iguodala's defense. The dude is a stud. However, there's one of him and three of Lebron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Miami will go as far as Bosh is willing to play. Find a Miami loss in the regular season and I'll show you a simply awful game from Bosh.

Miami in 5

Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks
I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T-E-D. The Knicks have my attention. Although I fervently believe a Mike D'Antoni-coached team will never sniff the Finals, they are still interesting and fun to watch. It's the league's best offense against the league's best defense. Worlds will collide! I think missing Kendrick Perkins matters, the Celtics have sputtered, the Knicks have righted the ship a little and something's got to give.

New York in 6

Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks
No way the Hawks rebound from Dominique Wilkins getting punched. Aside from that, they're a flawed team. Orlando's creeping too much. Too quiet. No enough headlines. I see them going under the radar.

Orlando in 4

San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies
The Spurs are highly susceptible to the upset. But I don't think it's coming here. The Grizzlie's best bet is to finish off Manu Ginobili with a tire iron and absolutely run the Spurs out of the gym. Memphis can D it up. They got some match-ups. Can Tony Allen check Ginobili or George Hill? Can Z-Bo go toe to toe with Duncan? Did I just write that sentence?

San Antonio in 6

Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Hornets
The Lakers probably love this match-up. The Hornets are not deep and if you can wrangle Chris Paul and decrease his effectiveness, they're an easy out.

Los Angeles in 4

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets
Could be a great series, probably the best on paper in the Western Conference. The Nuggets play their guts out for their coach with cancer and to prove all the doubters wrong. The Thunder just being good. In the NBA, more so than other leagues, teams with the best player are often rewarded. Just look at who has all the rings. What the Celtics lost in Kendrick Perkins the Thunder gained.

Oklahoma City in 6

Neil Ramirez impresses, writers write and Jonny D goes fishing

Call me Leonys

Neil Ramirez was forced into a spot start in Triple A Round Rock last night after Eric Hurley was placed on the disabled list. He promptly set minor league fans and pundits aflitter on Twitter.

His line: 6 IP - 3 hits - 0 runs - 0 walks - 5 strikeouts.

He sat down the final seven batters and 14 of the last 15. He struck out the side in the sixth and final frame.

****
As its been rumored for about a week, the Rangers are expected to ink Cuban defector Leonys Martin at some point.

He's 23, about to get $15 million (yes, $15 million) and a spot on the 40-man roster.

Martin is considered to be a better version of Julio Borbon: A speedy centerfielder with above average to good defensive skills, a good bunter, who can hit for average, run the bases and provide a little pop.

For one, you can never have too many centerfield prospects. And the Rangers have killed it in the Latin American countries the last several years. Due to his age, paycheck and 40-man spot, he should start in Double A Frisco.

****
Jon Daniels had made a career out of rummaging lower-rung free agency lists and the dung piles of other teams for talent. Think Darren O'Day, Warner Madrigal, Mason Tobin, Alexi Ogando, Matt Treanor to name a few.

Daniels made a very minor splash in signing Manny Corpas and Ramon Aguero the other day.

Corpas was the closer in Colorado. He will not pitch this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He's only 28 and the general idea is for him to compete for a bullpen spot next year.

Aguero is a bit more of a wild card. He's 26, never played above Double A and back issues. In baseball, three strikes and you're out. Not here. Aguero has had decent peripheral numbers in his four years in the minors. It is said that he can hit 96 on the radar gun. No risk moves to watch.

****
A very good article on Alexi Ogando.

Jamey Newberg on Jurickson Profar.

Picking nits, throwing fits

And in the Inge

The Texas Rangers lost two straight games in Detroit in the final at-bat. Yesterday, Brandon Inge homered in the bottom of the ninth. Walk-off.

Neftali Feliz pitched in neither game.

Now, I should warn you, I'm an idiot. Ron Washington and the managerial staff know 1,000 times more about handling bullpens and pitchers more than me.

However, if Washington has a chink in the armor, it's handling the bullpen. This has been well-documented by smarter guys than me.

Feliz has made six appearances this season. Two of those came in non-save opportunities against Boston, including opening day. He's pitched twice since April 5 -- once in the Baltimore series and the opener of the Detroit series. Now, if you didn't want him to go in the second game until you got a lead, I guess I understand.

Why he wasn't out there at some point in yesterday's game makes the entire situation utterly more perplexing. On Tuesday, you had already won the first game of the series, you were on the road.

However, Wednesday you spoiled perfectly good performances from Dave Bush and Mason Tobin in a tight game only to allow Mark Lowe to blow it. Still, you are in the game and Darren O'Day is going in the ninth. That is ridiculous.

You have an off day today, Feliz hasn't been worked (if hte excuse for pitching him in those Boston games was to get him some work, I think going yesterday in Detroit would've fit the profile) too much. He's your best pitcher. You needed to get outs. Unexcusable.

Notes:

1. Mark Lowe needs to go away.

2. Why no love for Pedro Strop. Seems like he still needs to prove something to local yokels. The jury is still out, but he's been fine so far.

3. Anyone seen the Rangers offense? And, no, we can't blame it on Josh Hamilton's injury.

4. Is there a big enough raise possible for Mike Maddux's impact?

5. Love Adrian Beltre's defense. His bat has to wake up. You don't pay that money for defense.

Everyone's sick of the Dallas Mavericks

That's not very nice

The Dallas Mavericks won their final game of the 2010-11 season, a blowout, 121-89 over the New Orleans Hornets.

The playoffs start this Saturday, and the Mavericks will face the Portland Trailblazers after the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter last night for an overtime win over Sacramento. It pushed the Mavericks to the third seed.

I've had a rotten feeling about this Mavericks squad all season.

I find them unlikable ... from a fan's perspective in regard to the individual player's demeanor or attitude. I also don't like any of their games. I don't like what they do and, largely, how they do it especially if they don't do it well.

They won 57 games because they have one of the top superstars in the game still in his prime, on any given night there's at least one support player scoring 15-20 points and they beat the shit out of the Eastern Conference and lesser teams in the league. There's nothing wrong with any of this. The Sacramento Kings would kill for this.

Add in: The Roddy Beaubois injury caper, Mark Cuban's mouth, Caron Butler's injury, the relative silence in free agency and at the trade deadline.

Despite my opinions, I really feel a dark malaise around town concerning this Mavericks team. See: I'm not alone. No one is convinced of anything anymore. We've seen this rodeo before. It comes into town every year. And, every year, it disappoints.

I think it's a general consensus that the Mavericks will lose to the Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. I also really feel that those same people hope their wrong. It's not that we're not fans anymore. We're just smarter, wiser. We're not idiots and we're not blinded by long winning streaks and 55 wins. We see the game on the court, we see the personnel, we see the body language and we can remember the recent history.

Everyone is sick of the Dallas Mavericks.

It's depressing because right now fans of the Kings are realizing their team is leaving. In Dallas, we take our team for granted. However, I don't think we're spoiled. Instead, we expect more.

Mark Cuban is the consummate businessman. He is always looking for something new. That thing will will improve the experience of the consumer whether he's buying a T-shirt online, going to a game, buying nachos at a concession stand or whatever. It is about the product and the consumer.

Unfortunately, the consumer is getting antsy. After a decade of the same dog-and-pony show rolling into town every year, we want the bearded woman and the trapeze artists. Winning 57 games is fine. We love it over ... nothing. However, change has to come. Cuban, above all, should understand change in the marketplace. Well, Mavericks fans are tired of the stale teams and the stale playoff performances.

There's a turning point here. No longer are we satisfied with not returning to the early 1990s. The Mavericks are no longer the top draw in town. They are not second fiddle to the Dallas Cowboys. They are second fiddle to the Texas Rangers, too. A change is here.

Question is, are the Dallas Mavericks any different.