tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443 2008-05-11T22:52:33Z Fair play, foul opinions on a variety of sports topics from Jeff Andrews and Adam Boedeker Movable Type 3.36 tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.199620 2008-05-11T22:34:54Z 2008-05-11T22:52:33Z

Fellow Stars fans, it may be time to pack up the tent for the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 2-0 hole Dallas has dug itself is likely too much to overcome, especially against a team as deep as Detroit. I'm...

Jeff Andrews Fellow Stars fans, it may be time to pack up the tent for the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 2-0 hole Dallas has dug itself is likely too much to overcome, especially against a team as deep as Detroit. I'm not saying they can't do it, but the Stars will likely have to win both home games to stay in the series. Earn a split at home and it's essentially over. But let me tell you what's really irking me: "Nobody cares about hockey and the only reason the Stars are getting attention is because Dallas is desperate for a winning team." I've heard that about 100 times from various local media outlets in the last few weeks. Dallas Morning News is going to put them on the front 1A? Nope, they didn't. They did put Marty Turco on the front of 1A this week though. So when the Dallas Desperados have the best record in Arena Football going into the playoffs, everybody is going to flip a lid? No, no one flipped a lid, except while laughing when the Desperados choked. Yes, the Stars have plenty of bandwagon fans right now. But let's get real here. This isn't the time to regurgitate Bristol's anti-hockey propaganda. Dallas is genuinely into this team. Will they if the Stars get bounced against Detroit and start slow next year? Probably not. But the Mavericks are in the same boat. The North Dallas Beautiful People comprise most of their fan base, too, and when the Mavs lose, they bolt. Just like the Stars. Just like the Rangers. The only difference is hockey is simply not as big as basketball or baseball. Does that mean nobody cares? No. That's just ... stupid. I don't know why you people don't understand this. It's really very simple. I'm looking in your direction, Brian Estridge. Did you see FC Dallas get popular when it played for the MLS title because Dallas was desperate for a winning team? Did you, Brian? I didn't think so. Maybe there's something to this ... hockey, after all.]]> tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.199420 2008-05-08T14:46:09Z 2008-05-08T14:48:47Z

Here is the latest article proving that Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach is possibly the most interesting coach in any sport anywhere. It really makes me wonder how it's possible for anyone to not like the guy. He once...

Adam Boedeker Here is the latest article proving that Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach is possibly the most interesting coach in any sport anywhere. It really makes me wonder how it's possible for anyone to not like the guy. He once had me trapped in his office talking about surfing for an hour and a half because really...who was I to walk out on a Mike Leach-led conversation? I think I was late for a class because of it...]]> tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.199367 2008-05-07T18:00:54Z 2008-05-07T18:21:11Z

I'm not breaking any news here, but I think the fish bowl we've put athletes in is getting a little too clear. I know Roger Clemens brought a lot of his troubles on himself, but I don't want to hear...

Jeff Andrews Carmelo Anthony gets a speeding ticket. Really, Yahoo!? Really? This is the top sports news of the day? I turned on ESPN radio today while I was in the shower, just in time to catch a few gems from Kevin Kiley, who apparently has decided he should be the moral voice of America.]]> He said all he can think about when he sees Kobe Bryant is his legal troubles in Colorado. All he can think about when he sees Hillary Clinton is a woman who let his husband cheat on her. Those softball players that carried an opposing player around the bases when she tore her ACL when she hit a home run? They were breaking the code of competition. Kevin, what the hell. Bryant was tried in a court of law and acquitted. I think it’s safe to say his accuser had a screw or two loose. Hillary Clinton? I’m not sure why you’re even talking about her, but that was 10 years ago. Plenty of people and athletes have marital problems. It’s not your place to call them out on it. Frankly, I find these comments disgusting. While I have no doubt that Kevin Kiley poops bricks of flowery-smelling gold, I bet there a few skeletons in his closet from, you know, 10 or 20 years ago that we could throw in his face. I listened for about 10 seconds, then changed the station. Michael Irvin has actually grown on me a bit. That’s coming from a Giants fan. Kevin Kiley is a judgmental ego maniac who needs to pay more attention to what athletes are doing on the field, not chastising them for mistakes off of it. tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.199213 2008-05-05T19:20:36Z 2008-05-05T19:21:22Z

For those of you who had to get up and go to work today, I am sorry. You missed a dandy of a game last night. Brenden Morrow’s power play goal in the fourth overtime of Game 6 against San...

Jeff Andrews For those of you who had to get up and go to work today, I am sorry. You missed a dandy of a game last night. Brenden Morrow’s power play goal in the fourth overtime of Game 6 against San Jose capped one of the best games in Stars playoff history and finally vaulted embattled goalie Marty Turco into the NHL’s final four. More importantly, though, the win validates the interest of casual hockey fans that have jumped on the Stars’ bandwagon. Dallas avoided blowing a 3-0 lead on the Sharks, which would have been crippling to the team for years. Can you imagine what would have happened to this franchise had it blown a 3-0 lead in the series? It may have never recovered. Like in the glory days of the late 1990s, Dallas has earned the spotlight in a town where playoff success has been hard to find. The Stars lost those fans after three straight first round exits. Like many have said before me, sometimes coming close and not delivering is worse than not coming close. It rips the heart out of fans, and those fans that have no real emotional attachment to hockey or this team would peace out faster than Ray Lewis at a shooting involving his posse. Fortunately, that didn’t happen, and we have Morrow and Turco to thank for that. In other news, Scarlett Johansson is engaged. That is terrible news for all us males. tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.198997 2008-05-01T22:31:08Z 2008-05-01T22:46:48Z

The Stars loss to San Jose on Wednesday was certainly disappointing, especially for the home crowd, which included me, but there's certainly no need to panic. Dallas was just dead tired in the third period. The frame the Stars have...

Jeff Andrews The Stars loss to San Jose on Wednesday was certainly disappointing, especially for the home crowd, which included me, but there's certainly no need to panic. Dallas was just dead tired in the third period. The frame the Stars have dominated throughout the playoffs was the undoing of Dallas' dreams of a sweep. Even warriors like Brenden Morrow were noticeably exhausted by the end of the game. It was pretty obvious midway through the third that Dallas didn’t have the energy to pull that one out. The Associated Press ran a story on the series I found utterly ridiculous. The Stars are 8-0-1 in their last nine games in San Jose, but the story seems to be giving credence to the Sharks' lame belief they are still in this series. I understand the Sharks want to stay confident and upbeat. But use some judgement here, guys. This is over. It was over when the Stars went up 3-0. ]]> tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.198916 2008-04-30T21:09:57Z 2008-04-30T21:24:59Z

Well, I've been saying it for a while now around the office, and people (most notably my boss, Todd Jorgenson) have scoffed at the idea, but it was time for Avery Johnson to go, and today he and Mark Cuban...

Adam Boedeker Well, I've been saying it for a while now around the office, and people (most notably my boss, Todd Jorgenson) have scoffed at the idea, but it was time for Avery Johnson to go, and today he and Mark Cuban parted ways after just 3 1/2 seasons, and two seasons after he was anointed as the next Red Auerbach. The Mavericks' fall from grace has been well-documented and in last night's Game 5 loss to New Orleans it was completed after they failed to get out of the first round for the second straight year. Many fingers can be pointed in many different directions. There was the controversial Jason Kidd trade (which I still stand behind by the way), there's Josh Howard and his ill-timed, best-left-unsaid admission to having an affinity for the wacky tobacky, and many other things that could be blamed for what's happened. The bottom line is, someone has to be held accountable for what's happened since Dallas blew a 2-0 series lead and a double-digit lead in Game 3 with six minutes left in the NBA Finals against Miami two years ago. What seemed like a dynasty in the making became one of the biggest group of choke artists in recent league history. There's one person in the Mavericks organization that is completely free of blame, and that's Dirk Nowitzki. Everyone else, from Mark Cuban to J.J. Barrea is expendable here. Well, Mark's not expendable, so we'll go with Donnie Nelson. I talked about it with some friends yesterday afternoon before the game -- I felt like we would be witnessing the end of the Mavericks as we've come to know them over the last decade. I vividly remembered watching Dallas upset Utah in the opening round back in 2001 and wearing my homemade "Kiss My Azz, Utah Jazz" T-shirt to my U.S. History Post Civil War class and getting lots of high fives. I remember the city's elation when Dallas beat San Antonio in the conference semifinals in seven games two years ago and then breezed through the Suns before blowing their 2-0 lead against the Heat. I remember thinking the Mavs were the epitome of a team on a mission last year when they won 67 regular-season games before bowing out in the first round to Nellie and Golden State. And then, this year... I think the Mavs fans should be appreciative of what Avery did for this team. He obviously took them somewhere that Don Nelson couldn't in his time as head coach. He got them over the plateau and into the Finals. There's no doubt this team had its guts ripped out in the Miami series and then that was worsened with last year's Golden State loss. The team had no chance of making a run as it was constructed this year, hence the Kidd trade. It needed to be blown up somehow, and that was the opportunity to do it. It obviously didn't work, but now this team must be blown up completely. As much as I love Dirk and how much of a warrior he is, he's not untouchable in this either. In fact, he might be the only player with any significant value. Jason Terry's great at times, but is horribly inconsistent. Jerry Stackhouse's best days were behind him a couple of years ago. Brandon Bass is a great young player, but I'm not sure what he'd bring in return in a trade. I'd like to see Dallas hold on to Dirk and Bass and start over fresh, but I don't know that that's possible. Two years ago, Josh Howard was untouchable. Now, he's a pothead that would rather attend his birthday party than rest up TWO NIGHTS BEFORE an elimination game! He's so gone, and I don't think Dallas will get much in return for him. Basically, what I've been saying here is to prepare to see a three- or four-year run (at least) of mediocrity, at best because this thing is getting blown up to bits, and it started today with Avery's ousting. Ultimately, it'll be a good thing, but those fun-to-watch Mavericks teams that we've grown to love over the last decade are a thing of the past, and it's a little saddening. tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.198818 2008-04-29T19:56:49Z 2008-04-29T20:23:53Z

Despite dominating in three straight playoff series, a friend of mine still isn't sold on Stars goalie Marty Turco. Are you kidding me? Take a look at his numbers. In the first round against Vancouver last year, the Stars some...

Jeff Andrews Despite dominating in three straight playoff series, a friend of mine still isn't sold on Stars goalie Marty Turco. Are you kidding me? Take a look at his numbers. In the first round against Vancouver last year, the Stars some how found a way to lose despite Turco throwing three shutouts in the series. THREE SHUTOUTS in one series. This year, he's third in the league in playoffs goals against at 1.99. He leads the league in playoff wins. He out played former Conn Smythe winner J.S. Giguere against the Ducks. He's owning Vezina finalist Evgeni Nabokov in the second around against the Sharks. The worst part is I know my friend isn't alone. What does he have to do to earn your approval? Poop Stanley Cups? I will say Turco occasionally makes a goofy play. He's made a few in the playoffs. But when it's all said and done, he's been awesome. The best part is he's leading the Stars in clutch moments. The Stars have won four of their six playoff games in the third period or later. That also means Turco has been solid in the third period and overtime. When they announced Turco would take over for Eddie Belfour, I was all for it. Turco was an elite minor league goalie and he won two NCAA titles with Michigan in college. He's always been a winner, and after a few playoff hiccups, he's winning at the highest level. Maybe four shutouts in a series would silence the rest of the critics. tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.198612 2008-04-26T19:22:09Z 2008-04-26T19:26:18Z

And while we're talking about how to improve the production of the NFL draft -- tell teams not to call the player four minutes before the pick comes in. When Matt Ryan opens his phone and is all happy and...

Jeff Andrews And while we're talking about how to improve the production of the NFL draft -- tell teams not to call the player four minutes before the pick comes in. When Matt Ryan opens his phone and is all happy and hugging his family, we know what happened. I WANT TO HEAR WHO IS PICKED WHEN IT COMES OUT OF ROGER GOODELL'S MOUTH. That's it. Not two days before, not when the kid is extatic on the phone with a good chunk of change on the clock. Maybe I'll just flip over to NFL Network. You've really been annoying me lately, ESPN. tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.198457 2008-04-24T21:30:13Z 2008-04-24T21:32:06Z

“Pacman” Jones’ arrival in Dallas gives the Cowboys an elite shutdown corner to go along with Terrance Newman, a game-breaking punt returner the team hasn’t had since the days of Deion Sanders, and tremendous flexibility in the upcoming draft as...

Jeff Andrews “Pacman” Jones’ arrival in Dallas gives the Cowboys an elite shutdown corner to go along with Terrance Newman, a game-breaking punt returner the team hasn’t had since the days of Deion Sanders, and tremendous flexibility in the upcoming draft as the Cows already have two first-round picks and one less glaring need. The Cows could take a receiver to groom for a future without T.O. They could take a top-notch running back to complement Marion Barber. They could take an offensive lineman to add depth to an aging and important unit. But let’s get down to what really matters with Pacman. He immediately has the tightest medallion on the team – the giant diamond Pacman medallion he wore on draft day. I can’t help but hear Lil’ Wayne in my head while looking at it. But he brings a number of off-the-field skills as well. What if the Cowboys need to defend themselves at a bar? Pacman knows how to beat a guy half to death with a pool stick. He showed it in college when he did just that. Will the Cowboys ever need to create a diversion at a strip club? I don’t know the answer to that question, but if they do, Pacman once littered $80,000 in cash on a stage of strippers, causing utter chaos. That sounds like a suitable diversion to me. What happens if a Cowboy is in an unsatisfactory relationship? Pacman knows how to get rid of her. He’s been accused of punching and spitting on women multiple times. This guy is as versatile as it gets. I just wish the Giants had traded for him. tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.198381 2008-04-24T08:32:56Z 2008-04-24T08:36:28Z

I’m going to take a page from comedian and raging liberal Bill Maher for this one. New rule No more signing the No. 1 pick in the draft before the actual draft. I want to know who the No. 1...

Jeff Andrews I’m going to take a page from comedian and raging liberal Bill Maher for this one. New rule No more signing the No. 1 pick in the draft before the actual draft. I want to know who the No. 1 pick in the draft is going to be at one time, and one time only – when Roger Goodell goes to the podium and announces the pick. I know the NFL isn’t exactly hurting for ratings when it comes to the draft, and the draft is one of my favorite sporting events, sometimes more entertaining to me than the Super Bowl. But, seriously. It blows the whole deal when you know the No. 1 pick before the draft. Imagine if you’d watched Goodell go up to the podium and announce Houston was taking Mario Williams No. 1 overall instead of Reggie Bush. There’d have been a boom on adult diapers because of all the fecal bricks being dropped. Instead, we found out the night before that Houston wasn’t taking Bush, blowing the suspense and holding Pampers’ stock down. Finding out Miami is taking Jake Long No. 1 doesn’t ruin the draft this year because there is no dominant story line or superstar player int he draft, but just for future reference, Goodell, we don’t like this. tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.198259 2008-04-22T19:32:28Z 2008-04-22T20:03:47Z

It's amazing how quickly life changes. One minute, I'm coming up with saxophone licks over a 2-5-1 cord progression in a tiny practice room at UNT. The next minute, I'm a low-rent sports writer breaking down 2A softball playoffs. How...

Jeff Andrews It's amazing how quickly life changes. One minute, I'm coming up with saxophone licks over a 2-5-1 cord progression in a tiny practice room at UNT. The next minute, I'm a low-rent sports writer breaking down 2A softball playoffs. How in the world did that happen? I'm asking the same question of the Dallas Stars. One day, they were limping to the playoffs after a failed trade for Brad Richards. The next, they are dumping the defending champs and position themselves for a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup. I'm not going to pretend I know what clicked for them between playing the Sharks in a meaningless regular season finale and Game 1 of their series with Anaheim. All I know is they were playing like the Dallas Stars of February, not March. Regardless of who they play in the next round, I'm picking a Stars win. The Sharks have looked erratic, disengaged and sloppy in round one. Colorado, despite the hot play of goalie Jose Theodore, are a beatable team that is a shell of the one that rolled through the playoffs earlier this decade. Either way, the Stars will be exercising more demons. After finally getting out of the first round, Dallas might next have to play the team that caused its first-round futility, Colorado, which embarrassed Dallas two straight years. And looming very large is a potential Western Conference Finals matchup with Detroit, which has had Dallas' number for the better part of two decades. Marty Turco specifically hasn't had success against the Red Wings, so the Stars will need to reverse some more history to win an improbable title this year. The key for the entire playoffs for Dallas will continue to be its young defenseman. Matt Niskanen, Nicklas Grossman and Mark Fistric have filled in admirably for injured top pair Phillippe Boucher and Sergi Zubov. Ironically, Niskanen may have been the worst of the three in round one. He was way out of position on two Ducks goals in a Game 5 loss. He will need to be better, and all three will have to steadily improve. How did I go this long without mentioning Stephane Robidas. What an absolute warrior. tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.197859 2008-04-15T21:54:54Z 2008-04-15T22:24:40Z

The NFL released the 2008 schedule for the upcoming season and the Cowboys play in five primetime games, which is pretty incredible. I'm going to attempt to break down the schedule and try to predict the Cowboys record for the...

Adam Boedeker Week 1 at Cleveland -- The Browns made some great strides last year and have one of the younger, more up-and-coming teams in the league. If this was in Dallas it'd be a blowout, but it will be a close game. As of now, I've got to go with the Cowboys. Week 2 Philadelphia (Monday night) -- Home opener, Texas Stadium, Monday Night Football, Eagles, so on and so forth. Philly will struggle this year and has been on the decline for the last few years, plus T.O. always likes to play the Eagles. Cowboys 2-0. Week 3 at Green Bay (Sunday night) -- The Aaron Rodgers era will begin in 2008 and the Packers returns a quality bunch of players that are extremely young and extremely talented. If Rodgers plays like he did in relief of Brett Favre last November, the Packers will win this game. Cowboys 2-1. ]]> Week 4 Washington -- The Redskins always seem to give the Cowboys trouble but I think Washington will regress this year, leaving the Cowboys and Giants as the lone players in the NFC East. Cowboys win to go 3-1 in September. October Week 5 Cincinatti -- The Bengals have a lot to improve on from last season and the internal strife in that locker room doesn't seem too promising. Cowboys roll in this game as Chad Johnson makes outrageous claims that he's better than T.O. in the week prior and T.O. goes off, playa-style. Cowboys 4-1. Week 6 at Arizona -- Everyone knows games in Arizona are basically home games for the Cowboys. Everyone also knows the Cards will not go anywhere with Matt Leinart under center despite their ridiculous talent at wide receiver. Cowboys roll to 5-1. Week 7 at St. Louis -- This game has all the makings of a hiccup game. Last year, the Cowboys jacked around until the end of the third quarter before pulling away in a noon kickoff game. This year? Noon kickoff, but this time it's in St. Louis. I smell an unexpected loss here. Cowboys 5-2. Week 8 Tampa Bay -- Well, it's actually just "Tampa" but whatever, NFL. The Bucs will be sorry next season, just as they were last season when they had the benefit of playing in possibly one of the worst divisions in NFL history. Cowboys rebound to go 6-2. November Week 9 at New York Giants -- Oh man, revenge is sweet. The Giants upended Tony Romo and the Cowboys' storybook season and paved road to the Super Bowl, and not only did they upset Dallas, they went on to two more upsets and a Super Bowl championship. Eli Manning is now legit and the Cowboys won't get their revenge -- yet. Cowboys fall to 6-3. Week 10 -- bye Week 11 at Washington (Sunday night) -- Again, Washington won't be good next year. Dallas will be. That equates to a season sweep in another primetime Sunday night game. Dallas is 7-3. Week 12 San Francisco -- The Niners will be a much improved team from last season with Mike Martz controlling the offense and one of the league's best backs in Frank Gore (Big ups to Merkin Madness, my championship fantasy team that got a late surge from Gore last year). It won't be enough to beat Dallas at home in what used to the game's best rivalry back in the 90s and early 80s. Cowboys go to 8-3. Week 13 Seattle (Thanksgiving Day) -- With the annual three-day break, the Cowboys will play one of their best Turkey Day opponents in quite some time and it will also mark the return of Julius Jones. Haha. So what. This will be a tough game but Tony Romo will shine in the national spotlight as Carrie Underwood sings the National Anthem and Tony Romo begs for her to take him back and she accepts. (Never understood why you dumped her for Jess, Tony. Horrible decision). Cowboys move to 9-3. December Week 14 at Pittsburgh -- Oh, the feared December slide that's plagued this team for what seems like ages now and it starts with their most difficult December game, a road trip to likely cold and windy Heinz Field. The Cowboys lose and fall to 9-4. Week 15 New York Giants (Sunday night) -- As I said back in November, the Cowboys wouldn't get their revenge yet, that's because they'll get it on this day at home against the Giants. Boys win to move to 10-4 and get back in the running for an NFC East title and possibly a first-round bye. Week 16 Baltimore (Saturday night) -- The NFL Network will roll into town sans Bryant Gumbel (thank you, lord) and will bring the offense-less Ravens with them. Thing is, Baltimore used to live off its insane defense and last year finished in the bottom half of the league in defense. Bad news for the Ravens. Cowboys simply annihilate the Ravens to move to 11-4. Week 17 at Philadelphia -- Cowboys win and move to 12-4 to finish one game worse than their regular season record last year and have the Rams to think for it. The Cowboys will edge out the Giants for the division title and fall just short of the top seed in the NFC to the Packers after Rodgers has his breakout season. The Cowboys will earn the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs and will make it to the NFC title game, which is where my prognostication stops. It's simply too early to make a Super Bowl prediction. Tell me your thoughts. I bet I'll win.]]> tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.197851 2008-04-15T20:05:52Z 2008-04-15T22:18:52Z

It's time for the North Dallas Beautiful People to step up. First of all, I realize I am stealing that phrase from Randy Galloway, but no moniker fits the residents of the American Airlines Center's lower bowl better than "North...

Jeff Andrews It's time for the North Dallas Beautiful People to step up. First of all, I realize I am stealing that phrase from Randy Galloway, but no moniker fits the residents of the American Airlines Center's lower bowl better than "North Dallas Beautiful People." What do they need to do? Help the Stars solve their home playoff woes. The American Airlines Center hasn't been the coziest confines for the Dallas Stars in the playoffs, or so their post-season record in the AAC suggests. Dallas has a home post-season record of 7-22 since the 2000 Western Conference Finals. That means Dallas' surprising 2-0 lead on the Ducks won't mean much until we see how the Stars play at home tonight. A win would all but sink the Ducks. A loss gives a dangerous Anaheim team a chance to get back in. Is Dallas' home record a fluke or is the AAC cursed? Probably neither, but I'll tell you what hasn't been helping -- the North Dallas Beautiful People. Let's face it: the AAC atmosphere is not among the best for the NHL or the NBA. Let's be blunt: it sucks, especially for hockey. Most of the NDBP don't understand anything about hockey. They cheer when there's a goal or a fight. That's about all they understand. The Stars have to earn at least a split in the next two games. I call on the NDBP to actually make noise, boo at bad calls, agitate the Ducks and be a factor in the game. Maybe they can even wear some Stars gear, instead of whatever designer clothing is hip at the W hotel this week. Come on, Beautiful People. Don't let the Stars down. tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.197688 2008-04-13T00:27:16Z 2008-04-13T00:43:44Z

More like Bristol doesn't care about hockey. ESPN has a monopoly on sports journalism. They do not, however, have anything invested in hockey anymore. Since the television deal between the two expired when the lockout began, it is not financially...

Jeff Andrews More like Bristol doesn't care about hockey. ESPN has a monopoly on sports journalism. They do not, however, have anything invested in hockey anymore. Since the television deal between the two expired when the lockout began, it is not financially beneficial for people to watch hockey. Lo and behold, right about when the lockout starts and ESPN stops getting paid by hockey, it replaces its hockey coverage with a loop of "Nobody cares about hockey." You could even say it's a financial liability to Bristol for people to watch hockey. If people are watching hockey, they aren't watching nauseating amounts of coverage of the X Games and the Little World League Series on ESPN. That coverage is really just a gratuitous advertisement for ESPN's own programming. And advertising for hockey doesn't put ice in Bristol's grill anymore. So hope you're ready for a lot more "Nobody cares about hockey." How does Linda Cohn sleep at night. tag:cheapseats.beloblog.com,2008://443.197604 2008-04-11T05:50:47Z 2008-04-11T06:08:52Z

The Dallas Stars haven't proved they are a better team than the Ducks. They just proved they were more will to hustle on Thursday night. The Stars ran Anaheim out of its own building with a 4-0 plucking of the...

Jeff Andrews The Dallas Stars haven't proved they are a better team than the Ducks. They just proved they were more will to hustle on Thursday night. The Stars ran Anaheim out of its own building with a 4-0 plucking of the Ducks, but let's not start patting ourselves on the back yet. The Ducks didn't show up for this one, and Pronger's play was a perfect example. He simply watched Brenden Morrow skate around him and score late in the game. He regularly gave up space to Jere Lehtinen up the middle. For Dallas, it was literally like hunt dead ducks, and it won't come this easy in the coming contests. Before I wear myself thin with bad duck references, let me just say this -- Steve Ott completely clipped the Ducks' wings with his agitating play in the first period. His scrappiness is Verbeek-ian. Although he'll never reach the same scoring heights as the real Little Ball of Hate because Verbeek's numbers were inflated by the run-and-gun '80's, Ott's ability to get under a team's skin is as valuable a tool as the Stars have. I don't want to pound in anymore sentences that use the word "duck" in an unclever, cheesy fashion, so I'll just say this -- the Ducks simply weren't able to take flight tonight, and their penchant for the penalty box was a symptom of that. The Ducks were a step behind every time, and they had to cheat to make up for it. That led to more penalties, which led to three Stars power play goals. I'm not really into writing with cliche references to a team's mascot, so I'll leave it at this -- the Stars simply roasted the Ducks tonight, and Anaheim better fluff its feathers in place if it wants to fly in this series. "Ducks" is the worst mascot in pro sports. I'd rather root for the Coney Island Corn Dogs. I'm not intimidated by anything that takes off if I throw a piece of bread the other way.