Texas Stadium Demolition...

The Cowboys home for 38 seasons will be demolished! On April 11 you can pay 25 bucks to get a second row seat (front row is reserved for former Eagles players) to watch memories get blown to bits! Oh, and Roger Staubach is not the guy they asked to do the honors...nope this great honor goes to...drum roll: Casey Rodgers! An 11 year old from Terrell. Yay...I guess.

Kraft Foods is behind this travesty, they held an essay contest to determine the young person who would do the honors. They are also calling this "Cheddar Explosion"...wow! And by the way, isn't Kraft Foods owned by Robert Kraft...the owner of the New England Patriots? Why would Jerry Jones allow another owners company to demolish TEXAS STADIUM? If this isn't wrong than neither is grand larceny...which what they've done to Cowboys fans! Robbed us of the opportunity to see one of our heroes do the honor.

NFL Changes Overtime Rules!

Well, the NFL has officially changed the rules regarding how the overtime's are played in the playoffs. Alot of people are happy with these changes, but I'm not sold. Honestly I think the changes were made only to appease the people that were upset about Brett Favre and the Vikings not taking the field in their overtime loss to the Saints in the NFC championship game. Funny thing is, the Vikings were one of 4 NFL franchises that voted against the changes. ??? Here are those changes...

The team that wins the coin toss in over time in a playoff game will get the ball, if that team elects to kick a field goal and makes it then the opposing team will get 1 possession to match or better that. If the opposing team succeeds in matching that field goal then for the remainder of overtime the rules revert back to sudden death. However, if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their possession, overtime is over and the opposing team does not get the opportunity to match them. 

Here are the positives about this rule change:

1) It gives the team that loses the coin toss an opportunity to win the game, therefore the coin toss no longer "decides" the outcome of the game.
2) A teams overtime strategy will be more complex and more encompassing than "get into field goal range".

Here are the negatives about the changes:

1) The team that wins the toss can score a touchdown and still keep the other team off the field.
2) The rules revert back to sudden death after/(if) both teams kick field goals.
3) The new rules only apply to playoff games, not regular season games.

There are several major problems with the rule change...and its only a matter of time until other people start to realize this! Everyone I talk to and everyone I've heard in the media keeps telling me how good a thing this is, and how great it is that they finally did something about the awful overtime rules! Blah blah blah! What exactly did they do? What exactly did they fix? I'm not so sure that this rule change has much effect on anything at all. In fact...here is a breakdown of just how little this change will mean.

In 1965 the first (true) overtime playoff game was played between the Baltimore Colts and the Green Bay Packers, this is a famous game and everyone knows the Packers won 13-10. This of course was before the NFL was under the current system with the NFC and the AFC. At that time there was only two Divisions, an Eastern and a Western Division, the winner of each Division played against each other in the NFL Championship Game, not yet the Super Bowl. This system started in 1933 and lasted until 1967. Under that system there were no "playoff" games. However, if there was a tie at the end of the season between two teams in the same Division, there would be a one game playoff held to determine the team that would advance to the Championship Game. During the 34 years that this system was in place, only 9 times was it necessary to play that one game playoff, and of those 9 games only the final one went to overtime.

From 1967 to 1969 there were NFL Championship games before the Super Bowl, none of which were overtime games. Then the set up changed again to a more current form of playoff brackets. The Wild Card round was not inserted until 1978, therefore this is where we'll begin...

From 1978 to 2010 there have only been 7 Wild Card games that have gone into overtime out of a possible 110 games played. This means that in the history of Wild Card playoff games only 7.7% of the time is an overtime even relevant. And by the way...5 of those 7 have been played in this decade!

From 1970 to 2010 in the Divisional round games there have only been 9 overtime games out 180 games played. That means that there is 1 overtime game for every 20 played in this round of the playoffs. Again, 5 of those have been played this decade.

From 1970 to 2010 there have been 80 Conference Championship Games played...only 4 overtime games. That is an extremely low amount of games that have gone to overtime, in fact it is only 3.2% of the time that a Conference Championship round game ends up in overtime.

There has never been a Super Bowl go into overtime.

There are quite a few regular season overtime games. In 2002 the NFL set a record with 25 overtime games in one season. But here's the problem with this "rule change"...us fans have been waiting for years and years and years for the sudden death overtime rule to be changed to "fun and entertaining" overtime rules! And this is what we get? This is such a tease...I feel like the league/Roger Goodell rushed to get this done this year and is just forcing this on the rest of us. I do not believe this is the best thing for the NFL to do, and the only reason that something is actually getting done about it right now is because the Vikings didn't get their shot last year. It was a travesty, but at the same time, isn't it a travesty when a team loses in the regular season and doesn't step on the field in OT? Does that not affect the standings and the win/loss column too? Why is this change exclusive to the playoffs? Why is this change only for field goals? And why does it only last (maybe) a maximum of three possessions? How come the Vikings...the main driving force behind the 'something getting done' attitude DID NOT VOTE FOR THE CHANGES?!

The changes should have encompassed all NFL games, pre-season, regular season, and post season! And the "touchdown wins it" thing should not be! Each team should get a possession...the coin flip should determine which team gets the ball and which team gets the ball second. Whoever wins can pick, which would lead to the gamesmanship of, should we kick and get the rebuttal or receive to make our statement? Then, if the first team scores they have to kick-off to the second team, and if the first team doesn't score then they can punt, or kick a field goal, or go for it just like in regulation. But if both teams score a touchdown or kick field goals, just keep it going until some defense makes a play and changes the outcome! How much more exciting would that be? The intensity and the coaching would be great TV and great football, especially in the playoffs.

Hockey has an awesome overtime situation, it makes for exciting and very compelling games. Basketball is fun to watch because its 5 more minutes of the most exciting part of a basketball game! Especially college basketball, great stuff! I just watched Xavier and Kansas State go Double-OT yesterday, and it was awesome! And I could care-less who won, but it was fun to watch. Baseball, its not as exciting but at least it can't end in a tie and its not whoever gets the first run wins. Each team has a shot. College football is probably some of the most exciting with their system, which would not work in the NFL but is unbelievably satisfying to watch in college games. My point is, that the NFL really did a disservice to its fans and to its teams; this change is not satisfying, does not fulfill the needs, and quite frankly is disappointing.

I believe that this was done not for the good of the NFL or the good of the sport, but for hastily appeasing the critics. This thing was thrown together to shut people up and get it off the agenda for the rest of Roger Goodell's dictatorship. I believe we've seen the last of overtime rule changes for a very long time, but you know what? I don't think we've seen the end of complaining because the outcomes of games were tainted, un-fulfilling, and not quite fair.

Mavs Win...Roddy B Was Freed, And Dirk Gets Ejected?

As I watched the first half unfold of Dallas' game Tuesday night I kept a close watch on a couple things. First, if and when Roddy B got playing time. And second, whether or not Dirk could get hot and have one of those 28 points + games. These two things along with the Mavs' ability to play solid defense were my keys to a victory. So, how did things unfold?

Well on the Roddy B situation, it has been accurately chronicled that statistically he is way better than JJ Barea. No offense to JJB but Roddy has light-years more talent and potential. Its just the way he was born! Statistically, Roddy B's numbers are very good compared to JJB's. Roddy plays only 12 minutes a game while JJB is playing right up near 20 per game, and the fact is...their scoring numbers are almost identical. JJB is scoring 7.7 in his 20 minutes a game while Roddy is 1 point less at 6.8 per 12 minutes. see the problem with that is Roddy B is scoring about 14 points per 23 minutes while JJB is still only scoring 8. 

But aside from the scoring comparison, JJB is a LIABILITY on the defensive end of the floor every time he is on the basketball court in the NBA and that will never change. He is the worst +/- guy on the Mavs' roster right now. He struggles to have +1 games this year whereas Roddy B played for 15 minutes Tuesday night and was a +14. The nice thing is...Roddy B has shown flashes of great defensive play. His main rookie mistake is an all too frequent reach in foul. But the thing about that is...he's trying to create turnovers and make something happen. I personally think that a "reach in" foul is nothing less than a guy trying to hustle around and do something positive. Discipline on defense is key, but if the other guy knows that your going to be attacking instead of sitting back and waiting for him to make his move; wont that weigh on his mind and maybe make him force something quicker than what would be "ideal"? Whether he passes the ball, shoots the ball, or picks up his dribble at an awkward moment. Any of those are better than JJB getting pushed around and run around and scored on. And that is what I see every time Roddy B is in the game. A defensive spark that ignites the offense. 

Roddy B likes to run and he is a PHENOMENAL finisher at the rim. Every time he is on the court I come out of my seat 2 or 3 times to marvel at some kind of incredible show he puts on at the rim. Quite frankly its unbelievable at times. But the point is he needs more playing time...he needs to be the 7th or 8th guy off the bench. The legit back up PG to J Kidd. He is no doubt the future of this franchise at the PG position and JJB is and always will be the situational spark plug guard. So there is my case for why Roddy B should be getting more than 12 minutes a night. There are actually T-shirts that say "Free Roddy B" out there! Awesome! 

Here's what I saw last night. Roddy B came in the game with 2:55 seconds left in the third quarter. At that time the Mavs' were down 4. Ten minutes later...the Mavs' are UP by 19. Thats a 23 point swing in ten minutes. I'm not saying Roddy was the reason for that but...RODDY B WAS THE REASON FOR THAT! Within seconds of entering the game he hit a big time three, followed by a sweet lay in with the left hand, and finally to begin the fourth quarter they ran "the lob" play which is where Roddy B takes the ball at the top of the three point arch, then gives to Kidd who steers right for a moment during which the pick set by Haywood (or whatever big is in the game) on Roddy's man gives the speedy Roddy B a sprint to the hoop where he finds J Kidd's alley oop lob pass waiting for him to go up, get, and slam it home. It works nearly every time...and boy can Roddy B fly! By the way, the Mavs' also created 5 turnovers and got alot of stops while playing the 2-3 zone during this stretch. 

So during the 14:55 seconds Roddy B played he had 10 points, 3 boards, a steal, and the Mavs' took the lead and won by double digits at home; which unfortunately has not been easy to do this season for some reason. All in all, I like what I see from this kid. And I'm going to continue to monitor his playing time and stats because I believe that come playoff time he deserves the opportunity to relieve Jason Kidd from time to time and can be effective in those minutes.

On to the subject of Dirk. Let me start by saying that Dirk Nowitzki is incredible. But, what I wanted from him was a statement game, because of the Mavs' sloppy play of late I needed Dirk to come out and put his stamp on this one and pretty much play like the MVP he is. And he was on his way to doing so. His game was interrupted by a couple of bogus calls by a young and whistle-happy referee. Dirk was shoved in the back and they did not call a foul, then Dirk contested a shot and didn't make too much contact with the guy but they called the foul on Nowitzki anyway. So naturally Dirk talks to the ref about it and maybe said a little too much at first so the ref T's him up, and then, frustrated and confused probably Dirk turns and continues to not bite his tongue and the ref immediately gives him a second Technical and throws Dirk out of the game. This is only Dirk's 3 ejection in his career. I'm not so sure that he deserved it, I and many others think that the ref was a little quick on the draw this time but hey...Dirk may have alluded to his prescription specs or something, who knows? 

Fact is, Dirk got thrown out of the game only a couple minutes into the 3rd quarter, leaving the rest of the dudes to fend for themselves. Which they did. But I said I wanted one of those monster games from Dirk, and he was giving it to me before his ejection. Check out these numbers and keep in mind that all of his stats are from only one half of this game. 

19:18 minutes, 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and he was 8-11 from the floor. That's efficiency! If he gets his normal 35+ minutes we would be talking about Dirk shooting 14-20 for 34 points and 7 or 8 rebounds. I like it. So his impact was huge even though he was stuck in the locker room for the second half. 

The other thing the Mavs' needed to do was play defense and they did that pretty well last night. They forced 11 turnovers and didn't commit 18 as they had the previous two games. And their bigs played well...Haywood had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks; while Damp in limited time had 3 points, 2 blocks, and 6 rebounds. This is a vast improvement over the last few games. Keep that up. 

Also, it was Jason Kidd's birthday yesterday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! He turned 37...and he played like he was 27. He had a phenomenal game...it was a thing of beauty to watch him dominate the game in the fourth quarter the way he did. He ended up with a season high 26 points to go along with 12 assists and 6 rebounds. But he also played a monster 41 minutes and only turned the ball over twice! That is great. Plus with Dirk out the second half, someone had to step up, and why not Kidd? This is what J Kidd said about his game: 

"Since Dirk was gone, I thought I'd play (like) Dirk today!"

That's funny stuff, but its also true! It is worth mentioning that Kidd has transformed himself into an incredible and legitimate three point threat! He was 6-11 for the game and is shooting 42% from beyond the arc for the year! Awesome! Coach Rick Carlisle had this to say about Jason Kidd after the game: 

"He willed the team with his energy and his enthusiasm. He got guys engaged and you know, it wasn't just play-making, it was shot-making, it was assists, it was defensive plays, it was, you know, giving guys confidence out there. ... He is just phenomenal."

Here is a great little statistical tribute to J Kidd, courtesy of Fish of dallasbasketball.com: http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=2763