News Worthy

In this articles: ESPN Article it says that "Jones, the Cowboys' owner and general manager, says he won't make a head-coaching change." I raise the question... hasn't he said that before and then CANNED the coach like the next day or two? Yes.

And, then there is this that happened at Valley Ranch today...

Just when you think the circus is shutting down ...

A fan wearing a Jason Witten jersey stood on the street in front of the Cowboys' Valley Ranch facility today, wearing a sandwich board that read, "WADE IS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE STAR" and "OUR TEAM HAS NO HEART." The man ended up calling Irving police after a confrontation with LB Bradie James.

James said the fan was blocking his way out of the parking lot, leading him to tell the man he needed to get out of the way or get hit by the linebacker's luxury SUV.

"He said, 'Why you guys didn't show that fire last night? You should have showed that heart last night!'" James recalled to reporters. "So next thing you know, I'm just ripping his sign off him. So I ripped the sign off him. He said I broke his glasses, so I went and gift-wrapped some Oakleys. He got something out the deal."

Cooler heads prevailed when the fan met with James inside the Cowboys facility, along with a team security official and an Irving police officer. James said the fan told him his angst was directed at the rest of the Cowboys, not him.

"I told him, 'I share your frustrations. But where we differ is I wouldn't go to anybody's job, especially not with 300-pound guys, trying to tell them what they didn't do right,'" James said. "But that's it. It's over."

And then I came across this: Fire Jason Garret which, I have to be honest, I haven't checked out the website just yet... but, wow, these people have TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS.

Still... there is this: Wade is at the bottom... shows an approval rating of Wade Phillips at 11% and I really cannot see him returning next season. I would give his odds to be at 0.0000000001% for that to happen. Just my 2¢ on that.

Possible New Coaches:

• Bill Cowher. I would love him here. And not with the Steelers or anywhere else.
• Marty Schottenheimer. Probably would have problems with the GM, but it could work for at least a little while... especially if he gets the Cowboys a playoff win.
• Jason Garret. Well, he is being "groomed"... let's just face that fact and move on. I know he is on the list, but I don't know if he will be the guy next season.

Oh, and Jason Garret is not the problem... still haven't been to the website. I may check it out. Johnny Out.

Home Field

NFL Playoffs 2009

How will the playoffs go? Well... let's see the obvious.

• Titans will be one and done.
• Vikings will drop the wild-card game, thus sending the Eagles to play against the Giants.
• Arizona will also will be one and done.
• Panthers take out the Falcons.
• Giants vs. the Eagles... I will take the Giants, although I am tempted to pick the Eagles.
• Ravens vs. Dolphins... I am trying to care. Ravens have a better team. Ravens.
• Colts vs. Chargers... Chargers.

That's going to be the extent for now. I'm still sick from the Cowboys loss.

Home Field

Game 35: Stars vs Sharks

It's sickening with how the Cowboys played yesterday. Sickening. And the Bears... well, they at least went out with some dignity. If Wade Philips is still the head coach come 2009, well, I will be shocked. And if he is the head coach at the start of the new season, well, something will just be wrong with the world.

The Stars aren't expected to make the playoffs at this point. So, there is no proverbial carrot dangling before them. Stranger things have happened, so I won't count them out until they are mathematically eliminated, but I am not holding my breath, to say the least.

Dallas Stars Player Stats 08-09

Name	Mike Ribeiro	Brad Richards	Loui Eriksson	Mike Modano
Goals	6	10	18	12
Assists	25	21	8	12
Points	31	31	26	24
+/-	-4	-6	+5	+2

Everyone is up two from the previous post. That's good news. The Star beat the Ducks 4-3 on Saturday. The Stars are starting to gel some... I would hope that is good news.

Sharks Player Stats 08-09

Name	Joe Thornton	Patrick Marleau	Devin Setoguchi	Dan Boyle
Goals	9	18	17	11
Assists	32	22	19	18
Points	41	40	36	29
+/-	+16	+16	+16	+6

So, the Stars are 15-14-5 (or 15-19, adjusted) while the Sharks are 27-4-4 (or 27-8, adjusted)... so the Stars and Sharks are two very different teams. One which is very, very good. And the other is very, very average. Really, the players on the Stars roster are ready to go to pasture, while the Sharks have players ready for the spotlight.

Goalie Comparrison

Name	Games (Starts)	Record	GAA	SV%
Marty Turco	31 (31)	14-12-5	3.27	.880
Evgeni Nabokov	25 (25)	19-3-3	2.45	.908

Who's the better goalie? Well, that's pretty straight forward. Still, Turco is doing enough to grab some wins of late...
Forecast: This is a mismatch. The Sharks are too good for the Stars. The Stars have already dropped two to the Sharks, 11/8 was a 2-1 game and on 11/28, a 6-2 loss for the Stars. This one, will be a 4-1 loss for the Stars.

Home Ice

Game 30: Mavericks at Clippers

The Mavericks had fatigue cause them to drop the game in Utah. They should be rested enough to face and dominate the Clippers. I do not know if suspensions will be handed out to Dirk and Howard in time for this game... so we'll have to wait and see what happens there.

Dallas Maverick Player Stats 08-09

Name	Dirk Nowitzki	Jason Terry	Josh Howard	Jason Kidd
Points Per Game	25.8	21.2	17.9	8.9
Rebounds Per Game	8.9	2.8	5.3	6.4
Assists Per Game	2.5	3.8	1.3	8.4
Blocks Per Game	0.8	0.3	0.4	0.5

Still, strong numbers from the Mavs top four players.

LA Clipper Player Stats 08-09

Name	Zach Randolph*	Baron Davis	Al Thornton	Chris Kaman*
Points Per Game	23.1	18.0	16.7	13.9
Rebounds Per Game	9.9	3.4	5.0	9.4
Assists Per Game	2.5	8.2	1.5	1.9
Blocks Per Game	0.3	0.4	0.9	1.9

Randolph has a bruised left knee and Kaman is recovering from a strained arch on his left foot. Forecast: Even with a missing Howard or Dirk could be a strong factor, but with that in mind, I would still pick the Mavericks over the Clippers, due to the absences that the Clippers will have. Score: 94-86.

Home Court

Game 29: Brahmas vs. Blazers

Oklahoma City is 19-5-3 and is first in their division. The Brahmas are 16-9-3 and are looming in second and closing in on first in their division. I have learned that the Brahmas play in North Richland Hills, TX... which is where I reside. I think it would be grand to see a game or two this season... it isn't far from home.

Brahmas Player Stats 08-09

Name	Scott Shepherd	Grant Jacobsen	Jordan Cameron	Pete Rouleau
Goals	12	9	9	8
Assists	12	15	13	12
Points	24	24	22	20
+/-	+6	+6	+7	-2

Nothing has changed since the previous game... except the +/-.

Blazers Player Stats 08-09

Name	Bill Vandermeer	Simon Lambert	Brian Passmore	Ted Vandermeer
Goals	11	10	10	9
Assists	16	10	10	9
Points	27	20	20	18
+/-	+3	+7	+6	+6

Something to note... Oklahoma City has only two players under 0 on the +/-... which is impressive.

Goalie Comparrison

Name	Games	Record	GAA	SV%
Brett Jaeger	19	10-4-3	2.52	.920
Andy Franck	17	10-3-3	1.94	.923

The save percentages are very close, but the GAA has a good gap between the two players. Oklahoma City has the edge, for sure.Forecast: I like Oklahoma City for this one. Although, the Brahmas are playing at home and they are coming off a shutout loss... yeah, OK City takes this one with a score of 5-1.

Home Ice

Game 16: Cowboys vs. Eagles

The Cowboys control their own destiny. If they win, they make the playoffs. If they lose, well, they don't. It is that simple, if you call beating the Eagles in their casa simple. It is simple if you look at the Cowboys coach as being unmotivated and lazy. You could call it simple is you're viewing a team that has a losing record after the month of November going back into the 90s. Seriously, they are a train going up a large hill without any steam. And their season is going to be defined by the final regular season game. NO PRESSURE!!!

Quarterback Comparison

Name	QB Rating	Comp-Att	Comp %	Yards	TD-Int	Fumbles
Tony Romo	94.8	255-411	62.0%	3,265	26-13	10
Donovan McNabb	85.3	333-550	60.5%	3,741	21-11	7

Romo is the better quarterback, statistically speaking. McNabb generally steps up his game some against the Cowboys. Not really sure as to why that normally happens...

Rushing Comparison

Name	Carries	Yards	TDs	Catches	Yards	TDs
Marion Barber	235	872	7	50	397	2
Brian Westbrook	220	886	9	52	390	5

Westbrook is the better between the two. And really, that is simply a better between the two that is by a margin of a hair. The Cowboys have the better runningbacks... since the Cowboys have Choice available.

Receiving Comparison

Name	Catches	Yards	TDs	Fumbles
Terrell Owens	63	949	10	1
Jason Witten	74	902	4	0
Patrick Crayton	36	516	4	1
DeSean Jackson	60	866	2	1
Hank Baskett	33	440	3	1
Jason Avant	32	377	2	0

This is easy. Cowboys have the better receivers... hands down. It really is a "no-brainer" on this.

Defense Comparison

Name	Tackles	Sacks	Ints-TD	Deflections
DeMarcus Ware	80	20.0	0-0	2
Bradie James	110	7.0	0-0	4
Terence Newman	34	0.0	4-0	9
Stewart Bradley	106	1.0	1-0	5
Trent Cole	77	9.0	0-0	1
Asante Samuel	35	0.0	4-1	23

Jay Ratliff has an additional 7.5 sacks and Greg Ellis adds another 8.0 sacks. Mike Jenkins has an interception returned for a TD... Darren Howard also has 9.0 sacks for the Eagles. Quintin Mikell has three interceptions this season, and Juqua Parker has one interception that was also for a TD. Parker also has five sacks. Forecast: The Cowboys are needing the win to make the playoffs. They will be seeded either fifth or sixth, I would guess, since the division winners without a bye will be possessing home-field. So, the likelihood of the Cowboys playing again in Texas Stadium is virtually shot. The Cowboys do need some dignity. And that is what a win could provide. A little swagger or so, to get the playoff juices going. And taking a win and going 2-0 against the Eagles this year would do just that. So... Cowboys win? Eagles Spoil? What will it be? Well, the Cowboys are the better team. But they have been the better team several times this year and underperformed. Still, I believe that the Cowboys will be a different team come Sunday... and win it 20-17.

Home Field

Game 16: Bears vs. Texans

The Bears have won their last three games going into the regular season finale. They stand at 9-6 and in a tie with the Vikings, who own the tie-breaker. The Houston Texans are 7-8 and are out of the playoff hunt. They are looking to play "spoiler" in this game. My goal is to not only evaluate this game, but also the Vikings game and the Lions game.

Quarterback Comparison

Name	QB Rating	Comp-Att	Comp %	Yards	TD-Int	Fumbles
Kyle Orton	78.1	250-428	58.4%	2,728	16-12	6
Matt Schuab	89.7	224-344	65.1%	2,715	13-10	10

Looking from the outside in, these two QBs are about the same. Schuab, though, looks to me to be a better QB due to a higher completion rate. His flaw: gaurding the football. Ten fumbles are just too much. He has only lost four of them, but when you fumble ten of them, it spells out a bigger problem.

Rushing Comparison

Name	Carries	Yards	TDs	Catches	Yards	TDs
Matt Forte	303	1,188	8	60	452	4
Steve Slaton	248	1,190	8	45	341	1

Forte is the better back here. He may not average as many yards per carry as Slaton, but he is available to catch and he does grab down some good yardage per carry.

Receiving Comparison

Name	Catches	Yards	TDs	Fumbles
Devin Hester	45	580	3	0
Greg Olson	50	544	4	2
Rashied Davis	33	410	2	0
Andre Johnson	105	1,427	6	1
Kevin Walter	59	876	8	0
Owen Daniels	67	825	2	2

The Texans clearly have the better receivers, with Johnson leading the way. The Texans have plenty of options when it comes to a pass play, which is going to test the Bears passing coverage to the hilt.

Defense Comparison

Name	Tackles	Sacks	Ints-TD	Deflections
Lance Briggs	105	0.5	3-0	11
Charles Tillman	83	0.0	3-1	16
Alex Brown	40	6.0	1-0	4
DeMeco Ryans	102	1.0	0-0	3
Jacques Reeves	50	0.0	4-1	18
Mario Williams	51	11.0	0-0	0

The Bears also have Ogunleye and Harris, both with 5 sacks a piece.



Forecast: The Bears are technically hot right now. They have won their last three to bring forth a final regular season finale that could determine if they make the playoffs or not. The Texans have the #3 offense in the NFL, while the Bears appear to be average at best in offense and defense. It really makes you wonder how the Bears have made it this far... and still keep on winning. Texans defense is awful. The real matchup will be between the Bears defense and the Texans offense. I like the Bears in this one. The score should be close between these two teams... with the Bears ahead... 19-17.

Home Field

Game 16: NY Giants vs. Vikings

The Giants have clinched a bye... they are 12-3 and this game means something... to the Vikings. The Vikings, who are 9-6, need a win to clinch a playoff birth. A loss would give a lot of ground to the Bears, who are also looking at this game in need of the playoffs.

Quarterback Comparison

Name	QB Rating	Comp-Att	Comp %	Yards	TD-Int	Fumbles
Eli Manning	86.9	278-460	60.4%	3,119	21-10	5
Gus Frerotte	73.7	178-301	59.1%	2,157	12-15	4

Manning is the better QB, as Frerotte has more interceptions and TDs.

Rushing Comparison

Name	Carries	Yards	TDs	Catches	Yards	TDs
Brandon Jacobs	219	1,089	15	6	36	0
Derrick Ward	167	948	2	39	370	0
Adrian Peterson	342	1,657	9	21	125	0

The first two are the Giants and Peterson, as you should know, is a Viking. Comparing one back to another, the Vikings have the better back, but the Giants have the better rushing game.

Receiving Comparison

Name	Catches	Yards	TDs	Fumbles
Amani Toomer	46	564	4	1
Steve Smith	55	554	1	1
Domenik Hixon	39	534	1	0
Bernard Berrian	44	883	6	0
Visanthe Shiancoe	40	582	7	0
Bobby Wade	49	547	2	2

I would have to say that the Vikings appear to have the better receivers... at least on paper. Manning almost has 1,000 yards more passing that Frerotte, so I would've pegged them to have the better numbers. Interesting...

Defense Comparison

Name	Tackles	Sacks	Ints-TD	Deflections
Antonio Pierce	90	1.0	0-0	2
Justin Tuck	64	12.0	1-1	1
Corey Webster	50	1.0	3-0	23
Chad Greenway	108	5.0	0-0	5
Jared Allen	50	14.5	0-0	3
Kevin Williams	58	8.5	0-0	5

Aaron Ross also has three interceptions for the Giants, with one returned for a TD. Jared Allen has two safeties for the Vikings. I do question the pass defense for the Vikings. There aren't any strong standouts when you look at the numbers. Antoine Winfield does have 10 deflections and Cedric Griffin adds 14 more. There isn't anyone with more than 2 interceptions, though and the Vikings haven't returned a pick for a touch.

Intangibles: 1) Home Game to the Vikings. 2) Frerotte's 15 interceptions gives a passing defense edge to the Giants. I am sure if I thought hard enough, I could come up with more, but those two were the only ones to pop up off the top of my head.

Forecast: I like the Giants in this one. They don't have much to play for, but I do not think they will let this one simply slide for the Vikings. It is almost like they can flex their playoff muscles heading into the bye. Score: 31-20.

Home Field

Game 34: Stars vs. Ducks

The Stars are coming off a whooping... and this time, it was the Stars doing the whooping instead of receiving one. The Stars are still in the land of awful, but now they are 14-14-5... take away the overtime loses, and they are at 500. You take away all the goals they gave up this season, and heck, the Stars would look like defensive giants. But, alas, they have one of the worst defenses around.

Dallas Stars Player Stats 08-09

Name	Brad Richards	Mike Ribeiro	Loui Eriksson	Mike Modano
Goals	9	5	18	11
Assists	20	23	8	11
Points	29	28	26	22
+/-	-8	-5	+3	0

The Stars "seem" to be getting better. They are responding pretty well in games and even though the defense doesn't hold up too well, the offense is starting to spark, which is grabbing down some wins for the team. Will the defense start picking up soon?

Anaheim Ducks Player Stats 08-09

Name	Ryan Getzlaf	Corey Perry	Teemu Selanne	Chris Kunitz
Goals	14	9	14	8
Assists	25	23	13	14
Points	39	32	27	22
+/-	+6	+5	-6	+4

These guys have some scoring power and a strong defensive stance. It should spell out trouble for the Stars. Selanne should be out with a thigh laceration.

Goalie Comparrison

Name	Games (Starts)	Record	GAA	SV%
Marty Turco	30 (30)	13-12-5	3.28	.881
Jean-Sebastien Giguere	23 (22)	11-8-2	2.92	.911

Giguere is slightly better than Turco and has a much better record to show for it. Forecast: Stars drop this one due to poor defense... Score: 5-3.

Home Ice

Game 16: Lions vs. Packers

Here's a breakdown of some KILLER stats.

• Lion's Offense: 30th out of 32
• Lion's Passing: 26th out of 32
• Lion's Rushing: 30th out of 32
• Lion's Defense: 32nd out of 32

And just for grins, we'll do the rest of this....

Quarterback Comparison

Name	QB Rating	Comp-Att	Comp %	Yards	TD-Int	Fumbles
Dan Orlovsky	74.3	121-213	56.8%	1,391	6-6	3
Aaron Rodgers	91.4	320-505	63.4%	3,730	25-13	8

Rodgers is better. His interceptions total is a bit of a concern, especially when you combine it with the fumbles.

Rushing Comparison

Name	Carries	Yards	TDs	Catches	Yards	TDs
Kevin Smith	210	884	7	36	279	0
Ryan Grant	293	1,097	4	15	93	1

Grant is the better 'back.

Receiving Comparison

Name	Catches	Yards	TDs	Fumbles
Calvin Johnson	69	1,229	10	3
Shaun McDonald	35	332	1	2
Michael Gaines	23	260	1	3
Greg Jennings	75	1,191	9	1
Donald Drivver	68	901	4	0
Jordy Nelson	32	357	2	0

Packers are better here... too. Surprise.

Defense Comparison

Name	Tackles	Sacks	Ints-TD	Deflections
Paris Lenon	115	1.5	0-0	3
Leigh Bodden	66	0.0	1-0	12
DeWayne White	37	5.5	1-0	2
Nick Collins	67	0.0	6-3	13
Charles Woodson	60	3.0	6-2	15
Aaron Kampman	56	9.5	0-0	1

Wow. The Lions have only 4 picks this season. DeWayne White leads the Lions with the 5.5 sacks. Collins and Woodson, both with the Packers, have more interceptions than the ENTIRE team of the Lions... Forecast: Lions finish 0-16. Why? Well, they have the worst defense. The Packers have the #11 offense with the 9th best passing. And that... well, that's enough to send the Lions packing (pun intended). Score: 27-10.

Home Field

Game 29: Mavericks vs. Jazz

The Mavericks are now 17-11 and are playing back-to-backs, with this being the second game. They ended up topping Portland 102-94 on Christmas day... which could mean that fatigue could be a factor for the Mavericks today. The Jazz are 17-13 coming into this game against the Mavericks and have lost their last two games and are 5-5 in their last ten (but 2-4 in their last six). The Mavericks could be facing the Jazz at the perfect time.

Dallas Mavericks Player Stats 08-09

Name	Dirk Nowitzki	Jason Terry	Josh Howard	Jason Kidd
Points Per Game	26.1	21.0	17.9	9.0
Rebounds Per Game	8.9	2.9	5.7	6.4
Assists Per Game	2.6	3.8	1.4	8.4
Blocks Per Game	0.8	0.4	0.4	0.5

Erick Dampier leads the team with 1.3 blocks per game.

Utah Jazz Player Stats 08-09

Name	Carlos Boozer*	Mehmet Okur*	Paul Milsap*	Deron Williams
Points Per Game	20.5	16.6	15.0	14.4
Rebounds Per Game	11.7	8.2	9.0	2.9
Assists Per Game	2.7	1.8	1.9	9.7
Blocks Per Game	0.3	0.6	1.3	0.2

Boozer and Okur look to be out for this game. Okur is experiencing back spasms and Boozer has a strainged left quadriceps. And to add insult to injury, Milsap is listed as questionable due to a hyperextended left knee. If you have ever hyperextended anything, you know just how bad that hurts.

More Utah Jazz Player Stats 08-09

Name	Andrei Kirilenko	Ronnie Brewer	C.J. Miles
Points Per Game	12.5	12.1	9.6
Rebounds Per Game	5.3	3.0	2.3
Assists Per Game	3.0	2.6	1.7
Blocks Per Game	1.4	0.2	0.2

Here are three more players for the Jazz, since their top three players are going to be out (more than likely, anyway).

Forecast: The Jazz are limping... it will be a Mavericks routing the Jazz, easily. I kind of feel sorry for the Jazz, in a way. Score: 112-91.

Home Court

Game 28: Brahmas vs. Killer Bees

The Brahmas are 16-8-3 (or 16-11 adjusted) while the Bees are 12-11-2 (or 12-13, adjusted). The Brahmas statistically are better, simply based on record alone.

Brahmas Player Stats 08-09

Name	Scott Shepherd	Grant Jacobsen	Jordan Cameron	Pete Rouleau
Goals	12	9	9	8
Assists	12	15	13	12
Points	24	24	22	20
+/-	+7	+6	+7	+1

Their top four are all in the positive. They distribute the puck quite well, with no particular "super-star" that dominates in points, but several players who handle the puck and grab down points together.

Killer Bees Player Stats 08-09

Name	Robin Bouchard	Jesse Bennefield	Nicolas Dumoulin	Trevor Weisgerber
Goals	8	12	7	5
Assists	20	14	12	14
Points	28	26	19	19
+/-	+2	+7	-1	+5

The Bees have two players who dominate in points, with three of the top four in the positive and one player who dishes out assists (Bouchard). The Bees top four isn't as strong as the Brahmas top four.

Goalie Comparison

Name	Games	Record	GAA	SV%
Brett Jaeger	19	10-4-3	2.52	.920
Wylie Rogers	17	8-7-1	3.44	.904

The Brahmas have the better goalie, too. Rogers just doesn't get the job done like Jaeger does. That's what the stats say, anyway. And Rogers' record reflects that. Forecast: Well, this one seems pretty straight forward. The Brahmas win this one by a score of 4-1. Johnny Out.

Home Ice

Merry Christmas

I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, keep it safe and have fun. I am just hopeful that the two can mix.

Home Plate

Happy Holidays

Don't click there... it's just a picture.

Home Plate

Game 28: Mavericks at Blazers

The Mavericks made short work of the Grizzlies. I was thinking that they could set a new team record for fewest points given up in a game when at the half they had held them to 32 points. Still, a win is a win, whether it is by a 5 point margin or a 25 point margin. The Trailblazers are 18-11 (18-11, adjusted - poking a little fun at hockey) and are 6-5 in December. They are coming off a win against the Nuggets, which was back-to-back games against Denver, one in Denver and one in Portland. The home team won both times.

The Mavericks are 16-11 and are 8-3 in December. This game is the first of a back-to-back for the Mavericks, their first (and only) in December. The second game is against Utah, in Utah. The Mavericks have won seven of their last ten, while the Blazers are 5-5... Portland ranks 6th in the west and the Mavs rank 7th.

Dallas Maverick Player Stats 08-09

Name	Dirk Nowitzki	Jason Terry	Josh Howard	Jason Kidd
Points Per Game	26.0	21.1	18.1	9.1
Rebounds Per Game	9.1	3.0	5.9	6.2
Assists Per Game	2.6	3.9	1.5	8.3
Blocks Per Game	0.9	0.4	0.4	0.5

Josh Howard's stock has dropped since his return. Maybe Christmas will be his mental return?

Portland Trailblazer Player Stats 08-09

Name	Brandon Roy	LaMarcus Aldridge	Steve Blake	Rudy Fernandez
Points Per Game	22.7	17.0	11.5	10.9
Rebounds Per Game	4.6	6.7	2.3	3.2
Assists Per Game	5.2	1.6	4.4	2.0
Blocks Per Game	0.4	1.2	0.0	0.2

Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla lead the team with rebounds, with Oden leading the team with blocks at 1.4 per game.

I think the Mavs will match up with them quite well. My concerns are this: 1) The Mavericks are playing back-to-backs, which I think is a great part of the NBA... but the team playing them at the time will get pretty gassed out in time for the second game unless they conserve in the first game. 2) Will the Christmas spirit cause a distraction? It is a strong possibility since the Mavericks are away on Christmas Day. 3) Howard re-injured his ankle... really, just a tweak. Still, how will back-to-backs affect him and his playing time? There was a fourth concern when I started writing... but it escaped me.

Forecast: I can't help but speak from my bias. I like the Mavericks in this one. And I think that is more my bias speaking than anything logical within me. The logical part of me isn't so bold. I really think this could be more or less decided by the toss of a coin. So, I tossed a coin which told me:

• Best of 1 toss: Portland
• Best of 3 tosses: Portland
• Best of 5 tosses: Portland
• Best of 7 tosses: Mavericks

And so, Dallas will win this if a quarter is involved (and, in fact, there is four quarters involved. How about that.) Still, Portland takes this one, 109-107.

Home Court

Game 33: Stars at Maple Leafs

Toronto is 14-13-6 (or 14-19, adjusted) and has 34 points. Dallas is now 13-14-5 (or 13-19, adjusted), so technically Toronto is just a 1/2 game ahead of the Stars. The Stars have 31 points in the points system.

Dallas Star Player Stats 08-09

Name	Brad Richards	Loui Eriksson	Mike Ribeiro	Mike Modano
Goals	8	18	4	11
Assists	20	8	22	10
Points	28	26	26	21
+/-	-7	+4	-8	-1

These guys know how to get some points, but when they are on the ice, they do not have a positive impact for the team. Are they not playing as a team? Maybe. Eriksson does provide a positive spark and he scores goals. He has 65 shots on goal with a 28% score to shot ratio... which I guess isn't bad. He pretty much leads both teams in that category.

Toronto Maple Leaf Player Stats 08-09

Name	Nik Antropov	Matt Stajan	Alexei Ponikarovsky	Thomas Kaberle
Goals	13	9	11	2
Assists	16	20	15	21
Points	29	29	26	23
+/-	-3	-4	+8	-2

Alexei is the spark for the Leafs... not really too much to say here.

Goalie Comparison

Name	Games (Starts)	Record	GAA	SV%
Marty Turco	29 (29)	12-12-5	3.33	.880
Vesa Toskala	29 (29)	13-9-5	3.11	.887

Turco's stats are getting better... even though his GAA has risen and his save percentage has dropped from three games ago. Well... at least he's consistent, even though it is a consistent mediocrity. Forecast: Well, it's like this. The Leafs have a slightly better goalie and overall their players are slightly better. Eriksson is the best player on the ice, though... but he won't be enough to get the Stars through the entire season. And this game is another example of that. Leafs win it, 4-2. Johnny Out.

Home Ice

Game 27: Brahmas at Mudbugs

The previous two games were Brahma wins. The scores were 4-2 and 8-3... The Mudbugs are 15-7-2 (or 15-9, adjusted) whereas the Brahmas are 15-8-3 (or 15-11, adjusted). The Brahmas are better considering the points system (33 points to the Mudbugs 32), but winning percentage says the Mudbugs are the better team.

Brahma Player Stats 08-09

Name	Scott Shepherd	Grant Jacobson	Jordan Cameron	Pete Rouleau
Goals	12	8	9	8
Assists	12	15	11	12
Points	24	23	20	20
+/-	+7	+6	+6	+3

This is a strong top four. All four are in the positive and have a strong impact... that's what you want your top four to have on your team.

Mudbug Player Stats 08-09

Name	Tyrel Lucas	Joe Blaznek	Travis Clayton	Brett Smith
Goals	10	7	11	9
Assists	12	15	10	12
Points	22	22	21	21
+/-	0	-4	0	+3

Not as strong of a top four on the team, but these guys have played two less games than the Brahmas.

Goalie Comparrison

Name	Games	Record	GAA	SV%
Brett Jaeger	18	9-4-3	2.49	.920
Ryan Mior	11	6-4	2.42	.904

The Brahmas and Mudbugs are pretty evenly matched on goalies. I like the roster of the Brahmas over the the 'Bugs. The 'Bugs also have a second goalie, who looks just as good as Mior and is 5-0-1 (or, simply 5-1) Forecast: The Brahmas are really the better team at most angles. Despite that, I think they are still going to drop this one. 2-1 will be the score. Johnny Out.

Home Ice

Game 27: Mavericks vs. Grizzlies

Memphis plays the Lakers before they play the Mavericks. Let's just say that they Grizzlies lose that game... pretty safe guess, I would admit. And then they play the Mavs Tuesday. Tired. Well, after getting ripped a new one by the Lakers, they could be... or they simply forfeit the game and rest all the starters for the Mavericks game... well, that might be a better plan of action. The last time the Grizzlies did play the Lakers, they did win... mmmmmmm... what to do, what to do....

Mavericks Player Stats 08-09

Name	Dirk Nowitzki	Jason Terry	Josh Howard	Jason Kidd
Points Per Game	26.3	21.1	18.5	9.6
Rebounds Per Game	9.1	3.0	6.5	6.3
Assists Per Game	2.6	3.9	1.5	8.1
Blocks Per Game	0.92	0.28	0.50	0.52

Josh Howard is still a bit of a concern to me. At least he's still playing. And his numbers will climb back up to where we know and love them to be...

Grizzlies Player Stats 08-09

Name	O.J. Mayo	Rudy Gay	Marc Gasol	Hakim Warrick
Points Per Game	20.3	20.2	10.8	9.8
Rebounds Per Game	4.0	5.0	6.8	4.7
Assists Per Game	2.8	1.7	1.3	0.6
Blocks Per Game	0.08	0.77	1.08	0.38

Really not too much to look at when it comes assists... they're not a strong rebounding team, either. They're SSSOOO going to lose to the Lakers. And they don't appear to matchup too well against the Mavs.
Forecast: Keepin' it simple... Grizzlies drop this one like a newspaper at 3AM. Score looks like: 102-93.

Home Court

Game 15: Bears vs. Packers

This game should go differently from what happened when the two met earlier this season in Green Bay. The Packers won that game 37-3, the only win the Packers have since they took a bye. There record is 1-6 after the bye week.

Quarterback Comparrison

Name	QB Rating	Comp-Att	Comp %	Yards	TD-Int	Fumbles
Aaron Rodgers	91.8	296-466	63.5%	3,470	23-12	8
Kyle Orton	80.1	236-401	58.9%	2,586	15-10	6

The Packers have the better QB... despite the last seven games. I guess I should note that the Bears have won three of their last four.

Rushing Comparrison

Name	Carries	Yards	TDs	Catches	Yards	TDs
Ryan Grant	268	1,036	4	12	73	0
Matt Forte	280	1,115	7	58	424	4

The Bears have a better runningback. Period. Not only does Forte have more yards, more rushing TDs, but he also is involved in the passing game, thus the Bears running back is a stronger threat.

Receiving Comparrison

Name	Catches	Yards	TDs	Fumbles
Greg Jennings	69	1,153	8	1
Donald Driver	62	838	4	0
Jordy Nelson	30	330	2	0
Devin Hester	43	568	3	0
Greg Olson	45	495	3	2
Rashied Davis	33	410	2	0

The Packers have the better receivers. Forte is the big target for Orton, but he is good at spreading things around, which is why there has been good fortune for the Bears of late. Jennings and Driver are the favorite Packer targets, and with those numbers, they make the most out of what comes their way.

Defense Comparrison

Name	Tackles	Sacks	Ints-TD	Deflections
Nick Collins	65	0.0	5-3	10
Charles Woodson	54	3.0	5-2	14
Aaron Kampman	53	9.5	0-0	1
Lance Briggs	99	0.5	3-0	10
Charles Tillman	80	0.0	3-1	16
Alex Brown	38	6.0	0-0	3

The Bears have better numbers in regards to tackles. But the Packers have the better pass rush, higher numbers on players with sacks and interceptions. They seem evenly matched with passes being deflected.

Forecast: Despite the fact that the Bears have the better record and are driving for a playoff spot (may or may not happen) the numbers pull toward the Packers. This game is being played in Chicago... where the Bears are 5-2 and on the road, the Packers are 2-5. And that could be the stat that gives the Bears the edge. Chicago takes this one, again a close one, with a score of 24-23.

Home Field

Game 26: Mavericks vs. Wizards

My goodness, did the Nets hand it to the Mavericks? Slaughtered by 24 points. Yep. That hurts. Thank goodness for the Wizards. They are currently 4-20 and are only better than the Timberwolves and the Thunder (that team in Oklahoma City) concerning winning percentage. They are the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The Mavs have slipped to 9th in the Western Conference and have a record of 14-11. This game is to be played in DC... not that being away is going to be a factor in this particular game...

Dallas Mavericks Player Stats 08-09

Name	Dirk Nowitzki	Jason Terry	Josh Howard	Jason Kidd
Points Per Game	26.3	21.1	18.5	9.6
Rebounds Per Game	9.1	3.0	6.5	6.3
Assists Per Game	2.6	3.9	1.5	8.1
Blocks Per Game	0.9	0.3	0.5	0.5

Dampier has 1.1 blocked shots per game and leads the team in that category. The Mavs as a team average only 5 blocked shots a game.

Washington Wizards Player Stats 08-09

Name	Caron Butler	Antawn Jamison	Nick Young	Andray Blatche
Points Per Game	21.3	20.0	9.8	9.3
Rebounds Per Game	6.6	9.7	2.0	4.8
Assists Per Game	4.3	2.2	1.5	1.4
Blocks Per Game	0.3	0.5	0.3	0.8

I would think that the reason the Wizards are not winning much of anything these days is due to Gilbert Arenas being out for an injury (3 months, actually). And speaking of blocks, the Wizards average less per game than the Mavericks at 4.3. Their team leader is JaVale McGee, who averages 1.2 per game.


Forecast: Wow. I really can see why the Wizards are struggling to win games. After you see the first two players and what they contribute, everybody else is just, well, just taking up space on the court. They contribute very little. The Mavericks do not need to play like champions to win this game. In fact, they don't have to really do too much to beat the Wizards at all... it simply appears that the Wizards go out there and beat themselves. Score: 97-86, Mavericks.

Home Court