Drew Gooden: Favorite New Mav

Ok, so football season is over and before I get too giddy about Opening Day in April (woohoo), we need to take a look at basketball season so far. I have now checked out three whole Mav games this year (way down from previous years) and I have one clear observation: I love Drew Gooden and his work ethic!
Now I know I have been spoiled by great Mav centers of the past: Shawn Bradley, Raef Lafrentz, and Eric Dampier (oh wait he's still playing for them). But Gooden has surpassed all of them in a short amount of time. He cleans the boards, scores from the 5-spot, and hustles for loose balls. On the season he is averaging 8.9 pts, 6.9 boards, and 1.1 blocks per game.

***As a starter he is averaging 11.3 pts and 11.4 boards.***

Has a Mavs center ever averaged a double-double?

Does anybody else appreciate this guy like me? Name your favorite Mavericks not named Dirk because I am interested in what kind of list we can come up with!

Could Art Briles be the next Tech coach?

Immediately upon hearing the news that Mike Leach was fired, I thought about who would be next in line to coach the West Texas football squad. Ruffin McNeill instantly came to mind because he is the interim head coach for the Alamo Bowl game and he could become the front-runner if the Red Raiders win against Michigan State.
After Ruffin's name came to mind, an eerily thought came to mind...what if Texas Tech wanted Baylor's Art Briles? Now you might ask, "Why would Tech want a coach who has a 8-16 record in two seasons at Baylor?". Well, Briles has been a coach at Tech before (2000-02 RB coach) under Leach and runs a spread offense as well with more of an emphasis on the running game. Briles is also a good recruiter and has a long history in the state of Texas as a player at the University of Houston, head coach at Stephenville, and head coach at U of H.
Briles would ease a lot of tension in Lubbock as a proven coach who could make a smooth transition for the players and recruits. As a Baylor fan I would be dissappointed if Briles left Waco to go to Tech but I have known all along if he had success at Baylor he would not stay too long.
What do you think? Should Briles be the next coach or do you have a better name?

Texas Tech saves money, fires Leach

When I first heard about this story, I wasn't surprised by Leach's antics and was completely on the James' family side. After a little research (listening to talk radio) from people who live in the Lubbock area, I have come to reside right in the middle on this controversy. Why you ask? Is it because I condone Leach's antics? Oh no, not by a long shot.
One reason: Leach was to get $800,000 by Thursday if he was the coach for the bowl game. We know that the "powers at be" did not have good negotiations with the West Texas pirate over his contract extension last February. Looking at this situation from afar, there has to be more to this than any of us know or will ever know.
We do know that Adam James, kid locked in shed, has a powerful daddy in Craig James, ESPN analyst, and he had the ear of the board of regents. We also know that young James did not get much playtime but has an all-important last name. According to Lubbock natives, this kid is a prima donna who lacked work ethic (this sentiment was also echoed by a Tech assistant coach) and who's dad was calling Tech coaches every week complaining about his son's playing time.
Should Leach have been punished for putting this kid in the shed? Of course he should have, but fired?....come on.
Something is fishy here and it is not the smell of Lubbock.

Roy Williams Who?

At halftime of today's Cowboys game, I notice that Miles Austin had 4 catches for 71 yards and immediately thought of my next blog: Roy Williams Who? Of course Austin goes on to collect 10 grabs for 250 yards and 2 TDs and makes some people say T.O. who?

Roy Williams was left back in Dallas along with Felix Jones after suffering a hard collision in last week's loss to the Broncos. Going into today's game there was a question of who would step up in UnoUno's absence and Miles Austin went on to surpass Williams' total yards and touchdowns for the season in today's crazy game. So now the questions are: what do you do with Williams and is he ever going to be a #1 receiver? He is averaging almost twenty yards a catch but only has 11 catches in four games. He is not a locker room distraction like T.O. but he is not a playmaker like him either.

Do you think Roy is or will be a #1 WR?

Rangers Spotlight: Adios Hank!

So I am still surprised that it is 2009 and there are still Hank Blalock fans out there among us. They could be the person sitting next to you in the movie theater, in the line at the drugstore, or your spotter at the gym. Yes, that's right these misguided Rangers fans are blinded by their feelings and emotions to see one of the worst players in MLB taking up payroll on a good team.

Good news for the logical fans: Hank is gone and is not coming back. He was on the books this past season for 6 million making him one of the highest paid players on the team....yikes! Okay, before the emotional Hank homies come running after me with pitchforks, here are Hank's stats:

Year-batting average--on base %, home runs, RBIs
2003-.300-.350-29-90
2004-.276-.355-32-110
2005-.263-.318-25-92
2006-.266-.325-16-89
2007-.293-.359-10-33--only 58 games played
2008-.287-.338-12-38--only 65 games played
2009-.234-.277-25-66

He came into the league as a guy that could hit for an incredible average to all parts of the field and had some power, but he leaves Texas as an one-dimensional player (power) that is not that good. It starts in '05 where his on-base % drops to .318 and this year his .277 was the second worst in MLB! If you don't believe me, check out Jamey Newberg's post on one of the most highly touted players to come through the Rangers farm system only to leave as a fragment of old self. This is a great article and must read for Blalock fans, but be warned...the veil will be removed from your eyes. Pandora's box will be open and you will thank your lucky stars that he is gone and Justin Smoak will be in the big leagues next year.

Let's hope that he does not turn out like Blalock...