The Dozen Dallas Can't Live Without
from dallasnews.com
Watching Dirk Nowitzki collapse like a bunch of broccoli is always cause for concern. When it happened in Seattle on Wednesday – even though it did not turn out to be a serious injury – it gave birth to a popular barroom argument.
Is Nowitzki the single most indispensable player among the Dallas area's four major pro sports teams?
Fortunately, we are here to provide the answer. A look at the always changing Dynamic Dozen follows.
12. Mike Modano, Stars: Three years ago, he was jockeying with Alex Rodriguez for the top spot on the list. But at 36, on a team that seems to be straddling the line between hanging in there and drifting to irrelevance, he should feel fortunate to remain in the top 12.
The Stars need more offense than he has been able to provide in the season's first half. But what they really need is Modano back on the ice. He still commands attention from the opponents and opens the ice for others. The club's 4-4 record since he went out with a hip injury (the Stars were 18-9 prior to that) speaks for itself.
11. John Danks, Rangers: OK, you may question a minor leaguer who won nine games in 2006 earning a spot on this list. Ah, but you would be wrong to do so.
This young man's $2.1 million signing bonus was money well spent. As he has climbed through the ranks, Danks has been one of the youngest pitchers at each level. Even though Rangers fans have heard his name for four years, he does not turn 22 until April.
Besides representing the franchise's best homegrown pitching prospect in years, he could also be a valuable piece to deal if the timing is right. Hopefully, it won't be and Danks will be a fixture in the Rangers' rotation for years.
10. Jason Terry, Mavericks: He's not a point guard, he's not the ideal size for a two guard, and, yes, he did pick a really bad time to go 7-for-25 against the Heat. Beyond that, Terry has drilled big shots for Dallas for two years.
When the team has struggled this season, it has been when they have failed to get the ball in Terry's hands and get him his shots. He has made well above 41 percent of his threes with Dallas, far above his average with Atlanta. When the Heat series swung in Miami's favor in Game 5, all Terry did was pump in 35 points.
9. Terrell Owens, Cowboys: I know, I know. Most of you think he is more dispensable than indispensable. And after this season, barring a Super Bowl trip, you will be correct.
In the meantime, he is Tony Romo's favorite receiver. Despite the drops and the drama, he makes the offense go more than Terry Glenn, more than Julius Jones, more than Marion Barber.
Since Romo became a starter, Owens has 49 catches and six touchdowns to Glenn's 34 and three. Next season, pray that he's on some other city's list if you like. But the Cowboys need his production to advance in the playoffs.
8. Kevin Millwood, Rangers: For years, Texas has needed not only an ace, but one from another team who would demonstrate the willingness to come to Arlington.
Although he had some poor starts in Ameriquest Field, Millwood won four straight there in the August and September heat to finish with 16 wins while eating up 215 innings. He's a solid top-of-the-rotation pitcher (who would look even better as No. 2 to Barry Zito).
7. Marty Turco, Stars: We all know he hasn't done it in the playoffs when it counts. But he has done it in the regular season, which is harder.
Some goalies inexplicably get hot at the right time. See if you can find Stanley Cup champion Cam Ward of Carolina near the top of any stats this season. Turco has carried the Stars through tough regular-season stretches.
All he lacks is that burst of greatness in May for which he is overdue.
6. DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys: His production may always pale next to the Chargers' Shawne Merriman – the player the Cowboys were considering drafting instead – but Ware is the dominant player among Dallas' front seven.
He leads the club in sacks, in tackles for loss and in forced fumbles. Take him off the field and the Cowboys don't scare anyone.
5. Josh Howard, Mavericks: The closest we have to an underrated great player in Dallas. He gives the Mavericks an element of toughness with his attitude and his defense. Beyond that, there are 10 perimeter players (not centers or power forwards) who average 18 points and five rebounds a game.
Most are known by a single name – Kobe, Vince, Carmelo, LeBron, Tracy. Josh is one of them.
4. Mark Teixeira, Rangers: He might switch places with the No. 2 man on the list if he was a Gold Glove third baseman (which he could be) instead of a Gold Glove first baseman. He slipped a little at the plate last year, although he recovered to have his second-best season in batting average and extra-base hits.
Give me a guy with an on-base percentage of .375 and a slugging percentage of .550 any time.
3. Tony Romo, Cowboys: I understand that Bill Parcells would not place him so high on this list. He might be the only guy in Dallas who wouldn't.
There is one main reason and one only that this team has gone 6-2 and looks completely different with so much more potential than the team that started 3-3. It is the Pro Bowl quarterback.
The possibility that the Cowboys have struck gold without spending a high first-round pick or boatloads of dollars on a free agent gives this team an opportunity to compete for years to come.
2. Michael Young, Rangers: I don't know what else he could do. He hasn't had fewer than 200 hits since 2002, he has missed seven games in four years and he enjoyed career highs in doubles (52) and RBIs (103) last season.
The All-Star Game MVP should see his power numbers increase in 2007 as a regular No. 3 hitter. As a shortstop, his chances have gone up each season while his errors have gone down.
1. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks: He has been third in the MVP voting each of the last two seasons. No other player in the area can come close to saying that. Questions about his ability to lead should have been answered in Game 7 at San Antonio last spring.
Nowitzki is still the best player on the local team that is closest to winning a championship. And without him, the Mavericks would be a seventh or eighth seed in the West, at best.
That's why he's the one player you hold your breath for when he's down on the ground. And that's why he tops this list.
Watching Dirk Nowitzki collapse like a bunch of broccoli is always cause for concern. When it happened in Seattle on Wednesday – even though it did not turn out to be a serious injury – it gave birth to a popular barroom argument.
Is Nowitzki the single most indispensable player among the Dallas area's four major pro sports teams?
Fortunately, we are here to provide the answer. A look at the always changing Dynamic Dozen follows.
12. Mike Modano, Stars: Three years ago, he was jockeying with Alex Rodriguez for the top spot on the list. But at 36, on a team that seems to be straddling the line between hanging in there and drifting to irrelevance, he should feel fortunate to remain in the top 12.
The Stars need more offense than he has been able to provide in the season's first half. But what they really need is Modano back on the ice. He still commands attention from the opponents and opens the ice for others. The club's 4-4 record since he went out with a hip injury (the Stars were 18-9 prior to that) speaks for itself.
11. John Danks, Rangers: OK, you may question a minor leaguer who won nine games in 2006 earning a spot on this list. Ah, but you would be wrong to do so.
This young man's $2.1 million signing bonus was money well spent. As he has climbed through the ranks, Danks has been one of the youngest pitchers at each level. Even though Rangers fans have heard his name for four years, he does not turn 22 until April.
Besides representing the franchise's best homegrown pitching prospect in years, he could also be a valuable piece to deal if the timing is right. Hopefully, it won't be and Danks will be a fixture in the Rangers' rotation for years.
10. Jason Terry, Mavericks: He's not a point guard, he's not the ideal size for a two guard, and, yes, he did pick a really bad time to go 7-for-25 against the Heat. Beyond that, Terry has drilled big shots for Dallas for two years.
When the team has struggled this season, it has been when they have failed to get the ball in Terry's hands and get him his shots. He has made well above 41 percent of his threes with Dallas, far above his average with Atlanta. When the Heat series swung in Miami's favor in Game 5, all Terry did was pump in 35 points.
9. Terrell Owens, Cowboys: I know, I know. Most of you think he is more dispensable than indispensable. And after this season, barring a Super Bowl trip, you will be correct.
In the meantime, he is Tony Romo's favorite receiver. Despite the drops and the drama, he makes the offense go more than Terry Glenn, more than Julius Jones, more than Marion Barber.
Since Romo became a starter, Owens has 49 catches and six touchdowns to Glenn's 34 and three. Next season, pray that he's on some other city's list if you like. But the Cowboys need his production to advance in the playoffs.
8. Kevin Millwood, Rangers: For years, Texas has needed not only an ace, but one from another team who would demonstrate the willingness to come to Arlington.
Although he had some poor starts in Ameriquest Field, Millwood won four straight there in the August and September heat to finish with 16 wins while eating up 215 innings. He's a solid top-of-the-rotation pitcher (who would look even better as No. 2 to Barry Zito).
7. Marty Turco, Stars: We all know he hasn't done it in the playoffs when it counts. But he has done it in the regular season, which is harder.
Some goalies inexplicably get hot at the right time. See if you can find Stanley Cup champion Cam Ward of Carolina near the top of any stats this season. Turco has carried the Stars through tough regular-season stretches.
All he lacks is that burst of greatness in May for which he is overdue.
6. DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys: His production may always pale next to the Chargers' Shawne Merriman – the player the Cowboys were considering drafting instead – but Ware is the dominant player among Dallas' front seven.
He leads the club in sacks, in tackles for loss and in forced fumbles. Take him off the field and the Cowboys don't scare anyone.
5. Josh Howard, Mavericks: The closest we have to an underrated great player in Dallas. He gives the Mavericks an element of toughness with his attitude and his defense. Beyond that, there are 10 perimeter players (not centers or power forwards) who average 18 points and five rebounds a game.
Most are known by a single name – Kobe, Vince, Carmelo, LeBron, Tracy. Josh is one of them.
4. Mark Teixeira, Rangers: He might switch places with the No. 2 man on the list if he was a Gold Glove third baseman (which he could be) instead of a Gold Glove first baseman. He slipped a little at the plate last year, although he recovered to have his second-best season in batting average and extra-base hits.
Give me a guy with an on-base percentage of .375 and a slugging percentage of .550 any time.
3. Tony Romo, Cowboys: I understand that Bill Parcells would not place him so high on this list. He might be the only guy in Dallas who wouldn't.
There is one main reason and one only that this team has gone 6-2 and looks completely different with so much more potential than the team that started 3-3. It is the Pro Bowl quarterback.
The possibility that the Cowboys have struck gold without spending a high first-round pick or boatloads of dollars on a free agent gives this team an opportunity to compete for years to come.
2. Michael Young, Rangers: I don't know what else he could do. He hasn't had fewer than 200 hits since 2002, he has missed seven games in four years and he enjoyed career highs in doubles (52) and RBIs (103) last season.
The All-Star Game MVP should see his power numbers increase in 2007 as a regular No. 3 hitter. As a shortstop, his chances have gone up each season while his errors have gone down.
1. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks: He has been third in the MVP voting each of the last two seasons. No other player in the area can come close to saying that. Questions about his ability to lead should have been answered in Game 7 at San Antonio last spring.
Nowitzki is still the best player on the local team that is closest to winning a championship. And without him, the Mavericks would be a seventh or eighth seed in the West, at best.
That's why he's the one player you hold your breath for when he's down on the ground. And that's why he tops this list.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:01 AM
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