It's an understatement to say that my first experience with fantasy football began with a whimper, not a bang. One week into the 2007-2008 NFL season, Aaron asks me to fill in the last slot in their fantasy football league. Fantasy leagues have been a sort of mystery to me. I've known about them for the past five years, but never cared to learn more. 

I've been a little curious, though, so I agreed to give this a shot. I followed the email link to Yahoo! Sports and created my team - the DoubleDs. Learning as I went, I set up my personal preferences for my team's draft order. I ranked quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and team defenses (forgetting all about kickers). I had my preferences set for the automatic draft, only to find out that some guys can't be present for the draft and apparently can't figure out that an automatic draft means that they don't actually have to be there. So I get the news that we're postponing the fantasy league draft another week.

Two days ago, I hear from Aaron that there are "technical difficulties" with Yahoo! that will require us to join a chat room and do a manual draft. Technical difficulties in this instance means that someone doesn't understand the Internet and how to use it. 

The end result is that I, the guy who had his players ranked for the automatic draft, end up being the only guy who gets screwed. I couldn't make it to the manual draft because my wife and I have a pregnancy class to attend on Saturday afternoons.

THE RESULT:

I get home on Saturday evening to find that I am stuck with Matt L., Matt H. and Matt S. as my quarterbacks. I have no decent wide receivers. My tight end is a loser. The only plus is that I have Adrian Peterson, Clinton Portis, and the Steelers defense. Luckily, I managed to find Dallas Clark available and picked him up as my starting tight end. 

In the end, I have a 5 or 6 out of 10 while at least two other teams in my fantasy league are 8s. It doesn't matter much to me, except that I now see how Fantasy Football COULD be fun (assuming you actually get to pick your players).

A word of advice: don't join a league where the other guys don't know how to use the Internet. Other people's lack of expertise could bite you in the ass.  

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Despite what some naysayers have said recently about Tony Romo, those of us enlightened individuals know better. He is no Jake Delhomme. He is the great Tony Romo, and I'd buy TeamRomo.com and start a Dallas Cowboy's blog if I could (tonyromo.net IS apparently for sale for $500, but i hate .nets). 

Some will say he hasn't proven himself yet. Fine. But I happen to respect Joe Theismann and Joe says that Dallas has found a gem in Tony Romo. He likes what he sees out of his ability to throw and run and make things happen for this team. Joe Theismann just happens to be one of the most hallowed quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. He's been analyzing quarterbacks for decades. I think he knows what he's talking about. And when he took the initiative to point out to Randy Galloway yesterday on ESPN Radio that Dallas has a gem in Romo, people should listen. 

Of course, Romo hasn't won a playoff game yet. He HAS rebounded from intense criticism and failure thus far. That dropped snap was bad last year, even though it didn't actually cost Dallas the game. According to Bill Parcells, in his recent interview with Babe Laufenberg, the team had one more chance to stop Seattle in that game and get the win. So even Parcells post-Cowboys doesn't think Romo cost Dallas the game. He could easily have thrown Tony under the bus without directly insulting him. 

Granted, Romo can't run like Vince Young. Maybe he can't pass like Tom Brady (though I'll never admit it). But he is a total package thus far. He has shown us no reason to doubt him. One dropped snap last year and a few less productive games under Parcells is no indictment against him.

Tony has made it through the first two weeks relatively unscathed without wide receiver Terry Glenn. As soon as Glenn comes back, assuming he's healthy, there's no reason why Romo can't keep this up. In fact, we might be seeing success thus far as a result of Glenn's injury. Don't get me wrong. Terry Glenn is DEFINITELY an asset. But Terrell Owens wants the ball. He wants his stats. With fewer stars, Owens is happier because he gets more of the spotlight. And as long as he produces like he has these first two games, that works out just fine. 

It's true that we haven't seen Romo in enough games to claim he's the best in the league. Even I won't make that statement YET. He'd have to have two solid seasons before he can be compared with the best in the league. I WILL say that Romo is my favorite quarterback to watch (which is only slightly affected by my geographic location).  

There is a difference between talent and greatness. We have seen Tony's talent. That much is certain. It will take time and some serious winning to prove greatness. But don't you worry. Tony Romo looks like the real deal.  

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Who would have thought a lottery team that lost more games than they won would be the favorite to win the East in 2007-2008 upcoming season? How did this happen?

Two franchises in the West completely blew up their rosters and are rebuilding around younger talent, while Boston created a three-headed green machine in Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. All three are notable All-Stars all who were the centers of attention on their former teams. While Boston fans have reason to hope for amazing things, the question remains: can these three super stars co-exist?

Absolutely. None of them have ever been in a situation where the pressure was shared by anyone else. I think that all three will thrive in this environment. All three are respected NBA vets, and at this point in their careers, they will set their egos aside and play fundamentally unselfish basketball.

The closest experience Allen, Garnett, and Pierce have ever had to this situation was during All-Star games. These NBA superstars are rejuvenated and ready to go. But wait! There is a downside for Boston: all three of these guys are in there thirties, so this is only a temporary quick fix. It's likely to be a 2 year window of opportunity, so they had better get it done in that time frame.

Who can compete w/ Boston in the East? Only a few teams have a chance. Detroit? Not likely. Their best chance at the title is over! Lebron and his JV squad are also not likely. Last year was a fluke. Chicago? They're a player and a younger less offensive Ben Wallace away from being a contender. Still, Chicago is a step above most teams in the East - mostly because of good hardnose coaching and young talent.

The only thing keeping Boston from winning a whole bunch of games and taking the weak East would be injuries. Hopefully I am not chewing my foot off come May.

Here is a look at there new rotation:

Point Guard – Rajon Rondo
Shooting Guard – Ray Allen
Small Forward – Paul Pierce
Power Forward – Kevin Garnett
Center – Olowokandi  
 
Look for Danny Ainge now that he has saved his job to sign some free agents if the cap allows it. THEY DESPERATELY NEED A POINT GUARD!
 
I also hear that Dale Harris is available and looking to come out of retirement early.
 

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As Matt Mosley of ESPN well knows, it is difficult to launch a sports blog in the offseason. Timing is crucial, and bad timing can make building a blog brand even harder. Although Mosley's Hashmarks is a football blog, the same principles apply that affect my MavsUpdate basketball blog. Mosley was intending to launch near the NFL Draft day, and something corporate got in the way. By the time his blog launched, it was all he could do to recover from the lost momentum of announcing the launch months in advance. Granted, Randy Galloway is doing everything in his power to help promote Hashmarks. It seems like every time Galloway has his Tuesdays with Mosley, he mentions Hashmarks every 5 minutes. 

I don't have the benefit of a radio personality to push MavsUpdate, and the fact that I cover the Dallas Mavericks rather than all NBA news puts me at somewhat of a disadvantage to Mosley (beside the fact that I don't work for ESPN). So when I launched MavsUpdate.com this July, I had just missed out on the NBA Draft. I still got to talk free agency and trade rumors, but the offseason is a heck of a time to try to build sports blog momentum.

Some might argue that this slow start might work out to be a strength come game time. For example, if you've covered the Mavericks in the offseason, you already have some pages out there on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask for sports fans to find and visit. You might build a small fan base early on. But beyond that, you also come into the season having established yourself as a voice for the sport and/or team. You are no longer a newbie.

I would argue that I might find greater success long-term with MavsUpdate than Mosley has with Hashmarks, though I wish him all the best. Though he blogs several times a day about multiple teams and league issues, I have a niche audience - only Mavs fans need stop by. Perhaps my competitor websites are fewer and further between than his. If so, MavsUpdate can gain a greater percentage of the market share.

I am looking for additional bloggers for MavsUpdate, in case you are interested. I'm looking for five people to contribute at least one blog post per week. Five per week is ideal, but one per week is acceptable. The idea is to get different viewpoints on the news, the players, expectations, gossip, etc throughout the year. I have no illusions that everyone wants to hear my voice. This is your chance to be a Mavs commentator. Aaron Phillips has already contributed a column or two here on CultureFeast, and I expect to see him contribute more to MavsUpdate as the season approaches. A few other bloggers may stop by to contribute from time to time.

But you can be sure that if ever there was a time for blog networking, the offseason is it.  

Popularity: 2% [?]

Due to the popularity of previous NBA blog posts, I am proud to announce the launch of MavsUpdate.com, a blog covering your favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks. 

The blog will cover news, trade rumors, draft rumors, game stats, and off the court antics. Coverage will include other NBA teams (especially the Suns, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, and Warriors), but all within the context of how they're successes and failures will affect the Dallas Mavericks' attempt to return to the NBA Finals.

Check out MavsUpdate today! 

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NBA Teams to look out for this season: PORTLAND The deals that Portland made this off-season with the addition of Greg Oden will have an immediate impact this upcoming season they definitely have a chance of contending for the fifth or sixth spot in the western conference playoffs - they're new potential starting five and sixth man will look like this a lot of young talent and a decent bench. Steve Francis - point guard. although he runs the point, he definitely has a scorer's mentality Brandon Roy - shooting guard. lots of potential… look for a breakout season Darius Miles - small forward. athletic. young. considered overrated by some Channing Fry - power forward. fundamentally sound player Greg Oden - center. should have an immediate impact LaMarcus Aldridge or Jamal Magloire SEATTLE The deals that Seattle has made so far this off-season will make them significantly better two years from now. It's doubtful how much immediate playoff impact the new additions will make. They're young and Kevin Durant may struggle to find his groove at the NBA level during his first year. I bet he makes the ESPN Top 10 at least 20 times. They lost 26 points per game with the Ray Allen trade. This team has TOO MANY FORWARDS. Here's the starting five: Luke Ridnour - solid point guard. has the potential to be a Steve Nash-esque player. I have a feeling the Sonics are trying to move him for a scoring guard (which would be a bad idea) and move Delonte West to the starting role Wally Szerbiack - usually plays small forward but this team needs outside scoring. he won't have a problem playing at the 2 Kevin Durant - small forward. very athletic. prepare for takeoff Rashard Lewis - power forward. solid offensive player. decent rebounder. lacks defense. we'll see if he's still in Seattle for the start of the season Chris Wilcox - center. undersized center. very mobile. known as a banger Nick Colison or Jeff Green NEW YORK The deals New York made definitely dug Isaiah Thomas out of the hole he put them in. They improved drastically last year and are now a definite playoff contender, especially in the weak Eastern Conference. They're now a more balanced team. If Isaiah can just keep from making any crazy deals and sign a couple good assistants. Mike Montgomery if he is available or Eric Mussleman. Here is their starting 5: Stephon Marbury - scoring point guard. I personally can't stand this guy Jamal Crawford - shooting guard. decent player. will get you 15-18 points per game Zach Randolph - small forward. could be a franchise player. will bring 20 pts and 10 rebounds nightly David Lee - power forward. solid player. 10 & 10. good rebounder who hustles Eddy Curry - center. huge low post presence. improved player Quentin Richardson and Jared Jeffries

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Sadly, the 2007 NBA Draft approaches and the media focus has shifted to Kevin Garnett and who will get him during this offseason. Is it fair to focus on trade rumors rather than the crop of fine talent the teams get to choose from this year?

Perhaps so. I liken Kevin Garnett to Vince Carter. Both players came very highly rated into the NBA. Both received MAJOR sponsor deals. Both were popular with the media. And both were fairly disappointing for years. Both KG and Carter have put up impressive numbers at times, but the NBA is all about winning. If you can’t lead your team to a championship, you do not qualify as an elite player.

Kevin Garnett found himself in an awkward situation with Minnesota. He was making so much money that they couldn’t afford to surround him with the talent he needed to succeed. That’s when you know success isn’t about winning… it’s about the paycheck. Show me a player who negotiates down to help his team succeed and I’ll show you an athlete worth respect. This truth doesn’t flow down to all businesses, just in case you were wondering. At some point, the millions of dollars are superfluous and really only amount to bragging rights. Is your life really so much more meaningful or rewarding with $22 million rather than $15 million?

As a show of good faith, however, we’ll skip over the obvious point and move on to trade rumors. Who to believe? That is the question. Will Garnett go to the Lakers? Will he go to the Suns? Could he possibly go to Dallas? Will Kobe stay in L.A. if Garnett doesn’t make it to town? And how did all my childhood basketball heroes make it into NBA team management positions? That freaks me out. Sorry… off topic.

Teams worth giving up on? With all the unconfirmed trade rumors, the Knicks and Celtics grace the top of the list. Just forget about them. If you are season ticket holders, you undoubtedly make the trip each game to see the opposing team. The Atlanta Hawks would and should make the top of the list of Team Suck, but trade rumors indicate the slight possibility of Amare Stoudamire playing for the birds next year, which would launch them to playoff hopeful for the first time since… well, I have no idea. That’s how long.

I’d love to see Kevin Garnett or Kevin Durant playing in a Mavericks’ uniform this fall. Chances of that happening? Slim to none. Why would one of the two suckiest teams in the West give up their only star? How could Dallas manage to maneuver into a top 5 pick in order to be considered in a Garnett trade deal? It just won’t happen. Wish all you want. I will too. But in the end, if the Mavericks trade for anyone, it will likely be random guy from random team whom we the fans never even thought about.

Don’t worry, Dallas. All is not lost. The Great White Hype may yet lead us on to greatness….

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Kobe Bryant is still pushing for a trade. The three teams he’s interested in: Chicago, Phoenix, and Dallas. I don’t think he’s seriously interested in Dallas. But he would surely play with the amazing talent of Phoenix or be the center of attention in Chicago. Some people say that Jerry Buss won’t consider giving up his only remaining franchise player. I don’t know anything about the guy, but apparently he takes entertaining Hollywood celebrities very seriously. And big names come to see big names.

Halfway across the country, rumor is that Minnesota is entertaining bids for Kevin Garnett. While they’re apparently not actively shopping him around, they are listening to what other teams have to say. His contract is so expensive that they simply can’t afford to build a decent team around him.

Everyone keeps mentioning Boston, but who wants to play for Boston? Seriously. Boston couldn’t attract Top 20 talent no matter what. Paul Pierce is talented. So what? The Eastern Conference is weak. It doesn’t matter that the Pistons won a championship. No Eastern team can compete with San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, or even Golden State (heck, maybe Denver too). The league is ridiculously imbalanced and no Top 20 player is going to want to give up the goods unless there’s a legitimate shot at a title.

Minnesota can’t heal its wounds. It’s a lame duck like Atlanta. Los Angeles can’t afford to lose Kobe to a Western team and no one in the East has anyone worth trading for.

Still, chances are that one of these marquee players will be traded. So who’s it going to be, and where do they go?

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The question is: will an online bowling pro shop ever be more popular than a store inside a brick and mortar bowling alley? Bowling has been considered by some to be a dying sport. Hell, some people don’t even think bowling qualifies as anything more than a hobby. Other than the citizens of podunk towns with nothing more than a Wal-Mart and a bowling alley, who under the age of 35 really cares about bowling?

Apparently, bowling as a sport is still going strong. From office leagues to college courses and late night adventures, bowling alleys have become a haven for people from all walks of life - and they have to buy their bowling supplies somewhere. While the traditional bowling store inside the building would seem the obvious choice, the online bowling pro shop has gained serious momentum.

Everything from Ebonite, Hammer, and Columbia bowling balls to Dexter bowling shoes are now available online, so you can shop from the convenience of your home, office, or public wi-fi spot. Why subject yourself to the prices of a bowling alley when you can shop online and find the best deals on bowling balls, shoes, towels, and other gear?

Showplace Lanes is the nearest decent bowling alley to my house. If I’m going to bowl anywhere, it will be there. Granted, I don’t frequent the lanes very often, but Showplace is the place for me. I’m loyal to the lanes, but not the shop. When it comes to shopping, don’t get between me and a deal. But I’m no scrooge. I want quality, and I want competitive pricing. That’s why I would only consider buying equipment online.

Food for thought. Feel free to comment.

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It’s obvious that the Dallas Mavericks’ roster needs some serious attention. Granted, if the Atlanta Hawks or New York Knicks could get their hands on this roster, they’d wet themselves. But we’re not New York or sucky Atlanta. We’re the big D, the home of the next NBA dynasty… at least, that’s what we thought.

Now we’d settle for another run at the title. We’d settle for someone who can stop Baron Davis from playing like Superman. In short, we need someone like Rashard Lewis.

As I’ve admitted in previous posts, I know very little about free agency and the current status of players’ contracts. If you keep up with that kind of thing, you probably won’t find my sports opinions very useful. They’re more for the dreamer than the know-it-all fantasy league member.

In a previous post, I called on the Mavericks to trade Dirk Nowitski. Cuban made it clear in his recent teary-eyed lovefest at Nowitski’s MVP ceremony that he thinks Dirk is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Which means no trade. No consideration of trade. No entertaining the hypothetical benefits of trade. Cuban is the wizard behind the curtain, and his strongest feelings will win out over anyone else’s reason.

So since we’ve got ourselves a giant German dilemma, we best get to steppin’ and find him some serious help on the perimeter. And you can’t find a better free agent this summer than Seattle hero, Rashard Lewis. As far as free agents are concerned, he’s the baddest, most expensive option out there. He also would rather stick with Seattle, or so he says after opting out of his last 2 years on the contract. Methinks it just a safe way to not tick off the team you can count on in case the other teams’ offers suck.

Based on the 2006-2007 regular season stats, let’s take a gander at the league leaders:

Points Per GameÂ

• Kobe Bryant - 31.6 pts
• Carmelo Anthony - 28.9 pts
• Gilbert Arenas - 28.4 pts
• LeBron James - 27.3 pts
• Michael Redd - 26.7 pts

Rebounds Per Game

• Kevin Garnett - 12.8
• Tyson Chandler - 12.4
• Dwight Howard - 12.3
• Carlos Boozer - 11.7
• Marcus Camby - 11.7

I could go on to assists, steals, blocked shots, and turnovers, but you won’t find a Dallas Maverick in the top 5 in any major category except free throw percentage, where Nowitski did have an amazing 90% free throw shooting average.

When looking for suitable support for Dirk, Dallas better be going down the list of leaders and seeing who they might get in a trade. Toss a couple guards and a draft pick at someone for their team’s star. Do whatever it takes. Phoenix has proven that it doesn’t take a deep bench to win playoff games. And San Antonio has proven that starting superstar talent and a deep bench win championships.

Dallas supposedly had the winning combo, but unfortunately the depth of their bench is significantly better in the league than the talent of their starting 5. As much as I like the guys, Jason Terry, Eric Dampier, and Devin Harris are all expendable. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone will ever consider taking on Dampier’s massive (and undeserved) contract. Devin Harris could probably develop into a top 10 point guard in the next 2 years, but he and Terry are probably the only 2 starters that Dallas will consider trading. Terry alone isn’t enough to get someone worthwhile, so they’re either going to have to trade both guards and a pick or Terry, a pick, and some cash.

Gilbert Arenas would still be an awesome move too. I’m looking at Rashard Lewis and Gilbert Arenas and Tracy McGrady, and I think we can’t do better than these three. Vince Carter is definitely someone I would refuse. We don’t need a spoiled crybaby on the team. We already had Antoine Walker.

Some would argue that Dallas has never been a thuggish team, and that Arenas would only spoil the attitude. There is defintiely a chance of that, but we also want someone with enough confidence to carry the team in the playoffs. Dirk doesn’t have it, and I seriously doubt he’ll develop it. Something has to change, and it needs to start with how the management and coaches view the actual abilities and attitude of this team.

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Here in Dallas, we’re still in shock and recovering from the disappointment that is this year’s Dallas Mavericks team. After the initial shock wore off, everyone in sports radio started asking the question: how did we ever expect this team to win a championship? And what will it take to get this team on the track we expected?

There’s no doubt that Dallas needs a major change. Sure, we all think Dirk’s a nice guy and he’s great for regular season play. Yee-haw. That doesn’t solve our woes. We need someone who will carry the team on their back when it counts.

We need someone like Tracy McGrady or Allen Iverson. AI is obviously not an option, but we need a player to come in and lead the team by example. Forget trying to pump up the players with speeches. Give them someone they can believe in who defies logic, and you’ll have a championship team.

Of course, we’ve never had a championship in Dallas, so we’re not really expecting the Mavericks to get it right for next year. We expect that the team is in the condition it’s in because the leadership has terminal weaknesses.

Don’t shrug it off and say that the Mavs just had a difficult matchup against the Warriors. Champions don’t make excuses.

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