Dallas Sports Fan – Rangers Will Send Four To Phoenix, Stars Aggressive In Free Agency

MLB betting players in Dallas are getting ready for the All-Star break, but first Texas has to get through the final weekend of the first half of the season with the lead in the American League West. In NHL hockey news, the Stars were surprisingly aggressive in the first week of free agency.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers had a rough weekend last week at home against Florida, dropping two out of three to the National League East club, but they rebounded nicely with a three-game sweep of Baltimore at home, scoring 13 runs in two of the three meetings. Texas now has a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels in the West as they head into a four-game set at the Ballpark against Oakland, and then the Rangers will send four players to the All-Star Game in Phoenix, and those following MLB news will see Josh Hamilton as a starter once again, although he will sit out the Home Run Derby. C.J. Wilson also makes the team, as well as Adrian Beltre and Michael Young, who was supposed to be traded out of Texas ahead of the season. The Rangers will then begin the second half of the campaign in Seattle, who are also still hanging tough in the West despite a perennially anemic offense.

Dallas Stars

NHL free agency kicked off last Friday on July 1^st, and the Stars were busy on both ends. Dallas knew they were resigned to losing Brad Richards as he wanted a long-term deal that the Stars weren’t willing to offer. The New York Rangers then tried to boost their sports betting odds for next season by signing Richards to a nine-year, $58.5 million deal, and that was definitely out of the Stars’ budget. Dallas also lost Aaron Gagnon, but the Stars didn’t sit back and mourn. Michael Ryder, fresh off a Stanley Cup with Boston, signed with the Stars for two years and $7 million, and they’re hoping that he can reignite a spark with Mike Ribiero, who was his linemate in Montreal. The Stars also signed defenseman Sheldon Souray, who had been playing in the AHL last year as Edmonton tried to get rid of his hefty salary, and the Stars are hoping that he can be a power-play quarterback as he still possesses one of the biggest shots in the NHL. Radek Dvorak also decided to come to Dallas as they look to reload after their best player left, and they didn’t do a bad job, especially at a fraction of the cost. However, while the Stars have made some good moves, they probably won’t be a popular play in next year’s sports betting odds.

Dallas Sports Fan – Mavs, Stars Hanging In There; Cowboys Look At Newton; Rangers Get Into Training

If you are a March Madness betting player looking for action in Dallas, you won’t find much when it comes to local teams, but there is plenty to watch out for in the pros as it seems to be a busy time for the Mavericks, Stars, Cowboys and Texas Rangers.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are still rolling with seven straight wins ahead of a visit from Indiana on Friday, and they’re coming off a three-game road trip in which they defeated Washington, Toronto and Philadelphia. Jason Terry came alive with 25 points or more in two of those games, and that is a weapon they can use to boost their NBA betting odds. But it came at a cost as Tyson Chandler hurt his ankle and will be out for at least the Indiana game, along with Memphis on Sunday, then the Mavericks go Minnesota on Monday and New Orleans on Wednesday.

Dallas Stars

The Stars are hanging on in the NHL standings, as they sit in seventh place as of Thursday, but it isn’t comfortable with nine teams within seven points of each other. The Stars have won three straight games in Detroit and Phoenix, along with a home victory over Nashville, and the team looks a bit more settled with the trade deadline in the rearview mirror. The Stars now face a difficult week as they have road games at Anaheim, San Jose and Los Angeles, and they could have Brad Richards back in the lineup as well.

Dallas Cowboys

Reports surfaced during last week’s NFL combine that the Cowboys were looking to speak with Cam Newton, the Heisman-winning quarterback who dragged Auburn to the national title, and many were wondering where that left Tony Romo, who missed the second half of the season with a broken collarbone. Romo fans shouldn’t be worried; the quarterback isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and the only thing the Cowboys are guilty of here is good scouting; why wouldn’t they want to speak with the player some are calling the best quarterback in the draft? In all likelihood, Newton will be gone by the time that Dallas picks at No.9, anyway.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers have split their first four spring-training games, and nothing has been said about the Michael Young story. They’re planning as though they will have Young for the majority of the season, and even if Young is unhappy about being moved from third base for Adrian Beltre to become some sort of “super utility” player who plays all over the infield, he is a veteran player who will give his all when he is on the field, so Texas fans shouldn’t worry about that disrupting their team’s online sports betting odds this season.

Dallas Sports Fan – Mavs Head Into Break In Good Shape, Stars Slipping, Young Looks To Stay

College basketball lines are getting some attention in the Dallas area, but our focus will be on the pro teams, such as the Mavericks, who play in the final game before the NBA All-Star break. The Stars are really starting to fall down the pecking order in the Western Conference, while the Rangers are looking to kick off spring training with one of their veterans still in tow.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are one of the league’s hottest teams heading into the All-Star as they had won 12 of their last 13 prior to their meeting in Phoenix with the Suns on Thursday night. In fact, their lone loss was a one-point loss in Denver last Thursday thanks to a last-second shot to by Aaron Afflalo, but they bounced back to win by four in Houston on Saturday, then they blew out Sacramento by 16 at home on Wednesday night. No matter what happens in Phoenix on Thursday, the Mavericks will be second in the Southwest behind San Antonio, as well in the conference standings. Dirk Nowitzki will make his 10^th All-Star appearance in Los Angeles, and he’ll also take part in the Shooting Stars Competition on Saturday night with Roneeka Hodges of the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars, as well as the retired Kenny Smith, formerly of the Houston Rockets.

Dallas Stars

Let the NHL trade rumors begin for the Stars, who are 2-7-1 in their last 10 and have dropped three straight ahead of a trip to Vancouver on Saturday. Their only win was a 4-3 victory in the shootout at home against Chicago last Friday, then they lost to Columbus at home on Sunday, followed by losses in Edmonton and Calgary on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Stars have scored four goals in those three losses, and Brad Richards was injured against the Blue Jackets, making him unavailable until Saturday at the earliest. Some say the vultures are starting to swirl around the Stars, and their fans would think that a trade of Richards would be a white flag on the season, so Dallas is in a tough spot. After the game in Vancouver, the Stars will host surging New Jersey on Tuesday before heading to Detroit on Thursday.

Texas Rangers

Most baseball betting players figured that Michael Young wouldn’t make it to training camp as he stated his unhappiness with the Rangers for turning him into a utility man or designated hitter. But Young is expected to be in camp on Saturday, although the Rangers are still looking at trade possibilities for the 34-year-old, who is being asked to move for the third time in his career by the Rangers. Florida has apparently moved into the conversation, although we all know how fiscal they are, and Young has $48 million over three years left on his deal. Still, Young is productive enough to help any team’s online sports betting odds.

Mavs, Stars Going In Different Directions; Rangers Likely To Lose Young

 

College basketball betting players won’t find many options in the Dallas area, but there is plenty of news surrounding Dallas sports teams, featuring a streaking basketball team, a slumping hockey squad, and a veteran that is likely leaving the baseball team.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are rolling ahead of their NBA showdown in Denver on Thursday night, taking a 10-game winning streak into the Pepsi Center. Half of those wins have come by five points or less, and three have been by double digits, so the Mavericks are proving that they can win in any type of fashion. The Mavericks have some tough games heading into their last week before the All-Star break, beginning with the trip to Denver, followed by a visit to Houston on Saturday. The Mavericks will be off until Wednesday, when they host Sacramento, then they’ll make their second straight appearance in the nightcap of the TNT doubleheader when they head to Phoenix to face former Maverick Steve Nash and the Suns on Thursday night.

Dallas Stars

The Stars haven’t fared so well since coming back from the All-Star break, dropping four in a row and they’ve been outscored 16-7. With the NHL trade deadline coming up, it’ll be interesting to see if the Stars, who are now tied with San Jose atop the Pacific Division, will make any moves to strengthen their squad for a playoff run. Therefore, this is a crucial week coming up for the Stars, who will host Chicago on Friday night before Columbus comes to town on Saturday. Next week, the Stars will start a tour of Western Canada when they travel to Calgary on Tuesday, then they’ll be in Edmonton on Wednesday.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers are having quite the offseason, taking a chance on former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb, who has four innings under his belt form his final two years in Arizona. Then, they began to work on a new deal for American League MVP Josh Hamilton, which is a good look. But they were rocked by the news that veteran Michael Young wants to be traded because the team wants him to become a designated hitter/utility player after Texas acquired Adrian Beltre to play third base. Young, who is 34 and has $48 million left on the last three years of his deal, has a no-trade clause, with the exception of eight teams: Colorado, both Los Angeles teams, the New York Yankees, Minnesota, San Diego, Houston and St. Louis. But Philadelphia has apparently reached out to Young as well, and they just picked up Cliff Lee, who played with Young in Texas. The Rangers seem resigned to losing Young, one of their leaders and one who has been in Texas since his career started in 2000, and that could definitely shake up their online sports betting odds.

With Hamilton sidelined, Rangers’ offense struggles

Without All-Star Josh Hamilton in the lineup, the Rangers have stumbled to a 2-5 start on their current West coast road trip. On full display Thursday were the Rangers offensive struggles in a 5-0 loss at Oakland, in which Dallas Braden (10-13) and Brad Ziegler limited Texas to 1 hit in a dominating shutout. Though Cliff Lee wasn’t spectacular, surrendering 4 ER over 5 innings, the Rangers once again failed to do anything productive at the plate.

Since leaving Arlington, the Rangers offense has produced only 14 runs over their past 7 games. In their previous 7 games in Arlington, all of which were wins, Texas scored a grand total of 51 runs, or 7.3 runs/game. Their offensive struggles can’t be pinned on 1 individual, as Ian Kinsler (4 for 26), Michael Young (4 for 29), Vladimir Guerrero (6 for 28) and Nelson Cruz (6 for 24) have all been dreadful. If not for the Rangers pitching staff, which has a respectable 2.80 ERA on the current trip, things could be much worse for the club. In a span of 5 days, the Rangers once untouchable 10 game lead has withered to 7 games with 10 remaining.

With Josh Hamilton targeting the final 3 games of the season for his return, the current Rangers lineup will have to improve upon their poor production. If the Rangers can salvage a 4 game split this weekend, the team can relax knowing they have clinched their first AL West crown since 1999. A sweep at the hand of the Athletics would surely make things interesting as Texas returns home for a 7 game home stand against the Mariners and Angels.

With Tommy Hunter (12-4) on the hill Friday, the Rangers can put themselves in position to seal the division this weekend with a win. Stay tuned.

Michael Young Injury Update

Michael young suffered a hamstring injury the other night, and he will miss a few weeks for sure. I will keep updating this post with injury notes as they come out.

The Texas Rangers are in the middle of a playoff race, battling the Angels for the first spot in the AL West, and the Red Sox for the wild card spot. Michael Young’s injury is a definite blow to the Texas Ranger’s chances to make the playoffs, he has brought steady offense to the lineup all season long. Michael Young’s stats for the 2009 season so far:

Batting Avg: .322
Home Runs: 22
Runs Batted: In 67
Runs: 76
Stolen Bases: 8

Injury Update September 4th, 2009:
On September 3rd Michael Young received blood platelet injections to help speed the recovery from his hamstring injury.
Expected Date of Return:
Mlb.com has him out indefinitely, but Evan Grant interviewed injury expert Will Carroll on his D-Magazine blog – Inside Corner, and this is what he had to say about Michael Young’s injury:

The best case has him back in two weeks, just in time for a big series with the Angels. The more realistic case has him out until about the end of the month. Some people caught that my ERD for Young was very optimistic yesterday, spotting him at the 12th.

So what should Texas Rangers expect from this? That the Rangers third baseman will be out until at least September 12th, 2009. In his absence it is likely that 1B Cris Davis will move over to 3B and 1B / DH Hank Blalock will play at first base.

Michael Young Wants Trade From Texas Rangers

While America looks on the Yankees spending money left and right on the top two free agent pitchers and one of the top hitting free agents in Mark Texiera, Texas Ranger fans have nothing new to look forward too.

Now the Texas Rangers say their shortstop of the future is Elvis Andrus, moving five time All-Star and former All-Star MVP Michael Young to third base. Young says the Texas Rangers won’t hear his concerns, and made this announcement without consulting him, and now wants to be moved to a team that wants him at short stop.

Jon Daniels believes this will all be worked out and Michael Young will be with the Rangers in 2009… at third base.

While Michael Young is the face of the franchise and unofficial team captain, if Jon Daniels won’t let him state his case and keeps him with the team, will the Texas Ranger’s clubhouse face another Mark Texiera episode?

Also, while other teams are out at least trying to talk to free agents, what have the Rangers been doing? Trading Gerald Laird for two minor league prospects that reportedly won’t even get an invite to spring training.

With less than five weeks until pitchers and catchers report, do the Rangers have time to make an impact before the start of the 2009 season?