Dallas Round-Up – Cowboys Finally Win, Mavs Streaking, Rangers Begin Lee Chase

There was a high pay per head price for tickets to last weekend’s Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito fight, which is probably the best action in Cowboys Stadium yet this season. But the Cowboys finally made a change and ended up with a victory, which is a start. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are off to a fast start, while the Rangers are trying to hold onto their ace, among others.

Dallas Cowboys
NFL betting players were wondering how long it would take Jerry Jones to put Wade Phillips out of his misery, and the writing was on the wall after a 45-7 humiliation at Green Bay. Phillips was out the next day, making offensive coordinator Jason Garrett the interim head coach. Garrett’s first order of business was to institute a dress code and have the players practice in pads. The extra intensity must have worked as the Cowboys came out on fire in a 33-20 win on the road against the New York Giants in a game that wasn’t even that close. Dez Bryant had his first 100-yard game, and the defense forced three turnovers in their best performance in weeks. The talent has always been there, but the Cowboys actually cared this week, and that’s all it takes. They’ll have to bring that same attitude into Week 11, when they welcome an improved Detroit team to Dallas early on Sunday afternoon.

Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have won seven of their first nine games ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with the Hornets in New Orleans, and the Hornets will have their stingers out after the Mavericks became the first team to beat them. Dallas ended the Hornets’ unbeaten run at eight games with a 98-95 win on Monday night at home, getting 26 points from Jason Terry. That was the third straight game in which Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t the leading scorer, and that bodes well for the Mavericks’ NBA betting odds because we all know Nowitzki can score at will. If this keeps him fresher for the playoffs, the season will be a success. The Mavericks have won four straight going into their Wednesday showdown with New Orleans, then they’ll host Chicago on Friday, head to Atlanta on Saturday, followed by another back-to-back when they welcome Detroit on Tuesday, then travel to Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Texas Rangers
Texas closer Neftali Feliz was named the American League Rookie of the Year after a phenomenal 40-save performance, and the Rangers are officially in offseason mode. The first order of business is to re-sign ace Cliff Lee, who has no shortage of suitors, including the deep-pocketed New York Yankees, who could barely hit Lee in the ALCS. They also are trying to re-sign slugger Vladdy Guerrero, and word is the Rangers are after catcher Victor Martinez to upgrade that position. If they can pull off this trio of signings, look for the Rangers near the top of next year’s betting odds.

Dallas Round-Up – Mavs Hope To Make Up For Rangers, Cowboys

World Series betting players are already gearing up for next year, and Texas has a lot of questions to answer after their run to the Fall Classic ended in disappointment, which is a word that doesn’t begin to describe the Cowboys. Hopefully, the Mavericks will lift the spirits of fans in the area.

Dallas Cowboys

Where to even start? The Cowboys are now 1-6 after an awful 35-17 loss at home against Jacksonville, and Jaguars quarterback David Garrard said that the Cowboys didn’t even look into the game. No one has answers, but you have to think that Wade Phillips’ time is almost up in Dallas (you could probably find decent odds on that prop if you’re betting on NFL lines). How far can they go with Jon Kitna? They’ll find out soon since Tony Romo is likely gone for the year. There hasn’t been an implosion of a team like this in, well, it’s hard to even think of one. It gets no better for the Cowboys, who head to Lambeau Field to face Green Bay on Sunday night.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers’ bats were silent in their five-game loss to San Francisco in the World Series, hitting an anemic .190 against the Giants. Possibly more surprising was that ace Cliff Lee was beaten twice by San Francisco counterpart Tim Lincecum, and although he pitched far better in Game 5 than he did in Game 1, when he didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, that performance must leave a bad taste in the mouth of Lee (and MLB betting players who wagered on the Rangers). Now, the Rangers have a couple of major decisions to make in the offseason. Will they bring back Vladdy Guerrero, as they declined his option but are hoping to re-sign him at a cheaper price? The bigger question is Lee, who is a free agent and will command $20 million a year. Can the Rangers afford to keep him? Can they afford to let him go?

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks have won three of their first four of the gate in the NBA season, rolling over Charlotte before a one-point loss to Memphis, with both games coming at home. The next games were on the road and the Mavericks passed their tests with flying colors, romping to a win over the Los Angeles Clippers before edging Denver in a one-point win on Wednesday. The usual suspects are leading the way as Dirk Nowitki has averaged 26.5 points and 9.8 rebounds, while Jason Terry has 17.5 points, and Caron Butler isn’t far behind with 16.5 points. Jason Kidd is still steering the team with 11.8 assists. The Mavericks are off to a great start, but it’s going to take some more convincing of the sportsbooks if they want to boost their betting odds this year.

Dallas Round-Up: Rangers at the All-Star Game – Nowitzki Stays

If you’re betting on NFL football odds for the upcoming season, it’s pretty quiet for a change around the Cowboys’ camp, so there’s not much to talk about there, as well as with the Stars.  In baseball, the Rangers are sending a few players to the All-Star (held at the stadium of their division rival, no less), while the Mavericks ensured their star will probably retire in Dallas.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers will have a pair of All-Star starters in Los Angeles, as outfielder Josh Hamilton and designated hitter Vladdy Guerrero will represent Texas.  This is an extra-special trip for Guerrero, who played at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim for five years and was a fan favorite there.  Guerrero is second in the American League in RBIs and fifth in homers after most MLB betting players thought he was washed up, while Hamilton is third in average, second in homers and fourth in RBIs, showing everyone that last season’s decline was due to injuries.  Closer Neftali Feliz is tied for second in the league with 23 saves, so that was enough to get him on the roster, and the Rangers could have a fourth player if Michael Young wins the fan vote.

On the field, the Rangers have certainly cooled off, losing two of three at home to the White Sox last weekend, but they rebounded to win two of three at home against Cleveland through the week.  Hamilton had another big week, hitting .308 with three dingers and five RBIs, while Joaquin Arias also added five RBIs for the Rangers, who will wrap up the first part of their schedule with a four-game set against Baltimore at the Ballpark, and the Orioles are the worst team in the major leagues, so the Rangers will expect to take at least three of four heading into the All-Star break.  The Rangers swept a two-game set with the Orioles at home back in May.

Dallas Mavericks

College football betting players don’t have to worry about players staying for a team for 12 years, but they surely understand the importance of Dirk Nowitzki retiring as a Maverick.  That should happen now as the Mavericks re-signed their franchise player to a four-year, $80-million deal, and this benefits both sides.  One, Nowitzki knows that the market won’t be as good for players when the new CBA is negotiated, so he had to opt out of his previous deal so he could get as much as he could, but he was never in danger of leaving Dallas.  Second, he gave the Mavericks a bit of a hometown discount so they could pursue other free agents in hopes of helping Nowitzki get a championship.  Check out the Mavericks’ odds for next season when you’re betting online.

Vladimir Guerrero Officially a Texas Ranger

Today January 11 2010 Vladimir “the Ranger killer” Guerrero officially became a Texas Ranger for the 2010 season. Vladimir signed a one-year contract with what texasrangers.com reports to be a mutual option for the 2011 season.

Vladimir has been one of Major League Baseballs best right handed hitters, but he had an injury plagued 2009 campaign with the Angels. With all the moves that Seattle has made, it is nice to see the Rangers add a right handed batter assuming Vlad can stay healthy for the 2010 season.

This offseason has definitely changed the landscape of the AL West this season. The Angels have been losing players, while the Rangers and most notably the Mariners have brought in some key pieces. It will definitely be interesting to watch and see how the AL West Standings shake out for 2010.

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