The “Bleak” State of Dallas Sports?

“All of your teams…kinda suck.”

A familiar refrain I hear uttered here in Cutler-world, referring to the curious state of Dallas sports.

There are worse places for sports fans right now (Sorry Buffalo. I know you’re going to have a ton of sympathy for a Dallas fan complaining about his team’s misfortunes.). That much I grant you.

But where exactly can we, the humble Dallas Sports Fans, look to for optimism in these gray days?

The Cowboys are bordering on irrelevancy, if they’re not already there. Not for their lack of trying, especially with a couple of bizarre stories coming from the Ranch this week.

Jerruh mentioned that the Cowboys had “a significant offer for a key player that we turned down.” The story today was that Cincinnati desired DSF favorite Martellus Bennett. True or not, why even bring it up? Maybe it’s just another ploy by Jerruh to get in the news.

The other national story out of Valley Ranch? Patrick Crayton griping for lack of playing time. I know I’m not the first person to look at this – Mike Fisher has a great take at bloggingtheboys.com – but if Crayton can’t see why he’s getting benched, he needs someone to give him a swift kick in the rear end. There’s a reason why I didn’t write anything about the Chiefs game. He needs to figure that out. Cowboys? Decidedly mediocre.

The Stars. Honestly, I think the Stars have a chance for a very good season. There is a lot of talent on this team. The problem is that a lot of it is injured. Modano, Lehtinen and Richards are all key factors; I know Mo and Jere are up there on the age factor, but this team needs them. Richards had a strong game tonight against the Blues; two assists is a nice way to get back in the fold after an injury, especially setting up the first two goals of the game.

Still, 5-2-4 through the first eleven games is nothing to sneeze at, especially with all the injuries. James Neal looks fantastic, Loui Eriksson already has five goals and the greatness that is Brendan Morrow is back flying around the ice. Get everyone back from injury, and this team might have something. Marc Crawford might have been just what this franchise needed. Stars? Could be great. More time needed.

The other resident of the AAC, the Mavericks, may have some buzz. Considering after the first ten games last year that Cuban’s bunch seemed headed for the lottery, to be coming off a trip to the Western Semis is actually a pretty good spot.

Looking through the West, San Antonio has to be the favorite. Duncan is still Duncan, DeJuan Blair was a steal of a draft pick and Richard Jefferson was a steal of a trade. Lots of larceny down there in San Antone. (Antonio McDyess was a nice pickup too.) I’m not totally sold on the Lakers, especially sans Ariza. Artest may look good on paper, but I’m reserving judgment on him. Plus, Year-After Syndrome could easily rear its ugly head.

Who else is there? Houston had a nice year last year, but take a look at the roster and see how many players you know. Maybe a trade of Damp’s expiring contract gets the Mavs into the upper crust of teams. But right now, Mavericks? Very good, but just short of championship contender. Ultimately irrelevant barring a trade.

For the owner-starved Rangers, things are actually looking a lot better than they were after the season ended. It looks like a new man in charge will be selected by the end of November. While that doesn’t mean they’ll take over by the time the season starts, it’s definitely an improvement over the gloom-and-doom scenario I discussed earlier this year.

Ben Sheets looks like he’s going to be out there on some mound in 2010. Odds are (hopefully) it will be for the Rangers. Nelson Cruz tragically seems like a player with a distinct possibility of being traded, which is not the end of the world if Jon Daniels acquires the proper player(s) for him. Personally, I think that would be a big mistake, save for a fleecing for a Grienke-level pitcher. Rangers? A crucial offseason. The next step is the hardest.

So there you have it. Are things as bleak as they seem? Perhaps to an outsider. Things are looking up, however. The Stars have yet to lose in regulation on the road in seven contests, a good sign for a team still missing a couple of players. The Mavericks could make a huge trade by using Erick Dampier’s Expiring Contract as a trade chip.

The Rangers need to find a quality hitting coach, but a rotation with Sheets, Feldman, Millwood, Hunter and Holland could be pretty solid, with McCarthy and Nippert waiting in the wings at the major league level along with Feliz and Hurley at AAA. Justin Smoak will make his Rangers debut next year, probably sooner rather than later. Don’t rule out Kasey Kiker from making a major league impact as well.

As for the Cowboys? The importance of tomorrow’s game cannot be overstated. A win tomorrow moves the Cowboys towards the upper echelon of the league. The upcoming schedule is not as daunting as once seemed; 4-2 could easily become 8-3. Most (if not all) of the Cowboys’ injured players seem to be ready to go tomorrow, setting the stage for what should be quite a contest.

But a slip tomorrow puts the Cowboys at 3-3 and in a hole that might be too deep to escape from. Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Green Bay and San Francisco all look to be potential wild card teams. Even Seattle could make things interesting. Putting yourself ahead of one of those teams is critical if you hope to make the playoffs.

Things could look a lot better two weeks from now. The Stars could get on a run and establish themselves as a Western Conference contender. The Mavericks have several early games against potential Western Conference contenders (@LAL, @LAC, v. UTAH, @NO, v. HOU, @SA all in the first eight games). Go 4-2 through that stretch and the Mavs will be in a good early position.

And, of course, the Cowboys could get a win tomorrow. That will make everything better.

Kinda suck? Maybe for the unaware. For us Dallas fans, though, things could be back to normal pretty quickly.