DFW Sports, Music and More: November 2005

Have a great Thanksgiving, holidays

Happy Holidays, or rather, familial intoxication weekend!

Nerds rejoice, Rangers lose out on Beckett sweepstakes

I am part of the nerd faction after watching 2 hours of the XBox 360 debut last night on G4, but frankly, until I see this thing hooked up to an HDTV I am unimpressed. Call of Duty 2 looks cool but all the other previews looked very ho-hum.

In baseball related news (and no surprise in my opinion), the Rangers lost out in the Josh Beckett sweepstakes but I don't think you can fault their effort. They dangled Blalock and a top pitching prospect in front of the Marlins but they decided to do what everyone else in the league does, give him to the Red Sox. Bastages...

Per the Newberg Report (link on right), pure greatness:

"I hate Boston, I hate the Yankees, and I understand why lots of people hate the Cowboys. This would have been a little easier to take (though not alot) if it were the Cardinals who swooped in and got the deal done, or the White Sox. But I'm sick of Boston and the Yankees ending up every year with basically whomever they want.

It's demoralizing. The market for free agent pitching is relatively thin this year, meaning that A.J. Burnett and some others are likely to be paid more than they should be, reminiscent of the Chan Ho Park winter. "...please God no.

Josh Beckett in, Hank Blalock out?

Supposedly there is a deal in the works that would bring Josh Beckett from the Florida Marlins over to the Rangers for Hank Blalock and either John Danks or Travis Diamond.

Evan Grant from the Dallas Morning News breaks down the pro's and con's of Beckett:

"Pros:
• Dominated 2003 postseason with 2.11 ERA in 42 2/3 innings and was World Series MVP.

• He doesn't turn 26 until May and already has 103 career starts. Pitchers generally start to mature and reach peak performance after 90-100 major league starts.

• Though he averages a strikeout per inning for his career, he's also owner of a solid groundball-to-flyball ratio (1.10 grounders per fly). He averaged 1.14 grounders per fly ball in 2005.

Cons:
• He is a health risk. He's been on the DL seven times in the last four years, at least once per season with a blister or skin tear. The Texas heat is notorious for causing blister problems.

• He pitched in a pitcher-friendly park that often forgives mistakes to the right-center gap. He was 10-2 with a 2.47 ERA at home in 2005, but 5-6 with a 4.31 ERA on the road.

• The AL transition may be tougher than usual. He's never made a regular-season start under AL rules and only one vs. an AL club. He allowed Seattle seven runs in 6 2/3 innings last season. "

I'm very interested in the potential of this deal. Hank is a good, not great player and Danks/Diamond are still unproven at the MLB level...

UPDATE 5:00 CST: ESPN's Jayson Stark believes the Rangers aren't the front-runners to land Beckett and just as usual, Florida is defining their needs and dictating the market to the Rangers.

Read Here

Relaxing for Saturday Night

You know when you're hitting old man status when you take it easy on a Friday night to go out Saturday. But that's exactly what I'm doing so I can make it to the greatness that is Goodwin, this Saturday at The Moon off Berry St. in Fort Worth (aka Funkytown). Yeaaahhhh!

A sad week in Aggieland

I know that morning will be something I'll never forget, grateful that my roomate didn't decide to go to stack that night...

FWIW, I still believe and support the tradition of Bonfire but I'll agree that some strict guidelines need to be put in place.

RIP

Mavs, very close for comfort against Denver

The Mavs pull one off against the Nuggets tonight at the AAC, 83-80 after a block of Carmelo Anthony's layup late in the 4th quarter by Diop with 16 freakin' rebounds in the game. Dirk gets his game on with 35 points.

Next:

Mavs (5-2) vs. Hawks (0-7) wow

Thursday on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30

Catch some of the final table from the 2005 WSOP here

Final Table - Streaming Audio courtesy of Cardplayer

In case you've been in hibernation since mid-July, Aussie Joseph Hachem became the 2005 World Series of Poker Champion. ESPN broadcasted the final table tonight but you'll be able to catch it again for at least the next month on TV.

If only Tex Barch from McKinney won it...

Don't hold me to this but I might wield out 3 G's to play the for the Limit Hold'em bracelet next year. Limit hold'em has always been my best game and if it doesn't blow up entrant wise I might have to roll the dice. Time to start saving...

And so...Billy Breathes

I ran across a great Mike Gordon interview (bassist from the now defunct Phish) on how life is treating him on the road with a new gig and whether or not the band known as Phish will be back again.

Interview

The Answer shows up, Mavs lose

AI scores 25 to help the Sixers roll over the Mavs Wednesday night. I've never questioned the heart of Allen Iverson, I just always thought he had a rather selective motivation. Someone please let me know the last good game he had against the Mavs before tonight.

Story Here

Petty Theft on Friday, 11/11 The Moon Bar

A suggestion: Get there early for the greatness of Petty Theft at The Moon Bar this Friday off of Berry in Funkytown.

I was late last time which mean I didn't get in...

Eric Seidel poker interview

Eric Seidel is definitely a great player, though, why do I always see him hitting either the bad beat or cold play?

PokerLizard has a interview of him here.

The TV audience got its shot of the 2005 WSOP champion Joseph Hachem at his finest, hitting pocket aces twice in a very limited time period.