Dirk Nowitzki Wins MVP For Dallas Mavericks

It was an historic day Dallas Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki. Not only was he named the NBA’s most valuable player, but he became the first player in franchise history to be so honored.

“Today is your day Dirk,” said Head Coach Avery Johnson.

Nowitzki wasn’t sure how to handle the day. “Its definitely a weird felling,” he said. “For me at this stage right now, its still a little hard for me to be happy because of the way the season ended, but this is an award for the regular season, that's the way I got to look at it.”

NBA Commissioner David Stern thought it was important enough to present the award himself, a milestone for the NBA since Nowitzki is the first player from Europe to receive the award.

“I'm here today to present this award to really the iconic elite athlete from Europe, who has not only learned how to play our game, but mastered it,” said Stern.

Guard Jerry Stackhouse, one of three teammates in attendance, was happy for Nowitzki, even if the Mavericks failed to win their first round playoff series.

“Obviously he's not the happiest about everything right now, because of how the playoffs ended, but I think over time, he'll see that he had a Helluva year,” Stackhouse said.

Said Nowitzki, “Its definitely a special day for me and my family, you know coming all this way from Germany where I grew up and being fan of this league, its definitely almost overwhelming for me.”

The Mavericks 67-regular season wins tied for the sixth best winning percentage in NBA history, but their collapse in the playoffs was monumental.

An emotional team owner, Mark Cuban summed it up in with tears. “You don't have to fit a certain role, you don't have to fit a certain model, but if you work hard enough and care enough, anything is possible, and you made so many things possible for me, and this city. And I'm sorry for getting emotional about it, but that's how special you are. thank you.”

There is only one way this could have been better for Nowitzki and the Mavericks and that's to accept the award prior to a playoff game. That didn't happen, but the bottom line is, he is still the league's MVP.

Nowitzki totalled 1,138 points, including 83-first place votes from a panel of 129 journalists. Twice-MVP Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns, Nowitzki’s good friend and former teammate, finsihed second in the voting with 1,013 votes and 44-first place votes.

Dallas Mavericks Ready For Championship Run

For the last 10-months, despite 67-wins this season, the Mavericks have been living with the taste of defeat. That's how long its been since they lost to Miami in the NBA Finals.

Addressing a rally at the American Airlines Center, Donnie Nelson, the teams General Manager, told the crowd, “Its time to get something done here in Dallas.”

Mavericks fans can't wait to see if this is the year Dallas delivers an NBA Championship to the City.

“I love the mavericks plus we're winning the NBA. We have the number one record. woo, woo, woo, woo,” yelled on of the Mavericks Cheerleaders.

“We are ready,” said Guard Jason Terry. “We are just excited right now to be back in the playoffs. As I look back and reflect on the season, it went by so fast.”

Fast because the Mavericks played the entire year with one goal in mind, not just return to the playoffs, but return to the finals and win a championship.

“You know we've been looking forward to the playoffs since basically the season started. this is what you live for and what we worked all season long for you know last season ended very disappointed for all of us,” said Forward Dirk Nowitzki. “Hopefully we can get this bad memory out of our mouth, but we got lots of work to do.”

“The good teams I've been a part of you, you don't quote unquote, turn it on,” proclaimed Head Coach Avery Johnson. “I think you try to play at a high level all year, but during this time of the year, you got to try to minimize your mistakes and eliminate some, but ah we've been gearing up for this, we've been down this road before.”

One year ago, Dallas finished the season with 60-wins.. They had the third best record in the league behind Detroit and San Antonio.

Miami, the team that won the championship, had only 52-wins with the 5th best record in the league. The Mavericks feel the experience of one year ago will be a determining factor.

Says Terry, “I think we're a whole lot more mature team than we were. obviously, we've added some more pieces to help us defensively. “Our confidence right now is very high.”

Guard Devon Harris looked at the playoffs this way. “Well I think we did a lot of growing up, obviously everyone's first chance at the finals last year, being there and going threw with what we did and what not, everyone is a year longer in the system. I think everybody is on the same page playoff wise, what we need to do and what we need to accomplish. I think everyone is ready to go and do it,” Harris said.

“I 'm always concerned. there may be one or two things a little bit more, and I don't want to use the word comfortable, but ah, maybe not as concerned with,” said Johnson. “I know our weaknesses, I know how we're vulnerable, so there are a lot of things that I'm concerned about. I will say that the men are very resilient, they handle adversity well, and this is a seven game series, and we've been here before.”
But, just because they're the top seed in the west doesn't guarantee them anything. Its all about positioning and right now this team is in great position to make a run at a championship.

50 Years of Racing For AJ Foyt

Its a special year for racing legend A J Foyt. It’s not that he's already celebrated his 72nd birthday, but 2007 will mark his 50th year in auto racing.

Is he amazed by such longevity? “Yeah, really, I wasn't supposed to live this long,” says Foyt laughing. “Everybody said I'd never live to be twenty-two, and lot of them said that are gone, and I'm still here.”

Foyt will forever be remembered as the King of the Indy 500, winning the race on four different occasions and remains the only driver to win the Daytona 500 and the 24-hours of lemans. But his contributions as an owner have been equally as impressive.

“Oh i love him to death,” says Nascar Driver Tony Stewart. “He's my hero. He gave me my first opportunity to sit in an Indy car and drive an Indy car, so I've had a lot of fun with him we've got a great relationship with each other. I'm really proud for him this year, to not only have been a great race car drive, but just to be involved in racing as a driver slash car owner, for 50-years as of this year, is a pretty remarkable feet.”

Foyt's legend grew when he slugged Arie Lynendyk following the first ever IRL race at the Texas Motor Speedway. A scoring error showed Foyt's driver Billy Boat had won, but Lynendyk was the real winner. Foyt never gave up the trophy.

“The tropy is sitting in my office,” says Foyt sitting next to Eddie Gossage, President of Texas Motor Speedway. “But I tell you what. I'll make you a deal. I was fortunate to win the second race here. Why don't i give you that damn trophy, because I like to be number one.”

Foyt's racing operation will not involve NASCAR any more, but Indy Car Racing alone.

“Indy car has always been my favorite,” says Foyt, “So we're really counting on the Indy program real strong this year, to try and get it back up running.”

Foyt's impact on auto racing on so many different levels is impossible to measure. Fifty years in the business is a long, long time, and not even thinking about retirement yet

The Future of Michael Young and Mark Teixeira With Texas

No one knows how long Shortstop Michael Young and first baseman Mark Teixeira will be together in Texas. Young is signed for 2007, with a club option for next year, and negotiations are underway to extend his contract.

Teixeira is under contract for 2007, but 2008 will be an arbitration year. That means Teixeira will be eligible to become a free agent after the 2008 season, and since Scott Boras is his agent, the money to keep him will be the main issue.

“Well Tex is a little different, (than Michael Young)” says Rangers Owner Tom Hicks. “We'd love to have Tex, but Tex has an agent who has a process he follows that, we'll respect that process. So, our conversation with Tex will be down the line.”

An extension for Young would be similar to Chase Utley and Vernon Wells. Utley received $85 million dollars while Wells received a $126 million dollar contract. That makes the median average annual salary around $15 million dollars.

“We're talking to him, (Michael Young)” says Hicks. “We'd love to do something. It’s a business and he's got an agent who's doing his job for him, but Michael is the kind of guy I think who should be the face of this franchise, he has been, and he should be.”

Fans know that unless something is done, time is running out for both players.

“If I thought that way, I'd be thinking to the future,” say Young. “I'd be thinking about what lies in store for both he and I, but for me, its always like this. Last year, it was 06 or die, the year before it was 05 or die, and I'm taking the same attitude this year. This team is going to get everything I have for the 07 season. After that, we'll take it as it comes.”

For Teixeira, the future is now.

“You always want to win now, after June, July or August, when your out of the race, you start thinking for next year,” says Teixeira. “You start thinking for next year. You know its here. One more year, and it may not be anymore in Texas, so we're just going to go out there and play hard to win here because we want the fans to be excited about Texas again.

There is no question that the Rangers would like to have Young and Teixeira to have long productive careers in Texas, but in the end it will come down to two things, one is money, the second is their desire to be on a team that can win a championship.

Lincoln Kennedy Trys Comeback at Age 36

Lincoln Kennedy has been out of pro football for the past three seasons, but this year at age 36, he's trying to make a comeback with the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football league.

“It’s just trying to get acclimated,” says Kennedy. “It’s like that old theory, once you learn how to ride a bike, you learn how to ride it. You may not be as proficient as if your riding every day, but once you get back on you know what you’re doing.”

Kennedy retired from pro football in 2003 after a career that included three trips to the pro bowl as a member of the Oakland Raiders. He was drafted in the first round 1993 by the Atlanta Falcons. He never won a Super Bowl, but he did play in one, losing in Super Bowl XXXVII against Tampa Bay. Talk about credentials.

“Yeah the guy is a three time pro bowler, All American, and the guys look up to him, just from the standpoint from what he's done,” says Desperados Head Coach Will McClay. “He's come in, and fit in within the group. He's realized that he's got a lot of things to learn. He’s fit in well, so that's clearing the first hurdle there.”

“I’m not sitting here to say I'm going to go another ten years,” says Kennedy. “I mean that's not realistic. I don't want to be George Blanda playing this game. I'm trying to get this last bit out of me. I want to finish off what I started a long time ago when I said i want to play 12-years professionally. I finished with 11. I came up a little short of my goal, so I want to see that 12th.

Kenney has no idea how long he'll be able to play the indoor game, but as long as he likes football and is still able to play, it really doesn't seem to matter.

“What I'm doing right now, at this particular point of my life, is that you play for just the year that your in,” says Kennedy. “Let everything fall in front of you. Come as they may. I didn't leave with an injury. I left because I was burned out. I was mentally burned out, and when I reenergized mentally, and put that focus back into perspective I was able to come out.”

Kennedy admits his body has been slow to catch up, but if he can make it a12th year, there is certainly nothing wrong to shoot for 13.

Hall Of Fame Racing Prepares For Second Year

It was Roger Staubach's 65th birthday, but it could just as easily have been a celebration for the start of Hall of Fame Racing's second season. Last year, the team owned by Staubach and Troy Aikman finished the year without any wins. For two former quarterbacks used to winning, that may have been the hardest adjustment of all.

“I remember when we coming in 17th and we're high fiving each other,” says Staubach. “it was last year at Daytona, and we're like in a state of shock. We didn't know what was going to happen.”

Driver Tony Raines finished nearly 98-percent of the races he started, and in NASCAR, that's always a good start.

“Ha ha, we did that pretty well, says Aikman. “If you win prizes for that, then we would have won something.”

Even better news is that the team finished high enough last year to be locked in for the first five races this year. Last season, Raines had 29-starts for Hall of Fame Racing, and this year he is guaranteed to be in the field for only the second time at Daytona.

“Having been through everything, that's a plus,” say Raines. “As a group, we're not nervous, we're not going in there looking around, and looking over our shoulders, we know what we need to do now, we've been there.”

“He's ready,” says Aikman. “He's ready to race a full schedule, and we're looking forward to now seeing how he'll do, under better circumstances, and also what we feel is a good crew chief, should help him.”

So while Staubach is celebrating a birthday, Hall of Fame Racing is celebrating the beginning of their second year. But the event they're all waiting for is that first celebration in the winners circle.

Ron Washington Era Begins In Arlington With First Mini Camp

The temperature was in the upper 30's at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, but that didn't stop new Rangers Manager Ron Washington from holding a portion of a mini camp outdoors.

“Beautiful baseball weather,” he said with a laugh. “I love it. We got our work done.”

Most of the work was actually moved to the indoor batting cages. These days the focus of General Manager Jon Daniels is to bring stability to the organization.

“The reality is I'm the third General Manger in the last six seven years,” said Daniels. “Ron's the third or fourth manager we're having. We've had too much turnover in the leadership here, and in our scouting and development departments.

With Washington as the new manager, young players know their careers are getting a fresh start. Once again, it’s all about first impressions.

“I know that he is going to bring a positive upbeat energy to this club,” says Rangers Pitcher Cameron Loe. “That's just the feeling I get from him, every time I talk to him. But I don't know how its gonna work. I'm very interested to see how it works.”

Pitcher Thomas Diamond shares a similar view. “Since he was in Oakland, he's seen most of the guys,” says Diamond. “He really hasn't seen any of the guys in the minor leagues, so its like a first impression here.”

Washington says he's contacted most of the players about what he expects. It was something he wanted to address as quickly as possible.

“I wanted to get that out of the way before spring training started,” says Washington. “I wanted them to know what I'm about. I wanted them to know my attitude. I wanted them to know my effort level, my commitment, and I wanted them to match it. And if they match my level of attitude commitment and effort, I'm not going to have any problems.”

This mini camp will last only two days. It’s designed for the pitchers, because that's what the team needs to work on most. All will be in Surprise, Arizona in about two weeks. Those who attended, included C.J. Wilson, John Koronka, Kameron Loe, A.J. Murray, Kevin Millwood, Thomas Diamond, Eric Hurley, Robinson Tejeda, Edinson Volquez, Francisco Cruceta and Brandon McCarthy.

Matt Doherty Is Trying To Change SMU Culture

Matt Doherty won a national championship as a player at North Carolina. He even played with Michael Jordan. But now he's trying to turn a program around as the head basketball coach at SMU.

At his weekly radio show at Ten Sports Grill in Downtown Dallas, he spends time talking to loyal SMU fans.

“My wife always called me the mayor anyway,” he says. “I mean its kind of what I do, shake hands and greet people. That's the Irish Catholic in me.”

Doherty has been a college coach for 16-years, and uses a weekly radio show, broadcast on KAAM 1770 AM, to get the word out.

He preaches a philosophy similar to that of Bob Knight. “You know if you make more foul shots, they are free shots, if you make more, than the other team takes, your gonna be in good position to win a basketball game.”

jennifer henry-smu fan
“I love that he can be the face of our program,” says Jennifer Henry who sits in the crowd listening to the radio show. “I mean this event right here is one example. He's out, he's greeting people, he's making relations in the community, and I think that's really important, and something we've really missed.”

In his 9-months on the job, Doherty has helped the school install a new digital scoreboard, and even got construction started on a state of the art practice facility. The SMU Tennis Center had to be removed.

“That big mud pile, that big, big mud pit, is one of the most exciting things I've ever seen,” says Doherty as he looks over the construction site. “That's the future of our program.”

Doherty also appears weekly on Southwest KIA Sportstalk on Channel 52, and opened the show this week by saying: “I just want to say one thing. Okay, I'm not a candidate for the head coach of the Dallas. Okay I just wanted to make that clear.” It’s a clear indication of a likeable personality.

Doherty also has his own Blog at MustangHoopsBlog.com.

“I now am proud to say I'm a Mustang player,” says SMU Forward Ike Ofoegbu, “I know looking back in about two or three years, it’s going to be a big time program. I mean he wants it to be like a Duke or North Carolina, so I mean, he's going to get it done.”

The bottom line is that folks on campus like what Doherty are doing. He's accessible, he's promotable, and he's trying to change the culture. But just like the new basketball facility, it’s not going to happen overnight