Daily Ticket: The Blog

Wednesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before you head to the water cooler:

1. Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler is likely to miss the first five games of the season on the disabled list.

2. Gil LeBreton: Rangers manager Ron Washington sees a team of mature players who do not need to be told pursuit of the playoffs begins in April.

3. Paulie Ayala has picked 20-year-old Casey Ramos to headline a series of three boxing matches at Texas Motor Speedway.

4. Dallas Mavericks notes: Now in the second spot in the West, the Mavs try to hold onto that spot with back-to-back games in Memphis and Orlando. The Grizzlies are up first tonight (7 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest and NBA TV).

5. Dallas Stars notes: Goalie Kari Lehtonen is feeling more comfortable in his return from a one-year absence. The Stars, who could be eliminated from playoff contention tonight, host the San Jose Sharks (7:30 p.m., KDFI/Channel 27).

6. NFL coaches and scouts visited Lufkin on Tuesday to check out former Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant, and they came away impressed with just about everything but his 40 times.

-- David Thomas

Tuesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before you head to the water cooler:

1. Dallas Mavericks 109, Denver Nuggets 93: Dirk Nowitzki's second career triple-double gave the Mavs the second spot alone in the Western Conference and the season series edge over the Nuggets, which will come in handy should those teams be tied after the regular season.

2. Q&A with Dallas Cowboys receiver Roy Williams: "I felt like I didn't do anything last year."

3. Texas Rangers closer Frank Francisco is having an impressive spring after an off-season of hard work.

4. Baylor's women's basketball team did what the men's team could not: beat Duke to reach the Final Four.

5. With next season's Mountain West football schedule released, TCU's 2010 schedule is complete.

6. Anaheim Ducks 3, Dallas Stars 1: The Stars sat Mike Ribiero for being late to a team meeting and wasted a good performance by goalie Kari Lehtonen.

-- David Thomas

Monday's Pick 6

Six links to click before you head to the water cooler:

1. Mike Jones: Duke stopped Baylor one game short of reaching the Final Four with a 78-71 victory in Houston, but the Bears' successful run has completed the program's transformation.

2. A free throw with two seconds remaining gave Michigan State a 70-69 win over Tennessee and put the Spartans in the Final Four for the sixth time in 12 years.

3. Gil LeBreton: Infused with confidence from last year's big season, Nelson Cruz has been the Texas Rangers' best player in spring training.

4. Entering the final week of spring training, the Rangers still have two infield and one or two bullpen spots to fill.

5. The Dallas Mavericks can thank Mickael Pietrus of the Orlando Magic for discovering Rodddy Beaubois in Guadeloupe. The Mavs, who clinched a playoff spot Sunday, host the Dallas Nuggets tonight. The winner takes the season series and owns the head-to-head tie-breaker (7:30 p.m., KTXA/Channel 21 and NBA Network).

6. Rookie forward Jamie Benn has the look of a great find for the Dallas Stars. The Stars visit the Anaheim Ducks tonight (9 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

-- David Thomas

Friday's Pick 6

Six links to click before you head to the water cooler:

1. Portland Trail Blazers 101, Dallas Mavericks 89: The Blazers improved to 3-0 against the Mavs, remaining the only team the Mavs have not defeated this season.

2. San Jose Sharks 3, Dallas Stars 0: The Stars playoff chances dimmed further, as they now sit nine points behind the Detroit Red Wings with only eight games remaining.

3. Gil LeBreton: Josh Hamilton is hitting .389 this spring, but more important, experience on and off the field is teaching him to be the kind of player the Texas Rangers need on and off the field.

4. The Rangers have the second-worst record in the majors, but Ron Washington and the players have been focused more on individual successes in preparing for the season.

5. Randy Galloway: An evaluation of Jerry Jones' quotes at the NFL owners' meetings shows that Jerry is making progress.

6. Kansas State squeaked its way into the Elite Eight with a double-overtime defeat of Xavier, but top-seeded Syracuse was sent home by Butler. Kentucky and West Virginia advanced with double-digit victories.

-- David Thomas

Thursday's Pick 6

Six links to click before you head to the water cooler:

1. Texas Rangers owner-in-waiting Chuck Greenberg says the sale will not take place before Opening Day, but he still fully expects the transaction to come in April.

2. With 11 days until Opening Day, four relievers remain candidates to take over the eighth-inning job.

3. Randy Galloway: Now is a good time to revisit an old question: Would you rather have Tony Romo or Ben Roethlisberger as your quarterback?

4. With a new contract in hand, Wade Phillips is much more at ease this off-season compared to last year.

5. Jan Hubbard: Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is using a deep rotation as the regular season winds down to emphasize to his players that those who play hardest will play most. The Mavs visit the Portland Trail Blazers tonight (9:30 p.m., TNT).

6. Although he has a team-worst minus-13 rating and his team is nine points out of a playoff spot, Dallas Stars center Brad Richards said he has felt at home during the franchise's season of transition. The Stars visit the San Jose Sharks tonight (9:30 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

-- David Thomas

Wednesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before you head to the water cooler:

1. Dallas Mavericks 106, Los Angeles Clippers 96: Jason Kidd had 26 points and 12 assists on his 37th birthday to lead the Mavs, who lost Dirk Nowitzki when he was ejected early in the third quarter.

2. Dallas Stars 3, Nashville Predators 1: Kari Lehtonen made 34 saves as the Stars -- who were outshot 35-14 -- ended the Predators' six-game winning streak.

3. A Q&A with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, including his thoughts on Dez Bryant, Roy Williams and Felix Jones as a potential starter.

4. NFL owners have approved a change in overtime rules for playoff games: A game will not end when the team winning the coin toss kicks a field goal.

5. Gil LeBreton: C.J. Wilson has had to make a lot of mental adjustments in his bid to become a starting pitcher, and they appear to be paying off.

6. The Texas Rangers are emphasizing a reduction in errors, especially from pitchers and catchers.

-- David Thomas

Tuesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before you head to the water cooler:

1. New Orleans Hornets 115, Dallas Mavericks 99: The Mavs held a 16-point lead in the first quarter, but gave up 23 consecutive points in one stretch and lost for the third time in four games.

2. Gil LeBreton: Concern over another minor injury to starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia results in the Rangers trading for insurance at the position.

3. C.J. Wilson turned in another notable performance in his bid to move into the starting rotation.

4. Dallas Cowboys notes: Having core players locked into long-term deals has made for a quiet off-season.

5. TCU opens spring football practices today with few holes to fill from a 12-1 team, although some of those holes are big ones.

6. Mike Modano was back practicing Tuesday after his appendectomy and it remains to be seen whether there are only 10 games left in his career. The Stars visit the Nashville Predators tonight (7 p.m., KDFI/Channel 27).

-- David Thomas

Monday's Pick 6

Six links to click before you head to the water cooler:

1. After two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the Big 12 is down to two teams: Baylor and Kansas State.

2. With 14 days until Opening Day, here is how the Texas Rangers look for the final two weeks of spring training.

3. Gil LeBreton: New Texas Rangers ace Rich Harden doesn't have ace-like numbers with two spring training starts remaining, but manager Ron Washington says as long as Harden isn't concerned -- and he isn't -- Washington won't be concerned.

4. Phoenix Coyotes 3, Dallas Stars 2 (OT): The Stars picked up a point against the NHL's hottest team, but a six-game homestand ended with the Stars gaining only six points total and starting a four-game road trip six points out of a playoff spot.

5. The Dallas Mavericks finally have everyone healthy and playing, but their two losses in their past three games show they are not yet in sync. The Mavs visit the New Orleans Hornets tonight (7 p.m., KTXA/Channel 21).

6. Jimmie Johnson won his 50th career NASCAR Cup series race by winning for the first time at Bristol.

-- David Thomas

Friday's Pick 6

Six links to click before you head to the water cooler:

1. BYU 95, TCU 85: Jimmer Fredette scored 45 points -- including 30 in the second half -- to lead 14th-ranked BYU past the Horned Frogs in the Mountain West men's tournament. TCU's season ended at 13-19.

2. In the Big 12 men's tournament ... top-seeded Kansas beat Texas Tech 80-68, Kansas State defated Oklahoma State 83-64, Baylor eliminated Texas 86-67, and Texas A&M held off Nebraska 70-64.

3. Gil LeBreton: Arlington is about to experience big-time boxing, and Saturday's Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight will make a boxing fan of those who witness it.

4. "The trade" has rejuvenated the newest Dallas Mavericks and energized the old ones.

5. The Dallas Stars are seven points out of a playoff spot and start a six-game homestand tonight against the Los Angeles Kings (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

6. After a 9-6 rookie season, Texas Rangers pitcher Tommy Hunter lost 15 pounds and improved his conditioning so that he could report to spring training ready to compete for a spot in the rotation.

-- David Thomas

Thursday's Pick 6

Six links to click before you head to the water cooler:

1. Dallas Mavericks 96, New Jersey Nets 87: The win streak is at 13 games, although the Mavs had to work harder than expected to win this one. The Nets (7-57) led by 18 points in the first half.

2. Jennifer Floyd Engel: The Mavs are winning because Mark Cuban opted not to take the blow-it-up route.

3. Buffalo Sabres 5, Dallas Stars 3: The score was 3-3 after the first period, but the Stars couldn't score after that and ended their three-game Eastern Conference road trip with a win and two losses.

4. A Q&A with Texas Rangers owner-in-waiting Chuck Greenberg: "Everything is going smoothly."

5. In the Big 12 men's basketball tournament, Nebraska upset Missouri, Texas Tech eliminated Colorado, Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma and Texas defeated Iowa State.

6. The TCU men's basketball team opens play in the Mountain West tournament tonight against BYU, which defeated the Horned Frogs by 30 points last weekend (8 p.m., The Mountain).

-- David Thomas