Daily Ticket: The Blog

Wednesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Los Angeles Angels 6, Texas Rangers 5: Bobby Abreu's three-run double off Darren Oliver in the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie. Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run homer in the seventh to pull the Rangers within a run, but they left the bases loaded in the eighth and saw their eight-game road winning streak end. The teams play again tonight (9:05 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

2. Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk has confirmed what Mike Modano has publicly suspected: The team will not offer him a contract for next season.

3. At 11 p.m. today, Dirk Nowitzki will become a free agent. But Dallas Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson plans to go to Germany, while owner Mark Cuban will be in Los Angeles and coach Rick Carlisle will be on the East Coast prepared to talk to other free agents.

4. Jan Hubbard: This two-year-long story of LeBron James' pending free agency has become an ugly mess, highlighted by the inaccurate assumptions that winning a championship is LeBron's No. 1 priority.

5. Filings in the Rangers' bankruptcy case have revealed formerly confidential salary information for Tom Hicks and Nolan Ryan, among others.

6. South Carolina 2, UCLA 1 (11): Whit Merrifield's single with one out in the 11th gave the Gamecocks a sweep of the best-of-three series for their first baseball national championship.

-- David Thomas

Tuesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. The Texas Rangers begin a three-game series tonight at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Rangers lead the second-place Angels by 4 1/2 games, but Rangers players say this is nothing more than another division series they want to win (9:05 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

2. Rangers notes: Omar Beltre will be called up from Oklahoma City to make his major-league debut start Wednesday against the Angels.

3. According to reports, another bidder has joined the Rangers bankruptcy proceedings to express interest in purchasing the franchise.

4. Dirk Nowitzki is the Dallas Mavericks' top free-agent target and first priority, but the Mavs also will be in pursuit of other free agents.

5. Jennifer Floyd Engel: The Mavs need to show Nowitzki show love, which they can do by surrounding him with talent.

6. Big 12 basketball notes: The league's coaches felt a little left out during conference realignment talk, especially considering the revenue that basketball brings in to the NCAA.

-- David Thomas

Monday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Texas Rangers 10, Houston Astros 1: The Rangers knocked Astros ace (and future Ranger?) Roy Oswalt out after allowing eight runs in 4 2/3 innings. The Rangers have won 13 of 14 games heading into a three-game series at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim that begins Tuesday.

2. Rangers notes: Darren Oliver has a 1.27 ERA and has allowed only 21 hits in 35 1/3 innings, but he knows it's a long-shot for a non-closer to be selected to the All-Star Game.

3. TCU's first trip to the College World Series has set a new standard for the Horned Frogs' baseball program.

4. Gil LeBreton: The next challenge for the Frogs will be returning to the College World Series, and that is no small task.

5. Five memorable moments from the TCU baseball season.

6. From those lovable NBA anonymous sources: LeBron James is learning toward going to the Chicago Bulls with Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki is likely to become a free agent, and Tony Parker might seek a trade from the San Antonio Spurs for the New York Knicks.

-- David Thomas

Friday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Texas Rangers 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 5: The win streak is at 11 after Vladimir Guerrero singled in Elvis Andrus in the bottom of the ninth. The Rangers trailed 4-0 after the top of the first, but starter Scott Feldman allowed only one run over his next five innings. The Houston Astros roll into town for a three-game series that begins tonight (7:05 p.m, KTXA/Channel 21).

2. Chuck Greenberg voiced his displeasure after the judge in the Rangers' bankruptcy case ordered mediation that will delay the sale and could jeopardize the team's chances of making a trade before the July 31 trade deadline.

3. Randy Galloway: The Rangers need to make a trade for Roy Oswalt or Cliff Lee. But will they be able to because of the bankruptcy case? And, based on some rumblings, will they even want to?

4. TCU turns to freshman Matt Purke, who is 15-0, to extend the season today against UCLA. The Bruins counter with left-hander Rob Rasmussen, who is 11-2 with a 2.73 ERA (3:30 p.m., ESPN2).

5. Gil LeBreton: The underdog Horned Frogs have become the darling of Omaha.

6. The Dallas Mavericks moved into the first round to take South Florida shooting guard Dominique Jones with the 25th pick in the NBA Draft.

-- David Thomas

Thursday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. TCU 11, Florida State 7: Trailing 7-3 in the eighth, TCU remained alive with an eight-run inning that included a two-out grand slam by Matt Curry that gave the Horned Frogs a 9-7 lead. On Friday, the Frogs will play UCLA, which is unbeaten in the double-elimination bracket.

2. Gil LeBreton: TCU's comeback is yet another case of the magic of Rosenblatt Stadium.

3. Texas Rangers 13, Pittsburgh Pirates 3: The Rangers pounded out 17 hits and Alexi Ogando pitched three perfect innings of relief to improve to 3-0. The Rangers, winners of 10 consecutive games, go for a three-game sweep tonight (7:05 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

4. United States 1, Algeria 0: The Americans needed a goal to advance at World Cup and they got it from Landon Donovan in stoppage time. The United States won its group for the first time since 1930 and will play Ghana on Saturday.

5. John Isner and Nicolas Mahut are in the midst of the longest tennis match ever played. Their match was suspended because of darkness Wednesday night at Wimbledon, with the score in the fifth set tied 59-59. The match, which began Tuesday, has lasted 10 hours. Isner and Mahut have played 7 hours and 6 minutes in the fifth set alone.

6. The Dallas Mavericks don't have a pick in tonight's NBA Draft until No. 50, so they will be taking a wait-and-see approach (6:30 p.m., ESPN).

-- David Thomas

Wednesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Texas Rangers 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 3: The win streak is up to nine games, as Julio Borbon delivered a big three-run homer and Darren Oliver and Neftali Feliz combined to throw three shutout innings in relief of Tommy Hunter. Game 2 of the series is tonight (7:05 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

2. Steven Maxwell will start on the mound this evening for what could be the biggest game in TCU baseball history -- an elimination game against Florida State in the College World Series (6 p.m., ESPN2).

3. The United States takes on Algeria this morning in the World Cup needing a win to guarantee advancement to the knockout round. The Americans still could advance with a tie (9 a.m., ESPN).

4. The judge in the Rangers' bankruptcy case has told the team to amend its Chapter 11 reorganization plan. That calls into question whether the sale can be completed as soon as hoped.

5. Randy Galloway: The bankruptcy judge's ruling means the mess created by Tom Hicks could linger a little longer and possibly limit the team's opportunities to make trades.

6. Among the Dallas Cowboys' cuts Tuesday was place-kicker Connor Hughes, who was brought in to challenge David Buehler on field goals.

-- David Thomas

Tuesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. UCLA 6, TCU 3: UCLA scored five runs in the first three innings and sophomore Gerrit Cole held the Horned Frogs to one hit through six innings. TCU drops into the losers bracket and will face Florida State on Wednesday.

2. Gil LeBreton: UCLA coach John Savage's gamble to hold his ace until Monday night paid off and has TCU one loss from going home.

3. College World Series notes: TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle wouldn't wear a microphone for ESPN during Monday's game because his teams are 0-7 when he's miked up.

4. Mike Modano says he is leaning toward playing next season, but says he is open to leaving for another team if the Dallas Stars don't offer him a contract.

5. Josh Hamilton is on a hot streak comparable to his 2008 season, but he says he is a better player now than then. The Texas Rangers open a six-game homestand by starting a three-game series tonight against the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates (7:05 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

6. Jennifer Floyd Engel: We all make mistakes. FIFA just needs to admit that includes its referees.

-- David Thomas

Monday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Texas Rangers 5, Houston Astros 4: Josh Hamilton's RBI single with two outs in the 10th -- after the Astros had intentionally walked Vladimir Guerrero to get to Hamilton -- allowed the Rangers to finish their nine-game road trip with an 8-1 record and an eight-game winning streak. The Rangers, now 3 1/2 games up on the Los Angeles Angels, are off today before starting a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2. Rangers notes: With the Rangers interested in trading for Seattle Mariners left-hander Cliff Lee, general manager Jon Daniels says he has no problems with sending prospects to a division rival as long as the trade is the best one for the franchise.

3. College World Series notes: A win tonight against UCLA would make TCU the only unbeaten team in its four-team, double-elimination bracket.

4. Gil LeBreton: Former TCU athletic director Eric Hyman hired Jim Schlossnagle to be the Horned Frogs' baseball coach. Hyman is at the College World Series with South Carolina, where he is athletic director, and recalled Sunday how he came about hiring Schlossnagle.

5. Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell shot a 3-over 74 Sunday, but with third-round leader Dustin Johnson shooting 82, it was good enough for McDowell to hold off Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, among others, and win the U.S. Open. McDowell became the first European since Tony Jacklin in 1970 to win the Open.

6. Jimmie Johnson ended his 10-race winless streak and won his first road-course race thanks to a big mistake by Marcos Ambrose at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in California.

-- David Thomas

Friday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Los Angeles Lakers 83, Boston Celtics 79: The Lakers are back-to-back champions, and Kobe Bryant was selected Finals MVP for the second consecutive year.

2. Texas Rangers 6, Florida Marlins 4: The bullpen allowed one run over six innings as the Rangers swept a three-game series. The Rangers' road trip continues tonight with the start of a three-game series against the Houston Astros (7:05 p.m., KTXA/Channel 21).

3. The TCU Horned Frogs are in Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series just as coach Jim Schlossnagle put on paper a month ago. TCU opens against Florida State at 1 p.m. Saturday.

4. Gil LeBreton: Taking over the TCU baseball program was a dream job for Schlossnagle. So does that mean he's made the job even dreamier?

5. After adding Boise State then losing Utah to the Pac-10, the Mountain West Conference remains where it was in its bid for an automatic BCS bowl spot.

6. Pebble Beach won the first round of the U.S. Open. Shaun Micheel, Paul Casey and Brendon de Jonge each shot 2-under on a day when neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson managed to write a birdie on the scorecard.

-- David Thomas

Thursday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Texas Rangers 6, Florida Marlins 3: Michael Young became the Rangers' all-time hits leader in dramatic fashion -- with a two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning. The three-game series ends tonight with the Rangers going for a sweep (6:10 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

2. Rangers notes: Tommy Hunter had to leave Thursday's game after only 2 1/3 innings because of a hip injury, again putting a heavy load on the bullpen.

3. Jennifer Floyd Engel: Why are the Aggies mad? Texas A&M is truly the school that saved the Big 12.

4. Gary West: You don't need to be a product of the "higher learning" concept being weakly promoted to see that conference realignment is all about the money and could have college sports headed for chaos.

5. Tom Watson returns to Pebble Beach for what he says could be his final U.S. Open. He's reluctant to say it is his last Open because he wants to leave open the possibility of returning next year to defend the title he says he can win on this course. (Noon-2 p.m., ESPN; 2-4 p.m., KXAS/Channel 5; 4-9 p.m., ESPN).

6. Anthony Andro: NASCAR's visit to the road course of Infineon Raceway this weekend is a welcome change of pace on the Sprint Cup schedule.

-- David Thomas