Daily Ticket: The Blog

Friday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. San Antonio Spurs 99, Dallas Mavericks 93: Playing without Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs fell behind big early but twice came within a made free throw of tying the score.

2. Gil LeBreton: TCU players have grown accustomed to answering questions about their schedule, but there's no questioning the ability of their Rose Bowl opponent.

3. TCU notes: Senior nose tackle Kelly Griffin, who suffered what was thought to be a season-ending ankle injury in October, will play against Wisconsin.

4. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Army defeated SMU 16-14 for its first winning season since 1996.

5. Stephen McGee appears more likely to start at quarterback Sunday for the Dallas Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles.

6. Cowboys notes: Receiver Miles Austin remains positive although his statistics have dropped off in the first season after signing a big contract extension. Also, the Cowboys have reached a contract agreement with kicker Kris Brown, a Southlake Carroll product.

-- David Thomas

Wednesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Toronto Raptors 84, Dallas Mavericks 76: Playing without Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs fell behind early, scored only 13 points in the first quarter and lost to the Raptors, who had lost nine of their previous 11 games.

2. Dallas Stars 4, Nashville Predators 2: Andrew Raycroft made 44 saves and got two big helping-hand moments from defenseman Stephane Robidas as the Stars won despite being outshot 46-25. The Stars are back home tonight to host the Detroit Red Wings (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

3. Dallas Cowboys notes: Five players were selected as starters for the Pro Bowl. That's one starter per victory.

4. Gil LeBreton: Wisconsin's size on offense will provide the ultimate challenge for TCU's fast defense.

5. A good performance in the Rose Bowl could make TCU the nation's top-ranked defense for the third consecutive season. No team has done that in more than 20 years.

6. TCU update: Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, the inspiration for the movie Rudy, visited with the Horned Frogs after Tuesday's practice.

-- David Thomas

Tuesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Dallas Mavericks 103, Oklahoma City Thunder 93: The Mavs lost Dirk Nowitzki in the second quarter because of a sore knee, but the Mavs still won for the 17th time in their past 18 games. The Mavs return home tonight to face the Toronto Raptors (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

2. Jerry Jones said he will be thorough in his search for a coach and that he has no timetable fo follow.

3. Jennifer Floyd Engel: Jones has finally joined the rest of us in realizing how bad this team is, but he's still behind those of us who realize that he is this team's problem.

4. Stephen McGee will likely get his first start as Cowboys quarterback in Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

5. Gil LeBreton: It's been a long trip to the Rose Bowl for the TCU football program, and all involved certainly deserve the opportunity to spend a few moments enjoying the view.

6. Safety Tejay Johnson is a quiet leader on the Horned Frogs' defense.

-- David Thomas

Monday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Gil LeBreton: TCU still carries the sting of last year's loss to Boise State, and that has carried the Horned Frogs all the way to the Rose Bowl.

2. TCU notes: Players will get their first look at the the famous Rose Bowl today.

3. Phoenix Coyotes 1, Dallas Stars 0: The Stars' 13-game home point streak is over because Coyotes goalie Jason LaBarbera stopped all 30 shots in his fifth shutout of the season.

4. According to a source, free-agent pitcher Matt Webb will sign a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers pending a physical and be a candidate for the starting rotation. Webb, the 2006 N.L. Cy Young Award winner, has not pitched since Opening Day 2000.

5. A down season for the Dallas Cowboys took another downturn with Saturday's disappointing loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The season finale at the Philadelphia Eagles will test the team's professionalism.

6. The Dallas Mavericks' six-day layoff between games ends tonight when they visit Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Coach Rick Carlisle won't be there as he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery (7 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

-- David Thomas

Friday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Crowne Plaza has extended its sponsorship of Colonial through 2015.

2. Calgary Flames 3, Dallas Stars 2 (SO): The Flames' Alex Tanguay scored the game-tying goal with 1:21 left in regulation, then scored the only goal of the shootout. Still, the Stars go into Christmas tied for most points in the Western Conference.

3. Randy Galloway: There's no quarterback controversy in Jerry's World.

4. Dallas Cowboys notes: Players say playing on Christmas comes with the territory of being an NFL player.

5. The Texas Rangers have reportedly reached an agreement with 41-year-old reliever Arthur Rhodes, who was an All-Star last season.

6. TCU has applied lessons learned preparing for last year's Fiesta Bowl and changed its practice routine for the Rose Bowl.

-- David Thomas

Monday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Dallas Cowboys 33, Washington Redskins 30: The Redskins came back after trailing 30-16 in the fourth quarter, but David Buehler made a 39-yard field goal with 50 seconds remaining and Terence Newman picked off a pass late as the Cowboys improved to 4-2 under Jason Garrett.

2. Randy Galloway: OK, so some of the high school games at Cowboys Stadium over the weekend provided better football, but this otherwise meaningless game might carry a lot of meaning when it comes time to determine Garrett's future with the Cowboys.

3. Cowboys notes: Jerry Jones said Tony Romo will not play again this season.

4. The Dallas Mavericks face tough tests in back-to-back games in Florida, but Dirk Nowitzki has a chance to pass Larry Bird on the NBA's all-time scoring list on this trip. First up for Dallas and Dirk will be the Miami Heat tonight (6:30 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest and NBATV).

5. Dallas Stars 4, Detroit Red Wings 3 (OT): The Stars were playing the back end of a back-to-back and fell behind 2-0, but they came back and Loui Eriksson's overtime goal denied Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood his 400th career victory.

6. Go behind the scenes of a TCU men's basketball trip.

-- David Thomas

Friday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Randy Galloway: Death  to the BCS? Mark Cuban might be the person who can make that happen.

2. San Jose Sharks 4, Dallas Stars 3 (OT): Logan Couture's power-play goal at 1:20 of overtime gave the Sharks the win in the third game between the teams this season to go into overtime.

3. Aledo and La Marque meet tonight at Cowboys Stadium for the Class 4A Division II state championship, and they have taken contrasting trips to Arlington (8 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest).

4. Youngsters Barry Church and Danny McCray might be signs of things to come in the Dallas Cowboys' secondary.

5. Cowboys notes: Dez Bryant's spirits are high as he recovers from surgery for his broken right fibula.

6. Dallas Mavericks notes: When the Mavs and Phoenix Suns play tonight, don't look for the emotion of past Mavs-Suns reunions (8:30 p.m., KTXA/Channel 21 and ESPN).

-- David Thomas

Thursday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Dallas Mavericks 103, Portland Trail Blazers 98: The Mavs again lost a big lead, but Dirk Nowitzki scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Mavs improve to 20-5 -- their second-best start ever through 25 games.

2. The Dallas Cowboys have, statistically, one of their worst defenses ever, and it's a sensitive topic around Valley Ranch.

3. Cowboys notes: Tashard Choice had no idea his request for Michael Vick's autograph would receive so much attention.

4. Jennifer Floyd Engel: Not landing Cliff Lee is no reason for the Texas Rangers to get stupid.

5. Rangers notes: Neftali Feliz won't join the rotation unless he becomes an impact starter.

6. TCU offensive line coach Eddie Williamson, who suffered a heart attack during a game a month ago, is back at practice and loving life as he always has.

-- David Thomas

Wednesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Cliff Lee would have been a Texas Ranger if the team had offered a guaranteed seventh year, but that was more than club officials wanted to do. Now the Rangers move forward, with the Kansas City Royals' Zack Greinke and the Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Garza as potential trade targets.

2. Randy Galloway: Lee loved the Phillies and the Rangers, but he loved the Phillies more.

3. Gil LeBreton: The time Lee took in making his decision leaves the Rangers having to play catch-up, and the Boston Red Sox are the team in the lead.

4. Dallas Cowboys notes: Receiver Kevin Ogletree, who took the place of the injured Dez Bryant last week, is hurt himself and might miss the rest of the season.

5. The Dallas Mavericks are taking a serious look at the problems of protecting big leads, including the one that got away against the Milwaukee Bucks and ended a 12-game losing streak.

6. TCU is focused on business as it prepares for the Rose Bowl.

-- David Thomas

Tuesday's Pick 6

Six links to click before heading to the water cooler:

1. Cliff Lee is headed to the Philadelphia Phillies.

2. Texas Rangers notes: Matt Treanor signed a one-year deal to be backup catcher to Yorvit Torrealba,

3. Milwaukee Bucks 103, Dallas Mavericks 99: The Mavs led by as many as 20 points, but the Bucks came back and snapped the Mavs' 12-game winning streak.

4. Jennifer Floyd Engel: Tashard Choice's autograph request after Sunday night's game is another example of a bigger problem within the Dallas Cowboys.

5. Officially eliminated from the playoffs now, the Cowboys view the final three games as a time for evaluation.

6. Dallas Stars 3, San Jose Sharks 2 (SO): Brenden Morrow came back after taking a puck to the face, and Andrew Raycroft stopped 31 of 33 shots and won his second shootout in three games.

-- David Thomas