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Sports Morning Headlines - Thursday, 1/26/12

Written by MVPTexas Morning Sports Report

Thursday, 26 January 2012 00:42

Mavericks finally get their championship rings - The Dallas Mavericks finally have championship rings for their first NBA title. `Wow! Looks good," NBA finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki said after accepting his ring, kissing it and then holding it high over his head for all to see. Exactly a month after raising the championship banner before the season opener Christmas Day, 11 players from the title-winning team got their rings in a pregame ceremony Wednesday night before playing the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle, who was the first to receive a ring, presented the diamond-encrusted jewels to Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and seven other current players who were on last year's team. Also getting their rings during the ceremony were retired player Peja Stojakovic and J.J. Barea, who now plays for the Timberwolves and part of the reason the ceremony was held when it was. The ceremony began with a video of the Mavericks being presented the NBA championship trophy at the end of the finals and other playoff highlights. It was the same montage shown on Christmas Day, with a couple of additions -- video of the banner raising and the team's trip to the White House earlier this month. The rings weren't ready for the season opener because Cuban waited until after the NBA lockout so he could confer with players about the design.   READ MORE

Mavs' slow 2nd half leads to loss vs. Wolves - Kevin Love had 31 points and 10 rebounds after signing his new contract and the Minnesota Timberwolves handed defending NBA champion Dallas another ceremonious loss, 105-90 Wednesday night. The end of the Mavericks' seven-game home winning streak, and their franchise-record streak of holding 15 consecutive opponents under 100 points, came after they finally received their championship rings during a pregame ceremony. That presentation came exactly a month after Dallas raised the championship banner before the season opener. They trailed by 21 points at halftime that day on the way to a 105-94 loss to Miami in an NBA finals rematch.   READ MORE

Spurs deal lopsided loss to Hawks - Matt Bonner and DeJuan Blair both scored 17 points, and the San Antonio Spurs handed the surging Atlanta Hawks their first lopsided loss of the season, 105-83 on Wednesday night. Tiago Splitter added 16 points for the Spurs, who relished a convincing win over the Southeast Division leaders after losing two of their previous three and barely squeaking past woeful New Orleans on Monday night. Jeff Teague led Atlanta with 22 points. Kirk Hinrich made his season debut, after missing 18 games recovering from shoulder surgery, and scored seven points in 14 minutes. Joe Johnson had just 10 points for Atlanta. The 22-point blowout was a rare embarrassment for the Hawks (13-6), who had won six of seven. Atlanta's few losses this season included a triple-overtime heartbreaker to LeBron James and Miami, and a two-point defeat to Derrick Rose and Chicago.   READ MORE

Project Spurs: Paul Castro breaks radio streak with television broadcast tonight - San Antonio Spurs Spanish play-by-play announcer Paul Castro usually goes through the samePaul Casreo routine on game nights. He starts with an early dinner followed by some prep work and research with engineer Bruno Gonzalez before his game broadcast goes live on San Antonio's KCOR 1350 AM. Tonight it all changes as Castro will now go from behind the mic to in front of the camera, as the Spurs start their first of 12 Spurs games that will now be broadcast on Time Warner Cable in San Antonio. Castro's signature "uno dos tres" or his translation of goodbye in several languages for a player ejection on his radio broadcast will now be heard on television. For Castro, it's definitely a transition, especially after 17-plus years of calling Spurs games, which came after three years with the Portland Trail Blazers. "I've spent almost 21 years in radio and along the way I did some TV," Castro said.   READ MORE

Rockets' winning streak ends in loss to Bucks - The Milwaukee Bucks finally won in Houston, and they did it without their big man. Stephen Jackson and Brandon Jennings each scored 20 points, Ersan Ilyasova had a career-high 19 rebounds after Andrew Bogut sprained his left ankle, and the Bucks snapped an 11-game losing streak in Houston with a 105-99 victory over the Rockets on Wednesday night. The 7-foot Bogut left in the first quarter and did not return. He wore a protective boot after the game, and he walked out of the locker room on crutches. He had more tests scheduled for Thursday, and couldn't say when he might return to action. Milwaukee plays in Chicago on Friday night.   READ MORE

Rockets Stun a Nation, Decline Options on Hill, Williams, Flynn, Thabeet - The Rockets have decided that they prefer cap space to having any of their '09 Lottery acquisitions' services next year. The Chronicle's Jonathon Feigen has more: "The Rockets have told each of their four lottery picks from the 2009 NBA Draft – Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Terrence Williams and Jordan Hill – they won’t be picking up the fourth-year option on their rookie contracts, a person with knowledge of the talks said." As I said earlier this week, this should be unsurprising. Flynn, Thabeet, and Williams all seem unlikely to live up to their 2013 options, while Hill's rebounding was not so spectacular (or scarce).   READ MORE

Astros land three on Top 100 Prospects list - Singleton places 44th, Cosart ranks 61st, while Springer is 84th. Three promising young players infused into the Astros' system last summer find themselves on an impressive list this winter. First baseman Jonathan Singleton, right-hander Jarred Cosart and outfielder George Springer are all included on MLB.com's annual Top Prospects list for 2012. Singleton ranks 44th, Cosart is 61st and Springer is 84th on the list. The list, which is one of several prospect rankings on MLB.com's Prospect Watch, only includes players with rookie status in 2012. This year's edition of MLB.com's Top Prospects list has expanded from 50 to 100 players. The annual ranking of baseball's biggest and brightest young talent is assembled by MLB.com's Draft and prospect expert Jonathan Mayo, who compiles input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams.   READ MORE

Mazeroski views Biggio as 'lock' to be elected to Hall of Fame on first ballot - Pittsburgh Pirates icon and Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski told Examiner.com that he views Craig Biggio as a lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee next year. Mazeroski, a 10-time National League All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, respects Biggio for his impressive résumé. The 1960 World Series Game 7 hero pinpoints the skill Biggio displayed in the field as a starter at three different positions in his career. Furthermore, Mazeroski views the legendary Astro as one of the greatest athletes to have ever played the game of Major League Baseball.   READ MORE

Four Rangers prospects among game's best - Profar, Perez, Olt and Martin all rated highly by MLB.com. Jurickson Profar had an offensive power surge at Class A Hickory last summer. At 18 years old, Profar hit 37 doubles, eight triples, 12 home runs and finished with a .493 slugging percentage. That's pretty impressive for a 5-foot-11, 165-pound shortstop playing in his first full season in the Minor Leagues. But that's not what impressed Hickory manager Bill Richardson the most about a player who has now risen to become the No. 1 prospect in the Rangers organization. "Generally when you see a guy with power, he's still struggling with his strikeouts," Richardson said. "But this kid's walks to strikeouts stayed level: 65 walks and 63 strikeouts. He has incredible high-level hand/eye coordination. When we just needed a single he would have these 13-pitch at-bats and knew how to put the ball in play."   READ MORE

Prospect watch: Mike Olt, Tanner Scheppers - Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus and ESPN.com, put together his list of prospects who helped themselves with strong offseasons this winter. Two Rangers made Goldstein's list: Mike Olt, 3B, Texas Rangers: Olt was in the midst of a breakout season, batting .286/.395/.508 in a tough park at high-A Myrtle Beach when he broke his collarbone in a home plate collision. Now 54 games does not a breakout make, so after a rusty return to finish the regular season, he picked up where he left off by leading the Arizona Fall League with 13 home runs in just 106 at-bats while batting .349/.433/.764. He's a plus defender at third base as well. His overall future is bright, but with Adrian Beltre entrenched at the position in the big leagues, Olt's future with Texas is a bit muddled.   READ MORE

Heavy Texans influence at AFC Pro Bowl practice - Cornerback Johnathan Joseph, center Chris Myers and defensive end Antonio Smith were in familiar company at the AFC’s first Pro Bowl practice on Wednesday morning. The Texans’ three Pro Bowlers were joined on the field at Kapolei High School, about 30 minutes west of Honolulu, by Gary Kubiak and the entire Texans coaching staff, who are leading the AFC through the week. Members of the Texans’ equipment, medical, video and support staff are also in Hawaii, adding a decidedly Texans feel to the all-star festivities. “It’s very nice,” Kubiak said. “Obviously, it’s a nice vacation for us and our families. Also, we as coaches get a chance to spend a lot of time together other than in football all the time. It’s a great reward. It was a great season. We’d have loved to have been playing last weekend (in the AFC Championship Game) to see what would’ve happened, but we’re enjoying ourselves out here.” Aside from the players involved and the tropical locale, Wednesday’s practice had all the makings of a Texans practice at the Methodist Training Center in Houston.   READ MORE

Houston Texans: Will Peyton Take Back the AFC South? - My prediction is no. He is past his prime, he has uncertainties, and he is owed $28 million dollars very soon. With QB Matt Schaub and OLB Mario Williams, hopefully if moves are made, back next year, the Texans are the heavy favorite to win the AFC South. The Houston Texans have faced the giant that is Peyton Manning for the past 9 years, and David has beat Goliath only a couple of times in the Texans Colts series. In these 9 years he has won 4 MVP’s and one Super Bowl. The Texans drafted Williams in order to sack Manning. Now this past season, the Colts first one without Manning in over a decade, the Texans finally win the AFC South, and make their first playoff run. The new management and coaches in Indianapolis have to make the decision of going QB Andrew or Peyton Manning. They need to decide which quarterback gives them the best chance to reign AFC South Champions once again.   READ MORE

Cowboys looking for a full-time defensive end - On draft day 2011, the Dallas Cowboys had a choice on their hands when they selected No. 9 overall. High on their board was a player they believed could play tackle for them for the next 10 years at a very high level, Tyron Smith from USC. But, just as high according to at least one source, was a DE from Wisconsin that they felt could fill a real position of need for them in their scheme as a disruptive, all-situations DE in the 3-4, JJ Watt. Picking that high in the draft is not something that a team wants to do very often, as it is usually the direct result of a disappointing season, but when you do find yourself in the Top 10, it is crucial that decisions like these are made carefully and properly.   READ MORE

Cowboys working to fill out defensive coaching staff - The Dallas Cowboys have been working diligently to fill out their coaching staff at the Senior Bowl. According to Calvin Watkins of ESPN Dallas, coach Jason Garrett and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan have interviewed candidates for the defensive backs job in Mobile, Ala. The candidates are not known.   READ MORE

Dallas Stars Prospects: Notes and Stats - Here are some notes and a statistical update on Dallas Stars prospects playing junior hockey, in Europe and in college. Here are some notes and a statistical update on Dallas Stars prospects playing junior hockey, in Europe and in college. *RW Reilly Smith (3rd round/2009) was named Inside College Hockey’s National Player of the Week after scoring four goals as Miami University swept a two-game series from then-eighth ranked Western Michigan. Smith, a junior, had a hat trick in one of the games and scored the game-winner in each contest. Smith, who has 18 goals in 24 games, is tied for third in the nation in goal scoring and leads the nation with 7 game-winning goals. *F Austin Smith (5th round/2007) scored had two goals and one assist in two games over the weekend. Smith now has 38 points (24 goals, 14 assists) in 24 games for Colgate. Smith, a senior, leads the nation in goal scoring and is tied for second in points. *LW Alex Guptill (3rd round/2010) scored a goal in both games he played for the University of Michigan this week, running his goal scoring streak to five games. Guptill has 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) in 28 games and leads the nation in rookie goal scoring and points. READ MORE

Game 48 Scoring Chances: Jack Campbell Starts Paying Off - The Anaheim Ducks winning ways have temporarily been put on hold by your Dallas Stars. The Ducks had pulled points out of eight straight games prior to heading to the American Airlines Center during a 7-0-1 stretch. They were looking to pull within five points of the battered Stars lineup that was on the ice, but the Stars were able to gut out a 1-0 victory despite looking over matched early on. READ MORE

---Staff and Wire Reports contributed to this story