Mavericks 109, Celtics 95

The Mavericks did pretty much everything right in this one.

Jason Terry led the way with 29 points, 11/15 from the field including 4/6 3-pointers. He also had 6 assists. Nowitzki had 20 points and that was about it. Would like to see him get to the free throw line more often. Dampier was clueless. Josh Howard was nice with 19 points and 11 rebounds, but his rebounds don't usually come with much effort, but maybe I'm unnecessarily hating on the kid. Devin Harris had 18 points and 6 assists and was playing very smart basketball again. We will need it more and more from this guy, who was the #5 pick in some draft if you'll remember. From Wisconsin. Yuck. But you can't hold a grudge forever. Anyway, that was about it, but it was nice to see Greg Buckner get out and play a little, he got 13 minutes. Hope he stays around now. Diop got 5 blocks. I miss the guy and on some nights, he is clearly better than Dampier but he isn't the starter anymore. Which is too bad because he was pretty decent. Oh well.

On the other side, it was Paul Pierce with 30 points, but only 11 earned. He was 19/21 for free throws. That's right, he shot TWENTY-ONE free throws. The Mavericks shot 17. But that's both to Pierce's credit and the Mavs disdain as well as maybe some unfairness. Overall, it was Celtics - 40, Mavs - 17. So yuck. But yes, Paul Pierce and all that. Nobody else really did anything noteworthy.

Shooting was much better for Dallas who made 56% as compared to Boston's measly 36%. Assists were in the Mavs favor 28-16.

Easy game, good game, and the Mavs are 4-0 on their road trip. Good stuff.

Reds 7, Phillies 0

Jr. is back!

NOTABLE THINGS

Pitching: The weird thing was I thought about writing a comparison between Arroyo and Harang and how they have done in spring training and how Arroyo is acting like the #1 that Harang actually is. I should have done that, because it happened again last night with this game. Arroyo was the ace, getting the win in 6 innings. 5 hits, 1 walk, 6 K's, 0 earned runs. That's how to do it, folks. Victor Santos pitched a clean 7th, and for me is a sleeper to get the #5. Big sleeper, but it's out there. He has been very solid. Todd Coffey pitched a clean 8th, with a K. Hermanson closed it out cleanly, allowing 1 hit.

Hitting: Ken Griffey Jr. was in the lineup for the first time, playing right field, and he was 2/4 with a double. Freel led off and was 1/4 with a run scored and a strikeout. Dunn was 2/4 with 4 RBI's, most of which came on a 3-run blast of a homer. Very nice day for him. Phillips was 3/4 including a homer, which followed Dunn's blast. EdE was also 3/4 with an RBI. Votto was 0/3 with 2 K's. Gonzalez was 0/1 but drew 2 walks. Chad Moeller hit a home run. Hamilton was 0/2.

Fielding & such: No errors today. Votto stole a base and was also the recipient of a Phillips-Gonzalez double play.

Devil Rays 15, Reds 1

Oof.

NOTABLE THINGS

Pitching: Harang started and rightfully took the loss. 6 innings, 8 hits, 6 earned runs, 2 walks, and 6 K's. His K count still remains high so at least he will have that with him. But c'mon, is anybody worried about this guy? Sure, it's meaningless. Spring training means nothing. Blah. But c'mon. This is our ace. He hasn't very good overall this spring at all. Not much to get excited about. He had some good innings and a very bad inning and a bad inning. I would like to see something to get excited about here. It didn't get much better from Harang on out. Burton pitched the 7th, gave up 3 hits (1 homer) and walked 1 for 2 earned runs. That's not going to help his already slim chances. Coutlangus pitched for the first out of the 8th, giving up 2 hits and 2 walks for 3 earned runs. Wilkerson (who?) got the second out, giving up 1 homer and 1 walk for 2 earned runs. He also got kicked out of the game. Flannery (who?) pitched the final out which was a strikeout.

Hitting: The first inning boded well as Freel got a hit, advanced on a hit, and scored on a groundout. Then that was pretty much it for the team. The man mentioned was 1/2 and scored the only run. Hamilton was 1/4 with the only RBI. Juan Castro, as DH no less, was 0/4. Denorfia was 1/2 with a walk. E Cruz, the savior of the last game, was 0/2 with 2 strikeouts.

Fielding & such: Error was on Machado, and that was his FIFTH of the spring. That's not going to sit well with anybody, as he is probably in doghouse-mode right now. Denorfia stole another base, and Hamilton stole his first.

Reds 8, Yankees 7

Now we can talk about meaningless. Considering the "real game" was Yankees 6, Reds 3. Then we throw in the junk, and the Reds win. But at least we see what we are made of.

NOTABLE THINGS

Pitching: Nothing to get excited about here. Lohse started and should have gotten the loss, but didn't. He pitched 5 innings, gave up 7 hits including 2 homers, walked 2 and gave up 5 earned runs. He did strike out 6, which was pretty cool. Throw in a wild pitch, and there's his outing. You can tell he's got stuff there. Just needs to put it all together. Weathers pitched the 6th, gave up a walk and a hit but struck out 2. Hermanson looked human, giving up a homer and throwing a wild pitch. He also struck out 1. Victor Santos pitched the final 2 innings, getting the win. He gave up a walk and a hit.

Hitting: Enrique Cruz was the story here. He took over in the 7th inning and was 2/2. He had a 2-RBI triple in the 7th and then scored the winning run on EdE's hit after he doubled in the 9th. Freel led off and was 2/4. Dewayne Wise's RBI double tied the game late in the 8th. Hamilton was 1/4 with a walk and a strikeout. Phillips was 2/3 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Ross was 2/4. Lohse hit one himself, a 2-RBI single. It's a funny story as Janish hit a long ball but was held to a single. Why? From the Reds own site: "Janish was held up by runners Javier Valentin and David Ross on the basepaths." Haha! There it is in the official report, talking about the chunky guys who can't run! Funny stuff. Then Lohse comes in and scores the runners Janish would have scored if they could move. Awesome. Denorfia was 1/2 with a strikeout.

Fielding & such: Janish & Lohse had errors on throws. Freel & EdE grounded into double plays for Pavano, with both going Jeter-Cano-Giambi. Denorfia stole his second base and it turned into a wise move as he ended up scoring.

Griffey to RF -- Who cares?

Yeah, you heard me.

I don't get it. Here's where I am coming from. Ken Griffey Jr., the perennial center field for the Reds, has been officially "moved" to right field. Why? Because he was unable to get going in spring training. He may start the season on the disabled list, and when he is able to play, will play in right field. At the beginning of the year.

Check me on this: the move to right field for Griffey is NOT PERMANENT. This is not worthy of the outrageous media coverage on this, I agree with Ken Jr. on this issue. If it was said that this is it, he is over and done and now must be content with playing right field the rest of his career, that would be an issue. We will see him in center field. This year, even. Get back to me on this.

Lightning 3, Devils 1

Three losses in a row. 4 out of 5. 4 out of 7 in the month.

Not much you can do. Injuries are there, but you have to be able to rise above the injuries. Broduer hasn't been the same for quite some time. Thankfully the Penguins have stalled a couple times, but it almost seems inevitable that the Devils lose the Atlantic now.

This team knows how to beat the Devils, making a secound-round matchup (if the Devils remain #2) something nobody wants to see. But let's be honest, do we want to see this team in the playoffs against anybody right now? No.

Martin St. Louis took it to the Devils hard last night, scoring twice in the third period to gain the lead and extend the lead.

I never thought I'd see the day when the Minnesota Wild overtook the Devils in point standings, but it happened last night with the Wild moving from 93 to 95 and the Devils staying at 94. March has not been kind to the Devils, that's for sure.

Let's be honest, I have been so busy that it's a good thing the Devils have been losing ONLY in the sense that I don't do recaps as thorough as if they won the game. But I really have nothing much to add, I am scared for this team right now.

Raiders sign Johnson, Ward

Umm.........how did I miss this?

Don't pay attention to the story, but to the last line. Why? Because who cares about Josh Booty?

Both are defensive backs, Johnson being the cornerback and Ward being the safety. I dig Baltimore's secondary, so Ward is cool with me. Neither one stand out much, that's why there was no buzz about this. We'll see if they have any impact or what they're exactly doing here.

Mock Draft

Yahoo! Sports does Mock 4 and comes up with the same result - JaMarcus Russell:

They could completely pass on quarterback and either select wide receiver Calvin Johnson or deal down several choices. They will narrow down the options to three or four by April 1 and then spend the final three weeks concentrating on those prospects.

Doesn't seem very convincing with Russell, but gotta keep your options open, I guess.

Topping-off ceremony for Prudential Center

The Devils are moving. From the Continental Airlines Arena to the Prudential Center. "The Rock," if you will.

Mavericks 98, Cavaliers 90

Dirk vs. LeBron.

Except....not really. They got their points, most of them late, but this was again the difference between the DALLAS Mavericks and the LEBRON Cavs. Dirk can have a bad night, as he did for most of three quarters and the Mavs can wait until he figures it out and play well regardless. The Cavs watch LeBron struggle and it makes them struggle, too. They just aren't build to handle that, and it must be a mental thing. You can see the teamwork and team style of play with the Mavs, who have bounced back wonderfully from that tough loss to Phoenix in double-overtime.

Nowitzki did end up with 23 points, leading the Mavs. And LeBron ended up with 31 points, leading the Cavs. But most of the points came late and didn't factor much into the actual game. Dirk had good points, but was just 9/24. Josh Howard was worse, putting in 7 points. Dampier had 13 and 9 and it was good to see him put back-to-back solid games together. Jason Terry had 21 points, and Stackhouse had 10. But I thought the player of the game was Devin Harris. Harris ended up with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Every time he took the ball up high, he burned somebody and scored a layup. Whether the layup was easy or difficult, it went in the net. The offense was flowing through him a lot more than it ever has, with Jason Terry playing more of a minor role or a shooter's role. It was nice to see Devin create and function and he even made a couple jumpers! He took over the flow of the game at several times and it was fun to watch. Hopefully it wasn't just a blip on the radar screen, but something that can keep building and growing.

As a team, the Mavs shot better from the field but shot worse on 3-pointers. This has been the case for the past several games. They are taking too many 3's and they are missing most of them. Not shooting well in that regard. The incredibly positive thing was the free throws. The Mavs as a team didn't attack the basket very much and shot significantly less free throws (17 to 29) but they made them all! 17/17. That was extremely impressive.

Maybe what's even more impressive, and I hit on it earlier, is the Mavs recent success after the very tough loss to the Suns. Whereas the Suns lost two in a row to far inferior teams, the Mavs have won four in a row, including beating the #1 and #2 teams in the East. Well done, Mavericks.

Twins 5, Reds 3

I like the Twins. I dig 'em. Think they're cool.
I love the Reds. Even romantically, if you'd prefer. But probably not.

NOTABLE THINGS

Pitching: All the people screaming for Milton's outright release or trade for chump change (and that includes me most of the time) had some reason to do so again after today's performance. 5 innings, 8 hits (1 homer), 4 earned runs, 1 walk, 2 K's. There he goes again, being mediocre but leaning to the bad side of things. That's just who the man is. Again, the point is brought up about him automatically getting the #3 spot. Has he ever deserved it? Not quite. Lohse should get it. Should that mean Milton gets #4 automatically? No. ANYWAY.....No runs allowed after Milton left, as the 6-7-8 innings were pitched well by Burton, Coutlangus, and Coffey with the anti-save. Coutlangus in particular looked good, fanning 2. Burton walked 1, threw a wild pitch, and gave up a hit. But I still like the guy. That might have hurt him, though.

Hitting: Ryan Freel was back in action at the leadoff spot, going 0/2 and grounding into a double play but taking a walk and scoring on it. He was lifted late in the game, though it seems as a precaution. EdE was 2/4 with a run scored. Hamilton was 1/3 with an RBI, and took a walk as well. Javier Valentin, not hitting well, was only 1/4 today but it was a crucial hit, a 2-RBI single that tied the game. Alas, it was not meant to be. Denorfia reverted to old form, going 0/4 with a K. This is not helping you out, kiddo. Considering some guy named T. Godwin got the only extra-base hit, that being a double, the hitting was not very great.

Fielding & such: Remember the last time the Reds made no errors? I don't think it was that long ago, but the point is that they make errors more often than not, no matter how much Narron talks about it. How about action vs. talk? Maybe. Anyway, today it was Castro of ALL PEOPLE who threw the ball like a grapefruit. Ah well, even the best can have their bad days.

Maple Leafs 2, Devils 1

Just what I feared. There they go, down the tubes. They can't avoid the playoffs, they're in there. They better start acting like they want to be.

Hard to do with injuries flying in from all over the place, but possible to do. Remember when Brodeur was everyone's savior and everyone wrote a million pages on him per day? He is still amazing, but can you remember the last time people have talked about him? I mean, in a positive way, not in a he's-been-yanked-from-the-net kind of way.

Revenge, blah blah, horrible hit, blah does Cam Janssen have a soul? blah blah Kaberle blah Belak! Belak! Belak! blah blah worst hit I've ever seen blah blah REVENGE. Oh, and the Maple Leafs won the game, by the way. That's a key stat because the Devils look pretty poor right now. Stumbling into the playoffs isn't a worthwhile goal.

In a game where the shots on goal were even and the faceoffs identical, along with a close low-scoring game, it seemed everything was pretty even. Didn't feel that way, though. Felt like the Devils packed it up and were waiting for a lucky bounce instead of trying to seize the moment. Tough.

I know I'm a complainer and a pessimist. I apologize for these things, that's just my nature. I realize that if I step back and look at things, look at the win-loss-tie record, look at the points for what they are, the Devils have had a very good season and are still currently #2 in the East, no matter what it looks like. So I need some perspective. I just can't help feel like everything is falling apart.

Mavericks 92, Knicks 77

And to think, I was actually worried about this game. The Mavs, though bit by the injury bug as of late, are good. The Knicks are bad. So I guess the score makes sense, even if I was a bit unneccessarily pessimistic. It was so obvious (sorry Dirk!) that the Mavs were going to win this game, Isiah Thomas repeatedly pleaded to the media that the Knicks had no chance. Very weird.

Anyway, not much of a story here. The Mavs came to New York, saw some sights, ate some food, got in a game, and are now out of there. Josh Howard had 24 and 10, pacing the Mavs all night long. Nowitzki was right there with him, pouring in 24 of his own while taking smart shots and getting 5 rebounds. Dampier showed up, and you never know when he'll do that, but he got 10 points and 13 rebounds, so that's nice. Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse were unspectacular, but made some nice shots. Devin Harris was disappointing.

Not much the Knicks did, except having Eddy Curry and Nate Robinson score points. They were an awful 36% from the field, that's the whole team. They made many mistakes and didn't look like they wanted to be playing the best in the league. I wonder where that idea came from, head coach of the Knicks perhaps? Possible.

Nothing more to see here, move along.

Reds release Wilson

I was hoping so.

It's only made tough by the fact that the guy is a heckuva guy. Great guy, good leader. Never pitched very well, though. I mean, think about it, this guy used to be our #1 pitcher. That's how bad the Reds were. At best he was reliable and decent, but never great. His time has come and gone, it's nice to see he recovered well from surgery and all, but this move needed to be made.

Dirk Nowitzki "Obviously" Watch

Double dosage!

"Just because we lost that one, big game, it wasn't like we were worried or anything," Nowitzki continued. "Obviously, that was a disappointing loss, but we're very confident in our ability to close games out.

"Obviously, what everyone remembers is our meltdown in The Finals last year," Nowitzki said.

Preview of the rest of the Devils season

I know nobody really reads this, especially the hockey section about the Devils, so there's no point in me telling you to go read something. And the person that will read this is the person I am linking to, so they've already written it and don't need to read it. But I'll do it anyway because it's worth looking at.

John F writes about the rest of the regular season for the New Jersey Devils.

He paints a pretty grim picture of things ahead, but actually ends up being more optimistic than I would have thought. Looking at it, all the challenges and the hurdles, I am very pessimistic. The Devils could end up as low as #5 in the East, after holding #2 forever. But hopefully they can maintain #2. It all starts tonight against Toronto. It's the beginning of the home stretch and the Devils, amidst their poor play and nagging injuries at just the wrong time, need to win.

Tigers 6, Reds 2

Shawn uses the word "meaningless" for every recap. So there's your perspective.

NOTABLE THINGS

Pitching: Arroyo started and got the loss, emerging with an ERA. Seemed pretty human and a pretty mediocre pitcher, but was facing pretty decent Tiger hitters. Final stats were 4.2/3 innings, 7 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 1 K. He gave up a homer to Sheffield. After Coutlangus got Arroyo's final out, Paul Wilson pitched the 6-7-8 and gave up 3 hits and 2 walks for 2 runs scored. Ever since his first appearance he has looked pretty lame and is definitely looking from the outside in to make the team. I am hoping anyway.

Hitting: Kenny Rogers was pretty decent, but Adam Dunn had his way with him, knocking a homer out of the park as well as getting hit by a pitch. Denorfia led off and was 1/3 with an RBI-double. He is finally starting to turn it on and if he keeps turning it on closer to the season, it will be hard to send him down. But that's probably what they will do anyway. Alex Gonzalez was 0/4 which sucked, so he probably shouldn't be in this category. Because he didn't exhibit hitting skills. Josh Hamilton got a pinch hit. Norris Hopper was 0/2 with 2 K's.

Fielding & such: Says there were two errors, but they only list one and that is Hopper. Certainly not a good day for the guy.

Mock Draft

Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer:

Both Johnson and Russell had impressive pro day workouts to solidify their elite status. If there are no trades before the draft, Russell is the right pick, and the Raiders will enter project mode with their young coach and young quarterback. If they trade Moss, however, they should jump on Johnson, the draft's most surefire superstar, and look for a veteran quarterback willing to mentor Walter.

Interesting comparison linking it to Moss, but what isn't linked to Moss these days? His logic is that if the trade comes off and Aaron Rodgers lands in Oakland, why draft Russell and have three unproven QB's? Makes sense to a degree. If Moss sticks around, which is most likely, Russell is the choice. Interesting stuff. We shall see.

Mock Draft

Pat Kirwan's Mock Draft 3 at NFL.com:

1. Oakland: JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU -- The Raiders have a lot of needs, but as long as quarterback is one of them, they have to respond by selecting the guy with the great deep ball. I could see a move down, especially now that Cleveland will not need Adrian Peterson and someone was counting on tackle Joe Thomas or wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

Yup, pretty much.

Griffey to right field

At least for now, for the beginning of the season. He didn't get enough work in during Spring Training, so Ryan Freel has the job for now. Which is good. I did like seeing Freel in right field, though. He played it well. And there are plays that still need to be made over there, and I hope Griffey can make them. He better be able to, otherwise he'll just be the DH when we play AL teams, and not much more than that. Keep watching this story.