NBA Podcast: How Good Will the Dallas Mavericks Be in 2013-14?

It figures to be relatively silent in Rangers land for a few weeks with the World Series going on and the winter hot stove still in the preheating stage.

My sports attention is starting to turn to basketball. As a native of Plano, I've been a longtime Dallas Mavericks fan. In 2011, I drove from Lawrence to Dallas the weekend the Mavs won the NBA title. Best weekend road trip ever.

The 2013-14 NBA season is about a week away. So how good will the Mavs be this year? For that answer, I turned to my good friend Sam, who's as well-versed as anyone I know when it comes to Mavs hoops. Check out the podcast below:

PODCAST: What do the Rangers Need to Address This Offseason?

Watching some of these American League and National League championship games naturally sends me into reflection mode, as a longtime fan of the Texas Rangers.

For instance: Bengie Molina's homer against the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALCS in 2010; Cliff Lee dominating the Rays and capturing the franchise's first-ever playoff series victory in 2010; Neftali Feliz striking out A-Rod to capture the team's first-ever World Series berth in 2010; beating the Tigers to advance to the club's second straight World Series in 2011.

When you're a baseball fan, the fall season naturally feels different when your team is part of the postseason chase.

Rangers Not Done: Could Nelson Cruz's Return Spark Rangers Enough to Make Noise?

Three scorching hot teams in the American League wild card chase finished their 2013 seasons in the following fashion:

Cleveland (92-70) Won 10 straight
Texas (91-71): Won 7 straight
Tampa Bay (91-71): Won 8 of 10

So much drama in the M-L-B.

Dear Cleveland and Tampa Bay: Please Lose. Signed, Everyone.

Quick, someone poison the food of the Cleveland Indians who order room service this weekend in Minnesota. OK, maybe don't. But it seems that's the only way these guys will chalk one up in the "L" column right now.

Cleveland and Tampa Bay sit one game ahead of the Rangers for the final American League wild card spot with two games left in the 2013 regular season. Is it me, or does it seem like the flippin' Indians will ... not ... ever .... lose ... again ... seriously, like for the rest of time. Their eight in a row seem like 50 in a row.

Friends, welcome to September baseball.

Another Baseball Stadium Crossed off Bucket List: PETCO Park

San Diego - Whenever I visit an MLB stadium for the first time, it's an opportunity to cross off items from my sports bucket list. As a baseball dork, that consists of visiting all 30 MLB parks at some point in my lifetime.

This past weekend, my list became one park smaller after I attended a game at PETCO Park in San Diego. The Padres lost, 5-2, to the Mets.

Here's my running tally of parks attended:

1. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington: Texas Rangers
2. Kaufmann Stadium: Kansas City Royals
3. Wrigley Field: Chicago Cubs
4. Coors Field: Colorado Rockies
5. Dodger Stadiun: L.A. Dodgers
6. Sun Life Stadium: Florida Marlins (mid '90s)
7. PETCO Park: San Diego Padres

Reflection on Rangers Trading for Alex Rios

Given Chicago's initial asking price, which was somewhere high in outer space between Neptune and Pluto, trading for Alex Rios seemed like a stretch a few days ago for the Texas Rangers. Parting with any package headlined by Jurickson Profar, Leonys Martin or Martin Perez wasn't going to happen. So the Rangers stood pat at the July 31 trade deadline in their pursuit of a bat to replace the recently suspended Nelson Cruz.

It's a good thing that's all Texas did.