A little less than a year ago, it seemed that the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex was about to become the center of sports, the mecca of professional sports teams.
The Dallas Mavericks were fresh off a NBA championship, in somewhat improbable fashion, having taken the NBA playoff calendar by storm.
The Dallas Cowboys were by no means front-runners. But they weren't too shabby, either. There was much football to be played. But the playoffs were most definitely within the realm of possibility, perhaps even a run into the playoffs. And when a team gets hot, we all know what could happen: Lombardi Trophy (see the NY Giants' recent run of playoff success).
And the Rangers were right there, about to become World Series Champs, a phrase that no die-hard Rangers fan could have ever imagined would be uttered about his/her team. Once that phrase was christened with a Game 6 victory, who knows what sort of momentum could ensue. A DFW Sports Triple Crown (NBA, MLB, NFL)? Very possible. Sports mania in DFW-land hitting an all-time high? You betcha. A run of consecutive World Series titles? Why not.
But then Game 6 happened. Then Holland gave up the eighth inning home run. Then Feliz's nerves got the best of him and he forgot how to paint the outside of the strike zone. And yes, then Nellie decided to turn ballerina in right field for fear of contact with the wall.
We now sit at the complete opposite end of where we were a year ago.
The Rangers? Whoa. This year's late-season collapse was epic. The stuff that people will talk about for, well, maybe forever. That coupled with the Game 6 collapse will have people wondering if they will ever be able to win the big game. Curse of the . . . Ballerina?
The Mavs? I really do not follow their day-to-day stories much. I have to admit that. But Dirk's knee issues seem like they could be pretty bad. I wonder if from here on out, he is a shell of what he used to be. Without Dirk, what is the team? Really? A team built around a superstar without said superstar. Things do not look good in Mark Cuban-land, at least for this NBA season.
And the Cowboys? They are taking things to new lows. Sure, Jerry Jones is a curse upon this franchise. Ever since their last Super Bowl title, some almost twenty years ago, Jones has really jacked this team up. With him as GM, we have no chance. But we still have done some things right, even in spite of him, e.g. the rise of Romo from an undrafted free agent. But their ability to lose games this year is taking things to a new level.
Yep, we really have done a complete 180 from the morning of October 26, 2011.
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