Rangers, Mavs, HBO's "Veep" & More in the Friday Cheat Sheet

That Sports Girl's Cheat Sheet

Mondays are so rushed.  It's hard to skim the paper web to catch up on things you missed over the weekend and get ready for what's happening in the coming week.  I lucked out and had this Monday free.  So consider this the Monday Memo or better yet what you need to know to win your week.


Dallas Mavericks,  NBA Matchups, 2013 All-Star Game & Golddigging Jocksniffers
The Dallas Mavericks (22-28) are 5-5 over their last 10 games and are going for their third straight win Monday night against a decent Atlanta Hawks (27-22) team.   Dallas has won 9 of its last 13 games against the Hawks.

Wednesday Dallas hosts Sacramento (19-33) before taking a week off before the All-Star Game.  The Mavericks have beaten the Kings in 13 of the last 14 meetings.

The All-Star game is in Houston this year which also hosted the event in 2006.  I'll never forget how cold it was in Houston that February.  I'll also never forget walking into a hotel and seeing a perennial All-Star guard who was at one time married to a Hollywood celebrity fending off advances from a rather skanky chick who was not his gorgeous wife.  So goes life in the NBA.  I really feel for these guys sometimes.  Gold-digging jocksniffers are on the prowl at almost every turn. 

Couple of other Mavs-centric/NBA nuggets:

• I am not a fan of the Mavs beard brigade.  Some guys are letting their facial hair grow until they get back to .500 on the season.  Shawn Marion got a trim today.  I appreciate the effort but I'm out on facial hair.  Marion has the right idea.
• Totally looking forward to the Thursday's Heat/Thunder game.  It's the perfect way to close the first half of the season.   

Rangers Spring Training

We're heading to Surprise, Arizona to cover Rangers spring training on Tuesday morning.  Some things I'll be keeping an eye on:

• What's the identity of this team with Michael Young and Josh Hamilton?  I'm curious about the dynamic on this team.  Ian Kinsler has said in the past he's ready to be a leader.  Easier said than done.
• The Rangers are not the defending AL champs or the runners up this year, like the previous two seasons.  That usually meant a fair amount of attention.  What will it mean now?
• How will the Rangers and Nelson Cruz address the Miami New Times report alleging Cruz purchased PEDs from a Miami distributor.   The Rangers handle these situations better than most teams. 

What are some questions you want answered about this 2013 Rangers team during spring training?

Lagniappe
And, finally, it's not something happening this week but it's something that has me looking forward to tax season.  Sorta.  Monday HBO announced that the second season of "Veep" will premier on April 14th. This is one of the smartest, nuanced (that's for you VP Meyer) shows on tv.  I catch something new every time I rewatch an episode.  

Speaking of smart shows.  Did you see Sunday night's episode of"Girls"?  Damn.   I feel like I lived that episode.  At least part of it.  That story I'm saving for the book.