The Daily Nickel

1. Benji Molina Found Dead- We heard he had lost a few pounds

2. Miley Is Like, So Pissed- This is in the news... for reals?

3. Technical Foul-  The NBA's version of "Mailman Bites Dog"

4. LeBron's Predecessor- Who gets the credit for creating the Prima Donna... Read the D-Fdub exclusive to find out.

How did Lebron become such an irritating diaper bag?

I've always been in awe of Lebron, the talent, but I've always kind of hated Lebron, the person. 

I love seeing a super-talented guy stay humble and Lebron is as proud as they come.  He's got that I'm-amazing-and-nothing's-ever-my-fault attitude.  I mean, how could it be?  He's Lebron.  Seinfeld would call that the I'm Keith Hernandez syndrome.  Obviously, the Decision is high up on my hate list, but it goes deeper than that.  It's the stupid pre-game chalk-throwing that just begs for attention.  It's the fact that he's never really won anything but yet still refers to himself in the third person as King (his twitter name is KingJames).  It's that he doesnt think the rules apply to him, like how he didnt feel like being around for his player introduction this week against the Cavs since the fans their might actually boo him.  It's that after shooting 3-14 in a devestating Game 5 playoff loss to Boston, he mentioned in his post game presser that he "spoils a lot of people with his play" and that he's had three bad games in his seven-year career.  Must be the coach's fault.  The next game we see Lebron's buddy, coach Calipari, sitting courtside......of a playoff game.  From then on, speculation runs wild that Lebron will demand he be the next coach of the Cavs.  I could go on and on.....

Lebron isnt the only guy that acts like this, just maybe the worst offender.  So where did this prima donna crap start and who is truly to blame?  I think I have the answer....

The Daily Nickel

1. Rangers Unveil New Jumbotron- Ranger's fans will now be able to watch replays in HD.  We just hope they're watching Josh Hamilton web gems and not Julio Borbon errors.  Have we mentioned we think they're making a really big mistake gifting this guy the CF job.

2. Mark Cuban Eats Hot Dogs-  The moral of the story is that spending money bothers rich people too.  They are just like me and you... the only diff is they go home to 24,000 square foot homes, trophy wives and spoiled kids on their way to being rotten people.

3. Stephen McGee Hates Old Women-  Really, who doesn't?  They're mean, judgemental, and they smell like mothballs.  At least he's working out and not getting into all kinds of trouble like...

The Daily Nickel

1. The D-Fdub spent the weekend scouting out the Rangers and enjoying the Phoenix weather. After watching games in a number of different ballparks, the most impressive by far was the "Talking Stick River Mud Ballpark" (or whatever the Rockies/Diamondbacks call it). Great views and great food but unfortunately that's the game the Rangers got shelled in.



2. Most surprising Ranger of the weekend was Mike Napoli. He played some decent 1st base, but it was his hitting that really stood out. We'll see how long Yorvit Torrealba holds him off as the starting backstop.

Being a Hero

Some men fight fires, save lives or leap buildings in a single bound to become a hero.

I caught the ice cream man. 

We were hanging out in the yard as a family, mom and me taking turns not paying attention to the kids, and the kids taking turns injuring each other, when that unmistakable old song began to echo off the houses all around us.  Our ears pricked up and the kids and their mom looked at me with begging, hopeful eyes.  I’ve learned to recognize these calls for greatness and I rose to the challenge.  I walked to the front yard in my shirtless state, to pinpoint the music trucks exact location.  It was amazingly impossible, and even worse, the sound was growing fainter.  What a cruel trick for the ice cream man to play… driving by with his music blaring and then speeding away before an appropriately reluctant adult can realistically respond.  I have to admit, I had gotten my hopes for an ice cream glove with a bubble gum ball as well, but it’s just not cool to act all excited.

The Daily Nickel

1. D-Fdub Leaves Mark on Sun City-  Thank you to all the faithful readers that extended gracious hospitality, the Texas Rangers for the tickets and exclusive player interactions, and In-N-Out Burger for the delicious Double-Doubles and chocolate shakes.

2. Mavs Pull Off Win After Sloppy Start- The D-Fdub takes full responsibility for the sloppy start... but, the Mavs wanted to hang Saturday Nights and we had the hook up.  Dirk was as crazy as always, the life of the party as usual.  He jumped into the hot tub from the roof of the condo and repeatedly dunked JJB who had to stand on his tip-toes to breathe anyway.  It was a great night and things didn't get wrapped up until early in the a.m.  So, our bad.

3. Treanor Traded to Royals- We uncovered this story after the Ranger's spring training game against the Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.  During an interview of Ron Washington he revealed that Kansas City had unearthed some particularly embarrassing video footage of Mr. Washington partying with two women much younger than he.  He was only concerned that the footage of him, "dancin' around like a toples fool," would ruin his stellar image in the D-Fdub.  The Treanor trade serves as hush money.

The Daily Nickel

1. By scratching out a victory against the lowly Timberwolves last night, the Mavs are now one of only three teams in history to have 50 wins for 11 seasons in a row. I don't know about you, but I'd trade all of those seasons for just one championship.


2. Speaking of the Mavs, the more I watch them, the more I like Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, Roddy, and Dirk. The rest of them? Not so much. Unless Roddy and Chandler have a huge postseason come playoff time, it looks like another early round exit. It's hard to believe that Roddy will have much of an impact when he didn't even get to play 15 minutes against the T'wolves. Is www.firerickcarlisle.com available?



3. The Texas Rangers have settled on the final three spots of their rotation. I say give it a month and at least 2 of the 3 starters will be in the minors.