Twas a day of remembrance in the name of 'U.S.A.' and 'Beat L.A.' The rare Daily Double of enjoyment if a sports fan in Dallas. Many eyes are focused on what's happening in Vancouver B.C.

These eyes were glued to the telly while doing some needed house chores in the afternoon. I was perplexed by the disparity of shots on goal in comparison to Switzerland. At one point the advantage was 33-8 for the Americans. I was slowly starting to worry about a possible letdown. That is, until the 3rd period arrival of Zach Parise.

In a battle I dubbed 'Battle of Miller and Hiller' you saw two goalies come up with some incredible stops. For whatever reason it seemed like USA'a shots on goal had no elevation, no lift. After two periods it was a scoreless duel despite the shots on goal advantage.

Zach Parise would finally succeed twice in the 3rd frame to give America a 2-0 victory and a semi-final game with Finland on Friday at 2 pm CST. Interest for this over achieving team continues to grow. I will be watching in some way, shape or form. I really believe that the United States can take the Gold, but will need to play a perfect game. Probably against Canada.

My day ended quite contentedly with a trip to the AAC watching the revamped Dallas Mavericks playing the defending World Champion L.A. Lakers. If you're a numbers guy, you already know that Kobe Bryant has donned the numbers 8 and 24. How fitting that on this night you would see 8 ties and 24 lead changes before the Mavericks would pull away by 5 points.

Years past time and time again I watched Kobe Bryant single-handedly take over in a game late. His shooting was off. Derek Fisher would hit a random three from outside the perimeter and keep L.A. close. In that final period it looked like the Lakers had a collective meltdown with the shooting while the Mavericks were a near-perfect 14 for 15 at the free-throw line.

From where I stood, the two loudest ovations of the night were when Roddy B put the slap-block on an attempted lay-up in the 2nd period and when Jason Kidd sank the three to end the 3rd period. Dallas didn't trail after that moment.

It is a long way to April and alot can happen in the name of health, momentum, and consistency. For this moment, it was great to see two underdogs come up big in two sports in one day. It was also great to be among familiar faces in the crowd.

Next week the Stars get back to the AAC ice. I for one will be glad. Camera at the ready.

Over and out in Big D

Mr. Will