Twins and Doubles.

Happy Monday to you. 

Hopefully the weekend has treated you well. The countdown now begins as we spend the next week determining which teams will win their respective conferences before seeding and match ups are announced for the Elite 65 and the N.I.T. Two separate entities, yes, but the one sheet of paper that will be held in the highest regard, more so than a wedding vow, will be the bracket slip. That funky contraption of teams, lines and numbers from 1 to 16 and two weeks of Round Robin watching college basketball until we reach the Final Four the last weekend of March. 

I have it on good authority that there are quite a few ladies who do little to no research on prospective teams and will just make picks based on uniform color and tightness of bun factor. Sexist yes, but it seems to work sometimes. Weird.

I do know one team who I won't touch with a ten foot pole. That's the Longhorns of Texas. Ranked highly when we got started with the season in November. The last month for the crew of Rick Barnes has been an abyss of mounting losses. For that matter, no one in the Big 12 captures my fancy. Speaking only for myself, I've always had a soft spot for the Wildcats of Kentucky. My guess is that the Atlantic will represent very well come Final Four time. No scientific proof, just a gut feeling based on what I have seen in the winter months...

A rare Daily Double of success for the local teams. In need of a little Capital punishment, Marty Turco came up big with a much-needed win in the nation's capital. The battle remains uphill for the Stars as they remain 4 points away from the 8th and last playoff seed with a little under a month to play.

If you were to ask me what or which hockey player is most prominent to help the Dallas Stars down the stretch for a playoff push? My answer is Loui Eriksson. It seems as if players respond the passion and intensity of Brother Loui.

Yes, there is a lot of youth and upswing on a squad with a  great future. Marty Turco and Kari Lehtonen have played well in spots. I love James Neal as much as the next guy but again, I stand by my conviction that as Loui goes, so go the Stars.

I have known Mike Fisher for almost four years. Fish has a way of conveying a point while remaining true to his ethereal precepts of Maverick play and Maverick scoop. A perspective that's always outside of the box, I can only wonder how he successfully picks a game watching night where his alma-mater, a team from Minnesota, is the opponent?

Tonight in Lewisville at a place called Twin Peaks a group of over 120 fans showed up and enjoyed a game where the Mavericks increase their win streak to 12 games. In doing so shorthanded, they fall behind 21-11 early. Follow that with a 23-4 run and a 14-1 advantage in turnovers in the first half. From that point forward, there was no looking back as Dallas sailed to a 125-112 victory.

On a night where the visiting team only suited up nine players, it was Shawn Marion who decided to be the playmaker as he amassed 29 points and 14 rebounds. New addition Caron Butler was good for 23 for the surging Mavericks. A great testament to how well Dallas is playing despite being so banged up. The push for 13 will be Wednesday night when the Nets come to town. By the time the Celtics come to Dallas on March 20th we might be seeing an 18 game win streak. Who's to say? Enjoy Mav fans. This is getting fun.

Equally fun was the turnout of fans and the people who will be working behind the scenes when the developmental team from Frisco commences play later in 2010 at Dr. Pepper Star Center. Del Harris, Spud Webb, Donnie Nelson Jr, Mike Fisher, Wally Lynn, and David Lord of Dallas Basketball fame came to Twin Peaks. They were present to promote the NBDL, give away some great merchandise, tickets, some autographed memorabilia, and other knick-knacks for the fans.

An added perk was being surrounded by a bevy of hard-working waitresses. Tess was my server. She was polite and proper. From where I sat, there were a lot of happy Mavericks fans. A 12 game winning streak will do that for you as well.

Thanks to Mike Fisher for the photo love. These watching parties turn out to be a lot of mingling and networking. All right by me. Of course when I think 'Twin Peaks' I will forever remember the 'damn good cup of coffee', the Cherry Pie, Josie, Agent Cooper, Laura Palmer, Leland Palmer, and of course the owls not being what they seem...Go back to 1990 and buy the DVD from the 1st season...

Over and out in Big D

Mr. Will