It's That Time of the Year Again
By Don Hobbs

It is that time of the year when Sherlock Holmes takes a backseat to the local sports scene. The Dallas Stars and the Dallas Mavericks are both in the playoffs and much to my wife's dismay, there are games on nearly every night. The Dallas Star of the National Hockey League have disappointed me for the past seven years. They have not won a play off series in five years. This year they were the underdogs against last year's Stanley Cup winners, the Anaheim Ducks.

Dallas won the first two games before losing. The teams split the next two games before tonight's contest. I am happy to announce that my team won tonight 4-1 and now move on to the next round of the playoffs. I am a hockey junkie and this win was just what I needed.

The Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association have been the darlings of the league for the past two seasons. Two years ago, they made it to the finals before losing to the Miami Heat. Last year, they had the best regular season record but stunk in the opening round of the playoffs, losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games. This year, they finished seventh in their conference and struggled down the stretch. They lost the opening game of their series with the New Orleans Hornets.

Over the past several seasons my divorce from Sherlock Holmes was short lived, especially when referring to the hockey side of things. Last year it really did not matter as both local teams barely made a squeak on their runs towards their respective playoff runs. I promise to bring in something a bit more Sherlockian in nature as soon as my teams are eliminated, but for right now, I have another game to watch.

Happy Collecting!!