Jordan

I started playing hockey in Plano because I watched Modano when I was 8 years old. There are thousands of us — kids who became hockey fans because of one player in a football state.

Nieuwendyk winning the Conn Smythe was deserved but Belfour was equally valuable. A .930 save percentage in the playoffs is elite. He was the reason Dallas survived the Colorado series.

Playoff hockey at AAC is the loudest sporting event in DFW. I have been to Cowboys games, Mavs games, Rangers games — nothing touches a Stars playoff game for noise level. The building vibrates.

6.2% Cup probability from MoneyPuck is actually decent for a team in the wild card hunt. In the NHL, any team that makes the playoffs has a legitimate shot. The margins are thin.

The .918 save percentage over the last 30 games is the most encouraging number on this page. Goaltending wins in the playoffs and ours is trending in the right direction at exactly the right time.

The World Series shutout shifted momentum permanently. After that game, Arizona had no answer.

A 1.14 ERA across 4 postseason starts is unreal. Some pitchers are built for October.

Hotels in Surprise versus Scottsdale -- we stayed for $120/night and drove to Old Town for dinner. Best of both worlds.

Spring training in Surprise is the best baseball experience available. Small stadium, perfect weather, $15 lawn seats, and you are 50 feet from MLB players.

Matchup-based bullpen usage over fixed roles is the analytics revolution in action. Get the best arm for the most important at-bat, regardless of inning.

$500M in public money for a billionaire stadium is the real issue. Brookings Institution research shows stadiums rarely deliver promised economic returns.

The Dominican Republic at 45% of signings is consistent with industry-wide trends. The DR produces the most international talent per capita in the world.

Going from 12th to 5th in international spending in 3 years shows a real strategic shift. The front office identified this as a weakness and invested aggressively.

Seager at -4 OAA is concerning but not surprising. He is 32 playing the most demanding position. The move to third base needs to happen soon.

League average bullpen on a contending team is a recipe for a first-round exit. The 2023 championship team had a top-8 bullpen.

The closer is fine. The setup situation is the problem. You cannot blow leads in the 7th and 8th inning and expect the closer to bail you out.

The 2023 World Series clinch is the obvious historical answer but it happened in Arizona. I want to be at a moment that happened in OUR building. That is why the Garcia grand slam wins.

The Garcia grand slam. No contest. I was there and it is the greatest single moment I have experienced in any sport. The sound of 40,000 people screaming simultaneously is something I will never forget.

MLB.TV with a VPN is how most tech-savvy fans watch. $150 for every out-of-market game is a great deal. The blackout policy just forces people to find workarounds.

Sell scenario should be off the table entirely. This ownership group spent $744M to win. Selling at the deadline would be a slap in the face to the fanbase.

WAR per dollar shows Semien as underpaid relative to his contract. How often can you say that about a $175M free agent? This front office hit on both Seager and Semien.

Texas Live before a big series game is electric. The 2023 ALCS watch parties there were packed with thousands of people. The energy rivaled being inside the stadium.

Park at Texas Live, have lunch, walk to the game, walk back to Texas Live after — it is the perfect Arlington day. One parking spot, multiple experiences.

The deGrom contract coming off after 2027 is the biggest financial event on this timeline. $37M freed up is transformative. The question is whether ownership reinvests it or pockets it.

Three pitching prospects in the top-100 is genuinely exciting. If even one of them becomes a legitimate MLB starter, the investment in development infrastructure was worth it.

The climate factor is real and underappreciated. Pitching in 100-degree heat puts additional stress on the arm that teams in San Francisco or Seattle do not deal with. The biomechanics lab is an attempt to mitigate that.