Implausible Dreams - Main Page

I'm not giving in to security under pressure
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams

Implausible Dreams is my personal webpage, originally posted in 2002 (Implausible Dreams). The name comes from the Rush song you see above (more).

I've got a number of interests that I'll share here - not the least of which is soccer, but also motorcycling, hockey, music and Texas A&M University athletics.

HOT TIMES IN DFW SPORTS!

Right now, the two biggest things are FC Dallas and the Texas Rangers as they go after post-season glory. Here are a few notes about FC Dallas and then I've updated my Texas Rangers page with specific thoughts about the series v. the Yankees. Click HERE to read more.

FC DALLAS

As for FC Dallas, what can you say? 19 games unbeaten in league play. Set the MLS record for games unbeaten on the road. Hot on the trail of RSL and LA for the overall best record in the league. That doesn't count the game against the 2010 Champions League winners, Inter Milan. What an amazing run!

Jeff Cunningham has tied Jaime Moreno for the all-time goals-scored record in MLS, and with the way Moreno hasn't been playing, and the run Jeff is on, Jeff is in position to set a new record. Personally, I love the idea of FC Dallas being the only MLS club to have two players who held or hold the all-time goals-scored record.

Hands down, FCD is one of the top teams in MLS and has a chance to prove how good they really are over the next month. Although the loss to RSL was a step back, there were positives to take from it and Dallas can still do a lot of damage going forward. We find out this weekend where all the teams will finish and what the playoff landscape looks like. With FCD at Los Angeles on Sunday, we will know what result of the game will mean before kickoff.

Either way, get ready for the playoffs!

US Soccer Links

One of the key parts of this website is the US Soccer Links Page. It is designed to ultimately be a one-stop launching pad for much of the soccer world for people who follow soccer in the US. FC Dallas? MLS? US national teams? It either has it or will have it. The idea is to have all the links in one spot. So far, I've got the major ones down, especially for Dallas, MLS and the USSF. I have the basics of the USL and some general overall news sites so you can get to EPL, etc., if that is your cup of tea. It is still a bit under construction in a few spots, but recently revised and still very useful. Let me know what you'd like to see added!

What you'll find below are descriptions and links for the new additions/updates to certain pages, some information about older but still useful pages, and then some other stuff about me. Note that most of the main pages also have links on the right side of the page. Enjoy!

CHAOTICA

The most recently completed page is Chaotica, my music page. See it just below this post with information about some unique musicians that I personally enjoy. Most recently, I've done blog posts on Kaki King and Del Castillo.

Other Updates

Recent tweaks have been made to Cygnus X-1, my Dallas Stars page.

I had previously updated Highway Child - my motorcycle resource page, as well as written some actual blog entries including two motorcycle/karma blogs, Why Motorcycle Riders Wave and Karma = Good (Motorcycle Version).

Here are some other pages, most with recent updates:

Janice and The Music Therapy Show - about Janice Harris' wonderful radio program
Neil Peart Condolences Page
Highway Child - Motorcycle Page

Go HERE for a little more background information about these pages and me.

Cygnus X-1 - Leht's Go Stars!

Welcome to my Dallas Stars page. Here you will find some cool links, my favorite players and overall comments about the team. (See the bottom of the page for the answer to the question, “Why ‘Cygnus X-1’?”) The main idea of this page is to be an information source as well as hosting commentary. If you have any links you think I should add, please let me know by emailing me.

Also, I've added a new fan-page/blog - The Sign Girls. It contains some cool stuff from some fans who really care about the team and aren't afraid to show it!

Dallas Stars and NHL Links

Official | NHL Official Page | Dallas Stars Official Page | AHL
ESPN | Stars Team Page | Schedule/Results | Roster | Stats
ESPN | NHL Page | Standings | Scores | Schedule
Stars Fan | Dallas Fanatics | Dallas Stars Podcast | Stars Official Fan Forums

The Winds of Change 2.0

So, now that the 2011-2012 season is all but over, here is my brief wrap-up and a look towards next season and the Stars future in general.

NHL Realignment?

I also wrote an article a while back looking at potential realignment options.

The Winds of Change

And Hicks decides that he wants to go with GM Joe, and Nieuwendyk goes with Marc Crawford as his new coach. See my blog post for the Dallas Stars Podcast for most of my current thoughts about the changes. I'm not sure it is fair to Tippett as he seemed to be given some pretty tough cards to play, but that is life in the big city. Tipp will be back and I'm glad for all that he did for the Stars.

2008-2009 Season - Well, at least it is over

The injuries kept coming and despite the fact that the team overcame the Avery debacle, they just couldn't scrape into the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what the club tries to do to recover from this. Is it as simple as get healthy? Considering the success of 2007-2008, that would be my thought. Unless through the haze of all the injuries, the organization thinks that something changed between two years ago and this past season that needs a change.

2008-2009 Season - so far, not so good...

Well, that wasn't the kind of first half we were thinking we were going to get, now was it? The whole Avery mess, the injuries (Zubov, Morrow and such) etc., and the Stars are far from being a top team in the West, but are more like a team struggling to smell the playoffs, let alone get in. December seemed to reveal some signs that Tip has the team moving in a more positive direction.

2008 Draft

The Stars took a goalkeeper, Tyler Beskorowany of the Ontario Hockey League (Owen Sound Attack) with the 59th pick in the 2008 NHL draft. Follow the rest of the draft on the Stars page.

Back to Reality

And then it was over. Game Six, and we lose to the Red Wings at home. But not before we gave them a heck of a run. The great thing is that we found out that we could compete with them. Obviously, a lot goes into a season and we can't assume that we'll be back to the WCF next year, but it sure does give Stars fans a better feeling going into the off-season to know that the boys have the stones to do some damage in the playoffs once again.

Stars Win! Stars Win! Stars Win!

Game Five - Dallas 2, @ Detroit 1!

And we have ourselves a series. It took a lot of hard sledding, and needless to say, it ain't over yet. But rather than just win one game for pride on Wednesday, the Stars have now injected themselves into the series. No time to think about winning the series just yet - now is the time to focus on Game Six and nothing further. Especially considering that it has taken everything the Stars have just to get to this point.

So let's reflect on what we've seen so far. Wednesday, we saw the Stars play their guts out and dominate the game. Today, we saw them play their guts out and eek out a win. But in both situations, it took maximum effort for 60 minutes to get the wins. How much more do the Stars have in the tank at this point?

The other thing - both games relied on Dallas getting the lead. Does Dallas have to keep Detroit from scoring first to win?

What is new?

Last year, the Dallas Stars Havoc Fanatics were formed. Rather than do the gimmicks that have been done by the Dallas Mavericks, etc., the Stars decided to try to rustle up some real rowdy fans – and it worked! The Fanatics were born. Located in Section 332 (sometimes called the Asylum by Stars color analyst Razor Reaugh), these fans are as active as any fans you’ll see supporting any team anywhere. They’ve borrowed and stolen from traditional hockey fans, soccer fans and good ol’ American sports stuff to create a fun atmosphere for every game.

But make no mistake – this isn’t about fun. It is about supporting the Stars – it just happens to be a lot of fun to go all out for your team. I’ve had a lot of experience doing this for the Dallas Burn and FC Dallas, and when I saw the Fanatics for the first time last season, I fell head over heels in love. Imagine my surprise when they reached out to me via my job with FC Dallas! Now I get to be a fan again, and I’m having a blast.

HERE is their website – check it out!

Feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments about what the Fanatics are or how to join.

Fan Commentary

Well well well. What have we here? Is it the rebirth of the Stars as a perennial Western Conference power?

It sure smells like it. While we've had some tough times since after the 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and especially since the 2003 playoffs when we last won a playoff series before this year, this year has seen us defeat our divisional nemesis, the Anaheim Ducks - who just happened to be the defending champs - as well as the division winners, the San Jose Sharks.

While we're in quite a dog-fight with the Detroit Red Wings and need to get a win Monday night, winning the past two series sure seems like vindication for Marty Turco and Dave Tippett. It sure feels like a team that is in its ascendancy.

This is a section that I will update as the season goes on, so feel free to check back from time to time to get my latest take on all things Dallas Stars related.

Favorite Players

Here you will find my favorite Dallas Stars players with a bit about them and why they are my favorites. Currently this is a simplified version of what I want to have in the end, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Jere Lehtinen – Gritty, aggressive, with the ability to score. He is what I would want to be if I were a hockey player. I love the idea of outworking the other team, but not just being a grinder – being someone who can put a bulge in the old onion bag, too. He is my favorite hockey player in the NHL for that reason.

Brenden Morrow – similar to Jere, but also the captain of the team and seems to have learned at the foot of his father in law, the great Guy Carbonneau. I love the ties to hockey tradition with this team – all the Canadiens personnel who helped make the Stars what they were in the 1990s. Brenden seems to me to be a legacy player of those times.

Steve Ott – Cut from the same cloth as Jere, although not everyone is blessed to be that good. On the other hand, he has a nastiness to his game that seems to get under the skin of other teams and while not necessarily a fighter, isn't afraid to drop the gloves.

Sergi Zubov – While he isn’t a grinder, he is probably the smartest and most skilled player on the ice and I love watching him make things happen.

Stephane Robidas - NEW - WOW. Where did this guy come from? Tough as nails, making huge plays on offense and defense. Incredible. I'd put him in my top three right now, with Morrow and Jere.

Stu Barnes - NEW - he has shown a whole heck of a lot in the first two rounds, and I wonder how much of the team's recent struggles relate to his absence...

Thanks for Reading

So thanks for checking my website out. As always, comments are welcome. How can I make this site better? What do you agree with? Disagree with? Fire away!

Check out my other sites as well. Right now, it is just the main page, Implausible Dreams, but I hope to have the other sites I mention on that page up and running over the next few weeks.

Why “Cygnus X-1”?

As with some of my other pages, this one has a Rush theme as Cygnus X-1 is one of their songs and mentioned in another. The song itself starts with a great rif that the band builds into, and the lyrics are about a journey to – and through - that black hole. By the way, HERE is the original version of that site.