It has been known for quite some time now that the Texas Rangers were raising their ticket prices this upcoming season. The Rangers have now released the details of the increase. Basically, the price for every seat in the house is going up anywhere from $1 to $7. The prices range from $6 to $80.

Everybody looks at an increase in ticket prices negative. And, at first glance this increase also looks bad. But when you look at it closely, it’s not so bad.

The Rangers haven’t raised their ticket prices in 5 years. In 2004 their average ticket price of $16.08 was ranked 25^th in the league. Their ticket revenue last season ranked in the bottom third of the league. The Rangers are not gouging here, they are simply attempting to keep up.

Under the leadership of Jeff Cogen, the Rangers also have one of the most aggressive marketing strategies you’ll find in the Major Leagues. Through corporate partnerships, the Rangers regularly promote special offers that decrease the cost of your tickets dramatically.

What makes this increase look worse is the fact that Mark Cuban has recently stated that he is planning on cutting the price of Maverick tickets next year. This makes a Ranger ticket increase a harder pill to swallow for the Metroplex sports fan.

Boy it’s an easy off season for us in grading the Cowboys. Last season you would have needed 12 pieces of paper to list all of the Cowboys needs. There were gaps everywhere last year: secondary, offensive line, quarterback, even at linebacker. The Cowboys had needs everywhere, literally everywhere.

This off-season I believe is going to be very simple to grade: it all comes down to offensive line. The Cowboys offensive line is huge. It did not pass block well at the tackle position.

Even more important for the offensive line’s sake is the system that Bill Parcells likes to run. Parcells likes to run the ball to control the clock. He likes to get a lead and then grind it out. This style of play requires a strong offensive line.

The weakest unit on the Cowboys last season was the offensive line. There is no doubt about that. The Cowboys need to address several holes in the starting offensive line AND their back up offensive line.

That’s right. The Cowboys need to add at least 2 starting offensive linemen AND they need to add a couple off the bench.

I need search no further than my old pal and my former roomie (it's a long story) Mike Modano for proof: Hockey players -- even The Great One -- ain't that bright.

Football players at least generally fake their way through three years of college. Basketball players fake their way through two. Baseball players are the dumbest of all pro athletes, and their lack of depth and education is reflected in their general malevolence. Pro hockey players are usual darn good guys. ... but not brain machines.

Having accepted that, if you want a good explanation for the "Operation Slap Shot'' scandal -- and a new explanation -- you've come to the right place. Hockey players have a lot of money? You already knew that. Janet Jones has a lot of free time? Ditto. Competitive people like action? No scoop there.

But when even Wayne Betzky ("BETzky'' ... get it?) insists that he knows nothing about an NHL gambling ring that involves his wife and his top assistant/best friend. ... well, Wayne, you ain't that bright.

Now back to my boy Mo. Now, in the wake of this scandal, Mike and the rest of the NHL world simply mumble something "responsible'' into the camera and hope it goes away. But before this thing broke, Modano and I had a lengthy conversation (one of many we've had over the last decade) about life and love and war and hate and the intellect of your average NHL star.

"We oughta turn it into a sand trap,'' Modano told me, and if this sounds like an innocent joke about his favorite sport (Mo prefers golf to hockey), keep listening. "We oughta turn it into a sand trap. Blow it up. Save the oil, though.''

Yes, Mike Modano was making funny about the war in Iraq. And if you'll make certain to keep this in context, remember that he was kidding, that it was guys-with-beers talk, that he is in fact a pacifist with a nice streak whose tremendous compassion for people is reflected in his endless charity work. ... well, it's funny.

"I'm surprised who's ever in charge, Queen Elizabeth the 2, I guess, hasn't ordered the Royal Canadian Mounties to march to the Middle East,'' Mo continued. "Just march up and over the North Pole or whatever, so Canada can be a part of the takeover. Surprise attack.''

Modano is one of the greatest U.S.-born hockey players ever. His Stars are title contenders. He's now on his way to Italy to rep the US in the Olympics. And is also fond of "playing dumb.'' He does so, I theorize to his face, to fit in with the rest of the jocks. ("Queen Elizabeth the 2''?) It is his defense mechanism. I say he developed the trick as a kid who was moved from the American suburbs to Prince Albert, Saskachewan, Canada. Think about it: You're 14. You are the quarterback of the junior-high football team as well as a hockey player, and then suddenly, you're a child prodigy. A resource. You leave the comfort of home (20 years later, when Mike's very sweet mom Karen comes to Dallas, she can't resist picking up his house. Meanwhile, 20 years later, Mike's very cool dad Mike Sr. seems to be channeling a young Arthur Fonzarelli.). You get vacuumed up by the Hockey System, which "adopts'' you out into a new family, a new community, a new school. It's clear the world's priority for you is to be A Hockey Player. So why not focus on that, and otherwise get by on a Coke and a smile and maybe the occasional wiseass remark?

And by the age of 19, you are swept into the NHL, you are an adult, you are the "face of the franchise'' at an age when most of us still aren't quite comfortable or confident being the face of ourselves.

"Thanks, Dr. Phil,'' Modano said when I present to him the above pop-psychology analysis. "You make it sound like I didn't go to class in high school! Hey, we've got some Grade-9 guys in here (Stars players who only went as far as ninth grade)! I got my diploma, buddy!''

Did you really, Mike?

"Well,'' Modano said, fake-sheepishly, "at least I got my G.E.D. Almost the same thing, right?''

I reflect back on that conversation now. "Grade-9 guys''? "GED's''?

Now, knowing all this, are you slightly less surprised that a bunch of beer-drinkin' ice-skatin' ninth-grade-educated millionaires would get caught up in a "gambling ring''? Heck. ... now, knowing this, you probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that they thought a "gambling ring'' was a piece of jewelry.

Today's entry comes to you courtesy of Mark "Friedo" Friedman:

There are plenty of people coming to the defense of Wayne Gretzky right now. And I can’t necessarily say that I blame them. After all, he is The Great One in Hockey.  He has had a squeaky clean career.  And he is the top ambassador for the sport.

The Gretzky defenders are all quick to point out that The Great One himself has not been accused of placing a bet. Not only has he not been accused, there is not even a trace of evidence suggesting that he did. 

The accusations are that Wayne’s Assistant Coach and longtime friend Rick Tocchet has been a ringleader in a fairly lucrative illegal gambling ring. And that Gretzky’s wife, Janet was a prominent client of Tocchet.  

Gretzky and his supporters say that he never made a bet and that he had absolutely no involvement in the ring.  The Great One’s defenders are right about one thing: So far, the authorities have not implicated Wayne Gretzky, as an individual.

Here’s the problem: once Wayne Gretzky finds out about the situation and then does not put a stop to it, he is involved. He may not have any legal issues, but if the NHL is serious about this situation, they are sure to have plenty of questions for the Great One.

In all reality, does it really matter whether or not Wayne Gretzky placed illegal bets or not? Does it really matter if his wife was making illegal bets? Does it really matter if he knew about it and didn’t do anything to stop it?

Legally, I guess the answer to all of these questions is no. Apparently, in this case The Feds are trying to nail the big guys in this operation. They really have very little interest in prosecuting people that were simply making bets. So, if Wayne and/or Mrs. Gretzky were just placing bets, they are probably not going to have any legal problems.

But, how about the NHL?

First of all, the league definitely does not like the fact that one of their Assistant Coaches was allegedly one of the ringleaders of a multi-million dollar bookmaking operation. If it is proven that Tocchet was involved at such a high level, the NHL won’t have to worry about banning him because it’s impossible to coach from behind prison bars.

Now back to Gretzky. Even if there are no legal implications for Wayne and Janet that come out of this investigation, there may be some very serious NHL implications. The NHL like any other league tries to distance itself from gambling as much as it possibly can. The NHL wants to make sure that the fans know that they are watching a clean game and that there are no conflicts of interests.

IF the league determines that Wayne Gretzky knew that his Assistant Coach and longtime friend was a leader of an illegal gambling ring, they are going to want to know why he didn’t either: a) put a stop to it (by threatening Tocchet with his job) or b) blow the whistle on Tocchet.

Let’s face it, if Gretzky wasn’t involved, he had the power to put a stop to it the minute he found out about it. He could have pulled his Assistant aside and told him “…stop it now, or you will no longer be a part of this organization…” You may be thinking that Gretzky’s a class guy who would never fire his friend. But let me ask you something, if Gretzky was not involved and his close friend, Tocchet put him in such an uncomfortable position, how much did Tocchet really value the relationship?

The same goes for Janet Gretzky. Let’s say that Wayne had no idea that his wife was placing large bets with his Assistant Coach and longtime friend. The minute that Wayne finds out, he can put a stop to it. He doesn’t even have to tell his wife to stop gambling. He can tell her to just choose a different venue. Heck, if she was wagering the kind of cash that has been reported, legal sportsbooks in Vegas would fall all over themselves to fly her into town.