Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas, Gary West column: It's been a roller-coaster week for Dallas-Fort Worth teams

Apr 19, 2009 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- SIX | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- This past week was like an extended ride on the Texas Giant at Six Flags. The week was as volatile as the Texas weather, as unpredictable as a Tim Wakefield knuckleball, as capricious as a cat. Up and Down on the Merry-Go-Round isn't just the title of a children's book; it's the third week of April, 2009.

Kenny Perry led the Masters with two holes to play, and with Kevin Millwood throwing seven shutout innings, the Rangers led the Tigers 4-0 after seven, and then -- well, and then the roller coaster plunged, the baseball springtailed, and the cat jumped out the window. Perry bogeyed the last two holes, and the Rangers' bullpen tossed up souffles.

Even the Mavericks had some erratic moments. They entered the week on a wave, with three consecutive victories, and they rallied to tie the Hornets late in the fourth quarter, but then they veered onto the shoals, losing 102-92 and seemingly losing the sixth seed in the playoffs.

The very next evening, though, Jason Terry -- call him Mr. Sixth Man -- hit a jumper with about a nanosecond on the clock to give everybody a defibrillator jolt and the Mavs a 96-94 victory over Minnesota. And so the roller coaster began to climb again, and on Wednesday it soared.

The Mavericks concluded their season with a 95-84 comeback over Houston. It was their 50th win of the season. That's nine consecutive seasons with 50 or more victories for the Mavs.

Only three other teams have done that: the Celtics, who had streaks of 10 years (1959-1968) and nine years (1980-1988); the Lakers, who strung together 12 such seasons (1980-1991); and the Spurs, who are working on a pearly string of 10.

Wednesday, as it turned out, was a summit of a night. And like Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the Mavs and the Rangers shared it, arriving simultaneously. Just about the time Jason Kidd got his triple-double, Ian Kinsler got his final hit of a 6-for-6 night, and the Rangers beat Baltimore 19-6. The sky over Arlington lit up with fireworks.

But you know what they say about things that go up. And it was that kind of week. Two nights after the fireworks, the Rangers lost 12-3 to the Royals. The game plunged so deeply into the doldrums that the Rangers broadcasters, to pass the time, started discussing what super power they would like to have, if given the choice.

Now, there's something inherently comic about any discussion of super powers when a Ranger is on the mound. Think Jessica Simpson singing opera.

Super powers? Matt Harrison, who was the starter, gave up half the runs, and the Rangers bullpen, which is about as harmless as a zither, surrendered the other half. And so after 10 games, the Rangers had a 7.06 ERA, proving all those people right who said this year's pitching can't be like last year's. It's worse. At least for the moment.

The Rangers average 7.4 runs a game, most in the majors; still, they're under .500. But the roller coaster is still rolling.

And so are the Mavs.

Gary West, 817-390-7760

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