Can the Stars Make Up For Dallas’ Decade of Disappointment?

The Dallas Stars are back in the Stanley Cup Finals almost 20 years after their last appearance in 2000. This series not only marks a monumental moment in Stars franchise history but recent Dallas sporting history as well. Since the start of the decade, the city of Dallas has been one of, if not the most, heartbreaking and disappointing sport capitals in the country. Since 2010 across all the professional sports teams in the area, they have combined for four conference titles, four finals appearances, and one sole championship belonging to the Mavericks. All Dallas has had to show through 10 years of sporting is one NBA championship. For a place with such rich sporting history, this decade has unfortunately put a stain on the city’s sporting stature. While the Stars now have a great chance to compensate for what many consider a decade of disappointment, it’s important to dive deeper and evaluate just how rough this period of sporting was. Here’s a quick look back at every professional Dallas sports organization’s efforts from the last ten years. 

The Dallas Cowboys

It would only be fitting to start off by taking a look at what the world’s most valuable sports franchise has accomplished this decade. With a record of 86-74, 3 divisional round appearances, and only two playoff wins, the Cowboys have failed to satisfy their fanbase despite multiple opportunities and solid rosters for the majority of this tenure. Here is how everything played out:

• In 2014 the Cowboys were the #3 seed in the NFC, beating the Detroit Lions 24-20 at home in the wild card but losing the following week at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, 26-21, on the infamous Dez Bryant catch. 
• In 2016 the Cowboys were improved to the #1 seed in the NFC with a first-round bye under rookie phenom Dak Prescott, but again failed to capitalize in the divisional round. Green Bay’s kicker, Mason Crosby, hit a 51-yard game-winning field goal to ice the game at 34-31 as time expired. Many Dallas fans consider this the most heartbreaking loss of the entire decade across any sport. 
• Most recently, in 2018 the Cowboys managed to sneak into the playoffs at 10-6  with the #5 seed and beat the Seattle Seahawks in a wildcard game at home, 24-22. They then traveled to LA to play the Rams the following week, managing to jump out to an early lead but unfortunately still lost the game 22-30. 

For the most part, the Cowboys have actually shown significant improvement throughout the course of this decade and had multiple stand out regular seasons. The problem for many people (as it is clear to see above) is the inability to win in the playoffs and make a Super Bowl. In fact, the last time the Dallas Cowboys even made an appearance in the NFC championship was almost 24 years ago in 1996. They have not made it past the divisional round since that season.

The Texas Rangers

If you watched the 2011 World Series, then you probably remember the madness that perspired in game 6. The Rangers stood atop the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in the series matchup and were in prime position to take home a championship late in the 9th inning. With a 9-7 lead, 2 outs, and 3-2 count at the plate, all that stood between the Rangers and cementing themselves in MLB history was one strike. Unfortunately, 3rd baseman David Freese of the Cardinals had other plans as he rocketed the pitch into right field and tied the game at 9-9. 

As horrendous as this sounds, it somehow manages to get worse for the Rangers. Not only did they have the opportunity to close the series out in the 9th, but in the 10th inning as well. Josh Hamilton hit a clutch 2 run homer in the top of the inning to put Texas up 9-7 in a seemingly good position to win the game once again. Yet again, however, the Cardinals were relentless and managed to tie the game at 9-9 with a 2-2 count. Texas once again was a strike away from winning the series and failed to capitalize. 

Then this happened in the bottom of the 11tth:

The infamous, “We will see you, tomorrow night” call by Joe Buck still haunts many Rangers fans such as myself to this day, and will likely never be forgotten in this franchise’s history. 

The most painstaking part about this entire series, however, is not the fact that they had 2 golden chances to win the series or the fact that this would have been the franchise’s first title, but rather this: The Rangers lost the 2010 World Series (the year prior) as well to the San Francisco Giants, 4-1. Two years with back to back losses for Rangers fans was heartbreaking, to say the least, but the team’s luck somehow worsened as the decade went on. 

In 2015 the Rangers rose to the top of the AL West and played the #1 team in the AL East, the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite being the lower seed in the conference, they managed to go up 2-0 in the series and looked to be advancing to the ALCS. That is until they blew the 2-0 lead, losing three straight games and the series all while giving up one of the most iconic home runs in MLB history to Jose Bautista.

Even after losing in such demoralizing fashion the year prior, the Rangers actually improved and became the #1 seed in the entire AL conference. Many experts had the Rangers in the World Series and winning, but those predictions were quickly ruined as the team lost 3-0 in the series to Toronto once again. Since losing this series, the Rangers have slowly become one of the lower par teams in the league and are yet to make a playoffs. 

The Dallas Mavericks 

Unlike the rest of the teams that have been discussed, the Mavericks have actually had good success in this decade. In 2011 the Mavericks went on one of the most unexpected and legendary playoff runs in NBA history, beating the Trailblazers in 5, sweeping the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant, and winning in 5 against an extremely young and talented Thunder team with the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. They then beat the Miami Heat in the NBA finals through 6 games despite being massive underdogs prior to the series. Dirk Nowitzki won MVP honors and brought the franchise its first title. This would be the only title won by any Dallas team in the decade.

The year after the Mavericks won, however, the owner of the team, Mark Cuban, tore the team apart and decided to begin a rebuilding process. Although the Mavericks were never consistently bad for an extended period of time, they never managed to make it past the first round since their championship run. 

Mavericks fans, however, should not have much to worry about as the future looks very bright. Young superstars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis have given the franchise a solid chance to compete for titles in the near future. In terms of winning and looking towards the future, the Mavericks have easily been Dallas’ most successful team this decade.

Conclusion

If it wasn’t clear enough before, it is now. There is no sugarcoating the fact that the collective efforts of all these teams throughout the last ten years have been, for the most part, disappointing, but the good news is that Dallas fans may not have to suffer much longer. The Stars have been playing exceptional hockey as of recent and have given the city of Dallas new life to start the 2020 decade with their appearance in the Stanley Cup. They are down 2-1 in the series to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but if the Stars can even the series on Saturday, Dallas may see its first championship in 9 years.