Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki = Cowboys' Roger Staubach?

Dirk In Role Of All-Star Host: He's 'Mr. Rourke' On Your 'Fantasy Island'

Mike Fisher -- DB.com

    Is Dirk Nowitzki the equal of Roger Staubach?

    The Greatest Dallas Maverick Ever began his role as NBA All-Star Weekend party host on Wednesday with a couple of events, including participation in Jam Session at the Dallas Convention Center.

    “This is my home,’’ said Nowitzki while playing the role of Mr. Rourke to a bunch of “Fantasy Island’’ basketball fans. “I’ve got plenty of people coming in. … It’s exciting to be in that new venue (Cowboys Stadium, where Sunday’s game will be played). I’ve never played in front of 90,000 people before. … It will be great to be a part of history. A crazy, busy weekend. … I’m going to enjoy it.’’

    I will admit: The load Nowitzki is taking on here is … Staubachian.

    But while I certainly admire Mavs coach Rick Carlisle’s attempts to shower Dirk with praise. …

    The UberMan is the finest player in Dallas Mavericks history. He is the Mavs’ everything. And he probably belongs on a Mount Rushmore of DFW jocks – if, that is, you limit the number of Cowboys faces on that mountain. But. …

    Is he Roger Staubach?

    Not yet.

    “Well, what did Staubach mean to the Cowboys?" Carlisle said, making the comparison. "That's the territory you're getting in, just in terms of name recognition, the face of the franchise, all those types of things. He's the guy, without question. Listen, this franchise had a lot of lean years before he came along, and the resurgence over the last several years is unmistakably tied to him."

    Yeah, but … no.

     Dirk is as close to a Roger as the Mavs have had. But Staubach won two Super Bowls, is in the Hall of Fame, served in Vietnam, is maybe Dallas’ most prominent civic leader and exists as a social, political, spiritual, ethical and sporting conscience of all of North Texas.

    And he’s been doing that for 40 years.

    Nowitzki has taken over for Ro Blackman, Derek Harper, Brad Davis and Mark Aguirre in Mavs lore. He ranks above the Stars’ Mike Modano, maybe, in terms of what he means to the DFW sporting world. But he ranks below a Nolan Ryan and he ranks below a handful of Cowboys, led by Staubach.

     Let’s takes nothing away from Nowitzki’s brilliant contributions to the franchise and the city. What he’s doing this weekend is typical Dirk: Dutiful and jovial, cooperative and giving, he’ll agree to every ribbon-cutting, every baby-kissing, every interview.

    "Me and Jet (Jason Terry) have this big party on Friday night (at Love Field) so that’s going to be off the chain," Nowitzki said. "Saturday I’m in the Shooting Stars, representing the Texas team. ... I'm just trying to enjoy every moment.''

    And trying to allow others to enjoy, too.

    But Dirk as Roger?

   As it was for Roger Staubach himself, let’s make a championship be that carrot on the Mavs’ stick. If the Mavs don’t win an NBA Finals in the Nowitzki Era, it won’t be the fault of The UberMan. Nevertheless, the way you really get to be Roger Staubach around here is to win a title.