Mike Piellucci
mikelikessports.bsky.social
Mike Piellucci
@mikelikessports.bsky.social
Sports Editor, D Magazine
| Co-host, 77 Minutes in Heaven | Alum: The Athletic, FOS, VICE | Best Sports Writing '22 | Holler at me: mike.piellucci@dmagazine.com
Once again, the Rangers are signaling they won't do much spending this offseason. That would be a big mistake.

Here's @zcrizer.bsky.social on why Texas needs to operate like the big market team it is... because its roster isn't equipped to survive anything less:

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
The Rangers Need to Re-Open Their Purse Strings
Texas won a World Series by acting like the big-market team it is. Its only hope of sniffing another one is getting back to writing checks.
www.dmagazine.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:31 PM
The Mavs need a GM. Turns out I know a guy: our food critic, @reinhart.bsky.social.

Is he qualified? Not at all. But he has an eight-step plan to turn things around... or at least be marginally better at the gig than Nico Harrison was. You'll have fun with this

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
November 18, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Before Marshawn Kneeland, there was Jerry Brown. As the Cowboys play for the first time since Kneeland's death, few know what they’ll go through like Jason Garrett.

David Moore spoke with him to learn how he led his team through. Make time for this:

www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/...
The Cowboys Have Mourned a Player Before. Here’s How Jason Garrett Led Them Through It.
Before Marshawn Kneeland, there was Jerry Brown. And as the Cowboys prepare to take the field for the first time since Kneeland's death, few understand the emotional toll they'll go through like the m...
www.dmagazine.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:47 PM
In which @yeahlikethebook.bsky.social makes an A++ Simpsons reference to convey the state of the ACC as SMU tries to get back to the conference title game.

Required reading for Mustangs and CFB sickos everywhere:

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
Here’s What Must Go Right for SMU to Return to the ACC Title Game
It won't be easy, but it is doable.
www.dmagazine.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
We needed a big Mavs brain to help @machinesports.bsky.social & me consider the post-Nico future, so we brought in @boweman55.bsky.social to talk what's next. Then we played Phone A Friend and randomly dialed a Mavs legend... and he picked up. Watch to find out who

www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/...
Talking the Mavericks’ Post-Nico Future With Josh Bowe and a Special Mavs Guest
A jam-packed fourth episode of StrongSide: The Show.
www.dmagazine.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Nico Harrison got fired for basketball reasons. I'd bet some interpersonal reasons, too. But the biggest reason? Because fans refused to accept anything less.

Jake Kemp has the words you need to read on a city that would not be denied:

www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/...
November 13, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Hello. I wrote about Nico Harrison, who should have just done nothing, and Patrick Dumont, who has a lot of work cut out for him.

Also contained herein: a smorgasbord of links to places & events where people chanted "Fire Nico." They had good reason to.

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
November 11, 2025 at 8:02 PM
By now, you know that @seanshapiro.bsky.social doesn't do hyperbole. So when he's asking if Wyatt Johnston could become the greatest center in Stars history, well, I'd make sure to give this one a read.

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
Could Wyatt Johnston Become the Greatest Center in Stars History?
A big start has us asking big questions. Because at 22 years old, Johnston already compares favorably with the best to ever do it in Dallas.
www.dmagazine.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:08 PM
I'm still wrapping my brain around the fact that we're going to see Quinnen Williams in a Cowboy uniform next week. So I enlisted David Moore to dive into how this happened--which, of course, starts by diving into Jerry Jones' brain. This was fun:

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
A Tale of Two Jerrys: What’s Really Behind the Quinnen Williams Trade
Take it from a guy who has been speaking with him for more than 30 years: there are two Jerry Joneses. And both of them had a hand in Dallas' most shocking acquisition in years.
www.dmagazine.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Mike Piellucci
OVER A MILLION USERS

DISCUSS SUICIDE WITH CHATGPT

EVERY *WEEK*

what the fuck are we DOING here
Panera’s moderately caffeinated lemonade was loosely associated with 2 deaths before it was taken off market.

This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
I fully believe in the corporate death penalty and believe we would be a better world if OpenAI lost its corporate charter and was forcibly dissolved.

www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
November 7, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Reposted by Mike Piellucci
The great and fearless @boweman55.bsky.social wrote the Mavs piece everyone else will be writing in a few weeks: it's already time to shift the focus to the future. Don't believe him? Read the excerpt, then read the whole piece. It's sobering stuff.

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
November 7, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Reposted by Mike Piellucci
the start to the mavericks season has been so galling that it should inspire deep reflection from within the organization. my latest for @dmagazine.bsky.social goes over what's gone wrong, and what should be the next steps in building around cooper flagg www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
It's Already Time For the Mavericks to Pivot to the Future - D Magazine
Sometimes, eight games can tell you a lot. In the Mavericks' case, it's this: Dallas needs to give up any thought of contending this year and look to the future.
www.dmagazine.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:19 PM
The great and fearless @boweman55.bsky.social wrote the Mavs piece everyone else will be writing in a few weeks: it's already time to shift the focus to the future. Don't believe him? Read the excerpt, then read the whole piece. It's sobering stuff.

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
November 7, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Second StrongSide offering of the day: the great @tiffin.bsky.social joins @machinesports.bsky.social and I to talk Stars things both on and off the ice! Plus: CFB talk, Quinnen Williams talk, and I beseech the Rangers to fix their ninth inning situation.

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
November 6, 2025 at 5:43 PM
There's one place on Earth that isn't angry with the Mavs right now. I know because we sent @pochoboymeetsworld.bsky.social to Mexico City last weekend to watch Dallas play & tell us the 30-year journey of how the Mavs became Mexico's team. I loved this story:

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
Home Away From Home: How the Mavericks Became Mexico’s NBA Team
Last weekend, Dallas played its record eighth game south of the border. This is the international hoops love story you didn't know you needed.
www.dmagazine.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Mike Piellucci
There is no easy explanation for how to feel about the Cowboys' trade deadline. But you won't read a better one than @riversmccown.bsky.social's, because it starts where every Cowboys decision is made: in a place bigger than football.

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
The Cowboys’ Trade Deadline Splash Was Urgent In the Wrong Places
Dallas made its biggest acquisition in years on Tuesday, and its defense will be better for it. But its bold day was more than a little reckless, too.
www.dmagazine.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:33 PM
In which Jake Kemp describes the Dallas Cowboys' head coach as "a human, sentient version of an HGTV remodeling show." Also, the season is over.

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
It’s Time to See What Brian Schottenheimer Is Made Of
The Cowboys' season is all but over after losing to Arizona, for reasons bigger than the rookie head coach's performance. How he handles the second half of a lost year will say plenty about his long-t...
www.dmagazine.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Thomas Harley's new deal is good. Let's not waste time on that. What we can do - and @davidcastillo.bsky.social did, like only he can - is assess what this Stars defense is now that it's locked in for the foreseeable future. Is this the foundation of a Cup winner?

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
What Is the Future of the Stars’ Defense After Thomas Harley’s Extension?
Re-signing the 24-year-old means we know what Dallas' blue line will look like for a while. Is that good enough to be the core of a Stanley Cup winner?
www.dmagazine.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Reposted by Mike Piellucci
Really hard to overstate how much Yoshinobu Yamamoto's standing in the game just changed.

He's the league's ace now.
November 2, 2025 at 4:24 AM
This game is going to kill someone. There is a coronary happening somewhere because of this game.
November 2, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Reposted by Mike Piellucci
Every team that isn't in the World Series could take a lesson from the ones that are. In the Rangers' case, it's paying close attention to how Toronto has approached hitting.

Smart stuff by the ultra smart @zcrizer.bsky.social:

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
The Rangers’ Offense Could Learn a Thing Or Two From the World Series
Texas' bats struggled all season. Could the A.L.-pennant-winning Toronto Blue Jays offer a road map for how to fix them?
www.dmagazine.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Every team that isn't in the World Series could take a lesson from the ones that are. In the Rangers' case, it's paying close attention to how Toronto has approached hitting.

Smart stuff by the ultra smart @zcrizer.bsky.social:

www.dmagazine.com/sports/2025/...
The Rangers’ Offense Could Learn a Thing Or Two From the World Series
Texas' bats struggled all season. Could the A.L.-pennant-winning Toronto Blue Jays offer a road map for how to fix them?
www.dmagazine.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:35 PM
StrongSide: The Show is back with the great David Moore!

We dissect everything about this Cowboys season - including when he thinks they'll win a Super Bowl again - and @machinesports.bsky.social and I chat Mavs-Stars, Mark Aguirre, and more.

Prep your ears!

www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/...
October 30, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Good afternoon! I wrote about the big Dallas sports divorce and that it doesn’t matter which team is right when the city clearly has made its choice. So now Dallas has no choice but to keep the Mavericks—and that’s a rough position to negotiate from:

www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/...
October 29, 2025 at 6:52 PM