Is this the ‘best year ever’ for Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers & Stars fans?

Twenty five years from today, everyone who followed the major sports teams in North Texas will look back at 2023 to 2024 and recall all of it wistfully, a time in their life that was a marker of something special.

A shared moment or two or three with a loved one that no T-shirt, hat or pennant can adequately capture. A picture with a son, daughter, dad, mom, wife or loved one that takes you back to a time when you were just really happy.

(BTW: Don’t take those for granted.)

Ask anyone over the age of 25 and they can tell you with the conviction of a doctor that what we are witnessing right now does not happen often.

We know the Texas Rangers don’t often win a World Series. We know the Dallas Stars going deep in the playoffs is not a given. We know the Dallas Mavericks reaching the NBA Finals is an achievement.

And we know that the Dallas Cowboys will take every opportunity in January to stomp on your soul while taking your money, too.

Beginning with the last in May of 2023 all the way up to today, we have all been in a run that feels like it may never happen again. It still doesn’t quite make it “the best year ever” for sports in this town.

Because ... well, we know why. Before we go there, look at this resume:

In the final week of May of 2023, the Stars were playing the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL’s Western Conference Finals. Stars didn’t make it past Vegas, but advancing three rounds deep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the “Final Four” is a big deal.

Oct. 10. The Rangers swept the Orioles in the American League Division Series to advance to the AL Championship series for the first time since 2011. At this point, there was a distinct possibility the Rangers “could do this.”

Oct. 23. The Rangers defeated the Astros in Houston in Game 7 to conclude their epic “Whataburger” ALCS series. This felt like unlike any Rangers’ postseason run ever before, mostly because there had been so few.

Oct. 27. Rangers shortstop Corey Seager hit a game-tying 2-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the World Series. The Rangers won it in the bottom of the 11th inning on Adolis Garcia’s walk-off home run.

The echoes of “Game 6” were growing more faint by the moment.

Nov. 1. The Rangers completed a perfect playoff road record in the playoffs with a 5-0 win at Arizona to win their first ever World Series. It was one of those moments that you had to see, many times, to accept as reality.

Jan. 7. The Cowboys defeated Washington in D.C. to finish their third straight regular season with a 12-5 record, and a playoff berth. Once again, we all fell for it.

May 3. The Mavericks plucked a major thorn from their rear by ending the L.A. Clippers in Game 6 of their first round NBA playoff series to advance out of the first round for only the second time since 2011.

May 5. The Stars defeated their main nemesis, the Golden Knights, in Game 7 in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. That was the one team thought to pose the biggest problem for the Stars to reach the Cup Final.

May 17. The Stars eliminate the Avalanche with a double-overtime win in Game 6 to advance to the Western Conference finals for the second straight year.

May 18. Down seven to start the fourth quarter in Game 6 of their second round series against Oklahoma City, the Mavericks rallied to trail by one point late. Guard P.J. Washington made 2 of 3 free throws with two seconds remaining to beat the Thunder, 117-116; the Mavs made it to the Western Conference finals for the second time in the last three years.

May 24. Luka Doncic hit a step-back 3-pointer with three seconds remaining to give the Mavericks a one-point win at Minnesota to take a 2-0 series lead in the West Finals. This is one of those all-time cool NBA playoff moments, complete with Luka trash talking the entire state of Minnesota after the make.

May 27. Stars forward Jason Robertson scored a hat trick in the Stars’ Game 3 win at Edmonton. The Stars took a 2-1 series lead, and at this point we started to think a dual championship parade was possible.

May 30. The Mavericks advanced to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals by emasculating Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves in Game 5, 124-103. Now we know that parade is possible.

June 2. The Stars had zero answer for Oilers forward Connor McDavid, and Edmonton advanced to the Stanley Cup Final by winning Game 6, 2-1. Another great regular season and fun playoff run ends just short of the Finals.

June 14. The NBA Finals had not been going well for the Mavericks, but in Game 4 they woke up and won 122-84.

Add this up and the total is one helluva an experience. Regular season success. Deep playoff runs. Amazing games. A championship. A year full of wonderful memories.

Still not the best year. Because this is Texas. Because football runs this state. Because the Dallas Cowboys are the oldest major pro sports franchise in Texas, and what they do matters more than anything else.

If you sold out three home dates for the Rangers, Stars and Mavericks combined you would still have room for nearly 16,000 just to fill up one Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium. You don’t even want to know about the TV ratings.

January 14, 2024, the Cowboys made sure to ruin it for the rest of us by allowing the Green Bay Packers to play against air in their 48-32 wildcard win in Arlington. The performance was the perfect way to destroy what had been another solid season under coach Mike McCarthy.

The only way we can say “it’s the best year ever” is if/when the Cowboys get their stuff together in January in February. Until that day comes, thank you to the Mavericks, Stars and Rangers for doing their part.