Hi, Mark. I've heard you spend your mornings scanning the Internet and reading the latest stories posted about you. Sorry, then, about the ranting of my counterpart in this debate. (He's off his meds again.)

He says you're an egomaniac. I say you're an eccentric.

He says your outlandish antics divert attention from the more worthy players. I say most of the blinged out millionaires in today's me-first NBA are as interesting as ear wax.

He says you act like a spoiled brat. I say, well, sometimes you do act like a doofus.

He says soda, I say pop.

As always, we agree to disagree.

But how can anyone argue that, as owner of the Dallas Mavericks, you're not good for the NBA?

I like that you sit courtside in jeans and T-shirts.

I like that you rail on the refs and are a royal pain in commissioner David Stern's backside. I like that you're willing to spend your Mt. Everest of cash -- are you up to $2 billion yet? -- on endless perks for your players -- each locker is decked out with a flat-screen, DVD player and PlayStation 2 -- and freebies for the fans.

I like that, with your square head and permanently tussled hair, you resemble Ernie from Sesame Street.

Most of all, I like your passion. Man, you love the games. You love winning 'em even more.

The haters say they want to hurl when they see you run on the court and slap players' backs and butts after big wins. Last I checked, there's nothing wrong with showing your emotions. Or being a fan.

Most owners have the personality of a dung beetle.

They are buttoned down and tight fisted. You have to pry nickels from them with a crowbar. They're more worried about parking revenues than winning percentages.

These are the same billionaires who extort stadiums from taxpayers and quietly load moving vans in the wee hours of the morning. Don't ever become one of those.

You're a computer geek with business savvy and gambler's mentality. You're a hoops fanatic who owns a team. There's nothing about all that not to like.

Even your blog (www.blogmaverick.com) isn't bad, although topics such as click fraud and keyword arbitrage interest me about as much as pocket lint.

You admit that you, "Love to rip on sportswriters." No problem. I love to rip on sports owners. Most of them, anyway.

Thanks for reading, Mark, and continued luck in the playoffs.

Contact sports editor Loren Nelson at (760) 740-3551 or lnelson@nctimes.com.