D-Rated.

James Franco Stopped Things Down, While The Rangers Kept Rolling.

Welcome to D-Rated, in which we try to determine if the quality of life in Dallas and its surrounding areas is moving up or down by arbitrarily awarding and subtracting point values to our living situation based on current events.

Best in the West: After a nail-biter of a finish against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Texas Rangers secured their American League West crown. And then they beat the odds again Thursday by winning the first game of the Divisional Series against the higher-ranked Toronto Blue Jays on their home turf. That means they're just two wins away from playing for the AL pennant. I don't want to jinx anything, but I'm really excited about their chances again. But of course, every DFW sports success has to be undercut with something awful, slugger Adrian Beltre sprained his leg, so he may be out for a while. Fingers crossed. Plus 3 for the victory, Minus 1 for the injury.

This Old House: Plano has an offer you can't refuse: They're practically begging someone, anyone, to take away the 154-year-old Collinwood House. It needs to go to make way for a new park, but they really want some preservation-minded folks to take it. The house is free, if you can find someone to move it, which ain't just as simple as hooking it up to your F-150. Anybody out there with the means to make this happen? Plus 1.

School's Out. Forever: This just might have been the coolest thing to ever happen at Good Records. On Tuesday, Alice Cooper reunited with his original line-up for a book signing and performance including, yes, a sing-along of “School's Out.” The crowd was mostly dominated by people my dad's age trying to snap pics with their smartphones, but at least the lucky few who could fit in to the cramped quarters got to see some living punk legends, which doesn't happen that often — at least not in these parts. Plus 1.

What's the Dealey-O?: Believe it or not, a major production actually filmed in Dallas again! The last few shows to film here all got canned fairly quickly: The Good Guys, the Dallas reboot, GCB and the very short-lived Lone Star. But Hulu's 11/22/63, based on Stephen King's novel about a time traveler who tries to thwart the Kennedy assassination, actually shut down parts of downtown to make it a reality. Unsurprisingly, commuters were pissed. But this is a big deal. The Texas Film Commission offers weak incentives for any production to come shoot here. I mean, Matthew McConaughey starred in not one, but two movies set in Dallas, and both were filmed in Louisiana, which offers abundant tax credits. So for them to actually come here speaks to the commitment of the show's creative staff, but also will encourage more productions to come down here. Plus 2 for them actually shooting in Texas, Minus 1 for all the ingrates who were late to work.

Garbage Man: On Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys will start Greg Hardy, whom they acquired from the Carolina Panthers, despite knowing all about his violent, machine gun couch laden history. His suspension is over, but reasonable contempt for him is not. Least of all from Katie Nolan, host of Fox Sports 1's Garbage Time. On Wednesday's show, she unleashed a tirade against hardy, calling him a “garbage human.” She didn't spare sportswriters either, at least not the good ol' boys who encourage players' sexist, demeaning behavior. I know winning is everything to Jerry Jones, but the cost of some victories is too high. Minus 2 for the Cowboys still employing this guy, Plus 3 for Katie Nolan's righteous fury.

This Week's Total: Plus 6.
Last Week's Running Total: Minus 5.
This Week's Running Total: Plus 1.