Move Davis to 4th

With Milton Bradley out of the lineup the last 5 games, Josh Hamilton has been moved to cleanup where he is not protected. All season with Bradley batting 4th, pitchers are forced to pitch to Hamilton and the results have been amazing (.308-26-106). But with Bradley out, I noticed Sunday that Hamilton was walked twice which brings up Marlon Byrd who does not send shivers that the spines of opposing pitchers. So I have come up with this proposal: move Chris Davis to the 4th spot in the lineup and move Hamilton back to the 3rd slot where he is more comfortable and profitable. Davis is the type of player that pitchers, if they don't yet they soon will, have to respect because of his average (.295) and his raw power (11 HRs in 122 ABs). As of now Ron Washington has Davis either in the 7 hole or 8 slot which I think he feels like he is protecting Davis because of his youth. But why not see what he can do in the cleanup spot where he is soon to hold real estate for years to come.

Blalock good riddance/Young is tha Man

After going on the DL again this year, 3B Hank Blalock looks to be done as a Ranger. I was saying this at the end of April when he went on the DL for the next two and a half months, but I was given hope by his play the last week. He didn't hit the ball well but his defense was outstanding while on the road trip. If you would have asked me two weeks ago what I wanted the Rangers do to with Hank I would have said trade him for something, but after last week with his $6.2 million option for next year I was thinking he might work out. Monday we find out that he has an "upset stomach" which turns out to be his shoulder (Ron Washington goof) and to add insult to injury (no pun intended) SS Michael Young comes back and starts tonight after a slight fracture in his ring finger on his throwing hand. He was supposed to be out for 5-7 games but instead he is battling through it by playing the next day. He has never been on the DL since joining the Rangers while Blalock seems to live on the DL. Give Young a slap on the back while you wave bye to Blalock.

Living in Loserville

I watched the Mavs and Rangers last night and realized this is ridiculous. Both teams looked good early on in their respective games but both teams choked away leads when in mattered. The Mavs went into halftime winning by 12 and Dirk, Kidd, and J-Ho looked solid. They were leading in every statistical category that counted and so what did they do when they came out of the locker room? They laid an egg starting halfway through the third quarter and carried it to the final buzzer. Meanwhile, the Rangers were also busy blowing their own lead in the 8th inning.

On nights like this it is hard to live in "loserville" but fear not my friends because we have some hope in the Stars (though the series lead is only 3-2) and we have the Fort Worth Cats (Back-to back-to back champions of their conference).
The Cats are the reason I have decided to come out of blog hibernation. I have now lived in the Metroplex for two and a half years and I am sad to report that I have only been to 1 Cats game. I have been to many Rangers games and multiple Mavs games but not to games in my own backyard. This is the team we should all get behind and cheer because they know how to perform in the clutch. It doesn't matter who the manager is or the players but they always find away to win it all. I am going to make an effort to attend Cats games and follow the team as much as possible. I noticed on the website (fwcats.com) that they signed a player who was recently in AAA and was a 1st round draft choice back in '01. These aren't necessarily guys who have no talent but guys who are still holding on to their dreams. That is very rare this day in age because we know that they are not playing for the money but for that one remaining chance that somebody might see their work and give them a shot.

How about four championships in a row for Cowtown!

Trade Buzz a Brewing!

Two Dallas teams are talking monster trades over the last couple of days. One could have a positive effect on its team while the other would definitely have a negative effect.

Dallas Cowboys

Chris Mortensen of ESPN is reporting that the Dolphins and Cowboys are talking of making a trade regarding Marion Barber and draft picks. The Dolphins would receive Barber and either one 1st round pick from the Cowboys or both 1st round picks and in return the Boys would receive the Fins 1st overall pick in the draft which then they would draft Darren McFadden from Arkansas. This trade does not make any sense on so many levels. First, the South Beach Cowboys are asking way too much for their pick in the draft. You could make the argument that Barber straight-up for the pick is the only way that trade is fair, but it still doesn't make any sense from a Cowboy standpoint. Second, the Boys could get a running back with one of their picks later in the first round. I have been hoping all along that they would draft either Felix Jones (the other running back from Arkansas that averaged over nine yards a carry) or Rashard Mendenhall from Illinois (who Mel Kiper from ESPN is projecting the Boys to take with their second pick in the first round). Either one would be fine by me and they would make a great complement to Barber in the backfield. Out of the two I would go with Mendenhall who, despite their loss to USC, had a great game against one of the better defenses in the country. This trade would be a big blow to Dallas fans everywhere who have fallen in love with Marion the Barbarian.

Dallas Mavericks

This is the potential trade that I am excited about regarding Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets, coming to the Mavs. The Mavs would have to give up at least Diop, Devean George, Jerry Stackhouse, and a draft pick or two. They may also have to throw in Juwan Howard to make the money match up. The only of those guys who I would miss leaving is Diop because we do not have another center on the roster besides Dampier. When Dampier gets into foul trouble (which he is prone to do) then Diop picks up significant minutes. What Kidd brings to the table is instant leadership and the ability to get the ball to Dirk and Howard which Harris does not do on a consistent basis. Don't get me wrong, I love Harris but he is not proto-typical PG who looks to create for other people on the court. Kidd can do that and much more when he is the general on the court. He always seeems to be flirting with a triple-double and has a lot of playoff experience. He wants to come back to Dallas so why not give him what he wants. Mark Cuban: MAKE THE DEAL!

Jennings signing anyday now

Former Baylor bear, Rockies, and Astros pitcher, Jason Jennings, should become a Ranger later this week. He would become the #5 in the Rangers rotation and I think it is a great signing for the ball club. He was injured often last season for the Astros but he had a great career in Colorado (where that is hard to do).
Other news: 1B Chris Shelton was designated for assignment meaning that as of right now the Rangers do not have a right-handed 1B and could be looking for Fort Worth native German Duran to fill that void. He has played 2B and SS in the minors and played some 3B this past off-season, but the Rangers that he could crack their roster this spring as an utility player. I have been following this guy for the last several years and he is the real deal. He has put up some great offensive numbers in the minors and hopefully he could show some pop in the Majors.

Bowl Roundup

I enjoyed the Armed Forces Bowl that saw Cal comeback and beat Air Force. It was a great experience and it was the first time I was able to get a good look at TCU's stadium. It is not a bad stadium for TCU and it has some nice quirks to it and has a nice rustic look. LSU won to nobody's surprise as well as USC and Georgia. Those three teams are arguably the best in the country and should all be in the top 10 to start the season next year. Former Arkansas QB Mitch Mustain will be competing for the starting job at SC along with Mark Sanchez. Sanchez should beat him out for the starting job and it is his time to reign anyways. Joe McKnight had his coming out party during the Rose Bowl as the SC staff finally showcased what he could do. If McKnight does what he is supposed to do next season he could be a Heisman finalist. Looking forward to next year.