Could Art Briles be the next Tech coach?

Immediately upon hearing the news that Mike Leach was fired, I thought about who would be next in line to coach the West Texas football squad. Ruffin McNeill instantly came to mind because he is the interim head coach for the Alamo Bowl game and he could become the front-runner if the Red Raiders win against Michigan State.
After Ruffin's name came to mind, an eerily thought came to mind...what if Texas Tech wanted Baylor's Art Briles? Now you might ask, "Why would Tech want a coach who has a 8-16 record in two seasons at Baylor?". Well, Briles has been a coach at Tech before (2000-02 RB coach) under Leach and runs a spread offense as well with more of an emphasis on the running game. Briles is also a good recruiter and has a long history in the state of Texas as a player at the University of Houston, head coach at Stephenville, and head coach at U of H.
Briles would ease a lot of tension in Lubbock as a proven coach who could make a smooth transition for the players and recruits. As a Baylor fan I would be dissappointed if Briles left Waco to go to Tech but I have known all along if he had success at Baylor he would not stay too long.
What do you think? Should Briles be the next coach or do you have a better name?

Texas Tech saves money, fires Leach

When I first heard about this story, I wasn't surprised by Leach's antics and was completely on the James' family side. After a little research (listening to talk radio) from people who live in the Lubbock area, I have come to reside right in the middle on this controversy. Why you ask? Is it because I condone Leach's antics? Oh no, not by a long shot.
One reason: Leach was to get $800,000 by Thursday if he was the coach for the bowl game. We know that the "powers at be" did not have good negotiations with the West Texas pirate over his contract extension last February. Looking at this situation from afar, there has to be more to this than any of us know or will ever know.
We do know that Adam James, kid locked in shed, has a powerful daddy in Craig James, ESPN analyst, and he had the ear of the board of regents. We also know that young James did not get much playtime but has an all-important last name. According to Lubbock natives, this kid is a prima donna who lacked work ethic (this sentiment was also echoed by a Tech assistant coach) and who's dad was calling Tech coaches every week complaining about his son's playing time.
Should Leach have been punished for putting this kid in the shed? Of course he should have, but fired?....come on.
Something is fishy here and it is not the smell of Lubbock.

Roy Williams Who?

At halftime of today's Cowboys game, I notice that Miles Austin had 4 catches for 71 yards and immediately thought of my next blog: Roy Williams Who? Of course Austin goes on to collect 10 grabs for 250 yards and 2 TDs and makes some people say T.O. who?

Roy Williams was left back in Dallas along with Felix Jones after suffering a hard collision in last week's loss to the Broncos. Going into today's game there was a question of who would step up in UnoUno's absence and Miles Austin went on to surpass Williams' total yards and touchdowns for the season in today's crazy game. So now the questions are: what do you do with Williams and is he ever going to be a #1 receiver? He is averaging almost twenty yards a catch but only has 11 catches in four games. He is not a locker room distraction like T.O. but he is not a playmaker like him either.

Do you think Roy is or will be a #1 WR?

Rangers Spotlight: Adios Hank!

So I am still surprised that it is 2009 and there are still Hank Blalock fans out there among us. They could be the person sitting next to you in the movie theater, in the line at the drugstore, or your spotter at the gym. Yes, that's right these misguided Rangers fans are blinded by their feelings and emotions to see one of the worst players in MLB taking up payroll on a good team.

Good news for the logical fans: Hank is gone and is not coming back. He was on the books this past season for 6 million making him one of the highest paid players on the team....yikes! Okay, before the emotional Hank homies come running after me with pitchforks, here are Hank's stats:

Year-batting average--on base %, home runs, RBIs
2003-.300-.350-29-90
2004-.276-.355-32-110
2005-.263-.318-25-92
2006-.266-.325-16-89
2007-.293-.359-10-33--only 58 games played
2008-.287-.338-12-38--only 65 games played
2009-.234-.277-25-66

He came into the league as a guy that could hit for an incredible average to all parts of the field and had some power, but he leaves Texas as an one-dimensional player (power) that is not that good. It starts in '05 where his on-base % drops to .318 and this year his .277 was the second worst in MLB! If you don't believe me, check out Jamey Newberg's post on one of the most highly touted players to come through the Rangers farm system only to leave as a fragment of old self. This is a great article and must read for Blalock fans, but be warned...the veil will be removed from your eyes. Pandora's box will be open and you will thank your lucky stars that he is gone and Justin Smoak will be in the big leagues next year.

Let's hope that he does not turn out like Blalock...

Scotty Pods to test free agency...

After finding a resurgence with the White Sox again, Scott Podsednik is going to test the free agent waters. There is a good article on Chicago White Sox's MLB page. This is what Scott says about the offseason:

"No, we are going to wait it out and see what happens," Podsednik said concerning his foray into free agency. "If they want to try to bring me back, then we will entertain that idea and go from there. But this is all kind of a new process to me. I'm going to seek counsel from my representation and do what we feel is best."

He is coming off one of his best seasons: .304 average, 7 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases, but the most important aspect is that he did not miss any extended time with an injury, which has been his problem the last several seasons.

Scott has this to say about his history with injuries:

"I've put in hard work to counter things I was having problems with in the past," Podsednik said. "I haven't felt any muscle strains, aches, pulls, anything close to some of the stuff in the past. I feel I have a good working program and can keep my body healthy for a full season."

Most teams probably see Scott as a fourth outfielder at best, so he needs to be patient and find an opportunity that provides the most playing time for him. At 33, he is not through with his playing career and this year showed he can be a vital part of any team as a LF/CF and a leadoff hitter.

What does Baylor do now?

By Cody

The last few weeks have been brutal for Baylor fans. We took UConn lightly and it showed on the field. Having a chance to still tie the game late in the fourth quarter against a solid BCS opponent showed the Bears are a talented team. However, execution, the inability to sustain drives, and the defense unable to get off the field on third down was too much to overcome.

The first offensive drive against Northwestern State could not have ended any worse. Robert Griffin was stopped for a loss on fourth down and hyper-extended his knee on the play. After wrapping his knee to stabilize the joint, he was able to return to the game and perform exceptionally. He will not be able to do that in any other game this season. He is out for the year with an isolated tear in his ACL. To make the season outlook even worse, Blake Szymanski suffered a bruised shoulder while trying to plow into the end zone. There is optimism that he can play next week, but was unable to raise his throwing arm following last nights game.

Nick Florence, a true freshman, should get the start against Kent State next weekend. RB Jay Finley is still day-to-day with an ankle injury and did not dress out for the NSU game. Jared Salubi and Terrance Ganaway are solid backs and have showed they are able to carry the load. Starting cornerback Antareis Bryan is out for six to eight weeks with a broken foot. Mikail Baker, a backup safety and cornerback and leading kick returner, is also out for the year with a knee injury. These injuries are going to force younger players to step up. A true freshman at QB, a redshirt freshman at RB, and a true freshman at CB.

Before these injuries, Baylor was already down on talent compared to the University of Texas and Texas A&M. Before the injuries, the average starter on offense for Baylor was a 3 star recruit and a 2 star on defense. A&M averages a 4 star on offense and a 3 star on defense. The Longhorns average a 4 star on offense and a 4 star on defense. Baylor needed to remain injury free and take advantage of every opportunity to reach 6 wins and be eligible for a bowl game. This Baylor Bear is extremely distraught currently. As a season ticket holder, I will not miss a home game and will be at Cowboys stadium to watch the season finale. Personally, I still see 6 wins as a possibility if the offensive and defensive lines step up and can take control of the line of scrimmage. Sic ‘Em Bears!!!

Aggie Spotlight

by Chad

I had prior engagements this past weekend, but I can now focus on some of the ins and outs of Aggie football. Ok readers, what has the latest Aggie football game taught us? Shouldn’t beating a remedial team 41-6 prove that the Aggies will systematically dominate all other teams in 2009?
I wish this were true, but I need to assess this team fairly and also provide some semblance of a respectable column. Personally, I’m just hoping for respectability. It’s been a couple of long, hot summers, without a drop of rain in Aggieland. That’s not saying that this team will be unable to win any meaningful games. I’m just not gaining any satisfaction in this temporary shade provided by the pounding of a Mountain West cellar dweller.
The team is young… very young. The depth chart lists 24 sophomores or freshmen in the Aggie two deep, of which, 7 are starting on defense. From the way the team played last year, this is not a bad thing. Head Coach Mike Sherman appears to be willing to play the best players at his disposal. Underclassmen will make mistakes, but only in these sophomores and freshmen does hope truly lie for the Aggie faithful. It is just a sad fact that the Aggies were out manned in the trenches and in the secondary over the past couple of seasons. From what I have seen in the game against New Mexico, the team looks much better in these crucial areas. I’m just not sure how much of this improvement was due to Texas A&M being superior as opposed to the Lobos just being awful.
I can’t see waves rising, or hear the winds of change blowing just yet. Until the Aggies play well against Arkansas, let’s wait on labeling this team as being good. That being said, I do think that they are much improved. The suggestion I have to my fellow Ags is to sit back and enjoy the next couple of games before this young team gets to appreciate the minefield of the Big 12 South.

Big XII: What we learned in Week 1

It was interesting weekend for the Big XII as they went 10-2 with the lone losses from Oklahoma and Colorado St.

Here are some thoughts on the weekend:

Oklahoma: Yes Bradford went down, but he played the entire first half and OU only had 10 points. It looks like the four rookie offensive lineman struggled against the veteran BYU defense and this could pose some big problems for the Sooners in the up-coming weeks.

Oklahoma St: Great win for the Big XII over the SEC as the Cowboys beat the Bulldogs by 2 touchdowns. For me, it legitimizes my 2nd place pick for OSU in the Big XII preview.
Baylor: Had the 2nd most impressive win for the conference as they beat Wake Forest on the road. At one point, Baylor had a 24-7 lead and managed to hold on 24-21 against the ACC school.

Texas, A&M, KU, Nebraska, and Texas Tech: All had lopsided victories against inferior opponents.

Mizzou: Another solid win for the conference as they beat Illinois in their annual rivalry game. Great win for the Tigers as they look to replace Chase Daniel at QB.

The week ahead:
Colorado @ Toledo
Iowa @ Iowa St
Ark. St. @ Nebraska
Houston @ OSU
UT @ Wyoming
Bowling Green @ Missouri
Idaho St @ OU
KSU @ UL-Lafayette
Rice @ Texas Tech
KU @ UTEP

Bye week: Texas A&M and Baylor

Tony Romo's New Squeeze

Most of you only care what she looks like so her pic is to the right:


For those of you who want to get to know the local sports reporter/former Miss Missouri, here is a link to her website: http://www.candice-crawford.com/

Bix XII Prediction Time!

It is that time of year again! I looked at each team game-by-game and predicted wins and losses. Don't hate me for it because it is only one man's opinion.

North Conf. Overall

Kansas (5-3) 9-3
Nebraska (4-4) 7-5
Colorado (4-4) 7-5
Missouri (3-5) 7-5
Kansas St. (1-7) 4-8
Iowa St. (0-8) 3-9

South Conf. Overall

Oklahoma (8-0) 12-0
OSU (7-1) 11-1
Texas (6-2) 10-2
Texas Tech (4-4) 8-4
Baylor (3-5) 7-5
A&M (2-6) 5-7

Big XII Championship: Oklahoma over Kansas

Bubble Game for each team:

Baylor @ Wake Forest: This Saturday's game can go a long way to Baylor's hopes to returning to a bowl game. This game will be close, but I say BU gets revenge for last year's stomping.....28-24.

Colorado vs. Missouri: This game is key for Colorado to return to glory days and I say they pull off the upset....24-17.

Iowa St. vs. Kansas St.: This will be ISU's best chance to win a conference game and yet it still won't happen...14-28.

Kansas vs. Nebraska: This game will decide the North crown and I give the nod to the team with the experienced QB...35-31.

Kansas St. vs. Texas A&M: This game could truly go either way and I chose to go with Jerrod Johnson and the Farmers....27-17.

Missouri vs. Baylor: Mizzou squeaked out a win last year in Waco, but I think with Baylor's 2-50 record on the road in the Big XII, I will be going with the Tigers....31-24.

Nebraska @ Kansas: If Nebraska wants to win the North title, they will have to win in Lawerence (not happening)....31-35.

Oklahoma vs. Texas: This game will once again go a long way to determining the Big XII Championship. I see Zero-U getting their revenge....38-24.

Oklahoma St. vs. Texas: I know I will take heat from T-sippers with this one, but how do they go into Stillwater and pull off the victory? Keep in mind that last year the Cowboys went into Austin and barely lost 28-24. T. Boone Pickens will enjoy this victory...42-35.

Texas A&M vs. Baylor: If I ticked off the UT fans with the last game, this is the one that Aggies will not enjoy. I can't see them containing RGIII even in Kyle Field. This will be the statement game for the Bears....28-42.

Texas Tech vs. Baylor: This is suppose to be a home game for Baylor but they committed to playing Tech in Arlington this year and in Dallas next year. If this was in Waco, I would chalk it up as a Bear victory but there will be plenty of Red Raiders in the Metroplex and Tech wins this one close...42-38.
UT vs. Oklahoma St.: We have already said that Pickens will party the night away. Be mad now, UT fans, but remember this prediction a couple of months from now...35-42.

That's it, so let the comments come pouring in. Where did I go wrong?

Cowboys Spotlight: Felix Jones

In the next few weeks we will be looking at several Cowboys that are essential to the team being successful. How do we judge success? I am glad you asked. You will not hear Super Bowl talk from me, instead a successful season will be a playoff win. That is it....one lousy playoff win. The last time the Cowboys won a playoff game was against Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl 13 years ago. That's right, there have been kids that have gone through all of their public education (K-12) and never seen America's Team never win a lousy playoff game.

After watching the game on Friday night, the one player who stood out to me was Felix Jones. Last year, the kid from Arkansas played in only 6 games before suffering a season-ending injury. In what little time he played last year, Jones showed off some incredible skills. He averaged 8.9 yards a carry and scored 3 TDs. When he gets out in open space there are a handful of players in the league that can catch him. He provides another element to the offense. He is the lightning to Barber's thunder and is an excellent receiver out of the backfield.

With the lack of a solid #2 WR, the Cowboys are going to have to utilize players like Felix to get where they wanna go.

Razorbacks Spotlight: Swine Flu?

--by Elizabeth

Petrino is worried about a Swine Flu outbreak. A few of the players have been sick recently and he had them checked out for Swine Flu, the tests came back negative. It would be comical for Razorback players to get the Pig flu...from nwahomepage.com

"With the increasing threat of exposure to the H1N1 Virus, or Swine Flu, football teams are taking precaution including the Arkansas Razorbacks. After Wednesday's practice Bobby Petrino said, "We’ve got a couple of guys that have been sick. We’ve been doing a nice job of working hard to make sure we understand everyone’s health and making sure we know their temperature. I saw where Duke had 15 players out and quarantined. It is a big concern of mine and it will be especially when school gets started here.”

MLB expanded rosters explanation

I have a request to explain the "September call-ups" in reference to when Tom Grieve and Josh Lewin talk about it on T.V.

This is from Yahoo Answers:

"On September 1, teams are allowed to add any player on the 40-man roster to the active roster - basically, raising the limit to 40 players. In practice, it's very, very rare that a team would actually hit that limit because several of the slots are usually held by players on the DL or minor leaguers who have to be on that protected roster but who aren't ready for the majors yet. (Plus, you've gotta pay them at the major league rate and they accrue MLB service time, which a team may not want to do for a player who isn't really needed.)

Once the playoffs start, teams still in contention get cut back to the 25-man limit (and those players must have been on the team prior to August 31)."

That is the best explanation that I found. Potential call-ups for the Rangers: Chris Davis, Max Ramirez, and Warner Madrigal. September call-ups are more useful for teams that are not in contention to bring up guys to get big league experience. See the last sentence of the explanation as to why it doesn't work for playoffs team usually.

I hope this helpful and feel free to give me blog ideas anytime!

Baylor's Scrimmage Highlights

I went to Baylor's open scrimmage today at their new athletics complex on the campus. It was a great escape from the Texas Rangers' disaster that happened last night.

The scrimmage was great to see especially considering I was about 20 feet from the field the entire time. The team as a whole seems to have a swagger with a lot of chatter on the field and the "Green" squad breaking out in song at one point.

Things I took away from the scrimmage:

No surprise but RGIII (that's Robert Griffin for the non-BU fans and pictured above in red) is simply amazing. He oozes confidence and throws amazing on the run.

Freshman Willie Jefferson (#17 in the picture) is 6-6 and looks like a basketball player. He will be an incredible red-zone target that nobody will be able to contend with in the endzone.

Junior Krys Buerck is incredibly fast. He caught several balls and no one was able to catch him once he got into open space.

Sophomore Terrance Ganaway, Houston transfer, made the lone good run of the day breaking tackles in route to a 20+ yard gain.

Last point: The Bears are going to score a ton of points this year. I know, that was a Captain Obvious moment but I am stating it nonetheless.

Thanks to my lovely wife, Amanda, for taking the pictures and sitting in the hot sun for 2 hours.

Neftali Feliz: Super Freak!

I am about to type out some stats that are not a misprint, but are freakishly awesome:

6.2 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 13 Ks, 1.35 E.R.A.

That's right.

He has faced 21 batters and struck out 13 of them. Only 1 batter has a hit which was a home run. He has been clocked out 101 mph on several occasions and his changeup is 91 mph. He doesn't look like a rookie out there, and in fact he looks like a seasoned veteran with a cool demeanor. Rob Neyer from ESPN called him "one of the best relief pitchers in the major leagues". I don't know if I would go that far but I am thanking my lucky stars that we didn't trade him for Halladay or Lee.

Welcome to the big leagues, Feliz.

Scott Podsednik's playing time

Scott's playing time is now in question for the White Sox after they acquired OF Alex Rios from the Toronto Blue Jays. Pods has maintained a batting average around .300 all season long yet Rios is getting paid big-time money so it is highly unlikely that he will sit on the bench most of the time.

The White Sox outfield as it stands:

LF--Carlos Quentin: .239-11-29
CF--Scott Podsednik: .297-4-33 and 17 SBs, Alex Rios: .264-14-62 and 19 SBs
RF--Jermaine Dye: .270-24-67

Alex Rios brings power, speed, and incredible defense to Chicago with Pods only having one of those abilities (speed). But Scott also has an uncanny ability to bat #1 in the lineup and the Sox would miss his capabilites there if he was on the bench.

We will get an idea of Ozzie Guillen's plans after tonight's game against the Mariners. We will have to wait and see if Scott's good play continues to award him a spot in the lineup.

Josh Hamilton and a long-term contract

Before the season started, I was anxious as anyone for the Rangers to lock up Josh to a long term contract. I figured that 1) he just had a major season and brought the Rangers national attention (in a good way) and 2) we would get one of the best hitters in baseball at a good discount if we locked him up now.

After this year's struggles and today's news coming out, I now know why the front office and Hambone's agent couldn't come to an agreement.

Two sides of the same coin:
For Texas, you have to look at Josh one year at a time. His body is too fragile (injuries and ADD medication) which means there is no guarantee which Josh you are going to get: last year's phenom or this year's injury-riddled mess. Can the Rangers afford to commit the next 5 years to a guy who is one bad night away from never playing the game again?

For Josh, today's news once again makes us realize that he lives one day at a time. Everyday he wakes up there is another battle he has to face with alcohol and drugs. Yes, he wins almost everyday but all it takes is one loss and he is done.

I have been a big advocate of Hambone but today was a reality check. I don't understand what he and his family must go through on a daily basis and I hope I never have to.

If you were the front office, what would you do with Hamilton?

Josh Hamilton's demons out of the closet...

The morning after Hambone hits a 3-run home run and helps the Rangers defeat the Angels, I would love to talk about how he has been hitting better and getting on track but it is not meant to be. Jean-Jacques Taylor and the Dallas Morning News has reported that their are some pictures on deadspin.com that suggest Hamilton's old ways have come back in an ugly way.

It shows him in a bar in Arizona back in March before spring training. They show him with unknown women and alcohol all around. Now, you won't find a bigger Josh fan than me: I have his jersey, his book, and I admired his testimony that he has shared time and time again. But this points us back to Romans 3:23 and reminds us that is EVERYONE falls short even after we receive so many blessings from our Lord.

I hope Josh addresses the pictures and the Rangers understand that those demons in the closet are always going to be there. We all have them and they can rise up at anytime.

"Sin is always crouching at your door"

**Update** The Rangers are going to address the photos prior to today's game against the Angels. I would like to believe that these photos are old but MLB network is on in the background of some of those photos and that channel has only been around since January. For now we just have to wait and see. He is drug tested every 3 days so but alcohol would not be a banned substance.

Bye, Bye Padilla!

Vicente Padilla finally used up all his 9 lives as a Ranger. Today the club designated him for assignment giving them 10 days to trade or waive him. He will most likely not find an immediate suitor which means he will be waived. On Wednesday he hit another batter, Kurt Suzuki, which led to Michael Young being beaned the next inning.

For whatever reason, Padilla's logic is when he makes a bad pitch and gives up a home run he has to immediately hit a batter on the opposing team. I know it doesn't make sense, but this is how Padilla's mind works.

The bottom line: We don't ever have to worry about him again because you will never see "Texas" across his chest.

Adios!

My Sports Weekend

I apologize for taking so long to post a blog this week, this week has been hectic. Last weekend was crazy fun for me starting with going to the Cowboys stadium on Friday. If my wife and I had left earlier for Arlington, we could have taken a tour of the stadium which would have been awesome but we are going to a game on the 29th anyways. We walked around the outside of the stadium and checked out the pro shop while we were there.

After leaving the mammoth stadium, we went to our original destination for the night: Rangers--Mariners game in which we had to leave early due to the threat of rain. The important thing is that the Rangers won and we saw a couple of homers that set off the fireworks. It was a great day!



Saturday was the key day for the weekend: Cowboys training camp in San Antonio. The crowd was enormous and I am only estimating but I would say maybe upwards of 10-12,000. The crowd cheered for their heroes: Marion Barber, Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware, and of course the beautiful, Tony Romo.

Players who looked good in practice:

Tony Romo

Felix Jones---flat out explosive
Flozell Adams--lost a lot weight and was very mobile
Rudy Carpenter--I would like to see him as the #3 QB.

Players who didn't look so good:
Stephen McGee--his passes were off in the early practice.
Patrick Crayton--dropped several passes
Jesse Holley--Mr. "4th and Long" dropped a lot of passes.

One thing I take away from Camp:
I never liked Wade Phillips as the Cowboys coach and now I KNOW I don't like him as the head coach. He looked lost especially in the early practice when he was wondering around the 50-yard line waddling back and forth. If you don't believe me I have a picture to show you him by the "star" and no one within 30 yards around him. Check it out:

Rangers not giving up on Halladay!

According to FoxSports.com, the Blue Jays rushed a scout to Arlington to watch Derek Holland pitch tonight for the Rangers in an obvious effort to work a trade with Texas before the deadline. The deadline is 3 p.m. tomorrow and if the Texas was to pull of a Roy Halladay trade, it would have to send fear to the Angels.

It would have to be a big time offer that could include: Holland, 1B Justin Smoak, CF Julio Borbon, and other legit prospect. As soon as something goes down I will blog about it!

Lets bring the "Doc" to Texas!

Rangers seeking rotation help

What are we going to do Nolan?

Believe it or not: The Texas Rangers are among the league leaders with a 4.17 E.R.A yet they are still seeking a starter via trade.

Current Rotation:
Kevin Millwood 9-7, 3.39 E.R.A., 1.28 WHIP

Scott Feldman 9-3, 3.59 E.R.A., 1.14 WHIP

Vincente Padilla 7-5, 4.67 E.R.A., 1.52 WHIP

Tommy Hunter 3-1, 2.00 E.R.A., 1.17 WHIP

Derek Holland 3-6, 6.13 E.R.A., 1.62 WHIP

Now imagine for a second replacing Holland with one of these guys:

Zach Duke 9-9, 3.42 E.R.A., 1.23 WHIP

Jarrod Washburn 8-6, 2.71 E.R.A., 1.06 WHIP

Cliff Lee 7-9, 3.14 E.R.A., 1.30 WHIP

Lee could be headed to Boston according to T.R. Sullivan, but Texas still remains rumored to get Duke and the Rangers have a scout watching Washburn pitch tonight in Seattle.

Of the three, who do you want? I still would choose Duke because he would be the cheapest and we could hang onto him the longest.

Trade Rumor Spotlight: Josh Willingham

Already mentioned Duke in the previous post, and now I will spotlight another potential Ranger in Willingham.

Bio:

Bats: Right
Throws: Right
30 years old

2009 stats: .296 AVG, 15 HR, 35 RBI, .410 OBP

The Rangers outfield is already crowded but he would be coming in as the DH, but the problem is Andruw Jones has occupied that spot for most of the last two months. Texas would have to figure out what to do with Jones and Cruz.

I like Josh W. because of his ability to get on base which is something all the Rangers are lacking this year and his contract runs through 2011 so he would not be a quick fix.

As much as I like Zach Duke, Willingham would be my #1 priority for the trade deadline. Stay tuned to this blog for the latest in rumors and actual trade news......hopefully we will have some!

**Update: Josh has 2 HRs and 8 RBIs tonight**

Trade Rumor Spotlight: Zach Duke

Bio:

Left-handed starting pitcher
Born in Clifton, TX

2009 stats: 20 starts, 3 complete games, 9-9, 3.42 E.R.A., 139.1 IP, 74Ks

Has gone at least 6 innings in his last 10 starts and the 9-9 record is impressive considering that he pitches for the Pirates.

The Rangers would have to give up some prospects but I don't believe they would have to give away any top-tier prospects. How about 2 second-level tier prospects and throw in another young prospect.

Duke would immediately be the #3 pitcher (after Millwood and Feldman) and could be a stable in the rotation for years to come.

What do you think of Duke........is he worth it?

To trade or not to trade!

I'm back from vacation with a vengeance! This week marks the trade deadline for MLB and the Rangers look to be big-time players with the addition of a starter or DH or both. I give credit to Jamey Newberg, Evan Grant, and Trot Coffey for the following names that have been linked to the Rangers:

Purely speculation

Pitchers:

Roy Halladay (longshot but the Rangers are in the top 5 of possible destinations)
Cliff Lee (Cleveland says they are not trading him)
Doug Davis--former Ranger
Zach Duke--my choice and a Texan
many others.....

Hitters:
Adam Dunn
Nick Johnson--good OBP, injury concerns
Josh Willingham--good AVG, OBP and is signed through 2011
Ryan Garko--not as good as the above 3 **Update: Just traded to Giants for Single A pitcher**

I would like the addition of Zach Duke and Josh Willingham because they would help the team immediately but also be here for the next couple of years. As soon as the Rangers make a trade check out this site for complete analysis!

Upcoming: Zach Duke and Willingham spotlights.

Going on Vacation

The family is going on a cruise and they have been nice enough to drag me along. I won't be back until Saturday night by then I hope that:

Mavs have grabbed a big man.

Rangers have figured out how to hit and are back in first place.

Cowboys have not done anything to embarrass the organization.

In reality it will probably be:

Mavs will just sit around and talk a good game.

Rangers fall out of contention as they can't hit or pitch.

Cowboys make the headlines that are not in the Sports page.....crime section, front page, etc.

We will have to wait and see..........Peace out!

Book Review: The Blind Side

I finished a book today that is as good as it gets: The Blind Side by Michael Lewis. Lewis also wrote another great book, Moneyball, but this is much better. It is about Michael Oher, an African-American kid from Memphis who is taken in by a rich white family on the other side of the tracks. The book also covers how the NFL has made the left tackle (the position who protects the QBs blind side) the most highly paid position in the league. Oher happens to play left tackle and was drafted in the first round back in April.

This book was written a few years ago so I feel kinda stupid for not reading it sooner but I am glad I did. It ranks up there with Friday Night Lights, Where Dreams Die Hard, and Beyond Belief in great sports books.

Go out and get your copy today, you won't regret it!

**A movie starring Tim McGraw and Sandra Bullock is coming out later this year that is based on this book**

Goodbye Polish Hammer.......we hardly knew thee

Dallasbasketball.com is calling this day "Day That Will Live In Mavs Infamy" and I am inclined to believe that after losing Marcin Gortat to Orlando and Roddy Beaubois to injury. The extent of Roddy's injury is uncertain at this time (check back for an update) but Gortat's absence from this team is the thing that stings the most right now. His agent had said that Mr. Gortat was disappointed to hear that Orlando had matched the deal because that means he has to settle for watching Superman from the bench for the next 5 years possibly.

So what do the Mavs do now? Well the off-season has now rebooted for Dallas after we thought they were basically done. Who are the suspects to take up the slack:

Tyson Chandler
Emeka Okafor
Elton Brand
Marquis Daniels
Marcus Camby
Chris Kaman (I like him IF he can stay healthy)
David Lee
Eddie Curry

Most of these guys don't get me excited primarily because you are going to have to overpay for them unlike Mr. Gortat who would have been payed half of Damp is owed this season.

Stay tuned for the lastest on the NEW off-season for the Mavs!

Update: Roddy has a left knee contusion according to the Mavs.

Rangers Spotlight: Scott Feldman

Feldman did what he always seems to last night: pitch great and get a win. With the 6-4 win yesterday, Scott is now 8-2 on the season and has dropped his E.R.A. to 3.83. He has made himself a solid major league #3 pitcher and has been the Rangers second best pitcher only behind Mr. Millwood. But even Millwood has had an horrible outing while Feldman has kept Texas in every game he has pitched.

He is 10th in the A.L. in wins (8) and WHIP (1.18) and has gone at least 5 innings in every start this season and went at least 6 innings in 12 of his 15 starts. He always seems to have great movement on all his pitches and he has made it known to Evan Grant from Inside Corner that he wants to go deeper into games.

Heading into the All Star break you could make an argument that he is the Rangers most consistent pitcher this season and one of the main reasons they are in first place nearing mid-July.

Blalock is Red Hot!

Blalock's red hot play helped the front office send Chris Davis down to the minors, but Hank hasn't cooled off now that he has the starting gig. He has seen his average jump 21 points in the last 10 games and has 3 straight multi-hit games going into tonight's game. It has been well documented that Hank has been complaining of lack of playing time and since that was leaked to the media he has been playing extremely well.

Example: in last night's loss, he had the two Rangers hits through the first 5 innings against King Felix. But not only is he making contact in this streak but the power has been unbelievable. He has 4 HRs and 8 RBIs in his last 9 games which includes tonight's 2nd inning solo home run.

Welcome back Hank, the team needs your leadership during this playoff run!

Oh C.J., how we loathe thee

I have been a big C.J. Wilson apologist for a long time now, but he makes that difficult for me to hang onto that label after tonight's game. Wilson who has been lights out for most of the last month, blows the game tonight after Tommy Hunter and Darren O'Day do their job.

Mr. Blue Glove gives up a 3-run home run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th to lose the game 3-1 to Seattle. To add insult to injury he almost collides with Michael Young to catch a foul out to end the 8th inning. That was a move based on pure emotions and it could have caused a severe injury to either of the players.

He has great stuff that nobody can argue with, but he has a 10 cent head that causes trouble when things don't go his way. If I wanted to watch an emotional player I would watch softball not professional baseball.

This loss hurts plain and simple.

Who is Nathan Jawai? Answer: Aussie Shaq!

After the dust settles from the trade, the Mavs pick up Marion, Greg Buckner, Kris Humphries, and Nathan Jawai. We all know Marion, Buckner is a former Mav from 2 years ago, and Humphries has been in the league for a few years now, but what about Jawai?

Who is this guy that was thrown into the deal?

I was reading on the TorontoStar.com today and some of the comments from the fans showed they were really dissappointed that the Raptors let this Australian go. He only played 6 games last year and played college ball at Midland College here in Texas yet there has to be something they liked about him.

He is a 6-10 PF from Sydney and is nicknamed the "Aussie Shaq".

Interesting.

Matrix lands in Dallas

According to Marc Stein and ESPN, Shawn Marion is a Dallas Maverick and it should be official by tomorrow. The details of the trade are not clear but apparently Stackhouse goes to Memphis as part of the 3-team trade.

With the addition of Marion, Gortat, and Kidd re-signing, the Mavs have to be considered a 50-win team next season and a legitimate playoff team. Also figure that the Mavs are not done by no means in the off-season with some reports out there saying Josh Howard could be the next piece moved for possibly...........Joe Johnson?

As it stands right now the starting lineup is:

PG: Jason Kidd
SG: Josh Howard
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Marcin Gortat

Other Notables: SG Jason Terry, PG J.J. Barea, C Erick Dampier, SG Antoine Wright

Does this move alone put us in the conversation with the Lakers and the Spurs?

***Update: Wright and Devean George are heading to Toronto and Kris Humphries is coming to Dallas from Toronto along with Marion***

Hamilton making his presence known!

Josh Hamilton has only been back for two games but has only made an incredible impact on this team. He is 5-8 with a stolen base and has been flying around the bases leaving one to think that he is completely healthy. Ham's presence in this lineup causes pitchers to fear his bat and gives the entire team a boost of confidence.

The question is: Should Hamilton participate in the Home Run Derby at the All Star Game? The baseball fan in me wants to say yes after the performance he had last year, but Josh clearly lost something after the All Star break with his bat. Can the Rangers, tied for 1st place, afford to have #32 play in an exhibition home run derby? Do you risk your playoff chances for a couple of hours of entertainment?

What do you think?

West Spotlight: Pods update!

Scott went 3-4 with a double and 2 runs scored as the Sox beat the Royals 5-0 to improve to 4 games above .500. Podsednik has raised his average back up to .317 which still leads the team. Here is a great article written recently on Pods resurgence with Chicago by MLB.com

Rangers Spotlight: Frank Francisco

Should he still be the Texas Rangers closer? Before his injury, he had only given up 1 run in the first two months. But since coming off his stint on the DL, Francisco has given 5 runs in 5 outings. His last outing he did the most damage when he gave up a game-tying home run against the Angels on Wednesday night.

His E.R.A. was a meager 0.48 on June 3 but now is 2.28 which is still solid but I wonder if he is completely healthy?

I believe C.J. Wilson should be the Rangers closer again. He has only given up 1 run since that game against the Yankees on June 4th and that 1 run was in mop-up duty the other day in a win against the Angels. His E.R.A. now has dropped to 2.73 and he struck out the side in Wednesday night's game against the Halos.

How about the Rangers drop Francisco to the 8th inning for now and keep Wilson in the closer role? What do you think?

Rangers dominate the West

After winning 2 out of 3 against the Angels, the Rangers are 15-4 against the AL West this year. The first place Angels are only 10-14 against the West and Texas is the only team in the division with a winning record.

If Texas can manage to play .500 or ball or slightly better against the rest of the American League this season and continue to play like they do against the West, the Rangers will have no problem winning the division. For some reason Texas struggled against the NL in previous weeks but were doing fine against the AL.

7 of the next 10 games are all against the West and on the road. It will be crucial for the team to go 4-3 against Seattle and LA. And based on the numbers so far this year, we have no reason not to believe that they go and have a winning record on that road trip. Hamilton is supposed to come back this weekend and will automatically put fear into opposing pitchers again like he was doing earlier in the season.

So Ranger fans have no fear for games against the West are here!

NBA Free Agency about to begin

At 11:00 pm CT the free agency period will begin and Mark Cuban will be in New York mucking it up with Jason Kidd. The Mavericks have made it clear that Kidd is their #1 priority with keeping Brandon Bass #2. Kidd has a very good chance of staying while their will be a lot teams wanting to snatch up Bass and being able to offer him a larger contract.

Let's say the Mavs keep Kidd but lose Bass, that would mean Dallas still has their Mid Level Exception to use on one good player or two or three sub-par players. Possible players for the MLE could be Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, or Anderson Varejao.

Out of those 3 players who would you want the most?

Keep in mind, the Mavs still have Stackhouse's and Dampier's contract to dangle to teams for trade bait.

***Marquis Daniels could be a possibility for that MLE if the Mavs were willing to bring him back.***

Hunter's performance wasted in 2-0 loss

Tommy Hunter had an incredible spot-start that was all for naught as the Rangers lost to the Padres and Chad Gaudin, 2-0. San Diego won a series for the first time this month and put Texas 1.5 games behind the Angels.

Hunter's line: 6.1 IP, 7 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks, and 3 Ks.

Is he worthy of keeping in the rotation after this start?

The Rangers bats went cold again against Gaudin, managing only 1 hit.

What does Texas need to do with the lineup? Do we need to add another bat? Nick Johnson is still available from the Nationals.

The Rangers rotation woes

Though the Rangers hitting is far from perfect, it has begun to show life in the last 4 or 5 games. Chris Davis has seen his average climb back over the right side of .200 and Kinsler is also having more success at the plate.

At this moment, the top 3 in the rotation are solid with Millwood, Padilla, and Feldman but Holland and (insert 5th starter) are no guarantee to get the job done. Tonight, Tommy Hunter takes the mound in Harrison's spot after he went on the DL again. We were told that Jason Jennings would be the next guy to take a rotation spot the minute one was vacated and I hope that is the case. I think Hunter fills in tonight because it was on short notice and I see Jennings filling in from here on out. He wants the opportunity again to prove he can be starter and this could be it.

What about Derek Holland? He had one good start in San Fran, but struggled last night against a weak hitting San Diego team. He hammered fastballs into the zone over and over again and the Padres made him pay. It seems that he still thinks he can overpower players with his fastball but he needs to command his secondary pitches if he is ever going to be a starter in this league.

Do you think Holland should still be in the rotation? Who should be in the rotation? Who do you want the Rangers to trade for?

West Spotlight: Scott hits 3rd home run!

Scott Podsednik went 4-5 with a double and a home run along with 3 RBIs as the White Sox beat the Cubs 8-7. For the season, Pods has 3 home runs, 20 RBIs, and raised his team leading batting average to .319. He could be the White Sox All Star representative if he keeps playing like this for the next week.

Marlon Byrd-Victor Conte Relationship Unsettling

A couple of days ago news broke that Marlon Byrd has been receiving supplements from BALCO founder Victor Conte. This is the same Conte who supplied Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds, and Marion Jones among others with steroids of all kinds. He is the same steroid dealer who was made famous in the book Game of Shadows (excellent book) and the same guy who thinks that professional players should be super humans and the public wants to see juiced athletes.

So why does Marlon Byrd want to get his supplements from this guy? This is like someone who wants to buy a gun and decides to go see the Taliban instead of their local gun store. Why does Byrd choose to put his name in the same sentence as this guy?

Well apparently he has been doing this for the last 18 months and has not failed a drug test but don't think that this story is going away. This will not be the last piece of news to come out on this subject.

Byrd's 2009 stats: .285 avg, 4 HR, 33 RBI

Pods hit game-winning hit....Again!

West product, Scott Podsednik, has another walk-off hit for the White Sox as they beat the Dodgers in the 13th inning today, 6-5. Scott went 2-6 with a walk and RBI and broke out of 0-15 slump with a 12th inning single. It is the 2nd time Scott has won a game for the Sox in as many weeks and he raised his team leading average to .305.

What a year for Pods!

Mavs Draft Talk

Looks like the Mavs will end up with two guards: Rodrigue Beaubois, an athletic French PG, who is suppose to be at a press conference tomorrow and according to Rick Carlisle will be with the team this summer and should make the roster. It was believed that this guy would have to stay in Europe for at least another year but the Mavs are saying otherwise. The other guard is Nick Calathes, a combo guard who went to the University of Florida but has already signed a contract to play for a professional team in Greece. He put up some solid numbers at Florida and has good size at 6-5.

Note: Pay close attention to DeJuan Blair out of Pitt who is with the Spurs. They picked him up well into the 2nd round and I have a feeling that Mavs are going to regret passing him up much like Big Baby Davis a couple of years ago. Thank you Mavs for Nick Fazekas: how did that work for us?

What do you think of these two picks? Are they worth getting excited about?