And we'll take it

Good times

Over 162 games, it takes all kinds. 

You'll have the blow-out, the 1-run game, the pitcher's duel, the laugher, batting practice, the doubleheader, the rain out and everything in between in Major League Baseball. 

It feels the Texas Rangers have won them all. Friday night, it was the rare 2-hour delay. And the Rangers won that one, too, 5-4. 

Other than the superb to just plain good pitching, it's this resiliency that provides the most hope for the Rangers. Just feels like over the past decade they lost goofball games like this. Sure, they'd go into the 2-hour break with a 5-3 lead, but it'd get choked up sooner or later and the game would be so late the morning paper wouldn't carry the box score, to pour salt into the wound. 

Nonetheless, the Rangers are 58-43 overall and 20-9 against AL West foes. Sad thing, the flippin' California Angels came back  on the Minnesota Twins, so there remains three games between the Angels and Rangers in the division. 

For the record, the Rangers finished July 17-8 and still wound up three games out. Dang. 

Notes: 

1. I said that Vicente Padilla had to show up in the second half. Still waiting. However, his six innings Friday night were pretty effective and efficient. 

2. After 46.1 innings last season, C.J. Wilson had 41 strikeouts and 27 walks and a 6.02 ERA. Wilson didn't toss another inning. Through 46.1 innings this season, Wilson's got 44 K, 19 BB and a 2.72 ERA. 

3. How gigantic was signing Omar Vizquel in light of Elvis Andrus' development and, now, Ian Kinsler's bad hammy? The 42-year-old is still better than 80 percent of the infielders in the league and he's hitting .299. 

4. You'd think Marlon Byrd's playing for a contract. He set his career single-season mark for homers with No. 11, a 3-run shot. 

5. I think a big part of the Rangers success: Only six teams have allowed fewer walks than Rangers pitching. Only six bullpens have allowed fewer walks than the Rangers'. 

Scott Lucas' Line of the Week

Today:

"So is Halladay alone enough to land Derek Holland, or does Toronto need to sweeten the pot?"

Mavs nuggets

Note to self: Signing stiff white guys is not good

Famed ESPN columnist Bill Simmons did a two-part column using quotes from the film "Almost Famous" to tie into the goings-on of the NBA off-season.

The fact that the World Wide Leader is publishing this is crazy.

However, he gives the Dallas Mavericks a couple of mentions:

****
41. Ladies and gentlemen, the evening is over. We hope you all enjoyed yourselves and we'll see you all again in 1974. Good evening!

Or in the case of the Dallas Mavericks, 2004. Because that's the only way a crunch-time five of Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Josh Howard, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry is competing for an NBA title -- if we threw everyone into a time machine and headed back to 2004. If you're a Mavs fan, you have to be worried about a decade of poor drafting, lavish spending and questionable talent evaluations, as well as a front office that nearly fell apart five years ago. (As detailed in the eye-opening transcripts from the Cuban/Nelson lawsuit, in which it was revealed that current GM Donnie Nelson had to be talked out of taking Pavel Podkolzin FIFTH in the 2004 draft after his father learned that he didn't have final say for the pick and begged him, "Well, if that's the case, then as your father I'm asking you, don't draft Pavel Podkolzin." I don't even have a follow-up joke here.)

Thank goodness there's a media member actually calling out the Dallas Mavericks. Simmons hits the nail on the head here particular about the last decade of mismanagement that no one wants to talk about.

****
42. They don't just put someone with one little hit on the cover of Rolling Stone f---ing magazine!
Congrats, Orlando, you're now paying $33 million to a guy who plays 10 minutes a game.
To Marcin Gortat, who parlayed one "little hit" (a solid playoff performance) into a $33 million deal that, if you're a Dallas fan, you should be happy isn't clogging up your cap right now. I liked Gortat heading into the summer as a great value risk in the "four years, $17.6 million" range. Nothing higher. Dallas offered him nearly double, which made sense because this is the same team that inked Raef LaFrentz, Shawn Bradley, DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier to more than $225 million in "Why the hell did we do that?" deals. Then Orlando shocked everyone by matching … you know, because any time you can pay $7 million a year for someone who plays 10 minutes a game, you have to do it.

So what now? Poor Gortat is being stalked by the ghosts of Jon Koncak, Jim McIlvaine, Jerome James, DeSagana Diop, Luc Longley, Todd MacCulloch and every other free-agent center who was overpaid in the $30-33 million range and immediately turned into a stiff. Dallas had to go to Plan B: throwing away $4.5 million on a goofball like Drew Gooden. As for Orlando …

I really feel the Mavs dodged a bullet missing out on Gortat. It felt good at the time. Doesn't mean it was good.

Truth is relative

Farewell sweet Zubie

The first thing you need to know about American sports is that everyone is lying to you.

Except me, of course.

Everyone else is trying to make money and if the truth has to be obliterated or even bent a little, athletes, agents, owners, managers, general managers and everyone in between in lie if need be.

Case in point: Sergei Zubov's agent.

Two weeks ago, the 39-year-old free agent defensemen who's played about 40 games in two years and just had hip replacement surgery had at least six teams kicking the tires.

Zubov didn't need the Dallas Stars. There were plenty of teams wanting his services.

Today, the disappointing, but revealing, news is that Zubov is close to signing with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League.

I'm not all that familiar with hockey more or less hockey leagues in other countries, but I do know that if you had your druthers, you take the NHL over playing in the Kontinental Hockey League.

The truth: No one was willing to spend money on a broken-down defenseman, who can not guaranteed he can handle 82 games against younger, bigger players. Of course, when Zubov's agent said six "teams" were interested, he might have meant six KHL teams.

See, the truth is relative.

Maybe no trade is a good trade

Off on Halliday

Leading up to today's MLB trade deadline, I was pumped as a fan of the Texas Rangers.

They were in a curious spot. They've got the best farm system in the universe and could set up a package to get anyone they wanted. They also had a handful of veterans that could help another team.

The Rangers are a young time that is winning. The idea is to maybe get younger and maybe better. Often, the two may not intersect.

Getting Roy Halladay made you older, but it made you better. But at what cost? We're talking Derek Holland and Justin Smoak to start. According to sources that are not me, the Rangers were the closest to getting Halladay, but apparently those talks are deader than a doornail. I would suspect the Blue Jays will keep their ace and try to shop him in the winter.

However, 57 wins in and a ton of good times had, I'm willing to ride out this season with the team currently constructed, warts and all. I don't know how good they are, but, frankly, I don't know how good the California Angels or Boston Red Sox are either (T.R. Sullivan chronicles the Angels' insane July ... can that keep up forever?).

All I know is that trade chips like Hank Blalock and Marlon Byrd have played hard and had some big hits this season. I know that Derek Holland has a ton of promise and I'm not really willing to give that up right now. I know that it's fun to watch Tommy Hunter every fifth day, it's cool to see Andruw Jones resurrect his career and it's still worth it to root on guys like Josh Hamilton, Dave Murphy, Nellie Cruz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

I also know that Rome wasn't built in the day. Trading for Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, the bevy of relievers out there or a bat does not guarantee anything, or as much as hanging on to 20-year-old prospects.

But those are my prospects. And there's some value to that seemingly innocuous point of view. There's also value to a 57-win team that plays hard and has rewarded its fandom all season.

It wouldn't shock me to see the Rangers do something before the day is out, but if they don't, I'm content with the progress this franchise has made.

The DH in the American League

Our hero

That, friends, is why Derek Holland, barring injury, should be in the Texas Rangers starting rotation for the rest of the season.

In his most brilliant performance as a professional baseball player, Holland escorted the hapless Seattle Mariners behind the woodshed, broke out a paddle and went to town:

8.2 IP - 2 hits - 1 ER - 1 BB - 10 K - 118 pitches

If you enjoy the Rangers and that doesn't get you going, nothing will.

And this is the product of one thing: Patience.

Three years ago, if Edison Volquez had done what Holland had one (see: struggled as a starter) then he would've been shipped down to Oklahoma City and maybe pulled back up in September to make a couple of starts and the whole process would've started again in 2010, for Volquez, in Oklahoma City.

GM Jon Daniels and president Nolan Ryan have brought an entirely different mindset to this team and it's based on patience and the hope that the No. 1 farm system in the universe will cough up a half dozen winners and make the Major League franchise a contender for the next decade.

For 10 years, Rangers fans have had their hearts ripped out time after time as prospects are shipped out or never given a true shot. No more.

Holland, Tommy Hunter, Scooter Feldman and others are here until their arms fall off or their ERA reaches infinity.

Notes:
1. Good to see Warner Madrigal back. He was absolutely abusing Triple A hitting.

2. Mike Young has hits in nine of his last 10 games. He has three hits in five of his last 10 and four three-hit nights in his last six. He hasn't hit the ball this well since 2005. Maybe.

3. The Rangers 3-5 hitters: 6-12 - 3 RBI - 2 homers.

4. Jarrod Saltalamacchia looks way better at the plate as of late. His strikeouts are down and he's hitting a little.

5. Andruw Jones' last 10 games: 11 BBs, 6 Ks. Again, what has amazed me most about the guy this season is his plate discipline. He's never been this way in his career.

6. The Rangers are 19-8 against the AL West. And 35-20 at home.

Keys to the Season: Runnin' the Ball

Just give Felix Jones the damn ball

A series about what really matters for the 2009 Dallas Cowboys.

I think this season for the Dallas Cowboys relies on one real thing: Running the ball.

It's not about the defense. It's not about Terrell Owens (or the lake thereof). It's not about Wade Phillips. It's not about Tony Romo.

It's about running the ball.

Hands down. No real argument. No denial.

If the Dallas Cowboys can't or don't run the ball, they will fail.

The Cowboys, on average, rushed the ball 23 times a game last year (near the bottom in the league). They threw the ball 34 times a game (near the top).

Mind you, this is a 9-7 team. Not bad, but not great. Typically, however, you find really bad teams leading the league in passing attempts per game because they're behind a lot. Or you find really good passing teams. For example, the Indianapolis Colts are near the top. Unfortunately, so are the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Bucs.

The other odd thing about this stat is that the Cowboys proved to have three pretty legit NFL running backs in Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. Granted, not all were healthy all season, but nonetheless, if you wanted to run the ball you had three sets of arms to hand the ball off to.

I'm a fan of the enema. It's quick. You just stick a tube up and flush out everything. It's like a clean slate.

The Dallas Cowboys need enemas. First, they got rid of the junky players they felt were clogging up the system. Now they need to flush out their offense.

Forget the shotgun. Forget Tony Romo slinging the ball downfield. Forget losing Owens and having to rely on Pat Crayton, Roy Williams and Co. Forget worrying about the defense holding up.

All this team needed was someone to consistently pound the ball for four years every day and move the chains. Not that they didn't have that guy (they did) but they never used them as the idea is that you "play" to your "strengths." Ideally, Romo is your strength. But that doesn't mean you throw the ball 40 times a game. The most basic of sports fan knows you have to balance in any attack. A pitcher that tosses a 94 mph fastball over and over is going to get pounded eventually. The hockey player with the same deke move will eventually get his bell rung.

The football offense that does the same thing over and over expecting a different result ... well, is insane.

The Dallas Cowboys need to become a running team. The numbers mentioned above need to be inversed. I'm talking 40 rushing attempts a game. Let's quit talking like having a three-headed running game can't work as we see teams do it over and over. It can work. If you want.

And that's the kicker with the Cowboys. I sincerely believe they don't want to run the football. Or so the last two years have evidenced. They're so headstrong in living and dying by Tony Romo and his silly playmaking ability that they lose sight of what's really important.

You just can't hand the ball off, lose a yard and abandon the running game. You have to keep plugging. And unless you're 21 points down in the third quarter, you need to keep on keeping on.

Running the ball makes your entire team better. Trust me, this is the biggest key for the Cowboys. If there isn't any running going on, this team will miss a certain No. 81 sorely.

Foosball

My sports calendar is off. Like a page has been torn out or like I'm looking at different year.

It's late-July, damn-near August, I'm I have neither the itch or twitch to watch football.

Granted, my NFL weiner has never been very strong. I like high school and college football. However, my yen there isn't a-twitter like it usually is.

Thanks to the Texas Rangers. Now, don't get me wrong, I following the Rangers from stem to stern every season. I watching meaningless, 20-games-out baseball in September as much as I will we've-still-got-hope May baseball. To me it's all good.

However, the Rangers have pulled a fast one. They're good. They've been good since mid-April and there's little sign that this will change in the near future.

But how does this affect my football watching? It probably won't. But I do admit when training camps and two-a-days start, I get the itch because no matter if I watch them, Rangers baseball typically doesn't mean as much by this team most years.

By September, I'll still watch college football, take in high school football and watch the Rangers play the Angels for six straight series in September, but I feel like the guy that sees Christmas decorations in stores in September. Surely it's not time for football. There's just too much good baseball to be had.

I guess it's a good problem to have.

Trades that have nothing to do with the Texas Rangers

Several trades went down today. None concerning the Texas Rangers. Directly. However, everything is everything. 

Snell Out

Pittsburgh sent pitcher Ian Snell and shortstop Jack Wilson to the Seattle Mariners for a bunch of prospects. I think the Rangers probably kicked the tires on Snell. He's nothing special, per se, because he was optioned to Triple A this season, but ruled the roost there. However, he was young and needed a change of sceneray. With that said ... 

What The Hell Are The Mariners Doing?

Not that i necessarily care. The Mariners could fall off the face of the Earth and I wouldn't bat an eye. However, it's worth noting that both Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn have been considered trade candidates, which indicates that the Mariners are ready to sell. OK. So you sent Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeno and three prospects to the Pirates for a 31-year-old shortstop that can't hit and a less-than-reliable youngish pitcher? What are the Mariners doing? 

Cliffhanger

No, not the Sylvester Stallone film. Instead, the Cleveland Indians sent Cliff Lee and Rangers-killer Ben Francisco to the Philadelphia Phillies for four prospects without giving up J.A. Happ or Kyle Drabek. The Phils might have just not only won another World Series, but made the trade of the year. 

Those are all "maybes." What this did do is take the Phils out of the running for Toronto starter Roy Halladay leaving a sparse number of teams that can actually set up a package for the starter. One of those teams is the Texas Rangers. I realize the deadline has passed for the Blue Jays, but that's just posturing. 

But would you give up Derek Holland, Justin Smoak and Julio Borbon for Halladay? Yeah, me neither.

Tim Thomas ensures Dallas Mavericks' ability to make poor decisions

Disaster waiting to happen

I've always had the sinking feeling that the Dallas Mavericks were prone to the poor decision.

Cases in point: Antoine Rigaudeau, Pavel Podkolzin, Mavs Man, Wang Zhizhi, the trash bags and whatever this is.

But with those guys there was the element of the unknown. Maybe there was a Dirk Nowitzki buried deep within the recesses of these foreign entities.

Maybe not.

However, with Tim Thomas. You know what you're getting: A loudmouth son of a bitch, who plays zero defense, has a bad attitude, quits on your team and can only do the thing he does best (shoot three pointers) 37 percent of the time.

Thomas is the newest Maverick as the franchise continues to overreact to losing Marcin Gortat as if the guy was George Mikan or James Donaldson or somebody of that ilk.

Thomas is a disaster. If a player can make your team worse, it's Thomas. He's a bad seed. He's the true No. 1 sign of desperation.

Plus, how does Dirk Nowitzki feel about this. I think we all remember their incident in the playoffs a couple of years ago.

Bottomline: Thomas has never, ever made a team better. Why should he start now?

Because you're bored, here's some things to read

'The Revolutionary'
A great article about the legacy of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane and "Moneyball." I think it's a great book and I think it's largely misunderstood. There's the idea that "Moneyball" spits in the face of traditional talent evaluation with numbers. That's not the case. It's a combination of the two and it makes the traditional side of things a lot stronger. Furthermore, there's the perception that Beane and Co. sought out bad players with good "Moneyball" numbers. My response to that is Matt Holliday. Holliday is "Moneyball" material because he walks quite a bit. Otherwise, he has good power numbers, gap power, he can hit for average, play good defense and be a general good guy in the clubhouse. Who wouldn't want Holliday, walks or no?

"Set For Life"
A series of fascinating articles from the Washington Post about athletes, post-retirement. It goes into excruciating detail about these guys' lives after the game in terms of money and finding something to do when you "retire" at age 37 or even younger.

The Cooperstown Code
In lieu of doing something reasonably good for humankind, some college professors have come up with a way of determining whether a MLB player will make the Hall of Fame, which, as it turns out, is based on just a several statistics for hitters and pitchers.

Grunt It Out
Lumberjack sports continue ... but it ain't what it used to be.

Getting Younger by the day

Tommy gun

Over the past three days, Mike Young has looked like one of the best players in baseball: 

9-12 - 2 runs - 1 2B - 2 home runs - 3 RBI

Young's resurgence this season is one of the best stories of the 2009 Texas Rangers. Young's latest three hits helped them to a rare win over the Detroit Tigers, 5-2 at the Ballpark tonight. 

His average is up to .322. His 14 homers are the most since 2006. He's got 123 hits in 94 games. He's well on the pace to match his numbers from his 2004-06 heyday including his .513 slugging. 

Young's a queer story. I love the guy and always have. His selflessness in moving to shortstop, a position he was never suited for, was legendary and endeared him to the bulk of the Dallas sports fandom. 

However, his whining about the direction of the team got old, especially after he signed his gigantic 5-year, $80 million contract extension in 2007 (I mean, why sign the deal if you don't feel like the team's going anywhere?). 

Then the off-season happened. Elvis Andrus was going to be on this team sooner than later. Young's tenure at shortstop was always going to fleeting with Andrus lurking in the minors. Did the Rangers handle the situation in tip-top form? Probably not. Did Young? Definitely not.

Young pouted some more, tried to angle for a trade, which was impossible considering his numbers and contract, and eventually sat down in a huff and settled at third base. 

Arguably, the move redefined his career and in hindsight endeared him even more to the fans (you won't believe how many now forget this off-season whining) and revitalized his bat. I will not be convinced that he's hitting better by an off-chance of getting lucky. I think the amount of energy of playing shortstop he expended took its toll on the guy who's no longer a spring chicken. 

Nonetheless, I'm happy to have the guy on my team. In the end, he settled and realized that he's getting paid and this team is headed in the right direction. Now, he realizes he's the heart of a playoff-contending team. Everyone's looking to him for leadership. 

Notes: 

1. I wish someone else would come up with some superlatives for Tommy Hunter. The Rangers aren't in this race without him. They've won three of his six starts. In all six, he's gone into the sixth inning in each and pitched his longest start tonight going seven strong. Two-thirds of his pitches were strikes. 

2. C.J. Wilson: One inning, three strikeouts. 

3. Boy, the offense is good for a heart attack or two. Just when you think the opposing starter (former Rangers Armando Galaragga in this case) has them down, they bust out due to the misfortune of the opposition. For the second straight game, the Rangers took advantage of errors to eke across runs and keep rallies alive. 

4. Kinda what opposition has done to the Rangers the past decade. 

5. How many big hits does Hank Blalock have this year? By my mental count, that's about five. It's probably more. 

6. Twelve groundball outs for Hunter. That's a good way to beat the heat and win in the Ballpark. 

7. Again, if Curtis Granderson can be on my team any day. 

The Gooden, the bad and the ugly

The future is so bright

In the film "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," all three were three different men.

In the case of "The Gooden, the bad and the ugly," all three are one man.

This happens to be Drew Gooden, the runner-up trophy in the Marcin Gortat trophy and the Dallas Mavericks' mid-level exception.

We're all familiar with Gooden. He had the crazy dad while his son rocked the college world at Kansas. He had a semi-decent NBA start by mostly rebounding and scoring around the basket.

Then the wheels fell off. Six teams in seven years. Three teams last season winding up in San Antonio.

In the playoffs, the Mavs got a good look at the guy for one game. After that, his effectiveness wore off.

That's Gooden in a nutshell.

He's got a decent low-post game (the only one on the Mavericks, ironically), but he's an awful defender, he's not a big hustle guy, he's terribly inconsistent and there's a better than zero chance that he might have personality issues in that he doesn't get along with others.

I realize that inconsistent play can get you traded or released in a hurry, but there are literally dozens of NBA players that are worse than Gooden that are kept around a team for years. There's something about Gooden that wears on a team. Maybe he has a bad attitude or is just weird.

Nonetheless, he's our new back-up center. The good, and all the bad and ugly.

Texas Rangers Needs: Starter

The Duke

"When are the Rangers going to get themselves some pitching?"

Well, they kinda did. No they didn't break the bank or overhaul their farm system. They put a little faith in a displaced middle reliever (Scooter Feldman), put a little trust in a couple of nice prospects (Tommy Hunter, Derek Holland), told an old hillbilly in a "contract year" to get in shape (Kevin Millwood) and they almost gave away their No. 2 starter (Vicenta Padilla).

Still, the general consensus is that the Rangers still need pitching.

This idea only holds weight because there is an assumption that the Rangers are going to go for the division this year. Not in 2010, not in 2011.

This is the crux of the argument. Should the Rangers consider 2009 gravy and really go hard for 2010 and 2011? The key is to maybe play for both. Get a guy that the Rangers will have under control until 2011.

Of course, the fact that changes everything is that the Rangers are somehow poor and can't afford anyone. So, however you lean on the prospect/pitching/playoff issue, it may be all moot.

Dudes who the Rangers might have a say in:

Roy Halladay
We've discussed this. I don't think he'll want to come here. Still, I would think that GM Jon Daniels will make a call to Toronto on July 30, just to check in.

Cliff Lee
Relatively cheap and has a club option for 2010. The Indians once traded their ace and got back a booty that changed the face of their franchise (see: Bartolo Colon). I think the Rangers would have to give up a little less than they would for Halladay, but not a lot.

Zach Duke
Still young (26) and extremely cheap (due $2.2 million). He may be a guy prime for the apparent genius of Mike Maddux. Also a young guy that probably needs to get out of Pittsburgh as soon as possible. It appears that the Pirates are selling (obviously) and Duke wouldn't demand nearly as much as Halladay and Lee (although I think the Pirates would want four or five).

Ian Snell
Like Duke, probably needs a change of scenery like no other. Snells shown enough in the Majors for teams to be interested. He's thrown 200 innings. He's had a sub-4.00 ERA. He's also been knocked around. He'd be a giant project for Maddux and probably a bullpen guy through this season for the Rangers.

Jon Garland
A very underrated starter, who I thought the Rangers should look into in lieu of the Jason Jennings and Sidney Ponsons of the world. Whatever. Garland's biggest issue is that he doesn't strike many guys out and he's very prone to the base on ball and hit. But I think he can do a lot worse ... ahem, Kris Benson.

Doug Davis
A former Ranger that could fit pretty well despite being a flyball contact pitcher. Older and more expensive than Garland. I find it very unlikely the Rangers would impede Derek Holland or Tommy Hunter for Davis.

Kevin Correia
I would not have sneezed at Correia before he put the voodoo hex on the Rangers a couple of weeks ago at the Ballpark. Still, the guy's still not very good and he's at the age (28) where he needs to shit or get off the pot. If I'm the Rangers, I stay away, but he's a name out there.

Bronson Arroyo
Arroyo's always been linked with the Rangers for some odd reason. He's an inning-eating son of a bitch, but he's way overpaid and older. Plus, he allows a ton of home runs, which is not a good match for the Ballpark.

Aaron Harang
Ah, another Ranger prospect that got away. I prefer him over Arroyo because I think he's more of a horse and can strike guys out. Still, money would get in the way and I wouldn't clean out the minor leagues for him. '

Scott Kazmir
Once upon a time, Kazmir the was the pride of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. If they were going to turn around, Kazmir was going to lead them. True, his contributions meant a lot to them last season, but he's dropped off hardcore. His ERA is at 6.69 due to what I assume are injuries. Still, the Rays now have David Price, Matt Garza, James Shields and Jeff Niemann. Kazmir's name has popped up everywhere. If this is true, the Rangers need to be in on him. As a side note: He's 2-0 with a 2.78 ERA at the Ballpark.

Other Needs:
Reliever

Even in a shit storm the sun still shines

Nip Nip

Man.

Vicente Padilla's got the dreaded Swine Flu.

Frank Francisco has the flippin' pneumonia.

Matty Harrison's out for the year.

If it wasn't for bad luck, the Texas Rangers wouldn't have any luck at all. Or medical insurance.

Despite the health worries, the team keeps winning baseball games. It would help if the California Angels would start losing some games every blue moon. But the Rangers are doing what they need to do no matter what the Angels, Mariners, Red Sox or any other team does. Win. It's the name of the mothereffin' game.

Notes:
1. Wow. Scooter Feldman. It's hard to really put my thumb on why he is so significantly better this year than he's ever been in his career. It's kind of the story behind this entire staff. None of them exactly have electrifying stuff and the only one who does is Derek Holland and he's still learning how to pitch. However, guys like Kevin Millwood, Tommy Hunter and Feldman are getting outs with location and trusting the seven guys behind him.

2. I like Dustin Nippert. I think he's a guy that a team can win big with. He can start. He can eat up middle innings, and I really feel he could close out a game in a pinch. He's got a nice fastball that goes into the high 90s.

3. The Rangers struck out 34 times during the Kansas City series.

4. Darren O'Day has allowed eight walks as a Texas Ranger.

5. Did that first half of the season wear out Kevin Millwood? Another ass injury like last season.

6. Derek Holland still needs the ball every fifth day.

Cuban, Nellie hug it out

Hugfest

The soap opera that is the tumultuous relationship between Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and former head coach Don Nelson is delicious.

It just got yummier.

Transcripts from the arbitration hearing between the two parties were recently unsealed. Of course, this all goes back to Nelson suing Cuban for $7 million or so of back payments for services rendered. Then Cuban counter-sued going back to the 2007 playoff series between the Mavs and Nelson's Golden State Warriors, in which the upstart, No. 8 seed Warriors downed the No. 1 seed Mavs. Cuban claims Nelson knew too much about the Mavs. It gets sillier.

Fasten your seatbelts:

1. Pertaining to Cuban not paying Nelson, Nellie's lawyer said, "It's not a rational course of events here, but not unexpected." Hmm.

2. Before the 2002-03 season, Cuban apparently approached Nellie about instilling a sense of urgency with the team. So, Nellie calls together the team and tells them "the owner" has something to say to them. Cuban took offense.

3. Nellie and Cuban clashed during the 2003 Western Conference Finals against San Antonio when Dirk Nowitzki hurt his knee. Nellie didn't want to play Dirk. Cuban did. And Cuban loves his players?

4. After that series (a 4-2 loss), Nelson went in to negotiate a new deal. Cuban essentially blamed Nelson for everything.

5. Cuban started to question Nellie's ability as a general manager in 2002 during the Raef LaFrentz deal. As we all did. Apparently Cuban was anti-LaFrentz.

6. During the 2004 draft, Nellie was preparing and entered the war room as the Mavs had traded for Washington's No. 5 pick. Donnie Nelson took his father aside and told him he wouldn't be participating in the draft. Of course, this was unbeknownst to Nellie.

7. At this point, Nellie found out that Donnie was prepared to spend the No. 5 pick on a 7-5 Russian project named Pavel Podkolzin. According to Nellie, "And I said, 'Well, if that's the case, then as your father I'm asking you don't draft [redacted].'"

8. The Mavs took Devin Harris instead and they traded to get Podkolzin from the Jazz. Needless to say, Podkolzin didn't work out, Nellie was run out of town and Donnie still has a job here.

9. Nellie apparently lamented Steve Nash being signed by Phoenix and was against signing Erick Dampier for loads of money.

10. During the 2004-05 season, as Avery Johnson was being groomed for the head coach spot, Nellie was out for three weeks for shoulder surgery. Cuban found out about it over the radio.

11. The best part:

"They said they had a cordial private meeting, after which they may or may not have hugged, depending on which version one believes. During the arbitration, it was mentioned to Nelson that he said during his deposition that Cuban did not hug back.

"I don't know," Nelson said at the arbitration. "Who cares?"

Cuban's recollection? "I hugged him. He didn't hug me back. I know a Nellie hug, and that was
not a Nellie hug."

What can we take from this: Cuban was against LaFrentz, Nellie was against Dampier and Donnie was for all three. Maybe all three suck.

I love Dallas sports.

Media folk bemoaning the fact that they have jobs

Ran into two instances of members of our glorious media (local and national) whining about something while thousands are dealing with lay-offs and a shitty economy.

The first came yesterday morning while enjoying the Dunham and Miller morning program on The Ticket. The Musers had taken up the topic of local sports radio station ratings.

For those not knowledgeable of Dallas sports talk radio or if you live in Dallas under a rock, you know that The Ticket has pretty much swept every hour of the 25-54 male demographic for about a decade, their competitors being the mighty World Wide Leader and the still wet behind the ears The Fan.

The Musers, particularly co-host Craig Miller, took exception to certain local media members who don't report ratings fairly or who consider it "boring" to report on because The Ticket sweeps everything and it's not really close.

Of course, they go on to note that they "don't care" about what these media folks say (they're essentially talking about Dallas Morning News sports media blogger Barry Horn ... why they just don't say the name, I don't know) as they only care about their loyal listeners, the P1.

Miller went on to say that The "lil'" Ticket has never had the signal (they don't) or the advertising (really?), but they've always had the loyal audience.

Really? No advertising? I hate to burst any bubbles here, but if you've got the listeners (they do, just look at the ratings sweep they had previously talked about for five minutes) then you've got the advertising, especially if you get the 25-54 year old male.

Another thing, if you don't get advertising, you don't stick around for 15 years and you (the hosts, producers, et al.) don't get paid as much as they do.

The rant really didn't make sense. The Ticket has made a name for itself by being the "everyman" station. The hosts are like you (or so they want you to think) and like talking about sports, breasts and silly things.

However, we should not be confused. The "lil'" Ticket ain't "lil'" anymore. If you think Miller and Co. are making $40K in a job they hate because of the hours and inane duties, think again. Not that they're job is super easy. It isn't. But to compare it to what a vast majority of its listeners do is silly.

They also like to think that they're not journalists. Which is an easy cop out to basically not being responsible. The truth is, they are and have to be pretty responsible. The Ticket just can't go on the air and spout off anything. Do they talk about farts and chicks? Yes. But do they abide by some form of journalistic rule and form? Certainly.

The other media whining came from the World Wide Leader's Sports Guy, Boston-centric Bill Simmons. In a tear-jerker of a column for the ESPN The Magazine, Simmons talks about his father's retirement and at the end announces that he'll no longer write the monthly column for the magazine. Basically, he cites hard deadlines and word counts as the reason he is giving up the space.

Sorry Mr. Simmons that word counts and deadlines are just too much for you to write. What next? Will someone edit you. It's rough typing 5,000 words whenever you want making dumb movie references and picking fights with NBA executives while you get entirely overpaid and you whine about working for ESPN. It's rough.

The economy is affecting everyone these days.

The departed

Adios, mofo

My plan was simple: Gear up for the Dallas Cowboys training camp by going through the players the Cowboys sent packing over the spring.

Boy, this is a different team. Kinda as guys were going you realized there was a gigantic shift happening. Then time passed, you put the Cowboys on the back burner and picking it back up, it doesn't even feel the same.

This this is different.

It's what we kinda wish the Dallas Mavericks would do. Simply grit your teeth and start exorcising some of your demons.

I think GM/owner Jerry Jones, sonny boy Stephen and Wade Phillips realized that there were fundamental problems on and off the field, physically and mentally. There wasn't enough action and far too much finger pointing, excuse making, bickering and pandering to the media.

See: Too much bullshit.

As you meander down this list, you'll see what I mean. I do know that this team became 64 percent more likable with the breadth of the departed.

Brad Johnson
Even for a back-up, BJ blew like a new trumpet. He was a disaster. You could make a solid argument that deficiency at back-up QB cost the Cowboys possibly one or two games.

Adam Jones
Ol' Pacman. I don't blame Jerry Jones for the move. In fact, it wasn't that bad. When he played, Pacman simply wasn't that bad. Was he game changing? No and that's what we saw some of in Tennessee and what we were promised. The Cowboys, however, are better off moving on.

Roy Williams
This was probably a pretty hard cut for Jones because A) he was probably pretty attached to Williams and B) Jones does not like giving up on guys he's invested anything into. Williams is a former first-round pick. He was going to rock the NFL like he did college ball and he showed it ever-so briefly his rookie year. Goddamn. I mean, do you remember this firecracker of a guy making play after play? Then ... nothing. He not only became obsolete very quickly, but he became a thorn in the side of the Cowboys defense due to his coverage inabilities. A giant shame. Again, a guy that needed to move on. Now what do fans do with the 15 million Roy Williams jerseys sold in DFW the last six years?

Anthony Henry
I was pretty shocked the Cowboys traded Henry. He wasn't spectacular, but in a NFL secondary, the unspectacular guys are as valuable as the spectacular guys. Frankly, who is spectacular in the Cowboys secondary. It's great to have, but solid play seems more important. Whether it was meant as much or not, this is a direct message to second-year dudes Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick.

Zach Thomas
Just didn't like playing here. Probably not cut out for the 3-4, which made his initial signing odd.

Kevin Burnett
Got paid by San Diego. Oddly, it was only for two years and $5.5 million. Not like he was breaking the bank for a pretty good linebacker and special teams guy. Plus, he was the only guy between significant playing time and Bobby Carpenter. Isn't that worth $5.5 million?

Terrell Owens
I like TO. I like watching him play. He's an insane athlete and a stellar wide receiver, who will one day enter those hallowed halls in Canton, Ohio. However, he had to go. There's no denying the talent and I truly believe the Cowboys will be worse for Owens' departure. But there wasn't any scenario in which he could return to this team. He'd split the locker room and brought a certain about discord and distrust among the ranks. The guy wants to win, but on his terms and that's not how winning in professional sports works.

Tony Curtis
Not nearly as significant as some of the names here, but I liked the guy. Just about every time he touched the football, it was a gigantic play. All the touchdowns. The recovered onside kick in that Buffalo comeback. You win with guys like that, but Martellus Bennett makes him expendable.

Tank Johnson
I think there's a perception that somehow Johnson was some kind of bad character. No doubt he could've been running guns and coke during the week and beating hookers, but in terms of anything public, he played things pretty clean here. The bigger problem is that you can't spend that much on a guy who doesn't make a big difference on the field.

Greg Ellis
Bitched and bitched about his contract. He bitched and bitched his way out of town. Good riddance.

Chris Canty
Canty was one of my personal favorite players. I root for late draft picks. I also like big, abnormal beasts. Canty was a big mother. But for every good play, there were four in which you didn't even see him in the picture. Also, he was paid an ungodly amount of money by the New York Giants and he's simply not worth the money.

A word on Doug Mathis

Doug E. Doug

Tommy Hunter has certainly made his mark on the Texas Rangers. The kid's been great. 

I love some of the comments from teammates. This from Ian Kinsler, "The thing with him is he kept his composure. He's matured so much since last year." 

I think we're seeing the same kind of maturation from Doug Mathis, a guy who made his pro debut last season like Hunter after doing all he could in the minors and was and summarily knocked around in 22 innings. 

Like Hunter, 2009 has been different. 

Mathis' 3.1 innings of one hit, no runs or walks and four strikeouts nailed down a 3-1 win and a sweep of the evil Boston Red Sox in front of a home crowd. 

The night gives Mathis 21 innings (mostly in relief) allowing just 14 hits, four earned runs, one homer, six walks and 10 strikeouts. He's been perfect as a reliever (all the runs coming in a start). 

On a night when Frank Francisco, C.J. Wilson, Dustin Nippert and Darren O'Day were not available, Mathis being a reliable hand proves invaluable. These are the type of hits really good teams have in great seasons. It's the Rays hitting on David Price being able to contribute. It's the Angels having a young Francisco Rodriguez turn into Mariano Rivera in the World Series. 

It's a sweep of the BoSox. It's win No. 52. Friends, let's sing the praises of the Rangers and be glad that the Good Lord as blessed with meaningful, good, crisp baseball in late July! 

Notes:

1. I'd hate for Mathis to overshadow the gutty performance from Dustin Nippert. A guy I liked last year, he filled in for the gutless Vicente Padilla (I guess he was the flu, so that's understandable) and went 5.2 innings allowing the lone run. Umm, we'll take it. 

2. I'm convinced if Padilla was not sick and he pitches, the Rangers lose. I'm jaded. 

3. If we've learned nothing else, diarrhea is the great equalizer. 

4. Who is this team? Six steals? Squeeze plays? Ron Washington needs a raise. 

5. The California Angels can suck it. Bastards. 

6. Seventeen lonely Rangers left on base. Not good, even in a win. So many opportunities to break this open. 

7. I asked the other day when the last time the Rangers had two guys with 20+ steals. Well, when was the last time they had three guys with 20+? Nellie Cruz took Nos. 14 and 15. 

A perspective: Tony Romo

Golfing in the free world

I think Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is the perfect poster boy for the saying, "You made your bed, now lie in it."

No one in Dallas sports has this much weight on their shoulders. No one athlete is scrutinized for who he dates or how he shot on the golf course.

Then again, it's nobody's fault but his own.

This morning, The Musers on The Ticket discussed this being a do or die season for Romo. They cited several articles that noted that Romo's tenure with the Cowboys could end if a playoff win isn't in the books.

Nevermind that super-expensive six-year, $60 million contract he signed. Forget that he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league and there were about five billion quarterbacks to don the star on their helmet between he and Troy Aikman.

Playoffs or no, Romo isn't going anywhere.

Now, if the Cowboys roll into next year's draft and a good quarterback falls to their second rounder, I wouldn't doubt they'd take a shot. But that doesn't have to do with Romo as much as it does with the state of the NFL.

In the end, it probably doesn't matter that he and Jessica Simpson broke up or made up. How much golf he plays doesn't matter. The words he says in post-game interviews don't matter. TO or no TO doesn't matter.

On the field.

However, it's impossible to ignore the fact that a semi-decent quarterback like Romo with a pretty good overall team with some of the best skill position players in the league can't win a playoff game. It's impossible to ignore the last two Decembers.

When those things happen, the way you're evaluated changes.

When you ain't winning, the golf gets magnified as do the girls, partying and the post-game interviews.

I don't much care for the Cowboys and, thus, I don't care much about Romo. I think he's a swell quarterback and a ton of fun to watch, but I don't know how you roll into an interview and seem so nonchalant and devil-may-care.

The fact is, if I went into my boss' office after three weeks of doing really shitty work and basically just shrugged it all off, I'd probably be reprimanded or fired.

Romo does the same thing (while making $60 million and working five months out of the year) and there are people who defend him.

What he says about football aren't untrue, but you just don't say them. There are billions of people living on the Earth and one of the basic principles of human relationships is knowing when to keep your mouth shut no matter how true or right it is. This chip in our brain which allows us to realize these situations probably helps maintain 75 percent of the peace and order that there actually is on this planet. Without it, it'd be pandemonium.

Romo doesn't have the chip. Thus he says stupid things and winds up taking a shit bath. Ends up sleeping in his made bed.

However, there is a cure-all for all this lunacy: Winning.

Romo wins games (playoff games!) and he can date a lesbian giraffe, take up water polo and claim that he doesn't like football as much as he likes Internet porn.

It won't matter. All the guy needs to do is buckle down for a month in December and January and wave his ghosts goodbye.

Should Dave Bliss be teaching any lessons?

Bliss is ignorance

The Dallas Morning News for some reason gives this piece of shit some pub.

Maybe advice about paying players or trying to cover up a murder and drug scene. Asshole.

Tommy Hunter pit stains

The Hunter

I have never hidden or excused my affinity for Tommy Hunter.

Even last season when he was rocked in his Major League debut and even as he muddled around the minors to start this season.

I've always liked him.

What makes you like an athlete? I'd never heard of Hunter before he was drafted by the Rangers in 2007 behind names like Blake Beavan and Mike Main. But as I read scouting reports and got to see box scores and performance evaluations, I just liked him more and more.

Maybe it's the weight? Hunter's big. Husky, even. Maybe it's the fact that he was drafted as a closer, but turned into a starter? And a good one. Maybe it's because it was spotted as a fast riser? Considering he was facing down SEC foes two summers ago, I'd say that's right.

Maybe it's because he doesn't have the stuff of Derek Holland or Neftali Feliz, but he goes out, takes the mound, tosses strikes and combines what little stuff he has and locates it so well and eats massive innings (I believe he led the professional world last season in innings).

Yeah, that's probably it.

Hunter earned his second career win with a stellar 6-inning, 4-hit, 1-run performance against the Boston Red Sox.

Again, the more wins the Rangers can get out of Hunter and Holland starts, the closer they'll get to a division title.

Although, it'd be nice if the California Angels lost a game or two.

Notes:
1. One night after hammering three homers in a win, the Rangers went homerless ... and still won. Two RBI singles and a sac fly wins games in the Majors.

2. Is there a hotter hitter than Hank Blalock right now? He's got 12 hits and seven RBI in his last 10.

3. Look how stealing bases changes the complexion of a game. Ron Washington's double steals have worked far more than they've not. Last night, it was a double steal that basically plated two runs as Blalock batted with runners at second and third instead of first and second. Although he didn't score, Elvis Andrus' single and stolen base let the Rangers start with essentially a double to start the inning late and get an extra run.

4. Ian Kinsler: 20 doubles, 20 steals, 21 homers.

5. How'd Andruw Jones get down to .227?

Minor Threat V

Mitch Moreland is finding little resistance in Frisco

Once a weekly jaunt through the Texas Rangers farm system, which has evolved into a sometimes monthly ordeal. 

Oklahoma City RedHawks

Neftali Feliz has allowed one run, one walk and struck out 10 since becoming a reliever. 

Warner Madrigal, also, is dominating: 40 K, 9 BB and a 2.02 ERA. 

The Willie Moscoso-Gerald Laird trade looks silly. Moscoso has a 1.13 ERA with no homers, 28 K and five walks since becoming a RedHawk. 

Chris Davis' strikeouts are down, but not out (10 in 12) games, but he's hitting .340 with seven doubles and 11 RBI in the same time. 

Frisco RoughRiders

The most promising aspect of Blake Beavan's time in Frisco is his four walks in 41 Double A innings. 

With all the Holland-Feliz talk, Kasey Kiker's been forgotten. Not for long. He's allowing a mere .218 BAA and just five home runs in 97 IP. 

Zach Phillips has allowed six earned runs and one homer in 57 innings. Ridiculous. 

Mitch Moreland has 46 extra-base hits between Bakersfield and Frisco. 

Bakersfield Blaze 

Josh Lueke has 11 K, one BB and a 1.17 ERA in 7.2 Bakersfield innings. 

Evan Reed has a 1.91 ERA and a 2.31 groundball/flyout ratio. 

Mauro Gomez has come out of nowhere to hit 17 homers and 26 doubles while plating 60, 29 more than all of last season. 

Since Tim Smith and Mitch Moreland got the call to Frisco, Jonathan Greene's pounded the ball, getting his average up to .265 with 22 doubles. 

Tanner Roark's got 49 K in 38 innings. 

Hickory Crawdads

Cody Eppley's allowed just four walks in 43 innings. 

Joe Wieland's season has had some ups and downs. Still love the two home runs allowed in 42 innings. 

Slowly falling in love with Martin Perez: 77 IP - 89 K - 2.55 ERA - 3 homers - .235 BAA. 

Spokane Indians

2009 draft pick Andrew Doyle's allowed no runs while striking out eight in his first five professional innings. 

2009 draft pick Braden Tullis has struck out 27 in 22 innings in his first pro season. 

Robbie Ross has allowed one run in his last 15 innings. 

Vin DiFazio, 2009 draftee, has done nothing but hit since being taken out of Alabama. He's hot five homers, a .308 average and a .423 OBP in 91 at-bats. 

Dean Palmer? Tommy Mendonca has fulfilled every expectation (except the one homer) with 27 strikeouts in 17 games. 

Holding their own

Murph: Doing a lot of walking (and trotting) all season

If you're not excited about the 2009 Texas Rangers, then you may never get there. 

The Rangers held court at the Ballpark tonight with a sweet 6-3 win over the Boston Red Sox taking a 4-2 lead in the season series. Of all predictions, I could not have given them that, even after six lousy games against the mighty BoSox. 

However, they did it with the usual: Good pitching, a salty bullpen, defense and, well, hitting. 

Maybe hitting hasn't been a big part of the usual standard operating procedure for the Rangers. 

However, they got to John Smoltz midway for a 5-run inning punctuated with three homers. \

Good ol' Rangers. 

It puts them at 50 wins, a cool 30-19 at home and a solid 14-12 against the good AL East. 

Anyway, let's hope for more. 

Notes: 

1. I can't tell you how pumped I am about C.J. Wilson. We were ready to anoint Frank Francisco as the saviour of this team. Suddenly, he's got pneumonia (how does a young professional athlete get pneumonia?) and Wilson's the closer again. No prob. Ceej tossed 1.1 perfect innings for the long save, his eighth. He's about at his innings from last year and everything's better. Runs, homers, hits and walks are down. Strikeouts are up. ERA, BAA and WHIP are down. 

2. If you had to name the undispensable Ranger, Wilson might be it right now.

3. No. 2 would be Kevin Millwood. He certainly wasn't bad tonight in his ninth win (6 IP - 6 hits - 2 runs - 1 walk - 3 K), but he hasn't been very sharp since late June and he hasn't gotten past the sixth inning in the same timeframe. Still, Millwood at 80 percent has been better than most pitchers at 100 percent the entire season. 

4. Eddie Guardado hasn't allowed a hit since June 17. In those 9.2 innings, he's allowed just five hits. His ERA is down to 3.90, near last year's 3.65. Righties are hitting just .185 against him. 

5. As much fun as I am having watching Mike Young hit, I'm having a miserable experience watching Ian Kinsler. 

6. It's shocking how much of a different hitter David Murphy is from last season. Two more walks and he's matched last year's effort in half the at-bats. His OBP is up more than 40 points from last season. All with Rudy "Swing Away, Let God Sort Them Out" Jaramillo as his hitting coach. 

7. Hank Blalock with two gigantic hits that weren't home runs. Shocking. 

8. It had to be good hearing 30,000 Red Sox fans in Arlington sigh as Pat Green sang "I Like Texas" as the last out was recorded. 

Who wants Marlon Byrd?

Byrd is the word

I think a key for the Texas Rangers riding up to the trade deadline is doing something about the outfield. It helps DHing or first basing Andruw Jones or David Murphy. But the fact of the matter is that there's five total spots for Nellie Cruz, Murph, Jones, Josh Hamilton, Marlon Byrd, Hank Blalock and the eventual arrival and permanancy of Chris Davis and Justin Smoak.

Next year, it might not be that big of a problem. Jones, Byrd and Blalock are probably gone anyway. But the Rangers could seize the moment and get something for one or two of these guys on the trade market.

Aside from obvious names (Holland, Feliz, Smoak), Byrd may have the most trade value for the Rangers, especially on the big-league roster, in terms of veterans. Kevin Millwood and Ian Kinsler would have value, but they're expensive.

Byrd is being paid $3 million for his services and he's a free agent after the season. Chances are, Byrd will chase the money elsewhere after the season so if you have intentions on keeping him, he's a nice three-month rental who can play everyday or off the bench and probably patrol all three outfield positions (however, I'd keep him at left or center, in a pinch).

Also, he's got 28 doubles, a .283 average and hits .343 with runners in scoring position.

Who wants the Byrdman? Who needs the Byrdman?

San Francisco Giants
The Giants have one of the worst offenses in the league. This was on display after the Pirates rocked their world allowing just five Giants runs in three games. If Byrd were a Giant, he'd already be leading the team in doubles. Frankly, the Giants could use any bat they can find.

Chicago Cubs
I would contend the Cubs have the worst offensive outfield out of any contender in baseball. Of course, paying Milton Bradley and his bum wheels $10 million to play right field doesn't help. Byrd would probably need to primarily play center due to Alfonso Soriano in left. Byrd would also probably become a Cubbie fan favorite in no time at all.

Minnesota Twins
I don't know where the Twins stand with their young outfield (Delmon Young, Denard Span, Carlos Gomez), but it doesn't seem they're too pumped up as all three do not play everyday. Young's been on the trading block for two years. Byrd is a Twins-type of player: Hits doubles, can get on base, bat behind Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. I just don't know the Twins' attitude on those young guys.

Chicago White Sox
If Carlos Quentin is back for real, I don't see them having a real need.

New York Yankees
For one, the Yankees are always looking for new names. Two, the Yankes are extremely lefty heavy, especially in the outfield where only Miggie Cabrera and Nick Swisher are switch hitters. Three, the Yankees appear set in the outfield, but, frankly, Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon are perpetual DL candidates and Swisher's making his annual approach to the Mendoza line.

Who Wants Hank Blalock?

A few self-evident truths

Lettuce

What the hell does "self-evident" mean anyway?

I think we learned some thing about our Texas Rangers this weekend. Yes, it's a small post-All-Star-break sample, but I think it means something.

1. This team has to fight every night for the win. None will come easy because they have too many holes to fill.

2. The pitching may not be the problem. Nobody was great, but Vicente Padilla and Scooter Feldman fought and lost very winnable games.

3. The bullpen may not need fixing. They pitched to the tune of 13 innings, five hits, one run, five walks and 11 strikeouts over the weekend.

4. The offense is offensive.

5. Derek Holland needs to be in the starting rotation, barring injury, for the rest of the season.

6. This team still has fight in it.

That's the paradox of the walk-off homer. Sunday night's theatrics in the bottom of the 12th sort of overshadow the previous two nights when Rangers fans were begging for a hit and never got it.

Again, the more of Holland's and Tommy Hunter's games they can win, the closer they'll get to the division.

Notes:
1. Change in offensive philosophy? Jarrod Saltalamacchia laid down a couple of bunts and Elvis Andrus plated the tying run Sunday with a deep sac fly.

2. When was the last time the Rangers had two guys with 20+ steals? Ian Kinsler's got 19 and Elvis has 17.

3. How off kilter is the offense? Josh Hamilton was the only guy with more than a hit Friday. Saturday it was Nellie Cruz. Sunday it was Kinsler, Marlon Byrd and Dave Murphy. They're hitting, just on alternating days.

4. Doug Mathis has quietly put together 18 nice innings. He's mostly successful because of allowing barely any baserunners (1.07 WHIP, .194 BAA).

5. How ballsy good was C.J. Wilson's two innings?

6. Padilla simply needs to be better or this team's sunk.

7. How many bookend homers are there in MLB history? Answer: Three since 1969.

Do the Rangers need Roy Halladay?

Ol' Roy

The big news story on the Texas Rangers website states that the team has thrown their hat into the Roy Halladay proceedings.

The ace wants a trade. The Blue Jays are willing to oblige, even willing to send him to an AL East rival.

The real kicker is that Halladay has a full no-trade clause and going to a non-contender is out and going a young, overachieving team like the Rangers is very unlikely.

That leaves you a limited handful of teams that he'd consider. Take out the teams that can't afford him. Then take out the teams that don't have the prospects to get him.

That leaves you the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.

Nonetheless, I like the the Rangers are in on Halladay. He is most interesting and I'd kill to have him in the red, white and blue.

Unfortunately, there are other issues at play. Is the price worth the pay-off that still may or may not result in a playoff appearance?

I would say no.

From all indications, the Blue Jays would want at least five prospects for Halladay, at least two of those of the upper-echelon variety. Then they'd want a handful of mid-level prospects.

You're talking Neftali Feliz, Justin Smoak, Derek Holland, Chris Davis, Taylor Teagarden, Joaquin Arias, Elvis Andrus, Tommy Hunter, Blake Beavan, Mitch Moreland, Engel Beltre, Mike Bianucci, Wilfredo Boscan, Wilmer Font, Marcus Lemon, Willie Moscoso, Omar Poveda and others.

All of those names were mentioned by Rangers guru Jamey Newberg. You're talking Smoak, either Holland or Feliz, plus three others.

Is that worth it? I'd say not.

I do believe the Rangers are in prime position to grab some quality starting pitching by trading some prospects. I think Lemon, Davis, Hunter, Arias, Moreland, Teagarden, Beltre, Moscoso, Font and others are really sweet prospects that could get you something.

I also believe that the Rangers near 10 games over .500 and 1.5 back of the California Angels because of the resurrection of the farm system. Look at the homegrown guys that are winning for the Rangers: Holland, Hunter, Teagarden, Scott Feldman, Julio Borbon, Chris Davis, Hank Blalock, Ian Kinsler. Then look at the guys that were brought in as kids: Nellie Cruz, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, David Murphy, Mike Young.

It was a few investments in the future, postponing any success for the present, that made this franchise what it is today. The Rangers need to stay the course.

Furthermore, it behooves the Rangers to take another route toward getting Major League help. Halladay best helps teams on the very precipice of a World Series, like the Red Sox, Cardinals or Phillies. The Rangers are overachieving right now. With some luck and some smart moves, the Rangers are in that position in two or three years. Halladay's presence is not ideal now.

Also, Halladay is 32 and he's a free agent in after 2010 and then he's probably gone. Why not invest your prospects in Josh Johnson, Jonathan Sanchez, Matt Cain, Chris Volstad and other starting pitchers in their early 20s, who are not only cheap, but good and guys you can build around?

It's not that the Rangers couldn't use Halladay. He'd be great. Every team, however, could use Halladay. The Nationals could use him. But they don't need him.

The Rangers should be holding the cards, not any other team or player.

The BaD Radio curse lives on

It's OK Ian, higher powers are at play

The eventual and proverbial bottom dropping out of the Texas Rangers 2009 campaign may have very little to do with plate philosophy, injuries, ability to throw strikes, defense or one's swing.

The Rangers may be unintentionally dabbling with otherworldly powers that may doom their season.

The BaD Radio curse is striking. Maybe.

As noted in a previous post, the uncanny nature of guests and friends of the Bob and Dan radio presentation middays on The Ticket failing on some level is spooky.

Mel Hall's in prison. Bobby Knight's playing in softball games. Mike Bacsik is producing for Norm Hitzges (a fate rivalled only by Sisyphus). Brad Wilkerson's out of the league. Drew Bledsoe's water skiing in Washington. And we never took into account Brenden Morrow tearing up his knee last season and essentially missing the season.

Not all of their fates are bad. Bill Geurin just helped Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup. But that may only further prove that some eerie, ill-boding force is afoot.

Because we all know who has a weekly BaD Radio show this season: Ian Kinsler.

The effects are varied. Kinsler at one point was probably the Rangers best hitter. Today, he still leads the team in RBI, runs and stolen bases.

On April 26, he ended the day batting .356. Today, he's hitting .250. Clearly, his on-base percentage and slugging are down.

If you asked anyone, they would say Kinsler is in a relatively massive slump. That same person would also note that Kinsler's success (and health) are important keys for the Rangers the rest of the season.

Why can't BaD Radio book the California Angels every once in a while?

Turning the keys in a mid-season kinda way

Sort of a big deal

Before the season, I highlighted several "keys" to the season for the Texas Rangers in order for them to improve.

No, I did not define "improve" because getting close to 90 wins would've been considered improvement even if they did finish 10 games behind the California Angels. Sitting at 48 wins and just 1.5 games back of a team you've beat seven of nine times, things have changes as have expectations.

With the All-Star break here and me having to spend time combing NBA Summer League box scores to waste time, I wondered how many of my "keys" made a difference for the Rangers, if at all.

Fundamentals
It's sad that the Rangers had to actually consider improving the pure fundamentals of baseball. They're paid millions and millions of dollars each to lay down bunts and hit cut-off men and somehow the bulk of Rangers fandom thought, "Hey, if they can just cut down on the dumb mistakes, this team can win 90 games ... we think." For the most part, the mistakes are improved upon. Once, the Rangers were predicted to have the worst defense in the league. They're still not great, but not nearly the worst. They've improved mightily at first base, catcher, third base, shortstop and second base. Jarrod Saltalamacchia's improvement is most remarkable. Young's thrived at third. Ian Kinsler's got six total errors. And Elvis Andrus ... well, we know what he's about. Still, I'd like to see this team move a runner over or execute a good bunt every once in a while.

Bats
Boy, I'm kind of impressed with my evaluation of the Rangers offense. I did not think the offense would be this big of an issue to the point they were losing groups of games because of it. I foresaw struggles for Chris Davis. I thought Nellie Cruz would break out a little. However, I did not imagine Elvis Andrus or Marlon Byrd being this good, Ian Kinsler being this bad, Josh Hamilton being this hurt. Still, there's something off about this line-up and it isn't getting better.

Good Pitching
"Why not Maddux? Why not 2009?" Why not indeed! Mike Maddux and Nolan Ryan have done more with the Rangers pitching than a billion pitching coaches, managers and actual pitchers have done in 25 years. The difference is remarkable. However, never did I require the Rangers to have perfect or even great pitching. It just had to be better. ERAs didn't need to be under 2.00. If everyone on the rotation just got a little better, it would have made a big difference. And it has. Vicente Padilla's ERA is down 20 tenths of a point (but his innings are up, homers down). Kevin Millwood's ERA is down more than a whole run. Jason Jennings' ERA is down five runs. Tommy Hunter's has dropped 16 runs. C.J. Wilson's is down three runs. Jason Grilli, Frank Francisco, Doug Mathis and Darren O'Day all have sub-2.30 ERAs. Scooter Feldman's ERA has dropped almost two runs. It doesn't have to be perfect, just better.

A Good Start
The Rangers had a 10-11 April (including a sweep of the Indians and several series wins) then went 20-8 in May. Needless to say, it staved off playoff elimination until at least August and saved Ron Washington's job.

Brandon McCarthy
I thought B-Mac deserved other recognition outside of pitching. I thought McCarthy was so vitally important towards the success of the Rangers. That if they could just get 150 innings, 12 wins and a 4.00 ERA, they would have done good and probably, maybe, compete in the division. McCarthy, again, has been a disappointment. All was relatively well when he went down with a stress fracture in June. I mean relatively well. He did have a 4.92 ERA and just 64 innings, but he was 5-2, keeping them in games and not allowing a lot of hits (just 66 total). He wasn't great, but he was good enough. He was winning games. At the end of the season, they don't invite the team with the best statistical players to the playoffs. They invite the teams with the most wins.

Keys to the rest of this season:

Ian Kinsler And Josh Hamilton Have To Wake Up
Clearly.

Vicente Padilla Must Be Better
At times, he's great. But at an 80 percent rate he's been so-so and so-so Padilla gets rocked.

Line-Up Needs To Produce Runs, Discontinue Praying For Homers
Bunts, sac flies, going opposite field. These are the things that turn a 2-1 loss into a 3-2 win.

Rangers Must Win As Many Rookie Starts As Possible
The more games started by Derek Holland, Tommy Hunter, Doug Mathis, Neftali Feliz or any other young kid that makes a start that the Rangers win, the better. If those kids can keep it together, this team might be on its way.

The Rangers Must Pare Down The Outfield
Sans Chris Davis, this might get simpler. Doing something about Andruw Jones, Marlon Byrd or even Nellie Cruz (hell, if teams want to give up pitching, Cruz is on the market in my book) in order to get the very best bats in the line-up.