Why I might be kind of a dick

Kinda lame

Two things happened which generally made everyone weepy; however, I found them kinda shallow and confusing.

After they clinched the AL West division, the California Angels hoisted a jersey of dead teammate Nick Adenhart and poured cheap beer and champagne on, on top and around it.

Then the team left the clubhouse and met at centerfield where there's some memorial in honor of Adenhart.

OK, first off, it was weird because Adenhart was killed in an auto accident with a drunken driver. The Angels can try to explain that away until their blue in the face, but that's kinda weird. It's like wearing a Nazi uniform at the funeral of a Holocaust survivor and claiming that it was in honor of the deceased.

However, I think the bigger point is that it's a cheap tribute. It's good for photos and to make headlines on TV, radio and in print, but are you honestly honoring the guy like that. Isn't there a better tribute. How about no champagne and beer? How about simply going to the pitcher's mound and bowing your head for a moment of silence.

Instead, the Angels treated it like a cheap, Irish wake.

The other moment of the week that didn't impress me was the Jeff Pearlman story on veteran catcher Sal Fasano.

Fasano was hoping to play one game in the Majors this year because, if he does, his insurance kicks in. This is important because he has a son with a heart condition that is extremely expensive. Like $1 million expensive.

Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for the kid. It sucks. I hope everything works out nonetheless.

However, I don't necessarily feel sorry for Fasano in terms of him trying to make the Majors for the insurance.

The guy made $300K at the very tail end of his career in 2008. He claims 46 percent of that was taken for taxes leaving little to purchase Cobra health coverage. The story notes that Fasano and his family living modestly. Fasano has never made much. Probably near or at the league minimum for 12 years. So at his peak he was making $425K and at his lowest it was closer to $100K.

Here's the issue, I realize that millions in medical bills is crazy, but I also realize that there's thousands unemployed right now. And there's millions and millions that aren't making anywhere near $100K (or $300K) a year with kick-ass insurance (it is not noted if Fasano's wife works or not).

Somehow, those people are making due. Granted, they're in debt, but they're doing it. These people exist and continue to do so despite not being called up by the Colorado Rockies.

It stinks because Fasano seems like a sweet guy, but this isn't the end of the world. If he's so likable, surely he can get another gig in the media or managing. If you're waiting to pay cash on the barrel head for millions in hospital bills, then join the rest of the country as millions struggle to deal with a faulty healthcare system and a downturn economy.

Sorry, it's hard for me to shed a tear for the guy.

Cowboys Wednesday tidbits where Roy Williams finds his role

Nice one, Roy

Felix Jones is out this week with a bad PCL. No word on his Texas League or Cap Cod League. The Cat was also fined for his leg whip. He's out $5,000. Bummer.

****
Flozell Adams is three for three. For the third straight week, the volatile left tackle was fined by the NFL, this time for a kick on Julius Peppers. His season total: $25,000. You wonder how much long Adams can go on pissing off the NFL.

****
Mike Jenkins is your starting cornerback opposite Terence Newman. Don't know if he deserves it, but he's in nonetheless.

****
Receiver Roy Williams had a very odd interview session. In it, he was quick to throw praise on Tony Romo for his composure and leadership as the offense scored a lousy 13 points against a so-so Carolina team.

However, the most interesting tidbit is his proclamation that he doesn't know how "role" on the team. He declares that his responsibility is to A) catch; B) run; C) block.

Huh. So what else does a receiver do other than catch, run and block?

On three different occassions, Williams implies that he's not a guy who always needs A) the ball or B) publicity.

Just really odd, leading answers from Williams, who typically talks shit out of the side of his face.

Let me tell you something, Roy: As long as this team is averaging 200 yards rushing per game and 6.5 yards per carry, you need to just stand there and block. Role? Why do you need a role? You role is to catch the ball (something you've had trouble doing, especially in the end zone Monday) and block. That's it. That's your role. And also make it your role to shut the hell up.

Speechless

It's not a Cowboys suite, but it's still romantic

It's hard to believe that the top stories in Dallas sports this morning are as follows:

1. It's Sept. 30 and the Rangers were eliminated from playoff contention.

2. A couple was caught on video bumping uglies in a suite at JerryWorld Monday night.

3. Omar Vizquel wants to fight a bull (the winter after wrasslin' an anaconda).

I'm sad about the Rangers. They play hard most nights and they still wind up getting criticized for essentially not being the Dallas Cowboys.

The sex thing brings up an excellent point of discussion. How many sex acts are done at any given stadium each week?

I'm talking mouths, hands, feet, vaginas, penises and anything else that would incite male orgasm. Let's just throw in self love while we're at it.

I would guess no less than three, but probably no more than 10. For one, the suites are ripe for that kind of thing. Between just finding a bathroom, a corner or a corner in the bathroom, you don't need a whole lot of room to get to that moment of extreme pleasure.

Hell, you don't really need a girl.

I think the bigger question is how many of these moments take place among the general public -- in the cheap seats, in (inter)concourse areas, amid trash and filth in dark nooks? I think things happen more than we realize.

And it makes me kinda hot.

Dallas sports media's boots quake as ESPN enters fray, hires half of News staff

Yesterday, the World Wide Leader unveiled it's latest enterprise, http://www.espndallas.com/.

From what I've noticed, they introduced the Chicago, New York and Boston sites weeks ago and Dallas was part of phase II to showcase a pared down and personal approach to sports reporting.
There is nothing special about this site. For its main headlines, it's just stories that have some remote connection to Dallas or the area in general (Omar Vizquel bullfighting, Rangers losing, Cowboys winning, Mike Leach vs. social networking).

Furthermore, there's team/sport-centric blogs, video, ads and promos for ESPN Radio. Nothing you wouldn't find at the News site and nothing just out-of-this-world awesome.

In terms of who's doing all the writing, it's familiar faces.

ESPN vets Matt Mosley (former Newser) and Marc Stein are listed as staffers, however, I don't know if both will continue their regular duties as NFC East beat man and NBA guru, respectively.

Other familiar faces: Dallas Morning News ex-pats Calvin Watkins (Cowboys), Dick Durrett (colleges, Rangers, Stars) and Tim McMahon (Cowboys) are in the mix.

Now we know why Evan Grant was hired back at the News.

I think this is OK. I haven't seen it advertised around town much, but maybe I'm out of the loop. The writers are good. I generally like them. Nothing too bad to say. I wonder, though, if it really matters. You hired those guys for their familiarity and that's about it. No one who reads the Morning News everyday online is following Durrett over, except his mom.

And I understand ESPN's logic, but I find it funny that there's a confluence of media outlets (News, Star-Telegram, Observer plus blogs/sites) for an area that cares tons more about its high school teams than its professional hockey, basketball and baseball teams.

Yes, Dallas-Fort Worth is a gigantic market, but it's not a sports city. I wonder if there's enough interest for all these entities to share the ad revenue.

End of the road

Hoping for a split

Last night, the Texas Rangers were mathematically eliminated from winning the AL West division with an 11-0 wholloping.

Those who actually keep up know that the Rangers were a long shot to make the playoffs even a month and a half ago when they were very much a part of the race.

Again, we tend to underestimate what it takes to make the playoffs in Major League Baseball. It's not the NBA or NHL where a losing team can sneak in. It's not Texas high school football where really awful teams get in. Even in the NFL, you will find .500 teams in the playoffs.

In baseball, it's a different animal. Those teams that will continue play in two weeks are the best of the best. The eight teams that will make the post-season are really good baseball teams.

The Rangers, at best, are a good baseball team. The hope is by 2010 they're really good and at some point, great.

However, there are a lot of decisions to be made. Despite the apparent improvement made this season, there seems to be more holes and question marks than ever. None of which is even remotely simplified by the gigantic mess of an ownership situation that may or may not be dealt with in the next six or eight months.

But I would imagine everyone's too pumped about the Cowboys win to care too much about the Rangers.

The Cowboys won, I guess

The Choice is yours

I realize that the Dallas Cowboys just beat the Carolina Panthers 21-7. But does everyone feel as underwhelmed as I do? Should I feel underwhelmed? Is a double-digit win at home against a conference opponent, who some counted as a loss at the beginning of a season underwhelming?

Maybe not. Maybe I'm pissed about my fantasy loss thanks to the bare-minimum effort from Roy Williams, Felix Jones and Pat Crayton.

Yeah. I am.

However, this team was shutout for half the game, sputtered around on offense and was gift wrapped two turnovers and the game. And we feel good about this? I hardly do. But a win's a win.

Also, anyone else feel that Steve Smith dogged it on Terence Newman's interception return. It's bad enough he ran a bad route, but he was right there for the tackle and gave the biggest half-assed effort.

I thought maybe the ESPN crew would call him out, but they were too busy giving everyone media blowjobs about how fucking awesome they all are. Because Jake Delhomme sucking and sucking hard is not his fault.

The grades:

Quarterback -- C
Eh. That'll win you the game most nights. At my estimation, made three insane throws including the across-the-field heave to Tashard Choice that half worked. Looked extremely antsy in the first half. A "C" passes, however.

Running Back -- B-
Rushed for 212 yards and averaged 6.6 per. Felix Jones was great. Tashard Choice was efficient and good. Loved that they ran it 32 times versus 33 passes. Gets a demerit for their awful pass protection and Jones' silly leg whip penalty.

Wide Receiver -- C
Thought the receivers were relatively silent. Two or three big catches. Nothing big.

Tight Ends -- B
Linus (Romo) had his blanket (Jason Witten) open all night. Is there a more underutilized offensive weapon than Martellus Bennett?

Offensive Line -- A
I thought the first sack was on Romo. Can't remember the other. Another 200 yards of rushing and Romo was pretty much untouched other than the times the Panther rushed six or seven.

Defensive Line -- C
Blah. Jay Ratliff makes two or three plays a game. Igor Olshansky seemed to show up. However, the D-line was saved by the fact that the Panthers ran the ball 16 times in a game that was close for three-quarters. Panthers averaged 4.6 per rush. Why they didn't run more is a mystery. I thought Jonathan Stewart got injured (three rushes, -1 yards), but then he caught a pass late. What is John Fox thinking?

Linebackers -- D
Victor Butler got a big sack. Bobby Carpenter was made to look silly a couple of times. DeMarcus Ware was shut out. Bradie James is having another good year.

Secondary -- D
Passed. Barely. On the Panthers one scoring drive, the secondary looked foolish. Kudos on the turnovers, but those were gifts. It didn't have has much to do with their skill as much as it did Jake Delhomme's inability to play quarterback.

Special Teams -- C+
Nothing special. A couple of lackadaisical punt returns from Pat Crayton. Some nice punts from Mat McBriar. Coverage was OK.

Coaching -- F
Jason Garrett is a fucking egotistical douche. Throwing fades on second and third down one the 1-yard line when the game was on the line -- a pass that Romo has never done well -- was the dumbest set of decisions perpetrated by Dallas-Fort Worth coaches or managers for the entire year. The Cowboys gashed opponents for the last three weeks and that red-headed know-it-all thought he would completely outsmart the opponent and make a touchdown catch look so easy and ordinary. Instead, incomplete and the Cowboys couldn't quite put the Panthers away. I guarantee that Garrett is going to get in this team's way sooner or later and it's going to be the ruin of the Dallas Cowboys. Let the son of a bitch coach the Rams or Raiders. The Cowboys could do betters.

Media rumblings

Significant, important stuff.

Evan Grant is now an employee of the Dallas Morning News.

The former Texas Rangers beat writer blogged from D Magazine's Inside Corner that he's going back to the News to write about baseball and blog.

If you remember, Grant was an apparent casaulty of the unending demise of the American newspaper when the News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram decided to tag team the Texas Rangers coverage.

Grant never seemed angry or disenchanted. Rolled with the punches, led Inside Corner and happened to get a good deal.

Grant's arguably the best writer/journalist of sports in the city. He'd be great anywhere.

For the record, the Inside Corner is probably the best sports blog and maybe sports reporting entity in Dallas/Fort Worth, and I'm not just trying to suck up.

Two tales of desperation

The other Steve Smith

I'm going to be honest here. I am actively rooting for the Carolina Panthers to slaughter the Dallas Cowboys tonight.

Currently, I've got three fantasy football match-ups in limbo and they all depend on Dallas Cowboys. Specifically Pat Crayton, Roy Williams, Tony Romo and Felix Jones.

Honestly, I've got room for error. I don't need the Panthers to just shut out the Cowboys, but a nice solid win will do.

Thankfully, I really don't like the Cowboys and the thought of the Cowboys starting 1-2 and 0-2 in their new stadium is delicious. Everyone will be freaking out tomorrow and the rest of the week into next Sunday, especially so with the short week.

Plus, the idea of Romo spitting the bit in front of America is oddly appealing. Like watching a train wreck.

Anyway, I'm going to be incredibly bias here.

Five things that matter:

Desperation
Cowboys secondary coach/hobbit Dave Campo noted that the Cowboys are desperate to avoid 1-2. That seems like an odd quote. They're not desperate to win the game, but to not just lose. In fact, why are they desperate at all? 1-2 isn't the end of the world. 0-3 is, however. The Panthers are probably entirely more desperate and it's hard to ignore a desperate team that was 12-4 last season.

Turnover Within
The Dallas Cowboys haven't recorded turnover this season. The Carolina Panthers' quarterback Jake Delhomme has thrown 10 interceptions (in addition to fumbles galore) in the last three games. So the apparent idea locally is that the Cowboys will be prime to gobble up their first turnover with Delhomme in town. Well, shouldn't the Panthers think that they're in good shape because the Cowboys seemingly can't cause a turnover? Something's got to give. Who says it's going to go the Cowboys' way?

Playmakers
This could be a nightmarish year for Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams and Steve "Panther" Smith. Or, they're just off to slow starts. Williams ain't probably going to total 944 yards this year. I can't imagine them being held down the entire year. Furthermore, shouldn't the fact that Marion Barber won't play be considered. I love the Cowboys back-ups as much as anyone else, but missing Barber is a big deal.

JerryWorld
The Bible is full of wonderful stories. In Genesis, we learn about a great tower or city that was built as a tribute to man. The purpose was to create one city, a tower, so high that it reached the heavens. We know it as the Tower of Babel. God, incensed, caused the destruction of the tower and spread the people to different lands to create their own tongues and cultures.

The tyrannic monarch responsible for the Tower? Nimrod.

JerryWorld is beautiful. But is there any credence to the idea that the monstrosity has angered the football gods? Just saying.

Your Defense Is Offensive
Early last week, a ton of blame for the big Giants loss was placed on Tony Romo, and deservedly so. The last three days, the defense has come under fire. Also, this is deserved. Wade Phillips is an arrogant son of a bitch and he's had very little effect on this team. The big-time Steve Smith has to scare that secondary shitless. Got a bad feeling about that.

Prediction
Carolina Panthers 27, Dallas Cowboys 23
Please let this happen.

Mike Leach and Robert Griffin have had better weekends

Guns 'n' Twitter

Bad, sad news for the our Baylor Bears: Stud quarterback Robert Griffin is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Not that the Bears were going to win the Big XII South or anything, but is eight wins totally out of the question with Griffin? Without? Uh, let's start looking at 2010.

Other notes:
1. It sucks because the Bears were infinitely interesting with Griffin and as a legit spoiler.

2. Don't know if I would've gone with the "bear" pun in the headline if I'm the Dallas Morning News.

In other college football news, Mike Leach might be losing his team.

Months after Texas Tech fumbled around trying to re-sign the guy, the team is unraveling. They've lost two straight including against Conference USA's Houston.

Furthermore, standout lineman and team captain Brandon Carter is suspended. Also, Marlon Williams (among others including Carter) are big Twitterers and he had a hot sports opinion about the Ol' Pirate:

“Wondering why I’m still in this meeting room when the head coach can’t even be on time to his on (sic) meeting.”

Not that coaches are always on time, but rarely do you find a senior on your team calling you out to the entire world.

A fine line

Frowny faces

I've always been one to question Ron Washington's ability to manage a game for the Texas Rangers.

I'll also be the first to admit that I wouldn't have a clue and don't have a clue as to how to manage a professional baseball team.

The thing is, when Frank Francisco doesn't have it, he really doesn't have it. Francisco is a fine pitcher and I think he's fully capable of closing games. However, he's not as good as Mariano Rivera or Dennis Eckersley.

Those guys were so good that even their half-assed stuff -- say, 75 percent -- still got three outs at the end of the game. When they didn't have it, they still had it.

Once he walked Aki Iwamura walked, I knew he didn't have it. But I would not have pulled Francisco.

Once he gave up Jason Bartlett's single, that's when I pull him. I don't know if Washington realizes that the Rangers have a bunch of games left against the California Angels and sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays was imperative to make the last two weeks even remotely interesting.

It was beyond being nice to Francisco and beyond maintaining his confidence (he'll have another six months to get over it).

Feliz should've come in earlier. Francisco should've never, ever faced Ben Zobrist. Francisco didn't have it and it was never going to be good enough.

Notes:
1. Marlon Byrd continues to collect millions and millions of dollars padding his career year, which is coincidentally taking place weeks before he hits the free agent market. Are we sure he doesn't turn back into a pumpkin in October?

2. The goofiest stat in baseball is when a guy has 30+ home runs but not more than 80 RBI. Nellie Cruz has 33 homers and just 76 RBI. You'd think with his speed, Cruz would have more doubles, but he's collected just 21 this season. He's a home run hitter, but not a run producer.

3. I thought Brandon McCarthy was stellar. I also think that he's been a lot more good than bad when he's been healthy.

4. The fact that C.J. Wilson or Darren O'Day couldn't get an out is depressing.

5. Chris Davis' average is finally starting to inch up.

6. Kevin Millwood's put together two pretty good starts in a row. Crazy how "untired" his arm gets all of a sudden.

7. I don't get the Rangers line-ups. This is do-or-die time. These guys will have plenty of time to rest in a couple of weeks. If you feel that Ivan Rodriguez, Josh Hamilton and Julio Borbon give you the best chance to win no matter the opposing pitcher, then I think you need to put them in the line-up. This is no time to play match-ups.

Blow-out Saturday

TCU 2, ACC 0

This was the last week for most non-conference games for Big XII and for the most part they scheduled push-overs and creampuffs.

And most of those teams proceeded to totally whip the ass of every Division II, small-town conference that dared step foot in Manhattan, Austin, Stillwater or Waco.

Anyway, the games mean something more next week. On to this week.

TCU 14, Clemson 10
Since the BCS was instituted, I was convinced that non-BCS conference teams should be allowed to play for the national championship game because I simply didn't feel they played any opponent of significance. Boise State's a fine program. But they play 11 or 12 creampuffs a year and win almost all of them. However, I think TCU (and probably a lot of other non-BCS teams) can go toe to toe with just about every team in the nation. TCU allowed 309 total yards in this slugfest with the rain on the road and the ultimate win went to the biggest fist. Gives them two wins against ACC foes (Virginia, Clemson).

Houston 29, Texas Tech 28
Again, certain teams in this country can play with anyone, anytime. For the first time, the Red Raiders saw what they miss from Graham Harrell. During the last two years, Tech could depend upon their star players to make plays. Like in years past, they have good guys in a great system and that typically keeps them in games and occassionally wins them a couple. Tech couldn't get Taylor Potts to make a play for them. So they lost.

Texas A&M 56, UAB 19
Anyone paying attention to the Aggies? I get that they are playing nobody, but they're at least winning games and probably not going to be completely shut out in conference. Jerrod Johnson threw three touchdowns and rushed for three more. He's a monster. The Aggies converted 15 of 18 third-down conversions.

Kansas 35, Southern Mississippi 28
Southern Miss and that Austin Davis almost pulled a fast one on the Jayhawks. A lot of upsets this weekend and Kansas barely dodged that bullet.

Texas 64, UTEP 7
Longhorns rolled 33 first downs and more than 600 yards. Interesting tidbit: Longhorns had nine total players have rushing attempts.

Nebraska 55, LA-Lafayette 0
Huskers rolled with a pretty balanced attack against a really bad team.

Oklahoma State 56, Grambling 6
Cowboys had 321 yards of rushing. Zac Robinson barely had to throw the ball.

Baylor 68, Northwestern State 13
Baylor intrigues me. The Aggies intrigue me more, but in two weeks when Baylor plays Oklahoma we'll see who the real Bears are.

Missouri 31, Nevada 21
Not that Missouri was going to lose to Nevada, but I don't know anyone who had the Tigers playing this well with basically a new cast on offense. Mizzou's an interesting team also once conference play starts.

SFA 65, North Dakota 31
SFA rolled with 643 total yards including 293 on the ground. They're offense is so good that I find it extremely that anyone in the Southland Conference can slow them down. They've scored 197 points in their last three games.

Kansas State 49, Tennessee Tech 7
Weird game. K-State threw the ball 11 times and had two kick-off returns for touchdowns. Also, the box score has "TnT" (Tennessee Tech, I presume) kicking off.

Middle Tennessee State 37, North Texas 21
Will Todd Dodge save his job by merely being better?

Iowa State 31, Army 10
Cyclones will take whatever win they can get.

30-30

30-30 vision

I'm trying to figure out Ian Kinsler. Honestly, I have no idea how good or bad he is.

I'm pretty sure he's a guy that could hit .310, hit 30 homers, 40 doubles, steal 30 in 600 at-bats.

Unfortunately, in four relatively full seasons, he's wound up not putting all these pieces together. And it's maddening. Especially because he's a very likable player and my singular favorite Texas Ranger.

Tonight he joined the 30 home run-30 stolen base club with an eighth-inning dinger to cap off an 8-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

This season is frustrating because he has all the stats (homers, runs, RBI, steals, doubles and defense) except for average. He's an ordinary hitter with the clear talent and ability to be a perennial All-Star. I could drive a sane man nuts.

Notes:
1. I'm not going to pretend that Derek Holland's been ripping Major League hitting, but the idea of putting him in the bullpen is silly to me. Unless it's clear that his confidence is in the crapper (and that's a coach's decision), Holland needs the ball every fifth day. He wasn't perfect and probably won't make huge strides the rest of the season, but what do the Rangers or its fans gain by seeing Dustin Nippert or Kris Benson out there? Nada.

2. Julio Borbon simply hasn't slowed down. The inevitable fall-off we've been waiting for hasn't come. Stole his 18th and 19th bases.

3. The Feliz-O'Day-Wilson-Francisco bullpen combo is the only one working.

College enters final week of creampuffs

"Boomer? I hardly know 'er!"

College football is unlike a lot of sports.

It's the only sport where head coaches -- good head coaches -- have the most securist of job security for a number of guys. Stoops. Carroll. Brown. Meyer. Tressel. Beamer. Probably a lot more.

It's also the only sport where fans, pundits, boosters and others will rant and rave for a seemingly secure coach for losing some innocuous game in September.

Pete Carroll at USC has come under big fire for losing a dumb Pac-10 game against an inferior opponent. Carroll's record at USC is impeccable and he's clearly been one of the best coaches in college football the past decade and there is no possible way to find a better coach. Firing Carroll would be a gigantic mistake, but it doesn't prevent a spoiled fanbase from rattling the cages.

Could you ever imagine the Sooners firing Bob Stoops? Suicide!

Anyway, no one's playing anyone of note as teams gear up for conference play next week.

Texas Tech (2-1) vs. Houston (3-0)
As a kid, there was no bigger fan of Houston football. Can't believe now that they were in the Southwest Conference and there major national contenders. Now, they need a prayer to compete in any BCS bowl game. Still, Houston's good. Over/under on points: Has to be 85.

TCU (2-0) vs. Clemson (2-1)
A great test for TCU. Clemson is better than 2-1, I think. They took it to Georgia Tech. TCU takes this game and they should shoot up the polls and get major national attention.

Kansas (3-0) vs. Southern Mississippi (3-0)
Kansas' problem is that they really haven't played any one. The good thing is that they've allowed just 26 points in three games. Southern Miss hasn't played anyone and they almost lost to Virginia last week, a team that sucks. Jayhawks roll, but conference starts soon and they could get their comeuppance soon enough.

Iowa State (2-1) vs. Army (2-1)
You know what, Army lost to Duke. No decent team loses to Duke. Cyclones should roll to their third -- and possibly final -- victory of the season.

Oklahoma State (2-1) vs. Grambling State (2-1)
What's shocking is how bad the OSU defense has been. They allow more yards than they gain. I think they roll up Grambling by four touchdowns.

Texas A&M (2-0) vs. UAB (1-2)
The lil' Ags will get win No. 3. I know it's pre-conference rabble, but good teams beat the hodgepodge of barely decent high school team. It's a step forward. Getting confidence. UAB lost to SMU and Troy, neither being that good. Jerrod Johnson and the Aggies by three touchdowns.

Texas (3-0) vs. UTEP (1-2)
Some big home games for Big XII powers. UT by 800 touchdowns. Also the fourth Conference USA-Big XII match-up of the week.

Nebraska (2-1) vs. Louisiana - Lafayette (2-1)
La-La scheduled K-State (win), LSU (loss) and Nebraska (we'll see). Another home game. Nebraska probably has offensive blue balls from the Virginia Tech game. Could score 60.

Kansas State (1-2) vs. Tennessee Tech (1-1)
Tech beat Pikeville College 51-10. Pikeville is in far eastern Kentucky. Pikeville has 59 full-time faculty. And it is probably full of hillbillies. Some of my family is from Pikeville. According to older siblings, our grandparents that lived there didn't have indoor plumbing. It was the 1970s. There's a 90 percent chance K-State loses this game.

Baylor (1-1) vs. Northwestern State (0-3)
NW State is not proving to be a very good representative of the Southland Conference. I thought Baylor's arrow was pointing up until Connecticut last week. Not that this is a good barometer or anything, but Baylor should roll big.

UNT (1-2) vs. Middle Tennessee State (2-1)
Beat Maryland and already lost to Clemson. They're well practiced. UNT should probably be 2-1, but they're not. Who knows what either team really is.

SFA (2-1) vs. North Dakota (1-1)
SFA totals more than 500 yards per game. North Dakota allows about 440 yards per game. No way North Dakota can keep up with the Lumberjacks.

The next lot: The Texas Rangers

The $550 million Express? Someone needs a bank loan

Let the bidding begin.

Tom Hicks is willing to sell his holding of the Texas Rangers and the bidding is open.

I thought that a purchase wouldn't happen until next spring, at the earliest. Now reports have it possibly happening before the end of 2009.

Hallellujah.

If you got $550 million laying around, you might could own a baseball team. Or go take out a loan. Interest rates are low.

The candidates:

Nolan Ryan
He's the latest candidate. Probably not having the cash, Ryan will need to join one of the other groups who are in on things. We think he's swell as a president, but how would that change as owner or at least co-owner? Would it change at all?

Jim Crane
A Houston businessman who was in on the Chicago Cubs, but lost out along with a certain basketball owner. He created the freighting company EGL and then Crane Worldwide Logistics. Interstingly, he pitched at Central Missouri in the 1970s. Would it be good or bad to have a former player as owner? If Ryan should get involved, chances are he knows Crane as they're both Houston guys.

Dennis Gilbert
Former sports agent who retired early in 1999. Why did he retire early? He represented Barry Bonds, George Brett, Bobby Bonilla, Bret Saberhagen, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling and Danny Tartabull. That would get you rich in a hurry. Served as a special assistant to the Chicago White Sox' Jerry Reinsdorf. I love the mix so far. A former player. A businessman with baseball ties. And a former agent. When it comes to negotiating contracts where would he land? Would he be more or less liable to give in more than a guy just trying to make a buck?

Chuck Greenberg
A sports attorney who already owns some minor league teams and helped Mario Lemieux get ownership of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Bernie Kosar buy some franchise that I'm unwilling to Google. Anyway, after buying the Altoona Curve, he took a hands-off approach hiring someone else to run things as he lawyers it up in Pittsburgh. I don't know if he invested $550 million that he'd keep hands off and let, say, Nolan Ryan run the thing or want to be hands on. Seems very savvy and marketing oriented. Selling a baseball team in North Texas to an uninterested fanbase would be a great challenge.

Sean Salisbury is angry

Several weeks ago, Sean Salisbury was "canned" or he "quit" depending on who you talk to from 105.3 The Fan.

Of course, people being "fired" or "quitting" The Fan isn't the rarest of things nowadays.

Then the idea that Salisbury was let go due to an incident with a girl arose. This also stems from his apparent dismissal from the World Wide Leader due to photos of his penis and female co-workers. Nearly always a bad idea.

The sports blogs above all sports blogs -- Deadspin -- has been a huge player in both of Salisbury's dismissals. And he's not pleased.

Apparently, Deadspin offered Salisbury the platform to state his case. No reply. Weeks later, the former NFL quarterback begins e-mailing Deadspin with rants about litigation, a tell-all book that will blow the doors off of ESPN and various other tidbits that would typically be stated when I'm chugging through a fifth of whiskey.

It's entertaining nonetheless. Which brings up the point that Dallas sports talk radio is pretty much the craziest media genre in the nation.

Book Report: Mike Rhyner

A good book about sports is invaluable. It's better than any NFL Films presentation or documentary. You can do a lot more with a million words than 50 minutes of air time.

However, the chore of sifting through thousands and thousands of books about sports is tedious, expensive and not a good way to spend one's time, especially if you're not much of a reader.

Therefore, I've made it a mission to query certain Dallas-Fort Worth sports media members about their sports reading.

Mike Rhyner, co-host of The Ticket's Hardline, graciously took a little time to share some of his favorite sports books.

I read a lot of baseball, and one of my favorite baseball books ever is one called A False Spring by the well-known writer of magazine articles and books, Pat Jordan. He wrote this when he was nothing, in the early '70s and it's a kind of coming-of-age-in-America tale.

In the late '50s he was a pitcher in the Milwaukee Braves organization. At that time, there were far more minor league classifications than now; in addition to Triple-A, Double-A and Class A, there were Class C and D. There were more leagues, more teams and more players, and it was far harder to navigate a path to the majors than today.

Very often guys didn't make the majors until they were in their late 20s and the book deals with Jordan's experiences. It's a great read and it holds up well today.

I'm also a fan of anything--sports or no--written by the late and great David Halberstam. While largely a historian, he would often wander over to the toy department of life, sports. Any NBA fan must read his book, The Breaks of the Game.

It's about the Portland Trailblazers in the seasons right after they won their NBA title and focuses largely on the string of foot injuries suffered by Bill Walton, what the Trailblazers' team doctors did to get Walton ready to at least try and get back out there, and how the entire situation was mishandled by virtually everyone in the Portland organization. It was the first time the curtain had ever been pulled back on the medical staffs of sports teams and how they operated and it single handedly caused major changes in the way injuries were treated in all sports.

Another good -- albeit, hard-to-find -- book is Kiss it Goodbye by Shelby Whitfield. He was the Washington Senators radio play-by-play voice in their final years in Washington D.C., prior to their move here. He tells the story from the Washington side -- the slide of the final few years, what happened up there when word started to hit that the then-owner, Bob Short, was thinking of moving the team and the uproarious last game.

'Canadian celebrity'

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Love me some Steve Nash. And Vitamin Water.

Review: Rudo y Cursi

I don't watch nor do I keep up with any soccer whatsoever, but it doesn't mean I don't have a healthy respect for the sport.

I'd be silly to even imagine soccer being anything less than it is on the worldwide stage. Soccer is unparalleled, I think, in terms of popularity and mania when all is considered. Look at it this way, there are probably a ton of Afrikaners that care very little for American football, but love soccer.

And the same could be said in Asia, Italy, Spain, England, France and a ton of other countries.

The point is, Americans may hate soccer, but I think a billion fans on this planet can't be wrong.

Rudo y Cursi is about soccer. Well, kinda. The film brings together Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, both of whom broke out in a big way in Y Tu Mama Tambien. Their chemistry was palatable, which made the film really, really good.

Their reunion here (along with writer-director Carlos Cauron, who wrote Y Tu Mama Tambien) connects to that old chemistry as if they'd been roommates the last three years.

In Rudo y Cursi, they play brothers living in the Mexican jungles working on a banana plantation. Luna plays Beto -- or as he's nicknamed throughout, Rudo, apparently due to his unsportsmanlike or "dirty" play on the soccer field -- who is the eldest brother and some sort of manager on the plantation. He's married with kids. And mustached.

Tato (Garcia) is his younger brother, a peon in the banana game and significantly un-mustached.
Despite petty arguments that all brothers face, the pair find themselvse walking to their weekly pick-up soccer game down the road when they happen upon a rich man -- Batuta, or "baton" -- with a flat tire. This man happens to be a soccer scout/agent. He sits in on the boys' game.

Batuta likes both kids but can only take one.

Thus the film begins. As it turns out, they both find stardom on the Mexican soccer field and encounter a wealth and a wealth of their own troubles that potential spells ruin (chicks, drugs, gambling, mobsters).

This film is not unlike Y Tu Mama Tambien, but you kinda got to think about it. It's about family, friends, youth, mustaches, human inhibitions and self-control.

It also seems totally relatable. The characters are overly likable and there are as many laugh-out-loud moments in this film as there are in probably two dozen of this year's comedies.

You sunk my fantasy team

David Wright ... jerkface

No one likes to hear about other people's fantasy teams. Even fantasy players. It's the most interesting side activity in the United States, but it's one that no one likes to talk about.

I typically don't tell other people about my fantasy teams because even I find it boring. And often, sad.

For my main fantasy baseball league, I've never had a worse year. I think I was in first for a day and since it was a quick drop to the bottom and I've never contended for even middle of the pack since.

Basically, I was lured by a series of guys and they bent me over the table and screwed me royally.

Here are the culprits:

Lance Berkman
I thought I was getting a .300 average, 30 homers, 100 RBI, 100 runs, good OBP and walks. Instead, his average has been under .250 until a post-All Star break bump. His homers, doubles are all down. He's sucked.

David Wright
What happened to this guy? Ten home runs and 68 RBI?

Ian Kinsler
Started out great and his numbers (home runs, steals, RBI) are still OK, but what happened to that average? It fell completely off the charts. Still, he's played a career high in games and at-bats. But you can't depend on the guy for a good average, which kills his top 20 value, to me.

Carlos Beltran
OK, this was expected. A great year and he gets 600 at-bats, my season may turn out differently. Beltran is a guy that deals with injuries and they killed his 2009 campaign. He's still a culprit.

Matt Holliday
These were my top five picks. I thought I had the league in the bag. Holliday will wind up with fantastic stats thanks to a bump after the All-Star break and his brilliant performance with the Cardinals. But he was so awful early that he helped (along with the other guys) bury me early.

Alex Rios
Never will I get suckered into Rios. I wasn't expecting too much: .290, 15 homers, 90 RBI, 100 runs, 30 steals. No one has sucked more wind this season than Rios. Every part of his game has fallen off.

Cole Hamels
I was happy to get Hamels in the eighth round. I thought he was primed to build off his solid 2008 and potentially contend for the NL Cy Young. Instead, he's allowing more than a hit per inning and his ERA is up a full run.

Geovany Soto
No more to be said. I don't take catchers not named "Mauer" very high for a reason.

Garrett Atkins
Has 20 extra-base hits compared to 56 last season. Asshole.

J.J. Hardy
My sleeper shortstop pick. Screwed me. At least he wasn't taken that high.

Bobby Jenks
Never trust a guy that looks like Hermey from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

Chris Young
My sleeper outfield pick. I thought he'd have a break-out year. Instead it was Justin Upton, who I picked out later.

Things weren't all bad. I did find some value in some guys: Nelson Cruz (21), John Danks (23), James Shields (15) and John Lackey (12 ... slipped hard with the injury, still winning 10+ games).

Cubes 'n' Jerry

Does he look interested to you?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban were on Joe Buck Live last night.

It was pretty much a snoozefest. Cuban blew smoke up Jones' ass for a while and then Jones had some pretty honest comments about the new stadium and expectations from that and his team.

Seeing and hearing all of this made me realize how lucky Dallas sports fans are.

Rarely do you see two owners become and face and mouth pieces of the team. You think of George Steinbrenner and that's about it, really. Jones and Cuban are that and so much more.

Furthermore, Dallas owns two owners that spend tons of money to field a competitive team. They also live and die with their teams. You've got owners that are famous for either being on the court or on the sideline.

As Jones noted on Buck's show, he doesn't want to necessarily live and die with Sunday night's 33-31 loss, but he's still "screaming into his pillow."

Still, if we made a top 10 list (idea!) of the most devisive characters in Dallas sports, Cuban and Jones would make the list easily. You either love them or hate them.

Both have a certain amount of bravado and neither like losing and they hate being called out for losing even more. It makes them seem petty. Cuban's antics with Kenyon Martin's mother five months ago doesn't help.

Also, both are elbow deep in personnel moves. And if you haven't noticed, both teams have had issues there from Joey Galloway, Steve Nash, Shawn Bradley, Dave Campo, Chan Gailey, Drew Bledsoe and Antoine Walker.

Yes, it's easy to hate both guys. However, the only time an owner makes news is if they're the best, most interesting or devisive owners in sports. Or if they're the worst owners in sports: They don't care and don't spend money.

Ironically, the guy that owns the other two Metopolex professional sports teams is one of the worst owner in sports, Tom Hicks.

The other irony is that Dallas-Fort Worth couldn't have a fanbase that is less interested in sports. Sure, they go to games and all that jazz, but you won't see a full house watching the Dallas Stars unless they're deep into the playoffs. Until the Texas Rangers win a World Series, this area won't care (outside of the big baseball guys and gals) and even after that, most wouldn't care.

Two of the biggest sports fans in the Metroplex are Jones and Cuban. And that's kinda sad.

Top breakout years from Rangers prospects

Smoak on the water

It was only a year ago that we marvelled at the progress of prospects like Julio Borbon, Elvis Andrus, Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz.

Particularly Holland and Feliz. Both stormed up the ranks to the point that they were bubble guys during Spring Training to make the team. Both joined the team at some point in the season with the hopes that they would contribute on a long-term basis, not just sent back to the minors a week later.

It is also a story of the way the Rangers have aggressively promoted these guys. Remember, Feliz was in low-A Clinton a year ago before skipping Bakersfield to Frisco. He barely got his feet wet in either Frisco or Oklahoma City before he was in Arlington.

I like it though. I think you weed out the weak links and you bring out the best in your young studs who you're pretty sure will pan out.

As exciting as 2008 was, 2009 was no different. The Rangers may not have the best farm system on Earth after the season, but it still yielded great break-out performances from unsuspecting folks.

By position:

Tomas Telis
Catcher - Hickory Crawdads
It was the first that we've really heard of Telis as a professional. He's a 18-year-old Venezuelan who hit .299 in the Dominican Summer League and .322 with the Arizona squad before winding up in Hickory for the last part of the season (he hit .400 in 20 at-bats in low-A). According to those in the know, Telis is the real deal and the future at catcher for the Rangers. He's a switch hitter with some pop (15 doubles, five triples, four home runs) and he's a perfect catcher frame (5-8, 175).

Justin Smoak
First Base - Oklahoma City RedHawks
Let me tell you something: The Rangers have had higher draft picks flame out quicker than you can imagine. So the assumption that Smoak would win the Triple Crown this or any other season was a pipe dream. However, the guy's spent a total of 14 games in any level lower than Double A. While in Frisco, he toyed with pitchers hitting .323 before a promotion to Triple A. Struggled there, but still primed for the Majors sooner rather than later. Can't argue with a .290 average and a .410 OBP in his first full professional season.

Matt Lawson
Second Base - Bakersfield Blaze
Just a soft-hitting middle infielder in previous years. Then he hit .293 with 26 doubles and 10 home runs in 2009. Hit near the top of the order many nights despite not walking a whole lot.

Jonathan Greene
Third Base - Frisco RoughRiders
Always had the power, but could never hit for average well and considering he strikes out a ton and doesn't walk, the least he could do is hit .280. He hit .273 with 27 doubles and 20 home runs in Bakersfield before the promotion.

Davis Stoneburner
Shortstop - Bakersfield Blaze
A member of the soft-hitting infield gaggle left over from last year. Surprisingly hit .273 with 33 doubles and driving in 56 runs.

Mike Bianucci
Left Field - Bakersfield Blaze
Good out of Auburn last year. Scorching in Hickory this year hitting .331 with 21 doubles and 15 homers. Promoted to Bakersfield where his average dipped, but his power never wavered where he whacked another 15 homers in 62 less at-bats.

Craig Gentry
Centerfield - Frisco RoughRiders
Probably the break-out guy for the Rangers. Was ordinary in previous years. Hitting .276 with 17 doubles and 16 stolen bases in his peak year. Then 2009 happened. He hit .303 with 100 runs, 155 hits, 21 doubles, seven triples, eight home runs, 49 walks, 49 stolen bases and a .378 OBP. In addition, he plays a really good centerfield. For the record, he was taken by GM Jon Daniels in that 2006 draft which included Kasey Kiker, Marcus Lemon, Chad Tracy and two dudes named Davis and Holland.

Miguel Velazquez
Right Field - Spokane Indians
Slim pickings. Velazquez was the only right fielder to really do something without having done much before. The Puerto Rican hit .296 and hit 23 extra-base hits. Also had a solid .363 OBP.

Mauro Gomez
Designated Hitter - Bakersfield Blaze
Diddled around in 2008 hitting .244 in 300+ at-bats. No real sign of power. In 2009, he hit .285 with 28 homers and 35 doubles while driving in 94. Still, struck out 141 times in 500 at-bats.

Robert Ross
Pitcher - Hickory Crawdads
The lefty struck out a batter per inning in 15 starts allowing a .240 BAA, just 17 walks and three ground outs versus each fly out in his first professional season. He's 20.

Tanner Roark
Pitcher - Bakersfield Blaze
Really solid in 2008 striking out 37 in 30 innings. However, 2009 was a break out. He went 10-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 86 California League innings, which is where ERAs go to die. Struck out 91 and allowed just 68 hits and five homers. Lefties hit .188 against him.

Martin Perez
Pitcher - Frisco RoughRiders
Rocked Hickory with a 2.31 and 105 Ks in 93 innings. Skipped Bakersfield and struggled a bit in Frisco. In five starts, however, he tended to get better with each outing. He's 20 and could be in Arlington next September.

Michael Kirkman
Pitcher - Frisco RoughRiders
An early riser when he went 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA in Bakersfield. The Texas League wasn't as accomodating. However, he got better with time and lowered his Frisco ERA to 4.19 and allowed just 12 runs in his final seven starts (totaling 43 innings). He's a guy to look forward to next year as he's a big (6-4) lefty with his feet wet in the Texas League waters.

Zach Phillips
Relief Pitcher - Frisco RoughRiders
A big arm with tons of potential. Huge strikeouts. But a big problem: Hittability and walks. He allowed a lot of both. Until 2009 when Bakersfield put him in the bullpen. The result was a 1.23 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 11 walks in 44 innings. Opponents hit a silly .123 against him. His jump to Frisco was a lot more rocky, but he settled down to allow a .211 BAA and almost still a strikeout per frame.

Reinier Bermudez
Relief Pitcher - Spokane Indians
If you want to have fun, look at the prospects at the bottom of the farm system. Some killer looking arms, including Bermudez. In the Dominican Summer League, he struck out 67 in 46 innings. In Spokane, he struck out 44 in 32 innings. Not a large sample size, but hitters had a .179 BAA.

Yoon-Hee Nam
Relief Pitcher - Hickory Crawdads
Virtually unhittable for the first half of the season. Things evened out in the second half, but still have a spectacular season. He struck out 102 in 88 innings, giving him 143 K in 128 innings in the last two years.

Fixing a hole where the rain gets in

Running the ball wins games: The name of my new band

After two games I think we can all agree that the Dallas Cowboys are OK, but they're not good.

Well, at times they're good. At times they're great. At times I look at that offense and wonder that if every was going at the same time if anyone could stop them. I still say "no." Then again you have to consider injuries and the unstable nature of Tony Romo.

So, let's look at some of the holes in the Cowboys games and see what I can do to fix them. Because I am clearly smarter than every coach on the team already. Clearly.

Tony Romo
OK, first things first: Romo is still one of the top 10 or 15 quarterbacks in the league. Plus, he's paid entirely too much to go anywhere. This team is winning or losing with the guy. Get used to it.

However, that doesn't mean that fans can't get pissed off. There has to be a boundary in terms of when we can criticize the guy. He's no longer a rookie. He's been around enough to know when to make a throw and when not to make a throw.

The solution to our quarterback problem has little to do with Romo, other than turning around and handing a ball off to a running back.

Consider this: The Dallas Cowboys are first or tied for first in rushing yards per game, yards per carry, rushing first downs and rushing touchdowns.

However, they're 19th in rushing attempts.

In sports, you play to your strengths. Is Romo a good quarterback? Yes! Do the Cowboys have potentially a devastating running attack and an offensive line that looks fantastic? Definitely!

I'm not purporting making Romo a bus driver. Far from it. The Cowboys are averaging 26.5 rushing attempts per game and 28 passing attempts per game. How about averaging 30-35 rushes and 22-28 passing attempts? This, of course, depends on the nature of the game. If the opponent is taking away the run, pass all you want. Let's not make this a black and white issue. There's compromise in everything. But the Cowboys need to let go of the idea that they need to average 400 yards passing every game.

Ego -- not coaches -- coaching
Going hand in hand with running the ball comes offensive coordinator coaching with his gut rather than his heart or head. Garrett is probably a great coordinator and the types of plays that run through his head probably keep him awake at night. However, he must lay down his ego and his childish play-calling schemes in lieu of ideas that might win games.

This means doing boring running plays.

Consider the last two interceptions thrown by Tony Romo. The one that went off Jason Witten's foot and was intercepted came on a 2nd-and-10 play from their own 24-yard-line with 1:30 left in the half. Obviously, they were trying to get down field to score a touchdown. I get that. However, they were only in 2nd-and-10 because their first pass was incomplete somewhat "forcing" their hand to pass the ball again. At the time, it was 14-13, Dallas. It wasn't do-or-die time. The Cowboys had plenty of time to get down the field while still running the ball. Note that hte Cowboys averaged 8.7 yards per rush and 4.4 per pass completion Sunday night.

To back up my point, once the Giants scored a touchdown, the Cowboys got the ball back with 40 seconds left on the clock, drove from their 34-yard-line to the Giants' 29-yard-line in 39 seconds to kick a field goal. And they rushed Marion Barber for a three-yard gain.

The final interception was the worst. It was 1st-and-10. In the previous two drives, the Cowboys had scorched the Giants for 112 yards on eight carries. They were near midfield and driving and probably would've put the game away with the third quarter waning with a touchdown. Instead, it's intercepted, Eli Manning his Mario Manningham for a huge 49-yard pass on the very next play and the Giants score a touchdown.

Why was Romo even throwing the ball? Run the ball. Run the clock. I'm convinced if the Cowboys run the ball on that last interception, they win the game. Of course, we'd love Romo not to make the throw. But why was the play called?

This team needs a philosophical enema.

Pass Defense, Turnovers, Sacks ... Or The Lack Thereof
It's truly odd that the Cowboys have no sacks or turnovers. Pass defense? Well, I think we saw it coming. You don't let Roy William, Pacman Jones and Anthony Henry walk without wondering if the Cowboys will struggle with pass defense. I know. Those guys weren't that good. But if they sucked with those guys last year, how do you expect their replacements (rookies, underachieving draftees, free agents) to do? Exactly.

I think they all three go hand in hand. The Cowboys secondary are not shutdown corners and great safeties. How do you conceal such an issue? Putting pressure on the quarterback. Rare is there a play (unless it's Tony Romo) that you have a quarterback go back to pass, have eight or nine seconds to decide, throw the ball standing up with both feet set and throw an interception. It hardly ever happens. Except if you're Tony Romo. How do you get turnovers, sacks and frustrate the opponent's passing game. Pressure up front, of course.

Getting Pressure On The Quarterback
The "defensive genius" head coach needs to get his underachieving head out of his hillbilly ass and start coaching defense. Phillips wasn't brought in to make the Cowboys defense good. He was brought in to make them great. Dynamic, even. They weren't just going to give opponents headaches, they were going to break wills and hearts. They were going to single handedly win games. There would be sacks, touchdowns, interceptions, blitzing schemes that would make Nazis shit their pants.

Instead, we've got a good defense making ordinary plays, but not nearly enough to win big-time games when your team needs a turnover or a soul-depleting sack.

Lunch is on Kevin Millwood

Mo' money, mo' problems

Kevin Millwood went out and made $12 million yesterday night.

Once Millwood recorded 13 outs, his 2010 option vested, thus netting him a hefty paycheck for next season. Whether that's as a Ranger or not is up in the air.

Nonetheless, the drama surrounding whether the Rangers would risk a grievance by not pitching Millwood the rest of the season was debunked once he took the mound. The Rangers may be poor, but they're not dicks. They honored the contract they signed and they rewarded Millwood for the pretty good year he's had.

Millwood was fantastic. Seven innings allowing no earned runs and allowing just three hits and a walk. Kinda wish he'd showed up like this the last three weeks, but bitterness never gets anyone anywhere.

Notes:
1. It's easier to win when the offense puts 10 on the board. Who knew?

2. Ron Washington is hitting on Hank Blalock right now. Lest we forget that Blalock is a free agent in a couple of weeks and he's probably not returning.

3. In 112 at-bats, Julio Borbon's hitting .321 with a .377 OBP.

4. What do you do with Dave Murphy? I love the guy. I think he's an everyday left fielder. But he can't hit lefties and the Rangers already have a very lefty-heavy outfield (Josh Hamilton, Julio Borbon).

5. Look at lil' Craig Gentry getting some time. Good stuff.

'Well, maybe not terrific'

It's impossible to think about hockey right now.

I'm stuck between MLB, college and professional football.

No, another sport could not possibly be squeezed into my already tight sports schedule.

However, I may not have a real choice. For whatever reason, Dallas Stars training camp started two weeks ago with pre-season games already three deep.

I honestly have not looked or thought about the Stars since their season ended with a gigantic dud at the end of the season.

Pretty sure I took a good look at their meager, Tom-Hicks inspired free agent signings, but otherwise hockey has been at the very back of my brain.

So, are we ready?

I don't know much, but I do know that the Stars can't possibly be as maddening as they were last year, for a number of reasons:

Health
Jere Lehtinen, Brad Richards and Brenden Morrow are all in one piece. Whether they remain that way is yet to be seen. Remember, Morrow, the captain and heart of this team, was out, for all intents and purposes for the entire season last year. There were other factors (as we'll see), but we should never underestimate the value of having one of your best players sitting in street clothes all season. That's 30 goals and assists that were never really made up.

Sean Avery
OK, subtract Morrow, Zubov and Lehtinen and add the volatile Avery to a very young team. This city has had its fair share of sports villains, but none worse, maybe, than Avery. I don't know what he did in the day-to-day dealings that alienated so many of his teammates. We may never know. But it somehow knocked the team off its axis and it never really got back on track.

Marty Turco
We assume he's better than he was last season. Surely.

A Year Older
We were tickled pink last season to have Matt Niskanen, Trevor Daley, Mark Fistric and Nick Grossman. Then the turnovers happened every night and we were ready to ship them to Manitoba or wherever the Stars have a farm team. Everyone has three years experience now. The older the wiser, right? Also, Fabian Brunnstrom and James Neal are coming off good rookie campaigns.

There you go: Four good reasons why your Dallas Stars will be better this season. Get excited.

Quit is a four-letter word

Kins, looking sharp in red

I would dare any of the blow-hard media members to roll in Monday and spout off about how the Texas Rangers have quit.

Especially after the display the Dallas Cowboys showed last night. A team with a billion times more talent and with every opportunity to win and with every motivation to win as 105,000 people watched them and they still couldn't win the game.

The Rangers -- overmatched, injuries galore, rookie talent -- battled all weekend only to take one of three from the Calfornia Angels thus, probably, nixing any playoffs hopes for our young heroes.

I'd take the Rangers effort over the Cowboys any day.

The win Saturday was phenomenal with great pitching and defense. Friday, they were simply overmatched again at the plate. Sunday, the youngsters in the bullpen let one go.

Again, it was a battled. Derek Holland went out again and got his brains beat in, but he battled. He fought. He went out inning after inning and gave it his best and if people around here can't appreciate it, then they can go straight to hell for all I care.

Then again, I'm a Rangers apologist.

Grand opening

Cowboys gameplan next time: Keep eye on Steve Smith, No. 12, blue jersey

Several points:

1. Did anyone else shoot over to the other channels to see what the networks were throwing out against Cowboys-Giants? FOX had regular cartoons. ABC had the Peter Jackson abortion, "King Kong." That was a give-up. And CBS ... The Emmys. Oops. Good luck capturing that Dallas and New York market.

2. Although the Cowboys and that stadium generally annoy me, I felt good for Jerry Jones. I'll never, ever do something of that breadth and Jones probably hasn't or won't in his lifetime. It had to be gigantic undertaking and it probably almost killed him, and he had to be so thankful and glad to finally see that thing filled and for the entire country looking at it.

3. How do side judges judge when a punt goes out of bounds?

4. If you go back and watch The Emmys, fast forward to "30 Rock" winning best comedy series. They have guy up front that looks he's 4-0 tall. Then there's a black guy in back that looks like he's 8-0 tall. It's pretty funny.

5. If Tony Romo can keep his head on straight and coaching doesn't get in the way, the Cowboys offense could be one of the most balanced, scary offenses in the league. I'm convinced. However, there is gigantic concern with those two caveats mentioned two lines up.

To the grades:

Quarterback -- F
So, we can just go ahead and blame this loss on Tony Romo, right? I mean, I know when you lose the entire team loses and all that bullshit, but the fact of the matter is, Romo's decision making inability from start to finish cost the Dallas Cowboys this game. Plain and simple. I dare anyone to object. He made awful throw after awful throw. Thankfully, they weren't all picked off, but a lot should have been and would've against other teams. I realize that he had big plays last week and a career high in passing, but he was missing his spots against Tampa Bay, and it continued over to this week minus the big plays.

You know the difference between Romo and Eli Manning? Manning's mistakes (and there are mistakes) are not picked off. About 70 percent of Romo's mistakes are picked off (somehow). I don't know if it's luck or the degree of missing a receiver, but it's shocking how many plays the Giants were able to play against how many the Cowboys defense were unable to make.

Running Back -- A+
Anyone else feel the Cowboys should still keep throwing the ball? Cowboys went for 29 carries and 251 yards. Frankly, they didn't run the ball enough. In two weeks, the best-looking Cowboy in terms of speed, agility, spacing and play making is Marion Barber. Looked superb tonight. Great vision as he hit about every hole. Felix Jones is just special. Tashard Choice is the cherry on top of the sundae. I'm glad Cris Collinsworth point this out, but Deon Anderson did some awesome lead blocking.

Wide Receiver -- D-
I'd give them the benefit of the doubt considering how awful Tony Romo was. However, the Giants were infamously short handed tonight and the receivers simply couldn't get open. Cowboys receivers had four catches. Awful.

Tight End -- D-
Ditto. Romo for some reason had a hard time finding Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett. Why isn't Bennett getting more touches.

Offensive Line -- A+
Manhandled what we thought was a pretty good Giants defensive line. Forged gigantic holes in the running game and Romo was given time and space to suck it up. It's honestly more fun watching the Cowboys run the ball because that O-line looked good. Plus, nary the penalty (except Flozell Adams' tripping penalty)

Defensive Line -- A
Why did Romo single-handedly lose this game? Because the Cowboys ruled the roost on both lines and still lost the game. That Giants running attack got no where and the D-line was a big reason. They filled space. Jay Ratliff out on coverage laying the wood on Ahmad Bradshaw. Brilliant.

Linebackers -- A
Explosive. Bradie James was everywhere as what DeMarcus Ware. Anthony Spencer made a number of plays and Keith Brooking tended to be in every other tackle. Bobby Carpenter needs to be dispensed with. His holding penalty hurt bad.

Secondary -- D-
Do you think the Cowboys secondary knew that Steve Smith played for the Giants? Open all fucking night. Remember five years ago when it was common thought that Terence Newman was a top 5 corner. Two years ago he was a top 10 corner. Last year, he was a top 15 corner, but that was still OK. The Giants, in their first two plays, went right at Newman. He's not a top 25 corner, at this point.

Special Teams -- D
Not great. Not like last week. Major demerits for Felix Jones' fumble. Speaking of, doesn't Jones look odd returning kick-offs? He looks like he almost jogs for 15 yards and tries to turn it on. That fumble looked like a direct cause of this technique as he non-chalantly brought the ball up.

Coaching -- B
Loved the play calling mostly. Some bad ones, but it happens. Team looked ready to play. All but Romo.

BCS' dream

Swimming in a sea of Lee

Boy, what a college football weekend. Especially for Mr. Computer, BCS.

BYU and Utah lost, thus knocking two of the non-BCSers out of the equation. Plus, we had the big USC loss that basically everyone was predicting would happen. Just ink in one early-season, dummy conference loss to the Trojans every year.

Local teams and teams of local interest didn't do so well. Some lost. Some struggled. It got ugly.

Frankly, it was an ugly, sloppy college football weekend and I didn't appreciate it.

To the photos:

Texas 34, Texas Tech 24
I thought the Longhorns were going to cream the Raiders after having their hearts ripped out last season. Plus, the Raiders had lost so many difference makers and they were in Austin. Then you look at the stats the Raiders ran for 30 yards, committed 14 penalites for 116 yards and just 3-14 on third-down conversions. Sucks, right? No, they took it to the Longhorns and almost ran out of the state capital with a gigantic, college-football, Big-VII altering win. Couldn't believe how well the Longhorns receivers were held down and how hard Colt McCoy was made to work.

Virginia Tech 16, Nebraska 15
Some would say this game came down to one play: The big 80-yard Hokie pass to set up the winning touchdown. Yes, that was clearly big. If it doesn't happen, the Huskers are 3-0 and shooting up the rankings. However, I think the difference in the game came in the first half when Nebraska seemed to drive the ball every possession into Hokie territory only to come away with a field goal. I think it was the second or third field goal when they had 1st-and-goal and decided to run with Zac Lee and throw twice for incompletions. All the way, Roy Helu Jr. was basically imposing his will and setting the Huskers up, and yet they ignored him when it really mattered. There was your game. The Huskers left 16 points on the field.

Texas A&M 38, Utah State 30
How confusing is it to have two teams with the mascot of the "Aggies?" Jerrod Johnson was perfect as the Aggies of College Station rolled to a 2-0 start as UAB limps in next week. The Ags are extremely balanced on offense and that's really important.

TCU 56, Texas State 21
Ain't nothing like getting beat by seven touchdowns by the 15th best team in the nation. The Frogs totaled 505 total yards.

Oklahoma 45, Tulsa 0
Think OU's focused right now?

Washington State 30, SMU 27
Heartbreaking end to an attempt to start 3-0 for the Ponies. Up 17-0, 24-7 and eventually 27-13 at the start of the final quarter, you've got to win that game. It just has to happen. Instead, Bo Levi Mitchell throws and interception returned for a touchdown and the Mustang defense allows a game-tying score. Killer.

Colorado 24, Wyoming 0
A nice little win for the Buffs.

Connecticut 30, Baylor 22
The Huskies rolled up 235 yards of rushing and there's your game. I'm rooting for the Bears. And it sucks to see them lose a close game.

Alabama 53, North Texas 7
What did we expect? At least the Mean Green scored.

Missouri 52, Furman 12
The Tigers just crushed Furman for the win. Good teams don't make you sweat against bad teams. Blaine Gabbert has eight touchdowns and no interceptions this season. Chase who?

Kansas 44, Duke 16
Why can't Duke field a decent football team? It doesn't have to win 10 games a year or anything, but could it kill them to spend less time at basketball and a little more at football? They're one of the worst college football programs of the past 20 years. Todd Reesing looked fantastic again.

Oklahoma State 41, Rice 24
OSU took better care of Rice than they did with fellow Houston team, Houston. Ironically, Rice had more first downs and total yards than the Cowboys. Dez Bryant has to be a legit Heisman candidate.

Iowa State 34, Kent State 14
Only if the Cyclones could play Mid-American Conference teams every week. Dregs of the Big XII picking up some early season wins. Securing those 2-10 and 3-9 seasons.

UCLA 23, Kansas State 9
The Wildcats are probably the worst team in the Big XII.

SFA 40, Western Illinois 30
Sam Houston State, consider yourself avenged. Jeremy Moses passed for 363 yards and three SFA receivers had at least 80 yards apiece.

The wonder of scoring

Karate kick

It's amazing what scoring points will do for a professional sports franchise.

As a wise man once told me, "Whoever scores the most points will win the game."

Lo and behold, the Rangers put three on the board tonight against the hated California Angels and they win, 3-2.

It wasn't a blow-out, there was drama and as Jeff Wilson in his game article noted, the key hits traveled a combined 250 feet.

However, we'll all take it as we can get it. We're not picky.

Notes:
1. Scooter Feldman rolls to his 17th win. That has to be a record or something.

2. Nellie Cruz swiped base No. 20 to become the third Ranger to hit that milestone. Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus padded their totals.

3. Hank Blalock, apparently, has a pulse.

4. Feldman matched is walk total (56) from last year tonight. In about 25 more innings.

5. C.J. Wilson hasn't allowed a run in his last six appearances. Whether we'd like to admit it, Wilson's been really good this year.

Missed it by that much

The cone of silence

I've often given praise to Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels and his scouting department over the past couple of years.

First, there's the drafts and the ability to secure young talent in Latin America and through trades. Then there's the uncanny ability to find trash-heap talent from the free agent dump, who end up contributing and maybe getting valuable prospects in trades.

However, Daniels and Co. screwed the pooch on two relievers.

The Rangers signed Brendan Donnelly over the winter to a minor-league deal and he didn't break spring training with the team.

He then joined the Florida Marlins where he's been exceptional:

21 IP - 20 K - 8 BBs - .228 BAA - 1.66 ERA

Yowza.

OK, last season the Rangers took a flier on veteran reliever Kiko Calero only to later release him. The Marlins took in Calero, too, and he's been nothing but great out of the bullpen:

55 IP - 66 K - 25 BBs - .187 BAA - 1.96 ERA

Clearly, two misses. Can't win them all, but you'd like to think they would have been better options other than Eddie Guardado and Jason Jennings.

Anyway. Good times. Regrets. Sadness.

Shut down and out

Vlad the impaler

Again, the complete meltdown of the Texas Rangers offense breeds more awe than disappointment.

For the fourth time in five games, the Rangers were shutout, this time by the California Angels, 2-0.

Forget the playoffs, let's see if they can score a run.

That's 23 straight innings of run-less baseball for the Rangers. At least this game they got guys on base and couldn't buy a timeless hit despite being one big hit away from the winning the dumb game. Like a guy said on the radio, if you're waiting for Andruw Jones to save your season, you're in trouble.

Nonetheless, the team had fight tonight and that's important as they move on. Maybe some of those at-bats with runners on will turn into seeing-eye singles and gap doubles. Or so we hope.

We should note the stellar pitching job.

C.J. Wilson, Neftali Feliz and Frank Francisco pitched four near-perfect innings.

Tommy Hunter could only go five, but still only gave up two runs. He kept you in the game. That's all you ask for short of a complete game shutout. Slacker.

Wash's last stand

Carew

OK, this is it. Three games with the California Angels. It's do or die for the Texas Rangers. By Sunday, we shall know the true mettle of this team.

None bigger

Shiny building, waiting for your arrival

The Dallas Cowboys have had some pretty big non-playoff games in its history.

Most recently was the showdown two seasons ago against the New England Patriots, when both teams were not only undefeated, but both were primed for the Super Bowl.

Of course, the New York Giants beat the Cowboys in the playoffs that season and eventually -- by David Tyree's helmet! -- beat the Pats in the Super Bowl. The same Super Bowl the Cowboys were destined to play in.

Sunday night is pretty big. It's the New York Giants. It's the Cowboys. It's the first regular season at JerryWorld. It's a conference game. A division game.

A Giants win and they're not only 2-0, but 2-0 in the division. It puts them in the driver's seat for the division. Plus, it'd be a road win for them.

The Cowboys, frankly, need to win their home games, particularly their division games. And they need to pull through in some of these tougher games. I've got the Cowboys on the outside looking in for the playoffs. Two or three big wins in places where they're not supposed to get them and they'll probably reach 10 wins, which will be good.

Five things to consider:

Eli Manning
You have to make him beat you. If you can hold down the Giants running game and get a lead, you put the ball in Manning's hands. OK, he'll either beat you. Or he'll throw three interceptions. It'd take those chances over Brandon Jacobs pounding a hole in your ass as he rolls over you.

JerryWorld
Consider the place and consider it'd be a gigantic shame if 100,000 live and another 10 million watching on TV had to see the Cowboys lose. I think they have extra motivation outside of, you know, winning games and playing well because they're paid millions for that one purpose. Also consider the hubbub surround the new stadium has being a gigantic distraction.

The Trenches
I think the Giants are a really good team because they dominate the game on two fronts: The offensive and defensive lines. They may lack talent in skill positions like receiver and tight end, their quarterback may just be good enough to throw at David Tyree's helmet and secondaries are always a risky proposition. But you know what makes everyone look a lot better? Dominating the line of scrimmage on every play. I think it's the big reason they'll win 12 games. But will the Cowboys step up to the plate?

Big Play Romo
I think it's noteworthy that Giants corner Aaron Ross is out this week. That dude's a player and has always given the Cowboys fits. Don't get me wrong, the Giants have other players back there, but one less won't hurt. Still, the Cowboys won last week thanks to the big play. Anymore up their sleeves? Will they go for it all with everyone in the building and everyone watching?

Cowboys Defense is Offensive
OK, they've got to do something. Sacks, passes defensed, turnovers, tackling. Anything. If the Cowboys defense and the great guru Wade Phillips was going to nut up this season, this would be a good time to do it.

Prediction
Dallas Cowboys 24 - New York Giants 23
It's a close one. Cowboys, however, nut up and win their home opener against the Giants, who they typically play well at home against. The Giants' lack of playmakers hurts them some.