C.J. Young

Making it count

The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant make a lot of good observations. It's his job.

Via Twitter, Grant wondered if C.J. Wilson has pitched himself into the American Cy Young race.
This comes as Wilson threw 7.2 innings of two-hit baseball for a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals.

I think Wilson is making a strong pitch to be considered for the Cy Young.

Why He Could Win It

BAA
Wilson has the best batting average against in the American League at .205. Lefties have no shot. They're hitting .124 against him. Managers aren't even playing lefties against him anymore.

ERA
Over his past four starts (30 IP), he's allowed three runs. His ERA's dropped to 2.88, the the fourth best in the American League.

No Leader In The Clubhouse
Opposed to the National League, this hasn't been a very dominant year for American League pitching. There's about six or seven Cy Young candidates in the NL. Probably two or three in the AL. CC Sabathia is probably the leader. He has 18 wins. But his other stats (ERA, WHIP, strikeouts) aren't sterling. Strikeout-leader Jered Weaver has 11 wins and 10 losses. Felix Hernandez is 10-10 on an awful Seattle club. Real candidates, to me, are Sabathia, Tampa's David Price and C.J. (Clay Buchholz is the ERA leader at 2.21 and has 15 wins, but he has just 101 strikeouts and 55 walks).

Overall Value
Wilson has just 14 wins. But he's won seven of his last nine starts (the other two being no-decisions). The Rangers have won nine straight of his starts and are 21-6 in all of Wilson's starts. He doesn't always get the win, but he helps his team obtain the victory.

Why He Won't Win It

Control
Wilson has the most walks in the American League at 77. Because of that, his innings aren't mind blowing (171.2 ... good for 14th in the league) and his WHIP is 12th at 1.19.

My guess is Wilson will not win the Cy Young, although it'd be a shame if he weren't in the top three or four in voting. Reigning in his wildness is going to be a chore for Wilson moving on. You can pretty much pinpoint his control as the big reason he hasn't seen even more success this season, especially in June and July.

Nonetheless, I'm glad he's on our side.

Broken record

The Blanco

I hate to harp on this again but the Texas Rangers have a real problem.

Hitting.

It's not something that's coming and going. There aren't real spurts. It's five games of lackluster offensive play, zero patience and no great at-bats.

Over the past 18 innings:

1
Walk. Recorded by Josh Hamilton.

10
Total hits. 10 hits. 18 innings.

2
Total runs. In 18 innings.

2
Extra-base hits. One by Mr. Kick In The Nuts, Jorge Cantu, and the other by Hamilton, who is blameless in all of this.

It doesn't matter what Rich Harden or Colby Lewis did. None of that mattered. They simple would have had to pitche complete game shutouts to even have their team in it.

There are a few suspects in this crime:

Jorge Cantu
Of all the trade deadline pick-ups, outside of Cliff Lee, Cantu was the most intriguing. Since, he's hit .211 with just two extra-base hits. Considering his ability, Cantu's been the biggest disappointment. To put it bluntly, he's a disaster.

Mike Young
No one gets a pass in Dallas-Fort Worth sports quite like Mike Young. DeMarcus Ware probably would. Mike Modano did, but Mike Modano had a Stanley Cup etched with his name. Cliff Lee, Tony Romo, Dirk Nowitzki or anyone else do not get passes quite like Young. He's hitting just .285. Don't even mention his average with runners in scoring position. To boot, he's playing an awful third base this season. The season will end in several weeks and he'll have his 25 home runs and 35 doubles, but that will not tell the story.

The good news is that Nellie Cruz is back tonight. And I assume Ian Kinsler is back this weekend considering he looked extremely disinterested Saturday night in Frisco.

That unsure feeling

The switch needs flipped

Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett and the Dallas Cowboys can do one seemingly simple thing to erase the sour taste of the pre-season: Win Sept. 12 against the Washington Redskins.

Cowboys fans are getting antsy after another lackluster performance Saturday night against the Houston Texans.

Again, it's not about winning, but about executing. Anybody that says the pre-season doesn't mean anything are full of shit.

Nobody in any sport at any level watches their guys goof off, make errors and perform poorly in practice thinks things are going well. No one is pleased with poor practicing.

There is nothing good to come from Saturday night other than the fact that there were no more serious injuries.

Phillips and Co. need to be concerned. Then again, a win to start the season erases all doubt. But I seriously do not think Cowboys fans think they will skyrocket into the Super Bowl.

The one thing that the Phillips-era Cowboys have not done is cruise, aside from teh 13-3 season. Every week's been a battle. Every week's been a question of whether you're going to even get a bare-minimum effort from certain guys.

The last two seasons have been NASCAR races where the cars perpetually stall out and have to restart. Once you think you have some momentum, the engine poops out and you have to start all over again.

I don't think the Cowboys can turn it on at will nor is the NFL a place where that easily happens. Otherworldly teams that transcend the sport typically do what they want whenever they want. Not the 2010 Dallas Cowboys.

Not yet, anyways.

Come together

M-V-P

As September looms, things seem to be coming together for our Texas Rangers.

That offense -- so full of promise, a vast conglomeration of power and speed -- beat the brains out of the Oakland Athletics last night to the tune of 15 hits (including four doubles) and seven runs for a nice 7-3 win for their fifth win in six games.

Plus, Tommy Hunter put together his second straight remarkable start going 7.2 innings and allowing just three runs.

These are good Ranger times.

Despite the really nice play from just about everyone on the roster, fans tend to have other things in mind. Ideas and strategies that GM Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington just don't realize because, clearly, they're not as smart as you and I.

Here are some of those idea. And analysis as to just how stupid Dallas-Fort Worth sports fans are:

Andres Blanco Should Play Every Day
No doubt, Blanco's been a pleasant surprise this season. That's three straight utilityman finds for Daniels: Ramon Vasquez, Omar Vizquel and, now, Blanco. With Ian Kinsler out, Blanco's stepped up. He's got eight hits and four doubles in his last five games. And he plays an OK second base.

But the very idea that Blanco should be playing every is beyond ridiculous. Again, he's an OK fielder. Not nearly the range or acumen of Kinsler at second base. And the idea of moving Kinsler to first base is even worse. Why put one of your best defenders at first base? Also, if you want an example of catching lightning in a bottle, it's Blanco. A fine back-up, not a starter.

Frank Francisco Should Be Sent To The Minors
Seriously. Someone said this. I do admit that Francisco hasn't been overly fantastic. Compared to some of the other relievers, Francisco could probably be deemed the weakest of the links. On the other hand, during about three different stretches this season, Francisco may have been the best reliever. Francisco is an important part of this team. His health and ability through the end of this season is vital.

Tanner Scheppers Needs To Be Brought Up, Placed On Post-Season Roster
Yes, the kid that hasn't thrown a Major League pitcher should be shutting down seventh innings in October. Yeah. That's going to happen. Forget that Scheppers had a innings ceiling to begin the season and a history of injury threat. Forget his 4.43 ERA in Oklahoma City and his 30 walks in 63 innings. He seems ready. Sure.

Neftali Feliz Is The Biggest Surprise Of The Season
Seriously? Between Colby Lewis, Rich Harden, C.J. Wilson, Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero, Darren O'Day, Darren Oliver and Tommy Hunter, and Feliz is your surprise of the season. Jackwagon.

Somehow, Josh Hamilton Is Not The American League MVP
Should Hamilton not get his league's highest honor, I might begin questioning my faith in God.

The AFC West

AFL greatness

Many are saying that the AFC West is the weakest division in the NFL.

I can not argue against this. There's no lead dog in this division and, honestly, if you told me that the Oakland Raiders won the division, I wouldn't actually blink.

It's that wide open, for one reason or another. Or is it?

San Diego Chargers -- 11-5
I can't figure out why the Chargers are looked so down upon. Most stems from the eventual trainwreck that will eventually be a departure of Norv Turner as the head coach. But they're a 13-win team a year ago with a new, young running back and a deep set of receivers despite Vincent Jackson's eventual departure. In this division, they'll still thrive and with roadies in Houston, Seattle and St. Louis, they should be OK to take the division.

Oakland Raiders -- 8-8
Raider up! I think a decent quarterback in lieu of an awful quarterback makes you 40 percent better. Jason Campbell instead of JaMarcus Russell makes the running game, offensive line, defense and receivers all better. The talent is there, but if the defense is on the field and the opponent is loading the box, how do you expect this team to really perform? It's impossible. This team is still a disaster, but I think they can take advantage of their division and dirty some games up.

Denver Broncos -- 7-9
The 2009 Denver Broncos had the distinction of never flip-flopping wins and losses. They won six straight, loss four straight, won two straight and lost four straight. Yes, the Broncos lost four straight in one season. That's remarkable for a team that went 8-8. Still suspect all the way around: Defensive line, offensive line, receivers and thin corps of running backs.

Kansas City Chiefs -- 5-11
As much as I don't understand why no one's going with the Chargers, I don't understand the optimistism behind the 2010 Kansas City Chiefs. They finished last last year. Other than Thomas Jones, there's little reason to feel they're be any better. Did you know the Chiefs allowed the sixth most sacks? No wonder Matt Cassel struggled. Combine an awful defense with a woeful offensive line and I present you a bad team. What wins they do achieve will come due to a favorable schedule.

Past Predictions
AFC South
AFC North
AFC East

Mailing it in

The Great Liriano

Cliff Lee's performance last night was pretty disappointing.

Considering all the hubbub surrounding him and Colin Cowherd insinuating that Lee's "mailing in" the rest of his season and then Lee's response that it's a lie, I thought Lee would come out with a chip on his shoulder.

Instead, he allowed five runs in five innings. The Rangers lost 6-4.

I would like to make a point. Although I think Cowherd's a moron and I do think Lee is doing his best, I found his quotes from the other day rather odd:

I did not say that and nobody close to me would say that.

Lee says he did not say or confide in anyone that he does not like the Texas Ranger or is disappointed in not being traded to the New York Yankees.

But does he actually feel that way. You don't have to say it to believe it.

Maybe I am reading too much into it. Maybe I'm crazy.

Despite the start, you can look at last night's game this way: The Rangers were one-hit for seven innings. Francisco Liriano owned them and by the time the line-up woke up, it was too late.

For seven innings, Lee would have needed to pitch a shutout.

Again, the Rangers offense will be their downfall. Mark it.

The AFC South

Horseshoe

Do we even need predictions for the AFC South?

The only thing we can predict is when the NFL will fix this formatting and get the Indianapolis Colts out of the South and into the chainsaw that the AFC North. Imagine the Colts in with the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals.

As it stands, Colts are on one level. The Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars are on another. Just a matter of where they wind up.

Indianapolis Colts -- 12-4
Remember a year ago when we thought Tony Dungy's departure, a patchwork O-line and ravished defense was going to sink the Colts? Instead, they had a top 10 defense and the offense didn't miss a beat because among all sports teams, no singular franchise depends on one player as much as the Colts depend on Peyton Manning. He runs that team. Quite literally. General managers and head coaches are afterthoughts.

Tennessee Titans -- 10-6
Lest we forget the Titans starting 0-6 and then winning eight of their final 10 when Vince Young was started and Chris Johnson went nuts. Not addressing their receiving corps will kill them.

Houston Texans -- 8-8
The Houston Texans were 5-3 when they played the Colts Nov. 8 last year. They proceeded to lose four straight (all division) by a combined 19 points. That's two straight 20-17 losses to the Colts and Titans. One goes the other way and they're probably in the playoffs. Schaub will throw for 5,000 yards when the running game disappears again. Too many rough road games.

Jacksonville Jaguars -- 6-10
Did you realize the Jaguars were 7-5 going into the final four games of the season? Then they lost all four, allowing 107 points in those four contests. Is Jack Del Rio still there? Hasn't he lost that team? How do you go into week 12 with the prime opportunity to make the playoffs and you completely get dumped on? A team with no vision will perish.

Past Predictions
AFC North
AFC East

Media brouhahas, updated

Dallas Morning Newser Tim Cowlishaw addressed his very controversial weekend Tweet about Darrelle Revis and the New York Jets allegedly coming to a contract agreement by Wednesday.

It didn't happen.

Cowlishaw owns up to the mistake. He suggests rewording the Tweet. Either way, he was screwed if it wasn't going to happen. Simply stating that Revis and the Jets were going to eventually come to some agreement is like saying that the Dallas Cowboys are going to eventually play a regular season game. Alas ...

****
Yesterday, some dude with www.dallasbasketball.com put super-popular ESPN columnist Bill Simmons in his sights criticizing The Sports Guy for his comments three months ago about apparently the Mavericks overpaying for Brendan Haywood.

Reason No. 1 You Don't Pick A Fight With Bill Simmons: He sticks you in the ground and never stops piling on the dirt.

****
Finally, ESPN radio turd Colin Cowherd explained the "facts" behind his summation that the Texas Rangers' Cliff Lee is mailing in games.

Evan Grant retorted.

Cowherd, still retarded.

Coaching up

C to the J

There was a good chance that me and every other blogger and media member would be questioning Ron Washington right now.

We could be debating whether Ron Washington has the ability to manage a bullpen in big games (or small games, even).

As it stands, Washington's very risky approach worked. Three straight wins, 4-3 over the Minnesota Twins.

With Neftali Feliz and Frank Francisco unavailable, Washington brought in Mike Kirkman for an inning, and allowed Darren O'Day and Darren Oliver to face one batter each to start the eighth inning.

That left just Alexi Ogando and Matty Harrison to get four outs.

Sure enough, Ogando struck out his two and Harrison got his two for his second save.

Everyone did their job. Washington's a genius; we're idiots.

Notes:
1. Did you know the Rangers pitching staff has the eighth-lowest allowed slugging percentage in baseball? Allowed just two doubles tonight.

2. Elvis Andrus' 14-game hitting streak is kaput.

3. Nice to see Vlad Guerrero stroking it. Three hits including a game-untying homer.

4. Ranger bullpen, last seven: 13 IP - 7 hits - 1 run - 1 walk - 16 strikeouts.

5. Michael Kirkman looks like a guy that should be pitching in the Major Leagues. I've always considered him marginal, decent at best. He's look good in two appearances.

6. C.J. Wilson looked really good. Then he looked very hittable. Still, his "hittable" is slightly less hittable than other people's "hittable."

7. Nellie Cruz starts minor-league rehab tomorrow. Ian Kinsler probably next week. Can't come soon enough.

8. Andres Blanco's face slide was as entertaining as the parachutting getting hung on the flagpole.

9. Almost 30,000 enjoyed the first game in the 80s since May.

A lesson in not picking fights with Bill Simmons

Bringin' the Haywood

It's August, so let's skip the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers and talk Dallas Mavericks basketball.

Mike Fisher -- someone that apparently "writes" for Fox Sports Southwest and http://www.dallasbasketball.com/ -- published an article disspelling the apparent "perception" that the Dallas Mavericks "overpaid" for "Brendan Haywood."

There's a rumor out that Brendan Haywood signed a "six-year, $55 million" deal in the off-season to return to the Mavs. This simply isn't true.

Well. Hold on. It is true. Should Haywood play out the entirety of his contract, it will be for six years and Haywood will get paid $55 million.

This deal prompted ESPN writer Bill Simmons to Tweet about Mavericks owner Mark Cuban annually overpaying for a center.

Fisher -- two months later -- took offense to this accusation!

Haywood and his contract, Fisher opines, is not for that much or for that long because it's just five years and $41 million guaranteed. Haywood, we should all know, won't get paid $10 million a year. He'll actually get $9 million per year for his final two.

However, this is irrelevant. Because the only reason they signed Haywood to this type of deal is to trade him in his final year.

Much like they did with Erick Dampier.

Now, no one looks at contracts like this. No one looked at Alex Rodriguez' deal for 10 years and $252 milllion and say, "Well, we'll trade him in his fifth year and end up only paying him $100 million. So, technically, it's a five-year, $100 million contract."

Secondly, how many of us were ready to get Erick Dampier out of here?

And what superstar, game changer did the Mavericks get in exchange?

People don't dislike Haywood as much as we dislike the six points and six rebounds he averaged per season before his contract year (this past year, 2009-10).

Six years and $55 million is a good deal for a guy who average 15 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks a game.

Dampier sucked. Haywood's sucked primarily for his entire career. There's little reason to think this will change.

That's why he's "overpaid" to everyone not on the Mavericks' payroll.

If you are signing free agents for the sole purpose of trading them four years later to maybe score a bigger, better name, then you should be fired as a general manager of a sports franchise.

You get free agents to win games for you immediately. That's why Cuban and Donnie Nelson signed Haywood. To win games in 2010-11. Not to eventually trade.

Taste of their own medicine

Headline: "Douchebag gets hit in face with baseball; hot girl laughs"

The last two games from the Texas Rangers have mirrored everything I thought the Minnesota Twins would bring to the table.

Clutch hitting, defense, great pitching and sound baseball decisions.

That was the story of the Rangers' 4-3 win last night.

Clutch Hitting
Let's start with Andres Blanco's ground-rule double in the fourth with two outs to score Bengie Molina. Let's end with Mike Young's eighth inning two-out single to score the winning run. Young had stunk all night going 0-3. On the season, he's hitting .260 with runners in scoring position and .246 with runners in scoring position with two outs. The "clutch" Young needed a big hit more than anyone. He delivered.

Defense
Julio Borbon is not the soundest defensive centerfielder, but he covers ground like any of the best. He had two really great grabs yesterday and has probably taken away a dozen or so extra-base hits on the season. Then Mitch Moreland. For about the fourth time in the last two weeks, he made another nice play with his arm. Seventh inning. Twins tie the game with runners at second and third and one out. A slow bouncer to Moreland who rifles a throw to Molina for the out at homeplate. Young would untie it in the bottom half of the inning. Great play by Moreland and Molina.

Great Pitching
Colby Lewis allowed three hits in a two-run first inning. Bad news. He buckles down. Gets nine straight and 13 of 14. To say he "cruised" is an understatement. Then the bullpen rolls in and tosses 2.2 innings of hitless, worriless baseball. The bullpen over the past five:

10 IP - 5 hits - 1 run - 1 walk - 11 strikeouts

Sound Baseball Decisions
The Rangers' baserunning has come under scrutiny for good reason this season. Last night, it helped win the game. And it resulted in an out. Elvis Andrus is 21 years old, and with one out and runners at the corners, Mike Young grounds into an apparent double play. Instead, Andrus, realizing the force was no longer in play, forces a run down allowing Borbon to score from third base. Rangers were down 2-0. Now just 2-1. Brilliant baseball play.

The Rangers now have their two best pitchers (C.J. Wilson, Cliff "Mailing It In" Lee) to get one win for the series win. Huge. Quickly.

ESPN vs. Cliff Lee vs. Evan Grant vs. journalistic ethics

Cowturd

A very intriguing sub-story broke out today after ESPN radio asshole Colin Cowherd proclaimed that Cliff Lee "hated" Texas and "mailed in" performances against bad teams.

Cliff Lee retorted.

Evan Grant retorted.

All of this brings up several points about media, journalism and sports. None of which rarely have any common ground.

For one, if you know what Cowherd's about, you know that he's a talking-head moron. If you listen to his show, there's a good chance that you too could be a moron. Or probably just very stupid. Between Cowherd's show and nothing, I choose nothing.

Me, you, Grant, Lee and everyone else knows that Cowherd had no sources or data to back up his claim. Just a producer printing off a box score.

In Grant's retort, he writes this:

On that front, it's marketing genius. It would make the all-time sports entertainment marketing king, Vince McMahon, proud. Despite Cowherd using words like "sources" and ESPN dedicating its own post to the "story," journalism, it isn't. Journalists use sources to uncover information, but usually ask the subjects at the center of their story questions before the "story" runs. To do anything less, that's just laziness.

I bring this up because I remember two years ago when the Terrell Owens imbroglio started at Valley Ranch. He was apparently getting the wide receivers riled up and having closed-door meetings with Jason Garrett.

Reporters from The Dallas Morning News regularly cited unnamed sources in reporting the story.

This, in journalistic standards, is also a no-no, but one that is often overlooked and abused.

Grant is a great journalist and so are a vast majority of the folks at the local print publications. They do a strong job covering the happenings in North Texas.

But journalistic standards are always bent, sometimes broken.

Which brings us to the real culprit here: Talk radio.

Guys on sports talk radio simply don't consider themselves media. Not because what they do is not under the umbrella of journalism. Not that they don't have standards when reporting news versus rumors. Not that they don't deliver and present news items.

It's too inconvenient.

If The Ticket decides to talk about a rumor. That's fine. They're not journalists. They can talk about porn or have half naked girls in studio. It's fine.

They're not journalists. In their head.

Of course, they are journalists and they have responsibilities to be professional. They can be equally as liable for defamation just as much as any newspaper reporter.

Cowherd probably takes on the same identity as The Ticket as non-journalists. Cowherd's said a billion worse things about a billion other people. The Ticket makes fun of everyone except those in their good graces. Again, in their small heads, they're not journalists. So it doesn't matter.

When Grant calls fellows like Cowherd "lazy," he is indicting all of sports talk radio to some degree.

It actually probably frustrates someone like Grant -- someone that tries hard to do his job well -- to see the World Wide Leader and a whole section of the media bend the rules.

Sports talk guys are actually lucky they don't get punched in the face more.

You've got to own it

Take me out ...

About 22,500 came out to the Ballpark last night for the Texas Rangers' near no-no bid against the Minnesota Twins.

There was a question as the Rangers limped home from a so-so road trip as to how the Dallas-Fort Worth fan would react.

Most would consider that a disappointment. I wouldn't. A Monday, hot as balls, first day of school. Not many parents are going to let their kids stay out 'til 11 p.m. going into the second day of school.

Again, winning is the key. Winning turns the most sour, jaded and disinterested fanbase into lifers. Thirteen years ago, there were zero "Mavs Fan For Life" shirts at Reunion Arena.

Rangers fans should be excited. At least the owners are.

Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg took ads out in The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and about eight other regional newspapers as a sort of a state-of-the-team address assuring everyone that the cloud of apathy and disinterest on the management side of the franchise is gone.

And their impact was felt last night.

According to a Tweet by John Blake, the team had a "blue light special": 50 cents off peanuts, $1 off a large drink and $5 off caps during one of the innings.

I think this in addition to the other price slashing on parking and foodstuff.

No-no-no

On cue

If you'd told me four hours ago that Rich Harden's second return from the disable list would've resulted in a near no-hitter, I would've punched you in the face.

On cue, Harden pitches 6.2 innings of hitless ball and the Rangers offense muscled just enough over homeplate for the 4-0 win to open the series against the pesky Minnesota Twins.

It's one thing for Harden to go hitless considering his season. It's another to consider that it came against the Twins, a team that hits for average; a team extremely hard to keep off the basepaths.

Cliff Lee can't stop the Orioles. Harden whipped the Twins. Baseball's a funny sport.

If Neftali Feliz would've not given up a single to Joe Mauer in the ninth inning, it the no-no would've been awarded to Harden, Matt Harrison, Darren O'Day and Feliz.

Harrison got Jim Thome to line out in the seventh. O'Day pitched a picture-perfect eighth inning.

It was Twins baseball, reversed.

Over the last four games, Texas pitchers:

43 IP - 32 hits - 16 runs - 9 BBs - 37 K.

Over the last four games, Texas relievers:

7.1 IP - 5 hits - 1 run - 1 BB - 10 K.

Notes:
1. Edinson Volquez didn't make it out of the first inning tonight. Josh Hamilton's about to win an MVP.

2. Just three earned runs by Matty Harrison in last 10 appearances.

3. No problem with Ron Washington pulling Harden in spite of the no hitter. Harden labored a little and was wild, allowing five walks, many to start innings. He reached a pitch count. Hit the showers, live to pitch another day.

4. Thirteen-game hit streak for Elvis Andrus. Just two games in August in which he's gone hitless.

5. Vlad Guerrero's hit streak: 11 games.

6. I'll take 70 wins in 124 tries.

7. Should the Angels lose, Rangers up nine games. Up 8.5 on Oakland.

Split in Baltimore

e

Although it has been fun reading Tim Cowlishaw Tweet "The Wire" references the last four days, the Texas Rangers, sadly, must leave the East Coast for the friendly confines of the Ballpark.

The Rangers took two of the four from the Baltimore Orioles getting brilliant pitching performances from two starters.

Neither of which were Cliff Lee.

Lee's a fine pitcher. However, the lowly Orioles have his number. They dealt him his first loss as a Ranger before the All-Star break in anticlimatic fashion and then they walloped four homers off of him Saturday night for the 8-6 loss.

Media folks, who typically ignore the Rangers, are coming out of the woodwork to denote Lee's poor starts as of late (John Burkett would've killed for Lee's "poor performances") and are quick to blame it on the long outings he's had, especially as a Ranger.

These are the same dunderheads that were crapping their pants as Lee compiled eight- and nine-inning performances and getting poor run support.

These are the same morons that get on their knees in front of Nolan Ryan, especially when he preaches the "one more inning" mantra and forces these professional athletes to push themselves.

Generally, media people love thinking they're not media people and that double standards are the standard.

Still, Tommy "Big Game" Hunter bailed Lee and the Rangers out with eight solid Sunday to secure the split.

So, all is not lost.

Notes:
1. Michael Kirkman made his MLB debut, striking out three of his four batters. Not bad.

2. The Rangers bullpen pitched a total of four innings in the final three games. Once boasting the most innings by their bullpen, the Rangers' relievers have pitched just the eighth most innings in the MLB.

3. Josh Hamilton, last four: 7-18, 1 double, 2 home runs, 7 RBI.

4. A noted Rangers blogger said that despite Vlad Guerrero's three-run home run Sunday, he's still struggling at the plate. Guerrero has an 11-game hitting streak, and a home run, double and four RBI in the Baltimore series. If Cristian Guzman and Chris Davis were "struggling" like Guerrero, they'd be in Arlington tonight. Not that Guerrero hasn't slumped from his April numbers, but it's all relative.

5. I guess put it this way: I'd rather have Guerrero slumping in the line-up than Nellie Cruz and Ian Kinsler's broke asses on the bench.

6. Anyone else happy that Kevin Millwood was in the other dugout?

7. Hunter is second in the team with 10 wins. He only has the fourth most games started.

Tim Cowlishaw, NFL insider

The biggest and baddest sports reporting from Dallas media over the weekend came from The Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw.

Oddly, it had nothing to do with the Dallas Cowboys or any Dallas-Fort Worth team.

Cowlishaw Tweeted that the New York Jets and star cornerback and holdout Darrelle Revis had reached a new agreement, which would be announced Wednesday.

East Coast media freaked out. Doubling checking sources. Cowlishaw stood behind it, claiming his source was never wrong.

Cowlishaw is kind of just "aw-shucks" about the whole thing. As if he just tripped over a $100 bill.

No actual word from the organization or any other media sources. So ... we'll see.

On the 53-man roster

Hurd? Seen.

Todd Archer released an updated copy of his predicted 53-man roster for the Dallas Cowboys.

The bubble list is quite intriguing, according to Archer, and the battles come down to 10 offensive linemen or seven defensive linemen and five cornerbacks or six safeties.

Also, as to whether the Cowboys should have five or six wide receivers.

Potential bubble guys: Mike Hamlin, Steve Octavien, Stephen McGee, Leon Williams, Deon Anderson, Chris Gronkowski, Jamar Wall, Sam Young, Josh Brent and Danny McCray.

There are others, but those are the ones I'm surprised would be a bubble candidate.

Octavien, McCray, Brent and Williams not as much as McGee, Wall, Young and Brent.

I'd be shocked to see any two of those latter guys go.

I think you definitely have to go with 10 offensive linemen and six safeties, considering there's been massive injury issues with both spots.

On McGee, I haven't seen or heard many reports that the Cowboys feel he's the quarterback "of the future." I think they've bluntly grown cold on the guy expecting him to really show something in the off- and pre-season. And he hasn't.

A big shock is Sam Young. Considering their (lack of) depth at offensive line and the impressive camp Young's had, I would be completely surprised if he were not included on the 53-man.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon also took time from manicuring his half-goatee to predict the roster.

He has them taking both fullbacks, six receivers, 10 offensive linemen, six safeties, four cornerbacks and a partridge in a pear tree.

He has Jamar Wall on the practice squad.

Not bad, I think. I don't see them keeping two fullbacks. I think they'd much rather take a third tight end (Martin Rucker or Scott Sicko) or even an extra inside linebacker (Leon Williams?) or cornerback (Wall).

Keys to the Season: Running

Runnin' on empty

The Dallas Cowboys are three pre-season games in after a 16-14 win over the San Diego Chargers Saturday and a huge question mark still hovers above this franchise.

Injuries are killing them now. Gerald Sensabaugh it out three weeks with a busted shoulder.

The offense continues to sputter, the defense showed some leaks. Most importantly, there doesn't appear to be any sense of urgency. Everyone's so wrapped up in the injury issue and the doldrums of the pre-season, and, yet, the season begins in two weeks and this thing doesn't look like it could be a junior varsity team in Midlothian.

Watching these games, the biggest issue for me is the running game. Meaning, the non-existent running game.

Despite all the spread offenses, football on the professional level is still won in the trenches, between the tackles. It's won by getting 90 percent of your 3rd-and-1s and your 4th-and-1s.

It's won by getting seven points 80 percent of the time you're within the opponents' 20-yard-line.

It's won by putting a stranglehold on the possession arrow and keeping the ball for 30 minutes a game not allowing the other team to get the ball.

These things are not accomplished with four wide receivers. All last season, we were teased with the two tight end alignments, all so we can attempt 20-yard outs.

I think the reason we're not seeing Marion Barber or Felix Jones is because both are injury prone and the last thing this team needs is a lame running back before the season starts.

Why we're not seeing Tashard Choice, Herb Donaldson and Lonyae Miller for 25 carries combined in the pre-season is a complete mystery considering:

1. Run blocking is very different from pass blocking. You don't do one while doing the other. It needs practice and repetition just like pass blocking.

2. Although different, run blocking isn't as intensive as pass blocking. In the latter, you have to go one-on-one for up to eight seconds. In the former, you might hold your block for a split second, especially if the play's to your opposite side. Therefore, why not get these young, inexperienced offensive linemen some plays where they don't have to do much, where Tony Romo's knee might not be gnawed off and tossed into the Trinity River?

I think all of this bullshit lies at the feet of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who I've determined is kind of a prideful, somewhat egotistical asshole.

Time after time, we've seen the Cowboys completely abandon the run game (or the pass game) after six days of getting roasted in the media. We've seen 3rd-and-1 plays look too cute and fail.

We've had a number of player insurrections and rumors of insurrections. We've seen the team -- with all the offensive talent in the world -- shrivel up and die in the biggest games of the season.

Tony Romo may suck. The offensive line may be overrated. The receivers might not catch the ball. But what is Garrett doing to fix all this?

I think Garrett hates running the ball. I really do. It's an odd accusation considering I don't know his inner workings. Maybe he's influenced or pressured to throw the ball. Maybe he knows something about the backs and O-line that I (and the rest of us) clearly don't that prohibits him from running.

People, however, aren't judged on the unseen. Name one public figure that is. Name anyone that is. If something isn't getting done, they're ridiculed accordingly with or without what's happening behind closed doors.

The bottomline is that if the Cowboys want to win, they need to run the ball. If they don't learn this soon, the Super Bowl should be the last thing on their minds.

Keys to the Season
Injuries
Favre
Who's Kicking For This Thing?

Supercharged

McCann, can

It's time for pre-season game No. 3 for the Dallas Cowboys.

The big debate all week has been whether or not Tony Romo should play considering the patchwork offensive line in front of him.

Of course, if you'd seen the Minnesota game last post-season and the first two pre-season games, it's not like Romo's been on both feet the entire time. If the Cowboys run the ball enough and if Romo gets rid of the ball quickly, he'll be OK.

If you stand him back there now, what's going to happen in four weeks?

Either way, Romo and Co. are probably playing three quarters against Houston next week. Are we to package Romo in bubblewrap?

Five things to watch:

Robert Brewster-Sam Young
The two young tackle-guards will get the call this week to solidify the right side of the offensive line. Young's a rookie out of Notre Dame. Brewster's a second-year player out of Ball State, having missed all of 2009 with a torn pectoral. For all accounts, Young's the more accomplished player right now. Both will learn a lot by tomorrow morning.

Chris Gronkowski
The rookie fullback's gotten some looks during the off-season and his name always seems to pop up in interviews and press conferences. Of all positions, fullback is not a bad one to target. Deon Anderson's been inconsistent when he's not been injured. And there's the off-the-field stuff. I don't foresee Anderson getting cut, but the Cowboys might be hedging their bets.

Bryan McCann
Got a ton of time on the field against the Oakland Raiders in punt returns and at cornerback. The SMU alum is small, but feisty and from all indications, the Cowboys' coaching staff have noticed.

Sam Hurd-Kevin Ogletree
If you listen to interviews/press conferences, the general consensus is that Ogletree's relaxed some assuming he's made the team. And that Hurd has responded well as the underdog ... in this battle of underdogs.

Danny McCray
He's making the team as an undrafted free agent out of LSU. He's a special teams monster and that's a great way to make it to the 53-man in two weeks.

Ceej

Wilson!

Unfortunately for Texas Rangers pitchers, Friday night might be the expectations for the near future.

C.J. Wilson pitched his brains out allowing a mere three hits, a walk in 8 2/3 innings while striking out 12. Beyond brilliant. Rangers win, 2-0.

Brilliance is exactly what the Rangers need because the Rangers bats are still a little quiet. Although, we shouldn't sneeze at 10 hits, four walks and just six strikeouts. Some more timely hitting would hit the spot, but we'll take the two runs, because they only needed one.

Management decision to turn Wilson into a starter is looking like the off-season move of the year. An off-season that included Vlad Guerrero, Colby Lewis and Darren Oliver.

Wilson hasn't lost a game since July 11. He's still second in walks, but has just allowed 11 walks in his last 38 innings.

In his last two starts (road games in Boston and tonight in Baltimore), he's struck out 20 and walked two.

The Rangers have won his past seven starts, in five he's gotten the win.

We could probably go on and on about individuals and where the team would be without each one and we'd go crazy trying to pinpoint just one. The fact is, for good teams, it's always impossible.

Bad baseball teams do not have a dozen or so guys that play integral roles. It's why they're bad.

I don't know where Wilson fits in terms of meaning more to this team because although he's not as refined as Cliff Lee as a pitcher, he brings a certain edge, cockiness and spitfire that every team needs.

The AFC North

The Bungles

If Pittsburgh Steelers fans really cared about what the rest of the country felt about their team, I wonder how they feel now that no one wants their starting quarterback to win another game, more or less play in one?

Baltimore Ravens -- 12-4
First and foremost, let's not forget that Anquan Boldin is now a Raven. He's a really nice addition to an offense featuring Derrick Mason, Ray Rice and Todd Heap. Also, they addressed their aging defense by drafting Terrance Cody and Sergio Kindle. Granted, they've got their issues (fatness, narcolepsy), but they probably won't need to start or anything, but those are two pretty sweet run stopper and speed rusher to bring in periodically. Love the Ravens.


Cincinnati Bengals -- 11-5
If Carson Palmer is protected and healthy, he has little excuse for not doing well. As long as everyone can stay out of jail. They signed Terrell Owens and Antonio Bryant. Drafted Jordan Shipley, Dez Briscoe and Jermaine Gresham. To be honest, it'll be tough not to want to watch the Bengals this season.


Pittsburgh Steelers -- 8-8
Bad karma, good coach. I think the offense kills them. They weren't exactly the 1983 San Diego Chargers to begin with. They lost their biggest big-play receiver (Santonio Holmes), their starting left tackle (to injury) and their running back corps is a tad thinner. Plus, their quarterback is a rapist.


Cleveland Browns -- 3-13
Starting quarterback: Jake Delhomme. I mean, he sucked with a world-class receiver and a brilliant running game and good coach.




Past Predictions
AFC East

Jean-Jacques Taylor: Clearly, the smartest guy in the room

Chances are, Jean-Jacques Taylor, a columnist for The Dallas Morning News, makes more money than you do.

And that should make you angry.

Today, he penned a column that states, and I summarize, that the Dallas Cowboys have not been very good at drafting offensive linemen.

Fact. Totally agree.

Unfortuantely, Taylor does not place blame on GM Jerry Jones or the scouting department. His brilliant idea is that if the Cowboys had drafted an offensive lineman in the first three rounds, they would probably get a higher quality player, have a good back-up and, thusly, wouldn't need to worry about injuries to their starters.

Taylor's outrageous, totally original thought is that players drafted in the first, second or third rounds are better than players drafted in the fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh rounds.

Thus, if the Cowboys drafted an offensive lineman in the first, second or third rounds, that player would be better than Robert Brewster or Sam Young, current young lineman on the roster.

Novel idea! I had always assume that NFL teams drafted backwards, taking the better players in the later rounds. Thankfully, sports genius JJT straightened us all out. The better players are taken earlier.

Of course, and I'll need to check the archives, I don't quite remember Jean-Jacques trashing the Cowboys for ignoring the obvious offensive line need.

On May 12, JJT wrote that other than Bobby Carpenter, the Cowboys' first-rounders have been great picks. Nowhere does he talk about the offensive line. He praises the picks of Anthony Spencer, Felix Jones, Marcus Spears, DeMarcus Ware and Dez Bryant.

I hope Jerry Jones read this column. It'd be good to know that the better players are taken early in the NFL Draft.

Inoffensive

In his mind, Elvis Andrus hit a home run on that practice swing

The Texas Rangers' season will end some time between right now and the beginning of the World Series.

When it does, we will bemoan the fact that the offense was too bad to contend.

In fact, the Rangers offense has been the downfall of this team for about three seasons. At times, they're brilliant, but most of the time they're bad to mediocre. The next thing you know, pitchers are pressing and that puts the defenders in bad spots.

Mistakes happen. Next thing you know, you're losing 4-0 to the Baltimore Orioles.

Right now, outside of a no hitter from a Rangers pitcher, this team is not winning a game.

No one is hitting. It's not the bottom of the order that's not hitting. The middle of the order isn't just slumping.

This is a team effort. It's taking everyone fucking up on a Major League level to help perpetuate this slide.

What baserunners they do get, they're typically wiped out by double plays (thanks Jorge Cantu!!!). Others screw up and get caught on the basepaths.

Lead-off hits? A strikeout, flyout and groundout later and the Orioles are at the plate.

It's insufferably bad to watch. It's unwatchable, in fact.

The very fact that Bengie Molina is in the five hole makes me want to vomit.

Injuries? Yes. Injuries. It's a different team with Nellie Cruz and Ian Kinsler, but you'd hope that the general idea that these are PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES might roll over into a couple of hits.

By the way, I celebrate GM Jon Daniels, but he got took the cleaners on the Molina, Cantu and Cristian Guzman deals. Those three look like they should be sacking groceries. They look like imposters, who come to the ballpark and put on baseball jerseys. They don't just suck, they make mistakes.

I need a drink.

Game on!

Legend ... wait for it ... dary

The Texas Rangers have been playing regular season games since April.

Of all the wins, losses, series, off days, travel days, extra-innings, rain delays, day games, night games, doubleheaders, road games and home games, the one set that sticks out in my mind, still to this day, is the series just before the All-Star break against the Baltimore Orioles.

It was July 8-11, a four-game set swept by the Baltimore Orioles at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Cliff Lee made his Rangers debut in the Saturday night tilt, losing 6-1.

No matter how this season pans out, I'll never forget that. One of the worst teams in the league comes into your ballpark and beats you four straight, twice against your two best pitchers.

In the Friday night game, the Rangers bullpen wasted Scott Feldman's best outing of the year -- 7 innings, two runs, no walks -- by allowing four runs in the ninth inning and a fifth in the 10th.

If the Rangers should lose the division, I'll point to that series as the time the Rangers lost it. At least you split. At worst you lose three of the four.

The Rangers go to Baltimore tonight to start another four-game series.

Needless to say, a repeat performance is out of the question.

Jerry Jones tears rotator cuff, out for year

It's now called "Jerry Jones Surgery"

Dallas Cowboys owner and starting pitcher Jerry Jones had rotator cuff surgery during the off-season and will be out for the year.

Jones came off a career year going 18-7 with a 2.88 ERA, 201 strikeouts and just 55 walks.

Todd Archer already stole my joke. Jerk.

Jones did sell the rights to his surgery, as it will now be called the Miller Lite Rotator Cuff Surgery sponsored by Dr Pepper and Ford.

Kyle Kosier hurt, Dallas Cowboys officially 'injury riddled'

Down and out in Oxnard, Calif.

The Dallas Cowboys have been on the brink of being "injury riddled" for a number weeks. Kyle Kosier's MCL issue put them over the edge.

He's out 4-6 weeks putting the right side of their offensive line in a bind.

Marcus Spears, John Phillips, Kosier, Marc Columbo, Dez Bryant, Sean Lee and Alex Barron have all missed significant time in the pre-season.

Clearly, someone will need to step up. This includes Barron and Montrae Holland as the only veteran back-ups on the O-line. Sam Young and second-year guy Robert Brewster also will get a shot.

The Cowboys have gotten some undue criticism on their lack of "depth" on the offensive line. Yes, they've drafted very poorly with two of their last nine offensive linemen taken remaining in the NFL. Only one (Doug Free) on the team.

However, it is generally thought that the Cowboys are deep at receiver, tight end, running back, defensive line, linebacker and safety.

Guess what? You can't be deep everywhere. Considering the Cowboys have had many hits in the NFL Draft, you just have to consider the run on poor O-line picks as being bad luck.

Another thing, who in the NFL has a deep offensive line? At best, you have six capable guys total, including starters. That's one good back-up.

Considering the Cowboys just released Flozell Adams, it's not all bad. Barron and Holland have NFL experience. Young is a very promising rookie. Pat McQuistan's been around. It's not ideal, but lesser teams would kill to have what the Cowboys have sitting on the bench.

Unless you have 1980s Jackie Slater in your back pocket, I'd steer clear of criticizing a very well-built NFL team about a supposed lack of depth in one area.

This might be a little blessing in disguise. I think we'll learn something about Young and/or Brewster. It'll rest Kosier a while. He'll hopefully come back refreshed around the fourth week of the season, ready to roll.

The sky is not falling. Yet.

Leaving Tampa

Cantu, can't do

The Texas Rangers could not have gotten out of Tampa Bay, Fla. any sooner.

The Rays capped off a sweep of the Rangers with a 8-6 win Wednesday, and it wasn't even that close.

There's one reason why the Rays pulled off the sweep: They're better.

They hit, pitch and catch better than the Rangers. The last week has proved that the Rangers are still the third-best team in the American League behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, and there is little wrong with that.

Sure, you'd like to be the best. I think we'd all enjoy 27 world championships. But the Rangers have barely a playoff win. Baby steps.

It was a disaster. Only thing worse would have been shutout for three games and they weren't far away. Whenever Taylor Teagarden, Andres Blanco and Julio Borbon are your top hitters in consecutive games, you are in trouble.

The Rangers banged up. That's something to hang your hat on. Nellie Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young all missed the series. Those are three huge holes to fill.

By the numbers:

0
Big hits from Jorge Cantu. He stranded about 800 runners in the three games. A guy I hoped would step up with all the injuries didn't.

2
Wild pitches issued by the Rangers. Not a lot, but indicative of the three games.

6
Outs recorded toward scoring four runs for the Rangers. In the three games, the Rangers had nine scoring plays. One was a wild pitch in which Blanco scored. Four of the remaining eight were tallied while at least one out was being recorded. Scoring runs against good teams is at a premium, yes. However, you expect to swap outs for runs and win.

Rangers pitching:

24 IP - 34 hits - 24 runs - 16 BBs - 32 Ks - 3 home runs

Hopefully, we'll avoid Evan Longoria for a while.

Jack Arias and his poor decision

The Price was right

As of this minute, Joaquin Arias is still a Texas Ranger. I can't promise that, however, for the rest of the day.

Arias' low points as a professional baseball player came last night in the eighth inning and it wound up costing the Rangers a road win in Tampa Bay to the tune of 6-4.

Arias wasn't the lone culprit. But he was the Jesse Jackson of this gang of outlaws.

On B.J. Upton's soft pop, he should have made the play and called Brandon Boggs off. Or Boggs should have called him off. Either way, someone's calling someone else off and making the play.

Then on Carl Crawford's groundball ... I mean, what do you say? What do you say that Arias should have been told in T-ball and Little League. Charge the ball. Get the out at first. It's inexcusable.

Arias' miscues did extend the inning and that sucks for Cliff Lee. But Arias didn't allow the next three singles either. That's two straight games in which Lee's been given some run support and given up the lead. Arias' errors didn't help. But the Rangers also had the lead.

Elvis Andrus was caught stealing twice, which sucks because he was on base four times and helped get David Price out of the game relatively early.

Then the hitting. The Rangers stranded a lead-off double in the third inning. They loaded the bases in the sixth and wound up with no runs runs. Bases loaded again in the seventh and Mitch Moreland grounded into a double play. Scored one, for two outs.

In the eighth, they had runners at the corners and Vlad Guerrero grounds into another double play, one run for two outs. Later in the inning, they get runners at first and second and get nothing further.

There were a lot of outs, disproportionate with the number of runs they were getting.

A ton of errors and boneheaded plays all around. Arias will probably lose his job (although, the Rangers don't have too many more bodies to go around). Others will keep theirs.

However, you do not win big games playing like that. Hopefully, these are lessons learned for October.

The AFC East

A killer team

I am making NFL predictions again.

I promise not to be cute. I promise not to buy into the hype. I'm not going to pretend I know anything about the Kansas City Chiefs or Green Bay Packers.

Despite these promises, it is certain that these predictions will completely fail once the season starts and, for that, I'm sorry. I try.

New York Jets -- 11-5
The Jets added Santonio Holmes. I forgot about this. Add in an existing good team with a coach that has those guys seemingly buying into things. Throw in a couple of creampuff games and their utter ability to drag a good game directly into the mud and yuck of a defensive brouhaha and they'll eke out 11 wins. Beware: The second-year slip and the curse of "Hard Knocks."

New England Patriots -- 10-6
They've got what appears to be a really tough schedule. I hate disbelieving in the Pats. They always find a way to play some defense and score some points. Wes Welker's health is key. And if memory serves me right, wasn't there tension bubbling under with Randy Moss. I don't think its an issue team-wise, but they need him with his head in the game.

Miami Dolphins -- 10-6
Quietly, made two huge improvements: Karlos Dansby at inside linebacker and Brandon Marshall at wide receiver. If Chad Henne is a shell of himself from last season, the Dolphins win 10 games, easy. I like the Dolphins. The New Jersey Con Man has in them in a direction. Whether it's the right direction is in question.

Buffalo Bills -- 3-13
The Bills have one thing going for them: Their top two quarterbacks probably had the highest SAT scores out of every NFL player. They are, by a mile, the worst franchise in the NFL and probably one of the worst in professional sports. Disaster.

Keys to the Season: Injuries

Can Felix Jones keep it together for 16+ games?

Marc Columbo hurt his knee over the weekend giving the Dallas Cowboys another notch on the injury front.

He's out at least 2-4 weeks possibly missing the first game of the season. He's the right tackle, which isn't as pressing as left tackle, but it's a spot to worry about.

Rookie Sam Young took snaps with the starters. Doug Free could move to right with newly-acquired Alex Barron taking the left spot.

Preferably, I'd like to keep Free at left and have Young take over right for the time being. The Cowboys -- and most NFL teams -- should continually be looking ahead. Do not think this offensive line will be in tact in three years. Assume for injuries and poor play.

I like that Columbo's out. I hate the pre-season mostly because disastrous injuries can happen. There's nothing that sucks the life out of an NFL season like a season-ending injury.

If you remember Columbo in the Minnesota playoff game, he could use the time off. Rest him. Give him five or six weeks off and make sure he's fresh and ready for the remaining 14 or 16 games of the season.

Columbo's injury -- in addition to Dez Bryant, John Phillips, Scott Sicko, Sean Lee and every other nick and bruise -- highlights an important part of the Cowboys' season: Health.

The Cowboys have been one of the healthiest teams in the NFL over the last five years. I remember Tony Romo's injury, which brought on the awful Brad Johnson phase.

There was Terry Glenn's season-long injury. Kyle Kosier and Columbo have both had their issues, more so Kosier.

Jason Ferguson was out that one year. Felix Jones has been injury-prone.

But, in general, the Cowboys have been healthy. This being a comment on their conditioning, coaching, medical team and ... well, luck.

Should that Kansas City Chief had taken a different route to Tom Brady two years ago, the New England quarterback probably plays the rest of the season. He didn't and Brady was out for the year, one game into the season.

A Houston Texas could take out Romo in the next pre-season game. And we could not see Romo for another year due to a ripped up knee. Shit happens.

Can this continue? Is health more science than dumb luck?

Who is the most indispensable Dallas Cowboy? Demarcus Ware? Terence Newman? Jason Witten? Romo? Free? Felix Jones? Alan Ball?

Nobody knows what will happen. What if Miles Austin goes down, but Kevin Ogletree fills in and catches 90 passes for the season? What if Doug Free goes down and the Cowboys can't block a soul on offense?

Injuries can sink a season or fortify a team for greater things. Three pre-season games left. If the Cowboys were smart, starters get a series and then off the field. Or be content on holding your breath.

Keys to the Season
Favre
Who's Kicking For This Thing?

Cruising

It seems like after every loss by the Texas Rangesr, we expect there to be six straight just like it.

Seriously. It's depressing. After the Rangers lost 3-1 to the befuddling Jon Lester, a really good pitcher, Saturday night, the guy on KRLD sounded like his puppy just died. As if the Rangers line-up would never be able to figure out another pitcher again.

Then when they win -- like they did 7-3 Sunday to take the series from the Boston Red Sox -- it's just another in a collection. Despite all the worry, they end up taking two of three -- and four of six from the BoSox and Yankees -- and everything's actually OK. Hell, it's really freaking good.

Looking at it on Aug. 15, 2010, between Cliff Lee, C.J. Wilson, Tommy Hunter and Colby Lewis, there will not be room for four straight -- or even eight straight -- bad starts.

Hunter had his poor moment Friday night. They still won and despite Lewis' great night Saturday, they still lost.

Wilson was fantastic today despite the hellish temperatures in a day game. The equation is simple. Throw strikes and Wilson's probably winning. Out of his 114 pitches, 75 were strikes. Many of those were kept low as evidenced by his 13 groundball outs.

The fact is, you can beat the Rangers but good luck beating them over and over. Too much to overcome from day to day.

Notes:
1. Love the deadline trades and yet Taylor Teagarden and Andres Blanco get consistent starts.

2. If I told you that on Aug. 15 that Mitch Moreland, Julio Borbon and Dave Murphy were the starters in the outfield would you believe they were first in the division?

3. The one trade deadline piece that's been pretty good is Jorge Cantu. And he can barely get on the field.

4. Is everyone OK with Vlad Guerrero taking a week off?

5. I've criticized Mike Young for not getting the big hit. That, Mr. Young, was a big hit.

6. You forget how valuable Julio Borbon can be. That bunt single to for the RBI was a thing of beauty. That's what other teams can't do.

7. The Rangers are 12-18 against the AL East. They are 1-5 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

8. About 125,300 enjoyed the three-game set against the BoSox.

Death rattle for the Ballpark?

The other day, I posted on the issues the Texas Rangers have in regards to their stadium in Arlington.

Most notably, I surmised that the Rangers need to do any two of the following: Get some light rail to Arlington; build a roof on the Ballpark; quit scheduling day games; or move to Dallas.

Evan Grant hosted a chat today. He came out guns blazing saying that the Ballpark may be in its final days. The stadium wasn't built with the idea of a roof, so it'll cost about $400 million to put one on (I had read $330 million, but whatever). Rangers could build a new stadium for that.

So, the city of Arlington would need to come up with the $400 million to keep the Rangers or the city of Dallas could swoop in and do what they should've done with the Cowboys: Ante up the cash for a new stadium. If they do, it'll have a roof.

Well, 20 years ago, the city of Arlington already approved a half-cent sales tax to fund the existing Ballpark, which isn't a bad ballpark. It's just hot as balls out there. It affects players and fans.

This week, the Arlington City Council voted to transfer the existing debt owed to the new owners, Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan.

The council also dissolved the Arlington Sports Facility Development Authority, which was set up to finance the initial construction of the Ballpark way back in 1991 with said half-cent sales tax.

The city officially paid off its $135 million on the Ballpark in 2001. But the Rangers still pay them $2 million a year in rent and $1 million a year for land acquisition costs. About $14 million is still owed the city in this regard.

The Rangers lease with the city ends in 2024.

So, will this wind up like the episode of "I Love Lucy" when Lucy and Ricky try to get Fred and Ethel to rip up their lease?

Skipping steps here, but a move to Dallas would be soooo choice. It would meet every requirement I pinpointed:

1. Roof
2. Public transportation

In addition, it adds:

Convenience
Yes, I would suspect putting the Ballpark near the DART rail is probably a must if this should go down. But it's also a trillion times easier to simply drive to downtown Dallas than anywhere in Arlington.

Pinache
Ballparks in downtown areas are simply better. It'll give the Rangers a bit of an identity change from hick Tarrant County to cosmopolitan Dallas County. And it helps downtown Dallas a ton.

Combo
Mark Cuban tried to buy the Rangers because he wanted a Rangers-Dallas Mavericks TV network. He could still do that. But having the Mavericks, Stars and Rangers in close proximity would be a much better fit. The Cowboys are their own universe. Those other teams are just planets. They need to combine forces and create some awesome sports vortex.

M-V-P

MVP

If Josh Hamilton is not the 2010 American League Most Valuable Player, then there isn't a 2010 American League Most Valuable Player.

They might as well fold the league. Let soccer have its shot as the second most popular sport in the United States.

Josh Hamilton, without a doubt, is this league's best player.

Defensively, offensively. We know his back story. A swell guy, who seems to be the glue and mortar in the clubhouse. He has the tools to make runs out of thin air.

Hamilton's tremendously better than everyone else. It was the difference in a 10-9 extra-innings win tonight.

His two fantastic grabs in the outfield saved countless runs. His home run served as a pivotal point for a gigantic Rangers comeback after going down 8-2. His speed and innate baseball intuition tied the game on Vlad Guerrero's infield single (Guerrero should be given major props on the strong hustle on those rusty knees).

It's been playoff-caliber baseball the last two weeks and Hamilton's leading the way in every way. And of all the Rangers MVPs, Hamilton may be the most deserving.

Notes:
1. Just before Nellie Cruz launched that final pitch to Sanger, I thought to myself, "If Wakefield serves one up, Nellie's going to jump on it." It was a watermelon.

2. Cristian Guzman's new nickname: "Hindenberg." 'Cause he's a disaster. Or as Jamey Newberg tells it, he's the most worthless player.

3. Tommy Hunter gave up three straight home runs before being pulled. Legend has it that he was puking between innings. A bug of some kind.

4. I hope Jorge Cantu has the same bug, which would explain his absence in not pinch-hitting for Guzman late. Or Ron Washington needs to be fired.

5. Fantastic work out of Alexi Ogando, Darren O'Day and Neftali Feliz. The only three Rangers relievers I trust at the moment.

6. Mitch Moreland with his first career home run. The dude can hit.

7. If Guzman is worthless, I can't imagine Bengie Molina being far behind. Oh yeah. We didn't get him for his bat. But would it kill him to drive someone in? Probably would, actually.

8. If the Rangers offense was going to break out, I didn't think it'd be against Josh Beckett.

9. The Angels and Athletics both lost. Rangers up nine and 10 games, respectively.

If you can beat our prices, then we'll just give it to ya!

Chuck Greenberg is trying to get into our good graces. And he's doing a pretty good job.

On the day that the MLB owners unanmiously approved the sale of the Rangers to the Greenberg group, the new owner is slashing prices.

He wants to know what it's going to take to get you into his ballpark. Aside from a first-place team.

Parking is slashed! $12 to $10. Beer? $7.75 to $7. T-shirts, hot dogs! All slashed!

And the ever-popular hot chocolate is now just $1!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Everything must go! If you're not going to Rangers baseball games, then you're burning money!

Raided

Umm

The Dallas Cowboys somehow lost their second pre-season game, 17-9, last night despite the fact that I didn't think the Raiders could do anything.

Of course, neither could the Cowboys.

Everyone's really wanting to freak out, but they can't. It's too early and you can't judge the Cowboys offense based on a couple of measly drives in which they did move the ball.

This was actually a waste of a game and I don't know how much we learned about anything. If nothing else, the coaches should have plenty to harp on about this next week.

People I noticed:

David Buehler
Hit all three, relatively easy field goals. Now 6-7 on the pre-season and looking to be set, for the moment. With Buehler, it's not about hitting the field goals, but how you hit them. That 42-yarder was absolutely perfect.

Bradie James
He's good.

Doug Free
Nothing wrong with his two games. Damn near perfect. It's interesting, everyone today's talked about his missed assignment in the second quarter when Jon Kitna was almost sacked for the safety. Granted, it was crappy blocking, but Kitna took about eight steps back, waited about three seconds too long and then decided to spin to his right smack into Free's man. Yes, Free's blocking sucked, but Kitna's awareness as a professional quarterback was atrocious. You saw similiar actions from Tony Romo. The quarterbacks for the Cowboys are not good at the moment. Too long to make decisions. Even good offensive lines can not block for 10 seconds.

This makes me think about quarterbacks and offensive lines. We consider the Indianapolis Colts having a good offensive line because Peyton Manning never gets sacked. However, isn't it more important that Manning is a good quarterback? That he makes quick, correct reads? That he makes quick decisions? That he has a quick release? It makes a huge difference. It's what makes them good. But it's also what keeps them upright.

Also the Cowboys ran the ball just 22 times versus 39 dropbacks. If defenders are allowed to pin their ears back and rush the quarterback, be prepared for 11 sacks in two pre-season games.

The Running Game
Or lack thereof. As noted above, there were 22 run plays last night against 39 pass. The pre-season is an opportunity to get things on track in all facets of the game. The Cowboys don't seem too worried about the run game. That might bite them in the ass later.

Brian McCann
When he's not catching for the Atlanta Braves, he's playing corner for the Cowboys. A really nice pass break-up, decent enough coverage and a couple of nice punt returns.

Beards
I hope Anthony Spencer and Bradie James keep theirs. They look awesome.

A Raider affair

Farr and away

So, are any other teams playing pre-season games?

The Dallas Cowboys go into their second in five days tonight against the Oakland Raiders.

Injuries are abundant. Chances are, David LaFleur might be called in to play tight end. And we're probably going to see more of the first teams tonight more than last night.

Here are five guys that need a good night:

Sam Hurd
A year ago, he was thought to have the leg up as the No. 4 receiver, ahead of Miles Austin. To date, he might not be the fifth receiver, depending on how you think Kevin Ogletree will shake out. I consider him the fifth receiver, as in Hurd. He makes $1.8 million in base salary. That's a lot for a No. 5 receiver. The dude needs to break out or be prepared to play in Seattle in a month.

DajLeon Farr
Outside of Jason Witten and Doug Cosbie, the only tight end left standing. He is not making the team. But a nice showing might propel him to another roster.

Josh Brent
In other reviews of the first pre-season game, Josh Brent's name was mentioned quite a bit. Yes, he recovered that fumble. Others noticed he clogged the middle quite a bit. This week, I plan on keeping a good eye when he's in. He's a 6-2, 315-pound defensive lineman out of Illinois in his rookie campaign. The Cowboys selected him in the supplemental draft, which they rarely do and were forced to surrender a seventh-round pick next year to do it. With Marcus Spears' injury (and general uncertainty), Brent will got a legit shot.

Danny McCray
A Houston product, McCray is a rookie free agent out of LSU. He's the rookie free agent du jour. He intercepted a pass last week, but impressed on special teams, which is his best shot at this point to make the team.

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah
Injured last week. I haven't seen his name on any injury lists, so I hope he plays. He's a fourth-rounder out of Indiana (PA.) and one of the more talked about rookies in camp.