An SEC preview at the Death Star, an Iron Skillet and the battle of the undefeateds

Go Baptists!

Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1) vs. Arkansas (3-1, 0-1)
An SEC preview for the ages at JerryWorld. What a game! There's no good blood here. This is always an interesting game and it probably doesn't smooth things over that A&M is going to the SEC and these two teams will play every year. Arkansas is coming off getting their asses whipped by Alabama. A&M's coming off a conference loss to Oklahoma State after shitting away a big halftime lead. I think the Root Hogs take this one.

SMU (3-1, 1-1) vs. TCU (3-1, 2-0)
The Ponies and Frogs are in Fort Worth this year. Do not sleep on the Mustangs. They've scored 110 points in three games. Meanwhile, their defense has allowed just eight touchdowns, just three since the A&M game. Could get interesting. Or not. Not.

Baylor (3-0) vs. Kansas State (3-0)
The Wildcats play a little D: 246 yards per game. And just in time for Robert Griffin's Heisman tour. This week: Manhattan, Kan. If Griffin and Bears are for real, you roll into K-State's home and stomp their ass.

Texas (3-0) vs. Iowa State (3-0)
Not that they will, but Iowa State's beaten Iowa and Connecticut. Hosting Texas should not be a problem to them. Unfortunately, they are probably not good enough to beat Texas. The Cyclones' best chance is that the Longhorns are overlooking them and ahead to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in successive weeks.

Texas Tech (3-0) vs. Kansas (2-1)
Somehow, Kansas is Tech's first real opponent and that might even be too much of a stretch. Tech's scored 20 touchdowns in three games. They run and pass with efficiency. They get a shot at Texas A&M next week.

SFA (1-3) vs. Central Arkansas (1-3, 0-1)
Yikes. SFA looking to bounce back. Need to start stacking conference wins at this point. The bad Central Arkansas is a good start.

Oklahoma (3-0, 1-0) vs. Ball State (3-1)
Ball State's beaten Indiana and Army. Of course, North Texas beat Indiana. OU messes around and wins by three touchdowns.

North Texas (1-3, 0-2) vs. Tulsa (1-3, 0-1)
North Texas coming off their big win. Why not make it two in a row?

Rangers-Rays

We're baaaaccckkkkk

I don't think the Texas Rangers should be scared of any team in the Majors.

I also don't think you can take any team in the Majors lightly. If you've made the MLB playoffs, then you are a team to reckon with, you are good.

The Rays -- pockmarks and all -- can win this ALDS. They can also just as easily lose it.

The line-ups are out, the rosters set and the pitching match-ups made. It's time to really think about this thing, and then play it.

Five things that will matter:

Coaching
It's already started. Last year, Joe Maddon took heat for some questionable coaching moves, primarily set around his starting pitching choices. For game 1, Maddon's already tabbed Matt Moore to take the mound. The same Matt Moore that's failed to pitch 10 innings in the Majors. Ron Washington countered with starting Craig Gentry ... in left field and Josh Hamilton in center. Questionable moves that could pay off (Washington's had a ton of them this year) or bite them in the ass.

Matt Moore
Speaking of, a risky move by Maddon. Moore's an exciting prospect and he'll make Tampa great ... next year and beyond. Moore made noise with his promotion in September. He made one start against Boston and struck out 11 in five innings. However, he also allowed nine hits in nine innings and had trouble with righties, something the Rangers have a lot of.

Or, he goes out, goes seven scoreless and Maddon is a genius.

Control
The Rays are bad offensively. They are near the bottom in the Majors in average (.244) and are in the middle in runs scored (707). However, they do two things well: Work walks and steal bases. They were third in the league in walks (571) and second in steals (155). I think the Rays are an easy out if you throw strikes, force those hitters to drive the ball and keep them, generally, off the bases. For the record, the Rangers allowed the sixth least stolen bases and caught 35 percent of base stealers, good for third in the league.

Derek Holland
Outside of Matt Moore, is there a bigger wild card? The last impression of post-season Dutchie is him walking the entire San Francisco franchise. There's no doubt he's turned a corner this season and thoroughly deserves the game 2 start. However, there will be 90,000 sets of white knuckles when he takes the mound.

Home
The big difference (or a difference ... I would bet Cliff Lee matters) from last year to this is the swap of home-field advantage. The Rangers aren't good at home. They are stupendous at home. They tied for second in home wins (52 ... only Milwaukee had more). They're numbers at the Ballpark: .296/.353/.508. Opponents' numbers at home: .256/.315/.422. Not only can they hit there, they can pitch there. Rangers must make home-field stand up. Maybe those 50K in the stands will help.

Prediction
Rangers in four
I hate that the Rangers are the favorite here. The Rays, above all, are tenacious. The last thing you want is to make them think they aren't good enough. I also hate that some are picking the Rangers to win the pennant. Hopefully their noses are out of the newspapers. They need to continue to think they're the underdog, the team no one respects.

I do think the Rangers have too much. Home field with that line-up and enough pitching to get you through. It will not be easy, no matter what.

Long divisional

Who's a bigger badass than Gorman Thomas? Huh? Huh?

At least in the American League, the Divisional Series begins tonight with the National League joining the fray this weekend.

Here are lockdown bets:

Detroit Tigers - New York Yankees
The Tigers -- even with Justin Verlander -- never scared me. Yes, they have scary players. I think, also, that they have scary holes in their roster. There's something very top-heavy about the line-up and I don't think the bullpen is all that special. I do like Verlander and Mark Fister (a guy I wish the Rangers had pursued or pursued harder) as your 1-2 punch here. However, Verlander's been very ordinary against the Yankees. In two starts this year, Verlander's got a 4.50 ERA with eight walks and 11 hits against the Bombers. Although I like Fister, Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer, they are relative new comers to post-season baseball. The Yankees are going to foul off 1,000 pitches a game.

Yankees in four

St. Louis Cardinals - Philadelphia Phillies
Halladay-Lohse. Lee-Jackson. Although those sound like surnames of Civil War generals, they are instead the pitching match-ups for the Cardinals-Phillies. That should scare the Cardinals.

Phillies in three

Arizona Diamondbacks - Milwaukee Brewers
I could barely acknowledge the Arizona Diamondbacks making the playoffs. No one's talking about this series. Does anyone else get reminded of the 2010 Rangers by the Diamondbacks? A former player and unproven, old-school manager at the helm. A good bullpen. A young, top-heavy rotation. A line-up finally matching the hype with a breakout star (Justin Upton). Could you name me this team's 200-inning starters? (Ian Kennedy, former Angel Joe Saunders, Daniel Hudson). Unfortunatley, I think, from top to bottom, that Milwaukee is better. Two MVP candidates. Zack Greinke is your second-best pitcher (behind Yovani Gallardo) and they are four deep at starters. The bullpen is fantastic.

Brew Crew in four

Cowboys-Lions

Our prodigal son returns

Why the Dallas Cowboys preview so early on Friday? Because it's Rangers playoffs, assholes.

The big question on Sunday afternoon is how many tickets Matthew Stafford put aside for all his peeps in Highland Park. Sub-question: How many of his peeps already have season tickets?

In June, I doubt anyone looked at the Detroit-Dallas match-up on the schedule and thought, "Man, that might be a pretty good game."

I'm sure Detroit fans thought it could be a win on the road. I know Dallas fans considered it a very winnable game considering Detroit, again, rode into the season on the high wave of hype and expectations.

Three weeks in, they've met those expectations. Matthew Stafford is healthy, Calvin Johnson is Calvin Johnson, that defense has turned into a beast and, maybe most importantly, they have a little moxy. No longer are they spoiling leads in the fourth quarter. Instead, they're coming back and winning those games.

We often look at teams and say, "They just don't know how to win that game." What we are saying is that a team doesn't know what it takes during every snap until the final second to win. The Lions, we think, have reached that standard.

No one thought on Thanksgiving Day that you could have two division-contending teams hosting games. Frankly, the Green Bay-Detroit game might decide the division.

Five things:

Defense y Defense
It's easy to come here and talk up the Detroit defense. Anchored by Ndamukong Suh, they are top six in any category that counts including top three in points allowed and pass defense. However, Rob Ryan's crew isn't too shabby either. They are first in sacks and near the top in rush defense. What is frightening is that the Cowboys love to pass, the Lions don't run and the idea of the Cowboys' secondary getting exposed is very real. Also, Suh planting Tony Romo three feet deep into the turf is a distinct and scary possibility.

Cowboys' Offensive Line
By all accounts, if the O-line had a problem with Washington at home, they'll have bigger problems with Detroit at home. See: Tony Romo getting planted like a spruce on Arbor Day by Suh.

Calvin Johnson's Hands
They are big, strong and meaty. And they catch everything that comes their way. He averages 60 yards a game and two touchdowns. Although he's surely capable of controlling a game, he typically, at least this season, has been primarily a red-zone threat. You don't beat him or neutralize him. The best bet is to harrass Stafford, but, even then, he doesn't need to step into a throw to complete it Johnson. Fans are better off taking the time and enjoying arguable the best receiver in professional football.

The Haymaker
Ironically, the Cowboys have lost the one game (New York Jets) that they managed to take an early lead against. In the Washington and San Francisco games, they played from behind only to make fourth-quarter plays to win or tie. What might beat Washington and San Francisco, however, may not beat a confident Detroit team. For one, the Cowboys have never really pounded Detroit -- even when they were bad -- to begin with. Still, the Lions have played two close games (Tampa, Minnesota) and wound up staving off the Bucs and coming back big against the Vikes. No, the Lions are a different crew. Again, they know how to win those games. The Cowboys must get their licks in early and play the rest of the game as it comes along.

The Red-Zone
If Johnson is the ultimate red-zone receiver, the Dallas Cowboys are the complete opposite. The Lions, this season, are averaging 4.3 trips to the red zone and scoring on 2.7 of them per game. The Cowboys are getting one less trip per game (3.3) and scoring on only one per game. That three total red zone scores (field goals, touchdowns) in three games. Beyond the Detroit Lions, the Cowboys will need to change that trend. They will not win eight games with that average. They might not win six.

Prediction
Detroit Lions 30, Dallas Cowboys 17
I leaned toward Dallas early until I realized the amount of injuries the Cowboys have and how that plays directly into the hands of Detroit's strengths. Did you know the Lions have the best turnover differential in the league at +6? Stafford playing in his hometown. As improbable as the Lions are at 4-0, I think it's even more improbable the Cowboys are 3-1.

Random ass numbers with the ALDS at hand

Long-gone-ia

Just something to chew on, until tomorrow afternoon:

Elvis Andrus hitting .344 against Tampa this season. That's .364 at Tropicana Field.

Career best averages against Rangers: Johnny Damon (.298), B.J. Upton (.278) and Evan Longoria (.274).

Despite striking out 14 and walking none in last year's ALDS, David Price was 0-2 with a 4.97 ERA.

Neftali Feliz hasn't blown a save since Aug. 6. Ten straight converted saves. Allowed two runs since that blown save. In eight innings, has never surrendered a run to the Rays.

Evan Longoria has a career .195 post-season average.

James Shields against Texas this season: 2-0, 0.53 ERA. However. 3.46 ERA since All-Star break and 3.35 ERA on road, almost a full run more than at home.

C.J. Wilson is a career 4-0 against Tampa with a 2.25 ERA, although 13 of his 17 appearances came out of the bullpen.

Jeremy Hellickson posted a 2.67 September ERA despite 16 walks and 11 strikeouts.

Seventy-two extra base hits from Ben Zobrist this year. Batted .300 in the ALDS a year ago with a homer.

B.J. Upton has a .207 average at the Trop.

Mitch Moreland has a .167 average in September with a .434 OPS.

Matt Moore in his very young Major League career: 15 Ks in 9.1 IP. Although 11 came in one game against Boston. Nine hits and a 1.29 WHIP.

Desmond Jennings: .087 average against Texas.

Derek Holland has a career 6.51 ERA against Tampa. In two starts this season: 5.84 ERA.

Coldest career hitter against Tampa: Ironically, Josh Hamilton at .228.

Jeff Niemann against Texas in career: 10.66 ERA.

Colby Lewis has a 1.71 playoff ERA. Pitched five scoreless in a game 3 loss to Tampa a year ago.

Poetry

Walk tall and carry a big stick

How poetic was it that Mike Napoli accounted for all three Texas Rangers runs in the season-ending 3-1 win yesterday?

How poetic that the final game of the season, the one we were all convinced would decide the AL West, was a complete waste? That it put the Rangers 10 games up in the division? That it put them 30 games over .500? That it gave them home-field, at least, in the ALDS?

If you wanted to paint a dark cloud over this Rangers season, you could argue the California Angels screwed up a lot. Enough to make a difference in how this division turned out and how the Angels' season went.

It goes back to overpaying for Torii Hunter and Gary Mathews Jr., two things the Rangers were not willing to do.

Fast forward to the winter. They trade Mike Napoli to Toronto for the heavily overpaid Vernon Wells. The Blue Jays then turned Napoli into Frank Francisco.

Also, the Angels did absolutely nothing in free agency. They whiffed on Adrian Beltre for sure. I'm not sure if they were in on anyone else. They basically went into this season under the assumption that Vernon Wells just needed a change of scenery and that Jered Weaver and Dan Haren would carry the team (Ervin Santana's season, I think, was a bit of a surprise).

That flawed. So, the trading deadline comes, the Angels are certainly in the division race and the wild card was not completely out of reach. What did the Angels do? Despite a massive need at the ass of their rotation, the need for another bullpen arm and probably two or three bats in the middle of that line-up, they did nothing. Not a thing.

It's one thing to put your eggs in the Jeff Mathis/Hank Conger basket by letting Napoli go, but to see where they were headed this season and not to make a move was utterly foolish.

Meanwhile, the Rangers addressed their weakest spot -- the bullpen -- by adding Mike Adams and Koji Uehara in addition to adding Mike Gonzalez on waivers.

Then, the Angels began to panic. A month ago, they started a series of moves that would pitch Weaver, Haren and Santana on three days rest. This, of course, goes back to their rotation being really bad in the Nos. 4 and 5 spots, something they should have addressed at the deadline or free agency.

Weaver posted ERAs of 4.28 and 3.15 in August and September, respectively. Haren's August ERA jumped to 4.20 and then 3.25 in September. Santana dropped off the most. His ERA spiked drastically to 4.26 in September and he basically had a 1:1 K/BB ratio.

At a certain point, you have to wonder what ownership and general management for the California franchise is thinking. I assume it's due to be cash strapped with those albatross contracts. Maybe there's a bit of ineptitude mixed in. Their inability to make smart signings and evaluate talent affected them all the way down to overpitching their really great starters the final month of the season when Boston and Tampa were begging someone to steal the wild card.

As it stands, the Angels can go fishing today. The Rangers are baiting their hooks for a different marine animal.

30-30

Wham bam

In this time of relection, with game No. 161 in the books, 29 games over .500 and nine games up in hte division, we can take a good long look at the Texas Rangers and the dominant offensive season they've strung together.

Yes, the pitching deserves at least half the credit for these 95 wins. However, the balance on this team is tremendous.

It was on display last night as the Rangers beat the Angels 10-3, piling dirt on the casket.

Ian Kinsler completed his second 30 homer-30 stolen base season, capping off the year with his 32nd homer and 30th stolen base.

Very quietly, Kinsler put together a phenomenal year, his best in the Majors.

In addition to the 30-30, he has 34 steals, 87 walks-71 strikeouts, 121 runs and Gold Glove defense.

It has to be one of the top 15 years for a player even thought there's no way really judge that based on my opinion or thoughts. I guess I've never really marveled at stats quite the way I've done with Kinsler.

As complete as Kinsler's been, he's not alone. It's a marvel in itself that Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli, Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz all missed significant time and, yet, they are compiling really nice numbers. Numbers that could have gone from good to great with another month of at-bats.

Napoli's completely rewritten his career as more than just a back-up catcher and occassional designated hitter against lefties. He hit two dongs last night.

Beltre has 14 RBI and seven homers in his last 10 games. Had he not missed that month with the bad hammy, there's little doubt he'd approach 40 homers, 40 doubles, 120 RBI and 100 runs. He'd be a legit MVP candidate (and, frankly, even with the injury, he should be in the top seven ... right?).

And Cruz is the acme of potential. He's never played more than 130 games or gotten 500 at-bats. One day, his body is going to quit this aching and spraining and maintain itself for 550 at-bats and 150 games and he's going to explode.

What makes all of this a piece of art and what makes it, to me, far more impressive than what the 1990s Rangers did with the bat is the balance.

The Rangers could have four guys with 30 home runs. The team lead is 32 (Kinsler, Beltre). That's nice, but set up against what Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro and others were doing, it pales in comparison.

I doubt anyone works pitchers like the Rangers. Everyone is patient and if they think they can jump on a fastball on the first pitch they will. Otherwise, they sit and wait for the mistake. In this era of the pitcher, the Rangers bats are winning.

Hats off to Scott Coolbaugh, Thad Bosley, Clint Hurdle and Ron Washington for instilling in these guys that good hitting is more than just swinging until you hit something.

The combination of speed, agility, brains and grit defines this team. It's why 2.9 million fans filed into the Ballpark in 109 degree temperatures.

The Texas Rangers post-season roster

KojiKojiKoji

Friday begins the American League Divisional Series, the first round of the playoffs.

The Rangers have three possible opponents: the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees or Tampa Bay Rays.

I side on the argument that the Rangers should be scared of no other team in these playoffs, especially in the American League. The Yanks, Rays and Red Sox, frankly, shouldn't want to play the Rangers.

With that said, those teams are very good, too. Even the floundering Red Sox. It's the playoffs. Weird things happen all the time.

Anyway, the Rangers get to have 25 guys on their roster for the ALDS. Here's who I think those 25 will be:

The Rotation
C.J. Wilson
Derek Holland
Colby Lewis
Matt Harrison

I think Wilson and Holland are obvious. I don't think we should forget what Colby Lewis did in the post-season a year ago: 1.71 ERA and three wins. That doesn't include five scoreless against the Rays in the ALDS. I also think you need to run a righty out there at some point. Harrison was this team's third best starter, and that shouldn't take anything away from him. It's just Holland and Wilson had extraordinary seasons. Harrison has a 1.93 ERA against the Yankees this year. The Rays have seen him in just two relief innings.

Bullpen (RHP)
Neftali Feliz
Mike Adams
Alexi Ogando
Koji Uehara
Yoshi Tateyama
Scott Feldman

The gang's all here, outside of the injuried Mark Lowe, which is think is a fortunate circumstance to make Ron Washington's decision clearer. There's four guys there that are used to pitching the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. If the guys above do their jobs, maybe only the eighth and ninth innings will need tending to. Feldman's the long man just in case. Uehara and Adams can both get lefties out. I don't see Tateyama throwing a pitch of note.

Bullpen (LHP)
Darren Oliver
Mike Gonzalez

Against the Yankees and Red Sox, a third lefty is a luxury. With the trade deadline additions, a third lefty may or may not be needed based on Uehara's and Adams' abilities to get lefties out.

Line-Up
Ian Kinsler
Elvis Andrus
Josh Hamilton
Michael Young
Adrian Beltre
Mike Napoli
Nelson Cruz
David Murphy
Yorvit Torrealba

If it ain't broke ...

Bench
Craig Gentry
Endy Chavez
Mitch Moreland
Andres Blanco

The Rangers' flexibility is really in the starting line-up. Mike Young, in a pinch, can play any infield spot. Blanco is the insurance there. Moreland, Napoli and Young can all man first base. Gentry and Chavez bring the speed and defensive substitutions, in case.

In spite of it all

Jonesy

How do people watch Monday Night Football?

I can imagine being beaten to death with walrus tusks being more appealing than having to listen to Mike Tirico defend referees, Jon Gruden drool on himself and Ron Jaworski say "football."

There's at least a dozen dental procedures I'd prefer over watching that tripe over and over.

As for the Dallas Cowboys they get a piece of first in the NFC East and a division win. I don't care if it 18-16. The 2010 Dallas Cowboys would have given up Jason Witten's Albertson's endorsement for a 18-16 win.

Before the game -- like five minutes before -- I said a thing to watch was the Cowboys' ability to overcome obstacles (injuries ... bad snaps) and win a game in spite of themselves.

Four quarters later, that's exactly what they did. The Dallas Cowboys, I don't think, will win the division or the Super Bowl. But I saw more tonight than I saw any of the past three seasons.

Grades:

Quarterback -- B
I realize he was playing with a half deck. I realize that all the bad stuff was not his fault. Yet, I felt there was more he could have done. And that sounds a tad bit ridiculous, I know. Still, there were bad throws that had nothing to do with bad routes that were luckily not picked off. With the blitzes coming, why aren't adjustments made at the line. I thought hot routes were made to beat the blitz. Instead, he was throwing the ball of his back foot up for grabs.

Running Back -- B
As the game progressed, I felt the offensive line start to pick things up in the run game. However, as many times as there wasn't a hole, I felt the running backs, particularly Felix Jones, were missing holes, missing cuts where there was space. By the third and fourth quarters, they were finding those holes. Jones wound up with 14 carries and 115 yards. Major props to that guy toughing out some hard runs and the coaching staff for (maybe beyond their control) staying with the run.

Wide Receiver -- C
You have to wonder if Kevin Ogletree -- for all the promise -- is smart enough. One poor route resulted in an interception, and eventually a touchdown. Another stalled a red zone possession. Yet, how many huge catches did the receivers become responsible for? Laurent Robinson at least ran a good route and caught the ball. Wonderful play on the botched snap that he came back to catch for a tiny gain. Dez Bryant was missing until his gigantic catch on the winning drive. How can Jessie Holley make this squad worse?

Tight End -- C
Not a huge night, numberswise, due to being held on the line to help protect.

Offensive Line -- D
More bad than good. That might be an understatement. Throughout, I didn't think they were as bad the announcers made them to be. If the Redskins are rushing eight, there's still just five O-linemen. However, we can't ignore the penalties, Doug Free getting beat like a rented mule and Phil Costa's snap issues. All fixable problems, however.

Defensive Line -- A
The Redskins managed just 65 yards, which is like death to them. Tim Hightower and Roy Helu had nothing to do and nowhere to go. Kenyon Coleman and Jason Hatcher stood out to me. Another solid week for them.

Linebackers -- A+
Player of the game go in this order: Romo, Sean Lee, DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer. Oops. Bailey. OK, starting players in that order. Sean Lee was spectacular for the third straight week. Intercepted a pass and recovered the game-sinching fumble. Countless tackles and disruptions. Overall, Ware had his butt handed to me him by Trent Williams. Still, late, Ware found a way to either get to Grossman or hurry him into a throw he didn't want to attempt.

Secondary -- C
Outside of getting beat, I didn't notice a safety or corner.

Special Teams -- A+
Dan Bailey was the lynchpin. Six field goals. All down the middle of the uprights. The kick coverage is what put the Cowboys over the edge. At times, it was smothering. Brandon Banks was a weapon nullified.

Coaching -- B
Rob Ryan has that defense playing at a very high level. They give nothing up and tighten up at the right moment. I would question some of the play calling, but in general I have no problems here. Two-thirds of the Cowboys (defense, special teams) are playing at a very, very high level. The offense is a recovered injury or two from getting back to normal.

Cowboys-Redskins

Sometimes, we all win

An abbreviated Monday night preview of what is before us.

Five things:

Fortitude
You don't judge a team based on how they react when they're going well. It's when their backs are against the wall, when no one is believing in them that you see what a team is all about. The Cowboys are up against it. The injuries alone would sink the best teams in the league. The two starting receivers are out or hobbled. The starting running back is hurt. The offensive line is dinged. The quarterback ... well, we know his status. Tonight, we will learn a lot about what Jason Garrett has been pounding into these guys' heads.

Rex Grossman
Hey, remember like last year and the last six when Rex Grossman stunk? The guy changes uniforms and its like everyone forgets what this guy's done his entire career. He's been fair to midland this season. Nothing special and nothing the Cowboys shouldn't be able to handle.

Possession
The Redskins are 2-0. A big reason is their ability to control the ball. Tied for first in offensive plays. First in time of possession. They've taken advantage of opponents' penalties that have elongated drives. Keeping off the field improves your chances of winning.

Jessie Holley
Why not? He's your third receiver. He's got some rapport with Tony Romo? He's got size and the Redskins will be looking to stop Dez Bryant first and foremost.

Romo
As Romo goes, so go the Cowboys.

Prediction
Washington Redskins 23, Dallas Cowboys 20
Too many injuries and the Cowboys suck at the Death Star. However, Cowboys win in rematch in Washington. If that means anything.

The MVP award: How did we get here and how do we get back?

Why not Adrian Beltre?

My favorite line at the end of every major sports season:

"Not that I care about awards, but (ENTER NAME) should win (ENTER AWARD)."

What's distressing is that it's people that I respect in terms of writing and opinion about sports.

No one cares about awards like the most valuable player. Yet, almost no one can quit talking about the thing.

The debate surrounding the American League Most Valuable Player (and to a certain level, the National League) is deafening. And dumb. Especially since most the people "don't care."

We really do care because we care about the sport. It's about integrity. It's about principle. In the grand scheme of things, a 'roided up Barry Bonds smashing Hank Aaron's home run record (one that was broken and set before people of my generation were born) really does not matter. In fact, it matters as much as whether Justin Verlander or Jacoby Ellsbury or Curtis Granderson is the AL MVP.

It doesn't. But it does. It doesn't make this season any less interesting or valuable. Yet, as fans of a sport, we care whether or not things are done the right way. As much we care about Aaron's home run record, we also care that Adam Dunn, Alcides Escobar or Torii Hunter are not winning the AL MVP. Because that wouldn't be right.

Talking MVP is as bad as talking abortion, In 'n' Out Burger and Barack Obama. It's a lose-lose-lose for everyone.

Truth is, there are a number of great candidates in the American League that deserve the equal amount of attention. If an argument can be made for them, how is it wrong to state as such?

How is arguing Verlander any less of an argument of value than Granderson, Ellsbury or, say, Jered Weaver? It's not. Verlander is incredibly awesome, and he's had a great year along with those guys.

What baffles me are those people that argue whether someone should be considered. Verlander, Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez and others are considered frontline MVP candidates if everyone had to make a short shortlist.

The Texas Rangers' Michael Young is top 15, right?

Not to some, who would shit their pants if you mention it. Calling Young one of the 15 most valuable individuals in the American League is not a total stretch.

The fact that he doesn't play a position most of the time hurt him? Certainly. But who is more valuable: Young or the White Sox' Paul Konerko? Young or Alex Gordon? Young or Asdrubal Cabrera?

Young, probably, would win all three debates. Mostly because his team is winning and in the playoffs. The Royals, Indians and White Sox are not. Why those players and others on non-winning teams are not considered is a bit mystifying when you consider that typical MVP winners on winning teams are surrounded by other legit MVP candidates.

Consider the Rangers. Who is more valuable: Young, Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre or C.J. Wilson?

Young, more than likely, would come in last. Wilson was a horse on the mound winning 16 games with a 2.97 ERA. The Rangers won 20 of his 33 starts.

Ian Kinsler has played Gold Glove defense at second all season, scored 118 runs, went 30-30 and was the heart of this team.

Beltre, too, provided an insane boost to the defense at third. His 100+ RBI, 30+ homers and countless big hits.

To me, Beltre is "more valuable" followed by Kinsler, Wilson and Young, in order. That doesn't take into account Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Derek Holland and even Mike Napoli. But those guys aren't even in the top five for the team.

However, compared to the Cleveland Indians, is Adrian Beltre more valuable to the Rangers than Asdrubal Cabrera is to the Tribe? Not really. Because Beltre may be more valuable than Young, Kinsler and Hamilton doesn't make him more valuable than Cabrera is to the Indians, which doesn't have the depth like the Rangers.

Same goes for Granderson on the Yankees, Ellsbury on the Red Sox or Verlander on the Tigers.

Ideally, the MVP should go to a player who stands alone on his team as the best.

But that's not the rules. Why people get so angry about an argument that has so much grey area and wiggle room to agree or disagree shocks me.

Beer league softball

Three of a kind, working on a full house

After the Texas Rangers clinched the AL West division Friday night, they and the Seattler Mariners did their bets impression of a beer league softball tournament.

As it turns out, the Rangers' Triple A team is better than the Mariners' big-league club as Andres Blanco, Esteban German, Leonys Martin and Matt Treanor beat Felix Hernandez 7-3 on Saturday and the gang was all back Sunday for the series sweep, 12-5, as the Rangers, again, made Charlie Furbush rethink his career choice.

My prediction: The Rangers will never, ever lose to Charlie Furbush (this year: 11.1 IP, 10.32 ERA).

Further proof that Dallas-Fort Worth loves a winner, it was a pretty neat scene at the Ballpark yesterday as 43,508 fans came out to watch Esteban German and Andres Blanco anchor the left side of the infield and set the Rangers' all-time attendance record at 2,946,949.

Remarkable because it was hot as shit for three months.

But this just goes to show you what a winning franchise does to a "fanbase." No one -- outside of the Florida Marlins -- sports a poor "fanbase" when you're winning. No one talked about the New Orleans Saints' "fanbase" before they got good three years ago unless it dealt with wearing paper bags over your head.

No one ever considered the Oakland-San Francisco crowd an awesome basketball "fanbase" until the Golden State Warriors made the playoffs and knocked off the one-seed Dallas Mavericks three years ago. The Warriors are back in the tank and, still, no one's talking about the "basketball-crazy" fans in Northern California.

Dallas-Fort Worth, maybe more than other areas of the country, love a winner. The Rangers are winners.

I do want to heap a little praise on the organization though. Yes, Dallas-Fort Worth is a region of frontrunners and I doubt they'd be setting any attendance record if the Rangers were 71-71. But the folks at the Ballpark have created an avenue where people can get outside, sit around and drink beer for three hours and be entertained.

For one, the fact that you can bring in your own food and drink into the Ballpark is remarkable. Never knew you could do it, honestly. If I knew I could go to the Ballpark and not have to spend $15 on bottled water as the temperature is 100 degrees at first pitch, I'm 25 percent more willing to attend a game. The fact that I can drag in my Chick-Fil-A or Whataburger is a bigger bonus.

Two, it's just not that expensive. Next time you go to McDonalds, look at the prices for a value meal. Tell me that it's that much cheaper than Ballpark food, where most everything is slathered in melted cheese.

Three, the game experience has gotten better and better with the big new video board and the money to be able to run bits out there, all from the mad mind of Chuck Morgan. The Texas-theme worked. The music, the Texas Legends race, the game-show mid-inning stuff, Taco Time and all that junk. Yes, it's a tad minor league. But it works. It straddles that line between big leagues and bush leagues.

Anyway, those 2.9 million fans had plenty of reason to show up.

Notes:
1. Ian Kinsler's trying and trying to get that 30-30 year. Attempted three steals yesterday, caught just once. Sitting at 29 steals with three games to play.

2. Loved seeing the B-team out there Saturday.

3. Get used to Leonys Martin in centerfield.

4. Really sweet to see both Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando throw the ball well in their final regular-season appearances. Holland for sure. Most think Ogando is prepping for the bullpen .

5. Yorvit Torrealba with two homers yesterday, including a crowd-inspiring grand slam. It always surprised me that he didn't hit more homers. He has a little power and he got into the upper-20s in doubles. Up to seven homers on the season.

6. Ian Kinsler's at 118 runs. The franchise record is 133 by Alex Rodriguez 2001.

7. If you told me Derek Holland would get 16 wins this season, I would have said the Rangers are 26 games over .500 and winning the division by eight.

8. Michael Young is looking to get to 3,000 hits by next week. Eleven hits in his last five.

Rubber, meet road; Or North Texas considering move to Big Ten

Cowboys love sandwiches ... Tannehill sandwiches

As non-conference play goes away, we learn which teams really have the stomach for the fight.

We also learn that I should never, ever, ever gamble. With real money. I like kneecaps, for what it's worth.

To the drama:

North Texas 24, Indiana 21
How many saw this coming? I don't care how bad Indiana is, the Mean Green of Denton threw their saltiest haymakers right in a row and they all connected. They ran the ball very well (226 yards), stopped Indiana's run game (50 yards) and were able to force some turnovers and get four or five sacks. All 21 Indiana points came in the fourth quarter: An interception return and passes of 44 and 67 yards. Think the UNT crowd was sweating bullets?

Oklahoma State 30, Texas A&M 29
The SEC and Texas A&M announcing that the latter will join the former in July 2012 the day after A&M goofed a 17-point halftime lead to Oklahoma State is so ... Aggie. Turnovers are a bitch. The Aggies had a careless fumble that, to me, was it for them. After that, they started to panic, what momentum they had disappeared and it was up to Brandon Weeden to nail it down. So Aggie-like. The Cowboys managed 91 offensive plays. The Aggies, 74.

Oklahoma 38, Missouri 28
First halves, for OU, don't even matter anymore. I checked in on this game in the first quarter. It was Mizzou 14 and the Sooners 10. No biggie. Oklahoma will win by 10 points. That offense is so scary that there isn't a deficit they can't make up. At least in this conference. In the SEC, I'm sure LSU or Alabama would do something about it. Still, sloppy for the Sooners. Two turnovers and 532 yards allowed. Playing fast and loose will catch up to you sooner or later.

Kansas State 28, Miami 24
Big-time college football win for the Wildcats. John Hubert had 166 yards on 18 carries. The 'Cats are 3-0.

Baylor 56, Rice 31
I saw some ridiculous stat that Bob Griffin III has more touchdown passes (13) than incompletions (12). No way that's true. No way to verify or debunk. Baylor looked way more impressive dismantling Rice than Texas did. Baylor had 33 first downs, totaled 673 yards and Griffin went back to pass 33 times and wasn't sacked. I'd find more ridiculous stats for you, but I'm tired.

Texas Tech 35, Nevada 34
Tech was outplayed here and more than likely do not deserve to win. However, they did win and are 3-0. Scored 28 second-half points to edge out the Wolf Pack, who could only muster a pair of field goals in the final 30 minutes of the game. No good playing a field-goal game against Tech.

SMU 42, Memphis 0
Good teams blow the doors off bad teams. SMU may not be great, but the fact that they can manhandle a bad opponent is a telling sign. Zach Line had 20 carries, 136 yards and three touchdowns. The Mustangs allowed 139 total yards and seven first downs.

TCU 55, Portland State 13
TCU kicked a tying field goal to start the second quarter, 3-3. With five minutes left in the third quarter they were up 41-3. Casey Paschall with a very Dalton-like 14-20, 214 yards and three touchdowns.

Texas State 35, SFA 26
Yikes. Did you know that those assholes at Texas State went independent? What a bunch of dumbasses. SFA needs to go to the North Hall parking lot and practice their defense. What in the name of Jeremiah Trotter is going on?

The Texas Rangers are AL West champions

Let's twist again, like we did last summer

This, friends, will never, ever get old.

The argument of whether you'd rather have the Atlanta Braves or Florida Marlins, to me, is decided: Would you rather win 10 division championships and no World Series or no division championships and two World Series?

Right now, give me Atlanta. The Texas Rangers combined their win over Seattle with a sweet 3-1 Oakland Athletics win over the California Angels to take the magic number to zero.

Who knew that Gio Gonzalez, Edwin Encarnacion (a former Rangers prospect and current Toronto Blue Jay), Jemile Weeks (1 HR last night) and Vernon Wells (the last meaningful out of the Angels' season and a perpetual target for the Rangers because he's from Arlington) would be such big players in the Rangers' season.

I hope now we can stop aimlessly scoreboard watching and worrying.

It's frustrated me as everyone's been watching the Angels play, going white knuckle over every out and play.

Meanwhile, the hometown Rangers merely kept winning. Since the last Angels series, when the Rangers were supposed to get their comeuppance against a "tough" schedule, they went 15-7 against the Rays, Red Sox, Athletics, Indians and Mariners.

We need to come to these realizations and discontinue being the same Rangers' fans of the past 20 years:

The Texas Rangers Are A Really Good, Well-Run Baseball Club

The Texas Rangers Should Be Scared Of No One

What haven't the Rangers done better than anyone else and what haven't the Rangers overcome?

The Rangers have young, unproven players. The Rangers have had injuries to key members of their club. But this is not a team built around one player. It's a team that puts complete faith in their bench players, in the youngsters and on its pitching staff to pick up the line-up and the line-up to pick up the pitching staff.

It's a team buoyed by its manager, Ron Washington, the greatest manager in Texas Rangers history. And, yes, he's still 90-odd wins from Johnny Oates' franchise record. Maybe Oates is a better human being, has better in-game strategy or whatever. But no one manages a baseball team like Washington.

It's a team put together by Jon Daniels, arguably the best general manager in baseball. Not every team can lose probably the best pitcher in the club's history and wind up winning more games than before. Not many clubs can manage to roll with the same five guys in the rotation -- three of whom, by the way, weren't in the rotation a year ago -- for 162 games. Not many teams wanted to pay Adrian Beltre that money or make very understated trades for Mike Adams or Koji Uehara. Daniels did. He's outsmarting the competition. There is very little these days that he does wrong.

It's a team built from the clubhouse to the field. It's a team that can bring in just about anyone and automatically make them "one of the guys." Winning is fun. Maybe fun is winning. Maybe it's that chemistry and that frat house of a clubhouse that leaks onto the field and makes it a game again.

The Rangers, the media, the fans and the front office don't have the same feel of other teams. Obstacles and setbacks don't have the same value as they do other teams.

It does not matter who's hurt, or having a bad game or year, who's being called up from the minors, who's being sent back to the minors, who's coming over in a trade. For 81 games, there was a solid 30,000+ fans at every home game -- whether it was the Red Sox or Marlins. And, no, Yankees' and Red Sox fans are not outnumbering the red, white and blue, the claw and antlers and the Kinsler home T-shirts any longer.

I simply could not be prouder.

Now, let me go watch Craig Gentry's inside-the-park home run again.

Craig Gentry and 1

The fastest Texas Ranger ever

Baseball, among its many attributes, is a beautiful game.

The Texas Rangers, like many good teams, have some beautiful players doing beautiful things.

A Mitch Moreland at-bat is a beautiful thing. Watching Josh Hamilton run the bases is breathtaking. I watch the Rangers pitch so I can see Elvis Andrus do something miraculous.

Let's go ahead and add Craig Gentry's speed to that.

Go online and find Gentry's inside-the-park home run from tonight's 5-3 win against Seattle.

He's at first when it's about to land. And he stops. Stops. He then keeps going, like a job with some exertion and then between second and third the turbos are ignited and he easily touches home.

He could've -- going at full speed -- lapped Nelson Cruz and been at home before the ball was thrown in from the outfield.

It's simply the most insane thing I've ever seen.

He can be on my team any day.

Football goes from the board room to the field

Umm. Fort Worth is cool.

Finally. We can quit talking about realignment.

Oklahoma State (3-0) vs. Texas A&M (2-0)
If I had to make a pick, I go with the Aggies, which may be the kiss of death. The Aggies play a little defense. They've allowed 267 yards per game. And I think A&M can score and the Cowboys' deficiency is defense. A&M does both things well. OSU does one thing well. Plus, A&M's at home at the most meaningful football game in, oh, 15 years.

Oklahoma (2-0) vs. Missouri (2-1)
Fun fact: Mizzou's defense is allowing 68 rushing yards a game. Funner fact: Oklahoma averages 178 yards rushing per game. Mizzou's best shot is making Oklahoma completely one-dimensional and keeping the offensive pressure on OU to keep up. It's at night, in Columbia. Watch out for the upset here.

TCU (2-1, 1-0) vs. Portland State (2-0)
This is Portland State's only decent appoint. They've beat up on directional schools from Arizona and junk. TCU, probably in the first time ever, and it might be skewed by the Baylor game, is allowing more yards per game than they're gaining.

Baylor (2-0) vs. Rice (1-1)
Can you imagine a 5-0 Baylor Bear team? Don't look now ...

Texas Tech (2-0) vs. Nevada (1-1)
Tech might lay 700 yards on the Wolf Pac. Tech's Seth Doege is completing 81 percent of his passes and, in 77 attempts, has yet to throw an interception.

SMU (2-1, 1-0) vs. Memphis (1-2)
Lost amid all of the quarterback controversy and whatnot, Zach Line is having a stellar season. Averaging 5.5 yards per carry with eight touchdowns.

Kansas State (2-0) vs. Miami (1-1)
A fine litmus test to see where K-State is this year. Miami's coming off the win over Ohio State, the Money Bowl. The Wildcats may get their doors blown.

Where are they now?

Big Bob Erlin is now in Ol' San Antone

While winning a division title -- and on their way to winning another -- the Texas Rangers have done two things:

1. Stockpiled prospects like bottled water before Y2K.

2. Use those prospects to win.

The likes of Neftali Feliz, Mitch Moreland and Elvis Andrus helped them win on the field.

Others had a different impact. They were traded for Major-League ready and capable players.

I wanted to take a moment and catch up with those prospects -- many familiar names, some forgotten in the bustle of two seasons -- and see what they are doing and where they are doing it.

Justin Smoak
Traded to the Seattle Mariners for Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe
Smoak had a great start to the season plugging six doubles, four homers, double-digit walks and a .284 average. The average dropped through May and June, but the power numbers and walks continued. By July, everything dropped off. He got hurt and was demoted. He's returned with an uptick in September (.319/.385/.447). There are reports that Smoak's defense at first is lacking and that he might turn into a full-time DH.

Blake Beavan
Traded to the Seattle Mariners for Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe
Has sandwiched two pretty good months (July, September) over a kind of bad month (August). Got call up despite so-so numbers (4.45 ERA) in Triple A. He's still not missing many bats (34 Ks in 85 IP). Surviving as a rookie though. Don't know how he pans out long term.

Josh Lueke
Traded to the Seattle Mariners for Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe
He was the guy up on rape charges when he was with the Rangers. He was eventually convicted of lesser charges. Still, the scouting director with Seattle, Carmen Fusco, was possibly fired due to not checking Lueke's past. Lueke throws heat out of the bullpen so his arrival was imminent. He made his debut this season and has posted a 7.07 ERA although he's striking out a batter per inning. Just getting hit a lot.

Matt Lawson
Traded to the Seattle Mariners for Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe
Lawton was traded by Seattle to Cleveland in the Aaron Laffey deal. Then, in June, out of the blue, Lawson retired. I can't find a reason. He was 25. He always seemed like a handy-dandy utility infielder type. I don't know if he could have had a higher ceiling. Still, felt like he could hit. Anyway, Laffey was DFA'd soon after. So, essentially, the Mariners traded Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe for Lueke, Beavan and Smoak.

Tommy Hunter
Traded to Baltimore Orioles for Koji Uehara
A bit of bad luck and natural selection doomed Big Game's tenure in Texas. I always liked the guy because he seemed to be a true gamer and innings eater at a time when the Rangers had none. Now they have a lot and it left Hunter behind. It's bad luck that Hunter's time in Texas was derailed by injury. Then, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando panned out -- all three with higher ceilings than Hunter. But you have to consider why Hunter was out. For the second straight year, he was sidelined by a injury at the beginning of the season. The frequency of injuries, to me, correlates to his weight. He's listed at 280. He's probably closer to 300, if that's possible. I think Hunter, with his weight, was always going to have a hard time staying healthy. The Texas heat would always be an issue.

Chris Davis
Traded to Baltimore Orioles for Koji Uehara
Crush wasn't half bad with the Rangers in his limited time this year. He's been equally not awful with Baltimore. Davis needed a new team, a new franchise. I don't think the strikeouts will ever be eliminated. At best, minimized. Or offset with 35 homers and 40 doubles and salty defense. Maybe.

Zach Phillips
Traded to Baltimore Orioles for Nick Green and cash
Probably a trade most have forgotten. The Rangers needed room on the 40-man so they basically gave away Phillips for Green, a Quadruple A infielder. Phillips has pitched 5.2 innings, most against lefties. He's yet to allow a run. Lefties are hitting .133 against him.

Pedro Strop
Traded to Baltimore Orioles for Mike Gonzalez
By what I could tell, I honestly don't think Ron Washington never liked him. So I don't think he got the fairest of deals in Texas. In Baltimore, he's yet to allow a run in 7.2 innings, striking out nine, walking two. Maybe the rotten Strop will show up. Maybe he's good and was never going to get his shot in Texas.

Ryan Tatusko
Traded to Washington Nationals for Cristian Guzman
A sweet guy, it was sad to see him go. He's pitched in Double and Triple A for Washington with very little success.

Tanner Roark
Traded to Washington Nationals for Cristian Guzman
I thought he was pretty solid for the Rangers coming up strong through the minors for the Rangers. Is 9-9 with a 4.69 ERA. His strikeouts are a tad down and his walks up.

Evan Reed
Traded to Florida Marlins for Jorge Cantu
Was placed on the 40-man to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. I don't know if he's injured or what his story is as I can't find any 2011 stats for the guy.

Omar Poveda
Florida Marlins
Nothing new here. Poveda's about to be 24 now. He's spent all of the season in Florida's Double A affiliate. He's a big arm that walks a lot of batters and allows a lot of hits. Exactly what he did with Texas.

Joe Wieland
Traded San Diego Padres for Mike Adams
Prediction: The Padres and their fans will love this trade, although they might miss Mike Adams. Wieland's gone 3-1 with a 2.77 ERA. His strikeout and walk numbers are not as sterling as they were with High-A, but they are still really good. Both he and Rob Erlin will be in San Diego some time next season.

Rob Erlin
Traded to San Diego Padres for Mike Adams
Simply didn't drop off after the trade. Posted a 1.38 ERA with the San Antonio Missions. Struck out 31 in 26 innings. Allowed as many walks as earned runs (4).

Joaquin Arias
Traded to New York Mets for Jeff Franceour
Has spent the entirety in the Mets' Triple A affiliate racking up a .232 average and .272 OBP. You're welcome, Mets.

Calling it a career

Mike Modano has officially retired.

He will sign with the Dallas Stars this morning and hang up the proverbial and actual skates.

I don't need to write anything here. I do not need to explain to you what Modano has meant to American hockey, to the Dallas Stars and to the city of Dallas.

Not many people could go to another team -- much less than your hated foe -- and no one in a city could blame him.

We did not begrudge Modano his decision to go into free agency and join the Detroit Red Wings. In fact, there was more backlash on the Stars for not giving him a best friend contract.

Modano played just 40 games at the age of 40 notching 15 points. Still, it's his career and his decision. He deserves it. (Do not feel bad for Modano ... he has sex with this.)

In the pantheon of Dallas-Fort Worth athletes, Modano is at the top. He shares a stage with Dirk Nowitzki (whose careers are eerily simaliar), Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and any other athlete you'd like to argue as being in the top tier of good players, important athletes and good guys.

Modano is what Mike Young should aim to be. Gracious, kind, a pillar of the community and a guy that handles things gracefully and without malice.

Young does not do this. Modano did and does. Granted, Modano had a good Stars team around him, won a Stanley Cup and went to another. But Modano didn't always have great teams. He still worked, took demotions with grace and wound up being loved by an entire city.

Modano will quit having a Stanley Cup, having a really nice career and being adored by north Texas. That has to be pretty sweet.

3

The only living second baseman with 30 doubles, 25 steals and a lettuce haircut

Think the Texas Rangers are taking all of this for granted?

Go to http://www.texasrangers.com/ and rewatch Josh Hamilton's eight-inning, game-winning dong from last night's 3-2 win over Oakland.

As he's headed to first, look for Ian Kinsler in the dugout doing pelvic thrusts and clapping his hands. He looks like a little leaguer. They all do for that matter.

The magic number is at three. Five-game lead on the Angels.

I guess if we need to assign a "story" to each game, today its C.J. Wilson. He didn't get the win. He still pitched six allowing two runs. Nothing he hasn't done the entire season.

But that's the thing. He has done it the entire season and as the season comes to a close, we can see his 2011 season with the help of hindsight and clarity.

Wilson, frankly, has put up one of the best, most complete seasons for a starter in Rangers history. The proof:

16-7 - 221.1 IP - 189 hits - 16 HRs - 72 BBs - 206 Ks - 2.97 ERA - 1.18 WHIP.

That's the highest strikeout total since Nolan Ryan (1990) and it's already a top-six strikeout season in franchise history.. It's the highest WAR for pitchers since Ken Hill in 1996.

Only three pitchers since 1990 has pitched more innings: Kevin Brown, Kenny Rogers and Ken Hill. No one since 2000 has pitched what Wilson has pitched. His walks allowed doesn't even crack the top 50 for most in franchise history.

I'm happy for him. I'm happy he's a Texas Ranger. I also know he's about to get paid handsomely.

Notes:
1. The Rangers matched their win total of last year -- 90 -- with the win. With seven games left.

2. Johnny Oates had two 90-win seasons. Ron Washington has two 90-win seasons.

3. Mike Adams was masterful last night. Posting a 2.08 ERA as a Ranger. He's allowed just five walks, yet three homers and five runs. Oddly.

4. Do not sleep on Koji Uehara. Showing a ton more good than bad. Just one walk and a .207 BAA as a Ranger. Like Adams, the homer bug (five allowed) has bit him.

5. Uehara is even more vital with Mark Lowe getting MRIs done on a hamstring.

6. I like Ian Kinsler, but the "only second baseman with 30 homers, 100 runs and 30 doubles" thing is overblown. Seems forced. How many second baseman had 29 homers, 100 runs and 29 doubles? How man had 30 homers, 85 runs and 15 homers? What does it matter? He's great.

7. Mike Young had two hits. Is hitting .334. Adrian Gonzalez is leading the American League at .341. Do the math.

8. Neftali Feliz hasn't blown a save since Aug. 6. He's allowed two runs in 17.1 innings since.

Clusterfuck

A journalism degree from Mizzou is a fine thing

If you wait an hour, another report or rumor will surface about possible realignment or unalignment involving college athletics.

We are learning a lot in this process.

Quality Control
We are learning that these athletic departments, schools and conferences have almost zero quality control in terms of information getting to the press. Or, they have all the control. It's tough to tell. Maybe the conferences and schools are leaking all of this to create the chaos. Certainly, no one's refuting anything, so we must labor under the illusion that all of this stuff is true and real. As chaotic as it may appear, there's no way ancilliary parties (see: T. Boone Pickens, Rick Perry) can comment without at least some direction or verification from the schools.

Money Matters
TV matters, thus money matters. Money is God. Money is the end all, be all.

Geography Does Not Matter
Geography, oddly, was thrown out the window a long time ago. What confuses me is if money matters the most, why wouldn't geography matter too. Do programs benefit so much from playing in a conference of a different region that travel issues don't matter?

Play Does Not Matter
The game on the field, court, pitch, arena, diamond or swimming pool do not matter. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. There is no way anyone goes to the SEC or Big X with the idea that winning games is most important. Remember, money matters. Geography, history and the athletes and those games do not. Oklahoma does not want to stay in the Big XII (X) or go to the Pac 10 (16) because it puts them closer to a championship. In that case, why would anyone want to break up the Big XII (X) in the first place? Does the bigger super-conferences create more obstacles in keeping perfect records, which typically mean a national championship appearance?

Because Play Does Not Matter, You Do Not Matter
The real victim: The fans. On the surface, fans shouldn't matter. College athletics is about building character and integrity amongst the players. It's about education. That is not unwholly untrue. The other piece of the puzzle is that schools are getting insanely rich along the way. How are they getting rich? Because you watch Texas-Rice and they can set up a Longhorn Network, which will sell ads. For money. Texas A&M sells merchandise. To you. The fan. Meanwhile, is A&M considering how a fan feels about going to the SEC. Or how Texas fans feel about the dissolving of the Big XII, a conference, apparently, still very strong in terms of competition despite all this?

Schools will get their money. Athletes will get their pay day (sooner ... later ... whatever). Fans will be stuck with the empty bag of a defunct Southwest Conference, Big XII and Baylor in the Big East.

****
Two days ago, Oklahoma shocked everyone by making a stand: They'd stay in the Big XII if Texas reworked the Longhorn Network and if Big XII commish Dan Beebe were fired.

At least one of those demands is in the works. Beebe's on his way out.

Anyone that thinks that Beebe should not be fired or forced out is crazy. Maybe he got stuck in a room full of immature, bickering children. Maybe Beebe had no shot to succeed.

Doesn't matter. Beebe was hired and paid -- we assume handsomely -- to take the Big XII (X) into the next two decades. He couldn't make the peace. The underlings felt lucky to be around, but were still underappreciated. Schools like A&M and Oklahoma always felt like Texas' stepbrother. Once Nebraska and Colorado left, Texas should have already been in hte middle of a 10-year plan to expand.

They went. Beebe's probably gone. The Big XII (X) is better off.

****
Missouri and the SEC have an alleged informal deal to join forces. A potential huge blow to the Big XII (X).

****
With Syracuse and Pittsburgh gone and other teams on the outs, the Big East has talked to the Big XII (X) underlings about joined forces.

That would be Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor.

****
The Pac 10 has apparently rescinded its offer to expand, meaning adding Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. This is the second straight year for talks and the second straight year that it's fallen through.

So, this has all the Big XII teams going back to the drawing board. For, at least, now, they must learn to live with each other. I find it unlikely that talks do not continue.

Who's awesome? Tony Romo's awesome!

Tony Romo: Do you see that halo?

All of last week, Tony Romo couldn't avoid the shitstorm of criticism that enveloped him after losing to the New York Jets.

Some think it took breaking a rib and deflating a lung to change perception.

No. Not true. It took winning.

A common layman's complaint is that Romo doesn't care about winning or losing. That he's just a kid playing a kid's game.

There's been enough bullshit -- Cabo, "not the worst thing," golf -- to support this theory.

What everyone on either side of the Romo argument is missing is the very basic element of winning.

If the Dallas Cowboys win and Romo is behind center, all is well. The golf, the post-game comments and beach vacations do not matter.

The Cabo trip before the divisional round of the playoffs three years ago is a prime example. If Jason Witten and Romo return from their bye-week trip and then beat the New York Giants, not a word is said of the trip. Not a word.

Supporters of Romo -- meaning, they hadn't turn on him ... yet -- skew criticism of Romo as an attack on his character and personality. Actually, it's a criticism of losing.

And when the Cowboys lose, you can typically look at the performance of the quarterback and see a correlation.

Is it fair? Maybe not. Is it real? Yes.

Romo is going to have more ups and down this season and I think no doubt opinions and perspectives will change among fans and media. No doubt, it'll annoy me.

Teeing off

Oh shit

The 2011-12 Texas Rangers will be known for its pitching.

The record number of shutouts. The total use of seven starters. The five primary starters all reaching at least 13 wins. The consistency and, sometimes, dominance.

It's all we will talk about much like we talk about heat in reference to the summer of 1980.

It was the year for pitching.

What is also happening is hitting. The Rangers shrunk the magic number to four last night in a 7-2 win over the Oakland Athletics. They are 40-36 on the road and a remarkable 33-16 against AL West opponents. That is the reason they are in first place.

What we are seeing in the line-up is bashing of the highest order. We're getting arguable career years from maybe three years, simply great years from two or three others, they've improved production at three positions and that doesn't account for all the timely and much-needed support from guys like Dave Murphy, Endy Chavez, Andres Blanco and other fill-ins.

The damage report:

Mike Napoli
Another pair of hits and walks for Nap last night. Has matched or exceeded totals for every offensive category while only having his third most at-bats in a season. Most remarkable are the walks. He has 56 and his career high was 42 before. A much more well-rounded hitter now and that helps in forcing pitchers to make mistakes, which he punishes with regularity. He's hitting .319 with a .416 OBP. His OPS is 1.034.

Mike Young
Being a whiney baby elongated Young's career and probably severely increased his shot at 3,000 hits. Young's hitting .333, which is nothing really new. What is new is the 201 hits, thanks to three last night. He hadn't each the 200-hit mark since 2007 and could make a run at his career high, 221. Also, the move in the line-up has suited him. He's awesome protection for Josh Hamilton. He's raked in a career-high 104 RBI. He's also probably going to approach 160 games played, which at shortstop and third base was not an option as he was always getting hurt.

Josh Hamilton
Yes, it's a "disappointing" season in only a way Hamilton can be "disappointing" and only on a division-leading ballclub. Despite missing a month, he's bashed 30 doubles, 23 homers and driven in 91. In a league that includes B.J. Upton, I'll live with the "disappointing" Josh Hamilton.

Adrian Beltre
I'm sorry. I'm sorry to Beltre, Jon Daniels and the Texas Rangers. I'm sorry I doubted him. In about 130 less at-bats -- thanks to a series of nicks and dings -- Beltre's matched or darn-near-matched last year's contract-year totals in homers, RBI and runs scored. Meanwhile, plying a salty glove at the hot corner, over-cussing in the dugout and farting.

Yorvit Torrealba
I know his numbers are overshadowed by Nap's, but if you told me you'd get 27 doubles and a .271 average out of Torrealba -- in addition to his value behind the plate -- I would have taken it in a heartbeat.

Ian Kinsler
Ignore the average, appreciate the greatness: 114 runs - 33 doubles - 29 homers - 25 steals - 73 RBI - 84 BBs - 71 Ks. And if he doesn't win a Gold Glove, it'll shock the world.

Oh, and Derek Holland is good too.

Garrett Gilbert out for season

Gilbert, sadly, will not take another snap this season

AUSTIN -- Texas Longhorns third-string quarterback and complete spare Garrett Gilbert had surgery Tuesday morning to repair an "injury" in his "throwing shoulder."

He will miss the rest of the season.

Although Gilbert had taken 10 percent of the Longhorn snaps this season in two games, including a 49-20 win over UCLA, Gilbert's presence on the sideline holding a clipboard and wearing a ball cap and headphones will be sorely missed, according to head coach Mack Brown.

"What's-his-name always knew when to bring me a cup of Gatorade," he said. "There's some things you can't teach."

According to doctors that diagnosed Gilbert's so-called injury, the technical term for the ailment is "Casemccoyistis" in the Davidash region of the shoulder. It will take a full year to come back. By then, he might transfer his rehab to Texas State University, Sam Houston State University or, possibly, Brenham College.

"Hell, it worked for me!" said Cam Newton, former Brenham transfer and current quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.

McCoy was reached for a comment on the actual practice field and he can't seem to figure out why this is even a news.

"I knew Texas Longhorn football was big, but why would anyone really care if the third-string quarterback was hurt or not," McCoy said.

Gilbert had a 59 percent completion percentage while throwing 10 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 2010, the worst year in Longhorn football in a decade.

In 31 attempts this season, he completed just 48 percent and threw one touchdown in a game and a half.

(Note: This is completely fake. Still figuring why Garrett's injury is important, newswise.)

Greenberg: Just can't get enough of Dallas sports

Charles Greenberg: Next up, FC Dallas

One thing I learned about the saga of the Texas Rangers' ownership brouhaha a year ago is that Chuck Greenberg loves the spotlight.

He loved being the fans' owner. He loved being the hero. He loved being Superman.

Of course, he was annoying as shit and Nolan Ryan performed a coup d'état. He is sadly not a part of the Dallas-Fort Worth sports equation.

Now, he's apparently interested in buying the Dallas Stars, whose sale, post-bankruptcy, has been advanced due to judges and lawyers and creditors coming together and singing "Kumbaya."
Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi has submitted a bid of $267 million for the franchise. Of course, if this is anything like the Rangers' ordeal, the creditors will get whatever they can out of this sale. No matter who the owner is or how good or bad he'll be for the team or city.

Just waiting for Greenberg to get the team and get pushed out by Joe Nieuwendyk.

As for the team, play goes on. They're in their fourth day of training camp and play their first pre-season game on Thursday.

Their opener is against Chicago Oct. 7. Think that one over.

No way the Rangers are getting swept under this blog's rug

Playing it safe

The reason the Texas Rangers will win the AL West: The California Angels are panicking and pitching their studs on three-days rest.

Meanwhile, the Rangers can pretty much put whoever on the mound and get a win.

They won 3-0 Sunday against Seattle with Matty Harrison getting win No. 13 leaving all five regular starters with at least 13 wins. It was the Rangers' 19th shutout as a team. By far the most for the franchise and the most in the American League since 2002.

The Rangers took two of three from Seattle and thanks to the Baltimore Orioles stretched to a 4.5 game lead in the division (as of this minute ... go Blue Jays!).

Notes:
1. Elvis Andrus has 34 extra-base hits. Had 18 a year ago. Thirty-one the his rookie year.

2. Rangers bullpen Saturday and Sunday: 5.2 IP - 0 hits - 0 runs - 0 BBs - 11 Ks.

3. Magic number (as of right now): 6.

4. In Mike Napoli's six-game hit streak: 12 hits, four doubles, a homer, four runs, three RBI.

5. Adrian Beltre has 94 RBI. After missing a month. Hitting .354 with sever homers in September.

The college football shell game

Horned Frogs

The dominoes in college sports alignment continued to fall over the weekend in a pretty surprising move, I think, to most of us.

The ACC went and sniped Syracuse and Pittsburgh from the Big East.

This did two things:

1. It served notice to the entire nation that if a four super-conference new world order is coming, the ACC is sticking around. For one, it makes them a phenomenal basketball conference. It also puts them at 14 teams, which is more than anyone. Texas to the ACC doesn't look so shabby anymore.

2. It freaks the fuck out of TCU. The Frogs were supposed to join the Big East next year. Now ... well, if you don't think they have their feelers out to other conferences, including the SEC and ACC, you are crazy. The Big East didn't have a lot going for it anyway. Adding TCU was a bit of a coup for them. Who knows if that conference will exist in a year.

****
On Sunday, as the NFL reared its ugly head, college football grabbed some headlines as it was reported that Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech are seriously possibly almost looking at a move to the Pac 10 (12).

Well. No shit. But I guess this was to inform us that not only are Texas and OU looking elsewhere, but that Oklahoma State and Tech were latched aboard.

For one, it's funny to me watching Tech hitch their wagon to Texas like a kid brother hounding the older brother down the sidewalk.

The obstacle for Texas' future is its dedication to the Longhorn Network. According to reports, the Pac 10 (12) will take in the Longhorn Network under its conference umbrella.

Of course, it probably won't be the "Longhorn Network" any longer, it'll include Texas Tech games and Pac 10 (12) programming. Although, Texas will still get paid. Which is all that matters.

How does Dan Beebe have a job again? What does he need to do to get fired?

Walking wounded

The reach

A win is a win is a win is a win.

Jason Garrett and the Dallas Cowboys will take it however it comes. On the road. Against a bad team with a bad quarterback. By the skin of their teeth.

This shit is 1-1. The Philadelphia Eagles are 1-1. Let's party.

The Cowboys did beat the San Francisco 49ers 27-24 yesterday in one of the weirdest games I've seen in a long time.

For a full half, I would've beat everything that the Cowboys would lose. Granted, they were only down 7-0 and then 14-0 and then 14-7, but the Cowboys were completely and utterly overmatched. The score didn't reflect the ass whipping that the Niners were laying down on the Cowboys. If they were a better team, they would have been leading 28-0 going into half.

Then it got weird. Things happened. There was zero flow and that helped the Cowboys. Unlike a lot of games that kind of swoop by, you can almost replay this game in your mind and pinpoint those moments and plays that defined the final score.

The Doug Free fumble recovery. The encroachment penalty. The Alan Ball interception. Tony Romo's triumphant Willis Reed return. The Jesse Holley first down. The Jason Witten fourth-and-five catch.

Then you look up, Holley can't quit praising the Lord, Dan Bailey's a golden god, Romo is Kirk Gibson, the defense has allowed 206 total yards and the dumb Cowboys are 1-1.

It's the shakiest 1-1 in franchise history. But it's still 1-1.

Grades:

Quarterback -- B
I'm not going to cut corners with the quarterback play, it sucked a lot. For one half, it sucked. For all of Jon Kitna's 10 pass attempts it sucked. But for one quarter, it was brilliant. Romo made some kickass throws. The ones to Holley and Witten were brilliant. The third Miles Austin touchdown was stupendous.

Running Back -- D-
The Dallas Cowboys can't run the football. That will sink them.

Wide Receiver -- A+
No Dez Bryant. No problem. Miles Austin looked fantastic. Jesse Holley turns out might be a real NFL player. And that's all they really needed.

Tight End -- A
Jason Witten just didn't have a good day. He was thoroughly impactful. Some huge catches on third and fourth downs.

Offensive Line -- A
Really, not bad. Considering that Derrick Dockery was replacing Bill Nagy and Phil Costa got hurt midway through the game. Romo's injury came on him rolling out, after he threw the ball. I saw Kyle Kosier miss a block on the one sack. However, you get an "A" due solely to Doug Free pouncing on Miles Austin fumble just before the game-tying field goal. Heads-up play.

Defensive Line -- A
The Niners were going to win if they ran the ball. They couldn't. Try 45 total rushing yards. Furthermore, I felt they were consistently in Alex Smith's grill. Jason Hatcher and Jay Ratliff combined for three sacks.

Linebackers -- B
A nice day. Three sacks and a handful of great players here and there. Thought Sean Lee was quieter, but still good. Anthony Spencer got hung up in coverage. DeMarcus Ware made up for it later on a sack when he was smothering the running back in pass coverage.

Secondary -- A
Honestly, a poor game to judge the Cowboys by. Even if the Niners wanted to pick on the broken secondary, they couldn't. The Patriots or Chargers would, but the Niners can't. The touchdown on Mike Jenkins was simply a superbly thrown ball. The 49ers managed just 132 passing yards. Alan Ball with the interception, which made up for him getting picked on all day.

Special Teams -- C
A missed chip-shot field goal. A penalty on a field goal (that was oddly turned down, I thought, by the 49ers) and a bad run back from Kendall Hunter. Still, Dan Bailey nailed that 48-yarder to tie it. An underrated aspect of this team is its overall good kick coverage. Outside of a small run back yesterday, they've shut teams down. Tedd Ginn did barely anything.

Coaching -- B
Thought the defense played well. Better than what it appeared. I do think we need to question play calling. For one, dump the trick plays in the trash can. Until this team can win games consistently, there's little use for them. Also, why run them against teams you can actually beat. Save them for the Patriots or Eagles. Also, the wide receiver does not need to run the ball, especially on fourth-and-one. Finally, the playcalling in the red zone sucks. Run, run, run the ball. And the fade does not work. Quit it.

Baylor tans SFA's hide or How Texas got its groove back

True freshman: Malcolm Brown

Texas 49, UCLA 20
Remember this moment, Longhorn fans. It is the sweet taste of victory, of atonement. It is also a moment you should remember in two years when Case McCoy is leading Texas into the top five of college football, back in championship contention. I wouldn't call it a bold stroke by Mack Brown. Benching Garrett Gilbert was not a tough call. He sucks. Texas is going to lose some games this year. There will be growing pains as there were with Vince Young and Colt McCoy. But this team's willingness to go to the true freshmen like McCoy, Malcolm Brown and others will turn this program around quickly.

Oklahoma 23, Florida State 13
The Sooners have other roadblocks on their way to a potential national championship. The Seminoles are certainly one of the early-season ones. Florida State is good. Still, I don't know if the Sooners saw what they wanted out of Landry Jones and that offense. Defensively, the Sooners look unbeatable.

TCU 38, Louisiana-Monroe 17
LA-Monroe's final score came with two minutes left in the first quarter. They lead 17-14. They wouldn't score another point. TCU has a pretty balanced offense and if Casey Pachall continues to not turn the ball over and be super-efficient, the Frogs will be fine.

Texas A&M 37, Idaho 7
An all-around great night for the Aggies at College Station. Balanced contests from Cyrus Gray and Ryan Tannehill. The defense was stout against the inferior Vandals. Onward, upward.

Oklahoma State 59, Tulsa 33
The Cowboys are going to lose this season. It will come against a well-balanced offense, like Texas A&M, because Okie State has trouble stopping opponents. Their best defense is their offense. Its scored 19 touchdowns in 12 quarters while laying down 61, 37 and 59 in their first three weeks.

Baylor 48, SFA 0
If you've ever wondered what the difference is talentwise from a low-level Division I school and a high-level Division I-AA school, it's 48 points.

SMU 40, Northwestern State 7
At least SFA got beat by 48 to a BCS-qualifier. Zach Line had the odd stat of five touchdowns, but just 85 yards.

Texas Tech 59, New Mexico 13
Tech attempted 50 passes. They had just five incompletions. Seth Doege went 40-44 for 401 yards and five touchdowns. The Raiders amassed 624 yards; meanswhile, they allowed just 337 yards although it was against a bad New Mexico team. The Raiders might turn into a hard out once conference rolls around.

Iowa State 24, Connecticut 20
The Cyclones are 3-0. That's three wins against some formidable opponents and they haven't even played a conference game yet.

Alabama 41, North Texas 0
Believe it or not, Alabama played at about 65 percent. If they wanted, they lay 100 on the board.

Georgia Tech 66, Kansas 24
Kansas was outscored 42-7 in hte second half. Otherwise, if you look at the halftime score, 24-17, it wasn't such a bad day for the Jayhawks. Tech compiled a ridiculous 604 yards rushing.

Kansas State 37, Kent State 0
The Wildcats mercifully took their foot off the gas after halftime scoring three second-half points. A pretty cupcake non-conference affair for K-State.

Missouri 69, Western Illinois 0
The Leathernecks managed 44 total yards, one first down and a 0-13 mark on third downs. Big bully Mizzou pushing its weight around.