Colbra gets his and other free agents

Cash money millionaire

When the Texas Rangers doled out two years and $5 million to Colby Lewis in January 2010, I thought they'd lost their minds.

Here was a Major League hack, that had to go to Japan to keeping playing. Of course he did well in Japan. Who wouldn't?

Then Lewis came back and blew our minds. No, he's not ever been an ace or ace material. He has been a horse, and I like horses. They do things.

Lewis' 2012 option was picked up by the Rangers today, the first official action taken by the club since the World Series ended. He'll make $3.25 million. A fucking deal.

By my count, Lewis has picked up about $650K in incentives for starting 30 and 170+ innings (assuming these incentives were for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

On top of that, this is a bit of a knock on C.J. Wilson, who may walk in the off-season. Lewis has posted a 2.34 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in two post-season trips. Whereas, Wilson's sucked.

The other free agents (and there aren't many):

Darren Oliver
DO in his latest two seasons with the Rangers:

112.2 IP - 100 hits - 37 runs - 7 HR - 26 BBs - 109 Ks - 2.38 ERA.

I've heard nary a word on Oliver. Is he retiring? Do the Rangers want him back? He's not too expensive and highly effective, although you tend to remember the bad times with Oliver. He's a local guy (lives here, loves the Cowboys) so I wonder what it'd take to get him back, if the Rangers want him. As the Mavericks cut bait on useful guys from the 2006 team, you wonder what Jon Daniels is thinking.

Endy Chavez
Seems like he's gone unless he's willing to work in the minors. He was useful as shit though. Above average defender and not a complete black hole in the line-up. As a fill-in, you can't hardly ask for more. I think Craig "Kitten Face" Gentry's coming out and Leonys Martin pushes Chavez out.

Mike Gonzalez
I can't imagine the Rangers letting both Oliver and Gonzalez go. The latter has a much bigger arm and younger, but the former is a lot more dependable. I don't think the Rangers traded for Gonzalez with the idea that he's a rental.

Matt Treanor
The Rangers like him. Kind of depends on what Treanor wants to do: Find a part-time Major League job elsewhere or tough it out in Round Rock with the Rangers. Also depends on what the Rangers do with Mike Napoli and Yorvit Torrealba.

Options:

Yoshi Tateyama
I can't imagine the Rangers not picking up Yoshi's option if for not other reason keeping him around for Koji Uehara. Like what happens relatively frequently, a lot of Japanese players just want to go back to the homeland. Tateyama was effective. Struck out near a batter per frame despite throwing 73 mph. Also didn't walk a lot (11 walks, 44 IP).

The Dallas Cowboys are so extraordinarily ordinary

LeSean McCoy: LeBilly McBadass

"Extraordinarily ordinary."

That encapsulates the 2011-12 Dallas Cowboys.

They're not just ordinary. Like 8-8 ordinary. They are ordinary to the extreme. They'll take any team to the mat, they'll lose by 30 to any team and they'll beat another team by 30. By January, they could be utterly terrifying in the wild card round or at home, watching the playoffs from their couch.

The Cowboys were whipped 34-7 yesterday in Philadelphia. The Eagles, by the way, looked fantastic including Mike Vick, who could not miss. It's like he willed those passes to be perfect. And they were perfect. I can't remember a completion that wasn't perfect from Vick. His incompletions were better than Tony Romo's completions.

I hope this is a lesson for Cowboys fans going forward. Nothing is given, the Eagles are good and Rob Ryan's ability to unhinge his jaw and pound crow is going to be a constant in our lives. When you talk enough shit like he does, half of it's bound to come back and bite him in the ass.

If I were a Dallas Cowboys fan, I'd be fearful of one thing from that game: It wasn't that the Eagles used their speed or athleticism to beat the Cowboys. They manhandled the Cowboys. Blockers and defenders were getting blown off the ball. I wouldn't dare question the players' effort, but if you put a gun to my head, I'd say they weren't trying. If you get beat, you get beat, but that was too easy for the Eagles.

It's nut-cutting time. The Cowboys are now 3-4 with a slate of games upcoming that will make or break this team, in terms of maybe reaching nine or 10 wins and a possible playoff spot. Let's see how Jason Garrett's team responds to that ass pounding.

Grades:

Quarterback -- F
The Dallas Cowboys were down 24-0 at halftime. After the half, Romo started the third quarter passing 3-8 for 20 yards and two punts. For the entire second half, he went 14-27 for 161 yards, 70 of which came on one play. That means Romo went 4-10 for 45 yards in the first half. Take away the big pass play, he went 17-36 for 136 yards on the game. Poor to quite poor. I don't care how good or bad the pass rush was. He missed a lot of throws.

Running Back -- C
When they did run, it wasn't bad. A 9.3 average for DeMarco Murray on eight attempts. Double plus because Murray now leads the team in rushing yards. Which is sad.

Wide Receivers -- F
Miles Austin and Dez Bryant failed to catch a ball in the first half. And they were over there on the sideline giving every coach within a short distance the business. Whatever is wrong -- playcalling, receivers getting open, Romo -- needs to get fixed. They're your best weapons and they can't be silent. Laurent Robinson is substantially effective.

Tight Ends -- F
An "F" because Martellus Bennett has a roster spot. An "F" because there's not enough John Phillips. All the leaves are brown.

Offensive Line -- D
Never did I think, "Oh wow. The Cowboys are losing because the offensive line can't block." Yes, they were not great and when they get beat, they get beat bad. But if I heap more blame on Romo, then I can't heap as much on the O-line. I felt he had at least some time to make a play. Once you throttle the defense, things get easier. The Cowboys never landed that punch.

Defensive Line -- F
Completely ineffective. Embarrassing. Blown off the ball like they were a pile of leaves.

Linebackers -- F
It's shocking how ordinary the inside linebackers get sans Sean Lee. Sprained wrist? You come back with a sprained wrist, right? Fearing the worst (broken bone) here. DeMarcus Ware with, as Al Michaels said it, the quietest four sacks in the NFL.

Secondary -- F
Brutal. As open as the Eagles were, you wonder if it mattered if those guys showed up. It was like shooting fish in the barrel.

Special Teams -- D
If Bennett deserves getting cut, what of David Buehler? Dan Bailey can do it all. MVP. MVP.

Coaching -- F
Completely unprepared for what the Eagles had in store. You had to be prepared as the Eagles were coming off the bye week. Yes, maybe they threw new things at you, but did you really believe that they'd just run the same playbook out after a 2-4 start. The entire organization looked like clowns out there.

Game over

Sadness

I took all of Friday night, Saturday and Sunday to process things.

I've tried to get angry or upset. I've even tried to be disappointed. I simply can't bring myself to that.

I feel mainly disappointed for the 25 guys on that roster, the coaching staff and general management. I feel bad for guys like Eric Nadel, the Texas Rangers longtime radio play-by-play voice.

However, I believe that even guys like him are more proud than disappointed. I know the Texas Rangers are disappointed. Yet, they know that they won their second pennant and were within one strike (twice!) of the world championship, the World Series.

One strike.

It's as simple as that, yet it's not. In the World Series, there is the time to dissect every moment, every play and every decision and you can certainly do that to Ron Washington and those players until you are blue in the face.

Outfield positioning alone would waste about four hours of your life. Maybe the phantom out on Matt Holliday that could've swung game 3. Maybe the 4,000 runners left on base by the Cardinals in game 5. You could go on and on as to how this series might have been won or lost earlier.

At the base, the St. Louis Cardinals refused to let the Texas Rangers play their game. The game played for the first 172 games that won them 96 games, an ALDS and ALCS. The Rangers were completely taken out of their game.

Management
He would never admit it (probably) but Ron Washington attempted to out-Tony LaRussa Tony LaRussa. Frankly, I think Washington has gotten into the playoffs two straight years and both times he's attempted to outthink himself. He's, in fact, gone against his natural intuition of playing the game the right way, the only way they know how. He's been too quick yanking pitchers and not quick enough yanking others. He obsesses over righty-lefty match-ups on both sides of the ball. He spent the last seven game reacting to LaRussa despite already being two steps behind and the TLR was perpetually anticipating Wash's next move. Yes, Wash got the best of LaRussa a couple of times. But what cursed the Rangers' the most is not doing what they do. Washington did not manage the final seven like he did the first 162 or 172.

One More Inning
In two seasons since the Legend of Nolan Ryan first arrived in Arlington, the mantra for the pitchers has been "one more inning." That's all good as long as the pitching is good, but when you're rolling out Rich Harden, Brandon McCarthy, Kris Benson and Dave Bush (bless all their souls), it's not easy. In 2011, it got easy. Really easy. It was a huge disappointment if the starters didn't go at least six. Allowing three runs or less was the norm. They were pushed and fully expected to go out and pitch nine innings. Then the playoffs happened. "One more inning" went out the window. Here came "Man, Get Us 12 Outs."

I admit: This isn't the most rotten of strategies ... in game 7 of the World Series or ALCS. Fact is, the bullpen was completely gassed as the World Series wore on and all I could think about were the number of innings they pitched against Tampa Bay and Detroit. Not that they were not useful. Alexi Ogando was brilliant against Tampa. By St. Louis, those 169 regular season innings had caught up with him. It wasn't that he was necessarily tired (his velocity seemed consistent) but the control was kaput.

I refuse to believe that there were times in the ALDS and ALCS in which the starter could have gone "one more inning," just like they would have in the previous 162.

Baserunning
The Rangers, simply, were stymied on the basepaths. Not only were they not running, they weren't taking extra bases, hit-and-runs were off and goofballs like Ian Kinsler were getting caught napping. In the World Series, baserunners are precious. Yet, the Rangers play with a sort of reckless abandon: They force opponents to play to their speed and, most times, the opponent makes a mistake, whether it's throwing an errant ball on a pick-off move, sleeping on baserunners taking an extra bag or making an outfielder toss a perfect ball to homeplate or third. That strategy was nowhere to be found in the World Series. Part of that was health. Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, Nellie Cruz and Mike Napoli -- although not always the swiftest of guys -- all had problems with their wheels. Often, they looked pained swinging the bat.

Throwing Strikes
This is what really kills me the most. Walks. Inconsistency. Hey, if David Freese hits a game-winning home run in the 11th inning, I can deal with that. Walks and hit batsmen I can not handle or understand. The Rangers walked in two runs in game 7. Something like 11 of the 41 walked batters scored in the World Series. The two hit batsmen also scored. Walks fucking suck. Nothing gets to me, to my baseball heart, like walks. It's probably what bothers me the most about this World Series. Really, it's kind of what has killed the Rangers two straight years.

I don't get it. The Rangers haven't been the most exacting of pitching rotations or bullpens this season. But they certainly were not the wildest. Most days you'd find them pounding the strike zone. Hitting their spots. That went away in these playoffs and I think it came from the top: Ron Washington. By the Detroit series, after Miggie Cabrera made his presence known, the Rangers started to pitch scared. Instead of going after hitters -- even some bad hitters -- they started nibbling to just intentionally walking guys.

Look at Nick Punto and Allen Craig. I don't want to take away anything from those guys and they certainly had their moments, but at the end of the day it's Nick Punto and Allen Craig. Yeah, they were able to do some things, but how many of those things came after going down in the count 0-2. By game 7, the Rangers were scared shitless of Craig. They wanted no part of Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, Freese and Lance Berkman. Ridiculous. There's no one else to pitch to. By then, the Rangers pitchers were trying to be careful instead of aggressive. They tensed up and it killed them.

****
I, frankly, left this post-season feeling proud. The Rangers may be the Buffalo Bills of Major League Baseball. Maybe. Of course, how many teams and fanbases and management groups would kill to have the Rangers' line-up and farm system? How many Pittsburgh Pirate or Seattle Mariner fans would kill to have the last two seasons of the Rangers?

Making the MLB playoffs is not like making the NHL or NBA playoffs. Getting into the tournament is an achievement unto itself. Winning a series is a boon.

Getting into two straight World Series is otherworldly. Trust me, there's not an Atlanta Braves fan that wouldn't take back the 1990s. I'm certainly not giving up the last two years of my Rangers life.

When do pitchers and catchers report?

Cowboys-Eagles

Iggles

Naturally, what would a good Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles match-up be without a little drama.

The Dallas Cowboys dropped a bomb today by cutting running back Tashard Choice, the guy that a lot of fans wanted starting the last three years.

If you take the last, oh, two years into perspective this seems like a foregone conclusion. Choice never saw the light of day all of last season after the fumble against Washington. He was declared a bubble guy in Training Camp as the Cowboys drafted DeMarco Murray and put so much faith in Phil Tanner.

Even with Felix Jones out, Choice is gone. Seems odd. Not that Choice is gone; just that Choice is gone right now. Ideally, you'd think the Cowboys would want to keep a third back, a reliable back, in a huge road game against Philadelphia. Instead, they'll roll with two.

Seems fishy. Something happened and we may never find out what. But you don't make this kind of move without some kind of provocation and a week after you might have traded him. Smells of Sidney Ponson. Maybe the details will leak out.

Anyway, the game goes on and it's primed for a classic. It's apparently snowing in Philly and the entire northeast. Not that I know if any of its sticking, but it should be nice and sloppy and extremely cold. Extremely pumped. There's is absolutely nothing better than football being played in snow.

Five things:

DeMarco Murray, 2.0
I picked him as a key to the game a week ago, and I'm prepared to go out on that limb again. The Eagles' defense is in shambles. Somewhere Jim Johnson is rolling over in his grave watching a converted offensive line coach leading his squad. Worst of all, the Eagles are a sad-sack 10th worst team in run defense. They give up 123 yards a game on the ground. Keeping the ball out of Tony Romo's hands on the road in a rowdy, cold crowd will be key.

Keeping Everyone In Front Of You
The Eagles have a lot of athletic, speedy dudes on offense. If nothing else, it makes you wonder how such a talented team could be so bad. Outside of turnovers, the Eagles' offense is not the problem. They rank in the top 10 or five in just about every offensive category including yards and third-down conversions. Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Mike Vick, Jason Avant are all very talented guys that can -- and have -- make you pay. The Cowboys' secondary's been surprisingly good this year and this is just another challenge.

The Division
I read an article that stated every game from now on for the Eagles is a playoff game. There is very little wiggle room for them. They can't lose too many more before the playoffs become a mirage. The Cowboys, too, have a lot to play for. They are suddenly 3-3, a game out of the division lead and potentially going into a head-to-head race for the division with the New York Giants. As much as the Eagles could pull the competition back to them with a win, the Cowboys could very well bury the Eagles. Also, just a note, the Cowboys have Seattle, Buffalo, Washington, Miami and Arizona in consecutive weeks. The Cowboys are looking at a potential a seven-game run that could change the entire complexion of the NFC East. Who has more heart?

Turnovers
It's a simple equation -- maybe the simplest in professional sports -- of winning and losing in the NFL. Turn the ball over more than you force turnovers and you will lose. Period. The Eagles are a -8, worst in the NFC. The only winning team close are the New Orleans Saints at -4. If the Cowboys wish to maintain the Eagles' misery, or if the home team wants to reverse their fortunes, the turnover differential must change.

Memories
The number of significant or huge games between these two teams is really quite remarkable over the last 10 years. There was the game Roy "Safety" Williams intercepted Donovan McNabb twice to cap off a huge fourth-quarter comeback. There was McNabb's scramble at Texas Stadium on Monday night. There was DeSean Jackson's catch and run a year ago at Cowboys Stadium. There was Tashard Choice getting an autograph. 44-6. The Cowboys first and only playoff win of the past 15 years. How does this game not mean more to these guys?

Prediction
Philadelphia Eagles 27, Dallas Cowboys 23
I think the Eagles have woken up a little bit. I think they want to get up against the Cowboys. They do see this as a playoff game and a must-win, moreso than the Cowboys see it as an avenue toward burying their hated rivals. I thought the teams would split their games this year and I can't imagine the Cowboys having a better shot in Philly, the cold and snow, than at home in the friendly confines of JerryWorld. If the Cowboys pull this off, the Metroplex starts to take notice.

West Virginia on way

wVu: Welcome

It's official: West Virginia is coming to the Big XII and Missouri's leaving for the SEC.

It's now just a matter of when. Mizzou's acceptance isn't officially final, whereas West Virginia's arrival could be delayed until 2014, although the Big XII is expecting them for 2012-13.

It's sort of good for everyone involved. The Big XII is getting a good football and basketball program in West Virginia, who is jumping the sinking Big East ship. Meanwhile, Mizzou took a step up going to the SEC, which is a much stronger conference.

Everyone's looking for for themselves. What I don't understand is why the Big XII is stopping. If the super-conferences are coming, why is the Big XII resting on its laurels while the SEC and ACC are just getting better and better? It doesn't make any sense. Then I realize it's the Big XII.

To the games:

TCU 38, BYU 28
TCU spent a lot of time in BYU territory, three of the touchdowns came after taking over deep in Cougar territory. TCU's won three straight and are 6-2. Casey Paschall's playing very safe and efficient.

Oklahoma (6-1, 3-1) vs. Kansas (7-0, 4-0)
Who foresaw this game being as gigantic as it is in August? Someone's going to lose this game and it's either going to be the crazy Wildcats or -- think about this -- the mighty Sooners, so poised for another national championship. A huge boon for K-State playing this game in Manhattan. They play slow and steady and this is truly their first big test.

Baylor (4-2, 1-2) at Oklahoma State (7-0, 4-0)
Whatever the over/under is, take the over.

Missouri (3-4, 1-3) vs. Texas A&M (5-2, 3-1)
A&M's won three straight scoring 133 total points. Don't think it'll happen, but watch for the slip-up on the Aggies' part with Oklahoma and Kansas State coming up. They're eyes may be wandering.

Kansas (2-5, 0-4) vs. Texas (4-2, 1-2)
Texas' defensive foes shorten up the next couple of weeks and it'll be a good time for either Dave Ash or Case McCoy to take a breath and have the game slow down a bit and for them to get their bearings. Huge timeframe for their development.

Iowa State (3-4, 0-4) vs. Texas Tech (5-2, 2-2)
The Red Raiders have a very good chance at getting nine wins this season with Baylor, Texas, Iowa State and Mizzou still left. Don't be too shocked if they lose two of those either. Beating Oklahoma and I still don't know how really good this team is.

SMU (5-2, 3-1) vs. Tulsa (4-3, 3-0)
If you know how good or bad Tulsa is, I'd like to know. They've lost to three top 10 teams (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Boise State) and beaten four tomato cans (Rice, Tulane, UAB and North Texas). Lost to three of the best. Beat four of the worst. Another huge conference game for SMU.

North Texas (3-5, 2-2) vs. Arkansas State (5-2, 3-0)
The Mean Green won't be hanging a banner or anything in that new stadium. But they shouldn't disregard this season, I don't care the level of competition they took advantage of. Could mess around and win five games.

McNeese State (3-4, 1-2) vs. SFA (2-5, 1-2)
The Jacks have scored 139 points in their two wins. McNeese isn't very good either. Let's play for pride.

That's the way baseball go

Mr. Freese: "Tonight, Hell freezes over!"

I do know several things:

1. I am emotionally spent. Drained. It's too much for me. Watching other teams that I have no rooting interest in is bad enough. Watching my favorite team squader two leads with less than nine outs left is heart wrenching. My heart beat out of my chest for a solid hour once all of the late-inning drama came down.

Coincidentally, I'm watching Shoah, one of the foremost documentaries of all time, a 10-hour film about the Holocaust. I remember one line from a witness very vividly: Talking about the Jews being transported via train without water, crammed into cattle cars, the witness said the Jews would escape for the sole purpose of sitting there, without a fight, and getting shot in the head.

I know this is a risky analogy. But I remembered that as I watched the Rangers give up a three--run and then a two-run lead to the Cardinals. I knew the Cardswere going to win. I just wanted it to end. David Freese's homer in the 11th was the bullet to the back of the head. I just wanted it to end.

In a few hours, we will learn a lot about our Texas Rangers. We will truly understand just how loose the team is. We will learn just how good of a manager Ron Washington. If they have any resiliency, it's going to show up tonight.

Frankly, they look spent. The body language sucked last night. Guys are aching. Body parts look like they're about to fall off. It feels like they invested so much emotionally into that game last night and to have it unravel unnecessarily would kill the strongest of teams.

In a few hours, we will witness the true resolve of the 2011 Texas Rangers.

Some thoughts:
1. I thought of all of Ron Washington's possible miscues, I think his quick yank on Colby Lewis and the relievers was the worst. I would have ridden Lewis longer. If you are going to make the decision of letting him bat in the fifth with the bases loaded, then you have to stick with him longer than the sixth inning. He'd just dealt a 1-2-3 fifth, struck out Albert Pujols to start the sixth (looking, no less) and was plagued by another Mike Young error. That was not worth the pull especially after walking Freese, which, in hindsight, is a fantastic idea.

Obviously, Ogando is off limits, and the fact that this is just now realized is crazy. HE WALKED IN A RUN. Forget the errors, the mismanagement, the bat at-bats or whatever. The Rangers had a reliever WALK IN A RUN. There's no bigger crime. See you in 2012, Alexi.

Holland was on an unfair short leash. He'd allowed two hits (one being a Allen Craig homer) and was yanked with the pitcher/pinch hitter coming up. For me, I'd let Holland get that last out (he did not seemed gassed or anything) and have Feliz come in for the ninth. Afterwards, that gives you Scott Feldman, Darren Oliver, Mike Adams and C.J. Wilson to pitch the extra innings. And Mark Lowe doesn't see the light of day.

You get the feeling that Wash knew the game was lost if he was keeping Wilson in the bullpen and bringing Lowe out.

2. I thought Josh Hamilton's 10th inning dinger was going to be one of the ages. Like we'd remember 15 years from now where we were when he hit it. I kept expecting him to pump his arm as he limped around the bases. I also thought Elvis Andrus was going to have to carry him to the dugout.

3. Twenty-seven outs. Got to get every one.

Dallas Stars: 'Hey guys, over here'

The goalkeep

Just imagine how little attention we'd pay the Dallas Stars if the Dallas Mavericks were playing.

How bad is it? Look at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Dallas Stars page. Perfect for catching up with the Rangers. Awful for reading a game story.

The Stars have quietly grabbed 14 of a possible 18 points after winning three of four on the road including a 3-2 shootout win in Phoenix last night. It was their second shootout win of the year. Of all people, it was Trevor Daley with the goal in the eighth round that sealed it.

The Stars are first in the Western Conference with a 7-2 record, and the lone loss of the road trip came on the ass-end of a back-to-back against Stanley Cup favs, the Los Angeles Kings. That final: 1-0.

I wish there was a superstar here. Maybe that will wind up killing them as the year progresses, the inability to lean on one guy to get you gobs of opportunities and points. If it's anyone, it's goalkeep Kari Lehtonen. He's 7-0, but more importantly he's allowing a goal less per game and he's stopping four percent more shots than he did a year ago. It's not just a career year. It'll put him right in the hunt for the Vezina Trophy. He's not just good. He's been exceptional.

Otherwise, it's even, steady play from all of their lines. Sheldon Souray scored on power play and Adam Burish tallied with a minute left in the game. It's OK if Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro or Brendan Morrow don't score a goal.

Plus, the penalty kill is not perfect, but it's waaaaayyyy better than last season. They've killing 86 percent of all man advantages. Last year, they killed 80 percent. If the Stars kill 86 percent a year ago, they make the playoffs, easy.

Soon, Stars, you will get your day. Keep winning. The crowds will come eventually.

Crap we shouldn't care about, but, oddly, we do

I'll be back

Two major talking points stemming from the World Series have gotten an insane amount of attention, and I not only personally don't care, but I don't understand why others care.

Derek Holland
As we all know, Holland was interview mid-game Monday night as C.J. Wilson was intentionally walking the entire Cardinals line-up. Down 2-0, Holland was prompted to showcase his impersonations of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Cubs announcer Harry Carey.

Of course, the ire of Dallas-Fort Worth was ignited. How could a guy that talks about growing up and realizing the moments he shouldn't act like a kid do silly bits in front of a national audience when your team was down. Some blame Joe Buck and FOX (trust me, they do not respect or even really like the Rangers on any marginal level) and others blame Holland for being a dork.

My question is this: Who cares? What does it matter? How was Holland's bits helping or hurting Wilson and the teammates on the field? Holland, for one, doesn't have the balls to back down to Buck and FOX. He's too much of a kid that doesn't know about better. Nonetheless, how many times this year have guys in the bullpen or dugout goofed around during a game this season? Playing grab-ass and farting. It's no different than criticizing Tony Romo for smiling on the sideline during a loss. It's all mundane bullshit.

We want to pretend that no one cares more about a professional sports team than we do, the fans. When we see Romo smiling or Holland taking FOX to break as The Terminator, we think that they don't care as much as we do and they get paid handsomely to care more than we. Fact, is they have to live with their wins and losses for the rest of their lives. Most of Dallas-Fort Worth will forget about Holland's 8.1 scoreless innings from Sunday.

Remember, two years ago, you could've sat in any section at the Ballpark. Nobody cared then. Now they care immensely.

Ratings
We've heard this before. This is the second-lowest rated World Series of all time ... second only to 2010's World Series. We want this to be about St. Louis and Dallas-Fort Worth.

It's not. It's about baseball and Major League Baseball. Complain about a team's media reach (Dallas-Fort Worth's a top five or four market in the nation and about half of all TV sets are tuned to the World Series) all you want. If you don't want St. Louis, Kansas City, Tampa, Dallas, Phoenix or Cleveland markets, then don't allow them to have professional sports teams.

When people talk about ratings, they act like these teams are wedding crashers, spoiling everyone's fun and eating all the finger foods.

No, they're professional sports teams with the assumed right to compete and win in their respective leagues. If you want Los Angeles and New York teams only, then kick everyone else out of the league. Otherwise, these teams will continue to compete and win.

Two, baseball is one of the worst marketed sports on the planet. Nothing against San Francisco Giants reliever Brian Wilson, but him hawking chalupas is not unlike taking an offensive tackle from the Steelers to sell tires. Is Derek Jeter the only MLB player with a major endorsement deal? Is he the only one from either New York or Los Angeles?

How is Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Alex Rodriguez, Joe Mauer, Miggie Cabrera and Evan Longoria not jammed down our throats like Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant or Lebron James?

Folks, the low ratings (mind you, placed in context, millions and millions are watching and the Series is beating, head-to-head, established programming) isn't a reflection of the Texas Rangers or St. Louis Cardinals. The NFL thrives every year during the Super Bowl and they've had teams from Indianapolis, Wisconsin, Baltimore, Boston, New York, Pittsburgh and New Orleans win the Super Bowl over teams from St. Louis, Raleigh, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, Seattle, Philadelphia and Oakland.

That's one team from New York and one from Chicago. That's it. It's not the product.

Tony Romo, preggers

In jeopardy

I'm sure Tony Romo and Candice Crawford were real pumped about how their pregnancy was announced.

Whilst former lover Jessica Simpson tried to sell the news of her pregnancy for $500,000, Romo was speaking at Cedar Hill High School when some dumb kid asked about making babies and the quarterback spilled the beans.

It's their first kid. They were married March 29, so we know it wasn't a shotgun wedding if the little future quarterback or media starlet is indeed due in March. They certainly wasted no time.

I just can't wait in 16 years when his uncle Chace gives little Thad Romo his first joint.

Take me home, country roads

Remember ... best two-loss team in the nation ... hang your hat on that!

The Big XII is, again, hedging its bets.

In case Missouri leaves for the SEC, which seems imminent, the conference is ready to offer a place to West Virginia, currently of the Big East, which would then have like five football programs left.

What I don't get is why isn't the Big XII waiting for Mizzou to leave? Why not just invite West Virginia? Why wait? Why react when you could be proactive?

It doesn't make any sense to me and I can't find any real logic as to why these conferences are sort of biding their time, because the Big XII is not alone, altough the Big XII should be entirely more desperate than the Big Ten, Pac 10 or SEC.

The Big XII should not only go ahead and invite these teams, but they should be inviting a lot of them. What's so scary about 14 or 16 teams? Is this all going back to the revenue sharing bullshit? Frankly, if that's still in the way, then put a bullet in the back of this dumb conference's head because it cooked.

And don't think that schools like Kansas State, Kansas and Baylor are going to wait around. If either get a good enough chance to jump ship, they will. And the way all three schools play football and basketball, don't count it out.

To the college football weekend:

Texas Tech 41, Oklahoma 38
I checked in on this game and saw that Tech was up 21-7. I looked at the clock: Midway through second quarter. By half, it was 24-7. No problem. Oklahoma will turn it on in the second half. No big deal.

I wasn't altogether wrong. Oklahoma outscored Tech 31-17. It wasn't enough. Tech with arguably its biggest win of the past 15 years considering this was at Norman. Those wins several years ago, especially against Texas, was in Lubbock. Going to Norman -- where Tech's routinely gotten its ass handed to them -- is a huge boon. With the shape of things, this was as even of a game as you could possible imagine. Yes, OU struggled on third down, but so did Tech. What killed the Sooners were the two turnovers, whilst the Red Raiders had none. Turnover battle wins games.

Kansas State 59, Kansas 21
Kansas State is a complete team. They play defense and run one of the most efficient, unsuperstar offense in the nation. Wins against Baylor, Texas Tech and Miami are looking better and better.

Oklahoma State 45, Missouri 24
Remember last Friday when I said the Pokes should be wary of a feisty Tiger team on the road? And that Mizzou should be able to stop Oklahoma State's run offense? Nevermind. Not only did Okie State crush Mizzou, but they decided to mess around and collect 195 yards on 31 carries, including a 10-yard average from Joe Randle.

Texas A&M 33, Iowa State 17
Some are saying A&M's the best two-loss team in the nation. No idea what that means. Christine Michael and Cy Gray combined for and insane 39 carries and 267 yards rushing.

Southern Mississippi 27, SMU 3
By far the most disappointing loss of the weekend. SMU's offense fell completely flat. Beyond flat. It sunk.

TCU 69, New Mexico 0
TCU is 5-2 and just tanned the hide of New Mexico. Yet, they still can't get no stinkin' respect.

North Texas 38, Louisiana-Monroe 21
Derek Thompson had his best game as a member of the Mean Green and Lance Dunbar was a horse in the run game. North Texas is 3-5. Getting bowl eligible would be huge.

SFA 57, Nicholls State 21
I'd feel something if Nicholls State wasn't one of the worst teams in the nation.

The Jennie-O Call to the Bullpen

LaRussa had initially asked for Eckersley, who was unavailable last night

If you want bizarre, you got it.

Just read up on the Rangers' half of the eighth inning last night in game 5 of the World Series.

It's so weird, so conflicting and confusing that it almost makes sense. Anyway, we'd be crucifying Ron Washington if this happened on his watch. To be honest with you, I don't know if I blame Tony LaRussa or not. If you want to be tickled, listen to LaRussa's post-game press conference as he explains the issue with the bullpen phone, Jason Motte and more.

The bottomline here is that the Rangers fandom -- 51,000 strong -- made so much noise and din that it derailed the Cardinals from functioning. Weird for a football town.

Here's, by LaRussa's account, what happened:

1. Lance Lynn was not going to pitch at all last night.

2. LaRussa called the bullpen. Told the bullpen coach to warm Mark Rzepczynski and Jason Motte. A lefty and righty, respectively.

3. Octavio Dotel had allowed a double to Mike Young and struck out Adrian Beltre. Post-game, Dotel told pitching coach Dave Duncan he wanted to pitch to Nelson Cruz, but that LaRussa wanted an intentional walk. Dotel acquiesces.

4. Mind you, right now, LaRussa assumes that Rzepczynski and Motte are warm, or close.

5. LaRussa brings in lefty Rzepczynski to face lefty David Murphy. Again, Murphy reaches on an infield single off Rzepczynski's glove. Bases loaded.

6. AT THIS POINT, LaRussa wanted Motte. Of course, Motte had never gotten up to warm. He was not ready.

7. LaRussa realizes this and calls the bullpen again to tell them to warm Motte. REMEMBER, sometime around Young's double, LaRussa had called to warm Rzepczynski and Motte. Beltre batted. There'd been a visit to the mound. An intentional walk to Cruz. A visit to the mound. A change of pitcher. Warm up. Murphy's at bat. AND WITH MIKE NAPOLI COMING TO THE PLATE, that's apparently when LaRussa and Duncan realized that Motte had not warmed. That's a solid 10-12 minutes of the manager and the world-renowned pitching coach not realize what was happening in left-centerfield.

8. Rzepczynski pitches to Napoli. He doubles. 4-2.

9. While LaRussa assumes he has Motte warming and warmed, Rzepczynski strikes out Mitch Moreland.

10. AGAIN, LaRussa and Duncan fail to realize that not only is Motte still not warming, but Lance Lynn -- THE GUY THAT EVERYONE KNEW WASN'T GOING TO PITCH THAT NIGHT -- was warm and ready. The bullpen coach said after the game that he heard "LYNN" and not "MOTTE."

11. By all accounts, LaRussa didn't realize that Lynn was coming into the game until he walked up to the mound. Who the fuck is running this team?

12. LaRussa said something very cocky after the game: “If he hears ‘Lynn’ and I’m the manager. What is he going to say?” This isn't fucking China. In this country, we question our superiors all the time. LaRussa really believes he's above reproach and disbelief. No doubt he's a good manager. Still, I doubt that he hasn't had an assistant go up and question his moves or intentions. This isn't rocket science. If my boss comes up and tells me to punch another employee in the face, I'm not going to absent-mindedly do it.

The person really skating through all of this: Dave Duncan. If LaRussa is a deity, Duncan's the archangel. I read a baseball writer earlier in the week say he should be the first assistant manager put into the Hall of Fame.

What's he doing through all of this? After you ask a guy to get loose, isn't the pitching coach on the phone asking questions, wondering if the pitcher is ready? Isn't he looking down to the bullpen seeing who is there and who is not? Isn't he talking to LaRussa asking questions and ... clutch the pearls!!!! ... putting LaRussa's strategy or logic up to the microscope?

Nap

Weiner

I don't know whether to love Mike Napoli or to love GM Jon Daniels more.

Yes, Napoli is the fucking stud. He's Engelberger. He's "Ham" Porter. He's Babe Ruth. He's the slightly fat, unshaven guy that doesn't button the jersey all the way. He's the catcher. He carries a gigantic bat. He has gilded testicles the size of a small state. Like Rhode Island.

Daniels, on the other hand, has testicles, too. Trading Frank Francisco for Napoli in the off-season, I don't think, took gilded testicles the size of Vermont to make. We might have been a little perplexed at the situation considering Nap had just been traded by the California Angels to the Blue Jays days before. Also, it was another bat added after paying a hefty price for Adrian Beltre, which moved Mike Young to the designated hitter role, a spot we thought Nap could only handle.

Still, we were not bemoaning the loss of Francisco. We had a lot more worries than the Napoli trade.

It's October and we can't imagine 2011 without Mike Napoli.

The dude's been nails. He's driven in nine of the Rangers' 19 runs in the World Series. He drove in two last night off a bases-load double that put the Rangers up 4-2 and 3-2 for the series.

Twenty-seven outs.

Like the rest of the 25-man roster, Napoli is not one-dimensional and that's why we're one win away from a world championship. Napoli's at-bats are gigantic. His RBI are huge. However, his ability to call a game, get out of trouble and control the run game is otherworldly.

Which brings me to what I think is the ultimate key to this series: Defense.

The Rangers have not played pristine defense. See: Last night. David Murphy's bobble in the outfield, Mitch Moreland's flub at first and C.J. Wilson's wayward throw almost and should have buried the Rangers.

However, it is the biggest reason the Rangers are 27 outs away. First and foremost, Adrian Beltre. If the Rangers do not tender the man a contract and he plays for Anaheim or Boston or whoever, the Rangers may or may not make the playoffs. His regular-season output was huge. But you never know.

But I think his defense at the hot corner has been a 150 percent improvement from a year ago. I would daresay that if Beltre were at third base last year, the Rangers fare much better against the San Francisco Giants. I don't know how many runs Beltre's defense has saved. I bet he's robbed any number of hits saving pitches thrown. The guy's been incredible, invaluable.

Up the middle, the Rangers are salty. Between Napoli-Yorvit Torrealba at catcher and Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler at short and second, the entire left side of the Rangers' infield will rob you of more hits and runs than most pitchers.

Sprinkle Mitch Moreland with any number of stretches and grabs at first and its an infield that makes a stupendous impact on the game. It's not just defense. It's like an offense. I sound really high.

****
I've had it with C.J. Wilson. Good luck with your $100 million contract. Good luck with southern California.

No one's defended Ceej more than me and I'm thrilled that the Rangers gave him the opportunity to be a starter and I'm even more thrilled that he excelled at it. I'll be equally as happy when he's gone.

No one's caused more gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair than Wilson. For me, walks are inexcusable. I don't care who the hitter is. I don't care the situation. I don't care about the umpire or whatever.

I need you to throw strikes in the final home game, game 5 of the World Series. The last time -- in spite of everything -- those 50,000 fans will see you in Ranger-red, blue and white. You throw strikes.

Wilson couldn't do it. Or didn't do it. I don't know what goes through his head. He's a cocky son of a bitch that thinks he's about 10 times better than he actually is. Wilson was our "ace" in that he'd stop a losing streak, he'd eat innings.

"Aces" in the truest sense win you a game 5.

Yet, through 5.1 innings he allowed a mere one earned run. He battles just as well as any other pitcher. But Cliff Lee or Chris Carpenter doesn't talk about their knife-fighting or helicopter-flying prowess. They don't need to.

Wilson's 2011 post-season:

27.2 IP - 29 hits - 21 runs - 19 BBs - 24 Ks.

Yet, come December that will get him about $90 million that I don't want the Rangers to spend.

****
Neftali Feliz hasn't pitched better. Do not discount striking out Albert Pujols. That is a man and he embarrasses even the best pitchers in this game. Usually, eight-pitch at-bats go his way and his way only.

Feliz battled. I don't remember a time when he threw so many off-speed pitches. I kept looking up at the gun and a barrage of "82," "82," "83" and "82" kept popping up. All those do is set up his 98-mph fastball. Still, he was getting his slider over for strikes.

His career World Series WHIP's dipped to 0.706. He's allowed two total runs and six hits in 17.2 innings in two post-seasons.

****
If you are the St. Louis Cardinals fanbase, more than anything, aren't you questioning Allen Craig's baserunning with Albert Pujols at the plate (whether or not Pujols called a hit-and-run)? He was out by a country mile each time.

****
Ian Kinsler has a .455 on-base percentage in the World Series.

****
I don't know how the Cardinals and their fans perceive the Rangers' line-up. Clearly now they realize that the Rangers' No. 8 hitter may be the most dangerous guy on the card.

Then you see the No. 9 hitter -- Mitch the Bitch -- lay down some good leather hit that home run to Saginaw.

The way I'm scared shitless about the Yankees' Nos. 2-6 hitters, Cardinals fans must be terrified of the Rangers' Nos. 1-9 hitters.

No wonder they love the DH.

Rookie charges Dallas Cowboys

Pitch, left

Man, how about Dan Bailey!!

Hits field goals of 30 and 51 yards. Down the middle of the uprights.

Oh. I guess that's not the rookie that's fired up everyone's loins yesterday afternoon. Although, we shouldn't take Bailey for granted. Remember, the Cowboys had about a half dozen kickers in camp and never once did anyone feel like Bailey was the frontrunner. Seems like they were looking for excuses to cut him then.

Come week 1, he's your kicker and he can't miss.

But this isn't about Bailey. It's the running back out of the other Oklahoma school.

DeMarco Murray rushed for what had to be the easiest 253 yards in the history of the NFL in a 34-7 win over the St. Louis Rams.

That is a single-game record for the Dallas Cowboys. And it included the second-longest run from scrimmage -- first quarter, 91 yards -- following Tony Dorsett's 99-yard run 25 years ago.

As soon as Murray broke that big run, I knew immediately the reaction: Bench Felix Jones, start Murray. Logical. The elation of a 91-yard-run which has been as rare as Halley's Comet can get a fan to think all number of things.

What tempered any enthusiasm is the fact that the Cowboys beat up on one of the worst teams in the league, the 0-6 Rams, who were without Sam Bradford and other important players. Thus, Murray rushing for 253 doesn't translate. The idea is that Jones would have done the same thing against the Rams.

I disagree.

I would have given Jones a 55 percent chance of getting tackled on the 91-yard run, mainly by that last guy in the secondary that Murray wound up criss-crossing by juking toward the left sideline. Jones would have been tackled there. I can't explain it and I have no proof of tendency or anything. But how many times have we seen Jones in the open field get tackled by a guy in the secondary. Yes, it was a nice run, but elite running backs make that guy miss, break a tackle or simply run away from him. I think Jones is very talented. I just don't think he has that vision and patience to wait for a defender to overrun his tackle or hit that hole that's open for a half second.

Yes, Murray abused a bad Rams team. However, it's not like the Cowboys have gone up against world beaters:

Team NFL Rank-Rushing Defense
New York Jets 26
San Francisco 49ers 2
Washington Redskins 17
Detroit Lions 28
New England Patriots 8

There's little to no difference in the offensive line here. The only change was Montrae Holland -- a guy applying to Home Depot a week ago -- starting at right guard. Otherwise it was Doug Free, Phil Costa, Kyle Kosier and Tyron Smith.

Jones' high game was 114 against Washington. He faced two of the worst rushing defense (Jets, Lions) and couldn't do a thing with an arguably better offensive line than what Murray did with a back-up and two rookies.

Heck, even Phillip Tanner looked good.

I'm not saying that Jones is a bust and Murray needs 25 carries a game. I do think there's a running back controversy and if Jones is out for much longer, he might come back as a second-string back. That may or may not be a bad thing.

Grades:

Quarterback -- B
See, quarterbacks look a shitload better when there's zero pressure to make a pass for 14 yards every third down. To give Romo a little credit, for the first five games, he's been forced into bad situations where he has to pass because A) the yardage/down demand it; and B) the Cowboys can't run. When the Cowboys run, it takes all the pressure off Romo. The Cowboys had eight total third downs. They committed just six penalties for 30 yards. Romo was never put into a position to fail, just succeed.

Running Back -- A+
See above. By the way, Tashard Choice needs to go away. He might be hurt. But I think his bag is empty.

Wide Receiver -- A
Opinion: Dez Bryant reminds me of a former Dallas Cowboys great. But not a No. 88. Try No. 81. That spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E. I first thought it when Romo had his troubles this year and Bryant went to the media pleading his support for the quarterback. Then the hissy fits and theatrics. The smallish injury drama (although the former No. 81 was never hurt). Then yesterday when Murray peeled off the 91-year run, there's our No. 88 running past the defenders "escorting" the back to the end zone. Or was he merely attempting to make it into the highlight reel? Terrell Owens did the same thing while he was here. By the way, how useful is Laurent Robinson as a No. 3 receiver? He catches the ball. Check!

Tight End -- B
Very quietly, Jason Witten passed Ray Berry, Drew Hill and Don Maynard on the all-time catches list. He's now in the top 50 all time. He'll catch Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome within the next two weeks. He'll more than likely catch Drew Pearson, Tony Hill, Oz and Jackie Smith in yardage this season. As of yesterday, he eclipsed Bob Hayes, by two yards.

Offensive Line -- B+
I thought the interior of the line -- Holland, Kosier, Costa -- played remarkably well. I know Doug Free was beat badly on one sack. I didn't hear Chris Long's name at all, so I only assume Tyron Smith took care of business on the right side. Smith will be on the left side next season. Mark that down.

Defensive Line -- B+
Take away his big run, Steven Jackson ran 17 times for 30 yards. Probably the best they've looked all year, especially Jay Ratliff, who spends more time disappearing than he does appearing.

Linebackers -- C+
Solid. Nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary, one way or the other. Certainly not bad.

Secondary -- A
You know, I don't think I've heard one thing about the secondary this season. We keep waiting for them to get burned week in and week out and it never happens. I think it starts with the safeties Abram Elam and Gerald Sensabaugh, who I think have had tremendous seasons. They tackle well, I don't remember a pass play where they were just completely clueless and they've gotten their hands on some loose balls and wayward passes. They went from slowing down Tom Brady to dominating A.J. Feeley. For whatever that's worth.

Special Teams -- A
I think the Cowboys' special teams has been the secret to the relative success they've had this year. They are top 10 in kickoff coverage and top 15 in punt coverage. The longest punt return they've allowed is 20 yards. Never since Bill Parcells was here have opponents' field position flipped flopped. Add in Dan Bailey and special teams have been spectacular.

Coaching -- A
No upset here. The Cowboys did something they haven't done in a long, long time. They blew out a bad team. One week after giving the mighty Patriots a good fight, they blew the doors off a bad Rams team. Sometimes you can judge a team's ability on how they kill bad teams as compared to how they fare against good teams. The Cowboys are not elite or even second tier. But they are better than 50 percent of the league. You can build on that.

Dutch

The biggest of stages

What did Ron Washington say to Derek Holland before game 4 tonight?

I don't know myself. I'm sure Wash will be asked that tonight, post-game.

I'd like to take a guess. In summary:

"Dutchie, we need you. Throw strikes."

My what a year makes. Tonight, in the World Series:

8.2 IP - 2 hits - 0 runs - 2 BBs - 7 Ks.

A year ago, in the World Series:

1 IP - 0 hits - 3 runs - 4 BBs - 1 Ks.

Technically, he's pitched more than a full game and allowed two hits.

Yeah, that's not the point I guess. Walking home three runs (I still don't understand what Wash was watching last year) was clearly the coup de grace of meltdowns. There was always that thought that Dutch would be remembered for that.

No longer. Holland sexually abused the strike zone, picked his spots, threw several pitches for strikes, went inside to all the righties and wowed a national audience and sent the Ballpark into a mad hysteria of disbelief.

When Holland's on, I think he's the best starter in the rotation. When he's off, there may be no one worse. Tonight he was clearly on. It showed early. Throwing strikes and jamming the right-handed hitters. They never really stood a chance against that 95-mph fastball coming at your hands.

I think Wash built this rotation perfectly for the series to get the maximum amount of success. Getting Colby Lewis twice on the road, keeping Holland and Harrison at home.

Never once did I really feel Wash gave up or lost confidence in Holland. I think he sees the potential as much as we all see the potential. Holland can be a great starter. I just think he needs to grow up a little.

If he was a boy in 2010, he's a young man now. He has the mustache to prove it.

****
Another tip of the cap to Wash, who tends to rile fans up either way from game to game with his roster, line-up, bullpen moves or in-game decisions.

He went with Mitch Moreland tonight at first base. Clearly, he's better defensively, you had a lefty bat to the line-up and you wanted Mike Napoli catching Holland as he has for most of the season.

The subtle move, something I didn't hear the TV guys mention, was slotting David Murphy in the seven hole, Napoli eight and then Moreland in the nine hole.

The natural inclination would be to have Napoli in the seven hold, but that would have both lefties going back to back. Kinda plays into Tony LaRussa's bullpen shenanigans allowing him to bring in a lefty late in the game, if needed.

Instead, Wash split his lefties with a bit of Nap-Nap-Weiner. In the sixth, Edwin Jackson walked Nelson Cruz and David Murphy with one out. I don't know LaRussa's thoughts here. It was Jackson's seventh walk (Murphy) and he was clearly on his last legs. LaRussa's pulled better pitchers for less.

Maybe he didn't want to burn a lefty (Arthur Rhodes?) on Murphy. I don't know. Maybe Wash's line-up move didn't have the biggest of impacts. I refuse to believe that it didn't have any impact, that it didn't make LaRussa make hard decisions.

****
I thought the 6-8 hitters for the Rangers were the key. Yes, it includes Napoli's gigantic, The Sandlot-like homer off Mitchell Boggs. It also included six total walks. It included tough, tough at-bats where the pitcher had to continously make that pitch over and over.

It didn't always result in hits or three-run homers. But it made LaRussa and Jackson think that once they got past the No. 5 hitter it wasn't over. You still had Nelson Cruz, The Baptist Bomber and Napster. It's a line-up that doesn't quit.

It's a three-game series. Best of two.

Disaster

The mighty

What are you going to do?

After game 1, the St. Louis Cardinals' Lance Berkman said that his team had to win the "National League games" referring to low-scoring, defensive and pitching struggles, and that they couldn't play the high-scoring game of the Texas Rangers.

Think again. 16-7.

Albert Pujols is getting all of the attention and hitting three home runs will get you that, I guess. No doubt he was brilliant and the Cards just beat the shit out of the Rangers.

What pisses me off is the Rangers' focus.

Errors (three, three unearned runs). Walks (six, five of those baserunners scored). Unforgiveable baserunning (Dave Anderson should be fired on the spot). And Ian Kinsler (six runners left on base, including a bases-loaded situation).

I don't know if the Rangers win without those issues. It'd be damned close though.

Nonetheless, the Cards had 15 hits and four home runs. That's enough to get you beat. (Although they had 13 hits and two homers ... let's face it, those mistakes cost them the game.)

What also kills me is Ron Washington. I really love the guy. There are some things he does that I guess is him going with his gut or whatever. I thought it was a monumental mistake starting Mike Napoli at first base and Yorvit Torrealba at catcher.

For one, Mitch Moreland would have been another lefty bat going against the righty Kyle Lohse (although, Torrealba was no slouch at the plate). He's also a decent defensive improvement over Napoli at first ... I would doubt Moreland throw wide right on that throw home being a former pitcher. Also, it should be noted that starter Matt Harrison had much more success with Napoli catching him than Torrealba. Ten of Harrison's win came with Napoli and he allowed just three home runs in 89 innings in the regular season.

Again, I don't know if it makes a difference. At no time did I think Torrealba was the difference between winning and losing and I have no problem with him catching C.J. Wilson or Colby Lewis. I just don't understand why you change things up now, in the motherfucking World Series.

Shit.

Cowboys-Rams

Twisty

The big news coming down today as we prepare for the Dallas Cowboys-St. Louis Rams match-up tomorrow afternoon, is Sam Bradford sitting out due to a bad ankle.

This might be a good thing. The Rams offensive line has allowed a league-high 22 sacks. Twenty-one of those times it was Bradford on the receiving end of that punishment.

This probably is the biggest reason the Rams suck so much despite all the promise of doing something in the dreadful NFC West. They can't protect. They can't break anything for Steven Jackson. The offensive line is holding this team hostage, they're handcuffing this team's two best players.

It probably would not have mattered that Bradford played. And it doesn't matter what receivers they have or if they added Brandon Lloyd or not. None of that matters if your quarterback can't stay upright.

Five things:

A Blowout
Considering this city's current situation with St. Louis teams, it'd be nice if the Cowboys broke this close-game streak and blew the doors off the Rams. However, we must remember a very telling fact about this team: They can beat any team in the league. They can also lose to any team in the league. Remember three years ago when the Cowboys rolled into St. Louis and despite starting Brad Johnson, everyone was confident that a talented Cowboys team could handle the woeful Rams. Instead, the Rams pounced and the Cowboys wound up out of the playoffs. Suddenly, the NFC East is winnable. The Cowboys have something to play for. Let's see if that's motivation enough.

Chris Long
He's the only Rams player on defense worth a damn and behind Jackson, he's the second-best player on the team. He's going up against rookie Tyron Smith. Although I think Smith will hold his own, it'll be good to see a match-up against two future stars.

DeMarco Murray
We're told that Murray will be this team's lead back tomorrow. Considering their infatuation with Tashard Choice, I would not be surprised if he wound up with a majority of the attempts. Murray's also the new punt returner, or so was the presumption from practice. It's exciting. Let's see what the kid has, if anything.

Josh Howard
The former Dallas Maverick was ridiculed the most for one thing: Disappearing in the second halves of games. Suddenly, Dez Bryant is doing the same thing. He's caught a total of two passes in the second half all year. That's so awful that it's hard to be mad about it. You'd almost have to try to not catch more balls, if you're Dez Bryant. Against the New York Jets, it was clearly fatigue and injury. I don't know the reason for the last four. Patience is running a little thin with Bryant, I think. Seems like the bullshit isn't flying like it once did.

Jason Garrett
Coaching one week after his boss publicly questioned his play calling. One week since Gordon Keith introduced the world to the Fake Jason Garrett. The Ginger Jesus is a reactionary guy. He knows what is being said about him and I think he coaches emotionally. He'll do something to a fault just to prove a fucking point. If this thing is close, do not be surprised by a pass in an attempt to run the clock.

Prediction
Dallas Cowboys 33, St. Louis Rams 13
A nice win against a bad team and we can all feel a little better about this thing. Wins are at a premium. In a weird way, this is a must-win. If they don't, write off the season.

In alignment

It's party time in Pacific Standard Time

Before you dismiss October hockey know two things:

1. The NBA season is dead. We just don't know it yet.

2. Points accrued in October count just as much as those in May.

If the Dallas Stars find themselves in need of a point this coming March, there's a chance they had already found it in October.

The Stars beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 tonight. They are 6-1 now and 2-1 on the road, having won two straight.

Should things continue at the pace as it happens on the ice, I can really see this little run paying off in the end. Things are not entirely sharp. It appears that focus is lost and the Stars turn in 15 great minutes in exchange for 15 lousy minutes where the opposition tends to hang on to the puck in the Stars' end.

The Stars survived tonight giving up 36 shots whilst attempting 19. The Stars also gave in four power plays and, luckily, gave up just one goal, and even that was rather flukey happening just before the buzzer signaling the end of the second period.

Still, the Stars stand on top as this little crest of the wave continues to move upward.

1. The second line rocked the Ducks' world. Loui Eriksson, Jamie Benn and Steve Ott combined to go +6 with two goals and four assists.

2. Kari Lehtonen is 6-0 this season.

3. Stars play tomorrow night in Los Angeles against a Kings team many thing are Stanley Cup contenders. Fantastic measuring stick.

4. Lehtonen reminds me of the lead singer from The Ataris.

Big college football weekend

Cutie with a bootie

What's left of the Big XII conference has two teams in the top 5 and five in the top 25, although I don't know how Texas is even in the top 30.

If they could get along and share, they'd be either the best or second-best conference in the nation every year.

The games:

SMU (5-1, 3-0) vs. Southern Mississippi (5-1, 1-1)
We're at a point that the Mustangs are on the verge of creeping into the top 25. We're also entering the meat of their schedule. Southern Miss' cornerstone win this season was against Virginia and their loss was against Marshall. SMU lost to Texas A&M and beat TCU. Advantage: SMU. But Southern Miss is an extremely versatile and balanced offense that scores a lot. June Jones' hands will be full.

Oklahoma State (6-0, 3-0) vs. Missouri (3-3, 1-2)
Incredibly tricky game for the Pokes on the road. Mizzou can run the ball (236 yards a game) and the Cowboys allow 176 per contest. I don't think Missouri will win or anything, but it might get too close for comfort for Okie State.

Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1) vs. Iowa State (3-3, 0-3)
This dumb season is going to be the ultimate "what if" affair for the Aggies. Those collapses to Arkansas and Oklahoma State are looming large. Since, they've handled Texas Tech and Baylor in consecutive weeks. They're sitting in the top 5 right now if they can quit blowing chunks on the field.

Texas Tech (4-2, 2-1) vs. Oklahoma (6-0, 3-0)
Raiders in Norman? OU puts 80 up on Tech. If they want.

TCU (4-2, 2-0) vs. New Mexico (0-6, 0-2)
Want to know the level of disrespect folks have for non-BCS schools? TCU went from winning the Rose Bowl and have slipped to 4-2 this season. They received one vote between the USA Today and AP polls last week. One. Meanwhile, Texas farts and they sneak into the top 20.

Kansas State (6-0, 3-0) vs. Kansas (2-4, 0-3)
The Jayhawks have lost by a cumulative 135 points. That total will go up significantly this weekend. The only thing to watch for K-State is them looking ahead (Oklahoma next week) while being on the road in a rivalry game.

Louisiana-Monroe (2-4, 1-1) vs. North Texas (2-5, 1-2)
La-Mo is better than you think. Losses to TCU, Iowa and Florida State. Who's scheduling this team's non-conference? Geesh. Mean Green get pounded at home.

SFA (1-5, 0-2) vs. Nicholls State (1-6, 0-3)
Nominee for worst college football game of the week.

Dirkgate

Sports

Although basketball is on hold, at least for now, we know Dirk Nowitzki is stateside, and remains very sportsy.

Nowitzki was unexpectedly thrust into a minor media brouhaha Wednesday night just before first pitch of game 1 of the World Series when the giant Teuton was taken off the short list to throw out a ceremonial first pitch when the Series came to north Texas.

Apparently, MLB didn't want to show any kind of involvement with the current labor dispute by having the area's current sports hero throwing out a meaningless baseball to Mike Young or Gary Pettis or whoever.

Dirk's Twitter response:

"Thanks every1 on the support regarding first pitch. Its ok.Mlb is too old school. I will still be there to support our boys. Let's get game1"

MLB's response to the subsequent media and Twitter fire:

"OK. OK. He can throw the ball."

MLB relented like a bunch of pussies that they are. But if you try to wear a cap in honor of Sept. 11, 2001, you are fucked.

Despite his support for the Rangers, during game 1, Nowitzki was at the FC Dallas match against Toronto FC. Dallas lost, 3-0. Dirk should stick to baseball games.

It is refreshing to see a guy like Nowitzki actively root so hard for a team in the city. Do you think Lebron James is at Florida Marlins or Florida Panthers games? I've never seen Peyton Manning at an Indiana Pacers game or send goodwill Tweets to Danny Granger.

It is quite impossible to even remotely dislike Das German.

Elvis

The Tiniest of Es

There are moments that turn back eight innings of grief, 30 hours of hand wringing and worry.

There are moments that bestow grace on all the mistakes and blunders.

Elvis Andrus' single and subsequent taking of second base after an errant cutoff had to put a smile on every Rangers fan's face. After playing into Tony LaRussa's hands for 17 straight innings and Ron Washington getting completely pantsed for this entire series, the Rangers get back to what won them 96 games and another seven games to get them to this point.

Ian Kinsler gets contact off Jason Motte and his bloop falls to put him on first. Kinsler takes off as Andrus is "attempting" to bunt. Kinsler narrowly beats out the throw, a dart from Yadier Molina.

Then Andrus' hit. Opposite field. Professional as shit, cool as a cucumber.

A pair of sacrifice flies later, it's 2-1 and Neftali Feliz nails it down.

2-1. Series at 1-1 going to Arlington. Series on.

Andrus' insanely great play bailed out several Texas Rangers. Here's who:

Michael Young
Allen Craig continuing to own Alexi Ogando is only an issue for one reason: Mike Young's awful defense. The Rangers need to get to the Ballpark as soon as possible in order to get Young back at designated hitter and Mitch Moreland back at first. The inning started with Colby Lewis sandwiched a Dave Freese single between two outs with the No. 8 hitter, Nick Punto, up to bat. Lewis gets Punto to ground relatively close to Young at first, a hot shot, but something that any capable first baseman makes.

It eats Young's lunch and dinner, runners at the corners with Craig coming. It frankly reminded me of last season watching Young toro a number of groundballs at third base. Sad fact is is that you need his bat in the line-up and in the National League park, the only way is to put him at first. He's a huge liability.

Ron Washington
Speaking of deja vu, if Ron Washington didn't go out and make the same dumb moves as he did last night. Andrus changed the game out of pure will and ability. Nothing can change Washington making the same in-game flubs as the night before. Again, he pulled the starter, I thought, a little too early, put Ogando up against a guy that his his number, gives up the tie, forces Ogando to get one out before getting pulled in the top half of the next inning because he came to bat.

So, we have, arguably, one of our best bullpen arms throwing to two batters. Our starter, who was cruising, on the bench. And a carousel of pinch hitters the next half inning.

Speaking of, why Dave Murphy isn't getting a chance to swing his hot bat is stupefying. Then announcing him, allowing LaRussa to make a change and then yanking Murph back and losing him for the game. What an idiotic set of decisions. Then, Wash finally puts Yorvit Torrealba in to bat. He strikes out, urging every asshole on Twitter to say that Wash was right for not pinch-hitting Torrealba. Just because both guys sucked doesn't make either a right move. They both sucked. And Esteban German. Who's running this team.

Wash is not managing within his ability. He's attempting to outsmart LaRussa, and it's not working.

Now, let's look at a couple of "forgotten" players:

Colby Lewis
Phenomenal. Pounding the strike zone. Making the pitches. Not letting the Cards get a hold of one. The best start of the Rangers' post-season, by a million miles. Exactly what the Rangers needed. At worst, we see him again in game 6 or 7. In 44 career post-season innings: 4-1, 2.22 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 40 Ks and 19 BBs.

The Defense
Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus all had great to spectacular. Beltre is a vacuum at third base. Andrus put on a clinic at shortstop and KInsler showed his range at second. While fielding shot the Cardinals' wheels off tonight, it was defense that saved the Rangers' night. I would imagine defense alone saved, at least, two runs (if you project some of those going for hits) and probably 40 or so pitches from Lewis and the bullpen.

Neftali Feliz
He's 23 and his post-season resume is sparkling: 1.13 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. In 11.1 innings in the ALCS and World Series, he's not allowed a run, struck out 14 and allowed two hits. You watch him last night, especially against the bottom of the Cardinals order, and you know those guys, as good as they might be, have no shot at catching up to his fastball. Add the movement and it's impossible. Poor little Nick Punto trying to bunt. After the second failed attempt, he just looked at the third-base coach and shrugged. Like, "What the fuck am I supposed to do trying to bunt a 100 mph fastball going six ways to Sunday?"

Ian Kinsler
We shouldn't forget what a fantastic Series Kinsler is having. He's hitting .571 and has gotten on base 62 percent of the time. On the road. The Rangers play another three games in Arlington where he rakes. He's a career .307 post-season hitter with 16 walks and just 12 strikeouts. This post-season, he has nine RBI and nine runs. Brilliant.

Born to Ron

I know. Bummer, dude.

Anyone knee jerking after the Texas Rangers lost game 1 of the World Series 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals should be taken out and shot.

Now is not the time to knee jerk. Too much knee jerk already.

Everyone got over excited after the Tampa Bay Rays won game 1 of the ALDS.

There was mass panic not only after game 3 of the ALCS (after going up 2-0), but also, inexplicably, after game 5 (the Rangers were up 3-2).

"Panic" is this town's middle name.

No need to panic now. Especially now. Getting beat 9-0 by Tampa was oddly horrifying for a bit. Getting shutdown by Doug Fister and having the wheels fly off C.J. Wilson's start against Detroit was disappointing.

Losing 3-2 in the goofiest and most marginal of circumstances is certainly not the end of the world. This is why you shouldn't freak out.

C.J. Wilson Was Obnoxiously Good
Obnoxious in that he wasn't great. Threw a lot of non-strikes. Missed the zone quite a bit. But he missed in spaces where the Cardinals couldn't get to it. Walks drive me bananas. Hit by pitches drive me super bananas. Not that Albert Pujols was going to hit a double in the fourth inning, but you at last attempt to get him out. With a walk, there's the chance that someone chases a bad pitch or you get a favorable call from the ump. Still, Wilson allowed two runs in 5.2 innings. The walks killed, but he battled. He wasn't the reason you lost this game.

The Cardinals Offense Was Uber-Flukey
Not to take anything away from the Cards. They won (somewhat) fair and square. Consider that Lance Berkman's fourth-inning single actually hit in foul territory before curving into fair territory on a swing that results in a foul ball, oh, 98 percent of the time and a groundout to first 1.8 percent of the time. Instead, it curved fair and over the head of Mike Young and it scored two. Fast forward to Allen Craig's pinch-hit single. For one, Tony LaRussa isn't a genius for pinch-hitting Craig over Chris Carpenter. It's the pitcher, for one. Two, Craig's a professional baseball player. He's not some guy off the street. He's had plenty of hits. LaRussa's "genius" is baseball common sense. Two, how many times have we seen Nelson Cruz make that catch in right field. In slow-mo replay, it's shocking that he missed it as much as he did considering it looked like, at first glance, that he caught it and it rolled out of the glove.

The Rangers Gave Away Outs Or Outs Were Taken Away
You get 27 outs in a Major League game. C.J. Wilson accounted for two of those last night. 25 left. Ron Washington decided we had too many so he let Craig Gentry and Esteban German bat. 23 left. Then the killer. Top of the ninth, down a run and the meaty part of your order is up. Adrian Beltre was already 2-3 with a scorching double down the third base line. Beltre swings and drives the ball into his toe. Beltre leaps and stumbles in apparent pain not attempting to go to first. The ball is smacked from the toe to the third baseman. It looked like it hit him. It did. The ump calls it a grounder and Beltre is out. 22 outs and Mike Napoli doesn't come to the plate in the ninth.

You Didn't Have To Use Mike Adams, Neftali Feliz Or Alexi Ogando Very Much
All three will be fresh with a day off tomorrow. And how big has Scott Feldman been? Bullpen arm in 2011?

Ron Washington Gets Fancy
There's no doubt that Tony LaRussa is the better manager here. What Ron Washington needs to do is manager within his means, how he's managed the better part of the last six months. I think Wash make two critical errors:

1. I let Wilson pitch to Nick Punto. It's the World Series. It's late-October. You've been at this thing for six or seven months now. You've battled the likes of CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Joe Mauer, Paul Konerko, Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester and every other great player in the American League. The second you start worrying about Nick Punto is the second you need to actually second guess yourself. Punto hit .273 against lefties this year. He's 1-4 off Wilson in the past. He's the No. 8 hitter. He should be coming off the bench. Instead he's pressed into a starting role. You pitch to Nick Punto. He's your third out.

Next, after walking Punto and Carpenter (by the way, who was fantastic on the mound last night) was up and you knew, with David Freese on third, that LaRussa was going to go ahead and pinch hit. Craig's a nice little hitter. Hits both righties and lefties well. Still, I thought Wilson had gotten better as the night wore on. Instead, Wilson is lifted, Alexi Ogando allows the game-winning hit and then you have to pull Ogando in the top half of the seventh for a pinch hitter.

2. Esteban German. The Gentry thing makes sense only if you are going to use Yorvit Torrealba in lieu of Ogando. Plus, Gentry's played recently. He's had some clutch hits for you in the past. And he can slide into centerfield with Josh Hamilton moving to left in place of the Baptist Bomber, Dave Murphy.

However, it was all wrong. For one, I left Murphy hit. He's arguably been your best hitter the last two months. You want to boost someone's confidence, let Murph hit with two on in the seventh inning of the World Series against a lefty. Gentry should have stayed on the bench.

Then, German. Esteban German hasn't seen an opposing pitcher in a full month. Plus, he's been at Triple A the entire season. German is, at best, a pinch runner. At worst, he's a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth of game 7 in place of Scott Feldman. Or if Adrian Beltre breaks a leg, he can plug in at third. Never, ever should German come in during any other part of the game.

Then he comes in. Flails at three pitches. And post-game Wash is somehow defending that move.

Insane.

Game 2. Go get'em. Throw strikes.

Rangers-Cardinals

In the Cards

So it begins.

I don't where to start. So I'll start here.

"Team of Destiny"
I wish this bullshit would go away. Three weeks ago we needed to fear the Tampa Bay Rays. Yes, they were a good team. The Rangers needed to play well to beat them. They were not a "team of destiny." They were a team that played well because they are good and benefited from one of hte more historic regular season collapses in Major League Baseball history. Same with the St. Louis Cardinals. They are a good team and the Rangers, again, will need to play very well to win the World Series. However, the Cardinals are not ruled or propelled by some unseen force, some sports deity with an affinity for Tom Pagnozzi or Bob Tewksbury. The Cardinals did win 90 games and not long ago won a World Series. There's also that Pujols guy.

This differs from the 2010 San Francisco Giants, who also were not a "team of destiny." The Giants won 92 games in a very contentious division (three teams over .500) and also resulted in a collapse thanks to the San Diego Padres. Also, the Giants had two top-of-the-line pitchers (Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain), two pretty good pitchers (Madison Bumgarner, Jon Sanchez) and a killer bullpen. Add some clutch hitting and that's good enough for a world championship.

It's not destiny. It's rising up to the occasion. The idea of destiny takes away any value that World Series ring might hold.

"The Cardinals And Rangers Are The Same"
Umm, no. Untrue. Dig into whatever statistics you want. I'm sure the Rangers are similar to the Washington Nationals, the 1934 Cleveland Indians and the 1914 Chicago Whales. However, it's disrespectful to what the Rangers did this season to compare them to the Cardinals. Say what you will about the Rangers' bullpen, but the Cardinals with a halfway decent bullpen win the division by eight games. Their bullpen's sucked all season. Their offense is clutch, yes, but to call them necessarily good or deep the same way the Ranger's is is nuts. The Rangers' starting pitching is far superior and far deeper. And the Rangers defense is a lot better with far more range.

"Frankly, The Rangers Are Better"
I'm not saying they'll win the World Series. I'm just saying from April 1 to right now, the Rangers have been better than the St. Louis Cardinals. That's to take nothing away from the Cards. Hell, the Philadelphia Phillies were better than the Rangers. Yet, we all saw what the Cardinals did to them. But honestly if you're going to compare the 25-man of the Rangers to that of the Cardinals, the former needs a little more respect. The Rangers won their division by 10 games without the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds or Houston Astros on the schedule. The Rangers had five starters with at least 13 wins. The Rangers acquired pieces to make the seventh, eighth and ninth innings unhittable (that's not including Alexi Ogando). The Rangers have three guys with 30 homers and another two with at least 25.

Compare on paper all you want, just go ask any team in the Majors who'd they rather see in the World Series.

Some keys to things:

Mike Young
I thought Nelson Cruz was the offensive key to the Rangers in the ALCS. I was kinda right. Thankfully he stepped up. Now, I think the onus is now on the team captain, Mike Young. The irritable one woke up late in the ALCS with a pair of hits in game 5 and two doubles and a homer in game 6. Otherwise, he was dreadful. Dreadful Young must not return. No, Young needs to be on top of things. He needs to be the cog between the top of the order and the bashers at the bottom. A year ago, Young hit .250 with no extra-base hits and no RBI in the Series. That must change. Quickly. Huge.

Pujols
He must not come to the plate with runners on. He must never receive -- runners on or not -- a pitch to hit. It's like Miguel Cabrera on steroids. OK. Bad analogy.

Control
The Cardinals do some things well. Not an overwhelming amount of things. But enough to get you 90 wins. What they do exceptionally well, something that fuels their entire offense. They finished first in the Majors in average with runners in scoring position and runners in scoring position and two outs (.290, .269, respectively). The Cards finished sixth in walks in the Majors. The Rangers must throw strikes, something I think they've done relatively well (about 3.6 walks per game) against Tampa and Detroit. The Cardinals kill you with runners on. Just don't put them on. Simple. Right?

Starting Pitching
By the end of this Series, if the Rangers expect to win, we must all say, "Man, the Rangers' starting pitching simply outpitched the Cardinals. I think the Rangers starters have gotten a bad rap. Had they pitched like they have in the playoffs in the regular season, Ron Washington would have kept them in the game to go six or seven. Now, the Rangers have had bad starts. Particularly by C.J. Wilson (he's allowed 16 of the Rangers' 42 runs ... take those away and they've allowed 26 runs in nine games, which is about 2.8 per game). However, everyone else has held their own. Matt Harrison and Colby Lewis especially deserve a tad more credit than they've received.

Now's the time to let the guys go, if you're Washington. Know that if you can get to the sixth or seventh inning that the Cards will be increasingly desperate to score a run and that'll be tough against the Rangers' bullpen.

LaRussa
Ron Washington's a great manager. And he still could learn something from Tony LaRussa. This is his seventh World Series, and he's won two others. He'll coach your pants off. Be prepared for about a dozen pitching changes. Possibly in one inning. Maybe he overmanages. Doesn't matter. He wins a lot too and those guys like playing for him (maybe not Colby Rasmus) and he delivers. He has his team ready to play.

Cardinals Bullpen
They've been exceptional this post-season. Remarkable. A big reason they're playing tonight. However, that doesn't include the various meltdowns throughout this season. The Cardinals have lost an extraordinary amount of games in the late innings. Again, had they a decent bullpen, they run away with the NL Central. The Cards bullpen can be had, though. The key is getting to the starter. They've had their troubles in the post-season. If you can force the starter out early and make LaRussa pitch a reliever for a full inning (or with the intentions of doing so) there can be an opening there. Instead, if the starter goes six or seven and LaRussa can mix or match his match-ups, it's hard to get momentum and once you get used to one guy throwing, you're forced to figure out another. With LaRussa's strategy, getting to the late innings ahead might be trickier than just facing Neftali Feliz for 20 pitches.

Prediction
Rangers in seven
Rangers are just better. They can get a couple in St. Louis, I think. It'll be a battle though. Giddy.