The Dallas Mavericks have 10 straight 50-win seasons, they have 1 NBA Finals appearance, and the have the best European-born player in NBA history. They have no real number 2 scorer and until this year they did not have a real force in the paint. Why then do people continue to blame Dirk Nowitzki for his teams short-comings?
After another early playoff exit to the Spurs last season, Mavs fans nation-wide were calling for change, even if that meant parting ways with the franchise leader in almost every offensive category. With all do respect to said people, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!
The Mavs have never won a championship. Correct. The team continues to impress in the regular season and disappear during the playoffs. Agreed, but don't dare place the blame on Dirk. All he, the 2007 NBA MVP, has done is lead his team: in scoring, to the finals, a 67-win season and 10 consecutive 50-win seasons and playoff appearances. But I guess the general population of Mavs fans is right, "Meh, what has he REALLY done for me lately?"
Shame on you.
Dirk is arguably the greatest athlete this city has ever seen, definitely the greatest Mav ever, and somehow he is taken for granted. For his career he is averaging 23 points per game and 8 rebounds per game (that includes his rookie season when he averaged only 8 points and 3 rebounds a game). That means every night, he is going out and casually pouring in invaluable totals to help his team win. For those who think Dirk is the Mavs' problem, what more can you expect him to do. Oh and by the way, those point totals jump come playoff time so don't tell me he disappears when is matters most.
The main argument I've heard against him is that he just can't seem to win a championship with this team and he never will. You know what? That may be true but listen to this. Since 1980, thats 30 NBA seasons, there have been a grand total of 8, read that number again, 8 different champions. Meanwhile, in the NFL, there have been 8 different champions...since the year 2000.
Can we blame Dirk for not winning a championship when over the past 30 years only a quarter of the league has won a championship? It seems to me like that is a bit unfair. No one would dare say Ted Williams, the greatest hitter in baseball history, wasn't that good because he never won a championship. Dan Marino is still considered one of the top 3 quarterbacks of all-time despite the number of championships he has won, ZERO. Why is Dirk being held to a higher standard.
This is the man who recently passed Larry Bird, LARRY BIRD, for 25th on the all-time NBA Career Scoring List.
Is it Dirk's fault he never had a center to clog the middle and defend the likes of Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal in the paint? No.
Is it Dirk's fault we traded away youth and draft picks for an old, passed-his-prime point guard? No.
Dirk has done everything this organization has asked of him and more. It's about time we recognize and appreciate that.
The day Dirk Nowitzki retires and no longer is giving the Mavs 23-9 a game is the day most Mavs fans will understand his significance. You never truly appreciate what you've had until it's gone.
We are not that far removed from the days of the Mavericks being the worst team in the NBA and the days of 50+ wins and a playoff birth every year will not be here forever. Until these days past, appreciate the greatness of Dirk Nowitzki for it will not be here forever.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Cliff Lee Signs With Phillies
It was a foregone conclusion. The second the Rangers' season ended Cliff Lee would be offered a huge deal by the Yankees and the Evil Empire would claim another victim. Everyone knew it would happen. So why didn't it happen?
Cliff Lee spurned deals with the Yankees and the Rangers and settled on less money and fewer years with the Phillies. As a Rangers fan I am obviously disappointed in the fact that he won't be back with the team next year, but as a baseball fan I could not be happier. Isn't this what we have all been hoping for over the last decade? A player who will turn down the most money and play where he wants and where his family will be happy? Every single one of us (even a few Yankee fans I know) hate it that the Yanks can outbid everyone and sign whomever they want. It takes away from the fairness of the game.
Earlier in this process, before Lee made his decision, Hank Steinbrenner was quoted as saying, it would "behoove Cliff Lee to sign with the Yankees". Is that not the kind of pompous gloating we have come to despise? Yes it is and it looks like the players might be turning on the Yankees. Thy just don't seem to draw talent like they used to. Their fans are terrible, the media is brutal and the cost of living is astronomical. What makes New York better than any other baseball town? People will tell you it's the championships you can win. Oh, really? Last I checked the Yankees have spent billions of dollars on contracts over the last decade and have 1, count it again, 1 championship to show for it.
It seems to me that the Yankees may be losing some of their prestige with the young talent that is out there. So far this offseason, the biggest acquisition made by them was the signing of Russell Martin, a player who hit 5 homers drove in 26 rbi and hit .248 in 97 games this season. What are some of the names they missed out on? Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and apparently they have no shot at getting either Zack Greinke from Kansas City or Matt Garza from Tampa Bay. Is it time to panic in the Bronx? I don't know about that but it is definitely time to reevaluate things to try and make the Yankees a more prized destination.
As bad as this signing may be for the Yankees, it is equally good, if not better for the Phillies. Not only do they ad arguably the best left-hander in the game, he joins a staff that includes Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. The Phillies will be throwing a #1 caliber starter 4/5 of the time. If things go to plan and these pitchers pitch the way they are capable, this could be the greatest rotation of all time.
A bunch of people have been texting me and calling me to tell me how awful this is for the Rangers. I've got news for you, this is in some ways a good thing for the Rangers for two reasons. One, the contract that was offered to Lee was not a good contract for the future of this franchise. Any time you offer 6 years and $160 million to a player, no matter how good he may be, it is a bad contract. The second reason this is a good thing for the Rangers is like this. The Rangers showed that they can compete with the likes of the Yankees in the free-agent market. That means that no free-agent is out of reach, especially now since the Rangers are contenders. It also shows the John Daniels and the front office are willing to do whatever is in the best interest of the franchise to put a winning team on the field. When New York bumped up their deal to include a 7th yea, the Rangers didn't back down but rather they bumped up their own deal and were from then on considered the favorite over the Yankees to land Lee.
It's hard to see how this can possibly be a good thing for the Rangers or for baseball but trust me, anytime we can make a dent in the Yankees armor, it is a good thing. The Yankees couldn't compete with the Rangers on the field in the ALCS and they couldn't compete with the Rangers front office in the off-season.
The best news about Lee not signing with the Yankees? They Yankees are now in a panic and will overspend on players that worth nowhere near the money they will get. Remember, they just signed Derek Jeter to a new deal, they signed Mariano Riveria to a new deal, Jorge Posada's current deal and they still have A-Rod's gigantic monstrosity of a deal. Those contracts combined are worth $92.5 million dollars THIS YEAR alone. This year, the Yankees will be paying $93 million to four players that will not be on the team in 5 years. They can have all the money they want but it looks to me like they are wasting an awful lot of it.
Ranger fans, don't fret. The front office was preparing for this situation and I'm sure their plan B will be put into motion very shortly. Whether they go after Matt Garza or Zack Greinke is yet to be known but rest assured, the Rangers will continue to do everything that is necessary to field a championship caliber team.
One last thing, Cliff Lee....Thank you for the greatest Rangers season of my life.
Cliff Lee spurned deals with the Yankees and the Rangers and settled on less money and fewer years with the Phillies. As a Rangers fan I am obviously disappointed in the fact that he won't be back with the team next year, but as a baseball fan I could not be happier. Isn't this what we have all been hoping for over the last decade? A player who will turn down the most money and play where he wants and where his family will be happy? Every single one of us (even a few Yankee fans I know) hate it that the Yanks can outbid everyone and sign whomever they want. It takes away from the fairness of the game.
Earlier in this process, before Lee made his decision, Hank Steinbrenner was quoted as saying, it would "behoove Cliff Lee to sign with the Yankees". Is that not the kind of pompous gloating we have come to despise? Yes it is and it looks like the players might be turning on the Yankees. Thy just don't seem to draw talent like they used to. Their fans are terrible, the media is brutal and the cost of living is astronomical. What makes New York better than any other baseball town? People will tell you it's the championships you can win. Oh, really? Last I checked the Yankees have spent billions of dollars on contracts over the last decade and have 1, count it again, 1 championship to show for it.
It seems to me that the Yankees may be losing some of their prestige with the young talent that is out there. So far this offseason, the biggest acquisition made by them was the signing of Russell Martin, a player who hit 5 homers drove in 26 rbi and hit .248 in 97 games this season. What are some of the names they missed out on? Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and apparently they have no shot at getting either Zack Greinke from Kansas City or Matt Garza from Tampa Bay. Is it time to panic in the Bronx? I don't know about that but it is definitely time to reevaluate things to try and make the Yankees a more prized destination.
As bad as this signing may be for the Yankees, it is equally good, if not better for the Phillies. Not only do they ad arguably the best left-hander in the game, he joins a staff that includes Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. The Phillies will be throwing a #1 caliber starter 4/5 of the time. If things go to plan and these pitchers pitch the way they are capable, this could be the greatest rotation of all time.
A bunch of people have been texting me and calling me to tell me how awful this is for the Rangers. I've got news for you, this is in some ways a good thing for the Rangers for two reasons. One, the contract that was offered to Lee was not a good contract for the future of this franchise. Any time you offer 6 years and $160 million to a player, no matter how good he may be, it is a bad contract. The second reason this is a good thing for the Rangers is like this. The Rangers showed that they can compete with the likes of the Yankees in the free-agent market. That means that no free-agent is out of reach, especially now since the Rangers are contenders. It also shows the John Daniels and the front office are willing to do whatever is in the best interest of the franchise to put a winning team on the field. When New York bumped up their deal to include a 7th yea, the Rangers didn't back down but rather they bumped up their own deal and were from then on considered the favorite over the Yankees to land Lee.
It's hard to see how this can possibly be a good thing for the Rangers or for baseball but trust me, anytime we can make a dent in the Yankees armor, it is a good thing. The Yankees couldn't compete with the Rangers on the field in the ALCS and they couldn't compete with the Rangers front office in the off-season.
The best news about Lee not signing with the Yankees? They Yankees are now in a panic and will overspend on players that worth nowhere near the money they will get. Remember, they just signed Derek Jeter to a new deal, they signed Mariano Riveria to a new deal, Jorge Posada's current deal and they still have A-Rod's gigantic monstrosity of a deal. Those contracts combined are worth $92.5 million dollars THIS YEAR alone. This year, the Yankees will be paying $93 million to four players that will not be on the team in 5 years. They can have all the money they want but it looks to me like they are wasting an awful lot of it.
Ranger fans, don't fret. The front office was preparing for this situation and I'm sure their plan B will be put into motion very shortly. Whether they go after Matt Garza or Zack Greinke is yet to be known but rest assured, the Rangers will continue to do everything that is necessary to field a championship caliber team.
One last thing, Cliff Lee....Thank you for the greatest Rangers season of my life.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Nils Lofgren, GET OVER IT.
I read an article today on ESPN by Nils Lofgren about how he is "so disheartened" that the media are embracing Michael Vick back with open arms. He states that Vick's reprehensible behavior (referring to his dog fighting days) should have warranted a permanent suspension from the NFL, that his past behavior should never allow him to win an MVP award or sign a lucrative contract. Nils, I've got news for you, Vick will receive one of those, maybe both, and you know what? He deserves them.
People commonly misunderstand the reason Vick went to jail. Vick was sentenced to federal prison not for his dog fighting ring, but for bankrolling the gambling operation over state lines. Had the dog fighting taken place only in one state, Vick would NOT have gone to federal prison. Yes, he did some terrible things but those things alone do not warrant the punishment he received.
Lofgren says Vick should not have the opportunity to reap the benefits the NFL is likely to give him because he was cruel and sadistic to dogs. Let's take a look back shall we?
Ray Lewis, the All-Pro linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, was arrested for murder in 2000. I repeat, he was arrested and indicted for the killing of another HUMAN not a dog. What punishment did the league hand down for this? Nothing, the NFL did not punish Lewis and he was given probation and a $250,000 fine by the court. He was accused of killing another person, reached an undisclosed settlement with the family and received no penalty for his actions that night. What happened the very next year? O yea, he was name MVP of Super Bowl XXXV.
In 2009, Donte Stallworth was involved in a DUI hit-and-run and his victim died. He was driving his car while drunk, struck a man, and killed him. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and suspended without pay for the entirety of the 2009 season. He was later reinstated after Super Bowl XLV.
Let me get that straight. Stallworth killed a man with his car, while drunk and was suspended for only one year, meanwhile Lofgren is asking for Vick, who never killed a person, to be suspended indefinitely?
I understand that there are people out there who love their animals more than themselves but that does not suddenly mean the punishment for harming dogs should be higher than killing another human being.
Michael Vick killed dogs and bankrolled the entire dog fighting operation. For this he was sentenced to 2 years in prison, a real federal prison, not one of those Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton "prisons". Vick served hard time and lost hundreds of millions of dollars because of his actions. He received the same punishment you or I would receive. Why shouldn't he have the ability to get back into the work force and make the best of his opportunity?
We don't usually see football as work. We watch it as a game and we treat it as a game, however, these athletes use this game as an occupation and they count on it to make a living. Is Lofgren now saying that he is in favor of disallowing all convicted felons to make a living doing what they do best?
Vick's job is to play football. He made a terrible mistake and paid a significant price for it but now he is out and trying to make a living. Don't forget that there was a doubt about him even receiving an offer from an NFL team when he got out of prison. The Eagles took a chance on him as a back-up quarterback. If Kevin Kolb doesn't go down with a concussion in Week 1, we may not even be talking about Vick right now.
He got his chance and he made the best of it, an opportunity we would all like to be afforded if we were in the same situation. Get over the fact that he is a convicted felon and just marvel at the way he has turned his life, and this league upside down.
MVP stands for Most Valuable PLAYER, not Most Valuable PERSON. Vick may not be the best person in the world but he is playing like the best football player and he should be rewarded for that.
People commonly misunderstand the reason Vick went to jail. Vick was sentenced to federal prison not for his dog fighting ring, but for bankrolling the gambling operation over state lines. Had the dog fighting taken place only in one state, Vick would NOT have gone to federal prison. Yes, he did some terrible things but those things alone do not warrant the punishment he received.
Lofgren says Vick should not have the opportunity to reap the benefits the NFL is likely to give him because he was cruel and sadistic to dogs. Let's take a look back shall we?
Ray Lewis, the All-Pro linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, was arrested for murder in 2000. I repeat, he was arrested and indicted for the killing of another HUMAN not a dog. What punishment did the league hand down for this? Nothing, the NFL did not punish Lewis and he was given probation and a $250,000 fine by the court. He was accused of killing another person, reached an undisclosed settlement with the family and received no penalty for his actions that night. What happened the very next year? O yea, he was name MVP of Super Bowl XXXV.
In 2009, Donte Stallworth was involved in a DUI hit-and-run and his victim died. He was driving his car while drunk, struck a man, and killed him. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and suspended without pay for the entirety of the 2009 season. He was later reinstated after Super Bowl XLV.
Let me get that straight. Stallworth killed a man with his car, while drunk and was suspended for only one year, meanwhile Lofgren is asking for Vick, who never killed a person, to be suspended indefinitely?
I understand that there are people out there who love their animals more than themselves but that does not suddenly mean the punishment for harming dogs should be higher than killing another human being.
Michael Vick killed dogs and bankrolled the entire dog fighting operation. For this he was sentenced to 2 years in prison, a real federal prison, not one of those Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton "prisons". Vick served hard time and lost hundreds of millions of dollars because of his actions. He received the same punishment you or I would receive. Why shouldn't he have the ability to get back into the work force and make the best of his opportunity?
We don't usually see football as work. We watch it as a game and we treat it as a game, however, these athletes use this game as an occupation and they count on it to make a living. Is Lofgren now saying that he is in favor of disallowing all convicted felons to make a living doing what they do best?
Vick's job is to play football. He made a terrible mistake and paid a significant price for it but now he is out and trying to make a living. Don't forget that there was a doubt about him even receiving an offer from an NFL team when he got out of prison. The Eagles took a chance on him as a back-up quarterback. If Kevin Kolb doesn't go down with a concussion in Week 1, we may not even be talking about Vick right now.
He got his chance and he made the best of it, an opportunity we would all like to be afforded if we were in the same situation. Get over the fact that he is a convicted felon and just marvel at the way he has turned his life, and this league upside down.
MVP stands for Most Valuable PLAYER, not Most Valuable PERSON. Vick may not be the best person in the world but he is playing like the best football player and he should be rewarded for that.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Rangers committing to change....in all facets.
On Friday, Chuck Greenberg announced plans for updating the Ballparks technology amenities. Among the planned upgrades are a new video board above Right Field, a new video board in Center Field (the Coca Cola sign), an updated scoreboard in the Left Field fence, updated video ribbons around the stadium, and new video screens throughout the ballpark. Every one of these video boards will be in HD. Greenberg also announced the plans for upgrading the audio system.
These updates are expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2011 season. I have copied the official press release,courtesy of the Newberg Report, from the Rangers below:
On another note, the Rangers continue to add footnotes to a stellar season. Baseball America has named Jon Daniels the top Executive of 2010, an award well deserved for the architect of the single greatest Rangers season in history.
Without Daniels as GM, there is no shot the Rangers win the American League, hell, they may not have even made the playoffs. He has indeed had his bumps in the road, after all he did trade Adrian Gonzalez, but he also traded Mark Teixeria for Elvis and Neftali.
When he took over this team in 2005, he set 2010 as the year to look forward to. When that was said, I'll be honest, I laughed. I thought there was no way in HELL this team would compete that quickly, and I know I'm not alone. Well guess what, he did it, this Team did it and Jon Daniels has positioned them to be contenders for years to come. Now lets just see if we can get Cliff Lee back here and maybe, maybe.....bring in Zack Greinke?
Here's looking forward to 2011. Can we be on the doorstep of an even better season for this franchise? There is only one way to find out, strap in and enjoy the ride.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Congratulations Josh Hamilton
The Rangers have the sixth MVP Award winner in franchise history, Mr. Josh Hamilton. Even though he missed almost the entire month of September because of fractured ribs, Hamilton solidified his impact on this team and this league with a .359 BA (.384 after the All-Star break) 32 HR and 100 RBI.
Through a technicality, there are other candidates for this award but only 6 of 28 writers thought any of them were deserving of this award. Those 6 writers, to be blunt, are wrong. No one in the league meant more to his team than Josh Hamilton. He helped lead the Rangers to their first Division title in 11 years and with his timely hitting in the playoffs he helped the Rangers win their first (of many?) AL Pennants.
There have never been any questions about his abilities on a baseball field, especially after he burst onto the national scene in Yankee Stadium during the 2008 Home Run Derby, but when he led the majors in RBI that year with 130, people finally learned what we Ranger fans had known, this guy is a freak of nature.
2009 was a different story for the MVP. He missed 89 games dues to injury and hit only 10 homers with 54 RBI. Which was the real Hambone, the power hitting lefty we saw the pervious year or the oft injured #1 overall draft pick?
Though he had some injuries this year, we saw him once again as the power hitting lefty we had grown to expect and admire. Some even consider this man to be the best baseball player in the world. You know what? I can't blame them. There is no weakness to his game. Name one, I dare you... you can't can you? He has it all: power, average, speed, fielding, and base running (not the same as speed), and astonishingly he is well above average in every one of those categories. He single handedly won games for the Rangers this season with each of those tools and I guarantee you this, a Rangers team without Josh Hamilton doesn't even sniff the World Series.
This man has been through hell and back. He was the #1 overall pick in the 1999 draft by the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays, got injured, became addicted to alcohol and drugs, lost 3 years of his career and life, made a comeback, captivated us in Yankee Stadium, relapsed, and just had the best overall season for a hitter since Lou Gehrig in 1934. Josh is not only the most deserving player of this award, he is also the most deserving person. He has made the most of his second chance and I couldn't be happier for him.
This was without a doubt the greatest season in Texas Ranger baseball history and with players winning awards for their contributions on the field, it just keeps getting better. Now there's just one last piece of hardware we need to grab!
Here's to many more seasons of October baseball in Arlington.
Through a technicality, there are other candidates for this award but only 6 of 28 writers thought any of them were deserving of this award. Those 6 writers, to be blunt, are wrong. No one in the league meant more to his team than Josh Hamilton. He helped lead the Rangers to their first Division title in 11 years and with his timely hitting in the playoffs he helped the Rangers win their first (of many?) AL Pennants.
There have never been any questions about his abilities on a baseball field, especially after he burst onto the national scene in Yankee Stadium during the 2008 Home Run Derby, but when he led the majors in RBI that year with 130, people finally learned what we Ranger fans had known, this guy is a freak of nature.
2009 was a different story for the MVP. He missed 89 games dues to injury and hit only 10 homers with 54 RBI. Which was the real Hambone, the power hitting lefty we saw the pervious year or the oft injured #1 overall draft pick?
Though he had some injuries this year, we saw him once again as the power hitting lefty we had grown to expect and admire. Some even consider this man to be the best baseball player in the world. You know what? I can't blame them. There is no weakness to his game. Name one, I dare you... you can't can you? He has it all: power, average, speed, fielding, and base running (not the same as speed), and astonishingly he is well above average in every one of those categories. He single handedly won games for the Rangers this season with each of those tools and I guarantee you this, a Rangers team without Josh Hamilton doesn't even sniff the World Series.
This man has been through hell and back. He was the #1 overall pick in the 1999 draft by the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays, got injured, became addicted to alcohol and drugs, lost 3 years of his career and life, made a comeback, captivated us in Yankee Stadium, relapsed, and just had the best overall season for a hitter since Lou Gehrig in 1934. Josh is not only the most deserving player of this award, he is also the most deserving person. He has made the most of his second chance and I couldn't be happier for him.
This was without a doubt the greatest season in Texas Ranger baseball history and with players winning awards for their contributions on the field, it just keeps getting better. Now there's just one last piece of hardware we need to grab!
Here's to many more seasons of October baseball in Arlington.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Manager of the Year
A few friends of mine, and my uncle, are outraged that Ron Washington did not win the American League Manager of the Year award. Am I outraged? I am not. However, I will say I don't quite understand the voting for Gardenhire. His Minnesota Twins are a team that has won their division six times in the last nine years under Gardenhire. This is also a team that has two of the last four AL MVPs and three of the last five Batting Champions. I fail to see where this man warrants the award over someone like Ron Washington.
When I initially heard that Gardenhire beat out Washington, I was less than outraged but as time goes on I feel more and more like Wash was snubbed. Before the season even started there was talk about him losing his job after admitting to using cocaine. As we know, Wash wasn't fired and instead lead the Rangers to their first ever World Series after missing the playoffs in each of the previous 10 seasons. His team won their first division title since 1999 and won 90 games.
I understand that the voting for this award is done before the postseason begins but I fail to see where Gardenhire was better than Wash as a manager this season. Not to take away from anything the Twins, under Gardenhire, did this year but what the Rangers and Wash did and how they changed the perception of baseball in Texas is far more deserving of this award than winning a sixth division title in nine years.
On another note, tonight I went to the 5th Annual Shirley Povich Symposium. The event featured a panel of Christine Brennan, Tony Kornheiser, Kevin Blackistone, Dan Snyder and Scott Van Pelt and the topic was How Much is Too Much?
That is neither here nor there. The point is, Scott Van Pelt is the man. He was willing to stick around and shmooze with us until 2 hours after the event ended. How often is it that A) there is an opportunity to attend an event like this and B) that one of these media members is willing to stay and hang out with students. I have been around my share of professional sports writers and honestly, those who are willing to do what Scott did are VERY few and far between. It is refreshing to meet someone like this and to be seen and treated as an equal.
Ari Wiener and I asked him if he would be willing to join us on our radio show at some point in the near future and not only did he say yes, he did it with enthusiasm. I was just so encouraged by the way he treated other people.
So for all of you who are reading and have listened to our radio show, What Say Us (visit us on facebook) look forward to Scott Van Pelt joining us. Not only that, we were able to get verbal commitments from Mr. Kevin Blackistone and Mr. Tim Kirkjian. For those of you keeping score at home, that is a total of THREE ESPN personalities scheduled to come on our show and talk sports with us in the near future.
Get excited, God knows I know I am.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tim Kurkjian, Cliff Lee and next years rotation?
So tonight I went to hear TIm Kirkjian speak here at the University of Maryland. For those of you who don't know who he is, Tim is an ESPN analyst and baseball expert. He came tonight and gave a Q&A session for about an hour and let me just say, the man is amazing. He is the smartest, funniest and most down-to-earth sports personalities I have ever encountered. He can spit out stats like no one I have seen and he knows more about the beautiful game of baseball than anyone I have ever met.
Of course, among the questions was the inevitable, "Where is Cliff Lee going to be next year?" to which he said. "Cliff Lee will be a Yankee in a few weeks." Not what I wanted to hear.
Anyways, I only bring this up because my Uncle brought to my attention the idea of converting Neftali Feliz to starter this offseason, especially if Lee does indeed sign elsewhere. It wouldn't be a terrible idea but I don't know how much I would want to see that happen. Feliz was a shut-down closer this year and if we take him out of that spot we're giving that closer spot back to Franky Francisco.
We also can't forget that Feliz does his best work with his back against the wall. The majority of the runs he gave up this year were with a lead bigger than 3 and nest to no pressure surrounding the situation. That does not give me a lot of confidence in his abilities to be a starting pitcher, especially with only one usable pitch. Not to sound cliche but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
There is also the possibility of bringing in Zack Greinke to join this rotation. Is it going to happen? Not very likely considering he has a no trade clause but he has said he does NOT want to join a big market club, the Yankees, Red Sox and the like, and that he would like to join a contender. What better situation is there for him than right here (in spirit) than in Texas. He would join a blossoming baseball town and immediately be part of a contender.
That was one of the things I never really understood about the Lee situation. All the Yankee fans here at UMD keep saying that Lee will sign with them because he wants to win. Why would someone leave a team that went to the World Series for a team they beat en route to it? Now, if Lee wants more money, he will absolutely join the Evil Empire but if he wants to win, there is no reason to believe he will leave. Let us also not forget that the Rangers are now under new management and have the money to throw at Cliff Lee to entice him to stay.
If Lee stays I think we can still pursue Greinke because it would be through a trade. According to The Newberg Report, and I'm paraphrasing here, the Royals are looking for 3 top-flight prospects in a deal for Greinke and the Rangers are one of the few teams able to meet that request. I hate to watch us trade away a good portion of our highly-ranked farm system but if it means getting another former Cy Young Award winner, count me in.
I know it's a long show but think about this rotation: Cliff Lee, Zack Greinke, CJ Wilson, Colby Lewis and Derek Holland/Tommy Hunter.
As we saw in the World Series, pitching wins championships. I don't know about you but I like what I see right there.
Of course, among the questions was the inevitable, "Where is Cliff Lee going to be next year?" to which he said. "Cliff Lee will be a Yankee in a few weeks." Not what I wanted to hear.
Anyways, I only bring this up because my Uncle brought to my attention the idea of converting Neftali Feliz to starter this offseason, especially if Lee does indeed sign elsewhere. It wouldn't be a terrible idea but I don't know how much I would want to see that happen. Feliz was a shut-down closer this year and if we take him out of that spot we're giving that closer spot back to Franky Francisco.
We also can't forget that Feliz does his best work with his back against the wall. The majority of the runs he gave up this year were with a lead bigger than 3 and nest to no pressure surrounding the situation. That does not give me a lot of confidence in his abilities to be a starting pitcher, especially with only one usable pitch. Not to sound cliche but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
There is also the possibility of bringing in Zack Greinke to join this rotation. Is it going to happen? Not very likely considering he has a no trade clause but he has said he does NOT want to join a big market club, the Yankees, Red Sox and the like, and that he would like to join a contender. What better situation is there for him than right here (in spirit) than in Texas. He would join a blossoming baseball town and immediately be part of a contender.
That was one of the things I never really understood about the Lee situation. All the Yankee fans here at UMD keep saying that Lee will sign with them because he wants to win. Why would someone leave a team that went to the World Series for a team they beat en route to it? Now, if Lee wants more money, he will absolutely join the Evil Empire but if he wants to win, there is no reason to believe he will leave. Let us also not forget that the Rangers are now under new management and have the money to throw at Cliff Lee to entice him to stay.
If Lee stays I think we can still pursue Greinke because it would be through a trade. According to The Newberg Report, and I'm paraphrasing here, the Royals are looking for 3 top-flight prospects in a deal for Greinke and the Rangers are one of the few teams able to meet that request. I hate to watch us trade away a good portion of our highly-ranked farm system but if it means getting another former Cy Young Award winner, count me in.
I know it's a long show but think about this rotation: Cliff Lee, Zack Greinke, CJ Wilson, Colby Lewis and Derek Holland/Tommy Hunter.
As we saw in the World Series, pitching wins championships. I don't know about you but I like what I see right there.
Neftali Feliz Wins AL Rookie of the Year
Today Neftali Feliz became the first Texas Ranger to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award since Mike Hargrove in 1974. To be honest, this result came as no surprise to Ranger fans around the country as we saw him save close games for us all year and into the playoffs.
I think we may be on the cusp of seeing this young man become one of the most feared closers in the game. He does his best work when he is in a tight spot and he was almost impossible to hit with the game on the line.
He set a rookie record with 40 saves and held hitters to a .176 batting average! Those numbers are astronomical for a kid his age and logic tells us that the best is yet to come. There is no reason to believe that Neffy can't continue to improve, especially with pitching coach Mike Maddux in the dugout.
When pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training this past February, two relievers were trying out for a spot in the starting rotation: CJ Wilson and Feliz. Only CJ won a spot in the rotation and personally I could not be happier. Neffy stayed in the 'pen and showed the world he can be a dominant closer for a powerful team.
The season the Rangers got out of Neffy and Elvis Andrus have inspired talk about the long term future of this team. Are we seeing the next great closer and the next great shortstop in this league? Can they take the place of Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter when they retire? Those answers are yet to come but there is no reason to believe they can't be. Ranger fans everywhere should be very excited about what is yet to come with their closer and their team and after an American League Championship season, the future looks very bright.
I think we may be on the cusp of seeing this young man become one of the most feared closers in the game. He does his best work when he is in a tight spot and he was almost impossible to hit with the game on the line.
He set a rookie record with 40 saves and held hitters to a .176 batting average! Those numbers are astronomical for a kid his age and logic tells us that the best is yet to come. There is no reason to believe that Neffy can't continue to improve, especially with pitching coach Mike Maddux in the dugout.
When pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training this past February, two relievers were trying out for a spot in the starting rotation: CJ Wilson and Feliz. Only CJ won a spot in the rotation and personally I could not be happier. Neffy stayed in the 'pen and showed the world he can be a dominant closer for a powerful team.
The season the Rangers got out of Neffy and Elvis Andrus have inspired talk about the long term future of this team. Are we seeing the next great closer and the next great shortstop in this league? Can they take the place of Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter when they retire? Those answers are yet to come but there is no reason to believe they can't be. Ranger fans everywhere should be very excited about what is yet to come with their closer and their team and after an American League Championship season, the future looks very bright.
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