Review of the Texas Rangers and 7 questions

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The Texas Rangers were one of the biggest surprises of the 2010 season.  Their young pitchers stepped up and pitched well even in the Heat of an August in Dallas.  The youth of the Ranger's offense made considerable advances and scored points in bunches. Midway through the season, Texas acquired Ace Cliff Lee.  Lee did not  pitch that well during the season but stepped it up in the post season and helped lead the Rangers to their first World Series appearance.  

The Rangers targeted three key pitchers during the off season.  Their top priority was to re-sign Cliff Lee.  They lost out on the Lee sweepstakes to the Phillies.  They were attempting to trade for Cy Younger winner Zack Greinke but lost out to Milwaukee.  Tampa Bay's Matt Garza was the third option but the Rangers were rejected by the Rays when they traded Garza to the Cubs.  The Rangers did sign 3 time All Star and Cy Young winner Brandon Webb but Webb is recovering from surgery and has not pitched since April of 2009.

The Rangers did make a big splash in free agency by signing 3rd Baseman Adrian Beltre.  Beltre is a power hitter who will add some needed power to the Rangers order. He should add some protection behind Josh Hamilton. This will move Perennial All Star Michael Young to 1st Base.

Questions about the 2011 Texas Rangers

1) Can Brandon Webb return to his former self?  He has 3.27 career ERA but he is now 31 years old. He could be the steal of free agency if he comes close to his past numbers.  

2)  Can the Rangers pitching staff achieve at the same level as last season? At this time, a rotation of Wilson, Lewis, Hunter, Webb, and Feldman does not scare many teams.  They will need to be a smart pitching staff like they were last year to have the same level of success.

3) Will Michael Young adjust to 1st Base?  He adjusted well when he moved from Second to Short and then Short to Third including All Star Seasons for all three positions.  He will not be a power hitting 1st Baseman but the Rangers do not have a power hitting 1st baseman.

4) Will Beltre be able to add protection for Hamilton?  Beltre is now 31 years old. He had a great season last year with Boston with 28 homers and a batting average of .321.  I don't see a reason why should should not continue to hit for decent average and power but probably not those numbers.

5) Can the Rangers hold off the other A.L. West teams? Last year the Angels severely under achieved. The Rangers did improve from the season before but would not have won the division if the Angels would have performed up to expectations.  The Rangers will need to continue to improve and mature as a team if they want to win their division again and make the playoffs.

6)  Will the Rangers continue to pursue an #1 starter? After missing out on their top 3 targets, I think they will start the season with their current pitching staff.  If they are playing well in late June and early July, I look for the Rangers to make a trade for a #1 guy like they did last year.  

7) Can the Rangers win the World Series this year?  Yes they can. They will need their team to come together like last season.  The Rangers have a lot of potential but they also have potential for a disappointing season after their success last year.

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Thoughts on Cowboys Hiring Jason Garrett as their New Head Coach

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I have mixed feelings about the Dallas Cowboys hiring Jason Garrett as their new Head Coach. There are things I really like about Jason.  I also have concerns about Garrett.

Positives:
1) Garrett changed the culture in Dallas. This to me is the biggest selling point for Jason.  After starting the season 1-7 and the players quiting on Wade, Jason was able to rally the troops.  He implemented harder practices, hitting during practice, personal responsibility for behavior, expectation of showing up on time, and dressing up for road games.  The team responded positively to these changes.  

2) Jason know the system. Jason understand the current system in Dallas.  I am sure he will want to make some changes.  But he will not come in and cause the Cowboys to spend the next 5 years rebuilding because of his scheme changes.

3) Garrett knows how to deal with Jerry and management.  It can take some time to understand how an organization works.  He will have no issue here.

Concerns:
1) The Offense was part of the problem under Wade.  Garrett was the Offensive Coordinator for the first 8 games where they went 1-7. They did not run the ball and the play calling was predictable.  We could not protect Romo because we could not run the ball. This was a gigantic issue.

2) Record was not that impressive. Yes we went 5-3 under Jason and over a full season that would be an acceptable 10-6.  But the last win that we squeaked out was against an Eagles team that rested most of their starters.  I do understand that we started a third string QB but this team should have dominated the Eagles backups.  If they had started their starters, we would be 4-4 under Jason and that would only be an 8-8 season.

3) He has never been a head coach at any level.  He did a decent job for his half season but he has never been in charge of an off season or a draft.  This is a concern for the Red Headed Genius.

Conclusions
Ultimately Jerry did not consult my opinion.  He picked Garrett and believes in him. The players appear to be backing this decision full hearted.  As much as I have some reservations about this selection, I am not sure Jerry would have gotten a bigger name coach.  Other teams were asking permission to interview him.  I throw my support behind Jason and hope he can continue to change the lazy culture of the Dallas Cowboys. I will continue to hope that Jerry made the correct decision.

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New Years Day should be Bowl Day

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The Tostitos BCS Championship Game  is on January 10th this year.  When I heard this I was taken back by it. My first thought was, “why is it so late in the year?”  I do understand the answer is money but I am frustrated with that answer.

I know I might sound like some old timer with these thoughts but I hate that the College football season does not end on New Years Day.  When I was a youth, all of the big College Bowl games occurred on January 1st. There were some minor Bowl games during the week after Christmas, but the 1st was College Bowl Day.  We would watch the top level Collegiate football all day long.

This season there are 7 Bowl games after the New Year.  There are a few big historical Bowl games on this list like the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl and of course the BCS Championship Bowl game.  But there are other ones that are not big name games after New Years like GoDaddy.Com Bowl, and Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.  

When the BCS game started, they slated it to January 2nd.  I did not like it then.  Now it is on January 10th.  When does this extending of the season end?  Is Martin Luther King Jr Day the next big Collegiate Bowl day?  Why not push it back to the weekend before the Super Bowl or put it on Presidents Day?  Why not start March Madness off with the BCS Game?  

Lets end the insanity and make New Years Day the big Bowl game day that it was in years past.

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Is Jason Garrett the answer in Dallas?

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Two weeks ago, I would have laughed at this question, “Is Jason Garrett the answer in Dallas?”  The only thing that brought more fear to me than leaving Wade Phillips as the coach, was to give the position to Jason Garrett because his offense appeared to under achieving more than Wade’s defense.  After two victories under Garrett, I am not so quick to deny the validity of the question.

During the first 9 weeks of the season (only played 8 games because of bye week) , the Dallas Cowboys average right around 10 penalties a game.  In the two weeks under Jason “Red Headed Genius” Garrett, the number penalties have almost dropped in half.  The Cowboys have averaged 5.5 penalties over the last two weeks.

Under Wade this season, the Cowboys continually turned over the football.  They were -10 on the turnover ratio for Wade’s eight ball games.  Over the last two games, the Cowboys are plus 3.

Jason Garrett is having the Boys work on the small details.  He has them wearing pads and practicing at full speed during the week.  He is enforcing meeting times and making the players be responsible.  He even implemented a dress code for the players for flights and game day.  You can see this has made a difference by watching how different this team has approached both of these games under Garrett.  It is hard to argue with the declining penalties and turnovers.

It does appear that Garrett has been the answer over Wade Phillips for these two games.  After just two games, I am not willing to declare Garrett the long term answer in Dallas.  They need to continue to stay focused and disciplined.  If Garrett can get the Cowboys to play more focused and to continue to work on the details this season, then he just may be the long term answer in Dallas.


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Rangers Win First Playoff series

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As a Texas Rangers fan, this is a time of celebration.  Congratulations Rangers.  Don't celebrate to long because you will be facing the New York Yankees come Friday. 

It is a strange story how I became a Rangers fan.  I grew up and still live in Southwest Missouri.  In the early 80s both  the ST. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals were fantastic.  Since they were both so good, the local fans would argue over which team was better.  I grew tired of these debates so I picked a random team from the list of MLB teams.  I had no idea where the Texas Rangers played (other than in Texas).  I continued to cheer for both the Cardinals and Royals but from that time forward, I am a Texas Rangers Fan first.

As I started rooting for the Rangers, I quickly learned that this team was not like the Royals and Cardinals of the early 80s.  The Rangers were not a winning team and did not have a positive mentality. It did not matter because I picked them as my team and I continued to cheer for them. 

I loved the Nolan Ryan years for the Rangers.  I still smile when I think about Nolan Ryan beating the snot (and blood) out of Robin Ventura. 

I hoped and dreamed the Rangers of the late 90s when the made the playoffs but then ousted by the Yankees. 

I am very excited about the Rangers victory over the Rays.  It was a strange series with the road team winning each game.  I was enthralled with tonights game with the Rangers aggressive base running to take the lead and keep it on the Rays.  Go Rangers and beat the Yankees.

The Counselor is OUT: