Last night started one of the biggest weekends for Dallas sports teams in a long time. Nelson Cruz ended a 13 inning game against the hated New York Yankees with a walk-off Home Run off Chad Gaudin. Nellie had tied the game in the 8th with his first solo shot of the night. The win kept the Rangers up 7 1/2 on the Athletics and lowered the magic number down to 15. The Rangers used a club record 11 pitchers last night, after getting only 3 innings from starter CJ Wilson. Wilson has been nearly unbeatable since the All-Star break going 7-1 with a 2.67 ERA. Many people have been claiming that CJ needs to start Game 1 of the ALDS in October over Lee. I'm not willing to go that far, but CJ has proven he can be a front end starter. Last night would appear to be an abberation.
The debate over who should start game 1, Lee or Wilson, brings up another reason that this weekend is important for Dallas sports fans. On Sunday Cliff Lee makes his first start in over a week in game 3 of the series. Lee will pitch against ex-Angel Dustin Moseley who has zero chance of being in the Yankee playoff rotation. Lee missed his Tuesday start due to a shot he received for lower back pain. Lee seems to believe that the lower back pain has been one of the main causes for his recent poor outings. It appears that the back pain was giving Lee difficulty in getting the ball down in the zone. The results seem to agree with this. Rangers fans everywhere will be paying close attention to whether or not the lack of back pain will bring back the Cliff Lee we expected to get when we dealt for him in July. It's a big start for Lee against the Rangers likely first round opponent. A dominant start on Sunday should immediately re-energize the team, and kick start the Rangers playoff push. A positive sign that the Ace of the staff is back on track would really help a struggling team.
A great Lee start would be great to see, but their is another guy that I would really like to see back in the lineup soon: Josh Hamilton. Hamilton has missed a week now with bruised ribs after crashing into a wall last weekend. X-rays were negative, and it's simply up to Hamilton as to when he can return. I expect the Rangers are being extremely precarious with Hammy, since the Rangers absolutely NEED a healthy Hambone to have playoff success. Hamilton is the best hitter in baseball, and we have one of the best lineups in the league with him in the middle of it. Without Hamilton we have a good lineup. One that can score some runs and compete in the post-season, but without Hamilton in the playoffs their is little chance of this team getting very far.
I will be at the game Sunday to see Lee wrap up a winning series against the Yankees. One thing I do not expect to see much of Sunday is our bullpen. A bullpen that pitched 10 guys last night. A bullpen who pitched 10 innings of 1 run, 7 hit, 10 strikeout baseball against one of the top 5 offenses in the league. A bullpen composed of incredible rookies-Feliz, Ogando, Kirkman, and Strop- grizzled veterans- Oliver, O'Day, Nippert- and converted starters- Feldman, Harden, Harrison. A bullpen that is one of the very best in the league. The ability of the Rangers to create a bullpen from within over the last year has been incredible. It is going to be very, very difficult to put together the playoff bullpen with so many viable options. This group doesn't even include our main 8th inning guy Frank Francisco who is dealing with an abdomen injury. This bullpen is one of the key reasons the Rangers will be successful in the playoffs.
Their is another team in the Dallas area who tends to create a small stir around the area every Fall. That team is the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys will kick their season off in prime time Sunday night against The Washington Redskins. The Cowboys-Redskins rivalry is one of the best in professional football, and every game seems to be close. The Cowboys are easily the better team on paper, but this is by no means a gimme game.
New Redskin Quarterback Donovan McNabb injured his ankle in Week 1 of the Pre-season and was listed as questionable for the opener for the majority of the last 3 weeks. This week new Coach Mike Shanahan did state that he believes McNabb will play. I never assumed he wouldn't. The Cowboys have seen plenty of McNabb over the last 11 years when McNabb was with the Eagles. He is still in the top half of Quarterbacks in the NFL and always creates problems for the Cowboys. Donovan will throw to speedy receiver Santana Moss, and one of the top pass catching tight ends in the NFL, Chris Cooley. Veteran Running Back Clinton Portis will carry the bulk of the ball carrying duties with former Chief Larry Johnson backing him up. The Redskins are not as deep or talented as the McNabb led Eagles in the mid 2000's, but they still have some firepower. Having Mike Shanahan on the sideline certainly won't hurt either.
The biggest story out of Redskins camp all Pre-season has been what they were going to do with Albert Haynesworth. Haynesworth, when motivated, is maybe the best defensive tackle in the league who wrecks havoc in the interior. Haynesworth though has not appeared motivated. He initially requested a trade simply because he didn't agree with Shanahan's defensive strategy. He later gave up when trying to pass a simple endurance test that would allow him to begin practicing. Haynesworth has been notorious in the past for never practicing, but still playing on Sunday. Shanahan, a strict disciplinarian, will simply not allow that to happen. Their has been mass speculation out of Washington as to whether or not he will be allowed to play at all this week. The most recent story is that he will play some, but it is a story worth keeping an eye on. If he plays then he will vastly improve the Skins interior defense.
The Cowboys are superior to the Skins both offensively and defensively. The Cowboys are vastly more talented at WR (even with Roy still starting), and should be able to move the ball consistently. The Cowboys defense is one of the best in the league, and should be able to get the offense good field position. Don't be surprised if this Cowboys D dominates the Redskins offensively.
The biggest question for the Cowboys going into the game is whether or not the 0ffense will show up. On paper this offense should put up 400+ yards, and win this game easily. The film of the Pre-season games on the other hand show that this offense has serious timing issues and may struggle. I am optimistic that Romo and Co. will show up in a big way Sunday and put all the Pre-season concerns to rest. Dez Bryant will be back on the field in the slot giving them another weapon. A full game plan will be installed. It's time for the offense to show up.
This weekend has a clear motto: No more excuses! Cliff Lee: It's time to prove that you are the ace we traded for. Cowboys offense: It's time to show that you are still a high powered machine who can put up 30 points in a game with regularity. My Sunday predictions: Rangers 7-2 win followed by a Cowboys 27-13 romp. No more excuses!
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