It has been too long since my last post and many things have happened since then. Due to all that has happened this will be a 2-part blog. I will have to continue to neglect the Mavericks quick start, what needs to happen for TCU to get in the title game, and a college basketball preview for the time being. I will try to get to these things in the next week or two.
Rangers Season Ends
The Rangers finished off an incredible season last week with a 4-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. The Giants simply outplayed our Texas Rangers. The Giant pitching staff was incredible all series long, and their bats came up with big hits every game. The Rangers, outside of game 1 in San Francisco, played well. The pitching was good and the fundamentals were sound. They just couldn't come up with the big hits when they needed them, but that was at least partly due to the terrific pitching. Even though the Rangers came up just short this will still be one of the most memorable seasons in Rangers history. No matter what else happens in this franchise's history, this team will always be the first one to break through and become the first American League Champion in team history.
Following this incredible season comes the teams most important off-season ever. There are numerous issues for the Rangers to figure out, but the big ticket free agent this off-season is obviously Cliff Lee. The Yankees have already reached out to Lee's agent, and sent a private jet to Arkansas to have dinner with Lee and his family. We knew the Yankees were going to pursue Lee hard once the season was over, and they wasted no time in doing so. Other teams have expressed interest including the Nationals, Angels, Astros, Tigers, and others, but this will come down to the Yankees and Rangers. If the Rangers can retain Cliff Lee's services they will be an elite team for the next few years. If they cannot they will simple be a very good team. I truly believe that Cliff Lee will be a Ranger. I think he loved being in Texas. I think his wife loves him being in Texas. I think this city, and this team fits Lee better than New York. Plus I believe the Rangers are set-up to win long term better than the rapidly aging Yankees. That being said, I will be on pins and needles over this until he actually signs on the dotted line with the Rangers.
There are numerous other holes to fill for this Texas team moving forward. Catcher is a main point of emphasis for the Rangers for both the present and future. I don't believe the Rangers have a catcher in the entire system who will ever be an above-average starting catcher in the big leagues above the Rookie leagues. Molina is hinting at retirement, and he really wasn't all that good. Treanor is a good backup, as is Tegarden. The Rangers need to go out and try to find a starting catcher one way or another. The top free agents on the market this off-season are Victor Martinez, John Buck, AJ Pierzynski, and Miguel Olivo. Martinez isn't a great thrower, but is the best hitting catcher outside of Joe Mauer and is an excellent receiver. He will require a massive long-term deal though, and probably will end up elsewhere. The best option for the Rangers is probably Buck or Olivo. The Rangers were very interested in Buck last off-season before he re-signed with Toronto. He is not expected to re-sign this year, but there will be competition for his services. Boston has already expressed interest, and in a weak year for catching free agents there will be others. Olivo was dealt to Toronto just one week ago, but then had his option declined. People are unsure if they hope to bring him back, or are trying to get the draft picks the will get if he signs elsewhere as a Type B free agent. Another option would be acquiring a catcher via trade. Depending on what else happens with free agency the Ranger could possibly move David Murphy, or one of our many back-end starting pitcher candidates for a solid starter. The Reds could be a potential trade partner with Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hanigan in the bigs with top prospect Devin Mesoraco at AAA and 2010 1st round pick Yasmani Grandal behind him. They are one of few teams with catcher depth at the upper levels.
A 3rd major issue facing the Rangers is the 2nd half debacle of Vlad Guerrero. Vlad hit 45 points lower in the 2nd half, and looked awful throughout the playoffs. The Rangers need another middle of the order hitter who can fill Vlad's role if it's not Vlad. Victor Martinez could fill that role. Lance Berkman is a plausible option. Paul Konerko would be a great fit as DH/1B if he doesn't re-up with the Whitesox. This is a situation worth monitoring and at this point I am simply not comfortable with Vlad as my cleanup hitter and DH moving forward.
The Rangers have other smaller needs and will likely explore a number of options. The Rangers will likely look for cheap SP options, back-end bullpen help, and a RH 1B (although I think Moreland can handle 1B). Jon Daniels is always very active in the off-season and loves snagging veteran players who have had past success, but are coming off injuries. Expect the Rangers to be more aggressive than usual as they try to maintain this year's success combined with new ownership who are willing to pay for impact players.
Update: Just read an article from Fox News' Ken Rosenthall saying he expects the Rangers to strongly pursue Lee and VMart.
Phillips out as Cowboys Head Coach
Sunday night's 45-7 debacle at Lambeau marks the last game for Wade Phillips as Head Coach of our Dallas Cowboys. Phillips has completely lost the team and the Cowboys are currently mired in possibly the worst season of franchise history. I know the 1-15 season in 1989 was bad, but there were no expectations. The Cowboys were expected to be Super Bowl contenders in a wide open NFC rather than looking at a top 5 pick in the upcoming draft. I never would have thought the Cowboys would be sitting at 1-7 through 8 games with a relatively weak first half of the season. The 2nd half is the tougher half with the Saints, Colts, Giants, Eagles twice, and Redskins still left. The Cowboys could conceivably finish with no more than 3 wins. I am hard pressed to find a winnable game on the schedule other than Detroit and Arizona. A 3-5 finish seems like a great success at this point.
Wade Phillips had good moments as the Cowboys Coach, but it was time for him to leave. Phillips lost control of the locker room, and Jerry Jones needs to see if Jason Garrett can succeed as a Head Coach. Garrett will not be graded on wins and losses, but rather his ability to control the locker room and generate responses from the players. The Cowboys need to see if Garrett can get this very talented team to get back to playing the way they can. If not the Cowboys will most likely look outside the organization in the off-season.
Personally I would much rather see the Cowboys attempt to hire a guy like Bill Cowher or Brian Billick over Garrett. Garrett has very little experience, and honestly I'm not happy with the way he has orchestrated the offense. The Cowboys have been overly predictable and have failed to establish any semblance of a running game the last 2 years. Some media outlets blame Garrett more for the troubles this season than Phillips, although I do not agree.
With any sort of playoff hope gone for this season, Garrett faces the task of convincing this team to finish the season strong. One of the biggest issues this team has faced the last couple of weeks is lack of toughness and pride. Certain players have thrown in the towel, and have stopped playing hard and that is completely unacceptable in my mind. I don't think that Garrett will begin making depth chart changes in his first week, but there needs to be changes soon. Stephen McGee needs to take every snap from here on out at Quarterback. There is zero point in playing a 38-year old QB with no future over a young guy who could be the heir to Romo. We need to see if he can play, or if QB is a position of need in the off-season. Dez Bryant needs to become a starter and play every down. Tashard Choice needs to get a look at Running Back. We know Barber and Jones haven't cut it so why not try Choice. He has looked good in spurts. Victor Butler needs to start taking more snaps away from struggling OLB Anthony Spencer. It's time to take a look at Danny McCray and Barry Church at Safety. They played well in the pre-season and have made plays on Special Teams all year. Sean Lee needs to be starting in the middle over Keith Brooking who has obviously lost a step. Mike Jenkins needs to be benched simply because he has lost all interest in defending. He has pro-bowl talent, but I would prefer undrafted rookie Brian McCann over him right now. At least McCann will work hard and try to earn his money.
The Cowboys are in the low point of this franchise right now. It's time to make wholesale changes, and that started with the firing of Wade Phillips. The Cowboys are still a talented group, and will likely add a top 5 pick next year. This is a team that could make a huge turnaround next year with better coaching and more effort. It's very tough to watch this team right now but there is still intrigue. I am looking forward to seeing what these young players, especially McGee, are able to do if they are given a chance late in the season. Let's just hope this season is a speed bump rather than a the start of a complete rebuilding effort.
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