Thank You Ranger Fans.

If you have followed my blog since it's beginning, then you might remember my very first blog on June 23rd about how I'm still a fan of Josh Hamilton, I didn't think Ranger fans acted appropriately to his return with the Angels in April, and how I pleaded with Ranger fans to step up and be better than what they showed.

Last night I went to the Rangers/Angels game. It was definitely a great game. We knocked C.J Wilson around early, fell behind late, and came roaring back to win on a Leonys Martin game winning three-run home run. It was awesome. But what impressed me the most all night was how Rangers fans seemed to do what I was asking them to do back in June. They didn't go too far in their distaste for Josh Hamilton. Yes they booed and rightfully so. But it didn't linger like in April, you didn't see banners and signs trashing him, and you haven't (so far anyway) heard stories about fans cussing his wife and kids out. I'm very proud of Ranger fans. They are starting to let go of their hatred for Josh Hamilton (to some degree anyway) and are starting to focus on cheering the Rangers onto victory.

Maybe fans aren't paying so much attention to Hamilton since he is only hitting .223 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI as of today (7-31-13). Maybe fans are leaving Hamilton alone more now since the Angels are 14 games out of first place in the AL West and 9 games behind the Rangers. Whatever the reason is, good job Ranger fans for being willing to let things go and let Hamilton be. Check out www.sports1460espn.com for my blog and for other blogs from the hosts of Sports Talk 1460 ESPN.

Is it possible for the NFL Hall Of Fame to become extinct?

Before I get into today's blog let me say congrats to the Rangers on last night's (7-29-13) win. Yesterday I wrote about how I thought they may be done since their offense had gone MIA. but last night may have been the turnaround they needed. Nice job of hitting by A.J Piersynski and Geovany Soto.in the ninth inning. Good job guys. Hoping and praying this is the start of something big for this team. You never know.

Now onto what I want to talk about today. This morning I listened to a heated debate between Tom Bailey and Mike Young on Sports Talk 1460 ESPN about the NFL Hall Of Fame. Mike Young brought up a good point and it's the center of what I want to talk about today. Is the NFL Hall Of Fame in jeopardy from going the way of dinosaurs and becoming extinct? It's a good possibility if the NFL doesn't start doing a better job of keeping their players in line. Since the Super Bowl in February, there have been around 30 players arrested for various reasons. It's not like baseball and the problem is a drug that the league bans. These players are being arrested for drunk driving, taking and selling illegal drugs, and murder just to name a few. Until the NFL decides to step it up and do something about the behavior of it's players off the field, I'm afraid we will see a day when the doors to the Hall Of Fame in Canton will be shut and locked forever.

But why do you think they will shut the Hall Of Fame down? Well I'm glad you asked. Because if the NFL doesn't start doing a better job of keeping their players in line off the field, you won't see any player worthy to go into the Hall Of Fame because you will see the NFL having too many jailbirds to deal with. This is a league of morons. Sure you have guys like Tom Brady or Tony Romo who have brains and could probably make a good living doing something else, but then you take a look at guys like Josh Brent, Aaron Hernandez, and even go back further and look at Rod Carruth. You look at guys like Ray Lewis who, even though he was acquitted, should be in prison right now. So many players today can't handle to spot light of being a professional athlete. The league needs to take a page from the New England Patriots and decide to do away with any player that gets themselves into major criminal trouble. If they don't, the NFL will be gone and the Hall Of Fame will just be a place to remember the past and not a place of hope for the future.

Are the Rangers done?

This weekend I tried to watch Rangers baseball. But it's very hard to watch bad baseball and the Rangers weekend series in Cleveland was absolutely horrible baseball. The team is only 2-8 since the All Star Break, they've been swept twice, and it isn't looking very good for the rest of the season. But what is exactly going wrong that went right earlier in the season? It's the offense. It's no where to be found. Our pitching staff has pitched great all year long, but when your offense isn't scoring runs, then it doesn't matter how good you pitch.

Manager Ron Washington has been trying all season long to find a good number 2 hitter for his lineup. He has used Elvis Andrus, David Murphy, Mitch Moreland, Leonys Martin, Jurickson Profar, and Engel Beltre in that spot but none of them are producing. Andrus is hitting .249 while David Murphy is hitting a microscopic .226. This current offense can't seem to get into a rhythm at all. So how do we fix it?

It was reported by Ken Rosenthal over the weekend that the Rangers have had internal discussions of trying to trade closer Joe Nathan to bring in a couple bats. I love Joe Nathan. I think he is one of the best closers to ever wear a Ranger uniform. But with that being said if he can bring in a couple bats that would help this offense turn around then I'm all for it. We have a proven closer in Joakim Soria who could do the job. Soria has 160 career saves when he was a member of the Kansas City Royals. On top of that, Neftali Feliz is expected to be back in the bullpen by the end of August completely healthy. So if trading Nathan for a couple offensive guys is what it will take to turn this team around, then I say goodbye Joe.

Who might the Rangers trade for that would help this club the most? I said it back on July 1st and I'll say it again. Trade for Michael Young. I know he isn't hitting extremely good this year, but he is better than a lot of the guys in our lineup. Put him as your everyday number 2 hitter and watch him lift this club up and make them better. He is hitting .277 with 7 home runs and 32 RBI. The Rangers don't seem to have a true clubhouse leader. Michael Young was that leader before and he could be again. General Manager Jon Daniels needs to swallow his pride, apologize to Young, and bring him back to Texas where he belongs.

Without making a trade for either a big bat, a clubhouse leader, or both I fear this downward spiral the Rangers are in will only continue.

Rest In Peace Kidd Kraddick

Normally I take the weekends off from writing blogs because for me that's family time. I work 40+ hours a week so usually at nights I'm exhausted. My wife, son, and I don't get to spend much quality time together during the week. So weekends are usually spent together and I take the weekend off from blogging. This weekend was no different until last night. As we were driving home from my parents house from having dinner and watching a movie (Trouble With The Curve is an awesome movie...just FYI) my wife got on Facebook for the first time since we started dinner. That's when we learned of the untimely death of radio icon Kidd Kraddick.

If you don't listen to 106.1 KISS FM in Dallas or to a station in your city that his show was syndicated on, then you may not know who this man was. But he was a legend and icon in the radio industry, especially in Dallas radio. Any and all radio shows in Dallas' goal ratings-wise was to be number 2 because we all knew no one was going to beat Kidd Kraddick. His show was number 1 in this market it seems like for years.

I've been in radio now for just over eight years in the Dallas/Ft. Worth market. Even if you are like me and didn't listen to Kidd's morning show, you knew what an awesome guy Kidd was. I got to meet him one time at a concert when I worked for 96.3 KSCS. He was the nicest guy in the world. He acted like I was the most important person he could possibly meet at that particular moment and I was nothing more than a part time promotions kid. He made you feel like you were somebody to him, even if it was just for a few fleeting moments.

Friends of mine who have become very successful in the radio industry  credit Kidd Kraddick for being who inspired them to get into radio. Justin Frazell, another radio staple in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and the host of the Justin and Charla Morning Show on 95.9 The Ranch, posted the following on Facebook last night (7-27-13): "The reason I've not got to listen to Kidd Kraddick in the last 17 years is because of the influence he had on me from the age of 13 to 23. RIP Kidd. Thanks for lighting the fire and thank you for all you did for others. Seen, unseen. Heard and unheard."


Cody Alan, host of CMT's Radio Live and former DJ at 99.5 The Wolf, tweeted the following this morning: "Deeply sadden by the loss of Kidd Kraddick. A great guy who inspired me & many others."

Kidd's show wasn't the only reason he was one of, if not the most popular DJs in Dallas/Ft. Worth radio history. Kidd was extremely charitable. In fact, he died while at his annual charity golf tournament for his charity "Kidd's Kids" which raised money for special needs kids. Over the years, he was the leading advocate for special needs kids, going above and beyond anything anyone ever expected to help those kids out. Golf tournaments, concerts, etc. He loved those kids and would do anything to help them.

Kidd Kraddick had a heart of gold and was taken away from us way too soon. My prayers go out to his show staff, his family, and his closest friends. RIP Kidd. Go rest high on that mountain.

Two Minute Warning for week of July 22-July 26

Well the weekend is finally here. Let's take a look back at what was this week in sports.

*First and foremost a new sports station in the Dallas/Ft. Worth market has emerged. Tune in Sports Talk 1460 ESPN. We carry the Texas Rangers baseball, Baylor Bears Football, and TCU basketball as well as Burleson ISD, Mansfield ISD, and Cleburne High School football. Tune into our morning show, The  Starting Line 6a-9a weekdays and Trade Fair 9a-11a Mondays thru Saturdays. So check us out.

*This week started off for the Rangers on a good note. Texas sent Justin Grimm, Michael Olt, and two prospects to the Chicago Cubs in exchanged for pitcher Matt Garza. Garza started on Wednesday night against the Yankees, going 7.1 innings allowing no earned runs and picking up the win in a Rangers 3-1 victory over New York. Good trade for the Rangers right here. Garza is a front of the line pitcher. There's no guarentee that the prospects will ever pan out, Justin Grimm has been just awful on the mound, and Michael Olt was never going to see regular playing time in Texas due to the superstar Adrian Beltre patrolling the third baseline. This was a good trade for Texas, who needed pitching help. Now they need to go after a bat. Reports are that they are looking into Chicago White Sox' Alex Rios, San Francisco Giant and Arlington-native Hunter Pence, and Seattle Mariner Kendrys Morales. Today we hear from MLB Insider Jon Heyman that the Rangers have also had internal discussions about bringing back former Ranger Michael Young (didn't I say the Rangers should trade for Young? Hmmm believe I did.). The trade deadline is on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see what happens between now and then.

*Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun was suspended on Monday (7-22) for the remainder of the 2013 season (65 games). He received 50 games for violating the league's drug policy and 15 games for his actions during his grievance when he was going through the appeals process in October of 2011. Braun's suspension raises the question of "Who is next?" All signs are pointing to Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. It's rumored that baseball executives are mulling over a lifetime ban for Rodriguez, who admitted to taking steroids from 2001 to 2003 when he played with the Texas Rangers. Since his admittance, his name has surfaced on a couple different potential lists, including the Biogenesis Clinic list in Miami. The lifetime ban would definitely be warranted and deserved in my opinion. Rodriguez seems to be the kind of person that can't learn from his mistakes.

*The Cowboys got underway at Training Camp in Oxnard, California this week. Biggest news of the week was that the stadium was no longer going to be called "Cowboys Stadium" but rather "AT&T Stadium." Call me old fashion, but I believe in the mystique of stadium names. When you hear the words "Yankee Stadium" you immediately think of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle. When you hear the words "Texas Stadium" you immediately think Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson, Tony Dorsett, Troy Aikman, and Emmitt Smith. Too many stadiums have dumb names and they change so frequently that you can never identify the team's history with the stadium. I love the deal for the Cowboys in the sense that it will bring a lot more money to the team that, hopefully, Jerry Jones will use to bring in good players.But I think Jerry messed up by taking "Cowboys" out of the stadium name.



*We learned this week at Cowboys training camp that the defensive line has taken a beating injury-wise. Several defensive linemen have fallen to various injuries during the first week, prompting the Cowboys to sign 2 defensive linemen yesterday (7-25) to add depth. I guess if you are going to get hurt, it's better now at the beginning of training camp than it is in the middle of the season. Cowboys kick off their preseason schedule on August 4th against the Miami Dolphins in Canton, Ohio at the Hall Of Fame game.



There ya go folks. The two minute warning is complete for this week. I'll be back on Monday with another blog. You can also see my blog at www.sports1460espn.com Check us out on Sports Talk 1460 ESPN.

Dallas Stars schedule is out.

The Dallas Stars have announced their schedule for the 2013-2014 season. While some DFW sports people don't really care, I am not one of those people. I am very excited about the return of Dallas Stars hockey. The Stars have been one of the busiest teams this off season. They made a huge trade with the Boston Bruins that sent Loui Eriksson to Boston in exchange for Tyler Seguin. Then they sent defensemen Philip Larson to Edmonton for veteran Shawn Horcoff. They also signed new head coach Lindy Ruff, who is known for being a defensive minded coach.

Some of the biggest dates to keep in mind:

*Thursday October 3rd is Opening Night and it's a home game against the Florida Panthers.

*Saturday November 9th the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks make their first trip to the AAC.

*Saturday January 4th rival Detroit Red Wings makes their first trip to the AAC.

*Thursday January 16th the Boston Bruins will make their only trip to Dallas.

*Saturday January 25th Sidney Crosby, Brenden Morrow, and the Pittsburgh Penguins make their only appearance in Dallas.

*Friday, April 11th is the final home game of the season against the St. Louis Blues.

To see the entire 2013-2014 Dallas Stars season, click here. Go support the Dallas Stars this season. It's going to be a different vibe this year on the ice at the American Airlines Center and it's going to be very exciting.

If Braun only got 65 games, why is Pete Rose still banned for life?

Over the last 24 hours since posting my last blog about the Ryan Braun suspension, I've had one thought and

one thought only that keeps coming back through my mind over and over again. Why is it that Braun, who now has multiple times cheated the game of baseball, only gets suspended from baseball for 65 games and yet Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson are still banned from baseball forever. Now I know Shoeless Joe is dead. But shouldn't he be reinstated and put into the Hall of Fame?

Shoeless Joe Jackson played for the Cleveland Naps from 1911 to 1915 and the Chicago White Sox from 1915 to 1921. He still holds the record for the highest batting average by a rookie when he hit .408 in 1911. He batted .340 or better for eight seasons. In 1919, the White Sox faced off against the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. Back then the series was a best of nine. The Sox, considered by some to be the best team in baseball history, lost to the Reds five games to three. Jackson hit a Series best .351 with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. In 1921, Jackson along with eight of his teammates were acquited by a Chicago jury of throwing the 1919 World Series. However the first ever Commissioner of Baseball, Kennisaw Landis, said that the ruling wasn't right and banned all eight players from baseball for life. Jackson was considered illiterate. He didn't know how to read or write. He was included in the ban because he had placed an X on the paper that the other seven players signed that stated they would throw the game for gamblers. But most people have argued that Jackson's play was proof that he never tried to lose. To this day, 92 years later, Jackson is still banned from baseball.

Pete Rose played from 1963 to 1986 with the Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos, and Philadelphia Phillies.

He was one of the last player managers as he managed the Reds while playing from 1984 to 1986 then continued to mange the team until 1989. He holds the record for most hits in a career with 4,256 hits. He had a career batting average of .303 with 1,314 RBI. He made the All Star team 17 times, won the Rookie Of The Year in 1963 and won the National League MVP in 1973. While as a manager, Rose was found to be gambling on baseball. It was discovered that Rose was betting on his team...to win. That's right. He would place bets that his Cincinnati Reds team would win ballgames. He was banned from baseball for life.

So I don't get this. Jackson played his rear end off in the 1919 World Series, yet he gets a lifetime ban. Pete Rose bet on his team to win, meaning he never altered his managing style to fix the outcome of a game yet he gets a lifetime ban. How is it then that Ryan Braun only got 65 games when he literally cheated the game? Rose and Jackson didn't cheat. Braun did. If Bud Selig is only going to suspend Ryan Braun for the remainder of the 2013 season, then he needs to reinstate Joe Jackson and Pete Rose and both need to be immediately inducted into Cooperstown. It's not right to the memory of Jackson or to Pete Rose that a real cheater in Ryan Braun can get away with cheating baseball and they have to continue serving lifetime bans for lesser crimes. Come on Bud Selig...do the right thing.

Is Ryan Braun just the start of the Biogenesis suspensions?

Right about the time the Rangers were making the trade for Matt Garza, we learned that one of baseball's

biggest superstars was having the hammer brought down on him. Milwaukee Brewer's right fielder Ryan  Braun was suspended yesterday for the remainder of the 2013 season (approx. 65 games) for the use of PEDs. Braun technically didn't fail a drug tests, but the evidence must have been bad enough for Braun to agree to the suspension because he won't be appealing the decision. The suspension will cost Braun around $3.25 million of his contract. That's a lot of money. I don't care how much you make, that's still a big shot to lose that much money. He is receiving 50 games from his association with the Biogenesis clinic in Miami and the other 15 games are from Braun's actions during the grievance that overturned his previous failed test.

Braun deserved to be suspended. He cheated once before, got caught, and was let off on a technicality. If you aren't familiar with the previous case against Braun, he failed a drug test in October of 2011 and was suspended for 50 games. He appealed his case and won because he believed that his sample was tampered with. How in the world in this sports day we live in when steroids are still being use frequently would a judge agree with Braun? It didn't make sense then and now we know why...cuz Braun was guilty then just like he is guilty now. I don't like cheaters in anything and I believe Braun is a cheater. He got what he deserved. I hope and pray he learns from this and will become the model baseball player in the future. Only time will tell.

But now that Braun has gone down, my question is "is this just the start of the Biogenesis suspensions?" I believe it is and as a Texas Rangers fan I hate what I believe is fixing to happen. Some of the biggest names are fixing to get suspended for cheating, including Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz. Now I like Cruz. I think he is an awesome player, but if he cheated then I agree with baseball he needs to be suspended. But I want him to be suspended only if he in deed did cheat. It's not against baseball law to buy steriods...it's against baseball law to actually take steriods. If there is proof that Cruz took steroids, then he deserves to be suspended. But if all baseball has on Nelson Cruz is that he bought steriods, he shouldn't be suspended. For some people, coming close to massive trouble is all it takes to straighten them up. For Cruz's sake, I pray that's all this is. I pray that he comes close to massive trouble without actually getting in trouble and it causes him to straighten up his act.

Now some players deserve to be kicked out of baseball forever. If Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned for "throwing" the 1919 World Series when he was the best player in the entire series, guys like Alex Rodriguez should get a lifetime ban as well. And I'm not talking about just from playing. I'm talking about from even attending a Major or Minor League Baseball game. If he was so arrogant to think he was above the baseball law, then he should be banned. Rodriguez admitted to taking steriods when he played for the Rangers 2001-2003. But instead of learning from his mistakes, he has shown up again on a current list...the Biogenesis Clinic's list. If Bud Selig wants to gain a bunch of respect from the baseball community, A-Rod needs to be banned from baseball (in the words of Squints from The Sandlot) FOR...EVE...ER!!!

Rangers Acquire Matt Garza from Chicago Cubs

It was first reported by Fox's Ken Rosenthal that a deal that would send Chicago Cubs pitcher Matt Garza to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Mike Olt, minor league pitcher C.J Edwards, and a third player was near. Now it's official. Matt Garza is the newest member of the Texas Rangers. The Cubs offically get Mike Olt, Justin Grimm, C.J Edwards, and a player to be named later. I really like this deal. Garza is a guy who has pitched some really big games when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, including getting a win in Game 3 of the ALDS in Arlington against the Rangers in 2010 when Tampa Bay was facing elimination. He has good composure, good stuff, and knows what he is doing on the mound.

Garza has had his fair share of injuries, but when healthy is one of the top 10 pitchers in baseball. He had a bad outing in Cincinnati on June 11th, but since then has been lights out. Since June 11th, Garza is 5-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 43 2/3 innings. Overall on the season, Garza is 6-1 with a 3.17 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 71 innings. Not too shabby especially if you compare them to Justin Grimm, who's spot in the Rangers rotation Garza will be taking. On the season, Grimm is 7-7 with a 6.37 ERA on the year. I think I'll take Matt Garza over Justin Grimm any day of the week.

Now with all this said, this trade better not be the only one the Rangers pull off before the July 31st deadline. Pitching isn't the only need this team needs. They need a big bat in the line up. I've stated before a few names that I think would be good bats to bring in, but none bigger than Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton. He is having a down year this year, hitting .236 with 10 home runs and 27 RBI. But he is playing on a team that is going no where and he has openly admitted that he wants to leave the Marlins. He felt betrayed and lied to when the organization traded away top guys like Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle to the Toronto Blue Jays. Stanton is playing on a team he doesn't want to be on. Put Stanton in the Rangers line up, at hitter friendly Rangers Ballpark In Arlington, on a team that is in contention and I believe that you will see the Giancarlo Stanton of old come back to life.

So come on Jon Daniels and company. Make that deal happen. If you got to trade Jurickson Profar to get Stanton, then for goodness sake get rid of Profar.

Cowboys start training camp

The Cowboys started training camp in Oxnard, California over the weekend. It kicked off with Jerry Jones' usual "State Of The Cowboys" opening press conference. I do believe the Cowboys are a better team this year than last year. They got a little bit of help at both the offensive line and wide receiver position, but I'm not sure it's enough help to do much better than 8-8 or 9-7. 

If you listened to Jones' press conference on Saturday, then you heard something Jerry said that I wasn't shocked he said but not sure how he can make this statement. He was asked if this was a make or break year for head coach Jason Garrett. Now I understand with Garrett was sitting there with him, but it still floored me that he actually answered the question. According to ESPN Dallas, Jones was quoted as saying "Everything I'm thinking about is not only about how to beat the Giants when we open up [the season], but also about what our future is in a plus manner or in a positive way with Jason. I look to the future with Jason, not just through his contract that we're sitting here with right now. I think he has a couple of years left on his contract, but that's not a thought. It is not what is implied when you say, 'This is an Armaggedon for him.' It's not that with me."

Now I'm very confused here. How can Jerry actually say that? The Cowboys are 21-19 under Garrett and haven't made the playoffs, choking back to back years on the final day of the season when a win would have put them into the playoffs. Garrett has lost games by freezing his own kicker and calling plays during intense situations that had no business being called. So how can Jerry say Garrett's job isn't in jeopardy? I guess that is Jerry being Jerry. This is coming from the same man who claimed the Cowboys were a Super Bowl team when Quincy Carter was the quarterback and who kept Josh Brent on the roster after he failed not one, but two drug tests while under house arrest. So I guess we can't expect nothing less from our owner/general manager.

I promise you folks, I'm a Cowboys fan. I am. I watch the games every week and always want them to win. I just don't believe they will. This year's team just might surprise me and I pray to God they do surprise me this year. I do like that Bill Callahan will be doing the play calling instead of Garrett and I've always liked the Monte Kiffin signing to be the defensive coordinator. So we will just have to see. Below is the Cowboys schedule. Look over it and tell me if I'm wrong that they won't win more than 8 or 9 games.







Vs. New York Giants - September 8th









At Kansas City - September 15th








Vs. St. Louis - September 22nd




At San Diego - September 29th






Vs. Denver - October 6th







Vs. Washington - October 13th






At Philadelphia - October 20th






At Detroit - October 27th






Vs. Minnesota - November 3rd





At New Orleans - November 10th





At New York Giants - November 24th







Vs. Oakland - November 28th (Thanksgiving)





At Chicago - December 9th





Vs. Green Bay - December 15th





At Washington - December 22nd

Vs. Philadelphia - December 29th

While the Garza suspense builds, a new Sports Talk radio station prepares to launch

I have been waiting and waiting all day long to write this post because I was hoping to write about the Texas Rangers acquiring pitcher Matt Garza from the Chicago Cubs. That deal is nearly done, but I can't wait any longer to write my blog as the day is almost over. 

In my very first blog I said that I was going to work for a radio station that was flipping to an ESPN affiliate. Well we finally have our launch date. Tuesday morning, July 22 if you tune into 1460 KCLE out of Cleburne, Texas and expect to hear Texas Country/Classic Country music well...I'm sorry but you won't find it here. Starting Tuesday we will be known as Sports Talk 1460 ESPN. The morning show, called "The Starting Line," will air 6a-9a followed by Trade Fair (very popular show that we didn't dare get rid of) 9a-11a. Then starting at 11a, we will have ESPN network programming. As we move along, an afternoon show will launch but that isn't for a little while yet.

Yours truly will be not only the Production Manager (my current title), but also the afternoon show producer as well as a social media/website assistant. Our website is under construction and we hope to have it up and running next week. You will be able to hear the station online (I'll give the link to the station website when it's ready). We will carry Texas Rangers baseball, ESPN Sunday Night Football, Burleson/Cleburne/Mansfield ISD football, (hopefully) Baylor football, and TCU basketball. Possibly will add more as we go along. Hope you will tune in if you can on Tuesday morning to the Starting Line 6a-9a. It's going to be fun. I'm extremely excited. We've been working hard. Hope you will enjoy it.

Sports at a low today, so here is a good deed opportunity for you.

There are times when sports are at a minimum. Today is definitely one of those days. Last night was the ESPY Awards, but I honestly don't care about the ESPY Awards. I will say congratulations to all of the winners. Good job.

Since there isn't much of any sports to talk about today, I thought I'd present to you a great opportunity to help out a good cause. I have teamed up with a nonprofit organization known as Manna World Wide to help them get shoes to children in third world countries. I have traveled with this organization to Kenya, East Africa on a trip in 2011 and they are an amazing organization. They built feeding centers for countries all over the world, provide medical attention for the people, and provide clothing and other basic needs for these people. There are kids all over the world who need a pair of shoes. They walk everywhere bare footed, which leads to them getting all kinds of diseases through their feet. Manna wants to supply as many kids as they can with shoes. For only a $20 donation, a pair of shoes will be given to a child in your honor and you will receive a picture of the child receiving your shoes.

Contact me for more info if you are interested at jrh0234@gmail.com. Tomorrow I'll be back with another sports topic, but I felt it was the right thing to do to present you folks with this good deed opportunity. As you can see from the pics, I tried to spread some Longhorn pride to Africa. It worked out pretty good. The video is from my brother and sister-in-law's trip to Kenya, Africa in 2010. I went with the them on the same trip in 2011.

American League shuts out National League 3-0, claims World Series home field advantage

Well before I address the All-Star game from last night, I want to address my article from yesterday (7-15-13) about how I didn't believe Yoenis Cespedes deserved to participate in the Home Run Derby. It seems that I may have ruffled a few feathers with my article and for that I'm...yeah never mind. I was going to apologize but I'm not sorry. I stand by what I said and my opinion that the Home Run Derby is an All-Star event and it's participants should have been selected from the All-Star rosters. If you got your feathers ruffled, I don't care. Get over it.

Now that's over with, last night was the 84th MLB All-Star Game from Citi Field in New York. The American League snapped a 3-year losing streak by shutting out the National League 3-0. The National League All Stars looked helpless at the plate as they only mustered up 3 hits in the entire game. The American League had a no hitter into the fourth before St. Louis Cardinals' Carlos Beltran singled off Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez to break the no hit bit up. The National League never seemed to get into a groove at all offensively.

For the most part, the game was kind of boring. But it had it's moments. I like seeing big men get long hits so I enjoyed watching Prince Fielder triple off Pittsburgh's Jason Grilli in the top of the 9th inning. Just being a fellow big man, I like watching big men run. So watching Fielder triple was awesome. Another moment I enjoyed a lot was watching Joe Nathan come in and close down the National League in the bottom of the 9th. As anyone who knows me knows...I'm a huge Texas Rangers fan. So to watch our closer come into the All-Star Game and get the save...it was awesome. I can't help but wonder (and hope...and pray) that what we witnessed last night was precursor to watching Joe Nathan close out the final game of the World Series in Arlington to clinch the Rangers first ever World Series title.

The moment of the night definitely came in the bottom of the 8th inning as you heard the following music start to play:

As that song began to roar throughout Citi Field, the fans knew they had better stand up to their feet because history was taking place. The American League bullpen opened out and out stepped the man: Mariano Rivera. The all time saves leader and future first ballot Hall of Famer came running out to take his place on his mound. The crowd rose to their feet and applauded while every player stood at the top of their dugouts and clapped for the man that has been a staple in New York with the Yankees. Now I can't stand the Yankees. Never have and never will. But I respect the fire out of Rivera. He is a classy guy who deserved the ovation he got last night. Then on top of that, pitched a perfect 1-2-3 8th inning. A lot of people are confused as to why manager Jim Leyland would bring Rivera into the game in the 8th inning and not let him get the save in the 9th. But Leyland did the right thing. He allowed Rivera to have his moment and allowed the spotlight to be on him as he deserved. So props to Jim Leyland. 

Overall the game was a little boring, but in the end the American League won. Now if the Rangers do their part and make it back to the World Series, Game 1 in October will be at Rangers Ballpark In Arlington.

Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes wins the Home Run Derby...but why was he even in the competition?

Last night the balls were flying out of Citi Field in New York as the best of the best home run hitters in baseball were showcased in the 2013 Home Run Derby. I enjoyed watching because during this event, unless a guy from your team is in it you want all the guys to do well. Last night's winner was Oakland A's Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes. He put on a clinic on how to hit the long ball for sure. 17 home runs in the first round, none in the second round because he didn't need to hit any to make the finals, and then beat out Washington Nationals phenom Bryce Harper 9-8 in the finals. It definitely was a sight to behold watching all those home runs leave the park last night.

But I have a problem...a BIG problem...with Cespedes winning the Home Run Derby last night. I don't care that he plays for the Rangers' rival Oakland A's. In fact, I like seeing the guys from our division do well and win this event. But my problem with Cespedes winning the Derby is this...HE'S NOT AN ALL STAR!!! That's right folks. He was not selected to the All-Star team this year. So why in the world is this man competing in an All-Star competition when he isn't an All-Star. That doesn't make any sense to me. If he wasn't good enough to play in tonight's game, he shouldn't have been good enough to compete in last night's Home Run Derby. I don't give a rat's behind that he hit a total of 28 home runs last night with the majority of them being moon shots. He shouldn't have even been allowed on the field. So to me...the real winner in last night's Home Run Derby was Bryce Harper by default. I think Chris Davis and Michael Cuddyer (both participants made it to the second round last night) were robbed of a chance to face Harper. I would have loved to see Davis vs. Harper in the finals. Heck...Cuddyer was hitting some awesome shots too so a Cuddyer v. Harper finals would have been exciting too. Cespedes shouldn't have been allowed to participate and therefore to me isn't the true Home Run Derby Champion.