Rangers Off Season To This Point & My Review Of The Dallas Stars Season

I haven't written anything in a long time and that's mainly because I just got burned out on writing. I know what you are thinking...how can you ever get burned out on writing about sports? Yes I love sports very much, but by the time I'm done with my job I'm just tired and ready to go home to spend time with my lovely wife. I follow sports all day long so I got burned out with writing about it after updating it on Sports Talk 1460 ESPN. But today...I got the urge to write again. So here we go.

*In today's piece, this is all you will hear me say about the Dallas Cowboys. They suck and won't ever go to another Super Bowl until Jerry Jones decides to actually hire a General Manager who knows football. That's all.

*The Texas Rangers have been the talk of a lot of rumors at the Baseball Winter Meetings at Disney World. After pulling off the trade for Prince Fielder, the Rangers are looking to add another power bat. I've heard people talking a lot about the trade that sent Ian Kinsler to Detroit for Fielder and I gotta say...I LOVE IT!!!

Yes I was a Kinsler fan...still am. But you can't get upset when you're favorite player is traded, especially if the trade makes your ball club better. Kinsler was a good player, but Prince Fielder is an elite player. He is a game changer. You put him in front of Adrian Beltre in the Rangers lineup and look for Fielder to compete for AL MVP. Mark my words on that. Now as for who else the Rangers are looking at. As of this very minute (11:49 am on Tuesday, December 10, 2013) the Rangers have been rumored to be going after left handed power hitter Shin Soo Choo and right handed power hitter Nelson Cruz. I like the idea of either one of them...or both...in a Rangers uniform. Choo won't come cheap, but if the speculated trade that sends Mark Trumbo to the

Arizona Diamondbacks from the Los Angeles Angles does indeed happen, then look for Choo's price to come down as the Rangers will be pretty much the only suitor for Choo. Cruz wants to stay in Texas. He turned down a 5-year $75 million from the Seattle Mariners. He wants a 3-year deal while the Rangers only want to give him a 2-year deal with a 3rd year option. I say give him the 3 years, let him be your DH, and go after Choo as well. The Rangers did pick up an awesome prospect in Michael Choice from the Oakland A's last week. I say sign both Choo and Cruz, then when Alex Rios leaves the Rangers after the 2014 season, Choice will be ready for the big show and can take over right field. Last year at this time, the Rangers were in every big name player rumors and came out with absolutely nothing. This year, they have really only been in on 2...Nelson Cruz and Shin Soo Choo. I say go get both and let Choice develop one more year. I've met Michael Choice on a couple occasions at the Mansfield D-Bat hitting facility (Yes I go there from time to time to work on my hitting as I play amateur baseball. I'm our team's utility guy. And yes I'm bragging. lol) Really nice kid and a really good ball player. I'm excited to see when he makes it to the big leagues for good just how good he will be.

*The Dallas Stars have finished just over 1/3rd of their season and currently are 14-9-5. They are 5th in the Western Conference's Central Division and sit 7 points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the final playoff spot. I gotta tell ya...the young Stars are fun to watch. They have some very talented players on this team. Tyler Seguin is quickly becoming the foundation, Rich Peverley is the perfect team player, and Antoine Roussel is the enforcer that the Stars haven't had in a while. They just gotta figure out how to play defense. If they were a better

defensive team, those 14 wins would probably be at least 17 or 18 wins. Their defense has just not been there for much of the season. Kari Lehtonen has been outstanding in net. He has reminded me of Yu Darvish from last season...he gives up only 1 goal and can't get any support. I think if the defense can step it up the rest of the way, you will see the Stars in the playoffs again this year. I think Jim Nill needs to make one move before the trading deadline...go get a hot shot defensive player. You get an All Star defensive player, he makes all the other players better on defense. If Jim Nill does that, I think the Stars become contenders for Lord Stanley's Cup. Just my opinion.

So Ranger fans...chill out over losing Kinsler. You won't remember him when Fielder is making it hard for the people in the all you can eat section in the home run porch to eat their nachos by knocking home run after home run into the upper porch. Our lineup will be good. If they can add Choo and/or Cruz...it'll be alot better. And Stars fans...keep supporting this team. I think you are seeing the beginning of what will be a very good hockey team. Just like this year's slogan...you are witnessing a new Star rising. Go Rangers and Go Stars!!!

My Sports Thoughts

Ok so my apologies for not writing anything new in nearly a month. But sometimes you just run out of things to discuss or write about and sometimes you just don't have strong enough opinions to write anything. That's where I've been for the last month. I've been around doing my job at Sports Talk 1460 ESPN and doing my Sunday Morning Gospel Hour radio show too. But I just haven't really had much of an opinion related to sports as of late. But I think I'm ready now to write something new. So here we go.

*The World Series begins tonight between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. I'm excited. Not because my team is in the Series (Rangers loss in the Tie Breaker game) but because I'm a baseball fan. There ain't nothing better than watching the World Series. Every game is great and every game means so much. So this year I'm rooting for the Boston Red Sox. Anytime the Sox are playing I want them to win except for when they play the Rangers. Former Ranger Mike Napoli is with Boston and I'd like to see him get a ring. My real hope...is that Napoli is back in a Ranger uniform at first base come opening day 2014 against the Philadelphia Phillies. That's what I really am hoping for. But my prediction is that this series will go the distance with the Red Sox winning in 7 games. But just like I predicted the Chicago Blackhawks/Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Finals to be epic back in June, I'm predicting the same thing for the World Series. It's going to be a classic series for sure.

*The Dallas Cowboys are in first place in the NFC East. That's awesome...until you realize that they are only 4-3 on the season. Granted I'm glad they are in first place. I really am. But they have looked absolutely horrible at times this year. They were pitiful against Kansas City and San Diego and defensively look horrendous against Denver and Washington. It's not been pretty for the Cowboys, however being that the entire NFC East is extremely weak this season, the Cowboys normal 8-8 season might just be what they need to reach the playoffs. We shall see.

*The Dallas Stars have gotten off to kind of a rough start so far. As of today (10-23) they are 3-5 on the season. Not really very good. But when you consider that starting goalie Kari Lehtonen has missed 5 of the 8 games played so far this year and they are considered one of the youngest teams in the NHL...3-5 ain't too bad. They got some really good, talented guys in Alex Chiasson and Tyler Seguin with great veteran leadership by Sergei Gonchar, Ray Whitney, and Jamie Benn. They have played really well for the most part of the season. Hoping they can get it together a little bit more and make a serious playoff push. We can't blow 2-goal leads like we did against the Ducks on Sunday night (10-20) or give up 3 straight goals in the 3rd period when we were tied 2-2 going into the period like we did against the Kings on Saturday night (10-19). But I think Lindy Ruff has his guys beginning to believe and when it's all said and done we will see the Stars back in the playoff picture.

*Now I saved the story that I have the biggest opinion on for last. This past Friday night (10-18) Aledo defeated Ft. Worth Western Hills in football 91-0. Yeah you read that score right...91-0!!! When I first saw the score, I thought "man...how could Coach Buchanan do that?" But then as the story began to unfold, I realized that Coach Tim Buchanan did the right thing. His team was extremely superior to Western Hills. He started substituting his back ups and third string guys into the game in the 1st quarter, his starters only played 16 snaps all game long, his punt returners were told to always call for a fair catch, they only passed the ball 10 times, and the clock never stopped running after a certain point in the 3rd quarter. What else could Coach Buchanan have done? You can't tell players to stop playing hard because that's when you get kids hurt. You can't take a knee the entire 2nd half because that's disrespectful to the other team. You can't ask your 2nd and 3rd string kids to not play hard because they want some playing time too and have earned it by their practice and hard work during the week. So what else could Coach Buchanan have done? In my opinion...absolutely nothing. He did everything he could to put the brakes on his offense. It isn't his fault that the Western Hills defense was that bad. But because the society we live in is too afraid people's feelings will be hurt, they can't just accept that Western Hills got their butts whooped and let it go. No...a parent of a Western Hills player filed a formal complaint against the Aledo coaching staff accusing them of "bullying" the Western Hills football team. That's absolutely ridiculous and absurd. Thank goodness the Aledo ISD found today that there were no grounds for the claim and threw it out. The Western Hills parent needs to just shut their mouth and accept that their kid's football team sucks. Deal with it.

And that's my opinions of what's been going on lately in sports. Hope y'all enjoy and I hope y'all will check out the new and improved www.sports1460espn.com. It's looking very good.

It's Time To Just Let It Go!!!

Ok soooo it's been right at 2 weeks since my last blog. I know I haven't written much but when you are the full time production manager for a sports radio station as well as a producer, host and creator of a nationally syndicated 1-hour show, and the program director of a new country music on line station (check it out. We are called Wild Country) you get a little busy. But it doesn't mean I haven't  been keeping up with sports. I have and still have my opinions. This piece today isn't about the Cowboys...whom I honestly think will be fine this year despite losing to the San Diego Chargers yesterday. It's not about the Dallas Stars...although I am very excited they start the regular season on Thursday. It's not about the Dallas Mavericks...because no one cares about the Dallas Mavericks. It's not even directly about the Texas Rangers...who I'm excited to watch in the tiebreaker game tonight. It's about Ranger fans and their treatment of Josh Hamilton...again.

In my very first blog on this site, I said how I thought it was tasteless and classless how the Ranger fans treated Josh Hamilton when he returned as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. I get it that people booed him and that's understandable. But to cuss his family out and throw things at them was pathetic. I said in that article it was time for people to concentrate more on cheering the Rangers on than booing Josh Hamilton. Well this weekend...the final series of the regular season...brought Josh Hamilton and his Angels back to Rangers Ballpark In Arlington. People booed him as usual. They even started chanting "Baseball Town" which I honestly thought was great. You can chant like that and not get out of hand. What I find distasteful is how Hamilton was treated after trying to acknowledge to the fans that he was wrong. In the top of the 9th, Hamilton flied out for his final at bat of the season. Upon his return to the Angels dugout, the fans were as loud as ever chanting "Baseball Town." When he got to the top of the dugout, he tipped his helmet to the fans.


Honestly...I thought it was a great gesture. It was Josh showing the Ranger fans that he knows he was wrong and is glad Ranger fans proved him wrong that this wasn't a baseball town. But ever since this gesture, people have ridiculed him for it saying he was being classless and arrogant. I don't believe that for one second. Come on people. The man was admitting that Ranger fans were right and he was wrong. Can he not do that without receiving so much crap from people? Apparently not. I'm a Ranger fan...bigger than most. I didn't like Hamilton's comments about Ranger fans any more than the next person. But when he admits to being wrong, even if he doesn't actually use the words, then do the right thing and forgive him and let's move on. Josh Hamilton is still one of my favorite players of all time and will continue to be one of my favorite players of all time. So if by some awesome chance Josh Hamilton ever reads this blog I just got one thing to say to him. Josh...thank you for the gesture on Sunday (9-29-13). I hope that all Ranger fans sees the gesture the way I saw it. Good luck with the rest of your  baseball career and I can only hope and pray that one day we will see you back in a Ranger uniform.

Check out my blog at www.sports1460espn.com.

One of the longest weekends in DFW sports

Wow!!! This was probably one of the longest weekends in DFW sports that I can remember in a very long time. It was depressing all weekend long to see the different teams. Wasn't because they lost...it was because of how they lost. Let's take a look at the different games/series that hopefully after this article, I will be able to forget about quickly.

*The Texas Rangers almost certainly made sure they won't win the American League West division as they folded under the pressure this weekend in the most crucial series of the season as the Oakland A's came into Rangers Ballpark In Arlington and swept the Rangers right out of the division championship race. They attempted a comeback on Friday night, but thanks to a horrible call by third base umpire Andy Fletcher (who was out of position and therefore couldn't clearly see that Alex Rios was safe at third) the comeback ended and Texas lost 9-8. Then on Saturday Yu Darvish pitched his butt off only to see his offense disappear and he lost his 4th 1-0 game of the season (2nd in as many starts). Then on Sunday was over from the beginning. Martin Perez gave up a 2-run home run and that started the A's on a 5-1 win to drop their magic number to clinch the division down to 8. Put the Rangers lineup on a milk cartoon because they have gone missing and they need to be found soon before it's too late and even the Wild Card isn't an option. They can take a step in the right direction tonight when they take on the Tampa Bay Rays, who also have been struggling as of late. But the Rangers on are on the playoff Titanic and we are waiting to see if they are going to get on a lifeboat or go down.

*The Dallas Cowboys didn't look too bad yesterday against the more improved Kansas City Chiefs...but they definitely have some work to do. Offensively they were rolling in the first half. The only problem is that Chiefs coach Andy Reid made adjustments at halftime and the Cowboys did not. Defensively, they made some good stops, but they have to step it up or they will lose a lot of close games this year. I'm not too worried about the Cowboys at this point. They are 1-1 and tied for the NFC East lead. It's early so no need to panic just yet.




*The Texas Longhorns are...absolutely pathetic. They hosted the number 25 ranked team in the country, the Running Rebels of Ole Miss on Saturday night and it looked really good early on. The Horns had a 23-14 lead and Ole Miss couldn't figure out how to move the ball at all on offense. Then the 2nd half started and all that went out the window. Ole Miss scored 30 unanswered points and just destroyed Texas 44-23. It's time for Mack Brown to be fired at Texas. It's time for a new coach and a whole new coaching staff to lead the Horns because Mack Brown isn't getting it done anymore. Remember how toward the end of Tom Landry's career as the Dallas Cowboys head coach? He was still doing what he has always done and the league had figured out how to stop him. He wouldn't change for anything in the world and it cost him his job. Well Mack Brown is the Texas Longhorns version of Tom Landry. He is still doing his thing and all other college football teams have figured out how to stop him, yet he doesn't change anything. As long as Mack Brown is the head coach for the Longhorns, rest assured Texas will never see another Big 12 championship or even a large bowl game.


Now there were a few bright spots this weekend for me:



*The Texas A&M/Alabama game definitely lived up to the hype. Back and forth all game long only to see Alabama squeak past the Aggies 49-42. The great thing about this...Johnny Moron lost. Yes he put up big numbers against the Tide (over 500 yards of offense), but he still lost. The Alabama defense was giving him the money hand sign that Manziel gave during the Rice and Sam Houston State games. It was great. To see Johnny Moron hanging his head after a loss made my weekend.



*Hockey is finally back and although the Stars lost their preseason opener to the St. Louis Blues 6-5 in a shootout, the fact that hockey is back brings a smile to my face. First-round draft pick Valeri Nichushkin scored twice and newly acquired Tyler Seguin scored once. Just to have the Dallas Stars back on the ice was a great sight to behold.




So even though this was the sports weekend from ... there were some bright spots. Just gotta look forward to this week's action and hope that our beloved DFW teams can turn it around.

Things I Observe In The World Of DFW Sports

I tell you what...it's hard to stay up with this blog and do my daily routine at work. It's always good to be busy and working, but it makes it hard to write blogs very often. So I am thinking I will write periodically instead of daily or weekly. I will write as much as I can. Thanks to all of y'all for reading it. I appreciate it.

First of all...Week 1 of the NFL is in the books. I have a message for all you people who the Cowboys seemed to personally affect by beating the Giants 36-31 on Sunday night. Here is my message to all of you...IT'S ONLY ONE GAME!!! That's right y'all. I get it that the Cowboys are 1-0 and that there were things about the win that were ugly, but it's only one game. And this message is for all sides. If you are a Cowboys fan, don't go around saying "ohh look we are going to be better than last year. We are going to the playoffs and even may have a shot at the Super Bowl." You don't know what this team will look like because they beat the New York Giants in week one. Remember they beat the Giants in New York last year and we all know how they finished. So you don't know from one game how good they will be this year. Now on the flip side...all you Cowboy haters need to also chill out. It's been documented well here that I'm not a big Tony Romo fan. But with that said, he had a good game on Sunday night. He made plays he needed too. Yes their offensive line needs work, but they played better than I thought they would. The defensive needs to step it up in stopping points from being put on the board, but give them some credit for the 6 turnovers. I know you can't stand the Cowboys and that's fine. But stop with all the "Romo still sucks" and "it's just the first of only eight wins this year" crap. Like I said...I'm not a Romo fan either, but the man can play football. The same goes for you Cowboy haters as does for the Cowboy fans...IT'S ONLY ONE GAME!!! You don't know if the Cowboys are going to go 8-8 this year. They could go 15-1 or 1-15. After one game...no one knows for sure. So stop with all the crap. It's old and boring.

Secondly...the Rangers are starting to make me think they are done. They have sucked it up since their 20-7 August. They are only 2-7 in the month of September at the time of this article. They can't hit and can't field. Pitching has been good, but when you have to be perfect in order to get a win you won't win many ballgames. If the offense doesn't get things going and get them going soon, they will be doing what all of us will be doing when the playoffs start...watching the playoffs from our couch.





Thirdly...hockey is back this week. WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!! The Dallas Stars will open their 2013 Training Camp on Thursday, the 12th, from the Ft. Worth Convention Center. Their first preseason game is this Sunday, the 15th, against the St. Louis Blues from American Airlines Center. I think the Stars are poised to return to the postseason. New GM Jim Nill made some big moves in the offseason by hiring Lindy Ruff as the new head coach and acquiring Tyler Seguin from the Boston Bruins and Sergei Gonchar from the Ottawa Senators. On the Sports Sandbox on Sports Talk 1460 ESPN, President Jim Lites talked about how this team is ready to get back on the ice and ready to make a serious run at a playoff birth this year. Last year, the team was fun to watch with all the youth. Now with a young superstar like Seguin and veteran leadership like Gonchar, I'm excited to see just how this  team will do this season. It's going to be tough as the NHL has realigned the divisions. The Stars will no longer see the Detroit Red Wings nearly as much as they did in years past, but will have to face the Chicago Blackhawks (winners of Lord Stanley's Cup 2 of the last 5 years) more than in previous years. So it will be tough, but it will be fun for sure.

Fourthly...Johnny Manziel needs to just go away. Coach Sumlin, if he was a true man of integrity, would bench Manziel and keep that idiot off the field. He is disrespectful to his coach, his team, and his school. He is a disgrace to the game of football and to the entire human race. He needs to just shut up and go home and never be seen or heard from in the media ever again.



Lastly...No one cares about the Dallas Mavericks. They have done nothing to really improve themselves and I fear that this season will a mirror of next year. That's all I've got to say about the Dallas Mavericks.

So there you have it. My observations about the sports world in DFW. As other things crop up, I'll write about them. But this helps get my sports feelings out of my system for now. Have a good day.

Rangers and September...they meet again!!!

So we are finally in the final month of baseball's regular season and it's a very familiar sight if you are a Texas Rangers fan. It's September 4th and the Rangers have a 1 game lead over the Oakland A's for first place in the AL West. At this time last season, the Rangers sat 4 games up on Oakland for the division and we all know how that turned out.

So what do the Texas Rangers need to do in order to avoid a horrific collapse like last season? Well their pitching needs to keep going the way it has been. The combo of Yu Darvish (despite his recent struggles...if you can call them struggles), Matt Garza, Derek Holland, and rookie Martin Perez have been outstanding. These guys are going late into the game, keeping the bullpen rested, and doing what they need to do in order to help this ball club win. The bullpen needs to also keep doing what they are doing. Guys like Tanner Scheppars, Robbie Ross, Neal Cotts, Jason Frasor, even Ross Wolf are getting the job done when called upon. Then you got Joe Nathan who has been and I believe will continue to be lights out to close out ball games.

What worries me some is the offense. They are very capable of getting the job done, as last night's 5-1 win over All-Star and known Ranger killer Bartolo Colon proved. But they gotta do it on a more consistent basis. Adrian Beltre can't do it alone. He needs guys like Ian Kinsler, Alex Rios, A.J Peirzynski, and Mitch Moreland to help shoulder some of the offensive burden. If this line up can step up, not worry so much about hitting home runs (which they have done a very good job of so far this year), and just get on base then this team will not only win the AL West, but will go far in the playoffs.

I don't believe the Rangers will fold like last season. Last season's team seemed to be very cocky going into September and it blew up in their faces. This year's squad seems determined to not let history repeat itself. They look focused and ready to knock off the A's for the division crown and go back to the World Series. So let's do this. It's playoff time in Texas. Let's go after that World Series ring and get the job done this year. LET'S GO RANGERS (clap, clap, clap clap clap). LET'S GO RANGERS (clap, clap, clap clap clap)

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Johnny Manziel has been suspended...FOR ONLY A HALF!!!

Ok ok ok. The suspense is finally over. Texas A&M quarterback has finally received his punishment for his actions of receiving payment for signing autographs. The NCAA investigators met with him for several hours on Sunday and they finally have reached an decision on his suspension. Surely the NCAA will put the hammer down and make an example out of Manziel...right?

Ummmmmm...NOOOOOOO!!!! It was announced today that the reigning Heisman trophy winner from Texas A&M Johnny Manziel will be suspended for a whopping two quarters against Rice. Really??? The kid breaks major NCAA rules by receiving money for his signature and you only suspend him for two quarters? I really need an explanation as to how the NCAA feels this is right? How can they say this is ok when other programs have done a lot less and received a whole lot more?

Explain how Johnny Manziel gets away with breaking major rules when Dez Bryant (who didn't violate any NCAA sanction or rule) and is suspended for 10 games? Explain how that is right? If I'm Dez Bryant, I'm suing the NCAA. I would sue them in a heart beat. Johnny Manziel doesn't deserve to play at all. Not only against Rice this weekend, but all season long. He should be dropped from the Aggie program and lose any kind of scholarship he has.

The Aggie creed says "An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do." I guess when it comes to an idiot who can play football, Texas A&M is willing to through their creed out the window. He cheated and he lied and yet Texas A&M will play Johnny Manziel in the 2nd half of Saturday's game. I guess Texas A&M can be classified as a sell out program, Coach Ken Sumlin is a sell out, and any Aggie fan who cheers on Johnny Manziel this season is a sell out.

I will tune into a lot of Aggie football games this year for one reason...to root for their opponent. I hope they lose every single game of the season. I hope they are tasting the bottom of the barrel in the SEC. Instead of "Gig 'Em Aggies" it will be "Gig Off Aggies."

Happy Anniversary to Nolan Ryan

Today is a great day in Rangers history. No I'm not talking about when the Rangers scored 30 runs against the Baltimore Orioles (although that was one of the greatest days in team history). I'm talking about the day the Ryan Express, Nolan Ryan became the first pitcher in baseball history to record 5,000 strikeouts.

On August 30, 1989 Ryan took on the Oakland A's from old Arlington Stadium. It was a packed crowd as it always was when Ryan pitched. In the 5th inning, Rickey Henderson came up to bat. Pretty good match-up you think being two hall of famers going against each other. Well on this day, it was Nolan Ryan who got the better of Rickey Henderson as he blew a 96 MPH fastball past Henderson for his 5,000th strike out. The A's got the better of the Rangers that night, beating Ryan and the Rangers 2-0. But the A's getting the win isn't what people remember about that night. They remember Nolan Ryan making history.

Growing up in the Dallas/Ft. Worth as a huge Ranger fan since I was old enough to pick up a baseball, I've known that Nolan Ryan was THE man in Rangers history. He started his career with the New York Mets and won a World Series Championship in 1969. His career led him to stints with the California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. He finished his career with a record of 324-292, a 3.19 ERA, 5,714 strikeouts in 5,386 innings pitched, 7 no hitters and 12 one hitters over 27 years. He is still to this day a Texas legend.

His legendary status continued when he became part of the group that bought the Texas Rangers in 2010. He has helped to lead the club from an upper management standpoint to 2 World Series births and 3 playoff appearances. Since Ryan has taken the reigns of the team, the Rangers have been major contenders for the World Series. His legendary status has only continued to grow.

I am a big time Nolan Ryan fan. I don't have many heros outside of my dad that physically live on this Earth, but if I had a sports hero Nolan Ryan would be it. Congrats to Mr. Ryan on his anniversary today and thank you to him for all he has done for the Rangers.

Check out my blog on www.sports1460espn.com.

Why do we have to have NCAA Football preseason polls?

NCAA Football season is fixing to get going and I'm very excited. I love watching college football. You never know from week to week what's going to happen. I'm a big Texas Longhorns fan so...HOOK 'EM HORNS!!! But one thing I've never understood is the preseason polls. That has to be one of the most stupid things I've ever seen.

Here's why I don't like preseason polls. I know you can go by who is coming back to the team, what kind of prospects these schools have, etc. But no honestly knows what these teams will look like until a few weeks into the season. To say that Alabama is number 1 going into the season or Texas A&M is number 6 is just asinine to me. How do we know that the new guys in the Alabama offensive line will block as well as last year's team? How do we know that Johnny Manziel (should he not be suspended) be as good as he was last year? We don't. At least not until a few weeks into the year.

What needs to happen is...NO POLLS AT ALL until at least week 3 or 4. By then, we will have a better understanding of what these teams are all about. If at that point, Alabama has beaten everyone like they are expected to do, then ok. Rank them number 1. But we shouldn't just assume they are the best before we see them play.

Check out my blog also at www.sports1460espn.com.

Two Minute Warning for the week of August 12-16th

Once again, this week's "Two Minute Warning" has to be on Thursday instead of Friday because work, which I'm loving every minute of, is going to be crazy busy. But it's now time for this week's "Two Minute Warning."

So what all have we learned this week in sports? Hmmm...let's see:

*The Texas Rangers have regained the AL West division lead over the Oakland A's and the A's just continue to go on a downward spiral. The Rangers swept the Houston Astros in a 4-game series and then split a 2-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. The A's won 2 of 3 games against the Toronto Blue Jays last weekend and as of today (8-15-13) have lost 2 straight to the Astros. The Rangers keep doing it with timely hitting and excellent pitching. The Rangers have not hit a home run in 5 of their last 8 games...they've won all 5 of those games. The pitching staff has gone at least 5 innings and the bullpen seems to be rested as they have shut down anyone they face. Joe Nathan got his 36th save of the season last night. The team seems to keep rolling along despite not having Neftali Feliz, Colby Lewis, and Matt Harrison. Ohh yeah...they also haven't had the big bats of Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli, and Michael Young all season. Hamilton is enjoying a horrible season with the Angels (who are 53-66 and are 16 games behind the Rangers in the AL West). Michael Young is also experiencing some baseball lows with the Philadelphia Phillies (who are 53-67 and 20.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East). Mike Napoli is the only former Ranger who is playing well on a good team. His Boston Red Sox are 72-50 and 3 games up on the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

*Dez Bryant says that if the NCAA doesn't suspend Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel for his being paid to sign autographs, he will be very upset. I agree he has a right to be upset. Bryant was suspended for the 2009 season from Oklahoma State for lying about having dinner with Deion Sanders. Manziel is currently being investigated for potentially being paid for signing autographs.



*The Dallas Stars have been accused of trying to negotiate with Evgeni Malkin, one of the superstar players of the Pittsburgh Penguins, while Malkin is under contract with another team. Malkin's father, Vladimir, told a Russia Sports Outlet that the Stars offered a larger contract to his son than the contract extension he signed with Pittsburgh in June (which was an 8-year, $76 million contract extension). The NHL has extreme rules concerning this, but the NHL isn't investigating this case due to the Pittsburgh Penguins saying they don't believe the Stars actually talked to Malkin at all. Here's my opinion: Vladimir Malkin needs to shut up. Your son got a big time contract and the Stars haven't done anything wrong. So just shut up.

Not much else going on in sports this week. Check out my blog on www.sports1460espn.com.

Does Dez Bryant have a point?

The Dallas Cowboys have a beast at wide receiver in Dez Bryant. As a fan, I've been impressed with and proud of how Dez has grown up in front of us. He was a raw, rough rookie off the field when he first came into the league and he has grown up and matured into a leader of the Cowboys.

So when Dez talks nowadays, people tend to listen. Today (8-14-13) Dez was quoted as saying he would be very upset and mad if the NCAA doesn't suspend Texas A&M Quarterback Johnny Manziel for being paid to sign autographs. Does Dez have a right to be upset. Let's take a look back at Dez's issues with the NCAA.

Bryant was suspended for the entire 2009 season, what would have been his final year at Oklahoma State. During the off-season that year, Bryant and former Cowboy defensive back Deion Sanders had developed a close friendship. Bryant went to Deion's house for dinner before the season started. When asked about that dinner, Bryant thought it was a violation and lied to the NCAA saying he never had dinner with Deion. It wasn't a violation, but the NCAA didn't appreciate being lied to so they suspended Bryant for the entire 2009 season for lying about something that wasn't a violation to begin with.

Now let's take a look at Johnny Manziel. Johnny Football has been signing autographs for money since he won the Heisman Trophy. Sources are telling ESPN's "Outside The Lines" that he has been paid for signing engagements FOUR TIMES since January. The NCAA is currently investigating Manziel but no ruling has been announced.

So does Dez Bryant have a point and an argument? Absolutely he does. Bryant didn't do anything wrong except lie. I don't agree about Bryant lying to the NCAA, but other than that he didn't do anything wrong. Manziel is taking money for autographs which is a clear violation of NCAA by-laws. So yes, Dez Bryant has a right to what he said. If the NCAA do not suspend Manziel, Bryant has every right to be upset and mad. For what it's worth (and it ain't worth much) I highly support Dez Bryant. 

So to the NCAA...do the right thing. Suspend Johnny Manziel. Make a point to all student athletes that says they are not above the law. Do the right thing and suspend Johnny Manziel or you will have completely wronged Dez Bryant and cost that young man a year of college.

Check out my blog on www.sports1460espn.com as well.

Johnny Manziel Is A Moron!!!

Yes you read my title right. Johnny Manziel is a moron. A big, freakin' moron!!! And no I don't think this because he is the quarterback at Texas A&M and I'm a Texas Longhorns fan. It's because he is a big moron.

ESPN's "Outside The Lines" is reporting that a source has informed them that Manziel signed autographs for money at two additional sessions other than what the NCAA is investigating him for. How can you be that stupid? It is widely known that one of the big "no-no's" in NCAA sports is being paid for...well...anything. Manziel has been making a good chunk of change for signing his name on things.

I know he is the Heisman Trophy winner and led the Aggies to one of the best seasons they've ever had. But come on dude. Grow up and learn what it means to play by the rules. He is becoming the poster child for what it means to spiral out of control. I keep hearing people say "well he is just a college kid." No that excuse won't fly with me. He is a grown man. He needs to understand and realize that he isn't above the law or the NCAA by-laws.


What Manziel is doing is not only hurting himself, but hurting his Aggie teammates. Everyone knows that without Manziel, the Aggies will be cellar dwellers in the SEC. Manziel isn't thinking about his team or his future. He is thinking about the here and now. And by thinking of the here and now, he is going to screw himself over in the future. Any punishment on Manziel, I won't have any pity on him. I will feel sorry for his Aggie teammates who will suffer the most.

My advice to Johnny Manziel...grow up, be a real man, and get your act together. You are on a slippery slope with jagged rocks at the base waiting to rip you to shreds. Grow up Johnny Football!!!

Check out my blog and other sports news at www.sports1460espn.com.

Two Minute Warning for August 4th-9th

Ok y'all. I know I haven't written much this week and I'm pretty sure by the way my schedule is shaping up for tomorrow, I won't be able to write again tomorrow. So today it's time for this week's "Two Minute Warning."

*It's been a fun, interesting week so far. Not too much going on in the world of sports...ohhh wait. Yes there is. Major League Baseball handed down their Biogenesis suspensions on Monday. Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, and Everth Cabrara were among 12 players who received 50 game suspension...none decided to appeal. Alex Rodriguez got lucky in my eyes and only received a 211 game suspension instead of a lifetime ban (which I believe was warranted). Despite not having Cruz, the Rangers have continued to win, sweeping the Los Angeles Angels for the 2nd time in a week. They have won 8 of their last 9 games and have erased a 6 game deficit in the AL West. As of today (8-8-13) they are tied with Oakland for first in the division.



*The Dallas Cowboys had their first preseason game of the year against the Miami Dolphins. Not a bad way to start training camp as the Cowboys won 24-20 in the Hall Of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Now I know it's just a preseason game, but if you look at this game compared to the last few seasons' first preseason game, you can take a lot of positives from it. The last few seasons, in the preseason the defense was horrible at takeaways. That would end up transferring into the regular season. In last Sunday's game, the defense caused two turnovers that both led to touchdowns. That's a good sign for the Cowboys if history repeats itself. The offensive line looked a lot better and the running game was excellent. In years past during preseason games, that wasn't the case. So I know it's just one preseason win, but I'm already a little bit encouraged by what I saw out of the Cowboys against Miami.



*So what else is going on in the world of sports? Ohhhhh yesss. Johnny Manziel...aka Johnny Football...maybe in a tad bit of hot water. Allegedly he was paid very nicely for signing autographs during his trip to the BCS National Championship game in Miami back in January. There are now other stories surfacing that he has been getting paid for signing autographs. Ohhhhh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. Johnny...Johnny...Johnny...take my advice. Shut your mouth, lock yourself in your dorm room when you are not on the field practicing or at games (if the NCAA allows you to play that is), and become a monk until you are done with college. I know Manziel has had problems in the past but I am afraid that Johnny Football may have crossed a line with this one that he can't fix. We may have seen the last of Johnny Football at Texas A&M.


*Last but not least, Sports Talk 1460 ESPN is in full swing. Check us out. We have an awesome lineup during the day: 6-9am The Starting Line, 11a-12p The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 12-2p SVP & Russilo, 2-3p The John Morris Show, 3-6p The Sports Sandbox. Give us a chance. You might actually like us. We are also online at www.sports1460espn.com.

Was Nelson Cruz's decision to not appeal his suspension the right thing to do or selfish?

First off I want to apologize for not writing a blog in the last few days. We have launched our afternoon show, The Sports Sandbox, on Sports Talk 1460 ESPN and I'm the producer as well as the station's production manager. So as you can imagine, I stay very busy (which I love by the way. I wouldn't trade this job for anything else...other than a shot to play professional baseball. But that's a whole different issue.). Hope y'all will tune into The Sports Sandbox with Ron Moore, Mike Ogulnick, and Chad Dixon every weekday afternoon 3p-6p. I'll definitely put my two cents in on occasion.

Now for today's topic...Nelson Cruz has officially  been suspended for 50 games for his connection to the Biogenesis case. We all knew it was coming. We just didn't exactly know when. He has chosen not to appeal and began serving his suspension last night as we watched the Cruz-less Rangers defeat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5-2 behind awesome pitching by Martin Perez and the bat of the AL Player Of The Month for July 2013...Adrian Beltre. At first, I thought it was good that Cruz had decided to not appeal. My thought process was "he is owning up to his mistakes, going to serve his time, then move on with his career and life." But the more I thought about the entire situation, the more I kept wondering...is Cruz being selfish by sitting out the rest of the season instead of appealing the decision?

Here is why I've struggled with this thought. If Nelson Cruz appeals his suspension, he will be able to play the rest of the season and, potentially, the playoffs because his case won't be over until after the season has ended (due to the extremely slow judicial system we have in this country. Ok...that's my political rant for the day). He is leading the team with 27 home runs and 76 RBI and that's a bat we no longer have in the line up. But

instead, Cruz decided to not appeal and began serving his 50-game suspension last night...with exactly 50 games left. Now if the Rangers make the playoffs, he will allowed to play. But the Rangers have to get to the playoffs first in order for Cruz  to suit up in a Texas uniform again this season. Nelson Cruz is a free agent at the end of this season. I understand that appealing his case and serving his suspension at the beginning of next season would hurt him personally in free agency. But I can't help but think that some team, maybe even the Rangers, would sign Cruz despite having to serve the suspension next year because they see him as a team player. I'm beginning to think that him serving his suspension now...at a time when the Rangers need him the most...will ultimately hurt him more in free agency because he won't be viewed by other teams as a team player and the Rangers won't be able to trust him enough to want to re-sign him. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that while Cruz definately deserves to be suspended he should have appealed in order to prove to the Rangers he is a team player and to prove to other clubs he can be a team player. The more I think about this situation, the more I believe that Nelson Cruz made a selfish decision instead of making a decision as to what was best for his team. With that being said...as a fan I would welcome him back for the playoffs should the Rangers make it that far.

Russia may prosecute gay athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics

Yesterday, I started my show producing career by producing my first 3 hour sports talk show "The Sports Sandbox" on Sports Talk 1460 ESPN. It was a lot of fun. Little nervous as we got started, but definitely calmed down as the show went on. Part of my job is to watch for breaking news and for things I can pass along to the hosts that might add to the show. I came across this story and, although we won't discuss it on the air for a little while, I found it very interesting. Apparently there is a Russian lawmaker out of St. Peterburg, Russia that has stated that gay fans and athletes from other countries won't be immune from prosecution if they attend the 2014 Winter Olympics. The law states that it is illegal for homosexuals to publicly display affection toward each other. That is the Russian law. It doesn't say it's against the law to be gay. It says you can't show any kind of public display of affection.

As I've stated before this blog is not for Political debate. I honestly don't care what you think about gay rights as I'm sure you don't care about my opinion on the topic either. This is not the place for that debate. My question to you folks is this...what do you think about what this lawmaker said? I can see both sides of the argument so I'll make an argument for  both sides. So here we go.

IT'S NOT RIGHT: This doesn't seem very right to me because the fans and athletes coming to these  games are not citizens of Russia. How can you charge someone with a crime like this when it isn't a crime in other countries? Russia is saying that if you come to their country and hold hands with your partner, you will go to jail and be prosecuted. It seems like they are trying to keep other countries from coming to the games. Who knows.

IT'S THEIR RIGHT: Russia has the right to make whatever laws they want just like we do here in the United States. I've been on trips abroad before and the first thing you learn when you go abroad is that when in another country, you better know that country's law. If you are gay and are offended by the law in Russia, don't go to the Winter Olympics. If you are gay and still want to go to the Winter Olympics, then don't publicly show affection. It's that simple. So for those of you who are screaming at your computers right now saying "How dare Russia say that?" Remember this...if a Russian comes to the United States and breaks one of our laws that isn't a law in Russia, what would we do? Exaclty!!! We'd arrest them and prosecute them too.

So whether you agree or not with Russia, I'm sure they don't care what you think. As long as the gay fans and athletes going to the Winter Games will be careful and abide by Russian law, I'm sure they will return home safely and without a international police record.

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.