Get the brooms out?

- Is this possible? A sweep?

Kam Loe comes back after 2 bad outings and goes 6.2 innings strong. 2 more quality starts for the starters and another 1 run victory for the Rangers. And of course, Gagne closes it out for his 3rd save in 2 days.

Where did John Rheinecker come from????? This guy has been John Koronka-like for the past 2 years and pulls this out of his ass. Keep it up pal and you'll be here a while.

Rangers take over 1st place for best team ERA in the month of July? Isn't this the month the pitchers usually tank because of the sweltering heat? Wow. They just keep proving to me that the only thing this team lacks to contend for the division is decent starting pitching. Take away those first 2 months when the starters couldn't get out of the 3rd inning on a nightly basis (yes it was that bad), and we're watching a contending team.

Rangers take 3rd straight from Seattle and look for the sweep tonight.

ARLINGTON – When manager Ron Washington finally persuaded Kameron Loe to leave the mound in the seventh inning Tuesday night, the crowd of 26,842 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington reacted in a strange and unusual manner.

They stood up and started clapping. Loudly.

Guess it's the appropriate way to salute the AL's best pitching staff for the month.

Thanks to a job-securing start by John Rheinecker in the afternoon and a gutty team effort by Loe, C.J. Wilson and Eric Gagne in the evening, the Rangers swept a doubleheader from Seattle 2-1 and 4-3 Tuesday. And they overtook Detroit for the league's best ERA for the month.

The Rangers allowed just three earned runs in 18 innings Tuesday to lower their ERA for July to 3.49. Only the Chicago Cubs (3.16) have a lower mark for the month.

"It feels absolutely great to hear that," said Loe of the seventh-inning ovation. "I know I've left it all out on the field and I think the fans recognized that. Rheinecker went out there and just did a great job and that set the tone for the rest of the day. I think everybody did a great job."

Rheinecker (seven innings) and Loe (6 2/3) each made quality starts. Joaquin Benoit in the first game and Wilson in the second combined for 3 2/3 innings of no-hit relief. And Gagne, for the first time in his career, saved both ends of a doubleheader.

Everything, however, started with Rheinecker.

Given one shot to earn a spot in the rotation, he pitched seven efficient innings with a bit less velocity and a whole lot more command. It all but guaranteed him another start and another 10 days – at a minimum – on a big league roster.

Rheinecker had made one earlier emergency start for the Rangers and came into the game so jumpy he didn't come anywhere near the strike zone.

"I was too amped up the last time," Rheinecker said. "I was trying to throw everything through the catcher's chest protector. I made sure to take something off the fastball this time. I woke up thinking about that and I kept thinking about it. I was just going to take it nice and easy, play catch."

The result was more command. When Rheinecker needed to find the strike zone early in counts, he was able to do it to get ahead. When he got ahead, catcher Adam Melhuse moved to the edges of the plate and Rheinecker was close enough to get those calls. He threw first pitch strikes to 16 of the 28 batters he faced and threw 60 percent of his 94 pitches for strikes.

And when he needed to throw strikes Tuesday, he was able to get them. That was clearly evident in the fifth inning. With the game tied at one, Rheinecker allowed one-out singles to the Nos. 8-9 hitters to bring Ichiro Suzuki to the plate. Rheinecker got ahead, then threw consecutive sinkers with two strikes. Ichiro took the first, but couldn't lay off the second. Jose Lopez struck out to end the inning.

In the seventh, clinging to a one-run lead, he got a double-play ball from Willie Bloomquist after allowing the first two runners to reach base.

But with Robinson Tejeda down (in the minors) and Vicente Padilla out (due to triceps tendonitis), the Rangers need another pitcher for at least one more start on August 4 at Toronto. Rheinecker, it appears, has won that opportunity.

In the second game, Loe overcame a contested call in the fifth that led to a pair of Seattle runs. It was ruled that Gerald Laird dropped Raul Ibanez's foul-tipped third strike and the at-bat was extended. Ibanez then doubled home two runs to give Seattle the lead. Loe got the next out to end the inning, then retired his final five hitters as the Rangers rallied back.




- Check out the schedule coming up. Some major ground can be covered, it's there to be taken. Outside of a trip to Cleveland, no team is higher than 3rd place in their division. If the starters keep giving them 6-7 innings a night, no question they can have a killer month of August.

Wed. 25 Seattle 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark McCarthy (4-7) Batista (10-7) Tickets
Fri. 27 at Kansas City 8:10 PM FxSW Kauffman Stadium Wright (3-2) Bannister (6-6) Tickets
Sat. 28 at Kansas City 7:10 PM KDFI Kauffman Stadium Millwood (7-8) Perez (5-9) Tickets
Sun. 29 at Kansas City 2:10 PM KDFW Kauffman Stadium Loe (5-8) Elarton (2-4) Tickets
Tue. 31 at Cleveland 7:05 PM KDFI Jacobs Field Rheinecker (1-0) Carmona (12-4) Tickets
Aug. '07 OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCATION
Wed. 1 at Cleveland 7:05 PM FxSW Jacobs Field
Thu. 2 at Cleveland 12:05 PM KDFW Jacobs Field
Fri. 3 at Toronto 7:07 PM FxSW Rogers Centre
Sat. 4 at Toronto 1:07 PM KDFI Rogers Centre
Sun. 5 at Toronto 1:07 PM KDFW Rogers Centre
Mon. 6 Oakland 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark
Tue. 7 Oakland 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark
Wed. 8 Oakland 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark
Fri. 10 Tampa Bay 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark
Sat. 11 Tampa Bay 8:35 PM KDFI Rangers Ballpark
Sun. 12 Tampa Bay 8:35 PM KDFI Rangers Ballpark
Tue. 14 Kansas City 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark
Wed. 15 Kansas City 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark
Thu. 16 Kansas City 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark
Fri. 17 at Minnesota 8:10 PM FxSW Metrodome
Sat. 18 at Minnesota 7:10 PM KDFI Metrodome
Sun. 19 at Minnesota 2:10 PM KDFI Metrodome
Mon. 20 at Baltimore 7:05 PM FxSW Camden Yards
Tue. 21 at Baltimore 7:05 PM KDFI Camden Yards
Wed. 22 at Baltimore 7:05 PM FxSW Camden Yards
Thu. 23 Seattle 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark
Fri. 24 Seattle 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark
Sat. 25 Seattle 8:35 PM KDFI Rangers Ballpark
Sun. 26 Seattle 8:35 PM KDFI Rangers Ballpark
Tue. 28 Chicago Sox 8:35 PM KDFI Rangers Ballpark
Wed. 29 Chicago Sox 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark
Thu. 30 Chicago Sox 8:35 PM FxSW Rangers Ballpark






- Some good stuff from Evan Grant concerning the looming trade deadline. I love his line of thinking on all of it. Rid yourself of players to make room for their replacements who are younger and most of the time cheaper. Sosa (Botts), Lofton (Byrd or in the offseason, Torii Hunter), Teixeira (whatever stud 1B you get in a trade), Wilkerson (Cat-man of the Americas), and Benoit (not sure who you replace him with as your long reliever, maybe Wes Littleton, but he has great value right now).

There is less than a week to go to the trade deadline, so I won't tip-toe around. Here's the rundown on who I think is staying and who is going:

Kenny Lofton (Going): The Rangers may talk a hard line on Lofton, suggesting he'll stay put if they're not going to get value. But when all the talking is done, they will still move him. They simply have no need for Lofton past Aug. 1. They need to look at Marlon Byrd in center. I expect Lofton to end up in Cleveland for a low-level minor leaguer.

Sammy Sosa (Going): The Rangers will find somebody in a race to take Sosa on, even if that means offering him up for nothing. This won't be about Sosa's failure – he really didn't fail here – but rather about the Rangers giving him a fairly honorable discharge while creating room for Jason Botts. Sosa ends up with the New York Mets as a pinch-hitter.

Eric Gagne (Staying): The Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees are both interested, but Gagne has the right to veto a deal with either team. He would most certainly do that unless given the closer's role or unless the full value of his contract ($11 million) is guaranteed. The Tigers won't bump Todd Jones and the Yankees aren't about to bump Mariano Rivera. Gagne stays and the Rangers spend August and September trying to work out a multi-year extension.

Mark Teixeira (Going): It's pretty clear the Rangers would like to trade Teixeira to the Los Angeles Dodgers because the NL club is loaded with young talent. But James Loney's excellent play at first has given the Dodgers no real motivation to make such a deal. Atlanta, on the other hand, started Julio Franco at first recently. Teixeira would be a huge acquisition for the Braves, very much in the hunt for both the NL East and wild card. Get used to pronouncing the last name of Jarrod Saltalamacchia (pronounced just like it looks), or you can just call him Salty. The Rangers should get a minor league pitcher in the deal, too.

Brad Wilkerson (Going): The Rangers currently have a left field platoon of Wilkerson and Frank Catalanotto. Wilkerson, a left-handed hitter, plays vs. lefties. That's not normal. If San Diego has interest, Wilkerson could be a decent pickup, maybe even in August. What if a Wilkerson trade brought back first baseman Vince Sinisi, whom the Rangers drafted and then traded to the Padres last season?

Joaquin Benoit (Going): His value is the highest it's ever been. He either completes a blockbuster package along with Teixeira to the Dodgers or he goes there by his lonesome.

Akinori Otsuka (Staying): He won't pitch in a game before the weekend. I see no way he's active in time to bring the Rangers back significant value.

Ron Mahay, Jamey Wright (Staying ... for now). Both could be moved after Tuesday's trading deadline if they clear waivers. Both would be perfect emergency plug-ins if a contender loses a lefty reliever (Mahay) or a starter (Wright) to injury.

Final count: Five soon-to-be-ex-Rangers. That would make for a very busy next few days for team management. Hey, the deadline is Tuesday afternoon. There's lots of time left.






- Now this is cool right here. Have a good feeling about this upcoming season for some reason.

Cowboys in San Antonio, driving for Arizona

By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News
tarcher@dallasnews.com

SOMEWHERE ALONG INTERSTATE 35 – On the tiny TV screen inside the Ford Expedition, Journey's Steve Perry is singing "Don't Stop Believin' " from a 1981 concert stop in Houston.

It's a fitting song title for the car's occupants.

In the driver's seat, Jason Witten is belting out the lyrics, while Terence Newman mimics playing the drums in the passenger seat. In one of the back seats, Tony Romo hits the highest of high notes, sounding like a karaoke singer at a local club.

"It's because I think I can sing like him," Romo said of his Journey infatuation. "I'm kidding. I can't."

More than three hours later, Witten, Newman and Romo have arrived at the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk, the Cowboys' training camp headquarters, slightly stiff from the drive but full of hope.

In 2003, they arrived in San Antonio with different expectations. Newman came in as the fifth overall pick; Witten arrived as a third-round pick; and Romo was an undrafted free agent.

This year they are among the most important players on the roster as the Cowboys hope to end the season at Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz.

"There's a lot of energy around here with Wade [Phillips]," Witten said of his new coach. "I think we're all just excited about where we're headed. There's a lot of work to do, but this is the process."

Cowboys beat writer Todd Archer rode along with Witten, Newman and Romo on their trip from Dallas to San Antonio.

The following is a chronicle of their journey:

10:44 a.m. – Witten's Ford pulls out of the Cowboys' Valley Ranch complex now that Romo has arrived and heads to Newman's Uptown home. Witten's wife, Michelle, has baked some chocolate chip cookies and brownies for the ride.

"Watch, Romo will eat all of them," Witten said.

11:08 a.m. – "We're going to die," Romo says out loud as Witten eases (ahem) his way onto I-35E South. That will be a constant refrain from the quarterback, good-natured teasing of his buddy, although Witten's late braking gets to even Newman later.

11:30 a.m. – The trip begins down an alley where Newman's neighbor, running back Julius Jones, is waiting in his Range Rover.

"Let's ride," Jones says.

"We're just the Griswolds in here," Witten shouts back, referencing National Lampoon's Vacation.

11:34 a.m. – I-35 is filled with traffic thanks to an accident – not a good start to the trip. Newman finds an "I love Mommy" bib belonging to Witten's son, C.J., and quickly hangs it from the rearview mirror.

11:50 a.m. – Romo cracks open his playbook while Witten and Newman discuss the cost of cars. When it's suggested Romo is studying because he knows it will make the newspaper, he's ready with an answer.

"No, I don't want to get yelled at when I get down there," Romo says.

11:59 a.m. – Construction and a convoy of construction vehicles has Witten and Jones stuck. Four minutes later, they exit onto an access road and speed ahead of the convoy as the construction lightens up. Jones, however, nearly gets caught behind another set of trucks but makes it through.

12:14 p.m. – "Tiger right, Jay?" Romo says, quizzing Witten about the playbook. "Tell me where everybody is at."

Witten gets the answer right. The players continue with the questions with Newman giving the defense's reaction to different formations.

12:21 p.m. – Italy is the home of safety Keith Davis, but more important, a McDonald's and Subway. Oh yeah, a gas station, too. Romo quickly makes his way to the Subway for a sub.

Newman and Jones go to McDonald's. Newman goes with a couple of Filet O' Fish sandwiches, and Jones gets the two cheeseburger meal.

1 p.m. – Witten's Expedition becomes a mobile I Love the 80's headquarters with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " blaring from the speakers. Seamlessly, Romo adds, "Oh, my gosh, we're going to die" into the lyrics as Witten moves onto the highway.

1:11 p.m. – More Journey. Specifically, more "Don't stop believing'." Only this time it comes from Witten's iPod, and Romo, holding onto his hat, sticks his head out the window to sing.

Finally some diversity in the music selection as Witten punches up Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight."

"Best warmup song out there," Witten said.

Newman pulls a blue mouthpiece from his backpack.

"You got me pumped right now," he says.

1:26 p.m. – "Oh, he's got us," Witten says.

A police car appears behind Witten, but Witten is not speeding. Witten moves into the middle lane, and the police car drives by harmlessly.

"Jason might be the only person in the history of the world to pull over before he even gets pulled over," Newman jokes.

1:53 p.m. – Tired of the music, Romo puts Hannibal Rising into the DVD player.

2:05 p.m. – A quick rain storm is a sign of things to come, and Witten keeps the wipers on a little too long.

"I think it's stopped raining," Newman points out.

2:24 p.m. – The rain returns, and they are about 100 miles from San Antonio. Traffic is crawling along with little visibility as the highway floods a little. Three minutes later, pea-sized hail starts to pelt the car but not too seriously.

2:46 p.m. – To the right is the indoor practice facility at the University of Texas. In the distance are the lights to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

"Did it get loud there?" Witten asks Newman, who played at Kansas State.

3 p.m. – In need of a bathroom break, Witten pulls into a Shell station. Romo picks up some water and beef jerky. Newman gets an orange juice and peanuts. Witten goes with some sunflower seeds and a Gatorade. Jones gets a share of snacks too, but he's got another problem: a nail of some kind is in his left rear tire. He wonders if he should take it out but opts against it.

3:14 p.m. – "You ever been in an accident?" Newman asks Witten.

"No."

"How the heck you ever do that?" Newman replies as Witten gets back onto I-35.

3:22 p.m. – Romo calls Bruce Mays, the Cowboys' director of football operations, to tell him they are about an hour from San Antonio. Tiring of the movie, he fast-forwards to the end and decides to lighten the mood with Talladega Nights.

3:38 p.m. – "Thirty-eight miles, boys," Witten said in a mix of relief and anticipation. Soon all three are quoting lines from the movie and laughing.

4:10 p.m. – The Alamodome is finally visible in the distance. Newman, acting as co-pilot, is reading the directions as Witten pulls off the highway onto Commerce Street.

4:13 p.m. – A little boy is wearing a Witten jersey. At a red light, Newman puts the window down and screams, "Jason Witten is right here. That's Jason Witten."

A woman, however, yells back, "Terence, Terence," as Witten turns onto Alamo.

4:15 p.m. – Witten makes the left onto Market Street toward the hotel with his window down, and fans instantly recognize him. He pulls down the ramp into the garage.

One trip is over. Another begins.



- Big 12 Media Days News/Notes





- So this is finally the year where the Aggies aren't going to be too young and injury-riddled? And they finally have all Fran-recruited players? Seems like that's always the excuse, "we're playing freshman and sophomores," "we had too many injuries," "those are Slocum players," etc etc etc. It's time to put up or shut up in College Station.

The thing is, they actually may have the most talented team in Fran's tenure, but with that schedule (4 out of 5 conference games on the road late in the season and Miami early on), the results could be brutal. So expect some spin control, I'd say more than likely about late November. And expect all the usual suspects from the excuse bag to come out.

And PLEASE quit talking about near misses and how your record WOULD have looked. Every team across the country can make those claims. Give it a rest. I just have never liked Fran, seems like a pushover and whiner. The quote about the scenario for them to be Big 12 South champs last year is just comical.


A&M's Fran a cool, calm contender


11:16 PM CDT on Tuesday, July 24, 2007

SAN ANTONIO – Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione went all in Tuesday. He put his chips in the middle of the table by putting his team on equal ground with Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12 South race this season.

He said his team is capable of winning all its games. And in a move certain to win points in Aggieland, Fran even referred to the Longhorns as "t.u." while discussing A&M's 12-7 victory in Austin last year.

"We beat Texas and with two more points in the OU game or an upset by Oklahoma State against OU, we're Big 12 South champions," Franchione said to reporters during the Big 12's annual media days. "That's probably been overlooked a little bit. We were right there. We could almost feel it and touch it."

Franchione repeated several times that A&M was "two points" from being Big 12 South champions last season, referring to a 17-16 loss at home to the Sooners.

"That's something that I think has left our guys with a lot of purpose and is motivating for them," said Franchione, whose team went 9-4 (5-3 Big 12) in 2006.

This was not the same Franchione who was visibly uncomfortable at last year's Big 12 media days, coming off a 5-6 season. This coach was calm, cool and confident while talking about his team's 5-0 road record during last year's regular season.

He pointed out at least a dozen A&M players to keep an eye on for postseason awards. He raved about his team's leadership, offensive line, run-pass balance and mental and physical toughness. He couldn't say enough about quarterback Stephen McGee, and not just because McGee, a junior, will graduate with a degree in business/marketing in two weeks and then begin graduate school.

"I think the things that make you feel good are the experience, what we accomplished last year, the road record," Franchione said. "I like our guys a lot. We have more talent on this team than we've had. I couldn't sit here and mention 13 or 14 guys for postseason honors a year or two ago."

But what about that 45-10 dismantling by Cal in the Holiday Bowl? Didn't that diminish a season in which the Aggies ended a six-game losing streak to the Longhorns?

"It would have if I let it, but I wasn't going to let that happen," Franchione said. "So what you do is turn that into a motivator and say, 'Hey, we're not there yet. We want to take those next steps.'

"When you reflect back on Cal, my brothers in the Big 12 probably won't like this statement. But Cal was the best team we played last year."

What made Franchione's swagger all the more remarkable is a schedule that includes road games at Miami, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri. Since the Big 12 formed 11 years ago, A&M is 2-12 in games at Tech, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri.

When asked if his team could be better than last year and have a worse record than 2006, Fran said, "I think you could have a better team and not a better record. That happens a lot of years. And that's possible. We've got our challenges in this one, but that's life in the Big 12. That's what we do."

For A&M, the key to success will be improving a defense that allowed 4.3 yards per carry and 20.7 points per game in 2006. Franchione said second-year defensive coordinator Gary Darnell has been able to add more schemes in year two.

"I would say there's probably 25 to 30 percent added in spring practice that we were really not able to do a great deal with any confidence last fall," Franchione said.

Franchione has been linked with futility for most of his four seasons at A&M. Two years ago, A&M had the worst pass defense in the country. There have been two losing seasons and a combined record of 2-10 against OU (0-4), Texas (1-3) and Texas Tech (1-3). Franchione is 0-2 in bowl games, losing those games by an average of 33 points.

But he made it clear Tuesday that's all history, and that A&M is back.






- What a broken record this is. Another season in which Vince Gill says his defense is improved. When you suck at time of possession because your offensive drives are either quick strike or 3 passes and punt, I don't care if it's the 85 Bears, they can't be fresh and effective the whole game. He makes the game so long, he basically takes his defense out of it.

Red Raiders' success depends on D

Moving the ball and scoring not a concern; stopping opponents is

By BRANDON GEORGE / The Dallas Morning News
bgeorge@dallasnews.com

SAN ANTONIO – Many prognosticators have Texas Tech finishing fifth in the Big 12 South and theorize that the team is still a year away from being a contender.

But coach Mike Leach has been here before.

"I don't care about all that," Leach said. "I've been picked worse than that on some other stuff."

Leach said the last time his team was picked fifth, Tech had the nation's top-ranked offense. But it's not Tech's offense that usually dictates the team's success.

Offense is a given at Tech, so when it comes to wins and losses, all eyes must be on the Red Raiders' defense.

And that unit faces some major questions.

Tech ranked sixth in the Big 12 last season in total defense (333.5 yards allowed per game) and eighth in scoring defense (25.1 points allowed per game). Tech led the Big 12 in pass defense last season (182.4) but ranked 10th in rush defense (151.1).

There are several holes to fill this fall. Tech returns only five defensive starters.

Many young players will be counted on to mature quickly in an effort to minimize Tech's Leach-era trend of having to pile up points to win.

Despite Tech's many unknowns on defense, Leach remains confident that this year's group could be better than last year's.

"We're more athletic than we were last year, and this unit plays together better," Leach said. "This unit has more explosion to it."

Leach points out that though only five starters return on defense, many players who saw regular playing time are back, including sophomore defensive tackle Rajon Henley.

"The fact that a guy is sitting on his couch eating a sandwich and isn't familiar with our defensive players or our receivers, whatever, I don't think that has a great deal to do with what they're going to end up doing," Leach said.

The team's defensive strength should again be its secondary, where three starters return. Leach said it's one of the best he's been around.

Senior safety Joe Garcia, who was second on the team in tackles last year with 87, said "it's going to be interesting" to see how quickly the defense develops.

"Basically, what we're looking to bring into the season is being a well-meshed defense and being able to rely and count on one another on the field," Garcia said. "We feel a little bit of pressure, but I think we handled it will last year. Our defense is only getting better. I think we're on the right track."





- A report from the Elite 11 QB Camp. 2008 Nebraska QB recruit apparently tearing it up. Happy excited about this news.

A couple snipits from the Student Sports Writeup....

"The 2007 Elite 11 kicked off earlier tonight and workout No. 1 is now in the books. Although we still have three workouts to go, one player was clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the group and will be tough to catch as this year's Top Gun."

"Ballwin (Mo.) Parkway West signal caller Blaine Gabbert put on an absolute show earlier today and had as good a 1st workout as anyone we can remember since we've been putting on the Elite 11 QB camp."

"Simply put, Gabbert was a man among boys today and brings so much to the table."


- Picks O'the day

Yesterday - 2-3
YTD - 69-61

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