SWEEP!

- Rangers get to 10 games under .500 finally. If you remember correctly, they were 21 games under at some point in May. Pitching, pitching, pitching.

Great, exciting game. Rangers get lead, blow it, and then score 2 in the 8th on the best closer in the league this year. He is now 29 of 30 for the year.

With the upcoming schedule in August, can they get to .500 by Sept. 1? Stay tuned............

Rangers' sweep ends with a bang


02:05 AM CDT on Thursday, July 26, 2007
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com

ARLINGTON – Rangers manager Ron Washington has talked all week about the Seattle Mariners' hitters. He noted they're selective at the plate, they can extend at-bats and they do a great job finding openings in the field.

But as good as the Mariners are, they could have learned all sorts of lessons from the Rangers.

Texas came up with key at-bats throughout the lineup in a 7-6 win over the Mariners on Wednesday that completed a four-game sweep.

Ramon Vazquez had the big hit, a two-run homer in the eighth inning that bailed out Joaquin Benoit, who had allowed two doubles in a three-run Seattle eighth inning. And Vazquez's blast came off Mariners closer J.J. Putz, who blew a save opportunity for the first time this season in 30 tries. Putz had converted 31 consecutive saves dating to last season.

"I was looking middle-in and trying to pull the ball," Vazquez said. "I got the pitch I wanted."

Vazquez worked Putz to a 2-0 count and then launched a fastball 414 feet over the center-field fence. But he wasn't the only Rangers player to swing the bat well.

Rookie Travis Metcalf continued his hot streak with a single and a double and was 9-for-15 in the four-game series. Catcher Gerald Laird added a patient at-bat in the second inning before ripping a two-out double to score Frank Catalanotto. Metcalf and Kenny Lofton then each delivered hits with two strikes in the third inning. Metcalf singled and Lofton followed with a two-run homer.

In the fifth, Vazquez worked for a leadoff walk and then scored on a Lofton single to give the Rangers a 5-3 lead.

Vazquez said the experience for players like himself and other newcomers to the lineup has been important.

"We're at a point where a lot of the guys have plenty of at-bats and we're feeling pretty good," he said. "It's a lot of work, a lot of work that hopefully will help us win."

The win gave the Rangers an 8-2-1 record in their last 11 series. Texas has won 23 of its last 37 games.

The Rangers' Michael Young said the team is focusing on doing the little things and not on its 46-56 record or place in the standings.

"That's how we've been able to play well over the last month or so," Young said. "We haven't been thinking about anything, big picture-wise. I don't know what our record is right now, I don't know how many games we are under .500, I don't know how many games we are behind Oakland. I really don't care."

Instead, the players are putting their focus on fouling off changeups to get to fastballs, working counts early to get opposing pitchers behind and going with pitches to open spots on the field.

On a night when the Mariners had 15 hits, including seven doubles (one shy of a franchise record), it might be difficult to say the Rangers were the better hitters. But the way Texas worked Seattle starter Miguel Batista and Putz, they were certainly the smarter hitters.

"If you get to the point where you are trying to win the division or you are trying to get into the playoffs, you've got to learn to grind these kind out ... and we're doing that," Washington said. "These guys have never quit since Day 1, and they're getting rewarded for it."






- Meanwhile, on the team cancer front, rumors are starting to fly concerning Mark Teixeira. The Dodgers and the Braves appear to be the frontrunners. Each trade scenario addresses a different team weakness.

I'll say right now before I analyze these trade scenarios that I'm not saying Mark Teixeira isn't going to go on and have killer seasons. I fully expect him to hit 35+ HR's a year with 130+ RBI's and win many Gold Gloves. But the guy is cancer and a prick, will cost you over $20 million a year, and just doesn't seem to want to be here. So in the best interest of your organization and improving it, the time is ripe to ship him out.

Deal #1 - Teixeira and a reliever (Gagne or Ron Mahay) for 22 year old C-1B Jarrod Saltalamacchia (considered the Braves' top prospect), either 23-year-old right-hander Kyle Davies or 21-year-old left-hander Matt Harrison, and infielder Elvis Andrus. Lefty Jo-Jo Reyes is likely not a part of the deal.

Reaction - You'd get a major league 1B to replace Tex who is 22 and just breaking into the majors. He's a switch hitter with power and above average catching skills. Also get a major league starter who's very young and well thought of regardless of his record this year (4-8), but who's also only 23 and has tons of time to improve. John Smoltz has already given his seal of approval, claiming he's a future 15-game winner. He can touch 95 mph on his fastball and has decent secondary pitches. Although he's only 23, he's been in the Braves' rotation for 2 years, which should say something. The AA shortstop Andrus is unknown but apparently is a decent prospect.

You'd inject your rotation with youth with Davies, have a starter at 1B for a long time who could also possibly replace Laird at C, and have a potential Mike Young replacement at SS.

So your rotation would look like this in 2008.
1. Millwood
2. Padilla
3. McCarthy
4. Davies
5. Loe

I like it, but don't love it. It's not the home run I'd expect. Davies and Salta could be very good, but right now it's about a 70% sure thing they develop into something great. And if you're giving up on Mark Teixeira you want sure things. I'd really want JoJo Reyes, apparently that kid is pretty salty. That said, I could still live with this trade.

Grade - B



Deal #2 - Teixeira and a reliever (Gagne and Benoit) for 1B James Loney, OF Andre Ethier, and a minor league pitcher (preferably Clayton Kershaw, LHP who is supposedly the top starting pitching prospect in a loaded minor league system).

Reaction - I agree more with this move for a few reasons. One, I watch more Dodger games than Braves games, so I know these guys a little better. Two, I feel better about the Dodger guys' production this year than the Braves' guys. Davies having a bad year may have something to do with this.

I wouldn't want to part with Gagne, because I believe a dominant bullpen can cover up a lot of warts and is a must on a contending team, and if the Rangers contend in 2008 or 2009, you're going to need a closer. But if that's what it takes to get it done, then I guess that's what it takes. Maybe you can convince him to re-sign here in the off-season. But if he gets out west again, he may never come back. That would be the risk you may have to take.

Loney is a tall, rangy 1B with great defensive skills and big time potential to be a power hitter who also hits for average. He has shown that already in his short time in the majors. Ethier is a speedy corner OF who can be a .280/25 HR/95 RBI guy with great defensive skills. Kershaw I know nothing more than he's from Highland Park and is regarded as a top starting pitching prospect in the Dodger's loaded farm system. Although the Dodger seem reluctant to part with him.

Immediately you inject your lineup with more youth, cheap youth at that, and it gives you the ability to go sign Torii Hunter and fill the CF void that's plagued Texas for many years. Along with that, re-sign Marlon Byrd this offseason, and your starting lineup looks like this in 2008.

LF - Byrd
CF - Hunter
RF - Ethier
3B - Blalock
SS - Young
2B - Kinsler
1B - Loney
C - Laird
DH - Botts

I love that lineup, only Hunter and Young are the old guys and the rest are cheap, young, and talented. If Hicks is going to penny pinch and still try to contend, this is the trade he wants to make.

Grade - A




Deal #3 - Teixeira for Casey Kotchman and a an OF (minor leaguers Terry Evans or Nathan Haynes).

Reaction - Kotchman is young, plays 1B, and is projected to be a very good hitter. I know the Angels are very high on him. The OF prospect they would get would have a high probability to be a good player. And the Rangers wouldn't have to throw in a piece of their bullpen, arguably a top 3 bullpen in the league.

I think they could bargain for more from the Angels. I would want one more high level prospect or a major league ready arm. Kotchman and an OF prospect alone wouldn't satisfy me as much as the other 2 deals.

Grade - C





- Gagne proves once again he can get the job done on back to back days. Or in the case of the Seattle series, 3 times in 24 hours. Hopefully he's locked up for a few years and isn't needed in any trades with Teixeira.

Gagne erases doubt about his durability

Reliever proves mettle with three appearances over 24-hour period


01:52 AM CDT on Thursday, July 26, 2007
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com

Any questions concerning the health of Rangers reliever Eric Gagne have been answered, manager Ron Washington said on the heels of Gagne closing out both ends of a doubleheader Tuesday.

"After what he's done the past two days, he's probably proved it to the people who have some skepticism about him," Washington said. "He went well beyond the call of duty, especially against the type of team he had to do that against."

Gagne, who joined the Rangers in the off-season after battling arm and back injuries, pitched the ninth inning in each of three victories over AL West contender Seattle in a 24-hour span.

Pitching coach Mark Connor called it the ultimate test and a display of Gagne's desire to help the team. He said nobody can question Gagne's health or endurance.

"It's huge for us right now," Connor said. "He pitched both ends of a double and threw 25 pitches the night before. Nobody's going to do more than that."

Gagne said he knew he was healthy and could pull off the feat. In fact, Washington said he had to be talked into allowing Gagne to pitch – and that Gagne did most of the talking.

"I knew it personally," Gagne said, "but it proves it to everybody else, and that's a big thing to me."

Gagne said he has learned in recent games that he really does like to have the game on the line. Twice he came in with four-run leads and gave up runs. Twice he came in with one-run leads and shut things down.

He said he didn't want to believe the situation made a difference, but he does now.

"I think if you look at every closer in a non-save situation, that's a problem," he said.

He said he likes the way the Rangers are using him, and said his appearances in the two games with four-run leads probably made Tuesday's performance possible.

"You want to have the best stats possible but it doesn't really mean anything," Gagne said of allowing four runs in those two previous games. "I want saves. That's my job."






- Jean Jacque says TO needs to be on his A game all year in order for this team to do something. I happen to agree and I think he's going to motivated as hell this year. Which is always a concern with him. He can drift and float into indifference if he's not getting the ball in good situations. I think he's relieved the drill sergeant is gone and believes Jason Garrett will get him the ball downfield and open up the passing game a little bit. Can't wait to see how this plays out. We've all seen the damage a motivated TO can cause.


Cowboys need an elite T.O.

01:55 AM CDT on Thursday, July 26, 2007

SAN ANTONIO – Stats don't impress me. They never have. Too many times they don't tell the entire story.

These days way too many players – the sport is irrelevant – post gaudy numbers while their teams lose. There's nothing more aggravating than watching guys accumulate empty numbers.

That's why Terrell Owens' 2006 season never impressed me – and it has nothing to do with his league-leading 18 dropped passes.

Actually, his numbers were fine: 85 catches, 1,180 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdowns. But his impact was negligible.

You know it's true. So does T.O. Trust me, that's a positive because it means he's being honest with himself about his performance last season.

T.O. had three 100-yard games and two multitouchdown games last season, which is usually a good month for him.

And in two of the Cowboys' most important games – December home losses against New Orleans and Philadelphia – Owens caught a combined five passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns as Dallas suffered a pair of blowout losses, ending the chances for a home playoff game.

If you think about it, how many games did T.O. dominate last season? One. Maybe, two. It's not that he wasn't productive, but there were times when he played for Philadelphia and San Francisco that he was unstoppable.

That's the guy Jerry Jones signed to a three-year, $25 million contract. We never saw that player. And he knows it.

"The numbers might have looked good," he said after the Cowboys' first training camp practice, "but I don't feel like I dominated last season."

Now, you can blame Bill Parcells for not making him the focal point of the offense, though Tony Romo and Drew Bledsoe directed a team-high 152 passes in his direction.

Or you can blame T.O. for not learning every aspect of the playbook and falling asleep in meetings.

Or you can blame fate for the hamstring and finger injuries that limited his effectiveness.

In the end, it doesn't really matter. The bottom line: Last year, he wasn't an elite player.

That must change for the Cowboys to end their embarrassing 10-year drought without a playoff win and legitimately contend for a spot in the Super Bowl.

They can't make a deep postseason run without T.O. being dynamic. It's Jason Garrett's job to make sure it happens.

Garrett, the first-year offensive coordinator and play-caller, has apparently made getting T.O. the ball one of the tenets of his offense, and every other veteran receiver already knows it.

In Wednesday's practice, T.O. lined up at various spots. He spent much of last season on the left side of the formation, making it easy for defensive coordinators to eliminate him with their game plans.

This season, Garrett will make it more difficult for opposing defensive coordinators to predict where he will line up by using shifting and motion to create matchup problems that put T.O. in position to make big plays.

Garrett has also designed the passing game to get T.O. the ball on the move on short crossing routes that take advantage of his run-after-catch skills, the element of his game that makes him a special player.

Last year, T.O. ran more vertical routes, which didn't accentuate his strengths. For now, T.O. is happy, which you would expect. The key is to keep him happy by involving him in the offense without alienating Jason Witten and Terry Glenn, who are also key parts of the passing game.

T.O.'s critics will suggest he's no longer capable of being an elite receiver because he's lost a step and he struggles with bump-and-run coverage.

Whatever.

He's still 6-3, 226 pounds, with terrific speed. And he showed that he can still hit another gear Wednesday afternoon, when he burst past Anthony Henry and caught a deep ball for a touchdown in practice. He couldn't do that last season because of the strained hamstring that forced him to miss a chunk of training camp.

"I want to be the go-to guy," he said. "That's one of the responsibilities that I put on myself. We're going to mix it up this year, and I'm going to be all over the field. I'm definitely going to do better than I did last year."

But it won't matter unless the Cowboys win.



- Big 12 Media Days News/Notes






- Leach strikes again. As much as I can't stand Tech, I love Leach when he spews gold like this.

• The highlight of media days so far has been Mike Leach’s detailed review of a film the NCAA distributes to schools about the dangers of gambling. The film, one he’s shown his teams about five times, came up when Leach was asked about the gambling scandal that has rocked the NBA. Here’s Leach’s blow-by-blow review:

“OK. They get these mobsters on there talking about how they fix games with the refs. They’re really ‘Goodfellas’ types of guys. The best part, though, is there’ll be some athlete. And the mob guy tells him, ‘That was a great game you played.’ He’ll pat him on the back after practice. He tells him, ‘I’ve got a party I’d like you to go to. Just a couple friends. No big deal.’ So, the athlete goes over. He goes to the party, some cocktail party. Then two killer looking women start hanging out with the guy, kinda hanging on him and all this stuff. They were whispering in his ear and all that stuff. Now we’re getting into the ‘Silk Stalkings’ part. So, they say, ‘Let’s go someplace more comfortable.’ The guy’s like, ‘OK.’
“So, then they go back to this room, right. He lays down on the bed and they’re kind of kissing on him. He lays down on the bed, and one of them kind of seductively blindfolds him. He’s like, ‘Wow!’ They’re pulling stuff off and got his hands tied to the bed. No, wait, he’s just blindfolded. The girls are both kissing on him and all that. So, then a guy walks in. A guy not wearing too many clothes walks in. One of the girls gets off. The guy replaces the girl. The girl gets a camera. The other girl gets the blindfold. The guy’s all over the other guy. The girl takes off the blindfold. She’s snapping a picture. Mob guy comes out and says, ‘We just need one little favor and we can make all of this go away.’ ”

Leach highly suggested the movie, telling one reporter, “You and your wife should watch that one.”






- Mack speaks. Evangelist/politician/butt kisser or football coach? I still haven't decided. He's way too nice for my liking. He got saved by a once in a lifetime talent in 2005. That team as a whole was good, but it was no different than any other top-level program or the other teams he's constructed. VY added a level of arrogance and not taking sh*t from anyone attitude that Mack lacks. You need that to win. That's why I think it will be a long time before he sniffs the title again.

UT now has several leading men

Brown has already noticed a difference from last season


01:12 AM CDT on Thursday, July 26, 2007
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
chipbrown@dallasnews.com

SAN ANTONIO – The greatest example of what Mack Brown hopes is new-and-improved leadership at Texas this season came from sophomore quarterback Colt McCoy during an impromptu exchange Wednesday.

As Brown was answering questions from reporters during the Big 12's annual media days, McCoy interrupted from a balcony and asked his coach, "How do you feel about small-town guys? Are they good guys?"

"Well, some of them are. Ones that stay healthy," Brown replied, drawing laughter.

Brown was referring to a stinger that forced McCoy to leave a 45-42 loss at Kansas State in the first quarter and left McCoy weak-armed in a 12-7 loss to Texas A&M last season.

After pausing a moment, Brown added, "It's amazing what a year of confidence does to a young quarterback."

Brown then revealed Wednesday that he didn't think the leadership on last year's 10-3 team was as good as the two previous years, including during UT's 2005 national title run.

"One of the really unique things three years ago was when Vince Young, Michael Huff and Cedric Benson began meeting with the team during the summers," Brown said. "Last year, I didn't think it was as good. Part of it was Colt was young. Part of it was we'd just won it all and guys were talking about their rings. So before I left them for the summer, I said, 'I can't do it. I'm gone. They won't let me meet with the team.' So I told them, 'You've got to help me by stepping up.'"

McCoy, senior defensive tackle Derek Lokey of Denton Ryan, senior defensive tackle Frank Okam of Lake Highlands, senior receiver Limas Sweed and senior safety Drew Kelson said players have been meeting after 7-on-7 conditioning to help build chemistry.

"Last year, I don't think the older guys on the team did as good a job as we should have getting to know the younger guys," Lokey said. "So we're trying to make sure we're all on the same page."
Brown said he's already noticed a difference.

"Our players think this team is really ready to go, so that's exciting," Brown said.

Briefly: Brown said his team's top concerns going into fall camp are finding a punter, a backup quarterback, a backup running back, getting the offensive line to jell and building confidence in an inexperienced secondary. ... Lokey got married over the summer and went on a cruise to the Caribbean with his wife, Charlie, a teacher in Copperas Cove. "She's really supportive," Lokey said. "She knows that football can afford us some opportunities, so she understands my crazy schedule." ... Okam said he hopes to have a breakout season after having surgery to repair a knee injury suffered in the fifth game of last season. ... Brown said projected starting offensive guard Cedric Dockery (knee) should be medically cleared when the team starts practice Aug. 6.


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