2011 In Review

Sunday church, 

RIP Mom Boaz,

It's Snowing!

Pictures with AL Trophy and the Dots,

frozen Super Bowl, 

trip to see Mickey Mouse, 

Mahlon's first baseball team - Uh oh, he's a Panther?, 

first hit! 

Ogando to rotation!, 

Opening Day!!! 

Easter, 

Mario cards, 

Pokemon cards, 

Luigi, 

Yoshi, 

Pikachu, 

RIP Cousin Davey, 

Pre-K Graduation - Mahlon's first emcee performance, 

buy house - huge blessing - God present, 

Operation Ballpark Grill, 

Mavs Win It All, Dirk is amazing, sings "We are the Champions" (horribly),

Rangers in first again, Hello Michelle & Jake, Chuck E Cheese Birthday, Ogando - All Star, 

Michelle paints entire house, 

Mahlon's first football team - Yay, he's a Bulldog!, 

first day of school - 4th generation Bulldog, 

"pirates aren't real", next card pulled = worst spanking ever, 

Quick Check pizza,  

football practice, 

spellout - ready?, 

Wing 49 reverse, 

Bro Roger dissecting verses to my soul, 

stop crying, 

I need water, 

Rangers clinch, 

Will You Marry Me?, 

Napoli Ever After, 

It's Touchdown Time in Texas,  

RIP Carol Walker, 

Mario Kart, 

Paper Mario, 

Mario Super Slugger, 

ALDS! 

ALCS! 

Nellie Cruuuuuuz! 

World Series Again!, 

Game 6, 

Down to last strike...twice, 

David Freaking Freese, 

Nellie - catch it!!!  

Ugh, 

depression, 

hurt, 

pain, 

misery, 

recover. 

Game 7, 

ugh, 

depression, 

hurt, 

pain, 

misery, 

recover. 

Ferguson Field with boys, 

goldfish, 

Pumpkin Patch,

Talimena Drive,

thankful fors, 

Big Family Thanksgiving, 

Jake & Mahlon at church on Wednesdays, 

baseball cards, 

jelly bars, 

happy meter through the roof, 

plan wedding - Mark Holtz Lake by Ballpark on 4/5/12, 

Elves arrive, 

Buddy & Cornelius pull pranks, 

Mahlon goes 12 weeks with no cards pulled, 

wins most Bulldog bucks for good Samaritan, 

daddy happy, 

Shrek the Halls, 

Cowboys 4th qtr meltdowns, 

hit him back! 

No, not with your fist!, 

Skating rink, 

All I want for Christmas is Yu,

Christmas with the Smiths,

CHristmas with the Walkers and Lamberts,

Catch Santa on Video...Again!

Blessed more than I can Imagine!!!

2011 Rangers Prediction

For many many many years I picked the Rangers to be better than what they truly were.  But the older I get, the more realistic I get.  Here's what I see from my crystal ball on the 2011 Rangers:

First of all, they are good.  Really good.  They can mash the ball like nobody's business and maybe to a tune better than anyone in baseball.  However, that doesn't equal championships as we saw in say, 1989, 1991, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, etc.  Those particular teams, as I recall, could absolutely destroy baseballs.  But they also destroyed baseballs when they pitched.  This years team has both good offense and good pitching and TONS of depth.

OFFENSE:  

With Michael Young moving to the DH, that gives enormous flexibility to the infield to give rest to injury prone Kinsler and a day off here and there to newly acquired Adrian Beltre.  It also gives Moreland a day off against a tough left-hander when Mike Napoli is behind the plate.  This team should be able to jump all over left-handed pitching now.

The outfield is better with Murphy in it, but at least to start the season, Ron Washington will go with Borbon in center to give Josh Hamilton some time in left field to hopefully not exert himself so much.  

So, I would say, the offense needs not much explaining because they will just flat-out hit the ball over and over and over.

PITCHING:

I think it's going to turnout somewhat serendipitous that Ogando was thrown in to the rotation in the last minute.  The guy can simply pitch and throw strikes.  I envision Ogando making if VERY difficult to take him out of the rotation and back into the bullpen.  Only a super freaky weak bullpen scenario might prevent this.  Tommy Hunter when well will have to take someone else's spot.  This means Derek Holland and Matt Harrison better show up with their A game or they might be running out of time here in Arlington.  Because of Hunter's injury, he will be thrust back in the rotation when he's healthy based solely on his track record.  I re-emphasize....Hunter and Harrison better show up.

The bullpen could be a disaster.  The OBLs (Old Black Leftys) Darren Oliver and Arthur Rhodes are simply at the end of their careers being over 40.  However, as long as they both possess their wicked off-speed stuff, they can still get the job done.  But relying on those guys early in the season will spell disaster for the September push.  O'Day has been awful this spring.  I don't see that spilling into the regular season because of his track-record, but it's something to keep an eye on.  Mark Lowe is a guy who has an electric fastball and not much else to keep people off of it.  He's been groomed to be a closer in his past, but he just can't simply set himself apart from anyone.  I suppose Dave Bush could be okay, but those guys have come and gone around here for many many many years and never work out.  However, keep an eye on Pedro Strop.  This is my sleeper candidate for the setup role to Feliz.  Strop, in my opinion, will be this year's version of Alexi Ogando from last year.  Neftali Feliz will be the closer and he's got great stuff...electric if you will.  He's got good enough stuff to be a top tier starting pitcher in this league and I wish they'd have given him that opportunity this year.  However, he only pitched in 27 games last year when he entered with a one run lead or a tie...and he blew 4 of them.  He has great stuff...but he needs to not have a sophomore slump.  That could be detrimental to the whole entire thing.

DEFENSE:

With the addition of Adrian Beltre at 3rd base, the defense is improved.  It's much better with Hamilton in centerfield and Murphy in left (in my opinion) than with Borbon in center and Hamilton in left.  However, when you stand at home plate and look around...it's unbelievable how good defensively this team is.  

BENCH:

With David Murphy as the 4th outfielder, this team is rock solid bench-wise.  With Julio Borbon as the 4th outfielder, this team is lacking quite a bit in the OF department.  If Borbon fails, expect to see Chris Davis back up here playing some left field.  Michael Young now in his super-flex/DH role gives so much infield depth to this team that they can even allow to carry a 13-man pitching staff and hide a kid like Mason Tobin who'll never and hopefully never pitch much before they make some formal deal to keep him and be able to send him down like they should.  But as long as Michael Young is here in this role, they can afford to hide Tobin.

PITCHING DEPTH:

If a starter should be injured expect to see Michael Kirkman who was dominant last year in the minors.  So much so, he made the Rangers post-season roster.  Also, Brandon Webb should be nearing health towards the middle of May and DO NOT FORGET ABOUT ERIC HURLEY.  The kid has had arm problems but seems to be back to being what he was before the injuries.  Before the Rangers had all of these pitching prospects, they had Eric Hurley.  He WAS the only true prospect they had for awhile.  The kid can pitch and I expect to see him here at some point in the season.  Tanner Scheppers can also be a kid who can help in the bullpen this year if it falters.  He's always been regarded as a top-notch prospect who's near major-league ready.

TRADE DEADLINE POSSIBILITIES:

Be on the lookout for a Josh Johnson blockbuster deal in July.  The Marlins are probably going to unload him due to his salary reaching larger heights next season.  If they are out of the race, Johnson could be the Rangers.  He's this year's version of Cliff Lee.  He is a dominating force and a major league top ace.  He's probably a top 5 pitcher in all of baseball.  What's it going to take to get him?  Start with Moreland, possibly Holland and or Kirkman and or Harrison and some other primo prospects.  It's going to be a LOT to give up, but it could mean another jealous Jerry Jones next door in October.  :)

OVERALL:

I give this team a solid chance to reach 90 wins and win the West depending on if Oakland can hit at all.  If Oakland hits, they could win 95 and the Rangers could be very very good 2nd place finishers.  I would have given the Rangers 95 wins for sure if Feliz were in the rotation, but with him pitching in what amounts to 50 meaningless innings and 30 important innings compared to 200 starting innings, I think that'll cost them at least 5 wins.

With or without Josh Johnson, they have a shot of getting out of the first round vs. the Yankees. Only if they get Johnson will they be able to get past the Red Sox for another World Series berth.  

AL West Champions - Texas Rangers

AL East Champions - Boston Red Sox

AL Central Champions - Chicago White Sox

AL Wild Card - New York Yankees

Baseball Desperately Needs Another Griffey

I just saw where Seattle hired Ken Griffey Jr to be a part of the organization much like Nolan Ryan signed a contract with the Rangers after retirement.  I'm sure it's more of a public services contract where he's involved in the Seattle community and will work with their players in their organization.  My ballcap's off to Seattle.  They recognize the importance of not only one of the greatest players of all-time, but also the desperate need and impact he plays on African-American ballplayers in this country.  Sadly, there's not many black ballplayers left in baseball.  Less than 10% of all Major League Rosters make up of African-Americans. After all that was done 64 years ago when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and gave hope to all young black athletes that they would be able to compete just like anyone else, the popularity of the game has diminished in the black communities (and white communities for that matter).

Baseball is not an easy game to play on an impromptu basis like the other sports.  There are a lot of empty lots and fields in most urban areas of the U.S. with high black populations. If you have a group of friends and a football, game on.  Same with a park, with a hoop. You have a few friends and a basketball, game on.  Baseball, however, requires gloves, bats, and balls to be played properly—with enough players to cover at least half a field. It's not as easy to put together a baseball game.

But the serious blow to the black baseball player has been America's change itself.  No longer are Americans able to take a 2 and 1/2 hour train ride through the Rockies and be captivated by it's beauty and simple relaxation that it brings.  Americans would rather be taken on a 2 and 1/2 minute thrill ride at a theme park and be on their merry way.  

Sports such as football and basketball have marched ahead of baseball in popularity in today's America.  In today's society, we have to be entertained with immediacy.  Our bloodthirsty appetite must be fed by either football, hockey or even wrestling.  And our minds have to have many points scored in order for us to feel satisfied that our money and time were well spent.  Sadly, 3-1 is just not acceptable to most Americans.

Television changed it all.  Before television, baseball was king.  Baseball was perfect for radio and newspaper with it's statistics beaming from boxscores.  The edge-of-your-seat thrill one would get with the anticipation of a radio broadcaster that one can only get when his or her imagination has to work for itself instead of seeing it with their own eyes through a tube.  

Some have said that the 1958 NFL Championship Game of the Baltimore Colts  vs the New York Giants signaled the beginning of football dominance through television.  Football is MUCH more entertaining on TV than baseball with its scoring and constant movement.  TV and football is the perfect combination and its no wonder why the NFL is the most popular and will remain that way until TVs go away.  

Basketball, however, is the lethal weapon to the black baseball player.  Thanks to Michael Jordan, a lot of what would have been today's greatest baseball players never even picked up a glove long enough to see.  They immediately latched on to "His Airness".  Michael Jordan is the black Babe Ruth.  There is no disputing that.  He has done so much for his sport and helped pave the way for many athletes to live out their dreams.  But he helped put baseball on the ropes with a bloody lip and a concussion (there's a bloodthirsty analogy for you that seek that stuff).  

I long for the great black baseball player.  My hope is that the black Babe Ruth of baseball is on his way.  Barry Bonds would have been that, but that's not going to workout so well.  Had Ken Griffey Jr. not come along at the same time as Michael Jordan, maybe things would be different.  I got news last week that Ken Griffey Jr's son Ken Griffey III (Trey) was visiting Texas A&M about being a wide receiver.  I have to admit, it felt like a kick to the stomach.

But right now, maybe, just maybe somewhere in the streets of Chicago, or Detroit, or Sheman, TX there is a little boy who is going to be the next Jackie Robinson or Ernie Banks or Bob Gibson or Hank Aaron or Willie Mays or Ken Griffey Jr.

Closer or Starter for Feliz? This is my take

WIth all of the talk about Neftali Feliz about where should he be on the Rangers staff... Closer?  or Starter?  Well, for starters (weak), this is my take.  

Here's the deal.  The kid is 22 years old (will turn 23 in May) and has a lightning bolt for an arm.  His radar readings on his fastball are always in the upper 90 mph range and they went over the 100 mph mark on some questionable radar guns last year.

Argument for closer:  

1.Those who want him as the closer want a sure thing (or what they perceive to be a sure thing).  Feliz had 40 saves last year, which was the most since Francisco Cordero had 49 in 2004.  

2.  They also say there is no one in the bullpen currently who can be a closer.

My argument against those scenarios.  

1.  The statistic "save" is the most over-rated thing in baseball next to the batting average.  Only 27 of Feliz' 70 games last year did he enter the game with a one-run lead or in a tie game.  Of those 27, he blew tie or lead 4 times.  Therefore, he recorded 23 (in-effect saves).  Managers will give closers the ball when up by 3 and only needing 3 outs many many many many many times just to boost their statistics.  It's ludicrous.  The one-inning save as we know it didn't really even exist before Lee Smith in 1982.  The game was played for 100 years or so before we thought it was time to trick it up with over-thinking managers and rock music and wild hair and beards for crazy fireballers.  It's a sexy part of the game, that's for sure...but just not needed.    

2.  Before Francisco Cordero saved 49 games for the Rangers in 2004, he was a setup man in '03 to Ugith Urbina until the trade deadline of that year.  Francisco became the closer and saved 15 games and was handed the job with no previous experience as a polished proven closer.  Also, 

Injury Means LEAVE THE GAME IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!

I admire the warrior-types that will play with pain for the sake of the team.  We all want that mentality as champions.  We all want that dedication from our teammates that they will go the extra mile.  But, hey, there comes a time when it's just not smart to continue to play.  

This is my short story:

I tore meniscus in my right knee in a varsity football game my sophomore year in high school at age 15. It was the very first defensive play of the game.  I was told I just had a "sprain."  On film, it didn't look "Theisman-like" at all.  As a matter of fact, my knee didn't even stay planted on the ground.  But I guess for a split fraction of a second, my cleats caught just long enough to tear the meniscus.  I played most of the 1st half even though I could barely walk because I didn't want to let the team down...especially Coach Fryar who instructed us to not get hurt because we had already lost our starting linebacker Jon Norwood (hence, the reason I was playing linebacker as a sophomore).  I somehow played the next week with a brace and even scored two TD's as a slot receiver. Well, it's been over 24 years, and four surgeries on just that one particular knee and this is the year that it got completely replaced.  I probably should have left the game in hindsight. Since then, due to compensating for that first injury, I tore my left ACL  in a high school basketball game 16-months later. I tore my right ACL in a pickup basketball game when I was 23. I tore my left Achilles running five years ago at 34 and now my right one feels exactly like the left one did before it snapped. I've had four surgeries on the initial right knee meniscus injury including a Microfracture Surgery at 25 that left me now with the only option of knee replacement coming this year at the age of 39. All of those injuries were the result of the first one (and ankle injuries due to over-compensation). I turned both of my ankles numerous times in HS (including twice on turf in playoff football games that caused me to miss the start of basketball both sophomore and junior years). Anyway, when I tore my Achilles in '08, I had x-rays and MRI's on both of my ankles and was told that both had been fractured at some point in my life.

All of those injuries that were never properly corrected led to other injuries due to over-compensation. That's what I was told at my last Dr visit when they discovered the ankle fractures.

And I hope no one thinks I'm blaming anyone or complaining about these injuries. I chose to participate and chose to try and play through injury. Heck, I begged Coach McQueen to let me play baseball just two months after ACL surgery and thankfully he said no way! I even made him watch me run in order to prove my health (or lack thereof apparently). I was playing football just six months after my ACL surgery. I still ran a 6.9 in the 60-yard dash (however barefoot and on grass) my senior year in baseball. I even ran a 7.4 at the Cleveland Indians scouting combine 4 months after ACL surgery.


In the late 80's, early 90's, we obviously didn't take x-rays of injuries as they do now. But now that the technology is better and faster and more accurate, it's critical to take the necessary precautions.

Therefore, in my humble opinion, I hope every kid that has an injury will treat that with the highest priority even though our mentality is to play with pain. In the end, it's just not worth it.

I say, if you're injured. PLEASE LEAVE THE GAME!!! It's not worth being perceived a warrior even though it's the mentality we as athletes are trained to have (not that I'm an athlete anymore). 

Here are some pics of some of my surg