Alright

Sawed off

I didn't go public with this due to jinx purposes, but I foresaw the 4-2 win last night from the Texas Rangers over the San Francisco Giants in game 3 of the World Series.

These teams are too evenly matched for this not to go at least five.

Several things happened: The Rangers came home to 51,000 fans and hte designated hitter; they reached the underbelly of the Giants rotation whilst the Rangers' rotation is still pretty strong. They played excellent defense, Colby Lewis was spectacular, Neftali Feliz was stupendous (loved Joe Buck's stunned "Wow!" when he blew one by a Giant hitter) and Mitch Moreland saved the day with a 3-run home run.

The complexion of the series has changed a tad. Another win today and we can really talk. Until then, it's good to simply enjoy the first ever World Series win by the Rangers.

Colby Lewis
Calling him "spectacular" may be underselling. He's been the MVP of the Rangers post-season, in my opinion. Or close to it. I could hear arguments for Elvis Andrus, Josh Hamilton and Cliff Lee. The fact that this is an argument is good news for the Rangers. Lewis' post-season: 3-0 -- 26.1 IP - 16 hits - 5 runs - 13 BBs - 24 Ks. If it's the game 7 starter, I have no problem with that. The guy's pitched well in the biggest of games.

Bullpen
I trust these guys: Neftali Feliz, Darren Oliver, Darren O'Day and Alexi Ogando.

Neftali Feliz
How is he not the Rookie of the Year. Man. The dude was tossing smoke hitting 97 and 96 with regularity. Almost all fastballs. The Giants looked dumb up there. Where was he during the eighth inning Thursday?

Cody Ross
I love how everyone creams their jeans when he hits a home run. He's caught lightning in a bottle. He hit a home run on a 90 mph fastball belt-high in the middle of the plate. A good hitter, maybe. Mickey fuckin' Mantle? Hardly.

Tiger, Bears and Aggies -- oh my

Bob Griffin

It was stumbling block week. Did the Big XII become irrelevent?

Nebraska 31, Missouri 17
Answer: Yes. Mizzou was the Big XII's only national championship contender being the last undefeated team until they rolled into Lincoln and Nebraska played like the world beater that we thought they were. Mizzou never had a shot. Nebraska went up 24-0 as the Cornhuskers had touchdown plays of 66, 40 and 73 in the first 13 minutes of the stinkin' game. Midway through, the Tigers' body language completely changed and they were TKO'd. There was three quarters left to go, but the game was over. On the first three drives of the game, Nebraska had one offensive play and 66 yards. The Tigers had eight offensive plays and -1 yards.

The story, however, was Roy Helu Jr. Twenty-eight carries and 303 yards. Averaged 11 yards per carry. Stupendous. Then the Blackshirts. Held Blaine Gabbert to 19-42 passing with six sacks and one interception. Men vs. boys.

Baylor 30, Texas 22
We have a new king in the Big XII South. The perfect description of Texas is that they're a field goal team playing a touchdown game. If you need a field goal, Garrett Gilbert can get you that field goal. Unfortunately, Baylor is a touchdown team with a touchdown maker -- Robert Griffin. The dude was responsible for three touchdowns and Jay Finley rushed for 116 yards. The Bears beat the Longhorns' asses in Austin. First since 1991 in Austin and the first time Baylor's beaten Texas at all since 1996.

TCU 48, UNLV 6
Seems like TCU barely tried. And won by 42. TCU's allowed a mere 16 points in October. Outscored opponents 189-16. Incredible.

SMU 31, Tulane 17
With the season on the brink, the Mustangs woke up. Down 17-3 and looking lethargic, the Mustangs scored 28 unanswered at the end of the third and the whole of the fourth to take the game. SMU needed that. They were on the brink of getting out of the Conference USA race and possibly out of bowl eligibility. Should easily get to eight wins now.

Oklahoma 43, Colorado 10
Again, if Cody Hawkins is your quarterback, you are going to lose. OU is varsity; Colorado, junior high.

Texas A&M 45, Texas Tech 27
The Ryan Tannehill era is off to a 1-0 start. The new quarterback went 36-50 for 449 yards and four touchdowns. It's his team now. Mike Sherman probably bought himself another year.

Oklahoma State 24, Kansas State 14
Oklahoma State forced K-State into three interceptions in three straight possession in the second half down 21 points, and that was the game. K-State can clearly beat up the small guys, but can't keep up with a decent team.

Iowa State 28, Kansas 16
It says a lot when Iowa State is significantly better than you.

UNT 33, Western Kentucky 6
UNT ... dominated? Riley Dodge came back just in time not to save his daddy's job and Lance Dunbar rushed for 215 and three touchdowns. If UNT wants to fasttrack back to respectibility, they run the ball and learn to run the ball very efficiently.

Texas State 27, SFA 24
Twenty-seven unanswered points in the fourth quarter to overcome a 24-0 deficit? I'd like to thank the SFA defense, special teams and running game for showing up. Not really.

Cowboys-Jaguars

Roar

An interesting discussion has taken place (or not taken place) all week pertaining to whether or not this week's Dallas Cowboys-Jacksonville Jaguars game was the least-hyped game in the Cowboys' recent history. When I say "recent," I mean since the advent of TV.

I think it has little to do with the Cowboys. Frankly, if you were getting pumped up in 1989 or 2002, then you are a true fan.

It's everything to do with the Texas Rangers. If they were at home, we'd be fussing about the 1-5 Cowboys and what they'd need to do this weekend. Jerry Jones should send over a fruit basket to Chuck Greenberg for keeping the media spotlight away from the behemoth across the parking lot.

The thought of 1-6, although, makes me giddy.

Five things:

David Garrard
The Jaguars aren't very good, yet, they're 3-4. They're not good at anything. So I looked at how they won their three games (Denver, Indianapolis, Buffalo). You'd think that maybe Maurice Jones-Drew had big days. Actually, in those three games, Jones-Drew has only one touchdown. The key: David Garrard. He's been sacked just three times in those three games with eight touchdowns and one interception. He's didn't throw for 300 yards. In fact, he's not gotten over 190 in any win. He completes about 80 percent of his throws. If Garrard gets time, his successful often carries the Jags.

In three losses, Garrard's thrown one touchdown, seven interceptions and been sacked nine times.

The State of Things
Where are the Cowboys' heads at? They're sniping at media. Probably not to pleased with each other. Their starting quarterback is down and out. They're coach is an idiot. Does this team have the nuts and guts to go out and beat the crap out of a bad team? If the Cowboys come in sleepwalking, the Jags will beat them.

Felix Jones
If this is going to be the year of discovery -- pushing young guys, finding out who has what in the depth chart -- the Cowboys will need to let Felix Jones have a bit more leash. Keeping him healthy for some playoff game or deciding week 17 contest is moot. Let him get the ball and step on the gas a little. You don't have to run him 20 times. Let him be Jon Kitna's check down. Keep the new quarterback comfortable. While we're here, let's get Tashard Choice some touches.

Sam Young
As I've stated all week, the Dallas Cowboys should make a solid effort to play young guys in the remaining games of the season, win or lose. Young will get his chance outside of the control the Cowboys. It appears that Kyle Kosier and Montrae Holland will not play. That leaves the rookie out of Notre Dame as your starting guard. Young made quite a din in Training Camp with his play and was considered to play right tackle when Marc Columbo was out. Excited to see what he can do.

Dez Bryant
The most exciting player on the team. I want more. Can he play safety?

Prediction
Jaguars 20, Cowboys 16
The Cowboys do not deserve our trust. They should win, but they should win half the games they've lost. As Terry Bradshaw said last week, "The world us full of talented people that are unsuccessful." Kitna at quarterback is just too much. Cowboys will run less than 22 times.

Colin Cowherd, somehow, is not wrong

ESPN's Colin Cowherd is a fucking retard. But even the blindest squirrel finds a nut.

He said:

"It's interesting. Everybody thinks their town is a great sports town. We don't have a single e-mail form Dallas today about the Rangers. Yeah, I was reading a column earlier this week, Oh, they love the Rangers here. No, they conditionally like the Rangers. If the Rangers get red hot, it's sort of like Colorado with baseball. Colorado and Texas are football states, Broncos and Cowboys. They'll like fall in love with their team in August if they start playing well, but I mean, you know, Texas right now, watch the ratings fall off the cliff. It is a football town."

He's right. This town could give two shits about the Texas Rangers and only care to show up to games (well, about 25,000 of us) when the Rangers are in remote contention.

In one year, if the Rangers are second in the division and the Cowboys are 5-3, it'll go back to the way it's always been. A football town.

Dallas-Fort Worth isn't sophisticated enough for football. It's a fragmented area. Too spread out. It's full of transplants, young people and troglodytes. It's also a town of frontrunners and the biggest band of bandwagoners since the Californian gold rush.

Baseball isn't elitist or for just "smart" people. It's for patient people. It's for people that like subtle nuances and drama. It's for people that like going to the ballpark and looking at stats until their eyes bleed.

It's basically a nerd's sport. And Dallas-Fort Worth aren't nerds. If anyone tries to deny this, they are A) idiots, B) in denial or C) not lived here long enough.

Cowherd's still an assface, though.

Sloppy seconds

That'd be a foul

As it was noted the other day, this is the first time in Dallas-Fort Worth history that all four major sport teams are playing at the same time, thanks to the Texas Rangers.

If you consider that at some point this year FC Dallas started their season, that makes five.

It's also worth considering that there hasn't been a moment in Dallas-Fort Worth sports history that there's been such sloppy play.

The Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars and, now, the Dallas Mavericks are playing really, really sloppy ball and puck.

Penalties, lack of attention to detail, errors, dropped passes, turnovers and everything bad in between has infected our sports teams.

How sloppy were the Dallas Mavericks tonight in their 91-90 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies?

The Mavs shot 47 percent. The Grizz shot 38 percent.

That just doesn't happen.

The Mavs committed 18 turnovers and the Grizz collected 11 steals, several of which in the last two minutes of the game.

The Grizz also matched the Mavs on the boards (45, each) despite the Mavericks having seven-footers out the wazoo. It killed them in the final seconds when Marc Gasol (who ate the Mavs' lunch all night long) got an offensive rebound around Tyson Chandler and got fouled to take the lead. The Grizz had an unacceptable 14 offensive rebounds.

Then there was the Keystone Cops routine with the final in-bounds that Jason Kidd eventually handed to O.J. Mayo to seal the win.

On paper, the Mavericks look great. On paper, so do the Rangers, Stars and Cowboys. But one's about to be swept in the World Series, another's 1-5, the Mavs are losing silly games to the Grizz at home and the Stars are taking the quick dive to mediocrity.

Don't these franchises hire coaches and managers?

Gutcheck time

Husker

It's getting to the meat-and-potatoes time of the year. This is when pretenders fade after eight weeks of grueling football, getting beat to all hell. There is where the road gets tough.

It's also when good teams from around the nation play their best and assert themselves as the best team in the land.

For us locals, we have a couple of teams of this nature. Some are just seeking a win or two (UNT), others are fighting for respect (SMU), others want to be spoilers (Nebraska) and some want to dance (Mizzou, TCU).

Tomorrow starts the coolest couple of weeks of college sports.

Missouri (8-0, 4-0) vs. Nebraska (6-1, 2-1)
OK. This is it for the Tigers. Don't want to look too far ahead, but the Cornhuskers are the Tigers' last big hurdle toward a perfect season and, probably, major talk for a championship game in January, February or June ... whenever they play that thing. Mizzou's had a very weird schedule. Six of their first seven were at home. Tomorrow in Lincoln starts four of the last five on the road.

Texas Tech (4-3, 2-3) vs. Texas A&M (4-3, 1-2)
Tech really cares about this game. A&M doesn't. It's why Tech wins. A&M also is apparently rolling with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback, the heir apparent over Jerrod Johnson. It's amazing that the Aggies didn't win more with Johnson. Not that he's Vince Young or anything, but he's good enough, right? It's at College Station where A&M hasn't beaten anyone of substance since George H.W. Bush was president.

TCU (8-0, 4-0) vs. UNLV (1-6, 1-2)
Frogs roll.

Baylor (6-2, 3-1) vs. Texas (4-3, 2-2)
I have a sick feeling in my stomach for the lil' Bears. They'll roll into Austin all hot to trot and then get slammed by a "who cares?" Texas team just because they can when they want. All hoping that Baylor takes it to them and puts a ... gulp ... stranglehold on the Big XII South.

Oklahoma State (6-1, 2-1) vs. Kansas State (5-2, 2-2)
Upset alert. K-State is at home against a Poke team that had its air let out of its balloon at home against Nebraska. K-State would love to play spoiler and get bowl eligible. Plus, Wildcats can run the ball. OSU's playing with out star, stud receiver Justin Blackmon.

Texas State (3-4, 0-3) vs. SFA (6-1, 3-0)
Throw the record books out whenever the Fightin' Raccoons come to Nacogdoches. Speaking of, I went to the local Rally House Texas only to discover they sold these Texas State salt shakers (honestly, I don't know what the fuck they were). I asked if they had any SFA stuff. "No." But they had Texas State? They said they'd gotten them by accident. Bullshit Raccoons.

Colorado (3-4, 0-3) vs. Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1)
Isn't Colorado in the Pac-10 yet?

SMU (4-4, 3-1) vs. Tulane (3-4, 1-2)
SMU doesn't lose three straight in conference especially to a bad Tulane team, does it? Mettle will be checked.

Kansas (2-5, 0-3) vs. Iowa State (4-4, 2-2)
Wonder if playing such a tough schedule helped Iowa State beat Texas. They've already played Iowa, Oklahoma, Utah, Kansas State and Texas Tech. Beat Texas. Now they have Mizzou and Nebraska. that must build some moxy with that team.

UNT (1-6, 1-3) vs. Western Kentucky (1-2, 1-6)
Somebody's got to win. I'd bet Western Kentucky as they've played Nebraska, Indiana, Kentucky and South Florida. Much tougher competition.

Serenity now

Batting practice

I'm 30. I've had the fantastic opportunity to watch a lot of sports, and, Lord willing, I'll get to see a lot more before I'm called to that great paradise just over the hilltop.

With that said, there's a bunch that I'll never understand about sports.

I'll never understand why NBA players can't hit free throws at at least an 85 percent clip. Especially if you hit three pointers at a 40 percent rate.

And I'll never understand walks. The inability for a professional pitcher to throw enough baseballs in the general area of the "strike zone" (as established by an inpartial umpire) is beyond my comprehension.

I'll never understand why Derek Holland threw 11 straight balls in last night's eighth inning of a 9-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants. I'll never understand why Mark Lowe was unable to throw enough strikes.

I'll never understand why those two were placed in the situation to meltdown like this. Lowe shouldn't be on the post-season roster. He should've been shutdown or sent to Mexico for winter ball. Once Holland threw, oh, the first three balls, I would've been at the mound, talking him down from the ledge.

Instead, Ron Washington and his coaches let the kid melt in front of God and everyone. If he's never right with baseball again, you can blame those guys.

The utter discombobulation and malfeseance shown by Washington and his coaching staff during the eighth inning is very much inexcusable. Someone should've been warming up in the bullpen. Someone should've been making trips to the mound.

Someone needed to put their finger in the dyke. No one did.

In the big picture, it didn't matter. Edgar Renteria's solo home run earlier in the game was all the Giants needed. But it's the principle. Maybe the Rangers get something going down 2-0 in the eighth and ninth innings. No scientific evidence to back this up, but more teams come back down 2-0 than 9-0.

Furthermore, why was Darren O'Day even taken out of the game? Why wasn't Neftali Feliz anywhere to be seen?

I love Ron Washington. I gave him all the latitutde in the world when it came out he'd tested positive for coke, but one thing he's never done well is handle a bullpen. It's happened all the time since he's became the manager and it happened dozens of times this season. It's no surprise. But it still disappoints.

I'd also like to know what's happening in the dugout. Is Wash being told direction or suggestions from Jackie Moore, Clint Hurdle andMike Maddux and he's not listening? Is he just managing on a whim? Are they staying quiet? I'd like some answers and I wouldn't think these would be entirely hard to come by.

Dudes:

Matt Cain
I've always liked Cain and when it was rumored over the past three seasons that the Rangers might could pry the righty from the Giants, I'd always supported it. Next season, if you give me the choice between Lincecum and Cain to start a team, I take Cain. The guy is stupendous.

C.J. Wilson
Another guy who was pretty salty. Wilson was really good and deserved a better fate in game 1 of the ALCS and, now, here. He allowed just three hits and perpetually made the Giants' offense look like ... the Giants offense. That's what we wanted out of Cliff Lee the night before. Had the Rangers offense done anything, this might be a different outcome for Wilson. With a lead, Wilson probably stays in the game in the seventh, Darren Oliver comes in for the eighth and Neftali Feliz for the ninth. Maybe Ollie gives up a lead in this scenario in the eighth. But you go down with your best pitchers on the bump.

Nelson Cruz
By my count, his inclusion as the right fielder in lieu of Vladimir Guerrero saved the Rangers two runs. Of course, they lost 9-0. But on two catches that saved runs, it kept the game 0-0 and 1-0.

Josh Hamilton, Mike Young, Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler
Guess what kiddies?! It's nut-cutting time. You wanted post-season baseball and now it's time to quit hacking at pitches and start pulling up your big-boy pants and taking an approach at the plate that resembles Major Leaguers.

Ron Washington
With the game on the line, Lowe, Holland, Mike Kirkman and Jorge Cantu do not sniff the field.

Deliver us, Ceejus

Wilson!

Going home, 1-1 is all that matters. C.J. Wilson on the bump. Need a big outing.

Vlad Guerrero on the bench. Instead, we get Nellie Cruz in right and Dave Murphy in left.

The Dallas Cowboys stink and it's the media's fault

James, shirtless, blameless

I was disappointed in the Dallas-Fort Worth media after Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips completely skated during his Tuesday afternoon press conference.

He was like Nancy Kerrigan out there. Or Chris Farley in that figure skating skit from Saturday Night Live.

I thought they'd grill him on his team quitting, on the defense allowing a billion yards and 41 points, on being 1-5 and virtually eliminated from the playoffs.

Nope. He got to talk about how good the special teams were and how hard they played to get back into the game against the New York Giants Monday night.

Maybe they feel bad because Phillips is sure to be fired. Maybe they're pansies. Maybe.

In another story, Bradie James, the middle linebacker who has avoided criticism the past four years because he "plays hard" had some comments to the media about the media.

Said James:

“Guys have gotten into a rut, to be honest with you. It’s a lot of negativity and a lot of criticism and people don’t respond too well to criticism, no way, shape, form or fashion about it. But the way you play, criticism sometimes is warranted, and that’s what we have to understand.”

Well, I guess the "rut" James refers to is losing and all that entails: penalties, missed tackles, miss coverage, miss blocked, turnovers and mistakes. Disappointed in James here. He seems like a stand-up guy that accepts responsibility no matter what. Guess not. Guess losing turns everyone into animals.

According to Tim McMahon of the World Wide Leader in a bit of editorializing, "There are players in that locker room who are so sensitive that they allow criticism from the media to affect their performance."

That is amazing. It's amazing that there are athletes that allow this to happen negatively. It's surprising that players pay attention to the media. Most of the time, coaches and players treat media like idiots. So I'm supposed to believe that Mike Jenkins is picking up The Dallas Morning News and reading the letters to the editor.

I guess it happens, but it's inconceivable that they're listening to "Murray from Forney." Nut up guys.

If the Dallas Mavericks win and no one watches, does it count?

No defense for Dirk

The answer: Yes. Despite the eyes of Dallas-Fort Worth being on the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Mavericks started their season with a 101-86 win over the Charlotte Bobcats at the American Airlines Center.

In perfect autumn form, the Mavericks started the game with a 13-0 run and was up by 16 before the Bobcats mounted a comeback to actually take a lead before the end of the second quarter.

This is a problem. Well, there are two problems that may or may not be related.

Problem No. 1
The Mavericks can't blow anyone out.

Problem No. 2
The Mavericks bench isn't that that good.

Therefore, the problem is cylical. Even if the starters play well and build a 20-point lead, there's empirical proof that the bench of the Mavericks can't come in and keep that lead.

Therefore, the blowout -- an opportunity to rest said starters, many of which are old or oft-injured -- is lost. Thus, the Rick Carlisle -- amid fainting -- is forced to play his starters big minutes.

This isn't isolated to game No. 1 of the 2010-11 season. It was epidemic a year ago. Too many close games and to many 35-40 minute games from Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd.

We got a glimpse of what Carlisle is doing with the roster. He started Jason Terry at two-guard and Tyson Chandler at center. It allows him to bring Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood off the bench.

Love Chandler starting. He's younger and more athletic. He fits better with Kidd. Plus, he fills up a box score (8 points, 8 boards, 2 blocks, 1 steal).

I think Terry is fine starting now, but when Roddy Beaubois returns, Terry needs to return as the sixth man. He's kind of a hybrid point-shooting guard that can spell Beaubois or Kidd. It also sets J.J. Barea back to No. 9 off the bench, where he belongs.

Beaubois is simply too dynamic to not start. You want an injection of fun and energy, start that dude.

Notes:

1. Our $54 million man, Brendan Haywood: 20 minutes - 2 points - 3 rebounds - 2 fouls.

2. Our 4-0, 98-pound man, J.J. Barea: 20 minutes - 4 rebounds. Who's working harder here?

3. The Mavs bench has zero stoppers. The flood gates opened for the Bobcats when the starters left. Marion was a -24. Barea, -19. Yikes.

4. Nowitzki, brilliant: 11-13 - 13 boards - 28 points.

5. Jason Kidd with 18 assists. If the starters keep that pace, he'll rack up big assists all year.

Jean-Jacques Taylor and I are the most intelligent men in Dallas-Fort Worth

At 8:40 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010, I wrote a post that essentially stated that the Dallas Cowboys need to play young back-ups like Stephen McGee due to the fact that A) the season is essentially over and B) we don't know if these kids can play.

The next day, Dallas Morning News sports columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor had a column post on the paper's website essentially saying the same thing.

I honestly don't think Taylor is ripping me or anyone else off. I may think he's a half-assed columnist for one of the biggest and best newspapers in the nation -- in a top 5 market with four high-profile sports teams -- but I hardly believe he's unethical or anything like that.

I tend to think we're both geniuses.

Me:
"With McGee, there's local interest (a Texas kid who went to A&M) and there's the element of the unknown. What if down deep in this kid's brain is the next starting quarterback? What if he's good? What if he's good enough to be the back-up next season? Or for the next 10 years? What if he's Jason Garrett -- smart, capable and totally useful?"

JJT:
"As for the rest of this season, it's time to find out about guys like Stephen McGee.
When the eighth loss occurs, it's time to see if McGee is capable of being Romo's backup next season. There should be zero questions about his future when the season ends."

Me:
"While we're here, let's throw all these kids into the fire. Brian and Jason Williams. Sean Lee. Victor Butler. Danny McCray. Sam Young. Kevin Ogletree. Josh Brent. Barry Church. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah."

JJT:
"As the season heads into November and December, give linebacker Sean Lee, nose tackle Josh Brent, defensive end Stephen Bowen, tight end Martellus Bennett, receiver Dez Bryant, guard Phil Costa, tackle Sam Young and safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah more playing time."

Giants 11, Ranger 7

Field of nightmares

Contrary to popular belief (based on e-mails, texts I've received), MLB did not award the San Francisco Giants their 2010 World Series rings after the 11-7 win over the Texas Rangers last night.

They apparently, like all other World Series champions, must win the minimum amount of games to clinch the series.

Following game 1 of the ALCS, I got angry. I was cussing and ranting. I should be cussing and ranting now.

I don't mind losing. Again, if getting to the ALCS was the cherry on the sundae, getting to the World Series is like getting a blowjob while eating the sundae.

Losing is fine. It's how you lose that kills me. In the ALCS, it was walks (that annoy the shit out of me) and poor baserunning.

In game 1 of the World Series, it was errors, poor baserunning and lack of playmaking in the field.

Why am I not irate today? Because getting mad at Mike Young and Vlad Guerrero for poor play in the field is useless. They're not what they used to be and there's no other option at third base and I depend on Ron Washington to make a decision on right field.

Ian Kinsler's baserunning snafu in the eighth wasn't nearly as bad as getting picked off. He thought the ball went past Aubrey Huff. I have no idea if Garry Pettis said anything to Kins to indicate the ball got through. It's a bang-bang play that killed a potential rally.

Game 1 of the World Series was eerily like game 1 of the ALCS: Rangers get up early, the big inning buries them, a late-inning Ian Kinsler running error.

It was also a game of "what-ifs" for me, something I don't do too often. What if Darren O'Day keeps Juan Uribe in the yard? What if Mark Lowe stems the tide in the eighth? What if the Rangers knock a few more across in the first?

There are tons of plays that teetered going one way or the other. That's more encouraging than discouraging. As I get a World Series blowjob.

Several players:

Cliff Lee
Simply didn't have his breaking pitch going over for strikes. Maybe it was the eight days off or maybe he tweaked his back. Or maybe, like every pitcher in the history of the game, his goddamn curveball didn't get over for strikes. Life is sometimes simple.

Mike Young
It's funny how Jon Daniels works his ass off to put a winning team so Mike Young can get to the playoffs only to find that Mike Young is not a post-season player. Hitting .235, 0-4 last night and leaving three men on base. Thanks for showing up. On top of all that, he was horrid in the field. His error with no outs sparked the Giants' rally in the third inning. Then, his lack of range resulted in Freddy Sanchez' 800th double of the night to score that first San Fran run. I'm convinced a good third baseman gets that line drive. Third base will need to be addressed in the off-season.

Alexi Ogando
I've been disappointed that Ogando hasn't gotten more time in crucial moments. He was dealing last night. Hitting high-90s with about every pitch. Two innings, four strikeouts, one hit, no walks.

Vladimir Guerrero
Washington's decision to put Guerrero in right field was a mistake. He says he's sticking Vlad back out there. I can't imagine this actually happening. As much as Wash preaches fundamentals and playing the "game" the right way, how can he without looking like a hypocrite? Anyway, Guerrero looked 1,000 years old last night. By my unofficial count, his play (not just errors, but inability to get to balls) cost the Rangers an extra seven bases and at least one run. Doesn't seem like much, but how many more pitches did Lee pitch because of Guerrero's inability to get outs and keep runners out of scoring position?

Bengie Molina
The dude takes a lot of shit for being fat and slow, but he's a gamer and that deserves any and all appreciation.

Giants-Rangers

Big. Bad. Vlad.

It's all seemed too easy. That's the shocking part of this whole thing. How easy it's been.

Whipping up on the Tampa Bay Rays. Going to new Yankee Stadium and taking two of three. Dominating the Yankees. Stealing home. Cliff Lee looking like Sandy Koufax. Colby Lewis looking like Bob Gibson. Elvis Andrus looking like a salty veteran in his 10th post-season.

Eerily easy. Discomforting.

The World Series starts tonight. Texas Rangers versus the San Francisco Giants in a best-of-7 series. Starting in San Francisco for two games.

The nervous energy abounds. The primal uncertainty that envelopes us as a fanbase is electric. Even with Cliff Lee on the mound. Waiting for the other shoe to fall on this thing. Waiting for the pinch only to find ourselves 20 back of the California Angels.

If the first 11 games seemed easy, I doubt the next four (at least) won't be nearly as a cakewalk. There will be blood.

Five keys:

Playing As A Frontrunner
The Texas Rangers haven't just played as underdogs during these playoffs. They've been the underdog over the past 40 years. Do the Rangers know how to play as the frontrunner? Do they know how to play as the team that's supposed to win instead of the team everyone expects to lose?

Vladimir Guerrero
Somehow, a .269 average in the ALCS doesn't appropriately indicate how bad Guerrero was. He rode one good game (four hits). Otherwise, it was three hits in 20-odd at bats. This is it for Guerrero. I don't think he'll be a Ranger next year. He could very well be done for his career. I hope not, but it might. The Rangers need Guerrero to show up and crush.

Jonathan Sanchez
The great X-factor. We think Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain will give the Giants a shot to win. Sanchez is the Giants' primary lefty. He's the team leader in ERA. He's good. He's pitched a no-hitter. He's also a guy that could get pulled in the second inning, like he was the other night against Philly. He's an X-factor. He's a wild card. Whether the Rangers or Giants are 0-2 going into game 3. Or if the Giants are up 1-2 or down 1-2, Sanchez' start means the world.

Bases On Balls
I think walks are killer. I'd rather give up three hits than a walk. Hits are potential outs. Walks aren't. Unfortunately for me, I root for two guys (C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis) that walk an inordinate amount of hitters. In three of the four Rangers losses this season, the Rangers pitchers registered four or more walks. In five of the Rangers' seven post-season wins, the pitchers registered three or less walks.

Why would walks kill the Rangers against the Giants? Because the Giants, for the season, collected a league-worst 392 walks. On top of that, the Giants were 25th in the league with a .257 team batting average.

Lesson: Throw strikes. Throw a lot of strikes and force the Giants' line-up to hit the ball. A team that clearly has no intention on taking pitches and walking free passes should not be afforded that opportunity by any means.

Baserunning
Antlers, bitches. It's been the key to the Rangers beating the Rays and the Yankees. Not just stealing bases, but scoring from second on groundouts, tagging up, going from first to third on a single. All these things have been responsible for about 60 percent of the Rangers' runs (this stat is not factual ... it might be true, but not based on real research). The Rangers must keep running. Push the Giants into mistakes.

Prediction
Giants, in 7
I've always said that pitching wins championships. The Giants starters and relievers have been better than the Rangers'. For the third straight series, I hope I'm wrong. Please, sweet Jesus, let me be wrong.

A big 'fuck you' to the East Coast

I listened to The Sports Guy's -- Bill Simmons -- latest podcast and I actually got angry.

Simmons' podcasts are quite amazing. I mean, the world's largest media-business conglomerate allows this guy to talk to his friends about sports for an hour (or so) a week.

The other times he gets to talk about what TV shows he watches.

He doesn't need to write anything. He travels to attend high-profile sporting events, talks to his buds and lives in Los Angeles and gets paid an obscene amount of money.

Anyway, one friend is a New York Yankees fan. They talked about the Yankees losing 4-2 in the ALCS. Leave it to a bunch of East-Coast fuckfaced douchebags to be assholes on the Internet.

They called Colby Lewis -- the guy that dominated the Yankees in two starts -- "Hiroshama Carp." They called Mitch Moreland "Toby" after hit .389 with three RBI and three runs.

Forget that for six games, the Rangers beat the shit out of the asshole Yankees for all but 10 innings. Forget that the Rangers were simply and undoubtedly better.

I hope another East Coast team never wins another championship in any sport. Including the MLS.

Keep it coming with the jokes assheads. Keep it coming.

I hate the Dallas Mavericks

I feel like a parent of a child who finishes medical school, and works for a decade and is on the brink of curing cancer, and he quits and practices at a small, community clinic giving flu shots.

The Dallas Mavericks are better than giving flu shots. They should be a team on the tip of everyone's tongue when it comes to championship. They're not.

If people talk Finals contenders (not favorites!), Dallas might make the top 10. Even then, the Mavericks aren't even considered to be in the picture.

Why not? They have a top 10 player (Dirk Nowitzki), they win 50 games a year, they get top 4 seeds in the mighty Western Conference, they have the pedigree of previous post-season success and they have an owner that'll make a move if it's there to be made.

Everything that just about any NBA fan would want out of a team and, yet, the thought of 82 games from my Dallas Mavericks absolutely bores the shit out of me.

Why? Because nothing's different. Some of that isn't bad. Nowitzki being the same is a really good thing. But that's it. Nowitkzi is not going to get better. In fact, sometime in the near future, Nowitzki will start getting worse.

Same with everyone. Caron Butler's not getting better. J.J. Barea is still on this roster. Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood aren't getting any better. Haywood, after getting paid, might look worse than he did a year ago.

Two Mavericks might get better: Roddy Beaubois and rookie Dominique Jones. That's it. And they may not see the court much due to their rookieness (you know, game's too fast or they don't play defense) or due to injury (Beaubois' foot).

That's it, Mavericks fans. Do you think Butler's going to quit settling for jumpers? Do you think Jason Kidd's going to start guarding younger, faster point guards better?

Everyone's peaked. They probably peaked in 2006. Kidd in 2002. Butler in 2007. Haywood in 1999.

There's a minimum that the Mavericks are good for and they will no doubt hit that minimum. The Dallas Mavericks will be good and competitive. They'll make the playoffs. And get beat.

It's not the 50 wins or first-round loss that I'm concerned or bored with. It's the contentedness and lack of change.

For a decade, the Mavericks' management kept evolving and changing parts out to find the right mix around Nowitzki.

There's no way Butler or Jason Terry survive in 2004. They would've been sent to Miami, Charlotte or Minnesota.

I'm not purporting trades and changes for the sake of trades or changes. It's about getting better, it's about pumping new hope into the franchise and it's about thinking about the future.

Butler, Shawn Marion, Kidd, Terry and Haywood aren't going to win now. And they are not a part of the future of the Dallas Mavericks. It's like my kid quitting cancer research to work at a dumpy clinic that he knows he's going to be at for a year before he works at a Target optical clinic.

Here's to 82 games.

Depth Chart: Center

What? You thought I'd find a photo of Brendan Haywood?

The Dallas Mavericks did very little to change their team in the off-season. One position they didn't neglect is center.

They re-signed one guy and brought in three others that can play the position. Play the position well or stay healthy enough for it to matter? That's a whole different story.

Brendan Haywood
As of February of last year, I knew that the Dallas Mavericks would overpay for Brendan Haywood. On paper, he was everything they've always wanted. However, we went through the same bullshit with Erick Dampier. I predicted four years, $44 million. It was six and $54 million. So, I'm the idiot. In two years, we will officially hate Brendan Haywood. Get ready for a stream of six point, six rebound, six foul games.

Tyson Chandler
As I bitched about Haywood, friends would ask, as if I didn't have an answer, "Well, who would you get?" My reply was a sign-and-trade for Tyson Chandler. Of course, the Mavs used this most "valuable" Erick Dampier trade chip to do it. I thought you could probably get Chandler for less, but the Mavericks' inability to truly take another team to the cleaners is apparent. I like Chandler. He plays above the rim, which is actually what makes Jason Kidd valuable. Kidd's fine playing with guys who stand 20 feet from the basket, but if you want to actually maximize his value, get guys that run the floor, can catch a basketball and slam dunk the goddamn thing. That's, hopefully, what Chandler means.

Alexis Ajinca
Let's see: Former first-round pick by the Charlotte Bobcats? Check. Played total of 37 games in two seasons? Check. Despite being 7-1, averaging less than a rebound a game? Check. Getting paid $1.3 million? Check. Your 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks.

The World Series pitching match-ups

Some call me ... Tim

There's no surprises here. The San Francisco Giants will put their top four and the Texas Rangers will put their top four on the mound and everyone will hope for the best.

The difference here is the loss of the designated hitter for at least two of these games.

Or, how Cliff Lee will have one easy out at the butt end of the line-up. Unfortunately, it appears that Colby Lewis will not pick up a bat as he'll pitch in Arlington. This is a bummer because Lewis was the hero in a game against Milwaukee this year when he batted in two runs while going 2-4 in the 6-4 win in June.

Of course, he also went eight innings allowing two runs and striking out 10. We'll take the latter. And we also get to see Tommy Hunter hit.

The match-ups:

Cliff Lee vs. Tim Lincecum
The Rangers -- through interleague play -- have never seen Lincecum. He's the type of pitcher you want to see. That wind-up helps disguise his pitchers that need little disguising. He throws pure, fat mustard. Lincecum's numbers: 23.1 IP - 1.93 ERA - 5 BBs - 30 Ks. Lincecum's only real chink in the armor is against lefties. His BAA is .254 against lefties (compared to .229 against righties). Lincecum also was 10th in the National League in walks (76).

C.J. Wilson vs. Matt Cain
Cain hasn't allowed an earned run in the playoffs, totaling 13.2 innings. He's, clearly, really good. He's always been a horse, but walks have killed him. He's cut those down significantly. He'll allow some gopher balls on you (22 homers allowed), but he's equally dominant against lefties and righties, home and on the road. If he keeps the ball in the yard, he's almost unbeatable. The rub on Wilson is that he's really, really good against lefties (.144 BAA) and so-so against righties. Other than Aubrey Huff, the Giants don't have many lefties in their line-up. Wilson's also gotten worse with each post-season start.

Jonathan Sanchez vs. Colby Lewis
Sanchez is the X-factor for the Giants, at least the pitching. He's a guy that led the Giants with a 3.07 ERA. Still, he had his worse game of the post-season against Philadelphia when he lasted just two innings allowing two runs. He's dominant against lefties, but the Rangers have the flexibility of throwing a lot of right handers against him. Sanchez will pitch in a hitter's park. He's allowed an astonishing (considering his ERA) 96 walks and 21 home runs. Essentially this season, he allowed 238 baserunners in 193 innings. The key for Lewis is that the Giants (or the current incarnation) haven't seen him. Neither had the Yankees (at least since 1996) and he went 2-0 against them.

Madison Bumgarner vs. Tommy Hunter
The debate here was whether the Rangers would go with Hunter or Derek Holland. Hunter has started all post-season, but Holland's come in with some huge long relief. I agree with the Hunter decision. Why mess with things? Also, Holland would be less effective as, again, the Giants don't have a ton of lefties that'll start in the line-up. Going against rookie Madison Bumgarner, I hope Hunter's given more time. He's been pulled early in both post-season starts. Although, he's struck out 12 and walked none in those games. Bumgarner is a stud. But he's young. A lefty, he gets hit hard by righties (.283 BAA), which could be a problem at the Temple. All things considered, the Rangers need to hit him hard and get this game.

The Western Conference

The Durant

The start of the NBA season is just hours away.

As fascinating as the Eastern Conference might get, the might is still in the West. And everyone is projecting a new king out west.

Furthermore, there's some salty second-year players and new coaches near the bottom of the conference and the typical giants at top. A ton to talk about.

Los Angeles Lakers -- 59-25
I'm not completely buying the "cruise" theory that the Lakers will bide their time until the playoffs. There will be too many easy and tough wins to get them close to 60. I love the combo of Kobe Bryant-Ron Artest-Matt Barnes-Lamar Odom-Shannon Brown-Luke Walton in that big shooting guard-big power forward range. A large sect of guys that could do a lot of different things and do them relatively well.

Oklahoma City Thunder -- 58-24
I think they're a player away. Probably a frontcourt guy. I like the minor signing of Daequan Cook as a bench guy. Big development years for James Harden and Eric Maynor. Their development could mean the world to this team.

Dallas Mavericks -- 51-32
Ho-hum. Get their 50 wins and their playoff spot. Cruise along thinking all is well until the first round of the playoffs and they get pounded. It's not that they're bad ... just the same.

Utah Jazz -- 51-31
Two additions -- Gordon Hayward and Raja Bell -- could play a big role on this team. Al Jefferson is the difference maker here. Deron Williams becomes an MVP candidate.

San Antonio Spurs -- 50-32
Do you think the Spurs signed Marcus Cousin thinking he was Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins?

Denver Nuggets -- 46-36
The key is Carmelo Anthony. If he's gone, they win 40 games. If he stays, is he as interested as he was a year ago? I think they have a solid six and then nothing else. Can Chauncey Billups keep this up?

Portland Blazers -- 45-37
Someone's got to drop if all these teams are going to win more games. I thought Jerryd Bayless, Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw were functional bench players and spot starters. They're gone and you've got to hope that Greg Oden and Brandon Roy can stay healthy for 75 games each? This doesn't take into consideration the old bones of Andre Miller, Marcus Camby and Joel Pryzbilla.

Phoenix Suns -- 44-38
They essentially traded Amare Stoudemire for Hedo Turkoglu. Win: Knicks.

New Orleans Hornets -- 44-38
Like the additions of Trevor Ariza and Bayless. Marcus Thornton coming into his second year. Between Emeka Okafor and Aaron Gray they can handle the center position. They're not great, but they'll be better. Chris Paul has too many toys this year.

Memphis Grizzlies -- 39-43
Zach Randolph didn't get any major MVP consideration a year ago, but was there any other 10 guys that meant more to his team (the Grizz approached .500) than Randolph. Is he grown up? We think. Added Xavier Henry.

Los Angeles Clippers -- 36-46
A healthy Blake Griffin could mean an interested Baron Davis. Sprinkle Eric Gordon and rookie Eric Bledsoe. Pair Griffin with the capable Chris Kaman. Those are a set of good front- and backcourts.

Sacramento Kings -- 35-47
I refuse to believe that a team Tyreke Evans, Sam Dalembert, DeMarcus Cousins, Cary Landry, Francisco Garcia, Omri Casspi, Beno Udrih and someone that sounds like a character "The Wire" (Pooh Jeter) won't win nine more games than they did a year ago.

Houston Rockets -- 30-52
Getting a lot of hype because Yao Ming's back and apparently Brad Miller is good. According to some. I think he stinks and I think the Rockets are a bunch of mismatched players.

Golden State Warriors -- 24-58
Who's coaching this team post-Don Nelson? First rounder Ekpe Udoh is out. Free agent signing Louis Admundson is out. Two marquee NBA players, including the very uneven Monta Ellis. Yikes.

Minnesota Timberwolves -- 19-63
It's hard to root against a team that includes a "Maurice," "Lazar," "Wayne," "Kosta," "Darko," "Sebastian" and "Martell."

Oh Santa, please bring Mike Leach to North Texas

My ears perked like a birddog last week when I read a wild rumor that paired former Texas Tech pirate Mike Leach to the University of North Texas.

I consider myself a man of faith. I believe in powers that go beyond the realm of our existence and of our perceivable eye. I, frankly, believe in God.

So, God, please hear my cry. If you have a split second or even the split of a split of a split second to somehow put Mike Leach in Denton, Texas, I ask you as a faithful (although, flawed) servant to please make this happen.

There are multiple openings in college football already. UNT, obviously. The University of New Mexico and the University of Minnesota are two relatively high-profile spots already open.

Leach isn't going anywhere mid-season, so it's all speculation and fervent prayers right now.

Honestly, I'd be happy with Leach going anywhere. But staying in Texas would be sweet.

Why would he go to the Mean Green, of all schools? I think he'd enjoy nothing more than to rebuild one of the worst programs in college football right in the state where Texas Tech still recruits. In fact, if I were North Texas, I'd try to get Tech on my schedule in three years. Just another bit of bait to lure Leach.

Also, North Texas is desperate. They'd afford Leach any and all latitude to do what he needed. the problem here isn't UNT. I suspect they'd do just about anything to make a splash and to get a coach that's taken a program to the top.

Leach will get better offers. Minnesota's in the Big Ten, which will add Nebraska next season to get even stronger. Chances are, there will be more firings by January and better opportunities. If all goes according to Hoyle, the Texas A&M job could be opening.

Anyway, I've said my prayer.

Start Stephen McGee

McGee, why not?

With the Dallas Cowboys' season all but over, things need a change.

It's not that Jerry Jones will possibly be the owner and general manager of one of the worst teams in the NFL thanks to lackluster play and the season-ending injury to Tony Romo. He has to contend with empty seats.

Empty seats do not make money. Empty seats do not help with advertisers. Empty seats do not get primetime games on Sunday nights.

The Cowboys can get either A) good or B) interesting.

Sure, the Cowboys could get better. Then again, if they could get better, they might have tried that tactic in week 2.

However, it'd be real easy to get real interesting to the local yokels.

Start Stephen McGee.

You're starter is out. No matter what Roy Williams said, the back-up is worse. Even if Jon Kitna is halfways decent, he's not leading you out of a 1-5 hole, one that no other NFL team has ever climbed out of to reach the playoffs.

It's a dead end season. Why not add some spark?

McGee was a 2008 draftee from Texas A&M University where his supposed fantastic arm (at least in high school) was underutilized under Dennis Franchione, who turned him into a running option quarterback when every other offense in college football was running the spread.

McGee's a third-round pick, who was allegedly on the bubble this pre-season. Not because he was awful (since he hasn't thrown a professional pass, it's tough to tell), but due to roster maneuvering.

McGee made the team. He's here. Let's find out if he has anything.

There is no upside to playing Kitna. He's at the tail-end of his career. He's not getting another full-time starting job. He's probably out of the league in a year or two. We know what we got in Kitna -- an older version of the mediocre quarterback of 10 years ago.

With McGee, there's local interest (a Texas kid who went to A&M) and there's the element of the unknown. What if down deep in this kid's brain is the next starting quarterback? What if he's good? What if he's good enough to be the back-up next season? Or for the next 10 years? What if he's Jason Garrett -- smart, capable and totally useful?

What if he wins a couple of games and makes it interesting?

There's one way to find out. Start him.

While we're here, let's throw all these kids into the fire. Brian and Jason Williams. Sean Lee. Victor Butler. Danny McCray. Sam Young. Kevin Ogletree. Josh Brent. Barry Church. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah.

I'm not saying they deserve to start over Keith Brooking, Jay Ratliff or Marc Columbo. But is the ability between Orlando Scandrick and Owusu-Ansah that great? Is Alan Ball that much better than Church or McCray?

Get these kids some reps and see what you have hidden deep on the roster. If they suck, then we know what to do with them when contracts expire.

Game, set, match

Tony Romo, sadness

And just like that, the Dallas Cowboys are D-U-N, done.

The Cowboys lost more than a game, 41-35 to the New York Giants at JerryWorld. Tony Romo was sacked and driven into the ground by linebacker Michael Boley, who came through virtually unblocked on a Romo pass.

He has a broken clavicle. Done for the season.

Within a span of a week, the fortunes of our local sports teams have gone wonky. The Cowboys are now done for the season. They're 1-5 and probably have a better shot at the first pick in the 2011 draft than they do anything else, including eight wins. Or four.

Gone is another year of Romo's prime. Another wasted year of Terence Newman, Bradie James, DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten, Miles Austin and Felix Jones.

No matter what those guys do for the remaining 10 games, it doesn't matter. All is lost.

And, accordingly, the Cowboys quit. Simply waved a white flag without the even faintest sense of urgency.

Other notes:

1. When did Jen Floyd-Engel start calling Wade Phillips "Coach Pizza Party"? It's genius. I love it. I need to read the Fort Worth Star-Telegram more.

2. I have a man-crush on Hakeem Nicks. He's all man. He has Terrell Owens' body (lean, long-armed, yet thick) and hands and play-making ability. Love that guy. A little too much, I think.

3. Will Romo's injury save Wade Phillips? Firing him -- no matter if he deserves it -- won't help. There's no replacement. Even if there was, it would just be a waste unless Jones had the new coach lined up. No matter, Phillips deserves to be fired.

Grades:

Quarterback -- F
Romo did play. He lead the Cowboys on one touchdown drive when they started on the 5-yard-line. Otherwise, he wasn't doing too much. Jon Kitna is not a good back-up.

Running Back -- D
Felix Jones had a 17-yard run to inflate another eight carries for 22 yards. Marion Barber has nothing left. I don't know if it was him, Jones or the offensive line that stunk more. Barber had zero burst and zero opportunity if anyone (cornerback, linebacker, D-lineman) was even remotely unblocked.

Wide Reciver -- D
Two dropped passes early (including a touchdown) for Miles Austin. Nothing for Roy Williams. Second straight game with a touchdown for Dez Bryant, wound up with another to get to within one score. More on him being pretty good.

Tight End -- D
Jason Witten caught a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Totals: 9 catches, 95 yards. However, it wouldn't be a Cowboys game if not for a patented Witten offsides call. Then the fumble leading to a disheartening half-ending field goal for the Giants was just retarded. It's not just the fuck ups screwing this thing.

Offensive Line -- D
Before Romo got hurt, I noted how well I thought the offensive line was playing. Seems like Romo had time to deliver the ball. The rush offense was absent. Now, Montrae Holland hurt his groin. Phil Costa, an undrafted rookie, took his place.

Defensive Line -- F
For about a quarter, Ahmad Bradshaw was kept in check. From then on, it was a series of wide open gaps all over. By the third quarter, it was Swiss cheese.

Linebacker -- F
Accounted for two forced fumbles, two recoveries, an interception and sack. Yet, right when the Cowboys needed a couple of stops, with the starting quarterback attempting to put his shoulder back together, they couldn't do anything. The Giants rolled them in those pivotal middle quarters. I mean, 500 yards and 41 points were scored.

Secondary -- F
Got fortunate with a couple of tipped passes early on. Those weren't coverage interceptions. If Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks pull those down, there are no interceptions. I saw 18 catches and 209 yards combined for Nicks and Smith. I saw four touchdowns scored by Giants wideouts. I'm starting to get the feeling that Orlando Scandrick is not very good. I might throw Alan Ball into that mix if mediocrity.

Special Teams -- A+
Beautiful. Joe DeCamillis had his crew come to play. There was Dez Bryant's 93-yard punt return for a touchdown and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah almost broke a kick-off. David Beuhler hit both his field goals. And the longest Giant kick return was a whole 16 yards. The Giants tended to regularly start pretty deep in their own zone. In fact, they started at the 21-yard-line or deeper nine of 16 possessions.

Coaching -- F
Romo's injury clearly sunk any plans that Jason Garrett had. However, the defense is coordinated by one man: Wade Phillips. I know that losing Romo killed not only the offense, but also the defense. Any hopes of the latter carrying the former was not going to happen. They quit hard making the mini-comeback later moot. There so much wrong here. It begins and ends, for me, at the top. The general manager isn't going anywhere. The coach should be.

Pick your poison

One should consider how high Matt Cain wears his leggings

The Texas Rangers had the opportunity to face either the San Francisco Giants or the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.

On Saturday, the Giants dispensed with the Phillies in the sixth game clinching their second trip to the Series in a decade.

There's much debate as to who the better option would be for a Rangers world championship. Honestly, the Giants scare the bejesus out of me.

Why? Because championships in professional baseball are won with pitching, defense and timely hitting. The Rangers do all three really well, as it's been evidenced the last two weeks.

The Giants do it really well, too. In fact, you might consider that the Giants did it better. Or you might also surmise that the Giants are the Rangers.

Exhibit A
The Rangers and Giants were considered upstarts (for different reasons) in their division, yet were widely not considered major factors. Neither were overwhelming picks to win their division despite solid, young line-ups and projected good pitching (although San Fran had the clear edge in this spot).

Exhibit B
The Rangers entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed with a 90-72 record. The Giants entered the playoffs the No. 2 seed with a 92-70 record.

Exhibit C
The Rangers defeated the No. 1 (Rays) and No. 4 (Yankees) seeds, including last year's World Series representative in the ALCS. The Giants defeated the No. 1 (Phillies) and No. 4 (Braves) seed, including last year's World Series representative in the NLCS.

Exhibit D
The Rangers team ERA in the 2010 playoffs: 2.40. The Giants team ERA in the 2010 playoffs: 2.47.

Exhibit E
The Rangers have hit .273 with 16 home runs in the playoffs, so far. The Giants, however, have hit .231 as a team with just six home runs (four of which are from Cody Ross).

So, the difference is that the Giants have hit the ball far worse from the Rangers despite winning as many games in less opportunities (the Giants beat the Braves in the ALDS in four games).

If the pitching, defense and competition has been the same, the only difference is that the Giants have hit worse, but played arguably better.

Saying, their hits have been more opportunistic and impactful to the game. The Rangers running up the score against New York blurs their total impact. Although, beat the shit out of the Yankees was highly enjoyable.

That's scary. That the Giants have been just as good without the gaudy offensive numbers.

The Giants could be represented as a team of destiny as much as the Rangers. And I think they have the best top three pitchers from stem to stern in the Majors (Tim Lincecum, Jon Sanchez and Matt Cain). Pitching wins championships.

Although I fear the Giants, I probably equally didn't fear the Phillies.

The Phils had played sloppy ball all year. Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins hadn't been right. Raul Ibanez hasn't been as good and their starting pitching and bullpen have been so-so outside of Roy Halliday all season. How good are they? Despite not having a bullpen and sub-par offensive years, they won 97 games.

The sloppy play translated to the playoffs. They swept the Reds, but against the Giants it was a series of follies and poor fundamentals that sunk them time and again. They didn't seem too focused, which would've been advantageous for the Rangers.

Another smart argument for against the Phillies is their pitching. Over the past three months, Roy Halliday and Roy Oswalt have been great. Cole Hamels as your No. 3 rounds up a salty trio of hurlers.

However, the Rangers have historically hit Halliday and Oswalt very well. In fact:

Halliday Against Rangers, Career
7-7 -- 5.36 ERA

Oswalt Against Rangers, Career
4-6 -- 4.54 ERA

That is unscary. Now, the Rangers must face three young arms in Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez, the latter being a lefty that's had his ups and downs this post-season, but also led the Giants with a 3.07 ERA in the regular season.

The Rangers have just seen Cain once, and he went eight innings allowing one run. Plus, the Giants' bullpen is significantly better than the Phillies'.

The Rangers might win the World Series, but I don't think it's a lock that the Giants would be the easiest opponent. The Giants are playing with as much house money as the Rangers. Ignorance is bliss.

The shakedown, 2.0

Might as well jump

If the landscape of Big XII football was shattered two weeks ago, this week it was swept up, glued back together and rebroken. The house was set on fire. The ashes were dumped in the Grand fuckin' Canyon.

To the collapse:

Missouri 36, Oklahoma 27
I don't know what's bigger: The disappointment for the Sooners or the credence it'll give the undefeated Tigers. For OU, it was probably going to happen sooner or later. They'd surfed through some tough games early. Sooner or later they were going to get theirs. It came in Columbia, Ms. Turnovers killed the Sooners. Three, two in the Missouri red zone. Then the missed field goal.

Missouri, on the other hand, were quite efficient. Blaine Gabbert was like a surgeon out there, reminiscent of Chase Daniel: 30-42, 322 yards, 0 sacks, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions. That'll get you a win most of the time, even against the best teams. What are the chances that No. 3 Oklahoma is ranked higher than No. 18 Missouri on Sunday? Oklahoma's gonna have to drop hard or Mizzou's gonna have to jump big.

Nebraska 51, Oklahoma State 41
I thought Oklahoma State actually neglected Kendall Hunter. I know he got 20-something carries, but I didn't think it was enough. I thought they could've gone to him much more. I think he panicked. A huge game at home and another Mike Gundy OSU team comes up short. I'm starting to notice a trend.

Iowa State 28, Texas 21
Holy crap. One week you're in Lincoln beating the top-five Cornhuskers. The next week you're losing to Iowa State in Austin. Texas is so ordinary.

TCU 38, Air Force 17
Well, TCU's now allowed 20 points in the month of October. Slackers.

Houston 45, SMU 10
Bad, bad day for the Mustangs. They got their assed whipped by the fourth-string Houston quarterback. Shitloads of mistakes and just poor play.

Baylor 47, Kansas State 42
Baylor is now bowl eligible after a really nice win on the road. I believe it's the first time they'll play in the post-season since 1994 and the first time to be in the AP poll

Texas Tech 27, Colorado 24
In the who cares bowl, Tech wins. As long as Cody Hawkins gets a majority of the snaps, the Buffs will suck.

Texas A&M 45, Kansas 10
Would Mike Sherman be fired had the Aggies lost to Kansas? Should the Aggies go ahead and hire Mike Leach? Greatest idea ever?

SFA 31, Sam Houston State 28
A close one at Reliant Stadium in Houston to a seemingly large crowd. SFA takes care of business, but for a second straight week they don't win by 70. What's wrong with this team?

A win for the Texas Rangers is a win for America

Blue, red and white

At the onset of the 2010 season, the New York Yankees had the highest team payroll at an astounding $206 million.

The Rangers were ranked 27th in the league. At $55 million.

The argument as to whether you can buy success is not a black-and-white thing. Either the Philadelphia Phillies or San Francisco Giants will face the Rangers in the World Series. They had the fourth and ninth highest payroll when the season started, respectively.

Then again, division winners Tampa Bay and Cincinnati were ranked 19th and 20th, respectively.

This is why the Rangers making it to the World Series is a win for America. It's about the little guy. David slaying Goliath.

It's hope for everyone. The person in debt to their ears. The fan of the Kansas City Royals or San Diego Padres. The person not given everything to them on a silver platter.

Those of us that have to work. Those of us that get as much enjoyment out of the simplest, smallest things in life (like a claw or antler) as we would the big, grandiose, expensive things.

This is for all of those who hate the New York Yankees. Or Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Red Wings or Dallas Cowboys. Or Boston Red Sox or New York Knicks.

This is for all of the people that don't live on a coast and don't understand why anyone would really care about New York City or Los Angeles.

The Rangers play with simplicity. They move runners over. They get infield hits, play good defense and slide into first base. They go from first to third, from second to home. They double steal, steal home, hit-and-run, turn two, get picked off and keep running. They slide, dive, leap, sprint, spit, collide, stretch and wear their socks up to their knees.

They are Lettuce, Murph, Hambone, Cliffie, Nefty, Vlad, Tiny E, Crush, TnT, Mitch, Nellie, Colbyashi, Ceej, Frankie, The Darrens, Ollie, Big Game, Nip, Dutch Oven and Scooter.

They bring a guy over from Japan and start them. They stand by a manager who snorted coke a summer ago and can't speak proper English.

They stand by a fuck up and threw away five years of his life for drugs and alcohol. They stood by a young 20-something as he got his feet wet in the world of general managing in the Majors. The same guy thanks his scouts and development guys as the first words out of his mouth in front of 50,000 insane fans and millions more on TV.

They stand by a couple of Dominican kids, who got caught up in a visa scam and were blocked from entering this beautiful country.

For fans of the Texas Rangers, all is right with the world.

For the rest of the world, everything is right. If you don't have a soft spot for the Texas Rangers, then you're ability to feel is questioned.

Pennant

The Texas Rangers are going to the motherfucking World Series!

Pow!

If getting into the playoffs was the sundae, winning a couple of games was like the whipped cream.

Winning the Tampa Bay series was the cherry on top.

Then beating the New York Yankees to win the pennant and a trip to the World Series is like getting a blowjob.

A blowjob while eating a sundae.

The Texas Rangers -- Texas fucking Rangers!!! -- beat the New York Yankees 6-1 tonight to win their American League Championship Series 4-2.

It is the Rangers first pennant. Their first trip to the World Series.

Everything is gone. All the weight and burden are gone. That massive, perpetual guillotine blade that hung over the heads of this franchise and fandom is gone.

No more are they one of the teams to not win a pennant. No longer do they have just one measly playoff victory. No longer are they a laughingstock on any level.

It's all real. It's all good. It's all different. It's a new age in sportsdom in the Metroplex. It's no longer five Super Bowl rings, a Stanley Cup and a trip to the NBA Finals.

Insert: World Series. It's happening.

I can safely say that this is the the greatest day of my sports life. When the Cowboys won that Super Bowl was probably No. 1 before now. The Stanley Cup third and the NBA Finals fourth.

With those other teams, the expectations were there. With the Rangers, it's been a wild, insane ride since fucking last winter. It's come to this impossibility made possible.

My hair's standing on end. It's been this way for three hours. Everything's changed.

There were heroes. These are them.

Colby Lewis
What a performance! What a night! On the biggest stage, when the lights were brightest and his team needed him more than ever, Lewis delivered. A year ago, he was in Japan. Soon, he'll pitch game 3 of the World Series. The guy was as dominant as just about everyone not named "Lee" or "Halliday." He cruised. Threw 102 pitches. He used any number of pitches and kept the Yankees guessing all night, evidenced by the weak pop-ups and groundballs. Lewis' post-season: 18.2 IP - 11 hits - 3 runs - 11 BBs - 18 Ks. Cripes!

Ian Kinsler
The sac fly was huge. The get on Robinson Cano's double play grounder was even bigger.

Vladimir Guerrero
Right when all hope and faith was lost in our Vladdy, he absolutely crushes a Phil Hughes fastball into left-center field beyond any conceivable reach of Curtis Granderson. This, after the Yankees intentionally walked Josh Hamilton to put runners at the corners. No respect. Guerrero taught a brief, excitable lesson in respect.

Alex Rodriguez
Being the final out -- on strikes, no less -- was symmetry. Poetry, even. It was a perfect end. Neftali Feliz could've gotten Jorge Posada to ground out, but it would not have been as awesome as striking out Gay-Rod. Perfect.

Bengie Molina
I largely ignore Molina. You could point to getting Granderson stealing second, but that wasn't even a very good throw. Without Kins' tag and Granderson popping his foot up, he's safe. My acknowledgement of Molina's leadership came after Alex Rodriguez scored from third after the hit by pitch on Nick Swisher. The ump screwed the call to holy hell. Molina knew it. He he gave that dumbass ump hell. It was really cool to see a player fighting like a fucking rabid dog for the win.

Dave Robertson
For being the worst relief pitcher in Yankees' post-season history. He's the anti-Cliff Lee or anti-Mariano Rivera. Against the Rangers: 2.2 IP - 8 hits - 6 ER - 1 BB - 4 Ks.

Elvis Andrus
Josh Hamilton was named the MVP. Deservedly so. But Andrus is a salty second choice. The offense was only matched by the defense. He's stellar no matter what he does. Getting the bat on ball on the Mitch Moreland hit and run ... that's a 10-year veteran move. Twenty-two year olds do not make that play. They don't make a lot of plays that 22-year-olds make. He's a phenomenal athlete.

Todd Dodge: In memoriam

Yum. Call me.

Two local college football coaches made new this week for all the wrong reasons.

The University of North Texas fired head football coach Todd Dodge after three and a half years. His record -- 6-37 -- is shocking to see. You knew they'd struggled, but that record leaves me slackjawed.

Dodge was brought in to win. The days of Darryl Dickey's heyday were done after that New Orleans bowl. I think the evolution to the spread hurt them, as North Texas was noted for its stud running backs. They never evolved.

Dodge was supposed to turn the tide and he didn't. They stunk. They were bad. Dodge's tenure at North Texas is no different than when Steve Spurrier or Nick Saban went to the NFL. It's a different game, a different world. Dodge was overmatched. It's disappointing that Dodge did not respond to the Dallas Morning News reporter to give some kind of response. It sucks, but he's a local hero.

I think any high school would kill to have him.

****
In other news, TCU head coach Gary Patterson was put under the microscope after it came out that he berated a team doctor for disallowing Ed Wesley, the star running back, from re-entering the game after being knocked.

Two things: 1) This berating was caught on camera and 2) being so callous about concussions these days ain't cool.

Apparently, it happened during the SMU game --one that was surprisingly close -- and Wesley was out and the doctor, Dr. Sam Haraldson, wasn't letting him back in.

TV cameras caught the yelling, but this week Dr. Haraldson was interviewed on a website and he detailed the controversy.

The doctor's come out now and said it was a misunderstanding. Patterson's done the same.

The thing is, the university can't fire the doctor, even if they really wanted to. It also brings to light the reality that coaches could give a shit about concussions. They'll say the right thing in front of the cameras, but they want their guys out there and if that means lying to a doctor, then so be it.

****
The games:

Oklahoma (6-0, 2-0) vs. Missouri (6-0, 2-0)
Interesting game. At night, in Columbia. ABC's game of the week. The Sooners are good, but Mizzou's under the radar. They're 18th in the nation despite an undefeated record. They've beat San Diego State, Illinois, Texas A&M and Colorado. OK. That's not as impressive as it would appear ... in 1994. Still, four solid wins. They've allowed seven total touchdowns. They've allowed more than 20 points just once. A big challenge for Mizzou. They get on the map with a win.

Nebraska (5-1, 1-1) vs. Oklahoma State (6-0, 2-0)
The Cornhuskers showed their ass last week against Texas. That offense is too one-sided to be effective against a good defense. Oklahoma State doesn't have a good defense. Mistakes cost Nebraska more than anything against Texas. If they turn the ball over some more, they'll lose to Oklahoma State in Stillwater. They need to be near perfect.

Air Force (5-2, 3-1) vs. TCU (6-0, 2-0)
TCU's allowed a field goal. TCU defense punishes one-dimensional offenses. Especially at home.

Kansas State (5-1, 2-1) vs. Baylor (5-2, 2-1)
Baylor (and K-State, for that matter) becomes bowl eligible with a win. This will be a good test for both. I think it's common knowledge that neither are as good as their records indicate, but both could beat a good team on a good day.

Texas Tech (3-3, 1-3) vs. Colorado (3-3, 0-2)
The Buffs are at home where they've beaten Georgia and Hawaii. Still, they can't stop anyone and they can't score. A big game for both schools if they're seeking a bowl berth.

Texas A&M (3-3, 0-2) vs. Kansas (2-4, 0-2)
In theory, A&M is the better team. Kansas is frisky, at best. A&M is not a total disaster, at best. What an awful game. A&M has to win or Mike Sherman might be jobless in College Station.

Houston (3-3, 2-1) vs. SMU (4-3, 3-0)
Houston -- no matter if my dad is the starting quarterback -- scares me. Even on the road with no Case Keenum. SMU's lost to every good team they've played. Need a win at home.

Iowa State (3-4, 1-2) vs. Texas (4-2, 2-1)
A "down" year for Texas is better than any "up" year for Iowa State.

SFA (5-1, 2-0) vs. Sam Houston State (4-2, 2-0)
Rivalry game on the road for the Lumberjacks. A week after struggling against Central Arkansas, SFA's gonna have to bring it against the other good team in the Southland Conference.

Pat Crayton lets fly from San Diego

Aim, fire

Disgusting. On the front page of the Dallas Morning News' website under the sports stories, there are two about the Texas Rangers (game six of the ALCS) and three about the Dallas Cowboys and generic bullshit surrounding the trainwreck of a season ... despite their next game is on Monday.

No Dallas Stars. No Mavericks. Yuck.

Still, I'm guilty of being the asshole clicking on all the Cowboys stories.

One in particular caught my attention: 'Ex-Cowboy Patrick Crayton: Coach Wade Phillips is too soft.'

Yowza.

Said Crayton: "Wade is very very laid back to where you'd want him to tighten up on some of the young guys and he wouldn't. And just when you think he is, he backs off and wouldn't say anything."

That's killer because the Cowboys are very young with quite a few young players, yet, they're filled with veterans that probably don't appreciate the kids coming in and fucking everything up. I don't know why I'm cursing so much.

I don't think Crayton is saying anything we don't really already know, this in spite of us never attending a team meeting or practice session.

However, it's still meaningful that it comes from a player. Even if it's a player that runs his gums.

Time is telling

Shot and a save

The question as to how good the Dallas Stars actually are is answered about three nights a week.
Last night they demolished a pretty bad Florida Panthers team, 4-1, with two goals late in the first period and another set in the second.

The Stars are now 5-1 overall, first in the division and 3-1 away from the American Airlines Center. The road woes are what sunk the Stars last season. They were 14-20-7 on the road and 23-11-7 at home.

Another good sign -- other than the utter domination -- was that they kept things under wrap defensively. The other night in Tampa, they allowed 44 shots on goal including periods of 15 and 20 shots. The Lightning scored on four of five power plays.

Last night, the Panthers mustered just 28 shots on goal and just 15 in the final two periods. They were 0-3 on the power play.

Another great sign is production from the rest of the team offensively. Tom Waddell, who missed hte last half of last season due to injury, scored twice as the Waddell-Jamie Benn-Steve Ott line picked the team up with three goals and three assists.

Benn has three assists and Ott tallied his first goal of the season. Also, a defenseman tallied an assist in each goal, one each from Karlis Skrastins, Trevor Daley, Nick Grossman and Stephane Robidas.

It's a formula for a really good team.

A year in review: Spokane Indians

Jake Skole

A broad look at the year of each minor league affilliate for the Texas Rangers.

The Good
Mike Olt, the 2010 third rounder, hit the ground running hitting .293 with nine homers, 16 doubles and 40 walks in his professional premier.

Fellow 2010 draftee Ryan Rodebaugh had 34 K and just nine walks in 24 innings. Collected a 4-1 record in relief.

Jared Hoying was the Northwest League's Player of the year. Hit .325. Scord 47 runs. Hit 13 doubles, five triples and 10 home runs. Stole 20 bases. That is a Player of the Year.

Randol Rojas flew under the radar for the short-season affiliate. Posted a 2.79 ERA in 77.1 innings. Didn't strike out enough (40) and walked too many (20). Still, just two home runs allowed. Kept the ball in the park.

He hit just .250, but Jurickson Profar showed a lot in his pro debut after a ballyhooed signing as a Latin player. Collected 19 doubles and showed some patience at the plate with 28 walks and 46 strikeouts. Plus, he plays the toughest position on the field, shortstop.

The Bad
The 2010 second rounder Kellin Deglan hit just .159 in Spokane. He hit just three extra-base hits and struck out three times for every walk.

Nicholas McBride was taken in the 2009 draft, but made his pro debut in 2010. Opponents hit .279 off of his allowing 76 hits in 70 innings along with 20 walks.

Jake Skole will always play his professional career as a former first-round pick. The pressure thereof could be harmful because he is probably more of a third-round talent. He hit .254 and a whole bunch of nothing-special.

Ben Henry didn't do much in his fourth professional year. His 5.88 ERA and .309 BAA doesn't look good as he tries to catch on.

Justin Earls with a very inauspicious start to his pro career. Allowed as many earned runs (19) as he registered strikeouts (20).