Just for Sport

Readers of this blog know that I cheer for many teams, but two teams are closer to me than any others: the Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs. What follows is a pre-Spring Training preview of the 2007 season for the Rangers. I chose to do them first because I have tickets to the home opener at Ameriquest Field, so I am already excited and counting down the days (43!). Soon I will post a similarly formatted preview for the Cubs. As always feel free to agree or disagree with any and all assertions in the comments.

Five Things to Watch for in Spring Training

1. Will Eric Gagne be healthy?
If he is, the Rangers will have one of the best bullpens in baseball. Even without Gagne, Texas has guys like Kameron Loe and John Rheinecker that would be shoo-ins on other teams, but will have to fight for their spot on the 25-man roster this year. That can only be good.
2. Will the Rangers obtain a reliable backup catcher?
Some people within the Rangers organization are apparently slightly concerned about Miguel Ojeda as a backup. So am I. In my mind, the Rangers need to somehow acquire someone with some good solid experience that can step in and handle the staff. Catcher is by far the weakest link on this team.
3. What will Sammy look like, and how will it affect the Outfielder/DH situation?
I know that I’m biased as a Cubs fan, but I don’t like the Sosa deal. Everything Ron Washington was brought in for, Sammy is not. He’s not a good clubhouse presence, and he’s an attention-mongerer. Remember A-Rod? I worry about how the clubhouse leaders (still very young guys) will respond to Sammy’s presence. If he does make the club, one of the young, talented outfielders (probably Jason Botts) will have to spend even more time in Oklahoma City. Either Sosa needs to be out of this world amazing or he needs to go away.
4. Will the relaxed clubhouse atmosphere really result in more wins?
We’ll see this spring just how loose the guys seem. The problem with Buck is that many of the players got off to slow starts in previous years because there was an adjustment period. With a couple of key guys (Millwood, Teixeira) being notorious slow starters anyway, maybe a dose of Ron Washington can help this team pick up some wins in April and May so they won’t be out of it in September.
5. Who will be at the back end of the rotation?
Right now Robinson Tejeda is penciled in as the 4th starter (home opener!), but his spot is not exactly secure. The following guys (and possibly some more) will be competing for the final two spots: Josh Rupe, Kameron Loe, John Koronka, Edinson Volquez, and Bruce Chen. Will any of these guys step up and have an amazing spring, or will this season leave Rangers fans wishing for the days of a four-man rotation?

Evaluating Arrivals and Departures

Frank Cattalanotto
I didn’t really like Cat the first time around, but this time there’s a little more depth. When he gets injured this year, at least there will be somebody to step in for him.

Bruce Chen
When they first signed Chen, I thought he was the fifth starter. Now it looks as if he’ll be competing for a spot, and that’s good.

Eric Gagne
A healthy Eric Gagne makes the Rangers the favorites in the AL West. An unhealthy one means they could be fighting for their lives down the stretch.

Kenny Lofton
This was probably my favorite pick-up of the off-season. I know that he’s getting old, but Lofton is a reliable lead-off guy, and all he does is win. He provides invaluable veteran leadership that the team will need down the stretch. Gary Matthews, Jr. apologists will find themselves pleasantly surprised.

Brandon McCarthy
Last year, I was excited to have a legit third starter in Adam Eaton. He ended pitching well in maybe four games all year. If the pitching staff is to be improved, it’s right here with McCarthy.

Sammy Sosa
I don’t like it…right now. I’ll probably like it if Sammy can actually hit a few home runs steroid and cork free. As it stands right now, Sosa, who will be baseball’s all-time Strikeout King very soon, will be joining Brad “Swing-And-A-Miss” Wilkerson in the outfield. For the love of God, Ron, please don’t start those two on the same day. Ever.

Rod Barajas
It hurts to lose a guy like Barajas who can hit and handle pitchers. Laird has been groomed for the starting job, but now there is a lack of depth.

John Danks
I don’t know what to think about this. It seems like the team turned down very good trade offers for him, only to settle for McCarthy later on. Either way, this is one of those trades that will either make us look like geniuses or dimwits.

Mark DeRosa
His presence will certainly be missed. Daniels seemed to underrate him a little bit and let him get away, and I’m not sure that you can survive a 162 game schedule without a reliable utility infielder.

Adam Eaton
Good riddance. Go be injured for whatever other team you now play for.

Gary Matthews, Jr.
I hope for the Rangers’ sake that he was a one season wonder, because he could end up hurting us as part of the Angels. The one positive to come out of letting him go is the acquisition of Kenny Lofton.

Overall Impressions
Rotation
The pitching rotation will always be a question in Arlington as long as they don’t do anything about that crazy wind tunnel. Jon Daniels has plenty of guys competing for a job, but there is still a lack of big names.

Bullpen
As I stated before, this bullpen has the potential to be the best in the majors. They had an off year last year, so history says that they’re due.

Infield
Teixeira and Young are among the best of their respective positions. Blalock has shown flashes of brilliance. If Kinsler can avoid the sophomore slump, they should be solid. There will be major problems if any of them are injured, as Joaquin Arias seems to be the best choice for a backup. If I were Daniels, I’d wait and see what Gagne did. If he was all right, I’d dangle Akinori Otsuka, a proven closer, out on the market for a reliable catcher and a good infielder with a bat. Don’t settle for just anything, either, Jon, and for goodness’ sake, don’t get rid of Blalock.

Outfield
As long as I’m pretending to be high-ranking members of the Rangers organization, if I were Ron Washington, I’d run Cattalanotto, Lofton, and Nelson Cruz out into the field as many days out of the year as I could, and I would use Jason Botts as a DH. Sosa and Wilkerson would sit on the bench, or better yet, play in Oklahoma City. Of course, you never know who’s going to get injured or come to Spring Training twenty pounds too heavy, so how well this outfield will perform is anybody’s guess.

Prediction
The presence of Ron Washington, some veteran leadership from Kenny Lofton, and enough depth for Jon Daniels to pull a good deadline deal make for an improved Texas Rangers team. Wash is supposedly going to turn Blalock into a god at third base again, and Teixeira is talking like last year’s crawling start is out of the realm of possibility. The rotation looks to be stronger, too, which will always help. Last year’s team was 80-82, so I see them in the 88-92 win range, enough to win the division over a weaker A’s team, the geriatric Angels, and the inferior Mariners.

By the way, remember how I was going to start using my own team nicknames, TMQ-style? I would like to introduce the AL West to you: Texas Chuck Norrisses, Oakland Circus Elephants (from the logo of the late 80s/early 90s), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of the United States of America, and Seattle Compasses (also from an early 90s logo). More teams to follow.

Every year, there is a short time (this year, it’s 12 days) which I refer to as the Sports Black Hole - it is the time between the Super Bowl and The Day when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. During this Black Hole period, hockey and, to a lesser extent, basketball tide me over. Perhaps, then, this is the best time for me to write a bit about each. First, though, I want to mention the thing that is helping me cope with the Black Hole this year - umpiring.

On February 5th, the day after the Super Bowl, I stepped behind the plate for the first time and called balls and strikes. I also took my position in the field and performed umpiring duties there. It was a fairly uneventful game. I got to call a play at the plate. My strike zone was a little too small for the hometown fans, but it was consistent. We did blow a call or two. There was an infield fly that went uncalled, and a ball that should have been called foul was called fair. Nevertheless, the game went on. I am looking forward to a year (and hopefully more) of umpiring. I am proud to take this role in America’s Pasttime.

As for hockey, I have this to say: Sportswriters and television commentators need to grow up. Most of them speak as if they have been personally slighted by the NHL. Hockey? We don’t cover that inferior sport. These people are paid to cover sports, yet they only cover the ones they enjoy personally. Unfortunately, I have not been able to see as much hockey as I would like this year, although I did attend my first NHL game in October. It seems as if the NHL is committing suicide by allowing the majority of their games to be broadcast on a crappy network that’s apparently too good to be broadcast on satellite.

Having said that, this season has been an exciting one. For Stars fans, it has been frustrating. I was at the game where Steve Ott broke his leg, and that seemed to set off a steady stream of injuries that have crippled the Stars all season. Add an inconsistent Marty Turco to the equation, and it makes me more nervous as we approach the end of the season. I had all kinds of optimism going into last year’s playoffs, and it all got squelched in the first round. I don’t know if I can handle another collapse. Stay tuned…

As for basketball, I’d like to get everything I have to say about the regular season (both pro and college) in one post. So, here are my mid-February Final Four picks. As always, you never know who’s going to end up in what region, so I tried my best to come up with four teams that are fairly spread apart. I’ve got two fairly obvious picks and two underdogs, listed here in alphabetical order:

Florida
North Carolina
Notre Dame
Texas A&M

In the pros, I see only six legitimate contenders for a Finals berth: Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago. If you forced me to pick right now, I would say Dallas vs. Detroit, although anything can happen in the West. I’ll probably have more to say when the regular season is up, but not until then.

On Friday, watch for a preview of both the Rangers and the Cubs.

Terry Tate. Just kidding. But seriously, every year since 2003, I have hoped that Reebok will come out with a new Office Linebacker commercial for the big game. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m predicting a cameo by 55.

While I’m waiting for Terry Tate to grace us with his presence on Sunday, I will be rooting for the Colts. However, I have three reasons that I should want to pick the Bears: (1) It would be sweet if Danieal Manning could win one in his first season. (2) I’m ahead of my Dad by one game in our pick ‘em pool. He’s taking the Bears, so if I were to do so as well, I would automatically win. Kind of cheap, but so is kneeling the ball with time on the clock. (3) Everybody is picking the Colts to win. In this situation, it’s tempting to go with the Bears so that if they do pull it off, I’ll look smart.

I’m not going to pick the Bears. I just can’t. Brian Urlacher almost convinced me. Will he change the game? Absolutely. Will he make it hard for the Colts to move the ball and score? Absolutely. Will he be able to account for every single offensive weapon the Colts have? Absolutely not. Despite stellar play by Ray Lewis, Mike Vrabel, and, um…Who’s the Chiefs’ middle linebacker? Well, never mind about him. Anyway, Urlacher’s going to have to have a Triple T-like performance to have a chance.

Nick Harper almost convinced me. It looks like he won’t be able to play. Of course, last year, he got stabbed in the knee by his wife the night before the Colts played the Steelers and still played the whole game. But, then again, if he doesn’t play, at least it will be one of the other defensive backs running back a turnover. Note to Marlin Jackson: If you’re in the open field, and Rex Grossman is the last man left to tackle you, CUT OUTSIDE!

Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson almost convinced me. Surely, the Colts run defense will fold at some point. Right? Rob Morris, Booger McFarland, and Bob Sanders all appear to be healthy. It looks like Good Rex…oops, I mean the good Colts run defense will show up on Sunday.

Here’s what convinced me. The Colts ran through the gauntlet this year, while the Bears played six games against the rest of the NFC North. It seems that for the last couple of years, the Colts have been one of the couple teams that every league has that opposing teams throw everything at. They figure, if we can beat the Colts, we’ll make a statement. In the MLB, everybody wants to beat the Yankees and the Red Sox. In the NBA, they try to beat the Lakers and the Spurs. In the NHL, they try to beat the Red Wings. And in the NFL, the way to gain attention is to beat the Colts and the Patriots. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the Yankees, Red Sox, Lakers, Spurs, Red Wings, Colts, or Patriots are the best teams in any given year. It just means that teams rest their big players for those games, they prepare a little bit harder, break out the plays they’ve been saving in practice, etc. It means that the Yankees, Red Sox, Lakers, Spurs, Red Wings, Colts, and Patriots are battle-tested. They know what it means to win close games because those are the types of games they have to win. When you’ve constantly got a target on your back, you know how to play in the big game. On a stage this huge, there’s no holding back. The Colts are used to that kind of attitude from teams. I’m not so sure the Bears are the same way.

I’m taking the Colts, 34-21. That’s 55 total points, in honor of Number 55, Terry Tate. I guess I’m going to have to rely on a tiebreaker in our pool if the Bears win. Here’s what I think will happen: the Colts will get in front early, weather a comeback, then put the Bears away midway through the fourth quarter. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be nervous the whole game. But if Terry Tate makes an appearance, I’ll suddenly feel better about that other prediction.