Minor Leage baseball

Every kid in America dreams of being a professional athlete. Tonight, I am going to take my daughter to a minor league baseball game. To show her, that not everybody can make it to the big leagues. Double A baseball is exciting and fun to watch, but there is a realization that sets in for it's players after a year or two. That they will never be able to make it to the top. Which is sad, but a cold hard fact of life.

So Tonight she will get to see future big leaguers, but she will also guys who are playing for a small monetary reason, but mostly for the love of baseball. And that within itself is a beautiful thing.

First Place Texas Rangers!!!

Well, they did it again, and they did it on the road. Earlier this year, this team looked like it was hapless road kill on the road. My friends the tide has turned. They are now playing like a good road team. last night was a game for 1st place and they came out swinging. Last night was probably the best road game this team has played this season. If they can keep up this momentum, better watch out, this team is in the hunt! For a fan, who is used to counting down to football season, this is a nice summer to distract me from the lack of football.

Thoughts on the Rangers

Well, July has started off way better that June ended. Other than last nights game the Rangers have looked really good this month. Also, Josh Hamilton is back in the line up. Glad to see him back. If the rangers can avoid a sweep in Anaheim, and take 3 of 4 in Seattle this will be a good road trip before the all star break.

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Poor Rangers have had a June swoon

I have avoided it, and didn't want to say it all month long. But I think after last nights game, it is official to say. The Rangers are in a swoon. They still have plenty of time to right this ship. We still aren't to halfway yet. But it will take an awakening of the bats and the offense to learn small ball, over the home run ball. I can't for the first time ever, bash the pitching.

The pitching has been really good for this team so far. But you can't expect your pitcher to be able to hold a team to 2-4 runs and not give him any offense. Josh Hamilton is supposed to be back soon, while it won't be an immediate fix, it should help. But this issue goes deeper than Hamilton.

I am not going to give up on this team yet, They are still in contention. Let's hope they can right the ship going into the all star break.

Weekend Sports thoughts

Well, Other than watching a lot of Ranger baseball, this was a slow sports weekend. The rangers gave away another series to a team they should have beat. But I digress. The surprise was gonna be the US over Brazil, but wouldn't you know it, The Brazilians get 3 unanswered goals and come back to win. That one would have been cool to see the little ole US win something international. Lastly was the rain shortened Nascar Race. I didn't really watch it that close, but once again this season, a first time winner in a rained shortened race. Congratulations Joey Logano. Either way, it's really hard to get into the Nascar race when you know they are pushing for halfway. oh well, that's my weekend thoughts.

College Football Fix: Confrence Expansion

Ok, I have been reading over the last few days about the Big ten expansion. But I want to take this further and propose a plan for expansion for the Big ten and PAC 10.

First off, I will start with the Big Ten.

Let's start by adding Pitt into the mix, it makes more sense to add them than any other team. Plus there is a natural rivalry there with Penn State. This would now give the Big Ten, 12 teams, tell me how that math makes sense...

So now the Big Ten bias would be quashed because they will now they will have a championship game. If a team is able to run the table or lose only 1 game. They should stay in the talk for a national championship.

Now let's tackle the PAC 10.

This one is a little more dicey to fix. Mainly because there has been no talk of expansion, but everybody wants to talk about PAC 10 bias. So I will remedy this situation right now.

First thing that needs to happen is that the PAC 10 needs to do is expand to 12 teams. I feel for the sake of argument, the best teams to bring in are Utah and Boise State. Mainly because they have been men among boys the last few seasons. I feel they deserve a fair shot at the big time.

This would now give the conference 12 teams and you could split it into north and south divisions. It would give the effect that you could have a competitive conference top to bottom. But most likely, 3 or 4 schools will stay head and shoulders above the rest.

But now you have a full conference and can have a championship game. So this should end the argument that PAC 10 schools never get a fair shake.

Here is how championship Saturday would shake out for the major conferences.

11:00am-Big Ten Championship(ESPN)
2:00pm-Acc Championship(ABC)
5:00pm-PAC 10 Championship(ESPN/ABC)
6:00Pm-SEC Championship(CBS)
8:00Pm-Big XII Championship(ABC)

Now this could be a rotating schedule for the ESPN/ABC portion so each conference can get a prime time spot. I just chose this based on how game times usually are during the season.

Mavs Post Draft Thoughts

Ok, well, the mavs have done it again. Had a completely what are you thinking draft day. I'm sorry, but when I can sit here as a basketball novice and say, you need to draft a big man.

Then you go and draft a french point guard. I know you want your own Tony Parker, but I hate to say it, this kid doesn't look like it. This has been the mavs issue from day one. They refuse to go and find a quality center.

Dirk Nowitzki is not a center, He is barley a power forward. Don't get me wrong, the guy is awesome. But we need a 7ft tall, 280+ big body to eat up the lane. Nobody fears the mavs inside. And don't even get me started on Dampier, He is useless.

So, I have a feeling it is going to be another season of lost hope for the mavs. To this I say, Thanks a lot mark! Your letting your fan base down.

CWS Wrap up: Tigers Roll over Horns

L....S....U....

That chant could be heard from Omaha to Baton rouge last night. The mighty tigers of LSU ended up having a big 6th inning and never looked back. The Tigers were the #1 team in the country coming into the tournament, and they will leave the tournament as the #1 team in country.

Last night as I was watching this game, I could see why they were the top team in the nation. They are definitely deserving of the title. This was no fluke, They beat a really good Texas team twice in three days. Top to bottom this LSU line up was a good hitting team, and their pitchers are outstanding. If they have a decent amount of underclassmen on that team coming back, they will be a force again next year.

So with the ending of the college baseball season, we are left to turn our attention elsewhere. For me, I will start counting the days till football season.

Road Woes continue for the Texas Rangers

Well, Last night was just a continuation of what has been going on with the Rangers. When it comes to playing on the road, this team struggles. And it is more than their 15-18 record suggests. The offense dies, and the defense struggles. Right now the Rangers need some help, after losing 5 in a row, they are now tied with the Angels for 1st place.

It seems like it is time for a little home cooking. But for the rest of the season, the rangers need to try and play .500 ball on the road, if they want to be able to be competitive. Otherwise, they will have to win the majority of the remaining home games. And with the Angels now continuing to improve, that may be more of a problem than it would seem.

I know this is a team that is having success a year early, but nobody who follows this team wants to see them continue to struggle. There are some moves that can be made, that to a 5th row Gm seem smart, but to all of the big wigs in the organization, right now they aren't a smart move. As for me, I feel like whatever they decide to do,is the best move. Because they have way more information than I do. Just give it time Ranger fans, we have the makings of a winning team, just have to let it gel.