2012 Oklahoma Sooners Football

The final weeks of the NCAA Football regular season may have been as electric and entertaining as ever. But, looking at how things started this season will shock you even more. Many teams fell in and out of the top five and some out of the top ten, shaking up the BCS like never before. While a hand full of teams celebrated the bowl selections like children on Christmas morning, many team that had high hopes heading into the season finished with great displeasure. The Oklahoma Sooners were one of those teams left hanging in the dry that Sunday evening. While hoping for an at large bid to the Sugar Bowl and hoping to face a Florida Gator team that left a sour taste in the Sooners mouths following a bitter National Championship game loss, neither luck nor fate were in the Sooner’s favor. Northern Illinois slipped in to the BCS, knocking Oklahoma into a Cotton Bowl for the ages. The Sooner nation better not lick its wounds too long though. A young Texas A&M team, led by their freshman quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Johnny “F-ing Football” Manziel, is out for blood. While the Sooners and head coach Bob Stoops didn’t see their championship season finishing with a game in the Cotton Bowl, it will nonetheless be a game for the ages. The Sooner nation better not lick its wounds too long though. A young Texas A&M team, led by their freshman quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Johnny “F-ing Football” Manziel, is out for blood. While the Sooners and head coach Bob Stoops didn’t see their championship season finishing with a game in the Cotton Bowl, it will nonetheless be a game for the ages. hat many don’t realize about Oklahoma Sooner football is the constant pressure to win a national title. This season, the Sooners tied as Conference Champions, losing two games against teams with total combined losses of ONE. Their two losses were against Notre Dame, who will play Alabama in the BCS National Championship game, and Kansas State, who also shared the Big 12 crown, led by another Heisman caliber quarterback. Oklahoma won the other ten games on its schedule, costing itself a BCS bowl game only because coach Stoops and Oklahoma played Notre Dame out of conference. Alabama on the other hand had one loss, and played no top twenty teams out of conference. Oklahoma and Stoops are known for playing tough out of conference schedules, resulting in many high ranked years that included losses. In the end, a handful of players had remarkable years, so let’s pat them on the back as we take this break before the real games begin.Landry Jones came into the 2012 season with Heisman hopes and National Championship dreams. In reality, a rough beginning to the season forced Jones playing catch-up down the stretch, and that he did. Jones finished the season with 3989 yards passing, throwing 29 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions. He boasted a completion percentage of 65.5%. The stats don’t tell the whole story, mainly leaving out Jones heroics down the stretch, leading multiple game winning drives and overtime to defeat West Virginia and rival Oklahoma State in the final weeks of the season. Landry will be missed dearly, but his final game against the Aggies may be his last hoorah before the NFL draft this spring. Blake Bell also took snaps as the signal caller, mainly around the goal line or short yardage situations. His eleven rushing touchdowns may have hurt Landry Jones’ stock in the draft, but it helped the Sooners win several games. The other notable runner this season was Damien Williams. Williams carried the ball 160 times for 905 yards and 11 touchdowns. These are remarkable stats considering Williams split time with several other backs. Two receivers led the way for the Sooners this season, including Justin Brown and Kenny Stills. Brown had 66 catches for 822 yards and 4 touchdowns. Great numbers, but not quite as good as Stills. Stills lead the team with 75 catches for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns. Just a junior, Oklahoma faithful hope Stills sticks around for another year, leaving the draft for another day. I personally follow Stills on twitter @KSTiLLS4 and notice his constant dedication to the university and his teammates. Individual talents played a major role this season, but Stoops preaches team play, and that’s what they did. The team finished ranked number eleven in total offense, with 505 yards per game. The defense gave up 378 yards per game, giving the obvious advantage to the Sooners week in and week out. This advantage will be needed in the Cotton Bowl, playing a team that knocked off the undefeated Alabama squad earlier in the season. Luckily, this Oklahoma team has been resilient most of the season, and come this January, the Aggies of College Station will be glad they no longer play the University of Oklahoma. Follow me on twitter @DFWsportscreed

Cowboys Recap: Is This Team Real?

The last time the Dallas Cowboys finished the month of December with a winning record, DeMarco Murray was probably in Junior High, and Jason Garrett was nowhere near a NFL head coach. Eleven years later, Dallas finds itself tied for first with two games to play, Murray is the game changer Dallas needed to sustain a running game, and Garrett looks like a season game manager after making all the right calls late in Sunday’s defeat over long term rival Pittsburg Steelers. The game was won in “all three phases of the game” as head coach Jason Garrett likes to so eloquently put it each week, but in fact that’s just what did it. Let’s sum up the play of these “three phases”, and try to find a way we can continue this approach for the next six games. OFFENSE: The Dallas Cowboys are most known for their controversial quarterback in Tony Romo. Over his career, Romo has carried stellar numbers, including the most passing yards in Cowboys history. Yes I will say that again, Tony Romo has more passing yards in Dallas than Staubach and Aikman. What most don’t realize is Romo has single handily carried Dallas back into first place with not only stellar play, but an Iron Man attitude. The Cowboys offensive line has struggled drastically this season, leaving Romo running around aimlessly avoiding defenders, all the while Dallas fans praying for the magic, and not another horrible turnover. This Sunday against the Steelers there was only one of those blunders, a fumble around the goal line by DeMarco Murray. The fumble cost Dallas points, but Garrett showed trust in his young star, leaving Murray in the game, which turned out to be the deciding factor of the game. Murray had 81 yards on just 14 carries. Ask any quarterback his thoughts on having a running back average nearly six yards/carry, and he will be pleased. Murray also scored the game tying touchdown in the fourth quarter on third down, a gutsy call by Garrett that ended up being a great play. The second major key was the play of Romo. While going 30-42 with 341 yards and two touchdowns is a stellar performance, no turnovers against the Steelers standout defense was the change in the game. Romo, Murray, and Garrett all worked together, giving Dallas their biggest win of the season, and much hope for Cowboys fans all around. DEFENSE: When many think about the Dallas defense, a pot belly long haired grungy man comes to mind. Although that description of the Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is accurate, the reputation should be a team that made a few major stops this Sunday to help their team win. Garrett put faith in his defense several times in the final minutes of regulation Sunday, and boy did they respond. Back to back sacks and key stops kept the Steelers from scoring on their final two possessions of regulation, giving Dallas the chance to keep the game tied and eventually win in overtime. As sloppy as the game may have been, the final defensive play by Dallas summed up the teams last six weeks, resilient. Brandon Carr was a high profile free agent this offseason, and after his game winning interception Sunday against the Steelers, he is worth every penny. Teams go after major talent to make game changing plays, and that’s just what Carr did Sunday. Someone who many won’t remember as another major game changer was Alex Albright, who played an amazing game after Simms was knocked out early with a concussion. Albright isn’t the first Cowboys player to step up this year, but yesterday was a major spotlight, and Albright showed up. The defense may be banged up, may make some bone head plays, but against tough teams the last two weeks, the defense has kept Dallas in the game, and helped put us in first place. SPECIAL TEAMS: Probably the most forgotten phase of the game, special teams won us the game this Sunday. A fumble in the fourth quarter on a long punt return by the Steelers gave Dallas great field position, and even better a chance to tie the game rather than fall behind by two scores. This play put us in the proper situation to tie the game, but the kicking of Dan Bailey put us ahead for good. Many don’t notice the work the young Oklahoma State kicker has done this season. He is 27/29, including eight from over forty yards. As much as I disagree with almost every special team’s play we make, the job was done yesterday so let’s not dwell on the negative.

In the end it was a big win for Dallas, but an even bigger win for the fans. Cowboy’s fans are probably the most loyal in sports, with nothing but a blue star to root for over the last fifteen years. But the last six weeks have been different. Dallas has been the underdog, has been the team to get in the trenches and be accountable. The last six weeks have been multiple slaps in the face by media, injury, and devastation, but a unified locker room with a strong leader in Jason Garrett has helped this year’s team prevail to a great spot with two weeks to go. It’s nowhere close to a perfect scenario, but it’s the resiliency and attitude that we fans love. Seeing Garrett get red faced pissed off at a ref, and near tears after an emotional win is what we want in our coach. Seeing players hug and carry around teammates jersey’s is the comradery we want, and making that game winner in overtime is the W we want. The Dallas Cowboys have given us something we haven’t seen in years, and that’s a team that’s fun to root for some Sunday! Follow me on Twitter @DFWsportscreed

The Politics of College Football

With the country buzzing after a wild Saturday in the world of college football, little was said about the major hiccup taking place right before our eyes. In an environment where most teams are forced to do their talking on the field, reputation and politics is currently becoming more relevant than accomplishments and records. Most of the country agrees that Notre Dame belongs at the top of the college football world, but the envied spots just below are coveted by many one loss hopefuls, leading to a disturbing end to another controversial season. Yes, there are in fact remaining games to be played, but for the most part the minds have been made up who should play for the title. After Kansas State and Oregon, the top two ranked teams in the country, both lost on Saturday, many teams moved up and gained a new life. That’s where the controversy really begins. As we all know Alabama is the poster child in college football right now, and the SEC is considered the closest thing to the NFL as we’ve ever had. As dominant as they have been over the years, reputation doesn’t win games, and shouldn’t affect ranking either. Alabama somehow gets a pass on these things, and gets ranked and talked about strictly by reputation rather than results. Right now you may not believe what I am saying is true, but when you look at the Alabama schedule it is less than impressive. This season Alabama has ONE top ten win, which was against LSU. The only other win Alabama can brag about is a week one win over Michigan. For those of you that don’t follow college football, Michigan is currently ranked 19, and after this weekend will probably be knocked out of the top 25 once again this season. That will leave Alabama with one win on the season against ranked teams. They also have a loss, against a team that lost to both Florida and LSU previously in the season, and both these teams are currently ranked behind Alabama. Here’s where things get even more interesting. Florida is also a one loss team with its only loss coming to 3rd ranked Georgia at a neutral site. Florida beat LSU worse than Alabama did, and was able to beat Texas A&M in College Station. Of all the ranked teams, Florida is probably being cheated the most. The final issue I have with Alabama being ranked number two in the country comes in the coaches’ poll. Last week Alabama was ranked behind Georgia, but after a win against Western Carolina they jumped nearly 50 points and passed the Bulldogs. I don’t know how or why this happened, but it sure stinks from where I am sitting. Yes we all know the Tide can play with and beat anyone on any given Saturday, but the way college football goes so can anyone else. If the season ended today the Irish would be underdogs in a game against Alabama, and would probably get beat. That doesn’t mean Alabama deserves to be in the game. Florida plays its fourth top ten ranked team this season on Saturday against Florida State, and in my opinion a win there should push them forward. Last season our nation's champion did not win their conference, or play in the championship game for that matter. This season should be no different, and hopefully voters can put away history and start going by facts. Follow me on Twitter @DFWsportscreed

It's the Cowboys, what did you expect?

What started out as another hopeful Sunday gone terribly wrong for Cowboys fans turned into an overtime win, but more importantly a half game closer to the first place Giant’s and a possible playoff berth. From the outside, this looks like a promising step forward for a team haunted with December meltdowns, but even a feisty Cleveland Browns team was no match for Tony Romo’s November heroics, who now holds a 21-3 record as a starter during this thankful month. That leaves merely one final game that statistically the Cowboys can win before they head down the long road of late season failures. December has been nothing but headaches for the Dallas Cowboys nation, but this year’s team and the games remaining could possibly be the right ingredients to finally get over the hill. If you watched yesterday’s game then you probably believe I am drinking the blue Kool-Aid, but numbers say otherwise. The schedule makers were no friend of Dallas the first eight games of the season, but heading into the final six games leaves the Cowboys in a position they typically don’t excel in, controlling their own destiny. As true as that may be, today I will still break down the remaining schedule, and hopefully we can find a way to slide the Cowboys into the end of the season tournament. But first, we can dwell on yesterday’s win, because a changing Tony Romo has the Cowboys on its first winning streak of the season. The last couple games Romo has slowed down his play, taking fewer risks, and being much more efficient. He hasn’t been throwing interceptions like before, but rather a high completion percentage, and above all, back-to-back wins. This doesn’t mean the offense is dominating in all aspects, mainly because the offensive line has trouble staying in front of their own shadows. Yesterday Romo was sacked a career high seven times, and hit ten. Even someone as cool headed as Romo was caught yelling at his offensive line during the first half of yesterday’s game, during a time when a first down was seemingly impossible. This has been a constant battle for Dallas this season, and injuries have not helped. With players being shifted from one position to the other, and left tackle Tyron Smith leaving with a high ankle strain, Romo had no choice but to go 35-50 with 313 yards and a touchdown. As good as a 70% passer rating is, the most impressive number that isn’t in the stat line is the zero interceptions. More often than none, a quarterback that gets sacked seven times typically throws a couple interceptions, but the fact that Romo avoided those throws inevitably kept Dallas in the game. The other star that has been blanketed with criticism by many including myself was Dez Bryant. His twelve catches for 145 yards and a touchdown were just enough, and hopefully a jumpstart to the remainder of the season for Dez. The defense once again was the silver lining, keeping the team in the game when the offense couldn’t move the ball. After thirteen first half points, Dallas shut down the Browns until Dallas was able to take the lead in the fourth quarter. This isn’t the first time we have seen resiliency from a much improved defense, giving Dallas the chance to hang around in any game. All these stats and pats on the back look good, but in the end it was a very sloppy game, but in the NFL, a win is a win. Now Dallas has a short week to finish off their favorite month against a hot Washington Redskins team led by rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. This will be no easy win, but at home I think Dallas will be too much for even the Redskins passing attack, leaving us with a 27-17 win, and even better a 6-5 record. After a much needed few extra days rest, the Eagles will come to town lead by a rookie quarterback and a locker room full of issues. Andy Reid is probably coaching his final days in Philly, making things even worse for a spiraling franchise. These factors are too much for even the Cowboys to screw up, giving us a 24-21 nail biter at home. Next, we jump over to the AFC to play a local DFW quarterback in Andy Dalton. Cincinnati is starting to heat up, which could make things very hard for the Cowboys. The Bengals are best when throwing the ball, but the Dallas secondary has proved itself most of the season, giving the edge to the big blue. Dallas 21-17. This is the week on the schedule that everyone made plans and decided to miss this one. The Steelers have been a pain in the neck of Dallas faithful for decades, and this season will be no different. At this point in the season I have Dallas winning five straight, but the Steelers seem to be too much for the Cowboys, edging us out 24-21. After a tough game against Pittsburg, things won’t get much easier for Dallas as they face a surging Saints team. Drew Breese has things turned around in New Orleans, but an inconsistent defense will be too much to overcome, giving Dallas a 31-27 win. The final game of the season will be in our nation’s capital, playing a Washington team that has nothing to play for, and even more importantly, nothing to lose. This game will be a trap game for the Cowboys, and looking at past history, the exact recipe for another Cowboys letdown. This game was the hardest to pick, a must win situation will help Dallas prevail, pushing us to a 10-6 record, and most likely division champs. These games all look very good on paper, but as I have stated many times before, no team can break your heart like the Cowboys. We could just as easily lose four of six, but how much fun would that be to write about? Instead, we will stay positive and let the numbers speak for themselves. Dallas played an awful schedule and prevailed winning as many as they lost. Now the division and playoffs are back in sight, and this may be the season we get over the hump and back on the NFL radar. Follow me on Twitter @DFWsportscreed

Final Days of the BCS

With playoffs already set for a future date, college football can’t do anything but wait until the new championship tournament goes into effect. This means the BCS gets to ruin the hopes and dreams of many deserving athletes and their opportunity to represent their schools as National Champions. Yes, a team will be crowned and many times the best team in the country does in fact win, but this season, just like many before, the BCS did not and will not get things right. Like many other critics of this flawed system, we don’t have a special insight on how to select the top two teams, or a formula or equation that puts the best two teams in the spotlight. What we do agree on is the fact that no one besides our savior himself could predict how a bunch of 19 year olds will react to millions of viewers and earth shattering pressure. That is the main reason playoffs were implemented many years ago in other sports, and continue to be the only format used. If you don’t follow college football or don’t really care, then you may wonder why this league sets itself apart from everyone else, or why it took so long to come from the dark side. In 2009 the BCS and other bowl games made $261 MILLION. If that doesn’t answer your question, I don’t know what will. The BCS is no doubt a money making machine, but at what cost does money prevail in college athletics. We must remember that these young men and women are not paid, but given scholarships instead. Players don’t make money on uniform sales and popcorn prices, which makes one wonder how much is enough. I do realize many universities use their profits on football and basketball to fund all the other sports, and if that offers a few more scholarships each year to someone that wouldn’t have received one otherwise, then so be it. But I have a feeling it goes much deeper than that. This excess money is now going into the pockets of others, and that’s when the competitive side steps up. Imagine the last ten years with an 8 team playoff. Auburn would have never been snubbed a decade before, Utah beating Alabama and staying undefeated would have pushed them closer to a national championship game. Boise and TCU could no longer play the “what if” card, and all those 10-2 teams that played tough, out of conference schedules would be able to show up in December to play against the big boys like they deserve. No more three way ties for first in the Big 12 when all three teams rank in the top 10, no more high ranked SEC schools missing out for being in the wrong conference. The best teams would be matching up, and what a year this could turn into if we had playoffs now. If the season ended today, three undefeated teams would be fighting for two spots, and a big group of one and two loss SEC, Big 12, and PAC 12 conferences would have plenty to play for with a few weeks to go. I’ve always been told that the best way to prove your point is to convince your audience that it’s the best idea. Imagine what it would be like watching Notre Dame play Georgia, or Alabama against Oregon. These types of matchups could be at our disposal for a few weeks during the time people spend most of it at home, December and January. At the moment, teams are forced to take a month, or sometimes even six weeks off between their final regular season game and their bowl game, something that plays a major disadvantage to a team getting hot late in the year. College football has so many great attributes that other sports would kill for. Players are giving it there all for a game they love, not because they are paid. Crowds are as loud and rowdy as ever, and most of us know what a game day tailgate can be like. I’ve never seen a sport that draws people together like college football. Recently I was at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Orlando, hoping to catch the Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma game. It took until halftime to get it put on one of the fifty TV screens because the place was filled to capacity with Ohio State fans, decked out from head to toe. Since when do Ohio State fans migrate to Orlando anyway? This kind of atmosphere takes place in no other sport, and the BCS takes away from that. Playoffs won’t be the fix all like we hope, but it’s a step in the right direction. This holiday season while we all cuss the BCS, just remember Santa is bringing playoffs soon, and this mess will be behind us in no time!

Taste of a Better Life?

Before you call me crazy or argue my extreme bias for a franchise that has made a career of breaking hearts, give me the chance to convince you why the Dallas Cowboys aren’t out of this thing yet. With nine games played against some of the league’s best teams, things are anything but over in the high profile NFC East. Dallas won Sunday in an unfamiliar fashion. Three touchdowns by the defense and special teams were more than enough to fly past the Eagles on Sunday afternoon, starting a stretch of favorable matchups for Dallas heading into the second half of the season. Dallas held the second hardest schedule in the NFL over the first eight games, but that is over and things begin to get much easier. Yes we will must travel to Cincinnati and host the Saints and Steelers, but those are very winnable games. We also play two games against a struggling Washington Redskins team and another home game against an Eagles team that is at the brink of total destruction. The Giants have left the window open, and yes I will say it. The Cowboys will be tied with the division lead two weeks from today. That probably seems all but impossible just a week after many proclaimed the season as lost, but back to back losses by the Giants heading into a bye week speaks differently. A win over struggling Cleveland Sunday puts Dallas just a game back of first, with a Thanksgiving matchup with Washington following. The Giants on the other hand get a week to talk about this losing streak and what they will do when Aaron Rodgers and the Packers show up the following Sunday night to possibly tie the division once again. Sure I am probably sugar coating things way too much, as most know the Cowboys are the best around at breaking hearts late in the seasons, while the Giants pose as the typical Cinderella story each December, but things are different this season. Cowboys fans are used to blown leads and offensive let downs in the past, but the 2012 Cowboys are different, they play defense. Now speculation usually does one of two things, makes one look very smart or oh so dumb, and we will know soon enough which side I fall on. Being a Cowboys fan enables me the ability to believe every year we are title contenders, and this year is no differently in a league with so much parity. The Cowboys will also bring back a much needed running back in Demarko Murray, which will hopefully lead to a sustained running game now that Tony Romo has slowed down with the turnovers and is playing a more conventional type of quarterback. Last night’s 19-26 with 206 yards and two touchdowns is exactly what the Cowboys need when they are playing this type of defense. In the past Romo was needed to win the game, but this season simply making the right throws and staying out of trouble gives Dallas the chance to win any ball game. Jones also had success running the ball last night, going 71 yards on 16 carries, sporting an average of about 4.5 yards/carry. Jason Garrett is also beginning to improve as a game manager, although going any direction but up was almost inevitable. The entire team is beginning to look more like a team to be contended with in the NFC, but much will need to be proved with 7 games left. I’m not calling championships or Super Bowl appearances, I’m just saying look out for the Cowboys down the stretch in this anything but conventional NFL season. Follow me on Twitter @DFWsportscreed

Texas Rangers Final Recap: Is it April Yet?

After back-to-back trips to the World Series, saying Texas Rangers fans were hooked wouldn’t do justice. Ranger fans set records this season, ranking 3rd in baseball in total attendance, just behind the Yankees and Phillies, two of the bigger names in the game. The Ballpark averaged 42,719 per game this season, blowing the previous record out of the water. No wonder many continue to grieve as the fall classic heads towards another World Series, one without our beloved Texas Rangers.  If you followed baseball this year, this news may come as a surprise to you. The Rangers did in fact lead the American League for the majority of the season, and the division until that disaster filled final day in Oakland. The Rangers didn’t just lose the division during an epic meltdown down the stretch, they lost their entire post season when the bats stayed inside, and the Baltimore Orioles celebrated a one game Wild Card finale. All of this negative energy is very common in the DFW area; because our beloved Dallas Cowboys have been breaking hearts since their last Super Bowl win in the 90’s. Now the Rangers hold the title as letdown of the decade, and many of the new fans may look elsewhere for comfort. They won’t be missed, because what Ron Washington, Nolan Ryan, and John Daniels are doing isn’t a one and done system, but a style that will make our Texas Rangers contenders for many years to come.  I am as guilty as any, and spent the last couple weeks not watching the MLB playoffs, rather checking scores and complaining about no Rangers playoff baseball. The grieving period is over, and now it’s time to get back to work. In my short era of following DFW sports, I have had the privilege of watching the Cowboys be non-contenders for nearly two decades, and a Mavericks team that broke our hearts yearly until Dirk Nowitzki caught fire and defeated the Miami Heat and LeBron James in 2010. Coping is learned over the years, rather than taught, but this blog today will definitely give you some hope. I have learned that convincing myself that next season will in fact be different, and next season we will be back in the mix, is the only way to recover from these devastating losses. The 2012 season started better than any could expect. Our first loss came during a ninth inning blown save by Joe Nathan, and besides that the team seemed to dominate the first two weeks of the season. The season was then completely underway; the Rangers had a solid cushion, and big plans heading into the brutal hot summer in Texas. Most of the country watched the Rangers thinking it was the same team that had been to back-to-back World Series, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. This was a new Rangers team, a team that was made to not get to another World Series, but win the damn thing. The 2012 Rangers pitching staff was nothing like the previous years, tossing things around and bringing in some much needed leadership. After losing top notch pitchers to free agency the previous two years, it was time to get creative. That’s when Ryan and Daniels decided to take a big risk, and boy did it work out. Every few years Japan has a dominant player, and during those years owners across the League break the bank trying to bring in the foreign star. This year the Rangers decided to take a big chance, throw some big money out there and hope for the best. Yu Darvish, a hard throwing giant from Japan that supposedly had 7 pitches was on the market and the Texas Rangers wanted him. $108 million later he was ours. The second major offseason move was acquiring veteran closer Joe Nathan. The 2011 World Series was lost by closers, and this year that was not going to be the case. The Rangers signed Nathan for his many years on the job, moving young prodigy Neftali Feliz to the starting rotation. The previous year Feliz blew a two run lead in the 9th to win the World Series. He was so shaken he couldn’t return in the 10th, and that was all Ron Washington needed to see and it was time to make a change. Nathan did just that, setting a franchise record of consecutive saves, setting the bar over thirty. All these new additions and changes seemed to be exactly what the Rangers needed to finally grasp that Championship trophy, but an injury bug decided to take matters into its own hands. Colby Lewis was maybe the turning point of the season, sustaining an injury that kept him out for the remainder of the year. It didn’t seem quite so detrimental with a big division lead, but in the dog days of late summer and fall, when a young staff was starting to struggle and bats were getting cold, his steady and consistent starts were missed. Lewis was the anchor of the staff in the 2011 playoffs, and who better to stop a slump than a veteran of that style. Instead the Rangers were forced to pitch youth, something that later showed to hurt our playoff chances. Feliz shocked many when he started off pitching lights out, but an injury knocking him out until summer 2013 set the team back even further, and put a little doubt in the eyes of some Ranger faithful. With all the injuries and setbacks, some of the season was actually a very big positive. Matt Harrison took over as leader of the pitching staff, winning 18 games, sporting a strong 3.29 ERA. Darvish too had great success, striking out an astonishing 221 batters, while winning 16 games. These two strong seasons give great hope heading into a season with much to prove in 2013. There were some letdowns this season, mainly by Derek Holland, who was also bothered with injuries. Holland held a 4.67 ERA, much higher than anyone expected heading into the season. Holland is a huge talent, and an offseason to work and improve will hopefully put this big lefty in position to turn some heads next season. Hitting has always been strong in Texas, and this year was no different. Josh Hamilton was the team leader in RBI and Home Runs, but a two month drought mid-summer knocked him out of the MVP talk, and possibly out of a Texas Rangers uniform. Hamilton is a free agent this season, and the Rangers show no sign of offering anything thus far. Adrian Beltre was very strong this season, but also missed time due to injuries. Even with the missed time, Beltre still hit 36 home runs with 102 RBI's. A .321 batting average also led all starters, and this power will be needed next season if Hamilton is not in the lineup. Two other players that shared time in the outfield were David Murphy and Craig Gentry. Both players batted over .300, leaving no doubt they need extensive playing time next season. The other big upgrade this year was Elvis Andrus. After a few years of watching this flashy shortstop make plays on the diamond, his bat finally became a threat, hitting just under .300 most of the year, using speed to make outs that much harder. As hurt as many of you are right now, this is when you need to tune in and get ready for a great run in the future. The Rangers have many great starters, with many expecting big contract offers from other teams as soon as theirs run out. The positive is the farm system Daniels and Ryan have created. The Rangers have built a dynasty in the lower levels over the past few seasons, with Mike Olt and Jurickson Profar catching the eye of every scout in baseball. These two future stars have the making to build a franchise, and adding them to an already talented team will most likely be our recipe for success. On the pitching side Martin Perez shows much promise, and could possibly contend to make the rotation next season. If Perez works out as expected, the Rangers could possibly have four pitchers in their mid-twenties competing to be the ace of the rotation. Before I go I must take this time to play the role of John Daniels, something no person can adequately do in my eyes, but what the hell. The Rangers pitching staff could use just a little more support, and that’s why I think it’s time for a couple trades. Nelson Cruz has been a fan favorite for years, but many can’t let go of his misplay of a fly ball that allowed the Cardinals to win the 2011 World Series. This isn’t why I want to trade him, his sub .250 batting average is. Cruz has a high profile and even bigger swing, so teams needing power would give up a lot to bring him in. Mike Olt would make a fine replacement in right field, giving this young up and comer the chance to show his talent. I also would trade David Murphy. This trade hurts the most just because the kind of player Murphy is, but a talent like that needs to be utilized every game, and there just isn’t room in Texas. I would then move Ian Kinsler to the outfield, giving second base to Profar. Mitch Moreland becomes my full-time first baseman, leaving an infield that may hold the title as best in baseball. Mike Napoli is more than a catcher; he is a leader with these young pitchers. Because of this, I would sign him to a contract, hoping he can get back to “the year of the Napoli”. As wild as all this seams, the Rangers could do all these things, and if it happens, I will be the first to say I told you so. This may all seem very over whelming, and many of you probably think I am crazy and still can’t think about Rangers baseball. For me it’s time to move on. The grieving stage is over and we must start to prepare for next season. The Rangers will bounce back, and we will be on top again. My boldest prediction yet, Texas Rangers, 2013 World Series Champs!