Two Ranger signings and an ankle sprain.

The Rangers have made two signings. It's been announced Joaquin Benoit signed a two-year extension to remain with the Rangers. It's also being reported Rudy Jaramillo has also signed a two-year extension to remain the hitting coach. Big, smart moves by the Rangers.

By the way, my right ankle is killing me right now. Gates and I were outside throwing the football around as usual when he lobbed one over my head. I turned to run for it and when I had my hands outreached, I stepped in a small hole in the ground. All of the weight of my body was on my ankle as it wrenched inward. As it happened I could hear a massive crunch as if bones were being shattered, but needless to say it was my ligaments being ripped apart. I hadn't experienced a pain like that in a very long time and as I lay on the ground writhing in pain I felt the warmth all around my ankle. I got up and with a little help from Gates made my way to our second floor apartment. I laid down and took off my shoe and sock and to my surprise there was nothing wrong with my ankle. Then I looked on the outer half of my foot and there was a huge ball protruding from the side of my ankle. I didn't know whether it meant my ankle was broken or not but just to be safe we made our way to the ER. I was processed in about an hour and have a pair of crutches now, which is making it very difficult to do the simplest tasks. I have to make two or three trips to the living room and/or my bedroom when I need to get a pillow, drink or my phone just because I can't carry it all and walk with my crutches at the same time. Hopefully in a couple of days I'll be good as new.

By the way, I didn't make the catch.

The A-Rod sweepstakes and an idea

It's been two days since the 2007 World Series was concluded with Boston sweeping the floor with the Rockies. Since then, free agents have been starting to fill up the hot stove, seeing as how the free agent filing period began after the World Series. Teams have 15 days to negotiate with their respective free agents before said players may shop around with other baseball clubs.
The most notable free agent has been by far former Mariner, former Ranger, former Yankee Alex Rodriguez. First off, what a shitty thing to do upstaging the biggest game in baseball by announcing he'd opt out of his $252 million contract. Great, he wants to opt out? Fine. Announce it after the World Series is over. Now I was pretty upset but I started thinking about everything as a whole. Rodriguez and his agent Scott Boras actually took away some spectacle from the World Series by announcing he'd be a free agent. Announcer talk went from how well the Red Sox were doing to where Rodriguez would land next. Now you can look at it and say it was a bad thing to do on Rodriguez and Boras's part, but on the other hand, the World Series was so uninteresting a player becoming a free agent became the bigger story. Commissioner Bud Selig and the rest of Major League Baseball should find some way to fix the situation because while they tout record attendance figures and small market success, they still can't seem to find the answer to the World Series television ratings in a long while. Bottom line: the World Series is boring. No one wants to watch it, especially when Boston railroaded Colorado in Game 1. No wonder Rodriguez upstaged the game - it didn't take much. As a result, as one ESPN.com writer said, Rodriguez used the timing to assert he is bigger than the game of baseball. What a sad situation to be in, but baseball brass must find a way to either make baseball interesting again or suppress superstar players from becoming too big for the game. Although, this wouldn't be the first time Major League Baseball has faced this problem. Rewind almost a century ago when Babe Ruth ushered in the "live ball era" with a .376 batting average and 54 homeruns during his first year with the New York Yankees. Ruth, at that time, was bigger than baseball and his legend only continued to grow. Eventually Selig will have to channel in the spirit of the first baseball commissioner Judge Keensaw Mountain Landis and take on the biggest player in the game as Landis once did with Ruth. "This case resolves itself into a question of who is the biggest man in baseball, the Commissioner or the player who makes the most homeruns," Landis once said while battling Ruth's intentions of barnstorming.

What could Selig really do to make the World Series more interesting again? He can't control which teams participate in it because if he could it'd be the Yankees and the Red Sox (he'd find a way to put them against each other). Baseball needs a massive shakeup and it needs to come from the commissioner's office and not the offices of Boras and Rodriguez, who are happy to overshadow the game - it makes them more money. The World Series should find a way to play itself to TV much like the Super Bowl does, but unlike the Super Bowl, the World Series isn't a one game championship. Therefore, it's not as easy to market. I wonder what would happen if they took away home field advantage for the World Series and instead made it a "world" series. Using this year as an example, Games 1 and 2 are played in Boston, 3 and 4 in Colorado, 5 in Boston, 6 in Colorado and the 7th game of the World Series would be played at a neutral site outside of the United States (should the series last that long). Although you wouldn't have moments like Kirby Puckett homering in extra innings to win the World Series at home in the Metrodome or Joe Carter blasting a Game 7 winner at home in the Sky Dome, it could be interesting nonetheless.

Imagine if Game 7 of the 1993 World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies was instead played in Tokyo. Mitch Williams rears back, throws, Joe Carter swings and launches a homerun deep into the stands of the Tokyodome as 55,000 Japanese fans erupt into a frenzy. Now, there's one thing baseball has going for it that football doesn't - international interest. A game like the 1993 World Series in Tokyo would have given further credibility to the U.S. baseball product and would have been far more influential in bringing Japanese players over instead of Ichiro signing with the Mariners or Daisuke Matsuzaka signing with the Red Sox. *Geoff pointed out my egregious errors in that the homeruns by both Kirby Puckett and Joe Carter both came in Game 6 of the World Series. I plead insanity in both cases. I could always throw in Bill Mazeroski's walkoff in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series can't I? Thanks Geoff for pointing those things out.

Now, what I'm sure baseball owners and people in the MLB offices would be furious if this happened, but what if the World Series became the American Championship and the winner would represent the United States in a global tournament like the World Baseball Classic. MLB could extend its influence to major countries like Japan, the Dominican Republic, Canada, France, Puerto Rico and China and create a league, similar to the MLB in each country, have a regular season, a post season and culminate in a championship that determines the country's representative in the World Series. For the sake of argument, let's say MLB does this with 15 countries and leaves open the 16th slot as a Wild Card for a smaller country without the MLB system. The Wild Card tournament would take a few weeks, giving the 15 representatives from other countries a chance to rest and practice. Then with 16 teams the tournament could be a one-game format showcasing the best pitcher from each squad against the best lineup from the opposing squad. The winner of the World Series would have international respect and MLB would have international television profits. Why keep trying to sell baseball in America when it won't sell? Take it to Japan. Take it to China. Take it to South Africa. Take it internationally where the audience is larger. The obvious pitfalls in this would be it would take way too long for this tournament to happen and it would fall into the off-season. However, MLB needs to shorten the regular season anyway because there are way too many games that simply don't really matter. By shortening the season a month or so, MLB could have a little more time for the international tournament. Owners wouldn't go for it because of the obvious wasted revenue in the loss of about a month's worth of games, but MLB could start a TV revenue sharing plan that gives all teams in the international tournament a stake in the broadcasting revenues. This might cost owners money in the short run but over time players would be paid less for less games and it would create incentive to build a winning franchise year in and year out to capture the revenue. For a worldwide audience, the revenues from TV and sales would be astronomical. I know the World Baseball Classic is using some of these ideas already but overall the WBC doesn't amount to crap. It's going to happen once every four years but by then the magic is lost. Soccer can do it, but internationally soccer is way more popular than baseball. Baseball just needs a foothold to give it legitimacy once again. An actual "world" series may do the trick.

I know, the ideas aren't anywhere near perfect but you have to start somewhere. Maybe something hits, maybe it doesn't. If MLB doesn't find a way to improve interest in baseball then why is any casual fan going to watch the product?

Anyway, let me step
off
my
soapbox.

Back to the original topic, who will sign Alex Rodriguez? The Yankees say they're opting out of the A-Rod sweepstakes after he opted out of his contract and many teams say they simply can't afford a $30 million per year contract. So who can?

1. Boston Red Sox
Of course Boston will be in the mix but after Mike Lowell won the World Series MVP and played well for the Red Sox this year, do you really think they'd take A-Rod? Lowell will make a considerable amount less than A-Rod and justifiably so, but there's proof they can win with Lowell. What else would they have to prove by signing A-Rod? There's no way to win the World Series in 1, 2, or even 3 games.

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Bartolo Colon and his massive contract are gone. Vladimir Guerrero needs a big stick hitting behind him. Third base can be opened for a player of A-Rod's caliber. The Angels make sense for A-Rod, but again the question is are they willing to pay $30 million per year for him? I'm sure Vlad would love to have him in the lineup but at what cost? A couple of role players here and there to supplant what they've already built up in Anaheim? A definite possibility for the Angels.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers
The interleague rivals of the Angels are also in the A-Rod sweepstakes. The Dodgers tanked offensively last year and with their divisional foes getting better, the Dodgers need to step up and take a $30 million per year chance. A-Rod would solidify the lineup and his superstar status would be perfect in Los Angeles. Another possible A-Rod landing destination.

4. Chicago Cubs
Of course there were rumors of one of the potential Cubs franchise buyers negotiating a contract for A-Rod, but how likely would his contract be for the Cubs?
Aramis Ramirez, 3b $9 million in 2007
Alfonso Soriano, of $10 million in 2007
Carlos Zambrano, p $12.4 million in 2007
Derrek Lee, 1b $13.25 million in 2007

now lets throw in the A-Rod potential
Alex Rodriguez, 3b $30 million

that would mean the Cubs would be paying at least $74.65 million dollars for five players. Add in Mark DeRosa ($2.75 million), Jacque Jones ($5.63 million), Ted Lilly ($6 million) and Jason Marquis ($4.75 million). Now 9 players will be making almost $100 million per year. There are 16 other slots to fill on the roster and some are already taken by multi-millionaires. Adding A-Rod does not make financial sense to the Cubs. If an owner is willing to pay for him then it'll happen, but when you look at how much money the Cubs are already spending on a mediocre team, A-Rod isn't a necessity. I doubt he winds up here.

5. I decided to throw a wild card in here. Fans for every major league franchise are wondering if A-Rod goes to them when it is all said and done, but I'd like to see if the Oakland A's acquired A-Rod. The A's have been tight with money ever since their new management brought in Billy Beane as general manager, but with an upcoming move out of Oakland, A-Rod would be the perfect player to build a franchise on. While potential sites for the Athletics franchise haven't been finalized, one thing that is finalized is the A's are leaving Oakland. Should the A's move away from Fremont to another potential city, say Las Vegas, Portland, Omaha, or Norfolk the A's would have to build a loyal fan base. A-Rod would bring in millions of revenue from jersey sales, let alone any other revenue streams. There would be a brand new ballpark for A-Rod to christen "The House A-Rod built" and he would fill the seats of that house as he continues his monstrous homerun pace. Wouldn't paying $30 million per year for A-Rod be a justifiable investment for the A's so he could establish a new fan base and chase the homerun record in a new A's jersey? After skimping for so many years on their players, I wouldn't be surprised if the owners decided to make a play for A-Rod's services.

So where do you think A-Rod is going? There's a poll on the right side of the web page to vote. You can also vote for more than one team, in case you think A-Rod has lots of options.

I'm famous! In my own sort of way...

Yea, so after a few tries I finally got my question to Texas Rangers beat writer T.R. Sullivan published in his Ranger mailbag. All I have to say is: about freakin' time! I had once asked about prospects for Danny Herrera and he didn't answer me yet a few weeks later he published someone else asking a question about him and he praised Danny. Where were you then Sullivan? Anywho, check out my semi-famous debut on the Rangers Mailbag.

Although some idiot above me asked Sullivan about the prospects of the Rangers trading for Jason Bay and Sullivan actually said good job to the guy for "doing his homework!" I am losing all faith in Sullivan now. It's official. His response to that guy pissed me off so bad. Who in the hell has not thought about Jason Bay? Well baseball fans... Bay is a tremendous talent in Pittsburgh, but Sullivan should know better than to actually tease the idea of Bay coming to Texas in a trade. Bay becomes a free agent after 2009 then he's in line for a major contract (reminiscent of Teixeira?). Bay would fill a spot in the outfield and a bat in the lineup but he'd take away at least two or three top developing talent out of the Rangers minor leagues. Now haven't we all learned the lesson of the new baseball era? Build from within is the mantra. Colorado. Arizona. Milwaukee. Cleveland. Detroit. If the Rangers trade top talent for Bay I would be extremely pissed. Now if it was a couple of fringe players that are expendable (Laird, Catalanotto, Cruz) then I'd love to have Bay here, but not at the expense of our future.


Now, my proposal was a lesser known outfield with just as much potential as Jason Bay. I offered the idea of trading for Toronto's Alex Rios. Rios would be a free agent after 2010 giving him three years with the Rangers. Plus he's got power, he plays the outfield, he's young and he's inexpenisve. The Blue Jays obviously like what Rios brings to the table but lets face it, Toronto is royally screwed. They have Boston and New York in their division. They won't make the playoffs anytime soon and they are saddled with heavy contracts from trying to compete with Boston and New York. Troy Glaus. Lyle Overbay. Frank Thomas. A.J. Burnett. Roy Halladay. Come on if we gave them a bit I'm sure they'd pounce on sending Rios over here. I say throw together something with Cruz and Laird. Probably throw in Akinori Otsuka who could be Toronto's closer with B.J. Ryan injured, although Aki has to overcome his injury. Then they could send us Rios and maybe a mid-level pitching prospect. It would be a move to free up a spot for Saltalamacchia, get rid of Laird, Cruz (who is never going to pan out) and maybe even Aki. I love Aki but for the sake of the team I can let go. Especially if it means bringing in Alex Rios.

The Ranger future is near

While the World Series hits Game 3 tonight in Denver, the futures of other major league teams remain everywhere else. For the last couple of weeks, Texas Rangers talent with that of other MLB teams have been competing in Winter Ball to try and keep their skills up. You don't see well-established players in these leagues, but you see kids with something to prove which makes for better games. As I follow the weekly updates from the Rangers Farm Report I can't help but be giddy over the future of the Rangers. While we may not win the World Series next year, we will definitely be in American League title contention within a few years.

Catcher
Right now there is a major league ready prospect already entrenched here, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia may be headed for first base as well. Aside from Salty, the Rangers have Taylor Teagarden (at left), a former University of Texas graduate, rising through the ranks. He was injured a year or so ago and looks to be as good as ever with a .350/.391/.500 in the Arizona Fall League. Also catcher Max Ramirez, acquired from Cleveland in the Kenny Lofton deal, is hitting .250/.625/.250 in the Venezuelan League. Not great numbers, but he still has lots of time to develop.

First Base
Other than Salty there isn't much buzz around the first base position in the Rangers minor league system. We'll most likely have to look outside the organization for that. Sean Casey is currently a free agent and would bring high batting averages but not much else. This has been a weakness since Teixeira left so the possibility of a trade for a first baseman would be nice. I wonder if Arizona's Conor Jackson is available. He's still developing and could be a nice acquisition. If only we didn't trade Adrian Gonzalez or Chris Young to the Padres...where would we be now? Otsuka is hurt, Eaton was a waste a Sledge didn't even last long.

Second Base
Locked up with Ian Kinsler.

Third Base
Hank Blalock seems to have a death grip on the position. I wonder if they'd consider moving Elvis Andrus (at right), acquired in the Mark Teixeira deal, to third base since Michael Young isn't going anywhere at short. Andrus is .300/.333/.450 in the Arizona Fall League and people are just gushing over his ability even comparing him to Jose Reyes. Now that I think about it, wouldn't it make more sense to move Young to third base when it's time for Andrus to get to the big leagues? Young is a professional who is just looking for a ring and he's already proven he'll do whatever it takes to win (i.e. moving to shortstop when Ian Kinsler came up and filling a void left by the departure of A-Rod).

Shortstop
Either Young or Andrus...

Left Field
I can't help but imagine David Murphy patrolling left field. Some wackos have compared him to Rusty Greer, which don't get me wrong is a nice comparison, but Murphy still has to show his grit. A more accurate comparison would be Aaron Rowand if he comes to Texas...

Center Field
People slot Marlon Byrd to be here for years to come, but the guy hasn't proven to be consistent. He had a monster rookie year with Philadelphia then tanked. Monster year with Texas...tank next year? Whoever the Rangers sign in free agency will only hold the spot for a few years until Engel Beltre, Gagne deal I believe, breaks into the bigs. Scouts are praising his presence in center field and his presence at the plate. Just a matter of time...

Right Field
Here's the pickle: Nelson Cruz hasn't panned out like it was believed he would. With that said, there aren't spectacular options in the farm system. Maybe a Brandon Boggs (.340/.419/.396 in the Mexican League). Maybe a John Mayberry Jr. (.238/.360/.452 in the Arizona Fall League). Honestly I'm not familiar enough with Boggs so I don't know if his stats are the real deal. As for Mayberry, I saw him play at Double-A Frisco last year and needless to say, I wasn't impressed. Perhaps a free agent pickup will fit nicely here in right field or maybe it'll be the spot down the road for the center field free agent the Rangers are trying to get. Or maybe Byrd will assume mediocrity here.

Designated Hitter
I'm hoping for Barry Bonds, but realistically: 1. he's too old to be a part of our future plans 2. steroid investigations. Sammy was nice here last year but he's not a part of the future either. The Rangers keep giving Jason Botts shots at it just because they're afraid they'll miss out or misjudge his talent (i.e. Travis Hafner). I don't like Botts but the guy tore through September and is tearing up the Mexican League leading the league in multiple categories (AVG .407, OBP .500, runs 18, RBI 18, walks 11). Maybe he'll pan out into a good player after all?

Pitching
The Rangers days of hoping for D-V-D (Danks-Volquez-Diamond) were dismantled last year when John Danks was traded to Chicago for Brandon McCarthy, Edinson Volquez tanked in 2006 and Thomas Diamond had Tommy John surgery. Now it's looking as though Eric Hurley (at left) will one day assume the role of Rangers ace. Hopefully, he wins a spot in Spring Training this year and uses 2008 to develop and adjust to the major leagues leaving 2009 and on open for success. The Rangers are also counting on Volquez to come back to
form. He spent the whole year in the minor leagues beginning in low A ball to regain form and he was outstanding as a September call-up. Diamond may be relegated to a relief role and it seems as though his ship as sailed unless he can be nothing short of amazing after surgery. Also, hopes are on 2007 1st round pick Blake Beavin to step up in the next few years to be a presence in the rotation, as well as Matt Harrison (Teixeira deal) , Robinson Tejeda (fell out of favor last year, but hopefully will pick up) and Kasey Kiker. As far as relief pitching is concerned, former Permian High School graduate Danny Herrera (at right) has been nothing short of spectacular since he was drafted out of the University of New Mexico. Currently, he's sporting a 1.59 ERA in the Arizona Fall League, giving up one run in five appearances. At Double-A Frisco he compiled a 3.78 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 5 wins, 2 losses and 64 strikeouts in 52.1 innings. From what's being said he doesn't have lots of velocity but his movement is outstanding.

Here's to 2008...hopefully we show up in the series soon...

'Flatch'back: Glimpses Into My Childhood

There's lots of times when a song, a movie, a smell or a taste can bring back vivid memories and it's nice to just relax and let the memories wash over you. When our childhood memories come flooding back, it gives us a reason to relive the days when nothing really mattered. There were no bills to pay, no papers to write, no jobs to be had. It was just living in the moment.

I recently had one of those flashbacks while watching HBO the other day. I just so happened to stumble upon the beginning of An American Tail. I hadn't seen the movie in about a year so I figured I'd sit through it again and watch it through my five-year-old eyes. Watching it again, the sadness and joy of Fievel Mousekewitz's journey to reunite with his parents simply brought tears to my eyes. Seeing him trudging through the streets and giving up hope by living in an orphanage, really was heartbreaking. Then to see his family calling out for him, but he not hearing them until his dad started shouting his name.

"Papa?" Fievel said with the hint of a Russian accent.

As they ran past each other then embraced through the waterfall, I couldn't help but start crying because it was just such a beautiful story. When I was little I remember watching that movie and loving it for whatever reason I did. Later on I got an electronic keyboard and some music to play and one of the songs just so happened to be the main track from An American Tail. I remember trying to learn to play that one first just because I loved the song. I remember my family singing "Somewhere Out There" to me when I was little because they knew I'd remember Fievel.

"Michael ... Fievel!" I remember my mom saying in the voice she only used for me when I was little.

Now "Somewhere Out There" has a different meaning for me now that I'm older and away from my family. I know my family would be singing this song with me if they remembered the words...Well at least I know my grandma does. I talked to her the day I watched An American Tail and I said, "Nana, guess what I'm watching right now?"

"What?" she asked.

"Fievel," I said.

"Ohhh, Fievel...." she said, her voice dreamily trailing off. I knew that name had taken her back in time too and at that moment I could feel the warmth of her smile over 350 miles away.


Somewhere Out There - An American Tail

True love?

Is true love real?
It seems that way after watching tonight's episode of The Office. How much more touching can it get than Jim sitting next to Dwight and telling him the real reason he left Scranton in Season 2 - Pam. He couldn't bear to see her and Roy together. Because of that he couldn't sleep, couldn't focus and food even lost its taste. He moved to get away from it, but it just got worse and he wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy, including Dwight, who had been going through a rough breakup with Angela. Jim gets up realizing how happy he was to finally be with Pam and walks straight up to her and plants a huge kiss on her in mid-sentence. It shall go down as one of the great "Jim and Pam" moments of The Office. It just makes me wonder if any relationship can be as magical as TV writers can make one.
This show is truly one to watch if you don't already know.

A Jim-Pam video courtesy of YouTuber bobmaglob

"This isn't your father's Captain America."

In March of this year, the unthinkable happened - Captain America was gunned down. As shocking as it was for comic book fans who grew up with Captain America as he battled Hitler and the Red Skull, nothing has changed.

Cap is still dead.

Scratch that.

Steve Rogers is still dead.

Marvel Comics announced today they would be bringing back the Captain America character at the beginning of next year. For me as a comic book fan, I'm thrilled. I loved the entire Captain America persona because he was always about doing what was patriotic. He fought against Iron Man because he believed the rights of superheroes were being infringed upon when they were enacted by Congress to register their secret identities with the government. But more so, Captain America represented a generation of young boys and young men who went off to fight Hitler's Nazi Germany in the 1940s during World War II. For those who don't know, Captain America was a project by the U.S. government to build a supersoldier and what came out was Steve Rogers as Captain America.

Now with the induction of a new Cap in January, Marvel decided they would make changes to the ever classic Captain America costume - a way to update it and give it a slightly unique touch to the new Cap yet still capture what Steve Rogers had.


Comic book artist Alex Ross and company were asked to design the new Cap suit and right now it looks pretty damn amazing. The most important costume changes are the stripes around Cap's midsection have been made to come to a point at the pelvis. It also has shed the fish scale look at the top of the chest and replaced it with a sleek material. They've also added stars to Cap's shoulders and one to his back which add a nice visual touch to the formerly bland looking body parts. Colorwise the major shift is from Cap's classic red fold-over boots which now are black. Overall the costume looks really spiffy.

But there's two new additions for the new Captain America that weren't there for Steve Rogers - a gun and a knife. Cap's only weapon had been his shield. Yet, now he carries a gun and a knife? Some think it's a sign that Cap's former protege Bucky Barnes will take over as Cap. Bucky had originally died early on in the Captain America series but within the last year returned as the "Winter Soldier." Apparently now he's trying to avenge Cap's death and maybe it's a sign he will be the new wearer of the stars and stripes. But the image of Captain America had always been the idealism of America. Are we now a country who identifies killing weapons with our patriotism? Some would say yes, others no. While the weapons add a new dimension for the new Cap, it's a shame they will have to be used. Alex Ross said it best, "This isn't your father's Captain America."

I think the absence of weapons is why I liked Batman so much. Bats had no guns or knives to use on people. He didn't even have superpowers. He only had technology and his intellect. I guess the new Cap won't be as intelligent or as confident in his abilities as Steve Rogers was. Too too bad. But in January there will be an ushering in of a new hero with ties to the old and hopefully, this hero's run will last just as long as Steve Rogers'.

Baseball, ni hao

Baseball meet China. China meet baseball.

Major League Baseball International announced Wednesday beginning this fall, Chinese school children in 5 cities will be educated on the fundamentals of baseball as part of their physical education curriculum.

"The Major League Baseball International Play Ball! Program will put bats and balls into the hands of hundreds of thousands of young players in China in the coming years," said Paul Archey, Senior Vice President, International Business Operations, Major League Baseball. "We are committed to baseball's future in China and the Play Ball! Program promises to play an important role in China's emergence as a baseball-playing nation."

The move is a great step at building baseball relationships with the Chinese. Basketball has Yao Ming, why can't baseball have someone similar? Major League rosters show how much baseball has become an international game. There are Latin American players, Japanese players, Italian players, even Canadian baseball players. China, with its 1.3 billion people should have some good ballplayers turning up in the near future.

I only have one complaint.

Why can't Major League Baseball do the same thing in the United States?

This is supposed to be America's favorite pastime and yet there's a melting pot of cultures, which isn't a bad thing but the game is falling in the eyes of our own country. Television ratings for baseball drop further and further unless one of the teams is the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox. Even though there's record attendance, it's known the new ballparks with their new amenities provide some of the newcomers to the park.

So why is it baseball can't reach out to the millions of kids in America? There's kids at the park playing basketball or football, but you rarely see people playing baseball. When did it become such a rarity and why?

Maybe it's because it's easier to become a professional in other sports. Lebron was drafted into the NBA at 18 and made an immediate impact. College football players only need to finish two years of college to enter the draft. Baseball players? Unless they're on the fast track they could spend years in the minor leagues. An initial 7 year contract to play in the minor leagues just doesn't have as much luster and shine to it as a chance to play pro basketball or football right away.
So how does MLB reach out to America's youth to get them to play the game their fathers and grandfathers loved?

Now there's the million dollar question.

Vick 'em Aggies

With the Texas Tech-Texas A&M game this weekend, which yes Geoff I know you're going to, the schools' fans are starting to clash before the game has even begun. No, they aren't throwing tortillas at each other...yet. They're fighting over T-shirts. Now, what could be so bad about T-shirts that would have the schools at each other's throats? Well the Tech fraternity Theta Chi decided to sell shirts to promote the rivalry between the schools, just like everyone does. Except this shirt had the phrase "Vick 'em" on the front mocking the Aggies' "Gig 'em" and on the back was the silhouette of a football player in a #7 jersey hanging the Aggies mascot. Gee, I wonder who that #7 jersey could mean? I'll admit when I first heard about the story I couldn't help but laugh. The Tech student who sold them, Geoffrey Candia, or whoever else is responsible for the making of the shirts is freaking brilliant. T-shirts for big games like this are to promote the rivalries in college sports and between the schools. What better way to do so? And with such a timely subject. I'm sure dog owners will now target Texas Tech for its "tastelessness" because once Vick is in jail, they'll be no one they can rally against for the injustice of cruelty to animals. But, like some of the comments on the ESPN.com story, what happened to free speech? This shirt is just a way for Tech fans to be interested in Saturday's game because we all know Tech is going to put up a ton of points at home. How can A&M beat Tech? I'm sure Mike Leach got enough boosters to pay for a subscription to Dennis Franchione's "newsletter" that he's come under fire for in the last few weeks. With such a detailed description of injuries and strengths and weaknesses there should be no excuse for Leach not to beat the Aggies. And Geoff, since I know you read this, if you can find one of these shirts bring me one and I'll pay you back. It's too good of a shirt to pass up.

The fly story I love so much

Originally posted on my MySpace blog on August 8, 2007. The following, sadly, is a true story. Reader discretion advised.

I went into the kitchen about 9 p.m. for some weird reason, probably just to walk around when I found my grandma frantically searching for a fly that seemed to be getting the best of her.

"Don't worry," I told her. "I'll get 'em"

She handed me the flyswatter and I grasped the swatter in all of its glory. It's a green hand-shaped swatter perfect for killing those "sumumabitches" as my grandma calls them - and basically everything else that pisses her off.

Limping out of the kitchen, I could tell the flies thought she was easy prey - an old woman who could barely walk let alone chase them around the kitchen. Clad in my sandals I began wandering around the kitchen...

WHAM! BAM! Thank you ma'am!

Three flies down...

"This is easier than I thought," I thought to myself. I had only anticipated about one more fly buzzing around, then I saw it go behind the blinds above the kitchen sink. I began stabbing the matamoscas (such a cool word for flyswatter) through the blinds trying to see if I could inadvertently kill one.

To my surprise I didn't kill one. Instead about five more flew out from the blinds.

"Ahhhhh!" I yelled flailing my arms. "They're after me!"

My attempts to accidentally kill another fly were in vain and I just stood there looking like a complete idiot as a couple of beads of sweat began formulating at the top of my head.

I turned the stick on the blinds to open them up and let all the flies out, but only saw one huge bastard egging me on.

"Take this! And that! And this! And that!" I screamed as I again tried jabbing the swatter into the window.

"Are you still trying to kill the flies?" my grandma asked from the living room. Problem is, she asked me as if I was still five years old as she always does.

"Nana, you wouldn't believe how many there are," I gasped.

WHACK! SMACK! SNAP! CRACKLE! POP!

Five more down. Eight total.

More flies emerged from the window and I started swinging again but they all dispersed. So I tried going for the flies still behind the blinds when the other flies came back, sensing their comrades were in danger, and started buzzing around my face.
I ran and started killing more somumabitches, one here and one there until there were about fifteen dead flies scattered about the kitchen.

At one point a fly on the trash can caught my eye and I started moving in for the kill when I saw another one hovering near it. WHAM! Killed two with one swing.

By this time I was struggling to get the flies because there just weren't that many left.

"There's some over here flying by me!" my grandpa yelled from his recliner. I ran to the living room and tried the blinds there and WHOOSH! more flies.

I killed a couple near my grandpa's cigarettes and one on the blinds. I started walking away when I saw another one on the blinds. I whirled around and sprang into action, but apparently in the five and a half minutes I spent in the air in slo-motion, the fly flew away.

My grandma looked away from the Astros-Cubs game and stared at me with a puzzled look on her face. "Are you doing ballet or what?" She started chuckling to herself.

"I'll have you know Nana, there's about twenty dead flies in the kitchen!" I said in defense. "Come look! I didn't clean them up yet, they're all in their original positions!"

"I don't like that nasty shit," she told me with a disgusted look on her face. This coming from the woman who does the same thing when she's in the kitchen.

I bolted back into the kitchen and quickly counted up my death toll. 20. I went back to the living room and proudly proclaimed I was kicking ass with 20 dead. My grandparents didn't give me a second glance.

So I decided to go "ah natural" and kicked off my sandals and started in on the warm kitchen tile. I was on a battlefield, sword in hand waiting to make my next kill. I crouched awaiting a fly by. Here came the big somumabitch from earlier!

I swung wildly as the fly seemed to fly right around me as if asking to die. Finally, I smacked him mid-air into the laundry room door where he was promptly split in half. "Take that big boss!" I took to calling him big boss because it seemed as though the flies were trying to keep me away from him.

I was right.

The flies had absolutely no battle plan as they flew about wildly without their general. I gingerly tip-toed around the bodies littering the battlefield and found another one on the trash can. WHACK!

I was keeping track so this one was 22. Unknowingly, I excitedly screamed, "22!" then gave a little wave. A scene from A League of Their Own for those who aren't familiar with great movies. It's the part where the two dorks are shouting at Rosie O'Donnell "22!" as they clutch bouquets of roses.

Anyway, I started muttering another saying from a movie as I crouched through the kitchen. "Wake up number 23. Wake up." (From the Mothman Prophecies, even though it was actually 37).

SLAM! 23.

Another fly buzzed by my ear but this fucker was fast. I chased him for about five minutes before going to my grandpa's magnifying glass that's attached to the table. I turned the light around the magnifier on and started doing sweeps for the fly like I was some kind of cop looking for the burglar.

There it went! Disappeared again.

There it went! Disappeared again.

Finally after another couple of minutes of doing that I decided to wait the sucker out near the sink. I stood there as he playfully buzzed by my face many times but I didn't flinch. It was either me or this bastard and I was determined it would be me.

Suddenly the insect landed on the microwave door and with one fell swoop, number 24 was on the ground dead. I looked around to make sure it was the last one. It was. I jumped in the air, whirled around and landed with a thundering "make sure your dead" swat. Blood spattered from the body. I grinned my maniacal smile.

I picked up all of the bodies on the battlefield and instead of returning them to their fly families I threw them in the trash. Although I was tempted to burn them. I walked back to the living room and put on my sandals.

"I can kill no more," I said and threw the matamoscas on the floor.

"There must have been a fly convention," my grandma said. I agreed.

"Well now I know I won't have to buy any of that fly spray - I have you," she retorted.

"Yes you do. Because I KICKED THEIR ASS!" I yelled before striding back to my room.

Pudge? Still a Tiger.

As much as I hate to say it, the more time passes the more I'm resigned to the fact that Pudge Rodriguez will never be a Texas Ranger again - until he's enshrined in Cooperstown. There had been talk a couple of seasons ago about bringing Pudge back after he finishes his stint with Detroit and having him be a DH and backup catcher. Well, the way the Rangers team looks to be forming, there won't be room for another veteran to play part-time, even if he did help make the Rangers into what they are today. At least he's still wanted. Detroit picked up the option on his 2008 contract for $13 million and decided not to pay him the $3 million to get out of the contract. The Tigers value him as one of the best catchers in the league, which he still is, but it's obvious his skills are deteriorating. I still think the Rangers should bring him back, not just because he's my favorite player of all time, but because he knows how to play the catcher position. And gee whiz who are we looking at as our catcher next year? Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Pudge could be the perfect mentor for Salty because Pudge came up through the system and has been a multi-time All-Star and won multiple gold gloves. If the Rangers really want Salty to develop into a solid catcher, they should definitely have Pudge showing him the ropes. And when Pudge isn't playing backup catcher he could play first base or DH. Hell, he even played second base for the Tigers one game. I think it'd be best for all parties involved. The Rangers get a future Hall-of-Famer as a mentor for their prized prospect and Pudge gets to keep playing (more than just catcher because he is getting old). Not only that but Pudge will retire in the same uniform he broke into the bigs in - the one with "Rangers" across the chest.

A little something exciting...

I'm officially an intern for the Dallas Desperados.

Can I get a little common courtesy?

It seems the more time passes, the more people forget about the principles our society was built on. I don't know if they still have charm school or not, but it taught something missing from today's world. When did common courtesy wither away? When did kindness go missing?

I think in part technology is to blame. The more technologically advanced society gets, the more detached we become from people. I wasn't old enough to see the days but remember when people had to connect to a switchboard operator to make a phone call? Speaking of phone calls, when did they become a side activity to what we were actually doing? We (I include myself because I do it too) talk on our cell phones while we're driving, watching TV, walking, exercising, even sometimes when we're sleeping. You know those late night calls when you fall asleep talking to someone... Anyway, the other day I was driving down MacArthur Blvd. here in Dallas and a car next to me was trying to turn from a turn-only lane into mine. I thought I'd be the kind soul and let them in, which I did. But then they just jetted off without so much as a wave. Now I understand we all have busy lives and we're trying to get somewhere and in this case, it's a big city with lots of people, but when did it become hard to lift your arm and give a courtesy wave? Now I know I'm being silly because there's millions of people who don't get a courtesy wave everyday and it's nothing unique, but common courtesy has to begin somewhere. Maybe they just weren't brought up right. Seems like there's more and more people who just don't seem to "get it." Like the people I saw one day whose I'd say 8-year-old son was thugged out in baggy jeans pulled around his ass, a tucked out plain white shirt, a "trendy" alternate color Yankees hat and a gold chain around his neck. Seriously? Who in the hell teaches their kids that crap? The same people who don't exchange pleasantries or thanks to others, that's who.

Gates came in today from his first day on the job and it seemed to go mighty well, which was excellent. Then he tells me there was a long line into where his orientation was being held so he kindly held the door open with his foot while everyone passed through. The kindly thing to do right? See at least he was raised right. He then tells me he got a lot of "thank yous" from people but there were also a lot of people who just walked right on past without so much as a glance. I mean come on, Gates went out of his way to make someone's life 2 seconds easier. Think about that. He saved them two seconds. What's that in the grand scheme of things? Not much. But, it was the fact he was willing to save them two seconds that really shows his good manners. I saw the same kind of thing at Best Buy when I went in for my interviews. The security liaison person, who stands at the front of the store and greets people while at the same time watching security cameras , was helping me get to where I needed to be. As I waited for the bosses to come get me, I watched as John greeted every single person walking into or out of the store with a "Hey, hows it going?" or "Have a great day." More than half of the people who walked into the store didn't so much as recognize his presence. They just kept walking (and many talking on their cell phones) because apparently their lives were too busy for a "Hello" and a smile. After several people walked through without responding I asked John, "Does it bother you? All the people coming in and not even saying 'hi?' " He told me it used to bother him at first but now he's used to it. And see that's what our lives have come to. We ignore people so much that even the kind spirits give up and become systematic. I envy people like my grandfather who can walk into any place and talk to people like they were long time friends. Hell, there's times when his long time friends come up to him and he has a 10 minute conversation with them and afterwards he'll turn to me. I'll say, "Ghee, who was that?" to which he'd respond, "Hell if I know." But the important thing is he always made whoever it was feel important. Bottom line: isn't that what everyone wants? To feel important? My grandpa has people skills and a long time ago that's all it took to be successful.

Not only has common courtesy gone out the window but generosity has declined a lot too. How many times have you helped someone out in a time of need? Moreover, when have you helped someone who didn't need help? The example that springs to mind is Tuesday, August 28. Gates and I had been in Dallas about a week and since his favorite baseball team (the Chicago White Sox) were playing my favorite team (the Texas Rangers), we figured we'd ring in the new home by going to the game. Well we end up getting to the park about five minutes late and a little ways into the first inning but that was alright we just wanted to have a good time. So we're walking up to the ticket window when a lady's voice beckons us back. "Do you two want tickets?" Gates said we'd love to. She then proceeded to GIVE us two tickets free of charge. "I'm sorry they're not better," she said. We said it was fine, we just wanted to be at the game. We exchanged thank yous and she, her husband and daughter left. I looked down at my ticket, which didn't look like other tickets I'd had at Ranger games. It had a picture of Gerald Laird in the background with a Texas Rangers logo in the foreground. My eyes went to the ticket price and imagine my surprise when it read "$45.00." I couldn't believe it. Here we were about to spend $12 tops for tickets and a kind soul offers us $45 tickets for free. When we got to our seats we were directly behind the Rangers dugout, 11 rows back. I could see Sammy Sosa and Kameron Loe and Brandon McCarthy and Jarrod Saltalamacchia without binoculars! They were easily the greatest seats I'd ever had. Later on in the first inning the woman and her family sit down next to us and said with a smile, "I guess they were better seats than I thought!" We expressed our thanks again, but I'm sure she could see the happiness she had bestowed upon us. How could anyone not be happy with that? And all it took was someone deciding they would give their extra tickets away to make someone else's day. I will never forget what she did and I hope to some day repay her, if I ever find out who she is.

THE VIEW FROM OUR GREAT SEATS
GATE: HP. SEC 33. ROW 11. SEAT 11.














It's people like the Rangers woman who give me hope for our world. They recognize they have the ability to make a difference, no matter how big, in someone's life. Too bad our world isn't full of people like her. There'd be a lot happier Ranger fans.

Art de la Michael

I decided to put up some of my artwork from the last couple of years. I've been drawing all my life, but I'm still trying to find my way around a paintbrush. Bring Out the Gimp was my first ever painting, which I was extremely pleased with. My joker painting not so much. I didn't go off of another photo so I kind of winged it - especially when I realized I had no black paint. Enjoy.

Castro
8.5''X11'' graphite
















Pyle
8.5''X11'' graphite
















Sinatra
8.5''X11'' graphite and ink
















Superman
8.5''X11'' ink
















Bring Out the Gimp
9"X12" acrylic paint
















Joker
11"X14" acrylic paint

Fight night results

Pacquiao won!

Take that Barrera.

The Kite Runner

A movie I've been anticipating since the book's release has been Kite Runner. Now it looks as though the release date has been pushed back for six weeks. The reason: to protect the children involved in the movie.

The book doesn't exactly put the main characters in a comfortable position. For one, the story takes place in Afghanistan. Two, the boys are of different classes and while friends, must act as unequals. Three, one of the boys witnesses the other being raped and keeps mum about it. The book deals with very sensitive topics especially considering problems in the Middle East and the taboo topic of boys being raped. Needless to say, the story is an amazing one, just watch the trailer at the bottom of this post. It's a story that deserves to be told despite it's sensitive nature.

The plot provided by www.wikisummaries.org:
Amir, the main character in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, witnesses the racially motivated sexual assault of his friend/servant Hassan, perpetrated by a gang of neighborhood bullies. Hassan is a Hazara, a minority ethnic group of Shi'a Muslims. He is attacked by a group of Pashtun boys, lead by Assef, a young boy who heavily identifies with Hitler’s doctrine. After this attack, Amir feels deep guilt and shame, which causes him to shut Hassan out of his life.

Amir attempts to move on with his life. He tries to be the son his father always wanted, but is constantly reminded of Hassan. Even after he and his father, Baba, flee Afghanistan during the Russian occupation and find a new home in America, Amir still cannot rid himself of his memories and regret.

Amir flees to America, marries a Afghan woman, and becomes a successful writer. Yet, a walk in the park after a phone call from Pakistan, reminds him of the joy he felt as a child in Afghanistan kite fighting with Hassan.

Kite fighting, in which children attempt to cut down each other's kite strings, is a popular winter pastime among Afghan children. Kite strings are coated with glue and broken glass, allowing the strings to slice through another kite’s string. A kite runner is a child who runs after and retrieves the kites after they are cut. The greatest prize a kite runner can earn is retrieving the last kite cut during a tournament.

The last happy moment Amir and Hassan share occurs when Amir wins the winter kite tournament as his father watches. He sends Hassan, his kite runner, to fetch the last kite so that Amir can present it to his father. When Hassan goes kite running, he is attacked.

As an adult, Amir is presented with the opportunity to make things right. He receives a call from Rahim Khan, his father’s friend, who requests that Amir travel to Pakistan to see him. During this meeting he tells Amir that Hassan is his half brother. He also tells Amir that Hassan has been killed by the Taliban. Hassan’s son, Sohrab, is still in Afghanistan, and Rahim Khan asks Amir to return to Kabul to save Hassan’s son.

Amir decides to travel into Taliban ruled Afghanistan in order to exorcise the demons of his past. Eventually, Amir finds Sohrab and brings him back to America, finally putting to rest his feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

Following on the book's success, the film version is set to come out soon and I can only applaud the studio in their decision to protect the two boy actors. There is the fear the boys will be ridiculed at school when the movie comes out so they are planning on holding it off until the boys can be safely brought to America where they will wait until the movie's release blows over. It's about time the studios did the right thing and protected their employees because they could have easily have not cared about the boys thereby risking their lives, but saving millions of dollars from pushing back the release date.

If you haven't read the book, read it.

If you don't want to read the book, watch the movie.

I'm sure it'll be good.

THE KITE RUNNER TRAILER

It's like I'm boxing without my gloves

Call me crazy but I'm so excited about tomorrow (today, Saturday). And it's not because of what you might think either. I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl. You may ask, "What could possibly have you this excited?" Could it be two NLDS games tomorrow? No. Could it be the Red River Rivalry game? No. Could it be you start a job? No. Could it be you're going home to visit? No. Then what could it be? The answer is simple:

Manny Pacquiao (44-3-2, 35 KO)









vs.

Marco Antonio Barrera (63-5, 42 KO)









Now most people who know me don't really consider me a boxing fan. In fact, most times when my grandpa watched it, I politely left the room. But in the years I spent with him, I grew to appreciate the sport a little more each time. With every left hook or right jab, my grandpa leaned forward from his perch on the couch and would watch each mind-numbing blow. "God damn, d'you see that?" he'd ask me. Now for the first time in a long time I won't be able to hear him next to me amazed at the fight he's watching. Because it was his enthusiasm for the sport that really got me paying attention. The first real fighter we both loved watching was Manny Pacquiao. When I first saw the Philippines native I thought he was just another scrawny guy trying to make it in the boxing world. But when I started to watch him he captivated me. Pacquiao moved so quickly yet he packed an amazing punch. My grandpa and I would sit there and both cringe and moan "ooohh..." after every Pacquiao punch because he's just that damn exciting to watch. Not only that, he's a huge hero in his home country. So much so that he ran for political office but was cheated out of an election.

Now, when Pacquiao and Barrera first fought Pacquiao was an underdog and now he comes into this fight as the clear favorite; however, it shouldn't be something he takes lightly, not that he would. Barrera will be coming with a purpose. He was knocked out by Pacquiao in their first fight in the 11th round, but more so, Barrera has publicly said this fight would be his last "big fight." Apparently his career is in the decline and even if he won the match, he wouldn't return to the squared circle unless it was for a farewell match against a scrub. Should be interesting to see what happens between the two. FoxSports.com has a preview of the matchup.
Unfortunately I don't have 50 bucks to spend on this fight so I'm probably going to head to Buffalo Wild Wings or another sports bar to try and get in on the action. And I'm sure by the first few rounds I'll be on the phone with my grandpa saying, "Ohhh, did you see that? Pacquiao is kicking the shit out of Barrera!" Then he'll probably start talking about the old times in boxing and how great it was when he saw the local Villa kid fight in West Odessa. I sure do miss our "meaningless" conversations. It's just not the same on a phone - almost like I'm boxing without my gloves.

Pacquiao fighting Morales in the first fight:









Witness Pacquiao Fever

The first Pacquiao-Barrera fight:

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5