No surprise here, but Jake Heaps is officially leaving the school down south.

A lot of rumors out there as to where he could be headed, and no I don't believe Utah is a possibility. I'm sure Steve Sarkisian will go after him again, just like he did originally, but what about Mike Leach and WSU? I see those as the two most likely fits with Heaps being a Washington kid. Some other Pac 12 schools are also rumored to be interested as well as maybe even a couple SEC schools. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.

Way to go Bronco, you just traded two years of Jake Heaps for one year of Riley Nelson. Wise move there.

     I think it's safe to say that I've been thinking about retirement since I got out of college. I really dislike working, in fact, I'm pretty sure I completely loathe it. I've never been able to understand the people who live to work rather than work to live. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, especially if your work is your passion, but for most of us that's probably not the case. So after reading a subthread where Dan had mentioned that he retired at age 46, I figured I'd get the thoughts and advice of others here at LSB. And while I think 50 is the target age for me, I certainly wouldn't mind cutting a few years off of that number as well.

     I've been working in finances for 8 years or so now and feel like I have a better than average grasp on the money side of life. However all of that experience is on the banking and mortgage side of finances. I've got a lot of things lined up from a 401K, to an investment property, to a fairly short-term mortgage right now. That's not where my concern is though. I have a pretty limited knowledge on the investment side of things. Basically general knowledge of CD's, IRA's, common stocks, and the like. That, along with any other financial advice, is what I was looking for when I decided to post this. Where and when to invest? How much to invest? How much do you diversify your investments? Has anyone ever seen that fucking leprechaun or his pot of gold?

     The fact that I don't know if social security will be there when I get ready to retire is concerning, but I know that has been talked about since my father's generation was my age (or even earlier). He was just forced into an early retirement and social security is still here, but I don't want to rely on that. The way I see it, if social security is still around in 30 years, I'll just see that as an added bonus. And while my parents aren't poor, I certainly have never wanted or expected anything to come down from them.

     So while I think I'm doing okay financially, I still feel like I can greatly improve my position to reach that finish line as early as possible. No matter how well off any of us are, I'm sure we all feel like we could do something better to improve our long-term finances (well perhaps except for LAMF). I would love to teach history for 60K a year, then I wouldn't have to worry about this shit. Since I know that's not going to happen anytime soon though, I figured I'd pick the brains of others here to see what some of you are doing to set yourself up. All you damn lawyers have to be doing something with your money, right?

Another week with some pretty solid college football games. Obviously football will be on the back burner for us this weekend with the Rangers playing. I'm sure many of us will be DVRing our schools games though. Here's a list of most of the meaningful games that will be taking place. And is it just me, or does 'meaningful' look like it's spelled weird? Oh well, here we go :

12:00 PM ET Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State

12:00 PM ET Minnesota at No. 20 Wisconsin

12:00 PM ET Boston College at North Carolina State

12:00 PM ET Illinois at Penn State

12:00 PM ET Baylor vs. Texas Tech*

12:21 PM ET Tennessee at Georgia

2:00 PM ET Colorado State at No. 25 Air Force

3:30 PM ET No. 1 Alabama at No. 19 South Carolina

3:30 PM ET Wyoming at No. 5 TCU

3:30 PM ET No. 11 Arkansas vs. Texas A&M*

3:30 PM ET No. 17 Michigan State at No. 18 Michigan

3:30 PM ET UCLA at California

3:30 PM ET Pittsburgh at Notre Dame

5:00 PM ET No. 3 Oregon at Washington State

6:00 PM ET Oregon State at No. 9 Arizona

7:00 PM ET No. 10 Utah at Iowa State

7:00 PM ET Colorado at No. 24 Missouri

7:00 PM ET Arkansas State at North Texas

7:30 PM ET No. 8 Auburn at Kentucky

7:30 PM ET No. 12 LSU at No. 14 Florida

8:00 PM ET Toledo at No. 4 Boise State

8:00 PM ET No. 23 Florida State at No. 13 Miami (FL)

8:00 PM ET USC at No. 16 Stanford

8:00 PM ET Mississippi State at Houston

8:00 PM ET Tulsa at Southern Methodist

9:05 PM ET Rice at UTEP

10:00 PM ET Arizona State at Washington

10:30 PM ET San Jose State at No. 21 Nevada

So let's hear some upset predictions this week. I'll take Kentucky over Auburn, Oregon St. over Arizona, Baylor over Tech, and A&M over Arkansas. What say you?

Some great games today. I'll be looking forward to Stanford v. Oregon and Florida v. Alabama the most. Here's the schedule of many of today's key games:

Oh and one other thing...suck it BYU, ahahahaha.

The other thread was starting to get pretty slow for me, even with no GIF's. So I figured us college sports nuts could use another. I know many here are probably upset with the lack of movement after all the rumors surrounding super conferences and schools moving all over the place. However, I'd imagine there are some of you that are probably relieved as well (I'm talking to you Baylor alumni). The Big whatever is going to stay together. Still some serious questions though about a conference championship game, and whether or not a couple more teams should be added. Problem is, who do you add if you're the Big XII? The pickings now are kinda slim.

 Let's assume that the only changes that are made are as follows:

* Nebraska to the Big Ten

* Colorado and Utah to the PAC 10

* Boise St. to the MWC

Obviously there is still a lot of time for things to happen. What do yo think could still happen? Will the Big XII hold at 10 teams? Will the MWC try to expand further? How about the Big Ten? Will Notre Dame ever stop thinking they're the Notre Dame of 20 years ago? What the hell do we call these conferences now? How happy do you think I am right this minute? Does anyone have a baby that I could punt?

In case you would like a little background to this post, take a minute or two of your time and read this.

And now, It's time for a poll:

Most of us here at LSB are hardcore baseball fans. However I'm sure it doesn't stop there for many of us either. Many of us also cheer for an NBA or NFL team. Perhaps even an NHL or soccer team. A lot of us are also big fans of our alma maters. As sports fanatics we invest so much of our time and energy into our teams. We get involved in ways that many people can't understand. We push aside other obligations with friends or family to watch a big game. Let our spouses know not to bother us tonight because of what is at stake. Lie our asses off to our employers to get time off or call in sick. Our world revolves around sports.

I started thinking about what was the worst loss I've experienced as a fan. What game had me near (or in) tears, made me throw something at the wall, or put me in a bad mood for a week. Now my wife would probably say I act like that over at least 6 or 7 Rangers games every year, but I was thinking about that absolute lowest point of fandom. That heartbreaking moment that makes you feel like you are going to hurl. That loss that keeps you from sleeping at night for two weeks because you just keep replaying everything in your head, over and over again. I came up with 3 answers:

1) 1998 - I was a sophomore in college. And although I didn't have the time to fully invest myself in sports like I do now because I was working full-time and had a full load of classes, this was huge. My Utes had made it to the NCAA basketball championship game against Kentucky. They went deep in the tourney the year before (Van Horn's senior year) and this year had shocked many by getting to the title game. Led by Andre Miller they upset #1 Arizona in the elite 8 and had an 10 point lead at halftime against Kentucky. I couldn't believe what was going to happen. Then the bottom fell out. Kentucky was too deep and pounded them in the second half. I was crushed. It was the toughest loss I've ever experienced.

2) 2003 - Super Bowl XXXVII. Raiders v. Bucs. No need to re-hash this game. The Raiders got their asses handed to them. This loss began the process of sending my interest in the NFL straight down to the depths of Hades. I haven't really cared about the NFL since.

3) 1996 - The Rangers had finally made it. Their first playoff appearance was against the hated Yankees. Again, we all know what happened. I just remember being so excited after they won the first game. Only to have my hopes and dreams of a WS destroyed after that. This could have easily been #1 on my list, but I gave the slight edge to the other two since they were in championship games and this was the first round of a playoff series and not a single game. It was very tough to swallow at the time though, and still is to this day.

So, what say you LSBers. Let's bring back some of those horrible memories. What's the worst loss you've ever suffered through as a fan?

That's right LSBers. Not just the 25 man roster. Not even the 40 man roster. But the whole damn organization. You see, there are many here at LSB that make our baseball lives very enjoyable. So I thought I'd give it a whirl and see what happened. Besides, it's the off-season now, and there are going to be a lot of decisions that this team is going to have to make. Let's start with those who will be making those decisions. Shall we...

Owner : AJM - Did you expect anyone else?

Team President : benmor78 - Who the hell does this guy know to get this gig?

GM : oc - The young GM who rubs some fans the wrong way.

Asst. to the GM : Brett Perryman - Z used to play a much bigger role in the organization, but he's now onto other things.

Manager : t ball - He decides who plays by who tells the best "dad" jokes.

Pitching Coach : NoNameOnCard (Trip Somers) - Pretty obvious choice here.

Hitting Coach : SpurDynasty (David Brown) - Just go up there hacking, he doesn't give a shit about walks.

Bench Coach : Ed Coffin - The elder statesman who keeps t ball in line.

1st Base Coach : Jason Parks - I think he has his eye on the Halos Heaven job.

3rd Base Coach  : Joey Matschulat - Would like a bigger role in the organization.

Bullpen Coach : MJH - most have forgotten he's still part of the staff.

Minor League Instructor : shroomer - No explanation needed.

The 25 man roster...

SP : DSheppard - Ace of the staff. Throws a wicked GIF.

SP : Brian Thomas - Just needs to stay healthy. Pulled an ass muscle earlier in the season.

SP : GhostofEricThompson - Some think this will be his last year. He's looking for a big FA contract.

SP : DJCahill - He thinks you should just shut the hell up.

SP : baseballismyboyfriend - Still young. Needs to work on the offspeed stuff.

RP : Rodney - Easily able to pitch/post everyday.

RP : boomer1 - See Rodney.

RP : lonestarJon - Every Post Jonny.

RP : Kinsler Homer - Power arm in the 'pen.

RP : RangerMad - The lefty.

RP : JBImaknee - The long man?

Closer : brett gardner - I think he has found his role on the team.

1B : tricer - Needs to work on his plate discipline.

2B : clark - Mentioned in a lot of trade rumors. Team looking to dump his salary.

3B : bigsteve - Just doesn't have the range to play SS anymore.

SS : philkid3 - Needs to step up offensively. Solid glove though.

C : NothinG - Strong arm. Weak bat.

RF : Dirk Diggler - What can I say. He has a Metallica avatar, he had to be on the team.

LF : rentz - Shitty arm, but a ton of speed. t ball isn't comfortable with him in CF yet.

CF : ghtd36 - Stop running into walls jackass. This team needs your bat in the lineup.

DH : RCCook - He carries a big bat.

Bench : Josey Wales - His body is rejecting the fact that he's an everyday player in The Show.

Bench : WyoRanger - Should be getting more playing time.

Bench : Chase Irwin - The 4th OFer.

Bench : FuturePants - Personal catcher for bbimbf. Not sure what she sees in him.

The rest of the 40...

rooster

williamos2

LiamP

Gdawg

cmkelly29

Requiem

cstorm15

Maximillion

lisa w

SteveP

chief

Goyogringo

knockoutking

Big Guns

tyd3311

Still need some work in  OKC...

trza

PM productions

pblack

iorange555

tdi1985

Agreen07

blalock84

hinduplaya

WesTxAg06

laxtonto

egriffey

SarasotaRanger

Black Francis

This years FA's (posters missing in action)...

thedirkatron - Last seen punting.

FirebatM3 - He doesn't like you.

Athos - Thinks he can get more $ elsewhere.

Sharky - Anyone want to talk about offensive coordinators?

ab03 - Wants to play for a contender.

miles - Still needs much more schooling.

hurlerhurley - Off to the clinic.

It's impossible to do a list like this and not forget someone. So if I did, so what? This shit isn't suppose to be serious anyway. Just thought I'd have a little fun. Figured I'd steal the idea of a few others and expand on it a little. Besides, it's not like we have the playoffs to look forward to right now anyway. Little Boy oc better get this damn thing right in 2010. Finishing second isn't good enough anymore.

Well, with baseball season officially done it's time to turn my attention to my #2 sporting interest. Some big games out there today. Here are some of the notables.

Cal @ Min.

Tenn. @ Florida

USC @ UW

Tulsa @ OU

Neb. @ Va Tech

Utah @ Oregon

Mich. St. @ Notre Dame

Cin. @ Oregon St.

Florida St. @ BYU

Georgia @ Arkansas

Texas Tech @ Texas

I can guess what game many of you will be watching. I, of course, have a big interest in my Utes in Eugene.

on my first trip to Arlington. This was also my first trip to Texas, with the exception of a flight connection in Houston. I was able to go to 4 games. Would have been 5 if not for the rainout. Rather than post pictures (because I have a shitty camera and most of them are just of my father and I) and talk about the games, I thought I would rather comment on some other things I noticed in no particular order:

I thought fire hydrants were red?

Any reason for the sideways stop lights?

Has anyone ever lost a small child down those big ass storm drians?

The Titan and Mr. Freeze = great coasters. The Texas Giant = pile of shit. I think I broke a rib on that herky-jerky old thing.

Where were all the hot Texas women? I saw a couple here and there. However for the most part I was very disappointed. Certainly didn't compare to California women in the summer.

Damn will they deep fry anything in the south (and yes I consider Texas the south). My dad had deep fried corn on the cob at one place we ate. Way to make even vegetables unhealthy Texas!

We were refered to as "y'all" 207 times.

Pretty crazy storm a week ago. The wind and thunder Wednesday night followed by all the rain the next morning. I thought I was going to be in for a long trip. Luckily the rest of the time the weather was alright. I assume those kinds of storms happen often there though.

The Arlington Trolley System is a joke. Damn thing was never on time and often an hour late.

The Holiday Inn just north of I-30 is very nice.

They sure are tearing up the roads out there right now. Made it a little difficult to get around at times.

Fuck the stadium lights on the first base side by home plate. That delay was worse than the rainout. At least during the rainout it was pretty cool to just stand there and watch the storm.  

Drove through both Dallas and Fort Worth. Overall wasn't too impressed. However only spent about an hour in each city and we didn't know where we were going so I know we missed most of it.

The biggest thing though was the damn humidity. I really don't understand how you guys can live down there in the summer. There was overcast most of the time we were there, but it was still very humid. I've always been one to dismiss people when the talk about the Texas heat and their players struggling when the summer kicks in, but I'm not so sure I can do that now. It does have to be challenging to play in that humidity sometimes.

Overall it was a fun place to visit. The stadium was great. People were very nice. It was pretty cool to go to a few games with my dad again. Reminded me of when I was a kid and how I grew to love baseball so much in the first place. Don't think I could ever live in Texas though. The humidity is just too much for me.

So I'm officially making my first trip to Arlington here in June. I will be going to the June 9th and 10th games against the Blue Jays and the June 12th and 13th games against the Dodgers. I'm pretty damn pumped up. I've been a Rangers fan for over 15 years now and have always had to watch them on TV or as a visiting fan in the Colisseum before.

Here are my questions for you locals. I'm planning on going to Six Flags on the 11th and to the Hurricane Harbor during the day before one of the games. I've noticed they sell tickets for the kids price if you buy them on line at their site. I think around $30 for Six Flags and $20 for the water park. My question is are these two places worth checking out? Anyone know of any other deals (i.e. I can get cheap tickets for a park here in Utah at Costco) for those parks or any other places to visit? What other sites should I check out while I'm in town? Museums (I'm a history buff), hot spots, et al.  I'm definitely going to be renting a car so I figure anything within an hour or so of Arlington is fair game.

I have an ex-coworker that should be hooking me up with tickets, but hasn't come through yet. I'm pretty sure she will, but just in case she doesn't, what is the best way to buy tickets there? Just at the gates before the games? My only fear is that if the Rangers keep playing as well as they have been that there will be fewer seats available. I don't expect those games to sell out, but I certainly don't want to be stuck in the nose bleed sections either. I know there have been a couple fan posts in the past that people suggest sections 230-236 (?) as good seats. Any other seating suggestions? Also, where is the best place to buy Rangers memorabilia? I think I'll need to stock up while I'm there.

So if any of you LSBers are going to be at those games and you see some 30 year old guy walking around with his U of U gear on next to a guy wearing a SF Giants hat, that would be me and my father. Damn I'm excited. Finally a trip to RBiA.

So with the news that Andruw Jones is going to accept the Rangers offer, the OF picture is obviously a little more curious. The Rangers now have Hamilton, Cruz, Byrd, Murphy, Jones, and Catalanotto in the mix to start the year and Boggs, Borbon, and Golson will be sitting at OKC waiting for their shot later this year or in 2010. Doing a little bit of math that means the Rangers could have 9 guys trying to find playing time in the OF somtime this year. We all have our preferences as to how we would like to see this play out. Here's my best guess:

Hamilton - Obviously the one guy there is no question about. If healthy he will start every day, the only question is where? Does he start in CF or move to a COF spot early in the year? Having guys like Byrd and Jones would not only allow him to move to RF/LF but also give him a day off against a tough LH pitcher. I still think he will start the year in CF. I would put him in RF and leave him there for a long time. Starting this year.

Cruz - He will probably be given one of the COF spots to start the year. He should be an everyday guy 'til he proves one way or another if he can produce in the bigs. He will have a short leash though. If not producing when starting for a couple months he could be gone. My guess is that he will start in RF if he does well he stays, if not then he will be gone with Hamilton moving to RF.

Byrd - The guy has earned a spot with his performance the last couple of years. The only problem is he doesn't really fit into the teams long-term plans. He can play all 3 OF spots pretty well and will probably platoon with Murphy as it stands right now. My guess though is that the Rangers are looking at moving him sometime soon.

Murphy - I'm not a big fan of David Murphy. I feel at best he should be a platoon player. I would also like it if the Rangers tried to move him in a deal for pitching. I don't think they are going to do that though. My guess is that he's the starting LFer against RH pitching.

Jones - This is a low risk move imo although many may not like it because he could take playing time away from guys that will be here past this year when it's likely he won't be. He's a huge ? right now. If he plays his way into the OF mix though he will have had to perform pretty well and I don't see that as a bad thing. My guess is that he takes the last spot on the roster at the expense of...

Catalanotto - Frank has been nothing but a class act since he basically stopped playing at all last year. He really is a guy without a spot or role on this team right now and I think he will eventually be cut loose. Hopefully he can catch on somewhere as a LH PH hitter off the bench, maybe with a NL team somewhere.

Boggs - I really like Brandon Boggs and think he could be a quality ML OFer. He should start everyday at OKC and depending on how well he does there he could force the Rangers hand into to dealing Byrd or Murphy. If Boggs can produce as well as either of them he is more valuable imo because he plays good defense and is under team control longer than Byrd. Also being a switch hitter he won't have the issues with LH pitching like Murphy does. He should be up in Sept., or sooner if there are injuries.

Borbon - He's coming fast. Hopefully he has a great year at OKC and will force his way into a Sept. call up, maybe sooner. When he does arrive he should be the starting CFer and will force Hamilton to a COF spot. I'm pretty excited about the idea of his defensive ability in CF.

Golson - Greg probably has the biggest uphill climb to make it into the OF mix this year. I think he will spend the entire season in OKC and if he performs well he very well could be a trade piece. If he struggles he could be in AAA for some time. I'm not really sold on him but a strong performance at OKC could obviously change my mind.

My guess is that to start the year the Rangers go with Byrd/Murphy in LF, Hamilton in CF, and Cruz in RF with Jones on the bench and spelling Hamilton from time to time and DHing against LH pitching. Discuss...   

And here is another reason why :

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/notebook?page=notebook/onthemark1110

Here comes the rant. This shit just pisses me off. This SEC homer, who of course is a grad of Georgia, has the nerve to say any team in the ACC or Big East has done more to deserve a shot in the BCS over Utah. Really? Last I checked the Utes were the original "BCS busters" in 2004 and they thumped PItt, and they would have done the same thing to any other team that year not named USC or Auburn. I'm not saying this years Utes are as good as the '04 team, I don't believe they are. However the MWC is a much better league this year than it was then and is far better than the Big East or ACC. I don't understand the lack of respect for my Utes. I don't think they should be in the NC game, but if they go undefeated why do they not belong in the BCS? The Utes could hang with almost anyone this year except perhaps Florida, Texas, Tech, and Oklahoma. They may not beat teams like Bama, USC, Penn St., OK St., etc. but they would have a shot, and they deserve that shot, I don't want to see them play another Pitt if they win their next 2 games.

There are good college football teams not in the BCS conferences. I know this may surprise some of these ESPN jackasses. Utah or TCU's defense would hold any team in the country under 20 points (except Florida, Texas, Tech, Oklahoma, and OK St.). Their defenses are that good. Why is it when they play a 13-10 game it's boring, but when a Big XII or SEC team plays a 13-10 game it's a "defensive slugfest". BYU and Boise St. would put up 40 + on most teams in country. However when they do it in their conferences it's just another "crazy WAC shootout" (even if the team isn't in the WAC anymore). However when teams in the Big XII put up 40 or 50 on each other it's a great offensive game.

Like them or not Utah and Boise St. belong in the BCS. Certainly more so than any Big East or ACC team. I think Boise St. is overrated, but they have been there before and won, and if they go undefeated then they deserve to go again. If teams in the MWC, WAC, C-USA, MAC, and Sunbelt don't deserve to go to a big bowl when they go undefeated then just seperate them from the 6 BCS conferences into their own college football subdivision.

I know many here won't care about this, but I figured I'd post it for myself to blow off some steam and for any other fans of the "mid-majors" out there. I know there are some Frog fans on this board as well. Someone needs to start to stick up for the little guy in college football and I wish someone in the media would do so as well. Damn, what I wouldn't give for a playoff system. 8 teams. Keep the Bowl system. the first 4 games can be called the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange. Then play a Semi-Final and a Championship Game. I just don't see it happening though. These greedy BCS college presidents will never let it happen. They don't even like one of the "mid-majors" getting a little piece of the pie every other year or so.

ESPN treats college football like they do MLB. If you're not the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, etc. then you don't belong in the league and you get no respect. I hate them for it. End of rant.

So the RedHawks are going to be here in Salt Lake the next four days and I plan on going to at least the first 3 games (I'll have to se how my daughter is holding up on Friday). With many of the Ranger kids already up I was thinking about who I was really looking forward to seeing. I just checked Shroom's site and low and behold he has BMac going tomorrow. Not bad.

This will be the first game(s), and probably last, I see in person this year. It will be nice to see JMJ, Tx2, and Duran, but I must admit I'm a little disappointed with the level of prospects right now at OKC that I will get to see. Ya know, compared to the other guys in the system with other teams. It's a good and bad thing of course. Guys like Davis, MaxRam, Boggs, Hurley, and Harrison are with the Rangers sooner than many of us expected, but I still selfishly would have liked to have been able to see some of them play in person before they hit the bigs. Oh well.

One thing a I can say is that I won't be doing in depth game fanposts with pics, etc. like some of the other peeps here at LSB have done. They are nice, but I just don't think I will have time to do so. Besides, I don't think I like you guys that much anyways.

Well another bad start to the season for the second straight year. This time it's 9-18. Ugh. While we have seen one Dallas area coach/manager already get canned today, many here would like Wash to suffer the same fate as Avery. Let me just say this though. No matter who takes over the team if Wash is fired, whether it's Howe, Walbeck, or someone else, they will still have the same team. To me a team is 95% players and 5% manager (if that). I don't want this fanpost to be about Wash though. We have had enough of those already.

Instead, I'm trying to see what positives can still come form this season. For me it all starts with developing the young players and getting some of them significant playing time this year to see what they have. This is what I would like the Rangers roster to look like come August 1st, after the trade deadline.

*Lineup*

1- Kinsler - 2B

2- MY - SS

3- Hamilton - CF

4- Bradley - RF (deal him if a team overwhelms you at the deadline though)

5- Blalock - 3B (deal him if a team overwhelms you at the deadline though)

6- Salty - CA

7- Davis - 1B (play everyday in AAA until July 31st)

8- MaxRam - DH (play everyday in AAA until July 31st, can also be the backup CA)

9- Murphy - LF

*Bench*

Duran (play everyday in AAA until July 31st)

Boggs (play everyday in AAA until July 31st)

Shelton (emergency catcher)

Vasquez, Laird, Byrd, and Cat should all be dealt for whatever we can get for them.

Broussard should be DFA'd by then.

*Rotation*

Millwood

Padilla (deal him if a team overwhelms you at the deadline though)

Gabbard (please stay healthy)

Hurley (pitch every 5th day in AAA until July 31st)

Mendoza/ Mathis/Harrison/Feldman/Pirate/Ponson (deal him if possible as well)

I don't think we see B-Mac this year. :(

*Pen*

BGL

Jack (deal him if he has good value)

Wright (deal him if he has good value)

Guardado (deal him)

Wes

Fx2

Rupe

Madrigal

Rheino

Nippert

German, Fuku, and Jennings should be DFA'd or dealt if possible.

Most of this teams young talent is still a little ways away. But some guys like Salty, Davis, MaxRam, Hurley, Duran, Boggs, Mathis, Harrison, Gabbard, Mendoza, etc. need to get a lot of playing time the last 2/3 months of the season. Plus if we are able to deal some guys we should get at least a couple young players back that we could take a look at as well. Let's face it, when the Rangers get crushed what do we all do? Go to the minor league sites to see what some of the kids did to try and lift our spirits. So what do you guys think? Would you be happy with that lineup come August 1st? Are there any other young players that may be able to contribute this year, for example if Mayberry tears up AAA do you bring him up? Thoughts?

I could do without right now. I have tried to stay positive with this team. After all I didn't expect then to finish with more than 75 wins or so. The last 4 games though have left me rather upset. There are many players that are underperforming right now, but here are the 5 guys that I would like to see gone as soon as possible.

1) Ben Broussard - I was not a fan of him coming here to begin with. He has shown some power and that he can hit RHP a little but his defense is pretty bad and I don't think he hits over .240 as a full-time player. I'm one of the few that still thinks Botts has a shot and this year should be that chance. Dump Broussard.

2) Marlon Byrd - Byrd is a great guy. I love his hustle, defense, and attitude. However I don't think he can hit like he did last year and whatever value he had at the beginning of the year is slowly fading away. Deal him to a team that needs a defensive 4th OFer.

3) Frank Catalanotto - The guy has no defensive value and on a team that is already loaded with left-handed hitters his offensive value is almost non-existent as well. I think Cat is on the way down. He has been a good hitter over his career but last year was the beginning of his decline. Hopefully he starts to hit well enough for some team to want to pick up his contract.

4) Jason Jennings - The guy has shown little control and his velocity is at 82-86 mph. That's just not going to work. I think he would lead the league in HR allowed if kept in the rotation all year. It's still early but he has shown me nothing so far and I wouldn't be hurt if he was DFA'd tomorrow.

5) Gerald Laird - I will say this about OMFT. He can bunt and has a very good arm. That's about it though. I'm not a fan of his other defensive abilities including handling the pitching staff, getting in front of balls in the dirt, and framing pitches. He does have some value and the Rangers should take advantage of that ASAP. Salty is tearing up AAA right now and this lineup needs another right-handed bat.

List the 5 Rangers that you would dispose of and why. And yes, you could include a coach, for example.  Or perhaps a certain over-paid player who is defensively challenged if you wish. Vote in the Poll for the one that stands out the most to you.

This could spell the end to McCain. He is already viewed as not conservative enough by many on the right. The NY Times took a play right out of the republican/Rove playbook by waiting on this story. They release it now that McCain all but has the nomination sealed up. This could hand the Presidency to Obama/Clinton if more comes out and it turns out they had a romantic relationship. Wow. (Sorry AJM about the political diary, I know about your rule and if you want to pull this I understand)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/us/politics/21mccain.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogi n&adxnnlx=1203571055-W815bDcNyyYDHlL6OY8YcQ

So with tonight's win the Celtics are now 28-3. This is the best start for any team since the shot-clock era began.

I realize they have played a soft schedule so far and have yet to play the elite in the West (Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix) but this team is for real. I think they are easily in the top 5 in the NBA right now with those 3 Wetern teams and the Pistons.

They have found a few bench players in Posey, House, Tony Allen, and Big Baby. Their defense has been great, and watching the "PGA Tour" has been a lot of fun. They did go 4-0 on a recent west-coast trip including wins over the Lakers and the Jazz as well.

I am not saying they will win it all. In fact I think they will lose in the Eastern Confrence finals to Detroit, but for the first time in over a decade watching the NBA is a option for me. I know there are a lot of Dallas fans here but I'm curious as to what you think. There is also a poll on you right as to how far you think this team will go.

I'm sitting here watching the playoffs thinking... when was the last time any of my teams actually won a championship? As it turns out it was when I was 7 years old, I wasn't much of a fan back then.

Just curious as to what other sports teams people on LSB are Die-Hards for. I assume there are quite a few Cowboy fans here but also probably some big college sports fans as well.

Are there any other long suffering fanatics out there? Who do you cheer for in other sports? What is your all-time favorite moment as a fan for your favorite teams?

My favorite sports and teams are listed below in order of how much I like the sport...

Baseball- Rangers
College Football- Utah Utes
College Basketball- Utah Utes
Football- Raiders
Basketball- Celtics

The Celtics won the Championship in 85/86 when I was 7 and the Raiders won the Superbowl in 1984. I have had glimmers of hope- Rangers in mid/late 90's, Raiders in '03, Utes in basketball in the mid 90's made a final four and a few sweet sixteens, but I would have to say my favorite moment in sports so far was the undefeated Utes in '05 who went to the Fiesta Bowl but of course did not get a shot at USC (who would have probably beat Utah by 20 but it would have been nice to at least see them get a shot). A close runner up was the first division title in '96.

Anyway, just kinda bored and wondering what everyone thinks. I just want one World Series in my lifetime and as soon as the Rangers win it all that will be my #1 moment. Until then I just watch other fans celebrate their moment of glory.

So while watching the play in game with the Pads and Rox, Firebat and myself had a debate over the NL MVP. I am curious as to what others think.

I believe there are 3 or 4 candidates (if you include Fielder).

Rollins
Holliday
Wright
Fielder

I believe they finish in the above order but all 4 had great years. If you have a vote who do you vote for NL MVP? I have included a poll, but as always the "V" for valuable will come up when talking about MVP...who was the most valuable player to their team?

We have all speculated on who will be the Rangers starters next year. However, with 2009 a more realistic year for a competitive team how would you stack up AAA next year?

Where do players like Davis, Duran, Boggs, Hurley, Harrison, JMJ, Rupe, Kometani, Arias, etc. fit in?

Any players making position changes? i.e. Davis!?

How about the rotation, are Hurley and Volquez in the bigs or heading the charge at AAA?

I really hope the Rangers can compete in 08, but if not, who are we grooming for the 09 team?