As much fun as I’m having watching the Rangers every night, I’m already looking ahead to next season.  Hank Blalock and Ramon Vazquez are likely done in Arlington and that will open up a spot at 3rd base in ’09.  The good thing for Texas is their replacement is already in the organization.  His name is Elvis Andrus.  The 19 year old shortstop is hitting .291 with 52 RBIs in Frisco this season.  Moving Andrus from SS to 3rd will give him a chance to get his feet wet at the major league level before he replaces Michael Young at shortstop.  (The move will also save money and allow Texas to make a play for CC Sabathia in the off-season.)

            Please tell me why 1B Chris Davis is batting 8th in the Rangers lineup?  The 22 year old future star is hitting .351 with 11 RBI in the last 15 days. (.316 in the last 30 days)  I understand the theme of a righty, lefty lineup, but Marlon Byrd hitting 5th is a joke.  Please give Josh Hamilton some protection and move Davis up in the order.

            I know I just questioned Ron Washington, but the 2nd year manager deserves a lot of credit for the Rangers turnaround.  Even though most people were calling for his head after two months last season, his team has been 13 games over .500 (112-99) since June 14, 2007.  I don’t think there are many managers who could have a record like that with pitching staff he’s been given.  Tampa Bay skipper Joe Maddon deserves the AL Manger of the Year, but Ron Washington shouldn’t be far behind.

            When Team USA announced that Jason Kidd was going to be part of the Olympic team, I questioned the decision.  Here are Kidd’s averages through 5 exhibition games; 13 minutes per game, 1 ppg, 2 rbs, 1.4 asts and 1.6 turnovers.  Kidd has been starting, but that will last long.  Chris Paul and Deron Williams are too good to keep off the court.

            38 days till Ohio State at USC.  (Just 24 days till the opener.)

Cody Crystal Ball (a.k.a. Bold Prediction of the Week)

            Cowboys 4th round running back Tashard Choice will have more carries this season than 1st rounder Felix Jones.  Like most people are saying, I think Felix will be used for like Reggie Bush.  Steve Dennis said Tashard’s running style reminds him of Emmitt Smith.  (Bill Jones is too excited to see #29 hit the hole and break into the secondary.)

I don’t think there’s any question the Cowboys have the most talented team in the NFC.  It seems like injuries are only thing that can stop them from the NFC Championship Game.  Terence Newman’s “strain, pull or tear” of the groin isn’t a good way to start camp.  The Cowboys have been the healthiest team in the NFL the past five seasons.  This isn’t the year they want the law of averages to catch up with them on the injury front.

            I love how ESPN is finally doing the story about Terrell Owens’ transformation into a good teammate.  Anyone who follows the team did that story a year ago.  Owens hasn’t been a major problem since joining the Cowboys in 2006, but no one knows that because of perception ESPN has created.

            Like most people, the Brett Favre story is beating me down.  I am however really surprised the Packers don’t let him return.  Green Bay has a chance at the Super Bowl this season and they’re basically throwing it away because they’re ready to move on to Aaron Rodgers.  The Packers should realize how hard it is to win a Super Bowl and let Favre return as the starter.

            As much as I love Gerald Laird as the catcher of the Rangers, he needs to be traded before the tomorrow’s trade deadline.  Not only can Texas can get a good prospect in return, but it will allow for the Max Ramirez era to officially begin.  (I would also trade Jarrod Saltalamacchia for an above average little leaguer.  He’s batting .242 since being traded from Atlanta a year ago.  He’s done.)

            Listen to this stat I heard last week while watching a Phillies and Mets game.  Former MVP Ryan Howard is hitting an awful .237 is year.  He’s on pace to become the first player in MLB history to strike out 200 times in a season. (He’s actually on pace for 215)  What’s even more amazing is that he’s actually hitting .580 when he puts the ball in play. 

            If someone tells you Albert Pujols isn’t the best player in baseball, stop listening to them.  They don’t know anything about the game.

Adam Scott will get back on track at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.  Whoever Bull picks doesn’t have the skills to get it done.  (UPDATE: Cody 2, Bull 3)

Of all the people affected by the Jeremy Shockey trade to the Saints, I’ll bet none of them are as happy as Cowboys safety Roy Williams.  It seems like Shockey has made a living by being beating Williams one on one.  I was surprised to see that in 10 career games versus the Cowboys, Shockey only has 43 catches for 498 yards and 6 touchdowns.

            Even though Josh Hamilton has been impressive the last two and a half weeks, (batting .321 since July 5) I still don’t think he’s healthy.  It’s more than every day aches and pains.  He hasn’t been running hard on ground balls and he’s walking tentatively back to the dugout after strikeouts.  He’s already played in 97 games this year, after only playing 90 games during his rookie year.

            The Rangers need to sign Milton Bradley to a long term deal.  He’s been terrific this season and is only 30 years old.  His teammates always talk about how much he adds to the clubhouse.  I know he has struggled to stay healthy his entire career.  In 8 seasons in the majors (’00-’07) he’s only averaged 86 games played.

            Why is Marlon Byrd in the lineup everyday?  He has started 26 of the last 29 games before Monday’s day off.  The Byrdman is hitting just .250 this month and just .125 with runners in scoring position.  David Murphy on the other hand has only started 20 of those last 29.  Murphy is performing better, 60 RBIs and is hitting .283 with RISP, but he’s seeing less time.  Murphy and Hamilton should play every day, while Byrd should split time with Brandon Boggs.

            52 days till Ohio State vs USC.

Jim Furyk will win at the Canadian Open and help me tie up the series.  (Anthony Kim should have won the British Open) (UPDATE: Cody 2, Bull 3)

I’ve now been to 3 practices out at Valley Ranch as the Cowboys go through OTAs.  That’s all the time I need to name the 3 players I expect to have break out years.

-Miles Austin – He played a big role in the Cowboys playoff game against the Giants last year.  With the questionable status of Terry Glenn, Austin’s speed could make a difference right away.  (FYI: he beat Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones and made a great catch on a deep ball from Tony Romo yesterday)

-Mike Jenkins – The Cowboys stole him with the 25th pick in the draft.  He is playing one of the boundary corner positions on the Cowboys’ nickel defense.  Adam Jones is playing the other corner position.  Pro Bowler Terence Newman is playing the slot while Anthony Henry is lining up as a linebacker and guarding tight ends.

-Tony Curtis – The Cowboys gave Anthony Fasano away because they were comfortable with Curtis filling the role as backup tight end.  They did draft Martellus Bennett in the 2nd round, but its Curtis and Jason Witten that make up the two tight end offense.  The 3rd year TE from Portland State is big, smooth and appears to have the confidence of Romo.

I picked the Lakers to win the NBA Finals and of course they are going to lose.  However, a Boston victory would continue an amazing streak for me.  A Celtics win would increase my streak of picking the wrong team in NBA playoff series to somewhere around 5 or 6.  I actually haven’t picked a series right since sometime in March or whenever these playoffs started.

Root for Tiger Woods to win the U.S. Open this week at Torrey Pines.  If you’re looking for players to cheer against, you can start with these six guys; Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Jim Furyk, Jeff Quinney, Henrik Stenson and Padraig Harrington.

            (Updated Score: Cody 1 Bull 1)

I would like to formally apologize to my boy Marlon Byrd.  I made a negative comment about the Rangers slugger and I hope he can forgive me.  In case you’re not paying attention, the Byrdman has more than doubled his average from .125 to .259 in about four weeks.  You can’t hold a good hitter down forever.

Written: 6/12/08

Posted: 7/2/08

Pacman Jones has only been a ‘member’ of the Dallas Cowboys for 5 weeks.  Even though it’s only been a little more than a month, I’m already tired of him.  There are so many little court occurrences, misdemeanors, and gambling debits, it’s just wearing me out.  Roger Goodell needs to make a ruling on wither or not Pacman can play this season.  Just hurry up and get it over with.  I also love how people think he’s going to be an impact player if he plays this season.  He missed an entire season of football.  I hope rookie Mike Jenkins is good enough to be higher on the depth chart than Pacman.

            NBA finals are going to be great this year.  The Lakers and Celtics will be the best finals since the Jordan era.  I’m picking L.A. to win, but I hope Boston gets the title.  I don’t want to hear about Kobe being as good as Jordan.  That’s just ridiculous at this point.  Kobe hasn’t won a championship without a dominant big man.  Michael won 6.  Case closed.  Plus, is Phil Jackson the best coach in the history of sports?  It’s time to seriously consider it.  He has 9 championships and could easily add a few more in the next couple of years.

            The Rangers are only 4 games back in the west and appear to hanging around that .500 mark.  Even though the plan to play Hank Blalock at first base has hit a snag, Ron Washington needs to find someone to play the position.  Chris Shelton is the everyday first baseman and is batting .206.  I still can’t figure out why Jarrod Saltalamacchia can’t play there.  They are trying to find a spot for Salty and it would fill a big need for Texas.

Written: 5/30/08

Posted: 7/2/08

Here are a couple of feelings and predictions about this huge sports weekend.

Cowboys

            I hope the Cowboys trade the 22nd pick in the draft.  There is a big fall off of talent in the top 8 picks and between 9 and 16.  If they pick a cornerback, running back or wide receiver like they should, it will be a reach pick. (aka a Bobby Carpenter type of choice)

Players you want your team to pick:                           Avoid these players this weekend:

Glenn Dorsey DT (LSU)                               Jake Long OT (Michigan)

Sedrick Ellis DT (USC)                                Matt Ryan QB (Boston College)

Vernon Gholston DE-LB (Ohio State)          Devin Thomas WR (Michigan State)

Rashard Mendenhall RB (Illinois)                  Felix Jones RB (Arkansas)

Mike Jenkins CB (South Florida)                  Aqib Talib CB (Kansas)

James Hardy WR (Indiana)                           DeSean Jackson WR (California)

Malcolm Kelly WR (Oklahoma)                  Brandon Flowers CB (Virginia Tech)

Limas Sweed WR (Texas)                           Justin King CB (Penn State)

Fred Davis TE (USC)                                  Chevis Jackson CB (LSU)

Kevin Smith RB (Central Florida)                 John David Booty QB (USC)

Trevor Laws DT (Notre Dame)                    Jacob Hester FB (LSU)

Mavericks

            I really think the Mavericks are going to show up this weekend against the Hornets.  What does that mean?  Not much I guess.  This hasn’t happened yet, but the Mavs can play well and still lose.  I’m guessing that will happen this weekend.

            Brandon Bass should be starting for Erick Dampier.  Bass can score and plays with the physical mentality that Avery Johnson keeps talking about.  Avery keeps saying Bass’ defense keeps costing him playing time. Who cares, they’re giving up 115 points on 53% shooting through two playoff games.

Byron Nelson Championship

            Any tournament without Brandt Snedeker is going to struggle for ratings.  Most people talk about Tiger Woods driving golf, but without Sneds in the field, viewers just plain won’t tune in. 

Rangers 

            Josh Hamilton will continue to lead the American League in RBIs.  Also, can we look at the good moves Jon Daniels has made of the last year and a half as Rangers General Manager? 

2008    Josh Hamilton - One of the top two players on the roster.

            Milton Bradley - Leads the team in batting average. (.329)

            Franklyn German - One of the sure things in the Texas Bullpen (0.87 ERA)

2007    Eric Gagne - Was great as closer and received a ton in a trade with Boston (Kason Gabbard)

Kenny Lofton - Signed and traded to Cleveland for young catcher.

Sammy Sosa - Was basically signed as a joke and added  21 HR and 92 RBI.

 Written: 4/24/08

Posted: 7/2/08