To TWITTER or Not to TWITTER

     Everybody that knows me , knows I wear my Sports Feelings on my Sleeves, no even worse, I wear mine around my neck in FLASHING NEON. My wife, Pat and I took in a Ranger game at The Ballpark in Arlington yesterday and had a great time. The atmosphere was that of a playoff game. It was a double header because of a rain out the day before. SIDE NOTE; We took this opportunity to hole up in our den and catch up on half a season of BREAKING BAD, commercial free thank you NETFLIX......sorry for that side track....

      Well back to the BALLPARK, the Rangers were playing a double header that day and since we had tickets for the Sunday game, they moved our game time to NOON, and thus playing a double header, the second starting after 6:OO that afternoon. Our game started out great with a big lead and then the pitching went south quickly. To make a long story short we lost. IF, we had won both games , we would won West outright with Home Field Advantage. THIS year we can't seem to do anything the easy way, just drag it out and SO FAR eventually get it done. WELL, damn a loss in the first game, so we have nearly 4 hours to get home before the next game, so we stop for dinner. I'M telling you this just so I can throw it in the face of my daughter Tomara......We stopped at SWEET TOMATOES, a restaurant she introduced to while she lived in Phoenix. It is a culinary delight that you should try if you get an opportunity. Thanks again Tomara..visit and we will go there.

        At home, I have to balance my time between Sunday NFL football, Fantasy football and the ever important second Texas Ranger game. Thank goodness the Dallas Cowboys don't play until Monday Night Football, BUT...the Rangers did win the late game thankful to NAPOLI..NAPOLI..NAPOLI'S 6 RBI.....2 HOME RUNS..DOUBLE, that if 3ft. further WOULD have made it 3HR's. We did clinch a playoff spot, and one more win against Oakland and we will be the CONFERENCE CHAMPS and onward to THE PLAYOFFS.
      

       OKAY, now you say what does this have to do with TWITTER. Well the pitcher of record for the late Ranger game is a young kid named Derick Holland. He is young lefty with a world of talent and as FLAKY as they come. He is a HUGE TALENT, but sometimes he can just as easily STINK IT UP. His personality makes him a favorite, with things like after success the last post season he made the rounds on late night talk shows with his flair for impersonation of people like the late great play by play Harry Carry and other personalities. He messed with growing a mustache and beard and was about as successful as our young grandchildren  trying the same... he was the butt of joke on game coverage but a great sport about it.

         Well. after he got knocked out of the game...WE DID WIN IT THOUGH... Someone Tweeted on his account, some sensitive derogatory words were used about a so-called heckler from the stands. By this time Holland was on the bench rooting for his replacement and teammates. We were led to believe he tweeted from the bench, which he denied today and speculated his account was HACKED. I very much want to believe him and in fact I do. He is one of those athletes or celebrity type that enjoy interfacing with the public or fans. The League Offices for most sports have had predetermined penalty's set for these offenses and he could possibly be suspended for this. THUS the Rangers will be hurt without his presence. THIS MAY NOT HAPPEN BUT WHAT IF....SO....To TWITTER or Not to Twitter.....IN SPORTS????? POLITICS?????ENTERTAINMENT?????  You tell me.......
         

ANYB0DY KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS???????

    Do you remember when you were young and the circus came to town and all the excitement that was in the air, the early parade through the streets showing off the clowns, the high wire girls in their short skirts and the exotic animals such as the elephants. Oh.oh the smell of those elephants, not an easy odor to forget. SUCH is the odor of the REPLACEMENT REFEREES...Well the stench will soon be gone with the league office and the FOOTBALL CZAR, commissioner Roger Goodell at a press conference announcing the real referees will work the Thursday night football game. DAMN, about time.

     The play calling by the REPLACEMENT REFS have been a joke, a joke I say, but put yourself in the shoes of the GREEN BAY PACKERS, who were completely robbed of a game this weekend. You say, HELL, it's just a game. How about them Packers possibly finishing ONE GAME behind their division leader, or losing a tie breaker to the team that was given THEIR win last weekend and having to miss out on the playoffs. Sure glad it wasn't my team that got screwed.

    Well my friends, you got this done. Maybe not you, but possibly someone you know. I knew many who bitched and moaned about what had happened, but many others took matters into there hands. One of the players for Green Bay, their defensive stud, MATHEWS put Roger Goodell's number out on tweeter. IT BLEW UP with more than 70,000 voice mails for the league office. FANS saying no more, STOP THE REPLACEMENT CIRCUS, get the regular referees back...even Governors, Presidential Candidates and State Senators got on board and WE GOT IT DONE. Yeah for the voice of the FAN.....

   Well, this weekend will be football as usual, old familiar faces we have watched for years with the stripes on their back..those signature expressions..those distinctive moves..everything back to normal and all well in the NFL world..HELL, I just hope they get the calls right.

WELL, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE..

Well, we are full blown into the National Football playoffs...and I have little interest. You might say, I DON'T HAVE A DOG IN THE HUNT. There just isn't a team I am all PSYCHED UP about. I would say there are more teams that I am rooting for too lose than those to win. Who do I think will win it all....NEW ENGLAND..who do I think shouldn't be there at this point...SEATTLE, and today they will be exposed as the frauds that they are. Their coach has stayed a step ahead of all NCAA investigations while at USC and jumped back into the NFL...where he failed before and will again. He will soon be out of options and may slink back to college or maybe below that to the high school ranks. Enough about Pete Carroll...

I am ready for PITCHERS and CATCHERS to hit camp and get the great game of BASEBALL rolling. I'm not sure if the TEXAS RANGERS helped themselves in the off season, did enough to improve the team or HAVE DONE A BACKWARDS SLIDE.... I like the defensive improvement..and as usual Micheal Young as been asked to make a position change, and as usual MR. TEXAS RANGER has done so gracefully. They are running out of positions to move him to, so possibly next off season we could see him in the BULLPEN!!! Sorry, I know that was stupid.

We have generated some excitement with the new ballpark big screen that will be featured this season. I have heard that it's HD resolution will be better than that of the GIANT SCREEN at COWBOY STADIUM... just not as large. This information comes courtesy of the great Chuck Morgan, stadium voice of the ballpark. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

Well this is short and just an expression of my thoughts about NFL...BASEBALL... and let's not forget that the OKLAHOMA SOONERS are preseason NUMBER 1 in college football. WELL... I guess not all is bad. BOOMER SOONER..........

YES......YES.....YES !!!!!

SHORT BUT SWEET...........As of 1pm. cst. JOSH HAMILTON is the American League MVP!! He got all but 6 first place votes. The Texas Rangers had a great year, received plenty of post season honors...ALL except for the Manager of the Year, which Ron Washington deserved. BUT now, we need the big one...The Signing of CLIFF LEE to a contract to be the ace of the Texas Rangers for years to come. KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED AND GIVE IT YOUR BEST MOJO!!!!!

WHAT DO I KNOW???????????

THIS IS SHORT, SWEET & TO THE POINT.....WHAT DO I KNOW? THE BOYS PLAYED LIGHTS OUT..LITERALLY...THE LIGHTS WENT OUT!! I AM TRULY PROUD OF THEM AND IT WAS A GREAT WIN. I LEAVE WITH ONE QUESTION... WHERE WAS THIS EFFORT IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, AND AS FAR AS I KNOW IT IS THE SAME ROSTER. SORRY WADE!!!!!

IS THE GLIMMER GONE on the STAR???

We are nearing the end of the first week without WADE PHILLIPS as coach of the COWBOYS. TO BE UP FRONT--I think the team totally QUIT on WADE.

Coach Phillips record as Cowboy coach speaks for itself. First playoff win for the COWBOYS in 13 years, conference championships,winning percentages...win/loss record. All and all he has done a lot for the club in the last few years and was given a contract extension last year.

BOOM....he is gone and in steps the JASON GARRETT era....HERE COME CHANGES A PLENTY!!!

Players will wear ties on the plane--no more card games and dominoes in the locker room, AND the big change, THEY WEAR PADS AND PANTS IN PRACTICE.

With all these big changes, I can see us going 8-0 the second half of the season. BULL...S****!

The real problems lie within the dog in this team. They were put on a pedestal--told they were really good and going to be the first team to play and be expected to win a SUPERBOWL in their home stadium. Without Tony Romo, the OFFENSE doesn't click. Sorry, John Kitna is a back up for a reason and hadn't taken a snap in two years.

Why?

Cause he is no good--slow interception machine, poor decision maker...need I say more?

We should be looking at NUMBER THREE...quarterback...drawing a blank...SORRY AGGIE FANS....see if he is starter material or just your average backup.

BUT NO...

JERRY JONES' ego, the size of the hole in the roof at the stadium, wants meaningless wins to save face.

TRY TO FIND OUT WHO CAN PLAY--WHO CAN'T, GET A GOOD DRAFT PICK, HIRE A GREAT COACH, and GET USED TO THE IDEA THAT THE PACQUIAO/MARGARITO CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT is going to draw more fans to the stadium than the DALLAS COWBOYS WILL THE REST OF THE YEAR.

This is sad but probably true!!!! THIS COMES FROM A COWBOY FAN!!! Well maybe next year. GO OU and TCU!!!!!!

WOW....LOST FOR WORDS

My mind is running in so many directions....it has started to sink in ...we the TEXAS RANGER FANS are going to the WORLD SERIES. The game has been over for 21/2 hours and the buzzzzzzzzzz on the radio is still going strong. The home station THE FAN that carries the games has the entire staff from all the daily shows talking in a forum and word has it , they may go all night. NEVER...NEVER...have we had baseball talk in OCTOBER, we were lucky if they ever played a meaningful game in SEPTEMBER, BUT ....I can't stop saying it, WE ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!! How sweet it is.

I have grown up a lifelong fan of the Oklahoma Sooners and a Houston Oiler, NOT Texan, and now Dallas Cowboy fan, BUT my passion has always been baseball. As a teenager just barely driving, I would plan trips from Oklahoma to Arlington to see THE TEXAS RANGERS. I would literally wait until they played a double header on a Saturday and a Sunday afternoon game, make the trip and usually stay in a Motel 6 ( We'll leave the lights on for you) That will probably date me with that statement. Nothing better than baseball on a warm afternoon...... did I say warm? It was usually 100 degree plus....damn hot to be more specific. I got to see the late, great Billy Martin, then managing the team by day and punching out marshmallow salesmen by night...the great Toby Harrah, Jim Sunberg......on and on. The great Charlie Hough with his goofy nuckleball, hiding in the dugout between innings sneaking a smoke. They usually lost, but it was baseball, and everyday brought a new hope.

I could talk your ears off about the Rangers, my years as an employee...from ushering to supervising speed pitch machines, to transition into the new park to phone ticket sales... Just to much to say....maybe at a later time....WE ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!! Not just with BATS....we have PITCHING......GO RANGERS!!!!!