Video: Big Mac & Galloway (stand in) evaluate the Dallas Cowboys draft

 

 

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Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington is ejected; do umps have a "magic word"?

Entertainment Weekly has a slew of updates on TV shows that will likely get axed, or renewed for the fall; it's not feeling good about the GCB, which features Leslie Bibb.

... ... ... ...

In the Rangers' 5-2 defeat against the Tampa Bay Not Devil Rays on Sunday night, Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington was ejected in the 7th inning, on his 60th birthday no less.

It appeared that Wash' said his peace to the home plate umpire Dan Bellino, who didn't let it go and hit the eject button.

It was only after Wash' was ejected did he get his money's worth. Replays showed Wash' get directly in Bellino's face tossing out a number of choice words that are decidedly NSFW. 

Did Wash' say the "magic word"?

In the movie "Bull Durham", Kevin Costner's Crash Davis is egged into calling the home plate umpire the "magic word" and is ejected.

According to about six major league players over the years I have talked to there is no one certain "magic word" that is a sure thing to an ejection from every single umpire.

"It's more umpire specific," Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton told me last week when this subject came up.

Every umpire has his breaking point. Most umpires, according to Josh, are going to eject you if you cross their un-written line. Some have a higher tolerance than others.

Major league umpires can be a funny bunch, not to mention a bit thin-skinned. The reason you don't see close plays replayed at your local ballpark? Major league umpires have it in their contract that no close replays will be shown that could potentially incite the masses. Funny, that's not a problem for NFL referees.

MLB umpires sometimes forget people pay to watch baseball players rather than baseball umpires.

 

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Josh Hamilton talks his hot start, contract year, & dealing with being called names

SOUTHLAKE, Texas - The Internet has created a new strata of confidence, built primarily through anonymity, or its passive-aggressive nature. You can call anybody anything, say anything about anyone with little or no fear of actual confrontation. The test is, or should be, would you say that to a person's face?

What was already a serious issue became even more so when this week when a Texas couple won a $1.378 million internet libel lawsuit for anonymous comments made about them; these people had anonymously been accused of sexual misconduct.

When Texas Rangers' outfielder Josh Hamilton had his well publicized relapse with alcohol in February he addressed the media the day after the news broke. I wrote that the Rangers should not re-sign him to a monster extension because his body breaks down and not for any other reason.

I wrote, "One of baseball's best players is an admitted crackhead". I can't imagine I would have said that to his face.
Today, at a small media event in Southlake at a Game Stop, I apologized for the remark. He wasn't even aware of it, but it was mean, a cheap shot, and violated a pretty simple rule.

"It's OK. I forgive you," Hamilton said.

Hamilton was there to play the new PlayStation 3 video game "MLB 12 The Show" of which he is one of the few big leaguers to grace the game's cover.

Hamilton kicked my butt in this very cool, and addictive, video game. In home run derby, Hamilton hit 11 home runs to my 2. Also notice, against me, he was unable to equal the 28 home runs he hit in the first round of the real MLB Home Run Derby a few years ago in New York.

For the record, he had been practicing, and I had never taken a swing. Critics have said that hitting two home runs having never played this before is no different than scaling Everest without training.

Hamilton and I chatted about the his team's hot start, his ridiculous numbers so far (.390, 8 HR, 19 RBI), playing in a contract year, and addressing Rangers' fans concerns.

The Big Mac Blog: Did you envision a start like this for you or the team?
Josh Hamilton: People put too much stock into spring training. The game is about results. The cool thing about the team is the mentality of, 'What can each player do tonight to help us win?' 

The Big Mac Blog: How are you better today as a player than when you arrived from Cincy?
Josh Hamilton: Just smarter about learning how to get into a routine. Not looking past preparing for one game. I am doing Pilates now again during the season three times a week. It takes about 20 minutes. 

The Big Mac Blog: Your decision to publicly address your relapse immediately; was that instinctive or did someone advise you to do that?
Josh Hamilton: Both. My wife, my agent and I got together with the Rangers and we felt like that would be the best thing overall. We prayed about it, obviously. And there was a learning process from '09 when it happened then. And then figuring out, it happened again, what do we need to look into why it happened again? Figure out how to stay on top of it, and not just push it aside. I'm not going to play baseball forever. It was, 'Get it out there' and try to manage the problem.

The Big Mac Blog: How are you?
Josh Hamilton: Really good. Spiritually. Mentally. Physically. Everything is probably better now than it has been since I have been playing.

The Big Mac Blog: How do you deal with people like me, or others, calling you names and making comments when they don't know you at all?
Josh Hamilton: I was in Minnesota the other week and I moved from center field to left field and I was just getting worn out by the fans in left field. When you've got a 12-year-old kid calling you a crack head ... but I know that they are going through something, or they know someone going through something, and they are just lashing out. They can't quite get it. These are the ones lashing at Jesus when he was on the cross.

The Big Mac Blog: Then what is fair - whom I to say anything about you not on the field?
Josh Hamilton: That's the way I want it. I'm not only sharing God's words with people but my life with people so they can see God's grace in my life and his mercy. And show everybody that I make mistakes, too.

The Big Mac Blog: Statistically, players in contract years enjoy career number seasons; do you feel any different today in a contract season than you did one year ago?
Josh Hamilton: Absolutely not. I am under contract right now. For example, this spring a guy asked me about playing too hard. That's the dumbest question I've ever heard. How can you play too hard? You play smart.

The Big Mac Blog: It's about you getting hurt. Everyone is holding your breath when you fall. 
Josh Hamilton: OK, here is the answer. Close game, ball needs to be caught at the wall, I'm running into the wall.

The Big Mac Blog: In June?
Josh Hamilton: In June. But not if we're up 10 games. Or up five runs.

The Big Mac Blog: I have no problem with that answer. 
Josh Hamilton: It all depends. When I got hurt running into the wall playing the Angels, it was 1-1 or 0-0 and I had to go get it. My body always wants to do it, and so does my heart, but ...

The Big Mac Blog: What about D-Hing?
Josh Hamilton: It's something I will be able to do a little later on. You have to have a mentality and figure out a routine that works. I think my numbers drop as a DH. 

The Big Mac Blog: For fans who say, 'We want Josh forever, but we're scared' what do you say?
Josh Hamilton: Gotta have faith, baby ...

The Big Mac Blog: Is that a legit question?
Josh Hamilton: Yes. But personally I can't live or play scared of getting hurt.

 

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Unreality has infected the Dallas Cowboys

IRVING - Most people who have followed the Dallas Cowboys in the Jerry Jones' years understand his optimism, and his hyperbole. Every year is a Super Bowl year. Every coach is one of the very best.

Now, however, it appears as if such language has become the standard at Valley Ranch.

On Wednesday at the Cowboys' pre-draft presser, team directory of scouting Tom Ciskowski was asked if he had a lot of holes to fill.
"No," he said.

Oh, Bubba, no. 

The Dallas Cowboys finished 8-8 last season, missed the playoffs, and despite a handful of free agent additions they don't have any holes to fill?

"I look at our team; we're going to draft over the next three days to upgrade," he said. "We've got some depth at some positions. I think if we weren't drafting today we could go play tomorrow."

Technically, Tom is right. The team has a 53-man roster that could play a game today, if needed. But last season demonstrated that 53-man roster was not good enough. Hence, it has holes. Every team has holes, even the New York Giants or the New England Patriots.

We should not expect Tom to sit next to his boss and say: "Holes? My God, man. They are everywhere. Did you not watch us last year?"

But to suggest this team does not have holes is something that should be left for Jerry to say.

 

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Former Texas Rangers TV voice Josh Lewin recounts Pudge's departure in his new book

Today arguably the greatest Texas Rangers player will officially retire as a Ranger. With the exception of Nolan Ryan, there may never have been a more complete baseball player in Rangers' history than Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez.

Pudge is scheduled to meet with the media today at the Ballpark before the Rangers' series against the New York Yankees to talk about his retirement with the original team he came up with, and never wanted to leave.

Former Texas Rangers TV play by play man Josh Lewin was with the club at the time, and he recently wrote a new book that chronicled his tenure covering the team; click here for a link to the book titled, "Ballgame! A decade covering the Texas Rangers from the best seat in the house."

In the first 100 pages of the book Lewin covers the slow devolvement of the team in 2000, including Pudge's latter years with the club in 2001 and 2002.

Lewin writes:

"Rodriguez told general manager Doug Melvin in a private meeting, 'Please don't trade me. Please don't let me go as a free agent. I'll sign for less money than I could get on the open market. Forget my agent, forget everything. I just want to stay where I am.'

"... As 2002 wound down, things were different. (New GM John) Hart and the Rangers' hiearchy didn't trust  another long-term contract would be a sound investment for a man who had caught 145 games a year, every year, for 11 seasons in the baking Texas heat."

Lewin recounts Pudge's final home game with the team in 2002:

"Leading off the bottom of the seventh, just after the last playing of Cotton-Eyed Joe for the season, there was Pudge with that big-but-effortless swing, launching his 19th home run of a lost season. The fans went berserk, and had even more to cheer about an inning later.

"Manager Jerry Narron wanted to give Pudge a chance to tip his hat to the crowd before being pulled from the game. He slyly encouraged Pudge in the dugout to 'go get on base so I can take you out and the crowd can roar.' Rodriguez told Narron, in not so many words, that he would deliver.

"On the first pitch from Micah Bowie, he blasted one of those patented right-center-field laser beams, and initially it appeared destined for home run number 20. But, no, instead the ball thumped against the top of the UPS sign and stayed in play, thus allowing a laughing Narron to pinch-run Todd Greene and get Pudge's his hero's sendoff from the adoring crowd. Narron noted the advertising slogan painted on the UPS sign: 'We deliver'. That, in a nutshell, was Pudge."

 

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Texas Rangers OF Josh Hamilton's projected numbers are in$ane

Josh Hamilton is doing everything possible to pressure the Texas Rangers into a stupid contract. The numbers he is putting up are, as the kids would say, "stupid".

In Game 1 of the Rangers' double-header in Detroit on Saturday, Hamilton hit another home run. He has six homers this season. Of course, he followed that with an 0-for-5, 4 K stinker in Game 2.

Here are Hamilton's stats so far in 2012:
15 games, 64 at bats, 25 hits, 3 doubles, 6 HR, 15 RBI, .391 BA

Here are Hamilton's projected stats for the season:
162 games, 691 at bats, 270 hits, 32 doubles, 65 HR, 162 RBI, .391 BA

As you can see, Hamilton just needs to keep this up for another five-plus months and he should have the long-term contract both he and the union desires.

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Former Dallas Stars goalie has Phoenix Coyotes on brink of second round

Funny how a franchise that has remained in ownership hell for multiple seasons manages to make the playoffs repeatedly, and now is on the brink of winning a series for the first time since relocating to Phoenix more than a decade ago.

The Phoenix Coyotes are up 3-1 on the Chicago Blackhawks in their first round Western Conference series thanks to former Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett, and a former goalie of the same organization.

Considering how things played out, it's not as if the Dallas Stars were fleeced when they sent goalie Mike Smith and forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern in February of 2008 to Tampa Bay to acquire center Brad Richards. At the time, Smith was backing up Marty Turco in Dallas but the thought was he could be a legit No. 1 goalie.

None of the players involved did very much to help their new team do much of anything beyond that 2008 spring when Richards was part of a Stars team that reached the West Finals.

It wasn't until this past offseason when the Coyotes signed Smith as a free agent did he begin to win the way the Stars, and Lightning, projected.

Playing behind a set of defensemen and forwards that will grind, chip, bang and bore you to death this season, Smith has become arguably the finest goalie in these playoffs. This season, he went 38-18 with a .930 save percentage and a 2.21 goals against average. 

Because of the style of play favored by Tippett - close to the vest, very conservative, needing a lead - goalies that play for him tend to have favorable numbers. But Smith is clearly in the head of the Blackhawks. Every game in this series has ended in OT. He has repeatedly made big saves, and now has the "cash strapped" Coyotes on the brink of the Western Conference semi-finals.

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Texas Rangers closer Joe Nathan is the Allstate "Mayhem" guy

Credit to Big Mac Blog reader Gene Suttle for pointing this out to me. 

Texas Rangers closer Joe Nathan is actually the Allstate "Mayhem" guy. 

As you can see from these pictures, the similarity is alarming.

The way Nathan is pitching right now, the Rangers may be better off going with actor Dean Winters, who plays Tina Fey's on/off again boyfriend in "30 Rock" but has also established himself as the Allstate "mayhem" guy.

Nathan is now 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA in seven innings for the Rangers this season. In the Rangers' 6-3 win in Boston on Wednesday night, Nathan turned a safe ninth inning into a "save" situation. The Rangers won, but the Rangers may need a little Mayhem insurance when he takes to the mound these days.

 

 

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Video: Galloway & Big Mac define expectations for Yu

 

 

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Video: Eating the Yu Dog is a curious hit

ARLINGTON - Because there can't be enough video of people eating food, The Big Mac Blog is delving into Texas Rangers' cuisine. No, not that $26 hot dog. 

Baby steps, people.

Available at the Captain Morgan Club on the day Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish pitches is the "controversial" Yu Dog. 

It's an all-beef dog wrapped in wonton and deep fried. It's covered in beef teriyaki, wasabi mayonaise, seaweed salad, sesame seeds with some jalapenos.

On the side are string fries that are tossed in sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

There was some hubub that this is not true to Japanese cuisine; wonton is a Chinese creation. As a white American dude, I am OK with it. Watch here if you can, or are so inclined, my first bite into the Yu Dog. (Please note I am sorry about the nose and chin; blame my father).

 

ADVICE: Be open-minded when trying this. This is not your typical hot dog at the Ballpark experience. It runs for $12.50.  It's a-bit-ah spicy!, and the teriyaki with the seaweed give it an Asian flavor. Is it good? Yes. Will I have it again? Yes.

A special thanks to ESPN Radio producer Mark Friedman for filming this, and the good people at the Captain Morgan Club for cooking me this on a day when Yu didn't pitch.

 

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