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PLUS, A LOOK BACK, AND IN TO THE FUTURE OF THE RANGERS...

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The PGA TOUR’s Nationwide Tour andthe Salesmanship Club of Dallasannounced Tuesday that the Tour’s season-ending Nationwide Tour Championshipwill return to TPC Craig Ranch in theDallas, Texas suburb of McKinney in2012.

The official name of the tournament willbe the “Nationwide Tour Championship atTPC Craig Ranch”. TPC Craig Ranchhosted the championship in 2008 whenMatt Bettencourt defeated Jeff Klauk byone shot. Dates for next year’s 20th play-ing will be announced in the near future.

Golf Channel, the exclusive television car-rier of the Nationwide Tour, will providecoverage of all four rounds.

As the culminating event of theNationwide Tour season, the NationwideTour Championship at TPC Craig Ranchwill feature the top-60 money winnersthrough the year’s final full-field event, theWinn-Dixie Jacksonville Open presentedby Planters. PGA TOUR cards for 2013will be awarded at the conclusion of theChampionship to “The 25” leading moneywinners. In addition, No. 1 on the moneylist will be decided, with that player earn-ing the additional perks of fully-exemptstatus on the PGA TOUR in 2013 and aninvitation to THE PLAYERSChampionship.

TPC Craig Ranch opened for play in 2004.A Tom Weiskopf design, it is a 7,438-yardlayout from the championship tees thatwill play to a par 36-35—71 for the tour-nament.

“Serving as the stepping off point everyyear for the 25 graduates who are going tothe PGA TOUR, the Nationwide TourChampionship annually provides some ofgolf’s best drama and delivers players tothe TOUR who have the game to make animmediate impact,” said Nationwide Tourpresident Bill Calfee. “You need look nofurther than 2010 graduates and 2011TOUR winners Keegan Bradley, JhonattanVegas, Chris Kirk, Scott Stallings, andBrendan Steele, who won theChampionship last year.

Past champions are David Duval (1993),Stewart Cink (1995), Steve Flesch (1997),Bob Burns (1998), Spike McRoy (2000),Chris Couch (2003), Nick Watney (2004),Matt Bettencourt (2008) and BrendanSteele (2010). Ken Duke won the 2011Nationwide Tour Championship last week.

The Nationwide Tour Championship wasfirst played in 1993 and visited Texas(Houston) for the first time in 2006. Texas


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AROUND THE AREAGOLF & COLLEGE FOOTBALL NOTES

QUICK HITSDODGERS, BELTRE & POPEYE

FISHERROB RYAN’S MOUTH ACTS UP AGAIN

RANGERSTHE PAIN WILL LAST

RANGERS TIME TO LOOK FORWARD

COVER STORYBIG WEEKEND AT TMS

SPORTS SHORTSDFW SPORTS BUBBLE HAS BURST

RANGERSWHAT TO DO WITH CJ?

THE TICKET WINDOWA VISIT WITH JON DANIELS

BAR & TUBE

November 4 - 10, 2011Volume 10, Issue 12

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LOCAL HAPPENINGSAROUND THE AREA

Nationwide tour returning in 2012

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is joined by Oregon (1993-94), Georgia(1995-96), Alabama (1997-2005),California (2007) and South Carolina(2009-2011) in hosting the first 19 editions.TPC Craig Ranch is the only TournamentPlayers Club to host the championship.

The Nationwide Tour Championship washeld at the Daniel Island Club inCharleston, S.C. the last three years.

College Football Chalk Talk with Bo Carter

Coach Joe Paterno won a NCAA Division Irecord 409th game when the Nittany Lionsedged Illinois 10-7 in the snow atUniversity Park, Pa., last Saturday. Hepassed NFF College Hall of Fame coachEddie Robinson with 408 all-time tri-umphs........Notable from BCS Standings:SEC teams at Nos. 1-2 (LSU-Alabama dur-ing the first two standings of 2011) are get-ting to be a tradition in BCS standings. Infact, either Alabama, Auburn or LSU heldthe Nos. 1 or 2 positions in 27 of the 28BCS standings from Nov. 25, 2008-Oct. 30,2011. Florida and Alabama (interrupted byNo. 2 Texas one week) were 1-2 in seven ofthe eight BCS surveys of 2009. EitherAuburn or Oregon nabbed the Nos. 1-2BCS positions in seven of the eight BCSstandings of 2010 while LSU and Alabama,which play Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.,have been 1-2 in each of the first threestandings of ‘11… Oct.-Nov. 2009 Florida-Alabama placements were the second timein which two teams were either Nos. 1 or 2in the BCS Standings for seven consecutiveweeks. That tied the record for successiveweeks by USC and Oklahoma in2004…Southern California and Texas in2005 represented the only time in BCS his-tory that the Nos. 1-2 teams in Week Onestandings later played in the title con-test......TCU has won a Mountain West

Conference-record 20 intra-league encoun-ters. The Horned Frogs are scheduled tostart Big 12 Conference football activity in2012… Stanford kept its record unblem-ished with a triple overtime victory atSouthern California.......Last week’s Army-Fordham contest at West Point was just thethird between the traditional powers and thefirst since 1949. Army now leads the rival-ry 3-0…Houston has started a season 8-0for just the third time in schoolhistory…Colorado finishes its 2011 cam-paign with five consecutive Pacific-12Conference opponents…..Michigan andPurdue just passed the 120-year mark sincethey first met on the gridiron in1890…..Tennessee is 14-2 all-time ingames played in Knoxville vs. SouthCarolina…Last Saturday night’s turnout of105,511 for Wisconsin at Ohio State wasthe seventh-largest in Ohio Stadium histo-ry…Undefeated Sam Houston State (8-0)has been a mover and shaker in recent FCSpolls. The streaking Bearkats also have thedistinction of being 2-0 in appearances atthe Refrigerator Bowl in Evansville, Ind., in1953 and ‘56…Southwestern (Texas) andBerry (Ga.) will add varsity football on theDivision III level in 2013.....FourSoutheastern Conference coaches are onthe Bear Bryant Coach of the Year watchlist - Nick Saban (Alabama), Bobby Petrino(Arkansas), Les Miles (LSU), and SteveSpurrier (South Carolina) as well asUHouston head coach Mike Sumlin......TheBig 12 officially invited and accepted WestVirginia into the circuit lastFriday…..Missouri continues to mull andcheck legal obligations for a possible moveto the SoutheasternConference…..Oklahoma QB Landry Jonesset a school game mark with 505 passingyards and raised his career TD pass tally toan OU-best 90 after the Sooners toppledthen-No. 8 and unbeaten Kansas State lastweekend in Manhattan, Kansas,


Dodgers finally to go on sale

Quick HitsThe Metroplex is a sports fan's dream - great pro sports, college power-houses and some of the best high school sports programs in the country -and we deliver it all with typical Texas hospitality.-Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price on D/FW being ranked the No. 1 sports area in the U.S.

By Vance Gonzales/Correspondent/[email protected]

There will be a “court-supervised process” to sell the LosAngeles Dodgers and its media rights to maximize valuefor both the club and its current owner, Frank McCourt.Handling the sale will be the Blackstone Group LP. Thisannouncement comes as the Dodgers and MLB were head-ed toward a showdown in U.S. Bankruptcy Court inDelaware at the month's end as mediation between bothsides was ongoing.

McCourt and Selig have taken jabs at one another sinceMLB took control of day-to-day operation of the team inApril amongst concerns about the team's finances and theway it was being run. McCourt filed for bankruptcy pro-tection in June following the league's rejection of a 17-year TV contract with Fox, reported to be worth $3 billion,that he needed to keep the team afloat. Selig was quick topoint out that almost half of an immediate $385 millionpayment would have been diverted from the Dodgers toMcCourt.

Not it seems apparent that McCourt realized a sale of theteam he vowed never to give up was in his best interestand that of the fans. “There comes a point in time whenyou say, 'It's time,'” a person familiar with the situationwho requested anonymity because details of the negotia-tions had not been made public told The Associated Press.“He came to that realization at the end of today.”

McCourt bought the Dodgers from NewsCorp in February2004 at a price of $420 million, largely on borrowedmonies. Today, the team is expected to haul in somewherebetween $800 and $1.2 billion.

McCourt purchased the Dodgers from NewsCorp inFebruary 2004 for the price of $420 million, largely onborrowed funds. Based on various media reports, the teamis expected to fetch somewhere between $800 million and$1.2 billion this time

Adrian Beltre Fired Up about 3rd Gold GloveRangers third baseman Adrian Beltre won a RawlingsGold Glove at third base for the 2011 season. This makesit Beltre's third Gold Glove award after taking that little award home while in Seattle both in 2007 and 2008.

Beltre is the first Rangers third baseman to win a GoldGlove since Buddy Bell won the last of his six in 1984.Moreover, Beltre is the first Rangers player to nab theaward since Michael Young earned his in 2008 at short-stop. Managers and other coaching staffs vote for the win-ners, but none can vote for players on their own team.

“It means a lot,” Beltre said. “To be chosen as one of thebest in the league defensively is a nice accomplishment.It's part of the game I take a lot of pride in.”

For a long while now, the 32-year-old Beltre has beendeemed by many as the top defensive third baseman in thegame. His numbers in 2011 attest to that much. Beltre ledall AL third baseman with 17 defensive runs saved. Also,Beltre ws first in ultimate zone rating, second in zone rat-ing, second in fielding percentage and third in totalchances per nine innings.

The veteran joined the Rangers prior to the 2011 season,signing a five-year, $80 million contract with a vestingoption for a sixth year at $16 million. The hope was thatBeltre would help the overall defense and that seems tohave been accomplished. Nothing got by him at third baseand his range allowed for Elvis Andrus to cheat towardsecond base on many balls, helping the infield earn morechances to get some outs.

Former Maverick’s son a top NHL prospectFrom ESPN.com’s Grant Sonier’s NHL Draft Blog:

After 12 games in 10 days, all but two of them featuringpotential top round prospects for the next NHL entry draft,it has become clear that there is a 2013 draft-eligible whowould certainly be in the conversation for June's No. 1pick if he was made available. And that's who I want tostart with.

Most impressive 2013 player: Seth Jones

The U.S. National Development Team has a number ofimpressive draft prospects, but the one that caught my eye

the most was underager Seth Jones. Jones is the son of for-mer NBA player Popeye Jones. The genes clearly show, asthe younger Jones already stands at 6-foot-4, making him adaunting presence on the blue line. His heritage has madehim a talked-about prospect, but if he was eligible for thisyear's draft I think he would be very much in the conversa-tion for the No. 1 pick. Simply put, he is one of the mostgifted big defensemen I have seen in a long time.

Based on his skating alone, if you put him in an NHLpractice jersey tomorrow, you wouldn't be able to tell himapart from many of the league's current blueliners.Remember this name.


OFF-KEY KARAOKETHURSDAY - SATURDAY

9:30PM - 2:00AM


For the second time this season,coach’s comments fireup opponent.

By Mike FisherF I S [email protected]

True Halloween story: I attended a blurry parade of par-ties over the weekend while dressed as Dallas Cowboysdefensive coordinator Rob Ryan. The ingredients weresimple to assemble: I grew a goatee. I donned a long greywig. I wore a headset. I taped a pillow to my belly. And Ihad a bit: I told everyone who would listen and laugh -partying Cowboys fans anticipating Sunday's Dallas-at-Philadelphia duel (the women all dressed as either “sluttypirates,'' “slutty actresses'' or “slutty sluts,'' by the way)that I was going to “beat the ass'' of the “all-hype Eagles.''

Of course, I said it to harmless fans.The real Rob Ryan said it directly to the Philadelphia

Eagles, who are empowered to actually respond to thetaunts - and did, with a 34-7 drubbing of the Cowboys, anoutcome that humiliated Dallas and humbled theCowboys' brash first-year coordinator.

COWS NEVER HAD A CHANCE

“I got outcoached by (Eagles coach Andy) Reid andtheir staff," Ryan said after a game in which his defensepermitted 495 total yards. "I mean, it's ridiculous. I nevergave our guys a chance. The whole (bleep) thing was onme. If I gave them any extra motivation, hell, I certainlynever backed it up. I gave our guys a lousy plan. We hadno chance, and it's all on me.''

Ryan gets props from this corner for facing the musicfor his foolishness. But as I've said often in covering thisteam for 21 years, maybe this Cowboys organization -which has earned the “all-hype'' label due to infinitelymore self-promotion than the Eagles are guilty of -should've avoided the foolishness in the first place.

It was back in training camp, as Philly was gainingdaily attention for its rat-a-tat signings of name players,when Ryan popped off. Sound-mixed into the blabberingchorus was Vince Young's declaration that Philly wasassembling a “dream team.''

But Young's statement was immaterial, considering thesource; he is, after all, a backup QB (who this season hasthrown one pass for one interception). His fingerprints arenot anywhere on the Eagles' 3-4 record.

Ryan, however, works under head coach Jason Garrettas the architect of this defense and is very much responsi-ble for both the successes and failures represented byDallas' 3-4 record. Ryan gets credit for the fact that going

into Sunday night, Dallas boasted the NFL's fifth-rankedtotal defense and its No. 1 defense against the run.

And today? The Eagles rushed for 239 yards - triplingwhat the Cowboys usually allow.

"Andy Reid was reading my mail," Ryan said. "Hekicked my ass. I've just got to go back and work harder.I've got to be smarter than this. That's all it comes downto."

EAGLES FIRED BACK ON THE FIELD

It is impossible to gauge how much of this defeat has todo with Ryan's gameplan, how much of it has to do withthe Eagles' talent, and how much it has to do with anyinspiration Ryan provided to Philly. This is the sort ofthing that opens itself up to revisionist history and after-the-fact told-ya-so's.

In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, LeBron James andDwyane Wade were judged guilty of premature preeningas they were up by 15 with 7:14 left. But only after theDallas Mavericks' improbable comeback (the Mavs wonthe game 95-93) was Jason Terry and company able toclaim that they were inspired by Miami's impudence.

If the Mavs lose that game - by 15 points or by onepoint - nobody notices or complains or cares about the“disrespect.''

The Eagles aren't much bothering to return verbal firehere. Running back LeSean McCoy carried 20 times for185 yards and two TDs. Quarterback Michael Vick solvedRyan's blitzes by completing 21-of-28 for 279 yards andtwo TDs, and rushed for 50 more on seven carries. Pass-

catchers DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Macklin and BrentCelek kept drives alive as the Eagles scored on all of theirfirst five possessions.

There was no hype. No need to volley back taunts. Justdomination.

Ryan's bravado is in his DNA. He's the NFL's most out-spoken assistant coach; his challenge to the Eagles is onlyhis second goofiest gaffe of the half-season, as earlier thisyear he questioned the excellence of Detroit receiverCalvin Johnson. (Detroit beat Dallas as Johnson caughttwo late TD passes in a massive comeback.) Rob ismatched by his twin brother Rex of the New York Jets,who is the NFL's most outspoken head coach if onlybecause he habitually promises Super Bowl titles butremains ring-less. And both of them are trying to follow inthe footsteps of their stir-the-pot father, Buddy Ryan,whose flapping gums created rivalries with other teams(when he was with the Eagles) and with his own team(Buddy was the defensive coordinator of the 1985Chicago Bears, and courted attention so he could be rec-ognized as being a peer of head coach Mike Ditka).

WHY EVEN OPEN YOUR MOUTH?

Psychologically speaking, it seems to me there are fourreasons sports figures flap their gums like this:

1 Ego-driven adorers of their own voices, they do so toamuse themselves, and/or because they are convinced thattheir words are weighty.

2 They believe in creating challenges for themselvesand their teams - challenges that outrageous promisesforce them to live up to.

3 They understand that this is theater, that someonemust play the villain, that there are tickets to be sold andTV ratings to be gained and that the NFL needs “interest-ing'' people.

4 Their bravado is false and their press conferences areempty. All of it equals time wasted, time better spent for-mulating gameplans and teaching players.

I don't know which of those four motivations best fitRob Ryan. I just know that now that Halloween weekendis over, I can shave the goatee, take off the wig, andremove the pillow.

But Rob Ryan? During this haunting time for theCowboys, he's stuck with the words and the deeds and thebeing of Rob Ryan.

Follow the Fish on twitter at FishSports and atwww.DallasBasketball.com.

SPORTS TALK WITH MIKE FISHERTHE FISH

Ryan’s bravado bites Cowboys’ D again

8 November 4 10, 2011 | The Sports Page | spor tspagedfw.com

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Taking it to our bleepin’ graves.

By Mike KravikCO R R E S PO N D E [email protected]

That loss is going to hurt for a while.

Yes, the Texas Rangers had a wonderful2011 season but what happened to them inGame 6 of the World Series was a disaster.Losing the World Series to the SanFrancisco Giants was understandablebecause they ran into a buzz-saw of apitching staff. That loss was quick andpainless - hey, most of us were just happyto be there. Losing the World Series whenyou have a two-run lead, two outs andyou're one strike away not once but twiceis on a much different plane. Game 6 wasa special kind of sports tragedy that play-ers and fans will take to their bleepinggraves.

Watching David Freese hit a two-out, two-strike, two-run triple in the 9th inning totie the game was sickening. That baseballnausea left quickly when Josh Hamiltonshowed how resilient this Rangers teamwas and bashed a two-run homer to rightfield the next inning.

WE’RE HOME FREE, RIGHT?

I thought there was no way the Cardscould come back. I was giddy because Ithought, no I knew, Hamilton's bombwould give the Rangers their first WorldSeries title. This all makes sense now. Thisis how the story was meant to be told. Wewere supposed to cough up the lead in the

in the 9th inning to set the stage. JoshHamilton, the ultimate story in redemp-tion, was going to lead the way. What aperfect ending!!

The bottom of the 10th inning was a blurof walks and wet newspaper hits thatfound holes. When the Cards came backyet again, the awful truth was suffocatedme with reality. The Rangers were notonly going to lose Game 6 but I now sus-pected they were going to lose the WorldSeries.

DEAD MAN WALKING

Suspicion turned to conviction on Fridaynight.

After the weekend fog, it started to sink inwith me. Holy Bartman!! What happenedto the Texas Rangers in Game 6 is theworst post-season disaster in the history ofMajor League Baseball.

Nobody else has been that close to win-ning it all and still fell short. The otherthree faces on the Mount Rushmore ofbaseball tragedies are the '85 Cardinals,the '86 Boston Red Sox and the 2003Chicago Cubs. All of those teams hadGame 6 heartbreaks but none of themwere one strike away from winning it allin two consecutive innings.

If there is a silver lining to this mess, wedon't have a Don Denkinger, Bill Buckneror Steven Bartman to use as a scapegoat.This loss should be worn by everybody inthe organization. Nobody's to blame,everybody's to blame.

The style of play in the National Leaguelends itself to second guessing the manag-er but Ron Washington sparred well withTony LaRussa and made enough gooddecisions to have his team one strike awayin two different innings.

Throughout the World Series, the Rangerspitchers walked too many batters (41walks!!!) and the hitting was inconsistent.The Rangers gave up too many outs on thebases and they were sloppy on defense.When presented with a chance to close outthe series, the bullpen barfed all over itselfat the worst possible time.

NOBODY'S TO BLAME, EVERYBODY'S TOBLAME.

The common thread the Rangers alsoshared with those teams that lost Game 6heartbreakers is that they all went on tolose Game 7. An endearing trait of the2011 Rangers was their resiliency andability to come back from tough losses.That resiliency caught the last flight out oftown after Game 6.

Of somewhat greater concern is what hap-pens next year and beyond. All three ofthose Game 6 heartbreak teams also failedto make the playoffs the following season.Stack that brick on top of what has hap-pened to other teams that lost two WorldSeries in a row (those teams haven'treturned to the World Series since 1923)and the immediate future of this organiza-tion looks daunting.

I am disappointed by what happened tothe Rangers because this entire season

leading up to Game 6 was near perfection.They had so many players in the primes oftheir career all having good seasons at thesame time. From the outside looking in,they seem like good guys who enjoyedplaying baseball together. It was a teamthat made the fans proud. Something spe-cial (not tragic) was supposed to happenthis post-season.

SO NOW WHAT?

The temptation is to bring back every-body…the season was near perfection, wewere one strike away not once but twice…but you can't do that. Players start todecline, they get hurt or they become freeagents and want to get paid. Good or bad,2011 is over. Change is necessary or theteam becomes stale. The front office maybe facing their most challenging off-sea-son ever because the organization needs tomove forward and get better in 2012.What about the players? They can't undothat loss but they also have to move for-ward. Every journalist they see next yearwill want to ask them if they're “over it”you know, the elephant in the roomnobody wants to discuss. They will becalled chokers by other fans. Somehowthey have to find a way to not only soldieron but get better.Using what happened to the 2006 DallasMavericks as a guide, the only way thefans can get over what happened is for theRangers to defy baseball history and win itall - preferably sooner than later. I don't have the mindset that my favoriteteams need to win championships or theseason is a failure but until the Rangerswin a World Series, this loss is going tohurt.

RANGERS

For Rangers and their fans, this one isgonna sting for a while

spor tspagedfw.com | The Sports Page | November 4 10, 2011 9

Rangers catcher making formerboss look silly

by Dic HumphreyS PE C IAL CO NTR I BUTO [email protected]

As Ranger fans crawl out from the load ofsorrows from last week's World Seriesnear miss, it immediately became time toplan for next year. General Manager JonDaniels literally held his first 2012 plan-ning meeting last Saturday after the teamreturned from St. Louis.

Last year's opening day payroll wasaround $95 million. Daniels pledged athis post season press conference to keepthe core of the team together, and why not.The team has been good enough to go tothe World Series two years in a row. Areasonable estimate of costs to do that,such as estimated arbitration outcomes,moves that payroll number past the $100million mark. Certainly with record atten-dance and revenues from the playoffs, theteam's finances are much healthier thanwhen the current owners took over, soaffording the increase should be no prob-lem. There may even be the wherewithalto increase the payroll significantly abovethat level as the new owners may opentheir checkbooks and the extended televi-sion rights contract with FSN, the detailsfor which have never been disclosed, mayalso afford a greater payroll.

CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH ARMSDaniels said last Monday that pitching ishis number one priority. Texas has four ofthe starting five returning after picking upa $3.25 million 2012 option for ColbyLewis. The non-returning starter at thispoint is C. J. Wilson who filed for freeagency. Rumor has it that he is looking

for a deal of at least five years for $75 -$100 million. The Rangers certainly wanthim back, and he makes all the right nois-es about wanting to return; but it is doubt-ful the Rangers will reach that far to keephim. There will be no shortage of suitorsfor Wilson, as he is the premier startingpitcher among this year's free agents.

Those suitors will include the Red Sox,Yankees, Angels and Nationals, amongothers. Most observers assume Wilsonwill be pitching elsewhere next year.

One option is Yu Darvish, a top Japaneseleague pitcher that wants to play in theUS. Darvish will likely be more expen-sive than Wilson, with the combination ofposting fee to his Japanese league teamand contract estimated to total more than$100 million. Roy Oswalt is another freeagent starting pitcher, and he has a pastrelationship with Nolan Ryan, when bothwere affiliated with the Astros.

A trade for a top starter is always a possi-bility. Daniels certainly tried to land MattGarza and Zach Greinke last winter.There are also internal candidates ScottFeldman, Eric Hurley, Michael Kirkman,and top AAA prospects Martin Perez andNeil Ramirez. Last spring, the team

looked at Neftali Feliz as a starter and isconsidering him again. Daniels said thedecision on Feliz will be made beforespring training this year, as he thoughtFeliz's consideration as a starting pitcherwas a distraction last spring.Internal candidates may not excite Rangerfans as much as Darvish or a trade for anestablished starter. The bottom linethough is that this team has become a verygood team on the strength of startingpitchers it has developed. This year'sstarting five coming out of spring trainingcombined for a 73-39 record. All fivemade their Major League debuts with theRangers.

As for the bullpen, Feliz's status will havea significant impact. Mike Adams wasthought to be the closer in waiting if Felizmoves to the rotation. However, there arequality closers on the free agent market,such as Jonathan Papelbon and Heath Bellthat will be considered if Feliz becomes astarter.

The balance of the pen will be the areathat Daniels can most improve the team.The pen was a disaster area for almostfour months last season until Danielsbrought in Adams, Koji Uehara, and MikeGonzalez. Uehara had sterling statisticswith Baltimore, but was a disaster with theRangers, and may well get moved. DarrenOliver is contemplating retirement.Yoshinori Tateyama's will return as his2012 option was exercised this week.

TAKING ROLL IN THE FIELDOn the offensive side, the biggest hole isfirst base. Daniels said Monday that theteam is still committed to MitchMoreland, but what else can he say at thispoint. However, the two best free agentsthis winter are first basemen - AlbertPujols and Prince Fielder. Landing one of

this pair is a dream in Ranger fans' eyes,but a year ago, Adrian Beltre was not onthe Rangers' radar screen and ended up aRanger.

Daniels said the team is committed tokeeping Josh Hamilton in left field.Center field is then the second biggesthole. Daniels indicated they would not belooking outside the organization for a cen-ter fielder. The internal candidates areCraig Gentry, Julio Borbon and LeonysMartin. Endy Chavez, now a free agent,was the team's center fielder much of theseason and could return.

The catching situation could change.Texas effectively has a tandem of twostarting catchers with Mike Napoli andYorvit Torrealba. It's a tremendous luxu-ry, but an expensive one. The pair earnedaround $9,000,000 last year, andTorrealba's 2012 contract coupled with areasonable estimate of Napoli's post-arbi-tration salary pushes that total to the $12million range, which will be 10% or moreof the total payroll. Torrealba also maynot be pleased with his reduced role, asNapoli has taken over as the number one,and could request a trade.The Rangers will also consider contractextensions for players in the fold.Hamilton and Napoli are candidates, butnot the only two. A year ago, the Rangers were focused onretaining Cliff Lee. That didn't work out,and the plan switched to Adrian Beltre.Mike Napoli later became available in atrade. Those proved to be the mostimpactful acquisitions for 2011. That'sone thing you have to give credit toDaniels and his plans for putting togethera team. He's flexible. It's entirely possi-ble that the most impactful moves for2012 aren't even in the current thoughtprocesses.

WITH DIC HUMPHREYRANGERS

No more looking back, it’s on to next season


TMSCOVER STORY

STAGE IS SET FOR ANOTHERCHASE-ALTERING BATTLE AT THE

AAA TEXAS 500

With an impressive pass on the outside for avictory over five-time reigning NASCARSprint Cup Series champion JimmieJohnson this past weekend at Martinsville,Tony Stewart solidified himself as a cham-pionship threat as the Chase for theNASCAR Sprint Cup continues to heat upwith its next stop set for Sunday's AAATexas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

As the series heads to "The Great AmericanSpeedway!" for the most pivotal race in theChase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Stewarthas momentum on his side and has official-ly thrown down the gauntlet to currentpoints leader Carl Edwards, who leadsStewart by a razor-thin eight points.

"Carl Edwards had better be real worried,"Stewart following his win at Martinsville."That's all I've got to say. He's not going tosleep for the next three weeks."

Edwards, who battled back for a ninth-placefinish in last Sunday's race, maintained hischampionship lead through consistency ashe has posted six top-10 finishes in theseven Chase races. Consistency has paid offfor Edwards and he feels that it will contin-ue to do so as he battles Stewart during thefinal three races of the season.

"He's wound up," Edwards said followingthe race. "He won the race. We'll see whathappens at Texas. I feel like we're gonna gothere and we're gonna have as good a shot towin as anyone.

"We'll go race hard. They're gonna have to

race us too, so I'm excited about the nextthree races. Texas is one of our strongpoints. Texas is different than any track wego to just because of the atmosphere. It'sone of the biggest races of the year."

Stewart continues his remarkable run in theChase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Stewartstarted the Chase in ninth position with novictories, just 11 top-10 finishes in the first26 races and limping into the playoffs.

Now with three victories (Chicagoland,New Hampshire and Martinsville) and fivetop-10 finishes in the seven Chase for theNASCAR Sprint Cup races, Stewart is reen-ergized. With new life to his season, Stewartis now driven to win his third careerNASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

"It's awesome that we have that opportuni-

ty," said Stewart, who won Sprint Cup titlesin 2002 and '05. "We've got three tracks thatwe feel are really good to us. I'm excitedabout it. We've had one of those up-and-down years, and we're having a run in thisnow where we are hungry, we are hungryfor this."

Carl EdwardsConsidering the historicalprecedence the AAA Texas 500 has set asthe points leader following the race hasgone on to win the championship five of theprevious six seasons, a victory can put adriver in prime position and the odds morestacked in his favor.

Both drivers have reason to remain confi-dent as they head to Texas Motor Speedway.Edwards became the first driver to sweepthe Sprint Cup Series races at Texas MotorSpeedway in the same season (2008) and histhree career Cup victories are unmatched.

His other win came in this event during itsinaugural year in 2005. He also is comingoff a third-place finish in April's SamsungMobile 500.

For Stewart, his first and only victory atTexas Motor Speedway came in 2006 dur-ing the Dickies 500 when he ironically didnot qualify for the Chase. Overall, he has 10top-10 finishes, including four top fives, in19 starts for a 13.15 career finishing aver-age.

For Edwards, nothing could be better thanbattling Stewart for a championship duringthe final three races.

"It would be perfectly fine with me if itcame down to Tony and I the last lap atTexas," Edwards said. "If we could separateourselves from the rest of this pack thatwould be wonderful."

The green flag for the AAA Texas 500 is setfor 2 p.m. CT. Tickets for the eighth stop inthe 10-race Chase for the NASCAR SprintCup are available by contacting the TexasMotor Speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or by visitingwww.texasmotorspeedway.com.

THE TE-X-AS FACTOR Texas Motor Speedway has remained thewild card in the 10-race Chase for theNASCAR Sprint Cup. Last year, fans weretreated to a race that featured a scufflebetween Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton on thebackstretch, Kyle Busch gesturing to aNASCAR official and a swap of pit crewsfor eventual champion Jimmie Johnson.

With a mere 30 points separating the topfour championship contenders, coupledwith the tempers still flaring following aweekend of fender rubbing at a short track,the intensity has built for the AAA Texas500. Chase contenders understand that thisweekend's race at Texas Motor Speedwaycan change the dynamic of the Chase as his-tory has demonstrated.

"It's at that point where you are in it to winit or you're just going for the gusto and justtrying to win a race because your season isjust far out of reach to get that champi-onship," 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup cham-pion Kurt Busch said. "The speed here, theintensity, it's an exciting portion of theChase. You can see a lot happen at this race,too. Things can be won or lost right here."

Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

champion Jimmie Johnson has experiencedfirsthand how pivotal the AAA Texas 500can be in a championship run - both goodand bad. In 2006 and '07, Johnson used arunner-up finish and victory to propel him tothe top of the championship standings.However, in the previous three years he haslost ground to the competition.

In 2009, an accident on Lap 3 resulted in a38th-place finish and last year crew chiefChad Knaus swapped pit crews with the No.24 team after poor pit stops throughout therace. The move resulted in a ninth-place fin-ish for Johnson, but could not stop DennyHamlin from walking away with the pointslead and marking the first time Johnson wasnot atop the points standings with two racesleft in the Chase.

"We have experienced the pivot point,"Johnson said. "I remember back to the yearwhen I raced Matt Kenseth for the win here.We could have rode in second and collecteda lot of points, but we went for the win andgot max points. There it switched for us."

"Last year, when we left here we were cer-tainly bummed; we lost the points lead. Wecould have bought into the fact that itchanged in his favor and against ours, butyou just can't count out the remaining raceseven if there are only two or three after it."

KENSETH EYES A SWEEP Matt Kenseth and his title hopes took a hitlast week when a late-race accident sent hisRoush Fenway Racing team to a 31st-placefinish. Kenseth, the winner of April's

TMS fans to view most pivotal race in the Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup

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AAA Texas 500Weekend

Schedule At-A-Glance

WEDNESDAY:TMS credentials office open,

9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

THURSDAY:TMS credentials office open,

8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

NASCAR Camping World Truck SeriesPractice, 12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

NASCAR Camping World Truck SeriesFinal Practice, 2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

The Dallas Morning News QualifyingDays for the NASCAR Camping World

Truck Series, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY:TMS credentials office open,

7 a.m. - 7 p.m.NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice,

9 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

NASCAR Nationwide Series FinalPractice, 10:40 a.m. - 11:55 a.m.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice,12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

The Dallas Morning News QualifyingDay for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,

3:40 p.m.

The Dallas Morning News QualifyingDays for the NASCAR Nationwide

Series, 5:35 p.m. WinStar 350WinStar World Casino 350NASCAR Camping World Truck Seriesrace (147 laps, 220.5 miles), 7 p.m.Race broadcast partners: TV - SPEED(national/local), Radio - MRN (nation-al)/KRLD The FAN 105.3 FM (local).

SATURDAY:TMS credentials office open,

7 a.m. - 12 p.m.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,8:45 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FinalPractice, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

OReilly ChallengeO'Reilly Auto PartsChallenge NASCAR Nationwide Seriesrace (200 laps, 300 miles), 11:45 a.m.

Race broadcast partners: TV - ESPN2(national/local), Radio - PRN (nation-al)/KRLD The FAN 105.3 FM (local).

Samsung Mobile 500 and runner-up fin-isher in the 2010 AAA Texas 500, will takeaim at a sweep to help provide somemomentum.Kenseth has been the most dominantSprint Cup Series driver at Texas MotorSpeedway as his fingerprints are all overthe record books. He currently tops the listfor most laps led (669), most top fives (9),most top 10s (12-tie) and top finishingaverage (9.0). Knowing his success at"The Great American Speedway!" heremains optimistic about earning a sweepat Texas and improving his chances at win-ning a second Sprint Cup Series champi-onship."I always love coming to Texas," saidKenseth, who won the series title in 2003."It's a great race track with a ton of fansout here. We've been fortunate to havequite a bit of success there. It's been a goodtrack for us and we always look forward tocoming back here and race in the Chase.After winning the spring race, we areexcited about that."

THE WILD CARD

With three races left in the Chase for theNASCAR Sprint Cup, the "wild card" forthe championship remains BradKeselowski. Just 27 points outside the leadand situated in fourth place, Keselowski isfocused on the final three-race stretch.Brad KeselowskiKeselowski, who enteredthe Chase as a "wild card," has surged tothe top of the championship standings withfour top-five finishes since the start of theChase. With a free-spirited attitude,Keselowski and his Penske Racing teamwill relish the "wild card" role. The top-10drivers qualified for the Chase based ontheir point standings after 26 races and thefinal two were based off most wins on theseason."I have expectations for our team to con-tinue to run as good as we have, but ifsomething bad happens it's not going to bea disappointment from an expectationstandpoint because it was out of our con-trol," Keselowski said. "The only way I'llbe disappointed is if we make a mistakethat's within our control that is uncharac-teristic of us. I feel fortunate to be wherewe are at. I know at any time that can betaken away from you. If we can keep doingwhat we're doing, we won't have to worryabout any of those things."


Rangers and Cowboys fans in amalaise.

By Kate DelaneyS PE C IAL CO NTR I BUTO [email protected]

The dark clouds hovering around DFWare still lingering even though it has beena week since the Rangers fell to theCardinals in the World Series. Time healsall wounds, so they say, but this one mighttake extra long. Game Six was the one thatslipped away and I'm so sick of the nation-al media talking about it being one of thebest Series games ever in the history ofbaseball. Not if you're a Rangers fan!

I thought the Rangers won it in the ninthinning of that game with Neftali Felizcoming in to close it out with a two runlead. I know you don't want to relive thedetails - so we won't. Once the Cardinalsbagged the extra innings win you justknew that Game 7 would be tough.

Did you even watch the St. Louis celebra-

tion?So with no parade and no World SeriesRangers tees and hats to wear except insome third world country, the talk turns tothe off-season. Although, admittedly it istough coming up with enthusiasm for hotstove league conversation there are a lot ofquestions about next year.

WHAT WILL THE SQUAD LOOK LIKENEXT YEAR?So far the team has signed pitcher ColbyLewis but will C.J. Wilson be back thesquad? GM Jon Daniels is already sayingthat his value may be more than the teamcan afford. Inevitably Wilson will test thefree agent market and while he was spec-tacular during the regular season his postseason might have hurt possibilities withother big clubs. Plus the Yankees re-signedC.C. Sabathia and it was no secret theywere looking at Wilson. The Rangers willhave to give him at least $10 million dol-lars a years in a 4 or 5 year deal. Is thateven enough? Let's hope he's back.

If C.J. stays with the Rangers the team

needs to shift Neftali Feliz into the rota-tion and look for a true closer. At least thistime around Daniels is promising thedrama of will Feliz start or close will besettled before the team goes to Surprise,Arizona in February. The number one pri-ority for the Rangers is pitching accordingto Daniels and the team isn't ruling outpursuing another arm or two.

The good news is that the core of theRangers is intact with Mike Napoli andNelson Cruz eligible for salary arbitration- not a problem. It's a relief to know thatJosh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinslerand Michael Young round out this teamthat has a rare kind of chemistry. By theway one Ranger did walk away with somepost season hardware - Adrian Beltre wona Gold Glove at third base he's the firstRangers third baseman to do it sinceBuddy Bell in 1984.

COWBOYS IN THE CELLARBe honest did you watch the entire Philly- Cowboys game this past Sunday night?

The Eagles 34-7 drubbing of Dallas addedinsult to injury in what was already atough weekend for DFW sports fans.Sports Talk phone lines are filled withcallers looking to pin the loss on some-body mostly Tony Romo or Jason Garrett.

While there is plenty of blame to goaround, here are a few of my gripes: stopthrowing the ball to Martellus Bennett!, InPhilly he bobbled a pass that led to aninterception and he only has five catchesall season. Speaking of interception whyis Romo throwing the ball so much? Go tothe ground. Get the ball to DeMarcoMurray it worked with the Rams so keepfeeding him the rock! Thank goodness Dallas has the Seahawksthis weekend - that should be an easy win,right? Luckily for Cowboy fans the NFCeast is pretty lousy with the Cowboys,Philly and the Redskins all at 3-4 so thereis still a chance that Dallas can crawl outof the crowded cellar.Kate Delaney hosts "America Tonight,"which airs from 11p.m. - 2a.m. on KKGM1630AM.

WITH KATE DELANEYSPORTS SHORTS

The Sports Bubble has burst over DFW

Even if they could afford him, doRangers want their “ace” back?

by Todd KaufmannCO R R E S PO N D E [email protected]

Late Monday afternoon, news broke of anew five-year $122 million contract exten-sion for New York Yankees left hander CCSabathia. News traveled fast as Sabathiabroke the news on his twitter account,"Yankee fans, I'll be here fighting fornumber 28 next year."While most of theupper northeast was happy to hear theirace would be staying with the team for theforeseeable future, the news mainly havehad the opposite effect on the TexasRangers.

PRICE TAG JUST WENT UPTheir ace, CJ Wilson, has also filed forfree agency and will test the open marketthis offseason. So why is the news ofSabathia's contract bad news for theRangers? Well, to say it plainly, theYankee left hander may have just pricedthe Rangers right out of the running for

their own free agent left hander.There were reports Wilson would be look-ing at a new contract somewhere in therange of $75 million to $80 million, a lineSports Illustrated's Jon Heyman reportsthe Rangers would not be willing to cross.But now that Sabathia's contract is offi-cial, could Wilson possibly use it forleverage in his own free agency?While they certainly aren't the same typeof pitcher or even have the same skills,that may not stop Wilson from looking atit and comparing their numbers from thispast season. And, unfortunately for theRangers, if he does just that he may havequite the case to land a nine figure deal.In 2010, Sabathia and Wilson both madeover 30 starts (34 - 33), pitched over 200innings (237.1 - 223.1), finished with dou-ble digit wins (19 - 16), finished withmore than 200 strikeouts (230 - 206) andboth got their teams to the playoffs. Butonly one of them has helped his team toback-to-back World Series appearancesand finished with an earned run averagebelow three (Wilson, 2.94).By the numbers, there doesn't seem to be

much difference between the two pitchers.They're differ by only one start, 14 inningspitched, 24 strikeouts, and three winsthough Wilson has one fewer loss (7) thanSabathia (8) this past season.So how can Wilson really say he is worthwhat the Yankees are paying Sabathia.Certainly these two pitchers don't have thesame ability, style, or effectiveness. Whenit comes to long term contracts, some-times being the same type of pitcher real-ly makes little to no difference at all.Most believe the Rangers have no chanceat all in bringing CJ Wilson back and thereare even more who believe they shouldn'teven try. His arrogant attitude and lacklus-ter performance through the entire play-offs have to leave a lot more questionsthan answers in the minds of the Rangers'front office as well as their fans.While Wilson's agent may have alreadymade contact with a few teams, we knowthat his priority at this point would be areturn to his home in Southern Californiaor to be in a Yankees' uniform.

There's no doubt New York would love to

add a solid number two starter behindSabathia but investing more than$100 mil-lion in two starters seems a bit much,though it hasn't stopped the Yankeesbefore.The Rangers have played their cards closeto the vest, general manager Jon Danielseven said during his press conference onMonday afternoon that they would love tohave Wilson back in a Rangers' uniformand was very complimentary to his per-formance this season. But that could bejust general manager speak or "blowingsmoke" up Wilson's skirt.We know the Rangers are going to focuson pitching first which was made clear byDaniels yesterday when he told the mediait would be, "priority one." It's what killedthem in the World Series, not having thepitching to make sure they shut theCardinals down for good when they hadthe chance.So when the rumors start flying aboutWilson seeking a $100 million deal ormore, don't be the least bit surprised or sayyou didn't see it coming. While you maynot think he's worth it, there's no gettingthat through his head.

BASEBALL

What do Rangers do with C.J. Wilson?


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OPEN DAILY11 A.M

TO2 A.M.

Kansas State at Oklahoma State ( -21)

Missouri at Baylor ( -2 .5)

TCU at Wyoming (+18.5)

Tulane at S M U (-24.5)

Texas Tech at Texas ( -12.5)

Texas A&M at Oklahoma (-13)

South Carol ina at Arkansas ( -4 .5)

LSU at Alabama (-5 .5)

Tampa Bay at New Orleans ( -9)

NY Jets at Buffalo ( -1)

Miami at Kansas City ( -5)

Seatt le at Dal las ( -12)

NY Giants at New England ( -9)

Balt imore at Pit tsburgh ( -3)

Green Bay at San Diego (+6)

Chicago at Phi ladelphia ( -9)

DAN MCVICKER

SCOTT BOYTER

THE REDROOT

VANCEGONZALES

ROGEREMRICH

TRAVISPRICE

RK TEAM RECORD1 LSU 8-02 Alabama 8-03 Oklahoma St 8-04 Stanford 8-05 Oregon 7-16 Boise St 7-07 Arkansas 7-18 South Carolina 7-19 Clemson 8-110 Nebraska 7-111 Oklahoma 7-112 Virginia Tech 8-113 Michigan St 6-214 Houston 8-015 Michigan 7-116 Kansas St 7-117 Penn St 8-118 Wisconsin 6-219 Georgia 6-220 USC 6-221 Arizona St 6-222 Georgia Tech 7-223 West Virginia 6-224 Auburn 6-325 Texas Tech 5-3

K State

Baylor

Wyoming

Tulane

Tech

Oklahoma

Arkansas

Alabama

Tampa Bay

Buffalo

Miami

Seattle

New England

Pittsburgh

San Diego

Philadelphia

Oklahoma State

Missouri

TCU

SMU

Texas

Texas A&M

Arkansas

LSU

New Orleans

NY Jets

Kansas City

Dallas

NY GIants

Baltimore

Green Bay

Chicago

K State

Baylor

TCU

SMU

Tech

Oklahoma

Arkansas

LSU

New Orleans

NY Jets

Miami

Seattle

NY Giants

Baltimore

Green Bay

Chicago

Kansas State

Baylor

TCU

Tulane

Texas

Texas A&M

Arkansas

LSU

New Orleans

Buffalo

Miami

Dallas

New England

Pittsburgh

San Diego

Chicago

9-7 6-10 5-11 10-6 9-7 5-1165-54(.515) 65-54 (.515) 66-63(.547) 66-63 (.547) 68-61 (.614) 69-60(.650) RECORD TO DATE

LAST WEEK

GAMES - 11/5 - 11/7

Each week, we’ll ask some area mediamembers to put their forecasting skills tothe test. This season, TSPW publisher DanMcVicker, Scott Boyter, editor of TSPW, Themysterious Red Root, TSPW columnist VanceGonzales and Roger Emrich, KRLD-AM Sportsand oilman and former Texas Tech widereceiver Travis Price will pick vs. the line.

25THE SPORTS PAGE WEEKLY’S PIGSKIN PROGNOSTICATORS

TOP

Okla State

Baylor

TCU

SMU

Texas

Oklahoma

Arkansas

Alabama

New Orleans

Buffalo

Kansas City

Dallas

New England

Pittsburgh

Green Bay

Philadelphia

K State

Missouri

TCU

SMU

Tech

Oklahoma

South Carolina

LSU

Tampa Bay

NY Jets

Kansas City

Dallas

NY Giants

Pittsburgh

Green Bay

Philadelphia

1. ❑ Oklahoma St at Texas Tech ❑2. ❑ Tennessee at Arkansas ❑3. ❑ Texas A&M at Kansas St ❑4. ❑ Texas at Missouri ❑5. ❑ Baylor at Kansas ❑6. ❑ TCU at Boise St ❑7. ❑ North Texas at Troy ❑8. ❑ Nebraska at Penn St ❑9. ❑ Arizona at Philadelphia ❑10. ❑ Tennessee at Carolina ❑11. ❑ Houston at Tampa Bay ❑12. ❑ Washington at Miami ❑13. ❑ Jacksonvile at Indianapolis ❑14. ❑ Denver at Kansas City ❑15. ❑ Buffalo at Dallas ❑16. ❑ New Orleans at Atlana ❑

Tiebreaker (Final score)17. Minnesota at Green Bay


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In the event of a tie following the tiebreaker round, the winner will be selcted via a random drawing.Clip out entry and mail to: The Sports PageP.O. Box 820813 Dallas, Tx. 75382e-mail your entry to [email protected], or fax to (972) 248-8187.CONTEST RULESEntry deadline Wed, Sept. 28, at 5 p.m. Employees and family of The Sports Page Weekly not eligible. Only one entry per household. Ties will besettled via tiebreaker. Winner will be announced in the December 25 edition of The Sports Page Weekly. Tickets will be available at Cotton BowlWill-Call. The contest runs from September 6 – December 16, 2011. The tiebreaker will determine the final winner each week. The individual towin the most weekly contests wins the Grand Prize. The winner will be notified on Monday following the respective weekend’s contest.

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16 November 4 10, 2011 | The Sports Page | spor tspagedfw.com

Jon Daniels talks with The MusersDiscussing game six, and the

team moving forward.

Dunham & MillerWeekdays, 5:30-10 a.m.

Texas Rangers General Manager JonDaniels joined the Musers on Tuesdaymorning. Here's some of how it went.

Craig: After Game 7 the televisioncameras caught you in the dugout watch-ing the Cardinals celebration. What wasgoing through your mind as you watchedthem celebrate the championship?

JD: A lot of emotions really. I didn’tknow there were cameras there, other-

wise I probably wouldn’t have done it.From a nuts and bolts standpoint, I want-ed to congratulate their general managerso I was kind of waiting to find him inthe crowd. Last year, when we lost to theGiants it was pretty cut and dried after-wards. We kind of left and went down-stairs and set up a staff meeting for thenext day. I think this year because we’dcome so much closer, it felt like theywere getting our trophy. I’m not surewhy I wanted to watch it, but I did and itfelt like there was a little closure there,and kind of leave 2011 in St. Louis andget ready for next year.

George: How many times sinceThursday night, have you replayed thefinal innings from Game 6?

JD: Obviously I’ve thought about it aton, but I’m not to the point where I’mthinking about play by play and pitch bypitch. It is what it is. I don’t have anydesire to watch it right now. I’m sure Iwill at some point. The bottom line isthat we were in great position, and ourguys got us to a point and we couldn’t

close it out. There’s nothing you can doabout it right now other than start plan-ning for next year.

George: How did you feel going intoGame 7 on Friday night?

JD: I tried to convince myself thatwe were in a great spot, which we were.How many clubs get to wake up one day,thinking that at the end of the day we cango to sleep as world champions? We hadthat opportunity on back to back days. Ididn’t know what to expect out of ChrisCarpenter. That makes it a little crazierthat we got rained out with no rain twodays earlier. I thought we had a goodchance to win, obviously jumping out toa 2-0 lead early.

George: Do you think this team willhave a different look to it next year?

JD: We’re not looking to remake theclub. We’ve got a good team and a goodcore. We’re always looking to stay fresh,and get better where we can. I wouldexpect us to be a similar looking club.

The one question I can’t answer rightnow is about C.J. He’s in a position tomaximize his value out on the market,and I couldn’t sit here and tell you todaywhether or not he’ll be back.

George: Does that make it moreunlikely for you to spend big money on afree agent bat?

JD: There are some good ones outthere. Pujols, Fielder, Reyes, I meanthere’s some good players out on themarket. What we would have to consid-er is what it does to us going forward.C.J. is a free agent now. Next year we’vegot Hamilton, Napoli, Colby, and MikeAdams, and Kinsler, Michael, Cruz, andMurphy the year after that and that’s justthe nature of the game. We want to makesure we don’t jeopardize our ability tokeep our key players, especially the guysthat want to be here. I’m not sayingdefinitively that we won’t, but we’ve gotto make sure we’re careful there andmake sure we don’t do anything that’sgoing to hurt our ability to keep ourgroup together.


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Penn St.Angry Dog2726 Commerce St., Dallas214-741-4406


PurdueBlackFinn4440 Belt Line Road., Addison469-374-7667SMUHumperdinks6050 Greenville Ave, Dallas214.368.6597

South FloridaBlackFinn4440 Belt Line Road., Addison

469-374-7667


TexasDraft Picks Sports Bar & Grill703 McKinney Avenue Suite 101,Dallas972.993.3636



Reetz Pub & Grub1411 E Campbell Road, Richardson 972-437-6216reetzpubandgrub.com

St Pete's Dancing Marlin2730 Commerce Street, Dallas214.698.1511


Jake’s2702 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214.754.8001www.jakesburgers.net

Jake’s515 Main Street, Ft. Worthwww.jakesburgers.net

Jake’s6333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Ft. Worthwww.jakesburgers.net

TCUHumperdinks6050 Greenville Ave, Dallas214.368.6597

Humperdinks1601 N. Central Expressway, Richardson972.690.4867Jake’s515 Main Street, Ft. Worthwww.jakesburgers.net



Texas A&MDown Under Pub352 Town Place, Allen469.342.3490

End Zone Sports Bar & Grill3033 W Parker Road, Plano 972-867-3400Humperdinks6050 Greenville Ave, Dallas214.368.6597

The Pour House1919 Skillman St., Dallas214-969-1984Reetz Pub & Grub1411 E Campbell Road, Richardson 972-437-6216reetzpubandgrub.com

Texas TechEnd Zone Sports Bar & Grill

3033 W Parker Road, Plano 972-867-3400


St. Pete's Dancing Marlin2730 Commerce Street, Dallas214.698.1511

Jakes5505 Belt Line Rd., Dallas972.503.5253www.jakesburger.net




Reetz Pub & Grub1411 E Campbell Road, Richardson 972-437-6216reetzpubandgrub.com

VirginiaThe Pour House1919 Skillman St., Dallas214-969-1984

NFL

ALL NFL GAMESDraft Media Sports Lounge400 N. Olive St., Dallas214-777-6524

St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin2730 Commerce St., Dallas214-698-1511

White Rock Sports Bar & Grill718 N. Buckner Blvd. #108, Dallas214-321-6979

Pokes14831 Midway RoadAddison, Texas 75001972.385.7653

Uptown Bar and Grill2523 McKinney AvenueDallas 75201214.969.9433

Pour House1919 Slillman StDallas 75206214.824.1170

Skybox1003 North Collins StArlington 76011817.795.2582

Lakewood 1st and Ten6465 E. Mockingbird LaneDallas 75214214.826.0110

Salt Sports BAr321 Town PlaceFairview, Tx 75069972.549.4200

Buffalo BillsDown Under Pub352 Town Place, Allen469.342.3490

Chicago BearsThe Pour House1919 Skillman St., Dallas214-969-1984

Down Under Pub352 Town Place, Allen469.342.3490

Dallas CowboysBig Al's McKinney Avenue Tavern2822 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214-969-1984

Draft Picks Sports Bar & Grill703 McKinney Avenue Suite 101,Dallas972.993.3636

End Zone Sports Bar & Grill3033 W Parker Road, Plano 972-867-3400



Humperdinks2208 W. NW Highway, Dallas214.358.4159


Humperdinks700 Six Flags Drive, Arlington817.640.8553





St Pete's Dancing Marlin2730 Commerce Street, Dallas214.698.1511

Miami DolphinsBig Al's McKinney Avenue Tavern2822 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214-969-1984

New Orleans SaintsBig Al's McKinney Avenue Tavern2822 McKinney Avenue, Dallas214-969-1984

Down Under Pub352 Town Place Allen469.342.3490

New York GiantsAngry Dog2726 Commerce St., Dallas214-741-4406

Philadelphia EaglesAngry Dog2726 Commerce St., Dallas214-741-4406

W H E R E T O W A T C H Y O U RF A V O R I T E T E A M

bar,tubein

tHEon

tHE

2730 Commerce S t ree t• Da l las , Texas 75226Phone 214.698.1511 • www.danc ingmar l in .com

C a t c h A l l T h e G a m e s H e r e !

T h e C o l d e s t B e e r I n D e e p E l l u m !


NNOOWW OOPPEENN!!

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